“Beer for me,” Roy said.
Sean winked at the woman. “Same for me.”
Mac stood. “Nothing for me. I promised my wife I’d be home early.”
The men wished Mac a goodnight, and he left.
When the saloon woman went to get their drinks, Roy said, “I should get home after this beer. Gwen will nag me if I come home tipsy.”
Sean laughed. “So sorry you married men have to tow the mark. Jesse and I could stay out all night if we wanted to. Being single has its perks.”
Roy said, “Enjoy it while you can, Sean, before your mail-order bride arrives.”
Jesse’s eyes widened, and he stared at Sean. “You have a mail-order bride coming?”
“Yep,” Sean murmured. “I decided to join the old man’s club, so I’m enjoying my freedom while I can.”
Jesse was more than a little surprised. “You plan to marry a stranger?”
Sean shrugged. “We’ve been corresponding, and she seems nice enough. Hey, I’m getting lonely on my ranch all alone.”
Jesse wondered if he should do the same. He hated to admit it to his friends, but he was lonely, too. Still, the thought of marrying someone he’d never met scared him.
The pretty saloon woman brought the drinks over. Roy boldly asked her, “You’re new here—what’s your name?”
“Cordelia, but everyone calls me Delia,” she said.
Jesse thought she had the sweetest voice to go along with her beautiful name.
Each man paid her and thanked her. Jesse watched her walk away. He liked everything he saw. Some saloon women took men upstairs and some didn’t. He didn’t like what might become of Cordelia. She was much too good to throw her life away on a bunch of drunken cowboys, yet there was no way he could stop her.
When the men’s glasses were empty, Roy and Sean bid Jesse goodnight and left Jesse to sit there, fondling his empty glass. Soon, Delia walked over and smiled at him, and his heart skipped a beat.
“Another sarsaparilla, please.” He wasn’t thirsty, and he'd had his fill of the beverage, but he couldn’t leave until he'd spoken to the woman again.
She was wearing a purple ruffled skirt that came to just below her knees and a white off-the-shoulder blouse. Colored combs kept her dark auburn hair on top of her head. She set his drink in front of him and said, “Do you need some company?”
Jesse’s heart skipped two beats this time. “Yes, please.” He pulled out the chair next to his. “My name’s Jesse Morgan.”
Delia slid into the chair beside him. “Hello, Jesse. I was told to flirt with the men and get them to buy me drinks, but I couldn’t drink another glass of tea or I might float away,” she laughed.
“Tea?”
“Shh. I’m not supposed to reveal that, but I knew I could trust you with the secret.” She smiled at him again. “We’re supposed to pretend its whiskey the men are buying us.”
Sean’s eyes widened in surprise.
She quickly added, “I know Horace cheats the men, but it’s our secret—right?”
Jesse nodded, but he wondered why she’d confided something to him that could cause her to lose her job. “What makes you so sure you can trust me?” he asked.
Delia shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe because you’re drinking soda, and you have trusting eyes.”
Jesse was afraid to tell her what he’d done for a living, but she'd eventually hear it from someone else. He took a deep breath. “I was a bounty hunter for years and learned early on that to survive you need to always have sharp thinking and quick reflexes. Drinking alcohol dulls the senses. Even now that I’ve given up bounty hunting, I still need my wits about me. You never know when some drunken cowboy will pick a fight.” He chuckled. He noticed she hadn't blinked an eye when he mentioned he was a bounty hunter, and once again, she was smiling at him.
“Smart man.” She looked over at the bar. “I’d love to chat more, but Horace is motioning for me to flirt with some men at the bar.”
Jesse impulsively grabbed her hand as she stood. “How about meeting me tomorrow for a picnic lunch at noon?” He wondered from where the nerve to ask had come, and thought it must have been desperation. Once she'd left, he might never get to talk to her again.
She surprised Jesse and made his heart flutter when she answered, “That sounds delightful, but I don’t want Horace to know, so could we meet somewhere?”
“I’ll be inside the general store,” Jesse blurted.
Delia gave him a parting smile, pulled her hand free, and walked to the bar.
Jesse left his drink and went home in a pleasurable daze.
He had always steered clear of saloon women. They had never been his idea of a moral wife. He dreamed of meeting someone pure and innocent, but he found himself attracted to the saloon woman. Should he pursue her or do as Sean had done and sent for a mail-order bride?
Delia answered the knock on the door of her room over the saloon.
“Come on in.” She allowed her sister’s husband into the room.
“How did you make out with Jesse Morgan?” he practically demanded.
“Good. We’re going on a picnic tomorrow.”
“A picnic?” Delia’s brother-in-law said. “Well, I guess it’s a start.”
“He seems nice...” Delia looked up at him. “I’m not sure I can do this.”
He grabbed her by her upper arms. “You’ll do it, or I’ll be paying a visit to Sheriff Barringer.”
Delia bit her bottom lip. “What if the man doesn’t fall in love with me, then what?”
“You make sure he does. Do whatever it takes. Your sister had no trouble pulling me to the altar. Use your feminine charms.”
“Does
