Read Online Silver Dreams by Cynthia Thomason - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Cynthia Thomason
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given in then if a sobering realization hadn't suddenly dawned on her. She eyed him skeptically. This was Ross. He never offered anything without having an ulterior motive.
She swallowed, narrowed her eyes. "You want my money from Mama's trust fund to finance your trip, don't you, Ross?"
A pained expression crossed his face. He slapped his hand over his heart. "Lizzie! How could you think such a thing?"
"Because you haven't a penny of your own to put into this."
He shrugged innocently and grinned at her with his boyishly engaging smile. "Now that you mention it, a teeny, tiny portion of your trust fund would help out."
She wrenched herself free of his hold. "I might have known!"
"For Pete's sake, Lizzie. You'll make it back ten times...no, a hundred times over!" Ross curled his hand into a fist and lightly pounded his chest. "I feel it in here, Liz. There's a fortune to be had. I'm going for it one way or the other, but I'd sure like it if you'd come with me."
"Ross, this is the craziest thing..."
"You're wrong, sister. This makes more sense than anything I've ever done in my life." His eyes blazed with a persuasive fire that wouldn't let her turn away. "Just answer me this, Lizzie. Do you believe him?" He cocked his head toward Dooley who was still waiting anxiously. "Do you believe Dooley's story?"
That was the part she couldn't explain. She actually did believe the old man. She didn't know why, but for some cockeyed reason, she at least believed that Dooley Blue believed in the mine. More bizarre things than this had happened throughout history, and there were plenty of rich men to prove it.
"I think there is some truth to what Dooley is saying," she conceded.
“Then what’s holding you back? Is it because you don’t want to get your hands dirty? Are you too much a debutant?”
Now he was just goading her. “You know that’s not true. When we were kids, I climbed more trees and made more mud pies than you ever did.”
“Then you must be afraid.”
She opened her mouth to refute that foolish statement, but he silenced her with a grin. “I’ll be there to protect you, Lizzie. Nothing to fear, you see?”
“It’s you protecting me that I fear the most. But here’s the truth. I think you're using this foolhardy scheme to get out of your responsibilities. You're in a lot of trouble now, Ross, in case you've forgotten." Elizabeth certainly remembered. In just two more days, Max Cassidy's story would hit the newsstands.
"Of course I haven't forgotten," he said. "That's all the more reason to go.” He pulled her away from Dooley and spoke in a low voice. "We'll only be gone a few weeks, and when we get back, I'll have all the money I'll need for my defense. Father won't have to pay for anything. And in the meantime, my little problem at Dixie Lee's will have faded into oblivion. You know what they say, out of sight out of mind. That ought to make Father happy."
That was true. It wouldn't hurt for Ross to be out of town for a while. Trouble seemed to follow him everywhere he went in Manhattan. And it would be good for their father not to have to be reminded of his only son’s problems all the time.
"All right," she said, "I have to agree with you on these points, but what about the money? I'm not giving you any of mine."
"Then help me get it somewhere else."
"Where?"
"From Father."
"Papa would never..."
"He might. Especially if you were on my side. In fact, I think this is just the kind of story Father would like to chew on. He was a reporter once, a damn good one, and this is the worm on a hook to a real newsman. And I can see the possibilities in your eyes, too, Lizzie. You'd love to be the one to write about Dooley Blue's Fair Day Mine."
Oh, yes, she certainly would. She thought about the tea she was covering at Mrs. Beswick's house the next afternoon, and all at once, the lure of Colorado
She swallowed, narrowed her eyes. "You want my money from Mama's trust fund to finance your trip, don't you, Ross?"
A pained expression crossed his face. He slapped his hand over his heart. "Lizzie! How could you think such a thing?"
"Because you haven't a penny of your own to put into this."
He shrugged innocently and grinned at her with his boyishly engaging smile. "Now that you mention it, a teeny, tiny portion of your trust fund would help out."
She wrenched herself free of his hold. "I might have known!"
"For Pete's sake, Lizzie. You'll make it back ten times...no, a hundred times over!" Ross curled his hand into a fist and lightly pounded his chest. "I feel it in here, Liz. There's a fortune to be had. I'm going for it one way or the other, but I'd sure like it if you'd come with me."
"Ross, this is the craziest thing..."
"You're wrong, sister. This makes more sense than anything I've ever done in my life." His eyes blazed with a persuasive fire that wouldn't let her turn away. "Just answer me this, Lizzie. Do you believe him?" He cocked his head toward Dooley who was still waiting anxiously. "Do you believe Dooley's story?"
That was the part she couldn't explain. She actually did believe the old man. She didn't know why, but for some cockeyed reason, she at least believed that Dooley Blue believed in the mine. More bizarre things than this had happened throughout history, and there were plenty of rich men to prove it.
"I think there is some truth to what Dooley is saying," she conceded.
“Then what’s holding you back? Is it because you don’t want to get your hands dirty? Are you too much a debutant?”
Now he was just goading her. “You know that’s not true. When we were kids, I climbed more trees and made more mud pies than you ever did.”
“Then you must be afraid.”
She opened her mouth to refute that foolish statement, but he silenced her with a grin. “I’ll be there to protect you, Lizzie. Nothing to fear, you see?”
“It’s you protecting me that I fear the most. But here’s the truth. I think you're using this foolhardy scheme to get out of your responsibilities. You're in a lot of trouble now, Ross, in case you've forgotten." Elizabeth certainly remembered. In just two more days, Max Cassidy's story would hit the newsstands.
"Of course I haven't forgotten," he said. "That's all the more reason to go.” He pulled her away from Dooley and spoke in a low voice. "We'll only be gone a few weeks, and when we get back, I'll have all the money I'll need for my defense. Father won't have to pay for anything. And in the meantime, my little problem at Dixie Lee's will have faded into oblivion. You know what they say, out of sight out of mind. That ought to make Father happy."
That was true. It wouldn't hurt for Ross to be out of town for a while. Trouble seemed to follow him everywhere he went in Manhattan. And it would be good for their father not to have to be reminded of his only son’s problems all the time.
"All right," she said, "I have to agree with you on these points, but what about the money? I'm not giving you any of mine."
"Then help me get it somewhere else."
"Where?"
"From Father."
"Papa would never..."
"He might. Especially if you were on my side. In fact, I think this is just the kind of story Father would like to chew on. He was a reporter once, a damn good one, and this is the worm on a hook to a real newsman. And I can see the possibilities in your eyes, too, Lizzie. You'd love to be the one to write about Dooley Blue's Fair Day Mine."
Oh, yes, she certainly would. She thought about the tea she was covering at Mrs. Beswick's house the next afternoon, and all at once, the lure of Colorado
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