Why would you want to marry me? She seemed amazed, much more so than Spring Moon had been, and the thought of her mines had crossed Sabrina's mind ' now that his mine had been so badly burned ' but she shook the thought from her head ' I don't know what to say ' how would I ' would I ' what if ' He could imagine all the questions running through her head, and he gently pulled her close to him.
I could run your mines for you, or you could continue to run it all yourself, if that's what you want to do. I won't stand in your way, and I won't take anything from you. The Thurston mines are yours until the day you die, just as you said they were. I will never try to change that again, what I want is something much more important than your mine, Sabrina. He looked down at her from his great rugged height and held her close, the smell of fire still clung to them both but neither of them cared. I want you, beloved girl ' and that's all I want, for the rest of your life. Maybe I'm too old for you, and I know you deserve much more than this, but everything I have is yours, Sabrina Thurston, my land, my heart, my mine, my soul ' my life' . He looked at her and tears filled her eyes, and suddenly she was kissing him again, and his beard tasted of smoke, but she didn't give a damn, and then suddenly she began to laugh and he looked at her and she could barely speak as she explained.
I used to think you were my enemy ' and now ' look at us. ' He kissed her again and swept her off her feet in her dressing gown just as Hannah walked in with cookies and tea. And she glared at John Harte and looked at Sabrina pointedly.
I'd thank you both to behave yourself in this house. Sabrina, she sniffed and wagged a finger at her, I don't care if you do run a mine and five hundred men, in this house you'll behave ladylike, and with a little dignity.
Yes, ma'am. Does that apply after I'm married too? She looked angelically at her old nurse and the old woman went right on.
After you're married you can do anything you damn well please, that is if And suddenly she stopped and looked at them. What? She stared at John as he nodded happily at her, and with that Hannah gave a long, loud, ear-piercing scream, as Sabrina threw her arms around her and John Harte hugged them both. And then Hannah suddenly backed off and glared at him again. Now wait a minute here. She put her hands on her hips and looked at him. What about that Indian girl? John blushed and laughed as he answered her.
I'm so glad that we're all so terribly discreet.
Discreet my foot. If you think you're going to keep her around and marry my girl ' Sabrina was touched by the term and laughed at her as she answered for John.
She's leaving for South Dakota next week.
And not a moment too soon. Ten years too late if you ask me. And then, hands on hips, she smiled at them. I never thought I'd see this day, I gave up hope when you started running that damn mine of yours.
She's going to run mine for me now. John grinned and Sabrina laughed as Hannah shrieked.
She'll do no such thing! She's going to stay home with me and bring up your children, John Harte. There'll be no more of that mine nonsense around here!
What do you say to that? he whispered to his future wife and she smiled at him and whispered back.
We'll see. Maybe you could run the mines for me. It was an amazing turnaround for her, and she wasn't yet completely sure of it. It would give me more time to deal with the vines. But she liked Hannah's idea best of all so far ' to stay home and raise his sons ' what an intriguing thought that was. He saw the look in her eyes and bent to kiss her lips.
All in good time, my love ' all in good time.
THERE was no one for John to ask for her hand, and after he left, she and Hannah talked for hours, almost like sisters, and the old woman cried and hugged her tight. Jeremiah would have been pleased to see them. And even more so with John Harte.
I'd given up hope, little girl ' I never thought I'd see this day. Sabrina smiled at her.
I didn't think you would either. She looked happy, but she could still feel a ripple of fear run up her spine. She hoped she was doing the right thing. She was sure she was ' but it was such an enormous step, and there were so many things to decide now, about her mines. There was of course the possibility of merging the two companies, but she didn't want to do that. She wanted to keep all of his business separate from hers. She was marrying him, but not intertwining her holdings with his. One of the best things about it though was that if he ran her mines for her, as he had said he might, it would leave her more free time to work with her vineyards and her wines, and she had wanted more time for that for a long, long time.
Don't you suppose you could just stay home and sew? he teased her once as they sat on her front porch. He had been waiting for her when she got home, galloping up the road on her old horse.
Where are we going to live? She had thought of that before, and she wasn't anxious to live in the house where his wife and children had died, and where he had lived with Spring Moon for more than a decade. She was leaving for South Dakota in a few days, and Sabrina was careful not to mention her. She didn't want to be indelicate with him, it was bad enough that she knew. But they hadn't as yet solved the problem of where they would live, and she wasn't sure how he would feel about living in her house. What about living here?
He thought about it for a time, stroking his beard, and then he looked at her. I'm a little old to be living in another man's house, Sabrina. Somehow this would always feel like your daddy's house to me. She nodded, she understood, but it was a difficult dilemma to resolve. And John looked at Sabrina now, with a boyish smile. He looked far younger than his years to her, and it seemed remarkable that he was twenty-eight years older than she. What about living at Thurston House. That would be fun, wouldn't it? He looked like a mischievous child, and she laughed. It was her house, but no one had lived there in so long, it was almost like common ground.
That would be fun. But what about the mines? Not to mention the vineyards.
We could manage something, I suppose. We don't have to live in town all the time. But it might be a nice change for both of us, he smiled at her, once I get those mines of yours shaped up. Lord only knows how badly you've run them into the ground.
She swatted her hand at him and he laughed at her. He had already seen some of the logs she kept, and he was amazed at how impeccably her business was run. He wondered how she had managed to learn it all, and there were even some pointers he could learn from her, although after twenty-seven years of running his own mine, he could almost do it in his sleep, but he was mightily impressed with her. You're not exactly the run-of-the-mill bride, little one. He leaned forward and kissed her cheek, took her hand in his so much larger one, and she leaned against him in the night air. She had never dreamed of loving him in all these years, and suddenly there he was, and she felt as though she had been born for him.
It was over dinner later that night that she brought up the subject of Dan at the Harte mines.
I'd already thought about that the other day. John knitted his brows and frowned at her. I won't deny you the fact that he's good at what he does. But I don't want him anywhere near you. John looked unhappily at her.
How important is he to you, John?
Less important than you, my love. He looked down at her. It was strange how deep his feelings ran for her. It had come upon him all at once, after all these years. And he had been so certain that he would never feel that way again. I'm going to let him go.
Are you sure you want to do that?
Yes. His voice was firm. I don't have to explain why to him. And he hasn't been with me for all that long. It was only three years since he had left the Thurston mines, and he had worked hard for John, but he couldn't stay on with him now. John was sure about it as he thought it out. I'll give him notice next week.
Sabrina frowned and looked at John. That's going to be hard on him.
He should have thought of that a long time ago, when he gave you such a hard time.
Suddenly she laughed. The funny thing is it all started over his wanting me to sell out to you
, and here I am marrying you instead. Which they both knew was not the same thing. All he ever wanted was to run Daddy's mines, without Daddy hanging around, or me. She smiled.
I haven't given him as much free rein as he wanted either. I'm just not that kind of man. I've run that mine for too long myself.
She understood perfectly. She felt the same way about her own and it had only been three years. She liked doing everything herself, in her own way, and it would be difficult to turn the reins over to John now. She was well aware of that, but she trusted him, and in time she would trust him more. They had already agreed that for the first six months she would stay on, and work part-time, and show John the systems she used, introduce him to the men. She wasn't going to drop everything at once. She couldn't do that. And he was going to rotate between her mines and his own. He insisted that it would work. And in the midst of all that, you want to stay at Thurston House? She didn't see how they'd find time to leave Napa at all, but he insisted that they would. And when he kissed her as they left the porch that night, she was sure that he could do anything.
The damage from the fire at his mines took several weeks to repair with every man at the mine working overtime to help out, and even Spring Moon changed her plans, and decided to stay for a few more weeks. She kept to herself now, and she seemed to accept her fate, knowing that the affair with John Harte had come to an end. She never spoke to Sabrina when they met, but her eyes would reach out to her and seem to hold her fast, and Sabrina didn't feel any hostility from her. There was a kind of fascination, and each of them would fight not to stare, and then suddenly John would come along and take Sabrina away. It made him uncomfortable to see them anywhere near each other on his land.
I want you to stay away from her, John scolded Sabrina first, and Sabrina's voice was shy when she spoke.
She's so beautiful. I always thought she was. And then, I think my father did too.
John started at her words. Did he say anything to you?
She laughed and shook her head. No. I tried to ask him about it once, but he wouldn't talk about it, he said it was not something he would discuss with me.
I should hope not. John flushed to the roots of his hair, and looked at her. And then he said something he knew he shouldn't say. He didn't want to discuss Spring Moon at ail, and certainly not with her. You're much more beautiful than she is, little one.
How can you say that? She looked shocked. She's the loveliest woman I've ever seen.
He shook his head and took a step closer to her. No, my love, you are. She was even lovelier than his first wife. With her black hair, and big blue eyes, she looked up at him now and he felt his insides melt. Side by side, with his broad shoulders, still dark hair, sparkling eyes, and jutting beard, they made a handsome pair, and he looked down at her with pride. He could hardly wait until their wedding day. They had begun to tell their friends in the past few days, and Hannah had spread the word all over town. And the news had finally reached his men, and after his, then hers, and there was talk of nothing else in the mines, particularly at the Thurston mines, where they wondered what kind of impact it would have on them. But there was one other man who wondered the same thing when he heard, and he was furious at the hand Fate had dealt him again when John told him that he couldn't stay on. John didn't tell him why he was letting him go, but there was no doubt in Dan Richfield's mind. She had done him in again. And he was going to get her this time. John Harte had given him two weeks to organize himself and pack up his things, and he knew he would have to be leaving town, because there were no other mines nearby except hers and his. The silver mines in Napa were long since defunct, and had been since Jeremiah's time, and there was nothing left now except what Sabrina and John controlled. There was nowhere left for Dan to go. He was thirty-seven years old, and most of his children were half grown or damn close. He didn't even want to take them with him, and was talking about leaving them in St. Helena with some friends. But it wasn't the children he thought of now, as he sat around and drank, wandered in and out of bars, and told the other miners whatever rumors he had heard. She's been sleeping around with him ' hell, they even go at it with that Indian squaw of his, you notice she ain't left yet ' and by the end of the week, he had both mines all abuzz with the filth he spread.
You've been talking about my future wife? John Harte grabbed him by the collar one day as he left the Harte mines. Sabrina was still buried in work at her own. More so now, because in two more months she'd be married and starting to turn the reins over to John. She had to get everything in order for him. And because of that, he hardly even saw her now. But Dan Richfield stared at him now, the stench of whiskey was on his breath as he looked at the bigger, broader man, but he looked unafraid.
It's nothing you ain't heard before, Mr. Harte. She's not been real kind to me.'
That isn't quite what I'd heard.
Or what you'd believe. Dan Richfield was bold, and for an instant it was unsure what John Harte would do to him, and then with a sudden gesture, he let Dan go.
Get the hell out of here, Dan. As I remember it, you've only two days left.
I'll be gone by then. And no one would be grieved, least of all John. He was glad that he had fired him. He had never realized how much he drank until recently.
Where are you going by the way?
Down to Texas, I think. I've got a friend who owns a ranch, and some oil wells down there. I thought that might be a nice change from these rotten mines. He glanced over his shoulder at the mine where he had worked for more than three years, and then back at John.
You taking your kids? Richfield shrugged, and John glared at him. Just make sure you're out of here on time. He had no kindly feelings toward him. It was obvious how much Dan hated John's future wife, and John didn't want him around anymore. It was high time he left, and he put him out of his mind as he walked back to his office to go through the papers on his desk. He still had plenty of his own work to do.
And so did Sabrina at the Thurston mines until almost seven that night, and then in a panic, she looked at her watch. She had promised John that she would ride over and have dinner with him. It was odd to her sometimes how she had a whole other life now. There was someone waiting for her at the end of each day, she had someone to tell her troubles to, share her victories with, be kind to her when she was tired, rub her neck, kiss her face, and she was happy to share the tales of his day with him. She wondered now why she had resisted the idea for so long. She had never even thought of getting married one day, and she had particularly avoided John because she thought he was after her mines. But she had no more fears about that now. The suggestion he had made sounded perfect to her. He would run her mines for her, but the mines would still belong to her. He no longer even suggested a merger to her, he knew how strongly she felt, and perhaps in time it would make sense to her, but if not, it was no longer important to him. She meant much, much more to him, and she knew it.
And as she swung into her saddle now, her thoughts were filled with him. She rode quickly through the night, taking all the fastest trails she knew so well. She sailed past her own house and into the night, and it took her almost no time at all to reach the Harte mines, and just as she passed the main shaft, her horse threw a shoe.
Damn! She was already late enough, and as he limped along she had to dismount. She thought of leaving him tied to a tree, but you never knew who would come by, and she felt safer walking him the rest of the way to John's and tying him up there. He could always drive her home in his fancy motorcar, or lend her a horse. She liked riding along with him. She liked everything about the life they had already begun to share.
Need a ride? Sabrina almost jumped out of her skin as she heard a voice from behind a tree, and an instant later Dan Richfield appeared, slightly drunk, and leering at her. Or would you like me to carry your horse for you? It was a smart-aleck remark and she had no inclination to respond, but she didn't want to start something with him now. She knew he was leaving in a day or two,
and she had successfully avoided him until then. There was no point starting something row.
Hello, Dan.
Don't give me that polite shit, you whore. At least he wasn't pretending to have changed his views about her. She eyed him now, and then pulled at the horse's bit and moved on, but he followed her. She noticed that he had no horse, and no car. He had probably been sitting there, drinking behind a tree.
Why don't you just go on, Dan? We have nothing to say to each other now. It was remarkable to think that she had known him all her life. It was incredible that he had turned out to be so rotten and disloyal. She was glad that her father hadn't lived to see that, and she thought of it now as she turned to him. She wanted to keep him in sight. She wouldn't have wanted to turn her back to him.
You just cost me another job, didn't you, you little bitch?
I didn't cost you anything. She wasn't the young girl she had once been, and her voice was hard, as it often was with the men at her mines. She had learned that lesson long ago, when so many of them had walked out on her. She never treated them like her friends now. They were miners who worked for her, nothing more. She paid them well, and kept up her end of responsibility toward them. But there was a hard edge to her now whenever she had to deal with them. A hard edge that belied the softness in her soul. But only John knew that side of her. And Dan never had. He had only known her as a child. And she was a woman now. It was the woman who turned and looked scornfully at him. You've cost yourself everything you've ever lost. And if you don't stay off the booze now, you'll lose it ail again.
Thurston House (1983) Page 29