Heart of Mine (Bandit Creek) (5 page)

"I need fifty dollars."

"Fifty?" she screeched. A few dollars she could have scrounged, but fifty?

"Fifty. Jake is rich, fifty is nothing to him."

"But he won't simply give it to me."

Hugh's lips pulled back. "I don't care how you get it, but see that you do. Then bring it to me, the day after tomorrow. You have until noon." He leaned forward. Greed gleamed in his eyes. "If I don't get the money, Laura, Sam will still take you."

"He can do no such thing! I'm married."

"Sam don't care. He just wants a warm body at night. And once Jake knows you've been unfaithful to him, he won't want to be married to you no more."

"I'd never give myself to Sam," she seethed.

Hugh's eyes went hard. "Sam ain't too old to take what he wants, whether you want to give it or not."

She swallowed the loathing. Not only of him, but also of herself. Because she knew what her father meant. And she knew she'd do whatever it took to keep that from happening.

"See you Friday." With a last dig of his fingers, Hugh released her and let himself out.

For a time, Laura stood there, rubbing the arm he'd bruised. Her father wasn't bluffing. He'd forced her into marriage to get his hands on Jake's money, and she'd known it was only a matter of time until he came sniffing for it. But how was she supposed to get the money he demanded? Even if she asked Jake--which she wouldn't--he wouldn't give a cent if he knew it was for Hugh. Neither could she pretend she needed it for herself. How could she when she had more now than she'd ever had in her life?

Suddenly feeling as though her skin was too small for her body, Laura grabbed her jacket. Though she no longer had employment, she did have money coming to her from the last few days she'd worked. It wouldn't be enough, but it would be that much less she'd have to worry about finding.

The spring wind was brisk. Still, the stretch of blue sky was unmarred by clouds and there was no risk of being caught in a spring storm, which wasn't unusual in Bandit Creek. At this time of day Jake would be at the Golden Nugget Hotel. Laura tugged her collar closed. She'd simply have to be sure she stayed away from it. If Jake didn't see her in town, he'd have no reason to be angry with her. And since he wasn't coming home until late, she'd be back long before he returned.

The wind swept its cool fingers over her cheeks, poked its way through her thin jacket. Overhead, in a large v-formation, geese honked as they headed north toward home. By the time Laura reached Bandit Creek her lips were numb and her cheeks smarted. And she was no closer to figuring how she'd get the rest of the money. Following the creek that gave the town its name, Laura walked eastward, opposite the swift current. With spring run-off having begun in the mountains, the creek was engorged. The water was white as it surged over and around the rocks that lined its bed.

Arriving at the edge of Montana Street and the bridge that would take her into the town proper, Laura stopped. Straight ahead was Lorelei's Cat House and, next to it, Martha Sweet's Brothel. Had Jake been going there in the evenings? Were those women the reason he wasn't coming home to his wife? She wished she knew for certain. But then, if
thinking
about it broke her heart, how would
knowing
about it feel?

Turning away from the reality that he'd prefer soiled women to his own wife, Laura headed across the bridge. For now, she had bigger worries.

Weaving between homes and businesses with her head tucked down, Laura managed to visit her previous employers and, despite more scorn and disdain, collect what was owed to her. By the time Laura slipped into the stables, she found herself believing every hurtful word she'd either overheard or had tossed in her face. How could she argue the fact that she wasn't after Jake's money? She couldn't, because she needed it. Her father had made it clear that her marriage meant little in his eyes if he couldn't benefit from it.

The Paint, the same horse she'd taken a shine to when Jake had come to drag her to his house, raised its head at her entrance. With hopelessness brimming, Laura stepped to the stall.

"You don't think I'm a 'worthless excuse for a human being', do you?" she asked, choking on the final words as the events of the last few days took their toll. Her father's machinations, Jake's anger and worse, his avoidance. Her loneliness.

Solemn eyes regarded her as she reached forward, stroked its warm neck. Whether the gelding liked her or not, he tolerated her presence and attention. Which was more than she could say for her husband and the fine folks of Bandit Creek. Digging into her pocket she then withdrew the few dollars and coins she'd collected. It wasn't enough. Not nearly enough. Her hands fisted around the money as reality did the same around her heart. She was in trouble. Big trouble.

Behind her the stable door opened. Laura cringed, drew up her shoulders and tried to make herself as small as possible.
Please don't let it be Jake.
Footsteps came her way, slowed. She angled herself away, drew her collar up to cover her lower face.

"Laura? Is that you?"

Laura recognized the deep baritone. Her chin dropped to her chest. It was Jake's grandfather, Zachariah Evans. It looked as though Jake was going to find out she'd been in town after all. With nowhere to hide, Laura turned, braced for the worst.

Blue eyes looked at her from beneath white, wooly brows. "I thought I saw you coming from the boardinghouse."

"Hello, Mr. Evans."

"We're family now, Laura," his narrow lips curved. "Best call me Zachariah."

Her jaw fell open. "You're not angry I married Jake?"

"My dear, I've seen folks get married for all sorts of reasons in my day, so it's not the circumstances that interest me. What does concern me, however, is whether or not you can make my grandson happy." His blue eyes were gentle as they held hers. "If anyone can, Laura, I believe it's you."

She clicked her teeth together, looked a little closer. He wasn't lying. He genuinely believed she'd make Jake happy. While that truth sang in her heart, singing just as loudly was the fact that Zachariah considered her part of the family. A real family. Even before her mother had passed away Laura had never known what a real family entailed. Not with the kind of man her father was. But Zachariah Evans, respected business owner in Bandit Creek, wasn't horrified his grandson had married well below his station. He didn't want anything from her
and
he liked her.

Her hand slid over her heart where his words curled warmly like a sleeping cat in the sunshine. There was one person in Bandit Creek who thought she had value, who didn't look upon her as though she were the very dirty water she'd tossed outside this morning. For a moment, she felt light enough to fly.

Until she remembered her father's visit. She had less than two days to come up with more than forty dollars. Short of stealing it, Laura had no idea how she'd manage. Happiness was quickly smothered by harsh reality. She'd never be any better than her father, no matter that it wasn't her choice. As if to say different, the paint nudged Laura with his nose.

"Friend of yours?"

"I'd like to think so." Laura shifted so as to be able to see both man and animal. "I don't know who he belongs to, but he seems happy to have my company." And because she was so very grateful for that, she raised her hand to stroke him. The money she'd had clasped inside her palm fell to the floor at her feet.

"Oh, no!" Knowing she couldn't afford to lose any of it, Laura dropped to her knees. Fingers frantically searched the straw and dirt. She had to find it all. She simply had to. Ignoring the fact that she was getting dirty, Laura didn't stop until she had every last coin. Only once she ensured she had the right amount did she breathe. If she'd lost any…

"Did you find everything?"

Mortification burned Laura from her neck to her scalp. She'd been so worried about her money she'd forgotten Zachariah was there. And now he'd witnessed her scrounging through the dirt for a few dollars. Laura nodded, dropped her money into her pocket. She couldn't bring herself to look at the man.

He took the choice from her when he curled a firm hand under her elbow and drew her to her feet. He said nothing as she brushed the dust and straw off her skirts, but Laura felt his stare. When her skirts were as clean as they were going to get, and she couldn't avoid him any longer, she met his gaze. The understanding softening his eyes threatened to shatter her control. She'd kept herself together before her father, and again when Angeline had swiped at her with her comments about how Laura may have trapped Jake into marriage but she wasn't able to keep him from Lorelei's Cat House. She'd kept her tears at bay when Zachariah had spoken of family. Yet seeing the pity in his eyes was too much. The dusty stable air choked her. The pressure in her chest and behind her eyes grew until it was a geyser ready to blow.

"Thank you, Mr. Evans, but I need to get home." She forced her trembling lips to smile. "It was lovely to see you." Laura shoved open the door. With no reputation worth worrying about, she grabbed her skirts and ran.

***

Without so much as a knock, his granddad strode into the office, startling Jake out of his work. Zachariah's brows formed one long, snowy line of consternation as he took his seat opposite his grandson's desk.

"Jake, what are you doing here?"

Jake looked down at the open ledgers. "I'm entering your expenses. Why? Is there something wrong?"

"Yes, there's a great deal wrong. I just came from seeing your wife."

The bottom fell out of Jake's stomach. They'd been married a few days with no incidents. He should have known it was only a matter of time until Laura showed her true colors. "What did she do now?"

Zachariah scowled. "What makes you think she did anything wrong?"

"Other than the fact that she and her father blackmailed me into marriage?"

"Jake," his granddad sighed. "Do you plan on getting a divorce?"

His answer was instant. "No."

"Then, how long do you plan on living this way? You can't keep hiding out in town until the early hours of the morning. Don't even try to deny it," he added, pointing his finger. "I've not only seen for myself the lights in this office burning far later than usual, I've heard the scuttlebutt. If you aren't here you're at the Powder Horn. Everyone in Bandit Creek knows you don't want to go home to your wife."

"Well, since those same folks know how we came to be married, they shouldn't be surprised."

"They aren't. And neither am I. Though I must say, I'm disappointed in you."

Jake pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to sully our name. If I'd only steered clear of Hugh that night…"

"Jake, I'm not talking about Hugh, or how you came to be married, though it wasn't ideal. I mean how you're treating your wife."

"How I'm treating her?" Jake leaned back in his chair, crossed his arms over his chest. From the window behind him he heard people strolling the boardwalk. "Laura no longer has to work and she lives in a beautiful home. I don't demand anything of her. Her life is easier now than it has ever been."

"And she's miserable. If you spent more time at home, son, you'd know that."

"What does she have to miserable about?"

Zachariah rolled his pale blue eyes. "She's lonely, Jake. Do you know where I found Laura today? At the stables, spending time with a horse. She said he seemed to enjoy her company."

Hearing that Laura was in town wasn't as upsetting as learning she'd come to spend time with a horse. He'd made it clear that he didn't want her walking to town and she'd defied him. He'd expected it. But he'd expected her to flounce about town, bragging about how she'd managed what no other woman had even come close to achieving, being his wife.

He'd never expected her to quietly visit an animal that wasn't hers. Jake slouched in his chair. He'd ordered her to stay home, but then he'd avoided the place as much as possible. Though his house sparkled, he knew it couldn't take her long to keep it that way, not when he wasn't around to make more work for her. His granddad was right. Laura was used to working and by so doing, was used to being around people. Jake hung his head. He'd completely isolated her.

"Did she say anything else?" he asked.

"No, but she did have a few dollars in her hands. Since I saw her coming from Angeline's Dress Emporium, I assume she was there to collect the last of her pay." Zachariah leaned forward. "She accidentally dropped her money, and she was frantic. She scoured the dirt for every last coin as though her very next meal depended on it. I realize this marriage wasn't planned and that you're none too happy about it, but Jake, you're both young. You have your whole lives ahead of you. Why spend the rest of it miserable?" His eyes probed Jake's. "Go home, Jake. Spend some time with your wife. Get to know her. Make her happy. You never know, it just may make you happy as well."

***

Laura slammed the door. The sound reverberated off the log walls, reinforcing--again--how alone she was. But that was about to change. She'd made some decisions as she'd walked off the humiliating experience with Zachariah. Jake may feel trapped, but he wasn't the only one. And as soon as he arrived from work--no matter the time, as she was prepared to wait all night--Laura planned on telling Jake just how she felt.