White Water Passion

by Dawn Luedecke

  The sound of grating metal echoed off the walls of the boxcar when he opened it. His uncle sat in the corner with hands tied behind his back. His head bowed low, he didn’t bother to look up when Garrett jumped onto the wood floor of the boxcar. “Have you been staying at the cabin up the mountain?”

  “Ain’t nobody else livin’ there,” he defended. “So I took it up.”

  Garrett thought back to the day at the meadow with Beth. The empty house and secluded field had seemed like a gift from God, and at the time his mind focused more on Beth and not on the significance of the vacant abode. “But you left a few days ago?”

  “I came into some money when I went into town to get me a drink, so I moved in with a girl named Jacqueline. She ain’t good lookin’ around the face, but she’s got a little cabin about halfway down the mountain to Bonner.”

  “She’s a whore?”

  “Used to be, but I reformed her.” He puffed out his chest and gave a greasy smile. “She let me use her horse to come back up here so’s the trip could be faster. I gotta get him back to her. Can you go get him? He’s tied to the trees about a mile past the caboose.”

  “I’ll let the horse go. He can make his own way home.”

  “If I don’t show up she’ll take up with someone else. Just get these off, and I’ll go home. You won’t ever see me again. Please, Garrett. I think I’m in love.”

  “With her or her house?”

  “With her. She’s the best woman I’ve ever known.”

  Garrett answered by shaking his head. “When did you go into town for the drink?”

  In all the chaos of the season, he’d failed to realize his four-flusher uncle had left camp. Hell, he forgot he was even there in the first place. What else had he missed?

  “You never paid no never mind to what I did before. Why should you now?”

  “Did a man with a cane approach you?”

  “Yeah. Paid me good too.”

  “He paid you upfront?”

  “Half now, half when the logs don’t show and I bring proof. You got your job, and I got mine.”

  “Who else is working for him?”

  “Don’t know, and don’t want to know. All’s I did was what I was paid to do.”

  “Destroy the company.”

  “It ain’t your company.”

  “Did you start the fire?”

  “Nope. I didn’t know about the money until a few days ago.”

  Garrett had heard enough. He jumped down and slammed the large boxcar door shut, yanking the lever in place to lock it so Marcus couldn’t escape. In all his years he’d continuously pulled his uncle out of the gutter, and this was the thanks he gave. Like his father and Aunt June, Garrett was done. Marcus was a lost cause. The big bugs at the mill could deal with him.

  But if Marcus hadn’t started the fire, who had?

  Chapter 20

  By mid-morning on the day of the drive, Beth kept one eye on the men as they made last minute preparations and one on the cook raft as she helped load the supplies. The night before, Garrett laid out the float plan. The Devil May Cares would leave with the new raft and meet up with Blue and the old raft, which no one had even attempted to touch since it was moved to the new position. Once they were in place at the mouth of the river, they would open both rafts to allow the logs to float free.

  The Bonner rivermen would walk the banks. Half of the Bonner crew and their bateau had already left to gain some ground before the logs were released. The other half would straggle behind and unjam any blockages. Once they were clear, the Devil May Care bateau and the drive’s wannigan cook raft would float.

  Beth dropped the barrel of flour onto the muddy ground, and stood back with her hands on her hips to stare at the wannigan, bedecked with a small crude cabin and cook stove. Never in her life had she seen such a creation. A floating kitchen made solely of logs and a small stove, to house not only the supplies, but the women as well.

  “A sight, ain’t she?” Wall said, coming to stand next to her. “Usually the beds are for the men when they take shifts, but we can’t have you women sleeping under the stars, now can we?”

  “I wouldn’t mind,” she replied.

  “Of course you wouldn’t, Miz Elizabeth. You’re a rare gem among women.” Wall cleared his throat and kicked at a pebble on the ground, and then glanced back up. “After we get the drive down, and if the load from the train is enough to meet the contract, we’ll be heading for town.” He studied the ground once more. “I was wondering if you’d mind if I come courting.”

  “Oh,” Beth said, caught off guard. “Well… I—”

  “You don’t have to answer now,” he hastened. “You can have some time to think about it. I wouldn’t do right by you by pushing for an answer now.”

  “Thank you.” She blushed, relieved that she didn’t have to answer. While Wall would dote on and treat his wife with respect, he wasn’t Garrett. Her heart broke at the thought that she would have to disappoint him. He was a good man.

  “The raft is going to leave without you, Wall.” Aunt June bustled past, stepped onto the wannigan, and loaded the last barrel into the tiny cabin.

  “I was just leaving.” Wall gave Beth one last smile and left.

  She watched as he took his place next to Garrett—the two men who were beacons of strength and honor amongst the rough world of the logger. Her heart belonged to one, but his hand belonged to another.

  Soon this would all be over, and she would return to her life of solitude. Maybe the Goodall sisters would let her sit with them at the balls once Carrie was shuffled off in marriage.

  Garrett motioned for the Devil May Cares to take their positions, and then he ran up to the cook raft.

  “Ready?” he asked Aunt June. Upon her nod, he continued, “Take care through the shallows. Don’t get hurt.” He spoke to all of the women, but his gaze lingered on Beth.

  “You take care.” Victoria grabbed his biceps. “I don’t need a dead husband before I even get engaged.”

  Beth held his eyes and gave a small nod of acknowledgement, and Garrett turned to rush to his log. On his command, Clint released the raft, and the Devil May Cares guided it through the current, headed toward the river.

  Beth felt someone move to her side and turned to find Carrie. “You’d think she would realize that you and Garrett are in love.”

  Beth gave a sad smile to her friend. “Love doesn’t have a place in matters of business.”

  “No,” Carrie corrected. “Business doesn’t have a place in matters of the heart.”

  “Did the train leave?”

  Carrie’s eyes filled with tears. “Yes. Simon barely said two words to me before he left. I swear once I get home, that man is going to talk to me like he used to or risk my wrath. I won’t sit back while he wallows in self-pity. That’s not who he is, and I won’t let him become something he’s not just because of a little scar.”

  “Thank you for taking care of him.”

  Carrie didn’t answer, simply stood.

  “You’re still in love with my brother, aren’t you?”

  Her friend broke down in tears. “Are you dreadfully mad?”

  “Why would I be?”

  “He’s your brother, and I’m your best friend.” Her voice shook with worry.

  “If you marry him, we’ll be sisters.” Beth entwined her arm through Carrie’s and hugged her closer. “I just worry that you’ll get your heart broken. He’s a known scoundrel.”

  “I saw a side of him I’ve never seen before when he was in bed. I think his soul hurts. He puts on a face, but inside he isn’t doing well.”

  “I was afraid of that.”

  “Take your positions, girls, we’re headed out!” Aunt June yelled from her perch on the front of the cook raft.

  Aunt June and Victoria took up their peaveys on
one side, and Carrie and Beth did the same on the other. On Aunt June’s count, they pushed and guided the raft into open water.

  Catching the current, the raft picked up speed as Dick disappeared down the river in the bateau. Beth’s heart kicked up in speed to match the rushing waters, and she couldn’t help but smile. This was the beginning of the end of her season as a logger. Even though she hadn’t been able to ride the log like she’d envisioned, she was still going down the river. Something no other woman in her circle had ever dreamed of doing.

  * * * *

  Garrett watched the bank of the river from his position at the front of the log drive, and knew from years past what would happen next. They’d already ridden for hours with only minor problems. Now, the speed of the river forced the logs to shoot downstream, but in a few minutes, the banks would open up and slow the progression. He gave a whistle to Michael as he trudged along the bank. “Go tell your brother to get the Bonner crew ready to make a raft.”

  The boy acknowledged with a nod and took off farther down the river.

  He floated for a few more minutes before men from the Bonner crew started to line the banks, using the peavey to shove the logs free and back into the river. The river widened, and he guided his log toward the bank and jumped off to walk beside the drive.

  Ahead, men worked to wrangle the logs and tie them in a raft as they slowed in the eddy.

  Garrett looked at the sun slanting in the sky, and then sought out Michael. “Run over and tell your brother that we may as well stop for the night. Get the raft tied off and once the women get here with the wannigan, we’ll get camp set up.”

  “Okay, Garrett.” The boy saluted and ran toward the front of the logs. The boy sported an enthusiasm to match the way he worked. When he was older, he would make a fine logger.

  The Devil May Cares slowly drifted into sight of the growing raft, maneuvered their logs toward the banks, and jumped onto dry land.

  “Tomorrow we’ll be where Braxton went down in the logjam last year,” Blue pointed out.

  “The river narrows pretty bad,” Garrett said. “And there’s a lot of trees on the side to hold up the logs. It jams every year.” He glanced at Wall. “What do you think we should do?”

  Wall stared in surprise for a moment, and then answered, “Send someone down the bank tonight to scope it out.”

  Garrett nodded in agreement. “Who?”

  “Why don’t you and I go right now? Clint and the boys can get the women set up when they get here.”

  Garrett motioned for Wall to proceed and followed. Michael came into view, and he relayed the information. Once the boy responded, he and Wall continued down the rough trail made by past years of the log drive.

  After a few minutes of walking silently, Wall cleared his throat. “Are you hung up on Miz Elizabeth?”

  “What?” Garrett asked, and stopped for a split second, stunned.

  “Miz Elizabeth. I’ve seen how you look at her. She’s one hell of a woman, and I’d like to have a woman like that at home to greet me after the season ends.”

  “If you had a woman like her at home, she wouldn’t stay home during the season. She would drive your poor mother crazy with her antics.” Garrett tried not to let his feelings for Beth show through his voice, but he couldn’t stand to see her with any other man.

  Wall chuckled. “True. I’d probably have to yank her out of trouble a plenty, but I’m willing to risk anything for a woman like Elizabeth—even my mother’s disappointment.”

  Garrett studied the mud beneath his feet as he followed down the path. Was what Wall willing to do so different from what Garrett had to do if he wanted to have Beth in his life? Could he risk losing his family for the chance to have Beth forever? In the end, it wasn’t his parents that mattered, but honor and his duty as a man. What was the dutiful thing to do where Beth was concerned? “What would you be willing to sacrifice for love?”

  “A wife, or love? Those are two completely different subjects.”

  “Both.”

  “I would risk my mother’s ire for a wife.” He fell silent for a moment before he continued, “I don’t know about love. It doesn’t come around very often, so most people don’t have to worry too much about what they would give up. I heard most say they would give their lives for love, though.”

  “Would you sacrifice honor?”

  Wall sucked in air through his teeth. “I don’t know. Honor and love come hand-in-hand. Can you even have one without the other?”

  God I hope so. If he couldn’t have love, then all he had left was honor. “I don’t think Beth is a good choice for you. You should set your sights a little closer to home.”

  “Like Miz Carrie?” Wall asked, leaping down an incline on the trail.

  “If she meets your needs. She’d be as good a wife as Beth.”

  “Yeah, but not half as fun.”

  Garrett’s gut dropped to a pit of emptiness at the thought of Beth sitting in a dimly lit home, laughing as Wall’s small babe play at her feet. He tightened his fist into a ball. “Beth isn’t the wife for you.”

  “So you do love her.”

  “No,” he lied. “I’m betrothed to Victoria.”

  Wall stopped and faced Garrett, so he did the same. His friend studied his eyes. “An honorable man would let her go if he couldn’t have her.”

  Garrett said nothing, but moved past his friend, and continued down the trail.

  “I’ve already asked to court her,” Wall yelled from behind.

  “And what did she say?” Garrett’s heartbeat kicked up, and a knot twisted in his stomach.

  “Nothing yet. I gave her time to consider my offer.”

  Garrett felt like someone lifted a log off his chest when he realized she hadn’t yet agreed to Wall’s advances. Once the drive was over, Beth would return home and be thrown in the path of every suitor in Missoula. If Garrett couldn’t stand a man like Wall courting her, how would he live with himself once they returned to town?

  Chapter 21

  Beth stood at the bank of the river and watched the raft. The sun had begun to set, and the men settled in for the night. The boom logs in the front of the raft looked ready to snap with the strain of the water and weight of the logs behind. If one went, the rest would follow, and by the looks of it, all it would take was one extra tug to snap the raft and send the logs shooting down like a bullet from a gun.

  With a loud bang, the boom log snapped and, as she predicted, the logs shot out of the raft and down the river as fast as a bullet. Shouts from the men in camp sounded, and they scrambled to respond.

  “Dick, get a bateau out there and get a line on that boom log!” Garrett shouted and pointed to the boat on the shore ten feet away from her.

  Her legs tingled with the need to leap in the bateau and respond as he commanded, but she knew she must not.

  A log banged into the bank where she stood on top of the eroded grass and shook the earth beneath her feet. The ground loosened, and another log smacked into the first.

  Another log banged against the second. Beth slipped, but caught herself and jumped back as the ground gave way and plopped into the water.

  Dick rushed past her and jumped into the bateau to row out to the water and, with the expert ease of years of work, tied the logs together in the center to form a raft.

  “Goddamn it,” Garrett swore as he drew near. He stood next to her, but shouted at the men slowly gathering around the scene. “What the hell happened? We weren’t ready to send the logs downstream. Who tied those boom logs?”

  “My brother and his team,” Michael confessed.

  “Where is he?”

  Michael pointed upstream. “He went on a round to check the back logs.”

  “When he gets back, tell him I need to speak with him.”

  “Okay.” Michael’s voice shook.
r />   “Get those logs secured and then hit the bedrolls. We need to get up before the sun.” He waited until all that was left were the Devil May Cares, and then beckoned them closer. The men gathered around Beth and Garrett. “Put a watch on the raft.”

  “Why?” Blue’s eyebrows turned down in concern.

  “I don’t think my uncle set fire to the chute.”

  “Someone else did?” Beth tilted her head, and creased her forehead in concern.

  Garrett nodded. “It had to be. Things started happening before Marcus even came to camp. I think they got to someone else in camp, and I think he is now on this drive.”

  “The man from the platform,” Beth said. “It has to be.”

  Garrett simply looked down and squeezed her hand in reassurance.

  “I’ll take first watch,” Dick offered. “I want to double check my boom log line anyway.”

  “I’ll take the last. I want to be up and ready when we leave. Whoever relieves Dick, wake me at three.”

  The men nodded, and Garrett turned to Beth and motioned for her to follow him down the trail. With a quick glance around to ensure no one watched, she followed.

  Once they could no longer be seen, Garrett faced her. “I want you to pay attention to whomever you talk to. If you hear the man, tell me. Do not approach him. Whoever he is, he may think the money too great to care about life.”

  “I won’t,” she said.

  Garrett stared for a few seconds before bending down and kissing her. Her stomach flipped in joy, and she tried hard not to melt once more into his arms. She leaned into his embrace and let the feel of his lips on hers overtake her senses. The scent of his body filled the air around her, but unlike before when he smelled of the expensive cologne, here he smelled like pine and earth.

  “Take care when you’re on the water.” The lines on Garrett’s face turned sharp. “I love you, Beth. I can’t lose you.”

  “We’ll be fine,” she promised. “And…I love you too.”

  The hard look on his face eased and his eyes softened when she said the words. He moved as if to kiss her again, but stepped away when the bustle of a logger preparing the drive met their ears. He turned toward the river, and Beth did the same.