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  “I’m the voice of the Angel family claim, Cassie, and the Angel family in general,” Arvid countered. “The claim is ours already! We don’t need no competition to prove anything.”

  Sam hesitated. Did he dare to voice the obvious? He turned to Cassie. “You’re my wife, now. The claim belongs to us.”

  Arvid choked on whatever was in his mouth. “The hell you say! What’s this about you and Cassie being married?”

  “It’s true. We got married tonight. What’s hers is mine and mine is hers.”

  “Sam!” Cassie spoke up. “That’s absurd. The wedding was a sham and you know it—nothing more.”

  William held up a hand for silence. “If we put it to a vote right now, who we believed about the ownership of the claim,” he said softly, “Sam would win our four votes to your three. And truthfully, I’m not sure you’d even have three. Should we go ahead with a vote and settle the dispute here and now?”

  Arvid slammed his hand down on the table, making everything rattle and jump. Josephine whimpered in fear.

  Sam grasped him by the shoulder. “Knock it off, Angel! My patience is about gone. Either we hold a vote this minute, or you agree to the competition. I’m not handing my claim over to you just because you say it’s yours. That’s just not going to happen!”

  The blood flowed to Arvid’s face with such force Sam thought the older man’s eyes were going to pop out of their sockets. He shook his shoulder free. “I guess I got no choice,” he hissed at last. “I agree.” He turned to go.

  “Where’re you going?” Cassie asked.

  “Never you mind. We’ll meet up tomorrow so we can plan our departure.” Without another word he walked out the door.

  Well, thought Sam, the big problem hanging over his head about Cassie and the claim was now out in the open. At least he didn’t have to worry anymore what she’d do when he told her the claim was really his. His heart twisted at the pain in her eyes at his perceived betrayal. He could see only too well what she thought of him now

  “Sam, I’ll write up a contract tonight, with all the particulars, so after you leave here nobody will be able to go back on their word,” Jonathan volunteered.

  “Thanks, Jon, I’d appreciate that.”

  Cassie busied herself with the clean-up, anything to keep her thoughts off two-faced Sam, and what she’d so carelessly done. Well, they’d undo that wedding as quickly as they’d made it. Surely, all they needed to do was rip up the paper they’d signed. Grace went upstairs to retrieve Buddy, settling Josephine and the dog in the sitting room in an effort to take the child’s mind off all the upheaval.

  Grace came back, her brows drawn together in worry. “What are you going to do with Josephine when you go to the claim?” she asked Cassie in a hushed voice.

  “What do you mean?” Cassie had been clearing the table, but stopped at Grace’s question, two plates and the gravy boat in her hands. She glanced at Sam in a deep conversation with Jonathan and shame overcame her all over again. How could she have considered, even for a second, the idea of marrying someone she’d known for such a short period of time? Had she forgotten her mother’s warning so fast? Was it the kiss? All the considerate things he’d done? Shockingly, the feel of his lips on hers was still so vivid she was sure the memory would never fade.

  Grace took the dishes from Cassie’s hands and placed them on the drain board. “A river is a dangerous place for an adult, even under normal circumstances. It could be deadly for Josephine. During the competition all three of you will be working night and day, trying to beat the other and win title to the claim. Who will watch over her? If you’re mining, Cassie, you won’t be able to keep her under foot or even close. Have you given that any thought?”

  “Yes.” Grace was right. What kind of a guardian had she been so far? Just look how sick Josephine had become because of Ashes. She also could have fallen off the cliff to her death, or been killed by the mountain lion. And now a river? “But what choice do we have? We’ll get by somehow, because we have to. Uncle Arvid will be there now to help, too.”

  “Yes, your uncle Arvid. So true.” Grace’s tone was gently laced with sarcasm. Then she looked at Cassie meaningfully.

  “Would you consider leaving Josephine here with me and my father for the month when you and Sam will be so busy with the gold panning? She could go to class with me every day and get caught up with her schooling. She’d have a bedroom of her own, with a nice, clean bed to sleep in, and a hot, nutritious supper every night. I’d love her and spoil her as much as I could. The claim is no place for a little girl.” She closed her eyes momentarily as if looking for the right words. “I don’t mean to be unseemly, but mining towns are full of men. Unlawful men. I’m worried about you, but I’m terrified for Josephine.”

  Cassie nodded, a lump in her throat. She agreed completely with Grace’s description of where she was headed.

  Although she knew everything Grace was saying made excellent sense, her heart screamed a resounding no. What if Josephine never wanted to come back to her? She’d promised her mother to take good care of her sister. But…where would Josephine be safer, happier? The answer frightened Cassie.

  “I’m sorry,” Grace said. “I can see what I’ve suggested has shocked you. Don’t answer now. Just think about it?”

  Cassie nodded.

  Grace stood before Cassie, love and worry shining from her eyes. “One more thing and then I’ll drop the subject. I promise.” She stepped closer so only Cassie could hear. “Sam seems like a good man at the core. I think it would behoove you to give him a chance. A real chance.”

  “Grace, you don’t know what you’re saying. From the very beginning he’s done nothing but try to trick me. The first day we met, he told me a big fat lie about being friends with my uncle. He was sneaky and …” She couldn’t finish her thought. Although she’d never trust Sam again, she couldn’t make herself say such things about him either. She just couldn’t.

  Cassie turned and looked out the window, staring into the black night beyond. Grace was right. The place she was taking Josephine was no place for a girl, of any age! When she was running from Broken Branch this all had seemed like such a good idea. The answer to her prayers. Now she wasn’t certain.

  And what if Sam was telling the truth about being the real owner of the claim? Because of her uncle, his whole life had been altered, and he’d been dragged across the country by her and her sister. It wouldn’t be the first time that Uncle Arvid had lied for his own benefit. On the other hand, she and Josephine were all that their uncle had left in the world. He’d lost his only brother when her father had passed on and if he wanted to have any family at all, it had to be her and Josephine. Unquestionably, he could have won that claim fair and square too. Couldn’t he?

  A deep voice startled her from her reverie.

  “Cassie?”

  There was no mistaking who was behind her. Turning, Cassie found Sam in the doorway to the kitchen. He looked uncomfortable, and the smile that had brought her such happiness only an hour before was nowhere to be seen.

  “I think I’ll go and check on Josephine,” Grace said. “She must be worn out from all the happenings.” She withdrew quietly from the room.

  “We need to talk,” Sam said, coming into the kitchen a few feet and stopping. “Whether you like it or not, we have things we need to work out. And I have some things I’d like to explain.”

  Cassie nodded, avoiding eye contact as an overwhelming sadness descended upon her. This is where Josephine needed to be. Here, safe and warm. Here with Grace.

  Sam stepped forward quickly and pulled out a chair. “Cassie?” He took her arm and gently sat her down.

  It was as if the whole world were tumbling down around her. She couldn’t breathe, or even think. And she definitely couldn’t look Sam in the eyes.

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  The sight of tears welling in Cassie’s eyes was too much for Sam. Leaning forward, he captured her fisted hands, which were no
w pushing on the tabletop. “I’m sorry about all this,” he said softly. “I lo—.”

  She ripped her hands from his. “I’m not crying because of—us! There never was an us and there never will be an us. If you must know, you’re the last person I’d waste a tear on. Remember one thing, Sam Ridgeway. I’ll never, ever believe a word you say.”

  He rocked back, giving her space as he digested her statement. It was founded, considering what had just happened. He’d give her time. “Okay. If it’s not us, then what? If it’s that insufferable uncle of yours—I’m going to nail his worthless hide to the wall and shoot it full of buckshot until there’s nothing left.” She looked at him, the anguish in her face enough to make him want to strangle Arvid to within an inch of his life.

  “It’s not Uncle Arvid. And it’s not you and me.” But isn’t it? I thought we had something wonderful. Something really special. A love to last a lifetime.

  “Then what?”

  Tears began to trickle down Cassie’s cheeks. She drew in a slow breath and her shoulders wobbled.

  Sam hunkered down by her chair and pulled her into his arms. She turned her face into his neck. He noted distractedly that her hair smelled of lilac. A violent shivering wracked her body and he began to feel genuinely worried.

  “Cassie?” He massaged her back and kneaded the taut muscles of her neck. Softly he asked again, “Why are you crying, sweetheart?”

  “First of all,” she said between breaths, “don’t call me sweetheart. I’m not your sweetheart.” She sat back and brushed angrily at her tears. “It’s Josephine,” she finally finished. “Because of all the danger I’ve already put her in and what I was thinking about the claim.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “From day one, the idea of taking her to Coloma was a stupid and risky thing for me to try to do. She’s just a little girl.”

  Sam gave her a nudge so she’d sit back and he could look into her face. Her nose was red; her eyes, puffy and wet. She was beautiful.

  “Yes, she is. And you’re just a young woman. So? I still don’t understand.”

  Cassie ground her eyes with the heels of her hands before she continued. He could hear Josephine and Grace in the sitting room laughing about something, plus a murmur from Jonathan.

  “I should’ve been more careful with her. She almost died! But what hurts me most is the thought of leaving her here. She’ll never want to come back to me!”

  A new rainstorm burst from her eyes and coursed down her cheeks. Sam pulled out a chair and sat next to her.

  “You’re leaving her here?” he asked, handing her his handkerchief.

  She blew her nose. “Grace wants to take care of her while I’m at the claim. She thinks—and so do I—that Rosenthal would be safer for Josephine. She’ll take her to school and church. Cook good suppers, give her constancy. Plus,” she waved her arm around, “look at this beautiful home. Who wouldn’t want to live here? Grace can be a much better mother to Josephine than I could ever think of being.”

  Sam’s eyebrows tented over his eyes in surprise. This was a great idea. He’d been concerned by the thought of the child hanging out around the river. It was too dangerous a place for her.

  “Cassie, I’d have guessed you’d think this was the answer to a prayer.” He reached forward and tucked a wayward tress of hair behind her ear. “What better solution could there be? It’s only a month and then you can decide what you want to do. This gives you freedom to work things out without worrying about her. Agreed?”

  “It’s still hard, Sam.”

  “Life is hard. Growing up is hard.”

  “You’re right about that.”

  She took a deep breath and seemed to be holding it. Now that that crisis was past, at least until the time came for leaving her little sister behind, he knew she’d get to the subject he’d been dreading.

  “How could you do it, Sam? How could you lie to me like that?”

  How he wished he could turn back the clock and confront her with the facts way back at the beginning, the moment she slapped the cold rag over her battered face, the very point at which he realized they were kin to Arvid and most likely had his claim. But, he hadn’t, and changing the course of the last few days was out of his power.

  “It just happened. Then, one thing led to another. I wanted to tell you several times. I didn’t think you’d believe me. Do you now?”

  “How can I?”

  That comment slashed him to the quick. Good question. Almost everything he’d told her, about the important stuff, had been untrue.

  “I needed to find Arvid, or whoever else it was that had my claim. Is that so hard to understand?”

  Cassie looked at him but he couldn’t read her expression. Disappointment? Anger? Disgust?

  “You believe your uncle over me?” He involuntarily clenched his fist resting on his thigh and shook his head in disbelief.

  “He’s my uncle.”

  “You’re my wife.”

  “No. I’m not.”

  She glanced to the wall for a moment then back at him, her expression now

  resembling Josephine’s when in a petulant mood.

  As if on cue, Josephine came into the room. She wedged into the tiny space between them and stroked her sister’s hair. “It will be okay, Cassie. Everything will work out.” She looked closer at her older sister’s tearstained face. “Have you been crying?”

  Cassie sniffed and sat up straighter. “I have.”

  “Why? Do you have a tummy ache?”

  Cassie pushed her chair out and pulled Josephine onto her lap. She hugged her tightly until Josephine leaned back.

  “No, my stomach feels fine. It’s my heart that’s hurting me.”

  Sam stood and ran a hand through his hair, knowing the big talk between the two girls was coming. Josephine held her arms out to him and waited expectedly, not understanding the enormity of the situation between him and her sister. He shook his head. Cassie wouldn’t be able to bear it; she needed her sister’s closeness to get through this conversation. “Your sister has something to tell you.”

  “What?”

  Silence was the only answer.

  “What? Am I in trouble?” She took Cassie’s face between her two palms just inches away from her own.

  Cassie leaned forward and kissed her forehead. “No. Never. I’ve just been thinking about the gold claim and how difficult it’ll be. And cold. All the hard work we’re going to have to do every single day for hours on end. I’m sure food will be scarce so we’ll be hungry a lot of the time, too. I’m just debating…”

  Josephine popped happily out of her lap. “If you still want to go? We don’t have to if you’ve changed your mind. I don’t mind if we stay in this town. I like it here.”

  “Do you?” They were eye to eye.

  “I do. Grace and Annabelle are nice. I like Buddy a lot, too. I’m going to take him on a walk sometime.”

  Cassie started crying all over again. Sam pulled her up and into his embrace, knowing she wouldn’t resist. He turned her around to face Josephine. “Go on.”

  Josephine’s uncanny ability to sniff out danger was working overtime. She grabbed Cassie’s hand and pulled hard. “What is it?”

  “You’re going to stay here with Grace and live in this big, beautiful house while Sam and I and Uncle Arvid go to work the claim. Isn’t that great news?”

  It took a moment to sink in. Josephine’s little face contorted as if she’d been stung by a wasp. “You’re going to leave me here? Alone?”

  Cassie forced a chuckle, trying to lighten the mood. “No, silly. You’ll be here with Grace and Annabelle. Don’t forget Jonathan and Mr. Hearthgrove. And Ashes! A whole bunch of friends are going to be with you. And it’s only for a little while. One month. Then we’ll decide where we want to go from there.”

  Josephine threw her arms around Cassie’s middle, smashing her face into her pretty yellow dress. “No! I don’t want to stay without you,” she said in an an
gry voice, laden, Cassie knew, with all sorts of pain from her past. “I don’t really like this town at all. Besides, we’re sisters. You promised Ma before she died you’d never leave me. I heard you. Remember, sissy? Remember your promise? The night she died you told me many times that we’d always be together. You did. You did!”

  Cassie thought her heart would break. How could she stand this? How could she leave Josephine behind?

  “Shhhhh,” she whispered as she rubbed Josephine’s back. “I know I promised that, Josephine. I did. And we will be together. It’s not as if I’m leaving you forever. Things have changed, and it’s only for a short time. It’ll be so much better knowing that you’re safe and living in a nice place, with nice people. And going to school and to church. So much better than where I’m going to be.”

  Still clutching Cassie’s middle in a bear’s grip, Josephine looked up at her, her little face bathed in tears, her eyes beseeching. “Please don’t leave me, sissy. Please don’t.”

  “It’s getting late,” Sam said gently. He picked Josephine up and she buried her face into his neck. “Why don’t I walk you two over to Dr. Hershey’s and get you tucked in? It’s been a long day for everyone. Tomorrow everything will look brighter.”

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Cassie knelt on the cheerful green-and-blue rag rug, her head bent over folded hands, feeling anything but happy. “Lord, please watch over Josephine. As you know, she tends to get into mischief. Don’t let anything else happen to her,” she whispered, not wanting to wake her sister, who was already asleep just inches from her face. For the past two days she and Josephine had been staying with Annabelle and Jonathan, while Sam stayed with Brox. Arvid was at the boarding house.

  Tomorrow, they’d leave at daybreak. They’d collected provisions, mining tools, and other amenities, all paid for by Sam. Cassie had a few funds but Sam wouldn’t think of letting her use them, no matter how hard she argued. Arvid had pulled his pockets inside out, letting them know they’d not get any help from him. Josephine stopped bringing up Cassie’s promise to their mother, but the weight of her culpability was heavy in her little sister’s eyes.