"Hotel?" Caroline looked surprised for an instant until he explained further that he meant dinner at the hotel, that was better.
"You mean I gotta behave? I don't know, Mike, behavin' ain't one of my strengths," she grinned.
Just then who showed up but none other than saloon orphan and towing a cowboy too. Now what?
“Hey Caroline!” she yelled, butting into their conversation, facing the saloon singer and totally ignoring the now hated Mr Wentworth. “This here’s my friend Brendan Connolly! He didn’t want to come over and bother you, but I wanted you to meet one of the really nice fellers around these parts.” She beamed, patting him on the arm.
"Oh yeah?" Caroline eyed the young man, a handsome devil this one. Though it was a bit...suspicious that he was friends with this child. After all relatives you're stuck with but friends you choose.
“I’ll go and get the music ready for your next performance, leave you two to get to know each other!” the girl said, before giving an acid glance to the oldest Wentworth brother and adding tartly “I wouldn’t want a hang around and be a gooseberry!”
"I got a few minutes yet," Caroline had just glanced at the clock above the bar.
And then she was gone, flouncing off in that manner of hers, leaving behind this cowboy and Mike, who was leaving anyhow.
"I was just leaving, so if Caroline is willing, you are welcome to take my place." Turning to Caroline, Mike took her hand and gave her a quick wink, "Until later, my dear." Raising her hand to his lips he gave it a light kiss before letting it go.
Caroline had to chuckle, "Ohh, fancy. Yeah, hunt down that brother of yers."
Turning back to Brendan Mike placed his hand on his shoulder, "Make sure you remember that she's a lady or you'll be hearing from me."
Caroline was once again amused but added nothing to that. Let the cowpoke make of it what he will. Speaking of which...
"Well then, umm..Brendan ...I forgot yer last name but then I ain't much on last names...take a seat. Don't stand there like yer my butler or somethin" she flashed him a very genuine looking bright smile as she gestured with her hand toward one of the chairs.
"If you got somethin' to say, I'm listenin'," she declared.
Finally Arabella was willing to take him to meet Caroline Mundee, but she had some advice for him first; advice that shocked Brendan. "A quarter fer a drink!" He was astounded and horrified. "Why not just a whole dollar, then? I'll just have to rely on my wits." Not that that would be a problem, he thought proudly.
She tried to clean off his face, which was entirely unnecessary and probably made him look ridiculous to anyone who happened to be watching. He squirmed as if he was a much younger boy and Arabella was his mother. "Awright, awright, leave off, Arabella," he finally pleaded, and amazingly she did.
Arabella's introduction was everything he could have hoped for, although being referred to as "nice" maybe wasn't what one wanted to hear when trying to woo a woman in a saloon. But Arabella's introduction hastened the departure of Mike Wentworth. Brendan watched as he kissed Caroline's hand, trying to refrain from making a disgusted face.
"I'd be happy t' take your place," he said with a smirk. More than happy; he'd be just tickled pink to take the place of the man who, by all accounts, he should dislike.
But wait, Wentworth was smirking, too. Why? Suddenly the smirk was gone from the Lost Lake foreman's face and his hand was on Brendan's shoulder. "Make sure you remember that she's a lady or you'll be hearing from me."
"A' course she's a lady!" he sputtered, starting to twist away from Mike, but he was already off to the bar, leaving him alone with the lady in question. There should have been a sense of triumph now that Mike was gone, but Mike's obvious warning had dampened the victory. But only slightly. He was here with Caroline now, and Mike wasn't.
"Well then, umm..Brendan ...I forgot yer last name but then I ain't much on last names...take a seat. Don't stand there like yer my butler or somethin. If you got somethin' to say, I'm listenin.'" Caroline's smile was bright and genuine, and it made Brendan feel a lot better about his chances with her.
"Thanks. And it's Connolly," he said with a grin as he slid into the chair Mike had recently vacated. "You might wanna remember it. Anyway, I wanted t' tell you your singin' was right heavenly. It...oh, shoot, I near forgot the reason I come over here. Miss Mundee, c'n I get you a drink?"
"Thanks. And it's Connolly," he said with a grin as he slid into the chair Mike had recently vacated.
"Of course it is, hon," Caroline grinned as she locked eyes with the young man, she had that sort of focus which often made the customer believe they were her whole world at that moment.
"You might wanna remember it. Anyway, I wanted t' tell you your singin' was right heavenly. It...oh, shoot, I near forgot the reason I come over here. Miss Mundee, c'n I get you a drink?"
She had absolutely no clue why on earth she would want to remember his name but did not think it worth asking. Besides he moved on with a compliment, she liked compliments.
"Why thank ya, I try hard," she nodded.
"And as for that drink, you most surely can. But certainly yer gonna drink with me? What would you like then? A beer or some of the hard stuff? We got the cheap stuff fer a thin dime and then some better stuff...from back East for a quarter a shot. And we got the real top shelf stuff for....well, not sure you can afford that," she quickly gave him some choices.
What she would pick for herself would well be decided by what the customer chose for himself. Not like she would be drinking it anyhow, she had a lot of tricks for seemingly downing drink after drink and never getting drunk. Given on a busy night like this, it would not be unusual to have eager customers, like this fella here, buy her 40-50 drinks and actually downing that much would be ...well, impossible. Caroline was good but she couldn't do the impossible.
Brendan was enjoying the attention from the attractive Miss Mundee. She made him feel like he wasn't just a cowhand. She made him feel like he was somebody important, like a mayor or something. And she had accepted his offer of a drink, which made him feel even more important.
"And as for that drink, you most surely can. But certainly yer gonna drink with me? What would you like then? A beer or some of the hard stuff? We got the cheap stuff fer a thin dime and then some better stuff...from back East for a quarter a shot. And we got the real top shelf stuff for....well, not sure you can afford that."
"Sure, I'm gonna drink with you," Brendan said with a grin. "I wouldn't pass up the chance to buy Miss Mundee a drink and drink with her at the same time. Why, that'd be plumb stupid, and I ain't stupid." He ran his fingers through his forelock and shook his head at the ridiculous notion that he might be stupid. He wasn't stupid.
"As for what I want? Well, that depends on what you want, but I'd rec-commend a beer to wet your throat for your next set. Singin's an awful thirsty job, seems like." And beers were less expensive.
"Sure, I'm gonna drink with you," Brendan said with a grin. "I wouldn't pass up the chance to buy Miss Mundee a drink and drink with her at the same time. Why, that'd be plumb stupid, and I ain't stupid."
"And you sure don't look stupid to me," Caroline nodded.
"As for what I want? Well, that depends on what you want, but I'd rec-commend a beer to wet your throat for your next set. Singin's an awful thirsty job, seems like."
"Awww, how sweet of you , hon, to think of me," she beamed a smile, "Lemme go get you that beer of yours."
Up she went, wound her way thru the crowd, though having to stop more than once to exchange words with other customers. Arriving at the bar, she leaned in toward Ralph.
"One beer ....aww hell, I'll talk him inta two, make it two. And then pour me a shot of my special stuff," she requested.
Ralph smiled then reached below the bar for a specially marked bottle, it was labeled whiskey but it was nothing more than a mix of water and tea which looked the right color. Once a shot glass was filled she put that and the pair of beers Ralph drew for her on a tray. Then it was winding her way back thru the crowd until she was back with Brendan whatever his name.
"Here ya go, hon! I know you only said one but a big strapping fella like you ain't gonna be satisfied with one glass of beer. And beer makes me piddle too often so I settled for a cheap whiskey," she announced setting the tray down.
"That'll be twenty cents for the beers and a dime for shot," she informed him even as she then downed the so called liquor of hers with one hard gulp whilst sitting down once more.
He didn't look stupid! Brendan beamed. Some people said he was stupid, but of course they were wrong. He watched the bustle of Caroline's dress as she made her way to the bar, waited on their drinks, and back again, except when she was coming back he was looking at her bust rather than her bustle. Both were quite nice to look at.
"Here ya go, hon! I know you only said one but a big strapping fella like you ain't gonna be satisfied with one glass of beer. And beer makes me piddle too often so I settled for a cheap whiskey."
"Gee, thanks." Brendan grinned, basking in Caroline's praise - until he realized he had to pay for both beers, but it still didn't dampen his spirits too much. He dug in his pockets until he found the equivalent of thirty cents, and then on impulse dug out an extra dime. "Here ya go, Miss Mundee," he said genially, "a little somethin' extra."
He was a little surprised at the way she downed her whiskey, but he'd met a few other girls who could drink it that easily. He drunk his beer at a slightly more sedate pace.
"So," he said after a minute, "how'd you end up here in Kalispell? Or is it too long of a story to tell over two beers?"
As she returned with his drinks and her pseudo-drink, he seemed quite pleased with her doubling up his beer order, pleased enough he tipped her a dime. Of course she pocketed it with a nod and smile.
"Oh how nice a you, hon!"
"So," he said after a minute, "how'd you end up here in Kalispell? Or is it too long of a story to tell over two beers?"
"Ain't that much to tell. I ended up here cuz I arrived by stage," she quipped.
"Knew from an acquaintance of mine there was a job opening and ...well, I filled it," she added.
"Now, tell me a little about yerself, Brendan,"she leaned forward to listen closely, although in truth he could have spoken in Bulgarian and she would have seemed just as interested. It was part of the job to act like she cared and Caroline was very good at her job.
Brendan grinned at Caroline's quick wit. Came on a stagecoach. That was good. He'd have to remember it the next time someone asked him how he ended up at Evergreen...not that anyone ever did.
Then she asked him about himself, and he beamed. He liked to talk about himself to pretty women, and with Caroline's encouragement and the extra encouragement from the beers, Caroline was in for more than "a little" about him. Probably.
"I happen to have an appreeshiashun fer fine song an' dance like you just done, even though I'm just a cowhand. But I'm good at what I do." He puffed his chest out as he paused to take a drink. "I don't come to town often, but I'm gonna be comin' more now that you're here, Miss Mundee."
He suddenly remembered that Arabella had offered to let him meet Caroline when she wasn't performing. "Say, if I come into town some time durin' the week, what d'you do in the mornin's?"
"Well then, if you have an appreciation for my song and dance, then I would have to say you certainly have good taste," Caroline smiled.
As to his bragging, nothing wrong with that. Young man probably was right good at his trade, he looked intelligent enough and appeared to be a good physical specimen not that Caroline actually knew all that much about being a cowboy. But damn, if those cows and horses weren't big so she had to respect the men for that much at least.
"Good to hear it," she nodded at his self-compliment.
"I don't come to town often, but I'm gonna be comin' more now that you're here, Miss Mundee."
"Ahhh, that is most flattering, I appreciate it. Yer always welcome," she encouraged the young man.
"Say, if I come into town some time durin' the week, what d'you do in the mornin's?" he suddenly asked.
"Umm, well I sleep late of course cuz I have to stay up late. Then when I get up I have me some breakfast or maybe even lunch depending how late it is," she answered.
"Why do you ask, hon?"
"Weeellll..." Brendan drank half his first beer and leaned forward conspiratorially, as if sharing a big secret. "Arabella said I might get to see ya practicin', and I sure'd love to see that. I know you might not be dressed up as fancy as you are right now, but it'd still be somethin'."
What was this, now? Three beers? Four? He still had the second one that Caroline had brought him, and by the time he got through that one, it would probably be time to call it a night. But he was planning to stick around for Caroline's next set, so he wouldn't throw in the towel just yet.
He darted a glance toward the bar where Mike Wentworth had gone. It wouldn't be a good idea to be too forward with Caroline just yet. Maybe next meeting they had, when Mike wasn't around to see that he "remembered that Caroline was a lady," whatever that meant (he had a sneaking suspicion it meant not to flirt too much), but tonight was a night to test the waters.
"That is, if the practices aren't re-served for people like Wentworth," he added, unable to keep a touch of jealousy from coloring his tone. The rivalry between Lost Lake and Evergreen was affecting him more than he'd like.