His eyes twinkled. “Believe me, darlin’, I noticed that. Let’s go get some dinner before I eat you instead. You’re so very delicious.” He kissed her again, then pulled away and regarded her. “And you’re a mess. I roughed you up a bit.” He led her to a small mirror on the wall.
Her eyes widened at her reflection. Her face and chest were flushed in splotches. Her lips looked swollen and chapped, and her hair was lopsided and frizzy. She glanced at him and smiled shyly. He looked pleased with himself and winked at her.
“I’m afraid I roughed you up a bit too,” she said, pointing at his torn shirt.
He looked down and observed his shirt with surprise. “So you did, darlin’.”
“I will sew the buttons back on for you.”
“Thank you. In the meantime, allow me to run upstairs and change. I’ll meet you back here and we’ll go to supper. All right?”
“All right, Jesse. I’ll get myself in order while you’re away.”
“Don’t go anywhere.” After shooting a wink and another smile in her direction, he left. When he returned, he ushered her out of the saloon quickly, a possessive arm wrapped around her shoulders. He stopped once to tell his employee, Daniel, who stood behind the bar, to take his place at the piano if Florence became available to serve drinks.
“Sure thing, boss,” Daniel said. “Though you know the customers don’t tip me much. If only I had a voice that sounded more like a nightingale and less like a crow.”
Lily listened with interest. It appeared that both Daniel and Jesse knew how to play piano and serve drinks, and Florence knew how to take care of the business with the girls and run the bar. Lily loved the lively feeling of the saloon and knew she could do the work that Jesse, Daniel, and Florence did every day. Judging by the way the crowd responded to her singing, she imagined that Jesse’s business would thrive if she were to become part of it. All she had to do was convince Jesse of this fact.
They walked arm-in-arm to the diner. Jesse’s slight limp and relaxed gait matched the pace of Lily’s light step. She loved the feeling of him escorting her. She felt cherished and protected with him by her side. She wanted to express that to him in some way, and the only way she could think to do so was by comparing it to her other experience with a man. “Jesse, you’ve always been so much nicer to me than Elijah was.”
He glanced over at her. “That’s not saying much, sweetheart. Did he mistreat you, other than what I witnessed for myself?”
Lily shrugged. “I don’t know how to explain it. He didn’t really mistreat me, I suppose. I just don’t think he liked me very much. Most everything I did displeased him. Even before the attack on the saloon girl, I got to thinking that I shouldn’t be with someone who doesn’t allow me to do the things I like to do.”
“I see. That’s right smart thinking. What wouldn’t he allow you to do?”
“Sing and dance, for example.”
“That’s too bad. I’ve been worried about you the last couple of weeks, you know. You seemed sad with the preacher. I didn’t like it one bit.”
Lily believed that this would be a good opportunity to tell him she wanted to work in the saloon. Surely he would try to prove himself more pleasing to her than Elijah, and she sought to use that to her advantage. She spoke slowly, choosing her words with care. “You wouldn’t deny me the pleasure of singing and dancing, would you, Jesse?”
“Course not. Sing and dance all you like, and I’ll applaud you.”
Lily cleared her throat, hesitated a beat, and then continued. “I seek more than one pair of hands clapping, Jesse. I would like to sing for the patrons of the saloon like how I did with you earlier.”
Jesse stopped suddenly and turned her to face him. His expression was hard. “I will not allow you to work in the saloon, Lily. Let’s get that straight right now.”
“But why not?” she cried. “I wouldn’t entertain men in private, and it would be good for your business. Why can’t I sing for an audience like you do, and like the Red Rose does?”
“For a couple of reasons. One, because if you do, you’ll quickly get a bad reputation. You’re a pretty young woman, and people would love nothing more than to wag their chins about you. Two, because I say you can’t, and that should be a good enough reason for you.”
Lily felt that both reasons were terribly unfair, and she lashed out. “You’re no better than Elijah.”
Jesse’s eyebrows lifted in surprise at the same time that Lily gasped. She wished she could take back the words. It was confirmed that she’d done wrong when Jesse held a finger to her face and scolded her. “You watch yourself, young lady. You’re trying to manipulate me into doing your bidding. You think by comparing me to Elijah, I’ll try to set myself apart to gain more of your favor.”
“No, that’s not true,” she exclaimed, knowing full well that’s exactly what she had done.
“And now you’re lying,” he said, shaking his head. “I’m disappointed in you.”