Emmy (Gold Rush Brides Book 2) Read Free Page B

her aid. That was more like what she was used to. She’d always attracted quite a bit of attention from the men in New York, and she’d used it to her advantage often enough.  
    She had enjoyed the company of a number of men back home, but her father had steadfastly refused to allow her to formally court any of her gentleman callers. It had never occurred to her to wonder why, mainly because it didn’t bother her too much at all. Most of her would-be suitors were either too old or too boring. Oftentimes both. It was great fun teasing them, though, pretending she was head over heels for them, all the while knowing they had no future. Plus they would bring her all manner of presents.
    Most of the time, she played them against her father so he’d buy her pretty new things when she was ‘distraught’ over having to end things with her latest beau. He never denied her anything she wanted, and it was obvious he carried some sense of guilt over not allowing her to marry, so she rather ruthlessly abused that guilt whenever possible. It was a game that worked well, until he died nearly a year earlier, leaving her penniless and with no prospects for her future.
    Now she was in what amounted to a foreign land, unsure of the customs and unsure of herself. The latter was a first for her. She’d always been so confident and self-assured, but now…now she was simply afraid of everything. Maintaining a brave front was her only protection.
    She did, however, regret saying those awful things to the sheriff about Nevada City. She’d just tromped through town after an interminable five-mile hike and had been in a black mood. Now that she’d had time to rest and clear her head, she saw the little community was quite pleasant, if rougher than she had imagined.  
    New and old buildings lined Broad Street which, she learned on the long walk into town, had mostly been spared by April’s fire. Wagons trundled along every which way, carrying goods and lumber and people. Women were scarce and when she spotted one, she was bustling along toward a shop in what could only be described as a practical dress.  
    Fashion didn’t seem to be as high a priority for the ladies of Nevada City as it was for those in New York, or even San Francisco. That would take a little getting used to but she was up to the task. She’d always secretly found shopping and all the fuss and bother that went along with high fashion to be altogether tedious. Dressing plainly would be a refreshing change.
    The excitement and energy of the town was infectious, and almost made her want to head off to the gold fields herself. There was no question the town was inhabited by a much rougher quality of people than she was accustomed to, but they were also much tougher than anyone she knew back home. Most of her family friends would not have been able to endure the journey west that she’d completed, to say nothing of living in the wild mountains of California while trying to hit paydirt. No, other than a handful of bad apples, she admired the grit of those who embarked on this grand adventure.
    If only her friends back home, the ones who abandoned her when they discovered she was destitute, could see her now, striding into one of the two largest hotels in town, the Bailey House Hotel. They would be impressed by her mettle, she was certain, and that was something to hold onto, something to remember during the dark moments.  
    If she could maintain a facade of confidence, perhaps one day she would actually feel it deep inside. But for now, no one needed to know that, after so many years of having everything she wanted, she was mortified and terrified that she only had a few meager coins left to her name. Never before had she been expected to make her own decisions, but since her father passed, her days had been filled with nothing but. These last several months had been the most trying of her life.
    “Miss Gibson, it’s my pleasure to meet such a lovely young lady,” said a