Taming Eliza Jane (Gardiner, Texas Book 1)

by Shannon Stacey

  “Both. You’re all incorrigable.”

  “Guilty. But we’re growing on you, admit it. You like it here.”

  “Well, I have realized my girlhood dream of shoveling out horse stalls.”

  He reached out and drew her into his arms, not giving a fiddler’s damn who was watching. “I came here to thank you, darlin’.”

  “For what?”

  He kissed her soundly before answering. “For…hell, woman, I can’t even list it all. For feeding me beans in the middle of the night when you’d been expecting lovemaking. For comforting me when Miss Adele died even though I acted like a fool and went for the bottle instead of you. For facing down Lucy Barnes on behalf of an old whore you barely knew just because I loved her. For standing by me and the chickens at her funeral. For…that might be it for right now, but I’m sure there will be more.”

  “That is quite a list,” she said, tipping her head up to smile at him. “But I didn’t mind a bit of it.”

  Will pulled her down beside him on a hay bale. “How is that, Eliza Jane? I’ve been doing a whole lot more taking than giving the past few days.”

  “I don’t mind it because I know you’d do the same for me. And because nobody’s ever brought me handpicked flowers before.”

  He held the bouquet out to her. “I reckon I should have brought some water for them.”

  “I have a tin cup over by the pump I can put them in. And I’ll look at them while I work.”

  Work. He knew it was a bad idea, but he couldn’t help himself. “When are you going to stop this, darlin’? This is no kind of work for a woman.”

  She gave him a glaring look. “Don’t you start with me, Will Martinson. Neither Mr. Digger nor Johnny have any complaints with my work, I’ll have you know. And it sets a fine example for other women to see me holding my own.”

  “I just don’t like seeing you wear yourself out.”

  She laughed and slapped his knee. “If I were to quit, what would keep you and Sheriff Caldwell amused while you stand around eating penny candy?”

  Will leaned over to nip at her earlobe. “That’s the highlight of my day, darlin’.”

  “Keep that up and I won’t bathe before I come in for my next examination, Doctor.”

  He wrinkled his nose. “Barn smell doesn’t really put me in the mood, but it ain’t enough to keep me from touching you.”

  They were silent for a moment, and Will knew it was time for him to go. Eliza Jane had work to do, and he was keeping her from it. “How about you and I have dinner at the restaurant this evening?”

  She arched an eyebrow at him, then looked down at the flowers. “Aren’t you worried about being seen keeping time with the women’s libber?”

  “Not more than I’m worring about not getting enough time to keep with you.”

  “And I suppose I’m not really a women’s libber anymore, am I?” She laughed, but to Will’s ear it wasn’t a particularly happy sound. “I’m a stable girl, which is entirely more respectable.”

  “You’re still a damn women’s libber,” he growled. “And you’re still no end of trouble. But there ain’t no reason I can’t sit at a restaurant and share a meal with you. Of course, we might want to be a little more discreet about what I plan to have for dessert.”

  “Hush! What if Johnny hears you?” The harshness of her tone was set off by the curve of her lips. “I’ll have dinner with you, but you have to go now so I can earn my pay.”

  And as simple as that, the light moment dimmed for Will. The reminder she was earning money so she could hightail it out of Gardiner hit him in the gut and it took all he had not to let it show.

  “I’ll be there at six,” he said, and then he kissed her goodbye.

  The thought of Eliza Jane leaving town stayed with him through the rest of the day. He thought about it during dinner, and even when she was sprawled naked under him, her eyes closed as she whispered his name.

  Will was starting to think about marriage, and she was still thinking about leaving. And he didn’t have a damn clue what to do about it.

  11

  Several days later, Eliza Jane left the livery after the morning feeding and walked up the sidewalk. She had no idea what she was supposed to do for the chickens, but since she'd promised Miss Adele she'd tend to them, she made her way to the Coop to see if they needed anything.

  She'd been in town long enough to know ten-thirty in the morning was the ideal time to pay them a visit. They'd be up and about, tending to their chores. But not yet beginning the long process of dressing, curling, painting and powdering themselves for their customers.

  She found the four of them in the kitchen, sitting glum-faced around a table that bore an account book, writing implements, and a carved wooden bowl full of money.

  "Good morning, ladies," Eliza Jane said, and it seemed as though they all sighed at once.

  "We can't make no sense of this, Mrs. Carter," Fiona said, waving a hand over the table.

  Eliza Jane settled herself in the empty chair. What are you trying to figure out?"

  "Well, we've got all this money here and we don't know how to split it up." As was usually the case when they were in a group, Fiona did the talking. She pulled a sheet of paper from the book and slid it across the table to Eliza Jane. "Here's the list Miss Adele wrote of who gets what, but we can't figure the percents."

  "I know she was concerned about how you'd fare. Didn't she explain all this to you?"

  "Yes, ma'am. We tried to pay attention, but I guess we didn't listen enough."

  "Figures make my head ache," Betty added, and Sadie nodded.

  Eliza Jane looked over the paper. Apparently the women, instead of keeping what they earned, put all of their money in the dish, and then Miss Adele divvied it up. There was a percentage to the house, a percentage to Miss Adele personally and then a percentage to each of the chickens.

  "We been putting it off," Fiona said, "but the bowl is full, plus we need our pay. You're plenty smart, Mrs. Carter. Can you help us?"

  "Yes, I can, until Miss Adele's niece arrives." She desperately hoped that situation would work out well in the end. Will had told her Rebecca Hamilton had no idea what she was in for. But she’d claimed in her letter to be good with numbers, at least.

  After practically suffocating her with relieved gratitude, the chickens scattered and Eliza Jane got to work. While she wouldirt go so far as to say she enjoyed arithmetic, she did like exercising her mind.

  And while she certainly wasn't an expert in the financial affairs of houses of ill-repute, the percentages the girls received seemed more than fair. Eliza Jane also found the accounts the Chicken Coop maintained with other businesses and dug in, losing herself in the numbers.

  When she finally looked up from the ledger, rubbing the back of her stiffening neck, she saw Will. He was leaning against the kitchen doorjam, watching her.

  "How long have you been there?"

  “Long enough to think it’s time you head to my office for a special examination,” he said with a suggestive raising of his eyebrows.

  Eliza Jane laughed, relieved he was back to being the Will she knew and…liked. He’d been a little out of sorts since the funeral. She pushed the ledger off to one side. “I had no idea you felt that way about arithmetic.”

  “I happen to find smart women sexy as hell, plus you chew on your bottom lip when you’re thinking. As the town doctor, I feel it’s my sworn duty to kiss that better for you.”

  “Doc, is that you?” they heard Sadie call. “You’re late!”

  It was Eliza Jane’s turn to raise an eyebrow, but there was nothing suggestive about it. “It sounds as though you already have an examination scheduled, Doctor.”

  “Jealous, darlin’?” She was, but she wasn’t about it admit it. “Holly has a sliver near her shoulderblade, and they’re all too squeamish to pull it out for her.”

  “How on earth did she get a sliver there?”

  Will grinned. “I can demonstrate for you
later, if you like. I’ll just need you naked and a wood-paneled wall.”

  Warmth seeped through Eliza Jane as she imagined just how a man, a naked woman and a wall could lead to a sliver in her back. “Oh my.”

  “I do like when you say that—gets me all riled up. I bet you’ve never made love in a whorehouse, have you?”

  Her cheeks flamed just at the thought. “Not nearly as many times as you have, Will Martinson. Now I have bookkeeping to finish and you have a sliver to pull. If you should see Fiona, send her to me, please.”

  Will pushed himself off the doorjam. “I will, but as soon as you’re done here, you stop by my office for that examination.”

  “Is Mrs. Carter sick?” Fiona asked from behind him, and Eliza Jane wanted to hide her face in her hands. “I’m sorry I asked you to see to the books if you’re feeling poorly.”

  “She’s just fine,” Will assured her. “She’s just suffering from a persistent itch she can’t seem to scratch.”

  Eliza Jane almost choked on her sharp intake of breath. The audacity of the man!

  But her indignation didn’t keep her from dwelling on that itch the entire time she was helping Fiona count the money into the appropriately-sized piles. After promising to spare a few minutes for the financial chore each day until Rebecca arrived, Eliza Jane practically ran out of the Chicken Coop.

  Will was sitting at his desk writing in his journal when she walked in, slightly out of breath from her quick step down the sidewalk. Since the office appeared to be empty otherwise, she locked the door behind her.

  “I can’t believe you told Fiona about…itching and scratching,” she said, hands on her hips.

  He closed his book and set it aside. “Darlin’, there ain’t a damn thing I can tell that woman about scratching an itch she don’t already know.”

  “She doesn’t know about my itching.”

  Will leaned back in his chair and grinned up at her. “No, but the chickens have scratched a few of mine in the past, and I reckon it hasn’t escaped their notice I haven’t been to the Coop since you stepped off that stage. Except for doctorin’, of course.”

  Eliza Jane decided to ignore the in the past part and focus on the present. “Are you planning to examine me from that chair, Doctor?”

  “As a matter of fact I am, darlin’. Why don’t you step out of your drawers and come over here?”

  A shiver tickled her spine. How could a man with such a slow, lazy grin be so intense at the same time? “Just my drawers?”

  “Yes, ma’am. And since the curtains are drawn and the door’s locked, don’t be shy about it.”

  That didn’t really matter as she was able to shimmy out of her undergarments without lifting her skirts too high. But she could tell by Will’s expression they were about to do something she wouldn’t want all of Gardiner watching.

  “Tell me, Eliza Jane, have you ever ridden a horse astride?”

  What an odd question, especially considering the circumstances. “Rarely, but yes, on occasion in a relatively private setting.”

  “Good. Come here, darlin’.” He held out his hand, and she took it, quite unsure of what was expected of her.

  When she was standing directly in front of his chair, Will released her hand and gathered up the front of her skirt so he could reach behind her knees and pull her forward until she straddled his lap.

  She gasped when her more sensitive body parts rubbed up against his denim-clad erection. “Will, what are you doing?”

  “Enjoying myself, darlin’. See, I’ve had this particular fantasy in which I’m sitting here doing some book work when that damn women’s libber comes in and distracts me by proving a woman can be on top just as well as a man.”

  And then he reached down between their bodies to unbutton his pants. She gasped when he slid into her and she instinctively rocked, taking him deeper with downward thrust.

  Will kept one hand on her hip but used the other to grab the back of her neck and pull her head down so he could kiss her. Their breath mingled as moved her body over his.

  “That’s right, darlin’. Just like riding a horse.”

  She smiled and rotated her hips in a small circle, making him moan. “Giddyup, Doc.”

  He lifted her hips, then pushed them down again, over and over until she bit into his shirt to keep from screaming his name and he groaned as he spilled himself into her.

  The chair creaked as they both went limp, and Eliza Jane hoped it held out long enough for her to get the strength back in her legs.

  “Damnation, woman, you’re going to be the death of me,” he whispered against her cheek. “But in my professional opinion, we should definitely schedule you for a followup examination.”

  “Whatever you say, Doctor.”

  One week later…

  The day of the town social dawned much the same as every other day in Gardiner, Texas. Scorching hot and dry as a drunk’s mouth the morning after. But as Will made his way toward the restaurant for some breakfast, he could feel the air of anticipation running through the town.

  Today was the day Sheriff Adam Caldwell was going to step out with Beth Ann Barnes, and Lucy Barnes had made sure the entire town knew it. No doubt the smitten Joey Keezer had heard it, too.

  Joe Dunbarton from over at the Mercantile was running a wager pool on how long it would be before somebody got shot. Will had put a half-dollar on two and a half hours.

  As he drew near the Chicken Coop, he noticed Sadie out tending the flower pots. She was dressed in a simple flowered dress and her face wasn’t all done up. While it was understood they wouldn’t participate in the dancing expect with one another, even the chickens turned out for the social.

  “Mornin’, Sadie,” Will said, tipping his hat when she looked up.

  “Hello there, Doc.” She finished pinching off a dead blossom and stood. “Fine day, isn’t it?”

  “It is. You’re all faring well, I hope?”

  “As well as can be expected, I reckon. We sure do miss Miss Adele something fierce, and it’ll be nice when Miss Rebecca comes.”

  “She’ll be along. I sent a few telegrams out to the stations she won’t arrive expecting her aunt to meet her.” He felt the familiar pang of loss, but it was easing a little because he focused on how full a life the madam had led and how she’d faced death on her own terms. He sorely wished she could have held on to see her niece, but he also knew the pain had been about as bad as she could stand toward the end.

  “Miss Carter’s been real kind to keep the books in the meantime,” Sadie said when the silence dragged on. “Ain’t none of us got a head for numbers.”

  “That’s real nice. And how have you been feeling?”

  “Just fine, Doc. I can hardly even tell I got a baby in me.” But she rubbed her hand protectively over her stomach just the same. “Dan offered to marry me.”

  That he hadn’t known, so it must have been a recent development. “Dan O’Brien, from over to the hotel?”

  “Yeah. He’s always been a particularly regular customer of mine. He’s sweet on me, you see. And he’s got it in his head this child might be his.”

  But it also might not be. “Are you considering his offer?”

  “A fine businessman like that don’t need to go marryin’ a whore.” She tried for a devil-may-care expression, but Will saw the sadness in her eyes. “Besides, Mrs. Barnes would see to it he got run out of town if he did such a thing.”

  Seeing Sadie happily married and a good mother to her child would have made Miss Adele a happy woman. And he himself wished the best for her, too. “Lucy Barnes ain’t the only opinion in town, Sadie. And I reckon Dan considered all that before he proposed. If he’s willing to offer, there ain’t no good reason why you shouldn’t accept.”

  She only shrugged, so he pressed on. “If he’s that much of a regular, you know the kind of man he is, and you said he’s sweet on you. Look at you blush, sweetheart. Are you a little sweet on him, too?”

  “I wouldn’t mi
nd marrying Dan,” she admitted, rolling the dead flower between her palms. “But he wouldn’t be able to hold his head up in town for long, and the time would come he’d hate me for it.”

  He had to agree that was a strong possibility. “Maybe you could leave Gardiner. Go someplace new where you’d just be Mr. and Mrs. Daniel O’Brien and you could raise your baby together.”

  Sadie shook her head, the picture of sorrow and regret. “He sets great store by that hotel, as he should. It’s a fine place and I can’t ask him to give that up. I ain’t worth that.”

  He put his finger under her chin and tipped her face up. “Don’t you ever say that to me again, Sadie. You’re beautiful and kind and you’ve managed to take care of yourself in a world that dealt you some hard knocks. You deserve some happiness.”

  She shrugged, and then changed the subject. “You escortin’ Mrs. Carter to the social, Doc?”

  Unfortunately it was a sore subject. “No, I’m not. She said she’d go alone and she might save me a dance.”

  Sadie shook her head. “You know she’s just trying to save trouble for you. There’s still some people that don’t like her, and they especially don’t like her spending all that time here at the Coop lately. But there ain’t no other men turning her head, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

  He wasn’t worried, exactly. It was a just a matter of the natural progression of their relationship. He felt it was time they step out in public and make their courtship known. Of course, they were a little further in the progression seeing as how they’d skipped ahead to the lovemaking, but they didn’t have to make that known.

  “I need to go help Holly with her hair now,” Sadie said. “But I’ll see you later at the social.”

  The social would start in the afternoon, giving the men time to see their chores and the women time to see to their hair and finish their pies. Will and Adam volunteered every year for the pie-judging contest. When there was a ribbon at stake, the ladies could turn out some mighty fine baked goods.

  There would be games for the young’uns and horse racing. Ugly as he was, Adam’s horse was always favored to win and he usually did if his rider wasn’t off shooting somebody. Then there would be a potluck dinner and music and dancing. If enough cowboys came in from neighboring spreads, there’d be some bare-knuckle brawling, too.