He’d wait until Parnell left. Then he’d get a haircut in that ridiculous place, so he could find out something about this woman named Dallas. Maybe Parnell had bought her off. Maybe he’d bribed the entire jury. If so, Gabe would find out. He would poke and probe into every action Parnell had taken and would take in the future. And somehow, someday, Gabe would nail the bastard. The jury may have decided differently today , but as sure as rattlesnakes had fangs, Neal Parnell had raped his sister.
THE FLOWERS WE RING necessary, Mr. Parnell, Dallas said, fight inga nervous flutter in her stomach. “I was only doing the job I was assigned to do: ‘
“Callme Neal. And I don’t believe a word of it. A lot of people on that jury wanted my head on a pole. It would have made a great scandal and people love scandal. But you were different. I’ll bet you talked some people into changing their minds .”
She had, but she decided not to say so. “They could see the evidence was lacking.”
“Because you pointed it out. I’d say I owe you dinner at the Tack Room. When are you free?”
Over Parnell’s shoulder Dallas could see Amber’s wide eyes and gaping mouth. The Tack Room was Tucson’s only five-star restaurant, and she and Amber joked about going there when they won the lottery.
“You don’t owe me a thing, Neal,” Dallas said gently
“Then let’s do it for the hell of it: ‘
“I think it would be better if we didn’t: ‘
He looked confused. Then his expression cleared. “Oh, I get it. You think people will talk. you’re not used to that. Listen, Dallas, you have to say to hell with public opinion and enjoy yourself.” He pointed a finger at her. “I can see you work way too hard. Take a break. Have some fun for a change.”
Dallas could understand why Neal was unpopular with the public. He flaunted his indolence as if it were a virtue. Parnell Motors, a family business for three generations, provided him with a pseudo sales job, but nobody believed Neal put in long hours on the car lot. Yet he drove a black Corvette, ate at the finest restaurants , dressed in the best clothes. Working people had a hard time with that sort of unearned life-style.
Dallas gave him her firm-but-friendly brush-off. “I don’t think so, Neaclass="underline" She smiled, but her tone didn’t leave room for discussion.
He laughed. “Okay, I can see you’re spooked by this trial business, but people will forget about that, and you’ll be able to relax. In the meantime I’ll hang around.” He touched the brim of his hat. “you’re worth waiting for, ma am.” He turned and headed for the dance floor, where a few people had begun a spirited line dance.
Dallas watched as he inserted himself into the group. He didn’t know the dance, but he quickly coaxed a woman in a short denim skirt into teaching him.
Amber came to stand beside her. “Looks like Rowdy Ranch just landed another regular custom. “
Dallas sighed as she thought of trying to fend Neal off night after night. “
“And I’ll bet he’s not used to being turned down for dinner at the Tack Room: ‘
“Probably not.” Dallas glanced toward her. “Listen , one of us needs to hit the buffet line and get something to eat. I’ll cover the shop if you want to go first “
“Sure. Signal if you need me: ‘
Dallas watched Amber walk toward the long buffet table. Several of the cowboys gathering at the bar watched her, too. Amber was good for business. They both worked Friday and Saturday nights to allow each other breaks during the nonstop activity that would begin in about another half hour. Dallas had hired Amber seven months ago when it became obvious the customer load demanded it. She and Amber traded off weeknights.
Shed chosen Amber primarily for her excellent hairstyling skills, but also for her great legs. Men paid a fair amount of change for a shampoo and haircut at the Cutting Pen and Dallas had found they paid it willingly if the stylist wore shorts to good advantage. She was idealistic enough to wish the world were different, and practical enough to accept that it wasn’t.
“Open for business?”
Dallas snapped out of her reverie. The man leaning against the far side of the wide entrance had approached silently. She glanced at his scuffed ostrichskin boots, worn jeans and faded blue plaid shirt, sleeves rolled to the elbow, and decided that he dressed this way all the time, not just to fit into the atmosphere at Rowdy Ranch.
His skin was darkened by the sun, and beneath the brim of his black hat the strength of his features reminded her of an Aztec warrior she d seen depicted once on a mural in Mexico City. His dark hair curled down past his nape. This man hadn’t seen the inside of a barber shop, let alone a styling salon, for at least three months.
“Have a seat; she said, giving him a careful smile that welcomed, yet drew boundaries around that welcome She allowed herself to be a maxi s fantasy for the time he rested within her chair. Her customers seemed to understand the unspoken rules and she’d rarely had a problem with unwanted advances. Amber hadn’t yet perfected the technique, but Dallas was slowly teaching her.
The man hung his hat on a rack by the door and sat in the chair gingerly. He was probably the sort of guy who paid a bare minimum to a male barber whenever some woman heckled him into gettinga haircut. Dallas wondered why he was here. Maybe to settle a bet or prove he could handle anything. Dallas suspected he’d worked himself up to the experience, possibly even had a couple of drinks to bolster his courage.
She turned the chair to face the mirror. “I’ll need your name. “
He frowned. “Why?”
“For my files, so I can record what we did tonight. Then next time I’ll remember your preferences.” The subtle suggestion there would be a next time was one of her time-honored techniques for getting repeat business
“Gabe: He cleared his throat and looked slightly uncomfortable. “Gabe Escalante: ‘
“What a wonderful name: ‘
He made no response as she copied it onto an index card, but when she glanced into the mirror he’d composed his expression so that he once more resembled a haughty war nor prince from another age. She wondered again what had motivated him to come into her salon.
She accepted his reticence as a challenge. “Just relax ; she said, picking up the massage wand and running it across his shoulder blades. His facial expression didn’t change, but his muscles flexed uneasily beneath the soft shirt. Lots of muscles. “I’ll bet you work outdoors , she said.
“Some: ‘
Dallas smiled. The strong, silent type still existed, but she could usually break them down a lit8e during the time she had them in her chair. “Construction?” The vibrating wand was having an effect and the tense set of his shoulders eased a fraction. She imagined a softening of the flint like dark eyes.
“Not exactly.”
“The mines, then.” She moved the wand in a semicircle beneath his shoulder blades, working through the knots.
“Once upon a time.”
Dallas thought she heard him sigh, which told her she was making progress. Men who had a sensual experience in her salon always came back. She’d consider it a feather in her cap if she captured this stressed-out cowboy. “I have a brother who worked out at Duval. When the bottom dropped out of the copper market he was laid off, like a lot of miners .” Dallas flipped off the switch on the wand and laid it on the counter beside her. “Times are tough.”
“Not for everyone.” He sounded bitter, almost as though he were insinuating something.
Dallas wondered what he could be getting at but shrugged it off. She pulled a cape patter red to look like rawhide around him and lifted up his hair to snap it at his nape. He immediately freed his arms from under the cape and gripped the arms of the chair. He was back on guard, but she’d soon fix that.