by L D Marr
Cowboy Bob broke his eye contact with Roz, and she felt like herself again.
“Well, well. Got yourself a pet, huh?” Cowboy Bob asked.
He returned his eyes to their former hiding place under the broad rim of his hat.
“Yes, this is my cat Buttons,” said Roz. “I’m sorry he acted like that. He’s kind of protective, I guess.”
“He sure is that,” Cowboy Bob agreed. “Well, I’ll just mosey along now. We can talk later when your protector’s not around.”
Cowboy Bob glanced from Buttons to Jonah. Then he walked away and got back into his leaning position against the wall.
Roz turned back to Jonah. She remembered their earlier conversation.
“You were saying there’s a mystery, deputy?” she asked.
⌛
Jonah looked at the intriguing saloon gal on the barstool next to him and wondered how much he should tell her. Would she think he was crazy for being suspicious of her employer Cowboy Bob? In any case, this wasn’t the right place to talk about it with the man standing just a dozen feet away. But Jonah wanted to talk to Roz and get to know her. A bold idea entered his head.
“Yes, there’s a mystery, ma’am,” Jonah answered her. “In my mind, at least. I’d like to tell you what I’ve been thinking, but I can’t talk about it here. Too many sharp ears around.”
He looked over and noticed the perked-up ears of Roz’s black cat sitting on the bar and looking at him in a fixed way, but those weren’t the ears he meant.
“Oh,” said Roz.
Jonah looked back at her. She looked disappointed. He pressed on.
“So anyway, ma’am. If you’d like to hear about this mystery, I could tell you somewhere else. I could take you out for a meal at the diner and tell you there.”
He felt a blush under his tanned skin.
“Oh!” said Roz again as if surprised.
Jonah was surprised too. It was the first time he’d ever asked a woman out. He waited nervously for her answer.
She lifted a slim-fingered hand and placed it on the cat’s black head in front of her. Jonah noticed there were no rings on that hand. Roz looked over at Jonah and smiled.
“I’d like to have dinner with you, Jonah,” she said.
His hope soared.
“And that’s very kind of you to invite me, but I might have a problem with going out to the diner.”
Jonah’s hope crashed.
“Sorry, ma’am, if I’ve offended you,” he said.
He slouched a bit and flushed even more than he had the first time.
“No! It’s not that. It’s because I’m a vegetarian, and I’m not sure if the diner has anything but meat on the menu. I supposed I could go with you and just have a glass of milk,” she said.
Jonah straightened back up. A vegetarian! That was a surprise. He’d heard of them when he was back east, but he’d never met one before. In any case, Roz’s diet might be a hurdle, but Jonah wasn’t about to give up that easily.
“Oh no, ma’am. I wouldn’t take you out and just get you a glass of milk! What kind of man would do that? But anyway, that might not be a problem. Do vegetarians eat cheese, ma’am?” Jonah asked.
“Some do. Yes, I eat cheese,” said Roz.
“Well, then, I’ve been to the diner, and I think there are some things on the menu you could eat. How do beans, vegetables, and a cheese sandwich sound to you, ma’am?” he asked.
“Yes, that does sound tasty,” said Roz. “Hmm.”
Jonah looked at the young woman next to him. Despite her revealing dance hall outfit, she sat up prim and proper. And she still hadn’t replied ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to his question. He felt embarrassed again.
What have I just done? he asked himself. Did I offend this lady by treating her like a common floozy?
“Now I understand if you don’t want to go out to dinner with a man you don’t know well,” said Jonah.
He looked down again and waited for her answer.
⌛
Roz stared at Jonah’s downturned face. She was shocked that a man she’d just met in a bar had the nerve to ask her out on a date. But this was the wild west, so maybe it was normal behavior in these parts.
Despite his roughness, the meal in the diner appealed to her. The saloon cook’s vegetarian options left something to be desired. And Roz wanted to find out about the mystery Jonah had mentioned. It was so tempting! But of course, a lady could not accept such an offer.
With regret, Roz was about to decline Jonah’s invitation when Buttons spoke up in her mind.
“What are you waiting for? Tell him you’ll go! Cheese sandwich! I want to try that,” said Buttons.
“With no chaperone!” Roz said mentally back to Buttons. “What will people think?”
She looked down at the large cat who was now facing her on the bar. He stared back at her with a fixed, determined expression and twitching tail.
“We’re in the west now, and you’re a saloon dancer, remember?” said Buttons. “People already think bad things about you. But that’s OK. I know you’re not the loose woman they say you are.”
“What!” Roz thought back at him.
“Anyway,” Buttons continued, “I’ll be along as your chaperone, so you’ll be fine.”
Meanwhile, Jonah was staring at her with big green eyes, waiting for her answer. A stab of guilt, or something else, went through Roz.
“Why thank you, Jonah,” she finally answered him. “I’d like a meal at the diner.”
A big smile split across Jonah’s strong-boned face.
“But would you mind if my cat Buttons comes along?” Roz waived a hand toward Buttons. “He follows me everywhere, and I don’t want to have to lock him in my room.”
At that, a small growling sound was heard.
Jonah leaned forward to take a closer look at Buttons.
“Real protective, isn’t he?” Jonah asked. “Sure, I don’t mind if he comes along. But I don’t know if the owner of the diner allows animals in there. Could he wait outside for you if that’s the case?”
Buttons growled a bit louder.
“That’s not fair!” he said in Roz’s mind.
“Should I decline, then?” she asked Buttons mentally.
“No. Just go,” he mumbled back. “Don’t worry, I’ll find a way to watch you by using my sneaky cat ways. I just won’t get any of that sandwich.”
He slumped down on the bar in a puddle of fur.
Roz answered Jonah.
“Yes, Buttons can wait for me outside. Thank you for inviting me, Deputy Jonah. It’s very kind of you.”
“How about if I pick you up here tomorrow evening at six?” he asked.
“That would be perfect,” said Roz, who rarely woke up before noon now that she worked till two in the morning.
Jonah stood up and put his hat back on.
“I’ll be moving along now. It’s getting a bit late for me. I look forward to dinner tomorrow,” he said with a tip of his hat.
Now Roz felt nervous, but she also felt more alive than she had in a long time.
What’s got into me? she wondered.
She watched Jonah weave through round tables filled with rowdy customers. He reached the saloon’s big swing doors, pushed them open, and left.
“Humph!” said a female voice from behind the bar.
Roz spun around on her bar stool. Madame stood right behind Buttons with her arms crossed over her large bosom.
“I didn’t think you were the type to make extra money outside the saloon,” Madame accused Roz. “You with your hoity-toity airs. But you’re no better than the rest of us, are you?”
Buttons chuckled in Roz’s mind. But Roz flushed.
“I’m not going out to earn money!” she defended herself. “The deputy invited me to a proper dinner, in public. A vegetarian meal. Anyway, there was nothing in my contract that said I couldn’t leave the saloon in my own free time.”
Madame reached down a hand to scratch Butto
ns behind the ears, and he pressed up against the scratching hand.
“Traitor!” Roz said to Buttons mentally, but he didn’t answer.
Madame leaned forward over Buttons and spoke to Roz in a lower voice.
“No, there’s nothing in the contract. You can go out with anyone you please. Just make sure to bring me my cut of your earnings, or I’ll have to talk to Cowboy Bob about you.”
Roz turned to look at Cowboy Bob, who still leaned back on the wall. Hat lowered over eyes. Unmoving.
Despite his disinterested posture, she felt that he was aware of everything going on in this bar. And especially what had just happened between her and Jonah.
No. I’m just imagining things, Roz told herself. Why would he be interested in that?
Chapter 4
Closing time.
The man who was now called Cowboy Bob had been watching Roz all night. Thinking about her. Unknown to Roz, he had superhuman hearing, and he’d heard every word of her conversation with Deputy Jonah.
She’s a vegetarian! Cowboy Bob thought in amazement. I’ve noticed how reserved and proper she behaves, and I’ve wondered if she could be the right woman for me. A woman with self-control who can handle the irresistible temptations that are the bane of the powerful. But now this news of her restrained dietary practice! There’s no doubt left in my mind that she’s the one. The universe must have sent her here to me!
If anyone could hear his thoughts, they’d notice that his mental voice sounded nothing like the Texas accent that he spoke out loud with. But Cowboy Bob wasn’t worried about the possibility that any mind readers might be listening.
I must hurry! his thoughts continued. She’s noticed that superficially handsome lawman and even scheduled a date with the lowly mortal. If she falls for him, that could destroy all my plans. I’ll have to act tonight before it’s too late.
Cowboy Bob watched the dancers start to head for the door at the back of the saloon. Behind it was the stairway to their rooms on the second floor. Some of the women were accompanied by men. A few hopeful customers still lingered in the saloon trying to convince the remaining women to take them upstairs.
Voluptuous Loretta approached Cowboy Bob.
“Are you waiting for me, cowboy?” she asked him.
“Ah, Loretta. I’m just not in the mood tonight. I’ve got a darned powerful headache,” he lied.
Loretta looked up at him in disbelief.
“Are you serious? I’ve took you to my room every night from the first day you came to this here saloon. I’ve been loyal to you the whole time. But don’t you think I noticed you looking at that new gal? Is that why you don’t want me tonight? You got plans with her, Cowboy Bob?”
“No, I most certainly don’t have plans with that gal, Loretta,” Cowboy Bob answered her truthfully. “I’ve only been interested in her because she’s new, and she’s working for me. Madame was talking to me about her work habits. That’s all. Anyway, that gal don’t have eyes for me. And if you’re looking so much, didn’t you see her cozying up to the deputy tonight? I even heard them talking about a dinner date tomorrow night.”
Loretta grabbed the red leather that covered Cowboy Bob’s arm and stared up into his eyes.
“Sure, I saw all that, but that don’t mean anything to me. She might be looking at the deputy. And even going out on a date with him. But you were watching her all night. And you’ve been looking at her more ‘n more ever since she got here. You used to look at me like that—all the time. Don’t you think a woman in love would notice that?”
That admission shook Cowboy Bob. His mouth opened in surprise.
A woman in love? he thought. Well, he’d really known that all along, hadn’t he? No woman would spend every night with the same man, offering herself, unless she was in love.
“For a while, I thought you felt the same, but I guess I was wrong,” said Loretta.
She dropped her hand from Cowboy Bob’s arm and cast her eyes down. He knew she was waiting for him to speak next. Perhaps to say that he loved her too. But did he?
Cowboy Bob stared down at Loretta’s doll-like face and thought about it. The gorgeous blonde hair and full lips he’d so admired and hungered for on so many nights. A full, ripe bosom that spilled out of her tight bustier. A sensuous beauty like Roz but voluptuous like Natasha had been. Physically, she was the perfect woman for him.
Even now, his desire for her was undeniable. And she was a lusty, vibrant woman full of passion and powerful desire.
Yes, and that is the problem with her, he thought. I adore her, but her physical desires are strong, and she does nothing to restrain them. Like Natasha my last love, she is an uninhibited female who takes what she wants. Just like all the other women I was attracted to and transformed in the past. After they got the power, it corrupted them. None could control their urges. And then I lost them—all of them. So many women that I loved!
“Well, Cowboy Bob? I’m waiting, but I’ve got another offer if you’re too busy tonight,” said Loretta.
She turned toward the saloon and gestured at a man who sat at one of the round tables. He was the lone customer left in the bar. An average-looking, plain-dressed man with his hat tipped down to cover most of his face.
I’m not surprised that he’s trying to hide from me, Cowboy Bob thought.
And he was surprised by the angry pain that stabbed into him when he looked at the man.
Of course, the thought of Loretta with another man is painful, he thought. But the repeated pain of my past has been even harder to bear. It’s getting too great now. I can’t let it happen again. It’s best for me to let Loretta go and take another type of woman this time. Even though Roz is not my usual type physically, she’s still a beautiful, desirable woman. After I transform her, her desire for me will awaken. But she will have the self-control that’s necessary for a woman who has been elevated to share my boundless power.
“Cowboy Bob!” Loretta shouted her exasperation, interrupting his ruminations. “I don’t have all night.”
“Aw geez, Loretta,” he looked her in the eyes and answered. “Course I don’t want you going with another man, but I don’t own you, and I don’t tell you what to do. If that’s what you want, then you just go along now. Have a good night, hon.”
“Well!” Loretta gasped.
She turned with a swirl of skirts and stomped away from him.
Cowboy Bob sighed.
The sharp clicks of her boot heels on the wooden floor pounded like gunshots in his supernatural hearing.
Chapter 5
Later that night, Roz lay in her small bed reading. It was her usual way to wind down enough to fall asleep after all the noise and excitement of her saloon job. Cats didn’t need to wind down, and Buttons was already fast asleep next to her.
An oil lamp on the nightstand cast just enough light to read by. The rest of Roz’s small room was shrouded in darkness. A fit setting for the book she was reading.
Tonight, she’d reached a particularly scary part. Night after night, a large bat had beat its wings incessantly against Lucy’s window. Now Lucy was afraid to go to sleep because she knew that horrific dreams were sure to follow. And each morning, she woke up feeling more and more exhausted. Her friends began to fear for her health and sent for a specialist.
When Roz reached the end of the chapter, she felt tense and nervous too. She stared at the shadows in the corners of her room. Their dark edges moved ominously in the wavering light of the lamp. Its glow dimly revealed sheer white curtains that trembled in the cool air coming through the partly open window.
Maybe Dracula isn’t the best thing to read at bedtime after all, she thought.
Roz considered closing her own window, but she decided to leave it open. Buttons went out each night to do cat things in the forest, and she didn’t want to lock him in.
She closed her book and set it on top of the nightstand. Then Roz put out the lamp, casting the room in almost total darkness. Only slice of a sliver m
oon lit the pale curtains next to her bed.
Roz snuggled deep inside her blankets next to the comforting presence of Buttons. She thought she’d have trouble falling asleep. But her body was tired from all the strenuous dancing she’d done and from the night’s excitement. And Roz drifted off to sleep in no time.
⌛
Sometime later that night, Roz woke up. She opened her eyes and saw only blackness, but a cold fear washed through her. She sensed someone else in the room!
Roz edged back toward the wall and raised herself up part way. She stared into the darkness. Two small shining circles reflected the barest of glows in the weak light of the crescent moon.
Eyes! Roz thought.
She opened her mouth to scream.
But before the shout had left her mouth, Roz felt a strong hand cover it. She tried to scream anyway, but her voice was muffled by the restraining hand.
Roz propelled herself away from the hand, but a powerful arm wrapped around her waist and stopped her. She was pulled up against a large, hard male body. Then her captor’s voice whispered in her ear.
“Be silent! Be still!” the voice commanded.
The heck I will! Roz thought.
But when she tried to keep resisting, her body wouldn’t move. And when she tried to scream again, she couldn’t even produce a mumble underneath the hand that covered her mouth.
Now Roz was flooded by hot fear. She felt sweat drip down her face and under her arms in the cool night air.
The hand that covered her mouth pulled away. Then two strong arms lifted her back onto the center of her bed.
Where’s Buttons? Roz thought, suddenly fearing for him.
“Buttons? Are you there?” she asked him in her mind.
There was no answer, and Roz was relieved.
He must be out hunting, she thought. At least he’s safe.
But Roz couldn’t move a muscle or speak, and she knew her own situation was dire.
A tiny click sounded, and the oil lamp flickered to life. In its weak light, Roz saw a man next to her bed. He crouched down with bent knees, maintaining a position that should have been uncomfortable to hold. Yet he appeared completely at ease. A dark cloak covered his head, but large blue eyes stared into her own with an unwavering intensity.
