Love Finds You in Golden, New Mexico

by Lena Nelson Dooley

  Sarah stopped stirring. “And who knows what the man will say about the wee one.”

  Maddy pulled Pearl closer to her heart. “What he says will not matter.” She pressed a gentle kiss to one tiny, fisted hand.

  Maddy hurried to put the finishing touches on her hair. Although she didn’t want to look especially nice for Mr. Johnstone, she did want to look presentable. If she didn’t, Sarah would rebuke her. Her heart hadn’t been concerned with her toilette, because she could hear Pearl crying, no matter what Sarah or Frank did for her. Something had the baby upset, and Maddy wanted to quickly return to her. Maybe that would calm her down.

  She had planned to keep Pearl’s presence a secret from John-stone, but maybe it would be better for him to see that she now had a child. Perhaps it would help change his mind about the wedding. That thought brought a smile to her face. If so, it would be the solution to her most pressing problem.

  Mr. Johnstone thought the loss of her father’s money would make her need him, but she had resources he didn’t know about. Her mother had left her a legacy that was in the bank in her own name. If she were frugal, the inheritance could take care of her and Pearl, and she could be frugal. She didn’t need all the trappings of wealth around her. When her daughter was a little older, maybe Maddy could find some kind of position—as a teacher or governess or something like that.

  She was sure Sarah and Frank would teach her about making money stretch. They’d been doing that since the household account had been drastically altered after her father’s death.

  Thinking about Father didn’t bring as strong a twinge of grief as it used to. Perhaps Pearl was also helping her heal from that hurt.

  She hurried into the nursery across the hall from her own bedchamber. Frank allowed her to take the baby before he headed downstairs to make sure everything was ready for their unwanted guest.

  As she walked the floor and whispered soothing words to Pearl, her cries became quieter, but they didn’t completely cease. However, Maddy was able to hear the loud knock by Mr. Johnstone. With the nursery door open, she heard the murmurs as Frank invited him in.

  Another loud wail from Pearl startled Maddy. She pulled the baby closer against her and whispered loving words before humming a quiet lullaby. The baby settled her head into the crook of Maddy’s arm and gave a soul-deep sigh.

  “Miss Madeline.” Frank stood in the doorway. “Would you like for me to take Pearl to Sarah?”

  She turned toward him. “No, I’m going to keep her with me. She seems more settled in my arms.” At his frown, she continued, “It will be all right. Maybe the baby will change Mr. Johnstone’s mind about wanting to marry me.”

  Maddy swept past him and carefully made her way down the staircase. Before she reached the bottom, Mr. Johnstone swaggered from the parlor into the entrance hall.

  “What have we here?” His harsh tone caused Pearl to jump.

  Maddy patted the baby’s bottom to soothe her. “A dear friend asked me to take her child before she died.” She continued to the bottom of the stairs.

  His thunderous scowl would have frightened her before today. “What’re you going to do with it?”

  Standing serenely, Maddy almost smiled at him. “I’m going to take care of her.”

  If he had been a dragon, fire would have shot from his nostrils. “You will not be taking care of her after we marry.” He pulled a deep breath into his lungs, then bellowed, “You listen to me, missy. Our marriage will take place one week from today, and that brat will not be here. If you don’t take care of it, I will. Remember, I took care of your father, and I can deal with this too. You have until noon next Saturday to get it done. Otherwise, I will come and take it away.”

  He stared at Maddy through squinted eyes, as if evaluating her reaction. “And don’t even think about trying to hide from me. No matter where you go, I will find you, and you’ll be sorry you ever crossed Horace Johnstone!”

  He slammed out of the house without looking back. Evidently, he forgot about having dinner, which pleased Maddy even though his threat shook her.

  With Pearl once again crying in her arms, she whirled toward Frank’s footsteps coming from the kitchen. “Did you hear that?” she asked when he came into sight.

  “How could I miss it even in this big house?” His gentle eyes were troubled. “What do you plan to do, Miss Madeline?”

  While putting Pearl on her shoulder and patting the baby’s back, Maddy blew out a deep breath. “I’m not exactly sure right this minute. But I will not marry that man, and I will not give up my daughter. I may not have carried her in my body, but she is the child of my heart.”

  She buried her face against Pearl’s neck while tears streamed from her own eyes.

  Some of the things Mr. Johnstone said played over in her mind. Took care of your father. Whatever that meant…brat…take it away… I will find you…you’ll be sorry. They sounded like the pounding of coffin nails, burying her dreams.

  All the hullabaloo upset both Pearl and Maddy. It took quite awhile for Maddy to settle the baby down to sleep. When she finished, she undressed and got ready for bed, then remembered she hadn’t had dinner. Surely Sarah had something she could eat in the kitchen. She put on her robe and trudged down the stairs.

  When she opened the door to the kitchen, both Sarah and Frank were sitting at the table. Sarah jumped up and went to the stove.

  “I kept the stew hot. I knew you’d be hungry.” She dished up a bowl of the mixture, lacing the air with the delicious fragrance of beef and vegetables, and set it on a plate, then placed biscuits beside the bowl.

  Maddy pulled up a tall stool and climbed onto the seat, resting her feet on the lower rung. “Thank you. I didn’t realize how hungry I was until I finally got Pearl to sleep.” She dipped the warm bread into the dish and took a bite before picking up her spoon. “This is so good.”

  Frank leaned his elbows on the table and bowed his head a moment. When he looked up at her, his brown eyes glistened with unshed tears. “Miss Madeline, we have to make some hard decisions right away.”

  She nodded. “I know. My mind was on the problem. That’s probably why it was so hard to settle Pearl down. She sensed my tension.”

  Sarah went to stand behind Frank, her hand on his shoulder. “We think we should all go to New Mexico Territory right away. Before Mr. Johnstone finds out about our leaving.”

  Frank reached up to pat her hand. “We’ve been talking about what we can do. Sarah and I have saved most of our salary for years. We have a nest egg, and we can pay for train tickets to get us there.”

  Now tears ran down Maddy’s cheeks. She swiped at them with both palms. “You do know that I have some money from my mother, don’t you? And all of her jewelry?”

  Frank jumped up like a jack-in-the-box and strode across the room and back. “We know about some of that. Just not how much you have. But we really want to do this for you. Sarah and me never had any children, so you’re all we’ve got. And you’ll need your money for supplies and things.” He scratched his head. “We’ll have to figure out all we’ll need to take with us—and how we’ll get it without Johnstone finding out. That’s what we’ve been discussing.”

  Maddy slipped down from the stool and went to her trusted servants and friends. She threw her arms around both of them. “What would I have done without the two of you in my life?”

  Frank jerked a handkerchief from his back pocket and dried his eyes. “I can go to the other side of town and rent a wagon. And I’ll make sure neither Johnstone or any of his henchmen are around when I buy the tickets.”

  “But how will we take care of Pearl on the long trip?” Maddy could think of a lot of complications.

  “We could get Mrs. Maguire to help us buy what we’ll need for little Pearl during the journey.” Sarah’s confident tone bolstered Maddy’s confidence. “She’ll know how much infant food to buy. We’ll take enough for on the trip and for a while after we arrive, in case the stores there don’t stoc
k the Nestle brand. We can always order it.”

  Frank nodded. “I have a cousin who works for the railroad. I’ve been talking to him. Most of the way, we’ll be on trains with dining cars. We won’t have any trouble getting the warm water we need. And when we transfer to the Santa Fe line, they stop at Harvey Houses along the route.”

  Maddy put a hand to her chest. Everything was moving so fast. “One thing—I haven’t heard back from Mr. Smith. What if he doesn’t want me to come? Or what if he’s accepted some other woman for his bride?”

  “Won’t matter. We can make a home there with you.” Frank’s eyes glinted with stubbornness. “Sarah can help you take care of Pearl, and I’ll get a job. Johnstone won’t be able to find you.”

  Sarah tsked. “You weren’t planning on marrying him anyway.”

  “But if the man does want me there, how do I tell him I don’t want to marry him?” So many stumbling blocks in my path. Maddy shuddered thinking about all of them.

  Sarah pulled her into a warm embrace and cradled her against her cozy breast. “We’ve been talking to the good Lord about this, child. I do believe we have God’s blessing. And Pearl will be removed from danger.”

  She couldn’t have said anything that would have convinced Maddy more of the need to make haste. Pearl was more important than anything else. That man would never get his hands on her.

  Chapter Nine

  Golden, New Mexico

  This late in the spring, the heat was starting to take hold of everything in the Ortiz Mountain region. Jeremiah let Lightning have his head and the steed’s hooves flew over the rocky ground, eating up the miles to Golden. The speed created enough wind to cool off Jeremiah. Even though he enjoyed the short season of desert spring flowers, he didn’t pay attention to how many different ones were blooming today.

  He needed to check on Philip. And his mail. Can’t forget his mail. Jeremiah wanted to get back to his ranch and work with the new hands. At least a few of the ones who’d left earlier to seek their fortune at the mines had returned, asking for their old jobs back. They were breaking in the new hands while he went to town.

  Soon the faint rhythm of the stamping machines matched Lightning’s strides, growing stronger and louder the closer he rode to Golden. Jeremiah didn’t think he’d ever get used to living in town with all that racket. The few hours he spent with Philip were more than enough. At the ranch, he enjoyed the subtle sounds of nature—the wind in the trees around the ranch house, the lowing of his cattle, birdcalls, and the evening song of insects—instead of this steady pounding.

  He gradually slowed the big horse before they rode up Main Street, then reined Lightning to a stop in front of Skinner’s Mercantile. Jeremiah dismounted and tied the reins to the hitching rail.

  When he stepped into the shadowed interior of the store, he spied Cyrus sorting the mail and headed that way. “Got anything for Philip?”

  “Yep.” The storekeeper/postmaster pointed to a small stack on the back table. “Even got somethin’ fer you.” He held out a single letter.

  “Thanks.” Jeremiah looked at the return address, then tore into the envelope. “Good. I’ve been waiting for this notification. My shipment of building materials will arrive on tomorrow’s train.”

  Cyrus raised his bushy eyebrows. “What you plannin’ to build now? Isn’t Philip’s house done?”

  The trouble with knowing everyone in town was that they all wanted to know his business too. “Doing some building out at my ranch.” That was an answer without too much information. He grabbed Philip’s letters. “Tell Helen I said hello.”

  “Will do.” The old man’s words followed Jeremiah out of the store.

  At the top of the hill, Philip sat in one of the rocking chairs on his front porch. Jeremiah noticed his friend watching as he and Lightning approached. But the retired miner continued gently moving the chair until Jeremiah dismounted.

  “Jerry, glad yer here.” He used one toe to stop the swaying motion of the chair. “Saw ya at the store. Got any mail fer me?”

  Mounting the steps with the letters held in his hands, Jeremiah answered, “Got some today. Seems there are fewer and fewer now.”

  “Maybe the one I’m waitin’ fer’s here.” He stood up and reached for the envelopes.

  Jeremiah followed him indoors.

  Philip sat in his favorite padded rocker with the letters on his bony lap. After bowing his shaggy head a short time, he looked up with a huge smile. “’Tis. Right here.”

  He picked up each envelope and stared at it as if he could read the words through the thick paper. With the fifth one, he held the letter tight in his grip and let the rest drop to the floor. “This’n.”

  The envelope didn’t look like the rest. Not just plain paper. Some kind of fancy expensive stationery, like the Skinners had in the glass-front counter in the store.

  “Are you sure? Doesn’t look like that woman needs your help.” Jeremiah caught himself before he snorted.

  “I didn’t say she’d be poor. Just that she’d need my help. There’s all kinds a-needs, Jerry. Don’t forgit that.” Philip tore the letter open and started to read, forming the words soundlessly. After only a few, he held out the sheet. “Read it fer me, Jerry.”

  Jeremiah took the paper, and the faint scent of roses teased his nostrils. Wanting to pull it close and really take a whiff, he restrained himself. He’d been doing that a lot lately around his old friend. No use letting Philip know he noticed the perfume. He’d never hear the end of it.

  “You can read.”

  The older man nodded. “’Course I can. You jist do it faster, and I’m in a hurry to hear it.”

  Jeremiah stared at the words written in a feminine script with whirls and curlicues as he read the letter aloud.

  “Dear Mr. Smith, a good friend of mine gave me a copy of your advertisement. Because of a present circumstance in my life, I may need to leave Boston quickly. Although Golden in New Mexico Territory has been previously unknown to me, I might want to travel there to meet you. Since you’re a Christian gentleman, I’m sure you’ll not force me into a quick marriage, and if it doesn’t work out, you’ll forgive me. Sincerely, Miss Madeline Mercer.”

  He stopped and glanced at Philip, who sat with his head resting on the back of the rocker, his eyes shut tight. Jeremiah wondered if he’d fallen asleep. He often did these days. One more reason not to let on how aggravated Jeremiah was with this letter business.

  “Them’s real purty words, ain’t they, Jerry?” Philip opened his eyes and stared straight at him. “And her writin’ looked real purty, too.”

  Jeremiah huffed out an exasperated breath. The man is bordering on loony. “How do you know this is the one you should answer?” He flung a hand toward the envelopes scattered on the floor near the rocker. “You haven’t read any of those, or any of the others you’ve stuck away in drawers.”

  “She’s the one, all righty. The good Lord done told me.” He pushed to his feet, rocking a little with the movement of the chair before he steadied. “We havta write her today. Hiram’ll be headin’ out later in the afternoon to take the mail ta Los Se-re-yos. I want the letter in the outgoin’ mail sack.”

  Another delay before getting back to the ranch. Jeremiah had a lot to do today, and he could trust his hands to complete what he told them to. But he hankered to be out there on the range too. A flash of memory stopped those thoughts in their tracks—Philip helping him drag the body of his partner, Charles Warner, from the rubble after the tunnel collapsed on him. The old man hadn’t worried about where else he wanted to be when Jeremiah fell apart and needed him. And even though he thought his old friend was just about to make one of the biggest mistakes of his life, he wouldn’t stand in his way. He read determination in every line on the old man’s face and in the stiff way he held his skinny arms and shoulders.

  Without another thought, Jeremiah pulled out the tablet and pencil and sat at the table. “All right, what do you want to say?”

&nbs
p; “Wish we could make it sound purty, like hers did.” Philip scratched his head, mussing his white hair. “Write one of them sal-you-tashuns like she done.”

  “Dear Miss Mercer. That all right?”

  “Shore is.” He stared out the window for a moment. “You put it in them good words. Wanna tell her she can come on out here. She can jist visit. If’n she needs the protec-shun of my name, I’ll marry her, but onlies if’n that’s what she wants.”

  Jeremiah copied down all Philip said but crafted the old man’s words into better sentences, then he recopied it on the stationery with ink. He added the address from the envelope, then Philip’s General Delivery as the return address. When he finished, he handed it to Philip to read.

  “That’s jist what I wanted.” A smile split his white beard that was beginning to grow back. “I wanna git another shave afore she comes too. Might as well start shavin’ real often.”

  Jeremiah took the letter, put it in the envelope, and sealed it. “How about if I take this to the post office and mail it? Then I go on back to the ranch. I’ve got to come to town tomorrow. My building supplies should come in on the southbound train. I’ll stop here on the way back to help you shave.”

  “Sounds good to me. Jerry, I take up too much of yer time as it is.” Philip shooed him away.

  “No, you don’t.” He waved, then ducked out the door. His gut told him something momentous was going to happen tomorrow, and that it might not be good.

  The early morning train from Albuquerque had gone through Los Cerrillos and already headed for Santa Fe before Jeremiah reached the livery in Golden.

  “Swede?” He strode through the open doors, then waited for his eyes to adjust to the low light inside. At least some sunlight streamed through occasional cracks between the boards. “You in here?”

  The tall blond stood up inside one of the stalls. “Ja, I’m checkin’ out Old Gert here. She’s needin’ a new shoe.” The big man opened the door of the stall, keeping himself between the horse and the opening, and slipped through before latching it securely. “What can I do for you?”