Wilder Than the Rest: MacLarens of Fire Mountain (6 page)

Louis walked into the hall. “Miss O’Connell, I’d like to introduce you to Pierce MacLaren, the new director.”

Pierce followed Dunnigan into the hall, expecting to see an older woman. What he found surprised him. Martha appeared to be in her early twenties, with dark reddish-brown hair pulled into a loose bun. Her soft, green-gray eyes were set wide, giving her a perpetual look of innocence. She stood about five f00t five, and her petite frame was covered in a long-sleeved, high-necked green dress that hugged her slim waist.

“Pierce, this is Martha O’Connell. She’ll assist you with whatever you need. Martha, meet Pierce MacLaren.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss O’Connell.” Pierce studied her serene expression and wondered how much she knew about him and his work at Taylor-Dunnigan.

Martha smiled as she looked up at the much taller new director who would be her boss. He was handsome in the extreme. “Nice meeting you also, Mr. MacLaren. My desk is just down the hall. Please let me know if there is anything I may do for you.”

“Miss O’Connell, please see that Mr. MacLaren receives a complete tour of the building and meets the other managers and staff.” Louis turned to Pierce. “I must leave for an appointment, but Miss O’Connell will take good care of you.”

“Let me know when you’d like your tour, Mr. MacLaren,” Martha said and began to turn away.

“Now is fine, Miss O’Connell.”

She inclined her head and motioned for him to follow. “All right. We’ll start with this floor.”

They walked through the three-story building, Martha introducing him to perhaps twenty employees. There was considerable empty space, which Martha said would be leased to a law firm for at least two years.

“Mr. Dunnigan told me you and your wife just moved here from the East Coast. Do you have children, Mr. MacLaren?”

Wife?
Pierce almost said before he caught himself. “Uh, no. Mrs. MacLaren and I were only recently married.”

“Congratulations. Please let her know that I would be delighted to help her with anything she needs regarding the city. I’ve lived here my entire life and know all the good areas, as well as those she should avoid. It’s a wonderful place, but women must still be careful which neighborhoods they frequent.”

“Thank you, Miss O’Connell. I’m sure she’ll be appreciative of your offer.”

They finished the tour before returning to his office.

“Did Mr. Dunnigan provide you with a key?” she asked Pierce.

“Key?”

“To your office.”

“No, he didn’t.”

“I’ll make sure you have one by the time you leave today.” She made a note on the pad of paper she always carried. “Will there be anything else, Mr. MacLaren?”

“Nothing else now, Miss O’Connell. Thank you for the tour and introductions.”

Martha nodded before turning to walk back to her desk. Pierce watched her walk away, appreciating the sway of her hips and damning Noah once more for creating a situation that was as frustrating as it was lucrative.

******

“Is Mrs. MacLaren home, Penelope?” Pierce walked into the large entrance hall, placed his hat on the hallstand, and reached for his gun belt before realizing he’d left it in his bedroom. Noah had ordered a special holster to conceal the forty-five Peacemaker that Pierce preferred to carry, plus a special holster for Mollie’s use, but they had yet to arrive.

“Yes, Mrs. MacLaren is in the drawing room having tea.”

Pierce loosened his shirt collar while walking toward the drawing room. He needed to arrange for Mollie to come to his office, meet the employees, and speak with Miss O’Connell. Mollie had good instincts and he valued her opinion about people—everyone except himself, of course. He believed she was dead wrong in her judgment of him.

“Good evening, Mrs. MacLaren.” He bent to place a quick kiss on her cheek, knowing that Penelope had followed him with a glass and decanter of whiskey. The kiss had an unanticipated effect on Pierce as he found himself fighting the urge to place a proper kiss on her lips. It unsettled him to know that even a slight touch, his lips to her skin, could trigger such an intense desire and impulse to take more.

Mollie froze at the feel of Pierce’s lips on her face. The contact was brief, yet the impact was profound. She fought to keep her gaze forward and not raise her eyes to his, seeking what her body had craved since the first day she’d met him. Her hands stayed clasped tight in her lap until he pulled back and turned to take a seat across from her.

“How did it go?” To her dismay, her voice wavered. She reached for her cup of tea and took a long swallow of the warm liquid to hide the momentary lapse.

“It will more than suit the purpose. Mr. Dunnigan introduced me to Miss O’Connell, the woman who will help with any of my needs.” He glanced at Mollie to see her eyebrows lift at his comment. Pierce knew he was baiting her, wanting to see her react to the implication in his remarks, and perhaps comment—show the slight vein of the jealousy that surfaced when she’d met Eva—but she didn’t respond.

He cleared his throat. “I’d like you to visit tomorrow, meet Miss O’Connell and a few others. I believe it’s a good idea to get in the habit of showing up at odd times, letting everyone know that you’ll come and go as you please.”

Mollie thought his request made sense. The more she visited Pierce, the more her appearances would be seen as normal, and those who worked around him would relax and perhaps speak with her. She’d heard from Noah that Dunnigan had hired locals who either grew up in San Francisco or knew the area well. Exactly the type of people who might know the city from another point of view—a vantage point different from those considered newcomers. She turned at the sound of Penelope entering the room to announce supper would be ready in ten minutes.

“Thank you, Penelope.” Mollie turned back to Pierce. “It would be my pleasure to come by your office tomorrow. Shall we say noon?”

Pierce waited until Penelope closed the door. “That’s fine.” He leaned forward in his seat. “There are several banks a short distance from the office. It would be a good time to visit each one and meet the managers. They’re in a position to know about activities that seem out of place and provide us with additional introductions.”

Mollie agreed. She knew they had to make acquaintances with those powerful in business, as Eva was already doing.

Penelope came back in to let them know their meal was ready.

Pierce stood, took a couple of steps toward Mollie, and extended a hand. “May I accompany you to supper?”

Mollie took his hand and quickly wrapped her fingers under his as they turned to leave the drawing room. The same sensations she’d felt when he’d touched her cheek with his lips rippled through her body when his hand touched hers. This time, the awareness excited and troubled her. By the time they reached the beautifully set table, she’d made a resolution to steel herself against her body’s reaction to Pierce MacLaren. They had a job to do, and neither could afford to jeopardize it over some passing attraction.

Chapter Five

Fire Mountain

“What’s the news from Pierce?” Aunt Alicia passed the large platter of roast beef to Jamie then picked up the bowl of potatoes.

Connor spent most days in town managing the three saloons owned by Niall MacLaren and taking care of family business which included a stop at the post office. Today, he’d been surprised to find a letter from his younger brother.

“They’re all settled in Torie’s house and he connected with Louis Dunnigan.” Connor nodded to Jamie’s wife, who, with a small wave of her hand, brushed off the use of her mansion as nothing unusual.

Truth was Torie had never reconciled herself to the wealth she’d inherited from her first husband’s aunt. Although she was no fool and would keep the estate in the booming West Coast city, she rarely thought of it and had only traveled back four times in the years she’d been married to Jamie.

“That’s it? Nothing about how it’s going with Mollie?” Will filled his plate and tucked into the evening meal.

“Only that he’s more than ready for the assignment to end, which could take weeks or months. Poor guy, cooped up in a mansion that overlooks the bay with a beautiful woman. Sometimes, I don’t think Pierce knows when he’s got it good.” Connor smiled at his wife Grace then fell silent.

“Dunnigan sent me a letter a few days ago. I may need to travel out to the new offices in San Francisco to meet the employees and go over some of the legal issues regarding the lease of space to a law firm.” Drew MacLaren handled all the legal work for Taylor-Dunnigan as well as a good portion of the work for Dunnigan Enterprises. “Don’t know why he’d need me out there, it’s a simple contract.”

“Isn’t there another attorney that you hired to work on those types of transactions?” Jamie asked.

“Henry Thompson. Dunnigan says he’s back east working on the acquisition of another building in New York. That leaves me. I still hope to work it out so it won’t be necessary for me to go to San Francisco. There’s just too much work around here to do, and with Tess being pregnant…” He stopped at stunned expressions.

“Pregnant?” Aunt Alicia’s eyes widened at the news.

“Doc McCauley confirmed it a few days ago,” Tess smiled and leaned into Drew, who’d draped his arm across her shoulders. “I haven’t even had a chance to send a letter off to my parents.”

“We’ll do that tomorrow when I send a response to Dunnigan.” Drew stood and pulled out her chair. “By the way, Connor, I heard from Dunnigan that a man named Lee Hatcher may be traveling out to San Francisco to work with Pierce. You know him?”

The news surprised Connor. Lee worked for Alex McCann, a long-time friend to Connor and Pierce. From what Pierce had confided in him before leaving for San Francisco, Lee planned to work from the New York office on this assignment. Something important must have come up for him to travel across the country.

“I know Lee, he’s a good man. How’d Dunnigan hear about it?”

“He uses Alex’s firm on occasion. You know Noah arranged for Pierce’s office to be located in the building Dunnigan purchased in San Francisco, right?” At Connor’s nod, Drew continued. “All I’m saying is these men inhabit a tight circle. It’s interesting how much each knows about the other.” He looked at his wife. “How about a walk?”

Connor watched Drew escort Tess out the front door and into the cool night air, and wondered how Pierce truly was doing with his new assignment.

******

San Francisco

“Good afternoon. I’m Pierce MacLaren, and this is my wife, Mollie. We’re here to see Mr. Benstead.” Pierce and Mollie had already made the rounds to two other banks, discussing services and meeting the managers. This was the last one for today.

The middle-aged woman looked up from her desk at the handsome couple. She knew they didn’t have an appointment, and her boss had been quite specific about not seeing anyone who stopped by without being on his calendar. “Let me see if he’s available.” She started toward her boss’s office.

“Please tell him that Louis Dunnigan asked us to meet with him,” Pierce added.

Within minutes, the woman walked back to her desk with Mr. Benstead following a few paces behind. He held out his hand to Pierce.

“I’m Carlton Benstead.”

“Pierce MacLaren. This is my wife, Mollie MacLaren.” Pierce marveled at how accustomed he’d gotten to calling her his wife.

“It’s a pleasure. Please, come into my office.”

Benstead took a seat behind what Mollie thought to be the largest desk she’d ever seen, or perhaps the diminutive man was simply dwarfed by it. She guessed the banker stood at no more than five foot five, and was as thin as a knife blade. He sank into a tall leather chair and she found herself wondering if his feet touched the floor.

“You know Louis Dunnigan?” Benstead stroked the thin mustache above his upper lip, watching as Mollie took in her surroundings. Pierce’s eyes, however, were trained on him.

“Yes, I work for Mr. Dunnigan. Mostly with Taylor-Dunnigan, their cattle and timber business.”

“I see.” Benstead rested both arms on his desk and leaned forward. “I’d hoped to work with him on the purchase of the office building. Unfortunately, someone else beat me to it. He did, however, leave the door open for future business.”

“Mr. Dunnigan has had long-term relationships with a bank in New York and one in Denver. He is a very loyal man. I’m quite surprised he even discussed the transaction with you.” Pierce relaxed and watched the banker squirm in his chair then begin to finger his thin mustache once again.

Benstead cleared his throat. “So, what is it I may do for you and Mrs. MacLaren?”

“My wife and I are deciding where we would like to place our funds. We’re new in town, and unlike Mr. Dunnigan, plan to be long-term residents of this fine city. You were referred to us by my assistant, Miss O’Connell.”

“Ah, yes, Martha O’Connell. I’ve met her several times. She keeps a small amount of savings with us. Not much, you understand, lower than most of our customers. She’ll be married soon, you know. Her fiancé works for one of my finest customers, Gerald Black.”

“I hadn’t heard that,” Pierce replied. He felt that, with time and encouragement, the banker might be just the contact to supply insights on other customers. They wanted to learn as much as possible from him and establish a social connection with both him and his wife. “It is quite kind of you to handle small accounts for women with little income, such as Miss O’Connell.”