Chapter Sixteen
Malika
Malika was verygood at keeping secrets.She was also good at figuring them out.
Even she had not suspected that this unassuming log cabin was the town’s center of communications, or that Tilly—who looked more like a blond-haired, blue-eyed, porcelain doll than a computer nerd—masterminded it all.
The main room looked much like the home theater in her sister Aisha’s home, complete with stadium seating and a flat-screen TV that took up an entire wall.A lectern had been pushed in front of the black screen and Benny was briefing the main characters regarding the town’s upcoming adventure with their next guest.Malika’s character had been added to it.
She beamed at Jayce, who sat a few seats away.
She no longer despaired of his ability to flirt, because the smile he reserved for her was different than the one he shared with other women.It warmed his eyes more than his lips, and it did delicious things to her heart.
His reluctance to announce their engagement to the town before he spoke with her brother didn’t dim her joy in the slightest.He had asked her to marry him.He would make things right with Adeel.She had no reason to worry.
But they’d had no time alone together, because he insisted on them staying in character until after her brother arrived.And he had not said he loved her.Wasn’t that what Americans did when they proposed?Wasn’t that what made his parents’ marriage a success?
Benny shuffled his papers, found what he searched for, then held the sheaf an inch or so from his nose.
“Butch Cassidy escaped the shootout in Bolivia and is on his way back from South America,” he announced, managing to read the words with his watery eyes crossed, because glasses were for old people.“He passed through Mexico, where a band of Mexicans joined his new gang.He’s arranged to meet up with Sundance—that’s you, Jayce—in Burning Scrub.He’s heard rumors of how rich the town is, thanks to our silver mine, and intends to rob our bank.Adam’s going to be the explosives expert who blows the safe open.”
“Where are we going to find outlaw Mexicans?”Mavis asked.
Benny waved off her concern.“Dave and his buddies can be Mexicans.”
“But will they be happy about it?”Tilly muttered to Malika.
Benny’s hearing wasn’t as good as his eyesight.He moved on.
“Mavis, you’ll run the saloon.It’s a respectable establishment, mind you.No more harlots.Malika will be the barmaid who sells homemade pies to the miners.Grady, you’re the bank manager.Pearl, you’ll run the boarding house, as usual.Andy’s the town sheriff this season.And Tilly—” More shuffling of papers.
“I know.”Tilly sighed loudly.“Schoolteacher.”
Benny squinted at her.“Not this season.The town is rich from the silver mines, so you’ll be raising funds for town improvement.”
Tilly straightened in her chair.“Fundraising for town improvement.What sort of improvements are we talking about?”
“Does it matter?Paint something.Plant some flowers.You can discuss it with Grady.He’s the historian.”
“To think I gave up a career in finance for this,” Tilly muttered under her breath.
Malika ignored her friend’s negativity.Mexicans.Explosions.Bank robberies and bandits.
Burning Scrub couldn’t be more delightful.
And she would get to be part of it for the rest of her life.One of many advantages to marrying Jayce.She couldn’t believe her good fortune.She would marry him even if Adeel disapproved.Her only sadness was the loss of her high-heeled boots, which didn’t fit well with the town’s theme or the ranch, but Pearl was a genius.Malika had faith.
The town hall wrapped up.
Jayce drew Malika aside.“I’m sorry, I can’t walk you home,” he said.“I’m meeting with Mavis, Grady, and Adam to discuss how we’re going to convince Dave and his friends to play Mexicans.Mexicans and Native Americans have a complex historical relationship.”
“Then why introduce Mexicans into the script in the first place?”The solution seemed simple to her.
“Grady’s a stickler for detail.He likes to make the script as historically accurate as possible, because people pay a lot of money for Burning Scrub’s adventures.”
“What’s a lot of money for an adventure?”
“This particular client is paying a million dollars for a week-long immersion.”
