by Jamie Carie
Noah was hesitant. A man didn’t really like to admit that he had a woman as a business partner. He knew what Jacko would think—was already thinking. “Oh it’s nothing really. She wants to mine for gold, so I thought we would take a look at the streams on my land come spring.” He hoped that sounded neutral enough to suit both of them, but looking at Elizabeth, the way she sat straight up and stiff in her chair and didn’t meet his eyes, he knew he had made a mistake.
Noah felt a rush of anger. The thought of not having an excuse to see her again after he left her in Juneau didn’t sit at all well with him, and yet, with Jacko questioning their plans, making him speak them aloud, they sounded exactly how they really were. He just wanted her to come back; he just wanted her. Confound it, what was she doing to him? She wasn’t right for him. She didn’t have any of the qualities he needed in a wife. She was feisty, unpredictable, too young, too fragile, and worst of all, she tied his stomach up in knots half the time. It’d be a living hell. What was he even thinking? Shaking his head, he looked down at his now-empty plate, wishing there was more food to keep his hands busy.
Elizabeth must have seen his confusion. She looked at him with a small smile, understanding, and something else in her eyes, like she was considering something, weighing it. It made him anxious, thinking he had really angered her.
She stood, taking his plate, walked to the stove and placed another steak on it. Setting it in front of him, she stated, “We’re even. You may have filled my plate too full, but now I haven’t filled yours full enough.”
Noah nodded at her and cut off a thick piece.
She turned to Jacko. “Would you care for seconds, Mr. Cherosky?”
The blond nodded and winked. “Call me Jacko and I’ll call you Liz. How about that?”
Elizabeth smiled at him. “I suppose that would be all right.”
Noah grasped the handle of his knife tightly and sawed at his meat, noticing how warm and inviting that smile was. She never smiled at him like that.
Taking his plate to the stove, Elizabeth dished up the last of the meat. Then she refilled all their coffee mugs and sat back down.
Between bites Jacko asked, “So, Liz, Noah said he found you on his doorstep in the middle of a blizzard. I must say, the good Lord must have had a guardian angel looking out for you that night. It’s a miracle you found this place.”
Elizabeth nodded, cup suspended under her lips. “Yes, I was very lucky. I do believe Noah saved my life.”
“I didn’t do that much,” he heard himself remark, remembering all that he had done. God help him, he was turning into an idiot right here in front of her. Fighting for control, he made himself lean back in his chair, keep his mouth closed, and drink his coffee.
“I’m sure that isn’t true,” Elizabeth said sincerely, looking him square in the eyes. “I will be forever in your debt, Noah Wesley.” Her voice had softened and taken on an almost seductive tone.
The room was silent. The undercurrent of emotion between them was impossible to repress.
“Noah mentioned you’ll be going back to Juneau? Can I help with anything?” Jacko asked with grinning enthusiasm, breaking the tension.
“Actually, yes,” Noah replied. “It would help tremendously if you could stay here and take care of the animals while I take Elizabeth down to Juneau. I’d like to stay in town two or three days to get supplies and help her get settled.” Looking over at Elizabeth he said, “If that’s all right with you.”
Elizabeth nodded, giving him that unreadable look of hers.
“Sure, I’d be glad to help out. I was planning to stay at least a week.” Patting his flat stomach, Jacko added, “I need to get back to the wilderness anyway. Keeps a man on his toes, and I could use a little toughening up after being in Seattle for a month. The climate’s downright balmy by comparison down there.”
Looking back and forth between them, Jacko asked, “When do you leave and what’s the plan once you reach Juneau?”
“I’ll get things ready tomorrow. We can head out early the next morning. The days are so short now, and I would like to make it in the daylight. As far as the plan, I’m taking her to the trading post in Juneau. Will and Cara have their hands full with all the miners waiting out the winter. I’m thinking they could use the extra help.”
“You’re probably right. I forgot to mention it before, but Cara’s expecting. She would be glad to have an extra pair of hands, especially after the baby’s born.”
“When is her baby due?” Elizabeth asked.
Jacko shrugged as he took a bag of tobacco from his front shirt pocket. “Didn’t ask, but I could tell she was carrying so probably not too long.”
Directing her gaze to Noah, Elizabeth inquired, “What will I be doing at the trading post?”
Noah shrugged. “You would probably learn to measure gold dust on the scales and trade it for the goods the miners need to buy. With your experience, you could help outfit a miner with supplies for the trail.”
Jacko looked thoughtfully at her and added, “Will wouldn’t hide you in the back, that’s for sure. He’s one to take advantage of an opportunity to make extra money, and with a pretty woman dishing out the goods, he’ll figure you to be good for business.”
Noah saw the nervous look in her eyes and reached out to grasp her hand. “You’ll be fine with Will and Cara. Will is like a brother to me, and Cara is a wonderful woman. They will take good care of you, I promise. I wouldn’t take you there if I didn’t know that for a fact. You understand?”
“Yes, of course. I guess it just took me by surprise, so soon and all.” She closed her mouth, hesitated, and said, “I guess I’ll miss you.”
Noah looked at Jacko and then back at Elizabeth, flushing around the collar. Would the blushing ever stop now that it had started? “I’ll come and see you as often as I can,” he assured.
Jacko laughed, “And I’ll stop by, too. Why, I live right in town. I can stop in every day if you get lonesome.”
Elizabeth squealed as Jacko dodged a bone that suddenly sprung up from Noah’s plate and propelled itself toward his head.
Jacko roared with laughter. “OK, OK, I’ll only come every other day.”
* * *
May 24, 1885
Dear Mrs. Rhodes,
Please know my desire to be of service to you is unflagging, but I have unfortunately been unable to find further clues. The New York Orphan Asylum has threatened to have me arrested should I show up again. This, of course, makes me all the more determined. I am sure they are covering up the unsavory details of Elizabeth’s flight, and I suspect they are being paid for their silence as they have just finished an additional wing from an anonymous benefactor. The more I have prodded into the details of the addition, the more threatening to my person the orphanage and builder have become. I have begun to carry a gun. At the risk of sounding cracked, I sometimes feel as if something dark is looming over my shoulder. It’s very disquieting, really, but again, makes me more determined than ever. Rest assured, we will not stop until we have found her.
Sincerely yours,
Jeremiah Hoglesby
Private Detective for Hire
Seven
She couldn’t sleep. The room was cozy warm with the perpetual fire crackling and popping, the quilt tucked up tight under her chin. Tomorrow they would prepare for the trip to Juneau and the next day they would leave. Just two more days with him.
Noah had given Jacko the bed, while Noah slept on a thick fur between the fire and where she lay on the sofa. He had fallen asleep right away tonight, with the kind of deep and even rising and falling of his broad chest that spoke of easy contentment, of a peaceful, steadfast nature. His blanket was another long, dark fur. Elizabeth couldn’t help but think about what it would feel like to lie between those two silky surfaces. She turned away and closed her eyes. She didn’t want to watch him. She told herself it was impossible to consider anything with Noah other than a surface friendship, a sham business partnership
. But still, she couldn’t sleep. She could hear Jacko’s loud snoring from the bed. A movement from Noah regained her attention. He had rolled over onto his back and the fur had slipped down a few more inches. Firelight danced over his dark form, illuminating then shadowing, revealing and hiding, mesmerizing her. Turning her face to the ceiling, she squeezed her eyes shut. What was wrong with her? Not even Ross, the only man she had believed herself in love with, had made her feel like this man did. Turning back she stared at him, trying to reason it out in her mind.
His feet must be cold, sticking out from the bottom like that. Glancing around she saw the heavy cotton shirt she had mended after dinner while the men talked. He would probably kick it off, but she thought it was worth the effort. After all the care he had given her, he could use some in return, couldn’t he? She slipped out of her makeshift bed and sidled over to the shirt. Whisking it from the back of the rocker, she crept over to the sleeping form and spread out the shirt, letting it float gently onto his feet.
She jumped when a hand suddenly clamped around her wrist. “Elizabeth?” the groggy, deep voice asked. “What are you doing? Is something wrong?”
She’d been caught. Biting her lower lip and standing in her thin undergarments, she started shivering, her teeth chattering. “I-I-I w-wasn’t doing any-anything,” she said, trying to pull away from the grip on her arm.
Noah easily drew her closer until she was kneeling in front of him and whispered, “You were doing something. Why are you up? Are you all right?”
Elizabeth looked down at his chest and sighed. She couldn’t possibly tell him the truth. It was ridiculous.
* * *
NOAH WAS FULLY awake now and growing more uncomfortable by the moment. She was sitting there in front of him with the firelight casting dancing shadows on her curves, her gown tangled up around her bare legs. Forcing his eyes to her face, he concentrated on keeping them there. But all he could see was the top of her silky hair. Putting a thumb under her chin he tilted her face up. That was a mistake. When he saw the smoldering depths of her eyes, he knew. God help him … she wanted him.
He fought a quick internal battle and lost, unable to resist her quiet call—had even been waiting and hoping for it in some innate part of his soul. Slowly he pulled her toward him, her knees sliding across the silky surface toward him, until she was close enough to touch him. He leaned up, bracing himself with one arm to reach for her, leaning toward her until he could feel her quick breaths across his face. He lifted higher, feeling the fur slip down to his waist, feeling the cool air in front of him and the warmth of the fire on his back, feeling the rush of blood pound in his ears as he reached for her lips.
They were cold and she was still shivering. Whether from cold or something else, Noah wasn’t sure, but he wanted her warm and comfortable. Putting a strong arm around her waist, he pulled her closer, down into the fur nest with him, feeling her stomach come flush against his, feeling the small mounds of her breasts against his chest, and all the while pulling the fur over them where it could warm her.
“Elizabeth,” he whispered into her hair, next to her ear, sending a shiver through her body.
His lips grazed the line of her delicately made jaw, then into the crook of her neck, then back to where her breath mingled with his. His hand slid up to the back of her neck and then around, his thumb caressing her cheek. Their breaths intermingled, becoming one. Her eyes looked like dark pools, their depths unreadable, unfathomable. Her lips were still as he touched them, wanting a response, wanting what her eyes just moments ago had promised him.
An eerie feeling assailed him. Something was not right. He lifted his head and gazed into her eyes once again. Noah suddenly knew she was somewhere else, that she wasn’t in the room with him anymore. He touched her cheek gently. “Elizabeth?”
As reality returned to her eyes she became alive. Bracing her free hand on his chest, she pushed away and whispered desperately, “No. Don’t touch me.”
He looked back into her eyes, holding her to him by her wrist, to find fear had replaced the nothingness. Some sense told him fear was the better of the two. “What’s wrong, Elizabeth? I won’t hurt you.”
She shook her head and tried to pull away. “No, I’m sorry … I didn’t mean … you can’t.”
He abruptly let go of her wrist. “Elizabeth … what’s wrong?”
When she didn’t answer, just looked confused and terrified, he reached out for her, but she scrambled farther away. “You know you can trust me, Elizabeth. I would never harm you.”
She shook her head, tears gathering in her eyes and whispered, “Good night, Noah.” She went back to the sofa and rolled away from him, pulling the quilt up to her neck.
He looked at her slight form under the blanket and felt like cursing. What was wrong with her? What was wrong with him? Just when he thought they were going to get closer, she once again closed herself off. Would he ever really know her?
Why Lord? Why did I have to fall in love with this woman?
* * *
AS AUTUMN ASSERTED itself, darkness crept increasingly into the daylight. It was mid-November and Noah hoped they would have enough daylight to make it to Juneau, although he and his lead dog, Shelby, had made it in the dark before. Looking across the room, he saw that Elizabeth was still asleep. Rising, he folded the furs and walked quietly over to where she lay. He gazed down at the translucent creamy skin, the dark hair spread around her pillow. He didn’t want her to leave, wished he had time to court her and make her want to be in his arms. He wished he had time to help her conquer the demons that seemed to hound her. She needed him.
Common sense told him it was a good thing Jacko had come when he had, though. He knew that after last night he shouldn’t be spending the night alone with her. He’d prayed for a blizzard, which would have gotten him into a lot of trouble, being holed up alone together for days, but instead Jacko had shown up ready to watch the place, leaving Noah without an excuse to put off the trip. Her feet were much better, and it was time to take her back to Juneau. But he promised himself he’d make as many trips into town as the winter would allow. He wasn’t about to let her get away.
The day went by as if weights were dragging the clock hands. He’d been grouchy all morning and had barked orders at both of them while packing for the journey. Elizabeth was quiet and somber, meekly accepting his gruff commands. But Jacko … Jacko was enjoying every minute of Noah’s distemper.
Noah tried once more at noon to get Jacko away from Elizabeth. “Why don’t you come see the dogs, Jacko,” he grumbled. “I could use your help.”
Jacko winked at Elizabeth and said brightly, “Naw, we’ve got plans for this afternoon, don’t we, Liz?”
She looked from one to the other and compressed her lips.
Noah wanted to drive his fist right into Jacko’s smiling mouth. He wouldn’t look so pretty with a few front teeth missing. Growling, he shoved away from the table. “Suit yourselves.” He swung into his coat and stomped out the door. He strode to the barn, balling his hands into fists and muttering, “Who needs them anyway.” Plans! He knew just what kind of plans Jacko would like to have with Elizabeth. Never mind they were very similar to his own. The man had no scruples; he’d seduce his best friend’s sister given half a chance.
Swinging the barn door open, Noah walked over to his horse and picked up the brush. With more energy than needed he applied his frustration to the supple, brown coat. The repetitive action heartened him.
He was nearly finished when Elizabeth burst through the door, shouting, “Noah, come quick, the cabin’s on fire!”
“Fire?” Noah burst out as he dropped the brush and dashed out of the door, Elizabeth at his heels. Fire was a dreaded thing in Alaska. Shelter could mean the difference between life and death, especially during the winter months. Noah threw off his parka as he ran, having on an old pair of work overalls underneath. He burst through the open door and took in the scene.
The smoke was thick, but
Noah quickly determined the flames were concentrated near the stove. Jacko was beating out flames on the floor with his foot. What jerked him into action was seeing a trail creep toward his bookcase and precious books.
“There’s no more water in the cabin!” Jacko shouted. Noah swept the quilt off the bed. With his boots and the blanket he stomped out the fire on the floor and turned toward the stove. Elizabeth ran in the door with a bucket of water from the barn sloshing over her sleeves. Noah moved just in time as she threw the water onto the stove, making a long hissing sound and sending steam and smoke into their faces.
It didn’t take them much longer to extinguish the fire. After the last flame was out they checked the cabin thoroughly for hidden flames. Finding none, Jacko and Noah followed Elizabeth to the yard, taking deep breaths of the cold air.
“Are you OK?” Noah asked Elizabeth.
She nodded, hugging herself in answer.
“What happened?” Noah asked, looking first at Jacko’s blackened face and then Elizabeth’s smoke-ringed eyes.
Jacko coughed and held up his hand. “It was my fault. I was trying out a new recipe.”
Noah scowled at him. “A new recipe, huh? What kind of concoction were you mixing up in there, Jacko?”
Jacko grinned, unrepentant and Noah growled at him knowingly. “I was just showing Liz here how to make a little miner’s punch. The knowledge could prove valuable to her at the post. You know how much Will likes my punch.”
Noah shook his head and turned his penetrating gaze on Elizabeth.
She grimaced. “I’m sorry, Noah. He said to add pepper-sauce, and when I did the fumes nearly took my breath away.
I backed up into the table and knocked over the lamp. The kerosene caught fire right away.”
Noah nodded. He had seen the broken glass of the lantern and had suspected a kerosene fire.
