Chapter 2

A few days ago

Jonathan Bolt was satisfied, even as he snuck into his own home. Not to avoid trouble, but to avoid people. That wasn't usually his way, as he enjoyed conversations and friends as well as anybody but for now he was too tired, and he didn't feel the need to make explanations.

He also didn't feel the need to eat, which wasn't really that unusual. His appetite had started failing him a couple years ago. Not really surprising, but something he had taken pains to conceal. That was beginning to be impossible.

Now, he got sick from eating more than a few bites.

In fact, that was what had started this extended 'business trip.'

Now that was finished. He had done everything a man could possibly do to ensure the security of his children.

Now he could just enjoy them, for the most part.

He thought back over his trip. The bankers and lawyers and judges he had had to deal with. Throw in telegraphers and postal workers as well.

And the doctors. The doctors had been his final consultation (in more ways than one?)

Just in case he was wrong about himself. Not one of the several doctors he had visited had found anything wrong with him, and none could offer an explanation. Or an alternate expectation.

The man sighed, took the packet of legal papers from his coat pocket and put it between two books on the shelf. The gaps thereon felt loose, and he managed a smile. At some points, at least one of the boys had come back for some reading material. That was good.

He hung up the coat, took off his boots, and stretched out on his bed, all without light or heat. He waited for sleep to come, where he would again experience the only warmth that mattered.

That had ever mattered.

"You see," she said, stroking his hair, pillowing his head on her lap. "I knew you could do it." Her musical voice, her ever-present but faint brogue.

"Ye'll not mind too much of I hope 'twas an unnecessary undertaking."

"Ah, but ye know better than that, my Jonny."

"Tis too soon to leave the boys. Our wee one."

"Twas too soon for me, as well, Jonny. Tis not our decision to make."

He groaned.

She began humming, then singing an old, old lullaby and eventually drifted into a dark and restful sleep.

To wake up, once again, alone.

With yet another sigh – he hoped he'd remember to not do that once he reunited with his sons – he got up, put on his boots, and went to get his papers. When he did so, he studied the books that were missing: Two Shakespeare, two of Verne's adventure stories, and almost all the children's stories. Yes, that had definitely been done by his three sons. He pocketed the papers and went outside.

It was well into the morning – the saloon was open for lunch, and he was even feeling hungry for a change. That made him wonder how many days he had been sleeping. He laughed and joined the diners at Lottie's.

An hour and a half later, he set off walking for the mountain, having caught up with all the news, turned down a business deal by telling Aaron Stempel any logging talk would have to be done with Jason, not him, as the business being done was totally Jason's to run (that had been fun), and, finally, just wallowing in the gossip-talk about his boys. From the sound of things, Jason was making a go of it, although the father wondered, for a moment, how he was paying his men without a paying customer yet. But that was not his problem to worry about.

Joshua, they said, came in once or twice a week for mail and supplies. Other than clowning around, he didn't say much, and nothing really interesting.

The real news from the mountain came on Saturdays, when Jason's three men came into town for some time off. Now, those guys had some stories to tell!

They talked about the work they were doing, of course. Mistakes made, accidents that both did and didn't happen, the weather, future plans, and, best of all, talk of their wee one, their little Jeremy. He provided plenty of distraction and entertainment, if the men were to be believed.

But was that good? the father wondered. Entertainment and amusement were one thing; distraction was something else. Distraction could be fatal, to both loggers and child. There had been mention of rapids and rockfalls and search parties.

Not exactly reassuring.

Well, he'd be finding out shortly how Jason was faring with it all.

It was evening before he approached the camp. He heard it before he saw it, as he'd expected. Trimming and felling trees were not silent enterprises, and Jason was not a silent man. At least, from the sounds of it, he was participating enthusiastically instead of just shouting orders. The father had not expected it to be otherwise, but it could have been.

On approaching the campground itself, he stopped to rest and observe. The work he'd heard had been becoming more centralized and he thought they were probably getting ready to quit for the night. Maybe he could time it so that he would reach the camp at the same time as his oldest son.

Meantime, his youngest son was sitting at a table, a book in his lap, his feet kicking at the table's legs. He wasn't reading, wasn't doing much of anything, but the father got the impression that this child was deeply unhappy.

Hmm.

Jeremy

Jeremy looked up suddenly. It felt like someone was looking at him. He moved just his eyes to see if Josh or Jason was spying on him again, although Josh had stopped being sneaky on the second day. He didn't see either of them, and Josh was over there fixing the beans and bread that would be their supper. Again.

Jason was still working, too. He could hear him talking to the men. It sounded like they were getting done working.

Jeremy sat straight up looking around, and saw his father, still a ways down the track.

He stood straight up, knocking over his chair, throwed the book at the table with one hand, and waved with the other, then took off running.

To be stopped short by Jason's legs appearing in front of him. "Where do you think you're going?"

"D-d-d-d-"

"Did you ask to go anywhere? Do you have permission to go anywhere?"

"B-b-but, J-Jas-son!"

"Don't 'but Jason' me. You know you aren't to leave the tents –"

"But, Jason!"

Jason stepped forward and Jeremy backward. He wasn't scared, not exactly, but he'd never heard Jason sound so grim. Or so big.

Jason nodded toward the tents. "Get back there. Like you were told." Another step toward the boy.

The boy took another step backward and glanced over his shoulder. He tried again. "But–"

"No buts," Jason roared.

Jeremy took a couple more stumbling steps backward.

Jason relaxed slightly, but stayed alert. He was watching the boy's expression change and was ready for the next move. There was about to be one.

Jeremy took two more steps back, looked over his shoulder again, then lowered his head and began running forward full speed.

Jason caught him by the arm, picked him up, and carried him back into the tent site in a few long strides. He stopped by the podium, and shifted his hold on the boy. A hard stinging, slap (the father winced in sympathy for both of them) on the boy's upper leg, and Jason set him on top of the standing stump, so that they were closer to eye level.

"Oww! You Hurt Me!"

"Well, now, you tell me," Jason said, putting his hands on either side of the boy and looking him in the face, "did I hurt you as bad as a wind-thrown limb knocking you tail-over-teakettle over?"

Jeremy leaned back slightly, his teary eyes widening, his lips trembling.

"Or maybe a hundred, hundred-fifty foot tree landing on top of you?" His voice raised.

Jeremy didn't answer, but didn't look away.

"Did it hurt more than your rock slides, getting tangled in tree roots, being carried downstream into a patch of boulders?" Each question was a little faster, a little harder, and a little louder.

Jeremy's head dropped, but he kept his eyes on his brother's.

"Or," Jason summed up, his voice getting quieter and milder, "do you think it hurt more than the way your game of tag with twin bear cubs would have ended?"'

Jeremy looked down, shook his head, and started crying.

Jason straightened. "Stay here," he said to the boy. "Right where you are." He walked away to where their father was waiting.

"I'm sorry you had to see that," Jason said.

"I'm relieved to have seen it. How's your hand?"

Jason looked at his hand, shook it, and laughed. "Well, it was numb, but I think it's getting over that. You're relieved? How so? Come on, we have some coffee ready if the food isn't."

They started walking.

"I've not been sure you had it in you to use hands on the little one, should it be necessary."

"It shouldn't be necessary. For god's sake, I'm a grown man!"

Josh was setting cups of coffee on the book-laden table. He removed the books.

"No, it shouldn't be," the father answered simply, "but sometimes it is. Especially, it seems, with boys. Speaking of which, how long do you plan on keeping the little one on display? I would like to see him if it does not interfere with your discipline."

"Is he still crying?"

"Not so much," Josh answered. "Want me to get him?"

"No, I will. Sit, Da. You, too, Josh. We have a lot to talk about."

"Yes," Da agreed. "I had not heard of the bears. That news hasn't made it into town yet."

Jason half-laughed and went to get his youngest brother.

Once on the ground, Jeremy threw himself at his father and ended up in his arms, on his lap, with his wet face buried in Da's shirt.

Jason dismissed his men, freeing them to stay or go into town. They went.

The family talked while they ate, mostly over Jeremy's adventures, and he finally got to make his explanations where he could. A lot of it – the minor rockslides, getting tangled in trees, and even being carried away by fast water could be largely dismissed. Jason and Joshua both admitted to similar incidents during their exploring-the-mountain days. They just hadn't been so unfortunate as to be caught at it.

"No growed-up brothers," Jeremy opined, and they all laughed.

Da asked about the search parties he'd heard of.

"Twice," Jason answered with annoyance. "Twice in the first week we had to stop work and search for Jeremy, because he was nowhere to be found."

"Nuh-uh. You found me, so I musta been s-somewhere to be f-found." Jeremy turned to his father. "I wasn't lost. I knowed where I was and how to get back. They just thought I was because they didn't."

The wandering into work areas had to be taken more seriously. None of the accidents that could have happened had happened, but, Jason said, that was due more to luck than anything else.

Luck and attention to detail. Jason's insistence on knowing his youngest brother's whereabouts had probably paid off. Not knowing had sometimes delayed work without stopping it, but after a few weeks, the brothers had had a serious discussion about the "whole situation."

Jason and Joshua had decided on safe and unsafe areas for Jeremy to explore and wander, and every day the child was told where they would be working. They even showed him places on the map, which they knew he understood.

And on Sundays, they usually walked the areas and pointed out where and why other nearby areas might be considered unsafe. Jeremy knew where he could and could not go at any given time during daylight (working) hours.

Jeremy agreed, weekly and daily, to these limitations. He even promised.

"But," Jason said," we forgot that we were dealing with a child. Children don't pay attention. Children forget. When a child wanders, he wanders. Following birds or bumblebees, trying to track down a noise, whatever takes their fancy. It was a problem."

"Children need to be taught to pay attention and to remember, and most importantly, to keep their word once it's been given."

Jeremy sniffed. "I jus' forgot, an' only a little bit."

"That's when I told him if he couldn't stay where he was supposed to be, he was going to have to stay in the camp area during working hours, except when Josh was free."

"That's when I had to start watchin' him a hundred times a day," Josh volunteered. "He was pretty good about staying in the right general area, just not too good at - at the edges."

"Borders. Or limits. And some of the borders we set were pretty sharp. Like the Golden Meadow."

"The bears?" Da murmured.

Jason nodded. "I had seen the mama and twins at the end of the week while working, and on Sunday we went around, and I showed Jeremy where I'd seen the bears, and I showed him the way to tell if the bears were active in a place. He can track and place smaller animals; you'd think larger ones would be easier. Especially when the signs were pointed out to him ahead of time."

He directed a severe look at Jeremy, who hung his head ashamedly, but said nothing.

"Sunday we discussed the bears and how to avoid their areas. Monday morning, about 10, we started around 5. I was up a tree, ready to top it off, when I stopped to take a look around, and there he was, playing in the trees and rocks beside Golden Meadow. And I mean right beside it, you know how there's a faultline right there. Trees and mountains on one side, and flat field on the other."

"You could see and identify him from that high up?"

"He had a red hat to wear when he wandered."

"Dumb hat," Jeremy muttered.

"Josh was working with us, so I couldn't send him. Well, I wasn't going to, anyway, No sense in feeding both my brothers to the bears. Well, I got down and sent Swede up in my place, grabbed a shotgun and headed that way.

"And, oh. My. God. By the time I got there, Jeremy was in the meadow. With the cubs. They'd chase him, and he'd chase them. Back and forth. The mother would growl whenever her children went beyond their playgrounds – I supposed that was when they changed directions. At least her children were obedient.

"In any case, he wasn't hurt, and they weren't interested in hurting him at that time. It looked like some kind of crazy game of tag, Da. And believe me, those cubs, young as they were, had the advantage, not even counting there were two of them.

" I had time to think, if I thought fast. I could shoot the mother, who was paying abso;utely no sense to me or even him. If I did that I'd have two motherless cubs in our territory. I could shoot at the cubs, and alert the mother bear to my presence, and she could run Jeremy over trying to get to me. Might just smack him out of her way, but might decide to snack on him. I could shout at Jeremy and have him run to me, but those babies would have followed him and probably caught up with him.

"That's what I decided to do. Except when he heard me, he ran the other way, still chasing them. Little fool!"

"What happened?"

"I shot into the air, and yelled as loud as I could. Mama reared, and roared, and called her babies away from the dangerous sounds. I grabbed mine and carried him off as fast as I could, keeping watch that she wasn't trying to sneak around us."

"Not a baby."

"You couldn't prove it by me!" Jason was obviously still heated about the incident.

"What next?"

"Next, I brought him back here, limited him to the perimeters of the tents, and went back to work for a few hours. Those trees never knew what hit them. I could barely be civil to him this whole week."

"I see," their father said. "I respect your restraint. I doubt if I'd have had it at your age."

" I could tell he was scared to death as it was. Those cubs might have been playing tag with them, but he wasn't playing any game. He didn't need to be scared any worse."

"I only runned at them so they'd run away from me. If I ran away from them then they chased me. If I ran at them, they ran away. I was getting awful tired when you came." Jeremy sighed, and leaned back against Da. "I was so glad you was there, an' then you yelled and yelled and waved your arms 'round, an' would'n let me 'splain nothin', an' then you would'n even talk to me for days an' days an' years." His eyes started leaking again and he hid his face again, and yawned. "I'm tired, Jason."

"I suppose you want me to put you to bed."

"On'y if you like me again," Jeremy put his arms up for Jason to carry him into the tent.

"Silly kid. If I didn't love you, which is better than liking you, would I have saved you from the bears? Or the rocks or the rapids, as far as that goes."

Jeremy's response to that was mostly inaudible to the listeners.