Promising Hearts

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

The sun was just coming up as Vance rode back into town. She was pleased to see that the laundry was already open, and she stopped to collect her clothes. Despite Mae's admonition that she come directly to her rooms, Vance wanted to wash off the sweat and lingering hints of sickness before going to her. The cold-water wash refreshed her, and just before seven, dressed in her best clean clothes, she tapped lightly on Mae's door. Far from feeling tired, she felt alive with expectation. When the door opened and Mae smiled up at her, the thrill of possibility shot through her. It had been so long since she had looked upon a day with anticipation.

"Thank you," Vance murmured.

Mae's eyes widened in surprise. "Whatever for?" She took Vance's hand and drew her inside, closing the door behind them.

"For reminding me what pleasure feels like." Before Mae could reply, Vance slid a finger beneath her chin, tilted Mae's head up, and kissed her. "You always look beautiful, but in the morning, you're exquisite."

"I'm not wearing even a touch of powder on my face, my robe was once lovely but is no longer new, and I haven't had a chance to put up my hair." Mae caressed Vance's cheek. "But when you look at me the way you do, I feel--"

"Cherished, I hope," Vance broke in. She turned her head and kissed Mae's palm. "Because you are."

"I don't believe I'm ready for this conversation before breakfast."

Vance laughed. "Then I shall take you to breakfast and we can resume thereafter."

"We're paying a visit to George Smith after breakfast, so anything else you might have planned will have to wait."

"I had nothing planned, only hoped for."

"Hush now," Mae said softly. She still didn't quite know how to take the attention that Vance lavished on her. She'd never been the object of anyone's true affection. Even her mother, who had cared for her as well as possible, often gave the impression that it was more duty than love that motivated her. Mae didn't blame her for that. Widowed young and with no money to tempt another husband nor skills to provide for herself and a child, she had gone into service and managed to provide a home for them both. Nevertheless, the drudgery and disappointment of her life had hardened her heart without her even knowing it. "I must get dressed, and while I do, you're to sit here on the settee."

Vance lifted her brow. "I'm not to be trusted, then?"

Mae smiled. "You might be, but I most certainly am not. I dreamed of you last night and woke up wanting you."

With a sound close to a growl, Vance caught her swiftly around the waist. She pulled her near and kissed her, harder this time, without apology for her demands. "The tailor can wait."

"He can," Mae said breathlessly. "But I fear if we don't go now, we won't go at all." She nipped at Vance's lower lip. "And you do need new clothes."

"Mae," Vance said with a warning glint in her eyes. "I'll not be patient much longer."

"I don't want you to be. Just for a few more hours."

v Two hours were beginning to feel like a life sentence. The only thing that made the process bearable was watching the way Mae's eyes moved over her body when George Smith wasn't looking. Vance stood in the center of the small, cluttered room in her undershirt, drawers, and boots while the impeccably dressed, fastidious tailor measured and fussed and remeasured. He'd blinked once in surprise when Mae had explained why they'd come, then given a small bow and gestured with an open arm toward the curtained-off back room.

"Three shirts, two trousers, and a coat for everyday and business both," Mae repeated. "Cotton for the shirts and wool for the coat and trousers. None of that linsey-woolsey that stretches out of shape after one wearing."

Smith looked affronted. "I assure you, I use only the finest materials that come all the way from St. Louis."

"Well, don't plan on charging us for the entire train."

Vance grinned and said nothing. She had to admit, it was rather enjoyable having clothes made for her that would actually fit and in which she would be comfortable. She also discovered that having Mae direct the tailor as to precisely how she wanted the clothes to look was unexpectedly arousing. When Mae circled her, a contemplative expression on her face, and touched her here and there to demonstrate where she wanted the shirt to fall or the trousers to start, Vance had to stifle a moan. Even though Mae gave no indication that she was aware of Vance's growing discomfort, it seemed that as the morning wore on, Mae found more and more excuses to touch her.

"There," Smith proclaimed as if he had just completed a work of art. "That should be everything we need. I'll have these for you, Dr.

Phelps, within a week."

"Thank you," Vance said with as much dignity as she could muster while dressed only in her underwear. She gratefully took the pants that Mae held out to her, removed her boots, and pulled them on. The shirt she slid over the remnant of her left arm and across her shoulders with ease of habit. When Mae stepped close to do up the buttons, Vance caught a flicker of heat in her lovely eyes. Knowing that Mae warmed to her that way only increased Vance's desire.

Once dressed and outside, Vance cupped Mae's elbow and led her quickly down the street.

"Have you forgotten an appointment?" Mae asked, reaching up to settle her hat more firmly upon her now neatly pinned tresses.

"Something like that," Vance muttered, intent on reaching the Golden Nugget as quickly as possible. Caleb would not expect her until evening at the earliest, knowing that she had been out all night working.

Of course he would assume she was sleeping, although that was the furthest thing from her mind.

"You're going to look very handsome in those clothes," Mae said somewhat breathlessly as she concentrated on not catching the heels of her shoes in the hard-packed ruts of the street. She held her hem above the dust with one gloved hand.

"If you like them, that's all that matters to me," Vance said with one swift glance in Mae's direction. "You seemed to enjoy the fitting enough."

Mae smiled pleasantly. "I find that I like having you half-dressed and helpless."

"Mae, so help me," Vance warned, "I'll not temper my urges much longer."

They'd reached the stairs in the alley leading up to Mae's rooms, and Mae stopped abruptly to kiss Vance full on the mouth. "I certainly hope not."

Vance led the way up the stairs, Mae's hand clasped in hers. She waited while Mae unlocked the door, dizzy with the scent of spice and invitation that wafted from Mae's faintly flushed skin. Once inside the room, she removed her coat while Mae locked the door. When Mae turned to her with a hint of uncertainty in her eyes, Vance's urgency drained away to be replaced with a sense of expectation that she had no desire to hurry.

"Before I'm through," Vance said with absolute certainty, "I'm going to know every inch of you."

Mae's lips parted but no sound emerged. With shaking hands, she deposited her bag and shawl on the nearby sideboard and reached for her hat.

"Let me do that," Vance said. Gently, she removed the pins that held the hat and set everything aside. Then she took Mae's hand. "Let's finish this in the other room."

The shutters were closed in Mae's bedroom, and Vance lit the oil lamp that sat on the bureau, suffusing the room in a golden glow. She crossed to Mae, who stood by the bed, and kissed her softly. "With only one hand I may be a little slow at it, but I'd like to undress you myself."

"Take forever, if you need," Mae whispered. "There's nowhere in the world I want to be except here with you."

Vance wanted her then, immediately. Wanted to revel in the taste and sound of her. Wanted to lose herself in the sensation of hot flesh against hot flesh. She knew if she broke the chains of her own restraint, Mae would let her have anything she wanted, would let her feast until she was sated, as selfishly as she desired. And that was the one thing she did not want. She would not take, even that which was freely given.

She would show this one woman, the only woman she had ever truly wanted, what it was to be treasured.

"I don't believe there is a world for me without you," Vance murmured, reaching around to open the tiny row of buttons that closed the back of Mae's dress. She laughed quietly. "Did you choose this particular dress just to test me?"

Mae circled her arms around Vance's narrow waist and rested her head against her shoulder. She was already half lost in the hungry timbre of Vance's voice, and she hadn't yet felt those delicate fingers upon her skin. She wondered if she would be able to stand the intensity of that moment without tears. "I wore it because no one else has ever seen me in it. No one else has ever seen me take it off."

Vance's chest filled with a terrible ache, with a need so great she feared she would choke on it. She buried her face in the curve of Mae's neck, her hand pressed tightly to Mae's back. "You honor me."

"How is it possible that you don't see me the way everyone else does?" Mae laced her fingers through the thick dark hair that brushed Vance's collar and pulled her head up so she could search her face.

"Does it truly not matter what I am?"

"What matters, my dearest Mae, is who you are," Vance said, her voice steady and her eyes as gentle as the first breath of spring, "and how tenderly you have taken me into your heart, when I have such great need for you."

"No greater need than mine for you."

Vance smiled and brushed her lips over Mae's. "I think you still do not know me, or my needs." With swift, delicate precision, she opened Mae's dress. She bent to kiss her bare shoulder, then smoothed her palm over her collarbone and down her arm, pushing the dress away. She repeated the motion on the opposite side, until the garment pooled in folds of lush green around Mae's feet. Vance traced a fingertip along the lacy edge of the chemise that peeked above the black silk corset that cradled Mae's breasts. Then she kissed the path her finger had taken, lingering over the spot where Mae's heart beat frantically.

"Your mouth is so soft, so warm," Mae marveled, trembling beneath that terribly gentle onslaught. She braced her hands on Vance's shoulders for support as her legs grew steadily weaker, but she was determined to stand as long as Vance wanted to touch her. She had never wanted to give so much to a single person in all her life.

"I love the way you smell," Vance murmured, closing her eyes as she rubbed her cheek over the swell of Mae's breast, her fingers busy with the hooks that held the corset closed. As it fell away, releasing the full beauty of Mae's breasts, she gasped. "So beautiful."

Unable to contain the ache of pleasure that filled her, Mae grasped Vance's head and guided Vance's mouth to her taut nipple. "Please."

Vance drew her in, rolling her tongue over the small hard peak, closing her fingers convulsively around the soft weight in her hand.

Mae's head dropped back, and eyes closed, she moaned. The sensation was pain and pleasure, too exquisite to distinguish. "I need you so."

Panting, Vance straightened, drawing trembling fingers down the delicate column of Mae's throat. With infinite care she plucked the pins from Mae's hair, watching it tumble like a golden sunrise around Mae's pale shoulders. "I must have you soon. I fear that if I wait, something inside me will break and I will hurt you in my hunger for you."

"No," Mae soothed. "You will not hurt me with love." She spread her hands over Vance's chest, then stroked downward over her stomach. She tugged at the buttons on her trousers. "But let it be soon."

Looking down as Mae opened her clothing, Vance felt the beast inside her slip its restraints. She caught a handful of silken curls in her fist and tugged until Mae let go of her clothing and stared up in surprise.

Then she covered Mae's mouth, catching her swollen lip between her teeth, tugging it between her own and sucking until Mae whimpered and dug her fingers into Vance's back. Vance pulled away and, with an arm curved around Mae's waist, half carried her toward the bed. "Help me undress. I can't manage now with one hand."

"You've been managing just perfectly," Mae said unsteadily even as she pushed the shirt from Vance's shoulders. She grasped her undershirt and lifted upward, baring the scars that made her want to weep and the beautiful body that took her breath away. She smoothed her palm over the arch of Vance's shoulder and down her left arm, tenderly touching the terrible wound. "Be careful of this when we're together--"

"You needn't worry." Vance edged her fingers beneath Mae's chemise and drew it gently over her breasts and off. "The only thing that I will know when we lie together is joy." She reached down and pushed the covers aside on the bed, then motioned for Mae to lie down. She leaned over and whispered, "Will you take off the rest for me now?"

With her eyes on Vance, Mae removed her remaining garments.

"Now you."

Vance felt Mae's gaze warm her skin as she stripped, baring far more than her flesh. She came to Mae with every emotion exposed, nearly helpless in her need. She lowered herself gently over Mae's body, leaning on her right arm to keep her weight from being too much.

Because she had no other hand to explore Mae's body, she used her mouth, slowly, thoroughly, kissing Mae's forehead, her eyelids, her lips, before moving down to her throat, the valley between her breasts, the dip at her navel, the arch of hipbone and delicate curve of her thigh.

It was a journey of discovery and adoration, and she did not hurry.

Mae's hands on her face and shoulders guided her, fluttering urgently when her mouth found a particularly sensitive spot, stroking languidly as the pleasure ebbed and flowed. When she reached Mae's center, Vance pushed up to her knees, leaning back between Mae's parted thighs and lifting her gaze to Mae's face. She barely recognized her own voice when she rasped, "I want only to please you. I want to be inside you, but if you would rather I not--"

"You are the only one I've ever wanted there," Mae whispered brokenly, "if you desire."

Vance gently cupped Mae's sex and stretched out upon her again, her hand between their bodies. She kissed her tenderly as she slipped into her, then closed her eyes and went completely still. In the faintest of whispers, she said, "I feel your heart pulse all around me. Even the beat of a new life in the palm of my hand has never felt as wondrous."

Mae cupped one hand behind Vance's head, drawing Vance's face to her breasts as she lifted her hips to take Vance even deeper. She moved with a rhythm as natural as life, as pure as love, and held Vance to her heart as she offered her own. Dimly she sensed Vance following her lead, stroke for stroke, knowing instinctively that Vance would fear to take more than Mae might want to give.

"Vance," Mae breathed against Vance's ear. "Make me yours. Please."

With a cry, Vance shifted her hips and rested her weight on her left shoulder so she could free her arm. She drove faster, harder, calling Mae's passion to hers. "Come to me, dearest. Come to me now."

Had Mae been able to think, she might have worried about Vance, but she could do nothing but give way to the fierce pleasure that blossomed with every thrust. She pressed her face to Vance's breast and let the wild beating of her lover's heart take her home.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

"Did I fall asleep?" Mae asked. She had no memory of having been asleep, only of being delightfully free of fear or worry.

Her body felt warm, soft, loved. She rubbed her fingers lightly down the center of Vance's chest, then kissed the base of her throat. "You're quiet. Are you all right?"

Vance nodded, her cheek brushing the top of Mae's head. "Yes.

Just thinking."

"I'm not sure that's such a good thing at a time like this," Mae said, laughing lightly. "I believe I'd prefer that your brain be too addled to be entertaining any heavy ideas."

"You needn't worry. My head and body are nicely addled." Vance kissed Mae and smiled. "I thought I knew what it was to be happy, until these moments with you. Now I understand that happiness is not merely the absence of sorrow, but the presence of joy."

The tears that Mae had been able to contain earlier escaped now.

She closed her eyes and savored the comfort and security of Vance's embrace.

"Have I upset you?" Vance said worriedly, feeling the tears against her skin.

"No," Mae whispered. "You've made me very happy, and apparently, when that happens, I cry."

"Then it seems we are in similar circumstances." Vance sighed.

Judging from the light sifting through the spaces between the shutters on Mae's window, it was close to dusk. "I need to find Caleb and make sure he doesn't need me."

Frowning, Mae sat up. "I know you haven't been to bed for more than a day. You can't think of working tonight."

"I won't unless it's necessary, but," Vance said hurriedly, "if it is, I'll be fine. Believe me, this kind of work is nothing compared to weeks on end with no shelter, no food, and no hope."

"Why did you stay?" Mae asked quietly.

"After a while, I wondered that myself," Vance admitted. "But I'd made a promise to serve, and when I was able to think clearly, I knew that the cause was just. I didn't leave because I was needed. And part of me needed to be there."

"Whatever comes of us in the future," Mae said seriously, "I want you to stay only because you need to be here. Not because of what you think my needs--"

Vance sat up, her eyes glittering sharply. "Have I loved you so poorly just now that you can't feel my need for you?"

Mae took a shuddering breath. "I never thought to be loved the way you do." She pressed her hand to Vance's heart. "But sometimes feelings change--"

"Not mine. Not about you." Vance circled Mae's shoulders and pulled her roughly against her chest. She kissed her hard with a mixture of frustration and affection, and didn't release her until she was breathless. "I can see that you do not trust my feelings as of yet. I'll have to work harder to convince you."

"If you work any harder," Mae whispered, pressing trembling fingers to Vance's mouth, "I don't know that I'll survive."

"I'll see that you do." Vance smiled and was about to kiss her again when frantic knocking at Mae's door interrupted her. She threw back the covers and leapt up, reaching for her holster, which she'd left on the floor with her clothes. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Mae pull on a robe and start toward the door. "Wait for me."

"Who is it?" Mae called without opening the door.

"It's me. Sissy."

Mae glanced back and saw that Vance had her pants on and was working her shirt over her shoulders. She pulled the door open several inches. "What's the matter?"

"It's Lettie. She says the baby's coming."

"Lord, it's too soon."

"Only by a few weeks," Vance said as she stepped up beside Mae.

"Let me take a look at her."

Sissy stared from Mae to Vance, but made no remark about the fact that they had clearly shared a bed. "I'll take you."

After Mae hastily threw on her dress, she followed. Vance leaned over Lettie, murmuring in a calming voice as she palpated the girl's swollen abdomen. Lettie's pale face was beaded with sweat and her eyes were wild with fear. Mae went to the head of the bed and stroked her hair. "Don't worry, honey. Everything is going to be all right."

"It hurts and I'm so scared."

"I know you are. I know." Mae looked at Vance over Lettie's head and saw her nod sharply to confirm that the baby was indeed on its way.

"You're going to have this baby tonight, honey, and it's going to be a beautiful baby. You'll be just fine."

"Don't go. Please don't go."

Mae shook her head. "No, of course I won't." To Vance, she said, "How much time?"

"Hard to tell. A few hours at least." She smiled at Lettie. "You're going to have some work to do, but I know that you'll do a fine job.

There's nothing to be afraid of." She stepped close to Mae. "I need to get my bag. Have the girls boil some water, bring fresh towels. You know what to do. I'll be back shortly. Until then, just stay with her."

"You go on ahead. I'll be here."

Vance smiled. "That's good. I'm counting on that."

v When Kate arrived nearly three hours later, it was well after dark and Mae, Vance, and several of the girls were huddled on chairs around the bed. Mae held Lettie's hand.

"I got here as soon as I could. Thank you for sending word for me to come," she said to Vance as she removed her bonnet and cloak.

"You've arrived in plenty of time," Vance said. "She's doing a wonderful job, but we've got a ways to go yet." She stood and led Kate to the bed. "Lettie, I'm going to show Kate how to tell what the baby's doing. It won't hurt you."

Panting, Lettie nodded, her face strained, but her eyes calm and trusting. "Okay."

After both Vance and Kate washed and dried their hands, Vance lifted the sheet and nodded to Mae to hold it up. "Thanks." She took Kate's hand and placed it on Lettie's lower abdomen just above her pelvic bone. "You can feel the head here, as it descends into the pelvis and the birth canal."

Heart pounding, Kate pressed gently. The smooth, firm curve of the infant's skull was easy to appreciate. She raised shining eyes to Vance's. "Yes."

"Now, I'm going to show you how to judge the progression of labor by the amount the cervix is open." She lifted the sheet to block what she and Kate were doing. "Mae, would you hold this, please."

"I have it," Mae said, watching as Vance gently placed Kate's hand between Lettie's legs and instructed her on what to feel for as she examined her inside. Mae had seen Doc Melbourne deliver babies before, and she knew the basics. He'd always seemed to do a good job, but there was a tenderness about the way Vance did everything that was just...special.

When Kate hesitated after slipping her fingers into the birth canal, Vance murmured, "You'll not hurt her. The nerves are stretched by the baby's head coming down, and not very sensitive right now."

"I feel something pounding," Kate said anxiously.

"Those are the uterine arteries, which are very large at this point because they're supplying blood to the uterus as well as the baby."

For the first time, Kate realized that she recognized this rapid pulse that beat against her fingers. It was a powerful sign of life and she'd felt it before, under different but just as miraculous circumstances.

Reverently, she nodded.

"Now you'll feel a thick ring and then the smooth crown of the baby's head. That's the cervix opening to allow the baby to exit the uterus. When that ring is open five inches, she'll be very close to giving birth."

"It feels like it's about halfway there," Kate said, keeping her voice low.

"Good," Vance said. "You're right."

Carefully, Kate withdrew her hand. "What do we do now?"

Vance smiled. "We wait."

Four hours later they were still waiting. Lettie slept fitfully on and off, while Mae or Sissy sponged her hot, sweaty face with cool water.

Vance and Kate sat on opposite sides of the bed, watching and checking the time between the contractions.

Mae squeezed Vance's shoulder. "You should have something to eat. It's closing in on midnight."

Vance smiled up at Mae. "I'm all right. Thanks. You can take a break, though. We might be in for a long night."

"It's hard when they're so young," Mae said, glancing up to where Lettie lay with her eyes closed. "Hard anytime I guess, when you're alone."

Vance caught Mae's hand and clasped it gently. "She's not alone.

She has you and the others. She has more family than most."

Mae moved her hand to the back of Vance's neck and caressed her softly for a few seconds. "I'd forgotten how much you understand."

"I know what you mean to them. To all of us." Vance stood and stretched, then said, "Let's see how she's doing." When she pulled back the covers once again, she frowned. A trickle of blood pooled between Lettie's thighs. "Kate."

Kate jumped up and followed Vance's gaze. She caught her lip between her teeth but made no sound, merely looked into Vance's face questioningly.

"Feel her abdomen and tell me if anything has changed."

With a trembling hand, Kate probed gently the way she had been shown. She moved quickly, but carefully. "I don't feel the head where it was before," she said in a low whisper.

Vance repeated the examination and nodded, her face expressionless now. She looked over her shoulder to Mae. "I need my instruments and the basin with carbolic nearby. Will you lay them out for me like you did when Jed was injured?"

"Yes," Mae said. "What's happening?"

"I'll tell you in just a moment." Once again, Vance sat on the edge of the bed and carefully inserted her hand into the birth canal.

She closed her eyes to focus her attention completely on the details she could discern with her fingertips, then withdrew her hand and stood.

"The baby's shifted position. It's breech. I can feel an arm at the very top of the birth canal."

Mae's face went white. She glanced quickly up at Lettie, who did not appear to be listening, or, if she was, did not understand what was happening. Mae did, however. She'd seen women die trying to deliver a baby that was coming feet first or with just a hand or shoulder without the head preceding it. She'd never seen the baby delivered alive. "Oh Lord."

"The instruments, Mae," Vance said gently.

Wordlessly, Mae complied as Vance motioned Kate to step away from the bed.

"The baby's head is no longer in the birth canal, and if we can't change that, the baby or the mother will die."

"What can we do?" Kate asked through a dry, tight throat.

The wonder and excitement of birth had changed in a heartbeat to a terrifying tableau of fear and desperation. She understood that there would be times when it was up to her to change that balance, and she was determined that she would not fail mother or child for lack of knowledge or courage. She looked to Vance for the answers and was reassured by the steady certainty of her gaze.

"Most often, to save the mother, the child would be sacrificed."

Vance glanced at the bed where a young girl lay, weak and exhausted from the long hours of labor, having entrusted her life to Vance. "I'm not going to let that happen if I can help it."

Vance walked to the side table where Mae had arranged her instruments. "Would you help me with my sleeve, please?"

"Tell me what else I can do," Mae said, swiftly rolling Vance's cuff higher.

"You can reassure her, because this is going to be painful." Vance met Mae's worried eyes. "Give her your strength, as you do me."

Mae nodded. "We all trust you."

Vance dipped her hand into the carbolic and shook the excess liquid free. Sometimes, especially in the last two years of the war, the trust of others had felt like a burden, but not now. She felt an inner steadiness that had been gone since she'd learned of Victor's death. For the first time in months, she felt whole.

Vance turned, and with a clear head and certain mind, said to Mae and Sissy, "Put some pillows under her hips so that the uterus tilts back into the abdomen."

When that was done, she eased her hand into the birth canal and pushed upward until she felt the tiny arm between her fingers. She pushed farther until she encountered the thorax lying wedged across the uterine opening. Pressing her fingers together to form a funnel, she moved them alongside the small body until she reached the hips. Her hand was nearly inside the uterus now. She felt a contraction and the muscles closed down around her wrist. She held still, waiting for it to pass. She blocked out Lettie's screams, knowing that the girl would not die from the pain, and mercifully, that she would not remember it if she lived through the delivery. She looked at Kate, who was following her every movement with intense concentration, her eyes huge but clear.

"I'm going to try to move the baby ninety degrees inside the uterus. That's called a version." She took a breath and smiled slightly.

"That should align the head again so that this baby can get out."

Kate didn't need to ask what would happen if Vance failed. She knew how small the opening was inside and that the only way the child was coming out was head first. She didn't quite know what they would do if this maneuver failed, so she simply prayed that it would not.

"Mae, hold Lettie tightly," Vance said gently.

"We've got her," Mae said in a firm, steady voice. "You go on ahead now and do what needs to be done."

Focusing all her attention on her hand and the small body cradled against her palm, she pushed steadily inward and upward, rotating the hips away from the cervical opening and drawing the head down. At first, nothing happened. Then it was as if the baby coiled in on itself and kicked away, as if swimming. When Vance felt the movement, she slid her hand out and guided the head down into the upper portion of the birth canal. She closed her eyes for a brief second, then grinned.

"Shouldn't be long now."

Within the hour, a lusty cry pierced the air and mingled with the joyous exclamations of the women crowded around the bed.

"Honey, it's a boy. A big, loud, and beautiful boy," Mae exclaimed.

"Let me see him," Lettie said, smiling weakly.

"Kate, go ahead and deliver the placenta," Vance said as she walked away from the bed. Her hair and shirt were soaked with sweat, and the nerves she had not felt earlier snaked around in her belly now, making her queasy. After rinsing her hand and arm, she leaned against the window frame facing the street and closed her eyes.

"Here," Mae said quietly, handing her a glass of whiskey. "You look like you could use this."

Vance turned and set her back against the wall. She took the glass and drained it gratefully. "Thanks."

"I've never seen anyone do that before," Mae said.

"It's not a common technique, and it doesn't usually work."

Vance glanced across the room at Lettie, who was holding her child and rapidly regaining her strength. "But she is young and strong, and they deserved a chance."

Mae put her hand to the center of Vance's chest. Everyone else in the room was focused on the mother and baby. She stepped close. "You seem to have a knack for doing that for everyone."

Vance covered Mae's hand with hers and looked into her eyes.

"We'll be each other's chance."

"Yes." Mae kissed her softly. "We will."

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

As the sun set, Jessie stood on the front porch of the ranch house with a cup of coffee, watching with a wry smile as Vance climbed down from the buggy. "You missed dinner."

"Is Kate angry?" Vance asked as she climbed the stairs.

"She would have been most times, except she's done nothing but talk about Lettie's baby being born for the last three days." Jessie smiled. "So I think you've probably got another week's grace before she'll light into you about not getting back here in time for the evening meal."

Vance grinned. "How about Mae?"

"She'll probably fuss over you in between the scolding." Jessie looked past Vance, choosing her words carefully. "She looks good. I take it there hasn't been any more trouble?"

"None that she's told me of." Vance unbuttoned her shirt collar and took a deep breath of the fragrant, warm night air. "I haven't seen anyone come around the Nugget, and if he's been there, he hasn't caused any trouble."

"I've never seen a mark on Mae before." Jessie hooked her thumb over her gun belt. In the corral across the way, a colt fell asleep with his head resting against his mother's flank. "If I had, I would have done something about it."

"You weren't in town that often, I imagine, and she wouldn't have wanted you to know."

Jessie smiled faintly. "For all her gentle ways, she's strong in places I'm not sure I've got in me."

"She is quite remarkable." Vance rolled her shoulders, trying to work out the stiffness of the day and the tension from the conversation.

Every night when the sun went down and she wasn't in town where she could watch after Mae, the anger ate at her, burning in her gut. "But it's only a matter of time before something else happens. Men like him take what they want."

"Whatever needs to be done to make her safe, you've got my help."

"Whoever owns the Nugget has gone to a lot of trouble to keep his identity a secret, and men with secrets are vulnerable." Vance pushed away the surge of anger when she thought of Mae or any of the girls being abused. "I'll find him."

"You still planning to follow Hanrahan when he reports in?"

"Seems like the simplest way to go about it." Vance shrugged.

"I'm sure he doesn't expect anyone to pay attention to his comings and goings. I'd hoped to be able to do something before now, but I've been out on calls almost every night. It seems that this is baby-birthing time."

"I know. Kate's been right there with you most of the time."

Vance searched for any hint of dissatisfaction in Jessie's voice, but found none. "It's demanding work."

"Kate's strong and smart."

Smiling, Vance nodded. "She is. I meant that it can be difficult when your..." She frowned and glanced at Jessie. "Well I don't quite know what word to use. How do you think of Kate, as she is to you?"

"I think of her as my heart," Jessie said quietly.

"Yes," Vance replied, feeling the rightness of that as she thought of Mae. "When your...beloved...makes a habit of leaving in the middle of the night for hours at a time, it can be disrupting."

"I'm gone a lot, seeing to the stock and the men out on the line, and Kate never complains." Jessie chuckled. "Well, not much. More like worries."

"I imagine you worry a bit about her, too."

"If she weren't with you most of the time, I'd fret a lot more. But we've managed to get in some good practice the last few weeks, and she's getting to be handy with a revolver and a rifle."

"Doing the work she's doing will endear her to everyone in the territory. People will watch out for her. She'll be fine," Vance said gently, hearing the concern beneath the pride.

"It's what she wants to do." Jessie studied Vance. She didn't often speak to anyone other than Kate about her feelings. She and Vance were alike, she knew that without being able to put all the words to her knowledge. It wasn't just the way they dressed or the way they loved.

It was something about how they worked inside, what was important to them. And what they feared. It made it easier to say what was in her heart knowing that she wouldn't have to explain or defend her feelings.

"I figure that's part of loving, not getting in the way of what she needs to do."

"I think you're right."

"It can be a hard thing to do sometimes, just the same."

Solemnly, Vance nodded. Harder than hard sometimes. The breeze carried the scent of new grass and rich earth as golden shadows slanted across the dusty yard. "Summer's about here. It's beautiful country."

"It is." Jessie felt the calm in the center of her being that came from being on her land, being satisfied in her work, and being loved better than she had ever dreamed. "I've never been all the way back East, but I've been to the big cities a time or two. Enough to know there is no place for me there."

"I had to leave to understand that," Vance said, recognizing the absence of the restless unease that had always been part of her consciousness, even when Victor had been alive and she had been happy. Or what she had taken to be happiness. "It seems that we've come from different directions to the same place."

"I reckon that says something about us." Jessie grinned at Vance.

"Good thing we're not of a mind to fit in."

Vance glanced behind her at the sound of the door opening. Mae stood in a shaft of lamplight, her face partially in shadows, her hair a golden halo framing the pale oval of her face. She wore a dress that resembled the blue of the Union uniforms when the troops had been young and fresh, before months of deprivation and death had changed them all. It was deceptively simple in design, the bodice and waist subtly accentuating her curvaceous body. It wasn't what she had been wearing when Vance had last seen her that morning. It occurred to Vance that she still wore the dusty, rumpled clothes she'd been in all day, and she wished for a bath.

"You two," Mae said, "don't need to worry about fitting in, because you're just where you belong. Vance, there's a bit of supper left, and if you don't have some soon, Kate's likely to take after you with a knife."

"I just need to get washed up," Vance said, wishing she could kiss her, but wanting to be fresher before she did.

Mae solved her dilemma by crossing the porch, curling an arm around Vance's neck, and kissing her soundly on the mouth.

Jessie looked hastily away and sidled toward the door. "I'll just...

ah...be going. Help Kate...do something."

"Jed's been fussing about getting back to work," Mae called after Jessie, her arms still around Vance's neck. "If you tell him to stay in bed, he might just mind."

"How is he doing?" Vance decided that if Mae didn't mind the way she smelled, she might as well enjoy herself, so she leaned back against the post rail and snugged Mae into the curve of her body.

"We couldn't get even the smallest bit of cloth into that hole in his back today," Mae said with satisfaction. "I think he's healed."

"You've both done an excellent job with him." Vance sighed with contentment and rested her chin lightly on Mae's shoulder. "I'm sorry I'm so late."

"You make it hard for me to fuss at you when I'm so glad to see you," Mae murmured. She kissed Vance's neck. "And when you feel so good."

"With any luck, there won't be any calls waiting for me and I can stay the night with you."

"I don't care if there're a dozen calls, you're going to bed tonight."

Mae frowned. "You'll not do anyone any good if you run yourself into the ground."

Vance laughed. "I'm fine. I've been known to take a nap beneath a tree while waiting for a baby to be born."

Mae smiled. "I bet that's a sight. But I still want you in bed with me tonight. Come by around one."

"Mae," Vance said carefully. "You told me once that you don't need to entertain very often because there are only a few customers you still see. How did that come about?"

"I think it would be better if we didn't speak of these things," Mae said quietly, her cheek against Vance's shoulder. "If it doesn't touch us, it can't drive us apar--"

"Nothing is going to come between us, my dearest Mae," Vance said. "Certainly not this."

Mae sighed. "Is it important?"

"I think so, yes."

"After I'd been here a few months, a gentleman from town told me one evening that he'd made an arrangement so that I would be available to him whenever he wanted."

"And you agreed?"

Mae laughed. "It's not a question of agreeing or not. He was polite, didn't come around very often, and made it clear that he would be generous with his money. He also made it clear that I was not to speak of our arrangement. He always uses the back entrance."

Vance remained perfectly still while Mae explained the arrangements, allowing none of her growing jealousy to show. "So he's the only one?"

"On occasion there are others, friends of his. Not very often."

"Who is he?"

"Oh, Vance, if you have a face, a name, to think about, I'm afraid that it will work on you. I don't want you to look at me and see him touching me, when he's nothin--"

"I love you," Vance said firmly. "I love to look at you, I love to touch you. I love it when you touch me. Nothing will ever change that."

Tenderly, Vance skimmed her fingers over Mae's face and down her neck. She cupped her chin and kissed her softly. "When I look at you, I see my greatest fortune. I see my deepest hopes. All my dreams rest in your eyes." She pressed her cheek to Mae's and held her tightly.

Against her ear she murmured, "I don't want to spend a day of my life without you. Please let me help you be safe."

"You make it hard to say no," Mae whispered. "Promise me you won't do anything foolish."

"You have my word," Vance said immediately.

"Wallace Fitzpatrick."

"The lumberman?"

"Yes."

"And you think he owns the Nugget?"

Mae shook her head. "I don't think so. But I think one of the others does. One of his friends."

"Who are they?"

Vance wasn't surprised when Mae named two of the men whom Jessie had suggested had the means to own the establishment. At least now she could concentrate her efforts on them. If she couldn't track Hanrahan, she could watch them. She kissed Mae again. "Thank you."

"I can't seem to say no to you." Mae shook her head. "I'm not sure yet if that's a good thing."

Vance laughed. "I should get inside before Kate comes searching for me. I can't have the two of you after me at once."

"You needn't worry," Mae said, linking her arm through Vance's.

"If anyone's going to be taking after you, it will be me."

"Then I shall consider myself lucky."

v "Mary Willows asked me to bring my camera with me the next time I visit," Kate said. She sat at the table finishing her tea while Vance ate the supper she had saved for her. "To photograph the baby."

Vance smiled. "I have a feeling that's going to be a very frequent request."

"You're going to need a bigger buggy," Jessie teased.

"I love taking family pictures, but there are so many beautiful things about our life out here. I was wondering," Kate said shyly, watching Vance carefully, "if you would sit for me."

"Me?" Vance colored and cast about for some excuse. "Why, I hardly think there's anything about me--"

"I think that's a fine idea," Mae said firmly. "I'd like one of her, Kate."

"Actually," Kate said, "I've seen sketches in newspapers done from photographs. I'd like to try that for my father's paper. You're a new doctor in the territory, and a woman, and that seems like something people would be interested in knowing about."

Vance groaned. "I can't think why, and even if they did, I--"

"You might as well just agree, Vance," Jessie said. "Because you're going to sooner or later."

Kate cast her lover a stern glance, but her laughing eyes betrayed her amusement.

"I suppose it's the least I can do after all the nights you've fed me." Vance smiled at Kate. "Just tell me when you--"

The clatter of hoofbeats and the sound of someone riding hard interrupted her, and everyone glanced toward the kitchen door. Vance rose quickly as both she and Jessie automatically gripped their revolvers, and then she stepped between Mae and the window. When Jessie edged open the door to look outside, Vance started toward her, saying to Mae, "Stay inside."

Mae turned to Kate. "Where's the rifle?"

"By the fireplace." Kate opened a drawer, withdrew a revolver, and cocked it. "It's probably nothing, but ever since Jed--"

"I know," Mae said grimly, opening the door, the rifle resting in the crook of her arm. She could see shapes in the yard but not much else. She lifted the rifle as a figure approached, then lowered it again when she recognized Jessie's distinctive form. "What is it?"

Jessie strode inside, followed a few seconds later by Vance.

"Charlie's outside. He said there are strangers following one of the herds. He thinks they're getting ready to cut the young horses out." She glanced at Kate. "I have to go."

"I want to come."

Jessie shook her head. "You can't, Kate. We're going to be riding hard. Charlie thinks we can reach their location before dawn."

"I'll need a horse and saddlebags for my equipment," Vance said.

"I'll also need extra ammunition. I don't carry much when I'm out on calls."

"I appreciate it," Jessie said to Vance, "but there's no need for you to come."

"With Jed still down, you're short a gun." Vance grinned. "And I'm a good one."

Jessie studied Vance's face, saw the steady sureness in her eyes.

"Okay, then."

Kate turned to Mae as Jessie and Vance hurried back outside.

"Isn't there something we can do?"

"If I could think of a reason that made sense for them not to go, I'd say so." Mae frowned and set the rifle on the table. "But they're doing what needs to be done, and though I hate to admit it, they're the ones to do it."

As much as Kate didn't like the idea of staying behind, she knew that Mae and Jessie were right. She just had to believe that Jessie would come home unharmed.

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

Just before dawn, Vance pulled her horse even with Jessie's.

She, Jessie, and the ranch hands had been climbing steadily into the foothills through the night, and the air was noticeably thinner and colder than on the ranch. The terrain was rocky and the scattering of junipers and sagebrush fairly sparse, so there wasn't much in the way of cover. The openness made Vance more than a little uneasy.

She was used to fighting in the woods and fields of Pennsylvania and Virginia, where trees and thickets provided plentiful shields. The sound of horses' hooves clattering on rock split the air like gunshots, and each time she heard it, her stomach tightened painfully. She knew where she was, and she knew that Lee's army did not wait over the crest of the next ridge. Still, the anticipation of battle was as familiar as the beat of her own heart. "How much farther, do you think?"

"We're pretty close to the line shack where Charlie and Johnny were staying when they saw the strangers following the herd," Jessie said.

"It might be better to leave most of the men back a ways, because fifteen riders are going to make a racket going up that last slope," Vance said, nodding toward the rocky ridge in front of them. "It will also prevent us from being flanked to have your guns at our back."

Jessie nodded. "I would never have brought this many men if Jed and Kate hadn't ganged up on me and threatened to follow us." She shook her head. "A few good hands are all we really need."

"It's a lot like trying to move an army without anyone noticing,"

Vance said. "It's far more effective to send advance skirmishers to secure an area and then bring up the main body."

"I guess you've been in situations like this before," Jessie said, slowing Star to a walk. The sun would be up within minutes, and any advantage of surprise they might have would be lost.

"A few times. Usually I stayed with the battalion, but when heavy forward skirmishes were anticipated, I went with the men."

Jessie turned in the saddle and motioned for Charlie to join them.

"Tell four or five of the boys to wait here. The rest should work their way down into the valley, staying below the ridge line, so they can cut off any escape if the bastards decide to run. You, Vance, and I will go on up ahead so we can get a look over the rim of the valley. You can show us where you last saw them, and if we're lucky, they'll still be there."

"The boys won't take lightly to being left behind," Charlie observed conversationally.

"Maybe not. But I don't want to spook this bunch before we get a fix on their position."

Charlie nodded. "Makes sense, I guess. I'll tell them."

As he rode back to the group, Vance and Jessie trotted ahead. Just before they reached the top of the trail that bordered the valley below, Jessie slowed again. "You might want to think about staying back, too.

We'll be visible on this ridge now that the sun is up, and if it's the same bunch as before, they won't waste any time shooting at us."

"I didn't come all this way to miss the action." Vance shrugged and grimaced as pain shot through her left shoulder and chest. The gray morning air hung thick with mist, and her leather duster kept the moisture but not the cold from settling into the damaged tissues. "Is it your plan to kill these men?"

"Might have to." Jessie regarded her pensively. "Is that going to be a problem for you?"

Vance held Jessie's steady gaze. "It wouldn't be if I knew they were the men who ambushed you and Jed. Attempted murder and horse thievery are hanging offenses."

"But we don't know for sure," Jessie said, spurring Star up a small rise off to one side of the trail.

Vance guided her horse up beside her, and together, they surveyed the valley below. "I'm not suggesting a friendly parlay. But once we find them, we might want to wait a bit to see if they're actually stealing--"

The small puff of smoke appearing from a clump of rocks two hundred feet away, the sound of the shot, and Jessie's horse rearing seemed to happen all at once. Then Jessie was falling and Vance was diving after her, her saddlebag clutched in her hand. Vance tucked her chin and rolled over her right shoulder, tossing the bag in front of her and pulling her revolver as she came to a teeth-jarring halt in the loose stones next to Jessie. A boulder blocked her view of the spot from which the shot had come, which also meant they couldn't be seen.

Even if the shooters climbed up to their location, it would take them a few minutes.

"Jessie," Vance said urgently, a sick feeling clamping down on her throat. There was blood spatter on the ground, and Jessie had not moved since she'd landed. "Where are you hit?"

"Leg," Jessie said through gritted teeth, slowly turning onto her back and pushing upright against the largest rock with her right leg.

"Just winged my thigh, but I think Star might have been hit. Bastards.

I'll kill every one of them if they hurt my horse."

"I saw her bolt away. If she's hurt, it's not bad. Now let me see your leg." Vance jerked open the flap on her saddlebag and pulled out a trail knife. She slit Jessie's chaps and denim pants in the area of the bloody tear on the outside of her left thigh. Jessie winced but made no complaint. "It looks like it's skimmed you, but didn't lodge in the muscle or bone." Carefully, Vance palpated Jessie's thigh, pressing along the length of her femur and eliciting no increased pain or movement. "It's not broken."

"Just bind it up so we can climb up there and get a shot at these rustlers," Jessie said. "And don't tear my pants up too much while you're doing that, because Kate is going to be mad enough as it is."

"Just make sure you don't get any more holes in your clothes, and Kate will probably only take a few swats at you," Vance said as she withdrew a length of cotton from her bag. She folded the end and applied it to the slowly oozing wound. "Here. Hold this end so I can wrap it around and stop the bleeding."

A minute later, Jessie tested her leg. "Doesn't feel much worse than when one of my stallions kicks me. I can walk on it."

"Keep your damn head down," Vance said, her relief giving way to anger at whoever had shot at them. She turned at a sound behind her and saw Charlie and another man, Johnny probably, crab-walking up the slope toward them, guns drawn, faces grim. She pointed to the ridge. "The shooter was probably a lookout, hoping to scare us off.

The rest are probably down the other side, waiting to see if we'll keep coming." She looked to Jessie, who nodded agreement, then pointed Charlie and Johnny toward the right. "You two see if you can get over to that outcropping...there, and Jessie and I will work our way around this one here. Then we should have them in a crossfire down below us."

The two men glanced at Jessie.

"It's a good plan, boys. Let's do it."

The few minutes it took to reach the ridge felt like an hour to Vance as they cautiously darted from one outcropping to the next, half expecting gunfire from some quarter. She breathed a sigh of relief when she and Jessie reached the top without further shots being fired.

From where they crouched behind a cluster of barrel-sized rocks, they could just make out Charlie and Johnny in a similar position partway around the ridge overlooking the deep narrow valley below. Scanning the area, she could make out portions of the herd grazing on the short grass that bordered a tortuously winding river. It wasn't surprising that the rustlers had chosen this location. Fifty prime mustangs grazed in the valley below, mares watching over their still-wobbly-legged foals as they ambled innocently beneath a clear dawn sky. Vance had seen bucolic scenes like this before erupt into gunfire and death in the blink of an eye. While a small corner of her mind noted the beauty, all of her senses were focused on detecting any sign of the enemy. She sniffed the crisp, sharp air and smiled, inching closer to Jessie.

"Cigarette."

"Where?"

Vance squinted in the sunlight and caught a puff of white out of the corner of her eye, come and gone so quickly it might have been a mirage, but she knew it wasn't. "There. Halfway down and just to the right of that lone pine."

Without moving, Jessie stared and, after a few seconds, saw the telltale whiff of smoke. "That's one. How many more do you think?"

"Charlie said they'd seen four men yesterday, right?"

Jessie nodded.

"Then they're probably all still here."

"Damn fools if they think they can ride onto our land and ride out with our horses." Jessie shook her head, then glanced at Vance. "Killing a man doesn't come easy to me."

"I understand. It might not come to that."

"I guess we'll see," Jessie said, eyes narrowing as she watched a prong-horned antelope bolt from behind a clump of sagebrush and gracefully dance down the rocky slope. She pointed. "Over there."

Vance followed her direction in time to see sunlight glint on a gun barrel. Then the air exploded with gunfire, and she was shooting back into the clouds of dirt and rock chips being kicked up by the fusillade of bullets from Jessie and the hands. She had one clear shot when a man ran across an open space between two rock formations, but before she could fire he went down and did not move. From Jessie's grim expression, she knew it had been her bullet that stopped him.

"Two of them are running," Jessie shouted.

Vance peered around the rocks and saw two men well down the valley pulling whinnying, nervous horses from behind a stand of juniper. "Your men will pick them up farther down the valley."

"One more up here, then."

"Maybe. Maybe he already left." Vance had barely gotten the words out when she was knocked onto her back. It felt as if a giant fist had punched her in the shoulder, and she immediately felt the familiar fire in her chest and arm. "I guess not," she grunted, pressing her hand to her left shoulder. She blinked the smoke and sweat from her eyes and saw her left hand lying useless in her lap, the arm bones shattered, the crimson pool gathering on earth so drenched with blood it could hold no more. Milton sprawled beside her, his sightless eyes accusing her.

The sound of a thousand marching men bore down upon her, and for just an instant, she welcomed death.

"Don't think about going anywhere," Jessie said sharply as she shielded Vance with her body. "Mae will have my hide and then some."

Mae. Mae will be angry. Worse, Mae will be hurt. Vance took a deep breath and moved her right hand slowly over her shoulder and down the upper portion of her amputated arm. "I don't think it got much of me."

"Let me just get a look."

"Hand me my gun," Vance said, biting back the pain. "Dropped it."

"Here." Jessie put the revolver in Vance's surprisingly steady hand, then signaled for Charlie and Johnny to fire into the valley to give them some cover. She knelt beside Vance, shoved the duster aside, and ripped open her shirt. "Got a bit of a hole just above your collarbone.

It's bleeding some."

"Through and through, I think. I can still move the shoulder joint.

Help me sit u--" Vance caught movement out of the corner of her eye, rolled onto her side, and fired at the man who was pointing a rifle at Jessie's back. He groaned, fell to his knees, and then dropped face first into the dirt. "At least it's wasn't my gun arm."

When the pain surged again, she closed her eyes and let the sound of battle slip away.

v Kate found Jessie on the back porch, staring into the dark yard with a half-empty glass of whiskey in her hand. Coming up behind her, Kate put her arms around Jessie's waist and rested her cheek between her shoulder blades. "You shouldn't be standing on that leg, darling."

"It's fine, Kate. I've had worse after an afternoon in the corral."

"That might be, but it's a fresh wound and I don't want it bleeding again." It had taken her the better part of the evening to convince herself that Jessie wasn't badly injured. When she'd watched the cowboys' return, one leading a riderless horse, she'd thought her heart would stop. Then she'd seen Jessie on Star with Vance slumped in front of her, and she'd been able to breathe again. Until she'd seen the blood soaking Vance's shirt and heard Mae's agonized cry. "It's after midnight. You need to come to bed."

Jessie drank the whiskey down in one swallow and set the glass on the railing. She covered Kate's arms with hers, welcoming the warmth against her back. The sky was inky black, cloudless. Stars glittered like chips of diamonds. She felt so cold inside. "It was a night like this last fall when I was waiting for you to come to me. We were going to leave all this and run away. Remember that?"

"How could I not?" Kate gently drew her arms from beneath Jessie's and turned her lover to face her. She pressed both hands to Jessie's chest and leaned against her, searching her face. "What troubles you so?"

"Two people died today. It was my decision to go up there." Jessie sighed. "I knew it was right when I left here last night. I don't know why it doesn't feel that way just now."

Kate smiled softly and stroked Jessie's cheek. "Because life means something to you, and even though you did the right thing, protecting what's ours, it hurts to take a life."

"They fired first."

"Yes," Kate said gently. "And you protected yourself. And Vance protected you." She laid her cheek on Jessie's chest. "It takes a strong will to live in this land. Most people couldn't. It breaks them--destroys their dreams or corrupts their hearts. You have a good heart. I trust it.

I trust you."

Jessie tightened her hold and closed her eyes as tears trembled on her lashes. "I'd have no heart at all without you," she whispered, her voice rough and shaking. "If I hadn't found you, I don't know that I could have lived my life out here, or anywhere, without becoming one of those people dying from broken dreams. I need you, Kate." She shivered. "So much."

"I knew from the first moment I saw you that you would change my life." Kate kissed Jessie and smoothed her tears away. "I knew in that instant that this was where I belonged, in this land, with you. I promise you will always have my heart, as I have yours."

"You think Mae will ever forgive me?"

"She loves you. She will."

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

Mae watched Vance sleep. She turned the lamp down so low the wick threatened to gutter and go out. There was very little moon, and although the sound of Vance's steady breathing was comforting, she feared the dark this night. She couldn't remember the last time there was something she'd wanted so badly the thought of losing it made her scream inside. When she'd seen Vance slumped against Jessie, her face ashen, her white shirt soaked with blood, she'd known what dying felt like. Carefully, she reached over and brushed damp, dark strands of sweat-soaked hair from Vance's forehead.

Vance's lids flickered and she muttered hoarsely, "Mae?"

"Right here, sweetheart."

"Might you have some water?" Vance tried unsuccessfully to sit up but found that her limbs were strangely sluggish. Her left arm, especially, was an agonized mass of muscle and bone. She reached over, discovered the empty place where she knew her hand should be, and groaned.

"Shh, love," Mae crooned. "It's going to be all right." She settled carefully onto the bed next to Vance and slipped her arm behind her, taking care to support her back away from the area of the bandaged shoulder. "I've got water here. Let me raise your head."

Vance drank thirstily. The tepid water tasted like ambrosia. Mae's voice sounded like beautiful music. "Arm's gone."

"Yes," Mae said, tears nearly forcing her throat closed around the word.

"Remember now." Vance opened her eyes and focused on Mae's worried face. "Appomattox."

"No justice, is there?" Mae deposited the glass on the bedside table and stroked Vance's cheek. "That happening to you the last battle of the war."

"I don't know." Vance grimaced. "Divine justice?"

"Can't see why a hero should be rewarded that way."

"I'm no hero."

"You are." Mae kissed her tenderly. "And you're going to be all right. Caleb was here."

"What did he say?"

"That you were lucky, which all of us already knew." Mae settled her free arm around Vance's waist, caressing her gently, reassuring herself that Vance was really awake and with her. "The bullet missed all the important things, apparently. He said you'd feel weak for a spell, but there's no more damage to your arm that he could see."

"Damn thing hurts like it did right after I was first shot. Hasn't felt like that for half a year." Vance grinned crookedly. "Better than getting the other arm shot up, though."

"It would've been a damn sight better if neither one of them got shot up," Mae said fiercely, but her eyes, soft with concern, belied her anger.

"Wasn't my intention." Vance put all her effort into raising her right arm and found Mae's hand where it rested on her chest. She squeezed, surprised at how weak her grip seemed. "Sorry if I worried you."

Mae laughed, a sound that bordered on a sob. "Scared me half to death. Don't do it again."

"It will be my solemn endeavor not to." Vance took a deep breath, feeling a little stronger with each moment. "How's Jessie? Her leg okay?"

"Kate and I had gotten you both cleaned up before Caleb got here.

He says she needs to be careful riding for a few days, but no real harm done."

Vance closed her eyes. "That's good." Suddenly, she stiffened.

"What time is it?"

"Why, I don't know exactly. Going on toward one, I imagine."

When Vance tried once more to sit up, Mae said sharply, "Here now, stop that. You'll start something bleeding."

"Won't you be missed back in town? I don't want you bringing trouble on yourself because of me." Frustrated, she raked her hand through her hair. "Especially when I'm laid up and can't be there to look after--"

"I sent a note round to Frank with Caleb telling him that I was sick in bed out here at Kate's. That will buy me another day or so." Mae took Vance's face gently between her fingers and waited until Vance met her gaze. "You'll have to get used to me caring for you, just like you look after me."

"I'll not have anyone hurt you again," Vance whispered. "Especially because of me."

Mae smiled and kissed Vance. "I can see that the things I love about you are also the things that are going to vex me to tears."

Vance grinned. "Love me?"

"Oh yes," Mae whispered. "I love you just about beyond reason."

Suddenly serious, Vance brought Mae's hand to her lips and kissed her palm gently. "For just a minute out there today--yesterday--I thought I was back at Appomattox. It hurt so much. Milton, my friend, was dead because of me. I knew Lee's soldiers were coming, and if I didn't die before they reached me, they'd probably shoot me where I lay. I expected to die and I didn't really mind."

Mae's heart thundered painfully, but she kept silent, knowing it was time for this wound to be purged.

"I got confused for a minute out there," Vance said, remembering the sweat and the pain and the soul-deep weariness. "I was ready to let go of everything, just to stop the hurt."

"Sweetheart," Mae whispered brokenly, kissing her forehead and holding her as closely as she dared without causing her injured shoulder more pain.

"But then Jessie reminded me of the one thing that mattered."

Vance lay her head on Mae's breast. "She reminded me of you, and I realized I had the best reason of all for living." Mae's heart pulsed strong and steady beneath her cheek, and Vance felt the promise of happiness in every beat. "I love you." She tilted her head back and smiled into Mae's eyes. "You're all the reason I'll ever need."

"I never thought to have love like this in my life, not even when I was young enough to still believe that love existed. Not like this. Not all the way through me, in every breath I take."

"You can believe it." Vance held Mae's hand to her own heart. "I promise."

***********

Jessie peeked in the open door of the upstairs bedroom. Vance was asleep. Mae sat beside the bed, watching Vance with an expression of such tenderness on her face that Jessie was embarrassed to intrude. As she started to turn away, a soft voice said, "She's worn out. You'll not wake her."

Jessie turned back and waited while Mae quietly rose and crossed the room to her. In a whisper, she asked, "How is she feeling?"

"She'll admit to it hurting, which I imagine means the pain's fearsome, but her mind is clear." Mae smiled. "And she's showing signs of her usual stubbornness, so I imagine she'll be fine before long."

"I'm sorry."

Mae stepped into the hall and drew Jessie away from the door.

She kept the door ajar so that she could see into the room in case Vance wakened. With a hand on Jessie's arm, she regarded her quietly. "I'm sorry for blaming you the way I did earlier. It's not your fault that Vance got hurt."

Jessie shrugged, remembering the terror in Mae's eyes when she'd first seen Vance. When Jessie had gotten down from Star after easing Vance into the arms of several waiting men, Mae had flung herself at her, accusing her of letting Vance get killed over nothing more than a few horses. She'd thought for a second that Mae was going to slap her.

Then Mae had just run out of steam and turned away, shaking. At that moment, Jessie had wished that Mae had struck her. "It was my fight, not hers."

"Vance is your friend. She was only doing for you what you would've done for her." Mae sighed. "When I first saw her and all that blood...I thought I might lose her. I just needed a target for my fear.

You were handy." She patted Jessie's chest. "And strong enough to take it. I'm sorry for forgetting that tender heart of yours."

Smiling, Jessie caught Mae's hand and held it. "She saved my life today. She's more than a friend." She kissed Mae's forehead. "You both are."

"Montana," Mae said softly. "I have loved you, I think, since the first time I saw you walk into the Nugget, covered in trail dust and sunshine." She laughed when Jessie blushed. "Somehow I always knew it wasn't meant to be, and it wasn't until I saw you with Kate that I understood why." She looked back into the room at the pale woman, so fragile appearing now, asleep in the bed. "Your heart was meant for Kate. And mine was meant for her."

"You'll always have a place in mine," Jessie whispered.

"And that means the world to me." Mae regarded Jessie intently.

"I want you to do something for me."

"Anything."

"I want you to see that Vance doesn't try to change the way things are for me. At the Nugget." Even in the half-light of the hallway, Mae could see the muscle jump in Jessie's jaw. "You know how things are.

That's not going to change, and there's no sense her getting killed trying." She grasped Jessie's hand again and squeezed, hard. "It would kill me to lose her. Please."

"I can't make that promise," Jessie said, adding quickly, "but I can promise she won't be alone. I won't let anything happen to her. I swear."

"You get yourself mixed up in this and end up getting hurt, Kate will never forgive you or me."

Jessie shook her head. "Kate understands."

Mae closed her eyes. "Lord. There's no talking sense into any of you."

"Don't worry." Jessie kissed Mae's cheek. "Vance isn't going to do anything foolish, and if she has a mind to, I'll see that she doesn't."

"I'll hold you to that, Montana."

"You can."

v The next time Vance woke, Mae was gone and Jessie was standing at the foot of the bed. "What time is it?"

"Morning. Mae's asleep down the hall. Kate made her finally lie down."

"Good." Vance braced her hand on the mattress but found she couldn't push herself up. Grimacing, she said, "Can you help me here?"

"I'm not sure I'm supposed to," Jessie said, coming around the side of the bed and easing an arm behind Vance's back. "You do anything to start that bleeding again, Mae and Kate will skin me."

"Don't worry. I don't want the both of them after me." Vance leaned back against the headboard with a sigh. "Thanks. How's the leg?"

"It's nothing. It'll be stiff for a day or two, but that's all."

"And Star?"

Jessie smiled. "She's fine. Little scratch no bigger than mine." She shifted and sighed. "You got the worst of it."

Vance grinned. "Not as bad as the two fellows we put down. Both dead?"

"Yep. Charlie went back up with a wagon after we got you down.

He took them into town."

"What about the other two?"

"Long gone, and I don't think they'll be back." Jessie leaned a shoulder against the bedpost, her expression pensive. "At least those two won't. But I think we haven't seen the end of rustlers. Too many people came out here thinking there was gold running in the streets, and most of them ended up with nothing. Horses and cattle are money on the hoof."

"No matter where or when, it seems that it comes down to fighting to protect what's yours."

Jessie shrugged. "I never thought otherwise." She met Vance's gaze. "I owe you for what you did up there."

"You don't owe me for anything. You insult me to suggest it."

Jessie grinned. "You Easterners are pretty easy to insult."

Vance's brows rose. "Now you add injury to insult."

"Just the same, I expect you'll let me return the favor if needed."

"If needed," Vance said seriously, "I will."

"That's good enough."

Vance shifted restlessly. "Do you think you could have one of your men drive me into town later today? I never was a good patient, and I don't want to be any trouble."

"Could be you want to be closer to the Nugget?"

"Could be."

"I'll take you in myself if you promise not to try taking these men on until you've got your feet back under you."

Vance sighed. "I can see that Mae's gotten to you."

Jessie grinned. "Could be. But it makes sense."

"I'll wait till I'm healed, but I intend to right this wrong."

"You'll get no argument from me." Jessie gently squeezed Vance's shoulder. "I'll talk to Frank. I trust him. Between the two of us, we'll keep an eye on things until you're better."

"Thank you."

"No need. We're friends, right?"

Vance held up her hand. When Jessie took it, she said quietly, "That we are."

CHAPTER THIRTY

When Vance stepped up to the bar shortly after midnight, Frank broke off his conversation with a grizzled cowboy who looked as if he had just come in off the trail, judging by his dirt- caked clothes and apparent thirst as he downed three shots of liquor in quick succession. On his way to the end of the bar where Vance stood half in shadow, Frank picked up his best bottle of whiskey.

"Good to see you up and about, Doc."

"Thanks. Even better to be here," Vance said. "More than a week indoors, most of it in bed, feels like a year."

"Been pretty quiet around here. Can't say as you've missed a whole lot."

Vance met Frank's deceptively placid gaze as she sipped the bracing drink. "I appreciate you keeping an eye on the situation."

"I'd do more but," he shrugged, "can't really change what ain't my affair."

"It wouldn't do anyone any good if you lost your job." Vance finished the shot and shook her head when he gestured with the bottle for a refill. "You do what you can." She turned sideways to survey the room. "Has our friend been around this week?"

"He was in and out a few nights ago. Picked up what he came for, but didn't linger."

"Does he have a regular time for coming by?"

"Not that I've noticed." Frank stepped away to pour a drink for a nearby customer, then leaned his elbows on the bar and lowered his voice. "One thing I do know. The bank transfers cash to the reserve in Bradford once a month, and he always comes by the night before the stagecoach takes the shipment. Tidying up accounts, I suppose."

"And when would the next run to Bradford be?"

"Day after tomorrow."

"So we can expect a visit tomorrow night."

Frank nodded.

"Thanks." Vance studied the bartender, thinking that she had always been comfortable with him. He cared about Mae, and that was what mattered most to her. "Besides tending bar, what else do you do here, Frank?"

Frank was silent for a moment, as if deciding how much to reveal.

Then, apparently coming to a decision, he said, "I suppose I manage the place, when it comes down to it. I order the stock, tally up what's in the till and take it to the bank, see that the place is looked after. Cleaned up and all that."

"So how is it you don't know who owns the Nugget?" Vance knew she was putting him on the spot, but it was time to put all the cards on the table.

"I've been tending bar here for almost ten years. Before Hanrahan, there was another fella who did pretty much the same as him. He hired me and spelled out how things would run. One day, he was gone, and Mike was doing his job." Frank blew out a breath. "I didn't ask any questions."

"I understand. I probably wouldn't either. You have any particular liking for the way the place is run now?"

"I like that I can do things my own way and don't have to answer to nobody. I take my wages out at the end of the week, leave receipts in the bag for whatever I spend to replace the liquor or the broken tables and chairs if things get rowdy, go about my business."

"Sounds like a pretty good deal."

"It suits me."

Vance tapped her hand lightly on the bar. "Thanks for the information. I think I'll head on upstairs."

"Mike Hanrahan's a mean son of a bitch," Frank said conversationally.

Vance smiled thinly, her eyes glittering dangerously. "So am I, when provoked."

She walked away to the sound of Frank's quiet laughter.

Vance stopped in front of Mae's door and listened. Although Mae had been by Vance's hotel room that afternoon and had said that she would be free that evening, Vance was never certain that would be the case when she came around. She didn't completely trust herself to come face-to-face with someone who had just left Mae's bed, and it would do Mae no good for her to vent her jealousy on a customer. When she heard nothing from within, she tapped quietly.

"Mae, it's Vance."

The door opened almost immediately. Smiling, Mae reached out, took Vance's hand, and drew her inside. "How are you feeling?"

"Good as new." Vance caught Mae around the waist and kissed her soundly. "Like I haven't seen you in a month of Sundays."

Laughing, Mae slapped her hand against Vance's chest and held her away. "You might be feeling pretty frisky right now, but I saw that shoulder this afternoon, and you're not ready for romping just yet."

Vance ignored the restraining hand and tugged Mae close again.

She nuzzled Mae's neck. "We don't have to romp. How about we stroll?"

Mae tilted her head back and gave her throat to Vance's kisses.

Truth was, she missed her touch more than she would've imagined, even though she'd seen her every day. She never would have believed she could hunger for something she hadn't known she'd wanted until a few short weeks before. Loving Vance had opened her heart and her body to the possibility of not just pleasure, but communion. Now there were critical places inside her that only Vance could fill. She threaded her fingers through Vance's hair and tugged her head up so she could kiss her mouth. After she did, thoroughly, she whispered, "I think a nice long walk would be just perfect."

Grinning, Vance released her so that she could undress her. "Turn around."

"I took pity on you," Mae said as she turned her back. "This dress has laces."

"Buttons, ties...makes no matter," Vance muttered, rapidly loosening the laces that closed the back of Mae's dress. As she opened the material, she kissed along the edge of her shoulder blades and down the center of her spine. "Nothing's going to slow me down, let alone stop me."

The dark, edgy tone caught at Mae's heart and places lower down, and she turned back to Vance, suddenly just as eager to have her naked. She pushed at Vance's coat. "Let me help you get this off that shoulder."

"I thought you were anxious to see me in these new clothes,"

Vance protested.

"Right now," Mae murmured, "I want to see you out of them."

Vance laughed and held up her arm for Mae to help her out of the new coat. Then Mae went to work on the buttons on her shirt and Vance's patience disappeared. She gave a growl and tugged Mae's dress off her shoulders, then scooped her hand inside her bodice. The sensation of warm, soft flesh in her hand drove all caution from her mind, and if Mae hadn't gently restrained her, she would have tried to pick her up and carry her to the bed.

"Careful," Mae said breathlessly. "You start that shoulder bleeding, and I'm not letting you into my bed."

"Lord, Mae, I want you so much," Vance gasped. "Never. Never knew it could be like this."

"You can have me, for however long you want, as often as you like." Mae covered Vance's hand and held it still. "There's no need to rush, as much as I love the way you want me."

Vance laughed shakily. "I feel like I've been away from you for weeks."

"Well come to bed, and let's get reacquainted." Mae took Vance's hand and led her across the room. She stopped by the side of the bed and finished undressing Vance, taking her time, running her hands over Vance's body as if learning it for the first time. By the time she was done, Vance was shaking.

"Mae," Vance said, her voice a hoarse whisper. "What you're doing to me. I don't know that I'll last much longer."

"Just a few more minutes." Smiling, Mae stepped away and removed her undergarments. The way Vance's eyes darkened and her face tensed as Mae slowly uncovered herself sent spirals of pleasure curling through her. Naked at last, she lay on the fresh smooth sheets and opened her arms. "Come here where you belong."

With a sigh that spoke of a rightness she had never dreamed of, Vance settled into Mae's embrace.

"Do you know what Vance intends to do about Mae's situation?"

Kate asked, running her fingers lazily down the center of Jessie's chest.

They lay curled together just before sunrise. The rooster would crow at any second, the day would begin, and it would be hours before they saw one another long enough to do more than wave or exchange a passing word. These quiet interludes at the end of one day and the beginning of the next were precious, because those were the times when she had Jessie all to herself. They were the moments when there was nothing between them except love.

Jessie lay on her back, Kate's head pillowed on her shoulder and their legs entwined. Fingers of red and gold stretched into the room as the sun broke over the horizon. She couldn't imagine wanting for anything else when she had this every morning. She kissed Kate's temple. "Not exactly. I got the feeling that she's going to use her wits and not her gun, if she can."

"I know she wouldn't do anything to endanger Mae, but I'm worried about her." Kate lifted her head and kissed the point of Jessie's chin. "And I'm worried about you."

Jessie shook her head and turned on her side so they faced one another. She kissed Kate softly. "No need. Vance won't do anything to hurt Mae. I feel the same way about you."

Kate traced the curve of Jessie's collarbone where it dipped into the hollow at the base of her throat. She kissed the pulse that rippled there. "You're precious to me above all else. Be careful."

"Don't worry." Jessie curled an arm around Kate's waist and pulled her near until their bodies fit together seamlessly. "You're the most important thing in my life."

"If you kiss me, you're going to be late for your morning chores."

"That's what's nice about being the boss." Jessie grinned and kissed her.

v Kate was in the kitchen when she heard the rider come into the yard. She went to the door, drying her hands on a towel, and looked out.

Vance dismounted and threw her horse's reins over the porch rail. Kate opened the door to greet her as Vance crossed the porch.

"You're just in time for coffee. I've got bacon and grits, too."

"I was hoping my timing would be good," Vance said with a grin.

"How are you feeling?"

"Happier than I thought I would be about going back to work."

Vance scanned the yard. "Jessie around?"

"I think she's down talking to the men. She should be back any second, because she always knows when the coffee's ready." Kate led Vance into the kitchen. "Sit down. I'll get you a plate."

"I appreciate it." Rather than sitting, Vance hesitated on the threshold. "Maybe I'll just walk down and find Jessie."

Kate pursed her lips. "I take it you're in need of another horse?"

Vance opened her mouth, then closed it with a chuckle. "My apologies. Somewhere in the last few years I've learned some bad habits.

I wanted to ask Jessie if she could come into town this evening."

"Because you intend to do something about Mae?"

"Yes."

Kate nodded. "My parents have been wanting Jessie and me to come in for supper. Tonight should suit."

"I don't know that--"

"If you're going to suggest that I stay here and wait, you should rethink that," Kate said mildly as she poured coffee. "The two of you have had quite enough adventure lately."

"I don't want Mae to know."

"I can imagine that you don't." Kate smiled. "I can even understand why. Do you realize that's unfair?"

"Yes." Vance crossed the room and took Kate's hand. "This is something I have to do, because I love her. I don't want her to worry because of my needs."

"Worrying comes with the territory when you love someone."

Kate gave Vance's hand a little shake, her expression one of fond exasperation. "Mae is one of the strongest women I've ever known.

A little worrying won't hurt her, and you should stop underestimating her."

Vance frowned. "I don't."

Kate shook her head. "I'm not saying Mae doesn't need you, that she wouldn't be devastated if something happened to you. Of course she would. And that's why you must take care of yourself and not take foolish chances. But Mae doesn't need you to stand between her and hardship. She needs you to stand beside her."

"Does Jessie understand all this?" Vance asked, her expression mildly perplexed.

"She's learning."

"Learning what?" Jessie said as she came through the door and tossed her hat onto the counter. "Hello, Vance."

"Learning how to let me help with the hard parts," Kate said.

Jessie winced. "Oh. That." She glanced at Vance. "I guess it's too late to go to the barn?"

"Way too late," Vance said, sitting down as Jessie pulled out a chair and settled at the table. She waited until Kate sat as well. "So this is what I've been thinking."

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

"I don't understand how you can be so calm about this," Mae fumed, pacing in front of the settee in her parlor.

"I never said that I was calm." Kate sat at one end and waited for Mae to settle down enough to listen.

"You act like you're calm. You're sipping tea and nibbling on biscuits as if those two damn fools weren't working out a way to get themselves shot up again."

"They've both promised that won't happen."

Mae stopped dead in her tracks and planted both hands on her hips. She glared at Kate. "And you believe that?"

"I trust them."

"I noticed that you didn't let Jessie come into town by herself, just the same."

"I trust her, but I didn't say I wasn't worried."

"Oh, I know. I'm just taking my jitters out on you." Mae glanced at the watch pinned to her bodice and wished there were some way she could get out of working that night. But she knew it wasn't possible.

Friday night was a big night out for ranch hands, and the saloon would be busy. "I'm sorry. Pay me no mind."

"It's all right. Vance is just getting over one injury. You have a right to be nervy."

Mae sat down with a weary sigh. "I can't see how anything she's planning to do will make a difference." She met Kate's gaze. "If I wanted to walk away from all of this, I could. It might be hard, but others have done it."

"Has she asked you to?"

Mae looked surprised. "No. Never."

"Then I don't expect that's what's behind her intentions. I have always been under the impression your safety was what concerned her."

"I explained to her about looking after the girls. She understood that."

Kate nodded.

"I explained to her about not wanting to be beholden to anyone.

That I make my own way."

"I imagine that Vance would respect that."

"She does," Mae said quietly. "In fact, everything would be just fine if she hadn't decided that Michael Hanrahan needs a lesson taught to him."

Kate set her teacup aside. "I think we both know it's more than that."

"Lord, I do know." Mae pushed impatiently at an errant curl that fluttered around the corner of her mouth. "I just wish I knew what else she plans to do."

"If I knew, I'd tell you," Kate said reassuringly. "All I know is she and Jessie talked about meeting in the saloon tonight at midnight. I think they're hoping to follow Michael Hanrahan and get some information that they can use to negotiate with whoever owns this place."

Mae laughed harshly. "Negotiate? Is that what Vance said?"

"Well, not exactly, but that's what I assumed."

"Oh, honey, back East folks might negotiate. Out here? The only thing that changes anything is money or bullets."

"Perhaps I misinterpreted," Kate said worriedly. "But I have a feeling that Jessie understood Vance perfectly."

v Vance leaned her back against the bar and watched Mae work her way through the crowded room in her direction. Every few steps a cowboy or gambler in fancy clothes would stop her with an arm around her waist and whisper something in her ear. She'd laugh and deftly extract herself from his grasp and move on. She was an expert at avoiding wandering caresses without giving affront. It was a talent, like those sleight-of-hand magic shows. Her smile was so brilliant, her laugh so alluring, that the men never realized they had never once truly touched her.

"You look like you're studying on something very serious," Mae said as she stepped close to Vance's side. She'd been aware of Vance's eyes on her since the moment she'd stepped out onto the balcony and started down the stairs. She'd also known that Vance could see every hand that touched her on her journey. "Something wrong?"

"I wonder if any of them knows how much they've just missed?"

Mae's heart gave a little jump of surprise and wonder. "You don't look at the world like anyone else I know."

Vance smiled faintly. "I've been told that before." She traced a fingertip down the sleek curve of Mae's arm, exposed below the narrow shoulder of her maroon gown. "You're an amazingly beautiful woman.

But your true beauty lies somewhere no one touches."

"Except you," Mae murmured.

"Except me." Vance watched Mae's full, moist lips curve with pleasure. "I want to kiss you."

"I'm glad, but I wouldn't recommend it." Mae angled her body to block the view of anyone in the room and slid a hand inside Vance's coat. She caressed her, fingers dancing over her stomach. "If they saw how it was really done, they'd figure out they're being cheated."

"Not cheated," Vance said, her voice rough with desire. "Not if they've put one finger on you."

"You keep talking like that, and I'm--" Mae broke off as an arm came around her waist and tugged her roughly backward, away from Vance. She knew who it was without needing to see his face. "Is that any way to say hello?"

Michael Hanrahan pulled Mae against him and held her there. He bent his head and rubbed his stubbled cheek over her neck. With his mouth against her ear and his hand roaming over the front of her body, he muttered, "You don't look like you're real busy."

"The night is young and I was just getting started." Mae kept her voice light and her expression unconcerned, because she could feel Vance's fury from three feet away. She pointedly did not look at her, because she was afraid that any connection between them now would break Vance's fragile restraint. Instead, she turned as much as she could in Hanrahan's grasp, putting her back to Vance. "There's a full house tonight. Let's take care of your business so I can take care of mine."

Hanrahan grabbed Mae's hand and pressed it down on the front of his pants. "How about we take care of that business."

Mae didn't try to pull away, but met his hot gaze coolly. "I don't remember that being part of the arrangement."

"Nobody has to know."

"But I might forget myself and mention it."

His expression hardened, and he pushed her away. "Let's go upstairs."

When Vance started after them, she was brought up sharply by an iron grip on her shoulder. She whirled around, her eyes aflame.

"You don't want to be getting in the middle of that," Frank said.

"You might end up satisfied, but Mae will pay for it."

"Not if he's dead," Vance said through clenched teeth.

"If he's gonna be dead, it would be better if no one knew just how that came about." He busied himself wiping nonexistent spills from the bar. "Could be I might lend a hand there."

Vance blew out a long breath and reined in her temper. "Appreciate it. But I think I'll keep you for the heavy work."

He grinned. "Still, you might want company."

"That's been arranged."

"Has it now?" He nodded approval. "Well then, stop around for a drink when you're finished."

"I'll do that."

When Vance scanned the room and balcony, Mae was gone. She'd taken Hanrahan to her room to give him the money that she and the other women earned. If that's all that was happening up there, he would be coming down soon. Vance motioned for Frank to fill her glass, which he did. She picked it up with a steady hand and drank it down in one fast swallow, welcoming the sharp burn that settled in the pit of her stomach. Then she placed the glass on the bar and walked out.

v Vance waited in the shadows beneath the stairs that led to the second floor and Mae's rooms. She didn't think about what was happening upstairs, because if she did, she'd go upstairs and finish things before they even started. And in the end, she would accomplish nothing. She wished for a cigarette, something she hadn't wanted since waiting in the dark for the last battle. She didn't need to look at her watch. She knew what time it was. The night felt empty, devoid of life.

Nothing stirred. Even the horses tethered in front of the saloon stood silently, their heads down, their breath streaming soundlessly through flared nostrils beneath the moonless sky.

Almost fifteen minutes passed before the door above her opened and boot heels thudded on the wooden staircase. She slid her revolver from the holster but did not cock it until he reached the ground. Then she stepped up behind him, forced the muzzle to the back of his neck, and thumbed the hammer.

The sound cut through the stillness like cannon shot.

Hanrahan stiffened.

"Hello, Michael," Vance said quietly.

The man relaxed slightly as if he recognized a woman's voice.

"You might want to put that away before someone gets hurt."

His tone suggested that Vance would be the one to suffer. She laughed and pushed it harder into his skin. The pain forced him to stumble forward a step, and she shoved him face first against the wall with her hip. She pinned him with her left shoulder, welcoming the pain as it seared through her brain and cleared her head. Then she dropped the gun from the back of his head and forced it between his legs. She angled the barrel up and forward until it met resistance.

"Do you like it here better?"

Her voice was soft and cold, a sliver of ice slipping into his heart.

He shivered and gasped, but didn't move. "What do you want?"

"To teach you some manners."

"Wha--" He grunted as the gun barrel stabbed into his tender parts. "I don't know--ow--Jesus--"

Vance jammed him harder into the wall and whispered in his ear.

"You don't know how to treat a lady. I think this"-- she jerked the gun barrel into him again and smiled in satisfaction when he whimpered-- "might be getting in the way of your social skills." She saw Mae's face, battered and bruised. Saw the marks on her arms and imagined the stinking weight of Hanrahan's body pinning her down. She took a breath, savoring the moment. "So I'm going to relieve you of it."

Hanrahan pleaded. "Jesus, no."

"This is for Mae," she whispered as she tightened her finger on the trigger.

Jessie stepped away from the building where she'd been standing in the dark for over an hour, waiting to back up Vance in case of trouble.

In a conversational tone she said, "He hardly seems worth wasting good lead on."

"Everything's fine here," Vance said without looking around.

"You go on."

"How you doing, Hanrahan?" Jessie continued as if Vance hadn't spoken.

"She's crazy. Get her off me," he said desperately, the stench of fear permeating the air around him.

"It's a big country out here," Jessie said. "Lot of mining camps where a man could disappear to."

Vance said sharply, "Let it be."

"Now, if I were to see you around here after sunrise," Jessie remarked, "I wouldn't stop her from finishing it next time."

"I'll go. I swear, I'll go." He tried to turn his head but in a move so fast even Vance couldn't catch it, Jessie had her gun out and shoved underneath the edge of his jaw. She leaned close.

"And if she doesn't kill you, I will."

Jessie straightened. "Now, before you go there's a few things we need to know."

He couldn't answer their questions fast enough. As he scurried off, Vance holstered her Colt and leaned against the wall. She tilted her head back and closed her eyes.

"You okay?" Jessie asked.

"Mostly."

Jessie leaned back beside her. "No moon again. Dark as pitch out here."

"No one would have cared about him," Vance said.

"Nope. No one would've given it a second's thought, even if they had heard a shot."

"I suppose you're going to tell me you think I would've regretted killing him, and you saved me from the guilt?"

Jessie laughed. "Not by a long shot. Hell, I wanted to do it myself."

"So why'd you stop me?"

"He might not have been able to tell us what we wanted to know if he was bleeding all over the ground."

"Forgot about that."

Jessie turned her head, just able to make out Vance's features in the near-total darkness. "Besides, that's not what's going to fix Mae's situation. And it might be even easier the next time."

"There's not going to be a next time." Vance rubbed her aching shoulder. "I'm going to see that Mae has the one thing that really matters to her."

"What's that?"

"Her independence."

Taking care not to hit the area of the injury, Jessie patted Vance's back. "You're almost right. But I expect you'll figure that out in time."

v When Mae let Vance into her room after closing, she put her arms around Vance's neck and held her close. She kissed her gently. "Are you all right?"

"I am now."

"Did you kill him?"

"No. But he's gone, and he won't bother you again."

"Thank you."

Vance took Mae's hand and walked with her toward the bed. "I'm not done yet. I have one more visit to make in the morning, and then this will be over."

"Tell me."

"Tomorrow." Vance pulled Mae down beside her on the bed and buried her face in the curve of Mae's neck. "Right now, the only thing I want is you."

Mae opened her dressing gown and drew Vance's hand inside.

"Then that's what you shall have."

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

Charles Mason came out of his office with his hand extended and an ingratiating smile. "Dr. Phelps. Mrs. Wainwright tells me that you're in need of assistance."

"Thank you for seeing me so quickly," Vance said, shaking his hand. "It's a private business matter that I thought you would be best suited to handle."

"Of course. Of course. I'm always happy to work with a new client of the bank." He swept his arm toward his office. "Please. Do come in."

Vance followed him into his office and took the chair he indicated across from his desk. She reached into the inner pocket of her new frock coat, the more formal of the two that Mae had insisted she have made, and drew out a sheaf of papers. Together with the starched white shirt, waistcoat, and trousers, she was attired as well as any wealthy businessman would have been. She took her time arranging the documents, aware that Mason was regarding her avidly. With a smile, she passed the papers across the desk. "As you can see, although I've been in town quite some time, I haven't had an opportunity to transfer my funds from the bank in Philadelphia. I'd like you to see to that."

"I'm sure we can take care of that for..."

Mason's voice trailed off as he studied the account summaries. He straightened, his expression bordering on obsequious. "I'll handle this personally." He fiddled with his tie, glanced down at the paperwork one more time, then back at Vance. "I'm sure our community will benefit greatly from your presence, Dr. Phelps. If there's anything that I can do to help you get settled...anything at all--"

"That's very kind," Vance said neutrally. "Your wife and daughter have been most gracious in arranging a small gathering for me tomorrow at your home. I certainly appreciate their kindness."

"Merely a small gesture, one neighbor to another," he said.

Vance doubted that he had any idea that the soirée was planned.

She didn't imagine that the social calendar of his wife and daughter was something he paid much attention to, but she nodded in agreement.

Then, as if in afterthought, she said, "Actually, there is one more matter that you can assist me with."

"Certainly."

"I'd like to purchase some property."

"I'd be more than happy to act as your agent in that matter,"

Mason said quickly. "If you will just provide me with the details, I can facilitate--"

"Oh, I think it's something we can finalize right now."

"I'm sorry?"

"I want you to sell me the Golden Nugget." She reached into her coat and withdrew the final sheet of paper and passed it across the desk.

"A simple transfer of the deed should be all that is required. Shall we say for the sum of one hundred dollars?"

"I'm afraid I don't understand," Mason said, his face and neck growing red above the collar of his shirt.

"Really? Michael Hanrahan informed me last evening that you were the owner of the Golden Nugget."

"He was mistaken," Mason said flatly. He shuffled papers together, stacked them on the corner of his desk, and rose. "Now, if there's nothing else, I'll initiate the transfer of those funds for you."

Vance crossed her legs and settled more comfortably into her chair. "If Mr. Hanrahan was lying, then he was protecting someone else at your expense. Who might that be?"

"I'm sure I have no idea."

"Well, I can probably clear up the misunderstanding easily enough." Vance stood. "I've always found that the wives of powerful men know far more than they ever let on." She laughed. "I know that was certainly true for my mother. My father was often quite dense about the motives of other men who sought to take advantage of his largesse and trusting nature, but my mother...my mother always knew and saw that he didn't entangle himself in difficult situations. I daresay your wife will know who harbors some ill will toward you."

"Certainly you wouldn't involve a lady in such unsavory business,"

Mason blustered, although there was a look of panic around his eyes.

Vance took a step closer to the desk and leaned forward, resting her hand in the center of his blotter. "Why should you think that I would value the sensibilities of your women any more than you value those of mine?"

"I'm sure I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Of course you do," Vance said, her unwavering gaze boring into his until he looked uneasily away. "You have a special arrangement with one of the women at the Nugget. You pay her for your pleasure and for that of your friends. You think if you come and go by the back stairs and have someone else do your dirty work that everyone will look the other way." She straightened. "Well, I won't. Sign the bill of sale or I will make my inquiries so public that within a week everyone will know of your personal association with the Nugget."

Sweat beaded on his forehead. After a moment, he nodded and picked up the bill of sale in a trembling hand. He began to read it over, then stopped with a surprised grunt and looked at Vance in astonishment.

"This isn't your name on the bill of sale."

"No," Vance said as she sat down and began to write the draft for the purchase price. "It isn't."

v Mae leaned against Vance in the buggy as they headed toward the Rising Star. "You look mighty fine in those new clothes."

Vance chuckled. "You'd better like them, since they were all your doing."

"A lot has to do with the body that's in them." Mae stroked Vance's cheek. "You are what's fine."

"Are you trying to flatter me into telling you what I've been up to?"

"Yes, even though it happens to be the truth and you do look handsome as all get out." Mae laughed. "I just don't think it's fair for you to make me wait until we get all the way out to the ranch."

"Truth be told, I don't want to wait either," Vance confessed.

"Reach into my inside coat pocket and take out that paper."

"I'll take pity on you and not touch anything else along the way."

Nevertheless, Mae indulged herself with a brief caress, stroking Vance's chest as she drew out the paper. Smiling at Vance's quick intake of breath, she unfolded the document and began to read. Then she gasped.

"I...is this...how did you...oh my."

Vance grinned. "You are now one of the most influential business owners in New Hope." She slowed the rig so she could savor Mae's look of astonishment and pleasure. "You'll never have to worry about what anyone might do to you or your girls again."

"My Lord, Vance. I own it?"

"You do."

"But how?"

Vance told her, enjoying Mae's satisfied snort as she described Mason's discomfort. "And before you say it's too much for you to accept, I did it as much for my peace of mind as your safety."

Mae's eyes brimmed with tears but she nodded. "Thank you."

"My pleasure."

"I won't say no, because I want this, but...I plan to pay you back.

Every dollar."

Vance smiled. "I thought you would."

Mae moved closer. "Would you really have told Clarissa Mason about her husband's philandering?"

"No, but I wouldn't have made it a secret either while I investigated who really did own it. Mason must have known she'd find out sooner or later if he forced me to search him out."

"Well." Mae's mind was going in a hundred different directions and she couldn't seem to take it all in. "What about Frank? The place won't run without Frank."

"I don't imagine he'll mind who pays his wages. In fact, I think he'll like it a whole lot better knowing that it's you." Vance halted the buggy at the entrance to the lane to the Rising Star. She dropped the reins over her knee and took Mae's hand. "You can turn the place into a respectable establishment. The girls will be protected, because you'll make the rules. And if not Frank, you can get someone else to enforce them."

"Are you going to ask me not to take care of customers?"

"That's not my place."

"Of course it is." Mae kissed Vance, a slow, tender kiss. "Unless you've been foolin' about loving me."

"Oh no," Vance murmured, her voice husky and low. She lifted Mae's hand and kissed her fingers, then her mouth. "I love you with all my heart."

"There'll never be another in my bed." Mae held Vance's hand to her breast. "Or my heart."

"Nor shall there be in mine. You have my solemn promise," Vance whispered.

Mae curved an arm around Vance's waist and settled her head on her shoulder. "Then hurry up now. I can't wait to tell Kate and Jessie."

Laughing, Vance guided the buggy down the lane, holding Mae's promise in her heart, knowing she had come home at last.

About the Author

Radclyffe is the author of over twenty lesbian romances, the Erotic Interlude series (Change of Pace, Stolen Moments, and Lessons in Love ed. with Stacia Seaman) and selections in multiple anthologies including Call of the Dark and The Perfect Valentine (Bella Books), Best Lesbian Erotica 2006 and After Midnight (Cleis), First-Timers and Ultimate Undies: Erotic Stories About Lingerie and Underwear (Alyson), and Naughty Spanking Stories 2 (Pretty Things Press). She is the recipient of the 2003 and 2004 Alice B. Readers' award, a 2005 Golden Crown Literary Society Award winner in both the romance category (Fated Love) and the mystery/intrigue/action category (Justice in the Shadows) and 2006 GCLS finalist for romance (Distant Shores, Silent Thunder) and mystery (Justice Served), and a 2006 Lammy finalist in the romance (Distant Shores, Silent Thunder), mystery (Justice Served), and erotica categories (Erotic Interludes 2: Stolen Moments ed. with Stacia Seaman). Her other 2006 novels include Turn Back Time and Storms of Change.

She is also the president of Bold Strokes Books, a publishing company offering acclaimed lesbian-themed general and genre fiction.

She lives in New York state with her partner, Lee.

Look for information about these works at www.boldstrokesbooks.com.

Books Available From Bold Strokes Books

Whitewater Rendezvous by Kim Baldwin. Two women on a wilderness kayak adventure--Chaz Herrick, a laid-back outdoorswoman, and Megan Maxwell, a workaholic news executive--discover that true love may be nothing at all like they imagined. (1-933110-38-4)

Erotic Interludes 3: Lessons in Love ed. by Radclyffe and Stacia Seaman. Sign on for a class in love...the best lesbian erotica writers take us to "school." (1-933110-39-2)

Punk Like Me by JD Glass. Twenty-one-year-old Nina writes lyrics and plays guitar in the rock band Adam's Rib, and she doesn't always play by the rules. And oh yeah--she has a way with the girls. (1-933110-40-6)

Coffee Sonata by Gun Brooke. Four women whose lives unexpectedly intersect in a small town by the sea share one thing in common--they all have secrets. (1-933110-41-4)

The Clinic: Tristaine Book One by Cate Culpepper. Brenna, a prison medic, finds herself deeply conflicted by her growing feelings for her patient Jesstin, a wild and rebellious warrior reputed to be descended from ancient Amazons. (1-933110-42-2)

Forever Found by JLee Meyer. Can time, tragedy, and shattered trust destroy a love that seemed destined? When chance reunites two childhood friends separated by tragedy, the past resurfaces to determine the shape of their future. (1-933110-37-6)

Sword of the Guardian by Merry Shannon. Princess Shasta's bold new bodyguard has a secret that could change both of their lives. He is actually a she. A passionate romance filled with courtly intrigue, chivalry, and devotion. (1-933110-36-8)

Wild Abandon by Ronica Black. From their first tumultuous meeting, Dr. Chandler Brogan and Officer Sarah Monroe are drawn together by their common obsessions--sex, speed, and danger. (1-933110-35-X)

Turn Back Time by Radclyffe. Pearce Rifkin and Wynter Thompson have nothing in common but a shared passion for surgery. They clash at every opportunity, especially when matters of the heart are suddenly at stake. (1-933110-34-1)

Chance by Grace Lennox. At twenty-six, Chance Delaney decides her life isn't working so she swaps it for a different one. What follows is the sexy, funny, touching story of two women who, in finding themselves, also find one another. (1-933110-31-7)

The Exile and the Sorcerer by Jane Fletcher. First in the Lyremouth Chronicles. Tevi, wounded and adrift, arrives in the courtyard of a shy young sorcerer. Together they face monsters, magic, and the challenge of loving despite their differences. (1-933110-32-5)

A Matter of Trust by Radclyffe. JT Sloan is a cybersleuth who doesn't like attachments. Michael Lassiter is leaving her husband, and she needs Sloan's expertise to safeguard her company. It should just be business--but it turns into much more. (1-933110-33-3)

Sweet Creek by Lee Lynch. A celebration of the enduring nature of love, friendship, and community in the quirky, heart-warming lesbian community of Waterfall Falls. (1-933110-29-5)

The Devil Inside by Ali Vali. Derby Cain Casey, head of a New Orleans crime organization, runs the family business with guts and grit, and no one crosses her. No one, that is, until Emma Verde claims her heart and turns her world upside down. (1-933110-30-9)

Grave Silence by Rose Beecham. Detective Jude Devine's investigation of a series of ritual murders is complicated by her torrid affair with the golden girl of Southwestern forensic pathology, Dr. Mercy Westmoreland. (1-933110-25-2)

Honor Reclaimed by Radclyffe. In the aftermath of 9/11, Secret Service Agent Cameron Roberts and Blair Powell close ranks with a trusted few to find the would-be assassins who nearly claimed Blair's life. (1-933110-18-X)

Honor Bound by Radclyffe. Secret Service Agent Cameron Roberts and Blair Powell face political intrigue, a clandestine threat to Blair's safety, and the seemingly irreconcilable personal differences that force them ever farther apart. (1-933110-20-1)

Protector of the Realm: Supreme Constellations Book One by Gun Brooke. A space adventure filled with suspense and a daring intergalactic romance featuring Commodore Rae Jacelon and the stunning, but decidedly lethal, Kellen O'Dal. (1-933110-26-0)

Innocent Hearts by Radclyffe. In a wild and unforgiving land, two women learn about love, passion, and the wonders of the heart.(1-933110-21-X)

The Temple at Landfall by Jane Fletcher. An imprinter, one of Celaeno's most revered servants of the Goddess, is also a prisoner to the faith--until a Ranger frees her by claiming her heart.The Celaeno series. (1-933110-27-9)

Force of Nature by Kim Baldwin. From tornados to forest fires, the forces of nature conspire to bring Gable McCoy and Erin Richards close to danger, and closer to each other. (1-933110-23-6)

In Too Deep by Ronica Black. Undercover homicide cop Erin McKenzie tracks a femme fatale who just might be a real killer...with love and danger hot on her heels. (1-933110-17-1)

Stolen Moments: Erotic Interludes 2 by Stacia Seaman and Radclyffe, eds. Love on the run, in the office, in the shadows...Fast, furious, and almost too hot to handle. (1-933110-16-3)

Course of Action by Gun Brooke. Actress Carolyn Black desperately wants the starring role in an upcoming film produced by Annelie Peterson. Just how far will she go for the dream part of a lifetime? (1-933110-22-8)

Rangers at Roadsend by Jane Fletcher. Sergeant Chip Coppelli has learned to spot trouble coming, and that is exactly what she sees in her new recruit, Katryn Nagata. The Celaeno series. (1-933110-28-7)

Justice Servedby Radclyffe. Lieutenant Rebecca Frye and her lover, Dr. Catherine Rawlings, embark on a deadly game of hide- and-seek with an underworld kingpin who traffics in human souls.(1-933110-15-5)

Distant Shores, Silent Thunder by Radclyffe. Dr. Tory King--along with the women who love her--is forced to examine the boundaries of love, friendship, and the ties that transcend time. (1-933110-08-2)

Hunter's Pursuit by Kim Baldwin. A raging blizzard, a mountain hideaway, and a killer-for-hire set a scene for disaster--or desire--when Katarzyna Demetrious rescues a beautiful stranger. (1-933110-09-0)

The Walls of Westernfort by Jane Fletcher. All Temple Guard Natasha Ionadis wants is to serve the Goddess--until she falls in love with one of the rebels she is sworn to destroy. The Celaeno series. (1-933110-24-4)

Change Of Pace: Erotic Interludes by Radclyffe. Twenty-five hot- wired encounters guaranteed to spark more than just your imagination.Erotica as you've always dreamed of it. (1-933110-07-4)

Honor Guards by Radclyffe. In a wild flight for their lives, the president's daughter and those who are sworn to protect her wage a desperate struggle for survival. (1-933110-01-5)

Fated Love by Radclyffe. Amidst the chaos and drama of a busy emergency room, two women must contend not only with the fragile nature of life, but also with the irresistible forces of fate.(1-933110-05-8)

Justice in the Shadows by Radclyffe. In a shadow world of secrets and lies, Detective Sergeant Rebecca Frye and her lover, Dr.Catherine Rawlings, join forces in the elusive search for justice.(1-933110-03-1)

Shadowland by Radclyffe. In a world on the far edge of desire, two women are drawn together by power, passion, and dark pleasures. An erotic romance. (1-933110-11-2)

Love's Masquerade by Radclyffe. Plunged into the indistinguishable realms of Ţction, fantasy, and hidden desires, Auden Frost is forced to question all she believes about the nature of love. (1-933110-14-7)

Love & Honor by Radclyffe. The president's daughter and her lover are faced with difficult choices as they battle a tangled web of Washington intrigue for...love and honor. (1-933110-10-4)

Beyond the Breakwater by Radclyffe. One Provincetown summer, three women learn the true meaning of love, friendship, and family. (1-933110-06-6)

Tomorrow's Promise by Radclyffe. One timeless summer, two very different women discover the power of passion to heal and the promise of hope that only love can bestow. (1-933110-12-0)

Love's Tender Warriors by Radclyffe. Two women who have accepted loneliness as a way of life learn that love is worth fighting for and a battle they cannot afford to lose. (1-933110-02-3)

Love's Melody Lost by Radclyffe. A secretive artist with a haunted past and a young woman escaping a life that has proved to be a lie Ţnd their destinies entwined. (1-933110-00-7)

Safe Harbor by Radclyffe. A mysterious newcomer, a reclusive doctor, and a troubled gay teenager learn about love, friendship, and trust during one tumultuous summer in Provincetown. (1-933110-13-9)

Above All, Honor by Radclyffe. Secret Service Agent Cameron Roberts fights her desire for the one woman she can't have--Blair Powell, the daughter of the president of the United States. (1-933110-04-X)