Just After Midnight: Historical Romance (5 page)

Alex followed her gaze, his eyes widening in amazement as he peered across the water.

The dogs had reached the far side and ran up and down the riverbank, yelping and howling at the crowd. Dogs tumbled over each other in their eagerness to get away from the continued thunder of the blasting powder. He had never seen so many animals in one place at the same time. Megan’s wolf was probably the only canine left in the whole of Dawson City.

After a few more moments of laughing revelry, the crowd’s interest waned and Alex was able to direct them back to town. There were still several hours left to drink, gamble, and dance before the fun began in earnest.

When Alex returned to where he’d left Megan, he let out a hiss of anger. At least a dozen miners, young and old, clustered around, talking to her and petting the sleeping pup. No one seemed to notice that Meggie O’Day’s elaborate hairstyle now lay in wet snarls against her neck or that her stunning white dress was sodden with river water and streaked with mud. As for Megan, instead of being frightened by the men’s rough attention, as any young lady should be, she seemed to glow and sparkle with vivacity. For some reason Alex found himself immensely annoyed with her happiness.

Pushing through the group of men, Alex took the dog from her and put the animal under his arm. Ignoring the pup’s yelp of protest, he grabbed Megan by her soggy, satin-covered arm. “Let’s go,” he said and yanked her unceremoniously away from the others.

“Hold on,” Megan shouted, pulling herself from his grasp. “These men were making me a business proposition.”

Alex raised his eyebrows at her words. “Oh, really?”

“Not that kind of proposition.” Megan gave him a look of pure exasperation. “Honestly. Would you watch how you’re handling that poor dog?” She scowled at him before continuing. “They want me to have dinner and spend the day with the winner of the footrace at tomorrow’s festivities. I think the public attention would be good for The Celebration.” She turned back to the crowd of men. “Gentlemen, I accept your offer. I’ll be there tomorrow morning.”

“Wear somethin’ flashy, Meggie. Give the winner a real treat,” one of the older miners said as he leered toothlessly.

Megan looked uncomfortable for a moment, then she smiled and waved at the ancient lech before retreating quickly toward Alex. She attempted to retrieve the pup, but Alex shook his head and held on to the animal.

He took her arm again and strode toward The Celebration, his long gait causing Megan to hurry to keep up with him. He realized he was nearly dragging her through the mud, but he didn’t care. When they reached the front of the dance hall, Alex released her. Her dress had fared well despite immersion in the river, though the satin slippers and gloves were surely ruined. Her hair hung in tangles around her face. Somehow, he liked it better that way. Alex glanced into the building and saw the crowd had increased with the news of her transformation.

“Your appearance seems to have brought in the business you were looking for, as well as other offers. Congratulations.”

Megan didn’t look inside, keeping her gaze on his face. “I do what I have to do. I thought you were beginning to understand that.”

“I didn’t think managing a dance hall would involve putting yourself up as a prize for the entire town to covet.”

“Meggie O’Day represents The Celebration. The more interest there is in me, the more business for my dance hall. Can’t you see this is all just good commerce?”

“I sure can,
Meggie
. You’re every customer’s dream.” With his free hand, Alex tipped his hat with a flourish. “But I’m not buying.”

Turning on his heel, he left Meggie O’Day standing in the muddy bog of Front Street without a backward glance. It wasn’t until he reached his barracks that he realized he still held the sopping pup. A few moments later he knocked on the door of a friend’s house to make a gift of the sleeping dog.

CHAPTER FIVE

Music. Voices. Laughter. The sounds increased in volume until Alex pulled a pillow over his head in an attempt to continue his disrupted slumber. It wasn’t long before he realized the futility in his actions and threw the pillow against the wall with a frustrated growl. The Americans had been nothing but a nuisance to his English ancestors in 1776, why should they be anything different for him in 1898?

Alex’s father was the youngest son of a titled English family. He had come to Canada looking for advancement in the service of his country. In the wild, untamed land he found his home as well as a French wife. Several years later, after the birth of four sons and one daughter, he received a letter from his family asking him to return to England. He declined, remaining to become a ranking officer in the Northwest Mounted Police. From the day of his birth, Alex, the eldest, was expected to follow in his father’s wake. So far, he was well on his way to success.

The force in the Yukon was a team handpicked from the best of the Northwest Mounted Police, itself an exclusive unit. When gold had been discovered on what was then Rabbit Creek, the Canadian government had sent the mounted police to Dawson City to keep order. They did not plan to let one of their properties succumb to the fate of American-held Scagway, Alaska, which had deteriorated into lawlessness with the advent of gold fever. Alex had been first in line to join the officers journeying to the Yukon, the opportunity for career advancement miraculously linked with his desires for truth and vengeance.

Alex was glad he had been assigned to patrol the festivities. If there was one thing the people in Dawson City knew how to do, it was celebrate, and he didn’t want to waste a moment of the rare chance he had to mix work with pleasure. In a country where darkness reigned for most of the year, the opportunity to make merry in the sunshine would be used to utmost advantage. The scalding air tingled with anticipation, and Alex’s own spirits rose higher than they had been since he arrived in the Yukon. He resolved to put memories of his sister and his thirst for revenge aside for the day and savor the Americans’ frivolity.

A crowd had gathered in front of The Celebration and Alex frowned, memories of the previous night assaulting his peaceful frame of mind. Glancing over the heads of the men in front of him, Alex saw Megan displayed in the center of the porch. She was lovely, fresh, and bright in a dress the color of springtime leaves. The neckline scooped low, but at least her breasts were covered more adequately than they had been the last time he had seen her. She had pinned her hair into a loose roll at the back of her head with soft tendrils framing her face. A yellow straw hat, complete with white lace and roses, perched upon her head. Cheeks flushed to a pale peach from the heat and green eyes sparkling with excitement made an exquisite picture complete.

“Gentlemen!” A voice broke into Alex’s reverie. “Line up and pay your entry fee. The winner of this race wins a picnic dinner and the right to spend Independence Day with the beautiful Meggie O’Day, owner of The Celebration.”

The crowd of miners, shopkeepers, and gamblers murmured, then shifted as several men rushed forward to enter the race. Megan looked out over the crowd, her face reflecting some concern at the motley assortment of entrants, many of whom considered a dunk in the muddy Yukon after a winter of abstinence a sufficient bath. With an effort, she forced her “customer” smile back onto her face and waved to the assembled throng.

Alex’s lips tightened. She really was playing the game for all it was worth.

The footrace was about to be run, and Alex recognized two fellow officers among the contestants. They had removed their scarlet coats and wide-brimmed hats in preparation for the competition. When they saw Alex approach, they shouted his name and motioned for him to join them. Knowing he had no choice now that he’d been seen, Alex reluctantly walked toward his comrades.

“Carson, take off your coat and get ready to run.”

“I’m on duty.”

“No reason we can’t enjoy ourselves awhile. Come on, man, you’ve the fleetest feet in the force. We can’t let these Yanks best us.”

Alex hesitated, looking again at Megan. She had removed her hat and the sunlight reflected off her hair, causing a halo of reddish gold to hover above her head. The innocence of her expression as she smiled at the milling men below her twisted something inside his chest. She glanced over the crowd, and he saw the uncertainty of her fate in her eyes. Without pausing to question his reasons, Alex stepped forward and paid his entry fee.

His two companions laughed, pounding him on the back. Alex glanced at Megan and saw the commotion had caught her attention. She raised an eyebrow, her face reflecting amusement at his actions.

Alex turned, pulling off his jacket and hat with angry, jerking movements before taking his place at the starting line. Why he’d entered the race was a mystery to him. But since he had entered, he had every intention of winning. Then he’d tell Miss Megan-Meggie Daily-O’Day a thing or two.

The runners leapt from their waiting positions at the clang of a cow bell. Megan moved forward to lean her hands on the railing of the porch, seeking a better view of the race. The course ran from The Celebration, down Front Street, then returned up a side street. The starting line would become the finish line in front of the dance hall.

A thin, gangly miner who looked to be no older than seventeen took the immediate lead. Behind him ran a stocky-but-muscular gambler whom Megan had seen in The Celebration on several occasions. The man was obnoxious in manner and odious in smell, and the thought of a day in his company made her shiver. In third place she recognized Alex Carson.

Megan was impressed with the expanse of muscled chest and arms revealed through the lightweight white shirt the lieutenant wore. Most of the men Megan had been acquainted with were soft and running to fat from sedentary living in saloons and gambling halls. The obvious care Alex took with his body created an unfamiliar stir in the pit of her stomach.

A cheer from the crowd drew Megan’s concentration back to the race. Alex moved up until he matched step for step with the gambler. The youthful miner had increased his lead to several lengths, while the rest of the runners fell far behind. Some of the men dropped off to the side, walking away from the race in favor of the cold drinks being served from street-side vendors.

Megan craned her neck to see down the street, and at that moment the three leaders turned the corner and disappeared from view. She settled back with the rest of the crowd to wait until they reappeared at the opposite end of Front Street. Cheers from people on the next street told of the progress of the race.

Lord, I hope that horrid gambler doesn’t win
, she thought.

All she needed was to spend a day in the heat next to that smell. She could do without the young miner, too, for that matter. She had no desire to fend off his youthful exuberance and groping fingers. Megan looked up the street for the runners, surprised to realize she wanted to see Alex in the lead. Only as the lesser of three evils, she told herself firmly.

Three runners rounded the corner and the crowd roared. The sun shone into Megan’s eyes too brightly to identify which man led the pack. The excitement of the moment caught Megan. Heat hovered and shimmered above the damp earth as the hoots, stamps, and whistles of the crowd echoed through the open air. She could smell the tension in the sweat and excitement of the multitude of observers. Everyone tilted forward, all eyes focused on the three runners pounding toward the finish line.

Megan leaned over the railing, hands gripping the wood, eyes straining to see Alex. The three men burst into the shadow of The Celebration and her heart lurched.

Alex was in second, the gambler in the lead. The miner ran fast on the heels of the Mountie. Alex’s arms pumped as his powerful legs strove toward the finish line. His face was set in concentration toward the single goal of overtaking the man in the lead. Megan’s hands clenched as she chanted under her breath, “Faster, faster, faster.”

As if he’d heard her, Alex grimaced and shot ahead, close on the heels of the man before him; but the finish line loomed too near. He could never make it.

Megan wanted to reach out and push him forward the few inches needed to put him in the lead. In the end, Alex did not need her help. With a smile that said he had been holding back his true talent all along, Alex dove past the finish line a second before the gambler, leaving the miner to finish third.

People surged forward and she lost sight of him. Megan let out the breath she held, and a wave of dizziness rushed over her with the return of fresh air to her lungs. Someone took her arm and led her down the porch steps toward the crush surrounding Alex. The crowd parted in front of her and soon she stood in front of him, unsure of what to do.

“Your prize, Lieutenant,” said the man who had rung the starting bell.

Megan’s head jerked up, and her startled gaze met Alex’s amused blue eyes. She opened her mouth to tell them all that she would rather dine with the devil himself than Alex Carson, but before she could utter a sound, the object of her wrath grabbed her by the shoulders and kissed her soundly on the lips.

Every word of fury she had planned to utter flew back down her throat at the touch of his mouth on hers. Alex kissed her hard and long, a kiss of victory more than passion, still the sensations reached all the way to her curling toes. If she had known a kiss could be like this, she would have tried one years ago.

But when the hoots and whistles from the crowd finally penetrated her brain, she pushed against his broad chest until he released her. “That wasn’t part of the prize,” she told him, embarrassed at all the attention for her very first kiss.

“I don’t know why not. Every winner deserves his heart’s desire.” Alex grinned before bowing with a flourish to the townsfolk, then retrieving his hat and coat.

Her face flamed and she put her palms to her hot cheeks. The leering smiles of the men in the crowd made her want to run and bury herself in the earth.

“If we’re going to have a picnic, then let’s get on with it,” she grumbled as she accepted a basket of food from a shopkeeper. “I, for one, have to get back to work.”

Alex leaned close to whisper in her ear. “If you put yourself up as a prize, Meggie, the least you can do is be worth the winner’s effort. Shouldn’t you try to look happy for me? The men might get the idea you have a cranky disposition.”

Megan saw his point. After all, her entire presence at the race was intended to drum up business for the dance hall. She put on her best smile and linked her arm through Alex’s.

“Now, gentlemen, if you’ll excuse us, the lieutenant and I have a picnic engagement.” She looked back over her shoulder and winked at the open
mouthed men as she allowed Alex to lead her away.

Once they were out of earshot of the others, Alex said, “You certainly are a wonderful actress, Meggie. Did you have professional training?”

“No, but I’m learning. Give men what they want to see and hear, and they buy it every time.”

He looked at her strangely. “I didn’t realize you were so hard.”

“Not hard, practical. Business is business no matter where you are. You just have to find the right key to open the lock of success. I think I’ve finally found that key with The Celebration.”

As they talked, their steps took them out of town toward a small grove of pines on a hill. From their vantage point they overlooked Dawson City and the festivities. The town lay nestled between tree-covered hills, the Yukon River cutting a wide swath of blue down the center. Several makeshift sailboats dotted the water—as well as an arriving steamship. Every day more people poured into the already bursting town in search of fortune. Little did they know that all the available land had been staked for claims long ago.

With a sigh, Megan turned away from Dawson City and opened the basket, removing a red blanket that Alex quickly spread over the sun-warmed earth.

“What do you say we put aside our prejudices of the opposite sex for this afternoon and enjoy the day?” Alex ventured.

Megan stared into his open, pleasant face for a moment before gracing him with a nod and a smile. They sat together on the blanket and companionably shared the meal.

When, a short while later, their eyes met, Megan was unable to look away from Alex’s direct gaze. She had seen lust many times before in a man’s eyes, but with Alex Carson the expression surprised her. She must be mistaken at what she saw in the depths of his sky-blue gaze. He was going to kiss her again; and though she hadn’t expected it, she leaned forward, eager for the contact. Her eyes slid closed.

Soft, warm, feather-like, his lips moved over hers. Her chest felt as though it might burst as warm, liquid sensations pounded beneath her breast. His hand warm at the back of her neck, his fingers long and supple as they pressed her closer. The smells of summer mixed with the scent of warm male flesh, and she leaned into him with a soft moan. His tongue teased gently at the corner of her mouth, then traced a path on her slightly parted lips. Uncertain at first of what he wanted, she kept her mouth tightly closed; but as he continued to stroke her closed lips with his tongue, she sighed and her mouth opened of its own accord. She started at the first touch of his tongue on her teeth, but the sensation was so new and exciting she relaxed instantly. Tentatively, she stroked his seeking tongue with hers. She had just reached up to twine her arms around his neck and draw him closer, when her hand encountered something warm and wet and very definitely alive. With a shriek, she pulled away and jumped to her feet.