She nodded. “Of course.”
He pushed to his feet. As he pulled his hat from the hook, he gave his usual farewell. “I’ll be back for the midday meal.” Then with a final glance around the room, he stepped around the door curtain.
She eased out a breath and stood, gathering the used dishes to keep her hands busy. She had plenty of work to accomplish.
But as she loaded the plates into the wash bucket, Gil stepped up beside her and took the rag. “I’ll wash these.”
She slid a look at him. "This is my work."
The corners of his eyes creased as he reached into the bucket and pulled out a cup. “I’d like to.” Now his mouth curved upward. “Makes me feel right at home. Back before Dinah and Naomi came, we boys had to do the cooking and cleaning ourselves.”
She couldn’t find a single word to answer him. Father never would have dreamed of helping with women’s work. But she also couldn’t bring herself to push Gil away from the bucket of soapy water.
So she turned her focus to cleaning the stove. Cooking bacon always meant she needed to wipe down every inch of the cast iron.
They worked in easy quiet for a few minutes, the only sounds the splashing of water and the clink of dishes.
"Think you could show me the men's bunkhouse this morning?" Gil asked.
Jess slanted him a sideways glance, lifting her brows. "Didn't get to say all you wanted to your brother last night?" She kept her tone light, but her heart picked up pace.
Gil stilled, his hands braced on the wash bucket as he turned to her. "You know about that?"
Should she tell him she’d followed him? So far, Gil had given her no reason to distrust him. In fact, he’d gone out of his way to help her, even at his own peril. "I followed you. I saw you talk with Sampson, but I didn't hear what you said."
The corners of his mouth twitched as he turned back to his washing. He didn’t speak for a moment, clearly focused on his thoughts. "It was good to see him." His voice held a wistful tone.
She searched for a response to keep the conversation going. She wasn’t good at small talk. She just didn’t have enough experience with it. "Is he excited to leave?"
Gil's mouth pressed, and his brow wrinkled. "Says he doesn't want to go. That his work here isn't done."
Jess tried to make sense of that. Why in the Montana Territory would Sampson want to keep working in these caves? Working for Mick McPharland. Most men tried everything they could to leave, but Jedidiah forced them to stay.
Gil shrugged as if hearing her thoughts. "I've no idea why, but I aim to find a way to talk him into leaving."
A new concern niggled through her. She’d not thought about how Sampson would leave. She and Gil would depart with her father, of course. But should Sampson sneak away during the activity around their departure? Should she tell her father the men were brothers so Sampson could ride out with them?
No.
Revealing that connection felt far too dangerous for both Coulters, if her father hadn’t already realized it.
Her stomach tightened. If he had, the fact that he’d kept silent about knowing the men were brothers couldn’t bode well.
Yet if her father was unaware, the very last thing she wanted was to bring the fact to his attention.
She’d finished with the stove and moved to wipe the table as Gil carried the wash water outside to dump.
Father had all but told them not to venture into the caves today. But Gil wanted to see the bunkhouse. And the rebellious part of her wanted to show it to him, despite her father’s words. Maybe they could sneak in and out without anyone knowing.
When they finished their work, she dried her hands on her apron. "I can take you to the bunkhouse. There's a tunnel that leads there."
He nodded, his gaze wary. "Will that cause problems?”
She shrugged. “Not if we don’t meet anyone along the way.”
He inhaled a long breath, then let it out in a slow stream. “I’m ready when you are."
Now would be as good a time as any. After slipping past the door curtain, she pointed Gil to the right instead of moving toward daylight. Shadows hid the black curtain covering the inner passage, so one would have to be looking for it to see.
