Refining Fire

by Cox, Carol

  For the first time in the dark days since she’d learned of Evan’s perfidy, Jenny felt a flicker of hope. Could it be that Andrew Garrett was every bit the man of honor Red believed him to be? A man more like the hero of her imagination than she ever dreamed possible?

  Manuel tapped on the door frame and poked his head inside the office. “Señor Townsend is coming. I saw him just now when I went to sweep outside.”

  Jenny stiffened. “He’s here now?”

  “He is talking to some other men down the street.” Manuel jerked his head in the direction of Camino Real. “It may be some time before he gets here, but I thought you would want to know.”

  “You did the right thing,” she told the boy. “Run along now and take care of the customers. I’ll handle Mr. Townsend. And thank you for letting me know.”

  Manuel returned to his duties. Jenny stepped to the window and took a series of deep breaths. She could not afford to lose her temper now. She would need every shred of self-control at her command when she confronted Evan.

  Gathering the papers on her desk into a neat stack, she slid the collection of notes into a drawer and pulled out another sheet on which she had made an organized list of her findings.

  She had just squared the paper on her desk when she heard Evan’s voice out in the dining room. Drawing a long, shaky breath, she pushed back her chair and stood facing the door.

  “And how is my beautiful partner today?” Evan breezed into the office and tossed his hat toward the row of pegs on the wall. The hat arched through the air and came to rest on the center peg. Evan grinned. “Perfect.” He beamed at Jenny, then seemed to notice her lack of response for the first time. “Is something wrong?”

  “Quite a lot, I’m afraid. Please close the door, Evan. We have some things to discuss.”

  “Aah,” he said, complying with her request. “I have the feeling I’m in your bad graces once more. What is it this time? Have I failed to report on time again?”

  Jenny clenched her teeth. “Nothing so minor as that.” She made a conscious effort to relax her jaw and summoned all her courage. “Evan, I know.”

  His look of innocence would have done credit to an actor on the stage. “Know what?”

  “Everything.” Her throat tightened. “Look here.” She jabbed her finger at the paper on the desk. “Sales of phony mining stock, claim jumping—the very things you accused Andrew of doing. I even have the names of some of your victims here. And what’s this, Evan? Undercutting bids to sell supplies to the army?”

  Evan bent over the sheet, his confident expression slipping for a moment before he turned to her again with his smile back in place. “But none of this has anything to do with the restaurant. What has you so upset?”

  “Stop it! I’m tired of being treated like one of your gullible victims. I’m not a brainless ninny, to be lied to whenever you please. I’m your partner, remember? Partnership implies the need to be able to trust one another.” She swept her hand toward the list of offenses. “How can you possibly expect me to trust you about anything now that I know about all this?”

  Evan stepped back and appraised her with cool detachment. “Have I proven untrustworthy as far as the Pueblo is concerned? Have I embezzled funds or cheated you in any way?”

  “N–no. At least not as far as I know,” Jenny added.

  “Haven’t I let you run the business as you see fit?”

  “Well, yes, but—”

  He spread his hands wide apart. “Then what’s the problem?”

  Jenny stared in disbelief. “The problem, Evan, is that I know about these things. Before, I wasn’t aware of what you were up to, but now I am. That changes everything. I can’t continue in a partnership with someone who’ll drag my reputation down along with his.”

  Evan leaned back against the door frame. “So what are you suggesting?”

  “The same thing I suggested before. I want to buy out your share of the business.”

  “All right. Pay me a thousand dollars, and it’s yours.”

  Jenny gasped. “You can’t be serious.”

  “Oh, but I am, sweet Jenny. The question is, are you? How badly do you really want to buy me out?” His eyes held a gleam of triumph.

  Hot bile stung Jenny’s throat. “I’m very serious, but that price is outrageous. You know this property isn’t worth more than three hundred.”

  Evan raised one eyebrow in mock sympathy. “Then I’m afraid you’re stuck with me for the time being.”

  ❧

  The door to Jenny’s office stood open. Andrew tapped on the frame and peered inside, waiting until Jenny looked up. “Red wanted me to stop by and ask you—”

  He stopped short. “Is anything wrong?”

  Jenny shook her head mutely, but the smudges on her cheeks told him otherwise. Andrew took a step inside and reached out to wipe an errant tear away, then drew his hand back. She wouldn’t thank him for pointing it out.

  “Nothing’s wrong,” she said. “Nothing you can do anything about, anyway.”

  Feeling daring, Andrew pulled a chair up close to hers. If she asked him to leave, he would. But she hadn’t, not yet anyway. “Would you like to tell me about it? Maybe it would help to talk it out with a friend, or partner to partner, if you’d rather look at it that way.”

  She waited so long to answer that he felt his hopes rise. Then she shook her head again, more decisively this time. “It’s something to do with the restaurant. Nothing you need to concern yourself about. I need to handle this myself.” Her mournful expression softened a bit. “Thank you for asking, though. I appreciate the offer.”

  There seemed to be no reason for him to stay any longer. He pushed himself to his feet. “All right, I’ll be going now.”

  “Wait. What did Red want you to ask me?”

  “He was wondering if we could all meet again tomorrow afternoon. Don’t worry about that now, just take care of whatever is bothering you first.” He replaced the chair, then paused near the desk. “I just want you to know that I’d like to be your friend. Please feel free to call on me if you ever need any help.” He reached out and gave her arm a brief squeeze.

  There it was again—that lightning-bolt feeling that surged between them. Andrew left the restaurant feeling unnerved. For the first time since he had arrived in Tucson, Jenny had looked at him with something other than disdain. Would he have that same feeling every time they came in contact? He didn’t know, but he wouldn’t mind finding out.

  ❧

  Jenny stood at the window and watched Andrew walk away down the street. She rubbed her fingertips lightly over her arm. Did he have any idea how his touch affected her?

  She walked back to the desk, sat down, and cradled her head in her arms. Was it possible to know another human being? Really know them? She had staked everything on building a new life in Tucson, basing her decision on the assumption that Evan’s offer held the key to a brighter future. How could she have been so wrong?

  Had she been wrong about Andrew, as well? The fragile hope that sprang up within her at the prospect that he might be the kind of man she secretly wanted him to be disturbed her. No, more than that. It frightened her.

  If the flesh-and-blood Andrew proved to be as worthy of her trust as the man of her dreams, she might be tempted to drop the walls that had protected her for so long. Walls that seemed to be crumbling bit by bit ever since the probability of Andrew’s innocence arose. More to the point, did she want to keep those barriers in place? That possibility bothered her even more.

  ❧

  “Did you hear?” One of the Pueblo’s regular customers sidled up to Jenny on his way out the door. “There’s some big stir down at the sheriff’s office. Seems a few of our local citizens have been busy selling stock in phony mines, and someone’s complained about it. They’ll have their hands full trying to sort this out. I’ve seen it happen before up San Francisco way.”

  Jenny nodded her thanks and tried to conceal her shock at the news. Not unti
l she reached home that afternoon did she allow herself to focus on what this might mean for her.

  She dropped onto her sofa and buried her face in her hands. What an ironic twist her life had taken! She had put her trust in one man and doubted another, only to find that the one she doubted had proven to have a sterling character while the one she trusted—her partner, no less—turned out to be a swindler.

  And now that she knew it, what was she supposed to do about it? Being Evan’s partner, her name had been linked to his since the day she arrived in Tucson. His illegal activities, if they ever came home to rest, would reflect on her as well.

  Conscience demanded she dissolve their business relationship and sever her association with Evan. But how could she do that when she couldn’t possibly meet the price he’d named?

  She saw only one other possibility: turn the business over to Evan and return to Prescott. Elizabeth and Michael would offer her a warm welcome. She could return to her little room in the back of the Capital Restaurant & Bakery and pick up her life at that point again.

  It would be like she’d never left. She would go back to waking up every morning looking forward to Elizabeth’s companionship and Michael’s teasing banter. To a routine she knew so well she could perform every bit of it by rote.

  Back to wondering what she’d face every time she set foot out on the streets of Prescott. To bracing herself for the next round of insults.

  How could she give up the self-respect she had fought so hard to win? The thought of having to admit defeat and return to the wagging tongues of Prescott was more than she could bear.

  What if. . . For the first time since her confrontation with Evan, Jenny’s hopes rose. The sheriff was even now investigating the mining stock fraud. When the law uncovered proof of Evan’s crooked scheme, surely she would be able to acquire full ownership of the Pueblo and get her life back on track. Hope fluttered and died when another thought entered her mind. Would Evan’s exposure help or hurt? Would their connection mean her reputation would once again be destroyed through no fault of her own?

  Not again. Oh, please, not again.

  She clenched her fists and sat bolt upright. That wouldn’t happen. Not if she could help it. Hurrying to her cylinder-top desk, she sorted through the stack of notes she had brought with her from the restaurant. No doubt about it, they gave clear documentation of Evan’s nefarious doings. She would give every scrap of knowledge she possessed to the sheriff. Doing so would put as much distance as possible between her and Evan’s misdeeds and let everyone know she had no connection with any of it.

  Jenny pored over her notes, fixing each point in her mind. When she felt sure she could recite every detail, she looked through her wardrobe and selected a dark blue dress with matching bolero jacket. Its demure lines projected the respectable image she wanted to portray. She reached for her reticule and checked her image one last time in the mirror on her bedroom wall.

  A sharp rap summoned her to the front door. Jenny hesitated, wanting to avoid any interruption that would delay her visit to the sheriff. But it might be Red or Manuel. Or Andrew. She opened the door.

  A tall, sober-faced man stood on her doorstep. He tipped his hat and gave her a brief nod. “Miss Jenny Davis?”

  Jenny nodded warily. Then she saw the badge on his vest and brightened. “You’re the sheriff?”

  He seemed taken aback by her obvious pleasure. “That’s right. Tom Randolph. I’d like to talk to you.”

  How had he known? Jenny put the question from her mind. It didn’t matter. The important thing was that he was here and they could discuss her knowledge of Evan’s activities. “I’m glad you came. I understand you’re investigating the sale of fraudulent mining stock. I was just on my way to your office.”

  Again, Randolph seemed confused by her response. “I must say I’m surprised to find you so eager to talk to me.”

  Jenny gave him a puzzled look. “Surely you’re interested in any information that would lead you to the culprits.”

  “Yes, Ma’am. But I don’t usually come across this kind of cooperation from the person I’m investigating.”

  nineteen

  Jenny couldn’t force a single sound from her throat. Surely she hadn’t heard him correctly.

  Randolph studied her for a long moment, then said, “Why don’t we just walk on down to my office? We can carry on the rest of our conversation there.”

  He cupped Jenny’s elbow in his hand and walked beside her along the dusty road. On the surface, she supposed, he looked like any gentleman escorting a lady down the street. But she could feel the iron in his grip and knew he acted the part of the gentleman only so long as she cooperated.

  Her feet moved in step with his; her mind ran miles ahead. Once again, she was in the control of a man without being sure of his intentions. When she had been in the clutches of Martin Lester and Burleigh Ames, she’d prayed for some representative of the law to come along and save her. Now she was in the hands of the law, and who could rescue her from that?

  But did she need rescuing? She swung her head slowly from side to side. It couldn’t be. Whatever he’d meant by that comment about investigating her, surely she had taken it wrong.

  They passed the Pueblo, where Manuel stood outside, sweeping the doorway in preparation for the evening customers. He looked up and beamed when he saw her approach, then frowned in confusion when she didn’t smile back. His gaze darted between the badge on Randolph’s vest and his hand on Jenny’s elbow, then Manuel’s mouth formed a silent O. Casting an apprehensive glance over his shoulder, he turned and ran off in the opposite direction, his bare feet kicking up puffs of dust.

  ❧

  “I’ve told you everything I know.” Jenny stared at Randolph, seated on the other side of the sheriff’s desk, and passed her hand across her forehead to push the damp bangs back off her brow. “I’ve given you names, dates, and places. I don’t understand why you persist in thinking I’m a part of this.”

  Randolph stared back. Without taking his gaze off her, he leaned back in his chair and propped one booted foot on the corner of a half-open drawer. “That’s just it, Ma’am. You’ve given me too much information, if you see what I mean.”

  “No, I’m afraid I don’t,” Jenny snapped, exhausted from the long afternoon of relentless questioning. “I’ve come forward like a good citizen and given you the information you need to solve this case and more besides. As I told you, I was just on my way here to see you when you showed up at my door.”

  “Mm-hm.” Randolph’s simple remark didn’t carry any inflection, but Jenny could read the unbelief in his eyes. “If you’ll pardon my saying so, Ma’am, I find that hard to believe.”

  Jenny bit back the hot reply that sprang to her lips, wishing she could shake herself awake from this living nightmare.

  ❧

  Andrew’s long-legged stride ate up the ground between his rented house and the sheriff’s office. When Manuel’s steady pounding roused him from his afternoon nap, he’d been too groggy at first to take in the boy’s frantic babbling.

  “Señorita Davis,” Manuel kept repeating, his eyes wide with panic. “The sheriff has her. She needs your help.”

  By the time Andrew sorted out Manuel’s meaning, he was wide awake. Without taking time to do more than tuck his shirttail in and comb his fingers through his hair, he set out downtown to see what he could make of this business. Jenny, under arrest? For what? It didn’t make a lick of sense, but there was no denying Manuel’s sense of urgency.

  He rounded the corner and made straight for the sheriff’s office door. He shoved it open without knocking and marched inside.

  Jenny sat ramrod straight on a chair facing the sheriff’s desk, her dark dress making a marked contrast to the pallor of her face. Her eyes, wide blue-green pools of anxiety, lit up at the sight of him, but she didn’t otherwise react to his entrance.

  “What’s going on?” he demanded, every protective fiber of his being springing to the fore
.

  The sheriff unfolded his long, lean body and rose from the chair behind the desk. “And you would be. . . ?”

  He returned the man’s steady gaze. “Andrew Garrett. I’m one of Miss Davis’s partners in the Silver Crown Mine.”

  The lawman tilted one eyebrow upward and looked back at Jenny. “A newly expanded restaurant, the purchase of a house, and now a silver mine? Quite a bit of money at your disposal, wouldn’t you say?”

  “Money that I came by through my own hard work,” Jenny retorted. She held her head as high as ever, but Andrew could see her shoulders trembling. Whatever was going on here, it was clear to him that she had been pushed to her limit.

  “Are you finished with Miss Davis?” he asked. “If so, we have some personal business we need to discuss.”

  The sheriff shifted his gaze to Andrew and gave him a long, appraising look. “The two of you wouldn’t be planning to head out of town anytime soon, would you?”

  “Sheriff Randolph, I resent your implication.” Jenny’s voice held a note of defiance, even though Andrew knew she must be exhausted. “I’ll be available if you have anything further to discuss with me.”

  “Oh, you can count on that,” Randolph drawled. He narrowed his eyes and leaned over the desk. “I don’t have anything solid to hold you on, only my suspicions. . .and you’ve given me plenty of those. I want you back in this office tomorrow morning at nine to answer some more questions, is that understood?” He straightened and rocked back on his heels. “If you’re really the innocent party you claim to be, that shouldn’t be a problem.”

  “I’ll be here.” Jenny’s body quivered, but her voice held firm.

  “So will I,” Andrew said. He helped Jenny to her feet, alarmed by her fragile appearance. “I’m her partner, remember? She won’t be here without me.”

  What has she gotten herself into, Lord?

  ❧

  “Good morning,” Tom Randolph greeted Jenny when she walked into his office with Andrew promptly at nine the following morning.

  Jenny seated herself in the chair she had occupied the day before and gave the lawman a level glance. A night to reflect on the previous day’s proceedings had given her a new perspective. Trying to see things from the sheriff’s point of view, she could understand why he might look askance at anyone who possessed such detailed knowledge of criminal activity yet proclaimed her own innocence. No wonder her sudden spate of information had taken him off guard.