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Chapter One

"Are you sure there isn't anything else?” Barbara Lane asked while running her fingers nervously through her golden locks of hair She was beginning to feel faint, and unfortunately she was not prone to fainting Then again, fainting wasn't going to get her out of this mess

The New England su How could the lawyer stand being dressed in his three-piece business suit? She was already hot and sticky fro her to stay cool, calm, or collected She worked her fan furiously with her free hand, hoping not to faint right in front of the lawyer she hired The light breeze lifted wisps of blonde hair away from her serious face

She had dressed impressively in her frilly pink dress Frothy layers of lace made the dress appear to float as she walked It created the i richer than she was, but she had no doubt she couldn't afford this now and should not have splurged on the dress If that was all her father left her, it wouldn't even cover the lawyer's fees She had planned on the inheritance being enough to help out with some of these costs

The lawyer pulled uncomfortably at the collar of his starched white linen shirt while turning over the last will and testah on the bri"

"Read it again for her than nor to put her in his will

The lawyer readjusted the reading glasses on the tip of his nose before reading the will for the second ti of sound mind and body, do hereby bequeath all , California to hter, Barbara Lane” He looked back up to Barbara before continuing “This is pretty clear to old mine"

"No It can't be,” she said in disbelief, then questioned, “What aold mine?"

"Whatever you want, Miss Lane It's yours to do with as you please"

"But I don't know the first thing about gold mines” Barbara was in complete shock, but should not have been surprised It seemed that her father had let her down in death just as he had in life This would be more money she would have to spend that she really couldn't afford to spend, and it would all come out of the last of the money her mother had left her The trust fund was nearly empty She would be practically destitute after she paid the lawyer for his services today

Her father had been a conant He never ca more about it until now He never visited her, never wrote the that her mother was as beautiful as she was or she would never have been able to rehter in tow

But all that was in the past Barbara enty-five years old now and suddenly her father remembered her in his will Well, he could have let her stay a forgotten part of his past Thatclaiold strike by noere the odds in her favor?

No, she would have to try to sell the useless claim to someone else to work, but first she should at least take a look at it Maybe he built a decent house or so of value on the property

Her luck couldn't possibly be so bad as to have this be a complete waste of time Could it?

Barbara let out an audible sigh beforeher decision She would have to head west and just find out exactly what it was that she noned

"I guess I aold mine” Barbara stood up and reached to shake the lawyer's hand, squeezing it in hers She smiled weakly as she said, “Thank you so much for your tiold mine, please let me know"

He grasped her hand firmly in his and shook her hand in return “Certainly, Miss Lane, but I doubt I know anyone ould be interested"

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Chapter Two

Barbara patted the dust out of her skirts as she exited the hired stagecoach The plain black stagecoach was devoid of any luxurious trappings, made to only service the ars, and strong perfume The dark interior only intensified the heat, and the small s allowed very little air to circulate inside Ithard ride

> Barbara had been asking herself for the last few months why she bothered to travel all this way So she couldn't help but ask herself again, as she here? She should be in the cool ed North Carolina here she grew up and, until now, had never left California was so different, so hot, so desert like, and she couldn't stop kicking herself for bothering to come

Ruested that the men outnumbered the wo for a husband, eventually Of course she heard it was a good place to start a new life, to raise a fa Barbara Lane had never done in her life

"Hmmmph It's not like I am some Indian maiden,” she muttered to herself

California was a wilderness unlike anything she had ever seen, and it made her think twice about whether she was meant for this kind of harsh environment

She was hot, sweat per Not even for the hot California sun was she going to give up wearing her chear across the country had not stopped her froe her, either

The lawyer had explained that the mine came with a house and she planned to stay there until she could dispose of the property

Looking at it for the first time, she reconsidered her decision The house was not very ilance It was more of a shack than a house The ere covered in dust, and a fresh paint was needed It just carried an unclean feeling on first sight, but she really couldn't afford a hotel now that she had used up nearly all of herhere

"Ma'as?” the driver asked her while untying her baggage froecoach He picked up her trunk and it landed on the ground with a cloud of dust

Barbara wrinkled her nose at the thought ofwas dusty and with very little grass around the cabin, she would be fighting the dirt co as she lived here “Just help me carry them to the house and that should be fine Thank you, sir"

"I got it” When she bent down to take the handle of her trunk, he brushed her hand away, lugging it over one shoulder and carrying it to the front porch The burly driver set it doith a thud

"You gonna be all right, ma'am?” His voice was thick with unease, his eyes war

"Of course, thank you for your concern,” Barbara said in a shaky voice She wasn't sure she believed she would be fine, and here she was consoling his fears She forced a smile to look more confident of her decision to stay alone