Julia's Romance: Sweet Historical Romance (Mail Order Brides of Hickory Stick Book 2) by Carroll Patricia PacJac

Author:Carroll, Patricia PacJac [Carroll, Patricia PacJac]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Publisher: PacJac Publishing
Published: 2014-08-12T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 12

Zane woke out of a hard sleep, glanced at the window, and groaned as he rolled out of bed. There were parts to this job he hated. Especially, the area that was neither black nor white but as gray as this cloudy morning.

Today promised to be a mess. Fear could drive men to act like crazed animals. He hoped Charlie could keep peace in the camp. As if in answer, a rifle shot broke the quiet sunrise.

After strapping on his pistol, Zane rushed outside and nearly ran into Charlie.

“Just coming to get you. We got a near riot.”

One look at the big man and Zane knew the day wasn’t going to be easy. “With the Italians?”

“No, shamed to say it’s with the Irish. Me own people. They want the Italian run out.”

“Thought only a few were sick and you quarantined their camp.”

“Aye, that I did. Seems a few people woke up feeling poorly and they’re afraid. Blaming it on the Italian.”

Zane looked in the direction of Denver. “We need a doctor out here. Send a man to talk to Solis, and then send another to the fort. They got doctors.”

Charlie scrunched his face. “What are you going to do now?”

Breathing in the fresh morning air, Zane pulled out his gun and checked for ammunition. “I’m going to talk to the folks and call on their Christian sense of good.”

“Good luck with that. You’re likely to need a priest to read you your last rights.”

Zane locked his gaze on Charlie. “Maybe, but it’s the only thing we can do right now. I believe they’ll listen.”

Charlie didn’t answer. He shook his head and walked toward the Irish side of the camp.

Even before Zane reached the tents, he heard angry shouts, babies squalling, and dogs barking. The reassuring smell of smoke carrying the promise of coffee offered a distinct contrast to the turmoil. Zane followed Charlie to the entrance.

Four men who could have been Charlie’s brothers met them at the gate. An older man by the looks of his graying temples and mustache, approached.

“We be wanting no trouble, but we got families to look after. Keep the Italian from us.”

Zane held up a hand. “Heard you had some sick folks.”

Scuffing a booted foot in the dirt, the spokesman for the group shrugged. “We thought it be the fever, but turned out it were some bad stew. No fever in our camp, and we don’t want any.”

“We’ll keep the sick away from the main camp, but I want your word none of your people will take the law into their own hands and harm any of the Italian or anyone. I don’t care where they came from.”

The four men nodded. “As long as they stay away from us.”

Zane thumped Charlie’s chest. “You see to it they keep their word.”

The big man grunted. “They’ll keep away, but it’s the Italian’s you’re going to have trouble with.”

“Let’s go see.”

The air turned sour as they walked down into the valley. The smell of death, waste, and animal clouded the senses.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.