* * * *
Odessa’s throat burned from hours of singing. Alf had allowed her a few sitting breaks, but she’d spent most of the night on her feet. She couldn’t wait to get out of Pearlie’s high-heeled boots. The glass jar atop the piano held a few coins tossed in to show appreciation of her talent—not nearly the amount she expected or hoped for.
At first, the crowd had clapped wildly at the finish of each song, but as the night wore on, drinking dimmed their enthusiasm. The painted and carousing women became the men’s center of attention. Odessa’s feelings teetered somewhere between jealousy and relief. But feelings of smugness surged through her tired body. Zach had been wrong about the danger. Other than an occasional off-color remark, she’d remained perfectly safe… at least, so far.
“Oh, not again,” she muttered, as Alf pounded out the beginning of Camp Town Ladies for the third time. The joyful strains seemed to bring more people to the dance floor. Odessa heaved a sigh, but joining on cue, forged through the now-familiar lyrics. After finishing the last note, she cast the piano player a pleading look. “How much longer?”
Shades of orange and red visible through the front windows predicted the approaching sunrise. Her eyes burned from cigar smoke and her forced pose left her with a cramping knee. Sleep beckoned.
Alf perused the room. “Just a couple more tunes.”
Odessa stifled a groan.
Most customers had staggered out during the past few hours, but a few valiant souls still danced and drank. He cracked his knuckles over the keyboard. “As long as we have folks to entertain, Flo pays me to play.”
Odessa frowned, but shifted to another pose. Leaning on the piano came naturally in her tired state, but she absolutely refused to keep her leg bent for a minute longer. Her knee felt stiffer than Grandpa’s whiskers.
While Alf leafed through sheet music for a song to play, a drunk weaved his way across the room. His bloodshot gaze focused on her, and his mouth curled into a lecherous smile. He wavered to a halt mere inches away. “Ain’t you that Johnson guy’s woman?” Whiskey breath washed over her.
Odessa leaned away and crinkled her nose, but curiosity niggled at her. How did a stranger associate her with Zach? Not liking the trapped feeling between the sot and the wall, she side-stepped around him and walked to the table where her water glass sat. After a sip, she met his bleary gaze. “Who wants to know?”
“Your man and me’ll be working together.” He winked and brushed his knuckles against her cheek. “I swear, if’n you was my lady, you wouldn’t—”
She slapped his hand away. “Despite what you believe, sir, I’m not anyone’s property.”
Alf leapt to his feet and spun the man away from Odessa. “C’mon Burt, leave Miz Clay be. Go on back to the bar and tell Orin to pour you a free one on me.”
His head bobbing, Burt teetered back and forth. Odessa feared he might fall, but he released a loud breath and steadied himself with a hand on the wall. “Thas mighty generous of you, Alf, but I’ll share a li’l secret with ya.” He pressed a gnarled finger to his lips.
Switching his source of support to the corner of the piano, the drunk leaned in. “Come next week, I’ll be able to buy you a drink—maybe loss and lossa drinks.” His attempt at whispering was lost in a drunken slur that Odessa overheard.
* * * *
Zach paced the room. His pallet on the floor remained as neatly made as Odessa’s bed. Sunrise loomed beyond the tattered curtains and replaced the darkness inside with light enough to make out the sparse furnishings. How much longer before she finished at the saloon?
His gut had been in a knot since he’d stood outside, concealed in the shadows and peered through the window at her. The innocent girl he’d brought to Charleston had transformed into a saloon whore, clad in yellow feathers and little else. He admitted she looked darn good, but watching other men ogle her raised his dander and forced him to leave before he did something stupid.
He unclenched his fists and massaged his furrowed brow. How in the world had he made her so desperate that she’d cheapen herself so? Now he had even more reason to rob the stage. Not only was his father’s farm in jeopardy, so was the woman he loved.
He paused and blinked at his own admission. Loved? No use denying it. He wasn’t an authority in the romance department, but no other female had ever made him feel like Odessa did. All he wanted was to protect and provide for her, and damn it, that’s what he planned to do.
The door opened and he turned. Odessa, outlined by light from the hall stood in the doorway, dressed in her own gingham, her hair loose around her shoulders. Her eyes mirrored his own weariness.
“I was wonderin’ if you’d ever get done.”
She shuffled across the room and plopped on the bed. “I wondered the same thing myself.” She stretched her arms over her head and opened her mouth in a huge yawn.
“You look plumb worn out.” He knelt in front of her and unlaced her left boot.
“I am. I never knew singing took so much out of a person.”
Zach moved to the other foot, struggled with a knot and untied it. He removed her right boot, and for the first time, noticed the thin sole was nearly worn through. Guilt plucked at him. She deserved better.
He peered up at her. “Did anything bad happen?”
“Not really.” She pulled her feet up and curled her legs under her skirt. “But, I overheard something that caused me to wonder.”
“About what?” He rose and sat beside her.
“How do you know someone named Burt?”
“Hmmm, name sounds familiar, but I don’t rightly remember why.” Zach rubbed his chin. “Why do you think I know this fella?”
Odessa swiveled around and faced him. “Well, according to Burt, you and he are going to work together.”
The names Spence had reeled off popped into Zach’s brain. “Oh… that Burt.” He stared into his lap and fidgeted. “I haven’t actually met him.”
“He certainly seemed to know about you… and me. At least enough to suggest I’m your woman.”
Zach stood and fidgeted for words. “Y-you best get some sleep, you’ve been up all night.”
She eyed the undisturbed pallet on the floor. “Appears you didn’t get any rest either.” She rose and uncoiled into another stretch.
“I slept for a bit,” he lied.
“Tell me,” she peered up at him, stifling another yawn. “What exactly do you plan to do with this Burt person? He doesn’t seem much like someone I imagine you befriending, let alone working with.”
She’d backed him into a corner. What did he say now? Zach reached around her and turned down the covers. “Sleep first, talk later,” he stalled.
“No! I want to know now. Burt said something else that disturbed me.”
“What?” Zach’s shoulders tensed.
“I only caught bits and pieces, but he seemed to suggest that whatever job he planned to do with you would result in his having more money. Know anything about that?” Her stare burned him.
Zach cleared his throat. How did he get out of this predicament? He inched backwards and plopped down in the rocking chair. “Of course he’ll have money. Isn’t that the very reason you’re singing at the saloon? People get paid to work.”
“I suppose you’re right, but you still haven’t told me what kind of job you came here to do.”
“It’s nothing important.” He clasped his hands behind his head and rocked.
“I’m not a child, Zach.” She folded her arms. “You won’t tell me what you plan to do, but you were in an all-fire hurry to get here. And your attitude suggests that in a very short time, you’ll have money enough to save your father’s ranch. I don’t have a very good feeling about your association with this Burt person, and I’m wondering if what you plan to do is legal.”
She dropped to her knees in front of him, her hands on his thighs. “Please, I beg you. Don’t get involved in anything dangerous. I-I just couldn’t live if anything happened to you.” She looked away. “There, I’ve said it.”
Zach lowered his arms and clasped her hands. A growing lump threatened to choke him. She deserved the truth, but how could he be honest and still deserve her respect, let alone her love?
“I regard myself as a woman who has seen much of life.” —Belle Starr
Chapter Eighteen
Odessa just admitted her feelings for him. There, sitting back on her heels in front of him with her hair loose around her shoulders, her skin fresh and smooth, the memory of her bosom heaving despite the feathers in that ridiculous whore’s costume she wore while she sang… Words failed Zach for a moment. “Looks like the shoe is on the other foot now. I fretted about your safety in the saloon, and now you’ve worked yourself into a tizzy over me gettin’ hurt.”
She rose on her knees. “Just tell me you aren’t about to do something foolish.”
The caring he saw in her eyes tugged at his heart. If he told her his plans, disappointment and repulsion would surely replace the love he glimpsed. Just one time, that’s all he needed. One time to rob a stage and secure his father’s ranch. Hopelessness drove a man to do things he wouldn’t normally do, and right now desperation trumped romance.
“You have to trust me.” He cupped her chin.
“Would I have come this far if I didn’t?” She brushed a kiss against his hand.
Her lips sent warmth spiraling up his arm and awakened his desire. God, how he wanted to pull her into his arms and taste every inch of her, instead, he swallowed hard and met her gaze again. “What I plan to do may not be the right thing. But if I don’t do something, Pa is going to lose everything he and Ma worked for. I can’t just stand by and watch that happen.”
Odessa leaned away from him, her brow knitted with worry. “Can this something you have planned get you killed?”
Death was a possibility, but a chance he had to take. He swallowed hard, trying to find the right words. “I suppose I’ll face some danger, but I made a promise to get you to Phoenix, and I plan to come back in one piece.”
“Come back? From where?” She sprang to her feet and paced to the other side of the room. She jerked around and glared at him. “I’m sick of talking in circles.” Her jaw clenched and her hands fisted at her sides. “Why can’t you tell me your plans and stop beating around the bush?”
“I’m joining the Spence gang and robbing a stage.” The words blurted out before he could stop them.
Her eyes turned round as silver dollars. “What? Have you lost your mind?”
He rose and crossed to where she stood. He caressed her upper arms and searched her eyes for a hint of understanding. “I had this planned long before I met you.”
She stiffened. “I don’t care if this is something you dreamed of as a child, it’s the stupidest idea I’ve ever heard.” She side-stepped him and sank onto the bed. Tears rimmed her eyes. “Don’t you realize you’ll be a wanted man? You’ll never be able to go anywhere without looking over your shoulder.”
He heaved a sigh and rubbed the nape of his neck. “I’m fully aware of the risks involved. Trust me, I’ve thought of little else since we met… and before. A normal job won’t get me the money I need. Not in time to stall off the bank that holds the deed to Pa’s ranch. And no one is willing to grant us a time extension. What else can I do?”
She shook her head. “I don’t know. How much do you need?
“Five hundred dollars.”
She gulped and stared at him with wide eyes again. Plunging her hand into her pocket, she withdrew two wrinkled bills and a few coins. “This is all I made last night.”
“See what I mean? I can’t possibly earn the money I need legally.”
She clenched the money in her hand. “H-how did your Pa get that far behind?”
Zach sagged down next to her. “After Ma died, he lost interest in everything.” Reliving the scene brought a lump to Zach’s throat. “Pa took to his room, wouldn’t eat for a while and refused to take care of business. When I finally convinced him that Ma would want him to go on, he broke his leg when his horse threw him. Things went from bad to worse. I tried to keep things going, but we lost most of the ranch hands because Pa couldn’t pay them, and then the bank in Phoenix called in the note.”
“Sounds like a mess to me.” She rested her hand atop his. “Does he know what you plan to do?”
Zach jerked his head around and stared at her. “Hell no! Pa thinks I took a one-time job that pays a big dividend—riding shotgun on a stage loaded with the miner’s payroll.”
“What would he think if he knew the truth?”
“Dang it, Odessa. Don’t try to burden me with guilt.” He pulled his hand from beneath hers and raked it through his hair. “I don’t even wanna think what Pa would do if he knew I was going to rob the stage instead of guard it. He begged me not to leave in the first place.”
“I think I like your pa, and I haven’t even met him. We share something in common. Both of us love you and don’t want to see you dead, or in jail.”
“I don’t plan on getting shot or arrested.” He spoke through clenched teeth, but savored her words. She loved him.
Odessa covered her face with her hands and shuddered, then turned a burning gaze on him. “No one plans to get shot, Zach. Or locked up. Have you considered what will happen to your Pa and his ranch if you do? What will happen to me?”
He refused to consider his demise, and being jailed wasn’t an option either. He pushed her negative suggestions to the back of his mind. “Like I said, you’ll just have to trust me. This is something I have to do.”
Her eyes clouded. “I see nothing I say is going to change your mind. So, when will you go?”
“Tomorrow.”
She opened her hand and shoved her wages toward him. “Then go pay for a couple more nights here at the boarding house. Flo offered me a room at the saloon, but I’d rather not stay there.”
Zach tried to shrug off the money, but she placed it in his palm and forced his fingers closed. “Take it. You’ve done so much already; it’s time I helped out.”
“I’ll take it on one condition.” The thought of her staying in the saloon filled him with unease.
“What’s that?” She sniffed.
“Don’t go back to the Golden Horseshoe.” He didn’t mean for his request to sound more like an order. “Give me time to get the money we need to get out of this place.”
She lowered her gaze again, appearing to ponder his words, then looked at him and nodded. “Don’t worry about me. If you’re so determined to act the fool, then focus on what you need to do and come back to me.”
Regret stabbed at his heart. She hadn’t promised as he hoped. He stood and paced to the other side of the room. “I wish I hadn’t told you the truth.”
“Why?”
“Because, things are bound to change between us.”
She walked to where he stood and peered at him with those sky blue eyes he adored. “I’d rather know you don’t keep secrets from me. Of course, I’ll worry more about you, that’s for sure. But,” she caressed his cheek, “I’m still relying on you to get me to Phoenix.” The movement of her palm against his stubbled skin created a soft grating noise.
She inched her hand around his neck and pulled his face down to her level. Her sweet breath washed over him. “Kiss me like you plan to come back to me…not like you’re saying goodbye.”
His mouth pressed against hers. At the insistence of his probing, she parted her lips and allowed his tongue to dart inside. She stiffened at the sensation, but sagged against him when her shock turned to delight. The swirling dance of mouthy flesh with flesh excited her, tugged
at her womanly parts and stirred feelings she’d never experienced. His taste, the warmth of his mouth, the delving, licking, nibbling—sensations new, yet enticing enough to stir her cravings for more. Her arms crept tighter around his neck. She sucked his tongue deeper and deeper until her brazen actions elicited a throaty moan. Was it his or hers?
Something hard jabbed at her belly—a part of Zach she could only imagine. Fear and her ignorance of anything sensual dulled her feelings of foggy bliss and blotted out the sparks ignited by his kiss. Mating scenes she’d witnessed on her father’s farm flashed through her mind. She’d started something she couldn’t handle, and she shuddered. Zach’s arms held her so tight she couldn’t breathe. Filled with foreboding, she leaned away from him, licking the moistness from her lips.
His eyes flew open, and an evident question lingered in their depths. He released her from his embrace and searched her face.
“I’m sorry,” she sputtered. “I-I don’t know what came over me.” She backed away and ran sweating palms down her skirt.
“It was just a kiss, Odessa. You didn’t do anything wrong. I’ve wanted to do that for days.” His voice sounded oddly raspy.
“You have?” She peered up at him.
“Yes, but I waited until you felt the same way.”
Her cheeks warmed. “T-that was my first kiss. I’m not very experienced, you know? I’ve heard things, but…”
“For a first-timer, you did great.” He cupped her chin. “But, I see fear in your eyes. You needn’t worry. I won’t push you to do anything that makes you uncomfortable.” He sucked his bottom lip between his teeth and stared at her for a moment. “As much as I’d like you to believe I know everything about making love to a woman… I don’t. We’ll go slow and learn together. Do we have a deal?” He stepped closer and attempted to embrace her.
She pushed him away and stuck out her hand. “Deal!”
With a chuckle, he accepted her offered palm then used his other hand to stifle a yawn. He swiveled her toward her bed. “Now that everything’s out in the open, can we get some rest? I have to meet Spence and the boys at the stable this afternoon.”
Odessa Page 12