Rainy Day Dreams: 2 (10 page)

Big Dog straightened. “You mean a fort?”

“A small one, yes, but big enough to shelter the townspeople, and sturdy enough to stand up to an attack. Something we can build quickly.”

“Where would we put it?” asked Red, settling back into his chair.

“Somewhere near enough for everyone to get to quickly,” said Noah. “What about the knoll at the foot of Cherry Street?”

Thoughtful nods around the room. Kathryn wanted to ask about the location, specifically how far it was from the Faulkner House, but she couldn’t bring herself to enter the conversation. This, after all, was a Seattle matter, and she was merely a visitor. Nor did she have any intention of being here long enough to see the completion of whatever fort they decided to build, unless they intended to have it finished by the time the next ship left for San Francisco.

“We’ll need a load of timber for that. It’ll take time to cut and mill that much.” Big Dog cast a cautious look at Jason. “That’s time away from our jobs.”

A quick glance over her shoulder revealed a carefully composed blank expression on the face of the mill’s new manager. Whatever thoughts lurked behind those taciturn eyes remained unknown except to him.

When she turned back toward the room, she intercepted a silent communication between Louisa and David. Louisa gave a nearly imperceptible nod, and her husband addressed the room.

“I have a large consignment of timber rafted down on the beach, waiting for transport to San Francisco. I think it’ll be enough.”

Noah leaned toward his friend. “But you’ve put in weeks of hard labor cutting that wood. Not to mention losing the sale means several hundred dollars of cash money out of your pocket.”

David rested an arm across the back of little Inez’s chair. A tender smile hovered around the corners of his mouth as he looked down on her silky curls. “What’s money compared to the safety of our families?” His glance swept the room. “Of our town?”

Admiration flared within Kathryn. What a magnanimous gesture. If she were ever to find a man as unselfish and honorable as this one, she could actually see herself giving up her independence to marry him. Louisa was a lucky woman.

Lawson, the man who had brought the message that prompted this conversation, spoke from near the door. “When can we get started?”

Noah answered. “How about first thing in the morning?”

“What about our shifts down at the mill?” Red asked.

Big Dog shook his head, his expression solemn. “Yesler won’t like us slacking off there, even if the reason’s important.”

As one, the men turned toward Jason. Kathryn leaned slightly away from him so as not to get caught in the intensity of their stares. She could almost feel sorry for the poor man. He had not yet set foot inside the sawmill and already he was at the center of a potential controversy between his employer and the men he had been hired to lead.

“We’ll have to work around our other responsibilities, of course,” David said smoothly. “With all of us pitching in during our free time, we’ll make good progress.” He aimed an assuring nod at Jason.

Jason maintained his stoic expression for a long moment. The
room grew quiet while he studied the man across from him. Finally, he dipped his head in a sign of agreement.

“I’m in,” he announced. “If someone will tell me where Cherry Street is, I’ll be there when I leave the mill tomorrow.”

A measure of tension evaporated from the room, and the men murmured approvingly to one another as they returned to their meals. Noah and David turned relieved smiles toward him, which let Kathryn know that they’d been concerned. Were they afraid he would oppose them?

A companionable silence fell over the table as everyone returned to their meals. She picked up her teacup and sipped the now-cool liquid. By throwing his lot in with the men in this room, Jason had been accepted into their company. Beyond that, he had apparently joined the ranks of the acknowledged leaders, David and Noah. Though she sat at the table beside them, Kathryn felt like an outsider, and was surprised to realize the feeling stung.

Nonsense. I don’t want to be a part of this town, especially when it is surrounded by savages.

Still, she couldn’t help feeling a twinge of envy. These were good people, and their care for one another was fully apparent. It would be nice to be counted among their friends.

The rain still fell in a steady drizzle by the time she tied the laces of her bonnet beneath her chin, ready to leave the restaurant. The sun had fully set, and the moon and stars were obscured behind a ceiling of clouds. Though she was not normally fearful of the dark, she couldn’t help but wonder if there might be hostile eyes watching her from within the black shadows that lined the opposite side of the muddy avenue. Dim lights shone in several windows of Faulkner House. Clutching the tray Evie had prepared for Miss
Everett, she paused in the doorway of the restaurant and peered in that direction, trying to gauge the distance between her and those flickering beacons.

“Can I help you carry that, ma’am?”

The question came from directly behind her. She turned to find a handful of men standing shoulder to shoulder in a semicircle, watching her. Big Dog stood in the center, his lumbering height drawing her attention to his eager face.

“I can mana—” She closed her mouth on the automatic refusal. The tray wasn’t heavy, but the darkness outside would certainly be less frightening with a couple of strong men at her side. She arranged a smile on her face. “I hate to impose on your time…” She let the sentence trail into an inviting pause.

Six voices instantly assured her that it was no imposition, and that they were happy to be of assistance. Red took the tray from her hands, and several muscular arms were offered for her to choose from. She awarded a smile all around before slipping her hand in the crook of Big Dog’s elbow. His chest puffed importantly while the others’ deflated.

“Thank you, gentlemen. I do appreciate your kindness.”

As she turned toward the door, her gaze snagged on a pair of eyes across the room. Having just shrugged on his overcoat, Jason stood behind his chair watching her. His lips tightened into a scornful line, and he shook his head slightly, as though in disgust. Irritated, Kathryn turned away with a toss of her head. One minute he made an endearing offer of help for the blockhouse project, and the next he stood in judgment of her for accepting help across a dark alley in an unknown and possibly hostile street. Had he been a true gentleman, he would have offered to escort her himself since they were both going in that direction anyway. Not that she would have accepted.

She stepped through the doorway, Big Dog beside her and her entourage close behind. Was it her imagination, or did that insolent
stare remain fixed on her? By sheer force of will, she did not cast a backward glance.

Jason watched Kathryn leave the restaurant with a company of attentive men trailing behind her. Not three hours past she had vehemently denied the suggestion that she was a coquette, though he hadn’t accused her of such. Not openly, anyway.

“She has certainly entranced them.”

He turned to find Evie staring at the doorway through which the party had just exited, a stack of empty plates in her hands. Noah had left a few moments before to accompany David and his family up the street so they could discuss some logistics concerning their blockhouse. With Kathryn’s departure, that left Jason alone with Evie. Something about her open, calming manner invited an uninhibited response.

“No doubt they’d be entranced by any female,” he commented.

Delicate eyebrows arched on her smooth brow. “You don’t find Kathryn attractive?”

“I didn’t say that.” The answer sounded like an affirmation, which he hurried to correct. “Not that I do. I haven’t considered the matter one way or another. I merely meant that females are notoriously scarce here.”

An amused grin arose on her lips. “That is true enough.” She took the plates to the long worktable beside the stove and put them with the other dishes.

“No doubt they’ll be disappointed to learn that this female doesn’t plan to stay.” He’d seen the consternation on Kathryn’s face when Captain Baker delivered the news that there was no room aboard the
Fair Lady.
“How long will it be before the next ship arrives?”

Evie answered over her shoulder, her hands occupied in scraping
the remains of her customers’ dinners into a bucket. “I think the
Leonesa
is scheduled to arrive next week.”

“Miss Bergert won’t have too long a wait, then.”

“A lot can happen in a week.” Her tone became light. “Seattle has a way of growing on a girl.”

He found her words faintly disquieting. The sooner Kathryn was installed on a ship and sailing for home, the better. He found her annoying, denying that she was a flirt one minute and commanding the attention of a roomful of millworkers the next. Over the years of working with timber crews, he’d learned that the biggest enemies of a tight schedule were distractions. This blockhouse would be diverting enough. Adding a woman into the mix was a complication he would prefer not to deal with, especially during his first month on the job.

Evie finished scraping one stack of dirty plates and started on the next. He glanced toward the doorway and the Faulkner House beyond. He had letters to write, having promised to let his family back home know when he arrived. Starting tomorrow, his free time for tasks like correspondence would be limited. And yet, with the evening’s talk about Indian attacks, he hesitated to leave a woman alone.

Though he had just donned his coat, he unfastened the top button. “Can I help you clean up? I’m a fair hand at washing dishes.”

She paused in her work to turn a surprised look on him. “Are you? That’s not a skill most men would lay claim to.”

“My wife trained me well.”

“You’re married?” Her eyes went round with interest. “I had no idea.”

Pain erupted in his chest. Not the knife-sharp grief that tortured him for the first few months after Beth’s death, but the familiar suffering that had since become his constant companion. Sometimes it was no more than a dull ache and at others, like now, it pounded against his heart with the force of a lumberjack’s ax.

“Not anymore.” He clipped the words.

Compassion flooded her eyes. “I’m sorry.”

The understanding in her tone threatened to undo him, and he turned away, swallowing hard against a tight throat. A moment later he felt the soft touch of her hand on his arm from behind.

“I know the pain of losing someone you love. You’ll be in my prayers, Jason.”

Prayers? The pain twisted deep inside. He and Beth used to pray together every night, their arms wrapped around each other as they thanked God for blessing them with so much love. He hadn’t prayed since. He wasn’t sure he knew how anymore.