“And you know this from looking at me or her?”
“Both.”
“What do you see when you look at her?”
“Oh honey it is not my place to divulge her secrets.” Dixie laughed.
“Oh only mine.”
“I am telling them to you. It’s not like I am telling them to anyone else.” She laughed. He smiled. He had to admit the more he talked to her the more he liked her style.
“Why did you want this room so much?” Dixie pointed over her shoulder at the window.
“This is the only room with a window.” He stood up and walked to the window and looked out.
“You can see the alley from here. I should talk to Katrina she might have seen something.”
“You should definitely talk to her, just tread lightly.”
Rose was impatiently waiting for the last few stragglers to leave. She was tired and she just wanted to get finished up so she could go to bed.
“Hi honey.”
“Hi Dixie, what are you doing up, it’s your night off.”
“I have a message from your dearly beloved.”
Rose frowned slightly.“What is it?”
“He is in the bedroom, he didn’t want anyoneto know he was back but he didn’t want you to be alarmed.”
“Thanks for the message.” Dixie walked away and Rose looked across the empty saloon. Izzy had just started putting up the chairs.
“Izzy, I am dead tired. Do you mind cleaning up tonight?”
“Of course not, you go get some rest.”
“Thanks.” She smiled and hung her apron before she walked out.
Matt made notes on everything he had learned from Dixie in his notebook he still didn’t have any clear suspects but at least he felt like he was making strides. The door opened slowly and he saw Rose poke her head in.
“Are you decent?” she asked and he laughed. She came all the way in and shut the door locking it as she did.“I thought you said you might not be back tonight,” She crossed and sat down beside him on the sofa.“Did you learn anything that helps the investigation?”
“I learned some interesting things but not from the trapper I didn’t go see him.”
“Why not?” He stood up and stepped away from her. He wasn’t quite sure how to broach the subject with her or how she was going to react.
“I got the feeling it was a wild goose chase. That someone just didn’t want me here.”
“Who?” she stood up and stepped toward him.
“Izzy. I think he was trying to get me out of here tonight I am just not sure why.”
“Izzy? Why would he want to get rid of you?”
“Not sure, just a gut feeling.”
“I am sure you’re just imagining things.” Rose laughed before he could respond someone knocked on the door. Rose jumped and Matt stepped between her and the door automatically. Rose didn’t respond and the person knocked again.
“Rose. Are you in there?” The door knob turned but the dead bolt held the door closed.
“Izzy, what do you need?”
“Can we talk for a minute?” Rose looked up at Matt but he didn’t give any indication as to what she should do.
“I am really tired. Let’s talk in the morning.” There was a moment of silence and then he pressed,
“Can I come in? It will only take a minute.” She swallowed hard.
“Sorry Izzy, I’ve already changed my clothes. Really I’ll come see you in the morning. I promise.” She heard him exhale loudly.
“Alright. In the morning.” Rose sagged against Matt relieved that Izzy had finally walked away. More relieved that she wasn’t alone. He put his arms around her and squeezed her tightly. She pulled back and punched him in the shoulder.
“What was that for?”
“Because you’re making me paranoid. Really Izzy? I owe him my life.I have known him for years.”
“Why do you owe him your life?” Her eyes narrowed at him and she crossed her arms.
“He saved my life.”
“That does not me you owe it to him.”
“Alright, what would you prefer that I say?”
“That he saved your life.”
“Alright, he saved my life.”
“How did he save your life?” Rose sighed and smiled at him. She stepped forward and tipped her forehead to rest against his chest. He quickly pulled the pins out and lifted the wig off her head. She didn’t move so he pulled the net off too then stuck his fingers in and shook it all out. It only took a moment to shake the curls free but he was reluctant to pull his hands out. Instead he began to lightly rub her scalp with his fingertips.
“Do you think he wanted you out of here so he could talk to me alone?” She mumbled not lifting her head.
“Maybe.”
“We were just alone in the Saloon together. Why didn’t he talk to me there?”
“I don’t know.” But he did know, they were out in the open in the Saloon with potential witnesses. He had no idea if Izzy meant her harm but he wasn’t going to let his guard down either. She looked up at him and smiled, he was still lightly massaging her scalp.
“That feels good.” He smiled and bent to kiss her, he hesitated a fraction before he touched her lips remembering that he was supposed to be letting her set the pace. But then she closed the gap pressing her lips to his. She closed her eyes and reveled in the feel as he wrapped his arms around her.
“You smell like perfume.”
“I had a long interesting conversation with Dixie.” He kissed down her neck and she tilted her head to the side to allow him access.
“Interesting how?”
“She doesn’t believe I am you husband, she doesn’t believe Izzy is your father. Basically she is observant enough to be dangerous, but she wouldn’t tell me much. Kind of like someone else I know.” She would have laughed if she hadn’t been so distracted by his mouth on her neck.
“Oh this is not a good idea.” She pulled back. He released her and held up his hands in surrender. His breathing was accelerated as was hers. She quickly scooped the wig up off the table where he had dropped it. She walked to the vanity and put the wig on the stand. She took a deep breath trying to calm her nerves.“The only things I don’t tell you are the things that aren’t important for you to know.”
“I know.”
“I am not withholding things that would help your case.”
“I know.”
“The truth is I wasn’t even here that night.”
“Alright.” She sighed and looked at him. He frowned she was behaving strangely.
“But I do know that something happened.” The lines in his forehead deepened as his frown deepened.“I just don’t know what.”
“Why don’t you just take it from the beginning?” he said softly. She sat down on the side of the bed and he moved to sit beside her.
“They were all acting strange when I got back. They told me what happened and at first I thought that it was because of what happened but then… someone knows something.”
“Katrina.” She looked up and her eyes met his.
“How did you know that?”
“Lucky guess. So what do you think she knows?”
She sighed and then smiled.“I have no idea.I just know that she wouldn’t meet my eyes for a week.” He cocked his head to the side and she laughed.“She’s like a kid in that respect. If she thinks she’s done something wrong she sulks around until she thinks you’re over it.” He smirked at that.“You want to sleep here?” She asked. He was beginning to notice that her subject changes were very abrupt when she was nervous.“I just thought it might be more comfortable since it’s not so short.” She said quickly.
“Sounds great.” He put out his hand motioning for her foot and she put it in his hands. He pulled her shoe off and began rubbing her foot.
“You must think I am terribly fickle.” She whispered.
“No I don’t.” He motioned for the other foot and she put it in his hand.“Did
anyone ever tell you,you worry too much?”
“Yes,” she said very softly.“My brother used to say that just before he was about to do something stupid.” She was staring at his hands on her feet.
“I didn’t know you had a brother.”
“Two.”
“Older or younger?”
“Both younger.” She was still staring vacantly at her feet and he didn’t want to break the spell.
“Luke is younger, I wish I could say he was the one doing the stupid things but… well it was both of us. Guess we needed a sister to be the voice of reason.” She took a deep breath and pulled her feet from his hands.
“That’s me. The voice of reason. The sensible one.” She smiled but he could tell that something wasn’t quite right.
He took his gun belt, shirt and boots off while she stepped behind the dressing screen.“Could you get the lamp?” She called from the other side and he blew out the lamp. He saw her shadow hurry to the bed and he almost laughed. He lay down beside her and she immediately moved into his arms.
“Oh don’t tell me you need me to keep you warm.”
“No.” He felt her take a deep breath and realized she was smelling him.
“Perfume still?”
“No, must’ve been the shirt.” She sighed and he felt her tense body relax against him. After a few moments he realized she was asleep.
In the silent darkness he was unable to escape his own thoughts. Dixie thought he was in love with Rose. She had even listed what she thought was proof. Now that she had planted the seed he couldn’t stop thinking about the possibility. Unfortunately, the more he thought about it the more he knew that Dixie was right. He had met a lot of women in his travels but none had ever moved him the way this one did. None had ever stirred his protective instincts so much. Even the idea that she had a child didn’t deter him, he never thought he would want to be a parent but then his niece came along and he loved her more than he would have imagined possible. He would give Rose the new life she wanted, he would take her away from all of this to somewhere where she never had to be afraid again. That’s what she said she wanted. She would go, he was fairly certain she was half in love with him too. After all every time she locked that door she was actually locking herself in with him.
Chapter 11
“Did you have something you wished to discuss with me?” Rose asked from the doorway and Izzy looked up.
“Ah come in come in.” She left the door cracked open and sat down in the chair.“I didn’t have something specific I just… well I am just a little worried about you. I’m afraid I made a mistake in letting the Ranger stay.”
“He is fine, he will be gone as soon as he catches the killer.”
Matt was irritated when he woke and found Rose gone. He dressed quickly and went to find her. His irritation blossomed into annoyance when he discovered she was in Izzy’s office.
Matt moved on to the kitchen. His annoyance churned in his gut as he poured his coffee.
“Good morning.” Matt looked up at the female voice and saw Faith enter. He’d had minimal contact with her. But then he hadn’t had a lot of contact with any of them. Faith had dark hair and voluptuous curves. Her eyes were so dark it was difficult to distinguish the pupils.
“Good morning.” He responded. He leaned back against the counter and took a sip of the bitter brew in his hand.
“Looks like it’s going to be a beautiful day.”
“Uh-huh.” She approached him and his senses came alert.
“Could I get one of those?” She held out a cup and he lifted the pot off the stove and filled it for her.
“Thank you.”
“Sure.”
“So how long are you planning to stay?”
“As long as I have to.” He evaded.
“You and I should get to know each other better.” She looked at him from under partially lowered lashes.
“I am a married man.” he protested, but she just laughed.
“Yeah and I am a nun.” She leaned across him and retrieved the sugar bowl. He tried hard not to move away.“We could have a good time.”
“Thanks for the offer I am afraid I am going to have to pass.” She just smiled a bit wider.
“You know where to find me if you change your mind.” She winked at him before she left and he took a sip of his coffee. That seemed like a bit too much of a coincidence. He wondered if Dixie had put her up to it just to prove a point to him.
“Good morning.” This time it was Rose who came breezing into the kitchen.
“Morning.”
“How did you sleep?” She asked as she poured a cup of coffee.
“Great. How did you sleep?”
“Good.” She turned and walked out of the kitchen without once meeting his eyes. He followed her out into the saloon.
“I guess Katrina isn’t the only one with a knack for sulking.”
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“Then look me in the eye and tell me you don’t.” Rose sighed and turned back he stopped and she took a step closer.
“She is a sure thing,” she said softly, “She is beautiful and she likes you.”
“Which one of us are you trying to convince?”
“I am just an exercise in frustration for you.” His eyes narrowed slightly as he realized what she was telling him to do.
“Do you really think so little of me?”
“No,” she said quickly then lowered her voice to a whisper, “No, I just… I am sorry that I said you couldn’t fraternize with the girls. You are free to do what you want.”
“I have always been free to do what I wanted and if that had been what I wanted what you said wouldn’t have mattered.”
“I just… you don’t owe me your loyalty and she is so beautiful.”
“Have you looked in the mirror?” he hissed,“You are every bit as beautiful as any of these women, more so when you take off that damn wig.” She stared at him wide eyed.
“You’ve never said that before.”
“I tried once and you said you weren’t interested in empty flattery.”
“I’m not.”
“Well that’s good because it’s not empty flattery. I mean it,” he growled. She was torn between crying and kissing him. She decided on the latter and moved toward him but then she heard the door open.
“Jack, right on time. I’ll be back,” he said to her then turned to go. He took a few steps then turned and came back. “Loyalty can’t be owed. It’s one of those things that has to be freely given like love or respect,” he said, then turned again and followed the other man out the door. Rose stood there feeling slightly dumbfounded. It had taken every ounce of courage she had to tell him he should take Faith up on her offer. She had expected he would be happy. Instead he seemed angry. He said she was beautiful. She felt herself smile as the words ran through her memory.
“What did you find out?” Matt asked Jack as they walked.
“Not much. I talked to a couple of trappers up the longhorn trail but neither of them seemed overly suspicious and both claimed they hadn’t been down in weeks.”
“Yeah that’s what I figured.”
“Do you think, Madison has more to do with this?”
“I don’t know, maybe. Or maybe he just wanted me away from Rose.”
“Yeah, you looked a little cozy back there.”
“Do me a favor and dig into Madison a little more. I think there is more to his past than some petty theft.”
Rose was distracted all day. Matt was in and out while she finished up the books and went over inventory. He was perched at the end of the bar when customers started arriving.
“Can I get you something hun?” It was her hand on his arm that made him look up.
“Do you have any sarsaparilla?” He asked and smiled at her.
“Sure do.” She winked at him and popped open a bottle for him.
“Join me?” He asked but she just shook her head.
“Sorry I
’m working.” She lifted his bottle and took a swig before she walked away and he grinned. She kept looking at him while she was working. He was watching the room like he always did. He seemed perfectly focused. She was the one who couldn’t seem to concentrate. It was a bit unsettling that he could cause her such distraction and he was unaffected. The more she watched him the more she wanted to unsettle him as much as he unsettled her.
“Matt, can you give me a hand?”
“Sure.” He straightened up and followed her into the store room. “What can I do for you?” He glanced around thinking she needed him to retrieve a crate or something. She turned back and walked straight up to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. She couldn’t quite reach his mouth but he was happy to bend and meet her. She tasted the sarsaparilla on his lips as she plunged her tongue deep into his mouth. His arms tightened around her crushing her against him. She knew she had caught him off guard but his response was immediate he kissed her until she was breathless and had to pull away.
“I have a question about that line…” She breathed.
“There is no line.” She was pleased to hear that he was breathless as well. He nuzzled her neck and she felt his whiskers scrape lightly across her skin.
“If… if I let you touch me do the same rules apply?”
“Yes,” he hesitated,“you’ll need a bucket of water.”
“What for?”
“To put the fire out.” She laughed and pulled out of his arms.
“I better get back out there.” She started for the door and his hand slid down her arm as she moved away. When he reached her fingers he caught them and pulled her back.
“Wait.” He bent and kissed her tenderly on the lips then released her. She smiled before she turned and walked out. He took a moment to compose himself before he followed. She had surprised him but it was nice, at least now he knew she was thinking about him as much as he was thinking about her. Of course now the anticipation of what would happen once they were alone was going to drive him mad all night.
He stepped back up beside the bar and risked a glance down at her. She was serving drinks. It appeared that no one seemed to notice anything amiss. He glanced at the men along the bar and noticed that they weren’t Rose’s usual gallery of admirers. A couple of them were regulars but there were several that he had never seen before. He glanced around the room and saw several pockets of unfamiliar faces spread throughout the room. Something was about to happen he could feel it. He quickly calculated the odds of being able to squash this before it started. They weren’t good.
Whiskey Rose (Fallen) Page 10
