Montana Sky: Becoming Mine (Kindle Worlds Novella) (Nevada Bounty Book 3) Read online

  Text copyright ©2017 by the Author.

  This work was made possible by a special license through the Kindle Worlds publishing program and has not necessarily been reviewed by Debra Holland. All characters, scenes, events, plots and related elements appearing in the original Montana Sky remain the exclusive copyrighted and/or trademarked property of Debra Holland, or their affiliates or licensors.

  For more information on Kindle Worlds: http://www.amazon.com/kindleworlds

  BECOMING MINE

  A Nevada Bounty Novella

  By Margaret Madigan

  A Montana Sky and Nevada Bounty Crossover Novella

  Cover Art by LeTeisha Newton of Boundless Tales Designs

  Welcome

  Welcome to the Montana Sky Series Kindle World, where authors write stories set in the 1880s including my “world” of Sweetwater Springs and Morgan’s Crossing, Montana Territory. Aside from providing backdrop, setting, and townsfolk, I haven’t contributed to the stories in any way. The authors bring their own unique vision and imagination to the KW books, sometimes tying them into their own series.

  Becoming Mine is written by Margaret Madigan and ties into her two existing titles, Gambling on the Outlaw and Depending on the Doctor in the Nevada Bounty series, set in 1870s Nevada. Margaret has written in other Kindle Worlds, and I met her when she expressed interest in joining the Montana Sky family. Although Becoming Mine is a sweet romance, Margaret’s other titles, including those in the Nevada Bounty series, cover the full heat range of romance. She enjoys writing for the KW audiences, and I’m happy to have her as part of the Montana Sky Series Kindle World.

  I hope you enjoy reading Becoming Mine!

  Debra Holland

  About the Book

  After her father and older brother die, Ruby Jackson is left to support herself and her remaining family. But the employment available to women isn’t good enough. So Ruby cuts her hair, changes her name to Ray, and dresses as a man to get a better job. What she finds when she takes a position at a Virginia City silver mine is a handsome man who complicates her plans, and steals her heart.

  Miles Collins manages a silver mine in Virginia City. He’s one of the most eligible men in town, but has a reputation for being gruff and distant. He’s a sworn bachelor, until he bumps into Ruby Jackson on the sidewalk, and suddenly marriage doesn’t look so bad.

  As Miles court Ruby, she faces a dilemma; tell Miles about Ray and risk losing him, or make Ray disappear and hope Miles never finds out. Before she can decide, they’re called to the Montana Territory to help an old friend survey a new mine property, and along the way Miles discovers Ruby’s secret. Miles is betrayed by Ruby’s lies, and Ruby’s hurt by Miles’ thoughtless rejection. Can they reconcile their differences and find the love they both desire more than anything?

  Chapter 1

  May 1883, Virginia City, Nevada

  Ruby Jackson fidgeted on the hard wooden chair outside Miles Collins’ office at the North Hill Mining Company in Virginia City, as she waited for her interview appointment. The trousers, vest, jacket, and tie itched and constricted in ways she hadn’t imagined men’s clothes would. Used to the layers she wore as a woman, she’d always assumed men’s attire would be more comfortable. It turned out she’d been wrong.

  “I hear Collins is a bear to work for.”

  Ruby turned her head to acknowledge the only other man waiting. There had been five to start; two had already been into Collins’ office and left, one red-faced, one dejected. Another faced the bear now behind the closed door.

  “Then I suppose he needs to be tamed,” Ruby said, lifting her chin with forced confidence. She’d practiced lowering her voice, but she’d been told she had a husky voice for a woman anyway, so she didn’t have to work very hard at sounding like a young man.

  She’d heard the rumors that Miles Collins could be prickly at best, usually cranky and demanding, and sometimes worse. No wonder the man had remained single so long—information she’d learned when researching him and the company before taking such an enormous step.

  “Good luck. The last man who worked as his clerk didn’t last more than six months.”

  Then maybe a woman should take a crack at him.

  “You think you can?” Ruby asked.

  The man shrugged. “I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t think so.”

  “Okay, then. May be the best candidate win,” she said.

  “Name’s Peter Smith,” the man said, grinning and offering his hand.

  Ruby shook it and looked him in the eye. “Ray Jackson.” She’d decided to call herself Ray only because it started with an R, which would help her remember to answer to it.

  “Well, Ray, I hope that’s me. I need the job.”

  “None of us would be here if we didn’t,” she said, echoing his earlier sentiment.

  She’d never spoken truer words. Her father and older brother had both worked in the mine. Her father had died a year ago at the age of fifty, but with the health and body of a much older man. After that, Ruby and her older brother Charlie had moved from the farm south of Carson City to Virginia City where Charlie had supported the family—their mother, younger sister, and younger brother—while Ruby earned some extra money as a maid in the red light district. Now her brother was gone following a cave-in, leaving the family struggling for income.

  Ruby had tried all over town looking for work, and had found several jobs, none of which would support a family. The kinds of employment available for women didn’t pay enough. So she’d decided to kill two birds with one stone. She’d become a man, on the outside anyway, and be paid like one. But if she could work for the mine that had taken her father and brother, maybe she could either find a way to make it better for other families, or make them pay some kind of compensation. She wasn’t naïve enough to think either of those things would actually happen, but her mother struggled with grief over the losses, and Ruby especially missed Charlie.

  What she longed for was something to heal her heart, though she had no idea what that would be.

  The door to the office opened and the third man to interview stepped out, thin-lipped and fuming.

  Miles Collins stood in the doorway and called for the next interview. “Mr. Smith?”

  The sun shining through the window behind him left Miles’ face in shadow, but his form filled much of the doorway, leaving the impression of a hulking brute.

  Peter stood and straightened his jacket, then followed Miles into the office.

  Ruby shook her head. Smith and Collins. Men called each other by last name unless good friends. Didn’t they?

  She surveyed the space around her, a small, open room with a desk that would soon be hers, and the few hard chairs lined up against the wall opposite Collins’ office. It wasn’t a very pleasant place. A rug, better lighting, some cushions for the chairs, maybe some mine-related décor, or even some flowers, would go a long way to making the room a nicer place to work.

  You’re thinking like a woman again.

  A difficult habit to get out of, since she was one, but as the oldest surviving child in the family, the duty fell to her to support them.

  Smith emerged a few short minutes later, looking grim. He glanced at her, then away before heading down the stairs and out of sight.

  “That leaves you, Mr. Jackson,” Collins said from the doorway. “I hope you’re up for the job.”

  She stood and squared her shoulders, holding the hat that had belonged to her father tight in her hand. “Of course I am,” she said.

  He stoo
d aside and gestured for her to enter his office.

  Once she had, he rounded the desk and sat in his chair, steepling his fingers while she took a seat across from him. She fought the urge to behave like a modest woman and glance down at her lap, or tuck hair behind her ear. The last was made easier since she’d cut it. All of her long, chestnut curls had floated to the floor as she wept over them. Now, she wore a cap of short curls and waves which she did not fuss with as she faced Miles Collins. Nor did her gaze waver as she remembered her family depending on her.

  Not that they knew where she was. She’d told her mother she’d taken a position as a governess with a rich family in Virginia City, and that she’d send money as she earned it. After taking such drastic steps to change her appearance, she had no choice but to get this job at all costs.

  He watched her from across the desk, and she watched him back. In the light, his features were striking—strikingly handsome, unfortunately for her. She’d hoped given his reputation he’d be an ugly beast. But his black hair was brushed neatly back from his broad forehead and his sharp blue eyes pinned her to her seat. Prominent cheek bones, a square jaw, dark brows, and a day of beard shadow added to his stern aura.

  Ruby pushed aside any thoughts of attraction. Miles Collins ran the company where her father and brother had died. That was enough for her. Besides, she’d long ago decided she’d never marry and give up her independence. She might struggle to make a living, but she’d seen how marriage and raising children had defeated her mother, so Ruby would chart her own course.

  Also, he thought she was a man.

  After several moments studying her, Collins finally said, “You’re awfully young for this job.”

  “I’ve just turned twenty, which is plenty old enough.”

  She was, in fact, twenty-six, but standing shorter and slimmer than most men, without facial hair, or a deep voice, she couldn’t pretend to be much older than twenty. Nobody would believe her.

  “You can read and write and do sums?”

  “Of course I can. I’m quite capable.”

  “And you can take direction?”

  “If the directions are reasonable, yes.”

  His eyebrows went up. “Oh really?”

  “Can you tell me the details of the job? What I’ll be doing?” Ruby asked. Her heart skittered in her chest at her own boldness, speaking as if he’d already hired her. But men were straightforward, weren’t they? They spoke to each other without artifice, rather than the way men and women spoke to each other, which involved politeness and hinting around the corners of what they really meant.

  “I need someone who can handle correspondence, manage my schedule, assist with the accounting, order supplies, keep the office cleaned up, and whatever else I need.”

  “Sounds like you want a wife,” she said, then snapped her mouth shut as his brows scrunched together in confusion.

  “I beg your pardon?”

  Darn. She’d stepped over a line. Backtracking, she said, “That didn’t come out right. I didn’t mean you personally need a wife. I would never presume to suggest that, nor do I even know if you already have one. That’s really none of my business.”

  While she fumbled through her clumsy explanation he crossed his arms and cocked his head. At first she assumed he was angry but the longer she rambled, the more amused he appeared. When his eyes sparkled and crinkled at the corners, she stopped and sat silent for a moment before offering a final comment.

  “It sounds like you need to hire a woman,” she said.

  “Why?”

  “Because the tasks you outlined are all things that women generally handle both in their personal and family lives, as well as the sorts of positions women are allowed to hold, so they’re good at those things.”

  “That may be true, but I can’t have a woman here,” he said, all amusement vanishing from his expression.

  Now it was her turn to be confused. “Why not?”

  “There are too many men here. It would be distracting for them, and could be dangerous for her.”

  “Perhaps it would be a problem for men who have no manners and have never been taught how to treat a woman,” Ruby said tartly. “I’m certainly not one of those men. Are you?”

  He chuckled, a rich soothing sound. “These are rough men, son.”

  “So that excuses them from proper behavior?”

  “Well, no.”

  “As the boss, if you tell them how you expect them to behave, they should behave that way or lose their jobs.”

  A cloud darkened his visage as his lips thinned and he sat forward in his chair, leaning his elbows on the desk. Maybe she’d pushed it too far. Now that she thought about it, she sounded more like a harpy than a young man.

  “I do set ground rules for behavior, but not having women on the premises is one less potential problem to deal with.” The finality in his voice brought an end to the discussion.

  “Certainly. I merely meant to point out…”

  “…how badly I’m running the operation?” He asked, interrupting her.

  She felt a blush starting up her neck. She’d need to quell that reaction, or she’d never pass for a man. As far as she knew, men didn’t blush.

  Sitting up straighter, she said, “No. Only an option and observation. Is it wrong to make note of the shortcomings of one’s gender? To strive for improvement and higher expectations?”

  One corner of his mouth hitched then dropped back into seriousness. “It is not. And you may continue to do so in your new role, assuming you’re interested in working among all the low class brutes here.”

  She froze in her chair, speechless, uncertain he’d meant what she thought he did. “Are you offering me the job?”

  “If you still want it.”

  “I do. But why would you hire me after I smarted off to you?”

  “Because I’m looking for a clerk, not a lap dog. I need someone who is smart and can think one step ahead of me so I don’t miss anything or make mistakes. The fact that you question me says you’re not just a yes man. That you think for yourself and will keep me on my toes.”

  “No, sir. I’m definitely not a lackey.”

  “Good.” He rose from the desk, signaling that Ruby should stand, too. At the door, he stepped out into the lobby space. “This will be your desk. I’ll expect you here first thing tomorrow morning.”

  “I have one more question for you, sir,” Ruby said.

  “What is it?”

  “How long have you managed here?” Charlie had been gone for six months, and she didn’t recall him ever mentioning the name of the man who managed the mine. When it came down to it, Ruby had to know whether Miles bore any responsibility for Charlie’s or her father’s deaths.

  “I’ve only been here a few months. The previous manager moved on, and I was hired after he left. So, will you be here tomorrow morning?”

  Relief washed over Ruby. She had no desire to work for the man who’d been careless enough to allow her father and brother to die on his watch. She didn’t know if Miles Collins would be any better, but she’d find out.

  He offered his hand to shake.

  “Yes, sir,” Ruby said, taking his hand. It engulfed hers, warm, strong, work-hardened and completely off limits.

  ***

  Miles Collins watched Ray Jackson stuff his hat back on his head and leave the office, a new spring in his step. That boy was seventeen if he was a day, but his eyes shone with intelligence and when he set his jaw Miles saw the man he’d become—candid, honorable, tenacious.

  Too bad he was so pretty. Boys who looked like him—curly locks flopping into his face, big brown eyes with long lashes, full lips, smooth skin, and shorter than average—suffered teasing and torture at the hands of other boys, and later on at the hands of men. He’d seen it too often. Sometimes it crushed their spirit, sometimes it made them stronger. Ray seemed to be part of the latter group.

  It remained to be seen how well he’d hold up to the working world of m
en. Miles wouldn’t take it easy on him. If he wanted the job, and insisted on claiming to be older than he really was, he’d have to work just like any other man.

  Miles returned to his office, grabbing his coat and hat, and putting out the light. His older brother Isaac was in town, and they planned to meet for dinner. He hadn’t seen any of his brothers or their families for months. All three of his brothers were married now, had children, and were settled. He was the odd man out as the remaining bachelor, and although he’d been so busy with work he’d barely been able to spare the time to miss having a family, there were moments it hit him. Lately, the loneliness in those moments had taken on a different character. Sure, he missed his brothers and their families, but he wondered what it would be like to have a wife of his own.

  But finding and courting a woman seemed like such a chore. So much work.

  He shrugged into his coat and headed out the door, locking it behind him. If he didn’t hurry, he’d be late to meet Isaac.

  As his boots thumped down the wooden stairs, it occurred to him that if he considered it a chore to find a wife, perhaps he wasn’t really ready for one. On the other hand, he’d heard of mail order brides. Maybe it would be easier, less of a messy hassle, to just make a business arrangement.

  He shook his head. No. While expedient, it eliminated the one thing he witnessed in his brothers’ marriages that he envied the most—love. They all enjoyed the kind of contented companionship he wanted, too.

  However, the struggle and turmoil they’d each gone through to find love didn’t seem worth it to Miles. Hadn’t he heard that many arranged marriages evolved into affection eventually? Could he be happy with affection?

  At the livery on the mine property, he fetched his horse from the man who cared for them, and headed into town.