by Nerys Leigh
George squinted up at him. “If you’re going to hang around here, come and give me a hand with this.”
“Can’t. I have to get to the saloon to walk Jo back to the hotel.”
“Then stop talking about my death and go away.”
Zach smiled and gave Eagle a final scratch. “I’ll find out somehow.”
George returned his attention to the hoof. “Over my dead body.”
When Zach returned to the saloon, Jo was waiting for him outside. On impulse, he offered her his arm. He’d never done it before, but he was feeling lucky today.
She glanced around them. “Aren’t you worried people will talk?”
“’Bout what?”
“About how you brazenly had on your arm the woman who got married and divorced in less than three weeks and who now works in the saloon.”
“I think they’re more likely to be wondering how a guy like me got the prettiest woman in town onto his arm in the first place.” He waggled his elbow. “Don’t tell me you’re going to deny me the pleasure of making every man in Green Hill Creek jealous.”
Laughing softly, she threaded her arm through his. “You’re a dangerous man, Zach Parsons.”
It felt instantly right, being arm in arm with her. “Oh? How so?”
His heart flipped when she replied.
“Because you’re too charming, and too handsome, and you make it too hard for a woman to resist you.”
He wondered if it would look too strange if he skipped all the way to the hotel.
Chapter 21
A week passed during which Jo’s life settled into something of a routine, a routine that involved work at the saloon, work at the hotel, a little leisure time when she painted and sketched, and some time with her friends. And wrapped around and wound through it all, Zach.
He came to the hotel every morning to have breakfast with her, even though he didn’t start work until four. He’d return for a late lunch, after she’d finished her few hours of working with Mrs. Sanchez, and they would spend an hour or so together while she sketched or painted him. And then he’d walk her to the saloon. Rufus had quickly moved her onto a later shift so she could work the bigger evening crowd and she now started at three and left at ten. Zach would return to walk her back to the hotel and then she’d usually drift down to the lobby to keep him company until he closed up at eleven. She always took a pencil and paper down with her. He’d become her favourite subject to sketch.
At the back of her mind, she knew she shouldn’t encourage his attention. When he found out she was carrying a child, he would be incredibly hurt.
Every day she told herself it would be the last, that she would gently tell him that she had enjoyed his company immensely, but they couldn’t spend any more time together. And every day passed without her going through with it, ending with her lying in bed and saying to herself, “Tomorrow. I’ll tell him tomorrow.”
But tomorrow never came.
The truth was, she’d reached the point where she wasn’t sure how she would go on without him. Part of her was concerned that she had, once again, become dependent on a man, but the rest of her knew that this time it was different. Zach wouldn’t abandon her the way Clive and her father had. This time, she was the problem.
And the closer she and Zach became, the more she hated herself for it.
~ ~ ~
It was closing in on nine and Jo’s feet were starting to ache. She’d be counting down the minutes of her last hour before she could leave the saloon. Thankfully it was Saturday and she could have a break the following day. Since starting the first regular, genuine job she’d ever had, she was coming to appreciate the wisdom of having a day of rest on Sundays. She had to concede, if He existed, God knew what He was doing.
Rufus ambled up to the bar. “Another good evening’s take.” The light from the wall mounted lamps behind the bar glinted off his gold tooth as he smiled. “I confess, I had my doubts when I hired you, but now I don’t know why I didn’t think of having a beautiful woman behind the bar earlier. You’ve charmed every man in here.” He reached out and brushed the back of his hand down her cheek. “Including me.”
She forced her non-committal smile to remain in place, resisting the urge to pull away as her skin crawled. “Well, that’s my job, to charm the money right out of their pockets. Including yours.”
She wasn’t stupid. She’d seen him watching her, and one day, maybe soon, he would make a move and she’d need to be ready to somehow rebuff his advance without losing her job. She still hadn’t worked out how she was going to achieve that.
He laughed and caught hold of her hand, bringing it to his lips and brushing a kiss onto the back. She distracted herself with musings on how much his gold tooth was worth and if she’d need special tools to yank it from his mouth.
“I get the feeling you and I could do great things together,” he said, smiling in the way that always reminded her of a snake sizing up its prey. “One day soon we’ll have a talk about it.”
Fortunately, Hiram chose that moment to sidle up to the bar with his empty glass, and Jo was spared having to give Rufus an answer.
“Fill ‘er up, Jo,” Hiram said, smiling and scratching one armpit.
Rufus nodded to her, clapped Hiram on the back, and retreated to the end of the bar.
~ ~ ~
Zach strolled along the road in the direction of the saloon, absently sliding a coin back and forth between his knuckles.
He’d spent the early evening visiting his friend, Will, and fielding questions from Will’s sister-in-law about his relationship with Jo. Having arrived with Jo on the train, Sara was understandably protective of her, but Zach got the feeling she didn’t quite believe his assertions that they were just friends. It wasn’t a lie, but he wasn’t sure how successful he was in hiding his desire to be more. Women could be uncomfortably astute in these matters.
He was on his way to see his father, but he planned to look in on Jo at the saloon on the way. Just because he could. He wished she had Saturdays off like he did. Well, technically he worked at the livery on Saturdays, but he had a little leeway on when he did the actual work, since it was for his father. Just as long as he got it done.
Reaching the splayed rectangles of light that spilled onto the street from the saloon at night, he climbed the steps. And stopped.
He watched in disbelief as Rufus reached across the bar and brushed his fingers down Jo’s face. Then he lifted her hand to his lips.
He’s her boss, Zach told himself. She has no choice.
Except, she was smiling.
His legs suddenly weak, he slumped against the post that held up the balcony. She liked him, not Rufus. She spent time with him, laughed at his jokes, told him he was handsome and charming. Okay, she’d only told him that once, but that was enough. She hadn’t been lying. Had she?
What could she possibly see in Rufus? So he was suave and well dressed and probably had more spare change in his pocket than Zach had earned in his lifetime, but Jo didn’t care about those things. Zach couldn’t offer her great wealth and all it could buy, but she wanted love, she’d told Gabriel so. He could offer her all the love in the world.
But she’d been smiling. She hadn’t pulled her hand away or told Rufus to leave her alone. She’d smiled, as if she was enjoying his attentions. What did Zach really know about her? As far as she was concerned, he didn’t know about her baby. What else wasn’t she telling him?
Shaking his head, he turned away and trudged back down the steps. How could she do this to him? Did he truly mean nothing to her?
He came to a halt on the dusty street, clenching his fists.
No.
He wouldn’t simply give in. He was just as good as anyone else and he wasn’t going to stand outside meekly waiting for her attention while another man stole it. He had every right to be in that saloon, with her.
Spinning on his heel, he marched back up the stairs and pushed through the doors before he could talk himself
out of it.
Jo’s eyes widened as he strode up to the bar and sat on a stool.
“Zach, what are you doing in here? I don’t get off for another hour.”
“I’m not here to walk you home.” He slapped the coin he’d been playing with onto the bar. “I’m here the same reason everyone else is. Give me a whiskey.”
“You don’t drink!”
He almost changed his mind at her horrified expression, but then he glimpsed Rufus smirking at them from the end of the bar. “I don’t drink now. Doesn’t mean I never have. Whiskey. Please.”
“I’m not going to give you a whiskey. What’s got into you?”
Rufus slithered behind the bar and walked up to Jo, placing his hand on her lower back. “There a problem here?”
It was all Zach could do to keep himself from lunging across the bar and removing Rufus’ hand from her, possibly by separating it from his arm.
“No problem. I’m just here for a drink.”
The smirk returned. “Well, give the man a drink, Jo.”
Her eyes flicked between the two of them before she puffed out a breath. “Fine.”
She twisted away from Rufus’ touch and took a bottle from the shelf behind her.
One of Rufus’ eyes twitched as she made her choice. “Sure you want that one?”
She shot him a look. “Yes.”
He shrugged one shoulder. “Enjoy your drink, Mr. Parsons.”
His gaze lingered on Zach for a few moments before he returned to the stool at the end of the bar. There was a whole host of meaning in that gaze. A challenge or a warning, Zach wasn’t sure, but he didn’t particularly care at that moment.
He took the shot Jo poured for him and downed it in one go. The liquid hit his throat like a lava flow, burning down his gullet and making his eyes water. It took a few coughs to recover. He’d forgotten how strong the stuff was. But he could tell she’d given him the good whiskey, not the rotgut Rufus cut with turpentine and who knew what else.
Placing the glass down, he pushed it towards her. “Another one.”
She refilled the glass and he drank it down, a little more slowly this time, before nodding for another refill.
Glancing towards Rufus, she leaned across the bar and lowered her voice. “Please, Zach. I don’t want you to do this.”
“Well, what you want and what I want isn’t as similar as I thought it was.” The words were out before he could think, and he regretted them when hurt crossed her face.
But then her expression hardened. “Fine, do it. Throw away all your money and get drunk. What do I care?”
He hadn’t gone in there to get drunk. The truth was, he wasn’t sure why he’d gone in there, other than to publicly stake his claim on her in front of Rufus. But now he was here, there was no way he was backing down.
He pushed the glass across the surface of the bar with one finger.
Pressing her lips together, she filled the glass again.
~ ~ ~
By the time Jo’s shift ended, Zach was well and truly inebriated.
Each time she refilled his glass, she willed him to stop, but he just kept on going until he was swaying on his seat and slurring his words. It broke her heart to see him that way.
She didn’t have the slightest idea what had driven him to do it, other than he’d seemed angry at her when he came in. She wracked her memory for what she could have done wrong, but came up with nothing. Well, that wasn’t entirely true, she came up with one thing, but she could barely bring herself to contemplate that he’d somehow discovered she was pregnant.
She desperately wanted to ask him, but she couldn’t, not in public. And asking him outright was out too, in case she was wrong. But what else could it be? What else would make him angry at her when all he’d ever been up to now was considerate and caring and perfect? Of course, no man was perfect, she knew that all too well. Although if anyone could be, it was Zach.
But maybe she’d misjudged him. The thought almost brought tears to her eyes. She didn’t want to lose her Zach. Her funny, sweet, charming, perfect Zach.
“You’re so pretty,” he said with a lopsided grin as they walked away from the saloon, her in a straight line, him less so.
“And you’re so drunk,” she replied, smiling back at him.
At least he was a happy drunk, but what else had she expected? Zach didn’t have it in him to be an angry drunk.
“Yep, I’m drunk. How long did that take?”
“Not long.” Half an hour and the effects of the alcohol had literally almost knocked him from his stool.
“You’re just about the prettiest woman I’ve ever seen.” He stumbled, almost colliding with her. “’Scuse me.”
“Is that right?” Catching hold of him, she draped his arm around her shoulders before he fell over. She was pretty sure that if he went down, she wouldn’t be able to get him up again.
“But you’re more than pretty. You’re funny and smart and clever and interesting and... really, really pretty. I like you a lot.”
“I like you too.”
The smile slid from his face and he looked down at his feet, almost pulling both of them over onto their faces. “Do you really like me? Or are you just being nice?”
With effort, she got him more or less upright and they started walking again. “I really like you.” She liked him too much.
He turned his face towards her, the smile sidling back into place. “You’re really pretty.”
Despite being drenched with hundred proof breath, she couldn’t help but smile back. “Thank you.”
How could he be so adorable, even while completely pickled?
There were a few paces of contemplative silence.
“I think I’m a bit drunk.”
“I think you’re a bit right.”
The five minute walk to Zach’s house took closer to fifteen, but they finally made it.
Jo propped him against the wall beside the door. “Where is your key?”
“Pocket.” He yawned. “I’m sleepy.”
“We’re almost there.” She extracted the key from his pocket, opened the door, and hauled him inside.
He dropped onto the settee, leaned his head on the arm, and closed his eyes.
“No, Zach, you should get to bed...” A gentle snore told her it was too late.
She found a lamp by the door. When it was lit, the first thing she noticed was her painting of the view from her room at the hotel, hanging in pride of place above the fireplace. He’d mounted it in a simple wooden frame and she had to admit it looked good. She wondered if he looked at it and thought of her.
Rolling her eyes at the overly romantic idea, she went in search of supplies.
His bedroom was simple and unfussy, with white walls and functional furniture. It was a little cluttered, but clean. A small pile of coins and a loose deck of cards sat on the nightstand and she imagined him practising his tricks with them as he sat in bed, probably one-handed while he read the well worn, leather-bound Bible that lay beside them.
A small, knitted animal, a bear, sat on a shelf and she walked over for a closer look. Taking it down, she ran her fingers over the soft woollen surface. A leg was losing its stuffing and one of the buttons that served as eyes hung loose. It had obviously been well-loved by the young Zach.
An ache in Jo’s chest prompted her to return the bear back to the shelf. Zach had so much love to give, but it wouldn’t be hers, not once he found out. If he hadn’t already.
Pushing thoughts of losing him from her mind, she gathered a pillow and blanket from the bed and returned to the living room. He hadn’t moved from where he lay slumped on the settee with his feet on the floor. Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on how she looked at it, this wasn’t the first time she’d dealt with a drunken, sleeping man.
She pulled off his shoes and swivelled his legs up onto the settee, then she pushed the pillow beneath his head and tucked the blanket around him. He stirred briefly, snuggling down into the p
illow, but was sound asleep again within seconds. She found a bucket in the kitchen and placed it on the floor beside the settee where he could reach it when he woke, just in case.
With everything set, she knelt on the floor beside him and gently pushed a strand of hair from his slumbering face.
“Oh, Zach,” she whispered, touching her fingertips to the smooth skin of his cheek, “I wish I could have met you before I messed everything up.”
There was no avoiding it, her determination to be done with men had vanished when it came to Zach. How different her life would have been if she’d met him instead of Clive. Maybe she’d have her little house by now, with curtains and a white lace tablecloth and fresh flowers every day. Maybe it could have been Zach’s child growing inside her.
Sighing, she leaned forward and pressed a kiss to his forehead.
Then she rose to her feet and, with one final look at his peaceful, sleeping face, she blew out the lamp and left.
Chapter 22
Zach’s brain crawled painfully towards consciousness. His head was throbbing so badly he could hear it.
He squeezed his eyes shut tighter, willing the thudding to go away. It didn’t. In fact, it got louder.
With a jolt, he realised the sound was real. Someone was knocking on his door. He opened his eyes and immediately regretted it. Why was the light so bright this morning?
Squinting against the glare, he swivelled his feet out from underneath the blanket and set them on the cold floor. He leaned forward to peer down, frowning. Where was the rug? And for that matter, where was his bed?
He looked around properly for the first time. Instead of the bedroom he was expecting, he saw his living room. Why was he sleeping on the settee?
The knock came again.
“Okay, I’m coming,” he muttered, pushing himself unsteadily to his feet.
The change in altitude did nothing for his headache, except possibly make it worse. It also added a wave of nausea to his discomfort.
His foot hit something hard when he took a step towards the door, sending it clattering across the floor.
