LAURIE
In the early August heat, women languished on their porches with hand fans after speeding through their chores in the cool of the early morning hours. The humidity from rainstorms often left the earth steamy, and Laurie abandoned her curling tongs to a more practical French knot at the back of her head. It wasn't Jason's favorite, but she purposely made it a habit to take it down after her evening chores were complete just to see his eyes light up.
He often came home from work with a smile on his face, but sometimes he barely made it through supper before he would pass out on top of their covers. Those were the evenings Laurie chose not to disturb him. She slept under a light blanket next to him, but sometimes after the weather stormed the stickiness of the air kept her from snuggling close. When they were lucky enough to get a cool breeze, she opened the bedroom window and watched the stars wink at her. On those nights, shadows seemed to take on a life of their own, but Laurie shut her mind to them. She told herself it was her imagination and would force herself to walk to the bed without looking back, no matter how badly the hairs on her arms stood on end. She constantly reminded herself as she pulled the blanket over her that the only man in her life was the one that slept soundly next to her.
She wanted to forgive him.
Since that day in the rain after discussing Hannah, she and Jason were getting along better and better. There were some evenings he wouldn't go to Lottie's at all. Instead, he would drink from a bottle of scotch at home while he played a game of cards with her, laughing at himself when she out-bluffed him. But some nights he came home from Lottie's with his eyes a little too bright, so Laurie sat beside him in amiable silence. She would tend to her mending or sew on her tartan skirt while Jason quietly read from a book of Shakespeare. She never said so, but Shakespeare made her fingers tremble, and she never asked him about what he was reading on those occasions, but he did mention his favorite play was Hamlet. He had even played the part on a stage, and the thought amazed her. What didn't he do?
The evenings he read aloud from the Bible or his father's journals were her favorites, leading to intriguing discussions on theology and history, particularly the histories of Scotland and Seattle. It amused her when a journal entry prompted her husband to share a nugget or two of logging wisdom, his features and gestures becoming more animated. She enjoyed those moments most of all.
The hardest part of being married to Jason were the nights she spent watching him brood as he stared into the fireplace, or his evening drink of choice: coffee or whiskey, puzzling out some unfathomable question. Once Laurie asked him if she could help, but he had smiled at her and with a light kiss, promptly sent her to bed. It had been torturous to lie in the sweltering heat when she wasn't sleepy, and as she laid awake listening for him to retire, she vowed not to make that mistake again.
It was the nights he didn't come home at all that upset her the most. Lottie told her it wasn't unusual for the men to stay at camp overnight, and Candy had tried to empathize, reminding her how she missed Jeremy too. But no one could understand fully because Laurie couldn't bring herself to share her secret. When Jason wasn't there, she woke in a cold sweat, Sherman's whistle haunting her on the breeze. She became so nervous it destroyed any hope of rest, and she drifted through the next day with a throbbing headache. Life in Seattle was hard enough with never-ending chores and social obligations. She felt every hour of lost sleep tenfold. Jason's presence at night was a gift she never took for granted, even though there had been no more signs of masked peeping Toms or news of murders in neighboring towns.
These thoughts flew through Laurie's mind during her morning chores. She hung one of Jason's shirts over the clothesline and groaned. She had told him he needed some new ones, but he told her not to worry about it. If only he cared a little more about what he wore! He was handsome, and she yearned to see him in something a little more fashionable. Or, at the very least, a different color than the earth tones he seemed to prefer. She was sure blue would highlight his eyes.
Still, while he wasn't too interested in his own attire, he didn't seem to mind showing her off and complimented her often. A man who that did that wouldn't mind the extra funds spent on clothes that only he would see, would he? She nervously smiled to herself, fastening a petticoat to the line with a clothespin. When Clancey delivered the gown she had bought, she was thrilled and rushed home to try it on. It fit snugly where it should, yet loose enough to leave something to the imagination. She had packed it away carefully, waiting for the right night to show it to Jason. She felt like a young girl going to a dance escorted by her first beau. The hope of what it could lead to left her breathless anytime she thought about it.
Laurie set her empty basket on her hip and ambled back to the cabin, mulling over the decision she had made a few days ago, and it still made her stomach flutter. Since the opportunity hadn't presented itself, she was going to go through with her original plan. Today was Jason's birthday, and she wanted to give him more than just a toast with a shot of whiskey to look forward to. Unfortunately, Joshua had shown up that morning grim-faced and stiffly polite with the news of the flume breaking down again, and Jason had promptly suggested Laurie finish her laundry outside where she could get some more sunshine. It seemed as if her husband shooed her out of the cabin every time he and his brothers discussed camp business. Lottie told her it was because the local men felt that business affairs upset their women.
Probably just as well. It wasn't as if she had an interest in the camp itself, just the role her husband played in the project. Laurie had enjoyed watching Jason give orders to the other men during her stay at camp and ogled the manpower he used to chop wood for Cookie. Her mind slipped over the pride he had held himself with when showing her around a month before and she chuckled, remembering how hard it had been to keep up with him. Quickening her pace had become second nature, and she caught herself more than once slowing down so she could admire him from afar, thinking how regally he held himself. At that moment she admitted she found him irresistibly handsome.
When did that happen? She entered the cabin through the kitchen door, her gaze sweeping over the dishes she had washed earlier still on the counter. She donned her apron and opened the cabinets to put them away just as Joshua's voice rose.
"We still need more men than we have! How was I supposed to know you didn't want him back? I'm not a mind reader, Jason!"
"When a man keeps walking off the job, you don't just keep hiring him back! I thought I taught you better than that!"
Laurie sighed and picked up a clean plate. More hired help problems. No telling what had prompted that turn of the conversation. From what little she had gathered between overheard snippets of conversation and the gossip Lottie and Candy had told her, it seemed Jason was having an unusually hard time holding on to a decent crew, and no one understood why. According to Lottie, Jason had dealt with his fair share of tough times, but this year seemed to be one of the worst. She bit her lip. She wouldn't think about how marrying her had only added to his problems or the stupid cursed rumors that still followed her around like a bad skunk smell. Jason had told her to forgive herself for being in the wrong place at the wrong time, and not to about how Richard had forced her to marry him anymore, and that's what she was going to do. Sister Agnes beamed at her in her mind's eye, and Laurie felt a burst of annoyance.
She finished clearing the dishes and squeezed the sides of her apron. She hated to go in there while they were arguing, but Laurie had promised herself to mend the trousers Jason had brought her three days ago, split along the backside seam. Plus, she wanted to finish a shirt she was secretly working on for Brodie, and she couldn't do that with Jason at home. So far he hadn't wondered at how long she was taking with her skirt, and for once she was glad he was unobservant in such things.
"Fine!" Joshua shouted, sounding more angry than usual. "Then you fire him. I'm not putting his family in a lurch." His voice lowered back into his normal range and Laurie took a deep breath before forcing herself into the big room.
Her husband was standing in front of the fireplace, his arms folded directly over his chest. He had drawn himself up to full height, his lips squished together in a straight line, while his eyes held Joshua in that familiar bright, piercing look Laurie squirmed under. She instinctively flinched and observed Joshua had placed his hands on his hips. While Joshua's anger clouded his demeanor, he maintained a certain air of clarity looking Jason in the eye. When Joshua noticed her, he immediately relaxed.
"Oh, hey Laurie. Already done with the laundry?" he asked, giving Jason a nervous glance.
Jason started, tension draining from his features when he saw her. She smiled at him, glad to see she could help in some small way. He smiled back.
"Yes, I need to get to my mending."
"Oh well, Josh and I were just finishing here," Jason told her, and at his obvious glance, Joshua nodded and headed toward the door.
"Yeah, I'll see you later. It seems I need to fire someone," the bitterness apparent in his voice, and with a polite nod to Laurie, firmly shut the door.
Jason waved her to him, and when she approached, he put one arm around her and kissed her forehead. "Did you really have mending, or were you just putting an end to our argument?"
"No, I really have mending to do. Your trousers, remember?"
A sheepish smile appeared at the side of his mouth. "I remember."
"I wish you didn't fight. With your brothers, I mean."
The side of his mouth quirked; a gesture that surfaced when he felt devilish. "But it's okay to fight with you?"
She rolled her eyes at him.
He chuckled and shook his head, releasing the tight hold he had held her in. He picked up his coffee cup from the mantel and took a sip before answering her. "Don't worry. We only fight like that over the mountain. It'll be fine. He doesn't want to fire Eli because of Nancy, and I hate to do it. They're split now, but Eli still needs to support her and their son. Unfortunately, he can't get off the booze long enough to do a decent day's work."
"Joshua said you hired him?"
"Well, I thought Eli could get it together. He has in the past, but when a man has a passion for liquor, it's a hard road." A cautious smile appeared over the brim of his cup after he took another sip. "Don't worry, I won't leave you in a lurch. I can hold my own."
"I know. I wasn't worried about that. It's just... um, it's just that Joshua sounded upset."
Jason put the cup down. "Well, he is. Eli's a friend. Normally in the past, he would wander off and come back and no one worried, but he's made some friends this time that have used his wandering off the job as an excuse to wander off themselves. Well, maybe they are worried about him," he said, his voice trailing a little as if it were a new idea. He shook his head and continued. "If men regularly take time off work to go looking for Eli, we don't meet our deadlines. We've already extended once, and that eats up a lot of profits. That's money we can't afford to lose."
"Because things are tight?"
Laurie spoke the words with caution. She knew the subject was a sore spot and one that Jason often quelled with absoluteness. He insisted they were nowhere near broke, but the whispers around town and the strain she saw when he paid the bill for the hidden cost of her surprise said otherwise. He never said a word to her, but she had been careful to not purchase any other extravagant items since. She held her breath, watching him study her while her pulse quickened and she wondered if she might faint.
"All right," he said, putting his hands on her shoulders. "I know I haven't fooled you. Yes, we're a little tight. It's only temporary, I promise. When I get this last shipment out, we'll be in the clear through fall, and we'll be able to ride out the winter."
"Hmm. Well, is there anything I can—"
"You're doing plenty," Jason told her gently and touched her face. They stood like that for a long moment, and she thought he wanted to say something. Instead, he leaned down and kissed her with a lingering kiss, his morning coffee heavy on his breath. Her eyes were half-closed when he finished. "I have to get to work," he murmured. He gave her a quick peck on the cheek and let her go, moving toward the door. "Don't do too much today. I'll be home early tonight."
Normally this was code for another game of cards. "What about your birthday drink?"
"I'm more interested in a birthday celebration with you."
She couldn't read his intention. The words were suggestive, but his eyes were hooded, and he spoke so nonchalantly, she could only guess what the word celebration meant to him.
"All right, but you're getting low on whiskey. I'll have to go into town and get some from Lottie."
"That'll be fine." He left, shutting the door a little more softly than Joshua had.
Laurie looked around the empty room and sighed. Time for another day. She picked up her mending and first worked on Jason's britches and completed the shirt for Brodie. It was early afternoon when she finished. She grabbed a quick sandwich and drank a bit of milk before putting the shirt into a basket and headed into town, ticking off her errands in her head as she walked.
Jason wouldn't be back for a few hours yet, so there was plenty of time to deliver the shirt, pick up his whiskey, collect the laundry, and change into her red dress. Then she had to get him over to Lotties, somehow. The evening was going to be spectacular, and hopefully, a night she and Jason would want to remember. She hummed to herself just thinking about it.
Laurie found Brodie fishing in a favorite spot along the lagoon. The boys had shared the location with Laurie in confidence after she neglected to tell Candy or Jason about an infringement or two, and she only used the knowledge on days like today when she felt rushed. He turned as she approached, his smile growing bigger as she neared him.
"Hi, Mrs. Bolt," he said, scrambling to his feet.
Laurie scanned the trees out of habit, her skin's goose pimples unnerving her. "Hello, Brodie." Realizing he was looking at her funny, she added, "Is Henry with you today?"
"No ma'am. Mrs. Gustavsen caught 'im and made 'im go to school. Ain't even September yet."
She hid a smile in the slurred way he said the Swedish name. Jason did the same thing when he ventured to try the name out, and usually ended up swearing and ending the awkward moment with his proverbial, "Miss Essie."
"I hadn't realized school started already. Well, it was you I wanted to see, anyway." She showed him the shirt she had worked on for over two weeks. His eyes squinted in question.
"I know you don't need an extra shirt, but I saw the way you looked at Cindy Carson the other day, and thought you might like to have one for Jason's birthday party? You know Lottie's just about invited the whole town. That means you, too." When Brodie didn't answer, she gazed into the tree branches where a woodpecker was hard at work. "Frank still has his new job?"
"Yeah, he's still got it." He took the shirt from Laurie and inspected it for a moment. "Can't take no charity," he warned her.
"I know." That was their silent agreement. She fed him and Henry when fishing was poor. When it was good, he'd drop a few trout at her door, or trade some meat he had trapped, like a rabbit or squirrel. Jason had said nothing to her, but she doubted he was oblivious to the arrangement. With Frank working away from Seattle, her husband had mellowed toward the two younger Schultz brothers.
This was a new attempt. Before, her trades had always involved food. She watched him turn the shirt over in his hands, hoping he would let her extend her services to sewing. Eventually, she wanted to get both Brodie and Henry to let her repair their clothes or even sew new ones they desperately needed.
Brodie squinted at the sky as if he were performing a great arithmetic problem in his head. "Give ya a couple of trout and a squirrel for it."
"That sounds more than fair. When you can. I'll see you tonight."
"Yes, ma'am," said Brodie. She smiled and left him staring at the shirt with a perplexed look on his face.
If she could get him to the party in nicer clothes and hopefully washed, perhaps the other folks might be a little more open to the boy's prospects too. She thought about his kindness to her and his younger brother. The lives of the Schultz brothers had taken a tragic spin, but that was no reason to doom the boys to a dismal future. Jason and his brothers had been orphaned when Jason was close to Frank's age. The Bolt brothers were living proof that if a body wanted to make something out of themselves, they could.
Laurie slipped into the saloon and smiled back at Lottie's beaming face. Candy and Biddie were laughing with claps and giggles from a table while Aaron watched with a smile. "See what Clancey brought me?" said Lottie, turning her head so Laurie could get a full view of a purple plumed hat. "He brought it all the way from San Francisco."
"Isn't it just adorable?" Biddie said with another giggle, looking pointedly at Aaron. "I wish someone would buy me a fancy hat like that."
Aaron peered at the amber liquid in his glass as though it had become suddenly interesting. Candy's dimples deepened, and she joined Laurie while she giggled. She whispered loud enough for Aaron to hear, "She's not supposed to tell anyone he's been courting her. It's a secret."
"Hmm," Laurie responded, trying to be diplomatic. She had heard Biddie had finally broken down, telling everyone from Candy to Emily Perkins that she and Aaron were an item since the bazaar. Jason had chuckled over his supper one night that Aaron had been drunk enough to confess that he had backed himself into a corner and wasn't sure how to get himself out. It only confirmed her belief that sometimes a lady needed to be direct with a man.
She looked over at Aaron's flushed face. The poor man definitely needed an out. She smiled at Candy and said loud enough for everyone to hear, "A secret courtship? Perhaps it would be more secret if Aaron wasn't so red around the neck."
The room exploded into laughter, including Aaron. When his shoulders quit shaking, he shook his head. "Oh, I don't know why I even tried. It's true. I've been courting Biddie, and I've never been happier." He put his hand on Biddie's back protectively, and with a look of resignation mixed with bashfulness filling in his features he said, "There, all better?"
"Oh, Aaron!" Biddie squealed and threw her arms around his neck and stared adoringly into his eyes.
He stiffened with his hands immediately going to her arms as though he intended to pry her off of him, but just as quickly he relaxed and folded his arms around her. He kissed Biddie on the cheek, both of them blushing. "All right, Biddie. All right. It was time."
"Oh Aaron, I just knew you'd come around."
"Yeah, well, don't overdo it."
Laurie's cheeks hurt; she was smiling so hard. Looking at Lottie, she found she wasn't the only one who smiles threatened to burst into joyful laughter. Where Candy giggled softly, Lottie's eyes were tearing up, her apple cheeks so prominent they looked like they might burst.
"What is it about you?" Lottie asked.
"About me?"
"What she means," Candy answered, turning her back on Aaron and Biddie's newly open display of affection, "Is that you seem to know just what to say to get even the stubbornest of men to do things when they've been obstinate with everyone else. How do you do that?"
"Jason is almost out of whiskey," Laurie said to Lottie, and the saloon owner promptly put a bottle on the bar. To Candy, Laurie shook her head and said, "I didn't do anything. Aaron already knew everyone was gossiping about it. I just stated the obvious so he could admit it."
Lottie placed a full bottle on the counter in front of Laurie. "Oh? And is that what you did with Jason?"
"I honestly don't know what you're talking about. I haven't done anything with Jason." She shook her head, and added, "I made Jason's cake last night. I knew I wouldn't have time today. I can't believe he didn't notice the smell. The entire cabin smelled sweet. I thought for sure he'd ask me questions about it."
"He was pretty sloshed when he left here," Lottie admitted. "Well, let's get to work! We'll have the place spruced up in no time. It'll be quite a party. Jeremy told me he and Joshua were going to make sure Jason came off that mountain tonight even if they had to hogtie him, so bring that cake and fancy dress over early enough for you to get ready upstairs." She held her hand up and swayed while she said in an exaggerated voice, "That way you can make a grand entrance."
Laurie let her giggle go when it bubbled up. The thought was such a schoolgirl notion, but still, it would be fun to see Jason's face.
"Wait a minute," said Candy, putting her hand on Laurie's arm. "What do you mean you don't know what we're talking about? The brides tried for two years to get the men to do something about that awful smell and couldn't get them to budge an inch."
"That's right, and within one month you convinced Jason, the most stubborn man in all of Seattle," said Lottie, "to push the town council to a yes vote for hiring someone to clean Seattle Square."
"Oh that. It was just a misunderstanding," said Laurie. "And the council had already been talking about it."
"Already talking about it?" Aaron said, coming out of his conversation with Biddie. He snorted. "Not likely."
Lottie glanced at Aaron and snorted. "Not likely. But how about that new cabin on the ridge? Jason always told whatever woman he was courting they'd be up on that mountain, alone. Then you came along and just a few short months after saying I do, he's changed his mind and built a beautiful cabin within walking distance with just enough privacy for a newly married couple to do who knows what up there." She lowered her eyes to rest on Laurie's abdomen mischievously. "Magic."
"If that were true..." Laurie said, touching her stomach absently.
"Oh, well, a baby will come," Candy told her. "In time."
Laurie bit her lip until her eyes watered while she and Lottie exchanged a look. Lottie's eyes drooped further in sympathetic observance. Laurie ventured to say something, but the words caught in her throat and burned.
"Oh, honey," Lottie said, sashaying around the bar as quickly as her plump body would allow. She put her arm around Laurie and hugged her tightly. She whispered in Laurie's hair, "Don't you worry. You've got him wrapped around your finger. You'll see."
"Oh, I wish."
"Pffft! I've seen the way he looks at you. Trust me, Jason wants a baby, same as you," Lottie said, still patting Laurie's arm.
Earlier she had been confident about the evening. Now faced with reality, Laurie felt the full force of what she was about to do. Seducing her husband was not on the list of proper ladies' protocol. Women had to be willing to give themselves to their husbands to have children, not actively pursue them. A lady could encourage her man with a look or a veiled suggestion. That way the childbearing years weren't wasted. Eventually, separate bedrooms were preferred for birth control.
That was how it was done in the higher social circles of Louisiana and San Francisco, but it didn't seem to be that way for the citizens of Seattle. She had no schooling or experience with a man reluctant to progress in his marital rights. He was attracted to her, so that wasn't the problem. She could only assume he was still concerned about the origin of their marriage, and if they had progressed enough in their relationship to further things along.
"But how do I convince him we're ready?" she whispered, knowing Lottie knew what she meant. "I'm terrified about tonight! What if he doesn't like the gown?"
"I said he was stubborn," said Lottie, handing her a lacy handkerchief. "Not dead. But if anyone can do it, you can. Candy," she said, turning to the redhead. "Would you mind getting someone to help retrieve Laurie's things for the party?"
Laurie shook her head. "Oh, I don't think so, Lottie..."
"Nonsense," Lottie said, turning Laurie toward the back room as though she hadn't spoken. "You're going to give that man a birthday he'll never forget."
"The red dress Jeremy's been talking about?" asked Candy.
"Yes, please," said Laurie, being pulled by Lottie toward the door behind the bar while trying to dry her eyes. "And the petticoat with the pink silk ribbon. And I wanted to wear the combs Jason gave me."
Candy's mouth twisted in confusion.
"The combs Jonathan gave his wife," Lottie told her, still pulling Laurie toward the door. "Jason gave his mother's things to Laurie for a wedding gift."
"Oh, I know the ones. With the pink coral?"
Laurie nodded. "Oh, and I'll need someone to bring in the laundry, please."
"I'll get Molly on it."
"Lottie, I'll have another whiskey with a beer chaser, and I need a cup of tea for Biddie," Aaron said, moving his attention away from the animated conversation he and Biddie had held in hushed tones. He focused on them and frowned. "What are you doing with Laurie?"
Lottie rolled her eyes at him. "Oh Aaron, don't you know women's business when you see it? Bug off."
"It's all right," Laurie said to him, grabbing the bottle of whiskey almost forgotten on the counter and tossing it to Candy. "I'm fine. I didn't get much sleep last night, so Lottie is sending me upstairs for a nap before the party."
"A nap, huh?" Aaron thought about it and chuckled. "Well, you are married to Jason. One can only imagine."
"Imagine what?" Biddie said from under his arm.
Lottie and Candy shared a mute exchange, and Laurie sucked in a ragged breath, breathed out a sob, and retreated quickly into the back room. The door swung shut, Aaron's voice following her.
"What'd I say?"
JASON
The noon sun shone high in the sky, beating down on the top of Jason's head. He stood still for a moment and stretched. How was he going to tell his wife he was leaving? Sure, he spent whole weeks at a time on the mountain, but not recently. Not since he'd almost let her get sick in the rain. He grimaced, remembering her sniffle that seemed to linger days after. Colds were something Jason took seriously. He knew only too well what a sniffle could become.
Well, there isn't any way but through it. She'll just have to accept it.
Another thought popped into his mind. Just like you've asked her to accept everything else?
Jason mentally brushed the little voice away. If he didn't do it, if he stayed home, there was a very good chance he wouldn't be able to support her. So yes, he stubbornly answered his conscious, stomping toward the flume and ignoring the uneasiness he felt. Just like everything else.
Almost to the top of the slope, Jason met Joshua on the trail. McAllister's men were decent workers but drunk more often than not. He glared at Joshua without a word as they walked by another man passed out just off the well-worn path.
"You're the one that said you needed bodies," Joshua said, breaking the silence. "I was fresh out of ideas and McAllister seemed to have a good one. Jeremy thought so too. If you hadn't been so busy playing house last week..."
"Don't start," Jason snapped. They crested the steep hill and observed the winding flume. There were several men on the job trying to wrestle a strip of it back into place. He muttered to himself, "We can't handle any more hits."
"We'll handle them," said Joshua. "We're Bolt brothers, remember?"
"And another thing. I told you to fire Eli."
"And I told you I didn't think it was fair, and we need him. At least he's loyal."
"Yeah, well... wait a minute." A bright light winked at Jason from below. "What is that?"
"What is what?"
Jason plummeted down the side of the mountain, his younger brother keeping up with him with ease. Together they barreled through underbrush and Jason began sifting through bushes once he got to just above where the men were working.
"What are you looking for?" Joshua asked him.
"I don't know. I saw something metal."
Joshua frowned and joined in the search, neither talking as they concentrated. Jason pushed a clump of branches out of the way and was rewarded with a bright wink of light.
"Here, Josh!" He sifted through dried pine needles and picked up a large file next to a handsaw.
"How did you see that?" Joshua asked, coming to stand beside him.
"I guess the sun hit it just right."
They stared at it for a moment, both moving their gaze to the broken flume.
"You thinking what I'm thinking?" Joshua asked him.
"Sabotage." He shook his head. So his suspicions were true.
"Yeah, but who? In the old days I might have thought it was Aaron, but now..."
Jason shook his head and put the file back and began covering it loosely with dirt. "I know what you're saying, but this is damage to property. It's illegal, not to mention it could kill someone, so no, Aaron wouldn't do this. Not even then."
"Why are you putting it back?"
Jason stood and surveyed his work. He had covered the file better than before. "Because I don't want whoever did this to know we know. Tonight we'll replace the broken bolts with the new ones while everyone is sleeping."
"That's going to take..."
"We'll get Swede and Corky to help us. Billy Sawdust, too. Only people we can trust."
"But today's your birthday."
Jason's mouth twitched at the sides. "Well, I think a birthday drink can wait, don't you?"
"Oh come on, you know Laurie has something planned."
Jason's twitch gave way to a full smile, remembering the sweet smell of chocolate cake that had filled his home the night before.
"You can't do this to her."
"I don't see how it can be helped. She'll understand."
"Sure she will," said Joshua, the sarcasm evident in his voice.
Jason raised an eyebrow.
They stood side by side, surveying the damage. Jason shook his head, his forehead puckered in thought. Whoever the saboteur was, he had Jason's back to the wall. The bolts that held the flume together were probably filed just enough to wiggle loose so that the flume would break down, picking away at Jason's profits. No sooner had he silently kicked himself for not checking those sooner than he lifted his gaze and realized just exactly how ingenious his opponent was. The men were shouting, trying to get the shoring around the flume. Double sabotage, so no one would suspect exactly what was going on.
"Smart," he muttered.
"This is serious. We don't have the money to pay the men in another week, and McAllister just brought in all those other workers..."
Joshua kept talking, but Jason's attention strayed to McAllister standing next to Jeremy, who was giving orders to the men McAlister had hired with Eli. The man had shown up shortly before trouble broke out. Or was it after? Right about the same time, anyway. And while that was hardly anything to go on, if the flume was slowly dismantling itself, the man could be out of town when things fell apart. Wasn't it McAlister's yammering about Laurie being bad luck that had spooked the workers, causing a labor shortage? And now he had a crew McAllister had hired.
"Jason?"
"Huh? Oh, I want you to keep an eye on McAllister. And if you find any of his men sleeping on the job, making trouble or anything else, fire them. On the spot."
"Why?"
"Because... well, I have a feeling, that's all. Now, what we need to do is change our focus," said Jason, his voice drifting as he observed the men working. The differences between his regular loggers and McAllister's hires were night and day. He glanced at Joshua and shook his head again. "We've got to put our backs into getting the jobs finished. Things will work out."
"That's your answer? More work?"
"Sure. Those that can handle it will still be here. The others will either quit or we'll fire them."
"We still won't make the deadline."
"Yeah."
"Well, what do you plan to do about that?"
Jason threw his hands out to the sides. "What I always do. Get an extension."
"All right. Say you get one. Why all the secrets? If you think McAllister's the guy, why don't you fire him?"
"I have suspicions, Josh, but no proof. And worse, no motive. And I don't want to show all my cards until I know what I'm up against. You and Jeremy just keep an eye on him."
"What are you going to do?"
"Figure out how we can stretch our payroll through an extension. Something tells me we're going to need it."
"Stretch what?!"
"Look, we just need a little more time. We may not be as fast as I'd like, but it's not like we aren't producing either."
Joshua gave him a hard stare, thinking it over. "Okay. But how are you going to stretch what we don't have to cover the payroll?"
"Well," Jason said, his mind flitting back to his thoughts just a little while ago. "I was thinking I'd go to Olympia and get a loan. I'll leave first thing tomorrow, be back late tomorrow night."
"Another loan? Jason, at this rate we'll be lucky to break even."
Jason threw his hands up. "Well, what else do you want me to do?! I'm open to suggestions."
Joshua sucked in his breath and after another hard look at the flume, put his hand on Jason's shoulder. "Ideas I'm out of."
"Right. Go help Jeremy. I'll double-check the books in case we've missed something, and then I think I'll head home early. Give Laurie the bad news."
"The bad news you're broke or the bad news that you're going to ruin all her plans tonight?"
"The bad news that while I'm gone, I'm going to see if I can track down that no-good brother of hers since he hasn't answered my wire."
"Oh. That bad news," said Joshua, wrinkling his nose.
"I hate to say it, but for once I'd feel a lot better if there were a lawman around."
"Especially with someone stripping bolts," Joshua added. "You know, the flume almost killed Swede the other day."
Jason gave him a grim smile. "I heard. And now we have a camp full of men that have no loyalty to us. Whoever is doing this is one determined soul."
"And you have no idea what he's after?"
"None. That's why I want it quiet. Gives us time to figure things out."
"Fine. We'll... wait. Look, I don't want to accuse someone, but... you don't think this is the same guy that's been peeping in on Laurie? McAlister was around at the time, wasn't he?"
Jason pulled his lips into a hard line before he answered darkly, "For his sake, I hope not."
JASON
After a long few hours of giving himself a headache, Jason slammed the ledger shut. He'd been right, there was no way around it. He was going to have to go to Olympia. The bank there had always lent them enough in the past, and it would give him the perfect excuse to check in on Laurie's brother. He had a nervous feeling about Richard's lack of response. As much as he hated to admit it, he needed the lawman. Yesterday.
The smell of Cookie's vittles made his stomach growl. He guessed Laurie was holding dinner for him, and he wouldn't mind a slice of that cake. He picked up his pace and straightened the makeshift desk before abandoning the area altogether, and stopped to talk to Billy and some of his loyal men who were trickling out of camp toward town.
Just as he waved off the last of the birthday wishes, he heard Jeremy call his name. Jason turned and saw both of his brothers walking toward him, both in full church attire. Joshua held his suit, and Jeremy carried a brown paper parcel.
"What's this?" Jason asked when Joshua handed him the suit.
"Your suit," Joshua said. "Now go wash up. You don't want to be late."
Jason stared at both of them like they had lost their minds. "Late for what?"
"Your surprise birthday p-p-party," said Jeremy.
Jason stared at him in disbelief, the anger he had held back all day bubbling to the surface. "I told Josh how I felt about that," he bellowed with a flourishing gesture. "We've got serious things going on here!"
"Yeah, Josh told me. And your wife has serious things in her life, too. We can't let you do this to her, Jason. She's too nice and trying too hard for you to b-blow her off!"
"Not do this to her? I'm doing this for her!"
They were yelling at each other now, and Jason noticed most of the men were slinking away back to their tents or hurrying out of camp. The fights between him and his brothers were infrequent, except of late, but they could get intense. Legendary, some said. He crossed his arms, his suit hanging over them, and stood with his feet wide apart.
"Jason, you don't know what's at stake tonight. She's worked hard."
"Josh, I understand very well she's put in an effort, but that doesn't change the fact that I've got to get things straight around here or—"
"Well, if you don't get things straight at home, you might as well give up here too."
Jason met Jeremy's hard stare with one of his own. "All right, Jeremy. There's something stuck in your craw and I want to know what it is. You've been hinting about it for weeks."
"Some of us gave up a lot when you married Laurie, you know."
"Yeah, no kidding."
"Jason," said Joshua in a warning tone, but Jason ignored it with an impatient shake of his head.
"Candy and I never complained. Never said a word to you, because we knew it was hard. And both of you suffered. But now? Now you're just being plain stubborn, and it's—it's not right!"
"Not right?!" Jason roared. He shifted his body weight to tower over his younger brother. "I don't even know what you're talking about!"
"I know!"
Jason glanced at Joshua.
"Jeremy and Candy set their wedding date for September 1st. They were going to build their cabin this summer," Joshua said, quietly. "You were so involved with Laurie, you forgot they were making plans while you were in Tacoma."
"September 1st? But that's..."
"Next week."
Joshua's soft words couldn't have been more powerful than a punch to Jason's gut. He backed off and stayed quiet, letting his chest rise and fall slower and slower.
Jeremy adjusted his belt and said, "Yeah, well, with everything happening this year, it just wasn't the right time."
"Oh, Jeremy, I'm realizing it's never the right time."
Joshua grinned at him. "Well, you've never exactly been a planner."
"No, not exactly," said Jason, his mouth curving into a sardonic smile.
"But Laurie is," Joshua continued. "Jason, we keep saying it and you're not listening. You don't understand how important this is to her. She wanted it to be special. You can't deny she's been trying so hard to fit in and to keep you happy. It'll crush her if you don't go."
Jason sighed, his voice full of resignation mixed with confusion. "So you said. Well, I suppose I could take the time to have a piece of cake at home..."
"She's at Lottie's," said Jeremy.
When Jason lifted his eyebrows, Joshua said, "Tonight she's wearing that red dress you wanted to see her in."
"The red dress?" Jason echoed.
"She knows you bought Candy's red dress, and how you think every woman should have one," Joshua stated, sounding tired.
Jeremy scoffed. "She said it would make your birthday more special."
"Well, I've seen that dress, hanging in all its finery," said Jason, still not getting the full picture. "She must've planned a nice-sized shindig."
"Funny," Joshua told him, and Jeremy threw his hands in the air.
"All right, all right, all right," Jason said, firing the words out like gunfire. "I'll even take a bath since this is such a fancy affair. And after I take her home, I'll meet the two of you here and..."
Joshua shook his head. "You won't want to go with us afterward."
"Well, who's going to..."
"We've got Swede and Billy to help us. Corky's going to be on the lookout. Might even talk to a few of the other regulars."
"But you don't want me there."
"No. You'll be busy doing other... things," said Joshua, looking away.
Understanding fell on Jason's shoulders. The party, the extra candles he had noticed in the larder, the fancy red dress he'd seen her pull out and put back up as she chose her wardrobe for the day, the different hairstyles she'd worn with his mother's combs in her hair, all the while asking him which was his favorite. His mind fell on their amiable evenings, and the air of longing she seemed to wear like a cloak. Suddenly he felt as if he couldn't breathe.
He shook his head. "No, that's asking too much."
"Jason," Joshua said, putting his hand on Jason's shoulder. "You need this."
"And so does she. We've been watching you dance around this whole thing ever since you brought her here. And sure, okay, you both needed some t-t-time. That was honorable enough. But now?"
Jason's eyes narrowed. "Stay out of my bed, Jeremy."
"Fine, don't listen to us. But you look her in the eye when you reject her tonight and be honest when you tell her why. Tell her how afraid you are of losing her. How every little hiccup she has scares you. Oh yeah, we see it. Tell her how you can't make l-love to her because you're too afraid she's going to leave you. Just like our mother did."
"Like mother!" Jason took a step forward, and Joshua stepped in between them, his hand on Jason's chest. If Jason could breathe fire, smoke would have been coming out his nose. "What's she got to do with anything?"
"Mother died, Jason! She died. And I know you've thought about how hard having a baby will be on Laurie. You've made that clear every night you're up here drinking."
Jason pinched his lips together.
Joshua shook his head and gestured toward the camp. "Point is, we've got everything covered. We just want to see you happy. So, please. Please, just go take a bath and we'll help you get ready. Just this once, don't be so stubborn." Jason opened his mouth to speak, but Joshua cut him off. "Stop fighting it. You want each other. The whole thing is getting stupid."
Jason looked from brother to brother and decided if he was going to keep the peace, he would have to comply. He handed the suit back to Joshua with an air of resignation. "I'll go, and I'll consider staying the night. But I want to make one thing clear. Not that it's any of your business, but Mother has nothing to do with any of this. I haven't made love to her because I was waiting for her to want me."
"Well, brother," said Joshua. "Get ready, because tonight you're going to realize that time has come."
Jason and Joshua stared at each other. Jason knew Laurie had spent time with the two of them singing. He had overheard them one night when he was late for dinner. But a woman wouldn't share something that intimate with another man, let alone the brothers of her husband, would she? He shook his head. This was his wife they were talking about. He shifted his gaze to Jeremy, who stared back at him with the same obstinate stubbornness the three of them were famous for.
With a grunt, he marched to the large rain barrel they did their weekly bathing in and stripped before climbing in. Joshua handed him a cake of soap, and when he was finished scraping the dirt and sweat off, he felt a little more tactful. By the time he shaved, combed his hair, and had his suit on, he was almost feeling amiable. And after a rigorous walk back to town, he had calmed down enough to be in a party mood.
"At Lottie's?" he asked his brothers.
"At Lottie's," they said together.
"Well, brothers," said Jason, putting his arms around both his brothers' shoulders. "Let's go admire the intrepid Mrs. Bolt in her fancy red dress."
"Intrepid?" Joshua asked.
Jason grinned. "Haven't you heard? The woman's a jumper."