Clint took the bottle just to get a look at it. The label was in French, and the cork was sealed in place with dark red wax. “I’m not much of a wine drinker,” he said.
“You can sell it for a mighty healthy profit. It’ll have to be in a town bigger than this one, but I can think of a handful of merchants in Gregor’s neck of the woods that would be willing to let you name your price. I’d give you more, but that’s the last bottle I have, and the last thing I own that’s worth much of anything.”
“What about the vodka?”
“You want one of those bottles?”
“No. I mean why bother with the vodka when you’ve got something like this to draw a crowd?”
Leo laughed. “Have you ever tried to serve wine to a bunch of dusty cowboys and ranch hands?”
“No,” Clint replied.
“Well, I have and it ain’t pretty. They demanded something with kick, and I’m hoping what you brought from Gregor will be just the thing.”
“I appreciate it, but I was just doing the job you and Gregor hired me to do.”
“Keep the wine,” Leo insisted. “You earned it.”
“I will, but I haven’t earned it yet. Tell me everything about Westin’s demands,” Clint said.
Leo looked at him suspiciously. “Why?”
“Because the only thing worse than giving in to a spoiled brother’s tantrum is harming a woman as fine as Madeline.”
“I agree.”
“So let’s do something about it.”
FOURTEEN
An hour or so later, Clint emerged from Leo’s office. He went straight to Henrietta and asked, “Where can I find Madeline?”
“Probably in her house,” the short woman replied.
“Where’s that?”
“If I had a dime every time a man asked me that same question, I’d be a very wealthy woman.”
“When will she be back here again?” Clint asked.
“She’s supposed to sing tonight around eight.”
“Tell me one thing at least. Wherever Madeline is, is she safe?”
Henrietta thought about that. “She’s a good girl, Mr. Adams. I won’t do anything to bring her to harm.” Lowering her voice so as not to attract much attention, she added, “I’ve heard about Westin’s intentions toward her, and even he’s not stupid enough to track her down and kidnap the poor thing.”
After all the mad dogs and bad men that had crossed Clint’s path over the years, he doubted that very much.
“I’ve made it my business to keep an eye on her,” Henrietta continued. “And if I find even the slightest cause for alarm, I’ll let you know. How’d that be?”
“That would be just fine. I’m staying in a hotel down on Linden Street at the south end of town.”
“I know the place.”
“I’ll be there in a short while, and I’ll come back here to see Madeline sing.”
“I’ll tell her you’re coming.” Henrietta reached up to gently pat Clint’s swollen cheek. She clucked like a mother hen while fussing with some strands of hair that had stuck to the dried blood on one of his cuts. “You’ve got to see a doctor.”
“I’ve had worse.”
“You’ll also get another batch of my coffee when you come back. Until then, try to get some rest. Is that a deal?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Good. Now I’ve got work to do.” With that, she turned her back on him and was immediately flagged down by one of the other customers.
Clint couldn’t help but notice how the folks in that saloon responded to her. Every one of them seemed anxious to catch her eye and hear what she had to say. For the first time since he’d arrived, the Dig Dog seemed like a proper saloon where folks wanted to be instead of being stuck there because they were too drunk to walk away.
As soon as he stepped outside, Clint pulled in a breath of fresh air. There was something about the dry desert winds that soothed a man from the inside out. He wasn’t sure how much stock he put in those who said climate could cure everything from consumption to black lung, but it sure did wonders for a man’s spirit. In that single breath, Clint could smell a few different flowers while also savoring the sun’s rays in a way that was distinct to the desert. He pushed his luck, however, by inhaling deeply enough to swell his chest to the point of straining his tender ribs. The breath that had started out so nicely was ended with a series of wheezing coughs as Clint walked slowly toward Third Avenue.
Although stretching his legs didn’t do much to soothe his aching body, it allowed Clint to focus his thoughts on the task at hand like sunlight being narrowed to a burning ray through the lens of a magnifying glass. Every bit of pain he felt made him think that much harder about what he and Leo had discussed. That kind of focus took its toll, however. By the time he arrived at the stable where Eclipse was boarded, he felt as if he’d walked a few miles just to get there.
The Darley Arabian stallion noticed Clint as soon as he entered the drafty barn. Stepping up to place his chest against the lowest section of his stall, Eclipse waited for him to come over and rub his nose.
“How you doing, boy?” Clint asked as he scratched the horse’s muzzle and neck. “Are you getting the royal treatment?”
“His owner didn’t exactly pay for the royal treatment,” Danielle said as she walked in through the back door, “but I doubt he’s got any complaints. Ain’t that right, big boy?”
Eclipse was quick to turn away from Clint to receive some affection from the curvy woman tending to him. Danielle wore her thick brown hair in pigtails that day to keep it out of her face. Her plain red shirt was tied at the midsection, and even though she wore a thin white undershirt beneath it, the lines of her body could still be clearly seen thanks to the sweat from her skin. She turned toward Clint and raised her eyebrows. “I was gonna say that your horse was getting treated better than you, but now I see that’s even more true than I thought. What on earth happened to you?”
“I tripped over a loose floorboard.”
“Unless you tripped through a third-floor window, I doubt that very much.”
“If you don’t mind, I’d rather not talk about it,” Clint said. “I just came by to throw a saddle on Eclipse and take a ride.”
“You need to see a doctor.”
“Why does everyone keep saying that?” Almost as soon as those words came out of him, Clint added, “Don’t answer that. I don’t need a doctor. I’ll be fine.”
“What happens if you fall from your saddle when you’re out there alone somewhere?”
“This boy has plenty of tricks up his sleeve,” Clint said as he patted the side of Eclipse’s neck. “He’ll come up with something.”
“If you’re too stupid to go to a doctor in the shape you’re in, then at least let me ride along with you. That mare over yonder could use a good run.”
While Clint wasn’t the sort who was quick to accept pity, he would have been truly stupid to pass up an offer like that from a woman like Danielle. Even if he’d had any argument against her coming along, it wouldn’t have lasted long when he saw her lean over a gate into another stall to retrieve her saddle. Knowing full well that he’d been enjoying the sight of her backside, Danielle turned and asked, “Are you going to help me with this?”
“I don’t believe I’ve got a choice.”
“Damn right you don’t!”
FIFTEEN
When Clint had first thought about taking a ride to clear his head, it had seemed like a good idea. When Danielle wanted to join him, it seemed like an even better idea. As far as his injuries went, he figured he’d stop feeling them after a while if he just kept riding and let his mind drift in other directions. That last part couldn’t have been more wrong.
He pulled back on his reins, bringing Eclipse to a stop about a mile outside of town. “What’s the matter?” Danie
lle asked. “Are you feeling all right?”
“I’m fine,” Clint lied. “This just looks like a good spot.”
Fortunately, the spot he’d randomly chosen did have its merits. Just off the trail was a wide field of tall grass beneath a wide, bright blue sky. “You’re right,” she said. “And there’s a stream right over there where we can water the horses.”
“Perfect. Let’s do that.”
They dismounted, led two grateful horses to a shallow stream, and found a clear spot where Clint could lay out the blanket he’d brought. He then eased himself down so he could sit and try not to grunt too loudly with the effort of it all.
“You sure you’re all right?” Danielle asked. “That sounded like you just aged twenty years when you sat down.”
“Respect your elders, girl,” Clint grunted.
She moved closer to him on both knees and began tugging at his shirt. Although her efforts weren’t completely unwanted, he shifted and tried to steer her away from the buttons she’d been fussing with. “I didn’t think this would be so difficult,” she said.
“Then maybe you should—”
“Good Lord!” Danielle gasped. “What happened to you and don’t you dare feed me some kind of story.”
Clint thought of a few jokes he could make, but once he looked down at his heavily bruised ribs, he knew they wouldn’t go over well. “It looks worse than it is,” he explained.
Running her hands gently over the mottled patches of dark blue, black, and red, she said, “Well, that’s not saying much. If it was as bad as it looked, you wouldn’t be able to walk. Somebody did this to you.”
“What makes you say that?”
“The fist marks right there and there.” When she pointed them out, Danielle poked Clint’s side as if she was trying to push him over.
“All right, all right! You got me,” Clint said. “Just for the love of God, stop that!”
Keeping her finger poised over one of the darkest bruises, she scowled at him and asked, “What happened to you?”
“I got the hell beat out of me.”
“Tell me you gave as good as you got.”
“I did my best.”
“That wasn’t very convincing,” she said.
“There were three of them.”
As soon as he saw the reaction he got from Danielle, Clint added, “Three of them with guns.”
“Oh my God. I’m sorry I gave you such a hard time.”
“I should think so.”
She moved in closer to him while reaching out with cautious hands. Placing one hand upon his ribs, she asked, “Does this hurt?”
“A little.”
Danielle smirked since she knew he was playing up the situation, but she went along with it for the moment. “What about this?” she asked while rubbing her other hand against his chest.
“Not as much,” Clint said.
She took the hand from his ribs and brushed it against his face. When he winced dramatically, she said, “Oh, come on. Don’t be such a little daisy.”
“Daisy?” Clint said. “Is that what you think?” He proved his point by using one hand to pull her face close enough to his for him to plant a kiss on her that lasted a good long while. Partway through it, Danielle slipped her tongue into his mouth and let her hands wander down along his body.
Drawing in a sharp, sudden breath, Clint said, “Okay, now that really did hurt a bit.”
She was touching one of the more heavily bruised parts of his torso and quickly pulled her hand back. “Sorry about that.”
Clint stretched out his legs and lay back with his hands clasped behind his head. “I suppose you’ll just have to make it up to me somehow.”
Slowly crawling on top of him, Danielle was careful not to put any pressure on his upper body. Instead, she straddled the lower portion of his hips while tugging at Clint’s belt buckle. “I think I might be able to come up with something,” she said. Before long, she’d loosened his jeans and peeled them off him.
The moment she’d started touching him, Clint could feel his body responding to her. By the time her hand found his cock, it had become fully erect. She stroked it with one hand before wrapping her lips around its tip. He looked down to watch her lick him as if she was savoring a cool piece of ice on a hot summer day. Her eyes wandered up to meet his as she opened her mouth and took him all the way in. Closing her lips around the base of his shaft, she started slowly bobbing up and down.
Before long, Clint couldn’t help but squirm. He reached down to put his hands on her head to keep her in the right spot at some times and to urge her to suck him harder at others. Danielle responded to every one of his requests while teasing him with her tongue. Just before he reached the point of no return, she lifted her head and asked, “Is that enough for you to forgive me?”
“Not quite,” he told her.
She smiled hungrily while stripping out of her clothes. “I was hoping you’d say that.”
Clint enjoyed watching her remove every layer of her clothing until she was stark naked. Standing over him, Danielle ran her hands over her ample breasts. Slowly, she straddled him and lowered herself down onto his rigid pole. She reached down to guide him between her legs. When Clint was finally inside her, they both let out long, grateful moans.
He reached up to hold her hips as she began to rock back and forth. Lost in the moment, she placed her hands upon his chest and leaned forward. Danielle’s eyes snapped open when she heard Clint suck in a painful breath. “Sorry,” she said.
Rather than saying anything, he used one hand to pull her down so he could kiss her long and hard. His other hand gripped her backside to hold her in place as he started pumping up into her. Danielle may have been surprised by his show of initiative, but she wasn’t about to complain. Instead, she ground her hips in time to his rhythm while grunting softly with every breath.
Danielle arched her back while continuing to ride him. Since she didn’t want to push down against his battered torso, she slid her hands through her hair while looking up at the sky. Clint placed his hands upon her breasts, feeling them sway to the motion of her body. When he started to massage them, Danielle placed her hands over his to guide him much as he’d guided her not too long ago.
When she grew anxious, she stopped rocking and started bouncing straight up and down on top of him. That way, she could take every inch of him inside her in a series of powerful thrusts. Clint could feel her climax approaching from the trembling of her muscles to the quickening of her breaths. He pushed her all the way over the edge by pounding into her until she let out a shuddering cry.
Danielle remained perfectly still for a few seconds as her orgasm surged through her from head to toe. Her cheeks were flushed, and her heart was still pounding in her chest when she opened her eyes to look down at him.
“I’m afraid I’m still hurting you,” she said.
“Anything but,” Clint told her.
“If it’s all the same, I think I should finish what I started.” As she said those words, she climbed off him and crawled down until her head was once more above his rigid penis. Raking both hands down over his stomach, she wrapped her lips around his cock and sucked him vigorously. Unlike the first time, she wasn’t trying to tease or entice him. Danielle knew exactly what Clint needed and she knew exactly how to give it to him. Her tongue pressed against his smooth flesh, and her head bobbed up and down without any sign of letting up.
All Clint could do from there was lie back and enjoy the ride.
SIXTEEN
Although Clint had put on a brave face until being very pleasantly distracted from his injuries, he knew he needed to get some sort of attention if he was going to heal up anytime soon. He still didn’t go through the trouble of finding a doctor, since he’d put his body through the wringer more than enough times to tend to himself. Once he and Danielle r
ode back to town, he visited a barbershop that also advertised hot baths. The pair of dented tubs in the back of the small building on Linden Street weren’t much to look at, but the place had everything Clint needed.
The hot water soothed away a good portion of his aches, leaving him with a dull and much more manageable throb in the ribs that had been hit the most. When he stood up to gather his clothes, he did so without letting out a single strained wheeze. After that, he treated himself to a shave as well as a trim.
“Will I see you tomorrow again, Mr. Adams?” the barber asked.
Since he was probably the portly man’s best customer in weeks, Clint couldn’t blame the barber for not wanting to let him go. “As soon as my whiskers get out of control, this is the first place I’ll visit.”
The barber smiled. He smiled even wider when Clint tossed him an extra coin on top of what he’d already paid. “I’ll be looking forward to it!” he said.
Stepping out of the barbershop, Clint felt like a new man. He strolled down Linden Street, marveling at how many times one path could shift and bend over such relatively flat ground. Despite the lack of boulders, ponds, or any other obstructions, the street took a serpentine shape, as if the men who’d created it never quite decided which direction they wanted it to go. When he reached the spot where Third Avenue branched off from the main route through town, Clint stopped.
Something had been nagging at the back of his mind, and he hadn’t quite known what it was. Granted, part of the reason was that he’d been distracted. Danielle was enough to distract any man, but Clint had been forced to deal with plenty more than her since his arrival in Larga Noche. After clearing his head with a ride and a hot bath, among other things, Clint was able to get a handle on what had been bothering him.
A Different Trade Page 6
