by E. E. Burke
Fate hadn’t been kind was all Charlie could think, but he refused to believe she was cursed, although telling her that wouldn’t change her mind. Somehow, he had to rouse her stubborn nature and redirect it against the real enemy—her lack of confidence.
“I agree you’ve had a bad run. So what’ve you done about it?”
“Done?” She searched his gaze with a look of desperation. “I’ve prayed.”
“And?”
“God hasn’t taken it away.”
“The Almighty can be unpredictable. I pray too. I figure God wouldn’t have much use for me if I didn’t make an effort.”
“What are you saying? That I’m not trying hard enough?” An annoyed frown replaced the despair. Good. She needed to get her back up and fight. Not give up.
“I’m saying you should look at the positive things that have happened, and let that reassure you. Just over the past twenty-four hours, you fell off a mountain and lived to tell the tale; and you’ve won over a very discriminating ferret.”
Her lips twitched.
“And we found out we make a good team, especially when it comes to cooking pancakes.” He reached for her hands. “And kisses,” he said in a low voice. Now was his chance to make his case for marriage. “Take a chance, Penny. Marry me.”
The door to the saloon banged open and a cold wind swirled inside.
Penny looked past him, blinking with surprise.
Charlie shot to his feet and turned around, clenching his hands and itching to take apart the idiot who’d interrupted them.
Percy yanked off his hat. “Excuse me. Have I interrupted something?”
“You have. State your business, then leave.”
“I just thought you might like to know your crew left town.” Percy turned the hat brim in his hands. “Maybe now isn’t a good time.”
Charlie narrowed his eyes. “Is this some kind of joke?”
“No, no joke. A little while after the, er, altercation…” Percy’s gaze darted past Charlie’s shoulder at Penny and then back. “A representative from Folly’s Peak came up to the miners standing around outside and told them he was looking for men to work a big gold strike. As soon as they heard about it, they left.”
“You’re lying. Those men wouldn’t leave without telling me. They’re loyal.”
“Yes, well, I suppose you thought Silas was loyal too.”
Seamus came around the bar, his brow creased with worry. “Are all the miners gone, then?”
Percy rubbed his chin as he thought. “The ones outside who heard the news are. I suppose a few of the men might’ve stayed, but I wouldn’t know for certain.”
The land agent dipped his head in a little bow. “Good afternoon, Mrs. Jackson. I’m glad to see you’ve returned. I hope you’ll be staying.”
“No, I’m just leaving.” Penny slipped by so fast Charlie didn’t have a chance to catch her. Before she went out the door, she sent a regretful look over her shoulder. “I’m so sorry. I should’ve stayed away.”
Was she saying this was her fault?
Charlie took a deep breath, and then let it out. Granted, it was bad timing, but his crew’s defection had nothing to do with her. “Penny, wait!”
“Mr. Hardt, hear me out. Now might be a good time to consider my uncle’s offer.”
Percy’s remark stopped Charlie dead in his tracks. He turned and advanced on the land agent. “Was this your idea to tell the men about a gold strike? So you and your uncle can get your paws on the mine?”
“No, not at all!” Percy scrambled away and went behind the bar. “I told you, someone came to town. A stranger. No one knows him.”
“But they believed him?” Charlie pushed up his coat sleeve. He hated sniveling cowards. He hated liars even more.
Percy pointed to the door. “Ask the men still outside. They’ll tell you!”
Scowling, Seamus caught Percy by his checkered coat sleeve. “Get your yeller tail out from behind me bar and face the mayor like a man.”
The scrawny land agent held his hat in front of him like a shield. “I-I thought I was doing you a favor by coming in here to tell you the news. But I can see you don’t appreciate it.”
Hell, maybe Percy wasn’t lying. Could be it happened exactly like he said, and the men had moved on to greener pastures. Happened every day in mining towns.
Charlie dropped his arm. He’d find other men willing to work for him, or he’d blast the tunnels himself. In the meantime, he would go after Penny. Noelle wasn’t that big, she couldn’t get far. He walked past the land agent on his way out the door. “The marriage deal is still on.”
Penny ran from the saloon past the bank. She wobbled on the boards that served as a walkway, feeling a bit strange and out-of-joint. Was this the effect of the whiskey? She shouldn’t have asked for a second drink, much less finished it. Then again, that might’ve been Charlie’s plan, to take advantage of her weakened willpower. He had offered another proposal, and he’d tricked her before.
She threw a frantic look over her shoulder. He hadn’t followed yet, and maybe he wouldn’t. He might decide to go after his men instead, now that he realized what an albatross she could be. But she had to find a place to hide in case he did happen to decide to come look for her.
When she came to the diner she tried the door, then ducked inside.
A delicious smell made her mouth water and Penny realized she hadn’t eaten since breakfast. She looked around with surprise at the empty tables, and during lunchtime no less.
Loud voices came from the back, and it sounded as if they were speaking Spanish.
“Hello?” Penny called out.
Fina appeared in a back doorway, wearing an apron stained with what appeared to be tomatoes, and that long knife she wielded was meant for cutting up vegetables, hopefully.
“Are you open?”
“Yes, of course!” Fina set the knife aside on a table and came over to Penny, greeting her with a hug. “How are you? I saw the mayor carrying you into the saloon.”
This wasn’t a topic Penny wanted to discuss.
“I’m all right. But Mr. Hardt isn’t very happy right now. His crew left town for some new gold strike.”
“I heard about that. The restaurant cleared out too.”
Penny blinked. The room seemed to be tilting. Her stomach did a slow flip and she swallowed fast. “Do you mind if I sit down?”
“Come over here. I’ll get you something to eat.”
Penny followed Fina to the first table. She shed her gloves, cloak and scarf. “I just need a place to sit for a little while. But I’ll gladly pay for a plate of food.”
“Don’t worry about it if you’re not hungry. You can stay as long as you like.”
“Thank you.” Penny slumped on her elbows, feeling miserable. Her friend would think she was horrible for wanting to leave, especially now that the miners had cleared out, but she couldn’t take the risk of staying and marrying Charlie, even if she wanted to. His good luck might not be strong enough to stand up against her misfortune, which was why she’d left the gold nugget necklace he’d given her on the table back at the saloon. He needed all the help he could get.
Fina plopped onto the opposite bench. “Hey, I’ve got some salve for those scratches.”
Penny’s hand went to her neck. Why hadn’t she remembered to keep her scarf on? “They don’t hurt that much. It’s just so humiliating.”
“What?” Fina slapped her hands on the table. “No, no. You should be proud of yourself. All the other ladies agree with me.”
“Truly? You aren’t embarrassed to be around me?”
“We’re glad you popped Betsey in the nose. Someone needed to.”
Penny sighed with relief. Back east, she would’ve had to go into seclusion for months. Charlie hadn’t acted embarrassed either. After he’d come to her aid, he had seen to her needs, very tenderly. “Mr. Hardt was kind to help me.”
Fina’s lips curved in a knowing smile. “You gonna marry the
mayor?”
Penny dropped her head into her hands, heart sore and confused. “I don’t know, Fina. I want to.” It was relief to finally admit the truth. “But I’m afraid to risk it.”
“He might help you make up your mind. I see him coming this way.”
Penny ducked down onto the bench so she wouldn’t be visible through the window in front. She wasn’t ready to face him. “Did he see me?”
“No, I don’t think so. He’s gone past. You can sit up.”
Maybe Charlie hadn’t been coming after her. Why did that thought make her even more miserable? Her eyes began to sting. Knowing tears would follow, she turned her face away and pretended to be looking at the colorful murals painted on the wall.
“Chiquita. Tell me what’s wrong. I think you like our mayor, maybe more than like him. Why can’t you marry him?”
What could Fina do, except give her sympathy and cards with saints on them? Then again, it might help to unburden her soul. Penny took a breath and slowly let it out to help her regain her composure. “You remember the card you gave me?”
“Sí.”
“You said it would ward off evil spirits. I don’t think it worked. There’s something wrong with me, Fina, something that brings bad luck to others. Especially the men I marry. I fear my love is deadly.”
That sounded ridiculous, even to her ears. Nonetheless, she was afraid.
“I know what you need.” Fina’s declaration took Penny by surprise.
“You do?”
Fina reached across the table and took her hand, giving it a squeeze. “My grandmother was a curandera. She would advise if you believe the bad luck resides within you, make an herbal bath in the name of Santa Muerte and light white candles, one with Huesuda etched on it, unless you have a statue of her?”
Penny shook her head slowly. She brushed at a dirty spot on her sleeve, finally gave up. She’d need to wash everything. Herself included. “You think I need a bath?”
“No, not just a bath, it must be a cleansing bath. You should use sage.” Fina twisted on the bench. “Nacho! ¿Tenemos salvia?”
“Si!” Her husband’s answer came from the kitchen. “¿Para cocinar un pollo?”
“No, not for chicken. It’s for Señora Jackson.”
After a moment, Nacho emerged from the kitchen. He put a fragrant bundle of sage bound with string on the table and gave Penny a friendly smile. His gaze moved from her to Fina and then back again, bright with curiosity. “This is what you need?”
“Gracias, now you can leave us. I’ll be back to help you soon.” Fina patted his arm.
Nacho leaned down and brushed a kiss on his wife’s cheek. “Esperaré una eternidad.”
Her gaze softened as she looked up at him, and she toyed with a shiny dark braid hanging over her shoulder. “You won’t have to wait that long.”
The heated look they exchanged made translation unnecessary.
Uncomfortable, Penny averted her gaze. Would she ever share that kind of easy intimacy with someone? Charlie had given her a taste of soaring passion, but he hadn’t offered her love. She ought not expect it. He was only rushing to marry her to meet a deadline.
“Now, we need to find two white candles and a ribbon,” Fina mused. “Give me a few minutes to get everything together. Nacho will give you something to eat while you wait.”
Penny stood. This was starting to sound like hocus-pocus. “Thank you, but no.”
“Chiquita, you asked for my help.” Fina propped her hands on her hips. “I am telling you what you need to do, and I know it will work. But if you keep holding onto the bad luck, you won’t get rid of it.”
In a sense, Charlie had told her the same thing. At least this was an action she could take, however far-fetched. And if it worked, it might give him extra protection.
Fina held up the bundle of dried sage. “Are you ready to send the bad luck away?”
Penny considered her options. “Where will I go to have this bath?
Chapter 11
Of all places, Fina had to pick the cathouse for the cleansing bath.
“La Maison has the largest bathtub in town,” she explained, as Penny followed her upstairs to the second floor. “Pearl told me it was shipped in all the way from New York.”
“I don’t care where it came from.” Penny shuddered to think about the kind of gossip her being there would elicit. Granted, she had lived here with the other eleven brides after the sheriff had temporarily evicted the residents. But now that most of the women were married, it would no doubt go back to being a brothel.
“No one will catch us. I told Nacho to tell the mayor that you went back to his cabin to get your bag. Aggie is here with Pearl, and they promised to keep watch.”
“I can’t believe Aggie will be living here much longer.” Penny bit her lip. No. She’d promised not to tell anyone about Gus and Aggie’s secret romance.
“She’s seeing old Gus, but I don’t think she’s ready to marry him.”
“You know? He said it was a secret.”
Fina threw an incredulous look over her shoulder. “Nobody can keep a secret in this town.”
Penny didn’t mention she hadn’t known until Gus told her yesterday. She should’ve been more aware. Or maybe no one trusted her not to mess things up.
“Why won’t she marry him?”
“Maybe she thinks he’s too old.”
“She’s older than him!”
Fina shrugged. “Maybe she thinks she’s too old.”
Penny shook her head. That pretty well ended the hope of Aggie taking her place, at least in time to meet the deadline. This bath had better work.
In the madam’s bedroom, a strong scent lingered; the perfume she wore in copious amounts. The brass bed’s satin coverlet had been thrown back, along with the sheets and blankets, as if someone had gotten out of bed and hadn’t looked back. Odd paraphernalia lay scattered on the bed stand, including several medicine bottles. The door to the wardrobe stood open, revealing garish gowns hung on hooks.
“She must’ve moved back the minute we vacated the premises,” Penny whispered.
“How come you’re whispering? She’s locked up in the jail.”
Fina pulled the heavy velvet curtains closed. The only light came from the flickering flames of three white tapers on the dressing table.
“Good, Aggie found candles.” Fina wrapped a ribbon around one. “I already wrote the petition, and she carved the image from a card I gave her.”
Penny eyed the claw-foot tub in the corner of the room. “So all I have to do is bathe?”
“Wait, one more thing.” Fina dug into the flour sack she’d slung over one shoulder and removed the bundle of sage. She used one of the candles to light the end.
A strong, earthy fragrance filled the room, as did smoke, which made Penny cough.
This had to be one of the craziest things she’d ever done. But she had tried everything else—regular prayers for years, throwing salt over her shoulder, living with a cricket in her house, removing her hair from her brush and burning it. Nothing had worked. Still, she had to try again, if she were to have any hope of helping Charlie, without making his situation worse.
After the sage smoldered for a moment, Fina smudged ashes around the inside of the tub. “I think that’ll do it.”
“You don’t know?”
“I never really did this before. But my abuela told me all about it, and I mostly remember. All right, now get in the tub.”
Being modest, Penny turned her back to unbutton her jacket. She had shared a room with three other women, now married, but she still felt shy undressing in front of others.
Fina made her way around the room again, smudging more ashes on the furniture, on the walls, and even some around the door. “You bathe while the candles burn down. It’s good to pray to Santa Muerte because all life ends in death, and she can kill any evil coming her way.”
Penny stepped into the tub and sat down, shivering. The air in the room was smok
y, but still cold, and the lukewarm water didn’t quite reach her knees. She stared with consternation at a crimson robe tossed over a chair next to the bed. “Does it strike you odd to be using this place to perform a sacred ceremony?”
“Where you do it doesn’t matter. La Muerte accepts people as they come. Rich, poor, old, young…we all end in dust. Or ashes to ashes, as your custom says.”
“Or up in smoke.” Penny coughed and waved her hand in front of her face. The haze in the room and the scent was almost overpowering. No wonder the evil spirits fled. They would suffocate otherwise.
“Now you’re all set. All you have to do is pray.” Fina picked up the sack and started for the door. “I told Nacho I’d help him finish preparing for the evening crowd. I’ll be back soon.”
“Wait! What do I say?”
“Whatever’s on your heart.”
“But how will I know if I’m doing it correctly?”
The door shut with a snick.
Penny wished that Fina might’ve stayed to add her prayers, which were bound to be more effective. Did saints even listen to Protestants? With a sigh, she leaned back. The smoke wasn’t so thick anymore, and she was getting used to the smell. Might as well bathe first. La Muerte would appreciate supplications more from a clean woman than a dirty one.
She proceeded to wash dirt off her face and arms. If she had more time, and soap, she would thoroughly wash her hair, but that would take hours. She cleaned the ends and did her best to work out the tangles with her fingers. Cupping a handful of water, she dribbled it over her chest. The water and cold air combined to make her shiver, and her nipples constricted.
A bang resounded from somewhere below. Then she heard a murmur of voices, words she couldn’t make out, followed by the sound of heavy footfalls on the stairs.
Penny sat forward. “Fina?”
“Stop! You can’t go up there,” shouted a woman who sounded like Pearl.
The heavy steps got louder, and then someone was knocking on the door.
Penny clambered out of the tub, almost slipping on the wood floor, and frantically looked around for something to use to cover herself. Why hadn’t Fina left a bath sheet?
