CHARITY'S GOLD RUSH (A Strike It Rich in Montana novel) (23 page)

             
Charity handed him her list. “I’d like to browse a bit, see if I want to add to this, and pick up my purchases in the morning. Will that be all right?”

             
“Whatever you want. It’s nice to see your face again. These your children?”

             
“Yes. I married into a ready-made family.”

             
“
Yep, heard tell you married
Gabriel Williams
. He’s
a good man. You couldn’t have done
much
better.” Mr. Harper stuck her list under his statement book. The bell tinkled over the door, and he frowned over Charity’s shoulder.

             
She turned as Amos Jenkins sauntered inside. The man acted as if he owned the place
. He
flicked
what was left of a cigarette at the spittoon and missed. With a grind of his boot, he crushed the burning end into the floor
. Charity stuck her nose in the air and moved to the
yard
goods. Amos followed.

             
“Mrs. Williams, if I remember correctly.
“

             
“The children give away th
e
fact
of who I am
.” Charity fingered a bolt of yellow calico which would make a fine new dress for Meg.
“Seeing as how you know their father.”

             
He sidestepped in front of her. “We ought to get better acquainted, Mrs. Williams. We’re practically kin.”

             
“How so?” Had Gabriel withheld another secret from her?
Wasn’t
this the man he placed his silly wager with?
Every time Charity turned around she learned another nugget of information her husband neglected to tell her.
Pain stabbed her heart. When would Gabe trust her with all his secrets?

             
“I’m his late wife’s cousin. Which means, those young’uns are more mine than they are his
And it isn’t often I forget a pretty face. Why, I remember when you used to do my laundry. You’ve moved up in the world.”

             
Charity moved quickly to the counter and pulled
the children close to her. Absolutely no way would she allow him to touch one hair on the
ir
heads.
She remembered him, too. Tight fisted with his money, and quick to complain about the service.

“Gabriel married their mother. That counts for something.”
It had to. Life in the wilds of Montana didn’t guarantee anyone would live to an old age. If it weren’t certain Gabe could keep the children, then Charity definitely couldn’t if
she were
widowed.

             
Meg pressed against her leg. “We don’t know you, mister.”

             
“That’s enough, Amos.” Mr. Harper came from around the counter. “Best you leave Charity and these little ones alone. I’m sure a man as important as you think you are has better things to do
than harass my customers
.”

             
Amos narrowed his eyes. “Careful, Harper. I can make things difficult for you.”

             
“I don’t cotton to threats. If you ain’t buying, skedaddle.” Harper crossed his arms over his round paunch.
             

             
Amos tipped his hat in Charity’s direction. “Ma’am.
Until we meet again.
”

             
She gave him a cool nod and watched him leave. “Thank you, Mr. Harper. I’m not sure why he felt the need to accost me.”

             
“Amos thinks he owns this town. Guess he might have enough money to
at that
, yet it never seems to be enough
. Anyway, most folks are afraid of riling him.” Mr. Harper moved back behind the counter. “I wouldn’t fret. The feud between him and your husband has been going on for years. It’s harmless enough. While you continue to browse, I’ll start filling your order.”

             
It didn’t seem harmless. Gabriel may not have said anything, but Charity began to suspect that the wager was behind the disappearing cattle and the fire. The afternoon of shopping lost its luster.
If not for the expectant looks on the children’s faces, she’d leave the store and wait in the buckboard for Gabriel.
As it was, she made a mental note of
the things
she wanted to purchase for Christmas, then wrote them on the list Mr. Harper had.

             
“Can we have a peppermint now?” Meg tugged on her sleeve. “And I want to buy
P
a a new shirt for Christmas. Do we have enough money?”

             
Gabriel hadn’t given her a spending limit, but there was nothing wrong with being frugal. “How about the fabric for a new shirt
?
Y
ou can help me sew it
.
”

             
“What about me?” Sam said. “I can’t sew a shirt, nor darn socks.”

             
“How about a pair of store bought socks, then.” Mr. Harper showed Sam a thick pair of grey wool socks. “Ought to keep him warm doing winter chores.”

             
“We’ll take them,” Charity said. “Do you have any books?”

             
“
Got
Great Expectations
by Charles Dickens in trade for some mining supplies.”

             
“I’ll take
it
, too.” It ought to give Gabriel something to read when the sun set and the snows fell. Something other than Bible verses every night. Maybe he read the Bible because he had nothing else to read.

Probably not. Gabriel believed every word he read between the leather.
Each time he read, Charity found something else to do, but the look in his eyes when she did tugged at her conscience.
She’d have to make a better effort to listen to what he read.

Gabriel might not think books a worthy expense, but Charity did.
There was never enough to read. Nor the time for that matter,
except in
winter.
“In fact, I’ll take whatever books you have.” She could use them to teach the children to read.

             
She pulled out her pouch of gold.
This would be a Christmas Gabriel would never forget.

###

             
What a pretty lady. Amos lit a cigarette and melted into the shadows beside the livery. Especially when her eyes flashed as they had when he’d made his comment about the children.
He hadn’t really appreciate her looks when she’d washed his shirts.

He’d need to tre
a
d lightly. That she-cat wouldn’t step aside easily if she thought her loved ones were in danger.

             
Gabe stepped from the sheriff’s office and tugged his hat brim before turning toward the mercantile. Amos watched with an ache in his gut as Charity exited the store and linked arms with her husband. The children skipped around them. Gabe bent his head to hear something Charity said, then threw his head back in laughter.

             
A slow
-
burning fire rose in Amos’s stomach. He followed, ducking behind corners
when
one of them looked back, until they entered the diner.
They sat at a table beside the window, Charity and the little girl on one side, Gabe and his son on the other.

             
That should be Amos’s family enjoying a meal out. Amos’s beautiful wife
smiling up at him.
His wife whos
e
lovely lips touched the water glass.
He dropped his cigarette and ground it into the dirt, imagining he smashed Gabe’s face.

             
Somehow, someway, Gabe Williams would pay for depriving Amos of the life he deserved. And Amos had all winter to
work on that
plan.

18

             
Charity rolled her glass between her hands, barely listening to the excited chattering of the children as they relayed to Gabriel all the good things available at the mercantile
, and how the packages had stacked up on the counter
. Instead, her mind raced with the implications Amos
had
spoke
n
of.

Finding out he was a blood relation to the children could change everything if something happened to Gabriel. Somehow, Charity
had
to keep
her husband
safe.
Not only for the children’s sakes, but for hers. She didn’t want to lose any of them.
In a few short months, they had become
her
family
and filled some empty spots in her heart
.

             
She studied the line of Gabriel’s strong jaw and the width of his shoulders as he laughed at something Sam said. Gabriel still held himself a little stiff as if his stitches pulled, but otherwise, no one would be able to tell a bullet
cut
a crease in his side. He’d recovered quickly and nicely, laying Charity’s and the children’s fears to rest. At least for now.

             
The waitress brought their meals of stew and biscuits, then retreated to wait on other customers. The tantalizing aroma of
meat
broth teased Charity’s stomach. She dipped her spoon into
it
and pulled her gaze away from Gabe’s chiseled face
.

             
The sun set behind the mountains. Gas lights flickered on inside the restaurant. Charity didn’t want to be anywhere but where she was
—
sitting across from a handsome man she called h
usband
and watching the lamplight flicker in his eyes when he glanced at her.

             
How much did she really want
, or need,
gold? With winter fast approaching, her chances of actually striking it rich were diminishing by the day. But if not gold, what else did she have of value to offer Gabriel to entice him to let her stay?
If he sent her away, she would definitely need riches in order to survive, or go back to doing laundry. Only the former appealed to her.

             
“You seem deep in thought this evening.” Gabriel smiled at her over the rim of his glass.

             
“Just thinking of the shopping I did today.” Charity gripped her
spoon
tighter to keep her hands from shaking. She had never been a good liar. “The children enjoyed themselves so much picking out Christmas presents.”

             
“Did you enjoy yourself?”

             
Oh, how easily the falsehoods leaped to her tongue. “Very much.” She
did
n’t dare tell him about Amos accosting her. There would be no telling how Gabriel would react.

             
She forced an answering smile. “Did you accomplish everything you wished to?”

             
“Mostly. I’ll need to stop at the mercantile myself in the morning. The livery should ha
ve the feed loaded early enough
we can be home by supper.
”

             
“That will be wonderful.” Charity bit into a piece of venison soaked in stew juices.
She tasted onions and
pepper and made a mental note to add some
to her own pot when she cooked. Home by supper. It really did sound wonderful, although the thought of being cooped up in a sod house for months wasn’t
any more
appealing
than it had been a month ago
.

             
What if Gabriel decided he didn’t like her after having nothing but her company all day? She wasn’t skilled in social graces or flirtation. She was plain, simple, Charity.
After a while, she couldn’t even use the children as a buffer. She
did
n’t go to sleep as early as they did
,
either. She was doomed for failure and felt her heart break a bit at the thought.

             
Well, O’Connell’s never gave up. Neither would she. She kept the smile forced on her face and focused on Gabriel. The Irish were full of blarney, and Charity’s
d
a had been the best teacher a girl could have.
Certainly, she had learned some of his charming ways.

             
She lifted her glass. “Here’s to a prosperous winter.”

###

             
Gab
e
grinned and returned Charity’s toast. Something was on her pretty little mind, but he wouldn’t force her to tell him until she was ready. Hopefully, it had nothing to do with
fears about
spending the winter with him. He was actually looking forward to some alone time with her. Get
ting
to know the real Charity O’Connell Williams.