Chapter Twelve
Cash sat outside the sheriff’s office the following morning, watching farmers and ranchers come in for supplies or visit the bank. By late Friday afternoon, the town would be busy with miners and cowboys collecting their pay and celebrating at either the Dixie or the Rose. Gabe, Beau, and he stayed alert Friday afternoon through Saturday night. He doubted it would change when Gabe and Lena moved into their new home in a few months. Unless he quit his job as sheriff to focus on helping with the hotel and its growing business.
“Deputy.” Silas tipped his hat, stopping in front of Cash’s chair. “I wanted to thank you and the others again for helping with the situation with John. I don’t know what would’ve happened if you three weren’t in town.”
Just then, the door opened and Beau stepped outside, a cup of coffee in his hand. “Good morning, Silas.”
“Beau.”
“Silas stopped by to thank us for helping him with John.” It always surprised Cash the way people thanked them for doing their job.
“No need for thanks, Silas. That’s what we’re here for. Do you want some coffee?” Beau asked, grabbing a nearby chair, the legs scraping against the boardwalk as he pulled it forward.
“Not this morning. John asked me to meet him at the other end of town and I’m already late. I’ll see you boys around.” Silas took off, leaving Cash and Beau to stare after him.
“What do you think that’s about?” Beau sipped his coffee, his gaze following Silas.
“I’ve no idea.”
A few minutes later, they had their answer. John and Silas sat atop a wagon filled with Chinese men and at least one woman, passing in front of them as it headed toward the lumber mill.
“What the…” Cash’s voice trailed off as he and Beau stood, following the wagon to the end of the street.
“What’s going on here, Silas?” Beau asked.
“Seems John sent word to some of his friends up north at Cave Gulch. With the closing of the mine, they had no way to make a living.” Silas waved his arms in the air. “I don’t know what he expects me to do with them. I’ve got all the help I need.”
“Looks to be five men and one woman.” Beau noted how they all huddled together in the wagon, talking amongst themselves, John sitting in a prominent place in the middle of the group.
“You may have yourself a problem, Silas. Did you say anything to John about hiring more people?” Cash rubbed the short stubble on his jaw and chin. “Guess we could ask around, see if anyone needs help.”
“What’s going on?”
The men turned to see Gabe ride up behind them on Blackheart, the stallion he’d owned since he joined the Union Army. Dismounting, he walked closer, noticing the people in the wagon.
“Seems like Silas’s helper, John, told his friends in Cave Gulch there were jobs in Splendor. So…” Cash nodded toward the six newcomers.
“So they decided to come.” Gabe would’ve laughed if the situation weren’t so precarious. Tension against the Chinese ran high in many towns. The fact they took jobs at far reduced wages, worked long hours in dismal conditions, never complained, and lived on little food and less sleep prompted many mine owners and those funding the railroads to hire them over immigrants from Europe, the traditional workers in these industries.
“Silas doesn’t have any jobs. Noah’s decided to hire help, but he needs someone with experience in a livery, working a forge, and doctoring horses. I doubt any of the people in the wagon could handle it.” Reluctantly, Cash strolled over to the wagon. “John, do any of them speak English?”
“No one here speaks English but me, Mr. Cash.” John stood, gesturing toward his friends. “But they work hard. You know of jobs?”
“Sorry, John. I only know of one, and that’s with Noah Brandt at the livery. He’s going to be real picky about who uses his equipment and tends the horses he takes in. I can ask around, but you’ll need to find them a place to live. And they’ll need to find work soon.”
“What kind of work do they want?” Gabe strolled up behind Cash, Beau standing a couple feet away.
“They are miners, Sheriff. This man, Zhao, is good with animals. This man, Wu, is a cook.”
“And the woman?” Gabe stared at the woman cowering behind the men.
“Li is a serving girl.” John’s gaze darted away from Gabe, telling the sheriff what he suspected.
“We’ll ask around, but you need to find them a place to stay. I’m warning you. There will be some people in town who aren’t going to like the fact you brought them here.” Gabe turned toward Cash and Beau. “Cash, check with Stan. See if he needs any help at his store. And you might as well check with Alison. She seems to be getting pretty busy.”
“Gabe, I don’t think—”
“Just ask her, Cash. You don’t have to stick around afterwards. Beau, you ask around with the other merchants. I’ll talk to Nick and Lena and the local ranchers. Spring is almost here so they may need some help.”
Cash turned abruptly, heading toward the general store, muttering words Gabe was certain he didn’t want to hear.
“You know, I can talk to Alison instead of Cash.” Beau glanced over his shoulder at his friend, knowing the last person Cash wanted to see was Alison.
“You could, but that wouldn’t get them together, would it?”
“Anyone ever call you an evil man, Colonel Evans?” Beau joked, although he struggled to find any humor in Cash’s situation.
“Only those who reported to me during the war, Captain.” Gabe still found it surprising how men who fought for the South, such as the Pelletiers, Cash, and Beau, could become such close friends of an ex-Union colonel. Maybe it was their way of putting the destruction behind them. Or perhaps it was their desire to start a new life and forget the prejudices and hatred of the past. Either way, he felt fortunate to live in a town where men from both sides could work together.
Cash’s exasperation with Gabe built the closer he got to the general store. He didn’t mind talking to Stan, letting him know about the people John brought into town. The same request to speak to Alison caused a different reaction and had him seething. His friend, and boss, knew what he asked of Cash, knew he could have sent Beau instead, yet still went ahead and ordered him to face her.
The problem wasn’t that he didn’t like her. The problem was he liked her too much—to a point he couldn’t sleep at night without dreaming of her and wanting her. He’d woken up more than once with his bed soaked from vivid images of them together. Being around her made the desire worse, threatening the tenuous control he forced himself to maintain. And the reasons for such tight restraint centered on the suspicions he held about her past. He’d almost thrown those suspicions away when he’d seen her and Clay at supper. Anger and jealousy had flared fast and intense until he’d wanted to pull the man out of his chair and toss him out the door. Not that he could. Clay stood about as tall and weighed as much as Cash. At best, it might be an even match.
Stomping his feet on the boardwalk to rid his boots of dirt, he pushed the door open and stepped inside the general store, coming face-to-face with the man he’d been cursing—Clay McCord.
“What can I do for you, Deputy?” Clay stepped away from a table where he’d been rearranging items, and faced Cash, his features watchful and wary.
“Is Stan around?”
“He left to take care of something at home. I’ll be glad to give him a message, or you can come back in about an hour.”
“Giving you the message will do.” Cash explained about the Chinese workers, asking Clay to pass the information along to Stan.
“I’ll be glad to tell him. I doubt he’ll hire anyone right now, but I’ve been wrong before.”
Seemed like a good time to bring up the fact Clay had been wrong to step between Alison and him. He’d stepped over a line most men wouldn’t when it came Cash. Yet, in a way, he couldn’t blame Clay. Cash hadn’t expressed his feelings to Alison, and he didn’t know how she felt about him. The fact she’d let Clay escort her to supper didn’t bode well for them continuing to see each other. And Cash had no one to blame but himself. His actions had said as much as any words, pushing her away, causing her to believe he held no feelings for her. Nothing could be further from the truth. The problem didn’t lie with Alison herself. His instincts were the culprit, ripping him apart as he searched for answers he could accept. Answers that may not surface for weeks or months.
“Fair enough. Have him talk to Silas or John at the lumber mill if he does need help. They’ll know where the men are staying.” Turning, he grabbed the door handle, halting at Clay’s words.
“She’s a real nice lady, Cash. Any man would be honored to court her.”
“Are you courting her?” Cash ground out, not turning to look at Clay.
“No. I made it clear that as long as she has feelings for you, I’d stay away.” Clay walked up next to him, pinning him with a look Cash couldn’t quite decipher. “But if you decide to back off, I’ll be at her door before you have a chance to change your mind.” He stepped away, never taking his gaze off Cash.
Cash nodded once, then left, closing the door behind him.
“Thank you, Mrs. Burns. This is just what I wanted.”
“You’re quite welcome, Mrs. Ivie. I hope your daughter likes it, as well.” Alison followed her to the front door, holding it open as she left. When she tried to push the door closed again, a hand stopped her. Looking up, her breath hitched. Cash stood on the boardwalk, his arm extended, keeping the door open.
“Good morning, Alison.”
Her heart beat a fast rhythm as her gaze wandered from his hat to the star on his chest. A thrill passed through her, the beginnings of a smile forming…until she remembered he hadn’t been to visit her in a week. The joy at seeing him faded.
“Cash. What are you doing here?” She didn’t step aside to allow him entry. Instead, she moved forward, blocking his path.
He let out a deep sigh, not moving his hand from the door. “May I come inside?”
“There’s no need. Say what you came to say, then leave.”
“I came for two reasons, Alison. This will only take a couple minutes.” His gaze settled on the wary expression in her eyes, then wandered down to her full, red lips. The lump in his throat increased as he waited for her response.
“I’ll give you two minutes.” Yanking the door open, she moved aside, letting him pass. Closing the door, letting her back rest against it, she worked to keep her breathing normal and even. It wouldn’t do her any good for him to see how much his presence affected her. How much she’d missed him.
Taking several paces away, he leaned his hip against a table, setting his hat aside.
“Gabe asked me to stop by to see if you might need any help.”
Her brows crunched together. “Help?”
“A group of Chinese workers came to town and are looking for work. They’ve been working the mines up north at Cave Gulch. It closed down, so they moved south. We’re spreading the word in case anyone needs some help.”
Her heart sank. She’d thought he’d come by to see her, explain why he hadn’t sought her company, maybe even ask her to supper. Instead, he’d come at the order of the sheriff.
“You can thank Gabe for thinking of me, but I don’t need any help. If that’s all…” She pushed from the door, ready to open it.
“There’s something else.”
“And what would that be?”
Cash dropped his gaze from hers, focusing on a gouge in the wooden floor, wondering why this was so hard. He’d rather face a bank robber than expose his feelings to a woman. And Alison wasn’t just any woman. The desire drawing him to her wouldn’t subside, no matter how hard he set his mind to it. Each day he missed her more, needing to see her smile, hear her laugh. Pushing her away hadn’t helped at all.
“I’ve missed you,” he breathed out, looking up, watching her eyes widen.
“I don’t know why. I’ve been right here every day, a few doors away from the jail.” Even as she spoke the words, her feet carried her toward him.
“True.”
She shook her head, confusion taking over the irritation she’d felt at his arrival. “I don’t understand.”
He reached out, waiting until she took the last few steps to stand in front of him, touching her fingers to his. Threading his fingers through hers, he tugged her closer.
“I’m not an easy person, Allie. I’ve never believed in happy endings or felt the desire to settle down.” He closed his eyes, searching for the words, allowing her time to stop his confession.
Her chest tightened at his use of her nickname. The one her family and friends in Kentucky used. Odd, but the sound of it from his lips made her feel as if she were home.
Opening his eyes, his gaze locked on hers. “Trouble is, I can’t stop thinking about you. I want you more than I’ve ever wanted any woman. Staying away hasn’t helped. The more I try, the more I need to be near you. Does that make any sense? Or have I completely lost my mind?”
A shaky laugh escaped as she tightened her grip. “You may have lost your mind, but that’s not for me to decide. However, you do make sense.” Her lips curved upward as her face softened.
Moving his other hand behind her back, he drew her closer until they were a breath apart.
She tensed at the intimacy. Even though they’d shared several kisses, this felt more personal, more familiar. The passion she felt for Cash thrilled and scared her. He thought she was a widow, experienced. It couldn’t be further from the truth.
Feeling her stiffen, he loosened his hold, allowing her to step away. She didn’t. Instead, she settled her hands on his arms and waited.
“Unless you say different, I’m still courting you, Allie. I’ve been a fool, trying to ignore my feelings for you. No longer.” Tilting her chin up with a finger, he studied her face. “All right?”
Words wouldn’t come, as if some magical force had claimed her, rendering her speechless. Instead, she nodded, watching as he drew her closer.
“I’m going to kiss you.”
Again, all she could do was nod, closing her eyes. A moment later, his warm lips brushed across hers, igniting a heat she didn’t know how to control. Her body began to tremble, her heart pounding as he traced her lips with his tongue, seeking entry. Opening for him, her mind began to spin when he delved inside. A voice in her head warned her to back away, break the kiss. Ignoring it, she moved her hands to the back of his head, threading her fingers through his hair, drawing him down.
A deep groan signaled his approval. His arms became a band of steel around her, tightening, as if he planned to never let her go. Splaying his hands on her back, he pressed their bodies closer, feeling the fire from her flow into him. He couldn’t get close enough, and this wasn’t the time or place to take it further. Breaking the kiss, he sucked in a ragged breath, setting her a few inches away.
“What I want to do to you can’t be done in the middle of your shop.” He grinned, watching her glazed expression take in his meaning.
Stepping away, she touched a finger to her lips, certain she could still feel the vibrations from their kiss. “I, um… That was…”
He almost chuckled at the stunned look on her face. “Yes, it was, and we aren’t done, Allie.” Straightening, he picked up his hat, touching his lips to her forehead. “I’m taking you to supper tonight.” Watching her expression, he waited.
Finding her voice, her lips parted. “I’d like that.”