Brighter than Gold (Western Rebels Book 1) Read online

  Katie stretched and felt the stiffness in her back from hours of bending over the type bed. “I’m ravenous! You must be, too. Shall I get us something to eat?”

  He nodded, watching as she removed the white smock that protected her dress. For a moment, he was uneasily aware of his ink-smudged shirt with its frayed cuffs and the drabness of his black trousers and brown silk waistcoat. Then Gideon reminded himself that it would take more than fine clothing to transform him into a man worthy of Katie MacKenzie. “I’ve meant to tell you that you look pretty today, Katie. Not that you don’t always look pretty, but that frock is a beauty. And where did you get such an exquisite cameo?”

  She looked at him in surprise. Was it her imagination, or was Gideon blushing a little? They’d known each other all their lives, though he was two years older, and Katie had never seen him show a romantic interest in any female. Gideon’s first love had always been the Adams bed and platen printing press. “Why, thank you!” She glanced down in confusion. “The cameo was my mother’s. Papa gave it to me today.” She touched it with slim fingers. “I adore it. I can remember so clearly when she wore it herself, pinned at this same spot on her gowns.”

  “Your mother was a very beautiful woman,” he said quietly. “You look more like her all the time. Have you thought of putting up your hair?”

  She reacted instantly. “No!”

  “All right, all right, I’m sorry I mentioned it!” Gideon held up his hands in surrender. “I just thought that it would show off that lovely neck of yours... and the cameo.”

  Katie pursed her lips thoughtfully and wandered over to the tiny mirror that hung in a the corner of the back room. Staring at herself, she slowly unbraided her hair, which cascaded down her back in rich ebony waves. Almost reluctantly, Katie reached back and wound it around, then carefully arranged it atop her head, holding it in place with one hand. The effect was stunning. She frowned but shyly emerged to show Gideon.

  Her friend applauded. “If you don’t mind my saying so, I think you’ve been hiding your light under a bushel, Katie! Or, more precisely, under a braid and a plain, unflattering dress. You’ve grown into a woman, but kept the transformation a secret. Although I was aware that you were pretty, I can see now that you’re a true beauty!”

  Before Katie could reply, another voice spoke from the doorway. “It’s a distinct honor to witness this historic occasion. I hope it isn’t too late for you to change the Gazette’s headline to Katie Unbraids!”

  She whirled around, freeing her hair to tumble over her shoulders. “You! Have you nothing better to do than lurk in doorways, waiting to mock me?”

  Jack’s low laughter seemed to infuse the office’s stale atmosphere with fresh energy. He walked toward her slowly, his expression appealingly boyish. “I’d be obliged if you could accuse me of something else besides ‘lurking,’” he entreated.

  “Oh, I’d be happy to, Mr. Adams. Shall I compose a list?”

  Gideon stared as Jack responded to her barbs with a grin. Clearing his throat, Henderson murmured, “Katie, will you introduce me to your... friend?”

  She’d forgotten he was there and now turned to him in embarrassment. “I’m sorry, Gideon. You must be quite shocked by my behavior. Mr. Adams has a talent for bringing out the worst in me.”

  As Katie performed stiff introductions, Gideon looked at Jack Adams and felt puny, pale, and awkward. The other man certainly had presence. Clad in clean, soft buckskins and a shirt the color of ripe wheat, he exuded strength and self-assurance as he came forward, his hand outstretched. Gideon felt Adams sizing him up before white teeth flashed in a sudden, engaging smile.

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Henderson,” Jack said, shaking the smaller man’s ink-stained hand. “You publish a very worthwhile newspaper here. I admire your work. Are you still turning a profit now that Columbia has... slowed down?”

  “Uh—thank you for the compliment. I wish I could assure you that the Gazette is thriving, but unfortunately, that’s not the case,” he replied, struck by the inane sound of his own voice in contrast to Jack’s. “I’ve heard of you, Mr. Adams. You’ve earned quite a reputation for installing Abigail Armitage at MacKenzie’s Saloon. The miners are very grateful!”

  “Are they? Well, I try to help in my own small way.” He ignored the snort of derision from behind him, instead reaching back to take Katie’s arm and draw her forward. “Mr. Henderson—”

  “Please, call me Gideon.”

  “If you’ll call me Jack. Gideon, may I borrow Miss MacKenzie for a short while? It’s a matter of grave importance.”

  “Well, certainly. Katie’s put in a long day, and she’s looking far too pretty to waste any more time cooped up here....”

  “Excuse me, gentlemen, but I am not a piece of goods that you can trade at will!” She tried to wrench free of Jack’s grip, but he held her with ease. “Only I can say whether I will stay or go—”

  A sudden, quelling look from Jack silenced her. “Would you do me the colossal favor of allowing me to explain? Privately?”

  “I might, if you would release me!” She pulled her arm away only to find that he had released it, then was further humiliated by losing her balance and stumbling against Gideon. Marshaling her remaining dignity, Katie straightened and walked toward the door. “You may follow me, Mr. Adams.”

  Jack gave Gideon a look of long-suffering amusement, then nodded good-bye and exited the Gazette office behind Katie. Out in the afternoon sunlight, he gestured toward the passageway next to the Fallon House Hotel and Theatre. “After you, my dear.”

  When they were standing close together, hidden from the street, Jack murmured, “Would you like me to avert my eyes?”

  “Why would I want you to do that?” Katie asked, irritated.

  “So that you can remove the stone from your shoe... or whatever it is that’s causing your querulous mood.”

  Her eyes blazed. “It’s a thorn in my side, and the only way to remove it is for you to go away!” She paused, breathing hard, then added, “And if I am querulous, it is because you are captious!”

  Jack’s brows elevated appreciatively. “The challenge, as I see it, would be to use both ‘lurk’ and ‘captious’ in a sentence. Let’s see... ‘Lurking captiously, he plotted ways to drive the formerly serene young maiden to the brink of madness.’ How’s that?”

  “Apt... most apt.” A smile flickered over Katie’s mouth but was instantly suppressed. “Mr. Adams, this is a shocking waste of my time!” she said sternly. “What is it you wish to say to me?”

  “I wish to ask a small favor.”

  “Of me? This should be entertaining!” She grinned as if already contemplating the pleasure of refusing him.

  “Now, Kathleen, don’t look like that. I realize that you aren’t fond of me, but aren’t we friends?”

  His eyes were gazing into hers in a way that made her feel breathless and confused. Merely by using her Christian name, he’d created a sense of intimacy between them. Somehow, too, he could charge his eyes and voice with heady magic, and she was not immune to their spell. Instinctively Katie struggled, but then she remembered her father’s advice. Don’t let it bother you, she told herself. Relax and try to enjoy him for what he is.

  “Friends?” Katie met his eyes boldly. Suddenly she saw that not allowing him to upset her was a more subtle form of victory. “I wasn’t aware that there was any basis for that happy relationship between us, but I suppose that anything is possible. And I like to think that I’m a charitable person, Mr. Adams. What kind of favor did you have in mind?”

  Jack blinked in momentary surprise but refrained from questioning her sudden shift in mood. “Just a bit of light-hearted fun.” He gave her his most appealing smile. “All I ask is that you pretend to be my wife.”

  Chapter 5

  June 26, 1864

  “Have you taken leave of your senses?” Katie gasped.

  “I don’t think so, although you’re certainly entitled to your o
pinion. Just let me explain—”

  “Please do!”

  As if to calm her, Jack reached for her hand. The instant his warm, strong fingers touched her soft skin, Katie flinched as if he’d burned her. He smiled a little, stroking his thumb against the sensitive surface of her palm and watching her reaction. Now she was still, but he saw that she was holding her breath. “Don’t worry; I’m harmless,” he murmured, his voice a caress.

  “Are you indeed?” She drew her hand from his.

  “For a woman who dreams of being carried off by the Griffin, you certainly seem to be afraid of men!” Jack chuckled softly, then held up his hands in surrender. “Now don’t get all hot and bothered again. I apologize. I don’t mean to offend you—but you’re the damnedest woman I’ve ever known.”

  “And probably the only lady,” Katie retorted.

  “That’s true. Absolutely. I’m just a poor barbarian who can’t help saying the wrong thing. But I mean well.”

  She allowed her anger to melt under his smile. “Mr. Adams, are you civilized enough to come to the point?”

  “I think so.” The sight of Katie returning his smile was disconcerting. God, but she was beautiful! Jack bit his lower lip and cleared his throat. “I... uh, well, the fact is, I need your help. It isn’t so much for me, but to spare the feelings of a certain young lady....” Her delicate eyebrows rose, but he plunged onward. “You see, I met Miss Chelstrom in Placerville, and apparently she formed an attachment to me. I won’t bore you with the details, but she seems to have followed me here. I was, as you can imagine, quite surprised when she appeared in your father’s saloon. As we talked, it became obvious that she was determined in this matter. Finally, seeing no other way out, I told Miss Chelstrom that I could not be a part of her life any longer because I had gotten married.” He grinned recklessly as Katie widened her eyes. “To you.”

  She opened her mouth, but no words would come.

  “I realize that I may have spoken rashly, but your father joined in, and before I knew it, we had spun quite a tale of impetuous romance. Brian declared that you and I had fallen in love the moment we met. Destiny, he said.”

  Katie finally made a sound of outrage. “My father said that?”

  “Oh, that was just the beginning. Once he got started, I thought he’d never stop!” Jack started to laugh, remembering. “It was all nonsense, of course. We just wanted to convince her to leave on the next stage.”

  “It would serve you right if she lingered and made you suffer!”

  “Perhaps, but would you want your father to suffer, too? I’m not the only one who’s been dishonest today. If I’m exposed as a liar, then he will be as well.”

  “But you are the one who created this situation!” Katie’s voice rose heatedly. “You’ve probably left a string of broken hearts all across the Sierras!”

  “Shh!” Jack glanced over his shoulder. “Please, I don’t mean to hurry you, but the stage is due soon, and I intend that Miss Chelstrom will be on it. Kathleen, won’t you do me this one favor? If not for me, then for your father.”

  “This is outrageous! What on earth do you want me to do?”

  “Well, for some reason, the young lady is suspicious. She won’t go until she meets you. She’s waiting for us now at the Wells Fargo office.” His brows rose hopefully.

  She sighed. “I don’t seem to have a choice, do I?”

  Laughing, Jack caught her up in his arms and lifted her off the ground. Katie wriggled free, but a telltale flush suffused her cheeks. “It’ll be fun,” he assured her. “All you have to do is pretend to be madly in love with me. That won’t be difficult, will it?”

  With those provoking words, he tucked her hand through the crook of his arm and started toward the Wells Fargo office. Katie told herself that she despised him and was angry with him, but her feelings were quite the opposite. Her heart raced with something akin to joy as Jack smiled down at her and winked roguishly. Even worse, she found that the sensation of his hard-muscled arm against her fingers and the warmth of his body so close to hers were distinctly pleasurable. So pleasurable, in fact, that Katie allowed herself to simply bask in the moment.

  As they turned right on Main Street and approached the handsome brick three-story Wells Fargo office, it was all she could do not to beam up at him. Then she saw Miss Chelstrom. The young woman was sitting on a bench outside the ticket office, surrounded by luggage and hatboxes.

  Katie felt a stab of raw emotion that she recognized as jealousy. Miss Chelstrom was ravishing. Clad in an elegant summer suit of fawn-colored Glacina stamped with a lace design, the young woman was blessed with a petite, perfectly curved body, gleaming coppery ringlets, huge eyes, and flawless white skin. Suddenly Katie’s new gown seemed gauche and obviously homemade, and her face burned as she realized that she had forgotten to rebraid her hair.

  Miss Chelstrom was staring at Jack. “I see that you have found your wife,” she murmured in tones of disbelief.

  He seemed perfectly at ease. “Kathleen helps to publish the Columbia Gazette, and she was working this afternoon, but she graciously agreed to come and meet you.” His hooded eyes narrowed slightly. “I wish it hadn’t been necessary.”

  Jack wrapped his arm protectively around Katie’s waist, and the sides of their bodies fit naturally together. For a moment she rested her cheek against his shoulder, inhaling his clean, masculine scent, then she seemed to recall her duty. Straightening, she smiled at Miss Chelstrom and held out her hand as Jack introduced them.

  “How do you do?” she said politely. “I do hope you’ll excuse my rather informal appearance. I—well, Jack often likes to unpin my hair, even in public.” She blushed prettily and glanced up at him.

  “How interesting to meet you, Mrs. Adams!” Miss Chelstrom declared. “And, you have an occupation! How sweet. I do hope my arrival in Columbia hasn’t upset you too much.”

  Warming to her part, Katie relaxed against Jack so that her breast pressed against the side of his chest. He tightened his fingers at her waist in response. “Upset me? Don’t be silly. Nothing could upset me these days, Miss Chelstrom, I’m far too happy. I never understood the meaning of that word until Jack and I met....” She dragged her eyes from his mouth and bestowed a smile upon the intruder. “Surely you don’t imagine I’m surprised to learn that Jack knew other women before he met me? On the contrary, I’m certain that there are many, many young ladies who have fancied themselves in love with him. How could they resist? But that’s past now. I’m Jack’s wife.”

  Jack himself could hardly believe his ears, not to mention his senses, as Katie leaned against him. He could even feel the outline of her thigh against his hip. Their eyes met, and he swore he read passion in her gaze. “You certainly are,” Jack murmured, then looked at his visitor. “I’m truly sorry you came all this way, Cecelia, but we did say good-bye in Placerville. Have a safe journey home.”

  “Oh, I shall. And Jack, shouldn’t you buy your dear wife a wedding ring? That is, if you mean to stay married....”

  “I plan to, just as soon as we get to Sacramento this Thursday.”

  Miss Chelstrom’s beautiful face was stiff with anger and suspicion as the couple strolled away arm in arm. Turning his head a fraction, Jack saw that the young woman was sitting forward, observing them. He looked down at Katie, who was leaning against his shoulder.

  “That was quite a performance, Miss MacKenzie. Have you considered a career on the stage?” Before she could gather her wits and resurrect the familiar barriers between them, Jack continued, “I’m not entirely certain that Miss Chelstrom is convinced, however. Would you mind helping me to dispel any lingering doubts she might entertain?”

  Katie wondered if this entire episode might be a dream. “No,” she whispered, “I wouldn’t mind.”

  Aware that he was taking advantage, yet blithely unrepentant, Jack turned to face her and slid both hands around her waist. Slim and supple, she melted against him, and with an instinct born of practice, he k
new that she wasn’t pretending: Katie was as hungry for him as he was for her. His heart leaped with arousal when she artlessly reached up and twined her arms about his shoulders. Her fingers sank into the curls at the nape of his neck, caressing the warm, bare skin under his open collar.

  “Kathleen,” he breathed, gathering her completely into his arms. Her firm breasts seemed to brand the expanse of his chest; their bodies were flush, hips pressed together in spite of the crinoline that belled out behind Katie.

  She didn’t close her eyes but stared in wonder, savoring the exquisite anticipation as Jack slowly lowered his face to hers. Gently, he grazed her parted lips, tracing each soft, lush curve before covering them with his own finely chiseled mouth. Through a dizzying wave of arousal, the realization came to him that she had never been kissed before. Her lips trembled with yearning as he tasted them for long moments before slowly venturing beyond with his tongue. Katie’s came to meet him, sweet and ardent, and then she was kissing him back, exploring the inside of his mouth as he had explored hers. His hands explored the graceful curves of her waist and back while her fingers caressed his hair. It wasn’t until Jack instinctively felt for the tiny buttons that skimmed her spine that he remembered where they were, and why. Opening his eyes, he saw that Victoria Barnstaple and two of her friends were staring at them from the other side of Main Street.

  Katie moaned softly in protest when Jack’s mouth left hers. He buried his face in her hair, kissed her neck, then remarked with gentle irony, “We seem to have forgotten ourselves, Miss MacKenzie....”

  Startled, she opened her eyes as the flush of passion drained from her cheeks. “I—but—”

  “Please don’t slap me,” Jack begged, smiling, “or our performance will have been for naught.” His alert eyes watched the conflicting play of emotions cross her face. “Now, Kathleen, don’t look at me like that. Think of it as my birthday gift, the one you didn’t want to accept at the saloon that night. You’re twenty years old and it’s time you had a proper kiss.” Jack lifted her trembling hand and pressed it to his mouth before glancing at her with a hint of mischief. “You can be honest with me. Didn’t you enjoy it just a little?”