She studied the potato again as she cut a long strip of skin, doing her best to sound casual. "I was wondering if I could ask you something."
"Sure." He sounded curious, open. Maybe he had nothing to hide.
"I went for a walk the other day, just to get outside and clear my head." She braved a quick glance up, but his expression was hard to read. She dropped her focus again. "I ended up back in the clearing where Jonah was hurt. There's a shed there, and when I opened the door, I saw all those crates."
She had to look again. His expression tensed, but he didn't speak. Maybe he waited for her to ask a question.
"I thought they were supplies you'd stored for the winter, so I looked in two of them." She met his gaze squarely. Now heknewthat she knew. "Jude came then and walked me back to the house. I asked what the stones were, but he said I should ask you."
The lines at his eyes tightened, but lying there in bed, he still looked almost frail. Small. She should have waited until he was stronger.
Too late to turn back now. They had to finish this conversation, or neither of them would rest.
At last he said, "They're sapphires."
She blinked. "The blue ones?" She'd seen sapphire broaches, but they'd all been a rich navy.
"All of them. Sapphires come in many colors, but the most common is blue."
She couldn't help staring at him. She’d never imagined he possessed this depth of knowledge about such a topic. They hadn't known each other long, but they'd spent so much time together, part of her felt like she knew everything about him.
"Where did they come from?" Maybe she should apologize for being nosy, but if there was anything underhanded going on, she wanted to know. He might not tell her that straight out, but she would sense if something wasn't right.
Jericho’s gaze was fixed on hers.
Let him tell the truth, Lord.She wanted so much to trust him.
He gave an almost imperceptible nod before he spoke. "Here. There's a vein of them down near the creek."
Her mind scrambled to work through all that meant for them. No wonder they didn't want people to come on their land. They wanted to keep the jewels for themselves. "How much are sapphires worth?" She nearly clamped a hand to her mouth. If theirs was an honest business, her question was impertinent. She shook her head. "I didn't mean to ask that."
He gave a weak smile. "Not as much as gold." He seemed to sink farther into the pillow. "We don't protect the mine because of any great fortune. The sapphires provide all we need to live on and then some. We just don't want this place to turn into another Helena or Virginia City. If word got out about the strike, men would come pouring onto our land. Not just threatening our quiet life but putting my family in danger."
That made sense.
He started to push upright, and she set her potato and bowl aside to help him. He'd managed to sit up, and now he focused intently on her. "That's why I need you to keep our secret, Dinah. Does your sister know?"
She shook her head. She'd not wanted to worry Naomi until she knew for sure whether something nefarious was happening here or not. And she'd been so focused on Jericho that the two of them hadn't had time to talk alone. "I don't want to keep it from her though."
Once more, the lines around his eyes deepened, his jaw tightening. "Dinah, I have to protect my family."
Defensiveness flared within her. "Naomi won't spill your secret. Not if we tell her not to. She won't want to endanger anyone here any more than you do."
His tension eased. "All right. If it's important to you." He leaned forward. "No one else can know. Please. No one knows except my brothers, Two Stones, and now you."
She tipped her head. "Not even the children?"
He shook his head. "It's too important to keep secret. That's why we call them strawberries. It's a code word Dat made up." His eyes softened. "The only reason I'm telling you everything is..." He paused, making her want to lean in for the rest. "Well, because..." Once more he stopped. He seemed to struggle for how to say what he meant.
It didn't seem possible he intended what she wanted him to say, that she was becoming important to him. But he looked so tongue-tied, in desperate need of saving. She couldn't help stepping in to rescue him. "Because you knew I'd pester you until you did?"
The embarrassment flooding his face eased, softening to a small smile. "Something like that."
* * *
"Are you sure you're well enough?"
Jericho had to let out a breath as he turned to Dinah. He carried his blankets under one arm so he could move back to the barn, but she'd followed him out like a mother hen. He worked to keep the frustration from his voice. "I'm well. Back to my old self. I promise."
