Silver Springs

by Carolyn Lampman

  Ox smiled sympathetically. “Maybe if we put our heads together, we can come up with something.”

  “I hate to admit it, but I’m not sure Jessie was cut out to be an independent woman.” Angel sighed. “I don’t know if I really want to find out what happened at Clancy’s.”

  “Could be it was just an irritated customer,” Ox said. “She seems very sensitive.”

  “She’s that all right, but I have a feeling it’s more serious.”

  “Sounds like it,” Ox said as they entered The Flying T office to the sound of Jessie’s disjointed explanation.

  “...followed me into the store room. He tried to k…kiss me...and...put h...his hands all o...over me…”

  A muscle in Sam’s jaw jumped. “Who did?”

  “Mr. Cl...Clancy.”

  “I’ll kill the bastard.” Sam’s voice was a menacing growl, but Jessie hardly seemed to notice as she clutched his coat lapels and sobbed against his solid chest.

  Angel touched her elbow gently. “Did he hurt you, Jessie?”

  “N...no, because Mrs. Clancy c...came in and said...and said—”

  “It’s all right, sweetheart,” Sam soothed. “You don’t have to tell us if you don’t want to.”

  Jessie shook her head. “I…I want you to understand why I can’t go back.”

  “All right,” Angel said sympathetically, “but give yourself a minute to calm down first.”

  Sam hugged Jessie tighter. “She’s right, little one. There’s no hurry. We have all day.”

  Whether it was his words or his calm strength was uncertain, but Jessie began to quiet almost immediately. After only a few minutes, she gave one last hiccupping sob and reached up to dry her eyes. “Mrs. Clancy said it was my fault, that I caused it by flirting with him,” she began quietly. “Only I didn’t. I went back to the storeroom to get some more potatoes. He followed me and trapped me next to the shelves. I…I couldn’t get away. I was glad when Mrs. Clancy came, even though she said all those mean things to me.”

  “Sounds to me like they both need a lesson.” Sam said. “Maybe I’ll go knock his teeth down his throat for him.”

  Jessie gave him a stricken look. “Oh no, please, Sam. Mrs. Clancy has always been nice to me before today. I...I just want to go home,” she said with a pathetic little sniff.

  “It’s all right, Jessie,” Sam said, handing her his handkerchief. “I’ll take you home.” He glanced at Angel and Ox.

  “Do you want me to come along?” Angel asked.

  Jessie gave her a weak smile. “That isn’t necessary. Martha will be there.”

  “True, and she’s better at handling situations like this than I am.” Angel waved her hand. “Take my buggy. Ox and I will stay here and see what we can come up with for The Silver Springs Express.”

  Angel gave a deep sigh as she watched Sam lift Jessie into the buggy. “So much for my ability to judge people. I thought Virginia Clancy was a good choice.”

  “Idiot woman,” Ox muttered. “Any fool could see it was her husband at fault here, not Jessie.”

  Angel shook her head. “I’ll bet she does know it. In fact, that’s probably why she went back into the storeroom in the first place. Chances are she had a good idea of what her husband was up to. Most men think any unattached woman is fair game, especially one as beautiful as Jessie.”

  “Most men?” Ox frowned. “I think you exaggerate.”

  “Only because you’re not a woman. I guess I’d better teach Jessie the power of a well-placed knee.”

  Ox raised his eyebrows in surprise. “What would you know about such things?”

  She hesitated. Alexis wouldn’t know, of course. “Angel taught me. She said even a lady had to know how to defend herself. I shudder to think of the circumstances that taught her that lesson.”

  Ox chuckled. “A knee is the least of Angel’s arsenal. Anybody fool enough to tangle with her is more likely to find a knife at his throat or a gun to his head. Your sister is not a woman to take lightly.”

  “Did you?” Angel couldn’t help asking.

  “Take her lightly?” Ox feigned shock at such a suggestion. “Not on your life! I have far too much respect for my person to do that.”

  “Something tells me she’d box your ears for that one if she were here.”

  “Or have a snappy reply. Angel sometimes draws blood faster with her words than her knife.”

  Angel frowned. “I thought you liked her.”

  “I do. She’s one of my best friends, but I’ve seen her reduce more than one overconfident man to a pile of ashes with a few well-chosen words,” Ox said with a grin. “I wish I had her sarcastic wit.”

  Angel felt an absurd little flash of pleasure at his words. “Then you must be crazy about Martha.”

  Ox chuckled. “Being the quiet, unassuming fellow that I am, I seldom draw Angel’s fire. Martha is another matter entirely. Frankly, I’m scared to death of her.”

  “Sure you are,” Angel said with a wry smile.

  “You doubt me?”

  “I don’t think you’re afraid of much of anything, except maybe Betsy when she’s in a wheedling mood.”

  “That would make even the bravest man flinch,” he agreed.

  As they grinned at each other, an unexpected current passed between them, one that had nothing to do with Betsy or humor. Petals of heated pleasure unfurled in Angel’s stomach and flowed outward toward her heart. It was the same feeling she got every night when she found the single rose on her pillow.

  The thought brought her up short. That was exactly the sort of nonsense she needed to stay away from. “Enough of this. We’d better set our mind to finding a way to save The Silver Springs Express.”

  “Any suggestions?”

  “Not a one. How about you?”

  “‘Fraid not.”

  Angel sat down at the desk and pulled out a piece of paper. “Maybe we should make a list of details that are going to need our attention.”

  “We have to keep a close eye on the horses so we know immediately if any of them gets sick.”

  “Right,” Angel said, scribbling furiously, “and we’d better find a place to keep them well away from the others. The biggest problem is going to be replacing them. Even if we could afford to buy more, there might not be any to buy. Where are we going to find replacements?”

  “That’s a good question.” Ox stared at the ceiling pensively. His eyes narrowed suddenly as if an idea had just occurred to him. “You know,” he said slowly. “Maybe we’re looking at this all wrong. What if we don’t plan to use horses?”

  Angel raised an eyebrow. “Without horses, we’re going to have a tough time getting the stage from one place to another. What exactly did you have in mind?”

  “Mules!” His face lit up with a huge grin. “According to what we found out this morning, the epizootic doesn’t affect burros or mules. We couldn’t keep to our schedule because they’re so much slower, but it shouldn’t matter too much if we post a new schedule.”

  “You know, you just might have something there,” Angel said, catching his excitement. “We’d only use them as a last resort when there aren’t enough horses left to go around. If that happens, we’ll be about the only public transportation moving.”

  “I know where we can get some, too. The man who bought out my freight line has several hundred. He’d be happy to sell some back to me.”

  Angel’s face fell. “That brings us back to the original problem. What are we going to use for money?”

  “I’ll get a job with the army as a bullwhacker for a while. They always need experienced freighters. They pay over six dollars per hundred pounds for the run into Fort Laramie.”

  “Why so much?”

  Ox shrugged. “The Indians tend to get a little excited on occasion.”

  “Then it’s dangerous.”

  “No worse than the stage run between here and Silver Springs Gulch.”

  “That’s comforting,” she said sarcastically. �
�It seems to me you were nearly killed along that route not so long ago.”

  “But not by Indians, and my arm is mostly healed now. Besides, I don’t see we have much choice in this. It’s our only chance to save The Silver Springs Express.”

  “Who’s going to run The Flying T and The Silver Springs Express while you’re away?”

  “You and Sam could handle it for a while, couldn’t you?”

  Angel looked skeptical. “I’m not so sure about that.”

  “I have total confidence in you and Sam. Between the two of you, we’ve got every aspect of the business covered.”

  “Maybe so, but how are he and I going to communicate without my father’s and your grandfather’s spies getting wise to us?”

  “That does present a problem, doesn’t it? We need a reason for him to visit you.”

  “About the only innocent reason for a man to visit a woman is courtship. That might look a little odd, considering our betrothal.”

  “True.” Ox gazed out the window thoughtfully. Suddenly, he began to grin. “By damn, it might just work.”

  “What?”

  “Jessie! Sam is going to fall madly in love with her and be the most diligent suitor you ever saw.”

  “Won’t that make everybody suspicious?”

  Ox chuckled. “Yes, and it’s going to make you hopping mad as well. In fact, you’re never going to let them be alone together. You’ll probably even threaten to throw her out of your house if she continues to see him. That will give them an excuse to sneak around behind your back. No one will suspect she’s your line of communication to him.”

  “Leaving me free to run the stage line.” Alexis nodded. “It makes sense. Still, I don’t know if I can handle it by myself. I’d be doing your job and mine, too.”

  “We’ll call in reinforcements. All we need is someone we can trust who has a head for business.”

  “Right. And who might that be?”

  He beamed at her. “I think it’s time we sent for Angel!”

  Chapter 28

  “Sorry, Mr. Weston, the best I can offer you is thirteen cents a mile,” Angel said firmly. Ox smiled to himself as the familiar voice came through the open door of the stage office. Alexis had obviously taken his advice a month ago and sent for her sister. The whole time he’d been hauling freight for the army, he’d been thinking about Angel, anticipating this meeting. He’d even imagined the smell of her perfume at odd moments. The scent of roses had come to him frequently as he drove along the dusty road.

  “Thirteen cents a mile! That’s highway robbery!” An angry male voice answered her. “You don’t get that much for passengers.”

  “As a matter of fact, we charge fifteen cents a mile for passengers. I’m actually losing money by using available space for freight instead.”

  “Freight and passengers don’t take up the same space.”

  “Of course they do. We’ve carried as many as six people on the roof. Think of all the money we lose if we haul your freight instead. I don’t know why you’re quibbling, Mr. Weston. If you want fast delivery, you have no choice.”

  “Your competition down the street might sing a different tune.”

  “The Silver Springs Express is a one-horse outfit.” Angel scoffed. “Their prices are twice as high as ours.”

  “I find that damn hard to believe.”

  “Then go talk to them yourself. You’ll be back.”

  “Don’t count on it,” the man said angrily. He glared at Ox as he stalked out the door. “Damnedest bunch of thieves I ever ran across.”

  Ox grinned to himself as he sauntered into the office and tossed his hat on the desk. “Driving our customers right into the arms of the competition I see.”

  “Ox!” Angel smiled with real pleasure as she came out from behind the desk to greet him. “When did you get back?”

  “Just now. Danged if you aren’t a sight for sore eyes.”

  He leaned forward to give her a friendly peck on the cheek just as Angel turned her head slightly to say something. His lips accidentally brushed the corner of her mouth in a tingling caress. Ox barely noticed her startled intake of breath as the unexpected contact sent blood singing through his veins. He didn’t stop to consider consequences; he just followed his instincts and rained soft kisses against her lips until she yielded their sweetness to him. The kiss was a heady combination of raw power and soft sensuality.

  Angel sagged against him, her breath escaping as she put her arms around him in a welcoming embrace. A sudden rush of emotion nearly overwhelmed him with its intensity. He felt at home for the first time in years, safe in the arms of the woman he loved.

  Angel shifted slightly, and Ox tensed for a slap that never came. In that moment, an inescapable truth burst upon his consciousness. She smelled of lavender, not roses. He lifted his head and stared down at her uncertainly. “Alexis?”

  The look of bemused confusion on her face convinced him. Angel would have made some kind of biting response to such an obvious question.

  “Alexis,” Jessie said, bursting through the door excitedly. “I found a sign painter for you and—oh, pardon me.” Her eyes widened in consternation when she saw them together. “I didn’t realize—I’ll come back later.”

  Ox dropped his arms and tried to step away casually. “There’s no need for you to leave, Jessie.” He cast a sideways glance at Alexis. She looked as bewildered as he felt. At least she’d known who he was.

  “Heavens no. We were just...uh,” Angel cleared her throat. “Who did you say you found to do the sign?”

  “Mr. Carter over at the general store. He said he’d paint it for four dollars.”

  Angel raised an eyebrow. “And they accuse me of highway robbery. I suppose it will have to do.”

  “Why do we need a new sign?” Ox asked. “The old one looks just fine to me.”

  “Our prices have changed.”

  Ox grinned. “Come to think of it, thirteen cents a mile for freight and fifteen for passengers is a bit steep.”

  “We have no choice,” she said with a shrug. “We’ve lost so many horses, I had to cut our runs in half. That money has to be made up somehow.”

  “What do you mean you cut them in half?”

  “The stage leaves Cheyenne every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. The same stage comes back from Silver Springs Gulch on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. We rest the horses on Sunday. We’re running the same schedule north and west of Silver Springs Gulch.”

  “What about the mail?” Ox asked. “The contract says it has to run every day.”

  “I can’t help it. With epizootics running rampant through the stock, every other day is the best we can do.” She picked a paper up from the desk. “Would you mind running this down to Mr. Carter for me, Jessie? The sooner he gets started on that sign, the sooner we’ll be able to hang it.”

  “I’ll be glad to. Is there anything else you want me to do before I come back?”

  Angel looked at Ox questioningly. “Shall I have her tell Martha to plan on an extra for dinner?”

  “Is that an invitation?”

  “Yes, it is.” She paused. “The children have missed you.”

  “Only the children?”

  Angel gave him an impish look. “Of course not. Martha too.”

  “I’ll bet,” Ox said dryly.

  “And Jessie. Isn’t that right, Jessie?” Angel said.

  Jessie gave Ox a blinding smile. “Oh, yes. Mr. Treenery has always been so kind to me.”

  “There, you see?”

  “I guess I’d better take you up on your invitation then,” Ox said sardonically. “I’d hate to disappoint so many.”

  “Good. Give Martha the message then, Jessie.” Angel glanced down at the watch pinned to the bodice of her gown. “Don’t worry about coming back down. It’s almost time to go home anyway.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Positive. I’ll finish up here for the day.”

  Jessie glanced doubtfully back an
d forth between Ox and Angel. “All right then,” she said at last. “It’s good to have you home, Mr. Treenery. I look forward to seeing you at dinner.”

  “Me too,” Ox murmured, watching her walk out the door and down the street. “I take it you put her to work,” he said, looking over his shoulder at Angel.

  “I needed the help.”

  “What about your sister?”

  “I couldn’t find her.”

  Ox glanced back outside. “How has Jessie worked out?”

  “Surprisingly well, once I introduced her to some simple arithmetic.” Angel sighed. “I honestly don’t know what she learned at that school she went to, but it certainly wasn’t anything useful.”

  “Maybe she just doesn’t learn well.”

  Angel shook her head. “I don’t think that’s the case. I’ll admit, at first I thought she was dumb as dirt, but I’ve since changed my mind. She just never had the chance to learn anything.”

  Ox smiled as Jessie hurried around the corner. The moment she disappeared, half a dozen men who had been standing stock-still watching her finally went on about their business. “At least she won’t have any trouble finding a husband when she decides she wants one. Men will pick beauty over brains every time.”

  “So,” Angel said sharply, “was your trip as successful as you’d hoped?”

  “I made enough money to buy some mules, if that’s what you mean. They’re in a pen outside of town. All we have to do now is deliver them to Sam without raising suspicions.”

  “That’s why I invited you to dinner,” she admitted. “Sam is going to drop by this evening. I thought you’d probably want to talk to him.”

  “How did you know I was coming in today?”

  “I didn’t. Sam’s been coming over a couple of times a week. It’s a good thing you got here with those mules. The Silver Springs Express is in dire straits. We’re about to the end of our horses.”

  “Did you cut the teams back to four each like I told you to?”

  Angel nodded. “Last week, but losing even one more horse will jeopardize the whole operation.

  “I take it The Flying T has suffered heavier losses than The Silver Springs Express?”

  Angel grinned. “Not really. The management of The Silver Springs Express is just handling the crisis a little differently. The Flying T cut back, trying to preserve the strength of the teams they’ve got left. The Silver Springs Express is pushing their stock to the limit hoping for reinforcements.”