She turned scarlet within a heartbeat. “I was being polite.”
He burst out laughing. “You are a piece of work, Miss Emily Finnegan. If I were the marrying kind, I’d give good old Randolph a run for his money.”
She knew something was wrong with the comment he’d just made, but it took her a full minute to figure out what it was.
“Clifford O’Toole,” she said then. “Randolph is the man who married my sister.”
“Ah, that’s right. The man who jilted you.”
“Must you use that word?”
“No need to get in a huff about it,” he told her.
Even though they were a good distance away from the barn, Travis could hear the squeak of the door as it was being opened from the inside, and he instinctively moved closer to Emily so he could shove her behind his back if he needed to. He didn’t think he was being overly cautious, for he had learned from past experience that a few of the folks who visited the Perkinses’ establishment lived like animals up in the high country and were a crude and uncivilized group who didn’t abide by any man’s laws.
Travis relaxed his guard as soon as he saw the man strutting toward them. It was ornery Jack Hanrahan, whom everyone called One-Eyed Jack for obvious reasons. He was a fright to look at, with long straggly brown hair that hadn’t been washed in years and a permanent scowl on his face that was mean enough to make a person think Jack was going to tear him apart. He was also downright vain about his godawful appearance and didn’t bother to wear an eye patch. He thought a patch made him look sissified.
Every time Travis looked at Jack, he inwardly blanched. Other men weren’t quite as restrained. They let Jack see their reaction, and that, according to old man Perkins, made Jack all the more vain. He got a kick out of terrorizing people.
Travis suddenly came up with one hell of a brilliant plan to make Emily come to her senses and realize how crazy her notions about men were.
“Maybe there is a way you can prove your point to me,” he told her.
“There is?”
She tried to turn so she could see what Travis was staring at, but he put his hands on her shoulders and wouldn’t let her move.
“Do you really want to show me how effective acting helpless can be around a man?”
“I would if I could. I’ve done a complete study on this topic, and I assure you I know what I’m talking about.”
“Yeah, yeah. You studied it. How about proving it with the very next man you see?”
“You don’t think I can do it, do you? Well, I can, Travis.”
“You’re that sure of yourself?”
“Yes, but only because I’ve watched it over and over again. My sister Barbara could turn all the men in a ballroom into a pack of fleas hopping around her, just like that,” she said and snapped her fingers.
The comparison of Barbara to a dog made Travis laugh. “God help your husband if he ever does anything wrong. You sure do know how to hold a grudge.”
“And just what does that mean?”
“Never mind.” He gloated with satisfaction over what was going to be a well-deserved victory for all men everywhere. “Want to make it interesting and wager on the outcome?”
Although it wasn’t proper for a well-bred lady to gamble, she was so certain she would win, she couldn’t resist the temptation. Granted, she hadn’t had much practice turning a man’s head by acting helpless or coy, but she had observed the ladies traveling on the train who had blatantly flirted with several men, and she had also watched the master, Barbara, and therefore had complete confidence that she could pull it off.
“How much would you like to wager?”
“A dollar.”
“Shall we make it more interesting and wager five dollars?”
“Five dollars, it is,” he agreed.
“I want you to know I wouldn’t agree to this if I thought the gentleman I’m going to give my attention to would end up with hurt feelings, but what I’m about to do is harmless. Wouldn’t you agree?”
The thought of Jack Hanrahan getting his feelings hurt made Travis choke on his laughter. “Yes, it’s harmless. Have we got a bet, then?”
“As long as it isn’t dangerous,” she hastily qualified.
“I won’t let it be dangerous.”
“What are the rules?”
“No rules,” he replied. “Just a time limit. Is ten minutes enough time to turn a man into a blithering simpleton, or do you need more time?”
“Ten minutes will be just fine. Are you sure you don’t want to set some other rules? I don’t want you to accuse me of not playing fair.”
“No other rules,” he insisted. “Just flirt with the very next man you see,” he told her before he slowly turned her around.
He heard her indrawn breath and was a little surprised she didn’t scream. She took a step back toward him.
“You want me to flirt with . . . him?”
“His name’s Jack Hanrahan, and he was the next man you saw, wasn’t he?”
“Yes, but . . .”
Her shoulders were now pressed against his chest. He leaned down close to her ear and drawled out, “Did I happen to mention Jack’s an avowed woman hater?”
She closed her eyes. “No, you did not. Is he dangerous?”
“He won’t hurt you, or any other female, for that matter, but he sure won’t be nice to you either. Folks say he has the personality of a rattlesnake, but I think that’s a rotten thing to be saying about snakes. They’re much sweeter. Do you want to admit defeat now, give me your five dollars, and be done with it?”
It was the combination of arrogance and laughter in his tone that swayed her. She straightened her shoulders and her resolve. Come hell or high water, she was going to get the man who looked like a barbarian to hang on her every word.
“He will be my finest challenge,” she announced. “Stay here, Travis, and observe.”
“Wait a minute. How will I know you’ve won?” he asked with another chuckle he couldn’t contain, for the possibility of Jack being swayed by a woman was downright hilarious.
“Trust me. You’ll know when I’ve won.” She adjusted the folds of her skirt, straightened the collar on her blouse, and then took a deep, God-help-me breath.
Travis kept right on grinning as he watched her drag her feet toward her prey. He knew she had to be worried. Jack did look like a hungry bear who had just come out of his cave. He usually smelled like one too, and Travis couldn’t help but think Emily was actually courageous to try to win him over. She was also being foolish and stubborn, of course, because she refused to admit that men were too intelligent to be taken in by a helpless woman.
“Be sure to do that thing with your eyes, Emily,” he called out, pretending to be helpful.
She turned around. “What thing?”
“That twitching thing you did when we were in Pritchard. Jack will love that.”
She wasn’t amused. She whirled around and hurried toward the man she was determined to tame. By the time she reached him, her heart felt as though it was lodged in the back of her throat.
Whatever it was she was saying wasn’t working. Jack kept right on scowling, God love him, and Travis could have sworn he heard him growl each time he shook his head at her.
Although ten full minutes hadn’t passed, Travis decided to suggest to Emily that she give up. It really was hopeless, after all. He was just about to call out to her when One-Eyed Jack did the most vile, hideous thing. He smiled.
Six
Travis blanched, blinked, and then looked again. The ugly smile was still there. He watched in disbelief as Jack thrust his arm out to Emily. She immediately hooked her arm through his and started walking by his side toward the house, smiling up at her escort.
Travis didn’t think he could stomach much more. He did a double take when the mismatched pair reached him and he heard her chattering away in the most horrendous imitation of a southern drawl he’d ever heard.
“I declare, Jack, you’re such a gentlema
n.”
“I try to be, Miss Emily. I sure do like the way you sing your words.”
“How sweet of you to say so,” she replied with a flutter of her eyelashes that made Travis lose his appetite.
“May I introduce you to my guide, Mr. Travis Clayborne, of Blue Belle?”
Jack quit grinning like a demented man long enough to flash his usual scowl at Travis. “I know you,” he accused. “Didn’t I shoot you a time or two, Clayborne?”
“No, Jack, you didn’t.”
“I recollect I did.”
The set of his jaw indicated he was getting riled up. She quickly turned Jack’s attention. “My, but I’m all tuckered out. Mr. Clayborne and I have been riding for hours and hours, and I’m not at all strong like you are, Jack. I’m too delicate for such strenuous activity.”
Jack became solicitous once again. “Of course you’re delicate. Anybody can see you ain’t got much meat on your bones. Clayborne oughtn’t to have set such a hard pace. Want me to shoot him for you, Miss Emily?”
The question so appalled her, she answered in a near shout. “No.”
“You sure? I wouldn’t mind none.”
“I’m sure, Jack, but I thank you for offering. I’ll be fine as soon as I sit down. I just need to rest for a spell.”
“I’ll get you settled in a comfortable chair in just a minute, Miss Emily. You sure do smell nice,” he added in a rush.
“I declare. Jack, you’ll spoil me with your compliments.”
She didn’t need to say another word or bat another eyelash. Travis listened as Jack promised to build her a fire so she could warm her feet, fetch her a drink so she could cool her parched throat, and bring her supper so she could regain her strength.
Travis wanted to shoot him. He felt justified too, because Jack had just disgraced every other man in the territory. Come to think of it, shooting was too good for him. Travis glowered as he followed the pair around the corner to the front stoop. The horses would have to be taken care of, but not until Travis knew who the other guests inside were and made certain Emily would be safe.
Jack opened the door for Emily and then, true to his nature, tried to kick it closed before Travis could come inside. It was a childish prank and one Jack so thoroughly enjoyed, he had to snicker about it.
John Perkins was standing in the hall waiting for them. He was a heavyset man with a triple chin, a potbelly, and a ready smile. He looked soft, but he was as tough as any other mountain man and didn’t allow any nonsense inside his establishment. Any disputes that arose had to be settled outside, and from the number of unmarked graves on the hillside behind the house, it was apparent there had been a number of those fights in the past.
John usually greeted his guests. He couldn’t seem to find his voice now, however, and appeared to be in a stupor as he stared in stunned disbelief at One-Eyed Jack.
John had apparently never seen Jack Hanrahan smile either.
“It’s chilling, isn’t it, John?” Travis remarked as he strolled past him on his way into the dining room.
John’s wife, Millie, let out a little screech when she spotted Jack grinning. Travis thought that was an appropriate reaction.
The dining room was deserted. Still, Travis insisted that Emily sit in the corner next to him with her back against the wall. One-Eyed Jack straddled the chair across from them, but he kept nervously glancing behind his shoulder to make certain no one was trying to sneak up on him.
John came to his senses before his wife did. He hurried to the table, his shotgun cradled in his arms, and stopped when he reached Travis.
“It’s good to see you again,” he remarked with another quick glance in Hanrahan’s direction. “Millie, quit twisting your apron and come meet Travis’s woman. Did you go and get yourself hitched?”
“No, Jack. I didn’t get married.”
He introduced Emily to the older couple and then suggested they both join them.
As soon as Millie had gotten over her reaction to seeing Jack smile, her attention moved to Emily. She seemed mesmerized by her, nervous too; Travis noticed the way she was fiddling with her hair and smoothing her apron.
When Millie was younger, she was quite attractive, and her good looks helped to soften her abrupt way with people. Age had made her features more angular and harsh, but the sparkle was still in her eyes.
“We might as well eat with our guests, Millie, seeing as Travis is a friend,” John said. “If you can stop gawking at his woman long enough to fetch our supper.”
Millie didn’t budge. She gave her husband a look Travis interpreted to mean John was going to catch hell later for teasing her.
“My hair used to curl the way hers does,” Millie told her husband. “Might be it still would if it weren’t so long.”
“Expect you’ll cut it, then?” John asked
Millie didn’t answer her husband. She simply continued to give Emily her close scrutiny.
“Mr. Perkins, are you expecting trouble?” Emily asked, pretending not to notice that his wife was watching her every move.
“I always expect trouble,” he replied. “That way I’m never taken by surprise.”
“John started carrying a shotgun when he married Millie because he knew men would try to steal her away from him,” Travis said.
“That was years ago,” Millie interjected. “I was pretty then.”
“You’re prettier now,” Travis told her. “John’s still carrying his shotgun, isn’t he?”
Millie blushed with pleasure and hurried out of the room.
“What are the two of you doing up in high country?” John asked with yet another worried glance at One-Eyed Jack.
“I’m escorting Emily to Golden Crest. She’s meeting someone there.”
Emily was relieved he hadn’t given Mr. Perkins any other details.
Travis couldn’t stomach looking at One-Eyed Jack’s infernal grin another second.
“Emily, tell Jack to stop smiling. He’s giving me the chills.”
“I think his smile is charming,” she replied. She reached across the table and patted Jack’s hand. “Don’t pay any attention to him, Jack. He’s just in a contrary mood.”
“Want me to shoot him for you, Miss Emily?”
The question didn’t faze her this time. “No, Jack, but thank you for offering.”
Travis decided to ignore both Emily and Jack. He turned to John again and remarked, “You’re light on guests tonight.”
“We won’t be light for long,” John replied. “Ben Corrigan stopped by on his way home from River’s Bend to visit with Millie and me for a spell, and he told me five men from Murphy’s outfit are headed this way. They’ll expect to spend the night, but if they give me any back talk at all, I’m tossing them out. They’re all low-down, thieving troublemakers.” He turned and raised his voice so his wife could hear him in the kitchen. “Millie, you’d better hide the money you’ve got tucked inside the cookie jar.” Turning back to his guests, he said, “Travis, I’d keep an eye on your woman if I were you.”
Travis nodded agreement. He didn’t bother to correct John’s misconception that Emily was his woman and, in fact, had to admit he kind of liked the sound of it.
The realization made him frown. She was soon going to be O’Toole’s woman, he reminded himself, and he would probably never see her again.
“Looks like I won’t be getting much sleep tonight,” he said, accepting what he was going to have to do to keep Emily safe.
“Why is that?” Emily asked.
He doubted if she’d get any sleep either if he told her what Murphy’s men were capable of, and so he decided not to answer her question and changed the subject instead.
“What other news did Corrigan have to tell you?”
“He mentioned there was a United States marshal poking around up here.”
Jack Hanrahan’s head snapped up, and he was suddenly mighty interested in the conversation. “What for?” he muttered. “The law ain’t no good in the
se parts.”
Jack was wrong, but neither John nor Travis felt inclined to tell him so.
“The marshal’s searching for some men, and from the rumors Corrigan heard, they’re about as bad as men can be. Word has it they’ve killed a woman and a child. The little girl was just three years old, and the bastards ought to hang for that. The marshal wants to haul them back to Texas to stand trial.”
“The marshal’s from Texas?”
“That’s what Corrigan told me.”
“Did he mention his name?”
“I don’t recollect that he did. Why are you so interested in the marshal? I’d stay away from him if I were you. Corrigan said that when he was introducing himself to him, he was suddenly feeling real thankful he’d led such a law-abiding life. The marshal gave him the shivers, all right, with those cold blue eyes staring down at him. Corrigan told me he hopes he never runs into him again. That’s what he said, all right.”
“I’m looking for a man who goes by the name of Daniel Ryan. He stole something from my mother, and one way or another, I’m going to get it back. All Mama Rose remembers about him is that he’s big, he has blue eyes, and he’s from Texas.”
“You aren’t thinking the marshal’s the man you’re after, are you?”
John didn’t give Travis time to answer him, but continued on. “It could be just a coincidence. Lots of men have blue eyes,” he reasoned. “Maybe the gang he’s after comes from Texas too, and one of them could have blue eyes.”
“Mama Rose told me Ryan was very refined. They were close to our territory when they parted company at the train station, but he had already mentioned to her that he was headed north.”
“I don’t suppose the men the lawman’s searching for are refined. Still, you could be climbing up the wrong tree, thinking the marshal’s the thief. There might be other Texans roaming through these hills. You know how they like to bring their cattle up to graze on our land.”
Travis shook his head. “None of them would bring their herds this high up the mountain. Besides, the man I’m looking for was spotted in River’s Bend a couple of days ago, and didn’t you say Corrigan had just come from there?”