The Tracker (18 page)

E
LLIE WOULD HAVE
loved to stay in bed with Nick all day. Her body still tingled from their lovemaking this morning, yet she already ached to touch him again.

But the day’s chores and Rose would not be ignored. She and Nick reluctantly dressed and went outside.

They found Mike and Annie standing by the corral. “As much as I’d like to dally, Montana doesn’t allow it,” Mike said. Days off now would catch up to him when winter came.

Nick nodded. “I’ll give you a hand with the horses.” He kissed Ellie on the cheek and the two men headed to the barn.

A lazy smile curled the edges of Annie’s mouth as she watched her husband walk toward the barn. “My husband does cut a nice figure.”

Ellie laughed. “Where are the practical women who protected their hearts?”

Annie laughed. “They fell in love.”

“Love does have a way of changing things, doesn’t it?”

“Oh my, yes.”

They both laughed and started inside the cabin. Ellie crossed the threshold as she had done a hundred times before. But this time the cabin seemed different. Oh, it was just as she’d left it yesterday. The stove still dominated the kitchen, the great stone chimney towered over the main room and even the bread she’d baked yesterday still sat on the kitchen table under a white-and-red-checked cloth. But it was
different.

For the first time since she’d arrived at the coach stop, she didn’t know what to do with herself. The house and kitchen didn’t really feel like hers now. She didn’t belong here anymore. She belonged with Nick—wherever that was.

“Why the worried expression?” Annie asked.

Ellie glanced up at her. “I’m not worried.”

Annie moved to the stove. She set a pan of milk to warm and then poured two cups of coffee into twin mugs. “I’ve never seen a deeper frown. Was everything all right last night?”

Ellie sighed as she sat at the kitchen table. “I know I belong with Nick, but I don’t know where we will go or where we will live. He has said he has land near here.”

“Maybe I could answer that,” said Nick.

Annie jumped. “The Indians were right. You move as silent as a ghost.”

Ellie turned to see him standing in the doorway. The wind had tousled his hair and the top two buttons of his white shirt were unfastened. Her heart tripped. Lord, but the man had the power to turn her knees weak.

Nick strode into the room. “I thought you and I could take a ride today and have a look at our new home. Honestly, I don’t know if the house on the site is livable.”

Excitement welled in Ellie. “There is a house on the land?”

He nodded. “Brand-new. Never been lived in.”

Her first real home. “I’d like to see the house.”

Nick didn’t take his gaze off Ellie. “Annie, would you mind watching our daughter today? We’ll be back by supper.”

Annie grinned as she took the baby from Ellie. “I can think of nothing else I’d rather do.”

Ellie stood, smoothing her hands over her skirt. “It won’t be any trouble, Annie?”

Annie nuzzled her face close to Rose’s. “This little peanut is never any trouble.”

“It’s settled,” Nick said. “I’ve saddled our horses and we can leave now.”

Nervous excitement washed over Ellie. “Right now?”

“No time like the present.”

Her brain raced. She wasn’t even worried about riding on a horse. “I should pack us a basket of food.”

He winked at her. “As soon as you are packed, we can leave.”

T
WO HOURS LATER
, Nick and Ellie reached the ranch Bobby had left to Nick. Like Ellie, he was seeing the property for the first time. She was glad that he’d waited and they could share this moment.

Ellie shielded her eyes with her hand as she stared at the simple one-story house. The weather had mellowed the freshly milled wood to a dark brown. It wasn’t big, but there was a wide front porch and windows on every side of the house.

They dismounted and walked to the cabin. A thick layer of dust covered the porch and the windows that flanked the front door were streaked with dirt.

“Doesn’t look like Bobby spent much time here,” Nick said.

Ellie pushed open the door. The hinges squeaked.

Sunlight seeped in through the grimy windows. Dust particles danced in faint bands of light across an empty room. Ellie pictured a large bed, Rose’s
cradle beside it, rugs to warm the floor and a big table that would one day be surrounded by their children.

Children.

Ellie’s hand slid to her flat belly. She could already be carrying Nick’s baby. If she were pregnant, the baby would be born in May. Spring. A good time for babies.

Ellie’s gaze was drawn to the one bit of hardware in the room—the black cast-iron stove. She walked over to it. Except for the thick coat of dust, it was pristine. “This stove has never been used.”

“Bobby always talked about marrying a woman who could cook anything. When we’d share a campfire on the trail, he’d go on and on about the dishes his wife would make him.”

She opened the oven door and peered inside. “This cost him a pretty penny.”

“The man took his food seriously.”

She laughed as she stood. “What was his favorite food?”

Nick moved behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders. “He was partial to steak and fries, and he never said no to a chokeberry pie.”

“Then that shall be the first meal I make.”

Nick’s eyes softened. “He’d appreciate that.”

Her heart clenched as she looked up at him. She’d never get tired of looking at him. She took in a breath
and surveyed the cabin. “I used to dream of having my own home. There are so many things I want to do here.”

“Such as?”

“Curtains in the windows, a big feather bed, a large table where we can gather for meals. I suppose one day we might even add rooms onto the cabin.”

“Children need lots of room.”

Ellie’s heart just about melted. “Brothers and sisters for Rose.”

“I miss having a family. A house isn’t right unless it’s filled with children.”

Under the words she sensed sadness. “Have you written to your family since you left Virginia?”

“Three times. I never heard back. They haven’t forgiven me for what happened with Gregory.”

“It’s been ten years, Nick. You should try again. Didn’t you say you had a sister you were fond of?”

“Julia. She was nine when I left.”

“She is a grown woman now.”

“I doubt she remembers me.”

“You won’t know unless you write her.”

He inhaled a deep breath. “Here we are in our new home and the talk has turned sad. I don’t want there to be sadness in this house today.”

There was a wall around Nick’s heart, but she sensed a tiny bit of it had started to crumble. Later,
when they’d settled into the cabin, she’d bring up the letter again.

“So what are your plans for this house?” she asked. “I hope you intend to do more than help me make babies.”

He chuckled. “Very tempting, but I was thinking about raising horses.”

“No desire to pan for gold?”

“None. I’ve ridden this area enough to see that the veins are drying up. But men will always need horses. The railroad alone could keep me in business.”

“You’ve thought this through.”

“About a thousand times on the trails during the last year.”

“We can get started right away.”

“As much as I’d like to get started now, it’s too late in the season to buy new animals. I’ll have to buy what hay I need to feed my horse and a milk cow.” He walked to the window and stared at the virgin lands. Wind washed over the tall grass like waves. “I’ll start cutting wood right away and build corrals and maybe even a barn before the heavy snows set in. By spring, I’ll be ready for the horses.”

She walked up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist. “It sounds like a wonderful plan.”

He faced her. “Ellie, living out here won’t be easy. There are going to be good years and bad.”

“I’m not afraid of hard work, especially since I’m building a real home for the first time in my life.”

He leaned forward and kissed her. She rose up on tiptoes, wrapped her arms around his neck and deepened the kiss.

A soft groan rumbled in Nick’s chest. He pulled back. “If you don’t stop that, Mrs. Baron, I won’t be able to wait until we get back to Annie’s.”

“You’ve got a saddle blanket that you can spread on the floor.”

“In broad daylight? I’ve married a wanton woman.”

“Complaining?”

“Not in the least, lady. Not in the least.”

He kissed her lightly and went to fetch the blanket. Five minutes later it was spread out on the floor. He sat on it and started to pull off his boots.

“In a bit of a rush, aren’t you, Mr. Baron?” She started to unfasten the row of buttons that trailed between her breasts.

“I can think of no better way to christen our new cabin.”

She shrugged off her bodice and laid it on the edge of the blanket. Her breasts peeked out over the top of her chemise. She reached for the pink bow between them.

Dark lust replaced the laughter in his eyes. “Come here, Mrs. Baron.”

She’d learned from the girls at the Silver Slipper that anticipation was half the fun. Instead of going to him, she took a step back and slowly unlaced her shoes.

“Are you teasing me, woman?”

She let one shoe drop and then reached for the second set of laces. “I sure am.”

Nick leaned back on his elbows, watching her as she set the second shoe aside. She reached for the button in the back of her skirt and unfastened it. The calico skimmed over her hips and fell into a puddle around her ankles. She undid the frayed cord that laced up her corset.

Nick rose up on his knees and took her hand in his. She was under him in an instant and he was pushing up the fabric of her chemise and kissing her breasts.

Ellie’s playfulness vanished. She gave herself to the storm of desire that engulfed them both.

M
UCH
,
MUCH LATER
, they lay together on the blanket, their clothes heaped together nearby. The sun had dipped. They had eaten their picnic lunch after they’d made love and then they’d made love again. The day had been perfect.

Nick sat up. “We best get back to Annie’s.”

Ellie stretched her arms high over her head. “I could stay here forever.”

He kissed the tip of her naked breast. “We’ve got to get back. Rose will be looking for you.” He handed her her chemise and pantaloons.

She sat up and started to dress. “Okay, we get Rose and then we come right back here.”

He pulled up his pants. “With luck we can be back in a couple of weeks.”

Disappointment washed over her. “That long?”

He yanked his shirt over his head, tucked it into his pants and fastened the buttons. “There’s a lot to be done first.”

“I know there will be supplies and furniture to be bought. I doubt we can afford much at first.”

“Money’s not a problem. About all I’ve done these last ten years is save what I made.”

She pulled on her skirt and bodice. “Then there’s nothing stopping us from setting up the house right away.”

He put on his boots. “I’ve got to deal with Frank before we do anything here. The minister says there is a man in Butte who the authorities think is Frank.”

Frank.
He was a distant reminder of a nightmare she’d once lived. “Good, let him stay there.”

He strapped on his gun. “I can’t do that. I’ve got to see him for myself. And there is the matter of the gold. It has to be returned to the railroad.”

“Can’t we just forget the past?”

“Not this part of it.” His voice had grown cold and hard.

“I have a bad feeling about this,” she said.

He wrapped his arms around her. “Ellie, I’m very good at what I do. Even if the man they have isn’t Frank, I will find him.”

Her unease grew. She felt as if he were abandoning her. “You’ve never had anything to lose before.”

“All the more reason to be very careful.”

She could feel the glow of the day seeping from her bones. “Nick, please don’t go.”

He shook his head. “Ellie, you’re not being fair. I have to go.”

She pulled back. “Your life is not just about you anymore. There is Rose and me to consider.”

“You knew from the start that I’d always go after Frank.”

A cold shiver danced down her spine. “I don’t want to lose you.”

He cupped her face. “You won’t.”

Unshed tears choked her throat. “You have a responsibility to us.”

“I have one to Bobby, too. The man was like a father to me. I could never make a life in the house he built if I didn’t see his killer hang.”

She knew she’d never change his mind, which
only stirred the anger and frustration inside her. “If you cared about me, you’d not go.”

He pulled back. “That’s not fair, Ellie.”

“I don’t care about fair anymore! I have a family now and I don’t want to lose it.”

He lifted his chin. “You’ve got to have a little faith in me.”

“I
love
you,” she said. Tears spilled down her face.

His eyes softened for a moment, but he said nothing. No words of love. No tender feelings. “I’ve got to get you back to Annie’s.”

The cold hard bounty hunter who had first appeared on her doorstep was back. Her loving husband was gone and she feared she’d never see him again. “If you leave, I can’t guarantee Rose and I will be here when you get back.”

Nick’s scowl deepened. He strode out of the cabin, leaving Ellie to follow. She felt wretched as she climbed on her horse and the two rode back to Annie’s in silence.

When they reached the coach stop, Ellie went inside the main cabin and fed Rose while Nick cared for the horses.

That night, Ellie went to bed in her room alone. She tossed and turned until well past midnight before an uneasy sleep claimed her.

In the darkness, Nick came to her. He slid into her
bed. He was naked. Neither spoke as he pushed up her nightgown. She opened her legs for him. He slid into her as if they’d made love a thousand times.

She put her heart and soul into their joining, matching his passion with her own. When they climaxed together, she spooned her body to his and he draped his arm over her waist. The warmth of his embrace soothed all her worries. Though they’d not spoken, she was confident their lovemaking had been apology enough to make up for all the terrible things she’d said.