CHAPTER 27

Each girl had a story of her own, some of the stories exciting, most of them sad. As the sumptuous meal was served by Corinne’s servants, Silver heard bits and pieces from each of them in turn. With every new story, Silver’s understanding of this house and its inhabitants grew.

Corinne Duvall had saved all of them from a life of starvation or abuse or prostitution. In return for a place to stay, good food to eat, and fine clothes to wear, the girls worked in Corinne’s Rainbow Saloon. But they were not the usual dance hall girls, serving liquor to drunken miners—or worse. They were forbidden intimacies beyond simple conversation. But, according to the girl seated on Silver’s left, there was the occasional love story that ended in a wedding.

She learned one more thing during the meal. The Rainbow Saloon had honest gambling tables, and because of that, more men came there to gamble than any other saloon or gaming hall in all of Virginia City. If Matt Carlton was in this town, he would end up at the Rainbow sooner or later.

And if he’s who Jared believes him to be, one of the girls at this table could be his next victim.

Even as a shudder passed through her, fresh resolve stiffened her spine. She meant to do everything she could to make certain there was no next victim. She wanted and needed the reward in order to help her father, but there were some things even more important than money.

Jared rode hard and fast toward Virginia City, leading Cinder behind him. He didn’t stop until night began to fall around him. Once the horses were cared for, he made a fire and warmed some beans, eating because he knew he should, not because it mattered to him what it tasted like.

Several hours later, he lay on his bedroll, staring at the sliver of moon overhead. Sleep eluded him despite his weariness. All he could do was think of Silver and wonder if she was all right and imagine what might have happened to her. If she believed Jared had left her without a word, then she must hate him now.

He groaned and rolled onto his side. Discovering his money had been stolen and his note never delivered had been hard to swallow. It didn’t help to know the employee of Wells, Fargo was now sitting in jail. Ultimately, what had happened was Jared’s fault. He’d wanted to avoid a confrontation with Silver. That was the real reason he found himself lying on his bedroll too worried to sleep. That was the real reason Silver and Dean were in Virginia City without him there to protect them. It was his fault and no one else’s.

God, keep her safe. Please keep her safe until I can find her. The prayer felt awkward, foreign. He’d pushed God away for years. Why should He listen to Jared now? And yet he pressed on. Don’t let me lose her. Not now that I’ve found her.

The more he prayed, the easier it came. Until finally, a wall in his heart seemed to crumble and he felt himself stepping over the rubble into a place of trust.

After the early supper, all of the young women in their colorful gowns left the house in several carriages, bound for the Rainbow Saloon. Corinne remained behind with Silver.

“Well, what do you think?” Corinne asked as the two of them stood in the entry hall.

“What do I think?”

“Would you be willing to work for me?”

“Work for you?” She felt foolish, echoing the woman’s words that way, but she couldn’t seem to help it.

Corinne’s smile was kind. “I assure you, you will be protected from harm.”

Work in a saloon? It might not be the usual kind of saloon, but still . . . Her stepmother would die of shame. But what would happen to her and Dean if she refused?

“And you would be under no obligation to remain should you find you want to leave Virginia City.”

Silver drew in a long, steadying breath. “Miss Corinne, before I give you my answer, I need to tell you why I came here. You asked earlier if it was because of a man. It is, but not the way you think.”

An hour later, Silver opened the door to the third-floor bedroom, allowing a streak of yellow light to stream in from the hall. Dean sprawled across the bed, sound asleep. The sheet and blanket were twisted and shoved aside. The boy frowned as the light touched his face but didn’t awaken. Silver moved quietly across the room. Stopping beside the bed, she brushed the hair on his forehead to one side with her fingertips. He mumbled something unintelligible before rolling away from her.

Corinne had not seemed a bit surprised by Silver’s story. She hadn’t seemed to think it unusual for a young single woman to ride halfway across the country in the company of a bounty hunter while in pursuit of a thief and a killer. She hadn’t thought it odd that Silver, when left behind by Jared, had continued on to Virginia City without him.

“You can rest your ankle for a few days,” Corinne had said at the conclusion of their talk. “Then we will take you to the Rainbow and see if the work will suit.”

What else could Silver do but agree to the arrangement? She and Dean would be housed and fed and safe. It was more than she had any right to expect.

With one last glance at the sleeping boy, she left the bedroom and descended the stairs to the second floor, making her way to the blue room. She was tired and ready for sleep. It had been an exhausting day, physically and emotionally.

She discovered a pretty satin nightgown awaiting her on the bed. It was amazing, really, the way clothes in her size seemed to appear out of thin air. She undressed, slipped the nightgown over her head, and got into bed, enjoying the feel of clean sheets on clean skin. Never again would she fail to appreciate the luxury of simple things.

For a moment, she wondered about Jared. Where he was. What he was doing. But even thoughts of Jared couldn’t keep her awake tonight, and she soon drifted into a dreamless slumber.