Blaines wager, p.3
Blaine's Wager, page 3
“Let’s hope so, Geneen.” The sound of the front door closing and men’s voices had Nate walking out to the dining room before calling over his shoulder. “Geneen, you’ll need to set another plate. Blaine decided to return with Caleb for a good meal.”
Taking off his hat and gunbelt, Blaine set them on hooks, a slight grin spreading across his face. “I couldn’t face one more night of beans and biscuits.”
“You’ve come on a good night, lad.” Heather walked up to him, holding out the letter.
He held it in his hand a moment, then looked up at his cousin. “Good news?”
She nodded. “Grand news.”
Unfolding it, he read partway down the page. “Maggie had a wee laddie.”
“They named him Shaun,” Heather said, pointing at a spot on the page.
“Aye, I see that.” Blaine continued reading, his breath catching as he got near the end. “Lia…” he breathed out.
Heather looked at him. “What’s that, lad?”
Reading over the last words again, he folded the letter, handing it back to her. “Brodie said Maggie had a hard time. They brought someone from the Gold Dust to help.”
Heather nodded. “Aye. Brodie said the lass had been a midwife before. She held Maggie’s hand, talked to her until the doctors stopped the bleeding.” As had become a habit, she settled a hand on her stomach. “She sounds like a fine lass.”
His voice softened. “She is.”
Eyes widening, his cousin cocked her head. “Do you know her?”
Blaine looked at Nate, then Caleb, seeing smirks on each face. “Aye. We’ve met. I’m glad the lass could help Maggie.” Letting out a weary breath, he moved toward the kitchen, needing to get off the subject of the woman he left behind in Conviction. “I’m starving. When do we eat?”
Chapter Three
Conviction
“I heard about what happened with Maggie MacLaren, Lia. Sounds like you did real good.” Joe dried a large pot, setting it on a rack by the kitchen door of the Gold Dust. Pouring another cup of coffee, he leaned against the counter, glad the morning breakfast was behind them.
Feeling the heat rise up her neck and onto her face, she shrugged. “I didn’t do much, Joe. Held Maggie’s hand and kept talking to her. Anyone could’ve done what I did.”
“That’s not what Brodie and Sam are telling people. They say Maggie might not have made it if you weren’t with her.”
Her face twisted into a frown. “That’s just not so. What I should’ve been doing is holding the new baby so Gwen could’ve been in there with Maggie.”
Joe waved a hand through the air. “Gwen’s a good woman with a big heart, but she’s no nurse. Before Doc Tilden arrived, Doc Vickery hired her after some explosions injured folks around town. No one else volunteered to help except Gwen and a couple other ladies from Buckie’s Castle. She’s calm and does what she’s told, but no more than that. Doesn’t have any real interest in anything other than bandaging wounds.” Shaking out the damp towel, he slid it onto the new swing-arm rack he’d ordered from San Francisco. “Maybe you should be asking the doctors to let you work for them.”
Fearing what he hadn’t said, she walked toward him. “Are you saying you don’t need me here any longer?”
“Not at all, girl. I don’t see why you can’t work here and help at the clinic. I bet they’d pay you, too.”
The idea took hold for an instant before Lia realized how ridiculous the notion sounded. Why would two experienced doctors need someone of her limited experience? “I’ve mainly bandaged wounds and helped with childbearing. A few times I had to help when a fever went through the family.” She clamped her mouth shut, hoping Joe hadn’t noticed her choice of words. A few seconds passed before he turned toward her.
“You still got family, Lia?”
Licking her lips, she looked away, then back at him. “A few, but they live a long way from here.”
“Is that where you learned so much about helping people?”
Feeling her body beginning to tremble, the same as it always did when she thought of what she’d left behind, Lia nodded. “Guess so. Someone was always sick or having a baby. It’s the way of it where I come from.”
“You’ve been here a while now, but I don’t think you’ve ever said where you’re from.”
“Didn’t I tell you I came here from Sacramento?”
Joe studied her face, knowing it wasn’t the entire truth, deciding he’d let it go for now. Lots of people moved to Conviction to get away from their pasts. In most cases, it wasn’t his business.
“Maybe you did. How old were you when you started helping out with those feeling poorly?”
Shrugging, Lia bit her lower lip. “Ten, maybe nine.”
“Must’ve been one helluva large family.”
She knew he couldn’t imagine just how large. Some days, she found herself thinking of her brothers and sisters, wondering how they were doing, if they were married and had children of their own. Wondering if her father had accomplished with her younger sisters what he’d failed to with her. Perhaps she should’ve stayed, done more to help her younger siblings.
“I was the oldest.” A frown creased her brow. She didn’t know why the comment slipped out and wished she could take it back.
“Yep. I know how that is. I’m the oldest of five, and the only boy.” Joe pulled utensils from a drawer, lining them up on the big table in the restaurant kitchen. “Stayed until the youngest sister got married.”
Pulling her thoughts away from her troubled past, Lia looked at him. “Were you ever married?”
A chuckle burst from his throat. “After almost raising four younger sisters?”
“I suppose that means you weren’t.”
“And that would be right, girl. I’m as free as they come and like it that way.” Grabbing a cast iron skillet, he set it on the table, making a hasty decision. “Do you mind keeping watch on the restaurant for a few minutes? I’ve got an errand to run.”
She looked out the door to the empty dining room. “Now would be a good time.”
“I won’t be gone long.”
Amusement crossed her face as she watched him hasten his steps out the front door. For a big man, both in height and girth, Joe moved fast. She wondered what had him rushing out at a time when he’d normally be getting food ready for the noon meal.
Shrugging, she grabbed a damp cloth. By the time he returned, she’d have the last couple tables cleaned and ready for the next rush of people. This was one of her favorite times in the restaurant. The lull gave her time to think, enjoy the few dreams she still had.
Right now, her mind focused on the conversation about training with the doctors. Lia thought about how much nursing she’d done for her family and their neighbors. Some nights, she wouldn’t lay down until after dawn, exhausted from helping with another birth or sitting up with a sick child.
Her father allowed her two hours, then he’d prod her out of bed to complete her chores. Those days, her younger sisters had already finished the milking, leaving Lia to do the laundry and help their mother with the cooking. It seemed there was never time to do anything other than work around their farm. By the time each child turned nine, they’d gotten all the schooling their mother could manage. Afterward, they were on their own if they had a desire to learn more than planting, harvesting, and raising and slaughtering animals.
Her mother had often said it was our way. Lia cringed at the reminder of her mother’s often spoken words. She’d never been a lazy child, shirking her chores to play by the creek or run through the fields. Still, Lia always wondered if there was more to life than the little they saw from the confines of the family’s farm. At seventeen, she’d decided to find out for herself.
“Lia? You feeling all right?”
She shook her head, glancing around. At some point, she’d taken a seat in the dining room, allowing her reminiscing to take over. Standing, she straightened her shoulders.
“Sorry, Joe. I don’t know what came over me.”
“As long as you’re feeling good enough to help prepare for the noonday crowd.”
Nodding, she looked outside, seeing the street full and boardwalk crowded with people. “I’m good.”
He turned toward the kitchen. “Sometime before the day is out, you and me need to have another talk.”
Her breath hitching, Lia followed him into the kitchen. “Can’t we talk now?”
“Nope. Too much to do. You come in here, oh, about three o’clock. The place will be quiet again and we can talk.”
Thinking the worst, all she could do was nod before pulling out a sack of potatoes and setting it on the table. “I’ll fix these.”
Glancing over his shoulder, Joe nodded, the hint of a smile tilting the corners of his mouth.
Staring at the dirty plates on the last table in the empty dining room, Lia stretched her back. It had been busier than normal. Besides the arrival of the stagecoach, a steamship docked just before noon, letting off over fifty passengers. Many found their way to the Gold Dust.
Lia touched the pocket in her skirt, her spirits lifting at what she felt. It was the steamship passengers, those of means wearing fashionable clothing, who sometimes left additional money on the table.
She still remembered the first time it happened. Not long after she started working for Joe, an older, elegant man from New York had left extra money. When she’d chased him outside, attempting to return the extra change, he’d held up his hand, refusing to take it back. The man explained the custom of tipping to her, a concept she’d never heard about, but now welcomed whenever it occurred.
Picking up the dishes, she returned to the kitchen, steeling herself for whatever Joe had to say. He’d been unusually quiet since coming back from his errand, only speaking when an order was ready. A talkative boss, Lia knew his silence couldn’t be good.
Setting the plates by the sink, she touched her pocket once more. At least she now had a little money to help her out if Joe decided he no longer required her help. As the only server, the idea seemed absurd. Still…
“You ready for our talk?” Joe leaned a hip against the large wooden table in the center of the kitchen, crossing his arms.
Mimicking his stance, Lia crossed her arms, leaning against the counter. “Yes.”
“You know my errand this morning?”
Her gaze narrowed. “Of course.”
“Do you want to know where I went?”
Most days, Lia could take his drawn-out explanations. Today wasn’t one of them. “It’s none of my business, Joe.”
His eyes flashed with amusement. “Today it is. I talked with Doc Vickery about taking you on. Sort of an apprentice position.”
Chest tightening, her eyes widened. “Apprentice?” Lia whispered.
“A student.”
Blowing out a breath, she nodded. “I understand what an apprentice is, Joe. What I don’t understand is why Doc Vickery would make such an offer.”
“I explained all you’d done for your family, how you helped with illness and childbirth, and your desire to be a nurse. Seems he’d already spoken to Doc Tilden about how you’d helped with Maggie. They can’t offer you any pay right now, but they’d be willing to train you…if you still have an interest.”
She felt her mouth open, but couldn’t seem to get her voice to work. Her mind whirled from the announcement at the same time a ball of excitement built in her chest.
“Lia, are you all right? You look a little pale.”
Dropping her hands to her sides, she took a step toward him. “Do I get to keep my job here?”
Joe’s brows drew together. “Of course you do. How would I get anything done without you?”
She nodded, still not quite comprehending. “And I can still live in the back room?”
Joe’s features softened. “Nothing else changes, Lia. You’ll be working a couple hours at the clinic each day, serving meals here, and serving drinks at Buckie’s, if you want to.”
She shook her head, not quite meeting his gaze, her breath short and ragged. “Buckie’s hasn’t needed me for a while now. I think it would be best to work here and the clinic.” Lia looked at him. “Don’t you think?”
Shrugging, Joe grinned. “Whatever you want, girl.”
“Two hours every day?”
“That’s what the doctors agreed to. I was thinking either between breakfast and dinner or dinner and supper.”
“Whatever is best for you, Joe.”
“Then we’ll take it a day at a time. Vickery said they’re flexible. Of course, I may have to hire another person. Been meaning to do it for a while now. You’ve been working yourself to death with the increase in people coming to the Gold Dust. I might even expand on out back, enlarge the dining room and add more hotel space upstairs.” Scratching his chin, he seemed to think about it a moment, then nodded. “Yep. I think I’d best start thinking real seriously about it.”
Unable to control the excitement any longer, she dashed up to Joe and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Thank you so much. I would never have found the courage to ask them myself.”
Patting her back, Joe disengaged himself, feeling a little embarrassed. Stepping back, he ignored the tears streaming down her face.
“Lia, you deserve this. It’s your chance to make that dream of yours come true. Don’t waste it.” Clearing his throat, he looked away. “Guess we’d better get supper started.”
Swiping the moisture from her face, Lia allowed herself a tentative smile. “Want me to peel more potatoes?”
“Don’t need any more for supper.” Joe opened a drawer and pulled out a yellowed piece of paper, handing it to her. “I haven’t made this in a long time.”
Taking it from his hand, she glanced at it. “Gingerbread cake. I haven’t made this for years.”
“Good. We’ll need three for the restaurant and one for you and me to split when we’re done.” Bending down, he pulled out the equipment needed. “Here you are.” He turned his back to Lia, hiding a grin.
Staring down at the recipe, Lia blinked a few times, trying to get her eyes to focus. She couldn’t stop her thoughts from shifting to tomorrow and her first day at the clinic.
Lia lost one fantasy when Blaine left Conviction for Settlers Valley. Thanks to Joe, she still had one more dream, and she meant to never let anyone steal it from her.
Chapter Four
Highlander Ranch
Caleb shifted in the saddle. “Move them to the left, Blaine!” He motioned with his arm as they moved toward a large rock formation a hundred yards ahead. Seeing Blaine wave, he shifted back, listening for the sounds of any discord within the herd.
He still didn’t know why Blaine wanted him to ride point, a position the trail boss usually took if they were short on men. With less than a hundred head, Caleb knew he, Blaine, and the three men from Circle M would have no trouble getting the cattle to the new ranch in a couple hours.
Caleb reined his horse around, watching the three men Ewan and Ian sent. They’d worked at Circle M a couple months before being told they were moving to Settlers Valley. Young and enthusiastic, all worked hard and never complained, no matter the job assigned. The only dissatisfied person was Blaine, who’d hoped for men with more experience.
As he watched, Caleb saw no reason to criticize their work. They drove the cattle well, followed orders, and kept moving with little conversation. He smiled, recalling how the MacLarens never stopped talking when moving the herds at Circle M. Those boys bantered back and forth more than any men he’d ever known.
Reining north, his eyes narrowed on a broad plume of smoke up ahead. Increasing his speed, Caleb rode around a grouping of large boulders, cursing at what he saw. Turning, he nudged Jupiter with his spurs, wasting no time returning to the herd.
“Blaine!” Waving, he rode closer, seeing him turn toward him. “Fire up ahead.”
Nodding, Blaine motioned for the three cowhands to circle the herd and hold up before he rode to meet Caleb.
“There’s smoke ahead. I think it may be your ranch.”
Cursing, Blaine took off, knowing Caleb would follow. Rounding a bend, his heart thudded at the smoke rising from the location of his barn. Racing ahead, he confirmed what he’d suspected. The barn, tool shed, and part of the fence were ablaze.
Slowing enough to jump off Galath, he hurried to the shed, hoping to find a bucket, anything to carry water from the two horse troughs. Reaching the shed, Blaine’s hopes sank. Intense heat and rising flames kept him yards away.
Frantic to find a way to stop the fire, he ran back to the barn, ready to go inside, when strong arms banded around him.
“It’s too late, Blaine.” Caleb pulled him away, continuing the tight hold until he felt the fight go out of him. “There’s nothing we can do.” Dropping his arms, he took several steps away. “Watch for sparks. We don’t want it jumping to the house.”
“We’ve no buckets and only a couple pots.” Blaine choked on a plume of smoke. Turning, he hurried up the steps and into the house, grabbing the only items capable of holding water. Taking them outside, he filled one while Caleb filled the other, setting both pots on the ground.
For a long while, neither spoke, both watching for sparks as the barn disintegrated before them.
“At least there weren’t any animals in the barn, or much of anything else, as I recall.”
Blaine cringed as another beam fell to the ground. He scrubbed a hand down his face. “Aye. But the new tools and some tack were in the shed.”
“You can replace those. I’ll go into town tomorrow and send a telegram to Ewan.”
“Nae. Not until I know what happened.” Blaine leveled his gaze at Caleb. “Clear day, little wind, and all the boys were with us. No reason for a fire to start.”
“You’re thinking someone set it?”
“I’m not sure, lad. All I know is I’ve seen no reason for it. We hauled all the hay out.” He nodded toward the corral next to the barn where the old, rotted hay lay in a big pile. “Took two men half a day to sweep the loft and rake the ground.”
