SEDUCTIVE SUPERNATURALS: 12 Tales of Shapeshifters, Vampires & Sexy Spirits (206 page)

“Tell me who you really are, Taylor. And your real name, too.”

“Taylor really is my name.”

“You had me fooled yesterday, but not now. I can see that you are masquerading as a man, so enlighten me as to your reasons.” Josie leaned back in her chair, arms folded and chin raised. She was right. And she was sure the stranger was hiding something. And what was the connection between her, Jackson, and the McLaurey boys?

“I’m waiting...” Josie spoke with cool authority. She’d had to use that tone of voice more than a few times in her life.

“Things are a little...complicated for me right now, and all I really needed was a place to stay. Maylee brought me over to meet Ida and I’m filling in as her gardener.”

“Do Maylee and Ida know of your charade?”

“Actually, yes. I know it sounds strange, but…”

Josie smiled. The stranger’s story might prove to be interesting after all. “Are you running from someone? The law, maybe?”

“No, nothing like that. It just seemed easier to get around dressed like a man—at least when I first got here.”

“So, I’m to just believe there is no danger from you being here? Then why were you following Wyatt’s bartender to The Acme Saloon last night?”

Taylor stared back at her. “You were there?”

“I was. I saw you listening to a conversation between Jackson and two men. Tell me what interested
you
, Miss Taylor.”

“Well, actually I was trying to learn more about something I’d overheard Jackson say, and I ended up following him to the saloon. I couldn’t hear much of what they said, though. I couldn’t get close enough.”

Josie peered at her, searching her eyes for the truth. “Did it have something to do with my husband?”

“I’m just not quite sure. I promise you, though, that if I learn anything more, I’ll tell you.”

“Very well, then.” Josie paused, returning the young woman’s gaze.
I guess I’ll have to be patient a little while longer with you.
“Taylor—is that what Ida calls you?”

“Maylee and Ida call me by my middle name...Rose.”

“Do you prefer Taylor to Rose?” Josie couldn’t help but find it amusing that this young woman had successfully fooled at least some of the people in San Diego. And she seemed to be a very spirited young woman. Try as she might she found she was unable to fight a feeling of fondness for the young woman’s—what was it? Quirkiness?

“My father was the only one who ever called me Rose.”

“If you will call me Josie from now on, then I shall call you Rose. Are you sure there’s no trouble that you need help with?” Josie felt a tug at her heart now that she sensed the uncertainty within the young woman’s position. There was undoubtedly more to her story, but she knew she’d have to earn the young woman’s trust before she might learn more from her. Besides, she had more investigating to do. Primarily, she needed to find out why the McLaurey boys were in town. She strongly suspected that it had something to do with Wyatt, and probably something to do with Pete Spence.

“May I ask you something?”

Josie nodded.

“What is it like being married to Wyatt Earp?”

A thoughtful smile curved Josie’s mouth. “Well, we certainly do have our ups and downs, but we are
madly
in love. I can’t imagine my life without him. And you...do you have a man in your life, Rose?” She watched a smile appear tentatively on Taylor’s face. “Ah, I can see that you do. Tell me about him,” she encouraged.

“There’s no one, actually.”

Josie considered her words, suspicious at the hesitant reply. “Is that why you were following Jackson? Is it something to do with him?” Josie reached out to touch Taylor’s fidgeting hands. “Rose, please be careful. As far as I could tell, Jackson may have met two men at The Acme that certainly are not what you or I would call gentlemen. Promise me you’ll be careful.”

Taylor exchanged a smile with her. “I promise. And I promise I’ll let you know if I find out anything serious…anything you should know.”

“All right, then. I’ll rely on you for that.” Josie patted Taylor’s hand. “I have to go. You send word to me anytime, and if you need anything, let me know. I don’t mind telling you that I wasn’t at all sure about you when I came to talk with you today, and I’m still not. But I can wait for details, for the time when you feel you can share more with me. I hope we can be friends, Rose. Good day for now.” Josie made her way back out the gate, leaving Taylor alone, once again, in the garden.

* * *

Taylor sat back in her chair. One thing bothered her…why had
Josie
been following Jackson? Could she have her own suspicions? Obviously, this woman would do anything to protect her husband.

“Be careful, Taylor.”

Taylor stood up, tilted her head and listened carefully.
Of Josie?
She supposed Josie could be the false friend mentioned in the Taro card reading. Her choices seemed to be expanding exponentially.

Taylor shook her head, waiting for anything else her father might share. Only silence.

After careful consideration she dismissed the thought of Josie being a danger—in fact, she found she liked her, and doubted she was doing more than being a dutiful, protective wife. Even so, caution seemed to be the safest path until she could sort things out more.

“Find the truth.”

The truth about Jackson? About Wyatt Earp? About what?

“Jackson is no killer.”

Even though her father’s words comforted her, Taylor had a distinct, horrible feeling he would be unless she could figure out how she might convince him to change his mind. She got up from her chair and began pacing. She wished her father’s brief messages were more clear.
If you know something, Dad, why don’t you just come right out and tell me?

“I can’t.”

Can’t, she wondered…or won’t? She believed her father was there to help, but instinctively knew she was the one who would be ultimately responsible to find the truth he kept alluding to. She struggled to hold on to logic, but this morning her emotions seemed to be winning.

Dad, I wish you were here
. Taylor abruptly stopped her pacing, feeling suddenly very much out of place and she realized just how awkward she felt.

Then Taylor sensed her father’s spirit fade away once again.
Dad?

“Rose, are you ready for some tea?”

Taylor looked up to see Ida standing at the back door.

“You look like you’re ready for some company. Are you all right?”

“I’m fine, Ida. Tea sounds good.”

“Maylee’s on her way over with some fresh date nut bread. Why don’t you wash up and we’ll meet you in the kitchen.” Ida shut the door.

Taylor washed her hands and face at the pump, just finishing as Maylee came through the back gate.

“Hello, Rose. Come on inside and have a piece of my fresh bread.” Maylee continued toward the back door, with Taylor close behind.

“Hello, Maylee.”

“How are you on this fine day, Rose? You look a little tired to me.” Maylee glanced at her as all three sat at the kitchen table.

“A little tired from working outside, I suppose,” she replied. “The bread smells wonderful, and a cup of tea sounds perfect.” She smiled at the two women sitting across from her. Ida was already dressed and coifed. She had never seen her unkempt or casual. Maylee was perspiring a bit from her walk from the hotel, and was frowning at her with motherly concern. “And you two should both stop worrying about me,” she suggested.

Ida poured three cups of tea and passed the honey and cream to Taylor. “The garden is looking so much better already, Rose. Your skills are evident and I am very pleased at your progress. I must say, you work harder than my previous gardener.” Ida smiled at Taylor. “I think you are trying to spoil me.”

Taylor returned her smile with a heartfelt grin. “I’m enjoying myself—I just hope you’ll let me stay a while.”

“Rose, please stay as long as you like. Now, Maylee—pass some of your bread this way. I’ve already told Rose it’s delicious.”

Maylee beamed and passed the plate of sliced bread to Ida. “Hush, now. It’s not even my best,” she said. “Rose, are you still planning to come with me tonight to Mr. Shepard’s.”

Taylor nodded.

“Good. I thought I’d better let you know that sometimes Mr. Shepard’s parties are quite long. We’ll leave from here after dinner tonight.”

“Sound’s fine.”

“And wear something fancy if you’ve got it.”

Ida clapped her hands together. “I know just the gown you can wear. My old blue satin one—it will be perfect. I’ll help you with your hair and let you borrow my silver and pearl necklace. You’ll be stunning.”

Taylor warmed in the glow of the attention from Maylee and Ida. More and more, they felt like aunts to her.
Family
.

Ida drained her cup and spun it clockwise, three times. Then she turned it upside down, allowing the last few droplets to fall onto the saucer. Finally she handed the empty cup to Maylee.

“Maylee, what do you see,” she asked. “Tell us.”

Maylee bit her lip in concentration, tilting the cup for a better look. “Well, I see what looks like a kettle. At the base of a tree. This says illness or injury, but with recovery.” Maylee looked up at Ida. “How have you been feeling?”

“Fit as a fiddle, in fact.”

“Perhaps it’s not you. Maybe one of the girls, do you think?”

Ida frowned. “Perhaps, perhaps. Rose, your turn. Drink your tea and swirl the empty cup to the right three times.”

Taylor obeyed, mimicking Ida’s actions, then handed her cup to Maylee and watched her peer into it—fighting an instant, unexpected feeling of regret. Somehow another fortune reading seemed a really bad idea.

“I see two things,” she murmured, “a boat and a chair. This doesn’t make much sense to me.”

“What doesn’t make sense?”

“Well, a boat usually means a visit from a close friend with bad news and a chair means there will be an unexpected visitor. I’m not sure which one of the images dominates. Do you have friends here, Rose?”

Taylor shook her head. “No one.” She couldn’t help but wonder, though, if it could possibly be Jackson, or maybe Josie.

Maylee shrugged. “I just do this for fun, right Ida? It’s a good excuse to stop by for a cup of tea, anyway.” She smiled and drained her own cup, reaching for the last slice of bread. “I’ll be going, now. See you at eight, Rose. And you might have a rest this afternoon. I honestly expect the evening won’t end until well past midnight, maybe longer.” She pushed away from the table and retreated out the back door.

Taylor stared into the bottom of her teacup, squinting. All she saw were specks of tea grounds. No boat. No chair.

“Never-you-mind, Rose. Sometimes Maylee’s teacup readings are right, and sometimes she’s miles off target.” Ida patted her shoulder as she rose to leave.

Taylor smiled at her concern about her friend’s rather ominous interpretations of the tea leaves.

“There’s chicken soup warming on the stove when you’re hungry,” Ida continued as she headed out of the kitchen. “I have to run some errands in town, so I’ll see you at about five. I’ll need your help with dinner tonight, and when we’re finished, I’ll help you dress for your evening. I’ll get out the blue gown and the necklace for you.”

“Ida, I’m not worried about the tea leaves,” Taylor called after her.

She admitted how much she liked the woman and, somehow, her profession as a Madame didn’t seem that shocking. It was obvious that Ida cared for her girls, and made certain Sherman House was safe and comfortable for them. And she had certainly opened up her heart and home to
her
. Taylor shuddered at the thought of trying to deal with life in 1888 alone and hiding behind a fairly weak disguise as a man.

And she felt safe there. Just like she’d felt when she’d seen the Victorian garden scene at the fair. Was there a connection she was missing? It was obvious that the scenes were identical, but was there more?

Over her bowl of soup, she went over in her mind everything that had happened to her so far, trying to identify clues to her purpose there but came up with nothing.

Relaxed and full, Taylor wiped off the kitchen table and finished rinsing out the dishes. A high pitched scream shattered the afternoon stillness and she dropped one of Ida’s teacups to the floor.

Forever Rose: Chapter Eleven

Taylor was sure the scream had come from the second floor. She raced up the back stairs taking two at a time. At the landing, she stopped to listen. From behind the bathroom door, she heard the muffled sounds of crying.

She checked the knob and found the door unlocked. “Are you hurt? What’s wrong?” No reply answered her questions, so she turned the knob and opened the door just wide enough to see into the room.

“It’s me...Rose. What happened?” She could see one of Ida’s girls dressed in a camisole and petticoat, standing with her back toward the door, her body quivering. Suddenly, the girl’s knees buckled sending her to the floor in a heap. Taylor bounded into the room just in time to keep the girl’s head from landing on the hardwood floor.

The girl had fainted. But why? And what had made her scream? As she grabbed for towels to elevate the girl’s legs, she almost slipped on the puddle of water on the floor. Steaming, hot water. Then she looked at the girl’s face—her left cheek and arm were both bright red with what looked like a first or second degree burn from the tipped hot water bucket.

“What happened to Audrey? Oh, look at her face!”

Soon the small room filled with the other girls who had run down the hall to see what had happened.

“Someone go down to the ice box and chip some ice into a bowl,” Taylor shouted.

“But, you should put butter on a burn right away and—”

“Just go and get the ice. Do it! We have to work quickly before the blisters come. Go!” Taylor glared at the young woman who stood paralyzed in the doorway, wringing her hands. “What’s your name?” Taylor asked, forcing her voice to sound calm and firm.

“Lizabeth.”

“Please. Lizabeth. Go to the ice box and use the ice pick to make some little chips of ice.  Bring back two clean dish cloths. It’ll be okay, but you have to do what I say.” She smiled at the young woman, keeping her voice quiet. “Please?”