by Carol Finch
Your fault! The accusing voice deep inside her scolded. She clutched Doc’s lifeless hand in hers and gave it a comforting squeeze, willing him to respond. He didn’t. She hated seeing him lying there like this. He, of course, probably wanted it this way.
“Damn you,” she muttered at him. “I don’t want you to rejoin Margie yet. I suppose I can’t blame you for the way you feel, but I want to keep you here for a good long while. You have so much to offer the world, Doc. You’re the father I never had. You’ve looked out for me, cared about me. And I care about you, too.”
Sentimental tears trickled from her eyes as she doubled over to press a kiss to his pallid cheek. “Don’t you dare give up, Doc.”
When the other male patient groaned, Rachel went to check on him. He was trying to reach the glass of water sitting on the end table. Rachel held it to his lips so he could drink.
“What happened to you?” she questioned softly.
“Turner’s men,” he mumbled groggily. “They roughed me up when I couldn’t pay on my loan.”
The information made Rachel swear under her breath. When the man drifted back to sleep, she rose to her feet, then exited the same way she had entered. She lingered in the alley, wavering with indecision. She was tempted to pay a backdoor visit to the boutique to insure Jennifer hadn’t suffered because of Rachel’s conflict with Adolph.
Later, she promised herself as she glanced toward the Four Queens Hotel. She had another matter to attend while Nate was making Adolph’s acquaintance and collecting the belongings his brother sent him.
A feeling of relief settled over Rachel as she scuttled down the alley. Having Nate believe she was innocent of wrongdoing in her conflict with Adolph endeared him to her even more than before. He had accepted her at her word. Yet, she wondered if he’d waver if Adolph offered his twisted version of the truth.
And what, she wondered, had lit a fire under Nate to start harping about marriage so suddenly? She knew he couldn’t possibly love her.
She suspected his overactive sense of protectiveness was hounding him. Protecting people from harm was what he did. She was just another duty to him. That and the fact that he felt obligated because she might be carrying his child. The thought unsettled her. She had enough to deal with right now without contemplating that possibility.
Rachel cast aside her concerns to focus on her next order of business. Then she moved swiftly down the hall of the hotel.
The moment Nate clapped eyes on the fashionably dressed Adolph Turner, his fists curled reflexively. He appraised the gray-eyed man with brown wavy hair who looked to be his age, or thereabouts. Nate was itching to deliver a punishing blow that left the tall, arrogant freight manager sprawled unceremoniously on the floor.
“May I help you?” Turner asked, as he looked Nate up and down with a critical eye. “You must be new in town. I don’t recall seeing you before. I make it my business to know as many people as possible.”
“How friendly of you,” Nate said flippantly. “My name is Montgomery. Nate Montgomery.” Remember it, you son of a bitch, because I’m coming for you very soon. “I’m expecting a package from Kansas City.”
“Montgomery,” Turner murmured thoughtfully as he turned on his well-shod heels to check the paperwork in his office. “I’ll see if I have information…”
His voice trailed off when he glanced back to note that Nate was following as closely as his own shadow. Nate arched a brow in pretended innocence. In truth, he wanted a look at the bastard’s office, his ledgers and the storeroom where Turner had pounced on Rachel.
The thought sent another wave of annoyance pulsating through him. It took a great deal of willpower not to double his fist and knock Turner’s teeth down his throat.
Bide your time, Montgomery, he cautioned himself. You have a case to investigate.
“Ah, yes, here it is.” Turner tapped his index finger against the official-looking paper. “The freight arrived last night on the train. I’ll fetch it for you.”
When Turner sauntered over to open the door to the storeroom, Nate leaned his shoulder against the doorjamb to survey the shelves lined with goods, packages and wooden crates. He could visualize the lecherous bastard mistreating Rachel and the thought made his blood boil.
“How long have you been operating this business?” Nate asked to divert his attention from the impulsive desire to ram Turner broadside and slam his head into the sharp corner of the shelf.
“Since we opened in ’72,” Turner replied as he searched through the merchandise.
“Do you own the business?” Nate asked conversationally, knowing damn well the scoundrel didn’t.
“More or less. I have a few insignificant investors.”
Insignificant? Nate silently smirked. Not hardly!
“Ah, here it is.” Turner swaggered over to drop the heavy package in Nate’s arms. “Are you employed in town, Mr. Montgomery?”
“I’m looking for work.”
“You might try the railroad depot. Ralph Bowman is a friend of mine. I can put in a good word for you.”
Probably a partner in crime, thought Nate.
“He might give you a job loading and unloading equipment and livestock in the railroad cars. Useless drifters are always walking off the job and leaving him shorthanded.”
“Thanks for the tip.”
Turner smiled broadly, then clamped his hand on Nate’s shoulder, as if they were close friends. Nate resisted the urge to bite off the bastard’s long, bony fingers.
“If you find yourself short of funds and need a loan, come see me. I can help you set up housekeeping for twenty-five percent on your loan.”
Nate smirked. “The going rate at the general store is only four percent.”
Turner smiled like the shark he was. “Perhaps, but I’m offering cash advances that you can’t acquire at clothing stores, blacksmith shops or general stores. Money buys the primal pleasures a man needs to make working worthwhile. It also pays for room and board, don’t you agree?”
“Where might I find the finer things?”
“As it happens, I own The White Elephant Saloon on South Side. Several of the barmaids rent upstairs rooms to scratch a man’s itch when he’s in need.”
“And you get a cut of their take?” Nate presumed. “How enterprising of you. Maybe I should apply your technique to establish myself in town.”
Turner’s smile evaporated in one second flat. “There is one thing you should know, friend. I’m not enthusiastic about competition. This town is mine and I plan to keep it that way.”
Nate flung up his hand. “No offense, Turner. I don’t want to get off on the wrong foot with you. After all, I might find myself in need of a loan to get started in town.”
“Anytime, Montgomery. I look forward to doing business with you.”
And I’m looking forward to seeing you behind bars, you slimy bastard, Nate replied silently.
He spun on his boot heels, then walked from the office, carrying his survival kit—of sorts—from his brother. Most of the time, he didn’t make much of the fact that his family had scads of money. However, there were times, like now, when he wanted to put the cocky, pseudoelite barons of western society—like Turner—in their place.
Nate agreed wholeheartedly with Rachel. Men like Turner, who craved power and influence and flaunted their wealth turned his stomach. Turner didn’t give back to society. He was the leech who sucked the life right out of it.
Chapter Fifteen
“Jennifer?” Rachel called softly from the back door of the boutique.
The moment she stepped inside, she realized how much she missed the shop and her friendship with Jen, who was as independent-minded and self-reliant as Rachel was.
She inched farther inside the back door, past the bolts of fabric shipped and delivered from the freight office. The thought reminded her of Adolph and she scowled resentfully. If life were fair—and she knew for a fact that it wasn’t—that devil would receive his due. She hoped
she lived to see the day Adolph answered for his corrupt business practices and his degrading treatment of women.
Rachel smiled triumphantly when she recalled the recent conversation she’d had with Adolph’s present mistress. There was one woman who wouldn’t be pitched out a two-story window, Rachel assured herself.
“Jen?” Rachel called out again as she tiptoed through the sewing room where she had spent countless hours working and conversing with her friend.
She craned her neck around the corner into the shop and waved her arm to call attention to herself.
“What are you doing back there, young man,” Jennifer demanded when she mistook Rachel for a scruffy waif from the streets.
Rachel tugged her cap from her head and pulled the pins from her hair. Jennifer’s eyes nearly popped from their sockets when Rachel’s raven tresses tumbled around her shoulders in frothy disarray.
“Dear God!” Jennifer croaked as she dashed forward to bustle Rachel into the sewing room. “Where have you been all this time? What happened to you? I’ve been worried sick. And why the devil didn’t you let me know where you were? Have you been masquerading as a boy in town all this time? Why?”
“Good to see you again, too.” Laughter bubbled from Rachel’s lips as she gave the petite blonde an affectionate hug. “Lord, I’ve missed you and Sophie.”
“Then why did you leave?” Jen demanded. “I’ve tried to replace you three times, but no one can match your creativity and your work ethic. You would be surprised how many lazy women are lounging around this town!”
Rachel poked her head around the corner to ensure no one had entered the shop to overhear her. “Adolph Turner tried to attack me the night I fled from town.”
“That scoundrel!” she said with an angry hiss.
“When I pushed him away, he fell and hit his head. Then several heavy objects tumbled from the shelves and landed on him. I didn’t know if he survived, but either way, I had to leave town. I couldn’t confide in you because he vowed he’d mistreat you and Sophie if I didn’t become his mistress.”
Jennifer muttered a few unladylike oaths to Adolph’s name, then said, “So that’s why that ogre visited my shop last week. He came under the pretense of buying jewelry for his new lady friend.”
Rachel wondered if the necklace she noticed Adolph’s mistress wearing during their earlier conversation was a gift from him. Probably.
“Then he asked about you,” Jen went on to say.
“I’m most grateful I had the good sense not to involve you. He might have tried to use Sophie as bargaining power to force you to tell him where I was.”
Jennifer gritted her teeth. “I intensely dislike that arrogant jackal. But if he harmed one hair on Sophie’s head I’d have to kill him.”
“You’d have to stand in line,” Rachel muttered resentfully. “I get first crack at him. Luckily, I met a federal marshal who is in town to investigate the situation. Until charges are brought against Adolph, I have to remain in disguise.”
Jennifer nodded determinedly. “Adolph won’t hear anything about you from me, you can count on it. When this is all over, are you coming back to the shop? I’m having difficulty keeping up with demands. Several of our customers have been asking after you.”
Learning that she could return to her job and renew her friendship was a gigantic relief. She needed something to look forward to when Nate left town to resume his official duties.
“Mama? Where are you?”
Rachel glanced around the open door to see Sophie, the spitting image of her attractive mother, skipping through the shop.
“Back here, honey. I have a surprise for you.”
Sophie skidded to a halt, blinked her big blue eyes owlishly, then threw herself into Rachel’s arms. “Where have you been? Mama and I didn’t know what happened to you. Why are you dressed in boy’s clothes? Are you coming back to work with us?”
Like mother like daughter, Rachel thought as she hugged the spirited ten-year old. “I missed you, too. I’ll be back to work very soon, not to worry. I just have one minor problem to resolve first.”
Adolph was a major problem and a major pain but Sophie didn’t need to know that.
Sophie clutched Rachel’s hand and hung on tightly. “I’m ever so glad you’re coming back.” She turned her attention to Jennifer. “I’m hungry, Mama. When can we have supper?”
Rachel twisted her hair into a bun, put the pins in place, then crammed her cap on her head. She knew it was Jen’s practice to escort Sophie to her evening meal at one of the local restaurants. In the past, Rachel had tended the shop, but these days Jen had to close down for an hour.
“I’ll be around town,” Rachel promised as she turned to leave.
“You better be. If you need anything, you know you can count on me.”
Impulsively, she lurched back around to give Jen and Sophie another hug. Then she strode out the back door. It was reassuring to know she could make a life for herself after Nate left. And he would, because that’s what men did, she reminded herself. Even if she had agreed to marry Nate—and she had more sense than to do that—he still would be all over the countryside, tracking criminals.
At least she had discovered what heaven felt like for a short while, she consoled herself as she scurried down the alley to check on Doc again. When she darted onto the boardwalk, she saw Adolph striding toward her. Rachel’s heart nearly beat her to death as she ducked her head and hunched her shoulders to shield her face. Adolph strutted past her, his nose in the air. A frown puckered his sharp features. She wondered if he’d come from the hotel to discover that his mistress had skipped town.
A wicked smile pursed her lips as she scuttled away. If she had managed to ruin Adolph’s evening she would be immensely happy.
Adolph jerked open the door to the freight office, then cursed sourly. He had trotted over to the hotel during his supper break to visit his mistress. To his disbelief and outrage, she had cleaned out the room he’d rented for her and had vanished without a word of explanation. He had questioned the hotel clerk who’d informed him that the traitorous bitch had come downstairs with her luggage and caught the afternoon stage west. She hadn’t left a note of explanation, either.
“How dare she!” Adolph growled as he jerked off his hat and slammed it down on the counter.
He had paid good money to have that whore at his beck and call. He had given her gifts for her to flaunt in front of her counterparts. Then she had betrayed him by leaving without so much as a by-your-leave. What the hell had gotten into her?
Still fuming, Adolph stormed into his office. Nothing was going right. His former mistress had tried to blackmail him when she’d found out he was withholding profits from the investors. He had dealt severely with her. Then Rachel St. Raimes and his present mistress had disappeared suddenly. Muttering, Adolph grabbed his ledger off the desk and tried to concentrate on business. It was impossible when he wanted to begin a search for another harlot to accommodate his voracious appetite.
Too bad he didn’t have Rachel in captivity. He could take out his frustration on her. “And I will when I get my hands on you,” he vowed to the taunting vision floating above him.
“Where the hell have you been, damn it!” Nate scowled when Rachel finally returned to her room.
“Hello to you, too, dear,” she said with sticky-sweet sarcasm.
Nate huffed out an agitated breath and gestured toward the tray. “I brought supper, and you are not supposed to be gallivanting around town until I’ve gathered enough evidence to place Turner under arrest.”
She peeled off her cap and shook out the shiny raven tendrils. Nate was tempted to comb his fingers through those rich strands, but he refrained from reaching for her because he knew he didn’t have enough self-control to stop after one casual touch.
“Do you like Adolph as much as I do?” she asked.
“I hate him. Every time I thought of what he tried to do to you I wanted to strangle him, then shoot him a co
uple of times for good measure. Plus, the shyster offered to loan me money at twenty-five percent. That didn’t set well, either.”
She glanced at the large box sitting on her bed, then frowned. “Your belongings? Why didn’t you put them in your room?”
“I gave up my room because I’m staying here with you.” He stared her down, daring her to object. “I’m not taking any chances of Turner getting wind of your presence in town and coming after you.”
She ambled over to remove the cover on the plate of food, then smiled appreciatively. “This food looks wonderful and I’m starved. Thank you, Nate.”
“You’re welcome. Do not leave the room again without telling me where I can find you. It makes me nervous.”
“Can’t have that, can we?”
All the worry and concern that had hounded him during her unexplained absence faded away when she playfully plunked down on his lap at the table. Then she showered him with smacking kisses, and he savored every moment of her unexpected display of affection.
Something about her demeanor had changed since he’d seen her earlier. He didn’t know why, but he approved of her lighthearted mood and impish smiles. He should lecture her about taking unnecessary risks of being discovered. Instead, he kissed her and ran his hands over the lush curves and swells that were concealed beneath the baggy men’s clothing.
“Mmm…much better than supper,” he murmured between arousing kisses. “Unfortunately, I have business to conduct after dark so this will have to wait until later.”
“What sort of business?” she questioned as she wiggled her hip provocatively against his arousal.
“Stop that. I can’t think straight.” She did it again to torment him—and he loved every minute of it. “I’m going to sneak into Turner’s office to retrieve his business ledger.”
“Why?” she questioned, distracted.
“Because he’s the one I was sent here to investigate.”
Her brows rose sharply and a pleased smile spread across her lips. “Glad to hear it. I hope he turns out to be as guilty as original sin.”