by Rita Hestand
He fixed them both a big bowl and set some crackers between them.
She dipped her spoon and blew the soup as it was steaming hot.
"This smells delicious." She smiled. Candy came to lay between them at the table.
"Yeah, it's pretty good. I got the recipe off an old Indian squaw that was married to a hunter up north. She'd come down in the summer and we got to be good friends. She made the best meals. So I finally asked her for the recipes. She wasn't stingy. And so I learned to cook a little. I can make the best flapjacks in these parts."
"You are full of talents." Sammie Jo smiled as she sipped the soup. "Oh my goodness, this is great…" She took another spoonful.
"You sound so surprised. You know a bachelor has to learn to fend for himself, especially up here. He could be snowed in for days."
Sammie Jo stopped long enough to look at him. "I never thought of that. I guess you are right."
"That's why we had to buy so many supplies for you. Once you are outfitted, you can withstand any blizzard. You'll see. You'll be busy as can be at the saloon, and then it will come a blizzard and you won't see anyone for days. That's how it is up here. I hope you don't get too lonely."
Sammie Jo kept eating while he talked. She'd been lonely when she first came here. Just the thought of leaving home scared her witless, but she adapted. Now she felt almost comfortable here and it had only been a few days.
"You'll have to share the recipe, for this. And can I call you if I get lonely?" She suggested.
"If your cellphone works during a blizzard it will be the first. But I'll stop by and check on you regular like. I try to do that for all the business owners in town. Things can get rough in the middle of winter. Now, about that recipe, I'll write a couple down for you. And you can write down your recipe for Chili. How is that?"
"Sounds fair," she giggled.
After they had eaten, he put the dishes in his sink, ran a little water over them and motioned for her to take the chair.
She sat down and watched the fire until he joined her. Candy had joined her and Sammie Jo's hand was busy petting her as she flopped her tail from time to time to let her know she enjoyed it.
"I'm more tired than I thought." She yawned.
"I'll drive you home in a few minutes." He offered.
She nodded.
"I want to thank you for taking me to shop. I am sure if I'd gone alone I would have forgotten half of what I needed. I usually do."
He stared at her a long time. "I didn't think you needed to be alone today."
She looked at him and nodded. Thoughts of her father rushed into her head. Her tears were held in check though. "I guess you're right. I mean right now I'm wondering why Mom hasn't called."
"She will. Just give her some time and space." He assured her. "She'll have to recover a little for herself before she can handle talking to you kids about it. And it's going to be alright. I just know it. They do a lot of surgeries like that. He'll be fine, you'll see."
"Are you always so positive?" She asked.
"No, but my dad was a surgeon. A good one. And it affects the doctor as much as the patient sometimes. The doctor will do his best."
"Your father was a surgeon, here?"
"No, my mother and he split when I was young. He worked in Los Angeles. She preferred to stay here. He was never home and she wanted to live here where she came from. He didn't. It was a mutual decision to divorce." Cody said quietly. "They are still good friends."
"Which one did you live with?"
"Both, off and on. Mom wanted me to go to school here, and I spent a lot of summers in LA. I never actually learned to fit in there so coming home was the only option for me. Besides, dad stayed so busy, I hardly saw him. I made a few friends there and I still visit them off and on."
"I'm sorry. It must have hurt a lot. The divorce."
"I guess at the time it did, but Mom had a way of making things better for me. She was such an upbeat woman. Even though, I could tell how much she missed me when I'd come home, she never complained about it. She just doted on me all the time."
"What happened to her?"
"Nothing, she lives in Anchorage with a new husband, he's a fisherman, she loves helping him and they get along well. I was grown when she remarried and preferred to stay here."
"Wow, you chose to stay here?" Sammie Jo asked.
Cody glanced at her and smiled. "Yes, it's where I was raised. My friends were here, got an old Uncle lives up on the mountain, and I go visit him every now and then. He lives alone, and he's getting up in age. I check on him about twice a year. I'd worry about him if I moved away. Except for me, he has very little company."
"Why doesn't he move down here?" She asked.
"He likes it up there. He doesn't care for a lot of people. He'd rather be alone."
"What's his name?"
"Jessup, Jessup More."
"French?"
"Yes, very."
"I'll bet he's a character." Sammie Jo smiled.
"As a matter of fact, he is." Cody glanced at her again.
For a moment, their eyes met and a new tension filled the air. He looked as though he wanted to kiss her, but instead he cleared his throat and stared into the fire.
"I'm glad you came to live here, Sammie Jo." He said softly.
His hand reached to touch hers.
She stared at his big hand for a moment, then looked into his eyes. "Me too…"
"You get comfortable, I'm gonna wash up the dishes." He said his voice going gravelly.
She started to get up. "No, I'll do them."
"Can't let you do that. You're my guest and I don't let a guest wash dishes."
She laughed. "It is nice an warm here." She cooed. "If I don't get up, I might go to sleep."
"Yeah, it's the weather for one thing. The sun goes down early and it only gets worse through the winter. Sleeping is like a pass time for many up here."
~*~
He went into the kitchen and washed the dishes. She hadn't said a word since he left her side. When he went back to check on her, she was asleep.
He placed a blanket over her and pulled her boots off. She barely moved.
He didn't have the heart to wake her and besides, they had talked half the night away. He could easily take her home in the morning. He picked her up and for just a moment, he stared down at her sweet face. The urge to kiss her was strong, but he ignored it. This was not the time or place for that.
Besides, he liked it better when a woman was kissing him back.
Locking all the doors and turning the lights out, he curled up in the recliner she'd been in and threw a blanket over himself. He thought about this little lady.
She wasn't like anyone he'd ever met. Bold for coming to a strange part of the country and trying to run a saloon all by herself. He admired her gall.
She tossed and turned, but she didn't wake up.
He eventually went to sleep.
The next morning, he got up early, then made another fire and a pot of coffee. When he went to check on her again, she began to stir.
"Hey, sleepyhead, want some breakfast?" He squatted down beside her chair by the bed and looked into her sleepy face.
Her eyes came open quickly as she grabbed the blanket around her. "What?"
"I asked you if you want some breakfast." He smiled.
She sat up straight, bringing her face close to his. "I stayed here all night?"
He nodded slowly and smiled.
"Why didn't you wake me!" She demanded her eyes growing bigger.
"Didn't have the heart. I knew how tired you were." He explained still smiling. "Besides, despite the fact that you didn't talk about it, I really didn't think this was a good time for you to be alone. Sometimes you need someone with you…"
"You should have woke me. I can't do this kind of thing. People will think…."
"No they won't." He shook his head. "Not here. With the kind of weather we have they won't think a thing about it, except i
t was too cold to get out so late, or that I had trouble starting my car. Their minds don't run like that here. You'll find that out. People are more into survival than gossip."
"But…"
"It's okay, I'll take you home right now if you want, but it would be better if you had some coffee and something to eat first." He insisted.
"I didn't mean to fall asleep." She protested moving the blanket off of herself and sitting on the edge of the bed.
He was still squatting by the bed, still looking into her half-awake face.
"I know that."
"People will think we slept together." She blurted out then turned bright red, she could feel the flush on her face. But the mock seriousness on his face had her anger boiling.
"This isn't funny." She protested.
"No one will think we slept together," Cody said slowly.
"Why wouldn't they. Don't they know you only have one bed?"
"For one thing, no one knows where you are. For another, they all know me."
"And what's that supposed to mean?" She asked. "Are you a monk or gay?"
"Neither. I haven't had a girlfriend since my wife left me." He blurted. "And since I've only known you a short while, no one would even think to accuse me of taking you to bed, except maybe John. You met him the other day. He's always pulling my leg about not having a girl. I guess you might say we are all a little backward up here. We respect each other and most of the time we all get along that way."
"I wouldn't call that backward. And I'm sorry I jumped to conclusions. Where I come from gossip is a pastime."
"You're forgiven." He smiled and stood up. He moved back to the kitchen where he was cooking some bacon.
"You know…you don't talk about your ex-wife. Is there a reason?"
"No, I don't. And the reason is simple. She's history. And that's how I intend to keep it." His voice was a little testy.
"I didn't mean to pry. Look, I'm a girl, and I slept in your home, overnight, and you let me. You only have one bed….What will people think?"
He went to the kitchen and poured them both a cup of coffee. He took her a cup and then took a big sip of his.
"People trust me to do the right thing. Because I, usually, do the right thing. Not that I don't have my faults. I do. But they know what kind of person I am. I'd never take advantage of a woman, just because I could. And although taking you to my bed is tempting. I wouldn't do that unless you wanted it too. And I prefer someone that is awake, too." He grinned infectiously.
"I'm sorry I'm a bit disoriented right now. I've never done anything like this in my life. So you'll have to excuse and forgive me."
Look, it's like this….It's like a code most of us live by up here. They all know that." He smiled down at her. "The only ones that break it are the married ones. Boredom gets to them, I'd say. You really have to be content to live here."
"But they don't know me!"
"They don't have to know you. You are with me. And they do know me. Besides, that will change as soon as you open. Now quit fretting and lets' have some breakfast." He suggested.
She shook her head. "I don't understand this, but I guess I should be thankful. And I'm sorry if I over-reacted."
He bent down beside her now and looked into her eyes, kissed her lightly on the forehead and smiled. "Maybe someday, you'll trust me too…" He said and went to make breakfast.
Chapter Seven
As soon as she walked through the door SeeMe came up to her and licked at her.
She laughed and petted him. "I'm glad to see you, too."
She hadn't been back more than ten minutes and her phone rang. It was her mother. Her hands were shaking when she answered it. Cody finished getting all the supplies unloaded and waited for her to finish her call. He tried his best to look busy as he waited. But, his concern was genuine.
"Mom, how's dad?" Sammie Jo said breathlessly, not waiting for her mother to tell her. She closed her eyes and prayed he was alright.
"What was that dear, your father was talking so I didn't hear you?" Her mother's voice sounded relaxed.
"I said how is dad." Sammie Jo glanced at the phone as though it had grown a head.
"He's doing okay. The surgery was successful, they think they got it all, and we'll know later about that. But he's sitting up in bed this morning, he's smiling and doing great. Would you like to talk to him?"
Sammie Jo nearly dropped the phone. "Sitting up in bed. Shouldn't he be lying down resting? He just had surgery."
"No, they've already instructed him to try to go to the bathroom today. So they want him up and moving. They don't let a person rest much in the hospital anymore. They say it makes for a quicker recovery. And I'm told we'll be going home in a day or two as soon as they run a couple more tests on him." Her mother sounded so chipper she couldn't believe it. "So the sooner he gets around on his own, the better. He's anxious to get out of here. He's already complaining about the food here, and how much he misses my cooking."
"Good grief. Yes, let me talk to him…" she said anxiously.
She heard her mother and her father talking, and then she heard her father's voice. She couldn't help it, tears streamed down her face. "Oh daddy, it's so good to hear your voice."
"Hi honey." He paused to say something to her mother. "Say, they did a bang-up job on me, and I'll be going home before you know it. I'm a little sore and all, but feeling much better than yesterday. I wanted your mother to wait to call you until today. I think they frightened her a little when I was hooked up to so many machines when I came out, but they've removed most of them today and I can move about freely with my IV. I just knew I'd feel better today." He said. "First day of surgery is usually kind of rough. But I'm better today, I insisted she wait and call you today, as I knew I'd be feeling better… And it took me a while to come out from under that stuff they gave me. But today is so much better."
Sammie Jo shook her head. "I'm so glad everything went alright. But when she didn't call yesterday, I was so afraid…"
"We didn't mean to scare you. Nothing to worry about honey. The doc said he's pretty sure they got it all, but he'll know more after they run a few tests. I am almost fed up with the testing too. I'll still have to have radiation and chemo, so be prepared for that. It isn't always pleasant. But I think I'm on the mend. I can't talk long, not strong enough for long conversations. But remember I love you."
Sammie Jo choked up, her voice shaking over the phone. "I love you too, Daddy. I'm so glad you called. And I'm so glad you are doing well. Tell mom to call me later in the week…"
"I will, now stop worrying. How is Alaska?"
"Wonderful, the people here have been so kind to me." She said glancing at Cody. "And I went to buy supplies yesterday. I didn't know I needed so much, but Cody helped me."
"Cody?"
"Yes, a friend, he's a deputy actually."
"I'm glad. Well, talk to you later hon, I really need to rest now so I can get up again later.."
"Bye dad. Tell Mom I love her too."
When she hung up the phone, she was smiling but tears of happiness were floating down her cheek. Cody was about to leave, but he stayed until she finished her phone conversation.
"Everything is alright?" He asked.
"Yes, Dad came out of it well, they think they got all of it. But he's got to have some tests. He's going home in a few days. I can't believe it. Makes me feel so ashamed that I didn't stay…"
Cody nodded. "That's understandable."
"Thanks, Cody, for staying with me. If it had been bad news, I don't know how I would have handled it." She felt a tear run down her cheek and wiped it away. "Oh…I guess that's a lie. I would have taken it badly. Even I know that. I would have felt so guilty for not being there. I still do, despite the success of his surgery. I should be stronger."
Cody came up to her, tipped her chin back and smiled into her face. "You're a trooper, even if it is long distance."
His fingers were warm and she had an urge to cuddle ag
ainst him, but she knew better. After spending the night in his cabin, she wasn't about to make a move like that.
Her eyes met his and he moved in closer, but as though he thought better of it, he backed away before he kissed her.
Disappointment mingled with curiosity assailed her.
Sammie Jo didn't know what to think about that, but right now she was so happy she could have kissed him easily.
"I better go…" He cleared his throat.
"Thanks…for everything." She smiled.
"See you later…" he nodded and left.
SeeMe came up to her and whined a little. "I better get you some fresh water and some food. Sorry boy." She petted him and kissed him on the head. "I've neglected you, haven't I. Well, it won't happen again. Come on."
After feeding SeeMe, she put her supplies up, and found the note that was left on her counter. Saul had written it. Said there was no mail today and that he hoped her father was better, and that everything here was okay. He'd checked.
She smiled.
Cody was right, the community was much closer than at home. Strangely enough, she felt almost protected here in this little community.
But as she relaxed and fixed herself some lunch, she reflected on how strange Cody had acted. He had come near her, as though he meant to kiss her, then backed away as though he thought better of it. She wondered about that. Had his ex-wife hurt him that much? Was he romance shy?
It was just a tad disappointing, she wanted to celebrate somehow. And a kiss was a real celebration.
She was doing it again, she shook her head. Falling for some guy she just met. How many times had she done that? But somehow this was different. Cody was so much more mature than the young men she had dated back home. He'd been married already and suffered from that marriage apparently.
Another thing that shocked her was that she spent the night in his cabin, alone with him, and not once had she even thought he might have tried to touch her. That was odd. Could it be there was a trust growing between them?
Or was she moving way to fast and needed to put the brakes on?
Something told her that she better use her head. She didn't know Cody that well, and there was no reason to assume he really wanted to kiss her at all. Maybe he just felt relief for her. Maybe it was some lame attempt at comforting her.
