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Cole’s gaze traveled back up to the beautiful face. Her hair had been pulled tightly back into a knot on top of her head, exposing an oval face with a proud brow, large, heavily fringed brown eyes, high cheekbones and a wide mouth with full, tempting lips.
“Are you just going to stand and stare at me?”
“Since you’ve gone to all this trouble, I assumed you wanted a complete assessment.” He removed his hat.
“I hope you don’t think I did this just for you.” Beth took his top hat and placed it on a small, heavily carved side table. “However, since you mention it, are my furnishings more to your liking?”
“Well.” He pretended to consider his answer. “I would say it depended on what you wanted to use it for.”
“And my clothes?”
Cole chuckled. Mistress Alexander was fishing for a compliment. “Again, it would depend on what you had in mind.”
“That’s no answer.”
Cole’s grin broadened. “I know. That way I don’t get myself into trouble.”
“I’m wearing a matador’s suit.” Seeing his blank expression, she added, “It’s what the men wear in Spain when they fight bulls.”
Cole looked at the small table that had been set for two. “Why would any man want to fight a bull?” he asked offhandedly. This was all taking too long. There would be no leftovers if they continued to chat. He wondered what she planned to feed him tonight. “Did Howard make a mistake when he said we would be sharing supper?”
Beth was becoming vexed. What was it about her that he didn’t find attractive? “No, he made no mistake. I guess we should eat.”
Cole went straight to the table, but to Beth’s delight, when he pulled out a chair, he motioned for her to be seated. The man had manners after all. She was suddenly curious as to his background. “I had a special dinner prepared.”
Cole managed to hold in his groan. She had said the same thing at the last meal. He looked at the fine china and sterling settings. He was trying damn hard to get along with this woman, but she wasn’t making it easy.
“You will be pleased to know that there are no hot spices in the food. Though I’m wearing clothes from Spain, I selected pasta dishes from Italy. I thought they might be more to your liking.” She clapped her hands.
Molly Dee immediately appeared carrying a large bowl of something white. It reminded Cole of worms. When Molly Dee set it on the table, Cole wondered if her breast brushing against his shoulder had been an accident. Magda was right behind the cute little brunette, with two smaller bowls.
“Please, serve yourself,” Beth said eagerly. She had always loved to entertain. Unfortunately, Cole was the only one she had to practice on. “The sauce goes on top of the pasta. Eating it can be a bit tricky.”
Why not? Cole thought. Heaven forbid that she would serve plain, simple food.
Beth demonstrated how to use a fork and spoon to eat the pasta. Even so, it took several attempts before Cole managed to get the long, stringy stuff from the plate to his mouth. Once he had the knack of it, Beth scooted up in her chair, waiting for his praise. She wasn’t sure whether he liked it or not. “Well?”
Prepared for the worst, Cole had steeled himself for the first unwanted bite. Therefore it took a moment for him to realize the food was messy but quite good. He smiled and nodded appreciatively. Not until Beth clapped her hands with glee did he realize the importance of his approval. She quickly filled her own plate.
Remembering that last time Beth had said there was to be no business discussed during the meal, Cole settled down to a delectable supper. Before long he found himself wondering who the real Bethany Alexander was. It seemed that every time he was around her, she acted like a different person. Minutes ago her face had mirrored the delight of a child. Howard had once mentioned something about her being lonesome. Perhaps he had been right.
When his appetite was satisfied, Cole leaned back in his chair and sipped the black coffee that had been served. For the moment he was at peace with the world.
“How much farther will we be traveling before the train robbery?”
Apparently supper was over and business could now be discussed. “Three days,” he replied. “I haven’t had a chance to thank you for changing our traveling routine. I know it must be a considerable inconvenience for you. It’s because of the extra hours of travel that we’ll make final camp so soon. Tomorrow we’ll pass within four miles of a town.” Her excitement was apparent. “However, I don’t think it would be wise to stop.”
“Why? There are things—”
“I thought the purpose of all this was so you could find out about train robbers? Believe me, they don’t make a habit of announcing their presence to a sheriff and a town full of people. If at all possible, they avoid easy identification.”
“So we’ll just travel on?”
“You and the caravan will travel on.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means that Doolan and I are riding to town.”
Beth leaned forward, any trace of humor gone. “Are you planning to return?”
“Don’t worry. I could have left you any time I wanted. But as long as everything continues to move smoothly I have no intentions of going anywhere. I want my money. It will help buy land when I go to California.”
Beth remembered him mentioning that before. “Why can’t we all go? I’m sure the others would enjoy seeing a town for a change.”
“Come, come Beth. Don’t you think a caravan like this one would be a bit conspicuous? Bruster is a small town.”
“I’ll go with—”
“I’ll take Doolan. We can pick up any supplies needed and make sure there aren’t any Pinkerton men about. I also need to check on the train schedule.”
“I thought we had already established who is in charge here.”
Cole rested his elbows on the table. “And I thought you wanted to know what it was like to rob a train. All this traveling and staying out of view is exactly what a bandit would do. The only difference is the manner in which he would travel and the way you’re doing it. Have you devised a plan for robbing the train and figured out how many men you’re going to need?”
“I’m working on it.”
Cole knew she didn’t have the slightest idea how to address the situation. “Permit me to offer some advice.”
“I’m the robber—the one who is supposed to figure everything out.” Nevertheless, Beth watched closely as Cole creased lines on the tablecloth with the blunt edge of his knife.
Cole made crisscrossed lines in several places. “This is your train. You are going to need someone to get to the front —” he pointed to it “— and get the engineer to stop. While he’s doing that, others have to enter by the back. There will only be one passenger car. Naturally you’ll want guns to be drawn in case someone wants to put up a fight.”
Beth’s face became ashen. “Are you saying we may have to shoot someone?”
“When you’re an outlaw, there is always that possibility. Some people don’t take kindly to being robbed.”
“But I really don’t want to rob anyone. I just want to see what it’s like to do it.”
Cole shrugged his shoulders. “I hope the people on the train understand that. Now, you’re also going to need someone to stay with the horses and have them ready when you exit the train. You don’t want to get shot while leaving.”
“You’ve left out one very important detail. How do we get on the train?”
“That’s the simplest part. You ride your horse up alongside and climb on.”
“You can’t be serious!”
“Dead serious.”
“While the train is moving?”
“How else do you plan to stop it? You might consider getting a man’s saddle and some britches. You could get your foot caught up in a skirt hem and kill yourself. Of course, if you want to change your mind about this...” He raised a dark eyebrow and waited.
“No, I’m not going to change my mind. I always finish what I set out to do. I don’t want to hear any more. As I told you, this is my holdup.”
“But of course. You will have several days to work it out. I’m curious why a lady of your financial standing would even want to do any of this.”
“Research. Purely research. Besides, money isn’t everything. It is time for me to start doing something constructive with my life.”
Cole stood and made a slight bow. “The supper was excellent, my lady. I thank you for all the trouble you went to.” He snatched up his hat before exiting the tent. Yes, sirree, the woman did talk a good story. Of course, come time to commit the crime, the lady would undoubtedly change her mind.
As Cole drove the farm wagon down one of the back streets of Bruster, he kept scanning the area for any sight of the bald-faced nag the traveling sheriff rode. How long had it been? Six years since he last visited the town? Something like that. It wasn’t a large town, but it was sufficient for the surrounding farms. He brought the horses to a halt in front of a large saloon.
“Why are we stopping here?” Doolan inquired.
“I figured we could both use a drink.”
Doolan jumped from the wagon and followed Cole inside. It was only around ten in the morning, so there were few customers. As he sidled up to the bar, Doolan was feeling more like a man than he ever had. There was something about being around Cole that made him feel different than when he was with the others. Maybe that was because Cole didn’t treat him as if he were still in short pants.
“A couple of whiskeys,” Cole told the bartender. He pulled a coin from his pocket and slapped it on the bar. “Is Dahlia still here?” he asked when the bartender had filled the shot glasses.
“Yeah, I’m still here. Who wants to know?”
Cole downed the shot, then turned toward the voice. Dahlia had to be in her early fifties, but very little had changed. She was overweight, her hair was dyed a gaudy bright red and her two-layer-deep makeup did little to hide the wrinkles. Nevertheless, she’d always been a fair woman and treated her girls well.
“Cole?” Dahlia pulled her wire-rimmed glasses from between her large breasts and took a harder look. “Son of a bitch! Cole Wagner. It is you!” She hurried forward and threw her ample arms around him.
“You haven’t changed,” Cole said fondly.
Dahlia released him and stepped back. “Well, I sure as hell can’t say the same about you. Why are you dressed like that, you handsome devil? Look at that stupid hat. And that beard. I ain’t never seen you with a beard.” She laughed with delight. “You aimin’ to braid it?”
Cole grinned good-naturedly. “Dahlia, I’d like you to meet a friend of mine. Doolan, this is Dahlia, the best woman for miles around.”
Doolan blushed at the brazen way Dahlia looked him over. He wasn’t sure what to think about all this. How had these two come to know each other?
“I’ll be damned. You brung me a green one.”
Cole chuckled. Dahlia knew her men. “Doolan is fixing to become twenty. I figured it was time he learned a few things about women.”
Doolan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “You mean...”
“Knowing you have the best girls in the county,” Cole continued, ignoring his young friend, “I knew you would pick him out someone special.”
Doolan licked his lips. Was he honestly going to get to be with a woman — naked and everything?
“I got just the one,” Dahlia crooned. “Bill,” she called to the bartender, “call down Credence.”
Doolan was feeling as skittish as a turpentined cat. “Can I talk with you a minute in private?” he asked Cole.
“Sure thing.” Cole winked at Dahlia and moved several feet away. “What is it, Doolan?”
“What if I...I mean, you know... can’t do it.”
“Why would you say that?”
“Well, you know I’ve never... Don’t you need me to help get supplies?”
“Are you telling me you don’t want to go through with this?”
“I just don’t want...” Doolan forgot what he was about to say. His eyes were fastened on the tall blonde coming down the stairs. The only thing she had on was a girdle that pushed her creamy white breasts up, and a gossamer thing that reached the floor and hid nothing. He’d never seen anything so beautiful.
Cole laughed. “You’ll do just fine, Doolan. I’m sure you haven’t a thing to worry about.” Cole doubted that the boy had even heard what he’d said. He saw Dahlia’s slight nod, indicating to Credence which man was her customer.
Credence walked up to Doolan, who looked as if he were frozen in ice. “Oh,” she said as she ran her fingers through his hair, “you’re a handsome one.”
Doolan grinned like a sick puppy.
Credence took his hand. “Why don’t you come upstairs with me?”
Cole reached into his pocket and pulled out some money. “It will be a while before I return,” he stated as he handed Dahlia the money. “See that the boy has a good time.”
“I can’t take your money, Cole. Hell, if it wasn’t for you I wouldn’t have this business.”
Cole gave it to her, anyway. “Tell me, has Sheriff Biggs been in these parts lately?”
“No, he tried shootin’ it out with some young kid. They buried him nearly a year ago. The new sheriff never comes here ’cause nothin’ ever happens. You’re free to go where you please.”
Cole grinned. “I’ll see you later.”
As Cole drove out of town, Frank Doolan couldn’t stop talking about how well Credence had said he’d performed. “She told me she’d never had anyone who could keep doing it time after time. Damn! I sure do feel good!”
“I hope she showed you how to please a woman, because you’ll come to learn that it’s a lot better when a woman is enjoying it as much as you are.”
“Credence showed me what women like.”
“All women aren’t the same.”
“Why, once I went a whole ten minutes before I... Well, you know what I mean,” he said proudly.
Cole chuckled. “Is that so? Then I guess the next thing you have to learn is not to go around bragging about how good you are, because, I assure you, there is always someone better.”
“Maybe you can teach me more,” Doolan said, still unable to contain his excitement.
“No, you’re on your own.”
Doolan shook his head. “I never knew it could feel so good. If I had, I’d of done it a long time ago. You have to be the best friend a man could ever have to go and do something like this for me.” He slapped his leg. “Damned if I don’t feel like bowling.”
“Then by all means, go right ahead.”
