A Moment in Time (15 page)

      
Yuck.

      
As he straightened, he brought his gaze level to her chest and his brows arched in surprise.
 
After a moment, his face flushed crimson, and by the time he was upright, he appeared outright skeptical.

      
"You
are
Miss Belle, aren't you?"
 
He shot Cole an accusing glare even as he spoke to Jackie.

      
"She's the woman Goodfellow said was Lolita," Cole said.
 
"He was even having her portrait painted."

      
"Not exactly what I expected."
 
Merriweather sighed and
 
gave her a sheepish grin.
 
"I realize you don't have your trunk, considering the, uh, circumstances, but I've arranged for a wardrobe.
 
I hope you'll be pleased."
 
His florid coloring intensified again.
 
"Though I daresay the garments will require some alteration."

      
"Yeah, I'll bet."
 
Jackie pressed her lips into a thin line and vowed to say as little as possible.
 
She had to do this until she returned to Devil's Gulch and Lolita's portrait.
 

      
The man faced Cole again, his brow furrowed.
 
"Morrison, if you've brought me a ringer, I swear..."

      
"He hasn't."
 
Jackie bit the inside of her cheek.
 
Why the devil had she said that?
 

      
Merriweather lifted his chin a notch and folded his arms across his rotund abdomen.
 
"Then perhaps you won't mind giving us a little demonstration, Miss Belle."

      
Several of the miners seated close enough to overhear echoed Merriweather's request.

      
"Now?"
 
Jackie gave a nervous laugh and patted her hair.
 
"I'm hardly dressed to entertain, sir.
 
Surely you could allow me to freshen up."
 
She batted her lashes at lightspeed and held her breath.

      
Merriweather stared at her for several moments.
 
"No, I think not," he finally said.
 
"Forgive me, ma'am, but I need to know that you're the real Lolita."
 
He shot Cole a sidelong glance.
 
"Before I fork over the gold."

      
"Just hop up there and sing something," her abductor urged, nudging her.
 
"If you sing
real
pretty, maybe old Merriweather will loan me a shirt."

      
Jackie scowled at the humorous glint in Cole's eyes.
 
He was laughing at her again.
 
Damn him.
 

      
"We're waiting, Miss Belle," Merriweather said, his beady little eyes darkening.

      
Jackie's knees quaked as she climbed the steps at the side of the stage.
 
How the hell was she going to manage this?
 
Once they realized she was a fraud, she'd be out the door on her butt with nowhere to go.
 
God, please let them all be tone deaf.
 

      
The only songs she knew were from Broadway musicals that wouldn't be written for decades, and some old Peter, Paul, and Mary tunes her mother used to sing as lullabies.
 

      
With a sigh, Jackie perused the crowd of grubby, eager miners.
 
They'd never grasp "Puff the Magic Dragon."
 
The show tunes were a better bet.
 

      
Okay, Clarke
.
 
Maybe singing loud and smiling while she batted her lashes would help.
 
After all, these men didn't have any other females to drool over.
 
Sheesh
.

      
She drew a deep breath and belted out the first verse and chorus of "I Could've Danced All Night" from
My Fair Lady.
 

      
Dead silence filled the saloon, and Jackie's heart thundered in her head.
 
Her moment of truth had arrived.

      
"Let's have another one," a scruffy man in the front row called, then blew her a kiss.

      
"Yeah, that was great," another miner said, moving closer to the stage.
 
"More, Miss Lolita."
 
He started clapping and the others joined in.

      
She sought out Cole Morrison, who had a look of utter bewilderment on his handsome face, as did Mr. Merriweather.
 
Obviously, they weren't as tone deaf as the others.
 
Thank heavens the miners were the ones she needed to impress.

      
She smiled and blew the men kisses, then bellowed her way through songs from
The Music Man
,
Carousel
, and
The Sound of Music.

      
Breathless, she stood staring at the small crowd's adoration.
 
They cheered, applauded, whistled, and a few men even shouted marriage proposals.

      
Amazed and feeling more than a little smug, Jackie made her way through her audience and winked at Merriweather.
 
"It looks like I've got what it takes, after all."
 

      
Cole chuckled and shook his head.
 
"Definitely a crowd pleaser."

      
She warmed beneath his praise, though she knew he didn't really like her singing.
 
What reasonably intelligent, hearing person would?
 
Unless they were starved for the sight and sound of any woman.
 
That was all that had saved her.
 
She wasn't foolish enough to believe anything else.

      
"All right, you're Lolita Belle," Merriweather said, scratching his bald head.
 
"You'll start tonight."

      
"Nope."
 
Jackie folded her arms and tilted her head to one side, praying her bravado would hit its mark.
 
"It's not quite that simple, Mr. Merriweather."

      
"Oh, hell," Cole muttered under his breath and rolled his eyes upward.
 

      
When he looked at Jackie again, she gave him a conspiratorial wink.
 
Kidnapper or not, she liked the guy, and he was drop-dead gorgeous.
 
Besides, she needed someone to take her back to Devil's Gulch when the time came.
 
In short, she needed a friend.

      
"When can you start then, Miss Belle?"
 
Merriweather pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and mopped perspiration from his bald head.
 
"Tomorrow?
 
The next day?
 
When?"

      
Jackie drew a deep breath, praying she could pull this off and buy herself enough time to return to the correct century before she ever had to appear as Lolita in an official capacity.
 
"I'll need three weeks to rest from my ordeal."
 
She directed an accusing glare in Cole's direction.
 
"Being kidnapped takes its toll on a girl, Mr. Merriweather."
 
She gave a dramatic sigh and batted her lashes again.
 
The man was a sucker for that, thank goodness.

      
"Three...weeks?"
 
Merriweather mopped his brow and the back of his neck.
 
"Three?"

      
"At least," Jackie said, sighing again.
 
"Furthermore, I want you to guarantee a full house, and we'll need to agree on my cut of the take."

      
"Cut?"
 
Merriweather looked upward and shook his head.
 
"Twenty percent."

      
"Fifty," Jackie said without hesitating.
 
She met Cole's gaze and he returned her earlier wink, turning her insides to something warm and mushy.
 
"Fifty percent, Mr. Merriweather.
 
That's only fair, considering how you hired someone to
kidnap
me and haul me across the wilderness without my clothes."

      
"I suppose that will give us time to have your clothes altered," Merriweather finally said, resignation sounding almost like defeat in his tone.
 
He looked over his shoulder.
 
"Tom, run fetch the tailor."

      
"Tailor?" Jackie echoed.

      
"We don't have a seamstress in Lost Creek, Miss Belle.
 
I ordered your wardrobe from Denver."
 
He loosened his tie and faced Cole.
 
"We got us another problem, though."

      
"What's that?"
 
Cole's eyes narrowed as he stared at Merriweather.

      
"Goodfellow will try to get her back."

      
"Yeah, I reckon he will at that."
 
Cole stroked his chin with his thumb and forefinger.
 
"That's your problem, Merriweather.
 
I'll just collect my wages and be on my way."

      
Jackie closed her eyes, wishing there were some way to keep him here, though heaven knew what she'd do with him if she kept him.
 
She opened her eyes and admired the dark hair curling on his broad expanse of chest.
 
Well, she did know what she could do with him, but that was just the sort of behavior that had landed her in this trouble.
 
Besides, she was looking for love and sex–not just sex.

      
Don't go there, Clarke.

      
"No, wait, Morrison," Merriweather said.

      
"Start counting my gold," Cole said, obviously avoiding Jackie's gaze.

      
He feels guilty.
 
Good.
 

      
Merriweather surveyed the crowd, openly pleased with his customers' reaction to Jackie's performance.
 
"How would you like to earn triple what I offered you to bring Miss Belle here?"

      
Surprise flickered across Cole's face.
 
"You mean triple the double offer?"

      
"Yes, exactly."
 
Merriweather lifted his chin and stared at Cole.
 
"Triple.
 
What do you say?"

      
Cole sighed and shifted his weight to his other foot, then raked his fingers through his dark hair.
 
He gripped his hat in his free hand.
 
"This sticks in my craw, Merriweather," he said.
 
"I don't like being on the wrong side of the law."

      
"Triple, Morrison, and who says you broke any laws?"
 
Merriweather looked like a used car salesman moving in for the kill.
 
"Think of that ranch you and your wife always wanted."

      
Wife?
 
Is that why he needs the money?

      
"Let's leave my wife out of this.
 
Let her rest in peace.
 
I swear, if I ever lay eyes on that preacher again..."
 
Cole rubbed the back of his neck, his muscles flexing and rippling in his arm and shoulder.
 
"Exactly what do you expect me to do for that much money, Merriweather?"

      
Oh, nuts.
 
He was available.
 
Now she'd have even more trouble keeping her feelings under control where this man was concerned.
 
Jackie chewed the inside of her lower lip as she waited for this latest development in her adventure through another dimension.
 

      
"Nothing dishonest," Merriweather said.
 
"All you gotta do is keep Miss Belle hidden until her opening night."

      
Jackie's brows shot upward and she tried to meet Cole's gaze, but he quickly looked away.
 
Did Merriweather's plan mean she'd remain in close proximity to this walking, living, breathing, unmarried George Clooney for three full weeks?
 

      
If so, she was in
big
trouble.

      
"How the devil am I supposed to keep her hidden for three weeks?"

      
"Shh, keep your voice down," Merriweather said, looking around the room nervously.
 
Seeming convinced that no one was eavesdropping, he leaned closer.
 
"Just take her to your place and keep her there until opening night.
 
Nobody'll ever guess."