Mountain Jewel

by Tracey Lyons

  “Looks like my husband and Chase are coming back.” Mrs. Curtis stepped down off the porch.

  While Julia and her grandmother waited on the top step, Hannah left the rocker and leaned against the porch railing. Though their backs partially blocked her view of the men, she could see Chase. Even from this distance she could see the fatigue that lined his body, for he sat with one arm resting on the pommel, his shoulders hunched over.

  They dismounted and tied their horses to the hitching post. As Chase came closer, Hannah could see that dark circles ringed his gray eyes. The soot from the fire was smudged across his brow and under his chin. She sucked in her breath, her fingers gripped the porch railing. It took every ounce of strength she had to keep from running to him.

  Within seconds his gaze found hers. She wasn’t certain how to act, so she focused her gaze on his mouth, on what he was saying.

  “We went out to the camp. Amos must know we’ve found out about him. From the look of his cabin, I’d say he left in a hurry.” Chase removed his black cowboy hat and ran a gloved hand through his dark curls.

  It was something she’d seen him do a hundred times, and now the very gesture pulled at her heart. Hannah wanted to take her eyes from him, yet she couldn’t. The intensity of his gaze tugged at her heart. She took the final step off the porch and went to stand beside him.

  “Are the garnets gone?” she asked, hoping they were not.

  “Took the entire crate.” Sheriff Curtis confirmed it.

  “I don’t want you going anywhere alone, Hannah. That goes for the rest of you, too.” Chase looked at the other women. “We don’t know where Amos is hiding out. He’s a dangerous man who’ll stop at nothing to get what he wants.”

  “You think he’s responsible for burning the barn?” Gram’s eyes brimmed with unshed tears.

  His gaze slid away from her. “Yes, we’re certain the man Matthew claims to have seen last night was Amos Smithson. It all fits. Hannah and I both know he left the McCleary mine close to nine o’clock. The fire started shortly after. There would easily have been enough time for him to leave the camp and come here, set the fire, then head into town for a quick drink at the saloon. He probably stayed long enough to get an alibi and then went back to the camp.”

  The sheriff picked up from there. “Once Amos got back to his cabin, he must have discovered some of his things had been moved around.” He shot a disgusted look in Chase’s direction. “My guess is, he just grabbed what he could and high-tailed it up into the hills.”

  Tension settled around the group, smothering them like the heat of a humid summer day. She barely heard her grandmother inviting the gentleman to come have a bite to eat. “I’ve got a nice pot of stew simmering on the stove and Hannah can slice up some bread for you.”

  Everyone except Chase filed into the house. Hannah turned and walked over to the table. Her hand shook as she picked up the bread knife, removed the red-checkered towel, and in quick motions began to carve thick slices off of the remaining white loaf. Her fingers gripped the handle of the knife so tightly that moisture lined the palm of her hand. The back of her neck tingled. She wanted him to be the one to take the first step, and to take responsibility for what was happening between them. She finished slicing the bread and placed the knife alongside of it on the cutting board.

  How long would the silence between them last? Silently she prayed, please, let him come to me.

  He moved closer, until only inches separated them. She felt the heat from his body caress the exposed skin on her forearm. All around them the homestead hummed with activity.

  She turned to him. Looking around Chase’s right side past the holly bush, she could just make out Joe and two other men loading a wagon with shovelfuls of charred wood and debris. A steady breeze stirred the embers, the pungent smell of smoke filled the air around them.

  For a brief moment she closed her eyes, blocking out the sight of the barn’s skeletal remains. When she opened them again, it was to find Chase reaching for her. His arms opened to her and she stepped into them, accepting the comfort that he gave her. The scent of smoke and horseflesh that clung to his shirt reminded her of all the things that were still unsettled between them.

  He framed her face with his hands and kissed her on the forehead. His two-day growth of beard scratched lightly over her face. “Hannah. There are so many things I have to tell you.”

  He took hold of her hand and led her around to the back of the house.

  “We could have talked on the porch.”

  “I don’t think we need an audience.”

  “No, I don’t suppose we do.” She couldn’t push away the doubts that filled her head. What if he told her he was leaving again? Could she bear it? Was their love strong enough to survive the test it was now going through?

  They walked over to the chicken coop and stopped at the fencing. The red hens’ heads bobbed as they pecked and scratched at the ground in search of morsels to eat.

  He let go of her hand and rested his elbows on the top of the run, his gaze intent on the chickens’ activity. His voice was calm and quiet when he began to talk. “I only remember my aunt. She was the one who had the most influence over me. She told me— no, instilled in me—a sense of duty and loyalty. A person was supposed to stay committed to whatever task they took on and see it through to completion. It didn’t matter what it was or what the cost, you would be a better person for it. I believed in her philosophy, I still do.”

  Hannah didn’t know how to respond, so she remained silent.

  “I took the job with the Customs Department eight years ago. My aunt was no longer alive. I had no family, no commitments. I had what Radley was looking for in a recruit, the freedom to come and go at will.”

  Hannah picked some dandelion greens and tossed them in through the fencing. The hens flocked around the leaves, and fought over every bit of the treat.

  “In the beginning, the job was good for me. I loved the thrill of running operations and ferreting out information for the government. I didn’t need a family, I was devoted to my career.”

  Chase turned to look at her, his gray eyes dark and brooding. “Then I was assigned to the Tyler Mining Company case. They’d been tracking him for several years. I took the job ready to bring the man down no matter what the cost.”

  “Just like your aunt taught you,” Hannah mused aloud.

  “Yes. But I hadn’t planned on meeting you, Hannah. You changed everything for me. Suddenly the quest for justice was no longer one that I could detach myself from.”

  She turned to face him straight on. “I don’t know why you couldn’t tell me some of this before.”

  “I couldn’t. I was bound by my oath to the government.”

  “But you told me that you love me. Wasn’t that enough to make you see that we could have done this together?”

  He laughed, a bitter sound. “Life doesn’t work that way, Hannah, not where crime is concerned. Look at what has already happened to you and your family! My God, I thought I’d lost you not once, but twice at the hands of Amos Smithson.”

  “Chase, I can take care of myself.”

  “That’s what has worried me about you from the very first day I met you. I know you can take care of yourself, too well perhaps.” He grinned sheepishly.

  She put her arms around him, pulling him close to her. Beneath her fingertips she felt the strong cords of the muscles lining his back. He was her strength and her only weakness. She was afraid to ask the one question that burned her soul, but she had to know. “Where do we go from here?”

  Chapter Twenty

  “I don’t know.” He clung to her, and she gave her strength to him willingly.

  When he finally lifted his head to look at her, Hannah’s breath caught in her throat. She’d never seen such intensity in his gaze. “What? What is it?” she whispered.

  “You need to tell me what drove you to go to the camp last night.” He ran the tip of his index finger around her mouth. His touch was
as gentle as a breeze, yet she felt the tension that rippled through him.

  When she didn’t answer him, he took hold of her hand and led her along a deer trail that ran behind the chicken shed. “Imagine my surprise when I realized it was you who’d caught me in the cabin. I should have known you wouldn’t be content to sit home and wait for my return.”

  Uncertain as to whether or not he was angry, and too afraid to ask, Hannah chose her words very carefully. The tip of her tongue darted out to moisten her lips as she gathered her thoughts. “I was restless. Sitting idle has always been difficult for me, you know that.”

  “Yes, I’ve noticed that about you.” He slowed his pace to match hers as they wandered up the path.

  The air around them was filled with the scent of the woods. Dappled sunlight danced on the ground in front of them. Dried pine needles and twigs snapped under their footfalls. Under other circumstances they could have been two lovers taking a romantic walk.

  Her silence was getting to him. Chase wanted to know why she’d gone snooping around last night. He wondered if she’d found out something that would be useful to the case. He decided to try a different tactic with her, one that was subtly more insistent. “Hannah, you have to tell me why you went out there last night.”

  “I don’t have to tell you anything.” A small grin played around the corners of her mouth, but he wasn’t about to be taken in by her attempt at teasing him.

  He remained deadly serious. “I’m afraid, this time you must tell me everything you know about last night.”

  A quick jerk of his arm stopped him in mid-step. “Is this Chase the man who loves me wanting to know or Chase the government agent?”

  “I can’t separate the two,” he told her.

  She backed away from him.

  “Look, the only way we are going to get through this is if we are honest with each other. You have to trust me, Hannah.”

  “I do trust you.” She nibbled on her lower lip.

  Chase knew she was struggling with her conscience, but he wasn’t going to help her out. If they were going to be together, she would have to believe in him and trust in him completely.

  “Tell me about last night,” he repeated his request in a softer tone.

  This time she didn’t back away, but stood her ground. Good for her, he thought as he pushed back his hat. He was glad she wasn’t going to make him browbeat the information out of her, and that her pride was still intact.

  “I went to visit Sallie McCleary. She’s expecting their third child, and they’re building a new home down by the stream. Near the glade—where we danced together…”

  “I remember.” He shoved his hands in his pockets, it was the only way he could keep from reaching for her. It would be too easy to get distracted by her beauty and vulnerable state. He needed to keep her talking about last night. “You know with the new baby they would have needed a bigger place anyway. Did you and Sallie talk about anything important?” He would coax each and every word out of her if he had to.

  “She told me that they’ve been awakened during the night by riders.”

  “Why didn’t they report it to me or the sheriff?”

  “Because she thought it was harmless, and for the most part it was. The riders, whoever they were, didn’t hurt or threaten anyone.”

  “She thought they came from the camp?”

  “Yes and so do I.”

  He leveled his gaze on her. “I see. Would you mind telling me why?” She refused to meet his gaze. “Hannah, please tell me.”

  “You’re not going to like what I have to say.” She tried to defend her actions, but he wasn’t having any of it.

  “Try me.”

  Her words came out in a rush. “After I left Sallie’s, I went home and had dinner with my grandparents. I missed you so much—I had to get out of the house—I was going to my mountain. As I was riding along I came to the pathway that led up to the mining camp. I saw something sparkling on the ground. Naturally, I couldn’t go by without knowing what it was.”

  “Naturally.”

  “So I got off my horse and discovered a pebble-sized garnet. I searched for more, but only managed to find some bits of red paper.”

  He regarded her in silence. He knew without a doubt what the little snoop did next. Still, he wanted to hear her tell him.

  A blush spread across her face, his continued scrutiny was making her nervous. “I thought it was an odd place to find the garnet and such a beautiful one. Then I remembered what Sallie told me about the night riders, and one thing led to another. The next thing I knew I found myself at the top of the rise.”

  “Pray, tell me what happened next.”

  “At first, nothing happened. I was all alone, at least I thought I was. I had no idea that you were spying on the other side of the camp.” Her eyes narrowed.

  “We’re not discussing what I did last night.”

  “No we’re not, but I’d like to.”

  “I’m sure you would, but not now. Continue with your account.”

  She sighed. “I overheard a conversation with Hank and Amos. They were talking about the garnets and how they’d been putting them inside empty sticks of dynamite. Hank threatened Amos, telling him he had enough information on him to have him put in jail for a long time.”

  Hannah watched him intently. Her sapphire eyes darkened with a feeling he couldn’t describe. “I was so stunned to find out you were the one inside the cabin. Do you know I thought you were a criminal? On that horrible ride back to the homestead all I could think was how you’d deceived me—used me to get what you wanted.”

  “I’m sorry. I never meant for that to happen.” His thoughts became centered on what she’d told him about Hank’s duplicity in all this. He needed to find him. “I have to finish this job.” The words sounded empty even to his ears.

  “I’m trying to understand you, Chase. You’re not making that easy for me. I thought we were going to be honest with each other?”

  “There are still some sensitive things that I am not at liberty to discuss with you.” He tried to reason with her.

  “Don’t do that to us. I need you to be truthful, please.”

  Tears sprang to her eyes and this time he did go to her, gathering her up in his embrace. She smelled like the pine forest that surrounded them—sweet, fresh, innocent. He grabbed hold of a handful of her hair then let the silken strands run through his fingers. She trembled in his arms and in that one instant he would have gladly given up his entire career. If not for what she said next, he would have.

  “Go on and finish it. I want this to be over—I just want it all to be over.” Her words were muffled against his shoulder.

  He gathered her face in his hands and took a long, hard look at her. Even if she couldn’t say the words he so wanted to hear from her, he knew without a doubt, from the longing he saw in those sapphire eyes, that Hannah Jackson loved him.

  His days had become routine since the fire. Funny how one marked time by a tragedy. Rising at dawn each morning, after a breakfast of coffee, two eggs over easy, toast lightly browned, and a side of bacon, Chase would meet with Sheriff Curtis. Today would be no different.

  Chase was just wiping his mouth with the napkin when Curtis walked into the small dining room of Jeb Daley’s inn. He tossed the napkin next to his plate and waited for the lawman to join him.

  Accustomed to the two men’s daily ritual, Jeb appeared with a pot of coffee in one hand and an empty cup in the other. Both men waited until he poured the coffee and then walked away, out of earshot, before starting any conversation.

  “I tell you, Malone, I can’t wait for this job to be finished.” The sheriff sighed as his overweight body sagged into the spindle chair.

  “Why’s that, lawman?” Chase gulped down a mouthful of the bitter brew while he waited for the answer to his question.

  “I’m getting too old for all of this nonsense. You know something? Until you came along this town was mighty quiet. There was no su
ch thing as smugglers.”

  Setting his cup down on the table, Chase refused to be goaded. “Did you come up with any new leads?”

  “None. I can’t figure out where he’s hiding and now Hank is gone, too.” The sheriff ran a large hand down the side of his stubbled face then scratched at his unshaven cheek.

  “I know. I don’t think he’s with Amos, though. I’ve managed to find out that the two of them had a falling out over money.” He didn’t elaborate on the source of that information. “Amos is close by. I can feel it.”

  Curtis looked doubtfully at Chase. “Like a person with old bones can feel a storm coming on?”

  “Yeah, like an ache deep down in my bones, I can feel him.”

  Chase glanced out the window behind the sheriff and watched as a wagon loaded with planks and beams pulled away from the lumber yard heading in the direction of the Jackson homestead. The sun beat down on the rough-hewn boards.

  Looking back at the sheriff’s watery brown eyes, he said, “He hasn’t left the area. Someone would have spotted him if he’d tried to leave here.”

  “I know, city boy.” The sheriff leaned back in his chair and looked at Chase with worry in his eyes. “I want that man found and soon.”

  “So do I.” At least they agreed on something, Chase thought as he finished off the last of the coffee and tossed some coins on the table.

  The two men paused on the walkway in front of the hotel. “You heading out to the Jackson place?”

  Chase nodded. “I had some extra time. I figure they could use an extra pair of hands.” Chase took his leather riding gloves out of his pants pocket.

  Leaning his bulky frame against one of the posts that supported the long overhang, the sheriff asked, “How’s Hannah holding up?”

  “She’s doing well, considering all that’s happened.” He tugged the worn gloves over his hands.

  “Glad to hear that. Give my best to Clara and Matthew. I’ll try to stop by later this week.”

  “I’ll tell them you were asking after them.” Chase turned and walked to the stable. He was anxious to see Hannah and make certain that she was still in one piece. After learning that she’d gone out to the mining camp in the dead of night, he didn’t trust her to stay put.