The Agent's Mail-Order Bride

by Heidi Vanlandingham

  “Well, then I’m off,” he announced in a loud voice. “Better check up on the boys—make sure they have the collapsed tunnel cleared.”

  Tate dealt two hands, five cards each, and placed the deck next to the brass cup near the edge of the table.

  “Fancy a game, Black?”

  James Black stood next to the chair Thad vacated, his thumbs hooked over the buckle on his gun belt, which Tate noticed he hadn’t tied down. He leaned back, thankful he’d never lost the habit of taking the leather loop off his own pistol just in case. So far, his instinct had been spot on. Now, he just had to play the role of his current character. Tate hoped the situation wouldn’t end as he suspected it might. He’d only killed one man in his entire outlaw career, and that idiot had had it coming. Every man in his old outlaw gang knew better than to manhandle women or children. Too bad Killeen hadn’t listened.

  Black hesitated then sat and picked up his cards, adjusting them to his liking. Tate did the same then picked up two coins and dropped them in the bowl with two loud clinks. Black dropped four coins in, forcing Tate to match his bet. Black discarded one card, which Tate replaced from the deck and slid it across the table. He replaced two of his own cards and bit back a smile. Two aces and three kings. Today was his lucky day.

  The man at the beat-up piano began a lively tune, which filled the too-quiet saloon with a bit of cheer, even if it was off-key. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed two of the dancers helping Ayana hang a few boughs of greenery from the railing, reminding him again of the season.

  Black laid down his cards, face up on the table and sneered, one hand reaching for the brass bowl.

  “Guess your winning streak is over. Think I’ll be taking the winnings today, Tate.”

  “I’d hold on if I were you, Black. Last I knew, my full house beats your three of a kind.” Tate smiled, enjoying the display of emotions on Black’s face.

  The other man stared at the cards for a moment then gave Tate his familiar sneer.

  “How about two out of three?”

  Tate shrugged. “Have it your way, but I’m feeling particularly lucky today.”

  He met Black’s angry gaze.

  “Just thought you should know.”

  The second game, Black beat Tate’s set of pairs, but when Tate traded out Black’s discarded cards for three new ones, the man’s face turned a ruddy hue from the neck up. Tate stared at the vein throbbing on the side of his neck.

  The tinny-sounding music from the piano changed and a sultry voice filled the room. Several catcalls and hollers sounded from the miners scattered around the room, drawing Tate’s attention.

  His gaze raised and landed on the woman sitting on the edge of the stage, her stocking-clad legs were crossed and dangling over the side as her body swayed to the music. The breath slammed from his lungs, and he couldn’t inhale past the angry lump forming in his throat as he stared at Cat, who was dressed in nothing more than a red satin corset, which showed every inch of her body. Her perfect body, he thought, which didn’t help the anger simmering to a boil inside his chest.

  “Guess you haven’t had the chance to watch your wife work, have you? She’s one of the favorites. Just thought you ought to know...since you won’t be around here much longer.” Black sat back in his chair.

  “I didn’t figure you for a stupid man, Tate, but when you took Big John’s woman right from underneath his nose. I have to hand it to you, you’re brave, but not brave enough.”

  Tate forced his gaze away from Cat’s beautiful face, but not before her gaze speared his. He traded two of his cards and put all the coins he had in the bowl. He had no idea what to do with the pesky woman who haunted his days and his dreams. With another quick glance across the room, his gaze landed on her mouth, the quick swipe of her tongue over her bottom lip. She glanced at one of the dance girls with a subtle upward tip of her head and gave her a forced smile. Cat’s lips glistened in the soft yellow light of the hallway. More than anything, he wanted to kiss her again.

  Black laughed, pulling Tate from his reverie, and met Tate’s previous bet then laid his cards down, showing three aces and two eights.

  “Nobody wins as much as you do, except for me. I beat you two out of the three games.”

  It took all Tate had to keep control of his anger at the other man’s insolence. He was suddenly tired of playing cards as well as whatever other game Black seemed to be playing with him. Cat’s gaze burned through him as he fought to ignore her and erase the emotion from his face. He laid down his hand.

  “My ten-high straight flush beats your full house,” Tate said in a low voice.

  Black’s eyes widened. He stared at the red diamonds on Tate’s cards, his face flushing almost the same color. He hit the tabletop with such force, several coins flew out of the bowl and onto the floor, clinking as they hit.

  “You cheated! I know you did, Tate! You’re nothing but a snake-in-the-grass cheat!” Black yelled and stood, his pistol clearing leather.

  But Tate was faster. He fired his gun before the tip of Black’s pistol could level out. Black’s gun went off, but the bullet slammed into the floor near the wall behind Tate. Behind Black, Cat scrambled to her feet and stared at them in horror, her hand covering her mouth. Black fell to his knees then his body slid backward to the floor, his head landing with a loud thud. Sutton and the sheriff charged into the room, leaving Tate no time to worry about Cat as he turned to face the lawman.

  * * *

  Cat stood in the back hall, gasping for air. She just witnessed her husband kill a man. When Black slumped to the floor, blood spreading across the front of his shirt, she’d somehow managed to make it to the back room. Luckily, none of the girls were there changing into their dance outfits. She dropped into a chair and stared at the floor. The longer she sat there, the worse she felt until her stomach revolted altogether. She barely made it to the chamber pot before she vomited. She closed her eyes and swiped the back of her hand across her mouth and sat back on her heels, willing her stomach to settle.

  The door behind her opened then closed with a soft snick of the latch, but she didn’t move. Her only thought was breathing in through her nostrils then slowly letting the air back out through the small hole between her lips. Not only did she never want to witness a man dying like that again, but she also hated throwing up. That act alone made her feel worse.

  “Honey, you all right?”

  Cat recognized Alice’s soft voice behind her and nodded without turning around.

  “Can you please tell Ayana to come down? Tell her I need her...please?” she said, hating the weakness in her voice.

  “Sure thing, Cat. I’ll bring her back in two shakes of a lamb’s tail.” A tiny smile played on Cat’s face at the expression, which reminded her of her mother. It had been one of her favorites.

  Cat stared at her reflection in the mirror. She almost didn’t recognize the pale face and wide eyes staring back at her. Not wanting to think anymore, she jumped to her feet and began sorting through the dancers’ costumes lying in a large pile, waiting to be fixed. She dropped one of the corsets, ripped beyond repair, onto the throwaway pile at her feet and turned, but an arm wrapped around her neck and pulled her backward. A hand covered her mouth, someone’s warm breath fanning her ear. Terror seized her, and she couldn’t move—frozen against the strange man holding her captive.

  “I wonder what ol’ Tate sees in you?” Welder’s raspy voice whispered in her ear, making her skin crawl.

  “And Thad seems to be taken with you too. What makes you so special that you’ve bewitched my boys?”

  With each breath, she inhaled the dust and grime from the mine, and her stomach twisted. She tugged at his hand, trying to breathe.

  “If I let go, you ain’t gonna scream?”

  Finally, after another agonizing minute, he released her, and she drank in the fresh air filling her nostrils and lungs. He shoved her away, and she stumbled forward, almost toppling to the floor. As the wooden
planks loomed closer, she reached for the dressing table, almost missing it, but managed to catch herself in time. Pushing off the table, she whirled around.

  “You have no right to be in here! What do you want?” she said, trying to control the strong emotions roiling through her.

  “I go wherever I want. Now tell me, if I’m with you, will I begin draggin’ my heels like those other two dolts?” His face morphed into a cold sneer as he shook his head.

  “Nah, likely not. They’ll soon grow tired of your doe eyes and womanly ways, and I’ll get my boys back, just you wait and see. Before long, we’ll be riding the trail, living as we want and taking what we want, just like the good ole days.”

  A soft knock sounded on the door, and Cat turned her head as the knob turned. She glanced back at Welder, but he was gone—as if he’d never been there. She frowned, the fear still churning in her gut. Where had he disappeared to, and why sneak into the room in the first place? Nothing about Welder or his actions made sense to her.

  True to her word, Alice walked into the room with Ayana behind her. Cat tried to take a step toward her, but her legs were shaking so badly, she almost fell again. Ayana scurried across the room and wrapped her arm around Cat’s shoulders then helped her down onto the small stool. As the trembling slowed, Ayana’s hand patted Cat’s back in a comforting circular motion.

  “Honey, whatever’s wrong, we’ll fix it right up. Just you wait and see.”

  As Cat knew she would, Ayana took charge and hustled Alice out of the room with the chamber pot in tow.

  “Go dump that behind the building then set it outside the door. I will take care of everything in here.” Cat heard the door close then Ayana’s firm grip as she wrapped her hands around Cat’s shoulders and pulled her to a stand.

  “Seems there was a bit of excitement a few minutes ago?”

  Ayana turned them toward the door, but Cat dragged her feet, not wanting to go outside.

  “I don’t want to go back out there... Not until the body is gone.”

  Ayana patted Cat’s shoulder, but instead of comfort, it only irritated her more and Cat moved a few steps away.

  “I’ll be fine. I just need to calm down, and your hovering isn’t helping.”

  Her friend scowled. “Well, you asked for me to come, so you might be a bit nicer.”

  Her head tilted to one side, and she narrowed her gaze.

  “Why were you so pale when I came in? And don’t tell me it was because you saw a man die. Something else happened, so what was it?”

  Cat closed her eyes and sighed. “I’m sorry, but watching a man get shot and die right in front of me was a bit unnerving.”

  She stared at the white knuckles on her clasped hands then forced her head up.

  “And Welder was here. I’m not sure how, but one minute I was alone, sorting through the sewing, and the next thing I knew, he grabbed me from behind and held me against him with his hand over my mouth.”

  Ayana knelt beside her and laid her hand over Cat’s. “What did he want?”

  Cat shook her head and gave a small shrug. “I have no idea. He asked what Tate and Thad saw in me then went off on how he would get them back, and they would return to taking what they want. What does that mean?”

  Not really expecting an answer, Cat slipped her hands from under Ayana’s and stood, needing to walk off the last of the anxiety and fear still churning in her stomach.

  “Seeing that man get shot... A gentile upbringing doesn’t prepare for that circumstance, does it?”

  “No, it definitely does not. Can you tell me what happened? All I know is Mr. Black is dead, and the sheriff took Tate to the jail.” Ayana chuckled.

  Cat’s eyes widened. “That’s not right...Black drew first, or tried to. I’ve never seen anyone draw a gun as fast as Tate did. He fired before Black raised his gun.” She shook her head. “I can’t get over how fast Tate drew.”

  She grabbed Ayana’s forearm. “It was self-defense, Ayana! If Tate hadn’t drawn his gun, Black would have killed him.”

  “I’m sure the sheriff will let him go. There were too many witnesses inside the saloon who saw what happened. And many of them weren’t friendly with Mr. Black. Let the sheriff do his job, and if he decides to keep Tate locked up, then we will go to the jail and you can speak in his defense.” Ayana patted Cat’s hand. “For now though, it might be wise for you to stay in here. The girls working tonight’s shift will be here soon. Take your mind off what happened. Play them a game of cards. You like doing that.”

  Cat nodded. “I do like playing cards.”

  She looked at Ayana with a worried frown.

  “You really think I should stay here instead of going to the jail?”

  “I do. The sheriff never listens to what a woman says anyway. Let’s see what Big John does. He seemed to like Tate, even if your husband stole you out from underneath his nose. Big John still gave him a job, didn’t he?”

  Cat nodded and moved out of the way as several girls walked into the room, laughing and chittering about what had just happened.

  “Cat’s feeling unlucky tonight, girls, how about you go easy on her with a few games of cards until tonight’s show begins?”

  “All right, Miss Ayana, if you say so,” Alice said and gave Cat a quick wink.

  “I’m not sitting in this stuffy room all night,” one of the other girls muttered. “How ‘bout we move to the hall like usual so we can each see when it’s our turn?”

  Everyone glanced at Cat, who nodded. “I think that’s a wonderful idea,” she said, forcing her shoulders back.

  “Although, Ayana might have been mistaken. I think my luck might be changing for the better.” She walked to the dressing tables lined up along the wall and grabbed a deck of cards from underneath a lace shawl someone had thrown there.

  The girls moaned and groaned but followed her out into the hall. They set up a narrow table to lay the cards on and Alice dealt the hands. They each placed the usual bet of a single lemon drop, placing them in a small pile in the center of the table. One by one, the girls either folded or traded cards. Cat stared at her hand and waited her turn. She traded two, taking the cards from Alice.

  The saloon hushed, and Cat glanced up as Tate, his gait stiff as he made his way across the front of the saloon, stopping next to the table where he killed James Black. Big John stood beside him. With a smile on his face, the saloon owner reached over and shook Tate’s hand.

  She met her husband’s gaze from across the room. Her heart fluttered nervously inside her chest, and she dropped her gaze to the two new cards she held between her fingers. One of them was the Jack of Hearts.

  “What have I gotten myself into?” she whispered.

  Chapter 11

  Cat was thankful that, after Black’s shooting, days went by without incident. With only a few days left before Christmas, she and Ayana struggled to come up with something to give the men without them knowing about it. When she’d overheard Thad telling Tate about the black bear he’d killed, she’d come up with the idea of sewing the men winter coats for their presents.

  Cat smoothed the rough-textured black fur resting across her lap. It wasn’t soft like the rabbit hides Thad had dropped off that morning, but the bear coat would keep the men warm in the worst of weather. Another plus was that they now had an abundance of meat that would last several weeks.

  “Do you think there’s enough rabbit pelts to make the men vests as well?” Ayana asked, her gaze focused on the sturdy sinew stitches as she attached the sleeve to the body of the coat.

  “I think so, but if not, I can use the elk hide for Tate’s vest.” Cat played with the needle, the tip of her nail flicking the sharp end.

  “What’s on your mind, because I know it isn’t sewing?” Ayana dropped her hands onto her lap and stared at Cat.

  “Are you still worrying over what happened at the saloon? The sheriff ruled it as self-defense, so Tate won’t be charged with a crime.”

  She shook her
head. “No, isn’t that. Not really. The fact that Tate killed a man bothers me. It bothers me a lot, but I’m more concerned about how he acted after. He didn’t seem to be affected by what he’d done.”

  “How did he act?”

  Cat thought back to that night. She’d left the saloon shortly after Tate’s return and came home to cook supper. When he arrived, there was no mention at all about what happened.

  “I asked him how he was doing, and he changed the subject by telling me what his plans were at the mine the next day in as few words as possible. When he finished eating, he brought in enough wood for the night then went straight to bed. Usually, he helps clean up and we haven’t spent much time together since.”

  “The fact that his normal routine did change tells me killing a man bothered him more than he let on. Your husband is a good man, Cat. Give him time.”

  Cat sighed. “That’s easy for you to say. We’ve been married almost one month, and I haven’t learned anything about him. He won’t talk about his past. I know nothing about his family or where he’s from. I don’t even know if he attended school! Shouldn’t I know at least that much about my husband by now?”

  “Every man is different. Maybe he did something in his youth he isn’t proud of or he has had problems with his family? Maybe he simply doesn’t want you to think less of him? You seem to have a good friendship with Thad, have you asked him?”

  Cat nodded. “Yes, but all he said was the story wasn’t his to tell. Aggravating man...both of them.”

  Ayana rolled up the fur pieces and tucked them into her basket along with her scissors and spool of sinew they were using as thread.

  “I promised Alice I would repair her favorite outfit, so I need to get back to the saloon. One of the miners got a little possessive last night and accidentally ripped it when he tried to pull her onto his lap.” She chuckled.

  “He was properly raked over the coals when Alice told him in no uncertain terms that if he laid hands on her again, he would be missing a few important body parts.”