The woman opened her parasol to protect her face from the sun. “You’re apparently well educated in book learning, ma’am, but not so much in the ways of the world.” She leaned a little closer. “I’ll tell you one thing. I’ll make a whole lot more money than any schoolteacher can make. Any time you want to join me, I’ll be here in Abilene. Any town that’s full of lonely men wanting some excitement after seeing nothing but the rear ends of cattle for weeks at a time is the place for women like me.” She smiled then. “Name’s Darla Simms.” She looked around. “How about that big, handsome guy who’s been sitting with you part of the way out here? He mean anything to you?”
Addy thought a moment, and realized what this woman was trying to tell her. She was a prostitute, come to Abilene to sell herself to men! “I … Cole is just a friend.” Why did she feel this ridiculous jealousy over this woman’s interest in Cole? “I really don’t even know him all that well.”
Darla snickered. “The way you look at each other sometimes, one has to wonder. Is he going on to Central, too?”
Addy looked away, wishing this woman would leave. She really did not care to be seen consorting with a prostitute, especially in a town full of men. “I’m not sure, and it really isn’t my business.”
Darla’s eyebrows arched. “Nor mine, you’re saying. But then what isn’t one person’s business might be important to another. Sorry if I offended you, Mrs…. what’s your name?”
Addy stepped a little farther away. “Addy Kane.”
“Well, have a good trip, Addy Kane. How long before you hop a coach to Denver?”
“A couple of days, I believe.”
“Through Indian country. No thanks. I’ll stay here in Abilene. Sorry if I’ve made you uncomfortable. Good luck in Colorado.” The woman left, and Addy watched her, noticing then that Cole was walking toward her, leading his horse. Before he could reach her, Darla Simms sauntered his way, stopping him. Addy could not hear what was being said, except that Darla pointed to a building not far down the street. She seemed to be indicating a place called the Roundup Saloon. Addy struggled with burning aggravation to think the woman would come up to her and suggest she might be here as a prostitute, then turn around and offer herself to Cole right in front of her.
Cole looked toward the saloon and grinned. Whatever was said, Darla laughed and flirtingly pressed her hand against Cole’s chest, then waved as she strolled away. Cole watched after her for a moment, then came toward Addy, who struggled with feelings of anger, feelings she knew she had no right experiencing. Cole Parker was a man free to do whatever he pleased. He had probably consorted with plenty of prostitutes, and she already knew he liked his whiskey. He was a man with any man’s desires. Of course he would be interested in women like Darla, certainly interested in the best place to go for a drink later this evening. She had no right caring what the man did with his spare time.
“Hold my horse and I’ll get your baggage,” he told her as he approached. “Just take the reins. When did you say the stagecoach leaves for Denver?”
Addy forced back her unwarranted jealousy and anger, hoping it did not show in her eyes. “According to the schedule they sent me, if I got here by June eighteenth, the coach for Denver would leave on the twentieth. They don’t head there every day. Some go south to Texas and New Mexico, some to Indian Territory.”
His eyebrows arched, and he looked to the south. Would he still change his mind and head for outlaw country?
“Others go north to Nebraska. At any rate, as soon as I get settled I’ll check at the stage station. If you’re going on to Central, you’d better check also.”
Cole sighed, turning and looking toward the Roundup Saloon. Addy could hear the tinkle of piano music coming from more than one direction, the distant laughter of men and women. Wagons and horses moved busily back and forth, stirring up dust that carried with it the smell of manure. “I don’t know for certain what I’ll do from here. I’m not so sure about going on to Central. I might just stay right here in Abilene and see what’s up. But I’ll check anyway.”
Addy felt her heart fall a little. Not go on? He was letting her finish this harrowing trip alone? But then why shouldn’t he? What obligation did he have to her from here on, or ever had? He had boarded the same train out of Independence by accident, not because he intended to travel with her and watch over her. She had no right expecting him to continue to Central at exactly the same time as she, yet she had counted on him doing so. Being near him made her feel safe, protected. She reminded herself this man had been a loner for years, that he had no idea what he wanted to do with his life now. He had said he’d go to Central, keep an eye out for her, but men like Cole could not be depended upon.
“Fine,” she answered. “If you will just find someone who can take my things to a hotel or rooming house, you can go off on your own and do as you please.”
Cole caught the irritation in her voice. Inwardly he knew she had expected him to stay with her all the way, but it was just too hard. For too many reasons they couldn’t make any more of this friendship than there already was, and it was best she went on to Central City alone and he did something else. He hated the idea of allowing her to travel through Indian country without protection, but then the stagecoaches surely wouldn’t be running at all if there was that much danger. “I’m sorry if I’ve upset you,” he told her.
Addy put on a show of unconcern. “Not at all. We both know this has been a strange friendship from the very beginning. Neither of us has an obligation to the other, and considering how this all started, we shouldn’t even be speaking to each other. I appreciate your getting rid of those men when I first boarded at Independence, and I enjoyed the conversations we’ve had on the way here.” Why did she feel even more alone than when she first left Unionville? It angered her to feel this terrible, unnecessary disappointment. “I just hope you find whatever you’re looking for, Cole, and that it will be something honorable, perhaps working for a cattle rancher or something, anything but going back to running with men like Jack Slater.”
He grasped her wrist gently, putting his horse’s reins in her hand, which he held for a moment. “I hope you find what you’re looking for, too, Addy. Hang on to Shadow. I’ll get your things.”
He turned and left, and Addy felt a ridiculous urge to cry. She blinked back the tears and swallowed, taking a deep breath to gather her composure. From then on she managed to remain aloof to her feelings as Cole brought her baggage, then went back to get her trunk and carried it on his shoulder over to where she stood. He hailed down a man driving an empty wagon past the depot, and when the man saw the pretty woman who needed help, he gladly offered to take her things to a building that simply read HOTEL across the front. Addy looked back at Cole, who waved, then walked with Shadow toward the Roundup.
It was early evening when Addy awoke from a deep sleep. The hot, monotonous train ride to Abilene had worn her out, but then she was sure part of that weariness was her own nerves, the trying times of the past three weeks piled on top of her mixed emotions over Cole Parker, who to her would always be Nick Coleman.
She sighed and sat up. Her tiny hotel room felt hot and stuffy. She walked over to open a window wider, and the sounds of a town that awoke at night hit her ears: the laughter of men and women having a good time; lively piano music coming from taverns; now and then a woman’s good-natured scream; men riding up and down the streets, shouting at each other, sometimes in jesture, sometimes in challenge.
Cole was out there somewhere, a man who fit right in with the wild night life of a cattle town. He was probably drinking whiskey, gambling … or maybe he was with Darla. The thought pierced her heart like a sword, but for the life of her she could not imagine why. She had no reason to have any feelings for the man or to care who he was with. She was only disappointed that he had left her so suddenly and changed his mind about continuing on.
She turned away from the window and walked over to a wash stand, strippi
ng off all her clothes and pouring some fresh water from a pitcher into the bowl. She washed all over, and it felt good to get the soot off her face. She wished she could wash her hair, but at least she had worn it wrapped on top of her head and covered with hats. It wasn’t very dirty, except that she had perspired from the heat. Perhaps she could find a bath house in the morning and pay some woman to wash it for her before she began the next stage of her journey by coach across the plains of Colorado. She did not doubt that there would be little opportunity to wash again until she reached Denver.
Everything out here was so different from anything she had known before—rugged, dusty towns with no churches, no law, thick smells that stung a person’s nose, women like Darla Simms strolling about casually, men walking around with guns strapped to their hips. She pulled on clean underwear, then her slips and a clean dress. She had meant to check at the stage station before going to sleep, but the moment she had sat down on the bed it had been too tempting to close her eyes just for a moment. That moment had turned into hours. She wanted to be sure she did not miss the next stage to Denver, so she donned a hat, put a handkerchief and a little money into a handbag and left, needing no outer garment. It was much too warm for that.
She took a deep breath for courage, considering how wild the street had become, and she left her room, going down a narrow staircase, every step creaking. The steps led to a wider landing in the lobby, then a few more steps to the door. “You going out, ma’am?” the man at the front desk asked her.
“Just to the stage station. I’ll be right back.”
“You be careful now. It’s no place for a proper lady out there at night.”
“I’ll be careful.” Addy went out, glad the station was only about a half block away on the other side of the street. She hurried across the street, and two men who rode by on horseback whistled, asking her at which saloon she was employed. Addy ignored them, practically running to the station. There was a light on inside and an old man standing behind a desk, so she went inside, relieved to know someone was still around. The old man’s eyes lit up when she entered.
“Well now, ma’am, what can I do for the pretty lady? You’re a traveler, I take it, not one of the gals from the saloons.”
Addy was already getting tired of being taken for a prostitute. Apparently decent women were a rarity in this town. She envied the other two ladies who had gotten off the train earlier and were staying at the same hotel as she. At least they were with their husbands. She straightened, reminding herself she had been taking care of herself for some time now and could damn well keep doing it. Maybe she would buy herself a small handgun before she left Abilene.
“No, I do not work in a saloon, sir. I happen to be a school-teacher headed for Colorado. I was just checking to see if the stage headed there will still be leaving day after tomorrow.”
The man adjusted a pair of spectacles and picked up a clip board to study a schedule. He shook his head. “Nope. Leaves tomorrow afternoon.”
“Tomorrow! But the schedule I was sent—”
“Schedules get changed, ma’am. You plan to be on the stage?”
“Well, I, I had hoped to have one more day to rest. I’m sure it is not a very comfortable journey.”
The man grinned, shaking his head. “Sure ain’t. I used to drive it. I’m lucky to still be alive.” He chuckled. “Well, I’ll put you down. You’re lucky you came and told me. That makes us full up. If somebody else had come here before you, you’d have to ride up top with the baggage or wait for the next stage.”
Addy breathed a sigh of relief. “Well, I’m glad for that much. How serious is the danger of Indians?”
The man shrugged. “That’s always a danger. Fact of life. I need your name.”
Addy spelled it out for him, “Adrianne Rawlins Kane. Could you tell me, did someone by the name of Cole Parker sign up earlier today to go along?”
The man studied the roster. “Nope. I don’t see that name.”
Addy’s heart fell. If Cole hadn’t signed up to go along by now, there wouldn’t be room for him, which would be all the remaining push he would need to stay on here in Abilene. “Thank you,” she answered “What time should I be here?”
“Two o’clock. If you need help with baggage, I’ve got men who’ll come and carry it for you.”
“Yes. I have a trunk someone will have to carry. It’s not large, but too awkward for me to bring. I’m at the hotel across the street, Room 6.”
“I’ll send them over about one-thirty.”
“Fine.” Addy turned to leave, and a tall, broad figure filled the doorway. “Cole.” She struggled not to look excited. “You’re too late for the stage. It’s leaving tomorrow instead of the next day and it’s filled.” He looked wonderful, clean clothes, bathed and shaved. He wore a black, wide-brimmed hat, black pants that fit his hips snugly, a white shirt with a black string tie. He had the ever-present gun on his hip, and his blue eyes studied her intently.
“I didn’t come here for that. I went to the hotel to talk to you. The man at the desk said you had come here.”
Addy stepped closer. “You must have found a bathhouse.”
Cole grinned and nodded. “A man has to wash off the dust once in a while.”
Addy caught the light scent of whiskey on his breath. Had he been with the woman called Darla? Was that why he had bathed? Maybe Darla had bathed him herself. She looked away to hide her jealousy. “I have to go back to my room. This town is no place for decent women at night. What did you want?”
Cole glanced at the old man, who was peering at them over his spectacles. He took hold of Addy’s arm and led her outside. “For one thing, you shouldn’t be walking around these streets at night. For another, you must be hungry. I thought I’d take you to a respectable eatery for supper, maybe a little wine, kind of a good-bye dinner, you might say.”
Why did the words hurt? “I thought we already said our goodbyes.”
“Maybe so, but you have to eat, and you can’t be wandering around this town alone. I got to thinking about it and was worried about you.”
Addy shook her head. “Considering how we first met, that’s quite funny.”
Cole chuckled. “I suppose. What do you say? Can I buy your supper with Benedict money?”
The remark made her grin. “Yes. That would be nice.”
Cole took her arm. “Just down here on the right. Someone told me this place up here called Swanson’s Eatery has good steaks. Lord knows there shouldn’t be a shortage of beef in this town.” They reached a dark alley, and Cole stopped, gently pushing her into the shadows. “Addy, I’m sorry if I’ve disappointed you. I just think it’s best this way.”
Why did he look even more handsome in the moonlight? She shook away the thought. And he was right. It was best this way, a last meal, a good-bye, each one going their separate way. “I know.”
Their eyes held in the soft light, and for a moment Addy thought he was going to try to kiss her. She prepared herself to ward him off, but then he just sighed. “Let’s go eat. I’ll walk you back to your hotel afterwards.”
Addy jumped when two men shot their guns into the air in drunken celebration about something. Cole put a hand to her waist reassuringly, and she shivered at the familiar touch. “I suppose you fit right in here in Abilene,” she commented.
“I suppose. I spent most of the afternoon playing cards, after visiting the bath house.” Cole led her into the eatery, which was small but quite pleasant for such an unruly town. Cole bought her the best meal in the house, along with red wine, which Addy at first refused but then decided would relax her for a good night’s sleep, which she would need before beginning her journey tomorrow.
Their conversation was sparse, both of them enjoying the best food they had had in days. The wine was so relaxing that Addy drank more than she should. It felt wonderful to forget all her troubles and loneliness … forget for a little while that after tonight she would never see
Cole Parker again. Cole paid for the meals and took her arm, leading her outside and across the street, pulling her out of the way of a drunken cowhand on a runaway horse.
Why did she feel so tired? Addy was sure all the pressures of the last several weeks had come to consume her in a fit of weakness that made her lean on Cole. The wine. She should not have drunk so much of it. Everything seemed so unreal. What was Addy Kane doing in a town like Abilene, Kansas, getting ready to board a stagecoach to a remote mining town in the Rocky Mountains? How could someone’s life have changed so drastically? It seemed only yesterday she was a young college student in Michigan, then a new young wife … then suddenly a widow caught up in the painful emotions of a civil war … a woman caught in a bank robbery … a hostage! How strange life had been these last few years, months, weeks.
Who was Addy Kane? She hardly knew her now. The sensible Addy Kane would not be hanging on the arm of an outlaw who’d been drinking and gambling. She would not let him help her up to a hotel room this way … or let him inside. She heard the door close. Too much wine! Too much wine! Someone turned up an oil lamp, just enough to shed soft light in the room.
“Addy,” she heard Cole say softly. “I don’t want to leave you tonight.”
She felt her breasts pressed against a hard chest, felt strong hands pressing at her lower back. She looked up into a handsome face. “Then don’t leave,” she heard someone answer.
The handsome face leaned closer, and full lips touched her mouth, parting her own lips in a searching, intimate kiss that set her insides on fire.
Eight
Deep, so deep Addy fell under a strange spell she could not fight. She felt she could almost hear voices shouting at her to stop, but there was no stopping this. A deep hunger from long-neglected needs raged deep inside of her, and it took only one kiss to awaken that hunger, which was made more painful by a desperate loneliness that made her reach out to this forbidden man.
Until Tomorrow Page 10
