“You’re a sweet young lady,” he told her, grasping her arm gently. “I won’t let anything happen to you.” He held her gaze, and Elizabeth felt a splendid warmth, a feeling of total safety. She felt like crying. Somehow, she believed him…and it had been such a long time since she’d felt safe.
Eight
Elizabeth listened to the wind howl around the boardinghouse as it whistled through cracks in the wood and swished sand against the window of Mitch’s bedroom. Overnight a hot wind had come charging through Alder, making signs squeak as they blew back and forth on their hinges, sending weeds and no small amount of trash sailing down the street, and drowning out the normal sounds of the restless gold town. It seemed just another demonstration of how wild and untamed this town was, just like the man who lay groaning in his bed, a high fever requiring the constant application of a cool cloth to his face and neck.
Doc Wilson had asked her if she could do the job. He had two other new patients to tend to, and Ma Kelly was busy with cleaning and cooking and tending to her other tenants. Three different prostitutes had shown up at Ma’s door, offering to help out with Mitch, but Ma told them Miss Wainright was taking care of him, and with her being so new in town, maybe it was best she not be surrounded right away by ladies of the evening. “Besides, I’ve got two other men staying here. Makes things a bit uneasy, if you know what I mean, girls,” Ma told them.
Even though the women were not exactly the kind of company Elizabeth would have wanted, she hoped they weren’t angry about being turned away.
“They understand,” Ma told her. “I know them well and they know I don’t mean insult. Some of them are a lot nicer than you’d think. I just thought it best they stay away.”
“How did they even know Mitch was passed out in here?”
“Oh, news travels fast in this town, dear.”
Elizabeth was grateful for Ma’s thoughtfulness, but she was so tired that she had to admit she wouldn’t have minded the help, prostitutes or not.
She glanced at a mantel clock on Mitch’s dresser—2:00 a.m. Her back hurt from being in a sitting position for so long. Her shoulder ached. Her ribs hurt. Her head swam with all the events that had accompanied her journey to Alder, especially since the stage robbery. None of it seemed real. What in God’s name was she doing, sitting here in a strange man’s room nursing him, seeing him lie there with his shirt off again while she sponged his fevered body? She should find his big, powerful frame revolting, after what she’d been through.
What was it about this particular man that made her feel as if she’d always known him? Why had she felt oddly stirred by the way he’d touched her arm earlier, the way he’d looked at her as though she were made of delicate crystal? And why did a man of his size and his violent nature make her feel safe? She told herself to be more wary, more alert, and to remember that right now Mitch Brady was not at full strength. Under normal circumstances, he was likely not to be trusted any further than any other man.
Once in his delirium he had thrashed about so wildly that she backed away for a moment. “Get away from her! Get away from her!” he’d groaned before finally slipping back into a restless sleep.
Doc Wilson had been compelled to re-stitch the wound, and this time the bandages around Mitch’s middle showed no bloodstains. Elizabeth dared to pull back the covers, revealing his bare torso again so she could check once more. The bandages were still clean. When she put the covers back up over most of his chest, she caught him looking at her.
“Well, you’re awake.” She touched his forehead with the back of her hand. “And cooler. How do you feel, Mitch?”
He just studied her a moment. “I don’t know yet. What time is it?”
“Two a.m.”
“What?” He turned his head to glance at the clock. “For Christ’s sake, have I been lying here since early yesterday?”
“Yes. I told you that you got up too soon. You passed out on us and Doc came over. He had to put more stitches in that wound to close it up better, and you came down with a fever. Doc had other patients to tend to and Ma is busy, so I volunteered to nurse you through the night.”
He rubbed at his eyes. “You shouldn’t have had to do this. There is a whole town full of whores who would have been willing—”
“They volunteered, but Ma didn’t want them here overnight because of other male guests, and out of respect for me—not that you would have considered that.”
He studied her, frowning. “I’m not an inconsiderate brute, if that’s what you think. And I agree with Ma. It probably wouldn’t have been right letting one of the girls sit in my room all night.” He looked around the room, then tried to sit up. “I have to get out of here. There’s a lot going on in town and I should be out there.”
Elizabeth pushed at him. “You stay right there, at least until daylight. There are still a couple of disgruntled men out there who would like to shoot you for hauling in those two stage robbers. You’re in no condition to fight. And for heaven’s sake, give that wound time to heal.”
He settled back against the pillows. “Why are you doing this? You must be so tired that you hurt all over.”
Elizabeth dipped the cloth into the pan of cool water again and wrung it out. “I am, but somebody had to tend to you, and in spite of everything, the fact remains that you helped me out of a bad situation and saw me safely to Alder. I owe you.”
She leaned over him to apply the cloth to his forehead and he grasped her wrist. “You don’t owe me a thing. I was just doing my job—and believe me, just being able to look at you is payment enough.”
Elizabeth felt herself blushing. She laid the cloth over his forehead, just then aware of how close that brought them. Someone else’s face sheared through her thoughts, and she stiffened and pulled her wrist from his grasp. She warned herself how dangerous it was to get too close to any man. This one was weak and healing right now, but even in this condition, he could likely still throw her across the room…or onto his bed. She was a new young woman in town who’d literally spent the night in this man’s room! It only hit her then how that must look.
“I… Those women who came here… If they tell the whole town who’s taking care of you, it’s going to look bad.” She suddenly felt terribly uncomfortable. “You said yourself I’d have a hard time proving I’m respectable here. What will those men out there think of this? I guess I shouldn’t—”
He grasped her hand before she could get completely away. “Elizabeth, don’t worry about it. When I’m up and around later, I’ll make sure no rumors get started.” He squeezed her hand. “I don’t know why in hell you’re here, but you remember you can come to me if you need help, understand?”
She looked down at the big hand clasped around her own, felt the strength there. How could the strength of one man be so terrifying, while the strength of another could be so comforting? She met his eyes. “You’re telling me to come to a worthless, no-good, murdering vigilante for help? That is how you described yourself to me.”
He grinned. “I guess I did, didn’t I? Well, it’s true, but women don’t need to be afraid of me, especially pretty, respectable ones who I have a feeling are scared to death and running from something.”
Elizabeth pulled away again. “You seem to be much better, and I am so tired, I’m about to pass out. I’m going to my room now. Promise me you’ll stay right here and sleep a little longer than usual in the morning. Don’t make all these hours I’ve spent with you be for nothing.”
He looked her over in a way that made her feel both warm and embarrassed. “They won’t be for nothing,” he told her. “Go get some rest. And thank you for sitting with me. You don’t even know me, and you’re hurting, too.”
She rose. “I just did what needed doing,” she answered.
“Elizabeth.”
She turned.
“I meant what I said about coming to me for help.
You don’t fool me one bit about coming here to teach or whatever other reason you claim for being here. And the best way I can help you is to know the truth.”
Elizabeth hesitated. She longed to tell him just that—the truth—but he was a lawman, and a ruthless one at that. “Why do you care?”
“Because I hate to see a woman feel helpless and alone.”
Elizabeth frowned, meeting his gaze. “Why?”
He put an arm over his eyes. “Long story.”
Elizabeth just stared at him a moment longer. “Have you ever been married, Mitch?”
“Hell, no. Go on now. Get some rest. You sure as hell deserve it.”
For some strange reason, Elizabeth wanted to stay with him, but it was too ridiculous and embarrassing to admit. She left the room, wondering about his restless tossing earlier, and the words he’d mumbled: “Get away from her!”
You accuse me of keeping secrets, Mitch Brady, but you apparently have some of your own.
Nine
“I can’t believe how long I slept,” Elizabeth told Ma Kelly. She sat in the woman’s small kitchen eating a fresh biscuit and an egg Ma had prepared for her. “I should be eating lunch, not breakfast.”
Ma Kelly carried over two cups of coffee and sat down across from her. “Well, you needed the rest, after what you went through,” she answered, “and then sitting up most of the night with Mitch. Sometimes things like that catch up to you later. Having your own room where you can truly relax also helps. Any time you want to take a bath, I’ll bring in the tin tub and heat some water for you.”
“Having a room on the second floor at the back of the house helps. There isn’t so much street noise.”
Ma Kelly re-pinned a strand of gray hair that had come loose. “Lord knows the nights around here are just as noisy as the days. How is your shoulder?”
“Doc Wilson told me it would give me stabbing pain at times if I moved it the wrong way. He was right. Getting dressed and pinning up my hair is the hardest.”
“Well, you do a good job of it, but you seem like a young lady who usually has help with such things.”
Elizabeth lost her smile. “I did once…in another life. I left that life back in New—in St. Louis.”
Ma Kelly nodded. “Must have been something very wrong with that life to bring a lady like you to a place like this. I hope you find the peace you’re looking for.”
The woman’s keen insight, combined with what seemed like genuine concern, soothed Elizabeth’s loneliness. “It’s strange that a wild town like Alder can actually make someone feel more at peace. I have to say, though, that I don’t look forward to the noise and activity that will take place tomorrow at the hanging. I intend to stay in my room and not watch.”
Ma Kelly chuckled. “Honey, if you live here long enough, you’ll find that a person jumps at the chance to turn just about anything into entertainment and a chance to get together with others socially.”
Elizabeth sipped her coffee. “I find that hard to believe, but I guess you would know.” She finished her biscuit, hearing heavy footsteps in the hallway. To her surprise, Mitch walked into the kitchen wearing guns on both hips.
“Well, good morning,” Ma Kelly greeted him. “You sure you should be up?”
Mitch sat down at the table, glancing at Elizabeth. “I should have been up a long time ago, but Miss Wainright here advised me to sleep as long as I could, and I decided to take her advice.” He nodded to Elizabeth. “Thanks again for sitting up with me. I’m embarrassed you had to do that. I don’t generally find myself at someone else’s mercy. It’s usually the other way around.”
Elizabeth looked at her coffee cup. “That I do not doubt.” She felt irritatingly flustered at the sight of him. Cleaned up and wearing a blue shirt and leather vest, his sandy hair clean and combed, Mitch looked disturbingly handsome, yet intimidating. His tall, broad presence seemed to completely fill the little kitchen. “I’m glad you listened to me,” she added, meeting his gaze again. “There is nothing wrong with admitting you need a little extra rest once in a while. Ma Kelly and I were just talking about how an experience like yesterday’s can catch up with you. I slept far too many hours myself. I have to get out of here and find work of some sort.”
Mitch frowned as Ma Kelly set a mug of coffee in front of him. “You should wait until I can escort you,” he told Elizabeth. “Or until I help you pick out a gun you can carry in your purse.”
Elizabeth shook her head. “Is that all you think about? Shooting people?”
Mitch scowled, picking up the cup. “Just the ones who deserve it, and there are plenty of those around here.” He drank down some coffee.
Elizabeth felt an odd uneasiness at how close she felt to this man she still hardly knew. It irked her a bit that she was sharing the same house with him. Something about it seemed too intimate. “Be that as it may, I don’t need you following me around like a bodyguard. I chose to come here, Mitch, and I will find a way to survive.”
He studied her with eyes that seemed to know everything she was thinking. “And I still can’t figure out why in hell you’re here.”
Elizabeth stiffened. “I thought it was agreed that was no one’s business, just like it’s not my business why you chose to come here and make yourself the law of the land—why you hunt down the bad element and shoot or hang men with no qualms.”
Their gazes held for a moment, and Elizabeth could have sworn she saw a hint of hurt in the man’s eyes. “All right,” he said, leaning back. “Go ahead on out there and make your own way. I have better things to do than follow you around like a bodyguard, as you put it. I have to make sure a gallows gets built. After what those men did yesterday, you’re right. I won’t have any pity over them getting what’s coming to them. I’ll watch them hang with no qualms.” He drank down some coffee and rose. “I’ve got a lot to do, Ma. I won’t be home till supper, if then.”
“Mitch, you need to eat.”
“I’ll stop by the diner when I get time.” He headed for the back door, grabbing his hat from a hook nearby and glancing back at Elizabeth. “Have a pleasant day, ma’am,” he said with a strong hint of sarcasm.
“Mitch—”
He stopped, his hand resting on the doorknob.
“I truly am grateful for what you did for me yesterday. Please don’t think I’m not.”
He nodded and went out without looking back.
Elizabeth turned her attention to Ma Kelly. “I hurt his feelings.”
“Mitch’s?” Ma Kelly chuckled. “That’s a pretty hard thing to do, with a man like that.” She sat back down across from Elizabeth. “I have to say, though, that I see something between you two. Mitch pretty much doesn’t care what anybody thinks of him, but I suspect he does care what you think of him.” She winked. “And here you two have only known each other for two days.” She leaned closer. “Could it be that the man made quite an impression on you when that stagecoach was robbed?”
Elizabeth scowled. “Not in a good way, I assure you. I’m not accustomed to seeing someone open a hole in a man’s back, shoot two other men, and then chain up another two like animals. At first I wondered if he was one of them, intending to have me and whatever he could steal all to himself.”
Ma Kelly nodded. “Well, with some men the line between good and bad is pretty thin. I suspect at some point in his life, Mitch could have gone either way, but that something happened to make him choose the law instead of being an outlaw. I don’t know much about his past, but I do know when a man has a hankering for a particular woman, and that man’s got one for you. Can’t say as I blame him. He’s young and alone, and you’re the first really pretty, respectable, available woman who’s come to Alder in a long time.”
Elizabeth waved her off. “How on earth can you think that so soon?”
“I’ve been around a lot of years, Miss Elizabeth—long enough t
o know when the feelings are mutual.”
Elizabeth rose. “Well, you’re completely wrong, Ma. For reasons I won’t explain, the last thing I want is a man in my life.” She smiled. “Thank you for the breakfast, or lunch, or whatever you want to call it. I am going upstairs to make myself proper for stepping out and looking for work. I intend to spread it around town that I am willing to teach for a small fee. I happen to be quite good at reading and writing.”
“Well, most folks around here are only interested in working the placer mines, not learning their ABC’s. And if you’re going to teach, you’d have to go out to the mines all along the gulch where there are a few wives and kids. ’Course, it’s dangerous out to the mines, too. Men try to steal claims, steal food, sometimes steal some other man’s wife for a night. Wherever you go here, Elizabeth, you’ll find danger. Mitch was right that you should carry a gun if you’re going to be out and about a lot, especially at first, when nobody knows anything about you and most men will think you’re here either as a mail-order bride or…something else.”
Elizabeth lifted her chin. “They will soon learn I am a respectable woman here to…well, here to live my life the way I choose and to teach children who otherwise would not have the opportunity to learn. Maybe I will even get some of those men out there to build a cabin I can use as a little school, somewhere between town and the mines, close enough for some of those miners’ children to come a day or two a week.”
Ma Kelly rose and picked up their coffee cups. “Things are very different out here than back East, Elizabeth. You watch yourself.”
Elizabeth shook her head and headed into the hallway and up the stairs to her room, not wanting Ma Kelly to see how truly nervous and afraid she was. She was not about to let anyone know it. She went to a window and looked out into the alley below, where two men shoved each other around in an argument over a bottle of whiskey. The language they used made her wince.
Desperate Hearts Page 7
