She nodded. “Okay,” she resigned with a heavy sigh. “Thank you for helping me.”
“The only thing I’ve helped you with is to make you unhappy,” he said morosely. “I’m sorry.”
“It isn’t your fault. You go on now. It’s okay,” she said with a soft sniff.
“I do have to go,” he said reluctantly. “But I’ll be back.”
She knew he wouldn’t, but didn’t say anything. He was dumping her. Why had he picked her up in the first place? He should have left her there to die because that was how this was going to end anyway. He was just putting off the inevitable.
“Suzanne, I need to know something,” he said seriously.
“What,” she muttered.
“Are you a person of the stars?”
“A person of the stars?” she repeated with a frown, meeting his eyes and saw the genuineness in them. “You mean, like an alien?”
“I just need to know.”
She shook her head. “I guess not since I’m not even sure what you mean.”
He nodded as he looked at her, wanting to kiss her again and thinking she wanted the same thing. Their eyes locked as a warm, tense moment passed between them.
He lowered his head to give into his desires and abruptly raised it again and stepped back. “I’ll find a way to get you back to your husband,” he said in a brusque tone and left before she could even say goodbye.
A little girl of about six came in carrying a dress over her arm, passing Cody without looking at him. She was dirty and raggedly dressed in a calf-length red gingham dress and holey shoes that laced to her ankles. Her hair was long, dark and in two braids on each side of her head, and she had a missing tooth in the front of her mouth as she smiled. “Hi,” she said shyly. “My name is Mika. Me and you are going to share a room. Follow me.”
Suzanne followed her up the steps to the upper level of the building, oblivious to the stares from all the people who were gathered in the saloon.
Chapter 10
Cody went back to his village and was distressed to see another one of Tall Deer’s white slaves hanging dead from a tree as he entered the camp. The chief had stripped her of her clothes, severely beaten her and gouged out her eyes. Blood was caked to her entire body.
“Chief Tall Deer killed another woman,” Lame Bird said quietly as she held Cody’s horse by the halter and Cody slid to the ground.
Lame Bird was a fine woman who he knew he should marry, but he didn’t want to get married or have children with anybody. He’d never even entertained the idea. He was nothing but a half-breed. He didn’t want his children to carry that stigma or bear that hardship so he laid with women and paid them for it. He’d never lain with Lame Bird and never would, but he hunted for her and kept her in provisions from the fort in return for cooking, repairing his clothes and the cleaning she did for him. Every once in awhile, he’d give her some sort of trinket he’d obtained in trade, and she was always happy to get them. She still wasn’t married and sometimes he caught her looking at him with more than friendly interest. She was a fine looking woman with very long hair that she kept in braids, long dresses that he’d seen other women at the fort wear and moccasins. She had a pretty face that was round and pleasant, dark brown eyes, a beautiful smile and she’d always been kind to him. But he didn’t love her like a man should love his wife and he respected her enough to not tie her down with marrying him.
He nodded. “I see that. What did she do?”
She shrugged and walked away, leading the horse to where the others were.
He would bathe and sleep later. Right now, he had to tell Chief Tall Deer that he had found nothing on his scouting expedition.
~~~
Suzanne was not adapting well to the hard life of the fort. Her biggest jobs were cleaning the saloon and rooms and doing laundry, which made her appreciate her vacuum cleaner and washer and dryer more than ever. She’d never worked so hard in her life and it was so hot, it left her queasy most of the time. The best part of her job was taking care of Mika, whom she loved like her own.
Mika trailed her like a puppy, chattering and asking questions and helping her immensely. Suzanne knew that Mika was glad to have a friend and was honored that she had picked her. When she’d asked Mika how she’d come to live here and at the saloon, the little girl had merely shrugged and said she didn’t know and she’d always been there. Her answer made Suzanne wonder which one of Annalee’s girls was Mika’s mother and why she’d damned her child to a life like this.
Mika and Suzanne were scrubbing sheets near the well in the hot afternoon sun while the “working girls” took naps in preparation for the big night ahead. Suzanne was feeling dizzy and sat down next to the stone enclosure, wiping the sweat off her forehead and neck. It was beastly hot and there was no air conditioning; she felt like puking again.
Mika sat beside her with a worried look on her dirty face. “Are you sick?”
Suzanne buried her face in her hands. “No. I just need a break.”
“I’ll get you some water,” she said and scampered away toward the saloon.
She briefly wondered why she didn’t use the water in the well. They were right next to it, but didn’t take the time to wonder anymore than she had to. She was exhausted.
Mika came back with a beer mug full of water and handed it to Suzanne with a smile. “Here you go.”
She took it and sipped it. “Thank you, Mika. That was very nice.”
She beamed. “You’re welcome.”
The water was cool and refreshing, but she was still dizzy and rested her forehead on her knees.
“Afternoon, ladies.”
She looked up at the male voice, shielding her eyes from the sun with her hand. “Hello,” she said politely.
“My name is Lieutenant Addison Taylor. At your service, ma’am,” he said with a touch of arrogance.
She’d seen men act like this in a few westerns on TV and couldn’t help but smile. “I’m Suzanne Dillon and this is Mika,” she said, putting her arm around the child with a proud smile.
He squatted in front of them and shook Mika’s hand. “Very pleasant to meet you, young lady,” he said with a smile.
She smiled shyly and burrowed closer to Suzanne.
“Same with you, ma’am,” he told Suzanne warmly. “It is indeed a pleasure.”
She looked away self-consciously. “Thank you.”
Addison Taylor was tall, blond, and well-built with a wide chest, slim waist, and long legs. His hair was past his shoulders, longer than what most of the men here wore, but it was clean and looked silky. His eyes were a clear blue and his face was tanned from exposure to the sun and he had a heavy mustache. He was wearing a pair of dark blue pants with a broad yellow stripe going down the sides that were tucked into his worn knee-high boots. His loose white shirt had a few buttons undone, leaving a small portion of his chest exposed. He’d taken off his hat when he’d introduced himself and held it in his hand.
He smiled at Mika. “She’s shy,” he said lightly, giving Suzanne a subtle wave.
Mika giggled, hiding her mouth with her hand.
He continued to smile at her. “Where did you get those big brown eyes?” he teased her.
She shrugged and snuggled closer to Suzanne,
“Why, you sure are a pretty thing,” he declared. “When you get older, all the boys will want to go dancing with you.”
“Thank you, Mr. Taylor,” she said with a smile.
“Are you feeling well, Miss Suzanne?” he asked with concern in his voice.
She nodded, still not looking at him. In her mind, she was enjoying hearing another person speak to her in a congenial manner when most men leered at her, teased her, and tried to smack her on her butt or grab her breasts.
“Suzanne is not well, Mr. Taylor,” Mika said with some worry in her voice. “She hasn’t been since the day she got here.”
He gave her a nod of acknowledgment and focused his attention back on Suzanne. “Do yo
u need to see a doctor? We have one here.”
She shook her head. “No, thank you, Lieutenant,” she said humbly. “I’m just a little overheated. Thank you for your concern.”
“The doctor is right across the street,” he said as he stood. “Let me help you over there.”
Suzanne had never adapted to the heat. She’d always had air conditioning wherever she’d gone, but there was no such thing here. It was ungodly hot and breathing in the heat and dust was enough to make anybody sick. She just wanted to go home.
“Black Fox left her with Miss Annalee,” Mika informed the lieutenant as if it was no big deal and, to her, it wasn’t.
He looked at the little girl. “Is that right?” he drawled with obvious disapproval in his voice.
“That’s right,” she affirmed. “Miss Annalee don’t want either one of us so we’re friends,” she said proudly with a smile on her face.
Addison remembered Cody riding through the fort with this woman on his horse and before he’d left, Addison had stopped him and asked him about her. Cody’s response had been ambiguous; he hadn’t said exactly where he’d found her or how she’d gotten there, but had told him her husband was still lost in the desert. Now Addison was doubtful.
“I’m fine,” Suzanne finally told him. “Thanks for—“
“Excuse me for interrupting,” he said congenially. “But why were you with Cody? Did he capture you or steal you? Murder your family?” he asked suspiciously, hoping her answer agreed with what Cody had told him.
He’d known Cody for a long time; he knew he was an Indian agent and was trying to ease tension between the Indians and the white people, but what if the Indian in him had taken over and he’d turned to murder, marauding, pillaging, and rape like some of the others? What if he’d joined the renegades, and had free reign of the fort and was more of a spy? No one would suspect him because of his status as an Indian agent. He came and went as he pleased.
Addison couldn’t see his friend doing that. Cody had an aversion to war and bloodshed and he wasn’t at all underhanded or nefarious. He was more honest than most of the men at the fort. Still, every man had a breaking point and to get the Indians moved to the reservations was a daunting task with which neither man agreed.
She looked up at him. “No,” she said at the absurdity of the thought. “He helped me. He found me in the desert. I would have died if it hadn’t been for him.”
He knelt down again. “Where is your family, Miss Suzanne?”
“New York. My mother and stepfather are there along with my stepsisters,” she said honestly.
“Forgive me for my impertinence, but why are you out here in this godforsaken place when your family is back East?”
“Addison Taylor!”
All of them looked at Annalee as she came storming out of the brothel, wearing a pink plume on her head and very low cut, tight pink dress that accentuated her thick waist and balancing herself on obscenely high black heels.
“Just what the hell do you think you’re doin’?” she demanded angrily. “Those girls are supposed to be workin’.”
He rose to his feet and faced her. “Miss Annalee. How very nice to see you again,” he said congenially, successfully masking his contempt for the woman.
She glared at him. “I’m sure,” she muttered caustically, putting her hands on her hips. “Do you have business with these girls?”
“No, ma’am. We’re just getting acquainted,” he said smoothly.
“You know the rules,” she said sharply, pointing at him. “You either pay or get a move on.”
Suzanne felt Addison Taylor looking at her and wondered if he was really going to pay Annalee for just talking to her. The woman was a greedy bitch and demanded money for every little thing, which was ironic since there was no place to spend it. What was she going to do with it?
“Miss Annalee, with all due respect, I do believe that Miss Suzanne and I have some official business to take care of so if you don’t mind, I’ll just escort her to the post.”
“Oh, I mind,” she hissed. “I think you’re lyin’. You just told me you were gettin’ acquainted.”
“We were, but she has aroused my suspicions about Cody Black Fox. She’ll be back soon,” he assured her and offered his hand to Suzanne. “Ma’am,” he said politely.
She took it and let him help her to her feet, then looked at Mika. “I’ll be right back, honey,” she told the girl and walked with the lieutenant to another building, ignoring Annalee’s furious rant.
Chapter 11
Addison Taylor took off his hat upon entering the building and got Suzanne another cup of water. The room was dirty, like everything else in the desert, but neat. There were two other men in the room working quietly at different desks.
“Thank you,” she murmured, taking the tin cup from him.
“You’re welcome. Come this way please,” he gestured toward a meaty man with greasy black hair and a heavy black mustache. He was over six feet tall and had to weigh three hundred pounds, which she suspected was not fat.
“Sir, this is Miss Suzanne—I’m sorry,” he looked at her. “I don’t remember your last name.”
“Dillon,” she said nervously, wondering why she was here.
“Dillon,” he repeated more to himself than the other man. “Suzanne Dillon. This is Major Richards. He’s the man in charge of all of this.”
Suzanne looked at the man’s cold dark eyes and managed a courteous smile, despite his hard stare that made her want to run and hide.
“She may have some information on Cody Black Fox, sir,” Addison explained to his superior.
He raised his heavy brows with surprise. “Ah, you’ve finally decided to cooperate,” he said slowly and lit a cheroot.
“Cooperate?” she echoed in confusion.
He scrutinized her with scathing contempt as he put his feet on the desk and blew a smoke ring carelessly into the air. “It seems that Mr. Black Fox is raising hell in the desert again,” he muttered nonchalantly.
She could tell from the intensity of his coolness that he could be vicious and manipulative. “Oh, I wouldn’t know anything about that,” she said quietly. “I haven’t seen him since he left me here over a month ago.”
He took a long drag from the cheroot and tapped the ash onto the floor. “Oh, he’s been here,” he assured her arrogantly. “He’s been seen in and out of Miss Annalee’s saloon numerous times in the last month or so. I think he’s been coming to see you,” he said accusingly, facing her again.
“I haven’t seen him,” she insisted. “He dumped me here. Why would he come back?”
“One can never tell about those red-assed sons a bitches,” he said hatefully. “But you’d better tell me where he is right now or I’ll throw your pretty face in the stockade.”
She didn’t know what a stockade was, but judging from the tone of his voice, it wasn’t good. “I don’t know, Major Richards. Honest,” she said in fear, holding up her right hand.
“Miss Dillon, let me ask you something,” he said in a threatening tone. “Are you and that dirty half-breed lovers?”
Her mouth dropped open with surprise. “No. Of course not. He found me in the desert and helped me. That’s all,” she said, hating the tremor in her voice. She was very frightened by the abrupt happenings in the last few minutes and wondered just what Addison Taylor had hoped to gain by bringing her before this man who had an obvious dislike for Cody and Indians in general.
“Do you know what happens to white women who bed down with Injuns?” he asked her coolly, looking at the glowing tip of the cheroot.
She shook her head. She had a feeling this was not going to end well.
“No self-respecting white man will ever touch you again and you’ll end up on Annalee’s payroll,” he said with some satisfaction in his voice.
She bit her lip and twisted her hands nervously at her waist. She hadn’t known Cody had been to the fort or that he was a troublemaker. He’d presented himself as
a peacemaker and now she was wondering if that had been true. She reminded herself that everybody lied and he was probably no different.
“Major, pardon my interruption,” Addison said in his smooth southern accent. “Maybe Miss Dillon doesn’t know where he is. After all, Miss Annalee doesn’t take too kindly to anyone visiting with any of her girls without money and we all know Cody Black Fox is as poor as a church mouse.”
The major glowered at who he considered a meager man. “Lieutenant Taylor,” he bellowed, rising to his feet in anger. “If you cannot hold your tongue, I will dismiss you from this interrogation. Mind your place.”
Addison returned the glare. “With all due respect, sir, you’ve already convicted this young lady of a crime that she may not have committed,” he said with an edge in his voice.
“I will decide if there has been a crime. You are dismissed and placed on gate duty until further notice!” he yelled, slamming his fist down on the desk with such force that it toppled the ink jar onto its side.
Addison didn’t back down. “Very well, sir,” he grumbled. “But we are still Americans and this woman is innocent until proven guilty.”
Suzanne’s head was spinning. Crime? Innocent until proven guilty? Convicted? Of what?
“Damn it,” the major roared. “This is NOT America. This is United States territory and I am the law,” he tapped himself on his broad chest.
She covered her mouth in horror. This really was territory and not the state of Arizona? She was confused and silently cursed Cody for bringing her here. How could he do this to her? Hadn’t he promised he would come back? And if he had come back, why hadn’t he visited her? Why hadn’t he taken her back to her car? Why had he lied?
Addison said nothing more and walked out the door, slamming it loudly.
Major Richards resumed his seat and glared at Suzanne. “I don’t care how taken my men are by you. You are still a criminal. I’m charging you with conspiracy to cause a mutiny with the Indians and,” he smiled smugly. “Treason.”
For the Love of Suzanne Page 6
