Lover's Gold (35 page)

Bill Sharp took another bite of bloody steak. “And I move in on Morgan.”

As soon as Elaina could get around without too much discomfort, Ren insisted she be taken to the ranch. Carrie and Tommy would accompany her, along with the Thomases, who would act as chaperons. Ren told her he had business in the city, but she knew he was just staying away as a concession to her wishes.

The ranch was everything Melissa had said. The Napa Valley was a lovely hilly basin filled with fertile soil and vineyards heavy with grapes. Some of the fruit had just turned a rosy red. Tommy told her soon the grapes would darken to the rich wine color she expected.

The ranch house was a sprawling one-story redwood affair with wide porches off the front and back. There were hundreds of acres out behind the house, and Tommy was building a home for Carrie and himself in the northwest corner of the property near a grove of live oak trees. Ren and Melissa would settle in the main ranch house.

Elaina had immediately come to love the gracious old home, and she was filled with new despair at the thought of Ren and Melissa sharing it. She wished her concussion would heal so she could leave Napa, leave San Francisco, and most of all, leave the memories of Ren Daniels behind once and for all.

A knock at the huge rough-hewn front door interrupted her reverie as she lay curled up on the wide leather settee in the parlor in front of a fireplace large enough for a man to stand in. She wished she could see it in winter, with a huge fire blazing, warming the bear rug that covered a portion of the pegged oak floor.

“I’ll get it,” Carrie told her, and she relaxed against her pillow.

She was propped up reading the morning paper when Chase Cameron strolled lazily into the room. She took in his handsome face, curly blond hair, and lazy smile in an instant. Straightening a little, she self-consciously pulled her robe together.

“Chase, it’s good to see you. Carrie, you remember Chase, don’t you?”

“Of course I do. It’s nice to see you again, Mr. Cameron.” She smiled. “If you two don’t mind, I think I’ll go out and find Tommy. That’ll give you some time to talk.”

Elaina wished the girl wouldn’t leave. Images of Chase Cameron’s advances, of the way she’d allowed him to touch her, threatened to overwhelm her.

“How are you feeling?” he asked.

“Much better now, thank you. The doctor says I should be up and about in a couple more days.”

“I read about your accident in the papers. I wish you’d sent word.”

“I—I guess with all the excitement it just slipped my mind.”

“You’ve never been much of a liar, Elaina. There’s no reason for you to start now. You’ve been avoiding me.”

She started to deny it, then changed her mind. “I made a fool of myself, Chase. After that I didn’t know quite what to say.”

“May I?” He indicated the place on the settee beside her.

“Of course.”

“You know, Elaina, I remember the first time we met. You had on that dirty gray traveling suit, and I asked you to show me your legs.”

She laughed aloud. “I remember.”

“You really haven’t changed much since then. At least not where your values are concerned.”

She glanced away. “The other night I showed you a lot more than my legs.”

He took her hand, cradling it in between his wide palms. “You were hurt and confused—and desperately in love. Daniels is a fool. He’s willing to throw away your happiness as well as his own in order to fill some misguided need for social position and respectability.”

“It’s more than that, Chase. He feels he owes Jacob Stanhope a debt. He’s given Jacob his word; now he’ll abide by it no matter what the cost. I understand that, probably better than anyone in the world.”

His hazel eyes urged her to continue.

“You see, that’s the reason I set out for San Francisco in the first place. I was running away from a debt I owed. The only difference between Ren and me is that I’ve learned something he hasn’t: Our own happiness has to come first. It’s the only hope we have of making anyone else happy. So you see, Chase, I have changed. I love Ren, but I can’t make him happy unless I’m happy with myself. And I could never be happy as his mistress. That’s why I have to leave San Francisco—and the sooner the better.”

“If I loved a woman the way he loves you, I’d tell them all to go hang.”

“What makes you think he loves me at all?”

“Are you kidding? The man reads like an open book. You’d have to be a fool not to notice the way he watches you. He loves you all right. There’s no doubt about that.” Looking at Chase, Elaina suddenly remembered all the times he had comforted her, all the times he’d helped. She felt guilty for not trusting him as she should have. Impulsively she hugged him, and he wrapped his arms around her, being careful of her ribs. “I’ve thought of you often,” she told him honestly. “I’m glad you came.”

He held her a moment more. “So am I.” Releasing her, he straightened and stood up. “If you ever need a friend—or a job,” he teased, “you know how to find me.”

As always he made her smile. “Good-bye, Elaina.”

“Good-bye, Chase.” She watched his tall frame move through the open doorway. Then the massive door slid solidly shut behind him.

He was a good friend, Chase Cameron. And she’d never be ashamed to call him that again.

A few days later Elaina was sitting by the window reading when a loud rap at the door interrupted her. She rose a bit stiffly and opened the door.

Jacob Stanhope stood tall and impressive, filling the massive doorway. A navy coat above light gray trousers outlined his broad shoulders and enhanced the silver in his hair.

“May I come in?”

“Certainly. It’s good of you to have come, Jacob.”

He took a seat across from her and smiled warmly. “How are you feeling, my dear?”

“Much better, thank you. The doctor says I can go outside tomorrow. I’m itching to get some sunshine and take a look around.”

“How do you like the valley so far?”

“It’s lovely. One of the prettiest spots I’ve ever seen. And the house is so inviting it seems almost friendly. Even as big as it is, it doesn’t feel empty.” She glanced from the massive hand-hewn beams, to the heavy oak furniture to the Navajo blanket slung over the back of the settee. “The place seems so much like Ren. It suits him perfectly.”

“You think so, do you?”

“Why, yes,” she said a little too softly, hoping she hadn’t revealed too much about their relationship.

“How do you think my daughter will suit him?” he asked unexpectedly.

“Melissa’s a wonderful girl,” she answered, avoiding the question. “Any man would be proud to have her for a wife.”

Jacob eyed her solemnly. “Ren’s worked hard to get where he is today.”

“Yes.”

“Marrying my daughter will put him in his rightful place in society. Give him the power and respectability he has earned.”

She lifted her chin, wondering just what Jacob was getting at. How much had he guessed about their relationship? Was he angry with her? Angry with Ren?

“If that’s what will make him happy, then I’m glad for him.”

“But you don’t think it
will
make him happy.”

“I didn’t say that.”

Jacob smiled and patted her hand. “No, you didn’t. And you didn’t say whether marrying my daughter would make him happy, either.”

She glanced away, unwilling to hold his probing gaze. He was after something, but she wasn’t certain what it was.

“So you like the valley,” he said, changing the subject and glancing out the window.

“It’s lovely. The soil looks so fertile; I imagine just about anything would grow here.”

“Do you enjoy growing things?”

“Yes. I had a vegetable garden back in Pennsylvania. I also grew herbs. My grandmother taught me to doctor some.” She smiled. “I’m pretty good at it, too.”

“You’re the girl who took care of Ren after he was shot.” It was a flat statement, one she didn’t bother to deny. “Yes. I didn’t think he’d told anyone about that.”

“He didn’t. Tommy mentioned something about it, and I just put two and two together.”

“I’ll bet you’re good at that, Jacob,” she parried.

“Very good at it, my dear.” He seemed to eye her curiously. “What are your plans for the future? Will you be staying in San Francisco?”

“No. I’ll be leaving just as soon as I’m well enough. I would already be gone if it weren’t for the accident.”

“Oh, really?” He seemed surprised. “I’m sorry to hear that. I was hoping . . . I don’t mean to be indelicate, my dear, but I hoped maybe you and Ren might continue your . . . friendship.”

She stiffened her spine. “And just what friendship is that?” There it was, that knowing look again.

He watched her closely, then sighed and leaned back in his chair. “You’ll have to pardon an old fool, my dear. You see, I was raised to believe a man owed his wife very little loyalty. It was all right for him to make a life for himself in any manner he saw fit.” He tugged at his collar nervously.

“What I’m trying to say is that I want Ren to be happy. I thought maybe he could find that happiness with you, even after he was married. I was wrong. I meant no insult. Please forgive me.”

“And what about Melissa? Doesn’t her happiness count?”

“But of course, my dear. With Ren she’ll be cared for. He’ll see that she’s pampered. And he’ll spoil her just as I do. He’ll provide her with children and be a good father.”

“Yes,” she whispered, “I suppose he will.” And how could Melissa not love him? she wondered. She could picture the tenderness in his eyes, remember the feel of his body, the touch of his lips. Her hand trembled slightly against the folds of her skirt.

Jacob rose and straightened his navy blue coat, then shook out the legs of his trousers. “Warm today. Too warm for me. I’ll stick with the cool ocean breezes in the city. Ren can have his valley.”

“Ren and Melissa,” she couldn’t resist adding.

“Yes. Ren and Melissa.” He moved to the door, and she accompanied him slowly, still a little sore.

“You’re a good girl, Elaina. The man who marries you will be fortunate indeed.”

She smiled. The compliment meant a lot to her, though she couldn’t fathom why. Jacob Stanhope was causing her endless misery, yet she couldn’t fault him. In his own way, he wanted what he believed was best for his family. Maybe that was what he was trying to tell her.

“Take care of yourself, my dear.”

“I will, Jacob. Thank you for coming.”

He touched her cheek and closed the door firmly behind him.

Chapter 25

P
UFFY CLOUDS, HINTING
at a summer shower, gave relief from the heat. Tommy was working in the barn. Carrie had returned to her home not far away.

Elaina pulled on a bright lavender batiste dress, soft and simple, a little reminiscent of those she used to wear in Keyserville. Though her wardrobe now comprised every article of feminine apparel a woman could want, it felt good to be free of her corset and wearing something simple again.

For the fourth time this week, she paused in front of the door to the room she knew was Ren’s. This time her curiosity wouldn’t be denied. Lifting the heavy iron latch, she shoved the door open and peeked inside.

A huge canopied four-poster bed, Spanish in design and covered with a bright quilt, dominated the room. Wide windows overlooked the vineyards, and a cone-shaped fireplace stood ready to warm the corner. Leather-bound books lined one wall, and a massive oak armoire stood partly open to reveal a bounty of expensive clothing.

Elaina eased the wardrobe door farther open. Chambray shirts and denim breeches, a long oilskin raincoat, and several straw hats—a workingman’s clothes. This was a side of Ren she hadn’t seen. As she moved about the room, a ray of sunlight flashed in her eyes and pulled her gaze to a peg beside the fireplace. The wide-brimmed black felt hat with its stunning silver concha hung atop the leather gun belt draped across the peg. The staghorn-handled Colt .45 Ren had been wearing that first day in Keyserville threatened ominously from its holster.

Memories of their first meeting, the days in the country, the circus, the gentleness he’d shown when he’d found her in the potting shed, all rushed up to swamp her. She picked up the hat; it felt warm and prickly against her hand. The concha shone as brightly as her life had shone whenever she’d been with Ren. She took a last glance around the room. What would it have been like to share the big bed with the tall man who slept there? What would it have been like to live as Ren’s wife?

Almost unwilling to give the hat up, she finally replaced it on the peg, left the room, and headed toward the back of the house, determined to turn her thoughts in another direction.

Descending the short flight of stairs from the porch to the grounds behind the house, she saw a cluster of dark-skinned men laboring among the rows of grapevines off to her right. A horse-drawn cart followed them, carrying tools and a crock of drinking water. Elaina wandered toward the corrals behind the barn, her attention drawn by a sleek-necked dapple gray stallion unlike any horse she had ever seen.

She rounded the corner of the barn and collided with a brown-skinned, sweat-covered man whose broad-brimmed straw hat covered most of his face. He carried a shovel and was bare to the waist.

“Excuse me, I was just—” Elaina stopped, staring speechless as the man’s brown hand shoved the hat back to reveal the lightest blue eyes she had ever seen.

Ren Daniels grinned broadly. “I see you’re feeling better.” His eyes, sparkling with devilment and what might have been appreciation, scanned her from head to foot.

“I thought you were in the city,” she said, wishing she could force herself to look away.

“I said I had some work to do in the city. I did. But I also told you I wanted you protected. I’ve been here all week. Out in the bunkhouse. I hadn’t planned on letting you know I was here . . . but I can’t say I’m sorry you found me out.”

Elaina fought to calm her turbulent emotions. She hadn’t wanted to see him, but now that she had, she wasn’t about to deny herself the pleasure of his company—even though the sight of his half-naked body set her blood on fire.