Dashing Druid (Texas Druids) (16 page)

Darting a quick glance at him, she fiddled with her reins. “I’ve gotta get a hotel room, and one for Pa for when he gets back from the Circle H. You know the Transcontinental? That’s where I’ll be.”

“I’ll find it. Might I call for ye around six?”

She nodded. “Fine. I’ll meet you in the lobby.” Not looking at him again, she wheeled her horse and set off down the street.

Tye watched her ride away, then glanced up at the clouds moving in from the northwest. Maybe it would rain and settle the infernal dust.

* * *

Thunder boomed overhead as Lil nervously touched the bow at the back of her head to make sure it was still in place. Ill at ease in her new gown and unmentionables, for which she’d been forced to make another trip to the store, she smiled stiffly across the table at Tye. They were seated near the back of the busy eatery.

“The storm’s finally hit,” he commented, digging into his food.

“Sounds like,” was all she could think to say.

He
was the real reason for her uneasiness. The handsome devil had flustered her with compliments when he called for her at the hotel. Now he was driving her to distraction with his scorching looks and the darn black shirt he wore. Snug across chest and shoulders, the garment made her long to touch the hard, male flesh it covered. Dropping her gaze, she admitted Tye’s threat to buy the blue dress wasn’t the reason she’d accepted his invitation. She simply couldn’t resist the man, no matter how many vows she swore to herself and her father.

Her father! God, what if he were to walk in right now? She should have gritted her teeth and stayed out at the Circle H until he was ready to leave. Then she wouldn’t be in this situation. But she just couldn’t stomach Frank Howard a minute longer. Thank goodness Pa had let her go without demanding to know the details of her
argument
with that lowdown yahoo. She hadn’t wanted to tell the whole truth and maybe stir up trouble between her father and Judd Howard.

“Is the steak not to your liking, colleen?”

Lil met Tye’s watchful gaze, then glanced down at her plate. She’d only been picking at her food, she realized.

“I . . . I guess I’m just not very hungry.” She laid her fork down and threw a look at the door. “I shouldn’t have let you bring me here. This is Pa’s favorite place to eat in Fort Worth. If he gets back from the Howards’ and comes in here, I don’t know what he’ll do.”

Leaning across the table, Tye squeezed her hand. “D’ye think I’d let him hurt ye? By the saints, I wouldn’t.”

More nervous than ever at his touch, she was nevertheless struck by his solemn pledge. “H-he wouldn’t hurt
me
, I don’t think. But he might put a bullet in you.”

Tye sat back, stroking the top of her hand with his thumb, and flashed a broad smile. “I’m glad to know you’re worried about me, Lily, but as I’ve said before, I’ll take the risk for the pleasure of your company.”

Exasperated with his casual attitude, Lil jerked her hand away. “You durn fool Irishman! You don’t even have sense enough to be scared. And I ain’t worried about you. I just don’t want Pa to get in trouble.” Her voice had risen, but another peel of thunder nearly drowned it out. Within seconds rain began to pound on the roof.

An angry crease formed above the bridge of Tye’s nose. “I’ll thank ye to stop applying nasty terms to the word
Irishman
every time ye get your dander up. I’ve swallowed enough such insults without hearing them from you. Why does my being Irish annoy ye so, anyway?”

A lifetime of learned hatred welled up inside Lil. Narrowing her eyes, she planted her hands on the table, leaned forward and gritted above the storm’s din, “Because my mother was raped and taken captive by a no-good, heartless dog of an Irishman when she was no more than a child.”

“Jaysus!” Tye stared at her in shock. “I’m sorry, colleen, I had no idea. How did it happen?” he asked, then quickly shook his head. “Nay, I’ve no business asking.”

Lil’s fury slowly drained away. She sagged back in her chair and began to pleat the linen napkin in her lap. “It doesn’t matter if you know. Only don’t ever let on to Pa that I told you.”

Staring at the napkin, she quietly explained, “The Irishman captured Ma during a raid on her village up in Indian Territory. She and her mother returned there after my grandfather died. He was a French fur trapper. Ma was just a little thing when he tangled with a grizzly and ended up dead.

“She was twelve when the Irishman took her. He and his drunken bunch left my grandmother and most of her kin dead. After that the bastard treated Ma like a slave, beat her and . . . used her. When he got himself killed in a knife fight a year or so later, she was only sorry it wasn’t her that slit his gullet, she once told me.”

Lil shrugged. “He left her with my brother to raise, but she loved Toby something fierce. Always said she was glad the Irishman didn’t have a chance to turn him bad. Then she met my pa, and he loved Toby like he was his own son. Never treated him any different than me.”

Thinking she’d said too much, Lil chanced a look at Tye and found him watching her with a troubled frown on his face.

“No wonder your mother looked at me as if I were Satan himself. Not only am I Jessie’s brother and a northerner, but I’m Irish. And she hates anyone of Irish blood, am I right? So do you, I suppose.”

She gazed into his searching eyes and gave him an honest reply. “I used to think I did.”

“And now ye don’t?” he asked guardedly.

“Oh, I still hate the man who did that to Ma.” A smile forced its way to her lips. “But I’ve sort of decided you can’t blame every polecat in the woods if one goes rabid.”

Laughter exploded from deep in Tye’s chest, shaking his shoulders. “This polecat is pleased to hear that,” he gasped between waves of mirth.

Lil laughed with him, ignoring the stares they received. Her mood lightened and she found she had an appetite after all.

While they finished their meal, the thunderstorm reached a towering crescendo. Voice raised above the furor, Tye recounted some of his mining adventures, and Lil forgot to worry about her father possibly catching them together. Only once did their conversation turn serious again – when she asked Tye why he’d left Colorado.

He suddenly grew dead sober. Staring at his clenched fist, lying dark against the white tablecloth, he replied in a heavy tone, “I had a friend, Tom Pearce. We worked the mines together in Utah, and later in Colorado. He was killed in a cave-in a year ago. After that, I . . . needed a change.”

Lil’s throat tightened. She instinctively reached out to cover his tense fist. “I’m sorry,” she murmured.

He caught her hand and squeezed it, and for a second she glimpsed heart-wrenching pain in his eyes. Then he locked it away. Once more, he was the smiling, rakish charmer. Wanting to see more of the man behind the mask, Lil knew a moment’s regret before he distracted her. Raising her fingers to his lips, he kissed them and rubbed his thumb over the damp spot he’d created, and her whole body tingled from his touch.

“No more gloomy talk. I didn’t ask ye to dinner for that. Let me see ye smile again, colleen. For sure’n the sight would brighten the sun itself.”

Lil blushed. “I think I just heard some Irish blarney,” she retorted. Then she gave him the smile he’d requested.

He laughed softly. “There’s no blarney in the truth, love.”

* * *

Night had fallen by the time they walked out of the restaurant. The downpour had stopped, but as they paused on the boardwalk, light from the window beside them revealed a street running with mud. Knowing she had to cross that river of gumbo to reach her hotel, Lil grimaced in disgust.

“So much for dresses,” she said, starting to hike up her skirts.

Tye chuckled. Then he moved close, bent and curved an arm behind her knees. She gave a startled yelp as he swung her up in his arms.

“What are you doing? Put me down.” Pushing at his chest, she caught a flash of teeth in the darkness as she tried to twist free.

“I wouldn’t wiggle about like that, colleen, unless ye wish us both to end up sitting in the mud.” With that, he stepped off the boardwalk.

Lil gasped and clutched his neck. Hearing mud squish under his boots, she feared he’d slip. Even if he didn’t, he’d probably drop her. After all, she was no dainty little miss. Yet, as he slogged his way across the street, she began to feel like she was, for his arms never so much as quivered beneath her weight.

He stood her safely on the opposite boardwalk, hands lingering at her waist for a moment while her own hands rested on his broad shoulders. She was sorry when he stepped back and turned her toward the hotel.

“Come on, I’d better get ye back before it starts pouring again,” he said, cupping her elbow. His voice sounded unnaturally gruff.

They were passing a saloon when the doors swung open and two men burst out directly in their path. Laughing and swaying, they stopped to eye Lil and Tye. One of them was Frank Howard.

Lil inhaled sharply and felt Tye’s hand tighten, pulling her to a halt.

Frank’s expression turned ugly. “Well, well, if it ain’t Miss Uppity and her carpetbaggin’ Irishman. So
he’s
the reason you was in such a hurry to get back to town,” he sneered. “S’pose yuh told him about this mornin’ and how you’re too good for me. Bet you’ve been whorin’ with him, though.”

Lil gasped at his filthy accusation. Before she could haul off and hit him, Tye growled, stepped forward and slugged Frank on the chin, felling him like a tree. He struck the boardwalk hard and sprawled there for a moment, clearly stunned. Then he sat up, shook his head and scraped long hair away from his face. Glaring at Tye, he snarled and sprang to his feet. He would have hurled himself at Tye if his companion hadn’t grabbed his arm.

“No, Frank,” the man said. “Remember what your pa said he’d do if you get in any more scrapes here in town. He’ll let that fool marshal lock you up and throw away the key.”

“Get your hands off me!” Frank roared, trying to break free. “I ain’t gonna let this bastard get away with sucker punchin’ me.”

Tye laughed and made a come hither motion with his hands. “Come on, Howard. I’ve got some more for ye,” he taunted.

Spewing curses, Frank tried again to shake off his friend, but the man hung on doggedly. “Dang it, Frank, yuh wanta spend the summer in jail? You’ll miss all the fun up in Wichita.”

Frank still looked like he wanted to tear Tye apart, but he quit trying to lunge at him. “All right, dammit, turn loose!”

The cowboy complied, nudging him toward the hitching rail and their horses. “Let’s go. We gotta get up early and move those cattle.”

Knocking the man’s hand aside, Frank snatched up his hat and clapped it back on. “I’m hitting the trail north with my pa’s herd real soon, Paddy-boy. Sooner or later I’ll catch up with you,” he threatened, following his friend into the sloppy street.

“Sure now, and I’ll be looking forward to it,” Tye retorted.

Afraid this could still end in gunplay, Lil latched onto his rigid right arm. “Come on, I want to get back.”

“Yeah, jump to her tune, Irishman,” Frank jeered as he mounted up.

Tye made a move toward him, but Lil stepped in front of him. “No more trouble,” she whispered in desperation, hands splayed across his chest. “If my father finds out, he’ll make you leave the drive.”

His sudden, piercing look made her realize what she’d just admitted. She didn’t want him to leave; now he knew that. Her face grew warm. Seeing a satisfied smile spread across his lips, she shyly lowered her eyes. At least she’d made him forget Frank Howard, she thought as Tye tucked her hand in the crook of his elbow and led her onward to the Transcontinental.

The lobby smelled strongly of cigars. Cattlemen and cattle buyers stood around talking business. Quite a few herds were bought and sold here in Fort Worth, before ever reaching their final destinations.

Among the crowd, Lil spotted E. M. Butler of the Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railroad. She’d met him yesterday when he tried to talk her father into taking the herd northeast to Denison, where the “Katy” had its terminus, just south of Indian Territory. Pa had listened, but he’d said no. It cost too much to ship the cattle north. It was cheaper to trail them up to the cattle towns along the Kansas Pacific or the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe routes.

Lil faced Tye awkwardly. “Thanks for dinner. I’ll, um, see you –”

“What did Howard mean about this morning?” he interrupted. “Ye told me ye had a set-to with him but it sounds as though there was more to it.”