Hatcher - A Vote of Confidence

Robin Lee
HATCHER

A VOTE OF
CONFIDENCE

THE SISTERS OF
BETHLEHEM SPRINGS

A NOVEL

ZONDERVAN

A Vote of Confidence

Copyright 2009 by RobinSong, Inc.

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ePub Edition March 2009 ISBN: 978-0-310-56498-0

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Hatcher, Robin Lee.

A vote of confidence / Robin Lee Hatcher.

p. cm. (The sisters of Bethlehem Springs ; 1) ISBN 978-0-310-25805-6 (pbk.)

1. Frontier and pioneer life Idaho Fiction. 2. Idaho History 20th

century Fiction. I. Title. PS3558.A73574V68 2009

813.54 dc22 2008054332

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, King James Version.

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09 10 11 12 13 14 15 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Many waters cannot quench love,
neither can the floods drown it.

Song of Solomon 8:7

The Torpedo Runabout cut the corner from Shenandoah Street onto Wallula Street, driving over two of the boarding houses rose bushes in the process. The automobile then weaved dangerously close to Guinevere Arlingtons white picket fence.

With a gasp, Gwen jumped up from the porch swing.

In the nick of time, the Model T Ford veered away from her fence, avoiding disaster.

Hello, ladies. The driver tipped his hat to Gwen and her sister as if nothing was amiss.

And there goes our next mayor. Cleo shook her head and cast a look of despair at Gwen. Ten oclock in the morning and drunk as a skunk. Can you imagine him holding the reins of government?

No, I cant. Gwen sank onto the porch swing again. Hiram Tattersall is a fool, not to mention his penchant for strong spirits.

Cleo crossed one booted foot over another as she leaned against the porch railing. Why dont you run for office, Gwennie? Not a reason in the world you couldnt do it.

Me? Gwen looked at her twin in disbelief.

Of course you. Theres nothing in the law that says a woman cant be the mayor of our fair town. Youre a nicer person than Mayor Hopkins, the old coot

Cleo. Dont be unkind.

Im sorry. I know hes sick or we wouldnt be having this special election. But he hasnt done a single, solitary thing of worth while hes been mayor, and everybody knows Tattersall will be an even worse mayor than Hopkins.

I have no qualifications for political office.

And Tattersall does? Youd do a better job than Hopkins and Tattersall put together. Folks like you. Cleo winked. Especially the men, pretty as you are.

Gwen wasnt amused. If I were to run, I wouldnt want to be elected for my appearance.

So dont let that be why. You got that fancy education burning to be put to use. Why not let folks see youre as full of information as a mail-order catalog?

It was a ridiculous idea. Gwen had no intention of running for mayor. She was content giving piano lessons to the children of Bethlehem Springs and writing her columns for the local newspaper.

Cleo drank the last of her iced tea, set the glass on the porch floor, and pushed off from the railing. Id best get back to the ranch. Ive got a load of chores still to be done. She slapped her floppy-brimmed hat onto her head, covering her mop of short, strawberry-blonde curls. Youd be doing this town a favor if you were its mayor. We could use a little forward thinking, if you ask me.

Gwen smiled as she rose from the swing. Darling Cleo, I could never be as forward thinking as you.

Ha!

Gwen followed her sister off the porch and around to the back of the house where Cleos pinto was tethered to a post. Cleo stopped long enough to give Gwen a hug and a kiss on the cheek, then untied her horse, grasped the saddle horn, and swung into the seat. You think about it, Gwennie. Im telling you. Its the right thing to do. You pray and see if the Lord doesnt agree with me. With a tug on the brim of her hat, she twirled her horse away and cantered down the street.

Gwen shook her head. Cleo could come up with the most outlandish ideas. Imagine: Gwen Arlington, mayor of Bethlehem Springs. It was preposterous. Not that she didnt believe women should serve in public office. She did, and she was glad she lived in a state where women had the right to vote. But she had no political ambitions.

With a sigh, she returned to the front porch and settled onto the cushioned seat of the swing, giving a little push with her feet to start it in motion.

The air smelled of fresh-turned earth, green grass, and flowers in bloom. The mountains of southern Idaho were enjoying warm weather, although snow could be seen on the highest peaks to the north and east of Bethlehem Springs.

Gwen loved this small town. She loved her neighbors, the children who came for lessons, the women in her church sewing circle. She loved the long, narrow valley, the river that flowed through it, and the tree-covered mountains that overlooked it all. She loved the sense of the old West and the new century that surrounded her, horses and automobiles, outhouses and indoor plumbing, wood-burning stoves and electric lights.

Her mother, Elizabeth Arlington, hadnt felt the same about Idaho. She despised everything about it, so much so that after four years of marriage, shed left her husband and returned to her parents home in Hoboken, New Jersey, taking two-year-old Gwen with her.

Be thankful, Guinevere, her mother said on many an occasion over the years, that your father allowed you to come with me. Were alike, you and I. We need society and fine culture. Think of the advantages youve had that poor Cleopatra has gone without. The opera and the theater. Fine schooling. You would never be suited to live in that backwater town where your father chose to settle.

But her mother was wrong. Bethlehem Springs did suit Gwen a truth she discovered soon after her arrival in Idaho seven years before. At the age of twenty-one, and with the reluctant blessing of her mother, she had come to Idaho to meet the father and sister she couldnt remember. She hadnt intended to stay, but in a few short weeks shed fallen in love with the area. Her heart felt at home here as it never had in New Jersey.

A frown puckered her forehead. What would happen to Bethlehem Springs if Hiram Tattersall became its mayor? He wouldnt try to better their schools or improve roads or help those who had lost jobs due to mine closings. And if the governor of the state succeeded in passing Prohibition in Idaho, as many thought he would, Tattersall wouldnt enforce it in Bethlehem Springs. She was convinced of that.