A shoat squealed in fright and Kase cursed aloud as he tripped over it in the pitch darkness. One of Decatur Davis’s hounds howled out a brief warning, but there was no sign of movement inside the ramshackle cabin behind the restaurant.
When he finally reached the back door to Rose’s place, Kase did not hesitate long enough to knock. He tried the knob, and the door slowly swung open. He stepped on the crooked wooden stoop and then into the dark kitchen. Unerringly, he crossed to the stove and felt along the wall until he touched the match holder hanging nearby. The flame flared and the acrid smell of sulfur singed the air. He held the match aloft long enough to swing his gaze about the room. Fresh loaves of bread lined the worktable. Her familiar white apron and other articles of clothing hung neatly on the nails above the cot. Rose’s trunk still stood in the far corner of the tidy room. Kase felt the knot around his heart ease as he took in the visible signs that she had not left town.
The match burned down and singed his fingertips, but he barely felt the pain as an overwhelming sense of relief flooded through him. Shrouded in darkness, surrounded by the pleasant, homey scent of fresh bread and vanilla, he inhaled deeply and realized that had he relied on his sense of smell alone, he would have known immediately that Rose was still in Busted Heel. When his stomach growled, he made his way through the darkness to the worktable and picked up a loaf of bread. He tore the crusty heel off one end and took a bite.
With the bread in one hand, he pulled up his coat collar and stepped back out into the windy night. Rather than traipse around in the dark behind the buildings, he walked back to the boardwalk and headed next door to Paddie’s. From the sound of it, every single man within riding distance was celebrating inside. If Zach Elliot was doing his duty, he would be there, too. And he had damned well better know where Rose was, Kase thought.
The raucous singing had calmed to boisterous catcalls and whistles, the off-key piano notes still drifted above the noise. He stepped inside the swinging doors and let his gaze move over the revelers. The chocolate cake crumbs on empty plates scattered about the tables instantly reminded him that it was Flossie’s birthday. She had hinted of the event often enough before he left town.
In the far corner near the piano, Satin stood on a table surrounded by hooting cowhands. Slowly, surely, inch by deliberate inch, she raised the flounced hem of her gown until it revealed her plump, dimpled knee. Cheers shook the rafters as shouts of encouragement filled the air. Flossie and Zach sat at a nearby table, engaged in deep conversation. Kase knew he would have to warn the usually wary Zach against sitting with his back to the door of the saloon while he was acting lawman.
Mira had not noticed his entrance yet, nor had Chicago Sue. He was thankful that both had their hands full of amorous men contending for favors. Paddie, as usual, was cleaning up the place; he hurried about collecting empty plates and glasses.
Out of habit, Kase swung his gaze to the bar and was suddenly arrested by the sight of Rose standing motionless, poised with a dish towel and a glass in her hands. She was staring at him.
As he crossed the room, his eyes never once left her face. No one as yet had noticed his entrance, but in his mind, the cacophony in the room seemed to have decreased to a distant roar. He stopped, unable to get any closer because of the bar that separated them, but continued to hold her gaze with his.
His voice was low, yet the words reached her easily. “I didn’t know where you were.”
“I am here. For the surprise.” She continued to stare up at him, her strange golden-brown eyes aglow with unusual brightness. “I did not know where
you
were.”
“You might say I was lost,” he said. When he saw her look of concern, he amended his statement. “Not really. At least, not anymore.”
Rosa silently regretted the polished width of mahogany that separated them. She had an overwhelming urge to reach out and touch Kase Storm, just to be certain that she was not dreaming. She glanced over at Paddie and found him suddenly preoccupied with lining up the already perfectly straight whiskey bottles along the back shelf. When she caught him staring in the mirror over the bar, he quickly looked away.
She set down the glass and dish towel. Her fingers trembling, Rosa untied the towel she had wrapped about her waist and unconsciously folded the white cotton material before she laid it on the bar. The shouts and cheers died down after Satin finally displayed not only her knees but also ample thighs adorned with scarlet garters. Slick Knox toned down the keyboard melody until the slow, lilting strains of a waltz filled the air. The group around Satin disbanded, and as a few of the men began to shuffle toward the bar, Kase reached across it to take Rosa’s hand.
Astounded by the happiness she experienced at just the sight of him, but powerless to speak, Rosa merely stared. She had been aware of his presence since the moment he pushed through the doors and walked into the crowded room. It had taken her a moment to be sure, but when Kase stood and took in the crowd, Rosa was certain it was him. She drank in the sight of him; he was taller, more vibrant, and definitely more powerful than any other man in the room.
Seeing him again moved her in ways she’d never expected. Elation, curiosity, and most surprising, a longing warmth suffused her, swept through her, and left her nearly breathless at the sight of him. As she stared up at Kase she realized that, for the first time, there was not even a hint of hostility in his eyes.
“May I have this dance?” he asked.
She looked around and noticed that no one else was dancing. She looked back at Kase; he was waiting patiently for her answer. Her mouth gone suddenly dry, she licked her lips and placed her fingertips against his palm. He held her hand high as they walked the length of the bar, he on one side, she on the other, until they reached the end and Rosa stepped into his arms.
The brisk chill carried on the night wind still claimed his dark skin. She felt the winter’s cold on his fingertips and knew his cheeks would feel the same. He was still bundled inside a heavy coat he had buttoned to the neck. His collar stood high, drawn up for protection against the wind. As they moved through the first tentative steps together, she reached up to fold back his coat collar and let her fingers brush his cheek. As she had expected, his skin was smooth and cool to the touch. Still shadowed by his hat, his deep blue eyes were dark, but not fathomless. They seemed to mirror everything she was feeling.
Rosa felt her heart take wing and soar.
Go slowly, go softly, she warned herself, unavoidably thinking of all that had transpired the last time they had danced together. She could feel his open palm where it rested against the small of her back, felt the pressure of it increase until he held her so close the bodice of her jacket pressed against his coat.
Mesmerized, she could not take her eyes from his face and so she indulged herself with the sight of him. She took her lead from his actions, and when his gaze dropped to her lips, she concentrated on his. She was rewarded by the appearance of the slow, endearing half-smile she had come to know. As they moved through the steps of the waltz, totally unaware of the others around them, they became the focus of the attention of everyone in the room.
A cowboy near the bar broke the spell when, in a voice loud enough for everyone to hear, he asked, “Hey, Marshal, how come you get to dance with Miss Rosa and we don’t?”
Simultaneously, Satin called his name as Chicago Sue squealed “Kase is home!” from her perch on a cowhand’s knee. She quickly disengaged herself and flew across the room to his side as Satin hurried away from her own bevy of admirers,
Flossie, having downed one drink too many, slapped her palms on the top of the table and levered herself to a standing position. Surprised by Kase’s sudden appearance, Zach stood and then stepped aside to allow Flossie to pass by—not out of any gentlemanly habit but out of fear that she might mow him down in her haste to reach Kase.
Rosa stepped aside as the three women surrounded him much like a mother hen and her brood, all clucking and chirping.
“What’re you doin’ all bundled up, boy?” Flossie asked, weaving precariously. “Didn’t pay you any mind when you walked in. Thought you were just another cowboy come to m’ party!”
Reluctantly, Kase glanced over their heads at Rosa and shrugged. When she watched him greet an overexuberant Chicago Sue with a quick kiss, she controlled a wave of jealousy by reminding herself of Flossie’s words:
He hasn’t been with any of my girls since you showed up.
When Mira slowly, provocatively made her way toward Kase with a smooth, calculated smile on her lips, Rosa could not bear to watch. Instead, she rejoined Paddie behind the bar. Her glorious reunion with Kase was over. The women led Kase back to Flossie’s table where he took a seat facing her. Rosa kept her trembling hands occupied as she dried a few more glasses and lined them up on a shelf behind the bar. When she allowed herself a glance in his direction, Kase caught her eye across the room. With a nod, he indicated that she should join him. Before she left the bar, she cut a large portion of cake and asked Paddie for two more glasses of wine.
Rosa worked her way through the crowded room until she stood behind Kase, then leaned over his shoulder and placed the cake and a glass of wine before him. She stepped back and stood on the fringe of the circle that surrounded him.
Kase reached back around and grabbed her wrist. “Sit by me.” His tone was sure without being commanding.
Zach stood, intending to give up his chair. Rosa motioned him down. “I will stay here,” she said, content to stand behind Kase’s right shoulder, near enough to reach out and touch him if she wished, far enough away to maintain some vestige of composure. From her vantage point Rosa could watch the expression of everyone assembled about the table. Flossie sat listening to Kase with a glazed but happy look in her eyes. Chicago Sue was once again giggling with her cowboy while Satin sat perched on the edge of her chair as if she was ready to jump in Kase’s lap at any given moment. Kase ignored Satin as he asked Zach and Flossie for news. A feeling of unease settled over Rosa. She looked over at Mira and found the brunette glaring openly in her direction.
Rosa squared her shoulders and held her ground. Let the woman glare. It was she, Rosa, whom Kase had asked to join him.
“Anything happen I should know about?” Kase asked Zach.
“Nothin’, just the usual, except for one thing—”
Quickly Rosa caught Zach’s eye and shook her head. She did not want Kase to know about the men who had been rude to her in the restaurant; the incident had passed without mishap. She did not wish to call attention to the confrontation again. It would only give Kase an excuse to say “I told you so.”
“Nothin’ that I need to tell you about tonight.”
Thankful for his silence, Rosa smiled down at Zach.
“Kase, you’re back!” The interruption came from Felicity this time, her male companion all but forgotten when she reentered the saloon and spied Kase. If anything had transpired in her room at the bordello, the effects of the exchange were not evident, for not even a lock of her intricate hairstyle was out of place. High color spotted the girl’s usually ivory skin and she appeared unruffled as she brushed past Rosa to give Kase a welcoming hug and a kiss on the cheek.
Glancing across the room, Rosa caught her own reflection in the mirror behind the bar. She had done nothing boisterous to warrant it, but her hair, coiled in a loose bun atop her head, had slipped off center. As she looked at Mira again, she felt like a farm girl playing at sophistication while the other girls were as bright and shining as a handful of new coins. Surreptitiously she studied each girl in turn: Mira, with her riotous head of curling brunette hair and snapping green eyes; Felicity, a woman of contrast with her ivory skin and short, waving blue-black tresses; Satin, who might have been a ruddy-cheeked peasant with her round cheeks and equally round blue eyes; and finally, Chicago Sue, still so young with her frizzy mane of white-blond hair and well-rouged cheeks.
None of them wore their hair as long as she did; Rosa had never cut hers in her life. Perhaps, she thought, she should see about trimming it, at least to her shoulders. After all, she was not a farm girl anymore. Beside the others, Rosa felt like a
lavandaia,
a washerwoman, a drudge. The fact that Kase had singled her out first when he walked into the saloon, that he had asked her to stay by his side, did little to erase the knowledge that he had known most, if not all, of the other women intimately. He had put his hands on them, perhaps even made them moan with delight the way he had her.
Jealousy claimed her again. She lifted her glass and drank half of the ruby wine. Despite Quentin’s warnings, it seemed Flossie’s girls had no reservations about Kase’s mixed blood. Mira’s fiery glances made her desires all too clear. Rosa knew that if she wanted to experience Kase Storm’s affectionate embrace, the heated kisses he so expertly gave her the night ofthe barbecue, she would have to make her wishes known. She finished the wine and poured herself another glass.
Slick began to play again, softly this time, and Kase dismissed all their questions regarding his absence with a smile and a brief “I went hunting.” Slowly the group disbanded and the girls began moving among the men, encouraging them to buy more of Paddie’s liquor, singling out those they would entertain personally. When Satin gave up her chair beside Kase, Rosa slid into it. He turned to her with his slight smile and reached for her hand beneath the table. A warm current of excitement moved through her and she dropped her gaze.
“Did you find what you were huntin’ for?” Zach leaned close, a knowing look in his eyes.
Kase smiled. “I think so.”
“I’d say that’s cause for another drink.”
Paddie, who was at Zach’s elbow, acknowledged the deputy’s words and brought back more whiskey along with a bottle of wine. He filled their glasses and left the bottle.