Chapter 1 – A Difference of Opinion

"Arthur, you promised no cases for a while."

The man sitting across the desk from Ginny Malone winced slightly, a rather unusual move for Arthur Stansbury. Normally nothing got to Arthur but he had a soft spot for his best agent, the beautiful and fully capable woman in front of him. He'd promised her time off and had given her some, but not as much as needed or expected, and now he had to call her back to work. Ginny was a Captain for the Pinkerton Detective Agency, and Arthur was the Western Regional Director, her boss.

"You know what Bret went through and you swore we'd have more time." The Bret she referred to was Bret Maverick, her paramour and the love of her life, and he'd been gunned down and almost died in Memphis many weeks ago. Bret was a gambler, a poker player of some repute, and he'd assisted Ginny and Arthur on several previous cases. He was that rare breed, an honest card player, but his knowledge of and ability with the dishonest ways of poker had helped them considerably. He had a slightly younger brother Bart who'd worked on the same cases with them. Bart was a gambler, too, just as skilled and gifted as his brother, but it was the black-haired, black-eyed older brother that she'd fallen for.

And then Ginny had taken a case that needed attention in Memphis, and without her knowledge or encouragement Bret followed her and tried to lend a hand. It almost cost him his life. After he was shot in the stomach by Ben Newton, the man behind all the trouble, Bret had lingered between life and death for almost two weeks. Bart finally arrived in Memphis and almost single-handedly apprehended Newton, while Ginny nursed Bret through the worst of it.

After the case was closed Bart had gone on to New Orleans; Ginny and Bret were supposed to follow but went to Topeka instead, where Ginny handled a quick problem for Arthur and then was granted leave. Before they'd had as much time as promised, Arthur called her into the office, where she sat in front of him now.

"I know I promised you more time, and I'm truly sorry, Ginny, but I've got a case that needs your expertise."

She gave it some thought and finally asked, "Can Bret help?"

Arthur shook his head. "Not with this one. There's no way to work him in. It needs a woman, and you're the perfect fit. I can give you the rest of your time off after you've wrapped this up, but I need you on this."

Ginny sighed. Much as she'd love to say 'no,' she wouldn't. "Where and when?"

The answer was swift. "Kansas City, as soon as you can get there. You're going as Sammi Jo Withers, and you're going to work at Diamond Lil's."

"As?"

"A saloon girl."

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"A what?" Those were the first words out of Bret's mouth after she'd explained the assignment to him.

He'd sat and listened to her patiently while she'd outlined the situation to him, and accepted and understood everything until she got to the saloon girl part.

"A saloon girl – you know, a dance hall girl."

"A whore?" The tone of his voice was, to say the least, disturbed.

"No," Ginny stated firmly. "Not a whore. A saloon girl."

"There's usually no difference." He wasn't being snide; Bret had spent his adult life in saloons and found that to be, for the most part, true. There was no prejudice involved; this was the woman he loved, and he didn't want any questions about what she would or wouldn't do for a case.

Ginny watched him carefully – he'd known from the day they met that she worked for Pinkerton. She was a crack shot and could handle herself in most any physical situation she found herself in, but this one bothered him. She couldn't determine how much because it was impossible to read his face . . . he played poker for a living, and he was expert at hiding his emotions. Still, they'd spent so much time together that she could perceive the change in him. It wouldn't be the first time they'd disagreed about something, but this felt different. She sensed hostility and disapproval, and she chafed at the feelings it triggered in her.

"Doesn't matter what people think. I will not whore for anyone or any case."

"I know you won't. But men are gonna expect certain things . . . and I don't want you put in that position."

"I'm a big girl, Bret. I know how to say no."

There was a long pause before he spoke again. "I wish you wouldn't take this assignment, Ginny." It was a fervent request.

"I already did. From what Arthur told me about it, I'm the only hope he's got."

"There's no one else? What about the new hire in Chicago?" Bret was referring to Allison Parkway, who'd only been with Pinkerton for thirty days. "Arthur said she has real potential."

"That's just it. She has potential, not expertise. I'm the only one he's got who can do the job."

"And he's got no spot for me?"

The agent shook her head. "I already asked."

"What about me going with you and staying out of the case?"

"How long would that last?"

Bret flinched. Ginny knew him all too well. He had no part in the Memphis case, but stepped in to lend a hand and almost paid for it with his life. What were the odds that he'd be able to stay out of the Kansas City investigation?

"So what I want doesn't matter?"

"It matters a lot, and you know it. But this is my life and my job, and my choice. And I choose to go to Kansas City. If you don't like it, maybe you should find something to do with yourself. Go see Bart, or go back to Texas and visit your father for a while."

"In other words, go away?"

That wasn't what she meant at all, but the way this conversation was going, it might be best. "If that's what you want to do."

It wasn't what Bret wanted, either, but maybe it was a good idea. "When are you leaving?"

Ginny sighed. It seemed like the decision had been made. "Tomorrow morning."

"Fine. I'll leave then, too."

"You going home to Texas?"

Bret turned and headed for the door. Either he hadn't heard her or he was ignoring her; he left the room. As the door closed softly behind him, Ginny had one thought in her mind – 'I love you.'