by Linda Bridey
“Why? Sasha, there is nothing you cannot tell me. How are we to get to know one another if we do not talk about all manner of things? Even painful subjects.”
Sasha pursed her lips and then said, “I know that you’re right, but it’s hard.”
Ben sought to ease her anxiety. “Yes, I agree. I understand all too well how difficult it is to talk about sensitive subjects. Take me, for example.”
Sasha looked at him. “What about you?”
“As you know, my sister and I are from Georgia. Our family was quite rich and only socialized with those of our own class. At some point, our father got into very shady business dealings that hurt many people financially. These dealings were discovered and we lost everything. At the time that he was found out and stripped of all manner of wealth, I was attending medical school in Atlanta. Suddenly I found myself without the funding to continue my education and even if I’d had the money, it wouldn’t have mattered. I was kicked out because of who my father was. His actions ruined my reputation.”
Sasha gaped at him for a moment before saying, “Ben! How horrible.”
“Yes,” Ben said with a nod, “it certainly was. Were it not for the charity of some friends, I would have been homeless. I had to secure employment, and a friend of mine who I sparred with on a regular basis told me of a job at a successful saloon. They had an opening for a bouncer.”
“Really?” Sasha said, fascinated.
“Yes. I have always enjoyed fighting sports and I have an aptitude for it. After I trounced their head bouncer, I secured employment and that’s where I stayed until I moved here,” Ben said.
Sasha observed Ben closely and saw a sadness in his face that went beyond being forced to work as a bouncer. There was something he wasn’t saying, but she thought it best not to press. The things he’d already revealed to her were enough for the time being.
“Well, I would say that Dawson is very fortunate that you came to live here,” Sasha said. “I have heard nothing but good things about you.”
Ben grinned and said, “You must not be talking to the right people.”
At this point, they entered the town, and as Sasha looked around at all the familiar businesses and houses she knew she’d come home. A wave of emotion washed over her and she had to blink back tears. She turned her face away from Ben, pretending to gaze around at everything on her side of the street.
When they pulled up to the hotel, Ben jumped out of the buggy and came around to help her down. He noticed her wiping away a tear and became concerned.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
Sasha laughed a little. “Yes. I’m just being a little silly, I’m afraid. I’m hungry and I’m happy to be back in Dawson. Don’t mind me.”
He gazed steadily into her soft gray eyes. “You’re sure?”
“Yes. Positive,” Sasha said in a stronger voice. “I’m fine.”
“All right,” Ben said. He wasn’t completely convinced, but had to take her at her word.
He retrieved her bag and offered her his other arm. Sasha smiled at the gentlemanly gesture and tucked her hand underneath his elbow and rested it on his forearm. Even through his coat, she could feel how firm his arm muscles were.
They walked into the hotel and were greeted by a new young clerk named Chris. He was a pleasant sort and offered them a smile. His blue eyes crinkled a little at the corners.
“Hello, Christopher,” Ben said.
“Dr. Walker. Nice to see you,” Chris said.
“And you as well. I’d like to introduce you to Ms. Sasha McCall. She will need a room,” Ben said. “Sasha, this is Christopher Wallace, hotel clerk extraordinaire.”
“Pleased to meet you, ma’am,” Chris said.
“Thank you, Chris, and the same to you,” Sasha said.
“I believe that a reservation was already made,” Chris said.
Sasha said, “Yes. Tessa should have made one.”
“Yep. Here it is,” Chris said after he’d sorted through a few papers. “Jolene wants you to have the lavender room. Here’s your key. I’ll have Ricky bring up your bags for you.”
“I don’t have any at the moment except this one,” Sasha said.
“Which I will take up for her,” Ben said.
“Okay,” Chris said. “If there’s anything you need, just give me a holler.”
“Thank you,” Sasha said.
Ben followed her up the stairs, where they turned to the right. Sasha’s room was the first on the right. She suppressed another smile as Ben took the room key from her and opened the door. He pushed it open and motioned her through.
The room was delightful. The walls were the palest shade of lavender, with matching white and lavender curtains at the two windows. The bed was large and looked comfortable. Various attractive paintings hung on the walls. Two parlor chairs and a small table were situated in one of the corners.
“It’s lovely,” Sasha said. “I’ll have to thank Jolene.”
“Where would you like your bag?” Ben asked.
“Right there is fine, Ben. Thank you,” Sasha said.
Ben sat down the bag and came close to her. “I’ll see you in an hour.” He kissed her cheek and left the room. Sasha closed her eyes. She had been able to smell his intoxicating scent and feel the heat of him as he’d pressed his lips against her cheek. She sat down on the bed to collect herself for a moment.
The strong reaction she had to Ben was not something she could control very well, she found. It was true that Ben was an extremely desirable man with lovely manners and an accent that was entrancing. However, Sasha knew that part of it was that she hadn’t had any man pay her attention since her husband when they had first been married. So it only stood to reason that she would be taken with Ben, but it seemed as if it wasn’t one-sided. Sasha shook off her musings and began getting ready for dinner.
Chapter Four
Dinner turned out to be a hilarious affair because Joe and Lacey Dwyer came into the Grady House and joined them. Ben wasn’t exactly thrilled about it, but to refuse would have been rude and he prided himself on his manners. However, upon hearing Sasha laugh, Ben decided that it had been a good thing that the first couple of Dawson had come along. He and Joe cut each other down at every opportunity.
After Joe’s last smart-mouthed remark, Ben said, “You know, Joe, you shouldn’t say things like that to a surgeon wielding a sharp knife.”
Joe’s hazel eyes met Ben’s and he said, “And it’s not a good idea to say things like that to a Texan wearing a gun.”
“You mean that little pea shooter you wear?” Ben said. “I could cut your brachial artery and you’d die before you could even draw on me.”
“I think we should change the subject,” Joe said. “I’m sure the ladies don’t want to hear about how you would murder me.”
Lacey said, “Where did you say that artery was, Ben? It might come in handy sometimes when Joe won’t shut up.”
Joe eyed his wife with a scowl. “Ya’ll are turning on your lovin’ husband? I am wounded.”
“You will be if you don’t behave yourself,” Lacey said sweetly, and laughed when Joe raised his eyebrows.
“I’d say you’re feelin’ a little bloodthirsty tonight, darlin’. Maybe you should have had your steak rare,” Joe said.
Ben took off his suit jacket and draped it over the back of his chair. He rolled up his shirt sleeve until his powerful biceps was revealed. Rotating his arm until the underside showed, he said, “You see this blood vessel right here?”
“Are we having a medical lesson?” Joe said.
“We are,” Ben said. “And a self-defense lesson, too.”
Joe was genuinely interested. “Go ahead then, Dr. Walker.”
Ben traced the artery with his forefinger. “That is the brachial artery.”
Sasha watched in fascination as Ben’s arm muscles jumped and rolled under his tanned skin with his movements.
“Now, if you damage this artery, say with a knife,�
�� he said with a wicked smile at Joe, who scowled at him, “and it’s not repaired immediately, it won’t be long until you expire.” He looked at Joe pointedly. “So, while Reckless is creative, he lacks the medical knowledge necessary to counteract certain maneuvers I could use on him.”
Lacey and Sasha looked at each other with surprised expressions on their faces.
Joe stared back at Ben and said, “That’s what this was all about? Ya’ll tryin’ to get me to back you instead of Reckless? Unless you’re plannin’ on bringin’ a scalpel or a knife to your fights with Reckless, I’ll still bet on my very brave brave.” He laughed at the dark look Ben gave him. “Or was that for Sasha’s benefit?” He winked at Sasha. “Our Georgia boy wanted to show off his muscles for you.”
Ben tried to be angry at Joe for his smart remarks, but he couldn’t do it. It was rare that there was any bite to Joe’s ribbing and it was hard for almost anyone except George Levine, the president of the town council, to become truly put out with the mayor. The doctor began putting his shirtsleeve back down but Sasha stopped him.
“Don’t do that. I was enjoying the show,” she said.
Ben laughed as he got a glimpse of the she-devil in her. Joe and Lacey chimed in. Joe reached across the table and began undoing Ben’s other shirt sleeve cuff. Ben would have drawn his arm back, but Joe grabbed it and slammed it back down on the table. He was unmindful of the glasses and plates that jumped from the force of his actions.
“C’mon, Georgia, show off the other one. Gotta make it even. Can’t just show off one. What good is that?” Joe said as he rolled up the sleeve while the other occupants at the table laughed.
A few people at other tables watched them and smiled. They were used to Joe’s antics. Once he had Ben’s sleeve rolled up where he wanted it, Joe started rolling up his own shirt sleeves.
“What are you doing, Joe?” Ben asked.
“Just keep your shirt on, pun intended. You’ll see,” Joe said. “I can’t have my wife lookin’ at just your brachial arteries, can I?”
“Yeah, well, who says I want Sasha looking at yours?” Ben said.
“Now, now, doc. Don’t be jealous just because my brachial arteries are bigger than yours,” Joe chided him.
Ben frowned. “No, they’re not.”
Joe sent his famed crocodile smile Ben’s way. “Wanna bet?”
Ben’s face fell and he pretended to bang his forehead off the table several times. “I should have known that before the meal was done, you’d find something to bet on.”
Sasha was laughing so hard by this point that her stomach hurt. After the last exchange between the two men, she let out a particularly loud laugh. Lacey couldn’t breathe and both men were in a similar state.
They tried to compose themselves a little and Ben started rolling down his sleeves.
“What’re you doing?” Joe asked. “I thought we were gonna bet?”
“I have a more challenging bet in mind, Tex,” Ben said. “Are you game?”
“Am I game? Of course, I’m game,” Joe said. “What is it?”
Sasha was sad to see Ben cover up his arms. She had been honest when she said that she was enjoying the show. It was a good thing all the laughing covered up the main reason for her cheeks being so flushed.
Ben finished with his sleeves and said, “I’ll bet you that you can’t go twenty-four hours without betting on something.”
Lacey laughed and Joe just looked at him blankly. “Twenty-four hours? One whole day, and I can’t bet on anything?”
“That’s right,” Ben said. Unlike Joe, he wasn’t afraid to prey on the weaknesses of others and gambling was Joe’s biggest vice. “Not on horses, fights at the bar, how many people get thrown out during a night, not the weather, Elliot winning a foot race, the sun rising at a certain time, whether George Levine is going to keel over today, nothing. Not that I really expect you to take that bet, because we both know you can’t do it.”
“Is that so? Let’s make it a little more interesting. I’ll bet you that I can go a week without betting,” Joe said.
Lacey looked at him with wide eyes. “Joe, that’s impossible.”
“Nothing is impossible, honey. Improbable, but not impossible,” Joe said as a flinty light entered his eyes.
Ben said, “All right. A whole week. Seven days.”
“Yes, sir. Seven days. Now, what kind of money we talkin’?” Joe said.
“Two hundred dollars,” Ben said.
Joe let out a whistle. “Pretty steep for a poor country doctor.”
“Is it a bet or not, Tex?” Ben asked.
Sasha watched Ben’s body language. It was almost as if he were poised to strike.
Joe narrowed his eyes at Ben and said, “It’s a bet. Two hundred dollars says that I can go a whole week without betting on something.”
Joe held out his hand and Ben shook it. Ben flashed that roguish smile Sasha had seen months prior. “Mr. Mayor, do you remember what Thursday is?” he asked.
“I do, Dr. Walker. It’s Thanksgiving, sir,” Joe said.
“And do you remember what occurs at your estate after dinner on that evening?” Ben asked as he went in for the kill.
“Games—” Joe swore when he realized the corner he was backed into. “You are a low down dirty dog, Ben.”
“Naw. Just having some fun, Joe. I’ll expect my money by the time Thursday night is over, because there’s no way you’re going to be able to resist gambling that night,” Ben said.
“We’ll see about that,” Joe said. “Alice, we’re ready for the check, darlin’! I’ll pick up the bill since you’re gonna be out some serious money by next week, Dr. Walker.”
“Fine by me, Joseph,” Ben said. He knew that Joe hated being called his full name.
Lacey couldn’t stop laughing and it incensed Joe even more. He took some money out of his wallet and threw it on the table without even counting it. Then he got up and said, “Sasha, it’s been a pleasure. I look forward to seeing you again, especially on Thanksgiving, when I most assuredly will not be gambling. Good night.”
He waited for Lacey while she said her goodbyes and the Dwyers left the restaurant.
Outside, Joe began laughing as soon as they started walking to their buggy.
“How’d I do, darlin’?” Joe asked.
“You’re not mad?” Lacey asked as she got in the buggy and Joe covered her legs with a blanket.
“Not at all. You know what they say about fishin’; you gotta have a certain amount of give in the line before you can reel ‘em in. That ole boy is in over his head. He tricked me into the bet, I’ll give him that, but he ain’t gonna win it,” Joe said, and planted a kiss on his wife’s pretty mouth.
Lacey laughed and said, “I really did think you were mad. You should have been an actor, Joe.”
Joe hopped up in the buggy and handed the reins to his wife. “Yeah, but then I wouldn’t have met you, darlin’, and we wouldn’t have our baby girl. Plus, I wouldn’t get to be mayor and mess with Ben’s head. Take us home, Mrs. Dwyer, where we can plot our next step.”
Ben escorted Sasha back to the hotel, which was within walking distance of the Grady House.
“I hope you had a good time tonight. I had no idea that Joe and Lacey were going to be in town,” Ben said.
Sasha chuckled. “I had fun. They’re quite amusing. I’m anxious to see how this bet pans out.”
“Amusing is one way to describe Joe. Annoying is another,” Ben said. “Actually, I owe him a lot. It’s because of him that I was able to finish medical school.”
Sasha looked up at him. “How so?”
Ben’s jaw clenched. There were times when his loss of wealth still bothered him. It was hard to accept help when he was the one who used to be able to give it. The problem was that he had never thought to do that the way Joe did.
“He put up the money I needed to go back. Do you remember Doc?” Ben asked.
“Yes. Who could forget him?” Sasha said.
Doc Turner was Marcus and Ben’s mentor who had helped each of them obtain their degrees. He was now retired.
“Well, he has contacts at Rush Medical College in Chicago, and he was able to get me accepted into their curriculum. I’m working on paying back Joe the only way he’ll let me; letting him win bets. He has no idea though and if he knew, he probably wouldn’t make wagers with me.”
Sasha asked, “Doesn’t he want the money back?” She thought this was a very unusual thing.
Ben laughed. “How much were you around Joe the last time you were here?”
“Not very much,” Sasha confessed. “I’ve heard that he’s generous.”
“Generous doesn’t begin to cover it. Did you see the way he just threw money on the table and left it? He’s always doing that. I’ve seen him tip his own butler, Randall. His own butler who is paid well. He tips everyone well. He always overpays his tab at the Watering Hole, even though he’s half-owner. He’s done it for years so I suppose it’s a hard habit to break.”
Sasha laughed. “He’s certainly eccentric and entertaining.”
“That he is. I’m not sure how Lacey puts up with him on a full-time basis. She’s a very sweet person and one heck of a horse trainer. There’s nothing she cannot teach a horse to do, it seems,” Ben said.
They arrived at the hotel and Ben walked her inside and up the stairs to her room.
Sasha said, “Thank you for such a good time, Ben, and for coming to my rescue today.”
“You’re most welcome,” Ben said. “Although, it looked like you were doing just fine on your own. I like a woman who has independent tendencies.”
“That’s nice of you to say,” Sasha said. She looked at his arms and even though he was wearing his coat, in her mind she saw the naked muscles he’d shown off in the restaurant.
“It’s the truth, Sasha. You are a brave, strong, beautiful woman. Not every woman would have set off on a mission to save her friend in the middle of winter. I know Dean and Jack met up with you, but you still had to travel a long way to get to them. It’s only a certain kind of person who would do that,” Ben said.
