just as working in the mines had a way of prematurely aging a man, helping the miners had a way of tearing at a person’s heart. She wanted to love and care for people like this man and his little girl, but her heart felt like it had been wrung out so completely that there was nothing left to give. Surely if she left this place, her heart would finally have room to heal.
“I’ll go put on some tea.” She glanced at the man. “Or would you prefer coffee?”
He stared at her. “Nothing, thank you.”
No, he probably just wanted Father’s money. Some might say it was wrong of her to judge so quickly, but enough miners had come to their home that she no longer had to guess what they wanted.
Annabelle smiled at the girl, pulling on her heart’s last reserves. “Want to come help me in the kitchen? I baked a whole mess of cookies earlier, and if you don’t help me eat them, my father and I are going to have to do it ourselves. You don’t want us to get bellyaches, do you?”
The little girl smiled, which would have been a pretty sight if those baby teeth of hers weren’t almost all rotten. How could a man be so selfish in his pursuit of riches that he’d let this sweet thing have such a rough life? Not her business. As sweet as this little girl was, Annabelle couldn’t let her heart get too involved.
“Can I?” She looked up at her father with such hopeful eyes.
“Annabelle will take good care of her. She has a way with youngsters,” her father said quietly. He, too, had a heart for the children.
The man, Joseph, nodded. Annabelle held out her hand. “Come along now. We’ll get you washed up at the pump, then go inside for some treats.”
The little girl looked at Annabelle’s hand, then took it. “Nugget.”
“I beg your pardon?” Annabelle looked at her.
“My name is Nugget,” the girl said softly.
Annabelle suppressed a sigh. Her father was one of those. So enraptured with the idea of getting rich, he even named his child after the evil silver.
“That’s a nice name.” It wasn’t the girl’s fault. From the way her face lit up at Annabelle’s compliment, she’d probably gotten more than her share of teasing for such a ridiculous name.
Once she helped Nugget wash up, they went into the house.
The little girl looked around, then ran her hands along the lace tablecloth adorning their kitchen table. “This is pretty, like at Miss Betty’s place.”
What had they gotten themselves into? Miss Betty was one of the town’s notorious madams. Her father had helped plenty of women escape that profession. Still, Annabelle had never been inside one of those places, and for a child to know...was simply unfathomable.
How unfair that someone so young had seen the inside of a brothel. Worse, that if something wasn’t done to help her, the little girl probably would end up working there someday. One of the harsh realities Annabelle faced daily.
Which was why Annabelle had to get out of Leadville. Though her father would tell her she should not grow weary of doing good, she was weary. Weary of helping people like this little girl and her father only to have it end badly. Perhaps they helped some people, but these days, all Annabelle could recall were the great losses.
Annabelle put a kettle on the stove for tea, then got out a plate of cookies. “Do you like snickerdoodles? They were my late mother’s favorite recipe.”
“You don’t got no mama, neither?”
Annabelle closed her eyes, trying to push the memories away before looking at Nugget. “She died of a fever last winter.”
Her father’s faith hadn’t done them much good then, either. Their prayers hadn’t worked for her mother, or Susannah, or her brothers Peter, Mark and John, or anyone else for that matter. Half of their congregation had died from the same fever that had killed Catherine Lassiter. Even the two miners she’d worked so hard to nurse back to health. Though the fever hadn’t taken them. No, they’d lived only to find death in a drunken brawl in one of the saloons.
No wonder her heart was so weary.
But bitterness wouldn’t help this child, and she at least could offer the little girl kindness.
Annabelle gave Nugget a small squeeze. “I’m sorry for your loss.”
“My mama had the pox.”
Ears burning, Annabelle forced herself to focus on being compassionate rather than frustrated at a world that would let a little girl like Nugget know about the pox. Times like this, it was difficult to understand why her father chose this life. No matter how many people they helped, they continued to encounter more tragic situations every day.
“You poor thing.” Annabelle wrapped her arms around the girl, knowing that one hug wouldn’t make up for anything. But her heart ached for this child, and she couldn’t help but give what little she had to comfort the girl.
The back door banged open, and Nugget jerked away. Annabelle looked up to see their housekeeper returning from her errands.
“We have a visitor,” Annabelle said.
Maddie looked the little girl up and down, then gave Annabelle a knowing glance. She liked the invasion of her household even less, but the tenderness in her eyes reminded Annabelle that she wasn’t the only one with a soft spot for children.
“How about some tea to go with those cookies?” Annabelle gave Nugget a little pat, then busied herself with fixing the tea. She stole a glance at Nugget, who nibbled at a cookie.
Well, she wasn’t starving. The hungry ones wolfed down the whole plate at once, and Annabelle always felt compelled to send them away with sandwiches. But this little girl...
At least her father kept her fed. Maybe she shouldn’t have judged him when she’d first encountered them. She knew nothing of their story. Once upon a time, Annabelle would have wanted to hear that story and see what she could to do to help. But it seemed like too many of the stories Annabelle participated in only ended in heartache.
The only thing Annabelle could let herself help with was making sure this family didn’t go hungry. Still, there were hungers that went deeper than the need for food. Of those, Annabelle knew. She might not have ever gone to bed wondering where the next meal was coming from, but she always went to bed wanting. Someday, she would have a life outside of a hopeless ministry that only broke her heart more and more each day.
Surely her aunt Celeste would send for her soon. Then Annabelle could move back East, where people’s lives weren’t filled with empty dreams of riches. Maybe there, she could meet a man who wasn’t blinded by tales of the mother lode. The search for silver brought too much heartache to a body, and Annabelle was ready to leave this life behind.
The little girl tugged at Annabelle’s skirts, reminding her of the steaming kettle, and that as easy as it was to dream of a new life, there was still so much work to be done here.
* * *
Joseph Stone followed the preacher into the church, watching as Annabelle escorted his sister into the house.
