Last Chance Wife Page 15
Then Winifred frowned as Delia’s words ran back through her mind. “Wait—why are you apologizing to me? Why would I be worried?”
“Because...because I wouldn’t want to make you jealous.”
“Why would I be jealous?”
“Aren’t you two courting?”
Winifred’s eyes shot wide open. “What? Me, courting with Ewan Burke?”
The outside door opened. Both girls shot to an upright, standing position. A woman entered and sent them a brief smile before crossing the room to the pyramid of flour sacks. Winifred grinned back in relief that the conversation had been interrupted, pretending her heartbeat hadn’t ratcheted higher at Delia’s misinformed belief.
She and Ewan—a couple?
What worried her was how transparent her growing feelings must have become. A piece of her heart had followed him up the stairs minutes ago. Before she could stop it, of course. Disloyal thing. How could she suddenly feel softer toward Ewan just because he’d saved her from the mine? Or because he’d brushed a finger over her cheek and called her by a nickname?
Or because, somehow, in their mixture of banter and mishaps, they’d developed a friendship she treasured more than she cared to admit?
The woman bought a bag of flour, then exited. Even before the door closed completely, a snicker arose from the store clerk. Delia beamed unabashedly. “I knew it.”
Winifred rolled her eyes. “Knew what?”
“You’re smitten.” Delia’s eyes glittered. “I knew it.”
“You knew nothing.” Then why were her cheeks warm? Fiddlesticks. “Anyway, sales—we were talking about sales, weren’t we? Show me the profit from yesterday.”
The smile slid from Delia’s face. “Profit?”
“Right. How much did the store make?”
The woman blinked. “Um, we had four men come in.” She dropped her gaze to the ledger and pointed at the numbers. “So, that means...”
Understanding blossomed as Winifred watched. “Delia, do you not know how to add?”
She shrugged. “Hardly know how to read, much less how to add or subtract numbers.”
The poor dear. Winifred grabbed a pencil from the counter and slid the ledger closer between them. “Here, let me show you. First, do you know how to count?”
“Yep.”
“Good. So let’s start with an easy one. One plus one.” She wrote the equation. “Now, see this pencil?”
Delia looked at her like she’d lost a set of marbles. “Yes.”
“How many? Count.”
“One.”
“Excellent.” She glanced around for another pencil. Oh, the one in her valise! She undid the straps and opened the bag for her pad and pencil, then plopped both on the counter. “One pencil. Now, how many pencils am I holding?” She slid the second pencil into place beside the first and held them up.
“Two.”
“Great!” Winifred clapped her hands, then used one of the pencils to scribble the equation on the corner of the ledger paper. “See? Adding is simply counting up. One plus one equals two.”
Delia blinked a few times, staring at the equation. The wheels turning in her mind were almost visible. “I think I’m starting to get it.”
“Good. We’ll keep working on it. In the meantime, I can tell by these numbers that we need more sales. I think we should figure out a way to draw attention to the store.”
“Yes. More sales mean more money for Mr. Burke and the mine.”
“Indeed, it does.” Ideas began to spark. Winifred crossed to the middle of the room, crossing her arms with one hand rubbing her chin. “I was thinking earlier that he needs money quickly—like through a raffle or fund-raiser. Maybe we could combine all these ideas.”
“Like a celebration of some kind at the store?” Delia asked.
Winifred snapped her fingers. “Yes. A bazaar at the store! Granna Cass and I could bake cakes and other desserts to sell, and I could help you decorate the store so it looks really inviting.” Her words picked up momentum. “Maybe we could even acquire new merchandise.”
“You could sell your sketches!”
“And the miners’ wives could make up quilts for us to sell. Or baked goods. We could even hold contests and give away door prizes to get people inside.”
“Oh, this is very exciting.” Delia straightened her spine. “Do you think Mr. Burke will let us?”
A smile spread up Winifred’s face. “I think we could convince him.”
* * *
Ewan ignored the Glouster brothers’ nearness as he steeled himself against whatever they would have to say. He’d met with them before, and if their offer was anything like last time, or like the capitalists’ offer, it wouldn’t take long to show them out.
When the three of them were in his office and the door had shut, Ewan faced the wolves, breathing a silent prayer. “To what do I owe this meeting, gentlemen?”
“We talked with you a few months ago, as I’m sure you recall,” Mac said. “We gave you an offer to sell, and now we’re back to hear your answer.”
“Answer is still no.” To the Sphinx, to the capitalists, to anyone else interested.
They smiled at each other. “We thought as much.” Bradford lifted a folded slip of paper from his suit jacket pocket. “We’ve come with a better deal than before.” He handed over the note and spoke as Ewan proceeded to unfold the paper and inspect it. “We are prepared to buy at a hefty sum, including the equipment, buildings and mine.”
“And the water rights, of course,” Mac added. “We would be paying the most for that piece of the equation.”
Of course they would. As a growing operation, the Sphinx clearly coveted his water rights and the gold in his portion of the mountain. Not to mention the power of his stamp mill. Currently, they sent their production off to a mill that worked for hire. But owning their own would pay long-term dividends—and buying a working one would make them money faster than building their own.
Ewan stared at the paper, at the indeed hefty sum staring back at him.
“This is valuable land, as I’m sure you’re well aware.” Mac Glouster tipped his head to one side. “But your personal resources aren’t enough to care for—and grow—such a business. Let us take it off your hands at this price, and you’ll make more in this deal than you did while mining your claim for a year.”
The offer tempted him. Badly. He would finally be rid of the burden of anxiety that followed him wherever he went. And what if his father was right, that this place had been nothing more than a waste of his time? He might be forced to give up the mine soon anyway. Using this money, he could go into another field, like accounting. Maybe go back to school to become a lawyer. Something that would prove more successful than the boom and bust of the gold-mining life.
But what of his mission? He had a whole staff to think about. George. Lars. Cassandra. Delia. If he could find out the reason for all he recent costs—quickly—then maybe he could turn things around.
“I’m sorry, but the answer is still no,” he replied. “I just can’t accept at this time.”
“This is an important deal.” Bradford narrowed his eyes. “I would consider it carefully, if I were you.”
Folding his hands on his desk, Ewan leaned forward, turning his gaze on the other brother. “Let me ask you something, Mac. If I sold you my land, where would that leave my staff?”
“We would examine the workers and make decisions from there.”
Ewan nodded slowly. “In other words, you would only keep them on if you thought it necessary and beneficial to your business.”
“Of course, naturally.” Bradford chuckled. “That is how you run a solid business, Mr. Burke. You hire the best of the best and terminate those who hold you back.”
“But what about their lives? Aren’t they worth something?”
“If they’re not fit for the dangerous work involved in mining, then they need to apply for positions elsewhere,” Bradford agreed.
“Where, for example? Some of my staff have nowhere else to go. No one will hire them.”
“Your reputation precedes you around town, Mr. Burke.” Mac voice came flat, clearly tiring of the conversation. “And if you want my opinion, it’s the root of your problems. You can either run a charity or you can run a business. You cannot do both.”
“No, I’m sorry. This mine doesn’t leave my possession when so many lives depend on it. Now if you’ll please show yourselves out of my office, I would be much obliged.”
He didn’t look up from his oh-so-important paperwork until he heard the brothers leave the room. As soon as the latch clicked, he tossed his pencil onto the desktop and stood. But before he could take two steps, another small knock sounded on the door.
Ewan gritted his teeth. Kindness, regardless of affliction.
The door slid open just enough for Winifred to peek her head inside. A measure of relief hit him at the sight of her.
“Ewan? How are you holding up?”
He grunted as he paced the rug.
She inched into the office. “I heard a little bit of the conversation outside the door.” As if formulating her thoughts, she paused. “I thought you handled them very well.”
If only. Ewan took another trip along the length of his rug. “I’ve tried everything I can think of, Win. I don’t know what else to do. Maybe I should just give up.”
“Hey, now.” In quick fashion, Winifred stepped in front of him and clasped his arms. “Enough of that thinking. We’ll figure this out. Delia and I devised a few ideas of our own, some ways to at least help the store produce more income. Maybe that will cover costs until we find out what’s causing the mine’s suspicious activity.”
Ewan expelled a sigh. Sweet Winifred. She tried so hard—her mind never stopped coming up with new ideas. And he had certainly tried everything else. Maybe it was time to put a little faith in the woman standing before him.
“All right.” He lifted her hands off his arms and held them in his own. “What would you have us do?”
“Why don’t we throw a party of some kind? We could get people to come into the store, perhaps, and spend more money.”
As her excitement built, Ewan’s began to wane. “A party?”
Winifred continued to smile. “Why not? It would be fun.”
He hated to disappoint her. “Because that doesn’t make sense. Mines don’t do things like that.”
“So change the status quo, Ewan.” She squeezed his palms in hers. “Be the first mine in history to host a party. A revitalization of your store.”
“But, but I’m barely hanging onto my business as it is. I don’t have time or resources to play around with changing the status quo. I stick to what works.”
“You’ve tried all that already, and it didn’t work after all.” Her smile widened, undeterred by his excuses. “Now, it’s time to step out on faith and try something new. You might just be surprised at the results.”
Chapter Eleven
“Some of you have been with me since nearly the beginning, when we were nothing but a placer mine beside the creek. Others of you hired on within the last six months, when we started mining the mountain, but I can tell you right now I wouldn’t trade a single person here for someone else.”
Ewan stood near the counter of the store during shift change for the meeting he had arranged. All eyes turned toward him as he expressed his true sentiments—Winifred’s idea—for the people as well as the business. Truthfully, things he should have said long ago.
“Furthermore, I need to be honest with you and put the rumors to rest.” He glanced over their faces. “I don’t know what the future holds for the Golden Star Mine. But no matter what trials lie ahead, I will fight fiercely for this business to prosper. And by business, I don’t simply mean the production of gold.”
He spotted Winifred against the wall, near the door that connected the store with the corridor, her blue-gray stare whispering hope. She nodded for him to continue. Lifting his chin a little, he focused again on the others.
“This business is nothing without all of you. I hope you know that.” And he hoped, if there was a saboteur in their midst, that the culprit heard, too—and felt pricked to the heart to change. “You make this company great. I firmly believe you have the power to fight for this place and bring it success as much as I do. Production has dwindled a little in the past few days, and a couple of accidents have taken place.” He paused. He was veering a little too much on the negative side. This was an encouragement talk, not a production meeting. “So I encourage you to fight for your jobs. Seek the motivation you felt your first week here, and give yourself up to it. Keep this a positive and healthy work environment where you want to come and decide that you will be productive while you’re here. You have the power. I have faith you will all do your part in keeping the Golden Star running for years to come.”
Ewan couldn’t help but glance at Winifred again. This time her eyes shone with tears. Tears? She’d been that moved by his words? Soon she began to clap, and everyone joined in.
The pride filling his chest wasn’t something he felt often. It was, if for no other reason, because he could tell his workers genuinely appreciated what he’d said. If he’d managed to inspire them all, there was no telling what they could accomplish before Mr. Johns arrived for his second inspection.
He owed it all to Winifred. “Miss Sattler has organized an event I think you all will enjoy. It’s not only a way to earn the mine extra revenue, but also to celebrate the accomplishments we’ve made so far and to look to what is to come in the future.” He rubbed his hands together as he spoke, realizing some of Win’s excitement had actually inspired him in the last couple of days. “We’ll host a grand party at the store. There will be contests and dropped prices for the day. I’ll have more information for you as the day grows closer, but until then, I’m asking each of you to plan on supporting the event. Bring your families. In fact, if your wives or children want to make anything for us to sell, we’ll split the profits with you. How does that sound?”
Again, applause filled the room. Ewan could have been the president of the United States for how well his employees responded to him at this moment. Gratitude tugged at his chest, and once again, he caught Winifred’s eye. He mouthed the words thank you.
She only shook her head, laughed and continued clapping.
The workers split up for the day. Ewan hung back as everyone filtered from the store, hoping he could catch a moment with Winifred. But when he scanned the diminishing crowd, she had already disappeared. Oh, well. He pushed down the hint of disappointment he hadn’t expected to feel. Surprising how much he’d come to enjoy her presence, her positivity.
And her support. Where would he have been if she had given up on the Golden Star?
Ewan shook his head. He was getting ahead of himself. All her support wouldn’t automatically bring in revenue or save the mine. The results would begin to show themselves at the bazaar and then again when Mr. Johns returned.
Cassandra squeezed his shoulder as she passed him, ambling toward the shop door leading to the corridor. “You did a good thing this morning. I’m proud of you, no matter what happens to the mine.”
A smile lifted Ewan’s mouth. “Thank you, Cassandra.”
“That Miss Winnie is something else, isn’t she?”
Her statement caused his smile to widen. “She certainly is.”
Now to check the mail before making his morning rounds.
Visiting the post office had nearly become an every-other-day activity. One never knew what surprises awaited. Just thinking about TD put a spring in
his step as he pushed open the shop door and stepped onto the walkway.
“Hey, boss? That you?”
Ewan looked up. One of his miners came running toward him. “Yes?”
The man stopped beside him, catching his breath. “Boy, I hoped I’d catch you before you left.”
Ewan braced himself for another catastrophe. What was it now? Another cave-in? Another injury?
“We found something,” the man said. “In the mine.”
Ewan frowned. Just when they’d found fresh zeal to push forward. “What is it?”
“You’ll have to come see.”
* * *
“I thought I wasn’t allowed in the mine anymore.”
“Yes...but this is different.”
Ducking into the shadows of the drift, Winifred followed Ewan, all the while trying to keep her nerves in check. She hadn’t come into this place since the cave-in—an experience that still haunted her sleep. Lying half-conscious in that black pocket of the mountain like it was the belly of a dragon...
Winifred shuddered.
On the other hand, she’d developed a strange love for this place. Something about being where the temperature cooled and the air grew moist. The place had begun to sink into her as deeply as if it were a fire in a hearth, instead. Like home.
What a strange thing to think—a mine feeling like home. But it really did, mostly because it was attached to all the other things, and people, that had made the Golden Star home.
“I’ll be curious to see why you whisked me out here at dawn,” she said through a yawn.
“Trust me, this is worth losing sleep over.”
By the light of Ewan’s lantern, she saw where the collapsed drift had been barricaded off as they passed by it. A chill ran over her skin. Talk around the supper table was that some men had been put in charge of clearing out the fallen debris and were supposed to fix the broken beams that caused the cave-in in the first place. The expert Ewan hired said the beams had been weakened, or perhaps hadn’t been installed correctly. That discovery only served to harden her suspicions. Someone wanted to sabotage the Golden Star, and she’d fallen victim of that person’s attacks.