Anger roiled up inside him, and Del slugged Drake. Rather he meant to. What happened was Peter throwing a hard fist to Del’s gut and another to his face faster than he knew what had happened to him. Then he heard Jericho. Pleading for him.
“Leave him be, Peter.”
Peter stepped back and again grabbed her. “Let’s dance.”
The music was slow but had stopped at the altercation. Drake nodded at the fiddlers and told them to start up again. By the time Del got to his feet, Drake had Jericho close to him as they danced together.
Del started to intervene when Jericho shook her head. She was crying. But she was telling him to let it go.
Now he was angry at Jericho. Del had been right to get rid f her.
Drake laughed.
That did it. Del marched over to them and tapped on Drake’s shoulder. “I’d like this dance.”
Whirling, Drake shoved Del back until he tripped. Sheriff Levi stepped in between them and put a stop to the fight. “Stay away from each other.”
The sheriff turned to Jericho. “Who do you want to be with?”
Her eyes found him. “Del, if he still wants to dance with me.”
Levi nodded at him. “Well?”
Del nodded and took Jericho’s hand.
She touched his lip. “I’m sorry. Be careful of Drake. He’s an evil man.”
“You knew him before?”
She nodded. “I got away from him once. Now that he’s found me again, I don’t know. He’s a killer, Del. I’ll have to leave, or he’ll hurt you or even Sterling and Bridgette.”
Del looked in her eyes. “Don’t go.”
She shook her head. “I don’t have a choice. Please, excuse me.” Jericho ran from him and out the door of the church.
Del had never felt so empty. He stepped away from the dance floor and walked to the door.
Pastor Bret came to his side. “Trouble?”
He nodded.
“Go after her, Del.”
He wanted to. Everything inside him yelled get her, but his feet wouldn’t move. He just stared at Jericho as she walked down the path.
Then Gloria took his hand. “Want to dance?”
Del turned, saw the pastor’s eyes on him, and then turned to Gloria. He smiled and nodded. “That’s what I came to do.”
***
Jericho left the church. She had to get away from Drake. There was no way she could stay and see that man hurt Del. And he would. Peter had done it before. She’d only been eighteen at the time.
She thought back to that night. The moment Peter Drake had walked in the saloon, she thought he was the most handsome man she’d ever seen. Madame Charley pushed her away and tried to make her leave the room, but Peter had spotted her.
In minutes, he claimed her for his own. From that time, he wouldn’t let her out of his sight, and if he wasn’t around, Drake had one of his hired guns watching her. At first, she was elated with the attention and gifts he threw at her. Then she came to know the real Peter Drake after she’d talked to a young cowboy just in the saloon for a few drinks.
Peter nearly beat the boy to death. Then he beat her that night. And so, it started. She cowered when Peter came near her. Afraid to talk to anyone. Madame Charley had tried to warn her, but now it was too late.
After he beat her again, Jericho had escaped out the window and climbed into Charley’s room. The woman gave her money and put her on a stagecoach to the next town with orders to get on the train and tell no one where she was going.
Jericho didn’t even know the name of the town she’d wound up in, but a year later, she heard how Charley had been beaten to death. They suspected Drake but no one could prove it.
Saddened by remembering those times, Jericho changed her mind about leaving Shirleyville. If Drake needed to kill someone, let it be her. If she left, she believed he’d kill Del. Besides, the town needed to know what kind of man this was and to run him out. Levi was fast with his gun, but she’d seen Drake in a gunfight. Black lightning, she’d heard the crowd call him. She’d tell Sterling about Peter Drake and his dealings.
Jericho turned around. This was her town. Her new life. She wasn’t going to run and lose it to the past. She walked back to the church.
Pastor Bret smiled when she walked back inside. She nodded at him, keeping her head high she walked to the table with lemonade and took a glass. She looked over the room but didn’t see Del. Then, after a couple of dancers moved, she saw him sitting down, and Gloria tending his bleeding lip.
Her first thought was to go to him, but then she knew that she really needed to distance herself from Del to keep Peter from hurting him. If she got Drake to realize that Del had no interest in her, then Del might be safe.
She didn’t see Drake and hoped he’d left. Jericho nibbled on a cookie and was just beginning to feel safe. Before she heard or saw him, she felt Drake’s presence. A stillness in the air. A silent warning inside her that she’d developed in the old days.
Jericho braced herself. She would not leave the building with the man. She had friends here.
“Jericho.”
She didn’t look. It was him. That voice. Smooth, compelling, and alluring. Instead, she shook her head and kept her gaze on the dance floor, hoping the friendly miner, Adam, would find her again and ask her for a dance. Yet, at the same time. She willed him away to save him from the danger Peter Drake carried with him.
“Come on. We used to have something together.” Drake patted her hand.
Jericho stirred her courage and turned to him. “Leave me. I don’t want to see you again.”
Peter grinned. That same handsome, cunning grin he always used on her. This time it wasn’t going to work. “Jericho, Jericho. We could rule this town. You and me. We’d be unstoppable.”
She could feel the draw on her to agree with him, but she resisted. “I’m not that woman anymore.” She gathered her things and stood, but before she could move away, he grabbed her wrist in an iron grip.
“I really want you in my saloon. You could run the place.” His honeyed words tickled her ears.
“No.” She twisted out of his grasp and then faced him. “I will do whatever I can to prevent you from starting a saloon in this town. It would be best if you left Shirleyville.”
Drake laughed and, in one quick motion, pulled off her hat and threw it on the chair. “You think this town is going to believe a harlot like you? When they find out, they’ll run you out of town, not me.”
Jericho grabbed her hat, put it on, and stormed away from him, and nearly ran into Judge Taggart.
He caught her before she could fall. The judge’s eyes darted to Drake and back to hers. “Is everything all right?”
Jericho nodded.
“If you need any help, you let me know.” The judge stepped between her and Drake, letting her pass behind him while keeping Drake from following.
Jericho was thankful for the few friends she had in town. She’d do anything to protect them. But she would not leave Shirleyville so that Drake could take advantage of the town. Already, she’d seen him talking to Adler and Del.
She was almost to the door when Preacher Bret pulled her to the side.
“I’m glad you came back to the social. I want you to know there are many here who will protect you from that man. Don’t let him steal what you came to do and be.”
“Thank you, Preacher Brett. I decided there was a time to stand and fight my past. I want to protect this town. Peter Drake is an evil man.” She stared into the pastor’s eyes and saw that he knew she was right.
Bret nodded. “I can see that. I think this town is going to have to fight for its soul. He’s just one of the battles.”
That surprised Jericho. She wondered what other troubles were coming against the town. Then she saw James and Li. The pastor was right. Other problems were setting up for the people of Shirleyville to overcome.
Jericho wanted to be one of the good citizens who helped. She looked Bret in the eye. “I�
��m not leaving. If you need help, I’ll do whatever I can.”
He smiled. “Thank you. Are you staying at the hotel?”
“Tonight. Then I’ll go back to Bridgette’s to help her.”
Bret smiled. “Good. I’m glad you’re staying, Jericho.”
She nodded. “I’m going to the hotel. You’ll watch out for James and Li?”
The preacher nodded. “This is still God’s house.”
“Good night.” Jericho left the church. This time on her own. Not running. But determined to stay and fight the evil that was Peter Drake. The night air chilled her as she walked down the path to Main Street.
Chapter 16
Del stopped Gloria from tending his lip. Though her hands and touch were soft, it wasn’t right. “Thank you, that’s enough now.” He smiled at her and then stood, looking for Jericho.
When Drake had grabbed her, Del had thought he’d come undone. If he’d doubted that he had feelings for her before, he knew he did now. Whatever Jericho had been in the past, he still cared for her.
Maybe down deep, he’d known. But now, he had to find her and tell her he was willing to try. Del waved Gloria from him and went to the center of the room to look for Jericho, but she was gone.
He saw James and Li. They were staying at the hotel. He’d hoped they had left together. But James was talking to Dr. Philip, and Li was talking to Sarah. More music started up for the last dance of the night.
Slow and dreamy, they played their instruments, and Del wished he had Jericho in his arms to tell her he was sorry. That together, they could work through their troubles. That he’d defend her against anyone who came against her because of her past.
With Peter Drake around, Del knew there wouldn’t be a person who wouldn’t know. The man would spill his poison. He’d already seen Francesca at work as she stopped a few women, spoke, and then saw the shocked looks. Some of them searching him out and shaking their heads in pity.
What a fool he’d been. Thinking so highly of how he had come clean and denying Jericho the chance. The preacher was right. It took the Lord to cleanse one’s heart. Del knew that now. He just hoped it wasn’t too late.
Del passed Ronan and Pearl, Cassidy and Matt, Sarah and Doc Newsome, and then James and Li. Seeing the happy couples, Del knew that he could have been dancing with Jericho and feeling just as much in love and happy. If only.
With a yank, he took his coat from the rack.
Preacher Bret handed him his hat. “She left maybe thirty minutes ago. She was going to the hotel.”
Del looked at him. “I was a fool, wasn’t I?”
Shaking his head, Bret handed him his scarf. “You’re a good man, Del. You want the best, but you were just blinded for a while. Jericho is a wonderful woman. I hope you can catch her and make her see that.”
“That’s exactly what I intend to do.” He nodded at Bret and went outside. The night was bright, with a full moon, but the air was cold.
Del looked down the path toward Main Street but didn’t see her. She shouldn’t have had to walk alone. It wasn’t safe. Not for a lady on her own. From now on, that was how he would see Jericho. A lady. Just as if she’d never worked the saloons.
He rushed down the path. Aware that the vacant lot Peter Drake wanted for his saloon was nearby. Del would do everything he could to keep that from happening. The sooner Shirleyville got rid of that menace, the better.
Del stepped onto Main Street and walked past the saloon. He almost went inside to look for her, but he knew that Jericho wouldn’t go back to that life. If he knew anything about her, he knew that much.
He walked up the street to the hotel, entered, and hit the bell on the counter to wake up Clarence. After a few minutes, the clerk came from behind the counter.
“Del, what can I do for you?”
“Have you seen Jericho?”
“No, sorry. I was sleeping. Long day. But she could be up in her room.” Clarence looked out the door. “I still hear music. Is she at the church?”
Shaking his head, Del pointed at the keys. “Which room is she in?”
Clarence studied the register. “Room twelve. Up the stairs and to the left.”
“Thanks.” Del took the stairs two at a time as urgency propelled him forward. He’d been a fool to turn away her love. He knew it now, he just hoped he wasn’t too late. He counted the rooms, found room twelve, and stood before it. Praying she’d listen, he knocked on her door, and it slowly swung open.
An icy chill climbed his backbone. He entered and looked in the darkened room. “Jericho?”
No answer.
He found the lamp and lit it. His worst fears played out as he saw signs of a struggle. A chair overturned. Her reticule on the floor. Jericho hadn’t left willingly. Del searched the room, but she was gone. He ran out the door and down the stairs.
“Clarence, Jericho’s not in her room. Someone has taken her. Did you see anything?”
Shaking his head, Clarence closed the register. “No. Sorry, I was in the back.”
Del ran outside. The sheriff was still at the social. Del had the terrible sense that Peter Drake was behind her disappearance. Fearing for her, Del ran back to the church.
Out of breath, he went inside and nearly ran into James and Li. “Have you seen Jericho?”
James shook his head. “She left some time ago. Is something wrong?”
“She’s not at the hotel.” Del saw Levi getting his coat. “Excuse me.” Del ran to Levi, who handed Eve’s coat to her.
“Del, is something wrong?”
“Jericho. I can’t find her. She’s not at the hotel.”
Levi helped Eve into her coat. “I saw her leave the church.”
“Her room at the hotel, the door was unlocked. Her reticule was on the floor, and a chair overturned. She’s not there.” Del licked his lips. “I think Peter Drake is behind her disappearance.”
Levi put a hand on Del’s shoulder. “Stay right here.” The sheriff went to the middle of the room and whistled. “Folks. I need your attention. Jericho is missing. Del believes someone, possibly Peter Drake, has taken her. I need some volunteers. Meet me at the jail.” He pointed at Ronan. “Stop at the livery and get some horses.”
The church cleared out. Del hurried to keep up with Levi. “I knew that man was no good. Jericho knew him from the past.”
Levi nodded. “He’s a slick one, all right. First, we’ll check the hotel and see if Mr. Drake is there. Ronan is going to take a group of men to search the town. We’ll meet in an hour and see if he’s come up with anything.”
Del followed Levi into the hotel.
Clarence came to attention. “Sheriff, what’s going on?”
“Drake, does he have a room here?”
Clarence nodded. “Room seven.”
Levi pointed. “Bring the key and follow me.” He ran up the stairs, Del and Clarence struggled to keep up.
Del watched as Levi pounded on the door. After a minute, he unlocked the door and went in. “Peter Drake? Jericho?”
There was no answer.
Clarence came in and looked. “His bags are gone.”
Levi turned to the clerk. “You’re sure?”
“Yes, he had two bags. I know because I carried them up for him.” He pointed to a corner. “They were there.”
Levi tapped his gun and then looked at Del. “The only other place a gambler might go would be the saloon. Let’s check out the Gilded Lady. But my bet is on the Wild Joker.”
Del nodded. “You have a gun for me?”
Levi started for the door. “At the office. A horse too. Let’s go check the Gilded Lady. Clarence, you go and tell Ronan that we’re checking the saloon, and then we’re riding to the Wild Joker.”
“Yes, sir.”
Del followed Levi across the street. He looked at the lights and winced at the laughter inside The Gilded Lady. What if Jericho had gone back to what she knew? Then Del remembered looking at her. The determination on her face when she told h
im that part of her life was over.
He would trust her. Believe in her. If only he had done that sooner, then she would be at his side right now. And not missing.
Levi shoved open the doors and walked in. He looked around and then pointed to Rick Hanson, the owner of the saloon. “Rick, I need a word.”
Rick frowned, said something to men at the table he was sitting at, and rose. He walked to them with a slick smile on his face. “Sheriff, what can I do for you?”
“We’re looking for a woman, Jericho Winters.”
“Never heard of her.” Rick lit a cigar and puffed in the sheriff’s face.
“What about Peter Drake?”
With a shake of his head, Rick nodded. “Him, I’ve heard of. He tried to buy me out. Threatened me. If you find him, I’d like to press charges.”
Levi rubbed the back of his neck. “We think he has the woman. If you hear anything, it would go well with you to let me know.”
“Sure. Anything to make the law happy.” Rick waved his arm toward the back of his saloon. “Have a look if you want.”
Levi shook his head. “Won’t be necessary.”
Del followed Levi out of the saloon. “You don’t think she’d be in there?”
“No, Rick has always been straight with me. Besides, he warned me about Drake this afternoon. So, I doubt if he’d help the man. You don’t think Jericho would have gone in The Gilded Lady for a job?”
“No, no, I don’t.” Del knew she’d never go back to that life. “Where do we go now?”
Horses galloped toward them, and Ronan and about six men stopped in front of them. Ronan threw a gun to Del and the reins of his horse. Then gave Levi his horse. “Ready to go?”
“Ready.” Levi mounted and held up his hand. “We’re just going to check and see if the lady is there. No shots fired unless needed. Let’s go.”
Del’s thoughts mixed like oil and water as he rode with Levi. He blamed himself for not taking her at her word. For believing that she was a changed woman.
He slapped the reins over his horse’s neck. That Jericho was in danger was obvious. Drake was no man to trifle with, and Jericho had humiliated the gambler. Levi slowed down as they neared the Wild Joker.
Jericho (Bridgette's Bridal Registry Book 1) Page 12
