Free Ride A Cowby by Leigh Curtis Page B

their chores would be in no good mood. They’d be hungry and abusive if the past was any measure. God, how she hated this life.
    “ Have we got enough beer and jerky for the night? What about the whisky? God, tell me the delivery wagon’s been here.”
    “ Oui. We’ve enough supplies until the end of the month. Not to worry.”
    Marie followed Lily down the long hall to her study. Once inside, Lily went right for her polished mahogany liqueur cabinet. Pulling out her best bourbon and two glasses, she set them on the service table. “Here, one for each of us. God knows we’ve earned them.
    Marie took the glass and hesitated. Although she had gone completely white‐headed, the French immigrant didn’t carry a single wrinkle on her skin nor did her pert figure look any softer than those of any of the girls upstairs. She could still be kindling the hearts and loins of men if she chose to, Lily thought. But according to Marie, her time ‘beating the hay’–as she called it–was past. She was happy running Lily’s household, for the time being, and Lily was glad of it.
    “ Drink up, Marie. One glass won’t hurt you.”
    “ Non , it’s the five that come after we have to be careful of.”
    Lily nodded. They’d both seen too many times the effect of alcohol and rough life on women of their occupation. Neither of them would allow that to happen. They bathed regularly, used fine soaps and oils for their skin, and except for entertaining their clients, both of them denied the harsher habits of a life borne of excess.
    “ You certainly took a measure of that cowboy’s hide,” Marie said after a moment.
    “ Not near as much as I should have. Poor Sadie. When she’s healed, we’d best set her up for a job as a domestic, though I don’t know how we’ll be able to afford to pay another housekeeper.”
    “ Not to worry, Cherie , she can have my portion for a while. I’ve got enough in my savings for now.”
    “ I won’t hear of it. You deserve to get paid as much as anybody. I’ll sell some more of my jewelry to make up the difference. I’ll also send an accounting to Clayton Drake, that lowlife’s employer. He’ll have to settle the bastard’s debts.
    “ Be careful. We have enough enemies as it is, Lily.”
    Lily took a deep swallow of the burning liquid. God, how she hated men. Loud and bawdy, hard‐hearted and cruel, every one.
    Well, almost every one, anyway. The truth was, a woman in her line of work didn’t get much of a chance at the other kind of man. The ones that married one woman and stayed true to her forever. She’d seen damn near every man in the county sneak over to the Ranch at one time or another. The ones who didn’t either couldn’t walk or couldn’t screw.
    Lily didn’t hold it against the women who managed to land a husband and hold him, though. She felt a peculiar sympathy for all of her gender. Why, even the married ones didn’t get a fair shake. They’d spend their whole existence serving their men, raising children, and currying favors in the bedroom for room and board and decent treatment. At least Lily got paid for her efforts. Paid well.
    “ It’s not fair, Marie. Men have every goddamned thing in this life.”
    “ Oui. ” Marie sipped her bourbon. “Oh, there is a gentleman in your parlor. Says his name is MacReynolds. Something about a water rights contract, I think.”
    Lily drained her glass. She remembered his letter. “Wants me to give him permission to divert my creek to his land. Seems his water supply has dried up. Too bad for him I’m not in a charitable mood right now.”
    Marie shrugged. “I suppose not. Still, he is a strapping big fellow. Very handsome, too. A woman could use a good long ride on that one.”
    “ Ride a cowboy and save a horse?” Lily laughed. “Not this woman. Besides, who ever heard of a man paying for what he wants with sex?”
    “ Why not, Cherie ? I mean, it’s the only commodity that women have, non ? Imagine what it must