blizzard, would you feel better?”
“No, because I saw that sack of yours filled with gold nuggets. And it didn’t escape my notice that you said what was in that sack was only some of what you’d discovered.”
“I’m not going to apologize for uncovering gold Willie didn’t find, or for the fact that I’ve come to believe my mine is going to earn me a rather nice fortune sometime in the near future.”
“But that’s not fair to poor Willie,” Agatha argued.
“Life isn’t always fair.”
“You don’t mean that.”
Zayne’s eyes began to glint. “Don’t I? Was it fair to me that I ended up a cripple just because I tried to save Helena?”
“Well, no, but that was an accident.”
“It was an accident that I just happened to find gold, which is rightfully mine, and—”
“It might be rightfully yours,” Agatha interrupted, “but it’s hardly honorable for you to not at least consider Willie still has a legitimate stake in this mine.”
“Willie isn’t here, Agatha, nor do I know where to look for him.”
“You said he wanted to go back to New York, so it wouldn’t be that difficult to find him if you put the effort into a search.”
“It would be difficult for me to search for him since I have no desire to return to New York.”
“What I haven’t been able to figure out yet is how you’re able to search for gold,” Mr. Blackheart said before Agatha could argue her point further. “Have you hired a crew to help you blast and secure beams?”
“Willie did a lot of blasting before he gave me the mine, and he created a remarkably stable tunnel system. I’ve only recently started using dynamite to uncover more of the gold veins I found.” Zayne struggled to his feet. “Speaking of gold,I would like to get to work. Fall is a tricky time out here, and from what I’ve been told, snow should have already arrived, since it’s late September. Once the snow hits, my mining efforts will be severely limited.”
“Which is an excellent reason to consider traveling back to New York.” Agatha rose from the boulder and brushed dirt from her trousers. “You could stay in the city for the fall and winter, and then return here in the spring.”
“I’m certainly not going to New York in the midst of the social season.”
“You love the social season, what with all the parties and balls, and . . . danci . . .” Her voice trailed off when she noticed that Zayne’s face had darkened. She forced a smile and tried again. “Besides, since I’ll probably end up in the city sooner than later, I’m sure Mr. Blackheart would be only too happy to accept any assistance you might be willing to give him by escorting me to a few of those society events. It would be fun, just like old times.”
“Mr. Blackheart would have no reason to appreciate any assistance from me, given that I’m less than a man these days and would only complicate his mission of keeping you alive.”
“I think that’s the most ridiculous thing you’ve—”
“And as for dancing, I think my leg speaks for itself.” With that, Zayne turned his back on her and began picking his way across the dirt, coming to a stop beside a large basket attached to cables.
Not willing to be dismissed so easily, Agatha charged after him. “You’re not being reasonable, Zayne, and I . . .” She stumbled over a pile of dirt, but caught herself before she plunged to the ground by grabbing hold of the basket. Straightening, she looked it over. “This is an interesting contraption.”
“Humph.”
She ignored his less-than-charming remark. “Do you use this to get up to the mine, and if so, how does the contraption work, and how did you even come up with the idea for the basket gadget thing in the first place?”
Zayne began rubbing his head. “No offense, Agatha, but all of your questions are causing my head to throb harder than ever. What I really need right now is some peace and quiet, which means you need to stop
“No, because I saw that sack of yours filled with gold nuggets. And it didn’t escape my notice that you said what was in that sack was only some of what you’d discovered.”
“I’m not going to apologize for uncovering gold Willie didn’t find, or for the fact that I’ve come to believe my mine is going to earn me a rather nice fortune sometime in the near future.”
“But that’s not fair to poor Willie,” Agatha argued.
“Life isn’t always fair.”
“You don’t mean that.”
Zayne’s eyes began to glint. “Don’t I? Was it fair to me that I ended up a cripple just because I tried to save Helena?”
“Well, no, but that was an accident.”
“It was an accident that I just happened to find gold, which is rightfully mine, and—”
“It might be rightfully yours,” Agatha interrupted, “but it’s hardly honorable for you to not at least consider Willie still has a legitimate stake in this mine.”
“Willie isn’t here, Agatha, nor do I know where to look for him.”
“You said he wanted to go back to New York, so it wouldn’t be that difficult to find him if you put the effort into a search.”
“It would be difficult for me to search for him since I have no desire to return to New York.”
“What I haven’t been able to figure out yet is how you’re able to search for gold,” Mr. Blackheart said before Agatha could argue her point further. “Have you hired a crew to help you blast and secure beams?”
“Willie did a lot of blasting before he gave me the mine, and he created a remarkably stable tunnel system. I’ve only recently started using dynamite to uncover more of the gold veins I found.” Zayne struggled to his feet. “Speaking of gold,I would like to get to work. Fall is a tricky time out here, and from what I’ve been told, snow should have already arrived, since it’s late September. Once the snow hits, my mining efforts will be severely limited.”
“Which is an excellent reason to consider traveling back to New York.” Agatha rose from the boulder and brushed dirt from her trousers. “You could stay in the city for the fall and winter, and then return here in the spring.”
“I’m certainly not going to New York in the midst of the social season.”
“You love the social season, what with all the parties and balls, and . . . danci . . .” Her voice trailed off when she noticed that Zayne’s face had darkened. She forced a smile and tried again. “Besides, since I’ll probably end up in the city sooner than later, I’m sure Mr. Blackheart would be only too happy to accept any assistance you might be willing to give him by escorting me to a few of those society events. It would be fun, just like old times.”
“Mr. Blackheart would have no reason to appreciate any assistance from me, given that I’m less than a man these days and would only complicate his mission of keeping you alive.”
“I think that’s the most ridiculous thing you’ve—”
“And as for dancing, I think my leg speaks for itself.” With that, Zayne turned his back on her and began picking his way across the dirt, coming to a stop beside a large basket attached to cables.
Not willing to be dismissed so easily, Agatha charged after him. “You’re not being reasonable, Zayne, and I . . .” She stumbled over a pile of dirt, but caught herself before she plunged to the ground by grabbing hold of the basket. Straightening, she looked it over. “This is an interesting contraption.”
“Humph.”
She ignored his less-than-charming remark. “Do you use this to get up to the mine, and if so, how does the contraption work, and how did you even come up with the idea for the basket gadget thing in the first place?”
Zayne began rubbing his head. “No offense, Agatha, but all of your questions are causing my head to throb harder than ever. What I really need right now is some peace and quiet, which means you need to stop
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