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They smelled a little better this time though.
“I would like to think he would be too,” Albie said.
“Opening up the bottom parcel of your land was the right decision,” Mr Flannigan added. “Made a few folks around these parts think about their land a bit differently. The men from Echo Creek, huh?”
Albie and Percy both smiled. “Yeah,” Albie said, his heart so full it could burst.
Yes, running sheep and cattle in the winter down on the lowland had been the right decision. It soon became running sheep and cattle all year round, and the good townsfolk of Alpine Falls attributed Albie’s slow-growing wealth to this decision.
They had no idea of the real reason.
No one did.
They’d found quite a few nuggets over the years.
More than enough to secure the future of Echo Creek. Enough to purchase good breeding stock, enough to buy shares in the stock market. Enough to never worry about affording their next meal ever again.
They hired more workers, making Des and Robert both leading foremen, and paid them handsomely for it. Even built them a house to share with their wives.
While Albie and Percy managed the property as a whole, they spent most of their time in the small house on the lowlands. They’d kept true to their promise. Their main priority would always be the mountain farm, but when they were alone and when time allowed, they did look for more gold.
It could have been so easy for Albie to neglect the farm and focus only on finding gold, panning, mining. But he remembered his father’s love and pride in his farm, and he remembered the look of fear in Percy’s eyes that day when they’d found the first nugget.
And he swore to himself he’d do everything in his power to never see that look again.
And Percy had been right.
They were now living the best of both worlds. Running the farm with enough money behind them to never have to worry again.
“How does it feel?” Albie asked him as they stepped outside of the lawyer’s office.
The streets of Alpine Falls were busier these days. The town was growing, but a lot of familiar faces remained. “Morning,” the chemist said, tipping his hat at them as he passed.
“Charles,” Albie replied with a smile and a nod.
“Nice morning,” he said as he went about his business.
Percy smiled out into the street. “It feels good, Albie,” Percy finally answered. “I get it now.”
“You get what now?”
“My name next to yours. It’s not about the land itself. Not for me, at least. But my name next to yours.”
Albie grinned at him, his heart full. “Exactly.” Then he lowered his voice. “If we were wed and I were to die, you’d get the farm. This is just ensuring the same. And just so you know, if we could be married, I would.”
Percy’s cheeks flushed a little pink, and he swallowed hard. “Can we not talk about you dying, thanks. I won’t have a word of it.”
“Oh, I have no intention of it,” Albie said. “I have a life with you to live first.”
“Ah, Mr Bramwell,” a familiar voice said. “Albie.”
Albie turned to find none other than Williams walking to them. He appeared mostly dishevelled, and he had a cane now, after an intoxicated fall from a horse broke his leg. Ironically, not too dissimilar an injury to Des’s. An injury Williams here had mocked Des for. Williams found himself fired from McAllister’s and he’d come knocking on Albie’s door, begging for work.
Only to have Elsie hunt him off the veranda with a shotgun pointed in his face, and for what he’d tried to do to Clara, Albie couldn’t blame her.
Needless to say, he was not welcome.
That did start the rumour that Elsie and Clara were sharing the house with Albie and Percy, and Albie was happy for that rumour to run its course.
