The heavy rains continued for the next few days. The brothers didn't mind, though, as it gave them time to relax, recover, and reassure as needed. And to make plans.

Jason had decided that when they finished with the last tree they'd felled, they could go ahead, move the base camp down, and make the move into town.

That cheered Jeremy instantly, and he forgot all about his headache and nightmares. He even started singing to himself while doing his chores and other time killers. (That is, when he wasn't following Jason around like he'd used to do.)

Josh occasionally joined in the singing, sometimes as harmony. Jason liked listening to them – at least until they started squabbling about who was doing what wrong. When appealed to, Jason could only say he hadn't heard anything wrong from either of them, and the two boys both said that he didn't know anything.

Jason laughed, and they did too.

They also talked business. Boring stuff (according to Jeremy) like schedules and budgets. And other work that could be done, like road building. Now, that was interesting, especially when they spread out maps all over the table. Jason drew straight lines that he said were where they needed to go, and Josh drew lines that followed where existing paths were.

Then they 'discussed' how to build the roads. Jason said the logs couldn't go around curves like that.

Josh said they couldn't build roads through stone.

Jason suggested dynamite.

Jeremy traced the route with his finger, stopping occasionally to think about the last time he'd been in that area. "You c-can't."

"Can't what?"

"What do you know about it?"

"Make a road there. There's w-water underneath."

"Nonsense. It's all rock."

Jeremy shook his head. "The rocks are c-cracking. The t-trees are holding up the rocks. If you cut to make a road, it will all fall down. And we'll have a new waterfall." That idea pleased the boy.

"What do you know about it?"

"He's been there more recently than we have, Josh. Tell me about the rocks cracking and why you think it's because of water."

Jeremy tried his best. He did know what he was talking about, but sometimes the words wouldn't come, or weren't right. But Jason knew the right questions to ask about the terrain and the composition and the flora of the location, and made notes at various points on the map.

Even Josh was impressed.

Silence fell when all the questions were answered and the boy had run out of words.

Jason tapped the map with his pencil, before finally saying, "And where do you think we should build the road, if we're cutting these firs, here?" He pointed to the stand on the map.

Jeremy studied the map, and shook his head. He traced what he knew of the area, and where they needed to go, and frowned. "N-never thought ab-bout it. M-maybe make short roads through here, and l-lower the l-logs down the escarpment to here." He traced a line. "Th-there's already a g-good trail at the bottom."

"Josh? What do you think?"

"It'll take the whole crew to lower them, and the job will take longer, but it makes more sense than what either of us has come up with. Worth a try."

"That scarp face shouldn't be too muddy. That's my biggest worry."

"Might want to try chains instead of ropes, maybe a donkey engine."

"Can we afford it?"

"We can look around and see. Maybe something from a failed business. We've got time to look around."

"I'd rather not buy chains sight unseen."

"Most things auctioned are available for examination before the sale."

"If we d-don't need 'em for a long time, m-maybe we can m-make more m-money before then."

"Would you listen to the kid? We may make a Bolt Brother out of him after all." Josh rubbed Jeremy's head. "Good thinking, little one."

"I was borned that."

Jason smiled. "He means as a businessman, not as a family member. And that's certainly something to aspire to."

"Got any more ideas like that?" Josh asked.

"Prob'ly. You g-guys usually talk too fast and when I think of s-something, you're already talking ab-bout something else."

"Maybe you think too slow."

"We'll have to work on that. Won't we, Josh?"

Josh shrugged. "I don't know how we'll make him think any faster, but I suppose we can try."

Jason frowned at him, but Jeremy laughed.

Just before going to sleep, Jeremy sighed contentedly. "I like being all of us."

Neither brother replied, although he knew they weren't asleep yet from their breathing.

"I like b-bein' alone, too, 'cept in the dark. It's like Jason says; it's a drum."

Jason snorted.

Josh roared. "What the dickens-devil does a drum have to do with anything? Can't you ever go to sleep like a normal person? As if Jason would ever talk about a drum! It's a wonder he knows what one is."

"How can I go to sleep, w-with you y-yelling at me?"

Josh made a choking sound, but was otherwise speechless.

Jeremy made a small satisfied sound and rolled over.

Jason laughed.

And laughed.

Until Josh threw a pillow at him, and then he laughed again.

"What's the drum?" Josh demanded, but quietly. He could see the humor in the situation, even at his expense.

"A hollow musical instrument used to set and keep a rhythm," Jason replied, tossing the pillow back.

"You two deserve each other." Josh pounded his pillow (like it was his little brother, Jason thought amusedly) before settling back in bed.

"Conundrum. A riddle, or puzzle. He must have looked up the word and just remembered the last part of it."

"Lord, what's he gonna think it in two or three more years?"

"I guess we'll find out in two or three years."

"At bedtime, no doubt."

"That's a safe bet."

The morning dawned – with a dawn. The sunlight was weak and watery, as was to be expected, but it was sunlight.

"About time," Jason grumbled, when the light woke him. He started coffee, then shook and swatted his brothers out of bed, and after coffee, they headed for the camp to breakfast.

At breakfast, Jason told Josh and Jeremy to get started plotting and planning to move the base camp closer to town at a lower elevation. He wanted the men to have an easier access to town in the case of bad weather.

"Not a problem," Josh agreed easily. "What's the big rush, though? You're the one who's been finding another job to do before we relocate."

"I can't really explain. I just think it's time."

"The weather isn't that unusual," Josh reflected out loud. "Seems strange to me, just the same."

"Josh, I've been trying to finish up as much work up here as I can to have it done before we move down. We've pretty much wrapped it up, so it's time. That's all."

"Wouldn't it be quicker to keep us all working here and then have all of us work on the moving?"

"It will take about the same amount of time, and it will be more – efficient, if we have everything plotted and planned ahead of time. Aren't you always telling me that?"

"Well, yes."

"So, you take Jeremy and go down to the site we picked and start mapping out what is going where. Is that so hard?"

"I guess not," Josh agreed reluctantly. Even for him, the activity of wrestling a tree into submission was preferable to drawing lines and putting stakes in the muddy ground.

"So we're agreed?"

"You're the boss."

"No," Jeremy said.

Jason slanted a look his way. "If Josh and I agree, you're outvoted," he pointed out amiably. "What's your problem?"

"Want to stay an' w-work with you."

"What if I want you out of the way? As wet as it is, this isn't going to be safe working."

"There's safe work in logging?"

Jason glared at Josh. "There's safER work."

"W-work with you," Jeremy repeated.

"Jeremy. We'll get done faster if I don't have to keep looking out for you."

"Then d-don't."

Josh snickered.

"I c-can look out for m-me all d-day and all n-night, even when you aren't there, but I c-can't look out for m-myself in a work area? Why not? D-didn't you teach me any better yet? What are you w-waiting for?"

Jason directed a look at Josh that turned an unstarted laugh into a choking cough. "What's the problem, Jeremy?"

"W-want to stay with you." The boy's jaw tightened.

"Is there something wrong with working with Josh?" Jason didn't like it when Jeremy got obstinate, but sometimes he could be reasoned out of it. Or into a compromise.

"Yeah."

"What?"

"He's Josh."

Josh didn't try to stop the laugh that time.

"What does that mean?"

"It means I'm not Jason," Josh said, and nodded in response to Jeremy's grateful look.

"I thought you outgrew that," Jason said to Jeremy.

Jeremy looked thoughtful for a moment, then shook his head. "Not today."

"What's different about today?"

Jeremy looked up at the clearing sky, before answering his brother. "It just is."

Jason looked at Josh.

"You may as well give it up, Jason. He's not going to stay with me. Do you want him where you can see him, or hiding out of sight from you?"

"When you put it that way… . Do you want someone else to work with you?"

"No. I don't need help with platting. The more men you have working, the quicker we'll finish up here. That suits me." Josh had already done most of the work in his head, anyway. This would be an easy day for him, and it was about time it was getting done.

Jason nodded at Josh, put his hand on Jeremy's slumped shoulder, and walked him over to the last felled tree. "Sam, you'll be working with a lightweight trainee off and on today, so don't pull the saw so hard you send him flying. Unless you plan on catching him when he comes down. I'll start, though." He felt Jeremy stand a little straighter at his words, and patted his shoulder. "Get yourself some gloves. You're going to need them."

Jeremy's smile was all the thanks he needed.