Page 113 of Texas Splendor
Loree heard the footsteps on the porch and rose from the chair as Austin stepped through the doorway. She smiled brightly. “Austin, look who’s here.”
Austin removed his hat and studied Mr. Cowan skeptically. “What brings you out here?”
“You do, my dear boy. As I was telling your lovely wife here, your song has been haunting me ever since I heard it. I want you to come play for me.”
Austin hung his hat on the peg. “Appreciate it, Mr. Cowan, but I’m not interested.”
Mr. Cowan looked taken aback. Loree simply stared at her husband. “What do you mean you’re not interested?”
“I wasn’t good enough before. Nothing’s changed that.”
“Everything—”
“No, Loree. This isn’t what I want.”
With pleading eyes, Loree looked at Mr. Cowan. “Let me speak to him privately about this opportunity—”
“I’m not going to change my mind,” Austin insisted.
At that moment she wished she had a skillet in her hand so she could bang it against his hard head. She knew pride was making him cast his dream before the wind.
Mr. Cowan brought himself to his feet. “I know this isn’t a decision to be made lightly. It’ll affect your family for many years. I’m staying at The Grand Hotel in Leighton—finest hotel this side of the Mississippi—and I have to confess it was part of the reason I didn’t mind traveling back to this area. But I must catch the train in the morning so I’ll leave a list of my destinations with Mrs. Curtiss at the front desk. If at anytime you change your mind, you just send me a telegram.” He held up a finger. “But you’ll need to decide before next spring because we’ll be leaving for Europe then and it’ll be harder for me to make the arrangements.”
He lifted his bowler hat from the table. “Mrs. Leigh, it was a pleasure to spend the afternoon in your company.”
He strode out of the house like a man without a care in the world.
“You shouldn’t have sent him a telegram without discussing it with me first,” Austin said.
“I didn’t send him telegram.”
“You didn’t tell him that I was innocent?”
“No.”
Austin rushed outside, Loree in his wake. Mr. Cowan was climbing into the buggy.
“Mr. Cowan, how did you hear about my innocence?”
Mr. Cowan pulled his foot out of the buggy and straightened. “Didn’t hear about it until this very second. But that’s excellent news.”
“You came here still thinking I was guilty of murder?”
“That’s right.”
“I don’t understand. A week ago—”
“A week ago your song hadn’t kept me awake with regret every night.”
Austin glanced over at Loree and slipped his hand around hers before looking back at Mr. Cowan. “I don’t know how to read music. Loree’s been teaching me, but I’m not a very dedicated student.”
Mr. Cowan shrugged. “Doesn’t matter, dear boy. You won’t be playing with the orchestra.”
Austin furrowed his brow. “You’ve lost me again. Why are you here—”
“Because I want you to be my soloist. It’s your songs I want. Your gift.”
“What about my family?”
