© 2015 by Vickie McDonough
Print ISBN 978-1-62836-952-6
eBook Editions:
Adobe Digital Edition (.epub) 978-1-63409-402-3
Kindle and MobiPocket Edition (.prc) 978-1-63409-403-0
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted for commercial purposes, except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without written permission of the publisher.
All scripture quotations are taken from the King James Version of the Bible.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any similarity to actual people, organizations, and/or events is purely coincidental.
Cover Design: Faceout Studio, www.faceoutstudio.com
Published by Shiloh Run Press, an imprint of Barbour Publishing, Inc., P.O. Box 719, Uhrichsville, Ohio 44683, www.shilohrunpress.com
Our mission is to publish and distribute inspirational products offering exceptional value and biblical encouragement to the masses.
Printed in the United States of America.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 1
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Territory Late March 1893
Drifting back to a different time and place, Joline Jensen hummed the words of a long-forgotten hymn, keeping tune with the peaceful organ music wafting through her window. Softly and tenderly, Jesus is calling. Calling for you to come home. She sucked in a sharp breath when she realized what she was doing and glanced at her open door, hoping none of the other women had overheard. She wasn’t in the mood for their teasing today.
“What’s a trollop like you doing singing church songs? You ain’t gettin’ religious on us, are you? God doesn’t hear the prayers of the likes of us.” Jo could hear their taunting in her mind.
Long ago, she’d quit singing church songs. They were for decent women—not ones like her. She’d made her choice when she ran away from her family.
She walked to the window of her second-story bedroom and looked down at the field next door. She wasn’t the only one who thought it odd that the traveling preacher had selected that particular spot to raise his tent, especially since the nearest church was only a block away. The man must have thought the “ladies” at the bordello needed to hear his revival messages—or perhaps he thought the presence of his tent would keep customers away for the duration of the revival. She quirked her lips to one side. Not likely.
The soulful tune haunted her, reminding her of better days—days she’d so easily cast off in the arrogance of youth. If only she could go back …
She instantly squelched that thought. There was no room for dreams or what-ifs in this place.
“You’re not listening to that pitiful music, are you?”
Jo stiffened at the sound of Ruby’s voice and lowered the window. “Of course not. I’m shutting the window so I don’t have to hear it.” Pasting on a smile, she spun. “Besides, it’s getting too chilly in here. I don’t want Jamie to catch cold.” She crossed to the left side of her bedroom and tugged the small quilt over her son’s shoulders. She wanted to tell the other ladies that today was his first birthday, but the less attention drawn to him, the better. Badger would like nothing more than to be rid of him.
“I’m glad to hear that.”
Jo stiffened. “I never had much use for churches or their music.”
Ruby, still dressed in her silk robe even though it was past one in the afternoon, leaned on the door frame. “Me neither.” She snorted and shook her head. “Maybe if’n we had we wouldn’t have ended up here.”
Jo wouldn’t admit there was truth to her statement. She glided closer to the door and gestured for Ruby to move into the hall, hoping the woman would leave before she woke up Jamie. He fussed when he was tired, and Badger didn’t like it when he could hear Jamie downstairs. “Did you need something?”
Ruby narrowed her blue eyes and jerked her head toward the stairs, smirking. “Badger wants to see you.”
Jo’s heart jolted. Badger rarely sent for her except in the wee hours of the morning. She nodded, backed into her room, and squirted perfume—the kind Badger preferred—on her neck. He hadn’t sent for her for several weeks, so why now? She tiptoed over to Jamie’s little bed and checked on him again. He should sleep an hour and a half still, so there was time, but she hated to leave him, even for a short while. He was her lifeline. The only good thing in her life.
“I’ll sit with the boy. Gotta stitch up a ripped hem. You go on.”
Ruby seemed coldhearted most of the time, but she had a soft spot for Jamie. Jo nodded and slipped out the door, heart pounding and her blue dress swishing. She used to love blue, because it matched her eyes, but she hated it now. If only she could wear a soft lavender or sunny yellow, but Badger insisted each girl be named for a jewel and that she only wear the color of dresses that matched her jewel name.
She paused outside his door, already smelling the stench of the smoke of his cigar. The first few times he’d kissed her, her mouth had burned as if someone had set it on fire. Shuddering, she sucked in a steadying breath and stepped inside.
Badger lifted his gaze from his desk and caressed her with his steelgray eyes. His lips lifted at one corner. “Have a seat, Sapphire.”
She didn’t want a seat. She wanted to run upstairs, snatch her son, and flee this horrible place, but she couldn’t. Instead, she glided in, pasted on a smile, and cocked her head. “Ruby said you wanted to see me.”
He leaned back, tugged the half-smoked cigar from his mouth, and blew out a ring of smoke. “I looked over the books, and things seem to be in order.”
Jo nodded. “You know they are. It’s why you gave the job of bookkeeping to me.”
He narrowed his gaze, setting Jo’s heart to fluttering like the wings of a trapped bird. “I don’t reckon you’d cheat me like Topaz did.”
She worked hard to keep her face neutral. Had he found a discrepancy somewhere? She thought she had covered her trail well enough that he wouldn’t notice the tiny pittance she’d been pilfering for months. If she ever needed to make a quick getaway, she’d have to have that money. Would he strangle her like he did Topaz, a lovely girl with dark blond hair and hazel eyes? What would happen to Jamie if something happened to her?
Badger chuckled. “You worried about something?”
“Um … no, just wondering if that’s all you wanted.”
He hooked one arm over the back of his chair and fiddled with his cigar. “Maybe I’m just lonely for your company.”
“You don’t get lonely.” He could have any of the women in the bordello whenever he wanted, but for some reason, he’d singled her out. As much as she hated spending time alone with him, she was grateful that he rarely made her be with the other men who came nightly. For some reason, he considered her his personal belonging. The only time he shared her now was when an especially high-paying client visited. She was grateful and yet the other women disliked her because of it.
“Would yo
u like me to get you some coffee?” she asked.
He shook his head. “Sarah’s getting it.”
He stared at her for a long moment then flicked his hand toward a package on the side table. “Open that. I got you a present.”
Jo’s stomach clenched as if she’d gulped down sour milk. She didn’t want Badger’s gifts. They always came with expected payment. But she learned early not to disobey and to pretend compliance. She crossed the small room, opened the package, and curiously fingered the blue calico with tiny pink flowers. Badger had never before allowed such a common dress in his establishment. Why now? She glanced at him, brows lifted. “Calico? What’s this for?”
He slowly rose and stepped around his desk. “I’ve made an appointment for four this afternoon. You’re to wear that and take that boy with you.”
She tightened her grip on the fabric. “What? Why?”
He held her gaze but then looked away. “There’s a couple wantin’ a kid.”
Jo stepped back. She wanted to flee to her room, get Jamie, and leave. “No. I—I can’t give him up. You said I could keep him if I did what you wanted.” He was her only joy. The only thing in this wretched place that brought her any happiness.
Badger grabbed her throat. “That noisy brat has customers complaining. I want him gone.”
“No! Please! I’ll do anything.”
He shoved her against the table. “You’ll get rid of the kid—and you’ll still do anything I say. You belong to me.”
“Badger, please. Today is Jamie’s birthday. I can’t give him up today.”
Badger glared at her, but a shuffling at the door drew his gaze, and his expression softened. “Put it on the desk.”
Jo wiped her eyes and glanced at Sarah. Keeping her head down, the girl slipped in quietly, set the tray on Badger’s desk, and then turned to leave. She peeked up at Jo. “Birthday is special day,” she muttered as she fled the room.
Badger frowned and stared at the empty doorway. “Go meet them folks. If they like the boy, you can give ’im to ’em tomorrow.” He swiveled his gaze to her. “Just make sure to arrange a place and time to meet ’em again and hand over that kid. Am I clear?”
Jo nodded and swallowed back her argument. There was no disagreeing with Badger. She would pay dearly if she did, and she wasn’t certain that he was above hurting Jamie. Maybe he would be safer away from this place. She slipped from the room, her heart breaking. How could she bear to give away her son? It was an unconscionable thing for Badger to demand. Heartless.
She wouldn’t do it.
She couldn’t.
As she dragged her numb body up the stairs, she searched for another solution. There had to be something she could do besides handing Jamie over to strangers. She’d tried escaping before and suffered for it. She’d nearly lost Jamie before he’d been born as a result of the beating she’d incurred, and if she hadn’t stayed in bed for two months, per doctor’s orders, as she recovered, she probably would have.
Oh, why had she ever believed Badger? Believed he had wanted to take her away from the awful situation she’d found herself in when she learned the truth about Mark Hillborne’s deception?
If she’d known then what she knew now, she would have listened to her sister. She’d never have left her family. How could she have known her actions would one day cost her something so priceless—her son?
That afternoon, Jo clutched Jamie tight around his belly as the buggy bumped along the rutted street. The innocent child bounced and gurgled, enjoying the ride that was ripping out her heart. Stoney, one of Badger’s henchmen, drove the wagon. There’d be no escape for her with him along. Why couldn’t Garnet have driven? She would have been more sympathetic to Jo’s plight, but even she wouldn’t have allowed Jo to run, because it would have meant a severe beating for herself.
Jo sighed, blowing Jamie’s wispy blond hair. While her son had her coloring, his features more resembled his father. She scowled at the thought of Mark Hillborne. Why had she been so enamored with him? Why had she believed him when he’d said he wanted to marry her? He’d been a charmer, wooing her into his store. Into his bed after they’d repeated their vows to one another. It was only later that she learned the man who “married” them wasn’t a real preacher. She looked to the side, focusing on a general store, much like the one she and Mark had run together.
The man she thought she loved had deceived her. And he’d lied when she confronted him with the news she’d learned. He laughed it off as a rumor and had coaxed her to believe that he truly loved her and that they were legally married. Didn’t his ring prove that? But the last time he learned she was pregnant, he’d boarded up the store and left town. Left her. Left his son.
Jo pushed the morose memories from her mind. Today’s troubling thoughts were already more than she could handle. Dressed in the dark blue calico Badger had supplied and riding in a buggy she’d never seen before, she was able to study the town without receiving the censuring glares and huddled whispers she normally endured as one of the ladies from the bordello. Anyone might think they were a married couple. Though only a few years old, Oklahoma City had already surpassed Guthrie in size. One could easily hide among the crowds. She glanced down at her dress, her heart picking up its pace. In calico, she could walk the streets and fade in with the regular folk.
Stoney turned a corner and stopped the buggy at a small park. A couple sitting in a fancy surrey turned to look at them. The woman’s eyes lit up as they latched onto Jamie. Jo tugged her son against her chest. He reached up and patted her cheek. She’d never let that woman have Jamie, but she had to play the part now or Stoney would become suspicious and tattle to Badger.
The man helped his wife down then offered his arm and escorted her toward Jo. They were dressed in nice clothing, and their buggy was a newer model. In another situation, she might have liked them. Stoney jumped to the ground then lumbered around and helped Jo out of the buggy. He gestured with his head for her to go on. Sucking in a steadying breath, she pushed her feet forward. Just be an actress. Play the part. Then tonight, she and Jamie would make their getaway.
The couple cautiously approached, both of them looking at Jamie. Jo felt a little sorry for them, since they wouldn’t be gaining a son like they hoped. But Jamie was her son, and no one would force her to give him up. Besides, this was none of her doing. For all she knew, they’d paid Badger a fee to claim her son.
“Oh, Charles. He’s such a comely lad.” The woman’s gaze shifted to Jo. “The baby is a boy?”
She nodded. “His names is James, but I call him Jamie.”
“We’d want to change that, of course.” The man glanced at Jo. “I suppose I should introduce us. I’m Charles Willhite, and this is my wife, Cecelia.”
He looked at Jo as if waiting for her name, but she remained silent. Her name didn’t matter. And neither did Jamie’s, so it seemed.
“Could my wife hold the boy?”
Jo shuddered. Would the couple try to steal Jamie away now? They’d be upset when they learned they couldn’t have him today. Forcing herself to nod and her arms to loosen, she held out her son, hoping he’d cry and fuss and want her back—but she knew he wouldn’t. He’d always been such a good baby, and he was used to different women holding him.
“Oh, look. He has blue eyes like you, Charles.”
The man scowled. Maybe he didn’t like his wife comparing him and Jamie. Cecelia was obviously taken with him. Jamie reached for the woman’s gold necklace, but Mr. Willhite reached out and gently pushed his hand down.
“Mr. Worley informed us the boy is an orphan. Do you know anything of his background?”
Stunned, Jo didn’t respond at first. Badger had told them Jamie didn’t have parents?
Mr. Willhite lifted a brow.
Jo straightened. “Jamie is not an orphan. I am his mother.”
Behind her, Stoney coughed a warning.
Mrs. Willhite’s face turned white. “Why would you give away your child?�
�
Jo wanted to snatch her son from the woman’s arms and flee. She wanted to scream that she didn’t want to give him up. Instead, she kept her head down, hoping they couldn’t tell she was lying. “As much as I’d like to keep him, my circumstances are such that I can’t. I only want him to go to a good home.”
She peered up, watching the couple look at one another. The woman gave a slight nod and tugged Jamie up, resting her cheek on his head.
Mr. Willhite turned. “All right. We’ll take him, but there is to be no further contact from you or Mr. Worley, is that clear?”
Jo stepped toward them. “I understand, but there is one thing. You can’t have Jamie until tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow?” Mrs. Willhite took a step back.
Jo wrung her hands. “Please understand. Today is his first birthday. I can’t bear to give him up today. Please.”
Mr. Willhite scowled. “I was afraid of something like this. It’s why I didn’t like this harebrained idea from the start.”
“It’s only one more day, Charles. And then we’ll have our son.”
“Are you sure? What if something happens? I don’t want to see you disappointed again.”
“The young lady seems sincere. As much as I’d love to take Jamie now, I can wait one more day.” But when she looked down at Jamie and kissed his head, Jo noticed her lips quivered. She knew the agony the woman felt at the thought of parting with him.
Cecelia passed Jamie to her husband, and he handed him back to Jo. She clutched him to her.
“Same time tomorrow? Same place?” Mr. Willhite asked.
His wife placed her hand on his forearm. “Could we perhaps meet earlier in the day? I don’t think I can bear to wait all day, and it might be easier on Jamie’s mother?”
“Ten o’clock?” Mr. Willhite lifted a brow.
Holding her son tight, Jo nodded. She turned and fled back to the buggy, knowing she was going to break Mrs. Willhite’s heart. But Jamie was her son—and she wasn’t letting him go without a fight.
Chapter 2
Baron Hillborne set his satchel on the steps and stared at the building that housed the store his brother once bragged about. Mark had dreams to make Hillborne’s the best general store in Guthrie, and from the tales he told in the few letters he’d written their mother, he had succeeded. But the place had been boarded up for well over a year and a half—ever since Mark had tired of it and returned to St. Louis.
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