Free Silver Dreams by Cynthia Thomason Page B

paper from his hand. Was this his way of gloating over his principles of truth and the news? She’d read a few words and then fling the offensive rag out the window.
     
    The headline read, "Delancey Street Kittens Cool Their Paws in Jail. Miss Dixie Lee says her escort ladies were unjustly purr-loined from her boarding house."
     
    "Boarding house indeed!" Elizabeth chided, but she continued reading. The details of the raid unfolded graphically, giving her a sense of actually being at the scene. She grudgingly admitted that Max did, indeed, have a knack for telling a story. Plus, he cleverly presented both sides of the issue, describing the events as they might appear on a police blotter, and yet giving Miss Dixie Lee a chance to tell her account.
     
    Her heartbeat quickened as she neared the end of the article. She knew she should see Ross's name come into focus soon, and she was fully prepared to have her tentative admiration of Max and his talent turn to disgust. Yet, a hasty scanning of the remainder of the column produced no evidence of the Sheridan name.
     
    She read quickly. "...reports of a gambling operation in the upper floors of Miss Lee's house remain unconfirmed." Unconfirmed!  "A source close to this reporter claims that a prominent young bluestocking was involved...no evidence at this time to substantiate this..."
     
    "Oh, Max!" Elizabeth put the paper on the bench between them and threw her arms around his neck. Without thinking, she planted a brief kiss on his cheek. He answered by placing his hands on her back and holding her next to him for a few seconds after the kiss had ended.
     
    When she realized that she was actually enjoying the embrace of the man who, just moments before she'd been prepared to hate with her entire soul, she pushed away. "Goodness," she mumbled into her lap.
     
    "I’ll second that," Max said.
     
    “What?”
     
    “The kiss. A bit of goodness alright.”
     
    She looked up at him, struggling to keep her eyes focused on his much-too-handsome face. "It was just a silly kiss. I'm sorry for thinking so badly of you...for all those horrible things I said the other night. You do have a heart, Max, you do!"
     
    He placed his ankle on his opposite knee, leaned against the corner of the seat, and looked at her across the space that now separated them. "Don't jump to any conclusions, Betsy. Don't confuse weakness with compassion. For your sake, I may have shown a little weakness this time, but don't think I'll do it again. If that brother of yours ever..."
     
    "Oh, he won't! He's learned his lesson, honest! He'll never get mixed up with those terrible men again."
     
    "So I was right?  Ross told you who the boss man of the bookmaking operation is?"
     
    "Well, no. I didn't ask him."
     
    "Afraid of the answer, are you?"
     
    "Of course not. I just don't believe Ross knows that evil Galbotto fellow."
     
    "Look, Betsy, I hear that Frankie Galbotto is a regular at Dixie Lee's, and when I asked her point blank if he was running the books, she didn't deny it."
     
    "Or admit it?"
     
    "No, but I believe he is."
     
    "It can't be, Max. My brother has his faults, but he wouldn’t have anything to do with a low-life like Galbotto.”Max responded with a noncommittal shrug. "Either way, it's like I said, Betsy, I gave your brother a break this time, and I'm not at all sure it was the right thing to do. I just know I didn't do it for him, you understand that, don't you?"
     
    "Oh, yes, and I'm very grateful." She averted her gaze and allowed herself a secretive smile. Despite his tough exterior, Max had a soft spot for her in his heart, and oddly enough, that knowledge made her happier than the relief she'd just experienced knowing her family’s reputation was safe. And it was because of that tough reporter exterior that she knew it must have cost Max a great deal to gloss over such important details of a story.
     
    "I don’t like making decisions of this magnitude, Betsy,” Max