Just After Midnight: Historical Romance Read Online Free

be reminded of their wives and mothers by lookin’ at you.”
    Had Queen been right? Was she bad for business? But what could she do? She didn’t know how to be anyone but herself.
    As the night wore on, a steady stream of men left The Celebration. Toward morning, Queen made her way to where Megan sat in a darkened corner of the dance hall. Resting her ample bulk on the remaining chair, Queen leaned back and kicked off her shoes. “Hate to say I told you so.”
    Megan straightened, suddenly angry. No one had a right to pass judgment on the way she looked. What difference could her appearance possibly make to her ability to manage The Celebration?
    “I don’t know what you’re talking about. People are tired, that’s all. Tomorrow will be better.”
    At Queen’s doubtful expression, Megan stood. “I want to meet the rest of the girls.” She strode across the room toward the stage where the other dancers perched on the structure’s edge, their stocking feet swinging above a neat row of shoes below. Varying degrees of distrust and dislike appeared on each of their faces. This was not going to be easy.
    Queen introduced each of the colorfully adorned women. Their names were a kaleidoscope of sound: Blue Mary, Sassy Sue, the Lightning Bolt, Gilded Lily. It seemed that everyone had an alias in Dawson City. The more unusual the name, the better. Would she ever be able to place each face with the odd monikers to which they belonged?
    “As you’ve probably heard, I’m Megan Daily, Brian’s daughter. I’ll be running the place from now on. I hope we can all work together to make The Celebration a success.” Her smile felt stiff, but she used it anyway.
    A tall, painfully thin woman jumped down from the stage. “If you’d stop driving off the men with your old-maid’s ways, we might have a chance.”
    “Ah . . . Skinny . . . um . . . Nell,” Megan stuttered, unfamiliar with the strange form of address. “I’m sure that in a few days the men will get used to me and business will go on as usual.” Megan glanced at the other women. Skepticism shrouded every face.
    “We’ll see, Miss Daily.” Skinny Nell took her measure, before continuing. “If’n things don’t improve by next week, we’ll all have to go somewhere’s else to do our dancin’.”
    Nods of agreement from the others had Megan opening her mouth to argue the point, but a commotion from the front bar drew her attention.
    “Aw, hell,” groaned Queen, putting her hand to her forehead.
    “What is it?” Megan demanded.
    “Thought he’d be gone for a while yet. I didn’t want to have to burden you with more bad news after you learned about your pa.”
    “Who are you talking about? What bad news?”
    “Big Ian McMurphy’s who, and he’s enough bad news for the entire Yukon.”
    Megan followed the woman’s gaze. The man wasn’t addressed as “big” just for conversation. He filled the doorway, ducking his head to enter. Mammoth shoulders strained at a coat of silver fur while legs the size of unsplit logs pushed at the seams of his black pants. McMurphy’s black beard, shot through with silver that matched the fur, obscured the lower half of his face; but his bright, black eyes shone with a feral intelligence. Their light turned to Megan and she gulped.
    “Owns nearly everything in the territory,” Queen whispered, “and he’s got his eye on this place since Brian died. He doesn’t look too happy to see you.” For once Queen’s voice was unamused, her high-pitched cackle glaringly absent.
    The girls shuffled away, but Queen remained at her side. Megan spared a grateful glance for the woman, but Queen’s wary gaze stayed focused on the huge man. Megan quickly returned her attention to Ian McMurphy. She tilted her neck back, then back even further, to look into his face.
    “Heard you came to town, little girl.” The giant’s voice boomed, causing Megan to flinch. The room had gone silent, the few patrons who remained moving