“That’s not what this was about,” Cal began, but his words were cut off when Diamond, her white nightshift fluttering like a moth’s wings in the darkness, came sailing toward them. In her hand was a pistol.
Behind her, looking absolutely terrified, were Pearl and Jade, cowering beneath the cover of Diamond’s leather duster.
“I heard gunshots. What’s happened? Is anyone hurt...?”
Diamond stared at the two men, their faces streaked with mud and blood, their clothes torn and dirty and plastered to their skin. “Cal! Adam! What in the...? Whatever are you doing out here?”
“You go on back inside now, Diamond,” Cookie said, waving the rifle. “This isn’t any of your business.”
“Not my business?” Diamond became indignant. “Everything that happens here on the ranch is my business.” She turned on the two men. “Look at you. Instead of searching for the gunfighter, you’re fighting each other. And you don’t think this is my business?”
“But this is men’s business, Diamond,” the cook managed to say with as much patience as he could.
“Men’s...? I don’t understand.”
Just then, Jade, who had been studying the faces of the two warriors, gave a mysterious woman’s smile. Touching a hand to Diamond’s arm she whispered, “Come inside, please. I will explain.”
Diamond gave one last look at Cal, then at Adam, whose eyes were narrowed, fists clenched at his sides. The sight of him bloodied and bruised and caked with mud did something to her insides, twisting them into a knot.
“Please come now.” Jade caught her hand, and motioned for Pearl to take her other hand.
With a sigh of confusion, Diamond allowed herself to be led away.
When the three women had returned to the house, Cookie lowered his rifle. But he didn’t move away. Instead he stood his ground, determined to see the two men go their separate ways.
Cal picked up his gun and holster. “I don’t want to see you come near Diamond again,” he muttered. Without a backward glance, he strode toward the bunkhouse.
Adam buckled his gun belt, then retrieved his gun from the mud and jammed it into his holster. “You’re a fool, McCabe,” he shouted to the retreating back. “If you weren’t so blind, you’d see that we’re both on the same side.”
“You heard me,” Cal said sharply. “Stay away from Diamond.”
With a sigh of disgust Cookie waved the rifle again.
Adam pulled himself into the saddle and disappeared into the darkness. Only then did Cal McCabe turn and let himself into the bunkhouse.
Diamond, flanked by Pearl and Jade, stood at her bedroom window and watched as Adam rode away. The sound of his horse’s hooves faded into the distance. Seconds later, Cal retreated to the bunkhouse, and Cookie limped away.
“I don’t know what’s come over Cal,” Diamond muttered.
“How long has your foreman known you?” Jade asked.
“All my life.” Diamond moved away from the window and began to prowl her room.
Pearl took a seat in the rocker by the fire, and Jade perched on the edge of the bed.
“So he is like a second father?”
Diamond stopped in front of the fireplace. She shrugged. “I’ve never thought of Cal like that. He’s just... a friend. My foreman. I depend on him to see that the ranch is running smoothly. But I don’t think of him as a second father. I had Pa. I didn’t need anyone else.”
“But now our father is gone. An honorable man like Cal McCabe would see it as his duty to step into the role of protector, would he not?”
Diamond thought about it and slowly nodded. “I suppose so. But that doesn’t explain the fight. Did you see them?” Her temper began to surface again. Her voice lowered with anger. “They were covered with blood and mud. That wasn’t just a simple argument. They wanted to hurt each other. It’s a wonder they didn’t kill each other.”
“But they did not.” Jade smiled. “They did not wish to kill. What each wanted was to establish his own territory.”
Diamond was clearly puzzled.
But Pearl, who had been listening in silence, suddenly nodded. “Of course. Oh, Diamond. Don’t you see? They were fighting over you.”
“Me?” But even while she protested, Diamond was recalling the looks on their faces. And for some strange reason, she was beginning to see a few pieces of a puzzle falling into place.
“Your foreman sees you as his responsibility. Not just your ranch, Diamond. You. Or rather, your virtue.”
Diamond slowly nodded. “But what has that to do with Adam Winter?”
“Your foreman sees your neighbor as a threat to that virtue. Because it is clear, to those who will look, that Adam Winter also wants to be responsible for you. But not in a... fatherly way.”
Diamond gasped at her outspokenness.
“Oh. Did you notice how he looked at her over dinner?” Pearl asked, clearly excited by the prospect of a romance.
Jade nodded. “And the way his voice warms when he speaks to her?”
“And did you notice how angry he became when he was ordering Diamond to remain in the house where it was safe?”
Jade laughed. “He is smitten.”
“Stop this.” Diamond pressed her palms over her ears as if to shut out the sound of their voices. “You two talk about me as though I’m not even here. And then you decide that a man I hardly know is... is smitten.”
“Why else would a man like Adam Winter be goaded into a fight?” Pearl demanded. “Why, he’s the most controlled, cool gentleman I’ve ever met. It has to be because he cares about you.”
“You must trust me in this,” Jade insisted. “My mother saw that my education delved deeply into all the mysteries of men, and their intricate relationships with women.”
“Why?” Diamond asked innocently.
“Because men’s pleasures, in all their forms, were my mother’s business. And one day they shall be mine,” Jade explained simply.
In that instant, Diamond understood just what the Golden Dragon was. She found herself thunderstruck.
“This much I know,” Jade continued. “Adam Winter has feelings for you, Diamond. And those feelings are the cause of great distress for him.”
Diamond rubbed at the throbbing in her temples. “I can’t hear any more of this. If you don’t mind, I need to sleep.”
Jade nodded in understanding. “Come. Lie down. I will show you a lovely way to ease the tension you feel.”
At Jade’s urging, Diamond blew out the lantern and crawled into bed. Jade knelt beside the bed and pressed her fingers to Diamond’s temples, massaging them gently. Within minutes the throbbing was gone.
“Umm. That’s wonderful,” Diamond murmured.
“It was another part of my education. Most men must be soothed before they can enjoy... other pleasures. Now you must rest,” Jade whispered as she and Pearl made their way from the room.
The door closed softly behind them.
Diamond closed her eyes. But sleep eluded her. Instead, as she tossed and turned, she found herself brooding about Adam Winter. And seeing in her mind’s eye the way he’d looked, bloody and battered. But unbowed. And darkly, tantalizingly dangerous.
Chapter Thirteen
“We’ve been waiting for you,” Carmelita called as Diamond entered the kitchen and made her way to the table.
Diamond felt three pairs of eyes watching keenly as she sat down.
“How did you sleep?” Jade and Pearl asked in unison.
“Badly.” Diamond wore her usual men’s britches and shirt, with the sleeves rolled to her elbows. Her feet were encased in boots. At her waist was a gun belt. In the holster was a fully loaded pistol. Her hair streamed down her back in a tangle of fiery curls.
Pearl was dressed in a prim gown the color of buttercups, with a high neckline and a cameo pin at the throat. She had pulled her long hair back in a tight knot at her nape, and tied it with yellow ribbons.
Jade’s tiny slippered feet peeked out
from the hem of a long sheath of lush purple silk. It had a mandarin collar and frog closings, and was slit to her thigh on either side, for ease of walking. Her black hair fell long and straight to her waist.
“You were thinking about Adam Winter?” Jade asked in her musical voice.
“Don’t be silly. Why should I?” Embarrassed, Diamond reached for a piece of Carmelita’s corn bread and ducked her head.
“It is inevitable,” Jade said with all the assurance of a headmaster. It was plain that she saw it as her duty to instruct this innocent in the ways of the world. “When a man fights for a woman, she cannot help but think about him.”
“He didn’t fight over me. And I wasn’t thinking about him.”
Jade smiled and sipped her tea.
“After breakfast, I’ll help you with Daddy’s ledgers,” Pearl said. “That will help take your mind off Adam.”
“My mind is not on Adam,” Diamond said through gritted teeth.
“Whatever you say.”
Pearl’s determined attempt at cheerfulness only had Diamond’s temperature climbing.
Carmelita kept her back to the young women at the table to hide the grin that split her lips. But every once in a while her shoulders shook in silent laughter. She’d never seen Diamond so flustered. It was most unusual. And quite appealing. Always, Diamond had been completely self-assured. A young woman who strode through life without fear, without question.
When she served the meal, Diamond stared at the platter of eggs that jiggled on squares of moist white bread.
“What is this?” she asked.
“Coddled eggs,” Pearl said proudly. “I taught Carmelita how to make them the way my mother used to.”
Diamond jabbed a fork into the center and watched as the egg bled all over the plate. When she tasted it she muttered, “It’s so... bland.”
“It’s the way we eat them in Boston.” Pearl pecked at her food like a dainty bird. “I hope you don’t mind. I just wanted to repay you for all your kindness. I thought you might enjoy something new.”
“Thank you. They’re...fine.” Diamond choked down the egg, and watched as Jade did the same.
As soon as Pearl had finished her breakfast, Diamond pushed away from the table. “Let’s get to those ledgers.”
“May I join you?” Jade asked.
“Of course. We’ll work in Pa’s office. It’ll give you a chance to see something of his life. And afterward, we’ll tour the ranch. I’m sure, like Pearl, you’ll want to see how Pa lived before you return to San Francisco.”
Diamond led the way down the hall.
Inside her father’s office, Pearl and Jade stood still as they took in the one single room in the house that best reflected their father. The office was big, as was everything in it, from the massive stone fireplace that dominated one wall, to the desk, piled with books and papers, and the overstuffed chair that had, over the years, taken on the imprint of his body.
The windows looked out over the ranch he’d loved, with a view of Widow’s Peak, and in the distance the mirrored surface of Poison Creek. It was easy to imagine Onyx Jewel in this room, going over the ledgers, planning how to improve the livestock or enlarge his holdings.
“Oh.” Jade hugged her arms about herself and gave a sigh. “I feel Father here.”
Pearl nodded. “More than in any other room, I can sense Daddy here in his office.”
Diamond found herself smiling. “It’s true. Since that first day after his...passing, I’ve always felt his presence here.”
It was strange, she thought, that all three of them should feel it so strongly. But then, weren’t they all his daughters?
The thought should have shocked her. A day ago, it might have. But now, for some reason, she was beginning to accept the fact that they were all connected by a strong, invisible bond. A force stronger than her own will.
She lifted the ledgers from the desk drawer and opened them, then positioned a second chair alongside hers. “The sooner we get at this, the sooner we can take Jade on that tour of the ranch.”
Pearl took the proffered seat and bent to the first column of figures. An hour later she threw up her hands in disgust.
“These figures are so jumbled, it will take forever to figure them out.”
Diamond gave a sigh of relief. “I’m glad you agree. I thought it was just my lack of schooling that made them seem so muddled.”
They looked up at a knock on the door, and opened it to admit Cal.
Though he was freshly scrubbed and his clothes were clean and pressed, his face still bore the ravages of last night’s fight. He had a black eye and his right cheek was puffed and swollen.
“Carmelita told me where to find you,” he said. Spotting the other two young women, he doffed his hat and nodded briefly to each of them. “ ’Morning, Miss Pearl. Miss Jade.” He was always stiff and uncomfortable around women, except for Diamond, who didn’t count because she was more like one of the wranglers than a female.
“What is it, Cal?” Diamond demanded.
“I want you to ride to town with me and report the shootings to the marshal.”
“What good will that do?” Diamond frowned. “If you and the men couldn’t find him, what makes you think the marshal can?”
Cal had come prepared for any argument. After all, the Jewels had always thought they were a law unto themselves, and the marshal merely a hired gun. And they considered all Jewel property sacred ground, and resented the thought of a deputy crossing their boundaries. And, though Cal would never admit it, Adam’s words had kept him awake most of the night. A wild creature like Diamond needs a keeper. That’s the only way she’s going to stay alive. She was proving a handful since her pa’s death. Cal wasn’t certain he was up to it. But he had to try.
“For all we know, Diamond, Marshal Regan may have received some information on an outlaw loose in these parts. It’s foolish to keep this from him.”
“Cal is right.” Jade crossed the room and paused beside the desk. “You need to confide in the marshal.”
Pearl nodded her assent. “I quite agree. It would be foolhardy not to take the marshal into your confidence.”
“But what about these ledgers?” Diamond’s voice held the edge of impatience.
“We can do them later.” Pearl patted Diamond’s hand. “Your safety is more important than the books.”
Diamond glanced from Pearl to Jade, then gave a sigh. “All right. First Marshal Regan. Then we’ll tour the ranch. The ledgers will have to wait until tonight.”
Jade and Pearl hurried away to fetch parasols. Diamond followed Cal to the barn to saddle her horse.
“Well, now, isn’t this a coincidence?” Marshal Quent Regan looked up as Diamond and Cal strode into his office.
Seated across from him was Adam. And though he, too, had bathed and changed, his face bore the unmistakable bruises of his fight with Cal.
The marshal glanced from Cal’s black eye and swollen cheek to Adam’s cut lip and bandaged forehead.
“You here to report a fight with a grizzly?” he asked Cal.
The foreman shook his head. “Is that why he’s here?” Cal asked, nodding toward Adam.
“Mr. Winter is here to report more gunplay out on your ranch. I assume you’ve come for the same reason.”
Cal nodded.
“Tell me your story,” Quent urged.
“I’ll let Diamond tell it.”
Diamond prayed she could find her voice. It seemed that whenever she encountered Adam, her throat went dry and her brain went numb. Damn the man. She hated the effect he had on her.
Marshal Regan listened quietly to Diamond’s tale, his eyes downcast, his face impassive. When she was finished he stood and circled his office once before coming to a halt beside her.
His eyes, when they bored into hers, were narrowed in thought. “Is there something you aren’t telling me, Diamond?”
“No, I...” She shook her head. “No.”
“You and Ad
am Winter again. Every time you get shot at, he’s there. In fact, it seems lately that every time you leave your door, he’s there. What am I supposed to make of that?”
She brought her hands to her hips in a familiar stance, prepared for combat. “You can...” At a look from Cal, she bit back her temper. “I don’t see what you can make of it. We’re neighbors. We’re bound to run into each other.”
“Every time you walk out your door?”
Why did everyone insist upon making such an issue of her and Adam Winter? She took a deep breath and counted to ten, as Cal had cautioned her on their way to town. But it didn’t help. If she didn’t soon get out of this office and unleash this growing temper, she would explode.
“How about you, Winter? Do you have anything to add to the lady’s story?”
Adam shook his head. And though he’d held his silence throughout Diamond’s narrative, his gaze had followed her every movement.
“All right.” Marshal Regan could see that his questions weren’t getting him anywhere. “I’ll look into it.”
“Have you been able to identify any of those men who attacked us up on Poison Creek?” Adam asked.
“Not even one. I checked every Wanted poster for the past year, and sent their descriptions to towns across Texas. If they’re outlaws, they aren’t well-known.” He held the door as they walked from his office. “It’s almost as though someone brought together a whole gang of unknown criminals just for that one attack.” He scratched his head. “But that doesn’t make any sense.”
At his words, Adam’s frown-deepened.
As they stepped into the morning sunshine, Quent looked up at the two young women seated in Jade’s elegant carriage.
“’Morning, ladies,” he said, touching the brim of his hat.
Diamond knew, by the way the marshal was standing there, that he was hoping for an introduction. By now, everyone in town was probably wondering what was going on at her ranch.
Out of the corner of her eye she saw Lavinia Thurlong and Gladys Witherspoon heading toward her. She felt her palms begin to sweat. It was common knowledge that these two gossips were only interested in learning all they could about everybody’s business so they could repeat it all over town.
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