If she was even worth the trouble.
And right now she seemed like a whole heap of trouble.
“Well…Mr…uh…” the young woman continued.
“Charlie is fine, Miss Powell.”
“Well then…call me Layla,” she announced. Her tongue flicked out with the final syllable and he had to fight the urge to leap at her just to suck it. Again, his reactions confused him. This was a woman. A soft, curvaceous female. He hadn’t been interested in the fairer sex in a long while. If he ever had been. So what was it about this one that was stirring his body and creating such heat?
The thrill of the chase. It had to be that. Or knowing who she was, while she had no idea about his identity.
“Okay, Lay-la.” He grinned. “You gonna explain?”
She eyed him and he could see her calculating carefully before speaking. So she was a bright one too. Fool enough to run off alone but not fool enough to spill the beans without thinking it over first.
“I…uh…I…panicked.”
“You panicked?” Charlie frowned. “A man trusted you to keep your word and you pocketed his money then panicked? If you didn’t want to keep your promise to Mr Jackman…why didn’t you just write him to say you’d changed your mind?”
“I didn’t have time. I just didn’t think.” Layla placed her mug on the floor at her feet then hugged her knees to her chest.
“You’ve had weeks!” Charlie spat. “You could have let him know well before now.”
“Seems like you’re mighty angry for your boss, Charlie,” Layla replied, and her voice carried her curiosity. “Anyone would think you was personally offended.”
Charlie cleared his throat. “I guess it might sound that way, Layla. But ya know. He’s really been through the mill.” She had no idea! “Plus, I just can’t stand folks who take advantage of the trust and generosity of others. And something about your reason for fleeing doesn’t quite add up.”
He got to his feet. Trouble was, he actually could understand her reason for running. Marrying someone you’d never met, let alone fallen in love with, was a crazy-ass idea. He’d been damn near terrified himself when he’d set out with Etu to collect her. But it had seemed like the best solution to their situation and he thought he’d also be helping Layla out. She needed a home and a man to support her – she’d conveyed as much in her letters – and he wanted to make Etu happy. His lover had longed for a woman to share in their life for a long time but Charlie had been reluctant to get another female involved. After last time. But he’d finally given in. Life was short and Etu deserved happiness. A mail-order bride had seemed like an option. Find a young woman needing a home then bring her into their world. It wasn’t like there was a surplus of females around in the area or that women were easy to meet, so placing an advert had been a solution. But it had been a risk. There were so many things that could have gone wrong.
And now that he’d seen Layla, he wasn’t at all sure that it was a good idea. She was too darned good looking for his liking for a start. He had no doubt that Etu would find her attractive but would she feel the same? And how would she feel about what she was getting into? Surely a woman as fine looking as her would have had men falling over themselves proposing? But that wasn’t what he’d read in her letters. The woman he’d corresponded with didn’t seem too confident at all. She’d sounded downright grateful to have an option. She had come across as lonely. Vulnerable. Sad. It had made him feel a bit like a knight in shining armour. An old cliché perhaps, but it had made him want to rescue her.
Looking at her now, he was flooded with doubts. It was a good job he’d seen her first. Beauty could be dangerous. Plus she had obviously experienced doubts about the marriage or just played along with the whole thing in order to steal his money. She was a thief. Dishonest and likely impure. Now he should end their agreement and return to the homestead with Etu. Surely that was the best thing to do.
Once he’d got his money back, of course.
****
Layla had panicked. She was telling the truth. But if she was totally honest, the pocket full of coins had been comforting and the prospect of getting away from Deadwood and making a fresh start had appealed to her too. She hadn’t had any money since…no, she wouldn’t think about him right now. She’d have to do the decent thing here and just give Charlie what she owed Mr Jackman.
Then what?
What exactly would she do? Return to Deadwood and go beg Al Swearengen to take her in? That’s what the other young women with no hope did in Deadwood. She shivered. Could she really sacrifice herself to that life? Surrender to being pawed by foul-breathed miners and travel weary cowboys every night whilst feigning enjoyment? She knew that many of the soiled doves tried to numb their misery by taking laudanum but she’d seen the effect of the drug on the women. They were no better than walking corpses and once they started using opium, it was near impossible to stop. It was a fate worse than being placed in the cold Deadwood earth. But it was an option.
Or, she could stick to the original deal and hope that Mr Jackman still wanted her. What a choice for a young woman. But then, all women’s choices were limited, so why should she hope to be different?
Alternatively…the last idea that unfurled like the petals of a flower in her mind seemed like the best one. She could take the money and stick to her plan: run away. She’d just have to convince these two men that she was a little miss innocent, maybe even try to have a bit of fun whilst doing so, then she could escape while they slept. She could get some sort of revenge for the way that Henrik had treated her. It wouldn’t, sadly, be directed at that lying, two-faced toad but it might make her feel better to regain some control in her life. Hell yeah! That was what she would do.
“Uh…Charlie?” She assumed what she believed to be her sweet and innocent tone. “I could really do with…uh…it’s the coffee.” She smiled at him from beneath her eyelashes.
“You need to relieve yourself, Miss Layla?”
She nodded. “Urgently.”
“Okay. Etu, I’ll take her back through the trees…give her a bit of privacy.” Charlie gestured at the way they’d come.
“Sure, Charlie,” Etu replied, looking up from the fire where he was warming some cans of beans. “Just…ya know…take care.” Layla watched as the two men exchanged a knowing glance. They didn’t trust her. They had no reason to. These men were no acorn calves so this wouldn’t be easy.
Charlie helped Layla to her feet and she walked ahead of him towards where the trees thickened. Would she be able to gain his trust? She wasn’t sure if she was capable of reading him well enough to do it. But she would try. What other option did she have?
“Charlie?”
“Layla?”
“Why don’t I give you this now?” She pulled the bag of coins out of her pocket and offered it to him.
He raised his eyebrows.
“Go on….” she purred. “Take it. Then you know that you can trust me.” She’d watch where he put it then steal it back later. She needed that money. It was all she had in the world. Even if it wasn’t rightfully
