A Headstrong Woman (24 page)

“Good morning,” Janice greeted as she came into the kitchen.

“Why didn’t you wake me?” she surveyed the food on the table.

“I figured you needed the rest more but you’re just in time. Have a seat and we’ll say blessing and eat,” Janice instructed her.

Alexandria took the seat indicated and bowed her head.

“I don’t remember arriving,” she admitted as the food started around the table.

“No, you wouldn’t,” Janice smiled, “Jonathon couldn’t wake you and neither could I. I had him take you to your room so I could put you to bed.”               Alexandria blushed at the news. She supposed that it was silly but that seemed like a rather personal act to her.

“Oh,” she muttered as she focused on smearing butter on her biscuit.

A knock on the front door pulled their attention and Nathaniel, himself, rose to answer it; he waved away the maid who started that direction. A moment later he returned with a message and handed it to Jonathon. Jonathon quickly scanned it, frowned, and put it away; his gaze when it met Alexandria’s said they would discuss it later.

“Something wrong?” Nathaniel queried.

“Not exactly, Mr. Price needed to apprise me of a new meeting place,” Jonathon shared.

“Ah, well, let’s return to breakfast shall we?” Nathaniel was already lifting his fork.

It was several minutes later that Alexandria followed Jonathon onto the back porch to discuss the day’s plans.

“Look, Alexandria, I think you should let me and Rusty handle this. Mr. Price indicated that this man is no gentleman and he wants to meet in an unsavory part of town…”

“I appreciate your concern, Jonathon; I’ll be fine,” Alexandria argued.

“This man is more than a little rough around the edges, Alexandria.”

“The men aren’t? I hardly blush at their bawdy jokes anymore.”

She blushed more than she realized, he wanted to argue; he didn’t. The two stood staring at each other a moment, each waiting for the other’s next move.

“I’m going, wait here please,” Alexandria instructed. She turned to go in and say goodbye to her in-laws. By the time she had disentangled herself from their protests Jonathon was gone.

Alexandria was furious.

She marched to her room and changed before surveying herself in the mirror. She had added an oversized vest to her ensemble to hide her feminine shape and had shoved her braid under her hat. She felt fairly confident that she wouldn’t draw any immediate attention and nodded in satisfaction.

She knew Jonathon had to meet Rusty and she knew where Rusty was staying. Jonathon had planned to join him but Alexandria had learned over breakfast that the Morris’ had insisted that he stay with them instead. She needed to hurry; she realized and turned to go. She would know in a few minutes if she would pass for a young man; she had always thought so.

***

Jonathon met Rusty in the hotel dining room and claimed the seat across from him. He ordered a coffee from the waitress and removed his hat.

“What took you so long?” Rusty inquired.

“The Morris’ talked me into staying with them and I never got around to asking Nathaniel directions to this place.”

“How did you talk Alex into staying?” Rusty’s expression was wary.

“I didn’t. I left her when she went back into the house to say bye to Lilly and the Morrises. She may murder me when I return.”

“She may not wait until you return. Listen, Alex may have only been my boss for a while now but I’ve lived in that community her whole life. Alex is notorious for going places she shouldn’t.”

“You don’t think she’d try following me do you?” Jonathon started to worry.

“I all but guarantee you she will, especially if you didn’t explain why you didn’t want her to come,” Rusty answered.

Jonathon groaned, “That woman will be the death of me.”

“Why do you hang around anyway?”

“I made a promise to Elijah and I stand by my promises, besides, Lord help me, I’m involved now. Even if I hadn’t made a promise to Elijah I’m in too deep to walk away.”

“Do you care for her?” Rusty asked pointedly.

Jonathon looked into Rusty’s sun lined face and considered his answer.

“I’m more aware of her lately. Take that how you will,” he answered honestly as he twirled his coffee cup.

Rusty chuckled across from him. “I take that to mean that things could get real interesting around the ranch.”

“What do you mean?” Jonathon asked his brow furrowed.

“Take that how you will. Come on, we have business to see to and unless I miss my guess, we may have to rescue our boss while we’re at it.” Rusty stood and placed his hat on his head before laying money to cover his tab on the table. Jonathon stood and followed him.

“Tell me about this guy we’re looking to buy from,” Jonathon asked of Rusty as soon as they left the café. Rusty had met the man the day before.

“Mr. Kingston is fairly well known in these parts, more for his money and womanizing than anything else. His stock is good though. Rumor is he ran up some large gaming debts and needs money.”

“His loss, our gain?”

“Something like that.”

“Why did you turn Elijah down when he asked you to be foreman at the ranch?” Jonathon asked thoughtfully.

“I’ve been a foreman before. I made a decision that cost three men and a hundred head of cattle their lives, I’ll not risk that again,” Rusty’s pale blue eyes were troubled.

“What happened?”

“We were driving cattle, I took the short cut when I should have stayed with the trail we were told to follow, the trail with guaranteed water. But I was in a hurry to get home to my fiancée. It was my last drive before I was to start my own spread…. pure foolishness…”

“Everyone makes mistakes,” Jonathon told his friend.

“Mistakes that cost people their lives?”

“Sometimes, what happened with your fiancée?”

“I told her I couldn’t marry her and left town. I never want to lead another person to their death… I won’t.”

“You’re right, you won’t. You learned from your mistake, but know this, Rusty, sometimes things are going to happen that aren’t in your control. Life is not yours to give and take,” Jonathon reminded his friend.

Rusty nodded thoughtfully; then frowned.

“You’re not the only one aware of Alex,” Rusty said with a nod in the direction they had come from. Jonathon frowned and looked in the direction indicated. Alexandria was coming down the sidewalk opposite them; a small group of men were following her. Jonathon closed his eyes and blew out a frustrated sigh. He started across the street and could hear Rusty’s laugh floating behind him.

One of the men behind her made a crude comment and Alexandria spun around to face the men; she had obviously noticed them for the first time. Jonathon knew stopping wasn’t a good idea. The thought had no more than formed in his head than one of the men reached for her. Alexandria jumped backwards and bumped into Jonathon who had closed the distance between them.

“What do you think you’re doing here?” Jonathon demanded. Alexandria turned to him with wide eyes; then visibly relaxed. “You just don’t listen do you?” He watched her chin come up.

“I’m not a child! You should have told me why you didn’t want me here then maybe…”

“You’re acting childish!” he snapped at her. “You don’t get your way so you go running off to prove to yourself how grown you are without thought for your safety!”

Alexandria looked as though she had been slapped. She blinked rapidly and pulled herself up straighter even as she struggled for control.

“We have business to see to and in case you’ve forgotten I’m the boss,” she said haughtily.

“Are you going to fire me, Alexandria?” Jonathon demanded though his voice had softened. He watched confusion and pain cross Alexandria’s face before she stepped around him and resumed walking. Jonathon followed her; he regretted speaking so harshly.

She nodded at Rusty as she approached him and stopped and scanned the saloon where they were to meet Mr. Kingston.

“Alexandria, you can’t….”

Alexandria marched through the doors.

“go in there,” he finished to the closed doors.

Alexandria stopped and surveyed the murky room in front of her. The room smelled of stale cigars and whisky and smoke curled from numerous ashtrays throughout the room. A long polished bar stretched before her and men sat scattered at tables around the room that was dominated on one end by a stage. As her eyes adjusted to the dim lighting, she noticed several women, dressed only in their under things, lingering around the room. Alexandria felt the blood drain from her face.

“You come looking for work darlin’?” one of the men asked. “I’m sure that Nolls could use another girl.”

Alexandria became aware that every eye in the room was now on her and stepped backward to bump into a solid wall behind her. She gasped and jumped forward for an iron band to grasp her arm. Her startled eyes met Jonathon’s angry ones and she nearly collapsed from relief.

Jonathon had been ready to tear into her until he saw the fear in her eyes and the tears that were starting to spill over. “Come on,” he said as he approached the bar and inquired of the man they were to meet. They were directed to a private room behind a curtain where a high stakes game was in progress.

“Mr. Kingston?” he inquired of the men at the table. The men at the table glanced up and the women watched Jonathon with interest. Alexandria’s eyes widened when she recognized one of the men as Tristan Price. He was supposed to arrange the meeting, she reminded herself and it wasn’t exactly as if he didn’t have a reputation.

“Yes?” a thick chested gentleman responded. Even sitting down one was aware that the man was tall. He was broad through the shoulders, wide through the chest, and thick in the waist. His hair was dark brown; his eyes cold gray.

“Jonathon Stewart, I’m here to look at your cattle,” Jonathon reminded the man of their meeting.

“Yes, I recall that,” he nodded as he lowered his cigar from his mouth. “Care to join us?”

“No, sir, I don’t gamble.”

“Care for a more inviting form of entertainment?” Mr. Kingston nudged the girl at his elbow in Jonathon’s direction. His gaze when it settled on Alexandria was unnerving, as though he were undressing her with his eyes. Alexandria shrank back from him.

The woman Mr. Kingston had offered to Jonathon moved closer. The look she shot Alexandria was hostile. Jonathon’s gaze barely flickered over the girl before it settled pointedly on Mr. Kingston.

“Suit yourself,” the man shrugged. “Let me play this hand. My luck has been good today,” he turned back to his cards.

“Why don’t you stay with us while they talk business?” one of the men invited Alexandria as he claimed her by the wrist. Jonathon stepped forward, but before he could react, Tristan stood and intervened.

“Games over, gentlemen; Cain, let her go. She’s not that type of woman,” Tristan tossed his cards onto the table and took a long dress coat from a hook by the door. It was too warm for a coat but Alexandria took it gratefully when he offered it to her.

Mr. Kingston lifted his hulking frame from his seat and grabbed his bowler, a ridiculous hat on him, and plopped it onto his head. Alexandria stuck close to Jonathon as she followed the men back out into the afternoon sunlight.

“I brought the cattle to the corrals at the edge of town, it’s a short walk, if you don’t mind walking,” he said to them and started down the sidewalk without waiting for their reply.

“Mrs. Morris, my buggy is waiting, I’d be happy to give you a ride to the corrals and spare you walking through these unsafe streets,” Tristan put her on the spot. Before she could recover, Tristan had escorted her to the buggy and into the seat.

Jonathon glared at the buggy as it started down the street. A low whistle sounded from beside him and he turned to Rusty with a frown.

“If looks could kill, Tristan would be a dead man,” Rusty said with an amused smile. Jonathon arched one brow; then started down the sidewalk at an angry pace.

***

Alexandria spent a miserable two hours at the corrals with the men. With Tristan’s coat on, she drew less attention but was terribly warm and Tristan himself was making her uncomfortable. He was solicitous, overly so. The angry looks Jonathon shot her way weren’t helping. With little to do but watch the men, Alexandria’s thoughts turned to what she had seen this morning. Had Elijah visited places like that and the women who lived there, had her brother; her father? Alexandria didn’t want to think that Elijah had been in a place like that but then he had certainly never touched her in such a way. Could that have been why? Alexandria tried desperately to shut the troubling thoughts out to no avail. By the time their business was concluded, Alexandria’s insides felt tighter than a sailor’s knot and her head pounded viciously.

“Might I offer you a ride to your in-laws?” Tristan offered politely.

“That’s kind of you, however, I need to speak with my men,” she responded as she handed him his coat.

“I’m sure that you and your men could talk more comfortably there at a later time.”