The Beholding, page 24
He poured for Tess first, then for Luke and Jim. Resting one finger against his cheek, Nugget appeared to ponder the situation. “Ahh, the bucket will do. Tommie, will you come with me to the creek and we will quench your thirst as well? The water is the coolest and finest in all the Continental Divide.”
Tess hesitated. She didn’t know this Frenchman from Adam, yet he seemed friendly enough.
The man from the Barton House picked up the bucket. “Allow me, Mrs. Harper?” Lionel’s eyes rounded into a plea. “A child’s an uncommon sight ‘round here. Does a man good to see progress a’ coming to Georgetown. I’ll look after him while you folks talk business. No need, to worry. I’ll take care of him like he was my own.”
Lionel had been nothing but kind. She could tell by the way the man looked at Tommie with a tinge of awe that he wouldn’t harm her son or allow him to get hurt. If Tess had to trust someone in this place she meant to call home, she would start with these two men. “I’m beholden to you, Mr. Cramden.”
Tommie shoved his hand into Lionel’s and the man’s swayed back seemed to straighten considerably. As the two stepped out into the daylight, a loud cheer went up.
Tess bolted to her feet and ran to the door. Luke, Jim and Nugget hurried close behind. Stepping out into the light, she grabbed Tommie’s hand instinctively, offering Lionel a quick apologetic glance that said her fear had nothing to do with him.
“Look there. It’s a boy!” yelled one of the burly men trudging up the path toward the shack.
“A boy,” another said and hollered to the next man running down the western slope of the hill.
Men of all shapes and sizes swarmed the hillside leading up to Harper Hall. The jingle of horse-drawn buggies and the crack of whips announced the wagons headed this way as well. When they came into view, Tess was amazed at the number of masculine bodies each held. Men dressed in high-topped boots waded the stream and climbed the hill to join many others clad in blue trousers and red flannel shirts.
Had every miner in the Continental Divide come to Harper Hall?
“You’re awfully pretty, Mrs. Harper,” a red-headed giant of a man shouted, stopping in his tracks at a respectful distance. “Any more like you coming?”
“Heard at Barton House she’s a widder,” announced a toothless man as he stroked the salt-and-pepper beard that hung to his belt. “That true, ma’am?” He doffed his hat, displaying a completely bald head.
Nugget acted as spokesman for Tess’s party, stepping in front of her and waving his hands high to get everyone’s attention. “Now, gentleman. This is no way to greet the lady. Let us give her and her son a real Georgetown welcome. Mrs. Harper, I give you the townsmen of Georgetown, Silver Queen of the Rockies, and of other parts unknown.”
A loud hurrah pierced the air as male voices thundered over the yard and hats flew high into the air, each face eagerly awaiting her response.
Tess stepped forward and stared at the sea of faces. The disappointment at discovering such shabby dwellings was momentarily lost in the genuine, rousing welcome. “And hello to you all. I hope I’ll get to meet you each individually soon. My name is Contessa Harper and this is my son, Thomas James. He prefers to be called Tomimie.” She motioned to Luke and Jim and introduced them as well.
“Is it true you’re a widow?” asked a man who looked carved from the bark of a pine tree.
His eyes squinted at her in frank approval. Tess didn’t know how safe she would be here alone if her status was common knowledge, but she supposed they would learn soon enough anyway. “Yes, it is.”
A handsome, blond Swede stepped forward. “One of them your intended?”
Tess shook her head, though she glanced at Luke to see if he had anything to say in answer to the man’s question. Disappointed, she informed the Swede, ’“They brought me across Indian territory. Mr. Reeves and Mr. Daggert were my guides.”
Another shout went up as each man celebrated the availability of a new woman in town. A good-looking one at that.
“Now, you men go on home,” Nugget commanded, then noted Tess’s tired expression. “Madam is tired from the long trip, oui?”
She nodded.
“Mrs. Harper will visit tomorrow when she’s rested. Then we can show her how we welcome a friend.”
“How ‘bout the boy, ma’am?” One miner pointed toward Tommie. “I’ll give you twenty dollars worth’a gold if I can shake his hand.”
“Count me in,” said another.
“Fifty if he’ll let me give him a ride on my shoulders.”
Tess gripped Tommie’s hand tightly and looked at Luke as the crowd bartered for time with her son.
“I’m here, Tess,” Luke stated softly. “I won’t let anything happen.”
But could he take on this many men if something did occur? He wasn’t even wearing his Colt, and the rifle was still sheathed in Talon’s saddle.
As if he read her mind, the Frenchman reassured, “If any of them hurt the boy, the others will tear the man to shreds with their bare hands. Tommie is safe, madam, as are you. You and the child are a precious dream shared by all these men who want fortune and a family to share it with.”
Tess released her hold on Tommie. “Do you want to meet these men?”
“Yes, ma’am. Look at all the friends I got now!” His face radiated with anticipation.
“Then go say hello.” A lump of pride knotted in her throat, drowning out the worry of having just agreed to give a part of her son up to total strangers. He had been her sole stability, and Tess’s heart lurched at the thought of him needing her less.
Though his limp was even more noticeable as he tan toward the crowd, she could hardly keep up with Tommie. A hush swept over the gathering. Face after masculine face took on an expression of undying protection as the boy struggled toward them. In that moment, Tess’s heart wanned and blossomed with a newfound friendship toward each of them. Now more than ever she was determined to make Harper Hall and the Georgetown community her home. Finally, she stood among friends and people who did not judge.
“Where would you have me start, Mrs. Harper?” Nugget opened the wood-slatted door before Tess could do it for herself. “r have a broom in the mine and a bucket for wash water.”
Tess read compassion in the Frenchman’s gray eyes. His sympathy soothed her as she stared at the filthy interior and wondered how she would ever get it clean.
“You will have that drink now, oui?” Nugget pulled the chair out for her.
Jim joined them, leaving Luke and Lionel to safeguard the proceedings taking place outside with Tommie.
“Drink up, Tess. You’ll need it.” The gambler scooted the tin over to her as she thanked the Frenchman and took a seat in one of the ladder-back chairs.
Tess sipped the warm liquid, surprised that it tasted both good and disgusting. The bourbon burned her throat and she coughed, unaccustomed to its fiery smoothness. Like Luke, she thought. Exhilarating on one hand, destructive on the other. Tess put down the tin and studied Nugget. “Why did my husband hire you to watch his mine?”
The Frenchman’s brow arched, his eyes becoming guarded. With the first hit of something other than friendliness, he explained. “I’m his partner. The claim is half mine. He paid for the claim and I work it. I always send his half to Fort Smith.”
“Half yours?” Color drained from Tess’s face. Not only had Clifton left her nothing, he’d given her half of nothing. The Frenchman’s story explained the money her husband couldn’t have possibly made as a soldier. “Then you intend to remain here?”
“But of course, madam. Who would mine the claim?” His features took on concern. “A woman in the mines is considered courting misfortune. You do not intend to work it?”
“No.” She shook her head. “I mean… I don’t know. I didn’t have any idea I was coming to a mine. I thought I would have a place where I could take in boarders, plant a garden, make a home for my son.”
“All the more reason you should marry me.” Jim pressed Tess’s trembling hands with his own, ignoring the frown wrinkling Nugget’s brow. “I’ll work the mine with LaTouix here. All you have to do is stay home and keep the”—he frowned at the planked walls—"shack.”
Tess gripped the cup again, causing Jim’s hand to fall away. She took another sip of the fiery liquor, feeling warmth settle into her bones. She had awaited this day far too long to take the easy way out, particularly when she didn’t love the man offering it. Tess brushed back a loose tendril of hair and glanced at Jim. “If I accept your offer, I’ll never know if I can meet the challenge on my own. I’ve got to try first. If you love me as much as you say, then the answer will wait awhile.”
Suddenly the gambler’s smile settled into a grim line, his brown eyes sharpening. “I don’t want you spending time alone up here with a man you hardly know.”
Nugget stood abruptly, facing the gambler. “Do not insult the lady nor moi, monsieur.”
Jim met him glare for glare. “Be careful how you draw your dueling pistols, Frenchy, and keep your stubby nose out of my face.”
“Gentlemen, please stop.” Tess rose and met Jim’s aggressive eyes steadily. “I’ve spent months on the trail with two men I hardly know. Spending time with my partner makes just as much sense. Now if you’ll excuse us, Mr. Daggert, Nugget and I have work to do.”
A slow smile eased Jim’s expression. “Can’t blame me for being jealous, Contessa.” Staring intently at Nugget, Jim settled his hat on his chestnut hair and held the Frenchman’s gaze a moment longer before he turned to leave. “I’ll be around.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” Nugget assured him.
Tess sank to her chair, feeling completely drained. This was the longest day of her life and far from over. She had to clean this pig sty until it shined. Not only was it a necessity to change the shack into a place where she and Tommie could live, now it was a must. Under no terms would she accept Jim’s proposal.
Nugget walked to the door and paused. “I’ll fetch the broom and water, Mrs. Harper. I have some lye soap in one of the chambers I use as a storage room. The cavern is cool and bon, good, for keeping food supplies. I’ll show you our possessions later, when you’ve had time to yourself. And, Mrs. Harper—”
“Please, if we’re partners, you ought to call me Tess.”
“Tess.” Nugget smiled. “Do not fear me as your friend implied. I would never insult a lady in such a manner.” Without warning, he left and closed the door behind him.
The shabbiness of the room loomed around Tess like a shroud thrown over her hopes. Though made of glass, the windows beneath the burlap curtains would need hours of scrubbing. Evening light seeped in through the cracks of the planked walls, making Tess shiver at the mere thought of the cold she and Tommie would suffer come winter. Iron brackets offered a way to bar the door against marauders. One of the table legs stood at a precarious angle and would give way if it wasn’t repaired soon. The stove hadn’t been scrubbed in ages, and she vowed not to eat a single bite from anything cooked on or in it until she personally saw to the cleaning.
The cot standing in one corner boasted a clean blanket and pillow which she supposed Nugget would claim for himself. Tears brimmed in Tess’s eyes but she refused to shed them. Weeping was for the defeated, she reminded herself, wiping the back of her hand against each eye. Tess sniffled, telling herself it was merely the dust that had caused the reaction, nothing else. Whether it was false courage inspired by the bourbon or simply an act of pure defiance, Tess rolled up her sleeves and jerked down the burlap curtains from the windows. “And I haven’t lost yet,” she challenged the four filthy walls.
When the door opened, Luke towered above her son as Tommie limped toward her, forming a cloth basket with his shirt.
“Lookie here, Mommie. We got lots’a money. We can fix our house up real good now.”
Chapter Twenty-six
Despite his impulse to leave the cleaning to Reeves and the Frenchman, Jim decided to roll up his sleeves and help. This might be the best way to convince Tess he meant business about the marriage proposal. As night and the cleaning progressed, he discovered that being helpful had its benefits. When Luke and Tommie made their frequent trips to the creek to fetch fresh wash water, Jim stole a closer look at Tess, watching her hips wiggle as she scrubbed the stove. The fullness of her breasts as they strained against the homespun while she reached to sweep the cobwebs out of a corner sent a surge of desire through him.
“Why don’t you let someone tall do that?” suggested Luke as he followed Tommie into the shack. Instead of taking on the task himself, he set the water bucket down, took the broom from Tess, then thrust it hard against Jim’s chest. “That way she won’t have to reach so far, will she?”
Jim’s jaw clenched as anger heated his face. He could look any way he damned well pleased at his future wife and the bounty hunter better know it, here and now. “Better learn how to do this, hadn’t I?” Jim ignored Reeves’s glare and smiled at Tess. “Plan on being around a lot.” He let the rub sink in. “Unlike some of us.”
Luke took the bait. “I won’t leave till the work is done.”
“And what work is that?” Jim had a good idea that Reeves hadn’t hired on just as guide. The man suspected something whether or not he knew anything for certain. Jim’s gut instinct told him Reeves hadn’t hung on this long because of a guilty conscious over killing Clif. If the facts were known, it might have been Jim’s own bullet that had plugged the soldier. He had taken aim clear enough for it not to miss. But the bounty hunter had been quick to decide it was his bullet that did the damage, not Jim’s deliberately aimed one.
Could it be possible that Reeves knew about the mine scams? If so, how much did he suspect? The possibility shed a whole new light on the bounty hunter’s infatuation with Contessa. If Reeves had seen even one of the documents used in selling the salted mines, he would have noticed that the handwriting matched hers. Could it be the bounty hunter wasn’t in love with her and only played her and the boy for fools so he might learn the truth?
The more Jim mulled Reeve’s actions, the likelier his suspicions became. Someone here locally had hired the bounty hunter to find out who was behind the scams. He must have traced the trail back to Clifton, except Clifton died. With Contessa’s handwriting on the bills of sale, Reeves must think she was a part of Clif’s schemes.
Anger filled Jim. At least his own love for her was genuine. He wanted this mine because of what Clifton told him about its value, but not as much as he wanted Tess. The plan to marry her and get the pleasure of the mine and her bed had been the best solution. As her husband, he would control all of Tess’s possessions. But he had almost made the mistake of thinking he might be forced to obtain the mine without a marriage contract.
The fact that Reeves didn’t want Tess and intended to make her pay for a crime she was involved in but not guilty of, riled Jim to the point of madness. He had to think of a special way to rid Contessa of the bounty hunter’s threat. A way worse than death.
“I asked what work was that?” Jim repeated, this time his tone much harsher.
Before Luke could answer, a voice called from the yard, “Hello the shack!”
“Sacre bleu, come back at daylight!”
The Frenchman’s words echoed into the night as he attempted to prevent the visitor from approaching the door. A furious discussion followed. Nugget promised to tell Mrs. Harper of the visitor’s call.
“I’ll be back at daylight, ma’am. You can bet on it!” The caller hollered.
“It is I, madam,” Nugget announced before opening the door and entering. He held a half sack of flour cradled against one hip, a tin of coffee and a slab of something wrapped in burlap against the other.
“Hello the shack!”
“Enough!” Nugget hurriedly handed Luke the provisions. To Tess, he shrugged elaborately. “Another suitor, I fear. Let me handle this, madam. I will see they do not disturb you the rest of the night.”
“What’s a suitor?” Tommie glanced up at Luke.
A man who better be worthy of her, Luke started to say, but offered an answer that revealed less of his own feelings about the matter. “A man who wants to court your mother and someday become her husband.”
“If he be her husband, he be my new daddy?” Puzzlement etched Tommie’s face.
Tess and Luke’s gazes met… locked. “Yes, Tommie, that’s how it works,” Luke said softly.
“When did you say you were leaving for Denver, Reeves? Tomorrow?” Jim wanted to make it clear that Luke had no intention of staying around. She and the boy needed to know that the bounty hunter cared more for his job than for them. Maybe they would see that he, Jim, wouldn’t leave them. That he would be the better husband.
“I said when the work is done.”
Tommie’s eyes rounded in surprise, and Tess clutched her arms together as if forming a barrier between herself and the inevitability of Luke’s leaving.
A hammering on the door halted further discussion. Before anyone could take a step, Nugget opened and peaked around the planking. “Nailed up a sign telling everyone to stay clear until dawn. Should keep out all but the ones who don’t know how to read. You must sleep, madam, for the men will be back. They wish to admire you, mais oui?”
“Smart fellows,” Luke commented. “They have every reason to, don’t they, Tom?”
The boy nodded and clung to Luke’s leg, afraid the bounty hunter might go anywhere without him.
Not that I’d mind, Jim decided. But Contessa would never let the child out of her sight. If he married her, he supposed the boy came with her. How much trouble could the kid be?
The widow quickly turned around, her voice low and full of something Jim couldn’t determine.
“I’ll make something to eat. I know we’re all starving. Thanks, Nugget, for the provisions.”
“Tommie and I will go wash off a bit.” Luke lifted the boy and nestled him over his broad shoulders. “This time don’t push me into the water until after I get my boots off,” he warned the child teasingly.
