“I’m not chasing it for the love of money, or even for riches or material gain. I’m doing it to ensure my family is safe. But I can’t do it alone.”
He briefly closed his eyes and lowered his hand, as if in defeat. “Will I regret this, Ally?”
“You might.” Excitement stirred to life inside my chest. “But I hope you don’t.”
“What about the children?”
“Father is doing much better, and with Paddy’s help...” I left the sentence hanging, hoping Sam would agree. “Perhaps we can move them to the new building, so they are safer.”
“It will take a few days to get everything ready. How much time do we have?”
“We have about three weeks before a man named Major William Downie will find one of the largest gold strikes on the Yuba River.”
“It will take us at least a week to get there.”
“And then we’ll have a week to gather as much as we can and a week to get back before Major Downie arrives.”
“Bess once told me that if a time-crosser knowingly changes history, they forfeit their path. Aren’t you worried about that?”
“I’m always worried about it.” I thought of Bess and Cole and the changes that I’d witnessed in the past few weeks. “We won’t disturb the place where William Downie discovers the gold, and we won’t tell anyone about it, so I won’t be changing history. He’ll still go there and still be credited with the find. I don’t know who will go there after him, so I’m not knowingly changing that part.”
“Are you sure?”
“It’s a risk I’m willing to take. We can be back here in three weeks with all the gold we’ll ever need, and you can finish your restaurant and hotel.”
Sam crossed his arms and became pensive as he considered what I was proposing. “What about your reputation? Aren’t you worried what people will think and say about you if they hear we went there alone?”
“I’ve thought about that,” I confessed. “We don’t need to use our real names. There are so many men coming and going, no one needs to know who we are.”
“There could be a few who recognize us.”
“We’ll take our chances.” I let out a sigh. “My family’s safety and well-being are more important to me than what others think.”
His brown eyes were both fierce and gentle as he held my gaze. “I’ll do it under one condition—you’ll promise to help me run my new hotel and restaurant when we get back.”
Butterflies filled my stomach for reasons I couldn’t begin to guess. Sam wanted more time with me. “I don’t know if I’ll stay here past my twenty-fifth birthday in November.”
He didn’t respond immediately. Disappointment lowered his shoulders. “Can you promise me you’ll stay at least until then?”
Hazel and Johnnie had finished getting their drink and started off again. Father was still walking toward us but was a long ways off.
“Yes.” It was all I said. All I needed to say.
“Maybe I’ll convince you to stay longer.”
The butterflies intensified as warmth filled my cheeks and I started to follow the children, trying not to letThe Annals of SanFranciscotaunt me.
Sam’s chuckle met my ears a moment before he joined me, and his hand brushed mine.
“You’ve given me a reason to smile again, Ally Adams.” He shook his head. “I didn’t think that would ever happen.”
His words filled my heart with joy, but also trepidation.
If I wasn’t desperate to get the gold, I would never agree to go on a three-week journey with Sam Kendal. Alone. Not because I didn’t trust him, but because I didn’t trust my heart.
It took another ten minutes to get to the little canvas building with the wooden cross tacked to the gable. Hazel and Johnnie waited for us, Father still a couple blocks behind.
The church door was open, and several miners were entering.
