[Alaskan Quest 03] - Whispers of Winter (34 page)
“Have you had your store long?” Jayce questioned.
“I set up just after the gold rush began,” Turner replied. “I had a store at the end of Main called S&T House Goods. We were in a tent for quite a while, but then one of the wealthy townsmen built several buildings, and we rented out space for our store.”
“I remember that place,” Jacob said. “I was up there during the rush. I was just a boy, but I do remember your place.”
Turner beamed. “We had a fine store. My brother and cousin helped to make it a profitable business, but once the rush passed it became very difficult to keep things going. Not only that, but I long for home.” His smile faded. “Our mother passed on while we were up here, and our father is nearly eighty. We need to return to Oregon before he dies.”
“I can understand your concern,” Jacob replied. “I suppose it might be possible for us to take the stock off your hands.” He looked to Jayce, who was nodding.
“Maybe we could all have supper together and discuss the details?” Jayce questioned, looking to Jacob.
“I don’t know why not,” Turner replied. “In fact, you could join me at my brother’s place.”
“Nonsense. My wife would happily cook for you both,” Jayce replied. “Why don’t you and your brother plan to come to supper around six? Jacob and his family will be there as well.”
Turner seemed quite excited. “I can’t tell you how happy this makes me. I’m quite anxious to get back to Oregon before winter sets in. My brother and I will be there.”
That night after supper concluded, Leah put her children to bed and returned as the men were finishing up the last of their dessert and coffee.
“Would you have any objection to my traveling to Skagway at the first of next month with Jacob?” Jayce asked. “Mr.
Turner figures to have his merchandise inventoried and ready to go by then.”
“I don’t mind at all,” Leah replied, although in her heart she knew she’d much rather neither man leave. “How long will you be gone?”
Jacob met her gaze. “I wouldn’t think any longer than a couple of weeks. Maybe three at the most. I figured since Adrik and the boys plan to be home day after tomorrow, I could talk to him about keeping the store for us.”
“Helaina and I could certainly tend to that,” Leah replied.
“I’d rather you not have to,” Jacob said sternly. “The children need you, and besides, some of the men can be quite rowdy. I wouldn’t want there to be any incidents while we were gone and unable to protect you.”
“Yeah, it’s bad enough to leave you here,” Jayce replied. “Maybe it would be better for just one of us to go.” He looked at Jacob.
“We are perfectly capable,” Leah said, putting her hands on her hips in a defiant pose. “You above everyone else know that.”
Jacob held up his hand as Helaina opened her mouth to weigh in her opinion. “Hold on. There’s no need for either one of you to get excited about this. Let me talk to Adrik, and then we’ll figure it all out.”
“You can stay with me while you’re in Skagway,” Turner said as if to change the subject and calm the ladies. “I am happy to extend the hospitality.”
“That sounds great.” Jacob looked at the calendar. “We’ll try to leave around the first of October. If things go well, and depending on ship availability, we might be able to head home before the fifteenth of the month.” “I will do my part,” Turner promised. “I’ll have everything crated and ready to go. We can nail down the lids after you approve the goods. I’ll even arrange to have movers standing by.”
“Well, here’s to our new adventure,” Jacob said, holding up his coffee mug.
Leah felt a chill suddenly run down her spine as the men clicked their mugs together. She didn’t know why she should feel uncomfortable, but she did.
After everyone had returned home and she sat getting ready for bed, she voiced her concern to her husband. “I have a bad feeling about this venture of yours.”
“A bad feeling?” Jayce looked up from where he was reading in bed. “What are you talking about?”
Leah shrugged. “I don’t know.” She ran her brush through her long dark curls. “I suppose there’s no reason to feel uncomfortable. Turner is obviously a legitimate businessman, otherwise there’d be no reason to go so far as to try and entice you both to come to Skagway.”
“Jacob even remembered his store.”
“I know. I don’t know why I’m uneasy. I just am. The weather is very unpredictable this time of year. It might be rough to travel farther north.” She put the brush down and went to crawl into bed. “I suppose I just worry about your safety.”
“Well, stop,” Jayce said, putting his book aside. He blew out the lamp. “There’s no reason to be afraid. Skagway is an all-year harbor—it never freezes over like in Nome. And it’s certainly not as risky as the Arctic. We won’t be stuck in any ice floes. Besides, Jacob knows Skagway, and we both have decent funds so that if we need to stay in a hotel should Turner’s hospitality prove to be less than desirable, we will be fully capable of doing so.”
Leah snuggled into her husband’s open arms. “You could get sick.”
“And sled dogs could fly,” he teased. “You need to stop worrying about the possibility of things that might go wrong and pay more attention to other things.”
“Other things? Like what?” She tried to imagine what he might mean.
“Like this,” Jayce said. He covered her mouth with his.
L
eah adapted easily to her new life in Ketchikan. She was amazed at how much the place had grown just since her last visit. There were now four salmon canneries, with another planned for the future, as well as mining and logging industries. The only problem with increased industry, of course, was the expansion of saloons and bordellos on Creek Street. Leah supposed it was one of those unavoidable issues, although she tried at every turn to encourage those she knew to avoid that area at all cost. In church they often talked of ways to reach out to the soiled doves who worked the houses of ill repute, but too much money was exchanging hands to keep the women away for long. This grieved Leah in a way she couldn’t begin to explain. The houses had been there even when she’d been a child, but she’d never thought much about the women who worked there. Now, after becoming a wife and mother, Leah’s heart went out to these poor souls. They were somebody’s daughters—maybe even wives and mothers to someone. What had brought them to such a horrible fate?
Ketchikan remained scenic and beautiful despite the darker side of life. Eagles were abundant, drawn there by the presence of salmon and other good fishing. Leah loved to watch the birds on the beach. Wills and Merry loved them as well. They didn’t go to watch them often, but when they did everyone seemed to have the best time.
With Adrik’s house removed from the town and set a bit higher on the forested mountainside, Leah felt removed from the sorrows and dirtiness of life. Here it was quiet and lovely with a rich abundance of all they needed. The winters were mild, with more rain than snow, and the summers were warm and beneficial to growing fruits and vegetables. She’d even managed to reconnect with a couple of dear friends from her youth. The life they’d found here was far better than she could have imagined, and Leah felt they’d made the right decision in coming. It would be a good place to raise Wills and Merry and the new baby.
She put her hand to her stomach. Finding herself pregnant again stirred up some concerns as to how this would affect Jayce’s love for the twins. Just as she’d overcome her fears about whether Jayce could love the children as his own, new worries came to haunt her. Would he care more about the baby he knew to be his own?
“I’m leaving now,” Jayce said. He came and planted a kiss on the top of Leah’s head. “I’ll be home around four.”
She put aside her worries and smiled. “Don’t forget to take those things by the door.” She pointed to a stack of ready-made shirts, two fur-lined hats, and a muff. Jacob had encouraged her to produce some items for the store since there seemed a never-ending request for such things.
“These are great, Leah. I know they’ll sell quickly. We had a man in the store just the other day asking for shirts.”
“I’m glad. It’ll give me a bit of money to buy Christmas gifts.”
He laughed. “That’s still a few months away.”
“So’s the baby’s birth,” she countered, “but I’m planning for that as well.”
He sobered. “It is coming up awful fast. Are you feeling all right?”
His concern touched her. “I’m just fine. Now off with you.” Leah got to her feet. She was afraid if they talked much more about it that she might voice her real fears. “Having one baby is much different than having two.”
“How can you be sure it’s just one?” Jayce winked. “It could be twins again.”
“No, when I was this far along with the twins, I was already out to here.” She exaggerated, joining her hands in a circle and holding them out well away from her body. “Besides, the doctor believes it’s just one.”
“Well, either way, we’ll take whatever the good Lord sends.”
Once he’d gone, Leah refocused on her work. The house was quiet. Since Adrik had returned with the boys, Leah had enjoyed pampering and spoiling them. However, this was a school day and the boys would be gone until the afternoon. Adrik, too, was off working on getting special wood for some of the furniture he planned to build. He was already talking about expanding his workshop and teaching Oliver as well.
Putting her sewing aside, Leah picked up the newspaper Adrik had brought home last night. There were so many sad stories of problems in the world. Czar Nicholas and his family had been murdered by the people who’d taken over his country. This fact troubled Leah greatly. How could it be that royalty could just be murdered without the world rising up in protest?
There were other worrisome issues too. The influenza had once again reared its ugly head, so while the war seemed to be coming to a close, another crisis arose to claim lives. Leah didn’t understand how so much death could go on without wiping the human race completely from the world. Hundreds of thousands were dead because of the war, and the influenza might claim that many and more. That seemed impossible to imagine. Leah prayed that the influenza would not come to their shores, but at the same time, she’d already gathered quite a bit of devil’s club, just in case.
“I hope you’ll never have to know war or sickness,” she told her unborn child.
“Mama,” Wills called. He came maneuvering down the stairs, as was his routine when awakening in the morning. “Let’s eat!” He jumped off the last step and ran for his mother’s open arms.
Hugging him close, Leah kissed his neck. “I suppose I shall feed you, my little man. Is your sister awake?”
“Merry playin’,” he told her. This, too, wasn’t at all unusual. Merry often woke up and played in her bed quietly until Wills started making a ruckus.
“Well, let’s get both of you dressed and ready for the day. I have a feeling you’re going to keep me busy.”
Hours later, when the boys returned from school, Leah felt a weariness in her body that seemed to grow as the new baby grew. She had worked to reorder the pantry as well as sew on several new pieces. One piece in particular, a new quilt for Helaina and Jacob, was taking more time than she’d hoped. She had planned to have it ready to give as a Christmas present and had patterned it after the quilt Karen had given her in Last Chance. Leah had also noticed that Adrik’s coat was quite worn. If she could get her hands on a good piece of fur, she could make him a new coat as a present.
“How was your day?”
“We learned more about the Silver War,” Christopher told Leah as he put his books on the table.
“The Civil War, you mean,” she said matter-of-factly.
He nodded. “Civil War. I always forget. Anyway, a lot of people were fighting each other, and it was like if Oliver and I decided to fight a war. It was brother against brother.”
“I remember learning about that myself,” Leah admitted. She put out a plate of cookies for the boys. “It wasn’t a very good time for our country. There were a lot of hateful people, and a great many innocent people who were hurt.”
Oliver plopped down on a chair. It seemed he had sprouted up about six inches overnight. Leah was already hard at work making him new shirts and trousers. No doubt he would be as tall as his father.
“And what of you, Oliver? What are you studying?”
“Nothing I like. We have to memorize a lot of Bible verses, and I’m no good at it.” He took a cookie and popped it in his mouth.
“Memorizing is sometimes hard,” Leah admitted, “but your mother taught me a little trick a long time ago. She told me if I could put the verse to music—just make up a little song to go with the words—I could memorize it much easier. I still do that today.”
Oliver shrugged. “I remember her telling me that too. I never really tried it, though.” He glanced up at the clock. “I have to cut wood. I promised Pa.” He grabbed another cookie and headed for the door.
Once he’d gone, Leah looked to Christopher. “And what about you? Don’t you have chores too?”
“I suppose so,” he admitted, “but I wanted to ask you a question.”
Leah could see the twins were happily occupied with their toys, so she turned her full attention on Christopher. “What did you want to ask?”