by Maggie Ryan
“A magnet that has caused a great many men a lot of disappointment,” Gabe said. “We are among the lucky ones who have actually pulled gold from the mountain.”
“Gabe… let’s make a pact. When we find gold, let’s promise to use it to help people in need.” She looked up at him, her blue eyes sparkling with anticipation. “We can start a foundation. You said your sister was known for helping others, for giving of her heart. It’s only right that we let our mine’s heart honor the memory of your sister. What do you think?”
Pulling her into his arms, he pressed his lips against her head. “I think you are an incredibly selfless, magnificent woman. Most women would be visualizing how to spend their gold on fancy things…”
Jewel shook her head, her hand clasping his wrist as he held her neck. “I have no need to be a wealthy woman. I’ve seen what the love of money can do to a person and want no part of it. I have you, the Petticoat, Nettie, the gems, friends… what more do I really need?”
“It would be a wonderful thing and Elena would be happy. Yes, querida, we have a pact. We will use the largest portion of whatever we find to continue her work, to share our blessings with others. I’ve never needed to be a rich man and as long as I have your heart, my life will be complete.”
“You’ll always have my corazón, Gabriel.”
He kissed her and then looked into the mouth of the mine. “Ready to go see if she’s ready to give us some more of her bounty?”
“Oh, I know she is. I can feel her heart pulsing.”
Gabe lit two lanterns, handing her one. “The men have dug back pretty far. It’s dark and cramped but don’t worry. They’ve shored up the roof and the mine is safe. Still, you need to listen to me and obey me…” He paused and lifted her chin with his fingers. “And, Jewel, I mean it. There will be no arguing… no debating. If I tell you something, it is to keep you safe. Understand?”
“Yes.”
“Good because if you don’t, I promise that the ride back down the mountain will be very, very uncomfortable for you.”
She nodded and then followed him into the mine. It wasn’t long before she had to hunch over, Gabe practically bent in two in front of her. The path became narrower the further they climbed. “Gabe? Why are we going uphill?”
“The river runs down the mountain and that’s why you’ll see most miners staking claims along the river and panning or sluicing. But it’s always been my belief that the river changed courses many years ago. We’ve found evidence of fossils that support that fact. I believe that there is a source of gold higher up, one that was left inside the mountain with the gradual course change of the water.”
“Is that why you keep adding to your claim?”
“Our claim, but yes. Due to your insistence that we share expenses and with the success of the Petticoat, we’ve been able to increase our holdings. As I said, we’ve been looking for that vein for the past several months and moving further and further into the mountain.”
“That makes sense, but I never realized how hard that must be. It’s so… so tight in here. How on earth am I supposed to swing an axe?”
Gabe’s chuckle sounded a bit eerie in the enclosed, dark space. “No one ever said mining was easy. The fact that it is hard and pretty much a crapshoot are some reasons why you see so many prospectors returning home empty handed. And, as far as swinging a pickaxe, you will be doing it very carefully.” He dropped to his knees and turned to look back at her. “We have to do a bit of crawling here unless you want to go back?”
Jewel huffed, dropping to her knees behind him. “Nope. We’re partners, Mr. Vasquez, and it’s time I do my share of the hard work… well at least a day of hard work. Lead on!”
They crawled for several minutes before Jewel spoke again. “Gabe? Do you hear something? There aren’t… wild animals in here are there?”
“Not that we’ve found,” Gabe said, his addition of the word, “yet,” had Jewel stopping mid-crawl.
“Don’t… don’t bears live in caves?”
“Babe, what is it with you and bears?” He chuckled but when she didn’t make a sound, he stopped and turned his head again. “Querida, I promise, there are no bears. We made this tunnel, it was not large enough to be a bear’s den when we found it and no bear would make a home where men are constantly around. You are perfectly safe.”
Jewel cocked her head. “Then what’s that noise?”
“The men are up ahead.”
“Oh, I… I thought we were going to mine alone but I’m glad. If there are any wild animals, the more men the better!”
Gabe chuckled and then turned to begin the slow crawl again. Jewel shook her head as he practically slithered for what felt like a mile before he began to crawl and then rose to a crouch as the path opened, both in height and width. Jewel joined him, her smaller stature allowing her to stand. John grinned as did Carlos and Sam.
“Thanks for breakfast,” Jewel said, giving the men a smile. “John, I didn’t mean for you to be away from Opal.”
“I knew when I went down yesterday that I’d be coming back. I wouldn’t miss this for the world.”
“Well, thank you… all of you for doing all of this.” She swept her hand out to encompass the small area where they stood. “I can’t even begin to understand how you managed to dig this far.”
“An inch at a time,” Carlos assured her.
“Are we still on track?” Gabriel asked.
“I’m more positive than ever,” John said. “We’re about to break through but wanted to wait for you.”
“Break through?” Jewel asked, looking around. “All I see is rock.”
Gabriel chuckled. “But what do you hear?”
Jewel was about to answer that she heard nothing since the men had stopped working but realized that wasn’t true. Stepping forward, her head a bit tilted, she said, “Is that water?”
“Very good,” Gabe praised. “I shared my beliefs with the men and John has been learning all he can about this mountain. He’s spoken to a great many miners as well as several men who’ve lived here for years. If what he’s learned is correct, we believe there is another river that feeds into the Culpepper. And, as we know, where there is a river, there’s a good possibility that there is gold.”
“But… but where is it?”
“Behind this wall,” John said, reaching out to pat his hand against the rocky surface.
“Won’t it flood the tunnel?” Jewel asked, her voice a bit high.
“No… I mean, we don’t think so,” Gabe said. “John didn’t mean right behind the rocks here. We think it runs off towards the left, and, Jewel, it’s not a raging river… more like a tributary that didn’t adjust as much as the large river did. Just enough to continue to feed into the river and possibly, we hope, slow enough to leave any gold churned up beneath the surface or on its banks.”
“How can you be sure?”
“The men have been breaking rock to do just that. We all agreed that we wanted you here before we went any further.”
Jewel smiled and looked at each man. “Thank you, that’s… that’s so nice but…” she paused and then giggled. “Stop talking and let me start swinging! We’ve got a wall to break down!”
Gabe handed her a pickaxe and tapped a section of the wall. “Careful, when you swing as the force can cause a recoil.” At her nod, he stepped back. Jewel took a deep breath, braced her feet apart and swung with all her might. Her breath whooshed from her lungs as she bounced backwards.
“Nothing happened,” she exclaimed, looking from the wall to the tip of her axe. The men chuckled.
“Well, it is solid rock,” John said. “Try again.”
By the time she’d swung a dozen times, she was panting with the exertion. “This is exhausting!”
“That’s why it’s called work,” Gabe said. “Why don’t you take a break?”
She gave him a sheepish grin as she relinquished the axe. “I guess I thought it would only take one strike.”
/> It took far more than one. Gabe took a break after several minutes and the others took turns. Even Jewel stepped forward, taking another turn for several more blows. Gabe took over again while Jewel regained her breath and leaned against the rock wall… until Sam quietly informed her that she might wish to move. She’d been about to assure him she was fine where she was but when she turned her head and saw something move on the wall beside her, she gave a little shriek and jumped away from the rocks.
“You said there were no wild animals!” she demanded, her hands swiping through her hair and over her clothing.
“Those aren’t animals, they are cave spiders,” John said.
She was about to beg to differ when a new sound drew her attention. The tip of Gabe’s pickaxe struck but the noise wasn’t that of the resounding blows earlier strokes had caused. And, instead of either bouncing back or embedding in the rock, the tip of his axe disappeared. A hole appeared and Jewel clapped her hands, spiders forgotten. “Hit it again, Gabe. Harder!”
Within minutes, Gabe had cleared a hole, the mountain cooperating as rocks began to tumble to the floor. Once it was a few feet wide, he stuck his head into the opening. Jewel attempted to stick her head in next to his but he pulled back.
“Well? Do you see gold?” Jewel asked excitedly.
Gabe’s eyes were wide as he looked at her and then at John. “You’re not going to believe this,” he said.
“What? Gabe, move so I can see!”
He chuckled and moved back. “Careful, the edges are rough.”
Jewel stuck not only her head into the opening, but before Gabe could stop her, had crawled through the hole. “Oh my God, hand me a lantern!”
“Don’t you move a muscle!” Gabe growled, lifting his hand to pass her the lantern she’d set down. “We have no idea what’s in there!”
“Hurry, oh, my, I’ve never seen anything like this. It’s… it’s beautiful!”
Though it was a much tighter fit through the hole for them, she was soon joined by the four men. There was no longer any need to crawl… much less crouch. John slapped Gabe on the back. “We were right!”
“Yes, but I didn’t think we’d find this?” Gabe said, holding his lantern high. “My God, this cavern is huge!” The illumination of their lanterns didn’t light the entire space. “I wonder how far back this goes?” Turning to Jewel, he said, “Do not wander far. I’m pretty sure there are no wild animals but there could be bats nesting if there is even a small opening to the outside that we have yet to find.”
“Bats?” Jewel repeated, ducking a bit as if feeling one winging its way toward her.
“I didn’t mean they are here now, querida. Until we have time to explore further, we can’t be positive of what we’ll find or how safe the cavern is. Just don’t go outside the area of our lanterns. All right?”
“Ugh, first spiders and now bats! Don’t worry, I won’t!”
“Look, there’s the river,” Sam said, pointing to the left. “Exactly where John thought it would be.”
“See the glimmer? Is that gold?” Jewel asked, her voice quiet with awe.
“No, those are crystals, minerals that are reflecting our lantern light,” Gabe said.
“Oh… I don’t care… it’s beautiful,” Jewel stated, turning in a circle.
“It is,” Gabe agreed, handing his lantern to Carlos and taking her in his arms.
Jewel lifting onto her toes to kiss him. “You did it… all of you. You found the mountain’s soul.” She stepped from Gabe’s arms and hugged and kissed each of the men. Twirling in a circle, her arms wide, she laughed, the sound echoing repeatedly within the cavern. “Now, let’s find some gold!”
They lit additional lanterns, setting them around though they’d need dozens more to truly illuminate the space. When the men went to the river to look for evidence of gold deposits, Jewel looked around the cavern. She found the stalagmites and stalactites fascinating, especially a pair that came within a fraction of an inch of meeting. Her lantern’s light bounced off crystals and she smiled. It reminded her of a woman’s jewelry box… of gemstones. The different colors reminded her of her gems and she couldn’t wait to tell them about what they’d found. Cocking her head again, she moved towards a darker patch on the wall. Could she have found a ruby or maybe a garnet? The color was a rusty red. She smiled thinking that they’d truly found the mountain’s heart because it appeared that there was a golden arrow running through the red patch. It took her a moment before she gasped. Yellow? Wasn’t gold yellow? Her eyes followed the line to see it widen and narrow, twist and turn towards the ceiling and then down to the floor.
She stumbled over a rock in her haste to follow the path. Lowering her lantern to better light her way, she felt her heart stop. There were rocks scattered along the floor, small piles near the base of the wall. Dropping to her knees, she began to move the rocks aside, picking up one and then another and another, until she had several. Her heart beat hard in her chest as she smiled. Raising to her feet, and crossing the cavern floor, she went to where the men were busy by the river.
“Gabe?”
“Hmmm?” he asked distractedly as he listened to John, nodding when the man described the sluice he thought they should build.
“Gabe?”
“Just a minute, honey.”
“Gabriel!”
He finally turned towards her with her sharper call. “Are you all right? Is something the matter?”
She smiled at his look of concern. “I’m fine…” Pulling her hands from behind her, she opened them but never took her eyes from his. “I just wanted to show you something.”
She saw his eyes drop to her hands and then jerk back to hers. “Jewel?”
“Oh, I thought it was gold,” she said, unable to stop smiling or her giggle. “But if it’s just some jewels…” She made the move to open her hands to allow the nuggets to fall to the ground but he leapt to her, cupping her hands with his.
“Oh my God! Jewel, it’s gold! How… where?”
“By the heart, of course,” Jewel said, squealing when he lifted her off her feet and swung her around.
“Show me!”
“Wait,” Jewel said once he’d put her back on her feet. Stepping from his hold, she went to John and handed him one of the nuggets, then handed Carlos and Sam one as well. “Thank you for making this possible. Thank you for including me.”
Returning to Gabe, she pressed the largest nugget into his palm. “This is the first one I found and goes to the man who has not only found the heart of this mine, but has owned my heart since the day we met. We will start Gifts from the Heart with this.”
He didn’t even look at the nugget. Instead, he crushed her to his chest, his mouth finding hers, their kiss one of joy, passion, and promise. When they parted, she took his hand. “Come, see where the heart beats.”
Chapter 10
After exiting the mine, to find the sun beginning to set, Gabe accepted Sam’s invitation to join them for supper. The group moved to the cabin where he’d left a stew simmering in a pot hanging over a low burning fire. Settling around the table, they tucked into the meal. Seeing Gabe roll up a flat circle of what appeared to be bread, Jewel followed suit, taking a bite.
“Oh, this is good! What’s it called?”
“It’s a tortilla, Miss Jewel,” Carlos said with a smile on his face. “They aren’t near as good as my mother’s but they’ll do.”
“They are delicious,” Jewel assured him, again mimicking Gabe, dunking her tortilla into the stew, allowing it to soak up some of the broth before taking another bite. Once they’d finished eating, Jewel offered to wash the dishes while the men discussed the mine.
“We’re going to have to hire more men,” Gabe said. “Not only for the mining, but to provide security. We’ve all heard of claim jumpers and, well, once news gets out about today’s discovery, the Corazón de Oro is likely to become a prime target.”
“We’ve always handled our own security before, b
oss,” Sam said, sitting back and rolling a cigarette, leaning over and, putting a twig in the fire, lit it and took a drag. “More men means more people will know what we found.”
Gabe nodded. “That’s true, but none of you can stay awake twenty-four hours. Especially not after working all day inside the mine. I’m not talking about hiring just anyone. We need to find people we can trust… a few extra men should do.”
Jewel returned to the table, drying her hands on a cloth she’d tucked into the waistband of her pants. “Why don’t you ask Tey or Tripp? Tey was in the protection business before he became a deputy and Tripp was a US Marshal before he became a rancher. Between the two of them, they should be able to give you some names or, at the very least, some tips on where to find some trustworthy men.”
“That’s a good idea,” Gabe said, pulling her down to sit on his knee. “Until we arrange for additional security, any gold we pull from the mountain will remain inside the cavern. While we’ve made deposits in Culpepper Savings and Loan, with the amount we’ll be depositing, I feel we need to go into either San Francisco or Sacramento and make our deposits directly with the Gold Exchange.”
“But, Gabe, it will soon be Christmas,” Jewel protested.
“Christmas is still a few weeks away and it won’t take but a week to get to one of the exchanges and back. Don’t worry, I wouldn’t miss the holiday. After all, I’m eager to see how many of the gems receive switches…”
“Gabriel! That’s a terrible thing to say,” Jewel said, slapping at his arm. “This is my first Christmas in America and I’m going to make sure that everyone has a holiday to remember. There will not be a single switch in our saloon!”
“I was teasing,” Gabe assured her, pulling her to him and kissing the side of her neck. “I know you want to replace sad memories with new ones and I’m more than happy to help you do it. All I’m saying is that we can’t just ignore the fact that today we received an incredible blessing. You do your planning and let me do what’s needed to make sure everyone stays safe, all right?”