CHARITY'S GOLD RUSH (A Strike It Rich in Montana novel) (6 page)

###

             
Charity should have stayed and
eaten
lunch. Her stomach grumbled as she swished clothes in the clean water. She eyed the opposite bank. If she strung a rope, and securely attached the articles of clothing, she could let the water do the work while she panned for gold. Her gaze settled on
the
flecks in the sand. There was
a lot of
gold here, she just knew it.
Buried beneath the surface like eggs laid in straw.

             
She plunged her hand into the sand and clutched a rock. Bringing it to the light, she almost shrieked at the gold strands weaving through the rock.
It was easier than she’d expected.
She’d be rich! She stilled. Half of whatever she found would belong to Gabe. It was his land after all, and he was her husband, even if in name only. She dropped the rock into her pocket. That meant she’d have to mine twice as much.
She didn’t mind sharing, as long as she got her fair share.

             
“Charity?”

             
She gasped and spun, nearly falling backward into the creek. Clutching her pocket, she took a deep breath. “Gabriel
.
”

             
He held out a hand. “Please, come eat.”

             
The offer was tempting, but she’d gone with only two meals a day for most of her life.
“I really should finish here. This afternoon, I need to get the garden planted
if we hope to eat during the winter
.”

             
“The children can help.” He crossed his arms and leaned against the trunk of an aspen tree. A curl fell forward over one eye, giving him a rakish look.

             
Charity curled her fingers tighter around her treasure to prevent herself from reaching out and smoothing his hair away from his face. “That would be wonderful. Thank you.”

             
He scratched his head. “Do you know how to cook anything other than beans?”

             
“Not really.” She squared her shoulders. “Nor do I know how to sew, can, tend a garden or care for livestock.”

             
“Well, that’s a predicament.” He ran both hands through his hair. “But one I can remedy easy enough. Our closest neighbor is a woman who has lived on these plains for quite some time. I’m sure she’d be glad to teach you what you need to know.”

             
“That’s very kind of you
to think of a way to help me
.” Of course she knew for a fact that her learning would improve his life so they’d both benefit.
She squatted next to the
tub
. “I’ll be up in a little while.”

             
“As you wish.” His footsteps faded.

             
Charity closed her eyes. Should she have gone? What if she made him angry enough to sever their agreement early? She’d never strike it rich, then. She needed to tell him of her plans. Maybe he would help her. They could strike up a friendship. Become partners. She grinned and pushed to her feet. She’d show him the rock right away.

             
Fairly skipping to the house,
she withdrew the rock
, and burst into the house
.
“Gabriel, I have a wonderful plan that would benefit us both.”

             
Her enthusiasm died at the sight of dirty dishes in the sink
,
a congealing pot of beans in the center of the table
, and no family
. Breathing sharply through her nose, she dropped the rock back in her pocket and rolled up her sleeves.

             
By the time the kitchen was in order, Charity’s temper sim
m
ered like a pan over a slow burning fire. What could Gabriel possibly gain by taking the children off on an afternoon romp after lecturing her about no time for fun when there were chores to do?

             
With a snap of her apron
,
she draped it over a chair,
and
stormed outside and around the corner. There, poking holes in the dirt with a long stick, was Gabriel. The children followed along behind him, dropping seeds in the furrows of her garden.

5

             
Charity’s throat stung from unshed tears. Gabriel cared enough about her workload to help her, and she’d done nothing but think evil thoughts while washing dishes. Oh, but she was a wretched woman
of the worst kind
.

             
“Surprise.” Gabriel grinned. “I thought you were feeling overwhelmed with everything, so the children and I took this off your hands.”

             
“Bless you.” Charity blinked rapidly. “I have something to share with you, too.” She pulled the stone from her pocket
and, with a flourish, handed it to him
. “We’re going to be rich.”

             
Gabriel’s smile faded as he took the rock from her. “This is fool’s gold. Worthless.”

             
“No
, ‘tisn’t
.” Charity shook her head. It couldn’t be. “It’s real, I’m sure of it.”

             
He sighed. “I’d know if there were gold in my creek, don’t you think?
”

             
“Have you searched?” There had to be gold. Miners used to come to Charity all the time, paying with dust or flakes, and there was very little of the precious stuff
left
in her trunk. Not enough to provide a life for herself, anyway.

             
“I’m sorry.” He handed her the stick. “If you want to take over here, I’ll head to the neighbors and set up a time for Mrs. Stoltz to help you.
I’ll be back by supper.
”

             
“Thank you.” Charity dropped her ‘gold’ back in her pocket
. H
er heart
thudded
to her stomach same as the rock did in her pocket.
She’d keep it as a reminder not to give up.
There was a reason she was here
, a
nd the reason was gold. She knew it.

             
Sam and Meg stared at her with puppy dog eyes, leaving her feeling more foolish than the misbegotten excitement over striking it rich. She watched Gabriel disappear around the mound that was home. She needed a plan, and while she worked on one in her mind, she’d work on improving their living conditions. If not for herself, then for the children. No one should live on dirt floors with nothing over their heads but grass.
Even back home, she’d had the luxury of a stone floor.

She glanced to the area north of the house where Gabriel had ropes strung, signifying the placement of rooms in the new place he wanted to build. A place that required time, money, and a temporary wife. All because of a bet!

             
Charity
jammed the pointed end of the stick in the ground
, burying a splinter in the palm of her hand
.
She hissed against the pain and stabbed the pole in the ground again.
If no gold resided in the creek, then it lay somewhere else. Her gaze drifted across the plain. Were there caves hidden among the hills? Caves with veins of riches beyond her wildest dream?

She eyed Sam. Boys roamed the land, right? “Sam, do you know of any caves around here? Ones that run deep?”

             
He dropped seeds into a hole. “Sure I do, but Pa won’t let me play in them. He says they’re too dangerous.”

             
“As I’m sure they are.”
What Charity needed was an excuse to explore one of these dangerous caves. Without the children, of course. She couldn’t live with herself if something happened to one of them because of her negligence
, and she was their mother, for now
.
Mothers did not put their children in danger.

             
A fine layer of grit covered her skin by the time they finished planting. Charity sighed and thought of the laundry she’d left beside the creek. With the children’s help, she should be able to lug the
tub
back and hang the clothes to dry.
Bread still waited to be made. Oh. Didn’t bread have to rise? She slapped her forehead. She should’ve started that first thing
in the
morning. That’s what she got for being a lazy goose and sleeping in.
Charity O’Connell was never lazy. At least not until she got married
and lost all ability to plan and schedule her day
.

###

             
Gabe
saddled Rogue, his horse
,
and headed toward the Stoltz
farm
. He
smil
ed
. Gold in the creek. Silly woman. If nothing else, his new bride provided entertainment.
He had to admit she was pleasant to look at, too
,
e
specially with that fiery hair spilling over her shoulders after her romp in the creek.
Her soft snores from the other side of the hung blanket last night
kept him from slee
p
, serving as a reminder that a desirable woman, his wife
, at that
, lay on the other side
.

He wasn’t lost to the fact that Meg didn’t play like his sisters did when they were little. She had no dolls or play dishes. No friends her age. Best Gabe
could
figure, if Charity taught his daughter to be a little girl, if even for a short while, she’d be worth the time
he
spent teaching her to be a proper Montana wife.
For another man.

Shoulders slumping, he spurred Rogue into a trot. After only one day, Gabe knew the homestead would be a lonely place without Charity’s sparkle.
He was a fool to broach the subject of a yearlong marriage. Neither of them had other prospects waiting and Charity had jumped at the offer of wedding him fast enough.
In addition
, she didn’t seem thrilled about the marriage in name only. Gabe groaned. Yep, he was a darn fool.

The Stoltz farm was a modest place with a sod house,
a
barn, a handful of cattle
,
and a large garden. Pretty much like Gabe’s own place. Except the Stoltz’
e
s hadn’t made a stupid gamble with a greedy man that he’d have a house built by a certain time or forfeit his land. They were content with their modest sod house that stayed cool in the summer and warm in the freezing winter.

“Hello, the house!” Gabe reined Rogue to a stop and dismounted, tossing the reins over a fence railing surrounded by grass for the horse to
munch on
.

“Mr. Williams.” A portly Mrs. Stoltz
smiled
as she stepped out the door. “
Mr. Stoltz is out in the west pasture.
What brings you to our humble home?
”

“I’m here to see you.”
Gabe removed his hat. “I got hitched to a woman who doesn’t appear to know a thing about living out here. She can’t cook, sew, or any of the other things a woman ought to know.”

“And you want me to teach her.” Mrs. Stoltz nodded. “
Send her
over first thing in the morning.
Come on in
,
and enjoy some corn pone and milk.”

“Much obliged.”
Gabe followed her into the dim recesses of a home filled with
womanly touches. A doily decorated
the center of the scarred wood table. Flowers graced the one windowsill beneath a lacy curtain, and a colorful quilt lay folded at the foot of a double wide bed.

“I’m figuring
she
’ll have to stay a few days.” Mrs. Stoltz reached on a shelf and pulled down a plate and a tin mug. “I’ve some recipes I can share
,
and we’ll spend at least a day on cooking, another on sewing, and another on something fun like crochet or knitting. I can even get her started on a quilt. I have lots of extra squares to piece together.” She clapped her hands. “It will be such fun to spend time with another woman.”

“What about your husband?” He didn’t want to be the means of the other man suffering.

“He can manage for a few days
without my undivided attention
.”
She cut a wedge of corn pone and set it on the plate, before pouring the mug full of milk.

Gabe took a seat at the table. “She doesn’t know anything.”

“Why did you marry her then?” Mrs. Stoltz sat across from him.
“Of course, you wouldn’t be the first to marry because of a shapely body and a comely face.”

He took a deep breath
, and shoved his shame to the deepest part of him
. “To save my farm from a man like Amos Jenkins.” Her eyes widened as he filled her in on the biggest mistake of his life.