Mail-Order Groom (21 page)

Mose was probably right. In no mood to dawdle, Adam approached the bar. Several cowboys looked sideways at him; a few Faro players and miners glanced his way, too. None of them bore the familiar, reviled features of the Bedell boys.

He was too late,
Adam realized.
They'd already left here
.

Most likely, he knew, Roy and his brothers were with Savannah by now. Their intentions for her would not be good.

Grimly Adam pushed all the way forward to the bar,
dodging tobacco juice and sticky tequila spills as he went.

“Yep, I saw 'em,” the bartender was telling Grace Murphy. “Despicable characters they were, too. Those Bedells took up one of our best tables, started a couple of fights, stiffed me on a bottle of Old Orchard—” he spied Jack Murphy in the crowd and gave him an apologetic shrug “—sorry, boss. Then they up and left, rowdy as they came.”

“How long ago?” Adam asked. “Do you know where they went?”

The bartender scratched his chin. “Can't rightly say.”

“Think, Harry!” Grace urged. “It's vitally important.”

“Well…” The grizzled, gray-haired bartender hesitated. “I did hear the mean one, Roy, say something about that little boardinghouse that's next door to Miss Adelaide's place—”

“I know where that is,” Daniel McCabe said. “It's close.”

“Show me,” Adam told him. “As for the rest of you—”

Thinking over his next words, he paused and looked behind him. To his disbelief, the crowd actually appeared to have grown as more Morrow Creek citizens had joined their impromptu posse. Gazing into their determined yet fretful faces, Adam could not justifiably lead them into danger. Not even if they were willing to go, as—to a man
and
woman—they undeniably appeared to be.

“The rest of you, bring the sheriff and whatever men he can spare,” Adam told them. If he knew Sheriff Caffey, it would take his well-intentioned “helpers” all night to convince the lawman that he should intervene. By then, Adam would have settled the matter, once and for all. Satisfied that he'd safeguarded the citizenry as well as he could, Adam turned to Mose. “Except you,” he said. “
You
, I'll need help from, if you're willing.”

 

With an eager nod, Linus agreed. He turned his firearm around, then held it by the barrel. He offered it to Savannah.

Trembling wildly, she grabbed it. “Thank you.”

As though expecting her to simply set it aside—and then perhaps remove her gown to reveal a spangled stage costume—Linus clasped his hands between his knees. He watched her. His gaze shone up at her with all the enthusiasm of a small boy's…if small boys had liked to watch ladies dance in skimpy attire.

“I heard about this one partic'lar dance,” he said. “I think with some ostrich feather fans, or somethin' like 'em—”

“I'm afraid I won't be able to dance for you after all, Linus.” Still shaking, Savannah raised the gun. She drew in a deep breath, then pointed it at him. “You see, I retired from the stage some time ago. When I did, I promised myself I'd never again be The Seductive Sensation—not for anyone.”

He seemed mystified. He frowned. “But you said—”

“She was lyin', you saphead!” Mariana burst out. She shook her head. “I would've stopped you from doin' that, only I never thought even
you
was dumb enough to fall for that trick.”

Her words drew Savannah's attention. Jerkily she nodded at Mariana, then gestured with the gun.

“Would you please sit down next to Linus?” she asked.

“I don't see how you can make me,” Mariana retorted.

“I do.” Linus's gaze skittered to his gun. “She's got my gun, Mariana! I guess you'd better just do what she says.”

Reluctantly Mariana did. As she settled on the bed, she glanced out the murky window, giving Savannah new cause for concern. How much time did she have before Roy Bedell
and his brothers arrived? Had Mariana already seen them coming?

Sorrowfully, Linus shook his head. “Roy ain't gonna like this one bit,” he said in an agitated tone. “He's gonna know this is all my fault!” He eyed his lost weapon, still keeping his hands clasped childishly at his knees. “I'm gonna get a whalin' like no other. He'll prob'ly kill me, most likely.”

Savannah felt sorry for that. But she couldn't waver. With her heart pounding, she took a cautious step toward the door.

“After I leave, there's nothing to stop you from leaving, too,” she told Linus. “Just run away!” she urged. “Leave your brothers behind.” Unaccountably she wished she could help him. He seemed so lost and hopeless. “You can start over. You can!”

Mariana scoffed. “That's real sweet, Miss Priss. Do you have any idea what kind of dreadful things this man's done?”

Still holding the gun level, Savannah shook her head. She didn't like the feel of the weapon or the need to use it, but she didn't have much choice. “No, I don't. I don't know what you've done, either. But if you're smart, you'll get out of here, too. Go someplace where Roy Bedell can't find you—both of you.”

At that, Mariana seemed taken aback. She gazed at Savannah with the same keen acumen that Savannah had noticed earlier.

Then Mariana shook her head. “I've got some advice for you, too,” she said in a cynical tone. “Take the window instead.”

But Savannah had already yanked open the door. Keeping her gaze fixed on Mariana and Linus, she went on pointing the gun at them. She stepped sideways.
Almost there.
She had to be smart, else risk having one of them rush at her and take away the gun.

Moving faster, she stepped to the left. Again. Again.

Her shoulder bumped into the doorjamb. Taking that as her signal, Savannah gripped the gun more tightly. She turned to run headlong down the hallway she expected to find.

Unfortunately the hallway was already occupied.

Savannah ran full chisel for a few steps toward freedom, then smacked straight into a man. With a grunt of surprise, she stumbled. His arms came around her to set her upright again.

Adam,
she thought crazily, suddenly desperate for his reassuring presence and capable manner. But this wasn't Adam. Instead the man who'd grabbed her smelled of whiskey fumes and stale tobacco, grimy skin and unlaundered clothes. He emanated danger…and a conspicuous quantity of self-assurance, too.

“Well now.” He treated her to a wholly unpleasant smile. Under other circumstances, he might have appeared boyishly handsome. As it was… He didn't. “If it ain't my dancin' fiancée, come to call on us. What do you know about that, boys?”

He had to be Roy Bedell. Before Savannah could do more than twist away from him, the other Bedell brothers were upon her.

The tall, spooky-looking one wrestled away the weapon she'd taken from Linus. The sour-faced one who'd jeered at her in the Finneys' yard snickered. The last one, muscular and grim, merely shoved her back in the room, herding her ahead of everyone else while Roy Bedell called out a greeting to “his woman,” Mariana.

The door shut behind the lot of them. With a hollow feeling of despair, Savannah listened as it thudded closed,
knowing that she'd just lost her best—and probably only—chance to get away.

I've got some advice for you, too,
Mariana had said.
Take the window instead
. Realizing now what she'd meant, Savannah felt even more disheartened. It was just like a criminal's “woman” to taunt her with the escape she couldn't have.

Roy took his time greeting Mariana with a hearty kiss and a leering, licentious whack to her ample backside. Mariana giggled, then leaned over and whispered something to him. They both glanced slyly at Savannah. Appearing pleased by whatever news Mariana had shared, Roy turned to the others.

“You all might as well settle in.” Cheerfully Roy rubbed his palms together as he examined a fearful Savannah. “I just decided I might as well take my own sweet time with this one.”

“N
ope. I'm sorry.” The boardinghouse owner gave Mose a rueful shake of his head. He seemed tired—which, given the late hour, was altogether appropriate. The place was otherwise deserted, with most of its occupants settled in for the evening. “I'm afraid I don't have any rooms available right now.”

“You mean you don't have any rooms available for
me
. A colored man.” Mose's deep, irate-sounding voice thundered through the anteroom reserved for boardinghouse business. “Isn't that right? You don't have a room for a darkie like me.”

“No. No! I never said—I mean—it's just that—”

“That,”
Mose interrupted. “Makes me…
unhappy
.”

His intimidating tone was plain—even from Adam's position in the boardinghouse hallway, where he'd crept when the owner wasn't looking as part of the plan he'd devised on the way here.

Marveling at Mose's performance now, Adam shook his
head. He wasn't sure how the big man had learned to appear so menacing, but his skills were certainly useful tonight.

“Please. That's not what I said.” With clear apprehension, the man eyed Mose's burly arms and impatient expression. “I said we don't have any
rooms
. That's all.”

“But I'm here specifically to meet up with my partners,” Mose explained tautly. “Roy Bedell and his brother Edward Bedell. They said they'd be here. They're expecting me. You wouldn't want to…
interfere
…with our business dealings.”

Something about that statement seemed to jostle loose a scrap of cooperation. The boardinghouse owner gave a jerky nod.

“Yes. I mean, no! No, I wouldn't want to interfere with any business of the Bedells. They
are
staying here, but they said—”

Adam listened while the boardinghouse owner babbled on about Roy Bedell's “explicit instructions” to him. It sounded as though Roy had, as usual, coerced everyone within earshot into cooperating with him, however undeservedly or criminally.

At the realization, Adam tensed his muscles. Impatiently he leaned around the corner to watch the proceedings. Given the bartender's description, he knew this was the right boardinghouse. He'd have liked to take the place right then—to burst into every room until he found Savannah. But he had to tread carefully. Getting her back from the Bedells would require all the wits he had. It would require Mose's help, too.

Even now, the big man was capably providing it. “Would you at least let me leave them a note?” he asked. “I'd be obliged.”

“Fine.” Sounding harassed, the boardinghouse owner pulled out paper and a pencil. Halfway in the process of handing over the items to Mose, he hesitated. He frowned.
“Uh… Would you rather
I
wrote the, uh, message for you, s-sir?”

Mose glowered. “Are you suggesting I can't write?”

“I'm…not sure? I only want to help,” the man said.

With an exasperated exhalation, Mose grumbled. “Which room is it? I'll just put a note under the door myself.”

Clearly expecting to be given the paper, he put out his massive hand. The boardinghouse owner gave it a wary glance.

Adam held his breath. Unless this worked, they would be hampered in finding Savannah and the Bedells. But then the boardinghouse owner appeared to decide that Mose's gigantic fist could just as easily smash his desk as it could write a note.

He pushed the paper and pencil at Mose's hand. “Please feel free to let yourself out after you're done.” He appeared to look forward to that event. “I'll be locking up for the night soon.”

The boardinghouse owner scurried away. Just as his feet touched the threshold of what appeared to be his own quarters, Mose cleared his throat. Emphatically.

“Which room?” he asked. “You never said.”

Nervously the boardinghouse owner told him.

Ten seconds later, Adam and Mose were on their way there.

 

Trying not to tremble visibly in Roy Bedell's presence, Savannah stood with her posture poker straight as he approached her. He nodded as he examined her. His baby-faced appearance did little to soften the overall impression of cruelty he gave. As though ready to demonstrate that quality, he faced Linus.

“Linus. You been here all night, like I told you to be?”

“Yep. I sure have been.” With a nervous gulp, Linus
nudged himself farther back on the bed. The mattress dipped sloppily.

“Well now.” Considering that, Roy rubbed his hand over his jaw. Whatever his injuries had been, they hadn't hampered his ability to shave cleanly. Or to quaff whiskey. His voice sounded low and soft. “I guess that means that must have been
your
gun that my new lady friend, Miss Reed, was wavin' at me just now.”

Stiffly Savannah shifted her gaze to Mariana. She expected the other woman to snootily point out what Savannah had specified to her earlier—that she was
Mrs. Corwin
now—but Mariana didn't. Instead she only watched Roy and Linus with rapt attention, just like the other three Bedell brothers did.

“Well…” Guiltily Linus glanced at the gun, which was currently being held by his brother. “She couldn't have waved it very threatenin', like.” He tried to smile. “Look at her—she's just a wee bitty little thing, not fit to scare
you
, Roy. I—”

Lightning fast, Roy raised his arm. He hit Linus. Hard.

The impact of fist against flesh and bone made an awful sound. Savannah flinched. She recoiled, feeling sick.

Linus gave a muffled yowl. With tears in his eyes, he slapped his hand to his cheek. Above his fingers, with their clean, chewed-up nails, his gaze looked accusatory…and miserable.

“The point is,” Roy said in a frighteningly patient voice, “that she shouldn't have had a chance to brandish a pistol at me at all. Now should she? Not if you were doin' your job, Linus.”

“You tol' me,” Linus murmured, “that you wouldn't smack me again. Not in front of—” Trying to be surreptitious, he aimed a nod in Savannah's direction, not looking at her. “You know.”

Roy guffawed. He glanced at Savannah, then at Linus, his eyes wide with spiteful humor. “That's right. I forgot—you went and got yourself sweet on The Seductive Sensation, didn't you?”

The other brothers laughed, too. Mariana shook her head silently at all of them. Savannah could only cringe as Linus raised his hangdog head, bringing his wounded visage into view.

“You
promised
me that, Roy,” he muttered. “You did.”

Still standing over him, Roy exchanged amused glances with the other Bedell brothers. “Tell me, boys—did I promise that?”

“Nope,” one of them said. “Don't reckon you did, Roy.”

This time, Linus's disillusionment seemed doubled. “You know he did, Curtis! You was right there, you lyin' dog.”

“You're the one who sounds like a dog, whinin' like that.” Roy grinned at his comparison. “How 'bout you bark next, eh?”

“Aw, lay off him, Roy.” Mariana stepped forward. She took his arm in hers, stroking it. “Linus was just tryin' to make a deal, to shortcut you gettin' your money, and it all went wrong on him. You can't fault him too much for tryin', can you?”

“A deal?” Seeming placated, Roy peered at Linus. A glimmer of near respect shone in his gaze. “That true, dimwit?”

Sullenly Linus nodded. His cheek already looked bruised.

“'Sides, can't we just get on with this?” Mariana gave Savannah an exasperated glance. She stroked Roy again. “I'd just as soon have this business over and done with. Settled.”

“And rush
this?
Come on now, Mariana! You told me
you'd been tangled up in criminal dealings for half your life,” Roy objected. “I can't believe you're gettin' cold feet now.”

“I ain't,” Mariana groused. “I just don't like
her
.”

“Ah.” With measured strides, Roy left Mariana. He crossed the room back to Savannah, bringing a chill with him. He lifted his hand, brushing his knuckles beneath her chin. His gaze bored into hers. “
I
like her. I like her a lot. I think we're goin' to get on famously, you and me. At least for a while, we are.”

At his ominous tone, Savannah shuddered. She had no concept of what Roy Bedell meant to do to her…but she'd bet it would be at least as bad as what he'd done to his brother. Linus appeared to have endured that mistreatment many times over.

“Yep. I'd say we're going to get along real fine.” Roy lowered his hand, crudely trailing his fingers down the front of her dress. “I guess I hit the bonanza with you, Miss Reed. What with you bein' famous, and all. I'm goin' to enjoy this plenty.”

“Wait.” Savannah lifted her head. “If you want my money—”

“Money? Yeah, I want that, all right.” Roy nodded, seeming absorbed in her shawl. He rubbed its lacy texture between his fingers, making Savannah yearn to slap them away. “But now I'm thinkin', why should we quit at the money? Seein' as how you and me, we're two of a kind, I guess we should prob'ly—”

“I'm nothing like you!” Savannah burst out, unable to help herself. His comparison rubbed up against everything she wanted to deny about herself. “We are
not
two of a kind.”

“We're not?” With a dubious grin, Roy raised his eyebrows. He cast a mocking glance at his brothers, then
addressed her again. “Are you sure about that? Because from where I'm standin', we're
definitely
the same. In fact, I'd go so far as to say we're downright meant for each other, you and me.”

Unable to fathom what he meant, Savannah stared at him. The look in his eyes scared her. If only she had left sooner…

“We're star-crossed lovers, Miss Reed. Brought together by fate and happenstance,” Roy opined, sounding delighted with the idea. “
I'm
from a famous criminal family,
you're
from a famous criminal family—we're like royalty or somethin'. Damn near it.”

He knew about her. He knew she was a “Ruthless Reed.”

Inwardly Savannah despaired. It was bad enough that the Bedells had captured her. Bad enough that they intended to kill Adam the first chance they got. Bad enough that they would take all her savings and maybe kill her, too. But to add the fact that Roy Bedell was cognizant of her scandalous past and now meant to taunt her with it… It just piled on the agony. All that remained was for the people of Morrow Creek to learn about the same disreputable history Roy had…and shun her for it.

It was still possible, Savannah thought, that the Bedells would simply take her money and leave her alone. But even if they did, her hoped-for new beginning was crumbling before her very eyes. There was nothing she could do to stop it.

All she could do now was try to stay alive. If her skills as an actress had worked on one Bedell brother, it occurred to her, maybe they would work on a second brother, too.

Forcing a smile to her face, Savannah made herself look Roy in the eye. “Why, now that you put it
that
way… That's a downright
fascinating
idea, Mr. Bedell,” she lied in her
most flattering tone. “I'm so happy you pointed that out to me.”

This time, Roy's grin seemed truly genuine. “I'm glad you think so.” Dropping her shawl, he twisted to look at Mariana. “See? I told you she'd see the rightness of us bein' together.”

Mariana scoffed. “You want a medal or somethin'?”

“Now, Mariana. Don't get all het up.” Outrageously brash, Roy spread his arms. “There's enough of me to go around!”

The other Bedell brothers laughed and jostled each other.

“I'll help pick up the slack,” the one called Curtis said.

“Me, too,” another offered with a smirk. “Happy to help.”

The prospect of being at the mercy of these ruthless men was almost more than Savannah could stand. Searching for an ally, however inadequate, she glanced at Linus. But he only kept his pitiful gaze fixed on the floor, seeming unaware of the proceedings around him. There'd be no help from that quarter.

“The only man I'm interested in is
you
, Mr. Bedell.” Steeling herself, Savannah inhaled, then touched him. Roy's shirtfront felt unpleasantly stiff. The feel of his body beneath her palm made her queasy. “Can't we go someplace a little more private and talk some more about that bond we share? Please?”

At least then she'd be away from the other brothers. At least then she'd have a chance to appeal to whatever decency Roy Bedell still possessed. Maybe she could strike a deal with him.

Guilelessly Savannah batted her eyes at him, using the maneuver to survey his entire appearance. He had a gun belt, too. But if she could get him to turn slightly, if she
could somehow manage to slip her hand lower without being noticed…

Never had she needed her sleight-of-hand skills more.

But with everyone watching, she could hardly perform magic.

“You can call me Roy.” With a suggestive lifting of his eyebrows, the confidence man examined her, too. Not caring who was watching, he skimmed his hands over her body. “Please do.”

With revulsion, Savannah shuddered. She swallowed hard, then nodded. “I didn't know you'd be so handsome, Roy.”

He preened. “That's what all the ladies say.” Abruptly his expression changed. His whisker-free jaw hardened. “Right afore they start beggin' me for mercy. What do you say, Missus Fancy Dancin'
Corwin
? Are you gonna beg me for mercy, too?”

Corwin
. He knew she was married to Adam!

That must have been what Mariana had whispered to him, Savannah realized. Doubtless being the wife of the detective who'd sworn to track down Roy would not endear her to him.