She said she'd come back for me. And she would've, too, except she died before she had a chance. Whose turn is it?"
But Cole could see his eyes watering. He picked up his own cards and discreetly looked away. "It's your turn, kid. And by the way, what was that score again?"
"Sixty-one to twenty-two. You don't have a prayer."
*
Gwin watched Cole through veiled lashes as he finished setting up their sleeping berths. Ever since the handcuff incident, he’d been sticking to her like a tick, and it was getting on her nerves.
"I have to use the convenience room," she said.
Cole's jaw tensed as he continued to spread a bed linen on the upper berth. "You just used the convenience room."
"I have to use it again."
He fixed her with a look that could have melted lead. "What's it going to be this time? Fainting in the aisle or shouting 'Fire' again in an effort to create a panic?"
She managed to muster an innocent expression in reply to this reference to their last dinner stop. "I thought I smelled smoke."
He bent down very slowly until they were nose to nose. Her eyes started to cross, and she jerked her head back a notch to focus better. His murderous expression didn't improve any with distance. "In a train station ... you thought you smelled smoke. How alarming."
She had finally succeeded in wearing those cool Pinkerton nerves down to a frazzle. She could now, in good conscience, call it a day. "Really" she said, "this mood of yours is horrid. Maybe you need to get some sleep."
"Maybe I do." He straightened, towering over her like a disapproving redwood.
"So, what'll it be tonight?" she inquired breezily. "Are you going to tie me up again?"
The hint of a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth, the first in many, many hours, and Gwin's guard went up.
"Not tonight, your ladyship. Tonight we're going to do things a little differently." Cole tapped Arthur, who was busy playing solitaire on the lower berth. "You're up top tonight."
"Really? You mean it?" Arthur gathered up his cards and scrambled up onto the second berth. "This is gonna be fun!"
Gwin wrinkled her nose. "You mean, I'm stuck sleeping with him ?"
"Not quite." Cole pointed to the lower berth. "You're down here."
"Oh, well, that doesn't sound so bad." Gwin tossed her valise onto the berth and started to bend down, then straightened abruptly at a startling thought.
Surely, he wouldn't dare. Gwin's cheeks flushed. She sputtered like an old water pump. "Oh, no! You can't ... you wouldn't ... that would be—"
"You're got two minutes to get undressed and do whatever it is you do before getting all the way under those sheets. After that, ready or not, I'm coming in."
Gwin squared her shoulders. "This is highly irregular, Shepherd."
Cole narrowed his eyes dangerously. " You are highly irregular, Gwin."
Gwin searched his face for any sign that he might be bluffing. There was none. "But what about my reputation?"
"Which one? Horse thief? Or cardsharp? "
"That's not funny. You know what I'm talking about."
"Well, if you weren't such an all-fired pain in the—" He caught himself, closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and opened his eyes again. He began in a calmer tone. "You proved to me last night that you cannot be trusted sleeping alone. Fine. Tonight we sleep together. Now, thanks to you, I'm about dead on my feet, so shut up and get your pretty little bottom in there before I put it in there for you." He pulled out his pocket watch. "Your two minutes starts now."
"I can't believe you're doing this. What are people going to think?"
"If anybody asks, we'll tell them we're married. We sure as hell act like it. One minute, forty-eight seconds."
Gwin's mind worked furiously. He was bluffing. He had to be. After all, Cole was not the kind of man who would stoop to such improper levels just to teach her a lesson. Would he? Gwin scrutinized his grim face. Of course he was bluffing. Well, she was an expert at short card games. She could bluff with the best
But Cole could see his eyes watering. He picked up his own cards and discreetly looked away. "It's your turn, kid. And by the way, what was that score again?"
"Sixty-one to twenty-two. You don't have a prayer."
*
Gwin watched Cole through veiled lashes as he finished setting up their sleeping berths. Ever since the handcuff incident, he’d been sticking to her like a tick, and it was getting on her nerves.
"I have to use the convenience room," she said.
Cole's jaw tensed as he continued to spread a bed linen on the upper berth. "You just used the convenience room."
"I have to use it again."
He fixed her with a look that could have melted lead. "What's it going to be this time? Fainting in the aisle or shouting 'Fire' again in an effort to create a panic?"
She managed to muster an innocent expression in reply to this reference to their last dinner stop. "I thought I smelled smoke."
He bent down very slowly until they were nose to nose. Her eyes started to cross, and she jerked her head back a notch to focus better. His murderous expression didn't improve any with distance. "In a train station ... you thought you smelled smoke. How alarming."
She had finally succeeded in wearing those cool Pinkerton nerves down to a frazzle. She could now, in good conscience, call it a day. "Really" she said, "this mood of yours is horrid. Maybe you need to get some sleep."
"Maybe I do." He straightened, towering over her like a disapproving redwood.
"So, what'll it be tonight?" she inquired breezily. "Are you going to tie me up again?"
The hint of a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth, the first in many, many hours, and Gwin's guard went up.
"Not tonight, your ladyship. Tonight we're going to do things a little differently." Cole tapped Arthur, who was busy playing solitaire on the lower berth. "You're up top tonight."
"Really? You mean it?" Arthur gathered up his cards and scrambled up onto the second berth. "This is gonna be fun!"
Gwin wrinkled her nose. "You mean, I'm stuck sleeping with him ?"
"Not quite." Cole pointed to the lower berth. "You're down here."
"Oh, well, that doesn't sound so bad." Gwin tossed her valise onto the berth and started to bend down, then straightened abruptly at a startling thought.
Surely, he wouldn't dare. Gwin's cheeks flushed. She sputtered like an old water pump. "Oh, no! You can't ... you wouldn't ... that would be—"
"You're got two minutes to get undressed and do whatever it is you do before getting all the way under those sheets. After that, ready or not, I'm coming in."
Gwin squared her shoulders. "This is highly irregular, Shepherd."
Cole narrowed his eyes dangerously. " You are highly irregular, Gwin."
Gwin searched his face for any sign that he might be bluffing. There was none. "But what about my reputation?"
"Which one? Horse thief? Or cardsharp? "
"That's not funny. You know what I'm talking about."
"Well, if you weren't such an all-fired pain in the—" He caught himself, closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and opened his eyes again. He began in a calmer tone. "You proved to me last night that you cannot be trusted sleeping alone. Fine. Tonight we sleep together. Now, thanks to you, I'm about dead on my feet, so shut up and get your pretty little bottom in there before I put it in there for you." He pulled out his pocket watch. "Your two minutes starts now."
"I can't believe you're doing this. What are people going to think?"
"If anybody asks, we'll tell them we're married. We sure as hell act like it. One minute, forty-eight seconds."
Gwin's mind worked furiously. He was bluffing. He had to be. After all, Cole was not the kind of man who would stoop to such improper levels just to teach her a lesson. Would he? Gwin scrutinized his grim face. Of course he was bluffing. Well, she was an expert at short card games. She could bluff with the best
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