Refining Fire

by Cox, Carol

  And here she was, in Tucson! Who would have thought that joining forces with Red Dwyer would lead him to her? Why hadn’t he seen her before? No matter. The important thing was that he saw her now and planned to keep on seeing her for a long time to come.

  Lord, I don’t know how You managed to bring her here. Or why, for that matter. But if I enter into Your plans in that regard, I want You to know I’m more than grateful.

  He sat across the table from her to put himself in direct line with those amazing blue-green eyes. Or were they more turquoise? Her hair, too, defied a quick description. Just when he’d classified it as golden blond, a ray of sunlight streaming through the window sent copper glints shimmering through her curls.

  It would take time—and a lot of study—to sort it all out. And that would be just fine with him. They would have much to talk about in getting the partnership set up. Plenty of plans to make. And knowing that Miss Jenny Davis had an interest in the mine made him all the more determined to see it succeed.

  She gave Red a warm smile. “Where do we begin?”

  “Ask Andrew,” he replied. “He’s our expert.”

  Jenny turned and looked straight into Andrew’s eyes, and he braced himself for another heart-stopping shock. This time, though, it didn’t happen. Jenny wore the same smile she’d directed at Red, but something was missing. The smile was there, but her eyes held a shuttered look, as though she’d lowered a protective shield.

  “Well, Mr. Garrett, what do you suggest?” Her tone was polite but decidedly cool.

  Andrew blinked and tried to get his thoughts back on track. What had just happened? Had he imagined that electric charge when he touched her? Surely she had felt it, too. He would have sworn to it only moments before. Now she looked at him as though she’d never seen him before, showing no sign of the kinship they’d seemed to share.

  “I’ll need to ride out to the claim with Red and give it a good looking over first. After that, I’ll have a better idea of what we’ll need to begin work.” He hoped his inner turmoil didn’t show. Trying to make sense of this situation was like chasing after a pile of dry leaves scattered by a sudden gust of wind.

  An unwelcome thought struck him. Maybe she didn’t remember their earlier meeting. Perhaps their connection when he touched her had been a figment of his imagination.

  All right, then. He could accept that. In his mind, their acquaintance had already been of long standing, but he couldn’t expect her to have the kind of feelings he’d already allowed to build up in his mind for someone she’d just met. He would have to take a few steps backward in his thinking and start afresh. He realized Jenny was speaking again and leaned forward to catch her words.

  “I was talking to Evan earlier,” she said to Red, the cool tone still in her voice. “He said he’d be more than willing to come into the partnership if we needed his help. I told him you already had someone in mind, but I promised I’d let you know.”

  “No need for that,” Red replied with a grin. “We have the expertise of the esteemed Mr. Andrew Garrett on our side, and that should be quite enough.” He slapped Andrew on the shoulder to punctuate his words.

  “That’s fine,” Jenny said quietly. “I just wanted to let you know he offered.”

  Who’s Evan? Andrew’s mind probed the possibilities while Red went on enthusiastically about their future prospects. Could Evan be Jenny’s brother? A suitor? Or worse, a fiancé? Red hadn’t mentioned any such person, but that didn’t mean anything. One didn’t introduce a new business partner by outlining the details of his or her private life.

  Lord, I don’t know who this person is, but I’m already prepared not to like him very much. Help me to keep a right attitude in this and try to see what You’re doing.

  twelve

  By the time the arrival of lunch customers sent Jenny flying back to the kitchen to dish up new orders, the trio had established a beginning plan of action. Still to be decided was whether they wanted to sell shares to raise more capital. She mulled over the idea while she moved from the stove to the counter and back again.

  Red was trustworthy; of that she had no doubt. Less certain was his wisdom in bringing Andrew Garrett into the partnership on such short acquaintance. The image of Andrew’s face floated before her eyes while she stirred the gravy and set more bread dough out to rise.

  Not until the last of the lunch customers left and she was ready to close down for the afternoon did she have a moment to herself to try to piece her scattered thoughts together. She poured herself a glass of water and sat next to an open window to catch as much of the slight breeze as she could.

  What was it that Red saw in Andrew that sparked his trust? What did she herself know about Andrew Garrett? An overheard conversation and tender feelings from her daydreams didn’t count, she reminded herself. She needed to know the real man, not the paragon of virtue she had built up in her mind.

  His eyes were the same as she remembered. Deep blue, with a steady gaze that could make her heart stand still in her chest. That much, at least, hadn’t been a product of her imagination.

  And that voice. Even in memory, its rich timbre made her insides feel like melted butter. The same firm tone she had heard through Elizabeth’s kitchen door in the altercation between Andrew and Earl Waggoner, the unscrupulous mining agent. She remembered Andrew’s ire upon realizing Waggoner meant to bilk the miner he represented. That should count in his favor, she decided, pressing the cool glass of water against her forehead. But did one noble deed mean he could be trusted in all things?

  The outside door to the office slammed. Jenny jumped and let out a little cry, her hand pressed against the base of her throat.

  “Oh, are you still here?” Evan appeared in the office doorway, pushing a shock of his dark hair back off his forehead “I didn’t mean to frighten you.” He crossed the room and pulled up a chair close to hers, his relaxed smile putting her at ease again.

  “It’s all right. I just had my mind on other things.”

  Evan tilted his head to one side. “Thinking about your silver mine? You aren’t getting ready to pull out on me, are you?”

  “Hardly!” Jenny laughed. “From the discussion I had with Red and Andrew, it seems there’s far more to establishing a mine than just going out and digging. It may be months, maybe even years, before we see a profit.”

  Evan lounged comfortably in a chair and stretched his legs out before him. “So you finally met the mystery partner, did you? What did you think of him?”

  “Red seems quite taken with him,” Jenny hedged, unwilling to admit her own doubts.

  “That isn’t much of an answer.” Evan narrowed his eyes and regarded her thoughtfully. “Considering that you were ready to leave Prescott and travel here with me after only a few minutes of conversation, I’d say you’re a woman capable of sizing up a person pretty quickly. If you still aren’t sure of this fellow after your business discussion, that says something, doesn’t it?”

  Jenny evaded his gaze. “It really isn’t the same.”

  “Did you tell Dwyer I was interested in coming in on the deal?”

  “Yes. He wants to keep things as they are.” She gave him an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry, Evan.”

  He raised his hands, then dropped them back in his lap. “I was only trying to help. It’s a shame Dwyer didn’t see it that way.” He leaned forward with his elbows on his knees. “You don’t think there’s a hidden reason Dwyer didn’t want me to come in on the deal, do you?”

  Jenny frowned. “What do you mean?”

  “Has either of them asked you to invest more money? Maybe, just maybe, this Garrett fellow isn’t all he’s made himself out to be.” He wagged his forefinger at Jenny. “There are a great many unscrupulous men in the world. Some of them wouldn’t think twice about taking money from an innocent investor, even one as lovely as yourself.” His eyes lit with a smile for a moment, then turned somber again.

  “Be on your guard, that’s all I ask. And if you
hear anything that gives you the slightest reason for doubt, I want you to come to me with your concerns. Will you do that?”

  Jenny’s lips parted in an amused smile at his earnest words. “You mean you’ll be willing to give me advice on my investment as a bonus to our business relationship?”

  Evan’s expression softened. He scooted his chair forward until his knees almost touched hers. Reaching for Jenny’s hands, he clasped them in his own.

  “I’ve been meaning to talk to you about that. . .our relationship, I mean.”

  Jenny’s fingers grew rigid in Evan’s grip. More than anything, she longed to snatch them out of his grasp, but forced herself to hold still and hear him out. “What do you mean?”

  Evan stroked circles on the backs of Jenny’s hands with his thumbs and cleared his throat.

  Jenny’s fingers tensed even more, as though they would start twitching at any moment. She fought down the ridiculous impulse, wishing Evan would get on with it. Never before had he seemed at a loss for words.

  “I’ve given it a lot of thought,” he continued, his confidence seeming to return. “We make a good team, you and I. I think it’s time to make our partnership a permanent one.”

  “Permanent?” Jenny drew her brows together, trying to comprehend his meaning. “What could make it any more permanent than what we have now?”

  Evan’s mouth turned downward in a rueful grimace. “You’re not exactly being flattering, my dear.” He cupped her chin in one hand, keeping the other wrapped around her fingers. “What I’m saying, Jenny, is that I think we ought to get married. What do you say?”

  “Married!” Jenny’s whole body stiffened, and she felt her arms start to tremble. “Evan, I—”

  “Don’t tell me it hasn’t crossed your mind,” he murmured, leaning forward to brush his lips across her temple. “We’re a lot alike, you and I. With your head for business and my nose for new opportunities, we could control half the money in this territory. And how lucky for me that this brilliant business mind comes wrapped in such a desirable package.”

  He lifted her chin and lowered his lips to hers.

  “No!” Jenny yanked her left hand free and planted it in front of Evan’s lips.

  She drew back and tugged her right hand, but Evan didn’t loosen his grip. He sat quite still, studying her with steely gray eyes, keeping her hand pinned in his grasp.

  “Is this some obligatory demonstration of maidenly modesty? I can feel you trembling.” A low chuckle rasped in his throat. “I think you want this kiss as much as I do.”

  Jenny shook her head mutely. Fragments of memories shot through her mind: other hands holding her against her will, other voices declaring their intention to have a kiss. She pulled her hand again, and this time Evan let it go free.

  “Very well.” He leaned back in his chair and gave her a lazy grin. “Whatever the reason, I’m willing to hold off—for a time, at least.” He reached out his hand to caress her hair but drew back when she flinched. “I’ll give you time to think it over, but my offer still stands, my beautiful Jenny.”

  Jenny stood without a word and exited through the front door, leaving it standing open behind her. Let him lock up. All she wanted at that moment was to escape his clinging hands and the memories they stirred.

  She walked quickly along the dusty street, skirting a group of little boys playing with a ball. Her head throbbed with questions. Whatever had possessed Evan to make such an outrageous proposal? She scrubbed her hands back and forth, trying to rub away the sensation of being imprisoned within his grip.

  Safely home again, she closed the door and leaned against it, pressing her fists against her temples. Had she done anything to encourage such behavior? She couldn’t think of anything—word or action—that would have given Evan cause to think she’d welcome his advances.

  But then, hadn’t she been the recipient of unwanted advances before? And none of them her conscious doing. Did she emanate some kind of inviting signal unbeknownst to herself?

  What made Evan ask that preposterous question? While receiving an offer of marriage had to rate higher than being pawed by drunken saloon patrons, she wasn’t ready to give up her independence. After working so hard to achieve that goal, she wasn’t about to relinquish it now.

  Not to Evan, not to any man.

  With a low groan, she sank to the floor and cradled her head against her knees. What was it about her that seemed to bring out men’s base desires?

  thirteen

  Hands. Clutching hands. Grabbing at her, plucking at her hair, her arms, her waist. Jenny tried to slap them away, thinking at first they belonged to Evan. Then Martin Lester’s leering face appeared, and she realized the nightmare had returned. She struggled to waken, but the hated dream prevailed, pulling her down into its tangled depths.

  Once again she relived the horror of being bundled into the burlap sack, of feeling like she was about to be shaken apart during the jolting ride in the wagon bed. Of being spilled out on the cabin floor like so much baggage. Martin Lester’s drunken leer and Burleigh Ames’s dark anger. . .

  “What about selling her again?” No matter how many times she heard Martin Lester’s suggestion, it never failed to renew a debilitating fear inside her. “Maybe down in Mexico this time. Or we could trade her to the Indians.”

  “Yeah.” Burleigh Ames’s gaze lit up with anticipation. “Yeah, that’d work.” He glared at Jenny with hate-filled eyes. “But I vow I’m going to get some satisfaction first for all this grief.” He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and hitched up his belt.

  “Hold on,” Lester protested. “What have you got in mind?”

  Ames shoved Lester to one side. “I’m not letting her go until she’s paid for what she’s done.”

  Jenny watched him make his way toward her, one slow, heavy step at a time. He grabbed her shoulder with one meaty hand and jerked her upright. “Come here,” he said, his voice low and tight. “Let’s see what it’s like to kiss you.”

  Caught in his viselike grip, Jenny could only turn her head to one side. His mouth grazed her cheek.

  “Hold still!” he bellowed, trying to pin her shoulders and force his lips to hers at the same time.

  Jenny squirmed and pushed against his chest with all her might.

  “Grab her hair and hold it tight!” Ames shouted.

  Lester’s fingers twined through Jenny’s hair and twisted it into a tight knot. Burleigh Ames drew his lips back in a triumphant smile and leaned closer.

  Jenny clamped her teeth together.

  With a howl of pain, Ames flung her away from him. She flew as far as the length of Lester’s arm, then jerked to a stop, caught by his hold on her hair.

  Ames cursed. “Maybe I’ll just kill her now and save us all a lot of trouble.”

  “You don’t want to do that,” Lester whined. “I don’t intend to hang for no murder.” He swung Jenny around by her hair and shoved her toward the cookstove. “Get over there,” he ordered. “If you can’t be of any other use, at least you can fix us some supper.”

  Jenny caught herself on the stove’s edge. She had won. . .for the moment. But another time of testing would come. And another, and another. How long could she expect to hold out?

  Once again, her heart sent up a desperate plea: “God, help me. Please, please help me!”

  Jenny bolted awake, her gaze darting frantically around the dark room, straining to discern any hidden danger that might be lurking there. She pushed herself upright and scooted back against the headboard of her spool bed, wrapping her arms around her knees and listening for any telltale sounds. Only her ragged gasps broke the silence. A faint breeze wafted through the open window and she shivered, realizing for the first time that her sheet was soaked with sweat.

  ❧

  Andrew dodged a trio of chickens pecking in the dust of Camino Real and turned down Calle del Arroyo in the direction of the Pueblo Restaurant. He strode at a steady pace, the same tenacity that helped him sif
t through endless assay reports in search of prime investments now standing him in good stead as he took on what might prove to be his biggest challenge yet: winning the confidence of Jenny Davis.

  No matter how hard he’d tried to get in her good graces, the wall of hostility he’d sensed in her had only grown stronger.

  But that was about to change. It had to. A successful partnership couldn’t exist with that kind of strain between them. And he certainly couldn’t entertain hopes of a budding romance if she wouldn’t even give him the time of day.

  He glanced at the sun overhead, an hour past its zenith. He had timed his visit to coincide with the end of the midday meal, hoping he could be her last customer of the afternoon. If only the two of them were in the restaurant, she’d have to talk to him, to tell him to leave if nothing else. At this point, almost any form of conversation would be a breakthrough.

  Pushing the door open, he entered the dining room, grateful for its relative coolness after the midsummer heat outside. Manuel glanced up from serving a plate of fried chicken to another customer and favored him with a brilliant smile.

  “Welcome, Señor Garrett,” he said, hurrying to Andrew’s side. “Did you come just to talk to Señorita Davis, or do you want to eat also?”

  “I could use a good meal.” Andrew smiled, heartened by the boy’s contagious exuberance. “What’s on the menu?”

  “Fried chicken, roast beef, and pork chops. All cooked by my mother. All very good. What would you like?”