Sam raised his eyebrows. “That’s real interesting, Harry. How long have you been doing that?”
Harry raised one hand as if swearing to God on a Bible when he replied, “Oh, it’s been most of my life. I started the journal when I was just a kid. As soon as my father taught me to write.”
“That’s pretty amazing,” Sam nodded. “I hope I am mentioned in there in a good way.”
Harry lifted the mug Sam slid his way. “Indeed you are, kind bartender! Indeed you are!” he said in a loud voice. Sam smiled and backed away. Harry turned his attention to Agatha, who stared at him in a half-drunken stupor as he spoke.
“So how do you like Wickenburg? It’s a nice little town, isn’t it? I know you just got here. Wait until you’ve been here for a few months like I have. You get to know everyone, if you’re like me anyway, and make new friends and see new sights, why, there’s so many new things to see in this big world.”
“Have you been anywhere but the United States?” Agatha asked, moving her hand to wrap it around her mug. She blinked quickly to clear her blurry eyes.
“No. Funny you should ask that, too. I’ve been thinking about going overseas, writing out all of my adventures and the people I meet and making it into a book. Think of it!” He looked up into the air and spread his hands like a rainbow. “Harry Axton! Adventurer extraordinaire! My name would look great on the front of a book, don’t you think? I think so. I’m gonna do it someday. I’ll find a way.”
“Do you have the money to do that?”
Harry’s mood shifted slightly. She could tell he’d become a bit uncomfortable. She enjoyed taking delight in it.
“Not yet. But I will. I’ll get it someday. Just gotta save. That’s all.”
“What kind of money are you making now?”
Harry gave her a sidelong look as he took a drink from the mug. “I get by.” He said before taking a long drink. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and burped.
She smirked. “What a gentleman.”
He laughed.
“You know who does have the money for that?” Agatha asked him, the brim of the mug on her lips.
“Who?” Harry asked.
“That man, Gabe Stapleton. The one who checked in today. He’s got that kind of money. I bet he could travel the world three times if he wanted to.”
“What makes you say that? I didn’t get that impression from him.”
Agatha narrowed her eyes. “He told me himself. He told me he’s got accounts in banks all around the West coast and he has quick access to money whenever he needs it. Any amount!”
Harry’s eyes opened wide. “Really!”
Agatha felt a tingling sensation in her stomach. That happened whenever she started up a new story. She enjoyed making things up about people she didn’t know. It was funny when the person was bombarded with questions that would make absolutely no sense. One way or another, someone would be embarrassed and that was the sweetest thing of all.
“Yes,” she replied. “He told me that he has servants in several ranch houses around the country.”
When she mentioned “servants”, she noticed a doubtful look come across Harry’s face. His eyes flicked to the side as his brain processed that. She was quick to correct herself.
“I mean he has employees, you know, ranch hands and stuff. A butler and a housekeeper, you know.”
“Right.” Harry nodded. “Right.”
“So if you want a loan, maybe you should talk to him about it. I bet he would be happy to give you the money to travel.”
Harry frowned. “I don’t think I’ll do that. Seems to me he’s got his own thing to deal with right now. He looks like a moody character to me.”
“Moody?” Agatha felt a small flicker of anger run through her. “He doesn’t seem in the least bit moody to me.”
Harry shrugged. “I don’t know. I didn’t talk to him much. And I usually like everyone. Not that I don’t like everyone. I do. People like me, too. I’m real friendly. And I like him. Not saying I don’t. I just… I guess I just haven’t talked to him as much as you.”
Agatha grinned. “I’m quite sure you haven’t. We’ve made good friends since we both got here. We’ve been talking a lot.”
“I didn’t know that.”
Again, Agatha detected the sound of doubt in his voice. She smiled at him. “Well, it’s true.”
He nodded. “I believe you.” However, it didn’t sound like he did. He turned away from her and was quiet for a moment. She had the distinct feeling that was rare for him. He was usually talking. She pushed back on the side of the bar, steadying herself as she tried to stand. Her head was spinning.
“You better just hold on there, little missy,” Sam said. “Let me get you some coffee to clear your head before you head back.”
“I could use a nap,” Agatha mumbled, touching the top of the counter and noticing how cold it was.
“I think you drank too fast,” Harry said. “I’ve seen that happen before. You should take a bed. You got beds here, don’t you, Sam?”
Sam nodded. “Sure do.”
“I’ll pay for her if you give her a room.”
Sam made his way around the counter, shaking his head. “No need to pay me anything. She’s only gonna need to sleep this off for a few hours. And if she stays all night, so be it. Can’t let a lady go around town making a fool of herself the first day she arrives, can we?”
“I reckon we can’t.” Harry stood up.
Agatha put her forehead down against the bar and groaned. “This counter is so cool. It’s so cool. My face is so hot.”
The men could barely hear her. Sam, being much larger and stronger than Harry, scooped Agatha up in his arms. Her head lolled back and she passed out. He nodded with his head.
“Get that third door up there on the right.”
“Will do.”
Harry bound up the stairs, taking two at a time. He was tall and gangly. It was no trouble for him to be on the second floor in a mere matter of seconds. He flung open the door and stepped to the side. Sam passed him by, turning to the side to go through without hitting the woman on the door jambs.
He laid her on the bed, pulling the covers back. Once she was resting comfortably, he removed her boots.
“Can I help with anything?”
Harry asked from behind him. Sam looked over his shoulder. “No. I don’t think so. Go on back down stairs. I’ll be right there.” Harry nodded, turned and went back out the door.
Sam looked down at the woman, touching her forehead to see if she was feverish. She wasn’t. She was snoring heavily though. He grunted, amused. She turned over heavily. Not wanting to touch her inappropriately, he stood back up and went to the door. With one last look, he left, closing the door behind him with an almost silent click.
Harry was waiting for him at the bottom of the stairs. “I think that woman has a problem,” he said, lifting his glass and swallowing the rest of his beer.
“I think you’re right.” Sam agreed, walking around the bar to resume his duties.
“You gonna keep serving her?”
Sam raised one eyebrow. “As long as she keeps paying. But I won’t let her drink like that. I’m not in the business of killing people.”
“She’ll go to the other saloon.”
“I won’t need her business if it comes to that. Let Ned take care of her.”
Harry took out a few coins and dropped them on the bar. “Here ya go, Sam. Till next time.”
“Thanks, Harry.”
“Oh, and if you need any help.” Harry pointed to the stairs. “You know, with… just send Allan to the hotel or something.”
“I’ll do that.”
“See you.”
“See you, Harry.”
Harry went to the saloon doors and looked up at the sky. “Looks like it might rain soon.”
Sam nodded. “Yeah, I can feel it in my bones.”
Harry pushed the doors open and went out onto the street. He p
lopped his hat back on his head so that the sun would shine on his face. He wanted to enjoy it while he could. Whenever it rained, he stayed inside. He wasn’t interested in getting wet. He enjoyed the sound of the rain through his window but detested going out in it, umbrella or not. In addition, here in Wickenburg, the streets became exceedingly muddy when they were rain-soaked.
“It’s gonna be a fine afternoon, though,” he murmured to himself. “Gotta enjoy it now and when it rains, I’ll sit in the window and write about all these people I’m meeting.”
He smiled to himself, adjusting his vest so that it sat more comfortably around his shoulders. He got close to the hotel and saw that Claire and Elizabeth were standing outside. They didn’t appear to have any purpose other than to get in some of the sun’s rays, just like he was.
He lifted a hand in greeting, spun it in the air and bowed at the waist. “Greetings, pretty ladies. How are you on this fine afternoon?”
Elizabeth grinned. “I’m well, Harry, thank you for asking.”
Claire’s smile was teasing as she shook her head. “You’ve been drinking, Mr. Axton. You better go inside before the sheriff comes and hauls you away from being so drunk in public.”
Harry laughed, understanding that she was teasing. “Oh no, nothing will deprive me of my afternoon stroll. I did have a few at Sam’s but I’m not drunk by any means. I’m enjoying the day.”
“We are, too,” Claire said. “It’s a beautiful day, isn’t it?”
“Yes, it is.”
Harry was about to pass the ladies when he stopped. He turned and looked back at them with narrowed eyes and a small smirk. “Guess who I just saw in the Horse N Saddle?” he asked. They looked at each other and then back at him, shaking their heads.
“The lady that checked in after Gabe. Agatha… Agatha…” He looked up, searching his memory for her last name.
“Ainsworth,” Elizabeth supplied in a surprised voice. “You saw Ms. Ainsworth in the Horse N Saddle? What was she doing in there?”
Harry gave her a look like she had asked the dumbest question in the world. “Well, she was drinking, of course.”
“Is she still there drinking?” Claire asked, turning to look down the street toward the Horse N Saddle saloon.
Harry shook his head. “She’s still there but she’s not drinking.”
Claire looked back at him, frowning. “What do you mean?”
He grinned wickedly. “She drank a lot in a short amount of time. She passed out and Sam took her to a bed upstairs.”
“You are joshing me!” Claire said, her eyes widening. She whipped her head around and stared down the street, as if she could see inside the saloon from where she stood. Elizabeth had turned pale and covered her mouth with her hands.
“Oh my,” she breathed.
“Yeah, it came as a surprise to me, too.”
“But when she fainted earlier, Gabe brought her a bottle of whiskey. She drank from it like it was water.”
“Then she was already drinking. That’s why she fell out so quickly. And she almost did. Fall, I mean. Right off the stool she was sitting on.”
“Oh dear.” Elizabeth tried not to giggle. Her hand was covering her mouth for a different reason now. She looked back and forth between the two of them to see if they noticed she was trying not to burst out in laughter.
“This is not funny, Elizabeth,” Claire said, shaking her head, scolding the younger girl lightly. “She has a serious problem.”
“I know she does.”
“I know she does, too,” Harry said loudly. “But I’m not going to pretend like it’s my problem to deal with. No, no. She’s not part of my circus, let me tell you that.”
“Your circus?” Elizabeth asked. “What do you mean?”
“My circus. The characters I deal with. She's not one of them. I have many characters in my head and sometimes they are based on people I know. Like you two. I can come up with some fine characters from the two of you, your basic habits, your walk, talk, style, all of that. But that woman? Oh, I suppose she would do for a villain. But I don’t deal with villains on a daily basis. I try not to anyway. And I don’t let that kind of character control my actions. Or the way I treat other people.”
Elizabeth and Claire shared a look. There was a good chance Harry wasn’t planning on being quiet anytime soon.
“You know the strangest thing? She acted as though she is extremely close to that new fellow, Gabe, the one you said gave her the whiskey.”
Claire blinked at him. “She did?”
“Yes. She told me to ask him for a loan. She said he’s very rich and that he owns land all over and has many accounts, things like that. And I mentioned I want to travel and she told me to ask him for money. Can you imagine?” He laughed loudly. “Ask the man for money? In exchange for what? My youth?”
The women laughed with him, though not as boisterously.
“Well, I must go inside.”
He turned and went through the door of the hotel, leaving the two women to look after him and then at each other with puzzled expressions.
CHAPTER EIGHT
THE RAMBLINGS OF A DRUNKEN WOMAN
THE RAMBLINGS OF A DRUNKEN WOMAN
“So then he said that she told him to ask you for money.” Claire was seated on the couch in the lobby of the hotel next to Gabe. They were sipping tea and talking quietly. It had been two days since Gabe arrived in Wickenburg. He had spent a good deal of time with his cousin and Adam. They’d given him a tour around town.
The big dinner celebration went off without a hitch. One of the things Claire enjoyed about it the most was that Agatha hadn’t come back from the Horse N Saddle. In fact, she didn’t come back until the next day and when she did, she’d already started drinking and went up to her room to sleep it off the second time around. Another thing she thoroughly enjoyed was the fact that Gabe spent most of the time sitting near her, talking to her or sometimes looking in her general direction.
She gazed at him sitting next to her, remembering the twinkle in his eyes when she caught him looking at her. He didn’t seem in the least embarrassed. In fact, he was confident. That made him even more attractive in her eyes.
Now he looked confused. He was staring through the front window at the street outside. She could see he was thinking about what she’d told him. She was amused by it. He didn’t seem to be.
“Well, don’t you think that’s really strange that she would say she knows you so well? And that you are so wealthy? I know you have money. I’ve heard what you’ve said in the past. But for her to not only exaggerate your wealth but to volunteer your money to someone else…” She shook her head. “It just doesn’t make sense, does it?”
“No.” Gabe finally looked over at her. She could see he was more than a little upset by the conversation. “It makes no sense at all. I have only spoken to her on occasion. I don’t even think I spoke to her yesterday. Not at all. Did you?”
Claire thought about it. “As a matter of fact, I don’t think I did. I am not sure she even came out of her room.”
“No, I think she came back from the Horse N Saddle yesterday afternoon drunk again and now she’s sleeping that off.”
“Yes, I think you’re right.” Claire shifted a little, pulling her feet up under her on the couch.
He could see her in the corner of his eye. He watched her moving. She was slender and her body moved fluidly, like a dancer. He wondered if she had ever done any dancing, like ballet. She looked like she could be a ballet dancer. He didn’t want to look directly at her. He was afraid she would see how attracted he was to her on his face. He didn’t want her to know about that. Not yet. Maybe not ever. It would depend on what happened when his secret was revealed. It was bound to come out at some point. There was no way such a thing could stay buried for long.
He shuddered. It would chase him to the end of his days if it never came out. Therefore, either way, he was going to pay for his misdeeds, no matter what his intentions might have
been. He dared to glance at Claire. She was looking at him and when their eyes met, she smiled wide.
“I thought you had left, Gabe.”
He frowned. “What do you mean?”
“You were so lost in thought. I don’t think you heard anything I’ve said in the last few minutes.”
He colored deeply and looked down. “I apologize. Yes, I was lost in thought.” He wasn’t about to tell her his thoughts were about her.
“You left in your mind. You were nowhere near Wickenburg.”
“I was here in Wickenburg,” he said, giving her a meaningful look. “I promise you. My thoughts were here in Wickenburg.” His chest was tight with anxiety. He wondered if she understood his meaning. She gazed into his eyes and gave him a small smile.
“I see,” she said softly. “Did you… did you know there’s a festival coming up?”
Gabe’s former humor returned and he grinned wide. “You mean here in Wickenburg? You must be joshing. Nothing is ever taking place here in Wickenburg!”
They both laughed. It was a well-known fact that Wickenburg held a festival as often as they could. Someone once said the town would hold a festival if the sky was blue instead of raining as they had thought it would. Sunny day? Might as well throw a party.
“I love that about this little town,” Claire said, feeling warmth cover her when she looked at him. He was tall and handsome, with broad shoulders and a quick smile. All the things she loved in a man. Well, some of the things. Men had many traits, both physical and in their personalities that made her attracted to them. “They always love to have fun, don’t they?”
“Are you planning to stay in Wickenburg long?” he asked.
“I’m not sure. I reckon I’ll want to stay once I’m established here. I don’t like to move all around.”
“I understand. I’m a one home kind of man myself. I plan to build the ranch and live on it for the rest of my life. Hopefully leave it to my children, if I have any. I don’t have any yet. I’m not a widower. A lot of people think I am because of my advanced age.”
An Obsessive Bride Page 6