with Uncle Duncan and Aunt Cozette in England the following year. More recently, her younger sister Parthena had married another Cucinotta and now spent half the year on the Weaver farm in Washington Territory; she and Leo would be back in Clear Creek in October.
Adele had fallen in love with the notion of romance, and wanted the same mystery and magic that Jefferson and Lorelei had, and C.J. and Rufi, and Leo and Parthena. So she’d made her wish list … only to find that it eliminated every eligible bachelor in sight. She didn’t think any of the items were unreasonable. Perhaps it was the combination of them. Worse still, since Parthena headed north in April, life on the ranch was dull. Maybe it was time to remedy that.
She gave Liam a sidelong glance and tossed her head at the saloon. “Do you want to find out what’s going on in there?”
Liam glanced down the street and back and grinned. “Let’s.”
Liam followed Adele across the street, staying some distance behind her. He didn’t want to give folks ideas of what they were up to. They were just two individuals going about their business.
Until Adele ducked between the saloon and the bank. “Hey.” He checked to make sure no one was watching before hurrying after her. By the time he caught up, she’d rounded the corner of the saloon and was creeping toward the back porch. “We shouldn’t be sneaking around here,” he hissed.
She frowned. “Do you want to find out what’s going on or not?”
“But what if someone sees us?”
“Then I’ll think of something to tell them. Why worry about it until the time comes?” She went to the back door.
He knew that inside to the right was a storeroom, on the left a set of stairs going up to the Mulligans’ living quarters. Straight ahead was the kitchen, also on the left and beyond that the saloon. “Don’t tell me you’re going in there?”
“Of course. How else can I listen in?”
“Adele Cooke!” he whispered.
“Oh, Liam, don’t be such a chicken.”
His eyes narrowed. “I am not a chicken. I’m a gentleman. And gentlemen do not go sneaking up to an elderly couple’s apartments to listen in on secret meetings.”
She smiled. “Good thing I’m not a gentleman.” She slipped inside.
Liam rolled his eyes and followed. He heard the patrons at the front and Asa the barkeeper, laughing and wondered where his wife Daisy was. Could she be with the women upstairs? He glanced up the stairwell and saw Adele already on the landing, her ear to the door. He might as well stay put and play lookout. He surveyed the hall, figuring that if anyone came by he could say he was on his way to the front after using the privy out back.
“Pssst.” Adele waved at him to join her.
Liam’s eyes widened and he shook his head. He had limits when it came to spying. He watched her put her ear to the door again. Her eyes went wide, then her mouth. What was she hearing?
She again motioned him to join her. Again, he shook his head, then looked down the hall toward the front of the building. So far no one had seen him. To make sure no one did, he climbed the first step, then the second. “Hurry!” he mouthed.
She waved him away now – make up your mind, woman! – and continued to listen, her face contorting in confusion every few seconds. Finally she came down the stairs. “I can’t make out what everyone’s saying.”
“What did you make out?” he whispered. He stepped into the hall, hoping she’d follow.
Thank goodness she did. “Something about a party, a dance and I swore I heard the word ‘ball’ used.”
“Ball? Is someone planning on playing catch?” His eyes lit up. “Are they talking about starting a base ball team? Portland’s had one for years.”
“I doubt they were talking about that kind of ball.” She opened the back door and they slinked along behind the saloon to the alley between buildings. “I’ll go out first. You should go back through the saloon.”
“I can do that. That was my escape plan if I got caught in there.”
“Good idea.” She headed off and, with an eye roll, so did he. No one really paid him much mind when he entered the saloon from the back hall, so instead of stopping for a sarsaparilla to act as a protective cover, he went straight out the swinging front doors. He needed to go to the