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mean exactly? Are you a nurse of some kind? A minister?
Anna shot a glance toward Desmond. She doesn t know? When
Desmond shook his head, Anna closed her eyes wearily for a moment.
Olivia, I swear you must be the most naïve woman this side of the
Mississippi. There are several names for what I am, but I actually
prefer courtesan, if it s all the same to you. I m fairly exclusive in my
clientele. Men come from miles away to& receive my brand of
comfort.
Anna Glaser was a whore, a prostitute? It just wasn t possible.
The air whooshed out of Livvie s lungs and heat engulfed her face.
She knew her mouth had dropped open when Desmond s fingers
tucked beneath her chin and clicked it close.
I m& I m sorry, she stuttered. I had no idea. I hope I didn t
Anna laughed. Offend me? My dear, offending me is the
toughest job on this planet. I love what I do and I make a damn good
living. But I m not above using my& connections to help a greater
good. Now what do you plan to do with my hard-earned
information?
Livvie lifted her chin. Stop him of course.
* * * *
Buckskins and Brocade 195
Connor watched as Livvie climbed nimbly up the fence and
perched on the top railing. He moved around the wagon to remove the
other side of the harness from the horse. So you re going to stop
Stanley Mercer. Sounds admirable, but just how do you plan to do
that?
I haven t exactly figured that out yet. Mainly because I haven t
figured out what he might be planning.
It doesn t seem to take a whole lot of planning, Connor said.
Grab a boy, make him disappear and chalk it up to an unstable home
life.
That s going to be hard for Mercer to do. I ve watched David for
over a week. He s a happy, healthy boy. He has good friends and gets
along well with his siblings. From what I ve seen there s absolutely
no reason for him to run away. He has a future here.
Not if Stanley Mercer has any say in it.
No one would believe David Mercer just picked up and left
town. It s not possible.
Then, that s a big hurdle to overcome, unless Stanley Mercer
wants to bring suspicion upon himself. With his rather dubious
finances and his visits to Anna, I imagine he d want to avoid people
asking questions about his life. Connor glanced toward the other side
of the corral where Wes tossed a ball and Buster raced across the dirt
to retrieve it. Wes continued to pump water into the trough until
Buster returned and dropped the ball at his feet. When Connor turned
back, he saw Livvie s furrowed brow as she studied the boy.
They may have asked for David, but Mercer gave them Wes,
Livvie said.
Connor nodded and hoisted the harness gear onto the fence post.
Seems a logical thing to me. Wes abuse is common knowledge in
town. People wouldn t question the likelihood he d run away. Charlie
Stoker would never question it and wouldn t make an issue of his
disappearance. It s not in his best interests. And it sure as hell
wouldn t surprise him.
196 Amber Carlton
And Wes and David spend evenings together outside the
Schooner. If Pack questioned Mercer, it s an honest case of mistaken
identity. The boys are similar in build and coloring. But I doubt Pack
would question him, because Mercer s deal is to deliver a boy. It
hardly matters who it is if he meets his obligation.
Wes little disappearing act created a problem, Connor said,
which is why Mercer is panicking.
Livvie hopped off the railing. If he panics, he might get stupid.
We can t count on him getting stupid. Mr. McBride might have
to go drinking tonight. He grabbed her wrist and tugged her until her
body came up against his warm heat. He leaned down and nuzzled his
face into her neck. I m going to need a real reason to drink. Fighting
stirs up the blood. Care to rile me up?
Livvie laughed and tugged away. I could rile you up plenty, but I
doubt you d get out of the house afterwards.
I have a better idea.
They both whirled to find Wes standing behind them, tossing a
ball from hand to hand. Buster, apparently realizing the boy had
business to attend to, dropped to the dirt and laid his head on his
paws, waiting patiently.
What do you have in mind? Livvie asked.
Let me go back to the Schooner.
Connor shook his head. Not a chance in hell, kid.
Look, I m not just a kid. Wes squeezed the ball in his hand. He
glanced down then tossed the ball away. Buster scrambled to his feet
and burst across the corral.
We re dealing with dangerous people here, Connor said.
Anthony Pack s a fat old man.
Who might just be a murderer. Livvie reached down and took
the ball from Buster s mouth then tossed it away again.
Pack s blind as a bat. He couldn t hit something with a
Winchester and a target lit in flames.
Buckskins and Brocade 197
The murderer didn t use a rifle, and it might not have been
Pack, Connor said. Someone used their fists.
The boy lifted his chin. I can handle myself.
Not against a man with no boundaries you can t, Connor said. I
can pretty much guarantee it s going to take a lot more than a folding
knife to get away the next time.
Wes kicked at the fence post. It sounds like Mercer s going to be
in deep shit if he doesn t deliver someone soon.
Looks that way, Connor said.
Then David s in real trouble. I can t let that happen to him. He
deserves a lot better than that.
You all deserve better than that, Wes, Livvie said. And we aim
to see you get it.
198 Amber Carlton
Chapter 20
While Livvie cleaned the kitchen and Wes read one of the dime
novels she d purchased, Desmond sat on the porch and wondered how
they d keep the kid from running off the minute they closed their eyes
that night. He suspected Wes had enough loyalty to David Mercer to
put himself in the direct line of fire with or without their blessing.
Connor seemed to think he would.
After he d done a routine check of the property, he went back to
the house, and he and Livvie played a game of chess in the parlor.
Wes watched them, his face filled with agitation and his body wound
tight. He wondered around the house, tinkered with the piano and
played surprisingly well picked up several books just to toss them
back down and finally returned to the kitchen.
When Livvie went to bed and Wes had pulled some charcoal and
paper out of Livvie s book bag, Desmond rummaged through the
bookshelves. He finally chose Ben Hur, which seemed large enough
to outlast Wes dogged determination to wait him out. He settled
himself in the dining room where he could see all the doors in the
house. He d just become immersed in the tale when Wes head finally
hit the table. It had just passed midnight. Desmond closed his book
and went out to the porch to wait for Connor.
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