Compromised Hearts

by Hannah Howell

  “You have gone very quiet,” she said softly as she moved her hand down his side to caress his hip.

  “Thinking.”

  “About what?”

  “About making love to you.”

  She blushed faintly. “I have always preferred a doer to a thinker.”

  “Happy to oblige, ma’am,” he growled as he bent his head to kiss her.

  Emily swatted at the hand on her shoulder, shaking her gently. She could hear soft voices, but tried to block them out. All she wanted to do was sleep. Then a sound reached her that abruptly ended all her attempts to ignore the outside world.

  “Thornton’s crying,” she mumbled as she sat up, clutching the sheet to her chest, and found a frowning James bending over her.

  “Cloud’s just gone to him, Em, but the boy wants you.”

  “What’s wrong with him? Could you turn around, please?”

  Doing so, James explained, “He says he doesn’t feel well, Em. I can’t get any real answers. He just wants you.”

  Hurriedly dressing, she asked, “Has he been vomiting or anything like that?”

  “Yeh, that’s why Cloud and I decided to get you. That’s what really started him crying too. He’s just plain miserable, poor kid.”

  Still buttoning up her dress, she hurried toward the door. James quickly fell into step behind her. Just as she stepped into the room, Thornton was ill again. Her stomach clenched in sympathy as Cloud held the little boy who heaved but had little left to bring up.

  “I’ve changed my mind, James. I think Em ought to stay away from the boy.” Cloud held Thornton when the boy saw Emily and tried to move towards her. “He’s hot as hell. I don’t want Em getting whatever it is.”

  “Mama,” Thornton wept and reached out towards her.

  Emily shook off James’s gentle restraining hold and hurried towards Thornton. Ignoring Cloud’s scowl, she took the child into her arms, knowing she could not have acted otherwise. It was not even necessary to feel Thornton’s face to know that he had a fever; his little body was hot enough to feel uncomfortable against her. She heartily wished that she knew about illness and caring for the sick.

  “I don’t want you falling sick too, Em.” Cloud crouched before the pair sitting on James’s bed, and even as he spoke, he knew he had no chance at all of keeping Emily away from the boy.

  “Perhaps I won’t. I seem to be very resilient to sickness. Nevertheless, he needs me, so here I stay.” She urged a quieting Thornton to lie down. “Poor little man. Let’s see what we can do for you. But you must be quiet, love. Getting so upset only makes you feel worse. Now, I’m going to get some cool water and try to ease this fever you have.”

  Forcing down her very real fears for the boy, Emily set to work. She bathed his small body with cool water time and time again. Despite his fretful objections, she forced him to drink a lot of thin broth and weak coffee, heartily wishing that she had some good herbal tea. She became oblivious to everything else, including the hours that dragged by.

  Cloud scowled toward the bed where Thornton lay, Emily smoothing a cool cloth over the boy’s forehead and talking soothing nonsense to the child. “She’s going to make herself sick going on like this without rest,” he muttered to James, who sat at the table with him.

  “Make her take some time away from his bedside then,” James said.

  “I’ve tried. He won’t let her go. Poor kid’s miserable and scared but, hell, she needs a break from it.”

  “If you can take her away from him, I can watch him for a while.”

  “Get ready then,” Cloud muttered as he rose and strode towards Emily, “because she’s taking a rest from it even if I have to drag her away by the hair.” He stopped by Emily’s side and took her by the arm, tugging her to her feet despite her tired protest. “James can watch the boy. You’re coming with me.”

  “Mama!”

  “Enough out of you, young man. Your mother needs to rest. She isn’t going far and she’ll come back. You don’t want her getting sick too, do you?”

  The boy shook his head, but Cloud was not sure he understood, for he was gravely ill. Cloud hurried a reluctant Emily out of the cabin before Thornton could start to call for her again. Despite her protests, he dragged Emily along until they were far enough away from the cabin that Thornton’s fretful cries could not be heard.

  “Cloud, he needs me,” Emily said a little crossly as he pressed her to sit down beneath a tree.

  “You need to rest.” He sat down next to her. “Just for a little while. Take some time away from all his demands.”

  She nodded, knowing he was right, and leaned heavily against him when he put his arm around her shoulders. As they sat there quietly, she felt her fears for Thornton break ree and choke her. Constant tending to him had been enough to keep them to the back of her mind. Now they forced her to look at them.

  “Will he die?” she asked softly.

  “I don’t know, Em. I just don’t know.”

  “Oh, God, he can’t die. After all he’s been through, he just can’t!”

  He held her close as she wept. A part of him wished to join her, but he knew she needed him to be strong for her. When she finally fell into an exhausted slumber, he closed his eyes and started praying. He admitted that he had become inordinately fond of the little boy, but he knew his prayers were mostly for Emily’s sake. Cloud knew it would devastate her if the boy did not recover.

  For the next two days they fell into an odd routine. Emily continued to do all she could for Thornton, and Cloud periodically dragged her from the child’s side for an enforced rest. While he never offered her false hopes, he gave her sympathy and tried to soothe her growing fears. The longer the boy remained ill, however, the harder Cloud found it to comfort her. He could not help doubting that such a small boy could fight off such a virulent fever for much longer.

  Emily felt as if she had not slept in days. James and Cloud were sprawled on the floor, sound asleep but determined to be close at hand if she needed them. She wished she could join them but feared giving in to her exhaustion too completely. So too was she increasingly afraid to leave Thornton’s side, afraid that, if she did, he would slip away from her.

  Sitting by the bed, she rested her head on her arms, one hand lightly touching Thornton’s. Despite her efforts to stay awake, her eyes closed. She told herself she would only take a brief rest before bathing him again.

  With a groan, Emily swatted at the hand patting her on the head. Then her eyes flew open when a testy little voice said, “Whatcha sleeping there for? Wake up, Mama. I’m kinda hungry.”

  She sat up straight and stared at the little boy looking at her with bright eyes clear of all sign of fever. The light in the cabin told her she had slept through the night. Pressing one hand to her trembling lips, she reached out an unsteady hand to feel the boy’s forehead and cheeks.

  “Oh, thank the sweet Lord, you’re cool. So beautifuly cool.”

  “I’m kinda wet too, Mama.”

  “Cloud!”

  Cloud bolted to his feet. His heart clenched briefly in fear, sure that Emily’s screech was because the boy had died in the night. Then he saw Thornton sitting up looking startled as Emily hugged him and peppered his small face with kisses. He nudged James awake and the two of them soon joined in the celebration of the boy’s recovery until Thornton rather loudly demanded some food.

  Looking at Cloud, who held her in his arms, Emily noticed a suspicious sheen to his eyes. “Why, Cloud, you …”

  Setting her on her feet, he pulled a stern face, patted her on the backside, and ordered, “Shut up, woman, and get the boy some food.”

  Laughing softly she hurried to do so, deciding she would be nice and not tell Cloud what a fraud he was.

  Chapter Ten

  “This is a town?”

  Emily tried to be understanding and not to use her more settled and older place of birth as a comparison. She failed. No amount of understanding or tolerance could turn the collect
ion of tents, ramshackle huts, and mud spread out before her into a town. She was not sure it would be good for the health of any of them to enter such a place and prayed that Lockridge would be better.

  “Yup. It’s called Promise,” Cloud replied, unable to fully repress a smile over the look on Emily’s face.

  “It does not appear to have much.”

  “Nope, it doesn’t and it’ll soon disappear into the mud. I’m surprised it’s still here.”

  “Exactly why is it here?” She nudged Carolynn to follow Cloud as he started off again.

  “Gold, honey. Someone found a trace. Trouble is, it was a weak vein not producing much, although there must still be enough trickling in to keep folk here and hoping. We’re headed to the house at the other end of town.” He smothered a laugh when James sent him a totally shocked look behind Emily’s back.

  Looking up ahead, Emily’s eyes widened slightly in surprise. At the far end of town was a large, sturdy two-story building. It was nothing special, except that it looked clean, actually having grass around it. Emily thought it looked like an oasis within the squalor that surrounded it. She just hoped that it was not going to prove the residence of yet another of Cloud’s women.

  They had barely finished dismounting when a plump woman bustled out of the house and gave Cloud a hearty hug. Emily was a little surprised by the matronly woman’s attire, which was quite gaudy, but she silently allowed Cloud to tow her after him as he followed the chattering woman into the house. She wondered why James seemed reluctant to enter the house and kept sending her decidedly worried glances.

  “Brought your own this time, have you, boy? I won’t make much money if everyone starts to do that.”

  “This is Emily. Emily, meet Mrs. Little. Eliza Little.”

  Holding out her hand, Emily smiled gently. “Pleased to meet you, Mrs. Little. You are most kind to grant us your hospitality.” She frowned when the woman shook her hand somewhat limply and came very close to gaping widely.

  “Ke-rist, Cloud, you done brought a lady in here! What’re you thinking of? You trying to ruin me? I thought we was friends.”

  Cloud put his arm around the woman’s shoulders and urged her away from Emily. “Now, Liza, Em won’t do you any harm.”

  “She’s a lady. Some eastern highborn by the sounds coming outta her. She can’t do me any good, that’s for plain and certain.”

  “Emily will do nothing to hurt you. I swear it, Liza. We need a place for the night, and this is the cleanest and the safest.” Seeing that the woman needed some more persuading, Cloud told her some of Emily’s troubles, soon winning the woman’s sympathy.

  As Cloud had a murmured exchange with Mrs. Little, Emily finally took a good look around. Her first impression was that the place was far plusher inside than the outside indicated. Then she looked a little closer and began to feel very uneasy.

  Stepping closer to a painting on the wall, she turned her eyes away after one look. She was certain there was only one sort of place that would have a painting portraying such intimate activities. A brief, horrified look at a piece of statuary nearby confirmed her growing suspicions. She looked at a grimacing James in shock.

  “She’s guessed, Cloud.”

  Turning at James’s call and looking at Emily, Cloud choked on a laugh. He had never seen her blush so deeply. A laugh was even harder to suppress when one or Liza’s girls, the beauteous Jasmine, strolled into the room wearing only enough to cover what was strictly necessary, and Emily immediately covered Thornton’s eyes.

  “Cloud,” Emily whispered, trying very hard not to stare at the nearly naked woman. “Might I have a word with you?”

  “Didn’t you tell her where you were bringing her?” Eliza asked Cloud.

  “Nope. Looks like I’m going to hear about it now though, Liza.”

  “I wouldn’t sound so cheerful about it, lad. She looks like one mad little lady. You sure she won’t cause me any trouble?”

  “Very sure. Well, so long as I get her out of sight before your customers start to wander in.”

  “Ain’t that the truth.”

  “Cloud.” Emily tried hard not to snap but could not fully repress the hint of her rising temper in her voice.

  “Now, Em,” he said as he stepped over to her.

  “I am beginning to consider those two words very ominous. However, this time I believe I would greatly appreciate it if you are about to tell me that I am simply foolish and that you have not brought me and Thornton to a—a house of—of ill-repute.”

  “Here now, I got a good reputation,” Liza sputtered. “I’m an honest woman.”

  “I was not impunging your honesty, Mrs. Little. The expression refers to—er, what goes on here.” She looked at Cloud, waiting for an answer.

  “Well, I’m afraid you have it right this time, darlin'. This is a bawdy house.”

  Since a large part of her had hoped he would deny it, Emily was even more shocked. “Cloud, how could you—?”

  Gently grasping her by the shoulders he smiled faintly as he looked into her wide eyes. “I did it because this place is clean and safe. Thornton needs a good, clean place to sleep in, especially after he was ill not so long ago. So do you. The other place in town is a rat-infested cesspit. No place in this town would be safe for you. I figure you’re fair sick of fighting and shooting, but you’d get a hell of a lot of both if we stayed anywhere in Promise but here. You can’t tell me you didn’t see how they all looked at you as we rode here.”

  Recalling all the gazes that had been fixed upon her and how nervous they had made her, Emily made no attempt to deny that. “But, Cloud, what about Thornton? Surely it is not good for him …”

  Reaching down to remove her hands from the boy’s eyes, he said quietly, “Thornton is too young to know he’s seeing anything he shouldn’t and he’ll be tucked up and sleeping before the—er, business here really gets started. Liza’s always got a couple of rooms left empty we can use.”

  “That’s right, miss,” Liza chimed in. “I’ll show you and the boy to one now, if you’d like.” She winked at Cloud. “I reckon Cloud and James will be a while making their choices.”

  “As you said, Liza, I brought my own.” He ignored Emily’s groan. “Em and me’ll share a room. James and Thornton’ll take another.”

  “You and her? But, I—I mean, she’s a lady.”

  “Unfortunately, Mrs. Little,” Emily said, after glaring briefly at Cloud, who never failed to reveal his total lack of discretion, “this lady had the misfortune to stumble upon a rogue.”

  Liza chuckled. “He’s that, all right. The girls’ll be sore disappointed.”

  “That seems to be the lot of half of the females in the Colorado Territory,” Emily muttered and decided that Cloud was ill-mannered to grin like that.

  Liza laughed heartily over Emily’s remark, but James still looked worried.

  “Um, Cloud? If you’ll excuse us a moment, ladies. Cloud, I’d like to have a word with you,” James said quietly. “Well?”

  “It might be better said private-like.”

  “Spit it out, James.”

  A light color touched James’s cheekbones but he doggedly proceeded. “Look, Cloud, I have been traveling with you a long time.”

  “Since Justine.”

  Grinning at Emily, James continued, “It’s been real nice, but while you’ve had Era to hold—Sorry, Em. Anyways, I’ve been with the boy. I’m real fond of Thornton, but now we’re here I think tonight I’d like a—well …”

  “Of course you would,” Liza said when James faltered. “Little Thornton can bed with me.” She smiled when Emily could not fully repress a frown of concern. “I just run the business. I ain’t got any interest in the rest. Now, let me show you to the rooms I got. You can have a bath if you want, then we can have supper.”

  “Who’d you lose, Liza?” Cloud asked as, after collecting the bags, they followed the woman upstairs.

  “Lucy and Tiffany.”

  “Ti
ffany? Don’t think I know that one.”

  “What a surprise,” Emily murmured.

  Liza chuckled and answered, “She wasn’t here long. Got left behind by a gambling man so she came here to work, then took off with another gambling man. Fool girl. Now, Lucy up and wed one of the miners.”

  Emily only half listened to the conversation. She did not really wish to hear how well acquainted Cloud was with all of Liza’s “workers.” Her air of disinterest vanished, however, when she and Cloud were shown to a room, promised a bath and left alone.

  Wide-eyed with shock, she stared at the room. The bed was large and canopied, its covers red and gold. There were mirrors everywhere. After spotting several rather lewd paintings she turned to stare at Cloud, who watched her warily.

  “Em, it really is the best place to stay tonight. Safest and cleanest, I swear it.”

  “But it is so—so vulgar.”

  “Yeh, to you, I reckon it is. I never really noticed.”

  Busying herself with removine her hat, Emily sighed. “I am not sure I wish to spend a night in a place filled with women you have—er, known well. Meeting them one at a time was tedious enough.”

  Hiding a smile, Cloud moved to stand behind her. Putting his arms around her, he kissed the nape of her neck. Such remarks gave him the hint that Emily’s feelings ran deeper than desire alone. That, he knew, could only benefit him. He discovered that he was ridiculously pleased by each such hint.

  “Em, whatever I did here in the past was bought and paid for. Hardly something worth bothering about. A business transaction.”

  That was faintly comforting. By the time they joined Liza, James, and Thornton for supper, she was not sure it was true, however, at least not on the part of the women. Each one they met as they made their way to the kitchen had boldly invited Cloud to her bed, made a reference or two to past encounters, and made it clear that the value of his coin was not what prompted their interest. Thoroughly disgusted and achingly jealous, Emily gave Liza all her attention and found the woman interesting as well as humorous. She was sorry to be parted from her when they were surreptitiously returned to their room as the customers began to arrive.