Undaunted Hope (3 page)

Even though Alex wasn't touching her, she could feel him stiffen at the chief clerk's words.

“You'll have to pardon my brother,” Mr. Updegraff continued. “He's a simpleton and has the mind of a child. Everyone around
here knows it, but they also know I won't tolerate anyone trying to take advantage of him.”

At Mr. Updegraff's explanation, she finally made sense of the store clerk's unusual mannerisms. “Very well, Mr. Updegraff. I have no intention of taking advantage of him or anyone else. I simply want to know that I'll be allowed to have the teaching position I was assured would be mine.”

“There was a mix-up,” he explained. “We saw T. Taylor and assumed you were a man.”

“As you can see, I'm very much a woman.”

“Indeed. And you're a fine-looking woman, Miss Taylor.” When he perused her, she wished she'd bitten her tongue and kept silent. Somehow his compliment felt entirely different from the one Alex had given her only minutes earlier.

Alex took a step forward. The lines in his face had grown hard, and the muscles in his jaw flexed. His eyes had turned an icy blue with nothing even remotely welcoming in them.

If Mr. Updegraff noticed Alex, he certainly didn't bother looking at him, but instead went on addressing Tessa as if the two of them were having a private conversation. “You have to realize we've never had a woman teacher at our school.”

“A fact your brother made quite clear.”

“And for good reason,” Mr. Updegraff said. “The Keweenaw Peninsula is not an easy place to live for a hardened, seasoned man, much less a frail dewdrop like yourself.”

Frail dewdrop?
She had the fleeting thought of showing him her dewdrop fists. When she finished with him, he'd drop. Instead she forced herself to remain calm. She couldn't afford to alienate her new boss.

“I'm stronger than I look,” she said.

“Then it's a good thing you are. We're at the edge of civili
zation. And once winter settles in, we're cut off from the rest of the world until the spring thaw. Supplies dwindle. Tempers flare. If the cold and snow doesn't kill you, then the isolation just might.”

Was he attempting to scare her into leaving? Maybe he didn't want her there after all. “I'm not attempting to scare you away, Miss Taylor,” he spoke again as if reading her mind. His expression softened for an instant. “I just want you to know the reality of the situation you're getting into before it's too late.”

“You don't need to worry about me,” she said, hoping her voice contained more confidence than she felt. “I'm able to fend for myself.”

“She needs to get into some warm clothes.” Alex finally broke into the conversation. “I was just taking her to one of the boardinghouses to get a room.”

“She can't stay in a boardinghouse, Mr. Bjorklund,” Mr. Updegraff said testily. “They're full of single miners. And she won't be safe even behind locked doors.”

“Maybe she can live with the Rawlings family,” Alex suggested.

“She can stay in my house and board with my housekeeper.” Mr. Updegraff spoke with finality and glanced toward town at the biggest house that rose above the rambling shacks. It was made of clapboards and painted a fresh coat of white.

Alex took another step forward, this time positioning himself between her and Mr. Updegraff. “Miss Taylor will stay at your house over my dead body.”

T
he low, menacing growl in Alex's tone reminded Tessa of his dogs, who had followed them up the path and were now standing straight and stiff next to their master.

It was becoming increasingly clear that Alex and Mr. Updegraff weren't the best of friends and that the situation was quickly escalating. “How would Mrs. Updegraff feel about having another mouth to feed?” She addressed Mr. Updegraff as she attempted to sidle around Alex. “Perhaps you should check with your wife before you invite me into your home.”

“No need to worry about what my wife thinks. She's living down in Detroit with the children on all the handsome paychecks I send her.” There was the flash of something in his eyes before it disappeared. Was it loneliness? “I've insisted that she and the children stay in civilization where it's safe. I wouldn't have it any other way.”

“Surely it can't be that uncivilized here,” she started.

Mr. Updegraff cut her off curtly. “If you stay, I insist that you
live with me. I reside in the company house, which is quite nice. I'll be able to make sure you're well protected.”

His sincerity was difficult to refuse. Nevertheless, Alex's renewed murmur of protest spurred her to reject his offer. “Mr. Updegraff, I'm sure you can understand that staying under your roof without the presence of your wife would put my reputation in jeopardy.” It was already in jeopardy, but she prayed he'd never learn that.

“If we can't come to terms upon a safe living situation for you,” he replied smoothly even as his gloved grip on his horse's reins tightened, “then I'm afraid I won't feel right about allowing you to remain in Eagle Harbor.”

Tessa stared up at the man who claimed to do all the hiring and firing in Eagle Harbor. From the steely way he held himself atop his gelding and the hard set of his mouth, she suspected he was accustomed to giving orders and commanding unquestioning obedience in return.

A warning bell in the back of her mind told her she couldn't accept Mr. Updegraff's offer of hospitality, which was really more of an order than offer. Even if he was trying to look out for her best interests, she couldn't take any chances on tarnishing her reputation.

“She can stay with the Rawlings,” Alex insisted. “They have the next biggest house in town. I'm sure they'd appreciate the extra income from having a boarder.”

“Yes, I'll stay with the Rawlings,” she agreed, not caring or knowing who the Rawlings were. She wasn't ready to be kicked out of Eagle Harbor yet. But could she make Mr. Updegraff understand her dilemma without angering him and getting herself fired for the second time in one day?

“I'll take her to the Rawlings myself,” Alex said, hooking his
hand through her arm. “She's drenched and freezing and needs to get warmed up before she takes a chill.”

Mr. Updegraff didn't say anything for a moment. When he finally spoke, the terseness in his tone set her on edge. “Bjorklund, I'll hold you responsible if her living arrangements don't work out.”

Alex didn't respond and instead urged her along at a pace so fast she could hardly keep up. He didn't stop until they turned the corner at the livery.

“Are you all right?” He finally slowed.

“Mr. Updegraff is quite the character,” she said. “Apparently he thinks he's king over this town?”

Alex nodded. “Unfortunately he
is
king, and there's no one to stop him.”

“Looks like you stopped him well enough, or at least saved my reputation.”

Alex released her arm and glanced into the open double doors of the livery. Seeing the deserted entryway, and with the faint ring of someone hammering in the back of the barn, he lowered his voice. “No one dares to talk about it, but it's no secret that Percival's housekeeper doubles as his mistress.”

“No-o-o,” she whispered harshly.

“Yes.”

Maybe she should start thanking God for bringing a guardian angel into her life the moment she stepped into Eagle Harbor. Without Alex, she'd either have drowned or gotten herself trapped into boarding with Percival.

She shuddered.

Alex's brows came together in a worried frown. “Let's get you to the Rawlings.” He started forward, but she stopped him with a touch on his arm.

“Have I said thank you yet?”

“No thanks is necessary.”

“You've saved my life twice in one day. Of course thanks is necessary.”

He rubbed his hands over his bare arms. He was as drenched as she and yet he hadn't issued one word of complaint.

“What can I do to repay you for your kindness?” she asked. “Bake you a pie? Maybe an apple pie from overpriced apples?”

“I mean it,” he insisted, moving down the road again. “You're not indebted to me. There's such a thing as helping a neighbor in need without expecting anything in return.”

She hurried to follow after him, liking him better by the minute. She had the impression he was the kind of man who'd help anyone, no matter their predicament.

Alex turned onto a side street, and they passed a dozen or more of the identical log houses. Alex answered her questions as they walked, and she learned that the small log houses were owned by Cole Mine and rented to the miners with families. The one-room cabins seemed hardly big enough to house a single man, let alone an entire family.

“William Rawlings is a mine engineer and mechanic,” Alex said as they reached the front door of a large frame house. The paint was peeling around windows that were so grimy, Tessa wondered how anyone could see through them. The yard was littered with stumps, discarded toys, and an assortment of rusty tools and steel mechanisms that looked like they had once belonged in the mine.

“The Rawlings family are good people, honest and hardworking,” Alex continued with a firm rap on the door. “You'll be safe with them.”

At his proclamation, the door swung open and a ball came
flying through, hitting Alex in the chest. He caught it in one hand without so much as a blink. In the next moment, two small boys flew against him and grabbed his legs. They shouted and chopped at Alex's legs with sticks.

She raised her brows at Alex. “Safe? Really?”

His grin inched up on one side. “You're not going to let a couple of little boys scare you away, are you?”

Before she could quip back, he scooped up both boys, one in each arm. He lifted them and blew noisy bubble kisses into each of their bellies, earning giggles.

She guessed the children to be about two and four. Alex held them in his thick arms with such gentleness that Tessa's chest expanded with unexpected warmth.

“Did you bring Wolfie and Bear?” the older child asked, peering over Alex's shoulder.

“Of course I did.” Alex lowered the boys back to the ground and tousled their hair, which probably hadn't seen a comb in days if not weeks. “I wouldn't dream of coming to visit you without bringing Wolfie and Bear. They'd be mad at me if I didn't let them have the chance to play with a couple of their favorite pals.”

The boys scampered outside toward the dogs waiting in the yard. When they jumped onto Wolfie and Bear, tackling them and rolling with them on the ground, she expected Alex to tell the boys to be more careful. But he only watched with an affectionate smile.

“I'm sure Wolfie and Bear would be terribly disappointed to miss coming here,” she remarked.

“They're having fun,” Alex said. “Can't you tell?”

The dogs lay on their backs and let the boys crawl all over them.

“
Fun
isn't exactly the word I'd pick.”

“Now who's the spoilsport?”

She laughed. She hadn't met many others who could match her wit, but Alex was coming close.

His hair was beginning to dry to a shade of pale wheat. The wind teased the strands, giving him a boyish appeal.

Her stomach did another strange but pleasant tumble. As much as she wanted to deny the effect he was having on her, she couldn't. Not only was he good-looking, he was also sweet and funny. A remarkable combination.

“Alex?” A woman crossed the darkened front room of the house, moving toward them and dodging toys and clothes scattered on the floor. With a fussing baby on her hip, she sighed wearily as she approached.

“Good morning, Nadine,” Alex said with a bright smile.

Nadine gave Alex a small smile in return. She jiggled the crying baby absently and at the same time raised a hand to swipe a loose strand of graying hair off her face. At the sight of the woman's cracked, dirty nails, recognition dawned in Tessa.

This was the woman she'd seen in the company store earlier, the one whose rambunctious children had broken a jar of beets.

Alex continued, “I'd like to introduce you to Eagle Harbor's new teacher, Tessa Taylor.”

Nadine didn't look at her. “I saw her at the store, and Mr. Updegraff told her loud and clear that she weren't to be the teacher here.” The woman spoke with a heavy English accent.

Tessa searched for animosity, for the sign that once again she was to be disregarded and shunned simply for being a female. But the woman's face reflected neither acceptance nor dislike. Only resignation, as if she were accustomed to having everything about her life ordered by someone else.

“Samuel was mistaken,” Alex explained. “We discussed the matter with Percival, and he's agreed to allow Tessa to remain and teach.”

“That so?” Nadine examined her closely now, her eyes lighting up with something akin to interest.

“Mr. and Mrs. Rawlings have three children in the school—”

“Only two now. Edward went to work in the mine a week ago.”

“I'm pleased to meet you,” Tessa said. “I'm sure I'll enjoy teaching the two who remain.”

“If I can get Josie to go,” Nadine remarked loudly over her shoulder, toward the door that revealed the kitchen. “She's been saying she don't need any more schooling.”

“How old is she, Mrs. Rawlings?” Tessa asked.

“Fifteen. But she thinks she's twenty, that she does.”

Familiar guilt nagged Tessa. Even after five years, shame always came rushing back when she thought of her obnoxious behavior toward her older sister. She'd always believed she was mature and ready for more than she really had been. She knew now that she'd been a foolish young girl. The least she could do was make sure that other young girls didn't make the same mistakes she had.

“Don't worry, Mrs. Rawlings,” Tessa said. “I'm sure I can be a good role model and provide wise counsel to your daughter.”

“I thank you for your offer.” Nadine released a long sigh that said she'd all but given up hope. “But I won't hold you to it.”

“Tessa needs a safe place to board,” Alex cut in. “And I thought you might be willing to let her stay with you.”

Nadine shifted her fussing baby to her other hip and continued to jiggle her. She studied Tessa for a moment, taking in her wet garments and hair. Then she began to shake her head. “I don't—”

“Of course, she'll pay a fair rent,” Alex said hastily.

Tessa joined in the battle. “Maybe that will allow you to buy a few more items from the store without having to chop off your limbs to pay for them.”

Nadine didn't smile at Tessa's attempt at a joke. Instead she pursed her lips as if thinking about the fresh potatoes and melons she would be able to buy.

“And besides, I'm sure Tessa will be good company,” Alex said, flashing Nadine another one of his devastating grins. “With all the little ones, having another woman to talk to will be like a little bit of heaven.”

At the sight of Alex's grin, Nadine didn't quite smile, but her lips curved enough for Tessa to know that Alex's charm had indeed worked.

“I suppose she could stay up in the attic room with Josie,” Nadine said slowly.

“How does that sound to you?” Alex turned his winsome smile upon her. She wasn't sure how anyone could say no to him, even if they wanted to. The prospect of living in an attic with a fifteen-year-old didn't sound too appealing, but neither did the prospect of living with Percival Updegraff.

“I'm sure we'll get along just fine.” She squared her shoulders in determination. The home with its obvious neglect wasn't the ideal place to live, but perhaps God had brought her to Eagle Harbor to do more than change the lives of the children in her charge. Maybe He'd brought her to bring hope to poor, tired women like Nadine as well. She could instruct the adults and help them better themselves so they wouldn't always have to live in such squalor.

A renewed sense of purpose filled Tessa. She'd surely suffered the worst by nearly losing her new job and almost drowning. She was confident things could only get better.

Alex strode along the bluff path with Wolfie and Bear trotting behind him. The spruce trees nearby provided a protective hedge from the rocky cliff that dropped dangerously down into the lake. Though he couldn't see the water, he could hear the waves roaring and crashing against the jagged boulders below. In fact, the sounds of the waves and the wind were almost identical today.