"Maybe, but I'll still succeed. I mean to get a job and support myself. I won't be a burden on Zac."
"What can you do?"
"I thought maybe I could help in the saloon."
Dodie nearly choked on her coffee. As it was, she got it all over the table. A bit dribbled down her chin onto the front of her robe.
"I can't dance, at least not the way I saw them dancing last night," Lily confessed, "but I can sing. I've been singing in the church choir since I was fourteen. Everybody says I have a pretty voice. I sing country songs -- I guess you'd call them mountain songs -- but people generally like them a lot."
Dodie finished cleaning up her coffee and tossed the damp handkerchief down on the table.
"We're full up with dancing girls and songbirds just now. We generally don't get much call for mountain songs."
"I could help with the serving," Lily offered. "I used to help Mama with all the meals."
"I don't think so."
"Why not?" Lily wasn't pleased Dodie should disparage her singing without having heard it, but it was insulting to think she couldn't serve food.
"Our girls serve mostly whiskey," Dodie explained. "They wear dresses hemmed so high and cut so low you'd probably catch pneumonia."
"I could--"
"Then there's the matter of makeup. You'd have to wear it thick all over your face like I do. The men like it. Besides, it's so dark in here at night you'd look like a ghost if you didn't."
"I don't think--"
"I almost forgot to mention the pinching, hugging, and dropping coins down the front of your dress then men wanting to fish them out again."
"They would not!" Lily gasped. "If any money were to become lost in my clothes, it would remain lost to that man forever! Papa would--"
"What your papa would say or do is of no consequence," Dodie continued relentlessly. "He'd be three thousand miles away, and you'd be here by yourself."
"Zac wouldn't allow anyone to manhandle me for the sake of a few coins."
Dodie got up and picked up her coffee cup. "You've got a few things to learn about Zac. Would you like some coffee?"
"Yes, thank you."
"Anything in it?"
"Lots of cream. About half, if you have it."
"If I drank that much cream, I'd soon look like the cow giving it," Dodie grumbled on her way out. She came back with two cups of coffee. She set one in front of Lily that looked like it was at least ninety percent cream.
"I put in a little extra. I don't think the cow had her heart in it this morning," she explained.
Lily took a sip. It was too hot to really taste, but she could tell it was too strong for her liking. She was glad of the extra cream.
"Papa would say you're spoiling me," Lily said, "but I appreciate it."
"Do you always quote your father? Doesn't anybody else talk in that town you come from?"
Lily felt herself blush. "I suppose they talk quite a lot, but not when Papa's around. He always has so much to tell people that by the time he's done, there isn't time for them to say much."
"They're probably so glad to get away they don't open their mouths for fear he'll start in on a second sermon," Dodie said.
Lily surprised herself by smiling. "I've done the same thing myself. Papa hates it something awful when people run away from a recital of their shortcomings. He says it shows a want of backbone."
"Well, you're going to need all the backbone you can come up with if you're going to survive in San Francisco," Dodie said, getting back to the original subject. "Tell me what you can do, besides milking cows and serving a country breakfast."
"I can cook, sew, clean, and manage a household well enough to leave the man of the house free to pursue his responsibilities."
"It sounds as though your papa had you learn that by rote to impress your suitors."
"Papa says it's unbecoming for a young woman to take pride in her accomplishments," Lily said, flustered. "It's a father's duty to inform the young man of how useful a woman can be to him."
"He makes you sound like a servant," Dodie said. "But that's men all over. Wanting to know what you can do for them. Never a thought in their heads as to what they can do for you."
"Does your young man do that?" Lily inquired with a candidness that seemed to rattle Dodie.
"I don't have a young man," Dodie said, rather too loudly to be convincing. "I haven't found one worth the trouble."
"I thought you might be talking about Zac."
Dodie actually turned red under her makeup.
"For a naive mountain girl, you sure see to the heart of things on occasion," Dodie said, not sounding the least pleased with Lily's shrewd insight.
"Milking and sewing isn't very hard. It gives you a lot of time to think. Some of us actually learn to read by the time we're old enough to be married."
Dodie looked like she was about to get angry, then she suddenly burst out laughing. "I like you. I don't know why the hell I should, but I do. You're going to have an awful time if you decide to stay. I'll give you a hand now and then if you're not too much trouble, but we're going to fall out if you start showing up before I've had my coffee and had a chance to go over the books. Ten o'clock is plenty early."
Lily smiled. "I'll try to remember. But I'm used to getting up at six."
"Christ!" Dodie exclaimed, shaking her head in amazement. "Would you believe I used to get up that early? I hated it. The world is in a hell of a mess. It takes God several hours to dry it out, warm it up, and get things going. I figure it's best to stay in bed until He's done. That way I don't get in His way, and He doesn't get in mine."
Lily tried to hold back the laughter, but it was impossible. "If Papa ever heard you say that, he'd have apoplexy."
"Then let's hope he never comes to San Francisco."
Lily sobered quickly. "He won't."
"I bet he's on a train right now."
"He doesn't know I'm gone yet, but he still won't come. He'll probably tell everybody I'm dead. He'd prefer it that way. Papa says places like this are a cesspool of iniquity."
"That doesn't mean he'd let you sink from sight without lifting a finger to prevent it."
"I don't mean to sink from sight," Lily said.
"I hope you succeed, I really do. Just don't pin your hopes on Zac. And make sure you don't fall in love with his handsome face and start having notions of him settling down and giving you a house full of kids."
"I'm not interested in getting married just yet. If I had been, I could have been married a dozen times in Salem."
"Goodness, wouldn't your father have been pleased about that."
They both laughed.
Dodie sobered first. "You implied earlier I was in love with Zac. I was in love with him once, desperately, but I got over it. Every female who sets eyes on him thinks she's died and gone to heaven. If he speaks to her or gives her a smile, she's ready to go off into a swoon. I'll probably work for him as long as this muck can make me look half decent," Dodie said indicating her makeup, "but I discovered long ago he's the most selfish human being on the face of the earth.
"Take my advice. Use him to get you settled in and set up. Hell, if he's your cousin, use him for anything you can. But don't ever -- no matter how often he smiles at you, no matter what he says -- let yourself fall in love with him. He'll break your heart and not even notice." She spoke almost without passion, as if his selfishness were something she had accepted long ago.
"Do you still like him?"
Dodie dropped her gaze. "Everybody likes Zac. It's impossible not to like a rascal that good looking. Besides, he can be as sweet as a lamb and as charming as a snake oil salesman when he wants."
Lily couldn't help but smile. She had known that from the beginning. He had been so sweet and charming to her all those years ago she almost felt disloyal talking about him behind his back.
Dodie looked up. "But he still can't think of anybody but himself."
"Doesn't he have lady friends?" Lily
asked.
"Every woman he ever met," Dodie said. "But Zac's in love with only one female."
That surprised Lily. She hadn't known Zac's affections were engaged. "Who's that?"
"Lady Luck. So far, she's been mighty faithful to him." Dodie pushed herself up from the table. "Now it's time for me to get about my business. You'd better go on back to Bella's. I'll tell Zac you want to see him."
"I don't mind waiting," Lily said. "When do you expect him back?"
"He hasn't gone anywhere. He's still in bed."
"But it's past nine o'clock."
"Child, the man never gets up before five. Why should he when he's got me doing his work for him? He says he needs his beauty sleep. How do you think he keeps himself looking like some Greek god?"
"Where is his rooming house?" Lily asked.
Dodie laughed again. "When he bought this place, he had three rooms knocked into one. He turned them into a suite right and proper. He's upstairs now, just about above your head, snoring away."
"It's time he got up," Lily said. "It's ridiculous to sleep away the best part of the day."
"Zac thinks the best part of the day begins at dusk."
"That's because he hasn't seen enough of the morning."
Dodie laughed. "This is San Francisco. Nothing important happens before nightfall."
"It certainly won't as long as everybody spends the day in bed." Lily got to her feet.
"What are you going to do?" Dodie asked.
"I'm going to wake him up."
"Nobody wakes him. He'll shoot you if you try."
"Not if he's too asleep to tell whether I'm his cousin or a curtain flapping in the breeze."
Dodie started to step in front of Lily, but she paused, smiled, and stepped back. "Maybe you'll be the one," she murmured, half to herself.
"The one what?" Lily asked.
"The one who can wake him without getting shot."
Chapter Four
She should have asked Dodie for directions to Zac's room. The upstairs covered more area than the saloon and was cut by several long, narrow halls into blocks of rooms. Numerous doors, all closed, opened off each hall. No sound came from behind any of them. There were little pieces of pasteboard tacked to each door with names on them. At least that's what Lily thought they were. She wasn't sure. Nobody in Salem had a name like Morning Dove, Long Stemmed Mabel, or Weasel Annie.
She was soon lost in the maze of hallways. She finally gave up and knocked on the door of a young woman called Leadville Lucy.
She got no response.
Lily knocked again.
Still no response.
She knocked louder.
She heard someone mumbling, but the door remained closed.
Lily tried the knob. To her surprise the door was unlocked. It opened without a squeak.
The room was small, but decently furnished with a bed, table and chair, wardrobe, and a dressing table with mirror. Brightly colored dresses, shoes, and other items Lily couldn't readily identify lay scattered about on the floor, on chairs, half out of the wardrobe. The female occupant was asleep, mostly hidden under a vile greenish-yellow bedspread.
Lily decided Lucy must be color blind.
"I hate to disturb you," Lily said as softly as she could and still be heard, "but I can't find Zac's room."
The young woman sat up in bed, exclaiming a sharp epitaph Lily refused to admit she had heard.
"Who are you?" she demanded, peering at Lily through barely open eyes.
"I'm Zac's cousin, Lily Sterling. I came to wake him up, but I can't find his room."
"What time is it?"
"It's nearly ten o'clock."
"He'll kill you."
"He promised to help me look for a job."
"Zac wouldn't get up this early for his mother's funeral. Now go away."
Leadville Lucy burrowed under the covers, but Lily didn't budge. This constant criticism of Zac was beginning to irritate her. "I don't know why everybody is so anxious to convince me Zac is mean and thoughtless," she said. "He promised to help me today, and Zac keeps his promises. Now are you going tell me how to find his room, or do I have to ask someone else?"
Lucy surfaced again. "You're serious, aren't you?"
"He can't very well help me find a job while he's in bed."
Lucy smirked. "Sure he can. He'd just love to . . . " Her gaze narrowed. Her smirk faded. "Naw, I don't suppose he would. Not with you."
Lily wasn't interested in Lucy's mental meandering. "Go back to sleep. I'll ask someone else."
"No, I'll take you," Lucy said, preparing to get out of bed. "This I've got to see."
"You don't have to get up. Just tell me where I can find his room."
"You'll get lost." Lucy pulled on a screamingly pink velvet robe with tufts of velvet missing. She stuffed her feet into high heeled slippers of an equally virulent shade of orange.
Now Lily was certain Lucy was color blind.
"Zac's suite is in the back corner," Lucy said. "He likes to be away from the noise. Just remember to take two lefts and a right when you come up the stairs, and you'll find it every time."
Lily doubted that. Right now she wondered if she'd ever find her way back downstairs.
Lucy threaded her way through the maze of halls, knocking on a half dozen doors as she passed, saying, "This gal is going to roust the boss out of bed. You gotta see this." By the time they reached Zac's door, a covey of half-awake, brightly-colored birds trailed behind them.
"There it is," Lucy said, pointing to a door all by itself on one side of the hall. "Go ahead. Knock."
The presence of the girls made Lily nervous. Seeing Dodie peering at her from around the corner didn't make her feel any better. Obviously everyone expected an explosion, and they didn't want to miss it.
Lily felt a very strong desire to go back to Bella's and wait for Zac to come to her, but she decided against that. No matter how unsteady her legs might feel at the moment, she was not a coward. Besides, after all the things she'd done in the past week, waking Zac up ought to be easy.
She knocked.
No response.
She knocked two more times with the same result.
"He sleeps like the dead," Lucy said.
"I guess I'll have to shake him awake," Lily said. She opened the door and stepped inside.
It was nearly pitch black inside the room. She stood still for a moment while her eyes adjusted to the dimness. At first she could see only the outlines of a huge, four-poster bed. Gradually she could make out the shape of someone in it. She noticed a lamp beside the table. Matches lay next to it. She decided to light it before trying to wake Zac.
Removing the globe, she struck the match and lighted the lamp. As she blew out and discarded the match, she turned up the wick. Soft light flooded the room.
She stifled a soft gasp. Zac lay in the middle of the bed, bedclothes twisted about his body, naked to the waist. Lily was frightened he'd wake up, see her staring at him, and draw the wrong conclusion. But he continued to sleep as peacefully as ever.
Her courage slowly returning, Lily drew closer to the bed. Even in sleep, Zac was breathtakingly handsome. It was hard to believe this man could be selfish. He looked too sweet and adorable.
Lily smiled to herself. She doubted Zac would appreciate being described like that. He'd probably prefer dangerous and virile.
Lily hadn't forgotten the electricity that seemed to emanate from him last night. She supposed some people could dislike Zac, but no one could be unaffected by him.
Her gaze was drawn to the mat of ebony hair that covered his upper chest and spiraled down toward his waist. She'd caught glimpses of her father and brother as they washed, but they were blond and hairless. She'd never seen a man with hair on his chest, and it fascinated her. She wanted to reach out and touch it. Was it soft and springy or coarse and brittle?
The inclination to touch it was almost irresistible. It looked as soft as lamb's wool, but Lily thought it wo
uld be better if she managed to resist. If Zac should wake up and find her fondling his chest -- well, she doubted she'd be able to come up with an acceptable explanation.
She forced herself to look at his face. That was safe. Everybody looked at his face.
His hair, brows, and lashes were of the same glossy black color. His brows were thick and heavy, almost joining. His lashes were sinful. They were too long for any man. His hair was bushy and curled about his head in artful disarray. He had a strong, straight nose, generous lips, and a caressible chin. His heavy beard gave his face a dark mask. Undoubtedly any woman who tried to kiss him before he shaved would be badly scratched.
Lily was surprised at herself for thinking such thoughts. It was exactly the kind of thing her father had warned would happen if she allowed herself to be alone with a man. But it didn't feel bad to think about kissing Zac. In fact, it was quite pleasurable.
It was impossible not to think of being held in his powerful arms. Such a thing had never happened to her. Every young man within a hundred miles of Salem knew her father would consign his soul to the fiery pits of Hell if he so much as touched Miss Lily Sterling.
Lily had spied Mary Beth Parker and Sam Lofton sitting on a log by the big pool the boys used for swimming in summertime. Sam had his arm around Mary Beth and was holding her close. Mary Beth has seemed quite happy in his embrace. Lily had asked her mother about it. Her mother said proper men and women didn't do such things, that Sam and Mary Beth were bound to get themselves in trouble.
Lily thought it looked quite nice. Besides, what trouble could you get into just sitting next to a fella? She wondered if Zac would put his arm around her if she asked, just so she'd know what it felt like.
Psst!
Lily whipped around to see Leadville Lucy peering around the door. "What are you doing, counting the hairs on his head? Wake him up if you're going to."
Lily motioned for Lucy to get back outside, then turned back to Zac. "It's time to get up," she said in a normal voice.
No response.
"Zac, it's time to get up. It'll soon be ten o'clock."
Still no response.
She picked up the lamp and held it close to his face. His even breathing continued without pause. She put the lamp back on the table, reached out and patted his arm.
Lily Page 4