Cooper's Woman. Carol Finch
you think I know what motivates you to stick your neck out so far with this case? Not that I mind accompanying you to Questa Springs. I’ve always liked your friend Kate.”
“More than I suspected…until today,” Alexa remarked.
It was Miguel’s turn to squirm self-consciously. “Yes, well, I am a realist at least. In her parents’ eyes, I am the hired help. Your chaperone and bodyguard. I’m certainly not considered marriage material for Kate.”
“She would be lucky to have you,” Alexa insisted loyally. “Plus, she seems genuinely fond of you. Had I realized this earlier I would have arranged to get you two together more often.”
“Which would have made admiring her from afar all the worse,” said Miguel. He waved his hand dismissively. “That is beside the point. You need your rest and so do I. Please go to your room…and stay there.”
She offered him a playful salute. “Yes, sir.”
“Promise me, no more midnight rides alone,” he demanded. “If you are compelled to snoop around, at least let me go with you next time.”
She arched an amused brow as she rose to her feet. “Without complaints or lectures?”
“No. You’ll have to endure those, but at least you won’t be alone and I can offer protection.”
“I love you, Miggy,” she murmured on her way out the door.
“Me, too…But you drive me crazy.”
“I heard that,” she said from the other side of the door.
Chapter Four
From his posted lookout at his hotel room window the next morning, Coop surveyed the street. A strange sensation filtered through him when he spotted Alexa, who was dressed in a stylish mint-green satin gown. She and her bodyguard were ambling toward Donovan’s Café, which was directly across the street. Coop was tempted to strap on his splint, grab his cane and limp over to eat breakfast, just to get another close look at her.
“You’re an idiot,” he told himself as he wheeled away from the window—and the tantalizing scenery beyond. He’d had enough trouble falling asleep because erotic visions of Alexa danced in his head all night. No need to torture himself this morning, he decided. He’d grab a bite at one of the other four cafés before going on duty at the saloon.
With his leg bound up, Coop crammed his hat on his head and hobbled off. For the most part, the patrons in Sawyer’s Café pretended he wasn’t there. The waitress approached tentatively, but she relaxed when he didn’t grab his six-shooter and fill her full of holes. He considered himself one of the good guys, but anyone touted as quick on the draw was subjected to suspicion, conjecture and approached with caution. Yet, this mountain town was no different to him from other places, he reminded himself. He never stayed in one place long enough to make friends. He made a few casual acquaintances, completed his assignment then moved on to the next job.
“Morning, Coop. Mind if I join you?”
Coop smiled and nodded at Gil Henson, who parked himself in the adjacent chair so he, too, would have a clear view of the door and windows. It was a common practice for gunfighters to sit with their backs to the wall…just in case. Wild Bill Hickok had failed to follow that practice only once, Coop reminded himself grimly. The oversight had cost Hickok his life in a saloon in Deadwood, South Dakota.
Coop wasn’t taking any chances.
He inclined his head toward the patrons who were pretending he wasn’t there. “I’m making people nervous. Are you sure you want to be seen with me, Gil?”
“Sure. Why not? I’m considered a necessary evil in Questa Springs,” Gil said, then asked the waitress to bring him his usual breakfast of biscuits, gravy and coffee.
That explained Gil’s widening girth, Coop mused as the waitress placed the steamy plates on the table. As for Coop, he preferred steak whenever he could get it. Morning, noon and night.
He wondered about Alexa’s tastes in food and then chastised himself for allowing her to cross his mind…again.
“How good of a friend are you to Elliot Webster?” Coop asked conversationally. “Good enough to be invited to his wedding, if there is one?”
Gil chewed, swallowed then smirked. “Doubt it. Webster only deigns to speak to me when he wants something. Six months ago, he wanted me to arrest Hampton, Barrett and Figgins, his business competitors, for undercutting his high prices at his mercantile store.
“Another time he demanded that I arrest Andrew Barrett, who is not only his business competitor but also one of his ranching neighbors,” Gil continued. “Webster claims his livestock has gone missing on several occasions and that either Barrett or Percy Hampton, who shares his fences, is responsible. Or maybe both. According to Webster there is a conspiracy at work to bankrupt him.”
Coop wondered if Webster wanted to marry Alexa, in case his finances hit rock bottom. “In my spare time, Webster wants me to check neighboring herds to see if they carry his brand,” Coop said confidentially.
Amber-colored eyes riveted on him. “Are you signing on Webster’s payroll?”
“Are you already on it?” Coop questioned the question.
A wry smile pursed Gil’s lips. “You think I can be bought, is that it? Thanks for the vote of confidence.”
Coop cut his steak then tossed Gil a sideways glance. “Just checking, old friend. It’s always important to know who has your back and who doesn’t…when bullets start flying.”
“I’m not on Webster’s payroll, but it’s not for his lack of trying,” Gil confided. “You need to know that Webster has several hired gunmen on his staff, guarding his cattle and horse herds and his home. I wouldn’t turn my back on any of those bastards, I’m tellin’ ya for sure.”
Coop studied Gil intently. He believed him. But he’d be mad as hell if Gil turned out to be a liar. For now, he gave Gil the benefit of the doubt.
“I was going to meet with Webster last night, but he hotfooted it to Lily’s Pleasure Resort before I could catch up with him on my gimpy leg.” He grinned wryly. “Does Webster have a favorite among the soiled doves at the brothel?”
Gil grinned back. “Why do you want to know? You planning to beat his time for spite?”
Coop shrugged nonchalantly. “Sure, why not? I doubt Webster settles for anything less than the best. Just look who he’s courting for a potential bride.”
Despite what Coop said, in his effort to dig for information, he had developed a forbidden fascination for the spirited blonde whom Webster wanted to marry. The thought of Alexa wedding Webster annoyed the hell out of him, although he told himself that it really wasn’t any of his business.
“Webster obviously has a strong appetite because I know he and Lily Brantley have standing appointments three times a week,” Gil reported. “Maybe more.”
“As in Lily’s, the owner? Webster and the madam?”
Gil nodded his reddish-blond head. “She also has two sisters who run brothels in the territory. Must be a family tradition passed from one generation to the next.”
Coop vowed to pass along the information about Webster and his intimate companion to Alexa. He figured a prospective wife ought to know where her would-be husband went for lusty passion. After all, Alexa claimed she didn’t want to enter into a marriage blindly, if she decided on Webster.
“Marshal Henson?”
Coop glanced at the young man who called out to Gil from the door of the café.
“Harlan Fredericks is on the rampage again. You better come quickly.”
“Damn that old fool,” Gil grumbled as he tossed