by Bobbi Smith
Angel forced steel into her tone. “I am not most women, and I’m definitely not interested in your amorous intentions.”
“You are different,” Blade agreed, studying her with a hungry gaze. “You’re not wearing a wedding ring, so you’re not sneaking out on your husband tonight,” he observed thoughtfully, then frowned. “What about your son?”
“My son?”
“You were dining with a boy.”
“He’s my brother,” she supplied with dignity. “Now, about my offer—”
“Tell me, Miss Roberts—” He didn’t let her finish. “Does your father know you’re out chasing men?”
“I am not chasing you.” Angel was thoroughly disgusted. Was there no convincing him that she hadn’t come there to bed him? She realized with disappointment that she’d given him too much credit. She’d thought he had a modicum of intelligence. She’d thought he would be interested in making money.
“Perhaps seeking you out wasn’t such a good idea, Mr. Masters,” she told him, her voice tight. “I was under the impression that you would be interested in a paying job, but I was wrong and you aren’t really interested in buying that ranch. I’m sorry to have taken up your time.” Angel started to rise. “If you’ll excuse me—?”
Caught off-guard, Blade suddenly realized he might have misjudged Miss Angela Roberts. Maybe the innocence he’d seen in her was real. He frowned, perplexed. She intrigued him. “Just how much would this ‘job’ pay?”
“$5000,” Angel answered. For the first time since she’d approached him, he stopped leering and started listening. She sat back down and hurried to explain, “I’m in need of someone with your expertise. I’ve heard of your reputation, and I believe you’re worth that amount.”
“To do what?” Blade’s gaze hardened. He’d heard that line many times before, but never from a woman. Usually it was some fool with vengeance on his mind who didn’t want to do the dirty work himself. Blade prided himself on never having taken one of those jobs. Though she was offering the exact amount he needed for the ranch, he was prepared to turn her down.
“I’d like to hire you to escort my brother and me to California.”
Blade stared at her. “You want to pay me $5000 to take you and your brother to California?” he repeated. “Lady, all you have to do is go down to the levee and book passage on a boat. You don’t need me.”
“I don’t want to travel by boat. I want to make the trip overland. It’s essential that I get to California as quickly as possible.”
He knew desperation when he heard it and grew curious as to her reasons. There was more going on here than a trip to California. “Why?”
“My reasons are none of your business, Mr. Masters.”
“That’s where you’re wrong. Your reasons will be my business if I agree to take you. Is someone chasing you, Miss Roberts?”
“No.”
“You refuse to take the easy, safe way by boat. You boldly walk right into a saloon and seek out a man you know only by reputation. You ask this stranger to take you on a cross-country trip, and you say there’s no reason other than you just want to travel by land. Somehow, I don’t believe you.”
“Frankly, Mr. Masters, I don’t care whether you believe me or not. All you have to do is take my brother and me to San Francisco. How difficult can that be?”
“You tell me,” he came back at her. “Who’s after you and what do they want?”
“Look, do you want to buy your ranch or do you want the answers to your questions? I’ll tell you this much. The man I love is waiting for me in San Francisco, and I’m going there to meet him so we can be married. Now, the choice is yours. Are you interested in the job or not?”
He could only stare at her. “Your fiancé is in San Francisco, and you want me to take you to him? Why didn’t he come for you himself? What about your reputation?”
“He’s busy right now and couldn’t leave. As far as my reputation goes, Christopher trusts me; and for the considerable fee I’d be paying you, I’d expect you to maintain a strict employee/employer relationship with me. If you take the job, your only concern will be getting us there. Nothing else.”
“Your intended, this Christopher, must be a most understanding man.” There was no mistaking the sarcasm in his tone.
“He is.”
“Look, Miss Roberts, there are no fancy hotels on the way west. It’s hot and dry and dirty. There’ll be days on end without any sign of other people and long nights sleeping out on the open range.”
“It sounds wonderful,” she cut him off. “Do you want the job?”
Blade studied her intently as if measuring her worth, then nodded. “All right, you’ve got yourself a guide. When do you want to leave?”
“Tomorrow. As early as we possibly can.”
“Do you have any idea what you’re getting yourself into? It would be much easier for you if you sailed,” he cautioned.
“I’m not some spoiled little girl who can’t stand a few hardships, Mr. Masters. I’ve ridden for years.” Angel wasn’t really lying about her equestrian abilities. She’d ridden her first horse when she was five. Of course she’d absolutely hated it and had only been on horseback a handful of times since, but Masters didn’t need to know that. She knew the basics of staying on a horse’s back and that was all that mattered. She wondered about Lucky, but shrugged away the thought. If he didn’t know how to ride now, he was going to learn fast. “Now, what do we need for the trip?”
Preliminaries over, they discussed details and made arrangements. When they’d finished, she opened her purse and handed Blade a packet of bills.
“This should be enough for you to buy the supplies that we need. If you’ll accompany me back to the St. Charles, I’ll pay you the first half of your fee in advance. I’ll give you the other $2500 when we arrive in San Francisco. Does that sound reasonable to you?”
“More than reasonable,” Blade agreed, wary, but not about to turn down the money he needed to buy the ranch. For $5000, he’d lead her wherever she wanted to go and, if need be, he’d protect her from the devil himself. “Let’s go.”
The patrons of the bar watched with avid lust as Blade helped Angel don her cloak again. When he had escorted her from the room, the men exchanged looks with Sam.
“I wish a woman who looked like that would come after me,” one man remarked. “I wouldn’t even want to talk about it. I’d just go wherever she wanted to take me.” His cronies laughed in agreement, envying the gunfighter’s luck.
Lucky had made it to the St. Louis Hotel without incident, but hesitated to enter. Assuming his old ways, he lingered by the main entrance trying to catch a glimpse of what was going on within the hotel. With no sign of Angel inside, he decided to make himself as inconspicuous as possible and wait for her to come out.
Lucky was standing in the shadows near the doorway when the sound of young voices caught his attention. Two dirty, poorly-dressed boys of about his age watched him from an alley a short distance away. Less than a week before, he’d been living as they were—in quiet desperation never knowing where a morsel or a meal was coming from. Lucky figured they’d probably been there all night, keeping an eye on the hotel guests and looking for an easy mark—as he used to do in St. Louis. They would have seen Angel if she’d come back out. He didn’t think she could have left already, but he wanted to make sure.
“You been here long?” Lucky asked as he walked toward them.
“Yeah, so?” Eli, the taller and older of the two, answered defensively. He eyed Lucky and decided he was rich and might have some money on him. Giving his brother their standard signal, Eli was ready for action.
“Did you see a pretty blonde-haired woman wearing a cloak go into the hotel?”
“Why should we tell you?” Eli challenged, stepping closer as his brother, Joss, moved behind Lucky.
Lucky knew they were setting him up, for he’d done it many times himself in the past. When the bigger boy reached out to shove him bac
kward so he’d fall, he was prepared. Lucky dodged to his right so Eli’s blow glanced off his shoulder, and then he countered with a sharp punch to the boy’s stomach. He smiled when he heard the boy go “oof” as he knocked the wind out of him.
“Eli!!” Joss couldn’t believe that this rich kid had bested his brother. He charged at Lucky, but Lucky, expecting his attack, fended the smaller boy off with no trouble.
“Look, I didn’t come over here to fight with you. I asked you a question. There’s no reason—”
But Eli had launched himself at him, and they tumbled together to the ground. Rolling and tussling in the damp alley, each boy fought to get the upper hand. Lucky was frustrated and angry. He hadn’t want to fight, but that didn’t matter any more. He had to. A little heavier than Eli, he would have won handily had he not been wearing his new clothes. They restricted his movements and slowed him down. His years on the streets paid off, however; and, even after Joss joined in, he managed to more than hold his own against both of them.
“You done fightin’?” Lucky demanded as they paused in their struggle. Eli finally nodded, and Lucky went on, “I didn’t come over here to pick a damned fight with you. I just wanted to ask you a couple of questions, that’s all.”
Eli was shocked by this boy’s fighting abilities. “You sure ain’t no snotty rich kid,” he breathed.
“Hell no.” Lucky spat in disgust as he pushed away from them and stood up. His clothes were messy, but at least there was no mud or blood on them. Wrinkles he could explain, the other would have been impossible. He looked from Eli to Joss. “My name’s Lucky.”
“I’m Eli, and this is Joss. Where’re you from?” They looked at him with new respect.
“St. Louis.”
“What are you doin’ down here?”
“I came down with my sister, and right now I’m trying to find her. Did you see a pretty, blonde-haired lady go into the hotel?” Thinking of Angel again, his worries returned. He couldn’t imagine what had caused her to come here alone.
“She come in a carriage?”
“Yes.”
“She went in about twenty minutes ago, and she ain’t come out yet,” Joss offered.
“If she’s your sister, why ain’t you with her?” Eli asked, curious.
“She was going out and she told me to go to bed, but I didn’t feel like sleeping. I thought I’d follow her and see what was going on,” he explained simply, at ease with these two. “Say, you got anything to smoke?”
The one thing Lucky had really missed since coming to live with Angel was smoking. Up until now, she’d been right beside him almost every waking minute. Tonight, however, was different. He was on his own again; and, if these boys had a cigarette, he’d pay almost anything they’d ask for it. After all, Angel might be inside quite a while, so he might as well relax and enjoy himself.
“Ya got any money?” seven-year-old Joss asked.
“Enough.” Angel had given him a small amount to carry in case of an emergency. A cigarette, by Lucky’s calculations, was definitely an emergency.
“Let’s see.” Eli stepped closer to get a look at Lucky’s money.
Lucky pulled some change out of his pocket and held it out to the older youth.
Eli snatched it up. “Go ’head and give him one, Joss.”
Joss dug in his pants’ pocket and pulled out a bit of tobacco, a crumpled piece of paper, and a match. He handed them over to Lucky, who quickly and expertly rolled himself a cigarette and lit it. He inhaled deeply. Smoking had been one of his few pleasures when he’d lived on the streets.
“Ya want some more?” Joss asked, hopefully, for they needed all the money they could get.
“Sure. I got enough for two more.”
They made the deal, and Lucky stuffed the extra papers and tobacco deep in his pocket where he hoped Angel would never find it.
Waiting in silence with them, enjoying his smoke, Lucky couldn’t help but think how fortunate these two were to have each other. He’d been all by himself after he’d left the orphanage. Oh, he’d had friends on the street, but no one he could really count on if things got bad. He was finishing off the cigarette when Joss spoke up.
“Ain’t that your sister?”
Lucky turned as Angel emerged from the hotel. At first, thinking she was coming out alone, he was tempted to go to her. But then Lucky saw him—the same man she’d been watching so intensely during dinner. Staying in the shadows, he strained to hear what they were saying. What was she doing with that man? She was engaged to Christopher, and he was in California! Why was she with that stranger? Lucky managed to pick up on a little of their conversation as they waited for a carriage.
“I should be able to get everything we need and be ready before noon tomorrow.”
“Good. My brother and I are anxious to be on our way. The sooner we go, the better.”
Angel had told him their ship had been delayed. She hadn’t said anything about changing their plans—or including anyone else in them. He didn’t know why he was upset, but he was.
“The St. Charles Hotel, please,” Blade directed when a carriage finally stopped for them.
“I gotta go.” Lucky tossed the cigarette stub aside. “Thanks for the smokes.”
“Wait a minute! Where are you goin’?” Eli asked.
“I gotta get back to the St. Charles before she does, or there’ll be hell to pay!” Lucky panted from halfway down the block.
“We know a faster way.”
At top speed, they led him down the dark alleys, racing through a maze of twists and turns until they came out on a street near his hotel. Lucky was impressed. Their route had cut minutes off the way he’d originally come, and he knew he had a good chance of getting back into their room ahead of Angel.
Lucky paused outside the hotel to look back, but Eli and Joss had already disappeared into the night and the life that had been his. Eating and sleeping in gutters. Never a kind word from anyone. His thoughts were forced back to his present predicament, however, when Angel’s carriage turned the corner and headed his way.
Lucky darted inside, crossing the lobby without incident. He charged up the stairs and into their room, throwing off his clothes like a wild man and diving beneath the covers. Nervous, he lay stiff as a board, trying to relax, to pretend to be asleep.
Angel and Blade entered the hotel together, but she had him wait for her in the lobby while she went up to the room to get his money. She was glad that she’d sold some of her jewelry while they were in St. Louis so she had enough cash to pay him. All they had to do, she realized, was to make it through the following morning without being caught by Michael’s men. Once they were on their way out of town with Masters, she felt sure that the men hunting her would never be able to locate them.
Angel let herself into their hotel room quietly. She lit a lamp, but kept it low so it wouldn’t disturb Lucky. As she got the money ready, a great sense of relief filled her. Their plans were made! They were going to get away!
Smiling in the half-light, Angel moved across the room to check on Lucky, lying asleep on the trundle bed. She was glad he could sleep soundly, for he was going to need all the rest he could get. The next few weeks would be hard on both of them.
He looked sweet and vulnerable as he slept, and Angel felt a surge of love for him. The urge to kiss him filled her. Without a sound, she knelt beside him, gently brushing a lock of hair away from his forehead, and pressed a soft kiss on his brow. She was relieved he didn’t waken. He was so young, and she hoped with all her heart that she would be able to care for him and win his trust.
Pushing herself up, Angel noticed a faint smell of cigarette smoke in the air. From the bar, of course. Men and their habits! Quickly, she left the room. She didn’t want to keep Masters waiting. He was their salvation, although he didn’t know it.
Lucky had kept his eyes shut tight when he’d heard Angel enter the room and come toward him. When she’d knelt down beside him, he’d expected her to call
his bluff and tell him she knew he was faking. Instead, she’d kissed him! No one had ever kissed him like that—except, perhaps, his mother. But he’d been a baby then. A little kid.
Behind his closed eyelids, tears prickled and burned. A tightness gripped his throat; and when she moved away, he almost cried out for her to stay. He wanted to throw his arms around her neck and hang on. He wanted to tell her that he loved her and that she should be careful—that she should take care of herself so nothing happened to her. He wanted to tell her that he never wanted to be away from her. But he couldn’t. He was afraid that if he told her he loved her, something would happen to her just like it had to his parents. So he remained quiet, pretending to be asleep to fool her and pretending he wasn’t crying to fool himself.
It was several hours later when Blade returned to his own hotel. He’d gone straight to Clancy with the $2500 and made him another offer on the ranch. A cash-down offer that Clancy had quickly accepted. Once Blade reached California and wired Clancy the balance due, the Rocking B would be his.
As he settled in for the night, Blade reviewed the events of the day. There wasn’t much that made sense about Angela Roberts or her plan, but he wouldn’t argue with her. She had the money, and she was the boss. He would take her to California by the safest, fastest route possible, deliver her to her waiting, understanding fiance, and then retire to Texas and his own quiet ranch.
But as Blade drifted off to sleep, his thoughts drifted from images of the range to the beautiful, mysterious Angela Roberts. What secrets lay hidden behind those enchanting emerald eyes? Before the trip was over, he promised himself, he would find out.
Chapter Eight
St. Louis
Lean, dark-haired Steve Spencer sat at the poker table, his classically-handsome features carefully schooled to reveal nothing about the cards he held in his hand. At thirty-two, he was the consummate gambler. Dressed in a black suit, showy brocade waistcoat, white shirt and tie, with diamond studs winking at his cuffs and an expensive gold watch adorning his vest pocket, he looked every bit the part. He was smooth and confident, steady of hand and nerve. Steve prided himself on being a man in control at all times, and he was definitely so right now.
