The Temptress (Montgomery/Taggert 8)
“Chris!” Red’s head came up. “That two-timing little liar? I trusted her and she went off and left you to rot in jail when you were innocent.”
“Yeah, well, that’s true love for you. Whatever she’s done, it’s my responsibility to get her back to her father.”
“At the risk of your own life?”
Ty just kept eating and didn’t answer her. “You have an extra bed somewhere? I put Prescott in with Alice,” he said after a while.
“You can have my bed,” Red said heavily. “I’ve had all the sleep I’m gonna get tonight. Who do you want? Leora and you seemed to hit it off last time.”
“Just sleep,” Ty said, refilling his glass with whiskey. “No women.”
He wasn’t aware of the way Red just stood there opening and closing her mouth. “
All right,” she said after a moment. “Just give me your clothes and I’ll have ’em washed.”
She stood by silently while he undressed down to his underwear and watched as he slipped into bed. She sat by him, smoothing his hair back while he fell asleep, and when he was asleep, she kissed his forehead and tiptoed from the room.
• • •
“Tynan!” Red called urgently as she ran into the bedroom. “They’ve come for you.”
Ty threw back the covers and put his feet on the floor. “Where the hell are my pants?”
“Wet. You’ve only been asleep three hours, but you’ve got to get out of here. There’re half a dozen men downstairs askin’ about you.”
Tynan ran his hand through his hair. “Three whole hours, huh? Dysan doesn’t leave any stone unturned.”
“Dysan?” Red said. “You’re after Beynard Dysan?”
“I don’t need mothering now but I do need a pair of pants. Get me something to wear.”
“I ought to refuse. I ought to get the sheriff to lock you up and save you from yourself.”
Before Ty could speak, a woman barged into the room. “He’s dead,” she said with disgust in her voice. “I told you he couldn’t take all three of us at once.” She stopped talking, her eyes widening. “Why, Tynan, I didn’t know you were here.”
“And he isn’t gonna be for long,” Red said, pushing the woman out the door and closing it. “Now everyone’ll know you’re here and—” Her eyes brightened. “Sit there. Don’t move. I have an idea.” She left the room immediately while Ty began to search for something to wear.
Minutes later, Red returned with a pile of white leather and fringe over her arm. “That man that just died was from a wild west show and he won’t be needin’ this anymore.” She held up the gaudiest, flashiest garment anyone had ever seen: white leather with three foot beaded fringe hanging from shoulder to wrist. There were also matching pants with silver medallions down the legs and a hat with a band of fake diamonds as big as pennies.
Tynan barely looked at the outfit. “If you don’t get me some pants I’m—”
“Here!” Red said, tossing him the leather pants.
“Not on your life,” Ty answered, letting them fall where they landed. “I need—”
“Wait a minute, Ty. There are six of them and one of you, and they have this place surrounded. Rachel said she saw a rifle on a roof so maybe there’s more than six of them. You walk out of here and they’ll never give you a chance. But they’re expectin’ what they know you look like. They ain’t expectin’ some fat, drunken ol’ snake oil dealer.”
Tynan sat down on the bed. “I won’t wear that.”
“You’d rather die than wear this?” Red gasped.
“With my boots on and my own pants on. What if I was to get buried in that?”
Red rolled her eyes toward the ceiling. “Of all the fool things I ever heard, that’s the worst. Look, Ty honey, how are you gonna save that girl if you’re dead? And that’s what you’ll be if you walk out of here wearin’ your own clothes. With this on, you can walk right out the front door. Ever’body will be so blinded by the diamonds and silver they’ll never even look at your face. And you ain’t even seen all of it yet, there’s white boots and silver guns with white handles and even silver bullets. It’s a real wingdinger of an outfit.”
Ty sat on the bed, his jaw rigid.
“You get yourself killed out there and I’ll see to it that you’re buried in this,” Red said.