Micah studied her for a moment. He wanted to punch Arthur Morgan square in the jaw for how he’d wounded this beautiful woman. “All right. I won’t touch you. Not right now, anyway. But I won’t stop trying to prove that you can trust me.”
She shook her head and lowered her hand. “Please just go.”
Micah didn’t want to upset her any further. She needed time to consider all that had happened. He could at least give her that. “All right. I’ll go. But I will be back. We will talk about all of this. I love you, Kenzie, and I want to marry you.” He started to leave, then stopped and gave her an enormous grin. “I rather like the idea of a triple wedding.”
Kenzie shook from head to toe as she watched Micah walk away. She could hardly comprehend what had just happened. He had declared not only his love for her, but his desire that they marry. What in the world was she going to do?
For a few minutes, she paced back and forth by the laundry kettles. The rain had stopped, and she knew it wouldn’t be long before someone showed up to feed the fires or start a load of wash. If she stayed here, she’d only have to answer a lot of questions. Questions she wasn’t at all sure she could answer for herself, much less anyone else.
“I want you to admit you love me, because I love you.”Micah’s words rang over and over in her head.
The feelings she had suspected he had for her were now openly declared. They couldn’t be taken back. Worse still, Micah had pried open the place where she kept her own feelings safely hidden away.
“I want you to admit you love me....”
She stopped pacing and closed her eyes as if she could undo the last half hour. She tried her best to make an argument for why he was wrong.
I’m only reacting to the trauma we’ve all been through. Difficult times make people do and say things they might otherwise never do. That’s all that happened. I kissed him backbecause I was relieved he was alive and well. Nothing more.
She opened her eyes again and squared her shoulders. “I don’t love him. I don’t.”
The earth began to shake under her feet. It was nothing more than a tremor, one of the many they’d had after the large destructive quake, but this time it seemed different. It was almost as if the earth were mocking her.
When the shaking stopped a moment later, Kenzie glanced heavenward. “Lord, I don’t know what to do. Help me, please.”
Caleb, Patrick, and Micah walked to Mayor Schmitz’s temporary office. Micah had plans for getting back to work, but Caleb couldn’t help teasing him about his encounter with Kenzie.
“So, did you win her over at last?”
Micah laughed. “I did my best. She’s not going to let herself love me easily. She’s much too stubborn.”
“Well, for sure ye got her attention,” Patrick threw in.
“I’ll say,” Caleb agreed. “She all but melted into the floor from that kiss. You were quite the brazen paramour. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything quite like that.”
Micah sobered and shook his head. “She was all I could think about. All week long, when I thought exhaustion or discouragement would overtake me, Kenzie kept me going. Kenzie and thoughts of that kiss.”
“I can see how that would keep a man going.” Caleb nodded as they reached their destination. “Here we are. Are you sure you won’t join us? This will be an important meeting. We’re supposed to get an update on the sewers and water pipes.”
“I can give you the same information without sitting through hours of boring conversation,” Micah replied. “They’re busted all to pieces. At least that was the report I heard yesterday from one of the firefighters I worked on.”
“I’m sure you’re right, but given we’re already looking at plans for rebuilding, things like pipes have to come first. They’d be smart if they redesigned the entire city, but water is the most important. I suppose we’ll hear from Phelan about his ideas for pulling water from the Tuolumne River. No matter how many times he proposes them, Schmitz and Ruef find ways to ignore him and promote their own belief that the Spring Valley Water Company can provide for all our needs. Never mind that they failed us miserably.”
“Well, good luck accomplishing anything,” Micah answered. “Now that the shock is wearing off, business as usual will be everyone’s goal. Especially where Schmitz and Ruef are concerned.”
“There are a great many men who intend to see it done otherwise.” Caleb slapped Micah’s back. “Don’t be a stranger, and try not to take on responsibility for all the injured and sick. They’ve brought in doctors from around the area, as well as shipped out a great many of the worst cases to Oakland. At least that’s what the mayor told us in the last meeting.”
“It’s true, but they’re still finding people in the rubble, and there are still plenty who need my help.” Micah smiled. “But believe me, it won’t be long before I come visiting.”
The meeting was already underway when Caleb and Patrick slipped into the back of the room. The men at the front of the room were arguing loudly.
“Mayor, you know as well as the rest of us that Ruef did it so no one but his beloved Home Company would be able to bid. No one else even knew the bid was out for telephone service.”
Another man jumped in. “Ruef posted that notice in the ruins of City Hall, demanding bids be received by three that afternoon. No one even knew where to bring the bids.”
Caleb leaned over to Patrick. “It seems our hopes of being rid of Ruef were short-lived.”
Patrick nodded and crossed his arms. No doubt he was worried about whether Ruef’s actions would also bring an end to Schmitz’s promised reinstatement of Patrick’s business. Caleb looked around the room but saw no sign of Ruef. He was probably too much of a coward to show his face. He had to know Schmitz would be dealing with an angry group of men.
