Mail-Order Bride by Maureen McKade

Author:Maureen McKade [Mckade, Maureen]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-06-220202-4
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2000-09-15T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 12

Trev pushed through the swinging doors of the Placer Saloon, and the stink of unwashed bodies made him want to turn around and leave. For all the time he’d spent in bars, he’d never before noticed the stench or felt the muted desperation that hung in the air like dense tobacco smoke.

He thought of Annie, Brynn, and Kate, and had an overpowering urge to return to them. Kate had given him the cold shoulder today when she’d arrived, barely sparing him a “good morning” He tried not to let her opinion bother him, but it did.

More than he cared to admit.

The weight of responsibility made him cast aside the impulse to escape. He glanced around and spotted Benny surrounded by a group of miners, just as Trev knew he would be. Even across the room, he could hear the Irishman’s booming voice condemning Cromwell and all the rich, lazy mine owners like him.

Circling around the milling men, Trev approached Benny from behind.

“And it ain’t just Cromwell who’s screwin’ us,” Benny spouted “It’s also them that be workin’ under him, like Trevelyan. He’s just Cromwell’s mouthpiece, not thinkin’ for himself or seein’ our side. I can be more forgivin’ of a man like Cromwell, but Trevelyan used to be one of us. He knows what it’s like to be workin’ in the mines, and all he’s doin’ is kiss-in’ the boss’s ass to keep his high and mighty job.”

Trev crossed his arms to keep his fists trapped, barely restraining the fury that spilled through his veins. “Is that so?”

Benny spun around, his stunned surprise almost comical. The Irishman regained his composure quickly and glared at Trev. “What’re you doin’ here, Trevelyan—gettin’ information to pass on to Cromwell like the traitor you are?”

Trev’s muscles tensed. “A strike is only going to hurt everyone.” He lifted his gaze to the surrounding miners. “It’ll hurt each one of you and your families, too. Seems to me we should be working together to find another silver vein so you can get your regular wages back.”

Benny’s dark eyes narrowed. “I heard tell that even if we do, Cromwell ain’t plannin’ on raisin’ our pay back to what it was.”

Where had Benny gotten his information? “I know you don’t believe me, but I’m doing everything I can to help you. I’m going to talk to Cromwell again, see if he can make it fifty cents instead of a dollar cut.”

“So we should be bowin’ down to you for this?” Benny sneered. “We deserve all our pay.”

The other miners nodded, and shot Trev hostile looks. This wasn’t going to be easy, but then, he hadn’t expected it to be. He’d come prepared to fight Benny, but not all these men. “Look, you’ve seen this happen before. Either we’ll find another vein or we won’t; either the old wages will be reinstated or we’ll have to find a new bonanza. That’s the way of it, and striking isn’t going to change anything.”

“If we ain’t working, Cromwell’s gonna be

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