Gianna’s eyes widened as Mrs. Beauchamp let out a peal of laughter. “Oh, that foolish scamp. He’s probably just jealous of all the attention that you might get, pretty young thing like yourself.”
“You know what I think?” The older lady lowered her voice into a sly whisper. “You ought to go down today anyway. Teach him a lesson for not making time for his lovely wife.”
“You think so?” Gianna asked doubtfully.
“Yes! I know how lonely you’ve been, poppet, what with the only company in this here hotel being either too young or too old.” The older woman waved off Gianna’s protests good-naturedly.
“Tell you what. Mister Davies is taking a day trip out to meet with some investors over at Reno. It’ll take him hours to get back. I’ll cover for you while you go and let off some steam.”
Gianna was tempted. She had grown a little lonely and the poker tournament seemed like fun. Furthermore, Lily was newly married herself and might possibly be able to shed some light on Anthony’s strange behavior.
“Alright then,” she smiled, dropping a quick kiss on the kindly housekeeper’s cheek. “Thanks, Matilda!”
++++++++
Running upstairs to change, Gianna jerked to a stop as she nearly crashed into Anthony.
“Mio Dio!” she gasped, as she sank back on her heels. “I thought you were out.”
Anthony raised an eyebrow.
“Yes, I discovered that I had forgotten something and came back to retrieve it. Are you alright? Where are you off to in such a rush?”
Gianna shifted her weight somewhat guiltily. “Matilda’s sent me downtown; I’m just going up to change.” There. At least that much was true.
“Ah, I see.” They stood there in a slightly awkward silence.
“Well, I’m going to get changed then,” Gianna said finally when it seemed that the conversation had died. As she brushed past him, he grabbed her arm, causing her to turn around. His face was closer to hers than she had expected.
“Gianna,” he said urgently. “I know I have been acting strangely lately. I just need some time to clear my head.”
Gianna’s heart raced. Being at such close proximity heightened her awareness of him. She could see every speck of color in his deep blue eyes.
“It’s alright,” she breathed. “I know you’ve been going through some stuff.”
“You’re amazing,” he quirked the corner of his mouth up in a smile. As Gianna leaned in, expecting a kiss, Anthony paused. Shifting his mouth, he kissed her cheek instead.
“I’ll see you tonight, little wildcat.”
And with that, he was gone.
++++++++
Gianna threw back a shot of whiskey as she sat at the bar with Lily. The lively music of a jamboree played in the background.
“Oh come on, Gianna, everyone is dancing.” Lily cocked her head towards the dance floor. “Go have some fun.”
“Thanks Lily, but I’m not really in the mood for dancing,” Gianna said sourly as she watched the happy couples prance around. Lily sighed.
“Alright then. Why don’t you go check out the poker games? It’s the preliminary rounds, so nothing very exciting is happening yet, but at least it beats sitting here.”
Gianna sighed as Lily hustled her over to the tables where men sat, peering intently at their cards. She settled herself down at an empty side table and watched the happenings with little interest.
“Well there, that’s a familiar face.”
Gianna jumped and looked up to see a handsome, dark face grinning at her.
“Drake,” she smiled, gesturing at the empty seat in front of her.
“Don’t mind if I do,” he laughed, opting to sit right next to her. His breezy white shirt was left unbuttoned down the front, giving her a good view of his hard pectoral muscles. She was entranced by his smooth, muscled skin and blushed as he caught her staring.
“Appreciating the view?” He grinned lopsidedly. “So whatcha doing here on your lonesome?”
Clearing her throat, Gianna pulled her eyes away from his body. “I came to watch the poker games but I have no idea what’s going on.”
“Don’t you know how to play the game then?”
Gianna shook her head.
“Well then, Missy, it’s ya lucky day.” He reached around in his jeans pocket, and slapped a deck of poker cards on the table.
“I’ll teach ya how to play.” He smiled widely, showing off his white teeth.
As he distributed the cards, Gianna couldn’t help stealing a glance at him. She had to admit, albeit pretty reluctantly, that she found him very attractive. There was a casual, good-naturedness about him that was a refreshing change from Anthony’s intensity.
“So this here’s a royal flush,” he laid out yet another set of cards in front of her as Gianna broke out of her daydream. To her dismay, he had already gone through a few sets which she had totally missed out on.
“Ya got it?”
“Urm, could you just run through everything again real quick?” Gianna tried to smile innocently.
Drake burst into laughter. He wore his long dark hair loose around his face and it flopped attractively over his face.
“Man, ya really need to work on a good poker face. I can tell you’re bluffin’ from over a mile away.”
“Sorry,” she shrugged. “I guess I’m just not really cut out for the game.”
“Maybe just not today then,” Drake waved off her apologies with a grin and started packing up the cards. As she helped him gather the cards, his hand brushed against hers. Grabbing hold of it, he rose it up close to his face. For a weird moment, Gianna thought that he was going to kiss it.
“Your skin is smooth as a dove,” he commented, running his thumb casually over her skin. After being deprived of any touch for quite some time, Gianna felt a frisson of electricity as his warm skin lingered on hers.
Clearing her throat awkwardly, she said, “Excuse me?”
“I’m looking at ya purty hand and I’m thinking that if it’s any measure, your face must be a joy to touch. And I’m wondering what kind of a fool Anthony is to have you running around all bored-like.”
Still keeping her hand in his, he turned it around critically. “And I’m wondering why I don’t see a ring on ya finger.”
Gianna blushed and grabbed her hand back. “It … it really isn’t any of your concern,” she snapped.
Holding up his hands in a conciliatory gesture, Drake smiled warmly.
“Alright, I’m sorry. Let me buy you a drink to apologize.”
“That really isn’t necessary,” Gianna murmured as she started to gather her things. “I should be getting back now.”
“Aw, come on. One drink, yes? Besides, I seemed to remember that you owed me a game of cards from our last meeting and it seems that’s not going to happen today.”
Gianna sighed. “Alright, one drink. But I don’t want any of that cheap whiskey. I want the good stuff.”
Drake grinned, setting his handsome features alight. “Ever tried moonshine?”
Gianna wrinkled her nose. “What’s that?”
Clasping his hand over to his bare chest in mock shock, Drake laughed. “Only the best for ya, Miss Delucca.”
++++++++
As Gianna pushed open the glass door of the hotel, she felt a little dizzy as she experienced a head rush. Giggling, she entered the door and trotted down the hallway, where she almost crashed into Mrs. Beauchamp.
“Gianna?” Mrs. Beauchamp looked at her in alarm. “Good heavens, child, what happened to you?”
“I’ve been doing as you advised, Matilda. I’ve been living it up!” Gianna cackled as she dropped off her coat right in the middle of the hallway. Mrs. Beauchamp clucked disapprovingly as she hurried to pick it up.
“Gianna, come,” she tugged at the young girl’s hand insistently. Some of the hotel guests had started to stare. In her inebriation, she flicked her fingers at them flirtatiously.
“Gianna!”
> It took a great deal of pulling and shoving, but Gianna finally found herself dragged into the kitchen by a worried Mrs. Beauchamp. She slumped down against the table, knocking a couple of plates onto the floor.
“How much did you have to drink?” Mrs. Beauchamp eyed her shrewdly.
“Just a couple of bottles of moonshine,” Gianna said in a sing-song voice.
“Well, I hate to break your alcoholic bubble, but we’ve got trouble. Mister Davies is back early!” Mrs. Beauchamp hissed at her.
“Anthony is back?” Gianna perked up. She struggled to get to her feet. “I’ve got a couple of things to say to that ass.”
“Wait!” Mrs. Beauchamp pulled her back. “I covered for you. You’re right, he’s more serious than I thought about not wanting you to go to the saloon. He nearly bit off my neck when he suspected that was where you had gone. I had to tell many lies to weasel my way out of that one.”
The idea of Anthony biting the head off of a weasel version of Mrs. Beauchamp somehow seemed very ticklish to Gianna. She giggled uncontrollably as Mrs. Beauchamp stared at her in dismay.
“I’m going to look for my husband now.” Before Mrs. Beauchamp could stop her, Gianna had darted out of the kitchen and flew up the stairs.
“Anthony!” she called loudly and giggled at how funny her voice sounded echoing down the stairwell. She shushed herself noisily.
“Anthony!” she whispered in a clandestine fashion. As she ascended the staircase towards the penthouse, she sang, “Come out, come out, wherever you are!”
“Gianna.”
She jumped as Anthony appeared behind her. His face was taut with displeasure as he took in her drunken form.
“Where have you been?” His voice was dangerously quiet. “Have you been drinking down at the saloon?”
While she normally would have been intimidated, her intoxicated state made her brazen and she walked up close to him. Taking him by surprise, she flicked his nose with her finger.
“Hey!”
“Clever boy!” she bellowed, clapping her hands in his face.
Despite the situation, she could have sworn that she saw his lips twitch in the ghost of a reluctant smile.
“Gianna Delucca Davies, how much did you have to drink?”
“I had a few bottles,” she announced, giggling at the shock on his face. “Of MOONSHINE!” She crowed triumphantly, doing a crazy little twirl. “Oops!”
She lost her balance and fell into Anthony’s waiting arms. He lifted her up and carried her up the remaining flight of stairs.
Gianna idly toyed with his hair. “Your hair has grown longer,” she mused and smiled brightly. “When did that ever happen? It’s like magic. You disappear on me and avoid me for the longest time, and then what! Your hair grows and I don’t even notice.”
In a grim silence, Anthony set her down on the ground, where she mulled around. She heard the sound of water and sat up in alarm.
“The waterfall is coming! We’re going over!”
“We’re not going over,” Anthony retorted. “But you are going down.”
With that, he lifted her and threw her into the tub, clothes and all. Gianna shrieked as the cold water soaked her.
“What the— Hey!”
He dunked her into the water, and she emerged coughing and wheezing.
“What the hell are you doing?” she complained.
Anthony repeated the action a few more times. On the last few attempts, Gianna felt the drunken haze lifting and a great sleepiness taking over in its stead.
“I’m sleepy, Anthony,” she announced, struggling out of his grasp and stepping out of the tub.
“The hell you are.” He regarded her cautiously as she started stripping off her wet clothes.
“I’m going to sleep now,” she insisted as she plonked herself down head first on the bed.
“Gianna? Gianna!”
Gianna didn’t hear anything as she blacked out.
++++++++
“Ouch, my head.”
Gianna cracked an eye open as she winced. There was a steady throbbing over her temples and the sunlight from the window was blinding. As she scooted back under the blanket, she groaned as the previous night’s happenings came flooding back in a highly unwelcome fashion.
“Mio Dio.”
She remembered tentatively accepting a bottle of moonshine from Drake. After tasting it though, the welcome high that surged through her body was irresistible and she found herself downing another. And another. After that, everything else was a colorful haze of her stumbling her way home and then acting like a complete fool.
Gianna closed her eyes in dismay. And of course, there was Anthony, mad as all hell at her. Instead of attempting to reduce the damage in any way, she had acted like the complete lunatic.
She could feel his presence even from under the blanket. She peeked out from the corner of the sheet.
There he sat before her, angry and brooding. His face was white and stern, his lips drawn into a straight line. She ducked back under the safety of the blanket.
“How much trouble am I in?” Gianna asked in a tiny voice.
“Trouble?” Anthony’s voice was so surprised that she lifted her head out of her hiding place.
“Yes, trouble,” Gianna started, staring at him. “Wait – you’re mad at me, right?”
“No! Well, yes, I’m not happy that you went down to the saloon and got drunk as a skunk, but I’m angrier at myself for letting things come to this.” Anthony reached for her hands.
Tilting her head to the side in surprise, she stared at him blankly.
“Matilda told me that you had gone crying to her about how sad you were about my … indifference lately. She said it was her idea to accompany you to the saloon in search of a drink. She didn’t know that you had a weak tolerance. She said that you were in her company all the time.”
Gianna closed her eyes and sent a silent and fervent thank you to the good Mrs. Beauchamp.
“Gianna,” Anthony’s voice sounded so pained and earnest that she opened her eyes to look at him.
“I must admit, I’ve been a terrible husband lately. I’ve had so much on my mind, and I didn’t want to trouble you with my problems until I had worked them out.”
He caressed her face lovingly and Gianna sighed in relief. Finally, he was talking to her.
“I’m not done thinking about it, so I’ve decided that a change of scenery might help. I’m going to visit Annie in Markleeville and … I was hoping that you would come with me. I know that she’d like to meet you. You’d like California. I know it’s a lot to ask, given my recent behavior—”
Gianna raised a finger to his lips. “I’d love to go with you. When do we leave?”
Relief washing over his face, Anthony enthused, “Today.”
“Today?” She jumped out of bed in dismay.
“Yes, the train leaves at noon. Go take a bath, I’ll pack some clothes for you.”
Nodding at him gratefully, Gianna drew herself a bath and hummed as she watched the water filling the tub.
“Hey Gianna?”
“Yes?” She turned and saw Anthony standing a distance from her. He had been picking up the wet clothes that she had thrown all over the floor the night before. Going up to hug him from behind, she quipped, “What’s up?”
Anthony’s form was stiff as he stared at a damp piece of paper.
“Who is Drake?” he asked quietly.
“What?” Gianna felt a sense of dread creep over her. For some reason, she definitely didn’t like the idea of Anthony knowing anything about her friendship with Drake.
Without saying anything, he handed her the damp piece of paper. Gianna read what it said with a sense of trepidation.
Hey Gorgeous,
So this was fun. Let’s do it again soon. You’ll buy the moonshine this time.
Yours, Drake
“I found this in your pocket. You weren’t at the saloon with Matilda, were you? You were with this … this Dr
ake.” Anthony’s voice was strangely calm and quiet, which she found more horrifying that if he had been screaming at her.
“Anthony,” she hurried to explain herself, to reduce the damage somehow. “Anthony, it’s not what you think it is. Drake is just a friend. You know him too, he’s your friend, Drake Edwards.”
“Drake Edwards? He’s no friend of mine. He certainly seems very … well acquainted with you though.” Anthony stood up. He walked over to her suitcase and dumped all of its contents back on the bed.
“Anthony!” Gianna protested. “What are you doing? I’m going with you. We need to sort this out.”
Anthony started as she grabbed his arm. “Let go of me, please, Gianna,” he whispered through clenched teeth. “I’m really mad now, and I can’t think straight. All that I want to do is give you a spanking so hard that you’re unable to sit down or walk again. Ever. Alright? So … just. Don’t.”
As he made to leave the room, Gianna shouted at his retreating figure.
“Hey!”
Her exclamation seemed to surprise him as much as she shocked herself. Dio, I’ve really got a death wish. Now that she had gotten his attention though, her words came out in a rush.
“Look, I’m sorry, I am. I shouldn’t have gone to the saloon by myself. I know you don’t like me going there. And for good reason, I have horrible judgment when it comes to alcohol. I’ll never do that again. But Drake is just a friend. I don’t see why you’re getting so angry about him.”
“Watch your tone,” Anthony snapped at her viciously. “It’s bad enough that you go off drinking, but to befriend strange men? I ought to spank you so hard that you see stars.”
Gianna saw red. “See, that’s the thing. You behave in whatever way you want, not having to explain anything to me. I just make one friend who’s not on some stupid prescribed list by you, and suddenly I deserve some kind of horrible punishment?”
Her voice rose in indignation and hurt. “I thought we were past all of this. I am your wife, not some commodity.”
“I’m not having this conversation with you right now.” Anthony left the room, slamming the door hard behind him.
Gianna sank down onto the floor and began to weep.
Bent Over A Barrel Bundle: Western Cowboy Romance (Full Length Novels) Page 26
