silence. Normally she worked while she ate.
When her stomach was filled, her curiosity came alive. It would have been wise to leave Nick and let him eat his food—the less she knew about him, the better. But the questions got the better of her. “You’re not from this area, are you?”
His tore a piece of bread. “No.”
She set down her spoon. “Where are you from?”
“I doubt you know the place.”
“Likely not. Butte is about all that I do know.”
“I come from a small town in Virginia. It’s called Ashland,” he said after a moment’s silence. “It’s very far away.”
“I won’t pretend to know where it is. What brought you here?”
He lifted a brow. “A change of pace.”
“It’s been my experience men don’t just move to Montana for a change. They’re either looking to get rich quick or they’re running from their past.”
He didn’t answer.
She thought about the books she’d found in hissaddlebags. “Most lawmen don’t read the kind of books you got in your saddlebag.”
“I suppose.”
For a moment silence settled between them. The girls at the Silver Slipper said most men who came into the brothel liked to talk as much as they liked to diddle. Getting words out of Nick Baron was like pulling teeth.
The baby, who’d been napping in her cradle, woke. “Always at meals,” Ellie muttered, rising.
Nick set his fork down and watched her pat Rose on the back. The child’s fussing slowed, but Ellie could feel Nick’s gaze on her.
“You are good with that baby,” he said finally.
“I’m learning every day.”
“What’s her name?”
“Rose.”
“Who named her?”
Ellie rocked the cradle. “Jade picked it.”
“The stolen gold could buy a lot of nice things for the baby.”
His comment caught her off guard. He was right. She had good reason to hide the gold from him, she silently acknowledged as she sat down. “It sure could. Problem is, I don’t have it.”
“If I were a woman alone, I’d keep the gold.”
“I just might, too, if I knew where it was.”
“I can’t believe Jade would go to her grave and not tell you about it.”
“Gold was about the last thing on both our minds at the time.”
“Jade was always thinking, from what I’ve heard. You can bet she hadn’t forgotten about it.”
The whinny of horses and the sound of hooves silenced Ellie’s retort.
Nick tensed. “Are you expecting visitors?”
“It’s a coach stop. We get visitors all the time.”
“Visitors mean trouble.”
“And revenue.” A visitor could also help her escape Nick.
Ellie jumped to her feet and, before he could react, hurried outside without checking to see who had arrived.
N ICK CURSED . The woman had sawdust for brains. She hadn’t even bothered to look out the window to see who had ridden up. Hell, it could very well be Frank.
He winced as he rose. Resting his hand on his six-shooter, he limped toward the door.
But he didn’t rush outside as Ellie did. He hid in the shadows. If this were one of Frank’s traps, he’d not be able to save Ellie in a face-to-face confrontation with Frank. Injured, he needed surprise.
He pushed back the curtain. Two riders dismounted and sauntered to the base of the porch step. One was tall, lean, with a scraggly beard and beady eyes. The other had a thick waist and thin, black hair that hung past his shoulders.
Ellie moved toward the men, confident and unafraid. Fool. No woman in her right mind went to a stranger like that. Then it struck Nick that Ellie greeted strange men as a matter of course. At the Silver Slipper she’d most likely entertained her share. To his surprise, a bolt of jealousy burned his veins.
“Welcome,” Ellie said. “You men passing through?”
The shorter of the two men hooked his thumbs into his thick gun belt. “You could say that. We passed through a couple of months ago. I’m Hugh and this is my friend Fat Pete.”
Ellie smiled. “I remember. You paid Annie in gold
When her stomach was filled, her curiosity came alive. It would have been wise to leave Nick and let him eat his food—the less she knew about him, the better. But the questions got the better of her. “You’re not from this area, are you?”
His tore a piece of bread. “No.”
She set down her spoon. “Where are you from?”
“I doubt you know the place.”
“Likely not. Butte is about all that I do know.”
“I come from a small town in Virginia. It’s called Ashland,” he said after a moment’s silence. “It’s very far away.”
“I won’t pretend to know where it is. What brought you here?”
He lifted a brow. “A change of pace.”
“It’s been my experience men don’t just move to Montana for a change. They’re either looking to get rich quick or they’re running from their past.”
He didn’t answer.
She thought about the books she’d found in hissaddlebags. “Most lawmen don’t read the kind of books you got in your saddlebag.”
“I suppose.”
For a moment silence settled between them. The girls at the Silver Slipper said most men who came into the brothel liked to talk as much as they liked to diddle. Getting words out of Nick Baron was like pulling teeth.
The baby, who’d been napping in her cradle, woke. “Always at meals,” Ellie muttered, rising.
Nick set his fork down and watched her pat Rose on the back. The child’s fussing slowed, but Ellie could feel Nick’s gaze on her.
“You are good with that baby,” he said finally.
“I’m learning every day.”
“What’s her name?”
“Rose.”
“Who named her?”
Ellie rocked the cradle. “Jade picked it.”
“The stolen gold could buy a lot of nice things for the baby.”
His comment caught her off guard. He was right. She had good reason to hide the gold from him, she silently acknowledged as she sat down. “It sure could. Problem is, I don’t have it.”
“If I were a woman alone, I’d keep the gold.”
“I just might, too, if I knew where it was.”
“I can’t believe Jade would go to her grave and not tell you about it.”
“Gold was about the last thing on both our minds at the time.”
“Jade was always thinking, from what I’ve heard. You can bet she hadn’t forgotten about it.”
The whinny of horses and the sound of hooves silenced Ellie’s retort.
Nick tensed. “Are you expecting visitors?”
“It’s a coach stop. We get visitors all the time.”
“Visitors mean trouble.”
“And revenue.” A visitor could also help her escape Nick.
Ellie jumped to her feet and, before he could react, hurried outside without checking to see who had arrived.
N ICK CURSED . The woman had sawdust for brains. She hadn’t even bothered to look out the window to see who had ridden up. Hell, it could very well be Frank.
He winced as he rose. Resting his hand on his six-shooter, he limped toward the door.
But he didn’t rush outside as Ellie did. He hid in the shadows. If this were one of Frank’s traps, he’d not be able to save Ellie in a face-to-face confrontation with Frank. Injured, he needed surprise.
He pushed back the curtain. Two riders dismounted and sauntered to the base of the porch step. One was tall, lean, with a scraggly beard and beady eyes. The other had a thick waist and thin, black hair that hung past his shoulders.
Ellie moved toward the men, confident and unafraid. Fool. No woman in her right mind went to a stranger like that. Then it struck Nick that Ellie greeted strange men as a matter of course. At the Silver Slipper she’d most likely entertained her share. To his surprise, a bolt of jealousy burned his veins.
“Welcome,” Ellie said. “You men passing through?”
The shorter of the two men hooked his thumbs into his thick gun belt. “You could say that. We passed through a couple of months ago. I’m Hugh and this is my friend Fat Pete.”
Ellie smiled. “I remember. You paid Annie in gold
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