“Oh, Father…” She was so touched, words failed her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him fiercely.
“I’m glad you like my present. I—” When Onyx felt a hand on his arm he straightened and looked up.
“It isn’t fair.” The man facing Onyx was impeccably dressed in a gray evening suit with high starched collar, gold and diamonds winking at his cuffs. In his hand he held a wad of money. But all the money in the world couldn’t gloss over the fact that he was very drunk. “Here you are with two of the most beautiful women in the world….” The man’s slurred words were loud enough to cause everyone in the room to turn toward him in stunned surprise. “And here I am all alone. You should be willing to share.” He held out the money and pointed at Jade. “I’ll take the younger one off your hands and—”
Onyx stood so quickly he sent his chair toppling backward. His hand fisted in the man’s shirtfront, cutting off his words, cutting off his very breath. His face a mask of fury, his words choked with anger, Onyx growled, “You’ve just insulted my family. The young lady is my daughter. Now get out of here. And don’t ever set foot in the Golden Dragon again.”
The man brought up his hand, revealing something shiny that reflected the glint of candlelight. He jammed it tightly against Onyx’s chest.
“Onyx,” Ahn Lin cried. “He has a gun.”
Reflexively Onyx shoved Jade and Ahn Lin behind him and drew his own weapon, though he knew it was too late. Before he could fire, the sound of a gunshot thundered through the room. For long moments there was an eerie silence. No one moved. No one spoke. Then, with a strangled cry, the man facing Onyx crumpled to the floor.
Across the room the man in black had upended the table, scattering cards and money everywhere. In his hand was a smoking gun.
For the space of several heartbeats Onyx and the gunman faced each other across the room, and the crowd seemed to hold its breath, waiting for what was to come. But instead of the expected gunfight, the man facing Onyx calmly returned his pistol to his holster, signaling an end to the incident.
Pandemonium broke out. While almost everyone in the room gathered around the fallen man, the one who had shot him watched without emotion. With the grace of a mountain cat he strolled to a side table, where he lifted a tumbler of whiskey to his lips and drained it in one long swallow.
Onyx dropped to his knees and checked for a pulse, then shook his head. “He’s dead. Otherwise…” He left the words unspoken. But everyone knew that he would have been the one lying dead had it not been for the quick thinking of the mysterious gunman.
Jade, pale and shaken, heard only snatches of the excited words being spoken.
“…been in here before. Name’s Nub Harkness.”
“Always causing trouble…”
“Can’t hold his liquor…”
“You can be thankful Nevada was here tonight,” someone said to Onyx, “or you’d be the one lying there dead.”
With a thoughtful look Onyx crossed the room and spoke to the man whose quick action had saved his life. He offered his hand, and the gunman accepted.
A few minutes later the authorities arrived, and Onyx and Ahn Lin drew a little away to answer their questions.
Taking advantage of the confusion, the gunman made his way to where Jade, pale and shaken, continued to stand alone in the little alcove.
“I’m sorry your birthday party was spoiled.” His voice, little more than a whisper, was low and deep, for her ears alone.
Jade’s pulse was still pounding in her temples. In her befuddled state she couldn’t put into words all that was whirling through her mind.
“Thank you.” She felt tears spring to her eyes and blinked them away. “Thank you for saving my father.”
He studied her, seeing the confusion, the numbness that signaled shock. Hoping to put her at ease he said lightly, “How old are you today?”
“Sixteen.”
“Sixteen.” His gaze slowly trailed over her and she saw a strange look come into his eyes. If any other man had looked at her like that, she would have felt sullied. But this man had a way about him. Some strange charm that held her in its thrall. Despite the fact that he had just killed a man, he seemed relaxed, almost casual.
“It’s traditional to kiss a young lady on her sixteenth birthday. For luck.”
Without warning he leaned close and touched his lips to hers. It was the merest brushing of mouth to mouth. But she felt the tremors ripple through her body, leaving her shaking. She was so overcome with feeling she couldn’t move, couldn’t even speak. All she could do was stand very still and absorb the shock of his lips on hers, and pray her legs wouldn’t fail her.
When he took a step back, she strained to see his face, to memorize his handsome features. But all she could see were his eyes, hooded and mysterious, and his lips, curved into a dangerous, enigmatic smile.
“The drunk was right about one thing. You are the most beautiful woman in this room.”
Woman. She was startled by the term. No one had ever before called her a woman.
Then he did something so unexpected she could do nothing but stand, as still as a statue, too stunned to even react. He traced his index finger around the outline of her lips, then dipped it inside the moistness of her mouth. As she blinked, he lifted his finger to his own mouth, as if tasting her. His eyes narrowed slightly.
Without another word he turned, then melted into the milling crowd.
Jade felt suddenly bereft. He was gone. The man who had saved her father’s life. The most fascinating man she’d ever met had evaporated like the mist over the bay.
His bold kiss had stunned her. And his quick action had saved the life of the one who meant more to her than anyone in this world.
All she knew about him was his name. Nevada.
And the fact that he was capable of killing without emotion.
Chapter Two
Hanging Tree, Texas
1870
“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 s
lim 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 sim
ply 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.