Forget Me Not (The Heart's Spring) (8 page)

“He’s my brother! I know it’s something bad. I’m not that naïve. But I want to know. Please, won’t
ya help me?”

Pausing outside Jacob’s store, they both looked in, to where Jacob was assisting several customers. “I don’t know, Liz.”

“Please.” Her whisper was a plea as she met his gaze.

A moment passed, and as she waited, she saw the compassion grow in his eyes. She knew before he gave his final answer that he had resolved to help her.

“All right. I’ll see what I can find out.”

“Thank you.” She smiled up at him and tucked her arm in his as they entered the store.

Night pressed down on the hillside as Elizabeth sat on the steps of her brother’s porch. The sun was setting behind her. As it touched the tip of Sun Mountain, scattered clouds of red crept across her peripheral vision, sparks of fire fanning across the sky. The approaching darkness, less bold but far more consuming, sent a shudder down her spine.

Movement caught her eye just then, and she let out a gasp. “Joe, ya startled me!”

His gentle smile put her at ease, though, as he came and sat down next to her, clasping his hands around his knees. “Sorry. I guess
ya didn’t see me comin’.”

She returned her gaze to the clouds. “No. I was distracted by the sky. Isn’t it strange tonight?”

He looked up at the lingering pink and shrugged. “Yeah.”

The following silence ate at her like the darkness. She wanted to ask him about her brother, wanted to pry out the knowledge he held so tightly in his grasp, far above her reach, like Amos holding something above his head when he was in a mood to tease her about her shortness. She wished she could forget about it, but whatever the problem was, it made her feel that her new friends and family were out of her reach, as well. She couldn’t ignore that.

Still, no words came as she turned to Joe. She knew he wouldn’t betray her brother. Or maybe he was trying to shield her. But she didn’t want to be barred from the truth. Didn’t he know that?

“What is it, Elizabeth?” He studied her, wary.

She huffed out a sigh and looked down at her feet, bound tightly in her boots as they rested on the lower step. Shaking her head, she said nothing.

“Are
ya homesick?”

Perhaps in some ways she was, but she shook her head back and forth again. Homesickness was not her primary concern at the moment.

“I’m glad.”

Genuine warmth filled his voice, and she startled when he cupped her cheek with his strong hand and turned her face to his. Without hesitation, he pressed his lips to hers.

***

“I appreciate you coming with me.” David offered Myghal a tight smile as he walked down the slope toward Elizabeth’s brother’s home. His nerves were on edge, from more than just seeing his girl.

My girl.
His smile turned true, and he pushed aside the uncertainty. He was just concerned the late visit might be taken the wrong way. “I only want to stop and say goodnight to Elizabeth, maybe let her know that I’m keeping my word.”

Myghal grinned as he ambled alongside David. “I see
yer takin’ my advice. Ne’er let a day go by without seein’ her face, that’s me motto.”

David nodded, anticipation churning in his gut. They turned toward Jacob and Annabelle’s house as the stars slowly appeared, the moon nowhere in sight. As they approached, he noticed the silhouettes of two people on the porch.

Suddenly Myghal grabbed his arm.

“Perhaps we better pay ’
er a visit tomorrow, my friend. Didn’t ya say there was a lot ye needed to do tonight?”

David made no reply. The sound of his own breathing and slowed heartbeat drowned out the other noises. His fists clenched at his sides, and in a flash his heart sped back to life. A red haze covered his vision, brighter than any remnants of the sunset.

Instead of running the rest of the way to the porch and pounding that no-good Joe into a bloody heap, as he wished to do, he spun around and headed farther down the mountainside. His little Liz had made her choice then.

“Where are
ya goin’?”

The nimble Cornish man caught up with him, but David had nothing to say.

“C’mon, David. What’s say we go back to the boardin’house?”

David shrugged off the hand Myghal placed on his arm. “I have a promise to keep. I told her I would find out what her dad-blamed brother was up to, and I aim to do just that.”

“Perhaps another day? Ya didn’t tell her
when
ye would find out.”

David halted and stared into his friend’s worried gaze. “I’m not going back to sit and stew over this in the boardinghouse, all right? I’ve got to do something, and I might as well be doing this. If you’re not going to help me, then just leave me alone.”

“Maybe this is a big misunderstandin’. Ya don’t want to be doin’ somethin’ ye’ll later regret.” The wiry man spoke calmly, soothingly. His boyish face appeared much older tonight, with more lines around his light brown eyes that held an ancient knowing. “I know what trouble can be gotten into when yer hurtin’ o’er a woman…”

David’s heart twisted painfully, making him wonder if perhaps he did need to calm down and not charge headlong into disaster.

The thought flitted through his head in a moment’s time, the trail of its wings overtaken by that blood-red haze. He needed to
do
something. The last thing he wanted was to be alone with his thoughts. So he strode purposefully down to C Street, leaving his friend behind. He didn’t bother to glance back, knowing that Myghal stood where he left him, looking on helplessly.

That thought didn’t deter him from his mission, though. He patted the holster at his hip, making certain the revolver he had bought days ago was right by his side. Who knew what he would encounter this evening? Beyond the loss of his green-eyed forget-me-not…

Hot anger fueled David as he barged through the door of Jacob’s business. The man had to be somewhere close by, as Jacob supposedly worked all hours of the day and night. Darkness met David’s eyes, except for a glow coming from the back of the store.

He made his way slowly toward the faint light, every thought focused on finding the brother that had led Elizabeth to this hellish place. He could take his rage out on the man after he discovered whatever awful secret he was hiding.

An empty back room with only a cot in the corner and several boxes of supplies met his scouring gaze. But it was the door on the other side of the room, standing slightly ajar, which caught his attention. Opening it the rest of the way, he walked into a very short hallway lit by kerosene lamps, with several rooms off of it and a stairwell going down to a lower level.

Going down to D Street.
Sporting Row.

He took a deep breath, finally putting the pieces together in his mind. Jacob’s store on C Street was the same building that housed a brothel on D Street. Only a town built on a hillside could manage something like that. He was certain Jacob owned both businesses. Flashes of the wealth evident in Jacob’s home ran through his mind—the fancy parlor, the chandelier, the blue cushions, the red carpeting. And with two businesses such as these, it was no wonder he was gone both day and night.

David stomped down the stairs. “Jacob! Come out here. I’ve got somethin’ to say to you.”

Jacob materialized from a room on the lower level, counting some bills in his hand. “Quit your shouting. You’ll disturb the other customers. I’ve got one open room, so show me the cash and I’ll show you in.” He glanced up then, and recognition flooded his eyes. Greenish-brown eyes, if the lamplight didn’t lie. A color not so different from Elizabeth’s. “Do I know you?”

“You should. I’m Elizabeth’s…” He hesitated. The emotion from moments before rushed over him, and he choked out, “Friend. I escorted her here because she was so desperate to leave her safe, decent home to come out and meet her brother. A brothel owner. Does Annabelle know about yer night job?”

Instead of the rage David expected his accusation to elicit, something like guilt shone in Jacob’s eyes. He somehow kept it hidden from his voice as he asked, “What do
ya want?”

“Elizabeth sent me here, to find out what you’ve been hiding from her.” He glared at the man, watched him squirm under the scrutiny.

“Well, I guess you know now. Anything else I can do for you?” Jacob turned away, resignation and forced nonchalance mixing in his words. He slid behind the counter and filled a couple of glasses with what looked to be whiskey. “Have a drink.”

David stormed over to the man. “Don’t
ya realize how this news will devastate Elizabeth? Your innocent little sister came to this godforsaken place to meet
you
.”

Jacob faced David from behind the bar, his gaze hard, steely. The look punched David in the gut.
Too much like Elizabeth’s eyes…

“I’ve done some things I’m not proud of. Haven’t we all? I’m providing for my wife the best way that I can. We could never live a normal life anyway.” Jacob gulped down a shot of the vile liquid.

David eyed the other glass cautiously. There was a sudden, strange urge inside him to wash down the craziness of the night with a shot of whiskey. Maybe it would help him forget. Before he could question himself, he downed the glass and set it down hard on the counter. “What do ya mean, you could never live a ‘normal life’?”

Jacob shook his head, his dark brown hair falling across his eyes. “Everyone in this town knows anyway, so you might as well know. Annabelle? She used to work here before I married her.”

David’s face reddened, and he downed another glass of whiskey that had somehow become full again while he was listening.

“No one respects her. So I give her the best life I can.” Jacob paused a moment, gaze vacant, before adding, “I love her.” Running a hand through his hair, he lifted his head and stung David with his stare. “I’ll not risk losing my money again. We’ll never be poor, if I can help it. She’ll never come back to this life, and I’m her only assurance of that.”

He cursed and continued pouring whiskey. David had no idea how many shots he drank while he listened to Jacob.

A soft hand on his arm startled him. A beautiful young woman with bright blond hair and a painted face gazed up at him, her expression sly, but with something deeper in her creek-clear eyes. He had the sensation he was diving in to rescue someone again…

“Hey, boy. You look like you could use some company tonight.” Her red dress was shocking, hitched up above her knees and cut far too low in the front. David tried to look away, but he found himself mesmerized, his gaze dipping beneath the waves of lace. Everything seemed hazy, and he couldn’t remember if he was dreaming or where he was.

“I know what it’s like to be cast aside. But we can make each other feel wanted tonight.” Her smile drew him, and he found himself smiling back.

“I’d…like…that,” he agreed, concentrating hard on his words.

“Mind if I take him away, Jacob?” She looked to Jacob with a pout and begging blue eyes. Her lips were so red.

Jacob never looked up from the bottle in front of him. “Whatever you want, Sally.”

David followed Sally, not really sure where he was going. Her figure covered in that gorgeous dress beckoned him onward. She was the rope he had to cling to, Liberty waiting for him on the shore… All he could think about was how much he didn’t want to be alone.

She led him to a room at the back of the first floor. He could hardly take his eyes off the girl, but he did notice that there was a faded carpet by a big bed, as well as a pitcher and basin in a corner by the door. The one window was covered tightly with curtains. The light blue color of the few furnishings calmed him, reminding him of Sally’s eyes. The spaciousness of the room felt freeing.

“Come here.” Sally led him by the hand, across the carpet, to that big bed. She sat him next to her and started to unbutton his shirt. The motion of her hands absorbed his attention. She was helping him, like he had helped Elizabeth into his shirt to warm her.

His fingers shook, and even though Sally had only undone half of the buttons, he drew her hands around his chest and kissed her hard. She giggled as he lowered his head, pressing his lips to the hollow of her neck.

He was lost, adrift, but he ignored the urge to claw to the surface, to breathe the air of reality. He rather liked the feeling of drowning…

Very real water suddenly splashed over him. He jumped to his feet, shaking the hair out of his face. Shock coursed through him as he took in Myghal standing by the bed, holding the now-empty pitcher of water in his hands, stubborn determination etched into the lines of his face.

“Hey! What do you think
yer doin’, mister?” Sally’s voice was filled with incredulity.

“I’m sorry, lass, but this man isn’t supposed to be here. He already has a woman.” Myghal never took his eyes off David as he said the words. “Come on.” He put his arm around David and led him out past Sally’s sunken form on the edge of the bed, past Jacob sitting in a chair in the front room with the empty bottle of whiskey, and out the door into the cool night air. David gulped it in as if he had broken the surface of a raging river. Then he doubled over and wept bitterly.

***

Concern slithered through Elizabeth as she paced in front of the boardinghouse where David had claimed he was staying. She had seen him, noted his hurt and anger as he witnessed Joe kissing her. But by the time she had found the presence of mind to push Joe away and call out to David, he was already heading down the hill toward town. Where did he go after he saw her and Joe? Why wasn’t he back yet?

She had left Joe sitting on the porch steps. She had no idea what he was thinking either, and she hadn’t had the heart to look at him after she had pushed him away, breaking off the kiss. Opting to face David’s raging emotions instead, she had decided to go straight to the boardinghouse and await his return there. She had never expected him to be gone so long. Other men had brushed past her, but she paid no attention to them, and thankfully no one bothered her. Maybe she had already been identified as David’s girl. That thought brought a small smile to her lips, and she hoped that David would give her a chance to explain what had happened tonight.