Rocky Mountain Dreams & Family on the Range

by Danica Favorite

  “When I got there, they gave me Nugget. Said she was my pa’s, and to give her to him because her ma was dead.”

  It still rankled to know his pa had reduced himself to visiting those women. At least his ma wasn’t around to witness his pa’s betrayal. Joseph swallowed the bile that rose up every time he thought about his poor ma, waiting for news of a man who had to have betrayed her the minute he arrived in town. Oh, he didn’t doubt that Nugget was his sister. She had the look of his sister Mary, waiting back at home for a pa not worthy of her regard.

  Preacher Lassiter leaned forward on his desk. “What do you want me to do? Find a home for the little girl?”

  “No!” The word burst out of his mouth. Much as he hated to admit it, Nugget was kin, and she was an innocent child who didn’t deserve the life she had.

  Joseph leaned back against the chair. “I don’t know what to do. Ma died nearly four months ago. Pa stopped sending money shortly before her death, and I just know Ma died of a broken heart because the bank told her they were going to take the farm.”

  No expression crossed the preacher’s face; at least none Joseph could discern. “I’ve got five sisters and a brother staying with an aunt in Ohio. We’ve got no place to go. Aunt Ina is threatening to send them all to an orphanage. I’ve been working hard to make up for what Pa used to send, but it’s not enough. When Ma got sick, the doctor was so expensive. I couldn’t afford it all and we lost the farm.”

  Joseph’s gut ached at having to share so much of his personal business with this man.

  He looked the preacher in the eye, straightening in his chair. “I’m not asking for me. I know how to make it on my own. I’ve been doing it since I was a boy. But I’ve got to do better for my brother and sisters. I need to find my pa and get the money he’s been denying us so I can keep them out of an orphanage.”

  The last word squeaked out of him—a painful reality he didn’t want to face. Especially now that he had another sister to consider. How could he be responsible for sending seven kids to an orphanage?

  “The boardinghouse wouldn’t let me keep Nugget there with me. Called it improper. I can’t afford the hotel. We’ve been staying in a tent outside of camp, but it’s no place for a little girl. I’ve been working in the mines to send money to my aunt so she’ll keep the others a little longer.”

  And, from the letter he’d just received, probably not much longer if Daniel didn’t stop his antics. It wasn’t Daniel’s fault, not really. But living with all those girls, and not having a man’s guidance...

  Joseph let out a deep breath. “Sir, I know you get all sorts of people on your doorstep, but I need to find my father. You’re my last hope of finding him. People say there isn’t a miner in these parts you don’t know.”

  The preacher rubbed his stubbled jaw. “What’d you say his name was?”

  “William Earl Stone.” He exhaled, then said, “The lady at Miss Betty’s called him Bad Billy.” He wasn’t sure he wanted to know the reason for his pa’s moniker, not with the way the woman had winked when she’d called him that. One more reason to hate the man.

  The preacher closed his eyes for a moment, then sighed. “I didn’t recognize the full name, but at mention of Bad Billy, I know who you’re talking about.”

  What kind of man had his pa become, that even the preacher had that disgusted look in his eyes?

  Joseph swallowed. “Can you tell me where to find him?”

  “I’m sorry, son. Your father died nearly six months ago.”

  Dead. So Joseph had spent everything he had on a fool’s errand. He should be comforted to know that the reason the money had stopped was that his pa had died. But comfort wouldn’t feed his family or keep them out of the orphanage.

  Chapter Two

  Joseph stood and extended his hand. “Thank you, sir, for your time. I appreciate your assistance.”

  The preacher didn’t take it. He looked up at him with cornflower-blue eyes that inappropriately reminded Joseph of Annabelle.

  “Sit back down, young man. You have a problem, and informing you of the sad news of your father’s passing doesn’t solve it. I can’t in good conscience let you leave until we’ve got a better solution for your family.”

  A man who’d spent years caring for a family in place of an absent father didn’t weep. But in the face of the past few weeks, combined with the news that it had all been for nothing, this man’s kindness made him want to do so.

  Preacher Lassiter stood. “It seems to me that as your father’s son, you’d be next of kin. Therefore, I think it fitting that I give you some papers your father entrusted me with. I recognize you from a picture he showed me.”

  Hopefully those papers would lead to the source of the money his pa had been sending. It hadn’t been much, but maybe, just maybe, it would be a start. One of the men he’d sat next to on the train had talked about places out West that still needed settling. He could take advantage of the Homestead Act. Sure, it wouldn’t be the farm they’d lost, but it would be enough. Farming was good, honest work, and certainly more rewarding than all the time Joseph had spent in the mines.

  For the first time since coming out here, Joseph felt hopeful that maybe things would finally be all right.

  “I appreciate that, Preacher. Anything you can do is a blessing.”

  The preacher smiled at him. “Call me Frank.” He pulled a key out of his pocket and walked past him. “I’ve got his things in a safe I keep in the other room, so I’ll be right back.”

  It had to be a good sign that his pa’s papers were important enough to be kept in a safe. Maybe his snake of a father had done right by his family after all.

  Joseph looked up to see a portrait of Jesus staring him down. He gave a long sigh. It had been wrong of him to be so disrespectful of his pa. Someday, he’d be able to ask forgiveness for it. Right now, though, he couldn’t be sorry. Not with all the mouths he had to provide for. And the fact that his pa was the very reason they were in this predicament.

  Was it wrong to reserve his forgiveness and apologies until after he knew his family was safe?

  Probably so. But it had been a long time since Joseph had been to church. Not since his pa left and one of the women in their old church had said something to his ma about her husband never coming back. After that, Ma hadn’t wanted to be around the mean, spiteful women, and Joseph had too much work to do to argue.

  The door opened again, and Frank returned, carrying a stack of papers. “Your father had interests in a number of mines. I grubstaked him on a few of his projects.”

  It didn’t seem very pastorly for a man of God to give out money for prospecting. “Why?”

  He smiled, again reminding Joseph of Annabelle. “Because a man has a certain level of pride. It’s easier to ask for money if you think you’re giving someone something in return. So I give the miners what they need, and they give me a ten percent ownership in their mines. It eases their pride knowing that they’re not taking a handout.”

  Frank’s grin turned a bit mischievous. “I’ve never had a single mine pan out, but boy, wouldn’t that be something.”

  “It sounds like gambling.” On one hand, it was nice that the preacher was willing to give money to miners in need, but how was he helping those men? How many of the men taking money from the preacher had families back home who could’ve used that money?

  “Now you sound like my daughter.” Frank sat back in his chair. “I see it as an investment in these men’s dreams. When I was a boy, I wanted nothing more than to be a preacher. But my family came from money, and such things weren’t done. So I followed their plan and found myself rich and miserable. When I told my wife I was leaving the family firm to become a preacher, she asked me what had taken so long.”

  The peace flitting across Frank’s face stirred envy unlike any Joseph had ever experienced. What would it be like to give everythi
ng up to follow your dreams? Of course, it had been so long since Joseph had dared dream anything, he wasn’t sure what that would be.

  “So here I am, spreading God’s word in an ungodly town. And if I find a man whose dreams I can encourage, I do. I call it an investment. I suppose the difference between my investments and gambling is that I don’t expect a return. At least not here on earth.”

  So nonchalant about being able to give it all away. “Doesn’t the church object to you spending their money on such a foolish endeavor?”

  Another grin. “I don’t use the church’s money. The money I invest comes straight out of my personal income. It irks poor Annabelle to no end that I help the miners, but they’ve got to have someone who believes in them.”

  Maybe. But he’d have to agree with Annabelle that he’d be better off not funding such schemes. “How much was Pa in to you for?”

  Frank chuckled. “Again, it was not a loan. I gave him money freely. But that’s not the right question. The question is, how much will you be able to get from his mines?”

  With that, Frank sorted through the papers. “I have here papers for five different mining claims. As far as I know, not one has panned out.” He looked up at Joseph. “However, about a week before he died, your father was anxious about the Mary May. He came to me and asked if I could keep his papers safe.”

  “Did someone kill him?”

  Frank shrugged. “Hard to tell. He fell down a ravine. Did he fall or was he pushed? No one knows. And no one really cared enough to find out.”

  Joseph supposed he should care, but honestly, if his pa wasn’t already dead, he might have to kill him himself. “Why would someone kill him for holdings that aren’t very valuable?”

  Frank looked around, slowly. “Every now and again, I’d find bits of silver in the offering. I never knew where they came from. I figured it was a miner’s way of giving back but not wanting to call attention to himself. One day, I noticed your father slipping silver into the offering when he thought no one was looking.”

  He leaned forward and lowered his voice. “Now I ask you. Why would a man hide having so much silver?”

  With what Joseph was learning about his pa, he had a pretty good idea. “So he wouldn’t have to give your share to you? Only he felt guilty about not giving something to the church, so he put in a portion?”

  Frank leaned back and gave another shrug. “Or maybe he’d found the big one and was trying to go about securing it before making the big announcement. Like I said, he’d been talking about the Mary May last time I saw him.”

  At least his pa had some loyalty, naming the mine after one of the daughters he’d abandoned back home. Not that it would give her any comfort at all.

  Joseph riffled through the crumbled, dirty papers. Each of his sisters had a mine named after them. Maybe he’d give each of his siblings the papers to their mines. Probably worthless, but at least something to remember their pa.

  “You think I should check out the Mary May?”

  “Wouldn’t hurt. He had a cabin up that way. Maybe you’ll find some of his personal belongings or something that can help your quest.”

  Joseph sighed. The preacher was right. It wouldn’t hurt. Maybe this cabin would be a safer place to keep Nugget. “I’ll check it out. See if the cabin is livable.”

  Frank pointed at the shadows in the window. “Not tonight, you won’t. It’s going to be too dark to head up there now, and having been to the cabin once, I can tell you that Billy did a real nice job of making it hard to find.”

  Somehow, his pa’s cleverness at making a hidden cabin didn’t bring the same kind of twinkle to his mind as it did to the preacher’s eyes. Maybe he’d once had that kind of fondness for his pa, but after cleaning up so much of his pa’s mess, he wasn’t so kindly inclined.

  “Thank you, Preacher. Would you happen to know of a place willing to rent a room to us tonight? I’ve tried just about everywhere, but being where Nugget came from and all, no one wants us.”

  Maybe the preacher could put in a good word for them. It was only one night. Then they could go to his pa’s cabin and make it a temporary home for Nugget. What his siblings would do when they found out...well, it’d be like losing their parents all over again. Especially for the girls, who’d been sheltered from such things.

  “You’ll stay with us, of course. It’s a shame to have all those bedrooms sit empty when there are heads needing a place to rest. And I told you, it’s Frank.” The preacher’s smile appeared benign, but Joseph saw the underlying power behind it. There’d be no arguing with this man.

  And really, it would be foolish. He was running out of money, and with an extra mouth to feed, he had to think beyond his pride. But someday...he’d keep an account of all the preacher had done for him and his family and he’d pay him back.

  “Again, my thanks. Your generosity is—”

  “None of that.” Frank held up his hand. “The Lord has been generous to me, so it’s only right that I am generous in return.”

  Frank reached into his desk and pulled out a coin. “Take this. Go on down to the bathhouse on West Seventh. It’s run by a couple of nice widows who will take good care of you.”

  Joseph didn’t need a man of the cloth to tell him he reeked. But every penny he wasted on a bath was a penny less for his family. “Thank you, but—”

  “No buts. Maddie, that’s my housekeeper, is one of the most particular women you’ll ever meet. If you don’t go to the bathhouse and take care of it, she’s liable to haul you out back and scrub you down herself.”

  Joseph took the coin and stared at it. Still, it seemed a shame to spend it when he’d just received a letter from Aunt Ina asking for more money.

  “Thank you,” he finally managed to force himself to say. “What about Nugget?”

  “Don’t worry about her. Like I told you, Annabelle loves children. Once I tell her what’s going on, she’ll have Nugget cleaned up, and if I know my daughter, she’ll probably have found her a pretty new dress and done her hair all up. You won’t find a better person to leave Nugget with than my Annabelle.”

  Joseph remembered the looks of disgust the other women in town had given them as they’d walked in search of the church. Annabelle was different. She’d taken Nugget’s hand and treated his little sister with respect.

  All these warm feelings did nothing to dispel his wariness. In fact, it only made them worse. Liking a golden-haired girl such as Annabelle couldn’t be on his mind. He’d come to Leadville to solve the problem of how to care for his siblings, and so far, all he’d come up with was another mouth to feed and a few probably worthless pieces of paper.

  Thinking thoughts he had no business thinking about a girl was just borrowing trouble. And Joseph already had more than his share.

  * * *

  Annabelle reached to knock on the door to her father’s office just as the door opened, causing her to nearly run into the miner’s chest.

  “Where’s Nugget?” Joseph peered around her, invading her personal space.

  “She’s fine,” Annabelle said, stepping out of the man’s way. “Maddie’s got her taking a bath in the kitchen, so if you could give her a little privacy...”

  She entered the office, looking around to see any sign that her father had yet again funded some foolish endeavor. “Maddie also wanted me to tell you that supper’s going to be ready at seven. We’ll be serving outside so if you could get some men to put out the tables, she sure would appreciate it.”

  No sign that anything was missing, so at least this man wasn’t a thief. One time, a miner stole the gold crucifix from her great-grandfather right off the church’s wall. And her father, with his forgiving soul, had let him.

  “What’d I tell you,” her father said, putting his arm around her. “You don’t have to worry a bit about Nugget. Go take your bath so you can be back in time for supper
. Maybe some of the miners your father knew will be there.”

  Joseph cleared his throat. “Are you expecting many?” This time, his voice sounded less raspy, more husky, and less like he’d spent too much time in the mines. She briefly wondered what he’d sound like singing in the church, but then shoved that thought out of her mind.

  Her father gave her a squeeze. “Only the Lord knows. But He always provides enough. My dear, sweet Catherine, before she passed, had a heart for making sure those boys had a home-cooked meal. Every Wednesday night, and also after services on Sunday, we invite anyone who wants to eat over for supper. I don’t know what I’d do without Annabelle to carry on the tradition.”

  Annabelle’s heart sank at his words. How was she supposed to leave Leadville and move on with her life when her father needed her so desperately?

  “Your kindness is much appreciated,” the miner said gruffly. So unlike most of the miners who’d grown to expect the handouts. This one was different.

  Not that she’d allow herself to see him as different, she told herself as sternly as she could. Seeing miners as individuals and caring for them as people was dangerous stuff. Getting attached had gotten her heart broken more times than she could count. Which was why, after all the tragedies of the winter, Annabelle absolutely was not going to find herself caring about this miner or his child.

  She’d do her duty, feed them, give them what they needed, then send them on their way. Just like she did with everyone else. And when the letter from Aunt Celeste came, giving her the means to escape, she was going to do it, and pray that somehow her father would find a way to get on without her.

  Because if her heart was forced to take on any more burdens, it would certainly crumble under the weight.

  Chapter Three

  One would think that by now, Annabelle’s back wouldn’t ache so much after feeding a hungry crowd. But every muscle in her body hurt. Not to mention her head from the din of all the voices in the backyard. She returned the last plate to the cupboard, looking around the kitchen to make sure her share of the chores were finished.