Copper Chameleon



  Copper

  Chameleon

  Published by Allison Lynne

  Copyright 2014 Allison Lynne

  Behave like the chameleon: look forward and observe behind.

  – Malagasy Proverbs

  This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each reader. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance or similarity is purely coincidental.

  Julius E. Raht was an actual living person and was a true mining pioneer of the era. His life has been fictionalized to embellish the story.

  Copper Basin, Tennessee 1872

  Ann Marie Ward stepped into the cool shade of the small weathered cabin. Releasing a deep breath, she eyed the large brass tub occupying most of the far right corner of the solitary room she called home. As weariness crept into every bone in her body she immediately discarded any thoughts of using the large ornate reservoir. She refused to even think about carrying the many heavy buckets of water to fill it. She couldn't even imagine the sweltering heat from a fire if she wished for warm water. Running her hands through her shoulder length hair, a color so much like the shade of the precious copper painstakingly obtained from the local mines, she winced as her fingertips came away encrusted with grit.

  "Ug!" She groaned aloud in protest of the grime caking her scalp, and absentmindedly twisted the short locks around her finger. They stayed just as that, a matted curl, molded by sweat and red clay dirt. "To the creek it is, she barked with more enthusiasm than she really felt. A lazy tabby striped feline lounging on her bed opened one eye and yawned before settling back into a comfortable position. "Tiger, boy, you would feel the same way if your fur were this dirty. I swear there is more red clay dust in those mines than all of the state of Tennessee, I think!

  While grabbing her wrapper from its place on the wall, her hand gently brushed the longer portion of her locks hanging on the adjoining peg and not from her head. She sighed with a twinge of regret. It had been painful to cut off her hair. Ralph Williams, a dear man she considered a God Uncle, had concocted the hairpiece from the cut length, artfully securing the loose end with twine into a ponytail attachment. At least she could wear hair on Sunday for church! At least when she wasn't working, she could be herself! At least... She stopped her fruitless train of thought as it had all been very, very necessary. She thought back to the day of that fateful decision.

  "Blaze," He began by calling her by her childhood nickname, "It ain’t quite the same I know, but at you can wear this ponytail to make ya feel better until ya can grow it back out. I know ya Pa would have had my hide by letting ya cut it off. It were his pride and joy, it was. It was like your Mama's hair." His voice became a bit sterner then. "But I'll not be in total agreement here with you working for that rich man Bergmann and all. Your Pa would have more than my hide if something happens to you in that mine. It ain't right. He wanted you to be raised a gentle woman. Your Pa did everything in his power to bring you up as such. Your Mama would have liked that, rest her soul. He wanted you to be every bit as educated like her, as if you were one of J.E. Raht's daughter's herself." He referred to the wealthiest family in the area. "And what ya gonna do if Bergmann finds out?"

  Jolting back to the present, a tear slid down her filthy face, leaving a trail in the dust on a lightly tanned cheek. Her Pa. He was probably rolling over in his grave right if he knew all the events that had taken place since his death. She knew Ralph was right. Her father had forever mourned the loss of his fair copper-haired wife who had died in childbirth trying to give him a son. This left him a broken man, living only to dote on their child, albeit a female. He had adored her hair which had never been cut. He lavished his life blood and earthly riches on her, sparing no expense despite his meager miner’s income and beyond for her education and needs. The townspeople considered him foolish because it was a firmly held belief that an education was wasted on a woman. The only reasons he was not shunned as an outsider was due to his outgoing, friendly nature and his superb furniture making skills. He was always there for anyone who asked to lend a helping hand or to fulfill a household need. He could take a worthless heap of scrap wood and create a functionally exquisite item fit to grace the finest of homes, then he would sell it for almost nothing. To her knowledge, he never turned anyone away. When Ann was old enough to question his generosity, he stood by his actions. “Blaze Ann, kindness has no price. These people have fallen on hard times like us. It’s just the way it works. One day, we may need their help.”

  Yet that help never arrived as his kind-heartedness was quickly forgotten and his adoration had become her ruin. Creditors quickly descended upon her for unpaid loans. People who had often asked for his helping hand now cornered her with outstretched palms demanding payments. She sadly recalled how she had been forced to sell everything to cover the debts he incurred because of her, including the modest but comfortable family home he had built. It had been the only place she had ever lived, and her losses seemed to have no ending. The only thing she had been able to keep was her mother's brass tub. She just could not let it go. It took up a fair portion of this small miner's cabin, but it was the one earthly symbol of her childhood she had left to call her own, if she could keep making those darn payments to Keith Roberts, the town loan shark. She had reluctantly asked his assistance for those few final bills, listing the tub as collateral. There was nowhere else to turn as the region did not have a financial institution of bank. That type of establishment was untrusted. She mentally tallied the remaining three more payments then the loan would be paid in full. To earn a living, she had taken a job as a miner. This wasn’t exactly the ideal position for a young lady of gentle rearing, not to mention it was an inconvenience to be forced to live in disguise. All the men in the crew knew her secret and had known her all her life. It was sort of like having a varied collection of fathers who kept her identity quiet out of respect for Pa's memory. They quickly learned to appreciate her skills and abilities in the maze of tunnels weaving a dangerous web beneath the town. The wage was modest, the work was backbreaking, and ironically it required none of her ridiculed education or high learning. So much for all her fancy schooling now!

  In one way she considered it lucky that the new foreman wasn’t from around these parts and didn't know his crew well. Mr. Dirk Bergmann didn’t need to be privy to that small piece information, and her fellow miners had made a pact to keep it quiet. She rarely ventured into town, using her grief as an excuse to only attend church or purchase what few staples she needed then quickly retreat to her cabin. Her livelihood depended on discretion. Even the townsfolk weren’t privy to her dual life. She had assured Ralph that this was a temporary solution almost eight months ago, wondering how much longer the situation would hold.

  The team she worked with in Mary Mine had not been formally supervised for quite some time as the former overseer had moved to nearby Cleveland. They were an experienced group and were doing fine, until Bergmann. He had entered their life with a better way to do everything or so he claimed. He was an arrogant man who had been formally educated in Germany with high ideas and notions.

  With just enough of the local influence ingrained into her persona, Ann ranted about the interloper. "Oh why did that wealthy dandy have to make his entrance into my life?!" She grabbed for a bar of soap and slammed the cabin door, causing Tiger to give her a sharp look of disdain before repositioning himself yet again.
"If not for him, I could have kept my hair long. I wouldn't have to bind my breasts. I wouldn't have to cover my face with a bandana. I wouldn't have to constantly watch what I do or say!" Her anger was a welcomed over sadness and self-pity. "Bergmann. Bah!" She spat the name of a man she had never met face to face. Angry steps propelled her in the direction of Potato Creek. How was it possible to hate a man you didn't even know?

  As if listening to her ranting frustration, Diedrick "Dirk" Bergmann stood on a bare red clay hill surveying the devastated landscape around him. As far as he could see, the sloping mounds were devoid of all vegetation. The bare rolling hills appeared slightly fuzzy from the breeze that stirred a blanket of dust to blow freely to the wind. Craters riddled the earth's surface and were so deep that a grown man could hide in them while standing erect. It was a shame what copper mining had done to this once resplendent area, and he hoped he could change the direction of destruction. The smelting process required to heat the mined ore was doubly damaging to all living things. Smelting needed fuel for fires and coal was rare and unavailable. Thus the fuel of choice was cordwood. To date, fifty square miles of timber had been stripped and burned from the area, leaving behind a vast desert of barren red clay. As a double edged sword, the fumes produced from smelting were obviously toxic because even the wildlife had evacuated or died. It was common knowledge that one couldn't hang their clothing out on a line to dry as the material would soon become riddled with pinholes. Mysterious lung illnesses were prevalent among the people here, especially the miners. As a young man who owed everything to the Raht family, he felt it was his duty to try to make the Mary Mine profitable again after a long dry spell and rectify the ecological situation to the best of his ability.

  Dirk Bergmann had been born an orphan. As a small child, his only means of support was pick-pocketing the wealthy and that was exactly how he met Julius E. Raht. Mr. Raht had been on holiday in his homeland in Dillengurg, Duchy of Nassau, Germany with his family when he almost became a victim of theft. Heralded as the best on the street, Dirk still recalled his surprised reaction as his deft arm was stilled by the observant copper mine superintendent. He recalled the fear as clearly as if it had happened yesterday, knowing he would likely spend the rest of his life in prison.

  Mr. Raht had taken pity on the overly thin lad so close in age to his sons, taking him under his wing and providing him with an education. He had worked for Raht his entire life, been offered an education by the generous father-like figure, and now he had been given the opportunity of a lifetime - Mine Foreman. He owned it all to Raht and he wasn’t going to disappoint him. Shaking off the shadows of his past, he watched a small figure in the distance stomp jauntily toward a small stream. One of the lads who worked in the mine, no doubt, he mused. At least the boy had a penchant for cleanliness but who wouldn’t in this veritable desert of red grit and dirt? With each gust of wind, Dirk’s eyes stung from the blowing orange-red grit.

  Ann gingerly stepped into the brisk stream. It wasn’t very deep naturally, but as it had become a favorite area for swimming and bathing, a small pool had been hand dug out to accommodate the user. In a graceful arc, she dove under, squealing with delight as the stress of the day was magically washed away by the cool clear water. She surfaced briefly, shook out her hair, then dove beneath the surface with a splash again and again. It truly felt good!

  Dirk turned once more at the sound of delight. He caught a glimpse of the lad in the stream just as he dove under. Another smile came easily. After such a grueling day’s work, the boy deserved some measure of pleasure.

  After a few more dives, a hasty wash, and a speedy rinse, Ann checked the sun’s position then quickly finished her bath. A gnawing ache in her stomach was all the prompting she needed to hasten her efforts even more. Shaking out her wrapper and enveloping her slender body in its generous folds, she briskly towel dried her hair. Another growl from her midsection spurred her on her way back toward her cabin.

  If Dirk Bergmann had remained in place a few moments longer or had chanced to take one last backward look, even from his vantage point he would have easily recognized the turn of a shapely calf and the outline of slender feminine curves beneath a course wrapper.

  Ralph watched Ann scurry into view, catching a whiff of her favored lavender scented soap long before she plopped down beside him. “Blaze!” He admonished her. “Ya smell like a sissy boy.” Handing her a small napkin wrapped package, he paused as she threw back the red and white checkered cloth and smiled at the golden chunk of cornbread and the steaming bowl of beans. “Ya smell too pretty.” He tried to continue his tirade.

  Stuffing her mouth full, she nodded as she mumbled unintelligible words between bites.

  “Blaze” His voice attempted to remain stern. “I mean it. Bergmann is going to be working with us tomorrow. Ya can’t be smellin’ like a milk fed dandy. It’ll raise too much suspicion. Although I’d be happy to see you lay this charade aside tonight, I know it ain’t possible for ya right now. It’s risky enough. I rightly can’t see how the man can’t tell you’re a lass not a lad! It’s as obvious as the nose on my face. I swear. The man don’t have much of an eye, I recon…” Ralph rambled on as she continued to enjoy her meal. “Ya getting quite some blisters on your hands despite the work gloves.” He clasped her wrist and inspected her hand. “Now remember, you need to take extra caution tomorrow and every day that Bergmann’s present until he gets tired of babysitting us. Gloves. Baggy clothes. Cover your face with a bandana. Don’t smell so good. Bergmann don’t need to discover nothin more than copper in those mines.

  Mumbling as she nodded, she was sure she had this situation under control as hunger ruled her train of thought.

  Morning came early as expected, but was not eagerly anticipated. Tiger pranced around the small cabin while demanding his breakfast. Ann stretched lazily, testing her body for fresh aches and pains. Despite the time she had spent in the mines lately she could always identify a new sore muscle or joint. Her morning routine was brief, a definite plus for the male population, and she dipped her fingers into a pot of mud and smeared on her face. Grimacing, she picked up yesterday’s clothes and gave them a precursory smell. “Ug!” They would do. Wrinkling her nose, she was shocked how bad her own sweat could smell. For a final touch to her disguise, she dipped soured washcloth in water and spread it over her arms.

  Her arrival to the worksite garnered the desired reaction from her coworkers. “Pee-Yew! Blaze! Take a Bath!”

  “Did you tangle with a skunk?”

  “Is that new perfume called evening in the cow pasture?”

  She cut a saucy grin their way just before covering the entire lower half of her face with a worn blue bandana. To save herself the agony, she had dabbed just a drop of lavender water inside the bandana so she didn’t have endure her own smell! She giggled, conjuring a vision of herself standing as close as possible to Bergmann every chance she could get.

  Dirk arrived shortly after all the miners had descended below ground for the day. He eyed the shaft that disappeared deep into the bowels of the earth and took a breath. It was not an experience he was looking forward to but was necessary. He gently stepped into the basket and gave the command to be lowered. After the seemingly endless trip down, he noted that the men worked furiously like underground ants. The extraction of the ore was a manual process, and their only tools were picks and shovels. A young boy who looked barely out of childhood darted back and forth with a container, loading the ore into the bucket lift. Ole Bess, the mule who pulled the lift, stood patiently as the boy adjusted the load to be distributed evenly in the bucket. Bess’ reward was a scratch between the ears by the lad. The boy, called Blaze startled when he saw Dirk Bergmann observing him.

  Ann came to a complete stop when she saw the tall, handsome man watching her. His dark blond hair was the perfect foil for those piercing blue eyes. They were the color of a stormy l
ake in summer. Dark, stormy, silvery blue. Her heart skipped a beat and she had trouble catching her breath. Breaking the spell held over her, she immediately went back to her chores.

  Dirk blinked, and then decided that the mule smelled better than the boy.

  Blaze shot dirk a scowl. “Don’t make any strange moves around Ole Bess. She’s blind, ya know, from being down here her whole life. No sunlight, ya know. Don’t want ya to startle her and cause problems, ya know.”

  Bess sidestepped uneasily from Dirk’s foreign scent. The seasoned animal knew every miner by their smell and had even recognized Ann in disguise.

  “A pity.” He murmured.

  “What?” Blazed asked. “Beg pardon?”

  “A pity to ruin a good animal with neglect.” He stated.

  “Neglect? Maybe. Necessity? Definitely.” Blaze reflected on his concern. She, too, had felt pity for the poor mule in its condition, but for the sake of the job and the safety of the men, there was no other way to reliably transport people and ore in and out of the mines. Just knowing that Ole Bess had been imprisoned in a mining dungeon her whole life had made her cry for days. But that was life in Copper Basin, and she had might as well get used to it if she was going to survive.

  Those blue eyes turned their attention to the cloudy eyed beast. “That can and will be changed. That is a promise.”

  “Change ain’t welcomed much around here.” Blaze stated fact.

  Her statement was a verbal confirmation of what he already knew. Carefully measuring his words, he replied with caution. “Change for the sake of change is just chaos. Change should bring improvement. In this case, improvement is needed.”

  Secretly agreeing, Blaze allowed herself to shoot him an insolent look before returning to work. She couldn’t agree more, but she wasn’t about to give him that satisfaction.

  The days passed by while taking on a scripted pattern, and true to his word, Dirk Bergmann began to introduce and implement new processes which truly did make the job easier. Begrudgingly, she found herself an admirer of the milk-fed dandy as he seemed anything but. As she realized her feelings of attraction toward him, she strengthened her disguise daily, making sure to add an extra swipe of soured water or mud on herself. It was a feeling akin to a wild animal caught in a trapper’s cage. Maybe it was her imagination, but she could almost feel her eyes boring holes in her skin throughout the day.

  Ann would have been truly frightened if she knew how close her feelings were to the truth. Dirk ground his teeth in frustration as the lad sprinted in a jaunty run past him for the tenth time that morning. How one human being could smell so incredibly bad, he wondered? How could one fowl smelling boys possess such a shapely derriere, he shook the vision from his brain. Absentmindedly giving Ole Bess a scratch between the ears, he felt a measure of uneasiness with himself. It had to be the bad air in this mine shaft!

  Blaze wafted by yet again, her progress halted abruptly by a steely hand on her shoulder. “Whaaaaa?” She didn’t have to try to be belligerent as the grip of his hand caused a ripple of lightening through her body. Involuntarily she jerked but his hold held her in place.

  “Have you ever heard of a bath, boy?”

  Her body stiffened in response. “Don’t need no bath. Ain’t good for ye.”

  “I can assure they will not kill you.” Dirk mentally conjured an image of the young lad who trekked to Potato Creek daily. “And your coworkers, especially me, would appreciate it.”

  Everyone in the vicinity stopped what they were doing to watch the spectacle. Ralph was literally holding his breath in fear. They all were. It could be more volatile than a powder charge in the hole.

  “It ain’t Saturday. Bath day is Saturday.” Her voice cracked with breathlessness, not sounding at all masculine to her drumming ears. Jerking away, she knew she had to break their contact.

  Dirk felt it too. The palm of his hand seared with tingling heat. He again felt very uneasy. The boy was unusually small for a male his age. His shoulders were slight, almost bony, and Dirk winced something inside threatened to betray him. Swallowing hard, he justified his response as pity. “I feel pity for the boy. That could have been me.” He told himself, refusing to acknowledge his unusual emotions.

  Their gazes locked for a full minute before returning to reality. Blaze knew that was a close call. She would have to be much more careful in the future.

  She reported to work the next day smelling twice as bad as usual. Not only had she literally doused herself with soured water, she trampled through every pile of Tiger’s dung as she crossed her yard. It was enough to make her gag as the small drop of lavender water in her bandana didn’t make a dent in the stench. No one remained in her presence very long that day, and that was good enough for her! Ralph kept glaring warning looks at her every chance he could get. As for Bergmann… well his look was priceless!

  During lunch break, Blaze made sure to seat herself downwind from Bergmann. Beneath the brim of the oversized hat she wore, she watched a myriad of expressions cross his face while he shifted uncomfortably throughout his meal. Finally he threw down his food and stalked off, but not before glaring her way with a look of irritation and something else she couldn't fathom. Her heart ached just a little because she would have loved to have met him under different circumstances. “Harrumph.” She grunted out loud as she reminded herself she was Blaze, not Ann. Rising from the ground, she aimed to follow him and make his presence here miserable. Maybe if she succeeded, he would leave sooner than planned.

  Dirk finally gave into his irritation, tossing the remainder of his lunch down before stalking away. What little he had eaten was sitting in his belly like a lump of copper ore. In contrast to the stomach turning smell wafting from the insolent boy was an uneasy vision of an unwhiskered, delicate, almost too pretty jawline. Following the effeminate line of the jawbone, Dirk encountered two rosy pink lips nibbling furiously at food being shoved in with small but efficient hands. The soft color of the boy’s lips in combination with those feline green eyes... “Well Hell!” Dirk spoke aloud as he all but bolted by Blaze as if his pants were on fire. Maybe he wasn’t any better than the gutter trash around him in his pickpocket days. Maybe he couldn’t rise above the early years of his life. Maybe his destiny cursed. This had always been his greatest fear, and Raht had always assured him it was not inbred into a person. “Hell!” He swore again. He made himself a promise to find a willing woman, and soon. Not that he had ever had a problem in that area, he considered the females of his past. Could it be possible that he had become one of those depraved men who were driven to satisfy their own needs regardless? Clearing his troubled thoughts, he wondered how one young boy, a child, could cause him so much doubt and discomfort. But when the dynamite shipment arrived, which should be soon, he could rotate himself out of this position and off this job. He would discuss the situation with Raht and take a new position somewhere. Any position would do as long as it took him away from defiant green eyes and disgusting feelings.

  Blaze watched the sulking figure retreat and briefly pondered why her heart felt as if it were going to break. She had to admit that Dirk Bergmann wasn’t at all the man she believed him to be. While being honest with herself she knew his ideas were actually improvements, but the old timers were set in their way. His suggestions had been rejected by all despite their merit. Why, Earl Morrow wouldn’t have been burned just today if he had been using the newfangled safety lamp instead of an open flame oil lamp as Bergmann had suggested and supplied. Ole Bess was going to be freed from her dungeon as soon as the new steam powered whim was installed, yet the men kept procrastinating with that too. Bergmann had also provided each worker with a metal hat to protect their heads, a great idea in Blaze’s opinion, but those too were discarded in favor of their old felt headgear. Blaze, however, had nestled one on her head and kept it hidden beneath her oversized cap. The old timers
might be skeptical, but she felt it was the safe thing to do. She just had to keep it hidden so she wouldn’t be labeled as a traitor in their eyes!

  As the day’s last whistle blew, Blaze was congratulating herself on avoiding Bergmann for the rest of the shift when that familiar steely hand rested gently yet firmly on her shoulder again. An involuntary shudder passed through her like the rippling of disturbed water. She squirmed uncomfortably beneath his touch and the unfamiliar feelings it invoked.

  “Blaze.” There was a slight hitch in Bergmann’s voice as he felt the boy tremble from head to toe. “Bath day is Saturday. I expect you’ll arrive at work on Monday Morning smelling quite a bit better than usual. It would just be considered respect toward your coworkers and boss.” Sternly eyeing all the men who had paused to watch the spectacle, he continued. “That is just a reminder. At this time, Mr. Raht considered me to be the boss of this mine. I don’t want to come in here and upset the apple cart, but there are some changes needed, and they will take place here.” The warning was spoken to all, then Dirk left the the crowd to their grumbling and complaints for the peacefulness of his new home.

  Ann was ever so glad to put “Blaze” aside as she soaked for over an hour in the tub until the lavender scent no longer enveloped her and the water was too tepid even for the heat of summer. Tiger remained in his place of honor on the bed, occasionally opening an eye in response to her endless stream of chatter. Reverend Brown would be singing praises to the angels if he knew that attending his Sunday Sermon had become her favorite event of the week! As long as she could recall, his preaching had not incited anything except restlessness in her bones. Now she actually looked forward to dressing in her finery and sitting quietly with hands folded for an hour or two or sometimes three if the good Reverend felt the calling!

  Sunday morning arrived brightly and Ann carefully tended her hairpiece, attaching it to her growing locks. The small straw bonnet she chose was trimmed in a deep kelly green that exactly matched her dress and called attention to her eyes. The ensemble had been a gift from Pa on her eighteenth birthday. A dress befitting a beautiful young woman, he had proclaimed. The deep golden trim around the neck also complemented the gold flecks in her eyes. Pa always did know how to dress his little girl! His treasure, he would declare with hand over heart, all copper and emerald and gold. Slipping on a pair of lace gloves to complete her outfit, she inspected her work worn hands to make sure they were well camouflaged. “Tiger, I’ll be back soon.” She called to the lazy cat as she left the cabin.

  Dirk’s heart felt as if it were caught in his throat as the copper-haired vision in green took a seat directly across the aisle from him. He recognized Ralph taking a seat next to her. Surely that wasn’t the old man’s wife, or at least he hoped not. Could it be his daughter? He choked on his own thoughts as she turned to face him and he was captivated by the greenest eyes he had ever seen... on a woman. By golly, it seemed that Blaze had a sister. Clenching his fists, he attempted to slow his racing heart. A sister. His body’s response reinforced his manhood and integrity and he begged forgiveness from his maker for having such feelings in His house. He had to meet this woman. He would meet this woman. She was a vision.

  Ann’s eyes locked with Dirk’s in a silent battle. She instantly knew he could not meet her as a woman. That would never do! Tapping Ralph on the shoulder, she asked him to trade places with her in the pew. As soon as the sermon ended, she managed to disappear into thin air.

  Dirk was disappointed that he did not get to meet the young lady in green, but from what he could gather from local’s ongoing conversations, she was still mourning the loss of her father. He vowed to have an introduction, and soon.

  “Whew! That was close!” Ann thanked Ralph for his assistance in her hasty exit. He had covered her escape as she literally crawled under the pews to the back door, a trick she had performed many times as a child but never an adult.

  “Blaze. This ain’t going to work much longer. Lass, Bergmann ain’t no dummy and he saw yer beauty. Ye won’t be able to hide much longer.”

  “I know, I know.” She reassuringly patted his arm. “I only have three more payments on that loan and Mama’s tub won’t be collateral anymore. I know this is a dangerous game, but I can’t lose that tub. It’s all I have left and when the loan is paid off, I am free and clear of any debt Pa left behind. I want the problem cleared up and to go away before anyone else in town hears about it. You know as well as me if the townsfolk get word of this, my name is ruined. You know how, well, close-minded they are.” She tried to think of a polite way to describe the township majority.

  “Well ye be careful, girl. Be careful.”

  Blaze’s arrival at the Mary Mine produced some very puzzled looks from the crew. Instead of her usual rancid odor, she smelled of lavender. Ralph’s mask of disapproval was met with mischievous eyes as she secured her bandana tightly.

  Throwing caution to the wind, she paraded by her equally disapproving boss and sassed, “Smellin good enough for ya, Mistah Bergmann?” To add a finishing touch to the sarcasm, she batted her eyes with exaggerated effort as she sashayed by.

  Dirk’s arm shot out, gripping her shoulder none too gently. “Young man,” he clenched out between clenched teeth, “enough of this show. We have an important task to accomplish today and your frippery is not going to stand in the way of progress.”

  Blaze gave him a questioning look.

  He continued. “I received the shipment of dynamite yesterday. We are going after that copper vein that Lloyd found last week. If my instincts prove correct, we should have enough mineral from the ore to produce quite a bit profit. Now everyone gather and let’s plan our strategy.”

  Ralph threw his arm around Blaze’s shoulder as they walked away from the dispersing group. “I don’t like it. I don’t like it one bit.”

  With a resigned sigh, Blaze agreed. “I don’t either, but it can’t be helped. I have to complete the assigned task or Bergmann will be suspicious. I’m so close to paying off that loan, Ralph.”

  “But ye know ya Pa never let you around explosives. Too dangerous, especially for one without experience.”

  “Maybe for Ann, but it is expected of Blaze to do this.” She took a deep breath. “And for a short time longer, I must be Blaze.”

  Ralph turned her to face him and gave a stern lecture. “And after today, this stops. This has become too dangerous in more ways than one. Bergmann ain’t dumb, and you ain’t exactly a strapping young lad. I mean it. At quittin time today, Blaze the boy is no more.” He countered the denial crossing her face. “This is it. I mean it.”

  “But the last couple of payments on Mama’s tub...” She reminded him again.

  “We will figure it out. It ain’t worth it. Blaze, ye are all I have left and ye are like my own. I won’t have you in harm’s way no longer.”

  “I’m sure we can work this out.” She pleaded.

  “Oh we will, and you are outta this disguise after today. That’s final.”