“I was one of the nurses who attended her. He didn’t tell you that, did he? Or that while his wife lay wasting away in her hospital bed, he was playing the satyr with every nurse on my floor.”
Fargo wondered why she was telling him this. “Including you?”
“No. Oh, he tried. He spouted the same honey-tongued lies about how beautiful I was and how he would love to take me out and wouldn’t it be grand if we went up to his house after?” Rebecca didn’t hide her disgust. “But I told him he should be ashamed. That what he was doing was despicable. And do you know what he did? He laughed and offered me money to be his new wife.”
“Maybe it was his way of getting up your dress.”
“No. He was serious. He offered to pay me two thousand dollars a year plus a thousand extra if I stick out the terms of the contract he had a lawyer draw up. I know, I know. You don’t understand. You’re going to say I’m crazy. But you haven’t heard the whole story yet.”
“My ears work fine.”
“Eh? Oh.” Rebecca nervously laughed. “The good senator is a pillar of Congress. All Fulton cares about is power. He wants to stay in office another twenty years. To do that, he has to be reelected, and to be reelected he has to convince the good folks back home that he’s a paragon of virtue and worthy of their support.”
“You’re saying he isn’t.”
Rebecca wrung her hands in her lap. “He’s the worst womanizer who ever lived. His wife despised him for it. She was thinking of divorcing him. Then she became pregnant. She didn’t want a baby. She hated the idea. But he insisted she go through with it. And look at what it got her.”
“I still don’t see where you come in.”
Tears filled Rebecca’s eyes but she blinked and wiped at her face with a sleeve. “I was a hard-working nurse who barely made ends meet. Two thousand dollars a year was a lot of money to me. I agreed, and he’s been putting the money in my bank account ever since. His only condition was that I never, ever tell anyone his secret. Which I never have until now.”
Fargo supposed he should feel flattered.
“I had conditions of my own,” Rebecca hastily went on. “I agreed to play his wife but only so long as he didn’t bring any of his tarts back home with him.” She stopped, and bit her lower lip. “My other condition was that he couldn’t lay a hand on me. I’m not his and never will be. Not that way.”
“Is there a point to all this?”
“Yes.” Rebecca looked him in the eyes and said so softly he barely heard her, “I haven’t been with a man in thirteen years and I can’t take it anymore. I want you to make love to me.”
9
Skye Fargo thought he had seen it all and heard it all. He thought he had stopped being surprised by the loco things people did. But he was wrong. “You haven’t slept with a man in thirteen
“I didn’t say that, exactly,” Rebecca said.
“Then what the hell did you say?”
“I said I haven’t
Fargo almost laughed in her face. Leave it to a female to split hairs. “How is that different?”
“When a woman says she’s been with a man, it means it was more than just physical. Oh, I’ve been attracted to a few, like I am to you. But I’ve only ever slept with them and nothing more. Understand?”
No, Fargo didn’t. But if she wanted to go on kidding herself, that was fine by him. He was about to suggest they get together later when Senator Keever and Gerty came out of their tent. Owen and Lichen and the rest of the men took that as their cue to converge.
“So what is it you wanted to discuss?” the senator asked.
Fargo had been thinking about it on the ride back and there was only one thing to do. “We’re packing up and heading for civilization in the morning. I want everyone up by six so we can be on our way by seven.”
Keever half grinned. “Is this some kind of joke? I came to the Black Hills to hunt and I’m not leaving until I have a few more trophies.”
“If we stay the Sioux will have trophies of their own and one might be your scalp. We’re caught smack in the middle of a gathering of the bands, and if we’re not real careful, we’ll be up to our necks in warriors out to slit our throats.”
Owen appeared to be skeptical. “What’s this gathering business? There hasn’t been a gathering of all the Sioux in years. What could bring the bands together now?”
“A white buffalo.”
Senator Keever and Owen exchanged looks and the senator said, “We’re talking about an albino buffalo, correct? There are albino animals all the time. I’ve seen an albino deer myself. So why are the redskins making such a fuss over this white one?”
“To the Lakotas it’s sacred.”
“Oh, hogwash. An albino isn’t exceptional. I grant you they’re rare. But it’s a buffalo, for God’s sake. A shaggy brute that spends it days grazing and grunting and leaving smelly droppings all over the place. How in the world can even simple savages think it’s sacred?”
“A lot of whites think the same about their Bibles, don’t they?”
“Be serious, Mr. Fargo. Scripture is the divine word of the Almighty. A white buffalo is a lowly animal, nothing more.”
Fargo sighed. “The point is that these hills are crawling with Sioux, and more are showing up every day. It’s only a matter of time before some of them spot us. We can’t stay.”
Some of the men began to talk in hushed tones.
“Now look what you’ve done.” The senator made a dis missive gesture. “
“You’ll get them killed,” Fargo warned.
Owen made a clucking sound. “How about if you let us be the judge of that? Me, I like the notion of more money. It’s only for a week or so. By then the senator will have the trophy he’s after and we can head back.”
“Exactly right,” Keever confirmed.
“I don’t know,” one of the men spoke up. “The Sioux can be downright vicious. I saw a soldier once that they’d scalped and did things to that would curl your hair.”
“Fine,” Keever said stiffly. “Leave if you want to. But I’ll have no truck with cowards. Don’t expect the other half of the pay you’re due.”
“Don’t be so prickly. I didn’t say I was leaving. I only said as how the Sioux don’t ever show any mercy.”
“There are eleven of you. Twelve rifles if you count mine. Thirteen if Mr. Fargo doesn’t desert us. That’s more than enough to hold any number of savages at bay.”
Fargo sighed again. He was beginning to think the senator was the reason the word stupid had been invented. “I said it was a gathering of
Keever turned to Owen. “And you, sir? You have as much experience with these heathens as he does. Do you share his opinion? Should I give up my quest when I’m so close?”
“It will be a cold day in hell before I tuck tail and run from redskins. Oh, we’ll have to be on our guard. But our camp isn’t anywhere near where they’ll set up their villages. They need water, and a lot of it, and plenty of graze for their horses.” Owen motioned at the timbered hills that ringed the small valley. “We can hide right under their red noses for as long as you need.”
“I thought as much,” Keever smugly declared. “There you have it, Mr. Fargo. Stay or go. The choice is yours.” He wheeled. “Come, Gerty. We’ll wash up for supper. Rebecca, be sure our meal is prepared on time.”
Owen and Lichen and the others drifted off, leaving Fargo and Rebecca alone.
“I could have told you how he would react.”
Fargo wasn’t in the mood to mince words. “He’s a jackass. Yet you stayed with him all these years.”
