The Badger City Gang [Bride Train 7] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (25 page)

“I’m sure Mr. Hames will cooperate,” said Orville.

It took a few minutes until Barstow was satisfied yet they could talk without him hearing. Hames insisted they turn their backs in case the sheriff read lips.

“Tell Emslow she’d better make sure my breakfast is hot,” said Orville. He spoke just loud enough for Barstow to hear if he had ears like a bat. But the man rested in his chair, feet on the desk and hands clasped over his belt. He watched them with lazy eyes, but didn’t react.

“Who’ll be running your businesses while you’re—shall we say—away?”

“Don’t beat around the bush,” replied Orville. “You’re already gloating, sure that I’ll be dead and you can get your fingers into some new pies.”

“I’m a businessman,” replied Hames, huffing as if insulted. “Of course I want to extend my holdings. Smythe has a half interest in Emslow’s boardinghouse. I want your half.”

“Why?”

“It’s my home in Tanner’s Ford. I want to be comfortable,” replied Hames blandly.

On an evening with too much brandy, Orville had let Hames in on his method of keeping Rufina Emslow in line. She was terrified of rape. She was tainted so he’d never touch her, but she didn’t know that. Hames, however, wouldn’t hesitate if he wanted her. Orville smiled to himself, deciding to give her to Hames. It would make up for all those times she served him poorly cooked meals.

The boardinghouse wasn’t just a place to sleep, it was central to his network of spies. As a newspaperman, Hames wanted that more than anything. His spies only respected gold and power. You either paid them better than anyone else or made sure they knew not to cross you. He’d done both, but wasn’t sure Hames was up to it.

“It’s yours,” he said. “Everything set for tomorrow?”

Hames nodded. “Any words you want passed on to the good citizens?” He opened his notebook and pulled his pencil out of his hatband.

This was Orville’s chance for payback. “I’ve got a few secrets to tell about the good citizens of Tanner’s Ford.”

“Any of them true?”

The harmlessly eager look Hames showed the world hardened into something close to what Orville saw in his own mirror. The newspaperman licked his pencil, poised to write. Orville looked down his nose at the shorter man.

“Does it matter?”

“How are you this morning, my dear? Ready for breakfast?”

Lily’s bright laughter, following Kate’s groan, careened around her head. They’d had a long conversation, and a few more glasses of cordial, after they came home from Rosa’s. The stories Lily told about the other women made Kate eager to meet them. Lily said she’d take Kate to visit Jessie and the new baby first. She might meet Amelia MacDougal and Beth Elliott there as well.

Kate groaned. That would have to be later. Much later. Her mouth and tongue felt like she’d been eating sand. Her head pounded. She opened her eyes. She immediately slammed them shut against the bright sunlight that seemed to shatter her brain. The thought of food made her stomach roil.

“Um, perhaps I could manage a cup of black tea.”

“I see you’ve not had spirits before. Stomach upset? Head aching?”

Kate nodded, then wished she hadn’t. “I’m never going to drink again,” she moaned.

“That’s what they all say,” said Lily with a bright laugh. “Your carpetbag is on the chair in the corner. Shall I see you downstairs soon?”

“Thank you.”

She had to get up. She was a guest, and there was work to be done. A few minutes after Lily gently closed the door behind her Kate managed to open her eyes and stand. A full-length mirror proved she looked as bad as she felt. Her nightgown was rumpled from tossing and turning. Since she only had the one, it also had stains from the dirt at Rivers’s ranch. She’d neglected to braid her hair before bed, which meant it was wild and unruly.

It took twenty minutes, and Kate had to hold tight to the banister as she went down the stairs, but the cool water in the ewer had done wonders. Tea and dry toast would settle her stomach, and her headache would eventually go away. She couldn’t complain. Not only would it do no good, she deserved the result of her actions.

“Rusty McInnes came by while you were getting your beauty rest,” said Lily when Kate found her way to the large kitchen. “If I was thirty years younger and single, I might set my cap for the man. Tell me, Kate, is he as talented as he suggested with that wink and wicked grin?”

Kate flushed. Lily laughed, not needing words to answer her question.

The woman looked perfect, as if she was ready to be presented to the President. Every hair was in place and not a wrinkle marred her royal blue silk dress. Froths of silver lace fluttered at her throat and wrists. Kate, in her serviceable flowered cotton, felt like a servant. Lily gestured for Kate to sit.

“Rusty said a Pinkerton agent is taking Orville Rivers to Helena to face trial. They’re leaving on the afternoon stagecoach.”

“Good,” replied Kate. “That means I can go back home.”

Lily set the silver teapot on a matching silver stand to protect the table from heat. It reminded Kate of Mama’s Hester Bateman tea service. They’d secretly delighted in knowing a woman silversmith had created the set.

“You think of the Running W as home?”

The words had come out of Kate’s mouth without thought. She took the time to ponder the question as Lily poured tea into dainty cups. One day Kate might have something other than a tin cup to drink from. It would be lovely, but not necessary. She would choose a small, rustic cabin and three large men over money, jewels, and the finest home in the East. However, she didn’t want to let that out yet. Not until she knew what Zach, Rusty, and Gideon thought about her.

She was attracted to them from the start, but the last few weeks had shown her their character. They’d cared for her, helped neighbors with a small baby, and put their lives at risk to bring justice. But most important was their pride in her accomplishments. Not womanly pursuits, which she did as part of daily life, but the things which proved they respected her ability to keep calm in danger, and to get the job done. Even if it was a man’s job.

“I have nowhere else to live until I find my father,” said Kate. She lifted the saucer to draw it closer. The teacup rattled. She’d told Lily about her search once she learned the woman had arrived in the West years ago. She’d been in Tanner’s Ford for ten years and knew far more than she let on.

“What will you do when you find him? Have him walk you down the aisle as you become Mrs. McInnes?”

A good question. What would she do?

“I’m beginning to think finding my father is like looking for a tiny needle in a very large haystack,” said Kate. She stirred her tea, watching the silver spoon go in circles. “Walt swears he’s never met anyone named Wilbur, and I have no physical description. I’m exactly like my mother, except for my eyes. She said those came from her father.” Instead of slumping in defeat, she kept her back rigid. Too many years of painful lessons in deportment forced a lifelong habit.

“You care for Zach and his partners.”

It was a statement, not a question. Kate looked around the room, unwilling to meet Lily’s eyes. The breakfast room outshined Mama’s, but that wasn’t difficult. Father had refused to spend money on frivolities such as pretty cups for his wife to enjoy. Good quality brandy and crystal glasses were far more important to impress potential business partners. Kate lifted her cup and inhaled the wonderful aroma, so different from the bitter tea leaves Father allowed. After all, he preferred coffee and no one else mattered. She took a sip and sighed in delight at the flavor. Zach said he’d buy some decent tea for her now that it was known she lived with them. It would have caused comment otherwise, as only English men drank tea.

“Oh, my, this is good.”

“It should be. It’s my own blend, and I pay a fortune for it. It pleases me that you enjoy it so.”

Kate’s stomach felt much better when the cup was empty. Lily filled it again and pushed it toward her.

“You’re avoiding my question.” The older woman’s eyes sparkled almost as much as the diamond rings on her fingers. “But before you answer, let me say that I’ve seen, and done, far more in my life than you could imagine. Nothing you can say will shock or upset me, and I can keep secrets as well as a judge.” She trilled a laugh. “I should know, since I married one.”

Though Zach tried to keep her to himself, she’d watched the many good men in the posse as they rode to town. They were tall and handsome, even Luke Frost with his scar. Cordial, polite, thoughtful…she could go on and on. But none made her heart race like the three McInnes men.

“Yes,” said Kate finally. “I care for them.”

“Enough to share your bed with them?”

A pang of need struck between her legs. Though it was only yesterday since she’d been held by one of them, it felt like ages. Kate nodded.

“For the rest of your life?”

Luckily the thump of heavy feet preceded banging on the kitchen door, so Kate didn’t have to answer that question. She didn’t think she could.

“Lily? It’s Walt. Open up!”

Lily serenely rose to her feet, walked over, and opened the door. Walt rushed in, his hat in hand and hair flying every which way. He stopped his headlong rush when he saw her.

“Katie? Thank God you’re safe!” He pulled out a chair and sank onto it. He pressed his hand over his heaving chest. “I ran so hard I thought my heart would jump out of my chest.”

Lily filled a mug half full of tea. She paused, meeting Walt’s glare with a sigh. She opened a cupboard and took out a clear bottle filled with a tea-colored liquid. While he watched intently, she filled his mug. He gulped half of it down, set it on the table, and sighed.

“Don’t you ever do anything so durn stupid again!” he said, shaking his finger at Kate. His bushy white eyebrows moved like ghostly caterpillars as he frowned. “You musta taken a good dozen years off my life.”

Lily looked from Walt, to Kate. One plucked eyebrow raised a fraction of an inch.

“Durn womenfolks, thinkin’ they kin do jest like a man,” he muttered. “Give a body apoplexy.” He swigged down the rest of his “tea.”

“Surely you’re not upset at Miss Mason? Because of her braveness, Rivers did not escape.”

Walt snorted a laugh. He ran his hand over his balding head and smoothed down most of his hair. “Got any bickies to go with my tea?”

“Rosa doesn’t live here anymore,” replied Lily drily. “And Grace spent the night at Doc’s, with Molly.”

“Didn’t she leave nothing for an old man with a sweet tooth?” He grumbled the words, hunching over as if to prove his age and need for sustenance.

“Walt Chamberlain, you old fraud.” Lily laughed. “Kate, could you please bring that tin over?” She pointed to a metal box on the counter. “It’s got some of Rosa’s lemon squares in it.”

“Lemon’s good for hangovers,” said Walt. He eagerly watched Kate retrieve the tin. Lily opened it and offered it to Kate first.

“Take a few. If Ross stops by as well, there’ll be nothing left. They’re his favorite.”

The sweet lemon scent made Kate realize she was hungry so, with Lily’s encouragement, she took three. Walt took his time choosing.

“Doesn’t Mrs. Johnston bake?”

A blush appeared under the age spots that speckled Walt’s cheeks and forehead. Kate couldn’t see much else of his face thanks to the beard.

“Says she needs to hire someone,” he mumbled. “You figger Grace might be interested?”

“Grace wants to be useful,” replied Lily. “Once Rivers is out of the way, I expect she will want a long-term position where she can settle. I doubt she’ll be interested in a husband, though she’s fond of children. She and Billy O’Keefe get along well. He does chores for Emma Johnston as well as myself and Sophie.”

“Everyone thought that about Rosa, but now she’s Doc’s wife.”

“They’re both extraordinary people,” replied Lily. “You don’t think you can help Kate find her father?”

“Didn’t say that.” Walt mumbled the words around a lemon square. “Said I’d never met the man.” He dropped his head to pick crumbs off his beard. “You still wanna find him, Katie, or are ye wantin’ to git hitched, instead?”

“Why can’t I have both, a husband and a father?” asked Kate.

“What if yer father’s one a these puffed-up city types?” Walt narrowed his eyes at her. “He mightn’t want his little girl marryin’ a drifter. Them McInnes boys came west fer gold a ways back, then they high-tailed it down to Texas to take the heat off. Now they’s back agin. No tellin’ if’n they’ll hang around.”

“They’re not drifters,” said Kate briskly. “They want to make Tanner’s Ford their home. Just because their parents hauled them along, doesn’t mean they wanted to go.” Walt’s attack felt personal, so she responded in kind. “And if you think they’re so bad, why did you agree to partner with them?”

Walt bit into another square. This time he took his time chewing before answering. He made it obvious he was making her wait.

“They got cattle and brung ’em to me. I ain’t got the strength of a young buck no more.”

“That’s not what your Emma says,” murmured Lily.

Walt flushed. “Keep your nose outa my bizness, woman!”

“Why should I, when you’re shoving yours into Kate’s?”

“Huh,” grunted Walt. He pouted for a few minutes while they waited for him to reply. “Yer sure ye wanna stay with them McInnes boys?”

He looked her right in the face for the first time. She realized a keen intelligence hid behind his light-brown eyes, and that much of him was an act. This man was no muddled old prospector. He cared for her, perhaps because he had no family.

“Yes.”

“Think you can care for ’em all, the way a wife should?”

Heat flashed up her chest and over her face. Her ears burned. “I care for them deeply.”

“You love ’em? Would ye leave the ranch to be with ’em? Even leave yer new wimmen friends?”

Though she claimed to be adventurous, she realized she wouldn’t have let them touch her unless she loved them. And, though she enjoyed the Running W, it would be empty and lifeless without Zach, Rusty, and Gideon. It would be hard, but she’d even leave the many friends she’d just learned she had in Tanner’s Ford.