Elise Page 14

  "My name's Sugar, and I'd like a sarsaparilla."

  Trace nodded to the barkeep, then glanced down at Elise. He went still. His mouth went dry, and he swallowed convulsively. He'd had no idea that she was that well endowed. As much as he told himself to look away, his gaze lingered on that exposed expanse of creamy, silken flesh. He enjoyed the view for a moment, until he realized he was behaving no better than any of the other men who were ogling her in the saloon.

  "Nice dress," he finally managed, tearing his gaze away. He wanted to tell her to go back upstairs and change clothes or at least put on a shawl of some kind, but he couldn't. She was doing her job, and he was supposed to be there to help her-not make things more difficult for her.

  "The girl named Jenny who works here lent it to me," she told him.

  "And the hair?" He looked up at the wig.

  "The hair is Fernada's." She grinned at him as she patted one errant blond curl. "It's quite a change for me, don't you think?"

  He grunted and took a drink of his whiskey.

  Elise noticed that he seemed uncomfortable, and she found it reassuring, after his apology for their kiss the other day, to know that he wasn't completely oblivious to her charms. When Dan served her her drink, she took a sip.

  "So you didn't have any trouble canceling your dinner with Julie and her parents?"

  "No, she was very understanding."

  "Good. I would have hated to cause you any trouble." She had to admit to herself that she was glad he'd gotten out of it. She was glad he wasn't with Julie tonight.

  "It was no problem," he responded, although Julie had pouted prettily when he'd stopped by her home to let her know that he wouldn't be able to keep their dinner engagement. "So, how is it going?"

  "I've never experienced anything like this before. The men here really don't care that I'm a person. They just look at me as if I'm only a body, here to satisfy their baser needs."

  "To their way of thinking, that's what you are. Just be careful."

  "You sound like my grandmother."

  "No, I sound like your editor."

  "I hope I can do everyone justice when I write the article. There's so much sadness here."

  "Well, you sure can't tell it by looking at everyone," he said as he glanced around the room.

  Across the saloon, Kate was laughing loudly at something one of the miners had said. Nearby, Suzie was sitting on a man's lap, her arm around his neck, leaning toward him in open invitation. Femada was watching over all the activities from the far end of the bar.

  "They want the men to like them and want them. That's how they make their living."

  "Hey! Sugar!" Buddy called out just then, interrupting her conversation. "I need another drink!"

  "Coming right up!" she answered, then looked up at Gabe. "Sorry, I have to go wait on my customers."

  "Is the tip worth it?"

  "No, but I consider it research."

  He lifted his glass to her in salute. "I'll be right here if you need me."

  She nodded and went off to take care of Buddy and Art.

  "Who's your friend at the bar?" Buddy asked when she reached their table.

  "I think he works at one of the newspapers here in town. Why?"

  "You shouldn't waste the night talking to him. We can show you a better time than he can," Art told her.

  "I'll just bet you could, but I'm having all the good times I can handle right now."

  "You sure you're only serving drinks?"

  "Positive." She flashed him a smile to soften the meaning.

  "Pity. I could take you for a ride you wouldn't soon forget."

  "Why, I just bet you could, Buddy," Elise told him, glad that her rouge would hide her blush over his crudeness. "You both want another drink?"

  "We sure do."

  "I'll be right back with them for you."

  Elise had just reached the bar, intent on getting their drinks, when she noticed another cowboy come in. Her eyes widened as she recognized him, and she quickly looked away as she went to stand beside Gabe again.

  "Did you see who just came in?" she asked in a low voice after placing the order with Dan for Buddy and Art.

  "I saw him. What do you want to do?" Trace asked. He was ready to help her get out of there if need be.

  `It's a good thing I decided to use the name Sugar." She squared her shoulders as if preparing for battle. "I guess I'd better see if my disguise is as good as we think it is."

  Trace nodded.

  "I'd better hurry back with the boys' drinks. Wish me luck."

  "You've got it."

  She headed back to the table with the fresh drinks, focusing the entire time on not spilling them. She was nervous and her hands were shaking. "Here you go, boys. Enjoy! I'll check on you later."

  "We'll be waiting for you," Buddy and Art told her.

  Deliberately, Elise made her way to the table where Clint Parker had joined a poker game.

  "Anything I can get for you, cowboy?" she asked, trying to make her voice as different as possible from her real tone.

  Clint gave her only a cursory glance as he studied his cards. "I'll have a whiskey."

  "Coming right up."

  Elise breathed a sigh of relief that Clint hadn't immediately recognized her, but she still had to serve him his drink and get paid. As soon as she had the whiskey, she returned to his side.

  "One whiskey, just for you."

  "I appreciate it," he told her as he looked up at her. "You're new here, aren't you?"

  Elise almost froze as her gaze met his, but she saw no flash of recognition in his eyes at all. "Yes. I just started."

  He nodded and handed her the money, saying nothing more. She moved away, thankful that her disguise had worked so perfectly.

  "Looks like your disguise is as good as you thought it was," Trace told her when she came to stand with him at the bar a short time later.

  "It really must be," she said, amazed that Clint had proven so immune to her charms.

  "Maybe he's not interested in any other woman but the real you," Trace said thoughtfully.

  "I'll have to keep an eye out for him tomorrow at the office. He's liable to show up there at any time, since he's in town tonight."

  As it happened, Clint didn't stick around at the saloon very long. He evidently lost what little money he had very quickly in the poker game and then left. Elise breathed a lot easier once he was gone. She started making the rounds of the room again.

  A group of rowdy cowboys came in then, hollering and shouting. Without any warning, one of the men walked right up to Elise and slipped an arm familiarly around her waist.

  "Say, honey, I know you're wanting a good time tonight, and I'm just the man you've been waiting for. Ignore all these other men who just came in with me. I'm the one you want to spend the rest of the night with."

  "What's your name, handsome?" Elise asked, trying not to squirm over his repulsive nearness.

  "My name's Boyd. What's yours?" he said, pulling her closer to his side.

  "I'm Sugar."

  "Well, gimme a little kiss, Sugar. I've been needin' some lovin' for weeks now."

  "Sorry, Boyd, but the only thing I'm giving out tonight is liquor. I'll be glad to have Dan get you a drink if you'd like one."

  "What the hell are you talking about, woman? I came in here to enjoy myself, and I aim to do that-with you."

  "And I'll be glad to help you enjoy yourself."

  "That's what I wanted to hear. I like my women willing." He pressed a sloppy kiss to her neck, his gaze hot on her breasts. He couldn't wait to push that dress off her shoulders and get a real good look at her.

  Elise stiffened at his boldness. His touch made her flesh crawl, and she couldn't help but wonder if the other girls felt the same way she did when the men pawed at them. She glanced toward Kate and Suzie, but they were smiling and looking for all the world as if they were having a wonderful time with the men they were entertaining. Elise decided that they had to be great
actresses. She couldn't believe that they were really enjoying being treated this way.

  "Boyd! It's good to see you again," Fernada said as she walked over to join them. She knew him well and she didn't trust him around Elise. He was a horny bastard and prone to meanness. "You and the boys in town for a good time tonight, are you?"

  "You know we are, darlin'."

  Femada looked to Elise. "Boyd and the boys are from the Rocking K Ranch. You have yourself a fine time, boys, but what Sugar here told you before is right. She is only serving up liquor. That's all."

  "But that ain't no fair! I'm wanting her!"

  "You and at least half-a-dozen other men here at the High Time, but it ain't going to happen."

  "I'll stand in line for her. She'll be worth it. I can't wait to see what's up under her skirts," he told her, giving Elise's waist a knowing squeeze and talking to Fernada about her as if she wasn't there.

  "You can stand in line for any of the other girls-for Jenny or Kate or Suzie, but not for Sugar. Have you seen Jenny yet? She's probably looking for you somewhere."

  Elise was beginning to feel as if she were just goods being bartered. It was humbling, and humiliating-and educational, too. The trouble was, she was learning about things that she'd never wanted to know about.

  Boyd glared at Femada. "But I want this one tonight."

  "You can't have her. She's only waiting tables."

  "We'll see about that," he snarled defiantly, determined to bed Sugar before the night was out.

  "There ain't anything to see. Now, have a drink and relax. It's time to have some fun. It's payday for you, ain't it?"

  "It sure as hell is, woman!" Boyd hooted.

  "Then enjoy yourself, but keep your hands off Sugar. I'd hate for the evening to turn ugly."

  Boyd was about to say something when the piano player finally started playing a raucous tune. Boyd grabbed Sugar's hand.

  "Come on, little honey! We're gonna show 'em how it's done!"

  There was no way Elise could resist as he dragged her out onto the dance floor.

  From where he'd been standing at the bar watching Elise with Boyd, Trace had been hard put not to confront the lecherous cowboy and tell him to keep his hands off her. The sight of him kissing Elise's neck that way had made him furious. He watched for a sign of panic on Elise's part, but she'd seemed in control. He was amazed at how strong-willed she was, first with Preacher Farnsworth and now with Boyd.

  "Want another drink?" Dan asked him.

  "Yes," Trace told him tersely, turning away from the sight of the two dancing. "I could use another one."

  "Sugar is something else, isn't she?" The bartender chuckled.

  "She's certainly different from any woman I've ever met before," he replied honestly, surprising himself with his answer.

  "I think the rest of the boys are feeling exactly same way about her. Look at the way they're watching her. Sugar is one pretty woman."

  "She sure is," Buddy and Art said as they came up to the bar to get their own drinks.

  "Guess you figured Sugar was going to be busy for a while, eh, fellas?" Dan chuckled.

  "We gave up waiting on her. We know what Boyd's like and figured we were better off taking care of ourselves right now."

  "What's wrong with Boyd?" Trace asked, glancing back toward the dance floor.

  "He's one mean son of a bitch," Dan explained. "We keep a close eye on him. He's been known to get rough with some of the girls."

  Trace stiffened, and a muscle worked in his jaw as he controlled his anger over this news. Any man who hit a woman was a low-life coward. Women were to be cherished, not abused.

  "He gets pretty rough with everybody when he's drunk," Buddy put in. "I had a run-in with him a couple of years ago, and I don't want to have another one." He grimaced at the memory.

  He and Art got their drinks and went on back to their table.

  Trace took a deep drink from the refill Dan had given him, then turned his attention back to Elise. He was going to make sure she stayed right where he could see her. If Boyd even looked as though he was going to lay a hand on her in anger, he was going to have to deal with Trace Jackson first.

  Elise had thought Clint was a dangerous dancing partner, but by comparison, Boyd was downright deadly. He was a big man, and she had to struggle just to hang on to him as he spun her around the floor

  "Ain't you glad of Boyd showed up tonight? You were just waiting for a man like me to come in and take care of you, weren't you?"

  "Absolutely," she managed breathlessly as she struggled to avoid both his groping hands and his cloddish, booted feet. On top of everything else, as he worked up a sweat, Boyd smelled bad. Again, she thought of the working girls who actually lived this life, and she wondered how they tolerated it.

  "I knew you were the one for me the minute I laid eyes on you," Boyd was telling her, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "I told you I wasn't letting you get away from me, and I ain't." He tightened his hold on her, bringing her against his chest as he stomped even more wildly around the floor.

  Elise didn't know what to say to the man or what to do as she found herself enveloped in his bearlike hold. All she wanted to do was escape his disgusting company. His hands seemed to be everywhere as he kept her moving in no particular rhythm to the raucous dance tune.

  "What are you doing with another woman, Boyd Wilson?" Jenny's voice was loud and cut through the noise of the piano player's tune.

  The demanding question brought Boyd up short. The cowboy stopped dancing and turned around to find Jenny standing before him, her arms akimbo, her expression angry.

  "Jenny-where you been?" he blustered, suddenly uneasy. If ever there had been a woman who could match him in his passions it was Jenny, but he'd seen this Sugar when he'd come in and had been challenged by the prospect of trying to bed her.

  "You didn't answer my question, Boyd Wilson! What are you doing with another woman? I've been sitting upstairs in my room just waiting for you to show up! I've been saving myself for you all night, and here you are! Dancing with her!" She took at step toward him, thrusting her bosom out even farther to get his undivided attention. She deliberately made a point of licking her lips as she eyed him up and down. Her gaze lingering on the lower half of his body. "I suppose I could find me another man." She looked around. "I bet there are men here who are every bit as good as you think you are." The last was deliberately sneered.

  "Sugar was promising me a real good time, so I was going to take her up on it since I didn't know where you were," he lied. He knew how exciting Jenny could be. He'd spent many a Saturday night in her bed and had enjoyed every minute of having her. She was a wild, insatiable woman.

  "Get away from my man, Sugar," Jenny told her, casting her a cold look. "Boyd is mine."

  Elise quickly moved away, thrilled to be free of the cowboy. She watched as Jenny walked up to him and kissed him full and flaming on the lips all the while rubbing herself suggestively against him.

  Everyone in the bar was watching, too. They'd expected Boyd to put Jenny in her place. They were shocked when, without another word, Jenny put her hand in the waistband of his pants and led him up the stairs.

  Elise wasn't certain what emotion she was feeling-relief at being rid of him or pity for Jenny for having to put up with the man.

  "Are you all right?"

  She looked up to find Fernada at her side. "Yes, I'm fine."

  "Good. Jenny always comes through when I need her."

  "Does she really want to be with that man?"

  The older woman gave her a meaningful look. "Boyd just got paid. Jenny cares that he pays a high price for her services-if you know what I mean."

  Elise looked up the steps after them, but they were gone from her sight. She turned away, wondering what could reduce a woman to such a state in life. Of all the men in the High Time, Jenny had picked Boyd. She could have had Gabe!

  The thought stopped Elise cold as she realized the direction of her thoughts.
But even as she analyzed them, she realized it was true. Her gaze sought Gabe out, and she found that he was standing at the bar, watching her, his expression serious. Gabe really was the only man in the entire saloon who held any real attraction for her.

  Not that Elise even wanted to be thinking about such things, but her experiences that night were forcing her to. Although her new boss was not the most dominant of men, Gabe was intelligent and civilized, and right now those two qualities meant a lot to her. He could dance, too! If only he would get rid of the bow ties, he might not be half bad-looking. The eyeglasses-well, there was nothing to be done about those. She supposed the man had to see. She gave him a slight, reassuring smile, sensing that he was concerned about her, and he returned the gesture with a nod of understanding.

  "You'd better get back to work. Your other customers are waiting." Fernada's voice cut through her musings.

  "After Boyd, it will be my pleasure."

  Elise started mixing with some of the new men who'd come in. It was over an hour later when she finally managed to seek Gabe out at a table in the back where he'd settled in with Andy and George.

  "I wouldn't have believed it, if I hadn't seen it myself," Andy said, his eyes twinkling with devilish delight at the sight of her so clad. He'd been watching her tending to the saloon's business for quite a while. He was amazed at not only the way she looked, but the way she'd been handling all the men. "You're really very good at this," he quipped. "If you ever lose your job at the paper, it looks like you've already got another job lined up."

  She laughed at him, knowing he was teasing. "And I'll get you a job helping Dan the bartender!"

  "No, I'm just fine where I am, thanks," he answered.

  "If you really think I'm good at this and enjoying it, maybe I should take to the stage instead. Obviously, my thespian skills are honed to perfection."

  "You do live an exciting life. One week, you're getting married to a man you'd never met before, and the next you're working as a saloon girl. I wonder what you're going to come up with next," Andy said thoughtfully.

  "So do I," Trace said, frowning. "Something simple would be good. Maybe an expose on the Ladies' Solidarity?"