Page 18 of The Gold Rush Bride

Barnaby advanced on her, wrapped an arm around her waist, and pulled her close. “You might not be stupid, but you are very naïve.” He lowered his mouth to hers and kissed her hard, then he gentled and pulled back. “If I were not a gentleman, I could take you anytime I wanted, and you could do little about it. Think about that, Sadie, and then tell me you can take care of yourself.” He turned away.

Tears filled her eyes. He was right, and she knew it. But she’d felt nothing like she had when he kissed her. He meant the kiss to punish her, but she’d started to wrap her arms around his neck at the moment he let her go. Her heart had pounded, first out of fear, then with something else. She liked the kiss and wanted more. She stood still in somewhat of a stupor, remembering his lips on hers. Reaching up, she touched them, knowing they were swollen.

Barnaby turned his gaze toward her. His mouth ticked up on one side in a smile. He was aware of the impact he had on her and, based on his smile...he took pleasure in it.

“Darn him,” she said under her breath. Her hands fisted, and she wished she had his neck in her hands. She’d squeeze that smirk off his face. Instead, she sat on her cot and brooded. She didn’t have much else to do. She wouldn’t go for a walk, she’d most likely get lost, so she sat.

As agreed that night, Barnaby prepared their dinner. She’d brought tinned beef and purchased real potatoes in Dawson City, while he bought sourdough bread.

The meal, though not fancy, was good and filled her stomach.

Barnaby ate his serving and everything that was left.

The man was big and had an enormous appetite, which Sadie didn’t begrudge him. She liked the fact that he was large enough he could protect her against most foes.

“What will you teach me tomorrow? When will we dig for gold?”

He shook his head and tore off another chunk of bread. “We pan for gold, remember? You’ll be learning that tomorrow.”

She and Barnaby sat on their cots facing one another. “I don’t know why I’m so tired.” She yawned.

Both she and Barnaby were thankful for the extra blankets she’d brought. And she put on a stocking cap like Barnaby told her to. She stayed warm between her father’s covers and hers. His cologne still scented them, albeit faintly.

The next morning, she awoke early and made their coffee. Ice crystals covered the roof of the tent, which didn’t surprise her. The night was so cold she’d slept in her clothes. Before she went out to relieve herself and returned to make the coffee, she’d donned her coat and the pistol, knowing she couldn’t be too careful. She left her gloves in her pocket so she could use her hands and wished she could wear them. It didn’t take any time at all for her fingers to feel frozen...and this was the spring. What would the weather be like in winter? She wasn’t sure she was eager to know.

Barnaby was up when she returned.

He grumbled, “Good morning.” Then he left the tent.

Their camp stove had its own metal stove pipe to conduct the smoke out of the tent. They made the stove from half a metal barrel with a door for loading wood into the barrel. Over that was the cooking surface, which was big enough to hold two skillets or one skillet and the coffeepot. Halfway up the stovepipe was a warming oven.

Once the coffee had boiled, she removed it and cooked the eggs and bacon like yesterday, except today she added slices of skillet-toasted bread. She put a little bacon grease on one side of the bread and fried it in the hot skillet until it was a golden brown.

Barnaby returned while she was dishing up the plates.

She added the first two toasted slices to Barnaby’s plate and toasted two more. She dished up the eggs and bacon just like yesterday before putting a third slice of bread on Barnaby’s plate.

“So, you are teaching me to pan for gold today, right?”

Barnaby nodded because his mouth was full. After he swallowed, he lifted a hand and pointed toward the river. “Most of the claims are farther up the river. That’s why we have so much land around us. They left plenty of gold for us to gather because a lot of the miners are only interested in getting the gold they can pick up with their hands. They aren’t willing to work for it. That’s part of the reason there are so many claim jumpers.”

She scoffed. “I have no use for lazy men.”

“I could have been lazy and you wouldn’t have known it.”

“Wrong. My father wouldn’t have partnered with that type of man.”

Barnaby laughed. “You’re right. John wouldn’t have. He was a hard worker and expected the same from his partner. As I do.”

“I’m sure if you give me some time to get acclimated to,” she waved her arms over her head. “everything, that I’ll be fine and you’ll be happy to have me here.”

After cleaning up the tent and doing the dishes, she and Barnaby were ready to head out to the river.

She dressed in her rubber boots, two pairs of long johns and her wool pants, which she tucked inside the boots. She also wore a wool shirt in case she got too warm with her coat on, plus she thought it might be easier to work without the coat.

Barnaby took her to the river’s edge. “I’ll show you how it’s done and then let you try it.” He kneeled and used a flat, wide pan to scoop up some gravel and water. Then he swirled the mixture around, letting it run out over the rim of the pan into the river again. He did this until very little of the gravel was left. Then he reached down and picked up a gold nugget and held it up. “Most people would have missed this because it’s so small. But I don’t care if it’s just one flake, I pick it up and put it in my bag.” He opened the top of a drawstring leather bag hanging from his belt and put the little nugget inside. “Now I want you to try it.”

Sadie squatted and did everything he’d done. The first time she’d dipped the pan into the river she had to clench her teeth lest she cry out at the freezing water. That time she found nothing. Same for the second and third and fourth time. “I must not be doing something right. I’m not finding anything.” She stood, set the pan on the bank, shook her hands dry and then pressed her hands into her back to relieve the ache. “I can’t believe you do that all day long. How do you manage?”