by E. E. Burke
“You can stay with me,” Hank told her.
“Whatever you want.” Jolie said, and meant it. She would be at his beck and call for as long as he wanted her. If he decided he needed to become respectable and marry, she would remain available to him. She owed him her life.
She cradled his arm as she walked to the Golden Nugget, wearing her new shoes and carrying her other belongings in a large sack. Bear led with his tail wagging. Upon reuniting with his master, he’d showered Hank with affection as only a dog could.
They passed through the bar, which was eerily empty. Had everyone gone to watch La Maison burn? She noticed one of her flyers lying on the bar and remembered what the men who’d visited the night before had told them. There were more single men than married ones, and as long as this was true, their girls would have a place in this town.
Someone would rebuild, or they could run a business out of that abandoned house. Frankly, she didn’t care. The only thing she could think about was how badly she wanted to be alone with Hank, so she could show him in every way she knew how that she’d be his girl, for as long as he wanted.
Her nerves jangled as she went with him up the stairs and into his room, knowing full well where this would lead. He undid Bear’s leash and told the dog to go lay down. Ever obedient, Bear curled up on his blanket.
Jolie removed her coat, while Hank latched the door, then shrugged out of his coat and hooked his hat on a peg. Her hands shook as she worked on removing his tie.
When she began unbuttoning his shirt, he stopped her, drew her hands to his lips, kissing her knuckles. “Is this why you think I brought you up here?”
She couldn’t stop a smile. “I certainly hope so.”
His lips curved slowly, sending shivers racing across her skin. “I’d like nothing better, but we’ll have plenty of time later. You’ve been through hell, you need to rest for a little while, then get yourself prepared.”
Leave it to Hank to do this his way. He’d made the point he wanted her to view him as being different from other men. She already did. Actually, he hadn’t fit the mold from day one.
Jolie didn’t resist when he drew her onto the bed, fully clothed, and cuddled her close. If he wanted to rest, she’d rest, so long as he held her. She desperately needed the real affection he’d offered before.
She snuggled against his shoulder and draped her arm across his chest. He toyed with her hair, which she’d long since given up worrying about. Long strands had escaped the braid she’d put it in the previous night. It was a bit difficult, considering her dress, to spoon herself against his warm, firm body, but she managed. She’d never liked to cuddle with other men. She’d not been able to enjoy sexual relations when it was a job. With Hank, it would be different. With him, she was different—softer, more vulnerable, but at the same time, stronger.
He took the end of a strand of her hair and tickled her cheek. “Vous êtes mon amour et plus précieux que l'or.” His deep voice sent a thrill through her.
“What did you say?”
“I thought you knew French.”
“No, I just picked the name Jolie LaFemme because I liked it. I learned later what it meant, and a few other choice French words. None of them polite.”
His chest moved as he laughed. “I said, ‘You are my love and more precious than gold.’”
Her heart stopped, as did her breathing.
My love...Hank loved her, and he’d told her with the most beautiful words imaginable. If she lifted her head to look at him, she would burst into tears and start blubbering. She squeezed her arm around him and somehow managed to speak. “What are the French words for I love you?”
“Je t’aime.”
She swallowed until she’d regained her composure, then propped herself up on one arm. “Je t’aime, Hank Donovan...and I’ve decided to accept your offer.”
“Have you now?”
“Indeed I have.” She traced his lips as they curved into an adorable smile then kissed him, a long, lingering kiss, which left her aching for more.
Only, he didn’t give her more. He nibbled a path to her ear, whispering, “Let’s say our vows today. I can’t imagine a more perfect day to get married than on Valentine’s Day.”
Vows?
Married?
Jolie drew back, more shocked than she’d ever been in her entire life. “You...you want to marry me?”
Hank’s eyes crinkled with amusement. “What did you think I wanted?”
“A mistress.”
His smile melted. He reached up and his fingertips traced her features, the touch sending tendrils of pure pleasure coiling through her. “No, sweet girl. I want to make you my wife. That’s what I want. Is that what you want?”
He’d trained his gaze on her, and it seemed almost as if he could see her clearly. If so, he would know from the expression on her face there was nothing she wanted more, except for what she wanted for him.
Tears filled her eyes. “Marriage to me won’t bring you respectability.”
“The way I prefer to look at it, if you marry me, we’ll both gain respect.”
She began to cry in earnest. Wasn’t it just like Hank to want to see in others the same goodness that was in his own heart? She would try to be more hopeful for his sake. But before he sacrificed so much for her, he deserved to know how little she had to offer him in return.
“I-I can’t give you children. After I lost a child four years ago, I never conceived again. The doctor said it’s likely I’m sterile.”
Hank wiped her tears with his thumbs. “As long as we have each other, that’s enough for me.”
He kissed her again. She loved kissing him, touching him.
She ran her hands over his shirt. “Don’t you want to take these clothes off?”
He drew her head down for another kiss. “We will,” he said, in between kisses, “after we’re married.”
Jolie gazed at him in wonder. “You don’t have to wait to prove you’re different. I know you are.”
Hank cupped her face in his hands. “This isn’t about me proving anything. We’re waiting because you’re a lady, and I respect you.”
“Oh, Hank.” She wiped her face. “I don’t deserve you.”
“Stop saying that.” This time he kissed away her tears. “This isn’t about what either of us deserve. It’s love, Jolie, pure and simple. Accept it.”
Bear barked and ran to the door a moment before a light knock interrupted them.
“Mr. Donovan? Er, I hate to disturb yer rest.”
“Seamus?” Hank gave Jolie a questioning look, and she shrugged. “What is it?”
“Mr. Hardt is lookin’ for you. He wants ya to come to his office. Says it’s...important.”
Jolie felt Hank’s jaw harden beneath her fingers, and the happy bubble he’d created around them burst. With this summons, he might be about to find out how much his love for her would cost.
***
Hank left Jolie in his room above the saloon to allow her privacy to freshen up before they wed. He asked Seamus if the barkeeper wouldn’t mind finding the preacher, who wasn’t in his room upstairs. In the meantime, Hank intended to give Charlie Hardt a piece of his mind.
He and Bear retraced their steps to the mining company’s office, and when they entered, a chair scraped. Hank could make out that someone stood behind the desk.
“Have a seat, Hank. The chair is on your right.”
Charlie Hardt might be the most influential man in town, but he wasn’t Hank’s boss.
“Thanks, but I’ll stand. I don’t intend to be here for very long. In fact, I almost didn’t respond to your summons.”
After a moment’s hesitation, Hardt answered, “Summons? Is that how Seamus put it?”
The remark whipped Hank’s annoyance into anger. “How else would he put it? He called me out of my room when I was...otherwise occupied.” Hank would not drag Jolie through the mud by saying he’d been entertaining her in private, though it was likely Charlie,
and everyone else, would assume the worst. “Frankly, I don’t give a damn about your requirements. If I decide to invest in something, it will be on my terms, not someone else’s.”
“I see.” The mayor moved around the desk.
Hank braced himself, wondering if the other man planned to punch him in the face for speaking his piece. He took a firm grip on the leash in case Bear started growling. He wouldn’t sic his dog, but he wouldn’t stand there and a take a thrashing either.
“Does that mean you’re not getting married?” Hardt asked.
“No, I’m getting married...to Jolie,” he added to make things perfectly clear. “Just as soon as we locate the preacher.”
Hardt moved towards the front of the office where bright light indicated a window. He might be expecting someone else. That, or he was about to show Hank the door. “Chase went out to look at property for the parsonage, or he could be showing Ophelia and Clint home sites. They were married early this morning. That’s why I was late.”
“I’m not surprised or regretful to hear about Miss Rathbone’s choice.”
“No, I didn’t expect you would be.” As the mayor spoke, he returned to his desk, but didn’t sit down. “I thought Draven might be coming back. He arrested one of the miners as a suspect; said you told him Bud started the fire.”
“I wasn’t eyewitness to the fact, but Mr. Nance made several threats a few days ago, and again this morning, which lead me to believe he might have done it. Also, Jolie said she’d seen glass on the floor of the parlor and smelled kerosene, and it looked like the front window had been broken.”
“That sorry son of a bitch,” the mayor swore. “He’s been a troublemaker from day one. I should’ve fired him a long time ago.”
“I hope it costs him more than his job,” Hank said grimly.
The sound of the door banging open startled Hank.
“Hank?”
He turned to look behind him. “Jolie? What are you doing here?”
Bear’s tail thwacked against Hank’s leg as Jolie came up and took his arm. “I’m sorry, but the more I thought about it, I just couldn’t sit around waiting. Not when you have so much at stake. Mr. Hardt, I beg you to reconsider.”
A lump rose in Hank’s throat. Jolie had come over here to plead on his behalf for something worth far less than her dignity. “Don’t beg; it’s not worth it. I already told him I’m not interested.”
“From what I recall, we were discussing terms,” Hardt replied.
Hank shook his head, confused. “We weren’t negotiating. I told you what I thought about your requirements.”
“Oh, I’m clear on that. Though I would like to know the basis for your objection.”
He wanted more of an explanation?
“If you’re open to hearing the truth, then I’ll oblige.”
“Careful,” Jolie warned under her breath.
Hank slipped his arm around her waist to anchor her to him, found her cheek and kissed her. She needed to believe she was worth more to him than an investment in a mine, so he would show her. “If my marriage to Jolie excludes me from consideration, Mr. Hardt, then you can go hang.”
Chapter 14
Hank had just told the most powerful man in Noelle to go hang!
Bear barked. Was he adding his opinion too?
Jolie couldn’t believe Mr. Hardt’s reaction...a wry smile. Did the mayor think it was a joke?
After Hank had so bravely defended her, she couldn’t keep silent. “Mr. Hardt, before you do anything rash, let me share what I came here to say.”
The mayor nodded.
“For the past four years, I’ve seen a steady stream of so-called upright men come through my door. For the most part, they’re self-centered, dishonest, unfaithful creatures. Integrity is just a word they use when they want people to think they’re better than others.” Jolie slipped her arm around Hank’s back so they were holding each other. He gripped her side, but he didn’t interrupt, and just let her continue.
“Then I met Hank, a man of true integrity. He showed me kindness and understanding, compassion without pity. He demonstrated how we ought to care for each other and rely on each other, no matter what. His courage sent him into a burning building, with no thought for his own safety, in an attempt to rescue four women who might’ve died if not for his quick actions. I can’t think of any man in town more deserving of a chance to become an investor in Noelle’s silver mine.”
The mayor’s gaze shifted over her shoulder and his smile became softer.
“I do believe she has a point, Charlie.”
Jolie turned at the melodious voice. Mrs. Hardt had slipped through the door in time to hear Jolie’s impassioned speech.
Mr. Hardt circled the desk as his wife came to meet him, and the two exchanged an affectionate hug and kiss. Penny had always been beautiful, but when she’d first arrived, she had acted unsure. Now, she exuded confidence. Something had changed. Perhaps love had been the catalyst.
“Mr. Donovan, my wife, Penny. Miss LaFemme, I believe you two have met.”
Penny’s smile put a knot in Jolie’s stomach. Oh yes, they’d met. Jolie hadn’t been nice to Penny either back when the brides had taken over La Maison. Pearl had told her Mrs. Hardt wouldn’t hold it against her. If Pearl was right, Mrs. Hardt was one of those angels Jolie hated to love.
“Don’t let me interrupt anything,” Penny said. “Go on with what you were about to say.”
“Well, let’s see. Where was I?” Mr. Hardt touched his finger to his lips as if he couldn’t recall, the man renowned for his steel-trap memory.
“Jolie was singing my praises,” Hank suggested in a dry tone. As he spoke, he moved his fingers, stroking her side, letting her know with a touch how much he appreciated her passionate testimony.
Penny took her husband’s arm. “I think we should have the editor write up an article about Mr. Donovan’s brave rescue. That was quite a feat.”
“He deserves more than an article. Give him a reward,” Jolie suggested.
Hank’s hand squeezed her side. She’d gone too far.
“Excellent idea!” Penny liked it though.
“I don’t need a reward,” Hank stated firmly.
Jolie gaped at him. What was he thinking? She and Penny were just about to convince Mr. Hardt to gift him the investment.
“Are you planning to settle in Noelle?” Being a smart man, Charlie Hardt quickly changed the subject.
Hank went back to stroking her side, attempting to soothe her ire. “That would be my plan. At present, I’m responsible for my sister’s family, and I’d need to move them out here before I commit to anything.”
“Yes, you need to be together,” Jolie agreed.
“We all need to be together.” Hank was reminding her she was now a part of his family.
The idea still seemed strange...and wonderful and miraculous.
Mr. Hardt’s gaze turned speculative. “Liam Fulton told me you were looking for a place to open a business and hire women for a production line so you can produce more cards.”
“That’s an idea we’ve entertained. When we can afford it.”
“Sounds to me like a good business for our town. One I’d like to invest in, if you’re willing to consider it. The extra money might hasten your move out here.”
Jolie’s breath caught.
“Of course I’d consider it. That is...” A twinkle appeared in Hank’s eyes. “If you’ll accept my investment in your business.”
Jolie fought a smile. No wonder Hank had deflected the potential gift. He’d negotiated an even better deal for them.
Penny erupted into laughter. She clung to her husband’s arm, smiling up at him. “Oh, Charlie, I do believe you’ve met your match.”
Mr. Hardt didn’t smile. However, his gaze conveyed admiration. “On your own terms, indeed. Very well, Donovan, it’s a deal.”
“Done.” Hank put out his hand and Mr. Hardt grasped it. “We can work out the details later, after J
olie and I marry.”
Mrs. Hardt walked over to the window. “Ah, I think I see Chase returning.”
She went outside, snagged Reverend Hammond’s arm and brought him into Mr. Hardt’s office, along with his wife, Felicity, who appeared a little nervous. She might be recalling how Jolie had nearly bitten her head off.
“Mr. Donovan and Miss LaFemme would like to be married,” Penny announced.
The preacher, looking a tad confused, nevertheless smiled. “Must be something in the air. I just performed another wedding this morning.”
“Then you got plenty of practice,” Mr. Hardt remarked. “Now marry these two, so Hank and I can work out our business deal.”
Mrs. Hardt came to Jolie’s side. “I’d be honored to stand with you.”
“I’m honored you want to.” Jolie glanced at Hank, who’d reached down and taken her hand, twining their fingers.
Of course, Hank’s dog was his best man. Bear sat back on his haunches, looking very noble. Mr. Hardt stood behind Bear, acting as a second witness.
The preacher and his wife faced them, and Reverend Hammond opened his Bible.
Jolie’s heart leapt into an all-out gallop.
“Dearly beloved...” Reverend Hammond’s recitation droned on.
Dismay twisted the knot in her stomach. She hadn’t been entirely truthful with Hank about what he might consider a very important fact. Somehow, it just never seemed to be the right time. Face it. She’d avoided telling him for fear he would laugh in her face.
“Hank Donovan, do you take Jolie LaFemme—”
“That’s not the name I was given at birth,” she blurted out. “If...if that makes any difference.”
“It makes a difference if you wish to legally wed Mr. Donovan,” Felicity pointed out.
Jolie gnawed her lip as the others waited. How embarrassing. “It’s...Purity. Miss Purity Asgood.”
Everyone stared at her, which helped fan the fire already burning her face.
Hank smiled slowly. At least he wasn’t rolling on the floor, laughing. He turned his gaze on her, and even though she knew he couldn’t make out her features, he saw her more clearly than anyone had ever seen her. “That’s a good name for someone whose love is pure.”