by Diane Darcy
The ladies were winding down, much of their indignation leached out of them by the stifling heat. Flapping fans were put away as Grace followed them into the dining room for dessert.
She slowed her pace, letting the others pass her by. This was the perfect time to slip out.
She could go see Angel at the jail, then track down Luke. Face the enemy, as it were.
At least she wouldn’t be bored.
Luke stood outside in the open street talking to Gabe when one of the Turner boys came running up to him. “Your housekeeper wants you, right now! She’s in a bad way, upset, and she sent me to find you.”
The young boy rushed off just as quickly as he’d arrived.
Luke headed home, wondering what it could be about, half-suspecting that the woman had called him home for a ridiculous reason.
If that was the case, they’d have words.
When he arrived home, it was to find his housekeeper crying and upset. He immediately went to her side. “What happened?”
She waved both hands in the air as she tried to compose herself, even as more tears streaked down her face. A quick glance up and down her body assured him she didn’t appear injured. “Mrs. Samuels?”
“The house … the house has been broken into. I’d gone to the mercantile, or I was on my way, when I remembered I’d forgotten my list and came back. There were … there were two men in here and when I arrived … I scared them off. They ran past me and shoved me aside.”
“Are you hurt?”
She shook her head. “They just … just scared me. I’m being foolish, I know.”
He helped her into a chair, and headed into his study. His office was a mess. A quick glance assured him his hidden safe was undisturbed. He scanned the room, careful to make sure nobody was watching, or looking in windows, and then went to check it himself.
It was still locked, safe and secure. He opened it to find everything intact.
Relief flooded him.
This was getting out of control.
He locked up, and after assuring the housekeeper he’d return momentarily, he went next-door to the neighbors, found Mrs. Harrington, and urged her to come look after his housekeeper.
As soon as that was taken care of, he headed to the sheriff’s office.
They needed to come up with a strategy for protecting this town.
For the very first time, he realized he’d be glad when the tournament was over.
Chapter 17
Luke went straight to Gabe’s office to find Grace reading to Angel.
He felt his temper spike. “What are you doing here? I told you to stay at Mrs. Braxton’s house where you’d be safe, didn’t I?”
Grace, paused in the middle of reading the letter, blinked at him, and her mouth parted.
Angel stood from off the cot. “I don’t like you talkin’ to Miss Grace that way.” His tone was menacing. “You’re not to speak to her in such a fashion.”
This was the last thing Luke needed right now. Not only did he not like the fact that Grace had left the house, but he really hated that she was with Angel. The man had the perfect scam going, didn’t he? He let Grace help him write his supposed lady friend, and got to spend plenty of time with her while she read the return letters.
Convenient, that.
Luke didn’t believe Angel even had a lady friend. It was Grace he was after.
He shot Grace a furious look, and ignored Angel. He jerked his chin at Gabe. “I need to talk to you outside.”
Angel was one of the last people he wanted to overhear this conversation. As was Grace for that matter, with her affiliation with Mrs. Braxton.
As the two men went out the door, Luke turned back to glare at Grace. “You have about five minutes and then I’m taking you home. And I’m gonna expect you to stay there.”
She nodded at him.
He narrowed his eyes. That had been too easy—he was used to her talking back to him.
Outside, he gave the details of the break-in to Gabe.
Gabe looked as grim as Luke felt.
“What do we do?”
“Whatever happens, we don’t want this to get around. We don’t want Mrs. Braxton and her cronies to incite a riot.”
“I’ll head over to your house and talk to Mrs. Samuels. See what she remembers. Join me after you see Miss Grace home.”
Luke nodded and headed back inside. “Grace, come with me.”
When they stepped outside, he shut the door and glared at her. “What if Angel is the killer? Did you ever think of that? Is your recent scare not enough to get you to stay where I put you?”
Grace’s expression turned coldly angry. “You do not know him at all if you could think something like that. Besides, I’ve seen the killer, remember? And it isn’t him.” She unconsciously touched a hand to her chest.
“What?” he demanded. He’d seen her do that before.
“I was cut,” she answered softly.
“Cut?”
“The man slashed me with a knife. I won’t forget him.”
Luke’s face registered shock. He glanced at where her hand rested on her chest. He swallowed as his stomach twisted. She’d been slashed? Injured? Unholy rage welled up within him. He couldn’t bear the thought of it and it only made him all the more determined that she listen to him. “I thought you were more intelligent than this! The killer isn’t necessarily the man from New York. This could be another killer. Did you think of that?”
“Angel has the soul of a poet. There’s no way that he could do anything like this.”
Luke did not like her sticking up for the other man. His anger rose a notch. As he tried to think of a good comeback, Grace surged ahead of him, her nose in the air.
“I want you to tell me what you’re thinking.”
She didn’t respond. So she was refusing to talk to him?
“Don’t follow me. I’m not talking to you.”
“Clearly. Meet me at your window tonight.”
“Not on your life. And don’t follow me, and don’t throw rocks at my window either.”
“I don’t see what you’re so upset about. How am I supposed to keep you safe if you behave in such a manner?”
With that, she bunched her skirt in her hands and hurried forward.
He came to a stop and watched her half-run away from him. He wouldn’t admit it to anybody else, but he really was starting to regret the blasted tournament. But how was he supposed to know that Grace was coming to town? It had been dead dull around here for years. And it had certainly seemed like a good idea at the time.
He followed her at a distance. After half a block or so, she turned and saw him. “Stop following me!”
He ignored her, and trailed her all the way home, ensuring that she arrived safely.
He might not be able to cancel the tournament at this point, but he could darn well make sure his girl returned home unharmed.
He sighed.
His girl?
He didn’t know if he was coming or going anymore.
“Go home, gamblers! Go home, gamblers!”
Grace watched as Luke raised his hands. He wasn’t quite smiling, but almost. And that set her teeth on edge.
“The tournament is in two weeks ladies. I don’t know what you hope to accomplish by all this, but we’re not canceling at this point.”
Did the man have to be so irritating? Standing there, cool as a cucumber, as if he didn’t have a care in the world. They weren’t getting to him in the least.
Luke looked directly at Grace. “Do you want to answer that?”
She stuck her nose in the air. “I can’t, Mr. Mayor. I’m not talking to you.”
He chuckled again. She turned away before she did something stupid like lose her temper in front of half the town.
She looked at the group standing in the middle of the main street. There were only a couple of men, but most of the ladies from her church group were there. The day was heating up and she was starting to sweat. Luke stood
in the shade of his office up on the boardwalk, looking as if butter wouldn’t melt in his mouth.
They were wasting their time.
“Gambling is evil! Gambling is evil!” Two ladies held a banner and lifted it up and down as they chanted the words. More ladies in the group took up the cry.
Being the nitwit he was, Luke simply pulled a chair outside and sat on it, leaning it back against the wall. He watched the group as if he were being entertained.
“Dolt.”
His attitude was raising more tempers than just her own.
“Go home, gamblers! Go home, gamblers!”
Grace had to admit, it was a little more spirited since he’d joined them. The ladies had certainly gotten more lively.
She joined in the chant. “Go home, gamblers! Go home, gamblers!”
Gabe came outside of his office to stand beside the chair. “You people must love wasting your time.” He looked as amused as his friend.
Mrs. Simpson’s hands were waving, and she led the chant. Smiling, she turned to throw over her shoulder, “We’re not wasting our time, we are utilizing our God-given right to protest.”
“Oh.” He twirled a hand. “In that case, carry on!” He didn’t even try to hide the fact that he was laughing at them. “Just don’t make too much noise, or I might have to arrest you for disturbing the peace.”
“You just try it, Gabe Kildare! We’ll go get your mama from Whittier and see what she has to say about it!”
“We care about our city!”
“We don’t want our men to bet! We just want the gamblers to git!”
Gabe shook his head again. “This is a done deal, ladies.”
Luke stood up. “All right. I’ve about had it with all of this.”
He walked down the three stairs onto the dirt road and grabbed Grace by the arm. “I’m making a citizen’s arrest.” He started to haul her towards the sheriff’s office.
“Oh, good,” she said. “Now I can finish my conversation with Angel.”
Luke stopped and shot her a dark look.
The women rushed onto the boardwalk and grabbed hold of Grace.
“Oh, for the love of Pete. I wasn’t really going to lock her up.”
The ladies took Grace with them in a wave, and Grace glared at him over her shoulder. “You wouldn’t know a killer if one ran up to you on the street.”
He raised a brow. “I thought you weren’t talking to me?”
“I’m not. I don’t have anything to say to you. Anyone that would keep an innocent man behind bars is just flat out mean.”
“For someone not talking to me, you certainly have a lot to say.” He couldn’t help following the crowd of ladies, more out of amusement than anything else. The ladies carried Grace along with them as they walked up the street.
The crowd slowly broke up as they congratulated themselves on foiling Luke.
Gabe grinned. “Do you think all of this is going to be worth it?”
He’d certainly had his moments of doubt, but he wasn’t going to let a bunch of ladies dictate how he ran this town. He needed to remember the money coming in for the school, the potential families that might move here, and how much fun the tournament would be. “Oh, it’ll be worth it all right.”
After the ladies left, some of the fun went out of the situation. He wandered into the office with Gabe and glanced at Angel, sitting on the cot. The man stared back with an unblinking gaze.
He had to admit he was still feeling jealous of Grace spending time with the other man. Maybe if he wasn’t so accessible, she wouldn’t be able to find him, and it would no longer be an issue. “When are you going to let him go?”
Gabe stuck out his chin. “He hasn’t taught me a darn thing yet. He won three games in a row over at the hotel, but he’s keepin’ his tricks to himself.”
“So what’s he in jail for?”
Angel finally rose from his cot, walked to the front of his cell, and clutched the bars. “I didn’t do a darn thing. I didn’t do nothin’.”
Gabe pulled out a pack of cards and started to set up a poker game. “If you want out of here, you’re gonna have to teach me somethin’ first.”
“How about I teach your friend here something. He was looking directly at Luke. “You don’t romance a girl by threatening to arrest her.”
Luke scowled. “As I am the only friend you have in here, I suggest you keep your unwanted advice to yourself.”
Gabe scowled at the man as well. “Yes, keep your unwanted love advice to yourself. You’re here for poker tips, not romance ones.”
Angel laughed. “And yet, I’m the only one here who has a girl. One who wants me.”
Luke narrowed his eyes. Was he referring to Grace? He didn’t want to see the man for one more minute. “Gabe, let him go.”
“What about my poker tips?”
“He’s never gonna tell you anything. Just let him go.”
Gabe shot him a dirty look, but he still retrieved the keys. He unlocked the door and with a sarcastic sweep of his hand, indicated that Angel should leave. “I’m warning you. You better not be loitering in one spot again for too long. You’ll be back in here before you know it.”
Angel snorted as he exited.
After he left, Gabe turned to look at Luke. “Well? You lost me my big gun. So, it looks like it’s going to be up to you to help me improve my game. We can discuss any leads on the murder while we do so.”
“Fine.” Luke sat across the table from Gabe. “Do you have any ideas about the man who killed the prostitute?”
“I have ten different descriptions of the man. So, no.”
“Do you really think there’s a chance it’s this fellow from New York City and he’s after Grace?”
“I doubt it. You throw a bunch of men together, throw in money and women, and there’s bound to be some violence. What about you? Do you really think there was someone after Grace in New York?”
“She thinks so. The telegram she received from her father seemed to confirm it.”
“So, say there’s a low-life snake on her tail.” Gabe discarded and took another card. “What are the chances he’s found her all the way out here?”
“I just don’t know. But if we can find the man who killed the prostitute, that would answer a lot of questions.”
“So, you gonna tell me where the money is hidden?”
Luke indicated that he wanted another card. “No.”
Over an hour later, Luke looked at Gabe and shook his head. “You do realize that you have too many tells for me to count.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, you rub your nose when you have a good hand. You pull on your ear when you have a bad hand. You slide your feet across the floor when you have a mediocre hand.”
Gabe threw his cards down in a fit of temper. “Are you supposed to stay still the whole time? How do you do that?”
“Practice.”
“How am I supposed to practice in time for the tournament?”
Luke shot him a sympathetic look. “Maybe we can hold another one next year.”
Gabe glared. “I’m not the only one with tells.”
Luke raised a brow. “All right. So what are mine?”
“You like Grace, and you’re jealous of any man who looks twice at her. Your jaw thrusts out, your eyes get squinty, and your fists clench if another man so much as glances her way. You love her.”
Now it was Luke’s turned to scowl. “No, I don’t.”
“Yes, you do. When she’s around, your chest puffs out around other men. Even me, sometimes.” Gabe shrugged. “It’s nothing to be ashamed of. If she looked at me the way she looked at you, I’d probably feel the same.”
Luke’s jaw locked tight. “She’s not even talking to me at the moment.”
“So? Stay away from her then.”
Luke considered that for a moment, then quickly discarded the idea. He couldn’t stay away. Maybe if he told her he’d released Angel from jail, it would soft
en her up a bit. He quickly stood. “I’ve got somewhere to be.”
Gabe shot him a smirk. “Uh, huh. That’s what I thought.”
Chapter 18
Grace was reading in the garden when Luke came around the corner. It had been two days since the protest. Two days since she’d last seen him. She considered shunning him, but realized she’d calmed down enough that she was actually happy to see him.
“You still mad at me?” Luke asked.
She closed her book. “Should I be?”
“Did you hear that I got Angel out of jail?”
“Yes, I received the message. In fact, I received all the messages you left over the last two days.”
He shoved his hands in his pockets. “Did you? Because it seems every time I come by, you haven’t been home.”
“Oh, I’ve been home.”
He grinned at her. “I know.” He moved a little closer and craned his neck to get a look at the book on her lap. “What are you reading?”
“It’s a book called Emma, by Jane Austen.”
“Is it any good?”
“A comedy of errors, involving a disapproving man and the perils of misconceived romance.”
“Ah.” He took a step closer. “So nothing like our own.”
She dropped her gaze and willed herself not to blush. Did they have a romance? And could anything come of it? She wished he wasn’t so good-looking. Perhaps if she stopped looking at him, she wouldn’t notice. “Have a seat, why don’t you. Would you like me to get you some lemonade?”
“No. I don’t want the widow to know I’m here.”
That amused her, though she tried to bite back a smile. “Why ever not?”
He shot her a dirty look, but then grinned, his heart obviously not in it. “Are you going to be at the pie shop tomorrow?”
She reminded herself not to look at him and glanced away. “Maybe.”
He scooted his chair closer. “Maybe I’ll see you there then.”
“Maybe I need a chaperone when you’re around. Perhaps I should go and get the widow after all.”
