Part 5 (1/2)
She shook her head and tried to pull away. ”No, I'm sorry a I didn't mean a you can't.”
He abruptly let go of her wrist. ”Elizabeth a what's wrong?”
When she didn't answer, just looked confused and terrified, he reached out for her, but she scrambled farther away. ”You know you can trust me, Elizabeth. I would never harm you.”
She shook her head, tears gathering in her eyes and whispered, ”Good night, Noah.” She went back to the sofa and rolled away from him, pulling the quilt up to her neck.
He looked at her slight form under the blanket and felt like cursing. What was wrong with her? What was wrong with him? Just when he thought they were going to get closer, she once again closed herself off. Would he ever really know her?
Why Lord? Why did I have to fall in love with this woman?
AS AUTUMN a.s.sERTED itself, darkness crept increasingly into the daylight. It was mid-November and Noah hoped they would have enough daylight to make it to Juneau, although he and his lead dog, Shelby, had made it in the dark before. Looking across the room, he saw that Elizabeth was still asleep. Rising, he folded the furs and walked quietly over to where she lay. He gazed down at the translucent creamy skin, the dark hair spread around her pillow. He didn't want her to leave, wished he had time to court her and make her want to be in his arms. He wished he had time to help her conquer the demons that seemed to hound her. She needed him.
Common sense told him it was a good thing Jacko had come when he had, though. He knew that after last night he shouldn't be spending the night alone with her. He'd prayed for a blizzard, which would have gotten him into a lot of trouble, being holed up alone together for days, but instead Jacko had shown up ready to watch the place, leaving Noah without an excuse to put off the trip. Her feet were much better, and it was time to take her back to Juneau. But he promised himself he'd make as many trips into town as the winter would allow. He wasn't about to let her get away.
The day went by as if weights were dragging the clock hands. He'd been grouchy all morning and had barked orders at both of them while packing for the journey. Elizabeth was quiet and somber, meekly accepting his gruff commands. But Jacko a Jacko was enjoying every minute of Noah's distemper.
Noah tried once more at noon to get Jacko away from Elizabeth. ”Why don't you come see the dogs, Jacko,” he grumbled. ”I could use your help.”
Jacko winked at Elizabeth and said brightly, ”Naw, we've got plans for this afternoon, don't we, Liz?”
She looked from one to the other and compressed her lips.
Noah wanted to drive his fist right into Jacko's smiling mouth. He wouldn't look so pretty with a few front teeth missing. Growling, he shoved away from the table. ”Suit yourselves.” He swung into his coat and stomped out the door. He strode to the barn, balling his hands into fists and muttering, ”Who needs them anyway.” Plans! He knew just what kind of plans Jacko would like to have with Elizabeth. Never mind they were very similar to his own. The man had no scruples; he'd seduce his best friend's sister given half a chance.
Swinging the barn door open, Noah walked over to his horse and picked up the brush. With more energy than needed he applied his frustration to the supple, brown coat. The repet.i.tive action heartened him.
He was nearly finished when Elizabeth burst through the door, shouting, ”Noah, come quick, the cabin's on fire!”
”Fire?” Noah burst out as he dropped the brush and dashed out of the door, Elizabeth at his heels. Fire was a dreaded thing in Alaska. Shelter could mean the difference between life and death, especially during the winter months. Noah threw off his parka as he ran, having on an old pair of work overalls underneath. He burst through the open door and took in the scene.
The smoke was thick, but Noah quickly determined the flames were concentrated near the stove. Jacko was beating out flames on the floor with his foot. What jerked him into action was seeing a trail creep toward his bookcase and precious books.
”There's no more water in the cabin!” Jacko shouted. Noah swept the quilt off the bed. With his boots and the blanket he stomped out the fire on the floor and turned toward the stove. Elizabeth ran in the door with a bucket of water from the barn slos.h.i.+ng over her sleeves. Noah moved just in time as she threw the water onto the stove, making a long hissing sound and sending steam and smoke into their faces.
It didn't take them much longer to extinguish the fire. After the last flame was out they checked the cabin thoroughly for hidden flames. Finding none, Jacko and Noah followed Elizabeth to the yard, taking deep breaths of the cold air.
”Are you OK?” Noah asked Elizabeth.
She nodded, hugging herself in answer.
”What happened?” Noah asked, looking first at Jacko's blackened face and then Elizabeth's smoke-ringed eyes.
Jacko coughed and held up his hand. ”It was my fault. I was trying out a new recipe.”
Noah scowled at him. ”A new recipe, huh? What kind of concoction were you mixing up in there, Jacko?”
Jacko grinned, unrepentant and Noah growled at him knowingly. ”I was just showing Liz here how to make a little miner's punch. The knowledge could prove valuable to her at the post. You know how much Will likes my punch.”
Noah shook his head and turned his penetrating gaze on Elizabeth.
She grimaced. ”I'm sorry, Noah. He said to add pepper-sauce, and when I did the fumes nearly took my breath away.
I backed up into the table and knocked over the lamp. The kerosene caught fire right away.”
Noah nodded. He had seen the broken gla.s.s of the lantern and had suspected a kerosene fire.
Jacko said, ”I tried to get to her and knocked over a bottle of grain alcohol that was sitting on the stove. It must have met with the kerosene, 'cause the flame caught it. There was a nice little explosion when it met with the puddle on the stove right next to the pot of punch.” Jacko shrugged. ”It all happened so quickly. We kind of just stood there in shock, staring at the whole thing. Then I started beating out the flames with my boots and Liz went for you. You know the rest.”
Noah sighed heavily. ”Let's take a look at the damage.”
They walked in, the three of them standing just inside the doorway, staring at the mess. Water lay in puddles on the floor and the table. Broken gla.s.s was everywhere. The quilts were ruined, lying in smoke-stained heaps. Everything smelled of smoke. The wall behind the stove was permanently blackened, but upon further inspection, Noah was thankful he wouldn't have to replace any boards. With a good cleaning, the place would be almost as nice as before. He was beginning to wonder if his cabin would survive his houseguests. Looking over at Elizabeth, his heart softened. She was close to tears.
He squeezed her around the shoulders and said, ”Don't fret about it, Elizabeth. No great harm was done, and at least you and Jacko weren't hurt.”
She looked up at him, guilt heavy in her eyes. ”After all you've done for me a I'm really sorry.”
While they were talking, Jacko had gone over to the stove and lifted the lid on the pot. Taking up a wooden spoon he stirred it around. Dipping out some of the mixture he blew on a steaming spoonful. Noah and Elizabeth watched in silence as he closed his eyes and tasted it. He grinned and nodded his head. ”It's perfect.” He winked at Elizabeth. ”Guess we'll have to add a little kerosene to that recipe.”
December 20, 1886.
Dear Mrs. Rhodes, I am most pleased to tell you that we have had a break in the case. The woman with whom I had been corresponding from the New York Orphan Asylum, Beatrice Timbale, stopped by my office today. Elizabeth had certainly been there. It seems that soon after they discovered our inquiries, Elizabeth was moved and Miss Timbale was let go and given a sum of money to disappear. She says she couldn't sleep, hasn't slept a wink since she left the orphanage, and finally decided to use the last of the money to locate me. Even more fortuitous, she overheard the superintendent and his wife discussing moving Elizabeth to an orphanage in Illinois. She did not discover the name of the inst.i.tution, but I shall begin writing letters of inquiry immediately.
I remain your devoted servant.
Sincerely yours, Jeremiah Hoglesby.
Private Detective for Hire.
Eight.
The view from the upstairs window of the trading post revealed a town draped in white, the streets showing through as long lines of brownish gray. Two women hurried by, skirts flapping around their legs, heads bent forward in the wind, hands clutching at bonnet strings. Juneau could have been any northern, snow-nestled town, except for its view. With the bay at one side and mountains surrounding them on the other three, Elizabeth had the feeling of being enclosed, protected, yet more island-living than inland.
The panes of the window rattled and made low whistling sounds as the wind forced its way through the cracks, gusting against the sides of the building, making Elizabeth glad for shelter, glad Noah had brought her here and that she wasn't wandering those cold streets looking for work. She pressed her forehead against the gla.s.s and breathed a sigh of relief. Will and Cara Collins had agreed to take her on as a shop girl. The trip back to Juneau had only taken about three hours with Noah's dogs and sled. She'd felt a little as though she was awakening from their own private world and back to reality. With it had fear had come flooding back, though she insisted to herself that everything would be fine.
Will and Cara were everything Noah had saida”kind and concerned for her and more than willing to give her a job. Cara had been eager to have another woman around, especially during her pregnancy. Will was slow, methodical, thoughtful a he might prove more difficult to handle, but he had not hesitated to trust Noah and take her on, only asking a few questions about her past work experience. There was no reason to fear they would find out about Ross, she reminded herself, pus.h.i.+ng away from the window and the darkening view as night fell.
Turning from the twilight, Elizabeth slipped into her nightgown, borrowed at the insistence of Cara. She would have to go back to the saloon where she'd first heard about Noah and retrieve her trunk. The barkeep had allowed her to leave it in a storeroom so that she wouldn't have to lug it up the mountain. Inside was all she owned in the worlda”a work dress for mining, an everyday dress similar to what she'd been wearing when Noah had found her, and a good dress for Sunday. Aside from dresses and underclothes, she had a brush, some hair pins, stockings, a little wrist bag with some precious coins in ita”all that was left from Ross's moneya”and a tiny chain necklace given to her by one of her friends from the orphanage when she'd left that place.
Elizabeth climbed into the bed, relis.h.i.+ng the clean, crisp sheets, and drifted off into an exhausted sleep.
It was pitch dark a few hours later when the howling wind woke her. She sat up, seeing nothing but the cloud of her breath. The room was cold, much too cold for a nursery, which was what Cara Collins had told her the room would eventually be. She turned to her side and curled tighter into a ball with the coverlet over her head, s.h.i.+vering, trying to go back to sleep. Something would have to be done before a baby slept in here. She wouldn't recommend that anyone sleep in this room, including herself.
The minutes ticked by without success of anything save intense s.h.i.+vering. She drifted to sleep, only to be startled awake moments later feeling like she was in the blizzard again. Afraid of the nightmare, she decided she had to get out of the room. She braced herself for the cold and sat up, swinging her legs carefully over the edge to dangle to the frosty floor. Quickly she wrapped the lone blanket around her shoulders and grabbed the pillow, thinking to sleep downstairs by the fire. She winced as her bare feet touched the floor and hurried to the chair where her clothes were neatly stacked, scooped them up, and fled the room.