CHAPTER 5

Julie had just lifted Lisa to her shoulder and had begun gently patting her back when Jason entered their bedroom and began undressing in expectation of retiring for the night. Amused by the reason for his delay, Julie did her best to retain a straight face as she asked innocently;

"Were you successful in your goal, darling?"

Letting his shirt drop from his shoulders as he slid the last button free before taking a seat on the side of their bed to remove his boots, Jason focused his attention on his wife as he explained, his voice full of sarcastic aggravation;

"If you mean did I finally catch that damnable cat of yours and put him outside, then yes, I was successful. Of course, that was after I chased him through the living room, dining room, kitchen, and only managed to catch him after bribing him with a bit of cream in his food dish on the back porch."

The confusion evident on her face, Julie tilted her head to the side to ask;

"But, Jason love, why on earth didn't you just try that to begin with instead of chasing Trouble all over the house?"

Crossing his arms over his bare chest, Jason pursed his lips as he remarked wryly;

"Because when I told him it was time for him to go outside for the night he took off like his tail was on fire and it became a personal challenge. There, are you satisfied, Julie sweet?"

Julie couldn't help but giggle as she shook her head slightly;

"Don't worry, darling, it's my turn to put him out tomorrow night, so you won't have to worry about him giving you a hard time."

Huffing in irritation, Jason quipped;

"Neither will you."

It had become obvious after the feline had become part of their household and had, fittingly enough, been named Trouble by Christopher and Molly, that he was most assuredly Julie's cat. Although he was far from vicious, Trouble enjoyed nothing better than trying to get the best of Jason and then hiding behind Julie's skirts, something that aggravated Jason to no end. It had taken Julie a bit of time to understand Jason's reluctance to have the cat in their home, however, the reason soon became obvious the first time Trouble had been introduced to Jemma. One aspect of Jemma's character that she had never outgrown was her love of animals, something that often found her husband shaking his head when she would try to, unsuccessfully, keep the fact that she was sneaking food to a variety of furry little beggars a secret. So when she first met Trouble, Julie couldn't help but wonder in confusion, especially when the animal eagerly accepted Jemma's attention and affection why her husband was so ambivalent where the cat was concerned. Shaking her head, Julie wondered;

"I don't understand this, Trouble seems to love you, Jemma, but he and Jason just seem so...at odds. I mean, he isn't mean or anything like that to Trouble, but it's like he just tolerates the poor little thing."

Biting at her bottom lip in amusement, Jemma couldn't help but giggle as she scratched the cat behind his ears;

"Oh I think I might have an explanation, it may have something to do with Stripers."

Giving her sister in law a puzzled look, Julie questioned;

"Stripers? Who on earth is or was Stripers, Jemma?"

Jemma couldn't help laughing as she explained;

"Oh, he was this adorable little kitten that I found in the woods by the logging camp when I was about four or five years old. You see, Jason took us up to the camp with him as I started getting older, Josh was working on his lessons and Jason had told me it was alright for me to play in a certain area and I found the sweetest little kitten and took him back with me. I was inside the tent playing with my new kitten when Jason came in to check on me and when he saw me playing with Stripers he started panicking."

Julie could only shake her head before demanding;

"Why in heaven's name would he panic over you playing with a kitten?"

Tilting her head to the side in amusement, Jemma offered;

"Oh, I guess I forgot to mention that the reason I called him Stripers was because he was black with a white stripe down his back."

Her eyes widening in comprehension, Julie brought her hands to her mouth as she began laughing;

"OH NO! What happened?"

Laughing at the memory, Jemma described the scene;

"Well, when he realized just what kind of kitten Stripers was, he started panicking and snatched the poor thing up and ran out of the tent with him."

Her curiosity piqued, Julie asked;

"I'm guessing that you never would forget your first encounter with a skunk."

Shaking her head, Jemma laughed;

"Oh, I wasn't a casualty. Jason was outside of the tent before Stripers decided to 'defend' himself."

Shocked, Julie asked;

"Are you saying that..."

Nodding, Jemma laughed;

"Yes, I remember Josh asking how many more baths it would take before Jason didn't smell like a skunk anymore."

Shaking her head, Jemma ventured;

"After that, Jason just seemed to have an aversion to cats."

Julie's thoughts were brought back to the present as she heard a tiny hiccup from her daughter. Shifting the infant in her arms, Julie cooed to her daughter;

"That's Mommy's, little darling."

Reaching towards her eagerly, Jason's look of aggravation over his earlier tussle with the cat gave way to a broad smile full of love and adoration as he offered;

"Here, darling, let me take her while you get ready to turn in for the night."

Although Julie had no doubts as to just what sort of father he would probably become, she couldn't help but count herself blessed over the type of husband and father Jason had proven himself to be. Placing their daughter in his arms, she couldn't help but smile lovingly at the sight that her husband made as he held their daughter close to his chest as he smiled at her adoringly;

"And just how is Daddy's little angel girl."

Rising from the rocking chair, Julie placed a kiss on Jason's cheek;

"Have I told you lately just how much I love you or just how thankful I am that you're my child's father?"

Lifting his head to look into her blue eyes as he placed a hand on her cheek, Jason nodded;

"Yes, my love, you have and never doubt that I'm just as thankful that you're my child's mother."

Brushing his lips against hers, he teased;

"Now, go put your nightgown on while I settle our daughter."

A few minutes later, Julie emerged from the washroom in her gown as Jason was finishing with changing Lisa's diaper, something that made her smile as he didn't notice her presence and continued talking to their daughter;

"You see, angel, Uncle Aaron didn't think that I'd be as good at changing your diaper as he is at changing your cousins' diapers, just because he has three to change and I only have yours to change. I guess we showed him, didn't we, baby?"

Approaching her husband from behind, Julie wrapped her arms around his waist to lay her head against his back as she ventured;

"I love the two of you dearly, but you and my brother enter into a competition over the strangest things."

Lifting their daughter to lay her against his shoulder, Jason turned as he became serious;

"All jokes aside, was it just me, or did you happen to notice a change in our hostess tonight? It was as if a lamp had been dimmed inside of her."

Following him to Lisa's crib, Julie helped tuck their daughter in as she ventured;

"I agree, I think that, whatever it is, it happened in the kitchen with Kassandra. She tried to act as if nothing was wrong or happened, but..."

Jason nodded;

"That's one thing about Pixie, guile has never been a trait that she's possessed. She has never been able to hide her feelings, that's one of the reasons why I could kick myself for not figuring out what was going on between her and Aaron until it was put in front of my face."

Once they were certain that their daughter was settled the climbed into their bed as Julie snuggled closer to her husband's side before stating;

"Jason, Jemma was just fine before she went into the kitchen with Kassandra, when Candy and I went in to help them, after Kassandra left and Lottie went in, there was a tension between Lottie and Jemma. Oh, not with each other but it was as if Lottie was upset because Jemma was and I heard Jemma make Lottie promise not to tell Aaron."

Julie could feel the heavy rise and fall of her husband's chest beneath her hand as Jason offered;

"I know that something was bothering Pixie, Julie sweet, and I'm fairly certain that we have Josh's fiancee to thank for that."

Glancing up at his profile in the dim light from the lamp, Julie asked hesitantly;

"Jason, what's your opinion of Kassandra, and her father? Your HONEST opinion."

Turning his head to the side to meet his wife's look of concern with one of his own, Jason confided;

"My honest opinion, my love, is that I sincerely hope that Josh knows what he is doing and that we simply haven't gotten to know the Kassandra that he knows. I'm in the hopes that once we get to know her better than we'll grow to like her."

Worriedly, Julie demanded;

"And if that isn't the case?"

Placing his hand over the top of hers, Jason sighed;

"That, my darling, is something that I do not want to think about unless I have no other option."

With that, he dimmed the light even more before placing a kiss on the top of her head before suggesting;

"Let's put it from our minds for the night and get some rest, Julie sweet."

Closing his eyes, Jason tried to follow his own advice as he hoped and prayed that their first impressions of the woman Josh was hoping to spend his life with were mistaken ones.

Once they made certain that Molly and Christopher were properly tucked in and asleep, Candy and Jeremy bid Benjamin a good night before retiring to their bedroom to make certain that Jamie was settled as well. Settling themselves in their bed, Candy couldn't help but notice how Jeremy seemed deep in thought. Assuming that their thoughts were running along the same lines Candy grasped his hand in hers before asking quietly;

"Jeremy, honey, you're thinking about what happened tonight, aren't you?"

Sighing heavily, Jeremy gave a slight nod before wrapping his arms around his wife's shoulders to pull her close against his side as he admitted;

"Yes, Candy heart, I am. I know that she tried to act like there was nothing wrong, but something happened between Pixie and Kassandra when they were in the kitchen alone."

Turning his head slightly, Jeremy asked;

"When you and Julie went in there to help did she or Kassandra say anything?"

Candy shook her head;

"No, although Julie and I could tell that Jemma was determined to act like everything was normal, but Lottie sure did look angry. And, when we went into the kitchen we overheard Jemma begging Lottie not to say anything, especially to Aaron."

Heaving a worried sigh, Jeremy ventured;

"Then that means that whatever it is, it's bad enough that Pixie knows if Aaron finds out he's going to be mad and he's going to want to 'deal' with it."

Her brilliant blue eyes widening at the realization of just what her husband's observation implied, Candy exclaimed;

"That means that it has to be REALLY bad, Jeremy. Jemma doesn't keep ANYTHING from Aaron, not unless she's afraid of what he might do."

Meeting his wife's look of concern with one of his own, Jeremy speculated;

"That's a big part of it, but I think that another part of it is that she doesn't want to cause any problems where Kassandra is concerned because she's afraid of what will happen with Josh."

Raising up to search his eyes, Candy demanded;

"Jeremy, you don't particularly care for her either, do you?"

Pursing his lips in a thin line as he contemplated the best way to explain his feelings, Jeremy began;

"I'm hoping that it's just a case of we haven't had enough time to really get to know Kassandra. I mean, she was raised a lot different then what the rest of us were, so we probably just need to get to know her better, and she needs to get to know us better."

Jeremy could tell that, although she was hoping the same thing, Candy wasn't confident that was the case. Any doubts that he had to the contrary were soon eliminated when she offered;

"I do too, Jeremy. Because if that isn't the case, heaven only knows what's going to happen between Josh and our family. That is unless we're all willing to cave, and give in to Kassandra."

Nodding slightly, Jeremy reached over to dim the bedside lamp before settling down for the night as Candy settled against his side. He knew that issue was weighing heavily on his wife's mind, just as it was his, so he wasn't surprised when she asked;

"Jeremy, what are we going to do if it's not a case of just getting to know her better and this is really how she is?"

Candy could feel the heavy rise and fall of her husband's chest beneath her hand just before he answered her query;

"Well, Candy heart, if this is REALLY how she is, then we do what our family has always done; we do what we have to and hope and pray for the best. As far as Pixie goes, we have to let her come to us about this, if we confront her with what we think is happening she'll deny it and then we're nowhere unless we catch her in the act, that is. In the meantime, we just do what we can and hope that it is just a case of needing to get to know her better. Now, let's get some rest, honey, our son will be up in a couple of hours and needing our attention."

Snuggling closer, Candy closed her eyes and said a silent prayer of hope that Jeremy was right in his theory. She couldn't imagine the type of break in the Bolt-Stempel family that Kassandra Everston could potentially wreak if her true nature was the one that she suspected it to be.

Aaron kept glancing covertly from time to time at his wife and they sat on the floor of the nursery playing with Amie and Jacob. The dinner had been excellent, as usual, and the butterscotch cake had been above average for her desserts, which was saying something indeed, not to mention the raving compliments that she had received for the painstaking efforts that she had taken with preparing the meal. However, something was disturbing her and no matter how hard she tried to make it seem otherwise, there was no denying or hiding the fact, especially not from him. Any doubts that he might have had to the contrary were soon eliminated when she took their daughter up in her arms to hug her tightly before kissing Amie's cheek, an action that found Jemma rewarded as her daughter placed her lips against her cheek to mimic a kiss. Aaron fought the urge to demand what was wrong when he noticed his wife's eyes brighten as if she were about to cry, however, before he could say anything she looked up and, noticing his look of concern, lowered her eyes before rising from the floor to issue;

"I think we had better get them tucked in."

Once Jacob and Amie were tucked in and settled, Jemma hurried to their bedroom and began undressing for bed. Noticing her frustration at the difficulty that she was having with trying to unfasten the back of her gown, Aaron stepped up behind her and placed his hand over hers as he offered softly;

"Here, love, let me."

Clasping her hands together, she began twisting them in nervousness as Aaron undid the back of her gown. Biting at her bottom lip, she made her decision as she asked softly;

"Aaron, can I ask you a question?"

Focusing on the small pearl buttons, Aaron acknowledged;

"Jemma love, you know that you can ask me anything that you want to."

Pushing the lump of nervous anxiety back down, Jemma wet her lips as she asked in a small, quiet, and frightened voice;

"Aaron, why did you marry me?"

Jemma knew that he was stunned as she felt his hands suddenly stop their movements, however, what concerned her, even more, was his silence. Although he was only quiet for a few seconds, to her, it seemed like a lifetime before he reached his arm around her to place his hand on her shoulder and turn her to face him, his face reflecting his disbelief and concern as he demanded;

"Jemma Elysia, why in heaven's name would you ask me that? You know EXACTLY why I married you, hopefully for the same reason that you married me; because I loved you and still do love you more than anything else in this world. The only thing that I love as much as I do you would be our children."

Hooking his finger under her chin he lifted her face to look into her eyes, Aaron's brow furrowed in concern as he couldn't help but notice the sadness and worry that he found in their emerald depths. Deciding that he had left his suspicions over what had taken place to dampen her spirits earlier that evening go unchecked for long enough, Aaron cupped her face in his hands to ask worriedly;

"Sweetheart, what happened tonight? I know that something had to have happened between you and Kassandra when you were alone in the kitchen. You were in such a happy mood until then and, even though you were trying to pretend that everything was fine, I could tell, there's something that's bothering you."

Seeing that she was about to deny his observation, Aaron shook his head;

"Jemma darlin, don't even try. You know good and well that you may well be able to hide what you're thinking and feeling from everyone else, but you've NEVER been able to do that with me."

Seeing the hesitation in her eyes, Aaron's narrowed in suspicion as he demanded;

"Sweetheart, what did that...woman say to you tonight?"

Sensing her reluctance, Aaron gripped her shoulders in a firm, yet gentle, hold as he bent slightly to put him on eye level with her as he cajoled softly;

"Jemma love, sweetheart please, I know that something happened between you and Kassandra and I know that, whatever it was, it was bad enough to upset you to the point that you just asked me what you did. Now, what happened?"

Aaron could see that she was wrestling with her inner turmoil and fear, something that found him even more determined to get to the bottom of whatever it was that was causing her so much distress. Although he hated to do so, Aaron knew that if he wanted to help her, he was going to have to be heavy-handed with his wife, something that he despised the very idea of, but knew there was no alternative. Rising to his full height to tower over her, he folded his arms across his chest as his face took on a grim look as he shook his head;

"Jemma Elysia, I don't want to do this, but if you're not going to tell me, then, sweetheart, I have no choice. I'm going to talk to Josh tomorrow to see if I can't get to the bottom of this."

Aaron found himself shocked by his wife's reaction as she threw herself at him to grab his hands in her own to beg as tears began pouring from her eyes;

"No, Aaron! Please, honey, no, you have no idea what could happen. Don't go to Josh, please, I'm begging you."

Seeing her panic, Aaron instinctively placed his arms around her protectively to pull her close against his chest as he held her in the circle of his embrace to try and calm her;

"Jemma sweetheart, calm down!"

Feeling her slight frame shaking with her sobs, Aaron bent and swept her up into his arms before crossing to the rocking chair in their room to hold her in his lap as he tried to comfort her;

"Darlin, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you like this. I promise, I won't say anything to Josh, but, sweetheart, you've GOT to tell me what happened."

Bringing her tears under control, Jemma took a few deep breaths as she lifted her head from his shoulder to brush the tears from her cheeks as she stammered somewhat;

"I, I'm sorry. I overreacted."

Shaking her head, she spoke in self-reproach;

"I shouldn't have been so silly about this."

Grasping her chin between his thumb and forefinger, Aaron lifted her face to search her eyes before shaking his head;

"I'm sorry, darlin, but an actress you're not. Jemma love, you aren't the type of woman to overreact, now something happened and I want to know what that something was."

Seeing that there was no way around it, Jemma sighed in resignation as she admitted;

"It's not so much that something happened as much as that something was said."

Searching her husband's face and seeing the warning signs that she knew would be there, Jemma swallowed hard as she placed her hands against his chest;

"If I tell you, you have to swear to me that you will not say anything to Josh."

Offering a slight nod, Aaron agreed;

"Alright, love, I won't say anything to Josh."

Taking a deep, steadying breath, Jemma began;

"You're right, Kassandra did say something to me in the kitchen. She seems to think that the reason that you wanted to marry me was that you decided that you were ready to settle down and take a wife and have a child and that since it gave you and Jason the chance to merge the mill and the logging operation that I was the most logical choice."

Willing himself to calmness to keep his anger in check, Aaron asked in a deceptively calm voice;

"What else did she say?"

Lowering her eyes at the memory of the shock that she had felt at Kassandra's statement regarding her children, not to mention the pain that she had felt at the very idea of what her future sister in law had suggested as her motivation for bringing her three children into the world, Jemma offered softly;

"She said that considering that I had more than fulfilled my 'obligation' to give you a child by having Jacob and Amie, she thought that having Alex was a bit too much. Although, she said she could understand why I would give in to you given to you considering you're such an attractive man/"

His jaw tightening to, almost, the point of fracturing, Aaron demanded;

"Did our future sister in law seem to have any other 'observations'?"

Nodding, Jemma continued;

"Yes, she seems to think that, because of our age difference and her assumption that you're demanding, that I must find our marriage 'difficult' and proceeded to suggest that I would be able to find 'happiness' outside of our marriage. Of course, that's provided that I maintain appearances for propriety's sake, although she congratulated me on being smart enough to agree to marry you given the amount of 'security' that she seems to think that I enjoy."

Aaron took a deep breath and counted to ten before narrowing his eyes to mere slits as he pursed his mouth to venture;

"So let me see if I understand this; our soon to be sister in law, after knowing us less than twenty-four hours and having only spent a couple of hours with us, seems to have formed the opinion that I wanted to join the mill with the logging operation and that I decided it was time that I took a wife, so you were the logical choice."

Remaining silent, Jemma nodded as Aaron continued;

"Add to that, she seems to think that the reason you agreed to marry me was for financial security and comfort and that the reason we had Jacob and Amie is that we were obligated to, and the reason we now have Alex is that you gave in to my more lustful nature. But, as long as we appear a 'proper' married couple for society's benefit, it's acceptable for you to find your 'happiness' outside of our marriage. So an accurate summary of Miss Kassandra Everston's theory behind our marriage would be, that, basically, your brother's sold you into marriage with me to merge with the mill, I bought you to be able to merge with the logging operation and to have a wife and heir, and you agreed in exchange for financial security."

With her eyes lowered, Jemma bit at her bottom lip as she gave a slight bob of her head as she softly offered;

"Yes."

Noticing the sharp rise and fall of her husband's chest, Jemma wasn't surprised when he placed his finger under her chin to lift her eyes to look into his, something that found her swallowing hard at the anger that she saw in their dark depths. Aaron, realizing that he had the anger emanating from him at the moment to thank for the tinge of fear that he was now seeing in the depths of his wife's emerald eyes, closed his eyes for a moment as he willed himself to calmness. When he opened them once more it was to find that his wife's fear had been replaced by worry. Heaving a deep sigh of regret for the fear that he had invoked in his wife, Aaron placed his hand against her cheek as he offered softly;

"First of all, I'm sorry if I scared you earlier and just now. I can't stand seeing fear in your eyes, let alone when I'm the reason for it."

Pulling her closer he gently brushed his lips against hers before offering her a loving smile;

"Am I forgiven, love?"

Taking his hand in hers, she gave a slight shake of her head;

"Darling, you haven't done anything that you need to be forgiven for, but if it will make you feel better; then yes, I forgive you."

Jemma couldn't help but notice how the look of love reflected in his eyes quickly changed to a look of deadly earnest as he stated in no uncertain terms;

"But there's something that I want you to understand, although you SHOULD already know it, there are exactly two reasons why I wanted to marry you, Jemma love. One, and the most important, I was and still am very much in love with you, and I love you more than anything on this earth except for our children, who I love just as much as I do you. Two, I couldn't imagine spending my life with anyone but you. And just so you know, I had made my mind up that, if I didn't marry YOU, I wasn't going to marry anyone."

Cupping her face in his hands, Aaron met and held her eyes with a look from his that brooked no doubts as to just how heartfelt and honest his words were as he vowed;

"When I asked you to marry me, it was because I wanted YOU, not that damn mountain. And as far as a partnership goes; the only Bolt that I wanted a partnership with was and still is YOU, and not for business purposes, but for the sake of love and happiness and I want it to last a lifetime. And by the way, as far as our children go; that...woman can kiss my..., well never mind those aren't words I want my wife hearing from me, but at any rate; our children are the blessings that God gifted us with through our love for each other."

Offering her a tender smile, Aaron brushed the tears from her cheeks;

"Sweetheart, I know good and well that I haven't just said anything that you didn't already know. But, I also know that, sometimes, it helps to hear it. And before you wonder; Jemma, my little love, I know good and well that if we were to wake up broke tomorrow, that, just so long as we had each other and our family, it wouldn't change how you feel for me one bit. I also know that the ONLY reason you married me was for the same reason I married you; LOVE."

Nodding eagerly as she wrapped her arms around his neck as she laid her head on his shoulder before vowing softly;

"Aaron love, you have no idea how much I love you, I love you and our babies more than anything else in this world... And I know I should be ashamed for letting this upset me so much, but it's just that, hearing her say such horrible things..."

Aaron nodded as he held her close;

"I know, darlin, I know. And unless I miss my guess, the fact that this is how she seems to look at things where marriage and family are concerned scares you for Josh's sake."

Lifting her head, Jemma nodded as she wiped away the last of the tears;

"Yes, and I know that being married to someone who thinks like that would kill Josh. But I don't know what to do, not after what happened between him and Jason over Valerie, he loves her and that means he'll be protective of her. Not to mention that, if this is the type of person she TRULY is, then she'll do everything in her power to keep Josh estranged from his family, especially me because she seems resentful of me for some reason."

Shaking her head vehemently, she pleaded;

"Aaron love, I can't go through that, not after last year, please, darling, please don't say anything to Josh. I don't want us to lose him from our lives and I can see that she would have no qualms about seeing to it that would be what would happen."

Unable to bear the sight of his wife in such a panic, Aaron agreed;

"I promise, sweetheart, I won't say one word to Josh, not unless it's absolutely necessary."

Breathing a sigh of relief at having secured her husband's promise, Jemma offered a small sad smile as she theorized;

"Maybe, just maybe, it's just the way she was raised and maybe once she's spent more time here and around all of us, she'll see the right reasons for marrying and children. Maybe I'm just being silly for no reason."

Hearing the sound of Alex beginning to stir from his bassinet, Aaron helped her up from his lap as he offered;

"Maybe you're right, love."

Watching as she crossed the room and focused her attention on their youngest child, Aaron braced his elbow on the arm of the rocker as he rested his chin in his hand before thinking to himself; 'But I'm afraid that you may well have pegged that woman's character more accurately then what you know, my darling wife.' Making up his mind to the best course of action, Aaron went to help his wife by taking charge of burping and changing their son while she changed into her nightgown and brushed her hair. Having settled Alex, Aaron prepared for bed and quickly joined his wife, who eagerly snuggled closer to his side before offering her gratitude;

"Thank you, love, for promising not to tell Josh."

Feeling her relax as she yawned and closed her eyes, Aaron placed a kiss on the top of her head as he replied;

"You're welcome, sweetheart."

Closing his eyes to seek his own rest, Aaron couldn't help but think to himself; 'But, Jemma love, that doesn't mean that I'm not going to do some investigating on my own or have a discussion with your other two brothers.' With that thought firmly in mind, Aaron pulled his wife closer to his side as he fell asleep.

Jason was sitting in his study going over the latest batch of lumber orders, trying to take his mind off the thoughts that had been plaguing him for most of the day. He found himself bothered even more so when he received a visit at the camp from an unexpected guest Carlin Everston. Although he had accepted the man's initial explanation of seizing the opportunity to see the logging camp as his reason for delivering the message that Josh would be showing Kassandra the sights of Seattle, as opposed to coming up to the camp, Jason soon realized that, with or without a reason, this man would have made an opportunity to realize his goal. Jason had been prepared to answer a variety of questions stemming from the man's curiosity, having never been to a lumber operation before, however, he wasn't prepared for the in-depth questions that he received regarding the product output, profit margins, and plans to ensure the longevity of the business for the future. Even those questions he could have overlooked had it not been for the one that seemed to bother him the most; how the ownership of the operation was distributed, something that found him somewhat agitated when he learned that one-fourth of the business was owned by a woman, Jemma. Jason leaned back in his chair to rest his elbow in his hand as he began stroking his chin in contemplation as he recalled the man's exactly statement;

"Do you mean to say, sir, that a woman owns a quarter of your business."

Crossing his arms over his chest as he turned from the view of the river that they were currently enjoying, Jason, faced the man to declare in no uncertain terms;

"No, sir, what I AM saying is that OUR sister owns one-quarter of our FAMILY business."

Seeing the look of disbelief on the man's face and finding it insulting Jason issued;

"My sister is as just as capable as me, Josh, or Jeremy or running this camp and has done so in the past. Add to that my sister is also just as capable of performing any job in this camp and has done that as well."

His face a mask of disbelief, Carlin challenged;

"Surely not EVERY job. I noticed men high up in some of the trees, cutting the tops off."

Jason nodded as he informed the man;

"They were topping the trees and, yes, Jemma has done that job as well, as a matter of fact, the first time that she topped a tree, she was just fourteen years old and she did it just as well, if not a bit better, than either myself or any of the other men did."

Even though Jason still cringed at the thought of seeing his baby sister at the top of the tree that day, he wasn't going to give this man the satisfaction of thinking that he had been as concerned as he had been, rather he let the man think that he took pride in his sister's accomplishment. Jason had been more than happy to see Carlin Everston mount his borrowed horse and turn in the direction of Seattle. Deciding to take a break from the invoices and his concerns regarding the Everstons, Jason decided that what he needed most was to see his wife and daughter, as he made his way to the kitchen, Jason heard the familiar sound of his brother in law's voice as he was holding Lisa. Standing in the doorway, unnoticed, Jason leaned against the door frame a smile of amusement on his face as he watched his brother in law talking to his daughter;

"You know what, little Miss Lisa, you are almost identical to your mommy when she was a baby."

Setting a cup of coffee in front of her brother, Julie pointed out;

"Well, of course, she's not going to be identical Aaron. I mean, Jason did contribute, you know."

Nodding, Aaron admitted;

"Oh, I'm quite aware that she's half Bolt, and I can see it quite clearly in these beautiful blue eyes of hers, but there's also a bit of her aunt in her too, or haven't you noticed?"

Deciding to make his presence known, Jason entered the room as he nodded in agreement with Aaron's observation;

"I have, Aaron, I know exactly what you're talking about."

Curious, Julie demanded;

"Alright, what have you two noticed about my daughter that I haven't?"

Aaron nodded towards the infant in his arms;

"Look at her eyes."

Julie leaned over her brother's shoulder, narrowing her eyes as she studied her daughter's, before her own widened as she stated in astonishment;

"She had little flecks in her eyes that are the same emerald green color as Jemma's."

Both men nodded as Jason spoke;

"That's right, Julie sweet. I noticed it when she first looked at me after Allyn put her in my arms the night she was born."

Aaron couldn't help but smile proudly;

"Well, I don't know about you two, but I can't think of two better women for this little angel to take after than her mother and her aunt."

Motioning for his wife to take their daughter, Jason ventured;

"Not that you aren't always welcome, but I get a distinct impression, Aaron that you didn't just wander by for a cup of your sister's coffee or to see your niece; so what does bring you by?"

Taking a long sip from the cup that Julie had placed in front of him, Aaron sighed;

"You're right, Jason, I didn't just happen by. I need to talk to you, but I also need you to promise me that you won't say a word to Josh, and if you say anything to Jeremy, he has to make that same promise."

Turning to his sister, Aaron ordered;

"That goes for you and Candy as well, little sister. Josh can't know about any of this, and the Everstons definitely don't need to know about any of our discussion."

Leaning back in his chair to rest his elbow on the table before crossing his long legs, Jason nodded;

"Alright, Aaron, we agree."

Confident that they could be trusted, Aaron disclosed the details of the conversation that had taken place the night before between himself and his wife. When he had finished, he could tell by the look on Jason's face that he was just as unhappy over what Kassandra had said to Jemma as he had been, an even more telling sign was his silence. Knowing the close relationship between his sister and wife, he wasn't surprised when Julie shook her head to lament;

"Oh dear Lord, no wonder Jemma was acting so strange last night, what that woman said to her was horrible."

Taking a deep breath to try and remain calm, Jason huffed;

"It wasn't just what she said to her, Julie sweet, Jemma is afraid that, if any of us say anything to Josh, Kassandra will do everything that she can to make certain that there's a rift between Josh and our family. And, considering that he's in love with her, she can easily accomplish that considering how protective Josh tends to be, although I have the feeling that is a bluff."

Aaron furrowed his brow in suspicion as he demanded;

"Did you happen to have a visitor to the logging camp today, by chance?"

Nodding, Jason ventured;

"And I'm guessing that you had one at the mill as well."

Aaron shook his head in thinly veiled frustration;

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I did. His excuse was to thank me for our hospitality last night and to compliment me on the meal, although he also threw in several questions about the mill. One, in particular, I didn't care for one damn bit."

Jason stated knowingly;

"Let me guess; he wanted to know about the mill's output, profit margin, and things of that nature, am I right?"

At his brother in law's nod and recalling the last of his earlier statement, Jason narrowed his eyes as he demanded;

"Just what was that one particular question that he asked?"

Seeing the look of anger in his dark eyes, Jason had a pretty good guess as to what Aaron was about to say and found his theory confirmed as he stated;

"He wanted to know if I oversaw Jemma's interest in the logging operation."

Jason's eyes widened;

"What did you tell him?"

Huffing in frustration, Aaron declared;

"The truth! I told him that, per Jemma's decision, I managed her interests in the operation AND the mill, but that no decision was made without consulting her and her approval. That's when he asked, no, demanded, to know what I meant about her interest in the mill. I suppose it never occurred to that arrogant ass that, when Jemma became my wife, whatever belonged to me belonged to her as well. He acted as if I threw a bucket of ice water on him when I told him that Jemma owned fifty percent of the mill and had since the day I married her and that it was by my choice, not hers."

Perplexed, Julie shook her head as she refilled their coffee cups;

"I don't understand, what's it matter to him what anyone owns? I mean, I could understand if he was asking about Josh's interests since his daughter is marrying Josh, but what business is it of his what Jemma owns or who controls it?"

Aaron glanced up at his sister;

"It's not, Julie, which is why he got the answer that he got from me earlier today."

The curiosity evident on his face, Jason pinned his brother in law with his eyes as he demanded;

"And just EXACTLY what answer did you give Mr. Everston, Aaron?"

Meeting Jason's look of curiosity with a level, yet determined, one of his own, Aaron held his head high;

"I told him that considering she has one of the best heads for business that I've ever seen, man or woman. And, that considering she ran the logging operation for close to a year by herself, I had absolutely no problems with the fact that she owns what she does of the mill and that I was quite certain if you had any issues in regards to the lumber business you'd have said something by now. I also told him, in no uncertain terms, that since our names were the ones on the businesses that I, and I was pretty sure you felt the same way, don't particularly give a damn about anyone else's opinion."

Nodding, Jason agreed;

"You told him right, Aaron."

Shaking his head, Jason narrowed his eyes;

"I have the distinct feeling that Carlin is interested in a lot more than just Josh's ability to support his daughter. I also have the feeling that Kassandra's acceptance of Joshua's marriage proposal wasn't based solely on the idea of spending her life with the man that she loves."

Draining the last of the coffee from his cup, Aaron set his cup on the table as his lips thinned in a grimace;

"Any doubts that I might have had in that regard were eliminated after I found out what her theory regarding mine and Jemma's marriage."

Aaron knew what to expect when he saw the concern in his brother in law's eyes and, as per usual, Jason didn't disappoint;

"Aaron, are you sure that Pixie is REALLY alright after last night?"

Lacing his fingers together, Aaron folded his hands as he rested his elbows on the table;

"Yes and no, Jason. Physically, Jemma is just fine, however, emotionally, that is another story. You know how she can be when it comes to our children, add to that, the very thing that worried her for so long, this...stranger has basically come out and said; that she allowed herself to be sold into marriage. Combine that with her fear over the idea of Josh turning his back on the family because of this woman and she's a nervous wreck."

Sighing in frustration, Aaron shook his head;

"She keeps hoping that the feeling that we seem to get from her is just a case being raised in San Francisco and that, just maybe, some time spent with all of us will show Kassandra the REAL reason for marriage and children."

Jason stroked his chin in consideration;

"And what do you think, Aaron?"

Facing his brother in law with blunt honesty, Aaron admitted;

"That, bless her, my darling wife is quite a little optimist."

Shrugging, Jason ventured;

"Well, let's just pray that Pixie's hope comes to fruition and that, as far as Kassandra goes, we're all overreacting and she just needs time to prove what we're thinking wrong. As far as her father goes..."

His eyes growing darker with his determination, Aaron interrupted;

"As far as her father goes, he needs to focus more of his attention on his daughter and her assumptions and less of his attention on my wife and things that don't concern him and are none of his business."

Seeing the deadly serious glint in his brother in law's eyes and knowing how he felt about the situation himself, as well as noticing the look of concern his wife wore, Jason nodded;

"Agreed."

Aaron pulled his watch from his vest pocket;

"I better go, Jemma will have supper ready shortly, and since everyone has their own plans for tonight, I'm looking forward to spending a quiet evening with my wife and children."

Leaning over to place a kiss on his sister's cheek as well as one on his niece's forehead, Aaron asked;

"See you at church tomorrow?"

Julie nodded as she grasped her brother's hand;

"Of course, big brother, besides, we have to meet with Reverend Adams after services tomorrow about the Lisa, Alex, and Jamie's christenings next week, give Jemma our love."

Watching as he closed the door behind him, Julie turned to her husband;

"Jason, love, you don't think our first impressions of Kassandra and her father are wrong, do you?"

Julie had to brace herself for the look of worry she saw in her husband's eyes as he spoke;

"Julie sweet, I wish I did, but no, I don't. I think that Kassandra's interest in Josh is based on money and not love. There's one other thing that worries me; Carlin asked a lot of questions today and they only centered around two subjects, one of which was how well our business did financially."

Although she was certain that she knew the answer, Julie couldn't help but dread hearing her husband speak it aloud as she asked;

"And the other subject?"

His mouth thinning as his brow furrowed in concern, Jason met his wife's look of concern with his own look of worry as he answered simply;

"Jemma."

Crossing his arms over his chest, Jason confided;

"And the part that worries me the most about it is that I don't think his interest in the subject of my baby sister is based solely on financial greed. Mind you it was only for a fleeting moment, but I happened to notice how he looked at her when he didn't think anyone was paying attention, I'm just hoping I was mistaken."

Her eyes widening, Julie demanded;

"Jason, do you have ANY idea as to just what Aaron will do if that man tries anything where Jemma is concerned?"

Jason sighed heavily;

"Yes, darling, I do know, but I also know that we are caught in a trap. You see, if we try to talk to Josh about what's going on, right now he loves Kassandra and all he'll see is that we're attacking the woman he loves and we will, more than likely, lose our brother from our family, something that would devastate Pixie. However, I get the feeling that those two are going to use that knowledge to their benefit, especially him."

As she processed all of the information, Julie couldn't help but wonder aloud;

"Then, Jason darling, what do we do?"

Determined in his resolve, Jason stood and leaned over to kiss his wife before venturing;

"We keep a close eye on Mr. Carlin Everston and his daughter and hope and pray that Josh sees what's going on before it's too late. We also do everything possible to make sure that, if his intentions are as truly dishonorable as I believe they are, he has no opportunity to act upon them where Jemma is concerned."

At that, Jason left the kitchen and left his wife to wonder if there was any way possible to eliminate the Everstons without causing a rift in the Bolt-Stempel family.