The Romantic Ruse (Historical Christian Romance)

by Barbara Goss

  By then, a few men had begun to sit at tables, shuffling cards. One man sat at a table, all alone. One of the things Mandy had told her was never to let anyone drink alone, so she approached the man.

  “Hello. I’m Lily.”

  “Your first night?” he asked. The man appeared handsome and strong-featured, and was dressed in all black, with a few touches of silver on his hat, the buttons of his shirt, and belt. “The name is Harley; I think you and I will get along fine,” he said. He ogled her from head to toe, his eyes pausing momentarily when he got to the personal places. “Real fine!”

  Though his forward attitude left Lily feeling uneasy, she remembered Mandy saying that the men were all warned against ill behavior with the women, which put her a little at ease.

  “I’m expecting a few friends for cards and I want you by my side for luck. How can I lose with Lucky Lily by my side?”

  “Why, how did you know my nickname?” Lily said, making her best effort to flirt with the man.

  He smiled and then eyed her bosom, which she wished were more covered. “You and I? We’ll get along just fine.”

  Harley wouldn’t leave her alone all evening. He bought her so many drinks she had to visit the outhouse several times, which was a respite of sorts. To her credit, she did, however, receive praise from Sadie for selling so many drinks.

  Unfortunately for her, Harley won big with her at his side, and he told her she’d be his good luck charm every night. Though he was pleasant to look at—no complaints there—his almost black eyes had a hard look about them, which scared her a bit.

  That night, as Lily lay in bed, she pondered her less-than-desirable job. She had thought that a job in a room full of lively music and merriment would be fun and exciting, but being friendly to unappealing men turned out to be much harder work than she’d envisioned.

  After several nights of similar activities, Harley whispered in her ear, “Meet me tomorrow at the livery, and I’ll take you for a ride in my buggy.”

  She remembered how she’d been instructed about always being friendly and always answering with a flirtatious lilt. She whispered back, “I love buggy rides! I can’t promise, but you never know. I might surprise you.”

  “I’ll make it worth your time,” he answered with a suggestive smile, and another lusty look at her bosom.

  Lily had no intention of meeting him, of course. As exhausted as she was, she slept half the next day away, like most of the other women employed at the saloon. When she finally rose, she dressed in a casual outfit, and counted the money in her first pay envelope. Unfortunately, she still didn’t have enough to buy a stage ticket to Hunter’s Grove. She looked over at Mandy's bed and saw a note pinned to her pillow telling Lily she’d gone to the General Store for ribbons.

  She had just put the note down when Polly stormed into the room waving a paper of her own. “I see you’ve caught the eye of Harley Ward. Big mistake, Lily. He sent you a message. You're still new, so you don't know yet, but Harley's trouble with a capital ‘T.’”

  Lily laughed, “Isn’t that what I’m being paid to do? Catch the eyes of the men downstairs?”

  Polly shook her head. “Not this man. I should have warned you about him sooner,” she said apologetically. “If Harley wants you, he’ll get you, one way or another. When I see him come in I usually act busy elsewhere. Clarice dated him and fell for him, hard, and Harley broke her heart. She still pines for him, but none of the other women he’s mistreated will go near him. They've all learned their lesson.

  "Darn it! I should have warned you. He’s been with every woman, here and every other saloon for miles around…except Mandy. She's somehow managed to escape his notice.”

  “You seem to know a lot about Harley. Were you one of his conquests?” Polly nodded her frizzy brunette head, slowly.

  “What does he do that’s so horrible?” Lily asked, still holding the unopened note.

  “He sweet-talks you, and gets you so head-over-heels that you’ll do anything for him, even sleep with him, which is his ultimate goal. Not only is he a heartbreaker, but he's a killer, too. He’s been in more gunfights than anyone else I know. Rumor has it; he's even shot one man in the back! Now, I'm not sure if that’s true, but folks around here say it is.

  "He might be handsome and charming, but he has a reputation.” Polly's eyes darted to the unopened note. “Aren’t you going to read it?”

  “I’m afraid to now.”

  “Open it. I’ll try to help you get away from him since I feel guilty I forgot to warn you. He didn't come in while you were in training, so I didn’t think of it.”

  Lily opened the note.

  Lucky Lily, you didn’t meet me. I’m not surprised. You will meet me, eventually. You’ll see.

  Your most avid admirer,

  Harley

  Polly gasped. “Oh dear!” she said.

  “What am I supposed to do now?” Lily let the note drop to the floor.

  “Ignore him. When he comes in, be busy flirting with someone else. He’ll stare at you the whole time, but just ignore it and try to avoid him."

  Later that day, Clarice came to Lily’s room while Mandy was still out.

  “So, you’ve caught Harley’s eye,” Clarice said. She eyed Lily up and down.

  “Not on purpose, I assure you.”

  “Listen, Lily, he’s bad news. I’d stay away from him, if I were you. He has slept with every saloon woman in town, and maybe a few other towns as well.”

  “I’m trying, Clarice, believe me. I have no interest in Harley Ward.”

  “That would be a first,” she muttered.

  “What would be a first?” Lily was becoming aggravated with Clarice, the conversation, and the situation in general.

  “A woman who didn’t want Harley.” With a suddenness that surprised Lily, Clarice’s whole demeanor changed. She suddenly appeared nervous and tears collected in her eyes.

  “Well, I’ll tell you. He’s mine. Please don’t take him away from me. I see how he looks at you…please, Lily, I'm begging you!”

  “You want him? He’s yours. I’m not interested. I’m in love with someone else, besides. ” Lily didn’t like the way Clarice stared at her with those big, watery eyes. She thought maybe Clarice's attraction to Harley might border on obsession. Clarice's body started to shake and then she burst abruptly into tears.

  Lily instantly felt sympathy for Clarice, and tried to calm her by patting her on the back. “Please don’t be upset," Lily said. "I’m the new girl in town, a new diversion. I’ll put him off, and he’ll come back to you. Don’t you worry.”

  The night started out fairly quiet. A few men had sat at the tables, and cards were brought out. Then Harley strutted in and sat down to play. He motioned for Lily to come to him by snapping his fingers and pointing to the floor next to him.

  Lily was chatting with a middle-aged man at the bar who had just bought her a drink, and she pretended not to see Harley. She meant to heed the advice she’d been given by Clarice and Polly, and steer clear of him.

  Harley got up, walked over to the bar, whispered close to her ear, “I want you at my side while I play.”

  Lily tried to protest, “But I’m—”

  “I’m sure Sadie would be disappointed if one of her girls refused a customer a bit of luck at the card table.” Harley said.

  “She’s with me,” the middle-aged man said loudly.

  “Well, now she’s with me,” Harley growled back. His hand went to the gun holstered at his side.

  The middle-aged man, who’d had a bit too much to drink, stood and faced Harley. “Mayhap we should settle this outside,” he said, touching his own, holstered gun.

  “Mayhap, we better,” Harley snarled.

  Lily felt her heart thumping hard in her chest.

  There was going to be a gunfight! Over her!

  Chapter 7

  Sadie strolled up casually to the trio. “Harley,” she nodded at him. “Henry,” she said, and nodded at the oth
er man. “What’s the problem?” Sadie's voice sounded sweet and controlled.

  “I need Lily at my table for luck, and this man refuses to part with her,” Harley growled.

  “Henry did have her first, Harley,” Sadie said. “I’d be happy to be your good luck charm tonight.”

  “Why can’t you keep Henry company and give Lucky Lily to me?”

  Sadie smiled. “Can I speak to you privately, Harley?”

  He nodded.

  Lily looked across the room and saw Clarice staring at them.

  Sadie and Harley moved to the other side of the bar. All Lily could see was what resembled an animated discussion, after which Harley stormed out of the saloon. Although Lily wondered what Sadie had said to him, she continued talking and flirting with Henry, though noticing that Clarice was still staring at her.

  Later that evening, Sadie pulled Lily aside and said, “I’m sorry about Harley, Lily. He’s been barred from the saloon for a week. I’ve had trouble with him in the past. He has messed up a few of my girls, and I’ll not have him pulling my girls from other paying customers.”

  Lily let out a breath of relief. “I’m so glad. He scares me.”

  Sadie laughed. “He’s had a rather different effect on my other girls…he has a line as long as his arm, and has broken quite a few hearts.” She patted Lily’s shoulder. “You're doing a fine job, Lily.”

  Gus, Ian, and Charles rode out the next morning to check Maud’s cottage. Emma stayed behind, having offered to clean up after the fine breakfast Gus had cooked that morning.

  Gus and Charles had no trouble breaking down the back door. The men searched every room and discovered a map in a drawer, leading to the house where Lily had been kept. Though it was nothing they didn’t already know, the map did have the names “Manny” and “Alf” written on it, which served as a bit of a clue as to who, besides Maud, was responsible for the kidnapping.

  The men rode to the house marked on the map. Gus, Ian, and Charles were saddened to see the attic where Lily had been held. Though there were no clues found inside the house, tracks in the dirt outside the house indicated they had traveled westward.

  “I rode as far west as Junction City looking for them," Gus said, "but I guess I should have kept going. They could have ridden all the way to Abilene, Salina, or even to Mexico. I didn't think to take enough supplies to go any farther, and I didn’t have anyone to look after my ranch, even if I did.

  "Now that I know, I’ll check every town from here to the border.” Gus bent down and pointed to the marks in the dirt. “See? Due west, with four horses.”

  Ian scratched his head, as if he were puzzled by the mess of horse hooves, and wondered how Gus could read anything from it. “We have to be back in St. Joseph," he said "I have to attend an important senate meeting, and Charles needs to get back to his father’s store.” Ian sighed. “I wish I could stay and go with you, but please let us know what’s happening. Can I pay to have someone mind your ranch, or give you money to pay for telegrams?”

  “That’s not necessary, Ian. I'll send as many telegrams as needed and someone from church will help me with the ranch. I’ll send you a telegram at every town I go through that has a telegraph office.“

  “The minute you find her,” said Charles, “I’ll join you.” He slapped Gus fondly on the back. “If you find her, I’ll forever be thankful. I’ll also bless your marriage, should that ever happen.”

  Gus nodded. “She already accepted my proposal, but under these circumstances, I’m not sure it will stand up.” He mounted his horse. “Now I'm off to find someone to tend to my cattle and horses while I’m gone.”

  After Sunday services, Raphael, a kindly, middle-aged rancher who owned the spread nearest to Gus, offered his services. “My sons can tend to my ranch and I’ll personally tend yours,” he said reassuringly.

  Next, Gus cornered Simon Morton who was the acting minister of their churchless congregation. “Morton, how well do you know Maud Barkley?” he asked him.

  “Not well at all, really. I recently hired her to clean for us, seeing as my wife, Ella, hasn’t been well lately. Not long after Maud was hired, she began attending services, and I was well pleased to see her there.” Simon looked at Gus with curiosity. “I haven’t seen her in lately…is all well with her?”

  “Not really. She's disappeared along with the young woman I’d corresponded with and prepared to marry.” Gus sighed. “I don’t know where to begin to find Maud or the woman.”

  Simon rubbed his temples. “She did mention when I hired her that she had relatives in Mexico. I believe she is half Mexican. Does that help at all?”

  “Hmm,” Gus said as he thought. “I might head on down there after I check some of the towns along the way. Thank you, Simon.”

  Mandy and Lily rushed into their bedroom; each flopped down on her designated bed.

  “Another busy night over with,” Mandy said, kicking off her tight-fitting, sequined shoes.

  “I’m having druthers…” Lily sighed. She wiggled out of her high-heeled shoes too.

  “Druthers?”

  “Yes, that’s when you regret the decisions you’ve made and wish you could go back and redo them.”

  Mandy rubbed her sore feet. “What would you change?”

  “I don’t think I’d change coming to Kansas, although I did it dishonestly," Lily said. "But I really felt something for Gus and wish I'd told him the truth on that wonderful day, when we picnicked and waded barefoot in the creek.” Lily smiled at the memory.

  “Lily, don’t be silly. Go and find your Gus. You must have enough money saved up by now,” Mandy said.

  “Nearly enough. Only one more week and I’ll have enough to buy a stagecoach ticket. I don’t have enough for a train. I had to use some of my pay to buy a few casual dresses.”

  “I wish I could join you, Lily.”

  “I’d love for you to come with me,” Lily said. She sat up excitedly. “It would be so much fun, and you'd be there to give me the courage I need to confess my deception to Gus.”

  Mandy frowned for several seconds before answering. “I haven’t anything to run to as you do; I have no one.”

  “You have me, Mandy!” Lily rushed across the room, sat on the bed beside Mandy, and put her arm around Mandy's shoulders. “Please say you’ll join me.”

  Mandy gave Lily a sad smile. “We’ll see.” Then she continued, quickly changing the focus: “I do have a possible friend…besides you, I mean. His name is Mac Quinn. He's a friend of the dreaded Harley Ward. He swore to me that Harley has no intention of stringing you along like the others, and that he really wants to know you better. Mac suggested a picnic tomorrow along the river, just the four of us. What do you say, Lily?”

  “Harley?” Lily gasped. “I have no desire to become another of his victims.

  "My childhood dream is to save my maidenhead for my husband on my wedding night; it’s the most valuable wedding gift a woman can give the man she loves. Clarice warned me off Harley, besides. She’s a bit over the edge about him.”

  “Pay her no mind. She's warned all the girls off Harley and none of them listened, and they're still all alive and well. Somehow she always manages to get him back in the end. Why she’d ever want him after the way he’s treated her is beyond my thinking.”

  Mandy sighed, lay back on the bed, and rolled her eyes. “I wish I had your problem. I want so much to fall in love, but I need to find the right man first.”

  Lily reclined beside her. She wanted to help Mandy find love. Maybe this Mac Quinn was the one. If she refused the picnic, it might hinder Mandy from ever finding her one true love. She had to help Mandy. What could one little picnic hurt? Lily felt confident enough to handle both Harley Ward and Clarice, if it came to that.

  “I love picnics. I don’t care at all for Harley, but I’ll go so you can enjoy Mac’s company.”

  “Oh, Lily!” Mandy exclaimed. “You are the most wonderful friend!” Mandy sat quickly up and clapped her han
ds. “We’ll get Molly, the saloon cook, to pack us a picnic basket. It'll be my treat. We can meet the men at the General Store at noon. I’ll send word that we’ll be there.”

  At noon, sharp, on that sunny and warm day, Mandy and Lily met Harley and Mac and headed a few miles out of town in Mac’s buggy. Mac parked close to the Smoky Hill River.

  Mandy spread out a large tablecloth under the umbrella of an enormous shade tree, and set down the basket. They stood looking at each other wordlessly for several minutes before Harley suggested they eat because he was starving.

  After they’d eaten and the food was hastily put away, Harley stood. “Let’s take a walk along the river,” he said.

  “I’m in,” Mac said, and he grabbed Mandy’s hand.

  “Sounds like fun,” Mandy said as Mac led her away.

  Lily shrugged and followed the others. The path narrowed, and Mac and Mandy strolled ahead of them, taking the lead. Harley kept stopping to point out inane objects, like strange-shaped leaves on a plant, or an odd-shaped stone. Lily knew he was doing this to allow Mandy and Mac to get far enough ahead, in order to give them privacy, which was all right with her. She wanted Mandy and Mac to get to know each other, too. But as soon as they were out of sight, Harley took her hand. Lily wasted no time pulling it free.

  “What’s wrong, Lily?” he asked, sounding sincere.

  “Your reputation has preceded you, Harley. I refuse to be another victim of your so-called affections. We aren’t in the saloon now, so I don’t have to sweeten up to you. I only came today for Mandy’s sake.” She began walking again.

  Harley took her arm gently and swung her around. “You aren’t wrong, Lily: I do have a reputation, and I have strung along many women…but this time it's different, I swear! People make mistakes. Had I known I’d ever meet someone like you…”

  “I think you should be aware, before you tell me any more lies or attempt to persuade me, that my heart isn’t available.”