Lover's Gold (34 page)

San Franciscans took their celebrating seriously. The streets were draped with red, white, and blue bunting, and the Stars and Stripes waved from houses and street corners. Every road was crowded with rowdy patriots, many of them already inebriated. Ren didn’t like the look of things one bit.

Damn that woman! Why couldn’t she ever do as she was told? It was dangerous for her to be out here alone. The detective he’d hired had turned up no trace of the men who’d entered her room, and until he did, Ren couldn’t be certain Elaina wasn’t still in danger.

He urged his driver to move faster. The matched sorrels stepped lively, but the crowded streets inhibited their progress. He hoped Elaina had found the streets as difficult to navigate as he did.

Elaina barely noticed the surging, raucous crowds surrounding the rented carriage. All she could think of was the way Ren had looked that last night. The way he had held her, kissed her, the way he’d made love to her. He’d said he loved her, told her she meant everything to him. Maybe she did—or maybe it was just his conscience talking. Either way, he was out of her life for good this time.

A loud crack followed by a string of smaller popping noises spooked the horses and jerked her upright in the back of the open carriage.

“Sorry, ma’am,” the driver was saying. “Everybody’s celebrating already. Those were firecrackers. Nothing to worry about, but it’s slow going.”

Elaina nodded and sank back against the leather seat. The Fourth of July. In her haste to leave the hotel, she’d forgotten all about the celebrations today. Now that she remembered, her heart felt even heavier than before. Ren would be with Melissa and Jacob. The family all together, just as it should be.

Family. The word brought a lump to her throat. Would she ever marry? Have a family of her own? The thought nearly sickened her. Without Ren, the word “family” held no meaning. She pulled a lacy white kerchief from her reticule and blotted the tears from beneath her lashes.

A deafening crack nearly unseated her. At first she thought it was just more fireworks; then she saw the driver slump over on his perch. She screamed as the horses, their reins slack, reared and bolted. They had just crested a hill, so the downhill momentum sent the carriage careening forward. She tried to climb into the driver’s seat, but the lurching motion of the carriage made it impossible. People lining the street screamed and darted out of the way of the runaway carriage. Then a man raced toward the frightened animals, a man whose face was all too familiar—the tall man who had entered her rooms at the Palace Hotel.

Clutching the seat for support, she screamed for help as the man grabbed the horses’ reins. At first it looked as though the carriage was going to slow. Then suddenly the horses swerved to avoid a wagonload of celebrants. The wheels jackknifed, and she felt her world begin to spin. The seat tilted crazily, and the street rushed up to meet her. Her last thoughts were of Ren.

God, how she wished she’d said good-bye.

Chapter 24

T
HE ROOM WAS
blurred and fuzzy, the images indistinct. She felt nauseated, her head throbbed as if it might split apart, and her ribs hurt so fiercely she was forced to breathe in short, uneven gasps.

Her eyes finally began to focus on surroundings that looked strange, unfamiliar. She tried to sit up, but the agony in her side and a firm hand on her forehead pressed her back against the pillow. She heard water splash somewhere near the bed as a damp cloth was removed from her forehead, rinsed and wrung out, then replaced. She turned her head and her eyes locked on dark snug-fitting trousers, lean hips, and a narrow waist.

With a sharp intake of breath and the resulting jolt of pain, she looked up to see Ren standing over her, his blue eyes filled with concern that quickly changed to anger. The fury in the taut lines of his face made her want to cringe.

“Just what in the hell did you think you were doing?” Ren demanded. “Of all the idiotic, insane— You could have been killed out there! Why were you going to Maiden Lane? Did you plan to meet Chase Cameron there and live happily ever after? Didn’t you think I deserved at least a good-bye?”

Tears filled her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. She wanted to unleash an angry retort in her own defense, but the pain in her ribs forced her to silence. How dare he act like the injured party when it was she who had suffered, she who hurt in every joint and muscle, she who would spend the rest of her life trying to forget the man who married Melissa Stanhope!

“If you didn’t look so damned pitiful,” he said, “I swear I’d thrash you myself.”

“You have no . . . right to speak to me that way.” She raised her head a little, and beads of perspiration popped out on her brow. A tiny whimper escaped her.

Ren was instantly beside her, his face tense, his angry expression gone. Worry lines creased his brow. “Don’t,” he ordered softly. “I shouldn’t have said that.” He pressed her gently back down into the soft feather mattress. “I was just so damned worried. . . .” With a steadying breath he looked away. When he spoke again his tone was even. “The doctor says you have a concussion and a few badly bruised ribs. He doesn’t think anything’s broken, thank God.” She noticed the way one lock of his dark hair, a little unkempt, fell across his forehead. His hand trembled slightly where it rested on her shoulder.

“I didn’t mean to get angry,” he told her, his husky voice sounding tired. “It’s just that I feel responsible for what happened. If I’d left you alone in the first place, it would never have come to this.”

“It isn’t your fault,” she said softly. “I should have listened to you. I just wanted what was easiest for both of us.”

“I know.” He watched her with eyes that were shadowed and haunted, and she sensed the effort it was taking him to maintain his steady control. “You took quite a spill,” he said a bit too lightly. “I was just around the corner. I didn’t see what happened, only the mob of people surrounding the carriage. A constable was there when I arrived.”

“How did you find me?”

“Let’s just say I have friends in high places.”

When she smiled, a sharp stab made it hard to breathe, and he captured her fingers in his fine dark hand.

“Take shallow breaths, pretty lady. If the pain becomes too great, I have some laudanum powder for you.”

His temper fired again. “Damn it, Lainey, don’t you know how worried I was? We could have talked things over, worked something out.”

“No, Ren,” she said. “I left because I can’t live the way you want me to. I can’t be your—”

He pressed a tanned finger to her lips to stop the hateful word. “I know.” He looked so handsome, so troubled.

“I guess I’ve know that all along,” he said. “I just didn’t want to believe it. I wanted us to be together no matter what.”

He released a long, slow breath. “When you get well, I’ll help you find someplace to go. Someplace far from San Francisco. A place where you can make a fresh start.”

“I’m leaving, Ren, but I don’t want your help. You once said I was only making it harder on both of us. Now I’m saying that to you. Please, Ren. Let me go.”

“Not until I know you’re safe.”

She reached out to touch his cheek, then stopped herself and changed the subject. “They shot the driver. Is he dead?”

“No. Only wounded. He will recover fully. Did you get a look at anyone?”

“Yes. I recognized the tall man who broke into my room at the hotel. He was trying to stop the horses just before the carriage turned over. That’s the last thing I remember.”

“The police were on the scene almost immediately,” Ren said. “The man had no time to carry out his plan.”

“Then you really think those same two men were after me?”

“I’m sure of it. That’s why I brought you here.”

She glanced at her surroundings. The carved oak four-poster bed gave her a view of the bay while a fluffy blue satin comforter kept her warm. For the first time she noticed her clothes had been removed, replaced by a simple cotton nightshirt she recognized as one of her own.

“How . . . how did I get undressed?” she asked, fighting a rosy blush. “Where am I?”

“You’re in my town house. As soon as you’re well enough, I’ll move you out to our ranch in the Napa Valley. As to how your clothes came off, I’ll leave that to your vivid imagination, but you can be sure your precious pride is still intact. I may be a cad, but I prefer my women awake when I make love to them.”

Elaina blushed hotter, but felt the tug of a smile. A sharp jab in her side reminded her of her injuries. She closed her eyes, calmed her breathing, and began to feel a little better.

A moment later she heard voices in the hall, and Tommy Daniels walked into the room, blue eyes a shade darker than Ren’s betraying his concern. He knelt beside the bed. “How are you feeling, Lainey?”

“I’ve felt better, but I guess I’ll live.” She took his hand. “Tommy, I don’t think I should stay here. What are Jacob and Melissa going to say? And you have Carrie to consider.”

“Don’t be silly. Both Carrie and Melissa will understand. Carrie’s downstairs right now. She’s already volunteered to stay with you if need be, and I know Jacob would insist that you stay here. Whether you like it or not, you’re part of the family.”

Family
. There it was again. Ren and Tommy were as close to family as she had, and yet her affair with Ren could only hurt them.

Three faces appeared in the doorway as she took a painful breath. Seeing Carrie, Jacob, and Melissa, she felt a terrible wave of guilt. Determined to put up a brave front, she smiled.

Jacob Stanhope moved to her bedside and lifted her hand with thick, gentle fingers. The tender gesture was almost more than she could bear.

“My dear girl, I do hope you’re all right.”

“I want her to stay here until I can move her out to the ranch,” Ren explained.

“Quite right, my boy.” He patted Elaina’s hand. “You do just as Ren tells you. He always knows what’s best. A little country air and you’ll be fine.” He straightened the white cravat above his dove gray suit.

“Papa’s right,” Melissa agreed, coming to stand near the bed. Her golden curls bobbed, and her delicate bow-shaped mouth parted in a soft smile. “Ren’s ranch is beautiful. You’ll love it out there.”

“I’ll come and stay with you,” Carrie Salzburg announced, the skirts of her pink French bunting dress flouncing as she entered the room. “You’ll need someone to keep you company.”

Tears slipped down Elaina’s cheeks. “You’re all so thoughtful. I’m lucky you consider me a friend.” She felt utterly miserable. Only the night before last Ren had been in her bed. Now here was his family, even the woman he would marry in less than two weeks, being kind and considerate to her. Elaina wanted to die. This was like a nightmare from which she couldn’t awaken.

Attempting a smile, she bit her trembling lip. “If you all wouldn’t mind,” she said, her voice barely audible, “I’m afraid my side is hurting me quite a bit.”

“Of course, my dear,” Jacob said.

“Is there anything you need?” Melissa asked. Sunlight glinted on her golden curls as her tiny form hovered beside the bed.

Elaina could barely shake her head.

“You’ll feel better in the morning,” Tommy assured her. He and Carrie left the room.

“I’ll be right down,” Ren said to Jacob and Melissa, impatient for all of them to leave. He glanced at Elaina, who looked wan and pale. Her thick dark hair fanned out on the pillow, framing her oval face. A darkening bruise marred her cheek and her lip was swollen, but to him she looked beautiful—and he’d never felt so rotten in his life. How could he have let things get so messed up? And how could he ever have believed Elaina could be happy as his mistress? She was too sensitive, too caring, too easily hurt by other people. He had seen the anguish in her eyes when she spoke to Melissa. Now she lay on the bed with her face against the pillow, staring blankly ahead. Tears glistened on her cheeks. Ren knew they were from the ache in her heart rather than the pain in her ribs.

He knelt beside her, pressing her hand against his cheek then kissing her cold, stiff fingers. “Don’t, Elaina, please. I can’t stand to see you like this.”

She turned to face him. “I can’t stay here, Ren. I just can’t.”

“The doctor says you need at least a week of rest, and we still have those men to worry about. Someone’s got to protect you.”

“I just want to go away. Please, Ren, please let me go.” Her soft words and anguished look tore at his heart.

“Get some rest, Elaina,” he said softly. “You’ll feel better in the morning.” He moved to the doorway wondering if he would ever feel better as long as he lived.

At the corner booth in the Cold Day Grill Chuck Dawson sat with Bill Sharp and Andy Johnson.

“I can’t believe she slipped away again!” Chuck raged. Sharp sliced through a thick rare steak, and Chuck turned up his nose in disgust at the bloody beef.

“Wasn’t much we could do with that constable so close,” Sharp said, talking as he chewed. “Damnable bad luck if you ask me.”

“I’ll say,” Andy Johnson broke in. He took a small bite of his fried fish. “And who’d have figured on the carriage turning over?”

“Well, we’re running out of time,” Dawson said. “We damn well better not botch things up again. We’re lucky we didn’t kill her. Then we’d really be up a creek.”

“At least we know where she is,” Andy added. “We’ll do some checking on that Morgan fella, keep an eye on the house. As soon as we get the chance, we’ll grab her.”

Dawson wiped his mouth with a linen napkin, then took a drink of his dark ale. The restaurant was fairly quiet. Most of the regular patrons were at home recovering from yesterday’s celebrations. He could even hear the sizzle of the grill when the waiters weren’t barking orders. The place smelled of hearty food and was slightly humid from the open, steamy kitchen.

“We’ll be ready for her next time,” Chuck said. “Ready for Morgan, too, if that’s what it takes. Andy, you best eat up and get back over to that house of Morgan’s. From now on, we take shifts. We keep an eye on the girl twenty-four hours a day. As soon as I think the time is right, we move in.”