Cera's Place by Elizabeth McKenna

suggested brightly. “Cera don’t need to know.”
    Ginger let out a humorless laugh. “No. I’m in enough trouble already with her when it comes to that man.”
    “Well then, maybe I should talk to him.”
    Ginger shrugged indifferently. “It’s your funeral, honey.”
    *****
    Cera hated herself as she watched the saloon doors, hoping Jake would walk through them. She was pathetic, worse than pathetic, actually. She had a business to run and Biggs to deal with and all she could think about was his soft blue eyes and his hungry lips. And where the hell was he? Had he given up on her and left town?
    With another look toward the doors, Cera sighed. It would serve her right if he had. She hadn’t been kind to him, so why was he pursuing her in the first place? It was all too confusing. She wasn’t used to having feelings for a man. She didn’t know how to act or what to say. All she knew was she wanted to be close to him again. To breathe that scent that made her dizzy. To feel that touch that made her quiver.
    In frustration, she slammed a full beer on the bar in front of her customer. The man jumped back as beer sloshed over the brim of the mug and landed on his sleeve. “Something wrong there, Cera?”
    “Pardon me?” Cera blinked rapidly a few times. She didn’t know what she had been doing while ruminating about Jake.
    “I asked if something was wrong. You’re acting a bit strange today, like your skin’s all itchy and irritating.”
    “Oh, um, no, nothing’s wrong.” Ignoring the bemused expression on her customer’s face, she wiped up the mess. “Beer’s on me, Ben. Sorry about that.”
    She made a beeline for the kitchen. Maybe a break would help her find the sanity she had obviously lost. Li looked up from the counter where he was kneading dough and nodded. She gave him a smile in return, picked a carrot from a nearby bowl, and took a bite. “Where’s Hu?” she asked between chews.
    “She help Sadie with laundry.”
    Yesterday’s image of Li and Hu working together flashed through her mind. “How’s everything going with her?”
    Li’s brow creased a bit at the question. “She hard worker. It good have help.”
    “So, you are getting along fine? No problems?”
    Li punched the dough a few times, sending puffs of flour into the air. “I like her. She nice girl.”
    Cera suppressed the urge to roll her eyes. It was all so simple for men. She bet Jake wasn’t sitting around thinking about her.
    “Li, you’ve known me for a long time, right?”
    “Many years.”
    “Would I—” She hesitated, toying with another piece of carrot. “Would a man find me pleasant to have around?”
    Li shook the flour from his hands and then wiped them on his apron. “Yes.”
    Embarrassed, she turned to leave. “Thanks.”
    “No worry, Cera. He come back.”
    She stopped at the door. “Why do you say that?” Cera held her breath, waiting for Li’s reply.
    “Because man not risk life for woman, then leave.”
    Cera pushed the kitchen door open. A quick scan of the saloon told her what she already knew. Jake still wasn’t there, though it looked like half the neighborhood was. Any other night, she would be happy with the extra money coming in, but tonight the added noise and smoke made her head ache. Rubbing her temples, she wished for closing time. A roar came from one of the gaming tables as someone won big. A round of laughter broke out when Ginger offered to marry the winner.
    As the night wore on, she gave up hoping he’d come to visit. Finally, she kicked the last three customers out into the night. They left arm in arm, singing loudly and stumbling over the words to an old soldiers’ song. Exhausted, she barred the saloon doors and rested her forehead against the wall. The drunken singing faded and all was quiet.
    How could things get so complicated so quickly? She rubbed her chest, wishing the heaviness she felt would go away. Hearing a creak from above, her head jerked up in alarm.
    Sonya