Finn's Fortune

by Kathleen Ball

  Finally as the sun began to set, he sat next to her. “Something you want to tell me, lass?”

  “Yes and no. Telling you could get me sent back into a bad situation, and I need to know you won’t turn me in. I barely got away unharmed, and it’s been sheer terror at every turn that someone would find out who I am and report me. I’m bound and determined to make a life for myself. A life as a free citizen. A life without papers that state I belong to someone else.”

  Finn cocked his head as he stared at her. “You have another husband?”

  She gave him a sad smile. “If only it was that easy. In Ireland, my family’s house was burned for not paying the Lord of the Manor his taxes. We’d always paid on time but in the end that didn’t matter. The English soldiers tried to run me down with their horses to take me to the big house. I never ran so fast in my life. Nothing good ever came from being taken to the manor house. Disgrace was always what it ended in and I swore not me. I made it to the woods where other kinsmen were hiding, and they hid me as well.” She chewed on her lip and tried to judge what he was thinking, but his face remained expressionless.

  “We were left with nothing. They burned all the crops and took our livestock. My brother took a severe lashing for my escape. It had been a bad year for many, and you could see the telling smoke in the sky everywhere you looked. There were too many of us trying to beg for food. There simply wasn’t enough for people to give and feed their own families. We all understood.” Emotion swelled, threatening to get the better of her as she recalled those awful days.

  “I reunited with my family as soon as the soldiers left. We began to walk from town to town, hoping that we’d find something. Once in a while, we’d find some half rotten food or moldy bread. People even started eating grass trying to survive. I had to dress as a young lad to avoid detection. Then we heard about indentured servants in America. It sounded like a grand idea. My youngest brother had already died of starvation, and I couldn’t stand to bury another member of my family. I became certain as an indentured servant I could send most of my money back home.” She blinked back tears of frustration.

  “I dressed as myself and was accepted right away. I felt proud to have found a way to help my parents and family. But that’s not how it worked. The ocean crossing was almost unbearable. We were locked in the bottom of the ship. Many of the girls were taken at night and used. I was constantly sick, and the one night I was taken, I was sick on the sailor’s boots. He kicked me good, but it saved me. Some didn’t make it. I was lucky I did.”

  She took a deep breath and stared into the distance. “I was settled into a nice home in Missouri with a Mr. and Mrs. Jones and their two boys Clay and Adam. They owned me for five years to pay off my passage and fee.”

  “That’s a long time to belong to another.”

  She shrugged. “It was.”

  “But they are after you?” His brow furrowed.

  “They wanted me to stay and threatened to extend my indenture papers for two more years, and I took off.” She closed her eyes. There. She’d told him the truth except for the very last part. He didn’t need to know she ran off after only three years.

  “’Tis a sorry story and my heart goes out to you. You were lucky to get away,” he sighed.

  They sat in silence until the sun went down.

  “Tell me about Malcolm,” he asked. “How did you make him up and get 640 acres of land?”

  “I found a family, the O’Briens, to take me on the Oregon Trail with them as long as I worked. I told them my husband was already in Oregon waiting for me. Mrs. O’Brien died trying to bring her child into the world and the wee one died too. After that, Mr. O’Brien seemed to have lost his will to go on. One morning I woke and when I looked under the wagon, he was gone. We all searched for him but there was no trace of the man.”

  She shrugged. “Finally we just couldn’t take more time looking for him and the wagon master told me I had a choice. I could stay and keep looking though he didn’t think I’d find Mr. O’Brien or I could drive the wagon and consider it mine. It almost felt like stealing, since I’d told so many lies already but Mr. O’Brien was nowhere to be found, so I drove the rest of the way. A very nice man lost his wife on the crossing and we got to talking about how he’d planned on the 640 acres, but he didn’t want to get remarried just yet. We struck a deal. He’d be my pretend husband with a pretend name in this town, and I’d do the same for him the next town over.”

  Finn nodded, his lips twitching into a half smile. “Very smart idea.”

  She shook her head. “I’m thinking it is a common idea. I bet that man we buried wasn’t even a Cleary; he was fishing to see if I really had a husband and if not he planned to steal all my land.”

  Finn’s mouth dropped open. “You’re very smart for a lass.”

  Her eyes widened. “For a lass?”

  “Kidding, I was. You are wise to the ways of the world for someone so young. It’s a shame all you’ve been through. After I finish my cabin, I’ll help you with yours. Of course I’m too tall to stand in the one you have planned but…” He laughed.

  “I cut down as many trees as I could. I saw how far behind you I was and figured as long as I fit it would be fine.” She smiled. Her heart felt lighter than before the English soldiers burned down her house. “I will take you up on your offer, Finn Langley.” She put out her hand and they shook. Something inside her tingled at his touch. It was a very strange occurrence to be sure and she tried to figure out if she liked it or not. She couldn’t come to a decision.

  “I do have something else I would ask of you.” She glanced off into the distance. “I need to know how to shoot my rifle.” Her face heated. “I meant to learn but I never really had the need until I settled here alone. Many a night I’d stare at it wishing I knew how to use it. I vowed to figure it out myself but…”

  Finn grinned until a dimple showed on his cheek. “It would be my pleasure. You haven’t been able to hunt?”

  “I can fish and I’m good with snares and I have a sling shot. Use what you can, I always say but I need to protect myself and to do that I need the rifle.”

  Finn cocked his brow and she smiled. “You’re resourceful. I’d be happy to teach you after our days’ work is done. We can start tomorrow.”

  “Thank you. It’s getting late, and I’m sore from today.”

  Finn drank the rest of his coffee. “Have a good night, Maureen.”

  She watched until he crossed to his side of the stream. Then she quickly cleaned the dishes and groaned as she climbed into her wagon. It was a comfort to have Finn so close. She fell asleep as soon as her head touched her pillow.

  Chapter Three

  Finn wiped the sweat off the back of his neck with a towel. The mornings and nights were getting colder but the afternoon sun kept a working man warm. The sturdy walls of his cabin were going up. It was a slow process, but Maureen’s help was much appreciated. She was mighty strong for such a small lass.

  She was also a fast learner and asked many a question. When the sun shone on her red hair, he couldn’t help but think it looked glorious. She wore a bonnet in the afternoons but in the mornings, he couldn’t seem to stop staring at her. Her skin was like porcelain and her eyes reminded him of blue storm clouds. Her smile brightened the world and soon enough he found himself wondering what it would be like to kiss her.

  His thoughts drifted back to Maureen’s tale of indenturing herself. Her words had truly touched him. How had she found the strength to sell herself into slavery for the sake of her family? And on what grounds had the family she’d worked for, been able to threaten to extend her tenure in indentured servitude? A frown pinched his forehead as doubt crept in. He’d taken her story at face value when she’d told it, but the more he thought about it, the more he began to wonder if she had left something unsaid. She was holding something back.

  “Won’t your family be worried when they don’t hear from you?” he asked, breaking the silence, hoping she might
open up to him.

  She looked up from the log she was finishing notching. “I wasn’t allowed to get in touch with them when I was turned into a slave. Now, I’m afraid to give away my location.” Despair and something undefined flashed in her eyes. “I’m not even sure where they are.”

  “When we get a chance I’ll find them and I’ll make sure you can get a letter to them.”

  She stood and put her hands on her hips studying him. “Who are you, Finn Langley?”

  He spread his hands in front of him. “What you see is who I am. I’m a simple man.”

  Tilting her head, her eyes narrowed a bit. “You wouldn’t be fibbing would you? I have a feeling that you’re not so simple.”

  “I was a political man in Ireland,” he admitted somewhat reluctantly, “and the English weren’t so fond of me. When I found myself with a price on my head, I needed a new start and here I am.”

  “We’re both starting over.”

  “You could say that.” He smiled at her. “Nothing wrong with starting over.”

  Maureen nodded and sat down. She quickly went back to work. She knew more than she was letting on. He’d have to keep an eye on her. She’d heard John blurt out he was a wanted man. He thought he could trust her, but the price on his head could set her for life. The money would tempt Saint Patrick, himself.

  “Rifle lesson after we’re finished?”

  He looked up at the sun. “I’m thinking we should have them earlier in the day. It’s getting darker earlier. How about a few minutes after each noon meal?”

  She glanced at him and nodded as a pretty smile crossed her face.

  Maureen was a nervous wreck. Finn had his well-muscled arms around her guiding the rifle in her hands and his warm breath caressed her neck. It was near impossible for her to concentrate. She aimed at the big tree trunk they were using for target practice and pulled the trigger. She had no idea if she hit it or not. The kick from the rifle pushed her farther into his arms. “Oh, my!”

  She pushed away, reloaded, pulled the trigger, and went flying back again. “If you weren’t behind me I’d be flat on my back.”

  “I want you to get the feel of shooting before we work on your stance. You’ll be shooting by yourself soon. I promise.”

  Shrugging, she did it all over again, time after time until Finn announced it was time to go back to work. Her shoulder hurt like the very devil, but she refused to let him know. He’d probably stop the lessons if he knew how bruised she was bound to be.

  Later that evening, she put a cloth in cold water and pressed it against her shoulder. It was black and blue, and how she missed her mother’s healing ointments. But the cold compress would have to do. She wrapped it so it would stay in place and pulled her biscuits from the fire. The smell of the rabbit stew made her stomach growl, yet no matter how hungry she was, she couldn’t help but wonder if her family had anything in their bellies that night.

  Finn joined her and poured them both coffee as she doled out the rest of the meal.

  “Are you all right?” he asked.

  She summoned up a smile. “Of course.” She took a bite of the stew and nodded. “Just right, I do believe.”

  His stare unnerved her.

  “What? Is something wrong?”

  “You never complain, do you?”

  She furrowed her brow. “What do you mean?”

  “You’re as hurt as a bird with a broken wing, yet you’d rather I didn’t know.” A smile played on his lips. “I admire your courage, but I’ll need to look at your shoulder.”

  Her jaw dropped. “How did you know?”

  “It’s been a while since I trained—I mean taught someone to shoot, and I forgot a person of your size would feel the kickback from the rifle more intensely.” He stood. “I have something you can put on it.”

  She watched his fine form cross to his wagon and back.

  “I need you to unbutton your dress.”

  “I certainly will not.” She crossed her arms in front of her.

  He pulled his crate closer to hers. “I’m not interested in seeing anything else besides your shoulder.”

  She felt as though she’d been kicked in the gut. Didn’t all men like to see a woman’s breasts? She heaved a sigh and began to unbutton her dress and hesitantly slipped her arm out of her sleeve. She looked away as he unwrapped her improvised bandage.

  He sucked in a sharp breath through his teeth. “For the love of all that’s holy, why didn’t you say something? This is three times as bad as I suspected.”

  She stiffened and bit her lip to keep quiet. He opened a jar of some foul-smelling stuff and began to dab it on her.

  “Don’t move, I want to give it a minute before I rub it in. Meanwhile, I’ll make you some tea to take away the pain.”

  She nodded. Her shoulder was pained but not as painful as her heart was. She knew she enjoyed Finn, but really caring for him and wanting him to return her feelings had snuck up on her. She’d found him attractive from the start, but when had the deep feelings come to be? Most marriages seemed to come about due to need or convenience from what she could see. She was the type whose feelings ran deep, and now that she’d acknowledged them, she hurt.

  He knelt in front of her and lifted her chin with his finger. “Hey, the pain will go away. Let me rub this in.”

  She nodded as her eyes watered. Let him think it was her shoulder that upset her. She’d never want him to know how she really felt. If she really tried, she’d be able to change her feelings. How hard could it be? Many woman were told by their families who to marry and they did it. They survived, somehow.

  Next, he poured her tea and handed it to her. “Sip this. It’ll take away some of the pain and make you a bit drowsy. I’ll make sure the campsite is cleaned. I was thinking, I have some supplies I need to get in town. Why don’t I go tomorrow and give you a day to rest?”

  He didn’t wait for her answer. He began to clean and then he suddenly stopped. “I’ll lift you into your wagon. Will you be able to manage getting into bed?”

  She nodded. She tried to feel nothing as he lifted her into his strong arms. She tried not to breathe in his scent of pine and campfire. She tried not to stare at his handsome profile. He gently put her in her wagon and bid her good night. She tried not to cry as her hope for a relationship vanished but she had to grab a pillow to muffle the sounds.

  The next morning it was so quiet, she became uneasy until she moved. A throbbing ache tore through her shoulder. She yelped in pain as she managed to sit up, leaning against the wooden side of the wagon. She should have slept in her clothes. It would have made today easier. She drew her nightgown over her head and gulped when she saw how deeply bruised she was. Taking a deep breath, she pulled on her dress. It was only a bruise. She’d worked with injuries before.

  She cautiously climbed out of her wagon and was pleased to see coffee and what looked like oatmeal ready. She helped herself to both and stared at Finn’s cabin. She’d be able to do some chinking today. It was important to fill in the cracks between the logs to keep the cold out. What if they ran out of time and weren’t able to get her cabin done?

  Well, she had her wagon. Others lived through the winters in their wagons, somehow. She could do it too.

  As the day passed, she began to grow worried. What if Finn had been recognized? He wouldn’t be coming back if he had. Maybe she should go after him. She put more of the foul cream on her shoulder and saddled Contrary. She had a bad feeling, and she knew not to dismiss a feeling so strong. After a few tries she got the mule to go in the right direction.

  The old stained mattress in the town jail cell was lumpy and likely filled with vermin. Finn gritted his teeth against the thought of what might be crawling around him as he lounged on it, trying to appear nonchalant. A big burly man with jet-black hair and beard smiled heartily at him.

  “Caught me a fine fish,” Jinks Clod announced. “You’re such a stupid man. You didn’t even change your name.”

  F
inn kept his mouth closed. He couldn’t incriminate himself if he was silent. Besides, he’d decided to save his charm for the judge. What would Maureen think? She’d probably worry the night away. Was she safe? Just thinking of her had him longing for her fresh smile. She’d gotten under his skin but he couldn’t think about her now. He had his own neck to save…again.

  “Hey, sheriff, when do I get paid?” Jinks yelled.

  The office was small, and Jinks’ voice boomed causing the sheriff to frown. “Paid? We don’t pay until we have every bit of evidence. If he’s from another country it could take about a year or so I expect.”

  Jinks took a step toward the sheriff. “Now see here!”

  “One more outburst, Mr. Clod, and I’ll lock you up and let Mr. Langley go.” The sheriff put his feet up on his desk and leaned back. “I have a telegraph sent asking about you too.”

  Jinks frowned. “I’ll be staying at the saloon. Don’t worry, I’ll be around each day to make sure my money, I mean Langley is safe.” He glared at Finn before he left.

  The sheriff walked to Finn’s cell. “You haven’t said very much.”

  “Nothing to say. He got the wrong man, and all I can do is wait until it’s all straightened out.”

  The door opened and in walked a surprisingly disheveled Maureen. Her bonnet, tied around her neck, hung down her back and half of her hair was falling down. Her eyes looked stormier than ever. She ignored the sheriff and rushed to the bars of Finn’s cell.

  “Not again! When are people going to stop mistaking you for that other Finn?”

  His jaw dropped but he let it play out.

  “I don’t know,” he said with a shrug.

  “Sheriff, I’ve known Finn for most of my life. He’s been in America for fifteen years. The other Finn is fairly new in America from what we can tell.”

  “And you are?” the sheriff asked as he took his feet off his desk and stood.

  “Oh my I forgot my manners. I’m Maureen Cleary. My parents Maureen and Malcolm both died recently leaving me their land. My land is next to Finn’s. Finn was supposed to travel the Oregon Trail with us, but he was delayed and Daddy refused wait. Near broke my heart, but I had to go with my family.”