Trail of Golden Dreams (30 page)

He chuckled. 
“We won’t know for sure until we go in and find out.  Anyway, you’re my
queen.  You deserve the finest on your honeymoon.”

“The ranch is most
important,” she reminded him.  She was afraid Grey might be forgetting
they only brought so much money with them, and there was only so much remaining
in the Santa Fe bank.  “Let’s see if we can find someplace less fancy.”

“Link your arm through
mine,” he said, since his arms were full of their carpetbags.  “I want to
look inside, even if we don’t stay here.”

They found
themselves staring with open mouths when they crossed the grand central court,
a circular driveway surrounded by a marble-tiled promenade and a tropical
garden of exotic looking flowers, complete with statues and fountains, where
carriages dropped off guests.  Once they were inside, the hotel became
even more magnificent.  The central court opened to the main entrance and
check-in office.  Opposite the main entrance was a music pavilion, in
which an instrumental band played cheerful tunes.  Elegant urns and vases
of colorful flowers and plants festooned the marble floors, and the ceiling was
close to thirty feet high.  As they strode around, they peeked into the
entrances of a breakfast room, a grand dining room, a ballroom, a reading room,
a billiards room, and a barbershop—and that was only the first
floor.  

Their paces
quickened as Josie guided Grey past the check-in counter on the way to the
door.  She argued this hotel was much too extravagant for them.

“Can I help you?”
called a voice. 

Grey glanced over
his shoulder.  Swinging around to answer the man at the reception desk, he
winked at Josie and said, “Yes, you can.  We’d like a room, please.” 
She elbowed him in the ribs, but secretly, she was pleased.

A young man
carried their carpetbags up to the second floor, even though Grey had insisted
he could carry them.  After unlocking the door and depositing the bags on
the floor inside the entry, he smiled at Grey with his hand out.  Grey dug
into his jacket pocket and slapped some coins into the boy’s hand and pushed
him out the door.

Josie gazed around
the room at its massive furniture, heavy carpet, artistic art on the walls and
bay window overlooking the crowded street.  Her heart was about to fly out
of her chest.  “Oh, Grey!  This is so beautiful.  Thank you for
bringing me to California!”  She flung herself onto his torso and let his
strong arms envelope her.  “How did I get so lucky to find such a
wonderful man?  I don’t deserve you.”

“I’m the one who
got lucky, Mrs. Paladin.  You thought I was an outlaw for the longest
time.  I wasn’t sure you’d really marry me when the time came to
ask.  You deserve this and so much more.”

She stood on her
tiptoes and kissed him, teasing, “You’re still an outlaw.”

He tossed his
Stetson on the bureau and carefully removed her hat, and then swept her up and
strode to the bed.  After laying her down gently, he stretched next to her
and branded her lips with several scorching kisses.  He unbuttoned her
jacket with nimble fingers.  She closed her eyes and arched her back as
his tongue danced across her neck and down her collarbone.  That familiar
tingle coursed through her body, the one she’d grown to expect every time he
touched her.

“We just arrived,”
she panted.  “Don’t you want to do some exploring?”

The jacket popped
open, and he tangled his legs between hers and dipped his lips between her
breasts.  “That’s exactly what I’m doing, darlin’.”

Chapter Nineteen

After a hardy
breakfast the following morning, they headed out to find the ocean.  That
was the whole reason for coming to San Francisco in the first place.  It
was all Josie had wanted to see.  As they walked hand in hand along
cobblestone streets, gazing at the various businesses in the downtown district,
Grey noticed flower stands on nearly every street corner.  For twenty-five
cents, he bought her a colorful bouquet of blossoms.  He wanted to make
this trip special for her in every way.

Again during
breakfast, she’d grumbled about the hotel costing too much and even wondered
out loud if he was a secret spendthrift.  He’d assured her that wasn’t the
case, and had leaned over and whispered in her ear that he only wanted their
trip to be memorable, which seemed to set her at ease.

He was pleased she
was thinking about the ranch and their future.  She’d asked him several
times where he thought they might end up, and he’d been honest when he’d told
her he had no idea.  It didn’t matter to him as long as she was by his
side.

Last night after
they’d made love, he’d peered into her brilliant blue eyes and told her how
much he loved her, and always would.  She’d fallen asleep before him, so
he watched her breathing for a while, thankful to be cradling her in his arms.
Life was a funny thing, he’d thought.  A few short weeks ago, he never
would have imagined he’d have that rascal, Leroy, to thank for how happy he was
now.

“There’s a trolley
bus,” she said, tugging at his sleeve.  “Let’s see if it goes to the
beach.”

When it stopped,
they jumped on and Grey asked, “Does this trolley go to Ocean Beach?”

“Yes, sir,” the
driver answered.  “Hold on.”  He rang the bell and the car lurched
forward.  “First time in San Francisco?”

“Yep.  My
wife wants to see the ocean.”  He grinned at her.

“Well, Ocean Beach
is the place to go.  It’s adjacent to Golden Gate Park.  You might
like to stroll through the gardens when you’re done swimming.”

“Oh, we’re not
going to swim,” Josie replied quickly.  “I want to stick my foot in
it.  That’s all.”

Grey squeezed her
shoulder. 
She’s so precious.
  They’d traveled a thousand
miles for her to stick her foot into water.  A chuckle skipped deep within
his belly.  When the trolley halted and they stepped off, the ocean
swelled in the near distance.  He felt her hand tighten around his. 
He could practically hear the blood rushing through her veins with
exhilaration.  This was the moment she’d been dreaming of.  Her pa
had thought she might want to go to San Francisco, and here she was. 

“Let’s go,” he
said, but her feet seemed to be frozen to the ground.  He waved a hand in
front of her eyes.  “Don’t you want to feel the sand between your toes,
honey?”

She nodded
silently.  Her gaze seemed to be stuck to the miles of water stretching
out and touching the earth’s rim. He put a hand on the small of her back and
shoved gently.  “Walk.”

The moment their
feet touched the beach, Josie bent to remove her shoes and stockings and
squished her toes in the sand.  “Take your boots off, Grey,” she
urged.  “It feels so good.”

He’d feel foolish
walking around in bare feet, but the expression on her face made him
cave.  “The things I do for you woman,” he mumbled good-naturedly as he
pulled his boots and socks off. 

The sand sifted
between their toes as they strolled to the edge of the water.  Lots of
people were on the beach: adults sitting on blankets, children building castles
out of sand, and young people splashing in and out of the waves.  Josie and
Grey stood side by side gazing at the horizon with the water lapping at their
ankles.  It was a breathtaking sight, all that blueness for as far as the
eye could see.  “Go on.  Walk in,” he coaxed.

She peered into
his face and grinned, then held up her skirt and splashed in.  “It’s
freezing!” she cried, but the smile on her face told him she didn’t care. 
“You come in,” she begged.

“No.  I’m
fine right here watching you.” 

She splashed back
and grabbed his hand before he realized what was happening.  When she
yanked, he knew he was going in one way or another, so he threw his boots in
the sand and let her lead him in.  The water was frigid, and the current
was strong.  The wind smacked them in the face, but Josie’s smile was as
bright as the burning sun.  As she pulled him further into the waves, he
complained about his trousers getting wet. 

“Don’t be so
silly,” she laughed.  “They’ll dry, same as my skirt.”  Her skirt was
soaked around the bottom, but she didn’t seem to care one bit.  Neither
did he.  Her happiness was his only concern. 

They stood
together, arms around each other, gazing out across the Pacific Ocean until
their feet began to turn blue.  When his teeth started clinking together,
he suggested they sit on the beach a while and warm up.  They hadn’t come
prepared like the others on the beach—no blanket or lunches. 
Nevertheless, they still spent several hours sitting in the sand, mesmerized by
the waves rolling in and out.  When Grey’s stomach started to growl, Josie
asked, “Is it lunchtime already?  I swear the time has flown by.” 
She let him haul her to her feet and then brushed the sand from her
skirt.  “We should go find something to eat before you get grumpy,” she
teased.

“We’ll come back
later,” he promised, brushing the sand from his feet before pulling his socks
and boots on.

“It’s
alright.  The fog is rolling in now.  We can return tomorrow when the
sun’s out again.”

When no trolley
cars came by, Grey suggested they walk downtown and look for a café.  It
wasn’t far, and the exercise and fresh air would do them good.  Luckily,
they found a small place off the beaten path that served fresh fish.

“This fog is as
thick as pea soup,” she said, holding his arm tightly as they left the
restaurant.  “Are you sure we’re headed the right way?”

“Which way’s the
right way?” he asked. 

“Back to the
hotel, I guess.”

“I don’t
know.  Your guess is as good as mine.”

After stumbling
around in the fog for a half dozen blocks, the air was punctured with
high-pitched screams.  As if by miracle, the haze separated long enough
for them to see they weren’t anywhere near the Plaza Hotel.  On the
sidewalk in front of them, two men beat another man while a woman in a dingy
doorway screamed and shouted in a foreign language. 

With a quick
survey of the situation, Grey could tell it was an unfair fight with two big
American men against one small Chinaman.  Without thinking and simply
reacting, he rushed forward and grabbed the back of the collar of one of the
Americans.

“Wha…?”  When
the man wriggled around, Grey punched him in the nose knocking him to the
ground.

“Behind you,
Grey!” Josie hollered.  He spun as the other guy’s fist connected with his
jaw.  His head jerked back and then he swung—that man ducked—and Grey
threw an uppercut to the underside of his chin.  That blow caused the man
to stagger back, which gave Grey a couple of seconds to shake off the stars in
front of his eyes.  From the side, he saw the first man lumber to his feet
and lunge toward the Chinaman, which Grey now realized was younger than he’d
originally thought.  With arms and legs spread, the American let out a war
cry and flew through the air. 

“Look out!” Grey
shouted. 

The Chinese man
rolled, and the American slammed his head into the concrete doorstep and passed
out.  When the second man dove and plowed a fist into Grey’s gut, he
doubled over and heard Josie scream.  “Take that!” the man said, chopping
the back of his neck.

“Stop it!” 
Josie shrieked. 

Grey managed to
knee him in the groin, but it didn’t seem to faze the man. He hitched up his
pants and laughed.

What the hell…?
Grey pounced and boxed him in the ear just as he heard a clanging sound. 
The man wilted to the ground, thumped unconscious.  Standing there was a
young Chinese woman in a torn dress holding a frying pan in her hand. 
Grey thought she was the same girl who’d been screaming when they arrived on
the scene.

“Thank ya, ma’am,”
he panted, as Josie ran to his side.  “I’m okay, honey,” he told her,
while reaching down to help the small Chinaman up from the sidewalk.  “Are
you alright, mister?” he asked.

The young man was
bleeding, and his shirt was ripped, but he smiled and replied in good English,
“You cowboy from Colorado?”

“What?”  Grey
wiped blood from a cut on his mouth and squeezed his eyes shut for a
moment.  When he reopened them, he leaned against Josie so he wouldn’t
fall down.  “No, I ain’t no cowboy from Colorado.  Who are you,
mister?”

“I’m
He-ping.  She’s Bao Yu.”  The Chinaman pointed to the young woman
holding the frying pan.  She was rail-thin and tall with long black hair.
“Thank you for helping fight.”

Grey nodded. 
“Why were these men beating you?”

He-ping frowned
and hitched a thumb toward Bao Yu.  “She sister. Pigs try to have sex with
her.  She no want sex.  She no whore!”  The fella was small but
wiry, and certainly no match for the two big Americans, but Grey had to respect
him for trying to protect his kin.

He and Josie
exchanged glances.  He saw her blush.  “Are you okay, ma’am?” he
asked the woman.  She nodded, so he assumed she spoke English as well as
her brother.

He-ping picked
Grey’s black Stetson up from the ground, where it had flown during the fight.
After dusting it off, he reverently handed it to him.  “You sure you’re
not cowboy from Colorado?” he repeated.

Grey noticed the
man walked with a limp.  “No, dammit.  I told you I’m not from
Colorado.  We’re from New Mexico.  This is my wife, Josie, and my
name’s Paladin.”

“Hello, Paladin,”
He-ping said, reaching out to shake hands with both of them.

“You’d better get
those wounds taken care of, friend,” Grey told him.  “You’re bleeding from
a few different holes.”

He-ping waved him
off.  “I survive.  Come inside.  Bao Yu will fix tea.  Or
coffee.  You like coffee, cowboy?” 

Grey
chuckled.  “Of course I like coffee.  Who doesn’t like coffee?”