Read Online Behind a Lady's Smile by Jane Goodger - Free Book Online

uttering another word until they were standing outside her room. While he dug her key out of his pocket, she stood silently, leaning up against the wall, humming some tune she’d likely heard that night.
    “Mitch?”
    He slipped the key in the door. “What?”
    “Do you think I’m pretty?”
    He gave her a quick look. At the moment, even with her green eyes glazed with whiskey and her hair slightly askew, she looked more than pretty. “Sure.”
    “Did you think Minnie was pretty?”
    “No.”
    “I think she was,” Genny said a bit wistfully.
    He pushed the door open and Genny heaved herself off the wall to walk into the room. She fell onto her bed, face first. “Tired,” she said, the word muffled by the blankets.
    Mitch lit a gas lamp, then allowed himself to take her in, her mussed-up hair, her trim waist, her arms akimbo. He shook his head and smiled, then let out a sigh, sat down on the bed, lifted one of her feet and started unlacing her shoe. He tried not to think about her slim ankle or the silk stocking that was so smooth beneath his calloused hand, and so he worked quickly, tossing the shoes one by one onto the floor. When he had her shoes off, she turned around and settled properly onto the bed. He wasn’t about to undress her completely, so he stood up. Let her worry about her wrinkled dress in the morning. It would be a good lesson for her.
    “Mitch?”
    “Yeah.”
    “Could you kiss me good night?”
    Jesus . “Sure, kiddo.” He leaned over her, intending to kiss her forehead, but she lifted her head at the last moment and her lips pressed against his. He meant to pull back, and did a bit, but she followed him, pressing closer as he jammed one fist into the blanket beside her to stop himself from pulling her against him. It was obvious she didn’t know how to kiss, and that was one thing Mitch was thankful for. She kept her mouth closed, but her lips were so damned soft, all he could think about was nudging down her jaw gently and tasting her. But he didn’t.
    He pulled back slowly and she smiled drunkenly up at him. “Minnie said you looked like a man who could kiss.”
    “Yeah, well, most men can.”
    “Good night, Mitch.”
    He grunted at her and left the room, closing the door softly behind him. She wouldn’t remember that kiss in the morning. At least he prayed she wouldn’t. God knew he’d remember, and that was enough for the two of them.

Chapter 4
    G enny woke up feeling as if she had cotton in her mouth and an angry grizzly running around inside her head trying to get out. It wasn’t until she sat up and the room began spinning that she realized her stomach was aching to empty its contents.
    “Oh, God,” she muttered, holding her head in her hands and trying to push down the feeling of nausea.
    “Train leaves in twenty minutes, squirt. I know you’re feeling a bit poorly right now, but I’m not missing that train. I’ve already packed your things, so let’s go.”
    Mitch sounded angry. And loud. Genny looked at him and saw that, yes, he was angry and she couldn’t blame him. She was pretty angry with herself. “I’m never drinking again.”
    Mitch let out a sound Genny couldn’t quite interpret. “You’ll start feeling better in a few hours.”
    “A few hours ?” She groaned and clutched her stomach.
    “You best get that business over with. There’s no fighting it once your stomach has a mind to get rid of whatever’s in it.”
    Genny shook her head. “I hate vomiting. I can hold it . . . Oh, no.” Mitch lifted the empty chamber pot just in time. When she was done, her head felt even worse.
    “Here, drink this,” Mitch said, handing over a glass of water. “Small sips or you’ll just throw it up again.” He pulled out his watch. “Let’s go. The train won’t wait for us.”
    Genny pulled on her shoes and took the small carpetbag that Mitch held out for her. “All your new clothes are in there.” Then he spun around and walked out of the room, not