“That all you going to do?” Zeke asked. “Tell him not to leave stuff lying on the floor?”
“What do you want me to do?” Drew asked.
“Let me and Hawk have him for a few minutes. We’ll teach him to forget to ask before he goes through a lady’s trunk.”
Cole figured Drew would be more successful in getting her brothers to leave his skin in one piece, so he kept his mouth shut. Zeke looked ready to take him apart. Hawk’s expression was harder to read, but Cole had no doubt his thoughts were running along the same lines. Besides, he had gone through Drew’s personal trunks. He thought he’d put everything back exactly as he’d found it, but you could never be sure with a woman.
A man would throw everything into a trunk and worry about what it looked like when he got where he was going. A woman would spend five times as long making certain everything was packed just right so it wouldn’t crease. Then the first thing she’d do when she arrived would be iron everything and hang it up. Drew didn’t strike him as overly domestic, but she always looked neat.
“He’s a fool, but that’s not his fault,” Drew said. “If you want to blame anybody for having to put up with him, blame Earl. He’s the one who hired him. You can blame yourselves, too, for thinking he added life to my act.”
Zeke and Hawk didn’t look happy, but it was clear they were used to doing what Drew wanted. Cole got the feeling just about everybody did what Drew wanted. He shivered violently and realized he was cold. Now that he wasn’t expecting to be gutted any minute, his adrenaline had stopped pumping and his blood had cooled off. He was standing on the back of a train on a cold September night in nothing but his long johns.
“Let him go back inside,” Drew said, “before he freezes to death and we have to get rid of his body. Besides, he does keep coming up with good ideas. We can keep him around until he runs dry. Then we can pitch him from the train, preferably when we’re crossing a river.”
The woman was all heart. He decided to get back to his bed before she could change her mind. When the captain had explained his assignment, he hadn’t bothered to mention that Drew came with her own personal bodyguards and support team. Cole hadn’t been prepared for that, but he’d better get prepared. Next time they were going to want blood.
And Cole was certain that, one way or the other, there would be a next time.
But as he settled back into his bed and felt his body begin to warm, his feet begin to feel more like they belonged to him instead of being two blocks of ice, his concern shifted back to Drew. He hadn’t known exactly what he was looking for when he went through her trunks. He wasn’t foolish enough to expect to find masks neatly packed away ready for use the next time they were going to commit robbery.
To his relief, he’d found nothing. The captain hadn’t said they knew she was guilty, just that she seemed the most likely suspect. Cole was to check her out and report back. There wouldn’t be any difficulty when he reported he couldn’t find any evidence to prove she was involved with the robberies. He couldn’t produce any evidence to prove she wasn’t connected with the robberies, but he had a good intuitive grasp of character. Everything he sensed about Drew told him she wasn’t the kind of person to commit robberies.
But his feelings went further than simply being relieved. He wanted to stop looking now because he was afraid sometime in the future he might come across some evidence he couldn’t ignore. He didn’t want Drew to get off scot-free if she was guilty, but he didn’t want to be the one to find the proof.
Yet it was even more than that. He didn’t want her to be guilty, or to be caught even if she were. All day, after he’d decided he would go through her luggage, he’d been running scenarios though his mind in which he talked her out of committing any more robberies, into giving back the money she’d taken, into going to one of the western territories, where she’d be effectively out of the reach of the law.
This wasn’t like him. While serving as a Texas Ranger, he hadn’t been involved in any kind of dishonesty. Doing anything to help Drew escape the consequences of her actions would not only be dishonest, it would be against the oath he’d taken as a federal agent.
He couldn’t figure out what it was about this woman that worked so powerfully on him. She wasn’t beautiful, though she was pretty enough to satisfy any reasonable man. She certainly hadn’t gone out of her way to make herself agreeable to him. It wasn’t her moral character—he had never known show people to have very high morals. Were Zeke and Hawk really her adopted brothers?
If not, he didn’t want to think about what kind of intimacy that implied.
He didn’t know what had gotten into him. Maybe it came from trying to catch a female criminal. He could only assume it went against some part of his training as a Southern gentleman. It was a shame that when he left home he hadn’t left all that brainwashing behind.
It was foolish to let himself be influenced by the fact that Drew was a woman. He was a strong-minded man. At least he had been until now. He could put aside his personal feelings and do the job. That was what the captain had expected when he gave Cole the assignment. Success would mean promotion, and further proof he’d been right to walk away from his family’s expectations.
Meridian, Illinois
Drew was forced to concede that Cole had a natural talent for the theatrical, a real feel for what an audience would find exciting or intriguing. Maybe drifters had to have the ability to see the entertainment value in virtually any situation. After all, if they failed to be amusing, people would stop supporting them and they’d have to actually be responsible, maybe even take a job.
“We’d better hope there’s not too much wind tonight,” Cole was saying. “It’ll blow the candles out.”
“I could always shoot the match out of your hand,” she said.
“Let’s stick with the candles for now.”
He probably didn’t think she was good enough to keep from hitting him. That piqued her vanity, but she decided to let it pass. He’d only been officially part of the show for two days. He’d have plenty of opportunity to learn to appreciate the extent of her skill with guns, and her willingness to practice to make herself even better. But he seemed determined to do everything he could to make her act the most sensational in the Wild West Show.
Why?
She didn’t have an answer to that question, and it bothered her. She didn’t like it when she didn’t understand things around her, what people were doing, their motives. She took people as she found them. The old regulars in the show were her favorites. They were just what they seemed—honest, hardworking, friendly—and they loved being with the show. They wouldn’t consider any other kind of life.
But none of that applied to Cole Benton. He would drift from one place to another using his handsome face and pleasing manner to ease his way. At some point, before his physical charms faded completely, he’d probably sweet-talk some rich widow into marrying him, and be set for life. He’d probably take advantage of her trust, cheat on her from time to time, spend too much of her money, but Drew had no doubt that she’d feel she got a fair return on her investment. Cole Benton looked like just the man to make any woman think having him to herself—even if only part of the time—was worth almost any price.
“Get those candles ready,” Drew called. “Zeke and I can’t wait here all morning.”
“In a minute.”
She didn’t like to be unoccupied. All kinds of unwelcome thoughts thrust themselves on her, like what she’d been thinking a minute before. She couldn’t recall when she’d ever speculated about any man as she had about Cole. He was exactly the kind of man she despised. Yet now she couldn’t stop thinking about him, wondering about his past, his present motives, what he’d do in the future. She didn’t like that. It wasn’t like her.
“Ready,” Cole called.
She fired six shots in rapid succession. Damn! She’d missed one.
“What’s wrong?” Zeke asked. “You never miss.”
“I was thinking about something else. Light them again.”
This time she cleared her mind of every thought and concentrated on what the audience reaction would be if she missed.
“Okay, ready,” Cole called out.
She whirled and fired six shots. Six candles went out like clockwork.
“That’s better,” Zeke said. “I thought for a moment you were coming down with something.”
“I’m never sick.”
“You never miss, either. I got to go get ready for the riding stunts. You’d better practice a little more, just to make sure.”
“I am sure, dammit,” Drew snapped at Zeke’s retreating back. “Put the candles on the turntable,” she called out to Cole.
“That’ll make it virtually impossible to hit all of them,” he said.
“Put them on the turntable anyway,” she said, determined to show him there were no limits to what she could do when she put her mind to it.
It took Cole several minutes to set up the table. All the while Drew fidgeted and fussed and stewed. It was bad enough to have Cole doubt her skill, but it was a major blow to her vanity to have Zeke tell her she needed to practice. Zeke was her severest critic, but he was also one of her most steadfast supporters. He’d been the one to convince Jake and Isabelle to let her join the Wild West Show. He’d also been the one to talk Hawk into working with him so they could join the show and keep an eye on her.
She’d been angry at first. She didn’t need anyone watching over her, but now she was glad for the companionship. She wasn’t good at making friends. The first few months would have been terribly lonely without Zeke and Hawk.
“How fast do you want me to spin it?” Cole called.
“Try it once and see.”
He spun it so fast the candles blurred and went out.
“I guess that was too fast,” he said.
He relit the candles and tried again. It was much slower, but the candles still flickered and threatened to go out. She took careful aim and fired.
She snuffed all six.
Cole slowly turned to look at her. “You’re damned good.”
“Of course I’m good.”
“No, I mean damned good. I didn’t think anybody could do that. How did you manage it?”
She’d always been able to shoot with uncanny accuracy. She didn’t know how. She just did it. She’d gotten even better with long hours of practice. This year she hadn’t pushed herself so hard until Cole showed up with his ideas for new tricks. Now she’d have to start practicing as much as before. It wasn’t enough that she could make the shots when she was concentrating. She had to make them all the time, under any conditions, regardless of distractions, including weather.
And she had to be fast. The audience didn’t think there was anything difficult about the shots if she took her time to prepare. But when she went from one trick to another with hardly a stop in between, it left them breathless, and the applause was loud and wholehearted.
“We ought to start with the candelabra first,” Cole said. “We can change over to the turntable when they get used to that.”
“Nobody knows what I do from one show to the next.”
“They will from now on. I intend to see that newspaper reporters are here to see your performances. You’re going to be famous. People will come to the show just to see you, expecting to see certain tricks. That’s when we’ll have to start varying them, making them even harder.”
“And how do you intend to drag all those reporters out to the show?”
“I don’t know. I just thought of it.”
Just what she expected, lots of big ideas but no thought about how to make them work. “You don’t have much time. The show starts in a few hours.”
“I’ll think of something.”
“While you’re doing that, I’ll practice the rest of my act. Then I’m going to watch Zeke and Hawk go through their stunts.”
She ran through the act three more times. Everything went perfectly except the dismount from the horse. If she stopped the horse, it slowed the act. If she dropped to a sitting position and then bailed out, it left her feeling off balance. She either had to wait a few seconds while she got her balance back, or fire right away and risk missing some of the targets.
“You ought to have somebody to catch you.”
Drew turned in surprise to see that Earl had come up behind her.
“That would give you a speedy and easy dismount,” Earl said. “And it would appeal to the audience.”
“There isn’t anybody out there but me.”
“How about Cole?”
“He’s in the stands. He couldn’t pretend to be a stranger and appear with me earlier. I’d have to get Hawk or Zeke to catch me.”
“Okay,” Earl said, “but let’s practice it now. I want to see how it looks.”
“Zeke and Hawk have gone to the stables,” she said.
“Then let Cole catch you.”
Chapter Six
The surge of energy that jolted through Drew’s body was as troubling as it was unexpected.
“No!” She hadn’t meant for the word to come out as a strangled shout, but it did anyway.
“Why not?” Earl asked.
“I don’t need to practice it now. I can wait until the boys are done.”
“There’s no need to wait. Besides, I want to see it.”
“I can’t be jumping into the arms of a man I barely know.” She didn’t know why Earl couldn’t see that. “My mother would have a fit.”
“This is show business, Drew. We have to do all kinds of things our mothers wouldn’t approve of.”
Drew knew that. All the women she knew had either been born into show business or joined over their parents’ objections.
“You don’t have to worry about Cole getting fresh,” Earl said. “I’ll be here.”
“I’m not worried about that. He knows I can put a bullet through his heart at a hundred yards.”
It wasn’t Cole but rather his effect on her that worried Drew. She’d spent her whole life immune to the attractions of the male sex. Since she disliked most men and intended never to marry, that suited her just fine.
“Good. I’ll tell him to get the horse.”
Drew wanted to call Earl back, but she knew it was pointless. He might be short in stature and too pretty to be a man, but when he made up his mind to something, he stuck to it. She didn’t want anyone to catch her when she dismounted from the horse, but she was sure it would be a crowd pleaser. It certainly was an easier way to get down. Dropping to the ground while the horse was still moving jarred every bone in her body.
She wouldn’t have minded if she didn’t have to practice with Cole. Just his presence was enough to cause her to feel too agitated to sit still. At first she thought it was pure irritation. She didn’t want to share her performance with anyone, especially a conceited good-for-nothing like Cole. But she found herself looking for him when he wasn’t around, wondering where he was, what he might be doing.
She tried to tell herself she was nervous about what he would come up with next. She was, but she was honest enough to admit she was curious, too. Even worse, she found him attractive, appealing. She hated it, cussed herself for it, but she couldn’t help it. She guessed that was what had gotten him through life so far, women who couldn’t help being attracted to him, women who’d do just about anything to keep him close by.
She might be as susceptible as other silly women, but she wasn’t foolish enough to let it go beyond that. You had to treat a man like Cole the same way you treated a wild stallion. He might be the most beautiful animal you’ve ever seen, but you had to let him stay wild. It was foolish to think he could be broken to saddle. Cole would always have a crowd of women around him, but he’d never be faithful to any one.
Drew shook her head to clear it of these troubling thoughts. She had to get her mind back on her work. Cole and Earl were heading her way with the horse.
“I found some shoes for
you to wear,” Cole said as he handed her what looked like a boot top attached to a ballet slipper. “It’ll look like a boot but be supple enough for you to stand up on the horse.”
“Where did you get these?” She knew he couldn’t have bought anything like that in a store.
“I had Myrtle make them out of some old boots and a pair of slippers I found at a pawn shop.”
“They’re perfect,” Earl said, “a brilliant idea. Now let’s see Drew jump into your arms.”
Drew put it off as long as possible. She first made it clear one of her brothers would catch her in the show. Then she made Earl discuss how Zeke or Hawk would come out, where he’d be while she shot at the targets, how and when he’d leave after he’d caught her. But she couldn’t put it off forever, especially since Earl was impatient to get on to his other duties.
“Help her up on that horse,” he said to Cole. “I think it’ll be a brilliant entrance. I don’t know why one of us didn’t think of something like this long ago.”
“Because we made my shooting the focus of the act,” Drew said, “not some theatrical claptrap.”
“Audiences love claptrap,” Earl said. “This whole show is nothing but an imitation of what really happens in the West. People don’t want the real thing, just a comfortable approximation. Now let’s see what this looks like.”
She stalled a little longer by insisting Cole set up the bull’s-eyes so she could make her entrance exactly as she would for the show. But the time came when she couldn’t postpone it any longer. The targets were set up, Cole stood ready, and Earl was waiting.
“Hell!” she swore. She swung herself up on the horse and got to her feet. She clucked to the horse, and he cantered into the ring.
Drew drilled her three targets. While the horse was making the circle around the arena, Cole grabbed up the targets and waved them in the air to show the make-believe audience Drew had hit them all dead center. Then he dropped the targets and ran to catch her when she was directly in front of the stands.
“Hell!” Drew said as she jumped.
It was worse than she’d feared.
Drew (The Cowboys) Page 7