Texas Lucky (30 page)

Suddenly Tess did not want Curt’s help, not if the foul-mouthed, wild-eyed woman was
his
.

“Never mind,” she said.

She turned to go, but Sanchina ran after her to catch her arm and spin her around and shriek, “And don’t never come back, you hear me? Curt, he is my man, I tell you. He sleeps with me. I share him with no one. He is mine. All of him. You understand? And if I ever catch you chasing him again like a bitch in heat, I will cut your eyes out.”

Before Tess realized what she was doing, the girl had reached beneath her skirt to draw a knife from a sheath strapped to her ankle.

But Tess was quicker, drawing both her pistols before the girl had even straightened.

“I don’t think so,” she said ominously.

Sanchina’s eyes went wide. She gave a little gasp and retreated a step or two before mustering the bravado to say, “I am not afraid of you. And if you come after my man again, I swear I will kill you.”

“Don’t worry. I don’t want him. Now drop the knife. I’m not about to turn my back as long as you’ve got it.”

Sanchina continued to hold the knife menacingly.

“Drop it,” Tess said, “or I’ll shoot it out of your hand and take a couple of your fingers with it.”

Sanchina dropped the knife.

Tess holstered one of her guns, then swiftly bent to retrieve the weapon and threw it as far as she could.

Mounting Saber, she reined him about, keeping an eye on Sanchina, lest she have another weapon hidden.

Finally, she nudged Saber into a trot.

Sanchina ran after her, calling, “I will kill you. I swear it.”

Tess kept on going, feeling like a fool for having come in the first place.

It also made her angry to feel a twinge of jealousy. Curt was nothing to her, and she was nothing to him. They had enjoyed wild, sweet lovemaking with no promise of anything beyond the passion.

And she had to keep telling herself that until she believed it.

She also had to concentrate on meeting Perry and getting him out of danger.

There was only one thing left to do—go to Dallas and borrow the money she needed to get to Alamedo.

She returned to the cabin long enough to change clothes. Bankers, she reasoned, might not look favorably upon a woman dressed like a man. Still, she carried one of her pistols in her purse, not wanting to be without protection on the trail.

She also took the buckboard and horse Buck had found for her at a reasonable price when they had been settling in. She would have preferred to ride Saber, but again thought of propriety. She wanted to present herself in the most favorable light possible.

Tess packed her riding clothes, as well as everything else she would need for the next few days. She planned to spend the night at a Dallas hotel and leave for Alamedo early the next morning.

It was midafternoon when she walked into the bank and was surprised to find it so crowded. Important-looking men, dandily dressed in fine wool suits and silk vests, milled about puffing cigars and talking among themselves.

She could feel them watching her as she made her way to the counter. Not wanting anyone to overhear, because she was embarrassed to be asking for a loan, she whispered to the teller behind the cage, “I need to borrow some money. I have five hundred head of longhorn steers for collateral.”

“You’ll have to see the president, Mr. Jernigan,” he said, then nodded to the crowd. “As you can see, there’s a few ahead of you.”

“They’re all here to borrow money?” she asked, surprised.

The teller laughed, but it was a kind laugh, not in ridicule. “No, ma’am. It’s kind of the other way around.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Well, you see,” he explained, “they’re all wealthy investors, and they’ve come west because they feel there’s a chance to increase their money in cattle faster here than in industry back east. Most folks don’t realize just how much money has been flowing out here from Wall Street banks and Chicago boardrooms because of the railroad. So they’ve been opening up banking accounts, and I can tell you Mr. Jernigan welcomes each and every one.”

Tess brightened. “I’m glad to hear it. That means the bank has money for loans.”

“I wouldn’t know about that, but I hope you won’t have to wait too long to find out.”

Locating the door with the name MAXWELL JERNIGAN painted on the frosted glass, Tess accepted a chair given up to her by a kind-faced man and sat down.

The afternoon wore on. The man who had offered his chair smiled at her from time to time when he caught her eye, and she politely smiled back.

She noted he had silver hair and brown eyes with laugh wrinkles at the corners. His mustache was neatly combed, and he appeared even better dressed than the others. He was older, too. She guessed in his sixties. And he smelled faintly of lilac water, so she knew he had been to the barbershop recently.

Finally, it was his turn to go in, but he gave up his turn in favor of her, and she thanked him graciously.

Maxwell Jernigan seemed tired as he motioned her into his office and dully asked, “What can I do for you, miss?”

She noticed he did not close the door for her as he had when he ushered the men inside. There was no one left waiting who might overhear, anyway, except the kind silver-haired man, so she supposed it was all right.

Folding her hands in her lap, she cleared her throat and told him, “My name is Miss Tess Partridge. I own fifteen hundred acres south of Dallas, and I have five hundred head left in my herd. I need to borrow against them to get the money to go to Alamedo as soon as possible, and—”

“Miss Partridge,” Mr. Jernigan interrupted, “There is no need for you to continue. I wish I could help you, but the bank cannot loan you money on your cattle.”

She stiffened. “But why not?”

“What if they were to die on the way to market? What would we have for collateral then?”

“I have my land. I’d rather borrow against my cattle, but—”

He held up his hand. “We don’t need land, either. Now, if you had a bigger herd, say ten or twenty thousand head, then we could loan against part of it, because even if you lost a few on the way to market, there’d be plenty of profit to repay the loan.”

“But my land is paid for,” she protested. “And I have a cabin.”

“And if you can’t pay the money back, the bank is stuck with another ranch to try and sell at auction.” He spread his hands on the desk and sighed. “I would like to help you, but—”

“You have to,” she cried, leaning forward and forgetting to keep her voice low. “You see, I just received a telegram from my brother. He ran away from home in the East to come out here and live with me. He’s made it to the way station in Alamedo but can’t make it the rest of the way because he doesn’t have any more money. And now I’ve heard about some Indian raids in that area, and I want to get him here as quick as possible, only I don’t have any more money. I’m not asking for a lot.”

“There’s nothing I can do.”

He stood, indicating the meeting was over.

Tess also rose and, with chin held high, coldly said, “Thank you for your time, sir.”

He walked her to the door, immediately turning his attention to the silver-haired man in jovial greeting. “Come on in, sir. I’m so pleased to make your acquaintance. I’ll have some coffee brought in, and—”

“And I will come back another day,” the man said brusquely and rushed to follow after Tess.

He caught up with her outside on the boardwalk. “Excuse me, Miss Partridge. Might I speak with you?”

She paused. “How did you know my name?”

He took off his hat. “I’m afraid I could hear you and Mr. Jernigan talking. He left his door open.”

She was embarrassed and continued walking.

He fell in step beside her. “I would like to help you if you will allow me.”

He had been kind, and she did not want to be rude, so she made her tone pleasant. “Thank you for your concern, but I’d rather not discuss it.”

He rushed on to introduce himself. “My name is Wendell Thorpe. I’m from Chicago, and I just got into town yesterday. I apologize for having overheard, but I really would like to help you if you’ll let me. And I assure you I have no untoward intentions. I’m a gentleman, and I can certainly see that you’re a lady.”

The street was crowded, and they were being jostled as people made their way around them.

Tess protested, “I really don’t—”

“We can’t talk here. May I buy you a cup of tea? There’s a nice restaurant in the hotel across the street. I discovered it this morning. Perhaps we can even have dinner. I’d really like to help you, Miss Partridge, for your brother’s sake.”

He had taken her arm and was already steering her down the steps.

“But I don’t want charity,” she told him when they were seated in the restaurant. It was a pretty place, quiet and cozy in colors of pale blue and cream, with little paper roses in vases on each cloth-covered table.

“I’m not offering charity,” he said firmly. “I’m offering help, which everyone needs at some time in their life. Actually, you would be doing me a big favor to accept.”

“How is that?”

Tea was brought, and he waited until he had passed sugar and lemon to her before saying, “Forgive me for being so blunt, but it has always been my way to be so. It can be a blessing or a curse depending on the circumstances. I hope you will find it the former. You see”—he dropped a sugar cube into his cup, stirred, then took a sip to make sure it was sweet enough before continuing—“I don’t know a soul out here. My wife of forty years, may she rest in peace, passed away last summer. We never had any children, but we had each other, and now I have no one.”

The waitress brought slabs of chocolate pie, which made Tess’s mouth water.

“When I heard your terrible story,” he went on, “I knew I had to help, because it will make me feel like I’m useful to someone again. So if you will trust me…if you will let me, I’ll make arrangements for us to go get your brother first thing in the morning. I’ll rent a buggy, and I’ll also hire bodyguards.”

Tess’s head was spinning. He seemed so nice, yet he was a total stranger. She wondered if she dared accept such an offer when she really did not know him.

“Now, I can speak with the Army,” he went on, “and ask them to accompany you, but I doubt they could have an escort ready by tomorrow.”

“No, no, that’s all right.” Tess continued staring at her pie, wondering if she dared start eating. Her stomach was churning just then.

He reached across the table to cover her hand with his. “Please let me help you. I give you my word of honor you have nothing to fear from me.

“And,” he finished with a hopeful smile, “you’ll be doing the favor of making an old man think he’s still useful.”

Tess looked at him and saw she was right—the corners of his mouth did crinkle when he grinned.

She also thought he had the nicest, kindest eyes she had ever seen—next to Ben’s, of course.

“You will have to let me pay you back when I sell my cattle.”

“Whatever makes you happy.”

With a sigh of resolve, Tess picked up her fork and aimed it at the chocolate pie. “Then I thank you, sir, from the bottom of my heart.”

“And I thank
you
,” he murmured. “From the bottom of mine.”

They talked on, drank more tea, and as the time passed, Wendell insisted they have dinner.

Tess did not realize she was so hungry until the food was set before her. Afterward, she apologized for eating so much. “I guess a winter of bacon and beans wasn’t very filling after all,” she said with a laugh.

Wendell beamed his approval. “Well, I enjoyed it, too, but now let’s go see about getting a buggy and making ready to leave first thing in the morning.”

They were walking down the hotel steps when Tess, her attention focused on Wendell and not where she was going, bumped into someone on the boardwalk.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” she said, glancing up—then froze.

It was Curt.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Curt allowed the horse his own pace, the reins hanging loose. He was in no hurry to get back to the ranch, despite all the work waiting. Caleb was a good foreman. He could take care of things, and Curt needed time to think, to try to figure out why he had seen Tess with Wendell Thorpe two days earlier.

It was eating at him like a saddle sore.

They had been coming out of the hotel, but there was no way he was going to believe they were there for any reason other than having a meal.

After all, from what little Curt knew about Wendell since meeting him the day before the encounter at the hotel, he was all business and all gentleman. He was not the type to hit town and find a woman to bed.

Especially not a woman like Tess.

So what were they doing together, both of them smiling and happy like they were old friends?

She had even had her hand intimately tucked in the crook of his arm, with Wendell clasping it.

It was puzzling, and Curt knew he wouldn’t rest till he found out what was behind it all. He had thought about her all winter long and reached the conclusion it was time to face up to how he felt about her.