Her Independent Spirit Read online

  HER INDEPENDENT SPIRIT

  Eastern Sierra Brides 1884 Book 3

  By Zina Abbott

  Her Independent Spirit by Zina Abbott

  Smashwords Edition

  Copyright© 2016 Robyn Echols aka Zina Abbott

  Cover Design Livia Reasoner

  Prairie Rose Publications

  www.prairierosepublications.com

  All rights reserved.

  Smashwords Edition, License Notes

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  This is a work of fiction. However, among the minor characters in this work, the author did include the names and occupations of some real people who lived in Lundy and Bridgeport, California in or about the year 1884. These include Frederick Gluntz and Leonard Haas, co-proprietors of the Arcade Saloon; Mrs. Mary A. Ford, owner of the Pioneer Lodging House; Charles McLean, butcher and elected justice of the peace; Doctor Rafael Carlos Guirado, physician and owner of the local drug store; Andrew Barnes, furniture maker, coffin builder and mortician; William Long “Bill” Callahan, constable; Alexander Rosenwald, co-proprietor of the Pioneer Cash store run by Rosenwald, Coblentz & Co. and the Postoffice store, also the postmaster; C.F. “Charley” Hector, owner of the Lundy and Bodie Stage Line and his livery plus his younger brother, Eddie Hector, driver; and Undersheriff Wilcox of Bridgeport. The way these characters were portrayed in this novel in no way is intended to resemble the personalities or characteristics of those who actually lived in Mono County at that time.

  All other characters in Her Independent Heart are strictly figments of the author’s imagination and any resemblance to real people, past or present, are purely coincidental.

  CHAPTER 1

  LUNDY, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 1884

  Lulu pulled her two week-old daughter away from her breast and straightened her nightgown. Her eyes never strayed from the face of the little cherub in her arms until she gently placed the baby on her shoulder to pat her back. Yet, instead of the joy that should have filled her heart as she gazed at the child’s sweet face framed by a fine down of golden brown hair, all she felt was a sense of loss.

  After losing everyone important to her, she was threatened once again with the loss of the most important person in her life—her baby, Sophie Ann.

  As she gazed down at the child now sleeping peacefully in her arms, her mouth occasionally moving in suckling motions as if she continued to nurse, Lulu realized she needed to decide what to do about Sophie Ann. Did the baby’s future belong with her? Or, was it best for her daughter if she heeded Miss Flora’s directive to find a home for the baby so she could resume working by the end of the month?

  In spite of the money she would earn, Lulu cringed at the thought of once again subjecting herself to being pawed—and more—by men.

  Flora had offered to let Albert drive her into Bridgeport during the next week so she could leave the baby on the doorstep of one of the local churches. Flora insisted that someone would find the baby, fall in love with her, and the child would be well cared for as she grew in her adopted family.

  But, Lulu worried. What if no one came for a long time and Sophie Ann grew hungry? What if a pack of feral dogs roaming the streets in search of food found her first? What if she was not found right away and had to spend the night outside and the temperature dropped and she became seriously ill?

  Lulu clutched her baby to her chest with enough force that Sophie Ann squeaked out a protest in her sleep. In response, Lulu loosened her grip, but would not let the child out of her arms. No, never. She could not turn her out and let her take her chances. That is what had happened to her, but at least she had been almost fifteen, not a helpless babe slightly over two weeks old.

  Lulu’s body involuntary jerked in response to the loud rap on her bedroom door. After checking to be sure the front of her nightgown was securely buttoned, Lulu pulled the edge of her wrapper over the side of her chest that was not covered by her sleeping daughter. Prostitute or not, she maintained her modesty when she was not working.

  It was morning, almost time for the girls to wake and stumble down to eat breakfast. Surely it wasn’t an old customer trying to get in to see her.

  “Who’s there?”

  “It’s Albert, Miss Lulu.”

  “Come in.”

  Albert, the muscle Miss Flora hired to enforce order in the brothel, entered the room holding what appeared to be a small folded bundle of flannel. “Miss Lulu, this is for your baby.”

  “Who would bring the baby a gift? Not that many people know me, let alone know I have a baby.”

  Bewildered, Lulu reached for one edge of the fabric and shook it free of its folds. One side was solid white flannel. The other side had a checkerboard patchwork design of striped blue blocks and red flannel blocks alternating with white flannel blocks. It was a quilt with a thin fabric center instead of heavier cotton filling. It was not the most artfully designed quilt Lulu had ever seen, but the corners of the squares matched up and the stitches that held all the layers together were neat and even.

  “It was the midwife. She said no matter what, baby Sophie Ann needs a blanket.”

  “The midwife! She brought the baby a blanket?”

  Lulu recalled her, Jim Dodd’s widow, not much older than she was, who had come to help with the birth of Sophie Ann. That day the woman had offered to help Lulu get work as a cook so she could keep Sophie Ann as long as Lulu gave up being a prostitute and be the one to walk away from the Blue Feather. Had Mrs. Dodd said that just to be nice, or had she meant what she said?

  “Oh, Albert! Where is she? I need to talk to her.”

  “She was downstairs, Miss Lulu. But, she only stepped barely inside the door long enough to give me that blanket and tell me who it’s for.”

  Lulu tossed both the baby blanket and her own blankets aside.

  “Please, Albert, tell her I need to talk to her.”

  “I’ll try, Miss Lulu,” Albert said as he watched the young mother quickly leave her bed and then create a cocoon of blankets in which to lay her sleeping infant. He stepped back toward the door. “But she might be already gone.”

  “If she’ll come, tell her I’ll meet her behind the building back by the pole barn.”

  The door clicked shut as Albert hurried off to find Mrs. Dodd. After satisfying herself that her baby was comfortable and safe, Lulu took a few seconds to slowly glide the palm of her hand down the top of the blue, red and white patchwork squares. She struggled to accept the idea that someone cared enough for Sophie Ann, a prostitute’s baby, to make her a gift.

  Lulu quickly strode to the mirror above her wash basin where she poured water from the pitcher into her bowl before she wet and wrung out a small cloth. She wiped her face to free it from the remnants of sleep.

  Then, Lulu stared at herself in the mirror. It had been weeks since she had made her face up to attract the attention of male customers. She studied her eyes, free of charcoal above her eyelashes, cheeks pale without the blush from either rose petals the rouge Miss Flora insisted the girls use. Her hair, tangled wildly around her face, looked a fright. That, Lulu realized, she needed to fix before she saw Mrs. Dodd. She didn’t have time to dress—she doubted anything but her maternity corset and loose clothes fit, anyway. She grabbed her brush and quickly stroked through her tangles before she pinned her hair up in a simple chignon.

&nb
sp; With her appearance set to rights, Lulu gave herself one last inspection in her mirror. Her high-necked nightgown was neatly buttoned. She had cinched her wrapper tightly around her, fully covering her except for the small vee exposing the top of her nightgown. She slid on a pair of slippers suitable to be worn outside the building. Now, she just needed to make her way down the stairs outside the side entrance of the second floor of the Blue Feather and hope Albert not only found Mrs. Dodd, but she had been willing to return.

  Lulu gave one last look at Sophie Ann to be sure the baby still slept soundly. Satisfied, she stepped out of her room and closed the door quietly behind her. She quickly turned right, unhooked the key to the door leading outside off of its nail, and exited the building.

  Lulu slid the key into her pocket as she gently closed the door behind her. She turned to face Lake Lundy and inhaled. She closed her eyes as the breeze off the water gently caressed her face. As tempting as it was, she knew she could not stay on the raised landing and enjoy the luxury of being temporarily free of the commotion and smoke-induced haze of the brothel. She opened her eyes and scanned the ground below her until she spotted the woman she sought standing at the foot of the stairs.

  Holding the raw wooden rail, Lulu ran down the stairs, slowing as she reached the fifth step from the bottom, suddenly feeling unsure of the reception she would receive. Carefully, Lulu descended the last step. She placed both feet on the ground. Her eyes never left Mrs. Dodd’s face.

  What Lulu saw standing before her was a young woman several inches taller than she was. Where Lulu’s locks of honey blonde hair and light green eyes cast an overall golden hue to her appearance, Mrs. Dodd’s brown hair and eyes a golden-brown color that reminded her of hazelnut shells set off the paleness of her clear complexion. The woman’s strong facial features, the firmness of her muscles and her stance advertized that she was no stranger to physical work. Although not dressed fashionably, the shirtwaist top and shawl and the plain skirt free of the draping, flounces and bustle dictated by the current fashion magazines were neat and suitable for a woman who worked as a cook.

  Instinctively, Lulu clutched the top of her wrapper. Although she was modestly dressed, she suddenly felt self-conscious. She took a few deep breaths to calm herself before she spoke. “I wanted to thank you in person for the blanket you made for Sophie Ann. It means a lot to me.”

  “Wasn’t nary no bother. I was right pleased to do it. You still got Sophie Ann with you, then?”

  “Yes. Yes I do. Although…” Lulu’s voice faded as she searched in her mind for the best way to bring up the subject she really wanted to discuss with this woman. She blurted out, “Mrs. Dodd, did you mean what you told me the day Sophie Ann was born? If I keep my baby and leave the Blue Feather, will you help me?”

  “You plannin’ on keepin’ her?”

  “I want to,” Lulu forced the words out with a hoarse whisper as she fought back tears. It annoyed her that she still easily erupted into crying jags like she had while she was pregnant. “I can’t bear to give her up. But, I have to have someplace to go and a way to take care of her. Not-not everyone in this town is willing to give me a chance, and Miss Flora is serious about me not being able to keep her here.”

  “How much longer you got afore you need to give the babe away or leave?”

  “Until Friday. Sophie Ann will only be three weeks old, but Miss Flora wants me back working by this Saturday. Sunday may be a day of rest for most of the Christian world, but it’s not at the Blue Feather. The men get paid the end of the week, and when they get off work Saturday, we’re busy from that night all the way through Sunday. With all the new miners coming to town now that the May Lundy mine is getting ready to open, we don’t have enough girls as it is.”

  Lulu’s voice trailed off in dismay. Mrs. Dodd belonged to the so-called decent segment of society. The last thing she cared about was the challenges of managing a brothel.

  “Ain’t you still bleedin’?”

  “Yes, but Miss Flora says as long as I wash good after each customer and I’m careful with my sponges, I’ll be fine. She says it’s best this way,” Lulu covered her mouth with her hand and choked out the rest of her words. “But I can’t see how I can do it, Mrs. Dodd. I can’t bear to lose Sophie Ann and I can’t bear to think about being with men again. It’s been almost three months since I’ve had to. In spite of the discomforts of being with child, you have no idea what a relief that has been for me. I can’t stand the thought of going back to…to resuming that kind of work.”

  In the silence that followed, Lulu glanced up to gauge the other woman’s reaction. She couldn’t tell if Mrs. Dodd wore a look of concern, pity or disgust on her face.

  “Reckon from what I’m hearin’, Flora ain’t worried none about what’s best for you, only what’s best for her brothel business. She sure ain’t got no call to look after no baby. If you aim to give up whorin’ and take care of Sophie Ann, my word’s good. I’ll help you, but I ain’t willin’ to abide no back-slidin’.”

  Lulu shook her head. “No. If I can get away from here and find a decent way to provide for my baby, there will be no back-sliding.”

  “You can cook for Gus Herschel behind The Arcade Saloon, then.”

  Lulu leaned away from Mrs. Dodd, a concerned look on her face. “In a saloon?”

  “It’s a chop shop, a place to get vittles. Ain’t no need you goin’ in the main saloon none. Best you don’t. Too chancey, I figure. You’d druther not have them men who knowed you here get no wrong ideas, not to mention them Germans who own The Arcade Saloon don’t want nothin’ to do with no upstairs girls. They used to get a mite discomfited at times when I done served up vittles, but they done got over the worst of it. Don’t want your bein’ there to stir nothin’ up, though.”

  “That sounds fine, Mrs. Dodd. I’d be very grateful for an opportunity to work back in the kitchen. I sometimes offered to help in the kitchen here at the brothel when we were between cooks, but Miss Flora said she didn’t want me doing anything that would roughen up my hands.”

  “Speakin’ of Miss Flora, I done promised her I’d not be the one to pull you out of the Blue Feather. You got to be the one to walk away. If you do, I ain’t wantin’ to hear much more about Miss Flora.”

  “I will, Mrs. Dodd. Anything to keep my baby, especially if it will get me away from doing this. And, this man, Mr. Herschel, he said it’s all right for me to work there?”

  “Reckon I’ll tell him you’re comin’ this Friday. If Gus don’t have enough work, I’ll teach you to bake for me.”

  “You’re sure? And it will be all right for me to keep Sophie Ann with me while I work?”

  Lulu watched the woman purse her lips. She hurried on before Mrs. Dodd could change her mind about helping her.

  “Also, I’ll need someplace to rent for me and Sophie Ann to live. Is there a place with rooms by this eating place where I’ll be working?”

  “Reckon you and Sophie Ann best live with me at the Pioneer Lodging House.”

  “Isn’t that Mrs. Ford’s place? Will she let the baby and me live there, considering my-my past?”

  “I’ll speak with her.”

  “What if one of them says no, Mrs. Dodd? What can I do then?”

  “I’ll study on it a mite. I said if you was fixin’ to keep Sophie Ann I’d help you, and I aim to keep my word. Now, you can’t go wearin’ no fancy gowns like I done seen in the Blue Feather. Best you wear plain-lookin’ work clothes that don’t call no attention to you. You got somethin’ like that?”

  “I’ll get what I need. Thank you, Mrs. Dodd. You have no idea how important this is to me.”

  “Reckon you can call me Beth when we’re alone.” Beth cocked her head and studied Lulu. “Lulu ain’t your real name, is it, the one your ma and pa done give you when you was born? I hear-tell some girls use different names when they start workin’ in a place like this.”

  “My real name is Louisa Parmley. Miss Flora told me…I’m sorry…I
was told to change it to Lulu.”

  “Louisa Parmley’s a right smart name. If your aimin’ to leave Flora, don’t you answer none to Lulu once you’re gone. Go by Louisa, except with the men. You don’t answer them none unless they call you Miss Parmley. Except if you done been married, then it’d be Mrs. Parmley.”

  Lulu dropped her eyes to the ground and shook her head. “No, I’ve never been married. When I was a young girl I thought I would grow up and marry.” Lulu lifted her head to look past Beth’s head and sighed. “But, once all my family died, I was left with nothing. That’s how I ended up with Miss Flora.”

  After a few seconds of silence, Beth quietly said, “Well, if you’re fixin’ to leave this here life, then Thursday or Friday, once you done got packed up, you and Sophie Ann look me up at Mrs. Ford’s or Gus’s place.”

  CHAPTER 2

  Back at Gus’s chop shop, Beth scooped flour in her bowl to begin a batch of bread dough. As she worked, she pondered how to go about keeping her word to Louisa Parmley. Now that she knew the woman’s real name, she refused to think of her by her brothel name.

  Done got myself in a right fine pickle.

  Beth glanced down at the gold band set with a smooth opal stone on her left hand. Once again, she admired her engagement ring given to her by Val Caldwell. Admired and marveled. Even with bits of dough stuck to the metal and setting, she thought the ring was about the most beautiful piece of jewelry she had ever seen. How fortunate that she had attracted the attention and affection of the rancher from Bridgeport—or Big Meadows, as he insisted on calling his home—so soon after learning of the death of her first husband.

  Hope Val gets on up here soon.

  No, Beth told herself. She pushed back the longing for Val she felt welling up within her. As much as she would love to have his support in this matter, she would take care of it by herself.