Refining Fire

by Cox, Carol

  Jenny pulled the paper closer and studied Evan’s scribbled notation. “What is this?”

  “A rancher who’s trying to develop a new market for his beef will sell to us at a discount. If we agree to buy all our beef from him, he’s willing to give us a price well below anything else we can get locally. He’ll be staying at Hodges House until tomorrow afternoon.”

  “Wonderful!” Jenny felt her headache recede. “I’ll contact him first thing in the morning.” Remembering the other part of Evan’s comment, she asked, “Where are you off to this time?”

  “Yuma first, then up the river to Ehrenberg. I’ll be back in a couple of weeks.”

  “I’ll expect you when I see you,” Jenny said, feeling more lighthearted than she had in days at the prospect of Evan’s prolonged absence.

  ❧

  Andrew looked up into the flickering light of the oil lamp and pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and fingers. He remembered lighting the lamp when the shadows had started creeping across the pages he was working on but hadn’t noticed when the sun set completely. He snapped open the cover of his pocket watch and whistled when he saw the time. No wonder his eyes felt like they had grains of sand embedded under their lids.

  He stood and stretched his arms wide, then rolled his neck from side to side. Working into the night hours hadn’t been his plan, but the results were well worth it. He braced his hands on the desk and leaned over the papers there, studying his outline one more time.

  As far as he could see, the schedule he’d drawn up for developing the mine was a good one. From everything he’d seen so far, the Silver Crown had all the makings of a big strike. Until the problems with the Apaches were resolved, work couldn’t begin in earnest. But once they’d crossed that barrier, Andrew suspected a fortune could be in store for him and both his partners.

  He thought about the Silver Crown’s other owners while he carried the lamp to his bedroom and set it on the bedside table. He’d felt an immediate connection with Red the first time he’d met the feisty Irishman. Maybe it was due to the prospector’s unfailing sunny attitude. More likely, it had to do with their bond as followers of Christ. At any rate, he hoped things worked out so they could get started on the mine soon. It would be grand to know that Red would be able to see his lonely years of prospecting bear fruit at last.

  And then there was Jenny. Andrew pulled his shirt off and tossed it on a chair in the corner. Would knowing she would be financially secure for the rest of her days lighten her heart? He would love to do something to sweep away that terrible sadness in her eyes.

  He slipped beneath his sheet and laced his fingers behind his head. What could have created such sorrow in her? What tragic circumstances could have befallen such a young woman to have left such an imprint?

  He blew out the lamp, then rolled over and punched his pillow into a fluffy mound. According to Red, Jenny wasn’t a believer. Had whatever left its mark on her sweet face managed to turn her heart against the things of the Lord as well? With all his heart, Andrew longed to find a way to restore her joy.

  But he’d have to do that as a friend, nothing more. Jenny’s lack of belief meant he couldn’t take their relationship into a closer realm, much as he would like to. He closed his eyes, only to see Jenny’s face. He opened them and found her image hovering in the darkness of his room. Scrubbing the vision away with the palms of his hands, he wished he knew how to handle his growing feelings for Jenny. Instead of Red’s information putting a damper on his emotions, they seemed all the stronger for knowing he couldn’t pursue her.

  Better pull the reins up tight before this horse runs away with you. He pulled the pillow up around his ears and started praying for her instead, asking God to move in Jenny’s life in such a way that she would see her need for Him.

  sixteen

  Red burst through the office door, beaming and waving a sheaf of papers over his head. Andrew followed him inside, his gait more subdued but his smile every bit as wide as Red’s. “Look at these, Jenny,” Red exclaimed. “We’re on our way!”

  “And good morning to you, too,” Jenny said, laughing. “What’s gotten you in such a dither?”

  “What’s got me dithery? Why, it’s the fine handiwork of our esteemed partner, my girl. Andrew spent all night on these plans, and just see what a grand job he’s done.” He bent to spread the papers out across the desk.

  Jenny cast a sidelong glance at Andrew, and she watched the warm light in his eyes fade under her frosty scrutiny. Uncertainty replaced his earlier eager expression.

  “Would it bother you if I run along now and let the two of you discuss this on your own?” he asked. “I need to deal with some other things I’ve been neglecting.”

  “What?” Red expostulated. “Leave us now, just when—”

  “It’s all right,” Jenny cut in. “I’m sure Mr. Garrett has pressing business to attend to.” She heard the coolness in her tone and knew Andrew had recognized it as well by the way he swung around and headed for the door.

  “Thank you for all your hard work,” she called after his retreating figure, hoping to salve her conscience and erase Red’s look of bewilderment.

  “Now, what was all that about?” Red demanded as soon as the door closed behind Andrew.

  “Nothing at all. The man said he had things to do. I had no desire to keep him from them.” She stepped nearer to the table, keeping her eyes focused on the papers in order to avoid Red’s penetrating gaze. “Are you going to explain these to me?”

  “I might,” he said, folding his arms across his chest and perching on the edge of the desk. “And I might not.” Jenny risked a quick peek at him through lowered lashes. He glared at her with an expression that reminded her of an exasperated schoolmarm determined to ferret information out of a misbehaving student. “I’d like to know why you sent young Andrew packing.”

  “I didn’t,” Jenny protested. “He’s the one who said he had to leave.” She lifted her chin and stared straight back at Red.

  He shook his head sorrowfully. “Jenny lass, this has something to do with those groundless stories, doesn’t it?”

  “Of course not,” she began, then halted and took a deep breath. “I suppose it does,” she admitted. “You know I’ve had reservations about him from the first. The concerns Evan shared only served to reinforce them.” Taking the offensive, she dared to add, “Someday you may thank me for protecting our mine.”

  Red snorted and slid down off the desk. “And someday I may sprout wings and fly.” He stirred the stack of papers with his forefinger and fished two sheets from the pile. Scooting the other papers aside, he laid those two out for Jenny’s inspection. “Let me show you briefly what your suspicious character spent all night working on. If that doesn’t convince you he’s on our side, I don’t know what will.”

  Jenny’s shoulders slumped. “All right, show me.”

  For the next hour, Red went over the details Andrew had labored over, his voice becoming more animated with every new idea he showed Jenny. After he laid the last sheet of paper atop the stack, he turned to her with a look of triumph. “We’ll have to bide our time for a wee bit before the majority of the work can commence, but if this yields what Andrew and I expect it to, we’ll all be in clover the rest of our days. How does that strike you, Miss Too-Suspicious-For-Your-Own-Good?”

  Jenny ignored the jibe. Her heart beat wildly. She had dared to dream of the mine’s success, but to see those dreams put down in black and white and by someone who knew what he was doing. . .

  “It’s amazing,” she breathed.

  “ ’Tis more than that. It’s an outright blessing. The Lord knew I needed something to keep me in my old age and saw fit to provide it.”

  Jenny ignored his reference to God’s provision and allowed excitement to take hold of her in spite of herself.

  “And as you see,” Red went on, “it’ll benefit all three of us equally. Andrew has been very careful in that regard. He thought of things ne
ither you nor I would ever have come up with.”

  Andrew again. Jenny said good-bye to her happy daydreams and came back to the world of reality. “Red—”

  “Now, don’t be getting your back up like that. Every time I mention the lad’s name, you fluff up like a hissing cat.”

  “I’m just trying to be realistic. He seemed to appear out of nowhere.” Nowhere except my memory. She cut that thought off sharply. “He didn’t know us; we didn’t know him. Think about it for a moment: Why would anyone offer to jump into a partnership with two perfect strangers for no good reason? It doesn’t make sense.”

  “Unless you add God to the mix,” Red said. “I keep telling you, Andrew is a follower of Christ, the same as me. God brings His people together as He sees fit to accomplish His purposes. When you look at it that way, it makes all the sense in the world.”

  “Not to me, it doesn’t.” Jenny sighed. “I don’t mean to be obstinate, and I know beyond a doubt that your heart’s in the right place. But in my experience, things just don’t happen that way. I’ll believe it when I see it—once the mine is in operation and I know my future is secure.”

  Red tilted his head to one side, making him look more like a leprechaun than ever. “But is it?”

  Jenny gaped at him. “Of course it is, assuming Andrew’s assessment is even halfway accurate, and if he’s the honest man you believe him to be. We’ll never suffer want again as long as we live.”

  “Mm.” Red pursed his lips and regarded her thoughtfully. “And after that?”

  “After what?”

  “After this life is over, how secure will your future be then?”

  “After—Red, what are you talking about?”

  “I think you know what I mean, Lass. None of us will live forever. All of us have to face God at some point. What then?”

  Prickles of apprehension ran from Jenny’s shoulders to her wrists. She slid her hands up and down her arms, trying to rub away the disquieting sensation. She attempted a laugh. “How did we get from the subject of mining to theology?”

  Red took up a stance in front of the window. “The Lord Jesus told us not to put our confidence in treasures here on earth, but in the treasure we store up in heaven instead. There’s nothing wrong with appreciating God’s provision here, but I fear that’s where your whole heart is focused. And there’s more, Jenny. So much more.”

  “Can we just drop the subject, Red?” Jenny pressed her fingertips against her temples, wondering if another headache were coming on. “It seems to me this whole thing started when the conversation turned to Andrew, and it proves my point. Even setting aside the allegations Evan brought up, the man is a distraction. If he can set us at odds with each other even before the mine is opened, what will happen when things really get under way?”

  Red scooped the papers into a pile and tapped the edges to square the stack. “Sure,” he said in a tone lacking his usual enthusiasm. “We’ll drop it. For now.” A glimmer of humor returned to his eyes. “And I’ll be agreeing that young Andrew Garrett is a distraction of the worst sort, but not for the reasons you’ve named. I think our Andrew has become a distraction to you in a special way—a distraction of the heart.”

  He sobered again. “Just be remembering what I’ve said. Regardless of what your high-and-mighty Mr. Townsend says about him, I’d stake my life that Andrew Garrett is a fine and honorable man.” He tugged at his coat lapels and tucked the papers under his arm. “You need to give him a chance.” He shut the office door quietly on his way out.

  Jenny returned to her ledger entries, but the figures swam before her eyes. Give Andrew a chance, Red had said. She didn’t dare. One fleeting encounter in Elizabeth’s restaurant had impressed him so deeply on her mind, she feared she would never be able to be free of him. What chance did her heart have if she opened it up to him?

  ❧

  Andrew stood in the sparse shade of a paloverde tree and watched Red exit the Pueblo Restaurant. The miner paused and heaved a long sigh, then walked in Andrew’s direction. Andrew let out his own sigh, one of relief. He had correctly guessed the path Red would take. When his friend drew even with the paloverde, Andrew stepped out with a casual air and fell in step beside him.

  They walked in silence for a few moments, then Red spoke. “And what is preying on your mind, may I ask?”

  Andrew avoided the other man’s gaze as they turned north along Camino Real. “What makes you think I have anything special on my mind?”

  Red rubbed one hand across his jaw. “Let me see now. You left Jenny and me in a hurry, saying you had important things to do. Instead, I find you waiting outside under a pitiful excuse for shade on a blistering hot afternoon, right along the path that will take me back to my digs. And you seem to have a desire for my company. All signs of a man with a heavy weight on his shoulders, I’d say.” The miner’s seamed face crinkled into a broad grin. “She is a lovely lass, isn’t she?”

  Andrew started. “Who?” The moment the word left his lips, he knew he’d made a mistake.

  Red laughed long and loud. “Oh, Andrew, my boy, it’s a good thing you set your mind to be a mining engineer. You’d never make it on the stage. ‘Who,’ he says. Why, our Jenny, of course.”

  Andrew felt a flush begin at his collar and work its way upward toward his hairline. “That obvious, is it?”

  “So you’re admitting it freely, are you? Good lad. That saves me the trouble of prying it out of you.” Red chuckled at Andrew’s chagrin and clapped the younger man on the shoulder with his work-hardened hand. “Don’t be looking so downhearted. I don’t believe the lady has found you out, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

  “That’s a good thing. It would only give her one more thing to despise me for.”

  Red shot him a sidelong glance. “And why should the lady despise you?”

  “That’s what I wanted to talk to you about,” Andrew admitted. They stepped inside Solomon Warner’s store, and each ordered a bottle of sarsaparilla. When the genial owner had handed over their drinks, they carried the bottles outside and resumed their walk.

  “What have I done to put her off so?” Andrew asked.

  Red took a long swallow of his drink. “Before we go any further with this, let me get one thing straight in my mind.” He peered at Andrew soberly. “You realize, don’t you, that our Jenny isn’t a believer? Anyone with an eye to see can tell you have feelings for her. But there’s a danger there, Lad. Don’t let your heart go further than where God is leading. You don’t want to become entangled in something that will only bring both of you heartache later on.”

  “I know.” Andrew stared at the line of trees bordering the Santa Cruz River and set his jaw. “I know, and I realize it means I can only be a friend to her. But I want to do at least that much. I don’t know what’s happened in her life, but I have a feeling she needs all the friends she can get.”

  “Aye.” Red took the last swig from his bottle and nodded agreement. “You’re right about that.”

  “Then why is she so cold toward me? I’ve seen warmer glances from a dead fish than the one she gave me this morning.” Just speaking the words made him feel the rebuff afresh. “It isn’t as though I’ve given her any reason to dislike me. None that I know of, that is. But every time I come around, she pulls away, and I don’t understand why.”

  Red looked off into the distance but kept silent.

  “Every time I look into her eyes. . .have you noticed? Even when she’s smiling, her eyes seem to hold such sorrow. She reminds me of a lost little girl.”

  “Aye, Lad.” Red nodded slowly. “She’s that, all right. Lost and alone and without a Savior.”

  “But why? What’s happened to make her that way?” Andrew tried to catch Red’s gaze, but the older man’s glance skittered past his and focused on a point across the river. Andrew went on, feeling as though he was picking his way through a maze. “You know something, don’t you? Something you haven’t told me?”

  Th
e miner knotted his hands, then spread them out flat against his thighs and turned toward Andrew. “I can’t be telling all I know. It was told to me in confidence, and I intend to keep it that way. But I’ll say this much, since you’ve guessed some of it on your own: She does have reason to shy away from men. Good reason. And I suspect she feels special cause to be apprehensive around you.”

  The words hit him like a blow. “Me? What are you getting at?”

  Red’s posture relaxed, and he gave Andrew an impish grin at variance with his earlier solemnity. He took his time choosing his words. “Only that being able to trust comes hard to Jenny.” His grin grew wider. “And she may feel she has as much reason to mistrust herself as anyone else.”

  Andrew felt his forehead pucker. “Meaning?”

  Red shook his head. “If your aim was no better than your thinking, you wouldn’t be able to hit a hole in a ladder. Meaning, my dense young friend, that your feelings for her are not entirely unrequited. Do I need to spell it out further?”

  “Are you saying. . . ?”

  Red raised his arms and looked up, as if beseeching help from heaven. “It’s a good thing God loves the simpleminded. The girl cares about you. Can I say it any clearer than that?”

  A warm spring of hope bubbled forth inside Andrew. And that was where the danger lay, he reminded himself. He wouldn’t—couldn’t—let those feelings take control. “What makes you think so?” he asked cautiously.

  Red let out a loud guffaw. “Being in the same room with the two of you is like standing in a field where lightning is about to strike. There’s the same kind of spark, the same tingling feeling that sends my hair standing on end. Good thing I’m only a bystander. I don’t think I could take the full force of it.”

  Joy surged through Andrew, then died away as quickly as it had come. As a follower of Christ, he couldn’t link his life with that of an unbeliever. As much pain as it would cause him to deny his deeper feelings for Jenny, he would have to do just that and concentrate on being her friend, nothing more. To do otherwise would be totally unfair to both him and Jenny. “God has given me a mixed blessing. . .and a very tough assignment.”