She nodded.
He tipped his hat anddeparted the hotel. Maybe it was the saloon would hold moreinformation, and so, he set out to discover it.
ChapterTen
AKNOCK SOUNDED AT Hope’s hotel room door. Raising her head, sheregarded it with bleary eyes. She’d been working on the papersbefore her for so long, it took a moment for the door to sharpeninto focus.
Standing, she brushed hergown. There was nothing she could do about the wrinkles formed fromhours seated, but she could at least attempt to present asdignified a presence as possible. So assured, she called,“Enter.”
The door opened and thehotel proprietress appeared, followed by a Black woman. “Here’s thehelp you were wanting,” the proprietress said.
Hope blinked. Ah. Yes.For three weeks now she’d been undertaking her business from thisroom and she’d finally acknowledged she required assistance. It hadbecome clear within days the proprietress could procure whateverone required, and so Hope had approached her for the employment ofa secretary, or a body who could read and write and make sense ofher correspondence. “Thank you.”
“I’ll beleaving you to your work, then.” The proprietress cast her gazeover the room. “Unless there was anything else you’d beneeding?”
“No. Again,thank you.”
The woman nodded sharplyand left, closing the door behind her. Hope shifted her gaze to theremaining woman. She wore a faded, wrinkled calico dress opened atthe neck to mid-chest, and her curly hair was gathered into a largepuff of a ponytail. “You can read?”
Gaze challenging, thewoman lifted her chin. “And write.”
“Excellent.”Hope took a stack of paper from her desk and approached the woman.“You may start with these. Prioritise by what you believe to be themost important, and for those inquiries you deem simple matters,draft responses.”
The defiant expressionslipped. “You want me to draft responses?”
“You said youcould read and write. I am employing you to assist me.”
“Youare?”
She sighed. Surely it wasclear. Why else would the proprietress have brought her here? “Willyou repeat everything I say?”
“No.” Thewoman crossed her arms. “How much will you be paying?”
It didn’t look like shewould budge without a response. “For today, I’ll pay one dollar andfifteen cents. Make no mistake, I will work you hard and, if I findyour work satisfactory, I will engage your services three days aweek at one dollar and five cents a day. I trust these rates areagreeable?”
The challenging lookdisappeared from the woman’s eyes. Closing her mouth, she gave aquick nod and took the pages from Hope.
An hour later, Hope waslost in a shipping report when another knock on the door drew her.The person on the other side didn’t await her permission, insteadopening the door and stepping through.
Sitting straighter, sheresisted the urge to check her hair as her heart rate accelerated.“Mr Wade.” She was proud of the steadiness of her voice. “Apleasure to see you.”
“A pleasureto see you as well, Miz McElroy,” he responded, gently mocking ashe removed his hat.
Her cheeks blazed. Shehad the fleeting desire to press her hands against the hot flesh asher blood thundered through her veins. Dear God, this reaction wasgetting worse. “Do you have anything to report?” She forced herselfto remember he was in her employ.
“Same asyesterday, and the day before that, meaning not much ofanything.”
She frowned. “That isdisappointing.”
Stepping forward, heplaced a hand on her shoulder. “It’s still only been three weeks. Iwouldn’t be worrying much about the results. Besides, you’ve gotplenty to occupy you, judging by those stacks of paper.” He gave aslight smile.
Her breath caught. Hisgaze was warm upon her, as was his hand, and she wanted, so badly,to rub her cheek against his arm, for him to cup her neck and drawher to him. His eyes darkened, his hand tightening on her shoulderas he leaned closer—
“Were youwanting me to continue with this work?”
They both jerked theirgaze. Her employee sat watching them, a small smirk on her face.Good lord, she had completely forgotten she was there.
The woman’s dark eyesfairly laughed at them. “I can leave if it’s privacy you’rewanting.”
