Brides of Alaska

by Peterson, Tracie;

  “Then the rest of us better get with it, or Julie will have everything done before we get out there,” August added.

  “Sounds good,” Sam said and reached over for his own mukluks.

  By the time Julie came back into the kitchen, the men were ready to go. Securing her parka, Julie followed her father and brother, with Sam bringing up the rear. When Vern opened the back door, a gusty wind sent them all back a step, putting Julie squarely into Sam’s arms. Despite Julie’s push to break away, Sam’s grip remained firm. Deciding not to take the action personally, Julie continued to follow her brother into the snow.

  “You come with me, Julie. I’ll show you what I need done,” Vern yelled above the wind. Julie nodded and felt Sam release her as she moved away to go with her father. She watched as Sam went with August to where the dogs were kept behind the house.

  Vern ushered Julie into the outbuilding. While it wasn’t warm, the building provided welcome relief from the blowing snow.

  “Here,” Vern said as he pulled Julie to the medicine cabinet. “I still keep all my concoctions and tonics in here. We’re blessed to have only five dogs with any health problems. One is Sam’s lead dog, Kodiak. He’s getting a little extra care after the soaking he got in the Nome River. Other than that, he’ll be fine and doesn’t really need anything.”

  “Do you want me to feed him?” Julie asked.

  “Yes,” her father replied. “I’ve got a drum of dried fish over in the corner and a barrel of my own special blend for the sick dogs.”

  “What’s wrong with the others?” Julie questioned as she pushed back her parka hood.

  “Buster tangled with a trap. He’s in the pen along the south wall. I had to put twenty-two stitches in his hind leg. That ought to be easy for you to take care of. The rest have a bowel infection. I have a list on the table of what I’ve been giving them and how much food they’re getting.”

  “Sounds simple enough. I’ll start with Buster.”

  “If you’re all right with all of this, I’ll go help the guys with the regular feeding and watering,” Vern replied and opened the door. “It’s mighty bad out there. If you come looking for us or want to help, be sure to tie a rope to the post outside and then to yourself.”

  “I will,” Julie promised and turned to examine Buster as her father closed the door behind him.

  Julie worked for nearly an hour with the sick dogs. She offered each one a tender hand and a soft, soothing voice. The dogs whined and licked at Julie’s hands as she stroked their fur.

  “You’re a good bunch of dogs,” Julie said as she dished out their food into individual tins. The dogs cocked their heads first to one side and then the other, as if trying to understand what she was saying.

  After giving each dog his ration of food and water, Julie pulled her hood up and dug her mittens out of her pocket. Kodiak yipped and whined for extra attention, and Julie couldn’t resist the look on his black-and-white face.

  Putting her mittens on the hard dirt floor, she knelt beside the happy dog. “You’re just like your master,” she said as she rubbed the dog rigorously. “What is it with you two?” Kodiak licked her hand and then, without warning, gave Julie a hearty lick across the lips.

  “You are just like him!” Julie exclaimed and got to her feet. She wiped her face with the back of her parka sleeve, picked up her mittens, and went in search of her father.

  The wind refused to subside. Standing beside the sick dog building, Julie couldn’t see the house, which stood less than twenty feet away. The snow mixed with pelting ice, and Julie winced as it stung her unprotected face.

  Forgetting her father’s warning about tying herself down, Julie felt her way along the building, knowing that the dogs were just to the north. She strained to listen for any sound of conversation or noise as the men worked with the dogs, but the howling wind blended every sound into one massive roar.

  Julie felt her eyelids grow heavy with ice as she moved past the edge of the building and, with outstretched hands, walked in the direction of the dogs.

  Taking ten gingerly placed steps, Julie again squinted her eyes against the ice and snow in order to get her bearings. She couldn’t see anything but snow. She called out to her father and brother, but the wind drowned out her voice. Fear gripped her heart, and Julie scolded herself for being so helpless. Bolstering her courage, Julie pressed forward. The dogs had to be just within reach.

  After struggling against the storm’s pressing power for more than twenty minutes, Julie admitted to herself that she was lost. Angry with herself for not heeding her father’s instructions, Julie began to pray.

  “Lord, I know I’ve done the wrong thing in not listening to my father. Please forgive me and help me find my way out of this storm.” Just then Julie thought she heard the yip of a dog and moved rapidly in the direction of the sound.

  She pushed back her parka in order to better hear and instantly regretted the action. Pulling the hood back into place, Julie wandered aimlessly, searching for any kind of landmark that would distinguish her whereabouts.

  Cold seeped into her bones, bringing excruciating pain to her legs. Julie regretted having not dressed more appropriately for the outdoors. She’d remembered her mukluks and parka, of course, but she hadn’t thought to bring along her scarves or to wear sealskin pants. Now she was paying the price.

  Desperation caused an aching lump to form in her throat, but Julie knew crying would only ensure worse problems. A heavy gust of wind took her by surprise, knocking her into a snowbank. Sitting in the snow, Julie suddenly realized how tired she was. Her mind felt muddled from the strain.

  “If I rest for a minute,” Julie said, rubbing her mittens against her frozen face, “then I’ll feel clearer-headed and be able to go on.” Something inside her warned Julie that this wasn’t wise, but she couldn’t fight the need to rest.

  Looking up, Julie realized she was snow-blind. There was nothing to indicate that civilization was anywhere nearby. When she moved to shift her weight, Julie heard a crunching sound come from within her parka. Ice had formed on her back and chest from the sweat of her search.

  An alarm went off in her mind. That crunching sound meant that she was freezing to death. “Yes,” she thought aloud as she got to her feet. “This is the way you freeze. You have to keep moving, Julie. You can’t rest, or you won’t wake up! Oh God, send someone to find me. Please, God, rescue me before I die.”

  Stumbling in her blindness and pain, Julie fell against the trunk of a tree. She leaned against it for a moment, licked her lips, and forced her mind to focus on moving. “I don’t want to die,” she whispered over and over. “I want to live.”

  Julie wrapped her arms around the trunk and sank into the wet snow. It isn’t at all unpleasant, she thought. If a body has to die, freezing to death is at least a simple way to go. She felt sleep come upon her; they called it “the white death.” Funny, she thought, they also call tuberculosis white death because of the thick, white substance that patients cough up from their lungs. Why had she thought of that? It was strange that something so insignificant to her life as TB should come to her mind now. She’d never need to worry about such diseases again. Not now that she was nearly dead.

  “Good boy, Kodiak. You found her. Julie! Julie, wake up.” Sam’s face floated only inches above hers. “Julie, stand up. Walk with me.” Sam was pulling her to her feet.

  Julie tried to concentrate on his words as Kodiak whined at her knee. She even attempted to give him a smile. “I’m glad you found me,” Julie whispered. She tried to walk, but stumbled and fell against Sam.

  Sam easily lifted Julie into his arms and pulled his way back to safety on the rope he’d secured around his waist. Was he too late? There was no way to tell how long she’d been sitting in the snow. Sam gritted his teeth and prayed that she would live. She has to live, Sam thought as he moved quickly to the house.

  Chapter 5

  Julie heard the men rushing around her. She felt her father
pulling off her parka, while Sam and August worked to unlace her mukluks. She was dazed and groggy from the cold, and only the pain in her feet reminded her that she’d come terribly close to freezing.

  “We’ve got to get her warmed up,” Sam said as he rubbed Julie’s feet.

  “I’ll build up the fire and heat some rocks to put in bed with her,” August offered. “We can pack them around her blankets.”

  “Let’s get her to her room,” Vern suggested.

  “Lead the way,” Sam replied as he got to his feet and lifted Julie before August or Vern could move.

  Vern nodded and August went to the fireplace. Sam followed Julie’s father, ever mindful of Julie’s near-lifeless body.

  “Put her on the bed,” Vern said as he pulled back the covers.

  “We’d better get her out of these clothes,” Sam said, without any concern for the propriety of the situation. “They’re still frozen, but when they thaw, she’ll be soaked.”

  “You’re right of course,” Vern answered with a worried look on his face.

  Sam was already unfastening Julie’s belt as Vern prepared to pull the icy denim jeans from his daughter’s half-frozen frame.

  Pulling off the pants, Vern leaned over and felt the heavy woolen long johns that Julie had wisely thought to wear.

  “These are dry,” he said with a sound of relief.

  “That’s good,” Sam said and added, “but this shirt was sweat-soaked. It was frozen solid, but it’s already starting to melt. I’d suggest you get her a dry one. I’ll leave the room so you can change her privately.”

  Vern nodded. “I’ll take care of it now. You might want to help August.”

  Sam reluctantly left Julie’s side. His brown eyes betrayed the concern in his heart. Dear God, he prayed silently, You must save her! Pausing at the door, Sam shook his head and took a deep breath before adding, Thy will be done.

  August was lining stones in the fireplace when Sam entered the front room.

  “How is she?” August questioned anxiously. He glanced up and met Sam’s worried expression. “Is she going to make it?”

  “I don’t know yet,” Sam said as he handed rocks to August. “She’s pretty cold and her pulse is real slow. I wish I had my duck down comforter. It’s of little use to anyone back at my cabin.”

  “We’ve got a goose down mattress on Pa’s bed,” August said hopefully. “Could we make use of it?”

  “We might be able to cut it open at one end and slide Julie inside,” Sam replied in an eager tone. “Would your father mind?”

  “Not if it’s going to save Julie’s life,” August said, dusting his hands off as he got to his feet. “It belonged to my mother. It was her most beloved possession. She always said it was like sleeping on a cloud. She wouldn’t even use it for everyday. Come on,” he motioned. “Let’s go get it.”

  Sam helped August remove all the bedding, and together they pulled the mattress off the bed.

  “I can manage this,” Sam said as he hoisted the mattress on his back. “You get some of those rocks. Get the flattest ones and we’ll put them under Julie. The rest we can put over and around her.”

  “That ought to warm her up,” August said and went to retrieve the rocks from the fire.

  Julie moaned, speaking in her delirium. “Tried to find the way,” she whispered. “Papa!”

  “I’m here, darling,” Vern said as he finished buttoning the dry flannel shirt he’d just clothed his daughter in. He patted Julie’s arm and talked loudly to her.

  “You can’t sleep now, my Jewels. It’s time to wake up. Come on, we’re all waiting for you.”

  “Too tired,” Julie whispered. “Let me sleep.”

  Just then Sam entered the room, bringing in the feather mattress.

  “If you don’t object, I’d like to cut this open and put Julie inside. I think the goose down will warm her faster than the wool blankets.”

  “That’s brilliant, Sam,” Vern said as he pulled a knife from its sheath on his belt and handed it to him. “Be my guest.”

  Sam sliced the end of the mattress open just as August came in with a tray of warmed rocks.

  “This is going to be a real team effort,” Sam said as goose feathers puffed out of the open end of the mattress. “Vern, if you can hold this, I’ll lift Julie while August arranges the rocks on her bed. After he’s finished, we’ll put the mattress on the rocks and put Julie inside it.”

  The father and son nodded. Sam went to Julie’s bedside. She looked so pale and helpless. Her dark hair spread out around her, making her face seem unnaturally white.

  Sam thought she looked beautiful, more beautiful than any other woman he’d known. He’d lost his heart to her and prayed that she’d live long enough for him to share a place in her heart.

  Cradling Julie as though she were a child, Sam stepped back and let August and Vern work. It was only a matter of seconds before they were ready to put Julie inside the mattress. Together, they eased her down into the goose feathers.

  “Now, August, how about some more of those rocks? We can pack them all around the sides and put some on top as well,” Sam said as he pulled the mattress up to meet just under Julie’s chin.

  Julie murmured incoherent words as the men worked around her.

  “I’ll get some coffee on the stove and warm some cider. That way we can start getting her insides warmed up as well,” Vern suggested. “Sam, would you mind staying with her?”

  “You know I wouldn’t. Go on. I’ll be here, friend,” Sam replied, and Vern hurried from the room.

  When Vern returned, he took turns with Sam and August forcing warm fluids into Julie’s mouth. The passing hours filled the men with apprehension. Were they doing enough or had they forgotten something?

  As warmth entered Julie’s body, she felt as though the blood were thawing in her veins. Pain roused her to consciousness. When she opened her eyes, Sam’s face stared back at her.

  “Hello,” Julie said nonchalantly.

  Sam smiled broadly. “Hello, yourself. How do you feel?”

  “Buried alive,” Julie said as she tried to sit up.

  “You stay put, Jewels,” her father spoke authoritatively. “You nearly froze to death.”

  “I remember,” Julie said as she fell back against the pillow.

  “You gave us a bad scare, little sister,” August said, leaning over the foot of Julie’s bed. “I think you aged me ten years, and I’m positive you did the same to Sam.”

  “That’s for sure,” Sam laughed.

  Julie shook her head at the three men.

  “How long did it take for you to find me?” she asked.

  “That depends on how long you were with the dogs,” Sam answered.

  “It couldn’t have been much more than an hour. Maybe half again as much.”

  “Well, let’s see.” Vern figured in his head. “We started around nine. That would’ve made it ten or ten-thirty when you left the building. We didn’t find out that you were missing until noon. After that we took turns looking for you. Sam and Kodiak found you just after two.”

  “Kodiak?”

  “That’s right. When we weren’t having any success finding you, we decided to get help from the dogs. Since you’d been working with Kodiak, we put him onto your scent, and he helped Sam locate you.”

  “Is he all right?” Julie questioned weakly.

  “Who? Sam?” Vern teased.

  “No, no. Kodiak. He didn’t get too cold, did he?”

  “You stop worrying about that dog. He’s doing fine,” Vern chided. “We need to know how you feel.”

  “I hurt,” Julie answered honestly. “I suppose that’s a good sign. I feel like I ought to be issuing a lot of thank you’s.” She looked at the three men who watched her so intently and added, “I thank God for all of you.”

  Vern’s eyes grew misty. “Come on, August. Let’s get some more rocks heated. Sam, you make sure she drinks more of this hot cider.”

  “I will,”
Sam promised as Vern and August disappeared out the door.

  Julie looked at Sam. He hadn’t shaved, and the shadow of stubble on his face only made him more handsome. “Thank you for saving me,” she whispered.

  “You’ve already thanked me,” Sam stated as he helped her to drink the cider. “Several times.”

  “I did? When?”

  “When I found you. When you were lying here muttering in your sleep. In fact,” Sam said with a self-assured grin, “you said quite a few interesting things.”

  Julie swallowed hard to steady her nerves. “I did? Well, I imagine the cold affected my mind.”

  “Oh, I don’t know about that,” Sam said in a thoughtful way that made Julie wonder what she’d said.

  “Just who are you, anyway?” she questioned, causing Sam to burst out laughing.

  “What a question! You know full well who I am. Your brother and I have known each other for seven years.”

  “I know all that,” Julie said as she stared at the ceiling to avoid losing herself in Sam’s eyes. “I want to know, well, I want to know more.”

  Sam laughed. “All right. Where would you like me to begin?”

  Julie’s forehead furrowed slightly as she considered what she wanted to ask. “I suppose at the beginning,” she finally answered. “Where were you born?”

  “Sacramento, California, in 1889—although we weren’t there long enough for the ink to dry on the Bible entry. My father was bent on finding gold. He was always late to everything, including the gold rush.”

  Julie laughed. “Unlike his son, who seems to make a habit of arriving right on time.”

  “My father had big dreams. He was one of the reasons I came on up to Nome after my mother died,” Sam answered.

  “Is your father dead as well?”

  Sam nodded. “He got into a fight over a claim. The man took a knife out and killed him then and there. They strung the killer up not twenty feet from where my father lay dead and hanged him. My mother was never the same after that. She was left with three children and had no idea how to support them. The miners were good to her, however. They took up a collection and gave her three hundred dollars.”