“Please. I’ve already told you I don’t know where the silver is. So just leave me be.”
Maybe she truly was a coward, but she couldn’t bear to open her eyes and face the victorious sneers of evil men who were going to triumph because Annabelle hadn’t truly embodied the Christlike behavior she had been supposed to model.
“What happened?” Slade’s soft voice jolted her, and she looked up, but not directly at him.
“Some men accosted me.”
He had no reason to take up her cause, so the less she said the better.
“About the silver?” He knelt before her and touched her broken boot. “How bad is it?”
Pain shot through her. “Ow!” She jerked out of his grasp.
“Yes, about the silver. That ridiculous metal that has blinded everyone to decency.”
His face contorted as though he’d been wounded more than her ankle hurt.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean—”
“Yes, you did,” he said quietly. “You’ve been seething in hate for months now. But I’m going to fix your ankle anyway.”
Tears rolled down her face.
He took her foot, not at all gently, and attempted to unlace her boot. Even Slade was ignoring what she had to say based on the prejudice she’d expressed.
She should have listened to his side of the story. “What happened that night?”
Something glittered in Slade’s eyes when he looked up at her. If she hadn’t been so stubborn, they’d have had this talk long ago.
“When I got to Doc Stein’s house, he was passed out drunk. So I went to the hospital to see if they could spare someone. But they were busy with the influx of their own patients. I was told to bring everyone there.”
Slade shook his head slowly, fumbling with the lace. “I’m going to have to cut this off. I know you prize these boots, but there’s no other way.”
“It’s all right. They’re just boots. And they’re ruined anyway.” Annabelle shrugged, then looked at him.
Really looked at him. Pain filled his face, and she realized that all this time, all the hurt she’d been feeling over her family’s deaths, Slade had been feeling, too.
Everyone was hurting. But all Annabelle had been able to see was her own pain.
“I want to hear the rest. About the silver.”
He pulled a knife out of his boot as he nodded slowly. “On my way back, I headed to the livery to get a wagon to take everyone to the hospital. I took a shortcut through State Street and got caught in the middle of a gunfight between two men arguing over a poker game. One got away, but the other...”
Pain filled his face, and for a moment, Annabelle forgot that she’d vowed to hate Slade forever. He’d been her brother’s best friend, and until she’d decided to blame him for Peter’s death, a good man.
“I did the best I could for him, but...”
Slade’s hand stilled on her foot. “He pressed a bag of silver in my hand and asked that I send it home to his wife. It was the last thing he said before he died.”
He had been doing a kindness for a stranger. She’d hated him for his selfishness when all he’d been doing was a good deed. Annabelle hadn’t thought it possible to feel more shame over her actions, but it was so strong she thought she might burst of it.
“I didn’t—”
“Don’t.” He looked up at her with watery eyes. “Somehow I thought it would make a difference if I stayed with him until the sheriff came. I was worried about a dead man, when I should have been getting Peter to the doctor. I never imagined he would go so quickly. Your pa has told me over and over that it probably still wouldn’t have saved him, but I can’t help but wonder if I’d done it any differently...”
All this time, she’d been casting stones, when poor Slade had been casting them at himself. He hadn’t needed her to make him feel bad when he was already doing a fine enough job of it himself.
“You did what you could,” she told him quietly. “And I apologize for saying otherwise.”
Slade nodded slowly. “What you saw that night was me giving the silver and information about the dead man to your pa so he could track down the family. Frank was going crazy with grief and I thought that giving him something to do would help. I never realized how much I would hurt you.”
Her chest ached, and the weight of her actions pressed on her shoulders heavier than any of the boulders in the area. “I should have heard you out.”
“Well, now you have.” His lips twisted in a sort of grimace, and he finished taking off her boot. As he turned his focus to her injured ankle, she realized the injustice she’d done him. Her family had adopted Slade into their own because he’d had no one. Peter had been a brother to him.
Annabelle should have been comforting him, and they should have worked through all of this together.
“I’m sorry it took so long for us to talk,” she said, knowing that being sorry didn’t make it any better. “I hope someday you’ll be able to forgive me.”
The look he gave her was enough to slay her. “Already have.”
If his words were intended to make her feel better, he had failed completely. Because now, she felt so much worse for having had the conversation.
Before she could think of anything to say to give him some comfort and heal the rift between them, he changed the subject.
“Your father says those men were after Bad Billy’s silver. Was the little girl able to tell you anything about it?”
Annabelle shook her head. As Slade pushed on a particularly painful spot on her foot, tears sprang to her eyes.
Slade stopped his ministrations to her ankle. “I don’t think it’s broken, but you’ve definitely injured yourself. I’ll see if Gertie has anything we can wrap it with.”
He stood, then looked down at her. “When I get back, we’ll talk more about the men who were after you. Now that you don’t hate me, maybe we can fix this together.”
Though she should have been gratified to know that there were rifts in her life she could fix, the nagging pain in her heart hadn’t diminished. She wondered if it ever would.
Chapter Fourteen
Exhaustion had set in before the mining camp was in view. Joseph glanced at Frank, who looked even more weary. The older man hadn’t been able to stop worrying about Annabelle.
Even Joseph wasn’t sure about the best course of action for her. Especially the more he mulled over Frank’s words to him about his behavior toward the beautiful girl. Closer to the camp, he realized that it wasn’t so much that he was looking forward to being reunited with his sister and finding the silver, but that he’d get to see the smile that continued to haunt his mind.
Before they were within eyesight of Gertie’s cabin, a ball of energy hurled herself at him.
“Joseph! You’re back!”
Despite the fatigue, he dismounted, then picked Nugget up and whirled her in a big hug. “I think you’ve grown since this morning.”
Nugget giggled. “Papa used to say that, too.”
Her words didn’t sting the way the comparisons to his pa used to. Time, and Nugget’s love, had begun to heal that wound. Not that he was willing to fully forgive him, but at least he could accept his sister’s love for the man.
He set Nugget down, then held her hand as he led his horse to the cabin. “Did you have a good day?”
“Yes, but Annabelle got hurt so now Caitlin and I have to stay close.” Her lip jutted out in a tiny pout.
Frank stepped forward. “What’s this about Annabelle getting hurt?”
“She hurt her foot, and Mr. Slade put a bandage on it.” Nugget skipped along without realizing the import of her words.
But both Joseph and Frank picked up their speed. With the way Annabelle had shot daggers at Slade earlier, chances were any interaction between them had resulted in bloodshed.
/> But Annabelle sat by the fire, Slade next to her, chatting almost amiably.
“Annabelle?” Frank handed the reins to Joseph and dashed toward his daughter. “What happened? Are you all right?”
A wan smile he didn’t recognize crossed her face. “I hurt my ankle. Slade says I’ll be fine.” She glanced at Slade and gave him a look Joseph didn’t understand.
Joseph could hardly believe the way their interaction had completely changed in less than twelve hours.
Polly huffed past them. “I’m sure she’s fine. She was when she left me at the creek with all the work to finish.”
Annabelle stiffened at the words, and any hint of the ease he’d seen in her earlier had disappeared. Slade scooted closer to her. Even though that should have made him feel better, it brought a new sense of unease to him. What was the relationship between Annabelle and Slade?
None of his business.
He had no right to wonder what may or may not be going on between them. Annabelle wasn’t his to claim even if he wanted to.
Her father, though, wasn’t going to let it go so easily. “It’s nice to see you two together again.”
Together again...well, that probably said it all. His chest tightened, and even though he’d like to blame it on the altitude...
How had he developed such feelings for Annabelle so quickly? Especially when he had no right to do so.
“I have a lot of amends to make,” Annabelle said quietly. “It was time I listened to Slade instead of judging him.”
Even though everyone wanted to see Annabelle in a harsh light, the reality was that she was struggling through a difficult time and doing the best she could to keep it all together. Her admission was a measure of the remarkable strength she had.
If only his circumstances were different.
Slade stood. “Frank, I’d like you and Joseph to take a walk with me. We need to talk about Annabelle’s injury.”
He looked at Nugget pointedly, and Joseph’s stomach sank. They’d left the women and children unprotected. And sure, he knew Annabelle was far better at taking care of herself than he was, but there was something about not being there that made Annabelle’s injury feel like a grievous sin.
Once they were out of earshot of the tent, Slade stopped.
“Annabelle was accosted by two thugs. She said she recognized them as men who frequented Frank’s mission. One of the men in camp referred to him as Bart.”
Frank shook his head. “Not Bart Wallace?”
“Annabelle’s description seemed to match. And from what she said about the other guy, I think it’s Pokey Simpkins with him.” Slade looked around, then continued.
“I went to talk to them, but they’re gone. I imagine they’ve met up with whoever they’re working with. They’re not bright enough to be working alone. Plus, Annabelle says they don’t look like the guy who tried to take Nugget.”
Though Slade’s words gave Joseph reason to be concerned, there was also more to give him hope. “So they believe there’s silver?”
Slade nodded, but put a finger to his lips. “From what I was able to find out about the claims in the area, including where I found some equipment, it all belonged to your father. I saw signs of a lot of digging and burying.”
“So he or someone else was hunting for silver.” Joseph had to believe that this meant he could resolve things with his pa’s estate sooner rather than later and then he could get home to his family.
Frank also looked around before speaking. “But if all they were doing is prospecting, they wouldn’t have bothered covering it up. Usually folks just leave the holes.”
“Exactly,” Slade said, then motioned for them to keep walking. “Someone found something somewhere, but is trying to keep it a secret. There are dozens of holes, and there’s no reason why everything should be covered like that. He’s gone to great pains to make sure no one else finds his silver.”
Silver. More reason to believe in the security of his family’s future.
“What do I do next?” Joseph looked to both men, who clearly had more experience in such matters, for guidance.
Slade looked at him. “I think you’d be wise to not go it alone. Not without knowing who Bart and Pokey are working with.”
Annabelle wasn’t safe. She’d gotten away from her attackers today, but what happened when someone else came for her? Or Nugget?
“They’re not going to stop until they get the silver, are they?”
Slade shook his head. “I can’t see why they would. Greed does things to a man.”
No wonder Annabelle was so against mining. Joseph didn’t need to be rich. All he asked was to be able to provide a home and a way to make a living to support his brother and sisters.
He looked over at Frank, hoping to hear the man’s wisdom on the subject. Frank looked utterly exhausted.
“What do you think, Frank?”
The older man frowned. “I can’t understand why whoever is behind this is going to so much trouble. And to endanger my daughter after everything we’ve done for them...”
Frank ran his hand down his face. “I don’t know. Some days I wonder if Annabelle is right and we’re wasting our time. But I believe the Lord has called me to be here working in these people’s lives.”
The life returned to his face, and for a moment, Joseph envied Frank the sureness of his calling from the Lord.
Frank straightened, as though God had again confirmed the calling. “I think you’d be wrong to give up. Your father clearly found something, and I truly believe he intended to provide for his family. I know a few trustworthy men who’d be willing to provide assistance if you’d be willing to share some of what you find.”
“Of course,” Joseph readily agreed. “I don’t ask for much. I’d never hoped to find a treasure. Just enough to get a place where I can raise my brother and sisters without wondering where their next meal is going to come from or how I’m going to get new shoes for the little ones.”
If only Annabelle could understand that. She’d spoken of the greed of the miners, but what about the ones like Gertie’s family, who wanted nothing more than to provide for their children?
“I’ll talk to Collin and his boys, then.” Frank looked over at Slade. “You’d be willing to help Joseph, wouldn’t you?”
“Naturally.” Slade gave an easy grin. “Now that Annabelle’s speaking to me again, I’d like to learn a little more about the man who’s stolen her heart.”
“I haven’t stolen anything,” Joseph insisted. “Besides, aren’t the two of you—”
Slade and Frank started laughing. “Annabelle?” Slade finally sputtered. “She’s like a sister to me. I lost my own kin a long time ago, and when the Lassiters took me in, I was part of a family again.”
Now it was Joseph’s turn to be embarrassed. And worried. With the way his mind had been playing tricks on him over Annabelle all day, this latest turn made it nearly impossible for him to admit he didn’t have feelings for her. The only trouble was that it changed nothing in his life.
When he found the silver, he had a responsibility to uphold.
“Well, that’s all Annabelle can be to me, too,” he told both men, the words like a foul medicine on his tongue. “She’s a wonderful girl, but it’s just not meant to be.”
Frank’s voice was soft. “You could bring your family here.”
He looked over at Frank. “What made you think of that?”
“Just thinking. You’ve told me that’s your priority, and that you intended to take them from Ohio anyway. Why not bring them here? There’s plenty of things needed in Leadville, good jobs, so if you wanted to pursue my daughter, there’s nothing stopping you.”
Frank’s earnestness almost made him want to believe. But there were so many unknowns. Too many things he had to work out and plan for. He couldn’t allow himself the
luxury of even thinking about falling in love until after he had his family’s future settled.
“That’s a fine idea, and perhaps we will decide to stay. But there’s much more to consider. Courting Annabelle is not one of them.”
“Maybe you should talk to Annabelle about that first,” Frank stated.
“And maybe you should let my business be my business. I’ve already told you that I’ll be careful with your daughter’s heart, but that’s all I’m going to do in Annabelle’s direction. It’s all I can do.”
“But what about your heart?” Frank’s quiet question was one he’d already made up his mind on.
“My heart is with my family. My responsibility is to them first.”
Joseph cleared the lump forming in his throat. “Let’s get back to more important business. Like our next move in finding my father’s silver.”
With this talk of love and hearts and things best left alone, it was more reason time was of the essence. They were engaged in a dangerous game with everything at stake. No room for any of the impossibilities Frank wanted to discuss.
Slade pulled a map out of his pocket. “Based on what I could see, Bad Billy seemed to have a lot of claims near the Eastern side of Mosquito Pass and around his cabin. The area near the cabin is where things looked dug up and buried, but as far as I can tell, there’s no evidence there’s actually any silver there.” He pointed to a corner of the crinkled paper. “But there’s this one, all alone, in the center of claims owned by Slim Deckert.”
Frank rubbed his chin. “Slim probably didn’t like the idea that Billy purchased a claim in the center of his claims.”
“Billy didn’t buy it,” Slade stated matter-of-factly. “He won it in a poker game against Slim.”
Poker. Joseph shouldn’t be surprised that his pa would engage in such activity, given that he’d fathered a child by a soiled dove. But surely there had to be an end to the sinful legacy left by his father.
“I remember that game,” Frank said. “Slim was fighting mad over the deal and tried accusing Billy of cheating. But Lon was there, and he’d said it was a fair game.”
Rocky Mountain Dreams & Family on the Range Page 13