Banking on Temperance (16 page)

• • •

Temperance placed her fingers on her stomach in an attempt to calm herself as she stood in the kitchen while waiting for her orders to come up. Jake Shelton, her last possible hope for getting on a wagon train come spring, was in the restaurant! Basil told her he was going to be on the lookout for a trustworthy man who could help her family fulfill the dream of getting to Oregon. Jake must be that man. Why else would Basil bring him to the restaurant and introduce them? And Jake was even more handsome close up than he’d been when she’d seen him from across the street, the night she and Basil were at the tavern.

Thankfully, Jake didn’t know it was her who was with Basil that night. Certainly, she didn’t want his first impression of her to be that of a young boy. She needed to garner his interest in her as a woman. And in a hurry. Temperance straightened her spine and lifted her chin. She’d have to pull out all her charm while serving them, to make certain he noticed her.

Did she have any charm? The night she spent with Basil during the snowstorm, she had begged him with her eyes to come to her. They locked gazes for a long minute before she turned away in disappointment, unable to rouse him to do her bidding. Obviously, any allure she once had was diluted at best by her rough, serviceable dress, her callused hands, and her perpetual exhaustion.

The family had moved into its new quarters once Ginger and baby Samuel were able to leave. While it didn’t take long to move their meager possessions out of the soddy, it seemed there was a lot to do to prepare the hunter’s cabin for winter.

When Temperance wasn’t cleaning the bank, serving meals at the restaurant, or cooking meals at home, she was out in the woods, swinging an axe alongside her brother, trying to collect enough firewood to see them through the harsh winter months. It was only December, and there were several long, cold months yet to go before spring arrived. The sounds of logs being split ripped through the air daily from the rear of the cabin. The activity was building up Temperance’s arm muscles, but she fell into bed each night even more tired than the night before.

She patted her hair into place. It insisted on coming out of its bun, regardless of how many pins she used. Tendrils were always hanging about her face. Yet another reason for Jake not to take notice of her.

With a sigh, she placed their meals on her tray and headed back out into the dining hall. She’d do her best.

She positioned their dinners in front of them. Mounds of fluffy mashed potatoes, with a center well of melted butter, and thick, juicy steaks topped with fried onions were served with green beans, creating a hearty, fragrant dinner for the pair of men. Jake took a whiff of the plate before he glanced up at her, and smiled. She drew in her breath. She thought he was a handsome man before — devilishly handsome was the way Ginger described him — but my, oh my, when he smiled, dimples showed in his cheeks and his good looks were magnified. Temperance was glad her tray was empty, since her arms suddenly were weak. She smiled back at him, which prompted him to question her.

“How are you liking St. Louis so far?”

“The town is fine, and the people here have been most helpful, especially Mr. Fitzpatrick and his sister. But it’s not my family’s final destination. We are looking forward to joining up with a wagon train in the spring and heading out for Oregon.”

“Is that a fact? Just so happens I’m here to form my next train and get our supplies together. Maybe we can talk about your family joining up. Have you made plans already for the Christmas dance?”

Temperance glanced at him in confusion. Her eyes darted between the two men. Basil’s gaze was on the table. He refused to look at her.

“I have no plans yet for the Christmas dance, sir.”

“Well, then, would you care to accompany me? We can discuss your family’s plans, and have some fun, at the same time.”

Her gaze flitted again to Basil. He didn’t meet her eyes. She took a deep breath.

“I’d be honored to accompany you, Mr. Shelton. Thank you for the invitation.”

Jake reached out and took her hand in his. “Please, call me Jake.”

She pulled her hand away slowly. “All right then, Jake. I’ll see you soon.”

Temperance had to control her body as she walked out of the room, and back to the kitchen. She wanted to dance, to skip, to turn cartwheels. Instead, she executed what she thought was a dignified exit from the room, leaving the two men to their meal. Without a doubt, Jake was Basil’s choice for her to join on the wagon train next spring. Basil must have discussed her family’s need with him before they got to the public house. Why else would he bring up the topic and ask her to a dance?

This was her last possible chance to fulfill her father’s wish for the family, and she was going to have to work extra hard to make Jake see her as someone who would be a valuable addition to the train. She was well aware of the problems her family’s wagon would bring with it, and she must find a way to prove that none of it was of great consequence. Even if it meant marrying Jake, she’d figure out some way to get her family moved. They were depending on her, and she could not disappoint them.

Basil hoped the falling darkness would mask his foul mood. As he and Jake rode the few miles back to town, Basil’s thoughts swirled around him as if they were a cloak. Or a thundercloud. How could she? After all they’d been through, after that heated snowy night in the apartment, after he instructed her on how to impersonate a man, what did she do? At the first opportunity, she threw everything they had away for a chance with Jake! He shifted in his saddle and took a long look at his rival for Temperance’s affections.

Jake was a rugged outdoorsman. Tall and tanned, with a shock of wheat-colored hair, which was cut longer than Basil’s. He supposed Jake could be considered a good-looking man. On some of the nights when they were on the prowl together, he smiled as the ladies swooned at the sight of Jake’s elusive dimples. But, dammit, he was a good-looking man himself! He’d never had trouble attracting a lady before. But then, he never got to know one first as a friend. What a fatal mistake that had been with Temperance. Perhaps she merely considered him as a friend and protector to her family, nothing more.

Lord knows, he hadn’t revealed his true feelings to her, other than a few kisses, so what else could he expect? What were his true feelings, anyway? He couldn’t figure out what he wanted with her. Yes, he wanted her — desperately. And she wanted him as well. But he wanted a mistress and she wanted a husband who would take her family to Oregon. Right now, he had a friendship with her, and it was a struggle each time he came into contact with her to keep their relationship platonic.

But it now appeared that he didn’t need to bother, since he’d just introduced her, quite stupidly, to the one man in town who could get her family where she thought they needed to go. He had never worked so hard on a relationship before, and it was time to give it up and move on to someone else, especially if she could toss him over so quickly. Obviously Temperance didn’t care about him. He misread her intentions the night they spent together in his apartment.

“I’m afraid you have a leg up on me, Bas,” Jake’s voice boomed out into the night.

Jerked from his dark thoughts, Basil replied, “What do you mean?”

“With that little sprite back at the restaurant. She’s evidently been in town for a couple of months, and seems particularly fond of you, so you must know at least the basic details. Fill me in.”

“I, uh, don’t really know her much at all.” Not at all, he thought, judging from the way she acted tonight. “And I wouldn’t say she’s fond of me. It just happened that her father fainted in my bank the first day they were here, so we kind of got thrown together.”

“What does she do here in town?”

“She cleans the bank a few times a week, and works at the restaurant.”

“So, she’s a hard worker, from the sound of it. That’s good, at least. I had a woman on the wagon train this past year who was obviously a high-bred easterner. She took great offense to being asked to help with the cooking.”

Despite his foul mood, Basil smiled. He imagined his sisters back in New York being on the wagon train and being in the same position.

“So what did you do?”

“I told her only the women who cook can eat. I let her starve for a day or two. It’s amazing how quickly an empty belly can change a person’s mind. By the end of the trip, she had abandoned her corset and was collecting buffalo chips, which are used for fuel, in her apron along with the rest of the women. I had fun teasing her about what an Indian woman would think when she came across the abandoned corset. She might try to make a headdress out of it.”

“Was she traveling alone?”

“Hell, no. Her husband was with her, and even though he was from back east too, he at least was willing to pitch in and do his share. I told you I don’t take women on my trains unless they’re chaperoned by a strong man or two.”

Basil’s dark cloud lifted a bit. So he didn’t need to immediately worry that Temperance had found a way to get her family to Oregon. But the mere fact that she accepted Jake’s offer to accompany him to the Christmas dance made Basil wonder if her feelings for him were on the wane. Or if she’d ever harbored any feelings for him at all.

He pondered the very real possibility that her family could decide, come spring, that they were content to stay in St. Louis. Then, he would have to watch Temperance be wooed, not only by Jake but by other men in town, since she certainly wouldn’t be single for long. Women were a rare commodity in the West, even in civilized St. Louis. At least the kind of woman you wouldn’t mind introducing to your mother. He shook his head.

You’ve outlived your usefulness to her. She’s got an income now, and her family has a decent enough place to live, thanks to you. I guess she’s moving on. Get used to it.

• • •

Jake stole a glance at Basil’s face in the increasing darkness. He was not surprised to see a bit of anger there. Over the past two years, they had engaged in a friendly competition to see which man could first capture the attentions of any available women in town. So far, it had been almost an even draw, with some of the ladies captivated by Basil’s good manners and well-bred charms and others intrigued by the rugged outdoorsman looks of Jake. They seemed especially drawn to his sun-kissed wheat-colored hair, and his dimples. The ladies had a weakness for them, so he made certain they flashed in his cheeks a lot on the nights he and Basil were out together.

So, this latest entry into St. Louis’s small pool of obviously respectable women intrigued him. Basil had a head start on him — at least by five months, according to his calculations — and hadn’t been able yet to lay claim to her. It wasn’t at all Basil’s typical behavior to take his time with a woman, so it was an intriguing situation to Jake. It would provide great sport over the winter, to try to woo Temperance away from Basil. It was time for Jake to take over.

He welcomed the challenge. It was a long time between now and when he’d head out again for the West, and he needed a distraction. The pursuit of Miss Jones would be a great way to fill his time between now and April.

While he took care of the business of getting fifty wagons lined up for his train in the spring, stored the necessary supplies, and tracked down some decent men to act as his assistants, he’d also be taking care of his own needs. Having a good girl to escort to places such as the Christmas dance would serve him well in the community. Although the dance hall girls he normally favored were allowed to mingle with the upright citizens of town at the dance, accompanying a respectable woman around town would help his reputation substantially.

He depended on the businessmen in town to get supplies in for his wagons, and to direct people his way. If they noticed him making an effort to spend time with the “correct” segment of the population, they would not hesitate to recommend him to any people looking for a wagon train. Yes, little Miss Jones had the ability to help his reputation substantially. He ran a hand over his chin as he pondered the upcoming dance.

Jake was aware of Temperance’s agenda. She wanted to hook onto a train come spring. So she had her agenda and he had his. He grinned as his horse trotted beside Basil’s. Jake was eager to see which agenda would come out on top.

“Give me a little background on the Jones family, Bas, if you will. I need to be able to talk to the girl about something when we go to the dance together.” Jake wanted to goad Basil a bit. And it worked.

“You can find out for yourself, Jake. I’ve got better things to do than to talk about Temperance.”

“Ah, come on. It’s dark, I’m tired, these nags smell rank, and I need you to do something besides be a grump in your saddle. Entertain me while we head on home.”

“For God’s sake, Jake. If you’re so interested in her, ask her, not me.”

“How old is she? She looks really young.”

“Eighteen.”

“All right. Now we’re getting somewhere. So she’s of marriageable age. That’s good. I wouldn’t want to be accused of entertaining a young girl.”

Basil swung his head in Jake’s direction. “She’s a good girl, Jake, not the kind you usually keep company with.”

Jake nodded. “And that’s exactly why she’s so appealing. Being seen with a lady who has a decent reputation will help me in my dealings with the town.”

“Just make sure you keep her reputation decent.”

“A bit angry, are you? Care to place our usual bet on her? Five dollars says I’ll win her hand before you will.”

“And what will you do with her hand once you win it? Are you going to take her family to Oregon and leave her there while you come back to St. Louis? What’s the point?”

“You’re right, and it’s something I need to consider. Because I will win. She’s a pretty lady, so I’m up to the challenge. But I certainly don’t want her on my train, so I’ll have to figure out what to do with her once I have her. And have her, I will.”

Basil did not reply.

• • •

The entire Jones family, including the very youngest ones, drove into town for the Christmas dance. They used the old wagon to transport the large brood, and, despite the chill in the air, their mood was festive. The Jones family hadn’t shared an outing since leaving Pennsylvania. Good-natured laughter rang out and their voices blended as they sang Christmas carols.