Chapter 20
On the edge of the canyon wall, Jessica straightened in indignation and set her hands on her trim hips as she glared at Storm.
"I'm going down there with you! I've come this far, and you're not going to keep me from being in on the end of it!"
"You don't have your full strength back, Jessica. You should have stayed back in camp and rested, like I asked you to."
"You're shoulder isn't completely healed, either. And you damned sure didn't worry about my health all morning," she fired back at him. Her heart softened when she saw the look of abashment on his face and she reached out a hand to him.
"Storm, I'm perfectly capable of going down there with you. Believe me. And it hasn't been raining up in the hills today. There's no chance of another flash flood."
Storm studied her, then nodded his head as he took her hand and squeezed it.
"All right, pretty lady, but let me hitch a rope to Spirit before we climb down. That way we can get back up faster if we need to."
Though she knew his idea made sense, Jessica waited impatiently while Storm looped his rope over the saddlehorn and tossed it down the side of the canyon. The delay chafed at her. She was so close now.
You weren't in such a hurry this morning, her mind said. She blushed and dropped her head, willing herself to submissiveness as Storm tested the knot on the rope and ordered Spirit to stand firm until he returned.
"Jessica?"
Jessica looked up to see Storm standing on the edge of the canyon wall, motioning for her to join him. Together they made their way down the rock strewn course, climbing around the debris that littered the path of the flood. When they reached the bottom where the creek flowed, she turned to Storm.
"I lost my spade yesterday," she said worriedly. "What are we going to dig with?"
"I've got a knife," Storm replied. "But I don't think we're going to have to worry about that. Look."
Jessica followed his pointing arm to the spot she had marked in her mind the day before as to where the gold would probably be buried. She gasped and splashed across the creek, her mind trying desperately to deny the evidence before her eyes.
After climbing a few feet up the far bank, Jessica knelt beside the piece of wood sticking up from the rocky ground. Her hand went out and she brushed a few grains of sand from the letters staring up at her — U. S. Cal....
"I'm sorry, honey. I guess that gold you were looking for must have been a lost Army payroll, huh?"
Jessica couldn't seem to force herself to either stand up or answer him. All her hopes — all her dreams — everything Uncle Pete had wanted for her. The flash flood's waters had swept everything beyond her reach.
She glanced to the side and reached her hand out to pry loose an object lying wedged tightly against a rock. If she'd had any doubt, the lock now in her hand, still attached to the clasp that had secured the wooden box, dispelled it. The key was missing, of course, snatched away by the violent waters. She shook her head sadly and dropped the lock.
"Well," she said as she stood up at last, "it just wasn't meant to be. I shouldn't feel so bad, I guess. I've been chasing rainbows, with greed in mind, and Daddy always told me only hard work ever paid off, not dreaming of getting something for nothing."
"Wait a minute, honey," Storm said as he knelt in her place. He dug in the soil for a moment with his knife, nodding his head when he felt the blade hit something below the sand. He loosened the soil around it before brushing the dirt from the remaining half of the strong box.
Storm pulled the wood free and dumped the dirt from it. A large, leather pouch hit the ground amid the shower of small pebbles and sand.
"Here. The water didn't get this." Storm held the pouch out triumphantly to Jessica. "And here." He dug into the sand and brushed the gold coin against the side of his denim clad leg before handing it to her. "You can keep this as a souvenir."
Jessica gazed at the twenty dollar gold piece for a moment before she slipped it into her pocket. But when Storm rose to his feet beside her, she thrust the leather pouch into his hands.
"You open it," she said. "I...I can't."
"Huh uh." Storm picked up her hand and laid the pouch back. "Somehow, I think this was meant for you. Otherwise, why didn't it go with the rest of the gold? And it's not part of the payroll. I think I know what's in it."
"What?"
"Open it and see."
Jessica reluctantly plucked at the rawhide thong holding the pouch shut, but it had swelled and tightened. She accepted Storm's knife when he held it out to her and the sharp blade quickly sliced through the knot. She glanced up at Storm, who nodded encouragement at her. With trembling fingers, she pulled the pouch open.
A frown of disappointment shadowed Jessica's face. She reached in and picked out a few of the pebbles from the pouch with her fingers, then spread them out in her hand.
"It's just some rocks, Storm," she said forlornly. "They're kind of pretty, but they probably aren't worth anything. There's a million rocks lying around here."
"Not like these. Those aren't just rocks, honey." Storm picked one up and pointed to a yellow vein running through it. He took the knife from her and pricked the vein with its tip. A small flake fell free.
"Haven't you ever seen raw gold before, Jessica?" he asked.
"Gold! You mean, these are gold nuggets?"
"Yep. And look at this one. It's almost pure gold, like most of the rest of them in your hand. Wherever these came from, it's a rich enough lode to make a man's eyes bug out and send the gold fever racing through this state again."
"I thought this area had all been mined out."
"So did everyone else, Jessica. But some of those old prospectors were cagy fellows, and they were mighty leery of claim jumpers. Whoever found this might have been waiting until things settled down and we had a little more law in the country before he filed his claim. Or..." Storm's voice dropped. "Maybe it's not from around here."
Jessica's fingers tightened around the pouch, but she opened her hand almost immediately.
"Storm. There's something else in the bottom here. Hold out your hands."
Storm cupped his hands for Jessica to pour the contents of the pouch into. The nuggets heaped in a pile, almost overflowing his cupped palms. He caught his breath at the value of them as he watched her slip her fingers into the pouch and draw out a piece of waterproof material, bound together with what looked like catgut.
Jessica reached for the pocket knife again, which Storm had laid on a nearby rock, and slit the catgut. After unfolding the piece of hide she found inside, she gasped in awe and her face filled with wonder.
"It's smaller, but it looks like the same type of map Uncle Pete drew to show where the payroll was buried. Look, Storm. Oh, it is. Here's his name at the bottom!"
"Here, honey," Storm said, wanting to get his own look at the map. "Let's put these back in the bag."
Jessica tucked the map under her arm and held the pouch open. The nuggets tumbled down the funnel of Storm's fingers into the leather pouch and she shook her head in amazement. There must be dozens of them, their dull yellow color brushed by the sunlight streaming down on them. She had no earthly idea how much they could be worth.
"Well, honey," Storm said as he brushed a clinging piece of gold flake from his palm, "looks like your uncle may have found one of the mother lodes. Didn't he mention this to you, too?"
"He...he died before he could finish his story, Storm. He was trying to tell me about something else I would find when he...he...."
"Honey, don't," Storm said as he cupped her head and dropped a soothing kiss on her lips. "He obviously loved you and now you've found what he wanted you to have. I just wonder why he never worked the mine these came from himself."
"I'll tell you all about Uncle Pete later, Storm. He wasn't the type of man who would have found happiness in being rich. He valued his freedom to roam the mountains he loved too much. Look at the map now, Storm. Can you tell where this mine might be
? Is it around here?"
Storm accepted the map and studied it for a few moments. Suddenly his face darkened into a fierce scowl.
"Damn them. So that's why they want Tobias's land!" he snarled.
"Storm? What are you saying? Is the mine on Tobias's property?"
"Part of it could be," Storm admitted. "But it's not really a mine — it's just a vein of gold right now."
"Oh. Then...I guess I should tell Tobias about it." Jessica's spirits fell again. Within the last few minutes, she had lost not one, but two fortunes. At least she still had the nuggets.
"You don't understand, Jessica," Storm said. "Gold veins don't follow any predictable pattern. As far as I can tell, this spot on the map is right on the corner of Tobias's property. The vein could run right down onto Tobias's land, or it could go the other way — into free land where you can still file a claim. The government's still allowing people to file claims for mineral development. But," he added in a warning voice, "it might run onto the Lazy B, too."
"Lazy B? Baker property? You think the Bakers somehow know about this gold and they've been trying to buy Tobias's land?"
"They've been trying to buy it up until now, Jessica. But Harlin and David won't let Tobias's ownership of this land stand in their way. They'll get it one way or another."
"Storm! You mean, they might kill him?"
"People have killed for less. And gold does funny things to men."
"Not to Uncle Pete," Jessica defended stoutly. "He wouldn't have given up his freedom for any amount of gold."
"He sounds like my kind of person, Jessica."
"You would have liked him, Storm. But right now, we have to decide what to do next. I can't see us just riding in and asking Tobias to let us search his land for a vein of gold."
"You're sure as hell right about that."
"Hello! Jessica! Storm!"
Jessica and Storm glanced up to the canyon rim, where Ned stood with his hands cupped around his mouth. Jessica smiled and waved a hand at him, motioning for him to join them.
"No," Ned called back. "My old bones won't stand a trip down there. Did you find anything?"
"We'll be right up, Ned," Storm yelled back. He took Jessica's hand and helped her down to the canyon floor.
Ten minutes later Ned shook his head and handed the map back to Jessica. "Why, that old rascal. All that time he could have been as rich as a king, but he wandered around in those old buckskins and moccasins. He only wanted to trap enough for his food and essentials and find his...."
"Ned," Jessica demanded impatiently. "How much do you think the nuggets in this pouch are worth? Storm says most of them are pure gold."
"I'd say there's enough there to pay off your mortgage and buy you the finest herd of cattle you've ever seen, Jes. Gold prices climbed after a lot of the mines started petering out. You've got a small fortune in your hand."
Jessica thrust the pouch at Ned. "Here. You keep it for me, Ned. I'd feel funny carrying all that around with me. And I want you to take enough of it to pay you and Mattie back, with interest."
"I've got a better idea," Ned said. "I think we should put this in a safe place ourselves until we can come back and claim it. We've still got to get Storm out of this mess, and no tellin' what we'll run into the next few days."
"No!" Storm said flatly. "You take that gold and get yourselves back to Wyoming. I can take care of myself."
Ned spat a wad of tobacco juice to the side, then winked at Jessica. "Well, son," he drawled when he looked back at Storm. "I just don't see how you think you're gonna make us do that. 'Sides, thanks to Jessica's tender heart and nursin' you, we've gotta clear her name, too."
"Oh, Ned," Jessica interrupted when Storm scowled and opened his mouth to speak. "What happened back in town? Did Mr. Baker die?"
"He was alive and kicking the last time I seen him, Jes. Him and his brother, too, more's the pity after what happened to you. 'Course, I was keeping myself out of sight and peeking around the stairwell. Idalee told me what had happened after I came in through that tunnel again, and I didn't think it was a good idea to go snooping around in town. Turned out I didn't need to. They brought a whole committee of men with them when they came out to Idalee's. Don't know how I could have misjudged a man so."
"What do you mean, Ned?" Jessica questioned.
"Why, they was gonna take Miss Idalee to jail," Ned snorted.
Storm took a step toward Ned, his face filled with fury.
"Now, now, son," Ned said as he raised a hand to stop Storm. "They didn't take her. But they had it all figured out in what they thought was a legal manner. Said she contributed to the injury of one of the town's outstanding citizens and her place was a blight on their precious town's image."
Ned laughed aloud, then choked when his cud of tobacco caught in his throat. He hawked it loose and spit it out before he continued.
"Well, Miss Idalee, she asked them just what they thought all them saloons in town did to the town's image. And she asked the men if they'd ever caught any of those unmentionable diseases from her girls. When that didn't seem to be workin', she kind of looked at each man and mused what their wives would do if they knew just where they had been playing poker from time to time."
Jessica joined Ned's laughter when he cackled loudly and slapped his knee. Even Storm found a smile crawling up his face.
"I tell you, it didn't take them men long to start slippin' out the door," Ned said when he could speak again. "Them Bakers looked around and saw all their supposed witnesses settin' their hats on their heads and hightailing it back to their own business. I think they still might have tried to get the sheriff to take Miss Idalee with him, but she said something about some woman that Harlin is courtin'. Well, that finally took the wind from their sails and they stomped out."
Jessica breathed out a sigh of relief. "At least Mr. Baker's not dead. I don't think I could have lived with that."
Ned shot a flat look at Storm before he reached in his pocket for his tobacco chaw. "Might of been better if he was."
"Ned, don't say that," Jessica demanded. "We can't just go around killing people we don't like. This country will never get civilized that way."
"Yeah," Storm snorted. "We should let trials and the law take care of it!"
Jessica shivered slightly. "Oh. I...I don't think I'd like to go to trial in Baker's Valley."
"Believe me," Storm returned grimly, "you wouldn't."
"Storm's right," Ned said. "Elias told me how Storm got railroaded. Them Bakers brought in a drunken judge, who kept his bottle right up there on the bench with him. And if all them witnesses actually saw what happened, it must of been like one of them peep shows."
"Ned!"
"Sorry, Jes. It didn't matter anyway. Elias said the judge slept through most of the testimony."
"But where was Prudence? Surely she could have found some way...."
"She wasn't in any shape to testify, even if Tobias would have let her," Storm informed her quietly. "You don't want to know what that bastard did to her."
"She is now, Storm. She still can't speak, but she's trying awfully hard. And she's learning to communicate in other ways. You said yourself she's getting good with sign language and I know she's even learned to draw pictures and get her thoughts across. That's how I learned it wasn't you who ra...ravaged her."
"And just who will she tell, Jessica? The sheriff? He's controlled by Harlin. An old drunken judge?"
"Well, now," Ned put in, "there might just be someone who'll listen to her. I heard there's a federal marshal on the way here. He's looking for some escaped convict."
"We have to contact him!" Jessica said excitedly. "We have to make him listen to us."
"He won't be here for a few days yet, Jes. And even then, we're going to have to be mighty careful how we do it. We're all three wanted. Baker filed assault charges on you and me both."
"Oh, how stupid," Jessica said without thinking. "How could he have thought it was you who pulled him off m
e and...."
The hurt look on Ned's face stopped Jessica cold. "Ned. Ned, I'm sorry."
"I could've done it, Jes," Ned said. "Man gets riled, he can do things people don't think he can. Woman, too."
"I just meant....well, I mean it was dark in the room. He couldn't possibly have seen who attacked him."
Jessica's voice lacked conviction and Ned nodded wryly at her. "One of these days, Jes, you just might run into a situation where you have to do something you think you can't do. Then you'll see what I mean."
"Ned's right, Jessica," Storm said. "Or you might have to endure something you never thought you could take."
"How long were you in jail?" Jessica asked quietly.
"Six months."
"Oh, Storm."
Storm rolled his shoulders to ease the tension before he took the hand she held out to him. "It's over now," he said. "And I don't intend to go back — not alive, anyway."
"Don't say that! Please!"
"Reckon I know he means it, Jes," Ned said. "So we're just gonna have to lie low until we can get out of this mess."
"I know a place we can stay," Storm told Ned. "I'll get things packed and the horses ready while Jessica tells you where it is."
After Storm moved off, Jessica sighed and moved closer to Ned. "There's a cave where he's staying, Ned, but it's awfully close to town — where we camped the night before we went into Baker's Valley."
"Been there with him, huh?" Ned said with a soft laugh. "And I'll bet I know why you let us worry about you so long that night. And where that food came from the next morning."
"Yes," Jessica admitted distractedly. "But, Ned, I want to talk to you about something else. I'm not so sure it's a good idea to stay around here. I tried to talk Storm into going back to Wyoming with us so we can get Frederick to defend him."
"Old Hickory Nuts himself, huh? Might be a good idea, Jes."
"What...what did you call him, Ned?"
At the astonished look on Jessica's face, Ned broke out into loud guffaws. "N...never mind, Jes," he said as he swiped at a tear leaking from his eye. "You better ask Mattie what that means."
Jessica looked after Ned as he walked over to help Storm with the horses, his shoulders still shaking as he snickered under his breath. What in the world could Mattie tell her about nuts, other than that they tasted wonderful in her cookies and cakes? Jessica shrugged her shoulders as she watched Ned murmur to Storm for a moment, then saw Storm throw back his own head in laughter.
Montana Surrender Page 23
