[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
.The doors swung shut behind them.If Judge Adams had any idea of what had just happened, he obviously didn’t care.Nate was left with the question of whether or not the judge suspected Brand’s daughter had been among those women.He hurried to the jail to get Brand’s few possessions, including the coins he’d had in his pockets, then followed to give them to him and make sure he got his horse.There was some discrepancy over the amount Brand owed Wade Reed for stabling the black, but Brand grudgingly paid it and rode out of town.Back at the Shady Lady, the piano and banjo players were performing a lively tune, and the judge was watching as Mollie danced with Mr.Ulrich.The man’s cheeks were pink, and he held himself stiffly.Mayor Gibbs had settled down to a game of cards with Doc Umber, who’d shown up while Nate was gone.Two of the girls sat with them, and one lit the mayor’s cigar with a match.Beside the dance floor, Judge Adams clapped his hands and bounced one foot on the floor in time to the music.“You sure you don’t want to dance?” the woman with the accent asked him.“Oh, Helena, my knees wouldn’t last the day if I danced.And I still have to do some traveling.Show me a Polish dance.”“Not to this music.”“To something else, then.”“No, it makes me too sad.”Judge Adams looked to Nate.“Did you know Helena was an actress back in her country of Poland?”Nate shook his head.“Back east, too, isn’t that right?” the judge asked.She nodded.“A long time ago.”“How did you come to be here?” Nate asked.The pretty woman looked at him.“I trusted a man,” she said.“He was involved with bringing opium into the country, and he made it look as though I was the one.It took all my savings and more to defend myself.I lost everything and ended up working for Antoinette Powell, the woman who once owned the bordello next door.”“I remember those days fondly.” In a few words, the judge revealed his connection to this woman in another capacity.Helena looked away, but then seemed to gather her courage and faced both men.“That was another life.I have a different life now.It’s good.”So far Nate hadn’t seen a thing that indicated there was anything other than dancing, poker and drinking going on in this establishment.But he now knew firsthand that Lily Divine was a master at deception.He had no doubt that she was hiding everything she didn’t want him to see.He moved to stand in front of the bar, and his gaze was drawn to the painting on the back wall.He’d glanced at it before but hadn’t wanted to stare while the room was filled with patrons.Now he took a good look and recognized Lily.A slow heat started inside and worked its way to his extremities.Lily…naked.He couldn’t say he’d never imagined Lily without her clothes on.She was a beautiful woman, and he was a man.But until today he’d fought back every last thought of her as a woman and worked hard to see her as a business owner, someone he had to deal with as part of his job.There was nothing hiding her femininity in the portrait.Breasts he’d glimpsed today were proudly displayed for any and all to view.Her skin seemed to glow, and her hair looked as though she’d just been made love to.And that smile.Nate experienced it all the way to places he couldn’t afford to have involved.Lily came from the rear hallway just then, carrying a tray of sandwiches and a bowl of apples.Lily’s gaudy appearance today still startled him.Even during the evenings in which she worked in the saloon, he’d never seen her wear a costume like the other girls or known her to wear color on her face.Today’s appearance was all part of an elaborate ruse.And it had worked.The black-haired girl was conspicuously missing from the dance hall, but so were several of the others.He’d bet anything that if he went upstairs in the adjoining house at that moment, he’d find Violet in the same room she’d occupied before.Probably scrubbing her face and removing padding from her clothing.Lily set one of the tables and placed a platter of savory-smelling meat and stuffing in the center.The judge moved to take a place and eat.The saloon owner then approached Nate.She glanced from the painting to his face, her composure undisturbed.“Please join the judge.Dinner is on the house.” She studied him a moment.“You didn’t tell the judge.”“About what?”“About…anything.”“He didn’t ask about anything.”She placed her hand over the back of his then, her fingers warm and soft.She’d probably caressed a hundred men far more intimately, but regardless, his chest ached with the sweetness of her touch and the disturbing thoughts that followed.“Thank you,” she said.The shape of her lips, the feminine scent that enveloped her, the feelings she caused inside him all warred with the knowledge of who she was and how she made her living.But the fact that she wasn’t ashamed of anything about her life was what tipped his confidence.He looked at her and saw the woman in the painting.He was asking for a lot of trouble.CHAPTER FOUREACH DAY breakfast was served at ten in the kitchen of the house.After the dance hall closed, Lily’s help worked late into the night cleaning up, so their mornings didn’t start early.Occasionally there were a few hangovers, but as a general rule, none of her help drank overmuch.This morning the girls were cheerful, mostly because of the scheme they’d pulled over on Violet’s father.“I din’t say nothin’, Miss Lily,” Saul told her proudly.Lily had suffered pangs of remorse about instructing Big Saul to say nothing about Violet.She felt as though she were encouraging a child to lie, but she hadn’t been willing to risk that the big fellow would unwittingly give away Violet’s whereabouts.“It’s never good to lie, Saul, but we had to protect Violet, you understand?”He nodded.“Yes’m.”“I think we should get in the habit of addressing our newest friend by a different name, though,” Lily suggested [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl centka.pev.pl
.The doors swung shut behind them.If Judge Adams had any idea of what had just happened, he obviously didn’t care.Nate was left with the question of whether or not the judge suspected Brand’s daughter had been among those women.He hurried to the jail to get Brand’s few possessions, including the coins he’d had in his pockets, then followed to give them to him and make sure he got his horse.There was some discrepancy over the amount Brand owed Wade Reed for stabling the black, but Brand grudgingly paid it and rode out of town.Back at the Shady Lady, the piano and banjo players were performing a lively tune, and the judge was watching as Mollie danced with Mr.Ulrich.The man’s cheeks were pink, and he held himself stiffly.Mayor Gibbs had settled down to a game of cards with Doc Umber, who’d shown up while Nate was gone.Two of the girls sat with them, and one lit the mayor’s cigar with a match.Beside the dance floor, Judge Adams clapped his hands and bounced one foot on the floor in time to the music.“You sure you don’t want to dance?” the woman with the accent asked him.“Oh, Helena, my knees wouldn’t last the day if I danced.And I still have to do some traveling.Show me a Polish dance.”“Not to this music.”“To something else, then.”“No, it makes me too sad.”Judge Adams looked to Nate.“Did you know Helena was an actress back in her country of Poland?”Nate shook his head.“Back east, too, isn’t that right?” the judge asked.She nodded.“A long time ago.”“How did you come to be here?” Nate asked.The pretty woman looked at him.“I trusted a man,” she said.“He was involved with bringing opium into the country, and he made it look as though I was the one.It took all my savings and more to defend myself.I lost everything and ended up working for Antoinette Powell, the woman who once owned the bordello next door.”“I remember those days fondly.” In a few words, the judge revealed his connection to this woman in another capacity.Helena looked away, but then seemed to gather her courage and faced both men.“That was another life.I have a different life now.It’s good.”So far Nate hadn’t seen a thing that indicated there was anything other than dancing, poker and drinking going on in this establishment.But he now knew firsthand that Lily Divine was a master at deception.He had no doubt that she was hiding everything she didn’t want him to see.He moved to stand in front of the bar, and his gaze was drawn to the painting on the back wall.He’d glanced at it before but hadn’t wanted to stare while the room was filled with patrons.Now he took a good look and recognized Lily.A slow heat started inside and worked its way to his extremities.Lily…naked.He couldn’t say he’d never imagined Lily without her clothes on.She was a beautiful woman, and he was a man.But until today he’d fought back every last thought of her as a woman and worked hard to see her as a business owner, someone he had to deal with as part of his job.There was nothing hiding her femininity in the portrait.Breasts he’d glimpsed today were proudly displayed for any and all to view.Her skin seemed to glow, and her hair looked as though she’d just been made love to.And that smile.Nate experienced it all the way to places he couldn’t afford to have involved.Lily came from the rear hallway just then, carrying a tray of sandwiches and a bowl of apples.Lily’s gaudy appearance today still startled him.Even during the evenings in which she worked in the saloon, he’d never seen her wear a costume like the other girls or known her to wear color on her face.Today’s appearance was all part of an elaborate ruse.And it had worked.The black-haired girl was conspicuously missing from the dance hall, but so were several of the others.He’d bet anything that if he went upstairs in the adjoining house at that moment, he’d find Violet in the same room she’d occupied before.Probably scrubbing her face and removing padding from her clothing.Lily set one of the tables and placed a platter of savory-smelling meat and stuffing in the center.The judge moved to take a place and eat.The saloon owner then approached Nate.She glanced from the painting to his face, her composure undisturbed.“Please join the judge.Dinner is on the house.” She studied him a moment.“You didn’t tell the judge.”“About what?”“About…anything.”“He didn’t ask about anything.”She placed her hand over the back of his then, her fingers warm and soft.She’d probably caressed a hundred men far more intimately, but regardless, his chest ached with the sweetness of her touch and the disturbing thoughts that followed.“Thank you,” she said.The shape of her lips, the feminine scent that enveloped her, the feelings she caused inside him all warred with the knowledge of who she was and how she made her living.But the fact that she wasn’t ashamed of anything about her life was what tipped his confidence.He looked at her and saw the woman in the painting.He was asking for a lot of trouble.CHAPTER FOUREACH DAY breakfast was served at ten in the kitchen of the house.After the dance hall closed, Lily’s help worked late into the night cleaning up, so their mornings didn’t start early.Occasionally there were a few hangovers, but as a general rule, none of her help drank overmuch.This morning the girls were cheerful, mostly because of the scheme they’d pulled over on Violet’s father.“I din’t say nothin’, Miss Lily,” Saul told her proudly.Lily had suffered pangs of remorse about instructing Big Saul to say nothing about Violet.She felt as though she were encouraging a child to lie, but she hadn’t been willing to risk that the big fellow would unwittingly give away Violet’s whereabouts.“It’s never good to lie, Saul, but we had to protect Violet, you understand?”He nodded.“Yes’m.”“I think we should get in the habit of addressing our newest friend by a different name, though,” Lily suggested [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]