Rosanne Bittner

by Paradise Valley

  “I don’t know about that,” Maggie answered as Kate wrapped her hair in a smaller towel. “I only know that I love him.” She walked to her leather satchel to retrieve a flannel nightgown then moved behind a dressing screen to dry off.

  “I met Sage when he was nineteen—an angry, hurt young man with no direction,” Kate told her. “It’s pretty bad when outlaws and women like me give more food and shelter to an abandoned young man than the supposedly good Christian people who raised him.”

  Maggie came out from behind the dressing screen, buttoning the gown. “Did you ever travel with him?”

  Kate shook her head. “No, I kept a brothel down by Brown’s Park. Then I came up to Atlantic City. Sometimes, a few of us would travel the Outlaw Trail for weeks at a time to make extra money. I saw quite a bit of Sage because him and his kind hung out all over the area. Sage seemed to… well… favor my company… I guess you’d say. But I’m about fifteen years older than he is, and I think a tiny part of him was looking for a woman who’d listen to him, comfort his loneliness.” She picked up a brush from the dressing table. “God knows, the kind of love I give is a far cry from motherly, but somehow, we ended up good friends who could talk to each other. There were times when that’s all we’d do all night—talk—if you can believe that.” She let out more rich laughter. “Come on over here, and let me brush that hair.”

  Maggie sat down in front of the dressing table, and Kate brushed her hair.

  “Is Newell your man now?” Kate asked her.

  “My man?” Kate shrugged. “Well, I guess you could put it that way. We’re good friends, sometimes lovers, when we need that kind of love. Newell keeps an eye out for me, does chores, takes care of the horses—things like that. I pay him with a room to sleep in, meals, and—well—any other needs he has. I know that sounds terrible to somebody like you, but that’s how it is with women like me and men like Newell. Neither one of us tries to fool the other that we’re anything special.”

  Maggie frowned. “But you are special. You take care of people nobody else cares about.”

  “Well, now, aren’t you sweet?”

  Maggie shrugged. “Most of my growing up years I didn’t have a mother or any other woman around. You and a lady called Ma Pilger are the nicest women I’ve ever met.”

  “Ma?” Kate laughed again. “I don’t blame you there. Everybody likes Ma Pilger. She was never a whore like me. She was more of the mother figure I mentioned earlier. There isn’t a man in all of outlaw country who’d even consider laying a hand on her wrongly or stealing from her.” She pulled the brush through Maggie’s hair. “It’s a strange sort of character you’ll find in country like this. There’s the good and the bad, and sometimes, they actually work together to survive.”

  Maggie thought about Whitey and the men who put them up for a night. “I’m learning that, but some are just plain bad, through and through.”

  Kate handed her the brush. “Oh, I won’t argue that one.” She looked at Maggie in the mirror. “I’m going to set up a bath for Sage. I’ll make you a tray of food and bring it to you. I make a pretty good beef stew, if I say so myself.” She walked to the door. “Get some rest, honey. The other roomers have already eaten, and I have rules here—no visitors or loud noise after supper. They stick to it pretty good. I’ll bring you that food and send Sage in later, after he’s eaten and had his bath.”

  Maggie couldn’t help but respond in surprise. “Won’t he take his bath in here?”

  Kate let out another round of deep laughter. “Don’t worry. I have a men’s bathing room. Soon as the tub is filled with hot water, I’ll leave him on his own.” She shook her head. “I gotta say, though, it would have been nice if he’d shown up here alone.” She laughed again and walked out, closing the door.

  Maggie stared after her, a bit bewildered by the characters who lived in this land. She should be offended by someone like Kate—appalled at her past—but she actually liked her. She wondered if she should tell Kate about the baby. She desperately needed to share her predicament with someone, and Kate apparently knew Sage well enough to help her decide what to do. Maybe she could help her tell him… maybe even convince him to accept the child.

  Then again, maybe Kate would lose respect for her—be angry that she was deceiving Sage. After all, they were good friends. Maggie decided that from here on, every day she got to spend with Sage was a gift… a gift that would be likely taken away once the truth came out.

  Thirty-one

  Sage welcomed a chance to talk with Kate, one of the few people from his past he was happy to see again. She was the only woman he knew who smoked cigars. She lit one now as he finished his stew and leaned back to enjoy a cup of coffee. “Sure feels good to be clean and dry and well fed.”

  “Yeah, well, I miss the times when I shared a tub with you,” Kate teased.

  Sage grinned. “We did have some good times back in the day.”

  Kate nodded, keeping the cigar in her teeth. “So, tell me about the wife you said you once had.”

  Sage sobered. “I knew her in San Francisco. You already know what happened to me there. It was Joanna, the one her parents sent away to school and I never saw again, until she found me and Paradise Valley. She came running into my arms like a lost lover.” He set down his coffee. “Would you believe I fell for it?” He began rolling a cigarette. “Turns out she was only after my money. When she realized how lonely and remote ranch life is, let alone the fact that I’m not the type to mix with high society, she left. Simple as that.” He licked the cigarette paper and sealed it.

  “Oh, I doubt it was all that simple. I see the hurt in your eyes, Sage Lightfoot.” Kate set her cigar in an ashtray and drank her own coffee. “Are you sure you’re done with her?”

  Sage couldn’t help the small bit of love left in his heart for the woman who didn’t deserve it. “I’m sure. Trouble is—I got a letter from her just before I left on this trip. She claims she wants to come back, but it’s a sure bet she’s after something again. I don’t intend to fall for any more of her bullshit. There isn’t an honest bone in her body.”

  “And what will you do if she’s at the ranch when you and Maggie get there?”

  Sage got up to pour himself more coffee. “I’ll send her packing.” He bent down and lit the end of his cigarette from the hot plate on the wood-burning stove. “If she needs money again, I’ll probably help her out one last time. But I don’t want her back, Kate, not with a woman like Maggie at my side.” He came to the table and sat down with his coffee.

  “I’m glad to hear that,” Kate said with a nod. “Maggie said the same about you.”

  “So, you approve of her?”

  Kate waved him off. “Do you need my approval?”

  Sage grinned. “You’re a damn good judge of character, Kate. Your opinion means a lot to me.”

  “Of course, I approve. I love seeing you happy.” She reached out and touched his arm. “Tell me exactly what it is about her that you love, besides the fact that she’s sweet and beautiful, and that it’s nice to have a woman to bed while you’re on the trail for weeks on end.”

  Sage ran a finger around the rim of his coffee cup, staring at it reflectively as he spoke. “She’s everything a rancher’s wife needs to be, Kate, and she understands me because she’s been through a lot of the same things I have, as far as never knowing real love.” He drew on his cigarette then set it in an ashtray. “She’s a fighter, a survivor. There’s a lot of punch packed into that tiny body. She grows on you till you wonder how you’d get by without her. She’s damn strong and brave as a she-cat protecting her cubs. She can cook and hunt, and she’s… well, she’s about as opposite from Joanna as she could be, no frills, nothing false about her. She’s as honest as the day is long.”

  Kate nodded. “She sounds like the perfect woman for you, so you’d better make up your mind about your feelings for Joanna. Don’t be hurting Maggie even more than she’s already been hurt in this life.”

&n
bsp; He met her eyes. “I don’t intend to hurt her, but final decisions can’t be made until we settle what we came here for, Kate. I worry about how dangerous that is for Maggie. She almost got herself shot back in Atlantic City.” He finished his coffee. “I ran into an old enemy there… John Polk… remember him?”

  Kate closed her eyes. “I remember what he did to one of my girls once… and what you did to him afterward.”

  Sage stretched his legs. “He was there at a barn dance in Atlantic City. One of the men I was after showed up, and I shot him. Maggie was involved in the fracas. Things moved so fast I didn’t even realize Polk was watching. I hadn’t seen hide nor hair of him since running into him earlier in the day. Just after the shooting, he ran into the dark and rode off. I’m worried he knew the other two, and now, if he knew where they were, he’s had time to find them and warn them that I’m on their trail.”

  “Well, I’m glad you had a chance to explain it to Newell earlier and describe those men to him. Rest assured, he’s out on the town tonight to see if he can find out anything. If they’re in town, Newell will know it.” Kate puffed her cigar one last time before stamping the end in the ashtray. “I’ve known Newell a long time. He’s a good man, Sage. You can trust him.”

  Sage finished his cigarette. “I figured as much.”

  Kate rose. “Well, for now, you need some rest yourself. You leave things to Newell tonight, and we’ll talk about it over breakfast in the morning.” She leaned down and kissed Sage’s cheek, then walked to the stove and checked the coffeepot. “I’d better make a little more. I am never without a pot of hot coffee for whenever my customers might want a cup.”

  “You’ve always been an obliging woman, Kate,” Sage told her with a wink.

  Her eyes sparkled with humor, and she laughed lightly. “And you’ve always had the devil in you, Sage Lightfoot.”

  “And you, my lady, are an angel.”

  Kate shook her head, sobering. “I hope Newell can help, Sage. I’d hate to see any more bad things happen to Maggie or to you.”

  Sage rose from his chair. “Worry about Maggie, but don’t worry about me. You know I can take care of myself.”

  “Yeah, well, I dug a bullet out of your leg once. Don’t forget that.”

  “And I’m alive and well and will be forever grateful to you.” Sage put out his arms, and Kate walked into them.

  “A good hug from a man like you does a woman good. I can’t help wishing—” She pulled away. “Well, you know.” Kate grinned and winked. “Go climb into bed with the lucky woman who will get more than a hug. I have a lot to do yet this evening. Boarders mean a lot of work, but it’s an honest living—for once.”

  Sage watched her take some dishes out of a cupboard. “You’re still beautiful, Kate. Time hasn’t done anything to change that.”

  Kate laughed robustly at the remark. “And you’re a lousy liar, Sage Lightfoot.” She pointed toward the hallway. “Third door on your right. All your things are already in there, including a pretty little woman in your bed.”

  Sage grinned. “See you in the morning.” He walked down the hallway and quietly entered the bedroom Kate indicated. He closed the door and undressed by dim lamplight. He quietly moved to the bed, leaning close. “You awake?”

  Maggie pulled back the covers. “I decided I’d better stay awake to make sure this is the bed you came to tonight.”

  Sage smiled and joined her. “Did you actually doubt where I’d sleep tonight?”

  Maggie moved her arms around his neck. “No—but only because I can tell Kate wouldn’t take you to her bed as long as I’m here. But if I weren’t…”

  Sage moved on top of her, pushing up her nightgown. “I know Kate. She’s a great lady and loyal friend, but if I’d wanted to go to her bed, I have a feeling it wouldn’t have mattered if you were here or not.”

  “Well, I guess we’ll never know, will we?”

  Sage met her mouth hungrily. He couldn’t think of one thing not to love about this spit of a woman.

  He moved a hand under her firm bottom, relishing every curve, groaning with the want of her, the feel of sliding into her. Knowing what this had been like for her before they met made this all the more necessary and enjoyable. He wanted her to take pleasure in a man loving her, and he couldn’t imagine another man giving her that pleasure. Paradise Valley would be more of a paradise once he shared it with Maggie Tucker. He pushed aside any thoughts about Joanna. Maybe when they got back to the ranch, Joanna wouldn’t even be there.

  Thirty-two

  Maggie sipped her second cup of coffee as Newell McCabe came into the kitchen after morning chores. He hung up his hat and took a chair at the table.

  “We’ve been waiting for you,” Kate told him. “Want your breakfast?”

  “Sure, Kate.” Newell turned his attention to Sage, who was finishing off a plate of scrambled eggs. “Got some information for ya.”

  Sage waited while Kate poured him another cup of coffee. “Let’s hear it,” he answered, pushing his plate aside.

  “I was out to a saloon called Chet’s last night,” Newell told him. He rolled himself a cigarette.

  Maggie studied the many lines in Newell’s face. She could tell he’d been a good-looking man when he was younger. His skin was sun-darkened, which made his eyes look incredibly blue. There was an honesty in those eyes, a hard-living—“this is the kind of person I am—take it or leave it” kind of honesty—the kind she saw in Ma Pilger and Kate, and often in Sage too. Good or bad, none pretended to be anything but their true selves.

  “Did some askin’ around,” Newell continued. “Told those I know that a buffalo hunter named Jasper owed me money for a saddle. I described him the same way you described him to me.” He lit his cigarette and took a drag. “A fella I know—Johnny Carpenter—said he saw a man who looked like that a few days ago—big ugly scar over his left eye.”

  “That’s him!” Maggie said, putting a hand to her chest. “He’s here in Lander?”

  “I don’t think so, ma’am.” Newell drank some coffee and turned his attention to Sage. “Johnny said as how the man was sittin’ in a corner drinkin’ with some other fella—bearded man, big… wore a long black coat.”

  “Polk,” Sage grumbled.

  “Johnny remembered him ridin’ into town the day before. Anyway, him and the fat guy was talkin’ alone—like men do when they’re plottin’ somethin’. Johnny noticed because, well, in places like this, you pay attention when men act like they’re up to no good, you know?”

  Sage nodded.

  Maggie felt a chill at the thought of how close they were to the men they planned to kill. “Well, anyway, the fat man, he got up and walked out,” Newel continued. “Johnny—he’s kind of the nosy type—he strolled out a minute later and just watched. The big man walked around town lookin’ in stores and such, like he was lookin’ for somebody. Finally, he met up with a younger fella at a dry goods store. They looked to be arguin’ about somethin’. The younger one didn’t seem to want to do whatever it was the big one wanted, but finally, they walked off together—went to the livery and got their horses and gear and lit out, headin’ north. Johnny figured that whatever they was up to, it wasn’t gonna happen in Lander, so he shrugged it off and forgot about it. I asked him if the bearded guy with the black coat was still in town, and he said he’s been in Chet’s the last two nights—didn’t ride out with the other two far as he can tell. He don’t know where he’s stayin’. Most likely, he’s camped outside of town. Johnny said he didn’t look the sociable type—comes into Chet’s to drink, maybe find a card game, then don’t show up during the day.”

  “He’s waiting to see if we do show up,” Sage grumbled. He turned to Maggie. “It’s just like I figured. Polk came here to warn Jimmy Hart and Jasper that I’m hunting for them. The trouble is, he’s seen you too. Now, the other two know you’re with me. From here on, you’ve got to stay right here, while I take care of Polk and go after the others.”


  “No! We’ve come this far together. I’m not staying behind now. I won’t let you go after them alone!”

  “Sage is right, Maggie,” Newell told her. “I’m bettin’ them two are headed for Hole-In-The-Wall, and that ain’t no place for no woman, not even whores.”

  “He’s right,” Kate added. “I’ve been all over this country, but I never went to Hole-In-The-Wall.” She lit a thin cigar. “Besides, those two might round up some extra men to help them out.” She smoked quietly a moment. “You should go back to Paradise Valley, Sage, and leave this alone.”

  “You know better than to tell me that. They owe me, Kate, and it’s not just the money. If I give up now, I’ll always wonder when they might come back to Paradise Valley and shoot me in the back, just so they can quit worrying about me coming for them.”

  Maggie’s stomach hurt from a deep foreboding. If Jasper were able to pay others to help him, she and Sage would head into something they couldn’t handle alone. Worse, Sage probably meant it when he said he wouldn’t take her with him this time. She swallowed at the heavy silence in the kitchen. “What’s Hole-In-The-Wall?”

  The other three looked at each other as though their days were numbered. “It’s not a place for the likes of you, Maggie, that’s certain,” Sage told her.

  Maggie stiffened. “I’m not about to be left behind now, Sage Lightfoot, not after all we’ve been through to get this far!”

  Sage rubbed his forehead as though he had a headache. “Maggie, no one gets into Hole-In-The-Wall unseen. That’s why outlaws use the place to hide out. Getting there requires riding single file through a cut in what’s called the Great Red Wall—cliffs so high and straight no man can get past them except by one trail, so it’s easy to guard.”