Colorado Dreams (Rocky Mountain Romances Book 7)

by Heather Horrocks

  “But you might get hurt.”

  “No, darlin’,” he drawled. “I will get hurt. But I’ll heal, and we need the money.”

  “That’s barbaric.”

  He agreed, but couldn’t think of anything else to bring in money.

  Henry said, ‘I’ll speak with Vickers and see if he’ll extend our payment date.”

  “Mr. Vickers holds the mortgage on this building?” she asked in dismay. “But he’s dishonest.”

  “We know. That’s why we take our attorney in with us when we deal with him. And the final payment is due in a few days.” Her brother stood. “Good plans. Let’s get started.”

  Joseph stood, as well. “I’ll create some announcements and post them around town, talk to a few men, see if I can round up some opponents.”

  “Do you want my advice?” Emily asked.

  Joseph studied her. “Sure.”

  “Choose opponents who can’t box very well.”

  He chuckled. “That’s the best idea yet.”

  “I’ll fix us some breakfast,” she said.

  The three men exchanged glances. Henry said, “Let me do that for you, Emily. You’ve had a rough enough morning.”

  More hopeful, he went down to grab writing utensils to put together an announcement.

  Guilt and survival warred within Emily.

  These three men had taken her in, and now they needed money, and she hadn’t offered any of her jewels to them.

  If the store was failing, she would need the jewels to fall back on now more than ever.

  But if the store failed, what would the others do? Her beloved brother? Joseph, whom she cared for more than she liked to admit? And sweet Henry, who chose to cook for her rather than insult her lack of cooking skills?

  They were all as dear as brothers to her — and more — and they had shared everything they had with her.

  Why, then, was she so reluctant to share her jewelry? She hadn’t even told them about the jewels.

  What had held her back? Surely she could trust the three of them.

  But she didn’t call them back, and she didn’t tell them. They could do everything in their power to meet the mortgage payment, and surely they would come up with the money.

  She was worrying unduly, and if they didn’t raise the money, she would do what she needed to do.

  Her jewels could stay safely hidden for now — in her chemise and not the bank, apparently.

  He’s Not Worth Going to Jail For

  THE SUN HAD NOT EVEN risen to the top of the sky before the vultures starting circling.

  Samuel Vickers arrived as they were cleaning out merchandise, washing, and moving things to the back rooms that had not sustained smoke or flame damage.

  Joseph fairly bristled at him. The man was never good news.

  Henry had gone to talk with him as soon at the bank opened, and had returned saying Vickers had given him condolences and said he’d stop by.

  Now he had.

  The men stopped working.

  A sense of unease filled the room.

  Vickers nodded at Emily. “Regrettably, I’m here on business this trip.”

  “Then I’ll wait in the back room.” She spoke coolly, and he was proud of her for not telling the man off. She just nodded at the banker, and went into the back room.

  “Well, well, well, men, this is indeed a tragedy.” Vickers walked around, studying the worst spot where the fire had been lit. “Henry told me about the fire. And I had a chat with the fire chief, who mentioned that the fire had been intentionally set. In this area, it looks like.”

  Joseph nodded. “The culprit had better hope we don’t catch him.”

  Vickers looked up. “Some culprits set fires for the insurance money, you know.”

  Joseph narrowed his eyes and grabbed Robert’s arm when his friend took an angry step forward. “And some innocent people have culprits set fire to their stuff.”

  “You’re absolutely right.” Vickers smiled and said, “I don’t know if I ever mentioned this, boys, but I’ve always wanted to own a store. I’m afraid I can’t grant an extension on your loan. The final payment will be due May 31st, same as before. Good luck to you, though, in coming up with the money for the payout. It looks like this fire put you out of business.”

  He walked out and Joseph had to tug hard on Robert’s arm to keep him inside the store.

  “Leave it,” Joseph said. “He’s not worth going to jail for. Vickers and the sheriff play poker together.”

  Emily watched the three men she’d grown to care about, wary about their anger manifesting. Her father would have chosen now to start throwing things in a fit of temper, and heaven help anyone who didn’t get out of his way.

  But these men just stood there.

  Her brother was the most upset, and Joseph and Henry were able to talk him down.

  And then something amazing and unexpected happened.

  The three of them started to laugh.

  Stunned, she watched them. What was going on?

  Joseph said, “We had nothing when we started and we can start again with nothing if we have to, but I say we go to work and get our store ready to accept customers again.”

  Henry nodded. “If Emily will help me, we can start pricing sale items in the back rooms while you carry them in and clean things off. We can get a back room special advertised tomorrow.”

  Robert said, “Thanks for keeping me from killing the man.”

  “I’m glad you didn’t,” Emily said. “I can’t believe I went to dinner with him, and actually found him rather entertaining. He’s despicable.”

  And she realized that Robert had been right — the vile banker was just like her father.

  But these three men were good men. Even though this horrible thing had happened, they didn’t get mad at her. Or at each other.

  Watching Joseph, her heart swelled. Maybe she could let herself be romanced by Joseph. He treated her like gold.

  The truth hit her like a runaway horse. Not every man was like her father. Mr. Lloyd was, and disgusting besides, as was Vickers.

  She’d vowed to herself not to marry when she thought there were no men she could trust. That they were all like her father and his ilk. But she trusted these three.

  She could marry if she chose. To whom she chose.

  She might just choose Joseph.

  I’ll Go Kill Him Now

  BY THE NEXT DAY, THEY actually had some miners in the back rooms looking over the discounted merchandise. Several men had been hired to help clean, and the main room was starting to look more like a store and less like a disaster area.

  They were all exhausted. Looking in a hand mirror, Emily spotted a smudge on her cheek and wiped it off, then gave up. She wasn’t going to look elegant while helping clean up a soot-coated building.

  She was washing the counters free from the ash and dust and dirt. They’d only lost the one counter, so they took the glass out and stored in the back room, and then chopped the wood into firewood. She’d instructed the men how to rearrange the other counters so it wouldn’t even look as if anything was missing by the time she was done. This time, they didn’t argue with her; instead they just accepted her input as though she was an important part of their operation.

  The bell above the door jangled, and she reached up and wiped her forehead with the back of her hand as she looked up. It was the Pinkerton agent back to see what she’d decided, and her hackles rose. She definitely did not trust this man.

  The man looked around the store. “What in tarnation happened here?”

  The men were in the back rooms, just a cry away, but still she felt uneasy. She didn’t know why she felt so vulnerable — perhaps it was just the anxiety over the fire and this man’s connection to her unscrupulous father, but she stepped around the counter to keep it between them.

  Then she realized what she was doing. She wasn’t the same insipid girl that she was in New York. She was a strong, independent Colorado Springs girl now,
and she wasn’t going to let this man frighten her. She straightened her spine. “Let me be clear. I have decided I’m not returning with you. I’m sorry you wasted your time, and my father’s coin, but I’m afraid I won’t be swayed.”

  “Oh, that is a shame.” He nodded his head and commiserated. “I didn’t want to tell you this, especially in front of the others, but you took some jewels that didn’t belong to you, and I can arrest you for their theft.”

  Panic hit her, but she kept her voice calm. “Those were my mother’s jewels, given to me by her before her death.”

  “Your father claims otherwise, miss.” The man shrugged and stepped toward her.

  She called out, “Robert, Joseph, Henry.”

  The man stopped and smiled like a crocodile. “I can see you’re upset. I will give you another day to think over this new development. Your father’s offer still stands — until tomorrow.”

  The men came in. Seeing Mr. Nelson, they puffed up in defense of her, and her heart melted.

  The Pinkerton agent raised his hands in surrender and stepped back toward the door. “I was just leaving, gentlemen.”

  He was almost to the door by that point, and Joseph stormed toward him, pushing him the rest of the way out with a swift shove, and slamming the door behind him. “Don’t come back — we won’t be so polite next time.”

  Emily stood frozen to the spot, while Robert put an arm around her. “What did he say?”

  “He said Father claims I stole something, and he can arrest me and take me back against my will if I don’t agree to the deal Father is offering.” She would wonder later why she still didn’t tell them about the gems.

  “He can’t do that,” Robert said.

  Joseph said, “I’ll go kill him now.”

  This time it was Henry who grabbed Joseph’s arm. “He’s not worth going to jail for, either.”

  Joseph stopped and turned back to Emily. “I won’t let him hurt you.”

  “None of us will,” Henry declared.

  Robert squeezed her shoulders. “You’re safe with us.”

  Better Resist That Urge

  JOSEPH HADN’T BOXED IN FOUR YEARS. He knew it could be painful, but he supposed it was something like how he’d heard women describe childbirth — a woman would forget how bad the pain could be until the next time.

  He wasn’t giving birth, but he sure was being reminded of the pain of boxing.

  He was pretty sure he had a black eye forming, as his right cheek hurt from that last blow. His opponent had a matching black eye forming.

  He and the other man circled in the rudely constructed ring in a local farmer’s pasture that had been leveled for planting. It was round twelve and by that point, Joseph was just grateful for the introduction of gloves into the sport so that he wasn’t taking bare knuckles to his face and body. This competition could go on for many rounds if he didn’t end it soon. His body was strong but the lack of regular training had him nowhere near peak fighting form — and the few days since he’d posted the announcements hadn’t been nearly long enough for him to do anything about it.

  This man had boxing experience, unfortunately. When he jabbed, Joseph, settling in more now, blocked it and shot out a right hook, catching the man a glancing blow on his cheek.

  They circled again. He was on high alert, his senses heightened. He didn’t intend to get hit again and this man was tolerably good, so he had to be on his toes.

  The man moved in and Joseph saw his chance. As if in slow motion, he punched — and landed a solid blow on the chin. The man wobbled, his eyes rolled up, and he went down.

  Joseph couldn’t have been more relieved, as he wasn’t sure how much longer he could have kept going, himself.

  The crowd cheered and Joseph raised his hands, dancing a little around the ring and giving them the show they’d paid to see.

  Henry shot him a satisfied smile and mouthed, “Good work.”

  He wished Emily was here to see his triumph, but there was no way to sneak a woman into these events — much less a woman of class. His princess would probably have fainted. Or perhaps not. She was pretty feisty.

  He knew he’d have to endure many slaps on the back before they could head home, so he climbed out of the ring. The sooner he started, the sooner they’d get home.

  To Emily.

  “You’re an idiot,” Emily told Joseph as she placed a cold cloth on his cheek.

  It wasn’t quite the welcome he’d hoped for, but the worried look on her face made him feel great. “Thanks.”

  “Don’t do this again, okay?”

  “We earned more money today than we have in the store in a week,” he said. “We have to do whatever we can to bring in money. I don’t plan on losing the store to Vickers.”

  “I don’t, either, but I also don’t want to lose you to some stranger.”

  He smiled up at her. “Don’t worry. You’re not going to lose me.”

  She scowled at him, but he was pretty sure she was faking it. “I don’t mean like that.”

  He sat at the kitchen table and she sat in the chair next to him, tending his battered face. Henry was cooking dinner, and Robert was at the other end of the table, counting the money Joseph had earned. Again. And grinning.

  Emily took the cloth and placed it in the basin of cool water she’d set on the table, then wrung it out and patted it gently, oh so gently, along his jawline.

  He could get used to being cared for like this. He grinned at her.

  “It’s not funny,” she said.

  “It’s not,” Robert said. “We made a lot of money. A couple more fights and—”

  “And you’ll be able to rent a room when we lose the building,” Emily said. “It’s not nearly enough to pay that huge payment.”

  “She’s right on that score,” Henry called out over his shoulder. “We might be back on the other end of the gold rush experience sooner than we’d hoped.”

  “You haven’t said and I haven’t asked.” Emily paused, looking at the three men. “Until now. How much do you need to pay off the mortgage and own the store free and clear?”

  The three men exchanged glances — Joseph lowered the cloth from his face, Henry turned from the stove, and Robert looked up from the money he was counting.

  “Oh, come on. Don’t hold out on me now. I went through the fire with you. There is no holding back.” She waited expectantly.

  After another round of exchanged glances between the men, Robert named a dollar amount.

  Shocked, she gasped. “That much?”

  They all three nodded. Henry said, “We’ve already paid two times that. We put that much down as a down payment, paid one payment, and now there is this final payment. Which, as you heard the banker say, if we can’t make, we lose the store and the building. He won’t own the merchandise, but it will be hard to sell merchandise out on the street.”

  Emily’s mind raced. That amount could well be the value of all seven of her jewels. She had felt guilty before that she hadn’t shared the jewels with them — even the knowledge of their existence.

  It was time for her to put her future into the same basket as theirs. They’d taken her in, and now she’d accept that fully.

  “Gentlemen,” she began and saw them grow more alert at her using that word, “would you like to take on another partner? In the store, not the mine, of course.”

  “You’ve found an investor?” Robert asked.

  “This person would want to be a full partner, not a silent partner.”

  “We would want to know who this person is and approve him first.”

  She smiled. Men were such silly creatures. “So you’re interested? If this person could pay off the last payment?”

  The three exchanged glances again. Robert said, “Stop torturing us, Sis.”

  She grinned. “It’s me. I didn’t dare tell anyone before now, but I have seven pieces of Mother’s jewelry that she gave me before she died. I had enough cash to buy the ticket out here, and you’ve
paid for everything since I arrived, so I haven’t had to sell any of them. I don’t know if they will be worth more than you owe — but at least it should bring us close enough so that the money you just earned getting cuffed around should cover it, Joseph.”

  Robert narrowed his eyes. “Which pieces of jewelry?”

  She held up her reticule. “Give me a knife, please.”

  Robert shook his head. “Show me where to cut.”

  So she did, and he cut, handing it back to her. She reached in and pulled out a wrapped handkerchief. She unwrapped it to reveal a beautiful ruby set in an elaborate ring with diamonds.

  “I remember her wearing that,” Robert whispered, holding out his hand wistfully.

  Henry whistled. “That’s beautiful.”

  “And there are six more sewn into my chemise.” She waited silently as the full meaning settled into their heads.

  When it did, the three men erupted in cheers, lifted her up like she weighed no more than a doll, and danced her around the room, laughing.

  When Joseph set her back down on her feet, he said, “I could just kiss you.”

  “Better resist that urge,” warned Robert.

  Henry just laughed and did another little dance around the room.

  “And there’s a gemstone dealer staying at the Antlers Hotel. If one of you will go with me tomorrow, we can see what he will give us for them.”

  Just Think How Much Fun It Will Be

  JOSEPH AND ROBERT BOTH ESCORTED Emily to the Antlers Hotel the next day.

  Joseph inquired at the front desk for Mr. Paulson, and they waited for him in the lavish lobby.

  Emily had carefully cut the gems from her chemise this morning, and now all seven stones were in her reticule, which she clutched close to her. There was no way she wanted to risk losing any of them, for any reason whatsoever!

  The front desk man came up to them and told them that Mr. Paulson would see them in his suite, and escorted them up to the sixth floor and down the hall to his door.