CHARITY'S GOLD RUSH (A Strike It Rich in Montana novel) (34 page)

             
His joy over the success of the hunt was diminished by his lack of progress in building the house. He glanced at the sky. If the snows held, or weren’t as severe as he feared, he could possibly get the walls up this winter. All Amos’s and Maggie’s agreement said was a finished house.
It didn’t say anyone had to be living in it by the
set
time
limit
.
Well, the floors and roof were on. It just lacked walls and a door.
He could still win the wager.

             
“Let’s go
find
that deer, son.” Gabe grabbed the turkey by the spindly legs and stuffed it in a burlap sack.

             
“Hello, friend.” Red Feather materialized from the brush like a vapor.

             
“Red Feather.” Gabe smiled and nodded. “What brings you out this way?”

             
“I am searching for my brother’s daughter.”

             
Gabe’s heart fell. It was worse than he imagined. The girl was most likely from Red Feather’s tribe
, and a family member at that
. “I believe I have seen her. Come. Share our lunch, and I will tell you what I know.”

             
Gabe clutched his bag and led the way to a clearing. He doubted he would kill a deer that day, but he could relieve a friend’s
worries
. If only he didn’t have to do so while breaking the man’s heart. He
sat on
a stump and motioned for Red Feather to do the same.

             
“You do not have good news for me.” Red Feather could have been chiseled from stone, so hard was his features. He sat across from Gabe and stared with
dark eyes
.

             
“Someone stampeded my cattle two days ago.” Gabe folded his hands, hanging them between his knees. “They
fired
off a few shots and sent the cattle toward my place. When I went looking for the culprit, I found a young girl. She
had
hit her head on a rock and died. I’m so sorry.”

             
“Where is the girl?”

             
“My wife and I were headed to your camp with her body when we were accosted by five braves.
I
did not recognize them
. I
think they were hired by an enemy of mine who wanted me disposed of
. W
e escaped
,
and they kept the girl.”

             
Red Feather took a deep breath. “They will sell her
body
back to us. Who is this enemy of yours?”

             
Telling Red Feather about Amos would solve a lot of Gabe’s problems. But he did not want the other man’s death on
his
conscience. “I am not at liberty to tell you. Forgive me, my friend.”

             
“This wounds me deeply.” Red Feather’s face darkened. “We are friends. Like brothers.”

             
“I’m sorry. I can’t have the man’s death on my conscience.
What can I do to
lessen the pain of
your niece’s death
?
”
Gabe met his stare.

             
Red Feather glanced at Sam.
“The man who was to wed her believes in
a life for a life.
”

Please, don’t let him ask for my son
.

“
But,
I cannot
let you do that
. You have a family that needs you.” He waved a hand at Gabe’s face. “It looks like you already paid a price with a beating.” He stood. “I will discover the truth and make amends myself.”

             
Gabe held out his hand. “You understand?”

             
Red Feather nodded and accepted the shake. “The Mighty God would not want you to tell me. But I do not plan to kill the man. Just to receive payment
in the form of another sister, or a slave
.”

             
“What was she doing to so close to my home?” Gabe asked. “Surely she wasn’t alone.”

             
Red Feather shook his head. “She went with a small hunting party. They parted ways after she argued with her soon to be husband. They expected her to go home. When they went back for her, they could not find her. So, I am here.”
He turned and melted back into the tree line.

             
Gabe breathed deeply to steady his nerves. He had been friends with Red Feather for many years, but never knew exactly how the Indian would react when wronged. The death of a family member was a serious thing. Gabe said a prayer for the dead girl’s relatives, and wondered, exactly, what form of payment was suitable for a woman’s life.
His friend’s words about a new sister gave him pause, and he hoped Red Feather wouldn’t set his sight
s
on Charity.

###

             
Charity fought tears all the way home and felt like an idiot for doing so. Why should it feel like the end of the world because she wouldn’t be spending time chipping away at cave walls or wading in icy creeks? Gold wouldn’t buy Gabriel’s love anyway. It might get him to keep her around, but after a while he would be frustrated and feel as if she had trapped him.

             
Even the cat’s antics failed to cheer her when she opened the door to the soddy. Thanksgiving loomed
,
and a cloud of despair hung over her. Her life’s aspirations amounted to nothing.

             
She halted mid-step. Her life aspirations or her father’s? Charity collapsed into the nearest chair. Being rich was her father’s dream. What was hers? To be loved. She was. If not by Gabriel, then by his children. Sam and Meg adored her as much as she did them.
The thought of leaving ripped her heart out. She could refuse
,
she supposed, but who wanted a husband
who
didn’t want
her
?

             
She supposed she could choose one of the other miners. Most of them had proposed to her at one time or another
, and with women being as scarce as they were, she doubted many had gotten hitched in the last few months
. Ugh. She was putting the cart before the horse. God might finally have mercy on her and convince Gabriel to ask her to stay. To ask her to be his wife in all ways. Could she even ask that he profess love for her?

             
Lady set up a fierce barking from the yard. Charity rushed to the door, blocking Meg inside. “Stay
here
, Meg.” Charity glanced at the empty mant
e
l. Of course Sam would have taken the second rifle. She bolted the door and parted the curtains at the window.

             
Amos Jenkins sat on his horse and stared at the house. He wore two pistols low on his hips.

             
Charity opened the window. “What do you want? You are not welcome here.” She waved at Meg. “Get
out of sight
.”

             
“Where is your husband?”

             
“In the barn. You should leave before he comes out.” She put a hand to her chest to still her pounding heart, certain it could be heard from the yard.

             
“You lie.” Amos glanced that way then back toward the house. “I’m tired of playing games, Mrs. Williams.
When your husband returns, t
ell
him
it is time to settle this.”

             
“Settle what? It isn’t springtime yet.
There are months left for him to win that silly bet.
”

             
“So, he has told you about our wager.”

             
“Of course he has. I’m his wife.” No need to tell the scoundrel she only knew the bare bones about their bet. Or that the subject touched a raw spot deep inside her. “Go away and come back in the spring.”

             
Amos laughed. “Why don’t we make a wager of our own, Mrs. Williams? If your husband fails to meet the terms, then you marry me.”

27

             
Charity parted the curtains and looked into the ya
rd as the first snowflakes fell. Hiram and Mabel climbed from their wagon, arms loaded with
their contributions
to the Thanksgiving meal. The aroma of baking turkey
, basted with butter,
filled the soddy. Life couldn’t be better, or Charity any happier.

             
She and Gabriel
still hadn’t
had any deep conversations
, but they were coming. Both were subdued since his day of hunting, and her realization that finding gold wasn’t in her future.
Although the discovery had set her back
mentally and emotionally
, she felt
a surprising
free
dom
from a drive that was her father’s, not her’s.

             
“Happy Thanksgiving!” She threw open the door and ushered in her friends. “Your pies smell wonderful.”

             
Gabe shook Hiram’s hand. “Getting nasty outside. You going to be able to make it home all right?”

             
“Sure. Got the sled runners in the back of the wagon, but I doubt it’ll snow enough today for those. Maybe in a few more weeks.” Hiram freed Mabel of her coat and hung both of theirs on hooks by the door. He eyed the animals. “Going to be a bit snug in here, isn’t it?”

             
“Yep.” Gabe sighed. “Can’t get Charity or the young’uns to banish the dogs to the barn.”

             
“It’s too cold.
They would freeze.
” Charity opened the oven to baste the turkey, and smiled at the golden brown skin. Her first turkey dinner and it promised to be wonderful.

             
While the men sat in front of the fireplace and discussed winter coping skills, Mabel joined Charity in the kitchen corner. Sam and Meg tussled on the beds with the dogs, while Patches watched from under the table.

             
Mabel watched for a moment, then wiped a tear from her eye. “I would have liked to have children. But God had other plans.”

             
Charity understood God having other plans.
“I’ve always wanted a family, too.”
She
grabbed a knife and chopped potatoes. “And for a while, at least, I do.”

             
“You and Gabe still not had that talk?” Mabel opened a jar of beans and dumped them in a pan. “You ain’t any closer to letting him know you want to stay?”

             
Charity glanced in the men’s direction. “I want him to want me to stay. I don’t want to ask.”

             
Mabel shook her head. “Pride is the downfall of many a man, or woman.”

             
“I don’t know what I’m going to do if Gabriel doesn’t want me.” She whacked through a potato. “Accept a proposal from one of the other men in town, I suppose. Or maybe head farther west and see what trouble I can get into.
I’ve heard opportunities abound, for men and women.
”

             
“Marriage vows should be taken more seriously than that, Charity.” Mabel checked the water on the stove. “After all, it’s a commitment set in place by God.”

             
“My vow to Gabriel is very serious.” Charity eyed her. “But, God hasn’t seen fit to make my circumstances solid and binding. I have to do the best I can.”

             
Mabel shrugged.
“We should cheer up. It’s Thanksgiving after all.”
She
grinned. “We have much to be thankful for.”

             
Charity glanced back at the men and children, the animals, the snug soddy over her head. Months ago
,
she had been shocked to discover she would live in a hole in the ground. Now, it was home. What would Gabriel do with it once he moved into the big house? “We do.”

###

             
Once everyone sat around the table, Gabe carried his Bible from
where
he kept it on the mantel.
“As I did on the Fourth of July, I found verses dealing with Thanksgiving.” He took his seat at the head of the table. “Today, is a day we give thanks
for God’s provision
. I’d like to read the verses, then possibly, we can each say one thing we are thankful for.”

             
Charity paled and ducked her head. Mabel and Hiram nodded. The children grinned.