Refining Fire

by Cox, Carol

  ❧

  “You want to what?” For once, Evan was shaken out of his typically unruffled calm.

  Jenny tightened her grip on her reticule. “I want to buy your share of the Pueblo,” she repeated. “It’s a good investment for me, and it will give you the capital you need to finance whatever business venture you sniff out next.”

  Evan wagged his head slowly from side to side, his gaze sweeping the dining room. “What brought this about? I thought things were—” He broke off in midsentence, and a look of understanding dawned in his eyes.

  “This is about yesterday, isn’t it? It’s your way of putting me in my place, am I right?”

  “This is a separate issue.” Jenny spoke in clipped tones. “I’m a businesswoman, remember? I see this as a sound opportunity, one that will benefit us both.” She held her voice steady, hoping he wouldn’t guess how much she hoped he would agree to her plan. Not only would buying Evan out give her sole ownership of the Pueblo, it would also mean he would no longer have any right to come and go as he pleased. Never again would she have to wonder when he would appear next—and whether he would try to accost her. She watched his eyes, trying to gauge his reaction.

  He tilted his head and gave her a long, considering look. “What if I promise to stop badgering you?” he asked. “We’ll go back to the way things were originally and try to forget there was ever any unpleasantness between us. What do you say?”

  Forget? Did he really imagine she could put the kiss he forced upon her out of her mind like nothing had ever happened? “I don’t think you understand, Evan—”

  “No, it’s you who doesn’t understand.” His eyes narrowed and took on a steely light she hadn’t seen in them before. “You want things on a strictly business basis? All right, here it is: You’ve made your offer; I decline to accept it.”

  A sense of foreboding trickled down Jenny’s spine. “But why?”

  “Let’s just say I don’t like to be thwarted. You’ve already made it plain that you find my attention distasteful. Now you want to be rid of my company altogether. That’s hardly flattering, my dear.”

  Jenny felt her face flush. “I didn’t say—”

  “You didn’t have to. That light in your eyes when you broached the idea made it plain enough. You can’t wait to be rid of me. Well, I’m not going to make it that easy for you.” His lips parted in a slow, cruel smile. “You’re stuck with me, Jenny. Stuck good and proper. You can’t buy me out unless I agree to it, and I don’t. Is that clear enough?”

  Jenny forced her stiff lips to frame an answer. “Perfectly.”

  Evan clenched his fist, then flexed his fingers. “We’re partners, Jenny, in business if in no other way.” He held up his hand as if to stave off her protest. “I told you I’d leave off pressuring you, and I’ll abide by that. For now anyway.” The corner of his mouth tilted up in a pale imitation of his usual easy grin. “Believe it or not, I can be a man of honor. I’m just wondering whether you demand the same hands-off policy from your other business partners.”

  Once again, Jenny’s hand flashed toward him.

  Evan caught her wrist before her hand made contact with his cheek. He pushed her hand aside and stepped back out of her reach. “Oh-ho, so that’s the way the wind blows, is it? I wouldn’t have thought it of you.”

  Jenny floundered, trying to follow this turn in the conversation. “What are you talking about?”

  Evan moved away from the wall and stood before her, his hands on his hips, head tilted to one side. “It’s him, isn’t it? That Garrett fellow.”

  He stared at her like a scientist inspecting some strange new species, then gave a decisive nod. “That explains it, then. There had to be some reason you didn’t want to have anything to do with me. I’ve known too many other women to seriously think there’s any deficiency in my charm,” he added with a lopsided grin, “but I’ll admit you shook my self-confidence.”

  A more somber expression spread across his face. “Just how far has this thing with Garrett gone?”

  Jenny bristled. “There is nothing between me and Andrew Garrett—or anyone else. He’s a partner, that’s all, just like you and I are. No less and certainly nothing more.”

  Evan regarded her with a quizzical expression. “Your lips say one thing, but your eyes tell me something else.” He reached out his hand as if to touch her cheek but drew back when she flinched. “Not to worry, my dear. I won’t trespass beyond the boundaries you’ve set. But don’t expect me not to wonder what Garrett’s great attraction is. You’ve dealt a blow to my masculine pride, you know.”

  He straightened his jacket and brushed down his sleeves. “Just remember, when you decide you’ve made a mistake, you can come cry on my shoulder. If I’d had any notion before of selling you my share of the business, it’s gone now. I wouldn’t miss this for the world.”

  Despite her mounting anger, Jenny couldn’t help asking, “Miss what?”

  Evan smirked. “Seeing the look on your face when you find out your hero isn’t all you thought he’d be and you realize that I’m your best hope for happiness after all.” He caught sight of Jenny’s look of scorn, and a low chuckle rumbled through his chest. “Is it that frightening a thought? Just wait until you find out what kind of man Andrew Garrett really is. I’ll look positively angelic in comparison.” He reached for the door handle.

  Loathing her weakness, Jenny caught at his arm. “Wait a minute, Evan. What do you mean, what kind of man Andrew really is? What do you know about him?”

  Evan turned slowly. “Nothing. Not directly, anyway. Just some talk I’ve heard around town. Surely you’ve heard some of the whispers.”

  Jenny shook her head. “What whispers?” She could barely choke out the words.

  “All right.” Evan lifted his hands in surrender. “I didn’t want to say anything until I was sure, but I guess you deserve to know. After you told me you didn’t really know anything about Garrett, I made it my business to do some checking up on him.” A sad smile twisted his lips. “Despite what you think of me, I do have your best interests at heart.”

  A cold knot formed in Jenny’s chest. “And what have you learned?”

  Evan shook his head sorrowfully. “I’ve turned up some distressing things. It seems your Mr. Garrett is involved in a number of shady activities.”

  The knot grew tighter. “Such as?”

  A long sigh whistled from Evan’s lips. “Since he came to town, a lot of mining stock has been traded. There’s nothing wrong with that in itself,” he hastened to add, “but unfortunately, these mines only exist on paper.”

  “Andrew is selling phony mining stock? I don’t believe it.” Even as she spoke the words, a riot of thoughts whirled through Jenny’s mind. Andrew was a mining engineer, an expert in his field. That put him in a perfect position to do exactly what Evan suggested. The knot of dread became a wave of cold fury. She’d seen the same thing happen back in Prescott and knew the havoc it could wreak.

  Evan broke into her thoughts. “There’s more.”

  Jenny’s shoulders sagged. What more could there be?

  “I’m afraid his name has been linked to a couple of incidences of claim jumping, too. I have no proof, of course. Not yet, anyway.” He strode over to her and clasped her hands lightly in his. “I’m sorry to lay this burden on you, but I thought you ought to know the kind of man you’re dealing with before it’s too late.”

  Jenny pulled her hands away, not interested in the kind of comfort Evan offered. “They’re rumors,” she said. “Unsub-stantiated rumors.”

  “True enough. And I hope they turn out to be false, for your sake.” He turned toward the door. “But talk like this seldom begins without reason, or so I’ve always found.”

  He swung the door open. “Just remember, Jenny, I’ll be here if you discover your shining knight is really quite tarnished after all.”

  fifteen

  Worthless mining stock. Claim jumping. Jenny stared at the closed door long aft
er Evan left, his allegations echoing in her mind.

  Could Andrew truly be involved in such activities? She went back over the times they had been together, trying to measure the man she knew against Evan’s intimations. What she knew about Andrew was precious little, she realized. Only what Red had told her and the few impressions she had gleaned on her own.

  And that overheard conversation in Prescott, when Andrew refused to cheat a miner he’d only met once and would probably never see again. Did that line up with a man who would defraud investors or steal another man’s claim?

  Jenny shook her head slowly, trying to picture Andrew taking part in anything like that and finding it impossible to do so. Where had those stories come from? Granted, Evan himself had classified them as rumors, but they had carried enough weight to linger in his memory.

  What if the stories proved to be true? What if both she and Red had been duped? The partnership could be dissolved, she supposed, and she and Red could go back to the way they’d been before Andrew became a part of their lives. Nothing significant would have changed.

  Nothing? You’re a liar, Jenny Davis. Jenny clenched her fists and felt the dampness on her palms. This is what comes of letting your guard down, of thinking for even one moment that you could allow yourself to trust.

  She pivoted on her heel and strode purposefully toward the kitchen. Too late to think about an afternoon siesta now. She might as well make some good use of her time. Paring vegetables or rolling out piecrusts, perhaps. Something to make it up to Jacinta for having missed work that morning.

  Try as she might, she couldn’t keep visions of Andrew’s face and warm smile out of her thoughts while she worked. Why couldn’t she get him out of her mind? Why had he claimed a place in her heart ever since she first heard his voice in Prescott? Without her being aware of when it happened, Andrew had become a part of the fabric of her being. She couldn’t imagine the hurt it would cause if he were torn out of her life.

  Which was exactly what would happen if the real Andrew turned out to be the man Evan described, and not the man of her daydreams.

  Jenny scooped the curled potato peelings into a heap and put them in the trash. She should have known better. She had known better; she’d just chosen not to remember. And look where that lapse had gotten her.

  All right, then. Jenny squared her shoulders. From here on out, the walls around her heart would go back up, as strong as the adobe walls that had encircled Tucson. Everything—from Evan’s unwanted advances to the possibility of Andrew’s duplicity—only went to prove that, barring a few exceptions like Michael and Red, men were men and simply couldn’t be trusted. The sooner she convinced her heart of that, the safer she would be.

  ❧

  “I got your message.” Red stood in Jenny’s doorway, a worried expression on his face. “Is anything wrong?”

  Jenny led him to a bench on the east side of her house where they could take advantage of the late evening shade it afforded. She sat on one end of the bench and twisted her hands together. “I think we should take a second look at Andrew.”

  Red gave her a shrewd glance. “What’s happened, Lass? Why this sudden concern?”

  “It isn’t so sudden, but I’ve reason to think my doubts may have been justified.” She repeated what Evan had told her. “I’ve never been entirely comfortable with the way Andrew came into the picture. You were the one who persuaded me he was trustworthy, remember?” She clapped her hand over her mouth. “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean that the way it sounded.”

  The wiry miner chuckled. “No offense taken. I know what you meant.” His expression sobered. “But I think your Mr. Townsend has gotten his facts wrong. I haven’t known Andrew long, and that’s the truth. But he and I have spent a good many hours talking. The Bible says that out of the heart come the words a man speaks. From everything I’ve heard Andrew say, I have to believe his heart is right before God. I’ll stand by him until that’s proven otherwise.”

  “I’d like to believe that, Red. I really would.”

  “Then keep on trusting, won’t you? You haven’t done so badly by taking this old prospector on faith, have you now?”

  Jenny gave a shaky laugh. “I can’t argue with you there. You’ve been a wonderful friend, and I have to admit you knew exactly what you were talking about when you said you’d found something that would make us secure for the rest of our lives.”

  For the second time, Red’s smile dimmed. “For someone who’s so cautious about putting their confidence in other people, you’re awfully quick to stake your hopes on what that mine may bring.”

  Stung by his words, Jenny retorted, “It seems to me you’ve been awfully happy at the prospect of living the rest of your life in ease.”

  “Excited by the discovery, yes. But happy? All the silver mines in the world won’t bring you happiness, you know. That has to come from within.”

  “What are you talking about? I’m happier now than I’ve been in a long time.”

  “Are you, now?” Red’s keen eyes studied her. “I’ve seen you smile when the mood strikes you and even laugh on occasion. But I’d be lying if I said I’ve ever once seen you glow with a soul-deep happiness from within.”

  Jenny shifted on the bench and tilted her chin. “I’m doing just fine, thank you. I have a prosperous business and a home of my own.” She reached out to touch Red’s arm and a small smile curved her lips. “And I have you as a friend. What more could I want?”

  “Peace.” Red let the word hang between them a moment before he continued. “And I’m not talking about the contentment you feel when everything seems to be going your way. I mean a peace that stays with you even when it looks like your whole world is going to fall apart.” He leaned toward her. “The peace that comes from having God in your life.”

  He settled back against the adobe wall and fixed her with a rueful smile. “I can see by the look on your face that I’ve overstepped the boundary again. Don’t worry. I won’t be preaching at you.” He planted his hands on his knees and pushed himself to his feet. “But if you ever decide you want to talk about it, I’ll be pleased to tell you more. And if I don’t happen to be around, take the matter up with God Himself. He’s always ready to add another beloved child to His family.”

  Jenny stayed on the bench long after the shadows lengthened and the sun dipped below the horizon. She—as a part of God’s family? Red didn’t know what an impossible thing that would be.

  ❧

  Jenny massaged her temples with her fingertips and tried to focus on the papers on her office desk. If she didn’t work faster, she’d never have that order finished before fatigue overtook her. With Manuel and Jacinta already on their way home, the task should have been completed quickly in the quiet of the empty restaurant, but she couldn’t seem to concentrate.

  She pressed the heel of her left hand against her forehead and winced. The headache she had successfully fought off the day before threatened to return, its persistent throb increasing with every beat of her heart. The pain had disappeared shortly after she conceived the plan to buy out Evan’s share of the business, she remembered crossly. If only he had acquiesced, surely the ache would have stayed away. It hadn’t threatened again until after his refusal.

  And her conversation with Red. Even now, his insistence that she needed God to be truly happy stirred feelings she thought she had buried long before. She pushed them to the back of her mind. She would deal with them later, if she decided to address the issue at all. Between Evan’s contrariness, Red’s tenacious prodding, and her doubts about Andrew’s integrity, her mind already felt pulled in too many different directions.

  Skrrr. Jenny sat bolt upright, recognizing the scrape of the back door opening, then the click of the latch. Who could be coming in at this hour? And what could they possibly want? Without making a sound, she rose from the desk and glanced frantically around the office, desperate to find something she could use to protect herself. A silver-streaked chunk of quartz, a gift Red
brought from the Silver Crown, lay on a shelf. She snatched it up and held it tight, her arm cocked to swing at a moment’s notice.

  Scarcely daring to breathe, she slipped through the doorway into the dining room and threaded her way through the tables and chairs toward the kitchen. At the kitchen door, she paused, wondering if she should have simply made an escape through the office door. Too late now. Heavy footsteps approached the door from the other side. Jenny drew back her hand, ready to strike.

  The door swung wide and she gasped. “Evan!” Her fingers went limp and the chunk of ore dropped to the floor with a thump.

  “What’s this?” Evan’s eyes widened in surprise, then crinkled at the corners. “Did you think I was a burglar?” He laughed and shook his head. “Poor Jenny!” Glancing down at the fist-sized rock, he scooped it up and hefted it in his palm, a more sober expression crossing his face. “Poor me if I’d really been a burglar. That would have packed quite a wallop.” He started to hand it back to Jenny, then set it on a nearby table instead. “Remind me not to rile you,” he said with a grin.

  Jenny’s knees buckled, and she dropped into a chair, propping her head up with one hand. “Don’t rile me.” She gave Evan a shaky smile in return. “What are you doing here so late?”

  “I might ask you the same thing,” he retorted, perching on the edge of the table behind him. “You stayed home yesterday because you didn’t feel well, and today I find you down here slaving away into the evening hours. Your devotion to duty is admirable, but please don’t work yourself into an early grave.”

  Jenny covered her mouth to hide a yawn. “I just wanted to catch up on the work I missed doing yesterday. I need to finish putting together the order for next week’s supplies.”

  “Then I’ve come at an opportune time for us both.” Evan pulled a slip of paper from his shirt pocket and tossed it on the table in front of her. “I’m heading out early in the morning, so I thought I’d leave this on your desk tonight. I never intended to frighten you like that,” he added.