Lover's Gold (21 page)

Ren would take her on their wedding night and every night thereafter until he was sure he’d given Jacob an heir. Then, as sickly as she was, Melissa would probably be confined to her bed to ensure a safe delivery.

Tommy sighed. At least Carolina Williams would be happy. Ren would probably be forced back into the woman’s ready and waiting arms. She’d been Ren’s mistress for the past two years, until Ren ended the arrangement for Jacob’s sake. Ren wanted the Stanhopes to suffer no scandal. Carolina had been furious. She’d been certain that sooner or later she could persuade Ren to marry her. Tommy knew it was a futile hope. The only thing Ren wanted from Carolina was passion, and she knew just how to give it, though she offered little else. Ren would go back to her, all right. No man with his brother’s appetite could survive on the skimpy rations of love Melissa was sure to dole out.

Tommy thanked God for Carrie Salzburg, his own lady fair. They were engaged to be married, and Tommy loved

her more than life itself. She was fair-haired, soft, and delicate, but not a weakling like Melissa. More than anything in the world, Tommy wished his brother could find someone to love as he loved Carrie. Damn! Why did things always turn out so tough for Ren?

Chapter 15

E
LAINA HAD BEEN
singing at the Black Garter for ten days.

Chase Cameron had left a few days after her debut, but returned again yesterday. He seemed pleased with her work. The miners loved her, though she knew her singing wasn’t the best, and she had to admit she’d had little trouble with the men so far. Unfortunately, she was afraid that was because the miners believed she was one of Chase Cameron’s “friends.”

“Gittin’ near show time.” Delsey stuck her head through the door and smiled. She and Delsey were already becoming fast friends.

“Thanks, Delsey. I don’t know what I’d do without you and Willie.” A big, tough miner who held women in the highest regard, Willie Jenkins had, at Delsey’s urging, taken Elaina under his protective wing along with Delsey. “I got a feeling you’d make out just fine.”

Elaina smiled and Delsey closed the door. Elaina was still living in the saloon—Chase had neglected to mention that every square inch of Central City was overflowing with humanity. It had taken her days to find the tiny room above Herman Hoffman’s General Mercantile she would move into in the morning. Elaina could hardly wait. It was tough getting to sleep with the racket and commotion downstairs, to say nothing of the embarrassing grunts, groans, and sighs from the men rutting in the rooms next to hers.

She took a last quick glance in the mirror above the bureau, and a smile curved her lips. If Constance McAllister could only see her daughter now. The costume she wore was scandalous—a dress of red and black vertical-striped satin trimmed in black lace and, beneath it, black net stockings. The bodice was cut so low it barely covered her nipples, and when she bent over, black ruffled underwear, all that covered her behind, gave the miners an extra thrill.

Her mother would have been happier if Elaina had married Chuck Dawson, whether she loved him or not. He would have clothed her in silks and built her a beautiful home; Elaina was sure of that. Chuck loved to flaunt his wealth before his neighbors whenever he got the chance. She wondered again why he’d been so willing to marry her. She guessed she’d never know—and right now she didn’t really care. She had all she could handle just taking care of herself.

Resignedly, Elaina headed down the stairs to the stage, ignoring several miners standing at the bottom who eyed her boldly. She would never get used to their lusty stares and lewd remarks, but at least her singing job paid well. She calculated that in three months’ time she would have saved enough to reach Isabelle Chesterfield’s home in San Francisco, a city, she was sure, that would seem like paradise after this rough, tough mining town.

Even the thought of Ren Daniels couldn’t sway her. He was married by now, relegated to a shadow from her past. She would never give up her memories of their night together. It had been the most wonderful night of her life. It was true he’d broken her heart—thoughts of him tortured her soul and always would—but she didn’t want to forget. Not completely. Not ever.

Elaina swallowed hard at the memory and continued down the stairs. The saloon was more crowded than usual. Miners were stacked like cordwood, four deep at the bar. One man had climbed on his partner’s back and the two swayed crazily, trying to get a better view. As she stepped behind the heavy red velvet curtain that separated the stage area from the rest of the room, Chase Cameron walked up beside her.

“Don’t look so serious,” he teased. “Surely it isn’t that bad.”

“It’s that bad.” She was definitely not cut out for this kind of work. Every time she had to sing in front of the men, her heart pounded wildly and she felt slightly sick to her stomach, but she needed the money. She would do what had to be done. With a steadying breath, she steeled herself, pasted on a smile, and climbed the short flight of stairs that led into the wings.

Chase followed her up the stairs, squeezing her hand before he walked onto the stage. “Ladies and gentlemen, the Black Garter Saloon proudly presents its most dazzling star—Miss Lainey Starr!”

The crowd went wild.

Chase brushed past her again as she walked onstage. The miners hooted and hollered and completely drowned out the sound of Mike’s piano, waving their arms and tossing their hats in the air. It seemed an eternity before they quieted enough for her to begin. Finally she picked up Mike’s forth or fifth cue and began to sing.

She usually blotted the sea of faces from her mind, but tonight she allowed herself to look out over the long narrow hall. Brass chandeliers hung from the room’s high ceiling, and a carved mahogany bar ran nearly the length of the room. There were men of every shape and size, every nationality, every religion. The gold fields knew no prejudice. She recognized the sunken, haunted look in the prospectors’ eyes. They would work until they dropped, unwilling to accept defeat at any price, and yet most would fail. The real riches went to men like Chase Cameron, men who knew what the miners wanted and catered to their needs.

After finishing her first song to cheers and applause and the thunder of stamping feet, she smiled graciously and bowed. When the men quieted, she waited for Mike’s cue and was about to begin her second song when she glanced to the back of the room and spotted a tall, familiar figure leaning nonchalantly against the wall.

Elaina choked on her first note.

Mike covered her near disaster and replayed the introductory bars. His youthful brown eyes smiled up at her in an attempt to give her confidence, but his smile didn’t help. She felt light-headed, and her breath came in short, shallow gasps. When she glanced at Mike again he looked worried. Though she tried her hardest to recall the words of the song her mind stalled, shattered by the man at the back of the room.

“C’mon, Miss Lainey,” one of the miners called out. “We want another tune!”

Several others began to chant, and she could see Chase Cameron heading in her direction. Mike stopped playing the ballad she was supposed to sing next and began a rousing tune that set the miners to clapping. Taking a second deep breath, she squared her shoulders and started to sing. Thank God, her words came out smoothly.

Now that she was over her shock and into the song, she took a good long look at Ren Daniels. Wearing the same snug breeches and open-fronted shirt he’d worn in Keyserville, he looked even more handsome than she remembered. He stood taller than most of the men in the room, his shoulders broad and his hips narrow. She remembered the feel of taut muscle beneath her hands.

When her gaze moved upward, she realized with a start he was angry. The hard lines of his face were rigid with fury, his usually light blue eyes dark and flashing. Ren Daniels was mad, furious, it seemed—at her!

Elaina sang louder. How dare he! It was obvious he disapproved of what she was doing, and the thought sent her into a rage. Of all the colossal nerve! If it hadn’t been for him, she wouldn’t have gotten into this mess in the first place. Now he had the audacity to come back into her life. Had the nerve to criticize her when he was the one who had lied, had taken advantage of her in every conceivable way. Worse yet, he was now a married man! But then, he didn’t realize she knew that. Surely he wouldn’t pretend to be Dan Morgan again? Looking at him now, she wasn’t so sure.

She sang with more fervor than ever, encouraging Mike to step up the tempo. Damn him! Damn him to hell and gone! The man couldn’t have been out of his wife’s bed for more than a few days, yet here he was in Central City. How had he known where to find her? Had Ada told him? Maybe it was a coincidence. Or maybe he was here on business. For a moment she felt a surge of hope. Perhaps he’d called off the wedding and come here because he loved her and wanted her with him. The look of cold fury on his face said that wasn’t so.

She ended the song with a flourish and bowed so low she was sure she’d spill out of her dress at any moment. The miners whistled, hollered, and stamped their feet. She’d show him what he meant to her. Nothing! Nothing at all.

Hard, cold anger pumped through Ren’s veins. He’d come to Central City to find her—and she’d been easy to find.

Women were a novelty in the mining towns. They were treated with reverence, and one as pretty as Elaina was easily remembered. He’d been pointed toward the Black Garter by the third man he’d asked. Though he’d been stunned to find her working in a saloon, nothing he’d imagined had prepared him for this—Elaina McAllister, damned near naked, singing her heart out in front of a hundred tough, lonely prospectors ready to pull the house down around her ears.

Worst of all she seemed to be enjoying every minute of it. What the hell was she doing in one of Chase Cameron’s whorehouses?

Ren clenched his jaw. Seeing her in her skimpy costume fired his blood. He knew exactly what those woman-hungry miners were thinking. Hell, they’d already removed the balance of her clothes—at least with their eyes. They wanted to drag her up those stairs and do to her what he’d already done. What seeing her made him want to do again.

Ren controlled his rage, but barely. Her lewd display infuriated him. How could she stoop so low? Well, he intended to put an end to Elaina McAllister’s singing career before the night was through.

As the next song began, Ren started toward the stage.

“Well, well, well,” Chase Cameron drawled, intercepting him halfway there. “What brings you to our fair city?”

Ren brushed past him. “Not now, Chase, I’m busy.” Ren knew Chase well, knew his reputation with the ladies. Surely the one night Ren and Elaina had shared couldn’t have driven her to this? But he wasn’t so sure.

Chase arched a curious brow, but his smile faded as Ren continued in Elaina’s direction. Watching his approach, Elaina’s tawny eyes widened, and she took a step backward as if to keep him away. Before he was through with her, Ren vowed, she would damn well wish she could have.

Shouldering his way through the crowd, he headed up the short flight of stairs to wait in the wings of the stage. When she sang another song and then another, he correctly guessed her intention. By the time she’d finished her fifth song and looked beseechingly to the man at the piano to begin another, Ren had had enough.

His temper seething but carefully controlled, he walked onto the stage. “I’m sure you’ll excuse us, gentlemen,” he told the miners with his most sincere smile, “but our son is ill and needs his mother at home.”

“What?” Elaina shrieked. The prospectors laughed uproariously. She smiled at the crowd, but refused to budge. “Get away from me,” she said through clenched teeth.

“Don’t make a scene, Elaina,” he warned softly, smiling all the while. “These miners can get pretty rough.” He gripped her arm and tugged her toward the wings.

“Let me go,” she said, jerking free of his hold. “Just go away and leave me alone.” The men in the audience were beginning to mumble among themselves. It wouldn’t be long before the whole place exploded around them.

“Damn you, Lainey.” Ren set his jaw. She’d left him no choice. “You’re going with me one way or another.” Bending down, he seized her firmly around the waist and threw her over his shoulder.

“I’ll scream, Ren, I swear it. Put me down!” she demanded, wriggling and squirming and pounding his broad back.

He slapped her bottom hard with the palm of his hand, and heard her astonished gasp just before she started squirming again.

“Put me down!”

The miners howled with laughter, sure it was part of the show. Ren smiled and waved at them and headed into the wings.

Angry tears filled Elaina’s eyes. How could he! She pummeled his back and kicked her legs, but he kept on walking. With long, purposeful strides he carried her off the stage, down the stairs, and out the back door.

When they got outside, he set her on her feet, his light eyes dark with fury, his temper barely under control.

“Just what do you think you’re doing?” she demanded, tilting her chin defiantly, her dark hair tumbled around her shoulders. How dare he humiliate her in front of half the men in Central City!

“I intended to ask you the same question.”

“I don’t see where that’s any of your business, Mr. Daniels. That is your name, isn’t it?
Ren
Daniels?”

Chase Cameron stepped through the door and looked at her questioningly. “Are you all right?”

Ren sliced him a look that would have melted steel. “That depends on what you mean by all right,” he said.

“I’m fine,” Elaina told Chase, not wanting any more trouble than she already had. After an uncertain pause, Chase closed the door.

“So you know,” Ren said, releasing his hold as he stepped away. His expression remained a study in taut control. “I was hoping to explain it myself.”

Elaina felt a hard lump swell in her throat. It was true! Every terrible word. Feeling suddenly cold, she wrapped her arms around herself and forced a note of calm into her voice she didn’t feel. “You needn’t bother explaining. I’m perfectly aware that you lied to me. I know everything.” He didn’t try to deny it. God, how she wished he would. “I never wanted to hurt you, Elaina. If I’d known who I was, none of this would have happened. I came here to explain, to try to make you understand.”