Morning prayers and Scripture reading were helping them all to keep their perspective. Even Karen, who was still confused about her feelings toward God, seemed to thrive. And she wanted very much to thrive—to put aside her anger. The labor of each day allowed little time for such grudges. Still, there was a hesitancy in her soul, the fear of one who felt betrayed. Could she trust God again? Did she have a choice?
Grace never tried to push her beyond her ability, and for that Karen knew a gratitude that went far beyond their years of friendship. It was as if Grace understood the pain and anger and was determined to love Karen right through it.
Pulling on her pack, which now weighed almost thirty-five pounds, Karen squared the load and secured the belt Adrik had fashioned to keep the pack snuggly in place. Her spirit soared on the hope of a new day. With each group of stampeders they passed, Karen searched for Jacob. Sometimes she even looked for Bill, though she felt almost certain that it must have been his body Adrik had found. Leah said nothing, but Karen was certain she was beginning to accept this as truth, as well. Perhaps the young girl rationalized that it would be easier to believe him dead and accept the loss than to have hope in his existence only to lose him again. Whatever the reason, Leah said very little about her father and only mentioned Jacob.
“You’re awfully quiet,” Adrik said, coming up behind Karen to double-check her load. He adjusted the straps, then nodded. “You thinking about anything you want to share?”
Karen licked her chapped lips and smiled. She felt her heart give a jump at the nearness of the broad-shouldered man. “I’m just contemplating the day ahead of us. Wondering if we’ll find Jacob—or Bill.”
“I wouldn’t get your hopes up. This is almost the end of June. Jacob’s been on the road for over two months. He didn’t come up here with the tons of supplies we’re packing, so he could move a lot quicker. He probably spent time here earning some money so he could buy supplies from someone who’d made it this far but was giving up. My guess is, he’s found some group to hitch up with, and in trade for work, they’ll help him move his supplies along with their own.”
“Well, I intend to ask around when we get to Sheep Camp. You said we’d make it today, right?”
“We ought to, barring any unforeseen problems.”
Karen had already begun to look forward to the little town, where Adrik promised her she could pay for a hot bath. “Your friend seems most intent on entertaining Leah and Miranda,” she finally said, motioning to where Crispin carried on with sleight-of-hand tricks.
“They seem pretty intent on being entertained,” Adrik replied.
“I don’t think your Mr. Thibault likes me very much,” Karen said, looking to Adrik. “I don’t suppose you know anything about that, do you?”
Adrik’s mustache twitched at the corner as he appeared to be fighting a smile. He glanced sidelong and then toward the skies overhead. “Maybe he doesn’t like redheads.”
Karen believed Crispin’s lack of attention had far more to do with Adrik than with her honey-red hair. “Perhaps he doesn’t.”
Adrik leaned close and whispered in her ear. “Well, I like redheads just fine. So don’t you go worryin’ about gettin’ lonely.” He paused and dared to place a kiss upon her cheek. “I know a few tricks I can do with my hands, too.”
Karen felt her face grow hot. “Mr. Ivankov!” She tried to sound indignant rather than impassioned, but her attempt sounded feeble even to her own ears. His name came out more closely resembling a term of endearment.
“It’s a nice name—Ivankov. Don’t you think?” His grin broadened to a full-blown smile, amusement dancing in his dark eyes.
“I think we’d better get on the trail,” Karen said, grabbing her bonnet. She headed for the path only to hear Adrik chuckling behind her.
“I don’t know when I’ll see you again,” Adrik called.
Karen turned around as she tied her bonnet snug. “What are you saying?” Surely the man wasn’t going to leave her simply because she refused to play his games. She eyed him quite seriously. “You aren’t leaving us, are you?”
“Nope, but you are if you keep heading in that direction,” Adrik replied. “Sheep Camp is that way.”
He pointed in the opposite direction, leaving Karen little choice but to retrace her steps and walk past him once again. “You’re a scoundrel, Mr. Ivankov.”
Adrik laughed and tipped his hat. “Yes, ma’am, I am.”
————
“Rockslide!”
The desperate call split the afternoon air, sending a cold sensation of dread into Miranda Colton’s heart. She had heard the rumbles of rock off and on all day as they tumbled down the canyon walls, and each time she had feared for her life. This time, however, she had good reason to fear.
As rock and dirt began to rain down around her, Miranda froze in place, unable to remember Adrik’s instructions. Was she to try and outrun the slide? Should she back up and retrace her steps?
Without warning, Miranda felt strong hands upon her waist. Then, as if she weighed nothing more than the pack on her back, Crispin Thibault lifted her and swung her around to flee the dangerous area.
They crashed to the ground as Crispin lost his footing, but he rolled in such a way that he took the full impact of the fall. Miranda, although shaken, was cushioned against the man as rock and debris continued to rain down upon the path where they had stood.
When the noise died down to little slips of pelting gravel, Miranda seemed to regain rational thinking. She stared down into the face of the most beautiful man she’d ever seen. His dark eyes were edged with ebony lashes, so thick and long it seemed almost unreasonable that they should belong to a man. Especially the man who’d just saved her life.
“I—I—I couldn’t move,” she stammered.
He gave her a lopsided smile. “Just as I cannot move now.”
Miranda realized all at once that she was stretched out full atop the poor man. Without giving it another thought, she rolled to the left and found herself in peril once again. She’d managed to roll right off the side of the trail and now clung precariously to Crispin’s arm while her feet dangled in the air beneath her. With her free hand, Miranda fought to take hold of the rock and dirt on the edge of the ravine. All she managed to do, however, was pelt herself with a mouthful of earth.
“Be still,” Crispin commanded. “I’ll pull you back up, but you must stop flailing.”
He held her tight and again, with surprising ease, pulled her back to safety. Together they sat, side by side, panting from the momentary exertion and panic.
“I wasn’t really complaining,” he said, catching his breath. “You needn’t have run off like that.”
Miranda swallowed dust and grit. “I’m so sorry. I just thought . . . well . . . it seemed highly inappropriate.”
“So does throwing yourself off the side of a mountain,” he said, grinning. He reached out with a handkerchief and wiped the dirt from her face. “Are you hurt?”
Miranda shook her head tentatively. “I don’t think so.”
“Crispin! Miranda! Are you two all right?” Adrik called as he climbed over the gravel and debris to reach them.
Getting to her feet, Miranda watched as Crispin surveyed the massive pile of rock and debris. He met his friend’s worried expression with one of calm confidence. “We’re quite all right.”
Adrik looked to Miranda and back to Crispin. “You’re neither one hurt?”
“Not that we have ascertained,” Crispin replied. He reached down to help Miranda to her feet.
Miranda looked to Adrik and smiled. “I’m fine. I don’t think anything is broken, unless it’s poor Mr. Thibault. I’m afraid I used him rather abusively and allowed him to break my fall.”
Crispin exchanged a glance with Adrik. “’Twas my pleasure.”
With a raised brow, Adrik began to laugh. “Yes, I’ll just bet it was.” He glanced back to the slide. “It’s not too bad, at least. Could have been much worse. I heard them say this road was blocked for two days last week when a slide worse than this one sent boulders big as houses down the mountain.”
“Now if only the gold would come in boulders that size, every man would be content.”
“Every woman, too,” Miranda added.
“Well, let’s move out. I know the others will worry if we don’t catch up to them soon.” Adrik made his way up and over the debris and picked up his pack on the other side. “I’ll go on ahead and let them know you’re coming.”
Miranda squared her shoulders and hiked up her skirt. What a nuisance, she thought. Men walked about in trousers and boots and no one thought twice about it. But let a woman wear trousers and the entire world considered her mad. Madness to Miranda’s way of thinking was trying to hoist heavy lengths of corduroy and wool with one hand while steadying yourself with the other.
Crispin helped her navigate the slide, and before she knew it, Miranda was once again on the path. Contemplating the vast wilderness around her, she thought it most magnificent. Deadly, but nevertheless marvelous. Crispin Thibault was marvelous, as well.
How wonderful that he would risk his life to
save mine. What more could any woman hope of a man?
Thinking such thoughts, Miranda began to see Crispin in a new light. Perhaps Peter would approve of such a man for her. That was, if they ever saw Peter again.
Her brother’s disappearance had gravely worried her. Not so much for herself or even her parents, but mostly for Grace. She knew Grace was strong and full of faith in God, but the poor woman was battling her worry within herself daily and had grown quite distant. Aside from their morning ritual of praying for the men in their lives, Grace had withdrawn and kept to herself more and more.
Or perhaps I have drawn myself away to spend more time
near Mr. Thibault,
Miranda thought guiltily. But when Crispin turned on the trail and smiled warmly at her, Miranda lost all thoughts of guilt.
————
By nightfall they were settled in Sheep Camp. Grace had gone to bed very early, only minutes after a supper of rice, dried ham, and a yellow cake that Leah proudly announced as her own creation.
Adrik had walked Karen and Miranda to a place where he knew they could get hot baths for fifty cents. The Hotel Woodlawn stood just a few feet from the River Taiya, and because of this, they had set up a bathhouse behind their establishment. They’d even found a Tlingit woman who could cut hair in a decent fashion. Adrik had used her on many occasions to keep his hair from growing past his collar. Tonight, he allowed her to shave the stubble of beard from his face and trim his hair, as well. He was just splashing on tonic water when he heard Karen and Miranda approaching.
He tossed the woman four bits and jumped up from the chair to join his party. He wasn’t prepared for the sight that met his eyes. Neither woman had bothered to bind up her hair, and, with the hotel’s towels in hand, they were still blotting the water from their heads while carrying on an animated conversation in the cool night air.
“You’ll catch your death like that,” Adrik teased, but inside his heart was racing like a sled dog on the homeward stretch.
Karen looked up, and in the glow of firelight and lanterns, her eyes seemed to twinkle with amusement. Adrik figured she knew the effect she had on him. He also suspected she was rather pleased with the power she held. But when she handed him her brush, he concluded that she was meanspirited and cruel.
“Here, you brush my hair out while I brush Miranda’s.”
He took the brush and his hand trembled. Miranda turned obediently as Karen took the younger woman’s brush and began the process of untangling the lengths.
For a moment, all Adrik could do was stare at the wavy mass. He’d wondered—in fact, he’d wondered quite a bit of late—how she might look with her hair down and all soft around her shoulders. This wasn’t quite the picture he had in mind, but it would do. He brought the brush to her hair and gently, almost fearfully, began to brush it.
He could smell the sweetness of lavender soap, something Karen had no doubt brought for herself. His hand shook as though the temperature had dropped below freezing. He reached to touch Karen’s shoulder to steady himself and felt her trembling, as well.
“It’s cold out here,” he said abruptly. “Let’s get back to camp.”
Karen turned to face him, and he could see that the moment had affected her as much as it had him. “I think that would be wise,” she murmured.
————
The next few days were devoted to moving their provisions up to the Scales. Adrik felt it unnecessary to move the women away from the safety and provision of town, so he and the other men headed out before dawn every morning and moved the tons of provisions at a steady pace that left them exhausted by nightfall. To their credit they were making remarkable time.
Karen spent her days searching through the small town, desperate to find any news of Jacob and Bill Barringer. Leah went with her faithfully, refusing to be left behind, determined to be with Karen when she learned the truth.
They finally got word on the third day. Having searched through all the hotels and stores, Karen finally broke down and began asking in the saloons. It was at the Big Tent Saloon that a burly man, who acted as both owner and bartender, remembered having given Jacob a job cleaning.
“He was here for about three weeks,” the man said. Standing behind a makeshift bar that consisted of a plank board set atop two whiskey barrels, the man seemed less than inclined to offer more.
“Do you know if he continued north?”
The man wiped out a glass, spit in it, and wiped it again. “Don’t guess he’d go south. He was workin’ to buy provisions. Worked here cleaning every morning.” The man set aside the glass and picked up another. His idea of hygiene left Karen less than eager to visit any of the area establishments.
“Do you know if he teamed up with someone? Do you know when he left Sheep Camp?”
The man shook his head. “Don’t keep track of everybody that goes through. He came to me for a job and I gave him one. He worked over at the drugstore during the day—you could ask there. They might be inclined to tell you more.”
Karen nodded and thanked the man before pulling Leah with her to the muddy street. “Did you hear that? He’s actually seen Jacob!”