Brides of the West (25 page)

Like a woman off to the gallows, she walked
to the Chances Are Saloon. Tired, cranky and covered with dust, she
was in no mood for an argument, but knew she would get one.

She couldn’t bring herself to go through the
front door and the back door was locked. When she knocked, she got
no response. In frustration she kicked the door, gaining nothing
but a sore foot. Limping, she went back to the front and entered.
She caught Rufus’ eye and headed for the office. The two customers
paid her no mind.

She sat in the small office. A vision of her
mother loomed in her head.

Annabelle Dallas Yeager, what has got you so
down in the mouth? You made your choice. So it didn’t work out like
you expected. Didn’t I teach you to pick yourself up and move on?
Now you own a saloon and brothel. You didn’t ask for them, but they
is yours. You either throw it overboard or make it work for you.
These people work for you. You just gonna hand it o’er to them?
Where is your pride? The Yankees take it, too?

She heard it as clear as
she heard the tinny piano in the saloon. Well, she’d come here in
search of a new life and while this might not be the one she
thought, it was a new life.
Her
new life and she’d make the best of
it.

Rufus entered the office
without knocking. “What do
you
want? I’m busy.”

“I’m busy, too. From now on, knock when you
enter my office. Second, give me keys to all the doors, so I can
get in. Third, tell Lauren that she and her girls have to be out in
three days. I’m converting the social club into a hotel, something
the town desperately needs. Once they move out, I’ll refurbish the
rooms.”

“You want
me
to tell her and the
girls to leave?” His face paled.

“Yes, you are the manager aren’t you?” She
studied him a moment. Would he do it? “Once they vacate the rooms,
I’ll clean and paper them before the new furniture arrives.”

“Where are they supposed to go?”

Josh and Rufus were wearing on her. “Lauren’s
a resourceful woman. I’m sure she can find a place.”

“I just don’t feel right doing that.” He
shifted from foot to foot. “She ain’t never hurt anybody. Nope, it
ain’t right. I can’t work for a woman.” He started to remove his
apron.

Panic set in. After all, she needed him to
run the saloon. “Wait! I’m sorry, Rufus. I didn’t mean to step on
your toes.” Hell, it was her saloon and she needed to learn how to
run it in case Rufus decided to quit. “Maybe we can work out a
compromise. You teach me how to run the Chances Are and I will pay
you an extra ten dollars per week.”

Rufus didn’t move, but he didn’t say yes
either. She watched him mulling the idea over.

“I want a rent-free room in the hotel as long
as I work here.”

Good, she could do that. She was willing to
pay more and a room would be a breeze.

“Deal.” She stuck her hand out.

“Deal,” he said, walking over to the desk
and taking her proffered hand. “We need some whiskey ordered.”

“How do I order it?” She doubted it was
purchased from the Emporium.

“You send a telegram to the distributor
telling him what you want. You pay when they deliver. Name should
be there in the desk.” He paused at the door. “Do you want to learn
to tend bar, too?” he asked, leaning against the doorway.

She hadn’t considered that. The idea
intrigued her. “Is it hard?”

“No. You have to pay attention. They start
yelling, you ignore it. Just keep filling the glasses and take the
money. Why don’t you start this afternoon? Won’t be too busy and
I’ll be here.”

She liked the idea of seeing customers spend
money at her saloon. “I’ll do it.”

“After lunch I’ll show you how to determine
what stock you need to order,” he said, pushing away from the door.
“You might want to dress in some clothes other than that fancy
dress.” He jutted his chin at her and was gone.

She wasn’t wearing a fancy dress. She
wouldn’t do housework in it, but it wasn’t a party dress either.
She’d slip back to Josh’s room and change.

A knock at the door interrupted her thoughts.
“Come in.”

“Miss Yeager, you still staying at the jail?”
Rufus wiped his hands on his apron.

“No. After the attack, Sheriff Morrow moved
me to his room. I really can’t stay there much longer.”

“I was thinking. Mr. Woods has rooms
upstairs over the saloon. I don’t see why you can’t use them. He
certainly won’t, and he fixed it up for you. It’s got a separate
entrance from the alley and it ain’t connected to the social
club.”

How come no one thought about where Barry
lived before? “Do you have a key?”

“I suppose Mr. Landers has it,” he said.
“There might be an extra one in the desk.”

She began rifling through clean, organized
desk drawers. In one she found the ordering records and other
business papers and a small key.

“It might be in the safe behind you. I have
the combination.”

He pointed behind her to a small table with a
skirt around it. She lifted the skirt and discovered a safe.
“What’s in it?”

“I put the receipts and the day’s take in
there. Barry took everything out in the morning but what was needed
for the next day. He’d put part of it in the bank, but I don’t know
about the rest.”

“How much money is in here?” Her breath hung
in her throat.

“About four hundred dollars or so. I took
money out for expenses, such as my pay, pay for the waitress, and
things like that.” He opened the safe. Money lay in neat stacks.
She counted four hundred and twenty seven dollars. It was a
fortune. She hadn’t seen that much money in her whole life!

***

Inside the safe she spotted a locked drawer
and remembered the small key in the desk. Once opened, she found a
larger key–it had to belong to the rooms upstairs. She fingered
it.

Now she would have a place of her own,
separate from the saloon and the social club. “How do I get
upstairs?” Excitement and disappointment at leaving Josh’s room
welled up in her fighting for control. She closed the safe and
rushed after Rufus.

Stairs leading to the second floor were on
the side of the building. Why hadn’t she seen them before? At the
top of the steps, she fitted the key into the lock. The door
creaked as she pushed it open.

She stepped into a small, well-furnished
parlor. A large woolen rug absorbed her footfalls as she moved
around the room, looking in awe at the new furniture, the heavy
lace curtains, crystal and china. A slight coating of dust had
settled on the furniture in the parlor and an attached kitchen
area. Of course, since no one had been here since Barry’s
death.

She spotted a door off to the side and
paused. It would be the bedroom. Composing herself, she turned the
knob and opened it.

Another plush rug covered the floor. Her
breath caught in her throat at the sight of a large, carved sleigh
bed with lace edged linens and comforter. They would have lain
together at night and she would have borne their children on this
bed. Her legs threatened to fold. Tightness filled her chest
feeling the loss of her dream.

“Annabelle, are you in here?” a voice called
from the front room. “Are you all right?”

She turned and saw Josh standing in the
parlor. “Yes.”

“Rufus said you were up here. I’d forgotten
about these rooms. Woods kept the carpenter busy getting it ready
for you.” His eyes traveled over the room before resting on her
again.

“Yes. Rufus just remembered to tell me. I
found the key. A little dusting and I can move right in.”

“I reckon so,” Josh sighed. “Annabelle, be
careful. That alley can be extremely dangerous.”

“I suppose it could be.” She didn’t want to
think about that right now.

He shrugged. “Landers talked me into taking
the badge back. I could escort you to the door every night. That
way you won’t have to worry about the drunks.”

Josh cared for her. Her feet barely touched
the floor as she moved toward him. She stood on tip-toes with her
hands on his chest and kissed him on the cheek. It wasn’t enough
for her.

His arm wrapped around her waist and pulled
her close. Excitement danced in his eyes, as her breasts pressed
against his broad chest. He leaned down to take possession of her
lips. Her eyes closed and she uttered a contented sigh. Her
surrender allowed him to caress her and she wanted his hands to
touch her all over. Though it seemed like an eternity before they
broke the kiss, it was over too soon.

He rubbed the back of his fingers over her
cheek. He kissed down the column of her neck. His hand found her
breast through the layers of clothing.

Her fingers moved over his chest and back.
How had she become so lost in him?

“Annabelle,” he said before kissing her
again. “Sweetheart, we have to stop.”

“I know,” she whimpered between kisses. “We
have to stop.” She continued to kiss him.

Finally he broke the kiss. “I’m not sorry I
kissed you.”

“I’m not sorry you did either.” She continued
to lean against him. “I’d better go downstairs. I told Rufus I’d
help him tend bar and I have to tell Lauren I’m closing the social
club.”

“Why don’t you let Rufus do it?” He planted
kisses along her jaw and ear. “She ain’t going to go
willingly.”

“I told him to tell her, but I really think
I should do it.” She stepped away from him and moved to the door.
He followed, stepping out first so she could lock up. “I can’t have
Rufus doing my dirty work while I sit back and rake in the money.”
He stood on a lower step putting him eye-to-eye with her. Without
thinking, she leaned forward and kissed him again. She wrapped her
arms around his neck as he wrapped his around her waist. “Should we
be standing here doing this?” she asked before her lips met his
again.

“Probably not.” He kissed her once more
before he carried her down the steps and escorted her back into the
saloon.

“Rufus,” she said, “do I have time to go back
to the sheriff’s place and change clothes before I start learning
how to tend bar?”

***

Josh watched her hips sway as she walked over
to the bar and felt himself harden all over again.

“Yes, ma’am.” Rufus eyed him with a smirk.
“Take your time.”

Annabelle walked out the door. Instead of
following, he turned to Rufus. “Do you have something you want to
say? You’re grinning like the cat that caught the canary.”

“Never noticed ‘til now how pretty Miss
Annabelle is.” He grabbed the rag and started to wipe the counter.
“I expect you already know that. I bet she’s a screamer in
bed.”

Josh grabbed Rufus’ shirt and pulled him
onto the counter. “Rufus, I don’t think I heard you right. I
thought I heard you insulting Miss Yeager and casting aspersions on
her. Did I misunderstand you?” His clenched fist itched to wipe the
smirk off his face.

“Why . . . yes-yes you did, Sheriff. Miss
Annabelle is a lady.” The man squirmed as sweat broke out on his
brow. “She’s a fine lady and I don’t know what got into me. You’re
one fine gentleman, helping her out.”

“I thought I might’ve misunderstood you. When
Miss Annabelle gets back, I expect you to treat her with kid gloves
and protect her like your life depends on it, because it does.” He
released Rufus who slid off the bar. “Do you understand me?”

“Yes, sir.” Rufus wiped his brow.

Josh didn’t want to care so much, but he did.
In just a few days Annabelle had managed to get deep under his
skin.

He exited the bar and headed to his room. The
door was closed, so he knocked.

“One moment, please.” After two or three
minutes she opened the door wearing a simple white blouse and dark
skirt with her hair pulled up into a tight bun. He imagined pulling
the pins out and letting it fall down her back. Damn, if she wasn’t
more attractive than ever.

“I’ll have my things packed in a few
minutes.” She flitted through the room stuffing clothes into a
carpetbag.

It seemed so natural for her hairbrush and
mirror to be on the dresser. The cool silver burned his hand when
he picked them up. “Don’t forget these.”

She took them and scanned the room. “I
believe that’s everything.”

Once the carpetbag was closed he grabbed it
before she could pick it up. “I’ll carry it for you.”

She didn’t argue, but graced him with a
smile. She reached up and kissed him. His lips tingled from the
contact. For a moment he considered dropping the bag and forcing
her back on the bed. She’d be willing, he was certain. He’d also be
a first class rounder if he did that. So, with every ounce of his
willpower he stopped himself. “Annabelle—”

Her finger on his lips hushed him. “Don’t say
a thing.” She licked her lips. “I like kissing you.” With that she
turned and walked out the door. The little minx had him wrapped
around her finger and she knew it.

At the saloon, he left her with Rufus.
“Remember, when you’re ready to go upstairs, send for me. I don’t
want you in the alley alone.” She nodded and he took her bag
upstairs. He didn’t feel right about her moving in here. He liked
it better knowing she was in his bed at night, even if he wasn’t
there.

***

Annabelle’s heart sank when he left. She’d
come to town to marry one man and fallen in love with another. Did
love happen that quickly? It wouldn’t do any good to moon about it
all day.

“Rufus, could you go tell Miss Lauren I want
to talk to her?”

“Don’t bother, Rufus. Miss Lauren is here.”
Dressed in a robe and slippers, she slid to a table. “Bring me a
drink.”

Rufus looked at Annabelle, undecided about
what to do. She nodded her permission. He poured a whiskey and set
it before Lauren. Annabelle took a seat at the same table.