Katie Rose (32 page)

“You’re welcome. Now I guess we’ll have to see to fixing that wall.”

“Oh, goodness, I completely forgot the time,” Emily said, flustered. “Lynette is probably wondering what happened to me by now.”

Thomas leaned closer and pressed a kiss on her forehead. “Emily, I really am sorry. Maybe we could have supper tonight. I’ll bring the plaster and fix up the wall for you. How does that sound?”

“It sounds just wonderful,” Emily said sincerely.

“Goodness, I hope I’m not intruding.” Lynette’s voice was soft as she stepped through the door. “I brought today’s receipts. I thought you might want to review them.… My God, what happened here?” She stared at the plaster dust and the giant hole in the wall. Then her gaze fell to the metal box on the floor.

Emily smiled, stepping forward to take the box of receipts from her. “Just a little accident. Nothing serious, but it did delay my return.”

“I was concerned,” Lynette said. “But the shop was so quiet, I was able to get so much done.”

“That’s wonderful,” Emily said.

Thomas cleared his throat. “I understand you’ve
been a great help to Miss Potter, who is a very special friend to me. I deeply appreciate the assistance you’ve given her.”

“It’s been my pleasure,” Lynette responded graciously. She glanced at Emily. “I think the relationship will be truly beneficial for us both. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be on my way. I want to get home before sundown.”

“Thank you,” Emily called after her, placing the receipts to one side. When Lynette had gone, she turned to Thomas again, but he was already reaching down and pulling her into his arms. He kissed her deeply and thoroughly, practically singeing her eyebrows with the heat of his passion. When he released her, he gazed down at her, his eyes afire.

“That should hold me until tonight.”

Emily shivered, then leaned against the door, watching him walk down the path with a masculine saunter that was both appealing and dangerous at the same time. A thrill of pleasure came to her as she anticipated the coming night and she raced upstairs.

She needed help. Fast.

“Rosie!”

The ghost swam into sight as Emily bounded up the stairs. “Who was here, sweetie? I heard you talking to someone. The voice sounded familiar.”

“Oh, you must mean Lynette. She’s my new assistant.”

“Lynette.” Rosie let the name roll off her tongue. “That doesn’t ring a bell, but there was something wrong, something I felt. Like a presence I’ve known before …” The bordello girl shook her head, as if it were too much of a struggle to remember. “Anyway, I’m so sorry about the box. I really thought you’d found the gold this time. You must be very disappointed.”

Emily nodded, breathless, eager to move on to the subject she was most interested in at the moment.
“He’s coming here, for supper! What if something … happens again?”

Rosie grinned, her dimples deepening with delight. “So he wants to take supper with you, does he? My, our man has more stamina than even I would have given him credit for. You don’t need my help for that, sugar. Just a nice roast beef, some potatoes, apple pie is usually good—”

“I’m not worried about the food!” Emily flopped onto the bed feeling excruciatingly shy. Then she forced herself to speak what was on her mind. “I think I need … instruction.”

“I see.” Rosie looked more than delighted. “This is becoming a regular habit, isn’t it? We’ll have to start working on getting you two hitched. Even the best of methods aren’t foolproof.”

Emily paused at the thought of marriage. Herself, wed to a man like Thomas! At first, she couldn’t imagine it, but then she remembered the kind things he had done for her, the way he held her when she was distressed, the caring in his touch and voice. She looked hard at the phantom. “Do you really think a man like that would ever want me?”

“He wants you now, doesn’t he?” Rosie said joyfully. “We only have to nudge him a few more steps.”

Emily shook her head. “Until the issue of the gold is cleared up, I don’t think we can be happy together.”

Rosie’s mouth curved down in sympathy. “I see. Well, getting back to the subject at hand, you want to remain protected tonight if things … develop. Am I understanding you right?”

“Yes,” Emily stammered, the blush deepening even further as she recalled his parting kiss.

“All right, then.” She gave Emily an appraising look. “Are you certain you still require it, honey?”

“What do you mean?” Emily looked confused.

Rosie smiled, then looked pointedly at Emily’s belly. “You’ve already been with him more than once. Are you sure it hasn’t taken yet?”

Emily’s eyes widened. She mentally calculated the days. A sigh of relief escaped her and she shook her head.

“No, I’ve had my time since then. It’s all right.”

Strangely, even as she said the words, a sense of sadness permeated her. Bearing Thomas’s child was an incredible idea, and one that she was almost sorry to lose.

Rosie nodded. “Good. I’ll help you, then. But it would be much better to wait until after you’re wed. These old biddies in town will be counting the months as is.”

Emily looked up at the phantom and gave her a warm smile. “Rosie, I’m so glad you came into my life. There is no one I could have asked about this. Not even my mother, if she were still alive.”

“Why, thank you, honey. I enjoy your friendship, too. I don’t know how much longer I’ll be here. There are days when I start to feel myself fading, and it’s getting harder and harder to materialize. I don’t know what it all means, but at this point, every moment is precious.”

An ache grew inside Emily as she imagined her life without Rosie. Tears moistened her eyes, and
when she glanced up at the mirror, she found it hard to talk.

“I hope you won’t leave anytime soon.”

“I’m trying not to. But if it happens, just remember. I’ll always be with you, whether you see me or not.”

Emily nodded, then wiped quickly at her face. “I’ve got to get ready,” she declared, afraid she’d really burst into tears if she thought about it much longer.

“I’ll help,” Rosie said. “We’ve got a man coming to dinner, honey.”

“Did you find her?”

Jake sauntered into the den, a wicked grin on his face. He took a swallow of whiskey, catching the drips on his face with his sleeve.

“Yeah, I found her all right. She was heading back, just as we thought. It wasn’t hard to get her train—the man at the ticket counter told me everything once I put a gun to his head.”

Lizzie’s head came up as the outlaws spoke, and her beautiful eyes widened in horror.

“Jake, you didn’t … you said no more killings!”

“What happened?” Emmet asked impatiently, cutting her off. “Did you finish her nor not?”

“I did,” Jake said proudly. “I tried to find out what she knew and who she told, but that Bertie Evans wouldn’t say a word. She plumb fainted as soon as I hauled her off the train, and I had to slap her face to bring her around. She was so scared she couldn’t
talk, so I shot her then and there. Whatever she knows, she ain’t telling no one now.”

“Jake! That poor woman—”

“Shut up! You should have left the gag on her!” Emmet snarled, backhanding Lizzie. A red mark appeared on her cheek, swelling almost immediately. Jake turned on Emmet, the whiskey bottle in his hand, his grin vanishing.

“Say, Emmet, what did you do that for?”

“She had it coming. I’m getting tired of her carping. You and I need to talk, Jake. The boss ain’t at all happy with the way things are going. Miss Lizzie here is starting to get in the way.”

Lizzie’s eyes rounded and her voice was pleading when she spoke. “Emmet, please don’t kill me. I’ll never tell anyone. I’d hang, too, if I did. You know that.”

“Emmet, she ain’t no trouble.” Jake shrugged. “I don’t think we need to shoot her yet. We could always use her for a hostage. No law in these parts will want to shoot a woman. Besides—” his unsavory grin deepened—“I ain’t done with her yet.”

Lizzie couldn’t repress a shudder, which only made Jake laugh. Emmet watched the interaction between them, then nodded as if deciding something.

“All right. But if she gets in the way, she’s done for. Once we find the gold, I don’t give a damn what happens to her. In the meantime, we’ve got to find that China girl.”

“Right,” Jake agreed. “I’ll go tomorrow. One of them has to know where she is, and this time,
I’ll make them talk.” With that, he cocked his gun meaningfully.

“That was a wonderful supper, Miss Potter.”

Emily was sitting with Thomas on the porch of Shangri-La. Darrel had taken his dinner and gone home, leaving them alone. It was a beautiful night. Stars twinkled overhead, and the music of grasshoppers and crickets filled the air around them. The scent of fading summer roses mixed with the crispness of the cooler air, and the promise of fall was ripe and hopeful.

It had been a perfect evening. Thomas had come back with his tools, as promised, and fixed the plaster wall. Darrel had offered to help, and Thomas had worked very patiently with the boy, teaching him now to do the repairs, making him feel important. Emily watched in amazement as Thomas deftly patched the hole, then smoothed it over with plaster. Everything he did was done well, she noticed. The evening was strangely domestic, with Thomas performing a traditional male task while she cooked dinner. It made her feel comforted, safe, and … loved.

That emotion was one that caught her by surprise, and she thought back to the conversation she’d had with Rosie. The idea of marriage was something she hadn’t given a lot of thought to, mainly because she’d always assumed she’d be a spinster like her great-aunt. Women like them, the eccentrics, didn’t often marry. Instead, they spent their later years baking cookies for nieces or nephews, sewing lace onto
handkerchiefs, and making quilts for charity while everyone gossiped about their oddities.

The thought of spending her life with a virile man, bearing his children, and keeping house like this was very appealing. But Emily knew she could never give up detecting. It was just too much a part of her. And she wasn’t certain Thomas would ever settle for that. Actually, she wasn’t certain of his feelings at all! Still, the picture was heady and unbearably pleasant. He put his arm around her as they sipped their coffee. Neither of them spoke for a few moments, and the silent companionship filled her heart with happiness.

“I could get used to this.” It was Thomas who finally spoke, but he echoed her thoughts.

Emily looked at him shyly. “Do you think so?”

He turned to her, a smile curving his handsome mouth. “Why, Miss Potter, I’d almost think you were fishing for a declaration.”

“I was not!” she said indignantly, although he was perfectly correct. “I was just logically assessing your comment—”

“Is that so?” Thomas took her cup from her hand and put it aside. Before she could protest, he swept her into his arms and gave her a heated kiss. “Now, you tell me what that has to do with logic.”

Emily sighed, giving herself up to the pure pleasure of his embrace. Her fingers slid into the soft hair at the nape of his neck, and her body pressed closer to his. He felt good, warm, and hard, his arms strong as they tightened around her. Just then Emily thought she heard a twig snap, and a discreet cough came from the path.

“Excuse me. I hope I haven’t come at a bad time.”

They broke their embrace quickly as the figure of a man appeared in the gloaming. Emily straightened her dress, grateful that the night air would soothe her inflamed cheeks. Thomas looked anything but pleased as the visitor stepped into the porch light.

It was Ewert Smith.

“Hello, Mr. Smith,” Emily said quickly, her voice sounding embarrassed to her own ears. “We were enjoying the night air. I’m glad to see you do the same.”

“Why, yes,” Ewert said with a smirk. “Although some of us enjoy it more than others.”

Thomas glared at the man, while Emily fought to keep from laughing. She rose and indicated the coffee cups.

“Would you care for some coffee?”

“Why, that would be right neighborly.” The man sat down on the steps and stretched out his legs, apparently settling in for a long visit.

Thomas sighed in disgust, and Emily went to fetch the coffee. When she returned, they were talking softly. She had to hide a smile as she overheard Thomas subtly encouraging the man to be on his way, but Ewert was either dense or without sufficient motivation to leave. He accepted the cup from Emily, and sipped the coffee, enjoying himself.

“You are as talented as you are lovely, Miss Potter,” Ewert said. “Is this a distinctive brew?”

Emily heard Thomas’s snort, and she giggled softly. “No, it’s nothing special.”

“It must be your angelic touch,” Ewert declared.
“I swear I haven’t enjoyed a cup of coffee like this in ages.”

“Shouldn’t you be getting home?” Thomas asked abruptly. “It looks like rain later.”

“Oh, I think not, it’s a wonderful night. Very clear. I just brought few papers for Miss Potter to keep. I thought you might like some of your father’s personal belongings, and there was another copy of his will among his effects. I’m sure he wanted you to have them.”