Echoes of the Heart (5 page)

He put an arm
tightly around her shoulder, pulling her tight against his body while turning
to face the front door of the bar.
 
She
looped her arm around his waist and reached to give him a quick kiss on the
lips, a generous smile showed glinting white teeth.

“Well, Marshal,
how has your day been?”

He felt a swelling
of desire as his gaze followed the length of her sleek body.
 
Before finishing his beer, he ordered a
second shot of whiskey.

“How are things
going for you this evening?
 
Can you
spare some time for an old friend?”
 
His
eyes seared into hers, as he pulled her tightly to his chest and pressed his
hardness against her.

“Oh, sweetie, I
always have time for you.
 
Let’s go
upstairs.
 
Everything is under control
here.”
 

Cash tossed back his
whiskey and led her up to her second-floor room with a hand on her elbow.
 
She opened the door and they entered her
small gaudy apartment adorned in purple and orange tassels.
 
A red worn carpet covered the creaky wood
floor.
 
He quickly grabbed her and
carried her to the bed in the corner, plopped her down then hurriedly
undressed.

He could always
count on Angie to take care of his needs without complications, ties or
expectations and no uncomfortable scenes when he left her alone in bed.

***

When he rose to
get dressed, Angie reached for him, her hand soft on his back.

 
“What’s your hurry?
 
You can stay the night if you want.”
 
She let the sheet drop from her chest,
exposing her soft pink breasts and dusty rose nipples.

He quickly
shrugged free, and continued to dress.
 
Cash never spent the night with the women he bedded, and did not intend
to start now.
 
“Angie, you know I won’t
do it.
 
If you persist, I will just have
to find another girl.”
 
He gave her a
half smile and a quick pat on her rump.
 
“I’ll meet you at the bar.”

Stepping to the
bar, he ordered another whiskey and tilted sideways leaning on an elbow to view
the door, pondering how many drinks it would take to allow him to sleep a few
hours and stop the constant visions haunting his nights.

With a voluminous
red smile painted on her lips, Angie descended the staircase walked to the
poker table swaying her hips, avoiding eye contact with Cash.

Cash downed anther
shot and walked toward the door, his boots sounding hard on the wooden plank
floor.
 
Voices raised at the poker table
made him spin toward the noise.
 
Small
hairs rose on the back of his neck.
 
Muscles tensed as he strode toward the men.

A mid-sized man
wearing buckskins rose from his chair shouting.
 
The chair fell back with a loud crack on the floor.
 
He swung toward Angie, anger growled in his
harsh voice.

“You god damn
bitch, I saw you deal from the bottom of the deck.”
 
He moved toward her with a cruel glint in his
eyes, nostrils flaring.
 
Before Cash
reached the table, the man arced a backhand across her right cheek.
 
She snapped to the side and drew a hand to
her face in defense.
 

With the speed of
a pouncing mountain lion, Cash had the man by the scruff of his neck and flung
him to the floor.
 
The man gaped up in
surprise.
 
With a boot on his throat, he
pulled the man’s hog-leg from his holster and tossed it aside.
 
He knelt to press a knee into his chest and
let loose a solid punch to his jaw, the thud of the impact echoing throughout
the saloon.

 
Blood gushed from a gash on his cheek then
streamed down his face and into his dusty brown hair.
 
The man cringed at the low growling words
spoken through clenched teeth.
 
“How do
you like getting hit in the face?”
 
He
yanked him up by the collar, bent his arm behind his back and started toward
the door with the man’s feet shuffling along the floor.
 
When he reached the swing-door, he pitched
the man through with a force rolling him into the street.
 
“If I ever see you around here again, I
guarantee more than your face will be bleeding.”

Angie had a wet
cloth pressed to her face when Cash turned and paced to where she sat.
Undisturbed by the incident, she glanced at Cash and smiled.
 
“He’s just another cowboy having had too much
to drink and didn’t like losing his money.
 
He played like an idiot.
 
Thanks
for the help.
 
Don’t worry, I’ll be
okay.”
 
She turned to go back to the card
table.
 
When Cash touched her shoulder,
she glanced into his eyes.

“You let me know
if he comes in here again.”

“It comes with the
territory honey, but next time you can bet he will mind his manners.”

           
Cash
cupped her chin in his hand while surveying her cheek.
 
It looked like it would bruise some, but
nothing that would last.
 
“Well, I guess
I’ll go get some sleep.
 
Sounds like you
don’t need my help.”
 
Knowing it to be
well past
midnight
, he sauntered
outside turning his head to survey the bar one more time before leaving to go
to the hotel.
 
He saw no sign of the man
from the bar.
 
Ever on alert, he watched
everything along the way, glancing down alleyways and up at windows and
rooftops as he went.

           
The
man at the desk greeted Cash when he walked into the hotel lobby of the newly
refurbished hotel.
 
In the last year new
paint, expensive fixtures and plush carpet were added looking elegant and well
suited for the elite class of businessmen wanting to get richer in the new
expanded territory filled with silver and gold.
 
The dining room had seasonal meals, closing up during the winter months
as much of the town.
 
When winter set in,
enforcing the law became easier but traveling the region more difficult when
prisoners from other territories coming under his jurisdiction needed to change
venues for the proper courts.

Cash ascended the
stairs two at a time, glancing around the hotel then entered his room, taking
in all four corners in a swift survey.
 
Donated for the town marshal, the small room had a comfortable bed,
though he would have preferred one larger to accommodate his stature.
 
A thick tan carpet lay on the floor and a
chest of drawers stood near the window to the left.
 
The washbasin, pitcher of water and a glass
lay on top of the chest along with his shaving gear.
 
The rack on the side held a plush towel and
an armoire to the right stored his clothing.
 
One of the older rooms, he shared a bathroom down the corridor with
other visitors occupying the less expensive section of the hotel.

He undid the
hold-down leather tie around his thigh, unbuckled his gun belt, hanging it on
the bedpost within easy reach.
 
He pulled
a wood carved chair next to his bed and removed his shirt to hang over the
back.
 
Sitting on the bed, he pulled off
his boots letting them fall to the floor with a thud.
 
Standing to pull off his trousers, tossed
them on the chair for easy access if something came up during the night.
 

Cash reached for
the bottle of whiskey he kept in a drawer, poured a generous glass of the clear
amber liquid before setting it down on the stand by his bed.
 
He downed the burning sedative then flopped
on top of the covers, his arm under his neck, glancing at the ceiling.
 
He hoped to fall asleep sometime before
dawn.
 

Four

           
Raeden
jumped up, facing her aunt.
 
“What?
 
I can’t call of the wedding.
 
It’s tomorrow.
 
Are you out of your mind?”
 
The excitement brought heat to her face but a
ray of hope began to emerge while her thoughts raced.
 
She paced the room.

           
Diane
frowned.
 
“Look, Rae.
 
If you don’t think you want to get married
then chances are you shouldn’t.
 
You
would be doing Chris a favor by letting him go.
 
He is young, rich and handsome.
 
There will be no problem finding someone else who really loves him the
way he deserves.
 
He will be fine.”

She put her hand
on Raeden’s shoulder and stared in her eyes.
 
“Look, I will take care of it. I also think it would be a good idea if
you came home with me to South Dakota.
 
When the gossip dies down and things return
to normal, you can come home and start over.
 
Trust me.”
 

           
Raeden’s
cheeks burned hot while she paced, breathing in short gasps and realized she
must appear a lunatic.
 
“Oh, do you think
I can do this?
 
I really don’t want to
get married but I don’t want to shame my family and Christopher’s.”
 
She dropped her hands to her sides.
 
“This is awful.
 
I am so embarrassed.”
 
She slowed her pace and could not help but
notice the look of amusement on her aunt’s face, a Cheshire cat with shimmering
blue eyes.

           
“You’ll
get over it.”
 
Diane spoke in a matter of
fact way while walking toward the door, her manner businesslike and
concise.
 
“I’ll get Mike and Craig, they
can help.
 
I will have Mike go talk to
Tom and between the three of them, they can notify the guests the wedding will
not happen.
 
I’m sure Mike or Tom will
talk to Chris, as well.

“I will go speak
with the minister and tell your parents.
 
Your mother will be hysterical of course, but it won’t be the first
time.
 
You start getting your things
together.
 
The train leaves tomorrow
night and we have a lot to do.”
 
She left
the room in a hurry and Raeden heard the sounds of footsteps running down
stairs.

           
Raeden
stood staring at the open door, unable to think clearly.
 
Oh God,
what is happening?
 
Relief suddenly
washed over her, a smile formed on her lips.
 
Yes, this will work out just fine.
 
She ran to the cellar and dragged several
large trunks to her room.
 
One stood in
the corner already packed with her trousseau leaving the others for her
fabrics, notions and remaining clothing.
 
She could help at the store, do tailoring, and sew garments for the
women in town.
 

The thought of
using her talents and starting fresh gave a burst of energy.
 
If things went well, perhaps she could go to Paris
in the spring with nothing standing in her way.
 
She had read so much about Europe and the fashion
world, the shows and famous designers.
 
It would be there she could really make her mark.

With things
definitely looking up, she filled up the trunk and stacked packages of fabric,
carefully wrapped in heavy Manila paper to avoid the dust on the train.
 
Excitement amplified as she put her extra set
of riding clothes in the trunk along with extra boots, warm cloak and riding
jacket.
 
No one would criticize her
riding apparel now.
 
Next, she would go to the stable to
collect Arte’s gear.

Her wedding dress
hung in the armoire, the most beautiful garment she had constructed to
date.
 
She had spent many hours stringing
the miniature pearls and it shimmered in the light when she removed it for
inspection.

Maybe she could
sell it in Chamberlain.
 
Surely, a bride
would buy the gown.
 
No, I will leave it for Cynthia
.
 
Her sister near marrying age and their size being the same, she pictured
the gown on her sister.
 
She knew it
would look striking.

Placing the
wrapped dress carefully in a small trunk she added the shoes, veil and purse
then pushed it into the back of the closet.

The marriage
completely out of her thoughts, she continued to collect the items necessary to
make her stay at Diane and Mike’s comfortable along with all her toiletries and
fancy silk undergarments.
 

           
Deciding
she might stay in Chamberlain if she liked it, she packed some of her favorite possessions,
family tintypes and photographs to take along together with her jewelry, which
she carefully placed in a lesser case to carry on board the train.