"Anything."
Lily knew what that meant, nothing. She sounded just like herself. "I'm going to take you to see Reverend Thoragood. He'll help you."
She intended to followed Grant to Washington Street and the church just off Portsmouth Square. All went as planned until they reached Washington Street and started to turn east.
"There she is!" they heard someone shout. Lily looked up to see a man she'd never seen before heading toward them. The man she'd hoped she'd eluded emerged from an alley more than a block away. They were blocked off from the church.
"Follow me," Lily said. "Hurry."
"Where are we going?" the girl asked.
"To my cousin's saloon," Lily said.
"But I don't want to go to a saloon," the girl said, pulling back.
"Would you prefer they catch up with you?"
There were three of them now. Lily realized they were in serious danger.
"No."
"Then follow me." Lily turned up Jackson Street and ducked down an alley. Working her way between buildings, she came out on Pacific Street about two blocks from Zac's saloon.
"Hurry," Lily urged. "They're bound to figure out what we did soon."
"I don't want to go to a saloon," the girl repeated. "That's the kind of place I've been trying to avoid."
"This is different," Lily assured her as she looked over her shoulder. "Zac will take care of you. He's doesn't like it when men take advantage of women."
"What's wrong with him?"
"I don't think he's above taking advantage himself, but he won't let anybody else do it."
"But won't he--"
"You'll be safer than any place in town. Zac's a Southern gentleman. He can't help but--"
Just then the men rounded a corner, spotted the women, and started toward them at a trot.
Lily grabbed the girl's hand. "Run like your life depended on it."
They darted around startled men, across busy streets causing drivers to pull up their horses, and around and behind carts and wagons. Still, the men gained rapidly.
"They're going to catch us," the girl wailed.
"Just another half block," Lily said. When the girl showed signs of lagging behind, Lily grabbed her hand and pulled her along. They were within yards of the alley next to the Little Corner of Heaven when the girl clutched her side and cried that she couldn't go another step.
"Would you prefer to die running these last few step or from being assaulted by those men?"
Put that way, the girl managed to follow Lily the last few yards. They darted down the alley and disappeared through the back door just as the men reached the head of the alley.
Lily locked the door behind her and staggered into the saloon. She collapsed at the first table.
The saloon was a beehive of activity. Young women in colorful outfits that showed lots of leg and bosom hurried about setting up tables. Other women with longer skirts but deeper bosoms were getting their gambling stations ready for action. A couple of women in high heels and net stockings were running though a dance routine with a bored piano player. The several bartenders were polishing glasses and making a last minute check on their supplies.
"We got here just in time," Lily said. "They open in about ten minutes." She dragged the protesting girl through the saloon until she found Dodie consulting with a cashier on the amount to cash available for the night.
"I thought Zac told you never to come here again," Dodie said, clearly less than pleased to see Lily.
"I didn't mean to, but I had no place else to go," Lily said. "I found this man bothering . . . Oh dear, I forgot to ask your name."
"It's Julie," the girl said. "Julie Peterson."
"You brought someone here and you don't even know who she is?" Dodie asked, amazed.
"I didn't know where else to take her. These men are following us."
"Three of them," Julie added.
"You told me Zac was most particular about men who mistreated women."
"What am I supposed to do with her?" Dodie demanded. "This place opens in less than five minutes."
"You took care of Josie. I thought you could take care of Julie."
Dodie rolled her eyes. "This is not a home for wayward girls."
"She's not a wayward girl," Lily stated, "and she doesn't want to be one."
"I can't deal with this now," Dodie said. "Sit in a corner, hide in a closet or under a table. Just clear out. I've got a saloon to open."
Julie cringed before Dodie's rough impatience. She looked ready to make a dash for the door, but Lily had no intention of letting Julie run away or letting Dodie ignore them. She was about to tell Dodie this when Zac appeared at the head of the stairs.
"Zac," Lily said with a sigh of relief. "He'll take care of everything," she said to Julie. "You'll see."
Dodie spun around to face the stairs, a light of unholy amusement glowing in her eyes. "Zac, honey, get your butt over here," she said, her voice dripping with honey. "Little Bo Peep has just brought you a lovely lost sheep."
At that moment, they heard a loud banging on the front door.
"And unless I miss my guess," Dodie added, "that's the wolf at the door."
Zac took one look at Lily and knew she was in trouble again. It wasn't a difficult conclusion to reach. Since she had a girl with her who looked scared half to death, he had no reason to think this time was going to be any different from the others. He was strongly tempted to turn around and let Dodie deal with it, but there was something about the way Lily looked up at him that made him descend the stairs a bit faster.
Somewhere in the back of his head a voice warned he was sinking deeper and deeper into a bottomless pit. But Zac had made a lifelong habit of ignoring warning voices. Besides, Lily was looking particularly lovely today. He felt himself smiling foolishly as he descended the last steps and crossed toward her.
He was going to have to do something about this reaction to her presence. The smile was okay, but the queer feeling in his chest wasn't. It felt like there was an air bubble somewhere under his heart. Or maybe it was his left lung. He didn't think it could be his stomach. Hell, he didn't know. He'd never been any good at anatomy.
She was always wanting him to do something he didn't want to do. But she was so charmingly apologetic when she asked, it was virtually impossible for him to refuse.
He ignored the banging at the front door.
"You're looking mighty nice this evening," Lily said. "You trying to dazzle your customers into losing their money?"
Her unexpected compliment caught him off guard. He was wearing a white shirt, white tie, and white waistcoat tonight with a black coat of formal design. He dressed this way one or two nights a week. It lent an extra touch of class to the Little Corner of Heaven. His customers seemed to appreciate it, but he had hardly expected a compliment from Lily.
He shouldn't have cared. Every extravagant phrase known to womankind had been used to describe his looks. Mighty nice shouldn't have caused a ripple in the pool of his ego. It had set off a sizeable wave. Zac decided he must be coming down with something. This lightheaded feeling wasn't normal.
"You didn't come here to talk about my looks," Zac said, gathering his thoughts. "What is it this time? Dodie, go see what fool keeps banging on the door."
Lily cast an uneasy glance toward the front doors. "This is Julie Peterson," she said, introducing the young woman who stared at him like she'd never seen a man before. "She needs a job and a place to stay."
"Why did you bring her here?"
"I was going to take her to Mr. Thoragood, but they got in our way."
"Who got in your way?"
"They did," Lily said, pointing at three men Dodie had let in and who were advancing purposefully toward them.
All around them, the saloon staff continued with their preparations for opening time.
"You got my bird," one man bawled belligerently to Zac. "Hand her over."
A few of the girls stopped to watch.
Zac hated men like this. It almost made him ashamed to be male. The man reached out to grab Lily, but she darted behind Zac, pulling Julie along with her.
Great. He'd always wanted to be a human shield.
"I don't keep birds," Zac said. "I find they're impossible to house train."
"Don't get smart with me," the man growled. "I know your type."
"I doubt you know anything about my type," Zac said at his most urbane. "Or decent women, if you think you can pick them up willy-nilly off the street."
More people stopped to listen, some drawing closer so they could see better. Zac hated that. He felt like he was in the middle of a circus.
"Cut the gaff," the man said. "Just get out of my way."
"I advise you to leave before I throw you out."
"And mess up your pretty clothes!" The man's laugh was full of scorn. "You couldn't throw the cat out. Hand over the birds, or I'll take'm."
Zac heaved a sigh. This part of being a saloon owner was worse than having to put up with cheaters. "I'm not handing them over to you or anybody else, so I guess you'll have to try to take them. Is this a one-man operation, or do you always need help to overwhelm a woman."
The man flushed red. "I'll make you eat those words."
"I'm not hungry," Zac practically purred in response.
By now they were surrounded by a circle of onlookers, all watching in eager anticipation. One of the bouncers pushed his way through. "You want us to throw them out?"
The man's companions looked like they'd be only too happy to leave on their own.
"Why don't you have a chat with his friends while I take care of a little business?"
"You, take care of me!" The man appeared to be insulted.
"Dodie, get me a cup of coffee. This won't take long."
The man was so angry he charged blindly. Zac skipped easily out of his way.
"Why don't you stand still and fight, you damned pimp?" the man shouted.
"My pretty clothes, remember?" Zac replied.
"I'll ruin more than your clothes," the man hollered as he charged again.
Zac skipped out of his way a second time but managed to land a blow to the temple that staggered the man. Turning unsteadily, the man charged again. Zac's fist shot out. A single blow to the throat had the man down and gasping for breath.
It was over so quickly it almost seemed like an anticlimax.
"Now before I get really angry," Zac said to the other two men, "take your friend and get out. If I hear of him trying to force himself on a woman again, I won't be so easy on him. The rest of you get back to work," Zac said to his staff. "It's practically time to open the doors."
The bouncers lifted the man to his feet and helped him to the door. His friends followed without protest.
"Here's your coffee," Dodie said to Zac.
"Forget the coffee," Zac said with a grimace. "I think my hand's broken. That guy has a head as hard as iron."
Lily stood like a statue, apparently stunned by the swift, brutal confrontation.
"Let me see," she said, as though coming out of a trance. She took Zac's hand and carefully spread his fingers, moving each to insure it wasn't broken. "I think they're just bruised," she said. "That's to be expected. You hit him very hard." She still sounded dazed.
"I didn't think he'd go away without some encouragement," Zac said. He had an uneasy feeling Lily held him responsible for the fight, brief as it was.
"No. You had no choice."
Damn! She really was upset with him. If she hadn't wanted a fight, why had she led them here? They might back down before a preacher, but not a gambler. Surely she knew that.
No, she wouldn't. That wasn't the kind of thing people learned in Salem, Virginia. They learned to eat hog belly, to cook opossum, and to marry their daughters off to men with names like Hezekiah. What could he expect from a woman who'd probably never seen anything more violent than a pillow fight?
"What do you want me to do for your friend?" Zac asked, indicating Julie Peterson. It didn't do any good to go on worrying about what Lily thought of him. It only reinforced his conviction that she was completely unsuited for life in San Francisco.
"Let her stay here. Give her a job."
"Why should I do that?"
"You don't have to pretend to be so hard hearted," Lily said, her manner toward him softening a little. "Dodie told me how you take care of young women in trouble."
"Dodie talks too much."
"Then you ought to get up early enough to keep an eye on me," Dodie said, arching one eyebrow.
Zac threw her an evil look. He turned to Julie. "What can you do?" he demanded more sharply than he intended.
The girl was too tongue-tied to answer.
"Don't be afraid of him," Lily said. "He just growls like that for show."
Dodie nearly exploded with laughter.
"I growl when I think I'm about to be taken advantage of," Zac said. "You and Dodie go find something to do," he said to Lily. "Make coffee, make beds, make Indian whiskey. Just leave me to talk with Miss Peterson."
"Come on," Dodie said to Lily. "He really does work better alone. His kind always does."
Lily looked back and forth between the two of them, but she let Dodie drag her off.
"Come over here and sit down," Zac said to Julie. He led her to a table far enough away to offer privacy but close enough so she could see everyone as they came and went. He didn't want her to feel threatened. "I want you to tell me exactly what happened from the time you left home until you walked through my door. Don't leave anything out. Would you like something to drink?"
She shook her head.
"Okay, start talking."
It wasn't anything new. Zac had heard it all before. Parents dead, uncle wanting a demonstration of more than ordinary affection. Young suitor just as bad. She was determined to get out of her small town while her looks still offered her the chance for something better in life.
He wondered how many girls out there had failed and sunk from sight. He didn't want to know. He had more than he could handle right now. With Josie was gone, there was space for one more.
"Okay, you're not to think about that any more. It's over. Now let's see if we can figure out something for you to do."
Zac could see the uncertainty in her eyes. She wasn't sure about working in a saloon. He guessed she was nearly as prim as Lily. She'd probably faint if he asked her to wear a dress that didn't come up to her chin. Oh well, he'd find something.
Lily was looking at him like he was the answer to a maiden's prayer. Even though he knew he'd regret it in the end, he couldn't resist trying to live up to her expectations. This was a new role for him, but he sort of liked it.
Chapter Nine
"What's he doing out there?" Lily asked Dodie. "They've been talking for the longest time."
"They tell him their life story, every sad little detail of it, then he makes it all better," Dodie said. "They end up worshiping him for the rest of their lives."
"You feel that way about him, too, don't you?"
Dodie looked startled. She started to speak, then simply nodded.
"Did he help you?"
She paused a long moment. "If I'm going to tell you about it, I need something stronger than coffee." She opened a cabinet and took out a heavy bottle made of dark glass. The label was bordered in gold.
"What's that?" Lily asked.
"Zac's best brandy."
"You said he didn't drink."
"He doesn't. He keeps this for special customers. And me."
"You!"
"Surely you know women drink."
"No, actually I didn't."
"Zac disapproves of it, but he never says anything. I think that's why we all love him. No matter what we've done, when he says it's over and forgotten, he means it. Sometimes I think he wipes it out of his mind so he can see us the way he would like for us to be." Dodie poured several ounces of the dark amber liquid into a glass. "The way we'd like to see ou
rselves," she added.
"You don't have to tell me," Lily said.
"Yes, I do. Zac's never going to change, not the good or the bad. If you take him, you'll have to accept him the way he is. That out there is just about the best of him, but it might be the hardest for you to take."
"I don't mean to take him, nor he me."
"Not yet, but you will soon enough."
Dodie took a swallow of the dark liquid. Her entire body shivered. "God, I love this stuff."
"Why, if it makes you quiver all over?"
"A lot of good things make you quiver all over."
"That doesn't make sense."
"It will."
Lily wanted an explanation of that statement, but Dodie was staring into her glass, her mind apparently drifting back to some tragic event. The weight of that memory caused her to age right before Lily's eyes.
"It was in a small mining town in the California hills. The name isn't important. I was eighteen. I had run away from home when I was fifteen. There was nothing I hadn't seen. There wasn't much I hadn't done. I was living with an ugly brute who beat me when he was drunk. I didn't care. I was drunker than he was."
She took a sip of the brandy.
"I noticed Zac when he came into town. Every woman did, but I never thought he'd notice me. To this day I don't know why he did."
Dodie stopped. She was turned away from Lily, but Lily could tell she was close to being overcome with emotion.
"One day when Bill Setter wasn't around -- that's the man I lived with -- Zac came over and asked me if I'd like a job in his saloon. I couldn't believe he was serious. I told him to go to hell and got drunker than usual. That night Bill beat me then threw me into the street."
She took another sip.
"Zac found me and took me to his room. He took care of me, fed me, gave me just enough liquor so I didn't go crazy. For five days I didn't see anybody else. I knew I couldn't stay. When I told him, he didn't say anything. He just got a mirror and made me look at myself.
"I didn't recognize the woman I saw. The bruises, the cuts, the swollen features, one eye barely open. He asked me how old I was. He said I wouldn't live to see twenty if I went back to Setter. He said he'd give me a job, help me get on my feet, help me do anything I wanted as long as I didn't go back.
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