by Amber Stokes
“You’re white, aren’t ye?”
David preferred to ignore the wealth of prejudice in the man’s tone. “But I’m not one of them.”
“Talk to Mee-gall—that’s what we call ‘im. He’ll help ye. He’s a good friend.” His words were simple, but full of gratitude. David liked the sense of camaraderie between the miners. Although this must make it that much harder when one of them is lost forever in the darkness of the earth. He shuddered.
“Come on.” The miner led the way, and David had no choice but to follow. “It’s time for us to give the others a break. Can’t be down there for too long.”
David could only imagine why, but soon he would know for sure.
***
Elizabeth was sure someone had called her name. Turning to scan both sides of C Street, she frowned. No one looked familiar, and the only person who knew she was in town was Annabelle, who apparently had no desire to leave the house.
Giving the busy dirt road one more glance, she gave up and continued her walk. Maybe she would recognize Jacob’s store, even though she had no idea what it looked like. Surely a quick peek inside each shop would be enough to spot her brother. Her heart would recognize him. Unless he was in a back room, or on a break, or…
“Elizabeth!”
There it was again. Maybe someone was looking for a different Elizabeth. There had to be more than one Elizabeth in a town this big, right? Shaking off the bit of fear that had gathered around her mind, she came to another street heading downhill. Should she go a little farther? It did seem to be getting darker, which was disconcerting.
Suddenly, a hand landed on her shoulder. She screamed as she came face to face with a man she had never met.
“Elizabeth. What are ya doing here all by yerself? Don’t ya know it’s dangerous?”
The rapid beating of her heart slowed to a gentle pound. “Joe, ya startled me.” Squinting up at him, her forehead creased. “Why, you look so different! What happened to your beard?”
One corner of his now-visible mouth lifted. “Do ya like it?”
Tilting her head, she studied him. Without thinking, she raised her hand, but she caught herself before she actually reached out to touch his clean-shaven cheek. Blushing wildly, she turned her face away, and said, “You look very nice.”
Joe’s laugh was hearty. Elizabeth glanced up, unable to stop her smile. Her gaze met his, and she was sure her face glowed redder than a flaming hot poker as she stared into his brown eyes, the color of golden soil. Homesickness rushed over her, and once again she turned away.
A gentle hand came to rest on her upper back. “You okay?”
“Yes,” Elizabeth replied quietly. Her response could barely be heard above the din of the town.
“How ’bout I take ya back to Jacob’s place?” Offering his elbow, he added, “It’d be an honor, ma’am.”
The fire in her face descended to her heart, and she swallowed, ignoring his proffered arm. “Do you think I’ll get to meet my brother anytime soon?”
Joe sighed. “If he listened to me at all, he’ll be home before dark.”
“Did you speak to him today?”
“Yes.”
Satisfied, she allowed Joe to place her hand in the crook of his arm.
As they walked back down C Street, Elizabeth found herself continually glancing at Joe, longing to catch his gaze once more. Then a realization startled her more than seeing Joe without his beard. The reason she really yearned to see his eyes again was because they reminded her of David’s. Of course, David’s eyes were a bit darker, like the hills surrounding Virginia City at dusk…
The rest of the trip back to the house, she refused to look at Joe again.
Chapter 9
“Are you Myghal?” David stood in front of the boardinghouse, ready to do just about anything to find a place to put up his feet and sleep. Never had he been so tired, so dirty, and so sore. He wouldn’t get paid nearly enough for the pain working in the mines had already caused him. And the fear. Man wasn’t made to work in temperatures like that.
“I might be. Depends on why ya be askin’.” The Cornish man stared hard at David, sizing him up and most likely taking in his disheveled state. The other men here couldn’t be much better off, David reckoned. The Irishman, who told David to call him Finn, had given David directions to the boardinghouse on Howard Street where Myghal was staying with many of the other Cornish miners. David desperately hoped that Myghal would prove to be a friend—he was in need of one just now.
“Finn told me to ask you about a place to stay.”
“Finn sent ye, huh?” Myghal turned to his companions, who were also hanging out on the porch of the boardinghouse. “Finn wouldn’t send just anyone off the street. He ’n I ’ave been friends for a long time.” He eyed David again, crossing his stick arms over his thin chest. “What can I do fer ya?”
“I just need a place to stay among friends. An affordable place would be preferable.”
Myghal grinned broadly. His dirty, reddish hair seemed to glow in the light coming from the street lamps, and he appeared skinnier than one of the planks on the porch. “We might just be friends. And this place is more than affordable. Right, fellas?” Appreciative laughter rang out in the brisk night air.
Tossing his head back a bit, Myghal said, “Ye can call me Michael, if ya’d prefer.”
David wanted to smile at the confused accent, which sounded like a mixture of English, Irish or Scottish, and American West. He managed to keep a straight face and acknowledged the recognized challenge.
“I’d prefer to call you Myghal, if that’s all right.”
“Hear that, boys?” Myghal guffawed loudly, sending his thin frame into spasms. “He likes m’ God-given name.” He straightened and offered his hand. “Well, then, I’ll be askin’ fer yer name, and then ye ought to step on in and git some sleep.”
David clasped the man’s bony hand and gave it a good shake, pleased. “My name’s David.”
Myghal pulled David up the single wooden step and put an arm around his shoulders. “C’mon in, David. Reckon ye can join us here men from Cornwall, iffen ya’d like.”
The acceptance felt good. As he walked into the boardinghouse, though, David thought that sleep might feel even better.
***
“Jacob isn’t here yet?” Elizabeth wasn’t sure what to think as she walked into her brother’s house—without her brother in it. Annabelle fiddled with her hair, now in a blond braid, and shook her head.
“I’m sure he’ll be here soon,” Joe reassured her, his tone dark.
Silence filled up the parlor until its originally expansive feel became stifling. Annabelle finally asked, “May I get either of you anything? I’m sure all of your walking has made you thirsty.”
Elizabeth cringed at the reminder of her small rebellion.
“I think some water fer both of us would be good.” Joe turned to Elizabeth and asked, “How’d that be?”
“Fine.” Meeting Annabelle’s somber gaze, she offered a timid smile and added, “Thank you.”
Nodding, Annabelle walked out of the room. This time, Joe didn’t let the silence come back.
“How ’bout I show ya the ranch this weekend?”
Elizabeth collapsed into a chair and considered his request. It felt so good to relax, and she slumped farther into the cushions. Maybe she could find some rest from all of her emotions at Joe’s ranch. Well, his brother’s ranch.
The mere word “brother” upset her, so she dismissed that thought quickly.
“I think I’d like that.”
Joe gave her a bright smile, possibly even brighter than the chandeliers above them that had been lit while she was out. She couldn’t help but smile back.
Her smile quickly vanished when the door opened to reveal a man she had never met but recognized with some blossoming part of her heart.
***
This was not what a happy reunion between brother and sister should have looked like. Joe
ached to witness the uncertainty on Jacob’s face, but what hurt him more was the thought that Jacob didn’t even deserve this—the opportunity to meet his sister and intrude on her respectable and untainted life. Swallowing hard, Joe didn’t even bother to try to relax his stiff shoulders or unclench his tight fists.
“Jacob.” Elizabeth’s word came out on a breath, only noticeable because of the complete silence in the room. Her hand shook as she brought it to her face, cradling her cheek as if she were comforting herself, shielding her gaze from her good-for-nothing brother. But Elizabeth couldn’t know who Jacob really was. And Joe hoped it would remain that way.
“Elizabeth.” Jacob smiled awkwardly, but his eyes lit with a hope Joe recognized as genuine.
Elizabeth finally closed the gap, shuffling slowly at first, and then rushing to Jacob as he stood still in the doorway. Her embrace seemed to shock him, and the wide smile on her face that appeared as she pulled back to look at him was beautiful. Beautiful…
Turning away, Joe studied the wall covered with a bright wallpaper that couldn’t completely hide the barrenness behind it, which showed up in the corners where the paper was peeling.
This is wrong. What good could Elizabeth gain by making the journey to this evil town? Joe suddenly wished he had told Elizabeth a lie. That her brother had left years ago. That no one would know where he now lived.
If only doing her that kindness wouldn’t send her away from him, too.
His fist slammed into the arm of the chair he was sitting in. A curse slithered from his mouth, and Joe was sure he himself was more surprised than Elizabeth or Jacob, who jerked toward him. The horrified expression on Elizabeth’s face drove him out of the chair.
“I apologize, ma’am,” Joe offered as he practically shoved Jacob aside to get to the door. “I best be goin’ now. I’ll be by in a few days to escort ya to the ranch.” There was nothing else to say.
“You don’t have to go.” Elizabeth’s voice was quiet, uncertain.
Joe paused at the door, then yanked it open. “Yes, I think I do.”
She wouldn’t understand, but he had no strength of will left to remain there. He rushed out of Jacob’s house, away from Elizabeth’s confusion, and out into the night air. The sounds of saloon music sickened him, and he headed down the street toward his boardinghouse, where he could sleep for a while. At least, he hoped he would sleep. But sleep would probably elude him, just as everything else he really wanted in life seemed to do.
Chapter 10
Black permeated the sky, but Elizabeth couldn’t find solace in the darkness behind her own closed eyes. Two days had passed since they’d arrived, and she had to see David, to tell him about meeting her brother and to make sure he had found a place to stay. Why hadn’t he come to see her yet? Worry churned inside her as she slipped from under the covers and donned her dress, the one David had bought for her in Cheyenne. If he wouldn’t come find her, she would go find him.
Quickly brushing her hair and braiding it, she slipped out the bedroom door and headed for the front of the house. Annabelle had gone to bed long ago, and Elizabeth had heard Jacob leave, so she wasn’t too afraid of being caught. Taking a deep, confident breath, she opened the front door and left the house.
Now, where to go? She was completely uncertain as to where she would find David. Her only thought was to search in town and see if anyone had met him yet. Elizabeth clutched her skirt as she made her way down the steep hillside. The wind blew steadily, practically pushing her off the path that sloped its way to C Street. It was rather desolate with the night spreading across the dotted brown hillsides around Virginia City, nothing like the flat peacefulness of her farm or the solid strength of the Rockies. Her sigh was lost, snatched away by the river of air, and as she approached the center of town, saloon music flowed toward her. A shiver of apprehension trailed down her spine, and she hoped that someone would know where David might be.
Stepping onto C Street, she followed the music and noted that the saloons were rather crowded. She headed down the street toward the Delta, wondering briefly if she was being too foolhardy. But surely saloons were gathering places for all sorts of folks, not just the dangerous ones.
She walked past some rude, staring men outside the open door and went inside. It was somewhat dim with smoke, but still the brightness and the noise took her by surprise. Long green felt-covered tables and round wooden tables—with cards and patrons scattered atop and around them—covered half of the room. Elizabeth averted her eyes, heading instead for the bar, where several men were gathered drinking some form of alcohol. She wasn’t so naïve as to think that clear-looking liquid was water.
“Excuse me,” Elizabeth began, tapping the arm of one of the patrons at the bar. The man turned and smiled at her, but the gap-toothed grin was rather unnerving. “Do you know David…?” Elizabeth paused, panicked that she couldn’t remember if David had ever mentioned his last name.
The man laughed loudly and set his glass down hard, not seeming to care that the liquid sloshed onto the counter. “I’ve known quite a few fellas named David, ma’am. Any one of them in particular ya care to know about?”
Elizabeth huffed at him, which only made him and the man standing next to him laugh. “Yes. I…can’t seem to recall his last name, but he’s new in town and last I heard he was looking for a job.”
“I’m sure he’s not the only one,” the man said as he elbowed his friend. They shared another laugh over that, some joke she didn’t understand.
Anger rose up inside her, and she barely resisted jabbing her finger at the unkind man. “Surely there must be someone here who has met him,” she managed between clenched teeth.
“Best of luck to ya, ma’am.” With that, the irritating man turned back to his drink. Strangely, she felt grateful not to be the focus of his attention anymore.
Spinning around, she didn’t try to hide her frustration. The smoke in the room, combined with the bright lights and the realization that she had no way to find David, made her eyes water, and a tear slipped down her cheek before she could stop it. A gentle hand touched her shoulder before she could wipe the tear away.
“Are ye all right, lass?”
Elizabeth turned and met the gaze of a tall, red-headed man, who looked nice, if perhaps a bit impish. Trusting that his mischievousness didn’t outweigh the kindness in his light brown eyes, she took a chance and said, “Well, no, not really. You see, I’m lookin’ for a young man named David. He—”
“David, did ya say? Is this man new to town?”
“Yes!” Elizabeth rubbed her eyes and smiled, feeling like perhaps she had done the right thing.
“And might ya be his gal?” His smile was wide, and she didn’t know how to respond. Would this man treat her better if she already belonged to another man?
“I…ummm…well…”
Before she could offer a more intelligible response, the man called across the crowded room to someone seated at one of the gambling tables. “David, yer gal’s here!”
A few chortles followed along with the man’s booming echo, although the general din of the room didn’t diminish in its wake. Thankfully, no one seemed to notice Elizabeth’s flushed face, nor her surprise at seeing David jump to his feet at the sound of his name. His eyes quickly searched the room and froze when they landed on her. She couldn’t tell if the heat she felt came from embarrassment or anger. Both of the feelings bled together into a red that melted over her cheeks.
Well, she wasn’t going to stand around waiting for him to come and make his excuses. She turned and weaved through the men who blessedly paid her little mind as their eyes remained riveted to those cursed felt-covered tables. Hurt and confusion filled her, and she wished she was brave enough to push all of these men more thoroughly out of her way. As it was, she had to squeeze past them, and the sense of being insignificant and annoying was acute.
When she finally made it out the open doors, she stepped onto C Street and stormed away—not back to
where she had come from, but toward the outer edge of town. Maybe she would walk all the way down into the canyon and beg Joe’s family to let her stay early. A bitter laugh escaped her mouth, knowing she had nowhere to run from her thoughts, and afraid someone wouldn’t stop her, leaving her alone.
But not defenseless. No, the tension rising inside her would be enough to spew venom at anyone who dared to try and come near her. She would be far less kind than a rattlesnake. And there wouldn’t be time for anyone to hear her warning.
“Elizabeth!”
She didn’t turn around. Just continued stomping down the street, wanting to yell at the wind for daring to cool her. Now wasn’t the time to let her anger lose steam.
A hand touched her arm, but no scream left her lips. She knew that gentle touch, could sense his pleading before she even whipped around to meet his troubled gaze.
“What were you doin’ in there?” Her question was a biting one, and Elizabeth didn’t quite understand why she cared so much.
“I was only playing a few card games with some of my new friends. Can’t fault a man for that.” He sounded like a little boy trying to appease his mother. The wind started to tug the rage from her grasp, and Elizabeth hated the feeling.
“A few ‘innocent’ card games can lead to much more that is far from innocent—you know that.” As much as she wanted the sarcasm to scald him, she found it barely warm enough to fight the sympathetic chill in the air.
David smiled. “Elizabeth, we just arrived here. I’m only getting to know the men that I’m living and working with.” She bit her lip as he hurried to add, “If it bothers you so much, I’ll stay away. I suppose I can play cards just as easily in the boardinghouse as I can in the Delta.”
A gust penetrated her long-sleeved dress, and all the fire inside died. She shivered. “I didn’t mean to sound like your mother.” When he flinched, she reached out and touched his shoulder. “It’s not my place. I was just so shocked to find you there, although I had hoped someone there would know where you were.”
“You were looking for me?” He took off his coat and held it out. As he helped her into it, she was reminded of the night he’d put his shirt on her after the incident with the bear, his hands lingering on the buttons...
