Page 27

Chapter Nineteen

B ernadette poured the lukewarm water over her feet.

It didn’t hurt as much this time, but her feet were still tender.

She wiped the sweat from her brow. Even though she was taking a bath and the water wasn’t that hot, she was still uncomfortable.

She bet the best time for a bath out in the desert was in the evening or early in the morning.

Doing this around three in the afternoon, when the heat from the sun was pressing all around the place, wasn’t the best idea.

She didn’t have a choice, however. There was no hotel in this town.

The nearest hotel was at Desert Station.

She was probably lucky Johannesberg had a bathing house.

A knock came at the door as she massaged soap on her feet. “I’m not done yet,” she called out.

“Oh, there’s no rush, ma’am,” the woman on the other side of the door replied. “I only came to bring you the clothes the deputy bought for you.”

Zeke was already done buying clothes for her?

Had she really been in the tub for that long?

The water should have been chilly by now if that was the case.

She took a good look at the small window where the sunlight poured directly on the tub.

Or maybe not. She bet the sun kept the water warm.

And the room was stuffy, even though the window was open.

“You can bring them in,” Bernadette replied and hurried to finish washing her feet.

The woman opened the door and set the bonnet, the neatly folded clothes, and a pair of unfamiliar brown shoes on the chair. “Deputy Ritter said there’s no hurry. He’ll be waiting on the bench outside for you.”

Bernadette nodded her thanks as the woman shut the door. Even if Zeke had said he wasn’t in a hurry, she still felt the need to finish up so she didn’t keep him waiting too much longer for her.

Once she was done patting herself dry, she hung the towel on the hook on the back of the door.

Then she sorted through the clothes on the nearby chair.

The brown shoes were made of leather, but they were softer than the boots she was used to.

She could see why Zeke picked them. They would feel much better on her feet. She set them on the floor.

Under the moccasins was a small leather pouch with a piece of paper sticking out of it.

Intrigued, she loosened the string on the pouch and pulled out the paper.

I recommend tucking this necklace under your shirtwaist so no one sees this.

She blinked and opened the pouch further until she noticed the gold chain.

She pinched the chain and drew it out of the pouch.

To her surprise, she was holding the necklace with the Bisbee turquoise teardrop gemstone she had wanted in Prescott.

“That necklace is a nice one. It would look good on you. You have a hint of blue around the brown of your eyes. It’s almost as if that gem was crafted especially for you,” Zeke had told her while holding the gem up to her eyes.

Then he had said a tan shirtwaist would go best with it.

She looked down at the clothes and noted that the shirtwaist he had purchased was a tan color. Well, who would have thought Zeke was such a romantic?

But he hadn’t been engaged to her back then. She’d still been promised to Blaze. So, what had made him purchase the necklace?

Maybe he saw the way Blaze was acting and thought Blaze should give it to her.

Knowing Zeke, he probably bought it so that she could still have it even if she married Blaze.

If that didn’t prove she was making the right choice by marrying Zeke instead of Blaze, nothing did.

And by putting this on, she was letting everyone know that she was happy to be with him.

It was a shame she would have to hide this under her shirtwaist. However, given the outlaws running through Arizona, she knew it was best to heed Zeke’s warning.

Look at what had happened with Bower and his men.

She clasped the necklace around her neck then slipped on the new clothes and bonnet Zeke had bought for her.

He had even bought her undergarments and stockings.

She wondered if that had been awkward for him.

She didn’t know if she would have been able to buy undergarments for him.

At least not until after they were married for some time.

But she was glad he felt comfortable enough to do it for her because her old ones left a lot to be desired after days of sweating in them.

Once she was dressed, she left the small building that served as a place for people to bathe and have their laundry done.

Since Zeke had told her they would have their clothes washed when they got into Desert Station, she carried the old clothes.

As the woman promised, Zeke was waiting for her on a nearby bench.

She went over to him. The bonnet protected her face much better than she’d thought it would, which was good since her face had gotten bright red from being exposed to the sun without a hat after the Red Ghost ruined her things.

When Zeke noticed her, he stood up, a wide smile on his face. “Why Bernadette, I didn’t think it was possible, but you look even more beautiful than you did before.”

She offered a shy smile at his compliment.

There was a sense of awe and passion in the tone of his voice that had been absent when Blaze spoke to her.

“I got your gift.” She decided not to mention that it was a necklace in case someone overheard them talking.

“Thank you, Zeke. That’s the best thing anyone ever gave me. ”

“I couldn’t let the thing go to someone else. It was made for you. My plan was to have Blaze give it to you. You know, as a wedding gift. But I’ll admit I’m much happier I got to be the one to give it to you instead.”

She reached out and took his hand so she could squeeze it. “I’m glad you’re the one who gave it to me. It’s much nicer getting it from you.”

She didn’t think kisses were allowed outside, even in a rugged territory like Arizona, but he removed his hat and let his lips brush hers in a way that thrilled her to no end.

When she glanced around them, she didn’t notice anyone who seemed bothered by their display of affection.

Perhaps out here, no one cared about this kind of thing.

Zeke put his hat back on then took the dirty clothes from her. “We’ll have these cleaned soon enough.” He tucked the soiled garments and salve away. “What do you think of the moccasins? Are they helping your feet?”

“Yes, they are surprisingly comfortable.”

“Good. I thought you’d like those better than your boots.” He flung the leather sack over his shoulder and took her hand. “I’ll get you on your horse. We have a couple more hours of daylight left before we have to sleep for the night, but we’ll stay at a hotel in Desert Station.”

“Can we afford to stay in Desert Station? I’m sure the others are worried about us.”

“I’m sure they’re worried, too, but I know Lucas likes to stay in hotels whenever possible, so I doubt we’re too far behind them.

” He strapped his sack to his saddle then put his hands on her hips to help her onto her horse.

“They won’t find Lee and Wilson right away in Quartzsite.

Lee and Wilson know better than to go through town in the open.

Too many people would want to turn them over to the law.

They have substantial bounties on their heads.

My guess is that Lee and Wilson will need to come out in the dark to get that treasure. ”

“What if they wear a disguise?”

He untied the reins of her horse and handed them to her. “That’s possible, I suppose, but there was someone in Granite Wash Pass who recognized them. If they did put on a disguise, it’s not a good one.”

She supposed that had to be true. “As long as you’ll be there to help Blaze, that’s the important thing.”

He paused as he was untying the reins of his horse from the post. “Blaze is impressive. He doesn’t need my help. Besides, I doubt Lee and Wilson will be that fast. And the treasure will take some time to dig up.”

She watched as he hopped up on his horse. If he said that it was going to take Lee and Wilson time to get there, then she would take his word for it.

“Also,” Zeke added, “given what Lee and Wilson did in Granite Wash Pass, they’ll probably stop at a saloon while in Desert Station.”

Her interest piqued at the tone in his voice. The tone was similar to the way her mother sounded whenever something shocking was discovered about one of the people they knew. “What were they doing in Granite Wash Pass?” she asked.

Zeke paused then cleared his throat. “It’s not worth saying, especially in the company of a woman.”

Her eyes grew wide. “You mean, they got drunk?”

He hesitated then said, “Yes, I suppose they did that, too.”

She wondered what else he meant, since getting drunk hadn’t been it. But he gestured for her to ride out of town with him. Pushing aside her disappointment, she urged her horse to go after him.