"From the beginning, you saw Goddard as a fraud," she insisted staunchly. "You were the one whose instincts never failed."
He fidgeted.
"Cass." When he refused to face her, she crossed to his side and took the damp terrycloth from his fist.
He actually flinched at her touch.
"Please look at me," she pleaded quietly.
When he did, her heart broke into a thousand pieces. Tears glimmered in those haunted, sapphire eyes.
"We're going to get through this, Cass," she said firmly. "Just like we got through your Cousin Bobby's death. And the crazy misunderstanding about Rex. And the fire at the Satin Siren. And Poppy Westerfield's mad scheme to have your babies. We've beaten the odds before, Cass. Lots and lots of times. We're stronger for it." She reached for his hand. "We're stronger than ever."
Sadie's eyes stung at the memory. She blinked hard to stave off tears. She didn't want Cass to see her waiting for him on the settee and blotting her face with a handkerchief.
He was ending his show. A rousing round of applause paid him tribute. With a broad smile, he returned the unloaded revolvers to their owners and instructed a bellhop to store Collie's shotgun in the vault.
Still chuckling, Cass joined her by the sterling statue of Tabor.
"Bravo," she purred.
"Gracias," he quipped in his caballero's voice. He swept a courtly bow. Then he pressed a hand to his heart and raised incredulous eyebrows. "Ay, caramba! The most beautiful contessa in all the world has no escort for Thanksgiving dinner?"
Her heart swelled to see the spark of mischief in his eyes. It was kindling to an amorous flame.
"Why, if it isn't the legendary Don Dominar," she drawled, offering her gloved hand so that he might kiss it. "But I must warn you, carino. You are not alone in your affections for me. Signore Vandy has been most persuasive in your absence. He showers me with gifts of fish bones and pumpkin seeds."
"The impudence!" Cass feigned indignation. "I shall lop off his whiskers!"
"A duel? Over me?" She flapped coquettish lashes. "How delicious. I've heard that Spaniards have fierce and fiery natures. Tell me, Don Dom. How do the men of your lineage live up to their intriguing family name?"
Cass's grin turned wolfish. "Save that thought, querida," he whispered, tucking her hand beneath his elbow.
Their carriage ride steamed up the windows. Only this time, she wanted him. Needed him. Couldn't let him go.
"Love me, Cass."
"Always, Sadie."
She sat in his lap, facing him, cradling his princely shaft like a treasure deep inside her velvet heat. He moved so tenderly, so sweetly, she felt every nuance of her rising pleasure. In the luminous blue beneath his dusky lashes, she saw all the mingled shades of heaven. She was falling into him, sighing into him, sinking to a perfect rhapsody of bodies, minds, and souls.
"Through all time, you and me
Heart to heart..."
She smiled against his lips. He was crooning the lyrics of Destiny when she felt the deep shudder of his bliss.
Forever. For the first time in her life, she dared to dream of it with him. She dared to hope that she could keep him, and love him, and cherish him for the rest of their days.
He smoothed the tumbled curls off her cheek. She traced the chiseled lines of his breathtaking face.
"The first time I saw you," she whispered, admiring the shimmer of starlight on his hair, "I thought you were an angel, disguised in scarecrow clothes."
His grin lit up the brazier-warmed darkness. "I remember that day. I was wearing a ratty, old straw hat. And I'd stuffed my pockets full of corn cobs."
"The ones you stole from Farmer Hinckley's field."
"His fat old hounds couldn't have caught a crippled coyote."
"Luckily for you," she teased.
"And I thought you were mighty fine," he drawled, "sitting in that window, munching strawberries. I didn't mind one bit when you smuggled me into Madam Snake Eye's liquor cellar."
She snickered. "You were so green back then."
"Naw. Just shy."
"Well, you sure got over that in a hurry."
His chuckle was supremely male. "I figured it was the gentlemanly thing to do. You took off your clothes, so I took off mine..."
She sighed wistfully, resting her cheek against his chest. "I wish you'd been my first."
"Me too," he whispered, kissing her hair. "But at least you were mine."
"I remember..." She smiled dreamily, letting her eyelids flutter closed.
"I never wanted anyone else."
She stilled, half afraid to breathe.
"It was always you, Sadie," he continued fervently. "Every redhead I've ever known. I wanted to learn. I wanted to please you..."
Her throat constricted to hear the Rebel Rutter's confession. "You never told me."
"That's because I was too pig-headed to realize it—until now. I'm sorry I hurt you. I'm sorry about that damned Judas Kiss. I just can't think straight when I'm worried about the people I love..."
The coach was slowing. The world was intruding. Lamplight, clopping hooves, and jingling bridles hammered at her senses. She pouted. She didn't want to leave the circle of her lover's arms. She didn't want to disrupt their newfound intimacy.
"Let's skip dinner." She snuggled closer. "Tell the whip to keep driving."
Cass's rumble of mirth vibrated beneath her ear. "But it's Thanksgiving."
"Don't like turkey."
"What about your surprise?"
"Don't like surprises," she mumbled.
"Liar."
His fingers strayed to her ticklish midsection. She gasped, sitting bolt upright.
"Cass! You—"
Her good-natured threat died on her lips. The coach hadn't stopped on Colfax Avenue. She could see Tabor's stately opera house, gleaming like a bright, blurry jewel through the condensation on the windows.
Her brow furrowed. "Have I been kidnapped?"
He smirked, twirling a pretend mustache. "How easily you fell into my trap, Detective Know-It-All."
"What?!" Childlike glee replaced her confusion. "This is my surprise? You brought me to the opera? You?" She laughed and grabbed his lapels, smacking a kiss on his lips. Hastily, she began repairing her mussed hair and clothes.
"Wait a minute." Suspicion sneaked inside her Pinkerton brain. "Faust closed on Sunday. What's on the program?"
He tossed her a sidelong glance. "Let's go inside and find out."
Sadie's mind was spinning as he bustled her under the twinkling lights, past a solemn-looking usher, and into the red-and-crystal opulence of Tabor's Grand Opera House. To her amazement, every person in the audience rose as she entered the auditorium. Enthusiastic applause, mingled with rousing whistles, bounced off the elegant dome. She recognized Rex and Wilma, Wyntir and Lilybelle, Brodie and Porfi, and the Greek's three kittenish mistresses. Enoch Fowler and the entire cast of his Spook Show took up at least 20 chairs. Boone and Dimples sat companionably with Silas Tate and his brood. Sadie estimated that close to forty people had congregated in the orchestra section, below a massive, grand piano that gleamed like onyx under the lights.
Something rustled in the shadows near the stage steps. Like a sultry, scarlet flame, a dark-haired beauty in a stunning, low-cut gown sauntered up the aisle.
"Ciao, mia bella!" Dolce greeted, grasping Sadie's hands and kissing her cheeks. "I am delighted to meet you at last, Signorina Michelson. I feared this dashing devil had spirited you away in his coach!" Dolce tossed Cass a sly wink. "But then, it is a diva's prerogative to arrive fashionably late, si? Come. Your audience awaits."
"M-my what?"
"But surely you don't think this fanfare is for me? Signore Cassidy, he has gathered all your friends. They wish to hear you sing."
"But I haven't rehearsed!"
Dolce patted her cheek. "They love you. Do you think they care?"
The whistles crescendoed.
Sadie laughed through her t
ears. Giddy and flushed, elated and terrified, she turned to her lover. "You did this for me?" She threw her arms around his neck. "Oh, thank you, Cass! Thank you so much!"
Cass tightened his arms around his woman, clasping her to his heart for one precious second longer.
"Knock 'em dead, Tiger," he whispered huskily.
Her eyes were shining like twin stars when she kissed him. Then Dolce grabbed Sadie's hand, dragging her down the aisle and up the stage steps.
Cass dug his fists inside his trouser pockets. He pasted on a smile in case somebody happened to look his way. He might feel like he was dying inside, but he refused to let that spoil Sadie's evening. He wanted her to be happy. He wanted her to remember this night because she was finally living her childhood dream—not because her lover was a walking time bomb.
You mean more to me than life, Sadie.
For weeks, he'd been secretly planning an event to celebrate her music. He'd conceived the idea when Porfi had suggested he steal Mephistopheles's Jewels. Wilma had brought copies of Sadie's sheet music from Lampasas. Rex had hired a pianist to accompany her during the recital. Wyntir had painstakingly penned the invitations. Brodie had hand-delivered them to the guest list.
But Cass's greatest coup had been Dolce. Mortified to learn how wrong she'd been to lambaste him in the Rocky, the diva had shown up on his doorstep Monday afternoon with a key to the opera house. She'd arranged for lighting and stage props, ushers and waiters, champagne and caviar—in short, Dolce had improved on his idea of a common recital by turning it into a full-scale production.
"I am forgiven now, si?" she'd demanded sheepishly.
Yes, Dolce. You're forgiven.
The real question is, will I ever be?
Alone in the darkness, he stood beside a cherry-wood pillar that disguised the auditorium's emergency exit. As the woman he loved took the spotlight, he'd never seen her look more radiant. In her amber velvet, with her chestnut hair spilling in soft, silken waves across her bodice, she reminded him of some voluptuous, autumn goddess. Her voice was a honeyed balm, pouring over his frayed nerves and secret wounds––wounds that no ointment or bandage would ever heal.
He closed his eyes. His mind was transported to yesterday, when she'd stood so vulnerably before him, stripped of all pretense, the mirrors of her eyes reflecting the pain of his soul.
"We'll get through this, Cass."
She was fighting for them. She was fighting for him. Guilt twisted like a burning knife in his gut.
"As much as I want that, Sadie—as much as I want us—when I look in the mirror, I... I don't know who's staring back at me. Lucifire or the Ranger."
"In time, you will know," she said staunchly. "Until that time comes, I'll be the only mirror you need."
He ran rough fingers through his hair. "My God, Sadie, how can you believe in me? How can you possibly trust that I won't—?" His throat constricted, sealing off the horror of the words. "When I think of what I almost did in that graveyard—"
"But you didn't, Cass. That's the point. Something inside you was too strong. It couldn't be broken. In that graveyard, you fought your greatest enemy: the man in the mirror. And you won. That means your light is stronger than your darkness. You're a good man."
Am I? He swallowed hard. Am I really?
He'd packed his bags. He'd hidden them under the straw in Pancake's straw. He didn't know where he was heading, just that he had to get away from everyone he loved. Everyone he might hurt. Sadie, Collie, Wilma, Lynx, Sera—none of them would be safe if the demon got a hold of his guns. Hell, even Rexford Sterne couldn't beat Lucifire's draw, and Rex was the fastest gun the Marshals had!
Sadie's voice soared like angel wings, vibrant with love. She was singing Destiny. She was singing it to him.
"Suns may rise, stars may fail.
Worlds collide; love prevails.
Through all time, you and me,
Heart to heart, destiny.
His throat worked. Four weeks ago, he'd thought she'd written those lyrics for Sterne. Funny. That Devil's Eve concert in Lampasas, Texas, seemed like it had happened a lifetime ago...
"Never doubt, you're my man,
Through God's vast, Master Plan.
Always yours, I shall be.
Born for you, destiny."
I've always loved you, Sadie. I always will.
The song was ending. The crowd was cheering. Cass did too. She grinned and curtsied, blowing kisses. Cass pasted on a smile. He drew a bolstering breath.
The time had come.
His heart was breaking. He gasped like a drowning man. Staggering, he pressed a hand to his chest.
That's when the strangest thing happened.
All the pain and horror that had been haunting him got blasted apart from within. The Dark Place exploded in a cataclysm of light, proving once and for all, that goodness was the universal power.
'You must not leave her,' Lucifire said sternly.
'Staying is the right thing to do,' the Ranger insisted.
Faced with the most important decision of his life, the demon and the lawman had finally agreed. They'd forged an alliance to love and protect Sadie. Half laughing, half sobbing, Cass realized the division of conscience was over.
He was free.
Joy fizzed through his blood like cherry sarsaparilla. A cool blast of air riffled his hair as the door behind him swung open, but he promptly forgot the new arrival. He was too busy grinning like a halfwit, watching his woman, his Sadie, prance around that lofty opera stage, belting a bawdy ditty that she'd once popularized in a saloon.
The crowd loved it. They stomped. They clapped in time. At least half the folks knew the refrain, and they roared it out as she sang:
"Purty Pansy Primrose, now that she's full grown,
Will jump a randy Ranger like a dog jumps on a bone!"
Cass popped two fingers in his mouth and whistled like a hooligan. Ranger star, be damned. I'm gonna marry that woman!
He laughed at the notion, picturing the mother of his freckled, red-headed tots singing Pansy Primrose in the nursery.
That's when he noticed the somber figure approaching him from the lobby. As silent as shadow, Collie halted at his side.
Vandy was nowhere to be seen.
Cass's scalp prickled. The boy's lips were pinched. His eyes glistened like winter rain.
Dear God, if something happened to that coon...
"What's wrong?" Cass demanded in an urgent undertone. He didn't want to disrupt Sadie's performance.
A muscle ticked in Collie's jaw.
"Found your saddle bags, packed and buried in the stall."
Cass blew out his breath. Oh. That.
"Look, kid. I had a really bad bender, that's all. It's over now."
"You weren't going to tell me you were leaving? Or Sadie either?"
Cass winced to hear the hurt in Collie's voice. "I've always believed a bandage should be ripped off fast," he admitted gruffly. "But, hey. That was yesterday. Today, I decided to ask Sadie to come to Texas with me. Why don't you flag down a waiter? Drinks are free."
Collie's face was stony. He was staring at the stage, but he didn't seem to see it. "I'm glad you changed your mind."
Cass frowned. The kid didn't sound glad.
"What's really eating you, son?"
For a long moment, Collie said nothing. Tension rolled off him in waves. Cass was beginning to wonder if the kid had heard the question.
"I know you went through hell," Collie admitted finally. "I saw your welts and rope burns. I heard you mutter about scorpions in your sleep. After the Rocky listed the kinds of vermin that Goddard locked in cages, it wasn't hard to figure out why you went missing all those hours.
"I was going to talk some sense into you—man to man," the boy continued gruffly. "After Sadie's singing, I was going to give you the train fare, so you could visit Doc Jones back home." Collie's voice broke over the word, home. "So I telegraphed Sera..."
Dread seeped into C
ass's soul.
"Is Sera all right? Did something happen to the baby—"
"Not Sera." Collie drew a long, shuddering breath. "Lynx. He was shot."
The air fled from Cass's lungs.
"Dead?" he somehow wheezed.
"No. But Sera says it's bad. He might not have long. Meanwhile, a killer's on the loose, and Blue Thunder doesn't have a sheriff. She asked us to come. Tonight."
Cass's world was imploding. Lynx was the brother he'd never had. The one man he could count on to ride into hell with him. The Cherokee half-breed had saved Cass's life more times than he could count from stampeding steers, blood-thirsty bounty hunters, rampaging honey bees...
Dammit, Lynx, you can't die! Life was just getting good—for both of us!
Cass's eyes burned. He thought of Sera and her unborn child; Doc Jones and his wife, Eden; wily old Aunt Claudia and little Cousin Becky. His closest friends, his last surviving kin—they all lived in Blue Thunder. They were all at risk!
Collie produced two train tickets. The departure time was clearly stamped: 6:30 p.m.
Cass cursed a blue streak inside his head. Half-past six is just 12 minutes away!
"It's a good thing you packed," Collie said darkly. "Another train won't leave for Kentucky for three days."
Cass felt sick. He turned his eyes toward the stage. Sadie was still performing. Oblivious to the tragedy, she was trilling in abject bliss by the piano with Dolce. The diva had suggested the Carmen medley. Singing a duet with an international opera star wasn't just the highlight of Sadie's program, it was the highlight of her musical career. He couldn't barge onto the stage and ruin her big number!
"She'll understand," Collie said impatiently. He thrust a pencil at Cass, along with the tickets' envelope. "Write her a note. Tomorrow, she's heading for Chicago, anyway."
That's true.
His mind in an uproar, Cass dashed off a few lines. He didn't have time to compose a sugar-coated love note; he just blurted out the news. Waving for an usher, he instructed the man to give the envelope to Sadie as soon as the performance was over.
Then, as quietly as he could, Cass slipped out the emergency exit with Collie. It was a rotten trick. He hated leaving Sadie on the sly. But fate had been cruel. In his upset, he couldn't think of a better plan. She knew that Lynx was his blood brother. Collie was right. She'd understand.
Dance to the Devil's Tune (Lady Law & The Gunslinger Series, Book 2) Page 31
