Shadow Walker (14 page)

*    *    *

Dawn tethered Wally to the hitching post in front of the hotel but didn’t enter immediately. She didn’t belong in a place like this. Prejudice was a fearsome thing. Cole was the only man who didn’t ridicule her for being part Sioux.

Taking a deep, steadying breath, Dawn squared her shoulders and pushed through the door. She walked directly to the front desk and rang the bell, ignoring the people milling about the lobby. The clerk appeared from the back room. He took one look at Dawn and sneered at her from the corner of his mouth.

“We don’t rent rooms to Injuns or half-breeds. This is a respectable hotel.”

Dawn heard titters behind her and quelled the urge to turn and run. “I’m with Mr. Cole Webster, the railroad man. He sent me to engage two rooms for the night.”

“I don’t care who you’re with, lady. Mr. Webster is welcome any time, but not squaws. Try the flophouse down the street. Sometimes they let people like you in.”

Dawn’s face turned a dull red. She was so embarrassed she wanted to melt into the woodwork. Everyone was looking at her as if she were something dirty. She was grateful they didn’t know she was Billy Cobb’s widow. If they did, they would be doing more than laughing at her.

“Did you hear me, lady?” the clerk repeated for the benefit of his audience. “Get out of here, you’re disturbing our respectable guests.”

It didn’t take Cole long to realize what was happening when he entered the hotel lobby. His fury
was almost palpable as he strode toward the front desk. The clerk saw him and blanched, frozen in place by the potency of Cole’s anger.

“Did I hear right?” Cole asked in a voice that sent terror into the clerk’s soul. “Did you or did you not tell the lady she wasn’t welcome here?”

Dawn turned at the sound of his voice. Relief came instantly, and her expression must have shown it, for Cole’s smile was reassuring.

“It’s hotel policy, sir,” the clerk whined. “No Injuns or half-breeds allowed. I’m just doing my job.”

“The
lady
,” Cole stressed, “is with me. We need two rooms for the night. Do you have a problem with that?”

People standing around the lobby leaned forward to hear the clerk’s reply. Dawn saw them and tugged Cole’s hand. “It’s all right, Cole. We can spend the night at the cabin. I don’t mind.”

“I mind,” Cole said, sending their audience a scathing glance. It was enough to send the onlookers scattering. He turned back to the clerk. “Now, about those rooms.”

“We’re rather crowded and—”

Cole swung the register around and signed his name. “I’ll have the keys now. Adjoining rooms, if any are available.”

The clerk licked moisture onto his dry lips. What this man would do to him if he failed to comply didn’t bear thinking about. He’d always heard that redheaded men had ferocious tempers and he was too cowardly to test the theory.

“Of course, sir. Two adjoining rooms. That will cost a dollar extra.” He selected a pair of keys,
placing them carefully in Cole’s hand.

“Fine. Is there a bathing room the lady can use?”

“Just down the hall from your rooms.”

“I’ll bring our bags in after the lady is settled in her room,” Cole said. He reached in his pocket, pulled out some bills and tossed them down on the counter. “I’m paying in advance.” Then he took Dawn’s elbow and steered her toward the stairs.

A tense silence prevailed as they ascended the stairs. When they reached the landing, Cole checked the keys for the room numbers and turned to the right. They passed the bathing room, which Cole pointed out, before halting before room number seventeen. He unlocked the door and followed Dawn inside.

Dawn walked into the room and stopped dead in her tracks. The room was almost as large as her entire cabin. The bed was huge, with a lovely floral quilt and real feather pillows. The draperies at the windows were made of velvet, or what Dawn assumed velvet might look like. The wood floor sported a colorful braided rug, and the room held more furniture than she’d ever seen in one place.

“What’s wrong?” Cole asked, puzzled by Dawn’s silence. “Don’t you like it? Perhaps we can trade rooms if you like mine better than yours.”

“It’s … too fine,” Dawn said reverently. “I’ve never seen anything like it. My father’s cabin was little more than a hovel. Billy’s cabin was no better. I’ll wager an Indian tent is more comfortable than what I’m accustomed to.”

Cole’s head dipped in acknowledgement. “Tipis can be amazingly comfortable. I’ve lived in one for many years with no complaint. I reckon you’ll
grow to appreciate their adaptability to climate and seasons.”

“I’ve never lived in anything even remotely comfortable. Pa thought only of his own comfort, and Billy didn’t care.”

Cole could well imagine the small, defenseless girl living with a brutal father who cared little for her. “Forget the past. I promise your future will be brighter. Meanwhile, enjoy the room, take a bath, do what you like. I’m meeting Sandy at the saloon for a drink. When I return, we’ll all have dinner together in the hotel dining room.”

“Why don’t you and Sandy dine without me?” Dawn suggested. “I’ll have something in my room.”

Cole sent her a speaking look. “I’m not ashamed to be seen with you, Dawn. We’ll eat together. I’ll bring your bags up before I join Sandy.”

Cole spun on his heel and left before Dawn’s protest reached her lips.

Dawn had to admit she felt better after bathing in a real bathtub, washing her hair and donning one of the attractive dresses Cole had purchased for her in Dodge. She was sitting by the window watching the sunset when Cole knocked on her door. He must have returned to the hotel some time ago to bathe and change, for when she opened the door she saw that his burnished hair was still damp and he had donned clean clothes.

“Sandy is waiting in the dining room,” Cole said as he eyed her appreciatively. “That dress becomes you. We’ll buy you some new clothes in Cheyenne, but you’ll probably prefer to wear deerskin
tunics and leggings once you become accustomed to them. They are far more comfortable than anything you can buy in a store.”

“I’m ready,” Dawn said, not really certain she meant it. After the fiasco in the hotel lobby, she wasn’t certain she wanted to make another spectacle of herself, but hiding in her room would be cowardly. And she had promised herself that once she was rid of Billy Cobb she’d never act in a cowardly manner again. She was free now. She need never fear Billy Cobb or his kind again. She was beginning to realize that she was capable of anything with Cole beside her.

Dawn nearly lost her nerve when she walked into the elegant dining room of the Dodge House. The room was crowded with people, most of whom stopped eating and gawked at her the moment she entered the room on Cole’s arm.

“Don’t let them bother you,” Cole said when he felt her hand tighten on his arm. “They’re jealous because you’re so beautiful. Ah, there’s Sandy. He’s already secured a table for us.”

The dinner was more enjoyable than Dawn had expected it to be. Sandy was attentive and jovial and pretended not to notice the curious stares aimed in their direction. Dawn ate with gusto. Most of the delicious food Cole ordered was new to her. If her appetite continued like this, she wouldn’t remain skinny for long. She wondered if Cole would like her better with more meat on her bones, then dismissed the thought as irrelevant. Once she and Cole parted, he would not even know how thin or fat she grew.

“I’m lighting out of here at dawn tomorrow,”
Sandy announced as he finished the last of his coffee. “Are you sure you won’t come with me, Cole?”

Cole glanced at Dawn, then back at Sandy. “Very sure. I’m taking Dawn to my friend Running Elk, then paying a visit to my sister and her family. I haven’t seen them since I visited four years ago. Ashley and Tanner are the only family I have now. I’ve prepared a letter requesting a leave of absence. I’d appreciate it if you’d deliver it to Frank Williams for me.”

“Sure thing,” Sandy said, pocketing the letter Cole handed him. “I reckon we can get by without you for a spell. Keep in touch. Where should I have the boss send your bonus?”

“Have him send the money in care of Tanner MacTavish, Oregon City, Oregon. It will be safe with Tanner until I claim it. I’ve invested most of my savings in Tanner’s logging business and he banks the profit in my name. I reckon I’ve accumulated a tidy sum by now. Logging is a lucrative industry in Oregon Territory, and Tanner was one of the first to take advantage of it.”

“I want to get an early start tomorrow so I reckon I’ll hit the sack. Take care of yourself, Cole. You, too, Dawn.”

He tipped his hat and walked away.

“Let’s get out of here,” Cole said as he rose abruptly.

He wanted Dawn all to himself. He wanted to make love to her again even though he knew he shouldn’t. He wanted to lose himself in her sweet body until he grew dizzy with passion. If he was smart he’d bid her good night and leave her at her door. If he surrendered to his needs he’d not be
able to leave her with Running Elk and walk away. No, he had to curb his desire now, before it was too late. Before Dawn wanted more from him than he was willing or prepared to give.

Dawn stared at the door separating Cole’s room from hers, trying to decide whether she was happy or sad that he had left her without so much as a kiss. She knew their closeness at the cabin had been a mistake but she hadn’t thought Cole would regret it so soon. At least he’d been honest with her about his motivation in making love to her. It was lust. Pure lust. He didn’t want attachments of any kind while his memories of Morning Mist were still vivid in his mind.

Dawn had no intention of complicating either Cole’s life or her own by clinging to a man who didn’t want her. Nor was she going to allow him to arrange her life. Still recalling all those emotions and feelings that Cole’s loving had inspired in her, Dawn undressed and crawled into bed. Sleep was hard-won but it finally came.

Cole wasn’t so lucky. As he tossed and turned in his lonely bed, his thoughts were consumed with Dawn. He pictured her naked in his arms, her hair, thick and black as the darkest midnight, creating tongues of fire against his skin. He had expected a woman knowledgeable in the art of sex and found a virgin.

He wanted her again. Now. But he couldn’t take the chance of impregnating her. Not when he was leaving her with Running Elk so that she might find a husband among his warriors. He glanced toward the connecting door, thinking it would take very little effort to open that door and crawl into her bed. Would she welcome him? Somehow he thought she would, and that made him feel even more like a heel. Cole didn’t want Dawn to learn to depend upon him. She’d be on her own soon, and he wasn’t the kind of man to offer hope where none existed. Dawn would be far better off with a man who could love her with his whole heart. Someone who was not haunted by a woman whose death he refused to accept. He neither wanted nor needed another love.

Sleep finally carried Cole away to his dreams, none of which were particularly reassuring. No matter how hard he tried to separate Dawn and Morning Mist in his dreams, they merged into one being, becoming the heated center of his desires.

At ten o’clock the following morning Cole appeared at Dawn’s door to take her to breakfast. Her meager belongings were already packed, and she was becomingly dressed in a gray traveling dress with a small cape.

“I’ve already spoken with the sheriff,” Cole said as he picked up her small bundle and guided her down the stairs. “He’s received the reward money. I took the liberty of buying you a small reticule to carry it in.” He handed her a small cloth bag, which Dawn tucked into her pocket.

“Thank you. Did the sheriff’s posse catch Sam and Spider?”

“They got away,” Cole said sourly. “But the posse is riding out again today to look for them. Tayler thinks Pickens and Lewis are heading for more lucrative parts. It’s too hot for them in this area. I hope he’s right. Are you ready for breakfast? It’s a long ride to Cheyenne and the stops will be brief. Did you sleep well?”

“I’ve never slept in a bed like that,” Dawn said as Cole seated her at an empty table in the dining room. “It was almost too comfortable.” What she didn’t say was that she would have slept better with Cole beside her. “How did you sleep?”

“Just fine,” Cole said without conviction. Had his dreams been less confusing, his words might have been true.

After a leisurely breakfast they strolled to the train station. Cole had already made arrangements for the horses and they were tethered nearby, waiting to be loaded onto the train when it arrived.

Two men huddled against the wall at the far end of the long brick station house, hats pulled low, their unshaven faces indistinct in the shadow.

“Dammit, Spider, I hope you heard right about
the train carrying a gold shipment. If you ask me, it’s going to be a mite dangereous riding that train.”

“I heard the station manager talking, Sam. He said the train was carrying a shipment of gold coins to the bank in Cheyenne. There’s no turning back. We already have our tickets and we’ve made arrangements for our horses to ride in the stock car. If we get off at the town before the pass, we’ll still have plenty of time to set up an ambush.”

Spider cast a wary glance around him and went still. “Say, ain’t that Cobb’s wife waiting for the train?”

“Damn! Just our luck. Where do ya reckon she’s going?” Sam stared at Dawn, then grinned. “Cobb’s hot little piece is looking damn good.” His attention sharpened. “Ain’t that the railroad detective with her? Wonder why they’re together? Do you reckon she’s sleeping with him?”

“Maybe we’ll get another chance at her if she’s boarding the same train. We got cheated out of our money, but maybe we can still get something for our trouble.”

“Yeah,” Sam said, sneering. “I owe that railroad man for shooting me. Still hurts something fierce. I gave as good as I got, though. Plugged him in the shoulder. As for that little half-breed, I got the hots for her. Would have had her a long time ago if old Cobb hadn’t been so damn jealous.”

“Here comes the train,” Spider hissed as the train pulled into the depot. “Let them board first. Keep your hat pulled low so they don’t recognize us. All we have to do is keep out of their way for
a day or two. No railroad detective is gonna stop me from pulling off this job.”