Accidental Sweetheart

She knew by the way he stiffened in the saddle that he had figured out the gist of her argument.

“No. We’ve had some problems—the tunnel collapse in December and the incident with Jenny Reichmann—”

“Which had nothing to do with the rest of us at the Dovecote.”

He inclined his head in agreement.

“Overall, I’d say that the men have been mindful of the risks of their job and have done their best to avoid any dangers they’ve encountered.”

“So, there is no hard evidence that the women have proven to be a distraction.”

“I can assure you that the men are plenty distracted, Miss Tomlinson. But there’s been no sign of it in their work. Yet.”

“On the other hand, there have been definite advantages to having us here, I believe. Take the food, for example...”

Gideon drew his mount to a halt, forcing her to do the same.

“I take it that you’re building up to a grand finale in this debate, Miss Tomlinson. Why don’t you cut to the chase?”

She reached to pat the neck of the mare.

“I meant nothing of the kind. I merely wanted to know—in your expert opinion—if you felt that men and women could coexist here at Bachelor Bottoms.”

He sighed and squinted against the bright sunshine that radiated from the upper slopes of the mountains.

“It doesn’t really matter what I think, Miss Tomlinson. I’m a hired man, like the rest of the miners. If you want to make headway with your argument, you’ll need to take it up with the owners.”

“But I would like your views on the matter, Mr. Gault. If the Misters Batchwell and Bottoms were to come to you and ask the same question, what would you say?”

He met her gaze so completely, so directly, that she nearly looked away.

Nearly.

“Honestly, Miss Tomlinson, I think that Aspen Valley would be better off with the women gone.”

The words clutched at her heart like an unseen fist. She should have expected such sentiments coming from one of the Pinkertons tasked with guarding the mail-order brides, but she’d thought—no, she’d hoped—that Gideon Gault might look past those challenges to the ways the girls had helped the community. Even he must see that a measure of happiness had come to Bachelor Bottoms, and the women were responsible for helping to make that happen.

“Now, how about we go check out that pass so you have an estimate for the rest of your stay?” Gideon said, urging his mount forward.

And for a moment, the chill that seeped into her body had nothing to do with the wind gusting down from the snowy peaks.

* * *

Gideon knew without being told that he’d disappointed Lydia with his answer. Although she tried to keep a blank face, he saw the light fade from her crystal-blue eyes only to be replaced with something that looked very much like...hurt.

As he led his mount up the slope, Gideon pushed that thought away. He was nothing to Lydia Tomlinson—so why would she care one way or the other? For the past few months, he’d been a thorn in her side, just as she’d been one in his.

Nevertheless, he couldn’t seem to shake away the feeling that—in his haste to get things back to normal again—he’d inadvertently denigrated the good the women had done.

His eyes automatically scanned the debris field left by the avalanche even as his mind worried over his conversation with Lydia. Despite what he’d said, he would be the first to admit that the ladies had improved Bachelor Bottoms—and he wasn’t merely referring to the change in their diet. The food they served at the cook shack—two hot meals and cold meats and cheeses for lunch—were above and beyond anything that Stumpy, the old mine chef, had ever prepared. During the past few cold winter months, the men had learned to treasure time spent over savory stews, rich breads and hearty soups. Gideon probably had a better idea than most the way that the women had carefully planned each repast to make the most out of the community’s dwindling supplies. They’d stretched the foodstuffs as far as possible, all without lessening the taste.

There were other ways the ladies had contributed even more. They’d nursed many of the men through illness and injury, brought order and warmth to their surroundings. Even the daily devotionals had grown sweeter from the sounds of their voices and Lydia’s touch on the pump organ. Gideon had no doubts that Aspen Valley would become quite dismal again when they left.

But they would have to leave.

Those were the rules of the mine. No drinking, smoking, cussing or women.

Perhaps Phineas Bottoms could be persuaded to take a second look at the requirements for employment, but Ezra Batchwell would never agree. Not in this lifetime or the next. The man was an ardent, confirmed bachelor—had been for as long as Gideon had known him. Gideon knew all about the rumors that the other miners whispered about the bearlike man who had helped to open up one of the most successful silver mines in the territories. That, as a young man, he’d been the victim of unrequited love—and after being refused, he’d vowed to live a life alone.

Gideon was sure that the story was so much hogwash. Ezra Batchwell was a businessman, through and through. He’d set his course on lifting himself out of the coal mines of Aberdeen and making his fortunes. And he’d done that. But that feat would be the very reason why he wouldn’t change his methods. Why would he tinker with success?

“Are things so very bad?”

Gideon jerked from his thoughts to find that Lydia remained by his side. Even more unsettling, she’d been watching him carefully—probably in an effort to read his thoughts again.

He forced himself to take in the slopes around him, the path of rocks and broken limbs. Up ahead, he could see the hulking shapes of the ruined railway cars poking through the drifts, looking like beached whales marooned from a sea of white. It wouldn’t be long before the carriages would be completely exposed. Once they were, a crew would salvage whatever the railroad might find useful. Then the twisted rails would be dragged out of the way so that the rail beds could be repaired, regraded, and lined with ties. Thankfully, the damage didn’t look nearly as bad as he and Jonah had supposed. Locomotives could probably start heading into the valley by summer.

But the women...

The women would be long gone by then.

He urged his mount the last few bounding strides to the top of the hill so that Gideon could look down, down, into the canyon below. For the first time in months, he could see the glint of the river and the muddy beginnings of a trail. There were still a few spots where negotiating the hairpin turns would be treacherous. But if the weather continued to warm up the way it had...

The brides could be carried out of the valley in a series of wagons by the end of the month.

“Gideon?”

He realized too late that she’d asked a question and still waited for an answer.

“Are things bad?”

He shook his head. “It’s melting a whole lot faster than any of us had anticipated.”

Her cheeks seemed to pale.

“How much longer do we have?”

He took a pair of field glasses from his saddlebags and peered through the lenses.

“If it doesn’t rain again? I’d say a week. Ten days at the most.”

He thought he heard her gasp. But when he lowered the glasses, her face was expressionless.

“That soon?”

Again, he couldn’t tell from her tone if he’d offered Lydia good news or bad.

Stuffing the field glasses back into place, he nodded. “You’d better tell the girls to start packing. As soon as we can get a rider through the pass to alert the railroad, and the trail looks steady enough for a team and wagon, we’ll start the evacuation.”