Page 13 of The Gold Rush Bride

She blinked several times. “Barnaby?”

“Yes, now wake up. Get up.”

Sadie sat up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. She sniffed the air. “What is that? It smells great.”

He grinned and pointed to the pan on the stove. “Fish. I got lucky and caught some good-sized ones. We’ll eat well tonight.”

“What can I do?” She smoothed back her hair from her face.

He nodded his head toward the table. “Sit. We have fried fish and mashed potatoes.”

Barnaby served up the fish, putting a whole fish on her plate.

He put two fish on his plate and started another batch to fry. He put the pan back on the stove.

“How did you fry them? I like it.”

“I rolled them in cornmeal and fried them in lard until they were crisp on the edges.”

She took another bite. “What kind of fish is this?”

“This is grayling. It’s good eating.”

“Grayling. It reminds me a little of a trout Daddy caught once when he took me camping. But I don’t remember what it tasted like.”

“Trout is similar. They are in the same family and both are a good fish for food.” He cut his up the back on both sides of the spine and gently released the meat from the bones.

Sadie watched him and tried to do the same, but she still had the small bones to remove from her mouth before she swallowed them.

After dinner, Barnaby heated water for the dishes. “I don’t do this often, but when I’ve had fish, it flavors everything after it if I don’t clean them well. If you want to wash your face before the dishes, now is the time to do it, before it gets too hot. You’ll find washcloths and towels in your father’s things if you need them.”

She glanced down at the locker, not yet ready to open it. “Thanks, but I’ve got some of my own.” She opened one of her duffle bags and found the washcloths and towels on top.

After washing her face and hands, she took the dishtowel from Barnaby and dried the dishes while he washed them in the hot water and rinsed them in cold.

When they were done, she got the extra blankets from the duffle with the washcloths. She gave him two and kept two.

She prepared for bed, taking off her coat and boots but leaving everything else on.

Barnaby pointed at her head. “You should put on a wool stocking cap.”

“Why?”

“It will help you stay warmer.”

“I’ve got lots of thick hair. That should keep me warm enough.”

Barnaby shrugged. “Do as you please.” He pulled on a stocking cap. “Thank you for the blankets.” He folded each one in half and laid them on the cot and then placed one unfolded blanket over the top to keep them in place.

Sadie watched and did the same.

“Barnaby, what if the claim jumper comes back in the night?”

He barked out a laugh. “Homer come anywhere near a camp with people in it? He’s too much of a coward to do that. You’re perfectly safe. Go to sleep.” He turned his back to her.

She climbed beneath her covers and wondered what it will be like sleeping in the same space as Barnaby night after night. Will she always feel this reticence? Would she always worry that maybe she’d made a mistake coming here? What was she honestly doing here? Was it to find her fortune or to find what her father saw that kept him away from her?

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