by C. A. Asbrey
His fixed her with a hard stare. “What do I ever want?”
“You’re wasting your time. I’m leaving. I know you took me at my word when I told you to leave me alone after Jake’s outburst. That’s fair enough.” She paused and bit into her lip. “It’s what you did afterwards which confirmed you weren’t good enough for me.”
He frowned. “After that? I tracked every owner the jacket ever had. I found out where the saltpetre came from. I proved MacGilfoyle was linked to the killing.”
Her eyes narrowed. “You stayed at the Jagged Tick.”
“So? You stayed at the hotel.”
“With your uncle! You absolutely know I did nothing to be ashamed of.”
“Hey, he fought his way there through a blizzard to apologize to you. Once you accepted it, you didn’t give cuss about talking about putting things right. You ignored me.”
“No, I didn’t. I waited at Clancy’s for you to come back so I could speak to you, but where did you go?” She sat back and folded her arms, leveling elbows at him like gun barrels. “And before you answer, I already know. I made it my business to find out.”
“So?” He shrugged. “I got a bed at the saloon.”
“I saw her.” Her jaw firmed defiantly. “You disgust me.”
“Who did you see? Lizzie? Good. I hope you spoke to her, too.”
Her eyes flashed with anger. “A child! She’s what? Thirteen? I could lay you out right here, right now. Get out of my sight.”
“Lay me out?” His smile broadened. “Any time you want to try. I’m getting mixed messages, here. Did you speak to her or not?”
“Of course I didn’t. What am I going to ask her? Your predilections? Your best moves? Sean-dhruisire!” She observed his arched brows and explained, “It means dirty old man. Get out of my sight.”
He leaned forward and fixed her with determined brown eyes. “Abi, I didn’t sleep with her. I wanted a room, and it was the only way to get one. I don’t get involved with kids. What do you take me for?”
“A low-down, double-dealing, bottom-feeding, perverted, bod ceann—dickhea—”
“Fine.” He cut her off with a raised hand. “So you’ve had time to mull it over. Abi, the town was booked out, and paying for the whole night gave her time off and me a bed. I never touched her.”
“You expect me to believe that?”
“Yes, because it’s the truth.”
“You wouldn’t know the truth if it bit you in the butt.”
“Unless it was grown up, I wouldn’t let it.” Nat rested his forearms on his thighs, suddenly serious. “Abi, it felt like everything in the world was more important than me, and you’d already told me to go. You didn’t want to see me or hear me. I had to find somewhere else to stay.”
“You could’ve gone back to the church hall. Either that, or I could’ve gone to sleep with the women at the schoolhouse.”
“And then I look like a heel for sending you to sleep on the floor? Or I get the floor in a draughty hall where a corpse didn’t even thaw out? Yeah, that’s a great idea.” He shook his head. “No, I had to find somewhere. I’d taken refuge at the saloon and I could get a bed. It was freezing outside, and I didn’t want to leave. I admit it was tempting to get a woman, but it wasn’t a woman who turned up. It was a little girl.” He tilted his head underscoring his words with an arched brow. “I’ve done all manner of wrong in my life, but that ain’t one of them. Ask Jake. He talked me down from going after the father who sold her into the life.”
Her face simmered with suspicion. “He did?”
“Yeah. He did. In any case, he persuaded me you were finally open to talking again.” His eyes narrowed. “But then you up and disappear on me. You weren’t hard to find, Abi. There weren’t a whole lotta places you could be. If I wasn’t already so angry at you for putting me last I’d be furious at you for that.”
Her almond eyes widened. “You’re angry at me? You bought a prostitute.”
“I bought a room, but so what if I did look for a woman? The one I thought I had told me to leave her life forever. If you think that means I’ll walk away and be celibate for the rest of my life, you can think again.”
She leaned forward to face him nose-to-nose. “Feel free to go off and buy as many women as you want. Bear in mind, they are generally free if you’re a halfway-decent human being.”
She felt the warm puff of his snort of exasperation. “For cryin’ out loud, woman. You came across the country to see me. We were doin’ great until Jake blew his stack. So, we went off to lick our wounds, but neither of us actually did anythin’ wrong. Now, we can walk away, or we can act like reasonable people and take up where we left off.”
His accent strengthened, a sign of stress she now recognized. This clearly mattered to him. She stared into the chocolate eyes, dancing with devilment and temptation, and felt her resolution waver. Once more she had no control over the warmth growing deep in her center. It blossomed, as though truth was the seed, and he was the sun. Her resolve weakened.
When she spoke, it was with less coldness. Emotion crept in, causing her voice to waver. “Reasonable? You’re a thief and a liar who walked off to spend a night with a prostitute. You could call this lots of things but reasonable isn’t one of them.”
Shades of venal hunger gleamed in dark eyes over a smile so innocent it hurt. He reached out and took her hand. The rush of his magnetism hit her, making her heart beat faster and melting her resistance like waves washing away sand. His honeyed tones drifted through her consciousness. “Yeah, but you make me want to tell better lies. I want to lie about stuff like givin’ the children too much candy.” He dropped his auburn head, the long dark lashes masking the roguishness in his eyes before he turned back to smile gently at her. “Almost every man in the place was married. They all lied about what they did, and do it regularly. I didn’t, and I won’t. I admit I was tempted, but I never went near her or any other woman. She was a child. If she hadn’t been?” He shrugged. “Well, who knows? We weren’t a couple, and I’m allowed to look at other women, especially when the one I wanted rejected me.” He stared deeply into her soul. “I was hurting. Why did everything matter more than me, Abi? None of it would have happened if we’d sorted things out. We’d have been together. Give me one good reason why we can’t talk about it now?”
Her breath quickened. “She was a child—”
“Do I need to get Jake in here to convince you? Better still, let’s go back to Pettigo and you can ask her yourself?” His brows met in a scowl. “Abi, you studied me. Was there ever anything in my notes that said I used people? Or I liked my girls young? For God’s sake, I’m drawn to you like cash in a safe. I hate to break it to you, but you’re not young, compliant, or even easy to be around, and it looks like you’re my type. Do you think she’d cut it? If you really think I did that I’ll take you there, face down over a horse if I have to, so you can ask her yourself.”
She paused, staring at him; reading him. He was a good liar. Could she trust him? It wasn’t that he lacked morals, it was more a case of him having a code all of his own, but she had to concede he was principled when it came to women.
“Will you look me in the eye and swear you didn’t go near her?”
He scowled. “Isn’t that precisely what I’ve been doing? Are you going to talk to me? Are we both going to spend the rest of our lives wondering what might have happened if we’d just talked? Even if this doesn’t work out, at least we’ll know we tried.” His face softened along with his voice as his fingers tightened around hers, his eyes flashing with determination. “Abi, if you think I can’t be trusted with a fourteen-year-old girl then speak now and I’ll walk out of your life for good. I know you can’t trust me with money, but you can trust me with people.”
She blinked pensive eyes which suddenly looked as black as jet in the lamplight of the carriage. “No, you wouldn’t. I trust you.”
His lips spread into a wide smile, pitting his cheeks with dimples. He r
eleased her hand and moved over to sit beside her on the bench. “Thank you. That means a lot.”
“I reacted when I saw her.” She shook her head and sighed. “I was angry.”
“Yeah, I can understand that. I was angry about you putting everything before me. I wanted to do something to spite you, but I couldn’t go through with it.” He reached out and stroked her cheek. “Let’s take time in Silverville. Time to just be normal.”
Incredulity crowded her face. “Normal? Us?”
“Yeah, normal. Somewhere we can be a man and a woman. We can get to know each other instead of the random corpse someone dumps beside us.”
She nodded. “That would be rather pleasant. Test the waters somewhere quiet and peaceful. But we can’t.”
“Jake can go and play cards and relax. He spoke to Clancy and he’s going to try the saltpetre and wine cure for his irritable heart problem. A Swiss doctor had some success with it, so it’s worth a try. I think he quite likes the drink.”
“He’s found a treatment? That’s wonderful. I hope it works.”
Nat nodded. “Me, too, but I didn’t come here to talk about Jake.” He leaned in taking her face in both hands, dropping butterfly kisses around her lips. She felt his hands drop to her shoulders and stroke her as his tongue slipped between her moist lips and danced with hers. Her hands rose along with her desire, running down his back and slipping through his thick hair. He pulled back, taking her face in both hands once more and a wicked smile licked across his face. His chocolate eyes glittered with devilment. “No, Abi. Don’t close your eyes. Look at me. I want to fill as many of your senses as possible.”
She pushed him back into his seat with a groan of reluctance. “No. I need to get back. I’ve run out of time. We need to go our separate ways.”
“That’s why we can’t waste time.”
“Or why waste this reconciliation? Let’s part as friends. Fate doesn’t seem to want us to get together.”
He pursed his lips pensively. “I don’t believe in fate.”
“Me, neither. But I don’t believe in falling into bed with men, either.” She settled back with a sigh. “There’s no point in making enemies by creating another bitter parting, leaving us wondering what we’re missing or if we’ve been used. It’s for the best. It’s also a lot better than we had about an hour ago. We both know you’re not going to give up crime. That’s what it’ll take for me to give up the law.”
“Abi—”
“No, Mr. Quinn. It’s madness. Don’t blame Jake. I’d have come to my senses eventually. It’s just not going to work. He touched a nerve because he shone a light on the truth, but I would have gotten there on my own. My life is hard enough. I can’t take up with a criminal.”
He frowned. “We’ll find a way.”
“I have found a way. We accept reality and move on with fond memories. That’s all there can be. I’m pleased you came to see me, but we leave it here.” She reached out and grasped his hand. “It’s for the best. It’ll only bring misery to both of us. Being friends is better than we had. You were right to seek me out. At least we now know it’s best to walk away. We’re not adversaries. Mutual respect is our future. That’s how we leave this as equals.”
Nat’s face dimpled in amusement. “Equals? You’re a tiny woman. I could lift you with one hand.”
“So? Is that supposed to impress me? There are plenty of men you could best physically. You still treat them as your equal.”
“Do I?” Nat chuckled. “I guess I see them as more likely to be worth robbing. If you want me to treat you like a man you’re out of luck. You’re way better than almost any man I ever met, Abi.” He shrugged, devilment still playing in his dancing eyes, “I move in very dodgy circles so that’s not setting the bar very high. You’re stopping in Silverville?”
“Yes. But not for long.”
“Good, we can have dinner and take more time to discuss this.”
♦◊♦
Jake stood in the hotel dressed in his suit watching Abigail descend the stairs in a cobalt evening gown. He let out a low whistle as she arrived in the lobby, her décolletage enhanced with an ornate sapphire pendant.
She smiled. "It's lovely to dress up and just be a woman again."
"Sure is." Jake nodded, evading Abigail’s admonishing glance.
"Shall we go in? Where’s Mr. Quinn?"
He walked across the lobby toward her, his glittering gaze wandering over her hourglass figure.
"Abi, you clean up real nice. You look smart enough to be called Abigail."
"How about Miss MacKay if I look that good?"
He grinned and slipped an arm through hers. "I’m just relieved you decided not to go with a moustache."
They were seated at the table as the waiter handed out a wine list and took their drink orders. He was a sprightly, well-groomed man with effete manners who had swished his way around on the balls of his feet. He beamed at the little company, especially when Abigail conversed with him in French, and engaged with the chef who came out of the kitchen to join in an animated discussion full of gesticulations and animated expressions.
Nothing was too much trouble and everything was perfect. They relaxed into a convivial evening of conversation and sociable banter, unhindered by their polar positions in the world of crime.
"Just how many languages do you speak, Abi?" asked Nat.
Her eyes twinkled mischievously. "How many do you speak, Mr. Quinn?"
"You're hearing it. Now answer me? How many?"
"Why?"
"It could be a clue to your next persona. We know you speak French and Scottish. Anything else?"
"Actually, I am Scottish, so technically I speak my own language along with English and French. I didn't learn English until I was about eight. I learned French from the age of four, years before I learned English."
"Really?" Jake’s incredulous frown met between his brows. “You speak English real well. Better’n most folks who speak nuthin’ else.”
"Thank you, Jake. It was almost all Gaelic on the island. My teacher was a clever and educated man who had taught in France. We moved to Glasgow when I was twelve and I had no choice but to make English my main language. We came to the States when I was sixteen."
"You kept your accent," Nat said.
"It's a hard accent to lose, even when you try really hard—and I worked incredibly hard at it."
"So? What else do you speak?"
A smile played around her lips. She was not about to tell him French was commonly spoken amongst well-educated Scots and she had no other linguistic tricks to fall back on other than the smattering of Latin and ancient Greek which came with a classical education. "I’ve always found it better to keep you guessing. What do you think?"
"I think there's a still lot to find out about you." Nat sat back, his eyes burning across the table.
"A woman should have a little mystery, surely?"
"There's mystery and then there's just plain annoyin’."
Shock widened her eyes. "Jake? Do I annoy you?"
"Abi, do you know how worried we were when you were shot and we had no way of knowin’ if you were alive or dead? We didn't even have anyone to ask. That ain't fair, and you've done nothin' about it. We split up tomorrow, and we still don’t know how to find out if you’re alive or dead."
She dropped her gaze. "I'm sorry. I’ll sort something before I go." She looked Jake straight in the eye. "Does that help?"
"Not really. You’re goin’ back to work. I wish you were goin’ home."
She stretched out a hand and grasped his fingers. "I won't go after you now, anyway. Mr. Pinkerton wouldn't send me because you know me too well. I plan to stay out East, so it’s unlikely we’ll meet again."
"Don’t go back, Abi," said Nat
She looked at both men in turn. "Why don't you give up? Go straight?"
Nat tilted his head at her. “Abi, I can't tell you how much we'd like to roll back the clock, but it’s not as simple as t
hat. We’ll still be wanted. Wyoming has no statute of limitations. We’ll be wanted ’til our dying day. We can be extradited from almost anywhere we settle."
“So, live quietly and make it hard for them to find you.” She shrugged at their impassive stares, and grimaced. "You can't help some people."
"So—” Nat was not about to pass on her earlier comment. "You aren’t going to come after us anymore?"
She sighed. "I certainly wouldn't if you gave up crime. But I can't promise not to be on the opposite side."
"You won’t come after us. That's what you said." Nat grinned. “We’re safe from your investigations? I guess that’s better than admitting you couldn’t manage to bring us in.”
"Don't push me." She was beginning to regret her rash words. It had been made in a rare, unguarded moment, and they had leapt on it like children on fresh-baked cookies.
"I don't think you would.” Nat laughed, sitting back. "You’ve changed. Things have changed. We'll walk out of here tomorrow without a worry and that’s a good thing, Abi. It means we’ve moved on to another level."
Her dark eyes fixed on him, laughter floating around in their inky depths at his challenge. “Why? Just what am I going to be handcuffed to this time?"
“You shouldn't ask men those sorts of questions while you look as good as that.” Nat dimpled into a meaningful grin.
She threw him a censorious look as she flicked up an eyebrow. “You’re too good for the lives you lead, but you still choose to lead them. Let’s enjoy the moment and stop this."
"So?" Nat eyes glinted with feral lights once more. "What do you think I'd do to you if you crossed me? Do you think I'd do nothing?"
"Do you think I wouldn't?" She demanded. "You're pushing me tonight. Why? You know this is over. Are you trying to prove I'm useless? Impotent?"
"What is there to gain by locking us up?" asked Nat. “You’d never get to convert us.”
"I think the question is what the banks and railroads wouldn't lose."
Nat shrugged. “What’s the point, tonight of all nights? I hope you never lose your edge, darlin’. It's what makes you special. We'll walk away tomorrow. I promise you we'll do nothing to you. I know you can't do anythin' to us. We're stronger, and you certainly can't outdraw us. The law’ll never believe we’re Quinn and Conroy. Not when you’ve dined with us."
