She smiled sadly. «In some ways. He was far too gentle for this world, though.»
«A gentle cheater?» Reno asked ironically.
«Why do you think he cheated? It was the only way he had any chance at all against men like you.»
«A gambler who’s that bad at cards should find another profession.»
«That’s not what I meant,» Eve retorted. «Don was a small man. He didn’t have the strength to fight with his fists, the speed to fight with a gun, or the greed to be a good cardsharp. He was a kind man rather than a strong one.
«But he was good to Donna and to me, even through we were weaker than he was. That’s more than I can say of the big men I’ve met!»
One of Reno’s black eyebrows rose. «I suppose if you had been cheatingforrather than against me, I might feel more kindly toward you myself.»
Eve’s smile was as small and cold as the spring hidden against the cliff.
«You don’t understand, gunfighter.»
«Don’t bet on it, saloon girl.»
She tossed her head, sending her deep gold hair cascading over her shoulders.
«I thought you were different from Raleigh King, but you’re not,» she said. «You haven’t the least idea what it’s like to make your way in a world that is stronger, harder, and more cruel than you could ever be.»
«You won’t get into my good graces by comparing me to the likes of Raleigh King.»
«I’m not trying to get into your good graces.»
«You’d better start.»
Eve took one look at Reno and bit back the angry words that were crowding her tongue.
There was no gentleness now in Reno’s eyes or in the line of his mouth. He was dead angry. When he spoke again, his voice was as cold and remote as his ice green eyes.
«Be grateful Raleigh needed killing,» Reno said flatly. «If you had set me up to kill a country boy, I’d have let Slater have you. You wouldn’t have liked that. Slater isn’t one of those kind men you so favor.»
«He can’t be any worse than Raleigh King,» Eve said bleakly, remembering the night she had come back late from one of Canyon City’s saloons and discovered what Raleigh had done to the Lyons. «No one could be worse than him.»
«Slater has a reputation with women that’s too sordid to repeat — even to a saloon girl who cheats at cards.»
«Did Slater ever torture an old man who had tried to sell a gold ring to pay for medicine for his dying wife?» Eve asked tightly. «Did Slater ever pull the truth from an old man one fingernail at a time while his wife watched helplessly? And after the man was dead, did Slater ever take his knife to an old, dying woman and…»
Eve’s voice crumbled into silence. She clenched her fists and fought for self-control.
«What are you saying?» Reno asked in a low voice.
«Raleigh King tortured Don Lyon to death while he dragged out the truth about where the emerald ring was hidden, and the journal with the treasure map. Donna tried to stop Raleigh, but the wasting disease had left her too weak even to lift her derringer.»
Reno’s eyes narrowed. «So that’s how Raleigh knew about the map.»
Eve nodded tightly. «When Raleigh was finished with Don, he turned on Donna.»
«Why? Didn’t Raleigh believe her husband had told the truth?»
«Raleigh didn’t care,» Eve said bitterly. «He just wanted…»
Her voice dried up into a painful silence. No matter how many times she swallowed, she couldn’t force out words to describe what Raleigh had done to Donna Lyon.
«Don’t,» Reno said.
He put his palm gently over Eve’s lips, sealing in the bitter words she was trying to speak.
«I guess he and Slater were well matched after all,» Reno said softly.
Eve grabbed Reno’s hand, but not to push him away.
«’Tell me,» she said urgently. «You killed Raleigh King, didn’t you?»
Reno nodded.
She let out a long breath and whispered, «Thank you. I didn’t know how I was going to be able to do it.»
All gentleness vanished from Reno’s expression.
«Is that why you set me up?» he demanded.
«I didn’t set you up. Not in the cold way you mean.»
«But you saw the chance and you took it.»
Eve’s mouth tightened. «Yes.»
«And then you grabbed the pot and ran.»
«Yes.»
«Leaving me to die.»
«No!»
Reno made a sound that was too hard to be a laugh.
«We came closer that time, gata. We almost had it.»
«What?»
«The truth.»
«The truth is, I saved your life,» Eve retorted.
«Saved it?» Reno demanded. «Girl, you did your best to get me killed!»
«When I didn’t hear any shooting —» she began.
«Disappointed?» he interrupted.
«I turned back to see what had happened,» she said, ignoring his interruption. «Then Raleigh drew and you shot him, and a man called Steamer pulled his gun to shoot you in the back. I shot him first.»
Unexpectedly, Reno laughed.
«You’re good, gata. Really good. The wide eyes and the earnest, trembling mouth are first-class.»
«But —»
«Save those lips for something better than lying,» Reno said, bending over Eve once more.
«I shot Steamer!» she protested.
«Uh-huh. But you were aiming for me. That’s why you turned back. You wanted to be dead sure I wouldn’t follow you to collect my winnings.»
«No. That’s not the way it was. I —»
«Give up the game,» Reno said curtly. «You’re trying my patience.»
«Why won’t you believe me?»
«Because a man who believes a liar, a cheat, and a saloon girl is more of a fool than Reno Moran is.»
His fingers closed around Eve’s thigh once more. And once more she wasn’t able to break away from his touch.
«I’m not a liar,» she said hotly, «and I hate being so weak that I have to cheat, and I was a bond servant with no choice about what kind of work I did or where I did it or what I wore while I did it!»
Eve’s voice shook with anger as she continued, not letting Reno interrupt.
«But you believe only the worst about me,» she said, «so you should have no trouble believing this — my biggest regret about yesterday is not letting Steamer shoot you in the back!»
Surprise loosened Reno’s grip for an instant. It was all Eve needed. She jerked from beneath his hand with a speed that startled him.
She stood, taking a blanket with her. With hands that showed a fine trembling, she wrapped the blanket around herself, concealing everything of her body but the hot flags of anger and humiliation burning on her cheeks.
Reno considered taking the blanket away from Eve. He had liked looking at the satin curves and velvet shadows beneath the old, thin cotton fabric of her underwear. Her anger both surprised and intrigued him. Women who were caught in lies usually became all soft and wary and eager to make amends.
But not the girl called Evening Star. Her eyes were measuring him for a shroud.
Wryly Reno admitted to himself that whatever else he could say about Eve — and none of it good — she had
