abdomen and the flash of pale buttocks she’d seen when Jake and Ward finished the job of stripping him before placing him beneath the blankets. The tan had to be from physical labor as he was covered with muscles, each one well defined, even the corded ones on either side of his taut belly that trailed down beneath the sheets. She could well imagine him being the type of minister that held barn raisings, swinging a hammer and easily lifting beams, all with his shirt off.
Leah felt her cheeks flame. “You’re having lustful thoughts…about a preacher.” She put her fingers to her lips, embarrassed that she’d chastised herself out loud. Hadhe heard her? Did her words register in his subconscious? Would he look down at her from the pulpit and scold her for being a woman of loose morals?
“No…no…stop…please stop…”
Leah placed the cloth on his forehead once more.
“Is he going to make it?” Pris asked Ward as he entered the Heaven’s Gate Saloon. Ward walked directly to the bar and poured himself a shot of whiskey.
“I reckon that’s up to the good Lord and Leah Findley,” he said after he’d tossed back the shot. He poured another one to chase off the bone-chilling cold that came from standing in the street talking to Gus Swanson about the preacher’s dramatic arrival to town. “Hand me another glass,” he said to Bob. “Jake should be here soon.”
He looked around the empty saloon. “We rent out some rooms?” he asked.
“Two,” Bob replied. “The miners took one and once those cowpokes figured out Pris wasn’t interested they took another.” He wiped a towel down the bar. “I’m turning in.”
Ward tipped his glass toward Bob as he went into his room in the back. Pris yawned and laid her head down on the bar.
“Go on to bed,” Ward said. “Nothing else is going to happen tonight.”
“Are you sure Jake’s coming here?” Pris thought her crush on Jake was a secret and it mostly was. But Ward knew how to read people better than most, and Pris showed the same signs of yearning for Jake that Jake showed for Leah. It was a big old circle of unrequited love that kept Ward well entertained.
“Leah won’t have Jake to stay if that’s what you mean.” Ward poured a shot into Jake’s glass and pushed it toward Pris. “Why should tonight be any different?”
“That good-looking preacher is there.”
“Are you thinking about switching religions Pris?”
Pris grinned. “A girl can dream, can’t she?”
“Go to bed. Jake won’t be in a mood to talk when he gets here.”
Pris drank the shot and climbed the stairs to the second floor. There were eight rooms above, two of which were Ward’s, one belonged to Priscilla and the rest he rented out on nights like tonight. Ward made a decent living with Heaven’s Gate and for the most part he enjoyed it. There was no better place to study your fellow man than a saloon.
The wind grabbed the door and banged it back against the wall. The half doors, used only in summer slapped back and forth as they came loose with the abruptness of Jake’s entrance. Jake wrestled them back into place, jerked off his gloves, threw them on the bar and threw back the shot Ward poured for him.
“That was an interesting turn of events.” Ward poured them both another shot. A cold draft swirled around their legs as both men leaned against the bar.
“He’s a bit younger than I expected,” Jake said.
“He’s a bit more shot than I expected,” Ward replied. He knew Jake was already worried about the competition for Leah’s heart, but he was feeling generous so didn’t say anything about it. “I wonder what happened to him.”
“He ran afoul of someone, that’s for sure.”
“Bad night for it.” Ward studied Jake over his glass. How much longer before he realized that Leah just wasn’t interested in him? “Leah felt like she could handle it on her own?”
“What’s to handle?” Jake replied. “The bullet passed through, live or
Leah felt her cheeks flame. “You’re having lustful thoughts…about a preacher.” She put her fingers to her lips, embarrassed that she’d chastised herself out loud. Hadhe heard her? Did her words register in his subconscious? Would he look down at her from the pulpit and scold her for being a woman of loose morals?
“No…no…stop…please stop…”
Leah placed the cloth on his forehead once more.
“Is he going to make it?” Pris asked Ward as he entered the Heaven’s Gate Saloon. Ward walked directly to the bar and poured himself a shot of whiskey.
“I reckon that’s up to the good Lord and Leah Findley,” he said after he’d tossed back the shot. He poured another one to chase off the bone-chilling cold that came from standing in the street talking to Gus Swanson about the preacher’s dramatic arrival to town. “Hand me another glass,” he said to Bob. “Jake should be here soon.”
He looked around the empty saloon. “We rent out some rooms?” he asked.
“Two,” Bob replied. “The miners took one and once those cowpokes figured out Pris wasn’t interested they took another.” He wiped a towel down the bar. “I’m turning in.”
Ward tipped his glass toward Bob as he went into his room in the back. Pris yawned and laid her head down on the bar.
“Go on to bed,” Ward said. “Nothing else is going to happen tonight.”
“Are you sure Jake’s coming here?” Pris thought her crush on Jake was a secret and it mostly was. But Ward knew how to read people better than most, and Pris showed the same signs of yearning for Jake that Jake showed for Leah. It was a big old circle of unrequited love that kept Ward well entertained.
“Leah won’t have Jake to stay if that’s what you mean.” Ward poured a shot into Jake’s glass and pushed it toward Pris. “Why should tonight be any different?”
“That good-looking preacher is there.”
“Are you thinking about switching religions Pris?”
Pris grinned. “A girl can dream, can’t she?”
“Go to bed. Jake won’t be in a mood to talk when he gets here.”
Pris drank the shot and climbed the stairs to the second floor. There were eight rooms above, two of which were Ward’s, one belonged to Priscilla and the rest he rented out on nights like tonight. Ward made a decent living with Heaven’s Gate and for the most part he enjoyed it. There was no better place to study your fellow man than a saloon.
The wind grabbed the door and banged it back against the wall. The half doors, used only in summer slapped back and forth as they came loose with the abruptness of Jake’s entrance. Jake wrestled them back into place, jerked off his gloves, threw them on the bar and threw back the shot Ward poured for him.
“That was an interesting turn of events.” Ward poured them both another shot. A cold draft swirled around their legs as both men leaned against the bar.
“He’s a bit younger than I expected,” Jake said.
“He’s a bit more shot than I expected,” Ward replied. He knew Jake was already worried about the competition for Leah’s heart, but he was feeling generous so didn’t say anything about it. “I wonder what happened to him.”
“He ran afoul of someone, that’s for sure.”
“Bad night for it.” Ward studied Jake over his glass. How much longer before he realized that Leah just wasn’t interested in him? “Leah felt like she could handle it on her own?”
“What’s to handle?” Jake replied. “The bullet passed through, live or
Similar Books
The New Moon with the Old
Dodie Smith
Simon Said
Sarah Shaber
Golden Blood
Melissa Pearl
Mr. Mercedes
Stephen King
Vengeance in the Sun
Margaret Pemberton
Murder, She Wrote
Jessica Fletcher
Dancing for Her Demon
Cynthia Sax
Always a Thief
Kay Hooper
Beauvallet
Georgette Heyer