The Art of Love: Origins of Sinner's Grove by A.B. Michaels Read Free Book Online Page A

Gus squarely in the eye. “But I’m not inclined to give out such information unless I’m sure it won’t be used to hurt my former resident in any way.”
    Gus counted to ten. The woman was only being protective, after all, and that was a good thing. But for God sake, Mattie was his wife! “Listen, lady…”
    At his tone the older woman took off the proverbial gloves; she was apparently not going to take any guff from him. “No, sir, it’s you who’d best listen,” she said. “This old world is full of men like you who find a pretty young girl and have your way with her, and likely as not get a babe on her and then, then you leave her high and dry. And then she’s damn lucky to find a place like the Empire where we all watch out for each other. So pardon me if I’m not all chirpy when you come round here lookin’ like the biggest toad in the puddle, expectin’ to just take up where you left off because you’ve got a few more wampum in your pocket than you had last week.”
    Gus almost laughed at the irony of it: Mattie had walked away from him . No doubt she’d left that part of the story out of the conversation with her landlady. But that didn’t mean there wasn’t a bucketload of pricks who abandoned their women just like she described. And he had a sick feeling that with gold fever hittin’ a high pitch in the Klondike, that story was gonna play itself out a hell of a lot more in the days to come. He tried softening his tone. “Mrs. Partridge, I can sure appreciate your concern, but I can also assure you that I mean Mattie no harm. I been up in the gold fields and miss my family. So if you could just tell me where to find them, I’ll be on my way.”
    The woman took a moment to size up his intentions; apparently he passed muster—barely—because she pursed her lips and walked over to a small wooden writing desk by the window. She opened the top drawer and took out a slip of paper whose words she copied onto another sheet. She handed it to him and he read “Double J Ranch, Temecula.” Gus reached into his wallet and pulled out a hundred dollar bill, an amount that would have paid for Mattie and Annabelle’s lodging for well over a year. “Thank you for taking good care of them,” he said.
    Mrs. Partridge looked at the sum and nodded slightly before putting it in her apron pocket. “You take good care of them and don’t you be leavin’ them anymore,” she admonished.
    “Yes, ma’am,” he said. “Good day to you.”
    After leaving the rooming house, Gus headed over to Albermarle Street where he found Mrs. Clements’s dressmaker’s shop. An older woman was hard at work on a treadle sewing machine. She looked up at the sound of the bell jingling on the shop door.
    “Mrs. Clements?” Gus inquired.
    The woman stood and smoothed her skirts. “Yes, sir, may I help you?”
    Gus took off his hat (which he’d forgotten to remove at the rooming house and which might have helped his cause with Mrs. Partridge if he had). “My wife, Mattie Wolff. I understand she worked for you last year?”
    Mrs. Clements smiled. “Yes. She was quite a good seamstress. I was sorry to let her go.”
    “When was that, ma’am?”
    “Oh, round about last October, I believe it was. My business had slowed to a trickle and I just couldn’t keep her on. It darn near broke my heart too. She and that sweet baby of hers and all. I knew she needed the money. She said you were workin’ the gold fields. That right?”
    “That’s right. I just came out on the Portland .”
    “Ah,” she nodded. “That explains the fancy duds. You must have hit some pay dirt, then.”
    “Some,” he said.
    “Well, I heard she went down to southern California with the young lady who lived next door. They turned out to be good friends.”
    Gus pulled another hundred out of his wallet and handed it to the woman, who looked surprised as hell. “Thanks for giving my wife employment when she needed it,” he said.
    When he left the