The Lawman's Agreement (Entangled Scandalous) (5 page)

“Actually, it’s not as much being on the boat itself as it is being allowed into the ladies’ poker game. Greenville is such an uptight old town with nowhere for a woman to play cards, other than stuffy games of whist or cribbage. The closest thing we have to a game of chance is quinze, and very few of the so-called proper women play. Here, on the
River Maiden
, every Tuesday and Thursday, I can play real poker with the other more adventurous women from town.” Tessa MacKinnon paused, as if to gauge Suzanne’s reaction and then asked, “Tell me, Dr. Martindale, do you play poker?”

“No. I saw it played a few times back in college. However, my studies left me little time to play games.”

“Personally, I think it’s scandalous,” Mrs. Gosling said. “A young woman of your upbringing and family, Miss MacKinnon, should be focusing on her studies, and on learning the skills you will need to make some man a good and dutiful wife.”

Tess MacKinnon shook her head, the auburn curls she’d piled so haphazardly atop her head falling in disarray around her cheeks, making her look far more like a saloon girl than the niece of the local pastor. Suzanne’s heart ached for the young girl who was obviously struggling with her independence.

“I have no intention of ever becoming some man’s possession, Mrs. Gosling,” Tessa said. “Once I’ve built myself up a stake from these poker games, I’m heading west to find my fortune.”

Zack smothered a cough behind his hand and asked, “Why don’t we order dinner? I understand the cook has been taking lessons from Matthew’s fancy French chef during the off-season. I, for one, am anxious to see what he’s learned.”

Suzanne smiled to herself, totally surprised by Zack’s smooth attempt to change the course of their conversation. As she was finding out bit by bit, Zack was truly a puzzle, a refined gentleman in a rough business. Suzanne didn’t like puzzles, especially those that surprised her at every turn.

Theodore Gosling swallowed back the last of his after-dinner brandy before turning to Jake. “I’ve got to hand it to you, Jake. You McCade boys have certainly been instrumental in growing our town, as well as Vicksburg. Combining assets was a stroke of genius. And I don’t mind saying, I’m happy to be part of your big plans.”

Jake stood and nodded in Gosling’s direction. “We wouldn’t have it any other way, Theodore. Now if you’ll all excuse me, I’ve got to attend to the remainder of my guests.”

“Jake, would you mind walking me to the ladies game?” Tessa MacKinnon asked.

A play of emotions flashed quickly across Jake McCade’s face, an uncommon nervousness only a few would recognize. Wanting to relieve some of his worry, Suzanne turned to Tessa and offered assistance. “Why don’t you allow Marshal McCade and me to escort you? I’m sure Jake has a dozen things to get done over the next couple of hours.”

Tessa shrugged. “It doesn’t matter to me. Maybe I can even coerce you into trying your luck, Dr. Martindale. I know the other ladies and I would be more than happy to help you learn to play.”

Zack stood and held out his hand, drawing Suzanne to her feet at his side and placing his arm around her waist. “Miss MacKinnon,” he said, offering his opposite hand to the young woman. “It would be my pleasure to see you off to the gaming rooms.”

Once they’d escorted Tessa to gaming room six, Zack took Suzanne’s hand in his and raised it to his lips. “Thank you.”

“For what, Marshal?”

“For coming to Jake’s rescue back at the table. He’d have been too much of a gentleman to refuse Miss MacKinnon’s request. Yet, you could see his discomfort. He’s still a bit gun-shy where the single ladies are concerned.”

“I can’t say that I blame him,” Suzanne said in agreement. “It hasn’t been that long since the entire fiasco with Miss Monroe. I would guess Jake has no intention of ever being caught in the company of a beautiful, unattached woman again.”

“Amen to that, Doc.”

“I do worry about Miss MacKinnon.”

“She is a sassy little one, isn’t she?”

“I know she wants to get away from here, from under her strict uncle’s thumb, but surely there’s some gainful employment she could obtain in order to save funds rather than take her chance on gambling.”

“From what I understand from Jake and Felicity, Tessa’s been a problem child her entire life. Her parents died when she was only eight and she was sent to live with her maternal grandmother. When the old woman died four years later, she came here to live with Pastor MacKinnon and his new bride. Felicity thinks Tessa’s always felt that she was underfoot, as if she interrupted the first few years of their marriage.”

“That can put a lot of pressure on a young girl, especially one on the verge of experiencing her passage into womanhood. Still, a position of some sort has to be preferable to a game of chance.”

“According to Jake, she’s quite the player. Until she hits that streak of bad luck all gamblers come across at one time or another, she’ll not stop playing.”

Suzanne shook her head, doing her best to dislodge the picture her mind had conjured up of a destitute Tessa MacKinnon.

“I think I’d like to go back to the main salon. I understand there’s music and dancing,” Suzanne said.

Zack ushered her forward with the slight nudge of his hand. “I’m all for some music,
cher
, just don’t expect me to dance.”

Chapter Six

Zack took Suzanne’s elbow to help her off of the raised walkway in front of the mercantile and onto the town’s main road. They’d gone no more than a few steps when Elvira Temple, one of the town’s senior citizens, fell into step beside them.

“Good afternoon, Marshal.” The woman nodded her head in Zack and Suzanne’s direction. “Dr. Martindale.”

“Mrs. Temple, I trust you’re feeling better.” Suzanne said, returning the older woman’s greeting.

“That elixir you gave me is doing wonders for my headaches,” the older woman confirmed. “Now if I could only get rid of the cause of the headaches in the first place.”

“The cause?” Suzanne asked.

“That no-account grandson of mine. He’s taken ten years off my life since he’s come back to Greenville.

“I can have a word with him if you’d like, Mrs. Temple,” Zack offered.

“Carter’s not a bad boy. He’s just a bit lazy and confused what with both his parents dying so young. He’s a handful, that’s for sure, but then again I’m getting on in years and don’t have the same pep I used to.”

“If there’s anything either of us can do, just let us know,” Suzanne said.

Mrs. Temple nodded and then turned onto the walkway leading to her small home. “Thank you both.”

Once she and Zack were on their way again Suzanne admitted, “I worry about Mrs. Temple’s health now that her grandson is back.”

“I agree. That ‘boy’ is a twenty-five year old man with a penchant for trouble. According to Deputy Bailey, Carter’s been in nearly every jail from here to Memphis at some time or other.”

“He hasn’t caused any trouble here. Yet he doesn’t appear to be in any hurry to find employment, preferring instead to live off Mrs. Temple.”

“I’ll look into it,” Zack said. “If he’s up to no good, I’ll set him on the straight and narrow.”

They stopped in front of the clinic and Zack waited while Suzanne retrieved the key from her handbag.

“Thank you for the lovely afternoon stroll,
cher
.” He leaned forward and dusted her cheek with a kiss then pushed open the clinic door and nudged her forward.

“The passersby are watching,” she said softly, aware they could still be seen through the glass door front.

“Then what say we give them something to talk about.” Without waiting for her agreement, Zack bent forward and pressed his lips to hers, stealing her breath with his kiss. When he reached up and laid his hand gently against her cheek and drew her to him for a second kiss, Suzanne could feel a wavering in her stance, a weakness in her knees.

She laid her hand against Zack’s chest to steady herself. Beneath her flattened palm his heart beat a thundering rhythm.

“I think…” she began. “I think they’ve seen enough.”

Zack pressed his lips to her cheek and nuzzled beneath the curtain of her hair to whisper in her ear. “Perhaps one more is in order, just to be sure.”

When she raised her head, intent on refusing, Zack lowered his and took her mouth in yet another firm, thoroughly delicious kiss. Suzanne could feel her heart hammering wildly within her chest and knew she had to put a stop to Zack’s kiss before she found herself begging for more. She placed her hands against his chest and pushed, breaking the contact of his lips to hers. “Zack,
please
.”

He raised his head and grinned. “That’s what I am trying to do, c
her
.”

…

Zack left the clinic and turned away from his office rather than toward it. He needed to walk off some of the tension holding his body as tightly wound as a pocket watch. He should never have stolen that last kiss. The first two had been enough to appease their onlookers. The third had been strictly an indulgence for his own amusement, a silly flirtation intended to raise the doctor’s ire. Instead, his plan had backfired, and he’d found himself as aroused as a young schoolboy after his first deep kiss. It wouldn’t do, Zack realized, to walk into his office with a flagpole in his britches.

After a second pass behind the main buildings in the central part of town, Zack felt in control enough to go back to work. He’d barely reached for the handle on the office door, when the sound of a gunshot rang out from somewhere in the vicinity of the saloon.

He stepped off the sidewalk and into the main road, covering the distance between the jail and the saloon quickly, coming to a halt at the hitching post just as two men backed through the saloon doors, their faces covered in bandanas.

Zack drew his gun and a deep breath and asked, “You two gentlemen planning on going somewhere?”

The two men turned in Zack’s direction, their guns at the ready. “Let us go, Marshal, and nobody gets hurt,” the first one said.

“It’s two against one,” the second pointed out.

“Hmm, not such great odds, is it?” Zack agreed. “Perhaps, I can even things up a bit.” The words had no sooner left his mouth when he fired his gun, clipping the first man’s hand and knocking the gun he held to the side. “Now, it’s just us,” he said to the other.

The second man tossed his gun to the side as well and raised his hands in defeat. To his left, Zack caught sight of his deputies’ approach.

“Tom, Pete,” Zack ordered. “Get these two scoundrels over to the jail and bandage up this fellow’s fingers.”

“Will do, boss,” Pete Bailey confirmed. “You want I should have the doc take a look at his hand.”

“No, not unless it’s a deeper scrape than it appears to be. He’ll do fine with your handiwork.”

Zack holstered his gun as his deputies started away with the prisoners. The second, larger man broke free of Tom’s hold and charged in Zack’s direction. Zack stuck out his fist, landing one solid blow against the man’s chest, sending him sprawling in the dirt, gasping for air and clutching his ribs.

“Come on,” the deputy said, pulling the man to his feet by the collar. “Let’s get going.”

Zack watched as the two men were led away without further incident. When he turned back toward the front of the saloon, he realized Suzanne was standing there, mostly likely alerted by the sound of the original gunshot.

“Was there anyone hurt in the saloon?” he asked.

“No, the robbers fired into the air in an attempt to scare the barkeep so he would hand over the money.”

“Since you’ve got your medical bag with you, I’ll take you over to the jail and you can check on both men.”

“Did you flatten the other one as well?” she asked.

“No. I shot him.”

Suzanne shook her head, the frown playing across her beautiful face causing him concern.

“Let’s go then, Marshal.” She started toward the jail, stopping long enough to say, “I’d really rather you not add to my workload any more than necessary.”

“It’s not like I do it on purpose,” he argued. When she didn’t respond, he caught up with her in two long strides. “It’s my job.”

“Yes, I know. And, because of your job, I now have to do mine.”

Zack was overcome with regret. Not that he would have done anything different where the two men were concerned. His regret stemmed from the fact he’d once again disappointed Suzanne, her reaction only serving to convince him of why they were unsuited for a real relationship.

Zack closed the door to his office, the last of his reports on the day’s incident complete. He turned down the main street of town and, within moments, had reached his destination. “Deputy Bailey said you were looking for me,” Zack said as he came through the clinic door.

Suzanne looked up from the list of patients seated in the waiting room and met Zack’s gaze. “Yes, I have a patient in the back I wanted you to see.”

“Sure thing. Just lead the way.”

“Mrs. McCorkle,” Suzanne called out, looking up from the list to the four women seated in front of her. “If you’d like to take a seat in the exam room, I’ll be with you in a couple of minutes.”

“Certainly, Dr. Martindale,” the woman said in agreement before rising from her seat and starting down the narrow corridor.

Suzanne nodded in Zack’s direction and went in the opposite direction toward the infirmary. Once they’d entered the room, she turned to Zack and explained her reason for concern. “Mr. Larson here is another of the lumber mill workers. He spliced his arm on a jagged nail that was sticking out of one of the main support beams.”

“I thought McLeary fixed those beams,” Zack said, his voice low, gruff. He balled his hands into fists at his side, his jaw twitched as if he wanted to rant at McLeary’s shoddy practices. Suzanne suspected he felt as angry as she.

“He did,” Sven Larson responded. “I helped with the repairs myself.”

“Then how did this happen?” Zack asked.

“Somebody’s been messing with the site, Marshal. They’ve been purposely removing studs and weakening the structure.”

“Do you have any idea who might be doing such a thing?” Zack asked. “Has Mr. McLeary got enemies?”

Larson shook his head. “Not that I know of, other than his competition, Beaton Woodworks. They’re set up just outside Prosper Springs. I know they wanted this site too, but McLeary’s bid was better plus his family already owned the property along the water.”

“I’ll do some checking into Beaton’s owners and see what I can find,” Zack said. “In the meantime, though, you and the others out at McLeary’s need to keep your eyes and ears open for strangers.”

“Will do, Marshal,” Larson agreed. “You leave it to me and the boys.”

Zack left moments later to send a telegram off to the district marshal’s office in Jackson. Suzanne turned to Sven Larson and explained, “You need to stay here for another hour or so to make sure the medication I gave you for pain has done its job. I’m going to see to my other patients, and I’ll be back to check on you later.”

“Thanks, doc,” the man said. “I sure do appreciate the good care.”