"I'll stand it for as long as I can."
Clem nodded and got out of the carriage on her own. It was over. She knew it as surely as she knew her own name. Jasper Montgomery was not the kind of man who could overlook something like this. He was strong, but not that strong. His possessive nature would strangle any feelings he had for her as surely as weeds left untended overtook a flower bed.
Chapter Eleven
And so it began, the steady influx of men requesting Crystal. As the word spread more and more unfamiliar faces appeared among the usual crowd at The Red Petticoat Saloon. Miners, cowboys, farmhands, even a gunslinger or two. Some stayed to drink or play cards and many took a second gem upstairs as the evening wore on, crowing about their prowess and appetites. Others had pie and coffee in the dining room and disappeared. She was paid in gold, cash and even fresh produce. One man came to the back door with a crate of live chickens.
Sometimes there was a line at the bar waiting for her, but there was never an argument, as though the men managed to prioritize their needs on their own. Letters to ailing folks seemed to come first, proposals second and missives to sweethearts next. She taught reading and writing, basic arithmetic and to those who already had those skills, penmanship. There was great interest in weights and measures as many men wanted to make sure they had a good understanding of that and didn't get taken at the assayer's office.
Crystal advised several of her customers to pay a visit to Adam about legal matters but she wasn't above writing out a Last Will and Testament if it contained simple instructions and last wishes. After several weeks, she learned who really needed schooling and who was coming out of loneliness and the need for female companionship.
Nearly all the men were courteous and respectful. They would have cleaned the clocks of any man caught treating her crudely if she should mention otherwise. Gerald, an engineer with one of the bigger mining companies came to discuss literature and philosophy. He often read poems to her, asking her opinion of the writers' meaning.
Jasper was in the saloon nearly every night, playing cards or nursing a drink in solitude. Ever watchful, he noted her appearance each time she brought a man back down the stairs. There was never a hair out of place, never a ripped bodice and she was always smiling. Most times she gave the man a kiss on the cheek or he kissed her hand.
"How long are you going to put up with this?" Jewel asked one night, taking a seat at his table.
"I don't know," he replied, watching Clem blush as a young man kissed her hand. "She looks well, doesn't she," he remarked absently. "There's a certain glow about her."
"She should be happy," Jewel smiled. "She's making money hand over fist."
"What do you suppose she's doing up there?" he asked. "What type of service inspires such devotion, such loyalty?"
"I'm sure I have no idea," Jewel said shaking her head. "There is something I'm worried about though. The only reason I'm mentioning it is you were in here the afternoon she came looking for a job."
"What is it?"
"Sheriff Justice tells me there have been some inquiries regarding what happened to Clyde McKay's young son."
"From whom?" Jasper asked, suddenly concerned.
"Strangers, no one he was familiar with. I find that odd."
"So do I. It's been weeks, why now?"
"I have no idea, but I know Crystal is fairly close with you. Perhaps you could mention it to her. I like her, we all do, but she's very closed mouthed, if you know what I mean. We really don't know all that much about her and she keeps it that way. I have to wonder…"
"Wonder what?"
"How she always looks as fresh as a daisy no matter how many men she takes upstairs," Jewel said thoughtfully. "It's not natural. Most men are in a hurry. Dresses get torn at times, hair get mussed, makeup smeared, yet she never has so much as a run in her stocking."
"Yes, that is odd, isn't it? She's not as forthcoming with me as you might think," he admitted. "Our relationship has undergone a change."
"But you occasionally have supper with her and I know you've been on picnics and such. I thought you were a couple of sorts. I've been expecting her to tell me she's leaving to marry you any day."
"I've asked, many times," he sighed looking into his empty glass and signaling Amy for another. "She refuses. At first I hoped to change her mind, but now I fear I've changed mine. I love her, Jewel, but I can't get past the idea of other men being with her in that way. Call me shallow, but it's the truth. If she would agree to give it up, I might be able to put it behind me in time, but she won't."