Trail of Golden Dreams

by Coverstone, Stacey

  Foremost on her mind, however, was how much Grey had come to mean to her. She loved the man and could picture a future with him now, more than ever. Last night had been the most wonderful night of her life. In all her dreams, she never could have imagined how loving a man would change things in so many ways. But it did. Her life was different. She was different. She was a full-grown woman now with a woman’s feelings and desires.

  Last night, once the initial pain had subsided, she hadn’t wanted to sleep at all; she’d wanted to love him all night. Smiling, she remembered Grey telling her she was no longer a sneaky little crocodile, but his little hellcat. He’d called her that before, but now the meaning was different. When he’d finally rolled onto his back, panting that she’d worn him to a stub, she’d snuggled into the curve of his arm and listened to him snore before drifting off, feeling absolute peace for the first time since Mama had died.

  Though they hadn’t expressed their feelings to one another, she sensed he loved her. Why else would a man do the things he’d done to her if he didn’t love her? She smiled again while recalling the sensations he’d stirred deep within. The only thing they’d have to decide was where they’d settle. Her dreams were to go to San Francisco and see the ocean. Those hadn’t changed. His plan was to bring Rusty home from the east and buy a ranch. But where did he want this ranch? Where he’d grown up, or some other place? He hadn’t given her any details. And how would Rusty accept Grey taking a wife and the three of them living together? Grey had told her he’d be fifteen now, almost a man.

  Though she was desperate to see San Francisco, she could also imagine a small house with smoke spiraling from the chimney in winter and a vegetable garden in summer, plus a flower patch, a corral of horses, and Grey kissing her after a long day of baling hay or herding cattle, or…what? She had no idea what kind of ranch Grey planned on. She stuffed her feet into her boots and threw the saddlebags over her shoulder. There was a lot she didn’t know about him, but they’d have a whole lifetime to learn about each other.

  He was waiting at the stables when she arrived. “Good mornin’,” he greeted with a sly grin. Her heart picked up its pace under his intense gaze, which slid over her, top to bottom. She wondered if he was remembering what her body looked and felt like. Seeing him in the light of day after making love last night made her feel bashful all of a sudden.

  “Morning.” He looked so handsome in his black shirt and pants and the Stetson tipped down over his molasses-colored eyes. That same electric tingle she’d felt the first time she saw him surged through her now. She didn’t expect she’d ever stop feeling that way about him. She gave Traveler and Lightning each a scratch between the eyes and asked, “Did you get what we needed? Were you able to buy a new rifle?”

  “Yep.” He tapped the scabbard hanging from his saddle, which held the new weapon, and handed her a box of ammunition. “I was able to purchase some dynamite, too. A few sticks are in my saddlebags.”

  Her gaze swung to the bags. “You’re kidding. Did they have it sitting on the shelves of the gun shop?”

  “No,” he chuckled. “I struck up a conversation with the owner and casually mentioned I had the need for a few sticks. He knew where I could buy some and told me how to find his brother-in-law who is a miner. When I went to see the miner, he didn’t ask any questions, and I didn’t offer any information. The transaction took about five minutes. Maybe blasting one’s way through rock is a common occurrence around here.”

  Josie smiled. “Well, it was a good idea. As you said before, we need to be prepared for anything.” She handed him a paper sack. “I bought us some biscuits. They’re fresh from the inn’s kitchen. I didn’t know if you’d want to take time for a sit-down breakfast.”

  “Thanks,” he said, reaching into the sack to pull out a steaming biscuit. After swallowing, he said, “I bought you something, too.”

  “You did?” Her heart leapt with excitement. He’d taken the time to pick something out for her! Had he found a little trinket while browsing the plaza? Maybe some sweet-smelling soap, or a hairbrush? A smile parted her lips when he reached into a bag on the ground and handed her a new cowboy hat with a leather band.

  “Hope it fits. I got a small size because your head’s not so big.”

  It fit perfectly. “I like the color,” she beamed. “It’s grey, like your name.”

  He grinned. “I didn’t think of that. I chose it because I thought it’d go well with your dark hair.”

  She returned his smile. “I believe it does. Thank you.”

  “There’s one more thing,” he said, reaching back into the bag.

  Two gifts? Inhaling deeply, she wondered what else he’d gotten for her and chuckled when he handed her a pair of laces.

  “Those are just what I need,” she said, gazing at the boot on her foot that had no lace.

  “I’m fooling you. That’s not all,” he winked. When he pulled out a new pair of leather cowboy boots, the kind without laces, she showed him how much she appreciated his thoughtfulness by throwing her arms around him and planting a kiss on his cheek. “Thank you so much. I love them!” She wanted to say I love you, too—but something held her back.

  “Is that all I get this morning is a tiny kiss on the cheek?” he asked.

  She hadn’t expected him to speak so boldly in public. When he pressed his mouth to hers, she melted into his arms, nearly forgetting they were in the stables where anyone could walk in—and did.

  “Excuse me.” Someone cleared his throat from behind, and they broke apart. “Mornin’, Paladin,” the man said, twisting his moustache. His grin revealed teeth as large as her mule’s. “Who’s this pretty lady?”

  Josie knew she had to be turning ten shades of red. Grey introduced her to Zachary Stamps, and she nodded and said hello. “You two heading out this morning?” he asked.

  “Yep. Looks like a great day for hunting.”

  If Stamps thought it odd for a woman to be going hunting, he didn’t say. Grey pumped his hand. “It was good to see you again, Zack. Next time I’m in Santa Fe, I’ll look you up. Thanks for giving our animals that extra feed this morning.”

  “No problem, friend.”

  “Josie,” Grey said, turning to her, “if you’re ready, we’ll start out.”

  “Let me change my boots first.” She slipped on the new boots and shoved the old ones into the bag tied behind her saddle and led Traveler out of the stall into the sunshine. With a wave goodbye to Stamps, she and Grey mounted and headed out of town. “Aren’t you excited?” she asked him as they passed the newly constructed Loretto Chapel on the plaza.

  “I’ll keep my emotions in check until we find the nuggets. We have no idea where your pa stashed them.”

  That minor detail didn’t bother her. All was right with the world on this beautiful spring morning. She was in love, and the journey was nearing an end. “We’ll find the gold,” she called to him with confidence. “Nothing’s going to stop us now.”

  * * * *

  Once Santa Fe was behind them, they loped through the high desert. Josie relished in the immense landscape of rolling hills and endless, drifting blue sky. Puffy clouds swept across the tan and sage canvas. The remoteness of the terrain highlighted by long views down foothills and the supernatural light was what made New Mexico so enchanting.

  The Nambe Pueblo sat at the base of the ruggedly majestic Sangre de Cristo Mountains. The village was just as she remembered. They stopped at some adobe houses near the plaza to rest a minute and so she could retrieve the map. She handed it to Grey, who looked it over and determined they had another couple of miles to go before reaching the waterfalls.

  “Have you been to this village before?” he asked. She’d been staring hard at the buildings and the surrounding landscape.

  “Yes. I was a child the last time I was here. Nothing much has changed. I remember the people were friendly. My ma was born and raised in this pueblo.”

  “I recall you telling me that.”

/>   “We brought her back here to die.” The deeply held memory rolled off her tongue easily, because sharing her innermost thoughts with him came naturally now.

  An old lady stepped out her front door and Josie waved, even though she didn’t know her. When Josie turned her head and met Grey’s gaze, his dark eyes were empathetic.

  “You didn’t tell me that.”

  That one sad memory built into more, sweeping her back in time. “It was real tough on my pa—her dying. I remember that clearly. He didn’t deal with her death well, and he didn’t know how to raise a child. Especially a girl.”

  Grey didn’t speak, only listened.

  “He wouldn’t let me talk about her, and he started to drink a lot. When I got older, that’s what we argued about most, his drinking and not allowing us to speak of her. I had my recollections of her, what few there were, and I had a porcelain bowl that belonged to her, but that was it. He hadn’t even allowed me to see her in the end. That’s what I was most angry about growing up. I stayed with some people while he took her away to die.” She lowered her head and finished by saying, “I lost that porcelain bowl when the posse burnt down my cabin.”

  “I’m sorry, Josie,” Grey said. “I wish it had been different for you.”

  Returning to the present, she said, “Well, that’s all water under the bridge now, isn’t it?” When he nodded, she adjusted her seat in the saddle, and they trotted off with her casting another long glance back at the village.

  When they came to the river at the foot of the canyon, they allowed the animals to drink as they pulled out their canteens and refreshed themselves. “We’re here,” she exclaimed. “I can hear the falls! We made it!” She took a long draw of water and gazed, awestruck at the breathtaking views of the dramatic mountain range surrounding them.

  “We haven’t made it yet,” he reminded, pointing to the rocky canyon they’d need to traverse in order to reach the falls. “That’s where we’re going. Are you sure you’re ready for this?”

  She nodded, and her heart began to race as they put away the canteens, splashed through the river, and started up the treacherous side of the canyon. Traveler was surefooted and would have no problem on the steep vertical mountain trail littered with jagged rocks. But she worried about Lightning’s sturdiness in such an environment. Following behind Grey, she found herself suppressing a gasp several times when the white stallion stumbled. Looking over the side of the canyon, her palms grew wet when she saw it went straight down at least a mile. One slip and a rider and his horse would be killed instantly.

  “Take it slow,” she hollered to Grey. “There’s no need to rush.”

  As they climbed along the narrow trail shaded with cottonwoods, the reins trembled between her fingers. After all they’d gone through, it was hard to believe they’d almost reached their destination. It seemed she was in a dream as they rounded the final curve and made one last, short climb. At the top, she gazed around, taking in the panoramic scenery of the valley far below.

  Pivoting her head, she was rewarded with a birds-eye view of the triple-decker waterfalls across the divide. Neither she nor Grey spoke—just sat on their mounts transfixed by the beauty and sounds of the cascading water. The magic was broken when he said, “I sure hope this is where your pa hid the gold. That was a long ride if it ain’t.”

  She couldn’t agree more and had no idea how they’d begin to search for the nuggets. “I wish he would have given us more to go on. The gold could be up here in the canyon somewhere or down by the falls.” Her neck stretched out as she leaned in her seat. “That trail down to the falls looks trickier than the way we just came.” Suddenly, worry and fatigue turned an ache in her chest to a deep, agonizing burn. Her stomach began to churn. “Where do you think we should start looking?”

  Grey yanked the map out and perused it again. His face was lined with determination when he stuck it back in his pocket. “The X is clearly marked on the drawing of the waterfalls. We should go down. I have a good feeling.”

  Her eyebrows lifted in surprise. “You have a good feeling, for once? “

  “Yep.”

  “Then what are we waiting for?”

  They scaled the wall, which took them to the bottom set of waterfalls. It wasn’t as difficult as she’d first imagined. The only rough spot was when Traveler got scared of a downed tree limb and refused to step over it. She had to wait it out with him for several minutes, because that’s how mules were. After sniffing and pawing a while, he decided it wasn’t a monster after all and hopped over.

  “Now what do we do?” she asked when they came to a natural rock bridge. It was too narrow for the animals to cross, and it looked like it led straight into the falls. They were at a dead end. Grey shook his head.

  “Maybe there’s a cave in there,” he said. “It looks dark from here. What do you think?” When she didn’t answer right off, he twisted in the saddle to face her. “Josie, what’s wrong?”

  She wanted to be strong, but it had been such a trying nine days. A lump caught in her throat. “Why did my pa have to make it so hard for me? My whole life has been difficult because of him! If he’d wanted to make things right and give me the gold, why didn’t he just hand it over? Why make me go through hell to get it?” Her emotions bubbled over. Wanting to scream, she opened her mouth and released the loudest scream she could muster, sending echoes bouncing off the canyon walls.

  “Do you feel better now?” Grey asked when the noise stopped reverberating. His arms were crossed casually over his saddle horn.

  “Yes,” she sniffed.

  “Good. Can we get back to business now?”

  She nodded and saw something out of the corner of her eye. A figure stood in front of the waterfall. “Grey…” she began. Her eyes squinted, and she stood in her stirrups. “Mama…?” Her voice thickened with emotion. “It can’t be…Mama!”

  Grey followed Josie’s gaze to an opaque figure of a woman who beckoned to them. “I thought your mama passed,” he said, quietly and obviously confused.

  Transfixed and lost in the moment, Josie ignored him. Tears streamed down her cheeks. “Mama, are you here to help me?” she called to the apparition. Her mother nodded and gestured again, for them to follow her into the waterfall. When she turned and disappeared into the mist, Josie hoarsely screamed, “No, Mama! Don’t leave me!”

  “She wants us to follow her,” Grey said eagerly.

  “You saw her, too?” Josie asked, finally acknowledging him.

  “Hell yes, I saw her. The gold’s inside that waterfall! She’s leading us to it.” He jumped off his horse, turned Lightning around, and thrust the reins into Josie’s hand. “I’m going in there. You stay here with the animals.”

  “No! I want to go!” she protested. “She’s my ma!”

  “It’s my gold.” With his jaw set, his cool gaze penetrated her, daring her to argue further.

  But she couldn’t hold her tongue. “I thought it was our gold,” she said through clenched teeth and narrowed eyes. Once again, doubts about his trustworthiness and sincerity caused her to feel like she’d been punched in the stomach. Was he really going to share the gold with her? Or was he an outlaw, like she’d originally thought, who planned on getting rid of her once the nuggets were safely in his hands? Had she been nothing more than a pawn to him after all? Had he used her, stolen her heart and her virginity, and would now toss her aside like a dirty rag? A chill crept along her shoulder blades.

  Grey pulled his rifle out of its scabbard and told her to wait there. “Hopefully I won’t be long.” Then he smiled and pulled her head down to his mouth and kissed her. “It’s our gold,” he assured before setting off across the thin bridge.

  Watching him vanish behind the curtain of rushing water, a prickly feeling niggled beneath Josie’s goose-fleshed skin, but not because of distrust or doubts. She wanted to believe him and trust him—and she did. The truth had shown itself in his kiss.

  She kept her sights peeled on the waterfall
and the opening behind it, praying her ma would reappear to her. Was she inside showing Grey where to find the nuggets? She’d looked so beautiful just now, her black hair cascading down her back, just like the last time Josie had seen her. She wiped more tears from her face, wishing she’d had a few more moments with her mother.

  It seemed an eternity before Grey finally stepped out from behind the waterfall. He splashed to the edge of the pool and held a metal box in the air above his head. “I found them, Josie!” he yelled. “I found the nuggets!” A grin the size of Texas filled his face. She waved and blew him a kiss. He had the gold. She couldn’t believe the journey was finally over!

  Without warning, a shot split the air, and the sound ricocheted off the cliffs. Traveler reared, causing her to grab the saddle horn. In what seemed like a bad dream, a bullet slammed into the metal box, knocking it out of Grey’s hand, as another bullet ripped through his arm, and yet another slug entered his leg. Josie watched, horrified and in shock, as he spilled into the pool face-first and was carried down river with the current.

  “No!” she shrieked.

  A torrent of rounds flew over her head, and the mule jumped into the air, causing her to lose her balance and tumble out of the saddle. She threw herself onto the ground to make herself a smaller target and looked up. Two figures moved sure-footedly over the rocks above her. One wore a big sombrero. The other ran with a limp.

  “Those bastards must have sold their souls to the Devil,” she spat. “They don’t die!”

  Another bullet whizzed past the rock behind her and several more went wild into the trees. Traveler and Lightning went crazy. Bullets zinged near their feet. They threw their heads and pawed the ground, and the mule blurted his loud, strange sound. Josie had to move them out of harm’s way or they might be killed. When the firing momentarily ceased and she heard the reloading of cartridges, she jumped up and tugged on both sets of reins and nearly got trampled while guiding them into the little stand of trees.