“Goodman and Suez have both been asking for one since they heard the governor has one in his office.”
Doc snorted, “Stupid.”
“Yes, especially because these hides make the best winter weather gear,” the tanner nodded.
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Doc said. “Thank you. What hides do you need the most?”
“Bears should be waking up again. I could use some of them, and maybe some deer hides, too.”
“I’ll let my friend know. They’re a hunter.”
“Good. My regular supplier took a job to protect a mine. Now I’ll be hard-pressed to meet some of the jobs I’ve taken on.”
Doc kept his face impassive. “That could be problematic.”
Leaving the tanner behind, Doc headed for the Lily. He was ready for a bath and to see Fiala and the others again. He was just about to pass Otto’s when he remembered the letters from Rangvald. Doc exhaled in mild annoyance and entered the barber shop.
“Be with you in…” Otto began before seeing who it was. “Doc?”
“Finish up. I have some letters for you, is all, though I’ll likely be by tomorrow for a shave.”
“After you’ve had a bath, I hope,” Otto said, seeing the road-dust caked onto him.
“Of course.”
“We do have a bath in the back,” Otto offered, “if you have the money.”
Doc chuckled, “Pass. I prefer a soft touch to wash me, and I’m certain she’s waiting.”
“Very well,” Otto said, not pausing his shaving the man in the seat. “A minute more and I’ll be done.”
Stepping to the side of the room, Doc waited. The townsman paid and left as soon as Otto was done with him. Otto walked the man out before putting up the closed sign and locking the door.
“What happened?”
“Huh?”
“Rangvald wouldn’t have sent letters unless it was important.”
“Oh, just mine stuff,” Doc smiled as he pulled the papers out and handed them over. “I think the first one is yours.”
Otto saw his name on the outermost letter and opened it. Eyes growing wider as he read it, Otto almost choked as he finished. “Mythrium and soul stones?”
“Yeah.”
“Luck…” Otto breathed out almost reverently. “I’ll do whatever he wishes. Everything will be handled.” The dwarf met Doc’s eyes and stood up straight, clasping his arms behind his back in a parade rest stance. “From our clan, I thank you. Again, you have proven to be a friend. I regret taking my daughter’s blood oath from you now.”
“Huh?”
“If I hadn’t gotten in the way, she would have kept after you and, in time, found a way to be accepted.”
Doc just blinked at Otto’s sudden attitude switch from before. “Yeah, um... I’ve got to go.” He left the shop before Otto could get any other funny ideas in his head.
He’d only made it a couple of steps before Grange appeared in front of him, making him stop. “Sheriff, what can I do for you?”
“Heard you took a number of dwarves to the west.”
“And?”
“None of them came back with you.”
“Funny that workers would stay to work instead of coming back to town,” Doc said tightly.
Grange snorted. “If they’re working.”
“What the hell? Did I insult your mother or something? You’ve been rude and suspicious of me since my first day in town.”
“I don’t like people who make trouble, and all you’ve done since you’ve been here is make trouble,” Grange retorted. “You’ll slip up soon, and when you do, I’m going to be there, either to take you to the judge or out of town.”
Doc bit back the comeback that almost escaped. Instead, he just stared at Grange for a few seconds. “You done? I want to get a bath.”
Grange stepped aside. “Be seeing you.”
“Not in the bath, I hope, or you’d have to arrest yourself,” Doc quipped as he walked away.
Grange let out a deep and angry growl, but Doc just kept walking.
Chapter Forty-two
The Lily was busy when Doc walked in. Five poker tables dominated over half of the floor space, and those tables were all but filled to the max. Lotus, Jasmine, and Fiala were seated at three of the smaller bet tables, and Matt and Lawrence were at the higher end ones.
Dillon smiled when he saw Doc. “Welcome back. People were getting worried.”
His greeting brought attention to him. There were mostly blank looks, but a few grimaces and smiles amongst the players. Lotus and Fiala looked relieved. Fiala had started to get up, but she grimaced and shifted in her seat.
“Sorry for the delay,” Doc said, looking at Fiala. “Is one of the baths open?” Doc asked Dillon after closing the distance to the bar.
“Both are currently,” Dillon said. “If you give us a minute or two, I can make sure that things are in order.”
“Sure. I’ll drop my stuff and get a clean set of clothes.”
As Doc made his way up the stairs, he paused at the second landing when the sound of small feet rushing toward him caught his ear. Seeing Posy hurrying toward him, Doc smiled. “Hey, you. How are you?”
The girl came to a stop a few feet away. “Fine. Are you okay? What about Tony and Joseph?”
“They’re both fine,” Doc said. “Working hard and doing a good job. I’m better now that I’m back.”
“Everyone was worried when you missed the tournament. It was worse yesterday. Fiala was very upset. Madam was worried, too.”
Doc knelt down so he could meet her eyes. “And you?”
Posy sniffled. Her eyes were watering and tears started streaking down her cheeks. “I was worried, too.”
“Sorry for that,” Doc said honestly. “Hug?”
Posy bounced forward, grabbing him and squeezing. “Why?”
“Had some troubles, but everything worked out. Sorry for worrying everyone. I’m going to have some clothes for you in a bit.”
Sniffing again, Posy stepped back and wiped at her eyes. “Okay. You smell like a horse.”
“Well, that happens,” Doc chuckled as he got to his feet. “Can you ask your mother to have some food and a large mug of beer ready for me in an hour?”
“Yes,” Posy said. She removed the tears from her cheeks, but her dress now had some dirt on it. “I’ll get it ready, sir.”
“Thank you, miss,” Doc said, tipping his hat to her with a smile.
Posy’s lips twitched, a small smile popping up on her face. She gave him a curtsy in return. “Of course, sir.” With that, she rushed off, leaving Doc on the landing.
Exhaling, Doc picked his rifle up off the floor and headed up to his room. Have to keep in mind for the future that some of the people here will miss me... Not used to that.
Once he had his things put away and clean clothing in hand, he went toward the bathing rooms. He gave Daf a smile when she poked her head out of the kitchen. “An hour?”
“I’ll have it ready,” Daf replied with a smile of her own. “Private room?”
“Might as well. I can check you at the same time.”
“Thank you.”
“No need for thanks,” Doc said and kept walking.
In the bathroom, he quickly stripped off his dirty clothes and tossed them into the hamper. Looking at his legs, he winced at the new scars. Looks like a damned cheese grater took my skin off. Need to see about doing something different next time.
Bent over the tub to get the water to the right temperature, Doc wasn’t expecting the door to open behind him. He jerked to his feet, but saw Fiala standing there and took a deep breath. “Damn near gave me a heart attack, Fiala.”
The door closed quickly and she was across the room before he finished speaking. Her arms around his waist as she hugged him tightly. “I was so worried.”
Doc put his arms around her and held her in return, waiting for her to calm down. “Yeah, sorry about that. Would have been back on time if not for the s
e’sxac.”
Fiala stiffened before letting out a small cry. “Oh, dear Lady.”
“It’s okay, he’s dead,” Doc soothed her. “Won’t be trouble for anyone else. He’d gone mad with corruption.”
“How? How did you survive?” Fiala asked, not letting go of him.
“With help. It almost cost Jesamin, Krisriit, Rosa, and me our lives, but we managed it in the end.”
Sniffling, Fiala pulled back enough to meet his eyes, “Who are they?”
“You know about Rosa. Jesamin is the elven hunter that Rangvald hired, and Krisriit is her tamed cat.” Doc gave her a smile and leaned in for a kiss.
When the kiss ended, she was resting her head against him, no longer crushing him. “Sorry, Doc. I know I should have more faith.”
“There is nothing wrong with being uncertain and afraid. It’s only wrong if you let it dominate you. Would rather not have had to do what I did, but it’s over now. Instead, the real trouble will be coming soon.”
“Tell me?”
“Of course. How about you join me in the bath and I’ll explain?”
Fiala gave him a soft smile. “Just bathing. We should still follow the rules.”
“I’ll do my best,” Doc replied. “Can’t promise I’ll keep my hands to myself, though.”
She let out a soft giggle as she began to undress. “If it’s just your hands, it’ll be difficult enough for me to help clean you. If it was anything more, I know for certain I couldn’t.”
Doc smirked, “What about you?”
“I’ll be a proper lady for you,” Fiala said, but her eyes went to his rising manhood, “as hard as that might be to resist.” She stared at the new scars on his legs. “Rosa?” she asked hesitantly.
“Yes. Does it bother you?”
Fiala frowned for a moment. “A little. I think mostly because I haven’t met her. It doesn’t bother me anymore that Lotus wants you, or that you occasionally think of Lia.”
Doc nodded, “You can meet her soon. She’d like to meet you, too.”
“She would?” Fiala paused as she stepped out of her dress. “She knows about me?”
“More than you probably think,” Doc coughed, looking away. “Dryads can read minds... at least a little if they are engaged with someone.”
Fiala blushed, “Oh. Sooo…”
“Hard not to think about you during those moments,” Doc admitted. “She won’t hurt you, though. She knows how much you mean to me.”
Fiala almost fell over at his words, as she had been stepping out of her petticoat. “I do? She does?”
“Yes, and yes,” Doc replied.
Fiala swallowed hard, putting her clothes with his clean ones. “You always make me feel so special.”
“You are. My beautiful lady, who’ll be proudly beside me.”
Fiala exhaled deeply, turning to face him. “Do I have to be a lady all the time?”
Doc chuckled, “No. I do enjoy the moments when you forget about trying to be a lady and give in to your desires.”
Fiala blushed red and bit her lip. “I want to give in a little right now,” she whispered.
“If we only bend the rules a little, it’ll be okay,” Doc said.
~*~*~
Taking seats at the table, Doc and Fiala weren’t expecting Lia to enter the room. “Evening, Lia,” Doc greeted her. “How are you?”
“Doc, I’m glad you are safe,” Lia said as she took a seat. “Posy, Daf, you may serve us.”
Posy and Daf came into the room with their meal, a bottle of wine, and three glasses. The plates were filled with chicken, cornbread, mashed potatoes with gravy, and beans.
Doc gave Daf a smile as she served him. Once everyone had food, he offered her his hand. After a moment, he smiled and the glow faded as he let go of her. “You won’t have any more problems, Daf. The problem won’t reoccur now.”
Daf took a deep breath and smiled, her eyes bright. “Thank you, sir. Thank you.”
“Thank you, sir,” Posy sniffled, her hands grasping Daf’s skirt tightly.
“You’re welcome, Posy. You, too, Daf.”
“Well since my oldest employee is now healed, we should celebrate,” Lia smiled. “Did you make the item, Daf?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Daf replied.
“When we’re done with dinner,” Lia said.
Daf and Posy left them alone to eat. Once the door shut, Doc cleared his throat. “I have a couple of bottles for you, from Rosa.”
“She gave you raw moondew?” Lia asked, surprised.
“Yes, and she thanks you for the gift. She is hopeful that Mother will be able to resurrect her sister.”
Lia’s fan snapped open and she hid behind it for a moment. When she closed it, she was composed again. “I’m glad. It was something that needed to be done for so long. Should we eat before discussing business?”
“Let’s,” Doc said, his stomach growling.
It didn’t take him long to finish his dinner. Doc was hungry for real food after a couple of days without it. Once they were all finished, Daf and Posy brought out Lia’s surprise— a small sweet bun made with vanilla. Doc sighed happily, knowing that dessert wasn’t a normal thing.
“Daf, that was amazing. Thank you.”
“It’s better when it’s fresh from the oven,” Daf replied.
“I’ll keep it in mind,” Doc said, knowing he’d just been chastised by her.
“That’s all, Daf,” Lia said. “Doc, do you have news for me?”
“Yeah. Next week, I’ll have everything needed. Can you arrange for Brand to come to the tournament?”
“He’ll be here for the monthly tournament. He heard the buzz and asked me to set aside a room and spot at the tables for him,” Lia said tightly. “Are you sure your plan is going to work?”
“The old plan would have been dicey,” Doc replied honestly. “My new plan is fine.”
“New plan?” Lia asked.
“How much is your debt?”
“Twenty thousand,” Lia replied.
“I’m going to pay it off,” Doc said.
Fiala giggled at Lia’s expression. “Did I look like that?”
“Yeah, you did,” Doc nodded.
“How?”
“Mythrium and soul stones,” Doc answered her. “The claim is profitable.”
Lia’s eyes widened when he told her. “Luck…”
“Indeed,” Doc smiled. “We’ll pay him off when Rangvald brings the first load into town and sells it.”
Lia snapped out of her shock, “They’ll never let you keep the mine.”
“I’m sure they’ll try to stop me,” Doc corrected her. “All the dwarves are going to be backing me. They’ll be mining and bringing the raw goods in. Do Goodman and Suez have the manpower to compete?”
Lia paused, considering, “Not to start with.”
“Which gives us time to expand things. Are you still on board with me naming this as a place of worship?”
Lia’s jade eyes met his, “Yes, Doc… the Lily will back the Voice of Luck.”
“Then I won’t worry about anything,” Doc replied. “With Luck behind me and the aid of the people who want to see things change, I have faith that it’ll work out. It might end up bloody and deadly, but no road of societal change is without those two things. Are you willing to have your business and your girls in the line of fire?”
Lia gave him a hard smile and she rose to her feet. “They’ll not know what they’ve done if they turn their guns on my family. I’ve lost too many to them to let it happen again.”
Fiala stiffened, “Madam?”
“For now, I am still Madam, but next week, I’ll cast that title aside and reclaim my past. I will not lose any more family to the Darkness.”
Doc felt the power in her voice and stood up. “You won’t be alone, Lia.”
Lia’s eyes gleamed for a moment. “I see that you are right, Doc. Neither will you.”
Fiala watched them and a hint of jealousy touched h
er briefly, but she pushed it away. She had already accepted that she would share him with a select few, and Lia was on that list.
Chapter Forty-three
Doc’s eyes fluttered open at the soft lips kissing his cheek. “Morning, you.”
Suited for Luck Page 33
