Forbidden Fire

by Bonnie K. Winn

  Seeing her eyelids flutter shut, Jake felt the shudder, sensed her amazement. Had those eyes been open, he knew he would drown in their depths as he had since the first moment he’d seen them. His hand caressed her cheek and then reached out to bury his fingers in the lengths of her mahogany hair. Knowing he should pull away, should resist the lure of her, instead he drew her closer.

  Insanity mocked him as he devoured her mouth, savored her touch. He memorized her taste as he explored the recesses of her mouth, felt the softness in the hollows of her neck, and trailed his kisses down the hollow between her breasts. When her sigh of contentment reached him, he backed away shakily. He’d been a fool to think he could change. There weren’t enough cold ponds in the entire territory to douse himself in. He’d completely forgotten his new occupation. That he had disregarded it scared the hell out of him. Staring into Katherine’s flushed face, he read the mirror of his desire. He wasn’t sure which promise was more important, only that one was sure to be broken.

  Chapter 8

  Katherine clutched the letter to her breast as she ran up the stairs to the privacy of her room. Settling in her window seat, she opened the envelope slowly, savoring the letter as though it were fine chocolate. The words flowed out, creating the bittersweet ache they always did.

  Dearest Katherine,

  I have so much to tell you. Where can I begin? I know—with the party last night. It was magnificent! The room, the gowns, and such handsome young men! You were right, as usual, my gown was the most beautiful. Everyone commented on it. Mrs. Randall said you must have the most profitable chain of boardinghouses in the West to afford a Paris original.

  Katherine frowned and then continued reading.

  I told her that you were brilliant beyond belief and beautiful, of course. I wish you would visit more often so I could show you off. I’m so proud of you I could burst. But it’s difficult being so far away. You are my whole family, Katherine. Couldn’t you come back East sometime soon? Or, even better, I could come visit you.

  Katherine nearly dropped the letter. Biting her lip, she continued to follow the delicate handwriting.

  Classes are finished, and most of the debutante balls will be over soon. I’d love to see where you live and meet Morgan and your friends. It’s hard to believe so many years have passed since Mama and Papa died. I miss you.

  A single teardrop blurred the next words, and Katherine lowered the letter, wiping her eyes. Forcing herself to finish, she picked up the ivory parchment stationery and read through the remaining chatter and gossip, sighing again at the closing which tugged at her heart.

  …and so please post a letter as soon as you can. I’m so excited at the thought of visiting you, I can scarcely wait.

  Your loving sister,

  Beth

  A rush of emotion captured her, and she glanced at the letter once more. Hurrying down the stairs, she burst into Morgan’s office, ignoring his look of surprise. “I’ve heard from Beth.”

  “Great, how is she?”

  “Terrible—”

  “What’s wrong?” Concern etched itself on Morgan’s normally relaxed features.

  “She’s not terrible. I mean what she’s written is terrible.”

  “You mean she waited until she was nineteen years old to decide it’s time to get into trouble?”

  Katherine’s eyes flashed in exasperation. “Of course not. It’s just that she wants to come here and visit.”

  Morgan’s voice was gentle. “You knew the time was coming. It was only a matter of when. You can’t expect to keep her away forever.”

  “But it will ruin everything!” The famous Kitty O’Shea voice now resembled a full-fledged wail.

  “She’s a level-headed, sensible girl who will understand why you’ve taken such pains to protect her. After she sees you, she’ll know—”

  “She can’t see me!” Katherine paced the confines of the office, horrified at the prospect of her sister’s sweet face changing into a mask of horror at the sight of the Crystal Palace.

  “You’ve hidden her away for thirteen years now, Katie. Isn’t it time to let her come home?”

  “Home? You call this home? She’s used to finishing schools, the finest families, genteel refinement. All the best money can buy.”

  “All the best your money could buy,” he reminded her.

  “She would be shocked, humiliated.” Katherine stopped her pacing, gazing imploringly at her partner. “I have to convince her not to come. To see Kitty…” Katherine’s voice cracked, and Morgan placed a brotherly arm around her shoulders.

  “She loves you, Katie. She won’t care if you’re Katherine or Kitty. You’ve given up your whole life so she could be protected. She’s not a little girl anymore. Let her come.”

  “No. Not until she has a proper marriage to the right young man. If she knows about me, all my work will have been for nothing. Her reputation will be ruined, her life over before it begins.”

  “So after she finds this proper bridegroom, what do you plan to do? Slip away and never see her again? By God, Katherine, you’re her only family.”

  “I won’t spoil everything for her. I’ll write today and convince her not to come.”

  Morgan shook his head, knowing the futility of arguing with Katherine when her mind was made up. “I still think you’re only putting off the inevitable. She’s bound to question why she can’t visit you—why she’s never met your husband.”

  “I had to tell her that you were my husband, Morgan. She was a young girl, full of romantic dreams. I could hardly tell her that Kitty O’Shea wasn’t marriage material. She doesn’t have to know that I lied about you.”

  “You could tell her you love her and did the only thing you knew how to give her the right kind of upbringing.”

  “I’m sure her teachers and sponsors would have loved the truth,” Katherine said bitterly, stopping her frantic pacing to slump into a chair.

  “You worry too much about what other people think, Katie. And all that worrying won’t make Beth want to see you less.”

  Calling on her considerable reserve of strength, Katherine straightened in the chair. “I’ll convince her.”

  Morgan stared after her as she left the office, her footsteps dragging. Glancing out the window, he thought he saw a shadow slipping away. Dismissing the idea, he stared instead at the parsonage. He was certain she could use the benefits of what their neighbor peddled. But he realized with a stab that Jake, too, had become a forbidden subject.

  Sweat dripped from both their faces, their chests heaving with exertion. Jake advanced, Morgan retreated. And Katherine hooted encouragement.

  Circling the makeshift ring, they drilled at each other. Jake took a soft punch, then countered with a stronger uppercut. The sparring had started out with Jake taking it easy on Morgan, only to find Morgan could keep up, even if he didn’t employ the same technical expertise.

  Katherine tried to act composed as she admired Jake’s bare chest and powerful arms. But it wasn’t easy. A memory of their kiss danced provocatively in her mind as she watched him effortlessly evade a blow. Having seen her partner spar on several occasions, she was surprised by the ease with which Jake was outmaneuvering him. Jake shuffled back a step, easily avoiding Morgan’s uppercut. The next several minutes left Morgan openly winded.

  Pivoting, Jake delivered a left hook and followed it with a straight right. Morgan weaved a bit at the combination, his shuffling obviously not an effort to improve his footwork. Jake held his gloves out, touching his to Morgan’s to indicate the match was over.

  “You’re just afraid I’ll get my second wind and knock you out,” Morgan remarked woefully as he sank to the ground.

  “Actually he doesn’t want your blood on his conscience,” Katherine teased. She turned to offer Morgan some encouragement before she could see Jake’s face pale at her words.

  “Well, what’s your analysis?” Morgan asked, panting a bit as he drained the cup of water Katherine provided.
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  Jake sounded distracted as he replied, “Oh, you were telegraphing your punch. I knew what was coming and I could avoid you. You’re pulling back a bit before each jab.”

  “I’ll work on it.”

  “Not today, champ. You look all done in,” Katherine commented. It always surprised her to see Morgan in action since he disguised his latent energy so effectively.

  “I don’t want to wear out Jake.” Morgan closed his eyes, practically inhaling the remainder of his cup of water.

  “Uh-huh.” Katherine glanced up. “You must have a visitor, Jake.” They all turned to watch Sadie Browning walk up the path.

  “Reverend, Mr. Tremaine, Katherine.” The men started to rise, but she waved them back. “No, you look as if you could use the rest. Katherine, I’ve come to see you. Do you have a moment?”

  Surprised but pleased, Katherine nodded. She’d expected Sadie’s previous visit to be a one-time event.

  Inside, Sadie set down a cloth-covered domelike object. Then she opened her satchel and pulled out the green silk dress.

  “Oh, you’ve made it up!” Katherine exclaimed, her critical eye assessing the fine workmanship.

  “I thought perhaps…That is, I wasn’t sure if you had the time, but I wondered if you could tell me how it looks on.”

  “I’d love to. You can change in here.” Katherine led her into the office and pulled the drapes.

  Katherine returned to the parlor, stared at Sadie’s unusual package, and then walked over to the window to watch Jake and Morgan. Both so different, yet finding a quality in each other that filled a need. The parallel disturbed her.

  “What do you think?”

  Katherine whirled around, startled by the transformation in Sadie. Her soft green eyes seemed huge due to the radiant fabric of nearly the same color. Her pale skin, free of the freckles that often accompanied red hair, positively glowed.

  Sadie plucked uncertainly at the skirt when Katherine didn’t speak. “Does it look really awful?”

  “No! You look wonderful. Oh, Sadie.”

  A blush spread over Sadie’s features, and she glanced up almost coyly. “You really think so?”

  “Turn,” Katherine commanded.

  Sadie pirouetted, her face lighting up when Katherine clapped her hands. “I was afraid to wear it out until you’d seen it.”

  Touched, Katherine smiled. “Sadie, I’m not certain your friends would approve of your choice of me, but they can’t help but love the dress.”

  Sadie glanced up bravely. “Only because they don’t know you. They don’t realize you’re kind and thoughtful.” She paused. “And beautiful.”

  Katherine didn’t think she could still blush from praise. She’d been complimented in the most famous dance halls and saloons by millionaires and high-ranking politicians, but no compliment was more sincere than Sadie’s.

  “Where do you plan to wear the dress?” Katherine asked, gazing at the red hair still pinned severely in a knot. She wished she could help the other woman frame her face with a less austere style.

  Sadie cocked her head. “What are you looking at?”

  “You have an unusual and lovely hair color.”

  Reaching up, Sadie touched the unflattering knot. “I never know what to do with it.”

  “Would you like me to help you style it?” Katherine offered.

  Sadie’s words came out in a breathless rush. “Would you?”

  Katherine unpinned Sadie’s hair and spread it over her shoulders, marveling as it cascaded nearly to her waist. Loose and brushed, it shone like a beautiful burnished jewel.

  “Why ever did you hide all this under a hat?” Katherine asked in amazement.

  “Kids made me fun of me when I was little. Called me carrot-top and worse. I guess I just wanted it to go away.”

  The luxuriant waves gleamed in the midday sun. Still wearing the green silk dress, her hair unpinned, Sadie looked lovely. Without explanation, Katherine led Sadie to a cheval mirror, pleased to hear her gasp in astonishment at her transformed appearance.

  “Of course, for daytime you’ll want to sweep some of your hair up and put it in loose curls.”

  Sadie touched her head tentatively. “It does look better. But I’m not sure I can do anything else with it.”

  Katherine smiled in satisfaction. “You can learn.”

  An hour later Sadie had experimented with Katherine’s heated hair iron, and they’d fashioned a flattering style. Peering critically in a hand mirror, Sadie turned to Katherine. “Well?”

  “I’d say its time for the ultimate test.” Sadie balked, but Katherine insisted, taking the other woman outside where Morgan and Jake reclined. This time they didn’t listen to Sadie’s protests, instead rising to their feet and staring at her new radiance.

  “We need another opinion,” Katherine began. “What do you gentlemen think?”

  “I could have used you earlier to knock Jake out,” Morgan teased.

  Sadie blushed becomingly.

  “You look lovely, Mrs. Browning,” Jake added.

  “Thank you, Rev—” It hardly seemed appropriate to be so formal while he stood there clad only in trousers and no shirt. “Thank you,” she repeated instead.

  “Our pleasure.” Morgan bowed over her hand and brought it to his lips.

  Giggling suspiciously like a schoolgirl, Sadie withdrew her hand gracefully and turned to Katherine. “I suppose I should change. I’d like to save the dress and surprise Able.”

  At the mention of his name, Katherine blanched. She hadn’t considered Sadie’s husband. She wondered what the stiffnecked man would say about his wife’s stylish hair and gown.

  “Should surprise him, all right,” Morgan agreed cheerfully. Too cheerfully to suit Katherine.

  Following Sadie back in the house, Katherine shot Morgan a look of warning. After she changed, Sadie rushed out and replaced the green silk in her satchel. She started to leave when Katherine remembered Sadie’s odd-shaped bundle.

  “No, that’s for you. To express my thanks. It’s not enough, but I do thank you.” Sadie impulsively hugged Katherine.

  Surprised, Katherine stood still for a moment before tentatively returning the hug. Men weren’t the only ones with guarded opinions of her gentility. Women were usually the most close-minded.

  “I don’t need anything in thanks,” Katherine tried to protest. But Sadie only smiled, patting her new hairstyle.

  After the other woman left, Katherine returned to the parlor and removed the cloth from the dome. Stunned, she stared at a matching pair of lovebirds. Their delicate peach faces stared back at her from between the bars of a brass cage. Putting a tentative finger inside, she expected them to flap away in fright. Instead they cooed as though waiting for her touch. Completely enchanted, Katherine picked up their cage to put it on the table. A note fluttered to the floor, unseen. Katherine cooed to the birds, already picking out names for them. A breeze caught the paper and the note slid beneath the solid sideboard, unseen, unread.

  Chapter 9

  The music moved through the trees, competing with the night sounds. Katherine slipped from the saloon, her performance finished. She’d set a routine in the months since they’d opened. When the saloon started to fill, she walked the floor, making sure the dealers and the girls were in place and the entertainment smooth. Since they operated a saloon and not a brothel, they had to keep their customers in hand. It wasn’t always easy. A lot of men wanted more than a drink and feminine company. But Katherine had never agreed to an “upstairs” business. Morgan had complied, knowing that the singing and gambling were a profitable duo and that Katherine would have it no other way.

  After checking the floor each night, she sang. At the end of her performance the customers always called for more songs. But she was insistent. And it kept them coming back for more. There was also a relief in knowing she could escape, even for a few moments. Now she walked the yard between the saloon and the parsonage, drawing away from the noise of her busi
ness to the relative quiet on the other side of the lot.

  Unable to resist its pull, she walked closer to the church, drawn by the fiddles that persisted despite the overbearing sound of the saloon’s piano and the raucous noise of the men who chose to spend their Saturday night either on the arm of one of the Crystal Palace ladies or ensnared in Morgan’s web at the roulette wheel.

  Tonight had been unusually rowdy. Just before sundown, one of the largest trail drives yet to hit the town descended on the Crystal Palace. Thousands of cattle milled in the stockyards, and dozens of men crammed into the saloons and spilled out into the streets. Cowboys, eager for fun and trouble, crowded the bar and gambling tables. With practiced ease Katherine and Morgan soothed the flare-ups, and in the most insistent cases, Vance or one of the floorwalkers reasoned with a loaded shotgun. Still, the hot night promised more discontent.

  Glancing over at the church, Katherine imagined the happiness on the peoples’ faces as they enjoyed the quieter pleasure of a church social. She closed her eyes and could almost imagine the feel of someone’s arms about her as she danced to the music. But the hands weren’t groping or repugnant. Jake would be strong but caring. He…

  When she felt the touch of someone’s hand on her arm, she flew around defensively.

  “Whoa, it’s just me.” Morgan held his hands up in mock surrender.

  Realizing how silly she must have looked, Katherine relaxed and smiled. “I wasn’t expecting you.”

  “Apparently not. Just thought I’d check on you with all the rowdies we’ve had tonight.”

  His concern hadn’t wavered in thirteen years, and she was grateful for it. “I just had to get away for a moment.”

  Knowing her habit of escaping before performances, he merely nodded as he searched his jacket for a cigar. “I’ll be glad when this bunch leaves.”