by Peterson, Tracie; Davis, Mary; Hake, Kelly Eileen; Stengl, Jill; Warren, Susan May
When she unloaded her gear, she noted that everything was there: her cook kit, ammunition, bedroll, even the coffee Cinda had packed for her. As if someone had expected her to need them. Did Reece know she would get away? Did he really intend to come back for her then? Why did it bother her that he might not? Maybe because she needed to believe he was a good man deep inside and wouldn’t let any harm come to her nieces. It tore at her thinking some harm might have befallen them.
After she ate, she settled down in the cold mountain air and attempted to sleep but stared up at the stars instead. The night was clear and cold. She wondered if she should bother to pray. She doubted God would bother to listen to her. He probably didn’t like her much because she wasn’t much of a lady. And if He did, He would only get in her way and try to stop her.
She rolled to her side and stared into the fire. She was anxious to keep on the move but knew she needed rest to keep up her strength.
Cold and wet, Marty finally rode into the city called Seattle. The rain battered down on her. She had been riding in a steady downpour for the past two days. A hot bath and dry clothes would feel wonderful even if the only thing she had was a slightly damp dress.
Seattle was huge by Marty’s standards. She had never been in a town this big before. Her small town of Buckskin was more or less an accident. The local ranchers grew tired of the distance they needed to travel for supplies, and it grew from there. Now there was a livery, saloon, telegraph and post office, general store, barbershop, blacksmith, and schoolhouse that doubled for the church when the circuit preacher was in town.
This Seattle was a bit overwhelming. Marty had never seen so many people in one place. She had read of big cities, but it was nothing like experiencing one. She looked around in wonder at the number of wooden buildings. How would she find her nieces in this big place? Should she knock on every door? And what if the McRaes lived outside of town? This wasn’t going to be a simple retrieve and leave. She needed a foolproof plan. Simply kidnapping them wouldn’t work here.
She rode by a saloon, a grocer, another saloon, a blacksmith, and another saloon. It seemed that half the places in town were saloons. Marty pulled into one of the livery stables across from a hotel. She boarded Flash and headed across the street for a room and a hot bath.
As soon as Marty entered the hotel lobby, she could feel several pairs of eyes on her. She eyed seven dirty, unshaven men gawking at her. They were not at all embarrassed at being caught. Even Marty had enough manners not to stare. She decided to ignore them and headed for the front desk.
“I would like a room.”
The man behind the desk gave her an odd look. “You’re a girl.”
“I’m well aware of that shortcoming.” The group of men gathered around the desk and Marty. “Now, may I have a room?”
“Yes, miss.” He turned and retrieved a room key, number 17.
“I told ya she was a she,” one of the older men said, throwing out his chest.
“Well, she don’t dress like one. Anyone could’ve mistook ’er fer a boy,” a tall blond said.
Marty rolled her eyes. The men continued to speak around her but not to her. She wished they would leave her alone. She signed the register. “Sir, where can I get a hot bath?”
“I’ll have one sent up to your room immediately,” the clerk said.
“My room?”
“Yes, miss. I can’t let you go to the bathhouse down here.”
“I’ll take her bath up to her,” said a particularly dirty man. She wondered if he even knew what a bath was.
“And I’ll help her,” said another man.
“I can manage on my own.” She pulled out her Colt and spun the cylinder. “Any objections?”
The men shook their heads and stepped backward.
“You men git along,” the desk clerk said. “The dining room will be open soon for supper. Now git.” The men shuffled away in a huddle to the other side of the lobby and watched her.
“Miss, maybe you would prefer to stay at one of the nicer hotels,” the clerk said apologetically. “We don’t get many ladies here. You would probably be more comfortable in another part of town. I wouldn’t feel right taking your money without letting you know.”
Marty smiled stiffly and said, “I can take care of myself.” Why did every man she met think she was some helpless ninny? And why were those men constantly staring at her? Hadn’t they ever seen a girl before? It was probably that they had never seen one dressed in trail clothes. Well, she didn’t care what they thought of her.
“What’s with those men? Don’t they approve of a girl wearing pants?”
“No, miss. That’s not it a’tall. Out here men will take a woman jist about any way they can git one.”
Marty raised an eyebrow.
“What I mean is, women are still pretty scarce around here, and the men aren’t too particular.” He realized how that sounded and immediately stammered, “Not to say that you’re plain or somethin’s wrong with you. You’re right pretty. You’ll probably have five or six men fighting over you. If you’re looking for a husband, that is.”
Marty narrowed her gaze. “Well, I’m not.” She snatched her key and strode upstairs.
She could feel the men’s eyes on her, and a chill ran down her back.
Chapter 12
The bathtub came quickly, and the hot water followed within a half hour. She slipped into the steamy water with a moan of delight. She ached all over from the long days of riding and the hard ground at night. She soaked her tired body until the water cooled and her skin wrinkled. She didn’t normally sanction such luxury, but she hadn’t expected to arrive until after dark. She had some extra time to plan and think.
After her bath, she donned the dress that was now dry and faced herself in the small wall mirror. As she stared at herself, she thought of her nieces and Mr. Keegan. Had he kept them safe? Were they even here? She combed through the mass of wet, dark curls with her fingers. She hated her hair when it was wet. The unruly curl in it sprang to life. It was just long enough to tuck behind her ears. Normally she wore her hat until it dried to calm it down.
She looked down at all the bright pink ruffles circling ’round and ’round her. The ruffles were bad enough, but did it have to be so pink? She swished over to her trail clothes, hoping they were dry enough to wear down to supper. She grabbed hold of the sleeve of her shirt, her hand visibly wet. She let her gaze fall over the hideous dress. She was starved, and nothing was going to keep her from eating, not even a sissy, ruffle-ridden pink garment. She was tired and hungry, and if anyone so much as snickered at her, she would deck ’em.
The dress had no pockets, which forced her to take Ginny’s reticule to put her room key and money in. She felt naked without her gun and strapped on her Colt, which made the ridiculous dress look even worse. If she had seen a woman dressed as herself with a gun strapped to her hip, she would have laughed out loud. She took off the gun belt and settled for the derringer. She locked her door and pretended she belonged in the ridiculous frock. She hiked it up, showing her worn work boots, but didn’t care. How did women walk in these things all the time, when they couldn’t even see where they were going?
As she descended the stairs, she took each step slowly to keep from tripping. When she reached the bottom and looked up from her feet, she was surrounded by five of the seven men from earlier. They had all washed up and combed their hair back, and a couple had even shaved.
“May we escort you to dinner?” one asked slowly and carefully.
These men were eager. She didn’t see any way to avoid them, and they might prove helpful in her search, for they certainly knew the city and its people. She didn’t take any of the offered arms, but walked with the men to the dining room. It was rather rustic like the rest of the hotel. Marty liked the no-frills atmosphere. Her clothes had enough for the whole building.
When she sat down at a table, the men crowded around.
A robust older woman came over to the
table and pushed her way past the men. “If you’re not eating, you’re leaving.”
“I’m having whatever she’s having,” one of the men said, pointing to Marty. All the others echoed him and grabbed chairs to sit down.
They might be acting silly, but at least they weren’t laughing at her for wearing a dress. They seemed harmless enough. They didn’t seem much different from her brothers, just hardworking men. She ordered roast beef, potatoes with gravy, and a biscuit.
Marty figured she could get all the information she needed from these men before her supper arrived. But none of them knew anything about a pair of redheaded girls nor had they heard of a Reece Keegan. A couple of them had heard of some bigwig by the name McRae but didn’t know if it was a William McRae.
“I think his name was Aaron,” another man said. “Yeah. Aaron McRae. He had something to do with the railroad.”
Aaron McRae? Marty couldn’t believe it. The twins’ father here? But her sister said he died. Even Dani and Davey said he was dead. Had her unreliable sister lied to her own daughters?
So it wasn’t really an uncle after all who was after them. Had her sister lied to them all? Was she protecting her girls from him? How would she fight her nieces’ own father?
After she had eaten her meal, she said, “I will give a reward to the man who can find out where Mr. McRae lives or any information about my nieces.” These men could probably use a little extra money, and the incentive just might be the thing to get her some results.
“What kind of a reeeward?” asked a man with a scraggly beard and mustache. “A kiss?” His eyes lit up, and the other men smiled and nodded eagerly, too.
Marty wasn’t used to seeing men with facial hair. Her brothers were always clean shaven as her pa had been. She looked from one expectant face to the next, unsure what to say.
“I’ll take that reward,” came a voice with a familiar ring to it from the back of the crowd.
The men hung their heads and parted.
Reece Keegan stood dressed in an expensive East Coast suit looking dapper and handsome. She was startled by the fact she was glad to see him. She couldn’t believe this was the same man, but he was, and she wanted a piece of him. “You!” She lunged for him with both fists balled, ready for a fight. “You can eat my fists.”
He grabbed her wrists and struggled to control her to keep from being hit. “I should have known you wouldn’t stay where I put you.” A smile played at the corners of his mouth.
“Where are they?” She twisted her wrists.
He wrestled her arms behind her back. “I’m glad to see you haven’t lost your spunk.”
Marty growled. Spunk! She would show him spunk. She strained against his hold, but it made no difference so she gave up. Hard physical work had made her strong for a woman, but it still never compared to the natural strength of a man. It just wasn’t fair.
The fact that she was actually glad to see him made her even angrier. After all he had done, how could she want to see this scoundrel? She rationalized he was a familiar face in a strange town.
Marty heard the cocking of several guns, all aimed at Reece’s head. These men were useful after all.
“We seen her first.”
Reece didn’t seem rattled at all. Didn’t this man know danger when faced with it?
“Call them off, Marty.”
One side of her mouth turned up. “Why should I?”
“Because I’m the only one here who knows where Daphne and Daniella are.”
Her smile slipped, and she tugged at her arms.
The guns moved closer to Reece’s head. He tightened his hold on her. “Call them off.”
She glared at him. “Back off, boys.”
The men cursed but backed down and holstered their guns.
Reece turned to the group of men and said, “Miss Rawlings is through entertaining for the evening.”
Most of the men grumbled, but one spoke up in her defense. “I don’t think the lady wants you here.”
Reece raised his eyebrows to the man then looked down at Marty. “Is that true, Miss Rawlings? Would you like me to leave?” The twinkle in his eyes said, “You’ll never find them.”
She gritted her teeth. “No, I don’t want you to leave.” She wanted him to leave, but at the same time she didn’t. It was all so confusing.
“I’ll be close by, miss, if you need me,” said the man who had spoken up for her. The others nodded that they would, too.
“Thank you, but I’ll be fine. I can take care of myself.”
The disheartened men left reluctantly with their heads hanging.
Marty stood in Reece’s embrace waiting for him to let her go. For one fleeting moment she thought how nice it would be to be like other women, weak and helpless, falling into a man’s arms and letting him take care of everything. It was hard always being strong. She quickly came to her senses. If she wanted something done, she’d have to do it herself.
Reece had had a knot in the pit of his stomach when he left her at that ranch. But it was necessary to keep Wylie from harming her. He needed to be in control of the situation, but part of him remained with her. There were just too many uncontrollable elements. A man who would take money from a stranger to hold a young lady without batting an eyelash or asking a single question was definitely a questionable man. He hoped she would be safe until he returned.
When the rancher’s telegram came saying she had escaped, he wasn’t sure whether to be relieved or worried. So he took hold of both emotions and waited for word of her arrival.
He was certain she could take care of herself. He also knew there were many unknown dangers; even the strongest man could die out in the wilderness. He checked every hotel and livery stable in town and left word to get in touch with him if anyone saw a young lady matching Marty’s description. Today it paid off. She was finally here and safe. Which was more than he could say for himself if she had anything to do with it. She was obviously still angry as a peeled rattler.
Reece released her slowly and was on guard for another attack. “What’s your room number?”
“Seventeen. Why?”
“We need somewhere private to talk.” He took her by the elbow to lead her away.
She jerked free. “I’m not going anywhere with you.” She walked away.
“You will if you want to know where your nieces are.”
Marty stopped in her tracks but did not turn around.
Reece came up beside her and motioned toward the dining room exit. “Shall we go?”
Marty sneered at his offered arm. She held her head high and walked with all the grace of a cowhand up the stairs. She kept her dress hiked in the front to keep from tripping on it. Reece followed close behind, shaking his head in amusement. One minute Marty could be wild and unorthodox, the next obedient and conventional with a tomboy slant, but always with a single determination—get her nieces back at all costs. She was single-minded, like a dog with a bone. She wouldn’t let go.
Marty stopped at the door marked 17. Reece held out his hand. “The key.”
“Why don’t you jist tell me where they are? Then you can be on your way.”
“Because there are a few things you need to know first.” He wiggled the fingers of his outstretched hand, coaxing her to give him the key.
She jerked open her reticule and rammed her hand in, fishing for the key. She hated being backed into a corner. Who knew how long it would take her to locate the twins? She knew nothing about tracking someone in the city. Out in the wilderness she could track and make her way easily but not here in this unknown, sophisticated wilderness called Seattle.
Marty didn’t know what to do until she felt the cold steel of the gun barrel. True it was just a single-shot derringer, but she could make that one shot count without causing death, at least not right away. With a sketchy plan in mind, she curled her fingers around the key and slapped it into his waiting hand.
Chapter 13
Reece unlocked the door and
let Marty enter first. He swung the door shut, and as he turned he saw the miniature gun as she slipped it from her bag. Suddenly, life moved in slow motion. A myriad of thoughts dashed through his mind. If she still thought of him as a threat to her or her nieces, she would likely shoot him. He had to make her listen to reason, but not with a gun in her hand, even a small one. He had to get it away from her.
He lunged for her as she spun around, knocking her back. They fell together across the bed. She tried to maneuver the gun, but by the grace of God, Reece managed to pin her wrist to the bed. He pried the gun from her grip. “Not your usual weapon.”
She growled at him and hit his arm and shoulder with her other hand.
He tucked the gun safely away, and he pinned her other wrist.
“You have one thought on your mind, woman—putting a bullet in me,” Reece said, exasperated and out of breath from struggling with her. He found it difficult to get control of her. She was strong.
“You’re wrong. My only thought is of Dani and Davey. But anyone who stands in my way jist might have to dig out some lead.”
He understood her better now and knew she would do whatever was necessary to get them back.
“Don’t shoot me. I’m on your side.” He wanted her to understand that he cared about her and her nieces.
“My side! You kidnapped ’em.” She tried to twist free but fortunately he had the advantage.
“I was hired to bring them to Seattle to their uncle. It was wrong. I was wrong.”
“Then you shouldn’t have taken the job,” Marty spat back.
“I know, but if I hadn’t, Mr. William McRae would have found someone else, someone less favorable, who would.” Reece let her think about it. She probably hadn’t considered that.
He had to make her see this was not his doing. William McRae was the one responsible.
He could feel her relax a little, no longer fighting him. He felt something had changed in her opinion of him. It probably wasn’t a big change, but at least it was a start. “I truly am sorry for what I have done.”