Gertie shook her head. “I’m afraid that wouldn’t look proper. I know she’s your sister and all, but being that she came from a woman of—” she mouthed the words ill repute “—folks wouldn’t be comfortable with her in a tent full of men.”
Laughter erupted from inside the cabin. “Besides, you won’t deny the girls the pleasure of each other’s company, will you? It’ll be so good for Caitlin.”
The happiness emanating from the girls was almost enough to convince him. But Gertie didn’t seem to understand how dangerous the situation was.
“But will they be safe?”
Though Gertie looked offended at the question, he had to ask. She hadn’t been at the cabin when those men tried taking Nugget.
“Annabelle and Polly will be up there, too. There’s no better shot than Annabelle. And Polly, well, this miner tried taking advantage of her at the creek one day, and let me tell you. She done such a number on him that he left town.”
Gertie’s warm laugh shook her belly. “No, you won’t find a safer place for Nugget than with Annabelle and Polly.”
He peered inside the tent he’d be sharing with Gertie’s sons. “It’s awfully cramped. Are you sure I’m not imposing?”
He stood and looked back at Gertie, who’d crossed her arms across her chest.
“You’ve been giving me all these reasons why you can’t, or why this is a bad idea, but let me tell you. You won’t find a better offer or a safer place. You’ll be well taken care of, but if you can’t accept that, then maybe you want to take your chances on your own. I guarantee you will be looking over your shoulder every night. Get much past our encampment, and you’ll find plenty willing to slit your throat over a day’s wages. Folks find out you’ve got information on a mine, well...they’ll do that and plenty worse if they think it’ll get them out of this place.”
Her words shamed him. She was only trying to be nice. He’d just been thinking about the wonderful hospitality, and here he was spitting on it.
“I’m truly sorry for any offense. You have to understand, we’re not used to this kind of treatment. Back home, our own family and church is barely lifting a hand to help us. Where I come from—”
“This isn’t where you come from,” Gertie said. “Why do you think we’re all here? Every person in this place has come looking to build a better life. I know there are some who think that living in a cabin and taking in wash is no life, but one of these days, we’ll be able to afford a house. Maybe it won’t be one of those big mansions, but it will be our house.”
Wouldn’t that be nice? A home where he and all of his siblings could be together without Aunt Ina breathing down their necks, barking orders and threatening them all the time.
If anyone could sell him on the dream of mining, it was Gertie. But then, he didn’t need her words to convince him. He already had a mission of his own. Six sisters and a brother, all of whom who needed him. As much as he’d like to find a dream of his own to follow, that wasn’t possible right now.
“Thank you, Gertie. I really do appreciate all you’ve done for us.”
“Mama, we’re hungry.” Caitlin ran to them and tugged at her skirts.
“There’s an extra biscuit or two in the cabin.” She smiled at her daughter and patted her on the head as she raced off. “We don’t do a proper noon meal here, on account of everyone being up at the mine. But I fix them all a good lunch to take with them. Supper’s at dusk, and you’ll want to be prompt with the way my boys eat.”
She looked at him. “I know you won’t be going up to the mine, but I’ll still pack your lunch all the same. Mind you get home by dusk. As safe as we’ve made it, it’s still not a good idea to go wandering about by yourself.”
Her words reminded him of the bandits and the danger they faced. Yes, this was the best option. Frank reappeared. “I’ve got some visiting to do. Why don’t you come with me so I can give you the lay of the land?”
Joseph nodded. They’d wasted so much time already. Though it had done his heart good to see Nugget so happy, it’d do him even better to have her safely settled.
As they walked back to the horses, Joseph asked quietly, “Any word on the men who were after Nugget?”
Frank shrugged. “Slade isn’t back yet. I’d put Gertie and Annabelle up against any man if it meant keeping a child safe.”
Though he knew firsthand how capable Annabelle was of keeping Nugget safe, it didn’t cause him to worry any less. Not with the attempt against Nugget, and the niggling feeling in the back of his mind about his father’s death. If someone was going to this length to find his father’s silver, his father’s death was looking less and less like an accident. Which meant the danger they faced was far greater than they were imagining.
Chapter Thirteen
Annabelle approached the creek where Polly was working on the wash. Lumps of rock lodged in her throat, preventing her from speaking. Not that she had any idea of what to say. What separated them called for a whole lot more than a simple, “I’m sorry.”
“Hello, Polly.”
Polly didn’t look up from the shirt she was scrubbing. “Annabelle.”
“I’m gonna be here for a while, I guess, so I thought maybe I could help you with your chores.”
Brushing her arm against her forehead, Polly looked up. “Don’t make no nevermind to me.”
No, there was no easy fix for this. “I’m sorry about what happened, you know, when—” Annabelle swallowed. “I shouldn’t have said those things to you. You were just trying to help.”
“You accused me of lying about Henry to deliberately hurt you.”
The words reverberated in
