Kinsman was just as stubborn as his daughter, however, and after a few minutes of stubborn, mutually glowering silence, Molly gave up and left the dining room. Longarm heard her steps on the stairs leading up to the second and third floors. He wondered idly which floor her bedroom was on ... not that he was likely to be finding out.
Kinsman led Longarm and Traywick into his study, the walls of which were lined with bookshelves and gun racks. As he sat down behind a big desk, the rancher asked Longarm, "Did Joe fill you in on the trouble we've been havin' around here?"
Longarm nodded. "Yes, sir, he did."
"You look like a man who's seen a mite of trouble in his time," said Kinsman bluntly. "That's one of the reasons I hired you. What do you think of the situation?" Carefully, Longarm said, "Sounds like those lumberjacks up on the mountain are a mite too big for their britches."
"Damn right," said Kinsman with a snort. "They're behind all of it, I'll warrant. And I'll not take any more from them, either. Next timber-cutter I find gettin' up to mischief on my range, he's goin' to rue the day he was born, by God!"
"Maybe you ought to take the fight to them," suggested Longarm casually. It wasn't likely Kinsman would admit to a near stranger that he was behind the problems up at the lumber camp, but anything was possible. Sometimes long shots paid off.
But not this time. Kinsman scowled and shook his head vehemently. "Nope. I ain't one to hunt trouble, and as long as I'm left alone, I'll leave the other fella to go on about his business." His fist came down on the desk with a thump. "But I'll not be trifled with neither. I just want you to know, Custis--you find any of those lumberjacks on Diamond K range, you handle it however you see fit and I'll back you up on it. I wouldn't say that to all of my hands--some of 'em are too young and hot-headed--but I figure you've been around enough to know what to do."
Longarm nodded solemnly. "As long as I'm drawing pay from you, I'll look out for your interests, Mr. Kinsman. You got my word on that." That wasn't exactly a lie, Longarm added to himself. He didn't intend to ever draw any wages from the rancher. He planned to have this case wrapped up and be long gone from Oregon by the time a month had rolled by.
Reaching for a drawer in the desk, Kinsman said, "Speakin' of pay, you need an advance? Again, I wouldn't say that to just anybody."
Longarm shook his head. "No, thanks. I didn't ride in here stone-cold broke, and I don't like to take money until I've earned it."
"Well, then, I reckon we're done." Kinsman stood up and extended his hand across the desk. "Welcome to the Diamond K, Custis," he said, echoing what Traywick had said earlier.
Longarm shook hands with the rancher, then bade him good night. Traywick stayed behind to go over the books with Kinsman, and Longarm left the house to stroll toward the bunkhouse.
He detoured along the way and walked over to the horse barn instead, intending to check on the roan. He found a lantern on a hook just inside the door, lit it with a lucifer that he flicked into life on an iron-hard thumbnail, then walked along the broad central aisle to the stall where the roan was stabled. The horse whickered gently as Longarm reached over the gate to scratch its nose. There was still plenty of grain and water in the stall, so Longarm turned toward the front of the barn again, satisfied with this errand.
A figure stood there in the open doorway.
"What are you doing roaming around out here, Custis?" asked Molly Kinsman.
The sight of her had brought him up short. She moved quiet on her feet, like an Indian. That was something they didn't teach at Miss Hallowell's Academy. More than likely it was just natural grace on Molly's part. Longarm stood there by the stall and watched appreciatively as she walked toward him.
"Reckon I could ask you the same thing," he said. "I thought your daddy sent you upstairs."
"My daddy sends me a lot of places. I don't always go." She stopped in front of him, only about two feet separating them. "He thinks I'm going to settle down and get married--to some dull cowboy of his choice, naturally--and then do nothing but pop out one baby after another while my husband takes care of the important things, like running the ranch."
"You don't care much for that plan, do you?" Longarm said quietly.
"I know as much about running this ranch as anybody! At least, I would if he'd ever give me a chance. And I certainly don't intend to marry some ignorant puncher like Seth Thomas just to give my father some grandchildren."
"Nothing wrong with marrying a cowboy, I guess," Longarm said with a shrug of his shoulders.
"It's not what I want," insisted Molly. "I want a man who's been places and done things. Maybe... somebody like you, Custis."
She closed the distance between them, sliding her arms around his waist and pressing her body to his. Longarm reacted instinctively, his shaft hardening against the soft pressure of her belly. He hung the lantern on a hook so she wouldn't get up against it and burn herself. She was already hot enough.
But he was in no mood to get himself shot or strung up for taking advantage of an innocent young girl, so he backed off and said, "I ain't sure this is such a good idea."
"Don't worry about my virtue, Custis," she said in a husky voice as she moved with him. "I lost that less than a month after I arrived in Boston. But it's been a long time since I've been with a man like you."
Her hand strayed down to the bulge at the crotch of his denims, tracing the length and heft of him through the material. She caught her breath. "Lord! Come to think of it, I don't believe I've ever been with a man exactly like you."
She kissed him then, her mouth hungrily seeking out his. Longarm's arms went around her of their own volition, pulling her more tightly against him. He could feel the erect buds of her nipples poking through the soft material of her dress. She moaned deep in her throat as she thrust her hips against his groin. Her mouth opened and her tongue flickered boldly around his.
The lantern was still burning and the doors of the barn were wide open, which meant that anybody who happened to walk by could look in and see them wrapped up in each other's arms. As tempting as the thought of taking Molly into one of the empty stalls for a roll in the hay--literally!--might be, he didn't want to ruin this investigation before it even got properly under way.
He put his hands on her shoulders and firmly moved her away from him. "This ain't a good idea, Molly," he said. "I don't reckon you're even half my age."
"I'm nineteen," she said.
"Close enough."
"And I already told you, I'm no blushing virgin. I know what I want, Custis."
Longarm took a deep breath. "That don't matter. I work for your daddy, and from what I've seen of him so far, he'd likely ventilate me if he caught me messing with his little girl. If he didn't, I reckon Joe probably would."
"You're afraid of my father?" Molly shook her head. "I don't think you're really afraid of anything, Custis." Again she cupped his groin brazenly. "Unless it's that you can't keep up with me."
"Lord," muttered Longarm under his breath. She was persistent, he had to give her that.
He wasn't sure what he should do, but fortunately, he didn't have to make the decision after all. Footsteps sounded outside the barn, and Molly suddenly gasped and stepped back away from him. She turned and walked swiftly toward the entrance, leaving Longarm behind her, blinking a little in surprise. Molly was mighty bold, all right... until she thought she was about to be caught.
As she left the barn, she passed Seth Thomas, who Paused and lifted a hand toward her. "Molly?" he said. But she didn't stop, just continued toward the house.
Seth looked into the barn and saw Longarm standing there next to the stalls. "You!" he exclaimed. "What'd you do to Molly?"