by Chloe Garner
“We don’t have one,” Thor was saying. “Everything goes to Preston.”
“Where are you keeping it between shipments?” Sarah asked.
“Over here,” Thor said, walking down a well-worn path that wound around the side of the mountain, only dropping a little as it went along. There were wooden boxes, hand-made, sitting to one side, filled and piled one on top of another for almost a hundred feet.
“You’re making good progress,” Jimmy said.
“We’re gonna to have to slow down, soon,” Apex said. “The ceilin’s gettin’ too big, and we’re gonna have to start buildin’ up supports instead ‘a diggin’ all day.”
Jimmy nodded.
“We’re going to have to talk about leaving pillars of absenta just to hold up the mountain,” he said. Thor chuckled.
“Never had that problem, before.”
“How are you keepin’ the men from walkin’ off with it?” Sarah asked.
“They don’t leave,” Jimmy said. “They can walk off with as much as they want, but it only makes it to the camp.”
Thor nodded.
“When they’re ready to go, we give ‘em a new set of clothes and everything. Put ‘em on a fresh horse and walk ‘em down.”
Sarah nodded.
“I’m concerned about the close claims,” Jimmy said. “Anything within a day’ ride, with the rumors getting out from up here, we’re going to start having people just out riding around, trying to find them.”
“Need to keep an eye on the house,” Sarah said. “And the people who come in lookin’ for a claim. They play the game like darts, tryin’ to find the spots that’s already taken.”
“So set up false claims,” Jimmy said, and she looked at him. He shrugged. “I’ll claim them, if you want. Put a couple down in the name of every one of the Lawsons.”
It wasn’t the spirit of the claims system, but she could claim some of the land that she knew wasn’t going to have anything in it, and it might actually help. Jimmy watched her decide, then gave her a sharp little nod and looked at Apex again.
“Tell me about security,” he said.
“Sure,” Apex said, continuing on down the path. “We got some of our relatives up here, payin’ ‘em in percentages, just keepin’ an eye out and tryin’ to keep our numbers up. The men we promoted to foremen carry pistols, but they ain’t got a sense ‘a where we are, so they know they can’t blast their way out and make a run for it.”
“In all, there are eight of us up here armed,” Thor said. “Got little camps all down the mountainside, rather than one big ‘un, so the men are keepin’ their eyes peeled, too.”
“Pay ‘em right, they’ll all be on your side,” Sarah agreed.
“We can’t hold off a big crew, but they’d need at least four or five to have a fightin’ chance,” Apex said.
“Since you’re the only ones up and running right now, I’d like to keep one of the Lawsons up here full time, but I can’t afford anyone,” Jimmy said.
“Problems down in town?” Thor asked.
“Town ain’t the problem,” Sarah answered, and both miners looked at her, but she didn’t elaborate. “The other claim owners are lookin’ for local men to help head ‘em up, turn ‘em into something what runs. Since they ain’t proper competition to y’all, I was hopin’ you’d be willin’ to give some of the homesteadin’ boys some tips on how to get set up and runnin’.”
Thor laughed.
“We’d welcome the other targets,” he said. “We’re feelin’ like we got crosshairs on us most days, anymore.”
“Never seen this kind ‘a money,” Apex agreed. “Don’t rightly know what to do with it.”
Jimmy clapped him on the back.
“If you need help with ideas, you come see me.”
“Told the boys to be watchin’ for you at the tavern when you come down to resupply,” Sarah said. “Don’t let ‘em buy you too many drinks.”
Both Apex and Thor laughed appreciatively, then Jimmy signaled back toward the mine.
“We need to get back on our way,” he said. “You’re doing good work.”
They started back up the hill, and Thor fell into step next to Sarah.
“We don’t know what we can say that means what it means,” he said to her. “You ain’t needed to do this, but you did, and we can’t…”
“Shut up, Thor,” Sarah said with a half a smile. “I ain’t a digger, and I just gave the claim to the men I knew would do it right.”
“Got a couple buddies would kill for the next one,” Thor said and she gave him a hard look. Walking past a wall of absenta, he seemed immune, and she could hardly blame him. Every one of those boxes was a Lawrence retirement - a lifetime’s worth of wealth, for the way they lived.
And she and Jimmy would be getting two out of every twenty of them. He’d split his up amongst his brothers; she’d keep hers all to herself.
They were stacked head-high, all the way along the path, and she could only imagine the men routinely put the stones in their pockets, just to feel them there.
“You’re going to find those everywhere,” she murmured and Thor nodded.
“Gonna be here for the long haul,” he answered. “Don’t matter where they get to, for now, so long as they don’t leave.”
She nodded. No particular disagreement. It was a good system; just felt like too much temptation for any single man to handle.
“Be careful,” she said, and he nodded.
“We switch out the men as often as we can,” he said. “There’s a mania to it, we all known it.”
She looked over her shoulder.
“Don’t forget loyalty.”
Thor laughed.
“We remind ‘em that none of it’s no good ‘less they get back to Lawrence and get to spend it.”
She nodded.
Gremlin was nosing around the top of the mine, a couple of men eying him from the shadows, and Sarah whistled. The horse lifted his head, but took a step closer to the mine, enjoying menacing the workers.
She gave him a look, but he was just as immune as Thor.
“Damned absenta gives everybody ideas,” she muttered, going to snag her horse as Jimmy mounted up.
“Keep it up,” Jimmy said. “Easiest money I ever put in my pocket.”
“Same for us,” Apex said, shaking hands with Jimmy one last time. Thor slapped Gremlin’s shoulder in a friendly sort of way then went to shake hands with Jimmy as well.
They started off into the woods, headed downhill on whatever path Gremlin picked for himself.
“Take the long way home,” Jimmy said softly. “I don’t want any more feet traveling the same ground than we have to.”
Sarah nodded, and he looked over his shoulder.
“Those boxes,” he said. “I can do better than that.”
She smiled to herself, seeing the scheming look in his eye and nodded.
“Reckon there’s a lot of that you can do better,” she answered, continuing on downhill.
--------
Merlin met them riding up to the house, waving in an urgent greeting way. Sarah and Jimmy held up without dismounting, waiting as the ranchman jogged up.
“Peter’s been by,” he said. “Said you should come into town as soon as you got home.”
“Anything wrong?” Jimmy asked.
“Don’t think so,” Merlin answered. “Just… you should go there before you do anything else.”
Jimmy looked at Sarah, who checked her critical supplies once and nodded.
“We can go. Horses are fine.”
Merlin picked up Jimmy’s horse’s front feet and nodded.
“She isn’t used to as much work as you’ve done, but she’ll hold out for a trip to town and back.”
Jimmy pulled the mare’s head around and they started back down to the worn section of desert that led to Lawrence.
They got to the Lawson houses and Sarah looked over at Jimmy.
“That’s a hellova lotta boxes,” s
he said.
“Why aren’t they inside?” Jimmy hissed, hopping down and going to Little Peter’s house. Peter answered after the first knock.
“Jimmy,” he said. “What the hell, man?”
“Was going to ask you the same thing,” Jimmy said. “Why are they all sitting around out here?”
“Lise won’t let ‘em in,” Peter said.
Both Jimmy and Sarah stopped dead for a moment. Peter shrugged.
“Rhoda and Kayla won’t either, and we didn’t even bother asking Sunny.”
Good for Sunny, Sarah thought.
“They’re guns,” Jimmy said. “They’re around them all the time.”
Peter looked over his shoulder, then stepped outside and closed the door behind him.
“She says that one gun, on my hip, is all she’s going to put up with. Seeing as she’s pregnant.”
“Is that so?” Jimmy asked.
Peter shrugged.
“Why is Rhoda a party to this?” Sarah asked. “She’s been ‘round guns her whole life.”
“Have to ask her,” Peter said, and Sarah turned, leaving Jimmy at Peter’s house and walked across the courtyard, where she found Rhoda sitting on her swing reading a book.
“Welcome back,” Rhoda said. “How was your ride?”
“Things all lookin’ like they’re s’posed to,” Sarah said. “Why in hell are all the guns sittin’ out here?”
Rhoda smiled, pulling her feet off of the swing and jerking her chin. Sarah sat. Rhoda’s eyes sparkled at her, and Sarah raised an eyebrow.
“Let’s start with what Peter told you,” Rhoda said.
“Says Lise won’t let ‘em in on account of her bein’ knocked up,” Sarah said. Rhoda’s shoulders shook with silent laughter.
“Maybe that’s easier for him to believe. Maybe that’s actually what Lise told him.”
Sarah raised both eyebrows, her patience ebbing. Rhoda sighed dramatically.
“No one can tell us what’s happening,” she said. “None of us were there when you talked about it, and then Peter’s unloading five carts’ worth of guns in the front yard. Are we forming a military? Planning on taking over Jeremiah? Why in the world are they here?”
“And so you left ‘em for the town to arm themselves how they saw fit?” Sarah asked. Rhoda grinned.
“You know there’s been a Lawson watching them every minute since they got here, and I knew that Jimmy wasn’t going to get here that long after they did. He just… wouldn’t stand for it.”
Sarah crossed her arms and Rhoda drew a breath, still friendly, still smiling.
“We want in,” she said. “We aren’t just Lawson wives. We’re Lawsons. And we want to know what’s going on, even if it’s just to hear it, but I think that you should be listening to us, too.”
“You did this,” Sarah said. Rhoda twisted her mouth to the side. Sarah shook her head. “Rebellion of this scale, I’d have pegged Lise every time, but you led this.”
Rhoda tipped her head back and forth.
“Lise was certainly… a confederate. I don’t think we’re wrong, though. We’re part of this family, and we deserve to know that this is happening before it does.”
“There’s too much goin’ on, Rhoda,” Sarah said. “Can’t keep up with all of it, as it is.”
“Well, maybe if we didn’t spend our family dinners fighting about where Lise is going to raise her child, we’d talk about more of the things Jimmy is going to do, regardless of what any of the rest of us say.”
“That’s what this is about?” Sarah asked. “Jimmy ain’t ever told nobody what he’s gonna do until he does it.”
“He tells you,” Rhoda said. “And occasionally he tells Thomas or Peter, when he needs them for something. It proves he isn’t incapable.”
“How long have they been out here?” Sarah asked.
“Just since this morning,” Rhoda said. “I knew he’d be back soon.”
“Would you have let them sit all night?” Sarah asked. Rhoda crossed her arms and leaned back against the swing arm.
“We deserve to be a part. We’re Lawsons.”
Sarah frowned.
“You ain’t Thomas’ wife,” she said. “Jimmy could decide he don’t approve of you no more, if you cause too many problems.”
She didn’t intend it to sound like a threat, and it didn’t look like Rhoda took it like one. Instead, she raised an eyebrow, grinning.
“Thomas and I talked about that,” she said.
“Thomas knew you were ‘bout to stage a rebellion?” Sarah asked.
“This was weeks ago,” Rhoda said, waving a hand. “We went ahead and got married.”
“You what?” Sarah asked. “After the hell you put me through makin’ me do the whole thing, you…”
Rhoda laughed.
“We went to Granger, we wrote our names down in his book, and he signed it. Legal in all nineteen territories. I’m Rhoda Lawson.”
Sarah tipped her head, readjusting. The distraction of Rhoda not having a full wedding wasn’t worth chasing. It wasn’t like she actually cared. What was important…
“Thomas did that,” Sarah said slowly, and Rhoda nodded, as if she could anticipate what Sarah was thinking.
“Jimmy knows who I am,” Rhoda said. “Knows my parents, knows my education, knows my worldview. I’m not afraid of him, though Thomas says he ought be afraid of me.”
“I’m comin’ ‘round to that way of thinkin’, myself,” Sarah said as the door behind Rhoda opened and Thomas came out. Sarah sat straighter, looking at him, and he paused, sensing a trap.
“Little Peter ain’t the second threat of power in the Lawson family, is he?” Sarah asked. Thomas blinked.
Started to speak.
Stopped.
“No, he isn’t,” he said, still looking surprised. “What are you guys talking about?”
“I told Sarah we got married while she and Jimmy were on their honeymoon,” Rhoda said.
“Weren’t no honeymoon,” Sarah said. “You let your wife keep Lawson guns, ones we’re gonna need should we all hope to make it through the next few months, sit in the sun instead of puttin’ ‘em away where folk can’t see ‘em and can’t get into ‘em.”
Thomas bit his lip, then nodded.
“I did that.”
Rhoda was watching Sarah with fearless eyes.
“I want to be friends,” the woman said. “I really do. But, more than that, I want to be heard.”
Sarah looked from Rhoda to Thomas, then stood.
“Dinner,” she said. “Tonight. At the house. Bring them guns in and lock ‘em up, then get your tail up to the house.” She straightened, looking around at the other houses. Kayla was standing in the doorway of another house, and Lise was pointing a violent finger at Jimmy as she said something loud but unclear at this distance. Sarah looked back at Rhoda. “You still know how to dress like you b’long in a place like Elsewhere?”
Rhoda grinned.
“I do.”
Sarah nodded.
“We ain’t gonna have a Lawson dinner. We’re gonna have a Lawrence dinner, done my way. Bring an appetite, an’ bring your own handkerchief.”
Rhoda’s eyes sparkled, and Sarah cast a glance over at Kayla, who waved without her normal careless happiness. Sarah raised a hand in greeting, and Kayla’s face lit up. Sarah nodded, and got to Jimmy, peeling him out of Lise’s line of attack.
“Dinner,” she said. “We just got out of the mountains and we need groomin’.” She thumbed behind her. “Talk to Rhoda.”
She pulled Jimmy, willingly enough, toward the horses, then mounted up, not waiting for Jimmy to settle his seat before bumping Gremlin into a canter.
Jimmy caught up after a minute.
“What was that?” he asked. Sarah shook her head, trying to get her head around the relationship that Rhoda and Thomas had, what it meant.
“We’re doin’ it my way tonight,” she answered. Jimmy didn’t ask what that meant, riding alongside
the rest of the way to the Lawson house.
--------
They sat on a couch in the front room, Sarah watching out the window as the sun set.
She needed a bath and to wash her hair, and she’d find the time to do it before the rest of the Lawsons showed up, but Jimmy needed to hear it from her before she blindsided him later.
“So what’s your way?” he asked.
“You know why they left the guns out?” Sarah asked.
“You mean it isn’t because the woman who grew up with a gun in her nightstand suddenly got squeamish about firearms?” Jimmy asked. She looked at him, finding him amused.
“You do know,” she said. He shook his head and spread his fingers out to either side.
“I do not, but I think you’re about to tell me.”
“Why’s that funny?”
“Because you do know,” he said. “All those years, running my brothers like I did, and I don’t know what’s going on in my own family, and you do.”
She didn’t see how that was funny, but the curl of his lip didn’t change, and she didn’t have time to mess with it.
Jimmy could find amusement in whatever the hell he liked.
“It’s ‘cause Rhoda don’t like being shut out.”
His mouth dropped open a fraction, the corner twitching up into his cheek.
“No, I could see that she wouldn’t.”
“You know they’re married?” Sarah asked. The amusement extinguished.
“They’re what?”
Sarah nodded.
“Granger did it. Prob’ly didn’t know better, but he’d’a done it, either way.”
Jimmy shook his head.
“Wouldn’t have expected it from Thomas.”
Sarah nodded slowly.
“He’s more than either one of us figured,” she said. “I reckon he’s still behind you, but if he ever decides he ain’t…”
Jimmy nodded.
“I’ll keep an eye on it.”
“Rhoda put ‘em all up to it. The wives controlling the husbands. As much to prove she could, as anything else. She wants a seat at the table, and you gotta give it to her.”
“Have I?” Jimmy asked. Sarah nodded.
“I’m not tellin’ you what to do,” she said. “I’m tellin’ you what is.”
“All right,” he said slowly. “What is?”
