Heart of Gold (18 page)

Todd lay on the bed beside Alice, her arm around his back, a children’s storybook propped against a pillow on their laps. She listened to her son reading to her without actually hearing the words. It mattered little, for it was a story she knew by heart. Her own mother had read it to her from this very book when she was a child. Perhaps one day Todd would read from it to his son or daughter.

“One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh: but the earth abideth for ever
.”

Once the thought of dying had filled her with dread. How foolish that seemed now. God’s presence had become ever so much more tangible to her in recent days. Heaven was ever so much more real to her. When she passed from this life into the next, she would be free of pain. And Edward and her parents and her grandparents would be waiting for her too.

Nevertheless, she was in no hurry to leave this earth that abided forever. There was comfort to be found in the knowledge that she would not die one moment too soon or one instant later than was in God’s plan.

His ways are not our ways. His thoughts are not our thoughts.

Her eyes closed, she pressed the side of her face against Todd’s thick, unruly hair and breathed in. He smelled of little-boy sweat and puppy-dog slobber, of pinecones and wood smoke. And suddenly she felt like crying, for she was certain she would miss these smells, even in heaven.

Forgive me, Father. I don’t mean to cling to this world. It’s only—
Her breath caught in her chest as the strangest of sensations swept over her. She would almost swear that someone had touched her hair, had breathed deeply of her scent. And an instant later an overwhelming sense of being loved swirled around her, a love so big it encompassed her son as well.

“Ma? You all right?”

She opened her eyes. “Yes, I’m all right, darling. I really am all right.”

16

The Wells, Fargo changing station was located at the western end of Main Street, far from the center of Grand Coeur. Thankful for an excuse to be out of the stuffy office for a while, Matthew led the first pair of horses out of the traces and into the corral. Once there, he removed the last of the harness and set the two bay geldings free to slake their thirst at the watering trough and to fill their bellies with hay.

It wasn’t until the four remaining horses were also in the corral that Clint Anderson, the driver, spoke to Matthew. “I was sorry to hear your sister’s ailing, Matt. Is she doin’ better?”

“No. Doctors don’t give us much hope.”
Any hope,
he amended silently.

“That’s rough.”

Matthew nodded.

“You going to return to driving eventually?”

“Eventually. But I’ve got my nephew to think of now.”

Clint turned and leaned his back against the lodgepole rails of the corral. “I got a bad feeling about that shooting up in Idaho City. Nobody’s caught the man who did it. He could be anywhere by this time.”

He grunted agreement.

“Did you hear there was another attempt to hold up a stage comin’ out of Virginia City? Confederates, they say.”

Matthew wasn’t surprised. Considering millions of dollars of treasure was carried into San Francisco by stage, only to sail out of its harbor every month, bound for the Union treasury, one couldn’t expect Southern sympathizers to ignore those same coaches, ships, and steamers.

The previous year some Confederates had outfitted a ninety-ton schooner to use as a privateer. Their plans called for them to intercept bullion shipments on the high seas. The schooner, the
J. M. Chapman
, never cleared the bay. The Copperheads were arrested and charged with treason. Some were jailed, but others skipped bail to attempt to steal other gold shipments coming out of the mining camps.

“Company’s hiring more guards to work the stage routes,” Clint added.

“That’s good. We could use them.”

“It’ll get worse before the war’s over. Mark my words.”

The war. It touched everybody’s lives, even out here. He’d been a fool to think otherwise. The war had killed Edward Jackson, leaving Alice a widow and their son without a father. And if Todd had a father, Matthew wouldn’t be in Grand Coeur today, wondering what he would do when Alice died.

Clint dusted the palms of his hands against his equally dusty trousers. “How ’bout joinin’ me for a drink? I could use somethin’ to wet my whistle.”

“No, thanks. I need to get back to the office.” No point reminding Clint that he was a teetotaler. He’d made that decision after he’d seen an innocent passerby get gunned down by a man who was three sheets to the wind. His ma had warned him more than once about the evils of drunkenness, and the best way to avoid it, he figured, was to avoid liquor altogether.

With a nod, Matthew bid the driver a good day and sauntered back along Main Street toward the center of town. But while he was still two blocks away from the Wells, Fargo office, he was hailed by Jack Dickson. He turned and crossed the street.

“Stage came in on time, I see,” Jack said as Matthew stepped onto the boardwalk. “Any trouble?”

“No, but Clint seems to expect it eventually. He said the company’s hiring more guards.”

Jack nodded, his expression thoughtful.

Matthew had the feeling his friend had more to say. He waited, not bothered by the silence.

His gaze moving down the street, Jack finally spoke. “How’s your sister?”

Surprised—he’d expected something about the gunman on the loose or about the war—Matthew answered, “Not good.”

“Oh? I’m sorry to hear it. I was . . . sort of thinking about calling on her. If you wouldn’t mind. I know your sister’s a good Christian lady, and she probably wouldn’t be interested in a man like me.”

Strange. Matthew had been afraid Jack might take an interest in Shannon Adair. It hadn’t occurred to him it might be Alice who caught his fancy.

“Never would’ve guessed you had a sister like her. Anyway, when she’s feeling better, I’d like to—”

“Jack—” Matthew shook his head. “Alice isn’t going to get well. She’s dying.”

That caused the lawman to take a step backward.

“I’m sorry, Jack. I thought you knew. I thought I told you.”

“No, I didn’t know. You didn’t tell me. Are you sure? She didn’t look that sick the other night. She—”

“The doctors are sure.” Matthew rubbed his forehead. “Last week she seemed better for a few days, more rested, more energetic. But it didn’t last long.”

Jack removed his hat, stared at it for a few moments as if it might tell him what to say, then set it back on his head. “I’m sorry, Matt. Real sorry.”

“Yeah.”

He was going to have more of these conversations, Matthew realized, especially after Alice passed. People saying how sorry they were. People like Clint and like Jack who knew Matthew well but not his sister. People like the reverend and Shannon, who had become Alice’s friends in a short period of time. People who were complete strangers. He would say “yeah” and “thanks” and “appreciate it.”

Some would pat him on his back a time or two, and there would be pity in their eyes.

He would hate it. All of it. He already did.

He jerked his head toward the east. “Bill’ll be wondering where I am. Best be on my way.”

“’Course. Didn’t mean to keep you. Give my regards to your sister, please.”

“I will.” He started to turn, then stopped and looked back. When he spoke, his voice was low and earnest. “If circumstances were different, Jack, I’d have left it up to Alice whether or not she’d let you come courtin’. She’s a woman who knows her own mind.”

As the afternoon grew long, delicious odors—heavy with spices from the Orient—drifted up the stairs from the kitchen. Shannon’s stomach growled in response, and that caused Alice to laugh, though the sound was weak.

“Between Sun Jie and Sun Ling, I shall grow as fat as my Aunt Claire,” Shannon said, feigning petulance as she took the cup of tea from Alice’s hands.

“I doubt that. But even fat, you would still be so very beautiful.”

“If you think flattery will keep me from insisting you finish your tea, you are sadly mistaken. The doctor said you don’t drink nearly enough liquids.”

Alice’s expression grew serious. “It wasn’t flattery. I meant it. And you’re not only beautiful but also kind. No wonder my brother is falling in love with you.”

“Falling in—” Shannon felt heat rush to her cheeks. “How preposterous!”

“It isn’t preposterous at all. It’s the truth.”

Shannon held out the cup. “Finish your tea.”

“He likes to spend time with you, Shannon. Haven’t you noticed? If it weren’t for me . . .” Alice let her words drift away as she took the cup and raised it to her lips, sipping slowly.

“If it weren’t for you, Alice, Mr. Dubois and I would scarcely know each other.”

“Do you really believe that?” Resting against the pillow at her back, Alice shook her head. “I don’t. Even if I was in the best of health, Matt would be in church every Sunday, seeing you play the organ and falling in love with you, just as he is now.”

Why did Alice’s words disturb her so? Shannon had been praised for her beauty by young boys and old men and more than the occasional mother of sons. She’d heard her share of declarations of love and devotion from the stronger sex.

But Matthew Dubois? She wouldn’t want him to love her, even if Alice were right. Certainly she could never love him. They were too different.

Her heart fluttered, as if disputing her silent objection.

Matthew in love with her? It was ridiculous. Yes, he had asked to escort her to the celebration on the Fourth. But who else could he have asked? There wasn’t an abundance of young, unmarried, respectable women to choose from in Grand Coeur. She’d simply been the obvious choice.

All the same, she remembered the crazy way she’d felt yesterday, knowing she wanted to dance with him, and the flush returned to her cheeks.

Not bothering to repeat her request for Alice to finish her tea, Shannon stood and left the bedroom. She hurried down the stairs and straight out the front door onto the veranda. Stopping at the railing, she closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath. There. That was better. How silly to be bothered by a sick woman’s idle comments. Alice had taken a fancy into her head. Perhaps tomorrow they would laugh about it.

A sound caused her to open her eyes in time to see Matthew stride around the corner. He’d rolled up his shirtsleeves to his biceps, and his long strides ate up the ground beneath his boots. And when he saw her standing on the porch, he grinned.

“No wonder my brother is falling in love with you
.”

There went that quickening of her heart and that odd fluttering sensation in her stomach again.

“Miss Adair.” He opened the gate and entered the yard. “I saw your father a short while ago, and he tells me you have a good eye for horses.”

“Horses?” Her mind couldn’t quite make sense of it. What had horses to do with falling in love?

“Yes.” He climbed the steps onto the porch and stopped before her. “I’ve decided to buy a couple of horses. For me and the boy. Bill tells me the best place is a ranch about twenty miles south of here.”

“Doesn’t the livery have horses for sale?”

A slight frown furrowed his brows for a moment, then went away. “I’m told I’ll like the stock down at the Crawford ranch better. More to choose from.”

“Of course.”

“I wondered if you might be willing to go with me and Todd tomorrow. Look at the horses with us. Give us your opinion. I’ve borrowed a horse and buggy to take us there.”

“No wonder my brother is falling in love with you
.”

Oh dear. Oh my. Could it be true?

“Sun Ling can look after Alice for the afternoon,” Matthew continued, unaware of Shannon’s inner turmoil. “I already asked her. And your father said he would be happy to look in on Alice for a couple of hours. She won’t even miss us.”

Only two days had passed since Shannon had gone with Joe Burkette into the hills to the north. It would be nice to see more of the countryside. And surely, if her father thought it was all right to go with Mr. Dubois and his nephew, there was no polite way to refuse.