Part 11 (1/2)
”I'm in no danger.” She started to s.h.i.+ft.
Ian kept hold of his shotgun and reached back with his other hand. He grabbed her and held her in place. ”Abrams has that rifle in his arms. There's no telling what he'll shoot, but it's not going to be you.”
”Rafferty, what do you say?” Abrams shouted.
”Put down your rifle and let him come across.”
Abrams shook his head. ”Dunno. Bears like salmon. Might be one takes a mind to follow this man. Can't let down my guard.”
The stranger pushed past Abrams. ”A bear would want the salmon, not you, you old goat.”
Meredith m.u.f.fled a giggle.
As the man started across the bridge, Tucker glanced at her. ”You like salmon.”
”I adore it.”
”It's written all over your face. One look, and he'll know he has the advantage on this barter. Go on inside. I promise, you'll have salmon for supper.”
To his relief, Meredith walked to her cabin and went inside. He didn't want men ogling her. Once she shut the door, Ian folded his arms across his chest and waited. Whoever spoke first in a bargain always walked away with the shorter end of the deal. Meredith wanted salmon, and Ian determined he would strike a bargain whereby she'd get both of the ones this man carried.
”Coffee,” the man said as he stepped off the bridge, onto the sh.o.r.e.
”Coffee,” Ian repeated, surprised Tucker would have sent anyone to trade fish for his beloved drink.
The man nodded. ”Erik Kauffey. Sounds like the drink but spelled different. I brought these to barter. You've got to admit, they're beauts. Big ones, too.”
”I'm Ian Rafferty. Smith's my partner.” He motioned toward a stump. ”Set those down over there.”
”Where'd the little lady go?”
Ian gave him a steely glare. ”Did you come here to barter or to banter?”
Kauffey heaved a so-that's-the-way-things-go sigh. ”The salmon were fresh caught this morning. One's female, so you'll even be getting roe in the bargain.”
”Never could stand the stuff.” Clearly, Kauffey accepted that Meredith was off-limits, so he pursued the barter by pointing out the advantages of Ian's obtaining the salmon. Ian knew better than to jump in and agree, so he shrugged. ”I've heard roe makes for good fertilizer.”
”Roe's good to bait snares for birds. Lots of ptarmigan here.”
”Ptarmigan. They're in the grouse family, right?”
”Yeah. White-tailed ones are local. Wings are always white, but come snow season, they're all white. Good eating.” Kauffey sauntered over toward the vegetable garden.
”I haven't seen many.”
”Funny birds, ptarmigan.” Kauffey headed toward the far corner. ”They show up and disappear in a wink. You ought to be glad they haven't been around much. They'd eat every last leaf you have here.”
”They'd have to fight the hares for the privilege.”
Kauffey squatted down and inspected a head of lettuce. ”If you take it into consideration, I'm not averse to taking something if a rabbit or bird took the first bite.”
”I'm sure we can work something out.”
Ten minutes later, Meredith exited her cabin and met Ian over by the stump. ”That man practically danced across the bridge to go home.”
Ian grinned. ”You know those two heads of lettuce and the cabbage that the hares nib- bled? He took all three, and I tossed in some rhubarb. The way he dashed off, I think he was afraid I'd change my mind.”
”Up close, these salmon are even bigger than I thought. A quarter of one will be a feast for us. I can smoke the rest. Oh! If I put some of it in a pail and tuck it in the cleft of that rock over there, the water will keep it chilled. We can enjoy fresh salmon again tomorrow!”
”That's clever of you.” He pulled his knife from his belt sheath. ”I'll-”
”You'll let me see to them. With Tucker loving to fish, I'm a dab hand at this. You have more important things to do.”
”Like what?”
”Put in a fireplace.”
”I've decided to put in a stove.”
She reared back. ”A stove? How will you ever get a stove?”
”I know Socks has one in his mercantile for thirty-two dollars. 'Tis highway robbery. But s.h.i.+pping one from Oregon to here will be reasonable.”
”I-I didn't mean the cost.” Hectic color filled her cheeks. ”I wondered how you'd transport it. Wily's umiak would sink the minute you loaded the stove aboard.”
”Wagon wheels. By affixing axles and wheels to the box, I can have Bess pull it in.”
”You're serious!”
”That I am. Sears won't s.h.i.+p to Alaska, but the catalog shows a Southern Suns.h.i.+ne cookstove. It's a dandy thing. My folks will find one and s.h.i.+p it here. I figure the crate it comes in can serve as a wagon of sorts. It'll be easier to haul produce into Goose Chase.”
”Are you sure you want to sell Bess when the weather changes?”
”There's insufficient feed for her here. I just wanted to mention about the wagon so if there was anything heavy or bulky that you and Tucker might want, you could take advantage of the opportunity.”
”Thank you. We'll keep it in mind.”
Something in her tone of voice struck him as odd. Ian cleared his throat. ”Forgive me if I'm out of place, but it occurs to me that Tucker is your only family. My family back in Oregon would be more than willing to locate goods and s.h.i.+p them for you. It's far cheaper.”
”That's a kind offer. Tucker and I actually have an uncle, but we already have everything we need.”
Ian didn't challenge her. To his way of thinking, Meredith didn't have half of what she needed.
Over the next two months, Ian grew increasingly perplexed at why she and Tucker bought only the barest essentials for themselves. It made no sense; the garden flourished and brought cash, gold dust, and a wide variety of items in barter-not enough to make them all rich, but certainly sufficient to provide comfortably for their needs.
Perhaps they're worried next year will be harsh and they're trying to set aside for lean times- like Joseph advised Pharaoh to do. With that in mind, Ian determined to work even harder to rea.s.sure Merry that she'd not have to worry.