Summer of the Midnight Sun

by Tracie Peterson

  Helaina had learned early on that a person had to trust themselves. Trust in their own abilities. That’s why she continued to strive toward improving those abilities. She was intelligent, wellread, could shoot, ride, and even play the piano proficiently. Besides English, she spoke several languages fluently, including French, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, and Italian. The latter two were thanks to housemaids who had worked for her family since Helaina was small.

  These were talents Helaina had worked to understand and improve. Her abilities weren’t God-given, as Mrs. Hayworth would insist; they came instead after hours of hard work. Education was the key, Helaina decided early in life. She was collegeeducated and widely traveled, and she’d come to realize there was really nothing she couldn’t understand or learn if she took the time to do so.

  She was a sensible woman, however, and knew the truth of what her brother had said. Jayce would not be easily fooled or manipulated. It was more than a matter of turning to a textbook or relying on the education she’d collected over the years. Helaina would have to be particularly cunning—even devious. But it was, after all, in the line of duty. Stanley had once told her it all was fair in the service of catching criminals. Lies and manipulation were simply tools they used. Tools that Helaina Beecham used quite skillfully.

  Chapter Four

  The intensity of the storm took everyone in Last Chance by surprise. By the time Leah finished making preparations for Jayce and Jacob, she had no hope of making it to Ayoona’s inne without risking her life. With a sigh, she realized there was no choice but to stick out the storm with Jayce and Jacob. After all, it would probably last only a few hours.

  But the hours dragged by, and it became apparent that the storm had no intention of letting up. The wind blew in gale force, driving the dry powdery snow and ice like daggers through the air. Leah tried not to let the walls close in around her, but just thinking about Jayce being in the next room was more than she could bear.

  I should have left with Ayoona.

  It served no purpose to chide herself on the matter, however. There was nothing to be gained by it. With the wind howling outside, Leah tried to keep her mind on things other than Jayce Kincaid.

  At first she tried to focus on some sewing. Leah loved to sew and had learned to work with the many furs and skins that constituted the bulk of their clothes. When sewing failed to keep her mind occupied, however, Leah directed her thoughts to some much overdue correspondence. For several minutes she jotted a quick note to Miranda Davenport. News had come last fall, just before the ships stopped delivering mail, that Miranda’s mother had passed away after succumbing to pneumonia.

  Miranda had been a good friend to Leah while they were in the Yukon. Sister to the man who had married Karen’s good friend Grace, Miranda was as gentle and sweet a woman as Leah had ever known. Miranda had married an Englishman named Thomas Edward, but everyone called him Teddy.

  After writing to encourage Miranda and Teddy to visit and explore the vegetation that Teddy so loved to study, Leah picked up another piece of paper. She owed Karen a letter and began to share details of the lean spring and Jacob’s long absence. It was hard being away from her surrogate mother. Leah had decided that this would be the year she would journey home to Ketchikan for a long visit, and she wanted to let Karen know well in advance. But before she realized it, Leah was writing of all that was on her heart.

  I don’t know why he’s here now, after all this time. What must God be thinking to bring this man back into my life? I’d like to say that Jayce Kincaid has no effect on me whatsoever, but it isn’t true. Every time I look up to find him watching me, my heart nearly skips a beat. I have to admit I still have feelings for him.

  She stared at the paper, doing her best to deny the words she’d just written. But I do have feelings for him. Feelings that ran the gamut. Leah hadn’t expected so many emotions to emerge. If she was honest, a part of her was actually terrified of having Jayce here. She wanted to put him behind her—to forget about him—but he seemed to want things to go on as they had before her declaration of love. He seemed to want—no, to demand—her friendship . . . and Leah wasn’t sure she could give that anymore. It was one thing to forgive him, but she couldn’t bear to set her heart up for the same kind of misery and pain.

  Leah sighed and put down her pen. She couldn’t just ignore the way he made her feel. She couldn’t deny the thrill that rushed through her when she saw it was Jayce she had embraced and welcomed. Why was he here now—now, after ten years of struggling to lay him to rest in her heart? More important, how could she ever trust him again?

  “You’re sure quiet,” Jayce declared. Leah looked up to find him with two mugs. “I thought you might like some coffee. It’ll warm you up—unless you prefer another bear hug like when I first got here.” He grinned mischievously and extended the mug. “I know I wouldn’t mind.”

  “Thank you, the coffee is fine.” She took the cup and pretended to refocus on the letter, although her hands were shaking.

  “Looks like I got here just in time. You’re so cold you’re shaking.”

  Leah kept her head down to keep him from seeing the embarrassed expression she was sure to be wearing.

  Jayce sat down opposite her, much to her consternation. “You certainly are more serious than I remember. Seems to me you were a more jovial kid when last we met.”

  “I wasn’t a kid then,” she said without looking up, “nor am I now.”

  He laughed and practically slammed the mug on the table. “You weren’t much more than a little girl.”

  She looked up, barely containing her anger. “I haven’t been a little girl since my father died in the Palm Sunday Avalanche seventeen years ago. I was a child of nearly thirteen when it happened—a girl by all accounts—but I grew up that day.” The coffee cup shook even more. “I don’t know why you insist on remembering me as a child, but I’d appreciate it if you’d stop.”

  He looked at her blankly, as if stunned by her outburst. “I didn’t mean to offend you, Leah. It’s just . . . back then you didn’t seem to have the weight of the world on your shoulders. You were happier.”

  “Yes, maybe I was.” She realized she’d sloshed coffee all over the letter and quickly picked it up to dry. Ink ran in a blur with the dark liquid. “Oh, bother.” She crumpled the paper into a tight ball with one hand, while still holding the coffee in the other. “What do you want, Jayce?”

  The bluntness of the question took them both by surprise. He shrugged. “I just wondered what happened to you.”

  Leah wanted to scream, “You happened to me, Jayce Kincaid.” But instead she drew a deep breath, then took a long draw from the mug. The hot coffee felt good against the growing lump in her throat.

  “I grew up,” she finally said rather sarcastically. “If you insist on remembering me as a child ten years ago, then that’s what happened. I grew up and saw the world for what it was.”

  “And what was that?”

  “Cruel. Harsh. Deliberate.” She had no trouble listing her complaints against life.

  “Surely it’s more than that. Jacob said you like it here.”

  “I love Alaska,” Leah said without thought. “I love the people. I’m less impressed with other elements of life, none of which I intend to discuss with you. Why is it you’re here and not somewhere else? Why come to Last Chance when Nome surely offers you more opportunity for . . . for . . . whatever.”

  “Like I said, I needed dogs for the expedition and Jacob has some of the best, or so I’d heard.”

  “His dogs are excellent, but how did you know he was even here?”

  Jayce smiled, lighting up his entire face. Leah swallowed hard and pretended to sip at the coffee. “I went to see your folks in Ketchikan. Adrik was up Sitka way, but Karen told me you and Jacob had moved west. When I caught up with Adrik in Sitka, he told me that Jacob had some of the best dogs in the world. When I mentioned the exploration to the Arctic, he told me that other groups had acquired
hunting dogs from your brother. I figured I might as well do the same. All those folks couldn’t be wrong, after all.” He paused and looked at his cup for a moment. “I had to admit I was stunned at the length of time between visits. I didn’t realize nearly ten years had passed since I’d seen you last.”

  “Time has a way of doing that up here,” Leah admitted. Hadn’t it taken her by surprise as well?

  “Well, I found out where you were and started trekking up this way. It took some doing to get to Nome, but I managed it. When I got there, I was quite excited to learn Jacob was in town. I was prepared to hike out here all on my own.”

  “You’d never have made it,” Leah said, shaking her head.

  “You certainly don’t have much faith in me.”

  She looked him dead in the eye. “No. No, I don’t.”

  Jayce appeared taken aback, his dark, blue-black eyes piercing her with their intense stare. It was then that Leah realized how much he’d aged. Despite the fact that he was still handsome, lines of age were clearly visible around his eyes and mouth. He’s only thirty-two, she thought. Only two years older than me. Do I look aged to him? She touched her cheek absent-mindedly.

  Jayce opened his mouth to reply, then closed it again. For a moment he simply seemed to consider her words. It was a good opportunity, Leah thought, to escape.

  “I need to go. I have things to tend to in the store before bed. I didn’t finish my inventory.” She got to her feet.

  “Sorry I dozed off,” Jacob said as he entered the room. “Sometimes the wind just wears me down. The cookroom was plenty warm too.” He looked at Leah first, then Jayce. “So what have you two been up to?”

  “I tried to write a letter to Karen,” Leah said, glancing back at the table. “But I drenched it in coffee. Guess I’ll start over later. Right now I’m going to finish my inventory. Then I’ll start some supper.”

  “And I thought I might read,” Jayce announced. “Seems like the perfect time for it. Unless, of course, the wind puts me to sleep.”

  “It’s good for little else. There will be plenty of work after the storm. I’m anxious to show you the dogs and see what you think might work for the expedition. And we’ll need to build a couple of sleds and make certain we have the harnesses in good order. It was smart of you to buy that gear in Seattle.”

  “Well, this expedition has been light on funds, and it seemed the wise thing to do. Although I have to admit, I’m not sure I could even hitch a team these days. But the expedition needs me.”

  “What exactly is this expedition hoping to accomplish?” Leah asked, wanting to know more.

  “Mapping, mostly,” Jayce replied. “You know there’s a war on in Europe.” He frowned. “Or maybe you didn’t know. Anyway, you should know about it—after all, it will likely involve us as well.”

  “We didn’t know much,” Jacob admitted. “News travels slowly up here—especially in making its way to Last Chance Creek. I brought home some newspapers, Leah. I knew you’d enjoy them.”

  “Thanks,” she murmured. Against her will she turned back to Jayce. “So why should the war concern us if it’s in Europe? You don’t mean to suggest there will be fighting on American soil, do you?”

  Jayce shook his head and toyed with the coffee mug. “I don’t believe there will be fighting here, but I do believe we will have to join the fighting if the warring factions don’t back down.”

  Leah came back to the table. “But I don’t understand any of this. What does an archduke in Austria-Hungary getting shot have to do with America entering a war?”

  “Because whenever there are people who think they are better than others, and willing to shed innocent blood to prove it, bullies will appear to oppress less powerful folk. I’ve seen the rise of nationalism in Europe. It’s fine to be proud that you’re French or German, but when you believe yourself to be better than everyone else, it leads to problems.”

  Leah still didn’t see this as a reason to go to war. “But that’s their problem—not ours. We’re an ocean away.”

  “Are we?” He raised a brow in challenge. “In case you didn’t realize it, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia. That brought in the Germans to help the Austrians. Of course, in order to help them, the Germans feel they need to attack France, which in turn brings in Russia, who has an agreement with France. One by one, like dominoes, the countries start falling. Of course, Great Britain cannot stand idly by.”

  Leah crossed her arms. “That’s still Europe and not America. Not even North America.”

  “But Russia is only a matter of a short distance by ship. Canada is next door. If Great Britain suffers, Canada will come to her aid. Do you not see how intricately we are all connected?”

  “I thought it to be one big family feud,” Jacob threw in. “Didn’t I read that most of the heads of state involved are somehow related to each other? Maybe Leah’s right and they should just settle it amongst themselves.”

  “But it would be no different than if your friends Karen and Adrik began warring with their children. The more intense the fight, the more damage done. Wouldn’t you want to help them put an end to their conflict?”

  “I suppose, but it’s still seems a long way off,” Jacob answered, not sounding in the least bit upset by the matter. “By the time it comes to that, the war will be over.”

  “I wouldn’t count on it, Jacob. Some issues—some people—will refuse to just back down and leave well enough alone. I wouldn’t count on this being simple. I believe we’ll see people fight to the last man if they are allowed to do so.” Leah didn’t care for the sounds of such things. “But it would have to take something big to involve America,” she said, trying to sound as though she believed it herself. Inside her heart, however, Leah feared Jayce’s comments more than she wanted to admit.

  “Well, that’s part of the reason for the expedition as I mentioned. They are looking to whether we might make more detailed maps of the coast and the islands in the Arctic. We’re also to check for the feasibility of creating airstrips.”

  “That seems out of place up here,” Jacob said, shaking his head. “I can’t believe it will ever happen. You’ll never see planes in this territory; it’s too cold. They’d never be able to endure the harsh elements.”

  “That’s hardly what the rest of the world believes, Jacob.” Jayce leaned back in his chair. Leah thought he looked rather smug. “Of course, the world also said that flight was impossible—that man was intended to keep his feet on the ground. You’ll see, my friend. Air travel will soon be upon us, and Alaska will be no exception. Flight will eventually take over as the main mode of transportation.”

  “I can only imagine how that would connect us to the rest of America,” Jacob said, shaking his head. “Still, I find it impossible to imagine in a place that relies more on boats and dogsleds that airplanes would take over as the main means of travel, but I can tell by your enthusiasm that you don’t consider this lightly.”

  “Indeed not. I’m rarely wrong, Jacob.” He laughed and added, “Maybe I should have said I’m never wrong. You’d do well to believe me.”

  Leah had heard enough. As far as she was concerned, Jayce Kincaid was a visionary with no hindsight or understanding of the past.

  You were wrong about me, Jayce. You were wrong about me.

  Jayce watched Leah walk away. The long tunic she wore, like a parka made out of cloth, kept her sealskin pants from seeming indecent. Most of the native women wore them, and Leah had apparently adopted the fashion. Jayce thought it marvelous. He’d seen missionary wives along the coast who still wore the cumbersome fashions of American housewives, but they were hardly appropriate for Alaskan winters or summers.

  “There are some books on the shelf if you’ve a mind to read. I brought that stack of newspapers, too, but I think you’ve already read them all,” Jacob said as he settled into a chair with the Bible.

  “Do you enjoy it out here—here at the end of the world?” Jayce questioned.

&nb
sp; Jacob looked up. “It’s never seemed like the end of the world to me. It’s isolated, but the people are good. And it’s not as though we can’t move about if need be. I’ve even hiked out across the interior in an emergency. There’s always a way to get where you need to be—if you have the Alaskan spirit driving you.”

  “I never figured you’d stay. In Ketchikan you seemed so miserable.”

  “I guess I was. I wasn’t my own man—I couldn’t figure out what I wanted to do with my life. I was growing up faster than the ideas would come.”

  Jayce laughed and slapped his hand on the table. “And I had ideas faster than the growing up would allow for. We are a pair to be sure.” He smiled at his friend. “Have you given any more thought to my proposition?”

  “Not much. I haven’t had a real chance to pray on it or to discuss it with Leah. I wouldn’t want to just up and leave her here—not without giving her some say in it. And I’m not sure it would be safe for her to stay alone.”

  “So send her back to Karen and Adrik. I know she loves them—probably misses them too.”

  Jacob nodded. “That she does. We’ve talked every year about her going for a visit. I think this year might be the best chance.”

  “See, it would work perfectly. Put her on a ship for Ketchikan and head north with me. It wouldn’t take much persuading—I’m sure of it.”

  Jacob shook his head and put his focus back on the Bible. “I wouldn’t bet on it. You think for some reason that you know my sister pretty well—but I’ve lived with her all of these years and I still can’t figure her out.”

  Jayce said nothing to this. He really couldn’t answer without giving away the awkward feeling inside his gut. Seeing Leah had done something to him. He wasn’t exactly sure what, but he kept feeling an uneasiness that wasn’t entirely unpleasant. In fact, in the back of his mind he wondered whether there might be a chance to rekindle the feelings Leah had claimed to have for him so long ago.