A Fortune for the Outlaw's Daughter

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.”

“You can’t leave her here,” Cole insisted.

“I have to. I’ve financed her expedition—for a ten-percent profit.” Trig’s laughter chased a flock of floating gulls into the air. “That girl has gumption and guts. And knows what she’s talking about. She knows more about gold mining than ninety percent of the people attempting to strike it rich up here right now, maybe ninety-nine percent. You want money to rebuild DuMont Shipping, and so do I. So I hired her to find it.”

“You what?”

“I figure your idea is a good one. I make good money sailing, but it’ll take years to earn enough to build the warehouses back to their glory. Gold, though, a good solid find, could have things back to what they were in no time.”

Fury flared inside Cole. “Traitor.” Finding gold was his plan, his way of making things right with the family and his mother.

“I’m not telling you to partner up with her,” Trig said. “I’m sure I’ll find someone else. Probably have plenty of takers.”

“No, you won’t,” Cole snapped. The thought of Maddie pairing up with someone else was worse than that of having her by his side. And the idea of not being the one to find the money his family needed sparked flames in his guts.

Trig laughed as if Cole hadn’t spoken. “She drove a hard bargain. I was lucky she finally settled on ten percent. Almost had me over the barrel at eight.”

Anger had Cole at a loss for words. “You can’t do this,” he muttered.

“Yes, I can,” Trig said. “And I did.”

* * *

Less than a week later, when the Mary Jane headed downriver to the Bering Sea and, ultimately, to the Pacific Ocean, Cole left Dabbler, taking a well-worn path heading northeast and leading two pack mules.

Behind him, Maddie led two others.

Chapter Four

Maddie would never, ever, let Lucky know just how badly he’d hurt her. For one, it didn’t make sense. No one, other than Smitty, had ever wanted her, and she didn’t expect people to start now. For two, if she did admit he’d hurt her, she’d open herself up to more hurting. She’d had enough of that in her life. All that really mattered was that she was here, on her way to the richest goldfields in the world. The talk in Dabbler, from miners, town folks and new arrivals, all said it was so, and she believed it.

Her wandering gaze, taking in the mountains they had to trek, the mud covering the trail, the tall pines and spruces, settled on the man in front of her. He was lucky, all right. Lucky she was with him. Especially after the things he’d said. She’d tell him that, too.

Someday.

Right now, they weren’t talking. They weren’t even looking at each other, which was fine with her. She was completely capable of trekking through the mountains without him, and took every opportunity to show him that. From the first night they’d set out, she ignored his offer to share a fire. Instead, she built her own, several yards away from his, and set up her own tent, too.

In fact, if not for the deal she made with Trig, she might have already ventured out on her own. She wouldn’t, though, not with an additional 40 percent of her gold hanging on the line. That was what it would cost her if she left Cole high and dry. Fifty percent of her findings would go to Trig if Lucky wasn’t at her side when they left the goldfields, but only 10 percent would go to Trig if they were together.

They’d be together, all right. Even if it meant she shackled him to her. Lucky, of course, didn’t know that part of the deal. Trig said it would be better that way, and she believed him.

That first night, her feet had throbbed from her new boots and her arms were rubbery after pulling on the stubborn mules all day, but she wasn’t about to let Lucky know that. She’d thought about just bedding down on the ground, but seeing him set up a tent had forced her to set up hers, too.

The days that followed were long; not just in the miles they walked but in how the sun barely left the sky before it rose again. One of the books she’d read said there’d be days when the sun never set. She hadn’t quite believed that, but did now, and found it frustrating. A person needs darkness. Not only to rejuvenate, but to think. She did her best planning, her best dreaming, while lying awake at night. But when it was light out, her eyes didn’t want to close, and that kept her mind busy.

It was midday, on their fourth day on the trail, when they had to stop to let the mules rest after a particularly steep section. She yawned while settling onto a rock to rest her own feet.

“Having a hard time sleeping at night?”

Surprised Lucky had spoken, she glanced up. They’d been civil to one another since leaving Dabbler, but since the day they’d docked they’d barely shared words, nothing like they had while on the boat. Not so sure she was ready to talk to him now, Maddie reached down and checked the laces of her boots.

“It’s easier when its dark, isn’t it?”

The urge to know if her voice still worked was too strong to ignore. “You must be used to it, considering you manned the helm at night and slept during the day.”

“That didn’t make it any easier. I can’t say I liked it, either.” He pointed toward the trail. “I’m going to scout up around the bend, see if there’s a place to set camp.”

“Why? It’s early yet.”

“I know,” he said. “But the mules are exhausted. We can’t chance losing one.”

Maddie didn’t say a word as he headed up the trail. Holding a grudge made her insides feel all dark and cloudy. Always had. She’d learned that years ago. Trouble was, when she’d let go of her grudges, mainly those against her father, he’d always reciprocated with another act that left her more vulnerable than the one before.

The deal she’d made with Trig already had her vulnerable enough. She’d attempted to bargain with the percentage, but he’d held strong. Her instincts said there was more behind Trig’s doggedness than he let on, for Lucky certainly could take care of himself, but nonetheless, she’d agreed. In part because she didn’t want to be alone. Serious gold mining took two people.

She was still in the midst of pondering things when Lucky reappeared. His solemn gaze had her rising to her feet.

“It doesn’t get any better around the bend,” he said. “But there is a small space someone else used as a camp. We’ll spend the night there, let the mules get a good rest and start off again tomorrow.”

The short reprieve had refueled her energy, but she respected his judgment, especially when it came to the animals. “Is there water?” she asked.

“Yes, and grass.”

She moved to check her packs, as Lucky did, making sure everything was still secure, and then gathered her lead mule’s rope.

“Ready?” Lucky asked.

“Yes.”

“It’s not far,” he assured her.

It wasn’t far, but the area was little more than an indention in the side of the hill with a tiny pool of water and small patch of grass. She was staking down her mules when Lucky walked over.

“There’s not enough room for two tents. We can share mine.”

“I don’t need a tent,” she said, focusing on driving the wooden stake farther into the hard ground.

Lucky took the hammer from her hand and finished the job. “It’s cold up here, Maddie. We need the shelter of a tent if we don’t want to freeze.”

“Sharing a tent wouldn’t be proper.”

“Proper? We’ve shared a cabin for months.”

She opened her mouth to tell him that wasn’t the same, but he was faster.

“Don’t you think it’s time we called a truce?” Lucky asked. “What’s done is done. There’s no sense dwelling on it.”

“I wasn’t the one dwelling on it,” she insisted.

“You weren’t?” he asked. “You’ve barely spoken since we left Dabbler.”

She took the hammer from his hand and tied it to the pack. “Because you’ve barely spoken.”

Lucky was right behind her and took her shoulders to spin her around to face him. “I know,” he said. “And I don’t like it. Can we call a truce?” A grin formed on his lips before he asked, “Please?”

Though she tried, the smile forming on her lips was too strong to hide. There was something about him that made her feel all light and airy, especially when he grinned. And no one had ever said please to her before, not like that. “All right.”

“Good.” His hands slid off her arms. “How about I get a fire going and then you can cook supper while I put up the tent?”

In an attempt to ignore all the silly things happening inside her, Maddie asked, “Is that the only reason you wanted a truce? So I’d cook for you?”

“No,” he said. “I’ll cook while you put up the tent if you want.”

The twinkle in his eyes tickled her, and that made staying mad impossible. “I smelled the beans you burned last night. I’ll cook.”

“That’s my girl,” he said while touching the tip of her nose with one finger. “I knew you were still in there.”

She frowned, wondering exactly what he meant. He certainly made her think a lot. About many things. He had her feeling things, too. Silly and odd things.

With the afternoon ahead of her, Maddie made a stew out of jerky and rice for supper, and after setting it to cook in the heavy lidded pot, she took advantage of the water trickling down the mountainside and pooling near the base before flowing out along a miniature stream. She heated several pots full and washed her clothes, as well as the spare shirt Lucky dug out of his bag when she asked. She laid everything out on the rocks to dry and couldn’t help but think of those women back on the Mary Jane.