Love Inspired Historical November 2014 (90 page)

Though the heavy man on top of her was most uncomfortable, at least he wasn't able to answer and warn them that rescuers were on the way.

“There's a lot of dust,” Annabelle called back. “Best wait a while.”

She could hear murmuring, probably the men discussing why she'd answered instead of Slade. And no quick retort came to her to explain. Instead, she felt the weight being moved off her, giving her room to shift toward a dim light.

Two familiar eyes glowed back at her.

Joseph!

Without thinking, she wrapped her arms around him, feeling the warmth of a body she'd believed dead.

“Shh...it's all right. Where's Nugget?”

Of course. Annabelle should have realized that his sister would be a priority in his mind. She shouldn't have... Her face heated. Had she truly put her arms around this man? No matter what she might have vowed otherwise, she'd had no business doing so.

As Annabelle moved out of the way, she heard yells and gunshots coming from the end of the tunnel where Slade's men had been waiting. “The sheriff?” She looked for confirmation from Joseph, who nodded.

“Your pa is waiting on the other side.”

He picked up Nugget, then led Annabelle through the cavern, where dust still settled.

“Keep your mouth covered. You don't want to breathe in all the dust.” He pressed a handkerchief into her hand, which she gratefully took. It was a sight better than her sleeve.

She followed him out into the sunlight. A setting sun, but sun nonetheless.

“Father!” She ran into his arms, and he hugged her tight to him, tighter than she could ever remember being held.

When he finally pulled away, he picked at her hair. “Why, Annabelle, I do believe you've got silver dust in your hair.”

He ran his fingers along the strands, then held his hands up to look. “Joseph! Wes! Look here! There really is silver in that mountain!”

The men gathered round, exclaiming over the silver in Annabelle's hair, and as they examined her further, even among the folds of her dress. Nugget merely lifted her head from her brother's shoulder and gave a shrug as if to say, “I told you so.”

On the way back to the camp, she shared what she'd discovered with her father, whose face grew more ashen as he realized the depths of the perfidy of a man he'd loved like his own son.

But they passed camp, taking the trail instead toward town.

“Aren't we stopping at the mining camp?”

Her father shook his head. “There's men to be put in jail. Plus, you could use a bath and to sleep in your own bed.”

Annabelle closed her eyes for a brief moment. A bath and her own bed sounded just about perfect. Only... “What about Gertie? I'm sure she must be worried sick.”

Even when Annabelle chose to shut the other woman out, Gertie had loved her. It was time Annabelle let her.

He pulled his horse to a stop in front of her. “We sent a rider to let them know what happened. Getting you safely home is the priority now.”

“Do you think we could go up and see her soon? I know she won't be satisfied until she hugs me herself.”

The look on her father's face was the final piece of healing she needed. “I'm sure she'd like that.”

But then the wrinkles on her father's forehead deepened more than she'd ever seen. “I'm sorry, Annabelle. I was blind to a lot of things, like your pain. You were hurting, and instead of talking to you, I assumed I knew what was best. I forced you to help in a ministry that you didn't believe in.”

Annabelle swallowed, wishing she could say something to ease the pain in her father's voice. “It's a good ministry, Father.”

“But it's not your ministry. Can you forgive me for being so blind? I feel it's my fault for placing you in danger by forcing you—”

“No.” Annabelle wished they weren't both on horseback so she could reach for him and offer him some comfort. “If I hadn't been here, Slade would have taken Nugget, and there would have been no one to protect her. But I was here. And it all worked out, all of our mistakes, for the saving of lives.”

Her father brushed his hand across his eyes. “You are something else, Annabelle. Your mother would be so proud. Just as I am.”

She'd never imagined her father would ever say such a thing of her. In that moment, all of the pain she'd endured through this ordeal was completely worth it.

Joseph slowed his horse alongside them. “Is anything wrong?”

“No,” her father said. “I was just telling Annabelle how proud I was of her. And, if she still wishes, I'll be putting her on the next train East to visit her aunt Celeste.”

Annabelle's heart leaped. Finally! After all this time. But Nugget's tiny gasp made her stop. How could she leave Nugget?

Her father had been right. Having been forced to confront the pain and push past it, her heart didn't hurt so much anymore. The people she loved were safe, and she wanted to cling to them rather than push them away.

“Father, I...”

Her throat seemed to swell, and it wasn't from all the dust she'd breathed in. Everything she'd ever dreamed of was being offered to her with no price, and yet, it felt wrong somehow.

“I shouldn't have been so selfish in keeping you here.”

Her father's voice was gruff, but she wasn't looking at him. Rather, she couldn't keep her eyes off the lone tear trickling down Nugget's cheek.

Her place was with Nugget. But how could she insist? Joseph had said nary a word to her since her rescue, and he'd already made it clear that his future was about taking care of his family, and...

There was no room for Annabelle in Joseph's life. Though she was ready to accept his love, he had none to give.

“Thank you, Father,” she said quietly, no longer feeling joy in her newfound victory.

Then she looked over at Nugget. “Remember what I said. We'll write. And if Joseph is agreeable, then I can visit, or you can visit me. It'll be all right. You'll see.”

But her stomach churned. None of it felt right. Joseph would have what he wanted. His silver, his family, and Nugget. And though Annabelle was also finally getting what she wanted, she didn't want to leave anymore. But she had no right. Not to Joseph, and not to Nugget, as much as she'd grown to love them both.

It should be enough for her that Joseph finally had the means to provide for his family. Annabelle's prayers had been answered.

Chapter Twenty-Two

T
hey rode to the Lassiters' house, where everyone was promptly dispatched to take baths and get into clean clothes.

After Joseph had a bath and his soiled clothing was taken to see if any silver dust could be found in its folds, he wandered to the back porch, where he sat while everyone else made merry in the house, with an emptiness he couldn't quite describe.

Everything should be perfect. Slade's men were in jail, and now that Slade had finally come to, he would soon be joining them.

Nugget was safe. Joseph had the silver he needed to provide for his family. In fact, he'd spent a good deal of the time on the ride home talking with Collin MacDonald, who'd given him solid information on the next steps to opening his mine and making it profitable. From what Collin said, if the vein opened by the explosion was as deep as it appeared, they could be looking at one of the largest fortunes to be gained in Leadville history.

They'd been back at the house for less than an hour when all the local mining barons or their representatives began coming to call. Everyone was willing to buy him out at a handsome price. Haunted by Slade's words about all the people wanting to take advantage of others, and seeing firsthand what greed would do to people, Joseph decided that he couldn't risk anyone else being taken advantage of. He'd see his father's mining dream through.

With recommendations from Frank and Collin, Joseph had already begun to put a team in place to open his father's mines. Collin's sons had remained behind to guard the newly opened silver vein until he could put together a security team.

In his wildest imaginations, he'd never thought his father's dream could so richly come true.

Joseph wanted to throw back his head and laugh at the irony of how everything had worked out. His only regret was that his father hadn't lived long enough to see it. Yes, regret. While he didn't approve of all his father's choices, he'd come to realize that his father lived a complicated life. Even his father's bad choice of taking a mistress had a bright side. Joseph couldn't imagine life without his precious sister.

It was, as Annabelle said, all for the benefit of saving many lives.

Joseph was going to miss her and their partnership. He knew if he asked, she'd stay.

But even now, with the promise of real wealth in their future, he couldn't ask her to give up her dreams.

As if to confirm his belief, he heard Maddie in the kitchen. “We'll have to go shopping to buy you new dresses for the trip. I'm sure Celeste will want to have new ones made when you get there, but we don't want you going in rags.”

“That sounds lovely.”

Without being able to see Annabelle's face, he couldn't read her attitude, but the clatter of something falling to the floor was unmistakable. Annabelle didn't want to go.

“Oh, you! You go on and sit on the porch or something. You're too excited to be of any use to me.”

Annabelle murmured a reply, then the door opened and closed behind her as she joined him on the porch.

“Exciting times, eh?” Joseph smiled at her as she sat beside him.

“Your family will be so happy.”

Annabelle gave him the kind of fake smile that made him want to dig deeper. But he'd given up that right. Maybe someday, when she'd had her taste of the world, she'd come back to Leadville, and maybe they'd both be free to pursue the what-if questions they'd been unable to face.

“They will. I've already begun the arrangements to bring them here. My sister Mary will be able to take care of Nugget.”

Joseph wasn't leaving. “You're staying?”

“I've just said that.”

The dark hid whatever expression might have flashed across Annabelle's face. But he knew it wouldn't make her happy to be so easily dismissed. What else was he supposed to do? If she thought she was needed, Annabelle would stay.

And he couldn't have her sacrifice her dreams again.

“What about until then?” Annabelle's voice drifted to him, almost too soft to hear.

“Collin said Polly was undone at the knowledge of Tom's involvement in everything. It will do her good to get out of the camp for a while. She'll be down in the morning to help with Nugget.”

Annabelle tried to push away the pang in her heart at the mention of Polly's situation. Her friend had been through so much, and then to find out that the man she thought was going to marry her was so... Annabelle sighed. People were never what they seemed.

She stole a glance at Joseph. He'd barely spoken to her since her rescue, and even now, things were so different from how they used to be.

Everything had worked out perfectly. Joseph was staying in Leadville. Annabelle was leaving on her dream trip.

So why did she want to cry?

The stair beside her creaked. “Nugget wanted to say good-night to Annabelle before Frank takes you to the hotel.”

“The hotel?” Annabelle looked up at Maddie and spied a miserable-looking Nugget on her shoulder, then brought her gaze back to Joseph. “Why would you and Nugget stay at a hotel, when there's plenty of room here?”

“I don't need to impose any longer.” His voice was quiet. Firm.

“But I thought—”

“It's for the best. We've got arrangements to make, and I don't want to be in the way.” His tone was nothing like that of the Joseph she'd come to care for over the past few days. In just the space of a few hours, he'd turned into a man she hardly recognized.

One of the things she hated about silver was how it changed people. It turned decent men like Slade into greedy monsters. Hardworking men like Gertie's husband into gamblers and drunkards. And friends into people too good to share your roof anymore.

“Come give me a hug, then, Nugget.” Annabelle tried to keep her voice steady, so that the little girl at least wouldn't know how desperately her heart was breaking right now.

Nugget slipped out of Maddie's arms and into Annabelle's embrace. “I want to stay with you.”

She did, too. But when she glanced up at Joseph, he gave her a stern look and a shake of his head that told her she dared not agree with the child she dearly loved.

“Joseph will take good care of you.” Annabelle held the little girl tight against her, breathing in the sweet scent she'd forgotten how much she loved. The air was so still, she could hear Nugget's heartbeat, mixed with the choked breaths of a little girl trying not to cry.

“It's going to be okay,” Annabelle said, trying to be as cheerful as she could with her heart breaking.

Joseph wasn't just hurting her with his decision to pull away, but the little girl he'd so fiercely claimed to be protecting.

Maddie cleared her throat. “I need to see if a few of these other things fit Nugget before you go. The child's got to have at least a change of clothes, though I'm sure you'll be wanting to buy her new ones.”

Joseph gave a small jerk of his head, and Nugget followed Maddie in, leaving Annabelle alone with him again.

“You're sure you can't stay here? Nugget and I—”

“She's already too attached. And with you leaving, I don't want to make it worse.”

His jaw was hard, unflinching. And if it wasn't for the tiny spot of tenderness in his dark eyes, she'd think she wasn't even looking at Joseph.

“I promised her we'd stay in touch.”

He shook his head. “You'll forget all about her once you get settled with your aunt. I hear she's already planning a fancy party in your honor.”

“I would never forget. She's worried that when she meets the rest of your family, she'll face the same rejection she's met from others because of her birth. I could help ease some of that.”

Joseph looked like she'd stuck a knife into his gut. “They're good people. They'll accept her. She needs to learn to rely on her family.” The “not you,” wasn't spoken, but Annabelle heard it loud and clear. This wasn't the Joseph challenging Annabelle tone she'd gotten used to. This was something darker, like that of a changed man.

She'd never expected that finding silver would change Joseph. But surely there was hope.

“I could stay,” Annabelle offered. “I needn't leave right away. I can help get Nugget settled with your family, and—”

“No.”

His easy dismissal and refusal to even hear her out stung worse than anything Slade had ever done to her.

“But if she's eased into the situation, and has people she knows around her, it won't be so bad when I—”

“You've done enough.”

Who was this man, and where was Joseph? “Can we just talk about this? I mean, we—”

“There is no we, Annabelle. I've always made it clear that my family has to come first. Go visit your aunt. Live your life.”

Before she could try to argue further, the door opened again, and Maddie ushered Nugget out with a bundle of clothes. “You come back and visit me anytime, you hear?”

Nugget nodded solemnly but made no move toward Joseph.

“Come on, Nugget, it's time to go.” He held out his hand, and in the time it took for the sob welling inside Annabelle to finally find its way out, they were gone.