Chapter Fifteen
Nate leaned over and adjusted the blanket on Rachel’s sleeping form. She’d fallen asleep upright on the settee, her mouth slightly open as she gently snored. It was quite cute, and he found himself smiling.
The evening had passed by pleasantly. After their agreement, Rachel had gotten up to head into the kitchen to make the pie.
Nate had tried to get her to sit down and leave it, but she was insistent.
And it was worth it; the pie was delicious.
Nate had three slices before he decided he wasn’t going to have any more.
It was even better than Isabelle’s, although Nate wasn’t about to say anything like that to her.
Then he and Rachel had just talked. Nothing else, simply talking.
He made an effort to find out more about her, just as Jack had suggested.
And it was more pleasant than he thought.
He hadn’t realized that his wife was more interesting than he anticipated.
For someone who was raised in an orphanage and saw it as her home, she had a lot of things to talk about.
He had no idea that nobody had adopted her and raised her in a loving family. It was confusing. Nate couldn’t understand that.
They’d finally fallen silent, watching the fire dance away in the hearth.
Then, when Nate had added more logs to the fire, he saw that Rachel had fallen asleep.
She looked so peaceful that he didn’t have the heart to wake her and carefully took her cup from her before adjusting the blankets to keep her warm.
He couldn’t stop staring at her. This woman had been brought up in an environment no one deserved, but she had come through it with great strength and courage. He was just beginning to realize that.
And his house didn’t feel as empty as it had been before.
A frantic knocking at the door made him jump. Nate sat up. Who on earth was calling on him at this time of night?
“Marshal Calloway?” The knocking started again. “Are you there?”
Sighing, Nate got up and padded quietly over to the door. He opened it a crack and looked out. Ryan Whitlock was on the porch, stomping his feet and breathing erratically. He looked scared.
“I’m sorry to bother you at this time of night, Marshal,” he said. “But I desperately need your help. Mae’s gone missing.”
Nate stiffened.
“What?”
“She’s gone. I think she’s run away. I don’t know what to do.”
Mae was Whitlock’s eighteen-year-old daughter. She was a vivacious, young girl who was willing to help anyone. Her disappearance was suspicious considering her character.
“Let me get ready, and I’ll come out,” he said briskly.
Shutting the door, he tiptoed to the stairs and up to his bedroom.
He put on fresh socks and boots, checked his guns, and put them into the holsters he fastened at his waist. Then he went back down and got into his coat.
He glanced at Rachel, who was still fast asleep.
There was no time to leave a note for her. Whitlock was desperate for help.
Keeping as quiet as he could, Nate let himself out and joined Whitlock on the porch. The local vendor was frantic, looking around as if he expected someone to jump out and snatch him away.
“Where do you think she might’ve gone?” Nate asked, putting his Stetson on. “Any ideas?”
“I think she might be at the Silver Lantern saloon.”
“Over in Creek Falls?”
Whitlock nodded.
“I overheard her talking to someone about it, and this man claimed that it was the perfect place to start fresh, and she could make plenty of money. When I questioned her about it, Mae just brushed me off.”
Nate didn’t like the sound of that at all. Mae wasn’t the type of person who would leave on a whim. Someone had to have put her up to it.
“I’ll go to the Silver Lantern and see if she’s there. How long ago did she disappear?”
“She’s been gone since last night.”
“What?”
Whitlock winced.
“She normally gets up before I do and heads to work at the florist, so I don’t normally see her until she gets back. I went over there, and Mrs. Maple said Mae never turned up for work this morning, and nobody else has seen her.”
Nate let this sink in. So Mae had been missing for a day. If she was at Silver Lantern, at least he wouldn’t have far to go, even if the route would be a little precarious.
“I’ll get my horse saddled and head out to find her,” he said.
“And what should I do?”
“Just go home and wait. There isn’t much else you can do, Ryan.”
The older man didn’t look convinced, but Nate managed to get him to leave.
The snow was still present, and the route would be slippery, but Mauritania was good on her feet and a solid animal. She knew how to handle herself in the snow.
Even then, Nate could feel his heart in his mouth as they made their way down the slope toward Creek Falls, which was at the base of the mountains.
It wasn’t the only saloon in the area called Silver Lantern - as far as Nate knew, there were at least five dotted around the county - but it was the closest. It would be fair to start there before going further afield.
Nate was aware of the Silver Lantern’s reputation. It was run by an unscrupulous man called Edgar Pike, who kept everything running under his iron grip. He didn’t want to face Pike, but he didn’t have much of a choice. Mae needed to be home. She didn’t deserve to be in a place like that.
After what felt like a dangerous journey, Nate’s heart in his mouth the whole time, he reached Creek Falls.
Mercy Creek turned into a medium-sized waterfall at the edge of the town, and it had surprisingly not frozen over, the water crashing onto the rocks below.
Mauritania snorted and tossed her head as they entered the town. Nate patted her neck.
“Don’t worry, girl. We’re going to be fine. Don’t fret so much.”
Reaching the Silver Lantern, he dismounted and headed into the saloon.
The place was busy and loud with raucous laughter.
Nate fought his way to the bar, bumping into several men who turned and glared at him.
He ignored them and managed to get to the bar, where he looked for someone who worked there.
Finally, one of the young women who was serving drinks approached him with a bright smile that didn’t seem to reach her eyes.
“Welcome to the Silver Lantern,” she said in a voice that was a little too bright. “How can I help you?”
“A young girl came in today. Her name’s Mae.”
Something flickered behind her eyes, and the smile slipped a tiny bit.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t know anyone by that name.”
“Don’t give me that, miss. I know she’s here. Just tell me where she is.”
The young woman didn’t answer, but Nate saw her eyes dart over to the door in the corner of the room.
He didn’t need to be told twice. He pushed away and hurried over, almost running into a large man who suddenly stepped in his way.
Nate jumped back and looked up at the tall, broad-shouldered man with a bald head, a scar on his cheek, and a big scowl.
“What do you want?” The man demanded.
“Who wants to know?”
“Edgar Pike. This is my business.”
So this was Pike. Nate drew himself up to his full height, his eyes focused on Pike. He’d faced many criminals over the years, and he’d even stood up to his father, but there was something about Pike that made his skin crawl.
“I’m Marshal Calloway from Mercy Creek. One of the townspeople has gone missing, and she’s here.”
Pike raised his eyebrows and folded his arms.
“Oh, is that so? What makes you think that?”
“Call it intuition.” Nate crossed his arms.
“I’m sorry, but I haven’t had any girls come in here.”
“What about new hires? Hire anybody today?”
Pike shook his head.
“Not a chance. I’ve got plenty of girls working here. I don’t need any more at this place.”
The door behind him opened, and Nate caught sight of the slight, redheaded figure of Mae Whitlock. She was carrying an empty tray, wearing a dress that looked far too tight for her. Her face was pale, her expression morose, and the sparkle that was normally there was gone.
“Mae!”
Nate started toward her, but Pike moved in front of him.
“Why are you bothering my girls? They’re working.”
“And you’re a liar, Mr. Pike.”
The owner took a step toward him, towering over Nate.
“Do you want to say that again, Marshal?” he asked in a low voice, barely audible over the noise of the saloon. “You should be focusing on your own wife instead of chasing around other women. Let men who know how to handle them deal with them.”
Nate frowned.
“What do you mean by that? Was that a threat?”
The smile he got had no mirth.
“Call it what you want. I don’t like having the law here, and I want you to leave.”
“Not without Mae Whitlock.”
“There is no girl…”
“Mae!” Nate tried to sidestep Pike, darting around him when Pike followed. He hurried over as she trudged toward the bar. “Mae!”
“Nate?” Mae blinked up at him in shock. “Is it you?”
“Yes.”
Her bottom lip quivered, and then she burst into tears, leaning into him as Nate put his arms around her. She sobbed, clutching onto his coat as she trembled.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Pike grabbed his shoulder and tried to pull him away. “Get away from her; she’s supposed to be working!”
“No, I’m taking her home.” Nate yanked back and put an arm around Mae’s shoulders. “She’s not going to stay here, not with you.”
Pike snorted and shook his head.
“You think I’m going to actually let you walk out of here with her? She has a debt to be paid.”
“A debt?” Nate gave him a hard stare. “Now that sounds like slavery to me. And that was abolished decades ago. Would you like me to notify the US Marshals and they can have a closer look at this place?”
That seemed to work.
“Maybe you should head back to your wife, Marshal,” Pike sneered. “She needs to know her strong husband is around at this time of year.”
“Why are you talking about my wife?”
But the owner merely shrugged, turning to sit back down at the table with his companions again, all of whom were glaring at Nate. Several of the other patrons had noticed the confrontation and were giving the pair ugly looks. Nate tucked Mae tighter into his side.
“Let’s go. We need to hurry.”
It was dark, the moon bright overhead, as Nate helped Mae get into the saddle.
He wrapped a blanket around her shoulders, lit the lantern, and attached it to the saddle.
Then he mounted up behind her, guiding Mauritania out onto the main road.
Nate glanced back once and saw the huge shape of Edgar Pike in the doorway, the light behind him making him look like a shadow.
He didn’t need to guess that the man was displeased.
“I’m sorry,” Mae said shakily, shivering against him. “I… I’m so sorry.”
“What happened?” Nate asked gently. “Why did you run away?”
“I was talking to someone, and he said I could find respectable work there. I’ve always wanted to leave Mercy Creek and do something else, see something of the world.” Mae swallowed. “And I believed him when he said it would be a good chance for me. I would make enough money to buy a ticket”
“Who was he?”
“A stranger. Called himself Isaac. Came into the store and started complimenting me. Said a pretty girl like me shouldn’t be working in a boring place.”
Nate stiffened. Isaac. A stranger making promises to a young woman and leading her toward Edgar Pike’s saloon was trouble enough. If it was the same man who had troubled Rachel, then this was no harmless coincidence.
“So you decided to leave without letting your father know?”
Mae looked miserable, staring out into the darkness.
“I just thought it would be proper work. Serving meals, carrying drinks, perhaps helping in the kitchen. But the men were awful. There were no women drinking, just ones wearing brightly colored dresses and sitting in men’s laps.
It was making me nervous, especially when the men started looking at me and saying things no decent man should say to a woman. ”
Nate could feel the rage building.
“You’d been tricked,” he said.
Mae nodded.
“I was. I couldn’t believe it. I’d been promised honest work, and it turned out… they wanted me…”
She didn’t get any further before sobbing again.
Nate could only tighten his arm around her and concentrate on getting back to Mercy Creek.
All the while the fury burned hotter. If that man Isaac was moving through Mercy Creek with false promises and a purpose Nate did not yet understand, then he was more than a nuisance. He was a threat.