She studied him a long minute, then, "Speed Guyer, are you saying that you will buy this land?"
"Buy it and develop it, but, I'll want you and Amos here as part of the incorporation I will be proposing. And, the Pikes, of course. 400 hundred acres may well have several deposits that can be developed. However, this word cannot get out until we have everything settled. So, that will be four of us in equal shares." he explained.
"And jest how do ya figger four when you laid out five people, Me 'n Alice here, the Pikes, an' you, thets five." Amos said, "Five, not four, you leavin' you out?"
"No Pa, Mister Guyer here plans to leave me out of the equation." Alice stated.
"No, no, not at all. But don't you think that it would be awkward at best if you and I each took a full share, I mean if Amos here will allow it, and you'll agree to marry me, making us a family just like the Pikes." He explained, "I meant to talk to you about this earlier, but since I never did make it out to your place, well, it just didn't happen like I planned. And I do plan to propose properly."
Alice was in shock, Amos gave Speed a hard look, "You askin' me fer Alice's hand? That what yer about Speed Guyer."
"No sir I wasn't but if the two of you will give me a minute here," Speed stepped forward and took Alice's hand. As slick as he could, he dropped to one knee, "Alice Fletcher, I ask you now to be my wife and partner in this life, no matter what comes our way."
Alice looked at him a long moment. There was no doubt about what he asked, "Yes." She all but whispered. "Yes, I will marry you Speed Guyer." But then she had no words as he stood.
"Amos, I'm now asking for your daughter's hand in marriage."
"I'd be a danged fool ta say no what with her already agreein' ta this." He bellowed. "You do that Speed, you dang sure do that!"
"Now, as I see it, I have no idea where the Pikes might be, other than they are in San Francisco by now, and she's a good sized town. Be like looking for a pair of needles in a haystack. So we'll start without them, well, they'll be in the incorporation papers, and as the principle I will be doing all the signing of papers for the time being." Speed explained, looking up at Amos, Alice by his side, holding his arm.
"First off, we're in the wrong office. Need to be across the street in the company office so we can get this started. I take it you have the paperwork from the previous owner? We'll need that, and tomorrow well see if there's a problem with registering it , though it surely is registered wit the clerks office."
"Well pard, there's one slight problem, wall, as I see it. She sits maybe a mile from the top edge of the Evergreen. Not the mine perzactly, but his, I mean are boundary line ta his." Amos said, then he smiled.
"The law is the law."
"Mining's not everyone's choice of hobbies, it just happens to be mine."
Speed, was still standing, looked down at the bill of sale then to Alice, and back to Amos, "The hell with him." He said firmly. "This will increase costs some for security, but, acting as County Sheriff, if his hands move against us, I'll be forced to arrest him. One of his men will confess, one way or another." Then again, Elias may not provoke any trouble.
" I like yer way 'o thinkin', Speed." Amos said. "No sense to put up with his nonsense since we don't have ta!" The old man hunter had his concerns about the Evergreen, but the prize was far greater than the supposed danger.
Alice looked at the two men, "So, war with the Evergreen? Is that the plan? Now I can see it if Steelgrave comes huntin' trouble, and he is surely likely to, from all I've heard about hm. And his daughter, what about her and her plan to build this hospital? Seems this town's giving her fits over it? That got anything to do with the old man?"
"Spoke to her today, the relationship between her and her father is contentious at best, and, her brother Case is headed this way, and that could spell even more trouble. some of it personal." Speed said, "There were some conversations about the hold up with the property earlier today. It'll work itself out, she has options, and options put pressure on our Town Council." There was a look on Alice's face, in her eyes. "And no, there has never been anything between us, if that's what you are wondering."
"Then answer me this Mister Guyer, now that I have said yes to your proposal of marriage, is it your plan then to continue to wear that badge?" She asked quite formally. "I believe I do have a right to know what I have agreed to, besides this mining project."
"Yes. unless my re-election falls short. Alice, Kalispell has to have some kind of law and order, at the moment I'm it. Both as town Marshal and as acting County Sheriff. But once Pike returns and Deputy Wentworth gets over the beating he took, which could be any day now, I'll not be so tied to this job." He responded.
"That's all I wanted to know, I do not expect you to give up this, or any other job you have a mind to take. I just need to know what the plan is." She stated.
"Thank you, but I really never thought that would be anything you would ask." He said. "Might just be more trouble on hand than we can deal with, though I have Marshals Cook and McNue as well. Just wish Pike were at least on his way back. That would be five of us,"
"An yer fergettin' me an them boys what lookout fer the Steelgrave woman." Amos interjected.
"Sorry Amos, you're right that would make nine of us, might be enough to hold off any real problems the town might face, except for the ones they create for themselves." Speed pointed out. "I'll see to getting the deed for this land registered along with the claim for mineral rights on the land as well. Believe I'll pay the company twelve hundred for the land, we'll make that back pretty fast, and really, it's fair to my partner in the east."
"Then it'd be yer plan ta hold onta the minin' bid'ness as well?" Amos asked.
"No reason not to, Amos, none at all. I just sign things maybe an hour out of the day, sometimes more depending. I can sub-let my personal office for our enterprise, which we have yet to name." Speed said.
"Mine's called the Copper King." Amos pointed out.
"Good name, but, I've a mind to change it some." Speed informed them.
"To what? That name is probably as good as any, if not better than most." Alice asked.
"Copper Queen, Alice." He paused, "The Copper Queen. How does that suit you?"
She blushed when she realized what he was doing. "Suits me just fine. Another question for you Mister Guyer, what will be the structure of this business venture of ours?"
He thought of a moment then smiled. "Well, we need to have a meeting about that I suppose. And with the Pikes out of town for God knows how long, seems like any business conducted would be the three of us. I do know that Pronto has mining interests in Nevada, I'm not sure what he'll say about our including them in this, but I don't believe he'll object."
"So interm officers, till we get 'er off the ground." Amos suggested.
"Yes, interim officers, with you as the Interim President," Alice piped up. "We need any others?"
"Probably a Vice President and a secretary to get the corporation started. Now Copper Queen would be the mines revised name, but the corporation will need a name, and there are liable to be more mines than the one on four hundred acres."
They all smiled.
"Then there is no need for us to sell the Ranch and move to wherever the four hundred acres are." She pointed out. "I mean, that can still be home."
"Shucks yes girl, though I've line on a claim t'other side of Lost Lake. The Raven. Mans says he's sitting on a hunder'd acres. Wants two dollars an acre fer it. Had the samples assayed and they come up on par with the Queen."
"And just how many know of these two sites?" Speed asked.
"Couldn't say, rightly, 'cept the assayer down near Rollins. Took my time gettin' back here. Figgered it best to travel a mite and have the assayin' done a ways away. Told 'em I found them south a'there."
"Good man Amos, knew I could count on you. Now, I'll draw the money and you can ride back and buy it." Speed said.
"Would, but I don't need ta. Spent my own, here's the deed an' bill o sale fer it. You can pay me come tammara." Amos said, pulling out the papers wrapped in oil cloth for protection. "Add it ta the corporation."
"Danm." Was all Speed could say.
"Looks to me like we're in the mining business." Alice added.
"As far as any in'terst folks'd had on them claims, so far as i can tell there weren't none, prob'ly due to the cost of developin' the mines. That ain't gonna be cheap." Amos pointed out.
"No, no it isn't, but cash is the least of our worries." Said Speed. "I've a nest egg put away for just such an opportunity as this." Speed smiled, not much to spend money on here, well, not until now," He looked at Alice, he wasn't talking of the mining claims. "I'll get everything registered first thing, have your money to you as soon as Wentworth opens the bank. So then, other than the two of you as Vice President, and Secretary, I think we've about got it sewn up. But, mum's the word."
"Pa, why don't you go over to the saloon for a beer, Speed and I have a few things to discuss." Alice suggested, firmly.
"Shore, believe I'll jest step on over't the Stardust an' wet my whistle." Came answer as Amos got to his feet and walked to the door, looking back with a grin, he opened it, stepped through and closed it behind him.
In an instant Alice was in Speed's arms, and a long wonderful kiss was shared. Then she stepped back, "Mister Guyer, you might have at least warned a girl of your intentions, and not had them expressed in a business meeting."
"You know, I had planned everything I was going to say to you, but Caleb Barnes buffaloed me and put me to bed before I could ride out there like I promised. Then there was the ensuing chase once I could around, but I always planned to come out and ask you proper, like my dream."
"Dream? You dreamed about this?" She asked.
"I did, whilst I was out from the blow. You said yes then too. But it wasn't nearly as nice as you agreeing here this evening. I know I've yet to get a ring, but I will do that in the morning." He promised. "Alice, I love you, I've loved you since first I laid eyes on you, and I've kicked myself ever since for not acting on that then."
"I think our lives would have been much different than they are now, and maybe, not for the better. Whose to say? But you have proposed, and I accepted. We have a ranch, your business, and now mining properties. I'd say we're off to a good start, and I too, have loved you for a very long time." And then she kissed him again.
"The law is the law."
"Mining's not everyone's choice of hobbies, it just happens to be mine."
Speed looked at her. "I had all of this planned much, much differently. In my delirium I had all of this between you and I much more, how to say it, well, romantic than it has turned out this evening. I wanted everything to be just right, and I guess from the result it was just right."
"This find by your father, this actually changes everything for us, so I saw no other course of action for us but to propose, without a ring to offer you, but we will take care of that tomorrow. I want you to believe that my proposal is based on my love for you. I had never thought that this day would come, until the day when I saw you here in Kalispell."
"And I, traipsing across country, following my father from here to there. He always provided for me, I always had a home in whatever territory we were in, but I always worried that he would go out one day, and not comeback. The job you offered him changed all of that. And this copper, is it all he's saying it is?" She asked.
"From what I know, yes. Copper is in huge demand in the east, and will be here in the west, if not in San Francisco already. I mean, I do know that electricity is the coming thing for all sorts of inventions. Much the same as the use of gas for lighting and the promise of it for other applications. If what he has delivered to us proves out, we will be wealthy. Most likely beyond our wildest dreams, but it's going to take work, and some risk to develop. But, my love, in the end, we all will be comfortable beyond measure."
"So, what you mean to say is, that you wanted to take me off the market before I was rich and some other had the chance to marry me? Is that it. Henry Speed Guyer?" She prodded playfully.
"Yes Ma'am! And, that lessens the shares needed from four to three." He replied and immediately ducked.
"I can see that I've a job of work ahead of me with you." She said with a smirk. "I do believe you'll be a handful Marshal Guyer. "A real handful."
"Is that so? Well I guess we will see, won't we." He said. "This has taken far to long to come together for us. We've lost a lot of time, the good news? We've a lot of time ahead of us." He kissed her then, and everything seemed to fall into place. It was immediate.
"You have a way with words Mister Guyer. Yes, we do have plenty of time before us to do whatever it is we decide we want to do." She replied. "Children will work their way into this before long. I mean, it is inevitable."
"Children, yes, they are what happens between two people." He smiled as he looked at her, "I look forward to that, as well as every moment that we have going forward. It should be an exciting time for us, what with the copper mines and all, plus the wedding of course!" An exciting time of discovery between them, and with the properties. He kissed her again, now that he could.
Alice slowly broke the kiss as the door opened, "Back already, Pa" her head rested against Speeds.
"Don't mind me, I done all my huggin' an' kissin' a ways back." He stated opening the door and stepping inside. "Thet there saloon's got some odd ducks. Thet feller, Ralph, got him a strange one in there, she ain't no sportin' woman nor a hurdy-gurdy girl like I seen afore. She played the pieanna alright, an' sang, but she but she don't seem the dancin' type. Ain't quite sure what she is."
"I see you've met Arabella Mudd, a mystery to all of us, but she's harmless." Speed offered. Oh, we ain't got anywhere on the paperwork, somewhat busy as you might expect." Speed said with a smile, he arm still around her waist.
"He has been distracted, Dad, like Mom would distract you with hugs and kisses. And the man is quite receptive to it, so I think things between us will be just fine." Alice said, not moving.
"Oughtta be a mite uncomfertable all bent over like thet. Least ways the man oughtta stand up." Amos teased.
"You two got a place to stay the night?" Speed asked. "I can get you rooms at the hotel, if you like. "Won't have you sleeping in the jail, nor riding back in the dark."