Charlene Sands (2 page)

Crystal Creek
California
1877

K
ate Malone stepped off the train, cautiously glancing around at the town she’d grown up in, the town she’d left at the age of fifteen. It had been six years since she laid eyes on Crystal Creek. Six years since the Silver Saddle had caught fire and she and Mama had to pack up and move on. She’d never been able to squash the feeling that they’d been run out of town. Not by the fire, but by Mr. Wesley’s refusal to loan Mama the money to rebuild. Three shops had gone up in smoke that day, but the stone-faced banker had refused only her mama a loan.

“Women make for bad risks,” he’d said. It hadn’t mattered to the staunch banker that the Silver Saddle had been turning a profit for over thirty years ever
since her grandpa John had opened the place during the peak days of the big gold strike.

Louisa Malone had been heartbroken. Kate had always known how much the Silver Saddle meant to her mama. She also knew her mama had wanted to shield her from their fate by pretending they were ready to embark on a new adventure. They’d had to leave the only home Kate had ever known. And for the past six years her mama had worked hard, using her business acumen to run a hotel in Los Angeles with dreams of coming back to Crystal Creek one day and reopening the saloon.

And the hard work had paid off. Louisa had managed to double the bustling hotel’s profits, gaining the trust of her employer and earning big yearly bonuses. Kate, too, had worked at the hotel, helping with housework and cooking. Both of them had free room and board at the hotel, so they had saved every penny they’d earned.

But Mama’s sudden death just months ago left Kate bereft and heartsick. She’d always expected they’d return home together. The only thing that mattered to Kate now was seeing her mama’s dream come true. It had been Louisa’s legacy, and now it was Kate’s.

Lifting her valise, she left the depot and walked down the street toward the hotel. With head held high and never once glancing in the direction of the sheriff’s office, Kate moved with efficient steps along the sidewalk. She wasn’t ready to see Cole yet. She wasn’t ready to feel the same sense of longing that
struck her looking into his deep blue eyes. Nor was she ready to feel the gnawing ache in her belly that came about thinking she’d not been good enough for Cole Bradshaw.

The pain slashed through her like a knife at times. It was easier not to think about him. Not at all.

As she strode on, she noted Mrs. Whittaker’s Millinery was now also part confectionery shop. One small window displayed her usual feathered frill hats in all colors of the rainbow while the other displayed platters of sugared delights.

Southby’s Livery must have been sold, since the sign above the broad wooden doors, seemingly freshly painted, now read Cable Brothers Livery. The barbershop appeared the same, as did the telegraph office, but the floorboards beneath her feet squeaked with newness as she walked along the sidewalk.

She stopped short, bracing her free hand on a post, when she saw the Silver Saddle Saloon just twenty paces away. A slight tremor passed through her. She closed her eyes, momentarily blocking out the image. She’d hoped it wouldn’t have looked so decrepit. She’d hoped it was just a young girl’s vivid image of destruction that had plagued her mind all these years, but as she reopened her eyes, reality hit her. What was left of the once fine saloon was boarded up. The rectangular planks covering up the ashen skeleton of the building didn’t hide the devastation. And it was clear as day that the Silver Saddle, as it stood, was the eyesore of this town.

Kate recalled all the happy times she’d shared there with her mama. And the tales her mama had told of how Grandpa turned a small wooden shack serving only one brand of whiskey into the grand palace the Silver Saddle had become.

Kate had always felt a sense of pride in the saloon, even though some of the townsfolk had scorned her and referred to her as “that saloon gal’s daughter.”

But Kate was here now, with a purse full of money, ready to rebuild her family legacy. She wasn’t about to let melancholy feelings stop her. She turned and entered the lobby of the Crystal Hotel.

“Well, I’ll be darned, if it ain’t Miss Mary Kathryn Malone,” Lou Bernard announced from behind the hotel lobby’s desk. “And you’re all grown-up, too.”

She smiled, remembering the old friendly gent who ran the hotel. He’d been a regular at the Silver Saddle. “It’s Kate, Lou. And it’s good to see you.”

“It’s been, how many years?” he asked, coming around the counter to relieve her of the valise.

“Six years. I was fifteen when we left.”

He nodded and set her valise down by the stairs. “You sure turned out pretty, Miss Kate. Image of your mama. Sorry to hear of her passing.”

Kate had wired a few of Mama’s friends in town when she passed. She wasn’t surprised that people in Crystal Creek knew of her death. A sad smile pulled at the corners of her mouth, the loss too fresh and raw yet to speak of. “Thanks, Lou. I’ll need a room.”

“’Course, you will. How long will you be staying on in Crystal Creek?”

“I’ll only need a room for a few nights, but I’m here to stay. I’m letting the Browns’ house at the end of town.”

“That place ain’t seen the light of day for some time. It’s gonna need a good polishing before it’s fit to live in.”

“I know,” she said without regret, “but I’m not afraid to get my hands dirty.”

Lou threw his head back and laughed. “You ain’t changed a bit now, have you? You may look the lady in your fancy traveling suit, Miss Kate, but I got a feeling them are true words.”

Kate couldn’t keep a devilish smile hidden. “They are, Lou. And I hope you’ll be glad to know I plan on opening the Silver Saddle again. That’s why I’m here. And I’m inviting you in for the first drink.”

Lou slapped his hand to his knee and let out a long, low whistle. “Well, I’ll be darned. Glad to hear it, gal. I’ll be there. This town’s been dry for too long.”

Kate agreed. She couldn’t wait to get started.

Sheriff Cole Bradshaw stared out the window of the jail, keeping his gaze focused on the auburn-haired woman making her way down the street. Old and familiar yearnings settled in his gut. Kate was six years older and six times more beautiful than when she’d left Crystal Creek.

Cole winced at the pain he felt watching her move
with grace, head held high, those green eyes filled with determination. Same Kate he’d always known, just all grown-up.

They’d been the best of friends. As a boy, he’d always admired her untamed spirit. Many a night he’d wandered through his memories of her, oftentimes smiling at the silly games they’d played, the different competitions they’d entered into, and later on, the beckoning new sensations Kate had stirred in him.

He’d never told her how just the sight of her pretty smile could warm his heart, or how much he liked watching her cinnamon curls bounce against her shoulders. He’d never told her how much he’d wanted her to stay on, how much he would miss her once she’d left. And now that she was here, he wondered what other of her qualities he’d find admirable.

Too many to think about right now.

He knew why she’d come back. He knew how much that saloon meant to her. But the townsfolk, for the most part, didn’t want the Silver Saddle to reopen. They enjoyed a quiet peace knowing the rowdies and cowpunchers with pay overflowing their pockets, moved on to the next town to get their liquor and cause a ruckus.

But Kate Malone wouldn’t like what he’d have to tell her. She wouldn’t cotton to being backed into a corner. Kate, he knew, would come out fighting. And it was up to Cole to see that she didn’t.

Cole turned away from the window. With his hands
firmly planted in his back pockets, he called himself every kind of fool for caring so darn much.

Cole blinked away that thought when the door to his office opened suddenly.

“Look what we have here,” his deputy, Johnny Martinez announced, “the prettiest
chica
this side of Rio Grande.”

Cole watched a giggle escape, and the cherub-faced blond child ran straight into his arms. “Hi, Daddy.”

Kate took a warm bath, happy to have washed all the grime and travel dust off her body and hair. The trip from Los Angeles wasn’t overly long, but the Southern Pacific Railroad wasn’t known for luxury, and with the cramped spaces and breeze of the day blowing in, a body hardly stood a chance at turning up at their destination unscathed.

After donning a white shirtwaist and a cream-colored skirt then brushing her wayward curls, she locked the hotel room door and ambled down the stairs. She wanted to see the saloon close up and make preliminary assessments, but as she headed in that direction, she noted two children rushing down the school steps, laughing their way down the street. She followed them with her eyes as they ran behind the livery stables, down a winding slope, and then she lost sight of them in the towering pines. Smiling, Kate picked up her skirts and headed in the same direction.

She’d raced down this path hundreds of times. She knew the way. When she finally reached the bank of
the creek, a sweeping sigh escaped her throat. How she’d missed Crystal Creek. Nothing in her mind was more beautiful. Nothing compared to the cloudless blue sky, the gleam of golden sun on the water, the scent of fresh pine and earth. She loved this place.

Within minutes, Kate found the gray granite rock. The one she and Cole had named their finishing line. A small smile emerged. She brushed away some pebbles on the flattest part of the rock’s surface and sat down, glancing out to the rushing creek waters.

She closed her eyes to enjoy the peace, but her mind flashed an image Kate had tried many a time to lock away.

Right before the fire at the saloon, when she was fifteen, Cole had asked to meet her here. She’d been thrilled and so sure he was finally going to ask her to Crystal Creek’s Founder’s Day celebration. It had been all she’d dreamed about, all she’d wanted. For Cole to see her as more than his best friend, to see her as the young woman she had become. To want her the powerful way she’d wanted him.

Her heart had leaped from her chest when he appeared behind this very rock. She’d stammered a quick hello. Cole had been quiet then, staring off in the distance. Kate waited for him to speak.

And when he had, Kate’s heart broke in two. Cole had invited Patricia Wesley to the Founder’s Day celebration. He explained that his older brother Jeb thought it a good idea, since Patricia was the banker’s daughter and she’d taken a shine to Cole. Didn’t hurt
none getting friendly with Mr. Wesley, Jeb had said. He had influence in this town. He could help Cole get elected sheriff when the time came.

Cole hadn’t looked her in the eye that day. She sensed he knew he’d disappointed her. But Cole was on the verge of manhood and wanted to be sheriff in the worst way. After all, Kate realized all too clearly, she was only the saloon gal’s daughter.

Kate had cried useless tears for days and, shortly after, the saloon burned down. Cole had tried to console her. He’d done everything he knew to do to make her feel better, and when the time came for her to leave town, he’d taken her into his arms and hugged her tight, but never once had he asked her to stay.

She’d understood then, Cole didn’t regard her as he did other women. He didn’t think her good enough. Oh, she was fine to race down the path with and play silly games and even hold her hand on more than one occasion, but that’s where it had all ended.

The saloon gal’s daughter held no place with Crystal Creek’s would-be sheriff.

Kate lifted herself off the rock, determined not to allow her one bad memory of this place to mar its own glorious perfection. When crackling leaves rustled from behind, she turned sharply around. Cole Bradshaw stood just a few feet away, his blue gaze burning directly into hers. “Hello, Kate.”

K
ate stared into Cole’s eyes, an unwelcome jolt of awareness passing through her. She’d hoped seeing him again wouldn’t mean anything, that her feelings of wanting would have diminished, that Cole Bradshaw was only a young girl’s fancy. But seeing him tall and sure, a man now, and even more handsome than she’d recalled, played havoc with her resolve to forget him.

“Cole,” she said, her head held high. Sunlight flickered on the badge pinned onto his tanned leather vest, drawing her attention there. He was the sheriff now, a painful reminder of secret dreams they’d once shared. Cole had attained his dream. Kate had dreams of her own, but Cole didn’t figure into them anymore. “Did you follow me here?”

He lifted his face to the sun for a moment then met her eyes. “I come here sometimes.”

She nodded but couldn’t respond. They stared at each other in silence.

Cole took off his well-worn Stetson and scratched his head. “Well, I did see you heading this way and thought to follow you.”

“Why?” she asked.

“Do you have to ask? Lord above, Kate, you’ve been gone more than six years.”

“So this is a welcome home?”

Cole tossed his hat down then jammed his hands on his hips. “No, well…yes. Welcome back,” he said tersely. Then his voice softened. “I’m sorry about your mama, Kate. She was a special kind of woman.”

Kate wondered what he meant by
special.
Different, an outcast, a woman who dared to do something outside what was considered proper and respectable? “Thank you.”

“How did she die?” He stepped closer and Kate saw the compassion in his eyes.

“Her heart gave out. Least, that’s what the doctor thinks. She just sort of slumped over in her chair and never woke up.”

Cole nodded his understanding. “Must’ve been hard for you.”

“It still is,” she admitted, unable to keep the sadness from her voice. “We had so many plans.”

Cole cleared his throat. “Uh, that’s why I wanted to see you. To talk. Want to sit?” He pointed to the rock she’d just risen from,
their
rock.

“No, I’m fine.” She turned her face to gaze out onto the creek waters. Absently she thought there
must’ve been heavy snows here this winter for the creek to be this close to overflowing.

“Kate?” Cole’s voice was closer now. She felt his hand on her shoulder, felt his breath on the back of her neck. She squeezed her eyes closed for one brief moment, relishing the feel of his hand on her, then stepped away and turned to face him.

“I’m going to open the Silver Saddle again, Cole. That’s what you came to talk about, isn’t it? You don’t think I should do it.”

The soft expression on his face evaporated. “Hell, Kate, you know the answer to that. You’re heading for a barrel full of grief. Look what your mama went through in this town. You have a chance for a different kind of life. You’re young…and beautiful.” He stepped closer again. Kate stood her ground. “You should be thinking of marriage…starting a family.”

“I might want that one day,” she said defiantly, knowing the only man she’d ever wanted to marry was Cole. That dream had died long ago. “But the Silver Saddle comes first. It’s all Mama and I dreamed about, all we worked so hard for these past years. Now, it’s up to me.”

“Well, the town doesn’t want it rebuilt.”

“We’ll see about that.”

“Kate, listen. The town council passed a new ordinance a short time ago prohibiting the start of any new establishments here in Crystal Creek without their approval. They’ll never agree.”

“Are you saying I can’t open the saloon up again?”

He nodded firmly. “That’s what I’m saying. Look, Kate, if you’ve got your hopes pinned on staying here, Mrs. Whittaker at the millinery is getting on in age. She’d been thinking of selling her—”

Laughter escaped, rushing out and relieving Kate of pent-up tension at seeing Cole again. “Cole Bradshaw! You can’t be serious? You think I’d spend my days fashioning peacock-blue feathers onto silly strawberry-red bonnets?”

If he did think that, he truly didn’t know Kate at all. Leastways, he didn’t know her
anymore.
There was a time when they could pretty much read each other’s thoughts.

Cole glared at her. “It’s a suggestion.”

“Well, I’m not taking it.”

“Fine, Kate,” he said in the infuriating way he had when he didn’t get his way, “but you have limited choices. For your own good, maybe you’d be better off going back to Los Angeles.”

Kate whirled around and stared blankly at the creek. She never once thought Cole would try to run her out of town. Tears stung her eyes, but she held them back. No more shed tears over Cole Bradshaw, she’d vowed. “Crystal Creek is my home. I’m staying.”

Kate sat by the creek long after Cole left.
For your own good, maybe you’d be better off going back to Los Angeles.

How could Cole possibly know what was good for her? He didn’t know how it felt to be pushed out of your home, to move on to a new town and have to start all over again, when your heart and soul belonged only in one place. To only one man. So many times Kate had come here by herself as a young girl, filled with fanciful hopes of marrying Cole and making babies. Cole wanted a family. He’d always spoken of how he missed his own parents, losing them both at an early age. His older brother Jeb had raised him and the two young men had struggled hard to make their small farm profitable. They’d been poor, but they had their pride. Cole had always held his head high in town, and finally, Kate thought earnestly, he’d earned their respect. They’d honored him by electing him sheriff.

Kate didn’t think anything was more important to Cole than being sheriff of Crystal Creek.

So why couldn’t Cole understand her dream? He knew the history behind the Silver Saddle. He knew that saloon had sustained her family for three generations. She was the only one left now, to make the Silver Saddle what it once was.

No, better than what it once was.

Didn’t Cole know that? Didn’t he care? She hadn’t been in town more than a day before Cole was asking her to leave.

Anger simmered on the surface and Kate asked herself when Cole had become so heartless. With a touch
of sadness, she hated to see their friendship die. But in truth, she was now certain it had.

The boy Kate remembered as being her lifelong friend no longer existed. Still, she couldn’t look to the past. She needed to live for today. That’s what Mama had always told her.

Kate left the sanctity of the creek and walked back to town. She realized it had been nearly twelve hours since she’d had a meal.

And after she appeased her appetite, she’d have to see Cole Bradshaw once again. This time, she wouldn’t let a pair of disconcerting blue eyes distract her from her goal.

Kate sat in the hotel restaurant alone, dining on a meal of boiled white potatoes, creamed corn and a medium-rare beefsteak. Her mouth watered from the aroma of a hot meal and she picked up her fork, diving into the food, trying hard to ignore the stares of some of the other patrons. Whispers of recognition filled the air, but no one came over to say hello, although she was sure about half a dozen people knew who she was. She’d never been granted the grace of the town’s support when she lived here, except for a few friends like Lou, so Kate wasn’t expecting their hearty welcome now.

Her mother had survived in this town and had turned a good profit running the saloon. Kate was
determined to not only reopen the saloon, but gain the town’s respect while doing so.

Give them what they want.

Louisa Malone’s advice had stuck with Kate. She knew she could make a success of the Silver Saddle. She knew she could win over the town, if only they’d give her a chance. Then, she’d finally have the home she’d always wanted. She’d have her family’s heritage back. She’d have a means of support. The only thing she wouldn’t have…was Cole Bradshaw.

First things first, Kate cautioned herself, and realized she had to obtain a copy of the new town ordinance. She wasn’t willing to go down without a good fight. And if that meant butting heads with the town sheriff, so be it.

Kate finished her meal and topped it off with a cup of coffee and a dish of tapioca pudding. She left the hotel dining room just as the sun was beginning to set on the horizon. The last blaze of California sunshine brought glimmers of golden settling light to the busy town. It was a quiet time, as if day was relinquishing peacefully into night. Kate enjoyed the calm as she strode toward the sheriff’s office.

Once there, she jiggled the door to the jailhouse slightly, then peered inside. The office looked deserted.

“If you’re lookin’ for the sheriff, you ain’t gonna find him there.”

Kate swung around to find a fair-haired man standing on the other side of the walkway. “Name’s Jethro
Cable.” He pointed to the livery stable. “Part owner of the livery.” He smiled, bright and friendly. “My brother Abe owns the other half.”

“Hello,” she said, glad to have a smiling face greet her for a change. “I’m Kate Malone.”

He whipped off his hat and bowed slightly. “Pleased to meet you, Miss Malone. Are you new to these parts?”

“No, I…I used to live here when I was younger. I’m looking for Sheriff Bradshaw.”

“As I said, you won’t find him here. He locks up in the afternoon unless he’s got a prisoner in the jail. Ain’t been a one, since I bought the livery, seems like. Been at least six months. It’s sure a peaceable town.”

Kate nodded, wondering if Jethro Cable truly knew what he was talking about. When Kate had lived here, old Sheriff Cullen was busy throwing rowdies in jail, seemed like every other week.

“If it’s important, miss, you can find the sheriff at home about now. See that house at the far edge of town, the one with the yellow curtains in the window? That’s Sheriff Bradshaw’s place.” Kate followed the direction of Jethro’s pointing finger. Cole’s house was the most tended one on the street.

And it was only four houses down from the Browns’ house, the one she would be moving into day after tomorrow. “Yes, I see it. Thank you.”

“Pleased to meet you, miss. Maybe we’ll get a chance to talk again soon.”

“Yes, I think I’d like that, Mr. Cable.” Kate bid the mannerly man a farewell and started for Cole’s house. Deep regret settled heavily in Kate’s stomach as her gaze focused on the pretty little house at the end of town. Kate couldn’t help wondering if she hadn’t been the saloon gal’s daughter, would she have been the one putting up pretty yellow curtains in Cole’s house, making a home for him.

But it was too late for regrets. What’s done was done and there was no going back. Kate had learned much from her mother about how a woman survives alone.

Kate’s father had run out on them when she was only three and had broken her mother’s heart. Kate had lived with that betrayal for all of her young years, hoping that one day, her daddy would show up, apologizing to his wife and daughter, pleading for forgiveness. That he hadn’t tore at Kate’s heart. She’d wanted to believe in him, believe she was worthy of his love, but each day he hadn’t come home only reminded Kate that he hadn’t really loved them, not at all.

Kate approached the picket fence leading to Cole’s house, slowing her steps. With deliberate strides, she made her way to the gate, then took a deep breath before opening it and walking toward the stairs and his front door.

She knocked twice and waited, letting her breath out slowly, her heart thumping in her chest. Darn if she couldn’t control her own emotions. She reminded
herself she wouldn’t be here if it hadn’t been absolutely necessary.

The front door swung open wide with a quick thrust. A beautiful blonde child stood in the doorway, her smile beaming.

“Meggie, I told you not to run and open the door so quick. Daddy’s got to be sure…” Cole came face-to-face with Kate and didn’t finish his thought. He appeared as stunned as Kate.

“Daddy, who’s the pretty lady?” The child tugged on Cole’s trousers. He came out of his stupor to bend down and lift her up in his arms.

Kate’s throat constricted. She tried swallowing, but the lump was lodged too tightly. Kate could only stare at Cole, then at the little girl who was wrapped rather snugly against him. Two pair of deep blue eyes stared back at her.

Kate slammed her eyes shut and whirled around, ready to make a hasty departure.

“Kate, wait!”

Kate stopped at Cole’s rigid command, not because she’d intended to, but because of the force with which he’d spoken.

“I shouldn’t have come,” she said quietly, her back to them both.

“I’m glad you did.” Cole’s sweet declaration unnerved her.

“I have to go.”

“Don’t leave.”

She turned to watch Cole lower his child to the
ground and whisper something to her. The child glanced curiously once more at Kate, then went back inside the house.

Cole straightened and directed his gaze back to her, his blue eyes warm with invitation. He stood by the opened door. “Come inside.”

Kate was at a loss. She inhaled sharply and nodded, hesitating a moment before slipping past him quickly to enter his home.

“Would you like to sit down?” he asked, his tone conciliatory.

She shook her head and clutched her reticule tightly.

Cole blew out a breath. “I never got a chance to tell you about Jeb. I wanted to write, but at the time, it was hard for me to believe he was really gone. And well, you’d stopped sending me letters. I got the feeling you’d kinda moved on with your life.”

Kate acknowledged that fact. She had stopped writing to Cole. It had been far too painful to hear how
he’d
moved on with his life. Last she’d heard from him, he’d just been elected sheriff. After that, she’d stopped their correspondence. “I—I didn’t know he died. I’m sorry, Cole.”

With a deep sadness in his eyes, Cole nodded. “Meggie is Jeb’s child. I’m raising her as my own.”

Selfishly Kate felt relieved that Cole hadn’t fathered the child. “What about her mother?” she asked.

“She’s gone, too. About two years ago a raiding
party swept through this area, robbing farms and ranches up past the north end of the creek. They hit Jeb’s farm, killed his wife and took everything they could lay their hands on. Jeb went after them, shot one of them dead, but wound up with a bullet in his belly. I found him bleeding out on the range. There was nothing I could do to save him. We both knew he was dying. He made me promise to keep Meggie for him. Wouldn’t have it any other way, anyhow, but Jeb had to hear me say it. I promised my brother I’d raise his young daughter all proper like, just the way he wanted. That’s what I intend to do.”