by Mary Burton
He faced her. “Ellie, living out here won’t be easy. There are going to be good years and bad.”
“I’m not afraid of hard work, especially since I’m building a real home for the first time in my life.”
He leaned forward and kissed her. She rose up on tiptoes, wrapped her arms around his neck and deepened the kiss.
A soft groan rumbled in Nick’s chest. He pulled back. “If you don’t stop that, Mrs. Baron, I won’t be able to wait until we get back to Annie’s.”
“You’ve got a saddle blanket that you can spread on the floor.”
“In broad daylight? I’ve married a wanton woman.”
“Complaining?”
“Not in the least, lady. Not in the least.”
He kissed her lightly and went to fetch the blanket. Five minutes later it was spread out on the floor. He sat on it and started to pull off his boots.
“In a bit of a rush, aren’t you, Mr. Baron?” She started to unfasten the row of buttons that trailed between her breasts.
“I can think of no better way to christen our new cabin.”
She shrugged off her bodice and laid it on the edge of the blanket. Her breasts peeked out over the top of her chemise. She reached for the pink bow between them.
Dark lust replaced the laughter in his eyes. “Come here, Mrs. Baron.”
She’d learned from the girls at the Silver Slipper that anticipation was half the fun. Instead of going to him, she took a step back and slowly unlaced her shoes.
“Are you teasing me, woman?”
She let one shoe drop and then reached for the second set of laces. “I sure am.”
Nick leaned back on his elbows, watching her as she set the second shoe aside. She reached for the button in the back of her skirt and unfastened it. The calico skimmed over her hips and fell into a puddle around her ankles. She undid the frayed cord that laced up her corset.
Nick rose up on his knees and took her hand in his. She was under him in an instant and he was pushing up the fabric of her chemise and kissing her breasts.
Ellie’s playfulness vanished. She gave herself to the storm of desire that engulfed them both.
MUCH, MUCH LATER, they lay together on the blanket, their clothes heaped together nearby. The sun had dipped. They had eaten their picnic lunch after they’d made love and then they’d made love again. The day had been perfect.
Nick sat up. “We best get back to Annie’s.”
Ellie stretched her arms high over her head. “I could stay here forever.”
He kissed the tip of her naked breast. “We’ve got to get back. Rose will be looking for you.” He handed her her chemise and pantaloons.
She sat up and started to dress. “Okay, we get Rose and then we come right back here.”
He pulled up his pants. “With luck we can be back in a couple of weeks.”
Disappointment washed over her. “That long?”
He yanked his shirt over his head, tucked it into his pants and fastened the buttons. “There’s a lot to be done first.”
“I know there will be supplies and furniture to be bought. I doubt we can afford much at first.”
“Money’s not a problem. About all I’ve done these last ten years is save what I made.”
She pulled on her skirt and bodice. “Then there’s nothing stopping us from setting up the house right away.”
He put on his boots. “I’ve got to deal with Frank before we do anything here. The minister says there is a man in Butte who the authorities think is Frank.”
Frank. He was a distant reminder of a nightmare she’d once lived. “Good, let him stay there.”
He strapped on his gun. “I can’t do that. I’ve got to see him for myself. And there is the matter of the gold. It has to be returned to the railroad.”
“Can’t we just forget the past?”
“Not this part of it.” His voice had grown cold and hard.
“I have a bad feeling about this,” she said.
He wrapped his arms around her. “Ellie, I’m very good at what I do. Even if the man they have isn’t Frank, I will find him.”
Her unease grew. She felt as if he were abandoning her. “You’ve never had anything to lose before.”
“All the more reason to be very careful.”
She could feel the glow of the day seeping from her bones. “Nick, please don’t go.”
He shook his head. “Ellie, you’re not being fair. I have to go.”
She pulled back. “Your life is not just about you anymore. There is Rose and me to consider.”
“You knew from the start that I’d always go after Frank.”
A cold shiver danced down her spine. “I don’t want to lose you.”
He cupped her face. “You won’t.”
Unshed tears choked her throat. “You have a responsibility to us.”
“I have one to Bobby, too. The man was like a father to me. I could never make a life in the house he built if I didn’t see his killer hang.”
She knew she’d never change his mind, which only stirred the anger and frustration inside her. “If you cared about me, you’d not go.”
He pulled back. “That’s not fair, Ellie.”
“I don’t care about fair anymore! I have a family now and I don’t want to lose it.”
He lifted his chin. “You’ve got to have a little faith in me.”
“I love you,” she said. Tears spilled down her face.
His eyes softened for a moment, but he said nothing. No words of love. No tender feelings. “I’ve got to get you back to Annie’s.”
The cold hard bounty hunter who had first appeared on her doorstep was back. Her loving husband was gone and she feared she’d never see him again. “If you leave, I can’t guarantee Rose and I will be here when you get back.”
Nick’s scowl deepened. He strode out of the cabin, leaving Ellie to follow. She felt wretched as she climbed on her horse and the two rode back to Annie’s in silence.
When they reached the coach stop, Ellie went inside the main cabin and fed Rose while Nick cared for the horses.
That night, Ellie went to bed in her room alone. She tossed and turned until well past midnight before an uneasy sleep claimed her.
In the darkness, Nick came to her. He slid into her bed. He was naked. Neither spoke as he pushed up her nightgown. She opened her legs for him. He slid into her as if they’d made love a thousand times.
She put her heart and soul into their joining, matching his passion with her own. When they climaxed together, she spooned her body to his and he draped his arm over her waist. The warmth of his embrace soothed all her worries. Though they’d not spoken, she was confident their lovemaking had been apology enough to make up for all the terrible things she’d said.
In the morning, she vowed to tell him that she would always be here for him. Her anger had been born of fear. She just wanted him safe. He was her life now. And she would tell him again that she loved him.
As sleep overtook her, she vowed to make things all right when she woke.
THAT SAME NIGHT Reverend Johnson sat by his campfire, singing a hymn. The evening was warm and the breeze gentle. He’d eaten the delicious meal Ellie had made for him. Life didn’t get much better.
He heard the snap of a twig and knew someone was behind him. He turned and saw a clean-shaven man with black hair and broad, muscular shoulders.
Over the years he’d stopped fearing strangers. The Lord had sent all kinds his way. “Evening. Got a little coffee left in the pot if you’d like some.”
The stranger nodded. “Much obliged.” He sat across from the minister, pulled a tin cup from his saddlebag and poured his coffee. He sipped it. “Sure is good. Thanks.”
“Name’s Reverend Shaun Johnson.”
“Frank.”
The minister searched his mind. “Do I know you?”
Frank shook his head as he sipped his coffee. “Don’t believe I’ve had the pleasure.”
The revere
nd sat forward. He hated to judge a man before he got to know him, but there was something about this man that made the hairs on the back of his neck rise, as if Lucifer himself had come a calling.
Shaun decided to let the matter drop. He would tread lightly with this one. Likely he’d sleep with one eye open tonight. “So, where you headed?”
Frank’s fingers tightened around his cup. “West.”
No sin in being vague. “Me, I’m headed to Butte. Got friends there. You ever been there?”
“A time or two.”
The two lapsed into silence. It was the minister’s nature to chat but it was clear Frank wanted no part of talking.
“Don’t suppose you have any grub to spare?” Frank said finally.
“Matter of fact I do. Got biscuits and a fine salty ham.”
Frank accepted the fare and when he bit into the biscuit, his face softened. “Mighty tasty. Ain’t often you get this kind of food out on the range.”
“Got it from a coach stop not five hours west of here. A little redheaded cook by the name of Ellie made it for me.”
Frank’s eyes brightened. “That so?”
The reverend was pleased they had something to talk about. “Fact, I just married her to a nice fellow.”
“You married her?” An edge had crept into his voice.
“To a fine man who will do right by her. He seems mighty smitten by her.”
The stranger’s hands curled into fists. “That baby of hers a girl?”
“Why, yes, she was. How’d you know?”
“Lucky guess. Where’d you say this coach stop was?”
“Five or six hours west, near the mouth of Thunder Canyon.”
“Owned by a gal named Annie?”
“That’s right.”
“Appreciate the information.” Frank pulled his gun and pointed it at the reverend. He fired.
The bullet struck the minister square in the chest by his heart. He fell back off the log he was sitting on and hit the dirt hard.
Pain seared through his chest and he couldn’t catch his breath. He’d never expected to die on the side of the road. He’d always figured he’d die in town in a feather bed. He reckoned there was purpose in his death this fine evening, but he couldn’t see it for the life of him.
Frank moved closer to the fire and squatted. He took what remained of the food Ellie had made. “My Ellie was always the best cook in the state.”
It took all of Reverend Johnson’s energy to focus.
Frank started to eat. “You had no right marrying them. Ellie is my wife.”
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
NICK was gone!
Ellie charged out of her room, buttoning her bodice as she hurried into the kitchen. No one. She ran outside, saw that Nick’s horse was gone, and then hurried into the barn. No sign of Nick.
Running back to the cabin, she burst through the front door as Annie walked down the stairs. Rose was on her shoulder, sleeping.
“Nick’s horse is gone!” Ellie said, breathless.
Annie nodded. “He and Mike left a couple of hours ago. They said they’d be back in a week or two.”
Her shoulders slumped. “You should have woken me up.”
“Nick said not to—that you needed your sleep.”
“They’ve gone after Frank and the gold.”
Annie laid Rose in the cradle in Ellie’s room. “He knows what he’s doing, Ellie. And Mike’s handled his share of guns.”
“I begged him not to go.”
Annie shook her head. “He’s got to put this matter to rest.”
Ellie pressed her hands to her face. “I know he does.”
“He will be all right,” Annie said.
“I was horrible to him. I said terrible things. If anything should happen to him, I would die knowing the last words I said to him were so hateful.”
Annie put her arm around Ellie’s shoulder. “He will be fine.”
Ellie wanted to believe Annie. But in her heart she feared she’d lost her only chance at love.
NICK AND MIKE saw the buzzards overhead at eleven o’clock in the morning. Something or someone ahead over the rise was dead or dying.
Mike shifted forward in his saddle. “We should check it out.”
Nick didn’t want to be gone from Ellie any longer than was necessary, but Mike was right. They had to check. “Yes.”
Mike and Nick nudged their feet into their horses’ haunches and climbed the rocky incline. When they reached the peak, Nick spotted the man lying on the ground. As they approached, he recognized the reverend instantly. Both men dismounted.
The minister lay on his back, his arms out-stretched, his face turned toward the blistering sun. Blood oozed from a gash on his forehead.
Nick’s gut clenched. He knelt beside the man. A bullet had seared through the left breast pocket of his coat, leaving a wide hole. No man could survive such a wound.
He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, cursing himself for not making the man wait another day. “Damn.”
Mike took off his hat. “The old man seemed unstoppable to me.”
At the sound of Mike’s voice, the minister stirred.
Startled, Nick glanced at Mike and then down at the old man. For the first time he saw the very shallow rise and fall of the reverend’s chest.
“No man could survive a wound like that,” Mike said.
“It won’t be long before death comes,” Nick said.
Nick shrugged off his range coat and covered the clergyman. At least he could keep him comfortable and give him a decent burial when it was over.
The minister shifted under the weight of the coat. “Tarnation, boy, I’m boiling as is,” he gasped. “Your coat will cook me alive.”
Nick snatched the coat back.
Mike laughed. “Reverend, you’re talking mighty well for a man who’s been shot through the heart.”
The clergyman shifted and tried to sit up. Nick helped him. The old man’s white hair stuck up from his head as if he’d grabbed hold of a telegraph wire. His nose was sunburned.
Reverend Johnson pulled a book from his breast pocket. A bullet was lodged in the center. “That’s not important now.”
Nick studied the quarter-size hole in Reverend Johnson’s coat. “Begging your pardon, but you’re one lucky man.”
The minister grabbed Nick’s arm. “Listen to me. A man named Frank Palmer shot me.”
Nick stiffened. “Are you sure?”
“Very. And he’s headed back toward the coach stop. Left early this morning. He is looking for Ellie. He said that she is his wife.”
Nick’s blood ran cold.
Mike paled. “The women are alone.”
“Mike, stay with the reverend. We won’t be able to move as fast with him. I’m headed back to the stop.”
Mike’s yes barely registered in Nick’s mind. He was already running toward his horse.
Frank had a long lead on him. If Nick rode like hell, he could make up some of that, but he wasn’t sure if it would be enough.
“Hold on, Ellie.”
ELLIE SAW THE PLUME of dust on the horizon and her heart skipped. Nick! She stopped her butter churning and stood. Shielding her eyes with her hand, she watched. Seconds passed and though she couldn’t see the rider’s face, she realized the rider was too stocky to be Nick. Her heart sank. Another customer.
Wiping her hands on her apron, she called out to Annie. “We’ve got a guest coming.”
Annie came out of the barn leading a gray sorrel into the corral. “Good. A customer will keep our minds off all the worrying we’re both doing.”
Ellie went inside, checked on the baby and then moved into the kitchen to check the stew she had simmering on the stove. She also had two pies cooling and bread ready for the oven. The guest would arrive to a feast.
She walked out to the front porch. The last thing she wanted to do now was to entertain a guest, but until she moved out of the stop, this was her job. And she owed Ann
ie every day of work she could give her.
Annie walked toward the porch, wrapping a rope into a loop between her hand and elbow. She’d changed back into her customary garb of pants and a loosely fitting shirt. She’d twisted her golden curls into a tight braid that snaked down her back. “So, do we have anything to feed this fellow?”
The rider rode closer.
“A feast,” Ellie said. “I wonder if I’ll ever get in the habit of not cooking for a crowd.”
Annie pulled off her hat and brushed the dust from the rim. “You and Nick will fill that house of yours up soon enough.”
Children. The thought had her heart squeezing. Be safe, Nick.
She shifted her attention to the traveler, needing a distraction. Something seemed familiar about his build. His hat covered his hair and the brim shadowed his clean-shaven face.
It wasn’t until the rider was nearly upon them that she realized who it was.
“Frank Palmer!” Ellie gasped.
Annie’s eyes hardened into blue shards. Her father and her brothers had taught her to fight and she would fight Frank if need be. But Ellie worried she would die in a fight with Frank.
Ellie’s heart lurched. “Annie, get inside!”
Annie did go inside, only to return seconds later with her shotgun—the very gun Ellie had shot Nick with. But before she could raise it, Frank pulled his pistol and fired.
The bullet grazed Annie’s right temple and knocked her to the ground.
Ellie dropped to her knees. “Annie!” The older woman’s eyes were closed, but she moaned at the sound of her name. The bullet had torn the skin at her temple but had not entered it.
Frank held up his hands. “There ain’t no reason to be afraid, Ellie. It’s me, Frank.”
Ellie stiffened, glancing up. “You shot her!”
He replaced his gun. “She was gonna shoot me. I couldn’t have that.”
“Ellie,” Annie muttered.
Ellie’s eyes brimmed with tears and she dabbed Annie’s temple with the corner of her apron. Annie would have a headache that would keep her flat on her back for a couple of days, but she’d survive—if Ellie could get them through this.
Frank touched the brim of his hat. “I been looking for you for a good while, girl. You’re hard to find.”
