Forget Me Not (The Heart's Spring) (6 page)

“Are you Myghal?” David stood in front of the boardinghouse, ready to do just about anything to find a place to put up his feet and sleep. Never had he been so tired, so dirty, and so sore. He wouldn’t get paid nearly enough for the pain working in the mines had already caused him. And the fear. Man wasn’t made to work in temperatures like that.

“I might be. Depends on why ya be askin’.” The Cornish man stared hard at David, sizing him up and most likely taking in his disheveled state. The other men here couldn’t be much better off, David reckoned. The Irishman, who told David to call him Finn, had given David directions to the boardinghouse on Howard Street where Myghal was staying with many of the other Cornish miners. David desperately hoped that Myghal would prove to be a friend—he was in need of one just now.

“Finn told me to ask you about a place to stay.”

“Finn sent ye, huh?” Myghal turned to his companions, who were also hanging out on the porch of the boardinghouse. “Finn wouldn’t send just anyone off the street. He ’n I ’ave been friends for a long time.” He eyed David again, crossing his stick arms over his thin chest. “What can I do fer ya?”

“I just need a place to stay among friends. An affordable place would be preferable.”

Myghal grinned broadly. His dirty, reddish hair seemed to glow in the light coming from the street lamps, and he appeared skinnier than one of the planks on the porch. “We might just be friends. And this place is more than affordable. Right, fellas?” Appreciative laughter rang out in the brisk night air.

Tossing his head back a bit, Myghal said, “Ye can call me Michael, if
ya’d prefer.”

David wanted to smile at the confused accent, which sounded like a mixture of English, Irish or Scottish, and American West. He managed to keep a straight face and acknowledged the recognized challenge.

“I’d prefer to call you Myghal, if that’s all right.”

“Hear that, boys?” Myghal guffawed loudly, sending his thin frame into spasms. “He likes m’ God-given name.” He straightened and offered his hand. “Well, then, I’ll be
askin’ fer yer name, and then ye ought to step on in and git some sleep.”

David clasped the man’s bony hand and gave it a good shake, pleased. “My name’s David.”

Myghal pulled David up the single wooden step and put an arm around his shoulders. “C’mon in, David. Reckon ye can join us here men from Cornwall, iffen ya’d like.”

The acceptance felt good. As he walked into the boardinghouse, though, David thought that sleep might feel even better.

***

“Jacob isn’t here yet?” Elizabeth wasn’t sure what to think as she walked into her brother’s house—without her brother in it. Annabelle fiddled with her hair, now in a blond braid, and shook her head.

“I’m sure he’ll be here soon,” Joe reassured her, his tone dark.

Silence filled up the parlor until its originally expansive feel became stifling. Annabelle finally asked, “May I get either of you anything? I’m sure all of your walking has made you thirsty.”

Elizabeth cringed at the reminder of her small rebellion.

“I think some water
fer both of us would be good.” Joe turned to Elizabeth and asked, “How’d that be?”

“Fine.” Meeting Annabelle’s somber gaze, she offered a timid smile and added, “Thank you.”

Nodding, Annabelle walked out of the room. This time, Joe didn’t let the silence come back.

“How ’bout I show
ya the ranch this weekend?”

Elizabeth collapsed into a chair and considered his request. It felt so good to relax, and she slumped farther into the cushions. Maybe she could find some rest from all of her emotions at Joe’s ranch. Well, his brother’s ranch.

The mere word “brother” upset her, so she dismissed that thought quickly.

“I think I’d like that.”

Joe gave her a bright smile, possibly even brighter than the chandeliers above them that had been lit while she was out. She couldn’t help but smile back.

Her smile quickly vanished when the door opened to reveal a man she had never met but recognized with some blossoming part of her heart.

***

This was not what a happy reunion between brother and sister should have looked like. Joe ached to witness the uncertainty on Jacob’s face, but what hurt him more was the thought that Jacob didn’t even deserve this—the opportunity to meet his sister and intrude on her respectable and untainted life. Swallowing hard, Joe didn’t even bother to try to relax his stiff shoulders or unclench his tight fists.

“Jacob.” Elizabeth’s word came out on a breath, only noticeable because of the complete silence in the room. Her hand shook as she brought it to her face, cradling her cheek as if she were comforting herself, shielding her gaze from her good-for-nothing brother. But Elizabeth couldn’t know who Jacob really was. And Joe hoped it would remain that way.

“Elizabeth.” Jacob smiled awkwardly, but his eyes lit with a hope Joe recognized as genuine.

Elizabeth finally closed the gap, shuffling slowly at first, and then rushing to Jacob as he stood still in the doorway. Her embrace seemed to shock him, and the wide smile on her face that appeared as she pulled back to look at him was beautiful.
Beautiful…

Turning away, Joe studied the wall covered with a bright wallpaper that couldn’t completely hide the barrenness behind it, which showed up in the corners where the paper was peeling.

This is wrong.
What good could Elizabeth gain by making the journey to this evil town? Joe suddenly wished he had told Elizabeth a lie. That her brother had left years ago. That no one would know where he now lived.

If only doing her that kindness wouldn’t send her away from him, too.

His fist slammed into the arm of the chair he was sitting in. A curse slithered from his mouth, and Joe was sure he himself was more surprised than Elizabeth or Jacob, who jerked toward him. The horrified expression on Elizabeth’s face drove him out of the chair.

“I apologize, ma’am,” Joe offered as he practically shoved Jacob aside to get to the door. “I best be
goin’ now. I’ll be by in a few days to escort ya to the ranch.” There was nothing else to say.

“You don’t have to go.” Elizabeth’s voice was quiet, uncertain.

Joe paused at the door, then yanked it open. “Yes, I think I do.”

She wouldn’t understand, but he had no strength of will left to remain there. He rushed out of Jacob’s house, away from Elizabeth’s confusion, and out into the night air. The sounds of
saloon music sickened him, and he headed down the street toward his boardinghouse, where he could sleep for a while. At least, he hoped he would sleep. But sleep would probably elude him, just as everything else he really wanted in life seemed to do.

Black permeated the sky, but Elizabeth couldn’t find solace in the darkness behind her own closed eyes. Two days had passed since they’d arrived, and she had to see David, to tell him about meeting her brother and to make sure he had found a place to stay. Why hadn’t he come to see her yet? Worry churned inside her as she slipped from under the covers and donned her dress, the one David had bought for her in Cheyenne. If he wouldn’t come find her, she would go find him.

Quickly brushing her hair and braiding it, she slipped out the bedroom door and headed for the front of the house. Annabelle had gone to bed long ago, and Elizabeth had heard Jacob leave, so she wasn’t too afraid of being caught. Taking a deep, confident breath, she opened the front door and left the house.

Now, where to go?
She was completely uncertain as to where she would find David. Her only thought was to search in town and see if anyone had met him yet. Elizabeth clutched her skirt as she made her way down the steep hillside. The wind blew steadily, practically pushing her off the path that sloped its way to C Street. It was rather desolate with the night spreading across the dotted brown hillsides around Virginia City, nothing like the flat peacefulness of her farm or the solid strength of the Rockies. Her sigh was lost, snatched away by the river of air, and as she approached the center of town, saloon music flowed toward her. A shiver of apprehension trailed down her spine, and she hoped that someone would know where David might be.

Stepping onto C Street, she followed the music and noted that the saloons were rather crowded. She headed down the street toward the Delta, wondering briefly if she was being too foolhardy. But surely saloons were gathering places for all sorts of folks, not just the dangerous ones.

She walked past some rude, staring men outside the open door and went inside. It was somewhat dim with smoke, but still the brightness and the noise took her by surprise. Long green felt-covered tables and round wooden tables—with cards and patrons scattered atop and around them—covered half of the room. Elizabeth averted her eyes, heading instead for the bar, where several men were gathered drinking some form of alcohol. She wasn’t so naïve as to think that clear-looking liquid was water.

“Excuse me,” Elizabeth began, tapping the arm of one of the patrons at the bar. The man turned and smiled at her, but the gap-toothed grin was rather unnerving. “Do you know David…?” Elizabeth paused, panicked that she couldn’t remember if David had ever mentioned his last name.

The man laughed loudly and set his glass down hard, not seeming to care that the liquid sloshed onto the counter. “I’ve known quite a few fellas named David, ma’am. Any one of them in particular ya care to know about?”

Elizabeth huffed at him, which only made him and the man standing next to him laugh. “Yes. I…can’t seem to recall his last name, but he’s new in town and last I heard he was looking for a job.”

“I’m sure he’s not the only one,” the man said as he elbowed his friend. They shared another laugh over that, some joke she didn’t understand.

Anger rose up inside her, and she barely resisted jabbing her finger at the unkind man. “Surely there must be someone here who has met him,” she managed between clenched teeth.

“Best of luck to ya, ma’am.” With that, the irritating man turned back to his drink. Strangely, she felt grateful not to be the focus of his attention anymore.

Spinning around, she didn’t try to hide her frustration. The smoke in the room, combined with the bright lights and the realization that she had no way to find David, made her eyes water, and a tear slipped down her cheek before she could stop it. A gentle hand touched her shoulder before she could wipe the tear away.

“Are ye all right, lass?”

Elizabeth turned and met the gaze of a tall, red-headed man, who looked nice, if perhaps a bit impish. Trusting that his mischievousness didn’t outweigh the kindness in his light brown eyes, she took a chance and said, “Well, no, not really. You see, I’m
lookin’ for a young man named David. He—”

“David, did
ya say? Is this man new to town?”

“Yes!” Elizabeth rubbed her eyes and smiled, feeling like perhaps she had done the right thing.

“And might ya be his gal?” His smile was wide, and she didn’t know how to respond. Would this man treat her better if she already belonged to another man?

“I…
ummm…well…”

Before she could offer a more intelligible response, the man called across the crowded room to someone seated at one of the gambling tables. “David,
yer gal’s here!”

A few chortles followed along with the man’s booming echo, although the general din of the room didn’t diminish in its wake. Thankfully, no one seemed to notice Elizabeth’s flushed face, nor her surprise at seeing David jump to his feet at the sound of his name. His eyes quickly searched the room and froze when they landed on her. She couldn’t tell if the heat she felt came from embarrassment or anger. Both of the feelings bled together into a red that melted over her cheeks.

Well, she wasn’t going to stand around waiting for him to come and make his excuses. She turned and weaved through the men who blessedly paid her little mind as their eyes remained riveted to those cursed felt-covered tables. Hurt and confusion filled her, and she wished she was brave enough to push all of these men more thoroughly out of her way. As it was, she had to squeeze past them, and the sense of being insignificant and annoying was acute.

When she finally made it out the open doors, she stepped onto C Street and stormed away—not back to where she had come from, but toward the outer edge of town. Maybe she would walk all the way down into the canyon and beg Joe’s family to let her stay early. A bitter laugh escaped her mouth, knowing she had nowhere to run from her thoughts, and afraid someone wouldn’t stop her, leaving her alone.

But not defenseless. No, the tension rising inside her would be enough to spew venom at anyone who dared to try and come near her. She would be far less kind than a rattlesnake. And there wouldn’t be time for anyone to hear her warning.

“Elizabeth!”

She didn’t turn around. Just continued stomping down the street, wanting to yell at the wind for daring to cool her. Now wasn’t the time to let her anger lose steam.

A hand touched her arm, but no scream left her lips. She knew that gentle touch, could sense his pleading before she even whipped around to meet his troubled gaze.

“What were you doin’ in there?” Her question was a biting one, and Elizabeth didn’t quite understand why she cared so much.

“I was only playing a few card games with some of my new friends. Can’t fault a man for that.” He sounded like a little boy trying to appease his mother. The wind started to tug the rage from her grasp, and Elizabeth hated the feeling.

“A few ‘innocent’ card games can lead to much more that is far from innocent—you know that.” As much as she wanted the sarcasm to scald him, she found it barely warm enough to fight the sympathetic chill in the air.

David smiled. “Elizabeth, we just arrived here. I’m only getting to know the men that I’m living and working with.” She bit her lip as he hurried to add, “If it bothers you so much, I’ll stay away. I suppose I can play cards just as easily in the boardinghouse as I can in the Delta.”

A gust penetrated her long-sleeved dress, and all the fire inside died. She shivered. “I didn’t mean to sound like your mother.” When he flinched, she reached out and touched his shoulder. “It’s not my place. I was just so shocked to find you there, although I had hoped someone there would know where you were.”

“You were looking for me?” He took off his coat and held it out. As he helped her into it, she was reminded of the night he’d put his shirt on her after the incident with the bear, his hands lingering on the buttons...

He drew her close as he waited for an answer. She placed a hand on the spot on her side where she knew the discolored bruise remained, only barely. Then she nodded against his chest.

“I told you I would come back, didn’t I? I told you I would let you know where I was.” He led her up another street perpendicular to C Street, back up toward Jacob’s house.

“I know. It’s just that I had so much to tell you, and I was worried when you didn’t come back right away. It’s been a couple of days, you know.”

He squeezed her shoulders. “I’m sorry. It’s just been a long couple of days. I found work at one of the mines and a place to stay with some Cornish men.”

“Like the red-haired man at the Delta?”

“Myghal.” A smile was evident in his voice. “He’s an interesting one, but he’s a good man. Don’t judge him too harshly for having some fun at our expense.”

“You sound like you know him pretty well already.”

“Well, I suppose it’s a bit soon to know what he’s really like, but I think he’s a trustworthy fellow. I guess we’ll know for sure later on.”

Elizabeth liked how he included her, made it sound as if they were both going to stay for a long time.

“So what had you all eager to see me?”

They stopped to catch their breath, although Elizabeth supposed it was mostly for her sake, David being a mountain man and all. She looked up at him, silhouetted against the night sky, his hair and eyes looking so dark, yet so familiar. There was that light smile on his face as he stood close, head bent down a little as if the smallest threat was all that it would take for him to draw her back to his side and protect her, shield her.

In that moment, she forgot to tell him about her worries regarding Jacob, how odd she felt, certain that something was amiss even though she was thrilled to finally meet him. She forgot to tell him about her upcoming trip to Joe’s ranch, about her concern for Annabelle’s happiness, or even about her need to send word of her arrival to Sarah Anne.

As she stood there, huddled near him, she remembered instead the nights they sat by the fire, that first evening he’d rushed into the river to save her, the moment she glanced up to catch him watching her as she marveled at the field of wildflowers. So she reached up and softly kissed his cheek.

He turned toward her then, briefly meeting her gaze before touching his lips to hers. She wrapped her arms around his neck and met his kiss, eager to return it. The connection was sweet, secure, and she hardly noticed when he reached down and lifted her up into his arms, deepening the kiss and holding her close. The wind continued to blow around them, embracing them, cold and wonderful as it contrasted with the gentle heat of that moment.

When David pulled back, his eyes were closed. Elizabeth let her head rest against his shoulder, a smile never fading as he carried her the remaining distance to her brother’s house. She didn’t protest being in his strong arms, and not once did he protest the effort of the remaining uphill climb. There were no words, just wind and warmth.