Wealth wasn’t guaranteed for any prospector, but then neither was Mary Beth’s future in New York. The inheritance she had received from Arthur was dwindling and soon Mary Beth would have nothing to fall back on. Her wages from the tailor shop were not nearly enough to survive on.

  Every week she looked forward to hearing from Thomas and on those weeks when she didn’t, she couldn’t help but fear a mishap of some kind had befallen him in the wilderness. She heard such awful stories about bear attacks and brutal savages that she had come to fear that her future with Thomas might come to an end before it even started.

  With Christmas came snow. Mary Beth stood outside in the early morning to admire the pristine white blanket that covered New York, knowing that within hours it would become no more than a nuisance and a muddy mess.

  She spent Christmas Eve on her own wondering if she would be spending her next Christmas with Thomas. When the New Year dawned, Mary Beth was eager to be in contact with him again. She received a letter from him on the 2nd of January. The letter was short, but it held the promise Mary Beth had been waiting for over the many months.

  My dearest Mary Beth

  I hope this letter finds you in good health. I have good news. After months of scouring the creek, I finally found the nugget of gold I have been praying for. I write to you now a wealthy man with a prospecting deed. There are numerous mining companies interested in gaining a claim for my property, but these are all decisions I’d like to discuss with you. In-person, if possible.

  Mary Beth, I’ve come to know you as a kind and caring woman, one that no doubt has suffered somewhat in her life. I’d like to ask you for your hand in marriage. Come to California, come to Gambler’s Creek and be my wife. Together we will make the decisions that will affect our future. Together we will build a life on the ranch and we will grow our herd.

  I look forward to hearing your answer.

  Yours truly,

  Thomas Hickok

  Finally, she was ready to bid farewell to her life in New York and set off on a new adventure in California. Thomas needed her and she couldn’t wait to help him make the decisions that would affect their lives. For a moment a signal sounded in her mind, and she had to consider whether this was really the right thing to do.

  Mary Beth shoved the thought aside to face reality. In California, she had Thomas waiting for her. Perhaps nothing would come of the nugget of gold or the mining companies offering to buy his claim, but the chance was good that she might finally find the peace and love she had been in search of for most of her life.

  Nothing in life was certain, but Mary Beth knew that if she stayed in New York, she was certain of a bleak future. Without an affluent father, she wouldn’t find a match. As for love, when people were uncertain of their next meal, they didn’t care too much about finding love. New York had become home to immigrants and the engine of the new world. All who found themselves here were merely battling to stay in the race. Many fell out, Mary Beth had almost fallen behind on the side of the road on many occasions, but Thomas was giving her a way out.

  She resigned from her job at the tailor and packed her carpetbag before using the last of her money to buy a ticket to California. She boarded the train on a rainy morning. Through the fog and the rain, she bid New York farewell and looked westward, to where her new home awaited her.

  She was both anxious and excited to meet Thomas. Through his letters, he sounded like a nice man and Mary Beth didn’t doubt that they would get along. As for love, she hadn’t given that much thought. She believed that in time she would come to love and appreciate Thomas just as she had grown to love and appreciate Arthur.

  It was a week’s journey west and the train carried other passengers comprised of families and mail order brides, but Mary Beth kept to herself. She spent her time on the train trying to imagine her new life. After a week onboard, the train descended through the hills into California, and Mary Beth was eager to meet her new husband.

  Chapter 4

  Gambler’s Creek, California, 8 January 1868

  Mary Beth arrived in Gambler’s Creek during the late afternoon. Although it was cool, the weather was nothing like the brutal chill of January in New York. She said her goodbyes to her fellow travelers before she disembarked from the train.

  The town of Gambler’s Creek was small, about the size of a three-city block in New York. The road was just dirt and dust and the people gathered on the platform looked just as dusty and windblown as the platform itself.

  Her heart was racing in her chest as she collected her carpetbag and watched the train pull out of the station. For a moment bile rose in her throat and her tummy tightened into a ball of nerves wondering if she had just made the biggest mistake of her life. What if Thomas didn’t arrive to collect her, what if she didn’t like him? What if he was old, fat and bald and was just looking for someone to clean his house and cook for him.

  The doubts began to multiply as Mary Beth turned and looked around the platform. Thomas had described himself as a tall man with broad shoulders, but Mary Beth could see only a few wiry wranglers standing nearby, and a few men outside the tavern in the distance. Her heart jumped into her throat. Had Thomas forgotten she would be arriving today?

  She had written to confirm the date of her arrival, but the letter may well have been lost in the mail. Mary Beth took a few deep breaths to calm her racing heart while she watched as all the passengers on the platform were met by family and friends awaiting their arrival. Everyone left except for Mary Beth.

  She found a seat and finally gave in to the tears that had threatened to fall for the last two hours. What if Thomas had run into problems and he couldn’t be there to fetch her? Surely there had to be a reason for his tardiness.

  When she heard footsteps on the platform behind her, Mary Beth turned hopefully, wishing it to be Thomas, but it was the sheriff. A frown creased her brow as she assessed the scowl on the man’s face. He was tall, at least five inches taller than Mary Beth. His hair was black; almost the color of soot, but it was his eyes that caught her interest. They were almost the same color as his hair, dark and foreboding.

  A shiver traveled up Mary Beth’s spine as he stopped before her. “Can I help you, ma’am? I have been watchin’ you all afternoon and it seems no one’s comin’ to get ya?”

  His voice was deep, making the hair on the back of Mary Beth’s neck stand on end. Although she was in no way on the wrong side of the law, she couldn’t help but feel intimidated by the man standing over her. Mary Beth stood and straightened her skirt before tilting her neck to look the sheriff in the eye.

  “My name is Mary Beth Collins. I have traveled from New York and arrived on the afternoon train. My betrothed, Thomas Hickok, was supposed to meet me. I’m sure he’s just running late.”

  A frown creased the sheriff’s brow as he let out a low whistle.

  Mary Beth wasn’t sure of the intention behind the whistle but waited for the sheriff to explain. When he finally turned to meet her gaze again it was with an expression of apology. “My name is Eric Colt. I’m the sheriff here in Gambler’s Creek. Have been for the last four years. Unfortunately, I have bad news to impart to you.”

  Mary Beth’s heart skipped a beat. Had something happened to Thomas, was that why he hadn’t been here to meet her train?

  “Thomas?”

  “I think we’d better sit down. There’s a bench over there by the ticket booth,” Sheriff Colt said with a kind smile as he reached for Mary Beth’s carpetbag. He lifted it as if it weighed nothing at all. whereas it had taken all Mary Beth’s strength just to haul it from the train onto the platform. She followed him to the bench and took a seat, waiting for him to impart his bad news. She couldn’t help but feel that she shouldn’t even be surprised. All her life things had a way of falling apart, why did she expect this would’ve been any different?

  “Miss Collins, can I call you Mary Beth?” Sheriff Colt asked gently as if Mary Beth was an injured animal.

  A frown creased her brow as she felt her temper start to rise. “You can call me whatever you like, Sheriff, as long as you tell me why Thomas Hickok didn’t arrive to meet me.”

  “I will,” Sheriff Colt said as he removed his hat. His hair fell over his forehead, clean and freshly washed in contrast to the rest of Gambler’s Creek that looked dirty and dusty. “A week ago the man who called himself Thomas Hickok was arrested. He is being transported to Bodie to stand trial.”

  Mary Beth shook her head. “What do you mean the man who called himself Thomas Hickok? Where is the real Thomas Hickok?”

  “Murdered, I’m afraid. I know this will come as a shock to you so I’ll try to explain it as best I can. I recently discovered that there was a gang of outlaws in California posting advertisements in the Matrimonial Times in order to lure young innocent women out West. I, along with a few other marshals, began investigating and soon learned that the gang was operated by a man in Gambler’s Creek. You see, the women they lured out west were never intended to become their wives.” Sheriff Colt cleared his throat awkwardly. “They were to become soiled doves in some of the area’s ill-reputed establishments.”

  A gasp escaped Mary Beth at the thought of that being her fate. “No!”

  “Yes, I’m afraid that’s exactly what they did. However, last week we managed to track down the leader of this gang. Turns out Thomas Hickok, a prosperous rancher around these parts was attacked on his ranch and the gang leader had assumed his identity.”

  “So Thomas is dead? The real Thomas?” Mary Beth asked in total confusion. None of this made sense.

  “Yes. I’m afraid you’ve been corresponding with an outlaw who lured you here under false pretenses,” Sheriff Colt said bluntly.

  Mary Beth felt her hopes dashed. As if to further punctuate her misfortune, the wind picked up and ripped her hat from her head. Sheriff Colt’s hand flew out in response, and he very quickly caught it and handed it back to Mary Beth. She shook her head as tears began streaming down her face. She had just left New York and all she knew to start a new life in Gambler’s Creek.

  It had been a gamble, but not one that had paid off. Now she was sitting on a train platform with only her carpetbag and the last few dollars she owned, learning how the man who had promised to take care of her had been an outlaw trying to lure her into a life of sin.

  Her shoulders began to shake with the sobs, from feeling destitute and hopeless. Beside her, the sheriff cleared his throat. “Are you alright?”

  Mary Beth shook her head before she sniffed and met his gaze. “No, I’m not alright. I have nothing and no one and now I’m in the middle of nowhere… I thought this was my chance at a new life, but it’s proved to be just another cliff I managed to step off of.”

  She let the tears come, without so much as a care about her appearance. She had nothing left to live for. She should have jumped from the bridge that night, at least then she wouldn’t die of starvation in a strange town out West.

  She felt the sheriff awkwardly patting her shoulder and glanced up to notice that his eyes weren’t just black. They showed hints of violet as well. Almost as if they were the darkest shade of blue that Mary Beth had ever seen.

  She knew that he was not at fault for all that had happened to her, but she couldn’t help but hope that he would find a way to help her out of the mess she had managed to entangle herself in. After all, he had arrested the man who was meant to have collected her from the station.

  Mary Beth knew she was being foolish, but for the moment she didn’t care. She felt as if the whole world was against her and that she had no chance of surviving the latest storm life had thrown her into the path of.

  Chapter 5

  Eric Colt could not decide which was worse. That the girl at his side might have become the next big attraction in the town’s pleasure house, or that she was now destitute and without prospects in his town. His heart ached for her, but he couldn’t regret arresting Joey the Brute. For months the local marshals had been combing California in search of the mastermind behind the horrific hoax that had mail order brides lured out west for ill-reputable reasons. When he finally found the one responsible hiding right beneath his nose, he had taken pleasure in arresting him.

  For a moment he was taken back to his years as marshal. Sleeping under the stars and riding until he could barely walk, with the aim of clearing the West of highwaymen, robbers, and murderers. He still couldn’t believe that he had finally taken a steady position as sheriff of a small town. Eric would never be sure whether the last Mexican invasion had cured him of life as a lawman on the range or whether it had been the small piece of land that came with the position of small-town sheriff. He wasn’t a rancher by any means, but the dozen steers he now owned along with a few horses and some poultry did bring him joy at the end of a long hard day.

  As for taking a wife with whom to share his life, that wasn’t a notion he had ever given any thought to. Taking a wife would mean responsibility and, although he was doing well for himself right now, Eric would be the first to admit that one’s situation could very well change without notice. When and if his situation ever did change, he didn’t want that responsibility on his shoulders. He might not spend his days on horseback chasing outlaws anymore but that didn’t mean Eric was eager to be tied down.

  He glanced at the woman sitting beside him and his heart ached for her. He could see that she was crestfallen and disappointed. He understood that feeling, but shouldn’t she be grateful that he had saved her from an even worse fate? Eric waited until her tears subsided and she had taken a deep breath before he turned to her again.

  For a moment his breath caught in his throat. Living in the West, Eric didn’t see many women from the city, but he’d passed through some of the biggest towns during his time as a marshal. He couldn’t remember ever coming across a prettier girl during all his travels. Her hair wasn’t just brown; it was the color of bark after a soft rain. Here and there lighter hints were evidence of the sun having kissed her head. Her skin was the color of cream; obviously, she hadn’t spent much time in the California sun up to now. But it was her eyes that made Eric’s heart skip a beat. They were the palest blue he had ever come across. Almost as if they were translucent with just a touch of cerulean.

  Right now they were red-rimmed from crying and looking at Eric as if he had the answers to all the questions in her mind.

  “What do I do now, Sheriff? I barely have money, definitely not enough for the train fare back to New York. Besides that, I have nowhere to stay.” A wry laugh escaped her, she was apparently becoming either hysterical or finding the humor in her situation. “I don’t even have money for food, although starvation is sounding pretty good in the scheme of things.”

  Eric let out a sigh knowing she had just hit the nail on the head with her summary. Two other women who had arrived over the last week in search of Thomas Hickok had very quickly made arrangements to return home, but it was clear that Mary Beth had no one back home, much less enough funds to arrange her own return to New York.

  Thunder roared overhead and Eric suddenly realized that they’d been sitting on the platform so long without noticing the clouds drawing together above them or the sky darkening. Judging by the skies Eric guessed it would be ten to thirty minutes before the heavens would open to pour down on them.

  He glanced towards the boarding house and turned to Mary Beth. “Let’s get to the boarding house and then we’ll make a plan. It’s bound to start raining very soon, and I’m sure the last thing you want now is to be wet”

  She didn’t answer but followed him as he carried her carpetbag and headed through the thoroughfare. The boarding house was by no means luxurious, but it was a better option than the saloon. Since Eric had helped the proprietor with boisterous guests in the past, he hoped he would be open to negotiation.

  He stopped outside the boarding house as thunder clapped overhead again. “Miss, before we go inside I need to know what I’m working with. How much money do you have left?”

  Mary Beth gasped at the direct question, but Eric had no time for courtesy right now. “Look, I can try to negotiate with the proprietor on your behalf but there’s no use in negotiating outside of what you can afford.”

  Eric cocked a brow and waited for her answer. She mentioned an amount that would barely get her a week’s boarding and then she reached into her pocket and held out an exquisite pearl pendant. “And I have this.”

  Eric let out a low whistle. “That’s some trinket you have there. Good thing the proprietor has an eye for such things and likes to trade.” Eric picked up the carpetbag before turning back to Mary Beth. “Come on, let’s go find out how much time that trinket can buy you. Don’t mention having money just yet.”

  Eric found Lincoln Elm at the front desk and forced a smile. “Mr. Elm, seems a storm is moving in.”

  Lincoln nodded with a toothless smile. After falling down the stairs a few years back, he’d had the doc pull his broken teeth. “Seems to be. Can’t say I’m complaining, a little rain won’t hurt. Will mean more boarders for tonight, hopefully.”

  Eric nodded. “I’m sure it will. This is Mary Beth Collins. Just come in on the afternoon train. Seems she was lured here by Joey the Brute and his gang. Unfortunately, Miss Collins can’t afford to return to New York and so she’s here to make you a very generous business proposition.”

  Eric turned to Mary Beth who was looking at him in confusion. He smiled and winked at her before turning back to Lincoln. “Go on, Mary Beth…”

  Mary Beth opened her mouth to speak but only managed a stutter. Exactly as Eric had hoped.

  “What Miss Collins is trying to say is that she’ll exchange a family heirloom for a few months in your boarding house.”

 

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