Heartbreak Ranch: Amy's StoryJosie's StoryHarmony's StoryArabella's Story Read online

  Join New York Times bestselling authors Fern Michaels and Jill Marie Landis, with Dorsey Kelley and Chelley Kitzmiller, for four timeless love stories set on one very special California ranch.

  Heartbreak Ranch is more than a plot of land—it is a legacy.

  Over a century has passed since Bella Duprey, famed Barbary Coast madam, won the treasured range in a card game from the lover who jilted her. She left it to her descendants, along with her how-to tome of feminine wisdom: The Art of Fascinating a Man.

  Bella hoped her bequest would help future generations of Duprey women find better luck in love than she did. But can a dusty journal and some sprawling acreage ensure that Amy, Josie, Harmony and Arabella will find happiness with the men they love?

  “There is something very attractive to men about a madam. She combines the brains of a businessman, the toughness of a prizefighter, the warmth of a companion, the humor of a tragedian. Myths collect about her.”

  —John Steinbeck

  Fern Michaels

  Jill Marie Landis

  Dorsey Keller

  Chelley Kitzmiller

  Heartbreak Ranch

  We gratefully dedicate Heartbreak Ranch

  to the Rankin family.

  Our thanks also go to Lisa Kimble for her encouragement.

  Barbary Coast

  San Francisco, California

  May 10, 1869

  AT PRECISELY TEN o’clock, Arabella Duprey, Queen of the Barbary Coast, left her suite. Accompanied by her eighty-pound white poodle, Toddy, she glided down the hallway then paused at the handrail that overlooked the elaborately appointed gaming hall below.

  Oil paintings of nude women covered every square inch of wall space. One was of herself—a life-size portrait, commissioned five years ago when she bought out her longtime employer and became the madam of the Cock O’ The Walk.

  The enormous, gilt-framed portrait hung directly over the bar, where everyone was sure to see it. Could she help it if she wanted to be remembered throughout the years to come as a beautiful and desirable woman?

  Toddy sat panting patiently at her heels as Bella watched the activities below: the croupiers dealing cards and spinning the roulette wheels, the pretty waiter girls serving drinks, the musicians tuning up. And the customers spending their money.

  This was her domain and everything was running just as it should. She was proud to be the reigning queen of the Barbary Coast.

  A shudder ran down her spine at the thought of how she had jeopardized her business and her future—all for the love of a man.

  Sam Heart had played her for a fool.

  In the five years since Bella had bought the Cock O’ The Walk and become its madam, she had not invited any man to her bed. To do so would have been against the house rules—rules she had set in place to eliminate competition between her and her girls.

  She had believed Sam when he pretended to love her. He had even gone so far as to offer her marriage.

  But for her daughter, Bella might not have been so gullible.

  Six years ago when she had sent Amy away to school, she promised herself she would use the school years to set up a different kind of life for her and Amy. A respectable life, away from the Barbary Coast.

  Amy’s letter had taken Bella by surprise. Her schooling was finished and she was coming home to help run the Cock O’ The Walk. Where had the years gone? There was no more time.

  Becoming Sam’s wife was the answer to her prayers as well as a dream come true. Except that it was all a lie.

  Bella closed her eyes and gripped the rail as she gave up a silent prayer of thanks that she had overheard him boasting about her. He’d been bragging that he would win a bet—a bet that he could sweet-talk her into taking him to her bed. Thank God, she had discovered the awful truth before it was too late. Taking a deep breath, she steeled herself for the night’s events. Carefully lifting her skirt out of the way, she started downstairs to greet her customers.

  Tonight was the night. Everything was ready. There was no turning back.

  Tonight Sam Heart would learn that no one played Bella Duprey for a fool and got away with it.

  Tonight he would pay with the one thing he held most dear. His ranch. Heartbreak Ranch.

  Once she obtained the deed, she would turn the management of the Cock O’ The Walk over to her case keeper and barkeep, Howard Evans, who had been her trusted friend and confidant since she began working at the fandango palace twenty years ago. By tomorrow morning, when Amy’s stage arrived, she would be packed and ready to leave for their new home and their new life—courtesy of Sam Heart.

  Always cool and collected, Bella was surprised to be overtaken by a giddy rush of nervousness tinged with excitement. But habit allowed her to smoothly commence her nightly ritual. Upon reaching the landing, she paused and nodded to Howard. At her signal, he hit a small, brass Chinese gong at the end of the bar. The room immediately fell into an expectant hush.

  “Good evening, gentlemen!” Howard’s voice boomed over the crowd, although it was quiet enough to hear a pin drop. “It is my pleasure to present your hostess...the incomparable...the one and only...Bella Duprey!”

  She smiled with satisfaction as every man in the room looked up at her. She knew what an arresting sight she made, dressed in a new crimson satin gown, her signature color, now highlighted by the chandelier hanging directly over her head. Her gaze swept the room until she was certain she had everyone’s undivided attention. Then, she licked her lips with the tip of her tongue and took a deep breath, knowing how the movement swelled her breasts.

  “Gentlemen, I welcome you to ze Cock O’ The Walk.” She purposely emphasized her French accent.

  Immediate applause and cheers rang through the air.

  Bella acknowledged them with a slow, regal nod. Before descending the stairs, she gave the big dog beside her a silent signal to sit. When she reached the floor of the gaming hall, she wound her way through the maze of green, felt-topped tables covered with tall stacks of chips and gold and silver coins. She graciously exchanged comments with those she knew and stopped to introduce herself to the few she did not recognize.

  Finally, Bella made her way across the room to where Sam waited. She silently cursed herself for noticing that he looked particularly handsome tonight in a new checkered wool suit and gold brocade vest. When she reached the faro table where he stood waiting, Sam took her hand and whispered in her ear.

  “You’re looking especially radiant tonight.” He drew her close and discreetly ran his fingertip along the edge of her heart-shaped bodice. “Did you wear this gown for me?” he asked, laughing softly.

  “Oui, mon cher. For you, Sam. Only for you.” She nearly choked on the words as she covered his hand with hers and gently moved his exploring fingers away. “But you will have to wait until midnight when I am through dealing.”

  “I’ve waited a long time already. I guess I can wait a few more hours.”

  She leaned forward, giving him an unobstructed view into the bodice of her gown, then kissed him lightly on the mouth.

  “I promise you, it will be a night you will never forget.” With that she took her seat at the faro table, opposite Howard, the case keeper, whose look of reassurance betrayed his usual stolid expression. Once she was settled, Howard placed a deck of cards and a dealing box in the center of the table. Bella had always taken pride in running an honest gaming house, but tonight’s game called for special equipment. The cards were lightly sanded so that when one card was dropped upon the other, the two appeare
d as one. The faro dealing box sported an intricately painted face of a tiger. A hole in the tiger’s eye allowed the dealer to see the next card up for deal. Bella had only to press a concealed lever to release an extra card. She had ordered the specialty duo so she could turn the tables on any professional gamblers who tried to cheat the house.

  “So, gentlemen,” she said, smiling a flirtatious smile at each of the men who had hurried to take a seat at her table, “you want to ‘buck the tiger,’ eh?”

  Once she began shuffling the deck, once she felt the cards in her hands, she was able to rein in her emotions and become all business. She cut the cards and put them into the dealing box, confident that everything would come about just as she had planned.

  Another of Bella’s trusted employees, the lovely waiter girl Felice offered everyone at the table drinks on the house. After handing Sam his, Felice gave Bella a discreet nod.

  “All bets down, gentlemen,” Bella told the gamblers.

  She watched Sam sip his drink. The drug Felice had put in Sam’s glass would begin taking effect within the hour. An annoying headache, blurred vision and impaired judgment were the first symptoms, followed later by excruciating stomach cramps and eventual loss of consciousness.

  Bella relaxed and allowed herself a small, satisfied smile.

  Cards ranking from ace to king were painted on the top of the faro table where the players placed their bets. By the end of the first game of twenty-five turns, Sam was winning.

  She knew that his run of luck would make him overconfident as he went into the next game. During the next hour, Sam’s judgment became so impaired that he played carelessly and was now down to his last few chips. He kept rubbing his forehead and squinting to focus.

  “Is something wrong, Sam?” Bella asked solicitously.

  He slowly came up out of his seat, leaned across the table and motioned Bella to meet him halfway.

  “It seems I’ve run a little short, my love. Could you extend me a small loan—say a thousand—until tomorrow?”

  Bella feigned surprise. It was the moment she had been waiting for. “A loan? Oh, Sam...but I never—”

  “I’ll pay you back tomorrow as soon as the bank opens.”

  Shielding her mouth with her hand, Bella replied discreetly, “Sam, I do not doubt you for a second, but it is against the house rules.”

  “Christ, Bella, you’ve got more house rules than a dog has fleas. Come on. Be reasonable. My luck will turn. All I need is a thousand.” He stretched closer, drew her near until his lips brushed against her ear. “You can trust me.”

  When he tried to kiss her, she backed away, wagging a finger at him, forcing herself to laugh when what she wanted to do was pull every hair out of his handsome head.

  “Very well, mon cher,” she said, feeling as smug as a cat playing with a mouse. “But, you must understand, I am a businesswoman. You will have to give me something for—how is it you say—for collateral?”

  He thought a moment. “I know.” He reached into his pocket, pulled out a gold watch and laid it on the table before her.

  “This watch, it is very beautiful, Sam, but it is not worth so much money.” Turning her hands over, Bella indicated her helplessness with a shrug, then picked up the cards.

  “Just hold on one minute,” Sam said, reaching inside his coat. “You want collateral. I’ve got collateral, dammit.”

  He pulled a folded paper out of his pocket with a flourish and tossed it across the table.

  “There. Heartbreak Ranch. Thirty thousand acres of the finest cattle range in California.”

  His tone was proud, boastful. Bella knew the drug had altered his good sense. Before he could change his mind, she asked Howard to hand her a pen and ink.

  In a voice loud enough for all those gathered around the table to hear she said, “It is against my better judgment to accept this, Sam. I do so only because you insist, you understand.” At his nod, she added, “Très bien.” With icy calm, she shoved the pen and ink toward Sam, then began to count out a thousand dollars in chips.

  Sam stared down at the deed for a moment or two as if trying to focus. His hand shook as he scrawled his name across the bottom of the page.

  “All signed and legal,” he said, thrusting it away from him.

  Bella blotted the ink, then refolded the deed. With her eyes on Sam, she slipped it down the bodice of her gown, between her breasts.

  Over the next half hour, Bella made certain Sam regained some of his confidence and some of his money.

  “I told you my luck would turn,” he crowed, his voice too loud, his forehead and upper lip sheened with sweat. Before the next deal, he bet all his chips on the jack of hearts. The risky bet started a flurry of whispers. Within seconds a crowd gathered around the table. The air crackled with excitement.

  A stillness akin to death descended upon the Cock O’ The Walk as the crowd waited. Bella made an elaborate show of shuffling the cards, cutting the deck and placing it inside the box. Moving her finger off the tiger’s eye, she saw that the next card up was a jack.

  Obviously Sam’s senses were not yet entirely impaired. He had calculated the odds of being dealt the winning card. Too bad for him that he had not calculated the odds of her discovering his deceit.

  Pressing her thumb on the hidden lever, Bella dropped a six on top of the jack and dealt the two cards as one.

  The onlookers moaned in chorus when they saw the six. Sam cursed.

  “Six wins,” Bella declared in a casual tone that belied her elation.

  No one had bet on six. Quickly she swept the cards into a pile. “The game, it is fini. Better luck another time.”

  Seconds later, she and Sam were the only two left at the table. He looked shaken, his dark eyes unfocused, yet haunted. She watched him run an unsteady hand through his hair before trying to collect himself.

  With an imploring gaze he stared across the table at her.

  “If I didn’t know you better—know how honest you are, I’d be real worried right now. Heartbreak Ranch is all I’ve got.”

  Her heart tripped over itself. She almost wavered.

  Think of Amy’s future. Think of what would have happened if you had not discovered the truth.

  The legendary Bella Duprey would have become the Barbary Coast’s legendary fool.

  Sam closed his eyes and groaned.

  “Come, chéri,” Bella coaxed, sidling up close to him. “Let us go now up to my suite.”

  With both hands planted on the painted tabletop, Sam shoved himself out of his seat and staggered to his feet. “About my deed, Bella...”

  “Oui, chéri.” She patted her bodice. “I have it right here, next to my heart, safe and sound.”

  Bella helped Sam up the stairs to where Toddy was waiting. Tongue lolling, the dog bounded down the hall, leading the way.

  Once Sam was stretched out on her bed, his head turned sideways against the ruffled satin pillow, she crossed the room and lit the lamp on the table next to the window. When the crimps saw the light they would know the time had come.

  Next, she knelt beside the old trunk in the corner and lifted the lid. Toddy sat down beside her. With a glance toward the man on the bed, she reached in and took out her life’s work, a personal journal entitled The Art of Fascination. Inside the leather-bound book were the secrets of her success, the information and procedures that had earned her the title of Queen of the Barbary Coast, and had made her a legend.

  Lamplight flickered over her meticulously written notes of men’s likes and dislikes, their reactions and responses, as well as the various techniques she employed to enhance their sexual pleasure.

  With the help of a Chinese herbalist she had developed recipes for wines, potions, elixirs and scents that worked as aphrodisiacs and stimulants.

  Her fingers toyed with the springy curls atop the poodle’s head. Even he had proved useful—giving her ideas about how to control a man’s behavior. Through the years she had discovered that most men responded
best to simple commands, just like a dog.

  Along with the deed to Heartbreak Ranch, The Art of Fascination would be part of Amy’s inheritance, which was why she’d written it in English. Bella smiled as she slipped the document into the journal, tucked it in among her other treasures and closed the lid of the trunk.

  Sam moaned pitifully and doubled up, drawing his knees to his chest. Bella stood and walked over to the edge of the bed and sat down beside him.

  “Poor Sam,” she whispered as she smoothed his shining black hair off his forehead. His skin was cold and clammy. He had begun to tremble. He was too far gone to fight her.

  Before the crimps came, before Sam lost consciousness, she wanted him to know that she knew of his plans.

  “I loved you, Sam,” she told him. “I think I’ll always love you.”

  “I’m...sick, Bella,” Sam ground out, his teeth rattling. “G-get a d-doctor.”

  Bella smiled sympathetically, then shook her head. “What you have is not fatal, though I was tempted, believe me.”

  He stopped writhing long enough to squint up at her.

  “What...are you...talking about?”

  “The drug I had Felice put in your drink. You’re going to get much worse before you get better. Tomorrow, by the time you regain consciousness, I expect you’ll be on your way to the port of Shanghai. I hope you don’t get seasick on top of everything else.” She touched her fingertips to her lips, then placed them upon his mouth. “I will miss you, mon cher.”

  “You bitch!” He tried to raise himself up on his elbow, but collapsed. “You poisoned me?”

  “I’m afraid so, Sam. But, as I said, it will not kill you. Although by this time tomorrow, you will wish it had.”

  He moaned again.

  Bella nodded at him. “I know all about your plan to seduce me, to humiliate me. What was it you called me? A two-dollar—no, a two-bit whore? I assure you, Sam, I am worth far more than two bits.”

  His face twisted. “I would have won that bet, too.”

  Bella smiled. “I am afraid I will have the last laugh after all.”

  Toddy growled at a noise outside. Bella got up and walked over to the window. She pulled aside the Belgian lace curtains, then opened the window. Two swarthy figures appeared out of the fog and crawled inside. The smell of sweat, fish and the sea eddied about them.