Page 23 of The Gold Rush Bride

“We’d like two tubs, please,” said Sadie.

“Sure. I’ll get those up there now.” She stopped. “On second thought, I’ll put you in Room 110. It’s at the back and should be quieter than the front rooms. And it will save my men from carrying those buckets up the stairs. Seems no matter how careful they try to be, I end up with wet carpet.”

“That’ll be fine,” said Barnaby.

She handed him the key.

“We’ll be back later.” Barnaby placed a hand on Sadie’s waist and guided her to the restaurant.

Sadie lifted her nose and sniffed. Wonderful scents surrounded her and made her mouth water. Whatever they were cooking smelled heavenly. Of course, whatever they were preparing was more palatable than they’d had in a while, though Barnaby tried and so did Sadie. But for her part, there were only so many ways to prepare oatmeal or make cornmeal mush. After they were seated, she looked up at the chalkboard with the day’s specials and then back at Barnaby. “What are elk medallions? I’ve never heard of that cut of meat.”

“They are just slices of the back strap which runs up and down both sides of the spine. It’s shaped like a long skinny loaf of bread so that when it’s sliced, it makes a circular piece of meat, like a medallion. It’s a very tender cut of meat. You’ll like them.”

“Okay. I’ll have those.”

When the waitress came, Sadie gave her the order. She had to speak loudly because of the sounds of talking and laughter from the men in the surrounding room. As usual, except for her and the two waitresses, everyone was a man.

The waitress couldn’t have been over five feet tall. She had black hair and dark brown eyes and was very curvy. “I’ll have the medallions and whatever the daily stew is.”

She put her pad back in her apron pocket. “What can I get you all to drink?”

Sadie kept her hands in her lap. “I’ll have coffee, please. With milk and sugar.”

“You’re lucky. We just got our supplies in, so we have condensed milk.” She turned toward Barnaby. “And for you, Barnaby?”

“Coffee, black.”

“Gotcha,” said the waitress.

“Thanks, Sally.”

“You betcha.” She turned and headed toward the kitchen.

Sadie lifted a brow. “Do you know all the women in town by name?”

His cheeks colored, the color rising to his forehead. “Not all.”

She laughed. “Don’t worry. I’m not jealous, just curious.”

“I’m not worried about whether you’re jealous or not. I’m a man, and there aren’t a lot of women here, in case you hadn’t noticed, and the ones that are you pay by the hour, or less sometimes. Depends on the girl.”

Sadie sat with her back straight, and her wrists crossed on the table. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t judge. I don’t know what I’d do if I had to make a living that way. I don’t think I could.”

He lowered his voice. “You’re a virgin still and probably still a wealthy woman, which is why I still don’t understand why you’re here. But regardless of your moral code, desperate people do desperate things.”

She shook her head and sighed. Then she pulled her hands back to her lap and “I’m not wealthy any more. I spent a lot of what I had on the trip here and to prepare for living here. Admittedly, I didn’t scrimp on either expenditure. I sold everything so I could come here. My father’s friend, who was also his man of business, said I could probably live comfortably on it for a year. More if I was frugal, I might make it longer. But I wouldn’t have my house. I’d have to move to a small apartment. And then I’d have to find a job I’d probably hate just so I could continue to survive.” She stared hard at Barnaby. “I feel more alive than I ever have before. I’m doing something for me and not just to survive. Who knows what we’ll find next? We’ve found some decent-sized nuggets in the last two months, and I think we’ll find more. I’m paying for our time here in town and the mattresses and whatever else we need until my money runs out, which will be soon at the prices in Dawson City. I want to keep the money from the gold for a rainy day.” Looking for any change in his expression, she continued to stare. “So, what do you think?”

* * *

What did he think?Barnaby smiled at his wife. He would say little wife, but there was nothing little about Sadie Thompson—no, Sadie Drake. She was all woman and probably the strongest woman he’d ever known. The fact she was his wife and now wanted that to be a reality pleased him, but the thought of having children paralyzed him from the inside out.

“I think that’s an excellent idea. I’d like to keep the money separate, as well, even though now that we’re married, everything you have belongs to me.”

She leaned forward, and her eyes narrowed. “You? You!”

He lifted his hand as she sputtered her outrage. “Calm down and lower your voice. I don’t have any notion of keeping anything of yours, and we’ll split the gold in half as we agreed.”

She blinked several times, sat back, and took a couple of deep breaths. “No one can hear us, there’s too much noise. I’m sorry. I know that’s the law, however much I abhor it. Thank you for not taking all my money. Besides, I’m only using it to make our life a little easier.”