A Moment in Time (23 page)

      
"Maybe..."
 
Todd hesitated, then cast a questioning glance at Jackie.
 
"Maybe the Chief can learn with me, Miss Jackie."

      
"I...don't see why not."
 
Jackie gave a nervous laugh, wondering how she'd managed to make the leap from beauty college grad to teacher.
 

      
"I would like that."
 
Chief Byron's eyes twinkled with renewed interest and he smiled again.
 
"Very much."

      
He was obviously a proud man who'd refused to leave his homeland with his tribe.
 
Jackie had a lot of respect for anyone willing to stand his ground for something he believed in.
 
Besides, the old guy looked lonely.
 
Of course, she knew a man like him wouldn't take kindly to pity, and she made a silent vow to offer him only kindness and respect.

      
"Sure, why not?"
 
She laughed and Chief Byron gifted her with another of his toothless grins.
 
"How about a haircut first?"
 
She snipped the air with the scissors.

      
The chief slapped both hands over his braids and his eyes flashed with horror.
 
"Never."

      
Todd shifted closer to Jackie.
 
"I don't think the chief takes kindly to teasing about his hair."

      
"No kidding, Sherlock?"
 
Jackie smiled and lowered the scissors.
 
"Just a little joke there, Chief Byron.
 
No harm done."

      
The old Indian straightened to his full height and pinned her with his gaze.
 
"Foolish squaw."

      
Squaw?
 
That was twice.
 
"With all due respect, Chief, I'm
nobody's
squaw."

      
"That was also what Elizabeth said."
 
The chief's piercing gaze drifted down the length of her and he arched a silver brow.
 
"Maiden?"
 
His tone was skeptical.

      
Jackie stiffened and flames flared in her cheeks.
 
"Sure, why not?"
 
In my dreams.

      
"Fire in your hair."
 
The chief walked a half-circle around her, then gave a nod and grunted.
 
Twice.

      
God only knew what that meant.

      
"I believe this one will do, Son of Pale Eyes."

      
"Do?"
 
Jackie swallowed, wondering what the old man was up to now.
 
"Do for what?"

      
The chief chuckled and rubbed his leather-covered abdomen.
 
"The sun is high.
 
We eat now."

      
"Do for what?" Jackie repeated, following the chief and Todd into the cabin.
 
"Hey, do for what?"
 
Did he plan to scalp her in her sleep?
 
No, of course not.
 
Get a grip, Clarke.

      
Chief Byron peeked in the pot bubbling over the hot coals, then looked back over his shoulder.
 
"Beans again.
 
Next time, I bring rabbit."

      
"Thanks, Chief," Todd said, getting plates and cups for the table.
 

      
Jackie hurried over to help him.
 
Leaning close, she whispered, "Do for what?"

      
Todd looked a little sheepish.
 
"I think he thinks you're here to be...my new ma."

      
Jackie dropped the tin plate she'd been holding.
 
"Oh, shit."

* * *

      
Cole stepped out of the dark mine and into the late afternoon sunshine.
 
He hadn't even taken a break for dinner today, but he didn't feel any closer to finding gold than any other day.

      
His mine was nothing but a worthless hole in the ground.
 
Elizabeth had known it all along, and she'd asked him to give it up and go back to St. Louis more times than he could count.
 
Maybe she'd still be alive if he'd listened to her.
 
His gut clenched and his chest tightened.

      
And Todd would be in a real school, instead of learning to read and write from a saloon singer.
 
Gazing upward at the blue sky, Cole shook his head.
 
With a sigh, he set his tools inside the cave entrance and headed down the trail toward the cabin.

      
He was a failure as a miner and now he'd stooped to kidnapping.
 
What next?

      
"Don't ask," he muttered to himself, stopping to wash beside the cabin.
 
His father would've rolled over in his grave to see his only son digging in the ground instead of following in his scholarly footsteps.
 
For that matter, Cole much preferred the company of books to that of dirt and rocks.

      
With a sigh, he stepped through the open front door of the cabin he called home.
 
For now.
 
Lolita-Jackie sat at the table with Todd and Chief Byron.
 
She had both males writing with chalk and slate.
 

      
Lolita-Jackie looked up and smiled at Cole.
 
His heart faltered at the transformation.
 
Wearing a decent dress and her hair up, she looked like a different woman.
 
And that smile of hers never failed to ambush him.

      
When she smiled and had her wild red hair tucked away, Jackie Clarke was one of the prettiest women he'd ever seen.
 
That realization shocked him, but he didn't argue with himself.
 
That would've been pointless.

      
Because he was right.

      
He felt her gaze still on him and returned her smile with a tentative one of his own.
 
Much to his surprise, her cheeks pinkened and she averted his gaze.
 
By God, Jackie Clarke seemed downright...demure.

      
Impossible
.

      
She was up to something.
 
Then Cole remembered their conversation from this morning.
 
"Tonight,"
she'd promised.

      
Tonight.

      
He swallowed the lump in his throat, then deliberately made enough noise to draw his son's attention.

      
"Pa."
 
Todd jumped up and rushed over to hug him.
 
"Miss Jackie's teachin' me and Chief Byron to read, write, and cipher."

      
"Is that a fact?
 
Nice to see you, Chief."

      
"Greetings," the chief said, rising.
 
"Woman With Fire in Her Hair will make good squaw, Pale Eyes.
 
She will warm your bed when the snow covers the mountains, and give you many fine sons."

      
Jackie coughed and Todd pounded her on the back until she waved him away.
 
"I think the chief is operating under a misconception," she said at last.

      
"Hmm."
 
Cole smiled at the chief and tried to remain calm.
 
This wasn't easy, especially with Jackie and Todd in the room.
 
"Chief, Miss Jackie is only here to teach–not to be my, uh, squaw."
 
He glanced at Jackie and saw her nostrils flare and sparks dance in her eyes.

      
"Or, wife." Cole gave a sheepish grin. "Honest."

      
Chief Byron appeared confused as he looked from Cole to Jackie, then back again. Finally, he shrugged and said, "We will see, Pale Eyes. We will all see in time."

      
Time was something they didn't have. In three weeks, Lolita-Jackie would be out of their lives, and Cole would have the gold necessary to take his son to Oregon. But the thought of never seeing Jackie again stung, and Cole turned his attention back to the old Indian.

      
Chief Byron's presence wasn't a surprise.
 
He invited himself to dinner regularly, often bringing the main course along.
 

      
"You staying for supper, Chief?"
 
The sooner Cole could change the subject, the better. He hung his hat on a peg near the door, avoiding his son's probing gaze for now. Later, he'd have to speak with him about the chief's assumption.

      
"No, I must go now, before the sun is lower." The chief gave a weary sigh and looked back at Jackie. "Thank you for teaching me more words today, Miss Jackie."

      
"Will you come again, Chief?" Jackie smiled at the old man, and Cole realized the chief was as enamored by that smile as he.

      
"It will be my pleasure." The chief raised a hand to bid them farewell, but hesitated. "I have one question before I go," he said, looking at Cole.

      
"Sure."

      
"What meaning does the word 'shit' have?"

      
Todd dissolved into squeals of laughter and Cole struggled to keep a straight face himself as Jackie turned every shade of crimson known to man and nature.
 
She'd obviously had some difficulty remembering to watch her language, but he couldn't summon any anger, no matter how justified.

      
"Uh, well," Cole said, clearing his throat. "It's slang, Chief, and it's a word Miss Jackie promised not to use while she's here."

      
Todd fell silent and Jackie turned even redder.

      
"And a word your lovely Elizabeth chose not to teach me."
 
The chief rubbed his chin, then looked at Cole again. "What meaning does it have?"
 

      
Cole escorted the chief outside and whispered the definition in the old man's ear.
 
The chief grinned and nodded. "You will see that I am right. Woman With Fire in Her Hair–and mouth–will make a good squaw. She will warm your bed when the snow covers the mountains, and give you many fine sons."

      
Cole's breath caught in his throat and he tried not to dwell on the notion of Lolita-Jackie in his bed, or on his body's immediate and nearly explosive response to that thought.

      
"You sound like an Indian," he said gently, his voice hoarse. He knew his words would be taken as they were intended–with goodnatured respect.

      
"I am Ute." Chief Byron gave an emphatic nod.
 
"Heed my words, Pale Eyes."

      
"Uh, thanks, Chief." Cole rubbed the back of his neck and reminded himself to breathe. "I'll definitely think about it."
Whether I like it or not.

      
Unfortunately, he liked it. A lot.

      
He drew a deep breath and watched the chief walk slowly down the trail. Raking his fingers through his hair, Cole tried to banish thoughts of Jackie in his bed, then turned and stepped into the darkening cabin.
 

      
"I'm starved," he said, not looking at Jackie, fearing his lustful thoughts might reveal themselves in his eyes. "What's for supper?"

      
"Beans." Todd sighed.

      
"No, not just beans. Refried beans," Jackie said.

      
"What?"
 
Cole watched her go to work.
 
She put a spoonful of lard in the skillet, waiting until it melted, then scooped beans into the fat.
 

      
"I need a fork."

      
Todd passed her a fork and she started mashing the beans as they sizzled in the frying pan.

      
"Todd, mix up the cornbread," she said. "These won't take long.
 
They'd be better with peppers and cheese.
 
Oh, and what I wouldn't give for some hot and nasty nachos.
 
And a Diet Coke.
 
And pizza.
 
And..."

      
Her voice drifted away.
 
Cole stared at her and couldn't help but notice the huge tear trickle down her cheek.
 
She swiped it away with the back of her hand and squared her shoulders, returning her attention to the beans she was mashing into oblivion.

      
Something heavy weighed on her heart, but her courage was obvious. Cole rubbed his whiskered jaw, wondering again about what she had wanted help with the first morning he'd laid eyes on her. What or who did she fear?
 
And why?
 
The man she'd believed was staring at her in the Silver Spur?
 
Her past?
 
The future?
 
What?