by Bobbi Smith
Dex stirred and mumbled something. She froze, biting down on her bottom lip to keep from crying out her fear that he might come fully awake and want to take her again. Already her flesh was starting to bruise from his harsh treatment, and she couldn't wait to be free of him. When he promptly fell back asleep, she breathed a sigh of relief and scooted the rest of the way out of the bed.
Escape. . . . The word echoed through Jenny's mind. She wanted to get away from him as fast as she could, but she felt so dirty that she had to wash first. With silent urgency, she scrubbed herself clean at the washstand, erasing all vestiges of his touch from her skin. She trembled as she thought of his hurtful gropings and silently prayed that he wouldn't wake up. When she was done, she threw on her clothes, and as she adjusted the low-cut neckline of the red-and-black satin gown, she hoped the marks he'd made on her body didn't show.
Dressed at last, Jenny cast a glance at her reflection in the small mirror over the washstand. She needed to make certain that she looked all right, for it wouldn't do for Ed the bartender to discover she'd been crying. She was glad to find that her makeup was still intact. She added another touch of red to her lips, then pasted on a bright smile to convince Ed that she was enjoying her job. It never ceased to amaze her how old she looked with rouge and lip color on. She doubted anyone would guess she'd just turned sixteen.
Jenny's thoughts drifted for a moment to what her life had been like the year before when she'd fled her home after her mother had died and her father had remarried. It had been hell living with the hateful, domineering woman. She'd thought things would be better if she left, but now sometimes she wondered . . .
Jenny looked worriedly back to the bed where the drunken cowboy thankfully still slept, then fled the room. As she closed the door and rushed down the hall, she wondered why she was hurrying. There were only more drunken cowboys waiting for her below, along with Ed, who watched and criticized her every move. She'd just started down the steps when the door to her room was thrown open.
"Hey! Jenny! Where d'ya think you're going?" Dex hollered as he staggered naked out into the hall after her.
Jenny stopped where she was, paling a little under her heavy makeup. She had to fight down the panic that welled up inside her.
In the room below, all the bar's patrons looked up. Laughter echoed through the crowd at the sight of the naked cowboy lurching toward the girl.
"Why, Dex, I'm going down to the bar and have a drink. Where do you think you're going?" she asked archly.
"Well, come on back up here, little darling!" he demanded. "I ain't done with you yet!"
"You sure could have fooled me. I could've sworn you were more than done," she replied with a laugh. "You were sleeping like a baby."
At her clever words, the patrons roared again with laughter. Dex flushed bright red and disappeared back into the room, slamming the door.
Thrilled to have gotten away from him, Jenny continued on down the stairs and went to speak to Ed at the bar. She could tell he wasn't pleased with her, but she refused to be sorry that she'd outwitted the rough cowboy and saved herself from further mistreatment.
Silver Wolf had entered the crowded Sundown Saloon with the purpose of getting drunk. He'd elbowed his way to the bar, paid for a bottle of the best whiskey and a glass, and settled in at an empty table in a corner at the back of the room. He sat with his back to the wall as he poured a healthy amount of the potent liquor into the tumbler.
Lifting the glass to his lips, Silver Wolf took a deep swallow. The liquor burned going down, but he didn't care. He refilled the glass and took another drink. Studying the bottle soberly, he wondered how long it would be before it began to work and he would feel the blessed numbness he so desperately sought. He drank steadily as he tried to erase the memory of Little Snow's betrayal from his mind. He wasn't sure how much time had passed when he heard a commotion on the stairs that led to the rooms on the balcony above where the saloon girls plied their trade.
He watched in mild amusement as the naked man tried to chase down one of the girls at the bar. The encounter ended quickly, though, so he turned his attention back to his bottle, refilling his glass and downing another deep drink.
"Need anything else tonight, handsome?"
Silver Wolf lifted his gaze to find the same girl he'd watched outwit the naked man standing before him. He'd thought her moderately attractive as he'd watched her from a distance but up close, he found she was actually quite young and very pretty beneath all the harsh makeup she wore. He wondered why she thought she needed such artifice. Her hair was dark; her eyes were a warm brown, and, though not buxom, she had a good figure. Another man, in another mood might have desired her, but Silver Wolf was haunted by the memory of Cari's golden beauty and her slender, enticing curves pressed against him.
"No," he finally answered flatly.
"You could have fooled me. A good-looking man like you shouldn't be alone on Saturday night. My name's Jenny." She edged closer, knowing Ed was keeping an eye on her. "You see the rest of these fellas?" She gestured toward the loud, drunken men lined up at the bar. "Well, they just aren't gentlemen like yourself."
He took another big swig as he thought of Elizabeth McCord's opinion of him. He met Jenny's gaze. "You obviously don't know who I am."
"Oh, yes I do. You're Daniel Marshall. I've seen you around town."
At her use of his white name, Silver Wolf frowned. She thought of him as Daniel Marshall, but who was he really? Right now, he wasn't sure. "Why don't you sit down, Jenny?" At least she thought he was a gentleman, and he meant to prove her right.
"I'd love to." Jenny flashed him a wide smile as she slid into the chair next to him. "How about a drink?"
"Help yourself," he offered, thinking she would get a glass and then pour herself one from the bottle.
She surprised him, though, when she picked up his glass, and, in a way the other girls had taught her, she turned it to drink from the exact same spot he had. Her eyes met his. "You've got good taste in whiskey."
He shrugged, unmoved by her arousing display. "After the first swallow, it all tastes the same."
"Don't let the barkeep hear you say that," she advised. "If he thinks you don't know the difference, when you ask for more he'll switch some of the cheap stuff for what you got here."
"I'll remember your advice." He doubted he'd need another bottle tonight, though.
"Now, Daniel," she purred, scooting her chair even closer to his. He wore a clean-smelling cologne, and she found the scent exciting. If she had to be with another man that night, she wanted it to be him. She boldly put a hand on his knee. "What do you feel like doing tonight?"
Silver Wolf chuckled, but it wasn't a happy laugh. "What I feel like doing and what I'm going to do are two different things."
"Ooh, sounds intriguing. What is it you feel like doing?"
"Don't ask me that."
Jenny heard the coldness in his tone and knew he was deadly serious. "All right, then, what are we going to do?"
"I'd like to sit here, and just drink and talk."
"Talk?" she repeated as she cast a nervous glance back toward the bartender. She knew Ed wouldn't be pleased.
"Talk," he repeated. "Why don't you get yourself a glass and join me?"
"All right. I'll be right back," Jenny promised.
She hurried to the bar and earned a disapproving look from the bartender. "I need a glass, Ed."
"I ain't paying you to sit and drink."
"I'm just going to have one with him and then I'll get him up to my room."
He snared her wrist in a viselike grip. "You'd better. I just had to give Dex a free drink to shut him up. You'd better deliver on this one."
"I will!" Her eyes widened in fear.
"Don't think I ain't watchin' you." He gave her wrist a painful twist.
"Ow . . . I know!" Jenny tried to pull free. "Don't worry!"
"That's right. Don't worry," Silver Wolf said in a low voice as he came up behin
d her. "Let her go."
Though he hadn't been able to hear what was being said, Silver Wolf could tell that the bartender was giving Jenny trouble. When the man grabbed her wrist, Silver Wolf had had enough. His temper had been frayed when he'd come into the saloon, but seeing the man abusing the girl pushed him to the limit of his control.
"Jenny's with me, and she will be for the night," he told him tersely, tossing enough money on the counter to pay for her services. He watched in disgust as Ed quickly released Jenny and pocketed the cash.
"Have a fine time," Ed said magnanimously, handing her the glass she'd wanted.
"Let's go up to your room," Silver Wolf suggested, wanting to get as far away from the greedy bartender as he could.
"I'd like that," Jenny agreed, gazing up at him. She was surprised by his defense of her. It was very seldom that anyone stuck up for her.
They retrieved his bottle and glass from the table and went upstairs. The lamp was still burning low, revealing the bed and its tousled covers. Jenny closed the door behind them, then set the bottle and glasses on the small nightstand. She turned up the lamp, then faced him.
"I always did like a good conversation. Since we aren't going to be using the bed for anything else, we might as well sit on it." She plumped up both pillows and braced them against the headboard. "Take your pick."
Silver Wolf sat down on the side of the bed closest to the table, poured another drink, then settled back against the headboard, stretching his long legs out before him. "So, tell me about yourself, Jenny."
"I'd rather talk about you," she countered as she sat on the other side of the bed, cross-legged, facing him. She studied him with open interest. She recognized his Indian heritage in his strong features, but felt no fear or loathing because of it. He'd already proven himself to be more of a man than any of those others downstairs, and he was just about the handsomest man she'd ever seen. "I'm sure you're much more interesting than I am."
Silver Wolf saw the earnestness in her expression. There was an open, appealing quality about her. "I asked you first. Why are you here at the Sundown?"
Jenny could see in his eyes that he really did want to know, so she decided to be honest. "I never wanted to do this. But my mother died, and then my father remarried. It was hard enough without my mother, but then when Caroline came into our house and took over. . . . My little sisters managed all right. But for some reason she hated me."
Jenny paused, remembering all the cruel things the other woman had done to her. Caroline had constantly belittled her and criticized her to her father. The worst of it all had been when her father had started believing Caroline's lies. The final straw had come the day he had taken his wife's side against her. When she'd stood up to him and tried to argue her point of view, he'd slapped her. She'd started to flee the room in tears and had turned around to find Caroline standing behind her, smiling.
Silver Wolf could see the pain in the depths of her dark-eyed gaze. "I'm sorry."
"So am I," she managed. "I loved my father and my sisters, but I couldn't stand it anymore."
"Do you ever think of going back?"
"Once in a while. But I'm sure they're fine without me. Besides, there's no point now. I'm sure my father would be outraged by what I've done." She shrugged as she dropped her eyes from his.
Silver Wolf reached out and gently lifted her chin so she was looking at him. "Jenny . . . what you did, is survive. There's no shame in that." He waited, letting his words sink in. "You're very pretty, you know. You don't need all this paint on your face."
His touch was gentle and his words were so precious to her that her heartbeat quickened. No man had ever told her she was pretty before. For the first time in her life, she felt a genuine response deep within the womanly heart of her.
When his hand dropped away, Jenny couldn't stop herself from leaning toward him and kissing him. It was a delicate, emotion-filled kiss, and the warmth within her grew. She drew back, awed by this strange new feeling. Her gaze met his, and she bent toward him again. This time she put everything she had into her kiss, wanting him to know what she was feeling for him.
Jenny was accustomed to men who wanted her physically. It surprised her when Daniel didn't readily respond. Without ending the embrace, she began to caress him, sliding her hands over his chest and down to his belt. She managed to unfasten it and was reaching for his pants when he caught her hands and stilled them. Neither of them noticed when his medicine bag slipped from his belt and fell among the covers.
"Jenny, wait. I didn't come up here for this," Silver Wolf said softly. Her embrace was pleasant, her kiss was sweet, but sex wasn't what he wanted.
"I want to be good to you, Daniel. You're the only man who's ever been nice to me."
Silver Wolf saw her confusion and felt sorry for her. "Just stay with me, Jenny. Like I told you downstairs, all I want to do is talk, and it would be nice if I were talking to a friend."
She drew away from him, disappointed that he didn't desire her, yet strangely happy that he wanted her company. "I'd like that. I'd like to be your friend."
As he refastened his belt, she settled on the bed next to him again. Neither of them noticed that the medicine bag was lost in the jumble of bedclothes.
An hour later, Silver Wolf, with a little help from Jenny, had more than done justice to the contents of the bottle. The tension within him had eased somewhat. Jenny had kept him entertained with undemanding conversation. He hadn't noticed right away how witty she was, and was chuckling over something amusing she'd said and was just reaching for his glass when she put her hand over his.
"Don't you think you've had plenty to drink?" She'd kept hoping he would change his mind about bedding her, but his main interest during the past hour seemed to be drowning whatever problem was bothering him in liquor.
"Why? Aren't you enjoying yourself?" he asked, his words slurring just a little as he fought to focus on her.
"Of course I'm enjoying myself, Daniel. I was just hoping you might have changed your mind about . . ." she said invitingly.
Silver Wolf suddenly noticed the hungry look in her eyes. She was ready and willing, but there was only one woman he wanted to make love to right now, and she was probably dancing with Elliot. At the thought of Little Snow, he shook off Jenny's restraining hand, picked up his glass, and took another drink.
"No, I won't be changing my mind. Why don't we go back downstairs for a while?" Silver Wolf suggested as images of Little Snow haunted his thoughts. He stood up and grabbed the bottle, swaying unsteadily.
"Whatever you want."
Whatever he wanted. . . . Her words repeated in his mind, and he gave a low growl of irritation as he started from the room. What he really wanted, he realized, was to forget Little Snow, but the memory of her betrayal was burned into his consciousness.
What a fool he'd been. He'd believed after they'd talked at the dance and he'd found out the truth about the letters that she was the same as she had been when they were younger. He'd believed that her years back East hadn't changed her. But now, thinking about the way she'd acted, first, when she'd heard Elliot coming and then when they'd gone back inside, he had to wonder. He took another big drink of the potent whiskey. He noticed that it no longer burned. When they got downstairs, he settled back in at the same table with Jenny sitting right next to him.
Since he'd left Elizabeth at the dance, James had been searching everywhere for Daniel. He was relieved to finally locate him, even if it was in one of the worst saloons in town and with one of the girls from the bar practically sitting on his lap.
"Daniel?" James said his name as he neared the table.
When Silver Wolf looked up, he was surprised to find his vision blurry, and he had to blink twice to clear it. When he realized the man standing before the table was James, his expression hardened. "What do you want?"
"I need to talk to you," James told him.
"I'm busy." His words were slurred.
James realized just
how drunk he was and he was shocked. He'd known Silver Wolf a long time and had never seen him drunk before. Had Elizabeth been there, he might have strangled her.
"This won't take long," he promised, giving the girl named Jenny a distracted smile as he pulled up a chair. He sat down opposite Silver Wolf in spite of his friend's objection. "I heard what happened at the dance, and I came to apologize."
"Why? You didn't do anything."
"I'm apologizing for Elizabeth."
"We both know she meant every word she said, so it's better if you leave it alone."
Jenny heard the iciness in his voice and realized that something very serious must have happened and that was why he'd been drinking so heavily. She wondered who Elizabeth was as she glanced from Daniel to the man who'd just joined them. The tension was heavy between the two, so she remained quiet not wanting to interfere. She was, after all, his friend.
"But, Daniel, it's important to me that you know how sorry I am."
For a moment, they regarded each other across the table. The older man's gaze was open and revealing, but Silver Wolf's expression was shuttered, revealing nothing. Before either could say more, Ben strode up to the table.
"Good evening, James . . . Daniel," Ben said. He, too, had looked all over town for Daniel, and in total frustration had finally begun checking the saloons. Judging from Daniel's condition and the near-empty bottle on the table, he was sorry he hadn't started there. "Is this a private party, or can I join you?"
"You might as well sit down, too," Silver Wolf answered, grabbing the bottle.
"I've never known him to drink before," James whispered to Ben.
"Normally he doesn't, and tomorrow morning he's going to remember why."
The two men exchanged knowing looks.
"Is he going to be all right?" James asked quietly.
"I'll take care of him. You can go on if you want."
James wanted to say more to Silver Wolf, to tell him how deeply he regretted his wife's words and actions, but he knew that this wasn't the time or place. Reluctantly, he stood. "I'll see you out at the ranch soon."