Betina Krahn by The Soft Touch Read Free Book Online

Bear minutes ago hadn’tstunned him as much as that bit of news. “Her? She’s the one? B-but she’s—she’s—”
    Too damned young
, he thought.
    “But what about the boy?”
    Martene shook his head. “Her cousin, monsieur. She ’as taken him to live with her. He will give her the ache in the head, that one.” He looked up and caught Bear’s expression of horror as he stood before the mirror, interpreting it as a comment on the clothes. “Do not be alarmed, monsieur. It is only a little dust. By the time of the party, we will repair all. You will be dashing, indeed.”
    Bear stood stock-still, feeling as if his insides had collapsed and were sliding toward his feet. By the time of the party he wouldn’t be dashing, he would be
dead
. Halt would lay him out flat when he learned what had happened. And he would damned well deserve it. Diamond Wingate was his best hope for financing his railroad, and he had just dropped her cousin smack on his arse and insulted her six ways from Sunday. There was no way he could go to a society party in two days, face her, and ask her for a few hundred thousand dollars to build their railroad.
    “Well?” Halt was waiting when Bear exited the tailor shop, clad once again in the business suit on which he had already spent most of their traveling money. “Will yer clothes be ready in time?”
    “I have to come around and collect them Saturday morning.” Without so much as a pause, Bear struck off down the street.
    “And?” Halt fell into step beside him, puzzling over his mood. “What about th’ payment? Is he willin’ to take half and let us pay the rest later?”
    A hitch occurred in his stride. “Didn’t mention it.Didn’t have to. A kid was climbing around all over the dressing screens and knocked one over on my head.” He removed his hat and ducked his head, parting his hair in demonstration. Halt issued a low whistle.
    “That’s a beaut.”
    Bear jammed his hat back onto his head. “Yeah, well, the kid’s ‘mother’ seemed to think so. She insisted on paying for my new suit by way of apology.”
    “She what?” Halt stopped at the edge of the pavement and his ruddy face fairly split with a broad grin. “That’s wonderful, lad.” Catching the discrepancy between Bear’s news and mood, he scowled. “You didn’t by any chance do somethin’ stupid, did ye? Like tellin’ her you couldn’t accept?”
    Something stupid? Bear groaned silently. “No.”
    “Excellent!” Halt’s grin reappeared. “That’s the first bit o’ good fortune we’ve had in weeks. To celebrate, we’ll go out an’ have us a steak dinner.”
    Bear scowled. “We can’t afford that.”
    “Who says? Things are finally lookin’ up for us, lad. We got
bankers
befriendin’ us and women buyin’ us suits o’ clothes.” He clapped Bear on the shoulder with a laugh and pulled him along. “Ye know … I got a good feelin’ about you an’ ol’ Miss Wingate. A real good feelin’.”
    Through the evening, every time Bear started to reveal the true nature of the event that Halt had pronounced their “good fortune,” Halt would say something that showed his faith in Bear and his unflagging optimism about their long-held dream of building a railroad, and Bear would again stop short of telling him the identity of the woman who had insisted on paying for his evening clothes. How could he confess that he had already met, insulted, and infuriated their potential investor such that she would probably spit in his eye the moment they were introduced?
    By the time they settled onto sagging canvas cots in their rooming house that night, Bear realized that he didn’t have a choice. Just a week ago, he had lectured Halt on doing his part and being willing to make sacrifices in the name of their dream. He could do no less himself. He would have to go to Vassar’s party, brazen it out, and hope he could persuade Miss Wingate to overlook their inauspicious beginning … in the interest