Summer of the Midnight Sun (16 page)

With that he left.

Jayce sighed. Nothing was working out like he’d planned. He wouldn’t have another chance to be a part of an exploration team until next year—at least if he followed the doctor’s orders. He’d had high hopes of what this expedition might accomplish, and now he wouldn’t be there. He balled his hands into fists and smacked them against the mattress, causing pain to shoot down his leg. He winced and gritted his teeth to keep from crying out in pain.

A woman’s voice sounded from somewhere in the doctor’s house. Jayce strained to listen, and when he heard the woman mention his name, Jayce figured it must be Leah; there was no other woman who knew about him being here. He continued to listen and heard something mentioned about Seattle.

Dr. Cox’s voice carried much better. “There’s no need to rush the man to Seattle. If I move him now it would be detrimental.”

The woman spoke again, but Jayce could only pick up that this was what someone wanted—that they were concerned with Jayce’s welfare. But who was she talking about?

He felt helpless to figure it all out and waited, thinking they would come to the room and the woman would reveal herself. By now he was convinced it wasn’t Leah Barringer.

But the woman didn’t come. Instead, he heard her tell the doctor in a rather agitated tone that he should reconsider what was in his own best interests. It almost sounded like a threat, but that didn’t make any sense.

“Why should it make sense?” Jayce murmured. “Nothing else does.” He thought about how God was in control, yet with all his plans in disarray, he felt overwhelmed with questions.

Lord,
he prayed,
I don’t understand any of this. Why would you bring me this far, only to let me be incapacitated? I had a job to do—a job I wanted very much to do—and now that isn’t going to happen. I don’t understand why things have fallen apart
.

And then without warning a thought came to mind. If he couldn’t go north to the Arctic, it might behoove him to go north to Last Chance Creek. There with Leah and Jacob he could spend time learning how to handle the dogs more skillfully. He could also learn more about Leah—maybe even learn enough to tell whether the things he heard her say in his dreams were, in fact, the truth of her heart.

He smiled for the first time. Maybe God had orchestrated all of this in order to give him a chance to make things right with Leah.

————

Jacob was not pleased to look up and find Helaina Beecham entering the restaurant. Only moments ago he’d left Leah with Jayce; she claimed she wasn’t hungry and planned to stay and help Jayce in any way she could. Meanwhile, Jacob had hoped for some quiet time with his Bible, but now it didn’t look like that was going to happen.

“Hello, Mr. Barringer,” Helaina said in a silky tone.

Jacob felt his defenses immediately go into place. She rubbed him wrong—even in her tone of voice. “Mrs. Beecham.”

“I wonder if I might join you?”

“I’d rather you didn’t. I’d like some time alone.”

She frowned and nodded toward the open Bible. “To read that?”

He heard the disdain in her voice. “Yes. Do you have a problem with that?”

“I just find that intelligent men need not lean on superstitions and traditions in order to make their way through life.”

“Then we finally agree on something,” Jacob replied. He looked at her hard, challenging her to say something more.

“I was wondering how Mr. Kincaid was doing this morning.”

“He’s doing better. You could go to the doctor’s office just a couple of doors down and find out all the details for yourself. For now, however, you’ll need to excuse me.”

He turned his attention back to the Bible, aware she had not turned to go. What was it with this woman, anyway? Why didn’t she just leave him alone? Slowly, he lifted his head to find her watching him. “What is it now?”

“I just wondered what you could possibly find so fascinating about that book. I mean, most of the people I’ve known who’ve relied upon the Christian religion were generally weak-willed and rather on the dim-witted side. You strike me as neither one.”

“Well, thank you. I think that’s the nicest thing you’ve said to me.”

“I haven’t intentionally said anything that wasn’t nice,” Helaina argued. “I’m sorry if you believed otherwise.”

Jacob put his elbow on the table and leaned against it. “What do you want? I mean, I’ve asked you to leave me alone. I’ve showed you clearly that I’m not interested in conversation. Is it just that I’m not acting like the rest of the men in this town—falling all over myself to get your attention? Is that what makes me so appealing?”

“I assure you, Mr. Barringer, you are far from appealing to me.”

“Good. So leave me alone.” He refocused his attention on the Bible.

“I thought Christians were commanded to share their faith.”

He sighed and looked up again. “What would you like for me to share?”

She smiled rather coquettishly. “Everything.” She pulled out the chair. “I have nowhere to be.”

Jacob wasn’t about to play this game. He knew she had no real interest in God’s Word or God himself. He closed the Bible and stood. “We’re all sinners. The penalty for that is death. Jesus came to take that penalty for us. If we accept Him and turn from our sins, we can have eternal life. If we refuse Him, hell is our eternal destination. Would you like to make your peace with God?”

Helaina seemed rather taken aback by all of this. “No, I’m not interested in that, but . . .”

“I’ve shared the Gospel with you, Mrs. Beecham. You’ve rejected it, and now I take my leave.”

“But aren’t you supposed to try to persuade me?” she asked, regaining her composure. She smiled rather alluringly.

“I’ll let that be the job of the Holy Spirit,” Jacob said. “He’s got a much better chance of breaking through your façades than do I.”

He left her with that. She was clearly playing a game with him, and he refused to be a part of whatever it was she was trying to accomplish. He walked slowly back to the doctor’s office, all the while trying to figure out what Helaina Beecham was doing in Nome. He knew she was to have been a part of the exploration north, but there didn’t seem to be any real concern about getting north—not like there had supposedly been when she’d initially met him and Leah.

Jacob opened the door to the doctor’s. Mary was there to greet him. “How you do?” she asked.

“I do fine,” Jacob said with a smile. “Is Leah still visiting our patient?”

“She help him shave. He not very happy about staying in bed.”

“I can imagine. Would you mind if I sit here and read?” he asked, holding up his Bible.

“You read Bible?”

“I do. I love God’s Word.”

Her smile nearly doubled in size. “I love God’s Word too. Only I not read good.”

“You should get someone to teach you,” Jacob suggested.

“I not go to school. I too old.”

“You’re never too old to learn,” Jacob countered. “There are probably all sorts of people who could teach you to read better.

You should start asking at church.”

“I do that,” Mary replied. “Now I tell your sister you here.”

Jacob nodded and settled himself down with the Bible. He read no more than two verses when Leah appeared. “He’s doing much better. The leg is already showing signs of healing. Isn’t that amazing?”

“And all because something that wasn’t supposed to be there was taken out. Seems there are a lot of times in life where you can benefit by removing the offending bit of debris.”

Leah looked at him funny. “You’re certainly moody today. What’s going on?”

Jacob shrugged. “I can’t really say. I will say this, however. I’ve been trying to read the same passage of Scripture for over half an hour. It would sure be nice to get through it.”

“You needn’t worry that I’ll keep you,” Leah said, leaning in to kiss her brother on the cheek. “Jayce needs me and you don’t. I’ll go where I’m needed.”

Jacob nodded and waited until she was gone before trying once again to read his Bible. He had just reread the passage from moments ago when Dr. Cox returned from a house call.

“Well, I’m sure you know your friend is doing much better.”

“I did hear that,” Jacob replied. “Thanks to your sharp eyes and skilled hands, I’d say our friend has a fighting chance.”

“Yes, so long as we keep him here instead of sending him off to Seattle.”

“Seattle? Why would we need to send him there?”

The doctor handed Mary his bag and turned to Jacob. “Well, according to Mrs. Beecham, that’s what the exploration association wishes for her to do. She received word—a telegram, I believe—to have Jayce moved to a hospital in Seattle. I told her I believed it to be a bad idea, however. I have no intention of moving an injured man—at least not at this point of his recovery.”

Jacob wondered why Helaina would suggest such a thing. The exploration association had no reason to move Jayce—they had to know the ship was well to the north. “I’m paying for his care, and so long as he improves, I’d just as soon keep him here,” Jacob said, sensing that something just wasn’t right about the entire matter.

The doctor nodded. “That was my thought exactly.”

He left Jacob to sit and wonder at the situation. Mrs. Beecham was definitely up to something, and he knew this for two reasons: One, she acted like a woman with a secret. And two, there was no way anyone could have gotten word to her in Nome regarding Jayce’s situation. There hadn’t been any delivery of mail, and he’d learned only that morning that the telegraph had been inoperable for two days.

Chapter Thirteen

L
eah was encouraged by Jayce’s recovery, despite his frustration. He was still in a great deal of pain anytime he tried to exercise the leg, but the doctor also reminded him that it had only been two and half weeks since the attack.

Leah had also been happy when Jacob made the decision to send the other villagers back to Last Chance Creek with supplies, allowing him and Leah to stay indefinitely. Kimik had promised to get Oopick to run the store in their absence, and that settled the matter. Mail and other supplies could now be had via the revenue cutter that regularly headed as far north as Point Hope. The village wouldn’t suffer for the Barringers’ delay with that faithful ship on duty.

Remaining in Nome had comforted Leah, and in return for her willingness to help in his office, Dr. Cox had offered a small room to her. Leah jumped at the chance to sleep in a real bed rather than in a tent. Jacob had been a little harder to convince. Still, in the end, he had come around to her way of thinking. When he made himself useful in collecting driftwood and cutting firewood, Dr. Cox told him he could sleep in the same room where Jayce recovered. He would have to vacate, of course, should they need the bed for medical reasons, but so far that hadn’t been a problem.

“Leah!”

Leah looked up to find Helaina Beecham heading her way. Helaina crossed the narrow dirt street, dressed in native style, much to Leah’s surprise. “You look very proper,” she told the woman.

“I should hope it would meet with your brother’s critical eye for fashion.”

“He only said what he did because he worried you’d die up north,” Leah said frankly. “The Arctic is not forgiving. Which reminds me, we hadn’t seen you in some time and figured you’d found a way to reach your ship.”

Helaina shook her head. “I received word from the association that Jayce and I were to head to Seattle. They had hoped for us to be there by now, but the doctor didn’t feel Jayce could travel.”

“He’s doing much better now, but I don’t think he knows about the association requesting him to come south.” Leah felt a tightening in her chest, noting again Helaina’s beauty. Her straight blond hair looked quite lovely in the simple way Helaina had tied it back, and her blue eyes seemed a perfect compliment to her peach-colored complexion.

“. . . but of course that depends on how well you know him.”

Leah realized she hadn’t heard what Helaina had just said. “I’m sorry . . . what did you say?”

Helaina laughed. “I was hoping you might help me persuade Jayce to come with me to Seattle. I was wondering how well you knew him.”

Leah tried not to let the question bother her, but it did. “I’ve known Jayce for over ten years. He stayed with my family for a time in Ketchikan.”

“Does he trust you to be honest with him . . . to tell him what would be best for him?”

This question made Leah smile. “No one tells Jayce Kincaid what’s best for him—he’s a free thinker. He does what he thinks is right and rarely concerns himself with how it will affect anyone else.”

“But then most men are that way,” Helaina said with a coy smile, “until a woman changes his mind, of course.”

Leah said nothing. She’d never had any power over Jayce Kincaid, but it was hard to explain this to the Beecham woman without getting into some of the most embarrassing moments of Leah’s life. And she wasn’t about to go down that path.

“Well, here’s what makes this most critical,” Helaina continued. “The exploration association has decided to send a second team north. They believe if they get them in motion immediately, we can be on our way by July. It would mean remaining in the north, but now that I have my Eskimo wardrobe, I don’t even mind that idea.”

Leah still didn’t understand the urgency. “So why can’t they pick you up here in Nome? No doubt they will stop for supplies and workers to help on the trip. They could surely pick the two of you up and head out from here. They might even want Jacob and his dogs.”

“That would work,” Helaina said rather hesitantly, “except for the fact . . . that . . . well, they would like Jayce to hand select the final members of the team. They trust his knowledge of Alaska.”

“They should—he knows it better than most people. He’s scarcely been out of the territory over the last ten years.”

Helaina frowned. “Surely that’s not true. I’ve heard from other sources that he was quite often back east.”

Leah shrugged. “He told me he spent some time in Vancouver, but I know nothing about him being back east. In fact, it seems Jacob told me that Jayce had been working at something in the interior of the territory prior to going to Vancouver. He loves this land with such a passion that any person would be hard-pressed to come between him and Alaska.”