Chapter 3

Depot District of Denver City, Colorado July 1875

“Holy Christmas Cake!” Collette fussed to herself as she rushed to the bakery. “Just call me the late Collette Sandoval.” She giggled and sped up her pace.

She was later than she had intended, again. Despite her goal, like every morning, to be here fifteen minutes ago, she never seemed to be able to get out of the house on time or arrive at work at a reasonable hour.

Liam was kind and never fussed at her for her tardy arrival. Being her husband of six months, he probably had more tolerance for her peculiarities than a regular employer would. He had been at the bakery since four o’clock, as he did every morning except Sunday. The least she could do was arrive on time to help dress the display cabinets so they looked appealing to the early customers.

She entered the bakery at a quarter after seven. Her job was to prepare for the morning rush. Generally, staying until well after the noon mealtime, when the majority of his customers bought bread and sweet treats, and then she would go join her best friend and sister-in-law, Esther Rose, for tea and tatting.

She sniffed in a deep breath of the assorted baked goods and smiled. She loved the smells the bakery offered when one first walked in. That, in itself, attracted customers as much as her artfully arranged products. But in the end, she knew it was Liam’s baking that brought every shopper into the bakery.

He had the fresh baked breads and cookies cooling on a large upright rack and was now baking sweet rolls. She could smell the cinnamon, sugar, and yeast wafting from the ovens. He poked his head around the door frame when the bell above the door tinkled.

“Oh! Collette!” Her husband exclaimed upon seeing it was her who had entered. “Good, you are here. We have a new client who has placed a standing order for every day. I need to take this to her.” He gestured to a stack of boxes.

“What is it?”

“Sweet rolls and loaves of bread. That’s why I’ve got another batch of sweet rolls in the ovens. They should be ready in ten minutes.” He glanced at his pocket watch.

“Goodness me! That’s why you are still baking.” She counted the boxes waiting to be delivered. “That’s a lot of sweet rolls, does this new client stock their own bakery cabinet?” She giggled.

“Actually, yes and no. Her name is Alicia Marie Sanders, and she is new to the Depot District. She has opened a saloon where she also serves pastries and sandwiches, but she doesn’t have a proper kitchen for baking, so we are blessed to be her provider. I promised to have these to her around eight in the morning before she opens her doors at ten.” He paused to chuckle like he was remembering something.

“What?” Collette asked, blinking away the concern inching its way into her chest.

“She said, ‘no respectable man should be drinking before ten’ and she ‘would not allow a drop to be poured before then’. I guess the idea of coffee and sweet rolls had not occurred to her if a customer came in before ten. Funny that whisky and sweet rolls go together in her way of thinking.”

Collette pursed her lips but tried to put a positive twist on the matter. “Sounds like she is a reasonable sort.”

Liam nodded. “It’s great for our business which is good for us all in all.”

“A bar and bakery?” Collette considered the idea. “That is a novel idea.”

“Yes.” He lifted the boxes and leaned in to kiss her cheek. “And we get to supply all her bakery needs. Don’t forget to take the cinnamon rolls out of the oven in seven minutes.”

Collette rushed to the door to open it for her husband.

“See you in a few,” he said sweetly over his shoulder. “Hold down the fort while I’m gone.” He chuckled.

“I will.” She smiled as she watched him walk quickly away. The new saloon must be toward the south end of the Depot District since that was the direction he walked. It was a less desirable, dirtier area in the district. She never went there for shopping or anything. With a sigh, she turned to begin her morning behind the counter. “He’ll be all right.”

She put on a fresh starched and pressed, white apron, moved the fresh baked goods from the cooling racks to the display cabinets, and arranged them in artful ways. Although the cabinet would soon be empty, she knew an attractive display encouraged more sales. She added delicate doilies that Esther Rose had made to silver trays to display the cookies as if they were precious jewels. She sniffed the air. The sweet rolls were ready to come out of the oven. She slid them over to the cooling rack and then opened the money drawer to place last night’s count in its proper place by coin and bill.

Liam always had a pot of coffee on the stove. She had just enough time to pour herself a cup and take a sip when the first customer entered. The women who lived near the bakery came in first thing of a morning to buy bread and biscuits (or cookies) for afternoon tea. In no time the front of the shop was full of anxious women bobbing and swaying to see over the ones in front of them. They were always excited and anxious to learn what Liam had baked and to be the first to buy it before it was all sold out.

This happened every morning at a quarter past eight, like clockwork.

Collette was amused by the women’s determination to be first in line as if Liam wouldn’t make more if something ran low. He, however, generally had the talent to anticipate his customer’s needs and baked just enough to supply them plus extra for unexpected customers, and a little treat to bring home for the two of them.

The local hotel sent a boy over for its standing order. He always entered through the back and left the same way, allowing Collette to keep her attention on the customers at the front of the shop.

Liam had their order stacked and ready to go in his kitchen and the hotel runner knew what to do. It required no interaction from either of them at the front. She was never sure when the runner arrived or left, but at some point, she saw that the boxes had been taken and the money left in a stationery envelope. It was a good system Liam had worked out. She was so proud of her husband and the trust he had established in the community.

Patrick O’Riley or one of the other deputies came in for sweet rolls every morning around half past eight. Collette always let her brother or his co-deputies have a half dozen for free. After all, he was family, and the law, so they were entitled to privileges other customers were not. Besides, it gave her a rare opportunity to see her brother and ask him about curious articles she and Esther Rose had read in the papers.