Naomi woke to the sun rising against a pink sky. She stretched and discovered new twinges in her already aching body. Where was Bobby? She smiled when she discovered he’d rolled up his shirt and placed it under her head.
But if his shirt was here...
She warmed. He’d haunted her dreams through the night. She’d awoken several times, drenched in sweat, images of their bodies entwined plaguing her, to find him still sleeping soundly. He was older than she, and more experienced. To him, she was no doubt just another woman of many. Clearly he’d had no problem sleeping.
She sat up and brought his shirt to her nose, inhaling his now familiar aroma. Would she ever be able to get enough of it?
“Stop,” she said aloud, and tossed the shirt to the ground. She was behaving like a loose woman. She’d been raised better.
Naomi stood and brushed the now dried dirt from her dress.
And beheld a dazzling sight.
Bobby stood in the creek, his back to her, cleansing himself in the cool water. He was too far away for her to see much, and though she knew it a bad idea, her feet, seemingly disengaged from her brain, propelled her forward.
When she’d walked a few hundred feet, she plopped on her fanny and appraised his male beauty with wide eyes. His hair was wet and clung to his thick neck. His golden back rippled with muscles, from the breadth of his strong shoulders to the leanness of his narrow hips. The smooth slopes of his buttocks shone with wetness. Two perfect globes. Her heart quickened and she lowered her eyes, only to raise them again, unable to look away. His legs were long and powerful, covered with fine brown hair, and when he squatted to rinse his face, the sinewy lines in his calves bulged.
As she considered averting her eyes, he stood tall and turned around, his eyes widening at the sight of her.
Brown hair, the same color as his head, scattered across his golden chest. Two copper nipples poked through, and she had the strangest urge to touch them. She gazed downward, to his flat belly, his navel, and the line of hair that ended where the male part of him hung loosely within a nest of chestnut curls.
It drew her eyes like a magnet.
“‘Mornin’, angel,” he drawled, not seeming the least bit uncomfortable as he ambled out of the creek to his duckins which were draped across a rock. His legs still dripping, he scrambled into them, and she couldn’t help thinking what a shame it was to cover such a paragon of manliness.
“Would you like to wash up? I’ll give you some privacy.” He chuckled. “Though you haven’t afforded me the same courtesy.”
Heat flooded Naomi’s cheeks, and she glanced down at her soiled garments. She couldn’t launder them. They’d never dry in time. But oh, to clean her clammy skin sounded like heaven on earth.
“I apologize, Mr. Morgan. I didn’t know you were here, and I wanted...needed a drink of water.”
“Go ahead,” he said, buttoning his trousers. “And wash up if you want. I’ll pick us some berries for our breakfast.”
Though she longed to cleanse her body, even with no soap, she couldn’t undress with Bobby in such close proximity. “I’ll just wash up my face and hands. I’ll be fine.”
“Suit yourself,” he said, and he walked, barefoot, toward the boulders where his shirt lay.
Naomi stripped off her shoes and stockings and waded into the creek. The cool water lapped around her toes and ankles, tickling her. She let her skirts drop. So they’d be wet. They’d dry. She squatted and splashed water on her face and then palmed some sandy dirt from the creek bed and scrubbed her hands. When she’d drunk her fill of clean water, she returned to the creek bank, picked up her shoes and stockings, and headed to where Bobby sat on the dry dirt. She plunked down across from him and plaited her tangled tresses into a long braid.
“Here you go,” he said, handing her some berries. Her fingers still stained from the previous evening, she popped a few into her mouth.
“I’ll get you a clean dress when we get to the camp,” Bobby said.
“That’s not necessary.”
“Of course it is,” he said. “I can’t send you home in that old brown thing.” He cocked his head and raked his gaze over her, heating her skin. “You shouldn’t wear such a drab color. Blue. You should wear blue, bright blue or violet, to bring out your pretty eyes.”
Naomi looked away, embarrassed. “You won’t be able to find a dress for me at a railroad camp.”
“Oh, you’d be amazed what I can find,” he said. “I just have to offer the right price.”
Naomi dropped her mouth open. “But you said Sheriff Stiles took all your money.”
“Correction, angel. I said he took the money in my pockets.” He grinned. “Trust me, I keep the bare minimum in my pockets.”
Naomi couldn’t help but laugh. “Your boots.”
He winked. “My boots. And honestly, if your sweet sheriff’d had a clue what he was doing, my boots would’ve been the first place he looked.” He smirked. “But he didn’t, lucky for you.”
“And you.”
“Yup. And me. I need a new horse and a new weapon. I could go for some clean duds myself. And I’ll need money to pay your passage home.”
“Just how much money do you have, Mr. Morgan?”
“Enough that you don’t need to worry about me, darlin’, if you’d been inclined to. Bounty huntin’ can be pretty profitable. If you’re good at it.”
“And I suppose you’re good at it,” she said coyly.
“Angel, I’m the best.”
“Wh-Where exactly are we?” Naomi trembled and leaned back into the solid wall of Bobby’s chest. Two rough men eyed them as they trotted through the dusty railroad camp. Naomi knew the railroad wouldn’t reach Dakota Territory for a while. President Lincoln, may he rest in peace, had only signed the Railroad Act a few years ago. So what was this place?
“The workers have to blast through some of the rock here,” Bobby said. “It’s a dangerous job, but they’re well paid. I’ve passed through here several times, and they’re a good bunch of fellas, always willing to do some trading. I’m bankin’ on that today.”
Bobby stopped old Barney and hitched him to a post next to a ramshackle shanty. He helped Naomi down, squeezing her hand. She was strangely comforted by the gesture.
“I’ll take you to Bessie. She feeds this mass of men. The foreman’s name’s Ike. He’s a right nice fella. Married. A couple kids. He’ll see you get home all right.”
Naomi trembled and eased closer to Bobby. She wasn’t sure about this. “Uh, Mr. Morgan? Bobby?”
He smiled down at her. “Hmm?”
“Please don’t leave me here.”
“Don’t be scared, angel. Bessie and Ike’ll take care of you. They know how to keep these hicks in line. They’re all out workin’ right now anyway. Come on. I’ll take you in to meet them.
He led her into the building.
A plump woman standing over a cookstove greeted them. “Bobby Morgan, as I live and breathe.”
“Hello, Bessie.”
“And who’s this pretty thing? Don’t tell me you went and settled down.”
“No.” Bobby flushed.
Naomi’s breath caught at the rosiness in his chiseled cheeks.
“You know me better than that. This here’s Miss Naomi Blackburn. I need you to see to her, if you don’t mind. And get Ike to get her passage home. To Dugan. Her pa’s the preacher there.”
“And just how’d she end up with you? As if I didn’t know.”
“Take it easy. It was all a silly misunderstanding. Seems I was caught in the wrong place at the wrong time during a furlough in Dugan. This lady was my ticket out of town. I’ve taken good care of her, but I got to get back to work, and you know my work’s no place for a lady. I need to sniff out Daily again before his trail gets cold.”
“If you say so. Good Lord knows it ain’t none of my business.” Her double chin jiggled when she laughed. “But I’ll ask anyway. Did this man hurt you, honey?”
Naomi gulped.
“Now, Bessie, you know I’d never hurt a lady,” Bobby said. “Come on now.”
“I’m sorry, Bobby, but there she stands in dirty clothes and her hair in a mussed braid. I need to hear it from her.”
Bobby looked at her expectantly. She shook her head. “I’m fine, ma’am. Truly. I just...I just really want to go home.”
Bessie’s lips curved into a welcoming smile. “We’ll take care of you, honey. We owe Bobby here that much. I think Ike’s out in the office tent...nope, here he comes now.”
“Morgan.” A tall gray-haired man held out his hand. “Been a little while since we’ve seen you.”
“Only ’bout a month, Ike. I need to do some transactin’.”
Naomi shuddered as the older man’s eyes raked over her body. They were ice blue and bloodshot. His gray moustache twitched, and he rubbed his hands over his soiled dungarees.
“What do you need?” he asked Bobby.
“A decent horse and saddle, and a piece, two if you can find ’em. Clothes. Some food to take with me. And a new dress for the lady.”
Ike choked out a chortle and then spit on the ground. “Can’t say I can find you a dress. She’s a little smaller than Bessie.”
“Really, Mr. Morgan, I don’t need a dress,” Naomi said, fingering her bedraggled garment. “This will do fine. I’ll be home soon.”
Bobby smiled at her and continued, “Blue, Ike. Blue or Violet. I’ll make it worth your while. And I need you to get her home to Dugan. Her and her horse.”
“That I can do. First thing tomorrow. I won’t ask you what she’s doin’ here, Bobby, but I hope you’ve taken care of her. She reminds me of my oldest girl.”
“I have. No harm has come to her. But she wants to go home.”
“She can stay with Bessie tonight.” Ike spit again, and though Naomi’s stomach churned at the wad of tobacco that landed on the dirt floor of the shanty, her mind eased. This man had a daughter her age. She’d be safe with him. And Bobby trusted him. That fact soothed her even more.
“Thank you kindly,” Bobby said. “Now about my other business.”
“Go on out to the office, and I’ll see what we can do for you. Bessie’ll take care of your lady.”
“Come on, honey.” Bessie took Naomi’s arm. “I’ll show you where I bunk down. It ain’t much, but you can clean yourself up a little, take care of necessary business. Then we’ll see about getting you a snack. You hungry?”
Naomi let out a laugh. Always. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Just Bessie, honey.”
“All right...Bessie.”
Bessie’s room at the back of the cooking shanty was tiny, but Naomi gasped when she saw the washtub in the corner.
Bessie’s brown eyes twinkled. “You’d fancy a bath, wouldn’t you now?”
“Oh, no,” Naomi said. “It’s not necessary.”
“I’ll have Davey haul in some water. It won’t be warm, but in this heat, I doubt you’ll mind.” She winked. “I even have some fancy soap my son sent me from New York. Can you believe it? New York?”
Naomi nodded. She knew all about New York. Had studied about it in school, but had never dreamed of actually visiting there. “Your son’s in New York?”
“Yup. He’s a gentleman’s gentleman for some highfalutin lawyer. He sends me money every month.” She beamed, pride evident in her eyes.
“How wonderful, but I can’t use your gift from him.”
“Pshaw. The stuff’s made for a lady like you, not an old hen like me. It’d be my pleasure for you to use it.”
“Miss Bessie?” A small voice beckoned as a knock sounded on the thin wood door separating Bessie’s quarters from the kitchen.
“Yes, come in, Davey,” Bessie said.
A small boy with skin brown as molasses entered, carrying an indigo bundle. “Mr. Ike said to bring this to you. It’s for Mr. Bobby’s lady.”
“Thank you, honey,” Bessie said, taking the bundle. “Now you run and fetch some water. Miss Naomi’s going to have a bath.”
“Yes’m.” The boy trotted off, a smile on his elfin brown face.
“Davey wandered into the camp about a year ago,” Bessie said. “Skinny as a rail and covered in open sores. Ike took him into the camp and we nursed him back to health. Now he does odd jobs for us, and we feed him and let him sleep in the bunkhouse with the men.”
Naomi nodded, hoping her shock wasn’t evident on her face. She had never seen a Negro before.
Bessie held up the blue bundle, and Naomi gasped. The fine fabric of the dress fell in ripples to the floor. Small white flowers floated across the sea of blue-violet dimity.
Naomi’s jaw dropped. She’d never seen such a lovely garment.
“I’ll be,” Bessie said. “This must be a gift for one of the workers’ ladies. Bobby must have offered a fine sum for him to part with it.” Her gaze wandered over Naomi’s body. “Looks just about your size too.”
“Oh my...”
“The boy’s sweet on you, honey, that’s for sure.”
Naomi’s cheeks warmed, and she reached to smooth the silky material. “It’s beautiful.”
“It’ll suit you, no doubt,” Bessie said, as she laid the dress across a wooden chair in the corner of the room. “Why don’t you just rest your weary bones a little on my bed, until Davey gets the tub all filled.”
Rest sounded like God’s elixir to Naomi, who wondered if she’d ever be free from aches and pains again. She smiled at the older woman and lay down on the narrow quilt-covered bed.
Within seconds, a voice was buzzing in her ear. “Your bath’s ready, honey.”
She sat up, unaware, at first, of her surroundings.
“You done fell asleep, and I’m not surprised.” Bessie bustled about the washtub. “I’ve set out the soap for you. When you’re finished, you just call me, and we’ll get you outfitted in that pretty new dress, you hear?”
Naomi stifled a yawn and nodded. After Bessie left, she undressed quickly and lowered herself into the tin washtub. The water was cool, and though warm would be better on her aching bones, at least it was wet and would erase the grime from her weary body. She unwrapped Bessie’s fancy soap and held it to her nose. Lavender and rose. Perfect. She smiled, thinking about smelling nice for Bobby when he saw her in the dress.
She rubbed the soap over her body and her hair, scrubbing voraciously. So wonderful to feel clean again! When the water had turned a dingy gray, Naomi stepped out and wrapped herself in the toweling Bessie had laid out. She squeezed as much moisture as she could from her hair and then dressed in her undergarments. Feeling bashful, she held the dress up against her body. Bessie had no looking glass, but Naomi knew the dress would flatter her.
“You decent, honey?” Bessie asked through the closed door.
“Yes, please come in,” Naomi said.
Bessie helped Naomi don the new dress, brushed out her hair for her, and plaited it.
“You’re as lovely as can be,” Bessie said with a smile. “Now go on out there and show Bobby.”
Anticipation coursed through Naomi’s veins as she imagined Bobby’s amber eyes glowing when he looked at her. “Oh, yes, Bessie. I’d like to. Where is he?”
“Well, I ain’t seen him since he went to the office tent with Ike. I imagine he’s still out there, transacting for all the stuff he needs.” She smiled as she smoothed Naomi’s collar. “Why don’t you go out there and find him, honey?”
Naomi’s feet raced as quickly as her heart as she sped to the canvas tent outside the shanty. Without thinking, she boldly strode in. Ike sat behind a makeshift desk.
“Well, you’re a sight for sore eyes.”
“Where’s Bobby?” Naomi asked. “I want to thank him for the dress.”
Ike rose and walked around the desk until he was standing in front of her. “He’s gone, sweetheart.”
“Gone?” An anvil settled in Naomi’s stomach. Surely this was a mistake.
“’Fraid so, little lady. He couldn’t stick around, but he did leave you a means home tomorrow.”
Naomi’s throat caught. He’d left her, and she’d never see him again. She wanted nothing more than to go home, but—
“Course—” Ike cleared his throat,
Naomi cringed, waiting for him to spit. He didn’t.
“There’s the matter of payment for your transport.”
“D-Didn’t Bobby take care of that?”
“In a manner of speaking.” Ike grabbed her arm. “He left me you.”
Naomi struggled, her heart racing. Bobby wouldn’t. He couldn’t. Surely Ike couldn’t mean... He’d said she reminded him of his daughter!
“And you won’t make a sound, you hear me?”
Ike’s yellow teeth glowed when he smiled. A horrible, evil smile. He lowered his head until his mouth was only inches from hers. His sour breath assaulted her, and she gagged.
“Please.” She coughed. “You can’t.”
“Oh, I can. It’s due me. Bobby promised you’d cooperate, and you will. You’ll lie down and spread those thin legs, and you absolutely will not scream. Or I’ll slit that pretty alabaster throat of yours. Do we understand each other?”