A Convenient Wife (14 page)

It was too late, and he was too tired to eat anyway. With five patients in various stages of whooping cough, he'd spent a
long, wearisome day. The arrival of a maiden aunt had relieved him of their care, and with instructions he doubted the woman was in need of, from the way she'd taken charge, he'd left and headed for home.

Now Win sought out his bedroom, opening the door quietly, so as not to disturb Ellie's sleep. He stood just inside the room, blinking as his eyes adjusted to the dark, and listened for the soft sounds she was wont to make as she slept.

Silence greeted him, and he made his way to the bed, frowning as he discovered the quilt still in place, pillows unused, and no trace of his wife. “Ellie?” He spoke her name in the stillness, even as he recognized her absence. The room was empty.

“Ellie?” The bedroom door slammed against the wall as he threw it open, and his feet pounded through the parlor, then across the dining room, skirting the table as he raced to the kitchen. Moonlight traced a path across the floor, shining through the window, and the faint scent of food caught his attention. He moved to the stove where a pot stood on the back burner, almost cool to the touch. Probably the remains from supper, yet she hadn't banked the fire, and that was not like Ellie.

Opening the back door, he stepped out onto the porch, glancing toward the house next door. Perhaps she'd been called over to help Kate, and at that thought he shook his head. Ellie wouldn't walk out the door without leaving him a note. Unless there was an emergency.

He hastened across the yard, almost stepping on a toad that leaped from his path, startling him into a nervous chuckle. And then he stood on James's back stoop, feeling foolish as he rapped on the door. There had to be an explanation for Ellie's absence, but he'd be doggoned if he could come up with one. And waking James was the least of his worries. He'd rather be thought impetuous and a worrywart, than to sit alone and ponder her whereabouts.

A candle glowed beyond the kitchen, and a tall figure stumbled across the kitchen floor, heading in his direction. James swung the door open and peered through the screen door. “What the hell's goin' on?” he asked, reaching to scratch his head. “Something wrong, Win?”

“Ellie's not here, is she?” It lacked the note of inquiry to be posed as a question, and before James responded, Win knew his words were in vain.

“Ellie? Isn't she home?” James shoved the screen door open. “Come on in. Kate said she was here till the sun went down, doing up the laundry and cooking supper for us.” He deposited the candle on the table and in its flickering light, his face took on a look of concern. His jaw clenched as he turned to Win.

“Let me get some clothes on and I'll help you look for her.” Trousers half-buttoned, and shirtless, he left the kitchen, and Win sank into a chair at the table.

His mind spun in relentless circles, and there was no rhyme or reason to his thoughts. Behind him, fabric rustled and soft footsteps brushed the bare wooden floor.

“Win?” It was Kate, dark hair caught up in a long braid, her spectacles perched on the end of her nose. “James said Ellie's not in the house.” She approached him, placing a hand on his shoulder. “She was here with me, most of the day in fact. She did up the wash and cleaned the kitchen for me. Gave me a whole day to myself. Even cooked supper. But she sure didn't give me any reason to think she was going anywhere else when she left here.”

Win reached to cover her hand with his, squeezing gently. “I don't know where to look first,” he admitted. “I'd hoped she might…” His shrug spoke of defeat. “Did she say anything at all to you? About…anything?”

Kate's hand clenched into a fist beneath Win's palm and his gaze shot up to her face. “What? What is it?”

“She told me about Marie Jamison and Tommy coming to
see you, Win.” Her eyes closed, as if she sought to recall the details. “She said something about not causing you trouble. She thought if she wasn't there, they wouldn't bother you anymore.”

“Bother me?” He shoved the chair back as he rose, and it fell to the floor. “She left me because she thought she was too much trouble?” He felt anger surge in a wave of fury. “Where the hell would she go?”

Kate shook her head. “I can't imagine. Maybe to Tess? She'd know this would be the first place you'd look.” Her arms hugged across her waist as Kate shivered. “I didn't think she'd leave without any word, Win. She was just upset because Tommy and his mother were making threats.”

“Did they come back to the house? Were they bothering her?” And if they had, he'd see to it they were on the next stagecoach to Butte. His jaw was clenched, and his pulse pounded in his throat.

“She went to the hotel to see them,” Kate told him. “Marie is talking about getting an annulment of your marriage. And Tommy was insisting on Ellie going back to Philadelphia with them.”

Win gripped the back of the chair. “Does Ellie want to do that? Does she care for the boy?” And if she did, how could he let her go? “Damn, they can't get an annulment anyway, Kate. The marriage has been well consummated.” That he would blurt out such a statement was a measure of his anger, he thought, but Kate took it without blinking.

“I'd figured as much,” she said quietly. “Ellie didn't say, but I haven't seen a light on in her bedroom upstairs almost since you were married.”

“She's my wife,” Win said, each word forced between his teeth as if he would do battle to prove it. And he would, he realized. Ellie was his responsibility. More than that, she was the best thing that had ever happened to him. He cared for her, deeply…almost beyond measure.

James stalked through the doorway, bending to touch his lips to Kate's forehead. “I'll be back, honey,” he said. “I don't know what we can do in the middle of the night, but we'll take a stab at it anyway.”

“All right,” Kate answered. “Win?”

He turned back, hopeful that she'd thought of something else that might lend a clue in his search.

It was not to be. Kate's eyes glittered with unshed tears, and she shook her head mutely. In two strides he was in front of her, and he hugged her, lending his strength and accepting the embrace she offered.

“Be careful,” she said softly, and her gaze swept to her husband. “Check with Tess first.”

 

Tess, wrapped in a dressing gown, answered the door in moments. “I just woke up out of a sound sleep,” she said, “and then I heard you rappin' on the door and calling. What's wrong? My heart's goin' a mile a minute. There's something gone awry. I can tell.”

“Ellie's not here, is she?” Win heard the hope that laced his words, and watched in despair as Tess shook her head.

“Heavens, no,” she said quickly. “Haven't seen her since yesterday morning when she came by the store for a piece of side pork and some beans for your dinner, Win. What's happened?”

“She's gone,” James said bluntly. “Win came home to an empty house, and there's no way of knowing where Ellie is. We just took a chance that she might have come here.”

“Wish she had,” Tess told them. “I know she was upset about Marie Jamison making such a fuss. And madder than a wet hen that Tommy was being led around by the nose.”

“Kate said Ellie went to the hotel to see them.” Win tamped down his banked anger, and forced himself to consider his next move. “Maybe that's the place for us to go, James. Do you suppose they had anything to do with this?”

“I doubt Amos will let us go stompin' around, waking his guests up in the middle of the night,” James said with a frown. “I could do it as a lawman, but I'm thinking we'd might as well wait till morning. If she's there, she'll still be on the premises at daybreak.”

“It's almost five o'clock now,” Tess said. She pushed open the screen door. “Why don't the two of you come on in, and I'll fix you some coffee and make some breakfast. By the time you finish eating, it'll be time enough to shake Amos out of bed.”

She lifted a hand as Win opened his mouth. “Don't give me an argument, Doc. You probably didn't eat all day yesterday, and if you're plannin' on scourin' the countryside for Ellie, you need something in your belly.”

“She's right,” James said, and placed a hand on Win's shoulder. “Let's go on in and make some plans.”

 

The rooster crowed twice, paused a moment, then sounded his arrogant message again. Ellie rolled over in the narrow bed and sat up, pushing her hair from her face, her aching arms protesting the movement. She'd spent a couple of hours with her hands tied behind her back, and bouncing around on the flat bed of her father's wagon hadn't helped any. She felt bruised from one end to the other, and as she got clumsily to her feet, she found her legs hurting in numerous places.

Her index finger throbbed unmercifully and she peered down at it in the dim light from the window. A splinter was pressed into the quick, just a bit of it protruding beyond the edge of her nail, and she gripped the bit of wood with her front teeth, easing it from the tender flesh. She was clad in the wash dress she'd worn to scrub out Kate's laundry, and it sagged like a shapeless, dark shroud around her weary body.

Win would be frantic. The thought battered her mind, and she snatched on her coat from the floor, then hastened to the window, thinking to slide it open and climb through to the
yard. Too late, she recalled her father with hammer and nails, pounding long spikes to secure it against just such an event. For a moment she was tempted to smash the glass and take her chances with the jagged edges, and then thought better of it. Getting all cut up would be a foolish move, and Win would scold her roundly for such a choice.

Win.
She closed her eyes, visualizing him as he must have looked, coming home late last night and searching for her. He would think she'd left him, and the words she'd spoken to Kate rushed to her mind.
I think I need to leave for a while.
She'd said it aloud, and Kate had discouraged her from the idea.

Leaning her head against the cool windowpane, she closed her eyes. He wouldn't know where to look, and if he thought she'd left on her own, he'd be hurt. And hurting Win was the last thing on earth she ever wanted to do. Her love for the man welled up within her and she hugged it to herself, a keening whisper escaping her lips as she thought of his pain.

“Win…” His name was a soft murmur and she pressed her fingers against her lips. “I love you.” She hadn't told him, had been afraid of forcing her affection on his already burdened shoulders. He'd taken on so much, marrying her, accepting her child. She couldn't bear to make him feel obliged to return a declaration of love, when his feelings ran more to pity and heartfelt concern.

Now she wished she'd said the words aloud. During one of the nights when his hands had come to know her body, and his mouth had searched out secret places to give her pleasure untold. He'd held her throughout the long night hours, his embrace giving comfort, his kisses bringing her to a knowledge of passion. Maybe he knew. Perhaps his heart was attuned to hers, in some strange way able to sense the deep emotion she nurtured on his behalf.

Behind her the door opened, and her father stood on the threshold. “Get yourself out in the kitchen, girl,” he said
harshly. “Long as you're here, you might's well make yourself useful.”

“I want to go home, Pa,” she said quietly. “You had no right to treat me so.”

“I told you last night, I got every right in the world. I gave you life and I can make you do as you ought. That boy wants to marry you, and as soon as his ma gets things in order, you're going to behave yourself and do what they want you to.”

There was no use in arguing. She'd wait for a chance to escape and run for it. In the meantime, she needed to eat, and if fixing breakfast for her father would keep him off her back, she'd make enough for both of them.

And Win would come. As surely as she knew her own name, she knew he'd find her.

“C
ome on over to the office and we'll decide which area to cover first,” James said. They'd eaten, though Win thought it a waste of time. But being rude to Tess Dillard was something he could not bring himself to do, and his good sense told him that she was right on this count.

“I'm all for calling out a posse,” Win said, watching as a wagon rumbled past. Both men stepped onto the road and crossed quickly.

“Not enough to go on,” James told him. “There weren't any signs that Ellie had been taken against her will, were there?” At Win's quick grunt of denial, James shrugged. “Kate said she talked like she might move out for a while. Maybe she went home last night and decided to stay somewhere else till all this mess gets straightened out. Sometimes women get things into their heads and there's no arguing them out of it.”

“She'd have left a note,” Win said stubbornly. “I know Ellie well enough to know that.” He followed James into the sheriff's office and watched from the doorway as James circled the desk. “If you're going to sit there and plot out a plan, I'll
start asking around town, see if anybody saw her after she left your place last night.”

“Don't leave yet, Doc. I need to see you first.” A voice from behind him took him unawares, and Win looked over his shoulder. Henry Morris was out of breath, his face flushed, and he cast a quick look at the hotel before he prodded Win back into the office. “Best no one sees me with you right now,” he said quickly.

“What's up?” James asked, leaning forward over his desk. “You look like you're steamed over something, Henry.”

“I don't know if this is against the law or not, and I suspect it could get me into a whole heap of trouble, but I think the two of you ought to know what's going on.” Henry caught his breath and aimed his attention at Win. “There's something funny about that woman and that boy.”

“That woman?” Win's mind clicked into gear as he heard Henry's words, and he spun toward James. “Marie Jamison,” he said abruptly.

James's chair hit the wall and he let loose with a muffled oath as he rounded the desk. “Marie Jamison. You're talking about Marie Jamison, aren't you? And that fancy-pants son of hers.”

“Yeah, you betcha,” Henry said. “I sure don't want to get in trouble, Sheriff, but I think that woman's up to no good. And I'll warrant the doc don't know what they're tryin' to do.”

“Have they done something with Ellie? Do you know where she is?” Win asked abruptly. “Do they have her?”

“Don't know,” Henry said, “but I don't think so. They sent a telegram to Philadelphia to some lawyer fella, askin' about gettin' an annulment. That was yesterday, and I wasn't thinkin' what it was all about, till the answer came this morning first thing.”

“Annulment.”
Win spat the word from his mouth as if it were a vile assortment of syllables. “What lawyer fella in Philadelphia are you talking about? Do you know his name?”

“I didn't pay that much attention yesterday, but when the answer came back it was signed by somebody named Guy Wilson, Attorney at Law.”

“Attorney.” Win swallowed, willing his breakfast to stay where it belonged. “And they asked him about an annulment?”

Henry nodded, his eyes wide. “He told Mrs. Jamison that he needed a statement that the marriage hadn't been—” His mouth worked as if he could not bring himself to speak another word.

“Consummated.” Win had no such compunction. And his anger rose as he contemplated the absolute gall of the woman. “He named me? And Ellie?” he asked.

“Well, the Jamison woman named your wife, Doc. Said that Eleanor wanted an annulment from a man she'd married.”

“That's a lie,” James said firmly. “You and I both know that, Win. I doubt Ellie left on her own hook. Something's happened. You were right on that account.” He adjusted his gun belt and settled the pistol into its holster. “I think we need to hustle over to the hotel.”

“Should I deliver the telegram to Mrs. Jamison?” Henry asked.

“I'll take it,” James said.

Henry clutched the paper to his chest, and his face reddened as he defied the lawman. “I can't rightly let you have it, Sheriff. By law, I have to deliver it to the person it's intended for.” Henry looked like he wished for the floor to swallow him, and Win felt a pang of pity for the man.

“It's all right. I appreciate you coming here,” Win said. “Why don't you walk on over and deliver your message and we'll be right behind you?”

“That'll work,” James agreed. “And don't you be putting your hands on Tommy, Doc. We can't have anything happening to you.”

“If he's hurt Ellie, he's a dead man,” Win said, the words
calm and chill. Fury cascaded through him like a river of fire, and his fists clenched at his sides. “You coming along?” he said over his shoulder as he followed Henry from the building.

“I doubt if they want her damaged, Doc. They're obviously planning on taking her back East with them.” Even as he spoke, James grasped Win's arm, halting his headlong pace. “Just hold on.”

“You hold on, James. This is my wife we're talking about.” His strides were long, and Henry double-stepped as he scurried across the road, ahead of the two men. He pulled open the hotel door, and, ignoring Amos Carlton, hastened across to the wide, curved staircase.

Behind him, his followers shot through the hotel lobby and up the stairs, James taking two at a time, attempting to move ahead of Win. And then they stood at the door of room 211 and watched as Henry raised a fist to pound against the wooden panel.

“Mrs. Jamison,” he called loudly. “I got a telegram for you.”

The door opened wide and Marie's mouth gaped as she was confronted by the three men. With a swift shove, she attempted to close the door, but James inserted his boot neatly into the opening and leaned his considerable strength against the woman's lesser weight.

“Don't you want to read your message, ma'am?” he asked in a deceptively quiet tone. “Hand it to her, Henry.”

The paper rattled as it exchanged hands, and Marie's face paled, her mouth pinching tightly as she viewed her visitors. “This is my room, Sheriff,” she said harshly. “You have no right to cross the threshold.”

“Maybe not,” James said agreeably. “But then, I think we need to talk about your telegram.”

“It's private business.” Her chin thrust forward and her
eyes glittered with anger, her disdain evident as she clutched the telegram in her fist.

“It's monkey business, is what it is,” James said flatly. “You're breaking the law, ma'am.”

“I'm protecting the rights of my son,” Marie blurted. “That man,” she stated, her index finger pointed at Win, “forced my son's fiancée to marry him. We've come to right the wrong and take Eleanor back to Philadelphia with us, where we can have a real wedding, and Tommy can claim his child.”

“You weren't so quick to admit the baby was Tommy's when you hauled buggy out of Whitehorn a while back,” Win said, his words a savage growl.

“It was a mistake,” she said sharply. “One we intend to rectify immediately.”

“I don't think so,” James said, his words slow and distinct. “I want to know where Ellie is, Mrs. Jamison.”

“I don't know what you're talking about, Sheriff,” she blustered. “How would I know her whereabouts? Tommy is gone right now, trying to locate her. I understand she's not at the doctor's home.”

“Damn right, she's not.” Win's words were a snarl. “What have you done with her?”

Marie smiled with a show of teeth. “Maybe she's left you,” she said spitefully.

“I don't think so,” Win said, denying her suggestion. “She had no reason to leave.” And yet, she'd spoken of it to Kate, he thought, and his heart sank.

“What makes you think you can get an annulment?” James asked, and Win watched as the query slammed through Marie's composure.

“You had no right to read my private business correspondence,” she lashed, crumpling the telegram into a ball.

“Is Tommy trying to force Ellie to sign a statement of some sort?” James asked.

“Shouldn't be any force involved, I would think,” Marie said firmly. “An annulment is the best for all concerned.”

“You won't get one.” Harsh and firm, Win's words denied her claim.

Marie's eyes widened, and a triumphant smile twisted her lips. “Are you claiming you've consummated the marriage? Do you expect anyone to believe that? The girl's having another man's child.”

Win smiled back, his own mouth curving with satisfaction. “The day I married Ellie, I claimed her child. She's sleeping in my bed. Has been for two months.”

Doubt colored Marie's expression. “No decent man would…” Her voice trailed off and she shook her head. “I don't believe you.”

“You think I care what you believe?” Win asked, his hands itching to shake the woman's arrogance from place. “I want to know where my wife is. And I want to know right now.”

James cut in quickly. “Before you deny it, you'd better think again, Mrs. Jamison. You don't want to spend the day in jail, do you?”

Her nostrils flared, and her bosom rose as she inhaled sharply. “Don't try to threaten me, Sheriff. I have connections you wouldn't want to deal with.”

“I don't give a damn about your fancy connections, ma'am,” James said harshly. “In Whitehorn, I'm the law. And if you don't want to spend the day cooling your heels in a cell, you'll tell us what you've done with Ellie.”

She tilted her head imperiously. “
I
haven't done anything with her. She's obviously left the doctor and gone on her way.”

“Where's Tommy?” James asked, scanning the room as he spoke.

“I told you. He's gone to look for Eleanor.”

James studied her a moment, then shot a glance at Win. “I'll
have Amos keep an eye on things here,” he decided. “We'll start with George Mitchum's place.”

 

“Come on, Ellie.” Tommy's words were coaxing, and he'd put his best smile in place. “You know you love me. We'll get married and live in a fancy house. My grandfather is intending to give me a good job. He's made an offer, and I'm going to be the one to win the prize. I've got three cousins who think they've got it over on me,” he said harshly, “but I've got a head start, with a baby already on its way. All I have to do is prove I'm a family man.”

Ellie looked around the deserted farmyard. She'd guarantee her father was within hearing, but for the moment he'd left her to Tommy's persuasion. “You're not a man of any sort,” she answered. “I don't love you, Tommy. I thought I did, back a few months ago, but when you headed out of town and left me holding the bag, I discovered I didn't even like you.”

“My mother can make you marry me,” he blustered. “She's got a big-city lawyer working on it right now.” He stepped up onto the porch where she'd taken her stand, unwilling that he should enter the house.

“She can't make me do any such thing,” Ellie told him, refusing to back away. “I'm already married to Winston Gray, and I've got a certificate to prove it.”

Tommy grinned. “Maybe so, but the lawyer is checking into an annulment, and we'll be hearing from him today.” He reached for her hand and she snatched it from his grasp, jamming it into her apron pocket.

“You can't force anyone to get an annulment, Tommy.” Ellie shook her head, exasperated at his foolishness. “I don't want to leave Win. Having my father kidnap me last night was a mistake. When the sheriff finds out about it, you'll all be in hot water.”

“Your pa has a right,” Tommy insisted. “He knows what's best for you.”

“You're crazy, do you know that?” She turned her back on him, and his hand clamped tightly to her shoulder.

“Don't do that, Ellie. Don't turn away from me. You know I love you.” A hint of desperation entered his voice, causing it to tremble.

“That's not true,” she said, jerking from his touch. “You don't love me. You never did. You lied to me and made up stories about us getting married, and then walked away.” She turned her head and shot an angry look in his direction.

“Your mother figured out I was in the family way, and that was why y'all left town in such a hurry.”

He flushed an unbecoming red and shook his head in denial, his gaze refusing to meet hers. “No, certainly not. It just worked out that way. My grandfather had a good job for my father, and we had to move to Philadelphia.”

“And now, your grandfather has set up some sort of contest? He's offering you a job and a nice house if you can get somebody to marry you and have a baby for you?”

“That's not exactly what's happening.” He shifted from one foot to the other. “It's just that he doesn't believe in having people in the bank who aren't settled. This is the opportunity of a lifetime for me.”

“Well, you'll have to look in Philadelphia for a woman foolish enough to want you, Tommy,” she said firmly. “Because I'm not going with you.”

From the corner of the house, just beyond the porch, George stepped into sight. “You'll do what the Jamisons want, daughter. Or you'll wish you'd never been born.”

“Don't you touch me, Pa. I'm a married woman, and you've got no rights over me.”

George's eyes narrowed, and his chin jutted forward as he climbed to the porch. His fingers curled into a fist and Ellie ducked, her arms crossing over her belly. In two swift strides, George reached her, thrusting her against the side of the house. With a loud thump, she hit the wooden siding,
her head bearing the brunt of the blow, and she blinked, her senses reeling.

“Now get on in the house, and get your things together. If Mrs. Jamison says she needs you to write down your name on a piece of paper, you'd better do it.”