Magnificent Passage (35 page)

Mandy stiffened as she felt his rough fingers brush her neck. She tried to step away, but the man's hold on the jewels stopped her.

“These jewels are my responsibility!” she said.

“Samantha, please,” Mark pleaded, “for God's sake, do as they say!” His hands trembled.

Mandy suddenly realized Hawk's words were true. Mark Denton was a coward. He had left her on the paddlewheeler to die. Furious at the knowledge, she jerked free, accidentally hitting the Englishman, her movement so swift and unexpected the tiny derringer went flying into the
darkness. The Englishman grabbed for it and so did the driver. They collided comically, landing on the ground.

“Run for the carriage, Mark!” Mandy cried, giving him a shove to jolt him from his fear-frozen state. They dashed for the hack and Mark, now forced into action, grabbed the reins and whipped up the horses, careening away from the two men. Mandy watched as the unsavory pair cursed and followed for a distance.

The carriage rounded a few more corners at breakneck speed, Mark unwilling to chance another incident. Finally he slowed. Mandy, relieved and exhausted, refused to look in his direction.
How could she have been so blind?
She had to see Hawk—apologize for doubting him.

They pulled up in front of the hotel in silence. Mark helped her down and escorted her inside without a word.

Christmas arrived with a whirlwind of balls and parties, but Hawk was nowhere to be seen. Maybe it's best, she reasoned. If he cared for her at all, he would have sought her out by now.

On Christmas Eve, the Ashton household opened the gifts piled beneath the huge fir while a warm fire crackled in the hearth. A cap for Wong Sun, a mother-of-pearl comb for Bessy. Mandy gave Uncle William a book of poems and several pairs of socks she'd knitted. He loaded her with gifts: furs, jewelry . . . but the best gift of all was Lady Ann. “I know how much you love her,” he said. “She's yours. After you get home and settled in, I'll send her to you.”

In the past few weeks it had become painfully clear to
Mandy she would have to return to Fort Laramie. Not to her old life; but there were things to be settled before she would be free of her past. Julia and Jason were there now. Besides, she'd had enough adventure to last a lifetime. It hadn't brought her happiness, but it had forced her to grow up. The work she'd done for her uncle assured her she could take care of herself, and there was little left of her relationship with Mark after the accident. It was time for her to go home.

Only one incident made her think about staying. On Christmas morning she found a small package beneath the tree. Her name was on it, but nothing more. She tore off the paper and opened the tiny velvet box. Sitting on a cushion of white satin, a miniature jeweled kitten stared up at her with diamond eyes. The eyes danced in the firelight, and her own eyes filled with tears. Only one person would give her such a gift. She clutched the kitten fiercely to her breast and wondered at the meaning of the present. She dared not hope for too much. Knowing Hawk as she did, if it were from him, it could be either as an apology for his behavior on the island or just a token of their past friendship. She refused to let herself use any other word to describe their somewhat dubious relationship.

The next day she asked her uncle's permission to use his carriage, then instructed the driver to take her by the Enterprise Hotel. There were several hours remaining before the guests would be arriving for the Christmas festivities. She could be back in plenty of time. She needed to speak to James.

He was just coming down from his room as she entered the lobby. She thanked him for the perfume he'd given her,
and he thanked her for the muffler she'd knit him. Then she told him briefly of the tiny jeweled kitten.

James smiled wryly. “It's from Hawk, all right. I'd bet my life on it. He never quite got over that scene you two had with the bobcat cub. He was awfully proud of you that day, even if he wouldn't admit it.”

“Where is he, James? I want to thank him.”

“'Fraid you won't be able to do that for some time. He's accepted some sort of high-level government assignment. He'll be gone at least three or four months. It's all very hush-hush. He wouldn't even give
me
the details.” He walked her back to the carriage. “I'm keeping an eye on the ranch for him, but he really doesn't need me. Jesus Ramirez, his
segundo,
is an extremely capable man.”

Mandy glanced away. “Then I guess the gift was just his way of saying good-bye.” She let James help her aboard the carriage. “I'll be leaving for Fort Laramie as soon as the snow clears enough to get over the mountains.”

“I'm sorry things worked out the way they did,” James said. “I'll see that he gets the present you made him when I see him again.”

Mandy could scarcely keep her mind on his words.
Hawk was gone from her life for good.
She thought of his velvet brown eyes, the way one corner of his mouth curved when he smiled, the feel of his strong tanned hands on her body. Somehow, some way, she had to find the strength to forget him.

The next several months dragged by. Mandy waited anxiously for the weather to change so she could plan her trip
home. More and more she yearned to be away from Sacramento City and her memories. She wondered if being fifteen hundred miles away would help. She doubted it, but it was worth a try. She was eager to see Julia and Jason and there were matters to settle with her father as well.

Though she'd given up hope of seeing Hawk again, she missed him terribly, as she had ever since they'd been separated. There were times she wished she'd admitted her feelings to him, even wished she'd agreed to become his mistress. But all that was behind her now.

Finally the weather broke. She was scheduled to depart in one week on the train, then continue by stage on the long trip home. In less than three weeks she'd be back at Fort Laramie.

O
h, Uncle William, I'll miss you.” Mandy's eyes misted as she hugged her uncle goodbye.

He cleared his throat and turned away. “Take care of yourself, my dear. And give Julia my love. Tell her . . . tell her . . . ” He patted Mandy's hand. “I know you'll say the right thing.”

Mandy nodded.

“Give my suggestion some thought,” he added, referring to the job he had offered. “You've spoiled me. I don't know how I'll manage without you.”

“I will, Uncle William.” She hugged him again and boarded the train with just a few small satchels. She had already said her goodbyes to Bessy and Wong Sun at the house. Mandy stashed the satchels beneath the seat and turned to see a lanky, familiar figure strolling toward her down the aisle.

“You didn't think you were going to get out of town without saying good-bye to me, did you?” James grinned broadly, sweeping her up in a big bear hug.

The last of her control dissolved. She felt tears prickling her eyes. “Don't make me cry, James.” She took a last look into his mischievous dark eyes. “I'm so glad you came. You know I'm going to miss you.” She hugged him again and felt
an ache around her heart. “Tell . . . Hawk . . . good-bye for me . . . will you?”

“I'll tell him,” he answered, a little gruffly.

He turned, but not before she saw the flash of sadness in his eyes.

“Tell him . . . tell him . . . I'll be thinking of him,” she finished in a whisper.

James nodded. “You take care of yourself, now, you hear me?” He hugged her again, then hurried to the exit as the train rumbled slowly from the station.

She watched both James and Uncle William from the window, waved till she could see them no more, then wondered whether she'd made the right decision. She sighed and relaxed against the seat, her small frame already uncomfortable.

The train ride was lengthy but uneventful. The stage was waiting as they pulled into the Elko station. The railroad had pushed even farther east over the past few months, which helped to shorten her trip at least a little. Elko looked a lot like Reno. It was just another railhead built to house the men working on the line. Already Elko was the jumping-off spot for the stagelines—the next town of any size they would come to would be Great Salt Lake City, still hundreds of miles away.

The stagecoach was, as usual, uncomfortable and crowded. Mandy was traveling with a rotund merchant who smelled distinctly of garlic, and a spindly matron who'd accepted a position as schoolteacher in one of the forts along
the Platte. Other passengers came and went in a nondescript blur.

Dusty miles of desert passed by her window. Even the animal life seemed to have gone underground. Sagebrush, in tiny dark patches, interrupted the stark landscape. It had all been so exciting when she'd traveled with Hawk and James. Now the scenery appeared as bland as the food in the dirty way stations.

Over the next few days, way stations, tiny towns, and trading posts all ran together. By the time they reached the plains country, she'd come to a decision. As soon as she straightened things out with her father, she would return to Sacramento City and accept the job as her uncle's assistant. She would find Hawk and become his mistress—if he still wanted her—and her conscience be damned! Her life was empty without him. At least if she were with him, she might have a chance to make him love her as she loved him.

Then she thought of Wishana. She was the woman Hawk loved. Maybe he was with her now. Thoughts of the big man in another woman's arms tormented her. How could she go to him when he clearly loved another? She argued with herself endlessly. If only she'd never met him.

The coach pulled up briefly at an adobe station. The horses were changed. One passenger departed and another, an arrogant young cowboy who eyed her much too boldly, boarded the coach.