Chapter 29
By the time they reached the main road, Lucky’s thoughts had turned to their own concerns. They’d found Haig. Now they had the artist. They were making good progress. Yet he felt that time was fast running out to protect Tempest and find the Soleil Wheel. They needed to make important decisions. He drew Miko to a stop near a clump of bushes so they couldn’t be seen. Tempest and Mercy rode in close beside him.
“Mercy, are you going back to the Bend?” Lucky wished he knew more about the artist so he could judge the man better. Yet he could tell that something, or more likely someone, had hooks planted deep in him. He was being bled dry.
“Are you two going there?” Mercy asked.
“No. We’ve got business up near Fort Smith and it can’t wait,” Lucky said.
“But we’ll be going to the Bend later,” Tempest added.
“I don’t like to go back where I’ve been,” Mercy said. “I plan to keep moving onward till I drop.”
“Delaware Bend needs you,” Tempest said. “A lot of good people there are counting on you.”
“Why? Nobody even knows me.”
Lucky shook his head. “You’re famous. At least, that bar you carved in the Red River Saloon is famous. Men ride in from miles around to drink there and admire your work.”
“Do you really expect me to believe that?” Mercy asked.
“No,” Tempest said. “We’d like you to go back and see for yourself.”
“Why would I ride all that way to fix a little cut in a piece of wood?”
“It’s Lulu,” Tempest said. “Big Jim’s favorite.”
“Who?” Mercy glanced from one to the other.
“Lulu.” Lucky chuckled. “You really ought to go back and see what’s come of your artwork. All those lovely ladies you carved have been given names. Most men who drink there have chosen a favorite.”
“You’re kidding me.” Mercy started to laugh, and then laughed harder until he was gasping for breath. “That’s crazy! I just carved that bar because I was down on my luck and couldn’t pay for my whiskey.”
“It’s a lot more than that now,” Lucky said.
“Everybody’s really upset about Lulu,” Tempest explained. “She’s hurt and needs to be healed.”
“I’m not sure I can fix a chop in wood.”
“Surely you could do something,” Tempest said.
“One thing for sure,” Mercy said. “I’ve laughed more tonight than I have in years. It’s got to be worth something.”
“Is it worth going back to the Bend?” Tempest asked. “I bet you’d get a kick out of seeing the homage paid to your bar.”
“That’d be something to see.”
“There’s another thing,” Tempest said. “The town collected money for you to create an oil painting on a large canvas to hang over your bar.”
Mercy shook his head. “I haven’t painted in years. I doubt I have the skills anymore.”
“They’ve got some gold eagles waiting for you,” Lucky added. “If that’s not enough, they want the painting to be of Temperance Tempest.”
Mercy laughed again. “They want a portrait of the woman who chopped the bar to hang over it?”
“That’s right,” Lucky agreed.
“You know, that town’s becoming nigh on irresistible. I might even die laughing. That’d be a good way to go.”
“Don’t even think it,” Tempest said. “You can get help.”
“I told you I’m cursed,” Mercy said, his voice taking on an edge. “I don’t want anybody else to get tangled up in it. That’s why I’m out here alone.”
Lucky took off his hat, ran fingers through his hair, and then put his hat back in place. “Look, we can jaw about this all night, but it’s not getting us anywhere. Mercy, here’s the deal. Tempest agreed to find you, present you with the Bend’s offer, and try to get you to agree.”
“But we can see that you need more than money or a feather bed,” Tempest added. “You need that curse lifted or dismantled or sent back. Something.”
“You believe me? I mean, about the curse?” Mercy asked in a voice filled with astonishment.
“Yes,” Lucky and Tempest said in unison.
“Thanks. You almost give me a glimmer of hope.”
“Is it a deal?” Lucky asked.
Mercy nodded. “All of a sudden, I feel greedy. I want the money, the feather bed, and the hope.” He held up his hands. “But I’m not sure how much I can do.”
“If you’ll just go there and try, that’s enough,” Tempest said. “I’ll be back soon to pose for you. They’re getting a new red gown ready for me to wear for the painting.”
“You don’t need to pose for me. I’ll never forget your face and form for as long as I live.”
“Really?”
“That’s my blessing . . . and my curse.”
“I always wanted to ask,” Lucky said. “Are those images you carved into the bar based on real women?”
Mercy grinned. “A man never kisses and tells.”
“Then you’re going back?” Tempest asked.
“You talked me into it.”
“Good,” Lucky said. “When you get there, leave your horse at Manny’s Stable and go to Mama Lou’s Café. There’s a young lady there named Diana. Tell her what you told us and she may be able to help.”
“Diana?” Tempest asked. “Is she one of—”
“She reads palms,” Lucky interrupted.
Mercy chuckled again. “Now I know for sure I’m going to laugh myself right up to Boot Hill. You’re sending me to a fortune-teller.”
“She might surprise you,” Lucky said.
“Delaware Bend is turning out to be one big joke.” Mercy turned his horse west, and then glanced back. “I just hope it’s not on me.”
“Good luck!” Tempest called as he rode away.
“He’ll need it,” Lucky said.
“I wish we could do more for him at this moment.”
“He’ll get some protection in the Bend. Right now, we’ve got to take care of our own business.”
She sighed, glancing at him. “You’re right.”
“Haig is out there and coming closer all the time. We need to get to Fort Coffee before it’s too late.”
He looked at her in the moonlight. She was his Moon, his ladylove, and he felt renewed responsibility for her. And those feelings didn’t begin to address the arousal that was flooding his body. He needed to get her someplace where they could be safe and alone. And then, there’d be no turning back.