by Mary Burton
She straightened, clutching the map to her chest. If she gave this map to Nick, what assurance did she have that he’d give her the reward? His word? There was a powerful attraction between them, but that and ten cents would buy her a cup of coffee.
She sat on the bed, very carefully folded the map and tucked it into the back of the Bible. She put it in the chest under her bed.
The floorboards creaked as Nick’s firm steps echoed in the house. She could hear him pause on the stairs and backtrack toward her room.
“You all right, Ellie?” he said.
Nick’s deep voice sent a million prickles down her spine. Her gaze darted to the door. She half expected to see him standing there. He wasn’t, but his shadow passed across the crack of light below the door.
“Everything’s fine. Just settling in for the night.”
He hesitated. “Good night to you then.”
Her heart raced. “Good night.”
She sat on her bed and pressed her palms to her burning cheeks. Lord, what was she thinking? Did she really want to be on the wrong side of someone like Nick Baron?
Ellie glanced down at the baby. She’d do whatever was needed to protect Rose’s future.
Even cross Nick Baron.
CHAPTER TWELVE
THE NEXT MORNING Nick stood in front of the corral, filling the feed bin with fresh hay. Ever since the coach had left, he’d done little but think of Ellie. Her scent. The tone of her voice. The sound of her footsteps in the house. He found himself enjoying every detail about her.
There was a lot to admire about the woman. Yeah, she’d been a whore, but his past was far from perfect. She’d come to this valley to make a fresh start. And by his way of thinking, she was doing a mighty fine job.
Hadn’t he come West for the same reason? To start over? Who was he to judge Ellie? He’d messed up his life good and fine before he’d come West. And he’d been born to money and privilege. Ellie had started with nothing and still she thrived.
Hell, if truth were told, Sandy and Dr. Morgan could very well forgive her her past. She was a woman any man would be lucky to have.
Until the doctor had talked of courting Ellie, Nick had not given any serious thought to marrying Ellie or any woman again. The doctor was a good man, but the idea that Ellie could belong to him or another man unsettled him. The realization that she wasn’t his had him rethinking his distaste for marriage.
And truthfully, the more he thought about marrying Ellie, the more the idea appealed. She knew Montana. She was a fine mother. And her mind wasn’t filled with fairy tales or dreams of knights in shining armor. From the start, she’d seen him at his worst and she’d stuck by him.
She’d said her price was marriage.
And he was willing to pay.
The question now was, would she have him?
Since he’d risen this morning, he’d been trying to muster the courage to talk to Ellie about the future. She’d talked of a café, but he wondered if she was fully committed to the idea.
Nick sighed. The sooner he talked to her, the sooner he’d have his answers. It wasn’t like him to hesitate. When action needed to be taken, he took it. There’d been opportunities to speak to Ellie. And he’d let each one pass.
Ellie walked outside with a bucket of grain in her hand. As she headed toward the chicken coop, the wind teased the edge of her skirts and the ends of her hair, which she wore down and tied at the base of her neck.
His gut tightened. Like a lad in short pants, he nearly lost his nerve before frustration stoked his anger and pride. He dumped the last of the hay into the bin and strode toward her.
She was tossing cracked corn onto the ground for the chickens that pecked the dirt around her.
“Ellie.”
She started. She didn’t look up at him as she tossed more grain on the ground. “Yes?”
“There’s something I want to talk to you about,” he said.
Glancing up at him, he imagined he saw her stiffen for a moment. “What?”
“Frank Palmer.”
She paled. “What about him?”
“It’s not that I want to talk about him, but rather what you plan to do after I take him to jail.”
She dropped her gaze to the pail and dug out another handful of grain. Absently she let the grain slip from her fingers. “Like I said, I thought of opening that café in town.”
He shoved his hands into his pockets. The words that needed saying were on the tip of his tongue, but he couldn’t seem to speak them. If Bobby were alive, the old coot would have been laughing until he was sick.
“I’ve got property not far from here. I’ve not seen the land, but there is supposed to be a cabin there. It’s near a stream. Lots of grassland.”
“It sounds lovely.” Ellie started to walk toward the coop. He followed.
She tossed another handful of grain to the chickens. “So what do you plan to do on this bit of land that you own?”
“Raise horses.”
Nervous, she tucked a curl behind her ear. “You have a way with them.”
“I grew up around them.”
“Ah.” She was tense.
And he felt like a schoolboy. “When I start working this land, it’s going to be a new beginning for me.”
“I’m glad for you.”
“It could be a fresh start for you, as well.”
She frowned. “I don’t understand.”
“You and Rose could come with me. We could marry. Be a family.”
Ellie took a step back. Clearly this was the last thing she’d expected him to say. “You said you’d never marry again.”
“Things change.”
She frowned. “Nick, you don’t know me. Why the devil would you propose marriage?”
“I know you better than just about anyone.”
She frowned. “No, you don’t.”
“If there were ever two people who’ve seen the worst of each other, it’s us.”
She looked as if she wanted to say something, then stopped herself. “For as long as I live, there will be men who recognize me from the Silver Slipper.”
“You’re honest and hardworking. You love that baby. There’s not much more a man wants from a wife.”
“You make me sound like I’m something special. I’m not.”
“I know where I stand with you, Ellie. You know the worst of my past and you’ve accepted it. I can’t say that about anyone else.”
“I’m not so perfect, Nick.”
“Exactly. Neither am I. And I suspect we’ll have our share of fights. But we are suited to each other.”
She sighed. “I don’t know.”
He tugged her closer to him until her chest touched his. Gently he tipped her head back until her lips were only inches from his.
He lowered his lips to hers, savoring her softness and sweet taste.
She didn’t pull away. Encouraged, he coaxed open her lips with his tongue and deepened the kiss.
A soft sound rumbled in her chest as she leaned into him. The basket dropped to the ground when he banded his arm around her shoulders and pulled her tight against him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and rose up on her tiptoes.
He cupped her breast and rubbed his thumb over her nipple. Even through the calico he could feel it harden and pucker.
Ellie’s passion matched his own.
He picked her up and, still kissing her, carried her into the house. His eyes adjusted quickly to the dim light as he moved toward her room. He laid her in the center of the bed. She stared up at him. Her eyes were filled with desire.
He reached for the hem of her skirt and pulled it up. His erection throbbed against her threadbare pantaloons.
He’d wanted this—her—since the moment he’d seen her outside the Silver Slipper. “On the trail I dreamed of doing this to you,” he said, his voice a ragged whisper.
She stared up at him with half-hooded eyes. She moistened her lips. Without saying a word, she lifted her hips an
d pressed them against his.
He reached inside the waistband of her pantaloons and pressed his fingers against her center. Her velvet folds were moist. He thought he’d explode with desire.
“I shouldn’t do this.” She reached for the buckle of his pants and unfastened it. Her small hand slid inside his pants and rubbed his hardness.
He was ready to be rid of his clothes. “You’re the one person I would never hurt. I trust you with my life.”
She stiffened. “Don’t say that, please.”
Nick searched her face, confused by the tension in her voice. “What is it?”
Ellie pressed her palms against his chest. “Stop.”
“Why?” Every muscle in his body snapped with desire.
“I just can’t do this.”
He stroked her hair. “I will make it good between us. You don’t have to be afraid.”
She closed her eyes. “No, I can’t.”
Somehow he found the strength to roll away from her. She scurried off the bed.
Before he could question her, Rose’s piercing cry sliced through the house.
Ellie quickly righted her skirts, ran to her room and scooped Rose up from the cradle at the foot of the bed. The child continued to cry.
Nick shook off the desire, wishing like hell he understood women better. He followed her as he refastened his belt buckle. “Is she all right?”
“She feels warm.”
Nick laid his hand on the baby’s head. It was warm and her cheeks were flushed. “What do you think it is?”
The desire had vanished from Ellie’s eyes. Fear had taken its place. “I don’t know. She was fine when I put her down.”
Her eyes looked a little wild, as if she’d reached the end of her tether. She moved out into the great room, jostling the baby as she walked.
Nick washed his hands and made the bottle. It took him a few minutes longer than Ellie, but he managed the task. An odd sense of satisfaction curled in his gut as he handed the bottle to her.
Ellie tried to coax the nipple into Rose’s mouth. The baby suckled twice and then she started to wail louder.
Ellie set the bottle aside and touched her lips to the baby’s forehead. “I think she is getting warmer.”
Nick crouched by the rocker. He laid his hand on the child’s head. It was indeed warm. “Let me have a look in her mouth.”
“Why?”
“Trust me.”
She hesitated before she raised Rose’s head so that he could smooth his finger along the baby’s tiny gums. He felt two distinct ridges on the gumline. And as he rubbed the ridges, the baby’s cries eased. “She’s cutting teeth.”
“Teeth? Why would teeth make her so miserable?”
He cupped the child’s head. So tiny. “I don’t know. I remember when my sister’s teeth came in. Julia had a time with hers. She cried like her mouth was on fire each time she grew a tooth.”
His heart tightened when he thought of Julia. He often wondered what had become of her over the years.
“But Rose is so young,” Ellie said.
“Babies can get teeth this early.”
“So what do we do?”
“Not much we can do. Keep trying to give her the bottle. The teeth should break through soon and when they do, she should be fine.”
She looked at him, gratitude in her eyes. “Thank you. I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t been here.”
His heart swelled with pride. “We make a good team.”
She held his gaze. “Nick, I don’t know.”
“I’m not asking for your answer now. When Frank’s in jail, we’ll talk again.”
FRANK RODE into the small mining town at a quarter past noon. Saddle sore and hungry, he wanted nothing more than to have a hot meal and put up his feet for a spell.
But he didn’t have time for either. He was close to finding his Ellie, the baby and the gold—he could feel it in his bones. His life was finally coming together.
Frank rode to the mercantile and dismounted. He tied the reins of his horse to the post and went inside. The store smelled of coffee, spices and cured ham. His stomach rumbled.
There was no one behind the long counter lined with jars. He strode toward it, opened a jar and popped a peppermint into his mouth.
“That’ll be a penny.”
The high-handed voice came from his right. A tall, thin man stepped into the shop from a side door. He wore a white shirt and black pants, and his thinning black hair was greased to his head. He carried a sack of flour.
The man’s tone goaded his temper. Uppity folks never sat well with him. Frank took another piece of candy.
“That’ll be two cents.”
“I’m looking for a woman. She’s got real red hair and can cook real well.”
“No one in town like that.” The shopkeeper moved the jar under the counter.
Frank could feel his patience thinning. He wanted to be done with this business and he wanted his gold now. “You sure about that?”
Frowning, the storekeeper thrummed his fingers on the counter. “I don’t know anyone like that. Women are as rare as hen’s teeth out here and if there was a redheaded cook in town, I’d know it.”
Frank shoved aside his disappointment. He’d been to a dozen other towns like this one and he’d had no luck finding Ellie. Still, he wasn’t going to give up. “Appreciate the information.” He turned to leave.
“Hey, are you going to pay for that, mister?”
The shopkeeper’s tone set his blood on fire. He faced the man, his hand sliding to his gun. Then he caught himself. He’d promised himself that he’d turn over a new leaf now that he was going to be a family man. No more violence.
Frank dug in his pocket, pulled out two pennies and laid them on the counter. “There you go.”
He started toward the door, proud that he’d not lost his temper. Yes, sir, he was going to be a fine husband and father.
The storekeeper jingled the pennies in his hand. “That all you gonna buy?”
Frank managed a smile. He reckoned the Almighty Himself was testing his temper. “Won’t be needing anything else.”
The shopkeeper snorted. “Men like you are more trouble than you are worth.”
Frank’s temper flared. Leave. Just keep walking. Just keep walking. He twisted the knob. “Best of luck.”
“Don’t come back here!”
Frank snapped. In one fluid motion he drew his gun with one hand as he crossed the room. He reached across the counter and grabbed the storekeeper by the collar with the other. He pressed the gun to the keeper’s cheek. The clerk dropped the pennies. They pinged against the floor.
“I don’t appreciate your tone, mister. I’m doing my best to be kind toward you, but you ain’t being very respectful. I am a paying customer and I deserve respect.” He put his face right up to the man’s. “Where I come from, we gut fish like you.”
The storekeeper choked and sputtered. His eyes looked as if they’d pop out of his head. “Sorry.”
Frank shook his head. “Sorry? You insult me and all you can say is sorry? What good does sorry do me?”
“Take the candy,” the clerk said. “It’s on the house.”
Frank loosened his hold. “Now that’s more like it.”
The man rubbed his neck, which was red with Frank’s fingerprints. He returned the jar to the counter. “Take all the candy you want, mister, but just leave.”
Frank started to fill his pockets with candy. “You sure you don’t know nothing about a redheaded woman in these parts?”
The shopkeeper’s Adam’s apple bobbed in his throat when he swallowed. “Head toward Thunder Canyon. There’s a coach stop there that’s run by a woman named Annie. She’d know about your redhead if she were within a hundred miles of here.”
Frank scooped up another handful of candy and shoved it into his pocket. “Where’s this stop?”
“About two days due west.”
“Appreciate the help.”
He holstered his gun.
The storekeeper glanced at the candy jar and then at Frank’s grimy hands. Whatever he wanted to say, he swallowed.
“While I’m at it, why don’t you wrap me up a couple of cans of beans, ham and biscuits?”
The storekeeper moved to the end of the counter and chose four cans of beans. He placed them in a sack along with the other provisions.
Laughing, Frank scooped up the sack. “Put it on my account.”
The shopkeeper’s gaze traveled the length of Frank’s body. “W-what do you w-want with this woman?” he stammered.
“She’s my wife.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
LATER THAT DAY, Ellie sat back on her heels and stared at the even rows of vegetables, wiping beads of sweat from her forehead. Her old work dress had dried and she’d changed into it. It hung on her like a sack and made her feel ugly.
She had enough work to keep three people busy, yet concentrating on a task as simple as pulling weeds was nearly impossible.
Nick’s marriage proposal kept ringing in her head.
Marriage.
Lord, it was the last thing she’d ever expected from him.
His offer should have made her happy. It’s what she’d wanted only yesterday. However, his proposal fed the festering guilt she’d harbored since she’d found the gold map.
Ellie glanced toward the corral, where Nick was shoeing the black mare. He was good with the horses. He possessed patience and a firmness that they responded to. Even Onyx had fallen under Nick’s spell. She obeyed his every command and seemed almost eager to please.
Ellie wondered if she had fallen under a spell, as well. Several times today she’d nearly tossed good sense aside and told him about the map.
Yet each time she went to get it, she stopped herself. Growing up without a family had taught her to look after herself. Loneliness and fear of the future had trained her to play her cards carefully because once they were on the table, there was no taking them back.
Keeping the map was the smart thing to do. She wanted to believe Nick’s offer was genuine, but what if he were playing her just to get the gold?
So why did she feel so bad? And so lost? So cheap, as if she’d sold her soul?