Love Finds You in Deadwood, South Dakota by Tracey Cross

Author:Tracey Cross
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Love Finds You in Deadwood, South Dakota
ISBN: 9781609360030
Publisher: Guideposts
Published: 2010-03-16T18:30:00+00:00

Chapter Ten

Late July

Franklin entered Deadwood on horseback at three in the morning. Even late in July the overnight air sank through his shirt and chilled his skin. He knew the saloon business was waning this time of morning, and he was tempted to head straight for Bedlow’s Saloon, but it would be better during the day when even fewer men hung around. Miners were busy panning for gold during the day, although most of the mines had been gutted after four years of continuous streams of hopefuls. He hadn’t seen much except for a few flakes of gold dust here and there.

He headed for his house. By the time he had Tryst brushed down, fed, and put up for the night, Huan had somehow discovered his presence and greeted him at the door.

“Good be home,” he said, bowing in his characteristically Chinese way.

Franklin knew it was a sign of respect, knew it was the Chinese way, but tonight it irritated him. “Please, stop bowing like I’m some kind of king of England or something.”

“So solly, Mistah Lloyd.”

Franklin sighed. “What are you doing up so late?”

“You home.”

“Okay, okay. Go back to bed. I’ll take care of myself for tonight.”

Huan hesitated.

“Shen Huan, I mean it. Go to sleep. You don’t have to take care of me in the middle of the night.”

Three weeks alone on the trail had given Franklin plenty of time to think. And one of the things he’d discovered during that time was that as much as he hated the idea of Bedlow forcing people to work for him, he was often no better. He treated his two servants like slaves. Paying small wages, which was the reason he had originally hired Chinese servants, and expecting their service every moment of the day or night.

“Huan.”

The servant was just about out the door. He stopped and turned.

“I want to hire three more servants to help you and Cookie. Do you know more needing jobs?”

“We have one brother,” he said in marginally better English than his brother Cheng. “He work saloon.” He scowled. “Bad place.”

Franklin nodded. “All right. Bring him to help you. And more?”

“Cheng have wife. She do laundry. Clean house. She not like mean white woman.”

“Cheng’s married, and they don’t live together?”

Huan shook his head. “Cheng live here.” It was a simple statement of fact, with no emotion.

Franklin sat on his bed and tugged wearily at his boots that had grown tight during the long ride. He had pushed especially hard today, knowing he could make it home.

In a flash, Huan was by his side. He reached for the boots. “I help.”

“Thanks.”

Huan grunted as he tugged on the boot.

“Do you have a god, Huan?”

Huan glanced up with a frown. “God?”

“Yeah. Do the Chinese have a god?”

“Some worship ancestors.”

“How about you?”

“I serve Christian God.”

“You mean the God?”

Huan nodded and tugged harder. Finally the boot came loose. He stumbled and righted himself. He set it down and reached for the second. “In beginning God created heaven and earth.”

“From Genesis.”

“Yes. Bible.”

This boot came off easier.

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