Chapter 2

"Well, that little one is so cute, look at his little curls!" Biddie said as she took the small baby into her arms.

"That's a girl, Biddie!" Candy said as she gave her a burping cloth and the baby food that Emily had brought over.

"Well, I did not think it was polite to look at the baby like that!" Biddie said.

"Oh, don't worry Biddie, we will all have this straightened out in now time." Candy said as she was now turning to take care of the other child.

"What is your name?" she asked the toddler. He just stared at her and would not answer her. He was very shy and kept looking for his mother. Unlike his sister, he had brown curls and blue eyes. Candy was surprised at how expressive his eyes were. They were mostly sad and scared. She wished she could do something to help him feel better. He did perk up when Christopher walked into the room and would 'toddle' over to him anytime he was there.

"Grpa!" he said when Christopher walked into the room just then and he ran to him falling here and there until he reached him. Christopher looked at Candy and said:

"I can't be a grandpa, I'm not old enough like Grandpa Pruitt!"

Everyone just chuckled and Candy said:

"I know but somehow he thinks you are his grandpa."

Lottie came in just then bearing some more baby things she had stashed in her trunk.

"Oh, just look at the baby and the little boy, aren't they cute?" She said as she went to pick up the toddler. He looked at her for a moment and then said:

"mama"

Lottie looked so surprised she did not know what to say. All the ladies that were visiting that day were very happy and doting on the children. By the time the men came back with the evidence, the baby was napping as well as the toddler. Jeremy and Jason walked in with the things they had salvaged.

"Well, ladies, we have solved the mystery as to who these children belong to!" Jason said with clarity.

Jeremy was about to speak when there was an insistent knock on the door. Jeremy opened the door and Arron walked in.

"I thought I would find you two here, Maude and Helen came to me insisting that two children were kidnapped?"

They looked at Aaron and then laughed, Jason said

"Just sit tight Aaron, we have solved the mystery of who these children are. Their names are Abigail and Michael Beason. Their mother's name was Mildred Beason, and her father was Robert Corcoran. They were part of a traveling medicine show and have a deed to a piece of land in Oregon."

"What were they doing so far up north?" Candy asked

"It seems that according to their mother's diary, they had gotten lost and had made it this far and were planning to find a way to Seattle to rest for the night when the storm hit. Needless to say, the adults did not make it, we made a grave for both of them and took what we could from the wagon." Jason said confidently.

"Was there any information on their next of kin? The father perhaps?" Biddie asked

Jeremy looked at Candy and then to the rest and said:

"As far as we can tell, there was no mention of the father, but we did find a few handbills of places they had been so we thought we could wire those places to see if there would be any next of kin. Meanwhile we need to find a home for these two children to live."

Emily spoke up: "Since I have a 1-year-old, I can take the Abigail because I still have the everything a baby need."

Candy looked at Jeremy and he looked at her and both nodded

"Jeremy and I can take Michael. He seems to like to be with Christopher."

Jason said, "then it is settled, we will go and wire the different places and hope we find out if they have a next of kin!"

Aaron was looking on and since he had been left out, he was about to say something when Jason said to him:

"Aaron, we can talk about this in your office."

Aaron looked from Jason to Jeremy to the rest of the ladies and gentlemen in the house and said a hasty goodbye and left.

The meeting in Aaron's office between Jason, Jeremy, and Aaron and Harv did not go as well as anyone thought. Because of the storms and the winds several of the loggers had to stay home to fix their homes. They had also got together to help each other; Sam's barn had collapsed so they had to raise a new barn and quickly since it seemed as if the snow would soon be arriving. Big Swede was helping one of the other loggers with a fence that had been blown over and it was too windy to chop trees down since the wind could blow them the wrong way.

"Jason, I know that you have been slowed down, but even your loggers need wood to fix their homes. If you can't' deliver, I will have to use someone else! That is all there is to it!"

Jason was fuming. "I don't see how we can get the lumber until this wind and rain die down. Can we have a couple more days to restart? Our other contracts have given us a grace period of two weeks! After that we won't be able to log until next spring!"

Aaron looked at them, he wished he could say yes, but some other contracts that he had to fill would not give him any extensions, he would be losing money if he waited for the Bolts to get him the logs he needed. As he was thinking One of his men came in and spoke to Harve. Harve then whispered something in Aaron's ear. Aaron abruptly stopped the conversation and asked Jason and Jeremy to leave. He would continue this later. He then shut the door to his office and went down to the main work area to examine what had happened.

"Mr. Stemple, Donny got cut with the saw pretty bad, he lost a leg. We are going to have to get him to a doctor right away. We will have to shut down in order to clean the equipment…"

"Well, take care of Donny and shut it down then! How long will it be Harve?" Aaron said

"About a week maybe two. We have to find out what happened and with Donny not having a leg anymore, he won't be able to work for us! We will have to find a new crew man!"

Aaron looked unhappy, he wanted to leave as soon as possible. When he had made sure that things were okay, he had Harve shut down the mill and then went to his office. There he sat, looking at his books. He was barely making the bottom line right now. Winter would be setting in and he needed to fill the contracts in order to keep the mill running next year. He closed his books and then turned off the light and went to Lottie's to have a drink and sit and think.,

Lottie was serving some drinks to the loggers when Aaron walked in. He looked at her and nodded towards the backroom. She nodded yes and finished what she was doing.

Meanwhile, Jason and Jeremy had received a wire back from a tiny town in Oregon that the children's mother and grandfather had been too. They wired that they did not know that the lady had two children, only one. The father of the one had been with them when they left but not sure what had happened to them afterwards. The baby was unknown to them. Apparently, she had been pregnant but didn't show when they were there. They stopped in at Lottie's for a drink and saw Aaron going into the back room. Jason told Jeremy to stay at the bar, he was going to talk to Aaron for a little while.

Aaron sat there drinking his brandy and thinking. Lottie had brought him sandwich and was out tending the bar.

"Aaron, is everything okay?" Asked Jason

Aaron looked up at Jason and said: "sure, everything is okay, if you count that one of my men is no longer able to work for me and I have to find another to take his place. Plus, I have to shut down due to the accident that happened today! Yes Jason, everything is just fine and dandy!" he slammed down his empty glass. And stood up and walked out. He walked out of the bar and onto the streets of Seattle. Things had surely changed. There were streets and sidewalks where before there had only been dirt and mud. Ladies could walk across the street without having to get the bottom of their skirts wet. The night sky was still filled with stars and the moon was full that night.

December came in with a chill, thoughts of snow swirled in people's heads, but it did not get the temperature any lower. Children in Seattle were preparing for the Christmas play. Christopher and Molly were ready. Since they were the only two that were old enough, they both got the Joseph and Mary part. Christophe wanted to be a shepherd, but Candy had said know. They needed him as Joseph.

"Candy, can we use Abigail for the baby Jesus this year? I will be very careful with her?"

"No, we are going to use the statue that will work just fine." Candy said remembering the fiasco with the other two children who had taken a real baby. She did not want a repeat and she was sure Emily would not want that either.

The mill and the logging operation were back in business for a little while until the snow fall that was predicted to come. Aaron had found a new crewman and Jason was able to fulfill all his contracts even with Aaron. Joshua had come back at the end of November with Clancy. They had lots of oranges and other things for the Christmas meal that the brides would prepare for everyone. Everything seemed to be coming together except for finding Abigail and Michael a home.

Emily was home with her baby and Abigail and was very happy indeed. She almost thought that she would not mind having another little girl to care for. Candy did not really talk very much that month. It seemed as if between Michael, Christopher, and Molly, she was always upset about something. To top it off, she could not get up before noon. This was unlike her. She would have to see the doctor about that, maybe taking on an extra child was too much for her. She had an appointment to see the doctor the week before Christmas.

"Candy, how are you feeling today?" Emily asked as Candy was sitting in the rocker this time holding Abigail and watching as Christopher played with Michael.

"I don't really know. I feel okay now but when I want to get up to make breakfast for Jeremy, I usually have to have Molly finish it for me!" Candy said as she burped Abbie, their nickname for the baby.

Emily just looked at Candy, "Candy, can you stand up for a minute?"

Candy looked at her and did as she said. Emily looked at her silhouette in the fire and just knew. "Candy, I think you are pregnant."

Candy looked at Emily with such a surprised look on her face. "I can't be pregnant!"

"Well, have you been with Jeremy? "

Candy looked at Emily her eyes wide open and nodded yes.

"Does he know yet?"

"No, I was going next Tuesday to see the doctor and…"

Jeremy came in the door to take Candy and Christopher and Michael home for the evening. Molly was cooking and had one of her famous pies ready to go.

"Well, are you ready to go home?" Jeremy said with a smile. He always smiled when he came home. Having Candy there to greet him or bringing her home after a long day of work always cheered him up.

Emily stood up and whispered in Candy's ear:

"You can tell him on Christmas for a present!"

Candy giggled and smiled with Emily; Jeremy was unaware as he was helping Christopher with Michael. They left Emily's house and went home where Molly had made dinner and a dessert.