All Liam wanted to do was to turn and walk the other way. Leave the hotel and find a place for Tilly immediately. But if he turned his back on Rodgers now, the man would think him a coward, and who knew what he’d do with that idea.
Rodgers’ presence was entirely at odds with the pretty Christmas centerpiece and the porcelain teacup the man drank from. Liam forced his shoulders back and took the seat across from him.
“I assume you weren’t waiting for someone?”Besides myself. Liam rested his hands on the table and looked Rodgers straight in the eye. All it took was picturing Rodgers grabbing Tilly’s arm in the hallway upstairs, and anger easily replaced any fear Liam felt.
Rodgers raised his eyebrows. “Only you,” he said in congenial tone. “Please, sit.” He chuckled, but Liam simply stared at him.
“I tired of that boardinghouse, as you can imagine,” Rodgers said as the waitress returned with a plate of hotcakes.
“What can I get for you, sir?” she asked Liam.
“Nothing right now. Thank you,” he said, giving her a smile.
She nodded and left.
“You need a heartier appetite, Hannan. It doesn’t do a man good to skip meals,” Rodgers said as he began to cut his hotcakes.
“You’ve never fully answered my question,” Liam said. He was tired of Rodgers, of conversations that never went anywhere, and of feeling on edge all of the time. “Why are you here? In Crest Stone,” he amended before the man could regale him with stories of Fred Polson’s Boardinghouse. “Surely you have business you need to attend in Denver?”
Rodgers chewed for a moment, seemingly considering Liam’s question. “I’m exploring other opportunities.”
“Why?” Liam refused to back down, even if every self-preserving thought in his head was telling him not to push Rodgers.
“Denver’s become somewhat . . . unwelcoming.” Rodgers gestured with his fork.
In other words, the law was bearing down on him. That was welcome news—except that it had sent him here.
“Why come here, then? Why not go to some other city? Somewhere with far more opportunity than Crest Stone.”
Rodgers’ mouth curved up in a smile. “I beg to differ. There’s opportunity aplenty here. You’d be surprised how many men I’ve been in talks with since I arrived. In fact, I’ve made an investment already.”
Liam’s skin crawled as he wondered what unknowing businessman or shopkeeper made the mistake of entering an arrangement with Dutch Rodgers. Whether it was a true investment or Rodgers was loaning money the way he had toLiam, he ought to warn the fellow who’d taken the unfortunate deal. “And what did you invest in here in our small town? Shoeing horses? The general store?” He kept his tone light as he leaned back in his chair.
Rodgers laid down his fork and knife and reached for his napkin. After he pressed the cloth to his mouth, he gave Liam a smile. One that was colder than the snow falling outside. “A hotel.”
Liam’s heart nearly stopped. He couldn’t have heard the words correctly. “A hotel,” he repeated.
“Indeed. It should be a fine establishment. Not as nice as this place, of course, but something more for the less well-to-do. For folks who would like something more than a boardinghouse. Clever idea, isn’t it?”
Liam’s hands went flat against his lap. It couldn’t be . . .
“Morris,” was all he could say.
“Works for me.” Rodgers shrugged and reached for his fork again.
Rodgers was the unnamed partner. Why in the world didn’t he ask for a name when he agreed to take Morris on as an investor? As careful as he’d been, the moment the end was in sight, his eagerness had gotten the best of him again.
“You look disappointed, Hannan,” Rodgers said. “I hate to see that.”
“Why?” he managed to ask.
“You’ve a good head for business. I sent Morris out to find opportunities, and he stumbled across you. It was awfully fortuitous, don’t you think?”
Liam swallowed, but the lump in his throat wouldn’t go away. He wanted to scream, to throw something, to do anything but sit here and look at Rodgers’ smug expression.
“If you’ll excuse me, I need to get to work.” Liam rose abruptly, pulling the tablecloth a little sideways as he stood.
Rodgers eyed him. “Why don’t we meet later on tonight? As you know, I like to see a return on my investment quickly, and while I appreciate your thoroughness, I need you to move along with your plans. Bring your wife. We’ll make a little party out of it.” He paused. “And Hannan? Keep the marshal out of it this time, all right? We can’t make money with the law breathing down our necks.”
