Rapture's Gold

by Rosanne Bittner

  He stepped back, looking her over. “Agreed. But I will make one part of your ‘wifely duties’ something more than just a chore for you, Harmony. Someday you will truly want me.”

  She wrapped her shawl around her shoulders. “I’ll never truly want a man again. We will simply relieve our sexual needs. As long as you are kind to me, I can put up with that much. Just don’t expect me in your bed every night.”

  He smiled a crooked smile. “I never considered such a thing. Are you saying yes then?”

  She finally smiled back. “No. Not yet. I said I’d think about it. I’m only spelling out the terms. I’ll give you an answer in two weeks.”

  He put on his hat. “Fine,” he replied as he followed her to the door, wondering what had happened to Miss Harmony Jones to turn a warm, sweet woman-child into something akin to a bitch. Surely it was more than Buck Hanner’s supposed desertion. She’d never told him anything about her early life, but being married to her would be interesting indeed, a fascinating challenge and one promising tremendous profits.

  Europe was beautiful and interesting, and it kept Harmony’s mind off memories better forgotten. She had a new husband now. She was traveling the world, meeting prominent people and seeing famous places. For weeks they traveled by ship from port to port, she playing the role of the beautiful new wife. But she was seldom a wife in the sexual sense. She had allowed Wade Tillis his husbandly rights on very few occasions since their wedding night, a night that had brought her little pleasure. She had planned on allowing herself to enjoy it, but in the darkness and in a man’s arms, she kept picturing herself with Buck. If Buck were making love to her she could enjoy it; she could bring passion to the act.

  With Wade, she felt nothing, except a brief moment of carnal release. She wondered if this was how it felt to be a prostitute. She thought it was not for she believed that prostitutes generally enjoyed sex. Harmony did not, unless she was with Buck Hanner. But Tillis had kept his promise to her. He was not demanding or cruel. That kept their marriage civil, and they did enjoy one another’s company.

  They traveled half the world, it seemed, while back in Cripple Creek Harmony’s mine continued to pour out gold and the couple’s businesses continued to flourish. But nowhere did Harmony find the peace and pleasure she’d known in the little cabin on the mountain. Her mental picture of that place, and of Buck Hanner, recurred with disturbing frequency. She had not been back there since she’d come down, for she knew if she returned she would probably lose her mind. If she didn’t see it again, she would be all right. Eventually the picture would fade, and perhaps some day she could even be a real wife to Wade Tillis.

  Until then, their relationship would be all business, with a moment of carnal pleasure here and there. When they returned to Cripple Creek, a huge party was thrown for them at the Mother Lode, and Harmony didn’t even care when Dora May Harper hung all over Wade, telling him how much she missed his visits. The laughter and well-wishing all seemed far away to Harmony, who smiled but felt no true happiness. She did not doubt that Wade Tillis would do whatever she wanted, that he would be a friend and hold her when she needed holding. But she simply did not love him. What she derived from the marriage was a traveling companion—with Wade she could see half the world as a proper lady—and increased wealth.

  But the few times he’d made love to her had left her empty and longing for the one man who had been able to truly awaken her passion, the only man she had ever wanted in return. Always she had turned over and wept silently for another, for the mountain, for those golden moments, for her baby, for Buck. It had been over two years since he’d left her on the mountain and he had not been heard from. More and more she realized that he really had abandoned her. All this time she had fought acknowledging that, but her hope of ever seeing him again had now dwindled to nothing. It was best that she had married Wade. She needed and wanted a companion, and her reputation was enhanced by having a proper husband. Single wealthy women seemed to be branded by society, but once she’d married Wade, despite his reputation, others were kinder to her. Women began inviting her to teas and luncheons; men seemed to look at her with more respect.

  All but Hank Fisher. Hank had stayed in town while making a small profit off his claim, which Harmony eventually bought up. He ran a livery, and was present the day of the party at the Mother Lode. Harmony smiled and opened gifts and thanked people, but all the while she felt Hank’s sad eyes on her. Hank had been the only person to continue to trust Buck Hanner. He was certain Buck wouldn’t run out on Harmony, whereas Harmony’s own great love for Buck Hanner had not been enough to overcome the damage done to her when she’d been abandoned as a child by her parents. All the fear and horror of that early time had surfaced when Buck had not returned, and in her mind, his continued absence had only proved her suspicions to be right. But Hank Fisher was not convinced. He’d warned her before she’d married Wade Tillis that Buck Hanner would come back, but she had only laughed at him and told him to leave her alone, which he had promptly done; for Harmony Jones Tillis was a changed woman—calculating, bitter, hard. Now she was the wife of Wade Tillis, and that could only destroy her more.

  The limited sexual life of Mr. and Mrs. Wade Tillis did not last long. How could that aspect of their marriage endure when she had no such attraction for the man she had wed. Not long after their return to Cripple Creek Wade Tillis showed his more evil side, coming home drunk from the Mother Lode and crawling into Harmony’s bed. They kept separate bedrooms, which the servants thought nothing about, for many wealthy couples did so. But the separate bedrooms of Mr. and Mrs. Wade Tillis served another purpose than sleeping in luxurious privacy. When Harmony awoke to Wade’s urgent kisses and fondlings, she was angry. She’d already been asleep, and she could smell the liquor on his breath.

  She fought him, telling him to get out. But Wade Tillis didn’t feel like being obliging that night. He was full of whiskey, and he was tired of making love to a woman who lay beneath him like a dead fish. He wanted her to respond passionately, and he intended to make her. His hands clawed at her, ripping away her nightgown, while his lips searched her body hungrily.

  She scratched and kicked, but he hit her hard, startling her, making her dizzy.

  “You’re my wife!” he growled. “I don’t always have to ask your damned permission to take my pleasure with you!”

  “We made a pact!” she declared, despite her stunned condition.

  “To hell with that!” he hissed. “I want you. I love you.”

  “You don’t love me!” she whispered angrily, afraid of waking the servants. “You love my money! I’d like you better if you were honest about it! When you say you love me, it makes me want to laugh!”

  He pinned her against the bed, keeping his huge frame on top of her. “All right, Mrs. Tillis. I love your money. But I’ve not been a bad husband. Admit it!”

  She started crying. “Please, Wade, don’t do this. At least we must remain friends!”

  He sighed deeply, then ran a hand over her bare breasts to her throat, squeezing it until she thought he might choke her to death. “You and your damned Buck! That’s it, isn’t it! In all this time you’ve never forgotten that worthless drifter! What was so great about Buck Hanner, my love! Was he bigger than your husband?” He sneered.

  Her eyes widened with rage at the ludicrous remark. Then he got up from the bed and began to dress. “Sleep with your goddamned memories from now on!” he told her. “I’ll not crawl for you! I’ll take my pleasures over at the Mother Lode. You can have your privacy! I want you, but not badly enough to beg!”

  “Go ahead!” she spat at him. “Go to Dora May! She’ll let you grovel over her like an animal!”

  “At least she knows how to make a man feel like a man!” he grumbled. He tucked in his shirt and stared down at her. “I wonder if you’ll ever be a real woman, Harmony.” His tone was contemptuous. “I suppose big Buck Hanner made you one, but he’s gone now and life goes on!”

  �
�Stop it! You talk about what Buck and I had as if it were something ugly! It was beautiful! We were in love!”

  “You were in love!” he shouted. “He used you, you stupid bitch! I’ve married you! I’ve given you respectability. Well, we’ll keep the outward appearances of a proper man and wife, but I’ll not disturb your sleep anymore. If you want a sleeping companion, go draw out a bundle of money and sleep with that! That’s what you married me for!”

  She glared at him. “And that’s what you married me for!”

  He grinned. “Exactly! Pardon my moment of drunken desire. I almost forgot myself. But remember that Buck Hanner was a no-good, and I’ve done right by you. Remember who’s been the better man, whether it was for love or for money! Your Buck Hanner is never coming back, and someday it will be Wade Tillis you pant for!”

  “Never!” she screamed.

  “You stupid little bitch!” He put on his coat and turned to the door, then glanced back at her. “Right now I ought to tell you—” He caught himself. How tempting it was at this moment to laugh at her and tell her the real truth, that it was Wade Tillis, her own husband, who had seen to it that Buck Hanner would never share her bed again, never have access to her wealth. He’d made a fine profit from selling Buck to the slave dealers, and he’d ensured Buck’s death at the same time. But the ultimate glory had been in marrying Harmony Jones and taking what Buck Hanner had claimed for himself. He’d had his satisfaction. He didn’t need her that way anymore.

  “Tell me what?” she asked suspiciously.

  He just grinned. “Forget it. Go to sleep with your pillow and pretend it’s good ole Buck!” He walked out, slamming the door behind him.

  Harmony collapsed into tears, disobeying her vow to never cry again. Finally exhausted, she curled up, hugging her pillow and calling Buck’s name softly. She hated him for what he’d done, yet she still loved him, wherever he was! How could a woman love and hate with equal passion? And what had happened to the sweet little girl she’d once been before her parents had abandoned her? That little girl had vanished a long time ago. The sweet shyness, the gentle desire to give and please had been reawakened once, on the side of a mountain in a little shack in the middle of winter—by a man. Buck. Sweet, beautiful Buck. But he had betrayed her in the worst way, just as everyone else she’d loved had. Why? If only he would come back, hold her again, give her some kind of explanation. But she had stopped actively hoping for that, and she knew she’d never believe him now. Besides, she was married to Wade Tillis. She would never again know love and happiness in a man’s arms. Buck had done this to her. Buck and Jimmie and Brian and her parents. They all had contributed to her bitter unhappiness. She had nothing left now but her wealth, and she fell asleep thinking about other ways to make more money.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Jimmie O’Toole looked up from his desk when he felt a presence. His eyes widened at the sight of the beautiful woman who stood before him, wearing a gored skirt and bolero jacket, in the latest fashion. The entire outfit seemed like a sea of green silk, the short jacket fitted at her slim waist, the puffed sleeves making her waist appear even thinner. He hesitated for just a moment, studying the beautiful green eyes and the upswept blonde hair graced with a round straw hat. She held a parasol that matched the rest of her clothing.

  “Harmony?” he asked, almost hesitantly.

  She looked him over slowly, as though studying an ugly bug that she was about to squash.

  “Hello, Jimmie.”

  He rose, frowning, his curiosity piqued. “Hello.” His eyes roved over her as he stepped back slightly. “Well, you look like a pampered woman. Your little claim must have done right by you.”

  She smiled, the kind of evil, glittering smile Wade Tillis would bestow on someone he was about to cheat or destroy. “It did quite well, thank you. A million, so far. But it’s dwindling now. All mines play out eventually.” She turned and began walking down one of the aisles of the supply store. Jimmie followed eagerly, his heart swelling with jealousy, but his mind hopeful that she’d come to bail him out of his own bankrupt situation. Perhaps she’d give him a good deal of money. After all, his brother had raised her and taken care of her all those years.

  “At any rate,” she was saying, “my husband and I have invested wisely, so when the mine goes, it will be no problem. We own a great deal of Cripple Creek, and have made other…”—she looked around the store—“investments.”

  She turned to face him haughtily. “And how are you doing, Jimmie?”

  He just stared at her, wary of the feeling of hatred and revenge her eyes revealed.

  He swallowed. “Uh…fine…just fine.”

  She laughed lightly. “No you’re not. You never could tell the truth, Jimmie O’Toole. And I knew you’d never last three years with this place once I left. That’s how long it’s been, hasn’t it? Let’s see…I left in the spring of ’96 and now it’s the spring of ’99. Yes, three years.”

  “What the hell are you after?” he suddenly growled from where he stood behind her.

  She turned and frowned, pursing her lips. “Why Jimmie! Is that any way to talk to your long-lost…h’m…what was I to you, anyway? A niece, perhaps?”

  He breathed deeply for control, realizing if he lost his temper he’d never get a thing out of her.

  “I always thought of you as a friend,” he lied. “Brian took care of you, was good to you. He gave you a home, food and clothing. And you and I worked this store together.”

  She smiled softly. “We did, didn’t we?” She turned and began walking again, stopping here and there to inspect the merchandise. Her behavior made him uneasy, as though she were some kind of buyer, and jealousy raged even higher in his soul at the realization of how rich she had become off his brother’s claim. “Aren’t you going to ask about my husband?” she was asking.

  He followed behind. “All right. I’m asking.”

  “His name is Wade Tillis. He was the richest man in Cripple Creek, and I was the richest woman. So, it was a logical union.”

  He let out a quick snicker. “You married each other for your money?”

  She turned, wanting to hurt him as much as possible, remembering the night of horror he’d inflicted on her. “Of course,” she replied softly. “But there were other reasons, the usual reasons a man and woman get married. I must say it’s been quite enjoyable. Wade is forty-three, old enough to know how to handle a woman…properly.” She faced him. “How about you, Jimmie? You married yet?”

  He glared at her. “No.”

  She looked him over scathingly. “I’m not surprised. You probably still don’t know what to do with a decent girl. You’ve spent too many years with the whores, my darling.”

  He glared at her, his fists clenching. “Why don’t you just tell me the real reason you’re here?” he asked. “I don’t suppose you’re going to do the right thing by me and lend me a little of that million you’ve made?”

  A customer entered, and she stepped closer to him, talking softly. “Do right by you?” Her green eyes turned to slits of hatred, and she spoke in a near whisper so the customer would not hear. “If I did right by you, I’d kill you!” she hissed. Instantly her face changed to a pleasant smile again, and her eyes had evil laughter in them. “You better go wait on your customer, Jimmie dear.”

  He just stared at her a moment, then left. She roamed the store while he waited on two more men, her ears picking up his words when he told one of them he’d have to refuse him credit.

  “I need the money, Bill,” she heard him saying. Harmony smiled. Yes, indeed. She’d had her revenge on Buck Hanner by marrying his hated enemy and becoming the richest woman in Colorado. Now she would get her revenge on Jimmie. Slowly but surely she would hurt every person who had ever hurt her. If only she could find her parents, she’d find a way to hurt them too. But at least in her own mind she felt revenged for their abandonment by surviving and becoming a wealthy and powerful woman. If only they could see her now!


  She walked out then. Wondering what she was up to, Jimmie wanted to stop her, but he had more customers. The rest of the day his mind dwelt on Harmony. Why had she come, and why had she left again so abruptly? For the rest of the day he worried. His night was sleepless. Where had she gone? Why hadn’t she returned?

  The next day at the store seemed endless. Every time the door opened he hoped it would be Harmony so they could finish talking. He wanted to tell her he needed money, to apologize for how he’d hurt her years before. Maybe that would work—an apology. Customers came and went, but she did not appear. He didn’t even have an address for her, other than Cripple Creek. He wondered where she was staying. If he knew, he’d go and see her. Deep inside he wanted to do more than see her. He wanted to give her what he’d never been able to give her, a sound thrashing, after which he would rip off her clothes and show her he knew exactly how to handle a woman. So, she was married, was she? She’d taken a man, had she? Maybe she’d be easier now, maybe curious. Sometimes the married ones—

  The door opened. It was late and he was already closing the store. “You’ll have to come back tomorrow,” he called out.

  There was no reply so he walked around the end of an aisle and looked toward the front door. Harmony stood there with two men, one of them a law officer.

  “Hello, Jimmie,” Harmony spoke quietly, a sly grin on her face.

  His heart pounded and he slowly approached them, sweat breaking out on his brow. She was wearing a deep blue velvet suit, one that enhanced her beautiful shape. He remembered the sweet, innocent look he’d often seen in her eyes years ago. There was no trace of that look in them now.

  “What’s going on?” he asked cautiously.

  “This is my store now, Jimmie. I’m here to warn you not to come back in the morning.”