by Beverly Long
He nodded. “The store looks real nice, Bella. Did you work on it all night?”
She’d been loved and held all night. But she wasn’t telling Jed’s secrets. “No. I slept like a baby.”
It was less than an hour later that she saw Rantaan Toomay stroll by the store. Once again, he hadn’t bothered with a coat. He was smoking a cigar. He must have sensed her staring at him because he stopped and looked in the window. Their glances held.
It felt as if her breath was trapped somewhere in her esophagus—making it feel as if she’d swallowed a large bubble. She forced herself to wave. He nodded in return. She saw the doorknob turn and suddenly he was in the store.
“Mrs. Wainwright,” he said. “You look especially lovely this morning.”
She smiled. “Why thank you, Mr. Toomay.”
“I was hoping to convince you to share your noon meal with me again. I find that having a lovely companion eases the digestion.”
Oh, please. “I’m sorry but I’m taking lunch to my aunt.”
He puffed on his cigar. “My loss.”
Bella sucked in a breath. “I thought perhaps we might have a drink together later.”
“As appealing as that seems, I’m playing cards tonight.”
Not if she had anything to do with it. “I wouldn’t want to interfere. Perhaps shortly after supper, well before the card games start. I could come to your room.”
She let the words settle. This was not the time to be coy. She needed time alone with him and it wouldn’t hurt if he thought the time would be worth his while.
He raised an eyebrow. “Shall we say seven, then?”
With any luck, he’d be dead before nine. “I’ll look forward to it,” she said.
He left. Bella turned, pulled an empty bowl off the shelf, and threw up in it.
***
After leaving Bella, Jed went home to get cleaned up and into fresh clothes. He heated water on the stove and then poured it into a washbowl. He lathered up his face with soap and shaved.
He undressed and dipped a washcloth into the water but stopped suddenly when he realized that he could smell Bella on his skin. He tossed the washcloth to the side and stood, naked as the day he was born, with his arm practically pressed up against his nose.
Remembering.
And when his cock got hard, he closed his eyes and wrapped his hand around it. He thought of her slick, wet heat and the tight muscles that had squeezed him. He could hear the small scream she’d uttered when she’d given herself up to her own enjoyment and the taste of her lingered on his tongue.
He spilled his seed in his own hand.
And, God help him, he got half hard again just thinking about how she’d taken him in her mouth and pleasured him to a point that he’d been scraping and clawing at the bed with his fingernails.
Frustrated that he was acting like a thirteen-year-old boy, he cleaned himself up, got dressed, and cooked himself three eggs and thick piece of ham.
While he chewed, he admitted that he could not remember a time when he felt less settled. He felt as if he was a ball of string and he was all wrapped up in a tight knot.
His house seemed too quiet, too empty, and it occurred to him that anyplace that didn’t include Bella was going to be lonely.
Oh, Christ, he was a damn idiot.
He’d fallen in love with Bella.
She was everything he hadn’t wanted. She was beautiful, and lively and had a smart mouth that amused him. And when she wrapped her legs around him and took him into her sweet body, he felt complete.
He left his house and rode his horse to his office. He opened the door and Bart, who was sitting at the desk, looked up. “I didn’t expect to see you,” he said. “I thought you were making your rounds.”
“I am,” Jed said. “I figured you’d have coffee made and I wanted a cup before I left.”
Bart got out of the chair. “Pete and I already had a cup,” he said.
Jed looked at his prisoner. The man was lying on a cot in the cell, his face turned toward Jed. His eyes were closed but it did not make him look restful. The man had aged twenty years in two days. “How is he?” he asked, keeping his voice low.
“He slept most of the night.” Bart poured a cup of coffee into a tin cup and handed it to Jed. “You don’t look like you got much sleep yourself.”
“A little.” Jed didn’t elaborate. He wasn’t ready to talk about Bella. He was just coming to terms with it himself.
Bart walked back to the desk. “I’ve got a question for you.” He opened the second drawer. “What the hell is this?” he asked. He pulled out the music box that Jed had purchased at Saul’s. Before Jed could stop him, he opened the lid and the music poured out.
Jed crossed the room in five long strides and flipped the lid shut. He must have forgotten to lock the drawer. “Put that away,” he said.
He heard movement in Pete’s cell. The man was standing at the bars. “That’s a real nice song,” he said.
Every time he heard it, he was going to think of Bella. “Yes, it is,” Jed said. He picked up the music box and slipped it into the deep pockets of his coat. “I’ve got to get going,” he said to Bart. “I should be back in time for you to have your supper.”
“Good. I’m eating with Patience and her family.”
Jed would be eating alone. Like always. It had never bothered him before. Most nights he didn’t even sit at the table, just stood near the stove, eating out of the pan.
He’d always figured he’d have a wife someday. Someone sensible, even-tempered, quiet.
Someone who would wear practical shoes.
Boring.
Bella Wainwright had ruined him.
“Something wrong, Jedidiah?” Bart asked. “You look a little peaked.”
“I’m fine,” Jed said. “I’ll see you later.” He left the sheriff’s office before he did something truly peculiar like sit in a corner and listen to a music box. He got on his horse and rode out of town.
***
It was mid-afternoon before Bella put the Closed sign in the window. She reached for the small sack on the counter and stuffed it into her cloak pocket. Bart had been in around lunchtime and had been very disappointed that the peppermint jar was empty. She’d been busy with other customers but had promised him that she’d see if there was any more in the boxes Freida had in the back room.
She’d found another tin of peppermints and had bagged up fifteen pieces. Now, she pulled the door shut and checked to make sure it was locked. She walked down the wooden sidewalk, cursing her shoes when her socks got wet. Jed had been right—they were silly shoes.
She opened the door to the Sheriff’s office and smiled when she saw Bart sitting with his feet on the desk. He was leaning back in the chair, reading the newspaper.
“Hi,” she said. “I brought you the peppermint.”
He lowered his newspaper. “Hell, Bella. I didn’t expect you to bring—”
“Oh. Oh. Oh.” The man in the cell interrupted Bart. He was pointing at Bella. His face was red and his eyes were big.
Bart swung his legs off the desk and stood up. “Jesus Christ, Pete. What the hell is your problem?”
The man backed up to the far side of the cell. “It’s her. It’s her. Me and Lenny saw everything. She appeared out of nowhere. Poof. One minute she’s not there. The next minute she is. Like some kind of magic. Watch yourself around her,” Pete added.
Bart rolled his eyes. “Pete, calm down. This is Bella Wainwright. She’s Freida Wainwright’s niece. She doesn’t go around appearing and disappearing.”
Later tonight she was going to prove Bart wrong. Bella looked more carefully at the man and realized that it could well be one of the men that she’d surprised when she’d suddenly popped into the alley in Shinoah. It made her sick to think that one of the men was already dead and this one, well, he was as good as dead.
“I know what I saw,” Pete said. “Me and Lenny talked about it.” The man’s face crumpled
and slowly his back slid down the wall until he was sitting on the floor. “I ain’t never going to get to talk to Lenny again,” he said. Tears ran down his face.
Bella could hardly breathe. The man had lost everything and now she was going to have to act as if he’d lost his mind, too. “I have to go,” she said. She pulled the sack out of her pocket and threw it on the desk.
“Bella, don’t pay him any mind,” Bart said.
She was out of the door before he’d finished his sentence. She walked on unsteady legs to the livery. When she got there, Wymer looked surprised to see her. “I wasn’t expecting you this early,” he said.
“I know,” she said. She was surprised she could even talk after the scene at the Sheriff’s office. “I have a couple free hours so I thought I’d go see Aunt Freida.”
“It’ll just take me a minute to get your rig ready. Are you home for the day, then?”
Home. She’d really, truly be home by midnight. With Averil and her father. Without Jed.
She leaned against the rough wood wall. Why did everything have to be so complicated? “I’ll be back in Mantosa in a couple hours,” she said.
Wymer finished hooking up the horses to the wagon. “I’ve got some mail to attend to,” he said. “If I’m not here when you come back, just pull your team in and I’ll take care of them when I get back. I don’t want you having to worry about them.”
The attendant at the parking garage at home never worried about her having to park her own car. He never even acknowledged her when she fed her twenty bucks into the machine.
Home. Hell. She didn’t know what she wanted anymore.
She got up on the wagon, picked up the reins, and left before she did something stupid like tell Wymer the whole story. She drove the horses only as far as Hawkin’s Saloon before stopping them. She set the brake and got off. “Behave,” she told the horses. “I’m nervous enough.”
She walked into the saloon. The piano player was at it again—singing off-key. There were six men, none of whom she recognized. Good. That might mean they didn’t know who she was. She had a story but the fewer people she needed to explain it to, the better.
Delilah was wiping down the back bar. “Hi,” Bella said.
The small woman jumped. “Good Lord, Bella. You startled me. If you’re here for your noon meal, you’re too late. Snake has everything put away.”
“Not interested in lunch. I’d like to buy a bottle of whiskey. The best you have.”
Delilah narrowed her eyes. “I’m not in a position to give advice but maybe you ought to consider starting with a glass.”
“Oh, it’s not for me. I’m taking it to my aunt. You know she broke her leg. It’s strictly for medicinal purposes.”
Delilah squatted down, pulled a bottle out of the cupboard, and set it down on the counter with a solid thud. “That’s two dollars.”
Bella gave her three and then shoved the unopened bottle into a bag that she brought with her from the Mercantile. “Thanks, Delilah. I’ll see you later.”
By the time she got back in the wagon, her legs had almost stopped shaking. She shoved the bag down by her feet. That had gone pretty well and she was one step closer to killing Bad Magic.
When she opened the door to Aunt Freida’s cabin, both Aunt Freida and Mrs. Bean looked up. Bella’s first thought was that her aunt looked so much better than she had the day before. The color was back in her cheeks and she was out of bed and sitting in a chair. Her second thought was that things have a way of working out. Both Aunt Freida and Mrs. Bean were stitching doll clothes.
They’d evidently found a shared interest beyond Thomas.
“It’s good to see you, Girl. I was a little worried when I heard that you intended to spend the night at the store. Was there any trouble?”
Other than she’d had her heart broken? “No trouble,” she said. “You look like you’re feeling better.”
“I am. We’ve had a pleasant morning,” she said, glancing at Mrs. Bean. “Elizabeth is coming back later tonight. She’s bringing my supper.”
“I’ll stay until she gets here,” Bella said.
“Surely you’re not planning on spending the night at the store again,” her aunt protested.
“One more night,” Bella said. She could tell her aunt wasn’t happy.
Mrs. Bean stood. “I’ll check in on you tomorrow, Freida.”
Bella held up her hand. “Please, don’t let me interrupt what you were doing.”
Mrs. Bean shook her head. “This will allow me to set Constance’s mind at ease. Even in the daytime, she’s not too fond of staying alone. She fears that not all the Godless Savages have conceded to the white man.”
Bella tried not to flinch. The most Godless Savage of all was expecting Bella to meet him in his room in just a few hours.
Mrs. Bean had her hand on the door. “Freida,” she said.
Bella held her breath. Now what?
“Yes, Delores.”
Delores. Wow. They’d somehow managed to get on a first name basis. That had to be a good sign.
“Tomorrow, I’ll show you how to do a tighter stitch. I noticed yours are a bit too loose.” Mrs. Bean walked out.
It was a full two minutes later that Aunt Freida started to laugh. “Oh, Christ. Isn’t she something?”
Bella nodded. No doubt about it. Mother-in-law jokes had started with Mrs. Bean.
Aunt Freida laughed so hard that she ended up crying. She dabbed at her eyes with the half-made doll dress. “You look tired, Bella.”
Six days on the frontier wasn’t exactly the spa package. “I’m fine,” she said. “I’m just grateful that you’re getting around better.” She hesitated. She’d come too far to jeopardize her position now but it was important for her to tell this woman that her home, her friendship, her caring, had made a difference.
“I want to thank you, Aunt Freida, for letting me stay here. I had a good time.”
Once she’d said it, she knew it was true. Granted, there was no shopping and no parties and no indoor toilets but there was still plenty of laughter and conversation and…love. She could easily love Aunt Freida. And Jed. Well, that train had already left the station.
“I wish you didn’t have to go home so soon,” Aunt Freida said. She tapped her fingers against the table. “I believe Jedidiah is going to miss you. The man has a hungry look in his eyes whenever you’re in the room.”
“Jed is special,” Bella admitted. “He’ll find someone,” she added. She felt a squeeze around her heart.
Aunt Freida shrugged. “Maybe. I guess now that I’ve found Thomas I’ve turned into a bit of a matchmaker. I just want you to be happy.”
She’d been happy in her old life.
Not content. Maybe not at peace. Never in love. But she could be happy again.
She hoped so. She stood up. “By the way, I little bird told me that a marriage proposal is coming your way. I want you to act surprised.”
Her aunt’s cheeks turned pink. “It’s about time,” she said.
“He’s afraid to ask. You may have to help him through it,” Bella said.
“I’ll do that,” Aunt Freida said.
Bella leaned forward and kissed her aunt. “I’ll see you later,” she said. “I’m going to head back. I can’t let Saul get too confident.”
“Have a cookie first. Delores made them. They’re not as good as mine but I didn’t have the heart to tell her.”
When Bella left an hour later, she managed not to cry until the horses got to the end of the lane. Then, she let the tears flow. She was half afraid they might freeze. When she was half-way back to town, she passed Wymer. He rode a horse that looked too big for him and his body was wrapped in a brightly colored poncho.
She hastily wiped her cheeks and hoped that he’d think she was just cold. “Hi, Wymer. What brings you out in this snow?”
“Got some mail to deliver,” he mumbled. He stared at her and she wondered if he could tell she’d been crying. But he did
n’t look suspicious—he looked disgusted. Thinking she might have cookie crumbs still on her mouth, she used her thumb to brush them away. “Is something wrong?” she asked.
He shook his head and looked down at his horse. “I’ve got to be getting along, Bella.”
There was clearly something troubling the man. He’d been chatty-enough earlier but something had really dampened his outlook on life. Bella wanted to help but given her own heavy heart and the daunting deed ahead of her, she decided she might just be tapped out. “Okay. Be careful,” she said.
She’d gone a few hundred yards when the fine hairs on the back of her neck rose up. She turned and was startled to see that Wymer hadn’t moved—he was staring after her.
What the hell? For a man in a hurry, he didn’t seem to have anyplace to go. She turned around and urged Rain and Sunshine to pick up the pace. The sooner she got back to town the better.
***
Freida had just gotten settled when there was a knock on the door. At first, she thought it might be Bella returning. “Come in,” she yelled. She was surprised when Wymer stuck his head in the door.
“Afternoon, Freida,” he said.
“Afternoon, Wymer. Whatever brings you this direction?”
He shuffled into the room. “I hate to bother you,” he said. “You being laid up and all.”
“I’m feeling much better. What can I help you with?”
“You got a telegram a little while ago.”
“You don’t say? Now who would be sending me a telegram?”
Wymer looked everywhere but at her. Finally, he dug into his pocket and pulled out a slip of paper. “It’s from your niece, Merribelle Wainwright.”
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
In Freida’s back room, Bella carefully crushed Averil’s pain medication, until the pills were a pile of fine dust. Then she opened the whiskey bottle and poured out enough to fill one glass half-full. She scooped up the pain medication and added it to the whiskey bottle. She held her thumb over the top and swished it around. When she set it back on the table and the liquid settled, she was confident that no one would know that it had been altered.