Hope In Cripple Creek

by Sara R. Turnquist

  “Now, that’s not true.”

  “No? No? Then why?” She knew she sounded a bit high strung.

  “I don’t know why.” Wyatt’s voice came out conflicted, exasperated.

  “Exactly.”

  They stared at each other. They were at an impasse.

  “Look,” Wyatt said, his voice calmed once again. “Let’s just go out there and try to finish dinner.”

  “I’m not going while she’s out there.” Katherine looked to the side, determined that Wyatt would not change her mind. It was Katherine or Betsy. Wyatt had to choose.

  She sensed Wyatt’s eyes on her, but she wouldn’t look at him.

  After some moments, he threw his hands up in the air. “Very well. Have it your way.” Wyatt turned and walked out of the bedroom.

  Not long after, Katherine heard their voices. But she couldn’t discern what they were saying. Closing her eyes, she prayed Wyatt was telling Betsy to leave. When she heard the front door open, Katherine peered out her doorway. Wyatt’s back became visible as he stepped outside.

  Katherine came out of her room, but could not escape the feelings swirling through her knowing Wyatt was outside with Betsy. Alone.

  Giving the children a once over, she assured herself they were fine. Just covered in potatoes and mashed up carrots. She moved to the kitchen window, unable to stop herself from peeking out onto the front porch.

  They were conversing. Betsy reached over and placed a hand on Wyatt’s arm. She appeared sympathetic enough, but Katherine knew she was just trying to find a reason to touch Wyatt, to make some kind of move on him. It angered Katherine so much she had to look away.

  Why should it matter to her what Wyatt did? This wasn’t a real marriage after all. And she already knew what kind of man Wyatt Sullivan was. He was vain and cold and . . . A tear escaped from her eye. Slapping it away, she became determined that she would not shed another tear on the man’s behalf.

  Chapter 11

  Another day of striking. David did not know what it would all come to, but he had to do what he could. Even though he felt less and less sure as the days went by, he became more and more committed. Whether he wanted to or not.

  Maintaining his place in line, he held his sign up. That was all he could do, wasn’t it? The men around him did much the same, some were vocal; more were subdued as he was. But they all kept things calm.

  Hoofbeats thundered in the distance. His head turned. A sea of blue dotted the horizon. Soldiers. How many were there? At least a couple hundred. David’s heart dropped. What could be the meaning of this? Would their strike be put to an end? Would they be attacked?

  As they neared, David became more nervous. He saw that the sheriff led the large group. Was that a good thing or a bad thing?

  The soldiers came to a stop just short of where the miners were. David eyed the weapons they wielded. This could go wrong rather quickly. He hoped no one did anything stupid.

  Calderwood did not seem the slightest bit concerned as he stepped out of line toward the man in the lead, next to the sheriff.

  “Excuse me, Officer, I am John Calderwood. I speak for these men. Is there something unlawful about our peaceful assembly?”

  “Adjutant General T.J. Tarsney.” The man nodded as he introduced himself. “I have come to investigate reports of an out of control mob.”

  Who had sent for the general? This appeared to be a state militia of sorts. Why were they summoned? Had the mine bosses gone so far as to report them to the governor? Was the sheriff in with them?

  “I can assure you that the union members will cooperate with your operation fully. We’ll even surrender for arrest if you can find that we have done anything unlawful.”

  Tarsney looked over at the sheriff. The man had red creeping up into his face. Sliding off his horse, Tarsney walked over to the sheriff and pulled him to the side.

  They spoke in hushed tones, but soon the sheriff’s voice rose. Though David still could not discern what was being said. When the two men parted, the sheriff was red-faced and appeared to shake. Tarsney’s mood seemed no better.

  “My apologies, Mr. Calderwood. If I need anything further, where can I find you?”

  “I’m at the boarding house in Cripple Creek.”

  Tarsney nodded before he mounted his steed. “Good day to you, sir. Please, go about your business.”

  And then he turned his horse and the troops with their guns just left.

  But David felt no better about the situation. In fact, the sick feeling in his stomach began to grow.

  * * *

  Katherine stood by a steaming pot. But as hot as the water got, it couldn’t match the heat she felt inside. The tightness in her chest had not let up since the night Betsy made dinner. It was horrible, carrying this weight around. Still, she hadn’t been able to relieve it. Her hands worked to cut vegetables to add to the stewing mixture.

  This was only the second Saturday they’d had together as a family. It had been both draining and elating at the same time. Katherine found she rather enjoyed interacting with the children, not having to worry about the many things that took up their evenings. But it required more energy than she was accustomed to, and Wyatt’s presence had put a damper on the whole event.

  Currently, Wyatt was putting both of the children down for their naps, and then it would just be the two of them. She filled anew with a rush of anger for his behavior the previous evening. How could he even think what he had done was appropriate? Just then, she heard him moving about in the great room. A glance over her shoulder confirmed that he had indeed returned. What was he doing?

  “Ouch!” she said as stinging pain shot through her from her finger. Looking down, she saw blood drizzling. She had managed to make a clean cut with the knife.

  “What happened?” Wyatt called out.

  “Nothing,” she held up her wounded finger to examine how deep the knife had cut. She heard Wyatt come up behind her.

  “Let me look at it.” Wyatt reached for her hand.

  She pushed him back with her shoulder, holding her finger close to herself.

  “What is the matter, Katie? Let me see what happened.” He attempted to walk around her until he was in front of her, facing her.

  “I can take care of it on my own!” She glared up at him, still trying to hide her injury.

  “I’m sure you can, but I’m a doctor. This is what I do.” He held his hands out again.

  Her anger flared. “That’s not all you do.”

  “What is that supposed to mean?”

  She grabbed for a nearby kitchen towel and wrapped her hand. Why had she said that? Was she ready to get into all of this?

  “Just stop trying to be so perfect. I know you’re not.” Then she looked down at her hand, unable to meet his eyes.

  “Hey, if anyone knows I’m not perfect, it’s me.”

  Her eyes narrowed as she met his gaze again.

  “You seem to have this anger toward me for some sin I’ve committed.”

  “How can you not know?” She applied pressure to her finger, which still stung.

  “Because I don’t.” His voice was firm.

  “It’s . . . it’s because of Ellie.” There, she’d said it.

  “Ellie?” His brows came together, his mouth drawn. But his voice was quiet, resigned almost.

  Katherine felt a prickling sensation behind her eyes, but held her ground. “You left her behind.”

  “To save our lives. To save your life.” Was it her imagination or did Wyatt raise his voice?

  “No.” Katherine shook her head, refusing to hear it.

  “So, you hold this against me,” he said, his voice on edge.

  Now the tears were undeniable, but still she fought them. “Why couldn’t you help me get Ellie out?”

  “Because there was nothing anyone could do for her. Can’t you see that?” His voice held a hint of anger. “We escaped with our lives. You should be thanking me!”

  “Ha!” was all sh
e could manage.

  He took a breath through clenched teeth. “You must believe me that I would never have left Ellie Mae if there had been any hope.”

  Katherine bit her lip. She wanted to be angry, wanted to fight forgiving him, but her heart told her he spoke the truth.

  “And then . . . then . . . ” Her voice rose, but she couldn’t find the right words, the next grievance.

  “Then what, Katie? What?” he challenged.

  “And then you invite her into our house.” Katherine met his eyes again, raising her chin.

  “And you just can’t let that go, can you?” He moved closer to her. “What is it? Are you jealous?”

  “Certainly not!” She tried to step back, but found the counter was directly behind her.

  He stepped even closer, pinning her. “Feel threatened by her?”

  She felt more than a little threatened by him in that moment. His body was right up against hers. Her heartbeat quickened, it thundered in her ears. Surely he could hear it.

  He looked her over and then met her gaze. “You’re trembling. I must’ve hit pretty close to the mark.”

  “No,” she protested, looking into his eyes, trying to stare him down, wanting to show him she wasn’t afraid. But as their eyes locked and their gaze intensified, she felt the fire between them. The burning of their anger and the heat of their unstated attraction.

  His lips came down on hers.

  Everything in her wanted to resist him, but her body melted into his. Then Wyatt’s arms surrounded her, pulling her tightly against him. Her own arms moved as if independent of her will. They wrapped around his strong shoulders, her injured hand resting there and her other hand twisting up into his thick hair. He leaned over her to deepen the kiss.

  As much as her body remained caught up in his kisses, something in her mind screamed for her to stop. She had to stop this. Now. She pushed on his shoulders, attempting to move him away from her.

  He, too, seemed caught up in the moment. And he resisted at first, continuing to hold her firmly to himself.

  But as she continued to push against him, he did pull back, disentangling his limbs from hers.

  They both breathed heavily. Katherine leaned against the counter, her knees little more solid than the stew in the pot.

  Wyatt backed across the kitchen, running a hand through his hair. “Katie, I . . . ”

  Still leaning on the counter, she ran her hands over her dress, smoothing the fabric. She found herself unable to meet his eyes.

  “I shouldn’t have done that,” he said, his voice uneven.

  She nodded, eyes still on the floor as she hugged her arms close to her chest. Her mind reeled from the rush of emotion and adrenaline coursing through her body. The towel, now only somewhat covering her cut, fell away. And she remembered the wound, still bleeding, still stinging.

  Wyatt, too, seemed to return to his senses and remember her injury. Closing the gap between them, he took her hand. Moving her finger this way and that, applying pressure to the sides of the cut, he examined it.

  “I don’t think it is deep enough to warrant stitches. But, you’ll need to keep pressure on it. I’ll finish dinner.”

  “Just wrap it. I can finish up here.”

  “Please.” His eyes softened as they met hers. “Let me help you.”

  Something changed in her as she searched his eyes. Something had been softening in her since she had come to live with him. Perhaps he was not the man she thought he was. The ”vain Wyatt Sullivan” she had imagined him to be. He had proven to be rather kind, considerate, and selfless.

  Realizing they had been standing in silence for several moments, she swallowed against a parched throat.

  “Perhaps you can wrap it, and we can both work on dinner.”

  The corners of his mouth turned up and he nodded. “My bandages are just over here.” He held up an arm to indicate they should move toward the family room.

  Katherine obeyed, all the while wondering what she had just opened the door to.

  * * *

  General Tarsney and his troops had left town. David could breathe much easier. Even though they had found the striking to be lawful that day, he had feared the militia being in town the entirety of their strike. Would the mine owners sway the general with their money? Evidently, they found no reason to stay and had told the governor as much. And no one in town was sad to see them go. Well, almost no one. With the removal of the militia, the mine owners decided to close the mines. It seemed a victory won for the miners.

  David and his fellow miners did not have time to celebrate, however, before the sheriff placed Calderwood and eighteen of the miners involved in the assault on his deputies under arrest. What a blow to their movement! To lose their leadership and a number of their fellowship was devastating. What were they to do? The miners were left without a compass, it seemed.

  But this was not the day to think on these things. Today was Sunday and the Matthews family joined together for lunch just as they had every weekend. Only this Sunday was different. There were new family members among them.

  Jessie huddled close to Mary’s skirt, as if nervous about the new man among them. Peter, for his part, didn’t act as if anything was different. Jack, having already gotten used to being at the Matthews’ homestead, took it upon himself to play his version of host. David found that to be most amusing. The small boy would babble on to anyone who would listen. And Susie seemed content in Katherine’s arms.

  Meeting his sister’s eyes, he noted that she sat off to the side in the great room. Alone. Where had Doc gone? Glancing around the downstairs, he could not spot Doc anywhere. No matter. This would be a great opportunity to share a few words with Katie.

  Taking the seat beside her, he nudged her shoulder. She nudged him back.

  “How’s motherhood treating you?” He looked over at her.

  “Fair.” She met his gaze, a small smile on her lips.

  “And what about Doc?” He raised an eyebrow.

  Her face warmed. “We’re doing just fine.”

  “Is that all?” David suppressed a laugh at his sister’s obvious discomfort.

  “Come on, David. That’s not the easiest thing to talk to you about.”

  “No? I can’t imagine why not.” He continued to laugh.

  She swatted at him.

  He raised his hands in the air. “I’m just teasing. I think Doc is a fine fellow. You just surprised everyone is all. But you wouldn’t be Katherine the Great if you didn’t.”

  Her eyes narrowed and he noted that her jaw clenched. “You promised.”

  Ever since they had learned about Catherine the Great in school, he had taunted her with that nickname. And she hated it. But he had promised not to use it again. What had prompted him to do so today?

  “You’re right, I’m sorry.” His voice softened. “You seem to be doing just well. And I’m happy for you.”

  She became quiet. Maybe too quiet.

  “What is it, Katie?”

  Shaking her head, she looked away.

  He put a hand on her arm. “I truly am sorry that I teased you. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

  “It’s not you.” She focused on Susie, bouncing her.

  “Well then, who is it? Is it Doc? Has he upset you? If he has, I’ll…”

  Katherine turned to him and laid a hand on his arm then. “No. I don’t want you to do anything. It’s not like that.”

  He eyed her. Was she being truthful? Doc seemed nice enough, but everyone knew what his father was like. If he ever raised a hand against Katie, David would ensure he never did it again.

  “Honest, David, Wyatt has done nothing to hurt me. I’m just a little worn out.”

  David relaxed then. Newly married, two young kids, and a teacher . . . he wasn’t surprised. “All right. Do I need to remind you to take care of yourself?”

  She smiled. “Do I need to remind you?”

  He frowned.

  “I don’t hear good things about t
he behavior of these miners on strike.”

  “It depends on who you talk to, I suppose.” David focused his eyes forward, leaning his elbows on his knees.

  “Is being a part of this strike that important to you? Is it better than swallowing your pride and . . . ”

  David stood. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

  Katherine closed her mouth then.

  “I need some air.” He moved away from his sister and toward the door, not caring what Katie might think. Perhaps he was being rude, but he couldn’t help it. She had pushed too far. And there were no answers for her. Or for himself.

  * * *

  Wyatt gazed out at the sun as it slowly lowered itself toward the horizon.

  “It’s good to have you here, Doc,” David said, coming up behind him and clapping a hand on his shoulder.

  Startled, he soon recovered. “Please, it’s just Wyatt.”

  The men exchanged smiles.

  Wyatt had stepped outside in desperate need of space. This whole family atmosphere . . . it was just too much. They were so happy together. So caring. As nice as it was, he found it suffocating. Not so much the Matthews, but the memories. His parents. It haunted him. The fights, the beatings . . . his lungs burned as he dragged a breath in. And he hoped David couldn’t see how distracted he was.

  David nodded. “I never did thank you for your help the other day. With the miner incident.”

  “Just doing my job,” Wyatt said, thankful for something new to focus on. “How is the strike?” He was concerned about David, but his reasons for asking were also for his own benefit. His practice would no doubt continue to be affected by any future incidents.

  David shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “It’s got its good days and bad days.”

  Wyatt guessed he just didn’t want to talk about it.

  “Don’t listen to him.” It was Tom. He came up behind them. “He narrowly escaped being arrested for being present at that incident as he calls it. I think it’s time David got out.”

  “Pa . . . ” David started, turning on his father.