Mail Order Bride - Westward Sunrise: Historical Cowboy Romance (Montana Mail Order Brides Book 9) (15 page)

Jake laughed.  “I see you’ve fully recovered.  I don’t think you took a breath in there at all.”

Abby chuckled.  “So may I please come back to work?  Please?”

Jake asked, “Are you sure that Elliot is fine with this?”

“Yes, but even if he wasn’t, this is my decision,” Abby said firmly.

Jake nodded.  “Okay.  Welcome back.  We’ve missed you, too.  You can start back tomorrow night.”

Abby let out one her little squeals and hurried around the desk to hug him.  “Thank you, thank you!  I’m so happy.  I’ve missed everyone.  I’ll be more careful, I promise.”  She kissed Jake’s cheek and rushed off.

When Abby arrived at Elliot’s house that afternoon, she told him about going back to work right away.

Elliot sighed and curbed his anger.  They had made a deal so he really didn’t have a right to get angry with her.  “I can’t believe he changed his mind, but congratulations, I guess.”

Abby hugged him as she thought that Ben must have worked on Jake like he said he would.  “I know you’re worried, but it’s going to be fine.  Jake is hiring a second bouncer and I’m not going to accept drinks from anyone.  I promise to be very careful.”

Elliot squeezed her tight.  He was terrified that something would happen to her.  “Okay, but just know that I’m still going to be worried.”

She nodded against his chest.  “I know.  I understand.”

As he held her, Elliot thought approving that ordinance was looking like a very good idea.

Jake’s stomach churned as he looked at Joe after what the mayor had just imparted to him.  “They want to shut me down?  They can’t do that!”

“The problem is that they can if the vote goes that way,” Joe said.  “We’re gonna have a town hall meeting about it.  We’ve already put up the notices so tomorrow night, everyone will get their chance to voice their opinions and then the council will decide.  You know how I’m going to vote so that’s no problem, but there are a few who are dead set for making this town dry.”

“What about Dean?  He’s away.  How’s that going to work?” Jake asked.  “Can you vote without him?”

“No, but I got someone to stand in for him.  Someone the council approved of,” Joe said.

“Who’s that?” Jake asked.

Joe smiled.  “Elliot.  You know how his vote will go, so it should be okay.”

Jake’s blue eyes became more vivid as anger coursed through him.  “You’re an idiot, Joe.”

“What?” Joe asked with a scowl.  “Why?”

“After what happened to Abby, he doesn’t want her working here.  He doesn’t want her around Ben, either.  He’s going to help shut us down, Joe.  You mark my words, that’s the way he’s gonna vote.  You should have talked to me before putting him on the council,” Jake said.

“Oh, damn.  I didn’t know that,” Joe said.  “Oh my, Lord.  What have I done?  It’ll be fine.  I’ll talk to him and make him see what a big mistake it would be to approve that ordinance.” 

“You’d better do something or else I can kiss my business goodbye,” Jake said as he thought about how his father had built the place from the ground up.  All of the work Calvin and he had put into the saloon would have been for naught. 

Joe didn’t respond.  He gave Jake a curt nod and left.

              Elliot answered the knock at his front door to find Joe on the porch.

              “Come in, Joe,” he said with a smile.

              Joe entered the parlor and gave Elliot a brief smile, which told Elliot something was wrong.  “Can I talk to you in private?” he said.

              “Sure.  Abby, I’ll be right back.  I need to talk to Joe a moment,” Elliot called to Abby, who was in the kitchen.

              “All right,” she responded.

              He and Joe went out onto the porch.

              Joe got right to the point.  “Now, look. I know what happened to Abby was horrible.  I’ve been poisoned like that, as you know, so I know firsthand how bad it is.  I’m asking you to keep an open mind about the way you’re going to vote, Elliot.  That’s one of the reasons I asked you to fill in for Dean.  I know what a fair, intelligent person you.  Think of how harmful to the town it would be to close the Watering Hole down.”

              Elliot said, “I have, Joe.  I’ve been thinking about it ever since I saw the stuff you gave me.  I know how it would impact the town economy, but I also know that it might make the town safer.”

              Joe frowned.  “How do you figure that?”

              “No drinking equals less violence,” Elliot said.

              “Do you really think that people are gonna stop drinkin’?  Not hardly.  They’re gonna do it right out on the street.  Mitch and Jack can’t be everywhere at once.  They’re gonna be causin’ all kinds of trouble right out in the open, Elliot.  Think about it.  At least with the Watering Hole in business, it’s contained to one place pretty much, and with having bouncers, it helps keep the peace,” Joe said.  His hazel eyes were a smoky green in the sunlight, which usually meant that he was very emotional about something.

              Elliot hadn’t considered that part of it.  “I see what you mean.  You said bouncers.  Did Jake hire someone else?”

              “Yeah.  Reckless.  You should have seen him get the best of Ben.  It was priceless,” Joe said with a laugh.

              That Reckless had won a contest with Ben made Elliot very happy.  “I think Jake made a good choice.  Reckless is young, but he’s no one to fool with.”

              “I agree.  Elliot, do you know why I go there and sing?”

              “Because you have fun doing it,” Elliot answered.

              “Yes, that’s part of it, but the main reason I do it is because it gets these guys in off the street for a while.  I don’t get paid for doing it.  I wouldn’t let Jake pay me anything.  I don’t need the money.  But if I’m keeping them occupied, they’re not out bustin’ up the town.  It’s my way of helping to keep law and order.  If that bar is shut down, there’s gonna be hell to pay,” Joe said.  “It’s one thing to approve an ordinance, but it’s another to be able to enforce it.  You keep that in mind when you vote.”  Joe patted Elliot’s shoulder, trotted down Elliot’s porch steps and mounted Hamlet.  He tipped his hat to Elliot and rode away.

              “What did Joe want?” Abby asked as she began cooking supper. 

              “Abby, sit down a minute, please,” Elliot said.  When she had he said, “You know there’s a town meeting tomorrow night, right?”

              “Yes,” she said, and watched Elliot’s face closely.  His brow was furrowed and there was a grim expression on his face.

              “We’re voting on several things, but the main thing is the proposal of a town ordinance to make Dawson a dry town,” he said.

              “A dry town, but that would mean…” Her eyes became big.  “Jake would have to close!  No!  That can’t happen!”

              “It’s going to be a heated debate, that’s for sure,” Elliot said.  “I’m sure there’s going to be a lot of speakers and it’ll be a long night.  I know you were supposed to start back to work tomorrow night, but in light of this, I’m sure Jake will be at the meeting and keep the saloon closed.”

              “Yes.  He will.  I may be new here, but I’ll speak on his behalf as one of the employees,” she said.

              Elliot said, “I know you want to do that, but it won’t be a good idea.  One of the areas of concern is safety.  You’ll open up a whole line of questions about what happened to you.  If I’m asking those questions, someone else will be, too.  Plus, it would mean a conflict of interest for me since you’re my fiancée.  So I’m asking you to not say anything.”

              Abby didn’t like it, but she saw that Elliot was trying to be conscientious about the situation.  His integrity was one of the things that she loved about him.   “You’re right.  It wouldn’t be smart for me to speak.  Oh, what a mess this is.  You’re going to vote to keep the Watering Hole open, right?”

              “I’m going to reserve judgment until I hear both sides,” Elliot said.  He met her gaze without flinching.

              “You would actually vote for a dry town and shut down a friend’s business and my workplace?” Abby said.  She became agitated over the thought that Elliot might vote against Jake.  It wouldn’t be just about the Watering Hole, he would be going up against a friend.

              Elliot replied, “I am going to do what I think is best for the town.  At this point, I don’t know which way I’m going to vote.”

              “If you vote for the ordinance, you’re going to lose a lot of friends, Elliot.  You’ll lose business.  You don’t think Jake is going to lie down and take this, do you?  Joe, either, for that matter,” Abby said.  She was trying to make him see reason.  “They’ve always been there for you.  Like when your father passed.  They helped you, Elliot.  Don’t turn your back on them now.”

              “Look, I can’t talk about this anymore.  I can’t let anything influence my decision.  I have to be fair and impartial.  It’s why Joe chose me to fill in for Dean.  I’m sorry, Abby,” Elliot said.

              Abby swallowed and nodded.  She needed some time to think about things.  “I’m going home.”

              Elliot asked, “Why?  I thought we were going to have dinner.”  He saw how upset she was.  “Abby, please stay.  We’ll talk about other things, like the wedding.  I’d sooner talk about that anyway.”  He smiled at her.

              Normally his smiles melted her heart, but not that night.  “I’m not hungry and I just can’t brush this off to the side.  I’m sorry.  I’ll see you tomorrow.”

              Elliot watched with sadness as she picked up her purse.  She kissed his cheek and went out the kitchen door.  Elliot sighed and put his head in his hands.  “What the hell am I going to do?”

              When Tessa and Dean arrived at the hotel Joe had sent them to, Dean became nervous.  It was a very regal establishment, unlike any Dean had ever seen.  Tessa felt as though she were stepping back in time to when she’d been a part of the higher society who stayed in such places.  As they stepped up to the reception desk, Dean cleared his throat and said, “We were told to ask for Mr. Stevens.  I have a note here for him from Joe Dwyer.”

              The concierge’s eyebrows rose.  “This is rather irregular and Mr. Stevens is most likely unavailable.”

              Dean remembered what Seth said about tipping the hotel staff.  He got out his wallet and pulled out a five dollar bill and held it up the way that Joe always did.  It got the concierge’s attention.  “Do you think he might be in now?”

              The man took the money and the note and said, “I’ll see what I can do.”  He left the desk and disappeared down a hallway.

              Tessa looked at Dean and laughed.  “You did that as if you’d been doing it all your life.  Sometimes that’s the only way to get anything done at hotels.”

              They had only a few minutes to wait before a middle-aged man with salt and pepper hair came around the reception desk to greet them.

              “Dave Stevens at your service,” he said.  “And you are Mr. and Mrs. Samuels, correct?”

              “Yes, I’m Dean and this is my wife, Tessa,” he said as they shook hands.

              Tessa also shook hands with him.

              “Please, come with me and we’ll make you more comfortable,” Dave said.

              He led them to a very stately office with large windows and comfortable plush chairs.  Motioning for them to sit down, he said, “So you’re friends of Mr. Dwyer’s?”

              “Yes,” Dean said, being careful not to slouch.  “We’ve been good friends for some time now.  About ten years, I guess.  He’s our mayor.”  Dean thought it wouldn’t hurt to throw that bit of information out there.  It might impress the manager even more to know that Joe was the highest politician somewhere.

              “Well, that is impressive.  I didn’t know that Joe had political aspirations,” Dave said.  “In a way I can’t say that I’m surprised.  He’s quite a social person.  Any friend of Joe’s is a friend of mine.  He has helped me with certain situations and I am indebted to him.  We have a very nice honeymoon suite available at the moment and you are to be our very special guests.  If there is anything at all you need, you have only to ask.  My staff shall be instructed as such.  I’m sure that you are weary from your travels.  Please allow me to show you to your home away from home.”

              As they followed Dave, Dean and Tessa grinned at each other.  Dean had never seen a place as elegant as the Pierce Hotel and couldn’t stop looking around at everything.  He wished he had a camera so he could take pictures for everyone back home. 

              When Dave opened the double doors leading into their room, Tessa smiled as memories assailed her of times when her family had spent happy hours in rooms such as this.  Dean stood in place in the hallway as his eyes travelled over the elaborate drapes, outrageously expensive furniture, and exquisite flooring.  He looked down at his dress shoes to make sure they were clean.  He was afraid to step on the marble floor for fear of making it dirty.

              Tessa watched her husband with amusement.  She hid her mirth so she didn’t embarrass him.  She took his hand and tugged a little.  He met her eyes and she saw panic in his. She smiled to let him know everything was all right and then she gently pulled him with her into the suite.  Dean composed himself as he followed her and tried to act the way Joe would.  The mayor was at home in any kind of place, and Dean could well imagine that a hotel like this would hardly faze Joe.

              Dave said, “I’m sure that you will find this to your liking.  Again, should you need assistance of any kind, please ask.  Dinner in the dining room starts at seven.  Have a pleasant afternoon.”

              He left them then and Dean kept looking around.  Tessa simply stood still and watched him.  He found the bath and was instantly fascinated with the running water.  She hid her laughter as she heard him turn the water on and off.

              Dean came out and said, “You could swim in that tub in there, do you know that?”

              Tessa couldn’t swallow the laugh that bubbled out of her throat.  Dean laughed with her and said, “Well, you could.  Look at this place!  I’ve never seen anything like it.”  He was getting very excited at this point. 

              He ran into the other room, which was a bedroom.  “The bed is huge!  What do you need such a big bed for—hmm, I can think of a few things.”

              Tessa laughed at his randy statement.  This was a side of him that only she ever saw.  In private with her he could be just as raunchy as any other man, but it wasn’t something he normally let show around other people. 

              When he came out, he went over to the large windows and looked down.  “Holy hell, we’re high up!  Okay, I can’t look at that too much.  Gives me a funny feeling in my gut.”

              He reminded Tessa of Jack when he was little.  Jack always said whatever came to mind and she could now see where Jack got it from.  If Dean was this excited over a hotel suite, she could only imagine how he was going to react to the rest of the city.

              Dean turned from the window and saw Tessa grinning at him.  “What?  You’re used to all this.  Well, you used to be.  Me?  Hell, our whole house could fit in this place,” he said as he put his hands on his lean hips.

              Tessa thought he looked very handsome in his gray pinstriped suit and vest.  It was something that she wasn’t used to seeing him in and the uniqueness was rather arousing.  An idea occurred to her and she began taking her hair down from the stylish updo she wore.  Dean saw and watched as she shook out the soft brown waves and then turned around.

              “Will you please unzip me?” she asked with a come hither look at him over her shoulder.

              Dean stared for a moment, then grinned and ran over to the doors to lock them.  He was back to her in seconds and sliding down the zipper to her dress.  There was something incredibly sensual about making love in the middle of the day and Dean was looking forward to it as he helped her undress. 

              Tessa did the same for him and Dean could hardly wait to get his hands on her.  When all of their clothes lay on the floor Tessa said, “Why don’t we try having a swim in that tub?”

              Dean scooped her up and ran into the bath with her as she laughed and hung onto him.