The Golden Bride

by Kimberley Woodhouse

  Once she was alone with her thoughts, she hoped he was correct. He’d helped her bring up all her personal belongings from the wagon and told her to unpack her things. She could start at the restaurant tomorrow. He even said that she could make a lot more from her husband’s gold supplies here since they were in high demand and he’d take care of that for her in a few days if that was what she wanted. He’d seemed so excited that she was here and told her she wouldn’t be destitute and wouldn’t be a burden. Isn’t that what she wanted?

  All the events of the past few months rushed in again. Daniel hadn’t judged her for marrying Hezekiah so hastily, although he’d expressed his concern for her. He’d been so kind and loving, telling her over and over that he was sorry he hadn’t been there for her.

  It was nice to not feel so alone anymore … to be with family.

  Guilt spread in her stomach again. What would happen when he found out that it was all her fault her husband was dead?

  Weary of the road and the wagon seat, Joseph couldn’t wait to get back to Livingston’s and eat a decent meal. He really should take a bath to wash the dirt and grime from him, but his growling stomach took precedence. Daniel wouldn’t mind his appearance anyway, even though Joseph had never arrived looking as filthy as he did today. It wasn’t nearly as bad as some of the other customers. At least he kept telling himself that.

  As he made his way to his regular table, the past eight days drifted through his mind. He’d had too much time to think through every aspect of his life. God had done a mighty work in him and turned him around. It was an incredible thing. And even though Joseph knew that God was using him in the town of San Francisco, the trip had made him realize several things.

  One had weighed him down the most. Even though he was surrounded by people and busyness at home, he was lonely. Unsure whether he was ready to share that with his friend or not, it at least made Joseph a bit more thoughtful. Before he’d always been ready to just dive into everything headfirst. Now … maybe the time had come for him to slow down and think it all through.

  Daniel was the best friend he’d ever had, but the poor man was so busy. They both were trying their best to make a difference in their town, but it was like skinning a cat most days. An impossible task. They only had a couple of people coming to church services right now. How were they supposed to reach more? What could they do differently? And how could they get a pastor to come out to the town that most people had dubbed the wickedest place in America?

  The gangly kid … what was his name?—Stephen?—came to his table. “Mr. Sawyer, we have roasted chicken for the special today. But you know everything else we serve.”

  “Thanks, I’ll have the special.” Joseph leaned forward on the table. “It’s Stephen, right?”

  “Yes, sir. I didn’t think you’d remember my name.” The kid smiled at him. “I’ll get your food.”

  “Thanks. Is Mr. Livingston here?”

  “Yes, sir. I’ll tell him you’re looking for him.”

  “I appreciate it.”

  Joseph scanned the room and watched the customers. The men flocked to Livingston’s for every meal because the food was good and the prices beat out everyone else in town. As soon as the rush of gold diggers had hit, merchants flocked to San Francisco and started selling their wares and food stuffs at nearly double and triple the normal prices almost overnight. Those who were anxious to strike it rich with gold had to pay the exorbitant fees to get what they needed. Even baths and everyday meals cost what seemed like a small fortune. Daniel had to raise prices when the cost of his supplies had gone up, but he still tried to keep everything as affordable as possible.

  It was another thing that Joseph admired about his friend. Daniel still made good money for himself—even without trying to cheat his customers.

  Stephen returned with a steaming hot plate and a coffee pot. “I figured you wanted coffee?”

  “You know me already. I’d love some.”

  The kid beamed under the praise and poured the cup of coffee. “I’ll be back if you need anything.”

  “Thanks, Stephen.”

  “You’re welcome, Mr. Sawyer.”

  The table next to him emptied, and Stephen took all the dirty dishes to the kitchen. After saying a quick prayer of thanks for his meal, Joseph dug into his dinner. He wanted to close his eyes and moan at the tastiness of the food—especially after eating his own pathetic biscuits and jerked beef the past week—but he restrained himself. He hadn’t seen Daniel yet, but when he did, he’d have to compliment his friend again.

  The table next to him filled up with four rowdy-looking men. Not that the rest of the customers weren’t rowdy, but their conversation started to make Joseph feel like his space was being crowded too. He’d gotten used to being on the road by himself the last week and away from the noise of San Francisco.

  It might be best if he just finished his food and left. He and Daniel could catch up later—maybe once the dinner rush was over and Joseph had time to get cleaned up. But then a dark-haired young woman walked up to the table of new guests with a notepad in her hand. A stern look etched on her brow, she appeared ready to do battle with her customers. “What would you gentlemen like to order today?” She kept her eyes glued to the pad of paper. “The special today is roasted chicken.”

  “The special for me.” The one on her left tried to make eye contact and smiled. But no luck.

  “Me too,” the three others chimed in at the same time.

  She scribbled on the pad. “All right. I’ll bring out your dinners and some coffee in a bit.” She began to turn.

  A hand shot out to stop her. “Wait. We’d like to order pie as well.”

  Evading the man’s hand with a step to her right, she lifted the pencil again. “What kind? We have apple, peach, or cherry.”

  The men all shouted their responses. She scribbled them down and walked away.

  As the four men began to discuss their waitress, Joseph tuned them out and watched her. Her dark hair was neatly pulled back into a bun with tiny curls framing her face. While her expression had been quite harsh, Joseph understood that was the only way a woman could hold her own in a town of ninety-nine percent men. She’d handled herself well. Who was she? And what was she doing here? How had Daniel hired her? Women were scarce in these parts. … Wait a minute. Could that be his sister? Had she made the long trek already? They didn’t look anything alike. …

  Sipping his coffee, Joseph decided maybe waiting on his friend wouldn’t be so bad after all, and he could ask all his questions.

  The object of his thoughts returned minutes later carrying all four plates at the same time. For a second, he almost jumped up to help her but realized she didn’t need his assistance. In less than half a minute, she served all the men, poured their coffee, and left.

  The thought made him chuckle to himself. She was impressive.

  It wasn’t long before she returned with four smaller plates filled with large pieces of pie. “Sorry, gentlemen, but we are short-staffed today, so I brought your pie now.” She plopped a pie plate beside three of the men’s dinner plates in quick succession. When she made it to the last one—the man who’d been bold enough to try to reach out and stop her—he put a hand on her other arm. She stopped in her tracks and narrowed her eyes.

  “Now, missy, the way I see it, you and me should get hitched.”

  She yanked her arm away. “Well, I don’t see it that way. The answer is no.” She set the plate of pie on the table next to the man’s dinner, but as she turned, he put an arm around her waist and pulled her closer.

  “Come on now. I got gold. And you’re just too pretty for me to let get away.”

  Joseph came out of his chair.

  Without warning, the young woman picked the pie plate back up and smashed it into the proposer’s face. “Let’s get a few things straight, sir. You will be paying for your piece of pie today along with your whole dinner and I’m quite certain a generous tip. You and your friends wi
ll be welcome back in this restaurant only if you agree to never touch me again and to mind your manners. And one more thing. I will never, ever marry a gold miner.” She turned on her heel and walked back to the kitchen.

  Joseph took his seat as the men at the other table laughed at their friend wiping pie from his face. Surprisingly, they all continued to eat, and nothing else was said about their waitress. Probably because no one wanted to be denied entrance to Livingston’s Restaurant.

  No matter how hard he tried, Joseph couldn’t get the dark-haired waitress out of his mind. As he finished the rest of his dinner and coffee, he caught sight of her several times throughout the restaurant, but she never came back to his area again. He’d just have to ask his friend about who she was and hope he could one day meet her.

  The man frowned. Finding decent help in this town was getting harder and harder. It made it difficult to build his empire. His assistant, George, was slicker than a snake, but at least he knew how to keep his mouth shut and how to schmooze his way around people.

  Besides George, he had a small group of loyal and well-paid employees who would do anything he requested. But the rest of his help all left for the gold fields as soon as they’d earned enough money for supplies. Stupid fools. The money wasn’t going to be made in gold. The idiots who did find gold were going to spend it. The fortune to be made was in gambling, liquor, and women. But they hadn’t seen it like he did.

  Walking to his window that looked out onto the wharf, he knew that he’d have to change up how he did business. It wouldn’t hurt to expand his enterprises either. Thousands were coming into his little town, and it probably wouldn’t stop. More ships arrived every day. Plenty of people out there were waiting to be exploited. He’d have to seize the opportunity and build up his employee base. It wouldn’t hurt to bring in some women as well. The demand for prostitutes grew with every passing day. He’d keep throwing money at all the good and decent things that people needed to see, and then behind the scenes, he could do the rest. No one would be the wiser.

  Pacing in his office, ideas grew. His dream would be realized here in San Francisco. Money and power would be his. Although he already had plenty of money, a little more couldn’t hurt. And he wanted a good deal more.

  The real thing was power. Power came to the wealthiest, the ones who practically owned their cities. He intended to own this town.

  It was a good thing he came here when he did, before anything had been developed. He’d seen the potential of a large city being built on this beautiful peninsula. The shipping trade was at his fingertips. Then came the gold. While he owned several mining operations himself, he really didn’t care much about it. What he cared about was that gold brought people who needed supplies, entertainment, and loans. People who were desperate to make their own fortunes and would do anything to gain them.

  There were other ways to get workers and loyal employees. He’d build a larger, trustworthy entourage around him who cared about the army of workers he needed. There were ways to get what he wanted.

  A smile split his face as he watched a group of Chinese men leave a ship. A new thought crossed his mind. He needed workers for all his businesses. Why didn’t he just steal them? He could continue to help the downtrodden and support the city council publicly, all the while using it as a screen to mask what he was up to behind the scenes. Upstanding citizen to the masses. Underground slave trader behind closed doors. The best of both worlds.

  The dinner rush was finally over, but customers still came into the restaurant. Olivia walked into the kitchen and blew her hair off her forehead. While she’d been at this job a week and had learned how to deal with the customers, it was still exhausting.

  “Livvy!” Daniel’s voice behind her made her turn. “There’s someone I’d like for you to meet. Do you have a minute?”

  “Of course.” She put on a smile and turned back to the door. “I’ve only got a few tables for now, and I’ve already served them their meals.”

  Following her brother through the restaurant, Olivia wiped her hands on her apron. Hopefully this wasn’t anyone important. She was a mess.

  In the corner at Daniel’s favorite table stood a tall man covered in what looked to be miles of road dust. Her heart did a little skip. She’d seen that man earlier. He’d come to his feet when one of her customers grabbed her and she promptly pushed pie into his face. Hopefully, this man wouldn’t bring that up.

  Daniel stopped at the table and pointed his hand to the man. “Olivia, I’d like to present my friend, Joseph Sawyer. Joseph, I’d like you to meet my sister, Olivia Livingston.”

  The filthy man with blond hair smiled, and his eyes crinkled at the corners. “It’s nice to meet you.” He held out a hand in greeting.

  She took his hand and shook it, hoping that her cheeks weren’t turning too pink. “Actually, it’s Olivia Brighton, but it’s nice to meet you too.”

  Confusion passed over the man’s expression.

  Daniel leaned closer to her. “I’m sorry. I forgot.” He straightened and pulled out a chair for her. “Joseph is a close friend. The closest I’ve got. And I wanted you two to meet each other.”

  Olivia allowed herself to be seated. “I can only stay a moment until my tables are finished. It’s not my break yet, and I wouldn’t want to get in trouble with the boss.” She gave her brother a mischievous grin and then glanced at her customers to make sure they didn’t need anything. Looking back at Joseph, she gave him another smile. “It’s so nice to meet a friend of my brother’s.”

  “Daniel is the best, as I’m sure you know.” Joseph took his seat, and Olivia watched his eyes. There wasn’t any condemnation for her handling of the situation earlier. She’d have to tell Daniel about it later that night. Not that he would scold her about it. They’d had worse things happen with their rowdy customers.

  Her brother laughed as he sat down as well. “Joseph and I meet every day for lunch and discuss what we can do to make our town better.”

  “That’s very noble of you.”

  “Joseph is on the city council. They threw it together after the Shades Hotel burned down in January. Everyone knows we need some organization and order, but crowds of people come in every week and the chaos is barely manageable. So we’ve been meeting to see what else we can do.”

  Olivia had known that her brother wouldn’t be in such a place without a good reason. It made a lot more sense now. San Francisco was his mission field. And it looked like at least one other good man lived here—even though he might stink to high heaven and be covered in dirt.

  How could a city councilman be as unkempt as the rest of the grimy men? It didn’t make sense. But it’d be best if she showed her support. “I’m excited to hear about what all you’ve done. Is there any way I can help?”

  “Well, so far we’ve built a church and provided clothes and meals for those who don’t have anything. A lot of them were swindled as soon as they got here.” Daniel shook his head. “It’s sad to see how money drives these men to do all kinds of horrible things.”

  “So the little church we went to on Sunday is the one you built?”

  “One and the same.” Daniel grinned.

  The building had been lovely—especially compared to the rest of the town, which appeared to be thrown together with whatever the so-called builders could grab—and Daniel had done a wonderful job leading the handful of people in a short study of the Word. “I’m impressed, you two. That was no small feat. You did a wonderful job.” Olivia caught Joseph’s gaze. His deep brown eyes fascinated her.

  As soon as she realized her thoughts, shame filled her. What was she doing? Thinking about another man’s eyes when her husband hadn’t been buried quite a fortnight. She turned to look away at the rest of the restaurant and noticed one of her customers waving from across the room. Thankful to be saved by her job, she stood and looked at Daniel. “I’m sorry to cut this short, but it looks like I’m needed.”

  Both men had stood with her, but her b
rother was quick to speak. “Of course. We’ll visit another time. And when you have your break later, we can eat together.”

  With a nod, she headed to her customers and hoped they wanted to order pie and visit a while. She needed to stay busy and keep her mind off finding any man’s eyes fascinating.

  Out of the corner of her eye, she saw her brother’s friend leave. She thought she’d feel relief. Instead she found herself struggling to remove the image of Joseph Sawyer from her mind.

  When Olivia’s midafternoon break finally came, she found herself famished. Grabbing a plate from the kitchen, she inhaled the aroma of the roasted chicken and headed to Daniel’s table, knowing that he would meet her there if he had a chance. Most days, this was her favorite time. Diving into her new life helped her to forget about the past. Catching up with her brother helped her get to know him as an adult. He was everything she’d imagined him to be from his letters. All the doubts she’d had when she’d first driven into San Francisco were gone. She was proud of Daniel.

  That didn’t mean she had to like the town, but at least she understood why he was here and why he stayed. That was good enough for her. And she really had no place to judge.

  The first bite of chicken practically melted in her mouth. No wonder people flocked to the restaurant. It really was the best food she’d ever eaten. Maybe one day she could learn to cook like this.

  “Good afternoon.” Daniel appeared just as she popped a bite of pan-fried potatoes into her mouth.

  She covered her mouth with her napkin as she chewed and swallowed. Beaming him a smile, she filled her fork again. “Sorry. I didn’t see you. Apparently, my attention was completely on my food.”

  His chuckle washed over her and warmed her heart. Having family was a wonderful thing. “I must be working you too hard. I know the food is good, but you never miss a thing around here. Some of the customers have even said that you must have eyes in the back of your head.”

  “You have to around here. You never know what one of those men will try.” She shook her head.