Rocky Mountain Dreams & Family on the Range

by Danica Favorite

  Even in the dim light, she could see the lines drawn across his face. Was he thinking the very thought that had occurred to her? A person didn’t get the nickname “Bad Billy” for being an upstanding citizen.

  “I don’t think it was silver,” she told him in the most gentle tone possible.

  The look on his face made her wish she hadn’t been the bearer of bad news. But he was fortunate to face the truth now. She looked around the room and spied a bucket on one of the crates.

  “I’m going to finish picking flowers with Nugget. I found some greens that will be good to take home to Maddie. We’ve only got a few minutes longer before we need to start heading back. Otherwise, it’ll get too dark to find our way home.”

  Annabelle grabbed the bucket, wishing that the truth wasn’t so harsh. But that was the trouble with dreams. Believing in tales, but not having the proof to back it up, meant that disappointment was inevitable.

  At least Joseph was able to see the truth sooner rather than later.

  Annabelle headed back outside. Once again the light nearly blinded her. But not so much that she didn’t recognize another horse. And a man talking to Nugget.

  “Hello!” Annabelle waved her hand and started in their direction. The man looked up but didn’t return the wave. Instead, he took Nugget by the hand.

  Annabelle quickened her pace toward Nugget and the man. “Nugget!”

  The closer she got to them, the more her heart thudded. Nugget was tugging against the man’s grasp.

  “Let go of her!” Annabelle ran in their direction. “Joseph!”

  Hopefully if the man heard that there was another man present, he would leave poor Nugget alone.

  “Stop!” Annabelle’s throat hurt from screaming so loud, but it distracted the man enough that Nugget was able to tear away from his grasp and run in her direction.

  Annabelle gathered Nugget in her arms and started toward the cabin. The man took a step in their direction, then stopped. A quick glance over her shoulder revealed Joseph running toward them.

  “What’s going on?” His shout spurred her to turn and run to him, clutching Nugget tightly.

  “The man...he was trying to take Nugget.”

  Nugget whimpered against her bodice. Joseph’s face hardened.

  “Get inside the cabin and bar the door. I’ll handle this.”

  Annabelle didn’t need to be told twice. This kind of lawlessness ran rampant in the mining camps and surrounding areas. Even being in town could be dangerous, but at least there, no one dared accost an innocent child.

  It wasn’t until they were safe inside the cabin, the door barred, that Annabelle dared breathe. Just one more reason to want to leave. These ruffians...

  Nugget lifted her head, and Annabelle realized that the child’s tears had soaked her bodice through.

  “Oh, sweet girl...” She smoothed Nugget’s hair and began humming a melody she remembered from her mother. Nugget rested her head back against Annabelle, and Annabelle continued humming and rocking the little girl as she tried peering out the cracks in the wall to see if the horrible man had left.

  “Don’t let him take me,” Nugget whimpered. “He’s a bad man.”

  Annabelle lifted the little girl’s head and examined her face. “Do you know him?”

  Nugget nodded, then peered around at the door as if to see whether the man was coming after them.

  “Who is he?” For once, Annabelle wished she would see the miners as individuals, rather than just a whole group. Maybe she would have recognized him.

  The child gave a shrug, those wide eyes still focused on the door. “Dunno. But he shouted at Papa a lot.”

  A man who shouted at the little girl’s father a lot who just happened to be at the cabin to try to take her. No, Joseph’s father wasn’t a legitimate miner. He was something far worse and more scary. How had her own father been fooled into helping this man?

  Someone pounded on the door. “Annabelle, it’s me. Joseph. It’s safe to come out now.”

  Still clutching Nugget to her, Annabelle opened the door, and Joseph gathered them in his arms. Warmth rushed all around her. She closed her eyes and breathed in deeply of a strong, earthy scent. His hard chest felt so good against her cheek, and his warm body cradled Nugget between the two of them. Safe.

  “Are you all right?”

  “I’m—” Before Annabelle could finish telling him they were fine, he’d taken Nugget from her grasp and was cradling her like a baby. Of course it was Nugget he was worried about, and the reason he’d gathered them in his arms. She’d been foolish to get wrapped up in a moment of fancy.

  Fancy was what got everyone here in trouble.

  “I’m sure she’s fine,” Annabelle told him, clearing her throat, and silently applauding herself for making it sound like she’d known who he was interested in all along. “I didn’t see any injuries, so she’s just a little scared, that’s all.”

  He ignored her, keeping his gaze focused on Nugget. “What happened out there?”

  “I was picking flowers, and Annabelle went to get a bucket. When she was gone, the man came from the trees and asked about Papa’s treasure. I told him it was a secret and to go away. Then he grabbed me. But Annabelle saved me.”

  Dark, sparkling eyes stared up at her. “You won’t let the bad man get me again, will you?”

  “Of course not.” Annabelle reached over and brushed a hand across the little cheek. “We’ll tell my father, and he’ll make sure we all stay safe.”

  A bright smile lit up Nugget’s face, and she pulled a hand away from Joseph’s embrace. “I saved us some flowers.”

  Her little fingers were stained from the mush that she’d been keeping in her tiny fist. Annabelle couldn’t help smile at the thought that in all of the danger they’d just faced, Nugget was determined to keep her flowers safe.

  Joseph set Nugget down. “Why don’t you go look at your books while I talk to Annabelle?”

  Nugget let out a long groan. “You guys want to talk about the bad man. Mama and Papa never let me hear about the bad man, either.”

  “You know about the bad man?” The disbelief in Joseph’s voice made Annabelle’s heart sink. He probably had no idea what sort of skullduggery his father had been involved in. Annabelle didn’t, either, but from the whispered conversations she wasn’t supposed to hear when her father was talking with the sheriff, she knew enough.

  Nugget nodded and looked at Annabelle.

  Joseph whipped around. “You knew?”

  “Once we were in the cabin, Nugget told me she recognized the bad man as someone she’d once seen arguing with her father. But that’s all I was able to find out. Were you able to find anything?”

  “No.” A dark look crossed his face, and Annabelle could only imagine what poor Joseph must be feeling. “He got away.”

  Annabelle had gathered that much on her own. “Maybe my father knows something that can be helpful. He’s good friends with the sheriff.”

  His shoulders relaxed, and he glanced in the direction of Nugget, who had turned her attention to the books. “Why would someone want to take a child?”

  Because there was a lot of meanness in this world, particularly in a mining town, where the lowest of the low hung around, hoping to find riches.

  Unfortunately, most of the people seeking riches weren’t kindhearted souls wanting to do good for others. At least that had been Annabelle’s experience. What that had to do with taking an innocent child, she didn’t know, but she didn’t question things like that anymore.

  “Because Papa knew where the silver was,” the little voice piped up.

  Annabelle sighed. Especially when Joseph headed her way and asked, “And did he tell you where it was?”

  She couldn’t bear to look at him, or to hear the rest of the conversation. Annabelle went outside for a br
eath of fresh air in hopes that her churning stomach would calm down. The man’s sister had nearly been kidnapped, and he wanted to ask about the silver. Maybe she and God weren’t on the best of terms right now, but surely the fastest way to ruin was greed. The kind of greed that had men stealing children, and others too worried about the silver to consider their safety.

  Please, God. Help me escape this horrible place. Let Joseph and Nugget leave here before anything worse happens.

  The futility of her prayers was not lost on Annabelle. She looked around the clearing, realizing for the first time that the horses were gone. What a way for God to answer. She wasn’t just stuck in Leadville, but in a ramshackle cabin so far from home that she wouldn’t be tasting Maddie’s cooking anytime soon.

  She turned toward the cabin and saw Joseph standing in the doorway.

  “The horses are gone,” she said, gesturing toward the empty area where they’d grazed.

  “Yeah.” Joseph ran his fingers through his hair. “He took them.”

  Annabelle glanced over the hill toward the low sun. “It’ll be dark soon. Too dangerous to leave the cabin now. We’ll have to spend the night here, then set off first thing in the morning.”

  He nodded slowly. “You’re taking this better than I thought you would.”

  “And what is it that you thought I’d do?” Annabelle’s face heated. “Have a fit of vapors?”

  At his slow nod, the heat in her cheeks moved to the back of her neck.

  “I’ll have you know that I have spent plenty of time in places worse than this, thanks to my father’s ministry. Why, I could even catch us a couple of fish in the stream, clean them, and then cook them up for supper.”

  The look on his face screamed disbelief. Fine, then. She’d show him. Fortunately, she remembered seeing a fishing rod in the cabin. Without another word, she stomped past him, grabbed the fishing rod, then went back out the door.

  “Annabelle! Wait.”

  She spun around and shot him her best glare. “What? Any other condescension you’d like to send my way?”

  “No.” He shoved his hands in his pockets. “I was just going to say thanks, that’s all. And that I’m impressed. Back home, my sisters would have been horrified at spending the night in a place like this, and even more so at the thought of touching a worm, or cleaning a fish. There’s a lot more to you than meets the eye, Annabelle Lassiter. I see that once again, we’ve misjudged each other.”

  She supposed she should have been grateful for his compliment. But his words about misjudging each other grated on her conscience like the squealing wheels of the train pulling in to the station.

  Joseph knew nothing of Annabelle’s life, or her situation, least of all her capabilities. Yet here he was, admitting that. Trying to do what she supposed was the right thing. Which made her own thoughts on him even worse. She should be trying harder, but something in her fought it and wouldn’t let her.

  So she let his comment pass and walked toward the creek, where hopefully enough fish would be biting that they could have a decent supper. Walking back to town tomorrow would take considerable energy, and with a little girl to protect, things could get even more difficult.

  “Annabelle!” Joseph called out to her again.

  She stopped, but didn’t turn in his direction. “I need to catch supper before it’s too dark to see.”

  “I don’t want you out there alone. That man could come back. We’re safer if we stick together. Let me get Nugget, then we’ll all go.”

  His logic made sense. And she shouldn’t resent him taking charge. Her mother would tell her she shouldn’t resent anything, but there was so much to resent these days.

  “All right,” Annabelle said, then sighed. At least with Nugget present, Joseph wouldn’t be as likely to ask the kind of questions that made her brain whirl and her heart hurt.

  Chapter Eight

  They found another patch of flowers near the stream. This part of the mountains seemed relatively untouched by the mining operations. A few trees remained, and the stream wasn’t clogged with the tailings from the mines. If you looked in just the right direction, you couldn’t see the town or any of the mining operations. Beautiful.

  It was a shame that the cabin wasn’t bigger. Joseph could bring his family here to live. Unfortunately, the cabin was too small, too rough, and he couldn’t ask his siblings to witness the evidence of their pa’s foul deeds. Nugget would be hard enough to accept, but he was confident that once they got to know her, the rest of the family would love her just as much as he did.

  Joseph smiled at his sister, who seemed to have completely recovered from nearly being kidnapped. If anything positive could come of such a disastrous day, it would have to be that surely this confirmed the existence of silver. Then, he could save his siblings from the clutches of his aunt Ina. Please, God, let me find the silver soon.

  He wasn’t asking for much, not really. Just for a place to live and a way to support everyone. He’d thought five sisters and a brother hard enough, but now that he had Nugget to think of, well, he supposed one more mouth wasn’t too much more to consider.

  Still, it’d sure be nice to buy Mary a pretty dress like the one he’d seen her admiring in the mercantile. He was closer to Mary than to anyone else, and when Ma had gotten sick, she’d taken over the mothering while he’d gone to work. Between the two of them, they’d kept things together, and he hoped to someday treat Mary to something nice for a change.

  He glanced over at Annabelle, who’d taken off her shoes and stockings, then tied up her skirts funny so she could fish from the edge of the bank. It would probably offend her sensibilities for him to notice, but with the breeze blowing golden tendrils of her hair about her face, she looked almost peaceful. Back to the pretty girl he’d been admiring.

  It was a shame he had nothing to offer her. Nugget was barely six years old, and though Mary was old enough to marry and start her own household, the others still needed his guidance. A woman wanted her own home, and her own family. Not a ragtag bunch of kids who’d lost their parents. Six. Hard enough to ask a woman to take on a child or two, but six, or even seven if you counted Mary, that was a lot. No, he didn’t harbor any illusions of marrying and starting a family of his own.

  But when Annabelle grinned and sent a splash of water in Nugget’s direction, he was tempted.

  The cool reception Nugget had been given by the women in town made Annabelle’s kindness toward his sister all the more remarkable. She didn’t see Nugget as being the child of a sinful woman, but as a child worthy of love.

  “Got one!” Annabelle’s clear voice interrupted his thoughts. “Joseph, help! It’s a big one!”

  He hurried over to the bank, where she struggled to reel in the fish. It was a big one, all right, and he wrapped his arms around her to help her pull it in.

  Together, they reeled in the fish, water soaking them both as the fish fought for its life. Finally, they were able to get the fish on the bank, where it flipped and slipped, to the clapping of Nugget’s little hands.

  “Nice catch!” Joseph whirled Annabelle around, grinning.

  She smiled, but released his hands. “You think you can do better?”

  He glanced at the fish, still wiggling on the bank. “Probably not. But if you give me a chance, I just might.”

  She blushed when he winked at her, and he was reminded again of how charming she could be.

  “I should tend to the fish,” she said as she scurried past him.

  Joseph grabbed the rod and started preparing it for another fish. Although Annabelle had caught a large fish, it wouldn’t hurt to have more. They could take it with them on the walk home tomorrow.

  “I’ll do it,” he said, holding the fishing pole in her direction. “Since you like fishing, I’ll handle the messy work and leave you to the fun.”

  Her eyes flashed. “I c
an clean a fish.”

  “I don’t doubt it.” He smiled, hoping to disarm her once again. “But since you love fishing, I’d hate to spoil your fun.”

  Annabelle took the pole. “Oh. If you don’t mind...”

  “Not at all. I hate fishing. Too much standing around and waiting for the fish to bite. I prefer things that are more direct.”

  “If you’re sure. Father and I loved going fishing together, but Mother said...” She turned her head away and started back for the water.

  “Why do you do that?” he said to her back.

  “What?” She looked at him, her brow furrowed like she was trying to decipher a puzzle.

  “Hide.” He bent down and grabbed the fish, but kept his eyes on her. “Just when you start to reveal a bit of the real Annabelle, you retreat into a place where no one can see you.”

  He couldn’t read the expression on her face, but then, that was exactly what he was accusing her of doing. Hiding. Pretending. Who was the real Annabelle Lassiter?

  “This is the real Annabelle. I like to fish. Some women would say that’s not proper. So I only fish when I’m with my father.”

  A wistful tone filled her voice, and he wondered when she’d last gone fishing with her pa.

  “You can fish with me.”

  Annabelle shook her head. “That really wouldn’t be proper now, would it? I’m already going to have to be careful to avoid a scandal for being here, so the more we can avoid the appearance of impropriety, the better.”

  Annabelle was right. He hadn’t thought of the consequences of them spending the night unchaperoned. They shouldn’t have come at all. But he hadn’t thought twice about it when her father had suggested the idea. Still... Annabelle was a lady, and...

  If word got out about them spending the night alone in the cabin together, Annabelle would be unfit for decent company. She’d done nothing other than offer him and his sister her kindness—at the expense of her own grief. And now, because she’d agreed to bring them here, she’d suffer once more.