by Pamela Morsi
The Indian counted out Henry Lee's money. "Thirty-eight gallons made 152 quarts, minus the one that your woman took equals 151 quarts sold."
"Thanks," Henry Lee said, giving the grinning salesman a cut for his trouble. Taking his money, Henry Lee folded it, carefully attached it to his money clip and slipped it into his inside jacket pocket. Watching from across the room, Neemie Pathkiller immediately went to the window and slammed it shut. Henry Lee had just turned to find Hannah at his side. She was giggling and weaving a bit and he started to make a comment about not leaving a moment too soon when a commotion broke out near the entrance of the ballroom.
"Federal marshalls! Nobody leaves!" came the command from Tom Quick, hidden from view by the press of the crowd. With muttered expletives and cries of feminine alarm erupting throughout the ballroom, the crowd began hurrying in every direction, trying to find an exit. Both the front and rear doors were blocked by lawmen and the crowd surged around them, trying to push a way out. People tried to scramble through the open windows, but their ways were blocked by deputies.
Henry Lee quickly assessed the situation. He wasn't certain they were after him, but it was highly likely. He wasn't about to stick around and find out for sure. He had not only himself to think about, but Hannah too. He could not allow her to be arrested. He scanned the room desperately, then his eyes fell on the stairway where the whiskey had been sold. Grabbing Hannah by the arm he rushed her through the doorway; stopping to close the door, he jerked a spindle from the stair railing and wedged it against the door. It wouldn't stop anyone, but hopefully it would slow them up a bit.
Rushing up the stair with Hannah in tow proved to be a bit more difficult. With all the excitement going on around her, Hannah had developed a fit of laughter. Henry Lee was desperately fighting to maintain their freedom while Hannah was shrieking so hard with hilarity that she couldn't seem to walk up the stairs and had to be half-carried, half-dragged.
When they reached the top of the landing, he saw only one door and it was locked. Without hesitation, Henry Lee lowered Hannah to the floor and, grasping the door frame with both hands, slammed his foot into the middle, breaking the lock. Hannah literally screeched with laughter at that.
The living quarters of Mrs. Byron were neat as a pin and lavishly furnished with fancy veneered furnishings from back East. Henry Lee hardly gave it a glance as he quickly hurried through the apartment looking for a back exit. Hannah, however, was impressed. The room was the most opulent that she had ever seen and in her current state of mind, she saw no reason not to enjoy the adventure. Plopping herself down on a backless red satin settee, she put her feet up and struck a pose that she imagined to be nonchalant elegance. She threw her head back, trying for a new, more distinguished affectation but it was too quick a move, and she decided that lying down might be the best idea after all.
Henry Lee discovered to his dismay that there was no back stairway and that if they jumped out any of the windows, they would land in the arms of the lawmen surrounding the building. There was a small balcony-porch off the kitchen in the back. It was roofless except for a series of slatted boards that served to make some shade without blocking the sun. Henry Lee eyed the boards and then grabbing a chair in the tiny kitchen he stood on the chair, testing each one until he found the piece he wanted. Slightly loose, he was able to easily pry it off its frame. He pushed it up, onto the main roof. Pulling himself up through the space he had created, he looked over the roof. He saw exactly what he was hoping for. The roof of the next building could be easily jumped to from this one and on down the street, it looked to be possible to go forever over the heads of the officers.
Dropping back down on the porch he hurried to retrieve his wife. Hannah was lying facedown on the settee.
"Honey," he shook her gently, "don't go to sleep on me now. We've got to get out of here."
He pulled her up into a sitting position, but she kept her eyes tightly shut.
"I can't look," she told him.
"Why not?"
"The room keeps spinning around, I've never seen anything like it. I just sit here and the room goes round and round like a carousel."
Henry Lee shook his head in disbelief. What a time for Hannah to take up drinking!
"Come on, sweetheart," he said, lifting her up into his arms. "Didn't I tell you we were going back to the hotel? Well, we are going to take a different route than how we came. One that nobody has ever taken before."
"We're going to be explorers!" Hannah giggled. "We're going to have our own little adventure, how exciting!"
Henry Lee couldn't help laughing with her. "It is going to be an adventure," he agreed. He just hoped it wouldn't get any more exciting than it already was.
Henry Lee stood her up on her feet next to the kitchen chair on the porch.
"Now watch me," he said, reaching up to grasp the roof boards with his hands. "You just get a good hold here, take one step on the ladder back of the chair, then you get your toe in good between one of these bricks and just climb right up through this opening and I'll lift you up."
He proceeded to pull himself onto the roof and then leaned down to help her.
Hannah tried to steady the spinning room and her shaky legs, but the more effort she put into it, the more difficult it became, and the more difficult it became, the funnier it was. She couldn't even seem to stand on the chair. She tried once, twice, three times to stand herself on the seat. She began giggling again and quickly doubled over with laughter. Dropping to her knees she laid her head down on the chair.
"Give me your hand," Henry Lee ordered, leaning as far down as he could reach. But, even as she obeyed, he knew he didn't have enough leverage to lift her up through the roof as a dead weight.
They had wasted so much time, there wasn't even a second to spare if they had any hope of getting away. He jumped back down on the porch. Picking her up in his arms he stood again on the kitchen chair and pushed her upward in front of him.
"Hannah," he barked in a voice that brooked no argument, "you must crawl up onto the roof. I know that you can do it, so do it!"
Hannah immediately responded to the stern tone of voice and actually grasped the boards and began trying to pull herself up. When it was clear that she was making progress, Henry Lee placed his hands firmly on her bottom and heaved her through the roof until only her legs dangled. Grabbing her right foot, he pushed it up until she had her knee on the roof and she could make the rest of the way by herself.
Henry Lee heard a crash and knew that the marshalls had made their way through the door at the bottom of the stairway. Pleading to the Fates for more time, he quickly followed her to the roof.
Hannah had taken the opportunity to lie down again. Henry Lee gave her a quick look and allowed his mind an instant to recall having her luscious behind right in his face and the sight of her long, stocking-clad legs. Then, forcing himself to the situation at hand, he carefully replaced the board that he had removed from the top of the porch. If he was lucky, no one would recognize the significance of the placement of the kitchen chair and would not come searching the roof for them.
Taking Hannah's hand he helped her to her feet.
"Don't give out on me now, Hannah," he urged. "We've still got a long way to go to get to the hotel."
Hannah took a determined breath and the two hurried across the roof of the building to the south side. The next roof was slightly lower than the one on the Ambrosia Ballroom, and was separated by about a yard. It would be an easy jump, Henry Lee thought, even if he had to carry Hannah. He had just turned to ask if she wanted him to carry her when she went flying, jumping the distance with ease and landing on her feet, only to drop to her knees, laughing again.
Henry Lee quickly jumped after her and grabbed her up in his arms. She began spinning around as if she were dancing again, humming the musk and laughing and laughing.
"Hannah Watson, you are the laughingest woman I ever saw! You are going to laugh us right into jail in a minute."
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CHAPTER 15
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For Hannah, the experience of running from roof to roof was an adventure the likes of which she had never seen. Sometimes she ran as easily as Henry Lee, feeling the slight breeze of the hot summer evening, and at other times she would get the giggles and Henry Lee would have to pull her behind him. She wasn't sure how much trouble she and Henry Lee were actually fleeing. Obviously, she had broken the law when she'd purchased the whiskey, but she wasn't certain if Henry Lee's comment about jail was a joke or a possibility. The idea that someone would arrest the daughter of Reverend Farnam Bunch was ludicrous. Then she remembered that she was no longer thinking of herself as the preacher's daughter, now she was Henry Lee's wife. Would someone arrest Henry Lee's wife? She honestly didn't know. After all, his wife did spend her evening dancing as carefree as a Methodist. And who knew what to expect of a woman who drank hard liquor? This new Hannah was someone entirely unfamiliar. But she certainly did seem to have a good deal more fun than the old Hannah!
As they came closer to the end of the block, Henry Lee began to search for a way down. Checking back alleys and side entrances, he finally found the perfect escape route at the back of a building near the end of the block. There was a stairway on the alley that served an apartment on the second floor. It was ideal. He lowered Hannah to the landing and then jumped. As he rushed down the stairs, Henry Lee was already plotting a divergent course back to the hotel. They had come this far, he certainly didn't want to be caught now.
As they reached the bottom of the stairway, he heard the sound of footsteps on the sidewalk at the end of the alley. Grabbing Hannah he pulled her with him into the shaded area under the staircase. As the steps seemed to pause, he cautioned Hannah with a finger to his lips to remain silent. In a sliver of moonlight he saw her face, and realized that it was not going to be possible. Just trying to be quiet was slowly but surely forcing up a riot of giggles and even her own hand upon her mouth was not going to be able to hold them in. The footsteps had stopped as if waiting. Waiting and listening. In the quiet night the slightest sound would easily carry to the street. Henry Lee could not let that happen. Without another thought Henry Lee removed her ineffectual hand from her mouth and replaced it with his lips.
If the liquor had sent Hannah spinning before, the tender contact of Henry Lee's lips seemed an overwhelmingly devastating brew. The giggles that were threatening to escape only moments before had dissipated instantly in the onslaught of passion. His warm lips toyed with her own, testing and teaching as they explored. He deepened the kiss and she wove her arms around his neck, eagerly offering him her mouth. There was no shyness in either as they sought knowledge of the other and pleasure for both.
Henry Lee pulled away slightly, only to return with tiny little nips for the corners of her mouth and she opened for him, anxiously craving the taste of his tongue on her own. As he accommodated her, they pressed more tightly together and Hannah felt his rigid reaction against her belly. With instinct as old as time, she pressed against that heated hardness and squirmed in appreciation.
Henry Lee was panting like a racehorse in the last furlong, he wanted her nearer, much nearer and he wanted her now. Grasping her bottom, he raised her up against him so that his aching desire pressed directly against the hot core of her. It felt wonderful and his tongue did a dance in her mouth to demonstrate his admiration. He began thrusting against her, teaching her how it could be with them, giving her a preview of the wonderful dance they could make together. Because she had no ground to brace her, Hannah could only helplessly accept the lusty passion that was being offered.
Aching, straining against each other, the need for closeness, the ultimate closeness, overrode all other considerations. Neither thought of where they were or the danger that was waiting close by.
Henry Lee's arms began to ache with the strain of holding her up and against him, but he was unwilling to let this hot gratification cease. Raising his knee he brought it up between her legs and she willingly opened for him. She straddled his thigh and he braced his knee on the wall of the building. It wasn't as close as before, but he could still feel the heat of her womanhood against his urgent enthusiasm. And his hands were now free to tease and treasure the heaving breasts that pressed so willingly against him. The stiff aching nipples needed attention that only he could give them, and he gladly gave it.
For Hannah it was wonderful. Straddling him somehow shattered all her preconceived notions of how a lady should behave. The inflexible maleness of his thigh between her own seared her with sensuality. She wiggled and squirmed against him, writhing with desire and pleasure that was almost pain. With the whiskey dulling her normal inhibitions, she found herself anxious to spread herself for him. Mother Nature had meant for her legs to be wide before him and she gratefully complied, wrapping her legs around his waist and pulling herself as tightly to him as possible. She wanted him to feel the effect he had on her. It was her last rational thought. Thinking or planning or considering her actions was no longer possible, her total concentration was on the man whose thigh she rode and the feelings that he evoked in her body.
Her enthusiasm was about to unman him. He'd not felt such loss of control since he was a green kid. She was so hot, so hungry, but with no pretense of practiced ways. She wanted him as the mare wants the stallion, with all her being and as nature intended. And the stab lion was about to spill his seed too soon…
He pulled away from her kiss, wanting to damp down on his ardor. To gain control at last, or to get her out of that dress; he was not sure which he wanted, but he knew that another minute like the last would be his undoing.
"Oh God, Hannah!" His words were loud in the quiet night.
He immediately realized his mistake. He had kissed Hannah to keep her quiet and then he had completely forgotten where he was and had cried out her name.
With her still riding his thigh he clasped her to his bosom and tried to listen. Were the footsteps coming down the alley? Had a deputy heard them and even now was coming to drag them off to jail? Henry Lee couldn't tell. The surging of his own blood, the pounding of Hannah's heart, and the mingled panting of their passion drowned out all other sounds.
"Shhh," he whispered to her as he gently lowered her to the ground. She clung to him as he tried to pull away.
"Let me make sure we are safe," he told her and promised to return quickly.
Stealthily he made his way down the alley toward the street where he'd heard the footsteps. With his back to the building, trying to make himself as small as possible, he managed to get a look down the street. It was completely empty. The owner of the footsteps had gone on and Henry Lee had been so involved with Hannah he hadn't even noticed. He shook his head in disbelief and leaned gratefully against the building, trying to catch his still gasping breath. He ran a disgusted hand over his face and through his hair. Here he was in a strange town, with a tipsy wife, who didn't know about his business, selling whiskey to strangers and being chased by Federal marshalls who wanted to put him in jail for years. So what did he do? Well, he nearly serviced his wife in a public alleyway.
Cursing himself in disgust, he hurried back to find Hannah slumped against the wall. As he knelt down to help her up, she immediately went back into his arms.
"I love you, Henry Lee," she whispered desperately. "I love the way you make me feel. I never thought marriage would be so nice."
Henry Lee could hardly resist her precious declaration and her welcome embrace.
"Oh Hannah," he said, planting a chaste kiss on her forehead as he pulled her to her feet. "You are going to love being married, and I am going to make you the happiest, most satisfied wife in the territories. That is, if the marshalls don't catch us and send us to jail."
The two made their way through the alleys trying not to encounter anyone on their way back to the hotel. Henry Lee had spent a good bit of time in Muskogee and had always thought that he knew his way around, but the alleys
and side streets necessary to avoid detection were mostly unfamiliar, and he just hoped that his luck held enough not to get them irrevocably lost.
Hannah seemed to be fading fast. The liquor that had made her so happy earlier seemed to be making her slightly squeamish now. She was weaving and stumbling so badly that Henry Lee feared she would trip over something in the dark and hurt herself. He decided it was best to carry her, although it slowed them down quite a bit. Hannah was delighted with this arrangement. Being right up against his chest, feeling so safe and comforted. It was almost worth the dizzy stomach she was suffering.
Henry Lee actually passed Williams Hotel without recognizing it. Backtracking, he found a service entrance that he gratefully utilized. With Hannah still in his arms, he quietly made his way to the front lobby. The clerk and several other men seemed to be having a poker game in the room directly behind the desk. Henry Lee easily moved past them and up the stairs.
When he finally set Hannah down in their own room and carefully locked the door behind him, he felt such an overwhelming relief that he began to laugh. It started way down in his diaphragm, just a small amusement that worked its way up his chest, gathering momentum until finally he roared with laughter, leaning with his back against the door laughing as if the last two hours were the funniest he had ever lived. Hannah, leaning against him, began to laugh too. She wasn't quite sure what the joke was, but with the liquor still very much singing in her veins, it was not hard to bring back the giggling episodes that had so incapacitated her earlier. Henry Lee looked at her and remembered how he had to drag her up the stairway, and her inability to stand on the kitchen chair became even more hysterical and as his giggling Hannah leaned against him, the two slowly slid down the door until they were half sitting, half lying together on the floor in front of it.