Western Future by Janelle Daniels

Author:Janelle Daniels [Daniels, Janelle]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Dream Cache Publishing
Published: 2019-03-18T00:00:00+00:00

Max was tired, dirty, and—he was cognizant enough to admit it—surly. Everything had gone wrong at the mine. One of the beams had cracked, the new pulley system he’d designed had snapped a wire, rendering it completely unusable, and it seemed as though everyone he’d spoken to had their heads in the mud.

If he had to explain the same thing one more time—so help him.

He surfaced from the mine, breathing in fresh air for the first time in hours. He opened his watch, checked the time and cursed. No wonder he was hungry. It was already two, and he hadn’t eaten since before he left early that morning.

He knew any food would be long gone, and if he wanted to eat, he would have to ride the few miles to town.

“Boss?”

“What?” he grouched, turning toward the speaker. He winced when the man paused. “Sorry. Long day and I’m hungry,” he said in a nicer tone. “What do you need?”

At the apology, the man brightened. “There’s a woman here to see you. She’s waiting in the office.”

“A woman?”

He wasn’t expecting anyone. “Did she give her name?”

“It’s Miss Hayer.”

Before he could stop it, a warm feeling filled his stomach. But when he thought about why she would be here at the mine, he frowned. “Did she look well?”

At the strange question, the man shuffled his feet. “Well, sir?”

“In good health?”

“As far as I could tell.”

He glanced down at his filthy hands. “Tell her I’ll be right there.”

The man nodded and went to do his bidding while Max quickly washed his hands, arms, and face in a water trough. He wasn’t clean by any stretch of the imagination, but it was good enough. Besides, he didn’t want to put her off any longer in case something really was wrong.

After drying off, he headed toward the office and entered quickly. His eyes landed on Charlotte’s, and she stood from the seat she’d been resting in, a large basket held in front of her.

“Is everything all right?” he asked.

She blushed and looked down. “Yes. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to worry you.”

“You didn’t.” Much. “I just wasn’t expecting you.”

“I wanted to bring you this.” She moved forward and handed him the basket.

He looked down at the cloth covering its contents. “What’s this?”

She stepped back. “It’s just a small token of appreciation for your help the other day. I wouldn’t have been able to get everything done like I did without you staying.” She looked shy, like she wasn’t sure if he would accept it.

“Thank you. That was thoughtful of you.” He moved the cloth, almost moaning in gratitude at what he saw.

“It isn’t much,” she rushed to say. “But I thought you might like it. I put your favorites in there.”

He could see that. It was a basket full of his favorite treats. She’d also included a freshly baked loaf and a jar of preserves. His stomach rumbled at the smell of it all. “Your timing is excellent.”

“Oh?”

“I just finished in the mine and have been working straight since I got here.

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