HIS SURPRISE SISTER

The last thing Joseph Stone expects to discover upon arriving in Leadville, Colorado, is a newfound little sister. Hoping to find his late father’s silver mine and hopefully keep his siblings back home out of an orphanage, Joseph needs an ally. The preacher’s lovely daughter agrees to care for the little girl. She’s just not as willing to trust the prospector….

Annabelle Lassiter has seen what men do in pursuit of riches. Yet for all the hardship he’s known, Joseph still shows tenderness and warmth. Annabelle’s plan has long been to leave Leadville far behind. But Joseph’s quest for silver could cost them a more precious dream—one of family, love and new beginnings….

“Thank you for your kindness to my sister,” Joseph told her softly. “I have never seen her so happy.”

Nugget broke free and skipped ahead. Annabelle didn’t have the heart to stop her.

“I’m glad to have given her something to be happy about.” She smiled. Joseph wasn’t too bad. Cleaned up the way he was, it was almost easy to pretend he was just a normal man.

Annabelle stumbled slightly. Joseph wasn’t a normal man. And it wouldn’t do for her to entertain feelings when she knew she couldn’t count on a miner to stick around. Not that she had any intention of entertaining feelings about any man.

At least not here in Leadville. The town was full of shiftless drifters, and the one time she’d let her guard down to trust in someone, he’d betrayed her. Something she’d do well to remember in the presence of this man.

Especially the way Joseph’s sparkling smile made her tingle all the way down to her toes.

DANICA FAVORITE

has spent her life in love with good books. Her job doing online promotion for a major publisher has given her the opportunity to meet many of the authors who inspired her growing up. Never did she imagine that the people who took her to faraway places would someday be the same folks she called friends. She’d say that work isn’t really work for her, but in case her boss ever reads this, she works very hard.

Danica graduated with a B.A. in history and political science from Regis University. While her degree doesn’t qualify her for anything resembling a real job, it gave her imagination room to soar and more fodder for her writing.

Having spent most of her life in Colorado, she loves the mountains. She lives in the Denver area with her husband, Randy, who inspires her to chase after her dreams. Together they have four children and a dog who thinks he’s also one of the kids.

Put it all together and you find an adventurous writer who likes to explore what it means to be human and follow people on the journey to happily ever after. Though the journey is often bumpy, those bumps are what refine imperfect characters as they live the life God created them for.

Rocky Mountain Dreams

Danica Favorite

www.millsandboon.co.uk

MILLS & BOON

Before you start reading, why not sign up?

Thank you for downloading this Mills & Boon book. If you want to hear about exclusive discounts, special offers and competitions, sign up to our email newsletter today!

SIGN ME UP!

Or simply visit

signup.millsandboon.co.uk

Mills & Boon emails are completely free to receive and you can unsubscribe at any time via the link in any email we send you.

You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.

—Genesis 50:20

An author’s first book often comes from years of support from friends and family. This book is no different.

It would take an entire book to thank all those who’ve supported me through the years, so here is my general thank-you to all those who deserve it.

You know who you are. Thank you.

For those who didn’t get to see this dream come true before their passing—Theresa and Pat, you guys get the first nod. Your love and support meant a lot, and I wish you could have seen this come true.

Randy, Army Girl, Accountant, Cowgirl and Princess, thanks for putting up with crazy writer mommy.

Chip, I guess you told me so. Thanks.

Everyone else, I’ll catch you on future books.

Much love to all,

Danica

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

Introduction

About the Author

Title Page

Bible Verse

Dedication

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Three

Epilogue

Dear Reader

Questions for Discussion

Extract

Copyright

Chapter One

1881

The soft breeze floating off the Mosquito Range made the air feel more like midsummer than early June in Leadville. Which meant Annabelle Lassiter could almost declare mud season officially over. Though today’s walk to the post office hadn’t resulted in a letter from her aunt Celeste, surely she could escape this town and its painful reminders soon.

She paused as the parsonage came into view. A man waited on the porch. Annabelle sighed. Her father’s mission to care for the miners in Leadville was wonderful, but these days, they had more hungry people showing up on their doorstep than she knew what to do with. They had food aplenty, but Annabelle’s heart didn’t have the strength to keep working when it seemed like every day held a new heartbreak.

Annabelle pasted a smile on her face as she walked up the steps of the parsonage to greet the man so covered in grime she couldn’t make out his features. Probably a younger man, considering his hair was still dark. This place had a way of aging a person so that appearances could be deceiving. Two white eyes blinked at her.

“Supper’s not ’til seven.” She’d learned not to be too friendly, too welcoming, lest her words be misconstrued. Besides, her face was too weighed down by her heart to find it in her to give this stranger a smile.

Those eyes continued staring at her. She’d seen dozens of men just like him. Miners willing to spend everything they owned to strike the big one, and when they ran out of options, they arrived on the Lassiters’ doorstep.

As she got closer, she noticed a small child huddled next to him. So he was one of those. Bad enough to waste your life on a fool’s errand, but to take a child with you...

“Of course, if you’ll come around back, I’m sure I can find something for your little...girl.” At least she hoped that’s what the child was. Underneath all that filth, it was hard to tell. Whatever kindness Annabelle had left in her remained reserved for the children. Innocent victims of their parents’ selfish dreams for riches that most who came to Leadville never found. Or when they did, they squandered their money in the many saloons in town. The Colorado mountains were tough on anybody, but especially on the little ones.

“I need to see the preacher.” The man’s voice came out raspy, like he’d spent too many days underground working the mines.

Annabelle tried not to sigh. Her father held more grubstakes and pieces of paper promising repayment when the mine finally paid out than she could count. If they had a penny for every paper they held, they’d be richer than these miners ever thought they could be. But, if she turned this one away, and her father got wind of it, he’d be upset.

“Come around back, then.” Maddie would have her hide if she brought them through the front parlor. The last thing she needed was to be at the other end of Maddie’s tongue for more bootprints on the carpets.

The man stood, and the little girl buried her head further into his side. At this angle, Annabelle could see sloppy braids cascading down the girl’s back. Poor child.

“It’s all right, sweetheart.” Annabelle knelt in front of her. “My name’s Annabelle, and my father is the preacher. We’ll help with whatever you need.”

Round eyes with dark centers blinked at her. The little girl let loose of her hold on the man’s filthy pants enough for them to walk down the steps and around the path to the backyard. Knowing her father, he was puttering in the garden, hoping to coax their spindly plants into doing something they were never designed to do at this elevation and these temperatures.

But he had faith that if Jesus could feed the masses with His loaves and His fish, then their tiny plants could keep their community fed. Annabelle shook her head. Too bad that faith hadn’t yet panned out.

“Father?” Annabelle spied him plucking at a half-dead tomato plant.

His straw hat bobbed as he looked up at her. “Who’ve you got there?”

He didn’t wait for an answer but stood and started toward them, brushing his hands on his pants.

“Joseph Stone, sir. I need a moment of your time.” The man glanced at Annabelle like whatever he had to say wasn’t meant for a female’s delicate ears. There wasn’t much Annabelle’s delicate ears hadn’t heard. Such was the life of a preacher’s daughter in a mining town. Her family had come here to make the miners’ lives better, and that meant dwelling in the deepest muck found in the human heart.

But just as working in the mines had a way of prematurely aging a man, helping the miners had a way of tearing at a person’s heart. She wanted to love and care for people like this man and his little girl, but her heart felt like it had been wrung out so completely that there was nothing left to give. Surely if she left this place, her heart would finally have room to heal.

“I’ll go put on some tea.” She glanced at the man. “Or would you prefer coffee?”

He stared at her. “Nothing, thank you.”

No, he probably just wanted Father’s money. Some might say it was wrong of her to judge so quickly, but enough miners had come to their home that she no longer had to guess what they wanted.

Annabelle smiled at the girl, pulling on her heart’s last reserves. “Want to come help me in the kitchen? I baked a whole mess of cookies earlier, and if you don’t help me eat them, my father and I are going to have to do it ourselves. You don’t want us to get bellyaches, do you?”

The little girl smiled, which would have been a pretty sight if those baby teeth of hers weren’t almost all rotten. How could a man be so selfish in his pursuit of riches that he’d let this sweet thing have such a rough life? Not her business. As sweet as this little girl was, Annabelle couldn’t let her heart get too involved.

“Can I?” She looked up at her father with such hopeful eyes.

“Annabelle will take good care of her. She has a way with youngsters,” her father said quietly. He, too, had a heart for the children.

The man, Joseph, nodded. Annabelle held out her hand. “Come along now. We’ll get you washed up at the pump, then go inside for some treats.”

The little girl looked at Annabelle’s hand, then took it. “Nugget.”

“I beg your pardon?” Annabelle looked at her.

“My name is Nugget,” the girl said softly.

Annabelle suppressed a sigh. Her father was one of those. So enraptured with the idea of getting rich, he even named his child after the evil silver.

“That’s a nice name.” It wasn’t the girl’s fault. From the way her face lit up at Annabelle’s compliment, she’d probably gotten more than her share of teasing for such a ridiculous name.

Once she helped Nugget wash up, they went into the house.

The little girl looked around, then ran her hands along the lace tablecloth adorning their kitchen table. “This is pretty, like at Miss Betty’s place.”

What had they gotten themselves into? Miss Betty was one of the town’s notorious madams. Her father had helped plenty of women escape that profession. Still, Annabelle had never been inside one of those places, and for a child to know...was simply unfathomable.

How unfair that someone so young had seen the inside of a brothel. Worse, that if something wasn’t done to help her, the little girl probably would end up working there someday. One of the harsh realities Annabelle faced daily.

Which was why Annabelle had to get out of Leadville. Though her father would tell her she should not grow weary of doing good, she was weary. Weary of helping people like this little girl and her father only to have it end badly. Perhaps they helped some people, but these days, all Annabelle could recall were the great losses.

Annabelle put a kettle on the stove for tea, then got out a plate of cookies. “Do you like snickerdoodles? They were my late mother’s favorite recipe.”

“You don’t got no mama, neither?”

Annabelle closed her eyes, trying to push the memories away before looking at Nugget. “She died of a fever last winter.”

Her father’s faith hadn’t done them much good then, either. Their prayers hadn’t worked for her mother, or Susannah, or her brothers Peter, Mark and John, or anyone else for that matter. Half of their congregation had died from the same fever that had killed Catherine Lassiter. Even the two miners she’d worked so hard to nurse back to health. Though the fever hadn’t taken them. No, they’d lived only to find death in a drunken brawl in one of the saloons.

No wonder her heart was so weary.

But bitterness wouldn’t help this child, and she at least could offer the little girl kindness.

Annabelle gave Nugget a small squeeze. “I’m sorry for your loss.”

“My mama had the pox.”

Ears burning, Annabelle forced herself to focus on being compassionate rather than frustrated at a world that would let a little girl like Nugget know about the pox. Times like this, it was difficult to understand why her father chose this life. No matter how many people they helped, they continued to encounter more tragic situations every day.

“You poor thing.” Annabelle wrapped her arms around the girl, knowing that one hug wouldn’t make up for anything. But her heart ached for this child, and she couldn’t help but give what little she had to comfort the girl.

The back door banged open, and Nugget jerked away. Annabelle looked up to see their housekeeper returning from her errands.

“We have a visitor,” Annabelle said.

Maddie looked the little girl up and down, then gave Annabelle a knowing glance. She liked the invasion of her household even less, but the tenderness in her eyes reminded Annabelle that she wasn’t the only one with a soft spot for children.

“How about some tea to go with those cookies?” Annabelle gave Nugget a little pat, then busied herself with fixing the tea. She stole a glance at Nugget, who nibbled at a cookie.

Well, she wasn’t starving. The hungry ones wolfed down the whole plate at once, and Annabelle always felt compelled to send them away with sandwiches. But this little girl...

At least her father kept her fed. Maybe she shouldn’t have judged him when she’d first encountered them. She knew nothing of their story. Once upon a time, Annabelle would have wanted to hear that story and see what she could to do to help. But it seemed like too many of the stories Annabelle participated in only ended in heartache.

The only thing Annabelle could let herself help with was making sure this family didn’t go hungry. Still, there were hungers that went deeper than the need for food. Of those, Annabelle knew. She might not have ever gone to bed wondering where the next meal was coming from, but she always went to bed wanting. Someday, she would have a life outside of a hopeless ministry that only broke her heart more and more each day.

Surely her aunt Celeste would send for her soon. Then Annabelle could move back East, where people’s lives weren’t filled with empty dreams of riches. Maybe there, she could meet a man who wasn’t blinded by tales of the mother lode. The search for silver brought too much heartache to a body, and Annabelle was ready to leave this life behind.

The little girl tugged at Annabelle’s skirts, reminding her of the steaming kettle, and that as easy as it was to dream of a new life, there was still so much work to be done here.

* * *

Joseph Stone followed the preacher into the church, watching as Annabelle escorted his sister into the house. Though she hadn’t seemed very warm toward him, Annabelle had treated his sister with more kindness than the other ladies they’d encountered in town.

Most of the pretty girls he knew wouldn’t have taken the time to be nice to a young child, let alone someone as ill-kept as Nugget. Not that he had much experience with pretty girls. The only woman who’d paid him any notice, Margaret Anderson, had thrown him over for Walter Blankenship because, in her words, “Walter didn’t have any brats to care for.” Probably for the best. If Margaret hadn’t been able to stomach the idea of helping him care for the siblings he had back home, how could he have expected her to have anything to do with a child of Nugget’s background?

Not that he’d put Miss Annabelle Lassiter in the same category. Sure, they were both pretty, but Annabelle’s blue eyes were more like the sky on a cloudless day, unlike Margaret’s—

He had no business thinking about any girl’s eyes, especially not a preacher’s daughter’s. And especially not when he had a family to provide for and a father to find.

The preacher didn’t speak until they were seated at a desk in his office. Joseph respected that. The other miners had told him that Preacher Lassiter was a good man who treated all with respect.

“What can I do for you, son?”

Son. Not in a condescending way, but in a way that sounded like he actually cared. In a way that made him wish his own father was more...fatherly. And not a low-down snake who’d put him in this predicament.

Joseph swallowed the lump in his throat. “I need help. My father, William Earl Stone, came here several years ago in search of silver. I need to find him.”

His chest burned with the humiliation of what he’d encountered searching for his pa. “When I made inquiries about him, I was directed to Miss Betty’s.” Hopefully his face wasn’t too red at the mention of the place, especially in front of a man of the cloth. But Preacher Lassiter didn’t look like the mention of a house of ill repute bothered him.

“When I got there, they gave me Nugget. Said she was my pa’s, and to give her to him because her ma was dead.”

It still rankled to know his pa had reduced himself to visiting those women. At least his ma wasn’t around to witness his pa’s betrayal. Joseph swallowed the bile that rose up every time he thought about his poor ma, waiting for news of a man who had to have betrayed her the minute he arrived in town. Oh, he didn’t doubt that Nugget was his sister. She had the look of his sister Mary, waiting back at home for a pa not worthy of her regard.

Preacher Lassiter leaned forward on his desk. “What do you want me to do? Find a home for the little girl?”

“No!” The word burst out of his mouth. Much as he hated to admit it, Nugget was kin, and she was an innocent child who didn’t deserve the life she had.

Joseph leaned back against the chair. “I don’t know what to do. Ma died nearly four months ago. Pa stopped sending money shortly before her death, and I just know Ma died of a broken heart because the bank told her they were going to take the farm.”

No expression crossed the preacher’s face; at least none Joseph could discern. “I’ve got five sisters and a brother staying with an aunt in Ohio. We’ve got no place to go. Aunt Ina is threatening to send them all to an orphanage. I’ve been working hard to make up for what Pa used to send, but it’s not enough. When Ma got sick, the doctor was so expensive. I couldn’t afford it all and we lost the farm.”

Joseph’s gut ached at having to share so much of his personal business with this man.

He looked the preacher in the eye, straightening in his chair. “I’m not asking for me. I know how to make it on my own. I’ve been doing it since I was a boy. But I’ve got to do better for my brother and sisters. I need to find my pa and get the money he’s been denying us so I can keep them out of an orphanage.”

The last word squeaked out of him—a painful reality he didn’t want to face. Especially now that he had another sister to consider. How could he be responsible for sending seven kids to an orphanage?

“The boardinghouse wouldn’t let me keep Nugget there with me. Called it improper. I can’t afford the hotel. We’ve been staying in a tent outside of camp, but it’s no place for a little girl. I’ve been working in the mines to send money to my aunt so she’ll keep the others a little longer.”

And, from the letter he’d just received, probably not much longer if Daniel didn’t stop his antics. It wasn’t Daniel’s fault, not really. But living with all those girls, and not having a man’s guidance...

Joseph let out a deep breath. “Sir, I know you get all sorts of people on your doorstep, but I need to find my father. You’re my last hope of finding him. People say there isn’t a miner in these parts you don’t know.”

The preacher rubbed his stubbled jaw. “What’d you say his name was?”

“William Earl Stone.” He exhaled, then said, “The lady at Miss Betty’s called him Bad Billy.” He wasn’t sure he wanted to know the reason for his pa’s moniker, not with the way the woman had winked when she’d called him that. One more reason to hate the man.

The preacher closed his eyes for a moment, then sighed. “I didn’t recognize the full name, but at mention of Bad Billy, I know who you’re talking about.”

What kind of man had his pa become, that even the preacher had that disgusted look in his eyes?

Joseph swallowed. “Can you tell me where to find him?”

“I’m sorry, son. Your father died nearly six months ago.”

Dead. So Joseph had spent everything he had on a fool’s errand. He should be comforted to know that the reason the money had stopped was that his pa had died. But comfort wouldn’t feed his family or keep them out of the orphanage.

Chapter Two

Joseph stood and extended his hand. “Thank you, sir, for your time. I appreciate your assistance.”

The preacher didn’t take it. He looked up at him with cornflower-blue eyes that inappropriately reminded Joseph of Annabelle.

“Sit back down, young man. You have a problem, and informing you of the sad news of your father’s passing doesn’t solve it. I can’t in good conscience let you leave until we’ve got a better solution for your family.”

A man who’d spent years caring for a family in place of an absent father didn’t weep. But in the face of the past few weeks, combined with the news that it had all been for nothing, this man’s kindness made him want to do so.

Preacher Lassiter stood. “It seems to me that as your father’s son, you’d be next of kin. Therefore, I think it fitting that I give you some papers your father entrusted me with. I recognize you from a picture he showed me.”

Hopefully those papers would lead to the source of the money his pa had been sending. It hadn’t been much, but maybe, just maybe, it would be a start. One of the men he’d sat next to on the train had talked about places out West that still needed settling. He could take advantage of the Homestead Act. Sure, it wouldn’t be the farm they’d lost, but it would be enough. Farming was good, honest work, and certainly more rewarding than all the time Joseph had spent in the mines.

For the first time since coming out here, Joseph felt hopeful that maybe things would finally be all right.

“I appreciate that, Preacher. Anything you can do is a blessing.”

The preacher smiled at him. “Call me Frank.” He pulled a key out of his pocket and walked past him. “I’ve got his things in a safe I keep in the other room, so I’ll be right back.”

It had to be a good sign that his pa’s papers were important enough to be kept in a safe. Maybe his snake of a father had done right by his family after all.

Joseph looked up to see a portrait of Jesus staring him down. He gave a long sigh. It had been wrong of him to be so disrespectful of his pa. Someday, he’d be able to ask forgiveness for it. Right now, though, he couldn’t be sorry. Not with all the mouths he had to provide for. And the fact that his pa was the very reason they were in this predicament.

Was it wrong to reserve his forgiveness and apologies until after he knew his family was safe?

Probably so. But it had been a long time since Joseph had been to church. Not since his pa left and one of the women in their old church had said something to his ma about her husband never coming back. After that, Ma hadn’t wanted to be around the mean, spiteful women, and Joseph had too much work to do to argue.

The door opened again, and Frank returned, carrying a stack of papers. “Your father had interests in a number of mines. I grubstaked him on a few of his projects.”

It didn’t seem very pastorly for a man of God to give out money for prospecting. “Why?”

He smiled, again reminding Joseph of Annabelle. “Because a man has a certain level of pride. It’s easier to ask for money if you think you’re giving someone something in return. So I give the miners what they need, and they give me a ten percent ownership in their mines. It eases their pride knowing that they’re not taking a handout.”

Frank’s grin turned a bit mischievous. “I’ve never had a single mine pan out, but boy, wouldn’t that be something.”

“It sounds like gambling.” On one hand, it was nice that the preacher was willing to give money to miners in need, but how was he helping those men? How many of the men taking money from the preacher had families back home who could’ve used that money?

“Now you sound like my daughter.” Frank sat back in his chair. “I see it as an investment in these men’s dreams. When I was a boy, I wanted nothing more than to be a preacher. But my family came from money, and such things weren’t done. So I followed their plan and found myself rich and miserable. When I told my wife I was leaving the family firm to become a preacher, she asked me what had taken so long.”

The peace flitting across Frank’s face stirred envy unlike any Joseph had ever experienced. What would it be like to give everything up to follow your dreams? Of course, it had been so long since Joseph had dared dream anything, he wasn’t sure what that would be.

“So here I am, spreading God’s word in an ungodly town. And if I find a man whose dreams I can encourage, I do. I call it an investment. I suppose the difference between my investments and gambling is that I don’t expect a return. At least not here on earth.”

So nonchalant about being able to give it all away. “Doesn’t the church object to you spending their money on such a foolish endeavor?”

Another grin. “I don’t use the church’s money. The money I invest comes straight out of my personal income. It irks poor Annabelle to no end that I help the miners, but they’ve got to have someone who believes in them.”

Maybe. But he’d have to agree with Annabelle that he’d be better off not funding such schemes. “How much was Pa in to you for?”

Frank chuckled. “Again, it was not a loan. I gave him money freely. But that’s not the right question. The question is, how much will you be able to get from his mines?”

With that, Frank sorted through the papers. “I have here papers for five different mining claims. As far as I know, not one has panned out.” He looked up at Joseph. “However, about a week before he died, your father was anxious about the Mary May. He came to me and asked if I could keep his papers safe.”

“Did someone kill him?”

Frank shrugged. “Hard to tell. He fell down a ravine. Did he fall or was he pushed? No one knows. And no one really cared enough to find out.”

Joseph supposed he should care, but honestly, if his pa wasn’t already dead, he might have to kill him himself. “Why would someone kill him for holdings that aren’t very valuable?”

Frank looked around, slowly. “Every now and again, I’d find bits of silver in the offering. I never knew where they came from. I figured it was a miner’s way of giving back but not wanting to call attention to himself. One day, I noticed your father slipping silver into the offering when he thought no one was looking.”

He leaned forward and lowered his voice. “Now I ask you. Why would a man hide having so much silver?”

With what Joseph was learning about his pa, he had a pretty good idea. “So he wouldn’t have to give your share to you? Only he felt guilty about not giving something to the church, so he put in a portion?”

Frank leaned back and gave another shrug. “Or maybe he’d found the big one and was trying to go about securing it before making the big announcement. Like I said, he’d been talking about the Mary May last time I saw him.”

At least his pa had some loyalty, naming the mine after one of the daughters he’d abandoned back home. Not that it would give her any comfort at all.

Joseph riffled through the crumbled, dirty papers. Each of his sisters had a mine named after them. Maybe he’d give each of his siblings the papers to their mines. Probably worthless, but at least something to remember their pa.

“You think I should check out the Mary May?”

“Wouldn’t hurt. He had a cabin up that way. Maybe you’ll find some of his personal belongings or something that can help your quest.”

Joseph sighed. The preacher was right. It wouldn’t hurt. Maybe this cabin would be a safer place to keep Nugget. “I’ll check it out. See if the cabin is livable.”

Frank pointed at the shadows in the window. “Not tonight, you won’t. It’s going to be too dark to head up there now, and having been to the cabin once, I can tell you that Billy did a real nice job of making it hard to find.”

Somehow, his pa’s cleverness at making a hidden cabin didn’t bring the same kind of twinkle to his mind as it did to the preacher’s eyes. Maybe he’d once had that kind of fondness for his pa, but after cleaning up so much of his pa’s mess, he wasn’t so kindly inclined.

“Thank you, Preacher. Would you happen to know of a place willing to rent a room to us tonight? I’ve tried just about everywhere, but being where Nugget came from and all, no one wants us.”

Maybe the preacher could put in a good word for them. It was only one night. Then they could go to his pa’s cabin and make it a temporary home for Nugget. What his siblings would do when they found out...well, it’d be like losing their parents all over again. Especially for the girls, who’d been sheltered from such things.

“You’ll stay with us, of course. It’s a shame to have all those bedrooms sit empty when there are heads needing a place to rest. And I told you, it’s Frank.” The preacher’s smile appeared benign, but Joseph saw the underlying power behind it. There’d be no arguing with this man.

And really, it would be foolish. He was running out of money, and with an extra mouth to feed, he had to think beyond his pride. But someday...he’d keep an account of all the preacher had done for him and his family and he’d pay him back.

“Again, my thanks. Your generosity is—”

“None of that.” Frank held up his hand. “The Lord has been generous to me, so it’s only right that I am generous in return.”

Frank reached into his desk and pulled out a coin. “Take this. Go on down to the bathhouse on West Seventh. It’s run by a couple of nice widows who will take good care of you.”

Joseph didn’t need a man of the cloth to tell him he reeked. But every penny he wasted on a bath was a penny less for his family. “Thank you, but—”

“No buts. Maddie, that’s my housekeeper, is one of the most particular women you’ll ever meet. If you don’t go to the bathhouse and take care of it, she’s liable to haul you out back and scrub you down herself.”

Joseph took the coin and stared at it. Still, it seemed a shame to spend it when he’d just received a letter from Aunt Ina asking for more money.

“Thank you,” he finally managed to force himself to say. “What about Nugget?”

“Don’t worry about her. Like I told you, Annabelle loves children. Once I tell her what’s going on, she’ll have Nugget cleaned up, and if I know my daughter, she’ll probably have found her a pretty new dress and done her hair all up. You won’t find a better person to leave Nugget with than my Annabelle.”

Joseph remembered the looks of disgust the other women in town had given them as they’d walked in search of the church. Annabelle was different. She’d taken Nugget’s hand and treated his little sister with respect.

All these warm feelings did nothing to dispel his wariness. In fact, it only made them worse. Liking a golden-haired girl such as Annabelle couldn’t be on his mind. He’d come to Leadville to solve the problem of how to care for his siblings, and so far, all he’d come up with was another mouth to feed and a few probably worthless pieces of paper.

Thinking thoughts he had no business thinking about a girl was just borrowing trouble. And Joseph already had more than his share.

* * *

Annabelle reached to knock on the door to her father’s office just as the door opened, causing her to nearly run into the miner’s chest.

“Where’s Nugget?” Joseph peered around her, invading her personal space.

“She’s fine,” Annabelle said, stepping out of the man’s way. “Maddie’s got her taking a bath in the kitchen, so if you could give her a little privacy...”

She entered the office, looking around to see any sign that her father had yet again funded some foolish endeavor. “Maddie also wanted me to tell you that supper’s going to be ready at seven. We’ll be serving outside so if you could get some men to put out the tables, she sure would appreciate it.”

No sign that anything was missing, so at least this man wasn’t a thief. One time, a miner stole the gold crucifix from her great-grandfather right off the church’s wall. And her father, with his forgiving soul, had let him.

“What’d I tell you,” her father said, putting his arm around her. “You don’t have to worry a bit about Nugget. Go take your bath so you can be back in time for supper. Maybe some of the miners your father knew will be there.”

Joseph cleared his throat. “Are you expecting many?” This time, his voice sounded less raspy, more husky, and less like he’d spent too much time in the mines. She briefly wondered what he’d sound like singing in the church, but then shoved that thought out of her mind.

Her father gave her a squeeze. “Only the Lord knows. But He always provides enough. My dear, sweet Catherine, before she passed, had a heart for making sure those boys had a home-cooked meal. Every Wednesday night, and also after services on Sunday, we invite anyone who wants to eat over for supper. I don’t know what I’d do without Annabelle to carry on the tradition.”

Annabelle’s heart sank at his words. How was she supposed to leave Leadville and move on with her life when her father needed her so desperately?

“Your kindness is much appreciated,” the miner said gruffly. So unlike most of the miners who’d grown to expect the handouts. This one was different.

Not that she’d allow herself to see him as different, she told herself as sternly as she could. Seeing miners as individuals and caring for them as people was dangerous stuff. Getting attached had gotten her heart broken more times than she could count. Which was why, after all the tragedies of the winter, Annabelle absolutely was not going to find herself caring about this miner or his child.

She’d do her duty, feed them, give them what they needed, then send them on their way. Just like she did with everyone else. And when the letter from Aunt Celeste came, giving her the means to escape, she was going to do it, and pray that somehow her father would find a way to get on without her.

Because if her heart was forced to take on any more burdens, it would certainly crumble under the weight.

Chapter Three

One would think that by now, Annabelle’s back wouldn’t ache so much after feeding a hungry crowd. But every muscle in her body hurt. Not to mention her head from the din of all the voices in the backyard. She returned the last plate to the cupboard, looking around the kitchen to make sure her share of the chores were finished.

Despite their best efforts, the floor looked like a herd of cattle had tromped through the kitchen. Maddie wouldn’t be pleased. She went to grab the broom when Maddie’s voice interrupted her.

“I’ll finish in here. The poor lamb is all tuckered out. I’ve got her on your bed, but I imagine you’d rather her on Susannah’s. Why don’t you get that fixed up? I’ve already done Peter’s room for the miner.”

The miner. Her father had never allowed a miner to stay in the house before. Of course, none had brought a child with him, either. She supposed she should give him a little credit; after all, he’d taken responsibility for a child borne to him by a woman of questionable morals, and certainly in her line of work, he couldn’t really be sure that the child was his.

Nugget lay sprawled across Annabelle’s bed, her feet tangled in the quilt Annabelle’s mother had made. Rosy cheeks had replaced the grubby face, and in the dim candlelight, Nugget looked almost like a porcelain doll. Hard to believe the tiny girl was six years old. Just two years younger than Susannah had been when she died. Such innocence almost made Annabelle want to believe she was making a difference helping with her father’s work.

Annabelle pulled out the linens and made up Susannah’s bed, trying not to remember the way her sister had traced the pattern of the quilt at night to fall asleep. She forced herself to push aside the memory of Susannah’s sweet voice asking Annabelle to tell her one last story. She wasn’t ready to confront the loss of her sister.

Every day. Every day her father asked her to do one more hard thing for the sake of his ministry. And every day, she had to shove one more piece of her hurting heart into the abyss.

But as she lifted the sleeping girl off her bed and into the newly made bed, she told herself that maybe somehow it would be worth it. And maybe someday, it wouldn’t hurt so much. Though she suspected it wouldn’t happen until she could finally leave this place and all its painful memories.

Maybe now that her father had some time to grieve, he wouldn’t mind so much letting her go to Aunt Celeste. Maybe there, she could build a life for herself. A life that didn’t include putting her heart out to be broken on a daily basis.

“I was going to have her stay in my room.” The miner’s voice came from her doorway.

Annabelle jumped at the interruption, then took a breath as she smoothed the covers around Nugget. “I’ve already gotten her settled. Besides, it’s not seemly for her to share your room.”

“She’s my sister. We can share.” He stepped into the room as if he was going to snatch Nugget away.

Annabelle stood. Sister? She hadn’t expected that. What sort of man took on the care of a sister when he barely seemed capable of taking care of himself? Yet again, she realized that this man was different. And she didn’t like it.

Ignoring the desire to know more about his situation, she looked at him with the same detachment she gave everyone else. “You’re a grown man. You deserve your privacy. Besides, just look at her.”

As if to prove her point, Nugget snuggled deeper into the covers, giving a small sigh.

“I haven’t ever seen her look so...”

Clean? Content? This man didn’t seem to know anything about raising a child. But for the first time, she could understand his protectiveness. And she had to give him credit for trying.

Annabelle sighed. There was no escaping the compassion leaking into her heart.

“Nugget’s so peaceful, isn’t she? It’d be a shame to disturb her.” Annabelle gave the miner a smile. “Why don’t I show you to your room? It was my brother Peter’s.”

She swallowed the inevitable lump at the mention of his name. This stranger wouldn’t understand how much she’d lost. Hopefully, they wouldn’t stay long. She refused to get attached to one more person who was just going to leave anyway.

“I’m not putting him out, am I?” The gruff tone to his voice made Annabelle pause. He seemed uncomfortable with the hospitality. Unlike so many of the people she encountered, this miner wasn’t a taker. Her conscience told her she shouldn’t judge, but her heart reminded her that it could no longer afford to be open.

“Peter died seven months ago.” As many times as she stated that fact, it didn’t get any easier to accept.

“I’m sorry for your loss.” Words she heard often enough, but the sadness in his voice made Annabelle’s heart constrict. He’d lost someone recently, too.

“It gets easier every day.” A lie, but since that’s what everyone told her, she supposed it must be true for some people. It was the answer she’d learned to give to quiet the well-intentioned words of sympathy that never seemed to do any good.

The miner stepped into her space as she pushed the door open. “Does it?”

His dark eyes searched hers, making her feel exposed, vulnerable. People weren’t supposed to ask those questions. They were supposed to move on and leave her to dwell in her private pain.

She turned her head away. “Of course it does.”

Doing what she did best, Annabelle pressed on, ignoring the tickle at the back of her throat as she surveyed the room she’d barely dared enter since Peter’s death. She’d liked to have said it looked exactly the same, but it didn’t. The lamp that had sat on the table beside his bed was gone. Her father had given it to a needy parishioner. The same with the blanket that had always lay across the foot of the bed. Her grandmother had made it, but that hadn’t stopped her father from giving it to someone in the mining camp. And if she looked in Peter’s closet, it would be empty.

Yes, it was selfish to cling to them; after all, they were only things. If her father knew these thoughts, he would tell her about storing up her treasures in heaven instead of on earth, and that these things would be far more useful to the people here than they were to Peter’s memory.

Those emotions, like everything else, were quickly pushed away. Her father expected her to be a part of his ministry, and that meant making this man feel comfortable in their home.

“Maddie filled the pitcher with some clean water for your use.” Annabelle gestured to the dresser. “If there’s any other need I can attend to, please let me know.”

She turned to leave, but he stopped her. “Wait.”

“Is there something else you need?”

His features were cast in shadows, but she could still see the hard catch in his jaw. “I’m sorry if my question offended you. I didn’t mean to put you out.”

He might as well have taken that pitcher and dumped it on her. Annabelle glanced at the open door. Her father would be up soon, and he would know that she hadn’t been very welcoming. She sighed. She was trying, she really was. But her father was so focused on providing for the miners’ needs that he never seemed to consider hers.

More selfishness. And none of it helped the man in front of her. The man who looked like he was staring down into the depths of her soul. A place no one, not even God, was allowed to look.

“I’m sorry.” Annabelle looked at the floor. Swept clean, of course. If only Maddie had left one stray dust bunny that could swallow her whole.

Annabelle took a deep breath. She’d hurt this man’s feelings, and she hadn’t meant to. But with all the miners, she had to keep her heart locked up. She’d let one slip past her guard. One to whom she’d given her heart. And he’d deemed his search for riches more valuable than their love.

The miner standing in front of her? Now that he’d had a bath, she could tell that his hair truly was the color of soot, and it curled around the top of this collar ever so slightly. His eyes, too, were dark, and the light caught them just enough that she knew he meant business. This wasn’t some miner. Not anymore.

Bad enough that he had to sleep in Peter’s room, worse that by closing herself off to him, she now had to admit the truth.

“I lied. I don’t know if missing someone gets easier. I wake up every day wishing I could hear my brothers or my sister, and especially my mother, walking through the door. But they don’t. And I guess having you here makes it more real that they never will.”

Everyone expressed sympathy over her losses. But what she saw shining in Joseph’s eyes was deeper, more personal. She couldn’t afford to get personal, not again. They were both supposed to say the proper things, like that Annabelle was getting over the loss of her mother and brothers and sister, and that Joseph was sorry to hear about it, and every other pithy comment that everyone said because it was what you were supposed to say.

Because she’d already said all of those deeply personal things to another man, another miner, and despite her offering up everything her heart had, he’d left, chasing after rumors of gold in the Yukon.

Getting personal was no longer an option.

“Annabelle?” Her father’s voice boomed through the room as he pushed open the door. “You’ve made sure Joseph is comfortable?”

Annabelle let out a long sigh, exhaling all of the thoughts she shouldn’t have been thinking. “Of course I have.” She turned to the miner. “You have everything you need, don’t you?”

He glanced at her, the sympathy still shining in his eyes. “Yes.” He turned to her father. “Your daughter is most gracious.”

At least he brought it back to what people were supposed to say.

Her father came into the room and kissed the top of her head. “I don’t know what I’d do without her.”

She smiled up at him, trying not to let the guilt over all of her wrong thoughts drag her down. As much as she hated this position, her father was all she had left of her immediate family.

“I think that’s all then.” She leaned up on tiptoes and gave her father a kiss on the cheek. “Good night.” Then turned and gave the miner as much of a smile as she could muster. “And good night to you, too, Joseph.”

Before either man could say anything else, she turned and left the room, retreating to the once-safe haven of her bedroom. There, Nugget slept, her tiny body reminding her that even the slightest bit of sweetness still had a bitter taste. Because as much as she wanted to take this little girl into her arms and give her the love she deserved, Annabelle absolutely was not going to get attached. Not when, like every other child she encountered in her work, Nugget would soon be gone.

Because that was the reality of life in a mining town. People either went broke and left, struck it rich and left, left in search of a better prospect, or left the earth completely. Regardless of the reason, they all left.

There wasn’t enough of Annabelle’s heart remaining to let anyone take any more.

* * *

Joseph watched Annabelle’s retreating figure, her skirts swishing behind her. She moved with the grace of any of the fine ladies he’d encountered, but there was a humility to her that he’d never known.

Back in Ohio, he’d encountered plenty of girls who turned up their noses at the Stones’ poverty. Only Margaret had openly accepted him and promised to love him no matter what. She’d been filled with grand dreams of the farm they’d build together and how everything would work out. But when his ma died and he’d made it clear that his siblings were part of the package, Margaret had a change of heart and married another.

He once thought Margaret was made of the cloth he believed he saw in Annabelle, but appearances were deceiving. As much as he’d like to admire Annabelle, he had to remind himself that he had too many other responsibilities to put any energy in that direction.

He forced his attention to Frank. “Thank you again for your hospitality. Your daughter went above and beyond in preparing rooms for us.”

Frank gave that wistful look Joseph was beginning to see as the Annabelle look. “It’ll be good for her to have another little girl in the house. She used to share her room with her sister Susannah. She likes to pretend that she’s fine, but don’t let her fool you. Annabelle misses her terribly.”

Joseph’s gut churned. He’d liked to have credited it to a filling supper after going so long without, but he knew better. Not after her hard-won admission of grief. He’d thought about offering her comfort for her loss, but at Frank’s expression, Joseph was glad they’d been interrupted. His thoughts and questions were better left for the man of the house, not a woman he found himself inappropriately attracted to.

“She mentioned this room belonged to her departed brother. I didn’t realize that she’d lost another sibling, as well.”

Sorrow filled Frank’s eyes as he looked around the room. “Yes. This was Peter’s room. Sickness hit Leadville hard this past winter. We lost my wife and four of my children. Annabelle is all I have left.”

Maddie’s biscuits thudded in the pit of Joseph’s stomach. Having spent the better part of a month trying to track down his father to save his own siblings, he couldn’t imagine what it must have been like to watch them all die.

“I’m so sorry for your loss.” Joseph spoke softly, realizing that the other man had retreated into his own grief. “It’s good of you to let us use their rooms.”

Frank’s head snapped up. “What else would we do with them? The good Lord provided, and it seems wrong to not share what He has given us. Just...” He looked around the room, then his gaze settled back on Joseph.

“Go easy on Annabelle. She gets awful mad when I give away any of the family’s possessions, and even though she’s playing the part of the gracious hostess, I know she’s upset.”

He gave another wry smile, and Joseph realized that Frank was trying as hard as Annabelle seemed to be in dealing with his heavy losses.

“Then why do this? If it pains her, then perhaps I—”

“I can’t allow her to wallow in her grief. Her mother, brothers and sister are with the Lord. There’s no reason to be sorrowful.”

Except the preacher’s face spoke of his own great sorrow. “Having you and Nugget here will be good for her. Already I see a light in her eyes I haven’t seen since...”

His shoulders rose and fell. “I know you feel guilty at accepting my charity, but you’re doing me the favor. It was good to hear laughter in this house again.”

Frank turned to leave, but his final words burned through Joseph’s heart.

A house without laughter. Without noise. Even Joseph would admit that this month without the cacophony of his siblings’ voices had made for some lonely nights. He’d gotten through by telling himself it was temporary. But for Annabelle and her father, the silence was permanent.

Lord, forgive me for judging.

The biscuits collided angrily against each other, reminding him that he had a lot to beg the Lord’s forgiveness for. He’d been angry and resentful over his situation, but as he looked at what the Lassiters were going through, he realized that he had no call to complain.

“Sir?”

Frank turned. “I told you to call me Frank.”

Joseph nodded slowly. “Yes. Frank. I...I was wondering if you had a spare Bible in the house.”

Silence echoed briefly against the walls. Joseph’s heart thudded. It shouldn’t have been that difficult a question to ask a preacher.

“Annabelle still hasn’t forgiven me for giving away Peter’s. Barely nineteen years old, and my boy had his heart set on becoming a preacher. He would have wanted me to share God’s word, but Annabelle...she was furious.”

The older man’s voice cracked. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have burdened you. I...”

“Forget it.” He’d already made Annabelle uncomfortable enough. “I’m sure I can find one in town tomorrow. It’s just I— Well, you reminded me of how much I’ve lost track of my faith.”

Some of the tiredness left Frank’s face. “I’m glad. As for the Bible, I’ll let you read my own tonight. When a man’s got a yearning for God’s word, it’s best to fill it immediately so nothing else sneaks in.”

He was about to tell Frank it wasn’t necessary, but Frank had already left the room. It humbled Joseph to see how freely the man shared all that he had. A lesson Aunt Ina would benefit to learn. Her last letter had complained of all the money she’d spent on his siblings and that she fully expected to be repaid for her sacrifice.

If he’d tried to pay Frank back, the man would be insulted. Joseph looked around the room that had once been occupied by a beloved son and brother. No wonder Annabelle had seemed so tense earlier. He sat on the bed and ran his hands along the fine quilt covering the bed.

Joseph didn’t know much about women’s handiwork, and had taken the blankets and quilts in their home for granted. But to Annabelle, who’d been upset over a Bible, this was probably yet another memory of her brother.

“That was the first quilt my wife ever made.” Frank’s voice came from the doorway. “Her family was horrified that she was wasting her womanly talents on making quilts instead of embroidering fancy linens. It has some mistakes, but that’s why I love it. She wasn’t afraid of the mistakes that come with learning.”

Frank had crossed over while speaking, then handed him a well-worn Bible. “I hope it gives you the same peace tonight.”

The lump that Joseph had been successfully swallowing all evening wouldn’t go away this time. Everything had meaning to the Lassiters, yet they were both able to share. Frank more willingly than Annabelle, but even her, he couldn’t fault for being stingy.

“Thank you, Frank. Your generosity means the world to me.”

Frank gave a small nod. “I hope someday you pass on that generosity to someone else.”

The floorboards creaked as Frank once again retreated, leaving Joseph in the cozy room bathed with soft candlelight. He glanced at the Bible, which smelled of the hope and promise of things yet to come. So far, he hadn’t found any of the answers he’d been seeking in Leadville. But Frank Lassiter had given him the hope that he’d finally come to a place where he could.

Chapter Four

Annabelle walked into Jessup’s Mercantile, Nugget’s hand clutched tightly in hers.

“I ain’t allowed in here,” Nugget whispered.

“You’re with me, so it’ll be fine. Be a good girl, and I’ll let you choose a peppermint when we’re done.”

She gave the little girl an encouraging squeeze and a smile.

“I don’t like peppermints. The men who visited Mama always gave ’em to me, and then I’d have to go away.”

After a day with Nugget, none of her experiences should shock Annabelle. But each one put an anger in her heart that wasn’t going to be easily erased. How many other children endured what poor Nugget had? Despite her anger, Annabelle felt powerless to do anything.

“I’m not going to make you go away.” She gave Nugget another squeeze. “But I will let you pick out whatever treat you’d like.”

Nugget’s grip loosened in her hand.

“Who is this young lady you have with you today, Annabelle?” Mrs. Jessup greeted her with a smile as Nugget shied into Annabelle’s skirts.

“Good morning, Mrs. Jessup.” Annabelle returned the greeting. “We have a very special guest staying with us, so I’ve brought her with me to pick up a few things for Maddie. Nugget, please give Mrs. Jessup your most polite how-do-you-do.”

Mrs. Jessup blanched. “Nugget? That isn’t the child from...” She glanced over Annabelle’s shoulder in the direction of State Street.

Annabelle straightened her shoulders as Nugget let go of her hand and clung to the back of Annabelle’s skirt. She reached behind and gave Nugget a pat on the head. “Why, yes, she is. And she’s currently our guest, so please treat her with the respect accorded all of our important guests.”

“But that child is filthy and full of bugs.”

“Am not!” Nugget burst out of Annabelle’s skirts. “Mama made sure I didn’t get no bugs.”

Annabelle put her arms around Nugget and pulled her close. “Maddie scrubbed her clean herself. Didn’t find one bug on the sweet little girl.” She did her best to keep her voice modulated and calm. Nugget was just a child, after all, and didn’t deserve Mrs. Jessup’s scorn.

“Is that the dress I ordered from New York City for poor Susannah?”

The horror on Mrs. Jessup’s face brought a pang to Annabelle’s heart. After all, it wasn’t Mrs. Jessup’s sister who’d died.

“Why, yes, it is.” Annabelle gave a smile in spite of the sick feeling in her stomach. “And I’m sure she’d be pleased that it wasn’t getting eaten by moths in some closet. All Nugget needs are a few ribbons for her hair to make her the picture of sweetness.”

Wasn’t that the very thing Maddie had said this morning? And Annabelle had politely agreed, all the while resenting having to give up Susannah’s dress. But now, in the face of such meanness, she’d parade Nugget around with Susannah’s beloved china doll to show the world that she didn’t give a whit where Nugget came from.

“Your mother would be horrified that you’re associating with such people.”

Her mother would have been ashamed it had taken Annabelle so long to take up Nugget’s cause.

“What people? Nugget has done nothing wrong. She’s a good girl who hasn’t given me a bit of trouble.”

Mrs. Jessup’s face turned as red as the bolts of flannel she kept for the miners. “She was raised in that...place!”

“And she’s now a guest in my home.” Annabelle didn’t mean to raise her voice, but when she did, a group of women looking through the buttons stopped and looked up at her.

“I understand that your mother is gone and I’m sure your father has no idea how to explain such delicate matters to a young lady, but let me assure you that no good can come of—”

“What? Taking in a child who needs a home?” Annabelle gathered Nugget closer to her. “My mother and father both instructed me on such matters, and when a sinful woman was brought before Jesus, he asked those without sin to cast the first stone. I am certain that none of us can lay claim to leading such a blameless life.”

Mrs. Jessup couldn’t have exploded any more brilliantly than the time the old cookstove’s pipe had been blocked by a nesting raccoon.

“You...get...out...” she thundered, pointing at the door.

Annabelle smiled sweetly. “With pleasure. I’ll be talking to my father about taking our business to Taylor’s. Come along, Nugget.”

She grabbed Nugget’s hand and ushered her out the door. Once they arrived on the sidewalk, Annabelle tried taking a deep breath, but Maddie had laced her too tight. What a bad day to be fashionable.

Nugget tugged at her hand. “I told you I weren’t allowed to go in there.”

Annabelle straightened. “That’s right. You’re not allowed to go in there. You’re too good for the likes of Mrs. Jessup.”

She scanned the street and looked toward Taylor’s Mercantile. Her boast in leaving Mrs. Jessup’s had been just that—a boast. Her father was very strict about which stores she shopped in, with all the riffraff that came to Leadville. She wasn’t supposed to go anyplace else alone.

But even her father wouldn’t be able to fault her disobedience in light of Mrs. Jessup’s meanness.

“Come on, Nugget. You might not like peppermints, but I could use a sweet right now.”

She grasped Nugget’s hand and strode across the street to Taylor’s.

* * *

Joseph had just stepped through the back storeroom into the main store with Frank and Mr. Jessup when he heard Annabelle’s raised voice.

“And now she’s a guest in my home!”

Joseph stepped forward to come to Annabelle’s aid, but Frank held his arm out. “Let her fight her own battles.”

“But that’s my sister they’re arguing about.”

“Annabelle is doing fine. Listen to her.”

The pride in Frank’s voice was obvious. Joseph had to admit that he hadn’t seen this side of Annabelle. She might not think much of him, but she’d protect his sister with everything she had.

Mr. Jessup shifted nervously. “I should probably go out there and...”

“You should,” Frank told him quietly. “But first, you need to know that while I respect you as a friend, I’m going to stand by my daughter’s decision unless your wife apologizes to her.”

“Apologizes?” Mr. Jessup’s face turned redder than a hot coal. “After your daughter insulted her and practically accused her of not being a Christian?”

Joseph couldn’t help but grin. Annabelle had done just that, and beautifully so.

“No hard feelings, Bill.” Frank held out his hand for Mr. Jessup to shake, but he didn’t take it.

“Joseph, I know we’ve spent a lot of time picking out the gear you’ll need for your father’s cabin, but I believe we’ll be taking our purchases elsewhere. Go ahead and set the things down. We need to go make sure the girls are all right.”

Joseph did as he was bade and followed Frank toward the door. Mrs. Jessup stopped them.

“Did you hear what that daughter of yours said to me? Without a mother, she’s going positively wild.”

Frank nodded. “And I couldn’t be more proud. Good day, Mrs. Jessup.”

As they strode out the door, much to the shocked faces staring after them, Joseph was proud to know her, as well. Annabelle Lassiter was one of the finest women he knew.

He watched as Annabelle crossed the street, firmly clutching his sister’s hand in hers.

“Annabelle!” Frank called his daughter’s name, and she paused to stop and wave.

The two men rushed over to Annabelle and Nugget.

“Good,” Annabelle said with forced cheer. “I’m glad you’re here. I’ve decided that we need to start shopping at Taylor’s. My friends assure me that Taylor’s is perfectly respectable, but I’m sure you’ll want to see for yourself.”

Frank laughed. “Annabelle, my dear, Joseph and I were in the back during your argument with Mrs. Jessup. We heard the whole thing.”

Annabelle’s face fell, and for a moment, without the false cheer or guarded expression Joseph was used to, she looked almost pretty. “Oh,” she finally said. She looked down at Nugget, then back up at her father.

“Well, if you think I’m going to apologize, then—”

Her father held a hand up. “I’d be disappointed if you did. I told Bill that unless Mrs. Jessup apologizes to you, we won’t be patronizing their store anymore.”

Annabelle’s cheeks tinged pink, and a smile lit her eyes, the blue even more striking in the sunlight.

All right, Joseph would admit it. Annabelle Lassiter was downright pretty. But that momentary admiration was all it could be.

“But that does leave me in a bind.” Frank put his hands in his pockets and rocked back on his heels. “I now need to make arrangements with another store to get supplies for our ministry. As members of our church, the Jessups gave us a good discount.”

“Oh.” This time, when her face fell, Joseph immediately felt guilty. He hadn’t meant to bring grief to them or their ministry.

The false cheer Joseph was used to seeing on Annabelle’s face filled Frank’s. “It’s all right. The Lord will provide. And since I haven’t had the pleasure of getting to know Mr. Taylor, perhaps it’s about time I did so. He belongs to the new church across town, but God’s children are all God’s children, right?”

Annabelle nodded slowly.

Frank turned to Joseph. “While I’m conducting business with Mr. Taylor, I hope I can trust you to stay close to Annabelle and Nugget. Though I’ve also heard good things about Taylor’s, I’d feel better knowing they had some protection until we’ve experienced it for ourselves.”

Annabelle gave a small but ladylike grunt, and Frank shot her a look. Joseph couldn’t help but grin as he watched the tiny rebellion cross her face. The independent woman didn’t like it one bit, but she’d obey.

Joseph held up an arm. “Ladies?”

Though Annabelle took it, he could feel the glower come all the way from her face down through her gloved hand to his arm. Some might call it unladylike, but he appreciated the feisty woman who very clearly knew her own mind.

They walked into the store, and Joseph noticed how Nugget still clung to Annabelle’s skirts.

“Are you all right?” He ruffled his sister’s hair with his free hand.

She looked up at him, wide-eyed. “Uh-huh. That lady was mean, but Annabelle showed her.” Then she looked at Annabelle, like she believed more in Annabelle than she did in him.

“What if they’re mean to us here?”

The already proper woman straightened even more. “Then we’ll find another store. And we’ll keep trying until we find someone who will treat us with respect.”

Annabelle’s conviction shamed Joseph. With all the places that had turned them away, he’d taken Nugget and slinked away with his tail between his legs. If they had refused Annabelle, she probably would have given them the what-for.

“Thank you.” He turned and looked at Annabelle.

She looked confused. “For what?”

Joseph nodded his head toward his sister. “You treat her with dignity.”

Her face colored, and she reached for Nugget’s hand. “Come on, Nugget. Let’s go look at some ribbons.”

So far, no one had noticed their presence in the store. Frank appeared to have already engaged in serious conversation with the proprietor.

As they walked toward the ribbons, a woman approached them. “Hello. I’m Mrs. Taylor. Your father said you needed help with your shopping.”

Joseph examined her face for any sign of the judgment he’d come to expect with Nugget. But she appeared pleasant and willing to do business with them.

“Thank you, yes.” Annabelle gave the woman the kind of smile Joseph wished she’d direct at him. “Our housekeeper, Maddie, provided me with a list of items. But I’d also like to look at some ribbons for Nugget.”

Annabelle pulled the little girl off her skirts and in front of her. “Nugget is my friend, and I hope you’ll be kind to her.”

“Of course.” Mrs. Taylor bent in front of Nugget. “Why don’t you go select a peppermint for yourself?”

“Thank you all the same, Mrs. Taylor, but my friend doesn’t care for peppermint.”

How did Annabelle know that Nugget didn’t like peppermints? He’d shoved dozens of them at the poor child before she’d finally told him that she didn’t like them.

The genuine affection in her face as she looked at Nugget tore at Joseph’s heart. And the smile Nugget gave her back was enough to make him melt.

“Well then, come along.” Mrs. Taylor’s voice was pleasant, accepting.

They wound their way through stacks of goods, neatly displayed. All the while, Mrs. Taylor spoke of the weather and treated them as she would any other customer.

With each step, Joseph felt more of the worry fall off his shoulders. By the time they arrived at the ribbon display, he felt as light as any other man shopping in a mercantile.

“Here are the ribbons. Are you looking for something to match that pretty dress of yours?”

Mrs. Taylor bent to Nugget, giving her a smile that spoke of understanding and kindness.

“Annabelle?” Frank’s voice called from the other side of the store. “Can you come here for a moment?”

She immediately looked at Nugget.

“It’s all right,” both Joseph and Mrs. Taylor said at once. He stopped himself, then looked at Mrs. Taylor.

“She’ll be fine, truly,” Mrs. Taylor said. “I have a little one myself, and I miss her dreadfully. She’s visiting my mother, and I can’t wait until she gets back next week.”

“I...” Annabelle looked at Joseph.

“We’ll be fine.”

She nodded slowly, then went to her father’s side.

“I promise I’m not like that awful Mrs. Jessup,” Mrs. Taylor told him. “Pastor Lassiter told us what happened in her store. I can’t say I’m surprised. She’s been spreading rumors about us ever since we opened.”

Mrs. Taylor put her hand over her mouth. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have shared gossip about her. I’m sure she means well. It just burns me sometimes...” She shook her head.

“Anyway, on to more pleasant things.” She held up a ribbon. “What do you think of this ribbon, Nugget? It would bring out the pink flowers in your dress nicely.”

Nugget looked at the floor.

“It’s all right. You can look at the ribbon,” Joseph told her.

As he watched the emotions play across his sister’s face, he realized how hard it must be to have grown up the way Nugget had. How many rejections had she faced because of who her mother was?

Nugget looked, but didn’t touch. She just stared at it, wide-eyed. “Sometimes the men would bring me ribbons.”

Mrs. Taylor knelt in front of her. “I’m not like those men. I’m your friend.”

Nugget looked up at him, and Joseph nodded. He was quickly learning how precious friendship was in this place, especially with a child like Nugget. She reached for the ribbon.

“May I put it in your hair? Annabelle is going to think you look so pretty.”

With deft fingers, Mrs. Taylor put the ribbon in Nugget’s hair. The shy little girl preened as Mrs. Taylor held up the mirror.

“See? You look very pretty. Why don’t you go show Annabelle?”

Nugget skipped all the way to Annabelle. Joseph watched her with a lightened heart. He’d been worried about his family accepting her, but surely with the acceptance she was finding here, his family would eventually warm to her.

“I knew her mother,” Mrs. Taylor said over his shoulder. “Lily was a kind woman. She came to town with a worthless husband. When he died, she didn’t have anyplace else to go. So she took up the life she did. She wasn’t a bad person.”

Her words were meant as a kindness, but they hurt. “Did she know my pa was married?”

“They’re always married, sugar. Sometimes, though, we’re fortunate, and we find someone who will take us away.”

He turned and looked at her. “You?”

Mrs. Taylor shrugged. “Things aren’t always what they seem. I didn’t know your father, but I’m sure that his relationship with Lily had nothing to do with your mother. Mining is lonely business.”

Hard to imagine this genteel lady in the place where he’d gotten Nugget. Also hard not to blame his father, despite Mrs. Taylor’s words.

“How do you know all of this?”

She smiled. “Because I’ve been there. And if you ever need anything for Nugget...”

He watched as Nugget giggled at something Annabelle said to her. “Thank you. It’s good to know that she’s got so many people who care about her.”

Something he hadn’t expected. But the longer he spent in Leadville, the more he was learning to expect the unexpected. Just then, Annabelle turned and looked at him, the smile in her eyes blinding.

He couldn’t help himself. Joseph smiled back. His growing affection for Annabelle was perhaps the most unexpected of all. And it was something he needed to avoid giving in to at all costs. With all he had to focus on, he couldn’t afford to divert his attentions.

Chapter Five

Annabelle headed home with a little girl on one arm and a sedate man on the other. She glanced over at Joseph, who seemed to be focused on the girl who proudly showed off her new ribbons.

“Thank you for your kindness to my sister,” he told her softly. “I have never seen her so happy.”

Nugget broke free and skipped ahead. Annabelle didn’t have the heart to stop her.

“I’m glad to have given her something to be happy about.” She smiled. Joseph wasn’t too bad. Cleaned up the way he was, it was almost easy to pretend he was just a normal man.

Annabelle stumbled slightly. Joseph wasn’t a normal man. And it wouldn’t do for her to entertain feelings when she knew she couldn’t count on a miner to stick around. Not that she had any intention of entertaining feelings about any man.

At least not here in Leadville. The town was full of shiftless drifters, and the one time she’d let her guard down to trust in someone, he’d betrayed her. Something she’d do well to remember in the presence of this man.

Especially the way Joseph’s sparkling smile made her tingle all the way down to her toes. Despite the chilly breeze coming off the mountains, she suddenly felt warm. The lace at the top of her collar itched.

Annabelle quickened her pace. The faster she got home, the faster she could take off her gloves and adjust her collar. Surely the sudden warmth was due more to the clouds moving off the sun than the fact that Joseph had moved closer to her.

“Joseph! Annabelle! Watch!” Nugget spun around and around in a circle, nearly running into a group of ladies.

Joseph dashed forward to catch her before she fell. “Whoa, there, Nugget. This street’s too crowded for your antics.”

She fell into his arms, giggling. “I was being a dancer like Mama’s friends.”

Though Annabelle was briefly scandalized by the reference to Nugget’s mama’s friends, the thought stopped in her brain as she watched Joseph swing Nugget. He tickled her, then placed the still-giggling girl on his shoulders.

There weren’t many men in Annabelle’s acquaintance—well, there weren’t any, actually—who would be so loving toward a little girl. Especially one with Nugget’s background. Joseph’s gentility reminded her a lot of her father.

Something to keep in mind. Both men were impossible dreamers. Her father because he believed that his work with the miners would somehow make a difference. Joseph because as a miner, he was after the impossible dream of striking it rich. The difference was, Joseph’s dream would take him away as soon as he realized chasing after silver was a worthless dream.

No, entertaining thoughts of Joseph was out of the question. Just because he exhibited fine qualities of character didn’t mean he was of good character. Henry had taught her that.

They approached the Tabor Opera House. Its elegance stood out among the dust of Harrison Avenue, reminding Annabelle that profit could come out of the mountains. Maybe some, like the Tabors and a few other fortunate people, made a big strike. But too many ended up on her porch, dead broke, hungry, and willing to risk it all for another chance that never came.

In the end, no matter how many of the dazzling grins he gave Annabelle, Joseph was one of them. A miner whose dreams were bigger than his common sense. Otherwise, he’d never have ended up on her doorstep with a little girl who deserved a better life.

“Annabelle!” Lucy Simms, one of the girls she’d gone to school with, waved her over. “I have news.”

“I can spare only a moment,” Annabelle told her. “I need to get home.”

The other girl’s conspiratorial grin did not bode well for a quick conversation. “Papa has given permission for me to take a trip East so I can see the world before I settle down. He’s going to ask your father if you can accompany us. I heard him tell Mama that your father has been looking for a proper escort to take you to visit your aunt.”

Annabelle’s heart leaped at the thought of her father looking for someone to escort her to finally visit Aunt Celeste. Her father hadn’t been ignoring her. Why hadn’t he said anything?

“Annabelle, watch this!” Nugget’s voice stopped her from questioning the situation further as she watched the little girl spin, nearly falling into the street as she did so.

Fortunately, Joseph was there to grab her, then knelt before Nugget, probably to give her a more stern warning about being careful.

“That sounds lovely,” Annabelle told Lucy. “I would love to hear more about it, but—”

Nugget had broken free of her brother and was hurtling toward her. “Annabelle!”

“Another one of your father’s projects?” Lucy’s disdainful look at Nugget was hard to miss.

Annabelle’s back stiffened. Coming from Lucy, the thoughts that had consumed Annabelle sounded completely selfish. Was it so wrong to want to leave the ministry for a life of her own?

But as Nugget raced into her arms, tears streaming down her cheeks, Annabelle couldn’t bring herself to think of Nugget as a mere project.

“Nothing like that.” Annabelle gathered Nugget close. “They’re friends. I’m sorry, Lucy, but I really must go.”

The look Lucy gave her told her that she didn’t believe Annabelle one bit.

What should have been victory at knowing her father had finally relented in letting her visit her aunt now felt like failure.

Which was fine. Annabelle wasn’t sure what to believe herself. She took Nugget by the hand and started toward home.

“She’s got to learn to be careful near the street.” Joseph caught up to them, apparently thinking she’d taken Nugget’s side.

“I know,” she told him, continuing forward. “We’ve been gone too long. Maddie will be concerned.”

Lucy stepped in with them. “I thought your father was expecting you.”

“Yes, yes, he is.” Annabelle didn’t break stride. “I need to do some work for him, but Maddie is expecting me. I have to be home for them both.”

Her words seemed like falsehoods even to her. But she couldn’t stay and play mediator, not with her warring heart, or Lucy, or between Joseph and Nugget.

Spots danced in front of Annabelle’s eyes. The sun. It was too bright. The air. Too warm.

Somehow, though, the ground didn’t seem all that hard when she woke. She hadn’t realized she’d fallen—

“Annabelle? Are you all right?” Joseph’s voice jarred her.

She nodded slowly and started to sit up.

“Careful.” He knelt beside her and offered his arm. “Let me help you.”

“I’ll fetch Dr. Owens,” Lucy said, her voice full of concern.

Joseph helped her to her feet. “I’m all right. I just got a little dizzy. And the boards in the sidewalk were a bit uneven.”

She couldn’t help releasing Joseph’s protective arm as quickly as possible.

Annabelle turned and gave Lucy a smile. “I’ll be fine. Thank you for your concern.”

Joseph’s eyes were on her the entire walk home, making her feel more exposed than when she’d lain on the sidewalk.

What was she supposed to say that wouldn’t make her sound like a complete ninny? I’m trying hard to keep it all together for my father’s sake, but everyone keeps pushing in places I’d just as soon keep hidden?

Even in her own mind, it sounded ridiculous.

Fortunately, they were close to the house, and soon she’d be able to fix herself a cup of tea, then she could rest, and all would be well.

When the house was in sight, Nugget raced ahead. “I’m going to show Maddie my new ribbon!”

Annabelle couldn’t help the smile that crept across her face. Nugget was a delightful girl. In spite of everything she had experienced and witnessed, she still maintained the childlike innocence that anyone would be hard-pressed to resist.

“Ah, there it is.” Joseph touched her cheek briefly. “I was beginning to think we should send for the doctor after all.”

She wasn’t sure if the sensation left by his momentary touch was a good thing or a bad one. Certainly the way it made her stomach turn inside and out wasn’t a comfortable sensation. Nor was there any comfort in the way his eyes seemed to be searching deep within her.

“I just need a cup of tea.”

Annabelle tried to keep her voice steady. The last thing she needed was for everyone to get concerned for her health. Then her father might never let her leave.

“Are you sure?” Though Joseph’s touch was gentle, it burned, like getting too close to a fire. She should have taken a step back, but having his hand on her arm was just as—

A team of horses galloped by. She turned her gaze to watch the matched set in the beautiful carriage. Trimmed out in the finest gold, it had to belong to one of the mining barons.

Annabelle’s heart sank as she pulled her arm away. Men like Joseph came to town believing they’d leave in a carriage like that. Few did.

She straightened. “I’m perfectly fine. But the longer we dally, the more likely it is to worry my father.”

“He knows you’re safe with me.”

Except she wasn’t. Every kindness from Joseph only punctuated the fact that she couldn’t allow herself to enjoy it. Henry had been all politeness and kindness—until she’d truly needed him. And he was gone.

The ache didn’t leave until after she was seated in the kitchen, Maddie fussing over her.

“I can’t believe you fainted and didn’t let anyone call for the doctor. You should have at least had someone get you a carriage.” Maddie placed a cup of tea in front of her.

“I got too warm, that’s all.” As Annabelle sipped her tea, she watched Joseph slip in the back door.

Annabelle looked up at him. “Would you care for some tea?”

“Thank you, no.” He turned his gaze to Maddie. “I want to visit my pa’s cabin. Frank gave me the information, but I’ll admit the directions don’t make much sense.”

Maddie stirred the pot of soup. “I never venture out of town. Don’t want to get mixed up with the riffraff. Annabelle used to go up to the camps with her father. She might know.”

Annabelle slumped in her seat. She had purposely avoided going to any of the mining camps since the illness that had taken her family. It hurt too much to see the work they’d done together, and realize that for the ones who’d died, it had been all in vain.

“Of course I’ll help.” She tried to sound cheerful, but the look on Joseph’s face told her that he didn’t believe her.

Joseph held up a hand. “Don’t put yourself out on account of me.”

“I want to,” Annabelle said quietly. She wanted to add that she was sorry for not being more welcoming, but that would only serve to get a scolding from Maddie.

Surely he would be able to accept her peace offering after explaining her feelings last night. This was as much as she could give, and he had to be gentlemanly enough to know that.

The door opened, and her father walked in. “The soup smells delicious, Maddie.”

Maddie beamed. “I’ll get you a bowl, and for everyone else. Joseph is going to look at his father’s cabin, and Annabelle fainted dead away on Harrison Avenue. A bit of soup will perk everyone up.”

“I did not faint dead away.” Annabelle met her father’s look. “I got too warm, that’s all.”

“She did, too!” Nugget piped up. “Fell on the ground and everything.”

The worry on her father’s face nearly killed her. After having so much illness in the family, the last thing he needed was to be concerned about Annabelle’s health. Especially if what Lucy had said was true. He’d never let her leave if he thought she was taking ill.

“I’m fine. It was just warm, and my dress was a bit...tight.” She whispered the word, knowing that ladies of her acquaintance often said that they sometimes got a little dizzy if their corsets were too tight. She would have easily said such a thing to her mother, or Maddie, if they were alone. But her father, being a man...still, if it eased his worry, a little diminished modesty would be worth it.

“Well, land’s sakes, child!” Maddie set the bowl in front of her with a thud. “Why didn’t you just say your corset was too tight? No sense in suffering misery for the sake of fashion. I told you I thought that dress was too much. I don’t care what the other girls are wearing. We’re getting you upstairs and changing out of that monstrosity and into that nice calico where you don’t have to be laced so tight.”

Annabelle’s face heated. She’d at least been discreet in her words. But for Maddie to be so free in front of... She stole a glance at Joseph, who winked at her.

Annabelle looked down at her bowl. Of all the...

“It’s all right, Annabelle. I have sisters. I never did see the point in those contraptions making a woman miserable.”

She opened her mouth to say something, anything, to make this man know that such talk was completely inappropriate. But Maddie was tugging her out of her chair.

“Let’s get you changed.”

If only a change of clothes was enough to fix the woes in Annabelle’s life.

Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.

Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.