Free Fireblossom by Cynthia Wright Page A

loose and caught one in each thumb. Drawing them over his wide shoulders, he smiled to himself and strode onward. Madeleine Avery would doubtless be disgusted by the sight of him, but the prospect of seeingher was suddenly more appealing to him than the water he craved.
    * * *
    Maddie was hard-pressed to remember a more distressing day. First, her father had announced that he would be leaving Deadwood again in the morning and had gone off to buy supplies. Then, Benjamin had sliced open his thumb while playing with a kitchen knife. Gramma Susan and Wang Chee had taken him, shrieking with fear, to Dr. Sick to see if the wound needed stitching. Also, for some unknown reason Gramma had taken it into her head to bake bread today, in the middle of a heat wave—so Maddie was left behind to knead the dough, perspiring through her threadbare blue cotton dress. When a visitor came calling, she tried to ignore the insistent knocks, but to no avail.
    The garish, painted woman who forced open the front door and sashayed into the kitchen introduced herself as Garnet Loomis. She was carrying several jars of serviceberry jam, which she boasted of having put up herself. Apparently she had met Gramma Susan at Mr. Gushurst's store, and, she insisted, they were now the closest of friends. The jam was a present for "Susie," she announced loudly, stacking the jars on the makeshift kitchen table.
    Unprepared for company, Maddie was embarrassed to be seen in her disheveled state. She related the sad tale of Benjamin's accident, trying to look weak and preoccupied at the same time, certain that Mrs. Loomis would apologize for her intrusion and hurry on her way.
    "You poor little thing!" The big-boned old woman jumped up and shocked Maddie by capturing her in a crushing hug. "You need help, and Garnet's here to give it to ya! You just sit down and have a rest. I'll knead that bread dough and it'll be the best bread you ever tasted!"
    Freed of Mrs. Loomis's embrace, Maddie staggered backward and dropped onto a wooden chair. Her shoulders ached and she was so, so hot but, watching Garnet Loomis take over her kitchen, she felt a surge of renewed energy.
    "You are much too kind," she said firmly, rising from her chair. "However, I really cannot allow you to do my chores, Mrs. Loomis."
    "I want to do this!" The old woman began kneading the dough with such force that Maddie cringed involuntarily. "You're not used to the life out here and we all know it. Takes a while to toughen up. Why, I came to St. Louis forty years ago and I never thought I'd live through the first winter." Garnet beat on the dough, turning it rhythmically. "But, I did, and I liked it. Married a French fur trader who brought me to Fort Laramie. One day he went out to set trap lines an' never came back." She shook her head, laughing at the memory. "Men out there just ain't husband material, if you know what I mean! Anyways, I had to take up some sort of profession if I wanted to eat, and there wasn't much choice. I didn't mind. Kinda fun, if you can stand the truth. 'Course, now I'm not exactly prime goods, but I look after the younger girls; teach 'em the trade and mother 'em when they need it. Not a bad life for an old broad who loves adventure, huh? Al Swearingen, the Gem's owner, talked me into bringin' some of my girls out from Cheyenne in May, and I thought, Why the hell not?"
    Madeleine was quite speechless. Pasting on a polite smile, she helped Garnet Loomis transfer the kneaded dough into an ironstone bowl, which she covered with a towel. "How kind of you to help me. I am a bit fatigued by the heat, so your assistance was certainly welcome. Now, I hope you won't think me rude, but I must—"
    "Oh, I'll go in a minute, honey, but let's set a spell and cool off with a little refreshment. Any whiskey?"
    Maddie tried not to betray her shock. "I don't believe so..."
    Looking around the kitchen, Garnet spied a decanter of brandy on a shelf. "That'll do." She plucked an unwashed glass