Annie: A Bride For The Farmhand - A Clean Historical Western Romance (Stewart House Brides Book 3)

by Charity Phillips

  After a few moments, he felt a series of tugs. At first, Daniel was concerned because she was pulling so much. But he soon realized what she was doing.

  She was pulling back the Morse code he had taught her.

  Hannah was telling him that she loved him!

  ****

  Hannah was practically bouncing off the walls of the cave as they left. Thankfully, she wasn’t actually doing such a thing – that would have been highly dangerous – but Daniel grinned along with her as he carefully carried the tray of gold back to their cart. He placed it safely into the back before untying the safety rope from each other’s waists.

  “That was amazing!” Hannah declared. Her eyes were wide, shiny and full of life. Daniel thought that he detected stars in her eyes from her infectious excitement.

  He laughed gently and nodded at her. “It was. You did so well for a first-timer. Looks like you’re a natural at this.”

  “Oh, it was everything I had dreamed of since the moment I learned you were a gold miner,” she confessed. “I certainly didn’t come here purely for the gold, but it is a definite perk.” She grinned at him playfully. “Now I can start selling my own jewelry!”

  They rode home together in the horse-drawn cart and Daniel thought about what she had said, and what he knew she wanted. He didn’t want to let Hannah down, but he did still have misgivings about her selling jewelry in town. He wondered if he ought to explain more of his concern so she would fully understand the larger picture.

  When they arrived back at the house, Daniel changed out of his dirty clothes while Hannah enjoyed a bath. Mrs. Hughes took care of cleaning Hannah’s dress for her. Daniel collected the gold and the tools from the horse cart and brought everything inside. He admired the clumps of shiny gold that they had found together. Even though he was wary about Hannah selling gold in town, he was proud of her for doing such a great job. He of course did not know any other ladies who were even interested in mining, and that was one of the things that attracted him to her.

  Hannah reconvened with him in the living room after her bath, dressed in a simple white dress. She sat beside him on the couch and they cuddled, smiling happily together.

  “Before I explain something to you, I want you to know how proud I am of you,” he told her. “I may be nervous about your dealings with the gold we collected, but that doesn’t mean that I’m not amazed and delighted at how enthusiastic and clever you are.”

  She beamed, blushing a lovely shade of pink. “Thank you,” she said. “What do you need to explain?”

  He told her about the rough men in town, reiterating that it would be dangerous for her to have a shop, even more so because it would be a shop that sold expensive, one of a kind items that were highly sought after. “There are rumors about a group of bandits that have been poking their noses around nearby towns in California,” he explained. “In fact, a pair of them has been robbing banks and jewelry stores in Gold Hill, only a couple of miles from here.”

  Daniel didn’t want to frighten his beloved bride, but he thought that she deserved to know the full truth. As he looked at her, he could see that his words had really disturbed Hannah; but then, she set her jaw.

  “I understand,” she said. “But I still want to do this. I don’t want to let the bad men terrorize the town like this. Otherwise, the bandits have already won?”

  Daniel gazed at her, pleasantly surprised once again. This woman was full of surprises, and he found that he loved them all. “I will tell you what: sit tight on the jewelry for a bit. I will speak with my friend Franklin. He is the sheriff in town. I believe he will help keep you safe… If he has a good solution and can protect you somehow so I don’t have to worry, perhaps we can then meet with a metalsmith and see about making some jewelry. Does that sound good to you?”

  Hannah smiled appreciatively at him and nodded. “I love that you always come up with a great plan and then ask me if it’s okay. You know what’s best.”

  They happily continued to cuddle for a while after that, each of them pleased by the compromise they had made. Daniel wasn’t sure what Franklin might suggest, and he certainly didn’t expect his friend to guard his wife all the time. Surely the sheriff had more pressing matters than watching over a young lady’s shop all day. Perhaps he had a deputy or someone who could use the experience, someone who needed something to do?

  ****

  The following day, Hannah stayed at home, working on polishing and planning out the designs for the gold. Daniel went into town to speak with his friend Franklin, the sheriff. “You see, the missus wants to open up a jewelry shop but in the current climate…” He trailed off, knowing full well that Franklin would know exactly what he was getting at. The climate of the town was not a safe one for a lady to be alone in, especially with valuables.

  “Hmm,” Franklin said thoughtfully, stroking his chin. “It just so happens that my son Geoffrey has been itching to become my deputy. This might be a good way for him to cure that itch.” He smiled a little.

  Daniel knew of Geoffrey. Though the boy was tall and muscular, he was only sixteen, which was too young for a sheriff’s deputy. “Does he have any experience in this sort of thing? I know that enthusiasm goes a long way, but…”

  Franklin chuckled a bit, affection showing for his son even though he was not there with him at the moment. “He does everything in his power to prove himself to me. This could be a bit like a trial for him. He would love that. He’s the best marksman in town, I reckon, and he has trained his two dogs to guard our home steadfastly. I know he could teach them to guard your good wife as well.”

  Daniel thought it over. “Well, heck, if you think that he has what it takes to keep Hannah safe then of all the people I know, I trust your judgement on the matter.”

  The two men firmly shook hands. It was a deal indeed.

  That night, Daniel came home all smiles. He told Hannah what the sheriff had told him and she was ecstatic. “Now all we need to do is talk to the metalworker in town about making your jewelry, and set you up a shop.” The look on his dear wife’s face was enough to know that he had done well by her. He only hoped that Geoffrey would be a trustworthy guard for Hannah and her gold. It would be heartbreaking for her if she lost all the gold she had worked so hard to get.

  Daniel set out the following day to discuss things with his other friend, Thomas. He was going to need lumber from Thomas’ mill if he was going to build a store for his wife to sell her wares. “Sure,” his friend said readily when asked about purchasing some of the lumber. “I’ll even help you build it. I know you miners are better diggers than builders.” He winked.

  “Great, thank you,” Daniel said with a laugh. They had been teasing each other about their chosen professions for as long as they had known each other. “My wife will really appreciate it.”

  Next, he went to town and spoke with the metalworker. “I’ve never tried my hand at making jewelry before,” the man confessed. “But if she can tell me what she wants, I reckon I could figure it out fairly easily.”

  It made sense that the man did not have a use for making jewelry before then. He generally worked on things like horseshoes and the bars in the jail cells. However, the fact that he was willing to give it a try made Daniel relieved and grateful that the people in Coloma were plucky and industrious even when asked for a favor outside of their normal expertise.

  He came home exhausted but thrilled at the end of his long day. Hannah eagerly greeted him with a shower of hugs and kisses. “It looks like you were successful?” she asked him. “Oh, I hope I haven’t put you through too much trouble.”

  Daniel smiled adoringly at her. “It’s no trouble at all, my love. I was very successful, as it happens. My friend Thomas even says he will help construct your shop. And the metalworker in town said he will certainly try his hand at making jewelry, provided that you supply him with clear and specific designs.”

  Hannah beamed at him and went over to the desk in the small library. She carried
back a piece of paper filled with doodles that could only be one thing. “As a matter of fact, I’ve already begun to design some!” she announced.

  Daniel was delighted. “This is wonderful.” He gave Hannah a big hug. “I am so proud of you, and so happy that I am able to help make your dream come true.”

  Before long, everyone on the jewelry store team that Daniel had assembled came together and began working to make Mrs. Bishop’s dream a reality. There was reason to believe that her jewelry store would be quite popular in time, due to the influx of mail order brides that were turning up in town. The men who worked in the various industries were beginning to get lonely and restless like Daniel had been, and the brides-to-be were going to be needing rings, along with whatever other jewelry fit their fancies.

  “The timing of this couldn’t be better,” Thomas told Daniel. “I myself might be needing a ring from your wife, soon enough.”

  “You? A married man? I’ll believe it when I see it!” Daniel teased back.

  After a few intense weeks of building and working to create the jewelry pieces, the men of the town were able to surprise Hannah with the fruits of their labors. Daniel came home one evening with a large box which he handed over to Hannah immediately.

  “This is nowhere near all of them, of course,” he told her as she opened the box and peeked inside. “But it’s a definite start. I was quite impressed by how well he did with your designs.”

  Hannah gazed down into the box, a smile growing bigger and bigger on her face as she admired her fully realized designs. The metalworker had created some of the most exquisite rings she had ever seen. She was going to have to pay him handsomely for his help. Of course, if all went well, she would make more than enough money to do such a thing, and regularly so she could keep him employed with her.

  Daniel looked forward to showing her the completed shop, if only to see her grinning face again. He loved that he was able to make her so incredibly happy. It meant everything to him.

  ****

  The day was beautiful and bright when Daniel rode into town with Hannah and showed her the new shop that he and his friends had created for her. She let out a gasp, covering her mouth with her lace-gloved hands. She looked from the shop to him and back again. “It’s everything that I could have hoped for and more!” she cried out with excitement. She was thoroughly impressed with the work that the gentlemen of Coloma had done. And it was all for her!

  “It’s all yours,” he said happily. “I hope it will bring you endless amounts of joy.”

  “Oh, it will!” she said, giving him a kiss.

  She went inside the shop and went to work at once, arranging the gold pieces in a special display right at the front of her counter. There were less delicate and valuable pieces that she had decided to sell as well, old bits of jewelry that she had packed along with her on her journey from New York.

  “Now please do remember to do like I told you,” Daniel advised. “Make sure to be careful when you close up shop each night. And remember to bring back the gold pieces so, if the store gets broken into, at least the robbers won’t get away with our valuable gold.” He made sure to keep his voice down when he said that, even though they were indoors. He did not feel entirely safe on the streets of Coloma proper of late, and he hoped that Franklin would be able to put a stop to the town’s dangerous atmosphere soon.

  Hannah nodded. “Right,” she said. “I promise I shall do so.” She planned to bring the gold to and from the shop in the box that the metalworker had provided for her, with his initial pieces of gold jewelry. It was a black, nondescript box made of thick wood. Sturdy and subdued.

  Hannah certainly didn’t want to cause more trouble for her husband. She had already put him through so much. It was evident that he cared a great deal about her safety, and she was grateful that it didn’t keep him from also wanting to make her happy. She felt immensely privileged to have Mr. Daniel Bishop as her husband.

  “Make sure that you do not close up the shop until Geoffrey and his dogs are here to escort you home,” Daniel added. “He will be standing guard outside each day, to protect you from any robbers or thieves.

  She nodded again, feeling somewhat guilty for making the young boy look after her. Hannah thought that the boy surely must have some better use of his time than to guard her and her shop. But nevertheless, young Geoffrey proved to be an earnest and diligent guard for her.

  Upon her husband’s departure, the boy looked in on Hannah to make sure that she was settling in well and was not in need of anything. “You let me know if you would like me to do anything, ma’am,” Geoffrey said to her. “Pa says that I am not to leave this post for the entirety of our time here, but if you need me to help escort anyone off the premises, please do make sure to inform me. Woody and Jethro here are my loyal dogs. They will know exactly what to do if anyone ever gives you trouble.”

  The two mongrels were large, brown and furry. They seemed like friendly creatures to Hannah, but she believed that it was largely to do with the fact that they were amongst friendly people. Geoffrey himself was a rather statuesque young man. He seemed to be the spitting image of his father, who had dropped him off at the start of the day and given him a brief lecture about his duties there.

  Work was slow going for the first several days. No one stopped into the shop and Hannah was left standing there, overly fretting about the way her jewelry was displayed. She wondered if she might have waited until there were a few more women in town.

  Finally, on the last day of her first week in her shop, a man came in and bought a pair of her old silver earrings. She was overjoyed to have finally sold something, and part of her regretted that she did not have much more in the way of silver to sell. It was too much to hope that her husband’s gold mines would perchance start breaking out in silver as well.

  Still, it was such a relief for her to be able to return home and declare that her day had been a success. “Granted, it was only a few minutes within a lengthy span of the day, but it is still something,” Hannah told Daniel. “I am trying to keep being optimistic. I know that this town is growing. That’s part of what makes it all so exciting!”

  Daniel beamed at his wife, proud of her for having a good starting week. Who knew? Before long, she might be selling out of her designs. He truly looked forward to when that started to happen. Hannah was positively bursting with creativity and enthusiasm. It was difficult to not go along with her every wish.

  ****

  One evening during her second week of working in the shop, Hannah was just getting ready to start closing up when she heard the front door open. “I am almost ready, Geoffrey,” she said, gathering up some of her gold pieces and arranging them carefully inside her box. “I just need to get a few more things put away first.”

  She looked up and realized that it wasn’t Geoffrey in the shop at all. It was two tall men in black masks. One held a pistol, which he pointed at her as soon as she looked at them.

  “Oh!” Hannah shouted, jumping. She was so startled that she dropped a pair of gold earrings and she held up her arms in a subservient sort of gesture. The earrings clanged as they hit the floor. “Please do not shoot.” She did her best to remain calm. Such an occurrence had happened in New York’s jewelry stores, though never the one she had worked in. Tears slid down her cheeks. She told herself that her life mattered more than the gold, as one of bandits started to rummage through her black box.

  Suddenly, the front door flung open again and this time Hannah could hear the two large dogs barking and growling. The bandit who was holding the gun immediately dropped it in fear and panic. They snarled and lunged at him, knocking him swiftly to the floor. Meanwhile, the other bandit let go of the box and the jewelry and bolted as quickly as his legs could carry him from the shop, only to be strong armed by Geoffrey before he could escape.

  “That’s enough,” he called to his dogs, giving a whistle to command them to cease their attack on the bandit who was pinned to the ground.

/>   The loyal dogs immediately returned to their owner’s side as Geoffrey sprinted into the shop and snatched up the gun before the bandit had time to even think about threatening anyone with it again. He helped the defeated man up off the floor and Hannah watched him in fearful amazement.

  “I am so glad you were here,” she said, shaking a bit as she collected the dropped earrings and checked to make sure that all the rest of the gold was in the box. “I can’t thank you enough! You and your dogs are absolute heroes.”

  Geoffrey smiled shyly at her, unable to tip his hat because he was holding tightly onto a robber with each arm. “All in a day’s work, ma’am. It’s been my pleasure.”

  With that, he quickly whistled a command to his dogs and one of them took off at top speed from the shop. “He’s going to fetch Pa for us,” Geoffrey explained to Hannah, emphasizing his words for the bandits as well, so they knew that they surely weren’t going to be getting away with this robbery attempt.

  Hannah closed her jewelry box and made sure that her other case was as secure as it could be. Now that this had happened to her, she no longer felt comfortable leaving any of her jewelry in the shop overnight. She thought that Daniel would agree, but she also didn’t know how on earth she was supposed to bring home the rest of her jewelry.

  Before long at all, Franklin appeared in the doorway of the shop. He looked around, alarmed to find his giant of a son holding onto not one but two bandits. Geoffrey didn’t seem overwhelmed in the slightest. He smiled a bit at his father. “Pa. I caught these two trying to steal from Mrs. Bishop. One of them had a gun, but there wasn’t anything in it.” He nodded to the pistol that was now stored in the holster attached to his belt.