Lacy made quick order of things. “We need your help,” she told Cubby and smiled. “A little adventure.” She offered the last without attempting to disguise her voice.
He stared hard at her and blinked several times. “Miss—”
“Never mind. Come in the back room with me.” Lacy went around the bar and took hold of Cubby’s arm. “You wait here,” she instructed Beth.
Feeling the blood drain from her head, Beth couldn’t believe Lacy was just leaving her alone to face . . . well . . . whatever happened to come her way. She held the beer and tried to figure out what to do next.
Minutes seemed like hours. Beth longed to bolt for the door but knew she couldn’t just leave. Lacy wouldn’t know where she’d gone or what had happened to her.
A ruckus broke out behind Beth, and she turned, beer in hand, just in time to avoid a glass being hurled her way. She ducked to one side and was just coming back up when Simon and Nick Lassiter made their way into the bar.
Beth felt a sense of dread and disappointment at the sight of the men. Nick had claimed he no longer came to Rafe’s to drink, but here he was. She kept her head down and wondered what she should do. If they took a table or joined one of the card games, then she’d be all right—at least for a time.
The fight intensified as two more men got in on the action. Rafe bellowed at them above the din, but the men ignored him. They were feeling their whiskey and had no thought for anything but their altercation.
Simon and Nick moved deftly around the fight and headed closer to the bar. Beth froze in place, watching and waiting to see where they would go. She was just about to turn away and follow Lacy into the back room when Nick met her gaze. The recognition was immediate.
Beth dropped the beer, and liquid and glass sprayed across the dirt floor. Uncertain of the layout of Rafe’s Saloon, she skirted the opposite side of the fight and rushed for the front door. She didn’t have to look behind her to know that Nick would follow. The thought of him catching her and demanding to know what was going on only served to fuel her steps.
But she had no idea where to go once she’d made it outside. There were several men milling about and a great many horses tied to the posts just off Rafe’s porch. Beth hurried to put the horses between her and the door to the saloon, hoping that if Nick couldn’t see her, he’d give up and go back inside. Never had she prayed for Nick to head into Rafe’s den of iniquity like she did just now.
She knew she couldn’t simply go home. That would be what Nick would expect. So without giving it any more thought, Beth cut a path to the forested area across the road. The night hid her well as she slipped into the thick new foliage.
Beth was panting by the time she reached the far edge of the forest, where the roadway made a bend. It hadn’t been all that far to travel, but nervous excitement caused Beth’s heart to race.
Cautiously, she peered out of the trees to examine the situation. The Lassisters’ livery and stables were just across the road. A dim light shone from the front room of the house. A lamp had probably been left burning for Simon and Nick, as Millie, Evan, and Forrest were, no doubt, already in bed.
A thought came to Beth. Her father used to joke about how most of the things he lost were found hiding right in plan sight. Beth noted there was light coming from the open stable door. Maybe some of the cowboys had secured their mounts with the Lassiters, and the stables had been left in such a way for easy access. If Beth could make it to the barn unseen, she could hide there. Nick would never expect her to be in his own stable.
She smiled to herself. It was the perfect plan—one that even Lady Effingham or Justice Halbrook could be proud of. Looking back toward Rafe’s, Beth couldn’t tell if Nick was still among the men outside or not. She hoped he’d given up pursuing her.
Creeping toward the stable, Beth crossed the road. She climbed over the fence and crossed the corral, where the horses stood ready and waiting for tomorrow’s noon stage. They moved to the far end of the pen as if to show they’d have nothing to do with her escape plans.
It didn’t matter. Beth hurried in through the side door and quickly made her way to a hiding place behind a stack of hay bales. Prepared to wait out the situation as long as was necessary, Beth breathed a sigh of relief.
Without a watch, Beth had no way of knowing how long she remained hidden. But when no one appeared in the stable and sufficient time passed uneventfully, Beth decided to make her way home. Surely Nick had gone back to the bar. The thought irritated her, but now was not the time for contemplation.
She looked around the corner of the bales to see if the way was clear. She’d thought about returning the way she’d come but figured that might be more dangerous. If Nick had followed her, he might still be out there. No, she’d slip around behind Rafe’s, closer to the river. There might be the additional danger of meeting up with that rogue bear, but even that failed to frighten her as much as confronting Nick Lassiter and explaining why she’d been in the bar.
Beth took a deep breath and headed for the stable door. She’d only made it about five feet, however, when she felt someone crash into her back, forcing her to the ground. She tried to fight, but it was useless. Her hat fell away and her hair tumbled out around her.
Even before being rolled over, Beth knew her captor was Nick. However, she wasn’t prepared at all for the anger in his expression as he held her in place.
Nothing seemed to make sense in her mind, but Beth—ever willing to stick her foot in her mouth—matter-offactly said, “I didn’t think you went to Rafe’s anymore.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
“Have you lost your mind?” Nick bellowed. He hauled Beth to her feet but held her securely, though he noticed she wasn’t even trying to fight him. “I can’t believe this. What in the world are you doing dressed like this—and at Rafe’s!”
“If you yell loud enough, maybe Rafe will come over to investigate, as well,” Beth replied.
When Nick had first seen her in the saloon, he’d thought his heart might actually stop beating. Why would she have ever ventured to put herself in harm’s way like that?
Still, she had a point. He had to calm down or he’d say something he’d regret.
“This has got to be one of the most dangerous nights at Rafe’s, and yet there you were . . . dressed like a cowboy—a man—and with a beer. What got into you, anyway? Do Gwen and Hank have any idea where you are? Do you know what would have happened to you if Rafe figured out who you were?” He barely took a breath before continuing. “I’ll tell you what would have happened. He would have given you over to those cowboys, and you would have lived out your craving for danger and adventure. I think you need a new philosophy, Miss Gallatin.”
He stared hard at Beth, hoping she might be intimidated by his strength and anger. Better he scare her out of such stupidity than someone else who cared nothing about her.
“Are you going to tell me why you were there tonight?” he asked.
Beth raised her chin ever so slightly. “I can’t see that it will help the matter at all. You’re just going to keep ranting and raving at me.”
She tried to pull away, but Nick tightened his grip and held her close against him. “You aren’t going anywhere until I get some answers.”
“Then we might be here a long time.”
Nick couldn’t deny that he enjoyed their closeness. Her body was pressed against his, and a million thoughts raced through his mind. Right at the head of the pack was his desire to kiss Beth Gallatin soundly. He resisted the urge, however. He’d been worried about her being compromised by other men, and the last thing he wanted was to take unfair advantage of her.
“I’ve got all night,” Nick finally replied in a barely audible voice.
Beth glanced toward the open stable door. “Don’t you think folks are going to be surprised to find us like this? Seems rather . . . well . . . intimate, to my way of thinking.”
How could she talk like that? How could she just stand there, all calm and collected, and t
alk of intimacy? Nick let go of her hands and stepped back. “If you run, I’ll just come after you.”
“It’s not like I’d go all that far,” she said. Beth took off the kerchief around her neck and wiped at her face. “I’ll tell you why I was at the saloon if you’ll tell me first why you were there.”
Nick knew he had nothing to hide and shrugged. “I was helping Simon. Ellie sent word that something was wrong, and she needed to talk to him. Simon knew Rafe would never let them slip off together—especially tonight with all those customers. So I was going to keep Rafe preoccupied while Simon found Ellie.”
“So you weren’t there to drink or . . .” She let the words trail off as she met Nick’s gaze.
“You were the one holding a beer, as I recall,” Nick countered. Even dirt-smudged and wearing her father’s old clothes, Beth Gallatin was still the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. Her nearness was intoxicating. Why couldn’t she see how much he’d come to care about her?
“I was just trying to look like the rest of the crowd so no one would notice me.” She tucked the dirty cloth into her pocket but didn’t attempt to leave. “I certainly wasn’t there to drink beer, however. I’m surprised you’d even think that of me.”
“I’m surprised you were even in Rafe’s Saloon. I think that tops your thoughts on the matter.”
Beth shrugged and her reddish brown hair rippled down against her shoulders and arms. “I didn’t know it was a competition.”
Nick shook his head. “I’ve told you why I was there, and it was nothing more than that, Beth. I’ve given up living like that, and I don’t intend to start with it again. You have my word.”
“I’m glad, Nick. I really am. I hated that you went there. I wish Rafe’s business would dry up and blow away. I can’t bear . . . well . . . knowing what’s going on over there. It just breaks my heart.”
Her soft voice was nearly Nick’s undoing, but he held himself in check and pressed for more explanation. “If you don’t like the place, why were you there?”
“Well, I don’t suppose you can get much madder than you already are,” she said with a halfhearted smile. “We went there to drug the cowboys.”
“What?”
She gave a nervous giggle. “Lacy and I just wanted to put an end to the night’s activities, so we drugged the men who were still at Gallatin House by putting laudanum in their coffee.”
“You did what? Are you out of your mind?” Nick couldn’t help but raise his voice. “That stuff can kill a man.”
Beth bent down and picked up her hat. “If you plan to keep yelling at me, I’m going home.”
“You’re going home, all right, but not until I hear the rest of this story.” Nick crossed the distance to where Beth toyed with her hat. “So you went to Rafe’s to drug the cowboys. How did you plan to accomplish that? Slip laudanum into each of their glasses?”
Beth shook her head. “Lacy was working with Cubby to put it into the liquor when you saw me.”
“Lacy went with you?”
“Yes.” Her face paled all at once. “Oh no. She’s still there, and now she’s alone. I left her when I knew you’d found me out.”
Beth moved toward the door, but Nick pulled her back. “Wait. You can’t just go barreling in there again.”
“But I can’t leave her to deal with Rafe alone. He already hates her.”
“I’ll go in and get her out, but you aren’t going anywhere near the place.”
“Just try to stop me,” Beth said, pushing hard to get away from him.
Nick easily reclaimed his hold on her and pulled her against him. “That’s not a difficult task.” The feel of her in his arms made it difficult to keep his mind on the matter at hand. “Look, the more time we spend arguing about this, the more time Lacy will be alone.”
Beth stilled and looked up at him, her lips only inches away. Worried about what he might do, Nick released her abruptly. “If there’s trouble, I’ll need you to go for help. You can hardly do that if you’re in the thick of things.”
This seemed to make sense to her. “All right, we’ll do it your way.” She tucked her hair back up and pulled the hat down tight over her head. “Let’s go.”
They walked the short distance to the saloon. A jaunty tune from the old piano could just be heard from beneath the loud voices and revelry.
“Stay here,” Nick said as they came around the back of Rafe’s.
“Nick?” a voice called out.
Nick instinctively grabbed Beth and pulled her close, then relaxed as he saw it was Simon and Ellie. “We’ve got problems,” Nick told his brother.
“What’s going on? Who’s he?”
“He is Beth Gallatin,” Nick replied.
“Beth?”
“I’m afraid so.”
Beth tilted her chin up so they could see her features more clearly. Ellie giggled. “You’re a sight.”
“I’m sure I am,” Beth admitted, “but that’s not important right now. We have to find Lacy.”
“What’s happened to Lacy?” Simon asked.
“It’s a long story,” Nick replied. “I’ll tell it to you as we go.
You ladies stay here.”
“Now, wait just a minute,” Ellie said, hands on hips. “If Lacy’s in trouble, I want to help, too.”
“He doesn’t like getting help from women,” Beth told her.
Nick shook his head in frustration. “It’s dangerous. Beth and Lacy snuck into Rafe’s dressed like this. They had plans to drug the cowboys with laudanum and put them all to sleep for the rest of the night. I saw Beth, and she took off running. I followed her. Lacy was left behind, and now we need to find her and get her out before Rafe recognizes her.”
“Then you need my help,” Ellie said matter-of-factly. “Rafe won’t think twice about my being there, and I can get into places you can’t.”
“She’s got a point,” Simon agreed.
Nick conceded the point. “But Beth stays here.”
“That wouldn’t be all that safe,” Ellie said, glancing over her shoulder. “There are men everywhere, and those who aren’t looking for a good time with the ladies are itching for a fight with the men. Someone’s likely to try to pick a fight with Beth, just because she’s small and they figure they can take her.”
“All right, then she can go home and wait for us,” Nick said. “But time is getting away from us while we stand here arguing.”
“I’m going with you, and that’s final,” Beth said, starting for the door. “You can either come with me or go back to what you were doing.”
“Wait,” Ellie called. “Let me go in first. I’ll go in the back door and check with Cubby. You three wait there, and I’ll come back and let you know what’s going on.”
“That’s probably the best way,” Simon agreed. “We can just wait and keep watch.”
Nick gritted his teeth and nodded. He wasn’t at all happy with the way things were going, but there was nothing to do about it. He’d deal with Beth later, but right now it was most important to get Lacy out of danger.
The foursome walked past the rooms where Rafe’s girls handled their affairs. Nick hated that Beth should be in the midst of such debauchery. He wanted to blame Lacy for the events of the evening, but he had a sneaking feeling that Beth had probably masterminded a good portion of their actions. What had ever possessed them to make such a daring play?
He was still contemplating this as Ellie motioned them to wait off to one side. “You boys stay here, and I’ll get us a bottle,” she said, playing her role quite well.
Simon leaned toward Beth. “Did you really imagine you could put them all to sleep?”
She shrugged. “It seemed reasonable enough at the time. Lacy figured Cubby could slip it in the beer and whiskey, and no one would be the wiser. We both figured men pass out all the time from their drink, so this wouldn’t be all that different.”
“It’s different, because you’re in the middle of it,” Nick hissed. “And
there’s the fact that if a man chooses to drink himself unconscious, it’s his choice and no one else’s. You took matters into your own hands and robbed him of that.”
She crossed her arms in defiance. “Seems like a stupid choice to me. Maybe I was actually helping them not to drink so much.”
“You could have killed someone, too. How will you deal with it if Ellie comes back to report men are dying in there because of what you did?”
Beth’s expression lost its smugness. “You don’t really think that could happen, do you?”
“I know it can. Laudanum is nothing to fool around with.”
“I don’t want anyone to die, Nick.” She looked at Simon. “I really don’t. I just wanted to save Ellie and the others. I just wanted them to stop drinking and doing harm to themselves.”
“It was admirable enough of you, Beth,” Simon admitted, “but Nick’s right. That stuff is deadly. You should never do anything like this again.”
“I intend to see that she doesn’t,” Nick said before Beth could reply. He’d already determined that no matter what it took, he was going to see that Beth gave him her pledge on the matter. “I’m sure Hank and Gwen will be surprised to hear about this.”
“Not nearly so much as you might imagine,” Beth muttered.
Just then Ellie returned with a bottle of whiskey in hand. “She’s not in there. I don’t know what’s happened to her. Cubby said he hasn’t seen her since she gave him the laudanum.”
“Where could she be?” Beth asked anxiously. “You don’t suppose that Rafe has her, do you?”
“No. He and Wyman were still dealing cards,” Ellie said, reaching out to touch Beth with her free hand. “She probably just went home. Why don’t you head over there and see. If she’s not there, we can keep looking for her.”
“Ellie’s right. That’s the best place to start,” Simon agreed. “We can check in over there, and if she’s not back, we can get Hank’s help, as well.”
Beth grimaced. “He’s not going to be happy about this.”
Nick gave an exasperated sigh. “He’s not the only one.”
A Love to Last Forever Page 11
