Behind a Lady's Smile Read Free Page B

government. It was good work and it paid well. Plus, when they were on the trail, they weren’t spending money and Mitch had nearly saved up enough to start his photography studio in New York. It would be nice to be back in civilization again. Mitch was pretty close to packing it in, but he’d been having too much fun to settle down in one place just yet. Other than a few visits back home over the years to see his mother, he hadn’t been home since he was eighteen years old and joined the Union Army. Fortunately, the war ended before he could get himself killed or maimed, and he’d headed to Nebraska. He’d wanted to get as far away from smoke and noise as he could and Nebraska seemed like a good place to go. For three years he wandered, working odd jobs until he met up with the man who would change his life forever.
    William Henry Jackson and his brother had a small photography studio in Omaha, and had been about to head out with the US Geological Survey. Will needed an assistant and Mitch signed on without even thinking. Like him, Will had spent time in the war and the two struck up an instant friendship. Will was leaving behind a new bride, but Mitch wasn’t leaving behind anything. The farther he could go from home and all the memories of the war, the better. And he’d be seeing sights no white man had ever seen before.
    They’d traveled together during the summer months for the past five years, and Mitch felt sick about missing even a moment of this time. Every winter, Mitch would work for Will in his studio in Nebraska anticipating the next summer’s work. Yosemite was one of the most beautiful places he’d ever seen and now he’d be stuck in a cabin taking care of a girl. And it was his own damn fault.
    The men had been good about giving him supplies; Genevieve Hayes would not go hungry under his care, that was for certain. He had a sack of flour, corn meal, some bacon, dried peaches and apples, sugar, beans, and more pickled eggs than he figured she could eat. Most important: a flask of whiskey and a small bottle of morphine. Leaving his camera behind hurt mightily, but there was no way Millie could hold everything and his equipment too. That was fine, though, as he’d be able to collect his camera when Miss Hayes was better.
    By the time he reached the cabin, the sun was high and he was feeling a bit anxious. She’d seemed fine when he’d left, but he’d seen men who’d looked fine one minute take a turn for no apparent reason. He knew the minute he walked in, she’d taken a turn.
    When he walked into the room, she wearily turned her head in his direction.
    “Papa. Where were you?”
    She was bathed in sweat and her leg had turned an ugly purple.
    “It’s Mitch, darlin’.” He hunkered down beside her bed and laid a hand on her forehead, wincing when he felt how hot she was. She looked confused and shook her head a bit.
    “My leg hurts.”
    “I know. I’ve got some medicine that will make it feel better.” Mitch ran back to Millie and dug out the whiskey—for him—and the morphine for her, swearing under his breath the entire way. He grabbed a spoon from a basket on the table and poured a small dose. “You take this. It’ll help with the pain.”
    Her green eyes were glazed with fever and pain, and she looked at him as if she still didn’t recognize him, but she took the morphine without complaint.
    “I’m going to let that do its work and then I’m going to loosen these bindings and make your leg more secure.”
    “The kettle’s on if you want some coffee.”
    “That sounds fine. Thank you.”
    “Dinner might be a bit late, though.”
    “That’s fine, too.”
    Mitch grabbed a clean rag and dipped it in the bucket of water he’d given her before he’d left, noting the level hadn’t gone down very much. He laid the cool, damp cloth across her forehead and was gratified to see her close her eyes and smile.
    “Can I go to town with you this time?”
    “Sure. I’m going to get