by Paty Jager
He stood. Darcy grabbed his hand.
“And stay away from Craven.” She showed him the hole in her shirt. “He took my badge and said we should be out of town by morning.”
She hugged Jeremy. He was all she had in the world. “If you don’t see me in the morning, go to Gil and ask him to hide you so Craven doesn’t hurt you.”
“But I thought you said Gil was the enemy?”
“I don’t think so after what you told me. And he likes you. He wouldn’t let Craven hurt you.”
She hugged him again. “Be careful. I’ll be back as soon as I figure out what Craven’s doing.”
Darcy headed down the stairs. She had a lot on her mind as she ducked down alleys and slipped through the kitchen door of Mrs. Danforth’s bathhouse.
*****
Gil paced the length of Main Street and fumed. He’d hunted all over town for Jeremy. The boy knew something which could be dangerous to both him and his sister. The longer the boy hid without fessing what he knew, the more danger he made for the two of them. He didn’t want to see any harm come to either the boy or the young woman.
Their bond was something he barely remembered having with his brothers. Witnessing it first hand, he didn’t want to see it shattered. And he knew good ’n’ well Craven wasn’t above hurting both of them to get what he wanted. If that happened, he’d hunt Craven down and make him pay. His fingers ached. He looked down at the hand clenching his revolver. He’d shot very few men and all in self-defense, but he wouldn’t flinch if it meant saving Darcy or her brother.
After the women were hustled into Mrs. Danforth’s, Gil saw Craven with the marshal’s badge. That bothered him. Darcy wouldn’t have given up the shiny star without a fight. He worried she was somewhere licking her wounds. The fool woman was too stubborn to ask for help.
Going to the dance hadn’t crossed his mind as he stood in front of the quiet saloon keeping a vigilant eye up and down the street. Something was sure to break loose with all the distraction of the women and dance. He had a gut feeling Pete and his gang were up to something.
A woman walked down the street from the bathhouse and sashayed toward the dance hall on wobbly legs. Watching her, the thrumming in his chest told him it had to be the accident-prone marshal.
He followed, grinning, as she clutched at the hitching posts and buildings on her way to the hall. Gil shook his head and caught up to the unsteady woman.
“You need an arm to lean on so no one figures out you aren’t what you’re trying to be?” He smiled when her painted up face went from mad to relieved.
“Oh, it’s you.” She placed a hand on his arm and smiled.
His gut did a twist. Gratitude shone in her gray eyes. He wanted to pick her up and cart her away from this town and whatever mess she was bound to get herself into.
“Why aren’t you shooting me or arguing?” he asked, pulling her closer to his side. He tucked her under his arm and hoped she’d stay there. When the miners saw her, they’d be ogling and drooling. Gil didn’t know if he could sit still and not knock a few teeth out. He knew they wouldn’t have a clue who she was. His gaze skimmed the length of her. That was what she had in mind with all the paint and low cut dress. As much as he tried to be a gentleman, he couldn’t tear his gaze away from her creamy shoulders and white mounds of breast peeking above the silk.
He licked his lips and used all his willpower to raise his gaze to her face. She was oblivious to the hold she had on him.
“I had a talk with Jeremy,” she said, lowering her gaze to the board walkway under their feet.
“Is the kid okay?”
“Yeah, he said you were looking for him. He hid from you because I told him you were the enemy.” She stopped, then turned and looked at him with her penetrating gray gaze. “Do you work for Tobias Craven?”
“That crook? Hell no!” He stared at her. “Is that what you thought?”
“You were always following me. I thought he had you keeping an eye on me. In case I didn’t follow his orders.”
“But you work for him,” he said, watching her closely.
“No, I work for the town.” She lowered her gaze. “Well, not anymore. He took the badge away.”
Gil put a finger under her chin and tipped her face up to look at him. “Are you going to back off now? Leave whatever he’s doing alone?”
She smiled and started to walk away.
Damn her. She would continue to dig until someone got hurt. His chest ached thinking it would most likely be her.
Gil held her elbow to steady her as she picked up her skirt and stepped up the three steps into the dance hall. The music echoed through the large room. Miners were all decked out in their finest. For some that meant clean clothes. Everyone was in a jubilant mood. Some of the men danced with men while others were lucky enough to get a trip around the dance floor with one of Mrs. Danforth’s girls.
The respectable woman of the town stood behind the tables laden with food and drinks, curling their lips at the trollops in bright colored, low-cut dresses. Their gazes roamed to the door as Gil and Darcy entered. By the raised eyebrows and exaggerated frowns, they took the woman on his arm to be one of the fallen women.
Gil looked down at Darcy. She hadn’t noticed the looks from the businessman’s wives. Her eyes shone bright with excitement. He imagined it was the first time she’d attended a dance as a woman. She was going to be in for a shock when the miners didn’t treat her like a lady. He didn’t know why most men treated the women who worked in brothels with less consideration than they would any other woman. They didn’t all choose the life. Some were thrust into it because of circumstances.
He took her by the hand, swinging her out on the dance floor as a waltz began. Pulling her into his arms, he was surprised at how gracefully she floated around the room.
“You’re a good dancer.”
“You don’t have to sound surprised.” Her eyes narrowed.
“It’s just you can’t walk down the street without getting mud from one end of you to the other.”
She looked at him with a sparkle in her eyes.
“Maybe that’s what I want people to think.”
“You’re either a good actor or a good liar.” He watched her grin turn into a pout. It took all his restraint to keep from crushing her to him and tasting those pouty lips.
“I don’t lie.” She sucked in her lip, and he did pull her closer.
“Hey! Don’t hog the girl, others of us want a chance to dance with her,” said a miner, walking beside them. He looked like he would fight if necessary for a stroll around the wood floor with Darcy.
Gil winked at Darcy and handed her over before she could say a word. He needed to put distance between them, but keep an eye on her. She was up to something, and his head told him it would turn out to be no good. His heart, however, was in serious trouble. Just looking at her made it quicken and his groin ache.
While dancing with him, her steps had been graceful and matched his. With the larger man she bounced around, trying to keep up with his jerky steps. Gil moved his gaze up her curves, and smiled. She chatted away at the miner like a magpie. Her painted red lips tipped in a friendly smile. He walked over to the refreshment table and helped himself to a shot of whiskey. Surprisingly, Craven hadn’t held back, it was the good stuff.
Turning to the dance floor, his gaze sought Darcy and found her still in the arms of the big man. He smiled when she spotted him. She rolled her eyes. Someone bumped into his shoulder. When he turned to say something, Craven entered the building.
Gil automatically looked in Darcy’s direction. She stood alert, scanning the crowd. He knew who she sought the minute her gaze landed on Craven. Her eyes narrowed, and her brow furrowed. He didn’t know what she had in mind, but he knew from prior experience, it would be interesting.
Mrs. Danforth entered the building with the flock of German women. The miners all crowded around the entrance to talk to the women. Gil skirted the crowd, heading in the direc
tion he’d last seen Darcy.
She was deep in conversation with a young miner.
“What would a stamp mill mean to this area?” she asked the man.
He looked at her like she’d slapped him. “Why would a girl like you be interested in such things?”
“I heard Mr. Craven mention it and wondered what it was,” she batted her eyelashes and looked innocent, but Gil knew her well enough by now to know she was working the man for information.
“What do I get for me answers?” The miner grinned and pulled her close, grabbing her ample skirts and backside in his hand.
Gil rushed forward. He flung the offending hand aside and pulled Darcy into his arms. “Don’t touch her,” he said in a low voice.
Darcy looked up. She recognized the strong arms holding her, but the menacing voice didn’t fit the man she knew. His eyes glared dark and threatening, his chin set, and his free hand hovered over the gun she’d yet to see him draw.
“I was just haven’ a little fun. You don’t need to go gettin’ yerself all riled up,” the miner said, backing away.
“Gil. Gil.” Darcy put her hand on his face. The day’s growth of whiskers pricked her palm, but she left her hand there, feeling his jaw slowly unclench.
“I’m okay. I can handle myself,” she said in a whisper.
She stared into his dark eyes as his scent filled her nostrils. His arm pulled her tight against him then relaxed. She watched as different expressions played across his face, before he tucked them all away and smiled.
“Sorry. He wasn’t touching you in a gentlemanly manner.” He pulled his arm from around her and leaned against the wall.
Her heart leaped into her throat. He’d been willing to fend the man off with his gun moments before and now he looked at her with such gentleness, it made her shiver.
“I-I said I could handle it.” She looked up at him through her downcast lashes to keep him from seeing the emotions whirling around inside of her. She wasn’t sure what all of them meant, but she knew he wouldn’t like it if she followed him all over like a cow-eyed schoolgirl.
“Sure you could.” He chucked her under the chin and started to move away.
Darcy grabbed his shirt, pulling him around to look at her. “I can take care of myself. I have for several years.” She didn’t know why, but his comment and condescending attitude struck a chord of defiance in her.
“Now, don’t go getting all in a fluster. I’m sure you’ve stayed out of trouble by the skin of your teeth. But you were a kid then. You’ve become a woman.” He put a hand on her cheek. “A beautiful woman.” His gaze dropped to her exposed chest.
A scorching wave of heat started at her middle and flared out to her fingers and toes.
“You have no idea what these men around here would do to you if they had the chance.” His thumb moved back and forth, caressing her cheek.
“W-w-what would they do to me?” She barely heard herself mumble the sentence over the beating of her heart. His gaze turned dark. Only this time a glimmer of something other than violence flickered in his intense stare.
He stepped closer and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her against his long body. His head dipped, and his lips brushed hers.
Her body pressed against him, yearning to feel his strength. He bent closer, lifting her onto her toes. She wound her arms around his neck to keep from melting into the floor. His lips moved urgently over hers. Waves of sensations rushed through her eager body. He grasped her tighter. His hands moved up and down her back, then down over her hips, tracing the contours.
“That is not proper behavior for one of my girls.”
A stinging blow slashed Darcy’s bare shoulder, and she turned from Gil, gasping for air.
“Oh?” Mrs. Danforth’s angry eyes softened and a smile played at the corners of her lips. “Your dinner date.”
Darcy wiped her throbbing lips and looked from the woman to Gil and back.
“Yes, Ma’am.” Her stomach churned, thinking of how she’d just brazenly kissed a man in public.
Gil grasped her hand. “Excuse us Ma’am, but we need to finish our conversation.”
“Find some place a little more private.” Mrs. Danforth unfurled her fan and moved across the room.
Darcy pulled her hand free. “I’m not going anywhere with you.”
“Yes, you are. We need to talk.” Gil reached for her hand.
She backed up, staring at him. He looked the same even though only moments before he’d made her body feel on fire. “What do we need to talk about?”
“You. The danger you and Jeremy are in.”
“We can talk here.” She didn’t want to go somewhere dark and quiet with this man. Aftershocks from his caresses still sizzled in her body
“No. Someone might overhear and tell Craven.” Gil took her hand. They made their way through the crowd of men. She tried not to think about what the men meant by the winks and nods they gave her escort.
Out on the boardwalk, Gil stopped. He looked up and down the street.
“What’s wrong?” Darcy followed his actions. The length of the street was still. A few horses were tied to the hitching rail in front of the hall, but farther along the street remained vacant. It seemed unusually quiet for the time of night, but then everyone was at the dance.
“Nothing.” He put an arm around her shoulders and headed down the street.
“Where are we going?” She fell in step alongside of him. It seemed natural to have his arm draped across her shoulders. His fingers softly stroked her bare skin.
“You’ll see.”
She studied his profile in the moonlight. His lean features made her body hum. What was it about him that made her feel things she’d never felt before?
He turned toward the saloon.
Darcy pulled back. “I can’t go in there.”
“We’ll take the back stairs up to my room.”
She planted her feet. “I’m definitely not going in there.”
Chapter 11
“Are you still scared of me?” Gil pushed his cavalry hat back, allowing the moonlight to reveal his face.
“No. I mean. I’ve never been scared of you. Only wary.” Annoyed by the smirk on his face, she glared at him and folded her arms, nearly popping her breasts above the neckline of the dress. Embarrassed, she yanked up on the front. The shoulders of the garment dropped lower.
“Here. Let me help.” Gil stepped forward, running his hands up her arms, scorching her skin as he slid the straps back into place.
Her heart thudded in her chest. The sound of water rushed through her head as he dipped his fingers under the lace of the neckline, shifting the bodice back into place.
She ran her salivating tongue over dry lips and glanced at Gil. His gaze slowly drifted from where he’d settled her dress to her eyes.
“Seriously, we need to talk.” He took her hand, leading her to the base of the stairs on the side of the building.
Darcy gulped. What would her mother think if she were alive to witness her daughter, dressed like a strumpet, sashaying to a room over a saloon? Gil stopped when she didn’t follow.
“I swear this is the only place I can think of where we can talk in private.” He started up the stairs once more.
Curiosity pushed her forward. She and Jeremy had never had the money to stay in a hotel. And it was Gil’s room. She wanted to learn more about the man. Darcy gathered the front of her skirt in her arms and followed his long, lean body up the steps.
The moon ducked behind a cloud. She shivered. Why was she hurrying after a man headed to a hotel room? A man who made her body fevered when he kissed her. The cold shiver of apprehension turned to warm anticipation, causing her to climb faster.
She didn’t know near enough about this man. The attraction she had for him unsettled her. They needed to talk. She wanted to learn what he was really doing in Galena.
Her cheeks heated. She also wanted to see his eyes darken and his head bend down. She wanted him
to take her in his arms and kiss her like he had at the dance.
At the top of the stairs, he surveyed the alley and street before opening the door and dragging her into the lighted hallway. She dropped her skirt and stumbled from the weight of the billowing fabric which seemed to have a mind of its own. Gil stopped long enough to put a helping arm around her and hurried down the hall. He pulled her into a room on the right.
With his arm still holding her, Gil kicked the door shut, and turned the key sticking out of the keyhole.
“Why are you locking me in?” Darcy asked as fear not for herself, but Jeremy, flashed through her mind. If Gil kept her prisoner to keep her from discovering what Craven had planned tonight, Jeremy could get caught in the mess and come to harm.
“I’m not locking you in. I’m locking other people out.”
“Surely, you don’t think someone will come looking for us?” Until this moment her evening had been one big game. Plying the miners for information and even flirting with Gil had all been a game of gathering information. Of outsmarting Craven. His comment brought the seriousness of the situation into focus.
“We don’t know. Since you aren’t marshal anymore who’s looking after the prisoner?”
Darcy nearly sunk to the floor as her knees buckled. “I hadn’t thought about him.”
Gil stared direct and intense. “Is Jeremy alone at the jail?”
“No.” She couldn’t meet his gaze. “He’s hiding from Craven. After taking my badge, Craven told us to stay out of his sight and be out of town by morning.”
Gil pulled her into his arms. “I have some unfinished business I’ll take care of tomorrow. You and Jeremy head out at first light toward Baker City. I’ll catch up with you there.”
“We’re not going anywhere.” She pulled out of his embrace. His thoughts were noble, but dang, she loved this town and no crooked mayor was going to send her packing.
“You can’t stay here if Craven has it out for you.” He tossed his hat onto the chair and ran a hand through his hair.
“I’m tired of drifting. I like Galena, and I plan on staking a claim. Me and Jeremy will run it. We’ll be fine.” Her words held more conviction than her stomach. It twisted with apprehension. What if they didn’t figure out what Craven and the big-eared man were plotting? If she couldn’t prove his unlawful behavior, she couldn’t talk the town into ousting the man.