Page 27 of Wellspring
Chapter Sixteen
“THANK YOUfor allowing me to ride into town with you.”Erick sat next to Javier on the buckboard, while Burke rode beside them on his horse, Napoleon.“Svensen assures me that Miss Dawson will have primers she will let me borrow.”
“She lent me one to help teach Michele,” Javier confirmed.“Besides, I’ll appreciate your help loading the groceries, since whatever excuse Ned made to go into town, he’ll spend all his time trying to sweet-talk Miss Hart into stepping out with him.”
“Miss Hart will just have to do without me today,” Burke said from the saddle.“I have actual business with the blacksmith.I am running low on good iron to work with, but does that stop the horses from throwing a shoe or the cowboys from breaking tools?Let me assure you, it does not.And now we’ve got Hoss here getting more of the mustangs ready to sell, and that means even more horseshoes.”
Erick had trained himself not to blush at Burke’s ridiculous nickname.“The devil makes work for idle hands,” he countered instead.
“And he’ll spend five minutes at the blacksmith and the rest distracting Lizzie from filling my order at the mercantile,” Javier added.
“Just for that, Javi, I won’t help you unload when we get back to Wellspring,” Burke said.“Now, spill, Hoss.Where have you and Webster been sneaking off to after dinner every night?Hmm?We can build another cabin, you know.Wellspring is a safe place for anyone who needs it.We don’t judge.”
“I will steal your hammer and hide it where you will never find it,” Erick threatened.He wasn’t ashamed of the time he spent tutoring Cade, but he didn’t want to open him up to Burke’s mockery.And if he spent too many nights in his bunk after their sessions imagining just the kind of thing Burke was implying, imagining what Cade’s muscles would feel like under his palms, what his skin would taste like under his lips, it was no one’s business but his own.
“He’s helping Cade learn to read and write, like I am with Michele,” Javier said.“Not everyone had the chance for an education the way we did, Ned.”
“Uh-huh, Javi,” Burke drawled.“Reading and writing is exactly what you’re doing, all those evenings alone in your cabin with no one around to see.”
“I will beat you with your hammer after Erick steals it if you don’t show Michele the respect she deserves,” Javier growled, his body tensed and eyes flashing.Erick had never seen such a reaction from the generally mild-mannered cook, but he was pleased that Javier’s feelings for Michele seemed genuine.Once he had gotten past the jealousy he now believed was unfounded, Erick had grown to like and admire Cade’s friend for her honesty and capability.
“And that assumes Cade does not, how did he put it?Shoot your ass full of arrows?”Erick said.
“I was joking,” Burke wheedled, although Erick was not so sure it had been a joke until Javier had not taken it as one.“You both need to lighten up a little.This is what happens when you don’t get your needs satisfied regularly.And you can’t even tell me there aren’t any interested partners around now since you’re seeing Chel—and since Wolfie drools every time he looks at you, Hoss.”
“I’m sure Lizzie would be happy to know your only interest in her is to get your needs satisfied,” Javier countered.It seemed he wasn’t quite ready to forgive Burke yet.Erick wasn’t either, though he’d learned quickly enough to discount the majority of Burke’s remarks.While he’d noticed Cade smiling at him more often, there was certainly no “drooling.”Their responsibilities kept them from seeing much of each other except at mealtimes and their evening lessons, but those moments of having Cade all to himself were the highlight of Erick’s day.He was not at all surprised that Cade was proving to be an excellent student.It warmed Erick’s heart every time Cade recited the alphabet or succeeded in spelling out a new word.As much as the evenings meant to Erick, as much as Cade seemed to appreciate them, he couldn’t risk letting himself hope they meant more to Cade than the chance to practice his letters.
Deciding it would be better to defuse the tension if he could, Erick turned to Javier.“Who else should I know in town?Miss Dawson, of course, and Miss Hart.And I believe Cade mentioned Miss Dawson has a sister.But I am sure they are not the only people in town whose acquaintance I should make.”
“Well, there’s James Murphy, the blacksmith, though everyone just calls him Jock.And Doc Lillard—he’s also the undertaker when needed.Bobby Meier and his brothers, Billy and Tommy, run the only drinking establishment in town, the Lone Star—the only place to get a meal too, if you’re satisfied with fried eggs and bacon, and they have a few rooms upstairs they hire out if anyone needs to sleep off a drunk.Robert Graff runs the sawmill.The ranch gets all their lumber from him.And of course there’s the sheriff, Randall Lutz.”If Erick hadn’t already heard Cade’s opinion of the lawman, the way Javier spat out his name told its own tale.“Oh, and Reverend Smithson, if you’re the religious sort.”
Erick wasn’t, particularly, but he also understood the importance of seeing and being seen at Sunday services.He would attend with the other cowboys if they went but would not insist on it if they did not.“I will endeavor to remember everyone’s names.And I believe I shall reserve my dining for back at the ranch.Your cooking far outstrips fried eggs and bacon.”
It was clearly the right thing to say, because Javier’s fists unclenched slowly as they talked.
“There’s no bank in town,” Burke added.“You have to go to Austin for that, but Lizzie has a locked room in the back of the mercantile that people use to store things sometimes.”
“And if you need to send mail or a telegraph, you have to deal with Henry Tatum in the sheriff’s office.”Javier didn’t seem to think much of that idea, so it was fortunate Erick didn’t anticipate having need of either.The last thing he wanted was for anyone in Prussia to track him down in America.Given how remote Wellspring was, Erick had few worries now that it could happen.
The first straggling buildings of the town came into view as they talked.Neither Galveston nor Austin had compared to the European cities Erick was accustomed to—not that he missed their grime and overcrowding—but Eldorado would scarcely qualify as a village.There were perhaps a dozen structures along the intersecting main streets.He could pick out the smithy by the paddock with several horses inside, what he presumed was the saloon by the larger number of horses tethered outside, and the tiny church by its steeple.Wooden signs identified others as they passed.Javier drew the buckboard to a halt in front of the building that proclaimed itself “E.Hart Mercantile,” while Burke continued on to the blacksmith down the street.
Javier hopped down from the buckboard, so Erick did the same and followed him inside.A woman in a simple dress stood at the counter inside, but the simplicity of her attire aside, she would not have been out of place in any of the salons in Europe with her poise and commanding demeanor.“Javier,” she said with a smile.“You’ve brought someone I don’t know with you today.”
“Lizzie,” Javier tipped his hat as he returned her smile.“This is Erick Heller, Wellspring’s newest cowboy.Erick, Miss Elizabeth Hart.”
It gave Erick a thrill every time someone referred to him as a cowboy, even though he still felt like a greenhorn.He removed his hat and bowed.“It is a pleasure, Miss Hart.”
“Vielen Dank, Herr Heller,” she replied with a smile, confirming Erick’s guess that she was a woman of culture.“I thought I heard a hint of Prussian in your voice.”He wondered what had led to her running a mercantile in a tiny Texas town, and hoped he would have the chance to know her better.“Oh, please tell me he’s setting a good example for Ned, Javier.”
“Whether Ned will profit from his example is another question entirely,” Javier replied.“Here’s our list for the week, Lizzie.”
“If you have any carrots, I would like to purchase several pounds worth,” Erick added.At Javier’s questioning glance, he explained, “They are treats for the horses.I find rewards much more effective than switches, and I would not take from the provisions you need for meals.”
“If you’re using them for training, they’ll go on the ranch account.I’ll square it with Payne,” Javier said.
“I have some I was afraid I would have to throw out, but they will still be fine for the horses,” Miss Hart replied.“And I wish more men shared your opinion on rewards and switches.The world would be a much more peaceful place if they did.”
“Thank you.And then do you know where I might find Miss Dawson?I am hoping to borrow some books from her,” Erick said.
