[Alaskan Quest 03] - Whispers of Winter (11 page)
“Oh, I nearly forgot,” Karen said as they gathered around the table. “We brought several crates for you.”
“For me?” Leah’s surprise was evident. “You certainly didn’t need to do that.”
“We wanted to. We didn’t want to just show up emptyhanded, but we also had gifts we wanted to bring just for the fun of it—including some new books for you.”
“Books? How wonderful.” Leah had seen very little in the way of new reading materials since the twins were born. Not that they would be very fond of letting her read. Leah struggled just to find quiet moments when she could read her Bible.
“The boys and I will go down after lunch and bring them up,” Adrik said, rubbing Oliver’s head in a good-natured manner. “You should just see how strong these boys of mine are. They can be good help.”
“I’m sure.” Leah helped Helaina finish setting the food on the table.
“I’ve already eaten,” Helaina announced. “I’m going to head over to the store and tidy up.”
Leah looked at her oddly. “No, stay with us. You’re practically family.”
Helaina shook her head, and Leah noted the sorrow in her eyes as she whispered, “Practically isn’t good enough.” She hurried from the room before anyone else could question her.
“What was that all about?” Karen asked as Leah took her seat between the twins.
“She’s in love with Jacob. She gave up everything and came back here, hoping that he would return that love—which I’m confident he’ll do. However, she’s feeling quite uncomfortable right now. She knows you will remember her past and what she did to Jayce and the trouble she caused.”
Karen helped mash some vegetables for Merry while Leah did the same for Wills. “But that’s all in the past. Surely Helaina knows we won’t hold the past against her. Not when she’s sought forgiveness.”
“Eat. Eat,” Wills declared.
“I think she’s reminded of the shame,” Leah said, handing Wills a cracker to still his ranting.
“Maybe we should bless the meal,” Adrik said, joining hands with his sons. Leah and Karen did likewise with the twins. Adrik prayed thanksgiving for the food, for their safe journey, and then asked God’s hand to be on the missing men of the
Regina
.
“Amen,” they murmured in unison after Adrik ended his prayer.
Before Leah could say anything, he picked up their conversation as though it had never been interrupted. “We all have things in our past that we’re ashamed of. Helaina is no different. I’ll talk to her after we’ve eaten. Maybe she just needs to know we don’t hold her a grudge.”
“Oh, these fabrics are wonderful!” Leah held up a bolt of blue flannel. “This will make nice warm shirts.”
“I thought the same when I saw it,” Karen replied. “And look at this. Sturdy canvas. You could make all sorts of things with this.”
Leah noted the dark-colored cloth. “To be certain.”
“I brought you some of my preserves and jellies,” Karen said, reaching into one of the other crates. She pulled some straw packing out and with it came a jar of dark liquid. “I even made some syrup for flapjacks.”
“I still have the sourdough starter you gave me,” Leah said proudly. “It’s amazing to be making bread and pancakes from starter over twelve years old.”
“It’s older than that now—at least the original piece was. I brought it down with me from the Yukon.” Karen pulled one jar after another from the crate. “I think they may have all survived. Adrik was so meticulous in caring for this crate. He wouldn’t let anyone else touch it.”
“This is certainly generous of you. It feels like Christmas.”
“Well, it’s not over yet.” Karen pulled off the pried top of another crate. “I made a few things for your new house.” She took out a large, thick quilt. The squares were done in shades of blue, yellow, and white. It was quite bright and lovely—like an Arctic summer day.
“Oh, it’s … it’s beautiful.” Leah touched the corner in amazement. “I’ve never seen anything so pretty.”
“There’s no sense in not having pretty things. A gal needs them now and then. So what if you have to put a fur underneath it to keep warm enough? Better yet, just snuggle up closer to Jayce when he gets home.” Karen’s blue eyes seemed to twinkle in amusement. For a woman who’d just turned fifty in May, she was amazingly young at heart.
“I also made clothes for the children,” Karen said as she reached into the box again. “I knew you would make plenty, but it was just so much fun. It’d been ages since I’d had any reason to make such tiny things.”
“Maybe Ashlie will marry soon and you’ll have grandchildren.”
“That’s always possible. She’s having a wonderful time in Washington. She thinks she might like to become a nurse. Wouldn’t that be grand? To have her return to the territory and help sick folks?”
“What if she doesn’t want to return? Does she still talk about roaming the world?” Leah inspected the little dress Karen had just handed her. “Your stitching is always so perfect.”
“Ashlie loves the city. She’s told me that many times. But she also talks about the things she misses most about home. I know there’s a part of her heart that still belongs in Alaska.”
“Are there any romantic possibilities?”
Karen handed Leah another outfit, this one for Wills. “She’s attending a school for young ladies, so there aren’t any young men on a regular basis with which to have conversations or outings. However, church seems to be another story. There are a great many young men there who have been quite intrigued with her. They have a regular Sunday school class for her age group, and apparently there are far more boys than girls.”
“It wouldn’t be so bad to meet the man of your dreams in church,” Leah said with a smile.
“Not at all.” Karen winked. “Maybe even better than meeting him in the wilds of the Yukon.”
“Or Alaska,” Leah countered.
“You sure hurried off at lunch,” Adrik said, coming upon Helaina as she worked with the dogs. She’d donned an old pair of Jacob’s work clothes and tucked all her hair up under a cap.
She wasn’t surprised to find him there, but apprehension filled her. “I thought you all deserved time alone. I know it’s been a while since you had time to visit.”
Adrik leaned against the birthing shed and studied her for a moment. His gaze made Helaina uncomfortable. “I’m keeping Jacob’s dogs.” She offered the information as if he’d asked.
“Leah tells me you’re very good with the animals. That Jacob trained you the summer she and Jayce came to stay with us.”
“Yes. I had to earn my keep,” she said with a small smile. “I don’t mind at all, however. I love the dogs.”
“Love Jacob, too, as I hear it.”
This startled her. “I … uh …” She turned away, hoping she wouldn’t say something stupid.
“It’s all right. I think it’s great. Leah tells me that Jacob is in love with you as well.”
“She doesn’t know that’s true anymore,” Helaina said, lifting a can of fish entrails. The foul smell was something she’d never quite gotten used to, but every time she had to deal with it, she reminded herself that she was doing it for the man she loved.
“Jacob isn’t a fickle man. If he’s given his heart to you, you can rest assured that he won’t be changing his mind.”
Helaina put down the can and straightened. Turning, she braved a glance at Adrik’s face. She found only compassion there. “I know you must think me a horrible person, Mr. Ivankov.”
“Call me Adrik. And, no, I don’t think you a horrible person.” “I caused your family so much trouble. For that I’m sorry.”
He smiled and moved toward her. “You’re forgiven, even if you don’t believe it.”
“I believe God forgives, but I know it’s hard for others. Especially when great pain was inflicted. So many suffered because of me. Lives were threatened, and …” She fell silent, thinking of Leah’s rape.
Adrik surprised her by taking hold of her hands. “It might be hard to forget the past, especially for some. But when Jesus lives in your heart, you need to forgive and forget. The Bible says God forgets, even for His own sake. If it’s good enough for God, it’s good enough for me.”
Helaina bit her lower lip to keep it from quivering. She felt like collapsing in Adrik’s fatherly arms and crying like a baby.
“You don’t have to worry about whether we can accept you as Jacob’s wife,” Adrik said softly. “Truth is, Jacob is a wise man, and if he loves you, that’s good enough for me.”
“But that’s just it,” Helaina said, tears spilling down her face. “
If
he loves me. He’s been gone for a long time. The last time he saw me he didn’t make any promises or pledges. He didn’t speak wonderful words of love. How could he love me? He let me go.”
“He let you go
because
he loved you. What good would it have done either of you to have him declare his love and press for your love in return, when he knew you couldn’t stay here in Alaska?”
Helaina studied his face for a moment. He seemed to know everything—no doubt Leah had been open with her family about Helaina’s presence in her life. It only took Adrik’s letting go of her hands and opening his arms to her to finish breaking Helaina’s pretense of strength. She fell into his arms and sobbed.
“I just want him back. Even if he doesn’t love me. I just want him back.”
I
t’s already August.” Ben Kauffman wasn’t one given to elaborate shows of emotion, but the anger was evident in his voice.
“We did as you asked, Captain,” Travis added. “But we have to make plans now to leave this island and get back to civilization.”
The other men quickly agreed. Jacob knew they wouldn’t be satisfied to remain on the island, yet the idea of heading into the open waters was daunting. No one wanted to be home more than Jacob, but he wanted to get there alive.
The captain rubbed his bearded chin. “Look, men, I know how you feel. I, too, long to be with my family and loved ones. I would like a more palatable fare for my meals and a bed of down instead of fur. However, we have to be sensible about this matter.”
“Indeed we do,” Dr. Ripley said, taking a step forward. “Sir, I respect your command, but as you know, we already have two sick men. One is injured and in desperate need of more attention than I can give him here. The other has some kind of sickness that I do not even understand. I seriously doubt either one will live much longer. Not to mention we’re all sick from lack of proper diet. There’s not a man here who isn’t suffering from scurvy.”
“And well I know it, Dr. Ripley. However, would you put weakened men into boats and send them out on the water without hope of reaching their destination? Should we desert the sick men—leave them here to die?”
“Why do you speak without hope when referencing our attempt to leave by boat?” Ripley countered.
“Because I see very little hope for us if we head out wandering around the ocean. First of all, as weak as the men are, they’ll be no match for the strong currents that flow in this area. Second, we won’t stand a chance if a storm should come our way, which of course we can count on experiencing. These northern waters are always volatile.”
“Better to take our chances and leave this accursed island before winter sets in than to suffer another year here,” Ben muttered.
Jacob felt it important to back the captain’s position. “We have two small umiaks, but none of you are familiar with the use of such boats. We used them to haul goods over the ice and little else. I’m very familiar with the umiaks, and yet I wouldn’t begin to feel comfortable taking them out on the water with the purpose of trying to navigate the Arctic Ocean or the seas that might take us home.”
“Then stay here,” Travis said flatly.
“Men, we need to work together,” Captain Latimore said sternly. “What we need is more driftwood for our warmth and cooking. We also need to work on sewing those skins. We need to ensure that we have proper warmth against the chilling nights. Even if we can work out a way to take the boats and leave the island, we will need to be prepared.”
The men grumbled but said nothing that could really be heard. One by one they wandered away to go about their duties, but Jacob could tell it would only be a matter of time before they mutinied, and then what?
“I’m sorry about the trouble, Captain,” Jacob said as the last of the men left them. “I know this is hard on the men. I wish I had a simple solution. I had hoped we would be rescued by now.”