“Are you sure about that?”
“Whatever happened to those places,” Henry explained, “didn’t happen until me and my men were long gone. What I mean is that someone could have easily circled back to sift through what was left.”
Clint stood up and dusted himself off. “You think these men are the ones you’ve been after?”
“They could be. There’s more than one of them. They’re definitely killers, since they tried to kill you as well as me and my boys just now. If they knew about this,” he added while holding out the brooch, “then they might have known about stuff the others had.”
Looking around at the small square of space enclosed by the four broken walls, Clint winced and shook his head. “I doubt these folks strayed more than a few miles from this place. It sure doesn’t seem like they were prominent enough for someone all the way in Texas to know who they were or what possessions they owned.”
“Even if they knew about one bunch of family heirlooms like this one, it’d make it more than worth their while to go and round them all up.”
Clint scraped at the ground with his boot. The blackened floorboards had been pulled up, and there was only a shallow hole under one of them where the brooch must have been kept. Other than that, there was nothing beneath Clint’s boot except for more charred earth. “There wasn’t anything else here worth stealing,” Clint said solemnly. “And not nearly enough that was worth getting burned alive.”
But Henry’s enthusiasm wasn’t affected. “I could check with another friend of mine who might know if these folks could have known some of the others that were killed,” he said.
“You mean another Texas Ranger?” Clint asked.
Now it was Henry’s turn to wince. “Not exactly. I doubt the Rangers would be too happy if they knew how far I’d gone from . . .”
“From the Texas border?” Clint asked.
“Yeah. That may be a sticky subject when I get back.”
“Not if you come back with the scalps of those killers hanging off your belt.”
“True . . . so to speak. Until then, I’d rather not ruffle any feathers that ain’t already been ruffled, if you know what I mean.”
“Yes,” Clint replied. “I know what you mean. Hopefully those friends of yours are close, because I don’t think there’s a telegraph office anywhere near here.”
“They’re close. Think you can wait a bit for me until I come back? You’ve been a real help and I’d hate to lose you too soon just in case this ride ain’t over yet.”
“I’ll head back to Kipperway and see about putting that brooch in the proper hands. After that, I can check in on your boys in the next town over.”
Henry nodded and tipped his hat. “I’d appreciate that. Seems like Rick Hartman wasn’t lying when he mentioned what an asset you were in a bad situation.”
“I’d only believe half of what Rick says,” Clint replied. “Fortunately for you, what he told you falls into the good half.”
SIXTEEN
It seemed like a full day since Clint had left the Kipperway Tavern. When he walked back into it, he looked as if he’d gone through a war. His face was dirty from the ashes and soot that had been kicked up at the shack. His clothes were filthy with more of the same as well as a good amount of trail dust. Even his eyes seemed bleary.
As he walked up to the bar, Clint was surprised that nobody seemed to pay him any mind. He thought it was possible that he felt worse than he looked. Then again, it was never wise to underestimate just how wrapped up most folks were in themselves.
“Holy crow,” the Irish barkeep said. “You look like you need a drink.”
“Thanks for noticing,” Clint said. “One of those fine beers would go a long way.”
“Actually, it looks like something a bit stronger is in order.” Before Clint could protest, the barkeep slapped a small glass onto the bar and poured two fingers of whiskey into it. “There you go. Cuts through the dust better than anything else I know.”
Even though Clint wasn’t much of a whiskey drinker, what he’d seen in the last several hours had left a mighty bad taste in his mouth. He picked up the whiskey glass and tossed it back. The liquor still wasn’t his favorite, but its taste was a whole lot better than the gritty ash that had settled in the back of his throat. The warm jolt from the alcohol even seemed to stoke some of the fire that had been sputtering in his belly.
“Not bad, huh?” the barkeep asked.
“Not bad, but I’ll stick to beer,” Clint replied. “I’ll also need a room for the night.”
Turning around to the wall behind him, the barkeep said, “I’ve got one or two of those that aren’t spoken for. And . . . um . . . if I may suggest a bath?”
“Normally I might take offense to that,” Clint said. “But under the circumstances . . .”
“Give me the word and I’ll have the water sent up. You’re in room number three.”
Clint took the key that was handed over to him as well as the mug of beer that was placed onto the bar. “The word’s given. Just point me toward the stairs.”
“No stairs,” the barkeep replied. “But the rooms are right over that way.”
Clint looked in the direction the barkeep was pointing. At first, all he saw was the small stage where a couple of dancing girls were kicking up their skirts. Then he caught sight of a small door with the word “ROOMS” painted on it in dark red letters.
“Good enough for me,” Clint said. “I’ll be expecting my bathwater.”
“I’m sure you won’t have to wait very long.”
Making his way through the saloon, Clint didn’t spot any familiar faces or even anyone who took much notice of him. Apparently, filthy men with saddlebags slung over one shoulder weren’t uncommon in the place. When he got to the door, Clint was dismayed to find it locked.
“Damn,” he muttered.
Before he got too upset, Clint checked his hand and found two keys instead of just one. The fact that he’d missed the second key on the ring told Clint how tired he was. Either way, he was just glad one of the keys fit into the lock on the door and the second key opened room number three.
As far as rented rooms in the back of a saloon go, Clint’s was fairly nice. It was clean and had fresh linens on the bed, which was already several steps above the typical rooms to be found so close to a bar. He chuckled to himself when he saw that the oddly shaped table against the wall was actually an overturned bathtub that had been mostly covered up by a small tablecloth.
By the time Clint removed the tablecloth and flipped the bathtub over, he heard a knock on his door.
Since he was currently trapped between the tub and the wall, Clint shouted, “Come in.”
There was some fidgeting at the door before it was finally pushed open by someone’s foot. Clint was very pleased to see that the foot was attached to a shapely leg.
“Think you could give me a hand with these?” Belle asked as she took a shuffling step inside while carrying a bucket in each hand.
Clint moved around the tub and rushed over to take both of the buckets from her. “I thought you might work here, but I didn’t think you were hired to carry water.”
“I wasn’t hired to carry water,” she replied breathlessly. “And I wasn’t hired for what you may have been thinking, either. I deal faro.”
Laughing nervously, Clint said, “I wasn’t going to suggest otherwise. I thought you might have served drinks or something.” Lifting up one of the buckets, he tipped it to pour the water into the tub. “Maybe you got up on the stage from time to time.”
Belle stood beside him and emptied the other bucket into the tub. “I do get up there sometimes, but only when one of the regular girls ain’t feeling too well.”
“So why the special treatment?” Clint asked.
Smiling and averting her eyes a bit, she said, “I never got a chance to thank you properly for stepping in earlier.”
After all that had happened recently, Clint had to take a moment and th
ink about what she was talking about.
“Stepping in with Red, I mean,” Belle explained after she saw Clint floundering for a bit.
“Sorry. It’s been a long day.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll get the rest of the water.”
Clint walked along with her to carry in four of the next six bucket loads. Once the tub was full with steaming water, Belle shut the door and walked across the room to where Clint was standing.
“I was going to take my bath before the water gets cold,” Clint said.
“Wrong,” Belle announced as she unbuttoned Clint’s shirt. “We’re taking that bath.”
SEVENTEEN
Clint unbuckled his gun belt and draped it over a chair while Belle stripped off his shirt. Her hands never left his body, and she slid her fingertips along his bare chest while lowering herself onto her knees in front of him. She looked up at him while she opened his pants and slipped her hand inside.
“Thank you,” she whispered as she took his penis in her hand and began stroking it.
“You’re welcome,” Clint replied. When he saw her stand up and slide her dress down off her shoulders, he added, “You’re very, very welcome.”
Belle smiled and lowered her head to look down at her pert, rounded breasts. Her nipples were the size of dimes and were already getting hard. As she worked her dress the rest of the way down, she wiggled her hips slowly until the garment fell into a pile around her feet. She then stepped out of it and walked slowly toward the tub.
“Let’s not let this water get cold,” she said.
Clint eagerly finished getting undressed and stepped into the tub. The water was a bit too hot at first, but it did a nice job of making everything else seem to melt away. Everything else, that is, except for Belle.
The moment he rested his shoulders against the tub, Clint felt Belle’s hands massaging his tired muscles. Almost immediately, he closed his eyes and let out a slow, contented sigh.
“You like that?” she asked.
“Oh yeah.”
Belle slipped her hand down along Clint’s chest and leaned forward so she could reach between his legs. “How about now?”
She couldn’t quite reach as far down as Clint would have liked, but Belle seemed content to tease him by stopping just short of stroking him again.
“Could be better,” Clint said with a grin.
“Really? We’ll just have to see about that.”
Taking a sponge in one hand and some soap in the other, Belle scrubbed Clint from head to toe. She circled the tub and ran her hands along the slippery surface of his skin while spreading the soap all the way around. After stepping to the side of the tub, Belle was able to reach all the way beneath the water and massage Clint’s growing erection. As she continued to work her hand along Clint’s shaft, she leaned over to kiss him on the lips.
The kiss started off good enough, but soon it curled Clint’s toes. As she slipped her tongue into his mouth, she pumped her hand faster on his cock. Before too long, Clint was reaching out of the tub to pull her closer.
“Oh no you don’t,” Belle said as she pulled away from him. “I’m not getting into that filthy water with you.”
“After that kiss, you’re either coming in here or I’m climbing out of here and going after you.”
Belle smiled mischievously and turned her back to Clint. Walking naked across the floor, she moved toward the bed and shifted her hips like a cat stalking its prey. “I suppose I couldn’t stop you if you wanted to come after me,” she said over her shoulder.
Clint was up and out of the tub in a heartbeat. His wet feet skidded on the floor, but he somehow managed to get to the bed without falling and breaking his neck. By the time he got to her, Clint and Belle were both laughing.
Taking her into his arms, Clint kissed her long and hard on her soft lips. Her firm breasts were pressed against his chest and one of her legs was draped over him. They both lay on their sides, but soon Clint was positioning himself on top of her.
He took one of her hands in his as he slipped his other hand around to cup her tight backside. His cock rubbed against the moist lips between her legs. Soon, he could feel Belle using her free hand to guide him into her. As Clint pushed his hips forward, he could feel Belle pulling in an anxious breath. He kept still for a moment, until she was trembling with anticipation, and then finally drove all the way into her.
Belle gripped him tightly and arched her back against the bed. She spread her legs open wide and clenched her eyes shut as Clint started to pound into her with growing intensity. Soon, a pleasured moan built up in the back of her throat and was slowly pushed past her lips.
Sliding his hand from Belle’s wrist and down her arm, Clint savored the touch of her smooth skin as he continued pumping in and out of her. After running his palm over her hip, he reached around to cup her buttocks in both hands. From there, he thrust his hips powerfully enough to make Belle’s entire body shake.
“Oh God,” she moaned. “Oh God, yes.”
Clint positioned himself so he was on his knees between her legs. He kept thrusting in and out of her while moving both of his hands over her belly. He could feel her straining her muscles to keep from screaming even louder. That control was put to the test even more when he held both of her breasts and kneaded them as he entered her with slower, stronger strokes.
Belle breathed in short, passionate gasps. Her head was tossed to one side, and she grabbed onto the mattress in a strong grip. As her climax rushed in to take her over, she grabbed hold of Clint’s hips and moved them faster and harder. Never one to deny a lady what she wanted, Clint made his thrusts faster and harder.
Pumping her own hips in time to Clint’s, Belle rubbed against his rigid cock until she was overpowered by her climax. When she finally let out the breath that had caught in her throat, it was with a slow, satisfied groan.
She opened her eyes and looked at Clint with a grin. Once again, Belle started pumping her hips, but she was doing it more to put a smile onto Clint’s face. When she saw him looking down at her, she began to rub her fingertips along his chest and nibble on the side of his neck.
Clint was only human, and it didn’t take much more of that before he exploded inside of her. Belle wrapped her legs around him and ground her body against him until he was barely strong enough to keep from falling over. It took all the strength he had left to lower himself onto his side next to Belle.
“Oh my,” Belle said with a giggle. “After that, I feel like I need to thank you again.”
“Sure,” Clint replied breathlessly. “Just give me a minute to catch my breath.”
EIGHTEEN
By the time Clint got up from his bed, it was late enough for the saloon to have quieted down, but early enough for the first rays of sunlight to seep through his window. Belle had kept him so busy that his legs were weak and his muscles ached. Even so, it was the kind of fatigue that he would take any day of the year.
The beer he’d brought to the room had been sitting around for way too long, but Clint took a drink of it anyway. When he lowered the mug, he wore a vaguely surprised look on his face.
“Well, what did you expect?” Belle asked. “That beer’s been sitting there long enough to dry up.”
“That’s not what surprised me,” Clint said. “It’s actually still pretty damn good.”
Belle extended her hand and motioned for Clint to pass it. He handed the beer over so she could take a sip. Apparently, she wasn’t as impressed, because she almost immediately handed it back. “Maybe I should get dressed and fetch us something better to drink,” she offered.
Perfectly content to sip his stale beer, Clint sat back and watched Belle get dressed. It wasn’t long before she realized she was being watched and shifted her movements accordingly. Her hips swayed a bit more than normal, and she leaned forward for a bit longer than if she’d been on her own.
“Are you going to tell me what happened when you charged out of here?” she asked as she
slowly buttoned her stockings to her garter belt.
“I got a hunch that that friend of yours was going to make a move on that shed sooner rather than later.”
“You mean Red?”
Clint nodded. “He seemed pretty interested in that place when we had our conversation in the street.”
“Why?”
Although Clint pulled on some of his clothes, he didn’t reach in to take the brooch from where he’d stashed it. Instead, he asked her, “Do you know of anyone else who might be friends or family of the folks that lived there?”
“Not as such. I only lived near the Wilkins place,” she explained. “They didn’t really say much to me.”
“Well, it seemed they had a few valuable pieces of jewelry that Red was after.”
“Is that a fact?”
“Yep. You sure you don’t know of anyone who might have proper rights to something like that?”
She thought about it a bit more, but Belle had to reluctantly shake her head. “I hardly ever saw them leave that place of theirs and I never saw anyone else go in. Sorry.”
“It’s all right. Thanks for your help, though.”
Belle left the room and wasn’t gone for very long before returning. Clint had just enough time to get dressed and make certain the brooch was safe and sound in one of his pockets.
Before she opened the door again, Belle knocked. She peeked inside as if hoping to catch Clint in a compromising situation. When she found him sitting on the edge of the bed fully dressed, she shrugged and came inside anyway.
“Here you go,” she said while handing over a cup of water. “I didn’t know if you wanted another beer.”
“This’ll be fine,” Clint replied.
As he drank the cool water, Clint saw Belle snap her fingers and twist around to face him.
“I just remembered something!” she said anxiously.
“What?”
“It was something I wanted to tell you before you flew out of here in such a rush the last time. Do you remember that?”
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