“My pocket. I always carry a derringer when I travel.” Mary kept her eyes on the handsome man. “So I’m ready for any emergency. Where do you want him?”
“Outside,” Tessa said.
“Okay,” Mary directed Lee, “back up slowly toward the door.”
Lee did as he was told.
“Tessa, open the door for him. But stay out of his reach.”
Tessa hurried to open the door.
“Out you go,” Mary ordered. “One step at a time.”
Lee backed up another step, right into David Alexander.
“What the devil is going on here?” David demanded.
“Ask her,” Lee suggested a moment before Mary came into David’s line of vision. I’ll be damned if I know. All I did was deliver a wagonload of supplies from the depot.”
David looked around Lee and saw his sister brandishing her little silver gun. “It’s always good to see you, Mary, but this visit is unexpected.” He smiled at her. “Do you mind telling me why you’re here?”
Tessa, right behind Mary, answered for her. “She came to see you. She brought some schoolbooks. It’s a good thing she was here, too, because he walked right in as bold as brass without knocking.”
“This is a business office,” Lee said. “Open to the unsuspecting public.”
“Be quiet, mister,” Mary directed, motioning with the gun.
“That’s enough of that.” David took control. “Hand me the gun, Mary.” He held out his hand.
“David…”
“He’s right, you know,” David told her. “This is a business.” He glared at his sister. “You’ll be lucky if this gentleman doesn’t press charges against you.”
“Gentleman? Hah!” Tessa snorted. “He doesn’t know the meaning of the word. Chasing women and children across the country like he does, scaring the wits out of them, hunting them down.”
“What are you talking about?” Lee demanded of Tessa, before turning to David. “What’s she mean by that?”
“You know what I mean,” Tessa informed him. “You and your blood money.”
“Enough, Tessa.” David was fast losing patience. “All right, Mary, if you won’t give me the gun, put it away.”
Mary reluctantly did as he asked, returning the weapon to her pocket.
David spoke to Tessa, then Mary. “You two, wait inside. I’ll escort Mr. Kincaid wherever he wants to go.” David motioned for Lee to move outside, then followed him out the door.
* * *
“Do you mind explaining what was going on back there?” David asked as soon as he and Lee were out of sight of his office. They turned the corner into the alley.
“Damned if I know.” Lee shook his head as if trying to clear it. He leaned against the side wall of the bank. It was embarrassing to admit he’d been attacked by a woman wielding a hot coffee pot and even more embarrassing to be thrown out of an office by a woman with a two-shot derringer.
“What were you doing at my office?”
“I brought you a report on Arnie Mason from the agency. I thought it might be helpful to your case. The supplies you ordered were sitting at the depot.” Lee shrugged his shoulders. “They seemed like a plausible reason for a stranger to show up at your office. At the time.”
David nodded in agreement. “So what went wrong?”
“I opened the door…” Lee paused to recall what else he had done. “I opened the door, I said good morning, and she came at me with a coffee pot.”
“Who?”
“That hellion you call a client.”
David smiled. “I get the feeling she doesn’t like you. What did you do to her while she worked at the saloon?”
“Nothing,” Lee swore. “She stayed out of my way, avoided me at every turn as if I had some catching disease.”
“Well, something about you sets her off,” David commented. “You must have done something. She must have seen you somewhere before.”
Lee paused for a moment, weighing the information. “Look, David, I knew who she was even before I got to Peaceable. I followed her from Chicago.”
“On agency orders?” David asked. “Is she under suspicion? Wanted for something?”
“She’s clean as far as I know,” Lee assured him. “Except for Arnie Mason. But she happens to be the sister of a Pinkerton man, a detective who was killed in Chicago a couple of months back.”
“Eamon,” David guessed.
“Yes, Eamon Roarke,” Lee confirmed. “He was working on a case here in Peaceable. The same case I’m working on now.”
“Was Roarke’s death an accident?”
“If it was, it was a damned convenient one. Eamon was on to something big. Stagecoach robberies, illegal whiskey, gun smuggling…just to list a few.”
David whistled beneath his breath. “What about Tessa? What’s she doing in Peaceable?”
“I don’t know,” Lee admitted, “but she left Chicago in a hurry. I followed her because I promised her brother I’d look out for her.”
“What about her husband?”
“According to Eamon, she’s a spinster.”
“But the boy,” David said. “She told me Coalie was her son.”
“He’s not her son,” Lee explained. “There were just the two of them, Eamon and Tessa, from the time she came over from Ireland five or six years ago until he got killed.”
“So she lied.”
“Looks like. I know that boy isn’t hers. He wasn’t with her in Chicago. Just here in Peaceable.”
“You know a hell of a lot about her and her brother,” David commented.
“That’s because Eamon was always telling me about his sister—Tessa this and Tessa that. I think he was trying to do some matchmaking ’cause he asked me for a picture to show his sister.” Lee smiled at the memory. “Anyway, before he died, he made me promise to look out for her.” Lee fixed his gaze on David. “And I’ve tried. I tried to be nice to her but I swear that woman hated me on sight. She avoided me at the Satin Slipper and was downright hostile to me when she couldn’t. She’s made it damn near impossible to look after her. I sure as hell don’t want anything to do with anyone else’s sister.”
David raked his fingers through his hair. “I know what you mean.” He looked at his friend. “And you don’t have to look out for Tessa any longer, Lee. She’s my responsibility now. I’ll take care of her.”
“Be my guest,” Lee invited. “You’re welcome to that other she-devil, too.” Lee rubbed absently at a spot on his flat stomach. The spot the bullets would have entered had she decided to pull the trigger. It hurt just thinking about it. He shuddered. “I don’t know who the hell she is.”
David laughed. “I do.”
Lee glared at him.
“My sister, Mary.”
“That figures.” Lee rolled his eyes.
David clapped him on the back. “How about lunch? I’ll buy. We can say it was my way of appeasing you, to keep you from pressing charges against Mary after she pulled her gun on you.”
“Nah, it’s too risky,” Lee answered. “Besides, I’m due back at the Satin Slipper before noon.” Lee patted his pockets, feeling for his gold watch. “What time is it, anyway?”
David removed his and checked the time. “Twelve after eleven. Where’s your timepiece?” Lee always sported an expensive watch.
“It’s at the jeweler’s,” Lee explained. “I snagged the chain and broke it and the crystal. I told the watchmaker that chain was too delicate for my watch.”
David hated the thought that came to mind, but he wondered suddenly who was lying and who was telling the truth. And he also wondered if the piece of gold chain in his top desk drawer belonged to Lee Kincaid.
* * *
“I think you should go with Mary to the ranch,” Tessa said to Coalie when he unlocked her bedroom door and came out.
“I want to stay with you,” Coalie told her.
“It’s just for a little while.” Tessa knelt on the floor in front of Coalie, pl
eading with him to understand. “I can’t look after you properly until this is all over—this thing with the man at the Satin Slipper, the dead man.” She hated to say his name. She hated to even think about him.
“I’ll look after you.” Coalie wrapped his arms around her neck and hugged her tightly. “It’s my turn.”
“Please, Coalie,” she whispered. “If Liam Kincaid comes back I may not be able to protect you.”
Mary looked first at Tessa, then at Coalie, studying them closely. There was no doubt Tessa loved the boy and that he returned her love, but there was no family resemblance. After witnessing Tessa’s outburst and her fear and hearing her accusations against Liam Kincaid, it wasn’t hard for Mary to put the pieces of the puzzle together. “Coalie’s not your son, is he?”
Tessa whirled around to face Mary, a denial on her lips.
“Did you take him away from his parents?” Mary demanded.
“No,” Tessa said softly. “I rescued him from a brutal drunkard who beat him every day.”
“We run away,” Coalie added. “Me and Tessa. We run away so I’d be safe.”
Mary looked at Tessa with new awareness, her gaze full of admiration for Tessa’s unselfishness and courage. “And now this Mr. Kincaid is following you?”
Tessa nodded. “I’m sure there must be a reward for Coalie’s return. Kincaid will want to collect it.”
“I ain’t going to no ranch,” Coalie announced. “I ain’t leaving Peaceable without you.”
“Please, Coalie,” Tessa pleaded. “What if Kincaid comes back? What if I can’t stop him from returning you to Chicago?”
“David won’t let him,” Coalie replied confidently.
“What if David isn’t here? Like this morning? What then?” Tessa hugged him closer. “Oh, Coalie, I love you. I don’t want to lose you. I don’t want you to be hurt or lonely or frightened ever again. Please say you’ll go with Mary just for a while, to see if you like it.” Tessa brushed away her tears.
“Aw, Tessa…Coalie shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “Don’t cry.”
Mary stepped forward and put her hand on Coalie’s shoulder. “It won’t be for long, Coalie. It can be just a visit. You can meet the other children—Joy and Hope and the twins, Jimmy and Kate. And my brother, Sam, can teach you to ride a horse.”
“It won’t be for long?” Coalie looked to Tessa for confirmation.
“No,” she said.
“And I can come back if I don’t like it?”
“Of course. I’ll come and get you myself. Nothing will stop me.”
“You promise?”
“I promise,” Tessa answered. “And when this is over, we’ll go on with our plans to find a house and garden with a few sheep to tend, just like we dreamed.”
“All right, then.” Coalie agreed. “I do like horses. Always wanted to ride one.”
Tessa took a shaky breath and stood up. “Then it’s settled.” She bit her lip to keep from crying again.
“Let’s shake on it,” Coalie suggested. And the three of them—Coalie, Tessa, and Mary—clasped hands.
Mary waited until Coalie went back to the storeroom to gather his belongings before she voiced her concerns. “I’m not sure this is best. I’m willing to take him,” she said, “only because I don’t like seeing children threatened. But you have to do something for me in return.”
“I’ll do my best,” Tessa cautiously replied.
“It’s not so much to ask,” Mary continued. “I just want you to persuade David to visit the ranch more often. We’ve missed him since he moved to Peaceable. He stays away purposely, and there’s absolutely no need. We know he didn’t do anything wrong, and we’re waiting to listen whenever David’s ready to talk about it.”
“Did you tell him that?” Tessa asked softly.
“Well, no,” Mary admitted, “but of course David knows better than to think we’d believe rumors and innuendo.” How much did Tessa Roarke know about the scandal in Washington? she wondered.
Tessa looked Mary right in the eyes. “Does he?”
Mary was impressed by Tessa’s insight. “How much do you know about my brother?”
“Not much,” Tessa admitted. “But I know how it feels when people look at you with pity in their eyes, wondering all the time if you really did the things they heard. Maybe David thinks you look at him that way. Do you?”
Mary ignored the question, though she recognized the fact that Tessa had given her food for thought. “Well, I’d better be going. I’d rather not face David right now.”
Tessa nodded. “You’ll take care of Coalie?”
“I’ll protect him with my life.”
“Good,” Tessa said, “because if anything happens to him…” She let the rest trail off.
“Nothing will happen,” Mary assured her. She called to Coalie. “It’s time to go.”
Coalie joined them in the office, pulling himself up to his full height in a manly posture, years older than his age. “Are you sure this is best, Tessa?”
“No,” she confided, “I’m not sure, but I think so.” She tried to smile in encouragement. “I hope so.”
Coalie nodded. “Okay.”
Mary walked to the front door. Coalie followed. At the door, Mary turned back to speak to Tessa. “You know, when I heard about David taking a saloon girl on as a client, I was fully prepared to dislike you.”
“I understand.”
“But I was wrong,” Mary continued. “You’re quite a lady. Good-bye, Tessa Roarke.”
“See you soon,” Tessa replied.
Coalie ran back to her and hugged her around the waist once more. “It won’t be for long,” he reminded her. “Just till this is over. Don’t cry.”
Tessa sniffled.
“I love you, Tessa,” Coalie said, trying to control his own tears. “Don’t forget to come and get me.”
“I won’t,” she promised.
“Good-bye, then.”
“Good-bye.” Tessa waited until Mary and Coalie were out of sight before she allowed all her tears to flow. She’d done the right thing, she told herself. It was best for Coalie. Mary would keep him safe at the ranch. He’d be treated as a member of the family. Mary had promised.
Coalie’s future was secure. Tessa could breathe a little easier. He was safe and no matter what happened to her at the hearing, Coalie would have a real home and a family of his own. He wouldn’t have to work to support himself.
Work. Tessa suddenly remembered the chores David was paying Coalie to do. She squared her shoulders and bit her lip. David might not like it, but she wouldn’t allow those chores to go undone. He and Coalie had made a bargain. Tessa planned to see that the terms were fulfilled. She was going to do Coalie’s chores herself. Then David wouldn’t have any reason to complain about taking her on as a client.
And somehow she’d find a way to prove her innocence to David and to the rest of the citizens of Peaceable.
Chapter Twelve
Tessa was struggling to maneuver a fifty-pound bag of flour off the rear of the wagon when David returned.
“What the devil do you think you’re doing?”
“Unloading supplies.” Tessa grasped the bag and tried once again to lift it.
David took the bag out of her hands and hefted it onto his own shoulder. “I’ll do it.”
Tessa didn’t look at him. She climbed into the back of the wagon and grabbed the corners of another sack. “I don’t need your help.”
“Maybe not,” David conceded, “but that’s what you’re going to get.” He watched as Tessa doggedly tugged on a bag of sugar. “Leave it.”
Tessa ignored him.
“Dammit, Tessa, can’t you do as I ask for once?” He balanced the sack of flour. “You and Mary are two of a kind. Mule-headed stubborn. Where do you want this?”
“Inside.”
David carried the flour inside the office. Except for Horace Greeley, sunning himself on David’s desk, the place was unoccupied. It
was quiet. Too quiet after the earlier excitement.
He lowered the sack of flour onto the table and walked back outside to the wagon. “Where’s Mary?”
“She’s gone.” Tessa busied herself sorting the supplies.
“That figures.” David raked his fingers through his thick black hair. “Since I specifically asked her to wait here until I got back.” He’d missed his sister and would’ve liked to spend some time with her. Her leaving so abruptly disappointed him, but Mary was known for doing the opposite of whatever he asked. David looked at Tessa. “Did she tell you why she was leaving?”
“She thought it best to go quickly.” Tessa turned to face him. “Before I changed my mind.”
Her eyes were red-rimmed and swollen from crying.
“You’re crying because my sister left?”
“No.”
Prickles of alarm lifted the fine hair on the back of David’s neck. Few things had the power to make Tessa cry. But Coalie was one of them. “Where’s Coalie?” He looked around. “Has something happened to him?”
“I sent him away.”
“You sent Coalie away?” David stood up, then raked his fingers through his black hair. “Where?”
Tessa smoothed her hair back off her face and rubbed at the wrinkles in her skirt. “I don’t know,” she said evasively. “I told Mary to take him someplace safe. Away from here. I didn’t ask where.”
“But you love him,” David replied. “Why send him away?”
“Because I love him,” Tessa answered fiercely, grabbing hold of one of the crates. “Because I’ll do anything to protect him.”
“Protect him from what?”
She shoved the crate with all her might. “Liam Kincaid.” Tessa glared at David. “He wants to take Coalie away from me.”
David caught the crate before it slid off the back of the wagon. “Why would he want to do that?” he asked. “Why would a bartender want to take a boy away from his mother?”
He knew. David knew. Something in his tone of voice warned Tessa he had learned her secret. And now that he knew, would he continue to help her or hold it against her?
“Tessa, answer me. Why would Lee…Liam want to take Coalie away from you?”