Chapter 1 Jason has a son!
The young man stepped out from under a tree and watched as three men walking down a mountain came closer. He wanted to identify himself but was not sure when or how to do it. Would the man whom he thought was his father accept him? Would he be rejected? His mother had said it had been a short affair and that she had not seen him many years. This man was tall, and he had a gift for gab so he heard. But was he really his father. As they came closer he stood still. He waited, he waited until they passed. They were busy talking about their business a logging company that the oldest brother had started when his other brothers were still children.
"Jason, if we take that stand of trees next to the river, we will be able to float the logs to Mr. Stemple's mill a lot easier!" Joshua said as he stopped to take a drink of water. Jeremy was coming around the corner and stopped because he noticed the young man standing by the tree.
"Hello, May I help you? You look lost?" Jeremy said and then he said:
"My name is Jeremy Bolt are you looking for work?" The man looked at him and then he said:
"I am not sure; I was looking for Jason Bolt!" Jeremy looked at him and thought there was something familiar but did not say anything yet.
"Jason, Jason! Come back here!" Jeremy shouted. Jason and Joshua turned around and saw Jeremy and came back up the path.
"What is it Jeremy?" Jason said as he looked at the young man standing next to Jeremy.
"W-w-well, Jason this man seems to be looking for work, am I correct?" Jeremy turned to him, and the young man said:
"I am sorry, I forgot my manners! My name is James McConnell Bolt! But everyone calls me Jamie" He held out his hand but then Jason, who had been about to shake his hand asked:
"Your middle name is McConnell?"
"Yes, Sir, it is. It was my mothers last name." He stood there waiting for more questions. Joshua and Jeremy both looked at their brother with questioning expressions. Jason looked at Jamie and asked:
"Your mother wasn't Matilda McConnel was it?"
"Yes, Yes she was Matilda McConnell." Jason looked at his brothers and then said:
"Brothers, I need to speak with Jamie alone. I will let you know what is happening when I find out more." Jason said and Joshua asked him:
"Is there something we should know about?"
"You will in time. But I need to talk with Jamie first. Please go ahead and go home. And Jeremy, don't' say anything to Candy and Josh just go to the cabin, I will be along shortly." Jeremy and Joshua headed back to town. Jeremy went home to Candy and Joshua went to their cabin in town.
Jason looked at the young man. He was 17, tall like him, almost a carbon copy but he looked more like Jeremy than himself in some ways. The blue eyes, were there but he had reddish brown hair rather than black.
"So, Jamie, lets get out of the forest and go sit in the office for a while and talk. Jason was at a loss for words at that moment and figured if he went back to the office, a building they had just built since the tent had collapsed it would look like he was interviewing a prospective employee. Jamie accommodated this man who was his father. After all, it is not every day a man sees his son for the first time in 17 years.
They went into the office building when Swede walked up and asked Jason:
"We were getting ready to leave when we saw you come back, is there anything that needs to be done?" Swede said looking at the young man who stood next to Jason.
"No, I will see you tomorrow." Jason said as he gently guided Jamie inside and shut the door. Swede stood outside and wondered. Jason was usually more talkative than that especially if he had a new hire? But shrugging his shoulders he went and found Corky and they went to the saloon.
"So, tell me about your mother, how is she?" Jason asked as he poured some coffee and offered it to Jamie.
"No thank you, I don't drink coffee. Mother died about a month ago. She told me a year ago about you. She said if there was any possibility of a real father, it would have been you. She said when you too decided to call of the marriage, she had told you she wasn't pregnant. But with all the excitement she did not want to 'burden you with a child'! Her exact words sir." Jason listened and then asked:
"Well, how come you call yourself a Bolt?" Jason asked worried that if this young man was not honest and true, his name, reputation and honor would not do well.
"Sir, I was going by McConnell, but mother said that I should use the Bolt name since you were/are my real father. I have her letters she wrote to you but never mailed." He reached into his bag and pulled out a couple of bundles of letters from his mother to Jason Bolt. He handed them to Jason and then said:
"Sir, I will go to the saloon and get a room and I wont talk about this until you are ready." Jamie stood up and was about to leave when Jason said:
"Thank you!" his voice was strained. There were tears in his eyes and when he next spoke, it was an even solid sound.
"I do not want you to go to Lottie's. You will stay with Joshua and me. There is plenty of room. At the moment, there will be gossip and I want to think on this for a while." He stood up and grabbed his coat. He suddenly felt a chill when he put it on. He took the bundles of letters and led Jamie out and down to the cabin in town. When they came in Joshua was sitting by the fire place reading a book. Jeremy had decided to come and wait with Josh as well.
"Both of you are here? Well, that is good. Is Candy okay with you being here tonight?" Jason asked Jeremy. Jeremy nodded yes.
"I just told her that you might need some support tonight, so she said to go ahead and stay. The children are sleeping, and she is doing well." Jeremy said. His stuttering had all but stopped. He would sometimes stutter when he was nervous or anxious but when he talked about Candy or his children, there was no stuttering, he was very calm and happy.
"Well, brothers, this is for now between us four. Please meet my son Jamie McConnell Bolt! Jamie, these are your uncles Joshua and Jeremy. You have a sister-in-law and two nephews and one niece at the moment. But you will meet them soon enough.
They shook hands with Jamie and asked a few more questions all of which Jamie deferred to Jason since it was Jason's story to tell.
"Well, big brother, by the looks it seems as if it happened when we were all a lot younger!" Jason smiled and said yes. Then he told them of the winter night and weeks that he had spent with Matilda and her family and how they had come to part.
"And so, you see, she did not tell me anything. I wondered for a time, but at 17 I had a logging company to build and Da needed me as well as you two!" There was silence for a little while. Joshua was the first to say something.
"So, Jamie are you going to work in the family business, or do you have plans of your own?" Jason looked at his brother Joshua with a surprised look on his face and said:
"Of course he is joining the family business!" Jeremy looked at his brother and then at Jamie who smiled and said:
"Well, until I get settled and see how things are, yes I will. I have done some logging for my grandparents up near Renton so I do have some experience. But I also have an interest in preserving forests and am planning to go to the University of Washington next year!" Jason and his brothers looked at Jamie at this announcement.
"How do you plan to do that? May I ask?" Jason asked his son.
"Sir, I have money from mothers dowry. Lord Stewart had died and left her money for the trouble that he had caused. She did not spend much of it and put it away in a trust fund for me. So, she waited until she was dying to tell me. She said to think hard. I would not get the funds until I turned 21…"
"You are going to be 18 next year am I not correct?"
"Yes sir…"
"Please stop calling me sir, you can call me DA or father if you want to be formal!" Jason said and then waited for him to continue.
"Right, I have money that I have set aside from other jobs I have done, I have studied and have passed the high school written exam. My teachers have encouraged me to go the UW and I have already been accepted into the forestry service. It is a new and exciting field and with talk of creating national parks, it will be a good investment. All I ask from you Father, DA, is that I have food and shelter and a job!" Jason looked at his son. He was pleasantly surprised that his son was a bright enough to finish school and want to go to college to do something with his life.
"Jamie, I am already proud of you! Thank you!" Jason said.
"Now, Joshua we have an early morning at the camp, so I suggest you get some sleep, I will have you take your nephew tomorrow and find out what he knows, what he can do and where we can use his skills best. Jeremy will you be going home now or are you staying overnight?"
"I think I will go home; I will meet you at camp around 10. Candy has a doctor appointment and she asked me to be with her."
"Again say nothing to Candy or anyone yet. We will let everyone know when the time is right!"
"Ah, Jason, there will be a lot of talk, don't you want to let them know sooner than later?" Joshua asked
"Not yet, Josh, I want to read the letters from Matilda first! Don't you go saying anything to the loggers not even Swede or Corky. "
"Father, I can go by mother's name for a while, so no one questions if that works better for you?" Jason listened to his son and said:
"For now, yes. I want everyone to know but I don't want to make a big to do about it! Thank you Jamie. I will see you in the morning." Jason went to his small room. He had made a small room with a door for himself sort of a private entrance. So many changes these years. He was about 35 or so now and his brothers were in their 20's well, Joshua was almost 30. He slipped into his room quietly and sat in his favorite chair to read the letters. He opend the oldest one, the one that was written after the birth of Jamie:
My dearest friend Jason:
Please do not worry for me, I have given birth to your son Jamie. He is a wonderful baby boy. After you had rescued me I thought for sure I had miscarried, falling into a hole and a broken ankle and all. When you rescued me, we both knew we were not ready. WE said our goodbyes.
I know I will not tell you about your boy. At least to your face. Someday I may let you know\!
Tha goal agam ort!
Yours Matilda