[Song of Alaska 02] - Morning's Refrain

by Tracie Peterson

  “But you will miss them. Having your family move away is not an easy thing to bear.”

  “I don’t care. Now if that’s all you’ve come to say—”

  “It’s not,” she interrupted. “I’m not leaving until you are honest with me about this. I don’t have to share your thoughts with Dalton, but I do demand you tell me why you are no longer willing to be his friend.”

  “Why should it matter to you?”

  “Because I love him,” Phoebe replied matter-of-factly. “And, believe it or not, I care about you, as well.”

  “You lie.”

  “Why should I?” She shook her head. “I owe you nothing. Don’t you remember the pleasant times we spent together? I’m sorry that you took offense that I could not turn our friendship into something more, but I never played false with you.”

  Yuri heaved a sigh and his shoulders slumped forward. “No, you never did.”

  “I’m glad we can at least agree upon that.”

  “Still, it hurt that you gave your heart to Dalton so easily.”

  “And for that I’m sorry,” she offered. “Not that I gave my heart to Dalton, but rather that I hurt you. I never meant to cause you pain. I can’t explain what happened to me when I first met Dalton. It was like nothing I had ever expected. I fell for him from the first moment.”

  “He’s a lucky man.”

  Phoebe heard the weight of sorrow in his voice. “But that isn’t what this is all about—is it?”

  He met her gaze. “No. I suppose not. It was just one more thing.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Yuri walked to the open workshop door. The water lapped the shore not but about twenty feet away. Phoebe could smell the strong scent of seawater and fish. She waited for Yuri to say something, wondering if she should further prod a response. Something inside, however, admonished her to be quiet. He would speak in due time.

  Minutes later, he did just that. “Dalton was always better at everything. He always played by the rules. He made better marks in school. He was smarter.” Yuri turned with a sad smile. “He was even able to speak Russian better than me.”

  He stepped back to the table. “He was better at boat building. My father would show him something once, and Dalton instantly knew what to do. I had to work and work to grasp the concept.”

  “Maybe you weren’t intended for boat building, Yuri.”

  He looked at her oddly and nodded. “I have long known that, but of course I couldn’t tell my father. It was his dream that I would one day take on this business.”

  “So why did you protest when Dalton wanted to buy into it?”

  “Because I didn’t want him to show me up. I didn’t want him to take my father’s admiration and affection as he had taken yours.”

  “Oh, Yuri. Your father is a good man. He will always love you more than Dalton.”

  “My father admires craftsmanship and the ability to see a task through to completion. I often fail in those areas. Dalton doesn’t.”

  “But your father put Dalton from this shop when you asked him to. He refused to sell Dalton half of the business because you didn’t want to work with him. That should tell you that he cares more about what you desire than what Dalton wants.”

  “I suppose, but it also makes me feel terrible for the way I acted. Dalton didn’t deserve that, but I just couldn’t see myself paired alongside him any longer.”

  “But there are things that Dalton cannot do. Yuri, you needn’t compare yourself to him. He cares about you for the friendship you’ve always shared. I would dare to say his love for you is equal to that of his for me. It’s just a completely different kind of love.”

  “It’s too late,” he said, shaking his head. “Too much has happened.” “What makes you believe that?”

  Yuri picked up a chisel and dropped it again. “I owe money.”

  “To whom?”

  “To some men. I . . . well . . . I gambled.” He looked up. “I have a gambling debt.”

  Phoebe considered this for a moment. “Did you have this debt before Dalton and I married?”

  “I had a bit of it. I had started to spend time with the wrong people even before Dalton went south with his sister. They were always enticing me with drink and gaming. I liked the way it made me feel.” He came around the table to where she stood. “I don’t expect you to understand, but for once, I felt that I had something that didn’t involve Dalton. I could drink and play cards with the best of them. I was even pretty good.”

  “What happened?”

  “I started drinking too much. I got careless and too self-confident. Then some new men came to town, and they were much better at cards. Perhaps they were even cheating, but it doesn’t matter now. I felt certain I could beat them and continued to play until the amount I owed them was more than I could ever hope to pay back with my meager salary.”

  “So why didn’t you stop?” Phoebe couldn’t begin to understand the lure or attraction of gambling. It seemed quite reasonable that if one found they had overextended themselves, they should simply discontinue the activity.

  “I couldn’t. I needed to find a way to get enough money to pay off my debt. When they heard that I had inherited this place, they demanded I sign it over to them in pay.”

  Phoebe felt the wind go out from her. “What? Give up your family business?”

  He nodded. “It’s worth far more than I owe, but it’s all I have of value. I convinced them to wait until my father left Sitka. I didn’t want him to ever know what had happened. I figured in time, I could tell him I sold it, but for now I have to keep it from him.”

  “Oh, Yuri. This is terrible. You must talk to Dalton. He can help you.”

  “But that’s just it. I don’t want his help. I already feel I’ve disappointed him too much. He can’t possibly want to be my friend after the way I’ve acted.”

  “Of course he’s your friend. He cares about you, Yuri. His dream had been to work with you, and even if that never happens, you must know he wouldn’t want to see you lose this place to strangers.” Phoebe reached out and took hold of his arms. “Yuri, don’t let your friendship be ruined over your mistakes.”

  “He could never forgive this.”

  “Yes, he can.” Phoebe squeezed his muscular arms. “And he will. You have to give him a chance. Just talk to him. Tell him what you’ve told me.”

  “But if I took his help, I would forever be in his debt. I could never hope to pay him back.”

  “Then don’t do it that way,” Phoebe replied. “Sell him the business. Tell him what has happened and how they will steal the place away from you at a fraction of what it’s worth. Offer to sell it to him instead. This way at least it won’t go to strangers, and you’ll get a fair price. Dalton plans to build a shop anyway. He would already have one built, if not for the fact that he’s spent all this time working to construct a new house for me and my family.”

  Yuri pulled away from her hold and shook his head. “He would never listen to me after the way I’ve been treating him.”

  “He will listen. Give him a chance,” Phoebe assured. She could see that he needed time to think. “I should get home now. Just consider what I’ve said. It’s important to me that you and Dalton work through this. He needs your friendship, and I think you need his, too.”

  She turned to go, but Yuri stopped her. “Let me walk you home.

  Maybe I can at least offer him an apology for how I’ve acted.”

  Phoebe smiled. “That would be a wonderful place to start. Then maybe you can stay for lunch and discuss the rest of it.”

  Dalton blinked twice and looked away. He turned back to the sight of his wife walking arm and arm with Yuri Belikov and shook his head. He must be seeing things. Following behind them at a slower pace, Dalton watched as Phoebe laughed at something Yuri said.

  How could she? His anger was instantaneous. How long had this been going on? Was she secretly seeing Yuri behind his back? Surely in a town this size, he woul
d have heard about such a thing by now.

  When Phoebe and Yuri turned down the alley that would lead to their apartment, Dalton froze. She was taking him to their home?

  He was so intent on watching them that he didn’t see the cat that skittered across his path. Dalton managed to clip the animal’s tail, causing it to let out a yowl that drew everyone’s attention. Phoebe noticed him there and seemed shocked to find him nearby.

  “Dalton!”

  She waited for him to say something, but Dalton had no words. He never liked to speak out in anger, and this time was no exception. If he talked to her now, he might say something he’d regret. He turned to leave.

  “Dalton! Come back.”

  He picked up his pace. He couldn’t deal with this just now. No matter what her purpose had been in bringing Yuri to their home, Dalton could see nothing good about it. To his way of thinking, this was a betrayal of the worst kind.

  Chapter 25

  Phoebe had never been so angry. After apologizing to Yuri and promising Dalton would come to see him, she stormed upstairs to their apartment and paced the floor for nearly an hour. She kept thinking that Dalton would return, and when he didn’t, she was further enraged.

  “Of all the selfish, stupid things,” she muttered, marching back down the stairs to the alley. She figured Dalton had returned to work or else had gone to his folks’ house. Either way, she would find him.

  She marched at a quick pace to the land where the new log structure—her house—was nearly ready. She heard pounding from within and figured that at least someone was there working.

  Kjell met her at the door with a smile. “Hello. I thought you might be heading this way.”

  “I’m here to see your pig-headed son,” she announced.

  Her father-in-law pointed to one of the interior rooms. “Mr. Pig-headed is in there. Oh, you should also know for future reference that he’s a great jumper.”

  “Jumper?” Phoebe asked, her brows knitting together.

  He nodded. “Yes. He jumps to conclusions quite easily.”

  The meaning was instantly clear. “Well, this is one time he shouldn’t have.” She brushed past Kjell. “He had no call to act that way.”

  Ignoring her father-in-law’s chuckles, Phoebe followed the sounds of the hammering. Dalton was affixing a wooden mantel in place over the living room fireplace when Phoebe came upon him.

  He straightened and turned to face her. “Are you here to explain and apologize?”

  “How could you! How could you just storm off in a huff and not even acknowledge me?” She stopped and flailed her arms in the air as she realized what he’d just asked her. “Me? Me apologize? You’re the one who jumped to conclusions and ran off.”

  “I saw you leading my enemy to our apartment,” Dalton said matter-of-factly.

  “Since when has Yuri become your enemy? You stomp and snort around the house day and night bemoaning the fact that something has gone horribly wrong in your friendship. I was sick and tired of the stiff-necked pride between the two of you, so I went to Yuri myself. And now this. You should be ashamed of yourself.”

  “Me?” Dalton looked indignant. “Why should I be ashamed? I saw my wife with my former best friend.”

  Phoebe crossed her arms. “You’d better be careful with what you’re implying, Dalton Lindquist. You think you have trouble now, but you haven’t seen me with a full head of steam. I invited Yuri to join us for lunch. Remember, I knew you would be coming home for lunch. Why would I have a dalliance with your best friend in our apartment when I knew you would either already be there or come shortly after? If I were you, I’d swallow my stupid pride and get around to apologizing for what you’re accusing me of doing.”

  Clenching her jaw, Phoebe determined not to say another word until he begged her forgiveness. Dalton seemed surprised by her attitude, but for several moments he simply stared at his wife as if trying to figure out what was right and what would serve to get him into more trouble.

  Phoebe was already contemplating what she would do if he refused to see reason. She supposed she would just go home to her mother. After all, there was no hope for a marriage where trust didn’t exist.

  Dalton turned away and walked to the window. The large window had been specially ordered to give them a perfect view of the water and islands. Watching him stand there, Phoebe couldn’t help but wonder what was going on in his head. Did he even care that he’d hurt her feelings? Did he understand that he had wronged her? All she had wanted was to see him and Yuri work through their issues.

  Finally Dalton let out a heavy sigh. “I am sorry, Phoebe. I let my temper get the best of me. I know you weren’t doing anything wrong, and for me to imply such a thing makes me a beast.”

  “An ignorant beast,” she corrected.

  He turned and nodded, his eyes piercing her with his sorrow. “An ignorant beast.” He came forward and stopped short of taking hold of her. “I’m truly sorry. Please forgive me.”

  “I do, but please know that we’re headed for a lot of problems if you are always inclined to believe the worst of me.”

  He gently touched her face, and some of the anger left Phoebe’s heart. “I know. I promise that I won’t let it happen again.”

  She nodded. “Very well. Now, can we talk about Yuri?”

  “All right.” Dalton dropped his hold. “What do you want to say?”

  “He’s in trouble, Dalton. He needs you more than ever. I won’t divulge what he told me—it’s his to share—but you mustn’t wait. Please go to him and let him explain.”

  “It sounds serious.”

  “It is. I visited Yuri to make him see that if he had ended his friendship with you because of me, he had no grounds. I have never encouraged anything more than friendship, and he was wrong to believe there was more. He agreed. Then the longer we talked . . . well . . . there are some very dangerous things going on in his life and he needs you.”

  “If this has to do with his drinking and gambling, I already know about those bad habits. I’ve tried to encourage him to do otherwise, but he hasn’t listened. I can’t see that he’ll listen now.”

  “No, especially if you won’t talk to him.”

  Dalton’s look was one of reproach. “I hardly see that his sins are my fault.”

  “No one said they were,” Phoebe countered. “But if we see our brother in need and do nothing . . . well . . . isn’t that like Jesus saying that what we do to the least of these, we do to Him?”

  She could see her statement had hit its mark. Dalton moved away and picked up his hammer before replying. “I don’t think Yuri even cares about such things.”

  “Maybe not,” Phoebe fired back, “but you do. Even if Yuri isn’t a Christian—even if he doesn’t believe the way we believe—we are held to a certain standard. We are called to go after the one that leaves the flock. To seek the lost souls and share the good news. Have you ever talked to Yuri about his eternal soul?”

  Dalton grinned. “You sound like a preacher now.”

  Phoebe put her hands on her hips. “Well, maybe it’s time one of us did.”

  He held up his free hand. “I see your point and concede. You’re right. You have adequately shamed me.”

  She softened and came to where he stood. “That was never my intent. My hope was that you would see the truth. Yuri is dying, in a sense. It’s no different from when I was drowning in the harbor and you saved me. He needs you, Dalton. You can’t give up on him. You just can’t.”

  “So is it true, Aunt Zee, that the Tlingit shamans have special powers?” Britta asked.

  Zee smiled at the child and glanced at Lydia. “I suppose they think they do.”

  “Well, do they or not?”

  Kjerstin rolled her eyes. “You are being silly. Nobody but God has powers.”

  “Your sister is right, Britta. God alone holds the power to do anything,” Lydia replied. “However, sometimes when people seek Him and His will, He allows them the ability to do thin
gs they might not otherwise have been able to do.”

  “Like when the disciples healed people?” Britta asked.

  Her mother nodded. “If the shamans seek God and put Him first in their life, they might find the same ability, but it’s not something they can do by themselves.”

  “And sometimes there are evil powers,” Kjerstin said and looked at her mother. “Isn’t that so?”

  “Yes. There are evil powers at work in this world,” their mother stated. “Satan is always looking for someone to deceive and destroy.”

  Zee handed Britta the dish towel the girl had been embroidering. “Your work is coming along quite nicely.” She sat down across from the child. “Britta, the native people here have lived for generations upon generations with their own stories of creation and how the world has come to be.

  “But many of the Tlingit have come to believe in Jesus, as we do. I know I’ve spoken harshly of the mission school in the past, but I’m starting to see some of the good that has come from it. Many of the children would not have had a chance to get away from superstitious beliefs and practices had they not been forced to live at the school. While I have great sorrow that they should have to give up all of their cultural practices, I suppose I’m better able now to see the benefits they have also enjoyed.”

  Britta frowned and seemed to consider Zee’s words for a moment. “But if they love Jesus then they will be able to do great things—right?” She looked to her mother. “You said that Jesus told the disciples that after He went to heaven they would be able to do even greater things than He did.”

  Lydia nodded. “That’s what the Bible says.”

  “I think that’s really good. That means that the Tlingit will be really strong, then. They have their old ways that gave them powers and now they have Jesus. They can really be strong when they have to do something important.”

  Zee laughed. “Why do you worry over such things, Miss Britta?”

  She shrugged. “I just think it’s good to be strong. That’s all.”

  A knock sounded on the front door before Illiyana and her sister Natasha came bounding into the house. “Hello!” they called out in unison.