Town Social Page 15

  "If you're planning on getting drunk, Jake," she said, slipping into the chair across from him, "I'd rather you took that bottle with you and did it somewhere else."

  "Why?" Jake muttered. "This is a saloon, isn't it? Men drink in saloons."

  Ginny sighed in resignation. "Why, he asks. Because Jake Cameron drunk in my place might just be a little too much for even both Perry and me to handle, that's why. And you know I've got a limit on how many drinks any customer can have. Once I see them getting plastered, it's cutoff time."

  "I'll take my bottle to the jailhouse."

  Jake reached for the whiskey, but Ginny grabbed his arm.

  "What's wrong, Jake? I thought we were friends. I'd come to you if I needed to talk."

  Jake slowly withdrew his arm, then picked up the bottle and poured another glass. After he downed it, he glanced at Ginny and said, "That's only my second one."

  "I'm counting," Ginny assured him.

  Jake slouched back in his chair, slipping his thumbs into his gunbelt. He stared at the scarred table top for a while, then looked into Ginny's concerned eyes. "Friends don't repeat stuff a friend asks them to keep confidential, right?"

  "Right," Ginny agreed. "If you want to talk, it's just between us."

  Jake allowed another long minute to pass before he said, "Did you ever think you had your life all planned out, then have something happen that kicked you in your gut and turned everything upside down?"

  "Not really," Ginny said. "I guess the worst thing that ever happened to me was when my father got killed right in front of my eyes. But nothing changed much in my life after that. I'm still trying to make a living out of running a saloon."

  "You ever wanna do anything else, Gin?"

  "Sure. Lots of things. I have done some of them, and I'll do some more someday. With my father not squandering all the profits, I've been able to put money aside the last few months."

  "Well, I never did — wanna do anything else, I mean." When Ginny arched an eyebrow at him, Jake continued, "All I ever saw when I looked ahead was my still being a Ranger. I like my job and the men I work with. I like knowing I'm making a difference

  — making places safer for people with families."

  "What about a family of your own?"

  "Never wanted one," he denied. "Hell, I know what I do is dangerous. Wouldn't be right to leave behind someone who'd been depending on me."

  "Any particular someone you're thinking about when you say that?" Ginny arched one perfect eyebrow even higher. "Like maybe a pretty blond, with eyes the color of bluebonnets in the Texas spring?"

  "No, dammit!" Jake reached for the bottle and refilled his glass again. But instead of picking up the drink, he raised his hand and rubbed his eyes with his index finger and thumb. "Look, Gin, I'll admit Sunny's a woman a man could build reality out of dreams with. But I'm damned sure not the man to do that with her. Hell yeah, I'm attracted to her — I'll admit that just between us. But it's probably only because I need to forget my own principles and go visit one of Saul's girls."

  Ginny's full lips curled into a sneer. "If that's what you think you need, you won't find it here in my place," she reminded him.

  "I'm sorry, Gin." He pushed his chair back. "Maybe you're right. I better get out of here." Before he rose a thought flashed through his mind, and he sipped his drink, pondering the idea. Propping her elbow on the table, Ginny cupped her chin, waiting patiently for him to speak again.

  "Gin," he mused at last. "You get men here in your place that drink at Saul's, also, don't you?"

  "In a town of this size, yeah, Saul and I share some of the same customers. But it's usually the other way around. They come here first, then go over to his place after I cut them off. Or when they need to forget their principles."

  "I'm sorry, Gin. I didn't mean it like that. But you can't sit in judgment of the women who work over at Saul's. Not everyone offers women a chance like you do — to get some training in things like handling books and managing the place, which lets them eventually move on."

  "I don't sit in judgment of them, Jake." Ginny picked up his glass and drank part of it. She carefully replaced it in the same exact spot, tracing the rim with her index finger and staring at the glass. "Not every woman's as lucky as someone like Sunny. She was left pretty much alone in the world, except for that parsimonious aunt of hers, but her mother appears to have provided for her. At least she's not desperately looking for some man to help keep her from starving to death and willing to do just about anything it takes to stay alive."

  Ginny's words jogged Jake's memory of Sunny questioning him about Charlie. Yeah, Sunny appeared to have financial security, but she didn't seem to appreciate her lot in life. He'd heard those rumors about Samantha Foster and Charlie himself and knew his old friend would never have walked out on Samantha if they had been married. He shook off the growing suspicion in his mind over the past week that Sunny Fannin might be a possible golddigger, having learned from her aunt of Charlie's concealed wealth.

  Concentrating once again on the subject at hand, he said, "That's what I mean. Those women at Saul's don't have any other choice."

  "They should have a choice," Ginny insisted. "And they would have if they'd stand up for themselves. Saul's even worse than my father was when he made the women in this place whore in order to earn a living. Saul keeps the money the men pay him for the women's services and only pays the women a share of the drinks they sell."

  "How do you know that? Gin!" Lowering his voice, Jake leaned toward her. "Gin, you haven't been interfering in Saul's business, have you? Damn it, you stir those girls up in a revolt and Saul will have your ass — and I don't mean in between a set of satin sheets!"

  Ginny's solid gaze didn't waver when she raised her narrowed green eyes to his. "I hear enough gutter talk around here, Jake. I don't need it from my friends."

  Blowing out an exasperated breath and shaking his head, Jake grabbed the shot glass. Downing the whiskey remaining in it, he shoved back his chair, stood and picked up the bottle. He dug a coin from his pocket and dropped it on the table, the clink hardly audible above the noise level in the room.

  "Hope you know what you're doing, Gin. I was going to ask you if there were any problems between you and Saul. Whether he might be pissed because you might draw off even more of his customers when this Center that Ruth and Sunny are determined to open gets going. Since you're right next door, your place will have the first opportunity at the men leaving those performances. But I guess I don't need to know the answer to that any longer."

  He started to move away, and Ginny rose, laying a hand on his arm. "I hope you know what you're doing, too, Jake," she said. "Choosing to walk away from the possibility of a full life and family with a woman like Sunny. I hope your memories of everything you've done for other people will be enough to keep you company when you're old and gray."

  "That's the problem," Jake replied with a sardonic chuckle. "I may never make old and gray." He covered her hand with his. "Still friends, Gin?"

  "Still friends," she agreed, but Perry's shout from the bar drowned her response.

  "Hey, I smell smoke!"

  ***

  Chapter 12

  "Miss Sunny! Miss Sunny, wake up!"

  "Hum? Teddy, crawl in here with me and go back to sleep." Though she couldn't quite recall what it was about, Sunny struggled to hold onto the remnants of the dream. The sensation lingered, however — the cozy lethargy, the feel of a slightly-bewhiskered cheek beneath her palm. And wedding bells ringing. Such beautiful wedding bells.

  "Um, bells," she murmured, snuggling her cheek into the pillow and hugging it closer.

  "Miss Sunny!" Teddy shook her shoulder. "Miss Sunny, that's the fire bell! Me and Dolly are scared."

  Sunny shot up in bed. "What? Fire bell?" The sound ceased, leaving just a resonant echo in Sunny's ears. She threw back the comforter and swung her legs over the side of the bed. Grabbing Teddy's shoulders, she asked, "Are you sure, Teddy? The fir
e bell?"

  Teddy sniffed and wiped the back of her hand across her nose. "I heard it once before, the day you fed me and Rowdy that first time. When you burned the biscuits."

  Sunny leapt from bed and grabbed her robe from the footrest.

  "Please don't leave me here alone, Miss Sunny," Teddy said with a sob.

  "No, no, I won't," Sunny told the frightened little girl. "We don't know where the fire is, and I want you with me. Go get your own robe on. Hurry now."

  Teddy flew from the room, and Sunny raced to the front door. Flinging it open, she ran onto the porch and stared down the street. A crowd was gathered in front of her Cultural Center, and she could see flames inside the building reflected in the windows.

  The fire was all too real this time — nothing as innocuous as a pan of burning biscuits. She clapped a hand over her mouth in horror as Teddy ran onto the porch.

  "It's your building, Miss Sunny. Oh, no! We better go help put it out."

  Teddy started by her, but Sunny pulled her back. "I have to wake Aunt Cassie, Teddy. You wait right here on the porch. Do you hear me?"

  "Yes, ma'am."

  Spying Rowdy on the steps, Sunny hastily pushed Teddy down to sit beside him. "Promise me you won't move, Teddy."

  "I won't. I promise."

  Racing back inside and down the hallway, she threw open Cassie's bedroom door without knocking. A lantern turned low burned dimly on Cassie's bedside table, and her aunt sat on the side of the bed, wearing her wrapper and with her head in her hands.

  "Aunt, there's a fire in town!"

  Cassie's head flew up. "I heard the fire bell."

  "It's down at the other end of the street in the Cultural Center building. I need to go. I don't think the fire could possibly spread, but I wanted to make sure you were awake, just in case."

  Cassie's eyes widened in panic. "No, no, it couldn't spread," she said. "It shouldn't spread."

  "Just stay alert, Aunt. I'm taking Teddy with me."

  She flew back down the hallway and within seconds, she and Teddy were racing down the street, Rowdy at their heels. A bucket brigade had already formed, running from a town pump on the other side of Ginny's place to the Cultural Center. Both windows on the building were now shattered and smoke poured out, thicker beneath the walkway overhang and drifting down the street.

  While still several yards away, Sunny pulled Teddy to a halt, hugging her and turning her face into her stomach when the child began to cough. Her own eyes teared and stung but she kept her gaze trained on the building. Just then three men with bandannas over their lower faces emerged onto the walkway, waving the crowd back.

  "I think it's out," one of the men called. "Let's let the smoke clear."

  Though muffled by the bandanna, she recognized Jake's voice. She started forward but thought better of it as the crowd fell back into the street, the workers in the brigade setting their buckets down in a line in case they might still be needed. Releasing Teddy for a moment, she swiped her palms across her stinging eyes. Her vision cleared, she saw Jake striding toward her, the bandanna now around his neck and the crowd parting for his approach.

  "I don't think there's too much damage," he said, reaching out to stroke her upper arms soothingly.

  Her knees wobbled and she swayed forward. Jake caught her, and she buried her face on his strong shoulder for a short instant. Between them Teddy squirmed, struggling to free herself, and Sunny hurriedly stepped back.

  "Gee, Miss Sunny. You 'most smothered me," Teddy said in an injured voice. She glanced up. "Hi, Ranger Jake. You get the fire out?"

  "It's out, Teddy," he replied.

  "How'd a fire start in Miss Sunny's building?" she asked. "It's nighttime. There's not supposed to be no one in there at night."

  Wanting the answer to the same question, Sunny carefully studied Jake's grim face. Frown lines furrowing his brow, he stared across the street in the direction of Saul Cravens' saloon, and she turned. Outlined by the light shining from inside his saloon, Saul stood in front of his batwing doors, thumbs hooked in his vest pockets. He nodded and started walking toward them.

  As Saul stepped down into the street, Ginny rushed up, elbowing Jake aside and taking Sunny's hands in her own. "Come in off the street, Sunny," she said. "You and Teddy both, if you don't mind her coming into my place. Goodness, neither one of you have on shoes."

  Knowing Cassie would full well have a fit when she heard about it didn't make Sunny rethink her quick decision. "Would you mind just taking Teddy with you for now, Ginny? I'd like to examine the fire damage."

  "You can't go in there barefoot," Ginny insisted. "There's broken glass all over the walkway. But I'll settle Teddy in my office and bring you out a pair of my shoes. Come on, darling."

  She took Teddy's hand, and Teddy gave her a wide grin. "I'm really gonna get to see inside your s'loon, Miss Ginny? Gee, the other kids are gonna be soooo jealous. A couple of the boys have peeked under the door, but that's all they ever had the nerve to do."

  "It's just a business, sweetheart," Ginny assured her. "We sell drinks instead of goods like the general store does. I'm afraid you'll be awfully disappointed if you expect to see anything decadent."

  "What's de . . . decadent mean, Miss Ginny?"

  Jake stiffened and Saul Cravens' voice overrode whatever answer Ginny made to Teddy. "I'm real sorry about the fire, Sunny," he said.

  Saul took one of her hands between his. Up until now it hadn't bothered her at all to only be wearing her gown and robe in front of half the town. Saul politely kept his gaze on her face, but her toes curled in the dirt as embarrassment at her inappropriate attire flushed her cheeks.

  "Thank you, Mr. Cravens."

  "Saul, please, Sunny. And since I haven't made a donation to your new endeavor, I want you to know that I'll have one ready for you in the morning. Perhaps it will help defray some of the expense of repairing the fire damage."

  "Why, that's wonderful, Saul." She withdrew her hand and threw Jake a brilliant smile. "Isn't that wonderful, Jake?"

  "Yeah," Jake snarled. "Just wonderful. By the way, Cravens, since you spend a fair amount of time keeping an eye on the goings on in town, you didn't happen to see anything suspicious over here right before the fire, did you?"

  "Come to think of it, Cameron," Saul mused, "I did notice something after you and I talked a few minutes before the fire. After I came back here and you went on over to Ginny's, I saw you'd left your lantern behind. If you'll recall, seeing the lantern light was what drew me over there in the first place."

  "That lantern was on a table," Jake said, a warning growl in his voice. "It couldn't have fallen off on its own."

  Saul shrugged. "You asked, Cameron. We've got plenty of stray animals roaming around town. Could be one of them got in there, knocked against the table and caused the lantern to tip over. I sure don't leave any burning lanterns in my place after I close up at night. Hell, I . . . uh, excuse me, Sunny. Shoot, I heard a noise one morning and came downstairs with my gun in hand. Found a pig wandering around. He'd tipped over every darned spittoon in the place."

  Sunny gasped, a slow dread stealing through her. "What were you both doing in the Center in the first place? At that time of night. Did you close the door when you left, Jake?"

  Jake took her arm, gently pushing her away. "We'll talk about this in a minute, Sunny. Go on over to Ginny's and wait for me."

  Sunny jerked free. "I will not! I demand to know what's going on here. Now. Right this instant!"

  Saul chuckled under his breath. "Jake knows as much as I do now, Sunny, so I'll leave you two to discuss it. Don't forget to stop by tomorrow for my donation."

  "I'll remember, Saul. Good night." Sunny continued to glare at Jake as Saul sauntered away, his subdued laughter lingering behind.

  "Did you close the door when you left the Center, Jake?" she repeated.

  "I'm the one authorized to ask questions right now," Jake informed her. "But for your information, the door was closed when I wen
t over to check out the smoke odor. Now, get over to Ginny's and wait for me while I try to figure out how the fire started."

  "I'm going with you. You'll need another lantern, and you can get one from Ginny while I put on the shoes she offered to loan me."

  Sunny heard a snicker and weaved to one side to glance around Jake. He turned at the same moment, waving his hand at several townspeople who were standing around listening to their conversation.

  "Go on home," he ordered. "Thanks for your help, but the fire's out now and I'll handle things from here on."

  "Looks like there's still some fire burning out here in the street," one man said with a snort of laughter.

  Jake advanced a step, and the man hurriedly threw an arm around the shoulder of another man next to him. "Come on, Shorty. Looks like the excitement's over for a while. I'll buy you a drink, so's we can clear the smoke out of our throats."

  The men broke apart, part of them heading across the street to Saul's, others walking back to gather the buckets of water. Sunny determinedly marched toward Ginny's red, batwing doors, pausing when she reached a man picking up a water bucket.

  "Sir, would you pass the word to everyone who helped put out the fire that there will be a free ticket to our first performance in the Center for them?"

  "Yes, ma'am, Miss Fannin."

  Sunny continued into the saloon, meeting Ginny just inside the doors.

  "Here you go," Ginny said, handing her a pair of black shoes and a button hook.

  Ginny pulled out a chair from a nearby table, and Sunny sat. Jake passed on by and as she slipped on the shoes, Sunny heard him ask the bartender to hand him one of the lanterns hanging on a nail at the end of the bar.

  "Is Teddy all right?" she asked Ginny.

  "She's sipping on a glass of iced sarsaparilla and talking to Marg while she gets ready to sing. I asked Marg to do an extra show tonight, sort of a reward for the men who helped with the fire."

  Sunny efficiently popped the last shoe button in place and stood. "Has Marg changed her mind about doing a show for our Center? She has such a beautiful voice."