by Lori Wick
Mr. Whitter answered in the firmest voice yet. “Mr. Hackett works for my uncle. He stays with me.”
Pup was so surprised by the name that she moved on the step. It squeaked loudly. She heard, “What was that?” just before she made a beeline out of there. The door was already opening as she hit the bottom stair, and with a swift decision she let herself slip to her knees. She was groping for the wall when she was grabbed from behind.
“What? What is it?” she managed in a drunken slur.
“What’re you doing back here?” It was her brother’s voice.
“I gotta get out,” she mumbled. “I gotta go.”
“It’s just an old drunk!” Jubal snapped toward someone back up the stairs. A moment later Pup found herself lifted by the coat and propelled to a door she hadn’t seen—a moment after that she was lying face down in the alley. Jubal slammed the door without another word, and what little light she’d had was cut off completely.
The groan that escaped her lips was very real. The wet spot on her side as well as the pain in her hip told her she’d fallen on and broken her bottle. She was coming to her hands and knees when she felt other hands helping her. She finally rose to her feet.
“Okay, old-timer. You’re going to be all right.” It was McKay’s voice. Pup thought she would quit if she had one more surprise tonight. She was on the verge of speaking in her normal voice and giving herself away to him when Charlie Barnes spoke from behind them.
“That you, McKay?”
“Yeah.” He spun swiftly, dismissing the old drunk from his mind.
“It’s Charlie Barnes. Someone would like to see you.”
Without question McKay followed him. Pup stood very still and heard Charlie softly say the name Crawford. So Carlyle had come. Pup stood for a moment, gripped with indecision. She watched as the men disappeared into the darkness and then swung her eyes to the back of the saloon.
My brother just threw me to the ground as if I were no more than a pesky moth. Pup told herself it was foolish to cry and concluded that she must be a fool because the tears would not be stemmed. There was a box pushed against the building, and she went over and sat on it. It creaked as though it would break under her, but she didn’t care. She didn’t know if it was the wig or her tears, but a horrible headache was starting. It made her all the more miserable. Indeed, it was many minutes before she made her way back to Charlie’s house.
“I didn’t get much,” McKay told Carlyle as the three men sat at Charlie’s kitchen table. “I was in every saloon in town tonight, but there was no sign of Hackett.”
“Were you able to get into any back rooms?”
“Only the one at Rocky Point, but there was nothing more than a card game. I tell you I hate this, Carlyle.” McKay was referring to the bars. “The sooner we wrap up this thing with Whitter and Hackett, the happier I’ll be.”
“You and Nick both,” Carlyle told him. “That’s the reason I’m here.” The older treasury man now turned to his host. “When do you expect Callie back?”
“I haven’t a clue.”
“She’s been staying here?” McKay asked.
“Yes.” Charlie stopped himself from saying that he thought he’d seen her in the alley tonight with McKay, but hers was the type of disguise you didn’t believe unless you saw it.
“Is she okay?” McKay wanted to know.
“She was when she left here.”
“What was she going to do?” This came from Carlyle.
“Check the saloons, I’m sure.” Charlie wanted to push McKay to find out if he’d seen her, but when he heard the front door open, he was glad he had remained quiet.
“That’ll be her.” Charlie rose, fully aware that Carlyle and McKay were on his heels. Once in the living room, he lit a lantern, and they all took in Pup’s appearance. She was a mess. Holding her hat in her hand and covered with dust and mud where the bottle had broken down one side of her, she looked exhausted.
“You all right?” Charlie was the first to find his voice.
“Yeah.” She sounded weary, which was enough to propel both Carlyle and McKay out of their surprise over her appearance and into action.
“Let me have the coat,” Carlyle said as he began to remove it from her shoulders. It took a second for him to see why the pocket was wet. “Are you cut?”
“I don’t think so.”
“Here, let me get this.” McKay’s hands were there as well. He removed her hat from her hands and tossed it to Charlie. Next he took the wig from her head and then worked gently at the beard she’d adhered to her face. Her skin was red and chaffed underneath, and his heart clenched.
“Did you know it was me in the alley?” he asked softly.
“As soon as you spoke to me. I was about to say something when Charlie came up.”
“I thought it might be you,” their host commented, “but it’s such a dark night.”
“Sit down, Pup,” Carlyle ordered. He’d taken the coat to the kitchen and checked to see if it was cut. The fabric showed no tears, but the smashed bottle indicated that her fall had to have hurt. Now as he came back to the living room, Nick’s words rang in his mind.
If Pup has word, bring her to me. If she doesn’t, tell her she can go home or continue her vacation. Either way, Carlyle, see to it that she’s well. If she seems at all upset and won’t come back to Denver with you, send for me.
Pup dropped onto one end of the sofa, and McKay pulled a chair up close to her. He sat down and looked at her dusty, weary face. He didn’t think he had ever loved anyone more. She suddenly turned and looked at him. He was barely aware that Charlie had joined Pup on the sofa or that Carlyle had brought out another chair from the kitchen. He loved Callie Jennings, and he desperately wanted to tell her. Her gaze softened, and McKay knew she could see it in his eyes. Never married, but still wise to such things, Charlie Barnes watched them silently.
“Do you have news?” Carlyle sat in the chair and abruptly brought the group back to business.
“Yes.” Pup made herself turn and answer.
“Then Nick would like to see you.”
“All right. I can leave on the train in the morning.”
“I’ll go with you,” Carlyle told her.
It took all of McKay’s will not to tell Pup that she had to stay, but he managed to refrain. The timing was all wrong to tell her of his feelings. She was clearly upset by what happened tonight, and what he had to say would only add to her disturbance.
“McKay,” she asked suddenly, “is there more than one Mr. Stuart in town?”
“I don’t think so.” He glanced at Charlie. Both men shook their heads. “No, I’m sure not.”
“Who is he?” she wanted to know.
“A local banker. His bank is pretty small, but it’s been established for years.”
“Is he involved?” Carlyle wanted to know.
Pup only nodded her head yes, unaware of the way McKay’s heart clenched for Brita and her mother.
“What about Paine Whitter?”
“He’s here.”
This was the first that McKay had heard of Nick’s right-hand man in the head office. No wonder Pup had been pulled off her vacation.
“So is Jubal,” she went on.
“You saw him?” McKay asked, since he’d been looking for her brother as well.
Pup’s eyes dropped. “He was the one who threw me into the alley tonight.”
If McKay could have done it, he would have taken her away right then and there. He’d have told Nick and Carlyle and anyone else who needed to hear that she was through. Any pain he’d experienced in this occupation was nothing compared to the way it felt seeing her hurt over her own job.
“Get some rest,” Carlyle suggested. “We’ll leave for Denver on the first morning train.”
“All right.” Pup stood.
“You’re welcome to come to my house tonight,” McKay told Carlyle.
“All right, McKay. Thank you.”
McKay
turned to Pup.
“Carlyle and I will be here to take you to the station in the morning. Wait until we come.”
She nodded and looked into his eyes. I want you to put your arms around me, McKay. I want you to hold me and tell me everything is going to be fine, but you can’t do that. She couldn’t say any of this, so she had to content herself with the tenderness she saw in his eyes. A moment later she turned and went to a door off the living room.
Carlyle had a few more words with Charlie, and then he and McKay left for the night. There was some hilarity as they shared McKay’s horse: The livery was long closed. In the morning they would use a wagon. For the most part the two were silent, Carlyle with thoughts that Hackett, Phipps, and the crooked treasury man were almost under wraps, and McKay with thoughts of the woman he loved and the pain he saw in her eyes. For completely different reasons, both men knew it would be a long night.
24
Pup scrutinized herself in the mirror and decided that the wig was on straight. It would have been easier to go as a man, but the suit of clothing she’d worn home from Denver last time was still in Boulder. Something told her that Carlyle would not want to travel with Morton Barnes.
Charlie had already given her a filling breakfast, so she now picked up her satchel and moved to the living room to await McKay’s arrival. Her heart thundered at the thought of seeing him again, however briefly. From this point, it was anyone’s guess when they would meet again. Charlie heard Pup come into the room and appeared in the doorway of the kitchen.
“Are you all set?” he inquired.
“I think so. I took the clothes and wig just in case Nick has plans.”
Charlie nodded. “I don’t think I would have any use for them anyway.”
“Thank you for everything, Charlie,” she said sincerely. He had turned into a real friend. “I couldn’t have pulled any of this off without you.”
“You’re welcome,” he said warmly, his look unlike any Pup had seen before.
She stood still, feeling slightly awkward. She knew she was something of a fascination to this man, but not until this moment had she thought his interest might go beyond work. His eyes, or rather the way they watched her, now told a different story.
Charlie knew well what he was doing. He’d seen the look that passed between McKay and his house guest the night before, but he wasn’t going to assume, not where this woman was concerned.
“Do you think you’ll ever be in Longmont again?”
“I don’t know,” Pup answered honestly. “I hope I’ll be here to see McKay or his folks again.”
Charlie nodded. It was what he had expected, but he had to try. Indeed, his estimation of her went up for her open honesty.
“I’ll say it outright to you, Callie,” Charlie went on. “If McKay doesn’t see what he has in you, I hope you’ll move on to someone who would really appreciate you for the woman you are.”
There was no mistaking his meaning; he had all but proposed. “Thank you for that compliment, Charlie. Coming from you it means quite a lot.”
He was embarrassed. “Tell Nick I said hello.”
“I’ll do that.”
It was a relief to both of them when a knock sounded on the door. Charlie went to answer it and, not surprisingly, found it was McKay.
“Are you set?” he asked Pup after he’d come in and greeted Charlie.
“Yes. Thank you, Charlie,” she said, turning to her host and holding out her hand.
Charlie shook it, and Pup moved away from him and out the door. McKay thanked him as well, and then Carlyle came in to have a few words with the Longmont contact. McKay walked Pup to the wagon and spoke only after he’d put her satchel in the back.
“Did you notice anything about Charlie’s attitude toward you?”
“Yes,” Pup said simply.
McKay stared at her for a moment; she stared back, not volunteering anything.
“Did he say anything?” McKay finally asked.
“Yes, he did. You’ll have to ask me about it sometime.”
“Why not now?”
But Pup ignored him and began to climb onto the wagon seat. McKay assisted her and then looked up at her. She was busy arranging her skirt and didn’t look at him. He had so much he wanted to say. A glance over his shoulder told him it would all have to wait; Carlyle was coming toward them.
“Did you want to handle the team, Carlyle?” McKay asked out of respect.
“No, you go ahead. I’ll sit here on the rear seat.”
He settled himself with little ceremony and no talking. McKay had them at the train station in less than ten minutes. Carlyle took his bag and moved away from the younger couple in order to purchase tickets. McKay picked up Pup’s bag and walked to the side of the stage office. Pup stopped in front of him. Hoping they would be left alone until the train came in, McKay looked down into her eyes.
“Take care of yourself, McKay,” she surprised him by saying. “And tell your folks goodbye.”
“I’ll do that,” he replied automatically. “I’m sorry I didn’t know it was you last night in the alley.”
“It’s all right.”
McKay’s mind came to a painful halt. He couldn’t say what he wanted to say in this short time. And what exactly did he want to share with her? He wasn’t even certain, but opted for honesty.
“I have things I want to say to you.”
“I know you do.”
McKay couldn’t go on. She never stopped surprising him; he now said as much.
Upon hearing this, Pup’s mouth stretched into a slow, tender smile.
“I’ll miss you, McKay,” was her only comment.
“You make it sound like we’ll never see each other again.”
She gave a small shrug. “I don’t know about never, but it could be awhile.”
McKay didn’t want that, but what did Pup want?
“How do you feel about that?”
“I just told you: I’ll miss you.”
This time it was McKay’s turn to smile. She was always the same—not flowery in speech and not a waster of words.
“I’ll miss you, too,” he told her sincerely.
His last sentence was followed by a far-off whistle. The train would be in the station in just a few minutes. Pup’s head moved as if she would turn away, but McKay caught her jaw. He didn’t kiss her, but only held her head still for a moment longer so he could look into her eyes. It was then that he saw it again: the softening, the tenderness that he’d seen for a moment the night before. For now it was enough. Knowing her as he did, he knew that now was not the time to distract her with words of love. He reluctantly dropped his hand, his fingers sliding along the soft skin of her jaw. Picking up her bag in one hand, he took her arm in the other.
He walked her over to where Carlyle had been waiting, his eyes telling his boss that he was thankful for his sensitivity. Seconds later the train pulled in amid much noise and steam. Carlyle and McKay shook hands, and then McKay gave Pup a hug. She returned it warmly, all the while forcing her mind from personal things, namely how wonderful McKay Harrington was and how delightful it felt to be held in his arms. This was not the time to speculate on what her relationship with McKay might hold. She had to get to Denver; she had a job to finish.
Denver
“His uncle?” Nick questioned her again.
Pup nodded from her chair in the study, feeling the eyes of both men on her. She could only guess how difficult it must have been for Nick to learn of Paine’s betrayal, and now this.
“That’s what he said. I don’t know who the one voice belonged to, but Mr. Stuart was questioning Paine, and Paine said Duncan Phipps was his uncle.”
“Could he have been putting one over on this banker named Stuart?”
“I don’t think so. It was as if he was hesitant even to admit it, and then his voice grew angry. He said for a time he’d been appreciated but no more; he said now he was going to go with someone who would take care of him.”
>
Nick sat down heavily on the sofa, his hand going to the back of his neck. “It was never my intent to leave Paine out, but I’ve cracked down on security everywhere, not just with him. I never dreamed he was taking it personally.”
“When I checked him out, Nick,” Carlyle now spoke from the other chair, “I was surprised to learn that he lives a very solitary life. When I saw him coming and going from the Phipps mansion on several occasions, I naturally grew suspicious. Even at that, I never imagined the two to be related.”
For a moment the room was silent. The three sat still with only the monotonous sound of the large clock on the wall breaking that quiet.
“I would love to get someone into that house,” Nick said rather quietly.
“I can get in,” Pup stated simply.
“How?”
“The maid’s uniform and blonde wig.”
“You’re forgetting about Jubal,” Nick reminded her gently. “He’s bound to be coming and going out of that house.”
“He didn’t recognize me in Longmont.”
“You won’t be wearing a beard this time.”
She patiently shook her head. “It’s as I’ve always told you, Nick—people see what they want to see. He won’t be looking for his sister. He may notice me, but he won’t know who I am.”
“And you’re all right with this?”
“I’ve done a lot of thinking,” she admitted quietly. “I wouldn’t relish being in on his arrest, but neither will I continue to pretend that everything is fine.”
Nick stared at her. A moment later she stood.
“If that’s all, Nick, I’m going to go visit with Camille.”
“Yes, that’s all for now. I’ll let you know if I need you to go out.”
“All right. Otherwise I’m going to head for home on Monday.”
She left the room, and the men, still comfortably seated in Nick’s study, looked at each other.
“She and McKay seem to be getting closer all the time,” Carlyle said quietly.
Nick’s scowl was fierce. “He’d better not try to take her from me.”
“I believe his intentions are honorable.” Carlyle couldn’t stop himself from standing up for his best agent.
