“I think I fixed that with the sheriff. If anyone reports back to him, he’ll think I’m with Emmie,” Steven said, keeping his voice low. “And we have a special private box upstairs.”
“What kind of special box?”
“It’s a place where our ladies go with their escorts.” He shuffled her up a staircase and they moved briskly down the hallway of the upper balcony floor. Entering the curtained box, Gloria found four seats facing the stage, two in front and two directly behind them. She had to look down considerably and at an angle, but the view was remarkable.
Steven made quick work of securing the curtains to the back and in front, he parted the curtains only partway.
He offered her one of the seats in the back. “If we sit here, no one will be able to see us, but you’ll still have a good view of the stage.”
“I don’t understand. Why are we here?”
Gloria glanced around, seeing lanterns light the stage. All else was dark.
“I told you. Sheriff Brimley was nosing around the house. And I’d been spotted too often coming and going out of town. I couldn’t chance taking you out of town again tonight. Staying in town is the safest for us. So sit back and enjoy the show.”
“Steven, I don’t know if I can.” Gloria fidgeted in her seat, her pulse racing. If Steven was wrong about this, she’d be the one with a noose around her neck.
He took hold of her hand and squeezed gently. “Trust me. I’m not going to let anyone hurt you.”
He reassured her with a solid look, but Gloria still had doubts. This was the first time she was out in public, if one could call it that, since before Boone was killed. “What if someone comes in here?”
Steven grinned. “They won’t.”
Again, Gloria had doubts, even when Steven seemed so sure. “How can you be so certain?”
Steven leaned over and whispered in her ear, his breath warm and inviting. “Because they know what goes on up here.”
Gloria’s shoulders went stiff. She blinked and turned to find Steven smiling. “What does go on up here?”
Steven leaned back in his seat and stretched his body out. He’d dressed for the occasion, wearing black trousers, a white linen shirt, and a string tie under a dark suede vest. Gloria had never seen him look so handsome. He actually appeared civilized, except of course, for the gun he toted on his hip, no matter what. She should be grateful to him for all he’d done to protect her, but bringing her here, where she would be mistaken for a prostitute, even if she were in disguise, didn’t quite set well.
“The ladies entertain men, up here.”
“Oh!” She gasped and all sorts of images swirled through her head as his meaning came through with clarity. “And how many times have you been entertained here?” The words slipped from her lips before she had the mind to stop them. She didn’t have reason to question Steven. What he did with the “ladies” was his own private affair.
Steven peered at her with somber honest eyes. “Just this once, Glory.” He leaned over, cupped her head in his hand and brushed a soft kiss to her lips. “Now try to relax.”
Relax? His kisses made her heart thunder in her chest. But after a time, she did calm down and took note of the performance in progress. Mandrel’s troupe of dancers paraded around on stage in colorful dresses, their wild dances like nothing Gloria had ever seen before. Women lifted their legs up high in the
air in unison and others did tumbles that streaked across the width of the floor.
The opera house was packed solid, some men standing in the aisles and others against the back walls. Miners in need of a little distraction applauded with gusto, the room exploding with hoots and calls when the music stopped. Tied-up sacks of ore were thrown onto the stage, the women grabbing for their share of silver or gold.
Gloria stretched her neck, peering down in concentration. “It appears the stage is moving.”
Steven took her hand in his and laughed quietly. “You’ve never been here before?”
“Oh, why yes, years ago, when Mr. Maguire owned it. Father took me here for a prayer recital one afternoon. But I never noticed the stage bouncing up and down.”
“One of the things Piper did when he took over the opera house was to put railroad springs underneath the stage,” Steven offered. “That ore weighs heavily. And some of the performances can get kinda…rambunctious.”
Gloria nodded, thinking she had a better word to describe tonight’s performance. She didn’t bother to voice her thoughts.
“Are you enjoying yourself tonight, Glory?”
Gloria had feared coming here. She thought it a risky move on Steven’s part, but she’d placed her faith in him and he’d been true to his word. So far, not a soul had come to disturb them. She felt confident they were hidden successfully up in their private curtained box. And though the performance hadn’t been what she’d expected, this was far better than pining away all alone in her room at Rainbow House.
“It’s certainly a different kind of entertainment, Steven. But yes, it’s a nice diversion.”
Steven seemed satisfied with her answer and when the performance resumed, a female singer came forth. She entertained the house with a variety of tunes and ballads, her voice amazingly clear and beautiful. Gloria sat back in her seat and closed her eyes, absorbing the melodious sound, finding a measure of peace and joy as the lyrics and music resonated in her mind.
When the performance ended, Steven stood to close the curtains fully. “No sense tempting fate,” he said and soon they were encased in total darkness. “We’ll wait here until everyone’s gone. Might be a while.”
Gloria stood also, to stretch her legs. She’d been sitting for what seemed like four hours, though it couldn’t possibly have been that long. When she scooted over a bit, she nearly toppled over one of the chairs. “Oh, mercy!”
Steven grabbed her instantly, his hands latching onto her arms to steady her. “You okay?”
“I just can’t see a thing in here,” she whispered quietly.
“Come stand with me against the side wall.”
Steven took her hand and guided her over to the wall. The opera house had begun to quiet down as the patrons exited the theater. But all Gloria heard was the sound of Steven’s breathing, his warmth cocooning her with his nearness, and his fresh soapy scent permeating the very air she took in.
“How long do we have to wait here?” she asked, quite breathless now.
“We’ll be the very last ones to leave, Glory. Are you impatient?”
Steven shifted his body. He faced her and all she
could see was the dark earthy brown of his eyes. “I-impatient, uh, no. I’m not impatient.”
“Good,” he whispered, “because we can’t take any chances with your safety.”
He stroked his finger across her cheek with utmost tenderness. His touch created shivers that spiraled down her spine. At times, Gloria forgot why Steven was doing this. She forgot that he felt obligated to help her. At times, she forgot that Steven Harding wasn’t the man for her. “Steven,” she said, the soft warning falling from her lips.
“Are you scared, Glory?”
Her pulse sped up as she gazed into his eyes. “Very.”
“Of me?”
Yes, she feared him, but not because he wore a gun. And not because he made her feel things way down to her toes. She feared him because irrationally she blamed him partly for her father’s death. Gloria couldn’t draw the line of distinction. He was a Harding— Lorene Harding’s son. “Yes, of you.”
Steven bent his head and brushed a kiss to her lips. “I’d never hurt you, Glory. Don’t fear me,” he said quietly, taking her into his arms. Her dress rustled against his thighs, his solid strength reassuring her, while the wild beating of her heart put every sort of doubt in her head.
“You’re beautiful.” He kissed her again and all of her well-thought-out resistance vanished. Heat shot through her like a hot summer wind. She had no will of her own when she was in Steven’s arms. She returned his kiss and he pressed her closer, their bodies touching intimately.
In a bold move, Steven leaned heavily against the
wall and brought her up, cupping her bottom and gently tugging her into him. There was no mistaking his desire as he kissed her urgently. His velvet hands brought her pleasure as she gave him free rein of her body.
Her cape fell from her shoulders, and Steven was there, with his palms smoothing over her skin and his lips planting thrilling kisses on her throat.
A loud crashing noise from down below startled her, bringing her out of this pleasurable fantasy. It was just a theater worker closing down the stage area, she presumed, but the sound helped put clarity on the interlude. “Steven, don’t.” She shoved at him delicately, her clouded mind clearing. “I’m not a trollop to dally with.”
Her pronouncement surprised him. He blew out a sharp breath.
“You brought me up here and treat me no better than a whore. Was that your intent? To see what it’s like to seduce a woman up in this private box?”
The muscles in his arms tensed before they dropped to his side. With a dark heated gleam in his eyes, he answered. “No.”
She wanted to believe him. “Then why?”
He moved away from her. She watched him steal a peek out of the curtains, before turning back to her. “Maybe I don’t know how to stay away.”
“But you must. Certainly you know there’s no future for us.”
He snorted, a graceless sound. “I know that for a fact, Glory.”
Gloria heard the regret in his voice and wondered at her own bouts of regret. “So, you’ll treat me with respect from now on?”
Steven strode briskly forward. “Dammit, Glory,” he hissed. “I have nothing but respect for you. Don’t confuse desire with respect. If anything, I’ve put you high above all women.”
“You think I killed my husband.”
“I—” he began then hesitated. “That man de-served to die.”
“No one should die like that.”
“Glory, it doesn’t matter to me whether you killed your husband or not.”
“It matters to me,” she said. She didn’t want to think of herself as a brazen woman. And she surely didn’t want to think of herself as a murderer. Two things she’d been certain Steven thought about her just minutes ago.
“I didn’t bring you up here to seduce you,” he stated plainly.
“I hope that’s true because there could never be anything between us. I am nothing to you.”
Steven shot his head up and she witnessed the flash in his eyes. “You’re wrong about that, Glory. You are something to me.”
“What could I possibly be to you?”
Steven peered out the curtain one last time. He faced her again and spoke with purpose. “You’re my…responsibility.”
Chapter Nine
G
loria sat on her bed in Rainbow house, too restless to sleep. It had been two nights since Steven had taken her to Piper’s Opera House. Two nights since he’d carefully escorted her home, leaving her at the bedroom threshold, his farewell a polite tip of his hat. She’d endured two lonely nights without Steven, so when the knock resounded this evening, Gloria bounded up and moved toward the door with unwelcome eagerness. She shouldn’t want to see him. She shouldn’t anticipate his company. It was best that Gloria keep her distance, but gladness filled her heart thinking of Steven on the other side of the door. She opened the door and stared into the somber face of Lorene Harding.
She swallowed hard and stood like a statue in her nightclothes at the bedroom door. Seeing Steven’s mother this evening was the last thing she had expected. Although she knew the woman would arrive home soon, Gloria had banished their eventual meeting from her thoughts.
And now, Mrs. Harding faced her with a Bible in her hand. She stood with stately grace, wearing an
elegant gown, her once-blond hair silvering at the temples. Her dark eyes were rich with color, so much like her son’s. “Hello, Gloria Mae.”
Gloria flinched at the familiar tone the woman took with her. Her shoulders stiff, she didn’t know how to respond. She was living here in her house, eating her food and taking refuge in Steven’s bedroom, although she hadn’t seen him since their time at Piper’s Opera House. “Mrs. Harding.”
“I want you to know that I’m glad Steven took you in. He did the right thing. I know all about your troubles, the girls filled me in. But that’s not why I’m here now.”
Gloria swallowed. Mrs. Harding, the woman whom she’d scorned since the day her father died, spoke to her with softness in her tone, a generosity Gloria couldn’t return. “Why are you here?”
“It’s Merry. I’m afraid she took a heavy dose of drugs. She’s in a bad way.”
“Oh! Dear Lord.” Gloria pressed her hand to her heart. “What happened?”
“I suppose she got her heart set on this young fella, Bud McKenzie. And the man came here tonight, telling her he couldn’t see her anymore. He’s marrying one of those picture brides he sent for.”
“Oh, mercy. Merry was so sure he’d marry her.”
“Ruby told me she’d warned her over and over not to get her hopes up. I’ve done the same myself.”
“Well, how is she? Is she going to live?”
“We had the doctor come out. He purged her stomach, but she’s weak. I’m afraid she’s lost the will to live.”
“Dear Lord, that poor girl.” Gloria’s heart ached at the thought of the rejection and terrible disappointment
that young red-haired girl must have endured tonight. Gloria shook her head, distressed at this turn of events.
Lorene peered down at the Bible she held. “The girls said you’re good with prayers, just like your father.” She glanced up to meet her eyes. “Would you sit with Merry and say a prayer?”
“Of course. Just let me get dressed.”
“Here, please take this. You’ll need it.” She handed her the Bible. “Ruby, Emmie and Carmen are sitting with her now, but I think you’ll have the words to help her.”
“I’ll do my best,” Gloria said before closing the door. A tear dripped from her eye, then another. Gloria couldn’t weep now. She had to be strong for Merry’s sake. She wiped away her tears quickly then dressed. Lifting the Bible again, she noted a marked page. She opened to a verse of Matthew, finding the marker that held the page of interest.
It was funny, but she was sure her father had one just like it, Gloria thought, glancing at a thin strip of white lace with an embroidered red rose in the center. He used to mark all of his pages with it.