Authors: Blanche Marriott
“Oh, no! I won’t be
spending my money on a horse.”
Becky laughed. “Oh,
right. You didn’t have a very pleasant experience today. Anyway, there’s plenty
to spend on. I think you’ll be surprised at the things you’ll be preoccupied
with once you get to know your way around.” She glanced in Rand’s direction. “Unless,
of course, you’re totally preoccupied with a one-car train on a one-way track.”
As they both laughed,
Callie followed Becky’s eyes to where Rand had just thrown in his hand and
scraped up the few chips in front of him. Downing the remainder of his drink,
he stood.
“I think I’ll be calling
it a night. Gentlemen.” He nodded to the three players and turned away from the
table.
The loud scrape of a
chair on the wood floor brought the room to silence and turned all heads. Tyler stood at the table, his gun drawn and aimed directly at Rand’s back.
“That’s the second time
tonight you’ve walked away from this table,” he growled.
Without turning, Rand stopped and shrugged. “So?”
“So I don’t like it,” Tyler threatened, cocking the hammer.
There was a loud,
simultaneous intake of breath from everyone in the room. The loudest came from
Callie who nearly choked on her gasp. Rand faced her, his back to the stranger,
his expression reassuring. A shadow of a smile turned his lips and his eyelids
blinked lazily.
Only then did she notice
he had his thumbs hooked on his gun belt and his back appeared stiff, ready for
action.
My God! They’re going
to have a gunfight right here in the saloon, right before my eyes! What if Rand is killed?
She couldn’t bear the
thought of losing him before she even knew him. They had so much to learn about
each other, so much to experience together. For the first time in her life, she
was afraid for a man she cared about.
The fear in her belly
thundered up to her chest and without warning bellowed from her throat. “No!”
Rand
looked at her in surprise. No, puzzlement. He
seemed confused as to why she was so concerned, as though he’d completely
forgotten about the gun aimed at his back.
Finally, he raised a
hand, signaling for her to stay put and not make another sound. Then loudly,
for the benefit of Tyler’s ears, he spoke slowly.
“What you like or don’t
like is of no concern to me. I’m here to play cards, nothing more. I’ve had my
fill for the night and now I’m through. If you have a problem with that, we can
discuss it outside. There’s no need to get all these nice, gentle folk involved
in a petty argument.”
“Petty? You call
cheating petty? I call it a crime and I think you should pay.”
A few people scrambled
out the door while others ducked under tables. Callie simply froze, staring
into Rand’s calm face, wondering if he’d live to kiss her again.
“Sir, are you calling me
a cheat?” Rand asked, his hand slipping lower on his gun belt.
“You heard right!”
Rand spun around,
whipping his gun up at arm’s length, catching Tyler by surprise. Before the
scoundrel knew what had happened, Rand snatched his gun and disarmed him.
“Well, you’re wrong. Dead
wrong. In fact if there were bullets in this gun, you’d be dead because I don’t
take kindly to being called a cheat.”
Callie sighed inwardly. No
bullets. Of course! Rand had said they weren’t loaded. So why pull guns on each
other if they weren’t loaded?
She remembered the fight
outside, the cheering spectators. It had to be a male thing. The element of
danger, the hunt, the kill. But that didn’t stop her anger toward Rand for doing this to her, making her believe he was in danger.
He stepped closer to Tyler. “If I was cheating, how come you’re the one with the big pile of chips and I’m
empty handed?”
Tyler
showed signs of relenting. He looked nervously
about the room. “I...I don’t know. Maybe you were just setting me up to take me
for everything later.”
Rand pushed his gun in Tyler’s chest and spoke in a low tone. “Why don’t you just pick up your winnings and
high-tail it out of here before you get hurt?”
A few titters of
laughter crossed the room. Tyler grumbled something under his breath and did as
Rand suggested. Just before he pushed open the door he sent a blazing look in Rand’s direction, then left without another word.
Rand
set his gun back in his holster. He aimed a
blank gaze at the door and took a big breath as though he were trying to regain
the composure he so handily displayed just moments before. After endless
minutes, he finally turned and walked over to the bar where he slid Tyler’s gun to Smitty. Then, leaning his elbows on the polished wood, he looked from Becky
to Callie.
“The two of you look
like you’ve seen a ghost.”
Callie knew her face was
probably white as a sheet, but when she turned to Becky, she was surprised to
see hers was just as blanched. Wasn’t she used to this sort of thing? If
showdowns were a regular occurrence, why would she seem so shaken? And why hadn’t
she warned Callie about this?
Becky said nothing, but
Callie decided Rand deserved a piece of her mind. “Is this the way gentlemen act
in front of ladies? Scaring them half out of their wits playing with guns?”
Rand
stiffened his shoulders. Becky gaped at Callie’s
harsh tone before shaking herself and skirting around the bar.
“If the two of you will
excuse me, I think I’ll mingle among the patrons and try to calm everyone down.
That might not be a bad idea over here either.”
As she left, Rand peered at Callie, a quizzical look on his face. “What are you talking about?”
“The show you just put
on, that bold display of male ego. And don’t try to act innocent. I should have
guessed you were an actor with your good looks and charm and easy manner.”
Rand
looked around to see if anyone was listening. “Shush,
Callie. You’re getting upset for nothing.”
“Don’t shush me! I’m not
going to fall for any more shenanigans around here. Real or not.”
She made her way around
the bar and headed for the stairs. Rand caught up with her, holding her forearm
to keep her from leaving. “Let go, you big ox, you’re hurting me.” She reached
out, groping for anything in an effort to fight back. She caught his string tie
and yanked hard, breaking it in her hand.
Rand
immediately released his hold. “I’m sorry,
Callie. Give me a minute to explain, please. You’ve got it all wrong.”
“I think what I’ve got
all wrong is the idea that I can fit in around here. You’re all so weird. You
really believe all this western stuff. Well, you can’t go back. We’re in the
twenty-first century.”
She took a few steps up,
but Rand caught up with her and held her wrists. With a determined, but gentle
pull, he sat her down on the step and sat facing her.
“What you just saw was
no act. I’m not an actor, I’m a guest. Sometimes things happen when people get
caught up in the lure of the West. Men draw their guns as a sign of dominance.”
He lifted his gun from his holster. “See, the guns here have no chamber for
bullets. They’re harmless.” After she inspected it, he put it away. “Just
because we don’t have ammunition doesn’t mean it’s any less meaningful. We men
like to show our aggression sometimes.”
“And those of us who don’t
know are scared senseless.”
“I apologize, but if you
recall, I didn’t start the fight.”
“But why did you have to
draw your gun? It didn’t mean anything. You couldn’t have done anything.”
“Purely symbolic. With
my swiftness and accuracy, I threw him off guard and he knows I would have beat
him in a standoff.”
She turned her head away
and huffed. “Well, I still don’t like it. I was worried sick.”
Rand
put a finger to her cheek and turned her head. “You
were afraid for me. I like that. I’m flattered that you cared enough to be
concerned about my welfare.”
“I just didn’t want to
see any blood shed.”
He smiled, slow and
engaging. “No, you were afraid for me. Admit it.”
“I didn’t want to see
the other guy get hurt either.”
“Admit it.”
“Everyone in the place
was scared out of their wits.”
“Callie.” He moved his
head closer and his lips touched a thousand nerve endings at once as his mouth
brushed hers. “Say it. Say you care.”
When his hands moved
over her shoulders, she suddenly lost her reason for being angry. She was just
glad he was safe and sound. She abruptly threw her arms around his neck and
hugged tightly with a trembling need. “Yes, I was afraid you’d be killed. I was
afraid I’d never...”
“What? Never what?” he
whispered in her ear.
“Afraid I’d never kiss
you again.”
He moved his head back
to look into her eyes while his own sparkled as brightly as his smile.
“Then do it now before I
die waiting.”
It was an urgent kiss. The
adrenaline that had pumped in her veins only moments before helped to
strengthen the passion that burst forth from her every pore. Her hands searched
his hair, feeling the cool waves sift between her fingers.
Like cold water thrown
on a fire, a giddy laughter bubbled up from the floor below. Callie turned her
head to see Sasha and two of the other girls walk by exchanging secret
comments. Looking at Rand, she saw passion burning in his eyes and desire
swelling his lips.
But this was not the
time or place for any of this. She lowered her head and licked the remnants of Rand’s sweetness from her lips. “People are watching.”
“Let them.”
“You’re the one who’s
always so concerned about me being a proper lady and you a gentleman. Do you
really want to cause such a spectacle?”
“That’s a very unfair
question after what I’ve just been through.”
“Are you talking about
the standoff or our kiss?”
“I’m talking about the
things that were going through my mind when we kissed. I’m talking about you
and me and what’s happening between us.”
Callie turned forward,
her eyes averted. “What is happening between us? We’ve only known each other a
day.”
Rand
sidled up to her on the stair. “Is there a
specific time frame in which to know you’re attracted to someone?”
“Well, no, but—“
“Then don’t worry. Just
let it happen. You’ve already said you think I’m good looking. And charming. And
I take it you like my easy manner?”
Callie felt her face
warm. Why had she said those things? Yes, she believed all that, but if he
expected her to be a proper lady, she needed to slow things down a bit, take a breath
while she still had some.
When she didn’t answer
him, he reached for her hand and tenderly fondled it in the two of his. His
thumb rubbed the sensitive web of skin between her thumb and forefinger. Her
whole arm tingled as hairs rose to attention.
He lifted her hand,
stroking the limp wrist as he brought her fingers to his lips. Her index
finger, slightly higher than the others, brushed against the soft bristles of
his mustache and she shivered. He kissed the very tip of the finger, then
examined it as if it might have changed. He then kissed the first knuckle,
letting his lips linger.
Callie caught herself
holding her breath but could no more let it out than tell him to stop. His dark
lashes fanned against his cheeks as he continued his attentive pursuit. He
moved up to the next knuckle, kissing gently. She finally let out her breath
before her chest burst open. She’d never been so awakened by something so
trivial as a man kissing her hand. But then, she’d never had a man kiss her
hand, and she certainly had never imagined it to be anything like this!
When Rand finally turned
her hand over and pressed her palm to his hot lips, she closed her eyes to
capture the feeling forever. Before she could stop herself, she sighed, “Oh, Rand.”
With his other hand, he
cradled her face. She leaned into it as his thumb rubbed along the swell of her
bottom lip. As he looked down, he cocked his head to one side.
“Nice shoes. Too bad
they don’t match your dress.”
Callie self-consciously
rubbed her sneakers together. “My feet were hurting. No one could see them
behind the bar.” She searched his eyes. “I’m sorry about your tie,” she
murmured.
“I’ve had worse things
done to me.” Then smiling, he whispered, “But nothing like what Miss Becky will
do if I don’t get out of here.”
She opened her eyes as
he stood up and descended the stairs slowly, his burning eyes never leaving
hers.
“As I live and breathe,
I thought I’d seen everything, but tonight takes the cake.”
Becky emptied ashtrays
into a tin bucket while Callie and the other girls gathered up glasses. Callie
was too preoccupied with her own disbeliefs to even question Becky’s. But true
to her forthright style, Becky continued the one-way conversation.
“In a horse they call it
loco, in a man they call it love.”
When the other girls
giggled, Callie knew exactly what man Becky referred to.
“I wouldn’t call a walk
and a little kiss love,” Callie remarked as she plunked down a tray of glasses
on the bar.
“If you’d known Rand as long as I have you would. My remarks were half-joking when you came riding into
town with him. I was even surprised when he left the card game to go for a walk
and returned with lipstick smudges and a twinkle in his eye.” Shaking her head
in wonder, “But after that display on the stairs, I’m downright serious. Rand is not the same man who rode into town.”
Callie opened her mouth
to comment, then thought better of it. A question niggling at her since the
showdown between Rand and Tyler seemed more appropriate.
“Becky? That showdown,
does that happen often?”
“Oh, sure. These men get
all caught up in the spirit of the Old West. The testosterone kicks in and they’re
ready to outdo anyone who looks at them cross-eyed. It happens a couple times a
week.”
Callie swiped a damp rag
across a table while Becky straightened some chairs. “So why were you so
shocked when Rand and Tyler did it?”
Becky stopped and
leveled a stare at Callie. “Because it’s not like him. He’s as gentlemanly and
reserved as any man I’ve ever met. He’s
never
been aggressive.”
“Maybe he had no choice.
I mean, Tyler was pretty adamant about his accusation. Nobody likes to be
called a cheat.”
“No. It was more than
that. Any other time, Rand would have just let it roll off his back and
continued on his way. This was different, as though he had to prove something.”
Her unwavering stare
penetrated Callie’s. She looked down, remembering how he’d kissed the hand she
now stared at.
“So, if they’d had real
guns and Rand hadn’t been so fast he could’ve been killed and it would’ve been
my fault, right?”
Becky went to Callie and
put a comforting arm around her. “Let’s just forget about that little incident
and concentrate on what we’re going to do about you and Rand.”
“Huh?” Callie wondered
what “we” meant.
“A cowboy will chase a
woman until she catches him.” Then she looked down. “But not with sneakers on.”
* * *
Callie soon learned one
of the luxuries of her new job was being able to sleep late. It’d been nearly
three in the morning before she’d plunked herself in bed and drifted off to
sleep. When she awoke, she found she’d sunk so deep into the feather mattress,
there was no such thing as rolling out of bed.
So she stayed put. Staring
at the ceiling, studying the patterns on the wood beams, she mulled over
everything that had happened yesterday. Meeting Rand, riding a horse, wearing
strange clothes, witnessing a showdown. It was hard to believe she had been at
Way Out West only one day. She felt a million miles from Los Angeles, truly
transported to another time.
Off in the distance,
outside her window, a strange rumbling sound caught her attention. It gradually
grew louder and with it came a lot of hootin’ and hollerin’ until gunshots rang
out.
Callie struggled to get
her tired, stiff body out of the hole in her bed and managed to stumble to the
window, which looked out onto the street.
Down the street came
three riders, kerchiefs covering their noses and mouths. Behind them rode a
posse of six: sheriff and five deputies with guns raised and justice on their
minds.
After ducking from the
window, lest a stray bullet find its way in, Callie suddenly laughed to herself
as she realized the spectators in the street stood calmly watching the show.
A show. That’s all it
was. A bank robbery staged for the benefit of the guests. Cursing herself for
being fooled again, she wondered if she’d ever get used to this crazy town. Half
an hour later, after washing in the cold water from the night stand, Callie
made her way down to the kitchen for breakfast.
“Breakfast!” said the
cook. “That was hours ago. And as for lunch, well it’s every man, or woman, for
himself.”
Sighing after the man
left for supplies, Callie rummaged the shelves and found some honey and jam
which she spread on two pieces of crusty bread. She poured herself some tea and
sat at the big plank table adorned with nothing but a bowl of fruit.
A nice quiet breakfast
was just what she needed.
“Well, I see you decided
to dress a little more comfortably today.” The door swung back and Becky
approached like an inspector general with hands on hips. “A full skirt is much
better than that tight calico dress. Lots more freedom.”
Callie had grabbed the
skirt and blouse yesterday in the wardrobe room on a whim. The only other thing
she’d picked out was a fancy dress with high collar, tight long sleeves and
trimmed with lace everywhere.
Peeking beneath the
table, Becky frowned. “But those sneakers have to go.”
“Aw, Becky. Can’t I just
wear them around here? My feet weren’t made for high-ankle boots.”
“What we need to do is
find you the right kind of boot. Come with me. I’ve got a closet that could use
some cleaning.”
Gobbling up the last of
her breakfast, Callie followed Becky upstairs while balancing her teacup. Her
mouth opened in awe when they entered Becky’s plush bedroom, more plush than
anything she’d seen here so far. There were white and gold brocade curtains, a
blue and gold comforter on a white and gold canopy bed. A vanity table sat at
one end of the room and a gold chaise at the other. Fur skin rugs were
scattered about.
“Wow! This is gorgeous.”
“Thanks. It’s one of the
benefits of being in charge.” She went directly to a closet and pulled out
numerous boxes and bags. “Here, start looking through these.”
Before long, the two
women sat on the floor surrounded by boots. Trying on a dozen or so, Callie
finally chose a pair of soft brown-leather lacing boots with a tall enough heel
to give her height, but not so tall as to hurt her feet. As she slipped the
second one on, the lace snapped.
“Here, let’s tie it off
for now, then you can run to the general store for some new laces,” said Becky.
“These ought to do ya for walking and riding and whatever.”
“Forget the riding.”
“Right.” Becky tossed
the rest of the boots back into the closet. “Oh, and here’s some tip money for
helping us clean up last night. Now, I’ve got some paper work to do so you go
get your new laces and enjoy your day. Be back in time for supper.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
* * *
Callie was about to
enter the general store when she nearly ran headlong into Tyler, Rand’s sworn enemy.
“We-ell, pretty lady. Where
you going on this fine day?” With his hands placed casually on her shoulders,
he looked around, up and down the boardwalk. “And where’s that cheatin’
boyfriend of yours? He should be more careful about leaving what belongs to him
out in the open where anyone can take it.”
Callie stiffened. “First
of all, he’s not my boyfriend. Second, he’s not a cheater. And third,” she
threw her arms up, pushing his away, “I don’t belong to him or anyone else!”
“Whoo-wee. Feisty little
bobcat, ain’t ya?”
“And don’t you forget it
‘cause next time you lay a hand on me, I’m gonna kick so hard you’ll be spitting
from your navel.”
Tyler
’s seedy smile vanished into a grimace. Taking
advantage of the pause, she walked straight past him, her head held high, and
into the general store. Once inside, she paused to take a deep breath and calm
herself. With her sleeve, she dabbed at a film of perspiration above her
eyebrows.
“Good day, young lady. May
I help you with anything?” The plump woman behind the counter smiled
congenially.
Callie tried to smooth
her flustered appearance and pull herself together. “Um...” Why had she come in
here? Ah, yes, laces. “I need some laces.” She pulled her skirt up to show the
boot with the broken lace. “I snapped it this morning.”
“Right over there
against the wall, you’ll find what you need. By the way, I’m Anna Mae.”
“Thanks.” Callie
strolled over to the display and chose some brown laces. On her way back to the
counter she noticed a rack of string ties and stopped to finger them,
remembering what she’d done to Rand’s tie last night.
“Something else you
need?” Anna Mae prompted.
“Yes, I need a string
tie.”
Anna Mae waddled her
plumpness to the metal rack at the end of the counter inquired, “Now is this
for you or someone else?”
“Oh, not me. No, it’s
for a friend.” Her cheeks flamed.
“We have black, brown,
blue. Which would you like?”
Which one? Callie closed
her eyes and forced herself to remember what color Rand had worn. “Black, yes
it was black.”
Ann Mae gave her a
curious look. “What was black?”
“The tie I’m replacing. I
accidentally broke my friend’s tie and I want to replace it.”
With a raised eyebrow,
Anna Mae let out a, “Whoooee, for a little thing, you sure are tough on strings
and laces! All right then, here’s our standard black string tie. How about I
wrap that for you as a gift?”
“That would be nice. Thank
you.”
As Anna Mae prepared the
wrapping paper and string, Callie casually browsed down the aisles, swinging
her cloth purse. She strolled to the end past some huge bolts of fabric and was
about to turn the corner when she heard someone call out.
“Morning, Anna Mae.” She
knew that voice.
“Rand! How nice to see
you again. I thought I saw you walk by earlier.”
“You’re looking as
remarkable as ever.”
Anna Mae giggled. “Oh,
you flatterer. I understand you’ve got eyes for someone else.”
Callie stiffened and
ducked behind a bolt of fabric. Did he have another woman in town?
“Word spreads fast in a
small town,” Rand chuckled.
“When Lloyd came home
last night he told me you’d been in with a real pretty lady. I couldn’t believe
it at first. I said, ‘No, not our Rand’ but he put his hand on the Bible and
swore an oath. So it’s true then?”
Callie’s heart
threatened to explode in her chest.
“True enough. She’s a
sight for sore eyes, Anna Mae, and I’d wager she’s every bit a woman as
yourself.”
More giggles. Callie
stuck her knuckles in her mouth to keep from gasping aloud. While she felt as
flattered as Anna Mae, Rand’s high praise somewhat frightened her. Could she
live up to his expectations?
Anna Mae finally stopped
giggling. “With all that charm, I’ll never understand why some woman didn’t
snap you up long ago. Now, what can I get for you?”
Rand
cleared his throat. “I need a new string tie. I
snapped the end off mine last night.”
Anna Mae made a stifled
snorting sound. “There seems to be a lot of that going around. Over here.”
She led him over to the
rack. Callie could see enough between the bolts to make out Rand’s black coat
as he fingered the ties on display.
“Would you be wanting
black?” Anna Mae asked.
“Yes, that will do fine.”
Anna Mae walked back
behind the counter, but Rand detoured to the front window. “I’d like one of
these kites too, if I can find the one my lady friend was admiring last night. Ah,
here it is.”
A tiny string tightened
around Callie’s heart. He remembered the exact one. She touched her warm cheeks
as she heard him place the kite on the counter.
“I suppose I should get
some material for the tail, right?” Two heavy steps headed Callie’s way. She
looked above her head and knew that if he came to the display, he’d see her
ducked down, the coward that she was.
“Wait!” Anna Mae called.
“I have some scraps of material over here. You don’t need to buy a whole length
from a bolt.”
Phew. Thankfully, his
footsteps retreated and Callie’s pulse relaxed just a hair.
“Okay, one tie, one
kite, some bits of material—on the house. Anything else?” asked Anna Mae.
“That should do it.” He
dropped some bills on the counter after Anna Mae totaled his order then turned
without waiting for his change.
“You have yourself a
nice day, Rand, and bring that pretty little lady in to meet me sometime, hear?”
“I’ll do that.”
As quietly as he’d come,
Rand was gone. Callie stood straight, groaning from being hunched over, and
took some slow steps toward the main counter, her eye on the front windows.