Dorothy Garlock (8 page)

Jill saw the smile leave her aunt's face as she watched a man come up the walk. He bounded up the steps to the hotel porch. Jill recognized him as the man who had argued with Mr. Westfall at the merchants 'meeting, the one with the birthmark on his face.

“Afternoon, Justine.”

Justine grunted a reply.

“It's good to see that you're well enough to sit on the porch. Introduce me to the pretty lady.”

“Jill's busy. I don't want you bothering her.”

Lloyd smiled and extended his hand. “Hello, Miss Jones. Your aunt is a great kidder.”

From the tone of her aunt's voice and the look on her face, Jill wasn't sure that her aunt was kidding.

“Hello, Mr. Madison. I saw you at the meeting.”

“I wanted to speak to you, but you left before I could get away from the mayor.”

“Is this a business or a social call? ”Justine asked briskly.

“Both.” He patted the paper in his shirt pocket.

“I don't do business on Sunday.”

“Course you do. You don't close the hotel on Sunday.” He turned to Jill. “How do you like our raw little town? We're doing our best to civilize it.”

“That's going to take some doing.”

At first Jill thought Lloyd Madison's face was friendly and boyish in spite of the blood-red birthmark that flowed down over his cheekbone. On a closer look, his smile didn't reach the eyes that turned on her, analyzing, assessing through the wire-framed glasses. Like a dash of cold water, they poured over and touched her everywhere.

It was hard not to stare at him. It didn't seem to Jill that the man resented being stared at. Tall, thin, with wiry blond hair, he appeared perversely to display the thick, blood-red mass by turning his head in such a way as to keep it in full view.

“Jill, will you excuse us? He's determined to have private words for me before he goes.”

“Of course.” Jill stood up. “Nice meeting you, Mr. Madison.”

“Call me Lloyd, Jill. We'll be getting to know each other better … I'm sure.” He glanced at Justine when he said the last two words.

At the door, Jill looked back at her aunt's flushed face and was tempted to go to her. There was no doubt that she was irritated with the lawyer. Both seemed to be waiting until she passed through the doorway, so she reluctantly opened the door and went into the lobby.

“Pretty as a speckled hen.” Lloyd removed his glasses and wiped the lenses with a white handkerchief he took from his back pocket.

“Stay away from her.”

“Why? She's single. I'm single. My bloodline is as good as hers.”

“Stay away from her. I mean it.”

“Ah, come on, Justine. I waited damn near a month before coming to meet her. I wasn't sure she'd last that long. When I heard that she'd been seen with Westfall, I hotfooted it right over.”

“You're too late. She's been spoken for.”

“You mean … Westfall? ”

“No, I mean her sweetheart from back home is here.”

“That dirty roustabout who yanked her away from Westfall last night? I heard about him.” Lloyd laughed. “I heard she threatened to slap him into tomorrow. It doesn't sound like she's very fond of him.”

“Why did you come here? Get to the point.”

“Every time I come to see you, you look worse. Last time I thought you were on your deathbed. I'm happy to see that you came out of your decline enough to sit on the porch.”

“Horseshit! It'll be a cold day in July when you're concerned about my health.” Justine's voice was heavy with sarcasm.

“Why wouldn't I be? It's been a while since I've seen you. Just before Jill arrived, wasn't it? By the way, how is that darky who guards you as if you were a virgin about to be ravished? ”

“That darky is the best friend I ever had. You bother her and I'll blow your damn pecker off.”

Lloyd's laugh rang out. “God, I love it when you talk trashy. It comes so natural.” He pulled the paper from his shirt pocket. “I've got something here I want you to sign. We'll need a witness. I'll call Jill.”

“What is it? ”

“It's giving me power of attorney, the authority to look after your affairs.”

“Are you out of your mind? I'll never sign that! I'd rather turn my affairs over to a mangy dog! ”Justine was breathing hard and fast. “I want you to stay away from me.”

“Watch it, dear. You could have a heart attack.”

“It's what you want, isn't it? ”

“No, not quite yet.” He put the paper back in his pocket, leaned back and was silent until a car went by, leaving a trail of dust in its wake. “You will sign the paper. You owe it to me, you know.”

“You've no right to stick your nose in my business.”

“I've every right, and we both know it. God, you're even stupider than I thought you were.”

“I don't owe you a damn thing! ”

He laughed. “You think not? But enough of that. It was good of old Hunter to volunteer to oil the street.”

“Old Hunter? I doubt he's any older than you are.”

“Now, how would you know how old Hunter is? ”Lloyd's eyes moved over Justine's flushed face before going beyond to the man coming up the steps to the porch.

“Hello, Skeeter, ”Justine said. “Come sit a spell. Mr. Madison was just leaving.”

“Howdy, Justine.” Skeeter stood hesitantly in front of her.

Lloyd got to his feet. With an amused look on his face, he looked from Skeeter's down-at-the-heels boots to his dirty tattered shirt and up to his whiskered face.

“You do like the lowlife, don't you, Justine? ”He shook his head as if in wonderment. “Why am I surprised? Water seeks it's own level, as the saying goes.” He took a quick step and dropped a kiss on her cheek before she could flinch away.

“Get away from me! ”

“I'll be going. Far be it from me to stand in the way of…romance. I'll be back in a day or two. Think over what I said about your … affairs. I will handle them, you know.” He smiled down at her. “Take care of yourself, and if you need anything, phone me or, better yet, send Jill over. It's time she and I got better acquainted.”

Justine's mouth was clamped shut and it stayed that way until Lloyd left the porch. He never merely walked anywhere but scurried, sprinted. Instead of turning, he seemed to spin around.

“Sit down, Skeeter.”

“I don't like that son-of-a-bitch, ”he growled.

“Why? ”

“Hell, he always acts like he's got somethin 'up his sleeve beside his arm.”

“Forget him. Tell me the news.”

“The darky that works for Westfall said that the gal that's been stayin 'there ain't there no more. She flew the coop.”

“What's new about that? His women come and go. Next week he'll have another one, and it's nobody's business but his.”

“I hear he walked out with that prissy miss you brought here to run the hotel. If n she's like the others, she'll be hightailin 'it out.”

“Godamighty, Skeeter. She just met him last night.”

“I don't like her, either.”

“I don't give a damn if you like her or not. Why were you up here on the porch making such a horse's ass out of yourself? ”

Skeeter chuckled. “See how far she'd go, I guess. Didn't 'spect her to dump no dirty water on me.”

“If you'd've spit on my clean floor, I'd a slapped the pee, wind and hockey out of you.”

“That's why I never done it.” He chuckled again. “Why're ya doin 'business with that fellow with the devil mark on his face? He ain't the only lawyer in town. If this was back in the olden days, he and Westfall'd have a shoot-out on Main Street.”

Jill came out onto the porch, but she stopped short and glared when she saw the man sitting on the bench. Her hands went to her hips.

“What's
he
doin 'here? ”

“He came to apologize, ”Justine said. Then, to Skeeter, “Get with it.”

“Yeah, well…”He stood up and removed his hat. “I'm sorry I done it and won't do it no more.” He slapped his hat down on his head. “ 'Bye, Justine.”

“'Bye, Skeeter. Come again.” Justine's shoulders slumped. “Honey, tell Thad I'm ready to go back inside.”

Chapter 5

D
INNER IS READY, MISTAH HUNTER.
”The soft voice fell in the quiet of the room.

“Thank you, Dinah. I'll be there in a minute.”

Hunter shuffled the papers on his desk. He seldom worked at home; but, knowing that it was going to be a long, lonely day, he had decided to while away the hours by putting some figures together to see if adding a roller coaster to his amusement park would be profitable. It was definitely not as enjoyable as spending the hours in hot pursuit of sexual gratification with Carsie. But that wasn't to be.

He looked up when he sensed Dinah was still standing in the doorway. Her round dark face was creased with worry. If he had two loyal friends in the world, they were Dinah and Casper. They had been a part of his life for almost as long as he could remember, and he cared for them possibly more than he cared for any other living souls.

“What's the matter, Dinah? ”Hunter went to her and placed his hand on her shoulder. She was a short round woman, the top of whose gray head came even with his chin.

“I ain't understandin 'why dat girl just pack up an 'go so quick-like. The other'n did that, too.”

“What time did Carsie leave? ”

“Was dark. Maybe nine o'clock. I come to tell her me'n Casper was goin 'to bed. She comed downstairs with her suitcase. She said, real mad-like, that she was leavin'. And I said, what'll I tell Mistah Hunter? ”

“What did she say to that? ”

“She said, she said …”Dinah bowed her head. “Said tell yo to go ”— she looked up and mouthed the word — “yo-self.”

“I get the message, Dinah. You don't have to say it. You told me last night she left in a car. Did you see it? ”

“No, sir. I heared it. Why'd she go like dat, Mistah Hunter? ”

“When she came here, I told her that she could stay and that we would enjoy each other, but that it was temporary.” He sighed. “Women want their hooks in you so that you can't get away. I'll not tie myself to any woman. Carsie probably thought she'd not waste any more time on me.”

“That other'n left sudden-like, too. Is yo mean to dem women up dere, Mistah Hunter? If yo is, I'll spank yo 'hind. I didn't raise yo to be mean to womenfolk.”

Hunter chuckled. “I'm not mean to them, Dinah. I swear I'm not. They give me what I want, I give them what they want. Have you ever seen a bruise on any of them? ”

“Nooo …”Dinah drew the word out. “Seen 'em cry a time or two.”

“That's when they realize the party is over. None of them leave here broke, Dinah.”

“I ain't knowin 'why my boy don't get him a good woman and have him some kids.”

“Maybe someday. Meanwhile, I'm hungry. What have you got for me? ”Hunter placed his arm across her shoulders and they went to the dining room.

Business and sex were the two major factors in Hunter's life and he craved variety in both. He had never truly loved a woman, but he had been fond of many. He had discovered while in college that he had the proper equipment and a certain talent for using it to satisfy his appetite. Since that time he had seldom been without a woman for any length of time.

In a small town like Rainwater, however, it was wise to be discreet. The women who came to spend time with him were often passed off as sisters, nieces, family friends. When in Tulsa or Kansas City, he was free to treat himself to the services of experienced women in the best pleasure houses, where his desires and sexual fantasies would be satisfied for a while.

He loved sex, especially the moment when he entered a woman's body. It was the height of all sensations: hot, tight wet flesh surrounding him. Wonderful. Wonderful. He also learned from the females he bedded. Hunter prided himself on the fact that he had never forced a woman, and when he left them, they were completely satisfied.

As he sat down at the beautifully set table and to the meal Dinah had prepared, the only thought he gave to the absent Carsie was to compare her to Jill Jones.

Jill was like a prairie flower: untouched except by the wind. She would keep a man's attention far longer than an experienced woman like Carsie. He smiled while thinking about her hitting one of his men in the nose and kicking the shin of another. She had the refreshing look of innocence, but he was sure that once she was introduced to the pleasures of sex, she would be as wild as an untamed cat in bed. It had been a while since he had taken the time to seduce, then teach a virgin the art of sexual gratification.

Jill Jones would be a delight to teach.

In a law office above the bank on Main Street, Jill was also on the mind of the man leaning back in his chair with his feet on the desk. She was a little scrawny for his taste, he thought now as he viewed her once again in his mind's eye. She was pert, sassy as a young colt and not at all bad to look at, as Justine must have been all those many years ago. The little country miss would fit nicely into his plans, although he preferred women with large breasts, meat on their bones and little or nothing in their pretty heads.

Lloyd Madison's character had been forged not only by the permanent disfigurement on his face, but also by a father who was sixty years old when he was born. Over the years he had become so used to the blood-red mass that even if it were possible to have it removed, he would not part with it. He rather enjoyed having people stare at him. The mass that some called the mark of the devil made him unforgettable.

“You've got the mark of the devil on your face, ”his father had told him almost every day as he was growing up. “But you've got my brains. Use them as well as that appendage between your legs. Let no man or woman stand in the way of what you want.” When the dried-up old bastard finally died, setting Lloyd free, he had just turned eighteen.

He had taken the old man's advice to heart: used the brains inherited from him and the money the old miser had held on to until the last breath. He got through law school, roamed a little, then headed for Oklahoma.

The devil part of Lloyd's character had taught him to be calculating, persistent and to search out details that would be beneficial to him, while presenting a persona of caring and decency. The traits had been far more rewarding than he had expected.