The singing stopped and the crowd quieted.
“I expect Preacher Greene is prayin’ now,” Randy told Elizabeth, his voice lowered.
“Alder has a preacher?”
“Yes, ma’am. No church, though. Just a travelin’ preacher. He happened to come to town yesterday, so that’s good timing. He’s kinda old, but he still manages to make his rounds.”
Elizabeth thought about the abundance of churches in New York and in most towns back East. The incredible contrast in lifestyle and amenities out here would take a lot of getting used to. She wasn’t sure she ever would. Everything she’d left behind seemed so far away and unreal now. She missed her mother so much. Life would never be the same for her again.
She could see someone putting the nooses around the necks of the two men standing on the scaffold. Hugh Wiley and Jake Snyder had both been wounded yesterday, and it looked like someone was helping one of them stay on his feet. Elizabeth turned away, not wanting to watch what would happen next. She walked back inside and down the hallway, going upstairs to her room. She opened her small trunk, feeling for her mother’s necklace hidden in the lining. She pulled it out, thinking how she, too, might go to prison or be shot or maybe even hanged because of one man’s lies…one very powerful man.
Even though she was upstairs and at the back of Ma’s house, she heard the crowd gasp in unison. The deed was done. In spite of how Hugh Wiley and Jake Snyder had treated her, she prayed their nooses had been properly tied and that they’d died quickly.
Sixteen
Darkness set in, but the saloons remained alive with music and drinking and dancing. Elizabeth still sat in the parlor reading, trying not to think about the hanging…or about Mitch Brady. That effort failed when she heard a key turn in the front door and she looked up to see Mitch Brady walk inside, dressed in a clean shirt, a leather vest, and dark pants—and of all things, wearing no guns. He held out a bouquet of roses.
“These are for you,” he told her. “The blacksmith lives outside of town and his wife has a green thumb for roses. I asked her if I could have some.”
Elizabeth was dumbfounded. She rose, quick instincts telling her not to laugh. Indeed, she suspected this was a gesture that actually took courage for a man like Mitch. Not only was this unlike anything she’d expect from such a man, it was a kindness she’d never seen in any man except once when she was little and her real father had brought flowers to her mother.
“Mitch, they’re beautiful.” She took the roses from him. “Wait here.” She went to the kitchen and found a vase to put them in, adding water from a pitcher on the counter. Ma Kelly was tired and had gone to bed early. Elizabeth came back into the parlor and set the roses on a small table beside a chair. “They look lovely.” She met his eyes. “Thank you for bringing them.”
Mitch sat down in a stuffed chair, taking a thin cigar from a pocket inside his vest. “Mind if I smoke?”
“No.”
He grasped an oil lamp from a table beside the chair and held the cigar over the chimney to light it. “I brought those flowers just to show you there are other normal women in this town, wives and mothers who cook and bake and grow roses. After all you’ve been through, I just wanted you to see there are a few good things here, and I thought maybe you’d like to see there is a normal man behind those guns I wear.”
He smoked quietly as Elizabeth took a chair across from him. “I can’t believe you thought to do this.”
Mitch took another drag on the thin cigar and then set it in an ashtray nearby. He leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. “You sat through that hanging all alone, wondering what the hell you’ll do next and if you even want to stay in this town. This is just a way of apologizing for all you’ve been through since you got here. It’s also my way of showing you that I want you to stay in Alder. You don’t have to tell me anything about why you’re here. I just don’t want you to run again. I want you here so I can keep you safe.”
Elizabeth felt a catch in her heart. “Why do you care so much?”
He looked at the floor. “Because you…remind me of someone, that’s all.”
“Who? A wife? A sister? Did something bad happen to some woman you cared about? Sarah told me what you did to that man who hurt her, and she said you’re always defending women and—”
“I can’t talk about it. Not yet anyway. You keep telling me you don’t know me well enough to tell me everything about yourself. I guess I feel the same way.”
“Except to tell me you’re a worthless, no-good, murdering vigilante?”
He grinned. “Except that. And don’t forget that I don’t lie, so that really is part of what I am.”
Elizabeth studied him quietly. “I might believe the murdering vigilante part, because I witnessed as much. But something tells me you aren’t worthless and you aren’t a no-good. You’ve certainly been good to me, and others tell me you’re a good man. Of course, those others have been women. Why do I suspect every woman in this town is in love with you? Even Ma?”
He laughed then, actually looking embarrassed. “Hey, the men who work with me or for me are pretty good friends, too. Most of them would have my back anytime. And the women are all just—” He shrugged. “Good friends,” he finished.
“I’ll bet they are.” Elizabeth smiled, while deep inside she felt an odd jealousy. Why? She knew in the worst way the horror of being with a man, but part of her also knew there was supposed to be something pleasurable about it. After all, her mother had seemed so happy with her father. But then he died…and then there was Alan Radcliffe. She sobered.
“You’ve lost your pretty smile,” Mitch told her, smoking again. “What is it?”
Tell him! What if Alan finds you here? Mitch might be able to help. “It’s just one of those things I’m not ready to tell you yet, if ever,” she answered, “just like there are things you won’t tell me.”
“If I did, would it help you open up to me?”
She shook her head. “I don’t think so.” He’s a lawman, she reminded herself. By now you could be a wanted woman. How she hated Alan Radcliffe! He’d ruined her chances of ever being really happy, made her come to this wild, reckless town where she could probably never lead a normal life. He’d taken away all her dreams of what love should be like, her dreams that a man could be gentle and caring.
“What happened at the hanging?” she asked Mitch, forcing back the ugly memories, wanting to change the subject by grasping at anything else. “Did it go right? I heard that if they don’t tie the rope knot right—”
“It went like it should,” he interrupted. “I’m glad you stayed away. If you’ve never seen a hanging, it’s pretty hard to watch.”
She shook her head. “I still can’t believe people let their children watch.”
“That’s life in a Western gold town.” Mitch set the cigar aside again. “I guess you get so used to it that you don’t think much about it. As far as what I do, if you don’t deal vigilante-type justice out here, Elizabeth, people don’t survive. There’s no other kind of law. Without it you’d have rapes and murders and stealing going on night and day. There’s enough of that as it is, but striking fear into the hearts of most men helps stop a lot of it. I saw plenty of lawlessness in the back alleys of the poor neighborhoods of New York City. When I made my way out here, I decided I’d rather be on the side of the law. I already told you how I kind of fell into the rest.”
Elizabeth nodded. “I see.”
Mitch sighed. “You probably don’t see, considering the kind of life I think you’ve likely led up to now. If you come from the right side of town, you can go your whole life without seeing a crime committed or the horrible things people can do to each other. I have seen the worst of it, so if I sometimes come off as uncaring, it’s probably because in situations like that I don’t care—not about the person committing the crime anyway. I guess I just need
you to know that. It doesn’t mean I’m a horrible person you can’t trust. And because of how I figure you grew up, I know all the things you’ve witnessed and suffered the last few days must have been terrifying for you. When you talked about leaving Alder…” He shook his head. “Just don’t leave, okay? Things wouldn’t be any better in any other town out here, and at least now you’ve already made a couple of friends. I don’t want to worry about you traveling someplace else all alone, maybe meeting up with something worse than what happened in that robbery.”
Elizabeth met his gaze, eyes too blue to be real, a kind of sparkling blue that could hold kindness and yet blaze with ruthless anger when he was riled. That was what she wasn’t quite sure of yet. She’d seen what a man could do when suddenly and unexpectedly angered.
“I’m not totally unfamiliar with violence, Mitch.”
There came several long seconds of silence as their gazes held. “I wish you would tell me about it.”
She finally tore away from his penetrating gaze. The man seemed to be able to read a person a bit too well. “Maybe—once I know you better. Right now I just want to get oriented here. I feel better, now that all those men are dead and gone. And I feel safe here at Ma’s. And I have to stay a while yet, because Sarah owes me some dresses.”
“She’s a good seamstress. She’s made me several shirts.”
Elizabeth toyed with an embroidered flower on her own dress. “Is she… I mean…have you and Sarah—”
Mitch grinned again. “That’s an unfair question for a single man in a town full of loose women. I guess that’s my business, isn’t it?”
Elizabeth reddened. “It wasn’t an unfair question. It was a stupid question. I have no idea why I asked it.”
Mitch crushed out his cheroot in the ashtray. “I’d like to think you asked it because you think you and I could be more than acquaintances. At least I’d like it that way. You know me—honest Mitch Brady. A person always knows what I’m thinking, and I’m thinking you’re beautiful and alone and I would like nothing more than to court you. This is my feeble attempt at doing just that. I’m not real good at these things, not with a woman like you, anyway.”
He rose, and Elizabeth followed, feeling flustered and embarrassed. How could she explain to him why a young, unattached woman wouldn’t be interested? It certainly didn’t have anything to do with Mitch Brady himself. He was just about the most handsome, virile man she’d ever met…and so far he’d been attentive and kind and…hell, he’d saved her life—twice! She couldn’t bring herself to meet his eyes. “I guess you can call on me again,” she told him. “I just need a few days to get my thoughts straight.”
He grasped her arm gently, forcing her to look up at him. “Elizabeth, when it comes to women, I’m not the brute you’ve seen when I’m using my guns. And I’m not stupid enough to think you’re ready to trust a near stranger. I’m just trying to make myself less of a stranger and more of a friend.” He let go of her and walked to where he’d hung his hat near the door. “I’ll be gone about a week. I’m taking Sam Wiley to Virginia City. That will give you time to think about a few things.” He started for the door.
“Wait!” she called out.
Mitch hesitated, meeting her eyes again.
“Thank you…for the roses. That was nice of you. And—” She glanced at his hips, where she’d always seen him wear those guns. “Is it safe for you to be out there in the streets without your guns?”
He smiled again. Then he reached down, pulling up the cuff of his right pant leg and taking a six-gun from his boot. “I am never completely unarmed,” he answered, holding up the six-gun. “Now you don’t have to worry.” He was still grinning as he shoved the pistol into his belt. “You take care of yourself and stick close to Ma while I’m gone. And a couple of my men will be keeping an eye on you.”
He walked out the door. Elizabeth couldn’t decide how she felt. She glanced at the vase of roses. The man could show stark contrasts of personality, and all of them confused her.
Seventeen
Five more days passed. Elizabeth saw nothing of Mitch, who sent Randy to her with a message that he’d left for Virginia City, where Sam Wiley would be jailed, sentenced by a judge there, and likely be sent to a prison farther east. Mitch had taken two men with him to testify as to what Sam did, adamant that Elizabeth herself would not have to go and testify. He wanted Sam Wiley jailed and out of the way, anxious for things to get back to normal, whatever normal was for a place like Alder.
Elizabeth worried about him the whole time he was gone. Hugh and Sam had other friends who now probably hated Mitch. She just hoped that if and when Sam Wiley ever got out of jail, he would stay away from Alder. The preacher who’d presided over the hanging had left town, and the last five days had been relatively quiet, other than the street noises Elizabeth was beginning to get used to. She’d enjoyed a more welcome rest than anything she’d experienced since her spectacular arrival here. She took advantage of the chance to let her shoulder heal more and to stay away from staring eyes. Since the excitement of the hanging died down, she hoped the curiosity over why she was here would also die down.
For these past five days there was only Ma Kelly to talk to. Even the other boarders were never around much, except at breakfast, and they were for the most part respectful toward her and didn’t ask too many questions. In fact, all three of the original boarders had left, and two new men had moved in, both of them just looking for jobs in town. None stayed long enough to get well acquainted, and that was fine with Elizabeth.
For any who tried to pry into Elizabeth’s business or gave a hint of wanting to take her out on the town, Ma Kelly promptly set them straight. Doc Wilson had supper with them one evening at Ma’s invitation. Elizabeth enjoyed the visit, but she’d not asked much about Mitch, not wanting the doctor to think she cared one way or the other about the man. Her only other visitor had been the lawyer, Carl Jackson, who came calling one day unexpectedly. Ma turned him away, and after he left Ma warned her that Jackson was not a man she should encourage, voicing her opinion that the man was “as crooked as they come.” Between that remark and Mitch’s poor opinion of the man, Elizabeth was perfectly happy to see him turned away at the door.
It was Mitch Brady who gave her restless thoughts and attracted her in ways she’d rather not admit. She’d not come here to find a man, and after what she’d left behind, she doubted she’d ever allow a man to touch her anyway…not even Mitch Brady. Love and trust were two things she’d likely never experience again. Still, Mitch stirred emotions she didn’t think she’d ever feel. And he’d brought her those roses…
Again, unwanted memories slammed her heart and thoughts, always hitting her unexpectedly, always alarming, always depressing. In the nine days she’d been here in Alder, she’d managed more and more to push away the events that brought her here, push away the memory of Alan Radcliffe and his brutality, push away the memory of her mother’s cruel death…and the fact that she’d not been able to say good-bye.
She blinked back tears and took a deep breath. Not today. Not today. An explosion from one of the bigger mines in the surrounding mountains helped bring her thoughts to the present. The sudden rumbles made the small boardinghouse shake, but they no longer startled Elizabeth. Each explosion was a signal that some mine owner was going deeper into the mountains. She’d learned a little about how it all worked, and now she was curious to see it for herself. She figured she’d do just that when Mitch took her through the various settlements scattered along Alder Gulch to see about teaching.
That day had come. Yesterday Randy delivered the message that Mitch was back and was coming today to take her outside of town for some shooting practice. They would also visit some of the settlements in the gulch, and she’d prepared some handwritten flyers to give out to families, telling them where to find her if they wanted their child to get some schooling.
She studied
herself in the mirror, wearing the first dress Sarah had managed to finish for her. It was made of the brown cotton material with tiny yellow flowers in the pattern. Elizabeth was impressed with Sarah’s abilities as a seamstress. The dress fit well; it was a one-piece princess style with buttons from the top of the slightly scooped neck all the way down the front to the very bottom of the hemline. Dropped shoulders led to long sleeves that fit loosely, the neckline and sleeves designed for the hot July days. Because of the heat, Elizabeth wore only one petticoat, which left the skirt hanging almost straight.
Following Elizabeth’s instructions, there were no embellishments on the dress. Here in Alder it just wasn’t practical to dress in lace and ruffles and a pile of petticoats and jewelry. She’d twisted her hair into a large round bun at the back of her head, held with plain combs, and she wore tiny drop earrings, just a touch of rouge, and nothing more in the way of extra jewelry or makeup.
She pinned on a small straw hat, glad to have unexpectedly discovered hats in a general store. She’d gone out shopping only once, accompanied by Ma Kelly, Randy Olson always hanging nearby, according to Mitch’s instructions. Elizabeth appreciated the fact that his presence, as well as Ma Kelly’s, helped keep strangers away, but part of her still hated being followed.
She heard the front door open, then heard voices. It irked her that she was actually excited to see Mitch again, but she couldn’t stop the emotions he stirred in her. She smoothed her dress and picked up the derringer from where she’d laid it on the bed. She put it into her drawstring handbag, picked up one box of ammunition and a few of her flyers, and walked out and down the back stairs, where she nearly ran into Ma Kelly.
Desperate Hearts Page 12
