Prologue

Carson City

1860

Maddie opened her eyes at the sound of a crash downstairs. She groaned and covered her head with the blankets. Her father and brother were up and getting ready for work. Why did they have to be so loud?

She didn’t want to get up right now. She hated getting up when the sun was barely above the horizon, before the even cockerel at the nearby farm was awake to decide that everyone else should be as well. Maddie didn’t like being disturbed from her sleep at all, especially when she got the opportunity to have the bed to herself. Despite their ages, she and her brother Peter shared a bed in the only bedroom, while their parents slept on a bed in front of the living room fireplace.

Peter was at least good at getting out of the room quietly, but not so good at anything else. Their father was the same; Oscar Avery was oblivious to the noise he made.

The door opened with a creak, and Peter stuck his tousled head into the room. He smiled.

“Oh, you’re awake.”

Maddie glared at him.

“How could I not be?” she muttered.

Peter grinned and tiptoed into the room. He was already dressed, ready to head over to the mines. He’d been working there for the last two years, coming back covered in dust and smelling of soil and stone. Maddie wished he would bathe a bit more than he already was; she was used to stone dust in the house, but she didn’t care for the smell.

Her brother sat on the edge of the bed and pressed his hands suddenly to her face. Maddie gasped and squirmed.

“Your hands are cold!”

“I know. Anyway, Mother wants you to get up. You’ve got things to do, haven’t you?”

“Like what?”

“Like going to school, helping out with the chores. I think you said you would chop the wood today as well…”

Maddie groaned.

“I don’t want to go to school,” she complained. “It’s boring.”

“Well, it’s good for you.”

“You stopped going to school. Why can’t I?”

Peter sighed and shook his head, his expression saying he didn’t want to go over this again. Maddie knew that her brother wanted to keep going to school – he’d enjoyed the lessons, much to her bemusement – but they needed the money, and so off he’d gone to help Father in the mines.

“Because Mother wants you to have a proper education.”

“Well, I don’t!” Maddie muttered.

“You’ll be able to get a better-paying job.” He wrinkled his nose. “You won’t end up down the mines like me and Pa. You can be all refined, be a teacher or governess.”

Maddie couldn’t help but giggle at that.

“Can you really see me in charge of a lot of children?” she asked.

“Okay, maybe that’s not a good idea. But you’ll get better opportunities, and that’s what Mother wants.”

“Why can’t I have what I want?” she whined.

“You don’t even know what you want.” Peter gave her an affectionate smile and leaned over to kiss her head. “Anyway, I need to go, and you need to get up. Why don’t you start working on that story you’ve been writing for a while? I’m sure you’ve got some ideas now.”

Maddie would rather do that than go to school. The lessons were too easy for her, and they mostly seemed catered to the younger students. She found herself falling asleep a lot of the time, which had caused her to get into trouble. It wasn’t fair; she wanted to get out of the house and do something for herself, just like her brother.

“Right, I’d better get going,” Peter said, standing up and heading to the door. “Have fun at school!”

Maddie yawned loudly.

“Love you, too.”

She closed her eyes, sinking back into the warm spot in the bed. A few more minutes wouldn’t hurt, and then she’d get up and do some writing before breakfast.

It felt like only seconds later that the blankets were suddenly tugged from her body, leaving her cold and exposed. Maddie gasped and rolled over to see her mother, eyes twinkling, standing at the edge of the bed with the blankets in her hands.

“Come on, silly girl. You’ve got to get up.”

“But…”

“Don’t argue. You’ve got to go to school.” Ma shook her head. “I swear you’re the laziest one in this family.”

“That’s not fair!” Indignant, Maddie sat up. “I’m not lazy!”

Then she saw the knowing smile on Ma’s face, which made her groan. She didn’t like how easy it was to annoy her, and her family knew it. Ma leaned over and quickly kissed her head.

“Let’s get you up and moving.”

“But the schoolhouse is only across the street,” Maddie pointed out. “I’ve got plenty of time.”

“It’s eight-fifteen! You’ve got fifteen minutes before you’re due into school. I don’t know how you slept through me coming in three times before now, but you did.”

Maddie started. Had it been three hours already? Trying not to panic, she scrambled out of bed and began looking around for her clothes. Sighing, Ma headed toward the door.

“I’ll get something for you to eat. Just get dressed and get your books together.”

Maddie didn’t answer, fumbling with her clothes as she tried to get them on without getting herself mixed up and tearing something.

She hoped she wasn’t going to get into trouble for being late. The other children weren’t particularly kind and loved to mock others who got into trouble.

She hurried into the kitchen, grabbing the hunk of bread and cheese Ma had left out for her. As she munched her way through the food, Maddie caught sight of herself in the smudged mirror in the corner. Her dark hair was a mess, sticking up on one side. She even had creases on her cheeks, lining her skin under her hazel eyes. Where was her hairbrush when she needed it?

“You look like you’ve been sleeping in a hedge,” Ma commented with a smile. “You need to look more presentable.”

Maddie stuck her tongue out at her.

“Charming. Twelve years old, and you act like a toddler.”

“That’s not fair!”

Laughing, Ma shooed her toward the bedroom.

“Go on, off you go. Don’t forget your books, and find your hairbrush!”

Maddie groaned, hurrying into her room and searching under the bed, where she found said hairbrush. Why did it always end up there? She was dragging it through the knots, the tugging on her scalp making her wince, when she heard Ma answering the door. She could hear a muttering of voices, and then her mother gasped. Curiosity getting the better of her, Maddie put her brush aside and headed to the door. Ma was standing with Andres, one of the workers from the mine. He was covered in dust and looked uncomfortable.

Immediately, Maddie wondered if something had happened to Pa and Peter. Had one of them fallen ill? But they would’ve come home without an escort. And there was no sign of either of them.

“Ma?”

She turned, her eyes widening when she saw Maddie. She looked pale, like she was going to faint.

“There’s been an accident,” she whispered.

“What?”

“Up at the mine. A shaft has collapsed, and people have been trapped.”

Maddie’s stomach dropped. If someone from the mine had come to let them know, that meant…

“Maddie, I need you to go to school,” Ma said gently. “I’ll go up to the mines…”

“I’m not going to school!” Maddie cried. “I’m going to the mines as well.”

“Maddie…”

But she’d already run out of the house, ducking underneath her mother’s arm and swatting the man on the hand with her hairbrush as he reached for her. She wasn’t about to be deterred, not when her family might be in danger.

It was a half-mile journey to the mines, and Maddie’s lungs were burning by the time she arrived despite the chill in the air. She couldn’t stop; she needed to know that her father and brother were safe and well. She couldn’t do anything else until she knew where they were.

She wasn’t the only one concerned, either. There were several other families there, already gathered and searching for their loved ones. Maddie darted through the crowd, trying to find her father and brother, but there was no sign of them.

She began to panic. Did that mean people were dead? Were her father and brother…?

No, she didn’t want to think like that. It was going to crush her. Pa was a good man who loved his family dearly and would do anything for them. And Peter was her favorite person in the world. Her protector and, practically, her only friend. Maddie felt as if she was understood when she was with him, and he was patient with her. Nobody else could do that with her. Their bond was strong and special.

He couldn’t be dead. He couldn’t be.

“Maddie! Where are you? Maddie!”

She didn’t acknowledge whoever was shouting her name and kept running through the panicked crowds, getting bumped into and almost knocked over. She was elbowed in the face, and someone shoved her as they raced desperately in the other direction, but she couldn’t let that stop her. She just had to keep moving. This was all like a strange dream; she was moving, but she wasn’t getting anywhere.

“Pa!” she screamed. “Peter! Where are you?”

“Maddie!”

Someone grabbed her arm, and Maddie screamed as she was swung around. That was when she saw the large, bald-headed figure of Darren Granger towering over her, his hands gripping her shoulders.

“Let me go!” She struggled. “I’ve got to find Pa! He’s here somewhere!”

“Maddie…”

“Please, Mr. Granger! Let me go!”

Then Maddie saw the look on his face. Darren Granger was not someone who was easily scared or disturbed, so to see the normally kindly foreman looking so scared was concerning. Maddie felt a chill down her spine, and she began to shake.

“Mr. Granger? What’s happened? Where’s Pa?”

“Maddie, I think you should come with me, and we’ll wait for your mother.”

“No! Where’s Pa?” Maddie clutched at his wrists. “Please?”

Mr. Granger looked uncomfortable, as if he was battling with himself. Then he nodded and beckoned her to follow him. Holding his hand so they didn’t get separated in the crowd, Maddie felt her heart pounding so fast she grew lightheaded. This didn’t mean anything. It was a scary time for everyone, and that’s why she was panicking. Pa and Peter were fine.

Weren’t they?

Mr. Granger reached the edge of the crowd and stopped, Maddie practically bumping into him. She looked around him, and her heart dropped to her boots.

There were a dozen bodies laid out, lined up next to each other. They looked as if they were sleeping, still with their eyes closed. But then Maddie saw the blood through the grime and dust. The obvious broken leg, the broken arms, and the blood over the head. Their clothes were ripped and looked like they were barely hanging on.

She wanted to be sick. This couldn’t be real, could it? Why was Mr. Granger showing her this?

“Come away, Maddie…” Mr. Granger tried to steer her away, but Maddie pulled back.

“I want to see!”

“It’s best that you…”

Maddie twisted and bucked as hard as she could, and then Mr. Granger’s grip loosened on her. She ducked under his arm and ran toward the scene.

“Where…?”

Then Maddie saw something that made her feel like she’d been slapped. Father was lying at the end of the row, his head covered in blood and a gash in his chest. Unlike everyone else, his eyes were open, his mouth slightly open as he stared at nothing. Maddie felt the bile rising, shock and denial warring with each other. He couldn’t be dead, could he? This was just her mind playing tricks on her.

But the body beside him was the one that made her wail in horror, with its eyes closed and head lolled to one side.

It was Peter.

“They were at the bottom of the shaft,” Mr. Granger said, his voice grim and his expression tense as he gripped her hand tightly. “They were crushed by the weight.”

“They…they’re not…”

“I’m sorry, Maddie.” He swallowed. “I wish you didn’t have to see this.”

Maddie stared at the bodies of her father and brother. This couldn’t be happening. How was it possible? They weren’t dead.

But they weren’t moving. They didn’t move even as Maddie stepped toward them and nudged them with her foot.

They dead.

“Maddie?”

She heard her mother’s voice as if from a dream, and then heard her gasp a moment later. That was what broke the dam for Maddie. She burst into tears, falling to her knees between the bodies of her father and brother, leaning over and hugging Peter, waiting for him to hug her back and say it was a joke. But he didn’t, and she was left hugging a cold, heavy body that felt stiff in her arms.

“Maddie.” Mr. Granger tried to lift her up. “You need to come with me.”

“No!” Maddie shook him off. “I’m not going anywhere.”

“But…”

“NO! I’m not leaving them!”

She couldn’t walk away, not now. Her only friend, her one true companion, was gone—and nothing would ever be the same again.

Chapter One

Copper Hollow

1871

When Nolan finally arrived home, he was exhausted and relieved. His clothes stuck to his body, and his face was hot. He’d been busy all day, even before the sun came up, and he was looking forward to having something hot to eat before he sat down in front of the fire to warm up.

Then he remembered who was making the evening meal and groaned. Elias meant well, but he wasn’t very good at cooking. He claimed that he just needed to do it more to improve his cooking skills, but to Nolan, it felt as if things were only getting worse. He would try himself, but Elias was adamant about learning and doing it better.

At least he was keen. He couldn’t accuse him of not trying.

He was extremely trying, though.

Maybe he should cook today. He was starving and would eat anything right now. He’d been tackling cattle all day, and they were exhausting. Cattle were not a naturally obedient animal, so it wasn’t easy to keep things going. It was surprising that there hadn’t been a stampede yet. Nolan liked to think that he was always getting better, even after doing it for several years.

It felt good knowing that he had something of his own, something that hadn’t been taken from him.

Not yet, anyway.

Taking off his Stetson and coat, Nolan hung them up in the hallway and headed through the house into the kitchen. Then he stopped in the doorway and stared in horror at the sight before him. There were plates and bowls everywhere. It was like Elias had used every pot and pan he could get his hands on, leaving everything all over the place and covered in goodness knew what.

It would be interesting to see if they had anything to eat off of later on.

Elias was at the stove, bringing out something Nolan would be hard-pressed to call ‘food’. The slightly portly man looked around and beamed broadly when he saw his friend.

“There ya are! I was startin’ to think you were never going to get back.”

“I was out in the far fields looking after the cattle.” Nolan peered at the crusty state on the tray. “What is that?”

“It’s my newest recipe.” Elias looked very proud as he placed it on the table. “Meat and potato pie. Well, it’s not my recipe. I got it from Clara, who said it was what her mother used when she was younger, and I thought I’d try it out myself. It can’t be that difficult, can it?”

From the look of the pie, Nolan surmised that it was. The crust wasn’t exactly black, but it looked very well done. He would be surprised if he didn’t break his teeth biting into it. Through broken gaps in the crust, he could see a boiling, red and gray slop, wobbling faintly and revealing raw potato wedges and hunks of mystery meat. Nolan recalled how empty the pantry had been before he left for the morning and wondered what on earth his friend had managed to scrounge up for the ingredients.

“Anything with it?” he asked faintly.

“Some vegetables from the garden. They’re just about ready by now, so why don’t you sit down, and I’ll get some pie onto a plate for you?”

Nolan was not feeling hungry anymore, but he was too tired to argue about it.

Even though he knew his stomach was not going to be happy for some days afterward.

Quickly washing his hands in the nearby sink, Nolan sat and tried not to watch as Elias cut slices out of the pie and sloppily put them on the two spare plates that looked almost clean.

“What on earth have you been doing in here?” he asked, looking around.

“I told you. I was making this pie.”

“But you don’t need this much crockery up and lying around, do you? How does someone manage to use every single piece of crockery in the kitchen to make a pie?”

“That wasn’t my fault. I wanted to use the nice plates for dinner, and they were at the bottom of the pile.” Elias brought a saucepan over and began to dish out the vegetables, which were looking very sorry for themselves. “I’ll tidy up once we’ve eaten. I’m starving, and I know you must have worked up a right hunger.”

“Actually, I’m not feeling as hungry as I thought.”

His friend shot him a sharp look.

“Don’t you start that again, Nolan,” he scolded. “I know you’re hungry, and you’ve barely eaten anything in recent weeks. You’re going to be skin and bone soon, and ya won’t have the strength to run this place.”

Nolan pushed his plate away. “My stomach isn’t that big.”

“I know how big your stomach is, and I know you’re starving yourself.” Elias sighed. “I know I ain’t a great cook, but I’m doing my best.”

Nolan didn’t want to get into an argument, especially when he could see his friend was getting upset, and he slumped in his chair. He rubbed his hands over his face.

“I don’t mean to be ungrateful, Elias. It’s been over a year, and I should be used to everything by now.”

“Given I was a cook in the army, I’m surprised you’re not wolfing down my food.”

Nolan didn’t answer that. Elias had been a bad cook even in the army, but he’d done his best.

He couldn’t be cruel to his friend, though. They’d practically been brothers when they were children, and then into the army. But it was afterward, when they’d returned home and found things changed, that Nolan truly saw his friend for the rare soul that he was. Elias Turner was one of the most loyal people to ever walk the face of the earth.

“Maybe we oughta do something about it,” Elias said around a mouthful of pie. “We can’t keep living like this, and now the ranch is getting more business, you’re going to need all the help you can get.”

“You help more than enough, Elias.”

“I know, but I’m also the one looking after the house. I’m the one who does the cooking, and I make sure the house is relatively tidy. I mean, I love you, Nolan, but I ain’t no housewife.”

“Are you wanting a raise or something?” Nolan asked with a sly smile.

Elias didn’t respond to the jab, instead looking innocently at his plate and gently stabbing a piece of meat with his fork.

“I guess I was thinkin’ we should get more people in to help us out.”

Nolan’s hand tightened on the table edge. “No.”

“Now, Nolan…”

“I don’t want that.” Nolan held up a hand as Elias tried to protest. “I don’t like the idea of having strangers on the ranch and stealing from me.”

Elias sighed.

“They’re not going to steal from you. That’s just you wanting to be in control.”

“What’s wrong with that?”

Elias sighed. “Just because someone made off with your inheritance…”

“I’ve spent three years working hard on this place to get it to where it was,” Nolan cut him off.   “I’m not about to let anyone come in and take away what I’ve worked for.” He poked at the measly green beans with his fork. They were hard; Elias had harvested them too soon. Or too late? He didn’t know much about gardening, and neither did Elias. “With the exception of you, of course. I know I can trust you.”

“But what about a woman?” Elias insisted. “We’ve lived long enough without a woman in the house, and that’s what we need.”

Nolan frowned.

“Having a woman working under the same roof…”

“I ain’t talking about that!” Elias stabbed at his vegetables and stuffed them into his mouth. “I mean, you should find yourself a wife and get married.”

Nolan’s fork slipped from his hand, bouncing off the table and onto the floor. He stared at his friend in horror.

“What did you say? You think I should get what?”

“You’re the one who’s got the ranch. That makes you more attractive than myself. And then she could look after the house while you and I work the ranch.”

“Like you’ve said, we’ve managed long enough without a woman…”

“I was saying that we can’t keep living like this, not that we can cope. I’m sure we can, but if we want to keep up with everything and make this ranch even more prosperous, we’re going to need to bring in more people. And finding yourself a wife would be ideal.”

Nolan had his own thoughts on that, and Elias knew them. How could he even this?

Nolan leaned over and snatched up his fork.

“I think you’ve gone mad, Elias.”

“Why?”

He slammed the fork onto the table. “Because you know how I feel about marriage, and I don’t need one. We manage just fine without anyone else.”

Elias snorted and shook his head.

“That was how we thought in the beginning, but you’ve got to open your eyes. You’ve got a good place here that can become great. If you want that, you need me out there with you. And I can’t spend all my time indoors playing housewife.”

Nolan couldn’t help but twitch out a smile.

“I think you suit an apron.”

“This is not funny, Nolan! We’ve gone as far as we can on our own, and we can’t get no further.” Elias pointed at him with his fork. “You’re the more interesting catch, so it should be you who finds a wife. We can look after the ranch, and she can look after the house.”

As much as he hated to admit it, he could see Elias’s point. His friend was more useful outside, looking after the animals, and Nolan needed his backup. The house was not clean or even relatively tidy, and neither of them could cook. They couldn’t keep doing it forever.

Sighing, he munched on the green beans and attempted to swallow them without them getting stuck.

“All right. I’ll look for a wife. But just that. I’m not prepared to get anyone else to work the ranch right now. I still think you and I can cope with everything here.”

Elias held up his hands.

“That’s more than enough. I think we should start in that direction.”

Nolan shook his head. “I don’t know why I’m even agreeing to this. This is just plain foolishness. Finding myself a wife in Copper Hollow. There isn’t anyone here I would consider taking as a wife.”

“What about advertising for one?” Elias suggested.

“Who would want to come here?” he grunted, gesturing at their surroundings. “We’re not exactly living in luxury, out in the middle of nowhere.”

“There’s always going to be someone, as long as you make yourself look attractive in your advertisement, and you follow through on what you promise.”

“Make myself look attractive?”

Elias smiled, finishing the last of his pie.

“You were never that good with words, were you? I still remember you cheatin’ off me in school.”

Nolan shuddered. He hadn’t been keen on school back in Missouri. His mind was sharp, but it got bored easily with academic lessons. He learned with his hands, by going out and doing what was needed. That was how he knew how to run a ranch, just by watching other people, mostly his father.

A pang of sadness hit him in the stomach. He missed his father. He’d been a good man and a better father, always there when Nolan needed him. He’d wanted more for Nolan, a farmer’s son turned rancher who hoped his son would outgrow him, maybe even go to a fancy college and become a lawyer. When Nolan had made his intentions to take over his father’s land clear, his father had swallowed his disappointment and supported him, working extra hard to turn his college fund into a huge inheritance. But now, he was gone, and Nolan didn’t even have his inheritance or even a keepsake to remember the man by.

Everything his father had worked for was gone. Nolan felt tears pricking at his eyes, and he blinked hard. He was not going to cry about this. It was not going to get him anywhere.

“Anyway, you have me. I’m going to help you with it.” Elias snatched Nolan’s untouched plate and started working on his second piece of pie. “I’ll make sure you stand out and look attractive to the ladies.”

Nolan didn’t think he could make anything about him attractive, but he knew this was the best option. If he was to find a wife to help with the ranch, he had to be practical about it and not wait around for it to come to him.

At least this time, he didn’t need love as a prerequisite to marriage. No matter who he married, he would never fall in love again.