“Yes, I do, and my husband put the land in both of our names just in case something like this ever happened.” She wiped tears from her cheeks with her apron. “Why do you want this place?”
“It’s a hard land to survive in. I was terrified when I first came here and still am at times, but I can be myself here. I’ve learned to be strong in order to survive. I know I have to always be prepared for the unknown. I love this land, but it can be a cruel place as well. Will you sell me your land and let Matthew help me, too?”
After working out some details, they shook hands, and Laura took Matthew back with her to show him the trail and what she wanted him to do. She promised his mother he would return before dark.
Matthew came to the ranch the next day to teach Laura how to harness the team of horses. She would need the wagon when she took her gold to Denver. She planned to conceal the nuggets in fresh produce from her garden and pretend to be taking them to market. He agreed to come every day to check on the other livestock and feed the chickens until her return. He would gather the eggs to take home as well as any vegetables that matured.
Matthew said, “Your ranch looks like heaven compared to our place.”
“It has been a backbreaking work to get this place to this point. Thank you.”
After he had been there a little while, he asked, “Where is Mr. Brown?”
“I didn’t want anyone to know, but I will tell you if you can keep my secret. He died several weeks ago. He had been sick and one day he keeled over. I didn’t know what to do so I didn’t tell anyone. I feel I can trust you to keep my secret. May I place my confidence in you?”
His chest swelled out and he said in his most manly voice, “You’re special to me and my family, Miss Laura. I would die first before I told anyone.”
She gave him her brightest smile. “I knew I could trust you. Now will you teach me which one of these damn traces goes where on this harness?” He began her lesson on how to harness a team. Laura was sure Matthew had his first crush because of the way he looked at her.
She practiced hitching the team to the wagon, then asked Matt to bring the wagon to the cabin and leave it so she could load what she wanted to take the next morning.
“I’ll stay and help you.”
“No, you have been a blessing to me today with all your help. It’s getting late and you need to go home to your family. I will see you when I get back in five or six days.”
“I should go with you to protect you,” he pleaded.
“Thank you for your concern, but I truly need your help to take care of the place and you need to see after your family. Please don’t fret. I’ll have my guns with me. I will be very careful on the trail.”
He reluctantly left, waving from the top of the ridge before disappearing.
Once he had gone, she began to haul the gold up from the cellar a bucket at a time. She made numerous trips up and down the steps before she got it all stowed into the wagon. She half-filled four baskets with gold nuggets and then placed early greens and vegetables on top.
Laura added a bedroll in case she could not make Denver by nightfall. Shivering at the idea of spending the night on the trail alone, she tried to prepare herself for any event. Rechecking her food items, bedding, cooking utensils, and clothes loaded into the wagon, she decided to dress as a man and braided her hair then tucked it under her hat. I will smear a little soot on my face to give the appearance of an unkempt man. Going to the fireplace, she selected a piece of charcoal and placed it on the table to remind her in the morning to use it.
Crawling into bed, she prayed a long prayer for the Wilsons, for forgiveness of all the lies she had told, and for a safe journey to and from Denver. She put all her trust in the Lord to keep her safe on the trail and to see her through.
Laura had been elated to see the sun rise shortly after she left home. As the light strengthened, so did the queasiness in the pit of her stomach. Pulling the team to a halt, she climbed down quickly and threw up the water she had drunk and some of last night’s supper. She felt dizzy and ill. Holding onto the wagon wheel to keep from falling, the dizziness soon passed and she now felt hungry. It was crazy, but she was glad the illness had passed. She climbed back up on the wagon seat, retrieved her food basket, ate a biscuit, and drank more water. She probably should have eaten sooner. Maybe not eating is what made me sick. Feeling better, she urged the team toward Denver.
The day was long and tiring. She had forgotten how worn the road was and how the wagon bounced around in the deep ruts made by freight wagons. It had grown dark by the time she made it down the mountain, and the lights of Denver twinkled in the distance. Oh, what a glorious sight! She was almost there.
Laura felt relief as well as the tiredness from driving the team all day—a feat she had never imagined. Thoughts of a hot tub of water and a comfortable bed danced through her mind before the realization hit her she still had to make it to the bank. As she neared the edge of town, she saw other wagons pulling into town laden with supplies and produce. Urging her tired horses to go faster, she followed the others into town as a cover. Bright red, white, and blue banners waved from the storefronts. Posters nailed up on the buildings proclaimed the Fourth of July picnic, dance, and fireworks. A thrill ran through her exhausted body as she realized she would be in Denver for the exciting events. It had been way too long since she had enjoyed any kind of a celebration.
Stopping in front of the marshal’s office, she spotted a young boy sitting on the steps. “Is the marshal in?”
“Naw, he went for supper at the hotel.”
“Would you go get him and bring him back here? It’s really important,” she told him.
“It always is.” He continued to sit there.
“If I gave you a dollar, would you go?” she asked.
“If you give it to me first, then I will go.”
She fished a silver dollar out of her pocket, flashed it at him, and answered, “When you come back with the marshal, you get the dollar.”
He jumped off the steps and raced away, yelling over his shoulder, “I’ll bring him back. Don’t go away!” Having money worked wonders.
She’d climbed down from the wagon to water her tired horses at a convenient trough, when the boy returned with the marshal in tow. “Here he is. Where is my dollar?” he demanded.
Laura thanked him for his help, handing him the shiny silver dollar. The marshal watched the exchange, but frowned as he turned, towering over her, “I am Marshal Joseph Roberts. What’s so important you had to interrupt my supper?” he barked.
She could see in the lamplight he was a handsome man under the dusty hat. His face was clean-shaven, and he smelled of talc. If she was keeping score, cleanliness was in his favor.
“Yes, I need your help with something and I didn’t know who to talk to or whom to trust. Have you been marshal here long?” she asked.
“What is your name? Who are you, and what do you want?”
She ignored his tone, “As I said before, I need someone I can trust with a special job. Are you that man or not?”
“I can be trusted to keep the law and protect the people. Is that what you want to know?”
“Glad to hear you can be trusted because I am in terrible need of someone who can keep his mouth shut. I don’t want you to shoot anyone, so you needn’t worry about that. I can explain better if you will agree to accompany me off the main street. What I want to show you is better seen in a less public place.” She climbed up onto the wagon seat again and motioned for him to follow.
When he joined her, she whistled to the mares guiding them down the street. When she could turn into an alley and then behind the buildings, she stopped the team and turned to him. “First, Marshal Roberts, I am Laura Ralston. Yes, I know I am dressed in men’s clothing but when you hear my story, you will understand why. I live up in the mountains and have come to Denver because I need help to get my gold to the bank without anyone being the wiser.” Heart thudding, she rested her righ
t hand on her gun in case she had chosen the wrong person.
He was quick to assure her he would help her. “What do you want me to do?”
“I need someone who can get the banker to come and open the back door so we can unload the gold, weigh it out, and deposit it in the bank. I have no one I can trust, so I reasoned out the marshal of Denver should be a good and trustworthy man, and I chose to take a chance. I will pay you for helping me. Will you bring the banker tonight before anyone knows what I have in my wagon?” she asked tiredly.
“You’re smart, Laura Ralston. You’ve chosen the right man to help you. First, let’s move the wagon on up the alley to the back of the bank. I saw the banker heading home not too long ago. I will fetch him. You need to stay here in the dark. Are you afraid?”
“Ace and I will wait right here for you and the banker,” she whispered back to him.
“Ace? Who is Ace?” He looked around.
She patted the butt handle of her holstered six-shooter and said, “My pistol is my ace in the hole. You always have to have one.”
He laughed softly as he jumped down from the wagon, “You have guts, Laura Ralston.”
He soon returned without the banker. She was disappointed until she saw the back door of the bank open and a short fat man step out. Laura got down from the wagon to meet him, explained what she wanted them to do, and he agreed.
Marshal Roberts managed to carry each of the baskets into the bank as Laura watched. The long day’s weariness settled in, and she yawned.
Mr. Little, the banker of Little & Little Bankers, put her gold in the vault. He wrote out a receipt for her and asked her to come back tomorrow when they would weigh the gold and finish their transaction.
Mr. Little asked, “Where are you staying?”
Laura looked from one man to the other and said, “I don’t have a place to stay tonight. All I could think about was getting the gold here. As late as it is, I will stay with the horses and wagon in the livery until daylight.”
Both men laughed at the idea. “As rich as you are, you could buy the hotel if they didn’t have a room for you,” Marshal Roberts said. “Come on, I’ll take you over there.”
“Thank you, but I need to care for the horses first, and get my things from the wagon,” she said in protest.
“I’ll send one of my deputies to take the wagon and horses to the livery stable while we get you settled in a room. He can bring your luggage to the hotel afterward. See you tomorrow, Mr. Little,” he called over his shoulder as he took Laura’s arm and guided her across the street to the nicest hotel in Denver and ordered her the best room in the place.
Chapter Fifteen
Laura opened her eyes, wondering where she was. Heavy drapes prevented the light as well as noise from penetrating the room. Looking at the clock sitting on a nearby table, she could not believe it was eleven o’clock and she was still in bed. She jumped up, but was sorry she did because a wave of nausea swept over her. She made it to the chamber pot just in time to spew her guts.
A loud knock sent her scurrying for her robe. She opened the door to discover a large copper bathtub and two little Negro girls hiding behind it.
“Hello,” she said. “Did you bring the tub up for me? I’m so glad you did. I need a bath to wash all of the trail dust off. Who is bringing the water?”
“We is,” they chorused and giggled.
Opening the door wider to allow them to bring in the tub, she helped take it to the bathing room. When she’d come in last night, she had not noticed much about the room she had rented. She had barely managed to get in her gown and fall into bed. Now she could see how luxurious her accommodations were. She had a sitting room connected to the bedroom and bathing room. The furnishings were as nice as she had seen in Independence, but much newer. Her first thought was she could not afford this, but then she remembered she could. She laughed a loud.
“What are your names?” she asked the little girls. “And how old are you?”
“We is twins and we is nine years old. My name is Jasmine. I am the oldest by two minutes. This is my sister, Azalea. She is shy and doesn’t talk much,” related the less shy twin.
“It’s nice to meet you both. My name is Laura, and I have a big favor to ask of you. I’ll give each of you two bits if you will ask someone to please bring me a tray with breakfast. I’m starving. I haven’t eaten since yesterday afternoon.”
Before long, she had all the hot steamy water she needed and was soaking in the big tub. Lying back in the water, she remembered the people who had helped her to get to this point. She was so thankful to have gotten to Denver without any mishaps. As the water cooled, she began to lather the scented soap and bathe. She was excited to visit the banker for a final tally of her gold. She wanted to use the money wisely because it had come as a gift to her.
As she finished dressing in her work clothes and strapping her gun on her hip, another knock sounded on her door. “Missy Laura! I have your breakfast.”
Laura opened the door wide to allow a tall, exotic black woman into the room with the heavy-laden tray of food. “My name is Sadie. I’m the cook here and the mother of the twins,” she said proudly in her rich Cajun voice.
“I’m Laura. Thank you for bringing me food. I’m quite famished.” Removing the plate covers, she surveyed eggs, bacon, hot biscuits, steak, mashed potatoes, and gravy, plus a large pot of coffee. “Oh, my. I only needed breakfast.”
“Breakfast has long passed, and I didn’t know what you might like to eat so I brought you some choices. Please enjoy whatever you like,” Sadie wiped her hands on her flower-print apron and watched as Laura tasted everything she had brought.
“Oh my goodness! You are such a great cook,” she exclaimed as she tried first one and then another dish. “I have another favor to ask of you. Will you arrange for a breakfast tray about seven o’clock every morning? And have the girls bring hot water about thirty minutes later? I will be happy to pay them. I have so much I need to do and so little time before I have to leave. I cannot sleep late again.”
Sadie assured her, “I’ll take care of everything. Thank you for your praise. I do love to hear if people like my cooking.”
When Laura finished eating, she went over to the bank to find the banker. Mr. Little was delighted to see her again and escorted her into his office with great ceremony, as if she were a visiting queen.
“I’ve finished having your gold assayed and tallied. Here is the total in weight and dollars. Do you want to leave it here on deposit?” he asked hopefully.
Laura stared at the paper with the figures. “This…can’t…be right.”
“I have checked the figures myself,” Mr. Little was quick to assure her.
“I never expected it to be such a large total. Can it be right?”
“I have my copy right here, and I will review it again to make sure it is all correct. If it is not, I will make the final adjustments for you,” Mr. Little promised.
“You’re a rich young woman. Are you married?” he asked.
Laura looked up from the paper, making direct eye contact with him. “You are my banker, Mr. Little. Therefore, I would appreciate the courtesy you afford other customers of not asking any personal questions. If the time ever presents itself where I want to tell anyone about my life, you will be the first to know. Is that understood?”
“Yes, Miss Laura. I understand I was out of line asking such a personal question.”
“This is not illegal gain. I didn’t steal it from anyone. It is a gift from God. However, I would appreciate it if neither you nor any of your employees discuss my business or me with anyone. If I find out you have, I will take my business elsewhere. Are we in agreement?”
“Your business is your affair. Anything we talk about will be kept in strict confidence.”
“Now then, I want the account in the name of Laura Ralston. Get me the papers I need to sign to deposit this in your bank and I want five hundred dollars now. After we have that taken care
of, I have some private business I want you to help me with. Before I leave town, I will give you a letter for the marshal. I appreciate all he has done to help me and I want to reward him. I would like you to deliver it for me, but only after I leave. Will you take care of it for me?”
“Happy to help you in any way I can,” he said.
“I am buying property adjoining my ranch. I am not sure how often I will get back to Denver, so if I send you a letter is it possible for money to be transferred from bank to bank?” She forced herself to get over the shock of her sudden wealth and get down to business.
She left the bank and headed to the livery stable to check on her horses and the vegetables still in the wagon. She hoped to arrange with the general store owner to buy the fresh produce. The horses were well cared for, but the owner of the livery stable told her he couldn’t believe she had made it to Denver with a cracked tongue and an axle that was almost in pieces. “Yes, little gal, the Lord was taking care of you last night. You could have broken down at any point. This wagon has seen some hard use. What have you been hauling, rocks?” He spit a long, brown stream of tobacco juice onto the stable floor. Her stomach did a flip-flop, and she almost lost her breakfast.
“Do you have another wagon I could buy?” she asked.
“What type do you want? I have a fancy surrey or a smaller work wagon pulled by a two-horse team or a newer one like what you got here, but a four-horse team pulls it. Do you have a husband? He should decide which one he needs.”
She stood there trying to decide how best to answer his question. “I’ll be back later to discuss purchasing a wagon. Thank you for helping me.”
As she turned to leave, Marshal Roberts came through the livery door and grinned at her.
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