CHARITY'S GOLD RUSH (A Strike It Rich in Montana novel) (3 page)

             
“That’s fine.” Her stomach ro
l
led
,
and it took every ounce of willpower Charity possessed not to lose the stale biscuit she’d eaten for breakfast.

             
“There’s something I ought to tell you.” Gabe pulled the wagon in front of the
building
.
“
I’ll understand if you change your mind.”

             
Charity searched his face. Bright spots of color dotted his cheeks beneath his hat. “What is it, Mr.
Williams
?”

             
He faced her. “You seem a mite skittish. There’s no reason to
be
, really. I plan on this being a marriage in name only.”

             
“You plan on it being so?” The man had a lot of nerve. Didn’t Charity’s feelings count for anything?

             
“Well,” he removed his hat and ran his hand through his hair. “I’m needing someone to watch my young’uns while I finish building the ranch. At the end of a year, next spring, actually, we’ll get an annulment
,
and you’ll be free to go along your way.”

             
“And
how
will I benefit from this arrangement, Mr.
Williams
?”
Charity blinked and ducked her head against the tears threatening to swell over. She should’ve known the man wouldn’t want her for her sake alone. No, the only ones interested in Charity as a real wife were the ones she wouldn’t touch with a ten-foot log. And all they wanted was someone to warm their beds.

             
M
arriage to Mr.
Williams
would provide food on the table, a roof over her head, and, if she were lucky, a few snatched moments of peace once in a while to look for gold. There were worse things in the world than marriage to such a strapping man.

             
“Please call me Gabriel or Gabe.
I’ll compensate you well for your time.
If nothing else, we can be friends.”

             
“If that’s what you want, Mr.
Williams
.”
Friends! Despite her willingness to wed the man, anger over his casual treatment of marriage
replaced pain
,
and Charity clutched her
reticule
in order to keep herself from whacking the dolt upside the head.

             
Gabe climbed down
and helped
her off the seat
. He
ushered her through the
parlor
and upstairs where he knocked on a door. A portly, balding man opened
the door
,
and Gabriel dragged
Charity
inside.
If she ever got over her rattled nerves, she might have to
work on her new husband’s manners first thing.

             
“Reverend, we’d like to be married.” Gabriel removed his black felt hat. “I know you’re leaving town
this
morning, so we’d like to do it now.”

             
“We’ll need two witnesses.” The Reverend removed a small black book from a nightstand.

             
Gabriel nodded. “I’ll be right back.” He dashed out the door, his heels pounding on the wooden floors.

             
She
fiddled with her reticule. Not the wedding she’d imagined as a little girl. But
, she’d said yes, and Charity Rose O’Connell did not go back on her word.
Then why was her stomach in knots?

             
She avoided the eyes of the preacher who clutched his worn Bible in front of hi
m
like a shield. The room contained a cot, a wash basin, and a chipped night stand. Faded calico curtains fluttered like a wounded butterfly in a tepid breeze. Not exactly a fancy place to stay, but it looked clean.

             
She sagged with relief when Gabriel returned with
the witnesses
. Gabriel stood beside her, took her hand in his large callused one and stood rigid as the preacher read them their vows. That over,
Gabe
laid a chaste kiss on her cheek
that left a heated mark as strong as a branding iron.
Charity cupped her cheek.

Grabbing her arm,
Gabe
practically dragged her out of the room.
So much for Charity’s first kiss.

###

             
Gabe
knew he had
hurt Charity’s feelings with his announcement of a name-only marriage. He supposed he should’ve mentioned it the night before
when he asked her to marry him
, but
he
plain didn’t think about it.
He’d already wasted two days in town and there was no one else to look after the stock but him. If only he hadn’t made that stupid wager with Amos Jenkins. Nothing had gone right since. Gabe wasn’t normally a gambling man. If Amos hadn’t riled him, he
probably
wouldn’t be dragging along a feisty Irish gal to be a mother to his children.

             
Oh, yeah. He hadn’t missed the fire in her
green
eyes when he mentioned them being friends.
She hadn’t seemed to
o
thrilled about the future annulment either. Well, they hardly kn
e
w each other. What did the woman think?

             
He glanced down at her set jaw and narrowed eyes. What’d he do? She was riled again
,
and they hadn’t even left
for home
.

He only hoped life wouldn’t be too interesting with the red-haired gal around. He had work to do and couldn’t afford the distractions of a pretty face.
Time was ticking, and every day presented Gabe with a new challenge of meeting the terms of Amos’s stupid bet.

             
Gabe led his group to the wagon and headed toward home. Charity sat beside him like she had a pine trunk stuck down the back of her dress.

             
Gabe glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. “Something troubling you?”

             
“I’d like to collect my things, if it wouldn’t be too much trouble,” she said.

             
“Of course.” Addlebrained! He should’ve known she’d want to stop for her things. Gabe eyed the sun rising in the sky. It’d be
late
afternoon before they got home at this rate.

             
“You needn’t sigh. I don’t have much.” She clenched her fists in her lap.

             
“It’s no problem.”
He stopped in front of her tent. “
You want me to get e
verything?”

             
“Everything but the tent itself. That’s rented.” Charity allowed him to swing her from the seat. His hands spanned her waist. Their gazes met for a minute
,
and Gabe tried desperately to work up moisture for his dry mouth.

             
A sprinkling of freckles dotted skin so pale he swore he could see the veins.
Eyes that sparkled with gold flecks stared into his.
Lips the color of pink roses trembled over a rounded chin and begged to be kissed.
It’d been
two years
since a woman shared his roof. The thought slammed into Gabe like a bullet. The decision to marry might turn out worse than the wager against his land.

             
He released her and ducked inside the tent faster than a cat with its tail on fire. Hoisting her trunk on his shoulders, he headed back out and added
her things
to his own supplies. Several trips later, he stowed the last of her possessions.

             
“Gabriel
Williams
.”

Gabe stiffened. Minutes away from escape. He turned with all the joy of a man led to a hanging.

             
Amos Jenkins sauntered up the road, mouth full with a chaw of tobacco. He spit, barely missing the toe of Gabe’s boots. “Where you headed?”

             
“
Ought not to be to
o
hard to figure we’re headed h
ome.” Gabe marched to the front of the wagon.

             
“Who’s the woman?”

             
Gabe took a deep breath and turned to face him. “This is my wife.”

             
Amos gave a wheezing laugh. “You got hitched? It won’t do any good against our bet. I’ll still own your land when the year is gone
, unless you want to up our wager
.”

             
Charity whirled. Her face paled. “You’re a gambling man?”

###

             
Her worst fear stared her in the face
, then her new husband turned away, guilt marring his features
.
Seemed the man was more full of secrets than
a politician’s mistress.

Glancing around the group, she noted the curious faces o
f
the children. Her heart wrenched. How could she protect them from
the childhood she’d suffered
? She sagged against the wagon.
She
could annul immediately, but she’d married Gabe knowing they’d
part
in a year. How could she go back on her word now?
There was no way, in good conscience, she could leave the children to the same circumstances surrounding her own childhood.

             
Her gaze met Gabe’s for a second before she turned away. She
’d
thought there might be something between them when he’d helped her from the wagon and his hands lingered at her waist.
But t
here couldn’t be. She wouldn’t go through what her
mama
did before she died.
Da
promised repeatedly to stop gambling, to no avail. Charity vowed not to let the same thing happen to her.

It wasn’t that
Da
didn’t love her, he did. But he’d always told her that her sharp tongue would keep a man from wedding her, no matter how comely
her
face. That’d been the case until Virginia City. Then every mongrel within sight had come knocking. Now, she f
ound
a man she could enjoy seeing across the breakfast table, and he turns out to be exactly like the others.

             
Taking a deep breath, she straightened. She’d make do for the time agreed upon. While Gabe worked the ranch, she’d take care of his home and children and dig for gold when she could. Somehow, someday, Charity would never have to rely on a man again
and fulfill her
D
a’s wish
of striking gold
at the same time
.

             
“It’s nice to meet you, sir, but I’m afraid we must be getting home.” Charity hoisted her skirts and climbed into the wagon unassisted.
“God’s blessing on you.”

             
Gabe looked taken aback but he didn’t say anything. Instead, he launched himself beside her and headed them out of town.

             
Silence stretched as long as the road in front of them. Meg leaned across the seat and swiveled her head from Charity to Gabe to Charity again. What must be going through the child’s mind?

             
“I need to go to the necessary, Pa.”

             
“Can’
t
you wait
awhile longer
? We’re not even halfway yet.” Gabe frowned.

             
“No. We were at Ma’s place a long time.”

             
Ma? Mercy. Charity had no idea how to be a mother.
She should’ve thought things through a bit more. A gambling husband and two children and her not even married a full day yet. Her stomach threatened again.

             
Gabe stopped the wagon. At this rate, they’d travel all day. “Charity, would you mind taking her into the bushes?”

             
“What?” Charity eyed the thick brush. Any manner of creature could be lurking in there. Give her the open land of Ireland any time. At least
a person
could see what was sneaking up on you.

             
“
I don’t like her going
by herself.”
Gabe’s tone left no room for argument.
“Couldn’t be helped before, but now she’s got you.”