The Sheriff (Historical Romance) (8 page)

K
ate hoped Chang Li knew what he was doing.

She watched as the wiry little man thrust a shovel into the packed earth and began digging a large hole directly behind the mansion. He was building her a cistern.

Chang Li had observed Kate hauling water up from the lake, and he told her she needed a nice large cistern to collect rainwater. And today, a Saturday, he had begun work on the new project.

Since hiring the sweet-natured Chang Li, Kate was more than pleased with the way he diligently worked the Cavalry Blue. He had also worked tirelessly to help her make the mansion more livable.

Thanks to him, the wood stove in the kitchen was working properly again and the fireplace chimney in the drawing room had been cleaned and was ready
for use as soon as the first chill of autumn arrived in the high country. Cordwood had been cut and neatly stacked by the marble hearth.

And it was Chang Li who had brought up, from Barton’s Emporium and Dry Goods, a brand-new zinc tub for Kate’s baths. He had carried the tub up on his head, and she had laughed when she saw him coming. He’d laughed with her, then asked where she wanted it.

“Right there in the drawing room,” she had instructed, and ushered him into the house. Chang Li had carefully placed the tub to the left of the fireplace and nodded when she’d said, “This will do nicely for now. When we strike gold, I shall have a huge Carrara marble tub imported from Italy.”

He grinned, bowed and handed over her little drawstring bag of gold dust, with which she had paid for the tub. Kate had been as thrilled as a child when she found her first traces of placer in the stream that flowed by the house. Each and every day she carefully collected tiny flecks of gold dust and used the precious placer to purchase necessities.

Kate was grateful to Chang Li for all he’d done. She had never seen a harder worker than this slight man, who didn’t complain and seemed to never tire.

She was touched when, out of the blue one morning, he arrived for work and said, “Need big favor, Missy Kate.”

“Name it,” she had replied.

From his loose-fitting white trousers, he withdrew a small leather pouch with a drawstring pulled tight. “All my money inside,” he explained. “Live in tent city with thieves and pickpockets.”

“I know, and I’m sorry you can’t—”

“Is okay. Not afraid. But afraid money be stolen. Can I leave here with you?”

“Well, of course you can, Chang Li. I’ll stay right here on the porch. Go inside and hide your stash anywhere you choose. I promise it will not be disturbed.”

A smile spread over his thin little face. “Missy Kate most kind, most kind.” He indicated the leather pouch. “I save money to bring wife and girl child to America.”

“I hope you soon have enough,” she said.

“I will.” His grin broadened. “Make much more since I work for you.”

Now, as he labored to excavate a crater for the new cistern, Chang Li hummed happily. Cal, the calico cat, had wandered out to see what was going on. He ambled up onto the newly turned earth and peered at Kate’s assistant, making a low rumbling sound in his throat. Then he hissed his displeasure when Chang Li, rhythmically tossing dirt out of the hole, harmlessly sprinkled him.

Kate laughed as the angry cat raced toward the house, leaped up onto a windowsill and disappeared inside.

“Chang Li, I need to go into town, so I’m leaving you to your project.”

The industrious Chinaman continued shoveling as he said over his shoulder, “Yes, you go, Missy Kate. I be right here.”

“I need to purchase a pair of kid gloves,” she said, eager to share the news that she was going to the theater. “Mr. Winn DeLaney is taking me to see Miss Lola Montez this evening.”

Chang Li’s shovel stilled in midair. He lowered it, leaned on it, swept his long queue back over his shoulder, wiped the sweat from his brow and squinted at her. “Who is this Mr. Winn DeLaney? Not know him.”

“He recently arrived in Fortune,” she said. “He’s a wealthy gentleman from San Francisco.”

Chang Li frowned. “What he doing in Fortune? You sure you safe with him?”

Kate laughed merrily. “He has business dealings here. And I told you, he is a gentleman with sterling manners. I am completely safe in his company.”

“Very well.” Chang Li nodded and went back to work.

Smiling, Kate turned and went inside.

She
was
safe with the refined gentleman, Winn DeLaney.

The same could not be said, however, for Fortune’s cocksure lawman. Travis McCloud was certainly no gentleman. A gentleman did not kiss a lady the way he had kissed her.

But oh what a kiss it had been. A kiss Kate couldn’t seem to forget, no matter how hard she tried. Over and over she had guiltily relived the heart-stopping moment when the darkly handsome sheriff had pulled her into his arms and kissed her. She recalled how the heat from his lips had reached all the way down to her toes. She was inexperienced, but she needed no one to tell her that the kiss they’d shared was rawly sexual. It had been downright frightening in its intimacy.

She was not naive enough to suppose the moment had meant anything to him. She didn’t care. It hadn’t meant anything to her, either. Not a thing. Travis Mc-Cloud was an ill-mannered, cynical, egotistical man who’d had no right to grab her up and kiss as if she were one of the loose women from the saloons.

Doc Ledet had said that McCloud had been raised in a proper Virginia home by aristocratic parents, though Kate now concluded that he had since shed any patina of grace he’d once possessed. He was as rough and rugged as the community he policed, and he was undoubtedly a threat to any decent woman.

Kate suddenly wondered if the sheriff had a sweetheart. Was there one special woman who willingly shared his heart-stopping kisses? And even his bed? Kate frowned, distressed at the thought. She’d be fooling herself if she supposed that the lusty sheriff never made love to anyone. She realized that Travis McCloud was the kind of man women—all
women—found exciting. There was an alarming prospect of danger surrounding him that was highly erotic.

Then she scolded herself soundly. She would not waste one more minute thinking about the arrogant sheriff.

As she began to get changed for her trip to town, Cal meowed plaintively from somewhere in the house.

“What is it?” she called, and stepped out into the hall.

She saw no sign of the cat, but followed the sound of his continued meowing. Kate walked the length of the hall to the back of the house. She went into the large kitchen, looked around, but still did not see the cat.

“Cal, where are you?” she called, then went back into the corridor, following his meows. She found him in one of the many back rooms, seated in front of a closed door, one she had never bothered opening, supposing it was nothing more than an empty linen closet.

Cal’s curiosity sparked her own. “All right, all right,” she said, “we’ll have a look inside.” Cal made a low rattling sound in the back of his throat and rubbed against Kate’s skirts.

She carefully opened the door and peered inside. A set of wooden stairs led down into darkness. Cal raced down the steps and disappeared. Kate shook her head, turned and went for the coal oil lamp. She returned, lit the wick, held the lamp aloft and cautiously
descended the creaking wooden stairwell into a gigantic basement.

As curious as the cat, Kate looked around. Odds and ends of furniture were scattered about in a haphazard manner. Wooden cartons and barrels were stacked along the walls. She ventured forward, opened a box, sneezed from the dust she’d stirred, and looked inside. Dishes. Fine bone china dishes banded in gold. She held up a fragile plate, blew the dust from it and admired it. Then she carefully lowered it back to the carton.

She was opening another box when Cal’s furious scratching and mewling commanded her attention. She turned to see the cat vigorously clawing at a covering of heavy burlap that was draped over a large gilded frame holding a painting or mirror. Cal’s sharp claws snagged in the rough burlap and he yanked at it until the burlap fell away and pooled on the floor.

Kate went over to investigate.

“Oh my,” she murmured aloud.

A portrait of a grand old lady with a gaunt, pale face, dark hair and deep-set, penetrating eyes sat looking back at her. The woman wore an elegant gown of shimmering taffeta, and diamonds and rubies graced her throat and sparkled on her fingers.

Arielle VanNam Colfax.

Kate stared, transfixed, feeling as though she was being watched from beyond the grave.

“Where’s the gold, Auntie?” Kate asked aloud.
“It’s me, Kate. Your great-niece. The one to whom you left your inheritance.”

The lady in the portrait continued to hold her regal pose and fix Kate with those piercing eyes.

Kate said, “Aunt Arielle, you belong upstairs.”

Warning Cal to stay out of her way, Kate struggled to get the heavy oil painting up the stairs and into the drawing room. There she leaned it against the wall beside the black marble fireplace, and carefully cleaned the dust and cobwebs away from the portrait and its heavy frame.

“Soon as I get the mansion restored,” she promised the lady in the painting, “I’ll hang your portrait above the fireplace where it belongs.” Then she said, “You believed there was gold in the Cavalry Blue, didn’t you, Aunt Arielle?”

The lady in the portrait revealed nothing.

A
s Kate prepared to go into town on that warm Saturday morning, she told herself she hoped to high heaven she wouldn’t be unlucky enough to encounter the overbearing town sheriff. Nonetheless, she chose one of her better dresses and brushed her hair until it shone. After all, she might see her handsome new suitor, the charming Winn DeLaney.

Wishing she had a parasol so she didn’t have to conceal her hair, one of her best features, Kate reluctantly drew on her straw bonnet, picked up her reticule, waved goodbye to the lady in the portrait and walked out the front door, with Cal trailing after her.

“No, you are not going with me, you bad cat. Stay here!” she commanded, and the cat stopped, glared at her, then stretched out on the porch. Kate smiled
and said, “I’ll be back soon.” Cal pointedly ignored her. “Be a good boy while I’m gone.”

On the short walk through the pine forest, she planned how she would go directly to Barton’s Emporium and pick out a pair of dainty white kid gloves to wear to the theater that evening. The gloves were an extravagance she couldn’t really afford, but she wanted look like a refined lady for this special evening.

Once she’d purchased the gloves, perhaps she would stop in and say hello to Dr. Ledet.

When Kate reached the buildings of town, her breath grew short. She assumed it was the high altitude combined with the growing heat of the day. She stopped where the wooden sidewalk began, took off her bonnet and carefully smoothed her hair.

Barton’s Emporium and Dry Goods was three blocks away. If she stayed on this side of the street and walked directly to Barton’s, she would have to pass the city jail. She considered crossing the street in an effort to avoid a possible brush with the sheriff, but she immediately checked herself. She was anything but timid or submissive, and she had no intention of allowing the marshal to influence her behavior. She wasn’t about to slink around Fortune in constant fear of bumping into Travis McCloud.

Kate lifted her chin and set out down the sidewalk. But as she neared the city jail, she could feel her heart beating erratically. Would she see him? Was he just inside? Would he venture out when he caught sight
of her? Would he step into her path so that she would have to stop? Would she get a glimpse of those sensual lips and that powerful physique?

Kate was a few short feet away when the sheriff did indeed step out of the jail. She stopped abruptly and caught her breath.

Travis’s dark head slowly swung around. He saw her, glanced at her with bored indifference and barely nodded. Then he unhurriedly crossed to the other side of the street.

Kate paled at the slight. She felt her face grow warm and her stomach clench. She hurried on her way, vowing she would in future stay as far away from the city jail—and the brooding Sheriff Travis McCloud—as she could possibly get.

She would give all her attention and all her kisses to the attentive Winn DeLaney.

Kate hurried the remainder of the three blocks to Barton’s Emporium. Inside the cavernous establishment, Clifton Barton sat on his stool behind the counter. As usual.

“Good morning, Mr. Barton,” Kate said in greeting. “Nice day, isn’t it?” She knew he would have a comment on the weather. He always did.

“Nice? Why, it’s so damn hot even the lizards are looking for shade!”

Kate smiled and went about her shopping. She moved among the large tables stacked high with various merchandise. There were dishes and fabrics
and pots and pans. Hats and hammers, saddles and salt, cradles and crackers, bread and bibles. Anything a customer might want or need could be found at Barton’s.

Except kid gloves.

After a thorough search, Kate returned to the counter. “Mr. Barton, I’m looking for a pair of white kid gloves. Could you point me in the right direction?”

He chuckled and didn’t move. “Miss VanNam, where do you think you are? New York City?” He shook his head. “Only gloves we have are men’s work gloves.”

“Not a single pair of ladies kid gloves?” she asked.

“Now what did I just say?”

Kate nodded. “How foolish of me.”

She was disappointed, but she doubted that the other ladies who would be attending the theater would be wearing gloves. If Barton’s didn’t carry gloves, then gloves could not be found in Fortune.

Kate went back out into the blistering sunshine and hurried toward Dr. Ledet’s office. She was still a couple of doors away when a woman stepped out of the doctor’s office. She was a beautiful, curvaceous woman with incredibly white skin and gleaming midnight hair. She was dressed elegantly in the latest fashion. Her waist was cinched, her bosom was generous and the flowing skirts of her pastel summer dress stood out in the shape of a perfect bell, indicating there were hoops and lacy petticoats beneath.

And on her small hands were pristine white kid gloves.

The beautiful lady looked up, saw Kate and smiled warmly. Then she raised a silk parasol and walked away, with Kate staring after her.

“You going to stand out there in the hot sun all morning?” the white-maned physician said from the doorway.

“No…I…no.” Kate, frowning, came inside. “Who was that lady, Dr. Ledet?”

“Valentina Knight,” said the doctor, then changed the subject. “What brings you to town this morning, child?”

As if he hadn’t spoken, Kate said, “Why didn’t you introduce me to Miss Knight? Or is it Mrs. Knight?”

“It’s Miss. I don’t think you two would have a great deal in common.” His eyebrows lifted.

“Why not? Miss Knight looks patrician and prosperous. Does she own a gold mine? Is that why she’s here in Fortune?”

Dr. Ledet chuckled. “She owns a gold mine, all right, one that’s made her a very wealthy woman. It’s called the Golden Nugget.”

Kate made a face. “But that’s…The Golden Nugget, why, it’s a saloon, isn’t it?”

“The most successful saloon in Fortune,” said the doctor. “And you know why?”

“No, why?”

“The lovely Valentina sings at the Golden Nugget nightly. The miners adore her.”

“I’m sure they do,” Kate said.

Dr. Ledet studied her and easily read her thoughts. “Bless your heart,” he said kindly, “you’re lonely. Lonely for female friends. Aren’t you, Kate?”

“Yes, I am, Doctor. That’s why when I saw Miss Knight I immediately hoped that…” Her words trailed away and she shrugged slender shoulders.

The physician rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Women are scarce as hen’s teeth in Fortune. Young ladies like yourself are nonexistent. We’ve had a few young wives come to Fortune with their husbands, but most didn’t stay long.”

“Doesn’t matter,” Kate assured him. “I have you and Chang Li for my friends.” She smiled then and added, “And I have a handsome suitor.”

The doctor frowned. “How much do you know about Winn DeLaney?”

“Enough. I know that he’s a wealthy gentleman and that he is mannerly and charming and likable. He’s kind and gentle and good-natured.” Kate made a face. “Which is more than I can say for some people in this town.”

“Aren’t I good-natured?”

“Yes, of course. I didn’t mean you, Doctor.”

“Who then?”

Kate’s delicate jaw grew tense. “Travis McCloud. He’s bossy and cold and sullen. I don’t like him.”

“Now, now, Trav’s all right. You don’t know him
like I do. The sheriff is a man who has lived.” Dr. Ledet paused as if in deep thought. “He’s been disappointed. He understands the reality of the world.” A slight smile lit up the physician’s craggy face when he added, “And he’s still in the game.”

“Disappointed? How?” Kate’s blue eyes were wide with interest.

The doctor shook his head. “Never mind that, child. I talk too much. Pay me no attention.”

But Kate wouldn’t let it go. She said, “Remember that prisoner on the steamer calling Sheriff Mc-Cloud a murderer? Is it true?”

“No. The sheriff’s no murderer,” the doctor said. Kate gave him a questioning look. Finally, he admitted, “All right. Travis killed a man in a duel back in Virginia. Shot him dead.”

“No! What were they fighting the duel over?”

“Doesn’t matter. The incident happened more than ten years ago, when Travis was quite young. Now that’s enough about it. He wouldn’t like me gossiping about him.”

“But I want to know why….”

“And I want to know more about this new beau of yours.”

Kate knew she could get no more out of him. At least not now. Smiling, she said, “Winn’s taking me out to dinner this evening. And then to the theater to see Miss Lola Montez.”