Chasing Rainbows Read online

Annie, Meet me at Brenner’s Mine at 4. Urgent. Pete.

  Stunned disbelief swept through him, then quickly turned to cold, razor-edged fury. Annie had been in touch with Pete all along. Goddamn her! She had been lying to him the whole time, and he had been idiot enough to believe her.

  If Jake had one weak spot, it was women. Although experience had proven time and again that they were far from the helpless, demure, fragile beings his Southern upbringing had taught him to believe they were, some fatal flaw within him caused him to continue to depict them that way in his mind. That was just the way he had seen Annie. Sweet and adoring, brave and loyal. When in truth, Miss Annabel Lee Foster was nothing but a scheming, lying bitch. He should have recognized that from the start.

  Once he faced it, the fact that she was still running with the gang made infinitely more sense than any other theory he had been able to come up with. It explained why she had “accidentally” fired the round that had warned off the man who had been following them — a member of the gang, no doubt. It explained the robbery that had occurred in Manitobe just hours after they had passed through. It explained where she was on the afternoons preceding the robberies in Two River Flats and in Abundance. Although she swore that she had spent the entire afternoon yesterday wandering around Abundance, she could easily have ridden out yesterday and met with the gang.

  It explained everything except why she had surrendered her body to him, but that wasn’t a hard one to figure. She did it to relieve herself from the tedium of the trail. Or perhaps, he thought, growing even more furious, for the thrill of watching him make a full and complete ass of himself, besottedly declaring his love and undying affection for her.

  And Jake had come close to doing exactly that. Too damned close.

  “Something wrong, mister?” the stable boy asked, his brows furrowed in concern.

  Jake folded the note and stuffed it into his coat pocket. “Where’s Brenner’s Mine?” he asked.

  “That ol’ worthless hole? It played out a long time ago. Nothing out there now but an abandoned shack.”

  “Where is it?”

  The boy shrugged. “’Bout a thirty-minute ride south of here, I reckon.”

  Jake nodded to himself, his fury escalating by the minute. Playing a hunch, he asked, “You know the lady who owns this horse?”

  The stable boy nodded.

  “Did anybody come around here looking for her?”

  The boy dropped his gaze, digging the toe of his boot into a pile of hay. “I don’t know.”

  “Who came looking for her?” Jake demanded flatly.

  The boy looked up at him with round, imploring eyes. “I ain’t supposed to say. Pa says for me to keep my mouth shut. He says I’m just telling tall tales and trying to make myself look important.”

  Jake softened his voice and crouched down, looking at the boy eye to eye. “It’s important that I know, son. I swear I won’t tell anybody what you saw, especially not your pa.”

  The boy glanced away uneasily, then admitted in a small voice, “A yellow-haired fella came by the stable early this morning looking for her. He was tall and lean, handsome, I reckon, but sort of mean looking. Fella had real slick spurs too. The jangly type, with silver half-moon rowels.” The boy looked at the ground, embarrassed. “I told my pa this morning it might have been that bank robber fella himself. Course, Pa didn’t believe me, said I was just trying to look like a big man. Said nobody’d be so stupid as to go poking around town after they was to rob the bank.”

  Jake stood, letting out a deep sigh. “If there’s one thing this world’s got plenty of, son, it’s stupidity.”

  He was living proof of it. While Annie was riding out to meet with the Mundy Gang, he was in Miss Angelique’s Boutique buying her gowns. While Pete Mundy had been in town looking for her, he was lying in bed with Annie curled up next to him, fancying himself in love. His stomach churned with disgust at how easily he had let Annie lead him around. Well, I hope you enjoyed the ride, darlin’, he thought grimly, ’cause the fun’s just getting started.

  He handed the boy a two-dollar piece and led Dulcie and Weed out of the stable. “Take the horses over to the hotel and leave them by the hitching post, would you?”

  The boy’s eyes lit up at the size of the coin. “Yes, sir.”

  Jake left the stable and strode directly to the telegraph office. He scrawled out a brief message and handed it to the clerk: Our friends have arrived. Will expect you in Cooperton Jake.

  The clerk read it and nodded. “Where do you want this to go?”

  “Sheriff Walter Pogue. Two River Flats, Colorado.”

  Annie stepped out of the hotel and into a bustling street flooded with bright morning sunshine. She hesitated for a moment on the boardwalk, just drinking it all in. She saw people everywhere — talking, shouting, and laughing among themselves. The town was busy and active, the shops thriving with business. The scents of ponderosa pine, horses, newly cut timber, and the smoky fire from the blacksmith’s shop filled the air. If she stood perfectly still, she swore she could even smell the sunshine itself. She clasped her arms tightly around her waist, barely able to contain her happiness.

  Glancing down the street, she saw Jake walking toward her, his pace measured and even. Her heart swelled with joy at the sight of him, making her so happy she was sure she would burst. Annie loved the way Jake Moran walked — especially when he was walking toward her. His hat was pulled down too low over his brow for her to see his face, but that didn’t matter. She knew every inch of his striking profile. She had kissed every inch of his striking profile, and more.

  He looked so handsome in the bright morning sunlight, so tall and lean and muscular, so filled with strength and purpose. She barely stifled an urge to run to Jake and throw her arms around his neck, sharing her joy at the new day with him. Instead she closed her eyes and said a silent prayer, thanking God for bringing them together. In just four short hours, they would be in Cooperton. Finally, after what seemed like forever, Jake reached her.

  “Morning, Jake.” Her voice sounded giddy, breathless, and excited.

  “Morning.” His voice sounded… flat. Cold almost, clipped and reserved. Annie stepped off the boardwalk and pressed a chaste kiss against his cheek. Compared to how open and loving they had been last night, the kiss was nothing but a mere peck. Still Annie felt shy and ungainly about it, particularly when Jake didn’t reciprocate. Not by pulling her to him, kissing her in return, or touching her at all. In addition, there was a coldness to his stance, a coldness that Annie shrugged off as a reluctance to engage in a public display of affection.

  Or more likely, she realized, his impatience with her for making him wait. By the looks of him, Jake was more than ready to ride. The horses were saddled, and probably had been for at least an hour. Annie nervously toyed with her hands, regretting the fact that she had slept in. Once she woke, it had taken her not only longer to dress but longer to pack, what with all the new clothes Jake had given her. In the end, she rolled them all into a bed-sheet as neatly as she could, then spent a few extra minutes settling with the desk clerk over the price of the sheet.

  “I didn’t mean to be so late,” she apologized. “Truth is, I was planning on riding out at dawn.”

  “I’ll bet.”

  At least, he smiled that time. But it wasn’t a smile that Annie recognized. It was a cold, chilling, almost cruel smile. Nor did she recognize his eyes. The things she had come to expect when she met Jake’s gaze were no longer there. She saw no warmth, no laughter, no kindness. Just a frightening, unwavering glint of cool brilliance.

  Annie shifted from foot to foot, hurt and bewildered by the inexplicable change in him. But she wasn’t at all certain how to confront him, or how to coax him back to the loving, teasing man she had become accustomed to. Remembering how pleased he had been last night to see her in the gown he had given her, she tugged at her riding skirt, waiting for him to notice her outfit.

  She wore the navy riding ensemble he h
ad purchased for her yesterday. The garments were finely tailored, constructed of a heavy cloth that would keep her warm during their four-hour ride. In addition, the riding skirt was split in the middle, so she wouldn’t have to travel sidesaddle — something Annie had never bothered to learn. Last night’s curls had long since fallen out of her impossibly straight hair, so she had simply pulled it back into a ponytail, an effect that she hoped looked simple and refined. A stiff golden-brown leather hat with a round, feminine brim and a pair of matching riding gloves completed her outfit.

  “How do I look?” she finally prompted.

  “Fine.”

  His cursory response to her ensemble felt entirely unsatisfactory. Then again, maybe she was just expecting too much. She glanced beyond him and saw that his bags were packed and tied to his saddle. “You ready?”

  “Always.”

  She smiled. “Me too.”

  “You seem mighty anxious to leave town.”

  Annie frowned at his tone of voice, then sent him a small, reassuring smile. “Course I am, silly. Why, we’ll be in Cooperton in just a few hours. This is the day I’ve been waiting for.”

  “Yes. Silly me.”

  Annie reached down and scooped up recently returned Cat, placing her in her customary position in the saddle. As Jake didn’t offer to help her with her bag, Annie tied it on to the back of her saddle herself. She mounted; again, without his help. She was uncomfortably aware of the distance between them but didn’t know how to account for it.

  “Something wrong, Jake?”

  Jake swung onto Weed’s back. He looked at her for a long moment, his silvery-blue eyes intense and unfathomable in the early morning sunshine. “Course not, Annie. What could be wrong?”

  “I’m not sure. You’re acting kinda funny.”

  “Am I?” Jake gathered his reins in his hand. He gazed off into the distance, as though looking at something only he could see. “How’s the trail south of here?”

  “I wouldn’t know. I’ve never been on it before.”

  His lifeless smile reappeared, and an odd, strangely satisfied light entered his eyes. “That’s right. That’s what you said.” He spurred Weed into a gentle trot, leaving her to follow.

  Annie stared after him, lost in her bewilderment and distress. Jake’s mood seemed so remote and strange, so entirely different from the way he had been last night. Then again, she thought, this was all so new to her, maybe he was acting entirely properly. Maybe that was the way sophisticated people acted after a night of passion. When the sun rose, the lovemaking ended. Maybe sophisticated women don’t come bounding out of a hotel like a puppy who wants its belly rubbed, Annie, girl.

  Her rationalization did little to lighten her mood. As their journey progressed, the joy that had filled her earlier seemed to evaporate. It was as though a cloud had blocked the sun and cast a shadow over her spirits. She felt gray and burdened despite the brilliant blue sky that hung above them. They traveled in uncomfortable silence, with Jake coolly ignoring her every attempt at conversation.

  The road they traveled sliced a neat path through the San Juans, following a riverbed that was crusted with ice and snow. Occasionally a hawk flew overhead, or a deer leapt out from behind a pine. In general, however, the woods were hushed and quiet. As they rode, Annie grew increasingly apprehensive. Her nerves were already strung tight, wondering what sort of reception she would receive upon her arrival. Jake made it worse by subtly tensing at every shadow or squirrel that crossed their path, his hand moving instinctively toward his gun as though he expected trouble at any moment.

  After what seemed like endless hours, the trail broadened and they reached Cooperton. A quick glance confirmed that the town was everything Annie had hoped for. It wasn’t anywhere near as grand as Abundance had been, but it was respectable nonetheless. She counted one church, a school, several law and claim offices, a variety of stores and shops — mostly selling mining equipment and household goods — a jailhouse, a telegraph office, a stable, and a blacksmith. She saw far more men than women on the street, but that was fairly typical for a mining community. All in all, the town looked simple, relatively clean, and relatively prosperous. It suited her just fine.

  They drew a few curious glances as they rode down Main Street, and Annie’s thoughts immediately went to what she looked like after four hours in the saddle. Anxious to make a good first impression, she self-consciously reached up and patted her hair, stiffened her posture, and smoothed down her riding skirts.

  She saw a hotel, and her heart skipped a beat, for she thought at first that it might be The Palace. But she realized almost immediately that the structure wasn’t as ornate as her hotel should have been. In fact, it was hardly a hotel at all, just a rooms-for-rent sign hanging above a saloon. She considered reaching for the advertising circular to check the address, but she already knew it by heart. The only information the circular revealed was a description of the hotel and its general location in Cooperton, Colorado. She would have asked Jake for his advice, but given his odd mood that morning, she thought better of it and decided to find the hotel on her own.

  She reined Dulcie in next to a stoop-shouldered old miner and leaned down to ask, “Pardon me, can you direct me to The Palace Hotel?”

  The miner halted and looked her up and down with a leer. “You lookin’ for a job, sweetheart?”

  Assuming the man had mistaken her for a cook or a maid in search of employment, Annie drew herself up and proudly announced, “I’m the new owner.”

  The man’s eyes widened. He slapped his knee and let out a hoot of laughter, revealing a wide gap between his front teeth. “’Bout time that old wreck got some new blood. It’s down the street a ways. Keep going, you ain’t gonna miss it.”

  Annie turned to Jake, her earlier trepidations now doubled. Although he had obviously heard their entire exchange, he looked at her with nothing more than mild interest. She lifted her chin and said politely, “The man says it’s down the street a ways.”

  Jake nodded without a word and lightly touched his heels to Weed’s flanks. They made their way silently down the street, moving through the town until they left the buildings and any semblance of civilization behind them. Finally Annie saw the hotel she had been dreaming about for years. Looming ahead of them was a grand two-story structure that stood by itself.

  Annie reined Dulcie to a stop a few yards in front of the building and simply stared.The words she had memorized from the advertising circular rang through her mind. The West’s most elegant resort for distinguished ladies and gentlemen. The Palace Hotel — culture and civilization in the midst of the wild Western frontier. But the promise of the words in print collided with the reality of the building before her.

  The hotel was structurally similar to the one in the flyer. It had the same multi-columned front porch, gabled roof, carved front doors, wide stairs, bay windows, and louvered shutters. It had the same generously sized rooms and wide lawn. Yes, the bare bones of the building were intact, but that was where the similarity ended.

  Chipped and badly peeling paint fell in thick strips from the columns. The porch hung low in front, drooping in the middle like a distended belly. Several steps were missing from the flight of stairs or were simply broken and kicked aside. The porch rails had been knocked loose and scattered across the lawn. The shutters swung out of kilter, flapping in the breeze. Both front widows were smashed in and boarded up. In short, the hotel looked like it had been in a brutal fistflght and lost badly.

  Annie stared at the decayed structure in disbelief, frozen in shock and horror. There had to be some mistake. This couldn’t be happening. Not now, not after years of planning and hoping and dreaming. It simply couldn’t end like this.

  Yet even as she denied that it was possible, a battered, weather-beaten sign that dangled crookedly from a bent nail caught her eye. The words were simple and yet as final and depressing as an engraving on a tombstone:

  Welcome to The Palace.

  Annie d
ismounted and wrapped Dulcie’s reins around a withered hitching post. She didn’t look at Jake, although she was dimly aware of him dismounting beside her. She woodenly made her way up the rickety stairs. The hotel was completely still and silent — except for a few pigs that grunted and squealed near the back stoop, greedily devouring the slops that had been carelessly tossed out the kitchen widow.

  As she pulled open the front door, a cowbell affixed above her head clanged loudly, announcing her presence. She stepped inside. The stench hit her like a brick wall, knocking her back a pace. The place reeked of tobacco, sweat, grease, and stale perfume. As Annie adjusted her eyes to the dimness of the interior, she saw that the hotel looked as bad as it smelled.

  She scanned a room that might once have served as a grand lobby but was now functioning as a parlor. The hardwood floor was sticky beneath her feet, coated with mud and the residue of countless spilled drinks. The windows were boarded over. Faint traces of the fancy paper that had once covered the walls were now thick with grime. The furnishings were simple: a few settees and rickety tables, arranged in clusters to allow for intimate seating in the large room. A long bar leaned against one wall; a cracked mirror hung above it. A flight of stairs led from the main parlor to the bedrooms upstairs.

  A rough notice had been scrawled on a piece of plywood and hung near the bar. If there had been any doubt in Annie’s mind what type of establishment she had inherited, the sign instantly dispelled it. Friendliest girls in the territory. Full figured, loving, and professional. Available by the hour or by the half hour.

  Annie glanced slowly around the room, fighting an overwhelming sense of defeat and despair. Her gaze slowly moved to Jake. He leaned against the bar, his arms crossed casually over his chest, his eyes flat.

  “I don’t understand,” she said.

  “It’s a whorehouse.”

  “I can see that,” she snapped.

  “What did you expect?”

  “I thought…” she started, then stopped abruptly, realizing how foolish she would sound. He knew what she had expected. She had thought she would find a grand hotel and instantly transform herself into a fancy, respectable lady. Obviously he found those dreams as ridiculous as reality had proved them to be. It was apparent even to her that she had no more sense now than she had had when she was five. She was still blindly running around chasing rainbows.