Desert Sunrise (Love in the Sierras Book 2)

by Belle, Sawyer

  “Yeah, that’s the trouble with it. It’s too beautiful. It’s sweet and feminine and demure. It makes me feel like some damn fainting flower.”

  Val smirked at her use of the term, and his eyes darted knowingly to Jess. She avoided his gaze, but a fresh bloom of pink flooded her cheeks, and he sucked on his bottom lip, continuing to stare until she finally faced him. The blush deepened when he waggled his eyebrows at her. Flustered, she turned away, and he chuckled softly to himself as he returned to the business of skinning. His ears remained open as the two women conversed.

  “Before anything else happens,” Dot said, “I’ve got your box in my satchel.”

  “My box?” Jess asked.

  Dot nodded. “The box you had hidden beneath the floorboard. Everything is still in it. The money, the comb, the watch. It’s yours. Please take it back.”

  Jess slowly went to the satchel and retrieved the box. She caressed the ivory comb and gold pocket watch. He deduced their meaning to her and grinned when she gave Dot a hug, thanking her.

  “Could I have some water, please?” Dot asked and Jess handed her a canteen. After a swallow, she spoke again. “I’m glad you got out of there. I feel like the biggest fool being duped like that.”

  “I know exactly what you mean,” Jess said. “But you redeemed yourself by coming back. That was very brave of you.”

  Dot snorted and lost her gaze in the fire. “It was the only thing I could do, but it’s not enough. My career is over and Russell…” her voice cracked and her lips quivered, but she did not continue.

  Jess reached out and massaged the woman’s shoulder. “I’m sorry about your partner, but surely you won’t be blamed for it all. I’m sure you’ll still have a future as a detective. Your dedication is admirable.”

  Dot’s eyes were sad as she slowly shook her head. “No, I’m done for. There’s no way Alan Pinkerton will keep me on after such a botched assignment.”

  Val chewed the inside of his cheek as an idea formed in his mind. “There may be a way to save your job,” he said and Dot looked skeptical. “What if you were able to tell your boss that while the original mission went south, you were able to save the target, kill the real bad guys, and bring down one of the richest and most powerful men in the west in the process?”

  Her eyes darted from face to face around the fire and confusion took hold of her features. Jess gasped and smiled at Val.

  “That’s brilliant,” Jess declared. “It’s absolutely perfect.”

  “Excuse me, but exactly what is perfect?” Dot interjected.

  Val unloaded the full story of Leonard Stacy, leaving no detail out. He told her of the ledgers at the Westin Bank, and Emmanuel Boon’s involvement. He told her about his capture and the threat of death hanging over him and Jess. Dot’s eyes began to glint with renewed life. She listened with rapt interest and asked questions Val could answer, and some he couldn’t. When he had imparted every last bit of knowledge, Dot was sitting upright and chewing her bottom lip while she thought.

  “The last piece I need is the charter for the Sierra Railroad Company. If Stacy’s name isn’t on there, but the others are, we’ve got him.”

  “That should be easy enough for you to acquire,” Val said.

  She nodded and then frowned. “I don’t have the manpower to take him in. I’ll have to transport him to California with an armed guard. I’m sure he owns the law around here. If he’s to get a fair trial, it’ll have to be away from here.”

  Val smiled. “I know a few men who I’m sure would be willing to lend you some manpower.” She waited for him to continue. “Their names are Ishmael Kant, Patrick Mason and Joseph Brandenburg.”

  The view of Ellie’s boarding house was a welcome sight for Jess, who had been in her same clothes for three nights and four days. She longed for a hot soak and a good scrubbing, followed by a long nap in a bed.

  Dot seemed to have made great strides in her recovery overnight, no doubt bolstered by the opportunity within her grasp. She vowed to head straight for Kant’s home as soon as she reached town, without stopping even for a meal. Jess agreed that was the best plan. The sooner Stacy was arrested, the sooner she could stop looking over her shoulder, even though she felt completely safe with the Kelly boys.

  Lila sat on the porch rocker, but struggled to her feet when they approached. Her smile was wide and bright. She waddled down the steps and had no sooner stepped onto the road than Morgan leapt from his horse and threw his arms around her. They kissed as though no one else was there to see, and Jess found herself sharing a heated glance with Val. They’d not spoken of their feelings since the day before, and her nerves began clawing at her skin, wondering if he felt the same way. He hadn’t said the words.

  Ellie and Sandy greeted the party next, with Ellie clapping her hands as she laughed.

  “By God, you folks nearly turned me into an old woman overnight,” she said. “Is my hair completely white with worry yet?”

  “Not yet, old girl,” Val said as he jumped down and hugged her before shaking Sandy’s hand.

  Jess and Marlena dismounted from Achilles and watched the happy reunion from the road. They looked at each other and held hands. Dot issued a parting wave and trotted toward Virginia City. Jess watched her leave. When she turned back to the group, she was yanked into the middle of it by Val. Marlena was next and the girls found themselves in several pairs of arms, squeezed tight and fussed over. Tears gathered in her eyes at the wholesome feeling that overcame her. They were no longer a family of two.

  After a hot meal, Ellie prepared a bath for her. She closed her eyes as she entered the room, welcoming the steamy, rose-scented air as it ran over her. The robe and chemise clung to her skin as the heat dampened the fabric. She released the knot of her robe and slid the garment from her arms and down to the floor. The chemise followed. When she heard a light splash of water, her eyes sprang open to find Val sitting in the tub. Her skin tingled at the slow wander of his gaze over her naked form.

  “I didn’t expect to find you stealing my bath,” she said, walking toward him. When she was near enough, his hand curled around her waist to slide over her lower back and down until he cupped her bottom.

  “Sharing is more like it,” he said. “I figured, why waste the water? We both need to bathe, and it’s probably the only alone-time we’re going to get for a few days with so much going on.”

  He sat up to wrap his arms around her waist, bringing his face to rest against her navel. She gazed down and watched his eyes close as he held her there. His hot breath blew across her belly while she used her fingernails to comb softly through his hair. So many thoughts and feelings, fears and hopes, passed between them in that long, silent embrace before he took a deep breath and tilted his head back to look up at her.

  “I love you, Jess.”

  The corners of her mouth curled up and she traced his brow with a fingertip. “I love you, too.”

  He kissed her navel once before circling it lightly with the tip of his tongue. The soft, wet press of a soapy sponge followed it. He swept over the area, smoothing a thick lather until he squeezed a second sponge to rinse her skin. Ribbons of hot soapy water slid down her abdomen, onto her thigh and along the folds of her aching sex.

  Her fingers raked harder through his hair as he lavished her abdomen with kisses and cleansing caresses. His hand moved over the curve of her bottom and behind her thigh before reaching the backside of her knee. He lifted her leg and rested her foot on the rim of the tub. Inch by inch he washed and kissed. First, her ankle and up the outside of her calf. When he reached her knee, he glanced up to wiggle his eyebrows as her.

  “You know where I’m going with this, don’t you?” he said, and tiny, excited spasms flipped along her spine.

  “I can only hope,” she smirked.

  He chuckled, completing the climb to the apex of her thighs. Her head fell back and she moaned, long and appreciative, as he stimulated her with first the sponge, heating and wetting, and next
his tongue, pressing and circling. Between his mouth and his hands, her strength began to wilt while her knees buckled and her insides curled and clenched. Her breath released in gasps and her body sank toward the tub, where Val was waiting to welcome her.

  They rested there long after their bodies had been soaped and rinsed, and Jess enjoyed the solid feel of his chest to her back, the tickling sensation of his fingers on her arms, the glide of her hands over the rough layer of hair on his legs, the calm and comfortable silence. There was no need to speak. The moment was about reveling in touch. Soon, they could hear Morgan’s voice calling through the house for Val. Jess turned to peer up at him and he groaned.

  “I guess I better go,” he said. “It probably wouldn’t do to have them see us leave the room together.”

  She frowned, though she knew he was right. He rose from the tub and she admired the taut muscles of his backside as he walked across the room for a towel. Once it was wrapped about his waist, her lips took on a wicked curve.

  “Come here,” she called.

  He returned to the tub and she sat up on her knees, hooking his gaze with hers. She gripped the towel and pulled it away from his body, “Turnabout is fair play.”

  Her intentions reached his body before his mind, and his eyes sprang wide as she took his hardened arousal into her mouth. His hands threaded through her damp hair, massaging the back of her head while she gave him the same pleasure he’d given her.

  When he left the bathroom, it was with a sated glow. Jess emerged a half hour later, clean and refreshed. She wore a plain blue skirt and white blouse and wound her damp hair into a bun at her neck as she walked down the stairs. The dining room was empty, with many of the occupants retired or out for the evening, but she knew her people were in the parlor. Marlena’s sure voice sang through the air.

  Jess sat on the staircase and closed her eyes, listening to the sweet sound of her sister’s gifted voice. Was it too much to hope that she might pursue a musical life? Could she really believe they were free to live a life of their absolute choosing? When the song ended, she heard the robust applause from the audience in the parlor. She stood to join them, but was stopped by the rapid pounding on the front door.

  By the time she reached the portal, everyone had filed out of the parlor and stood behind her. She reached for the knob, but was held back when Val grabbed her wrist.

  “You don’t know whose on the other side of that door,” he told her as he pulled his pistol and dragged her behind him.

  When the door opened, Emily Stacy ran in, her face flushed and her eyes bright with excitement. She went straight for Jess and grabbed her hands.

  “Thank God you’re alive and well,” she exclaimed. “You won’t believe what’s just happened.”

  Without pause for breath, Emily told them the story of her father’s arrest. Dot had stormed the mansion with twenty armed men and taken Stacy into custody. He and Emmanuel Boon were in a coach on their way to San Francisco with the same escort. Stacy’s solicitor had already been to her house to notify her that he had power of attorney over her father’s estate and would be consulting her on matters until a resolution was reached.

  “You should have seen her, Collette,” she said. “A female Pinkerton detective! I’ve never seen such a thing and she walked right in with her arm in a sling from a bullet wound. A bullet wound. Can you believe that? And she put a gun in father’s face. I’ll never get over the sight. But now I’m free, Collette.” She jumped up and down with giddiness. “I don’t have to marry that awful Mr. Boon and I am free to come and go as I please.”

  Jess laughed. It was a beautiful sight to see the girl so lively. “I’m very happy for you, Emily. It’s what you deserve. And it’s what your father and Boon deserve, too.”

  Emily frowned. “What happened to your accent?”

  Jess sighed. “Oh, it’s a long story.”

  Ellie stepped forward and put an arm around Emily’s shoulders. “Come on in and sit with us, Emily, so you can hear all about it. I’m Ellie Cooper and you are most welcome here, and please, you must come to my wedding tomorrow and dinner afterwards. You’ll find no shortage of friends.”

  “Oh,” Emily said, unsure how to respond. Happiness shone in her eyes, but old reservations die hard and she needed a little push.

  “You’ll be missing out on quite a treat if you decline,” Ellie said. “Young Marlena here has the voice of an angel, and she’ll be singing at our wedding.”

  Jess turned a look of surprise onto her sister. “You are?”

  She nodded eagerly. “Ellie and Sandy just asked me.”

  “I’m so happy for you,” Jess said as she gathered Marlena in her arms as she went misty-eyed.

  When she pulled away, Emily stood nearby, a look of utter confusion on her face.

  “Who is Marlena?” she asked, and everyone laughed.

  Chapter 35

  The interior walls of St. Mary’s Church were a rich, deep oak color that gave way to tall stained glass windows depicting Bible characters. Rows of pews glistened in the sunlight filtering in through the colorful panes of glass. The ceiling was high and vaulted with arced beams leading the appreciative eye back down to the raised altar in the front of the church. A heavenly light illuminated the place, and it came from Ellie.

  Jess sat beside her sister, watching the bride and groom exchange vows and radiant smiles. Her skin began to tingle in a hot rush and she knew that Val studied her from across the aisle. Visions of their time in the bathroom played through her mind, reawakening a carnal ache that should bring her shame in such a holy place.

  The priest introduced Marlena Beauregard to the congregation, welcoming her rendition of Ave Maria. Marlena stiffened beside Jess and she reached down to squeeze her sister’s hand.

  “Don’t be nervous,” Jess said. “You’ll be wonderful.”

  Marlena managed a smile before leaving her seat to stand beside the priest. She took two deep breaths and stared at Jess, who nodded in encouragement. The girl’s eyes drifted close before she sang the first note. She held it in one long, clear tone that echoed off the natural acoustical design of the building. The tenor remained solid until its denouement, when Marlena’s voice lilted in a beautiful vibrato. Jess smiled and her eyes watered with pride. She did have the voice of an angel.

  Once the ceremony ended everyone returned to the boarding house for refreshments and dancing outside. Marlena was crowded by people, all extolling her vocal talents, and she beamed with pleasure and pride. Jess stood off to the side, taking in the festivities, when she felt Val’s approach from behind.

  “What’s on your mind, beautiful?”

  “Nothing. Just enjoying the splendor.”

  “Liar,” he chuckled, and she couldn’t help but smile back.

  “I’m just trying to figure out where life goes from here,” she admitted. “I can’t stay with Ellie forever. Do I open another shop somewhere? Truth is, I’m tired of sewing for others, but I’ve got to find some way for Marlena to study music. There’s a lot on my mind right now.”

  “That’s all right,” he answered easily. “Just tell me I’m one of those things on your mind.”

  She chuckled. “Of course you are.”

  “Good to know I’ve made an impression.”

  She looked at him, admired his soft smirk and bright eyes. “Mmm. Several, in fact.”

  The party suddenly fell silent and all heads turned in a single direction. After the initial silence, a breeze of whispers filled the air. Jess found the source of awe. Sarah Jeanne the Opera Queen stood on the fringe of the party, along with two well-dressed gentlemen. Practiced at commanding a crowd, she smiled and nodded in several directions.

  “I do apologize for upsetting such a lovely celebration,” she cooed in a genteel southern accent, “but I am looking for Miss Marlena Beauregard.”

  Jess’s eyes found her awestruck sister across the lawn. When she spoke, her voice was small and meek.

  “Me? Miss Sara
h Jeanne?” Marlena said. “You want to see me?”

  “Partly you, child,” Sarah returned. “I’m really after your Ma and Pa.”

  Marlena’s eyes lowered with chagrin, and Jess flew to her sister’s side in fit of protectiveness.

  “I believe you’re looking for me,” she told the singer.

  Sarah studied Jess for a long moment and seemed to suss the situation. She nodded. “A word in private, if you please, ma’am?”

  “Certainly,” Jess answered and left Marlena with Ellie so she could follow the woman to the front of the house. They settled into two chairs on the front porch, and Jess waited for her to speak.

  “To put it plainly, Miss Beauregard, I know talent when I see it. Or, in your sister’s case, when I hear it. I was on a walking tour of the town with the mayor when I heard a beautiful voice inside the church. Imagine my astonishment when I saw she was only a child. I’ve come to inquire who her master is so that I might pay him or her off and steal the girl for my own apprentice.”

  Jess stared at the woman’s face, smooth and white like porcelain with light green, feline eyes. A round of rouge stained each cheek, high on the bone, and her pouted lips bore the same color. Her hair was white, so white that she reminded Jess of paintings of European women with piles of powdered hair. Yet for all of her glamor and regal charm, Jess had a difficult time comprehending the conversation.

  “I’m sorry. What did you just say? Her…master?”

  “Yes,” Sarah said, eyeing Jess as though she was daft. “You know? Her mentor, tutor…her instructor?”

  “She has none,” Jess said, still slightly confused.

  Sarah laughed. “That can’t be. A girl with her talent must be under the tutelage of a prominent master.”

  “Well, she isn’t. Marlena has a gift. She hasn’t been fortunate to study under a…master.”

  The woman sat back in her chair and crossed one leg over the other, tapping the air with her foot as she gnawed on a thumbnail. “Extraordinary,” she said. “And quite unbelievable, I assure you.” Soon, a wide smile split her face and she sat forward. “I would like to take the girl in as my apprentice.”