He was setting a lot of hope into the plan, as well as what happened after apprehending Mad Dog. If the scenarios that rolled in his head played out, Maddie would never have to worry about the outlaw again. Then they could truly start their life together. It was now what he wanted. He couldn’t imagine spending the rest of his life without her. If that meant building a big house and setting down roots, so be it. The happiest days of his life had included her, and something deep down and foreign had convinced him that that would be enough.
He’d just have to be sure to never tell her what to do. Cole almost cracked a grin. Not telling Maddie, the stubborn woman she could be at times, might prove to be more fun than Lucky had originally expected. He’d figured out a lot of things, many of them concerning women, since meeting her. She wasn’t so different from his mother and Rachel, not when it came right down to it. The number one thing women wanted was to have things their way. Unlike Rachel and his mother, when it came to Maddie, he wanted her to have things her way. Even if it wasn’t what he wanted. That was what happens when a man loves a woman above all else.
He did. Love her above all else. Cole wasn’t sure exactly when that realization had happened, but had come to accept it, and in truth, he liked loving her.
She was gazing out the side window and turned, sensing him watching her, no doubt. She smiled and leaned her head against his shoulder. “I’ve never seen such decorations. There are even red bows on the lampposts.”
He kissed the top of her head. “My mother and grandmother decorate their homes for the holidays,” he said. “And we always had a huge tree full of candles.” He’d taken to talking about his home a lot lately, just so she’d be convinced he was missing it and wanting to return soon.
“You did?”
The sadness of her tone wrestled inside him. He wouldn’t mind seeing his family again, but in truth, if Maddie didn’t want to go to New Orleans, they wouldn’t go. Not telling her that stung. “Yes, we did,” he answered. He now understood why she wanted that big house. The security it would provide. Having grown up as she had, the daughter of an outlaw, being pursued by a killer, left her with no one to trust. No one to shelter her from all the evils of the world. He wanted to promise he’d give her that more than he wanted anything else, but he couldn’t—not just yet.
She was worried. Very worried. He sensed that. There wasn’t anything he could precisely put his finger on, but it seemed as if he’d lost half of her someplace along the line. He’d tried to convince her she had nothing to be ashamed of when it came to her father, the life she’d had, but that hadn’t seemed to help. The only time she was really herself was at night, when they were alone. The fiery, passionate Maddie came forth then. That thrilled him, and he wanted to see the luster in her eyes during the day, too. Every day, for the rest of her life.
She sighed heavily, and he squeezed her shoulder. “I’m sure the mayor’s house will be quite festive tonight.”
“I can’t wait to see it,” she said.
That was about the biggest lie she’d ever told. However, Cole kept his thoughts to himself. Not going would put a kink in his plan. He had hired men lining the docks, watching every ship that landed for Mad Dog, and they needed to know where he was every minute of the day. Changing his schedule could leave him not knowing if Mad Dog was in town or not.
She let out a heavy sigh. “Do we have to go to the mayor’s house tonight?”
As much as he’d like to say no, he said, “Yes.”
“Why?”
He wanted to say because it was the only way to assure her safety. Instead, he dived into a softer explanation. “The gold rush to Alaska has been good for Seattle. The city has started proclaiming itself as the gateway to getting there, and we’ve become the proof it can happen. That anyone willing to take a gamble has the chance of making it rich.”
Cole had been surprised that the entire town knew of their mining success before they’d landed, but it had given birth to his plan. Before then, he’d planned on securing her a hotel and heading north again, in pursuit of Mad Dog.
“Jack’s hoping to find a buyer for his claim tonight,” Cole said, glad he had one solid truth to tell her.
“Do you wish we’d sold everything to the Fenstermacher brothers, instead of just making them partners?” she asked.
“No,” he said honestly. “My grandmother once told me that a smart man invests in things that will keep working for him long after he walks away. The brothers are good men, and with their leadership, I believe the Big Bonanza will continue to make us money for years to come.”