Free Her Mates by Suzanne Thomas

 

     
     

Chapter 1
     
     
    The slow procession of wagons finally stopped just at the edge of the little town called Dolton, Colorado, as the sign proclaimed in painstakingly chiseled wording. Where they stopped, the entrance—or exit if one were coming from the opposite direction—was within walking distance. They normally didn’t stop so close to a town, so the convenience was appreciated by the weary travelers. The different families set about making a temporary camp as women and men milled about in apathy and exhaustion. Haggard faces and skeletal frames depicted a hard crossing. Children did not run around screaming and playing like normal, but followed their elders around in a sort of comatose state.
    Some of the men wandered into town but most didn’t have the energy and stayed with the women to set up. The wagon master walked up and down the train to talk to people, making sure everything was handled. No one noticed the small woman sneak into town along the backside of the wagons. The alley between two buildings was right next to the end wagon and very easy to miss if someone wanted not to be seen.
    Alice furtively glanced over her shoulder to make sure no one saw her. This would be the eighth town that she had tried and not a single honorable position was available in any of the previous seven towns. She thought she was ill-fated. The merchants she asked had suggested a couple of occupations that she had no interest in, and if that was the case, all she had to do was say yes to the wagon master’s suggestion, which was why she was trying so hard to find work anywhere away from him and the men on the train.
    She plastered herself against the side of the building, feeling the wooden slats dig into her spine as she watched one of the men in question go through the saloon doors. She definitely didn’t want to go in that direction. Peeking around the corner, she slipped into the group of people walking by to get her wits together. She would try the mercantile first. She would go in, be confident, and tell the owner that she was experienced and reliable. She would list all her good qualities. She had done this many times, so it would be easy, she thought to herself.
    The entire way there, she tried to build her confidence. The problem was she was nervous and afraid because the alternative was horrible. She missed her father desperately. Being alone was not something she had ever envisioned. She thought by now she and her father would be set up in one of these towns and their own shingle put out doing business. To lose him so suddenly had been a shock that lasted hundreds of miles. She had existed in a haze of sorrow. Thankfully, the conversation she had overheard had snapped her out of her mourning.
    She still couldn’t believe the audacity Mr. Taylor had in offering her to the other men. He made it sound like she would be thankful for their protection. Oh, he would be expecting her to accommodate him as well, but she would be able to choose among the others.
    Some proposition, she thought in a huff. She’ll accommodate him, all right, with her foot on his butt.
    The jingle of the door announced her entrance. She smiled at the man behind the counter and ambled on down the aisles. She was a little dismayed at the stores smallness, not enough work for one person, let alone two. She looked at the merchandise on sale, seeing the variety. She saw many tools for mining and trapping. The jingle from the door singled new arrivals, so she changed her direction and went to the back wall. The different candy jars pulled her toward them. She saw peppermint sticks and lemon drops as well as her favorite, honey drops. She picked up the lid to inhale the sweet smell.
    “May I help you, miss?” asked the man who was behind the counter, startling her. She jumped a little before gently replacing the lid, not wanting to break the darn thing before asking for a job.
    “Yes, sir, I was wondering if you had a position of