At the Rainbow's End Read Online Free

hotel, she waved until the wagon was out of sight on the busy street.
    Again, like a slap in the face, she felt the candid stares of strange men. Bag firmly in hand, she went into the hotel, eager to escape the feeling of being watched. Opening the door with its etched glass oval window, she stepped into the front foyer.
    Crimson. The color struck her forcibly. Everything around her was red—embossing on the wallcovering, velvet on the chairs. Spidery twistings of wood softened the corners of the doors and enhanced the height of the windows. Through a door to her right, kerosene lanterns cast light on the bottles behind the brass-trimmed bar.
    Several tables were occupied. Samantha guessed the profession of the women in the room, from the daring cuts of their gowns. Uneasy, she pulled on the collar of her concealing cloak. This is what those men outside wanted her to be. She shivered with a mixture of disgust and trepidation.
    â€œYes, ma’am?”
    She whirled to see a squat man behind the counter. His eyes were calculating the worth of the clothes she wore and, she feared, what was beneath. Trying to keep a tremor from her voice, she stated, “I’m Samantha Perry. I believe Mr. Houseman made arrangements for a room for me. Will you check?”
    â€œNope.” He did not move, but a slow, insulting smile tilted his lips as he watched the movement of her chest as she gasped in reaction to his words.
    â€œExcuse me?” she asked, sure she had misunderstood his terse reply.
    â€œNo reservations. This ain’t San Francisco, ma’am. If you want a room, you come in. You tell me. You pay me. You get a room.” He rested his elbows on the well-nicked counter and smiled more broadly. Too many teeth seemed crowded into his full mouth. “So—do you want a room?”
    She glanced over his head at the rates, and her eyes widened. A single room cost five dollars a night. The rooms in Seattle had been a dollar or less. She guessed she could pay for two nights, possibly three. If rooms were this expensive, surely meals would be as overpriced. She did not know how long it would take Mr. Houseman to come from his claim. If it was longer than three days, she was unsure what she would do.
    As if he could read her thoughts, he said, “Arrangements can be made if you don’t have enough money.”
    Samantha started to express her gratitude until she saw the lascivious glitter in his eyes. She wondered if the women working in the saloon made similar “arrangements” with the owner of the hotel. Vowing to sleep in the street before lowering herself to that, she shook her head.
    â€œI can pay. One room.”
    â€œHow long?”
    â€œI will pay one night at a time.” She kept her voice coldly distant.
    â€œI rent rooms by the week.”
    She gasped, “By the week?” Thirty-five dollars! She could not afford to pay for half of that.
    Putting his hand over hers on the countertop, he smiled. “As I said, Miss Perry, we can work out arrangements for you to pay for your room. You might be very pleased with them.”
    â€œNo!” she cried. She jerked her arm away and grasped the handles of her well-worn satchel. “I will find somewhere else to stay.”
    â€œAin’t no other place. Everything’s full, with the Merwyn in.”
    â€œThen I’ll start walking toward Mr. Houseman’s claim.” She raised her chin defiantly, to prevent tears from spilling from her eyes. “Good day, sir.”
    â€œYou’ll be back, girl!” he shouted at her. “Working here may be your only choice, except a crib with the whores in Lousetown.”
    With her hand on the door latch, she said icily, “That’s where you’re wrong, sir. Good day.” She turned before he could see she was afraid that he was correct.
    Joel must come for her before she was forced to do exactly as this man suggested.
    He must.

Chapter Two
    Samantha