The Tracker (2 page)

Butte, Montana
June 1883

N
ICK STOOD
in the shadows staring at the Silver Slipper brothel. The sun had set and the sky had settled into that hazy blue of twilight. He leaned against the wall of the hardware store and stared at the second-story window.

He had called in every favor in his search for any lead that would help him track the outlaws who had murdered Bobby.

It had taken three months, but he’d finally found out that Frank Palmer and his brother Monty were responsible for the railroad gold robbery and Bobby’s killing.

Nick discovered that the railroad theft was their biggest job to date. Until last year, the Palmer brothers had specialized in petty crimes—robbing miners, general stores and the occasional homestead. All small scale.

Things had changed eighteen months ago, when Monty had met Jade Fletcher in the Silver Slipper whorehouse. He’d fallen in love with the house’s most popular sporting girl. Soon after their marriage, Monty had started robbing banks with his brother. Clearly, Jade was doing the thinking. Likely, she had masterminded the gold robbery that got Bobby killed.

The bounty on the Palmer boys and the missing gold was the highest Nick had ever seen offered—one thousand dollars. But he didn’t care about the money. This job was about justice for his friend. Nick wouldn’t rest until he saw Frank and Monty Palmer swing.

Nick had nearly caught up with Frank and Monty last month near Bozeman, but he’d lost their trail in a late May snowstorm. A week ago he’d gotten word that Monty and Jade were headed toward Butte. When Nick arrived in town, he’d quickly learned that Jade and Monty were staying at the Sliver Slipper brothel.

He thought it odd they’d returned to the brothel where Jade had worked. They’d made a sloppy mistake, but Nick wasn’t complaining. He took every break he could get.

Nick stared up at Jade and Monty’s room. Piano music drifted from the building.

The shadow of a slender woman passed in front
of the second-story window. He’d never seen Jade in person, but he’d heard she was a statuesque woman with coal-black hair. The unidentified woman in Jade’s room was petite.

However, an anonymous sporting girl didn’t matter. Monty and Jade did. Soon, Frank would show—he was never far behind Monty and Jade. And when Frank arrived, Nick would have them all.

Soon, it would be over.

E
LLIE CROSSED
the small room to the threshold where Miss Adeline, madam of the Silver Slipper, hovered. The woman’s bright red lipstick matched her silk dress. The vibrant color made her pale skin look gaunt.

“The baby is fine, but the mother is dying,” Ellie said.

Miss Adeline frowned, unwilling to enter the room thick with the scent of birthing. She refused to look at the pale woman lying in the bed or the swaddled baby nestled next to her. Music and laughter from the first-floor saloon echoed below them.

“Are you sure there’s nothing you can do for Jade?” Miss Adeline asked.

Ellie’s back ached and her head pounded with fatigue. “She’s lost too much blood. I’ve tried to stop the bleeding, but nothing has worked.”

The lines feathering the corners of Miss Adeline’s
painted eyes deepened. “She was so healthy and strong. She was laughing this morning and asking for fried eggs.”

Ellie had seen births go wrong before. Every time it was heartbreaking. “I wish there was something else I could do.”

Gold bracelets jangled on Miss Adeline’s thin wrist as she rubbed her forehead. “Monty’s not going to be happy. He trusted me to take care of Jade. The man depends on her.”

“Where is he? I sent for him over an hour ago.” Ellie couldn’t soften the anger in her voice. She’d grown up around men like Monty Palmer.

Miss Adeline’s gown shimmered in the lantern light. “He’s down the hallway with one of the girls. He said he was tense and needed to relax.”

A tart remark sprang to mind but Ellie kept silent. Miss Adeline dealt with any kind of rebellion harshly. “Jade doesn’t have much time left. You may want to interrupt him. If there are any last words to be said, they’d best be spoken now. I doubt Jade will live through the hour.”

Miss Adeline nodded. “This is the last thing I needed today. The way my luck’s running, Monty will shoot up the place when he finds out and I’ll never see my share of the gold.”

“What gold?”

“Never mind,” Miss Adeline snapped. She started from the room and then stopped. “Is the child a boy or girl?”

“A girl.”

She sighed. “Monty’s not going to like that, either. He’s been talking about having a boy—Monty Junior is what he was going to call him.” She left, her full silk skirts swishing as she moved down the carpeted hallway.

Ellie closed the door, shutting out the noise and the smell of whiskey and tobacco. Lantern light flickered on the lilac-colored wallpaper. With a heavy heart, she faced the bed. Jade’s face was deathly pale. Her long black hair fanned out on the white pillow.

“Ellie,” Jade whispered.

Ellie sat on the small stool beside the bed. She leaned over and checked the baby, who lay sleeping next to her mother. “Shh, you must rest.”

Her eyes opened. “Where is the baby?”

“Right beside you.” She brushed the damp hair off Jade’s face. She and Jade had never been friends while Jade had lived in this house.

Jade didn’t have the strength to lift her head. “I can’t see her face.”

Ellie picked up the baby and, folding back the quilted blanket, held her up so that Jade could see her face. “She’s a beauty.”

“Is she all right?”

“Yes. A fine set of lungs. She’s got all her fingers and toes, and your black hair.” Ellie tried to keep her voice light.

A faint smile curled the edges of Jade’s lips. “As long as she doesn’t have her father’s nose.”

Ellie’s throat tightened. It frustrated her she couldn’t do more. “Have you thought of a name for her?”

“Rose. It was my grandmother’s name.”

The baby stirred and yawned, unmindful of the turmoil around her. “The name suits her. She looks like a little rosebud.”

Tears pooled in Jade’s eyes. A tear trickled down her hollow cheek. Two years ago she’d been surrounded by men and laughing as if she were holding court like a queen. “She’s the best thing that ever happened to me.”

“You did real well, Jade.”

Another tear rolled down Jade’s cheek. “I can’t believe the Lord blessed me with such a beautiful baby. I’ve done a lot of bad things, Ellie. I don’t deserve such a precious child.”

“You shouldn’t worry about the past, Jade. None of that matters now. You need to get strong so you can take care of Rose.”

Jade swallowed. “I’m dying, aren’t I?”

As ever, Jade was sharp as a bowie knife. Fooling her was next to impossible. “You’re very tired and need rest.”

Jade met her gaze. Her watery blue eyes possessed an intensity that shook Ellie. “Ellie, please don’t lie to me now.”

Unshed tears burned in Ellie’s eyes. She hesitated, unsure her voice would be steady when she spoke. “Yes,” she said, her voice a hoarse whisper. “You’re dying.”

Jade closed her eyes and a heavy silence settled between them. For a moment Ellie thought that Jade had slipped into unconsciousness.

“Take care of Rose for me,” Jade said weakly.

“Of course I will.”

Jade lifted her hand and grabbed Ellie’s wrist. She squeezed. Her grip had surprising strength. “I mean
forever,
Ellie. Don’t give her to Monty or Adeline. He doesn’t want a daughter. And Adeline will turn her over to an orphanage or sell her.”

Ellie didn’t argue with Jade’s assessment. “Jade, I don’t know anything about children. I’ve lived my whole life above this whorehouse.”

Jade moistened her full, pale lips. “You’ve always had a good heart and you do what’s right. Rose wouldn’t have survived the birthing if not for you. You’re the kind of mother my girl needs.”

Ellie stared down at the baby. The thought of raising a child was overwhelming. Bottles. Blankets. Clothes. Diapers. She didn’t know where to start. Lord, and what about milk? “Don’t you have any other family to take the baby?”

“They cut me off a long time ago. And even if they hadn’t, I wouldn’t give Rose to them. She deserves better.” Jade’s hand fell back to the mattress. “Rose will be all alone without you. There’ll be no one to keep her safe.”

A protective urge welled up in Ellie. Her own mother had died when she was six. Adeline had allowed Ellie to stay, but there’d been no one to love or to care for her when she was sick or afraid. It was a childhood she’d not have wished on anyone.

“Monty hasn’t seen her,” Ellie said. “He could fall in love with her the minute he sees her. He might not want to give up his flesh and blood.”

She shook her head. The slight movement seemed to be almost too much for her. “He won’t. Having the baby was my idea, not his. He couldn’t care less about a child, especially a girl.”

Ellie clutched the tiny infant. She pictured the child, alone and crying, desperate for someone to pick her up.

The child started to move her mouth around Ellie’s breast, searching for her nipple. A strong ma
ternal instinct swept over Ellie. She’d delivered this child into the world. She’d been the first to hold her. Hers had been the first face the baby had seen. She wanted Rose safe and loved.

But how could she raise a baby?

“
Swear
you’ll keep her.” Jade’s voice was a faint whisper now.

Ellie had no business making such a promise to Jade. And yet she heard herself saying, “I swear.”

Jade smiled. “You won’t regret it.”

Ellie stared into the baby’s face. The child had stopped her rooting and fallen asleep. “No, I won’t regret it.”

“There is a Bible by the bed on the table. Do you see it?” Jade said.

She picked up the pocket-size book. “Yes.”

“It’s all I got for Rose. It belonged to my grandmother. I carry it with me always. Keep it safe and close to you. It’s worth more than you can imagine.”

“I will.”

“When Rose is old enough, give it to her. Tell her I loved her.”

Ellie tucked the Bible into her apron pocket. “I will tell her, Jade.”

Jade’s next words died on her lips. Her eyes closed. Within seconds her breathing grew shallow as the life drained from her body. And then her breathing stopped.

For a long moment Ellie cradled the baby, overwhelmed by the sudden turn her life had taken. The noise from the saloon seeped through the floorboards. She’d never been around children, not even when she was a child. Her whole life had been spent serving drinks, cooking meals and cleaning up after drunken customers. Lord, what was she going to do?

She’d saved just about every penny she’d earned, but it wasn’t much. And where would she go? Everyone in Butte knew she worked at the Silver Slipper and no one would give her a decent job. She’d have to leave town—start over somewhere else.

The music from the floor below stopped. The sudden silence caught her attention. She stood and moved to the door, listening.

“Where are Monty and Jade?” The loud voice came from downstairs. Ellie recognized it instantly. It was Frank Palmer, Monty’s brother.

Frank scared her far more than Monty did. The outlaw had been visiting the house for five years. He’d never bought a woman when he came. Instead he’d just sat in her kitchen, eating his meal, silently watching her.

Her heart thrumming, Ellie held the baby close and moved out into the hallway.

From the upstairs landing, she saw Frank at the foot of the stairs. He had a long scraggly beard and
shoulder-length hair. He wasn’t very tall, but his upper body was thick and muscular. His clothes were coated in a month’s worth of trail dust and several of the girls moved away from him as if he smelled bad.

“Where’s Monty?” Frank shouted. “His brother wants him!”

Ellie tightened her hold on the baby. The girls had whispered that Frank, Monty and Jade had robbed the railroad. She’d been too busy with the birthing to listen, but now she wished she knew more.

Miss Adeline scurried out of her backroom office, a tumbler of whiskey in her hand. Shock registered on her face when she saw Frank Palmer before she plastered on her trademark smile. “Frank!”

“Where’s Monty?” he demanded.

“Upstairs with Kelly.”

“Monty!” he shouted.

Frank’s arrival couldn’t be good. Ellie moved to the door leading to the back staircase and opened it. Lingering on the top step, she stood ready to dash downstairs if need be.

Monty stumbled out of a room, fastening his pants. His face was a mirror copy of his brother’s. The only difference was that he stood several inches taller. Behind him, Kelly, dressed only in a chemise,
strolled out. She took one look at Frank, backed into the room and slammed the door.

“Frank?” Monty said, panic in his voice. “How’d you find me?”

Frank drew his gun and started toward the stairs. “I want my gold back.”

Monty glanced around, as if looking for a place to hide. He shoved a trembling hand through his thick black hair. “I don’t have your gold, Frank. Jade’s the one that hid it. She got mad a few weeks ago when she caught me with a whore. While I was sleeping off a drunk, she stashed it somewhere. Don’t worry, once she cooled off, I was gonna talk to her. You know how I can sweet-talk her.”

“I’m tired of your talk, Monty. When you picked Jade over me, you saw to it that things would never be the same between us.” Without warning, he shot Monty in the heart. The man dropped to the floor dead.

Ellie jumped.

The girls screamed.

Miss Adeline swayed, pressing her hand into her stomach.

Casually, Frank replaced his gun in its holster. “Now, which room is Jade’s?”

Miss Adeline struggled to keep her expression calm. “Last door on the right.”

“Time ol’ Mrs. Palmer and Frank had a chat about
my
gold.”

Ellie pressed her back against the stairwell wall, her heart thundering in her chest. Frank would soon find out that Jade was dead. And then he’d start to ask questions. He’d want to know who was with her when she’d died. Miss Adeline wouldn’t hesitate to tell him Ellie was the one he wanted.