Mitch couldn’t imagine what Charlie had gotten into her head. They’d hoped when they returned to St. Louis later this summer, they’d find her engaged to be married. So far each trip had been a disappointment in that regard, and even Stuart’s well-placed incentives hadn’t done the trick. The girl was now over twenty-one and seemingly warded off men like the plague.
Her charming personality might have a lot to do with that.
“So Charlotte is coming here?” Cinda asked.
Mitch shook his head. “Not if Stuart has anything to say about it.”
The curtain billowed, and Stuart appeared. “Apparently, I don’t.”
Mitch cocked a brow and chuckled. “Didn’t go well, huh? Did you expect it to?”
“No, but a man can dream.” Stuart slammed his hat on the table. “The last message that came through the wire was ‘Fuck you, Stuart.’” He slumped into his chair. “I sent a response and waited another twenty minutes. Nothing. Charlie can be such a bitch.”
Cinda smiled. “I can’t wait to meet her.”
“Prepare yourself,” Stuart said. “Sounds like she’ll be here in less than a week. She’s gotten on the train to Cheyenne, then it’s just a matter of a couple days on the Deadwood coach. Maybe we can delay her arrival, or hire someone to scare her back to St. Louis.” Stuart ran his hands through his hair.
“Charlie doesn’t scare easily,” Mitch said.
“Maybe a road agent,” Stuart said.
Mitch shook his head. “Not a good idea. No point in asking for more trouble. Hiring a road agent involves dealing with some dangerous scum.”
“The Kane brothers?” Stuart said.
“They’re out of the business,” Mitch said. “Heard they’re buying one of the saloons here in town.”
Stuart rubbed his forehead as though stricken by a sudden headache. “What’s the West coming to if the Kane brothers are settling down? Sam Culpepper?”
“You’d put out a bounty hunter on your own sister?” Mitch asked. “That’s pretty nasty, even for you. Besides, we don’t know that she’s done anything illegal yet.”
“Jesus, Mitch, I’m getting desperate. We don’t need her here. Our lives will be hell.”
“She is more loveable from a distance,” Mitch said.
Cinda laughed. “Oh, she can’t be that bad. You two actually seem scared of her.”
Stuart ran his hands over his face. “Charlie Dare is the most ornery female I’ve come across in my life. She’ll have the worst denizens of Deadwood quaking in their boots, including the road agents.” Stuart slid his hand over hers. “Enjoy the quiet tonight. The Dakotas will never be this peaceful again. After being with you, I’m not even sure I want to be in the same territory with Charlie, let alone the same household.”
“She’s living with us?” Mitch’s eye twitched.
“You think I like it?” Stuart asked. “What do you want to do? Make her bed with the horses? Believe me, I thought of it, but I’m not that cruel. Those horses are good animals.”
“We can wait here in town for the stage,” Mitch said. “When it arrives, we can knock her out and have someone take her back to Cheyenne.”
Stuart nodded. “That could work.”
Cinda glanced between them. “Before you panic, why don’t we wait and see what she wants?”
Mitch shook his head furiously. “No matter what it is, it can’t be good.”
“We have days before she arrives,” Cinda said. “She could even decide to stay in Cheyenne. But I’m looking forward to it.”
“You’ll change your mind,” Mitch said.
“I’d like to talk about sisters later, if it’s okay,” Cinda said. “This is our honeymoon, and I’m starting to feel a little neglected.” She toyed with the buttons of her dress, slowly plucking them open one by one. “Let’s go upstairs. Maybe I can take your mind off your troubles. Make you forget your sister for a little while.”
Mitch shoved his chair back and stood. “What sister?”
“She’s got me so twisted up I can’t think straight,” Stuart said. “I’m not in the mood right now.”
* * * *
Stuart ignored the funny look on Cinda’s face as he wrapped a shawl around her shoulders. The new Mrs. Dare seemed utterly baffled at his lack of interest, and that smoke coming out of Mitch’s ears didn’t bode well for the evening. His brother looked ready to protest, but Stuart headed him off at the pass. He reached in his pocket and pulled out a chunk of gold, one of Cinda’s nuggets, and laid it in their wife’s palm.
“Let’s see if we can get richer,” Stuart said. “Money puts me in a good mood.”
Cinda’s blue eyes sparked with genuine enthusiasm. “We’re going to gamble? I’ve always wanted to gamble. I watched my stepfather plenty. Can we play dice? I like the sound they make.”
“Darlin’, you can play any game you want.” Stuart steered Cinda toward the curtain, holding it back as she stepped through into the bustling lobby. Mitch grabbed his arm.
“And what game are you playing?” Mitch asked. “You’re not in the mood to fuck? How on earth is that even possible? Look at her!”
Stuart’s gaze slid over their beautiful wife. She offered a radiant smile to an older gentleman who tipped his hat, then ruffled the head of a little girl that flew past her. For a split second, he wondered when he’d lost his mind.
“Something’s wrong, Mitch. I don’t know what it is, but even that fuck you, Stuart didn’t have the right amount of spunk in it.”
Mitch’s brow furrowed. “You got that from a couple of clicks over a line and a piece of paper?”
Stuart plunged his hands in his pockets. “I don’t know what I got besides a bad feeling.”
“So you think Charlie’s in some kind of trouble?”
“When isn’t she?” Stuart sighed. “If trouble’s within a hundred miles, it’ll find her.”
They followed Cinda out the door into the balmy evening. Smoke and haze hung over the street from the lit torches that dotted the roadway. The sounds of raucous laughter swelled from several saloons, and drunken men, and several women, swayed along the wooden walkway, smashing against the clapboard buildings before they righted themselves. Cinda pointed off to the left, toward the brightly lit interior of the Bella Union.
Stuart forced Charlie from his mind and followed his brother and wife toward the biggest, busiest, and most opulent gaming hall in Deadwood. As they moved with the throng of disparate people through the open doorway, Stuart decided Charlie could wait a few days to ruin his life. He had to admit that out of all the women in the Bella Union, Lucinda Parks Dare was the prettiest one of all. He led Cinda toward the cages where they exchanged the nugget for chips. Mitch pulled a cloth from his pocket and tied them up inside, and Cinda clutched the treasure to her chest as she surveyed the poker games and roulette wheel then headed straight for the dice table.
She peeled off her shawl and tossed it to Mitch. She then tucked some hair behind her ears and gathered the dice in her hand, dropping them into the cup. She closed her eyes, muttered something Stuart couldn’t hear, and rolled the dice like a veteran gambler. Mitch and Stuart stood back, sipping on whiskey, while Cinda proceeded to win twenty dollars in chips.
“At least someone’s having a lucky day,” Mitch drawled.
“I have to admit, despite the setback, we’re having a pretty good one, too.”
“Darn right,” Mitch said.
When she turned to them with a huge smile on her face, holding an additional fifty dollars in chips, Mitch wrapped his arm around her. He leaned down to whisper in his ear, but Stuart caught it even in the din of the crowd. “You ready for that honeymoon, candyass?”
“I am indeed, Mr. Dare. Let’s get the hell out of here.”
Stuart poured himself another shot as Mitch led Cinda to the cage to cash in her chips. He was ready for the honeymoon, too. His cock stood at full mast and throbbed with a blinding intensity. It was amazing what watching a beautifu
l, happy woman could do to a man. She could even make him forget a pain-in-the-ass sister.
* * * *
Cinda linked arms with her husbands’ as they strolled along the walkway. The sounds of their boots knocking against the wood made her feel safe and content, three harmonious sounds all moving in the same direction. A man came out of the hardwood store and intercepted them. He asked to speak to the brothers for a moment concerning some equipment Stuart had ordered that afternoon. Mitch laughed, and the three men lounged against the wall to talk. Cinda stood quietly, rubbing her coins through the cloth, loving the roll of them between her fingers. The gentle movement calmed the rather erratic beat of her heart.
“Mrs. Dare?” The quiet whisper caught her attention, and Cinda turned her face to find the young delivery girl from the hotel peeking around the corner of the hardware store.
Cinda glanced over her shoulder then took several steps toward her. The girl held up her hand.
“Don’t come any closer,” she said, “and don’t look at me.”
Cinda nodded and peered into the busy street, watching a group of dirty cowboys stagger down the center of the street, tripping over one another.
“There’s a man following you,” the girl said. “He’s been watching you since you came out of the hotel.”
Cinda lowered her head and pretended to count her coins in the glow of the torch. “What’s he look like?”
“Fifties maybe, tall, thin, light-colored hair.”
Cinda tilted her head, and her finger skimmed over the coins again. She smiled though her heart stuttered in its beat, and heat swelled through her body. She hummed for a moment then muttered, “Sounds like the last man I ever wanted to see again.”
Cinda heard the girl draw in a deep breath as though wrestling with a decision, then she blurted out, “He’s the last man Miranda wanted to see again, too.”
She started to twist toward the girl, but stopped herself. “You know Miranda?”
“Yes, ma’am. We became acquainted with the telegraph operator at the same time. Mr. Hawkins is a fine man. When I arrived, he bought my contract. He offered me expenses to any city I wished to go I chose to stay and work for him. Miranda went to Cheyenne. She said she wasn’t sure even Cheyenne was far enough away.”
“If I have anything to do with it, she’ll be safe there.”
“You must be Cinda.” Before she could say anything, the girl continued. “You look very much alike, ma’am. She spoke of you often. Miranda aimed to get a position in Cheyenne and send for you. Just wanted you to know, ma’am.”
“Thank you, Miss—”
“Matthews. Melanie Matthews.”
Cinda tilted her hand, and several coins rolled from the cloth and landed on the planks. She hunkered down and picked up one, then deliberately rolled two into the dirt beyond the hardware store. She dropped her chin and glanced to the side. “Good night, Melanie. Go buy yourself a dress tomorrow. And maybe a prettier bonnet.”
Cinda heard a soft laugh then the shuffle of feet. A small shadow darted forward and snatched at the coins. She felt a hand on her elbow and rose to her feet. Mitch peered down.
“Think we can get to that honeymoon without another interruption?”
“I’m not sure,” Cinda said. “Did your brother want to do some more shopping tonight?”
“Hell, no,” Stuart said. “Let’s go start our honeymoon.”
Chapter 9
Mitch lit the gas lamps, and the room filled with wavering golden light. Cinda reached into her bodice and pulled out her marriage certificate, spreading it on her palm and smoothing it to remove the wrinkles. Afterwards, she tucked it and her coins into the saddlebag as Stuart opened the doors to let the breeze clear out the stuffiness of the room. Though nearly midnight, the town of Deadwood swelled with the sounds of riotous camaraderie and occasionally a spark of animosity as shouts and curses filtered into the room.
Cinda nearly jumped out of her boots when two blasts of gunfire burst through the night. She’d become a quivering bundle of nerves throughout the evening, and though she couldn’t quite understand why, she accepted it as new-wife jitters. Her life had changed with the signing of the marriage certificate. She no longer belonged to Thomas Wilson, a truly good and wonderful thing, but now she belonged to the men whose eyes hadn’t left her since they’d entered the room. She wasn’t sure what she should do next. She knew how to be Cinda Parks, daughter, gold digger, and claim jumper, but not how to be Cinda Dare, wife.
As she reached up to unbutton her dress, the lamplight caught the new band of gold on her finger. Who knew when she’d decided to seek treasure it would come in the form of two sweet and sexy miners? She’d never dreamed when she found her first nugget, her most valuable piece of gold would fit around her finger in a thin circle. She held out her hand and stared, watching the glint and sparkle of the light play over the ring, then traced it with her thumb.
“We can get you a better ring.” She lifted her face to find Stuart staring at her with a sheepish, almost embarrassed look on his face. “The mercantile didn’t have a very good selection, and I was kind of in a hurry.”
“Spent too much time in the hardware store,” Mitch muttered.
Cinda cupped Stuart’s face, dragging him down for a kiss. “It’s a perfect ring. I wouldn’t want any other, and it’s not every day a woman gets a new ax as a wedding gift.”
“He’ll probably get a pick for our anniversary,” Mitch grumbled.
“Then we’ll have a matched set,” Cinda said. “I can’t think of a better present. We are gold diggers after all.”
Stuart stripped off his tie and dropped it onto the desk then stared out the door, surveying an argument brewing down on the street. “This place is going to hell in a hand basket faster than any place we’ve seen.”
Mitch glanced toward his brother. “Gold brings out the worst in some people and lures the bad ones faster than a whore’s cheap perfume.”
Stu nodded. “This town attracted every one of them. I’d like to set up the operation and get out. We can reap the rewards somewhere else.”
Mitch cocked a brow. “That doesn’t sound like you.”
“We have a wife to protect now.” Stu flung his hand toward the balcony. “Kind of hard to do with the vermin I see roaming this town.”
Cinda hugged his arm. “I appreciate that, Stu, but I don’t need protection. Despite what happened at the cabin, I can take care of myself.”
“We don’t doubt that, sweetcheeks,” Stu said. “But—”
“Besides,” Cinda said, “doesn’t every mining town have its share of vermin?”
“Not like this place,” Stu said. “Deadwood drew every piece of scum that crawled out from under a rock, and not all of them came for gold. Every thief, gunslinger, gambler, outlaw and bounty hunter north of the Rio Grande has come to reap the rewards.”
“If we’re planning to leave, maybe we can get out before Charlie shows up,” Mitch said.
Stu burst out laughing. “Now there’s a good idea if I ever heard one.”
Cinda walked out on to the balcony and peered over the railing. The argument had escalated into a fist fight. Two men circled one another on the street below, while a crowd of onlookers cheered them on. Both men had taken several hits, but one looked ready to fall to the dirt. The sounds of tinny piano music drifted on the air, and the voices of merchants hawking their wares vied with a chorus of bawdy tunes from the dancehall next door. On the other side of the street, three women strolled through the open doorway of a rowdy saloon and lounged against the clapboard walls. None of them wore enough fabric to qualify as clothing, but their lush bodies drew the men toward them like magnets, and within moments, each had made a financial transaction and led the men back into the saloon.
Cinda whirled around and leaned against the railing. “I want to stay here.”
“Seriously?” Mitch asked.
Both men came out onto the balcony. Mitch peered dubiously into the
street below, and Stuart scratched his head. “Cinda, we can make a home anywhere. New York, St. Louis, San Francisco. Why on earth would you want to start our married life in this godforsaken place?”
“Deadwood is full of life and energy. It’s exciting. I feel alive here.” She shrugged. “Granted, it could use a little bit of sweeping to get rid of some dirt, but I’d like to make it home. Have a family here.”
“I have to say, she dreams big,” Mitch said.
“I think we can make a difference here,” Cinda said. “We can turn it into a town worth living in.”
Stuart stared up and down the street and sighed. “That’s probably going to take more work than drilling a mine shaft, and probably take more money, as well.”
Cinda nodded. “Possibly, but I think it will be worth the investment.”
“We’re not spending our money on anything else,” Mitch said. “Except Charlie of course. It’s cost us a fucking fortune to keep her employed. So you want us to become philanthropists?”
“Something like that.” Cinda shrugged. “I’d need to do some more thinking on it, but investing in this town and providing things to the permanent citizens here could turn this town into something special.”
Mitch glanced into the street, and Cinda watched him study the loser of the fist fight who lay face down in the dirt. His opponent didn’t look much better as he staggered to his feet. “A real hospital might be a good investment.”
“That would be an excellent start,” Cinda said.
Stuart put a finger under her chin and tilted her face toward him. “Then why the long face, darlin’? Does it have anything to do with Charlie?”
She shook her head. “No, I’m sure Charlie and I will get along fine.” Mitch grunted, and Stuart’s brows rose. “Well, maybe not fine, but don’t worry about us. We’ll work it out between us. I’m just hoping…” She paused, not sure what she wanted to say. The fact that Thomas Wilson lurked around Deadwood, possibly looking for her, made her breath catch in her chest.
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