her off, and threatening her, pisses me off, too.”
Carson didn’t believe a word Robert Lee had said until Letty stood up and handed him the letters. She shoved them into his hands and then thumped his chest with her finger, tapping sharply on each gold button as she spoke.
“You take your sorry ass back to where you came from, and you tell your president and your generals that I will not be donating to their war. As for trying to take the mine, itself, tell them to come on down and give it a try. I’ll blow it up, and them with it, before I’d see the gold spent that way. They can spend eternity in the belly of that mountain, and see how important their damned war is then.”
It was the lack of emotion in her voice that told Carson he’d made a monumental mistake. Not only was she serious, but he was beginning to believe she could make good on her threats.
“I’ll see myself out,” he said, and started toward the door.
Robert Lee stood up.
“No. I’ll be the one seeing you out.” He followed the man all the way to the horse he’d tied up outside, then waited until Mylam was mounted before he added.
“You were the first, and you better be the last who comes harassing this woman about her money and your war, or I’ll be seeing them in hell,” then he gave Carson back his unloaded pistol.
Carson holstered his gun and rode away. He didn’t breathe easy until he was out of sight of the house. At that point, he kicked the horse in the flanks and ran it all the way into town, got a ticket on the first stage out, and went back to fight a war. At least there his enemies were recognizable by Rebel gray.
Letty viewed Carson Mylam’s visit as she might have a disease—one she didn’t want to repeat. It had been her experience that, if something caused her concern or made her sick, then the best thing to do was rid herself of the possibility that it could happen again. A couple of days after he’d gone, she walked down to Robert Lee’s tent and asked him to drive her out to the mine.
“Why?” he’d asked.
“I’m rich. Getting richer isn’t going to change my life.”
He frowned, waiting for her to continue.
“And, despite what the newspapers are touting, I don’t think that damned war is going to go away any time soon. I fear that the longer it continues, the greater the possibility that someone else will come for whatever it takes to win, and you and I both know that money will make it happen. Whoever has the most guns, the most ammunition, the most food, and the most men is going to prevail. I don’t know if my money will be safe in all those Yankee banks, but I can keep either side from coming after the mine.”
“How?”
“By blowing it up.”
Robert Lee blanched.
“You can’t be serious. There must be tens of thousands of dollars worth of gold ore still in those shafts.”
She shrugged.
“It won’t be going anywhere.”
“But you could destroy the whole thing by blasting wrong.”
“So, then we’ll make sure to do it right.”
“Jesus,” Robert Lee muttered.
“So, are you going to help me, or am I going to do it by myself?”
“Hell no, you’re not going to do it… by yourself or with me. I’ll blow the damned thing, but you’re not going to ride all the way out there.”
“I won’t be riding a horse. I will be sitting in a wagon.”
“It’s not safe.”
“I will do it with or without you.”
“Fine,” he finally muttered. “Whatever happens is on your head, not mine.”
“Fine,” she echoed. “We’ll do it tomorrow after breakfast.”
“What if it damages the old cabin?”
She turned away, unable to think about losing the place where she and Eulis had been the happiest.
“It can’t matter more than making sure the gold doesn’t fall into the wrong hands.”
Robert Lee shrugged and walked away.
Letty watched him go then went back to the house. She was ready and waiting for him just as the sun came up.
He helped her into the wagon seat, then took the reins and flipped them across the backs of the mules. The mules took off with their passengers, a box of dynamite, and a sack of fuses and blasting caps.
Letty hadn’t been to the mine since Eulis’ death, and thought she was prepared. But when they came down off the mountain and she saw the old