air, his voice ringing with righteous indignation—that he looked like the very devil himself. With a’ mouth that was far too sensual for any man, and eyes more gold than green, he seemed exactly like a wild predator set free from his cage. There was a restless energy about him that disturbed her.
He lowered his voice. “So far, the people are only resorting to words, Miss Jewel. I’m afraid when the building is completed you’ll find yourself the object of a great deal more than words.”’
She was stunned. Her dark eyes flashed with challenge. “Just because I’m opening my business here in town?”
“It isn’t just another business. To the simple people of Hanging Tree, it is the work of the devil.” He studied her look of shock and knew that he’d caught her off guard. “They’ll never permit it.”
“Is that a threat, Reverend Weston?”
“A warning, Miss Jewel.” He caught the full effect of those blazing eyes and felt a jolt. “You have no idea of the fervor of these people. I think you ought to be prepared for a fight.”
“What would you have me do? Stop building now, before it’s even completed?”
“You could turn it into something the people need.”
“Such as?”
“How about a hotel?”
“The thought of calling the Golden Dragon a hotel is as ludicrous as calling my father a cowboy.”
“It’s said that before he became a cattle baron, Onyx Jewel was a simple cowboy.”
She bristled. “Simple? Never. And the Golden Dragon will never be simply a hotel. In the land of my mother, her ancestors provided pleasure for emperors.” Jade’s voice lifted with pride. “The Golden Dragon will be a place where men from miles around can gather.”
“Then be warned, Miss Jewel. The citizens of Hanging Tree will not take this lightly.”
“I think it’s not the people of this town you worry about, Reverend.” She kept her smile in place, though her tone betrayed her growing anger. “I think you fear that the words you preach will not be strong enough to help them resist the… pleasures I offer.”
His eyes narrowed. “I know more about these people than you do, Miss Jewel. They’ll rise up and fight you on this. And the fighting could turn ugly.”
“I should think that would make you happy.” Deliberately ignoring him, she turned her back on him and watched the swarm of workmen. “You can become a hero in the eyes of your congregation as you lead them in the fight against the devil.”
“I wouldn’t want to see that happen, Miss Jewel.”
“Neither would I, Reverend Weston.”
Proud. Intractable. Those were the words that came to mind as he watched her. She would be a formidable opponent. But he knew from experience that she would be no match for the people of Hanging Tree.
“I hope you’ll change your mind about the sort of work you intend to do.”
“How can I? It’s all I know. All I’ve been trained for.”
He paused a moment, studying the proud tilt of her head. Could it be that in her innocence she saw nothing wrong with her plans? “I’ll bid you good day, Miss Jewel.” In loose, easy strides he walked away.
Jade continued to watch the workmen. But her heart was beating overtime. And the day had grown unseasonably warm. Anger, she told herself, not the preacher, always had that effect on her.
“Good afternoon, Miss Jade. I was just talking about your new business to the Reverend and Willy here.” Rufus Durfee, owner of Durfee’s Mercantile, nodded toward Wade Weston and a visiting rancher, who had brought him a wagonload of beehives in exchange for some sacks of flour and sugar.
Jade managed a smile.
Rufus hooked a thumb toward the end of town. “Miss Jade Jewel is building the Golden Dragon.”
“You don’t say?” The rancher squinted through the dirty window and watched the workers as they scrambled to secure the final wall.
Jade walked between two shelves displaying an assortment of canned goods and bolts of fabric. She heard the rancher ask, “What good’s a place like that out here in the middle of nowhere? I mean, hell, Rufus, who can afford it?”
Rufus gave a muffled reply. “What do I care? As long as it ain’t my money, I’m willing to allow Miss Jade to build anything she wants. Don’t forget, the town’s growing. Last year alone we had the visiting judge stop by almost once a month. And those banker fellows, looking to take over Chester Pierce’s bank, after he got hung for shooting Onyx Jewel.” He lowered his voice. “It would seem that Hanging Tree is enjoying a building boom. Besides Miss Jewel’s place, Farley Duke has just finished work on his sawmill down by the creek. And there’s a rumor that the railroad’s coming to Hanging Tree. If it’s true, there’ll be cattlemen and railroad men and people from all over the country beating a path to our little town.”
“The railroad.” The rancher’s voice grew loud with excitement. “Why, Hanging Tree could become as big as Fort Worth. Or Abilene.”
“Exactly what I was thinking.” Rufus warmed to the subject. “Maybe I should add to my place. At roundup time, cattle drovers could clean me out in a single day.”
Jade smiled to herself as she selected a length of pale pink fabric for Pearl. She hoped the rumors were true about the railroad. If so, the Golden Dragon could become the most important watering hole in all of Texas.
Hearing footsteps, she whirled as Wade Weston walked up behind her. “Are you following me?”
“You flatter yourself, Miss Jewel.” He reached over her head and removed a tin of tobacco. “In the course of any given day, you’ll probably see half of Hanging Tree in Durfee’s Mercantile.”
She glanced at the object in his hand. “Tobacco, Reverend? I thought you were above such things.”
At her attempt to bait him into a fight, he merely smiled. “I’m riding out to visit old Yancy Winslow, and I thought he’d appreciate a little gift.”
“I should have known. You have no vices, do you?”
His smile grew. “None that I’d care to tell you about, Miss Jewel.”
As he sauntered away, Jade glowered at his back before following at a distance.
“’Course,” Rufus was saying to the rancher, lowering his voice for emphasis, “there always seems to be a dark side to a town’s growth. I’ve heard a few stories lately that had me wondering what this town’s coming to.”
“How do you mean?” the rancher asked.
Rufus lifted an apron and began polishing his spectacles, enjoying the fact that his audience had swelled. Two women from the town had just entered. Lavinia Thurlong and Gladys Witherspoon glared at Jade as she approached.
“There’s
