The Redemption Of Jake Scully. Elaine Barbieri

      Waiting until both men had left his office and closed the door behind them, Barret sat down at his desk and reached into his drawer for the small sack that was never far from his reach. He withdrew the gold nugget from inside the sack and held it tight in his hand as he had many times before. He recalled the moment when Charlie Pratt had walked into his office late that first day. Short, wiry, unkempt, Charlie had been indistinguishable from any other prospector he had ever seen, but when the old man smiled and put the nugget down on the desk in front of him, Barret knew his moment had come.

      A man of few words, Charlie told him he’d struck it rich, that he wanted to register his claim in his own name and that of his granddaughter, and he wanted to do it “real legal like, so there’d be no problem afterward.” Charlie left the nugget behind for a “retainer” without disclosing the location of the claim, and said he’d return to sign whatever papers were necessary in a couple of days.

      Barret’s heart pounded in vivid recall. He had immediately set Blackie and Larry on the old man’s trail. His plan had been simple. Charlie had kept his strike a secret. He had been cautious enough not to tell anyone but Barret about it. Blackie and Larry would follow the old man, find his claim and report the location back to him so he could record it in his own name before the old man returned—“real legal like, so there’d be no problem afterward.”

      A familiar knot of frustration twisted tight inside Barret as memory returned the details of the debacle that followed.

      Charlie also had been smarter than he thought. Charlie had evidently spotted Blackie and Larry following him and had led them on a circuitous trail obviously meant to confuse them before reaching his cabin in darkness. He had then tricked them into thinking he had gone to his bed, only to appear unexpectedly behind them with a gun, demanding to know what they were after.

      According to Blackie, the situation deteriorated into chaos from that point, ending up with Charlie being shot and with Blackie and Larry determined to hide their crime by throwing Charlie’s body into the cabin and setting the structure afire.

      Furious when they returned with their story, Barret had still considered the situation salvageable. It had seemed a matter of simply scouting the area Charlie had been working to find the source of the gold.

      Barret remembered his panic at the news that Charlie’s eight-year-old granddaughter, Lacey Stewart, had arrived in town injured and bleeding, fresh from the scene of the burned-out cabin. He’d been sure she would tell someone about her grandfather’s strike, that she might even know its exact location. He had been furious with both his men for having allowed her to survive.

      Fearing Lacey would be able to identify his men and the identification would eventually lead back to him, he had paid them off and told them to leave town. They had obediently stayed away until Lacey was sent to a school back east and it was safe for them to return. The girl never spoke of her grandfather’s strike. He had been overjoyed at that, but his dream of a return to the wealth and prosperity of his youth had died when all manner of prospecting and excavation in the area of Charlie’s cabin had failed to locate Charlie’s gold.

      Now Charlie’s granddaughter had returned to Weaver, and with her return, his dream had been revived.

      Barret clutched the nugget tighter. Lacey Stewart may have fooled everyone else, but she didn’t fool him. She wouldn’t have traveled back from the big city to a town in the middle of nowhere if she didn’t think it would be worth her while—if she didn’t have some idea where to look for the strike her grandfather had made.

      It appeared, however, that she wasn’t about to share the strike with Jake Scully.

      It also appeared that Jake Scully was totally taken in by her.

      But Lacey Stewart didn’t fool him. He would get that claim—one way or another.

      Chapter Four

      The sun had barely risen and Weaver had not yet fully awakened when Lacey crossed the empty main street and headed toward Sadie Wilson’s restaurant. Against Scully’s adamant protests, she had started working there a few days ago. She had made certain to rise at dawn so she would be at the restaurant before the first customer even thought of appearing at the door, and she now knew she would find Sadie already at work in the kitchen when she arrived.

      Lacey smoothed the apron tied around her narrow waist. Sadie had provided it the first day of her employment and she wore it proudly. It was important to her that she do well in her new position. Scully had not mentioned again her near hysteria on the trail when he’d attempted to take her to her grandfather’s gravesite, and she was grateful. His solicitude during those frightening moments, however, made her more determined than ever to become independent. Scully was too good, too caring of her welfare. She could not bear the thought of telling him that her nightmares had grown more vivid since that day, nor of becoming a burden to him that he did not deserve.

      A smile touched Lacey’s lips as she neared the restaurant. She had prayed, asking the Lord to help her do well so Sadie would be satisfied with her work, and her prayers had been answered. She hadn’t made any major mistakes so far in serving the customers, she was adapting well to the restaurant routine and Sadie had complimented her on the job she was doing.

      Her thoughts were interrupted at the sight of the person waiting outside the restaurant door. Lacey hastened her step. She tapped Rosie on the arm when she reached her side. She liked Rosie and her friend, Jewel. Unlike some of the other Gold Nugget women, they had been friendly to her, and she appreciated their openness.

      Rosie turned hesitantly toward her, and Lacey gasped with surprise. Wearing a plain cotton dress that bore no resemblance to the gaudy satin she normally wore, and without the heavy makeup of her trade, Rosie looked so young—certainly no older than Lacey, herself—but it was not that thought that stunned her.

      A large bruise marked Rosie’s pale cheek.

      Lacey asked spontaneously, “What happened to your face, Rosie? Did you fall?”

      Rosie flashed a weak smile. “Yes…that’s what I did. I fell. I’m just clumsy, I guess.” She hastened to add, “But I’m all right. The mark won’t show under my makeup tonight, so Scully won’t have to worry about it when I work.”

      “I’m sure Scully will just be glad as I am that you’re all right.”

      Rosie changed the subject, saying, “Sadie hasn’t opened the door yet. I guess I’m early, but I didn’t get a chance to eat supper last night, and breakfast at the boarding house won’t be ready for hours yet. I couldn’t sleep for the loud complaints my stomach was making, so here I am.”

      Somehow hesitant, Lacey replied, “I don’t think Sadie has everything ready, but you can come inside with me and wait, if you like.”

      “No, I’ll wait outside.” Rosie took a backward step. “Some of the ladies in town don’t approve of Gold Nugget women, and I don’t want to cause any trouble.”

      “Sadie’s not like that.” Lacey took Rosie’s arm. “Besides, you’re hungry, and that’s what the restaurant’s here for.”

      “That’s all right. I’ll wait here.”

      “Rosie, please.” Lacey smiled encouragingly and said, “It’s no trouble if you come inside now…really.”

      Lacey drew Rosie reluctantly behind her as she entered. She called out to Sadie as the older woman worked at the stove, “Good morning, Sadie. I told Rosie it would be all right to wait at a table until you’re ready to open up.”

      Sadie glanced over her shoulder. “That’s fine. I’ll be ready in a few minutes.”

      Standing beside Sadie moments later, Lacey whispered, “I hope you don’t mind, Sadie. I didn’t want Rosie to wait outside. She fell and hurt herself. She’s kind of pale, and her face is bruised. I don’t think she feels too well.”

      “Fell and hurt herself, huh? Is that what she told you?” Sadie looked