скачать книгу бесплатно
His gaze went to the open water ahead of them, even while he said, “Don’t be saying that too loud, darling. Those women below would still like to toss you overboard.”
The moon was out again, big and bright, and a swirl of frustration rose inside her like smoke leaving a fire to disappear into the air. “I know.”
Sounds from the ship, creaks and thuds, the splash of water and other subtle, unidentifiable noises, filled the quiet void as he stared forward, and Maddie, unable to hold it, let out a long sigh.
“One of them say something to you?” he asked.
“Yes.” More than one. Every time one of the women noticed her they hissed a slur of some kind or another.
“What?”
“Nothing of importance,” she answered.
“What did you say in return?”
“Nothing. I just walked away.”
He nodded before he said, “You best head back to the cabin. The temperature is dropping. I predict we’ll see rain in a few more minutes.”
Maddie, full of questions, wanted to protest, but her good sense prevailed. She’d have to be cautious where Lucky was concerned. “Good night.”
“Night,” he responded without glancing her way.
She made her way back to the cabin. Even though they hadn’t said more than a few words, she still felt hope rising inside her.
Maddie held on to that hope, and each night, long after the boat settled into the quiet darkness, she’d venture out to the wheel after using the facilities at the back of the boat. Though Lucky never appeared happy to see her, he didn’t appear surprised or angered, either, and her hope continued to grow. More so when several days later, Captain Trig said he was pleased to see she and Lucky were on speaking terms again. He said the women below had noticed their late-night meetings and no longer doubted the marriage ruse as much.
One night, while standing near the wheel, she said, “Tell me about Alaska, Lucky. Please.”
“Alaska or gold?” he asked a few moments later.
“Both.”
“You have gold fever, darling.”
Though she’d hated it before, she didn’t mind when he called her darling. It suggested his anger might be diminishing. He’d make a good partner, considering all he knew from the many books he owned. With all Smitty had taught her, the two of them could find a lot of gold together. They’d have to have separate claims, of course. She’d meant what she’d said. Her days of sharing—certain things anyway—were over. He was right, though; she did have gold fever.
“I’ve had it for years,” she answered. “How long have you had it?”
“Who says I have it?”
“Me. I know it when I see it.” In truth she wasn’t sure he had the fever. She’d seen men with gold fever and Lucky wasn’t like that. Those men had been dangerous, full of desperation and more often than not, full of whiskey.
Lucky was so quiet she couldn’t even hear him breathing, leaving her to wonder if he was still mad and wasn’t about to share anything with her. Then, gazing over the water, he started, “It’s an amazing place. Alaska. Last year we sailed up the Yukon River to Dabbler. There’s only a few months out of the year that can happen, but when the waterway is open, a sailor can make a fortune. That’s what Uncle Trig is counting on. The hull, the part not full of women, is stuffed with cargo the miners need. Mainly foodstuff they can’t get. Raisins and—”
“Raisins?”
“Yes. Miners claim raisins are all they need to survive. It’s not true, of course. No one can live off just raisins, but they are easy to haul and they’re paying top dollar a pound.”
“Is a boat the only way to get to Dabbler?” she asked, not overly interested in the cargo—raisins or women.
“No, there are trails, but they’re long and dangerous. Sailing in is the rich man’s way. Trig could have made a lot of money taking on passengers, but he doesn’t like hauling people. They’re more work than cargo, and the Mary Jane isn’t equipped for it.”
She’d heard that much. Trig wasn’t impressed with Robbie for agreeing to haul the women, and she’d learned the large woman in the hull had paid a small fortune for herself and her girls to sail on the Mary Jane.
“I plan on going northeast of Dabbler,” Lucky said, “farther into the Klondike. That’s where the gold is.”
Maddie’s heart leaped inside her chest. “How do you know? Have you seen it?”
“Yes. Last year we hauled gold back to Seattle,” he answered. “The purest, richest gold Trig had ever seen. An old friend of his, Whiskey Jack, brought it in, knowing he could trust Trig to get the best price. Knew he could trust me, too, and gave me a map.”
Her heart hammered so hard she could barely breathe.
“It’s not in my cabin,” he said, turning back to gaze over the water.
Slightly flustered, yet not enough to quell her excitement, she said, “I wouldn’t steal your map.”
“How do I know? You sneaked on board.”
“Yes, I did, but I had to. I couldn’t stay in Seattle.”
“Not the kind of gal that can be penned up, are you?”
A flutter happened inside, and she determined it was because he was teasing her, not mean like the outlaws used to do, but in a fun way. Grinning, she shook her head.
“Even that cabin’s driving you crazy, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, it is,” she admitted.
“How you gonna survive living in a tent for months on end, then?”
“That’ll be different,” she said. “You know it will.”
He nodded. “I guess I do.”
“How much gold did that man Whiskey Jack find?” she asked.
“Plenty, and he said there’s lots more to be found.”
Maddie’s entire being hummed with excitement.
“Settle down, darling,” Lucky said as if he knew exactly what was happening inside her. “We still have a long way to sail.”
“I know,” she admitted. A warmth filled her then, and she wasn’t sure if it was from the moon shining down on her, or because of the sparkles in Lucky’s eyes. Either way, she’d never experienced anything like it. Not as a child or an adult. She knew one thing, though—with Smitty guiding her and Lucky as her partner, she’d soon have the life she’d always wanted.
* * *
Each night thereafter, when she’d join Lucky on the deck, they would talk about Alaska, gold and a few other things. Some nights, they’d stand by the rail of the boat with the moon shining down on them as they gazed north, talking of all the gold just waiting to be found. When the wind grew chilly, he’d take off his coat and fold it around her shoulders, and Maddie had never felt so protected, so shielded from the elements.
Part of it might have been because she had no worries of Mad Dog finding her, but other parts of it came from inside, a place she’d never really been happy before.
Standing in the dark, whispering, she told Lucky about living with Smitty, how he’d taught her to find gold. What to look for. Lucky told her things, too, about growing up in New Orleans and all the places he’d sailed. She never asked if she could go with him into the Klondike, and he never offered, but Maddie had no doubt it would happen.
Her late-night excursions meant she slept during the day, often curled up on Captain Trig’s bunk, but sometimes, if she was sleeping when Lucky entered their cabin, he wouldn’t wake her, just go into the captain’s cabin himself. Guilt rolled in her stomach on those days, and she tried to make sure it didn’t happen often.
It was a long trip, and one particular day, Captain Trig entered his cabin and sat down in the chair. “So you’ve mined gold before?”
“Most of my life.” She’d already told him about mining with Smitty, and figured he was going to try to talk her into sailing south with him again, probably back to Mrs. Smother.
Scratching his chin, he said, “Well, then, I’ve got a proposition for you.”
Maddie’s mind raced with excitement. “What’s that?”
“Well,” he started, “seeing how you’re so dead set on staying in Alaska, and Lucky needs to find gold...”
* * *
Cole had listened to Maddie talk about searching the ground, looking for different shades of dirt, and other things he’d never heard or read about, and all the while a battle formed inside him. He had to find a way to tell her that she wasn’t staying in Alaska. As the Mary Jane floated closer to Dabbler, his thoughts became more twisted. That was how it had been lately. He found himself thinking about her more and more. Which had to stop.
Now.
He was still furious at how she’d sneaked on board and had all those soiled doves thinking the two of them were married. That was how women did things. Sneakily. She was sneaking into other places, too, inside him, and he didn’t like that. Not at all.
Rachel had done that, sneaked inside him, and at one point, had almost made him change his mind. Had she said she’d wait for him, let him try sailing, he might have married her.
That would not happen again.
Yet as he gazed toward the shore, he couldn’t help but admit he was partially to blame for Maddie’s behavior. She’d been so skittish at first, like a lone kitten found in a barn, and he’d used little tidbits to entice her out just as he would have offered little treats to a stray. So in a way, he’d led her to believe there might be a chance he’d let her follow him into the goldfields.
His gaze settled on Dabbler. The town had grown considerably since last year. It now boasted all sorts of establishments, and people. Many of them were probably preparing to head into the Klondike, too, which could very well hamper his chances of finding gold.
It wouldn’t hamper Maddie, though. She’d convinced him she knew what she was talking about, and her determination wouldn’t let up until she found gold. Yet the Klondike was no place for a woman, and there was less room now than ever for a woman in his life. His family was counting on him. That was what he needed to focus on.
“There sure are a lot of boats.”
Despite the war going on inside him, Cole had to smile. Leave it to Maddie to refer to the array of the ocean liners as boats. The traffic on the waterway had grown steadily in the past few days, but he, too, was surprised by the line waiting to dock. “Yes, there are,” he said.
It was early morning, no one else on the Mary Jane had stirred, and though it had only been a few hours since he’d told Maddie to go get some rest, she was back and dressed for the day. Lovely, too. He’d come to accept that, as well. The ladies below, flashing their goods and batting their lashes—which had gotten old before any iota of interest could have formed—had made Maddie all the more pretty. And vulnerable. The men in Dabbler would attack her like sharks.
Leaving the rail, Cole walked back to the helm, though no attention was needed, anchored as they were.
She followed, as he knew she would. “I’m so excited, I could swim to shore.”
“I wouldn’t advise that,” he cautioned. “You’d freeze to death before you got ten feet from the boat.”
“I’m not going to do it,” she said somewhat saucily. “I’m not stupid.”
Air snagged in Cole’s chest as he dragged in a breath. “I know you’re not stupid, Maddie.” Gesturing toward the queue of ships, he said, “Most of these are passenger vessels. Hundreds of people, thousands actually, will debark here.”
“All hoping to find gold,” she answered while nodding.
He nodded in return before he said, “It’s going to be dangerous, Maddie. No place for a woman.”
Her face fell. So did his insides.
“I’m not going south with Trig,” she said. Folding her arms, her gaze was expectant when she looked up at him. “I’ve suspected you were going to suggest that.”
“Alaska’s no place for you, Maddie. Go south with Trig. He’ll find you—”
“Lucky...”
When she said his name like she did—all soft and wistfully—it almost took his breath away, and irritated him to no end.
She grabbed hold of his coat sleeve. “Haven’t you learned anything about me in all this time we’ve been traveling?”
He pulled from her hold to grab her arms. “Yes, I have. That you’re a pain in my backside.” It was true. He thought of her all the time, and that was painful. The other truth was, if she’d been a man, he’d have already asked her to pair up with him.
Her mouth gaped, and his insides stung. He did know her, and simply telling her she couldn’t go with him wouldn’t work. She was far too stubborn for that. He had to show her she wasn’t wanted. “That’s right. A royal pain in the butt. I’m going to be busy, Maddie. I won’t have time to worry about you.” He didn’t want to worry about her. Not now. Not ever. With one hand he gestured to the mountain ridge beyond the town. “You see those mountains? I’ve got to cross them. You’d be like a weight around my neck, making the trek that much harder, that much longer.”
She wobbled and he let her go, and told himself not to catch her as she stumbled backward. Any other woman would be shedding tears, but Maddie wasn’t prone to crying, or letting her emotions show. She wasn’t whiny or constantly complaining, either, and for a moment he wished she was. All this would be a lot easier, then. Walking away from Rachel sure had been.
Maddie’s eyes grew cold, bitter, and her chin came up. “I’ll never be a weight someone has to carry. Not for you or anyone else.”
He had one stab left, and he had to seal the deal. “What do you think you’ve been all this time?” he asked. “A paying passenger? No, you’ve been a lie I’ve had to cover up since the first night we set sail. A burden I don’t need or want.”
Her lips puckered and her nostrils flared, yet her chin never quivered as she spun around and stomped across the deck.
Sickened, for he didn’t like hurting her, Cole sent his gaze back to the line of ships ahead of them. He couldn’t say he liked who he was lately. Maddie had changed something inside him, and it wasn’t any good. Just as he’d known it wouldn’t be. When a man lets a woman into his life, everything changes. He’d sworn that would never happen to him, and it wouldn’t. Yet, it left him feeling as if he’d eaten a bucket of crab apples.
* * *
“So you told Maddie she can’t go with you, did you?”
Cole didn’t glance at his uncle, who’d appeared at his side. “The Klondike’s no place for a woman.”
“And that is?” Trig asked, obviously talking about Dabbler.
They were close enough to see how misshapen tents and crudely slapped-together buildings covered acres upon acres of land along the shoreline. “No, it’s not,” Cole said. “That’s why she needs to sail out with you.”
“She won’t,” Trig insisted gruffly. “I asked, but even then I knew the answer. That girl wants gold worse than you do. That’s why I said I’d finance her.”
A shiver shot up Cole’s spine. “What?”
Trig’s grin looked crustier than ever, as if he was as pleased as a pauper sitting in a king’s chair. “I know a good investment when I see it.”
“You’re a fool,” Cole said.
“Maybe, but I don’t think so.”
