CHARITY'S GOLD RUSH (A Strike It Rich in Montana novel) (20 page)

The flames flickered, highlighting his bare chest. What would it feel like to lay her head there? Have his arms wrap around her in love?

She crossed her arms. She could
ha
ve become a widow that day
, and t
here w
ere
still the cattle to bring home. How did women and children survive life on the prairie without a man? Did they pack up and move to the nearest town, finding whatever job they could?
The selfish thoughts running through her mind left her empty. She didn’t want to go back to the unmarried life. Real marriage or not, Charity was content with the life she had now.
Mostly.

Gabriel’s brow furrowed. Charity reached out and smoothed the frown away. When would she admit to herself she was falling in love with her husband?

It would do her no good. He had made it clear from the beginning where his thoughts and heart lay.
She
’d
thought she had hers under control, as well. Obviously not. Tears burned her eyes. She swiped them away and blamed them on the stress of the day.

Gabriel thrashed
,
and Charity laid a calming hand on his shoulder, his skin warm beneath her palm. When he settled, she grabbed a quilt from the foot of the bed and pulled it over him.
Her gaze landed on the rifle over the mantel.

As soon as Gabriel was able, she’d ask him to teach her to shoot. If a no-good scoundrel came sniffing around, she’d need to be able to defend the home. And if it
happened to be
the man who shot her husband, she would
gladly
pay him back with a bullet of her own.

###

Fire burned through Gabe’s side and silk tickled his hand. He turned his head
.
Charity
lay
stretched out on the bed beside him, her hair loose and flowing across the pillow. He’d wondered what it would be like to have her sleep beside him, but hadn’t planned on it being because he was injured. He moved to wrap an arm around her and draw her close, but stopped as his side screamed.

He would die for a drink of water, but
he
definitely did not want to wake his sleeping wife. Not while he had a rare opportunity to study her. She rolled over and faced him. If he wanted to, Gabe swore he could count all the amber freckles that dotted her nose. Her lashes, dark for a woman with red hair, rested on her cheeks, hiding eyes the color of a summer meadow. He tried to conjure up a picture of Maggie’s hair, and failed. He
seemed to
recall it being the color of straw, and her eyes as dark as his
children’s
.
Next to the vibrancy of Charity, Maggie had been a tame sparrow.

Sure she had had gumption. After all, the trek across the continent after the war couldn’t have been easy, but Maggie did everything in a quiet manner, often melting into the background. Charity would also be noticed wherever she went.

His gaze wandered over the curve
s
of her shoulder and hip
and back to her face
. He caught just a glimpse of a rounded freckled cheek and brushed aside the urge to caress her face
and wake her with a kiss
.

Gabe tore his gaze away and laid his arm over his eyes. He was nuts comparing the two women.
They were as different as n
ight and day.
He groaned at his foolish thoughts.

“Oh.” Charity bolted from the bed, jostling the mattress. “I must have fallen asleep.” She put hands to her cheeks. “How do you feel? May I fetch something for you?” She placed the back of her hand against his forehead. “No fever. That’s good. How long did I sleep? Gracious.”

“Charity, stop.” Gabe held out a hand. “Sit
.
P
lease, don’t be embarrassed on my account.”

“Embar
r
assed
for
what?” She perched on the edge of the rocking chair and twisted her hands in her nightgown.

“There’s nothing wrong with the two of us sharing a bed. We’re married.” She was adorable with her cheeks flushed and hair wild about her head.

“Not in … that way.”

“You were only sleeping, Charity.” He grinned. Maybe when he healed and was on his feet, they could do more than sleep.

“Yes, well.” She leaped to her feet. “Let me fix you some coffee.”

“Water will be fine. I’m going to drowse back off in a moment.” The pain in his side was fierce enough
that
all he wanted to do was grit his teeth and hide away until he healed.
And feel Charity’s
soothing
cool
touch
on his face.

Before she returned with his drink, his eyes closed.

###

             
Charity could not believe she
allowed
Gabe
to wake before she did
. What was the matter with her?
Oh, she was a wanton woman.
Married or not, a woman did not lie with her husband without invitation, did she?
Oh, but the bed had looked so inviting, and she had been so tired. She’d meant to be awake before him and he none the wiser.

She leaned both hands on the counter beside the
wash basin
and lowered her head. What must he think of her?

             
She took a mug from the upper shelf and poured water from the pitcher.
How easy it would be to slip and ruin all of her plans for the future. She could so easily succumb to the benefits of a physical marriage
,
and thus, be unable to receive an annulment.
Although Ma always looked at intimacy has another chore, when Charity looked into Gabriel’s eyes, she felt flutters that told her physical love could be something more
than an obligation
.
She could look for gold whether married or not, but how would Gabriel feel if he fell prey to a moment of temptation?
He’d most likely hate her forever.

             
With a sigh, Charity moved to the bed and gazed at her sleeping husband. She set the cup on the table, and settled back into the rocking chair. Maybe she ought to go to her own cot in order not to climb back beside Gabriel. If she did, she’d g
et
no sleep for worrying about him
waking up and staring at her again
.

             
Her head nodded, her chin rested on her chest, and her eyes closed.

             
“Ma?”
Sam patted her shoulder.

             
Charity opened her eyes to the sight of both children staring at her. “What’s wrong? Did he take a turn for the worse?” She cupped Gabriel’s cheek. His skin was as hot as an ember. “Bring me cool water. Quickly.” She tore the blankets off him
and glanced outside
.
Of course, it would stop snowing.
“Get the water from the creek, and try to find me some unburned bark from an aspen tree.”

             
The children rushed outside to do her bidding, leaving coats and cloaks behind. If they weren’t careful, Charity would be treating them for fever
too
.

             
Again, she dug through her medicine chest and pulled out a tin of dehydrated aspen bark. She had enough for a few days of treatment, but figured with winter still a couple of months away, she had time to harvest and prepare more. Obviously, that wasn’t the case.

Please, God, spare Gabriel
. If
H
e did, Charity promised to pay close attention to the scripture
s
Gabriel read from the Bible during the winter months. If God could show
H
is mercy this time, she would give
H
im another chance to show her
H
e loved her.

16

             
“Hello, the house!”

             
Charity tossed down the spoon she’d been using to stir the stew
for the day’s meal
and rushed to the door. Hiram and Red Feather strolled
toward her
from the direction of the creek. Tears welled in her eyes as she threw open the door. “Come in, please!”
Her knees weakened from the prospect of help.

             
“Howdy, Charity.” Hiram whipped off his hat. “Is your husband home? Red Feather saw a few of his cows wandering so we figured it might warrant coming to see
if something is amiss.
I wondered why he didn’t come straight here, but Red Feather said he was led to go to my place.
”

             
Charity sniffed. “Gabriel went out day before yesterday to search for the
cattle
. This is the second time someone let them loose. He was shot. I’ve been caring for him and haven’t had the opportunity to go looking for them myself.”

             
“Shot?” Hiram
glanced at
Red Feather.

             
“A flesh wound, but he
ran
a fever
all day yesterday and through the night
.” Charity stepped aside and let the men enter.
“I’ve been cooling him with creek water and aspen bark tea.
I think it’s working
, but I’ve been dreadful worried, all the same
.
”

             
Red Feather knelt beside the bed and peered under Gabriel’s bandages. His face remained impassive. Planting his hands on his thighs, he stood. “No infection. Gabriel will live. I go find cows.”

             
“Thank you so much!
I’m mighty grateful.
” Charity almost hugged him, but then, remembering the way the Indian appraised her on their first meeting, stepped back and held out her hand
instead
.

             
Red Feather stared at her hand before shaking. “Old man will stay with you until I return.”

             
“Old man,” Hiram sputtered. “Savage.” His eyes twinkled, belying the harshness of his words. “You be careful. If there’s someone out there with a
vengeance
, you don’t want to be the next victim.”

             
“Red Feather move like the smoke.
I be back before sundown
or I not be back
.
”

             
With the way he scooted out the door, Charity had no doubt he’d scout around just as he said
, invisible
. “Hiram, can I get you some coffee?”

             
“Much obliged.” He removed his hat, hung it on a nail, then sat at the table. “Has Gabriel said anything about who he thinks might have done this?”

             
Charity shook her head. “I think he has his suspicions, but hasn’t discussed them with me.”
Nothing a woman should concern herself with, he’d say.
She lifted the pot off the stove and poured the fragrant brew into two cups. She’d earned one for herself.

             
Hiram glanced around the soddy. “Where’s the young’uns?”

             
“Chores. With me nursing Gabriel, I don’t have a lot of time for the livestock.” She glanced out the still open door.
The day before y
esterday’s blast of unseasonably cold weather had left as quickly as it had arrived. Although the day was still cooler than normal, the
sun glistened off what was left of the snowfall
piled against buildings
.
Tomorrow, all signs of an early winter would be gone
and the last days of summer would linger for a while
.

             
Hiram sipped his coffee. “I’ll take this out to the barn and see what I can do
to help
. Don’t want to leave you until Red Feather gets back.”

             
“What are you not telling me?”
He and Red Feather had never worried before
. Of course, Gabriel was always here, but surely they realized he would be gone for a full day sometimes.
Had they somehow known Gabriel was wounded?
Were she and the children in danger?

             
Hiram swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “Gabriel will have my head if I
tell
you.”

             
“I’ll have your head if you don’t.” She put her fists on her hips.

             
Hiram turned his coffee cup in his hands. “
Don’t get your Irish dander up with me, missy.
Red Feather was out hunting. Came across a couple of Gabe’s cows. He followed the tracks, which happened to go close to my land. He fetched me
,
and we backtracked. Wasn’t hard to see blood drops on the rocks, so we hightailed it here.”