Comes the Flame: the Cassandra Series--Book One by Rebecca Ida Hertz

Author:Rebecca Ida Hertz
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: BookBaby
Published: 2009-12-15T00:00:00+00:00

13.

Dallas sized up his opponent, Martin. Not a bright fellow, but serviceable. A plough-horse. The rest of the house was asleep, so the men sat in the rather formal front parlor where they wouldn’t bother anyone. The furniture was carved and delicate, shipped from abroad, and the two men stacked their limbs like rough-butchered lumber around the table. The only sound was the flapping of playing cards. They played faro, a game that Dallas had learned from a Jewess in Mexico City, and with which he was easily beating the young farm hand.

“Nine loses, six wins.” A puzzled frown played over Martin’s face, and he handed over a matchstick. Dallas shook his head, imagining the damage he and Flea, as a team, could do to this man’s weekly pay. He’d have to bring it up to Flea the next day. They could fleece his father’s entire crew. Dallas turned over another two cards. “Queen loses, two wins. Ace loses, king wins.”

Martin slapped his knee. “Ha! ” He looked up at Dallas, delighted, and retrieved his matchstick. Dallas marveled at the boy’s unbridled eagerness. Was this what his older sister saw in her husband-to-be – his excitability? Well, she was a horny little heifer. He had always figured she would somehow end up marrying a Frenchie from one of her dirty novels.

Boot steps rang through the parlor, and both of the men looked up – not everyone was asleep, apparently – to see Mrs. Harris, wrapped in a new shawl, smiling down at them.

“What a lovely sight, ” sighed Martha. “My son, sitting here playing cards. Safe at home. There were times these past years I never thought I’d see you again. ”

Dallas ignored her, and turned over another pair of cards. Maybe if he kept playing she would just go away.

“Five loses, ten wins.”

Martha edged closer to the card table. She hadn’t had a proper, old-time talk with her son since his return. “What are you two playing? ” She smiled sweetly at her son, who answered without looking at her.

“Game I picked up. Called faro. ”

Martha sniffed. “Martin’s taught us Gin Rummy in your absence, haven’t you, Martin? ” Maybe a little harmless jibing would grab her son’s attention where polite conversation wouldn’t.

“Yes, ma’am, ” said Martin, smiling politely up at Martha. Dallas had no response, and Martin, loyalties torn, turned back to the game. Even if it risked Martha’s opinion of him, Martin wanted to be on Dallas’s side. That had been clear from the moment Martin laid eyes on him.

Dallas looked at the cards before him. “Five loses, five wins. Split. ”

Martin grinned at Dallas. “Good hand,” he said.

“He’s just like another son to us now.” Her tone belied the warmth of her statement, and finally got her son’s attention.

Dallas looked up at her. She was like a wasp, he thought, buzzing insistently, and then delivering an irritating sting.

“Would you like to play? ” Dallas offered, at once hoping to convey a weary reluctance to let her as well as the idea that it was not an enjoyable game anyway and she should just go back to bed.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.