A Love to Cherish

by Connie Mason

  “I don’t know. Why don’t you tell me?”

  “Very well. You wanted to know if I was seen at Naomi’s Pleasure Parlor in San Francisco. Yes. Now are you satisfied?” She’d be damned if she’d tell Casey her life story. She didn’t owe him a blessed thing.

  For some reason Casey felt a crushing disappointment. After meeting Belle, he hadn’t wanted to believe McAllister’s claim that she was a whore, but the lady had all but admitted it. Or had she? Thinking over her answer, she hadn’t exactly admitted that she had worked at Naomi’s as a whore, only that she’d been seen there.

  “Go on.”

  “There is nothing more to tell.”

  “I think there is.”

  “Damn you! You’re fired. I don’t need you digging into my past or meddling in my personal life. I don’t need you at all! I’ll take Tommy and go where no one can find us.”

  Casey gave an exasperated sigh. This was getting him nowhere. “I told you I wouldn’t let anyone hurt you or Tommy. Don’t you believe me?”

  Belle’s eyes went murky. “Tom was the only man I ever trusted.”

  “Tom is dead.”

  “Don’t you think I know that? If he was still alive I wouldn’t be running away from his father.” Her mouth snapped shut and tears filled her eyes. “Oh, God, what did I say?”

  “Now we’re getting somewhere. Why did you run away from your husband’s father?” Of course he knew one side of the story, but he wanted to hear Belle’s version.

  She glared at him. “It’s a long story.”

  “I’ve got time. I’m not going anywhere and neither are you, not until I’ve heard the truth.”

  “You want the truth? Very well. Tom’s father is rich, very rich. He acknowledged neither my marriage to his son nor Tommy’s birth. It wasn’t until Tom died that T.J realized Tommy was the only grandson he’d ever have, and decided to take him away from me.”

  “How could he do that? You seem like a damn good mother to me.”

  Belle sighed. They were right back where they started from. For Casey to understand, she’d be required to divulge her background. “T.J. has always hated me. He didn’t think I was good enough for his son. He had a society marriage planned for Tom when we met and fell in love. T.J. forbade Tom to see me but Tom disobeyed him. I think that, more than anything, made T.J. hate me. We married against T.J.’s wishes and he promptly disowned Tom. He hoped Tom would abandon me and run back to him when he cut off Tom’s allowance.

  “Tom was made of sterner stuff and defied his father. I became pregnant almost immediately, and Tom got a job on a nearby ranch in order to support us. I was so proud of Tom. He didn’t care about being disowned and disinherited. He had me and Tommy to love. Then he drowned on a trail drive and my world came to an end. T.J. wasted no time in sending word that he was coming after Tommy, and that he was bringing the law to make sure I complied with his wishes.”

  “What did you do?” Casey asked, having already heard most of the story up to now from McAllister.

  Belle looked him straight in the eye and said, “I ran. Naomi took me in for awhile. She gave me the money to get out of town. I got as far as Placerville, saw this diner for sale, and bought it with what remained of Naomi’s money.”

  “How long were you a whore before you married Tom?”

  Belle raised her hand and dealt him a stinging blow. When she would have slapped him a second time, he grasped her wrist and brought it down to her side. “Bastard! You’re just like the others. You haven’t known me long enough to judge me.”

  “I’m not judging you. Tell me if I’m jumping to conclusions. Then again, what in the hell am I supposed to think when you admitted meeting your husband in a whorehouse?”

  She turned her face away. “You’re not supposed to think anything. It doesn’t matter what you think of me.”

  He touched her cheek and she turned back to him, glaring. She looked so vulnerable, so defeated, he couldn’t have stopped himself from kissing her if he’d wanted to. Lowering his head, his lips touched hers. She tried to push him away, but he was determined. He deepened his kiss, and she caught her breath and opened her mouth to the solid thrust of his tongue, whimpering.

  His mouth was hot and wet, his breath tasting faintly of tobacco—a taste uniquely his. She loved it. His tongue grew bolder, rimming the inside of her lips then plunging deeply. He kissed her again and again, as if he couldn’t get enough of her, until Belle felt his hands on her breasts and his fingers rubbing her nipples through the fabric of her dress. She was becoming aroused, and the sudden realization that she was succumbing to a virtual stranger brought her rising ardor to a screeching halt.

  “Stop! Stop it! I’m no whore no matter what you think. I lived and worked at Naomi’s but not as a whore!”

  Casey went still. What in the hell had gotten into him? In his entire history with the Pinkerton Agency he had never allowed his emotions to rule his head. What was it about Belle Parker that made him forget duty and family? He sat back on the edge of the bed, staring at Belle as if she were the Devil. He was still so damned aroused it took several minutes of deep breathing before he understood what she was saying.

  “What do you mean you weren’t a whore? Do you want to explain yourself? Usually when a woman works in a whorehouse she—”

  “Stop it, I say! That’s exactly what T.J. thought. Naomi was the mother I never had. I was a child of ten when she took me in. I was living on the streets, abandoned and injured, eating from garbage cans and sleeping in gutters. One night I collapsed on her doorstep. I had no idea it was a whorehouse. The house looked warm and friendly and I could walk no farther.”

  “Where was your family?”

  “I can’t remember my mother. My father was a professional gambler. We moved frequently from town to town. Pa was killed in a saloon fight. No one knew he had a daughter. When the rent on our room ran out, I was evicted.”

  “My God, you must have been terrified, a babe in the woods. Why didn’t you seek help? Did you have no relatives?”

  Belle shook her head. “None that I knew of. I remember being frightened, too frightened to talk to anyone.”

  “And you were crippled besides.”

  “No, not then. I was struck by a carriage not long after I was turned out of our lodging. My ankle must have been broken, and of course I had no money for a doctor. It healed badly, and my ankle is deformed and my leg weak because of it. The night I crawled to Naomi’s doorstep was the luckiest day of my life.”

  “She treated you well?” Casey asked sharply.

  “Like the daughter she never had. I was a lame, half-starved waif who surely would have died had she not taken me in. I repaid her when I was old enough by working for her.”

  A nerve in Casey’s jaw twitched. “In what capacity?” he asked suspiciously.

  “How like a man to think the worst. Naomi wouldn’t allow me to become a whore, nor did I even consider it. I worked in other capacities. I cooked, cleaned, and on busy nights served drinks to the customers.”

  “You never … not in all the years you were with Naomi?”

  “Never. When men tried to buy my services, Naomi informed them that they couldn’t afford me. They only wanted me out of curiosity anyway. They placed bets on what my leg looked like.” Her expression gave Casey a hint of what she must have suffered because of her injury.

  Casey wanted to strangle McAllister for lying about Belle. What else had he lied about? he wondered. Surely McAllister had known that Belle wasn’t one of Naomi’s stable of girls.

  “How did you meet Tom?”

  Reminiscence must have been sweet, for Belle smiled. “I served him drinks one night and we struck up a conversation. He was the kindest, gentlest man I had ever met. Nothing like his father, who came to Naomi’s often. Tom kept coming back, but not for sex, only to talk to me. After several weeks he asked me to step out with him.”

  “What did Naomi think about that?”

  “She encourage
d me. And when Tom asked me to marry him, Naomi was ecstatic. It meant a different kind of life for me, one Naomi thoroughly approved of.”

  Casey had no business asking the next question but he couldn’t help himself. “Did you love Tom?”

  Belle smiled wistfully. “Yes. I loved him and he loved me. We were happy. When Tommy was born our life was complete, despite the fact that we were literally ignored by Tom’s father. Tom’s untimely death devastated me. Then, when Tom’s father made it clear that he meant to take my son from me, I fled. I’d heard the vile things he was saying about me and realized the law wouldn’t help me.”

  No matter what Casey thought personally, he couldn’t let emotions interfere with his job. Mark was depending on him, and he had no way of paying back the money he’d accepted from McAllister if he bowed out now. He rose abruptly and walked to the window. He didn’t look at her when he said, “Perhaps it would be best for Tommy if he went to live with his grandfather. It doesn’t sound to me as if the old man wishes to harm the boy. Think of all the advantages he could give your son.”

  Belle’s strangled gasp brought a flush of guilt to Casey’s cheeks. He hated to deceive her, hell, he even sympathized with her, but business was business. As long as McAllister presented no menace to Tommy, he didn’t see why a compromise couldn’t be worked out.

  She leapt from the bed and pounded on his back until he turned to face her. “You want me to give up Tommy to his grandfather? After all I went through to cover my tracks? I even changed my last name to throw him off the trail. Tommy is all I have. I would die before giving him up, and Tommy would be unhappy without me. I can’t give him luxuries like T.J., but my son lacks none of the important things.”

  “What I’m suggesting is that you work out a compromise; both you and Tommy could live with McAllister.”

  Belle gave an inelegant snort. “The man wants no part of me. He thinks I’m a bad influence on Tommy. He told the authorities I’m an unfit mother. You have a poor grasp of the situation if you think my father-in-law will compromise.”

  Casey was inclined to agree. From his brief meeting with McAllister, he’d pegged him as an unrelenting and unforgiving man. One who blamed his daughter-in-law for his son’s death. He’d do anything to punish Belle, and taking away her son was his way of avenging a perceived wrong. As far as Casey could see, all Belle was guilty of was loving a man whose father wanted to control his life.

  Having said all she intended to, Belle turned and shuffled toward the door. Casey moved swiftly to reach her side and once again, Belle found herself in his arms. The pounding in her blood had nothing to do with exhaustion and everything to do with Casey Walker.

  Casey carried her to his bed and sat her on the edge. Then he knelt before her and lifted her right leg until it rested on his thigh. “You’ve been on your feet for too long.” He lifted her skirt and she squawked in protest, trying to pull it back down.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Looking at your ankle. Does this kind of thing happen often?”

  When Belle heard he wanted to look at her ankle she resisted in earnest, but he refused to release his hold on her limb. “I don’t know what you mean. Let me go.”

  Casey ignored her. “You know damn well what I’m talking about. Does your leg give way beneath you often?” He didn’t give her a chance to reply. “You shouldn’t be working this hard. You’re on your feet way too much.”

  He had worked her skirt up to her knee by now, and finally glanced down at her lower leg. He blanched when he saw the unnatural angle of her ankle, and realized the enormous stress the injury must place on the rest of her leg, which was whole and beautifully shaped. He raised his gaze to her face.

  “If you’ve looked your fill you can lower my skirt, Mr. Walker. I don’t need your pity.”

  Casey did so with alacrity, not wanting to embarrass her further. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to distress you.”

  “Did you have a morbid curiosity to look upon my deformity?”

  He rose and sat beside her. “It’s not your fault. You have a beautiful limb but for that one small defect.”

  She laughed harshly. “Ha! Don’t you think I know how I look?”

  “You underestimate your appeal. Didn’t you say men at Naomi’s wanted you? And what about Dinks and his friends? They certainly weren’t bothered by your lameness.”

  “That’s because they didn’t see what you did. They would have been repelled by my deformity. That’s one of the reasons I loved Tom so much. He saw inside me, he didn’t care how I was formed.”

  “You have a lovely form,” Casey said, grinning owlishly. “Your breasts are perfect and I believe I can span your waist with my hands. And your mouth, God, I’ve never seen such pretty lips. So lush, so inviting, they’re enough to drive a man wild. Would you like me to prove it?”

  Belle opened her mouth to protest and suddenly found Casey’s lips devouring hers and his tongue probing past the barrier of her teeth. Her breathless little sigh entered Casey’s mouth, making him even more ravenous to taste her. She tentatively touched her tongue to his and he went wild, kissing and nipping, his mouth wet and hot and his tongue a sword thirsting for her sweetness.

  Belle was thoroughly amazed, completely beguiled, by the suddenness of Casey’s passion. One moment they were talking rationally, and the next he was kissing her with such fire she felt utterly consumed by him. She jerked reflexively when she felt his hands covering her breasts, squeezing them hard then tweaking the nipples, before sliding down over her ribcage to span her waist with his two hands.

  When Casey finally released her mouth, Belle could do little more than touch her lips and stare at him. All her senses were alive, as if released from a long, drawn-out dream where all sensation had been suspended until this man released her. Her body tingled, her toes curled, and all she could think of was how much she wished Casey would kiss her again. What was wrong with her?

  “Why did you do that?” she asked curiously.

  “To prove to you that I find your body desirable despite having looked upon your so-called deformity. I was right, I could span your waist with my hands. You’re a damn desirable woman, Belle Henderson, or whatever your name is.”

  “It’s McAllister. Do you know my father-in-law?”

  His lie was deliberate and he felt guilty as hell about it, but he had no choice. “No. I’m not from this part of the country. I hail from Arizona. Been traveling a lot lately.”

  “Do you have a family?”

  “Only a brother.”

  “Do you love him?”

  Casey gave her an exasperated look. Would he be here now, pumping Belle for information, if he didn’t? “Of course I do. Why do you ask?”

  “If you love your brother half as much as I love Tommy you’d know why I can’t give him up to his grandfather.”

  “I can certainly understand your misgivings but—”

  “No buts. That’s the end of it. Tommy stays with me. Do you still want the job of protecting him or have you decided not to become involved?”

  Damn! Casey already wished he hadn’t become involved. But there was no turning back now. “I won’t abandon you or Tommy. I’ll be around should either of you need me.”

  Belle rose somewhat stiffly. “There’s still work to be done in the kitchen. Dolores will be here soon to lend a hand.”

  “Belle.” She looked at him, her eyebrows raised askance. “I wish …” He couldn’t say what he was thinking, he had no right. “Christ, get out of here before I lose control.”

  Belle knew exactly to what Casey was referring. She had learned more than she wanted about men from her years with Naomi. When she married Tom, she went to him a virgin and had experienced passion for the first time. She could read desire in Casey’s eyes, could smell his arousal, and after a year of celibacy she realized that her own eyes must reflect those same feelings.

  Had she finally met a men who could take Tom’s place in her heart? Could she trust
Casey enough to place her safety and that of her beloved son into his keeping?

  Chapter 4

  Wan Yo was up and about now, hobbling around on crutches provided by the doctor. A perceptive man, Wan Yo was suspicious of Casey and voiced his suspicions to Belle one evening after she returned home from a hectic day at the diner.

  “Wan Yo afraid hiring Mr. Walker not a good thing, Missy Belle,” Wan Yo said. “He big mystery man. Missy Naomi tell Wan Yo to protect Missy Belle and Tommy.”

  “I know, Wan Yo,” Belle said with a weary sigh. “I’ve considered that same thing. But I desperately needed someone, with you injured and Tommy getting to be such a rambunctious little scamp. And Mr. Walker was there when I needed him. If not for him … well, I won’t go into that right now. Suffice it to say, Mr. Walker has proven to be trustworthy.”

  “Mr. McAllister velly shrewd man, Missy Belle must be careful,” Wan Yo warned. “When Wan Yo’s leg heals you no need bodyguard.”

  Belle didn’t want to tell Wan Yo that the incident resulting in his injuries made it impossible to rely on a frail old man for protection. Especially in a town like Placerville, inhabited by miners, drifters, and unscrupulous men. Though she knew precious little about Casey Walker, she did know that he’d been helpful when she’d needed him.

  “We will discuss this again when you’re completely well,” Belle temporized. “Meanwhile, we will both keep an eye on Mr. Walker.”

  Keeping an eye on Casey Walker was something Belle had done a lot of lately. He was dangerously and subtly intoxicating, and too attractive for her peace of mind. The quicksilver blaze of his hazel eyes consumed her, and the sound of his voice caressed her like sunlight. The way he had kissed her had sent hot blood pounding through her veins, and God only knew she had little information. Yet she trusted him, and that bothered her. She really should learn more about the enigmatic Casey Walker before giving him her trust.

  Casey wallowed in indecision, and guilt was no little part of his dilemma. The more he learned about Belle the more he regretted taking this case. He should have dug deeper into Belle’s background before accepting McAllister’s word that she was a whore and an unfit mother. God, what was he going to do? like it or not, he had become deeply enmeshed in the lives of Belle and Tommy. Hell, he admired the woman for her gumption to stand up to McAllister. If he hadn’t already wired the advance to Simon Levy, he’d return the money and tell McAllister to find another man to do his dirty work.