The Heart's Pursuit Read online

  “Yes.” She offered a fleeting smile. “That’s true.”

  “Will Mr. Newman be goin’ to Colorado too?”

  The plan she had concocted with Jared the previous night flitted through her mind. If all went well today, the three of them and Matt Carlton would be going to Colorado. But she couldn’t tell Dean that. She wanted him to continue to drop pebbles into a pond and watch fat goldfish swim about in the murky depths for as long as possible.

  “Yes,” she answered at last.

  “Then I reckon it’s a good idea.”

  “I’m glad.” She gave his shoulders a squeeze.

  “Miss Silver?”

  “Mmm.”

  “What am I gonna ride when we go? Mr. Newman sold the packhorse.”

  “Don’t you worry, Dean. We’ll figure that out when the time comes.” And if all goes well today, that time is almost here. She rose from the bench. “I have an errand to do in town, but I’ll see you before . . . before bedtime. Mind Miss Corinne.”

  “Sure.” The boy hopped up and hurried back to the edge of the pond. “See ya later.”

  Jared, his hat brim pulled low on his forehead, stepped into the spacious lobby of the Grant Hotel. His eyes swept the room. There was a gentleman seated near the window, a folded newspaper in one hand, a smoking pipe in the other. Another man, accompanied by his wife, stood before the desk. The clerk stared down his nose as he observed the guest signing in. A bellboy waited off to one side, his arms laden with luggage. Through an arched doorway, Jared saw tables covered with white linen cloths. Waitresses in crisp aprons and caps bustled about, serving breakfast.

  Jared had told Silver he would watch for her arrival in the restaurant of the Grant. He selected a table with a clear view of the lobby and sat with his back to the wall. When the waitress came, he ordered coffee. Then he settled in to wait—and even said a quick prayer that all would go according to plan. After a long silence, he was finding it easier these days to talk with God. Something he had Silver to thank for.

  Silver arrived at the agreed-upon time, looking beautiful in one of the dresses Corinne Duvall had provided. Soon enough, she would change into the clothes she’d worn on her way to Nevada. He would be glad to see her in riding skirt and blouse. It was the way she’d looked when he learned to love her.

  Jared knew she saw him, even though she didn’t look his way.

  He watched as she turned toward the staircase and smiled. Which meant Matt Carlton was coming down to meet her. Her note must have worked. All Jared could do now was hope he didn’t come to regret giving in to this plan of hers.

  Carlton stepped into view, and Jared tensed. He was so close. So close to bringing in the man who’d murdered his family. So close to putting an end to this chapter of his life. So close to starting over, becoming something better.

  Be careful, Silver. Whatever you do, be careful!

  Nerves erupted with fresh fury in Silver’s stomach as Matt Carlton stopped the horse and buggy in a meadow surrounded by scrub pine and firs. They were a good distance from town and the mines. The only sounds were the buzz of insects and the whisper of a hot breeze through the dry grass.

  Carlton pulled some blankets from the back of Corinne’s buggy, along with the picnic basket Silver had brought with her, and placed them in the shade. Then he returned and offered his hand to help her down. She had to force herself to take it. Only knowing Jared watched from somewhere nearby let her do it.

  Matt Carlton, she realized, had soulless eyes, and it made her want to shudder. She subdued the reaction.

  “I confess to great curiosity, Miss Matlock,” he said as he escorted her to the shade. “Why did you send that note? Why did you want this assignation?”

  “I would hardly call it that, Mr. Carlton. I merely want to know why Bob left the way he did. On our wedding day. I want to understand why he stole from my father. I . . . I need to understand, and I didn’t want to talk about private matters where we would risk being overheard.” She sank onto the blanket. “Besides, you were almost my brother-in-law, and I’m so very far from my family.” She ended with a shrug.

  “I see.” He sat nearby.

  Too near for her comfort. It took all her will not to move away from him.

  A slow smile curved his lips. “My brother left Twin Springs and you because I told him to.”

  “Why would you do such a thing? You didn’t know me. You didn’t know anything about me. You’d never even seen my photograph until after he left Twin Springs. You said so last night.”

  “No, but I wish now that I had seen you first.”

  Soulless, soulless eyes. Again she had to contain the urge to shiver with dread.

  A movement caught her eye beyond Matt Carlton’s shoulder. Jared, stepping from behind a tree. He shook his head, silently warning her not to give him away. Afraid she might do so, she lowered her eyes to her hands, folded in her lap. “Where is Bob now?” she asked softly, as if she didn’t already know the answer.

  “He’s dead.”

  There was a soft sound of a hammer being cocked, then Jared said, “Don’t move, Carlton. Not an inch.”

  Silver scrambled to her feet and away from Matt Carlton. She rubbed her arms as if trying to scrub away his proximity.

  “What do you want?” Carlton asked. “If it’s money, I’ll see that you get it.”

  Jared ignored him. “Stand up and put your hands behind your back.”

  “Who are you?”

  “The name’s Newman. And what I want is to see you hang.”

  “Hang. What for?” Carlton got to his feet and put his hands behind him as ordered.

  Carlton sounded calm and unconcerned. It made Silver nervous. Was there a flaw in their plan? Could he get away?

  “For murder.” Jared snapped handcuffs onto his prisoner’s wrists. Then he searched him, removing the key to his hotel room from one pocket along with a small pistol from a strap under his arm.

  “You aren’t the law,” the prisoner continued to protest.

  “No. I’m not.”

  “You have no authority to take me in. What evidence do you have that I’m guilty of murder?”

  Jared took the collar of Carlton’s shirt in his left hand and yanked. Buttons popped and fabric tore. “That scar.” He touched Carlton’s collarbone. “That scar’s my evidence.”

  “It won’t be enough to hold me, and you know it. Who says they saw it? There isn’t anyone alive who’s seen it. As soon as we get back to town, the sheriff will have to turn me loose. You know that.”

  “True enough. Which is why you aren’t going back to Virginia City.”

  Carlton turned his head and looked at Silver. Eyes that had been cold and empty were now filled with hatred. “You’re a part of this, aren’t you?”

  “Did you shoot Bob?” she asked, ignoring his question. “Did you kill your own brother like you killed that man and his wife?”

  He made a sound that was part laughter, part growl.

  “Come on.” Jared grabbed Carlton by the upper arm and pulled him to the nearest tree where he tied him up. Then he walked over to Silver. “Are you all right?” His voice was low, the look in his eyes gentle.

  She nodded.

  “You sure you’ll be all right while I’m gone?” He withdrew one of his revolvers and gave it to her. “Don’t get close to him. Keep that pointed at him and use it if he makes a wrong move.”

  She nodded again.

  “I’ll search his room. If there’s money or jewels left, I’ll find them. I’ll return with the horses and Dean as fast as I can.”

  Strange how her nerves quieted, how the fear vanished. It didn’t matter that Jared had yet to say he loved her; she knew that he did. And that was enough of a promise for now.

  “I’ll be fine, Jared. Just hurry.”

  CHAPTER 32

  The next morning, Silver opened her eyes to find a cloudy, pewter-colored sky. Dawn had yet to arrive. She sat up, pursing her lips as she arched her back to
relieve a crimp in her spine. It amazed her how much harder the ground felt now than before she’d spent those nights in the blue room of Miss Corinne’s house. She missed that comfortable bed more than she cared to admit.

  She glanced to her left. Dean’s face was hidden beneath his blanket, only the top of his head showing. Had she been wrong to bring him with them? Selfish, even? The trip before them was arduous and long. Was she putting a young boy in unnecessary danger because she’d grown so fond of him and couldn’t let go?

  She glanced to her right. Jared’s bedroll was empty. She wasn’t surprised. He would want them to make an early start. They’d put a good distance between them and Virginia City yesterday, but he would want many miles every day. He wanted them back to Denver as fast as the horses could get them there. If only Jared had found any of her father’s stolen property in Matt Carlton’s room. But he hadn’t. It was all gone.

  Silver refrained from looking at the prisoner, who was secured to a tree a good distance beyond where Jared had slept. She tried not to dwell too much upon the fate of her parents if there wasn’t a reward to collect. She needed to cling to the hope that there would be.

  Jared appeared over the top of a rise and descended the incline, his arms laden with firewood. He glanced at the prisoner first, then at Silver, and finally dropped the wood and began to rekindle the campfire.

  “Where are you taking me, Newman?” Carlton demanded, breaking the silence of the morning.

  Silver liked it better when he kept his mouth shut.

  Jared answered, “We’re taking you to Denver. And then maybe on to Central City.”

  Silver took satisfaction in the surprise that flashed across Matt Carlton’s face. He’d been so smug before, so sure of himself. Even Jared’s knowledge of the scar hadn’t shaken him. But the name of the town in Colorado did. Good. It should worry him.

  “You’ve got the wrong man,” the prisoner blustered. “I’m not who you think I am.”

  “I haven’t got the wrong man, and we both know it. You remember Felicity. You worked in the same saloon with her. She didn’t die, Carlton, like you thought she would. She’s waiting to testify against you. You hid your face well, but she remembers that scar. And she remembers everything you said to her.” Jared left the fire and walked toward Carlton. “My sister didn’t live long, but she lived long enough to describe that scar and to let me know what you did to her. And you’re going to swing for it.” His right hand dropped to the revolver in his holster.

  An alarm sounded in Silver’s head. “Jared?”

  He didn’t turn around.

  Louder this time, “Jared.”

  This time, he heard her. His hand moved away from the gun as he faced her.

  She shook her head and tried to tell him with her eyes that hate and revenge wouldn’t serve their purpose. All they had to do was make it to Denver with their prisoner. Then they could forget Matt Carlton and never think of him again.

  The need for revenge had burned hot inside Jared for many years. In the past, those feelings hadn’t disturbed him. He’d nurtured them, even. Hate had kept him going when he was tired or hungry or discouraged, when he remembered his parents and sister, when he thought about the other victims Matt Carlton had left behind. But something was different now. He was different now. Silver had changed him. She’d made him want a different life, made him believe he could have something better. Be something better.

  As he’d done all the way to Nevada, Jared pushed the horses and their riders hard. The small party stopped around noon for a quick meal before moving on. The overcast sky grew darker as the day lengthened. He hoped the rain would hold off. The journey was hard enough without being wet through.

  As their first full day on the trail neared its end, Jared’s thoughts began to darken like the skies overhead. Doubt replaced hope. Who was he kidding, thinking he might make a life with Silver? Even with a reward for Carlton’s capture, he wouldn’t have anything to offer her. Her parents wouldn’t want her to marry a man like him. He’d thought at one time that finding Carlton would allow him to go home again, but he knew better. Fair Acres belonged to someone else. The gentleman’s son he’d once been was gone too. Forever gone.

  He hadn’t told Silver he loved her. She’d never said she loved him. Sometimes her eyes seemed to say it, but maybe that was his own wishful thinking. She’d joined him in this venture because she was desperate to save her family from ruin. She’d joined him because she believed herself to be the cause of those troubles. But once they returned to Colorado, once she was surrounded by family and friends, she would forget the bounty hunter. As she should.

  With luck, they’d be in Denver in four weeks. Just four more weeks. That was all the time he had left with Silver.

  CHAPTER 33

  After five days on the trail, it all felt familiar to Silver again. Rise early. Eat something unappetizing. Break camp. Ride hard. Make camp. Eat something unappetizing. Tend the horses. Fall into their bedrolls exhausted. Everyone seemed too tired to talk, and the days were filled with silence once again. Sometimes the routine seemed like the only life she’d ever known.

  The first quarter moon hung suspended above the eastern horizon as Silver sat on her bedroll. The campfire over which they had prepared their supper had burned low, hot coals turning from red to white. Jared stood just beyond the pale glow of the fire with his back toward her, his stance nonchalant, yet she sensed an underlying current of tension. He was always on alert, always looking for danger. She might have asked what troubled him, but he’d erected an invisible barrier, keeping her at arm’s length.

  How she wished she could go to him, put her arms around him, help shoulder the burden. How she wished she could tell him all that was in her heart.

  Loving Jared Newman, she had realized, was the single most important thing she’d done. And she hadn’t done it to please anyone else. She’d spent years trying to conform herself to be what her stepmother expected. Or, failing that, doing her best to be the opposite of what was wanted. But she loved Jared because of the good man he was, the man she could see even when he couldn’t see it himself.

  A sound came from behind her. It was Dean, thrashing in his sleep. Another nightmare. He’d started having them the first night on the trail. Traveling so close to the killer of his parents had driven away the fragile peace he’d found at Miss Corinne’s house.

  She reached out, placed a hand on the boy’s back, and murmured some comforting words. A short while later, he quieted, but Silver didn’t move away. She remained, still touching him, as she prayed for all of them—Jared and Dean and herself—that they would find a stronger and lasting peace in their hearts when they reached Denver and were rid of their prisoner.

  Jared watched Silver as she comforted the restless boy. She was a natural with children, whether she knew it or not. A firm but kind voice. A gentle touch. She would make some lucky kid a good mother.

  As if sensing his observance, she turned her head, found him with her eyes, and smiled. Then she rose and came toward him. “I think he’ll sleep peacefully now.”

  “We probably should have left him with Corinne Duvall.”

  “I’ve wondered the same. But I couldn’t do it. He’s . . . he’s like family to me now.” She placed her fingers on his forearm. “Besides, he needs to see justice done. You must understand that better than anyone.”

  “He didn’t see Carlton when his parents died. He can’t testify against him.”

  “No, but he remembers the aftermath. He—” Her voice caught and tears welled.

  Jared couldn’t help himself. He drew her close, wrapping his arms around her, loving the feel of her cheek against his chest. It didn’t matter that there were dozens of reasons why he wasn’t good enough for Silver. It didn’t matter that he had nothing of value to offer her. Right now, what she needed most was comfort—and that much he could do for her. “You need to get some sleep,” he said softly near her ear.

  She drew her head back and
looked up at him. “I don’t need sleep as much as I need you to hold me.”

  Satisfaction that she’d actually voiced her feelings warred with his reticence to act on them. He sighed. “I’m no good for you, Silver. You know that.”

  “You’re wrong about that. You’re so very, very wrong.”

  “I’m not much better than he is.” Jared jerked his head toward Matt Carlton, asleep by the tree to which he was chained. “I’ve wanted to kill him with my bare hands. I’ve wanted to watch him die, slowly and painfully.” He released her and took a step back.

  “But don’t you see? That’s what makes you different from him and others like him. No matter how badly you want to dole out punishment, no matter how much you desire revenge, you don’t take it. You didn’t kill Carlton and pretend it was justice.”

  “I’ve killed other men.”

  “Men who were shooting at you first. You saved the life of the sheriff back in Green River. Remember?”

  “Silver, it isn’t—”

  “I’ve seen the man you really are, Jared.” She framed his face with the palms of her hands. “You are good and tender and caring. With me. With Dean.” She moved one hand down to press flat against his chest. “I’ve seen the love you’ve hidden in your heart. I’ll wait until you see it too.”

  Even if all she said was true, even if he was the man she thought him to be, it didn’t change what he’d done or how he’d lived these past six years. It didn’t change that he still had nothing to offer her.

  “Don’t wait, Silver. You’ll be wasting your time.”

  Before he could forget himself and kiss her, he turned and walked into the darkness.

  CHAPTER 34

  The strain began to tell on all of them. Some days they covered forty miles, resting only for the sake of the horses. They stayed away from towns and the rail line. Their food consisted of whatever fresh game Jared happened to find, supplemented with hardtack and beans, and even those supplies were running low. The temperatures soared into the nineties and higher, sweltering heat during the day that chilled quickly after the sun went down.