The Courting of Widow Shaw
“I dreamed of you. And when I woke, you were here.”
“You dreamed of me?”
“You were in a garden. And you picked a pretty rose.”
“And what did I do with my rose?” she asked, breathless from the image.
“You gave it to me.”
He bent his head and kissed her again. Her heart flipped, the exquisite emotion far too overwhelming to deny.
When he pulled away slightly, she shook her head. “We shouldn’t.”
“Because I’m your enemy?” he asked.
“Because we’re not married.” And we never will be. Of that, Glory was certain. To entertain romantic notions of Steven Harding would be simply foolish. “It’s sinful.”
Steven splayed his hand in her hair, his fingers weaving through to stroke her head softly. “Tell me, what could be more sinful than a man’s cruelty to his wife, to hurt her in unimaginable ways? No sin is greater than that.”
The Courting of Widow Shaw
Harlequin Historical #710
Praise for CHARLENE SANDS’s previous works
Winning Jenna’s Heart
“A finely tuned and heartwarming traditional romance about pioneer spirit, the mythos of the land and two people becoming one.”
—Romantic Times
“Author Charlene Sands has a great talent for weaving an exciting plot and characters together and this gives
Winning Jenna’s Heart
a poignancy that will appeal to all lovers of romance. A book you will truly enjoy.”
—Reader to Reader.com
Chase Wheeler’s Woman
“A humorous and well-written tale,
this book belongs on your reading list!”
—Romantic Reviews Today (romrevtoday.com)
Lily Gets Her Man
“Charlene Sands has written a terrific debut novel—this is an author on the road to success!”
—Romantic Reviews Today (romrevtoday.com)
#707 THE COUNTESS BRIDE
Terri Brisbin
#708 THE UNEXPECTED WIFE
Mary Burton
#709 A POOR RELATION
Joanna Maitland
C
HARLENE
S
ANDS
T
HE
C
OURTING OF
W
IDOW
S
HAW
Available from Harlequin Historicals and CHARLENE SANDS
Lily Gets Her Man
#554
Chase Wheeler’s Woman
#610
The Law and Kate Malone
#646
Winning Jenna’s Heart
#662
The Courting of Widow Shaw
#710
Other works include:
Silhouette Desire
The Heart of a Cowboy
#1488
Expecting the Cowboy’s Baby
#1522
To my dear friend Geraldine Sparks. Your friendship, wisdom and elegance are a wonderful source of inspiration.
And to Carol and Joe Curesky—dear friends through the miles, but always close in my heart. Thank you for your love and support.
Contents
Prologue
F
lames disturbed the black starless night with brilliant blinding color. Steven Harding immediately raced his horse in that direction, the red-orange blaze his beacon, guiding him to a small house outside of town. Past midnight, Steven knew most miners slept the sleep of the dead, too exhausted by a workday filled with breathless heat to allow the scent of smoke off in the distance, to wake them.
As he came to a clearing, he saw the burning house. His mare spooked, the smoke and violent flames making her jittery. “Whoa, there, Fancy.” He dismounted and quickly walked her back behind a tree, shielding her from the view and tied the reins to a tree branch.
With a kerchief to his mouth, he ran to the house, squinting his eyes against the billowing cloud of smoke. Ashes flew up and swirled in the air, the scent of wood-burning destruction all around.
Dread filled his heart when he saw her.
Gloria Mae Shaw, his nemesis, the woman out to destroy his mother’s livelihood, lay on the ground, just steps away from the burning building, holding a bloody knife in her hand. And just in front of her, a
man who was most likely her husband, lay dead in a red pool, cut up bad from a knife wound to the chest.
The woman moaned.
Steven went down on his knees, gently lifting her up in his arms. Her beautiful face was bruised, battered brutally, and Steven instantly knew her pain had not been caused by the flames, but by the hands of a man.
Steven cursed under his breath. What kind of man could be so cruel? What fool thought to ease his hardships and frustration on a lovely young woman? Steven pushed blond strands of her hair away, mindful to keep his fingers light on her face. “Glory. Glory, can you hear me?”
She moaned again, a slight whimper of agony that slashed straight through his gut. Wood splintered, a big blast caused by the wild flames. Steven had no choice but to move her, to get her to safety. Soon the cabin would collapse, and they’d be engulfed and surrounded by fire.
He eased her up into his arms. Good God. She’d been a nuisance, a thorn in his mother’s side, but Steven had always secretly admired her. He’d dreamed of one day holding the golden-haired beauty, having the right to touch her intimately, with reverence, the way she deserved. It had been a fool notion for sure, since they lived in different worlds, he being brought up in a brothel and she, the daughter of the late Reverend Caldwell. But he’d never imagined holding her like this—with pain trembling from her lips and fire ready to end her life. No, his dreams of Glory hadn’t been tainted with bitter reality, they’d been mere fantasy. But now, as he gazed down at her near-breathless body, he knew he had to help her.
Dark bruises testified to the treatment she’d endured. If she’d done this, if she’d killed her husband in order to defend herself, Steven couldn’t blame her. But others would, murder being a vindictive crime that warranted proper punishment.
And Steven would protect her. He’d take her away and hide her for the time being, allowing her injured body to heal until they could get at the truth.
He owed her that and probably much more.
With the utmost care, he carried her limp body to his horse and mounted quietly, his movements cautious as he adjusted her in his arms. Like a raggedy doll, she clung to him, barely.
“Just a while longer, Glory. Hold on,” he whispered then eased his horse forward, back to Virginia City.
To the last place anyone would ever think to look for Gloria Mae Shaw.
Chapter One
Virginia City, Nevada 1869
S
teven stared at Glory’s sleeping form resting on his bed, her breaths shallow but steady. Her head moved slightly, pressing against the goose-down pillows and matting down her thick blond hair. It seemed more an involuntary movement, a struggle to find comfort under the thin cotton quilt than a sign of her awakening. He’d listened to her anguished moans in the night, a sound he hoped he’d never hear again.
The door creaked open. “Steven,” Ruby whispered, popping her head inside, “you sure you don’t want to call the doctor?”
Steven strode quietly to the door, giving a last quick glance at Glory before stepping out of the room. He faced Ruby. “We can’t chance it.” He filled his lungs, drawing air deeply. When he let down his guard, the fatigue he’d battled during the night hit him with unflinching accuracy. “No doubt they’ll be looking for her in the morning.”
“She killed her husband,” Ruby said, shaking her head. “Can’t say as I blame her none.”
Steven scrubbed his jaw, wondering. “I don’t know that for sure.” Although he’d seen the evidence, the bloody knife in her hand, her husband’s gutted body beside her, Steven just wasn’t certain.
“The gal’s trouble, Steven. You shouldn’t have brought her here. Your mama would be the first to say so.”
Steven winced and searched Ruby’s light-brown eyes. She was a favorite at Rainbow House, intelligent enough to engage in conversation and pretty enough to keep the men lining up. She was one of the oldest, too, nearing thirty, and one his mother held in high regard. “My mother wouldn’t want her strung up, Ruby. Don’t forget Glory’s father saved my mother’s life.”
“He took a bullet for her. I know. Everyone knows that. Reverend Caldwell saved Lorene. And we’re all glad he did. It’s a shame he had to die because of it, but that’s what got his daughter hell-bent on closing down Rainbow House. She’s out for revenge, posting those signs, writing articles on the sins of the flesh and stirring up trouble.”
“Nothing’s gonna close down Rainbow House, Ruby. My mother’s got the finest house on C Street.”
Ruby chuckled, a grin spreading wide across her face. “I know that, too. But what were you thinking, bringing a young gal like that in here? I bet that gal’s never even stepped over to this side of town before, much less entered a whorehouse. Soon as she gets wind of where you brought her—”
“There’ll be hell to pay. I know. But I can’t take her to my place.”
“’Cause it’s not finished?”
“Hmmm, and the ranch doesn’t have the comforts she needs to heal proper-like. She’s better off here in a warm bed, with all the necessities.”
His ranch house, his dream of starting a business of his own, was nearing completion. He’d worked on neighboring ranches outside of Virginia City for years, making his way as a wrangler, then as foreman, earning enough cash to build a ranch of his own. At Lorene’s insistence, he’d left Rainbow House when he was fifteen. His mother had set down the rules. He wasn’t to partake of the “ladies” of the house. She’d wanted a better life for her son. He understood that reasoning better now, at twenty-six, than he had at the age of fifteen.
But he’d kept a room on the third floor, alongside his mother’s room, for the times when he was in town. That’s where he’d brought Glory. He’d have to keep her here for the time being. It was the safest place for her to hide.
“Or maybe you’re thinking it’s not suitable being alone way out there with her?” Ruby asked, sidling up next to him. “Is that it, Steven? You don’t trust yourself being alone with Gloria Mae Shaw?”
Steven narrowed his eyes and pressed his point. “This is the safest place for her. Nobody’d ever come looking for her here. And Emmie knows something about doctoring. She’ll see that Glory heals proper.”
Ruby snickered, baiting him. “She’s a pretty little thing, when she’s not all banged up.”
Steven frowned at the reminder of the beating she’d endured. Why, Glory was just about the prettiest woman he’d ever laid eyes on, all spitfire and determination, her light-blue eyes sparkling, her hair
glowing gold under the sunlight. He’d seen her a time or two marching down the streets of Virginia City, with those doggone silly posters, nailing them into wood posts, straightening them up like one would tidy up a picture, as if that would make a difference.
“And who do you suppose is gonna watch over her all day? Lorene’s gone on a trip to San Francisco. She’s not here to mother the gal. Your mama put me in charge and I aim to do a good job with the girls. So don’t you go pointing your finger at me, I’ve got enough to handle. And the others already said they want no part in doctoring the troublemaker.”
“She’s the one in trouble now, Ruby. I’ve got to help her. If her father hadn’t died saving my mother’s life, Glory wouldn’t have rushed into marriage with that no-account miner. She wouldn’t be lying in there, struggling to breathe.”
“She made her choices, just like the rest of us.”
Steven nodded, understanding the plight of Ruby and some of the other girls. Many hadn’t been left with any choice but to work in a brothel. His mother had done the same when his father abandoned his family. Lorene had made do and tried her hardest to give her young son a good life. She’d done what she had to in order to survive. Steven had come to understand that. She was what she was. But Steven couldn’t fault her. She was a good businesswoman and kind to her girls, taking them in and caring for them when they, too, had had nowhere else to go. “And didn’t Lorene help all of you, when your choices went bad?”