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  For a moment, Sapphire considered arguing with him, but then thought better of it. There were two men now standing over her; and she knew from personal experience that both of them were more than capable of turning her into one sorry, sniveling little girl if they so chose. No point in making it worse for herself.

  "I was surprised to hear you knock so soon," the deputy told Mr. Gabe. "I thought you said you'd give us at least two hours."

  Had it not even been that long? Sapphire felt as though she'd been there with that dark, brooding man all night.

  "Ordinarily, I would have," Gabriel answered, "but seeing as we found proof of Sapphire's innocence, I thought it prudent to come and inform you right away."

  "Proof?" Sapphire said. "What proof?"

  "Jewel refused to believe you were guilty, so she had Opal help her search your bedroom. Didn't take but two minutes to locate Mr. Clark's watch under your bed. He must have dropped it there."

  There it was again, that bubble of anger so quick to replace the panic and humiliation that had tightened her throat just moments before. Sapphire's heart began to pound and she clenched her fists at her sides. "I told you I was innocent."

  "Darlin', if we believed everyone was innocent just because they told us so, we'd be overrun with dangerous criminals," Mr. Slade said softly. "Surely you can understand that?"

  Unwilling to look at him, not wanting to feel that strange quickening of her pulse when she met his light grey eyes, Sapphire instead addressed Mr. Gabe. "Did he pay the five dollars he still owed me?"

  Gabriel shook his head. "We struck a deal. We let him keep the money, and in return he agreed to drop the charge of assault he was going to bring against you."

  "It's a good deal, if you ask me," the deputy added. "The fine for assault's a lot more than five dollars."

  Still not meeting his eyes, Sapphire was unable to suppress a derisive snort. "That charge would never have stuck. I never hurt him. And God knows, I was hitting him as hard as I could."

  "So I saw," Gabe said without a trace of humor, although she thought she heard something like a chuckle from the lawman beside her. "Still, you did attack him. You can't lose your temper like that in our establishment, Sapphire; we have a reputation to uphold. You could have injured him. He could have injured you, for that matter."

  "He would have deserved it," she cried. "You heard the awful things he was saying, Mr. Gabe, how can I just stand idly by and let someone say such horrible things about me?"

  To her surprise, Deputy Slade reached out and put a gentle hand on her arm. Just like the last time he had touched her, sparks of fire danced over her skin where his fingers were. She had never felt anything like it before, and it made her uneasy.

  "People will say mean things to you, darlin'. The trick is to open your ears and let those things just pass straight through your head. Don't let them hurt your feelings."

  "But then those people get away with it!" she argued. "How come I get punished for even the smallest things, all the time, and someone can say something really hurtful and not have to face any consequences?"

  "He and others like him will get their comeuppance too, chica, don't you worry," Mr. Gabe said at length. "And we can discuss this more at another time. I think we've already wasted far too much of Deputy Slade's evening as it is. We ought to be getting back."

  The deputy removed his hand from her arm but she could still feel the tingle on her skin. Despite herself, she looked up and met his piercing gaze. "I'm sorry for the trouble I caused you," she said quietly.

  To her astonishment, he smiled. "Don't you worry about that. In fact, it's been a pleasure."

  Still wondering what on earth he meant by that, Sapphire meekly allowed Gabriel to lead her back to The Red Petticoat.

  Chapter Three

  It was just as well it had been a quiet evening in Culpepper, Crawford mused as he rode home to his little house on the outskirts of town. After his experience at the saloon and encounter with that girl, he hadn't been able to think about anything else all night.

  It was driving him crazy.

  The way she'd looked up at him. The expression in her long, dark eyes. The feel of her soft, pale buttock beneath his hand—

  No.

  He was desperate for a drink, and hoped he still had some whiskey left as he tethered his horse, fed and watered it, and strolled inside.

  Damn. Nothing but beer.

  Deciding it would have to do, he grabbed a bottle and settled back on his hard, narrow bed, pausing only to remove his boots first.

  Gabriel had looked pretty mad as he'd dragged Sapphire out of the sheriff's office. Crawford wondered whether the tall, Mexican man had made good on his promise to take the strap to her upon their return; unable to suppress a flash of envy at the thought.

  If Gabe really did mete out discipline to all the women at The Red Petticoat, he was one lucky sonofabitch, Crawford thought wryly. At least judging by what he'd seen during his brief visit there—the "gems" were all gorgeous.

  Especially Sapphire.

  Idly he fingered the ornately carved sheath of the dagger she'd left behind. Small, delicate, exquisitely made and incredibly sharp, it felt warm against his palm.

  Just like her.

  With a pang of something he couldn't quite identify, he wondered whether she'd ever had occasion to use it. That she had the guts to do so, he had no doubt, but still, the risk she took with her own life every time she let a strange man enter her room made Crawford feel uneasy.

  Unlike some residents of Culpepper Cove, he had no issue with Madame Jewel's establishment. The people there ran a tight ship and any altercations there were almost always minor, according to Sheriff Justice. Besides, the huge disparity in the number of men compared to women in the area meant it was necessary to have a place where the men traveling through—or the single men mining claims all around Culpepper—could relax, have a drink, play some cards, or blow off some steam with a pretty girl.

  Relaxed men were less likely to cause trouble.

  And you couldn't offer services like that without women who were willing to provide them. Still, Crawford found himself wondering for the umpteenth time where she had come from. What had led her to her job at the saloon. Whether she enjoyed it. Why she reacted the way she did when he'd asked her what her previous occupation had been.

  Lord, though, the picture she'd made when she'd been stuck in the vent. Those beribboned calves, the slender, tempting thighs, the milky curves of her hips and ass… and the barest glimpse of the hidden delights in between.

  Just the thought of it was enough to make him hard again.

  Were he any other man, he thought ruefully, were he different, he'd woo her, pursue her, shoot, if they got along, he'd even consider marrying her and taking her away from the saloon.

  No, he told himself sternly, he was a fool for even entertaining that train of thought. Some men were cut out for marriage, kids, the whole shebang. Men like Jebediah Justice, Mayor Rockwell, Doc Norwood, even that Swedish blacksmith had found a woman to settle down with… but not Crawford Slade.

  He was alone, and that was the way it had to be. He had a past. Demons. And there was no way in hell he'd ever even consider inflicting those on some poor, innocent girl, not even one as outwardly tough as little Ada Madsen, aka Sapphire. Some people deserved happiness.

  He wasn't one of them.

  * * *

  "Now that we're all here, you need to tell us what happened last night!" Opal leaned across the breakfast table, her eyes gleaming. "Don't leave out a single detail."

  "I heard you got stuck in a chimney! Surely that isn't true?" Amy said.

  "That deputy is handsome as sin but he looks terrifying. When Coral met him, she said she'd never known anybody to be so rude!" Dottie cut in, flicking her hair over her shoulder.

  Sapphire held up her hands, laughing. "Slow down, I only just woke up! One question at a time, please!"

  "Y'all should let this one eat up her breakfast,
" Nettie said, putting an enormous plate of bacon, biscuit and flapjacks in front of Sapphire. "Lawd knows she needs some more meat on her bones."

  "I heard Mr. Gabe took the strap to you when you got back," Amy went on, completely disregarding the cook's statement. She shuddered. "I can't think what for—we all know you never stole that watch."

  "I didn't get the strap for stealing, Amy. I got strapped for being… uncooperative."

  "Is that what they call it these days?" Nettie set some mugs of coffee down on the table. "Back in my day, it was simply called being a naughty little girl! And we all know what happens to those!" She waved her wooden spoon.

  "We know," the gems chorused; most of them having felt the back of that spoon at one point or another in their time at The Red Petticoat.

  "This looks delicious, Miss Nettie, but I'm really not very hungry," Sapphire protested. "There's no way I can eat all that!"

  "Oh yes, you can. Or you will sit there at the table until you do," the cook said with a frown. "You missed supper last night."

  "I was busy," Sapphire said, giving her friends a wry smile. "So… shall I start at the beginning?"

  "You can start with the moment where you were dragged out of here by that giant deputy," Opal said. "And everyone was getting a free eyeful of your goods." She nodded pointedly at Sapphire's chest, to a chorus of giggles.

  "And don't leave anything out!" Dottie said, leaning back and crossing her arms.

  Sapphire recounted the events of the previous evening with her usual dry humor, but she did leave something out: the way Deputy Slade had made her feel. How her loins fluttered whenever his unsettling gaze rested on her, and how her skin felt scorched wherever he touched it. Truth be told, she'd lain awake for most of the night, reliving every single moment of their encounter.

  "What in God's name possessed you to try and escape through the ventilation hole?" Dottie asked, wiping the tears of mirth from her eyes.

  "I don't know. The door was locked. I saw the stove shaft was loose so I figured it was worth a shot. I guess Miss Nettie's cooking is just too good; I couldn't get through past my hips."

  The cook in question was bustling around the kitchen as the girls talked, but there was no mistaking the smile on her face.

  "I wish I'd been able to see it. What a picture you must have been! Your head on the outside of the building, and your butt stuck inside to present a perfect target for Deputy Slade." Amy giggled again.

  "I'm lucky Opal found that watch so fast and that Mr. Gabe arrived when he did," Sapphire said. "The deputy only managed to get in two or three spanks first."

  It had been enough, though. Enough to send two kinds of heat spiraling through her; the burning sting of his hand against her bare flesh… and hot, pulsing tendrils of pleasure curling through her body, concentrated especially between her legs. She'd never experienced anything like it before.

  "I'm assuming Mr. Gabe more than made up for that when you returned home," Amy said.

  Sapphire nodded. "I hope I never have to feel that strap again. That thing is evil!"

  Upon their return to the saloon, Gabriel Vasquez had taken her by the upper arm—reminding her with a pang of the way the deputy had escorted her to the sheriff's office earlier—marched her straight up to her room, and ordered her to "assume the position."

  Sapphire had done so without a word; squeezing her eyes shut and bracing herself for the first stroke. She could see the deputy's face every time she closed her eyes; the big, sulky mouth, the slightly broken nose, those hooded grey eyes…

  Hoping the strapping would be over quickly so she could be left alone to think about him, Sapphire held her breath.

  Mr. Gabe liked to make sure his gems knew why they were being disciplined, however, so he began to talk.

  "You know why you're about to be punished," he said sternly.

  "Yes, sir."

  "And why is that?"

  "Because I tried to escape from Deputy Slade instead of staying to answer his questions," she said.

  Gabe gave a low chuckle. "No, chica, it would be up to him to punish you for that. Why am I about to take the strap to you so hard you're bound to have a long, uncomfortable night?"

  Realization dawned on her. "Because I jumped on Eyebrows?"

  "On whom? Jeez, girl, don't tell me you attacked another one of our patrons!"

  "No! No, sorry, I mean Mr. Clark. Eyebrows is what we all call him secretly, on account of his—"

  "Distinguished facial hair?"

  Sapphire shuddered. "That's being real nice about it, Mr. Gabe."

  He gave another chuckle. "All right, I'll admit that I'm not too surprised you girls chose that nickname for him. But his appearance aside, I cannot have any of my gems physically attacking our customers. Do you understand that?"

  "You were there, sir! You heard those terrible things he said about me. And before you arrived, he said some other terrible things. I was defending myself."

  To her surprise, he rubbed small, gentle circles on her lower back before addressing her in a far kinder tone. "I know, honey, which is partly why I'm not going to be as hard on you as I otherwise might have been. But you need to learn that when someone attacks you with words, you either use the same weapon to defend yourself—words—or you rise above it and walk away. Had Mr. Clark been bigger, or more able to defend himself against your sudden pouncing on him, you could really have been hurt. Don't you see that?"

  She knew when she was beaten. "Yes, sir."

  "Which is why this is for your own good," he went on, the warmth of his hand leaving her back as he righted himself once more.

  As the leather began to sear across her exposed behind, Sapphire was once again reminded of Deputy Slade and the shudders that had gone through her from just a single clap of his huge hand in the exact same place. Such a simple thing; something she had experienced many a time from parental palms, had suddenly seemed so overwhelmingly… different.

  Biting her lip as Mr. Gabe's strap landed viciously right where her buttocks met her thighs, she wondered whether it would feel different now if the deputy were the one meting out her punishment. And the sudden, intense tightening of her groin at the thought was all the answer she needed.

  Yes.

  In fact, imagining Mr. Slade—Crawford—standing behind her, his thickly muscled arm raising the leather before bringing it down with a harsh whap against her rapidly heating flesh, somehow made Mr. Gabe's discipline seem a lot more bearable. And by the time he'd delivered several short, biting strokes, Sapphire was forced to realize something else entirely.

  She was wet.

  All these were private thoughts; ones she was careful to omit as she finished telling the gems about the evening's events at the breakfast table. But a part of her longed to have someone she could talk to about her secret feelings. Surely it couldn't be normal to feel that way.

  Catching Opal's kind, dark eyes, Sapphire resolved to confide in her if she got the chance. The woman had so much experience; she had been a soiled dove even before meeting Madame Jewel. Surely she would have some advice.

  "Well, there is one good thing to have come out of all this," Amy said with her usual optimism. "We won't have to deal with Eyebrows ever again."

  "Even if Mr. Gabe hadn't barred him for life, I doubt he'd even want to return," Dottie supplied.

  The other girls gave a mock cheer.

  "Imagine the gall of the man, accusing poor Saph here of stealing!" Opal said. "As if Madame Jewel or Mr. Gabe would ever hire a thief! Just because we chose this profession, it doesn't make us criminals!"

  While the other gems murmured their agreement, Sapphire stared at the table. Sometimes she felt she was so full of dark secrets she might burst, and the burden was one she often didn't know how she could stand for one single day longer.

  But it had to be that way. No one could ever find out the truth.

  * * *

  "Well good evening, Deputy. Back so soon?"

  Crawford gave the
girl who'd greeted him at the door to The Red Petticoat a curt nod. "I'm here to see Sapphire," he said.

  "I think she's still getting ready. It's still early. Can I interest you in a drink while you wait?"

  "No thanks, I'm on duty. I just need to drop something off." He gave the brunette his trademark glare, at which she immediately took a step back.

  "Well, I'm sure that would be fine," she said. "Do you need me to show you upstairs to her room?"

  "I know the way."

  Crawford pushed past her and stalked through the saloon, which was a lot emptier of people than it had been during his visit the previous night. He supposed most patrons were having some supper before heading over to indulge in some drinking, gambling and…

  "Deputy Slade, what can I do for you?" Gabe was blocking the way to the stairs, his arms folded across his chest.

  "I need to see Sapphire."

  "Sapphire was innocent, you know that."

  "That's not why I'm here." Crawford stared the man down.

  "Are you here on a personal visit?"

  The deputy had to suppress a chuckle. If I ever visited a gem for my own pleasure, she'd run out of her room screaming and I'd be forced to leave town. "No, I just wanted to return something she left at the office yesterday."

  "So you're not going to finish that spanking I so rudely interrupted?" Gabriel winked, and Crawford immediately felt more at ease.

  "We'll see. I guess it depends on whether she decides to be politer this evening."

  "Good luck with that. I was as good as my word and took the strap to her when we returned home, but I got the impression her mind was on other things. She certainly didn't make as much of a fuss as usual." Gabriel stroked his chin, dark with stubble, and stared at Crawford with a thoughtful expression for a moment before continuing. "You remember where her room is?"

  "I certainly do. Thank you, I won't be long." Without waiting for a reply, Crawford moved past the big Mexican and set off up the stairs that led to the second floor, where all the gems entertained their guests.

  Sapphire's door was the third one down, and he knocked sharply, wondering why his heart was suddenly pounding.