Capital Bride by Cynthia Woolf Page B

yelled. “Leave Katy out of this.”
    She took a deep breath. “You’re right. I’m sorry. This is about you and me, not our girls.”
    “Yes, it is.” He reached for his belt and undid it, dropping his pants to the floor.
    “You might as well leave those on. If you think we’re having sex tonight, you’re dead wrong.”
    “Why? Because you’re angry?”  
    “Yes. Dammit. I don’t want you anywhere near me. I’m leaving.”
    “And going where?”
    “I’ll sleep in MaryAnn’s room. She and Katy share Katy’s room as it is.”
    “That’s the puppies’ room.”
    She stared at him. Couldn’t believe what he’d just said. “Did you just tell me I couldn’t sleep in another room because it belonged to the puppies?”
    “Yes.”
    She laughed. Try as she might, she couldn’t help it. It was so stupid. This whole situation was stupid.
    When she looked up at John, he had a smile on his face, too.
    “What are we going to do about this? Neither one of us was very open or very trusting. You about Dorothy and me about…well me. If you can’t love me, why should I stay? Tell me, John. Why?”
    “For our girls.”
    She bit back the tears. “For our girls.”
    “And the baby that you carry.”
    “Can you tell me that we should really be bringing a baby into this mess? That we should subject another person to our mock marriage.”
    He sat down on the bed and scrubbed his face with his hands. “There has to be a way. Come to bed.”
    “No.” She tied her robe. “I’m sleeping in the doghouse, where I belong.” She took one of the lamps, walked quietly out of the room and down the hall to MaryAnn’s bedroom. The room was empty, as she suspected it would be. The pups were sleeping with their little mistresses. She tiptoed across the hall and opened the door to the girl’s bedroom. Sure enough there were both little girls and the two dogs sleeping soundly. One of the pups raised its head but went back to sleep when he saw she presented no threat.
    Sarah smiled, closed the door and went back across the hall and crawled into the bed.
    * * *
    She woke to strong arms picking her up out of bed. “What? What are you doing?” she asked as she automatically put her arms around his neck. “John, what are you doing?”
    “We may be many things to each other and we may be angry with each other, but you are my wife and you will sleep in my bed. No one is going to suspect we aren’t the happily married couple that we were earlier today.” He carried her back to their room and dropped her on the bed. He had his drawers on so at least he wasn’t running around the house naked.
    “I’m not going to make love to you,” she said.
    “I’m not asking you to.” He got into bed and pulled her into his side.
    She didn’t stop him. Didn’t ask what the heck he thought he was doing. She understood. He was used to her. Used to her sleeping with him. He couldn’t sleep without her.  
    It was a start.

CHAPTER 7

    It was a brutal, bloody trek back to Golden City. Upon arrival at the stables the owner of the team threatened to shoot Grayson when he saw the condition of the horses.
    “I will never rent you another animal and if I even see you get near a horse you will be the one tasting this whip!”
    Grayson soothed his rage with a five dollar gold piece and then went straight to the Chicago Saloon and a glass of the rot gut they called whiskey.  
    After his third whiskey a plan began to emerge. He would have Sarah or no one would. He called the barkeep over.
    “Where would I go to find men to do a job for me?”
    “What kind of job?”
    “One they won’t ask questions about.”
    “Go to Spurs. Two streets north, in the alley on the right side of the street. Tell the bartender, Joe sent you.”
    “Thank you, my good man.” He gave Joe a dollar for his trouble and his silence. Then he headed out the door to Spurs.”
    Spurs was as disreputable a place as William had ever been in. No one looked up when he