Gambling on Forever

by Becky Lower

  Elise held up her long braided coil of black hair and stared at it, as if staring at it would change the color. Disgusted with the way her mind headed, she flung her braid back over her shoulder and straightened on the horse, grazing him with her boot heels to make him speed up a bit.

  Putting more distance between her and James would be the best thing she could do. After this adventure ended, she’d find herself a good man, one who would appreciate her for the fine mix of cultures she embodied. One who would be impressed by her high, sculpted cheekbones and her inky black hair. One who would return her sentiment of love. Yes, it was for the best she leave all thoughts of James, Jack Diamond, Slick, in the dust.

  The miles slowly melted away and the fort appeared again. She rode in past the guards and found herself back at the colonel’s headquarters.

  The young lieutenant who had helped her only the day before raised his eyebrows as he opened the door for her. “Miss Lafontaine.” He gulped as he saluted her. “How nice of you to make a return appearance.” She gave him her best smile and placed a hand on his arm, which brought a flush to his cheeks. The lieutenant’s audible intake of breath assured her she hadn’t lost her ability to charm men. Only slick riverboat gamblers seemed immune.

  She strode directly into the office. “Colonel, nice to see you again.” She shook his hand and took the seat he’d motioned toward.

  “I must say your return visit is unexpected, Miss Lafontaine. Is the horse not to your liking?” The colonel grinned before he withdrew a cheroot from his desk drawer and made a big show of lighting it.

  She smiled and inhaled the odor of the tobacco. “The horse is fine. How could he not be, considering the sterling reputation of the company who provided him?”

  The colonel’s face lit up behind the veil of cigar smoke. “Well then, how may I assist you today? Or is this merely a social visit? My wife, Sally, missed seeing you yesterday and would love some female company. Shall I send for her?”

  Elise steepled her fingers together, the tips of them at her lips. “As much as I’d prefer to spend time getting acquainted with your wife, I can’t afford the delay. I’ve decided to join my brothers in New Orleans instead of heading home. I hope to trade in the horse for a canoe.”

  “I see.” The colonel set his cigar into an ashtray and speared her with his gaze. “I only have one canoe I can part with, and it’s being readied for service as we speak. I have plenty of horses, but not so many boats or canoes. I’m sure you can relate.”

  Elise tapped her foot on the floor. “If you’ll take me to the boat, I’ll explain my circumstances to whomever is readying it for departure. Surely, that person will step aside once he or she hears my plight and understands my need for expediency.”

  The colonel shrugged. “You can plead your case, if you’re set on this path. I’ll leave it to you to sort out. Follow me.” He rose, extinguished his cigar, and ushered her to the door.

  He led her into a small boathouse near the river. “The boat’s just inside, as is the person who has paid for its use. Good luck.” He pivoted and left her alone.

  Good luck? What was that supposed to mean?

  She entered the boathouse and followed the humming sound. The tune was vaguely familiar. John Brown’s Body? A favorite song of the Union soldiers during the war, but who hummed it now? A form emerged from the darkness, humming as he prepared the small craft. A familiar form. Tall, lean, muscled. Before he even faced her, she could tell his mouth would be curved upward. And he’d have a devastating little dimple in his right cheek. Why was he here? Why did he need to take her canoe? How had he beaten her back to the fort? On second thought, John Brown’s Body was a most appropriate choice of song. This particular war had not yet ended.

  • ♥ •

  “What are you doing here?” A strident voice called out behind him.

  James didn’t need to glance over his shoulder to see who had wandered into the boat house and asked the question. He’d been expecting her for an hour.

  He straightened and pivoted toward her. “Finally. Thought you’d never get here. Did you take the scenic route back from the campfire?”

  He could tell she barely contained her temper by the way she bristled at his comment. Good. He did so enjoy riling her up.

  Flames darted from those lovely blue eyes. He grinned.

  “I asked you a question.” She spit the words out.

  “As did I.” He sighed heavily and shrugged. “All right. I’ll answer first, then, being the gentleman that I am. I am here to get the canoe ready for us to take down the river. By my calculations, the riverboat should be docking in less than two days, so we’re going to need both of us paddling hard to get to New Orleans ahead of the boat. Satisfied?” He raised his gaze from the canoe to her. “Now answer mine. What took you so long?”

  She put a hand to her waist, as if considering undoing the whip and giving him a lashing. Instead, her other hand cradled her forehead. “I didn’t see any sign of you on the trail back. How did you get here, and so quickly?”

  “Because I didn’t take your trail. I circled around you and took another route. One I used frequently during the war when delivering messages to the fort. Calvin’s wife is preparing us some food to take on the trip and as soon as it comes, we’ll be ready to shove off. Time is of the essence, sweetheart.” He couldn’t keep the smirk from his face.

  “I should have figured you and the colonel would cook up something like this.” She glanced at the canoe finally, and took a breath. “Why, James? Why can’t you just leave me alone?”

  “Isn’t the answer obvious? You’re a single woman, traveling alone, through no fault of your own. I’m a gentleman and feel partially responsible for you being in your particular position, so until you are safely back with your brothers, I’m sticking with you.” He busied himself lowering the canoe to the water before glancing back at her. “Besides, I’ve received only a partial payment for returning your precious document and you can’t deny the attraction between us. I’m curious to see where it will go.”

  Her jaw grew tense and he could see her fingers curl around her whip. She narrowed her gaze as she uncurled her fingers and ticked off items, accentuating their importance by using her digits for emphasis. “One. I no longer need your help. Two. I certainly don’t want your help. Three. You’ve been fully paid for returning Big Mo’s papers. Four. There is no—no attraction between us. Five. Besides, you've got Madeline on the brain and your future in San Francisco to take care of.”

  Calvin’s pretty and plump wife, Sally, chose that precise moment to wander in with a basket of food, so James was saved from countering Elise’s words. He did indeed have a future in San Francisco to ponder, but for the first time, his plans didn’t include the lovely blonde woman from his past. Instead, he pictured a home overlooking the bay with an exotic half-breed by his side.

  “Ah, Sally, thank you, darlin’, for throwing together some food for us. Say hello to Miss Elise Lafontaine, who has finally wandered back to the fort.” He motioned to Elise.

  “Hello, Elise. I must admit, my blouse looks better on you than it ever did on me.” Sally brushed her hand down Elise’s arm. “You’re in good company. Jack, or James as I guess he’s really named, is one of my favorite people. I worried so about him when the war was raging.”

  “Thank you for the use of your blouse, Mrs. Hatch. I’ll be sure to return it when I get back home.” Elise stared at the woman while James took the food from her and stowed it in the canoe.

  James stood erect again, the food safely placed in the bottom of the canoe. “We’ll need food, since we don’t have time to stop along the way. In fact, we should push off now.” Just to be safe, he grabbed both sets of oars before he shifted his focus back to Sally. He could picture Elise taking off without him, and with the food.

  “My pleasure, Jack. Or must I call you James now?” She placed her arms around his shoulders and kissed him on the cheek. “Calvin and I have enjoyed your company ov
er the years, and hope you’ll become a more frequent visitor now.”

  “Once this young lady gets returned to her family, I’m heading off to San Francisco, but I’ll be back again, never fear.” James hugged Sally lightly and climbed into the canoe, where Elise waited, rolling her eyes and gritting her teeth.

  Once they were on the open water and found a paddling rhythm, James broke the silence. “You can’t be angry at me the entire trip. If you won’t talk to me, I’ll be forced to sing, and one thing I don’t possess is a good singing voice.”

  She stopped rowing and glared at him. “Perhaps you can’t sing because your mouth is always curved upward and your tongue is in your cheek.”

  “Perhaps. Now, what’s got you so riled up?” He splashed some water in her direction, which further irritated her.

  “Does every woman you come across fall at your feet? I couldn’t stomach how the colonel’s wife fawned over you. Made me gag.” Her eyes shot darts at him.

  James frowned at her comment. “Sally Hatch and I have been acquainted with each other for years. She is one of only a handful of women who were aware of the part I played in the war, and she lived in fear for years, thinking my duplicity would be discovered and I’d be hung or shot. She can now breathe a bit easier when I’m at the fort, and I appreciate the fact she cares enough to help us out. You could have at least thanked her.”

  Elise's shoulders rose and she dipped her oars into the water again. “I did. I thanked her for the blouse. The food is only here because of you.” She didn’t make eye contact, nor did she comment further.

  “So, Sally’s had years to form an attachment to me, and vice versa. Unlike the other woman currently in my life, a Miss Elise Lafontaine, who has formed an attachment to me in a matter of mere days.” He braced himself for the paddle of water he figured was coming.

  Instead, she increased her pace and her strokes became as furious as her voice. “Judging from your body’s reaction to me last night, the attachment goes the other way. That, plus the fact I can’t get rid of you. You’re worse than a chuck-line rider looking for a free meal.”

  He matched her pace and they were rapidly eating up the miles between the fort and the city of New Orleans. She had every right to be confused by his behavior. He couldn’t figure it out himself. All these years of keeping the lover who spurned him in his line of focus, of only toying with other women, Confederate women, to ferret out their secrets so he could pass them along to the Union army, had altered his view of what a real, honest relationship could provide. He had put himself at a crossroads. No, Elise had put him at a crossroads, the minute she gazed up on the riverboat and pleaded for help with her lovely deep blue eyes.

  Now the question before him was, what could he do about it? What did he want to have happen? Perhaps he could still escape this situation with his skin intact. He’d deliver her to those brothers and hope they’d buy the story that he had been her savior and won back for her the all-important breeding papers. They’d slap him on the back, maybe invite him to dinner, and then send him on his way to San Francisco as they took charge of Elise once again.

  But the truth of the matter was he didn’t care for that particular scenario. His skin could not be intact ever again, since she’d crawled under it in only a few days. She’d be right at home on the streets of San Francisco and could help him build a successful life there. But her home and her life was in St. Louis. He had an uphill battle if he planned to pry her away from all she held familiar.

  Could he convince her to take a gamble with him? Could he toss over his need for revenge against Madeline for not trusting him and find his own happiness? He had too many questions, and the Mississippi wasn’t near long enough for him to find the answers. He brushed his hand over his hidden vest pocket in an unconscious gesture.

  Elise snorted her disapproval and her eyes narrowed at him. Madeline’s handkerchief was housed in that pocket, and Elise had seen it several times now. She disapproved of the hanky, and of the woman. James couldn’t control his grin as he fingered the pocket once more, this time well aware of his action. The resulting splash of water in his face was the answer he’d been searching for. Now, he merely needed her to admit her feelings. And he had from now to New Orleans to do just that.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Hours later, with arms aching from the strain and both Elise and James coated with a fine layer of sweat despite the breeze coming off the water, they let the canoe drift down the murky river. James opened the basket of food Sally had provided. He handed Elise a ham sandwich and her tongue flashed out of her mouth, wetting her lips in anticipation of the salty offering. His own mouth dried up as he recalled the feel of her tongue against his teeth. His hardening shaft highlighted in vivid detail his body’s response to his rowing partner and he shifted in his seat.

  He cleared his throat and broke eye contact. He needed to come up with a topic of conversation to get his mind off how his body reacted to a simple flick of her tongue. “So what would you care to discuss while we float down the river eating our sandwiches? The weather? It’s hot and humid. Surely, you have a more burning question for me.”

  “As a matter of fact, I do.” Elise’s tongue darted out to capture a drop of mustard escaping from her sandwich. James fought to control his impulse to growl. “I’m sure you were aware of the ramifications of your choice when you became a spy. You must have known your lover would reject you when you joined the other side and couldn’t tell her the reason you were fighting against everything the North held dear. I think you’ve been keeping Madeline on a pedestal for years so you won’t get involved with anyone else. Am I right?”

  James rolled his shoulders. How did she home in on the truth so quickly, when others had known him for years and never suspected? “Yes, I was fully aware of the ramifications regarding what path I chose, the danger I would be in, the duplicity I needed.”

  “So why did you choose it?” She kept poking at him.

  He took in a deep breath. “All right. If you won’t stop pestering me, I’ll tell you the whole story. It’s time I come clean with someone, anyway.” He raised an eyebrow at her. “I grew up in Pennsylvania and went to West Point, where I graduated with honors. Top of my class. One of my instructors, whose sympathies lay with the Union, had a brother-in-law who was a commanding officer in the Confederate Army in Virginia. My instructor presented me with the idea of applying to work under his brother-in-law, acting as a Confederate, but digging up whatever information I could pass along to the Union.”

  “And you went along with his hare-brained scheme?” Elise plucked an apple from the basket of food.

  “It might have been part of a family feud, but I thought it sounded exciting. And I truly thought Madeline would not care one way or the other, since she’d professed her undying love already. I made up the name Jack Diamond because I didn’t want anyone ever to be able to trace me back to West Point, and to my instructor. I especially didn’t want my instructor’s brother-in-law to ever find out he’d been taken advantage of and played for a fool by his family.” James’s lips curved into a smile. “Didn’t want to disturb his home life any more than it already was. So, as far as anyone in Pennsylvania is aware, James Garnett never served in the military, on either the Union or the Confederate side.”

  “But things didn’t go quite as planned, did they?” Elise took a bite of her apple.

  “The exciting part of the reason remained, but little else. And the excitement was encased in hours, days, weeks of never-ending hiking and boredom. As the weeks became months, and then years, it became part of my makeup to constantly cover my tracks, to be on guard all the time, to not trust anyone.” James shrugged again. “Sometimes, it seemed as if the war would never end.”

  Elise kept up with her line of questioning. “And the part about keeping Madeline on a pedestal for years? Am I right about that, as well?”

  James’s gaze locked on hers for a long heartbeat. Then he blew out a breath. “Enough about
me. Let’s discuss you for a bit. Tell me more about these brothers I’ll be meeting. Calvin and Sally filled me in somewhat, as have you, but I still have questions.”

  “You plan to still be with me when I find my brothers?” Elise’s gaze slid over him. “You obviously have a great deal of self-confidence, if you see yourself still with me at the end of this ordeal or that my brothers won’t harm you when we do meet up. Perhaps I should go back to my original assessment of you. Either you’re a dim wit or a fool.”

  James took a bite of his sandwich. “Indulge me, for God’s sake. Which brother of the four should I be most concerned with?”

  Elise’s eyes grew unfocused as she discussed her family. “Each one is dangerous in his own way. Raoul is the most protective, since he’s the eldest. But if any of them sense I’m in danger, they will jump in first and ask questions later.”

  “Calvin told me your father is French-Canadian, which explains your name as well as your speech. Your lovely accent does at times sound French, but then a string of unintelligible words makes me wonder...” James spread his hands.

  “Oui. Ojibwa is a language that’s relatively unknown in the states. Fortunately, we live in St. Louis, where there are many different nationalities and backgrounds, so no one pays us much mind. For our speech, anyway.” She threw him a sidelong glance. “But they do pay attention when my brothers show up on horseback.”

  “And when you unfurl your whip,” James countered.

  Elise grinned at his comment. “I do have my ways of drawing attention to myself. But my brothers don’t need whips to gain a crowd of onlookers. They’re magnificent, especially on horseback.” She glanced out, over the dirty water.

  “Raoul hasn’t been home much over the years. He first stayed in Canada, living with our grandfather and learning the Indian ways. Then he wandered to Ohio, where he met the woman who is now his wife. They come for a visit once every couple of years or so, which is why he helped deliver the horses to Fort Defiance last year. He and Susannah are here now, showing off their new baby, which is the only reason Raoul will be part of the group to meet me at the dock.”