Midnight Lover (36 page)

"Good afternoon, Mr. Markham. Has work ceased at the mine?"

"Thunder storm out there rattled the rafters," Sam said, looking curiously at Thomas. "Jesse closed down for the day and headed back to the King of Hearts." Tipping his hat again, he spurred the horses on and the buggy bumped past them on the rutted dirt road.

"Caro, is standing outside in the rain a quaint r-ritual around here?"

"No, of course not."

"I could certainly do with something to drink. It was a long and dusty ride."

"No whiskey," she warned. "I can offer you lemonade or nothing." Indeed, it would be wise to step inside the Crazy Arrow where Jesse wouldn't happen to see them talking. "One glass of lemonade and then you must find yourself a place to stay."

The foyer of the Crazy Arrow seemed cool and pleasant after the damp heat outside. Thomas stumbled once over a braided rug near the entrance to the kitchen, then recovered himself sufficiently to bid Abby a most pleasant hello.

"Holy Mary!" Abby crossed herself as she stared up at Thomas then over at Caroline. "I feel as if I would be seein' a ghost!"

"No ghost," said Caroline uneasily. "Just a new arrival in town."

"If you don't mind me sayin' so, miss, the other ladies wouldn't be too happy to be sharin' the Arrow with another—"

"Boarder," Caroline broke in, casting a quelling look at her loquacious maid. "Especially a male boarder. That's why I invited Thomas inside: for something cool to drink and a few suggestions on where to stay. I have already explained to him that it is impossible to invite him to reside at the Crazy Arrow."

Abby, bless her, immediately understood and she poured Thomas a large glass of freshly-squeezed lemonade and gave him an overview of the boarding houses.

"And how do you know so much about the competition?" Caroline asked, astounded.

Abby blushed and turned away. "Sam would be keepin' up on such things, miss, and I listen close when he talks."

"Apparently so."

Betty McGuigan and the Wilder sisters drifted into the kitchen ostensibly for some lemonade but Caroline knew better. After Jenny's second pointed question about "...exactly how long did you say you two have known each other..." Caroline decided it was time for Thomas to find a room.

"The Last Stop or The Queen Victoria," Caroline said as she led him into the foyer. "And do not let them give you a room without a window. You'll need plenty of fresh air to sleep off the whiskey you've consumed."

Thomas took her hands in his. "I know I have surprised you, Caro, and you are at a loss for words."

"Thomas, I—"

"Do not say a thing, Caro. We'll talk tonight."

"Around eight o'clock," she said. "No later. I keep strict hours now that I'm an innkeeper." It was also the beginning of the crush at the King of Hearts and she knew Jesse would be well-occupied.

"Eight o'clock." He pressed a kiss to her cheek, then picked up his valise and left.

Caroline exhaled in relief as the door closed behind him and thanked God Jesse hadn't seen fit to stop by the Arrow before heading to the King of Hearts. Now she had only to keep the two men apart until she convinced Thomas to return to Boston where he belonged.

#

Thomas returned to the Crazy Arrow at eight o'clock precisely and Caroline realized at once that he had been drinking. His brown eyes were bloodshot and he walked with the exaggerated gait of one trying to pretend he was sober as a judge. Caroline's heart ached as he handed her a small bouquet of carnations for she knew that nothing could sway her. Her heart belonged to Jesse Reardon.

"You must tell Mr. Addison, miss," Abby implored as Caroline went to the kitchen to request tea and cakes be brought into the parlor. "You're a married woman. It wouldn't be fair to be leadin' him on."

"I have no intention of leading Thomas on, Abby. You know I have never given him the slightest reason to hope we shall wed."

"'Twasn't Mr. Addison I be talkin' about, miss. 'Twas Mr. Jesse."

"Jesse! Do my ears deceive me?"

"You have struck a bargain, miss, and it be only fittin' and proper that you live up to it."

"You're stepping out of line, Abigail."

"And I suppose you'd be firin' me now, with me the only one willin' to tell you when you're wrong?"

"I must say it is a tempting thought."

"No good comes of keeping secrets. Silver Spur is a small town. If you don't tell your husband about Mr. Addison, someone else will do it for you."

"Like our friend at the Golden Dragon?"

"She has much to gain, don't she?"

Caroline rejoined Thomas in the parlor where he had found the one bottle of whiskey in the place.

"Care for one?" he asked.

She took her seat on the divan. "I thought that was the hostess's question."

"I took the liberty of pouring one for myself."

Her jaw tightened. "So I see. Correct me if I am wrong, Thomas, but it would seem as if this is not the first whiskey you have partaken of since leaving here this afternoon."

He winced. "You sound like my mother."

"If Emily has been telling you your whiskey consumption is most alarming, then it is no wonder." She was silent while Abby, eyes wide with curiosity, deposited the tray of tea and shortcake and slowly backed out of the room. "What is wrong, Thomas?" she asked as soon as the young girl was out of earshot. "Why are you doing this to yourself?"

Thomas dropped to one knee before her. "Why else, Caro? Why else would a man throw aside all he knows and head west. For love."

"Love! Dear God, Thomas, I have never encouraged you."

"I know how you feel, Caro. I have always known."

"You know nothing, Thomas!" Caroline leaped to her feet. "I have never given you reason to believe I harbor anything but friendship toward you."

"But I understand now why that was so. You are like your father—how could I have expected you to live a life of confinement in my mother's house?" He rose and joined her by the window. "Things are different now, Caro. I have thrown that life aside."

"You are mad, Thomas! How on earth could you have left your life behind? Boston is your home; it was never mine. You belong there with your family and your heritage."

"I have brought my heritage with me. I came into my trust fund last month." He clasped her hands and she tried in vain to pull them away. "Listen to me, Caro: anything you want is yours. New furniture. New carpeting. I will tear this building down and build you a palace, if you'll only say yes to marrying me."

"I cannot say yes." Please understand, Thomas. Don't force me to tell you...

"I am wealthy beyond your dreams, my love. I can give you your heart's desire."

"Please, Thomas, you don't understand..."

"I adore you, Caro, and I know you have feelings for me."

"You're my friend. I care for your welfare."

"It can be more than that. I'm not the man you knew. I've changed."

"I don't want you to change, Thomas. You're—"

"Marry me, Caro." He pulled her into his arms. "We're here together a thousand miles away from Boston. We can build a new life together."

She struggled to pull away from him but he held her fast. "Thomas, you must listen: I don't love you, not the way you deserve."

"You will in time, Caro. I know you will. Say you'll be mine."

"Oh, Thomas, it cannot be," she said as her eyes filled with tears. "I am already married."

Chapter 21

The minute Jade saw the man stumble off the stagecoach that afternoon she'd known he was an easterner, same as Bennett and his yellow-haired daughter. He had that certain prideful arrogance she'd come to recognize and, more important, he had the look of money.

It had been real interesting watching him stroll arm in arm with the Bennett bitch—and even more interesting to see him follow her into the Crazy Arrow. He hadn't stayed real long and Jade had just about put him out of her mind when she noticed him return to the Arrow after sunset.

Did the gal have herself a brother? They both had the same pale look about them and it wouldn't surprise Jade none to find the bitch with another male to champion her cause. Gals that didn't have nothing to fight about always seemed to find men to go battle for them.

But Jade wasn't one to dwell on things like that and she'd just about put him from her mind the second time when she noticed him sitting at a table in her very own Golden Dragon, looking about as forlorn as a man could look.

She poured two generous tumblers of scotch whiskey and sashayed over. "On the house," she said, sitting down next to him and offering him a glass. "Got me a real friendly policy when it comes to newcomers."

He mumbled his thanks and downed the whiskey in two shakes.

"Take it slow, boy," she said, laughing. "Night's young and I got plans for you."

He brightened at her words and she motioned for her bartender to bring him another round.

"Thank you, ma'am."

She extended her hand. "Name's Jade."

He took her hand and kissed it in a real gentlemanly fashion. "Thomas Wentworth Addison III. I am in your debt."

Exactly where she liked her men to be.

"What brings you to Silver Spur? Family business?"

"My family is back in Boston," he said, shaking his head. "Stupidity's the best explanation for this."

She took a sip of whiskey and rolled it around in her mouth for a moment, savoring its warmth. "Saw you go into the Crazy Arrow. Got friends in there?"

He looked up at her and to Jade's amazement tears welled up in his big eyes. Then, to her amazement he proceeded to tell her all about his one-sided romance with the Bennett gal.

"Well, don't give up, darlin'," Jade said, patting his hand. "You come on over here and have your fun. She'll come 'round soon enough and you can take her back to Boston."

He shook his head, dragging a hand through his thick hair. "You don't understand. She's not going anywhere. She's married."

A lump of ice formed in Jade's belly and her hands began to shake. "I ain't heard nothin' about her bein' married. Gal's a spinster far as I know, same as the rest of 'em in the Arrow."

"Not Caroline. She married some...some saloon owner on the Fourth of July."

Jade's fingernails dug into her palms. "Happen to know the gent's name?" Thomas downed another whiskey and his eyelids fluttered closed. Jade reached across the table and gave him a ruthless pinch.

"James...Jenkins...Jesse. That's it," Thomas said, rubbing his forearm. "Jesse Reardon."

Later on, Jade didn't remember how she got back to her suite of rooms. The only thing clear to her was young Thomas's face as he said the name Jesse Reardon. Each word he'd uttered had been a knife wound to her heart.

"Ain't possible," she said aloud as she paced the room. Jesse wasn't the marryin' kind, no matter how pretty the gal might be. Thomas had told her it was a marriage of convenience, meant to last only as long as their business in town lasted, but deep in her heart Jade knew better. No marriage of convenience would have kept Jesse from her bed for so long. Somehow that conniving yellow-haired bitch had gotten under Jesse's skin, casting a spell over him that could ruin everything Jade had been working toward.

Outside her window a steady rain fell. From the looks of it, the rain would keep Jesse out of the mine another day or two and give her time enough to formulate a plan. Maybe this young man from Boston was a gift from the gods. Already he had spilled his story to her for the cost of a bottle of whiskey and a half hour of her charms. If she played her cards right, Thomas Wentworth Addison III could be the perfect wedge to drive Caroline and Jesse apart.

Jesse couldn't love that gal. It just couldn't be. He wasn't a forever kind of man and that Bennett gal had home and family written all over her. How many times had Jesse told Jade she was the only woman he could trust because she was the only woman who wouldn't hurt him, who didn't want anything from him?

When he saw what Jade had done for him, the fortune she'd amassed for him, he would understand everything. Of that she was certain.

But still she needed one more week. The plans were all in place and she couldn't stop them now even if she wanted to for they stretched to the Nevada border and beyond. Six days from now the mail stage with the shipment of gold bullion from Carson City would be riding through.

On the seventh day she and Jesse would load their bounty into a wagon and head for Mexico and they'd never look back.

#

Caroline didn't tell Jesse about Thomas that night. He came back to the Crazy Arrow well after midnight and climbed into the big feather bed with her and her best intentions disappeared before his ardor.

In the morning he was gone before she awoke. The steady rain would keep him away from the mine but she knew he had a great deal of work to keep him busy at the King of Hearts. The day passed without incident except for a tale Sarah Wilder had heard from her beau, about a young man from Boston who'd gotten himself quite inebriated at the Golden Dragon and was currently sleeping it off back at The Last Stop. She had Abby deliver a pot of soup and home-baked bread for him but the room clerk said that the young Mr. Addison wouldn't feel much like eating—or anything else, for that matter—for at least another day.