The Jewel of His Heart (25 page)

Juliana gasped. “How terrible for that little girl, and her mother.”

“Yes, it is. Cynthia is a widow, you know. Her husband was killed in a mining accident several years ago. It seems she is struggling financially and in need of a job now. I knew you would want to know and perhaps even go see her.”

“I’ll drop in and pay her a visit, maybe this afternoon. I can go see her during my lunch break.” Juliana had a soft spot for children and couldn’t bear to think the little girl might not be able to walk again. Jane had seemed to be doing so well the last time she and Marion paid her a visit.

“Well, I must be on my way. I just wanted to stop in and give you some of the facts about X-rays since you seemed interested.” Mark’s bright smile showed off his nice, even teeth.

“I appreciate that so much. I’ll most likely be able to get the article written for the newspaper in a day or two.” Juliana ushered him to the door and quickly said good-bye, eager to be alone with her thoughts.

Fighting her feelings between finding Josh and just letting their discussion lie for now wasn’t too difficult because Juliana knew work came first, especially with Albert gone. But try as she might to read the notes Mark had jotted down about X-rays, thoughts of Josh’s demanding kiss clouded her thinking. She felt her face heat up as she remembered her response to him. Was this the same woman who didn’t want to belong to any man? But she loved the possessiveness of his hands pressing on her back. His strong arms were well formed and muscular. She was attracted to his strength in a strange sort of way.

Juliana was so confused that she closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead, acknowledging that she did indeed have very strong feelings for Josh. His very presence had seemed to fill the room when he’d strode into the office, the same way it had that first day she’d met him. Josh was a man of character, commanding attention merely by his energy and strength. Though he seemed quiet at first, today Juliana knew he was also a man to be reckoned with when he was riled. She was secretly pleased that he seemed to think he was in love with her. But she had to admit to herself they needed more than a physical attraction. What did she have to offer the relationship? Certainly not money. She had no family left that she knew of. She owned no possessions save Choco. Josh was a much stronger Christian than she was too. So what was it he
did
like about her?

The bell jangled above the door, and Miss Margaret and Albert came in, chatting pleasantly. Juliana forced herself to turn her attention back to the present. After a brief moment and a quick hug from his mother, Albert donned his printer’s apron and headed to his printing press, leaving the two ladies alone.

“Good morning, Miss Margaret.”

“Hello, my dear. Are you doing well? I missed you at breakfast this morning. I slept a tiny bit later than was normal for me today.” Miss Margaret’s cheery voice did little to lift Juliana’s spirits, and the older lady eyed her keenly. Miss Margaret even smelled old, like cedar and the liniment she rubbed over her joints. Juliana thought her dress of cream foulard with tiny rosebud print and delicate lace collar, though old, was fresh and neatly pressed.

“Are you feeling well?”

“Yes, my goodness, yes. Just a bit of rheumatism and old age creeping in, I’m afraid,” she replied, sitting down in the chair next to the desk. “I’d like to run an ad in the paper. Albert said you could help me with that. My girls are finding it harder and harder to run the boardinghouse without a little help.”

Juliana pulled out a clean piece of paper and pencil, trying to put on a cheery smile. “I certainly can. Now, what is it you wish to say?”

“Oh, let’s see . . . something like, ‘Good kitchen help needed. Must be willing to do other odd jobs.’” Miss Margaret paused. Juliana was toying with her pencil and looking out the window, waiting for Miss Margaret to decide what she wanted to say, but her mind was centered on Josh.

“Uh, are you with me, dear? You’re not taking this down.” Miss Margaret leaned forward in her chair.

“I’m sorry, Miss Margaret,” Juliana sighed, closing off thoughts of Josh. “Wait just a minute.” Juliana laid down her pencil. “I just heard of someone today looking for a job. Mrs. Hood. Cynthia Hood.”

“Really? My goodness! I thought that when her husband was killed he left her with a pile of money. Why, Cynthia used to be part of the ‘society’ around here.” Miss Margaret shook her head. “Her husband was part owner of a thriving mine, but sometimes circumstances can suddenly change our lives. So unfortunate . . .”

Juliana saw Miss Margaret’s gray eyes grow misty and wondered if she was thinking about her own husband. “I know nothing about her personally, other than what I was told.”

“Mmm . . . money doesn’t last forever, I say. If a man won’t work, neither let him eat. That’s straight from the Good Book and can apply to a woman as well, and I say it’s excellent advice.” The older lady appeared thoughtful for a moment. “I wonder if she’d be interested in the job. Reckon she can cook?”

Juliana grinned at her comment. “If you’re willing to wait until tonight for your answer, I will ask her myself, because I’m planning on stopping in to see Jane. I want to check on her progress.”

“That will work out fine.” The old lady rose rather stiffly, and Juliana assisted her. “See you at supper?”

“Oh yes. It’s the highlight of my day, Miss Margaret.”

Miss Margaret’s eyes narrowed as she regarded Juliana. “Something on your mind, Juliana?”

Juliana chewed her bottom lip. “No, not really.” Did the older lady ever miss anything?

Miss Margaret tilted her head. “We can talk later then.”

She seemed to be suggesting that there was something bothering Juliana. Could be that Miss Margaret was someone she could trust.

Before Josh left the blacksmith’s, he’d picked up a bit of interesting news. Smithy said he’d heard talk that a man who was thought to have robbed the bank might be the same one who’d mugged Josh, according to an eyewitness account. Sheriff Wilson said the person wanted his name withheld and was not seeking the reward for fear of his own life.

So someone
had
seen Josh mugged but hadn’t wanted to get involved. Josh scratched his head and wondered if the same man had been the one to ransack his camp. Maybe his Yogos were worth more than he thought they were. Could those incidents be related? He thought it was time to pay Sheriff Wilson a visit before heading back home, perhaps tell him about the camp incident.

Josh paid Smithy and was walking Pete out of the barn when he saw Mark. Great. He was the last person Josh wanted to talk to right now, so he pretended he hadn’t seen him, but Mark spied him.

“Josh, hello there,” Mark called out to him. “I just heard you were one of the ones affected by the fire. I’m really sorry. Is there any way I can help? Anything you need?”

Sure is. Leave Juliana alone.
But Josh didn’t say what his heart was shouting. “I appreciate your offer.” Josh busied himself with tightening the stirrups before pulling himself astride Pete. “There’s not much one can do but wait for the grass to recover. At least I have most of my herd.”

“I’m truly sorry.” Mark paused and shuffled his feet as if he had something else to add. “Look, I’ve been meaning to talk to you. I see how it is with you and Juliana, and while I really admire her and like her, I just want to say, well . . .”

“Well, what?” Josh wanted to be on his way.

“Just that I’m taking myself out of the picture. I get the feeling it’s mutual with how she feels about you too.” Mark passed his hat from one hand to the other, not meeting Josh’s gaze.

Josh shifted in the saddle. He was more than a little surprised that Mark would be so open with him like this. “I’m not so sure you’re right about that. I’m not near as confident about her as you seem to be.”

“It’s just the way I see it. I knew it the night we all had dinner together at the hotel. Well, either way, I wanted you to know my intentions, and I’ll stay out of the way.” Mark put his hat back on and yanked his vest down, smoothing the front. “I respect you and hope we can remain mutual friends. What do you think?”

Josh shot a hard look at Mark. “Are you sure you want to give up on courting Juliana?”

“I’m positive, Josh.” The doctor’s dark brows furrowed into a serious line above his large eyes.

“Well then, let’s shake on it,” Josh said, and reached down to take Mark’s outstretched hand.

“Take good care of her, Josh, and treat her tenderly. She’s young.” Mark hesitated as though he had something further to say, but he just said, “Be seeing you around.” He turned on his heel and headed toward his office.

Josh nodded solemnly, watching Mark until he turned the corner. Something he’d dreaded had turned out a whole lot different than he’d expected. Still, where Juliana was concerned, he didn’t feel too much hope. And then there was Marion. He hadn’t made up his mind about her offer. Something about it made him uneasy.

He guided his horse down the street in the direction of the sheriff ’s office, his mind deep in thought.

The sheriff was propped up in a chair, leaning against the wall on the front porch, his hat covering his face. Asleep, no doubt. Josh secured Pete at the hitching rail and walked up the steps. The sound of their squeaking boards woke Sheriff Wilson out of his nap.

“Howdy, Josh.” Sheriff Wilson dropped the front legs of the chair to the floor. “What can I do fer ya?”

“Mornin’, Sheriff Wilson.” Josh took the chair next to him, watching the road out front as farmers and miners went about their normal workday. “I heard some of the talk about the bank robbery and thought I’d see if I could get some more info.”

“Out for that reward, are ya?” Sheriff Wilson looked Josh square in the eye.

“Nope, but I
could
use the money about now. I might have seen the man in question.” Josh knew that would grab the sheriff ’s interest in a flat second. “But if you need your beauty rest more, then I’ll just be moseyin’ along.”

Sheriff Wilson jerked around in his wooden chair to face him, his eyes crinkled at the corners. “Doggone it! Now you know you’ve got my attention. Do tell. What’s going on?”

“I had a little incident at my camp a few nights ago. I thought you’d be interested in knowing about it.” Josh went on to give a brief description of the man who’d rummaged through his camp and told how someone had knocked him out.

“You don’t say? What were they looking for, gold?”

“No, I think they were looking for sapphires.” Josh wasn’t even certain his speculation was right. He needed to go see Hoover, but he filed that thought away for the time being.

Sheriff Wilson squinted from the morning sun when he looked up at Josh. “From your description, they could be the same person. My informant told me his name was Davin. But I have no proof that what he’s telling me is the truth.”

“I’d say if the man who told you wasn’t looking for the reward, then it’s probably true. Why else would he tell you this?”

“Beats the devil outta me.” Sheriff Wilson scratched his graying head, and his badge twinkled as the sun struck it.

“I guess you’re not about to tell me who gave you this information?”

“You guessed right, pardner. I can’t do that. But I’ll check out what you told me.”

Josh shook Sheriff Wilson’s rough hand and tromped down the steps to his horse. He had one more stop to make. His clothes had been burned in the fire, so to start with, he’d have to buy at least a change of clothes.

Josh pulled a sugar cube out of his pocket and gave it to Pete, patting his thick neck. “One more stop, fella, and then we’ll go home, I promise.” Pete snorted, shaking his mane.

29

Two elderly men playing a serious game of checkers sat in rocking chairs and bent over a checkerboard placed on top of a flour barrel. Their bony, veined hands shook as they made their moves. They were so intent on their game that they didn’t even glance up as Josh took the steps two at a time, making the boards of the porch groan in protest.

Josh loved the smell of the general store. It made him think of the times as a child that he was allowed to go to town with his mama. His younger sister, April, always tagged along, whining for this and that as soon as they passed through the front door. Mama couldn’t resist April’s pleading and always wound up buying them sticks of candy, paper dolls for April or ribbons for her hair, and a slingshot or something similar for Josh. It seemed just the other day that he was a child, and he missed his sister, though there were times when she could make him want to pull his hair out. Still, maybe he should write and ask her to come to Montana for a visit.

The memories were evidence to him of how fast life was passing him by. He wanted his own children to spoil a little. But not as much as his sister was spoiled, for sure.

Earl was busy waiting on customers but waved to Josh when he walked in. Josh nodded, indicating that he would look around. He walked past rows of canned staples and glass cases that held a variety of hard candy. He wrinkled his nose as he strolled past an area where the smell of liniment, tobacco, turpentine, and rubbing alcohol was almost overpowering. There were shelves of nails, screws, twine, rope, and farming implements hanging on large hooks against the wall. Earl carried the basics, Josh knew, and anything that wasn’t a staple had to be ordered out of the Sears and Roebuck catalog.