forth.
“Good,” Longarm said. He paid the hotel clerk and entered the name of Thomas Jefferson.
The clerk stared at it for several minutes. He removed his thick spectacles, then stared some more, squinting mightily before replacing his glasses. Finally, he looked up and said, “Are you a descendant of President Jefferson?”
“His great-grandson.”
The desk clerk became excited. “My goodness! May I have your autograph!”
“Sure, but it’ll cost you a dollar. I get asked so often that my hand is damaged and I have to pay the doctor bills.”
“A dollar?” There was a moment of confusion and indecision, then, “Of course!”
Megan pounded Longarm in the spine hard enough to make him grunt with pain. But he got his dollar and room key anyway. They went upstairs, feeling the eyes of several of the patrons boring holes in their backs. Megan wouldn’t even look at Longarm when he opened the door and gallantly ushered her inside.
The room was spacious, clean, and beautifully furnished, just like the last room he’d enjoyed here with a certain young lady of the night had been. There were original oil paintings on almost every wall, and although they weren’t masterpieces, they were good art. The floors were polished with nice throw rugs, and there were expensive lace curtains on the windows. The furniture was old mahogany, and it glistened with oil. The bedspread was satin with blue swirls on white. A large and ornate chandelier illuminated the room, and there were crystal goblets on a counter in case a guest wished to order wine or even French champagne. And finally, only half hidden by a drape, there was an enormous brass tub with soap and a long-handled scrub brush made of ivory and pure pig- bristles.
“Well,” Longarm said, grinning from ear to ear. “Do you still think that this place costs too much?”
“No,” she said, tossing her rifle on the bed, then dropping her saddlebags and walking slowly around the room, marveling at the appointments. “It’s lovely, really. I’d never have suspected something so fine in a mining town.”
“Millionaires want the best,” Longarm explained. “And I can assure you that many have stayed here. Most likely, they squandered their quick fortunes and wound up sleeping in the hills, but they had their grand memories.”
Longarm went over to the bed and flopped down with a sigh. “How about something to drink, dear?”
“No, thanks,” she said, eyeing the bed with growing apprehension.
“Relax,” he said. “I’m paying and you can either sleep with me, or I’ll give you a blanket and you can sleep on the cold floor.”
“Cad.”
Longarm shrugged. “Just standing up for my rights. You made me pay that liveryman six dollars, and by damned I’m going to make you responsible for yourself.”
“I have been for about the last ten years,” she said. “Or didn’t you notice that I not only take care of my father, but I break horses and mend saddles and do other leather work.”
Longarm relented. “Yes,” he said, “you are responsible and my remark was uncalled for. Megan, you are a very, very responsible girl.”
“I’m a woman. As if you hadn’t noticed.”
“I have, of course,” he said, kicking off his boots and starting to enjoy this banter. “But I just wanted to make sure that you remembered that.”
“You remind me every time you look at me,” Megan said. “And so did those other gawking idiots out on the street. But that still didn’t give you the right to crack that one fella’s skull.”
“Oh, yes, it did,” Longarm said, smile melting. “Because the only way you’re going to be safe in a place as rough as Bodie is for everyone to know that you’re my girl. Period. No doubt about that.”
Megan gulped. “I’m packing a pistol.”
“Good,” Longarm said. “Keep it handy because you will no doubt need it. I can’t be watching over you every minute.”
Megan sat down on a satin sofa and glanced over at the bathtub. “Do they bring you hot water as part of the room price?”
“Nope. Costs a dollar extra, and there’s a tip for the boy who totes the buckets up.”
“That’s pretty damned high,” she said.
“It’ll be worth it.”
When Megan said nothing else, Longarm added, “Do you see how big the tub is?”
“Of course.”
“It’s that big so that two people can sit inside and bath at the same time. Maybe scrub each other’s back.”
“And maybe do other things.”
“That’s right,” he said. “Nice things to each other.”
Megan took a deep breath and bounced off the sofa. She went to the window and stared out at the street.
“So,” she said airily, “this is the famous Bodie.”
“It is.”
