Page 75 of Wyoming Promises
His boots echoed against floorboards in the empty saloon as he crossed to Ike’s office. The scent of Mattie’s cheap perfume and good cooking clung to the dusty air. Bridger rapped on the door and walked in. Ike sat at his desk between a pile of receipts and a ledger. Toby waited on a chair in the corner.
“Here’s your take, Mr. Tyler.” Bridger tossed a bag on top of the pile of papers. The heavy thud ended with a metallic jingle.
Ike’s eyes surveyed him. “You made good time, but it shows in your face, boy. You’re running yourself ragged.” He grinned. “I like that.”
Bridger smirked. “I get things done, sir.” He didn’t add growing concern for Frank drove him through the last sleepless night for home.
“Did you get it all?” Toby asked, loosening the straps to pull out the sack of coins and bills.
“Took a bit of convincing now and again,” he said, feeling the bruise on his right cheek. “Some folks wanted to know why it wasn’t Jimmy coming to collect. But after I explained, everyone paid in full for the month.” Well, most of them. He’d used part of his regular wages from Ike to make up the difference for some. One elderly widower and a man with four small children who had missed work to take care of his sick wife couldn’t meet the demand. And Bridger refused any rougher tactics.
“You’ve done well,” Ike said, leaning back in his seat and pulling a cigar from the humidor on his desk. “I might not have guessed you had it in you, Bridger. Looks like I’m a better judge of character than I thought.” He handed another cigar to Toby.
Bridger shrugged, unwilling to pat Ike on the back any more than he did on his own. “You run a mighty attractive game,” he said. But not for much longer....
“I’m glad you see it that way because I have a special client for you.” Ike bit the end off his cigar and struck a match. Smoke puffed above his head like a sinister wreath.
Bridger’s pulse jumped. Could this be the last stone to upset the whole cart? One last bit would give Jake everything he needed to close Ike’s business and return Quiver Creek to a normal town. He fought the excitement from his voice. “Who is it?”
“Lola Martin.”
His gut wrenched, his breath tight. “Lola? Why? I mean, I thought she and—”
“That’s no longer the case. So there’s no reason why she shouldn’t have the same demands I make on any other business owner.” Ike’s lips tugged in a firm line.
His mind raced. “I thought you had some sort of hold on these other folks. Why are you so sure Lola won’t contact the authorities?”
“I do have a claim against her. Who’s been making sure she’s safe out there on the end of town? Who’s sure she has plenty of business coming her way?”
Toby barked a laugh. “She owes you, boss.”
“Not only that.” Ike rolled the cigar in his mouth. “Her father took a loan from me about a year ago, before his unfortunate demise. I haven’t received payment in seven months. I’m due.”
Even Toby took note, moving closer to the desk. “Why would he do that, boss?”
Ike waved the end of his cigar before flicking ashes into a tray. “He had some notion of sending Lola to medical school. He couldn’t afford it, and no bank in the West would gamble on a lady doctor. He secured financing from me and sent some letters to see about her acceptance. The fool should have done more to convince her to marry me. I’d have seen her settled well before this.”
The information staggered him. How would Lola bear the news? To realize her father’s hope of helping her fulfill her dream would become her downfall? It explained all those payments marked in Mr. Martin’s ledger.
Toby’s slap on the knee drew his attention back to the room. “That’s something, boss. Miss Lady Fancy-Britches will find out her old daddy wasn’t so perfect after all, and if she’d taken you up on your proposal, she could’ve avoided the whole scandal.”
Ike’s slack expression startled him. “That’s neither here nor there, now, is it, gentlemen? The fact is, I offer a service, and she had need of it. It’s time to pay the piper.”
Bridger braced his feet, hands balled into fists in anticipation of Toby’s move. “I won’t do it, Ike. Not...not a woman alone.”
Tyler leaned all the way back, his chair clapping against the wall, and laughed long and low. “Did you hear that, Toby? The kid thinks he’s in charge of picking his clients. Oh, you’ll do it, Jamison.”
“And what if I don’t?”
Ike flew to his feet, gun drawn, chair wobbling in his sudden wake. “You owe me. You’ve been on my payroll a month now. Folks in these parts handed their hard-earned cash over to you, with your unforgettable face. If worse comes to worst, I’ll take my lumps and drag you with me. I’ll testify you took money on your own accord, after I decided to shut down the business.”