Chasing Rainbows (31 page)

“You ready?” he asked.

Annie nodded and passed him her bag.

Jake grinned as he took the bag. “Handled like a true lady, darlin’.”

It took her a minute to understand what he was referring to. Then it finally dawned on her. Up until that moment, she had always handled her own gear, steadfastly refusing his help. But now it seemed perfectly natural to let him handle the gear, tie the bags, and saddle their horses. She bit her lip, floundering in a sea of worried uncertainty. “You mind, Jake?”

“It would be my honor, ma’am,” he replied, affecting his best Southern drawl. He sent her a reassuring grin and offered her his arm. “Allow me to escort you to your mount.”

They mounted and said their good-byes to Grumble Jones, who waved them off without bothering to turn around. Soon they fell back into their normal, quiet rhythm of riding. As the morning hours stretched into afternoon, traffic began to increase, and the dirt path they had been following grew broader and broader. They passed three riders, two buggies, a few buckboard wagons, and a mail express stage. After days of isolated canyon travel, the little stretch of road seemed almost unbearably busy.

They crested a hill, and Jake reined in, stopping for the first time since they had left the line shack. He pushed back his black Stetson, then turned to Annie and smiled. “What do you think, darlin’?”

Excitement shot through her as she looked down into the valley below. The large, bustling city of Abundance, Colorado, was sprawled out beneath them, teeming with life and prosperity. Cooperton and The Palace Hotel lay just a half day’s ride beyond it. After years of waiting, planning, and hoping, her dream was finally in her grasp.

“That’s it, ain’ — isn’t it? That’s Abundance.”

“That’s it.”

“Do you see what I see, Jake?”

“What’s that?”

“A rainbow,” she answered, although the sky before them was cloudless and blue. “And it looks to me like The Palace Hotel is waiting at the end of it.”

Jake peered in the distance and slowly smiled, catching sight of her imaginary rainbow. “I believe you’re right.”

The excitement that had been simmering within her welled up until she thought she would burst. “Then, what the hell are we waiting for? Let’s ride!”

Annie let out a war whoop and dug her heels into Dulcie’s flanks. She heard Jake let out a whoop of his own and take off behind her. She galloped down the slope as fast as Dulcie could run, laughing with joy and giddy with anticipation. The wind whipped across her cheeks, knocking her hat off her head and sending her hair flying past her ears. She felt gloriously free and alive, as though all her cares and burdens had miraculously been lifted.

They arrived in town exhilarated and breathing hard, slowing down only when they reached the main thoroughfare. Annie stared around her in undisguised wonder. She had heard that Abundance was the territory’s newest boom town, but she hadn’t expected what she saw. The local miners hadn’t found the gold they had been seeking, but they had found something almost as nice. Silver. Thick, rich veins of silver carved deep within the mountains.

The citizens of the town were clearly anxious to show off their newfound wealth. Abundance was a grandiose testament to the riches retrieved from deep within the earth. It appeared as though the showier the display, the better. Each building seemed to exist for no other purpose than to overshadow the one next to it. She counted two churches, three millinery shops, at least a half dozen land, attorney, and claims offices, four blacksmiths, a billiard hall, two gun and ammunition dealers, a stable, three banks, and so many saloons and dance halls that she lost count. Plus the assorted general mercantiles, bakeries, butchers, and feed stores. There was even an opera house and a town paper, The Abundance Advocate. Wide glass windows in the room above the boot repair shop showed men busily at work at the printing presses.

And the construction wasn’t finished yet. All around her, Annie heard the sound of timber falling, saws cutting, and hammers swinging as more buildings were furiously erected. The citizens of Abundance showed an almost childlike eagerness to please and impress. As was the case with most mining communities, the town was growing at a pace that was almost frenzied. Or perhaps that was due to the fact that the citizens of Abundance were making a play for the territorial — and eventually state — capital, trying to wrest control away from the citizens of Denver City, another big mining boom town.

The main thoroughfare on which they traveled, Silver Avenue, was wide and stately, with a row of tall cottonwoods dividing the street down the middle to separate incoming and outgoing traffic. Still, Annie and Jake found themselves jostled between pack mules and Thoroughbreds, boisterous children, yapping dogs, hogs, and hens. Ladies in fancy carriages traveled demurely past farmers hauling oats and hay in buckboard wagons.

As for the homes that sat on the outskirts of town, there seemed to be two distinct districts. To the east of town, in what was clearly a poorer section, the houses were scattered about in random order, facing all directions, as though they had been swept there by a stiff breeze. A few tents and crude lumber shacks were numbered among the homes. On the opposite side of town, to the west, she saw tall, formal houses with wide porches, awnings, and planter boxes. Curtains fluttered at the windows, and brightly painted doors and manicured lawns welcomed visitors. Elegant buggies traveled up winding roads to reach the haven of the regal, more prosperous citizens.

She drew her gaze away from the disparate neighborhoods and back to the town itself, sliding a glance at Jake as she did. But rather than surveying the bustling town of Abundance, he was openly watching her.

“Disappointed?” he teased.

Somewhat embarrassed, Annie returned his smile, aware that she had been doing nothing but openly gaping since the moment they had entered town. It was exactly what she had dreamed of — only better. She loved everything about the town almost instantly. “You think Cooperton will be as nice?” she asked.

Jake gave her question some thought. “From what I hear, it’s much smaller. Just a couple hundred people.” As they neared the center of town, he nodded toward one of the largest, most ornate buildings she had ever seen. “I thought we’d rest up a bit, get a room and a bath, then head for Cooperton in the morning. If you like, we’ll eat supper there tonight. Have a little celebration.”

Annie cast a dubious glance at the restaurant he had indicated. “It looks awfully fancy.”

“You may as well start getting used to it, darlin’. I imagine the owner of The Palace Hotel has a certain reputation to live up to.”

“I suppose you’re right.”

“Something wrong?”

She couldn’t help but voice her fear. “You think my calico will be good enough?”

“I think you’ll look just fine, darlin’,” he assured her.

“All right,” she answered, unable to keep the uncertainty from her voice. Her confidence was bouncing up and down like a skittish bronc. When The Palace Hotel had been nothing but a distant dream, it had been easier to imagine that everything would just magically sort itself out. But now that she was less than half a day’s ride away, her doubts and fears took root. Would she really fit in here? And what would happen between her and Jake after tomorrow?

“Why don’t we see about getting a room for the night,” Jake said, stopping in front of a two-story hotel with a fancy balcony, tall windows, and an ornamental pediment above the broad front door. They dismounted, looped their reins over the hitching post, and went inside. The interior was even more impressive than the exterior. A grand carpeted staircase led to the upstairs rooms and divided the main level into two sections. To the left was the registration desk, to the right was a large public meeting room. The meeting room was tastefully furnished with graceful curved settees, calico curtains, an assortment of colorful rag rugs, and a mammoth stone fireplace, in which a huge fire brightly blazed.

A young, thin clerk sat at the registration desk working numbers in a ledger. His sleeves were rolled up and meticulously secured with a pair of black garters. He wore a visor on his brow and a pair of thin gold spectacles on his nose. A steamy cup of cinnamon tea sat at his elbow. Upon hearing their approach, he rose and offered them a polite if perfunctory smile. If he was at all disapproving of their travel-weary attire, or the fact that they were only requesting one room and not two, it didn’t show. They secured their room with no difficulty and pocketed their key.

“If you want to get that trail dust off you, there’s a public bathhouse just two streets over,” he informed them. “Easiest way to get there is just to cut through the alley out back. Ladies’ building is on the left, men’s on the right. Barber I’d recommend is Tom Moss, down by the leather goods store. Keeps his blades fine and sharp; never nicked me once. As for your horses, you probably saw the stable when you rode in.”

Jake thanked the boy and handed him a two-bit piece. They left the hotel and returned to the hitching post to see to their horses. As they did, the stage thundered into town. The driver reined his team to a stop in front of the hotel. The driver’s assistant leapt down, pulled out the folded steps, and flung open the passenger door. The arrival of a stage was a big event in any Western town, for it brought mail, catalog-ordered goods, and new faces to town. Like most others on the street, Annie and Jake stopped to watch the proceedings as the passengers filed out.

One man in particular caught Annie’s attention. He was of medium build and height, dressed in a dapper three-piece navy striped suit and broad-brimmed hat. There was nothing at all remarkable about him other than the fact that he looked vaguely familiar. She watched as he rather fussily brushed the dust from his leather suitcase with a handkerchief.

“Jake,” she said after a minute, “isn’t that that reporter fella? That what’s his name — Vannert?”

Jake leaned back against the hotel column and folded his arms across his chest, studying the reporter curiously. “VanEste.”

“Right.”

Apparently satisfied that the bulk of the travel dust had been removed from his luggage, VanEste lifted the case and headed straight for the hotel. He glanced up and stopped short upon seeing them but quickly recovered.

“Well, Mr. Moran, Miss Foster,” he greeted them jovially. He set down his luggage and politely tipped his hat. “This is quite fortuitous, is it not? It appears as though providence has brought us together once again.”

“Appears to me that it was the stage that brought you,” Jake replied.

Peyton VanEste bowed good humoredly. “Quite so, sir. That, and a bit of luck on my part.”

“You wouldn’t be following us, would you, VanEste?”

“Perhaps the two of you are following me — you just took a quicker route,” VanEste replied smoothly, sending Annie a dramatic wink. Then he continued brightly, “The fact is, Mr. Moran, I’ve come to experience Abundance, Colorado, for myself. My writing covers towns of the West, not just the people. On occasion, towns can have almost as much character as the people who build them. Rumor has it that Abundance will be the next Sutter’s Mill. I hear tales of silver pouring in from the mountains like rain falling into a barrel. It’s said that any man who can carry a bucket and a shovel and stake a claim will make his fortune within a week. Naturally this is a story my readers back East want to hear.”

“Naturally,” Jake replied.

VanEste turned his attention to Annie. “You’re looking well, Miss Foster.”

“Thank you, Mr. VanEste.”

“I wired my editor at The Gazette that we had met but that you had refused to grant me an interview. As you can imagine, he was quite disappointed. Nearly cost me my job.”

“I’m sorry to hear it.”

“But here we are, meeting again. As my sweet mother used to tell me, things always happen for a reason. Could the reason for this chance encounter be that you’ve reconsidered my request to hear all your exploits, Miss Foster?”

“I’m afraid not.”

VanEste made a
tsk
ing sound with his tongue. “Such a shame. Well, perhaps another time. If you should change your mind, I’d be delighted to speak with you at any time. Good day to you both.” He tipped his hat once again, picked up his luggage, and strode briskly past them and into the hotel.

“Why don’t you get settled in a bit, Annie?” Jake suggested once VanEste was out of earshot. “I’ve got some business to take care of this afternoon. I’ll meet you downstairs at seven for dinner.”

“That sounds just fine,” she agreed, anxious to get a closer look at the town.

“Good. Until then.” He swung onto Weed’s back and turned away, disappearing into the throngs on Silver Avenue.

As Annie watched him ride away, her joy at having at last arrived in Abundance was suddenly diminished. She felt a strange, unfamiliar tightness settle in her throat.
Better get used to that view, Annie girl,
she told herself. After tomorrow, that’s exactly what you’ll see.

Jake Moran riding out of your life.

Jake’s first order of business was at the telegraph office. Fortunately he found no messages from Walter Pogue waiting for him. He nodded his thanks to the telegraph clerk and stepped out into the street.

His second order of business was a bit more productive. He hadn’t missed the worry on Annie’s face as she’d asked him about her ugly calico gown. Her wardrobe would definitely need a bit of sprucing up before she took over at The Palace. With that in mind, he walked toward a shop whose discreet sign read simply:
Miss Angelique’s Boutique. Finest Quality Fashions for Ladies. Ready-made and Custom Available
. He stepped inside and found the shop empty. That suited him just fine. He needed at least one hour of Miss Angelique’s full time and attention.

His purchases completed, he went back to the hotel, hoping to find Annie napping in bed — preferably dressed in nothing but her socks. After spending sixty minutes in a perfumed boutique poring over silks and satins, he was ready for a little more amorous sort of relaxation. Unfortunately Annie was out. He resigned himself to a visit to the bathhouse and barber instead, then returned to the hotel and changed.