Love in Disguise by Carol Cox

ducked inside.
    “Good morning, ma’am. Can I help you?”
    Ellie paused, trying to catch her breath and get her bearings in the dimmer light. A stoop-shouldered man stood behind the counter, eyeing her expectantly. She pulled a lace-edged handkerchief from her sleeve and fanned herself with it. “Actually, I was just feeling a bit weary. I was hoping it might be all right to sit for a few moments and catch my breath. Do you mind?”
    With a look of concern on his broad face, the man hurried across the lobby to help her into an overstuffed chair near the window. He hovered solicitously while she settled herself into the cushions. “Would you like a glass of water?”
    “Thank you. A drink of water would be lovely.” While the desk clerk bustled off on his errand, Ellie drew her first deep breath since being spotted by the rough men outside and looked around at her surroundings. An oak counter stood at the opposite side of the lobby. Two doors, one of which she assumed led to the hotel office, stood behind it. The center of the room was free of furnishings, save for an Oriental rug that covered most of the floor. To one side, a black-and-chrome woodstove gave off a gentle heat. The seating area she occupied filled the space near the broad plate-glass window that faced out on Grant, while a similar arrangement was grouped near the window looking onto Fifth Street.
    Ellie’s pulse quickened. The fine lace curtains made it easy for her to see what was happening on the street without being seen herself. If she angled her position just so—she took advantage of the desk clerk’s absence to scoot her chair a few inches to the right—she had a view of both streets. She leaned back against the comfortable cushion and stared at Bascomb and his companions talking earnestly a few yards away. What a perfect observation post. She couldn’t have designed it better herself.
    The clerk returned with her water, and Ellie sipped gratefully. “Thank you ever so much. I hate putting you to all that trouble.”
    “No trouble at all, ma’am. Can I get you anything else?”
    “No, I’m feeling much better now. Would it be all right if I sat here a little longer?”
    “Take all the time you need. You’re welcome to stay as long as you like.” His smile brightened his drooping features. “My name’s Donald Tidwell, by the way. You just let me know if you need anything.”
    Ellie smiled back at him. “Thank you, Mr. Tidwell. I’m Lavinia Stewart. I’m pleased to meet you.”
    He went back to his work behind the counter, and Ellie continued watching the marshal and his companions. The little group was breaking up, Bascomb heading west while the others moved east toward Seventh Street and the saloons beyond.
    Whatever they’d been talking about, she had missed it. Ellie let out an unladylike huff. Why hadn’t she thought to take up her position in the hotel a few minutes earlier? Even though she couldn’t hear their conversation through the glass, she would at least have been able to observe them closely, maybe even read their lips.
    “Are you new in town or just passin’ through?” The desk clerk’s voice broke into her reverie. “I haven’t seen you before.”
    “I’m newly arrived. I’ve come to Pickford to look into some mining interests.”
    The clerk’s lips rounded, and he seemed suitably impressed. Ellie studied him while pretending to dab at her cheek with her handkerchief. With his stooped shoulders and lanky figure, he looked more suited for an office job back east. At least he was friendly, she thought, remembering the clerk in Kansas City.
    She peered out onto Grant Street and then looked toward Fifth, but nothing out of the ordinary caught her eye. Ellie gripped the padded arms of the chair and pushed herself upright, ready to take her leave.
    What a shame she had missed her opportunity to do an effective job of spying on Bascomb and his group. The setup of the hotel made it a perfect lookout post. If