Read Online Hearts of Gold by Janet Woods - Free Book Online Page B

those men would come back for Sarry. But if not them, then others would try. She had reached that age of desirability when she was peachy with innocent youth and ready for plucking. He couldn’t fight them all off. He was too old. He had to get her out of here, take her to a place that was more civilized. He would tell her tonight.
    The sun shifted a little in the sky. From habit he placed his pick in the wheelbarrow and set off. It was a pretty day. The trees shook off the moisture from the downpour in rainbow-coloured drops, the sun shafted beams down through the branches. In the distance John saw a patch of yellow. His eyes narrowed in on it, identified it, then mesmerized, he found himself drawn towards it, his heart pounding in his chest and hardly daring to hope.
    There were several nuggets strewn about on top, and sticking out of the soil, a chunk of quartz, uncovered by the punching force of the rain. How lovely it looked.
    As he drew nearer he began to shake as though he had a fever. ‘
The ridge! At long last!
’ He couldn’t leave now. He’d work it until it ran out, then he’d leave, taking Sarry with him.
    He began to hack at the quartz, ignoring the pain that haunted his stomach. He’d grown used to it. By the end of the week his muscles ached, his spine seemed set to break in two, and he was suffering from extreme fatigue. To his disappointment the quartz reef hadn’t contained any gold.
    John hadn’t drunk anything but water for a week and he felt out of sorts. He tipped the bottle up, took a swig and kicked at a chunk of quartz that seemed to be mocking him. The toe of his boot went under it, lifted it and sent it flying through the trees. Where it had rested was a pitted yellow patch. Placing one end of the pick under it, he loosened it from its bed in the earth and lifted it out.
    Gold in the rough shape of a heart appeared from under the dirt, a nugget so large it must have weighed at least sixteen pounds.
This was it! More than he’d ever hoped for
. He named it Sarry’s heart. It was for her, though she wouldn’t know it yet. John wanted to shout out his good luck, but didn’t dare in case he was overheard. He wasn’t even going to register his find, though it would be breaking the law not to. But he couldn’t remember ever respecting that, and was too old to do so now.
    He laughed, kissed it and said, ‘You beautiful, beautiful thing.’
    Wrapping the nugget in his coat he placed the bundle in the wheelbarrow and trundled home with it. He handed a couple of the smaller nuggets to her. ‘Here’s your twenty per cent, Sarry girl. That’s it. I’ve had enough of the diggings, so get ready to leave in the morning. Don’t take anything we can’t carry on the train.’
    While she exclaimed over her twenty per cent he carried his coat inside and placed the nugget in his trunk. It would weigh heavy, but he didn’t care.
    As John knew she would, she resisted the scheme, reluctant to step out of the narrow little world she was used to.
    ‘Then what?’ she’d scoffed, looking displeased with the whole idea when he’d explained it to her. ‘It’s not much good being turned into an English lady unless it will help me earn a living.’
    It was worse when he sold Hercules along with the claim, outside of the railway station. It was then that she realized that they really were leaving, and John knew that she was scared of losing everything that was familiar to her.
    ‘He’ll miss us.’
    ‘Nonsense. He’s a horse. As long as he gets his daily hymn along with his food, he’ll be quite happy to transfer his affection to the person who feeds him.’
    Bursting into tears she threw her arms around Hercules’s neck and wailed, ‘I don’t want to leave him.’
    John knew he’d have to be hard with her. ‘Then stay.’ Hefting his trunk on to his shoulder with some difficulty, he began to amble towards the train. He got into a carriage, leaving the door open in case he’d have to jump out