LITMIR.BIZ

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got work to do for the next hour or so. I can’t afford to let my girls run off before midnight. Especially since she turned down a customer already. There’s too many men in there wanting drinks served to their tables during the stage show. Lily has to do her job.”

      Gage nodded. “All right, I understand that.” He looked at Lily, and his mouth twisted in a wry smile. “I’ll just sit and watch, if you don’t mind, though. I’d like her in one piece when her work’s over for the night.”

      “Sounds fair to me,” Ham said. And then he shot Lily a measuring look. “Are you sure you’ve worked a riverboat saloon before?”

      She nodded. “I mostly sang, though.”

      Ham lifted an eyebrow as he considered that statement. “I’ll listen to you tomorrow—see how you sound. My singers don’t serve drinks, Lily. That might suit you better.”

      “Thank you, Mr. Scott,” she said quietly. Her back was straight, her shoulders square as she walked back into the noisy, smoke-laden saloon, and Ham Scott chuckled beneath his breath.

      “Gage Morgan to the rescue,” he murmured. “That white hat looks good on you, Morgan. Problem now is you’re stuck with paying for a woman for the night. Lily’s been getting the eye from half a dozen fellas in there. She’ll bring a pretty price.”

      “I’m not averse to paying for what I get,” Gage said softly. He pushed away from the rail and slid a hand into his trouser pocket. “Now, I think I need to keep an eye on my investment.” He drew a five-dollar gold piece from his pocket and flipped it in the air. “This should cover Lily’s company till morning, I’d think.”

      And then he halted in his tracks, watching as Ham snatched the coin from midair and pocketed it. “Tell her you’ve already paid in full for whatever strikes your fancy,” he said. “From what she told me, she’s been around for a while. You oughta get your money’s worth.” He grinned. “Her name’s Devereaux. Lily Devereaux. These French women are supposed to be good at what they do.”

      Gage knew a moment of disgust at the words, but a bland expression covered his thoughts as he strode in Lily’s wake. A table at the rear, farthest from the low stage, was empty and he settled there, aware that he was the focus of more than one man’s attention. Lily stood at the bar, waiting for a nod from customers who needed a refill, and her eyes drifted across the crowd until they met his.

      He lifted his index finger and nodded at her, then watched as she made her way through the tables to where he waited. “What can I get you?” she asked, standing across the width of the table. Her voice was husky, as if she held back tears, and Gage felt a moment of pity, laced with an awakening in his nether parts.

      “Just a whiskey, Lily. I’ll wait here till you finish working, and then we’ll go to my stateroom.”

      She hesitated only a few seconds, and then nodded, turning away. Gage watched as she walked across the floor, noticed the eyes of those who followed her progress and felt a surge of possessiveness that gave him pause. He’d managed to stick himself with a woman’s company for the night—not that it would be any great sacrifice to spend a few hours with Lily. He was allowed to be jealous of her time over the next hour or so. He’d already paid the price.

      Her feet hurt, her face ached from forcing a smile into place and keeping it there, and for Lily Devereaux, it seemed that she’d reached the end of her rope. If not for the man called Morgan, she’d even now be fighting off the filthy hands of the man who’d been intent on dragging her from the saloon earlier. And no doubt Mr. Scott would have allowed it, rather than cause a disturbance.

      It seemed that Morgan had no such qualms in that direction. His two-fisted attack had delivered her from the disgruntled loser at the poker game, and placed her smack-dab in his debt. It seemed she was about to discover just how far she was willing to go in order to survive.

      There was little doubt in her mind that the man called Morgan would expect full payment for the rescue he’d pulled off. The memory of his scent clung in her mind, that faint odor of smoke that was a part of this room, the masculine smell of some sort of shaving soap, and the aroma of a male creature bent on seeking out a woman. She had no doubt that she would receive his full attention once her work in the saloon came to an end, when the last drink had been served and the last table wiped with a dingy cloth.

      Even now his gaze followed her and she knew the heat of masculine appraisal bent on her form. The dress was snug, her shoes too small. Apparently the last woman to work this room hadn’t had much of a bosom. Lily’s own abundant curves were well-nigh overflowing her low neckline, and she concentrated on ignoring the men whose eyes were drawn to a figure her mama had described as ample.

      Men like their wives to be modest and their charms to be viewed only by their husbands. A man only marries a woman he respects. Mama’s words that rang in her head had proved to be true in the end. The past two years spent on her own had provided Lily with enough shame to last her a lifetime. The Union soldier who’d bargained with her, torch held in his hand, the flame reflected in his eyes as he offered her the choice that was really no choice at all, had kept his word—to a point.

      She shook her head, as if that small movement would dismiss the past from her mind. “Take those men in the corner their drinks,” the barkeep said from behind her. She turned to the glossy walnut bar, where rows of bottles caught the light from kerosene lanterns hanging from the ceiling. “Two bits each, Lily.” Handing her the rough wooden tray, he nodded to where three men huddled around a small table.

      Making her way through the tables, ignoring the grasping hands that reached to touch her dress, she focused instead on the man who had effected a rescue and was even now watching her from the table in the rear. Smoke-gray eyes seemed darker in the gloom of the saloon, lights dimming as the lead singer stepped forth from the wings to take her place on center stage.

      The men’s raucous voices stilled, and all eyes were upon May Kettering, the tall, blond beauty whose voice rivaled that of an opera singer Lily had heard in New York City. The woman was statuesque, voluptuous, and knew the power she wielded over her audience. Following her into the spotlight would be like wandering into an arena after the lions had devoured the Christians, Lily decided. Definitely an anticlimax, no matter how well she could carry a tune.

      She listened from the side of the saloon as May sang, knew that the men listening had no idea of the meaning of the words that soared from the woman’s throat. And yet, there was something about the music that spoke to the soul, and even those who had never seen or heard of an opera were touched by the magnificence of the music.

      A burst of applause greeted May’s final note, and she nodded at the piano player, a man whose talents were far beyond what one usually found in a place such as this. A saloon was still a saloon, no matter where it was, and although a riverboat might boast a decent piano player, this one was beyond decent. May paused, then lifted her head as the music began, and her voice lifted in song, this time in English, the words of love and sorrow and an aching heart.

      For a moment, silence greeted her final notes and then, as she swept from the stage in a swirl of skirts, the men exploded with applause and whistles. “Can you sing like that?” Ham stood beside her, had managed to approach without gaining her notice, and Lily glanced at him with a quick shake of her head.

      “Not even a little bit,” she admitted. “My voice is pleasant, and I sing ballads mostly, but I’ll look like a schoolgirl next to May.”

      “Not in that dress you won’t,” Ham retorted, eyeing her with a grin. “Honey, you don’t look like any girl I ever met in school.”

      She felt a blush rise to cover her cheeks, and glanced to where Morgan sat, watching from narrowed eyes. “How long before I can leave?” she asked.

      “Another half hour or so,” Ham told her. “I’ll let you go early tonight, since Morgan paid in advance.”

      She inhaled sharply. “What do you mean? Who did he pay?”

      “Me, sweetheart. And for what he handed over

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