He buried his lips in her hair and breathed in the clean, fresh scent of her. As he moved his mouth along her cheek to her ear, he became aware of the light trace of French perfume. The scent was stronger here. Summer flowers. Poppy and mountain harebell. He was drowning in the wonderful summer scent of her. Her taste was on his tongue.
"I suppose we could hide here all night."
"No." The single word rasped. She was surprised at how difficult it was to speak.
With a little moan, September pressed her hands to his chest and drew her head away. Slowly surfacing, she stared into his dark eyes, seeing herself reflected there. She had given more in that kiss than she had ever given of herself before. Even now, as her mind began to clear, she felt as if a part of her was still with him.
Jase lay very still, watching the confusion in her eyes. Wide, startled, they glistened in the glow of moonlight like the brightest stars in the heavens. As she struggled to sit up, her hair spilled forward like a veil. Jase clenched his fist to keep from reaching out to it. He felt the familiar tightening deep inside him. He wanted her as he had never wanted anyone in his life. If he could, he would take her here, now. But something in her eyes, a look of innocence or fear, or possibly both, stopped him.
Beside him, he could hear her taking deep gulps of air to calm her ragged breathing. His own breathing was none too steady. When they had composed themselves, he stood and offered her a hand. As she accepted his hand, she averted her gaze.
"I think they’ve gone now. It’s safe to leave." He held the tent flap aside as she followed him. "I’ll see you home."
The soft look in her eyes was replaced with a hard wariness.
"I go home alone. And I don’t need anyone along for company."
"I wasn’t planning to make small talk. I just wanted to see you home safely."
"I’ll see to my own safety."
She plunged her hand deep in the pocket of her dress. The blade of a knife glittered in the moonlight.
Surprised, Jase’s eyes narrowed. There was a note of guarded admiration in his voice. "Do you know how to use that thing?"
Her chin jutted. "Would you like a demonstration of my skill?"
He fought to keep the laughter from his voice. In one fluid motion he twisted her hand, causing her to drop the weapon. She was hauled roughly against him. His breath was hot against her temple.
"Damned little she-wolf. Don’t you recognize a friend when you see one?"
She blinked, then stared boldly into his eyes. "In this place, it’s hard to tell your friends from your enemies." She lifted her head defiantly. "Now take your hands off me."
He stiffened, then bent and retrieved the knife, examining it closely before giving it back to her.
They walked to the boardinghouse without speaking. Each was lost in private thoughts.
On the porch, September turned. "How did you know those men were following me?"
He smiled. It was the first time she had ever seen this stranger smile. It softened all his features. He was, she thought, almost handsome. "What makes you think I knew anything of the kind?"
"But you . . ." Her face flamed, and she was grateful for the cover of darkness. In her confusion, she stammered, "Good night."
She turned on her heel and let herself in. In the privacy of her room, September stared at her reflection in the mirror, searching for some sign of what she had just been through. Would Aggie know, just by looking at her, that she had been kissed by a mysterious stranger? She gasped and clapped a hand over her mouth. The stranger. She still didn’t know his name.
She undressed quickly and slid between the covers of her bed. Whoever he was, he’d saved her from being robbed, or worse, tonight. And in the bargain he’d managed to steal her heart. Leaning toward the small night stand, she blew out the lantern. In the darkness, hovering on the edge of sleep, she replayed every little moment of this unexpected night.
In her mind, the stranger became magnified, until he was larger than life. There would never be another man who would make her feel as she had tonight. Something magic had happened. In that darkened tent, she had discovered the woman inside her. And the stranger had been the one who awakened her.
* * *
With Aggie still sick in bed, September and Billy struggled under the weight of their demanding chores. In the late afternoon, she took Lucky for a short walk, then scrubbed her velvet dress, trying to remove the vestiges of last night’s ordeal.
By the time she had washed her hair, bathed, and dressed for the evening, she had already put in a full day. And for her, the evening had only begun.
At precisely six o’clock she arrived at the saloon, ready to sing at the private party.
If Snake was surprised to see her looking in such high spirits, he didn’t show it. Studying her as he descended the stairs, he searched for any sign that she might suspect him of being involved with the two men who chased her the night before. Seeing nothing different about her, he decided that he was free of suspicion. Maybe she just thought they were two men down on their luck and looking for easy prey.
"Ready to dazzle the good people of Skagway?" he asked.
* * *
The square wooden building served many functions in Skagway. On Sundays, traveling preachers held services for interested residents. Town meetings were held in the big hall, and there was talk of starting a school in the building, if the influx of families continued. When September arrived with Snake Rawlins, the room was already filled with people. Everybody who resided permanently in Skagway had been invited. A permanent resident was anyone who stayed more than a few weeks.
There was a long wooden table groaning under the weight of dozens of pies, cakes, and cookies. An elderly woman in a black lace dress stood pouring punch and coffee. There was a festive air about the crowd. Skagway rarely had reason to celebrate anything.
Inside the door, Snake touched September’s arm. "Wait here. I’ll go find our host."
A portly man was already pushing his way through the crowd toward them. Dressed in a dark, ill-fitting suit which barely stretched across his enormous stomach, he tottered back on his heels, as if walking on the deck of a wildly rocking boat.
"I see you’ve brought her." He shook Snake’s hand, all the while staring at September. "The wife is eager to meet her."
"And of course, you’re not," Snake said sarcastically.
The man threw back his head and laughed. "Everyone in the room is dying to hear the Velvet Voice." He turned to September. "I’m Captain Ernest Todding. You’ve made my daughter’s engagement party the talk of the town."
September favored him with a weak smile.
He was surprised at her youth and innocence. He had expected a sophisticated actress.
"I know my friends are anxious for you to start."
Leading her through the throng, he indicated a raised platform at one end of the room. She was pleased to see Blackie seated at a piano.
She turned to Snake. "Did the captain pay you for his services, too?"
"Naturally. You don’t think we do this for our health?"
"No. Of course not." Not Snake Rawlins, she thought.
Accepting the captain’s hand, she was helped to the stage. He clapped his hands for attention.
"My good friends. As we promised you, here’s our special treat. To entertain us, I give you the Velvet Voice."
The crowd became hushed.
There was nothing different about this party, September told herself as she began to speak the words to a love song. It was just another job. She would entertain, earn her money, and leave. The lights in this hall were much brighter than in the saloon. There were lanterns strung the length of the room, as well as on the tables. She was able to see the guests clearly. As her gaze scanned the crowd, she saw the women, standing in small clusters, whispering among themselves. Several of them held their hands to their mouths to hide what they were saying. But their eyes and their unsmiling faces spoke volumes. Lifting her chin
high, September continued the sad song. Inside, she felt the terrible ache of loneliness. Working for Snake Rawlins, she was a marked woman. None of the women in this town would ever agree to be her friend now. Oh, Mama, I wish you were here. Her voice quivering with emotion, she emphasized each sad word.
Staring into the sea of faces, she suddenly spotted the stranger. When her eyes widened in recognition, he smiled slightly. Her loneliness vanished. His look had the same effect on her as his touch. Their gazes locked. Unable to break contact, she continued the song, speaking the words only to him.
The applause, as always, surprised her. With a slight nod of her head, she acknowledged it, then moved into her second song.
Jase took a moment to study the crowd. The women, he noted, were surprised by her youth and beauty, and offended by it. They had hoped for one of the typical Snake Rawlins’ women. Then they could have justified their disdain of her. But this girl clearly reflected an innocence which many of them could no longer claim. And so they would manufacture reasons to ridicule her.
What was there about her that was so appealing? Boldly, Jase studied her. There was the hair, of course. Thick, long, hanging nearly to her waist, it was the most unusual shade of silver blond he had ever seen. There was her delicate oval face, with the perfect, upturned nose, wide, almost sensual lips, and the most-beguiling smile he had ever seen. And then there were her eyes, the color of a perfect summer sky, with odd little flecks of gold and green. But it was more than any of those things which set this woman apart from all the rest. Maybe it was a goodness which radiated from her. Despite the fact that she sang at a saloon, working for the most despised man in Alaska, there was an unmistakable innocence shining from within.
Maybe it was her fierce independence. Alone in this town of gamblers and drifters, she seemed determined to make her own way.
A tremor passed through him. Watching her, hearing that deep, throaty voice, desire surged once more, shocking him with its intensity.
For over an hour, September entertained the guests, until Snake signaled her that this would be her last song. Offering the audience her only real smile of the evening, September acknowledged their final applause, then left the stage.
The captain took her hand and led her to a group of men and women. The stranger who had kissed her last night was among them. She felt her cheeks begin to flame at the thought of what they had shared. His gaze was riveted on her as she approached.
"Velvet, I wanted you to meet my wife and daughter."
The captain’s wife looked as if she had just smelled something vile. With her mouth curling downward and her eyes hard little agates, she ignored September’s extended hand and stiffened as they were introduced.
"And this is my daughter, Adelia."
The girl was a younger image of her mother. Both women clearly disapproved of the Velvet Voice. But like the other women in the town, their curiosity had been piqued by all the publicity generated by her appearances at the saloon.
As September turned toward the daughter, she let out a gasp. Around the girl’s neck was a gold chain on which dangled a gold locket. Engraved on the locket were the initials I and P intertwined. Her mother’s locket. It could only have come from Deke Kenyon.
Jase watched the emotions which played over her expressive face. Pain and shock. And gradually, something more.
Recovering quickly, September fought to keep her voice calm. "That’s a stunning locket, Miss Todding. Is it new?"
"As a matter of fact, it is." The girl touched a possessive finger to the necklace. "It’s a gift from my betrothed."
September kept her voice impersonal. "I don’t believe I’ve met him."
The girl laughed. "No one has yet, except Mamma. Daddy was away when we met and became engaged. And Dall had to leave to inspect some of his mines. But he promised as soon as he returns, we’ll be married."
September caught a glimpse of the mother’s gleaming smile at her daughter’s words.
"Dall. That’s your fiance?"
Jase watched September’s face carefully. There was something in her tone, something in the way she held herself, that made him think something was very wrong.
"Dall Kendall. He owns Kendall Mines."
September ran a tongue over her dry lips. This was the first ray of hope that she would be able to even her score with Deke. "I suppose there are no pictures in the locket?"
The girl laughed. "We haven’t had time for that yet. But Dall says when he returns there will be all the time in the world."
"And just where are his mines?"
"Along the Klondike. He said I shouldn’t worry if he’s gone for quite some time. Travel is treacherous in the ice fields."
"How long ago did he leave?"
"Just the other day."
The Klondike. A few days ago. September felt a tingle of excitement. In a week or so she would have the money saved to follow him. While she searched for her father, she intended to look for Deke as well. He wasn’t going to get away this time.
September found herself looking into the girl’s sparkling eyes and sharing the heartbreak this girl had to face. Suddenly compassionate, she realized how shamelessly he had used this plain, lonely girl. There would be no future with Dall Kendall, or whatever his real name was. He was nothing more than a womanizer, using his boyish charms to win one after another, like an attractive butterfly flitting from flower to flower. But men like Deke, or Dall, never gave—only took. Poor, silly Adelia, she thought. She had been used by a thief. She deserved this party. It was the only celebration she would have. Soon enough, it would be time for the harsh realities of life. The townspeople would be whispering behind their hands. And this time the object of their scorn would be Adelia.
"If you’ll excuse me, Captain Todding. It’s time we got back to work."
With a nod to his wife and daughter and a brief glance at the dark-haired stranger who loitered behind them, September accepted Snake’s arm and walked stiffly toward the door.
"That’s fifty dollars you owe me," she said as Snake helped her into his carriage. "And I’ll take it before I start singing tonight."
"You’ll take it when I feel like paying you."
She turned. Her voice was flat. "You’ll pay me first, or I’ll not be singing tonight, or any night, Snake."
When she was angry, the soft brogue of her father’s land crept into her voice.
He saw the hard glitter of steel in her eyes. He didn’t know what had happened in there, but something had just stiffened her spine.
He flicked the reins. "Sure thing. I’ll get it for you as soon as we get to the saloon."
One thing for sure, Snake thought, as they rolled along the dusty town. The kid was growing up. Fast. But he had to humor her. He was beginning to need her more than she needed him. And he had to come up with a scheme to hold on to his little gold mine.
Chapter Twelve
"A dog! A big, hairy, dirty, smelly animal in my boardinghouse. I take to my bed for a couple of days, and I get up to find the place overrun with vicious dogs."
"Now take it easy, Aggie. There’s only one dog. And he’s not vicious."
"You got blood on my blanket. The place smells like a barn. And you tell me to take it easy. Look at him. He’s so mean-looking, I don’t even want him in the same country with me. And you let him sleep in your room like a puppy."
Aggie held the broom in front of her like a shield. The dog calmly eyed her from his spot in September’s room.
"A man was beating him. He would have killed him if I hadn’t stopped him."
"That’s the truth, Aggie. I swear," Billy chimed in.
"You get back to your chores," Aggie shouted. "This is between September and me."
With a last, lingering look at his partner in crime, Billy hurried away.
"I couldn’t leave him in the dirt to die."
"So you brought him back here. Now what are you going to do with him?"
"I’m going to keep him. He’s mine
."
"Well, I hope you and him find yourselves a place to sleep before tonight. ’Cause you can’t stay here."
"Aggie." September bit her lip. "I’ll pay for his keep."
The woman’s eyes lit. She hated to lose a regular paying boarder. "You’re damned right you will. And for the blanket you ruined."
A sigh escaped. "And for the blanket I ruined."
"And for his meals. A dollar a day," Aggie said firmly.
"But that’s what you charge your roomers, and they get a bed."
The big woman eyed the dog suspiciously. "He looks like he’d eat more than the rest of us put together."
September let out a long groan of acquiescence. She had been counting every dollar, hoping soon to have enough to join a pack train.
"All right. A dollar a day." She plunged her hand in her pocket and withdrew some bills. "Save me the bones from the stew, will you?"
"I got a good mind to make stew out of him," Aggie snorted, walking away.
September knelt beside the dog and ran her hand lovingly along his back. "I sure hope you can do something to earn your keep." She stood. "Come on. Let’s go for a walk. I can tell you’ve healed completely. You’re getting restless."
With the dog beside her, September made her way to Mueller’s Store. Pausing at the door, she spoke softly to the dog.
"You stay here, Lucky. Don’t you move until I come out."
A man walking out of the store stopped to stare at them. "Afternoon, Miss Malloy."
She smiled. "Hello, Mr. Beckman. How’s your wife and family?"
"Just fine. Martha says to tell you the dress you made the little one is so pretty she’s saving it for Sundays." He glanced at Lucky. "Where’d you get that dog?" he asked.
"I bought him from a man who was beating him."
"Describe the man."
"He was not much taller than you. Very thin, with long black hair and a bushy mustache. Had a wide scar over one eye."
"Moon Avery. I thought I recognized that dog. He’s probably the best sled dog in Alaska."
September looked at the dog with new respect. "Why would a man beat his best dog?"
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