Chapter 4
Tempest watched the TSPT march away.
She felt a sinking sensation in the pit of her stomach. She desperately needed the silver dollar Mrs. Bartholomew had offered her. She should have taken it, no matter her principles. Now it was too late.
She was stuck in Delaware Bend with no money, no friends, no family, no nothing. Except a jail cell. At least she had a safe place to sleep for the night and maybe a hot meal. That’d give her a chance to come up with a plan. The TSPT had been her ticket to Indian Territory, where she had to go. Either that or return home in defeat to Jefferson, once famous as the largest inland port in Texas but now sadly in decline.
Grandma Elmira and Aunt Lamira depended on her for help. The menfolk in their family had died in the War Between the States, and the women like her mother had followed too soon. Now there were only the three of them.
If not for her affliction, she would have made a good marriage ten years ago at seventeen. Yet nobody had wanted her till a handsome stranger named Haig Colbert had come to town and captured her heart and her hand.
She’d found out the truth too late. He hadn’t wanted her. He’d wanted her family’s money. Behind her back, he’d talked Elmira and Lamira into giving him the last of their funds to invest in his business on the day he married Tempest. He hadn’t left her at the altar. He’d run out on her at the reception.
She had given Haig a year to return, bringing love and gold and happiness. Not that she’d have taken him back into her heart, but she’d have taken what he owed her elders. Yet he’d never come back. She’d been left with no choice except to obtain a divorce.
Now she must find him and get their money. If she didn’t, Elmira and Lamira would work themselves into an early grave. They’d struggled to make ends meet since he’d taken their life savings. They’d worked through the hot summer in the garden, canning vegetables, raising chickens, selling eggs, and making clothes. She’d worked alongside them, but nothing was ever quite enough.
At least now she knew Haig’s location. News had spread to Jefferson that he had become an illegal whiskey peddler in Indian Territory. He’d hurt her family and he was hurting others with his demon drink. She wanted him out of business and behind bars where he couldn’t hurt anybody else.
Yet she was in a precarious position. She’d been abandoned by the very women she’d thought would help her get to Indian Territory. She didn’t know how she was going to survive, much less find Haig.
“If you hadn’t hurt Lulu, we wouldn’t be in this mess.” Big Jim shuffled his feet. “Go on down to the Lone Star Hotel and tell Saul I sent you for a night in jail.”
“You trust me to go there?” she asked.
“I want you out of my hair.”
“If you want me in jail, you should take me there.”
“Hornswoggle!” Big Jim glanced up and down the street, as if for deliverance. “If there was any doubt why we prefer our ladies carved into a bar, this is it.”
“Let me offer a solution,” Lucky said.
“I’ve got enough disturbance on my hands without you gettin’ into the middle of it.”
“I’ll escort Miss Tempest to jail while you soothe the ruffled feathers of your patrons. They’re looking out of sorts.”
Tempest glanced around and noticed that they were the center of attention. Men watched from the front swinging doors of the Red River Saloon. Women dressed in calico listened from the boardwalk.
“I don’t mean to cause so much trouble,” she said.
“You need an escort,” Lucky said. “As word spreads, you’re going to be the most unpopular person in the Bend.”
“I better let them know she’s going to jail.” Big Jim hooked a thumb at Tempest. “Make a citizen’s arrest and get her out of sight. We don’t want a necktie party on our hands.”
“But all I did was—” Tempest said.
Big Jim snorted, and then headed for the saloon.
Lucky tipped his hat. “Miss Tempest, let’s get you off the street.”
“I suppose that’s a good idea. I’ve never had so many people so upset with me.”
She set off toward the Lone Star Hotel, not sure if she felt angry, embarrassed, or caught in a trap. Maybe she was too tired and discouraged to know what she felt. When Lucky fell into step beside her, she was glad of his presence.
“I appreciate your help,” she said. “You’ve come to my rescue twice. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” He offered her the crook of his elbow. “Let me escort you properly to the hotel.”
She clasped his arm, feeling his heat and strength. She wished she’d met him instead of Haig, but her groom had acted like a gentleman, too, so she’d learned to be cautious.
As they walked down the street together, she noticed that people stepped out of stores and saloons to watch them. She saw some point and whisper behind their hands. She felt more uneasy all the time.
“Do you make it a habit of rescuing damsels in distress?” she asked as she stepped up onto the boardwalk in front of a dry goods store.
He chuckled. “Was I rescuing you or the bar?”
“Put like that, I guess it’s a good thing you saved Aurora.” She laughed, feeling better as she released pent-up emotion. “But Prudence? That’s the last name in the world for one of those images.”
Lucky joined her laughter. “How could I not save them?”
“I don’t think they were in much danger. I couldn’t get that hatchet unstuck for the life of me.”
“You embedded it pretty deep.”
“I must have looked ridiculous.”
“No.” He put a large hand over her small one. “You looked beautiful. And righteous. That’s a potent combination.”
She felt her breath catch in her throat as she gazed up at him. A woman could drown in his whiskey-colored eyes, for he was an intoxicating mix of gentleman, gunslinger, and trickster.
“What are you really doing in Delaware Bend?” he asked.
“Excuse me?”
“A woman like you. A place like this. Makes no sense.”
“Does life always make sense?”
“Eventually, yes.”
“Let me ask you the same question. What are you doing here?”
“Waiting.”
“For a lady?”
He reached up and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “I wonder if you’re the one.”
She tossed her head, dislodged his hand, and stepped away. “You are too familiar.”
“Forgive me.” He held out his elbow again. “Allow me to escort you to your jail cell.”
She hesitated, and then tucked her hand in the crook of his arm again. She must learn to adapt. She’d stepped into a world where she didn’t know the rules, the players, or the place. She was vulnerable and knew it. Yet she wouldn’t give up.
Lucky was obviously trouble, but she was beginning to think that he was her trouble . . . if she dared to be bad.