To Wed a Wanton Woman (7 page)

Putting on a silky, blue dress, revealing an
abundant amount of skin, she went to entice a patron. She found Sandy standing in the parlor. She pasted a spurious smile across her face. “I decided to
take you up on that drink.”

Wrinkles formed at the corner of Sandy’s eyes when she smiled. “You look beautiful.” She poured Marion a tumbler of
whiskey. “Like your old self.”

“I don’t feel like myself. Find me a tall
man with gray eyes, powerful thighs, and a cowboy hat. I want to close my eyes,
and imagine I’m with Train.” She smoked one of Sandy’s cheroots. “I really
liked him.”

“I know you did. And it’s saying a lot
because you aren’t one to give a lick about men.”

“He was different.” She straightened her
shoulders and sniffed her nose. “But I’m not. This is where I belong.”

“That’s my girl.” Sandy wrapped her arm
around Marion’s waist and gave her a squeeze.

* * *

Allison rolled over and propped herself up
on one elbow. “He looks so sad,” she said, referring to Train.

“He’s a grown man. He can take care of
himself.” TJ cradled his head with his hands.

“We’re his friends.” She plucked a hair on TJ’s
chest. “When you take the cattle to auction, make him go with you. I know he
won’t be able to stop himself from seeing her if he goes into town.”

He groaned and rolled his eyes. “I don’t
like interfering in a man’s personal business.”

“And if Sandy hadn’t interfered, or if Marion hadn’t interfered, we wouldn’t be married and in bed together right now. You’d be
visiting me in a whorehouse every couple of weeks. Sometimes, a person needs a
little shove. Marion doesn’t know Joseph the way we do. It’s going to take time
for her to trust him.”

He reached out and tested the weight of her
breast with his palm. “I do owe Marion a debt of gratitude.”

* * *

Marion
poured herself another drink. Smoking like a chimney and downing enough booze
to drown a cow wasn’t making her night any easier. Some support Sandy turned out to be. After two drinks, she felt sick to her stomach and retired for the
evening leaving Marion to play madam.

“I missed you at the ranch,” a sickly sweet
voice sounded behind her. “So I decided to come to town and pay you a visit.”

Marion
swallowed the rest of her drink. “Jack,” she said, on a breath. “You don’t have
enough money to pay me a visit.”

He rolled his cheroot between his lips.
“I’ll take out a loan.”

She crossed her arms in front of her chest, jutting
one hip out in an annoyed stance. “Let me introduce you to my friend Cassie.”
She lifted her arm and waved across the room. “You’ll love her, blonde hair,
big breasts. The best part is she won’t care that you’re a jackass.” Turning
her lips into a smile, she revealed none of the vinegar dripping from her words.

Cassie approached and slipped her arm into
Jack’s.

“Have fun,” Marion said, sure he noted the
sarcasm. She walked away and greeted another gentleman sitting on the couch.
She looked over her shoulder at Jack, giving him the distinct impression she
would be taking someone else to her room.

After Jack disappeared up the stairs, Marion excused herself from the parlor. Tonight she’d take Train to bed, even if only in
her dreams.

* * *

Train stood at the kitchen window. He and TJ
had their horses tethered to the front porch railing. Canteens and shotguns hung
from their saddles. Bedrolls fit securely on their horse’s rumps. Six more men
rode up to the house.

“I’ll wait outside,” Train said, leaving TJ
with Allison.

His boots clunked on the wooden steps.
“Morning, boys. TJ will be out in a few minutes.” Train mounted his horse and
waited.

Charlie chuckled. “I admit I was surprised
when the boss told us he was driving the herd. Thought he’d leave point rider
to you,” he said, spitting on the ground.

“TJ doesn’t forget his responsibilities.
He’s the wrangler, boss, and he’ll take the lead.” There would be two on the
swing, two on the flank, and two drag drivers in the rear, for a total of eight
on the drive.

The front door slammed and TJ mounted his
horse. The tight line of his mouth and the clenched muscle in his jaw alerted
everyone to his mood. Train looked up and saw Allison standing in the window.
She waved, but her smile was forced. Her face was wet with tears.

The sun was high overhead as TJ and the
others drove the cattle across the rough Montana terrain. As nightfall approached,
they made camp. Bedrolls lay circled around a large fire, blazing into the
still night, casting shadows in the forest around them.

“You know my wife has an agenda,” TJ said,
sipped from a flask. “Got it in her craw you and Marion would be good for each
other.”

“She’s preaching to the choir. If she wants
a project, she ought to work on Marion.”

The light of the fire gave Train a feeling
of being in a protective pocket. Nearby in a clearing, cattle sounds and a slow
moving river mingled with the comforting noises coming from the darkness. The
men paired up and took shifts watching over the herd.

Train leaned against a fallen log. Overhead,
stars winked like diamonds in the midnight sky. His thoughts went to Marion and the way she rode. Reckless. Unbridled. Passionate.

“It would take a strong man to overlook a
past like Marion’s. I couldn’t do it.” TJ stretched out on his bedroll and
closed his eyes. “It would kill me knowing Allison had been with other men.”

“And I would’ve loved her anyway.”

TJ glared at him with the cold glint of
steel in his eyes.

“Don’t get out your gun,” Train said, gazing
into the fire. “For the record, I know she made the right choice. I’m not in
love with Allison. In fact, when I look at her now, I only see your wife.”

“I’m glad to hear it. What are you going to
do about Marion?”

“Nothing, I’m going to ask you to front me
the money I need to start breeding horses.”

TJ leaned up on his elbows.

“TJ, you’ve been taking care of me for a
long time.” He wiped his sweaty palms on his thighs. “I have enough money saved
to start a homestead of my own. You once told me I could have the land east of
the lake. I’m asking if the offer is still open.”

“It isn’t enough to farm.”

“I’m not a farmer.” He met TJ’s eyes
straight on. “I’m good with horses and you know it.”

TJ nodded. “How long have you known this is
what you want? A beautiful woman can play tricks in a man’s head. Build a home,
raise some horses, it doesn’t mean she’ll leave Sandy for you.”

“If I stay where I am, she never will. But,
that isn’t why I want it. I don’t want to work for you for the rest of my life.
I want my own success.”

“I understand that. I remember needing to
prove something to the world. I wanted everyone to know I wasn’t like my
father.” He was quiet for a moment and then said, “Tell me what you have and
what you need.”

“I need a loan TJ, not a gift.”

“How soon do you want to start building? We
could probably get a stable up before the first snow flies, but I don’t think
there’s a chance in hell we could get a house built.”

“I’d like to try. If the house has to be one
room to start, I wouldn’t care.” He could see TJ’s mind working over the
details.

“We’re not talking work horses?” TJ ran his
hand along his forehead. “You know a lot about ranch horses, but you don’t know
the first thing about thoroughbreds.”

“Actually, I do. I didn’t dream this up last
night. I’ve been interested my whole life. It’s all I’ve ever wanted.” He clung
to a thin string of hope. TJ hadn’t squashed the idea immediately.

 “When we get to town, I’ll send out some
wires. There isn’t a stud ranch in these parts. You might have to go as far as California to get the kind of stock you’re talking about.” TJ scratched his jaw. “Maybe you’re
on to something here.” He sat up a little straighter.

“You’re the business man, TJ. What’re you
thinking?” The excitement was palpable between them.

“Perhaps I could persuade you to take on a
partner rather than a loan. Owing money at the start is a sure way to fail.
We’d have to work it out on paper. I could finance the initial costs against
future profits.”

Train liked the idea immediately. He was
ignorant of the business side of running a ranch regardless if it were cattle
or horses. With TJ, they were bound to succeed.

As the hour grew later, Train couldn’t sleep.
He kept thinking about the possibility of having his own ranch. The property on
the east side of the lake couldn’t be utilized as grazing land for the cattle. It
was rocky and steep near the lake making it useless for crops. Nonetheless, he
loved the land and the thought of waking to the sun cresting over the majestic
mountain had great appeal. He could envision Marion riding Midnight Dancer or a
horse just like him, as the morning dew still glistened on the ground. Every
evening during the warm months, the lake made an ethereal mist along its banks.
He wanted to walk Marion barefoot along the edge of the water and let the mist
envelope them.

Train felt as if his eyes had barely closed
when Charlie kicked his mule-earred boot and told him it was time to move on.
Yawning and stretching his arms over his head, he asked, “Anyone make coffee?”

Charlie pointed to the fire barely burning.
“The boss is itching to get moving.”

Train growled and poured coffee into a tin
cup. He dumped the last of the brew on the fire and shoved dirt on the mixture,
making sure it was out.

They rode hard from first light until
sundown driving the cattle. With ropes and teamwork, they kept the cattle
moving in an organized herd. The years together made TJ and Train a formidable
pair. One knew the other was capable of handling his share of the work. Charlie
had once commented it was as if their minds were linked when they rode.

Two days later, the cattle were at auction. 
TJ slapped Train on the back, and then held his shoulder. “We’ll be going
through Copper City on our way back to the ranch. I planned on stopping.
Charlie and the boys are going to head on home. I was hoping you’d stick around
for a day and wait for me. We could send a few telegraph inquiries.”

Train was torn. “I’ll end up seeing Marion. I told myself that she’d have to come to me. I know I can’t stay away.”

TJ laughed heartily. “Women have all the
power, Train. If she won’t come to you, you’ll have to go to her.”

TJ and Train were well acquainted with Copper City. It was the closest town to the ranch. Train had gotten his nickname because he
made more trips than anyone else had on the ranch. As TJ’s right-hand man, he
was responsible for seeing the supplies TJ requested were delivered when he
needed them. Train had always understood TJ couldn’t stand for incompetence. It
was a good lesson to learn.

“I’m going to visit with Sandy,” TJ said, buttoning
a clean shirt.

As proprietor of the nicest hotel in town,
TJ kept a suite for when he or anyone from the ranch needed a place to stay. After
they checked in, TJ cleaned up. Train sat in one of the overstuffed chairs
banking the stone fireplace in the center of the room, and put up his feet.

“Are you sure you won’t come?”

Train shook his head, rolling a cigarette.
“If I show up at the brothel, she’s going to assume I’m there for service.”

TJ chuckled as he tucked in his shirt.
“Maybe you ought to let her service you.”

“Are you going to tell Allison where you’ve
been?”

“I’m not seeing Sandy professionally,” he
said with a note of disgust at the prospect. “I’m going to visit with her and
probably get a little corned. Are you coming?”

Train rubbed his eyes and pulled his hands
along his jaw. He had two weeks worth of whiskers and his clothes were dirty. “I’ll
pass.”

“If you change your mind, you know where to
find me.”

Train grew restless the moment TJ left the
room. He paced across the plush rug in the center of the lavishly decorated
suite. He knew TJ had recently built the hotel. TJ had his hand in several
enterprises, now he wanted his hand in Train’s pot of gold. He pushed against
his eye sockets with the heels of his hands, chastising himself for thinking negatively
about TJ’s generosity. He went to the liquor stand and poured two fingers of
liquid courage. It wasn’t TJ making him irritable. It was Marion’s proximity.

He slammed the glass down. “Why the hell
not?”

Train cut himself twice while shaving
because he couldn’t keep the smile from his face. He decided to leave his side
burns, a mustache, and a narrow beard. As he looked in the mirror, he
unquestionably looked older than his twenty-one years. He felt older, too.

A few minutes later, he walked through the
bustling streets of town. Sounds of laughter, along with piano music, came from
numerous saloons. Peering inside, he saw men gambling and girls fawning over
them. He wondered if that was what Marion did to entice men to buy her
services. Doubtful, he thought. Exotic, and shapely, Marion wouldn’t have to
seduce a man into her bed. Only he had been stupid enough to refuse her
invitation.