Chapter Twenty
"Mr. Barkley, be careful about how far out of town you go" the owner of the café said as she handed Heath a covered basket "there are always bands of brigands roaming Valle Plano." The white-haired woman nodded her head for emphasis as she made the statement. Heath recognized the name; it was the area outside of town that bordered the forest. No development had taken place, because it was felt to be too close the forest and rocky mountain terrain.
He didn't put too much stock in her comment but pretended to acknowledge the warning. He had heard stories before, in other mining towns, about allegations directed toward to unemployed and homeless men. They were just eking out a living hunting and fishing until they found another job; Heath knew this well as he'd been one of those men more than once. Yes, there were some rotten apples, but he had his gun on him, for protection.
He thanked her for the basket and put it in back of the buggy, and carefully covered it with a blanket. Heath didn't want to spoil his surprise for Sarah, having put a lot of thought into his plan. Yesterday, after his near miss with the run-away freight wagon he had managed to finish his errands, despite Jack Regan's uncompromising attitude. When he arrived back at the hotel Sarah was dressed in a pretty blue dress, with a smile on her face which made him set aside the whole ghastly encounter.
They'd gone to a restaurant that overlooked the park, one that Heath had discovered in his explorations of town. The park was barren, but the food was solid and hearty, and he'd been glad to see Sarah eat a decent meal. Heath had enjoyed talking to her about the scenery around town, and the grandness of the mountains. Sarah had listened intently and had encouraged him to elaborate on his stories.
When they had arrived back at their hotel suite they found a note from Priscilla, inviting them to her dinner party that evening. Her letter explained that she was inviting the local people who had given parties for her and Nick, along with the people who'd come up with them on the train from Denver. The event would take place in the private dining room of the hotel, and feature the French food and wine the hotel was known for.
Heath had wanted to laugh to when he saw this invitation; clearly this was what Jack Regan had referred to when he referenced having dinner with Nick and Priscilla. The detective had made it sound like he was the guest of honor, whereas in reality he was one of probably twelve or sixteen guests. That fact made him feel kinder towards Priscilla and Nick; clearly she was just being a good hostess. In spite of that, Heath didn't want to dine with the policeman, nor was he interested in the fancy French food the hotel restaurant served.
Instead he left Sarah to take a nap, while he went down to the gentleman's smoking lounge to read and do paperwork. When he came upstairs at half past five, he had pleaded, to Sarah, how his hip was bothering him, and that he would like to eat dinner in their suite. Heath thought he saw – just for a moment – a flash of disappointment, before Sarah acquiesced to his request. She had been all set to send for food from the restaurant downstairs, but Heath had insisted that they send the bellboy to get food from the café they'd had lunch at earlier.
His thoughts were broken by Sarah coming out of the hotel, dressed in an amber colored silk skirt, cream colored blouse, and brown tweed jacket nipped in at her tiny waist. Her hair was pulled back and topped with the velvet hat with the pheasant feathers she'd worn on their arrival in Denver. Heath thought she looked beautiful, liking how colors made her glow. He told her so, which had Sarah smiling with pleasure, as he helped her up to buggy.
The next hour passed quickly, as Heath showed her some of the mine sites, pointing out the geological points of interest. Heath also talked about the Quaking Aspen Trees, whose gold leaves offset the dark green of the pine trees. In truth he'd never seen scenery such as the Rocky Mountains offered, with the shades of gold and green offsetting the impressiveness of the shades of grey mountains. At one point they came to a waterfall, the cascading water causing delicate patterns of white and crystal to be woven again the rocks.
Sarah had been very receptive to his comments, and seemed to enjoy the experience. Heath would love to camp up in the mountains, and thrilled at the idea of Sarah next to him, as the moon rose over the mountain tops. It wasn't his land in California, but there was a primitive wildness to this area that appealed to his soul.
"I am sure that you are getting hungry, and I have something special planned." Heath let go the image in his mind, of being with Sarah under a Rocky Mountain High sky. He turned the buggy down a path, and came out in a meadow of green with late autumn flowers. The field was shielded by the mountains around it, and the purple and yellow wildflowers, along with the smell of sage, game him a peaceful feeling.
He stopped the horses, and after helping Sarah down, he moved to the back of the buggy. Heath reached for the blanket and took it out, carefully spreading it over a level part of the meadow. The basket was next, and Heath unpacked it, to reveal sandwiches, salad, cookies rich with cocoa powder; a jug of lemonade had been included also. Heath turned to look at Sarah, a smile on his face, as he spread his hands to indicate the lunch.
"Is this where we are having lunch?" Sarah asked, hoping the disappointment wasn't apparent in her voice. She had been looking forward to having lunch at the restaurant at the hotel, when they returned from the mountains. Yesterday afternoon, after Sarah had woken up from her nap, Priscilla had stopped by to see how she was doing. Her sister-in-law had told her in great detail about the dinner party she was hosting, especially the fine French food from the restaurant.
It had sounded delightful to Sarah, and it had taken a great deal of effort not to show Heath how crestfallen she was when he announced he didn't feel up to going out. Further it was clear that Heath was in a sour mood about the dinner party, and she had inwardly sighed to herself. He could be so difficult and touchy about the slightest of things, and Sarah was looking forward to getting back to California where she would not have to be in such close proximity to her husband.
"Yes, isn't it great? Not only do we have a great view of the mountains, but there is a stream not too far." Heath enthused, and Sarah felt her heart dropping to her knees at the thought of sitting on the ground. The air was cold; in fact Sarah had felt chilled ever since they'd arrived in Georgetown. Further, she couldn't help but think of the lunch that Adam Cohen had given her, in his splendid dining room.
The thought of Adam was both unwelcome but exciting at the same time; she was a married woman after all. As such she should have no thoughts of other men, but Adam haunted her even as she tried to push him away. He had been understanding and attentive as no man before ever had – even as she admitted the only men she could compare him to was her father and Heath.
Now she recalled the delicate and delicious food served on fine china by an attentive waiter. The whole meal had been attuned to comfort and consideration; Sarah couldn't see Adam expecting her to sit on the cold, hard ground. Her appetite disappeared, even as she noted Heath's pleased smile at the food he'd laid out on the plaid blanket.
"Yes, it is quite the spot." Sarah temporized, putting a smile on her face. She could see that lunch was a done deal, and decided her best bet was to go along for now. A plan came to her, that after she'd eaten some of the food she could announce that she wasn't feeling so well. Heath would take her back to the hotel quickly, she knew, feeling bad about wearing her out. Later, Sarah thought to herself, she could maneuver him into taking her to dinner at the hotel restaurant.
Heath gallantly helped her to lower herself to sit on the blanket, patiently waiting while she adjusted her bustle. Sarah, as she worked to get the slippery fabric of her skirt to cooperate, fumed to herself that if she'd known she would be sitting on the ground she would not have worn the outfit she had on. In the end she felt like an awkward heap, but from the way Heath was looking at her he didn't think that at all.
Sarah noted the gleam in his blue eyes, and knew that he was hoping that this picnic would set the stage for ardor later tonight. In truth they had not been intimate since the shooting, and Sarah had not been upset in the least. Her revelation about what her marriage and life were had changed her feelings forever about Heath. She knew she could only put him off for so long, but pushed the thought out of her mind for now, just wanting to be warm and comfortable.
Even as she took a small bite of the sandwich, she chided herself for getting into this predicament. Sarah wished now that she had not shown such enthusiasm when Heath had talked about the town and area surrounding Georgetown. She had, at the time, been going along to keep Heath happy. He had been very kind to her when she was suffering from altitude sickness; in her mind she could at least repay him by being attentive to his words.
"Sarah is everything all right?" She heard Heath asking, and realized that she hadn't swallowed the bit of sandwich she'd taken. In fact the bread was very thick, and the sauce on the meat couldn't cover its toughness. Chewing quickly she managed to swallow the lump of food, and reaching for the lemonade Sarah shook her head. Before she could say anything though four men, all wearing bandanas over their faces charged into the clearing.
"Of course she is not all right, and her situation is going to get much worse." The leader snarled the words as he stepped forward. "Not only are you an ill-bred bastard, but you are the cause of what is going to happen her, before I take care of you!" The man lowered the bandana and Sarah was shocked to see the face revealed. She could tell that Heath was also shocked, even as he reached for his gun.