Free Promise me tomorrow by Unknown Page B

might not get out today."
    "Oh, Mr. McCandles, I'm so sorry. What does this do to your business plans?"
    Chase shook his head. "It's not me I'm worried about. You had hoped to be with your family tonight."
    Rusty shrugged. "It's not that urgent. As soon as the children were placed, my time off started. My family wasn't sure what day I would arrive. It's really no trouble."
    But neither one was convinced. Chase thought Rusty wanted to get home more than she was letting on, and Rusty thought Mr. McCandles was only being polite concerning the urgency of his business dealings.
    "I've booked two rooms for us here at the hotel," Chase continued.
    "But what if the train is able to leave?"
    "We'll still hear the whistle, but the conductor did not sound hopeful. This way, we won't be stuck sitting up all night if they can't get the repairs done." Chase explained what the conductor had said and then asked Rusty if she wanted to go to her room for a time.
    "I guess maybe I will," Rusty replied, thankful that at the orphanage, where things could change with each movement of the clock, she was learning to take what came. She stood, and Chase picked up her bag. With the manners she so enjoyed from him, he escorted her up the stairs, opened the door for her, set her bag down, checked the lock on the window, looked into the closet, and handed her the key.
    "I'm in room 15 if you need me."
    "Thank you for everything, Mr. McCandles. Did you," Rusty hesitated, "that is, do I need to go down and pay for the room?"
    "I took care of it," he assured her gently.
    "I have money for travel expenses," she reminded him.
    "I wanted to take care of it."
    "You took care of the wagon in Kurth too."
    "No, Doug came for us, and we didn't need to rent one."
    "Oh, that's right."
    "So, we're all set?" he asked, watching her carefully.
    Rusty wasn't sure they were, but she let the matter drop with a small nod of her head. Her uncle had anticipated every need and sent a wise amount of cash so she could see to emergencies, but he must not have communicated that to her traveling companion.
    Rusty saw Chase to the door and thanked him once again. She shut the portal, made sure it was locked, and leaned against it. A quick survey of the room told her it was neat and clean, but her mind wandered elsewhere as she wondered just how long they would be stranded. It was not her own inconvenience that worried her, but Mr. McCandles'. There could be another way to get to Colorado Springs, one that she hadn't thought of. She sat down on the edge of the bed with plans to do just that.
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10
    Rusty woke with a start. She hadn't remembered lying back on the bed, but she must have. She had no idea how much time had passed, but something had woken her. The whistle! She'd heard the train whistle.
    Glad that she hadn't bothered to unpack her bag, Rusty grabbed it, picked up her key, and let herself out the door. She went straight to number 15 and knocked, but there was no answer. She knocked again, a little harder this time, and even called softly, but Mr. McCandles was not in. Figuring he'd gone on to the train station, Rusty moved down the stairs to the hotel desk.
    "Is there a problem, ma'am?" the proprietor wished to know.
    "No, sir. I'm one of the train passengers, and they said they would blow the whistle, so I won't be needing my room." Rusty placed the key in front of him on the counter.
    "The whistle, ma'am?"
    "Yes. I was asleep, so I don't know if it was the first one or the last. I'd better hurry," she added with a smile.
    "Jared," the man called to another man at the counter, "did you hear the train whistle?"
    "Not me."
    The first man looked back at Rusty. "I didn't hear it either, ma' am. "
    "Oh."
    Rusty looked so perplexed that he offered a suggestion. "Maybe you should leave your bag with me and then check, or better yet, I'll send someone to check for you."
    "Do you normally hear the whistle clearly?"
    "Yes."
    Rusty looked undecided for a moment; she'd been so