Men started coming in now in big numbers. Trevor glanced at the loud group of five who just entered and came to sit a couple of tables away from theirs. They seemed to be discussing ranch handling from what James could decipher.
Looking away a few seconds later, Trevor turned his attention back to James.
“Okay, now explain to me why we came here to Eden’s Paradise,” he asked.
“From what I know about Wild LaRue and her gang, they loved their booze and mixing.” James tapped the table as he spoke.
“Mixing? Liquor, you mean?” Trevor scratched his head.
“No, I’m talking frolicking.” James had to laugh.
A smile spread over Trevor’s lips as a naughty expression overcame his eyes. He obviously envisioned her in sexual trysts.
“Oh, so then the nickname ‘Wild LaRue’ wasn’t because of her robbing ways, but because of her…”
James nodded. “And rumors had it she liked her men in twos.” He sat back on his wooden chair, placed his arm behind the backrest, and raised his gaze to the staircase as the saloon girls started walking down the back stairs one by one.
“And since Eden’s Paradise is famous for its—” He froze.
As soon as she started down the stairs, James lost his train of thought. Her red, frilly dress and her wavy black locks cascading over her shoulders captivated his vision and his mind.
“Famous for what? Don’t leave me wondering here,” Trevor asked.
James heard his question but couldn’t answer. He was too busy sucking in air, hoping to reopen the passage to his collapsing lungs while he continued to stare at her as she smiled at the lady in front of her. Her pearl-white teeth and sparkling blue eyes enchanted him.
“Oh. Now that is a sight!” Trevor whispered, turning to look behind him.
James broke his gawking stare when she walked past their table and smiled at them, saying, “Howdy, boys.”
His vocal chords stilled, and heat rose to his cheeks as he clumsily tipped his Stetson hat, bowing.
Trevor, on the other hand, had no problem expressing himself. His smile widened and his eyes sparkled with interest and adoration when his gaze locked with hers.
Trevor was a ladies’ man, no doubt about it in James’s mind. In the years he had worked with his partner, James had seen Trevor use his charm to win a lady’s heart. Well, actually several ladies’ hearts. How many ladies Trevor had been with during the years he knew him, James lost count.
They came and went and Trevor never ever seemed to be affected by the breakups in the least. James figured it was because Trevor never stayed long enough with one particular lady to ever let the relationship go further than the physical.
James found it hard to understand why his partner was the way he was toward the ladies, but sometimes he wished he was a little less shy and gawky and more charismatic like his partner. Trevor knew how to flatter a lady and make her swoon.
Ordinarily, it didn’t bother James to see his partner work his charm, but tonight, Trevor’s suaveness irked him slightly.
With a wide grin splitting his face, Trevor stood up, took off his hat, and bowed. “Howdy, miss.”
A slight giggle escaped her lips, and her cheeks reddened a tinge as she kept walking. When she and the other ladies passed their table, she went up to the bar to sit.
“Oh, she is something.” James sighed.
“Uh-huh. She sure is pretty,” Trevor agreed.
“She’s more than that, Trev. She’s beautiful,” James remarked.
He continued to stare at her while a tall, extremely skinny man with a slight limp walked over to her.
“Why don’t you go talk to her?” Trevor asked.
“I’d love to go talk to her, but it seems she already has company.”
James was too distracted eyeing his competition flirting with the beautiful lady that he didn’t notice when one of the girls dressed in a low-cut outfit swanked over to their table
She asked, “Well, boys, I never seen you here before. Are you new in town or just passin’ by?”
“New in town,” Trevor piped up.
Her smile widened. “Well, welcome to Fort Smith. My name’s Sally.”
“Howdy, Sally,” Trevor responded.
“Nice to meet you,” James added.
“We don’t get many new residents here. So why did you boys decide to move to our lovely town?” She leaned her empty tray on her hip.
Trevor gazed at James, signaling if he should tell her. When James nodded slightly, he gazed at her. “We got ourselves jobs on the train.”
Her brow lifted inquisitively. She appeared to be gearing up to ask something, but closed her mouth and paused a second
Then she remarked, “That’s great. I gotta go get the other table’s order. Will you boys be wantin’ second shots of whiskey?”
Trevor nodded, and she started to go back to the bar when James stopped her. “Pardon me, but who is that lady dressed in red at the bar?”
Sally looked over, frowning as if she tried to figure out who he was talking about, then her eyes focused. “Oh, that’s Belle Samson.”
Something clicked in his brain, and his analytical mind rolled over the name again and again.
Belle.
She turned to him and placed her hand on his shoulder, leaning in so her cleavage was at eye level. She didn’t seem to do it so much to seduce him, but rather so no one at the table next to theirs could hear her.
“She’s pretty pleasin’ to look at, ain’t she?” She smiled.
“You could say that.” He nodded as he stared at the bar.
Then in a lower tone, she added, “Well, ain’t you the lucky one. She’s the new singer here at Eden’s Paradise, and soon she’ll be comin’ to the piano right behind you. You’ll get to see her performance up close. Get ready for a show. She’s got a voice of an angel.”
“New?” He lifted his brow and gave Trevor a piercing look.
“Yes siree, she came into town a few months ago. The moment Luke, the owner, heard her voice, he knew she was perfect for Eden’s Paradise. And I have to agree with the boss.”
He smiled as he glanced at the bar once more. He noted Belle looked at the stranger, but seemed very uncomfortable with his forwardness. James’s gentlemanly instincts reared up to the forefront of his mind. He wanted to get up and teach the brute that wasn’t any way to treat a lady, but after further observation, he thought better of it when he saw her take care of his friskiness.
He and Trevor needed to keep a low profile. Picking a fight with someone their first night in town would certainly not be good and could stir up questions he didn’t want to answer. Not just yet, anyway.
Taking a deep breath, he looked up at the saloon girl and remarked, “Interesting. Well, then, we look forward to seeing her perform tonight.”
“Uh-huh, you and every cowboy here.” Sally grinned sideways. “If you haven’t already noticed, she’s got a following.” She stood straight and threw her hair back as she walked away.
James looked around and sure enough most every cowboy in the saloon had his eyes fixed on Belle. Even Trevor. James swore if his eyes got any bigger, they’d pop out of his sockets. Coughing to clear his throat, he nudged his partner. “Stop gawking, will you?”
“Why? You can, but I can’t.” Trevor frowned.
“No, it’s just I need you to listen to me now. I need your full attention. It’s important.”
“What, about LaRue and her gang?” Trevor leaned in.
“Yes, I think Belle over there is LaRue.”
Trevor jerked his head back like a rooster did, in disbelief. “What? That’s crazy.”
“No, it isn’t. Rumor has it, she’s got long, wavy black hair like Belle and is pretty, too, with a beautiful voice.”
James took a breath, then continued, “Her name is Belle, short for Isabelle. And she came into town a few months ago. The train robberies started a few months ago.”