The question was: what was she to do about it?
Kate was pacing the porch when Will and Smith rode by that evening. Will could only wonder whether she’d heard the news he was bringing. As if in apology, Smith tipped his cap to her before continuing around the geyser field. Will stopped in front of her.
“Everything all right?” he asked.
She moved to the rail as if his concern fueled her steps. “Elijah should be fine. The Barksdales too. But Will, Elijah is certain this accident was caused by the Virginia City Outfitters.”
He nodded slowly as the accusation sunk in. It certainly aligned with the news he’d received from Mammoth Hot Springs. “Makes sense.”
Kate threw up her hands. “None of this makes sense. This is a thirty-bed older hotel. You know what it takes just to maintain it. They could build a modern marvel with telephones. Why harass me?”
“Because you have a lease,” he said. “The Yellowstone Park Association has bought up nearly everything else. And the Department of the Interior doesn’t seem disposed to grant new leases. You’re the only hope the Virginia City Outfitters have of gaining a place in the park.”
Kate came down the stairs to him and put a hand on his saddle. “Elijah said the same thing. If you’re that certain, tell Captain Harris. This accident wasn’t Elijah’s fault. The Virginia City Outfitters can’t be allowed to get away with it. Someone might have been killed.”
The need to help her was nearly overwhelming, but he knew what Captain Harris would say. He covered her hand with his. “I’ll report the incident, Kate, and my suspicions of its cause. But I can’t indict the Virginia City Outfitters. We have no proof. I’m sorry.”
She yanked back her hand, and he felt as if she’d struck him.
“No proof?” she cried. “What about the cut board under Elijah’s coach?”
“It appeared to have been cut,” Will reminded her. “But we can’t prove who cut it.”
She bit her lower lip as if holding back words.
Will swung down from the saddle. “There’s more. Give me a moment to hitch Bess, and we’ll talk.”
She didn’t look ready to talk. Her color was high, her face set. But she climbed the steps and went to sit stiffly on the porch swing on the side of the hotel.
Will tied Bess, gave her a pat, and joined Kate.
“Please tell me no one else has been hurt,” she said as he sat beside her, swing shifting.
“No one was hurt,” he answered. “But there’s a problem. When I telephoned Mammoth Hot Springs about the wreck, Lieutenant Tutherly told me about a fracas there. Were you expecting a load of supplies?”
She nodded. “The last of the year—canned goods, barrels of flour, salt pork, and salt—meant to last us through the winter until the first wagons make it in next spring.”
That’s what he’d feared. “They’re being held at Mammoth Hot Springs. One of the other drivers is offering to pay the teamster double the price to divert the supplies to Virginia City.”
She surged to her feet with such force the swing rocked beneath him. “That’s not fair! I paid for those supplies—half down, half on delivery.”
She was right. It wasn’t fair. But there was only so much Captain Harris could do. As it was, they were fortunate the teamster had requested the Army’s aid in resolving the issue.
“If the freight company takes the deal, they’ll no doubt reimburse you your down payment,” he offered.
“That won’t help,” she protested. “There’s no time to get more here before winter sets in. Without those supplies, we won’t be able to house you and your men, Will. We may not have enough food for Danny, Alberta, and me.”
He rose to face her. “Then we better fetch those supplies.”
“How?” she demanded, gaze searching his. “I have a pony cart big enough for three. Elijah’s stagecoach is wrecked. You and your men all together couldn’t carry everything by horseback.” She shook her head. “Elijah was right. The Virginia City Outfitters are out to ruin me.”
Will took her hand. “We won’t let them.”
She sucked back a breath that sounded suspiciously like a sob. “A nice promise, but I don’t see how you can keep it.”
Neither did he, but that didn’t matter. She’d made this hotel a home—for herself and Danny, for Alberta and Pansy and Caleb, for Elijah and her guests, for Will and his men. There had to be something he could do to keep her from losing it.
“First we have to convince the freight company to deliver those supplies,” he said. “Then we have to make sure Captain Harris, the Department of the Interior, and every last guest this year knows the Geyser Gateway is the finest hotel in the park.”
She cocked her head. “How do you propose we do that?”
“Pack a bag,” Will said. “And bring your best dress. Tomorrow we’re riding to Mammoth Hot Springs. I’ll get you in to see Captain Harris, and we’ll settle this.”
21
Mammoth Hot Springs had changed since the last time Kate had visited. The steaming waters still ran down the travertine terraces, in streaks of orange, apricot, and cream, like a giant layer cake. Bubbles still popped in the hot water, fueling the smell of sulfur. But the view was partly blocked now by the National Hotel.
Kate reined in and stared at it. Four stories tall at its highest point, the green building with its red roof was easily four times as long as the Geyser Gateway. A wide covered porch ran along the front, and multipaned windows gazed out at the park. She wasn’t sure if the turret near the front entrance held stairs or fancy sitting rooms for the guests. Three Wakefield and Hoffman stages were disgorging visitors, while another, precariously loaded with a half dozen people on the top, was about to leave.
“Why would the Virginia City Outfitters want to compete with this?” Kate asked Will, who had stopped beside her.
He just shook his head.
He
