by Sabine Starr
“Look what Mercy did for Lulu.” Big Jim pointed toward one of the figures. “He made her even better.”
Belle looked where he indicated and looked again. She stepped closer, hardly able to believe her eyes. Mercy had clothed Lulu with a gold chain around her waist to fill in the cut. He’d also placed a garnet in her navel. Crimson glittered from the tip of each breast. More gold gleamed at the apex of her thighs in the shape of a small ring.
Belle felt an answering tug in that most sensitive of places as if he’d placed a ring through her own nub. She shivered at the sensation. She could well imagine Mercy leading willing women around by that invisible ring.
“See, I did clothe her.”
She felt Mercy’s breath warm on her face as he leaned in close. He smelled of charcoal from drawing. She could feel the heat of his body. He reached out, brushed her shoulder, and touched Lulu with the tip of one long finger. She watched, breath caught in her throat, as he stroked the figure’s face, teased the rosy tip of each breast, followed the line of the gold waist chain, and finally settled on the gold ring.
“Do you like Lulu’s clothes?” He stroked Lulu’s ring back and forth, gently but firmly.
Belle felt mesmerized by the sight, as if every stroke of his fingertip plied her own sensitive nub. She licked her lower lip, feeling hot, wet, and needy in the very place of his relentless touch.
“Clothes, hah!” Big Jim chortled. “I get nothing all day long from patrons but how I’ve got to add turquoise and pearls and whatnot to all the g’hals. They’re jealous of Lulu’s finery.”
“You have to admit it’s a clever way to repair that hatchet cut across Lulu’s middle, don’t you?” Mama Lou asked.
“Even if you don’t agree,” Big Jim said, “it’s bringing in more customers than I can shake a stick at.”
“I agree.” Belle moved away from Mercy. “It’s quite clever. But not for me.”
“You want me to create a male shape for you?” Mercy asked, chuckling. “I can do a lot that you might like with wood.”
Mama Lou laughed. “Mercy, you’re a bad boy. I’m not sure if I should send you off with Belle.”
“Not to worry,” Mercy said. “You know I’m sick and weak.”
“Belle’ll keep him in line.” Big Jim pointed a finger at Mercy.
“What I’m hoping to do,” Belle said, tongue in cheek, “is inspire him with nature’s beauty. By the time we return, he’ll surely take up wild flower or landscape painting.”
Big Jim laughed so hard that tears ran down his face. Mama Lou gasped and chortled and flapped her apron at the idea.
Mercy chuckled. “Maybe Belle can help me. I see a painting of a beautiful lady, naked as the day she was born, stretched out in a field of wild flowers as if awaiting her lover.”
Belle simply shook her head. If this was an example, their four days together were going to seem like a year.
Chapter 5
Mercy had almost forgotten how good it felt to laugh. It’d been a long time since anything had amused him. If nothing else, Belle might keep up his humor.
“Mercy’s got a gift,” Big Jim said. “No point in him wasting it on stuff we can see out the front door or in a mercantile store.”
“Not another word about art.” Mama Lou gestured toward the batwing doors. “They need to get going. I’ll put some food together for your saddlebags.”
“Thanks,” Belle said.
Mercy rolled up his sketch and put his charcoal sticks back in the box. No point in taking it all with him. But he never traveled without paper and pencil in case he had an idea.
“I’ll go on down to Adler Emporium and pick up supplies,” Belle said.
“Let’s go together,” Mercy agreed. “I need to get a few things, too.”
Belle gave a quick nod and pushed out the doors.
Mercy turned to his friends. “I can tell you’re worried about her.”
“First it was Hackett, then Tex.” Big Jim shook his head. “I’m afraid trouble is gonna find her sooner or later.”
“She’s smart and strong,” Mama Lou said. “Diana’s the one who needs our concern right now. And you, too, Mercy.”
“I’ll be okay.” He shook Big Jim’s hand. “And I’ll do my best to bring both ladies safely home.”
He grabbed his broad-brimmed hat off the table and stepped outside with Mama Lou. Business was picking up in town. It’d build till nightfall brought in the revelers. He set his hat on his head, smiled at Belle and Mama Lou, and then extended an elbow to each side so he could escort them both down the boardwalk.
Mama Lou quickly tucked her hand in the crook of his arm while Belle took off ahead of them. She was impatient and independent. She was also intriguing and delectable. If he hadn’t been so sick and down on his luck, he might have considered giving her a run for her money.
When they arrived at Adler Emporium, Belle waited for them outside on the boardwalk.
Mama Lou patted his arm before stepping forward to hug Belle. “Now be careful and bring them home safe.”
“Maybe I’ll finally catch that bushwhacker,” Belle said.
“Please don’t put yourself in danger. I couldn’t stand to lose you, too.”
“You know I’ll be back for your corn fritters dripping with honey and butter.”
Mama Lou chuckled. “I’ll send some with you.”
“Maybe a few of those muffins, too,” Mercy said.
“You’ll find food waiting for you at Manny’s when you get your horses.”
“Thanks,” Belle said.
“Take care.” Mama Lou gave Mercy a quick hug, then set off down the boardwalk.
“She’s got a heart as big as Texas, doesn’t she?” Belle said.
“Lots of folks in Texas have big hearts.” Mercy opened the door to the dry goods store.
Belle stepped inside and he followed her. He glanced around the store’s narrow, deep space with glass cases and shelves of merchandise along both sides of a center aisle. Colors, shapes, and scents filled his senses. In one corner, two chairs were positioned on either side of a checkerboard set on top of a wooden pickle barrel.
“Guten morgan!” Ludmila called as she walked out from behind a counter.
Mercy appreciated her with his artist’s eye just as he did all the other pretty women of Texas. She was statuesque with blue eyes, pink cheeks, pale skin, and thick blonde hair pulled back in a chignon. She wore a lapis and white print calico dress with ruffles at neck and hem. She’d also tied a white apron around her small waist.
He wondered how she’d avoided getting hitched to a big, handsome Texikaner from the German settlements in the Hill Country. For some reason, she’d left her home and family there and come far north to the Bend. Maybe she was simply another independent lady like Belle. Yet she might also be running from her past like so many others.
“How are you two doing today?” Ludmila asked.
“We’re going on scout,” Belle said.
“After the bushwhacker, ja?”
“Diana, too,” Mercy said. “Did you hear she’s missing?”
“Manny didn’t find her?”
“No,” he said. “And I’m worried about her.”
“With Belle by your side, you’ll surely locate Diana.”
“I hope so,” Belle said. “Right now, I need to pick up four boxes of .44 caliber ammunition.”
“We better get some jerky, crackers, and cheese, too,” Mercy added.
“I’d like Mercy to get a gun-belt and six-shooter,” Belle said.
Mercy glanced at her in surprise. “I’m not good with a gun.”
“I don’t want to travel with an unarmed man in Indian Territory.”
He quickly slipped a dagger out of his boot, tossed it between his palms, and then tucked it back in place. “I’m armed.”
“That’s for up close,” Belle said. “Odds are you’d never get a chance to use your knife.”
“I’ll take that chance.”
“Ring up a revolver and gun-belt, too,” Belle said.
“You’re not buying me a gun.” Mercy frowned at her. “If I’m getting one, I’m buying it.”
“Fine,” Belle agreed. “I suggest the Colt .44 Frontier and two boxes of ammunition.”
“Good choice,” Ludmila called as she reached under a counter.
“Okay.” Mercy didn’t plan to use the six-shooter, so he didn’t care what kind he got. On the other hand, it couldn’t hurt to have an extra weapon.
“Please come back here,” Ludmila said. “If there’s anything else you wish, do let me know.”
Mercy walked with Belle to the big black cash register with gold trim on top of the back counter. Ludmila had precisely arranged the food, ammunition, gun-belt, and six-shooter.
“Belle, this is for you. No charge.” Ludmila pushed a tooled gun-belt across the countertop and then beckoned with long fingers.
Mercy noticed a jagged scar across the palm of Ludmila’s right hand. What had happened to her? Maybe she’d had a cooking accident or something had slipped and cut her in the store. It was still a crimson welt, so it hadn’t happened when she was a child. Instead of marring her perfection, the scar gave her character. Yet he couldn’t help wondering again about her past.
“No, thank you,” Belle said.
“I won’t take no for an answer,” Ludmila insisted. “I want to see you change gun-belts right now.”
Mercy glanced from one woman to the other in surprise.
“You’re not safe wearing such a big gun-belt,” Ludmila said. “You could get your hand or your Colt caught when you draw.”
“I’ve worked with it.”
“You know I’m right.” Ludmila appeared concerned. “Tex wouldn’t want you getting killed over what he would consider sentimental nonsense.”
“I vowed to wear Pa’s six-shooter till I got justice for him.”
“Understandable,” Ludmila said. “Why don’t you combine Tex’s Colt with this fine German gun-belt? I’ll feel you’re safer out there.”
“If it helps, you can put my new six-shooter in his gun-belt.” Mercy had wondered about her gun-belt the first time he saw her. Now he understood why she wore it. Maybe her prickly exterior hid a vulnerable interior.
“That’s a good idea,” Ludmila said.
“All right,” Belle agreed. “Thank you. I don’t think it’ll make much difference, but I’ll do it for your sake.”
“Thanks,” Ludmila said. “I’ll sleep better at night.”
As Mercy watched, Belle quickly exchanged gun-belts, adjusted the new one on her hips, and then slid her six-shooter home.
He tossed a double gold eagle onto the countertop. “That ought to cover it.”
“You’re not paying for everything,” Belle said.
“Yes, I am.” He picked up the packages, wrapped fingers around her elbow, and steered her toward the door. “If we argue about every single damn thing, we’ll never get out of Delaware Bend.”
Chapter 6
Outside, Belle glanced around to judge her surroundings. Mercy stood quietly beside her, as if he was doing the same thing. She had begun to accept his presence. He was a calm, centered man who controlled his reactions. She appreciated that quality in a person. It was particularly important in her line of work in order to make calculated observations.
“Don’t you think we need more information about Diana’s disappearance?” she asked. “Somebody must have seen something.”
“Manny has asked around and nobody’s seen her.”
“Manny’s got an eye for horses, not people.”
“True. But folks either saw her or didn’t see her.”
“Not necessarily.”
“What do you mean?”
“Someone might have seen something they didn’t know was important or even remember till their memory is jogged.”
“Don’t we need to get out of the Bend fast?”
“We can’t go off half-cocked.”
“But we can’t question the whole town, either.”
“Manny already did a lot of footwork. Where does Diana live?”
“Lone Star Hotel. She’s the housekeeper in exchange for a room downstairs.”
“Did anybody talk with Saul? He owns the place and lives there. He’d know if she was home last night.”
“We were at the Red River Saloon till the wee hours.”
“Let’s go look at her room. Maybe it’ll tell us something.”
They quickly walked to the Lone Star Hotel. Mercy opened the door and she stepped into the lobby ahead of him.
She glanced around at the décor that paid homage to the heritage of Texas. A pine staircase led to the second floor. Furniture sported brown and white steer hide for upholstery. Buffalo, bear, deer, and longhorn heads adorned the walls. The floor was scratched and gouged by cowboys’ spur rowels. In one corner a stuffed black bear stood on hind legs and reached out with clawed paws.
She stayed here sometimes. She liked the place because it was simple, clean, and homey. Tex had liked it, too. She didn’t see Saul anywhere, so she walked over to the check-in desk, rang the bell, and waited.
A compact man with a bushy black mustache wearing a white shirt and black trousers hurried out of the doorway that led to his suite behind the desk. “Belle, it’s good to see you. How are you doing?”
“Fair to middlin’. How about you?” She smiled at Saul, liking him.
“I’m worried sick about Diana.”
“We’re going to find her,” Mercy said.
“That’s a relief.”
“Is it okay if we look at her room?” Belle asked.
“Sure. Anything to help.” Saul selected a room key and slid it across the desk. “I looked, but I couldn’t tell much except she’s gone.”
Belle picked up the key. “Thanks. Maybe we’ll see something that’ll help.”
Saul pointed past the stairs. “Go through that open doorway. Her room’s on the left.”
With Mercy on her heels, Belle quickly crossed the lobby, opened the door to Diana’s room, and stepped inside. The moment she crossed the threshold, she felt the anger, fear, and violence that had intruded here. She rubbed the place over her heart to relieve the sudden ache.
“Feels like she met up with something bad here, doesn’t it?”
Surprised, she glanced at Mercy. “Why do you say that?”
“Those types of emotions linger a long time.”
“What do you know about that?”
He shrugged as he pointed toward the narrow bed. “Look how the quilt was pulled off the side. I’ve never known her to be messy.”
“She would have made her bed?”
“Every morning like clockwork.”
“You know her that well?” She didn’t like her spurt of jealousy.
“We’re friends. I’ve got a room upstairs.”
“And she’s your doctor.”
“Right.”
Belle let her gaze, as well as her senses, flow over the room as she walked forward. Diana had added feminine touches to the small room and its plain pine furniture. Three small colorful pillows trimmed with ruffles and lace had been knocked from the bed to a hand-hooked rug. She caught the strong scent of lavender and looked for its source. A crystal perfume bottle lay overturned on top of the dresser. No woman would have left it there to spill its contents.
She stepped on something and looked down. She picked up a crumpled cotton nightgown with the ruffle around the neckline ripped loose.
“She’d never throw her clothes on the floor.” Mercy stalked over to the armoire and threw open the doors. “Look, her boots are gone. Her split riding skirt, too. And her jacket.”
“Looks like she dressed for a trip,” Belle said.
“I doubt she did it willingly.”
“She might have been in a hurry.”
“If she rode out of town, where did she get a horse?” he asked.
“Good question. We can ask Manny or check the other stables.”
“I’m more convinced than ever that she’s in trouble.”
“I agree.”
He whirled to look at her. “I don’t have to convince you?”
“No.” She gestured around the room. “I don’t like anything about this.”
“Neither do we!” a voice called from the doorway.
Belle swiveled around. She saw two diminutive women, obviously identical twins, standing in the open doorway. They looked as if they had stepped off the pages of Godey’s Lady’s Book or out of a Parisian dressmaker’s shop that catered to nobility. Belle had never seen such stunning gowns made of luxurious silk fabric. One lady wore dark green while the other wore pale blue in the latest style with the apron effect that was pulled into a small bustle in back.
She wasn’t sure of their age, but perhaps about seventy was right. They were slim, as if they hadn’t eaten well in some time. They had swept their silver hair into thick chignons away from beautiful faces. Bright, inquisitive, violet eyes focused intently on her.
“Ladies, welcome.” Mercy hurried forward to kiss the back of one gloved hand and then the other. “Miz Elmira and Miss Lamira, I’d like to introduce you to Texas Belle Thompson.”
“Pleased to meet you,” Elmira said. “Are you the famous bounty hunter?”
“Whose handsome father saved countless lives from outlaws?” Lamira asked.
“I don’t know how famous or how many lives were saved, but yes, I’m a bounty hunter.” Belle liked them, but couldn’t imagine why two elegant ladies would pull up stakes and move to the Bend. Maybe they were simply adventurous. “You’re new to town, aren’t you?”
They both tittered coquettishly, looking like mischievous Southern Belles.
“Miz Elmira is Temperance Tempest’s grandmother. Miss Lamira is her great-aunt,” Mercy explained.
“We came here to make the crimson gown Mercy will use in his portrait of our darling,” Elmira said.
“And we stayed to open our own dressmaker’s shop,” Lamira added.
