Lover's Gold (32 page)

“I still can’t figure that one. If she wouldn’t marry Chuck afore, how you gonna git her to now?”

“You let me worry about that. I assure you, Elaina McAllister is going to be your daughter-in-law in the very near future.”

Henry just nodded, accepting Dolph’s word as if the marriage were already an accomplished feat. Henry trusted him, and in a way Dolph felt the same. Hoisting his heavy frame from the chair, Henry pulled on his narrow-brimmed straw hat and headed for the door. There was still a mine to run, and Henry took his job seriously. It was one of the things Dolph liked about the man. They’d been partners for fifteen years. It was as unlikely a twosome as God had ever dreamed up.

“Keep me posted,” Henry called over his shoulder.

Dolph just nodded. Initially, Dolph had needed Henry’s money, and though the vulgar man had seemed beneath him at the time, Dolph had come to recognize Henry’s strong points. He was good at getting things done. He was steadfast and a hard worker. Since he was also willing to do just about anything to accomplish his purpose—that usually being to earn more money—he and Dolph had gotten along just fine.

Now they were about to make the fortune they’d struggled toward all their lives. They would let nothing stand in their way. And though Dolph didn’t relish splitting the money with Henry and Chuck, his share would still amount to a fortune.

He was glad Chuck had taken Bill Sharp to California with him to bring the girl home. Sharp was a strong, capable sort—and incredibly fast with a gun. The kind of man who would get the job done one way or another. The sooner the matter was settled, the better off they’d all be.

* * *

“You sure she’s alone up there?” Andy Johnson asked.

“She’s alone all right,” Chuck said. The man he’d discovered to be Chase Cameron had left the Palace before midnight. “I saw the fella take off before I headed back to our hotel.” Chuck, Andy Johnson, and Bill Sharp had taken rooms at the Geary House, a small hotel just down the hill from the Palace. Chuck had slept for a few hours, till the sun began to light the window beside his bed. Then he’d summoned Bill and Andy to his room.

Elaina had been easier to find than he’d imagined. Though he’d had no luck in the beginning—even Isabelle Chesterfield knew nothing of Elaina’s whereabouts—his persistence had eventually paid off. Well before her arrival in the city, Elaina McAllister had been front-page news.

Chuck smiled mirthlessly. This was going to turn out better than his wildest dreams. Elaina had become a fabulously wealthy woman, and as soon as she married Chuck, he would control every dime. All he had to do was get her back to Keyserville, and he intended to accomplish that task right away.

“You’re sure you two can handle this by yourselves?” His sandy brows drew together in an uncertain frown. “I’m afraid if she sees me, it’ll only make things worse.”

“We can handle her,” Bill Sharp assured him. “She’s only a woman.”

“I warn you,” Chuck said, “don’t underestimate this particular woman. I did once and wound up with this.” He pointed to the jagged scar on his cheek. He looked forward to taming the little hellion once they were married. She’d had far too long an engagement already.

Looking as though he’d never be stupid enough to allow any woman to get the better of him, Sharp merely grunted. They left the hotel and headed up the hill to the Palace. The day was fair, the light of early morning glistening on the waters of the bay.

“I’ll wait for you down here,” Chuck instructed once they reached their destination. “Use the steam elevator in the back. I’ll meet you near the rear entrance.”

“Don’t worry, boss,” Andy Johnson put in. “This’ll be a snap.”

Chuck remembered the last time he’d thought controlling Elaina McAllister would be a snap—the night he’d tried to ravish her and succeeded only in upsetting their wedding plans and getting his nose broken. At least Morgan was no longer in the picture. Chuck had found no trace of the man in San Francisco. If he’d ever lived in the city, he was long gone now.

Andy Johnson, carrying the small bottle of chloroform they planned to use, moved toward the rear entrance of the Palace. He was a master at picking locks; neither these heavy doors nor the smaller ones leading to Elaina’s suite would be a problem. Thin and lithe, Andy had worked for the Redmond-Dawson partnership off and on for years.

Bill Sharp was a recent addition. Tall and well proportioned, with narrow-set eyes and bushy brows, Sharp had been hired to replace Dan Morgan. He’d easily frightened the miners into submission without firing a single shot. Chuck had seen him draw down on a man once—the man’s pistol never cleared his holster. Sharp could easily have killed the man, would have, too, if Chuck hadn’t stopped him. He was fast with a gun, all right. Faster than any man Chuck had ever seen—probably even faster than Morgan. Too bad Morgan wasn’t around so Chuck could find out. He’d have liked nothing better than to see the gunman get his comeuppance.

Ren heard the soft click of the lock and opened his eyes. He’d been awake off and on for an hour, enjoying the soft feather mattress and the luxury of watching Elaina sleep. Warily he eased himself from the bed and pulled on his breeches, mindful of the faint creak as the heavy front door of the suite swung wide. Leaving Elaina undisturbed, he moved quietly toward the bedroom door. The brass knob turned just as he reached it. Unable to get the pearl-handled derringer from the pocket of his coat, he stepped behind the door just as it opened.

“She’s a beauty, ain’t she, Bill?” whispered a soft male voice.

Ren glanced at Elaina’s sleeping figure. She’d pushed the satin sheet down, leaving one full breast exposed to the men’s view. Ren felt his stomach tighten. It was all he could do to control his temper. From his place behind the door, he heard footsteps muffled by the carpet as two men moved into the room.

“A figure like that and money, too,” the second man agreed. His voice sounded husky, and Ren knew what the man was thinking as he feasted on the sight of Elaina’s perfect breast.

Ren’s control snapped. He shoved the door into the tall, well-built man and kicked out at another shorter man. Elaina screamed and sat up in bed, clutching the covers around her. The smaller man grunted as he stumbled into a chair, tipping it over, and the tall man punched Ren hard in the jaw, hurling him across the bed, where he almost collided with Elaina. Ren regained his feet quickly, ducked another punch, and delivered a dense blow to the tall man’s middle, doubling him over. The little man skirted the two brawling men and headed toward the door.

“Come on, Bill!” he yelled in his high, soft voice. “We didn’t count on this!”

The one named Bill punched Ren again and ran through the salon to join his friend. Ren followed at a dead run. Wrapped in the sheet, Elaina raced behind them. Before the bigger man could reach the door, Ren leapt on him and the two of them sprawled on the marble tiles, upending the settee and sending a silk-shaded lamp crashing to the floor. Ren spotted a flash of metal as the tall man pulled a gun, but was unable to avoid the barrel, which cracked against his head with a resounding thump. He sagged to the carpet, fighting to remain conscious. Pulling himself upright, he took another two steps in the men’s direction as they escaped through the doorway and disappeared down the hall. Then everything turned black.

“Ren!” Elaina screamed, racing toward him. She knelt beside him, her hands shaking so badly she could barely lift his head onto her lap. “Ren, please be all right.”

He groaned as if in answer. Then his eyelids fluttered open, and he raised a hand to the knot on his forehead. He tried to lift himself up, only to sag back against her.

“Seems like we’ve played this scene before,” he joked, but he couldn’t suppress a grimace of pain.

“Just lie still. I’ll get a damp cloth.”

She returned quickly to find him already sitting in a chair, his head tilted against the back. She laid the cloth on his forehead.

“What . . . what do you think those men were after?” she asked with a nervous glance at the now closed door.

“I don’t know, but I intend to find out. Probably hoped you had some money up here. Everyone in the city has heard about your gold mine by now. There was something familiar about the one who hit me and about the way he used that gun. . . . I don’t know, maybe it was nothing, then again . . . I don’t like the idea of your being in danger. Much as I might wish it, I can’t be here all the time. You need servants—a butler, a lady’s maid, people who’ll be around to discourage the likes of men like that.”

“I’ve already spoken with an agency,” she told him, though she didn’t say she had no intention of hiring anyone now. She would soon be leaving San Francisco for good. “I’m sure whoever they send will be trustworthy.”

“We’ll have them checked out thoroughly,” he said, “just to be on the safe side. In the meantime, I guess I’ll just have to keep a closer eye on you.” He ran a long brown finger along the line of her jaw, a slow smile curving his mouth. Then he noticed her sheet had come open, and his eyes focused on the shapely hip and slender leg exposed to his view. As his palm moved along her thigh to cup her bottom, the feel of her warm skin against his hand tingled his flesh and sent a surge of blood to his loins.

Playfully she slapped his hand away. “I see you’re going to live,” she told him. But he didn’t miss the relief in her golden eyes.

“I’ll be fine,” he assured her. “Unfortunately I have important out-of-town business to attend to tonight. I won’t be able to take up my bodyguard duties until tomorrow.” His hand returned to her bottom, his long fingers fanning out to tease her rapidly heating flesh.

Elaina felt a shiver of the same desire she knew he was feeling, but forced it away, dwelling instead on his words. There was nothing she wanted more—and nothing she wanted less—than for Ren to look after her body.

“You’ll be safe enough today,” he assured her. “They won’t be back soon, and probably not at all. But I’ll send my man Herbert Thomas and his wife, Flora, over as soon as I get home.”

He grinned devilishly. “Herbert’s an excellent shot, and Flora can keep an eye on Chase Cameron—just in case he tries to match his audacity with mine.”

Elaina pulled the wet cloth from his forehead and tossed it at him in feigned anger. “Men! You’re all incorrigible!”

He pulled her into his lap and kissed her soundly. “Would you have it any other way?”

She kissed him in answer, but when she drew away, his light eyes had darkened.

“Today’s the third, isn’t it?” he asked.

“Yes, why?”

“I’d forgotten about tomorrow. Tomorrow’s the Fourth of July. I promised Jacob I’d accompany him and Melissa to the fireworks celebration. There’s a big ox roast and picnic. The earliest I’ll be able to get back here will be late afternoon.”

Elaina turned away, her eyes threatening to tear. She swallowed hard. Why did it hurt so when she’d known all along what it would feel like to be the other woman? Ren would spend every holiday, every weekend, with his family. She’d see him only when it was convenient. That was why she could never agree to his wild scheme for them to be together; why she was going away. As much as she loved him, she refused to share him, and she would not come between him and the family he would soon be responsible for. She would not lower herself to the level of someone like Carolina Williams.

“I wish I had time to make love to you again,” he was saying, “but I want to let the hotel know what happened here this morning. Then I’ll speak with the constable.”

“What? Ren, you can’t!” She pulled away from him. “Don’t you see, they’ll know you were here. They’ll know you spent the night. They’ll—”

“Elaina, listen to me.” Ren tipped her chin up and willed her to understand. “No matter how discreet we are, people are going to know. It doesn’t matter. Lots of people have arrangements of this sort.”

He sounded so matter-of-fact. But then why shouldn’t he? He’d done this before. She could feel tears burning her eyes, then slipping down her cheeks. “It matters to me,” she whispered, and he pulled her against the hard wall of his chest.

“All right,” he conceded. “I won’t go to the police. I’ll hire someone private to look into the matter. In the meantime, I’ll send over the Thomases. You stay close to the hotel. Tomorrow I’ll be back and we can talk about all this and get a few things settled.”

Tomorrow Ren would enjoy Independence Day with his fiancée, she thought. He would laugh with Jacob, plan his family’s future. He’d speak of grandchildren, talk about the wedding. Melissa would look at him with her gentle blue eyes, thinking of her honeymoon, the nights she’d spend in his arms. Elaina closed her eyes, trying to blot out the awful images, trying to be strong.

Tomorrow she would be on an eastbound train headed for a lonely destination that only she and God would know. This time she wouldn’t tell anyone where she was going, not even Ada Lowery. She fought back a wave of despair, and pasted on a smile. “Until tomorrow, then.”

With a hand beneath her chin, he claimed her mouth in a fiery kiss of possession. She fought hard to keep her lips from trembling beneath his, fought to keep the tears in her eyes from spilling down her cheeks.

“Tomorrow,” he repeated, as if it were only a matter of hours until they’d be together again, not the eternity Elaina knew it to be.

She followed him to the door and closed it softly behind him. Only then, as his footsteps echoed down the hall and faded into silence, did she allow the tears she’d held back to fall in warm wet droplets on her breast.

“Of all the rotten luck.” Chuck Dawson paced the floor of his hotel room while Bill Sharp and Andy Johnson related the story of their failure. There’d been no time to explain what had happened until now. All three had made a mad dash for their rented carriage and returned as quickly as possible to the safety of their rooms.

“What did the man look like?” Chuck asked.

“Well, he was really tall,” Andy said, exaggerating wildly. “Taller than you by at least six inches, with huge arms and a thick neck and—”

“He was about your height,” Sharp interrupted. “He had black hair, slightly gray at the temples, and the lightest blue eyes I’ve ever seen.”