Cade just rolled his eyes at Justus' daydream about saving the gals with their bodies as somebody shot up the theatre. Why on earth would anyone shoot up a theatre? Even if the play was horrible.
"Yeah, sure," he shook his head in the negative.
Quite the crowd was there, so they were shuffled along with others as they entered the theater lobby, but he did manage to spot the girls. "Over there." Justus pointed, then started that way. "Pretty, ain't they?
"Oh? Oh right, I see 'em now," Cade nodded, Justus was taller than he was, he had the advantage in a crowd.
"Yers is looking all fancy. Sally looks..well, like she always does," Cade was blunt, besides Sally couldn't hear him. Actually he understood. The girl didn't make much money in that saloon job of hers and he imagined fancy dresses made for expensive prices. Sally was nice and that was the main thing.
The pair now made their way to Constance, Sally, who were chatting with that saloon singer and some jasper he did not know.
"Evenin' Sally," Cade gave her a sincere smile.
"You haven't!" Smiling, she gave his hand a squeeze. "But then, I know I am, and I can forgive you this once!"
"Thank you dear, though you may need to forgive me more than once." He replied with a sly grin. But that was probably an honest statement.
Looking around, she spotted Clara and Jacob, and nodded that way. "There's Clara and Jacob. Should we go say hello? It's good for them to have a chance to get out, do something different." Well, that held for most of the folks in Kalispell, and that was one good thing to be said for Arabella and her antics...it kept life interesting!
"Sure, And you're right, look at us. And I haven't seen young Jacob in quite a while." It felt good to be out and about, mingling with folks he'd not seen for a bit, and those he had, but in a different setting. "Oh, I have to agree about Arabella, the girl can be a handful in almost any setting, but perhas on stage woill be different. Let's go ver and say hello."
Sally's heart was beating a mile-a-minute as Cade approached. This was different to bumping into him at the saloon a couple of times: that was them just happening to be in the same place at the same time. But this... he was here to be with her! It might not mean much to him but... this was that first time a boy had taken her anywhere, it was a big deal for the pint-sized pot washer.
"Evenin' Sally," Cade gave her a sincere smile.
"HELLO!!"
Had she just shouted that?!!
Nerves!
"YOU LOOK NICE!!" she blurted, before turning down her volume by an act of will "I like your... shirt." What was that? Brain and mouth had definitely lost contact. She looked at Cade's pard and pointed to Miss Straub "Hello Justus, look, here's Constance for you!" like he hadn't pair of eyes in his head.
"Caroline and Mister Colony are here too." No that wasn't right. "... Connolly."
@[Everybody]
"Good evenin', Miss Sally." Justus noticed her shouting, but he completely understood, and could sympathize with her...as soon as he got close to Constance, his head urged him to run while he still could! But it was too late now, and he really didn't want to run, he just wanted to be more comfortable in a place like this, with a real lady!
"Miss Constance." He smiled and gave a slight bow, then took her hand. "Yer lookin' right pretty." And then he bent to kiss her hand, just like ol' Muley had shown him, only less wet! "We're lookin' forward to a fine evenin' of entertainment!" He glanced at Cade, glad that he wasn't in this alone!
"It is good to be out of the house for a bit," Emeline admitted as they moved toward the Lutz's, but then she added, "and it's good to know what we have to go back to."
She certainly wouldn't change anything about her current life, but part of that was having some special time alone...and then getting back to the ranch, their child, the horses and cows. She'd never have imagined that she'd be the wife of a cattle rancher, nor have the horses, and the stability of money.
"Clara! Jacob! It's good to see you!" Smiling brightly, she pulled Clara into a brief, light hug, then stepped back. "My, but you make a handsome couple!"
Clara now gave Jacob a soft smile, "I know you do and I love you too. However proper decorum forbids me giving you a kiss in public, dear."
"And thank you for taking me to this, I actually am quite intrigued to see Arabella up on that stage. She is melodramatic enough in reality. I can only imagine.......or perhaps I cannot imagine...what she will be like up there."
Their pleasant exchange was interrupted then by the equally pleasant arrival of Emeline and Barnabas. Normally dour Clara always managed a smile for Emeline.
"Clara! Jacob! It's good to see you!" Smiling brightly, Emeline pulled Clara into a brief, light hug, then stepped back. "My, but you make a handsome couple!"
"Thank you. You two also. I would imagine you two are as curious about what our dear Miss Mudd is going to do tonight as Jacob and I are?" Clara replied.
"I must say that advertising poster does not leave much to the imagination," she added.
"Good evening, Barnabas, you are looking very dapper this evening," she tacked on a greeting for Emily's husband.
"Evenin' Sally," Cade gave her a sincere smile.
"HELLO!!"
Cade was taken aback by the volume. The music wasn't even that loud.
"YOU LOOK NICE!!" she blurted, before turning down her volume by an act of will "I like your... shirt."
"You do? Umm, that's good," Cade smiled, the shirt was nothing special, nothing about his outfit was. He did not own dressing up clothes.
She looked at Cade's pard and pointed to Miss Straub "Hello Justus, look, here's Constance for you!" like he hadn't pair of eyes in his head.
Cade acknowledged the other woman, "Hello."
"Caroline and Mister Colony are here too." No that wasn't right. "... Connolly."
Cade recognized Caroline alright, he'd been in the saloon a few times. The young man who accompanied her though, nope.
"So, you ready for this play?" Cade asked Sally just so he could say something conversational.
"It is good to be out of the house for a bit," Emeline admitted as they moved toward the Lutz's, but then she added, "and it's good to know what we have to go back to."
"Sometimes, Love, it's hard to believe, but then again, it is wonderful," Barnabas said as they made their way through the throng of theatergoers toward Clara and Jacob. This is a great turnout for opening night; hopefully, it will live up to expectations." It would, no doubt, also drive up business at the hotel restaurant afterward with late supper reservations. He was glad they had made theirs when he got the room.
"Clara! Jacob! It's good to see you!" Smiling brightly, she pulled Clara into a brief, light hug, then stepped back. "My, but you make a handsome couple!"
"Agreed. Jacob, how are things these days, been a while since I've seen you. Life must be keeping you busy, I know it is me." Barnabas greeted, extending his hand.
And now there they were, the two young cowboys who were their dates for the evening. Constance thought Justus gussied up well.She merely acknowledged the other one though, that was Sally's business. Well other than a quick smile and a "Evening."
"Miss Constance." Justus smiled and gave a slight bow, then took her hand. "Yer lookin' right pretty." And then he bent to kiss her hand.
"Justus," she nodded, then looked surprised at his rather over the top gallantry. Really? Not something she expected from a cowpoke. They weren't European nobility or the rich class back in New York.
"Oh my!" she couldn't help but flash a bemused smile, "Umm, thank you. You look nice too."
Sally and Cade were already chattering away. So she focused on her own date.
"We're lookin' forward to a fine evenin' of entertainment!" Justus glanced at Cade, who was preoccupied.
"Me too. I haven't been to a theatre in a long time, since I was back home in Cincinnati," she informed him, "Must admit I had hoped for a comedy rather than a Biblical one but Miss Mudd will certainly do her best I'm sure."
The little actress was quite the strange individual but Constance had been won over by her, quirks and all. Perhaps Arabella could squeeze some actual humor out of the Old Testament.
"So, you ready for this play?" Cade asked Sally just so he could say something conversational.
"YES!" she yelped. Then there was a strained silence, and it occurred to her that she perhaps needed to say more. Oh dear, why was she so tongue tied? Problem was, once she unknotted it, she then couldn't stop talking.
"I... I've seen some of the rehearsals. I do Miss Mudd's hair, see, so I was backstage. It's good. I think. The play I mean. Her hair's always good. Thick, but silky, y'know. She uses special shampoo on it. Anyhow, they had some arguments about it, a school teacher complained about the... what'r'theycallit?... moral tone. I think it was to do with the posters and, whatdycallum?... theatre cards with Miss Mudd's picture on 'em, showin' her... well, like Mother Eve with her fig leaf on show and everything. But Mister Darling stuck up for it. He said it was actually 'blashfamy' or something to pretend that Mother Eve wore corsets, and, oh, I can't remember exactly, but he was very good at the arguing thing, and 'All Publicity is Good Publicity' he said, even if it landed you in jail. And... and... and I'm talking too much aren't I?"
She took a deep breath after forgetting to while she spoke.
"Thing is, Cade Brodie, I'm ready for the play, just kinda flustered at being taken to one by you." she admitted, going a little red. "I'm not s'fisticated, like Miss Straub an' Miss Mundee."
That might not have been the right word exactly for Caroline, but what she was getting at was the the blonde saloon singer had a certain poise, self-confidence and command of herself (even when she lost her temper) which she herself lacked.