She turned back toward him. “This is my housekeeper, Sarah, and her husband, Frank Sneed, my caretaker and driver.” She looked down at Pearl, who had fallen asleep in her arms. “And this is my daughter, Pearl.”
Surprise flitted across his face, then disappeared. However, the warm welcome stayed in his eyes.
Tilting up her chin, Maddy continued, “And why am I supposed to be here? What exactly does that mean?”
Once again, Mr. Smith set the rocker in motion. His bony elbows rested on the padded arms of the rocker, and his hands lay against his flat stomach, fingers interlaced. “Said in my ad, I’m a Christian man.”
“That’s the only reason I answered it.” Maddy hated to bare her soul this way with a perfect stranger, but honesty was essential. “I never would have written to any other man.”
Mr. Smith nodded. “I know. I can tell yer not useta this kinda thing.”
Maddy wondered how he could tell. Nothing she had said or done since they’d been in his house revealed anything about her nature. Or had it? She cast a glance out the window, noticing the wind playing in the leaves of the few scrubby trees. Without that wind, the temperatures here would be completely intolerable. As it was, her skirt wilted around her legs, smothering them.
“I wouldn’t a-done it, but the good Lord done told me to.” He glanced across the room toward a table holding a lamp and a well-worn Bible. “I didn’t understand Him at first.”
That statement intrigued her. How did he know God spoke to him? She’d never heard an audible voice. God spoke to her through His Word and in her spirit. Was that the way Mr. Smith heard him? Perhaps the worn book was evidence that he did, but where in the Bible did it say to order a bride with an advertisement in a newspaper?
“But He wouldn’t let me alone.” He wagged his head. “The more I said no, the more He stressed the need. Finally, I had to write the letter.”
“Why did you choose Boston?” Maddy knew he could have sent it many different places, and she never would have seen it.
“That’s what He said.” The finality of the statement caught her by surprise, as if there were no other answer that would work.
“How did you know I was supposed to be the one?” She needed more firm details. Pearl stirred in her arms but didn’t whimper.
“Well, I got lotsa letters. I jist prayed over ’em. God’d say no, and I’d put ’em away.”
So matter of fact. He didn’t sound as if this was the least bit peculiar—even though it was to her.
“You kept the other letters?” Maddy wondered how many there were—ten…a hundred?
“Shore did.” Philip turned slightly and waved toward a desk on the back wall. “All them drawers are full. I didn’t open nary a one.”
Maddy glanced over at Sarah to see what she thought. Sarah gave a slight shake of her head. She probably thought Mr. Smith was more than a little crazy. Maybe he was, but somehow Maddy’s peace wasn’t disturbed by what she was hearing.
“But you opened mine?”
“God told me to.” This time his words came out firmer. “Yer the one He done told me to send fer.”
How could he send for her if he didn’t even know her? And what about Pearl? God had to have known that she would have Pearl before she left to come to Golden.
“You didn’t know you’d be getting a child in the bargain, did you?”
He couldn’t have known that.
“Well, later on, I got the feelin’ there’d be a child.” His gaze traveled over the infant in her lap with a special tenderness.
Maddy liked this side of him. Her first impressions of him were wrong. She could see beyond the obvious to the tender man who loved children—and who was a strong man of God. She didn’t know why God had brought her here, but she understood He didn’t make a mistake. Somehow Mr. Smith would be His instrument to help her.
“That’s why I built on the two rooms. So there’d be room for any children.” He directed his gaze at her face. “The only suprize is them two servants. Didn’t reckon on them.”
Sarah shifted closer to Maddy, as did Frank.
“They are also my friends. They have been with my family since before I was born, and after my mother died, they helped my father rear me.”
Maddy wondered if Mr. Smith thought they hadn’t done a good job, since she was unmarried with a baby. She hoped his thoughts hadn’t taken that direction.
The retired miner once again reached toward his cheek, then dropped his hand. “You ready to tell me what happened in Boston?”
Am I ready? Might as well get it over with. If she was going to ask Mr. Smith for help, he deserved an answer.
Pearl stirred and gave a fussy cry. Sarah took her from Maddy and rested the baby on her shoulder, patting her back. All the while, Mr. Smith’s eyes never left the child.
Restless, Maddy stood. She stared out the window at the purple haze in the distance. “My father died. Evidently, he made some poor financial decisions before his death, so I am almost penniless.” She turned back toward Mr. Smith. His eyes were now fixed on her. “My father’s business partner tried to force me to marry him.”
She wondered how much more to tell him.
Frank stepped away from the wall. “I checked that Johnstone man out, and there were many rumors about him and his unsavory dealings. We couldn’t let him destroy Miss Madeline. I was the one who found the ad and brought it to her.”
Maddy touched his arm. “It’s all right, Frank. I answered the ad on my own.” She settled back beside Sarah. “I don’t want to mislead you, but I really didn’t come here to marry you. I just needed a place to escape where Horace Johnstone couldn’t find me or Pearl. He wanted to get rid of her. His demeanor made me believe that serious harm would be involved with that.”
A snap of fire lit the old miner’s eyes, and he sat forward in the chair. “I don’t take kindly to men like that. When I answered yer letter, I said ya don’t hafta to marry me. I wanna help ya.” His gaze latched onto hers and clung fast. “I said if’n ya need the protec-shun of my name, I’ll marry you. If not, yer welcome in my home as a guest or whatever ya wanna work out.”
Just what I need. Protection. A place to stay. “I’d like to take you up on your offer. We”—her sweeping gesture included all four of them—“would be glad to take care of you.”
Sarah smiled at the retired miner. “I’m a good cook, and I can keep your place clean.”
Frank moved to stand beside his wife. “And I can take care of repairs and things around the place. Run errands for you. We won’t be a burden.”
“And I’ll try to keep Pearl from disturbing you.” Maddy took her from Sarah and cuddled her close.
Another twinkle lit the old man’s eyes. “Maybe I need disturbin’. Been too long since I had a babe ’round.”
Maddy gave a contented sigh. Thank You, Lord. This really could work out for all of them.
Jeremiah’s stomach was growling and really kicking up a fuss by the time he was halfway back to Golden from Los Cerrillos. Those biscuits with sausage hadn’t carried him very far after he’d wolfed them down before dawn. With all his worries, they soured on his stomach, and the ache added to his other distress.
That Mercer woman had filled his thoughts even when he tried to push her out. She wasn’t worth the bother. Why were so many of the bad women beautiful? He’d never seen anyone as lovely as she was. Even after traveling so far, her brown hair shone in the sun, and that silly hat she had perched on top yesterday added to her charm instead of detracting from it.
During the night, his thoughts had jumped from disdain for the way she tried to charm money from old men to near desire as he thought about running the backs of his fingers down her creamy cheek. Would her skin feel as soft as it looked? He’d never been one to chase skirts, but the heat building inside him was about ready to explode.
The woman had plenty of allure, but she had two big strikes against her. First, she was a money-grubbing gold digger, which shoul
d have been enough to turn off his thoughts. Second, if she hadn’t been, she would belong to his mentor, a man who really didn’t need a wife. That fact, as much as anything, ate at him. Why could an old coot like Philip get a woman to come all the way from Boston when Jeremiah hadn’t seen a decent woman who wasn’t married in years?
Why couldn’t an available woman come to Golden? One he would consider courting? One he could marry and have a family with? The ache moved to the region of his heart. Just knowing Madeline Mercer of the Boston Mercers was in Golden made him realize what he’d been missing. And he didn’t like it one bit.
He’d driven all the way to Los Cerrillos and most of the way back, and he was no closer to a solution than he’d been when he left town yesterday. How was he going to get rid of this no-account woman and her watchdog companions? The impossibility choked him more than the dust cloud raised by the two horses pulling the wagon. Even the wildflowers that bloomed in a dazzling array against the sandy soil yesterday looked pale and wilted today.
Yesterday Caroline Oldman had welcomed the trio with open arms. No way Philip wouldn’t know they were in Golden. Even if he got to his old friend before he met the Easterners, he couldn’t get them out of town without Philip knowing. One of the problems with living in a small town.
Finally, Jeremiah realized the only solution at this point was to go to Philip and explain what happened. Warn him about that woman’s intentions. He’d go straight to Philip’s before delivering his supplies out to the ranch. With the outline of Golden drawing closer, he’d be there before long.
“Mr. Smith, I have another question for you.” Maddy still sat with the old miner while Frank and Sarah took Pearl back to the hotel to change her and give her a bottle.
“Please call me Philip.” His bushy brows scrunched, and his eyes sparkled merrily. “And I’d like to call ya Madeline.”
“I’d like that, Philip.” She felt comfortable in this homey place with the old man. She no longer had to be wary of him. “Something you said earlier has been eating at me. Why didn’t you read all the other letters?”
“Now that we’re friends, I can tell ya. I don’t read real good.” A smile split his scruffy beard. “Jeremiah helps me. I knowed he wouldn’t wanna read all of ’em.”
Jeremiah helps him read? “Did he read my letter?” Maddy almost choked on those words.
The hoary head gave an emphatic nod. “’Course he did.”
That lowdown, sneaky man already knew who she was when he gave them a ride. Why didn’t he tell her? She tried to keep her anger in check. “And what about writing? Did you write the letter to me?”
“I told him what to write. So’s it was from me. He writ the ad too.”
Maddy got up and paced across the room, trying to hide her agitation. “He knows I answered the ad?”
“Yup.”
“And he wrote the answer to me?” She whirled around. Embarrassment painted her cheeks with heat. She had never been as angry at anyone in her life.
Again he nodded, his eyes following her movements back and forth.
She stopped right in front of the rocking chair and stared down at him. “And he knows my name?”
“’Course. He writ the letter.” Now confusion clouded the old man’s expression.
“Interesting.” She dropped onto the sofa where she and Sarah had been sitting. And very disturbing.
While she pondered the ramifications of this discovery, Philip rose to his feet and headed toward the door. Only then did she realize that a wagon was fast approaching. It stopped, and Philip continued onto the porch.
“Come in, Jerry. Been expectin’ ya.”
Maddy didn’t know who Jerry was, but a premonition of something of great importance happening settled around her heart. What is going on?
She got up and trailed after Philip. Cowboy boots scuffed against the wooden planks before her gaze traveled up the length of him. Hardened muscles encased in worn dungarees, broad shoulders wrapped in a muted plaid, the Stetson pulled low over the eyes. Dark eyes trained on Philip.
She’d recognize those eyes anywhere, and she’d seen that expression before. She stepped back into the shadows before he noticed her.
What had Jeremiah Dennison so riled up? She was the one with a reason to be angry at him. The nerve of that man. Treating them as if they had leprosy, when all the time he knew who she was and why she was here. She’d like to hear what he had to say about that. Maybe if she was quiet, he’d say something before he and Philip came into the house.
“You shore made a quick trip. Miz Oldman done told me you was goin’ to pick up the supplies ya didn’t git yesterdy.”
Maddy could see Philip, but not Jeremiah.
“So she told you about the people I picked up?” Mr. Dennison’s tone conveyed he wasn’t happy about Philip knowing.
“Why didn’t ya bring ’em to the house when ya got here?” Philip was staring hard at the man.
“I don’t think you should have anything to do with those people.” The words shot out, piercing Maddy like bullets. “I question their motives.”
Philip shook his head so hard his white hair ruffled in the light wind. “Yer wrong, Jerry.”
“No, I’m not.” His bitterness poured poison over her heart. “You haven’t told them you’re wealthy, have you?”
Finally, she understood. The man had the gall to judge her and her friends before he even met them. He thought they were trying to cheat Philip. How could he be so judgmental without getting to know them first? And most of his anger had to be focused on her. After all, she was the one who answered the ad. The one they wrote the letter to.
Philip shuffled closer to Jeremiah. “Ya misjudged ’em, Jerry. They ain’t like that. Madeline didn’t even know ’bout the mine when she writ her letter. She didn’t come here fer my money.”
Jeremiah took two steps away from Philip and into Maddy’s line of sight. He swiped his bandanna across his forehead and replaced his hat. “You don’t know that.”
“Yeah, I do. Ya judged her without knowin’ anything ’bout her. ’Tain’t right, Jerry.”
Maddy’s heart warmed at the way Philip stood up for her.
“The—”
“I know.” Jeremiah rudely interrupted the older man. “I know. The good Lord told you.” The way he sneered the last four words grieved Maddy’s heart.
She stepped through the doorway. “Hello, Mr. Dennison.”
He whirled around. The surprise in his eyes was quickly veiled with contempt as he stared a hole through her. “You heard what I said?”
“You weren’t quiet, Mr. Dennison.” Maddy didn’t raise her voice. She wondered who was more uncomfortable—her, Jeremiah Dennison, or Philip. She turned toward her host. “Thank you for the enjoyable visit, Philip. I’m going to the hotel to check on Pearl.”
He nodded as she started down the steps. Silence followed her as she stepped into the street. A hot wind blew up the hill, sweeping a dusty cloud toward her. She grabbed her skirt, to keep it from flying too high.
Where had all the crowds come from? More people than she’d realized the town contained were coming and going from stores and other businesses. The thumping of the ore press sank deep into her body. A crusty miner led his swaybacked, heavily laden donkey down the middle of the street. The animal’s loud braying only added to the cacophony.
Tears sprang to her eyes, and when she swiped at them, her hand came away muddy. Golden didn’t seem like the promised land anymore.
She had no idea why Jeremiah Dennison made such derogatory snap decisions about her and her friends, but she was going to find out. And she was going to prove him wrong. One day, that man would apologize to her.
Chapter Fourteen
Jeremiah stared at Miss Mercer’s retreating figure. That woman had caused all the upheaval in his usually settled life. Added to the fire she’d kindled inside him, his skin flamed with embarrassment at the words she’d heard him say to Philip.
“Ya
gonna just stand there and gawk, or ya gonna go after her?” Philip drew Jeremiah’s attention away from the saucy woman. The older man didn’t look happy.
“Why didn’t you tell me she was here?” He spat the words as if they tasted terrible.
“Ya didn’t gimme a chance.” Philip’s eyes burned as he stared at him. “Besides, yer wrong ’bout her, Jerry. Ya gotta go after her. She don’t need to be walkin’ alone. Look at all the miners out today. She won’t be safe.”
Jeremiah knew Philip would give him a push if he didn’t go. He took the few steps two at a time and lengthened his stride so he could overtake her before she got very far.
“Hey there, pretty lady.” A miner staggered up the hill toward the woman. “I ain’t seed you ’round here before.” The man stumbled but righted himself before hitting the ground, then pressed on.
The old coot had been in a saloon. Someone must have hit pay dirt at his mine today. They always had to celebrate by getting drunk. Probably bought drinks for everyone and came away with empty pockets. Why didn’t they ever learn?
The thought of the man placing his dirty hands on Miss Mercer brought a lump to Jeremiah’s throat. He didn’t like the woman. He didn’t trust her, but she didn’t deserve to be accosted on her first day in Golden. Don’t want to give the town a bad name. That’s all it is.
He picked up his pace, hoping to head off the drunken miner.
Miss Mercer didn’t even glance at the man approaching her. Jeremiah hoped he would take the hint her snub implied.
“Now see here.” The slurred words, louder than before, carried above the thumping of the stamping machines. “Ya think yer better’n me?”
The man grabbed her arm, none too gently, and her head snapped around toward him.
“Unhand me this instant!”
With her turned that direction, Jeremiah could see the icy stare she trained on the man.
The rowdy miner had to be too drunk to think clearly, because he jerked her closer. “All I want is a lil’ kiss.”
Love Finds You in Golden, New Mexico Page 12
