Quinn's Promise

by Agnes Alexander

  “I hope you’ve come to terms with the deaths, Beck.”

  He took a bite of his beef. “I was sad for a long time, but I know I have to move on and build another life.”

  “What do you want for the rest of your life, Beck?”

  “The same thing I’ve always wanted. A wife and kids and a piece of land to call my own.”

  “What about your job as a US Marshall?”

  “I used my job as a diversion for a while. It let me travel around. I met a lot of people and I didn’t have to face the fact I was alone and didn’t want to be.”

  “Then you should find the right woman and—”

  “I think I already have,” he interrupted.

  She whispered, “Already have, what?”

  “Found the right woman.” He put down his fork and reached for her hand. “Have I found her, Marlene?”

  She lifted her eyes and looked into his. “Maybe,” she whispered.

  * * * *

  “It’s good,” Quinn said after taking another bite.

  “Glad you like it.” Ashe looked across the table at her. “You look awfully serious today, Quinn. Has something happened?”

  “Winnie Goodspell came in to order a dress.”

  “Is that all?”

  “Mrs. Norwood came in and ordered one, too. She wanted a red silk dress for some kind of celebration she said the town was having. She said she wanted you to be proud of her when you two were dancing.”

  “I haven’t heard anything about a celebration.”

  “I’m sure you’ll be informed.” She popped a fork full of corn in her mouth and stared at him.

  “Goodness, Quinn. You look at me as if you could kill me right here and now. What’s got your dander up?”

  “Nothing.”

  “I don’t believe you.”

  She ate a few more bites then asked, “Why did you kiss me yesterday, Ashe?”

  “Because I wanted to.”

  “Why?”

  He frowned. “I’ve wanted to kiss you since you rode in my lap to town after the robbery.”

  “Well, now that you’ve done it, I want to request you never do it again.”

  “And why not?”

  “I don’t think it’s seemly since you’re involved with another woman. It isn’t fair to her and it isn’t fair to me.”

  “She has nothing to do with you and me.”

  Quinn shook her head. “Does a man sleep with one woman and let her think he’s faithful, then when he sees another one he he’s interested in, does he put thoughts of the first one aside and go after the second one?”

  “That’s not the way it works, Quinn. There’s nothing serious between Lola Norwood and me.”

  “She thinks there is.”

  “I can’t help what she thinks. I’ve told her more than one time there’d never be anything permanent between us.”

  “Then you should be fair with her and make sure she understands the truth, Ashe. Women tend to build dreams when a man shows…” her voice trailed off.

  “Are you building a dream, Quinn?”

  She dropped her fork. “Of course not. We hardly know each other.”

  “I want to know you better. I hoped you wanted to know more about me.”

  “I think I know enough.” She stood. “I can’t eat any more. Thank you for dinner.”

  “Wait, Quinn.” He reached for her arm. “Please don’t go. I have something I want to tell you.”

  She paused, but didn’t sit down. “What?”

  “Please sit down.”

  She shook her head. “I need to get back to the shop.”

  He put down his fork and stood. “I’ll walk you back.”

  “But you haven’t finished your dinner.”

  “I’ve had enough to keep me alive this afternoon.” He took out money and threw it on the table. Picking up his hat from the vacant chair, he placed his hand on the small of her back and ushered her out the door.

  “You don’t have to walk with me. It’s only a block to the shop.”

  “I said I wanted to tell you something.”

  “Then tell me.”

  Ashe paused. “Actually, I want to ask you something.”

  “What is it, Ashe?”

  “I’m in the middle of a big case. All I want is to ask you to trust me. Everything will become clear when I get all the answers.”

  Quinn was confused. “I’m not sure I could ever trust you, Ashe.”

  He swallowed. “I wish I could go into it more, but I can’t. I only want to tell you there’s nothing between Lola and me. I can’t explain more, but I’ll be able to one day soon.”

  “I’m confused by what you’re saying, but I’ll try to trust you if that’s what you want.”

  “Thank you, Quinn.” He opened the door to the shop and she stepped in before him.

  “It’s me, Marlene,” Quinn called when they entered.

  “We’re eating in the workroom.”

  “All right.” Quinn moved toward the counter, but Ashe reached out and caught her arm.

  “Don’t hide behind your desk.”

  “I’m not hiding.”

  “Oh?’

  “Where do you suggest I go?”

  “Let’s sit on the sofa.”

  Quinn started to object, but changed her mind. She followed him across the room. They sat down and he looked around.

  “You sure have some fancy stuff. Do people really buy this kind of thing?”

  “They do.”

  “I bet a man would be uncomfortable buying it.”

  “Maybe some would, but I had a man in yesterday who bought a beautiful pink nightgown for a woman. He didn’t seem embarrassed.”

  Ashe frowned. “I don’t know if I want men buying ladies underwear from you.”

  “Ashe Montgomery, you have nothing to say about it. Who buys things from our shop is none of your business.”

  “You’re right, but I still think it’s wrong from men to deal with women when they buy such items.”

  “I said, the man was comfortable. He bought the gown, paid for it and asked me to wrap it as a gift.”

  “Did you?”

  “Of course.” She looked up at him. “If you want to buy something fancy, I’d be happy to wrap it for you.”

  “I’m not going to buy anything fancy.”

  Quinn bit her lip. Though she knew she’d seen Ashe go to Lola’s house last night, he wasn’t acting like a man in love.

  “I’m glad. I wasn’t comfortable waiting on that man yesterday,” she said.

  “You just told me you didn’t mind…”

  “No. I said he was comfortable. I didn’t say I was.”

  “What did he do to make you uncomfortable?”

  “Nothing specific. It was only a feeling. He kept looking at me as if I should recognize him, but I’d never seen him before. Or at least, I don’t think I had.”

  “Describe him, Quinn.”

  “He was probably three or four inches shorter than you. He was extremely thin and had dark blond hair and kind of hazel eyes.” She frowned.

  “Did you think of something else?”

  “His eyes. There was something about his eyes. They scared me for some reason.”

  “Did he say anything threatening?”

  “Oh, no. He was very polite. Almost too polite.”

  “I don’t want to embarrass you, Quinn, but tell me exactly what he bought.”

  “A nightgown.”

  “What did it look like?”

  She glanced away. “It was silk and had lace on the top and down the front.”

  “Color?”

  “Pink.” She turned back to him. “What are you going to do? Go to everybody’s house and ask if there’s a woman living there who received a reveling pink nightgown?”

  He laughed. “I don’t think that’ll be necessary. I might get shot if I tried it.”

  “Let’s hope not.”

  “Quinn, will you—”

 
Shots from the street interrupted him and Ashe was on his feet and out the door before Quinn could say anything. Beck raced across the room and went out behind him.

  Chapter 21

  Ashe drew his gun and slid back against the building as a red stallion raced down the street with a man firing in all directions. Ashe shot at him, but because the rider’s bullets kept flying, he couldn’t get off a good shot. As soon as the man was out of range, Ashe ran toward the crowd gathering in front of the saloon.

  “What happened?” he asked as he elbowed his way through the crowd.

  Beck was right behind him.

  Hank knelt on the ground beside a man. He glanced up at Ashe. “It’s Wes Monroe. The bastard he was arguing with in the saloon dragged him out here and shot him before Wes had a chance.”

  “How is he?”

  “He’s breathing, but that’s about it. I sent for Doc Wheeler.”

  “Who shot him?”

  “Don’t know the man’s name. He’s been in the saloon a few times, but he usually sticks to himself.”

  “Can you describe him?”

  The doctor came up and yelled at the crowd to back away and give him room. After a quick examination, Milburn said, “Help me get him to my office. I’ve got to get that bullet out fast.”

  Two men lifted Wes and followed the doctor across the street toward the second floor over the barber shop.

  Ashe turned back to Hank. “What did the fellow look like, Hank?”

  “He was five feet ten or eleven inches. Had blond hair with a little red. Skinny as a stick and wore his gun low. If I had to guess, I’d say he was a gun-slinger.”

  Immediately Ashe thought of the man Quinn described as the customer in her store. “Did he give anyone his name?”

  “Not that I heard.”

  “Let’s go check on Wes. Maybe he can tell us more.” He turned to Beck. “See if you can round up Cal. We’ll go after the bastard before the trail gets cold.”

  “Cal’s at Deborah’s. I’ll get him.” Beck walked off.

  Hank and Ashe headed toward the doctor’s office. Hank glanced at Ashe. “Seems like you and your brothers are spending a lot of time with my nieces.”

  “They’re nice ladies,” Ashe mumbled.

  “Yes, they are and I want them to stay that way.” Hank’s voice was firm.

  “Don’t look at me. I have no intention of compromising one of your nieces.”

  “Are you saying your brothers might?”

  “Of course not. As a matter of fact, Hank, I think my bothers might be thinking about your nieces as permanent arrangements.”

  “Are you talking marriage?”

  “I can’t answer for them, but from what I see they’re both interested in settling down. Cal’s already admitted he’s in love with Deborah.”

  “What does she say about him?”

  “She hasn’t confided in me. You’ll have to talk to your niece.”

  “I intend to.”

  They reached the steps to the doctor’s office and said nothing else.

  * * * *

  Lola opened her door, then staggered backward with shock on her face. “What the hell are you doing here?”

  “Did you expect me not to come after you?”

  “You have no right. I never wanted to see you again.”

  “That’s too bad, my dear niece. Here I am.” Winnie Goodspell looked around. “Aren’t you going to ask me in, or would you rather someone see me on your front porch?”

  Lola stood back. “How did you find me?”

  “I’ve known where you were for a long time. I was only biding my time until I was sure what I wanted to say to you.”

  Winnie came into the entry and looked around as the huge clock standing by the door chimed three. “Looks like you’re living pretty good.”

  “I’m living fine.”

  “Shall we go to the parlor?”

  “If you must.” Lola led the way to the room off the entry. “I’d ask you to have a seat, but I hope you don’t plan to stay long enough to sit.”

  “Oh, don’t rush me, my dear. It’s been almost two years since I’ve had the pleasure of visiting with my niece. We have a lot to talk about.”

  “Damn you, you stupid old woman,” Lola muttered and flopped down on a chair. “You’re going to ruin everything.”

  Winnie sat on the green sofa, spreading her skirts around her. “I might be two years older than when you last saw me, Princess, but I remember exactly what happened between us and how you tricked and then cheated me when you left New Orleans.”

  “I didn’t do anything to you. Fred fell in love with me and I with him.”

  “Don’t try to fool me, young lady. Fred may have fallen for you, but you only loved his money.” She stared at the younger woman. “I had everything arranged. We were going to get married and move to Colorado. I was going to give you the restaurant so you could get out of the sordid life you led. Then you eloped with the old goat.”

  “He wanted me. He never wanted you.”

  “What about that sorry son-of-a-bitch who kept saying he was going to take you away from the whorehouse and make a lady out of you?”

  “It’s none of your business, but Temp will always be there for me.”

  “What’s going on with you and the sheriff, Princess? You know he’s much too decent for the likes of you.”

  “I’ll have you know, I’ve changed. I’m a respectable widow and I won’t have you coming here and messing things up for me.” She jumped up and moved to a small table in the corner. Pulling out a drawer, she grabbed her bank draft book. “I’ll write you a draft and you can go to the bank and cash it. How much do you want?”

  When Winnie didn’t answer, Lola wrote down an amount and handed the bank draft to her. “This should make you happy.”

  Winnie took the draft, looked at it, then folded it and tucked it in the drawstring bag she carried. She smiled at Lola. “Thank you for the donation, my dear, but you don’t have enough money in the bank to buy me off. You took everything that meant any thing to me and I demand the same from you in return.”

  Lola whirled around. “What do you mean?”

  “I want to see you ruined. I want to see this town run you out without a penny to your name. All I have to do is let the good people know that you were my best whore when I ran the bordello in New Orleans. Since Hank Stockton lives here, he can back me up.”

  “You old bitch! I’ll see you dead first.”

  “Oh, my. Is that a way for a girl to talk to her long-lost aunt?”

  “Aunt! Hell! An aunt doesn’t hand her thirteen-year-old niece over to a gambler for his pleasure because she owes the man money from her run of bad luck. An aunt doesn’t put her little niece in a bedroom to entertain boyfriends when two show up at the same time. An aunt doesn’t take the money her niece is saving to get out of town.” Lola was screaming by the time she finished her speech.

  “Maybe some aunts wouldn’t, but some don’t have a choice. Sometimes there are things a woman has to do to keep from being on the street begging for food to feed herself and the child she’s been left with,” Winnie said calmly. “Even though I worked hard to help you rise above the life we led, I can never forgive you for what you did. When I found you naked in bed with the man I was going to marry, you took everything I ever wanted and had in my reach, away from me. Fred was a man who could take both of us away from the life we’d had to live for years. A man who would never know about the brothels or the pain and degradation we had suffered. A man who loved me until you convinced him to climb into bed with you.”

  “That’s a pretty speech, but it doesn’t mean a thing. You didn’t want me when my mother died, but you did teach me one thing. Nobody is going to look after you except yourself. And I’m the only person in this world I’ll ever worry about.” She glared at Winnie. “You can call yourself my aunt all you want to, but you’re no relative of mine. You’re nothing to me except a worn-out old whore and I hate you mor
e now than I did when I left with Fred.”

  “Let me assure you at the rate you’re going, you’re worse than I am. One day you may find you’re out on the streets with nothing to look forward to except a crib on some muddy street in some backwater town where you’ll entertain the dregs of society for pennies to survive.”

  “You’re lying, you fool. I’m on my way up and you’ll be begging some saloon to give you a job when I’m living the good life with Ashe Montgomery.”

  “You’ll never marry Ashe Montgomery, Princess. Too many people are watching you. Hank hasn’t forgotten what happened and neither have I.”

  “Hank has nothing to do with me.”

  “He knows who you are and what you’ve done.”

  “If he was going to do anything to hurt me, he’d have done it long ago. He knows I’ve made a new start and he respects it.”

  Winnie stood. “You’ll see. Now, I think I’ll be on my way. I only wanted you to know your aunt is in town and she’ll be here until you’re through paying for what you did to her.”

  “Get out and don’t come back, you bitch. What I did is done and over and I don’t want to see your fat ugly face around here again.”

  When Winnie was on the front porch, Lola slammed the door. She was shaking. She knew without a doubt the bitch had to be run out of town or even better, she had to die. There was no way Lola would have her plans shattered. Not now. Not when she was so close to getting what she’d wanted all her life. She knew there was one person who would help her get rid of Winnie Goodspell. The only problem was how to get in touch with him. Where was Temp when she needed him?

  * * * *

  “What in the world is going on here?” Deborah asked as she came into the store and dropped her reticule on the counter.

  “There was a shooting. I’m not sure what happened but I heard it started in the saloon. A man followed Wes Monroe out of the saloon and shot him.”

  Deborah frowned at Quinn. “Oh, dear. Wes is a wonderful man. He helped us into town after the stage robbery and then he helped us move into the house. I’m so sorry he’s been shot.”

  “So am I.”

  “I hope he’s going to be all right.”

  “Uncle Hank came by and said the doctor thought Wes would live. He’d lost a lot of blood, but the bullet didn’t hit any vital organs.”