Forbidden Fire

by Bonnie K. Winn

  Unable to bear not knowing any longer, she slipped away, instructing Beth to stay with David and his father. Climbing the stairs cautiously, she tried to prepare herself for what she would see. Had Morgan given into his jealousy? She didn’t want to believe him capable of harming anyone, but months of incriminating evidence mocked her.

  Almost afraid to see, she peered into the sitting room. Her eyes darted between Jake and Morgan. Jake imprisoned Vance in a viselike grip, while Morgan held Daphne in place with a derringer. Annette stood between them.

  Feeling as though she’d stumbled on a whirling montage, Katherine glanced from face to face, her attention dwelling the longest on Jake as she assured herself that he remained unharmed. His gaze was heated as he returned her look. She walked toward him before she stopped and tried to decipher what she was seeing.

  “I don’t understand,” Katherine whispered.

  “It took us awhile to get it out of him,” Morgan answered grimly as he motioned to Vance.

  “Your bartender thought we’d finally realized his secret.” Jake twisted Vance’s arm for emphasis.

  “What secret?” Katherine stared in horror at her most trusted employee, unconsciously stepping back and distancing herself as she felt her world fall apart. Surely he couldn’t be behind all the trouble she’d suffered.

  “Vance backed the boxing match between the King of Pain and a new upstart who was supposed to take the title away from him,” Morgan explained.

  “King of Pain?” Realization was striking like metal hammers. “Charles Payne?”

  “Charles Jacob Payne,” Jake said quietly.

  “The world-famous boxer!” She couldn’t believe he’d concealed such a notorious identity.

  “The same,” Jake admitted. “It was my last bout. The one I told you about.” The fight that had led to the death of the young man.

  “He’d already fought for the world title, Katie.” Morgan stared at his friend in renewed admiration. The purse for the world title bout was over fifty thousand dollars, and Jake’s name had been in newspapers all over the world.

  “But what about the boy?” Katherine questioned faintly, fearing the answer.

  “All of Vance’s money was riding on Jake, so he made sure the kid couldn’t win,” Morgan answered, not even trying to hide his contempt for the man they’d trusted.

  “You killed him?” Katherine stared at Vance, unable to reconcile her trusted bodyguard as a murderer.

  Vance refused to meet her eyes, and Jake sketched in the details, obviously sickened by what he’d learned. “He drugged him. When I hit the kid, the blow killed him.” Jake stared at the man who’d changed the course of his life. Contempt seeped into his voice. “Vance had his money and all the bets he’d taken riding on the fight. He couldn’t afford to lose, so he made sure I’d win.”

  “But why have you stayed with us? With all that money…” Katherine stared at Vance in disbelief.

  “I was goin’ to leave as soon as we got out here. Couldn’t let you know I had that much money when we were in Denver. You’d have wondered where I got it. Then you met him.” Vance turned accusing eyes on Jake as though he were the one at fault.

  “You were willing to kill us?” Katherine couldn’t absorb the enormity of the man’s actions. “Because you recognized Jake?”

  “It was only me he was after.” Jake’s tone was even grimmer. “You just kept getting in the way.”

  “After he’d robbed us blind,” Morgan inserted. “He’s been doctoring the books and invoices for months.”

  “But I thought…” Katherine’s voice trailed off as she stared at Morgan in remorse. Unexpected tears welled in her eyes. “I’m so sorry,” she whispered.

  “It’s all right, Katie. I had doubts of my own. I knew somebody was stealing. I just didn’t know I was being painted in as the culprit.”

  Katherine’s gaze swung upward, and she encountered Daphne’s pouting glare. “What does she have to do with this?”

  “You don’t think he did this all alone?” Daphne said with contempt. She cut her eyes toward Jake, her expression insinuating, unrepenting. “You could have had me. Not her.”

  Shocked, Katherine stared at Jake, then Morgan, and at the woman she thought she’d known.

  “Who do you suppose wrote all the notes and waylaid the telegrams?” Morgan added as he stared at Daphne, his grip on the gun steady. “Daphne was the mastermind.”

  The irony struck Katherine. She’d always supposed that Daphne was such a good actress because she’d despised her work. The opposite was in fact true. Her gaze landed on Annette, wondering how many more of her employees had betrayed them. “And you?”

  “She’d suspected about Vance all along.” Morgan’s voice softened almost imperceptibly. “She thought he was setting me up.”

  “She followed me up here when the chandelier fell,” Jake added.

  Morgan mocked his own limitations. “Jake had Vance under control, but I wasn’t much help.” He gazed down at his still limiting feet. “Daphne pulled a gun, and Annette tackled her.”

  “Annette?” Katherine gasped her name, suddenly seeing the truth. The woman had held a torch for Morgan, one she hadn’t wanted to reveal even to him.

  Annette returned her regard. Suddenly Katherine remembered the good qualities she’d overlooked. Annette was the one who’d alerted the others about the fire, saving the Johnson family. All Katherine had seen was suspicious behavior. Ashamed, she turned her head back to Jake. “What will you do with them?”

  “We’ll have to lock them in the storeroom,” Jake said as he pushed Vance out ahead of him. “Until we can wire the territorial marshall.”

  Katherine nodded her agreement, watching in amazement as Morgan turned the gun over to Annette and allowed her to escort Daphne downstairs. “I’ve stood enough for one day,” Morgan explained as he slid into a chair.

  “How can I ever apologize for my suspicions? You’ve meant so much to me for so long—”

  “All good things come to an end, Katie.” He lit a cheroot, the exertion filling his face as the smoke circled toward the ceiling.

  “What do you mean?”

  “I saw how you two looked at each other when you came up those stairs. I’m not blind.” He laughed raggedly. “At least not anymore. I was right, Katie. This town wasn’t meant for me. But it is for you.”

  Tears trembled on her lashes and spilled down her cheeks. “I wouldn’t hurt you for anything in the world.”

  “And I don’t want a martyr chained to my side, Katie dear. I’m not quite the man I was.” His gaze dropped again to his feet. “But I’m getting there.”

  “I really do love you, you know.”

  “I know, Katie. But it’s not the kind of love you want. And I’m not ready to be tied to one town, either.” Her head dipped at his words, and he lifted her chin as he always had in the past. “Hadn’t you better see about Sadie?”

  Torn again, she gazed at him in indecision.

  “Go. You don’t have to stay and hold my hand.”

  Her heart felt as though it had been ripped from her chest and shredded to pieces as she moved slowly down the stairs. In addition, she had Sadie to think about. What if the blow from the chandelier had been fatal? Nearing the sitting room, Katherine saw that the hall in front of it was deserted. She started to push open the door when David grasped her elbow.

  “She’s all right, Miss Katherine. Dr. Griffin says she just got a bad lump on her head, but she’ll be fine.”

  Relief coursed through her as she met David’s smile. Edging the door open to see for herself, she was amazed to see Able tenderly kissing his wife. Gently closing the door, she sent up a silent prayer for them all.

  Chapter 42

  The wreckage was cleared away, and the lump on Sadie’s head had faded to the size of a pebble. Pinning her hat on, Katherine fretted, wondering where Beth had disappeared to again. She’d been noticeably absent all week.

  “Morgan, we need to ge
t going,” she called up the stairs. “The train will be here in a few minutes.” She picked up her purse as he maneuvered the stairs.

  “I told you this business is damned nonsense. What’s the point in going to court now? We can sell this white elephant—”

  “Not with an injunction hanging over our heads. Come on.” Pulling open the door, Katherine stepped outside before she saw the crowd gathered in the street. “What in the world—”

  At the front of the group, Beth and Sadie stood side by side, flanked by David and Rebecca, the Johnsons, the Rankins, and the Atkinses.

  “What’s going on?” Morgan asked Jake as he stepped out onto the porch to join them.

  “I don’t know.” Jake stared out at his church members in surprise.

  “We’re going to testify,” Sadie called out.

  “All of us,” Bessie Johnson added.

  The others in the crowd chimed in, adding their support.

  Katherine couldn’t manage any words, suddenly realizing what Beth had been occupied with. But Jake spoke for them both. “You all plan to testify?”

  “Yes, Reverend. No one’s shutting down the Crystal Palace if we can help it.”

  Emotions leapt to the surface. Katherine knew they couldn’t dupe these people. “We can’t let you do this.”

  “Why not?” several voices shouted out together.

  “Because there’s no need!” Able’s voice overrode the others, and everyone turned to stare at him. “I’m dropping both of the lawsuits.”

  Disbelief turned into shouts of joy. But when Katherine glanced at Morgan, she saw he wasn’t sharing the happiness. Swept into the crowd, Katherine accepted congratulations and heard several accompanying comments.

  “You and the reverend make a right nice couple, Katherine.”

  “Now you won’t have to go and leave the minister.”

  Guessing that Jake was hearing similar comments, Katherine tried to maintain her calm. They hadn’t spoken yet of their future. It had hung between them the past week, beckoning, threatening, enticing. But still they hadn’t breached the subject.

  Able approached his wife and took her hand. Together they walked up the steps of the saloon, followed by Rebecca’s parents. “I understand my grandchildren are here,” Able said, his face working with the difficulty of asking Katherine for permission to see his own family.

  “Sadie knows the way,” Katherine answered, knowing the request wasn’t an easy one for the unrelenting man to make. She watched them enter, glad both sets of parents were making their first overtures to David and Rebecca.

  The crowd dispersed, and Katherine waited until quiet once again filled the street. Noting that Jake had disappeared, she walked around the side of the Crystal Palace and over to his house. Apprehension filled her as she knocked on the door. When he opened it, she sucked in her breath.

  His conservative clothing had been replaced by a dashing outfit that she suspected he’d worn during the height of his fame.

  “Can I come in?”

  He opened the door wider and then shut it behind her. “You might as well see the real me.” He turned to give her the full effect. “This is it, Katherine. Not a mealymouthed minister, but a man who made his living beating other men into the dust.”

  “Is that why I haven’t seen you this week?”

  “Among other reasons.”

  Her voice softened. “I know you’ll never feel good about the young man who was killed in the fight, but isn’t it a relief to know his death wasn’t your fault? That if it had been a fair fight he’d be alive?”

  “It’s not that simple.”

  “Why?”

  “Because now we’ve influenced an entire town. They’re willing to stand shoulder to shoulder with us.” Jake glanced at the expensive cut of his suit. “But what if they knew the whole truth?”

  “That I love you?” Jake sucked in his breath, and Katherine watched his eyes darken. “And that Morgan knows it as well?”

  “When—”

  “It doesn’t matter. I love you, Jake Payne, whether you’re a minister, a fighter, or a farmer.”

  “What about the Crystal Palace?”

  “Morgan can run it alone. We almost had to die for me to figure it out, but you’re the man I want.”

  Jake stepped closer, still not certain she meant what she’d said. “You’re willing to go anywhere?”

  “If you’re there.”

  He cupped his hand around the back of her neck. “You know I won’t ever let you go, Katherine.”

  “I’m counting on that.”

  His lips were warm as they fit against hers. Feeling as though she’d run and run and finally come back home, she sank against his familiar solid chest. Trailing his hands over her hair, he pulled out the pins and let her tresses cascade over her shoulders and down her back. “Are you willing to go out there with me and tell those people we’re going to get married?”

  “They all left.”

  “Just a temporary respite, Katherine. Besides, you haven’t said whether you’ll marry me.”

  “If they don’t accept us, are you willing to move to another town that doesn’t know about Kitty O’Shea and the King of Pain?”

  “Only if you give me an answer.”

  Her breath soughed between them, hope and excitement filling her expanding lungs. “There’s only one answer.”

  “It had better be yes,” he growled.

  “Oh, yes!”

  Katherine wanted to spend long loving hours in his arms, but she knew there was one more obstacle. Morgan.

  Easing out of Jake’s embrace, her eyes promised a different conclusion another time. As she withdrew, Jake didn’t need the words to know what must be done. Thinking of his friend, Jake couldn’t take glory in winning Katherine. He didn’t want to be the cause of Morgan’s pain. But almost losing Katherine yet again had reinforced his feelings. Despite how the town felt about them, he wasn’t going to let her go.

  As they walked toward the saloon, Ed from the shipping office was leaving. He tipped his hat, and Katherine stared after him. “Why do you suppose he was here?”

  “Delivery most likely.”

  The saloon was quiet inside, unusually so. Instinctively Jake looked ahead. The past few days had made him both cautious and wary. Together they approached Morgan’s office. The men and women of the Crystal Palace spilled through the doorway and filled the hall. Fearing the worst, Jake pushed his way through. But Morgan sat calmly at his desk, his usual cigar lit.

  “What’s going on?” Jake asked, seeing the sadness on several faces.

  “Telegram. From our solicitor. I’d wired that we wouldn’t be going to court because the lawsuit was dropped.”

  Jake glanced around at the set faces. The news should have made them happy. “And?”

  “He said the celebration was a bit premature. The legislature just pushed the quarantine line further west. Past Browning.”

  After a moment his meaning sunk in. Ticks carrying Texas Fever infected domestic cattle and horses in the Midwest, prompting the legislature to close trails to the longhorns that carried the disease but were immune to it. The quarantine line was growing rapidly. If the cattle trails couldn’t come to Browning, the Crystal Palace would die without execution. “Then that means…”

  “Exactly. No more saloons in Browning. It was just a matter of time. They’ve already closed Missouri to the trails.”

  Katherine stared at Morgan in dismay. “But what will we do?”

  Morgan’s voice was soft. “There’s no longer any ‘we,’ Katie.” His glance swept over to include Jake, and the friendship he’d always offered was still there. “But I’ve been thinking on it. I believe Dodge City has the look of a town that’s going to boom.”

  “That hole in the wall?” Katherine stared at her partner in amazement. “There’s barely more than sagebrush there. How can you be sure it’ll grow?”

  “Ah, that’s what keeps life exciting. Not knowing.”

&
nbsp; Katherine looked around at the circle of abject faces. Their livelihoods had just been snatched away. Excitement didn’t seem to be in the air for them.

  “I was just getting ready to tell our friends here that they’re welcome to join me in Dodge City if they want to gamble on the outcome.” Morgan played deliberately on the words, watching the faces turn from despair to hope as he spoke. “Anybody willing to come along?”

  A chorus of voices greeted the question, and Morgan stared at Katherine and Jake as he spoke, his intent clear. “It’ll be a one-man operation. Seems to work better that way.”

  Katherine grasped Jake’s hand, needing the reinforcement as she closed this chapter in her life. The floorwalkers and girls drifted away to discuss the move, and soon only the three of them remained in Morgan’s office.

  “Might as well close up right away, get the furnishings packed up and shipped ahead.” His decision made, Morgan wasn’t going to linger. It wasn’t in his character, and the three of them probably couldn’t stand a long, drawn-out farewell. “I’ll pay you for your half of everything, of course.”

  Katherine’s voice turned fierce. “No, you won’t, Morgan Tremaine. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have anything worth selling.”

  Morgan’s gaze flickered and met Jake’s briefly. “If it’ll make you happy.”

  “We’re both going to miss you,” Jake told him, not flinching as Morgan’s gaze continued to hold his.

  “Just take good care of her, Jake.”

  Since there weren’t enough words to express his feelings, Jake nodded his head in agreement.

  “Then it’s goodbye.”

  Katherine rushed around the desk, hugging Morgan. “You take care of yourself, do you hear? Hattie will go along and make sure you eat decent meals, but don’t let any pikers talk you into a partnership. And don’t let anybody else pay the invoices. You know what can happen. Oh, and don’t lease the space this time. Buy the land straight out.”