“Boys, this here is Greg. He has his claim next to mine. Funny thing, someone was shooting at him last night. Did any of you see anything?” Hugo put his tray down and sat.
Greg did the same as he glanced from one man to another. No one looked the least bit guilty. They were all different shapes and sizes, but all he saw was the caked mud on their faces. It was going to take a bit to figure out who was who.
Hugo took a big bit of ham and began to introduce the others to Greg. “That one there is Smitz, then Mac, Glad, and Longster.”
“Nice to meet you.”
They grunted and continued to eat.
“Don’t you want to know why they call me Glad?” asked a tall, stocky man.
“Because you’re pleasant?”
Everyone at the table laughed except for Glad.
“It’s short for Gladiator.” Glad seemed to be waiting for some response, but Greg wasn’t sure what.
“That’s very interesting.”
“Just don’t get in my way,” Glad warned in a gruff tone.
Greg nodded. Was he given that name or had he made it up to sound tough?
“I heard the shots, rifle shots last night,” Smitz said, his voice low and soft. “They came from up high on the opposite hill.”
“Someone opened their flap about gold being here and now we have all the riffraff coming in.”
Greg thought of his ma. She’d consider the men at the table riffraff.
“I’m taking him under my wing,” Hugo announced.
Each man gave Hugo a solemn nod like it was some code of the miners. Whatever it was, Greg was grateful.
“Did you meet Mercy yet?” The man named Mac asked. Mac had two front gold teeth and from what Greg could tell they were the only teeth he had.
Greg chewed his food before answering. “Yes I did. She’s a lovely person, and she helped me tremendously.”
“Saved your bacon, did she?” Longster asked.
“She sure did.”
They finished eating and headed back.
“You looked for gold while you were digging didn’t you?” Hugo asked.
“Of course I did.”
Hugo nodded. “Good. Next thing is to put the dirt outside of the tent so you have somewhere to lay your head.
Greg looked at him.
“The sides of the tents roll up. Just shove the dirt to the outside. This will serve two purposes. One you have room in the tent. Two, people see that you didn’t find anything and will hopefully leave you be for a while. Keep your gun handy at night and keep you lamp low. You don’t want to make yourself a target. In another day or so you can move your tent to the side and start shoring up your entrance. Come on to my mine. I’ll show you what I mean about grading.”
They walked through the flaps to Hugo’s mine and both men quickly turned their backs toward Mercy. She’d been changing her shirt and she didn’t wear undergarments. Greg didn’t see much, but he got the impression of creamy soft skin, and he caught the slightest glimpse of her curves.
“Pa, you’re supposed to whistle. You can turn around now. I’m clothed.”
Greg figured she’d be the one blushing but it was he who felt heat on his cheeks. “Sorry about that, Mercy.”
“No harm done.” She gave him one of her warm smiles. “How’s the digging going? Are you rich yet?”
“Fine and no. I’m here to see about grading to avoid flooding.”
Mercy began to explain how it was done while Hugo went into the mine with his pickaxe. Greg listened to her in fascination. She sounded more like an engineer than a miner.
“You’re educated.”
“You noticed?”
“You know boys don’t like smart girls, at least that’s what my sister Scarlett says.”
“I don’t care, never did. I’m too smart for that kind of logic.”
Greg laughed. “I do think we can be good friends, Mercy.”
“As long as you don’t try to get too friendly we’ll do quite well together. Now scoot. I have a mine to work.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Greg wanted to smile as he walked back to his tent, but he put on his best expressionless face. Happiness usually equaled a gold strike around here, and he didn’t want to put himself or Mercy in danger.
All he thought of while he shoveled the dirt out of his tent was Mercy. She was so unlike anyone he’d ever met, her presence in mining country so unexpected. But mining for gold was just the adventure he’d been looking for.
“Well, hello good looking.”
Greg startled, grabbed his gun, and spun around. Standing inside his tent was a beautiful blond woman with not nearly enough clothes on. He swallowed hard, not knowing exactly where to look.
“Hello, ma’am.”
She laughed. “Your ma must have taught you some nice manners. My name is Shelly. I just wanted to say hello. I like to greet all the new men.”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Greg Settler. Are you in camp with your husband?”
“Aren’t you a young one. Unjaded, I like that. No I work in the saloon tent. I was hoping I’d see you there later. The first one is free.”
His jaw dropped and his face heated. “Excuse me?”
She fluttered her eyelashes at him and gave him a coy smile. “The first drink, silly.”
“Would you like to put my coat on? It doesn’t seem—”
“I put on an extra petticoat for the walk over. I’m fine. I usually don’t make house calls but in your case I could make an exception.” She walked closer with each word until she had her hand on his cheek. “I’d like us to be friends.”
He took a step back. “A person can never have too many friends. Listen Shelly, I need to get back to work, but it was nice to meet you.”
She frowned and looked around his mine. “Maybe you wouldn’t be able to afford me. Have you found any gold yet?”
“Not yet but one can hope.”
Chapter Two
“Will you stop pacing? You’re making my head spin,” Hugo told Mercy.
“She’s been in his tent for a long time, don’t you think?” She frowned and then peeked out at Greg’s tent again.
“No, not too awfully long. I bet they are just jawing.” He didn’t sound very convincing.
“You really believe that? I don’t even know why I’m the least bit perturbed. I mean he’s a man after all. Men have needs. I hear it all the time.”
“You hear too much and see too much out here in the camps, and I’m sorry for it.”
“No use fretting, Pa. You know there’s nowhere I’d rather be.” She shrugged. “I just thought he was different is all. But a man is a man. Shelly is so pretty, and she knows how to talk to a man. She has sweet words to say, and I don’t know any. Maybe I should ask her to teach me—”
“You will not. You do know what Shelly is. You’ll end up like her, and your days of misery will start and stay with you. We’ll make a big strike, and then we can have a big house on the hill.”
“Yes, Pa.” He always dreamed of the big strike they’d have. They had more than enough gold already, but he never saw it that way.
A flash of color drew her gaze outside in time to see Shelly ducking out of Greg Settler’s tent. “Finally! She’s making her way down the hill. I’ll be right back.”
“Mercy, where are you going? What do you plan to say to him? Let the young man be.”
She put her hands on her hips but held her tongue. Her pa was right. What was there to say? She might not want to hear anything that came out of Greg’s mouth anyway. He might have wonderful feelings about the half-dressed Shelly. Glancing down at her own mud-caked pants, Mercy sighed. She’d end up an old maid miner. Or worse, she’d end up with a toothless man with dirt in his veins. She wrinkled her nose at the thought.
“How old do you think Greg is?” she asked.
“He’s seventeen. I asked him. I’m not sure he’s the settling down type, Mercy. I think you’d be happier with a man without itchy feet.”
“We’ll see what the future brings. You never know what’s around the next corner,” she said with a smile. It was one of her pa’s sayings. He smiled back but it didn’t calm her. She went right back to the entrance and watched the tent next door. Just where was she supposed to meet a man who wanted to put down roots?
“Now Carl is coming up the hill. Quite the welcome from the saloon workers.”
“Mercy, Carl’s a good guy and an excellent bartender. He probably thinks since Greg wasn’t interested in Shelly he might be interested in a card game or something.”
She didn’t reply. She went outside instead and the next thing she knew she was in Greg’s tent. “Howdy.”
Carl tipped his hat to her. “Nice to see you again, Miss Mercy. I was just inviting Greg here to join me for a drink. You’re welcome to tag along. I know my customers would love to see you.” His words were polite but his tone of voice reminded her of a snake.
“No, thank you anyway. I was just going to go over how to grade the ground, unless you want to show him. There are clouds gathering, and he’ll be knee deep in mud and water if it isn’t right.”
Carl shrugged. “I’ll have to defer to your knowledge in these things, Miss Mercy. I know my liquor and my women. Greg, come down and have that drink with me sometime.” He tipped his hat again and left.
Greg walked out of the tent and stared up at the sky. “I don’t think it’s going to rain. Do you have an aversion to spirits?”
“Not in the least. I just didn’t want you get taken advantage of by Shelly and Carl.”
Greg laughed. “So, you saw Shelly come in, did you?”
“Yes.” Mercy waited for more of an explanation but Greg didn’t elaborate. Some men were too closed mouthed.
“She stayed for a while,” Mercy commented.
“Did she? I hadn’t noticed.” His lips twitched.
“You’re making fun of me, aren’t you?” She turned and started out of the tent when she felt Greg’s hand on her arm.
“Don’t go. I didn’t mean to tease you.” He waited until she turned toward him. “She just wanted to invite me to the saloon. I turned her down so I guess that’s why Carl came up. They want to part me from my money. I’m ill equipped for the goings on at the saloon. I’ve had whiskey once, I don’t play cards, and as for the other…” Red blossomed across his cheeks. “In most ways I’m old enough to be on my own, but I have a lot I haven’t experienced. I’ll experience it all someday.”
“I think you should go home.” She gave him a long stare.
“Now why would that be?”
She sighed as she began to climb up to the top of the hill. “You’ll change if you stay. You’ll become disillusioned and hard. A look of defeat will cross your face more often than not. Right now you’re hopeful. I suppose it’s not my business, but I don’t want you to become like these other men. All they do is chase the gold, drink, and gamble. Did you know most have families somewhere who they promised to send money to but don’t? Carl and Shelly are camp followers. They never build a solid structure because they know once a place is panned out, people leave. The towns become empty and another springs up somewhere else.”
“You’re not hard or defeated,” Greg observed, giving her a long assessing look.
“I’m not going to spend all my days mining. I have enough to get me started. I want a plot of land where I can build a small house and have a garden and a few chickens. Perhaps a cow and a horse. I want to live somewhere there is a church and a school. These are things I barely remember from my life before the gold strike.”
“Then why don’t you go?”
She laughed. “I couldn’t leave Pa. But I hold my someday deep in my heart. Even Pa doesn’t know. I hold back some of the gold so he can’t spend it or gamble it. He doesn’t gamble often, but he never wins. I’m looking out for our future.” She met and held his gaze. “I hope you won’t rummage through our camp looking for my gold.”
He reached out and took her hand in his, and she startled. “I’d never stand between you and your dreams. You don’t have to worry about me.”
She gave him a sidelong glance. “Good to know. One neighbor we had peeped at me. I gave him a bloody nose. Pa would have stuck a bullet in him. Like I said, you never know who you’ll get as a neighbor. Seems we got lucky with you, even if you are a greenhorn.”
He put his hands in his pockets. “A greenhorn at mining but I’m a heck of a cowboy.”
She nodded. “I bet that’s true. Well, it’s time for Pa and me to go to Ima’s.”
“Go, I’ll stand watch.”
“You’re a fast learner. I’ll see you later.” She made her way down the hill.
***
Greg went back to his tent and grabbed his rifle. Next, he climbed the hill again and sat. The view was good. He could easily see both mines and anyone approaching. The glory and adventure of mining for gold wasn’t turning out the way he’d thought. The dangers weren’t something he had given much credence to.
People were greedy, he knew that. What was Hugo thinking, allowing his daughter to live in such conditions? Sleeping in a mine. Surrounded by men and loose women. And what about washing? Greg hadn’t found a place to bathe yet. What about clean clothes? He’d have to ask Hugo about it. His trousers were so caked with mud, they’d probably stand up themselves. He also needed to send word to Smitty and Lynn and let them know where he was.
He missed them, and he hadn’t expected to. He’d been old enough to strike out on his own. They knew what was right and what was wrong, and the lines back home didn’t blur as they did out here. He’d have to figure it all out on his own.
The last of the sun had set and it had been a beautiful sight with the pinks and purples. He nodded at Hugo when he spotted them walking back. He put his rifle away and made his way down to the cook tent.
Ima gave him a wide smile. “So you lasted a whole day. Good for you.” She handed him a plate, and he loaded it up with pork chops. Ima doled out the potatoes again and he also got some green beans and bread.
He sat down at one of the wooden plank tables and began to eat. Soon enough the table filled up. Many introduced themselves, but he’d never remember their names. The different accents intrigued him. One was from the north, Boston maybe. Another had a Texas drawl. There was a Mexican, and one man had a French accent.
People traveled far to make their fortunes. They asked about his claim, and he answered honestly that he had found nothing, but when he asked about theirs they clammed up. Figured. People were afraid of being shot or claimed jumped.
“Where you from, boy?” The man with the drawl asked.
Being called a boy rankled. “I hale from all over, but most recently Oregon. I traveled the Oregon Trail. And the name is Greg, not boy.”
The man grunted. “Sorry, I’m Tex. Nice to meet you. I’m from Texas. Sold my cattle ranch and moved my family here to California.”
“Does your family live on your claim?”
“No, I left them about three towns back. My wife was the nagging type, and my daughter was good for nothin’. I left enough money to last a bit, and I’ve moved from boomtown to boomtown.”
Greg stilled. “How long ago was that?” Somehow he dreaded the answer.
Tex shrugged. “Less than a year I think. She’ll have to find someone else, I guess. I really don’t care. She never could abide my love of mining.”
Greg stood. “Good meeting you.” He didn’t wait for a reply. His stomach clenched as he handed the plate and cup to Ima. Upon leaving the cook tent, he looked up at the blue sky and gritted his teeth. He wanted to punch Tex in the face. How did someone leave their family behind and forget about them?
Perhaps the same coul
d be said for Hugo. He was just as bad, dragging Mercy around from mine to mine. They called it gold fever for a reason. It made people go out of their minds. It wasn’t his problem but he just couldn’t understand it. Didn’t Tex know what happened to women down on their luck? Heck, his daughter could be working a saloon for all he knew or cared.
Greg had just about walked his anger off when he saw a rustling of his tent flap. Now what? He drew his gun and quickly pulled the flap open. Anger and relief flowed through him.
He holstered his gun. “Shelly what are you doing here? You’re not trying to steal my claim are you?” He smiled as though he was teasing, but he was dead serious.
She twisted a lock of blond hair around her finger. “I was looking for you. Carl sent me. You know, one on the house.”
“What exactly does that mean?”
“I undress and you have the time of your life.”
“Shelly, has anyone ever turned you down?”
She shook her head. “Well, they say no in front of their wives or daughters, but I meet them later. Ask Hugo.”
If she thought by telling him Hugo used her it would make her appeal to him, she was wrong.
“Thank you, but I’ll pass. Hugo and his daughter are friends of mine, and if Hugo has a claim on you—”
“You think I’m a soiled dove, don’t you?”
No matter what he said it would come out sounding the same. “I don’t know. You work at the saloon and you just offered…well you offered yourself to me though we really don’t know each other. Call it what you want I guess. I’m not in a position to judge another.”
Shelly smiled as happy as can be. “Oh, good. I thought you might have disapproved of me. Well, take me up on my offer anytime. Bye, handsome.” She sailed out of his tent.
Her perfume filled the small enclosed space, and he took a step outside. There stood Mercy with a big frown on her face.
“What’s wrong? Did something happen?” he asked.
“Why would you think something was wrong?” She folded her arms in front her.
“If you could see the way you’re looking at me, you’d know what I mean.”
Greg Page 2