Sourdough Creek (21 page)

“I needed to find Arvid, or whoever else it was that had my claim. Is that so hard to understand?”

Cassie looked at him but he couldn’t read her expression. Disappointment? Anger? Disgust?

“You believe your uncle over me?” He involuntarily clenched his fist resting on his thigh and shook his head in disbelief.

“He’s my uncle.”

“You’re my wife.”

“No. I’m not.”

She glanced to the wall for a moment then back at him, her expression now

resembling Josephine’s when in a petulant mood.

As if on cue, Josephine came into the room. She wedged into the tiny space between them and stroked her sister’s hair. “It will be okay, Cassie. Everything will work out.” She looked closer at her older sister’s tearstained face. “Have you been crying?”

Cassie sniffed and sat up straighter. “I have.”

“Why? Do you have a tummy ache?”

Cassie pushed her chair out and pulled Josephine onto her lap. She hugged her tightly until Josephine leaned back.

“No, my stomach feels fine. It’s my heart that’s hurting me.”

Sam stood and ran a hand through his hair, knowing the big talk between the two girls was coming. Josephine held her arms out to him and waited expectedly, not understanding the enormity of the situation between him and her sister. He shook his head. Cassie wouldn’t be able to bear it; she needed her sister’s closeness to get through this conversation. “Your sister has something to tell you.”

“What?”

Silence was the only answer.

“What? Am I in trouble?” She took Cassie’s face between her two palms just inches away from her own.

Cassie leaned forward and kissed her forehead. “No. Never. I’ve just been thinking about the gold claim and how difficult it’ll be. And cold. All the hard work we’re going to have to do every single day for hours on end. I’m sure food will be scarce so we’ll be hungry a lot of the time, too. I’m just debating…”

Josephine popped happily out of her lap. “If you still want to go? We don’t have to if you’ve changed your mind. I don’t mind if we stay in this town. I like it here.”

“Do you?” They were eye to eye.

“I do. Grace and Annabelle are nice. I like Buddy a lot, too. I’m going to take him on a walk sometime.”

Cassie started crying all over again. Sam pulled her up and into his embrace, knowing she wouldn’t resist. He turned her around to face Josephine. “Go on.”

Josephine’s uncanny ability to sniff out danger was working overtime. She grabbed Cassie’s hand and pulled hard. “What is it?”

“You’re going to stay here with Grace and live in this big, beautiful house while Sam and I and Uncle Arvid go to work the claim. Isn’t that great news?”

It took a moment to sink in. Josephine’s little face contorted as if she’d been stung by a wasp. “You’re going to leave me here? Alone?”

Cassie forced a chuckle, trying to lighten the mood. “No, silly. You’ll be here with Grace and Annabelle. Don’t forget Jonathan and Mr. Hearthgrove. And Ashes! A whole bunch of friends are going to be with you. And it’s only for a little while. One month. Then we’ll decide where we want to go from there.”

Josephine threw her arms around Cassie’s middle, smashing her face into her pretty yellow dress. “No! I don’t want to stay without you,” she said in an angry voice, laden, Cassie knew, with all sorts of pain from her past. “I don’t really like this town at all. Besides, we’re sisters. You promised Ma before she died you’d never leave me. I heard you. Remember, sissy? Remember your promise? The night she died you told me many times that we’d always be together. You did. You did!”

Cassie thought her heart would break. How could she stand this? How could she leave Josephine behind?

“Shhhhh,” she whispered as she rubbed Josephine’s back. “I know I promised that, Josephine. I did. And we
will
be together. It’s not as if I’m leaving you forever. Things have changed, and it’s only for a short time. It’ll be so much better knowing that you’re safe and living in a nice place, with nice people. And going to school and to church. So much better than where I’m going to be.”

Still clutching Cassie’s middle in a bear’s grip, Josephine looked up at her, her little face bathed in tears, her eyes beseeching. “Please don’t leave me, sissy. Please don’t.”

“It’s getting late,” Sam said gently. He picked Josephine up and she buried her face into his neck. “Why don’t I walk you two over to Dr. Hershey’s and get you tucked in? It’s been a long day for everyone. Tomorrow everything will look brighter.”

Chapter Thirty-Five

C
assie knelt on the cheerful green-and-blue rag rug, her head bent over folded hands, feeling anything but happy. “Lord, please watch over Josephine. As you know, she tends to get into mischief. Don’t let anything else happen to her,” she whispered, not wanting to wake her sister, who was already asleep just inches from her face. For the past two days she and Josephine had been staying with Annabelle and Jonathan, while Sam stayed with Brox. Arvid was at the boarding house.

Tomorrow, they’d leave at daybreak. They’d collected provisions, mining tools, and other amenities, all paid for by Sam. Cassie had a few funds but Sam wouldn’t think of letting her use them, no matter how hard she argued. Arvid had pulled his pockets inside out, letting them know they’d not get any help from him. Josephine stopped bringing up Cassie’s promise to their mother, but the weight of her culpability was heavy in her little sister’s eyes.

Ashes, who’d been curled up next to Josephine, came down off the bed in one long, easy stretch. She rubbed up against Cassie’s thigh, mewing. In a single motion, Cassie scooped her up and rolled around so her back was against the bed and her knees were pulled to her chest. She cuddled the cat.

“You’ve come a long way with the two of us, haven’t you?” Ashes began to purr. “You’re a good friend. Please watch over Josephine just like you did with Sam.”

The cat’s whiskers tickled Cassie’s face. Her purring seemed louder than usual, vibrating her whole body as she massaged forward and back with her paws, her claws slipping in and out of Cassie’s nightshirt, snagging the fabric and catching her skin.

“Ouch.”

“What’re you doin’?”

Turning, she saw Josephine looking down over the side of the bed. “Did I wake you?”

Josephine nodded. “But I don’t mind. Are you talking to Ashes?”

Cassie smiled and nodded. “Yes, I guess I am.” She handed her up to Josephine. Rising off the floor, Cassie sat on the bed next to her sister, who was making an indentation in the quilt for the cat to lie in.

“You’re going in the morning.”

The statement was an arrow to Cassie’s heart. “Yes, we are. I want to talk to you about that.”

Josephine’s little hand glided gently over Ashes’ head and all the way down her back, to the tip of her tail. The cat’s contented eyes were just slits in her face. Josephine never took her attention off her beloved pet as Cassie felt her heart tear in two.

“When I promised Ma I’d watch out for you, take care of you, I meant what I said. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever imagine circumstances would arise that would warrant that I leave you behind.”

Cassie lay down and pulled Josephine into her embrace. Her gaze rested on the slatted beams criss-crossing the pinewood ceiling. They stayed like that quietly, just cuddling. After several minutes, Cassie felt her sister’s chest rise and fall with a deep breath.

“Cassie?”

“Yes?”

“I miss Ma. I don’t tell you because I know it will just make you feel sad, but every night I cry for her in my mind, before I fall asleep. I miss Pa, too.”

Sorrow stabbed inside her chest. She reached for Josephine’s hand. “I know what you mean, honey. I miss them, too. I had them a lot longer in my life than you did.”

“I’m afraid I’ll forget about them.” Josephine had rolled to her elbow and was looking down into Cassie’s face, the weight of the world reflected in her eyes. “What if I do?”

“Well,
that’s
not going to happen, silly. I won’t let you forget because I’m going to keep telling you about all the good times we had together. How much Ma and Pa loved you, and cared for you. How much they loved each other. And God won’t let you forget them either. He’s put their love in your heart to remind you. Always.”

Josephine snuggled back down onto her arms. “I hope you’re right.”

“Aren’t I always?”

She felt Josephine nod her head sleepily.

“About my promise…”

Josephine’s arm was slung across Cassie’s body and her fingers gently played with her big sister’s hair. “I know you think all this leaving is for the best.” Josephine yawned, her other hand feeling around for the sleeping cat. “It’s okay. I let you out of the promise.”

Cassie bit the inside of her cheek, gazing up at the knotholes dimly visible in the amber light. Only for now. She was only breaking the promise for one month.

“How come you’re so much older than me?” Josephine’s voice was low now and she knew her little sister would be falling asleep any moment.

Fragments of the past shuddered through Cassie’s mind, bringing sharp stings of grief. Her mama struggling to survive. Her mama kneeling at a tiny graveside. Then another. And another. Her mother’s face looking as if it were chiseled from marble, her body thin as a reed. And finally, her mama too weak to fight off influenza, dying.

“Because our mama lost three babies in between you and me. Do you remember us talking about that?”

Josephine nodded.

Cassie smiled and hugged her closer. “Three boys. Ezra, Winston…”

“And Chester. Where are they now? I mean, their bodies?”

“Back in Colorado. That’s one of the reasons Ma was excited when Pa told her he wanted to come to Nevada. That he’d found a place that needed strong laborers. She wanted to start fresh, without the sad memories. She told me once that she didn’t want her girls—that’s
you
, you know,” Cassie said, nudging Josephine to make sure she was listening, “to have a sad mama, but a happy one. One that liked to make dresses, have tea parties and bake cakes. One that laughed, and smiled, and gave kisses all day long.” Cassie hesitated. She wanted Josephine to remember the good parts, not the hard times. “She told me to laugh every day, no matter how I feel inside. She believed that life was too short to be sad or unhappy. Do you remember us doing any of those things?” She felt no guilt painting a pretty picture for Josephine, planting the seed that Ma and Pa had a storybook relationship. Cassie knew Pa was a big disappointment to Ma, but her innocent little sister didn’t have to know. Sam popped into her thoughts.

Her heart lurched.
How could he have done that to me? Marry me for the claim
.

“Some,” Josephine answered softly. “I think. She and Pa are with our brothers now, right?”

“Absolutely.”

Ten minutes passed. Cassie was sure Josephine had long since fallen asleep. She wished she could too.

“I’ll bet they’re all really, really happy.” Josephine’s voice was little more than a whisper and Cassie was surprised that she was even still awake thinking about it.

Cassie kissed the top of her sister’s soft blonde head. “I’m sure they are. Now, go to sleep, sleepyhead, before morning is here and you have to get up.” Cassie traced a little cross on her forehead with her finger.

Josephine would be all right, wouldn’t she? What would happen if they didn’t win the claim contest and she came away empty-handed? What then?

Chapter Thirty-Six

Sourdough Creek, Coloma, California

“W
ell, Cassie, what do you make of her?” Arvid asked. “Isn’t she just the prettiest sight you ever did see?”

The two of them sat their horses at the edge of a bluff. Cassie looked down to the river below. She was sore and tired, and more than ready to be finished with this trip. It had taken a few days longer than expected as the weather, turning blustery, had let loose a deluge. After the first onslaught, the rain had eased into a soft, shimmering veil, causing the following days to be a sloppy, soggy mess. It had cleared and hopefully would stay that way for a while.

“Aaahhh…choooo!” Cassie blew her nose on the handkerchief she kept in the gullet of her saddle, and then stuffed it back next to her horse’s withers. Her slicker had kept most of the rain off, but when she looked down, reaching for the canteen looped over her saddle horn, a rivulet of water poured off her hat, down the slicker, and directly into her right boot. She stifled a groan.

What she wouldn’t give right now for a hot bath and steaming cup of tea! But the work was just beginning. There would be time later for comfy chairs, goose-down quilts, crackling fires, and hot stew. Right now she had a contest to win.

Sam, who’d been trailing them a good ways back, reined up alongside her, the creaking of his saddle and a morning dove’s call off in the distance, the only sounds. She wasn’t talking to him much anymore. He’d become quiet over the past days too, speaking only if Uncle Arvid asked him a question.
Probably embarrassed for what he’d tried to pull
. He’d ridden last in line, bringing up the rear and leading Split Ear with a long rope.

With each mile she relived every moment they’d shared since meeting back in Broken Branch. It played over and over in her head and she berated herself for her foolishness. He’d hoodwinked her, plain and simple. Her imagination over the kiss had run away with her, and she vowed not to make the same mistake again.

“Hungry?” Sam asked from a few feet away.

She shrugged. She’d not tell him her stomach was turning in on itself. “Not bad, actually.” A quick glance found him watching her. “I’ve been eating jerky.” She held up a soggy strip of meat for him to see.

“Well, I’m damn starved,” Arvid barked out grouchily. He stood up in his stirrups, stretching his legs. “Never have cared for camp cookin’. And you, girl, have a lot to learn.”

Cassie tried to ignore the hurt as she took in the panoramic view of the California wilderness. The river came down through the valley in twists and turns. It was rimmed by hills on both sides that grew larger the farther out they went. To the west was a majestic mountain range.