Boot Hill Bride (25 page)
aloud, so she shook her head.
His hands covered her shoulders, and he used the hold to
twist her toward him. "Why not?"
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She shrugged, still unable to speak.
"Randi." He tipped her head up by placing one finger
beneath her chin. His eyes were serious, extremely solemn. "I
won't give your father one red cent."
She nodded. "I know, and I don't want you to. I'm sorry
he asked. I was going to tell him not to expect anything, but I
was too busy..." The blood rushing into her cheeks made her
pause.
"Too busy doing what?" he asked.
"Thinking how much I love you. How wonderful my life is
with you."
He didn't say a word as his finger traced the outline of her
face. The touch, soft and caring, was enough to make the
tears form again.
"I'm so very sorry," she said.
"You have nothing to be sorry about," he said. "Your father
didn't ask me for any money."
"He didn't?" she asked, searching his face, looking for the
truth.
His eyes, though still shadowed, held a touch of glimmer
way in the back. "No, he didn't." He leaned forward, pressed
his lips to her forehead. "I love you, too."
She leaned in, absorbing the warmth of his caress.
"I would give up everything I have for you." He set her
back a touch, gazed down at her. "But not to your father. I
can't support his political beliefs. I might as well burn down
the hotel."
She bit her lip, not sure what to say.
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He let out a long sigh. "But, that's not going to happen.
And it's not for you to worry about. I'll take care of it."
Her mind spun a million miles an hour. If her father hadn't
asked for money, what had he asked that had upset Howard
so? "I wish I wasn't such a disappointment to you."
He frowned. "Nothing about you is a disappointment to
me."
"What I said before is true. I've never hosted a party."
"So? Neither have I. I'm sure we'll learn as we go." He
pulled her close again, brushed a kiss to the top of her hair.
The simple touch, his nearness, made the walls of her
heart swell. "Really?"
"Yes, really."
She pulled back a touch and looked up at him. "I do love
you, and I'll do anything, everything I can to prove it to you."
His hands slipped from her shoulders, roamed up and
down her arms, and the glimmer in his eyes grew stronger.
"You don't have to prove it to me. I know you love me.
Just as I love you," he finished in a whisper, lowering his face.
His kiss consumed her, led her into a world where no one
but she and he existed.
By the time the kiss ended, the Dodge House, her father,
even Belinda had flown out of her mind, floated away like the
seeds of a dandelion. She reached up, began to unbutton his
suit jacket.
"I'm glad we came home early."
His fingers went to her hair, and one by one, he plucked
out the pins, letting them fall to the thick carpet beneath their
feet.
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"So am I," he whispered before his mouth captured hers
again.
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Howard knew it would happen and shouldn't have been
surprised, still the commotion outside jolted his body upright.
Beside him, snuggled beneath the covers and encompassed in
the haven of slumber he'd been in seconds ago, Randi rolled
over. Flipping the covers aside, he padded barefoot across the
carpet and out the bedroom door to one of the front room
windows.
Throbbing, his gullet rose, blocking his windpipe while the
heaviness of known dread covered his shoulders like a heavy
winter coat. A good two dozen men had gathered below along
with their horses and a few wagons. The street was full. They
shouted amongst themselves, gesturing toward his building.
He twisted and hurried to the bedroom to get dressed
before addressing his lynching party. It had been inevitable,
so why was he shocked? In a matter of seconds, he was
dressed and leaving the room. Howard paused for a split
second, glancing back to the bed. It had been his choice, from
the moment he'd realized Thurston Fulton was her father,
he'd known if he stayed married to her this moment would
come.
He pulled the door closed and moved across the front
room to the door that would lead him below. It had been the
right choice. She meant more to him than anything else on
earth. If needed, they'd start over. Somewhere other than
Dodge—that is if he lived long enough for their marriage to
last longer than the past month.
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Bug and Snake met him as he stepped off the stairway,
the back door still swinging open from their rush inside.
"What's going on?" Bug asked.
He pushed his way around them, walking to the foyer.
"I'm assuming my dinner at the Dodge House with a
member of the Populist Party made the front page of the
paper this morning."
"Aw, shit," Snake said, walking beside him. "I wish Kid was
here."
"Well, he's not," Howard said, wishing his oldest brother
was here as well. "You boys don't have to come with me."
"Like hell we don't," Bug said, clicking open the chamber of
his six-shooter and stuffing in brass plated bullets before
sliding the gun back into his holster.
All three of them, shoulder to shoulder, walked out the
double front doors and down the steps. The crowd, quite
rambunctious, mellowed a touch, and Howard silently thanked
his brothers for flanking him. Steps as sequenced as a line of
soldiers, he and Snake and Bug strode to the edge of the
street.
"Morning, George." Howard nodded to the ex-sheriff.
George Hinkle was a friend of the family, and Howard was
willing to accept any allowances the relationship may provide.
Hinkle was a born peacemaker, and Howard felt the town had
suffered a loss when George, after marrying the local school
teacher, chose not to run for reelection. He had yet to meet
Pat Sughrue, Hinkle's replacement, hadn't had a need—up
until now that is.
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George tipped the edge of his hat to each of them. "Hog,
Snake, Bug."
"What's going on out here?" Howard asked, playing
ignorance.
George stepped forward, handed Howard a newspaper.
The headlines, a good two inches tall, leaped from the
page.
Owner of New Hotel a Populist.
His temples pounded.
Howard handed the paper to Snake and turned to the crowd.
"Hell, George, you know me. You know all of us. Kid's the
President of the Stockgrowers Association. You can't believe
I'm a Populist."
George shrugged. "Thurston Fulton claims the Quinter's
are his relatives. And some of his biggest supporters."
Howard clenched his jaw, there was no use lying.
"Thurston Fulton is my father-in-law—"
The crowd began to roar, obscenities flew through the air.
Men slapped their hats against their legs and overall let it be
known how disgusting they found his statement.
Rubbing the back of his neck, George stepped closer and
dipped his head.
"That's quite an alliance."
Howard grimaced. "You think I don't know that?"
"Could be enough to get yourself hanged."
"Yeah, I know."
Shocked to find half the bed empty, since the sun wasn't
even completely filling the sky yet, Randi scooted out from
beneath the covers.
"Howard?" she asked, walking toward the door. The eerie
feeling of knowing she was alone in their room tickled her
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spine. She stopped before opening the door to quickly throw
on her underclothes and a day dress.
Voices floated through the window as she stepped into the
front room, drawing her to the panes of glass. A large crowd
lined the street. Looking none to friendly, the group stood in
the middle of the road, facing off against three men near the
edge. Her heart somersaulted and landed in the pit of her
stomach with a solid thud when the familiar shapes of
Howard, Snake, and Bug registered.
Thrusting the door open, she tore down the stairs,
stumbling to a halt only when she ran smack dab into
someone.
"Hold up there, girl." Ma caught her with both hands.
Randi tried to bolt around the other woman. "What's going
on out there?"
Ma held her ground, wouldn't let her pass. "Don't rightly
know. But my boys'll take care of it."
Just then the back door flew open. Aunt Corrine, red curls
sticking out in all directions and her satin, lacy dressing gown
flapping like a cape behind her, rushed into the kitchen. Her
bright, searching eyes landed on Randi.
"Oh, Randi! Thank God you're all right!" Arms stretched
Corrine leaped across the room.
Randi had to lock her knees to keep from tumbling as
Corrine landed against her chest and wrapped arms around
her shoulders. She patted the other woman's back, and then
pushed her aunt's flyaway red curls out of her face.
"Of course I'm all right. Why wouldn't I be?"
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Corrine stepped back, pressed a hand to her bosom
dramatically. "That mob for one!" Her other hand patted
Randi's shoulder. "But don't worry, Danny's out there, he
won't let them hurt Hog."
Air refused to move out of her lungs, no matter how hard
she gasped, air wouldn't go in or out. Danny J hadn't been
able to protect himself from being shot, let alone someone
else. She glanced to Ma, wanting the other woman to say
something, anything.
Air finally flowed in, and Randi grabbed Corrine's arm.
"Hurt Howard? Why? Who?"
Corrine looked around the kitchen area still very much
under construction. "Is there a place we can sit down?" she
asked, her gaze stopping on Ma.
Ma gestured toward the stairs and took Randi's arm.
"Come on, let's go upstairs."
Randi shook her head. "No, I—"
"There's nothing we can do out there. Come on." Ma
nodded toward Corrine who took a hold of Randi's other arm.
Between the two women, one tugging and one pushing,
Randi didn't have a choice but to trudge up the stairs. Once
they stepped through the doorway, she broke loose and ran
to the window. The mob had grown, flowed a distance down
the road. Howard, Snake, and Bug still stood near the front of
the property, two other men, one she recognized as Danny J,
stood near them. No one had their guns drawn, which she
hoped, was a good sign.
Behind her Corrine screeched, "Oh, my goodness, Randi!
This place is gorgeous!"
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Pulling her gaze from the street, she twisted. "What is
going on? Why are all those men here?"
Corinne patted the back of the settee. "Come sit down."
Randi shook her head.
Corrine held something out in one hand. Randi took a final
glance out the window. No one had moved, so she walked
across the room, took a newspaper out of Corrine's grasp.
The large headline across the front made her plop onto the
couch while she scanned the rest of the article. Her father
was quoted as saying he was related to the Quinter family,
and that they financially supported his campaign and his
plans of reform including the alliance with the railroads.
Randi read the article a second time, but still didn't
understand the crowd on the street. She lifted her gaze to her
aunt.
Corrine frowned, her eyes extremely sad. "You have no
idea, do you?"
Randi watched as her aunt walked around to take the seat
next to her.
"No," she admitted.
Corrine flounced her dressing gown, twisted and tugged on
her pantaloons until everything was situated before she
began, "I don't know what your mother told you over the
years, but what I am about to say is the truth."
"Mama?" Randi asked. How could her mother have
anything to do with all this?
One of Corrine's hands patted her cheek. "Your mother
was so young when you were born, barely fourteen, much too
young to have a child."
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"No, she was—"
Corinne pressed a finger against Randi's lips. "Randilynn,
what I'm saying is the truth."
Randi nodded, figuring it didn't matter how old Mama was,
she was gone now.
Her aunt took the newspaper, pointed to the headline.
"The real reason I had to hide you at Danny J's wasn't
because I was afraid he'd make you work for him. Danny's
not like that, he'd never make a woman do something she