Zac had always been terrified of women when they joined forces against him, especially his sisters-in-law. He couldn't curse them and drive them from his office. His whole family would turn on him. He couldn't offer to sit down and talk things out over a drink. He couldn't settle things with a fist fight. He'd always run away before, but this time Fern had taken the key.
He was trapped.
"I've tried," he said. His throat felt dry. He considered a brandy but changed his mind. They'd probably tell Rose he'd taken up drinking. "She won't see me any more. She said nothing had changed so there was no point in talking."
"Then it's up to you to make some changes."
"Whose side are you on?"
"Lily's."
"Great. My own family turns against me."
"I'm no blood relation to you," Daisy said, "so don't try that stuff on me. Besides, she told me what you wanted her to do, expecting her to stay by herself day after day or go off with a bunch of strangers while you go on with your fun as always."
"My fun is a business. It's how I make my living."
"Then let her help you."
"I don't want her helping me. It's not a proper job for a woman like Lily."
"Do you love her?"
"Of course I do. I keep telling her that, but she won't believe me."
"I mean really love her."
"What do yo mean by do I really love her?"
"Is she all you think about night and day? Have you lost your appetite? Are you unable to sleep, sit still, or keep your mind on your work?"
"Of course not. What kind of idiot do you think I am?"
Come to think of it, he hadn't been feeling like his old self lately. Any of the girls could tell you he couldn't keep his mind on business. As for sleep! But he'd never thought it was all because of Lily. He was worried about her and irritated she wouldn't see him, but he didn't understand how she could upset his whole life just by going away.
"I guess that's the crux of the matter then," Fern said. "You can't say you love Lily if you aren't utterly miserable without her."
"I didn't say I wasn't miserable," Zac said, reluctant to confess such a weakness to anyone. "But my whole world hasn't come to an end."
But hadn't it?
* * * * *
"You trying to lure me back to run that saloon for you?" Dodie asked.
"I would if I could," Zac said, "but right now all I want you to do is look after things while I'm gone." He was relieved to see she was sober. In fact, she looked better than he'd seen her in a long time.
"Where are you going?"
"To find Windy Dumbarton and make this marriage legal."
"That's the first decent thing you've done in weeks. How's Lily?"
"Fine, I guess. She still won't see me."
"Maybe she will when you get back."
"Why?"
"You've changed. Not enough, but then maybe Lily isn't expecting much. Better hurry up, though. I don't know how long she means to hang around waiting for you to get some sense."
"You sound like Daisy and Fern."
"Smart women."
* * * * *
Zac tossed clothes into a suitcase. He couldn't stand it any longer. He missed Lily more than he could have imagined possible. He had to get her back, but first he had to make certain the marriage was legal. There was no point in getting everything else settled and having that blow up in his face. The Pinkerton had failed. It was up to him to find Windy Dumbarton if he had to search every bar and saloon west of the Mississippi.
But even as he thought of all the things he wanted to do for Lily, the promises he intended to make, he realized Lily might not want to come back. His hand paused in the act of lifting a shirt from a drawer. He didn't want Lily to leave. He wanted to be married to her. He liked having her around, and not just when they were in bed. She made him feel better. She made everything feel better.
That was love. It had to be.
He didn't want in the saloon because he loved her. He wanted her to know only the best people because he loved her. He didn't know why she couldn't see that. What more was there?
But he had a feeling there was more. And Lily wasn't going to come back until he figured what it was.
And he would figure it out. He wasn't going to give up this easily. He might be stubborn and selfish, but he wasn't so stupid he didn't know he'd never find anyone else like Lily.
* * * * *
Lily told herself she was stupid to be talking to Zac at all, that it was even more ridiculous to attempt it while the saloon was open. He'd never managed to take his mind off cards long enough to listen to her before. She shouldn't expect things to be any different now.
But she had to talk to him. She had to find out if his feelings had changed.
At first he had come to see her nearly every day. He even woke up early one morning so he could corner her in the shop. She'd seen him coming, asked Mrs. Wellborn to tell him she was out, then ducked into the back.
Now she hadn't seen him for nearly a week. She'd spent every day of that time trying to make up her mind to go back to Virginia, but she couldn't. She loved this impossible man. That would never change. There was no point in thinking she could go somewhere else, fall in love, and settle down. It was Zac Randolph or nobody. She would not marry a man she didn't love.
She had thought she could never live with a man who didn't love her as desperately as she loved him, but the past week had caused her to question many things. It was time to wake up and face reality. Wasn't it possible that half a loaf was better than no loaf at all?
Just putting that question into conscious thought hurt. It meant giving up. It meant accepting that Zac would never love her as she wanted to be loved, that she would never find the happiness she so desperately wanted.
But wouldn't she be even more miserable without him? She had been this week. It was the longest and blackest time of her life. A dozen times an hour she'd been tempted to go to him, tell him she'd take him on any terms.
Her father had always said you should accept nothing less than one hundred percent. Her mother had said it was essential to be able to compromise. Lily didn't know which of them was right. Maybe neither was. Maybe she'd have to look for another solution entirely.
If only Zac loved her. It seemed such a simple thing to ask. She'd do just about anything he wanted as long as he'd let her stay with him. That was the one point on which she couldn't compromise. She could not live apart while he was still so close. He had to let her into his world. She knew it wasn't going to be easy to convince Zac to change his mind. He had been remarkably stubborn on that issue.
She had to convince him. More than her happiness might depend on it. There was a chance she was pregnant. If she was, that changed everything.
Chapter Twenty-six
It was just like coming home to step into the Little Corner of Heaven. The familiar sights and sounds made Lily feel that everything would soon be right with her world. The numb er and warmth of the greetings called out to her as she passed told her the customers hadn’t forgotten her. They wanted to know when she was coming back. She waved and kept going.
She was surprised to see Dodie at the table rather than Zac. She figured he was having a private game in his office.
“No need to go in there,” Dodie called when Lily started toward the office. “He’s not here.”
“Where did he go?” Zac had never left his saloon, not even in Dodie’s expert hands.
“He didn’t say. He just asked me to watch over the place for a few days.”
“Did he say when he’d be back?” Lily hoped nothing was wrong. Surely he would have told her if it were.
“No.”
“Play or get out of the game,” Chet growled. “You want to talk, go someplace else.”
“Keep your shirt on,” Dodie said. “If you keep annoying me, I’ll have you thrown out.”
“Not when I’m holding the winning hand.”
“Especially then. Seems
to me you’ve been winning a lot more than you should.” Dodie finished off her whiskey and signaled for another.
“You calling me a cheat?” Chet demanded.
“Not yet,” Dodie replied.
“If you weren’t a woman–”
“Shut up and play your cards.”
Lily backed away, already forgotten in the excitement of the game. Tonight the saloon didn’t look so much like fun. There was something ominous about it, unpleasant. It didn’t feel the way it did when Zac was there. Maybe he was right. Maybe this wasn’t a good place for her.
Lily hadn’t gone far towa4rd the door when Leadville Lizzie came running up to her.
“Please don’t leave. You’ve got to stop Dodie.”
“Why? What’s wrong?”
“She’s playing cards with that awful Chet Lee. Everybody knows he cheats, but they can’t catch him.”
“Dodie knows what she’s doing. She–”
“Not tonight. She’s been drinking. I don’t know what’s gotten into her. She didn’t used to act like this, but the more she loses, the more she drinks. You’ve got to stop her before something terrible happens.”
“What can I do? I can’t just tell her to leave the game.”
Lily returned to the table. She didn’t know what she had intended to say, but the moment she saw the stubborn, determined expression on Dodie’s face, she knew it was useless. She would not leave the game. Lily’s only option was to stay until she figured out what to do.
“Can I watch?” she asked, smiling as brightly as she could at all the men at the table. “Dodie’s been trying to teach me, but I’ve never actually watched a real game.”
“Sure. Pull up a chair,” on man said.
“I don’t like outsiders at the table,” Chet grumbled.
“I say she stays,” Dodie announced.
Lily sat close enough to Dodie so she could see her cards. It took only a brief glance to know it was a losing hand. She couldn’t understand why Dodie didn’t throw in her cards and wait for the next deal. She ached to say something, but she couldn’t talk about the cards. Maybe if she could get Dodie’s attention . . .
She brushed Dodie’s leg with her own.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to crowd you.” Dodie didn’t even look up. She continued to scowl at her cards as she moved her chair.
Lily reached over and squeezed Dodie’s hand.
“You want something. All you have to do is ask one of the girls.”
Clearly Dodie was beyond understanding anything tonight in the nature of a hint. Lily was going to have to find another way to help her.
Something Zac had said suddenly popped into Lily’s mind. He had told her every player does something to give himself away. He said nobody ever won at poker without cheating unless he could read his opponents as well as he could read his own cards. Maybe if she studied the players’ faces she could learn something that would help Dodie.
She focused on each man’s face. It didn’t take her long to realize that her presence at the table made them nervous. It kept them from settling into their usual playing mode. Sensing her advantage, Lily smiled as brilliantly as she knew how. She made occasional remarks and did little things to keep everybody on edge. All the while she studied the five men.
Much to her surprise, she started remembering things her father had said. He always said if a preacher was going to be of any real benefit to his flock, he had to know when someone was lying, when something was wrong even through the person put a good face on it. He had told her he watched the eyes, the mouth, the hands, any nervous movement, even the rate of breathing.
Lily was surprised at how easy it was once she knew what to look for. It wasn’t long before she’d learned to read every face at the table.
Except Chet Lee.
It seemed the more he won, the further his emotions sank out of sight. None of her tricks worked on him. He didn’t want her at the table and made no bones about it. She was watching him very closely when Dodie suddenly gave out a soft moan and her head dropped on the table. She had passed out.
That was when Lily saw it. In the brief instant before she turned her attention to Dodie, she saw a tiny light of triumph in the back of Chet’s eyes. It was gone almost immediately, but she was almost certain it had been there.
“She’s passed out,” one of the players sAid.
“I’ve never seen that before,” said another. “I thought she had a head as hard as a rock.”
“What are we going to do about the game?”
“She’s out,” Chet Lee said. “Whoever wins the pot wins her money.”:
“She’s not out,” Lily protested. She couldn’t be. Dodie had a good hand this time, and she was in debt to Chet Lee for several thousand dollars. Lily was certain she didn’t have the money.
“If she doesn’t wake up in five minutes, she’s out of the game,” Chet Lee declared.
Again Lily saw the gleam in the back of his eyes. It was such a tiny, fleeting thing, she hadn’t been certain the first time, but she was now.
“Help me get her into Zac’s office,” Lily said to two of the players.
They put down their cards and virtually dragged Dodie into the office and laid her out on the couch.
“She’s out cold,” on said. “She ain’t waking up for I don’t know how long.”’
“She’s got to wake up. She owes Mr. Lee all that money.”
“Nothing she can do about it tonight, not unless somebody plays her hand for her.”
“I’ll play it.”
The words were out of Lily’s mouth before the thought could register in her brain. She was appalled at what she’d said. The men were shocked.
“You can’t do that, ma’am. Zac would have out heads.”
“I can’t let Dodie lose all that money to Chet Lee.”
“He’s a good player, a ma’am, the best I’ve ever seen except for Zac.”
“Well Zac’s not hear. It’s either I, or she loses everything.”
“Chet won’t like it.”
“I’m not asking him.”
Chet didn’t like it. He threatened to quit the game.
“If you do, you’ll forfeit all the money you have on the table,” Lily said.
She didn’t know where she got the nerve to stand up to him. She didn’t know where all this knowledge was coming from. She supposed she’d absorbed a lot more than she realized on those nights when she’d acted as Zac’s hostess, talking to the man, watching their games, commiserating with them when they lost, being pleased when they won.
She took her seat at the table and picked up the cards. “Make up your mind, Mr. Lee. The other men don’t care. I don’t see why you should.”
She smiled even more brightly than before. She hadn’t asked them, but she was certain they didn’t object.
“You ever played poker before, Mrs. Randolph?” Chet Lee asked.
“No, but I think I know the rules.”
The rules were simple. It was everything else about the game that was difficult. Experience was invaluable. Playing with Bella hardly counted. She would have to depend on her ability to judge odds and read her opponents.
She was scared to death. She’d never had this kind of responsibility on her shoulders. It made her realize that Zac wasn’t playing cards or running a saloon just because it was fun. Winning was a serious business.
Chet Lee settled into his chair, grumbling. Lily picked up her cards and studied her hand once more. Three fours, a seven, and an ace. As she calculated the odds, she idly fingered the back of the cards. Suddenly she stopped. The backs of the fours and seven were perfectly smooth, but there was a tiny scratch on the ace. The mark was too fine to be detected by calloused hands, but her tender fingertips had felt it.
Someone had marked the deck.
She glanced up at Chet Lee. He was wearing a ring set with a large stone. No one else had anything similar. Chet was marking the deck as they played.
Lily studied the ot
her players. She saw no sign that any of them had a strong hand. She looked straight at Chet Lee. The spark wasn’t there now, only dull anger.
Lily discarded the ace and took one card. When it was her turn to bet, Lily giggled, fiddled nervously with her cards, and raised the bet twenty dollars. Everyone stared at her, but she returned every questioning look with a smile and a tiny lift of her shoulders. She was determined they would think she was a silly female in far over her head.
The pretense had the virtue of being the truth.
The betting passed around twice more. She was relieved to see two men drop out and the rest make their bets without enthusiasm. She became more confident all the time. But she couldn’t get a reading on Chet Lee. She didn’t think he had a strong hand, but she couldn’t be certain. He was good. Very good. She just hoped she’d be lucky.
The betting passed around once more. Another man dropped out. Chet raised the bet fifty dollars and called. Lily met his raise and laid down three of a kind. Chet had two pairs.
Lily felt a tremendous wave of relief wash over her. But she was determined the men wouldn’t know what she was feeling. She giggled and acted surprised as she pulled the money toward her.
Chet was already shuffling the cards. He was dealing before she had counted to see how much money she’d won. More than six hundred dollars. A few more like that, and Dodie would be out of debt.
She picked up her cards. They were horrible. She looked up at Chet Lee. Briefly she saw the gleam flare deep in his eyes.
He was cheating, and he’d dealt himself a good hand. Everybody asked for more cards. Chet stood pat. When it came her turn to bet, she said, “I’m out,” and calmly laid down her cards. Something in her voice must have communicated itself to the men. Two more tossed in their cards. Chet’s three queens and two aces won him less than a hundred dollars.
“I don’t think you should have to do all the shuffling and dealing,” Lily said to Chet, hoping her voice conveyed innocence rather than guile. “I think we all ought to take a turn.”
Lily Page 31