Read Online An Unlikely Lady by Rachelle Morgan - Free Book Online Page A

voice like that, you could make a for—” She gasped. “That’s it! Oh, I knew if I waited long enough, the solution would drop into my lap!”
    The solution to what? Honesty wondered.
    â€œHow long did you say you planned on staying, Jesse?” Rose asked.
    â€œI’m not sure. A couple days, a week, maybe. Depends on how long it takes my horse’s leg to mend. Why?”
    Absently Rose tapped her lips with steepled fingers. “That don’t give us much time . . .”
    â€œMuch time for what?” Honesty asked.
    â€œWhy, to rehearse, or course!”
    â€œWhat are you talking about, Scarlet?” Jesse asked.
    Dread curled up Honesty’s spine as Rose turned to him with a calculated gleam in hereye. “I want you and Honesty to perform for the Durango-Denver passengers this Saturday.”
    Stunned silence fell on the air like iron notes.
    Honesty’s attention swung from Rose to Jesse, then back again. “You can’t be serious!” she declared, once she found her voice.
    â€œSerious as an April blizzard. Between your singing and Jesse’s playing, folks will be lining the street, beggin’ us to take their money!”
    Her and Jesse, performing together? In public? She struggled to catch the breath caught in her throat.
    â€œHold on there, Scarlet,” Jesse interjected. “Playing for you is one thing; playing for a bunch of strangers is something else.”
    â€œLook, you wanted a job, I’m offering you one.
    â€œThis was not what I had in mind.”
    â€œMaybe not, but you just said you couldn’t leave till your horse mends, so what’s the harm? The way I see it, you’ve got nothing to lose.”
    â€œWhat about her?” he countered, gesturing toward Honesty. “Has she ever even sung for a crowd before? How do you know she can do it? What if she gets up on stage and freezes?”
    Honesty didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at his attempt to help her. If he had any idea how many times she’d literally had to sing for her and Deuce’s supper . . . but she hadn’t doneso since that horrible night when her world had crumpled at her feet.
    â€œHonesty, not be able to sing for a crowd? This girl was made for the stage!” Rose crossed the few feet between them and clasped the girl’s hands in her own. “Hon, you know the position I’m in. If I don’t do something to attract business, it’ll be the end of the Scarlet Rose. I’m not asking for much—just one night. And in return, I’ll cut you both in on ten percent of the profits.”
    Honesty looked into the pleading gray eyes and felt her resistence crumble. She knew what Rose was doing, giving her a chance to seize her dreams.
    But at what cost?
    She thought about the packed valise waiting on her bed, the measly twelve dollars trapped in an old mason jar, and a worn map that hid a mysterious truth somewhere in its crooked lines. More, she thought about how Rose had opened her doors to a frightened orphan on the run, with no questions asked.
    And Honesty knew the battle was lost before it had begun. “All right,” she sighed. “I’ll do my best.”
    After rewarding her with a blinding smile, Rose turned to Jesse. “Now, what about you, Jesse?”
    Honesty waited for his answer with batedbreath. His eyes glittered like chips of ice, and his jaw was set so hard she wondered that he didn’t break his teeth. He reminded Honesty of a trapped animal, waiting for the doors of a cage to open so he could spring free. Oh, how she knew the feeling.
    â€œIf I’m busy banging out tunes, who will keep an eye on your customers if they get too rowdy?”
    â€œOh, me and Honesty’ll handle the customers. You just provide the music.”
    He turned to Honesty then, and stared at her in silence for several long, tense moments. She had no idea what he was thinking when