Iron Ties Read Free Page B

dwell on it. As for afterward, most of it was a blur. The liquor saw to that.” He paused. “In all those years, I didn’t have many sober days.”
    “You’re very handy with that hammer. Is that another part of your past you don’t wish to discuss?”
    The reverend smiled. “Our Lord was a carpenter. Pounding nails clears the mind, opens the soul. You should try it sometime, Inez.”
    She waved a hand dismissively, then adjusted her reins and wiggled one boot into the stirrup, preparing to mount. “Enough. If I’m to meet Susan I’d best be going. She planned to leave Twin Lakes early this morning to capture paradise on those glass plates of hers on the way back to Leadville. I told her I’d meet up with her by Braun’s charcoal kilns, in Disappointment Gulch.” From her perch on the saddle, Inez studied the clouds. “I hope her choice of venue isn’t prophetic. It looks like rain or possibly snow later today.”
    Sands shook his head. “Snow. And it’s nearly July. When does summer come?”
    “Ah, but this is summer at ten thousand feet in the Rockies. Sun. Wind. Rain. Snow. And dust, of course. Enjoy it, Reverend.”
    “And I was hoping you and I could ride out to some mountain meadow Sunday afternoon. Gather wildflowers.” He ran a hand over Lucy’s shining black coat, then, “What’s this?” He pulled the rifle from its scabbard.
    “A Sharps. Single-shot breechloader. Rather like the one you keep hidden behind the door in the rectory.”
    He examined it. “Well maintained. Where’d you get this?”
    “Evan’s mercantile. The clerk who sold it to me said some Johnny-come-lately who was giving up and leaving town traded it for a song and some supplies. It even came with its own case.”
    Sands snugged the gun back into its resting place. “A firearm for distance. Not a gun for a woman.”
    “Oh really.” Inez arched her eyebrows. “Well, I took a fancy to it. Thought I’d do a little target shooting. And I brought my revolver, as well.” She patted a pocket as Lucy shifted, impatient with standing. “I’m hoping to convince Susan to try it out while I take a potshot or two with the Sharps.”
    “I didn’t think Miss Carothers put much stock in firearms.”
    Inez frowned. “She insisted on traveling back from Twin Lakes without an escort and unarmed. Said she didn’t want anyone dithering around while she took her photographs and that she hates guns. Foolhardy. I may travel alone, but I always go prepared. Better to have a gun and not need it, than not have it and need it, I say. Weather permitting, after she shoots the scenery and we shoot some tree stumps, we’ll head back, double quick. I’ve got to spell Abe at the bar and get ready for tonight. It’ll be the usual game in the usual place with the usual people. Probably the usual winners. Plan on dropping by?” She smiled down at him.
    “You can count on it.” He took a step back and extracted a handful of nails from his pocket. “I’ll be there to walk you home. As usual.”

Chapter Two
    It took an hour for Inez to navigate Chestnut Street’s two miles.
    The main thoroughfare into and out of Leadville was a seething mass of human and equine energy. Freight wagons pulled by mule teams hauled out silver-rich ore from the mines east of town and brought in building materials, food, and supplies—everything from steel drill bits forged in St. Louis to satin evening gowns designed in Paris. Carriages vied with stagecoaches and prairie schooners for right-of-way. Inez, like the others on horseback, wove past pack trains and delivery vans while pedestrians dodged hooves and wheels. Dust hung in the air, obscuring wooden false fronts, brick buildings, and boardwalks.
    Even more pervasive than the dust was the silver fever that lodged in the nook and cranny of every soul in Leadville. Jammed streets, packed saloons and mercantiles, busy bordellos and crib houses—all were testament to how the passion to get rich quick could