Forbidden Fire

by Bonnie K. Winn

  “When did I stop being Jake?”

  Morgan didn’t take his concentration from the game. “Just trying to preserve your reputation.”

  “I think I can ruin that all by myself.”

  Jake’s words drew Morgan’s attention away from the cards for a moment. “You come in tonight to remind me of that?”

  “No. I missed sparring with you.”

  Another three yellow chips were laid down. Morgan glanced at them and then at Jake. Annette was still laughing, but he could see the cowhand wasn’t. “You can find better sparring partners.”

  “Yeah.” Jake laid a red chip down, and Morgan shuffled the cards. “But friends are harder to come by.”

  Morgan had been a professional too long to let Jake rattle his concentration. The cards fell into place as Morgan spoke. “Like you said, you’ve got enough trouble with your reputation.”

  Jake watched the play of cards, saw the man with the yellow chips lose again. Morgan prepared the layout again. Bets were laid, and Morgan drew one card from the pack. This time four yellow chips rode on the card. Once again, the cowhand lost. The queen had beaten him three times in a row.

  Jake’s eyebrows rose as he watched the man bolt back his whiskey.

  “Roulette wheel’s lucky tonight,” Morgan spoke above the surrounding noise. If the cowboy heard, he didn’t acknowledge him. He stared at Morgan before scraping his chair back and disappearing into the crowd with Annette still at his side.

  “Do they usually drop that much at a time?” Jake asked, pushing another dollar chip forward.

  “Not in this town. You don’t expect to see those kind of bets outside of Frisco or Denver.” Morgan scanned the crowd but didn’t see any sign of the disgruntled cowboy. The crowd was restless tonight. Short tempers, holstered knives, huge revolvers, and unpredictable characters didn’t bode well.

  Morgan changed decks and then pulled up his sleeves to show he didn’t have a sleeve holdout to conceal cards. He also showed his hands, indicating he didn’t wear a ring shiner or other device to see the cards he dealt. The others at the table seemed satisfied.

  Jake watched his friend, wondering if this was a common practice or if he’d done it because of the cowhand’s huge loss. He watched a few hands before speaking again. “So, will you spar with me again?”

  Morgan collected the bets, then cut his glance toward Jake. “Any reason not to?”

  Jake didn’t answer, his eyes narrowed. Morgan leaned forward to hear Jake’s reply. But Jake was watching the cowhand who’d lost his money walk up behind Morgan. The cowhand was alone now, and for no apparent reason he removed his hat. Afraid of what he concealed behind the wide brim, Jake lunged across the table, knocking Morgan aside and tackling the cowboy. The man’s .45-caliber Colt, which was hidden behind the brim, fell harmlessly to the floor.

  As Jake wrestled with the cowboy, those standing around moved out of the way, forming a circle in the packed room. Katherine spotted the crowd and pushed her way to the front. She caught sight of Morgan, gratified to see that he was all right. When she glanced down at the pair who still fought, she drew her hand back and covered a gasp. “Jake?”

  Before Morgan could join in the fray, Jake pulled the cowhand up with him and twisted one arm behind his back. He’d managed to best the man without abuse.

  “Your fight’s with me,” Morgan told the cowboy.

  “Don’t want to cheat me outta that, too?” the cowhand panted.

  “Morgan doesn’t cheat,” Jake inserted forcefully, adding another twist to the man’s pinned arm.

  Katherine met Morgan’s eyes before turning them on Jake. Cheating? Morgan? A vision of the doctored books swam in front of her.

  “What do you want me to do with this guy?” Jake asked.

  Another man stepped forward. “He’s on our trail ride. We’ll take care of him.”

  “Keep him out of the Crystal Palace,” Morgan warned, reaching for his whiskey.

  Jake pushed the cowhand out in front of him, releasing the man into his companion’s custody. Morgan watched Jake hesitate at the swinging doors and then continue on outside and toward his home.

  Katherine’s hand touched his shoulder. “Why don’t you take a break, Morgan?”

  He nodded his agreement, and together they moved toward the back rooms, leaving most of the noise behind when Katherine shut the door of her office.

  “Are you all right?”

  “Perfectly,” he answered, uncorking the decanter on her desk and pouring a healthy drink.

  He’d drunk more tonight than he had in a month. But suddenly it seemed as though he needed it. Now Jake not only wanted Katherine, but felt he needed to fight his battles for him.

  “There are always sore losers,” she reminded him.

  “I drew three queens in a row.” He emptied most of his glass. “Much more luck like that, and the guy could be right.”

  “But you’ve never cheated before.” Katherine’s voice was unusually soft.

  “And I didn’t tonight. But the cowboy won’t believe that. He’s down a thousand dollars.” Morgan paced the room restlessly.

  “Why was Jake here tonight?”

  “Don’t you know?” Morgan didn’t think he could take any more of her pretense. She might be carrying on a flirtation with the preacher, but she acted as though after thirteen years he couldn’t see what was going on. As though their many years together meant nothing.

  “I wouldn’t have asked if I knew,” she answered.

  “Says he misses sparring with me.” Jake gripped his glass tighter.

  “I’m sure he does. I thought you two were becoming pretty good friends.”

  He watched her carefully. “I had the same thought about you.”

  She turned her back and shrugged. Silently he moved up behind her, surprising her with his touch as he turned her toward him. He saw the shock on her face before he lowered his lips to hers. When she didn’t respond, he drew back.

  But it wasn’t anger he saw on her face. The pity was worse.

  “Morgan, please. We’ve meant too much to each other far too long to ruin it now.”

  He shook off her restraining hand. “So you want us all to be one happy family?”

  “I don’t know that, either. Morgan, you’ve told me yourself we can’t lead our lives like normal people. Well, I certainly can’t expect to have a life with a preacher.”

  The sadness bit into him. He’d sensed from the first that this town didn’t suit them. And no matter how their strange trio turned out, one of them would be unhappy. Katherine’s lovely face filled with dismay, and he amended his thoughts. He knew with a certainty that more than one of them would be hurt. And the pain was only beginning.

  Chapter 22

  “This is ridiculous.” Katherine tried to escape, but Jake and Sadie cornered her.

  “You’re the only person in town who knows anything about Shakespeare,” Jake reminded her.

  “Me? Head the Ladies’ Aid Society production? I don’t think so.” Katherine shook her head as she fed Romeo and Juliet some corn.

  “Would you choose All’s Well That Ends Well to perform?” Sadie asked.

  “Of course not. It’s much too dark. It’s…” Katherine turned abruptly. “Oh, no, you don’t.”

  “Katherine, the other women think that because it’s classed as a comedy, it will be fun,” Sadie nearly wailed.

  Almost as uplifting as the tragic Hamlet. Still, it was none of her concern. She wasn’t getting in the middle of that hen party.

  “Morgan agreed to take a part,” Sadie confided.

  “What?” Katherine stopped and stared at the other woman as she plucked the cat’s claws from the delicate lace runner on the side table. “Morgan? Our Morgan?”

  “He said it might be fun.”

  “The other men refused,” Jake informed her, smiling smugly at Katherine’s confusion.

  “Able said he didn’t have time for such nonsense.” Sadie sounded wistful,
and Katherine guessed that she hadn’t made the progress in her marriage that she hoped for.

  Still, she was surprised that Morgan had agreed. He’d spent the last week silent and withdrawn. Jake had patiently waited him out, and two days ago they’d begun sparring again. Even Katherine couldn’t decipher what Morgan was thinking. Whatever it was, he’d kept it to himself.

  Her feelings had been torn since the night Morgan kissed her. She’d always thought of him as her champion, sometimes as a brother, ever an irreplaceable partner. But she’d always known he would have a place in her life. Now she wasn’t sure what that place should be.

  “I’m sure you’ll do quite well without my help,” Katherine informed them, slipping another piece of corn to the birds.

  “You have an entire menagerie named after the bard’s characters,” Jake reminded her. She glanced down at Caesar who wound his fluffy tail around her skirts. The delicate bell she’d placed around his neck tinkled as he walked, a warning for the birds that he was about. The evidence was mounting up. Still, she didn’t have to agree.

  “Perhaps you could just come and guide us,” Sadie suggested.

  Katherine thought quickly. “I will if the reverend agrees to be another one of your play’s actors.”

  Jake blinked, taken by surprise, and Katherine smiled craftily. It was a sure way out of a sticky situation.

  He grinned suddenly, and she felt a seed of unease grow. “Mrs. Browning, I’d be happy to help you out. I’m not much of an actor, but I’m sure that under Miss O’Shea’s direction we’ll all do our best.”

  Sadie flushed happily, and Katherine felt her mouth fall open. “I didn’t say I’d direct. I didn’t even agree to come to the meeting.”

  But her protests fell on deaf ears as Sadie happily told her they would be meeting that afternoon. They were using the livery because it had the most room. Katherine met Jake’s gaze over Sadie’s head and silently promised him revenge. His wicked grin was his only response.

  Katherine fretted the day away, alternately fabricating excuses and then deciding simply not to show up. But as the hour approached, she chose her most appropriate day dress, making sure it had a suitably modest neckline. Since her clothes had been chosen to wear in big city surroundings, they far outshone anything the women in Browning wore. Katherine, uncomfortably aware of that fact as she smoothed down the skirt, hoped no one thought she was dressing to impress. Pinning on her hat, she leaned forward to check her face, started to bite her lips to enhance their natural redness, and decided against it. She didn’t want the ladies to think she was wearing rouge when in fact she never resorted to cosmetics.

  Picking up her gloves, Katherine took one last look in the cheval mirror and then drew a deep breath, feeling as though she were on her way to her own funeral.

  When she reached the last step down to the hall, she was surprised to see Sadie and Jake waiting for her. Taking no chances, she decided.

  “Ready?” Jake asked cheerfully.

  Too cheerfully. Katherine wanted to choke him. Instead she nodded her agreement.

  “I’m so glad you’re going to be helping us,” Sadie bubbled.

  “I’m only going to observe,” Katherine warned.

  But Sadie’s smile didn’t falter. “Katherine, the women have been fighting over the play for nearly a week. We need some guidance before we kill one another.”

  Together they headed toward the livery. Only Katherine hesitated before going in. Despite Sadie’s warning, she’d expected an orderly meeting. Instead several women were shouting at one another on the makeshift stage, while others were arguing over swatches of material draped on an unhappy-looking woman. A few more costumes that were close to completion lay haphazardly on bales of hay. Three women painted scenery while a few others awkwardly wielded hammers as they attempted to build sets. Dog-eared copies of Shakespeare’s work littered the floor and tables.

  Where the banners from the Fourth of July had been placed, white sheeting that was supposed to resemble Corinthian columns now hung limply. Two women argued vehemently over the placement of the sheeting. Katherine could see why the men had boycotted the production. It was a bad dream come to life. Sadie hadn’t exaggerated. The pandemonium rivaled a busy night in her saloon. No wonder the women didn’t pay them any attention when they entered.

  Sadie approached the main group and attempted to restore some order. The shrieks only grew louder, the tones more shrill. Failing, she turned to Jake. His masculine voice reached through the layers of disagreement, and slowly the women gave him their attention.

  “Ladies, I want to thank you for asking me to participate in your production.” A few women tittered in reply, and most looked relieved. “Mr. Tremaine has also agreed to be one of the male actors, and Miss O’Shea has volunteered to lend us some of her expertise.” All heads swung in Katherine’s direction, and she smiled faintly. Thunderstruck, the women simply gaped in return.

  “Who asked her here?” one woman called out.

  “I did,” Sadie replied firmly, daring the woman to say more. Considering Able Browning’s position in the town named after him, no one else was eager to challenge her. “Katherine is familiar with several of the troupes that perform Shakespeare. She has memorized nearly every play.”

  There were a few murmurs of grudging approval. Katherine nearly rolled her eyes at the gross exaggeration. She was hardly an expert on Shakespeare, merely a lover of his works.

  “I understand you’re having some problems filling the other male roles,” Jake continued smoothly. Katherine was momentarily forgotten as the confusion broke out again. “Ladies! Ladies!” They quieted again and stared at Jake. “Why don’t we see if Miss O’Shea has any suggestions.”

  Katherine considered murdering him, decided there were too many witnesses, and instead assessed the situation. “Perhaps you’ve chosen a play with too many male roles,” she suggested.

  “But this one’s a comedy, and that’s what we want to do!”

  The others grumbled in agreement.

  She discarded the notion of explaining the darkness of the play they’d chosen. “A Midsummer Night’s Dream is also an excellent comedy, and the majority of the parts are for women.” A murmur of speculation circulated as the women considered this alternative.

  “It’s filled with fantasy,” Katherine continued. “And comic townsmen. I think you might have a good time with the play.”

  Interest seemed to spark as the women huddled together, discussing Katherine’s suggestion. “Would we have enough men to do that play?” one woman asked finally.

  Katherine wanted to caustically remind her that they only had two men. Instead she calculated quickly, thinking they could cast Jake and Morgan into more than one part apiece. “It will be close,” Katherine answered tactfully.

  A chorus of dissenting voices broke out again.

  “I say we do it,” Annabelle Graham spoke over the noise. “I’m tired of arguing about it, and I don’t want to dress like a man.”

  Sadie responded quickly. “Annabelle’s right. If we do A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Katherine can help us choose our parts. And if she doesn’t direct, we’ll lose our two male actors.”

  Katherine held up a hand to protest, but the babble increased. Some of the women still stared at her with animosity, but most of them were too tired of arguing to care who had provided the solution.

  After a few hours all the parts had been assigned. Morgan arrived just before Katherine chose Sadie to play Hippolyta, the queen of the Amazons. Sadie was thrilled. They settled down to rehearse, but within a short time Able Browning entered. Scowling, he sat and listened.

  Abruptly Able stood and approached Katherine. “Why’s Morgan playing Theseus?”

  She stared at him in surprise, wondering why he cared who played the Duke of Athens. Perception hit her as she saw the anger in his expression. In the play Hippolyta is betrothed to Theseus. Could he be jealous?

  “We didn’t have enough men for all th
e parts,” Katherine explained.

  His face worked for a few moments. “I don’t approve of you being here,” he said bluntly, “or of Sadie taking part in this play. She’s determined to, no matter what I say. But I don’t want her playing Hippolyta.”

  “What if you were to take the part of Theseus?” Katherine asked sweetly. “Mr. Tremaine already has two other parts. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind giving this one up.”

  “I don’t have time for this nonsense.” Able’s unattractive beard seemed to accent each strangled word as he bobbed his chin up and down.

  “Well, I don’t know what else I can do.” Katherine glanced down at the paper in front of her where she’d made notes on all the women who’d read. “There’s just no one else who can handle the part of Hippolyta as well as Sadie can.” She waited to see what he’d do, holding crossed fingers behind her back. While the last thing she wanted to do was spend time with Able Browning practicing a play, she knew it would be healthy for him to see how attractive Sadie could be.

  Able was obviously torn. She could see anger battling with jealousy. Jealousy was the healthy victor. “I might be able to take some time,” he finally muttered. “But that doesn’t mean I approve of you.”

  “Fortunately that’s not the issue,” she answered evenly, remembering Jake’s insistence that she stand up for herself. She handed him a book and turned to the proper page. “And luckily I don’t have to approve of everyone taking part in the play, either.”

  He’d taken several steps forward when he turned back and glared. She smiled evenly, wondering why Sadie even wanted this hateful man to touch her.

  “We have a change,” Katherine announced. “Mr. Browning will play Theseus.”

  Morgan and Jake exchanged knowing looks. Sadie’s face lit first with surprise and then excitement. Able Browning kept his scowl in place as they continued the rehearsal.

  Katherine settled back, watching the peculiar group of players. But even though she’d placed Jake and Morgan side by side on the stage, she knew from painful experience that life seldom imitated the stage. Already Morgan had distanced himself from both her and Jake. It hurt her to see him carve himself away. It was as though he carved up the pieces of her heart as well. Involved in her speculation, Katherine didn’t notice the eyes watching her, the figure silently slipping away.