Tender Trust (11 page)

She stepped across the space and pulled one of his hands into both of hers.

“We can do it together, I know we can, but you have to want to stop. I can help only if you want to change. Do you want it, Tom? Do you?”

He looked at her as if he was mesmerized.

Penny could see his fingers trembling and smell the sour, morning-after stench of a binge.

Jewel said that she couldn’t love anyone, couldn’t love him the way he needed her to. But Jewel’s attitude showed she wanted to help him.

Tom gripped their clasped hands and closed his eyes. “I’ll do it. I’ll do whatever you want.”

“The first thing I want is for you to get cleaned up, and then pack your bags. Get rid of all your bottles and don’t take a drink. Not one. Promise, Tom. Not one drink.” Jewel was adamant.

He nodded.

“Good. We’ll be back for you later this afternoon. Will you be ready?”

He nodded again.

“Don’t let me down, Tom. I’m counting on you. Don’t let me down.” Jewel squeezed his hands one last time.

Tom left and went towards his room.

They walked out of the alley and down the boardwalk.

“Do you think he’ll do it?” Penny asked.

“He’ll try, but I don’t know how long he’ll last.”

The only thing that lightened Penny’s step was the thought that Alex and Lexie would be back from church.

She hurried the last few feet and grasped the door handle. As soon as she opened it, she heard raised voices.

Inga and Jann stood side-by-side, across from Lexie.

Jann looked as if Lexie had hit him with another rock.

“I thought you were my friend!” Lexie shouted at him. She turned and ran to Penny. “You lied to me. My father isn’t dead! How could you lie to me?” She shoved past Penny and ran out the door.

“Ve thought she was upstairs,” Inga said, wringing her hands. “She heard us talking in the kitchen. I’m so sorry, Penny.”

Penny went outside and looked up and down the boardwalk both ways, but didn’t see any sign of her daughter. She shouted for Lexie and ran out into the street. “Run to that corner and see if you can find her, Jann! She couldn’t have gone far.”

He took off.

Penny picked up her long skirts and hurried after him.

Jann looked back and shook his head.

Lexie had disappeared.

8

Alex closed the cover of his Bible and stared out the window of his hotel room. He’d been reading the story of Jesus at the home of Simon, how the woman had bathed His feet in her tears and dried them with her hair. Jesus told Simon and the Pharisees He hadn’t come to heal the healthy, but the sick. Alex had spent the better part of the afternoon reading the Scripture over and over again.

He didn’t like tending the bar at Penny’s place. But he understood Penny’s strong feelings about it. She needed to support herself, needed to have the sense that being with him, loving him, wouldn’t leave her vulnerable again.

Jesus came to heal the sick, to find the lost. The people at The Copper Penny were lost.

Penny’s comments made him understand her fear of abandonment went deep, all the way back to her childhood and her mother. She’d been only a few years older than Lexie when she was left to fend for herself. He shuddered at the thought of Lexie in those circumstances.

He remembered how his daughter sat in church this morning, awed by the stained glass windows. She’d even solemnly folded her hands as if she knew she was in the presence of God.

If only he could get her mother to feel the same way.

A small idea grew. It wasn’t clear, but he thought there just might be a purpose to his bartending in Penny’s saloon. If he could keep his focus on the Lord, something good might come of it.

Footsteps pounded outside, and someone banged on his door.

Jann’s face was beet red and he was out of breath. “Lexie ran away,” he said before Alex could say a word. “I’ve looked in all of our hiding places. I looked everywhere, and I can’t find her. Aunt Penny sent me to see if you can help.”

A sick feeling gripped his stomach. Could someone have taken Lexie? Holloway…would Holloway be so cruel as to harm Lexie? Not even pausing to grab his heavy coat, he hurried out the door with Jann.

A small group stood just inside The Copper Penny. A man with crutches and a broken leg sat near the fire. Jann introduced him as Angus McDougal, the owner of the bar next door.

Another man with a sallow, sickly pallor held out his hand. “Tom Woten, a friend of Jewel’s.”

Alex went to Penny. He tried to hug her, but she was rigid. She wouldn’t allow that small comfort.

“She ran from me,” she said in a ragged tone that broke Alex’s heart. “She said I lied to her and ran out the door.”

The way Penny looked at him…did she blame him for Lexie’s actions?

Emotions swept through him. Anger for going along with this charade and frustration with Penny that she’d insisted on it. Those thoughts beat at him, but he forced them aside to focus. “When did this happen?”

“After church. Maybe two hours ago.”

“Why did you wait so long to send for me?”

Her stiff pose broke and she shook her head. “I don’t know. I thought we’d find her. How far could she go?” Her control broke and she grasped his arm. “Alex, it’s getting dark. She’ll freeze if she’s out there after nightfall. Grown men freeze in Bodie all the time.”

He grasped her arms and gave her a little shake. “We’ll find her.” He kept his voice low, calm. “We’ll find her.”

For one second, she leaned into him.

Alex allowed the comfort of his wife in his arms before he turned to the others in the room.

“Penny’s right. She can’t have gone far.” He looked at the two women. “I’m sorry, I don’t know your names.”

One dark-haired woman stepped up. “My name’s Louisa and this here is Ginny. We used to work with Jewel. Tom told us about the little one and we want to help.”

“Ladies, that’s perfect. You know the area. Do you think you can go to all the saloons on the street and look for her? Someone may have already found her, but doesn’t know who she is or where she belongs.”

They nodded and hurried out.

Tom Woten’s waxy, unhealthy complexion said a lot about his habits.

Alex hated to make assumptions, but there wasn’t time to be polite. “Would you go to Chinatown and spread the word?”

“Do I seem the type to know my way around there?”

Alex didn’t reply.

With a small laugh, Tom said, “Well, I am.”

“Thank you, for your help and for bringing your friends.” Alex held out his hand and Tom grasped it.

“I’m going with you, Tom.” Jewel pulled her shawl up over her head and slipped out the door Tom held open.

“Jann, I know you’ve been everywhere, but think hard. Is there any place you might have forgotten, or someplace new, someplace Lexie might have found and decided to stay?”

Jann’s eyebrows rose in excitement. “Mr. O’Hara’s stable, Uncle Alex. I took her there once and she loved the horses. I’ll go look!”

“Check all the stables, Jann. All of them!”

But the boy was already out the door.

He doubted very seriously Jann even realized what he’d called him. Uncle Alex. It had a nice ring to it. A slight smile brushed over his lips, until he turned and saw Penny. The expression on her face made his smile fade.

“Where should I go?”

“With me.” He reached for her arm. “We’re going to the sheriff.”

She halted. “We won’t find much help there,” she said, her tone flat. “He has a low opinion of women like me, and besides, he works for Holloway.”

Alex’s jaw tightened. “We’ll see about that.”

As he guided her to the door he called out, “Inga, have plenty of coffee ready. There’ll be lots of cold people passing through here!”

****

Alex propelled Penny down the sidewalk at such a rapid pace she was forced to grasp her skirts with both hands and run.

As they reached the corner, instead of heading towards the sheriff’s office, they turned right, up a residential street.

“I thought we were going to see the sheriff.” Penny was almost out of breath.

“First I’m going to call on my business associates. They’ll help, too!”

Penny looked at the large two-story house ahead. These were the homes of the wealthy, the bankers and businessmen who visited her establishment, but usually ignored her when they passed her on the street. She doubted they would be as helpful as Alex believed.

She didn’t know if her feet slowed down or Alex increased his grip on her arm. He practically dragged her down the walkway and up the steps to the entrance of a big brick mansion.

A maid in a black gown and white apron answered the door.

“Mr. Marsden to see Mr. Ardmore,” Alex said.

Before he could finish, Andrew Ardmore came out of the parlor to the right. “Alex!”

“I’m sorry to be abrupt, Andy, but I need your help. My daughter is missing.”

Andy’s smile faded.

His wife, Christine, walked up behind him and made a small sound of concern.

“She was…distressed to find out I was her father,” Alex continued. “She ran out the door and just disappeared. My wife’s been looking for almost two hours with no sign of her.”

Ardmore grabbed his coat on the hall tree by the door. “I’ll get my father-in-law to help. Where do you want us to search?”

“If you could look here among your neighbors, especially the stables. She loves horses.”

“If we find her, should we send word to The Copper Penny?”

Alex nodded and then both men paused as Christine tugged her pelisse off the rack.

“Where are you going?” Ardmore asked.

“A child is missing, Andrew,” her voice was stern. “Do you think I’m going to just sit here?” She stepped across the threshold and grasped Penny’s hand. “Don’t worry. We’ll find her.”

Kindness from this unexpected source was almost Penny’s undoing. She ducked her head and could only nod.

As they headed down the steps, Alex wisely said nothing.

They hurried back down the street to the sheriff’s office.

The heat from the small, potbellied stove in the corner hit them with the force of a hammer.

Warmth bathed Penny and made her tingly and numb. It was a full minute before she could gather her senses again.

It didn’t seem to affect Alex at all. He marched to Sheriff Andersen, who sat tilted back in his chair, his feet propped on his large desk. “Sheriff, a little girl has been missing for almost two hours. We need help to find her before nightfall.”

The sheriff obviously didn’t know who Alex was, but his gaze flicked to Penny. “Is it your daughter?”

Penny nodded.

The sheriff turned back to Alex, a look of disdain plain on his features. “I wouldn’t worry too much. Kids like her usually know their way around pretty good.”

Alex froze.

Penny could sense the anger coiling inside him.

In one quick move, Alex stepped around the desk and swiped the sheriff’s feet off the desk. The man’s chair tilted forward and Alex bent low, his face only inches from the elected official’s.

“Let’s hope you’re right.” Alex’s tone was as coiled as his anger. “Because that
kid
is my daughter. If anything happens to her, you’ll be sitting in your own jail!” He spun and strode to the door.

Not even pausing, he grasped Penny’s arm and slammed the heavy door behind them. He stepped off the boardwalk and headed up the hill.

“I told you—” Penny began.

“Men like him have no place in an official capacity. I’m going to do my best to see he doesn’t stay there.”

His words, short and broken off, ended anything else she had to say. She could still feel his anger in the fierce grip of his arm and the pace she could barely follow. In his current state he was a force to be reckoned with.

Penny had never seen him like this, determined, hard-edged, close to violence. The Alex she knew was affable and always the peacemaker.

She tripped and almost fell.

Alex caught her and held her with his bad arm. His use was limited but his grip was strong. Was it the war that changed him so much, or the loss of his arm?

She dared not ask him, especially now, as he placed her on her feet and marched her up the hill again.

But there was one thing she couldn’t ignore. “Alex, your hands are like ice. We’re moving away from the hotel. Don’t you think we should take a moment to get you a coat?”

He started to shake his head, and then froze. A tight sigh slipped out and he nodded. In an abrupt, frustrated movement, he changed directions and walked back down the hill.

Penny grabbed her skirts tighter and followed.

As they entered the hotel lobby, the clerk behind the counter straightened in anticipation.

Penny took two more steps, and then stopped.

When Alex turned his steely gaze on her, she almost cringed. With one quick glance towards the clerk, she whispered, “It wouldn’t be proper for me to go upstairs.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. By tomorrow morning, everyone in town is going to know you’re my wife.”

When she refused to budge, he faced the clerk. “Thomas, would you do me the courtesy of totaling my bill? I’ll be moving in with my wife tonight.”

The clerk’s lips parted in surprise.

Penny caught her breath. She stumbled up the stairs behind him as her surprise turned to anger. She was just about to tell him what she thought when he stopped. The door to his room was ajar.

“I must not have closed it when I left.” Alex pushed it open and stepped inside.

Lexie was curled up in the middle of the bed.

Penny cried out.

****

Alex lunged across the room, immensely gratified when Lexie opened her eyes, stood on the bed, and leapt into his arms.

“How did you get here?” he asked.

She stood on the bed and straightened her little body very tall. “I know how to get here. I walked.”

“But how did you find my room? Did you talk to the clerk downstairs?”

Her proud demeanor wilted and she ducked her head. “I hid behind the big tree, you know, the one in the pot? And then when Jann ran in, I sneaked up the stairs behind him. I wanted to talk to you, but you left with Jann. Your door was open so I just came in and waited.”