Simply Heaven (31 page)

"No, but she don't have to. Why else would he hang around her like he does? And why was he there when she had her little bastard? And look at this"—he pointed to a bruise that had almost faded away, leaving only a shadow on his jaw—"he hit me and knocked me out, because I raised hell about him being so brazen as to show up when the baby was coming. Why would a man act like that if it weren't his baby?"

Raven did not know but made up her mind that, until she could be sure Steve was the father, she would not allow herself to believe it. "I sympathize with you, but you're going to have to cope with this in another way. One more drinking bout and you're through here."

He got up and stalked to the door, grumbling. "He just gets to go on like he has been, and the best I can hope for is he don't give her another baby to have to raise by herself, lowlife that he is. Your daddy took up for him, so I reckon it's only natural you would too, but he'll get what's coming to him one day, you'll see." He slammed the door after him.

Lisbeth had been quietly sitting, unnoticed, on the porch just outside the open window of the study. She had hoped to witness Raven's incompetence but what she had learned was far more valuable, because now she was convinced, beyond all doubt, that Raven and Steve were involved with each other. It made sense.

Why else would Raven care about Masson Leroux's drinking? Everyone knew he was at odds with Steve over his daughter's shameful predicament, and Lisbeth had even heard some of the servants gossiping about how Selena sent for Steve, no matter what the hour, whenever her father was having one of his drunken tirades. Raven did not like the interruptions, and that was behind her warning Masson to quit his drinking. She certainly couldn't go to Selena and demand that she stop sending for Steve.

Hearing Masson leave, Lisbeth stole a quick peek through the window. Raven was sitting with her head in her hands, shoulders slumped. She was obviously upset.

Many things were becoming clear, Lisbeth was delighted to think—like how Steve was the reason Raven had turned down the offer she and Julius had made her after the will was read. He was her incentive for staying. She probably hoped he would marry her after a decent mourning period, but Lisbeth didn't care about all that. Now she knew Raven's weakness for Steve, she knew how to get rid of her.

All she had to do was drive a wedge between the two of them, making Raven so mad she would be glad to take their offer of money and hightail it back to Texas. After all, she would have no cause to stay once she realized Steve had merely been using her.

And Lisbeth knew exactly how she was going to make it all happen.

* * *

Joshua reined up the horses in front of the office of the Ralston Shipping Company. It was a three-story brick building with a plain facade and had been built several blocks away from the main loading docks. It was mid-afternoon, no one seemed to be around, and he was worried. He did not like being there with Miss Raven and turned in his seat to tell her so. "I wish you had brought along one of the overseers. It's not safe down here, even during the day. I've heard about all kinds of things happening." He got down to help her from the carriage.

She held out a gloved hand to him. "We'll be fine. It's no one's business where I go, Joshua. Besides, if I'm going to run Halcyon, I can't be constantly asking some man to hold my hand, now, can I?" She had not told Steve for fear he would have insisted on coming with her. And maybe she would have welcomed him if not for hearing Masson's accusations, but now she wanted to be alone to decide if there was any truth to them. She hoped not. Because she was not sure what she would do if there was.

"Where is everyone today?" she asked, glancing about. "I can't believe it's always this deserted here."

Joshua told her he had seen a big ship coming in at the other end of the wharf. "Folks always go to watch, That's why we shoulda brought somebody with us. If some rowdy starts trouble I can't stand up to no white man."

"There is nothing to be afraid of. I have a gun, and I know how to use it." She patted her blue felt bag. It was small, but it went with the yellow cotton traveling outfit she was wearing, and she had managed to stuff her six-shooter inside it.

Guiltily, she wondered if she should be wearing the black garb of mourning that Mariah had told her some women wore—materials of serge, alpaca, or merino, with collars and cuffs of folded crepe and no other trim. But Lisbeth had said that was nonsense. "Only widows do that. As long as we conduct ourselves properly and wear conservative colors, no one will think ill of us."

Raven had accepted this logic. After all, what did she know of the white man's custom of mourning? If Lisbeth said it was all right, who was she to argue?

Joshua was still grumbling. "Well, I just hope you don't need it."

She left him and entered the building, pushing open a glass front door. She was relieved to see a clerk sitting behind a desk on the other side of the counter, who jumped to his feet to ask what he could do for her.

Introducing herself and explaining that she wanted to see Julius, the clerk became flustered. He was well aware of her importance and hated to be the one to tell her that Mr. White was at the saloon at the end of the street. He was not about to add that was also where Mr. White spent most of his time.

"Well, I suppose I'll have to go down there."

With no enthusiasm, the clerk said, "You don't have to do that. I'll go get him for you."

She knew if Julius found out she was there, he might leave and go somewhere else to avoid her. "No, thank you," she said. "I have my carriage and driver outside."

The clerk did not argue. He hadn't wanted to go anyway but felt he had to offer to be polite.

Joshua complained all the way, but Raven ignored him. When they reached the saloon, she saw it was a small rundown building surrounded by large wooden shipping containers that had apparently been discarded. Junk and trash was piled all around. She wondered why Julius would frequent such a disreputable-looking place. There had to be better saloons somewhere on the wharf, but remembering the paltry allowance the will had provided him, she knew he probably couldn't afford those places.

She also worried to think he was not working as he was supposed to. If the estate's administrators ever found out, he would lose everything, but she had no intention of telling them. She wanted to help Julius, not hurt him, and if he'd let her, she'd gladly supplement his income so he wouldn't have to live above the office.

After telling Joshua to stay where he was, she went inside the saloon, wincing at the sour odor. She paused to allow her eyes to get used to the dim light and was finally able to make out a bar, wooden tables, and chairs. She also realized that the laughter and chattering she'd heard from outside had ceased as everyone turned to look at her.

She felt terribly self-conscious but was not about to turn back. Clearing her throat, she announced, "I'm looking for Mr. Julius White. Has anyone seen him?"

An explosion of guffaws ripped the stillness, and some of the men began taunting her.

"You Julius's wife? He didn't tell us he had one."

"Naw, he sure didn't."

"Pretty, too."

"Yeah, with a fine filly like that, how come he's in the back room honeyed up with Lucy?"

"Aw, he ain't doin' nothin' but beggin' Lucy for a drink. He ain't got the money to pay for what she sells."

"You got money, sugar? You here to pay what he owes?"

They leaned against the bar or sprawled in their chairs, unkempt men raking her with hungry, insolent gazes. But she was not afraid and went farther into the room. "No, I am not his wife, and I am not here to pay his debt, but I would appreciate it if someone would tell him his stepsister is here to see him."

"Stepsister?" A man hooted. Raven saw right away that he was wearing a gun strapped beneath his potbelly as he got up from his chair and came toward her. He looked her up and down and sneered. "You ain't no relative. You're a high-class whore, that's what you are. We know who Julius is, he's a rich boy that's too stingy to spend his money. He owes all of us too, including me. So I reckon if he's too tight to pay his debts with money, it's all right for me to take it out in trade—with you!"

Some of the others urged him on, yelling, "Get her, Big Dan, get her!"

On the way there from the company office, Raven would not have been surprised if bandits had jumped out at her carriage from an alley. That was the kind of trouble she had anticipated. But the last thing she had expected was anyone so bold as to attack her in a public saloon.

"Stay away from me," she warned. "I don't want any trouble." She was not scared, for the instinct for survival quickly took over. Gone was the ladylike demeanor she had struggled so hard to acquire the past weeks and months. She opened her purse, fingers itching to close about the six-shooter before things really got out of hand.

But then her arms were grabbed and wrenched behind her and her purse fell to the floor. The man called Big Dan lunged at the same time, bellowing, "Threaten me, will you? I'll teach you what trouble is, you little spitfire."

A foul-smelling rag was stuffed in her mouth to stifle her screams. Held tightly by the man behind her, Big Dan began to grope her, squeezing her breasts, snatching and feeling her buttocks. His friends cheered him on as Raven struggled to no avail.

"What the—" Julius, hearing the commotion, burst through a door at the back of the room. He had been visiting Lucy, the prostitute, but only to beg for a loan as the men had said. Seeing what was happening and recognizing Raven, he roared, "Damn you, Big Dan, that's my stepsister! Let her go!"

The man holding her was startled by Julius's outcry and loosened his grip just long enough for Raven to make her move. The warriors had instilled in her the need to be ready for any opportunity to defend when in danger. So without having to think about it, she knew to bring her knee up into Big Dan's crotch and swing backward to slam her foot into the man behind her in the same vulnerable place. Both grabbed themselves in anguished shrieks and crumpled to the floor.

A shot rang out.

Raven saw that Julius was cornered. He had fired his one-shot derringer and missed, which only served to anger his intended victim, who had drawn his own gun, which was capable of firing several rounds. "I'll blow you to pieces, you bastard," the man yelled.

In a flash, Raven bent to whip out the knife strapped to her ankle and in a streak of silver sent it whizzing across the room to pin the gunman's sleeve to the wall where he stood.

His gun fell to the floor with a clatter as everyone gasped.

Raven stooped to snatch a holstered gun from the man standing closest to her and fired toward the ceiling. "Just stay right where you are, all of you, and nobody gets hurt." She motioned to Julius. "Let's get out of here."

He could only stare at her in wonder, unable to move.

"I said let's go," she ordered sharply, "before I have to kill somebody."

As soon as they were back in his private office, he opened a desk drawer and took out a bottle of whiskey. There was not much inside, only a good swallow. He had hoped Lucy would see fit to loan him a bottle of her home brew till he drew his next allowance, but she hadn't. This was all he had, but he figured he'd never need it more than he did at that minute.

After draining it, he sent it crashing against the wall behind Raven and demanded, "Now tell me what in the hell you thought you were doing?"

"Saving your life." She was surprised he was so upset. "But that's over now. I came to ask you to come home."

"Never. Go away and leave me alone."

"Not till you hear me out." She sat down, carefully pulling together the tattered front of her jacket. She made a mental note to take it off before she got back to Halcyon so no one would see it and want to know what happened. And she would make Joshua promise not to tell about any of it.

"There's no need for things to be like this," she continued. "I know you have to work here because of the will, but you can come home on weekends. And you don't have to exist on that paltry allowance you were given. I'll see that you have more money. I just don't want you going in places like that, Julius. You could get killed. And I do want you to come home."

"Get this straight," he said through clenched teeth. "I don't intend ever to go back to Halcyon as long as you are there, and I never want to see your face around here again. This is my company, or it will be one day. And you have humiliated me. The very idea"—he banged his fist on the desk for emphasis, making her jump—"of you going into that saloon and acting like a—" He couldn't say it. He was too mad to go on.

"A savage?" She spoke in quiet hurt. "I suppose it did appear that way, didn't it? But when I was attacked I had no choice." She stood. It was no use. He hated her and always would. Nothing she could do would ever change that.

Julius jumped to his feet. Her words had stung to the core, for in his eyes, she had denigrated his manhood. "You're saying I couldn't save us, aren't you?" He rushed around the desk . "Is that what you're saying, that I'm a weakling? That I don't know how to handle a gun? That I can't take care of you?"

Sadly, she told him, "Julius, I hate to say it, but you can't even take care of yourself."

Then she left, quietly closing the door on his anger.