Her hand flew to her throat and she opened her eyes wide. She swallowed hard to give herself a minute. “I so appreciate the gesture, Glad. Judge Salt ordered me to marry Mr. Settler. But I do thank you for looking out for my welfare.”
He actually looked relieved. “To tell you the truth I doubt my first wife would have liked you much. You’re a bit more independent than she thinks proper.”
“I see.” She began to pace again. First wife? She’d heard a lot of improper things all her life but she was tempted to laugh. It must be hysterics from the events of the day that made her feel that way.
Greg had made it to her claim, and she watched as he thanked some young man. Glad stepped aside and allowed Greg to pass and from the outrageous expression on Greg’s face he didn’t seem to appreciate her guard.
She held out her hand and led him to her father’s bunk. “Let me get a better look at your head.” She poured warm water into a basin and grabbed a cloth. She sat almost too close to him. He was the only one she knew who used soap and bothered to clean his teeth. The metal smell of blood was there too.
She gently ran her fingers through his hair to find more shards of glass. After she was satisfied she’d gotten most of them she began to dab at his wound. It was longer than she’d thought but not deep. No stitches would be needed but she wanted to clean the whole cut.
He winced as she dabbed.
“I wish I had some whiskey for you, but the bottle was used on your head.”
“I’ll be fine. I haven’t had much of a chance to talk to you, Mercy. I’m so very sorry about Hugo. He was a man you could be proud to call pa. He might have been filled with wanderlust, but he never left you behind. He loved you so very much, and he was proud of the woman you’d become.”
Tears started and the next thing she knew she was sobbing against Greg’s shoulder. She tried and tried to rein them in but her heart wouldn’t allow her to stop. She went to put her arms around him but stiffened at the pain of her gunshot and it made her cry all the harder. In an instant, her world had changed and she’d been left with one option. No it wasn’t an option it was a dictate. She was to marry Greg Settler.
She’d never get her house filled with children or a place to grow roots. Perhaps she’d been destined to move from mine to mine her whole life. Finally, she pulled back, embarrassed. Her vision was blurry, and her eyes stung. They were probably puffy and red. She took a deep breath. She had gold of her own. She could marry and then skip out. San Francisco wasn’t so far. She could buy herself a small house and probably live off her money for a while. Slowly she let out her breath.
“I’m sorry I didn’t mean to start bawling like a baby.” She stood and leaned against a plank of wood at the mine entrance. “I’m glad you weren’t hanged but I’m so, so sorry about this wedding thing. It’s not what I want at all. But I’ve always known a woman had no choice. You on the other hand, can make a run for it if you like. I can make my own way in life. I’m not your responsibility.”
He remained silent.
Turning toward him she studied him. The array of emotions that played across his face amazed her. Relief, worry, anger, much thought, and then resignation. Not what she’d imagined from a prospective groom. Although it hurt, it didn’t surprise her. Prospective? Reluctant and forced was the truth of the matter.
“I have a plan,” she announced. “We’ll pretend we’re getting married and just not do it.”
Greg’s face turned red. “What?”
“Mercy, I thought better of you.” She closed her eyes at the judge’s voice from behind her.
She fixed a smile on her face and turned. His expression of disapproval stung. “Well, I didn’t expect you to come to the mine. It’s muddy in here.” Shelly stepped from behind the judge. “Shelly, what a surprise.”
“How you feeling, Settler?” Judge Salt asked.
“I’ll be just fine. Thank you for saving my neck back there.”
“I’ve come to get you two married good and proper. Glad and Shelly will be the witnesses. Greg, can you stand or would you rather you two just sat on the bunk together?”
A grimace flittered across his face. “I wish I could stand that long. A man should stand proudly next to his bride, but I think it best I don’t faint in the middle of the ceremony.” He held out his hand. “Mercy, come sit with me.”
Why did everyone think this marriage such a good idea? Part of her wanted to run and keep running but another part of her wanted a measure of being secure. Greg was the best of the bunch and she did like him. Would they be happy in the long run? Probably not, but options she didn’t seem to have.
The seriousness of what was to happen overshadowed the absurdity of it. She could hardly breathe while the words were being said, and she almost choked on the word obey in their vows. Call her a liar; she had no plans to obey anyone.
Greg kissed her on the cheek, and before she knew it they were alone. Sighing, she glanced at him. “Well, I guess that’s that. Shall I help you to your claim?” She sat frozen in place as she waited for his reply. It wouldn’t surprise her if he agreed with her. That was what she wanted wasn’t it?
Greg took her hand. “Tell you what. I know this arrangement isn’t to your liking, but for better or worse here we are. I’ll sleep on your father’s bunk for now. But only for now. I have dreams for my life too and they always included a wife and children.” He sounded dead tired. “Now take off your shirt.”
Her eyes widened, and her heart pounded. “I most certainly will not.” She lifted her chin ready to battle it out.
“I want to tend to your arm.”
“It’s fine,” she clipped.
“Mercy, I want to be sure it’s cleaned out properly. Please?”
With a sigh of defeat, she stood and poured warm water in a bowl. Then she gathered a clean cloth and a clean bandanna that could be used to bandage it. “No stitches.”
“I can’t promise until I see it.”
She couldn’t help but frown at him as she put the items down and unbuttoned her shirt. Turning away from him, she took her arm out of the sleeve and then clasped the rest of the shirt to cover herself. She then sat down next to him. He was so gentle, the gentlest man she’d known. He cleaned out the wound, and she sat still.
“It must hurt,” he murmured.
She nodded. “It does but I’ve had worse. It doesn’t need stitching, does it?”
“No, it stopped bleeding. I’m going to wrap it for you, though. You’re very brave. Heck, my sisters would have been wailing loud enough for people to hear for miles.”
Mercy shrugged her shoulder. “Like I said, I’ve had worse injuries and nothing to dull the pain.” She smiled. “Maybe we should have had some whiskey while we were in the saloon.”
His lips thinned, and anger flashed in his eyes. “You do know it’s not over with Carl, even though your judge friend told him to forget it. We need to be on guard. He’ll think us weak now with our wounds.”
“Good thing I hired Glad and Mac then, isn’t it?”
“How much did you have to pay them?”
“More than enough. I’ve saved gold nuggets all my life. I can get by if I need to.”
“I wouldn’t expect anything else.” A smile tweaked his lips. “You’re very independent.”
“That’s why this marriage isn’t going to work out. I have no intention of obeying you. I thought you should know up front so we know where we stand with each other.”
“Well that’s fine. I don’t intend to obey you either. I need to talk to Glad or Mac and then I’ll need to sleep.” He stood, went outside and returned with a bag full of his things. He put his own blanket and pillow on the bunk. “I’d kiss you goodnight but I’m as weak as a baby calf.”
“I understand.” She watched as he rolled into the bunk, clothes and all. Yawning, she did the same.
Chapter Four
Greg was in agony. If Mercy brushed her body against his one more time he was going to explode. I
t was tight quarters in the mine shaft, and he tried to explain it to her, but she told him she knew more than he did about mining and this was how it was done. She seemed to enjoy the contact with him. Her eyes seemed to glow every time she did it.
If he hadn’t known she was innocent, he’d have thought she was doing it on purpose. “We need to widen the whole mine.”
Her brow furrowed. “What are you taking about? If you find gold we dig that way. It’s a waste of time and energy to do any more digging.” She tilted her head. “You’re afraid down there, aren’t you? Lots of people don’t realize it until they have to spend a lot of time underground. Tell you what. You gather all the rocks and bring them up here to examine them. I’ll do the hard part.”
He shook his head. “Why do you always think the worst of me?”
“There’s no shame in being afraid.”
“Shoot me now,” he mumbled.
“What was that?”
He shook his head. “Nothing. Let’s get back to work.”
Mercy stared at him, shrugged her shoulders, and swung the pickaxe. She was better than most men with that thing. There was not one wasted movement, and she hit the rock hard.
She stopped and scowled. “Now what?”
He grinned. “I was just thinking you could probably win if we arm wrestled.”
“Don’t think, just know. Of course I’d win.” She went back to work.
A bit later, there was a straining noise, and they both stopped and stared at each other.
“What is that?” Greg asked. His stomach clenched.
“We get out now, go get timber and shore it up.”
Some heavy rocks began to fall from above them and they hightailed it out of there.
It took Greg a moment to catch his breath. “It’s dangerous down there.”
“It’s not a job for the faint of heart. I’m beginning to think mining isn’t for you.”
He sat down on his bunk. “I’m thinking it’s too dangerous for a woman. I don’t think you should go into the shaft anymore.”
Her jaw dropped and she crossed her arms in front of her. “You don’t tell me what to do,” she said with an edge to her voice.
“I am your husband.”
Mercy glared at him and stomped outside. He quickly followed.
“Where are you going?” he asked.
“I’m going to get the lumber. You’re welcome to help if you like. Or you can sit on the bunk and decide if you’re going mine your own mine without me.”
She started down the hill. “Glad can you keep an eye on our mines?”
“I’d be happy to,” Glad said.
“For heaven’s sake!” He hurried after her. “This is a good opportunity for you to show me what kind of wood we use. I’m sure there are different sizes and types.”
“You get what you get,” she said without looking at him.
“Why is that?
“The better timber is saved for buildings and houses. Once in a while, you get lucky and you find some at an abandoned mine. But this place is becoming so full, we’ll have to buy some. I have a hammer and nails. A strong back is also required.” Mercy continued to walk without so much as a glance at him.
He’d certainly ruffled her feathers. He shouldn’t have told her mining was too dangerous for a woman. She knew so much more than he. He was probably the dangerous one. He could make a mistake and bring the whole ceiling down on them.
“Mercy?”
“What is it?” She still didn’t look at him.
“I apologize for my outburst. You have more experience than me, and I shouldn’t have said it was too dangerous for you. Where I’m from, men protect their women.”
She snorted. “Woman can do just fine. They just need to know how to shoot. Fear of shooting can be a problem for some women, but I’d rather shoot first and ask questions later.”
He nodded. He’d best remember that.
She stopped in front of three piles of wood. “Now let me show you. This here wood, is fine wood. See how nice and straight it is? That’s for building. Now you can pick from the second or third pile depending.”
“Depending on what?”
“How long you want to live.” She smiled at an approaching man. He was nicely dressed and there wasn’t a splat of mud on him. “Jamie, nice to see you.” Her voice was as sweet as sugar.
Jamie smiled back, took her hand and kissed the back of it. “The very sight of you has brightened my day, Miss Mercy.” He still held her hand. “Sorry I was to hear about your dear father. If you need anything, I can buy the mine from you if you need me to.”
Mercy withdrew her hand from him. “Jamie, this is Greg. He’s my husband. We’re going to stick it out for a while. In fact, we need some timber.”
“Hearty congratulations on your nuptials. It’s nice to meet you, Greg.” He stuck out his hand.
Greg shook Jamie’s hand. Just as he expected, the other man’s hands were as soft as a baby’s bottom. If Greg hadn’t already been put off by Jamie’s over the top conversation, he’d dislike him from his handshake alone.
“You must be new around here.”
Greg nodded. “Yes, I’m new and as soon as I laid eyes on Mercy, well I couldn’t allow her to get away, now could I?” He felt the heat of Mercy’s stare. “We need some wood.”
Mercy was quick in picking what she wanted, and Jamie promised to have it delivered to her claim. Greg took Mercy’s hand as they walked away. They hadn’t gone far before she pulled her hand away.
“Couldn’t allow me to get away? Gah!”
“He was staring at you like you were a piece of candy.”
She stopped walking. “He was? Well, I didn’t notice. Men stare all the time because I’m one of the only single females around who doesn’t work for Carl. I’ve had nearly fifteen marriage proposals.”
“That’s a lot.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “No one tickled your fancy?”
“I don’t have time for miners. I’ve seen too many and they don’t interest me in the least.”
“What type of man does interest you?”
“I suppose you, since we’re married. I might as well get to know you. Then if I decide I don’t like you, we don’t need to talk to each other.”
“A marriage of not talking? That wouldn’t be a happy one.” He continued on back to the mine, not caring if he was walking too fast for her. With his long stride he easily outpaced her. What if he decided he didn’t like her? Had she thought of that? Maybe it was time to leave mining behind. He came, he’d given it a try. Now he was ready to train horses. Funny how he just had to get away to prove himself, and what he wanted most was to be back near his family. He wanted his own spread of course.
“Wait! You walk too darn fast.”
He turned and waited, watching as she hurried up the hill. She was a pretty woman, but would he have chosen her if he’d had a choice? He took off his hat and ran his fingers through his hair. It really didn’t matter. It was done.
She stopped and stared at him. “I guess I was a bit hasty in my statement. It’ll take some time to get to know each other. I’m looking forward to it. I guess I just don’t like being cornered and told what to do. Everyone always has the upper hand, and I’m tired of it.”
“I can understand that,” he said softly before he took her hand and held it the rest of the way to the mine. “It’s going to be hot today.”
“If it’s too hot we can sleep during the day and work at night. We use the oil lamps to see anyway, so it really doesn’t make a difference. Some miners work in shifts. That might work better for you, so I’m not always in your way.”
He opened the flap and they walked inside. “Mercy, if we do that we won’t get to know each other. Plus I don’t feel comfortable thinking you’d be up here sleeping alone. What if someone comes to attack again?”
She reached under her bunk and drew out a gun belt. “Fine, we’ll do it your way. I’ll wear this from now on. Plus you need someone
to teach you the ropes.”
He looked down at the ground trying to think of a way to bring up leaving. He looked at her. Would she be comfortable living in a house? “Mercy, you once mentioned wanting to have a home with children. Did you mean that?”
Confusion played across her face. “Someday, yes. Right now I’m going to start digging toward your mine and see if there is gold there while we wait for the timber.”
Before he could get a word out, a gunshot exploded through the air, making his ears ring. Mercy bent and then stood up, holding the biggest rattler he’d ever seen.
She shook her head. “Now, where do you suppose this came from?”
“It could have crawled in.”
“Somehow, I doubt it.” She took off at a fast pace with the rattler dangling from her hands. Greg struggled to follow her as she marched right into the saloon, but he arrived just as she threw the snake on the ground.
Carl walked from behind the bar and stared at the rattler. “You don’t see many of those around here.”
She widened her stance and put her hand on her gun. “Exactly what I was thinking. So, who do you suppose put it in my mine?” Her eyes narrowed as she stared at Carl.
Greg’s stomach dropped. He put his arm around her waist and turned her toward the door.
Mercy shrugged his arm away. “Let go of me. I know it was Carl who put it there. He’s wanted my mine from the very beginning!”
An angry murmur surged through the saloon, making Greg nervous. Carl had a lot of friends, and those who weren’t friends owed him in some way. Mercy was sure to get herself shot and Greg wasn’t about to let that happen.
“Mercy, let’s go home.”
She shook her head. “It’s about time someone stood up to him and that someone is going to be me. We can’t go around living in fear that Carl is going to try to jump our claims. He’s done it before in other towns. I want him stopped!”
“Listen, Mercy, think what you want, but I had nothing to do with that stinkin’ snake. Lots of people jump claims. If you want to make this a gunfight, well darlin’ your husband better get a coffin built.” Carl’s voice was steady, but he was ready to shoot Mercy if it came to it, of that Greg had no doubt.
Greg Page 4