by Connie Mason
Kitty stared at herself in the mirror. A buxom blond named Nellie had introduced herself and taken her to a small dressing room upon her arrival at the saloon that evening. When shown the gowns available to her, Kitty felt immediate relief. Though most gowns were in vibrant shades of red, green, scarlet, and blue, with rather immodest necklines, they at least covered her ankles. She’d chosen a gown in red satin that didn’t appear too provocative, but when she donned it and looked at herself in the mirror, she was astounded by the sexuality of the woman staring back at her. She knew without a doubt that should any of the Bartons come into the saloon they’d never recognize her.
She wasn’t sure about Ryan Delaney, though. A man who had seen through her disguise at first glance surely would know her dressed in woman’s garb.
“Are you ready?” Nellie asked, popping her head through the door.
“All ready. How do I look?” Kitty asked, spinning around for Nellie’s benefit.
“Like that dress was made for you,” Nellie said. “You’ll be a big hit with the customers. Just remember to smile and keep your backside protected. Turn your back on a customer and before long your bruises will wear bruises.”
“I’ll remember,” Kitty promised. She took a deep breath and nearly popped out of her bodice. “And I won’t do that again, either,” she said in dismay as she pulled the bodice up to a decent level. “Let’s go.”
That first night was an eye-opener for Kitty. She’d seen how the Bartons had behaved in saloons, but she’d never imagined she’d be the recipient of so many coarse jokes or unwelcome groping. By the time she went off duty at two the next morning, she’d learned that the men who frequented saloons had little respect for women. She’d done her best to fend off unwanted advances but hadn’t been able to keep from being mauled a time or two when her hands were occupied. She imagined she’d learn to do better as time went by.
The next evening a drunken customer put his hand down the front of Kitty’s dress, and she hauled off and smacked him. He fell backward, upsetting a table, surprise written all over his face. Then she shocked both the customers and her coworkers by placing her hands on her hips and spitting out a string of shocking cuss words. She ended by saying, “Piss off, you drunken polecat. Touch me again and I’ll kick you in the balls so hard you’ll never bother a woman again.” She lifted her gaze to include every male customer in the room. “And that goes for the rest of you damn buggers.”
Silence fell over the room like a blanket of smoke, so thick it could be cut with a knife. Someone in the back of the saloon tittered nervously. Then little by little the noise level was restored as the men turned back to their drinking and gambling.
“Weren’t you being a little rough, honey?” Nellie asked, sidling up beside her. “The boss wants to see you in his office. He heard you, and he doesn’t look too pleased.”
Kitty glanced toward the office and saw Marlow beckoning to her. She could tell that spouting off like she had didn’t endear her to the boss, but what was she supposed to do? Let the man maul her? She knew she was in for a tongue lashing when Marlow’s expression turned as dark as a thundercloud.
“What in the hell was that all about, Kitty?” he asked the moment she was inside the office.
“The man insulted me,” Kitty said with a calmness she was far from feeling.
“Cussing him out was bad enough. Did you have to hit him, too? You should have told me or Griff and let us take care of it.”
“I’m sorry, I’m used to taking care of myself.”
“Where did you learn to use that kind of language?”
Kitty flushed. She was so accustomed to expressing herself in the language used by the outlaws that it was difficult to remember to monitor her speech. When she was angry the coarse words flowed naturally. Kitty despaired of ever becoming an honest to God lady.
“I reckon I listened to my brothers when I wasn’t supposed to,” she lied.
“The customers like women who at least pretend they’re ladies,” Marlow said. “Try to contain your anger from now on, Kitty. The next time a customer bothers you, come to me with your problem. If I hear another outburst like that I’ll have to let you go. It’s bad enough having to contend with rowdy men. You’ll soon learn that being pawed comes with the territory around here. All the girls put up with a certain amount of it. Some even like it.”
Kitty’s fists clenched at her sides. Defending herself had always been second nature with her. If she’d acted like a sissy with the Bartons they would have become suspicious. But getting pawed was something she’d never get used to or enjoy. “I’ll try to remember, Mr. Marlow,” she said tersely.
“Good girl. Now go back out there and smile.”
Ryan rode across the border into Arizona two days after he’d left the Bartons and at least ten days behind Kit. He’d tried to put himself in Kit’s position while pondering the places she might have gone. She could have even ridden into Texas or New Mexico if she really wanted to lose herself, he considered. But the more he thought about it, the more convinced he became that she would go to a place she knew well, like Tombstone. He figured she had some money or she wouldn’t have left in the first place. But how much did she have? Surely not enough to support herself for long.
Purple shadows hovered over the dusty streets and collection of adobe and wooden buildings as Ryan rode into Tombstone. With his beard shaved off he hoped he wouldn’t be identified as one of the men riding with the Bartons the day the bank was robbed. He was counting on it, in fact.
Ryan’s first stop was the Penny Ante Saloon. His throat was parched, and he needed a beer to quench his thirst. The room was crowded with noisy, rowdy customers, and Ryan finished his beer quickly, then headed over to the barbershop and bathhouse for a desperately needed bath, shave, and haircut. An hour later he walked out feeling like a new man, freshly barbered and shaved and wearing clean clothing. He dropped off his dirty clothing at the Chinese laundry and went in search of a meal.
The cafe was crowded and didn’t look like much to Ryan, who was accustomed to Cookie’s superior cooking back home in Dry Gulch. He spotted the Lucky Wheel saloon across the street and saw that they advertised home cooked meals along with their usual fare of gambling and drinking. He crossed the road and entered through the swinging doors. He spied an empty table and quickly claimed it.
A plump blond came over, and he asked for a menu. She produced one, and after perusing it, he ordered beefsteak rare, mashed potatoes, a plate of beans on the side, and beer. While he waited for his meal to arrive he sipped on the beer and gazed idly around him. His first desultory sweep of the room provided nothing to pique his interest so he sat back, pulled his hat over his face, and dozed while he waited for his meal to arrive.
Kitty was serving a customer across the room when Nellie came up to her and handed her a tray. “Take this to the customer sitting at the corner table, will you, Kitty?” she asked. “I have another order that needs to be served right away.”
Kitty accepted the tray from Nellie. “Sure is busy tonight.”
“Yeah, I’ll be glad to get off my feet. Haven’t had a chance to sit down a minute since I came in at six. I’m glad I decided to go to bed alone tonight,” she said, poking Kitty in the ribs, “if you catch my meaning.”
Kitty knew exactly what Nellie meant. She knew for a fact that she was the only hostess who didn’t earn extra money by sleeping with customers. Lord knows she’d had plenty of chances in the several days she’d worked at the Lucky Wheel.
Kitty balanced the tray in front of her as she approached the table, her mind drifting aimlessly as she thought about her growing aversion to working at the Lucky Wheel and what she was going to do about it. So far no alternative had presented itself.
She reached the table and set the tray down. She spared the customer a fleeting glance, noting that his hat was pulled down over his eyes and he appeared to be sleeping. She cleared her throat and said, “Your food is here, sir.”
&n
bsp; Ryan recognized her voice before he opened his eyes and saw her. He lifted his head and pushed his hat back from his forehead. His mouth dropped open, shocked to the core at the sight of the strikingly beautiful woman with a shape to die for who stood before him. She was nicely rounded and enticingly arrayed in red satin. Her riot of short curls was tied back with a ribbon, which didn’t quite succeed in keeping the unruly tresses from curling around her elfin face. As often as he’d thought about Kit in the past few weeks, he’d never visualized her like this. She was alluringly lovely. A seductive vision to haunt a man’s dream. And she worked in a saloon!
“My God, it’s you!” Ryan said when he finally found his tongue. “What in the hell are you doing in a place like this?”
Kit looked as if she wanted to faint. Her face drained of all color as his name trembled from her bloodless lips. “Ryan. I… I… what are you doing here?”
“Looking for you. But this is the last place I expected to find you. Were you working in a saloon when you hooked up with Lex?”
Kitty’s mouth turned downward. “Think what you want,” she hissed. “I never expected to see you again. When I left the Bartons I cut all ties with the likes of men like you. Go away, Ryan.” She turned away.
He grasped her wrist. “Oh, no, you don’t. We need to talk. What time do you get off work?”
“I have nothing to say to you.” She tried to pull free, but she was too firmly in his grip. “Dammit, Ryan, let me go!”
“Is this man bothering you, Miss Kitty?”
Ryan glared at the dapper man addressing him. “Who in the hell are you?”
“The owner of this establishment. I suggest you let Miss Kitty go. No rough stuff is allowed in the Lucky Wheel. You can finish your meal if you behave yourself. The entertainment you seek can be found at any of the bawdy houses in town.”
Reluctantly Ryan released Kitty. “Miss… Kitty and I are old acquaintances. I wouldn’t hurt her for the world.”
Marlow stared at him. “You’d better not.” Then he turned on his heel and walked off. Kitty started to follow.
“I meant what I said, Kitty,” Ryan called. “We need to talk. I’ll wait for you.”
“You’ll wait forever,” Kitty said, flouncing off. “I don’t consort with outlaws.”
Chapter 5
Ryan hung around the saloon until he could no longer stand the sight of strange men panting after Kit… no, Kitty. She called herself Kitty now. He’d have to remember that. Regardless of what she called herself, Ryan found it difficult to watch Kitty dodging every drunken man who attempted to pinch and prod her despite her best efforts to elude their groping hands.
Did she enjoy being groped? He didn’t like to think so. The thought of men using her like a whore sent rage seething through him. He had almost disabused himself of the notion that Kitty had been Lex’s doxy. It seemed logical to him now that Kitty was actually Kathryn, Lex’s stepsister, the very woman he’d been searching for. The idea that Lex had taken young Kathryn with him after Deke Johnson’s death made sense. But unless Kitty confirmed her identity, he was no better off than he had been when he began his search.
In some ways he was worse off. The “lad” Kit had tempted and seduced him from the moment he’d seen through her disguise. He couldn’t look at her without wanting her. He’d seen how beautiful she was beneath the dirt and grime, but he had no idea how alluring she’d look dressed in skirt and petticoats. Her skin was creamy and flawless, and her hair, shiny clean now, put the sun to shame. Even short, her hair was lovely; a perfect frame for her unblemished features.
Ryan tried to keep from staring at Kitty’s full breasts, but each time she bent to serve a mug of beer to a customer they nearly spilled out of her dress. How could he not look? He wasn’t the only man in the room staring at her rounded breasts, and it took all the strength he possessed to keep from flinging her over his shoulder and carrying her away before she made more of a spectacle of herself. But who was he to dictate to the feisty little outlaw? Perhaps he was all wrong about Kitty being Kathryn and she actually enjoyed this kind of life.
The little spitfire was just begging for trouble, Ryan decided, and he was just the man to give it to her. He couldn’t help himself. Bedding Kitty suddenly became Rogue Ryan’s mission in life. Kit, Kitty, Kathryn. Doxy or innocent. It made no difference. Ryan couldn’t recall when he’d wanted a woman as badly as he did Kitty. Nor could he remember when a woman had gotten under his skin so quickly.
Sitting back and watching Kitty was driving Ryan crazy, so he paid his bill and left. He’d learned the location of Deke Johnson’s old house from his investigation during his previous visit to Tombstone and rode off in that direction. Even in the dark Ryan could tell that the house had undergone a slight transformation, and he supposed Kitty was responsible. It still needed a lot of work, but he saw immediately that the windows had been repaired since he’d last seen the house.
A single lamp shone through a front window, a beacon in the darkness to welcome Kitty home, he supposed. Ryan led his horse around to the back and hobbled him beside Kitty’s mount, within easy reach of a pile of tender hay. Then he turned his attention to the house. He tried the back door and found it locked. He didn’t bother attempting to enter by the front door, for he knew it would be locked, too. When he found the back windows latched, he walked around to the side. Luck was with him. He discovered that the bedroom window was closed but not properly locked because of a broken latch that hadn’t been repaired correctly. He eased the window open and climbed inside.
Kitty was exhausted when she left the saloon. Marshal Earp was making his rounds and offered to walk her home. Kitty eagerly accepted, for she fully expected Ryan to be waiting outside the saloon for her and hoped he would go away when he saw the marshal. Truth to tell, she hoped he was smart enough to maintain a low profile in Tombstone. Lawmen had long memories, and she knew they would remember both the bank robbery and the Bartons. She nearly collapsed in relief when Ryan was nowhere in sight.
Kitty tried to convince herself she didn’t care what happened to the outlaw, that her life would be less complicated without him and his kind, but her heart refused to listen. Something about Ryan Delaney spoke to her on a profound emotional level she wasn’t prepared to deal with. Maybe she would never be.
Kitty thanked Marshal Earp for his escort when they reached her house. He tipped his hat politely and left her standing at her door. Kitty removed the key from her pocket, unlocked the door, and stepped inside, thankful that she’d had the foresight to light a lamp before leaving for the evening. She picked up the lamp and stood in the middle of the room, trying to determine what was amiss. A prickling sensation nipped at the back of her neck, a shiver ran down her spine, and all her senses tingled with awareness.
Her gaze probed the darkness beyond the circle of light provided by the lamp, but she saw nothing, heard nothing. Yet she couldn’t shake the feeling that she wasn’t alone. Dismissing her unwarranted fears, she walked into the bedroom and set the lamp down on the nightstand. Then she poured water from the pitcher into the bowl so she could wash. After another quick look around, she removed her shoes, stockings, dress, petticoats, and chemise, and splashed water on her face, neck, and arms. She would have continued with her ablutions, but the prickling along her spine became more pronounced.
She heard a noise somewhere in the dark shadows of the room and whirled away from the washstand, clutching the towel to her chest. She heard a strangled sound, the kind someone in pain might make. She reached for the loaded gun she kept in the nightstand drawer and was stunned to find it missing. She spit out a curse.
“Are you looking for this?”
Ryan stepped from the shadows into the halo of light, so close she could smell his special scent of leather and musk. Her gun was resting in the palm of his hand. He offered it to her, and she snatched it away.
“I thought you might shoot first and ask questions later, so I took the liberty of unloading it,” R
yan said. He opened his other hand, revealing six bullets from the empty chambers. He tossed them carelessly on the floor.
“Damn you!” Kitty hissed. “How dare you break into my home. I told you we have nothing to talk about. I want to forget I ever consorted with outlaws like you and the Bartons. I’ve had enough of outlaws to last a lifetime.”
Ryan’s gaze traveled down the length of her naked body, and he felt an uncomfortable tightness in his groin. He stared at her legs. Long, slim, and shapely, he couldn’t think beyond that soft place at the juncture of those enticing limbs. His mouth went dry, and he swallowed convulsively. He cleared his throat and lifted his gaze to her face, trying to concentrate on anything except his throbbing erection.
“I have this gut feeling you’re hiding something from me, Kitty. What is it?”
“If you insist on having this conversation, turn around so I can make myself decent,” Kitty said.
“There’s no need, I’ve already seen you.”
Kitty paled. “Liar!”
“I followed you down to the stream one night. You thought I’d gone to bed. I watched you shed your clothes. You have a lovely body, Kitty.”
“What in the hell kind of man are you, sneaking around and spying on a woman like that?”
“A curious one,” Ryan said without remorse. “I knew you were no lad and wanted to see for myself what lay beneath those filthy rags you wore. You’re far too beautiful to be masquerading as a boy.”
“I don’t care what you saw then,” Kitty sputtered. “Turn your head.”
He gave her a beguiling smile. “Very well. Make yourself decent, though I can’t deny I prefer you this way.”
“You would,” Kitty spat as she reached for her nightgown. When Ryan turned around, she quickly pulled the voluminous white gown over her head. It settled comfortably around her bare toes.
“You can look now.”
Ryan turned and burst out laughing. “How prim and proper, Kitty.” He ambled over to the bed and sat down. “You may as well join me, this may take a while.”
