Brides of the West (23 page)

“Mr. Woods executed a will leaving
everything to me, including the saloon and...social club. So Mrs.
Appling won’t let me stay at her house any longer.” Annabelle
really didn’t want to discuss it standing on the street, but had no
choice.

“There isn’t a hotel in
town and she has the only boardinghouse.” His eyes narrowed and a
facial muscle twitched. “Why don’t you wait at my office and
I’ll
see what I can find.”

Carrying her bag, he started walking toward
his office as she struggled to keep up with his long stride. The
squeaking boardwalk seemed to mock her.

Sheriff Morrow dropped her bag and lit a
small lamp on his desk. “Wait here ‘til I get back.” The grim set
of his jaw portrayed a man who didn’t take his job lightly. It
would’ve frightened her a few days ago, but she’d seen how people
in town respected him. Clearly, he was a good man.

“Thank you. Seems like you’re always coming
to my rescue.” She felt safe when he was around, like how he helped
smooth away the bad things that had happened to her.

***

Josh left Annabelle in his office. Mrs.
Appling was in her rights not to rent to her, but it wasn’t fair.
He just had to find another place for her to stay since she
couldn’t sleep on the street and didn’t know anyone in town. He
didn’t want to be responsible for another woman getting hurt when
he could stop it.

He entered the Emporium and approached Mrs.
Johnson. “I need your help,” he began. “Seems Miss Yeager inherited
Woods’ property, including the saloon and social club. Mrs. Appling
told her to leave. Do you have a room she could rent?”

“I’d lose business if I let a woman like
that stay here. Why can’t she stay at the Chances Are? They have
rooms there.” A wicked grin crossed her face. “Maybe she and Miss
Lauren can share a room. Excuse me, I have work to do.”

Damn, he should’ve expected that kind of
response.

He tried several other places, including the
pastor, all without success. They couldn’t let a woman who owned a
saloon and social club in their home or business. Mrs. Huddleston
strongly lectured him on why God’s people should stay clear of
people like Miss Yeager and how the sheriff should be ashamed of
getting involved with her. Josh trudged back to the jail. It
surprised him how fast everyone passed judgment on Annabelle when
she hadn’t done anything wrong.

Annabelle sat at the desk reading a Mark
Twain book he’d left there.

“I’m sorry, Annabelle. There isn’t a room to
be had in town. I was told several times that you could stay at the
Chances Are.” His gut wrenched as her face paled. “There is one
other place, but I don’t think I could let you stay there.”

“I’d be happy to stay anywhere but the
Chances Are,” she said, “including here at the jail.”

A smile crossed his lips. “Well, that was the
spot I was thinking about.” Did he have the right to offer it? The
town owned the jail. Annabelle owned property and that made her a
citizen, didn’t it. Oh hell, what difference did it make?

“You haven’t changed your mind?” Annabelle
asked. Worry lines creased her young face.

He couldn’t raise her hopes and then dash
them. That would make him the worst kind of a heel.

“No, but only because we don’t have any
prisoners right now. When we get one, you’ll have to leave. All I
can offer is the bunk to sleep on. You’ll have to take your meals
elsewhere and other things, too.”

“What other things?” Her innocent blue eyes
did him in.

“You know.” He couldn’t say it. “Uh, well,
er, ladies things.” Lord, what the hell had he gotten himself
into?

“No, I don’t know.”

He willed someone, anyone, to come through
the door, but it remained resolutely shut.

“Bathing and washing and such.” Damn, now
he’d done it, he’d mentioned the unmentionables. If his cousins
heard about it, he’d never hear the end of it.

“Fair enough. Who’s here at night?”

“No one unless we have a prisoner,” Josh
answered. “I’ll lock up the jail when I leave. Roger has no
business here at night unless something happens and I require his
help. You’ll know it’s me when I come around. People know where to
find me if they need me at night.”

Josh admired Annabelle’s spunk. It took a
lot for a woman to come west by herself to marry a stranger. She
was not only beautiful but brave. Still he was reluctant to leave
her in the jail by herself. Hell, what could happen? Well, there
could be a fire, but that could occur anywhere. Would he worry
about a man, say his brother, staying in the jail? No, but damn it,
she was a woman, and a damn fine woman at that, and he just
couldn’t ignore that fact. He hadn’t felt this way since he met his
fiancée back before the war.

“I understand, Josh,” she said.

If she did, she was the first female in the
history of mankind to understand a man.

“I can’t stay here if there is a prisoner.
I’ll eat at the diner, and do ah—other things someplace else.” She
sat down heavily in the chair. “I might as well leave town.”

To his surprise, he no longer wanted her on
that stage out of town. “It’s late and I’m hungry.” He had to stop
her before the tears came. “I bet you are, too. We’ll just go over
to Gloria’s and get dinner.” He didn’t give her much choice,
grabbing her elbow, picking up her reticule and pushing her out the
door.

The long shadows of evening were falling. On
the way to the diner, they passed Mrs. Appling. Annabelle stiffened
while he glared at the pompous old woman, forcing her to remain
silent.

At Gloria’s, he held the door for her. As
she entered Gloria rushed forward, evidently to shoo her out of the
restaurant, but stopped short when she saw him. So this was the way
it was going to be.

Gloria escorted them to a
table in the rear where
decent
folks wouldn’t see Annabelle, but Josh stopped at
a table in the middle of the room. “This one will do just fine,” he
said, pulling out a chair for Annabelle and sitting down himself.
He could almost see steam pouring out of Gloria’s ears and
lightning bolts shooting out of her eye sockets.

He ordered steak and potatoes for them.
Gloria’s discomfort about Annabelle’s presence was evident because
the food arrived in record time.

“Eat up,” he said when Annabelle hesitated.
“She won’t turn down money. Nor will she serve any food left on
your plate to others, so eat up.

“I suppose not.” She cut the steak and ate a
bite. “This is very good.”

All conversation ceased as her fork remained
in constant motion from her plate to her mouth until the plate was
empty. He couldn’t remember watching a woman eat so much at one
time. And he didn’t remember eating his own food when he found his
plate empty, too.

“Would you like some dessert?” he asked.
Personally, he couldn’t get enough of Gloria’s apple pie.

“I shouldn’t,” she said biting her lower lip.
“Do they have good desserts?”

“Gloria has the best apple pie in Texas. I’m
going to have a piece.”

“Then I will, too.” Annabelle laughed.

Gloria took his order and returned with two
slices. She stood nearby as he savored the taste of the pie.
“Wonderful as always.” Despite her pique, she puffed out at his
praise.

Annabelle took a tentative taste. “This is
very good.” He wasn’t sure if she meant it, but clearly Gloria
thought she did. The woman fairly beamed.

“Won first place at the Fourth of July
Celebration five times in a row.”

“I can see why.” Annabelle finished the last
of the pie. “That was delicious,” she said to Gloria.

“Thank you.” Gloria replied with a smile. He
pulled out a few coins and paid the bill. Then he escorted
Annabelle back to the jail.

He unlocked the door and led her inside. How
could he leave her here alone?

“Annabelle,” he said, “I don’t feel right
leaving you here by yourself.”

“I’ll be all right, Josh. I’ve stayed in
worse places. It was pretty bleak on the farm at times,
particularly during the war.”

He took a seat at the desk while she sat in
the chair on the other side. “Don’t tell me you were in the
fighting?”

“No, but they fought all around us. Troops
from both sides moved through so often we didn’t pay attention to
them anymore. It wasn’t too bad until Sherman came through and
torched everything for miles, including our house. Pa hid me in our
root cellar. He’d built a false wall to hide me. It saved me from
the Yankees. My best friend Miranda killed herself after they
had...all had her.”

By her expression, he could tell the
memories were painful.

“The soldiers beat Pa before they burned the
house around me. After that he was never the same.”

Getting up and taking her in his arms, he
held her until the body shaking sobs died. He wiped her eyes with
his bandana. “That’s over and you’re in Shiloh Springs now. You got
a new life and a future ahead of you.”

“Some future. The only restaurant in town
serves me only when you’re with me. The only boardinghouse throws
me out and no one else would even consider renting me a room. All
because I inherited Mr. Woods’ properties. I’ve been in them once,
and never met him.”

“They don’t know anything about you.” He
stepped back. Holding her caused too many problems and one big
problem he didn’t want her to see. “They only know about Barry
Woods and the kind of businesses he ran in town. You just have to
give them a chance to know you. You’ll see changes in people once
they know who you are.”

“It’s difficult to do when they’re shutting
doors in my face.”

“Why don’t you get some sleep and things will
look different in the morning?” He still felt uneasy about leaving
her alone in the jail.

“You’re right. I’m keeping you from your
duties.” She moved to the cell and tested the mattress. “I’ve slept
on much worse. Thank you, Josh.” She bounced on the bed a few
times. He needed to get out of here before he lost control.

“I’ll make my rounds and check on you before
I go home.” When he left, he locked the door behind him.

***

Annabelle plopped onto the cot. Tears that
never fell during the years of war and deprivation burst forth.
Damn Barry Woods and the Chances Are Saloon and Social Club. Damn
the townspeople of Shiloh Springs.

If it wasn’t against her nature, she’d take
all Barry’s money, sell the properties and leave town. She’d
survived the war, the Yankees hadn’t driven her from her home and a
few narrow-minded bigots wouldn’t drive her away from this town
either.

She wiped the tears and steeled her spine.
No longer penniless, she was now a businesswoman. She’d take things
one day at a time. Worrying wasn’t going to do her any good.

Closing the saloon and social club might
satisfy the town busybodies, but she needed to generate money.
Barry told her he owned a restaurant and hotel. The town had a
restaurant, but there was no hotel. The idea had possibilities. The
girls in the social club used the rooms upstairs for their—uh,
business. She could turn them into hotel rooms. Her mind was
mulling over the prospect when she heard a key in the lock.

Relief filled her when Josh entered. She
entertained running to meet him, throwing her arms around him and
enjoying his warm embrace. But perhaps he wouldn’t like her
touching him.

“Just making sure you’re all right.” The
shadows played across his face emphasizing his stubble. His
maleness threatened to overwhelm her.

“I’m fine. Just one thing.” She didn’t want
to say it, but had to. “I need to use the necessary.”

He led her to the back where a heavy bar lay
across the door. After removing it, they stepped into the alley. He
pointed her in the direction of the privy. “I’ll wait over here.
Call out when you’re done.”

She entered the small wooden structure and
used it as quickly as possible. “I’m ready.”

Josh placed his hand at the small of her
back and ushered her back into the jail. Once inside he relocked
and barred the door. “The cell won’t lock unless you use the key.
So you won’t be locked in. If anyone comes to the door, don’t
answer it, don’t open it, and don’t say anything. Do you
understand?”

“Yes. No one is to know I’m here.”

“Right, I’ll lock the door behind me like I
always do. Keep the light low and in the back.” Josh walked to the
door. “When I come back, I’ll knock, then unlock the door.
Good-night, Annabelle.”

She wanted him to stay. But before she could
utter a word, he was gone. “Good-night, Josh,” she whispered to
herself.

She made her way back to the cell and changed
into her nightclothes. The cool sheets soon warmed. The lights and
shadows dancing around the room made her uneasy.

Her thoughts turned to Josh. He seemed like
a good man who took his responsibilities seriously and the
townspeople clearly respected him. For all his ordering her about,
she realized it was for her own good, not to get something for
himself. A handsome man, he bore few visible scars on his face and
hands. His touch left her breathless and light-headed. Her head
swam, her breath caught in her chest and an ache formed low in her
abdomen, driving her to yearn for his touch. She’d known him for
only a few days and here she was—wanting him.

Violent pounding on the door woke her from a
deep sleep. It was still nighttime. Someone was outside the door.
She lay still, refusing to breathe lest they know she was
inside.

“Sheriff, you in there with that little girl?
We want some of that, too.”

Oh no! If Josh were here, he’d know what to
do. All she had to protect herself was a broom. She slipped from
the bed as the man continued to yell. Crawling to the desk, she
grabbed the keys and took them back to the cell as the man
continued to pound and tried to peer in the window.