The Blushing Bride

by Judith Stacy

  Some of the men nodded politely and tipped their hats. Others nudged each other in the side and pointed. Frowns rippled through the group. Some of them stopped, causing a pileup behind them. A murmur went through the crowd. After a moment, they’d all stopped and were staring.

  Amanda had nothing against any of the men, personally. In fact, deep down they were just the sort of men many of her prospective brides wanted. But on the surface, it was an entirely different matter.

  Buck Johansen conferred with the loggers, then walked over to Amanda. He touched the brim of his battered hat respectfully.

  “Miss Pierce, the men are asking if they can have a look at that catalog of yours,” Buck said.

  Amanda glanced at Jason, then back to Buck.

  “Actually, it hasn’t been decided whether my brides will come to the mountain, or not,” she said.

  “I know,” Buck said. “But my men would appreciate it if they could just look at the pictures.”

  It was a simple request, one Amanda could not refuse.

  She fetched her catalog from her satchel and carried it to where the loggers were gathered. She smiled, and opened the book displaying rows and rows of pictures of her Becoming Brides.

  The men crowded close, elbowing each other, craning their necks to see. Amanda held the pages open as they looked, their eyes moving from one picture to another in reverent appreciation. The loggers went past in a long procession, some of them tipping their hats politely, a few mumbling their thanks.

  When they were all gone, Buck took a long look at the pictures, sighed, then thanked Amanda and headed up the skid road with his crew.

  Amanda closed the catalog, touched by the look on some of the men’s faces. She’d thought before how lonely it was on the mountain for the few women who lived here. Now she realized that the loggers were just as lonely.

  A little lump of sadness settled in her chest. Wasn’t this why she’d started the Becoming Brides Matrimonial Service in the first place? To find partners for people? To make families? To keep others from being so lonely?

  Amanda walked back to the freight wagon. Jason was still there, staring at her. Meg was watching her, too. Ethan had eased a little closer to Meg, fascinated, it seemed, by little strands of her hair blowing across her cheek.

  Shady took the catalog from her. “So, are we getting brides up here, or ain’t we?”

  Amanda turned to Jason. “I’m willing to discuss the matter.”

  Jason gestured toward his office across the camp. “After you, Miss Pierce.”

  They walked down the road, side by side. Halfway to the office, Jason caught Amanda’s arm, steadying her over the roughest terrain. Warmth spread up her arm, tingling at his gentle touch. She glanced up at him, but he kept his gaze focused on the office.

  They walked inside together and Jason pushed the door shut. He tossed his hat on the desk.

  Amanda was a little uncomfortable being in Jason’s office again. The last time she was here she’d thought he was going to kiss her. And the time before that he had, in fact, kissed her. Would he do the same now?

  Gracious, such thoughts, Amanda decided. She was here to discuss her brides. Nothing more. Determinedly, she focused on the business at hand.

  Jason seemed lost himself, for a moment or two. Finally, he turned to her.

  “Let me say right off, Miss Pierce, that I don’t think too highly of you for coming here, getting my men all stirred up, then refusing to bring your brides,” Jason said. “You shouldn’t have started this if you didn’t intend to follow it through.”

  “I came here to investigate a business opportunity,” Amanda said. “Don’t tell me you’ve never done that, then decided it wasn’t right for you.”

  “Well, yes, I’ve done that,” Jason admitted. “But this is different. You’re fooling around with peoples’ feelings. It’s just not right.”

  “It was never my intention to hurt anyone,” Amanda said.

  Jason watched her closely for a few minutes and Amanda’s skin warmed under his gaze. Was he deciding if she was telling the truth? she wondered. Was he wondering if he could trust her?

  Or was he thinking about kissing her again?

  Abruptly, Jason sat down behind his desk.

  “Let’s get down to business. I’ve got things to do,” he said. “Why don’t you want to bring your brides up here?”

  “I think the first issue we should discuss is why you don’t want them here,” Amanda said, and sat down in the chair in front of his desk.

  “I already explained that,” Jason said.

  Amanda shook her head. “You gave me a few reasons, but I think there’s more to it than that. Something deeper.”

  Jason shifted in his chair. “I asked my question first.”

  “So you did.” Amanda thought for a moment, trying to come up with a delicate way to phrase her objections.

  “Just spit it out, Miss Pierce, whatever it is,” Jason said.

  It disturbed her that he frequently seemed to know what she was thinking.

  “All right,” Amanda said. “Frankly, Mr. Kruger, your men smell bad.”

  He raised an eyebrow at her. “They do?”

  “Don’t tell me you haven’t noticed.”

  Jason shrugged noncommittally.

  “Well, they do,” Amanda said. “I couldn’t hazard a guess on when any of them last bathed, not to mention had a haircut, or a shave. Really, Mr. Kruger, can you imagine a wagonload of women arriving and finding your men as their intended husbands? They’d stampede back down the mountain.”

  Jason pulled on his chin. “Well, you’ve got a point there.”

  “And there are no facilities here for my brides,” Amanda said. “No place for them to live.”

  “Won’t they be living with their husbands?”

  “Not immediately,” Amanda said. “You didn’t think we’d have weddings performed as the brides climb off the wagon, did you?”

  Jason shrugged as if he didn’t see anything wrong with that.

  “Aside from no place for the brides to live, there’s no school, and no church,” Amanda said, “And your men have no sense of decorum.”

  Jason leaned closer. “Decorum?”

  “Yes, it means—”

  “I know what it means,” Jason said. “But what do you expect from lumberjacks?”

  “I expect them to behave exactly as they do,” Amanda said. “And that’s just the reason they are unacceptable for my brides.”

  Jason studied her. “So that’s it? Those are your reasons? You’re saying that if my men get cleaned up and learn some manners, you’ll bring your brides up here?”

  “No, there’s still one thing I need,” Amanda said. “I need an answer to the question I asked you a few minutes ago, Mr. Kruger. Why don’t you want my brides here?”

  Jason sat back in his chair. “It’s enough that I changed my mind and I want your brides now. Let’s just leave it at that.”

  “I find that unsatisfactory,” Amanda said.

  Jason reared back farther in his chair and glared at her, unaccustomed to having anyone on his mountain disagree with him. Amanda could see Jason Kruger was a man used to getting his own way.

  She folded her hands in her lap. “I don’t see how we can make this project work if you’re not willing to be honest with me.”

  Jason got up from his desk and walked to the window. He kept his back to her as he stared outside.

  “Mr. Kruger?”

  He didn’t answer, leading Amanda to believe that her hunch had been right. Jason did have other reasons for not wanting brides on his mountain, other than the ones he’d laid out for her earlier.

  “Are you married?” Amanda asked.

  He glanced back at her. “Hell, no.”

  “Were you ever married?”

  “No.”

  “Engaged?” Amanda asked. “Hurt by a woman you loved? Have your marriage proposal turned down?”

  Jason turned to her, frowning. �
�Miss Pierce, I just don’t like having women around. I don’t like the way they take over, how men turn to a bowl of mush and do whatever they want.”

  “What woman turned you into a bowl of mush?”

  “Nobody,” he told her.

  “It must have been someone,” Amanda said. “Someone who hurt you.”

  Jason paced across the room, waving the idea away with his hands. “It was nobody.”

  “Mr. Kruger, we’re never going to work out this situation if you won’t tell me the truth.”

  He stopped and stared at her for a moment.

  “My mama,” he finally said. “She had us moving from one end of the country to the other, then back to the other again. Wanting to live here, then there, then someplace else. Looking for a business one place, a way to make more money some other place.”

  Amanda was stunned by the bitterness in his words. What he was telling her was personal, highly personal. She hadn’t meant to pry, hadn’t expected to discover a spot so raw. Still, it touched her that Jason was sharing this with her. She knew he was a man unlikely to do such a thing.

  “And your father went along with that?” she asked gently.

  “Never opened his mouth,” Jason said. “Whatever she wanted to do, that was just fine and dandy with him. I don’t even know how many different places we lived. How many relatives I got dumped off on.”

  “That must have been difficult for you,” Amanda said.

  Jason flung out his hand. “I’ve got brothers and sisters scattered everywhere. Hell, some of them I wouldn’t recognize if they walked through the door right now.”

  “And you blame your father for not stopping your mother?” Amanda said.

  “He let her walk all over him. Whatever made her happy was all right with him,” Jason said.

  “Your childhood must have been very painful.”

  Jason didn’t answer. He walked to the window and stared out again.

  His reasons for not wanting her brides on his mountain were very clear to Amanda now. And, really, given what he’d been through, she couldn’t blame him. His feelings were genuine.

  Amanda crossed the room and stood at his side, gazing up at his profile as he continued to look out the window.

  “You’re right,” she said softly. “Things do change when women are involved.”

  Jason glanced down at her, but didn’t say anything.

  “Yet change is exactly what your men want,” Amanda said. “If you expect me to bring my brides up here, Mr. Kruger, you’ll have to accept that things on your mountain will change, too.”

  “Maybe they’ll have to change,” Jason said, “but that doesn’t mean I have to like it.”

  “You don’t have to like it, but you do have to cooperate.”

  He didn’t like being told what to do. Amanda saw it in the tightening of his jaw and the squaring of his shoulders. Jason Kruger was a man used to giving orders, not taking them.

  “Just so we’re clear on one thing,” Jason said. “Work comes first around here. Nothing is more important than meeting that railroad contract. Understand?”

  “Perfectly,” Amanda said.

  Jason’s expression hardened a little more. “I won’t have you taking advantage of my men.”

  “I assure you, Mr. Kruger, that won’t happen.”

  Jason studied her, as if once again determining whether or not he could trust her. From his expression, Amanda could tell what he’d decided.

  “I’ll pull some men off the crew and get them started on a place for your brides to live,” Jason said. “I want those brides up here as soon as it’s ready.”

  Amanda’s chin went up a notch. “You just be sure the dormitory is ready by the time I get my brides here.”

  She’d had enough of Jason Kruger and his high-handed ways. Amanda turned to leave, but he caught her arm with the slightest of touches. It stopped Amanda cold in her tracks.

  Deep lines cut into his forehead, and his green eyes had turned a hard gray. She imagined that look frightened every logger he turned it on. It made her heart beat faster and her breath come quicker, but not from fear.

  “I don’t want any problems with my men because of your brides,” Jason told her.

  Amanda pulled her arm from his grasp. “If you think that is within anyone’s control, Mr. Kruger, you really have been on this mountain too long.”

  Chapter Eight

  The cookhouse was crowded when Jason walked in. The morning air held a chill, but it was warm inside. The aroma of breakfast and the chatter of his men drifted through the room.

  A workday, just like every other day. Jason liked the sameness. He liked waking up in his bed, looking out at his mountain, knowing what lay ahead. Sure, there were problems and challenges he faced regularly, but they were all similar in nature, and he could handle them.

  But this morning, things felt different.

  Jason sat down at a table beside his brother at the back of the cookhouse. One of the cook’s helpers poured him a cup of coffee. Jason drank a sip.

  “You look like hell,” Ethan said, around a mouthful of scrambled eggs.

  “I feel like hell,” Jason mumbled, and rubbed his eyes.

  “Up all night having sweet dreams about Miss Pierce?” Ethan asked.

  “No,” Jason said quickly. Too quickly.

  “I heard she’s staying,” Ethan said.

  Since talking to Amanda yesterday afternoon, Jason hadn’t seen Ethan to let him know they’d come to an agreement. Ethan had been busy all evening with a problem at the sawmill. But, somehow, word had gotten out and had spread all over the mountain that the brides were coming.

  “It will be good,” Ethan said. “You’ll be glad you agreed, Jason.”

  “All I’m glad about is that we can get to work on that railroad contract,” Jason said.

  He filled his plate from the platters on the table and ate rather than discuss the matter with Ethan any further. Jason still had his doubts about the women coming up to his mountain. But because of the railroad contract, he’d had to go along with it.

  But he hadn’t had to tell Amanda about his mother and father.

  Jason cringed at the memory of how easily he’d poured out his personal problems to Amanda yesterday afternoon. He’d said things to her he’d never said to another person. She knew things about him no one else on the mountain knew.

  And he’d just spewed them out. Opened his mouth and out they poured, as if she were his dearest friend, his closest confidant. Jason didn’t even like talking to Ethan about their parents. Yet he’d talked to Amanda about them.

  Jason sipped his coffee trying to clear his thoughts. Women. This was just the kind of problem they created.

  Determined to get down to business, Jason turned to his brother.

  “This morning I want you to…”

  Jason’s voice trailed off as a wave of silence crossed the cookhouse. He saw Amanda standing at the door.

  She was a pretty woman, no doubt about it. This morning she was all done up in pink, looking fresh and clean, all proper and dignified. Like a fine lady ought to look.

  Along with every other man in the cookhouse, Jason just stared. He got lost in the vision of Amanda outlined by the morning sun streaming in around her, until Ethan elbowed him in the side.

  “If nothing else,” Ethan said, “the scenery sure has improved around here.”

  Jarred out of his stupor, Jason left the table and crossed the cookhouse. Amanda waited by the door, serene, aware that every eye in the place was trained on her, and smiled pleasantly at his men.

  Then she turned that smile on Jason. His knees weakened for a fraction of a second and he felt his chest tighten just a bit, which irritated him.

  “Step outside, Miss Pierce,” he said.

  “I’ll just wait here until you finish eating,” Amanda said. “That way I won’t disturb you.”

  She’d already done that, in more ways than she would ever know.

  “Outside.�
�� Jason jerked his chin toward the door, then remembered himself. “If you please, Miss Pierce.”

  She gave a pleasant little nod to the loggers seated at the tables, then walked out the door. Jason trailed after her swaying bustle.

  “I thought this morning after breakfast might be a good time to discuss the brides with your crew,” Amanda said when they stopped outside the cookhouse. “I need an exact count of how many men are interested in acquiring brides, so plans can be made accordingly.”

  “Plans?”

  “Yes, plans,” Amanda said. “How many brides I must arrange for, how much housing they’ll require, furnishings they’ll need, additional supplies.”

  “Well, sure,” Jason said, a little surprised Amanda had put so much thought into the situation.

  “This might be a good opportunity for the men to understand what’s expected of them, as well,” Amanda said.

  “You mean about how they stink and don’t have any manners?”

  “I’d planned to put it a little more delicately than that,” Amanda said, and gave him a small smile.

  Jason wished she hadn’t smiled at him. It made him smile back, and he didn’t want to.

  “That’s why I’d better talk to them about it,” he said.

  They went back inside. Only one or two loggers were still eating, but none had left his seat. They were all staring at Amanda, and it bothered Jason. He stepped in front of her.

  “All right, listen up,” Jason said, his voice carrying through the cookhouse. “Any man wanting to hear what Miss Pierce has to say about finding a bride, wait here. The rest of you head out.”

  Slowly, some of the men got to their feet and made their way out the door, but not without craning their necks for a better view of Amanda. About half the crew remained seated at the trestle tables.

  She smiled easily at the men and stepped from behind Jason.

  “I’m pleased to see so many of you are interested in my brides,” Amanda said. “Let’s get down to business. First of all, the usual price for acquiring a Becoming Bride is two hundred dollars. However, since there are so many of you interested, I can reduce that to one hundred fifty.”