The noisy hustle and bustle of Sadie’s restaurant continued around him as Scully sat at the corner table he shared with Lacey. His empty plate in front of him, he sat silently as he had through the entire breakfast meal. Frowning, he glanced across the table at Lacey, who was picking at her food, then scanned the occupants of the crowded restaurant. They were a varied lot: transient wranglers obviously eager to be on their way, businessmen engaged in conversation, a few ranchers, some locals who looked to have spent a night on the town and a grizzly prospector or two in for their first good meal in months. He saw Doc Mayberry in deep conversation with Reverend Sykes at a table in the far corner. His frown darkened when he looked at the table occupied by three women from the Gold Nugget who looked to have remained active long after the Gold Nugget doors had closed for the night. Millie White, her plump, freckled face flushed and her hair in disarray, moved almost breathlessly between the tables.
Strangely, he hadn’t given Millie much thought before this, except to wish her luck when he learned she had finally set the date for her wedding with her seemingly recalcitrant boyfriend. The thought that Lacey would assume her frantic pace between these same tables at the end of the week held little appeal.
Scully compared the two women. The result was no surprise. Lacey was slender, almost fragile in appearance. Her delicate features were faultless, almost mesmerizing. With her pale hair and vividly blue eyes, she drew speculation wherever she went. Conversely, Millie’s only outstanding feature was her freckles. Although a pleasant enough girl, Millie could be easily lost in a crowd with her common appearance.
That could never be the case with Lacey. He had known the moment he saw Lacey that first time when she was a frightened, injured child that she was special in so many ways. The years had only served to confirm his opinion of her. She was lovely and sweet…and innocent. He needed to protect that innocence, to hold her safe. She was too friendly, too nice. The world held too many unnamed dangers for someone like her, and the mix of people she would meet in this place only increased the threat involved.
“Scully…” He hadn’t realized he was staring at Lacey until she continued, “It’s obvious that whatever you’re thinking, it isn’t good.” She smiled…a glorious, apologetic smile as she added, “Don’t worry so much. I’ll be fine. Sadie’s right behind the counter if I need her for anything, and you’re across the street. What more could I ask?”
Scully was saved from a response to Lacey’s question when Doc Mayberry appeared unexpectedly beside their table with an all-too-familiar man in a dark suit. He said, “Scully…nice to see you again.”
Scully shook the hands extended to him and replied with limited courtesy, “Doc Mayberry…Reverend Sykes.”
“And this must be the Lacey Stewart I’ve been hearing about all around town.”
Doc’s smile was too gracious. The old fellow had an agenda that went beyond a simple introduction. That thought was confirmed the moment he added, “Reverend Sykes and I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting Lacey.”
Enforced courtesy never his greatest strength, Scully said, “Lacey, it looks like these two fellas are determined to meet you.”
Flushing slightly at Scully’s brusque manner, Lacey replied, “I’m pleased to meet you both, gentlemen.” She added without a moment’s hesitation, “The girls at the Gold Nugget speak very highly of you, Doctor.”
Scully’s head jerked toward Lacey at the thought of what those conversations between Lacey and “the girls” had included.
Lacey continued, “And your name was one of the first I heard on my arrival in Weaver, Reverend Sykes—with an extremely favorable comment, of course.”
“You’re referring to Pete Loughlin, I’m sure.” Reverend Sykes’s smile broadened. “Pete told me you and he were passengers in the same stagecoach. He was very impressed with you, which is one of the reasons I wanted to meet you. Like you, my wife and I are recent arrivals in Weaver. Our church and the size of our congregation aren’t very impressive yet, but we have great hopes for a change in the right direction. I’d like to extend an invitation for you to join us for worship.” He added, “We’d appreciate any extra time you could spare for us, too. We need all the help we can get.”
Appearing delighted at the invitation, Lacey replied, “Thank you. We’ll both come, won’t we, Scully?”
The brief silence that followed spoke volumes.
Scully stood up unexpectedly and said, “Lacey and I have some important business to tend to this morning. If you’ll excuse us…”
Ignoring Lacey’s shocked expression as he drew her to her feet, Scully dropped his coin on the table and turned her toward the door.
“I don’t like seeing you taken advantage of.”
“No one was taking advantage of me—except for you, that is.”
Lacey was livid. Common courtesy had been thoroughly ingrained in her since childhood—common courtesy that had been severely abused when Scully dismissed both Reverend Sykes and Doc Mayberry so abruptly. Scully and she had arrived back in her room minutes earlier after their exit from the restaurant and a rush that had left her breathless. She continued with astonishment, “How could you be so rude?”
Scully did not smile. Without realizing it, Lacey proved his point. Of the many things he had been accused of in his lifetime, being rude ranked very low on the list—yet Lacey spoke as if he had committed one of the cardinal sins.
He hadn’t, and he knew the difference.
“It should’ve been obvious to you what was happening, but it apparently wasn’t, so I decided to save you from yourself.”
“What are you talking about?”
“It was a ploy.”
Lacey did not speak.
“Come on, Lacey, it’s obvious what happened. Your friend, Pete Loughlin, went to see Reverend Sykes because he didn’t like the idea that I was the man who was meeting you here—because he thought I’d be a bad influence on you.”
“That’s ridiculous! Why would he think that?”
“Because I threw Pete Loughlin out of the Gold Nugget a while back, and he obviously hasn’t forgotten it.”
“Why did you throw him out?”
“He claimed he had been cheated at one of the tables. He started a fight, and I stopped it.”
“Anybody could make a mistake.”
“Pete didn’t make a mistake. He probably was cheated. I fired that dealer a week later when I found out he was dealing from the bottom of the deck so he could skim a profit off the top for himself.”
“Oh…how terrible! You did make sure Pete got his money back, didn’t you?”
“This is the West, Lacey. It’s sometimes wild and sometimes unfair. I do the best I can.”
“But, poor Pete—”
“I
