“Why, thank you, Mr. Maddigan, I’d like that very much.”
*
Their days fell into a routine after that. They slept late, then spent the afternoon and early evening together. Creed spent a part of each day prowling from one saloon to another, looking for Rose, but it was Jassy who found her sister.
They had been in San Francisco almost a month. Creed was making good money dealing at the saloon. On this particular day, he was sitting in for one the dealers who worked days, and Jassy had decided to go shopping.
She was leaving Patricia’s Millinery Shoppe when she saw Rose walking across the street. For a moment, Jassy could only stare, unable to believe that the woman she was looking at was her sister. Rose had always been beautiful, vivacious, careful of her appearance. But this woman looked haggard and careworn. Her eyes were dull, her skin pale. And her dress…it was faded and down at the hem.
Lifting her skirts, Jassy ran across the street. “Rose! Rose, wait!”
With a sigh, the woman turned around. For a moment, she stared at Jassy, her expression blank.
“Rose, it’s me. Jassy.”
“Jassy?”
Rose blinked at her several times. “Jassy?” Slowly, she shook her head. “Jassy, what are you doing here?”
“Looking for you. Rose, what happened?”
“Happened? Nothing.”
Jassy glanced up and down the street; then, taking Rose by the arm, she led her to a small restaurant. The proprietor started to object when he saw Rose, but Jassy stilled his objections with a five-dollar bill, then led Rose to a table in the back.
She ordered an enormous lunch for Rose, a glass of tea for herself. Only after Rose had eaten, did Jassy question her sister again.
“Tell me, Rose, what happened after you left Harrison.”
Rose stared down into the dregs of her coffee cup. “Everything was fine at first. He bought me a new wardrobe, and we had rooms at the Palace. Ray said we’d get married, but he kept finding reasons to put it off. Then he…he started drinking, and gambling. He lost every cent we had. We had to give up our rooms, and he sold all my clothes…”
Rose clenched her hands in her lap. “He said he couldn’t find a job. I don’t know if it was true or not.” Her voice dropped to a whisper. “And then, one night, he brought a man home with him. He said the rent was due, and we were broke, and the only way we could earn any money was for me to…to…”
Rose glanced at Jassy. “He wanted me to whore for him. I’ve done it most of my life, but I never thought the man I loved, the man who was supposed to love me, would put me up for sale.”
She lowered her eyes, too ashamed to face her sister any longer. “I threatened to leave him, and he…he hit me. He told me he’d kill me if I tried to leave him, that I was the best whore in San Francisco and I was going to make him rich.
“And then I…I got sick.”
“Sick?”
“You know,” Rose said, not meeting her eyes. “Sick.” In truth, she’d had an abortion. “Ray brought me something to help me feel better. I didn’t know what it was.”
“What was it?”
“Opium.”
“Opium! Oh, Rose, how could you?”
“It did make me feel better,” Rose said, her voice defiant. “It made me numb.”
Jassy gazed at her sister. Somehow, the fact that Rose had stolen four thousand dollars no longer mattered. Rose was the only family she had left, and she needed help.
“You’re coming home with me,” Jassy said.
“No.”
“Yes.”
“I can’t.”
“Why not?”
“Don’t you understand? I don’t want to leave him.”
“Why not?”
“He gives me what I want. What I need. And I…”
“And you give him what he wants,” Jassy remarked quietly.
“Don’t look so shocked, Jassy. I’ve been doing it most of my life.”
“Oh, Rose…” Tears of sympathy welled in Jassy’s eyes.
“What can I do?”
“Nothing.” For the first time, Rose met her sister’s gaze. “I’m sorry, Jassy,” she murmured. “Sorry…”
“The money’s not important.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
“No? What then?”
Rose sat up straight in her chair and looked at Jassy as if seeing her for the first time. “What are you doing here?”
“I told you. I came here to find you.”
“But how did you get here?” Rose frowned. Her gaze ran over Jassy and she blinked, and then blinked again. “Jassy, you’re…you’re pregnant!”
Jassy nodded. “Yes.”
“But…but how?”
“The usual way.”
“Oh, Jassy.”
“It’s all right, Rose, I’m married.”
“You are? To who?”
“Creed.”
Rose stared at her sister, the excitement in her eyes smothered under layers of disdain. “Creed? Maddigan?”
Jassy nodded.
“You married that dirty, rotten half-breed?”
Jassy lifted her head and squared her shoulders, refusing to be intimidated by Rose’s contempt. “I love him, Rose, and he loves me.”
“You can’t be happy with him?”
“But I am. He’s a wonderful man, Rose, so kind, so good to me…”
“He’s a hired gun.”
“Not anymore.”
“Oh, Jassy, I’m sorry, so sorry.” Tears welled in her eyes and poured down her cheeks. “So sorry.”
Jassy glanced over her shoulder. The other patrons were all staring at them.
“Rose, let’s go. We can go to my room.”
Rose shook her head. “They won’t let me in the hotel.”
“We’re not staying at the hotel. We have a room at Annie Ross’ boardinghouse.”
Rose laughed bitterly. “You’re crazy if you think old lady Ross would let me step one foot inside her house.”
“Let me worry about that. Come on.”
Jassy felt every eye in the house follow her as she paid for Rose’s lunch, then left the restaurant.
Outside, the sun was warm. Taking Rose by the arm, Jassy led her sister down the sidewalk toward Annie Ross’ house. Rose’s arm was thin, too thin, Jassy thought, as if she didn’t get enough to eat.
Annie Ross stepped onto the porch as they climbed the stairs, her arms folded over her ample breasts.
“Good afternoon, Annie,” Jassy said, smiling.
“Good afternoon, Jassy,” Annie Ross replied. She remained in front of the door, her bulk blocking the entrance. “What is she doing here?”
“This is my sister, Rose.”
“Sister!” Annie Ross exclaimed.
“Yes. She’s the reason we came to San Francisco.”
“But she’s a wh—?”
Jassy stared at the older woman, daring her to say the word.
“I mean…” Annie Ross shook her head in defeat. “She can visit, but she can’t stay the night.”
“Thank you, Annie. Do you think you could fix us a pot of tea?”
Annie Ross glared at Rose, then smiled at Jassy. “I’ll bring it up when it’s ready.”
“Thank you, Annie.”
“You’ve developed some gumption since you left Harrison,” Rose remarked as she followed Jassy up the stairs.
“A little,” Jassy agreed. Opening the door, she pulled off her gloves and removed her hat. “Make yourself comfortable, Rose. The tea should be ready soon.”
“Why are you being so nice to me, Jassy? I don’t deserve it.”
“You’re my sister.”
“I know, but…never mind.” Rose sat down on the chair at the foot of the bed. “How long have you been in Frisco?”
“Not long. It seems like a fascinating city, what little I’ve seen of it.”
“Yeah, fascinating,” Rose muttered.
A few minutes later, A
nnie Ross knocked on the door. She stared balefully at Rose as she handed the tea tray to Jassy.
“Thank you, Annie,” Jassy said.
Annie Ross harrumphed and closed the door.
Jassy put the tray on the dresser, poured two cups, added cream and sugar, and handed one of the delicate china cups to Rose. “Here. This will make you feel better.”
“I doubt it,” Rose said.
Jassy studied her sister as she sipped her tea. Rose had been a beautiful woman once. Now, her hair was dull and lackluster, her skin was sallow, there were dark circles under her eyes.
Rose stared into her tea cup, embarrassed by her sister’s scrutiny. How could she make Jassy understand what her life had been like these past months? She had gotten sick after the abortion. If Coulter hadn’t given her money for a doctor, she would have died. It was Coulter who had given her a place to stay, opium to ease the pain in her body, to dull the guilt that had assailed her when she regained consciousness after the operation and faced the stark reality of what she had done.
“You look tired, Rose,” Jassy remarked, taking the empty tea cup from her sister’s hand and setting it aside. “Why don’t you get some sleep?”
“Sleep? Yes, I’d like that.”
Jassy pulled back the covers on the bed, helped Rosie out of her dress and shoes, tucked her into bed. Moments later, Rose was asleep.
*
Rose was still sleeping soundly when it was time for Creed get home from work. Jassy had convinced Annie Ross to let Rosie spend the night, then she had spent the afternoon sitting at the window, watching the traffic in the street below. Not long ago she had hated her sister—hated her for refusing to let her testify at Creed’s trial, for hitting her, for stealing her money and papa’s watch. But she couldn’t hate Rose, not now. Now she felt only pity.
She stood up when she heard Creed’s footsteps in the hall. Convincing Annie Ross to let Rose spend the night hadn’t been easy, but she knew convincing Creed would be nigh impossible.
She was smiling when he opened the door. “Hello there,” she murmured.
“Hello.” He frowned as he tossed his hat on a chair. “Why is it so dark in here? Were you asleep?”
“No.”
He pulled her into his arms and kissed her, and for a moment, she forgot everything else.
“So,” Creed said, gazing down at her. “Have you already had dinner?”
“No, I waited for you. Annie said she’d keep something warm for us.”
“Let’s go eat, then,” he suggested. “I haven’t had anything since five. I…” His words trailed off as he glanced at the bed. “Who’s that?”
“Rose.”
“Rose? Your sister, Rose?”
Jassy nodded.
“What the hell is she doing here?”
“Shhh. She’s sick, Creed.” Jassy took his arm and urged him out of the room. “I had to bring her here.”
“Dammit, Jassy…”
“Creed, listen,” Jassy whispered, mindful of the ears of the house. “She’s been sick. She couldn’t work, and then some man gave her opium, and…”
“Opium!” Creed swore under his breath.
“Creed, she said she sold herself to this man, that he owns her.”
“So what? She’s been selling herself for years.”
“I know, but not like this.”
“What difference does it make if she sells herself to one man or a hundred? It’s all the same. Dammit, Jassy, if it wasn’t for Rose, I wouldn’t have spent all that time in jail.”
“I know.”
“She stole four thousand dollars.”
“I don’t care about the money.”
“Well, I do. I worked damn hard for that money. Dammit, I almost got my head blown off earning it.”
Jassy laid a placating hand on her husband’s arm. “Creed, I can’t turn her away. She’s my sister. Except for you, she’s all the family I have in the world. I have to help her if I can.”
“Help her! I was thinking of having her arrested.”
“You’re not serious!”
“I was,” Creed muttered, “but I guess that’s out of the question now. Come on, let’s go down and see what Annie left for us to eat.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Rose stretched and yawned, then groaned as she sat up. Where was she? She glanced around the room, then gasped as her gaze came to rest on Creed Maddigan. He was sitting in a chair at the foot of the bed, his expression cold and hard.
Clutching the covers to her chest, Rose pressed herself against the headboard.
“You want to tell me about it?” Creed asked.
“About what?”
“Don’t play games with me,” Creed said, his voice sharp.
“Where’s Jassy?”
“Downstairs, taking a bath. We’ve got time for a nice long talk.”
“I’ve got nothing to say to you.”
“Well, I’ve got plenty to say to you.”
“Does Jassy know you slept with me?”
Creed frowned. “Of course not!”
“What do you think she’d say if she knew?”
“If you’re smart, you won’t tell her.”
“Is that a threat?”
“Damn right!” Creed stood up. “You stole the money, and I don’t guess there’s any way to get it back, but if you’re smart, you won’t say anything to hurt Jassy. You understand? She’s been hurt enough.”
“I understand,” Rose replied sullenly. “If you’ll leave, I’ll get dressed and be on my way.”
“My pleasure.”
She waited until he left the room, then jumped out of bed and yanked on her dress and shoes. She had to find Coulter. Soon. She would do anything he asked, everything he asked, just as long as he gave her what she craved. What she needed.
*
“Where’s Rose?” Jassy glanced around the room.
“She’s gone.”
“Gone? Where?”
“I don’t know. Come here, I’ll brush out your hair.”
Frowning, Jassy sat on the edge of the bed. Usually, she loved to have Creed brush her hair, but now all she could think about was Rose.
“She’s sick, Creed.
“She’s an addict.”
“What?”
“She’s addicted to opium.”
“I don’t believe you.”
“It’s true. I could smell it on her last night.”
Jassy shook her head. “No.” It was impossible. She knew, of course, that opium dens were common in Chinatown and on the waterfront, but surely Rose didn’t frequent those places.
“Listen, Jassy, what do you say we leave here? There’s no way we’re gonna get the money back, so why don’t we make tracks for greener pastures. Montana, or Wyoming, maybe?”
“Leave? Without Rose? I can’t. She needs me.”
“You can’t give her what she needs, Jassy. Nobody can.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean,” he said, taking her in his arms, “she needs to want to get better. She needs to want to change the kind of life she’s living. Until then, nothing you can say or do is gonna change a thing.”
“I don’t believe that.”
“Okay, okay,” Creed muttered, brushing her lips with a quick kiss. “Have it your way for now.”
*
Creed dealt the cards automatically. Another hour, and then he could go home. Funny, how quickly he had become accustomed to the idea of having a home to go to, of having Jassy there, waiting for him. It frightened him sometimes, how deeply she was embedded in his heart, in the very fabric of his life. It was hard now to believe there had been a time when she hadn’t been there, when he hadn’t known the warmth of her smile, the tenderness of her touch. So much love wrapped up in such a neat little package. And soon they’d have a child.
He swore under his breath as he shuffled the cards and dealt a new hand. A baby. As nervous as he was at the thought of being a father, he was begi
nning to think it might not be so bad.
*
“Where’ve you been?”
Rose shrugged, not meeting Coulter’s eyes. “Just out.”
“You look like hell.”
“I’m hurting, Ray.”
“I can see that. Where were you all night?”
Rose looked up at him. There was no point in lying. He’d find out the truth one way or another. “My sister’s in town. I stayed with her.”
“Sister? The one you stole all that money from?”
Rose nodded. “Please, Ray, I’m hurting awful bad.”
“Is the ’breed with her?”
Rose stared at Coulter. “Why?”
“The longer it takes you to answer my questions, the longer it’ll be ’til you get what you want. What you need.”
She nodded slowly, hating herself for her weakness. She’d stolen Jassy’s money, and now she’d put Maddigan’s life in danger. But it couldn’t be helped. She tried to tell herself that Maddigan was no good, that he was a hired gun, an escaped convict, but nothing she said eased her conscience. Jassy had offered to help her, and she was repaying her sister’s kindness with treachery. Again.
“Where are they staying?”
“Annie Ross’ boardinghouse.” Rose placed her hand on Coulter’s arm. “Please, Ray, leave them alone. My sister’s gonna have a baby.”
“So what?”
“She needs her husband.”
“I’ll take care of her.”
“No, Ray.”
Rose stared up at him, wondering at her sudden concern for Jassy’s welfare. Maybe it was the fact that she was dying that made her long to right the wrong she’d done her sister. Maybe, at long last, she had grown up enough to realize that she’d brought most of her misery on herself. Whatever the reason, it was important that Jassy stay clean, that Jassy’s baby have a mother and a father, something neither she nor Jassy had ever had.
Rose licked her lips when Ray unlocked the closet and pulled a small box from the shelf.
He grinned knowingly as he tossed it to Rose. She fell on it like a duck on a June bug, all else forgotten as she sought the relief she craved.
Coulter went to look out the window. So, Maddigan was here. He cursed viciously. Damn Rimmer! Either he’d been too stupid to trail the ’breed, or he was dead. Either way, Maddigan was in Frisco. He took a deep breath, forcing himself to remain calm, to think. There was money to be made, he mused. There was a bounty on Maddigan’s head. The baby could be sold for a good bit of change. And so could the woman, either into a brothel, or to one of the ships that dealt in the white slave trade.
Lakota Renegade Page 25