Free CHARITY'S GOLD RUSH (A Strike It Rich in Montana novel) by Cynthia Hickey Page B

“Gabriel isn’t your father, Charity.” Mabel returned the eggs to the stove. “He made one mistake, but he’s a good man. He’ll do right by you. You trust in God and w ait and see.”
                  After they ate breakfast and washed the dishes, Mabel sent Charity around the corner of the barn to collect rainwater for the soap from a barrel stashed there . Charity eyed the small amount. Without rain for weeks, folks that didn’t live near a creek would be hurting before long.
    Filling two buckets, and depleting the amount to a drastic ally low level, Charity trudged back to the front yard. Mabel shouldn’t have to give up precious stores of water because Charity didn’t know how to do the simplest of chores.
    “I’ve already collected the oak ash we need.” Mabel poured the water carefully into a barrel. “The ash filters the lye. We’ll be replacing and draining every day this week. On Saturday, we’ll test it by floating an egg inside. I figure this will make both of us enough soap to last a while. Once you’ve gotten better at it, you can add some lavender or sunflower oil to make it smell pretty.”
    Charity studied the ash and rocks in the bottom of the barrel. Purchasing one ’ s soap was definitely easier and faster.
    “This afternoon, we’ll work on cutting out a pattern. We’ll start with an easy project, like an apron. Tomorrow, I’ll teach you about canning, then the next day something fun. We’ll learn knitting and quilting. ” Mabel clapped her hands. “I feel as if the Lord has blessed me with a daughter after all these years.”
    “I have a little skill with a needle.” She’d mended many ripped trousers and shirts for the miners in Virginia City. Her heart warmed at Mabel’s words. Maybe she wouldn’t be a total loss as a prairie wife, after all.
    “Wonderful. The learning will go fast.” Mabel wiped her hands on her apron. “I’ve some ham left. Let’s fix some sandwiches for lunch and get started right away.”
    Was this what it was like to have a mother who took the time to teach her daughter valuable skills as she raised her? A mother who had a love for life and wanted to pass that same love on to her child? Charity’s mother hadn’t done much but sit and stare out the window since Charity turned six and Ma had lost a newborn baby girl.
    It was Da’s love that filled the empty spaces in her childhood. When he was sober and at home. Now, he had left her penniless and alone.
    Charity glanced at the mountains rising behind the farm. “Are there any gold mines around here?”
    “Hiram has found a few small nuggets in the creek that sets aways back in those trees .” Mabel tilted her head. “You aren’t contemplating searching yourself, are you? Panning or mining is hard and dangerous work. Isn’t that how your father died?”
    Charity jerked. “How do you know that?”
    “Bad news spreads through town like a plague. Even faster was the news that an eligible young woman was left without a protector.” Mabel strolled into the house. “How you stayed unwed for this long remains a mystery.”
    “I do intend to be rich, Mabel.” Charity marched to the stove. “One way or an other , I will locate gold.”
    “Seems to be that you’re driven by the wrong need, young lady.” Mabel grabbed a knife and sliced into a fresh loaf of bread. “There’s a hole in your heart that only God can fill. Not a husband, children, and definitely not gold.”
    “Please do not speak religion to me.” Charity gripped the board that served as Mabel’s counter and squeezed until her knuckles turned white . “Life is what I make it, and I choose to make it one where there is plenty of money. My Da used to say, ‘May you live as long as you want, and never want as long as you live.’ I intend to do just that.”
    “Oh, you poor child.” Mabel folded her hands and brought them to her chest. “I will pray long and hard for you to find the truth.”
    “May I go