"Cole, come on now, hurry!" Jamie laughed. "I am anxious to hear this! The hellcat married to my brother! Mrs. Sweet-little-hellcat Slater, holed up in a whorehouse! I can't wait."

Malachi ignored his brother and urged his horse faster. He wanted to see Shannon. His heart was pounding; his body was aching. They would have to take some time. She would need to see and hug and hold Cole, and she would laugh and maybe cry and then hug Jamie fiercely, too. But then they would be alone.

And he was realizing more and more that he had come to live for the moments when they could be alone.

She was his wife…

And he was very anxious to lie down beside her that night. He had no idea until they rode into the yard in the darkness of the night that he would be denied that simple pleasure.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Shannon breathed a sigh of relief as they reached town. No one thought to molest two women riding in a buckboard, and when Iris reined in just to the right of Hayden Fitz's massive dwelling, with its barred windows and guards, they were still left entirely alone. The man before the door raised a hand to Iris, and a grin broke out on his features.

"Why, Miss Andre. Nice to see you."

"Herb Tanner," Iris told Shannon with a sniff. She reached in back of her for the basket of food they had packed. "I think that you should sit tight—"

"Who's that you got with you?" the man called out.

"Never mind," Iris said beneath her breath. "You keep quiet. Let me do the talking." Iris looked at her and shook her head mournfully. "A beautiful young blue-eyed blonde. You could be in trouble just by being here. I wish I had a sheet to put over your head. Keep your mouth shut, you hear?"

"I'll be silent as a mouse," Shannon promised.

She crawled out of the buckboard behind Iris and followed the older woman toward the house. Herb Tanner was holding a repeating rifle, but he seemed to consider his guard duty a bit of a joke. He set the gun down to sweep his hat off to Iris.

"Hello, Herb," Iris said sweetly.

"Hello, Iris!" Herb said happily. "The boss man is engaged this evening, if you come to see him." He spoke to Iris, but he looked over her shoulder to Shannon, offering her a broken-toothed and lascivious grin.

"Well, Herb, I really came for curiosity's sake."

Herb's grin widened. "You curious about me, Iris?"

Iris laughed and patted his chest and moved close to him. "Why, Herbie, you could make a woman just as curious as a prowling cat, you know that, boy? But that wasn't what I meant. Not at this particular moment." She moved closer against him. "I want to see the woman that old Fitz has locked up in the house. I have a bet with my friend Sara here that we can get in to see her. They say that she's the wife of that awful outlaw, Cole Slater. What do you think, Herbie? Could we get in? Just to give her some apple pie and chicken from Cindy's house."

"I don't know, Iris," Herbie said.

"Oh, Herbie, come on! Isn't it funny? A couple of girls from Cindy's place bringing vittles to that little bushwhacker's lady? Why, it's just plain ironic, it is. Fitz would laugh himself silly, I'm certain."

"Iris, Fitz is in a meeting with some of his boss people—"

"Herbie, I could promise you a real good time."

Shannon saw that Herb jumped and trembled like a dog with a juicy new bone, just from the sound of Iris's voice. She clamped a hand on Iris's arm. Annoyed, Iris turned to her. Shannon pulled her down the steps.

"Iris! I don't want you promising that man sexual favors to get us into that house!"

"It's probably the only way, Shannon."

"Iris—"

"Shannon, it's what I do for a living!"

"You told me you just might think about changing occupations."

"Honey—"

"Iris, don't make any promises, please."

Iris grinned and shrugged. "All right, honey. You can promise him the sexual favors."

"What!"

"Oh, for heaven's sake. I'll promise him for a later date, and we'll never get to it, all right?"

Shannon exhaled slowly. "All right."

They hurried back to Herb. "Little financial negotiation," Iris said sweetly to him. "Sara doesn't think I should be giving the business away. But if you can get us in to visit that bushwhacker's woman, I'll promise you…I'll promise you the time of your life next Friday night. What do you say, Herbie?"

Herb's Adam's apple bulged and he exhaled in a rash. "Gee, Iris, I didn't think I could ever afford you. Not in a month of Sundays!"

"Well, curiosity, you know…"

Herb's eyes narrowed in calculation. "It's a deal, Iris. But I want you both." He looked over at Shannon like a cat who had swallowed a mouse, a pleased gloat on his face.

"What?" she gasped.

Iris elbowed her in the ribs.

"Sure, Herbie. Let us in, huh?"

"Let me see your basket," Herb said. Iris produced the basket. Herb searched through it. Satisfied, he nodded. He stepped aside, opening the front door.

There was another armed man in the entryway. "Let 'em in, Joshua. They're all right. They're just bringing the prisoner a bite of food."

"All right, Herb."

Joshua nodded to them. Iris dazzled him with a sweet smile, and he pointed them up the steps.

Shannon ran alongside Iris. On the landing was another man sitting in a chair reading the newspaper. Joshua called up to him. "Fulton, it's just a pair of—er, ladies to see the prisoner."

Fulton looked up and spat tobacco into a brass spittoon. "Herb say it was all right?"

"Honey chile, Herbie let us in," Iris told him sweetly.

Fulton stood up and moved close behind her. "Is there anything left that you can promise me?" he asked with a yellow-toothed smile.

"We'll see, darlin'," Iris promised. "Now, if you'd just show us the bushwhacker's wife…"

Fulton shrugged and produced a set of keys. He walked down the hall to a door and twisted a key in the lock. "You're looking good, Iris. So is your friend." He paused, staring at Shannon. "You new in town, girl?"

Shannon nodded.

"Learning the ropes of the business," Iris supplied.

Fulton's eyes swept over Shannon. "Well, I'll be savin' up my dimes, young lady. You can bet on that."

"Fulton, for you, there will be a big discount," Iris promised.

Fulton smiled and pushed open the door. "Company!" he called. Iris hurried into the room. Fulton caught Shannon's arm. "I'll be expecting a big discount, little lady."

Shannon wrenched her arm away, then remembered to smile. "Sure, sweetie," she promised, and batted her lashes his way. Iris grasped her arm and jerked her into the room. "Enough is enough, Shannon!" she hissed. "You want to wind up serving the man right here in the hallway?"

But Shannon wasn't listening. While Iris closed the door, Shannon stared across the room.

Kristin was standing by the foot of the bed, tall, stiff and proud, and every inch the lady. Her facade broke as she saw Shannon. Both women cried out and raced across the room and into one another's arms.

"Shh!" Iris begged them. "They'll hear you!"

Shannon and Kristin went dutifully silent, but continued to grip each other fiercely. Finally Kristin drew away. Shannon surveyed her sister as anxiously as Kristin studied her.

Kristin seemed to be all right. Someone had supplied her with a change of clothing, and she wore a cotton day dress in a soft rich burgundy with a cream lace collar. She was thin and pale, but she was smiling, and there didn't seem to be a mark on her.

Kristin held Shannon's hands as she made her sit down at the foot of the bed. Amazed, she looked from Shannon to Iris. Then she whispered, "What are you doing here? Shannon, I have been ill with worry! I saw the bushwhackers take you away—"

"Malachi rescued me," Shannon said quickly, not wanting to talk about that experience or Justin Waller.

"Oh, Shannon, you see, he has a good heart."

"Yes, Kristin—"

"Shannon, you shouldn't be here," Kristin said anxiously.

"Kristin, if I hadn't followed, Malachi might have slipped you away from the Red Legs. So I have to make up for that Iris and I had to come!"

Kristin looked at Iris again, smiling. She stood up and offered Iris her hand. "How do you do? I'm Kristin Slater," she said softly. "Whoever you are, thank you!"

"Iris Andre," Iris offered.

"How did you get in here?" Kristin asked.

Shannon looked at Iris and Iris looked at Shannon. "We made a few deals," Shannon said ruefully.

"What? Oh," Kristin said. Her eyes, wide and very blue, fell upon Iris.

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Slater, but you should know. I'm a whore. And your husband and her husband have been staying out at Cindy's place. It might not be fittin', you two being ladies and all, but we're willing to help, and—"

"Sh!" Kristin cautioned, hurrying to Iris with a crooked smile. "I don't care what you do, Miss Andre. I thank you for caring. Did you say my husband? Cole? Is he there? He can't be!" She whirled around and stared at Shannon. "Nor Malachi. They wouldn't allow Shannon to do such a foolish thing as come here."

A small smile teased Iris's lips. "Mrs. Slater, I'm willing to bet that both Cole and Malachi are aware that there is not much that can stop your sister when her mind is set. But, yes, Mrs. Slater, your husband has been in town. So has Shannon's and so's your brother-in-law Jamie. They went out tonight to try to un-hold-up a train."

"What?"

"Kristin, I had to come. I had to see you. We must come up with a way out of this awful situation!" Shannon said.