Between Love and Lies

by Jacqui Nelson

  “What if Madam Garrett comes for her while I’m gone?” His throat seized before he could add, And I lose the one person I love most. Again.

  “I imagine Gertie will send over John first,” Bat replied without a drop of his usual humor. “When she does, I don’t want you so edgy you blast a hole in him. Despite all his faults, John doesn’t deserve that.” His words whipped out, faster and faster. “Go work off some steam. Do something productive. That’s an order.” He paused to haul in a breath. “I promise Miss Sullivan will be here when you return. Jus’ don’t come back until tonight when you can’t lift a pistol or a hammer.”

  * * *

  A hammer? Sadie strove to make sense of Noah and the marshal’s conversation. At least they weren’t talking about Edward’s belongings. Or so she hoped. It was hard to tell.

  “Time’s a wastin’.” Masterson’s voice was unusually curt, as if he struggled as well. Not for clarity but patience.

  Noah continued staring at her. A storm of emotions too complex to define raged in his eyes.

  “Deputy,” Masterson’s growl yanked Noah’s attention away from her. “Leave now. Don’t let anyone see you. Use the back door.”

  Without a farewell glance in her direction, Noah finally left.

  His absence made her lightheaded, like the air had been sucked out of the room with him.

  Masterson tossed his ring of keys on his desk as he turned toward the other door, the one leading onto Front Street. “My apologies, Miss Sullivan, for what comes next. Didn’t want anyone killed.”

  Killed? Why did he—? A pounding on the front door made her jump.

  When the marshal opened it, John stood on the porch. His familiar scowl deepened when he looked over the marshal’s shoulder and spotted her.

  “Assume yer here to collect Miss Sullivan.”

  John’s reply came fast and hard. “Yes.”

  It knocked the remaining air from her lungs, turned her body heavy as lead. She wanted to lie down and never get up. She’d gambled and lost everything. She wouldn’t be completing her search. Noah was gone. Noah—

  She drew herself up. Noah was safe. And the marshal had yet to hand her over. He remained in the doorway between her and John.

  “Where’s the good madam?” Masterson’s voice had resumed its unhurried drawl.

  “You know where.” John huffed out a breath, sounding slightly winded and very disgruntled. “You saw us come out of the Star together. Gertie’ll be giving me an earful for losing our footrace.”

  Masterson chuckled. “Inform her that the odds were in my favor. I had a shorter distance to travel. The Star’s close but the hotel’s closer. Now back to the question at hand: where’s the madam—right now?”

  “Waiting. On the Star’s veranda.”

  “Well, that won’t do.” Masterson beckoned her forward. “Shall we go meet her?”

  Disbelief made her lurch away from him. She ended up facing the bedroom, with its trunks, with the four she hadn’t yet searched.

  “Whatever yer pondering—” Masterson drawled, “— it can wait.”

  With sluggish steps, she followed him onto the porch. Across the street, Gertie’s stout figure stopped pacing the Star’s veranda.

  Masterson held up his hand, halting Sadie as well. “No need to go any farther. You neither, John.” He folded his arms and propped his shoulder against a porch post.

  John mirrored his pose by the other post. “How long we gonna stand here?”

  “That’s entirely up to the madam.”

  A stride behind them, Sadie hovered in the doorway, her mind and body buzzing with nerves and questions. Could she dash back inside, bolt the door from within and finish her search?

  “Time to stand our ground.” Masterson’s back remained a taut line. His profile shared a similar rigidity as he watched Gertie stomp down the Star’s steps and head in their direction. “Time to look the devil in the eye.”

  Gertie crossed the thoroughfare at a determined pace. When she reached the foot of the jail’s stairs, the marshal faced her dead on. Sadie could no longer see his face.

  He raised his hand again. “To what do I owe the pleasure, Madam?”

  “You know why.” Gertie thrust her finger at Sadie. “I’m here for her. She works for me.”

  “That’s why I’m arresting her.”

  “What?” Gertie screeched before Sadie could.

  “I found your employee with my employee. Found ’em coming out of my deputy’s bedroom, to put things bluntly.”

  Sadie’s face burned with the implication and the truth. In the opinion of many, she was now a fallen woman for real.

  Gertie’s narrowed-eyed gaze pierced her. “Tell the marshal that his deputy forced you.”

  “He did not! He’d never force me to do anything.” Outrage balled her hands into fists. She sucked in air, trying to steady herself. She’d have to admit she’d broken in to search the jail. “I came here of my own accord. I—”

  “Well, there you have it,” Masterson said. “Nailed herself to the counter with her own words, she has. Nothing I can do but arrest her.”

  “This is preposterous.” Gertie threw up her hands. “She’s got the pox. The only man who’d bed her is a crazy one.”

  “My deputy fits that description at times.”

  “If what you’re sayin’ is true—” Gertie growled from between clenched teeth, “—your deputy’s broken the law as much as her.”

  “What law?” What was going on? What was Masterson up to? She moved to the edge of the porch, so she could better see his face, and read her answers there. But it was John’s expression that claimed her attention.

  His glower had vanished. “The law that’s always turned a blind eye to certain activities inside Dodge’s saloons and brothels.”

  Masterson nodded. “But when those activities spill into my jail I think I’m entitled to break tradition. Especially since on paper, prostitution’s illegal in Dodge.”

  “That law’s hogwash,” Gertie shot back. “No one’s ever enforced it.”

  “Until now.” Masterson hands moved to rest on his pistols. “Time for you to step off this porch, John.”

  A chill rocked Sadie’s body. Had she exchanged one prison for another?

  “Your jailbird don’t look so good,” John remarked as he complied.

  “Why don’t you go back inside ’n sit down, Miss Sullivan?”

  She rubbed the ache building between her brows. “You’re arresting me for being a prostitute? Where were you when I needed you a year ago?”

  “Unfortunately on an errand outside of Dodge.”

  “And your deputy? Where is he?” Gertie demanded.

  “His duties took him out of town as well. Until he returns, Miss Sullivan remains in my custody.”

  “For how long?” The madam’s voice had gone deathly quiet.

  “Hard to say. Could be a day. Or a week.”

  A day or a week, did it matter? She barely stifled her gasp. She couldn’t stop the excitement coursing through her, though. She only needed a few minutes to finish searching the jail.

  Masterson took her firmly but gently by the elbow. His other hand never left his pistol, nor did his gaze leave the madam, as he steered her back inside the jail.

  At the bottom of the steps, John stood behind Gertie, his stance oddly relaxed.

  In contrast, Gertie bristled with rage. “That girl owes me a debt. A growing one. She’d best not forget.” Her words pricked Sadie’s conscience, but the warning that followed cut her to the core. “The moment Mr. Ballantyne sets foot back in Dodge he’ll answer for her folly.”

  Masterson closed the door, shutting out the madam but not her threat. It rang in her head. She couldn’t let Noah be harmed because of her.

  “Well,” the marshal said on a sigh as he released her and locked the door. “At least we now have some time. Not much, but more than when I found you in here with Noah.” He gestured to the chair by the desk. “Have a seat
’n catch your breath. We’ve lots to discuss before his return.”

  She stared at the bedroom. She didn’t want to talk. She wanted to continue her search.

  “Did you hear what I said, Miss Sullivan?”

  “I don’t feel well,” she lied. Or did she? The throbbing in her head only rivaled her compulsion to complete her search. “I might better concentrate on our conversation if I rested for a few minutes in the other room.”

  “You still hunting for what you promised Edward you’d find? Might that be the watch ’n jewelry box that went missing after his suicide?”

  She spun to face him. “You said—”

  “That I didn’t want to hazard a guess. And there were plenty of hazards with John barreling down on the jail, ’n Noah ready to shoot him in yer defense.”

  “You lied.”

  “I did what was necessary to grease Noah’s departure.”

  Noah had been right. Masterson was different. Her respect for the man grew. So did her wariness.

  “Marshal Deger—” Masterson’s nose wrinkled like he’d smelled something offensive, “—the witless whale who was too often left in charge of Dodge, including when you came to town ’n when your friend died, blathered on about Edward’s lost treasures.” He gestured to the bedroom. “Did you find what you came looking for in there?”

  A blush burned her cheeks. She’d found more than she could’ve ever dreamed of with Noah in that room. And now Gertie had vowed to hold him accountable for her wanton recklessness. “My search was interrupted.”

  “If I let you finish, will you stop wasting yer energy arguing with me?”

  Relief robbed her of words. She nodded. Vigorously.

  “Good, ’cause I suspect that even though you use yer poor health to get yer way, you ain’t feeling top dollar. You ought to lie down. But when you do, it’ll be on the cot in my jail cell.”

  This time her nod was curt. Escaping a cell was a gamble but, same as when Noah had decided to lock her up, she was betting on her hairpins to free her before his return.

  Whether she found Edward’s possessions or not, Noah’s wellbeing depended on her reaching Gertie before Noah returned to Dodge.

  CHAPTER 15

  Noah urged Pepper across the dusky prairie toward Dodge’s lights. He’d worked hard, hammering away even in the last seconds of twilight to finish the roof on Sadie’s house. He could barely lift his reins, let alone a gun. He released a long breath.

  Bat should be happy. Hell, he was happy to have Bat on his side.

  But even though the marshal had vowed to watch over Sadie, unease gripped him as strongly as his exhaustion. He had to get back to Sadie as fast as possible.

  When he entered town, he straightened in his saddle, every sense on alert. The alleyways on either side of him were thick with shadows.

  One of them bounded toward the street and him. He drew his revolver. On a dog. Without a glance in his direction, the mutt trotted across the street in front of his horse and joined the gloom on the other side.

  Feeling foolish now, as well as tired and sore, he urged Pepper forward again. He didn’t holster his gun though. He’d just end up drawing it at the next shadow and that’d slow him down. He’d relax when he was with Sadie again.

  Until then, he was no better off than that lone cottonwood in the gully he’d seen on the way to their picnic. He had everything he needed to survive: a revolver, a trusty horse and a fine home waiting for him in Texas. It wasn’t enough.

  A fiercer need churned inside him. Now, more than ever, he felt driven to protect Sadie. That compulsion had become as important to him as breathing. But if he was honest with himself, he craved more. He ached to hold her again—tonight, tomorrow and every day after.

  No amount of distance or bruising labor could dull that longing.

  Sadie desired him as well. That truth quickened his blood. What would it take to make her feelings grow into love? He imagined riding side by side with her to her farm, showing her the house he’d built for her, and hearing her say she wanted him to stay with her inside. He’d carry her across the threshold like a husband and make love to her for days in a fervor reserved for newlyweds.

  Bat was right. She made a man eager to visit the preacher.

  If he thought she’d say yes, he’d already have proposed. A wedding had solved many a woman’s problems…and made others worse. After living with her father and the townsfolk of Dodge, he didn’t blame Sadie for being leery of hitching her life to another’s.

  He wanted her to join with him wholeheartedly. Same as she had this morning. A marriage of convenience reminded him too much of her position at the Star. Whatever she felt for him wouldn’t grow if he didn’t play his cards carefully. Her affection would wither and die.

  Someone ran down the center of the street, heading toward him.

  His grip on his revolver tightened. Short and thin, the man racing toward him didn’t look very threatening. He strained to see more. Not a man, but a boy. The boy who’d delivered the news about the disturbance at the rail depot the other evening.

  In the nearest alley, the shadows were moving again. They took the shape of a hulking giant, or a familiar saloon barkeep.

  Noah kneed Pepper forward, cantering the final distance required to put himself between the boy and the threat. His hand came to rest on his thigh, where the boy wouldn’t see his revolver now cocked and pointed at the alley and its shadow. He pinned his gaze there as well.

  “Marshal Masterson sent me to warn you.” The boy halted to gulp air.

  Don’t look at him. Don’t even blink, he told himself. As soon you do, whoever’s watching will—

  The boy’s voice dropped to a whisper. “Madam Garrett’s made threats.”

  The hushed words hit him like cannon fire. When had she done that? Noah’s stomach turned hard and cold. The madam had visited the jail.

  The hefty shadow grew smaller, retreating. Not a murderer then, but a messenger similar to the one hovering by his horse. What would the madam do when John informed her of his return?

  Nothing good.

  He swung down from his saddle. “Will you deliver my horse to the stable and see to his care?”

  The boy’s gaze had found the revolver in his hand. Despite his wide eyes, he nodded.

  Noah tossed him the reins and several coins. Then he sprinted toward the shadows and became one of them.

  * * *

  Sadie shifted position, struggling to get comfortable. The mattress on the prison cot wasn’t friendly to the flesh of her backside. She missed the bed in the other room. She missed Noah. It’d long since gone dark outside. Why hadn’t he returned?

  She glared between her cell’s bars at Marshal Masterson sitting on the other side, at ease in his chair. He showed no sign of leaving. “Your move,” she reminded him. Why don’t you move outside on the porch for a few minutes…and leave me alone with my hairpins?

  His gaze remained lowered, studying the cards in his hands. “Hold yer horses, I ain’t done thinking.”

  Which made her even more agitated. He couldn’t be thinking only about this useless poker game he’d suggested, could he? The marshal had proved much too cunning for that.

  “The boy you sent to warn Noah has been gone a long time. Shouldn’t you go check on him?” And Noah too?

  “Won’t break my word. I stay with you till Noah returns.”

  She exhaled an extended breath, trying to expel her growing irritation with it. A useless endeavor. Leaving this jail was turning into a herculean feat.

  “Relax, Miss Sullivan. Ain’t that one of the tricks to gambling? If you don’t mind me saying, considering all the times you dealt cards at the Star, you don’t seem to know much about playing games.”

  “I know this. In blackjack you study the cards, count what’s been played, estimate the odds of what might come next. In poker you watch your opponent, analyze his mood, his mannerisms and link them to his hand.” Look at me, so I can figure out what you’r
e planning.

  “I’ll keep that in mind for the future.” Masterson stretched his legs out in front of him and crossed them at the ankle. “Although I think I might be more partial to faro.”

  “Marshal, none of this helps Noah.” Her curt words made her cringe. Maybe the lawman wouldn’t notice.

  Masterson’s gaze finally rose to meet hers. A flicker of satisfaction flared inside her with this one victory.

  “Feel free to call me Bat.” The corners of his eyes crinkled as he smiled. “Yer concern for my deputy is noted ’n appreciated. I see why he likes you. I hope you care for him as much in return.”

  She glanced down, feigning interest in her own cards. How swiftly the tables had been turned. “Marshal Masterson, are you asking me about my intentions toward your deputy?”

  “I’m praying whatever happened in that other room, before I came in, wasn’t a calculated move. You ought to know a man’s heart can be broken as easily as woman’s.”

  She felt her cheeks grow warm.

  “There you go again,” he drawled. “And now I’m definitely not thinking about our game. I’m thinking the moment Noah returns he should escort you to the church ’n—”

  A muted knock rapped the back door. Lightning fast, Bat was out of his chair with one pistol drawn. He pressed his finger to his lips and crossed on silent feet to open the door.

  Noah shoved past him and his weapon. Her heart swelled with happiness for his safe return, then squeezed tight when he slammed to a halt with his wide-eyed gaze fixed on her.

  Bat closed the door and reclaimed his chair. His cards lay discarded under his feet. “Glad to see you returned safe ’n sound, Deputy. Yer woman was concerned.”

  “You locked her in a cell?” Noah’s gaze narrowed as he spun to face Bat. “Why?”

  She scoffed. “You’re a fine one to ask that question.”

  His gaze dropped to his boots. “I was worried about Madam Garrett.”

  “So was I.” Bat’s words snapped Noah’s attention back to him.

  “She came here?” he asked.

  “Of course,” the lawman replied with a shrug. “And that’s when I chose Miss Sullivan’s new accommodations. I was concerned for her wellbeing as much as she was for yours.” He raised an eyebrow in her direction, one full of challenge. “Ain’t that right?”