nodded and glanced around. His gaze lingered on the pretty emerald evening gown. “That dress matches your eyes,” he observed.
Her breath hitched. He had noticed the color of her eyes. Her pulse was racing as if she had just danced the Virginia reel ten times. There was no reason for a simple comment to be so exciting. She reminded herself she was not a young girl anymore, neither was she innocent. She folded her arms on the counter.
“What can I do for you, Captain?”
“I need a favor.”
“Oh.” Goodness knows she couldn’t refuse him since she was in his debt. Had he not rescued her when he did, she might have been one of the girls killed when the old building that was being used as makeshift women’s prison in Kansas City collapsed.
“I’ll be happy to do you a favor.” There was only one reason why men came to her shop. “You tell me what kind of dress you’re looking for, and I’ll see that you get it.”
His gray eyes widened. “You think I want a dress?”
“Well, no. Not for yourself, of course.” She laughed. “But for someone special, yes. And if you’re looking for something besides clothing, I do have a number of lovely gift items that any lady would love.” She reached for one of the bottles of perfume displayed on the counter, and she dabbed a bit of fragrance on her wrist. “This cologne is a very light orange blossom and lilac combined. It is one of my favorites. Do you like it?”
He sniffed her wrist and nodded. “I would buy it for a special lady, but I don’t have one.”
Much to her horror, his words thrilled her.
“I see you got married.” He gave her wedding band a pointed look.
She pulled her hand back and closed the bottle of perfume. “Yes, I was married. I’m widowed now.”
“You’re awfully young to be widowed.”
“Young men die too,” she said. Sometimes their wives get them killed. He offered the standard condolences while she returned the perfume bottle to the display tray. “What about a silk hankie or a beaded reticule?”
“I’m not here as a customer,” he remarked, and she lifted her brows in surprise. He spoke quietly. “I talked to Thad Adams at the Croft Hotel.”
She had known the hotel manager all her life. They had gone to school together and Thad was now married to her aunt’s sister-in-law.
“He said you could help me.”
“With what?” she asked.
“I need to see the Boys,” he said, using the local nickname for the James-Younger gang.
In that one second, when he mentioned the Boys, a chill swept over her. She couldn’t keep smiling, not when she sensed trouble. Warily, she slid a glance to his waist where he wore his guns tied down and heels forward, gunfighter-style.
“I don’t know why Thad would have said such a thing.” She stepped backward. Beneath the counter, between the moneybox and a feather duster, lay a short-barrel Colt revolver within her reach. She smoothed the front of her skirt and tried to look apologetic. “I cannot help you.”
“That’s not true.”
She met his determined gaze. She was aware he had been good friends with both Frank and Cole during the war. They had been young men, barely twenty, when they had rode under a black flag together, forging a brotherhood in battle. But the war was long over and people could change. Especially when it came to a fortune in reward money.
“Let me put it this way,” she said curtly. “I won’t help you.”
A frown deepened the lines in his tanned face. “Surely you know you can trust me.”
“I know nothing about you at all,” she replied in a cold tone. “And, no, I don’t trust you.”
With an offended scowl, he said, “You have no reason not to trust me. Ask Frank or Jesse if you have doubts about my honor.”
She rubbed her forehead. Men and their honor. She rounded the counter and motioned for him to follow her. She walked over to the front windows of her shop. “You see those two men across the street?” Two heavily armed men
Her breath hitched. He had noticed the color of her eyes. Her pulse was racing as if she had just danced the Virginia reel ten times. There was no reason for a simple comment to be so exciting. She reminded herself she was not a young girl anymore, neither was she innocent. She folded her arms on the counter.
“What can I do for you, Captain?”
“I need a favor.”
“Oh.” Goodness knows she couldn’t refuse him since she was in his debt. Had he not rescued her when he did, she might have been one of the girls killed when the old building that was being used as makeshift women’s prison in Kansas City collapsed.
“I’ll be happy to do you a favor.” There was only one reason why men came to her shop. “You tell me what kind of dress you’re looking for, and I’ll see that you get it.”
His gray eyes widened. “You think I want a dress?”
“Well, no. Not for yourself, of course.” She laughed. “But for someone special, yes. And if you’re looking for something besides clothing, I do have a number of lovely gift items that any lady would love.” She reached for one of the bottles of perfume displayed on the counter, and she dabbed a bit of fragrance on her wrist. “This cologne is a very light orange blossom and lilac combined. It is one of my favorites. Do you like it?”
He sniffed her wrist and nodded. “I would buy it for a special lady, but I don’t have one.”
Much to her horror, his words thrilled her.
“I see you got married.” He gave her wedding band a pointed look.
She pulled her hand back and closed the bottle of perfume. “Yes, I was married. I’m widowed now.”
“You’re awfully young to be widowed.”
“Young men die too,” she said. Sometimes their wives get them killed. He offered the standard condolences while she returned the perfume bottle to the display tray. “What about a silk hankie or a beaded reticule?”
“I’m not here as a customer,” he remarked, and she lifted her brows in surprise. He spoke quietly. “I talked to Thad Adams at the Croft Hotel.”
She had known the hotel manager all her life. They had gone to school together and Thad was now married to her aunt’s sister-in-law.
“He said you could help me.”
“With what?” she asked.
“I need to see the Boys,” he said, using the local nickname for the James-Younger gang.
In that one second, when he mentioned the Boys, a chill swept over her. She couldn’t keep smiling, not when she sensed trouble. Warily, she slid a glance to his waist where he wore his guns tied down and heels forward, gunfighter-style.
“I don’t know why Thad would have said such a thing.” She stepped backward. Beneath the counter, between the moneybox and a feather duster, lay a short-barrel Colt revolver within her reach. She smoothed the front of her skirt and tried to look apologetic. “I cannot help you.”
“That’s not true.”
She met his determined gaze. She was aware he had been good friends with both Frank and Cole during the war. They had been young men, barely twenty, when they had rode under a black flag together, forging a brotherhood in battle. But the war was long over and people could change. Especially when it came to a fortune in reward money.
“Let me put it this way,” she said curtly. “I won’t help you.”
A frown deepened the lines in his tanned face. “Surely you know you can trust me.”
“I know nothing about you at all,” she replied in a cold tone. “And, no, I don’t trust you.”
With an offended scowl, he said, “You have no reason not to trust me. Ask Frank or Jesse if you have doubts about my honor.”
She rubbed her forehead. Men and their honor. She rounded the counter and motioned for him to follow her. She walked over to the front windows of her shop. “You see those two men across the street?” Two heavily armed men
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