CHARITY'S GOLD RUSH (A Strike It Rich in Montana novel) (11 page)

             
Sam handed him a dipper of water. “When’s Ma coming home? You said she was away learning to cook, right? I’m tired of the same old thing every night.”

             
Gabriel took a long drink then dumped the rest over his head. “We’re picking her up in the morning.”

             
“I’m going to go pick some wildflowers.” Sam tore toward the creek.

             
Gab
e
smiled. If there were any flowers left, the creek would most likely be the only place around to find them.

             
“Pa?” Meg stopped in front of him, holding the kitten like it was a baby. Maybe Charity was right. The children needed a toy or two. It was something for Gabe to think about for Christmas instead of the usual fruit and nuts and the occasional new item of clothing.

             
“What do you need, Meg?”

             
“I miss Ma.” Tears shimmered in her dark eyes. “I don’t like being the only girl here.”

             
“You were the only girl for
a
good long
while
.” Gabe pocketed the last of his nails and stood, popping the kinks from his back.

             
“But not anymore!” Meg glowered up at him, squeezing the kitten hard enough to elicit a yeow from the poor animal.

             
“Charity will be back in the morning.” How would the children react when Charity left in the spring? One stupid wager left Gabe’s life hanging upside down
. A
n impulsive offer to a beautiful woman set it to spinning, and he had no idea how to set it right.

             
He stared at his daughter’s face. Meg would never forgive him.
Tears ran down her cheeks in silent suffering. Gabe sighed. “Get your brother. We’ll fetch your ma now.”

###

             
Charity crossed her arms and stared over the prairie. The sun brushed the top of the mountains with indigo and purple. A slight breeze ruffled the dry grass and carried with it the faint scent of honeysuckle.

             
A cloud of dust hovered on the horizon. Most likely another infernal dust devil invited to stay by the lack of rain.

             
Mabel had stuffed Charity’s head as full of womanly knowledge as she could in a week’s time. Confident with the skills she’d learned, Charity would head home in the morning, ready to show Gabriel exactly what she was capable of.

             
The dust cloud moved closer. Charity squinted. Could it be? She poked her head into the house. “Gabriel’s here.” Early. What happened?
Did something happen to o
ne of the children? Charity hefted her skirts and took off down the road at a run.

             
She skidded to a halt at the surprised look on Gabriel’s face. Behind him, Sam and Meg peered over his shoulder. “What’s wrong?” Charity asked, a hand at her throat.

             
“The children missed you.” Gabriel continued toward the house, calling over his shoulder, “We’ve come to take you home.”

             
Home. What a wonderful word. Charity dashed back to the house and thundered inside, hurriedly gathering together her meager belongings and pad of paper. She grinned at Mabel. “They’ve come for me.”

             
“Of course they have, child.” Mabel pulled her into a hug. “You give that man time. Before you know
it
, he’ll realize the treasure he has in front of him.”

             
She hoped so, she really did, but Charity didn’t count herself as much of a treasure. Once she found gold, then she’d have something of worth to give Gabriel. She returned Mabel’s hug. “Thank you so much.”

             
“We’re family now,” Mabel said. “Don’t be a stranger. We’re less than an hour’s ride away. Once winter hits, you’ll be snowed in. Let’s get our visiting in while we can.”

             
“Fourth of July.” Charity stepped back. “Come for a picnic
.
I’ll cook and show you my much improved skills.”

             
“
We’d be happy to
.” Mabel gave her a gentle shove toward the door. “Go. Your man is waiting.”

             
If only her words were true.

9

             
Weeks passed with life settling into a routine of chores and stolen glances. Every time Charity’s work took her outside, she made an effort to take Gabriel a drink of water or a bit to eat as he worked on the new house.

             
The frame stretched to the Montana sky, offering a glimpse of what the structure would someday look like.
Two stories with a porch that stretched the length of the front.
She tried to hope she would be around to live within its fine walls, but more often than not, Gabriel refused to meet her eye. Oh, but he did look her way.
W
hen he thought she didn’t
notice
. The knowledge kept a spot warm at the bottom of her heart, a spark that needed but a bit of encouragement to flame.

             
Charity lifted her hair off her neck. This infernal drought! Tomorrow was the
F
ourth of July
,
and they were expecting the Stoltzes.
She wanted to show Mabel the fin
e
floor Gabe laid while she was gone, and have the other woman sample some of Charity’s cooking.

She had forged ahead in a sweltering kitchen to bake apple pies, corn pone, and the ribs from a hog Gabriel obligingly slaughtered for the occasion.
She’d even had time to
fashion
fabric from one of Maggie’s old dresses into a new dress for Meg.

             
What she hadn’t had time for was panning for that ever elusive gold. Sometimes, when
Gabriel caught her
star
ing
out the door at the creek or mountains, she thought maybe
he
knew the thoughts that ran through her mind. Yet, he never said a word. Charity had moved the ‘fool’s’ gold from her pocket to the mant
e
l where she could lay eyes on it every day. Whenever she went to the creek for water, she scan
ned
the bottom for a glint of something that might be real.

             
She reached out to check the laundry hanging on the line. Almost dry. It didn’t take long in the hot summer
, almost drying before she clipped them to the line
.

From the open door of the sod house came the delectable scent of baking bread. She’d have to be careful not to burn it. The last thing she wanted to do was sit inside beside the sweltering stove
and watch
the bread
bake
. A sod house might be cooler than a log one, but with heat this intense, it didn’t provide much relief.

             
Grabbing the bucket she used to carry drinking water, Charity strolled to the creek, filled it
,
and headed to where Gabriel and Sam mucked out the barn.

             
Gabe
nodded and accepted the dipper of water. “Thank you. I’m parched.” After drinking his fill, he handed the dipper to Sam. “We haven’t had a summer this hot in a long time.”

             
Charity started. Was he actually talking to her? “Hmmm, guess not, but I’ll be glad for cooler weather.”

             
“Not once winter hits
,
and you’re snowed in.
Which doesn’t happen all the time, from what I’ve heard, but enough to make folks cautious.
” He leaned against the rake, his gaze intense. “Sam, check on your sister, please.”

             
“I can see her from her
e
, Pa. She’s playing with Patches.”

             
“Do as I say, son.”

             
Charity swallowed against the dryness in her throat, and reached for a drink. What had she done now?

             
Gabriel removed his hat
. H
is hair
was
plastered to his skull with sweat, and
he
wiped his brow on the sleeve of his shirt. “I’ve been doing some thinking, Charity.”

             
Uh-oh.

             
“Are you happy here?
” he asked.
“
With me and the young’uns?”

             
“Well,
i
f you’d talk to
—”

             
“Hello, the house!”

             
Charity pulled herself away from Gabriel’s gaze. Mr. Stoltz raced up the yard on the back of a brown mule.

             
“Fire! South of your house
and moving fast
. Me and the
m
issus could see
the smoke
from our place.
I got here as quick as I could.
”

             
Charity grabbed the bucket and ran for the house. “Sam! Meg! Gather up buckets and blankets.” She’d seen a fire in town once and would never forget the sight of buildings burning, horses screaming, and people fleeing with what little they could carry.

             
“Charity!” Gabriel stopped her. “Have the children help you get everything you can inside the house. Sod doesn’t burn. Then you stay put.”

             
She whirled. “No, I can help you. Even Sam can—”

             
“It’s too dangerous.” He frowned.

             
“You can’t fight a fire alone, Gabriel Williams.” Charity put her hands on her hips. “We can argue about it or we can take action.”

             
Mr. Stoltz slid from his mule’s back and slapped the animal’s rump to send it
a safe distance away
. “She’s right. I’ll stay and help, but it will be better with three.”

             
“Look at her, Hiram. She’s not much bigger than Sam.”

             
“But I’m strong, Gabriel.” She wouldn’t hide in the house and worry about him. He couldn’t ask her to. She dashed to the line of clean clothes and tossed them in the waiting basket.

             
“Meg, Sam, bring in whatever you can carry. Meg, put Patches inside.” Charity hefted the basket, dropped it inside the door, and then started yanking blankets off the beds. She’d seen men beat at the flames before. She could do that. “Sam, when you’ve finished that, I need every bucket we have filled with water.”

             
By the time she got back outside, Gabriel and Hiram had started digging a trench around the immediate property. Charity sta
r
ed at the newly framed house. Would all Gabriel’s efforts have been in vain? She hoped not. If the house burned, his chances of having it built before his ridiculous deadline didn’t look good.

             
Once they’d moved everything into the house small enough to carry,
Charity and the children
stood and watched the smoke move closer
while the men continued to dig behind them
. Maybe the flames wouldn’t jump the creek. Charity’s throat clogged at the thought of losing the small grove of aspen trees
,
and she glanced over her shoulder at the men
.
What would happen to them if everything burned?

             
“How did the fire start?” Gabriel shook his head. “No lightning that I know of.”

             
Hiram shrugged. “I saw the silhouette of a man on a horse earlier, but only a darn fool would mess with fire in the middle of a drought.”

             
“Could you see who it was? What
did
he look like?” Gabriel slapped his hat against his thigh.

             
“Can’t say as I did
get a clear look
.” Hiram clapped him on the shoulder. “We’ll beat this thing
, don’t worry
.”

###

             
Gab
e
prayed so. He let his gaze roam over his family. Charity stood with her arms around the children, a tub of soaked blankets beside her. He shook his head. Silly woman, thinking she could beat off a brush fire with nothing but water and fabric.

             
When the crackling of flames filled the air and he could see the fire licking at the
brush on the
opposite side of the creek, he tightened his grip on his shovel as if he could hold the fire back by sheer will power.
Lord, don’t let it jump the shallow creek
.