Read Online Texas Twilight by Caroline Fyffe - Free Book Online

resolved. Tante
Harriett was worried sick. “I’ll wait, thank you.”
    “Suit yourself.” The teller went back to his
desk.
    Lily seated herself and tried to be patient.
Twenty minutes passed without
    Mr. Shellston or anyone else coming in. She
withdrew her handkerchief from her bag and pressed it to her damp
brow, reminding herself that they needed Mr. Shellston’s
cooperation. He held ownership of the property they’d leased. She
must remain level-headed. Looking down she noticed a centipede
moving quickly across the dusty wooden planks in her direction. Its
legs moved like a wave as the creepy insect sped directly toward
her.
    She stood
and went to the door and looked out. Where is he?
    On the opposite side of the street two men
stood in front of the Land Office, talking. Soon they parted ways
and a tall thin man started for the bank. He walked through the
common area without looking her way and continued down the hall to
his office. The teller got up and followed him. When he came back,
he motioned Lily forward. “Mr. Shellston will see you now. Follow
me.”
    All her indignant feelings evaporated and
Lily was instantly filled with resolve. What if he wouldn’t hold to
the bargain Mr. Bartlett had made with her aunt? What would they do
to support themselves? All they knew was sewing. They needed this
shop.
    The teller closed the door behind him,
leaving Lily conspicuously standing. Mr. Shellston was seated
behind his desk, shuffling through some papers. He’d put on a pair
of spectacles and it seemed he’d forgotten already that he had a
visitor.
    Lily cleared her throat.
    “Oh, please, take a seat.” He put away the
papers and looked up. “Miss…”
    “Anthony,” she said, settling herself in one
of the two chairs in front of his desk.
    “Now, Miss Anthony, what can I do for you
today?”
    Now that she had his full attention, her
heart thumped against her chest and her mouth felt as if it was
full of sand. She pulled the paper from her bag and handed it over
the large desk to his waiting hand. “This,” she was able to get
past her thickened tongue, “is an agreement, a lease, Mr. Bartlett
made with my aunt. We’ve traveled far — from Boston—to find that he
no longer owns the building in question. You do.”
    Mr. Shellston opened the rumpled paper and
pushed his spectacles up closer to his eyes. Lily assumed he was
reading it because he held it before his face while making little
sounds. She was conscious of the ticking of his clock.
    Mr. Shellston folded it and handed the lease
back to her without a comment. She didn’t know what to make of
it.
    “What do you want of me?” he finally
said.
    His face was expressionless and warning bells
went off in Lily’s mind. “We want you to honor it. Let us in so we
can set up our shop.”
    “That’s impossible, Miss Anthony.”
    Lily wasn’t sure she’d heard him correctly.
He’d taken his spectacles off and was now squeezing the bridge of
his nose as if he was dealing with an impetuous child.
    “Why? You own the building. You can do with
it as you please. Can’t you?”
    He sat back and stared at her, making her
feel uncomfortable. “In a sense, yes. And no.”
    “What do you mean?”
    “It is mine to do as I please, you’re correct
when you say that. But, I’ve already leased it to someone else.
He’s to move in next week.”
    Lily sat forward so fast she nearly fell out
of her chair. Embarrassed, she righted herself but not before
seeing his lips curl in amusement. Was he playing with her?
Bringing her along like a trout after a fly? Most assuredly he was.
And enjoying it immensely as he wielded the power over her head
like a blade ready to fall.
    “Mr. Shellston,” she said in a clear,
confident tone. “You could honor it if you were so inclined.”
    “And your point is, Miss Anthony? I’m a
businessman. I didn’t get to be president of The First National
Bank of Texas by sitting on my hands. I’ve worked hard every day to
make