McKenna, (Sweet Western Historical Romance) (Nevada Brides Series Book 1) (10 page)

“From the well over there.” She pointed it out.

“And where are the outhouses in the tent city?”

She pointed to them, and McKenna shook her head. “That won’t do. They need to be immediately digging new ones well away from the well. Otherwise, a cholera outbreak could happen.”

“I don’t know who we’d find to do that,” Bertha told her. “Most miners work all day long and seldom have energy enough to do more than that.”

“I’d be happy to speak to them,” Cole said. “And even help out myself.”

“That’s the best thing I’ve heard all day.”

“Leave it to me.”

* * *

When it was time to eat, Cole and McKenna helped the girls who worked in the kitchen serve. She refused to serve any of the bread they had bought from Chastity. It wasn’t fit for a dog.

Finally, they sank into chairs and McKenna was shocked at just how good the stew really was. “Bertha should open up her own restaurant,” McKenna told Cole.

“Yes, but if she did, who would feed the miners? They need her here.”

“We could help her out if she had time to make us bread to sell in the store.”

“Do you honestly think she’d be able to do that and her duties here?”

“I could do it,” Grace offered when she walked past. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to eavesdrop.”

“That’s fine,” Cole said. “But I don’t want to take anyone away from working here.”

“Me and my sisters sure could use the extra money. I don’t want to take a job in the saloon. There’s just no other way a woman can make money, unless our sister happens to find gold.”

This was the second time she had mentioned a woman mining for gold.

“You mean your sister isn’t married and is actually mining for gold?” McKenna asked.

“Yes, and she’s the toughest one of the lot. Only woman miner here in Silver.”

“It’s not unheard of,” Betsy said. “I hear there was a woman in California who was a miner, too. She even struck it rich.”

“I think that’s great. It’s bad how us women are treated. If we don’t have a husband by twenty, we’re considered spinsters,” McKenna said. “I’m twenty-two and only married recently.”

“I wouldn’t blame all the men for that. It’s just how it is now,” Cole said. “It won’t always be the case. I, for one, think your sister has moxie for combating society and doing exactly what she wants.”

McKenna smiled at Cole. She was glad he wasn’t the type of man who believed that women had no rights besides getting married and having children.

Cole excused himself and chatted with miners while McKenna helped clean up as others began to file out of the tent. She knew times were tough and she hoped her suggestion to dig new outhouses would be taken seriously. She might not be able to make much more of a contribution there, but she vowed that she’d show up whenever she could to help them out in the kitchen tent. It was the highlight of her day.

Cole finally joined McKenna, telling her some miners agreed to meet first thing in the morning to begin digging the outhouses.

“Where will they get the wood?”

“There’s a barn behind our building that we own and there is plenty of wood there, much more than we need to use ourselves. I want to help the miners if I can.”

McKenna wanted to hug and kiss Cole, but restrained herself. It surprised her that she felt like doing that more and more. If only she could be certain what he was feeling for her. She was falling for Cole fast and just had to do whatever she could to stop herself. The last thing she needed was to be hurt by the only man she’d ever truly gotten close to.

The pair thanked the women and left with an apple pie they insisted must be taken back with them. Cole’s face actually reddened when the women raved about how great the apple pies were.

It was getting dark by the time they were back at the store. Bret was sitting down with a smile on his face when they returned and he spotted the pie.

“That sure smells like apple to me.”

“It sure is. We made it together,” McKenna told him.

“I should go to the boarding house and gather our things,” Cole said. “Our bed should have been delivered while we were gone.”

“What? Where was all the furniture coming from?”

“I bought it off a family who was leaving town for California.”

“I see. Well, I hope you paid them a fair amount.”

“Of course. I’m not here to make a killing off everyone. Today taught me that, but I assure you that Chastity won’t like it when Winters Mercantile opens.” He smiled.

She locked up while Cole and Bret left to gather the belongings, opening the door only when they returned with her suitcase overflowing and not even closed properly.

“Sorry,” Cole apologized sheepishly. “I was in a hurry. I can’t wait to dig into that pie.”

They locked up and went upstairs and into the kitchen where McKenna dished up the pie, giving each of them a huge chunk.

“Seems like Cole has booked up my day tomorrow,” Bret said.

“I heard about that. It was my idea actually. I hope you don’t mind.”

“Not at all, if conditions are how Cole explained them to be. You do realize there is only so much you can do for the miners, right?”

“I know, but I’ll be satisfied with that.” She frowned. “We did learn some useful information there. Did you know that the store owner across the street, Chastity, and her father control what come in and out of Silver?”

“Is that right?”

“Yes, and I’m worried if our order for stock will even show up.”

“I have given that some thought, too,” Cole said. “After I help with the outhouses, I think Bret and I should check it out. We need that stock and if her father won’t deliver it, I’ll find someone else who will.”

“Check it out how exactly?”

“We’ll have to leave town to make sure we have the supplies we need.”

McKenna was shocked at that. “What about me? Am I going, too?”

“No, you need to stay here. Since we’re living here now, all you have to do is make sure you keep that door locked.”

“I’m not sure about that. It makes me nervous to be here alone,” McKenna admitted.

“Not to worry,” Bret soothed her. “I bet one of the women from the stagecoach would love to come stay with you. I heard good things about that Ethel Braxton. Her husband has found the most gold in the area.”

“I don’t even know how to get in touch with her.”

“We saw her at the boarding house. Her husband is having a house built for them north of town,” Cole said. “That’s the only way I’d even consider leaving you here.”

“She’s a brassy old bird.” Bret laughed. “I bet she even packs a pistol.”

“She does,” McKenna shared. “That’s how she kept those two brothers in line, Charles and Albert. Charles made me so nervous, and he was very crude with some of the things he said to me.”

“Have you seen them since?” Cole asked. “I hope one of them wasn’t the man who grabbed your arm yesterday.”

“No, it wasn’t either of them.”

“You need to teach your wife how to shoot,” Bret said. “We
are
in the Wild West, you know.”

“That will have to wait for another time. Making sure we have our supplies is most important now.”

McKenna yawned and headed into the bedroom, where a bed sat in the center. It was made, and all McKenna had to do was crawl between the sheets.

She drew the curtains and began to unbutton her dress when she felt a draft from the door. McKenna froze. She knew Cole was there and she didn’t know what to do.

“Don’t be frightened. Bret is sleeping downstairs and I was wondering if you needed help taking anything off.” He sighed. “I meant like your corset.”

“I’m not wearing one.”

McKenna yanked off her dress and put it over a chair. She wasn’t sure if Cole was looking at her since she had her back turned to him, but she felt his eyes on her nonetheless. She smoothed her chemise down before she turned and when his eyes locked with hers, she knew he’d been watching her the entire time. Instead of feeling angry about that, she was warm all over. This stranger she had married became everything but a man she didn’t know. The more time that passed, the closer she felt to him. He wasn’t only handsome, but gentle, sensitive, and helpful. The way he was planning to help the miners showed her just how much he cared for others and not just himself.

Cole advanced toward her and she tried not to look down at his arousal, but couldn’t help herself. He put his hands on her waist and drew her to him.

“I’d be a fool to not desire you, McKenna. I’ve never known a woman like you.”

His face moved closer and when his lips touched hers, she almost lost her balance. She leaned in, lost in the taste and feel of his lips on hers. She felt so alive, every part of her body jumping at attention, but when he pressed her body even closer to hers, she stiffened. She wasn’t ready for this. She wasn’t even sure if she loved him or not. He had said he desired her, but said nothing of love.

She pushed away and his eyes darkened—not in anger, but like she had hurt him.

“I-I’m sorry. I’m not ready for this yet.”

“It was just a kiss, McKenna. It wasn’t like I was planning to throw you on the bed and ravish you, unless you want me to.” He smiled.

“No. I mean, that’s not what I want. I’m sorry if I have disappointed you.”

“You’d never be a disappointment to me, but we
are
married. However, I won’t pressure you to become my wife in every way unless that’s what you really want.”

“It’s not.”

“Fine,” Cole said, his eyes flashing.

McKenna had a lump in her throat, and she climbed between the sheets while Cole began to yank his clothes off. She jumped when his boots hit the floor. Instead of leaving like he had the other night, he slipped between the sheets, not keeping a barrier in the middle. Something had changed between them and she had no idea if she was ready for it.

For the entire night, she felt more nervous than she ever had. She expected at any moment that Cole would slide too near her, breathe on her, and take her as a man would his wife. She actually was disappointed that none of that happened. He was soon snoring, and she punched her pillow to make it a little more comfortable. Or was she really hoping to wake him up?

* * *

When McKenna woke, she was very tired. She’d hardly slept; her body wouldn’t allow her to. She felt more alive than she ever had, thanks to that darn husband of hers. Cole wasn’t in the bedroom, and when McKenna finally was up and dressed, he wasn’t in the kitchen or even in the store. She knew he was planning to help dig the outhouses, and most likely needed to get an early start. The only problem was that she missed him. However would she be able to deal with it when he left to check on their shipment?

After breakfast, she went downstairs and Grace, one of the girls from tent city, waved. She was trying to hang onto a box, and McKenna rushed to open the door to let her in.

“Hello. What do we have here?” McKenna asked.

“You said if we made bread you’d sell it in your store, right?”

“Yes, but the store won’t be open until we have something to sell.”

“Oh, I know that, but I thought I could make the bread here so you’d know how good it really is. I don’t want you thinking I don’t know what I’m doing,” Grace told her.

“I’d never think that, Grace.” McKenna laughed. “Come upstairs and I’ll show you where the kitchen is.”

“I already know. We were here cleaning before, remember?”

“So you have. Would you like to come with me? I need to find the woman who was on the stagecoach with me, Ethel Braxton.”

Grace’s face lit up. “I’d love to. She’s probably in the restaurant having her tea. She used to live in England, you know, and is quite classy, don’t you think?”

“Is it really true that her husband struck it rich here?” McKenna asked.

Grace’s eyes widened considerably. “Yes, he sure has.”

“I really hope your sister finds gold soon. I’d like to see you and your sisters living somewhere else. How safe is it at the tent city when you don’t have any men to look after you?”

“We’re just fine. Our sister Fanny made sure the men knew if they ever tried and lay a hand on any of us, she’d rip off their man parts.”

McKenna grimaced. “That’s harsh.”

“That’s how Fanny is. She stepped up and assumed the role of our father after our parents died.”

“Father?”

“Yes, you’ll know why when you meet her. She’s more manly than some men.”

“I understand. Let’s head to the restaurant then, and hopefully, we can catch Ethel there.”

McKenna locked up and saw Chastity was outside speaking with a man. The pair stared over at them, but McKenna walked up the street, crossing only when they were near the restaurant.

“You better watch out, McKenna,” Grace warned. “That Chastity will never allow you to open your store.”

“What can she do?”

“Prevent her father from shipping you anything.”

“I’m not worried about her. Cole will handle it.”

When they walked into the restaurant, Ethel was indeed inside, having a cup of tea and speaking with several women all dressed richly.

“Hello, Ethel,” McKenna greeted her. “I was hoping you’d be here.”

Ethel’s face lit up. “Sit down, McKenna. I’m so glad you came to see me.”

McKenna didn’t sit down yet. “This is my friend, Grace. Can she join us, too?”

“Of course! Sit, ladies.”

One of the women rolled her eyes when she stared at Grace. “Since when do you consort with her kind?” she asked.

“What kind is that exactly?” McKenna countered. “She works in the tent city kitchen to help feed the miners. What have you ever done besides ridicule others?”

The woman sucked in her breath, but before she said anything, Ethel stated, “She’s right. That’s an honest living. You forget that those tent cities built this town. Before the miners came here, Silver was nothing more than tumbleweeds.”

“Well, don’t expect me to sit at the same table with her,” the woman said.

“Suits me fine,” Ethel told her. “But don’t think you’ll be coming back to have dinner with me later. I don’t care for women who think they’re a step better than another. Especially when your mother was less than proper herself.”

The other women gasped and left with a rustling of their silk skirts.

“I didn’t mean to cause any problems,” Grace apologized.

“You’re fine, honey. They just have forgotten who they used to be. Ever since their husbands struck it rich in California, they look down their noses at everyone who hasn’t.”

McKenna smiled. She knew she liked Ethel before, but even more so after that display.

“It’s so kind of you to speak up on Grace’s behalf,” McKenna remarked. “What I wanted to ask was if you would be able to spend time with me at the store while my husband and his brother leave town to check on the shipment. We were under the impression that Chastity’s father might not ship us any of the items we ordered to stock the store.”

“I’ll look in on you, but you should have Grace stay with you. I’m sure the kitchen tent can do without her for a week.”

“A week? I was hoping it wouldn’t take that long.”

“Since the train doesn’t come into Silver, it might take longer than you think,” Ethel informed her.

“I suppose I didn’t think about that. Today, my husband is helping the miners dig new outhouses that are further away from the wells.”

“Was that your idea?”

“Yes, actually, but how did you know?” McKenna inquired.

“I see you as a right smart woman. So, how is your new marriage going?”

“I-It’s going fine. We’ve been so busy readying the store that we haven’t had time to do much else. We did help out in the tent kitchen just yesterday, though.”

“And that’s when you came up with the idea that they needed better conditions?”