my office where we can continue this conversation in private.”
Matt followed her through the garish parlor, where three scantily clad women eyed him suspiciously. The girls had been lured from neighboring farms and taught the art of selling their bodies. The life aged them far beyond their years. Matt ground his teeth and tallied another mark against Sadie.
Inside the office, she closed the door and settled into the crushed-velvet chair behind the rosewood desk. She leaned back like a queen about to hold court. “What I do with my son is no concern of yours, Sheriff.”
“It is when you take things from him that youdidn’t buy. I got them shoes for Dylan. If you don’t start taking better care of your son, he’s going to get pneumonia, or worse.”
Sadie tossed back frizzy hair, bleached almost white. “You got no right sticking your nose in where it don’t belong. I’ll do as I please, and I won’t have you or anybody else telling me how to take care of him.”
“I’m the law in this town, and if you ain’t a fit mother, I can take Dylan away from you. And believe me, I’m damned close to doing that now.”
Sadie leaned forward in the chair, her breasts nearly spilling out of the plunging décolletage. “No one takes what’s mine! No one! Do you understand, Sheriff?”
Matt nodded and narrowed his eyes. “I understand more’n you know. If you so much as touch that boy again, I’m coming to take him. Do
you
understand?”
Sadie’s cold eyes blazed. “Just because you’re the law in this town don’t mean you’re right. I have a lot of influence around here. I know men who’ll take care of a problem for the price of a bottle of whiskey.”
Matt planted his knuckles on the desktop and leaned forward until only a few inches separated him from the woman’s painted face. “Is that a threat?”
Sadie jumped to her feet and stalked around the desk. “No, a promise! You keep away from me and my son, Brandon.”
“Give me the shoes or the money now.”
“And if I don’t?”
Matt kept his fists close to his sides, afraid he would forget Sadie was a woman. “I’ll have a little talk with Mrs. Beidler. I’m sure she’d like to know where her husband spends his evenings. Who knows, maybe she’d stir folks up enough they’d run you out of town. But before she did, I’d throw you in jail for stealing.”
Rage glittered in the madam’s eyes, but a moment later her expression softened and she sidled close toMatt. Her hand trailed up his thigh. “How about if you and me go on upstairs and I’ll pay you back in trade? I could do things you can’t even imagine.”
Her fingers curled around him.
Matt recoiled. “You couldn’t pay me enough to sleep with you.”
Sadie’s complexion blanched beneath her caked makeup, and her nostrils flared. She jerked open the top drawer of her desk and withdrew a few coins. She threw them at Matt. “Here’s your money. Now get out.”
Matt smiled without warmth and tucked the money in his pocket. “By the way, if you happen to think about him, Dylan is staying with me tonight.”
“You got no right!”
He shrugged innocently. “I asked a friend to stay the night and he agreed.”
“Get the hell out of here!”
Matt wrapped his gloved hand around the doorknob and turned back to Sadie. “If I hear that you laid a hand on that boy, I’ll be back, and next time I won’t be so friendly.”
As he crossed the street, Matt grinned in satisfaction. He’d made an enemy of Sadie Rivers, but he had no doubt he could handle her. She wouldn’t harm Dylan and risk being thrown in jail. It wasn’t that she cared about Dylan, but her business would suffer if she was behind bars.
The air was fresh and Matt breathed deeply to dispel the stink of cheap perfume trapped in his lungs. He remembered Sadie’s hand upon his leg and shuddered, trying to shake off the memory. If he and Sadie Rivers were the last two people on earth, the human race would die
Matt followed her through the garish parlor, where three scantily clad women eyed him suspiciously. The girls had been lured from neighboring farms and taught the art of selling their bodies. The life aged them far beyond their years. Matt ground his teeth and tallied another mark against Sadie.
Inside the office, she closed the door and settled into the crushed-velvet chair behind the rosewood desk. She leaned back like a queen about to hold court. “What I do with my son is no concern of yours, Sheriff.”
“It is when you take things from him that youdidn’t buy. I got them shoes for Dylan. If you don’t start taking better care of your son, he’s going to get pneumonia, or worse.”
Sadie tossed back frizzy hair, bleached almost white. “You got no right sticking your nose in where it don’t belong. I’ll do as I please, and I won’t have you or anybody else telling me how to take care of him.”
“I’m the law in this town, and if you ain’t a fit mother, I can take Dylan away from you. And believe me, I’m damned close to doing that now.”
Sadie leaned forward in the chair, her breasts nearly spilling out of the plunging décolletage. “No one takes what’s mine! No one! Do you understand, Sheriff?”
Matt nodded and narrowed his eyes. “I understand more’n you know. If you so much as touch that boy again, I’m coming to take him. Do
you
understand?”
Sadie’s cold eyes blazed. “Just because you’re the law in this town don’t mean you’re right. I have a lot of influence around here. I know men who’ll take care of a problem for the price of a bottle of whiskey.”
Matt planted his knuckles on the desktop and leaned forward until only a few inches separated him from the woman’s painted face. “Is that a threat?”
Sadie jumped to her feet and stalked around the desk. “No, a promise! You keep away from me and my son, Brandon.”
“Give me the shoes or the money now.”
“And if I don’t?”
Matt kept his fists close to his sides, afraid he would forget Sadie was a woman. “I’ll have a little talk with Mrs. Beidler. I’m sure she’d like to know where her husband spends his evenings. Who knows, maybe she’d stir folks up enough they’d run you out of town. But before she did, I’d throw you in jail for stealing.”
Rage glittered in the madam’s eyes, but a moment later her expression softened and she sidled close toMatt. Her hand trailed up his thigh. “How about if you and me go on upstairs and I’ll pay you back in trade? I could do things you can’t even imagine.”
Her fingers curled around him.
Matt recoiled. “You couldn’t pay me enough to sleep with you.”
Sadie’s complexion blanched beneath her caked makeup, and her nostrils flared. She jerked open the top drawer of her desk and withdrew a few coins. She threw them at Matt. “Here’s your money. Now get out.”
Matt smiled without warmth and tucked the money in his pocket. “By the way, if you happen to think about him, Dylan is staying with me tonight.”
“You got no right!”
He shrugged innocently. “I asked a friend to stay the night and he agreed.”
“Get the hell out of here!”
Matt wrapped his gloved hand around the doorknob and turned back to Sadie. “If I hear that you laid a hand on that boy, I’ll be back, and next time I won’t be so friendly.”
As he crossed the street, Matt grinned in satisfaction. He’d made an enemy of Sadie Rivers, but he had no doubt he could handle her. She wouldn’t harm Dylan and risk being thrown in jail. It wasn’t that she cared about Dylan, but her business would suffer if she was behind bars.
The air was fresh and Matt breathed deeply to dispel the stink of cheap perfume trapped in his lungs. He remembered Sadie’s hand upon his leg and shuddered, trying to shake off the memory. If he and Sadie Rivers were the last two people on earth, the human race would die
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