Unending Devotion (Michigan Brides #1)(51)

Tierney’s eyes were glazed from the past several sleepless nights of drinking and whoring. And Connell doubted he could even read the careful calculations within the ledgers, much less make sense of them.

“Please tell me you didn’t go to the Stockade.” Connell glanced in the distance to the tavern towering on the hill above town. “After all I told you about the way Carr is tricking girls into working for him, I’d expect you to boycott him.”

“You’re exaggerating. As usual.” The chair squeaked under Tierney’s weight as he leaned back and combed a hand through his disheveled hair. What would Rosemarie think when Tierney returned home hung over, with bloodshot eyes and the sour stench of liquor in every pore? Would she notice? Or was she used to it by now?

“You know as well as I do that Carr is a scoundrel.” Connell didn’t care that his voice was testy.

“He’s a powerful businessman.” The legs of the chair thumped against the floor. “And according to him, you’ve been stirring up trouble lately.”

“I’d say it’s the other way around—he’s the one causing the trouble.”

“Stay out of his way, Connell.” Tierney’s voice was suddenly more sober than it had been since he’d arrived. “He said if you interfere again we’ll have more than a few damaging rumors to deal with.”

A gust of surprise whirled through Connell. Had Carr started the rumors about him and Lily? Had he made sure the ugly news spread far enough to reach Dad? It made sense. Dad, like most of the other lumber bosses, turned a blind eye to the way the tavern owners operated their businesses. The taverns kept the shanty boys happy and ensured the wild behavior stayed out of the camps.

Besides, if a man like Carr didn’t like a particular lumber company, he had the power to influence the shanty boys against the company. And Connell couldn’t afford to lose shanty boys, especially during the busiest time of the season.

“Don’t mess with Carr anymore.” Tierney closed the ledgers with a slap. “That’s all I have to say.”

Connell couldn’t keep his irritation from resurfacing, as it had many times over the past few days. He’d be glad when Tierney was gone. In his few sober moments, all Tierney had done was boss him around—as he was doing now.

Tierney tucked the ledgers under his arm and pushed away from the desk, letting the chair scrape the floor.

“You can’t take my books with you,” Connell said.

“How else am I going to show Dad what you’ve been up to?”

“Maybe if you’d actually taken the time to listen to my reports—”

“Aw, come on Connell.” Tierney stood and stretched. “Stop being so uptight. You probably have the numbers all memorized anyway.”

Connell wanted to rip the books away from Tierney and send him home empty-handed. What would Dad think of Tierney then?

“Guess I’ll head out now.” Tierney reached for his coat on the peg near the door. “That’ll give me time to stop at the Red Keg again before heading for home.”

“I can tell you’re in a hurry to get home to your wife and new baby.”

Tierney just grinned and then glanced out the front window. His grin widened. “Now I see what you’ve been looking at.”

Connell peered outside again to where Lily still stood talking with Stuart. Her eyes sparked with all the passion that bubbled inside her. The pale sickness in her face was finally gone, replaced with the usual warm tones. She was flushed, and alive, and vibrant. And when she gave a bright smile to Stuart, a jealous twine slid around his heart and cinched painfully.

Tierney’s glassy eyes narrowed and flamed with sudden lust. “She sure is pretty.”

Connell silently agreed. She was beautiful. But he didn’t need Tierney to say it. He’d rather Tierney leave. “You better get going.”

“Her face is familiar.” Tierney stared down at her. “I’m guessing I met her somewhere else. Maybe at one of the houses of entertainment in Bay City before she moved up here?”

“No. You’ve never met her. I guarantee it, one hundred percent.”

Tierney was silent for a long moment but then shrugged. “Maybe I’m just confusing her with Bella.”

Connell had heard the shanty boys talk about Bella, the young beauty Carr kept up at the Stockade. She was untouchable, or so they claimed. Apparently Carr only let his favorite friends see her and have turns with her. Or in the case of Tierney, those who paid good money.

“I’ll have to find an excuse for Dad to send me up to Harrison again soon. Now that I’ve met Bella.”

“Just stay home where you belong.”

Tierney grinned. “So you want to keep Bella for yourself too?”

Protest rose swiftly within Connell. “I’ve never seen the girl—”

“Oh, that’s right. You don’t need Bella. You’ve got Lily.” Tierney looked out the window down at Lily again. He studied her again and then whistled under his breath. “She looks enough like Bella that they could be cousins or sisters or something.”

Sisters? Connell tensed, and his gaze swung back to the Stockade. What were the chances that this Bella might be the sister Lily was looking for? Twenty-five percent? Fifty?

“She looks like Lily?” he asked.