Читать книгу Jade - Ruth Langan, Ruth Ryan Langan - Страница 9

Hanging Tree, Texas1870

“I bring greetings, honorable Father.”

Jade Jewel bowed before the rough pile of stones that marked her parents’ graves. She often rode alone to the windswept site after the heat of the day had ended, finding solace in this primitive place that her father had so loved. How strange, she thought, that it was death that had finally joined them like a proper family.

When she had read of her father’s murder by an unknown assassin, she had left the Golden Dragon in the hands of Aunt Lily and a well-trained staff and had hurried to Texas. What she had discovered when she arrived, cloaked in shock and grief, were three half sisters who, though vastly different, found themselves bound by a common thread.

She had grown to love those three strangers. Diamond, as rough as this land that nurtured her, always dressed like her wranglers, in buckskins and boots, a gun belt perpetually at her hips. Pearl, educated in Boston, was the perfect lady, in prim, but-toned-up gowns and a parasol to shield her delicate skin from the harsh Texas sun. And Ruby, an earthy beauty from New Orleans, shocked the sensibilities of everyone with her revealing gowns and casual indifference to propriety.

Despite their differences, Jade had found friendship, acceptance and, best of all, a feeling of family love with these young women. And so she had stayed on, adding her dead mother’s ashes to this Texas soil, so that her parents were reunited in death as they never had been in life.

The evening sky was vivid slashes of red and gold against a backdrop of stark mountain peaks. A wild, desolate wind came keening across the hills, flaying the ends of Jade’s hair across her cheeks.

All day the summer air had been hotter than a funeral pyre. Now, with night approaching, it was cold enough to sting the skin and chill the bones.

To the occasional passing wrangler of the Jewel ranch, Jade presented a fascinating picture. A tiny, delicate creature, she had dark almond eyes and hair the color of a raven, falling thick and straight to below her waist. In a land of gingham and buckskin, she preferred the garb of her mother’s ancestors, a slim sheath of brilliant silk that fell to her ankles, with slits on either side for ease of walking. This day it was shimmering green, her favorite color, with a high mandarin collar and frog fasteners.

After a childhood spent in the luxury of San Francisco, this rough Texas landscape was alien to the young woman. But, she reminded herself, it was not nearly as difficult for her as it must have been for her mother, who had left the comfort of home and family in China to make a new life across the sea.

“What sustained you, Mother?” she whispered as she dropped to the earth on her knees. “Was it the ancient customs?” She moved her hand to the adjoining stones. “Or the love of one special man?”

She didn’t need to ask what had sustained Onyx Jewel, the man who had stolen her mother’s heart. Onyx was the most fearless man she had ever known. He had lived life to the fullest, until the day a coward’s bullet had put an end to him.

From her carriage Jade retrieved an enameled plate, decorated with exotic symbols. Holding a match to a small stick, she dropped it on the plate and watched as smoke curled, followed by a sweet, thick fragrance. As the incense burned, she again knelt by the graves and closed her eyes, trying to calm her troubled spirit.

“I think it would please you if I would remain here in your home, Father. But how can I put down roots in Texas and still follow the ancient ways?” She remained on her knees for long, silent moments. “I seek your wisdom, Father.”

In her mind’s eye she visualized her childhood home in San Francisco, the luxurious apartment atop the city’s most opulent pleasure palace. They had entertained kings and politicians, millionaires and actors. The rich and famous from all over the world had come there, to see and be seen. In that cosmopolitan setting, the daughter of Ahn Lin and Onyx Jewel had become skilled in the ways of the world. She had acquired a vast knowledge of languages and customs and intellectual pursuits. But she had no idea how to put such talents to use.

And then it came to her. The perfect solution to her dilemma.

As the vision faded, her lids fluttered, then opened. Her features relaxed into a smile of pleasure. “Of course. It is all so simple. It is exactly what the town of Hanging Tree needs. Thank you, my esteemed father, for sending me the vision. I shall begin work at once on the arts in which I have been trained. I shall reproduce here in Hanging Tree the pleasure palace of my youth.”

Jade guided the team through the wide dirt road that was the main street of Hanging Tree. The elegant white-and-gilt carriage moved smartly past the blacksmith’s shop, the stables, Durfee’s Mercantile and Doc Prentice’s infirmary. She sailed past the jail and marshal’s office, past Potter’s Boardinghouse, until the rig rolled to a stop at the very end of town, on a high, grassy knoll.

The air rang with the sound of saws biting into wood and nails being hammered. A collective shout went up as another wall was raised into place. Workers swarmed like bees securing the structure.

Jade stepped down from the carriage and stood watching as her future took shape before her eyes. Already she could envision the facade, with bright red winged arches, and a golden dragon standing guard on either side of huge, hand-carved double doors.

Once inside, a visitor would be transported to another world. Rugs, furniture, tapestries from the far-flung corners of the globe. Soft, muted music. Food unlike any ever tasted in Texas. And the air heavy with incense.

“There she is, Reverend.” A woman’s voice was raised in anger. “As brazen a hussy as you’ll ever see.”

Jade turned to see a crowd of townspeople trooping toward her, led by town gossip Lavinia Thurlong and her friend Gladys Witherspoon, with the preacher in their midst.

“Why would you bring such trash to our town?” Lavinia demanded, pointing toward the growing structure.

“Yes. Why?” The words, spoken by six or seven women, sounded like echoes.

“Why, we don’t even have a proper church yet. And you’re wasting money and precious lumber on this… this den of iniquity.”

Half a dozen heads nodded in agreement.

“Mrs. Thurlong,” the preacher said gently, “maybe you should give Miss Jewel a chance to speak.”

“A chance to speak! We don’t need to hear from the devil’s own. I say we take a torch to this disgusting building before it can become a blight on our community.”

Voices murmured in agreement.

The preacher stepped forward and faced the group of angry women. “Mrs. Thurlong, you agreed we would merely ask Miss Jewel about her intentions for the building.”

“I don’t need to ask,” Lavinia said with an air of importance. “Everyone knows what she’s planning. A whorehouse. Right here in Hanging Tree.” She fixed Jade with a steely look. “And you can’t deny it, can you?”

Jade swung away, turning her back on the crowd.

“You see?” Lavinia shouted. “She can’t deny the truth.”

Jade could hear the preacher’s voice, low, persuasive. “All right, ladies. You’ve made your point. Now I think it’s time to return to your homes.”

“Oh, we’ll go home,” Lavinia cried. “And draw our shutters against the filth invading this town. But I warn you, Reverend, if you don’t persuade her to take her disgusting business elsewhere, we’ll have to resort to something stronger than words.”

Jade clutched her arms about herself and listened to the sound of retreating footsteps and the murmur of voices as the crowd dispersed.

“They mean it, Miss Jewel.”

At the sound of the deep voice, Jade turned. “Reverend Weston. I thought you’d left with the others.”

She took a step back from the charismatic young minister, who seemed to have captivated the imaginations of all the females in Hanging Tree, both young and old. He was too intense, too… volatile. There was about him an aura of strength and mystery that bothered her. From the first time she’d met him, he had affected her this way. She didn’t understand her reaction. But something about him made her uneasy. He was too tall, too muscular, too… potently male.

“I stayed so that we could have a little talk.”

“I don’t want to talk. I just want to watch my building take shape.” She knew her voice sounded breathless, but she couldn’t seem to control it. It wasn’t the nearness of this man. It wasn’t personal. It was simply that he had startled her.

He didn’t look like a man of God. In fact, there were times—when he stood before the congregation, his fist in the 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 talk that a gang of outlaws might be in the territory. A rancher returned from tending his herd to find his wife and children dead, their house and barn torched. And that’s not all.”

“Go on, Rufus,” Lavinia urged. Her chin quivered with excitement. She couldn’t wait to pass along this juicy bit of gossip. “What else have you heard?”

Rufus took his time, enjoying the narrative. “Over in Crooked Creek a rancher was found shot in the back, his entire herd stolen. Some say it’s the Garland Gang.”

Though that meant nothing to Jade, she couldn’t help noticing the reaction of Reverend Weston. He had gone very still.

“Can’t be,” the rancher said. “I heard that gang disbanded a couple of years ago, after one of ‘em went to prison.”

“I heard that, too,” Rufus said. “But Marshal Regan thinks the killings sound like Ned Garland.”

Rufus took Jade’s money and handed her change, then turned his attention to the preacher. “You tell Yancy to give you a list of supplies, Reverend, and I’ll have my boys deliver them next time they’re out that way.”

“Thanks, Rufus. I’m sure Yancy will appreciate it.”

As Jade started out the door, Reverend Weston reached for the bolt of fabric in her hand.

“I can manage,” she protested.

“I’m sure you can.” He took it, held the door, then followed her to her rig. After setting the fabric carefully in the back, he covered it with an old quilt to protect it from the dust of the trail.

“Thank you.” She climbed aboard and caught up the reins. “But you might not want to be seen doing nice things for me, Reverend.” She gave a meaningful glance at the window of the mercantile, where Lavinia and Gladys could be seen watching. “After all, what will the good people of Hanging Tree think about their minister being seen with a wicked woman? They might decide you’re unfit to hold prayer meetings in their town.”

“I wouldn’t worry about my reputation if I were you, Miss Jewel. You’ll have enough to worry about with your own.” He gave her a dangerous smile and tipped his hat before sauntering away.

As she left the town of Hanging Tree, Jade struggled to put Wade Weston out of her mind. Why in the world should one small-town preacher cause her so much discomfort? He was, after all, smug, arrogant, overbearing. And far too perfect for her taste.

She would prefer an adventurer, like Onyx Jewel, the man who had won her mother’s heart. Or—the thought came unbidden to her mind—a mysterious gunman dressed all in black, who would calmly shoot anyone who threatened her harm, then kiss her until she was breathless.

With an effort she forced herself to put aside such nonsense and concentrate on the work ahead of her. She would have to go to San Francisco soon, to see to the furnishings for the Golden Dragon. There was only so much she could do by mail order. The rest would have to be arranged through her connections in the bustling California city.

The sound of her carriage blotted out the steady thrum of horses until they were nearly upon her. Turning, she was startled to see a cluster of horsemen. Their faces were hidden behind bandannas.

And their guns were all aimed at her.