Emer: Clover Springs Mail Order Brides

by Rachel Wesson

  Pa Newmark had served as an army surgeon during the war. He came home but hadn’t been able to practice medicine. Said he’d seen enough blood to last a lifetime. He’d taken pity on the scrawny kid, though, and splinted her arm properly. Without his help, Emer doubted her arm would have healed so well. She had grown very fond of the man who taught her so much about healing herbs. Although he refused to practice medicine, he wasn’t averse to using his knowledge to help those he loved including the animals on his farm. Emer soaked up his knowledge like a bison drank water after a drought.

  Despite being aware of her ma’s reputation, Pa Newmark saw her interest was genuine. He taught her how to clean wounds and tend to basic illnesses. He had died almost two years previously and Emer still missed him. He and Ma Newmark had made her early life just about bearable. She knew Ma Newmark had hopes for a match between her and Harvey but she didn’t see the youngest Newmark that way. Besides, Patty would never agree. The Newmarks didn’t have anything she needed.

  Thinking of Harvey, she almost fell over his feet as he lay beside the fire he’d lit. He was sleeping outside as he often did.

  “Harvey, I got to get away and you’re going to help me.”

  “Why you got to get away? You done something?”

  Emer played with a stone on the ground. She hadn’t done anything. Yet. But if Bill kept up the way he was going, she was likely to kill him.

  “No, I haven’t done anything but I might. I have to get away. I hate that gang. You know I do.”

  Emer struggled to think clearly. What could she do to get away? Maybe someone would be interested in her knowledge of the Bainstreet Gang and the loot they had hidden on the Half Circle Ranch. There could be a reward. She’d use the money to go to Boston and look for Ma’s family.

  "What's cooking inside that pretty head of yours?"

  "I could go to the sheriff. I heard he's a tough nut but fair. He'd get me a pardon in return for what I know about Bill and the boys."

  "You’d likely to get shot first. You know Bill wouldn't let you talk to the sheriff."

  "He doesn’t have to know, does he? He doesn’t know where I am now.”

  "Well, I guess he don’t but is that what you want?"

  "Maybe."

  "But that would mean ratting out your ma and regardless of how bad she is, she's the only family you got."

  Emer stared at the fire. He might not be the smartest guy in the world yet he had hit her exact problem. Her ma. She couldn't hand her over to the law. But he wasn't as smart as he thought was he. He didn’t know everything.

  "But she ain’t, is she? I got myself a sister." She let the shock register before she continued. “Ma left her in Boston with our granny. She might be still there.” Emer picked at a stick. What did her sister, Sorcha, look like?

  “She might but she could be dead. Anyways, you can't just show up. What if she don’t want ya?”

  “She will. She's my sister.”

  “Patty’s your ma and she don’t seem to care too much about ya. Not from where I'm standing.”

  She didn’t have time to hide her hurt.

  “Oh, rats. Sorry, Emer. I didn’t mean to hurt ya. I love ya. You know I do. Why can't you marry me? Then you’d be safe. I won't let no one touch ya.”

  “Yeah, I know. I can't marry you, Harvey. I'm only fifteen. I'm not ready to be a ma yet. I want to see something of the world.”

  “Where you going to go?”

  “I’m going to find my sister. She'll help me. I know she will.” She kissed him quickly on the cheek. “I need your help, Harvey. You'll have to ride with me – just to Leadville. I can get a job there. When I’ve saved enough money, I will go on to Boston. I can't travel alone. Not out here.”

  “Leadville is full of miners. You won’t be safe there.”

  “I can look after myself. I can shoot straight. The last time we went to Leadville, Ma commented on the number of new businesses.”

  “I don’t like it but I don’t like Bill even more. I'll help you go, Emer. But you remember, I am here if you ever need me. Anytime you want to come home to Kansas, I'll be waiting right here. You just see.”

  Emer fought the urge to stay with him. Her instincts told her to find her missing sister. Start over. A new life where nobody knew she was Patty’s daughter.

  "I'm going tomorrow, Harvey, and I ain’t never coming back. I mean it. As God is my witness." Picking up a stick, she idly poked the dying embers. She shivered, but not with the cold. This was it. She was never coming back to the Half Circle Ranch. Even if her sister didn’t want to know her. Bill and the rest of his gang could go to ... Ma, too.

  Chapter 5

  Leadville, 1883

  Minerva Nichols watched as Emer rubbed her back. The poor girl was working too hard, especially for a seventeen-year-old. She should have some fun at her age. The linens she had scrubbed hung on the line. With the warm weather, they would be dry in no time and ready for ironing. She’d been right to take the girl in two years before when she’d arrived in Leadville, rather rough around the edges. With her looks and body, she could have made a lot of money working in one of the saloons. Minerva shuddered thinking just how close the girl had come.

  If she hadn’t stepped in, the innocent girl would have been destroyed. Just like I was. If someone had stepped in to save me, what would my life have turned out like? Stop that, you’ve done well for yourself. Nobody associates you with the girl they knew as Lily Long Legs.

  Lewis Nichols had married her and taken her to Leadville, sure they would find riches in the mountains. And they had, more than they could have ever dreamed of. The recent silver strikes had brought the best and worst to their little town. Sudden wealth had a bad effect on people. She frowned, thinking of her own husband. Seemed he wouldn’t be happy no matter how rich they became.

  “What?”

  Minerva blinked rapidly, her attention focused back on Emer. “Nothing, dear. I just thought you looked a little tired. You can’t work day and night, Emer.”

  “I can and I will. I have to get to Boston.” Emer wiped her forehead with her sleeve before brushing some dirt off her pants.

  Minerva smiled. It had been her idea to let the girl continue to dress in pants and a shirt. It offered a little protection against the hazards of working in a town with so many single men. “I can buy you a ticket to Boston.”

  At the look on Emer’s face, Minerva quickly continued. “It’s a loan, not charity. You can pay me back when you find your sister.”

  “No, thank you.”

  “Emer, you are as ornery as a miner’s mule. Giving hard-working, honest men grubstakes is how my husband made his fortune. Why can’t I grubstake you?’

  “It’s not the same and you know it. I don’t have a claim on a mine. I ain’t never going to hit gold or silver to pay you back.”

  “Please, Emer, let me help.” Minerva loved the girl. She was like the daughter she would never have. Not now. It was too late.

  “No, but thank you, Miss Minerva. You helped me enough already.”

  “Have it your way but will you at least move to Denver with me? I don’t want to leave you here.”

  Sensing Emer was about to decline, Minerva spoke quickly. “Wait ‘til you see the house Lewis bought. It’s huge. I will need a lot of help setting it up. I know I can find domestics in Denver but it would be really helpful if I had someone I could trust.” Minerva saw she wasn’t winning any ground. It was time to play the guilt card. “You know those respectable people aren’t going to take to me immediately. I need you. Please say you will, Emer.”

  Emer didn’t reply but she seemed to be listening more openly now. She had to play on her sympathy.

  “Things have been difficult lately. Lewis is away so much. You would be doing me a favor. Having a friendly face around means a lot.”

  “I can see why you are so successful, Miss Minerva. You could charm honey off a bee.”

  Minerva laughed before thoughts of her husban
d removed the smile from her face. There was a time when Lewis would do anything for her. Now, it seemed as if he couldn’t bear to be in her company for five minutes. She looked down at her hands. She knew the respectable people in Denver would look down on her. She had worked the fields, did her own housework, cooked meals and worked behind a store counter. Heck, she had even ridden horseback transporting gold to Denver for the postal express. There was very little she hadn’t done and some things she wasn’t proud of. Nobody in Denver knows of Lily Long Legs. You can leave her here in the mountains. Lewis is the only one who shares your secret. He’s not likely to tell anyone.

  Lewis. Her heart twisted with longing. How she loved that man, but she’d lost him. She could see it in his eyes. Darn it, anyway. Her blood, sweat and tears had helped to secure his wealth. If she hadn’t insisted on opening stores and using his early profits to buy their land, he would never have had the fifty dollars worth of tools and goods to grubstake the French miners. She had continued to run the store and restaurant with Emer’s help despite the $250,000 her husband got from his investment in the Frenchmen.

  Maybe that is why this girl had appealed to her so much. Emer reminded her of herself. Just like her, the girl had grown up in the wild west. She lived life on her wits. Minerva had probed but Emer refused to tell her why she had run away. Given the reasons she had left home all those years ago, she decided not to pry. Some hurts were better left in the past.

  “Will you come to Denver, Emer?”

  “Yes, Miss Minerva. I’ll come but I can’t stay long. I’m heading for Boston to find my sister just as soon as the warm weather comes along.”

  Chapter 6

  Boston 1884

  Emer got off the train and looked around the station. She was finally here. She hadn’t meant to stay so long in Denver but Miss Minerva—Minnie, as she now called her—had needed her.

  Her hands clenched as she remembered how quickly the joy of moving to the big house in Denver had soured. Mr. Nichols had no sooner arrived in the big city before he had taken to going out every night. Rumors of affairs and relationships abounded. His wealth grew at a phenomenal rate, not least due to his investment in other mines, banks and a couple of saloons. He wasn’t fussy how he made his money.

  Emer wasn’t aware she was scowling as she thought of how Lewis had treated Minnie. It wasn’t enough he had left her for another lady but he had also spread some malicious gossip about Miss Minerva’s past. Emer had come across her mistress arguing with her husband. On hearing a loud slap, she had rushed into the room to find Miss Minerva on the floor, Lewis standing over her.

  She couldn’t believe how her friend and mentor had seemed to age overnight. “Miss Minerva. What have you done to her?” she’d shouted at Lewis, before rushing to help Miss Minerva to sit on the bed.

  Lewis had smirked nastily. “Dear old Emer. Still calling my darling wife Miss Minerva. Isn’t it about time you told the girl how you earned your first dollars? On your back?”

  Emer had taken a step toward Lewis, her hand raised. He had retaliated by grabbing it and twisting it behind her back. She could still smell him as he’d pushed his body closer to hers, his face a hair’s breath away from hers. “Careful, girl, or you may get a taste of the life your mistress used to lead. You are young enough yet.” Emer had stamped on his toe and kicked him in the shin for good measure. If she’d had a gun, she would have shot him.

  Men got away with murder. Patty’s troubles had all involved men and now poor Minnie was the laughing stock of Denver. It didn’t matter how rich she’d been. The respectable society she craved had immediately closed ranks on her. Lewis had divorced her and stolen all their investments. Minnie, as her mistress now preferred to be called, hadn’t been able to fight back. She couldn’t risk going to court and face more public condemnation.

  Thankfully, she’d kept some investments hidden in her own name. She had bought lots of land and had stores in various towns. It was as if some instinct had told her Lewis would betray her.

  Emer sighed. She missed Minnie already. She didn’t care what her friend had done in her early life. She’d been good to her and protected her. Emer wiped a tear away. If it hadn’t been for Minnie’s kind heart, Emer may have ended up in one of Lewis’s saloons, too.

  Miss Minerva had taken a long trip overseas. Despite her husband’s actions, Emer knew her friend prayed daily for her husband to admit he’d made a mistake and return to live with her. She couldn’t imagine ever loving someone that much.

  Lewis had made a complete fool of Minnie, yet she would have welcomed him back with open arms. Emer didn’t think the man would ever come back. At least she hoped he wouldn’t. If she ever set eyes on Lewis, she wouldn’t be responsible for her actions.

  Why was love so complicated? Emer believed it was overrated. She wasn’t ever going to fall in love. It only caused problems. Emer gathered her bags together, ignoring the stares of the other passengers. She was wearing her old uniform of pants and a shirt. Minnie had been appalled but Emer’s reasoning that dressing like a boy would protect her had worked. Emer grinned. Minnie didn’t know about the small pistol she had secured in her pocket. If any man tried his luck, he would be in for a surprise.

  Chapter 7

  Where did Ma say she’d lived when she was a kid? It was down near the docks. Might as well head there and see what she could find. The Catholic Church was a good place to look. Whatever else her ma may have kept hidden, she had never stopped talking about the church her mother had dragged her to every day and twice on a Sunday. She'd sworn it was the Church’s fault she'd run from Boston. Emer guessed the real reason involved a man. Where Patty was involved, trouble always equaled a man.

  Emer walked, her stomach grumbling with hunger. She didn’t want to spend any more money. Minnie had been generous but Emer didn’t know how long the money had to last. Her family would give her something to eat. They would be so pleased to see her. Ignoring the various street traders and intoxicating smells coming from the local cafés, she kept the church spire in sight.

  Finally, she pushed the door open and stepped inside. Immediately, the smell of incense brought images of a previous visit to mind. She’d been a little girl. She remembered hiding behind her ma’s skirts as music filled the building. Her ma had been crying but Emer couldn’t remember why.

  Looking around her, she spotted a priest kneeling near the altar. She decided to rest until he finished. It wouldn’t be a good idea to annoy him by interrupting him. She needed his help. As she settled back on the bench, she let the peaceful atmosphere soak into her bones. You wouldn’t know you were at the dockside. The air inside the church didn’t stink of fish and there was only muffled noise coming from outside. She let her eyes close as she rested her weary legs.

  A cough awakened her. Scrambling to stand up, she saw the priest standing in front of her.

  "Sit down and rest a while, young man.” The priest coughed. His gaze moving from her head to her toes and back again. “You’re a girl. What are you doing dressed like that? Are you on your own?”

  “I ain’t—I mean, I haven't got anyone else, Father. It’s just me.”

  “Are you in trouble? Hungry?”

  Emer shook her head and nodded in response to his questions, causing him to laugh.

  “If I can interpret, you are not in trouble, but you are hungry.” The priest’s eyes twinkled. “My name is Father Molloy. Why don’t you come into my house and we will see what Mrs. Raines has to offer?”

  “Father, could I ask you something first.”

  “By all means. Let me sit down, though. At my age, standing is a challenge.”

  Emer took a deep breath. Despite her shaking hands, her instincts told her the priest was a kind man. She could trust him. Not with the whole truth but with some of it.

  “My ma told me, on her death bed, that she had a mother here in Boston. I came to find my granny and my sister. My sister’s name is Sorcha Matthews.” Emer guessed her sister woul
d have the same surname. Ma hadn’t married. “Do you know her, Father?”

  Emer saw recognition dawn on his face but there was something else, too. Sadness or something else. She wasn’t quite sure.

  "Indeed, I do. She lived at the orphanage and I saw her at least once a week. But that was a while back.”

  In her excitement, Emer missed the fact the priest used the past tense.

  "Can you point me in the direction and I will go see her now?” Emer stood, eager to finally meet the sister she hadn’t known about.

  “I'm sorry, child, but that's not possible. Sorcha doesn’t live in the orphanage anymore.”

  “Well, where does she live then? I can get a cab, provided it’s not too far away. I have money but I wouldn't want to waste it.”

  "Sorcha's married now and lives in Clover Springs. Colorado.”

  Emer sat back down with a bump. Colorado. Her sister had been in Colorado this whole time. How on earth was she going to find her sister now? She didn’t have the money to go back to Colorado. You would have if you had taken what Minnie wanted to give you.

  “Father, how long would it take to get to Clover Springs? Do I have to take a stage?” Why you asking? Emer pinched herself.

  “It would only take a few days. Would you like me to write to Sorcha and tell her you intend visiting?”

  “I’d like to surprise her.”

  “She is a married woman with young children. Her husband may prefer to know in advance the company his ten-year-old daughter will be mixing with.”

  “My sister has a ten-year old? Just how old is she?”

  A smile creased Father Molloy's face. “She will soon be turning nineteen. Jenny is her stepdaughter.” Father Molloy’s stomach grumbled. “It’s been a long time since breakfast. Why don’t we go see what Mrs. Raines has put together for lunch?”