“Give it six months and you’ll be singing a different tune.”
She turned to study him. “I guess we will both see since I will be here for six months,” she dropped her tone. “I get the impression that someone in your past didn’t like this life as much as you did?”
“It doesn’t matter,” he growled and went back to eating.
She didn’t push the subject.
He stood suddenly. “I’m going to hit the sack. You can take the cot in the room, I’ll sleep on the floor in the front room and keep the fire going. Get some sleep so we can leave early in the morning.”
He didn’t give her a chance to respond as the porch door slammed shut. She sighed and gathered her utensils and headed into the kitchen. Storing the food away for tomorrow, she made her way to the back of the cabin. If they couldn’t find a subject they could talk about easily, it was going to be a long trip tomorrow.
3
They were on their way shortly after dawn. She pulled her jacket closer around herself and her hat farther down over her ears. The days were warm but the nights in the mountains became down-right freezing. She wasn’t used to the extreme temperature differences and hoped she could talk Sutter into staying long enough in Denver for her to pick up some heavier clothing.
He hadn’t said anything to her all morning. When she woke up, she found hot coffee on the stove and him outside hitching up the wagon. He came in to get another cup of coffee and finding her dressed and standing by the stove, grunted, grabbed his cup of coffee and headed back outside. She slipped her jacket on, re-tucked the stray hairs under her cap, filled up her mug and followed him outside. She climbed up into the wagon and took her seat. She wasn’t going to give him any reason to cancel this trip. Besides, maybe he just wasn’t a morning person and needed to wake up? Her mother was that way. She learned early on never to talk to her mother before her cup of coffee.
He climbed up beside her, gathered the reins and with a slap of the leather on the horse’s butts, gave a whistle. The team lurched forward and Colorado spilled her coffee on her trousers. She saw Sutter grin out of the corner of her eye and while she wasn’t sure if he had done that on purpose or if it had been accidental, she decided to keep her salty tongue to herself. She would get her payback in Denver when she insisted on being able to buy some clean clothes for her to take back to the ranch.
They stopped to water the horses and Colorado stretched her body. She definitely preferred riding horses than riding in a wagon. The hard wheels jarred her slight body and made her joints ache. When she arched her back, her cap fell off of her head. She leaned over to pick it up, glancing around habitually to make sure nobody had seen her. She saw Sutter staring at her and she smiled sheepishly.
“I forgot about my cap. I’ll pay better attention in the future, I promise.”
She quickly swirled her hair up on the top of her head and re-secured the pins. Slapping the cap on, she tugged it down and tucked a few stray strands of her hair up under the woolen material. She found him still staring at her she felt a nervous tick in her stomach. “I really am sorry. I’ll make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
He shook his head. “No, it’s fine. Better that it happens out here where it’s only you and me to see than for it to happen in town.” He turned and climbed back up onto the buckboard. “Let’s get going. There’s things I need to do once we get to Denver.”
She climbed up feeling relieved. He wasn’t mad at her about her hat and it sounded like he had things to do too so it shouldn’t be a problem for her to sneak off and get her own things. They could meet up again to head back to the ranch.
She didn’t realize how loud and noisy Denver was until they were within earshot of it again. The bustle of the growing city was dizzying. So many people going here and there, workers constructing new buildings, street vendors hawking their wares, working ladies trying to hawk theirs. It was a mix of every class of society she had ever been exposed to, and then some.
She guided Sutter to the boarding house and she quickly went inside to gather her things. While her bed was made, she found nothing of her personal things disturbed. Racing back downstairs, she said her goodbyes to the owner and climbed back up on the buckboard of the wagon.
“That was fast,” Sutter commented.
“I have learned to be quick or you miss out on some great adventures.”
“You must’ve had one hell of a childhood.”
She smiled broadly, remembering some of her favorite times, back when her mother was still alive. “I did. Father had enough money to keep all of us living comfortably and to be able to experience things that others couldn’t afford while Mum was the one who convinced him we needed to experience them.”
“Your family sounds pretty amazing.”
“They are, at least, they were until Mum died.” She couldn’t help the sorrow that filled her heart. It came on suddenly, like a punch to the gut and she furiously wiped away the tears that began to spill.
Sutter placed a hand on her delicate shoulder. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bring up painful memories. You are just…different.”
She smiled softly up at him. “It’s okay. I know you didn’t. It just hits sometimes out of the blue that I’m never going to see her again,” she blew out a big breath. “And if I’m honest, I miss my pa too.”
“Then why don’t you go back? I’m sure you could work things out.”
She shook her head. “No way. He kind of lost his mind after Mum died. There’s no reasoning with him. He’s bound and determined that I need to marry into money so that I’m taken care of after he goes.”
“Can’t you explain to him that his choice of a husband isn’t appealing and that maybe if he found you someone more well suited…”
“No! There aren’t any men out there, wealthy or otherwise, who will let me live my life the way I want to. Let me run with the horses, get dirty with the cows, read all of the books that I want and dig my toes into the earth in the spring. I won’t be a broodmare for some stuffy, smelly man, no matter how much money he has.”
He held up his hands and leaned back. “I’m sorry I brought it up.”
She slumped her shoulders and hung her head. “I’m just so tired of everyone telling me what to do and not letting me do what I want to do.”
“Duly noted. I will not tell you what to do as long as you help me as promised.” He held out his hand for a proper handshake.
She held his gaze but when she didn’t see any humor at her expense, she smiled and shook his hand heartily.
“You keep that up and nobody will have a problem believing you are a young man. That’s quite a grip there.”
“Why thank you, Mr…uh, I just realized I don’t know your last name.”
He cleared his throat. “It’s Jones. Sutter Jones at your service Mr. Colton.”
She flushed when he used the name she’d given in the sheriff’s office. “That was actually supposed to be my first name,” she remembered the close call with the librarian and lied smoothly. “I haven’t come up with a surname yet.”
“That was fine in the sheriff’s office because I’m your superior so it’s natural for me to call you by your first name but I do think you need to come up with a proper surname if you can’t give your Christian name.”
“I’ll need to come up with one before I apply for a schoolmaster position.”
Sutter dropped his head for a moment before picking up the reins and slapped them down. “I have to go to the lumber mill. I need some supplies.”
She was slightly taken aback with his abrupt change in attitude but was determined not to let it bother her. “I need to pick up some decent clothing. Can you drop me off at the mercantile?”
He nodded without saying anything. They rode in silence before he pulled up the team in front of Ted’s Mercantile. “I’ll be back in an hour. Be ready to go, I’d like to get home before dark.”
She nodded but didn’t have a chance to say anything before he
clicked the team into motion. She stared at his retreating back, confused about the change in his demeanor. She turned and walked into the store, praying they had some decent men’s clothing for her to purchase.
***
She picked out several pairs of trousers, a jacket, two vests, a couple more hats and undershirts. Paying for them with her coins, she tucked the wrapped package under her arm as she placed her change back into her knapsack. She saw the time and quickly went outside to wait for Sutter. Waving, she watched him heading towards her.
Hearing shouts off to her right, she stared in shock as a runaway buggy slammed into the side of Sutter’s wagon. His horses reared as the rear axle snapped from the side impact of the buggy’s horse as it tried to jump his wagon, oblivious to the weight of the buggy preventing it from clearing the wagon. It crashed down onto the ground, its front legs thrashing wildly.
Sutter calmed his team and jumped down from the wagon. He grabbed his shotgun from behind the buckboard and knelt down by the terrified horse’s head, soothing it. People were gathering around the scene as Colorado ran up.
A well-polished man came running up, gasping for breath. “He just bolted when I was climbing on. I lost my footing and fell off. I don’t understand.”
Sutter stroked the poor animal’s head and ears, trying to keep it calm. “By the looks of it, this horse is no more than a year old. Why isn’t he hooked up with a team to get used to the noise and commotion? You hooked up a green horse and expected it to act like a seasoned horse?”
The man’s face turned red. He obviously wasn’t used to being talked to that way. “Well, listen here, his trainer told me…”
“If you don’t have enough intelligence to learn about your own animals then you don’t deserve to have them.” He stood and aimed his shotgun at the horse’s head, pulling the trigger seconds later.
“You shot my horse! You can’t do that! You owe me a horse, sir!”
Sutter turned and took a menacing step towards the dandy. “That poor animal had a broken back and two broken back legs. It wasn’t going to do anything for you anymore but suffer. Be thankful you weren’t still in that buggy.” He turned and strode off without another word. He checked his team for injuries before going back and examining the broken axle on his wagon. Swearing, he unhitched his team and handed the reins to Colorado.
“I need you to take them to the livery. I’m going to have to get this to the local blacksmith and see how soon he can get this fixed. Then we will have to check into a hotel somewhere for the night.”
She could see he was still seething so she just nodded and led the team back towards the livery where she had started her journey to Golden just days ago.
“Hey! You! You were supposed to bring back that gelding yesterday.”
Colorado pulled out some money and held it out to the stable boy. “I was but then I was jumped and they took him.” She held up the reins to the team. “Now I need you to take care of my boss’s horses. They need rubbed down and fed. I’ll pay for two nights for now. We have to get the wagon fixed before we can head back to Golden.”
The young stable boy’s eyes grew as large as saucers. “You got thieved? Did you shoot them? They sure are sneaky. That’s our third horse this month.”
She held back a giggle at his youthful excitement. “No, I didn’t shoot them. They jumped me from behind and knocked me out. I didn’t get to see them.”
His face dropped as he pocketed the money and grabbed the reins. “Nothing exciting ever happens here. I miss it all.”
She watched him walk away before turning and heading back in the direction she had left Sutter. She found a group of men surrounding the wagon, Sutter right in the middle. He wasn’t hard to miss. His dark brown hair curled at the collar of his shirt, reddish-blonde hints of color flashing in the sun. His shirt stretched taught against his shoulders and back, his muscles flexing and tensing as he helped lift the broken axle onto a support platform. He truly was a fine-looking specimen.
She reached him just as he shook the hand of a burly man and he turned towards her.
“Jake thinks he can have the axle fixed late tomorrow afternoon,” he peered into her chocolate eyes as if fighting with something internally. “We will need to get a room for the night.”
She frowned when he stopped suddenly. “Of course we are going to have to get a room tonight. I don’t want to sleep out in the cold.”
“A room. It would look odd if we got two rooms. Usually the help sleeps out in the stables in the bunkhouse but I don’t think that would be smart considering that you are,” he glanced around and dropped his voice. “You.”
His words connected in her mind and she felt her heartbeat pick up. He cleared his throat and looked down at the ground. I’ve also been thinking about your surname problem and I think I’ve come up with a solution. We can tell people you are my nephew, from my departed brother and you are helping me with my ranch this summer. Your surname can be Jones. It won’t raise any eyebrows or questions as to why I’d be so protective of you.”
She wasn’t sure what to say and didn’t trust her voice even if she did. He was suggesting that the pretend they were related. It was such an intimate thought. She shook her head to stop the direction her thoughts were taking her.
“No? You don’t want to do that?”
She jerked her head up. “Yes, I mean no. I do want to take your surname, I mean, borrow it. That’s a perfect idea, thank you,” she felt her face flush. “I just don’t understand why you are helping me like this. I’m very grateful.”
She smiled slightly when she saw him drop his gaze and flush slightly. “I just understand about not wanting to do something that others expect you to do. A person should have the right to live their life the way they want to.”
She reached out and touched his arm lightly. “Thank you.”
He smiled and she felt her breath catch. It was a genuine smile that wasn’t laced with sarcasm or cynicism and it was beautiful. “You are welcome.”
They found a respectable hotel and Sutter checked them in. After they were left alone in their room, Sutter began to pace uncomfortably.
“Do you have an affliction towards nice rooms?” she asked jokingly.
He glanced at her, rubbing his hand against the back of his neck. “No. I, uh… well. I figured you’d want a nice hot bath so I ordered to have one brought up but I didn’t think about where I would go. There’s only one room and they will bring the tub in here.”
“That was very sweet. Thank you, Sutter,” she was amused at his uneasiness. “When my family and I would travel, my father would go down to the bar until Mum and I were ready for supper.”
He whirled and looked at her. “That’s a great idea. There’s one right downstairs.”
She couldn’t hold back the laughter this time. “Yes, there is. I’ll be fine. Once they have the tub filled, I’ll undress. I’ve got my new clothes to change into. I will come down as soon as I’m finished and then maybe we can go eat?”
She stepped towards him, leaned up and kissed him lightly on the cheek. “Thank you for being so considerate.”
He gave her a cockeyed grin and a wink before he quit the room, softly closing the door behind him.
Moments later another knock on the door announced the arrival of her tub and hot water. An hour later, scrubbed clean and dressed in new clothes, Colorado quickly pinned her hair up under her new hat. She stepped back and examined herself in the mirror. She definitely could pass as a young, albeit petite, man but as she got older, she would have to figure something else out. Her features were never going to be masculine enough to come across as a man.
Sighing, she grabbed some of her money and stuffed it in her front pocket. That would be something she would have to worry about later. Right now, her stomach was demanding attention.
Bounding down the stairs, she found Sutter sitting at the bar by himself. She sat down on a stool next to him.
“Been waiting long?”
He smiled at her and examined her in the new duds. “Not long enough to get drunk. You look good, kid.”
She punched him in the arm playfully. “Thanks Uncle.”
He wrinkled his nose as if smelling something distasteful then stood. He flicked he cash onto the bar and turned to walk away. She hopped up to follow him but ran into his chest when he stopped. His arms instinctively went around her waist to steady her and her hands braced herself on his chest. She could feel his heart beating quickly and realized it matched her own.
“Sorry,” she stuttered. “I thought we were leaving.”
He leaned closer towards her, his eyes never leaving hers. He was a breath away from her lips. All she would have to do is lean in slightly and their lips would be touching. She wondered if that’s what he was waiting for. When she started to lean in to meet him, he pulled back, a black hat in his left hand.
“I didn’t want to forget my new hat,” he drawled.
“Oh,” she exclaimed but couldn’t think of any excuse for her behavior.
He stepped away from her leaving her standing there in confusion. Why had she even thought that he would want to kiss her? And especially here, in public, where everyone looking at them would see two men.
She followed him out onto the street, running to catch up.
“Hungry?”
She nodded her head. “Yes, actually. I’m famished.”
“We can get a good meal then head over to Billy’s for a few drinks and maybe a game or two of poker. Might as well have some fun as we pass the time.”
“I don’t know how to play poker.”
He snorted. “I figured your pa’s ranch manager would’ve taught you that.”
“No. He said that proper ladies should play a devil’s game.”
She was surprised when Sutter threw his head back in laughter. “Now that’s the funniest thing I’ve ever heard. He’ll teach you about cattle, let you run around risking your delicate neck but won’t teach you a simple game of cards. I’ve heard it all.”
She couldn’t argue with his logic. She’d never questioned Frank’s reasoning for his not teaching her how to play cards but now that Sutter brought it up, it didn’t make sense. “Maybe he thought I wouldn’t understand it,” she offered.
Rescuing Colorado Page 3
