by Patty Devlin
Sally chuckled wickedly. "Who are you thinking about that has you all fired up red? Is it someone I know?"
Annie trusted Sally even though her stepmother would openly insult the woman whenever she saw her. Sally had always greeted Annie with a smile and a warm hello. "Matthew Caine," she replied softly and lowered her head.
Sally murmured her approval. "Matthew's a good man. Hard working and honest."
Annie was almost afraid to ask, but she had to know. "Does he come in here a lot?" Just the thought of him nuzzling one of the other women in such an intimate way made her temper flare.
"You sweet on him?"
Annie hesitated, unsure exactly how to answer. "I get this strange fluttering in my stomach whenever I see him and if he's paying attention to another woman I want to scratch her eyes out." She shrugged and forced a smile. "But he doesn't see me as a woman- only as a brat."
"He'll see you as a woman now."
Annie's eyes widened in alarm. If Matt came in and saw her dressed this way he'd set her butt on fire. Drat, why hadn't she thought about that? "Does he come in here a lot?" This was a good way to find out if he visited the girls on a regular basis.
"Not often." Sally clucked around her like a mother hen, adjusting this and tweaking that. She didn't come forth with any further information and Annie was caught between wanting to know which girl Matt paid extra attention to and wondering if it was better that she didn't. She'd make sure to keep an eye out for Matt anyway, just in case. She stood up, shook out her dress and took one last look in the mirror. Sally went on to explain her duties and she listened attentively.
"Now, all you have to do is latch onto a fella and get him to buy some drinks. Hank will keep your glass filled with cold tea, this way you'll be able to keep your wits about you. The more drinks your companion buys, the more money you make. Suggest that you'll be his good luck charm and stay by his side if he gives the roulette wheel a spin. You don't go upstairs with a man without telling me first, do you understand?"
Annie ran her tongue over her lips and Sally rolled her eyes. "And for heaven's sake, don't wet those lips in front of the men." She ambled over to one of the dressers and came back with a small knife. "Keep this in your boot just in case you need it."
"I have a gun." Annie hurried over to the bed and held up a small pistol.
Sally ran a hand along her throat nervously. "I take it you know how to use that thing?"
Annie threw back her shoulders and replied with confidence, "Pa taught me how to protect myself." She tucked the weapon in her boot.
Both women left the room and stopped at the top of the stairs. Annie's eyes took in the activity on the bottom floor and she bit her lip in apprehension. There were a lot of men down there, drinking and gambling, some trying to dance and falling over. Others were huddled in a corner with a girl. Smoke from pipes and cigars swirled in the air and somebody was bouncing out a tune on the piano. Boisterous laughter exploded at a ribald joke. Annie's ears flamed. She placed a hand to her nervous belly and sucked in a deep breath. She could do this. It would only be for a little while.
Suddenly, the laughter and banter died off, the pianist nailed a sour key and the place got quiet. Annie blinked at the wide open stares. Sally squeezed her hand. "This is it," she whispered. "Head up, shoulders back and smile."
Chapter Four
"I seed her first," shouted a lanky cowboy with long stringy hair and a few missing teeth. Annie pulled a face.
"It's 'saw', you addle-head."
The other fellow with the wavy brown hair looked kind of promising, but Annie stayed well off to the side and near the swinging doors just in case she had to bolt. The night sure wasn't starting off well. Barely ten minutes had passed and already a fight had broken out over who'd get to buy her a drink.
"Seed, sawd, who cares?"
"Let's take this outside, then we'll see who cares."
Annie held her breath as Hank threw his washcloth into the air and rounded the bar, sporting a fierce expression and flexing his thick fingers. Oh boy, things were about to get ugly. Without much effort, he snatched them by the collars and propelled them toward the swinging doors right where she was standing. Annie hopped out of the way and winced as the beefy man tossed first one, then the other into the street. "Yeah, take it outside and don't come back until it's settled." Hank tossed her a wink and went back to work as if nothing happened.
Annie poked her nose outside and winced. The fight had certainly gone out of the two. They both lay motionless, spread eagled on the ground, groaning amidst a pile of dust. As the evening wore on, her face started to hurt from smiling so much. Worse yet, she was running out of small talk, but at least she had some coins in her boot.
She wandered over to the bar. "I've never smiled so much in my entire life." Hank poured her some tea. "Thanks." The liquid was cool and soothing as it slid down her dry throat.
"Well, well, here's one ass that don't look familiar. I'll have to fix that, don't I boys?" Sarcastic laughter boomed right above her ears and she cringed. What misfortune. Lloyd Sanders was in town. "Sally must have gotten herself a new girl."
Annie fought the urge to giggle hysterically. "Get lost," she snapped, not bothering to turn around. Ignoring the fool might send him away. Her eyes widened in surprise as she was suddenly lifted high in the air and tossed over his shoulder like a sack of grain. "Put me down, you big jackass!" She pummeled his back, he whacked her backside and she froze in shock.
"Settle down, little lady." Lloyd kicked out a chair, sat down and set her on his knee so that her back was toward him. Because her hair was short, he probably didn't know who he was pawing. Boy, was he in for a surprise. "How about we go upstairs for a bit and I'll show you a good time," he whispered in her ear. Something hot and wet slide along the back of her neck and poked her in the ear.
Eww- he had licked her with his tongue. Annie clenched a fist, raised her arm above her head and brought it down, just by luck nailing him square in the nose. "How about we don't."
Lloyd shot to his feet and her bottom met the floor. Her dress flew up to her thighs eliciting a series of wolf whistles and drowning the din of the piano. Both embarrassed and outraged, Annie scrambled to her feet and propped her hands on her hips. Lloyd's eyes almost popped out of his head. "What the hell are you doing in here and what happened to your hair?"
"My hair is none of your concern, Lloyd Sanders and anything else of mine that you have festering in that filthy head of yours."
He flushed bright red and his Adam's apple bobbed up and down. "I'm telling Robbie you're working in a saloon. He'll set your ass straight, but not before I turn you over my knee and teach you some manners."
"You? Teach me manners?" Annie tossed back her head and laughed. "That'll be the day. As for Robbie, he'd have to come in here first and I don't see that happening anytime soon." Laughter erupted around the room. Evidently everyone knew about her stepbrother's distaste for saloons. Dandy Robbie set foot in a saloon? Not a chance.
Lloyd snickered and stepped toward her, but just that quick, Sally was there aiming a rifle at his crotch. "Get out, Sanders and don't come back or you'll have to find a new way to piss."
Lloyd held up both hands in surrender as a group of men flanked both Annie and Sally. "This ain't over, Annie Dobbs." He stormed past her, waving aside the obscene banter at his expense and crashed through the swinging doors.
Sally heaved a sigh and tossed Hank a sidelong glance. "Soon I'll be needing a new door."
It wasn't long after Lloyd had left that Annie decided to call it a night. She had had enough excitement for one day. Sally suggested she sleep on the small cot in the back room where she had eaten earlier. If she went upstairs, she might find herself with a roommate not of her choosing. Annie shuddered at the thought. She hugged Sally and thanked her again for providing her a place to stay. She used the basin of warm water that was set on the side of the stove to scrub the paint off her face, pulled a clean sleeping gown over he
r head and settled herself on the cot. Hopefully, tomorrow would be better than today and Lloyd didn't carry out his threat and tell Robbie where she was hiding.
* * * * *
Eva mumbled under her breath as she paced from one window to the other. It was pitch black outside. Robbie should have been home hours ago. How long did it take to find one stubborn young woman dressed like a boy in this small godforsaken town? The girl was their only way out of this mess. They had to find her and soon. Damn, Deke Dobbs. It was his fault for dying before the note against the ranch had been paid off in full. After all, it had been his gambling and drinking that had gotten them into this predicament. As for Annie, she had never gotten along with her headstrong stepdaughter. She nagged Deke constantly about sending Annie away to a school for girls, but he had adamantly refused. Just when she thought she had him convinced to send her packing, the little hoyden would mess things up by sticking her nose where it didn't belong.
Eva grew more anxious with each passing minute and dashed for the whiskey decanter. Deke had lost the ranch to a very dangerous man. Bart Kelly had stopped by the other day and introduced himself. He had the coldest black eyes she had ever seen. She leveled a gun at him and he had left quietly, but not before warning her that he'd be back for the money or the ranch. It didn't matter that Deke was dead and he'd leave a widow without a home.
The whiskey burned as it slid down her throat. She poured another, only to set it aside when she heard the sound of pounding hooves. It had to be Robbie. Setting the glass on the table, she rushed to the door and yanked it open. "Well?" she barked at her son. "Did you find her?"
Robbie blew out a frustrated breath. "No, Mother, I did not and right now I couldn't care less if we ever did. It's stinking hot out here. I'm sore from bouncing over hills and valleys and my mouth is full of dust." He swung his leg over the pommel and landed on the ground in a heap.
Eva studied her fop of a son. He couldn't even dismount a horse properly. Ranch life wasn't in his blood. It had never suited her either. She had grown up on a cattle ranch and hated it, but married a rancher anyway because she thought herself in love. Turned out love hadn't been able to help her when her husband felt like beating her. Shortly after his death, she had met Deke and was sure she could convince him to sell the Lazy D and move to the city, far away from cows and all the filth that went with ranch life. Again, her stepdaughter had successfully ruined those plans. Now she owed money she didn't have and Annie was off gallivanting who knows where instead of doing her duty by marrying Lloyd and convincing him to pay off the debt.
Robbie grimaced at the dust on his shirt and swiped one hand across his forehead. He brushed past his mother and stalked into the house. "As far as I'm concerned the coyotes can feast on her. I'm done." He poured a shot of whiskey.
"Oh, no you are not," Eva spat, close at his heels, seething with rage. "Just how do you think we're going to pay off this note your stepfather left me with?"
"You're exactly right, mother. The note Deke left you, his wife, with," he replied with irony and tossed back the whiskey. He slammed the glass on the small table. "I had nothing to do with your plans to marry a rich rancher." He threw back his head and laughed. "Little did you know he wasn't as loaded as you thought and what he did have-he wasted by gambling."
Eva's hand shot out and connected with her son's face. "All these years I've provided for you. I made sure you had enough money in your pocket so you could screw your whores and pay them enough to keep your demented fantasies quiet and this is how you treat me?" Robbie shifted from one foot to the other and lowered his head in obvious shame. Good, all she had to do was lay on the guilt and it worked every time. She crossed over to the settee and sat down. It wasn't long before Robbie joined her and dropped to his knees in front of her. She folded her hands in her lap, appearing the part of a gently bred lady and began speaking as if the argument had never happened.
"Now, this is how it's going to be. You will keep looking for the little bitch. Did you check the Circle C? She doesn't get along that well with Matthew Caine, but she has a soft spot for the old man and his horses."
"Yes, I stopped by the Circle C. She's not there." He sniffled and added, "Please forgive me, Mama. I didn't mean to disrespect you."
Eva gently brushed away the swath of hair that had fallen across his forehead. He was her son, her baby and no matter what happened between them, she'd always take care of him. "It's okay, my darling boy. You just do as you're told and find Annie for me. I'll see that you are well rewarded."
He angled his head so he could see her. "I want Annie for one night."
Eva suppressed a shudder. Robbie's eyes held the same wild gleam as his father's would before he'd tie her to the bed and make her do unspeakable acts with her mouth and hands. She was a lady and had done nothing wrong to deserve such vulgar treatment, but Annie would pay dearly for deserting her family.
With a soothing tone, Eva continued to placate her son. "Assuming she's still alive and you find her, you may have one night with Annie Dobbs, then we need to get her married to Lloyd. His father is rich. Once we have Annie in our clutches, I'll take care of the rest." Loud banging on the door interrupted Eva's speech. "I bet that's our little bird now."
Robbie got to his feet and grinned maliciously. "Make her suffer, Mother."
Eva was much too angry to pay any attention to her whiny son. The urge to lash out at her stepdaughter consumed her as she went to open the door. Lloyd pushed past her and strode up to Robbie until they were nose to nose.
"You better do something about that little bitch. We made a deal. Annie's supposed to be my wife, not some whore in a saloon."
Robbie's mouth dropped open in surprise.
Eva slammed the door shut and sailed into the room. She eyed Lloyd with disgust. "Are you drunk?"
"You heard me right. Annie's working at Sally's."
"You lie," Eva hissed.
Lloyd jerked his thumb toward his nose. "Does this look like I'm lying? I told her a saloon was no place for a lady and she thanked me by hitting me."
"Bull shit, you were manhandling her," Eva sputtered angrily. "I warned you to control yourself and your urges. For crying out loud, speak softly. Be a gentleman. After she speaks her vows, then do whatever you want to do to her."
Lloyd thumbed back his hat. At least he had the sense to look embarrassed. "So what are we supposed to do now? She's not acting like she's quitting anytime soon and I don't want a whore for a wife."
"Yeah, Mother, what now?" Robbie repeated.
Patience shot, Eva snapped. "Quiet, you idiots, so I can think!" She paced the length of the sitting room. Now what? Bart wasn't going to wait forever for his money. "We have to get her out of that saloon somehow and I don't care how it's done. Lloyd, tell her Diablo is sick. She dotes on that filthy beast. Once she's here she'll have no choice but to do as I say."
Chapter Five
"Going to check on Annie?" Jeb plucked a piece of straw from one of the bales scattered about in the barn. He stuck the end in his mouth and watched Matt saddle Linedrive.
"Yep, for some reason, I can't get her out of my mind. I'll ride out to the Lazy D and have a look around." He nodded to the sack hanging on the saddle horn. "I found this behind the barn. There's a pair of boys' pants and shirt in it, the exact same kind Annie wears. That proves she was here. Something must be going on. What I'd like to know is why she felt the need to hide out in the stables instead of coming to the house." The woman was stubborn just plain stubborn.
"Like I said, could be because the two of you always end up arguing about something."
Matt secured the cinch under Linedrive's belly. "Don't remind me," he replied sardonically. "I'll straighten things out between us once and for all. This childish nonsense has gone on long enough."
"Go easy on her, Matt. I know she pushes you past your limit of patience, but she's a good girl."
Matt grinned. "Remind me just how well-behaved she is when she does something to
rattle my bones, okay?" But, whatever her mood, be it spitting mad or happy, he'd always spot her riding Diablo at least once a day. Annie wasn't the type of girl who'd take her anger out on an innocent animal and ignore Diablo's daily exercise routine. He nudged his hat back from his forehead and rested his arm on the saddle. "I haven't seen hide nor hair of Annie and it has me worried. I don't trust her stepbrother and Eva's just as bad if not worse."
Jeb scratched the side of his head. "Well, son, I aim to agree with you there. Take that ride to the Lazy D, and make sure she's okay. I'd go with you, but my bones are aching something awful. I don't like it that she's taken to staying away. If she's got troubles with that step family of hers, bring her here and we'll take care of things."
"Will do."
Matt's temper flared. If Eva and Robbie had threatened Annie in any way, he'd make certain they answered to him. "Tell Aunt Rose not to keep supper for me. I'm not sure if I'll be back tonight." Jeb nodded and moved aside. Matt mounted Linedrive and nudged the horse to a trot. Annie had pluck, sass and a whole lot of temper wrapped up tight in that curvy little body. Their last encounter reminded him of how much he missed her. His pants tightened at the crotch. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get the image of Annie over his knee, her luscious bottom outlined in those pants, out of his mind. Sure wasn't the same as it had been when she was a kid. Annie Dobbs had grown up right before his eyes and he had been too stubborn to notice. Damn those pants!
Matt was bordering the boundary line of the Sanders spread when he recognized Lloyd Sanders riding toward him at a slow gait. He clenched the reins tightly in his hands and cursed his bad luck. Lloyd had been the first to label him a bastard. From then on, the two had never gotten along. Lloyd's father owned the biggest ranch in Mason County and his son made sure everybody knew. As a boy, Lloyd enjoyed bullying the younger children in the schoolyard. As a grown man he hadn't changed, all he did was drink and when he got drunk, he got mean and had a habit of taking his anger out on the girls who worked in Sally's Saloon. Matt had given him a beating more than once when he caught him manhandling the ladies.
