“I can’t hear what’s goin’ on downstairs when I’m upstairs cleanin’,” Lucy protested. “Whatta you want me to do?”
“Ya better find out somethin’ an’ quick,” the male voice said urgently. “I told Patrick ya could, an’ he ain’t gonna like it if ya don’t. Ya gotta get me somethin’, ya gotta.”
“How am I s’posed to do that?”
“I dunno. Figure it out, and ya better do it before Saturday.”
“What if I can’t?”
“Ya gotta, Lucy, or ya might never see me again.”
“Whatta ya mean?”
“I’ll have a dang bullet ‘tween my eyes.”
“No. Don’t say that.”
“Patrick don’t take excuses. I’ll come back Friday at sunset, and ya gotta have stuff to tell me.”
“I will, I promise, no matter what, I will. Please be careful.”
“That’s m’girl, now come ‘ere. Send me back with a kiss.”
Their conversation abruptly stopped. There was a trail that led from the back of the house up the mountain, and down the other side into town. Dolly assumed that’s how the uninvited visitor had arrived.
As she heard the sound of their goodbyes, she stood quiet and still, not sure what to do. She could grab Lucy and march her into her father’s office, or she could not say a word to the girl and tell her father what she’d overheard. Deciding the latter was the smarter plan, she darted quickly away, and slipping through the side door, she deposited her cakes into one of the urns and hurried to his study.
Chapter Thirteen
Dolly stood before the door to her father’s study wondering if she should knock, or wait until it opened and the men walked out, then finally decided her news was important enough to interrupt. Gently tapping, she waited a moment, then heard her father’s voice invite her in.
“Oh, it’s you, Dolly,” he said as she entered. “We’re havin’ a meetin’. Can it wait?”
“Actually, Duke, I should be headin’ back to town,” Kenny Bragg declared, rising to his feet. “I think we’ve pretty much covered all we need to.”
“I’m sure you’re a busy man, Duke, but there are some personal matters I’d like to discuss if you can spare the time,” Tucker said, wishing Dolly wasn’t standing so close to him.
A fleeting glance when she’d walked in had sent his heart racing. Would his disguise as Father O’Brien fool the smart, sassy Dolly? He could feel her eyes on him, and he was beginning to feel uncomfortable. Had she already recognized him?
“Thanks for comin’ up,” Duke said, moving around his desk and walking Bragg to the door. “You watch your back!”
“Sure thing, Duke. Good to meet ya, Father O’Brien. You be careful. Those McGill boys and their gang are bad, real bad. They’ve got evil runnin’ through their veins,” then pausing, he looked at Dolly and smiled. “How are ya, Dolly? It’s good to see ya.”
“Fine, thanks, Kenny.”
“Maybe I’ll be seein’ ya again soon?”
“Uh, maybe, I don’t know, I don’t go into town much anymore,” she replied, then fixing him with a steely gaze, she added, “You’re the marshal, why can’t you get things—”
“Now, Dolly,” Duke interrupted. “Kenny here can only do so much.”
“And clearly, it’s not enough.”
“I do my best, Dolly, but I’m only one man.”
Tucker could see Dolly was about to say something, then bit her lip.
“Thanks again for comin’ up,” Duke said, guiding him to the door, wanting to prevent any further conversation with the marshal and his daughter.
“Sure, any time, Duke. Bye, Dolly.”
“Goodbye, Kenny.”
Duke closed the door, then turned back to Dolly.
“You shouldn’t have said that,” he scolded. “You must learn to hold your tongue.”
“I did hold my tongue,” she retorted. “I could have said more and I didn’t.”
“That’s something to be thankful for, I suppose. Now tell me what’s so all-fired urgent.”
“I heard something, something important,” she declared, following her father as he returned to his desk. “Is it okay for me to tell you now?”
“Yes, yes, you can speak freely in front of Father O’Brien, and I’m sorry, you two haven’t met. Father O’Brien, this is my daughter, Dolores, but we call her Dolly. Dolly, this is Father O’Brien. He’s here helpin’ out Tucker Prescott.”
“How do you do, father,” she said sweetly. “I heard you were coming here this morning. I was hoping I might be able to talk to you. Privately, I mean.”
“With me? I’ll be happy to help if I can.”
“Wonderful, thank you,” Dolly said gratefully. “Now I simply must tell you, father, Lucy is the one who’s been spying on us. She was talking to someone around the side of the house. He told her to get information. He said they’d both be in trouble with Patrick if she didn’t.”
“Lucy? It was Lucy?”
“Yes, father, Lucy.”
“And this fella she was talkin’ to, he actually used the name Patrick?” her father pressed. “Are you sure?”
“Yes, father, I’m definitely sure.”
“That is most disturbin’,” he said grimly, shaking his head. “Disturbin’ and surprisin’. I always liked that girl. Thank you, Dolly, you’ve been a great help. You’d best leave us now. The father and I need to do some talkin’ in private.”
“You will see me before you leave, won’t you, father?” she said earnestly. “I’ll wait for you in the front reception room.”
“Yes, yes, that’s fine,” Tucker nodded, wishing he could think of a reason to say no.
His body was already feeling the subtle effects of being around her, and as she moved across the room and out the door, he took a deep breath. Every part of him wanted to ravage her.
“It’s good we know about this,” Tucker remarked as Dolly closed the door behind her.
“Lucy! I can’t believe it,” Duke grunted. “She’s been with us for a couple of years, and she’s always been such a good, reliable girl.”
“I’ll be seeing Tucker shortly, and I’d like to discuss this with him before we act.”
“That’s fine with me,” Duke nodded. “I need to think about it myself. What was the other thing you needed to talk about?”
“Is there a mayor of Spring Junction?”
“You’re lookin’ at him,” Duke replied. “I don’t use the title much, only on official occasions, and those are rare. It sorta happened naturally. Me and a few friends settled here and started ranchin’, and as the town grew, no one else wanted the job, and I’ve never challenged for it. Why do you ask?”
“So as mayor, you have the power to deputize?”
“Sure do. Whatta you thinkin’?”
“Tucker has suggested you deputize him so he can make arrests if he needs to.”
“That’s a fine idea. Sure can’t rely on Bragg, he’s done nothin’ to fix things around this place, but I guess after you go to Kitty’s today we might just find out why. Even if he isn’t in with McGill, I gotta say, he’s been a real disappointment. Dolly was right about him.”
“Dolly?”
“He was comin’ here and visitin’ with her, but after a while she told me, and I’m gonna say just like she did, he’s not man enough. I didn’t know what to say to her, but I reckon she’s been proven right.”
Tucker felt a visceral reaction. Was he jealous that Bragg had once been paying attention to Dolly? That wasn’t like him, not at all.
“Getting back to Tucker,” he said, wanting to refocus his mind and worried about getting to Kitty’s Korner by noon, “can you have your men in the stable yard around one-thirty? As I mentioned earlier, he needs to tell them his plan to stop the stagecoach holdup. It’s simple. Won’t take long.”
“I’ll make sure they’re here. They’re fired up about gettin’ the town back. It’s been real frustratin’ and they’ll be rarin’
to go.”
“And he’ll need cash, single dollar bills, a lot of them. Do you have that on hand?”
“Sure do. When I saw how bad the McGill brothers were gonna be, I took a lotta my money outta the bank. What’s he gonna need it for?”
“I’ll leave that up to him. He’ll explain everything.”
“Why don’t you come on back with him? Whatever happens at Kitty’s, you can rest here and be safe. I’m not sure how long you’ll be able to call that cabin home after shootin’ those fellas yesterday, and I’ve gotta say, father, that was impressive. How did you outshoot two sharp gunfighters, and get the pistols of all four of them?”
“As I keep saying, I’m lucky,” he grinned, “and I appreciate the offer to stay here, but I have another safe haven, and I need to be close to town.”
“Please be careful,” Duke said solemnly. “I’ll be worried come noontime.”
“Trust me, I’ll be walking away none the worse for wear.”
“I hope you’re right. It’s no wonder you and Tucker work well together. I only met him that one time in San Francisco, but it seems you two are cut from the same cloth.”
“I’ll take that a compliment,” Tucker smiled, “but time is ticking. I’d better go and talk with your daughter.”
“Use my office,” Duke offered, walking around his desk. “It’ll give you more privacy.”
“That’s very kind of you.”
“My pleasure. I’ll go and fetch her, and thank you for comin’ to Spring Junction and helpin’ us, Father O’Brien,” Duke said, shaking the priest’s hand. “I’m mighty grateful.”
“Just doing the Lord’s work,” Tucker said humbly.
“I’ll see you again soon, I’m sure,” Duke said, then moved swiftly across the room and out the door.
The moment Duke left the office, Tucker placed his chair back-to-back with the one next to it, and had just sat down when Dolly walked in.
“I thought it might be easier for you to talk to me this way,” he declared, admiring her loveliness as entered.
“Thank you, Father O’Brien, it will, it definitely will.”
Looking away, he could hear the rustle of her dress as she neared, and as she settled behind him, his pulse ticked up; she was so close, so enticingly close. He’d been in shootouts, more fights than he could remember, he’d changed from being an outlaw to helping the law, and he had enjoyed many lustful hours with a variety of women, but this was a first; a slip of a girl was making his head spin.
“How should I start?” she asked softly.
“Do you have a guilty conscience?”
“Yes, but there are other things as well, or rather, one other thing.”
“Why don’t you tell me about your sins first? What is it you’re feeling guilty about?”
“Oh, dear,” she sighed. “I thought this would be easy, but it’s not.”
“Whatever you tell me will be our secret, along with the Lord, of course. You can speak you mind freely.”
“The thing is, yesterday, when those gunmen burst into the cabin, I, uh, I was there, I was looking through the window.”
“That is a frightening thought,” he mumbled, skirting the line between telling her the truth and lying.
“I had promised my father I wouldn’t go down there because of all the trouble, but I couldn’t stop myself.”
“Do you usually have so little self-control?”
“Sometimes. The thing is, I disobeyed him, and a part of me wants to tell him, but if I do, then he’ll be very upset with me, and I’ll have to explain why I did it.”
“And why was that?”
“It’s, um, well… it’s about Tucker.”
“Tucker?”
“I, uh, I don’t know how to say this,” she said haltingly.
“Just say it,” he pressed, finding his deception unnerving.
“I think about Tucker all the time, and I worry,” she began. “He makes me feel things, deep things, inside my heart and my body, and all I wanted was to catch a glimpse of him. That’s why I couldn’t stay away.”
“I see,” he said softly, seriously thinking that he should expose himself.
“Do you think he’s an honest man, father?”
“As honest as any man, I expect.”
“Are there times when it’s better to be dishonest?”
“That is a difficult question. Life presents many situations that might call for, shall we say, discretion?”
“Not telling my father the truth, is that one of those times?”
“I would say not, but confessing what you did, and cleaning the slate with him, that’s a decision only you can make.”
“What about now, with you,” she continued, rising to her feet and walking around her chair to stand in front of him.
He looked up into her face, her beautiful face with her iridescent blue eyes sparkling down at him, and found his mouth falling dry.
“Is there something wrong, father?” she asked, dropping onto her knees in front of him. “Tell me, father, am I a bad woman for feeling these things?”
“No,” he managed. “I’m sure there is nothing bad in you, nothing.”
“Do you feel things too?” she whispered. “Please, tell me the truth, please.”
His heart skipped a beat. She knew he was Tucker! She knew, and she was on her knees, begging him to tell her the truth; begging him to speak the words she was aching to hear.
“Dolly,” he breathed, “of course I feel all those things.”
“Tucker…”
Taking her hands, he stood up and helped her to her feet, then abruptly pulling her into his arms, he squeezed her against him, gripping her tightly, closing his eyes as he felt her melt into him.
“Why didn’t you tell me you were Father O’Brien?” she whispered. “You could have told me yesterday. I was so confused.”
“It would have put you in danger,” he replied, dropping the Irish accent.
“How you dealt with those men, it was terrifying. You were amazing, you are amazing, but why the disguise?”
“Pretendin’ to be Father O’Brien gives me a cover. It helps me learn about things safely, things Tucker wouldn’t be able to find out, and Father O’Brien is always underestimated, but, Dolly, you mustn’t breathe a word, not to your father, not to anyone. If you do, it could be the death of me, literally, do you understand?”
“Yes, I understand,” she nodded, “and I’m sorry if I made this uncomfortable for you. I couldn’t help myself.”
“You say that a lot,” he frowned. “You need to learn self-discipline.”
“I know,” she sighed.
“I’m curious,” Tucker said, still holding her tightly, loving the feel of her too much to let her go. “When did you know I was Father O’Brien?”
“Pretty much when I saw you,” she said, smiling into his chest. “You may be wearing spectacles, but they can’t hide your eyes.”
“Hmm, I’m gonna have get me some tinted ones,” he grinned, finally pulling back and gazing down at her. “I hate to do this, but I’ve gotta go. I’ve gotta be at Kitty’s.”
“I wish you wouldn’t do that. You’ll be walking into a gunfight.”
“How do you know that?”
“When I left, I stood outside the door and listened,” she admitted. “You’re going to Kitty’s because you want to see if anything happens. It will. I’ve never thought Kenny was an honest man, and he’s weak. I’m sure he’s in with the McGill brothers.”
“Dolly, I won’t be walkin’ into a gunfight, but if some of Patrick’s men show up to do me harm, they’ll be the ones endin’ up in a mite of hurt.”
“I hope you’re right. I’ll be so worried.”
“Hey, I’ve got them beat so far, haven’t I?”
“Yes,” she nodded, “and you’d better do it again.”
“I will,” he smiled, “and I can only kiss you lightly wearin’ this beard and mustache, but I promise I’ll be makin’ up for i
t later.”
“I’ll hold you to that, Tucker Prescott.”
He pressed his lips onto hers, and immediately his cock, already at half-mast, surged to its full stature, causing him to let out a soft groan.
“Are you all right?” she asked, wishing he didn’t have to leave.
“About as all right as I’ve ever been,” he smiled, and gave her a last quick squeeze before breaking away.
“Please be careful,” she said softly.
“I will, I’ll be extra careful,” he said soberly. “I have you to come back to, and I’ll be returnin’ as plain old Tucker.”
“Plain old Tucker?” she smiled. “There’s nothing plain or old about him.”
Chapter Fourteen
Tucker returned to the cabin, and after leaving Ranger in his corral, he hurried inside to find Maude busy at the stove. His few stolen moments with Dolly had distracted him, and he’d completely forgotten he’d told Maude she could deliver provisions and cook up a meal. It wasn’t like him, and he silently chided himself. Dolly or no Dolly, he had to stay focused.
“Hello, father. I’ve just started this stew. It should be ready in a couple of hours. Can I do anything else for you while I’m here?”
“Uh, no, no, that’s very kind of you,” he said, quickly gathering his wits. “I didn’t see your horse.”
“I came down in the trap. It’s behind the cabin, and I left Jezzie to graze in the field. She’s a lazy mare, she won’t go anywhere.”
“Thank you for stopping and taking care of things, but I’m going to be leaving, and I think it’s best you do too,” he said soberly. “I’m not sure what’s going to happen this afternoon, and this cabin might not be the safest place for you.”
“I should go right now?”
“I think it would be best,” he said, trying to stay patient. He was running out of time, and he didn’t need to get caught up in a long conversation with Maude.
“I see,” she nodded, wiping her hands on her apron. “I’ll just tidy up my—”
“No, leave it,” he said, cutting her off, then seeing her startled expression, he added, “My apologies, Maude. A man of the cloth should never lose patience. I just need to get into town and I wouldn’t feel comfortable leaving you here by yourself, not at the moment. I’d never forgive myself if anything happened to you.”
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