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"But we've been waiting all evening," a young cowpoke
complained.
Wallis glowered him into silence.
"Come on, Lilly. Desi always sees me." Wallis flashed her a
cocky grin.
"She isn't working tonight. Not even the King of England is
seeing her. You're the one who convinced me to give my girls
a night off when they weren't up to par. Now you're asking
me to break the rules."
Lilly pulled herself to her full height. Wallis still stood a
good foot taller, but he didn't press his advantage. Instead he
stepped back, putting his hands up in surrender. "You're
right. It was rude of me to ask."
"It's okay, Miss Lilly. I'm sorta healed up." Desiree
appeared at the top of the stairs to the shouts and hurrahs
from the collection of cowboys in the parlor.
240
Sweet Serenity
by Catherine Stang
Wallis dug the reward money he had gotten for killing
those outlaws out of his pocket. At least, some good would
come of this blood money, he thought.
"Sorry, boys. I'm buying the whole night." He waggled his
eyebrows.
Lilly frowned at him, but took the money.
"Yes sir, after two days on the trail and a night of making
nice with Joseph Holt, I need a little tender loving care."
He left a string of catcalls behind him as he took the steps
two at a time.
"Hi, darlin'." He kissed Desiree amid the war whoops,
chuckling at the noise. With a flourish, he swept her up in his
arms. "Free show is over. Find your own pleasure, boys."
Wallis stalked down the row of brightly colored doors to
Desiree's pink one. Everything in her room was either pink or
red. He never got over how different these bright colors were
from her soft personality.
He kicked open the ajar door with his foot. When he
lowered Desiree to the floor, he noticed how gingerly she
moved.
"I, ah "
He stopped her flow of words with a finger.
"Who hurt you, Desi?"
She kissed his fingers and then moved just out of his
reach. "You know I can't you tell that. Miss Lilly has rules
about tattling on customers. That way no one gets put off.
She handles things her own way. Besides, he might come
after you, and I couldn't stand that."
241
Sweet Serenity
by Catherine Stang
Wallis cursed himself for being so blunt. He should have
eased into this discussion after Desiree had let her guard
down.
"It's my job to protect you, sugar."
She ignored his comment and batted her thick blonde
lashes at him. "What'll it be, Sheriff, the usual?"
Wallis curbed his temper. Did she really think he would
take her when she could hardly move? "I'm getting around
slow right now myself, sugar. How about a game of
checkers?"
Her pouty mouth thinned. "That's an awful expensive
game of checkers."
Wallis dropped his large frame down on the red carpet.
"The money was a reward for ... catching those bank
robbers."
She pulled the checker set out of a drawer and knelt with
stiff, awkward movements on the floor across from him.
"You had to kill them, didn't you?"
"Yes," he said softly.
She patted his leg in a soothing gesture, but made no
further comments. In the two years he'd known Desiree, they
had spent more time playing checkers than tangled in her red
satin-sheeted brass bed. He had offered more than once to
help her leave Lilly's, but she steadfastly refused. Why, he
never understood. What he did know was that they had an
odd friendship. For some reason, he came to her whenever he
was hurting. Somehow, she soothed him without making a
fuss.
242
Sweet Serenity
by Catherine Stang
After she arranged the pieces, she leaned back, tossing a
mass of golden curls over her shoulder. Wallis froze as she
made her first move. Something about Desiree seemed
different tonight. She reminded him of someone else, but
who?
* * * *
Kansas City, Kansas
"Have you thought about what you're going to say to your
sister once we get there?" Fiona asked, poking Myles out of
his gloomy thoughts.
Lord Stratten snored across from them.
Myles felt a surge of relief. At least she was talking to him
again.
He shrugged. "I haven't..." He gave an exasperated sigh.
"That's a lie. I can't quit thinking about it. Why the bloody hell
would she run away from home? Why couldn't she at least
have left a note?"
"Fear?" Fiona's gaze searched his.
"Of me?"
"You have control over her life. Lord Tarrington was a
friend of yours. She had every reason to believe you'd take
his side over hers."
"Am I that big of a louse? Do you fear me, Miss Cameron?
Am I that unreasonable?"
"No." She bit her lip, shaking her head. "But then you
didna have control over my destiny either."
Myles stared at Fiona, wondering if she knew how very
much he wanted to kiss her. Control her destiny. Bloody hell.
243
Sweet Serenity
by Catherine Stang
I would like to do a hell of a lot more than that, Myles thought
as his lips descended on hers. He was lost in a swirling myriad
of emotions. Her lips tasted like mint and sweet coffee. His
body was intensely aware of her hand stroking his cheek.
The train's shrill whistle jerked him back to reality. He
pulled away, staring into Fiona's wide blue eyes.
What the bloody hell had he done?
* * * *
Dry Gulch, Kansas
Serenity paused at the door, staring out into the star-filled
sky. Memories of the kiss in the Holts' yard made her shiver.
Did Collin want more tonight? She swallowed hard. Collin
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