White Water Passion

by Dawn Luedecke

  “It was either that or let her climb the burning hill to find you. Either way she was going to help. Where I come from a woman doesn’t sit back and let the men folk do everything while they sit at home knitting doilies. They hike their skirts up and charge into battle with their man. What matter is it anyway? She’s had her pretty little neck buried deep in danger ever since the start of the season. She proved to be one of us. You didn’t seem to mind then.”

  Garrett faced his friend head on. “You have no idea what’s been going on the last few months. I did mind, but there’s no stopping Elizabeth when she gets an idea in her head, and we need her.”

  “Need her?” Wall sent him a curious look. “We need her, or you need her? I was thinking about courting her, once all this mess is situated, but if you’re sweet on the girl…”

  Wall’s words trailed off, and Garrett knew he’d intended for him to speak up and defend his right to Beth, but he couldn’t. “Have you seen Luther? I’ve been searching for him ever since I got back with Beth.”

  “You’re not going to answer?”

  “Answer what? You didn’t ask a question, but I did. Have you seen Luther?”

  Wall stared at him as if trying to read his thoughts, so Garrett held a steady gaze.

  After a few breaths, Wall answered, “No. I haven’t seen Luther.”

  Garrett gave a grunt in response and left Wall to wonder about his intentions with Beth. Hell, he didn’t even know what his intentions were. This was all too new. He’d always been a man of action, one dedicated to work. Never a moment to spare for the female sex, except maybe when he yanked them out of whatever sticky situation they’d wandered into. Now, he was overrun with female attention, and had no clue how to handle it.

  Where the hell was Luther?

  Garrett followed the trail of men headed toward camp. He needed to focus on finding who set fire to the chute, and send Luther packing for shoving Beth down the river.

  Men littered the camp, some eating or dishing up their meal, and others huddled close to the fire as Aunt June, Carrie, and Beth worked to administer to injuries, while a white-faced Victoria huddled behind them. What wifely attributes, other than a pretty face, did Victoria possess?

  “Oh thank goodness,” Victoria said when he neared. “Everyone came in all at once with injuries. What should we do?”

  “It looks as if Aunt June has everything in order.”

  “Yes, of course.” Victoria took a fleeting look at Aunt June, but directed her next question at Garrett. “What should I do?”

  “Go serve the men supper,” Aunt June ordered from her crouched position near a soot-covered man with burns on his hands. She began to wrap his palm in gauze and glanced back up to Victoria. “Hurry now, girly. The men are hungry.”

  Victoria gave Aunt June a smile that didn’t reach her eyes, and then crossed the camp to take a position behind the serving table.

  “Do you need Beth?” he asked, directing his question to Aunt June.

  “We’re almost done here. Once she finishes up, she can go.”

  Garrett nodded and waited for Beth to finish stitching a cut, and then motioned for her to follow.

  He headed toward the Bonner camp, but waited until they passed the Devil May Care cabin before he spoke, “Can you identify the man you heard on the platform?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Can you try?”

  “Yes,” Beth said as she struggled to keep up with Garrett. “Are we not going to talk about what happened by the lake?”

  “There’s nothing to talk about. You put yourself in a dangerous situation, and I reacted like any good leader would.”

  “Like any good tyrant would,” she muttered. “You don’t treat the other Devil May Cares this way. I don’t see any of them getting scolded for doing their job.”

  “You aren’t just any other Devil May Care. They aren’t female and haven’t just gotten back from almost dying in the forest.” He turned a sharp corner on the trail. “I thought you’d decided to work with the cook staff instead.”

  “I changed my mind.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I can’t sit back and watch, especially when everything we’re working toward goes up in flames. What are you really mad about? I wasn’t in the path of danger. The only thing that could have happened to me was my feet getting a little chilly from the cold lake.”

  He stopped and spun around to face her. The damned woman changed everything in his life when she showed up, and demanded more simply by being. What did he want? He wanted her. “I can’t lose you. I can’t have you, but I can’t lose you, either.”

  She stopped and took a step back. “Oh.”

  He paused and watched her face as they filled with emotions too thick to read. Silence dripped between them like rain on a lonely lake until he couldn’t take any more. “The fire was intentional. Even when the logs burn on their way down, they don’t set fire to the chute. We need to find out who set it. Since you haven’t found anyone of interest in the Missoula camp, we need to check the Bonner one.”

  “What if I don’t recognize the voice?”

  “Then we find another way to weed out the culprit.”

  “Shouldn’t we attack the source of the problems? Should we go after the other lumber mills and the man with the cane?”

  “I’ve written to the Big Mountain big bugs and told them about the man with the cane, they are handling things on that end. We need to stop the immediate threat.”

  The Bonner camp came into view and looked much like the Missoula camp did upon entering the clearing. They needed to speak with virtually everyone here, and even then, there was a big chance they’d come up empty. Best to start with the men he knew. Now all he had to do was find the leader of the Bonner rivermen.

  Chapter 15

  Beth chewed on her lip and stared at each man who hurried past her, but only the rivermen looked familiar. And even then, she’d only seen them a handful of times. Not one of them looked like they might belong to the voice on the platform, but did any of them sound like the man?

  One by one, Garrett pulled them aside in casual conversation, but not one of them sounded familiar. Her stomach dropped. What if she couldn’t identify him like she’d feared?

  Michael walked past with his brother, Peter, and Garrett whistled and called him over.

  “Heya, Garrett,” Michael said. “Did you come to give my brother a job bossin’ around the river rats on the bank during the drive?”

  “Sure.” Garrett ruffled the kid’s hair, and then turned his attention to the man next to the boy. “How about it? Want to lead the Bonner river rats this year?”

  The man nodded and said simply, “Sure.”

  “Good. I’ll let the Devil May Cares know.” Garrett turned back to Michael. “Tell Jessip I need a word?”

  He rushed off as the chow bell rang for the Bonner camp.

  Garrett slid his gaze to Peter. “Best get supper. Those boys don’t wait for stragglers.”

  Peter gave a half smile and left.

  Garrett turned back to her and continued to call people over for casual conversations. Once they’d interacted with almost everyone in the camp, Garrett moved toward the trailhead leading back to the lake.

  “I’m sorry,” she said.

  “We’ve still got one person left to speak with.” Garrett stopped and turned to stare back at the Bonner camp. After a while, he gave a small motion with his head as if calling someone, and then continued down the trail.

  They walked in silence until they reached midway between the camps, and then veered off into the brush and stopped.

  “What are we doing?” She stepped close to his side.

  He peered down at the small distance between them and took a deep breath. He turned his attention back to the trail they’d just exited. “We’re wai
ting for Jessip. Once he gets here, tell me if you recognize his voice.”

  “Is that the man you motioned to back there? Why didn’t we speak to him in camp?”

  “I’ve got a few more questions for him.”

  The sound of crunching pine needles reached their position in the vegetation, and Garrett stiffened his spine. “Just nod if you recognize him.”

  “Okay.” Beth took a deep breath to help calm her nerves when Jessip clamored through the brush.

  “I know what you’re thinking, Garrett. It wasn’t me,” Jessip said.

  Garrett glanced down at her. Beth frowned and shook her head.

  Garrett’s shoulders dropped. “Do you have any idea who may have set fire to the chute?”

  “Not a clue,” Jessip claimed. “I did hear a mumble in the chow line about someone coming into some money. I didn’t hear who they were talking about though.”

  Garrett’s forehead creased and the color of his hazel eyes darkened to gray. “At least we know where to look.”

  “Did you get my contract approved?” Jessip shifted weight on his feet.

  “I expect it will be here with the next train.”

  “It better.”

  “It will.”

  “Good. See you then.” Jessip raised his head in answer and left.

  “What contract?” she frowned.

  “The one used as payment to keep him from taking the thousand dollars. The other mills offered a reward for anyone who stops the drive so the lumber mill will miss the deadline they have with Boilson Mines.”

  “Seems to me what we need is to get those logs down the river fast. If whoever is behind the attack is a timber beast, then there’s nothing else to worry about once the logs are on their way south. If not, then we know it’s a riverman.”

  “I think you’re onto something.” He grabbed her hand and headed toward camp.

  “We’re going on a drive?” she asked, stumbling to keep up as he towed her down the trail.

  “We’re going to move what logs remain in the raft to the other side of the river mouth. We’ll post a lookout on it. If someone targets the raft, then they will have a harder time getting to it.”

  “What if they don’t target the raft?”

  “Then at least we have something to bring to the mill.”

  “Will it satisfy the contract with the mining company?”

  “It’ll be a good start. I would like to try to figure out a way to get the rest of the shipment down the river, though. We’ll get to that after we float the raft and set a trap.”

  Garrett released her hand once the stream of smoke from Aunt June’s fire drifted into sight.

  “Let’s gather the Devil May Cares,” he said when they entered camp. He gave a whistle, and all the men from his team glanced up, stopped what they were doing, and walked toward them. Beth followed as Garrett led the men to the cabin that most of them shared.

  Once they were all crammed inside, he divulged the plan.

  “I’ll keep first watch,” Wall offered.

  Garrett nodded. “Tonight, after Aunt June puts the fire out, we’ll move the raft. Wall will stay behind.”

  “I think we should keep a watch on The Deck and Grove as well,” Beth suggested.

  The team mumbled in agreement.

  “I’ll take first watch at The Grove after we get back. The rest of you sleep while you can, and divide the watches into four-hour increments.” Garrett motioned toward the door. “Let’s get back to the fire before anyone comes looking for us. We don’t need anyone but our team knowing what we’re doing tonight. They can find out in the morning once the raft is secured on the other side.”

  The men began to single file out the door, and Garrett held Beth back to wait as they left. Once the room was clear, he spoke, “I want you to stay in camp.”

  “No way.”

  “Beth, please. Your brother is lying unconscious in Aunt June’s cabin.”

  “You’re right.” Through all of the chaos of the day, she’d only been able to visit her brother once that morning, but his condition hadn’t changed. She needed to sit by him.

  “So you’ll stay in camp?”

  She nodded. “I need to visit Simon—”

  Before she could say more, he grabbed her up and kissed her. His lips were hard against hers, and commanded a response she was more than willing to give. She’d always heard the young women of her social circle talk of a kiss that stole their heart, and she’d never understood what they meant, until now.

  * * * *

  “How is he?” Beth asked Carrie as she closed the door to the cook’s cabin. Garrett and his team were settling near the fire to wait for the night to take over, so Beth decided to retire to her brother’s bedside.

  Carrie stood from her crouched position near the bed. “Better. He woke up during the fire.”

  Simon moaned, and Beth knelt next to him. He turned to look at her with the one eye that wasn’t covered in a bandage. “Lizbe?”

  “I’m here,” she said, and gently grabbed his hand.

  “Water,” he rasped.

  Beth sent a questioning glance to her friend, who moved toward a water bucket and picked up the ladle. “Aunt June said to have him take sips.”

  Beth cradled the cup in her hands that Carrie handed her, and brought it to her brother’s lips. “How are you feeling?” she asked once he had laid his head back on the pillow.

  “Like I was attacked by a mountain lion.” The corner of his mouth twitched. He gave two pained chuckles, and then moaned.

  “Don’t try to laugh. Don’t move.”

  “Trust me. I don’t intend to.”

  “I’m sorry I wasn’t here today when you woke up.”

  “Don’t worry. Carrie was. At first I thought she was an angel when I saw her hovering over me, but then I recognized her for the little devil she is.” With his one good eye, he winked at Carrie, and then looked back to Beth. “She told me about the fire. Is everyone all right?”

  “No one was hurt bad, but the chute was burnt to the ground.”

  “I told Teddy to grease the damn thing.”

  “It wasn’t the grease. Garrett said it was sabotage.” Beth bit her tongue and stared at the ground until she conjured enough courage to continue, “I lied to you, Simon. Well, not exactly lied, but I didn’t tell you the real reason I wanted to come to the camp this summer. At the train depot, the day you came home from the meeting, I overheard two men plotting against the Big Mountain Lumber Mill. I saw the man who offered the money, but I didn’t see who he spoke to. I came to find the second man.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “You do so much for me. I wanted to do something for you, and I didn’t want any sort of backlash to happen to you if I ended up being wrong. I really messed things up, though. If I hadn’t come, then you wouldn’t be lying here on the verge of death.”

  “I’m dying?” Simon’s pained voice still dripped with humor.

  She rolled her eyes.

  In a more serious tone, Simon continued, “If Mother and Father’s death taught me anything it’s that you can’t live in the past. What’s done cannot be changed, but the good decisions you make in the future should be the result from that mistake.”

  “What should I do now?”

  “You can start with not telling the mayor I slept with his wife.”

  “I was never going to tell,” Beth confessed.

  “You slept with the mayor’s wife?” Carrie asked from the corner of the room. The color of her eyes darkened, and she glared.

  Simon flinched. “Buggar. I thought she was gone.”

  “No. I’m not.” Carrie stepped next to the bed. “Why on earth would you stoop so low as to entangle yourself with that hussy?”

  “Why do you care? You’ve got all
of Higgins Street lined up to court you,” Simon snapped. He took a deep labored breath and settled his head on his pillow to stare at the ceiling, and then grimaced. “Can you get Aunt June? The laudanum is starting to wear off.”

  “I think she’s putting the cook fire out for the night. Let me go catch her before she retires to the railcar.”

  Carrie swiped at a tear that escaped from the corner of her eyes and bustled outside as Beth settled into the chair next to her brother to wait for Garrett’s return later that night. After she’d seen Simon lying in his blood at the bottom of the boat, she’d cracked. No longer wanting what she did before. No longer craving the adventure she thought she’d wanted, but then the fire happened and she felt compelled to help. The drive, the timber beasts and rivermen, the smell of freshly cut wood; it was all a part of her. In her soul, she knew that this was where she was meant to be. Accepting the struggles attached to living in a camp like this was something any logger had to deal with.

  Carrie came into the cabin and administered the medicine to her brother, her face like stone, the tears gone. When he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep, she slumped. “Do you mind if Aunt June and I get some sleep?”

  Beth waved off her friend’s concern. “Of course not. I’ll keep watch over Simon tonight.”

  Carrie gave the smile Beth had seen her give every creature she pitied. “Wake me when you’re ready to sleep, and I’ll sit with him.”

  “Okay.” Beth waited until her friend slipped out the door, and then she turned to watch Simon sleep. Gauze covered half his face and crossed over his torso. For a man who had lived life always knowing his looks could get him whatever he wished, this transition was going to be hard. Beth knew a side of him that others didn’t. While his looks had given him the world, he’d met the challenge it presented with a deep-seated respect and enthusiasm. If anyone could overcome a challenge such as the one he would face, it was Simon.

  The candle illuminating the one-room cabin where Simon slept burned down to a nub before she heard the muffled sound of the Devil May Cares returning to camp. Beth eased the door shut so her brother wouldn’t wake and took quiet steps through the night toward the group of men gathered around the serving table.