The party was in full swing



Gaily dressed dancers twirled and jigged around Seattle’s town square. The familiar setting, usually steeped in mud and shrouded in drizzle, now glittered with festive decorations and shimmering paper lanterns, he barely recognized the place. Lottie herself was holding court behind a table overflowing with food laboriously prepared by Seattle’s female residents; and Captain Clancey was tending bar, pouring a whiskey for himself for every two he poured for the guests; that is, until Lottie sidled over and scolded him.

In confusion, Jeremy surveyed the scene. Everyone looked happy enough, but his own heart pounded in his chest. He wasn’t sure why he was here, or what this party was all about. Although it looked like the entire town was there, he didn’t recognize anyone save for Lottie and Clancey. Everyone was dressed in their Sunday best. Glancing down at himself, he wondered why he was wearing his work clothes.

Looking around slowly, his eyes alighted on a laughing redheaded girl in a white wedding dress. Oh yes of course, he assured himself; there’s Candy, it must be their wedding day. Finally finding a reason to smile, he started walking toward the girl when he felt something cold on his arm. It was a hand, whisper light, but Jeremy felt a chill as he turned toward the touch.

“Hello darling.” The woman’s sultry alto rang in his ear.

Slowly he turned toward her, his face as taut as stone. The woman’s hair was gray and her face lined with wrinkles, and she was wearing a red velvet dress. The dress made him uneasy, it looked like the one Candy wore to seduce the Frenchman so long ago; but why was this old woman wearing such a dress and calling him darling?

“Jeremy? Why are you staring at me?” she asked, her fingers wrapped tightly around his forearm. The cold of her fingers crept into his bones, but yet he couldn’t pull away. Something in the woman’s voice touched his soul and he looked deeply into her eyes, which were as blue as the wildflowers in the meadow. Horrified, he realized it was Candy. He couldn’t understand what had happened to her. Gone was the gleaming auburn hair that first caught his eye in New Bedford; and the silky skin he could never resist kissing. All he could see now was gray ash, both in her hair and in the color of her face.

Undeterred, Candy took his arm and guided him toward the girl dressed all in white. A cold breeze accompanied them as they walked. They passed by a window and Jeremy saw his reflection. His hair was also gray, his face lined; and he stared at himself in disbelief.

“Jeremy,” Candy continued. “Aren’t you going to dance with your daughter?” she said as she continued pulling him through the square.

His daughter? Oh yes, it must be Annie’s wedding. How could he have been so confused?

As he neared the woman in the billowing white dress, he tried to call to her, but the words stuck in his throat. She turned to him, waving and flashing her bright smile; but the handsome young man at her side escorted her away and they disappeared into the darkness at the edge of the square.

Jeremy turned back toward Candy, his movements slow and his thoughts muddled.

“Oh Jeremy, just this once? Dance with me?” she said, her eyes shining with unshed tears, her hair transformed into the deep auburn color he remembered, her dress now blue gingham.

“A…no, Candy,” he stammered, digging his toe into the muddy ground, “I can’t…you know I can’t…” he looked up to see her disapproval.

A man dressed in black from his head down to his shoes approached Candy and proffered his arm. “May I have this dance?” his voice was deep yet gentle.

Candy looked over at Jeremy one more time, and with a quick curtsy took the man’s arm. “Why certainly, thank you, sir.” The man put his arms around her and they moved onto the dance floor, their bodies a twirl of red and black.

“Hey…” Jeremy started off after them, his thoughts jumbled. “Where are you g..going with m…my w…w…” His voice trailed off as he couldn’t get the words out. Why was he stuttering now? He hadn’t stuttered in such a long time.

The music was getting faster and faster as Candy and the man whirled and twirled around the square. He could barely see them in the crowd now. Where was this wild music coming from? It sounded like the devil himself was playing. Jeremy’s feet turned to lead, and he could not form the words to call Candy back to him.

Where were his brothers?

His eyes scanned the crowd, and he recognized no one. Where were his friends, his co- workers? At this point he would be happy to see Aaron Stempel.

Finally, he spotted his brothers, standing at the edge of the square - just before the darkness.

“What’s wrong, Jeremy?” Jason asked gently, his voice as soothing as a warm quilt as he put his arm around Jeremy’s shoulder.

“Candy…” Jeremy strained to reply.

“Oh well, Jeremy…” Joshua seemed to hear him, even though he hadn’t actually said anything. “You know, she’s not here,” he continued in his matter-of-fact way.

The blood pounding in Jeremy’s ears was so loud, however, he could barely make out Joshua’s words.

“That’s right, Jeremy,” Jason said in his most paternal tone, “She’s gone.”

Jeremy broke from the embrace, “No, no, she’s right over…” He pointed to where he last saw Candy and the man dancing. There was nothing there except the oppressive blackness of the night. He tried to call again, but as hard as he tried, no sound came out. Beads of sweat seeped down his forehead and his feet took root to the soil beneath him. Frightened now, he watched Jason and Joshua walk away shaking their heads. Suddenly, he was alone in the middle of the square, as everything and everyone swirled around him.

He opened his eyes with a start. The room was pitch black save for the tiny shaft of moonlight beaming through the tear in the window shade. Shaking, he sat up and looked over to his left. Afraid to see, but staring anyway, he found the other side of the bed empty. He clenched his fists and closed his eyes, trying to shut out the nightmare, all the while realizing that waking or sleeping, the nightmare would never leave him. Candy was gone. He was alone.

Joshua Bolt sat at the rough-hewn table, long legs bouncing underneath as he worked on the Bolt Brothers Logging accounting books. His blond hair shone in the sun, and he shielded his eyes as he worked. He was never happier than when he could while away a few hours alone with the books. They never talked back, he could massage them all he wanted, and it was always just right. Not at all like the women he knew, he thought ruefully. Finishing up the last column, he put his pencil down, closed the book, and rotated his head until he heard his neck bones cracking.

The grey clouds from yesterday’s storm had dissipated, revealing a sapphire blue sky. The scent of rain-splashed air and fresh cut pine trees enveloped him. Jason had sailed to San Francisco on a buying trip, and Jeremy…well, he hadn’t seen Jeremy yet today, and he wasn’t sure if that was good or not. No news is good news, he thought.

He stood, stretching and loosening his limbs, and poured himself a cup of mud-like coffee from the always-perking pot on the stove.

Jeremy was supposed to be at the flume with a crew today, logs were piling up, awaiting their ride to the river. Joshua smiled, remembering how hard he had worked at designing and building the flume, overseeing every nail and plank that went into it. However, the construction work paled next to the job of convincing his stubborn older brother that it should be built at all. Josh was proud of that structure, and even now he was always thinking of ways he could improve it.

He took another sip of coffee and tossed the rest into the bushes. Jeremy must be up on the ridge with the crew by now, he reasoned, but worry crept in. Joshua wished he had just gone to San Francisco with Jason, but he had reluctantly agreed that Jeremy still wasn’t ready or able to run the camp without one of them around.

His thoughts were rudely interrupted by the sound of someone calling his name. Joshua turned toward the path where he heard the stampede of men before he could see them.

It was Corky, their second in command, followed by two other loggers, all winded. They came to a stop in front of him, nearly knocking each other over with their momentum. They stopped for a moment to catch their breath. Joshua watched them expectantly.

“What is it, men?” he finally asked as they huffed and puffed.

“The flume.” Corky managed to bark out.

“What about the flume?” Joshua’s internal alarm rang.

“It’s…it’s…” Smith sputtered.

“Busted.” Corky stated.

“Yeah, busted.” the other two concurred.

Joshua’s blue eyes grew wide and his pulse quickened.

“Well, Josh, now….” Corky took a step back from his boss, having finally caught his breath. “Now, we…we.. thought we’d got a good rhythm goin’, and we were makin’ good progress, right boys?

The other two nodded in unison.

Corky continued, crunching his hat in his hand. “and..well.. we got goin’ so good, we didn’t hear it crack!”

“It cracked! For Chrissake, Corky, how could you not hear it crack?” Josh’s inward fuming was quickly turning outward, “The flume is old! You know we need to be careful with it! Who was the spotter?” he looked from man to man, now huffing and puffing himself. “C’mon, which one of you was the spotter??” his voice grew louder and louder hoping to drown out the sound of snapping wood that echoed in his mind.

Corky looked down and took a deep breath. “Well, Josh, we didn’t have no spotter today.”

Joshua’s face became even more pinched, “No spotter. What in God’s name were you thinking? Well??” he spat out the words. He couldn’t bear the thought of his beautiful flume, in pieces on Bridal Veil Mountain.

“Um..well…we thought we could handle it…” Corky said, Smith and O’Meara nodding in agreement.

Josh looked again at the three men standing before him. After a moment, he spoke again, his words measured but still angry. “I thought Jeremy was supposed to be up there with you today.”

Corky gulped audibly, but tried to sound nonchalant. “Oh, well, Josh, I’m sure he was on his way. We shouldn’t’a started early, that’s all.” He nodded at the two men beside him, and on-cue they mimicked the gesture perfectly. Corky had no desire to see Joshua’s temper directed at Jeremy.

“Yeah, Josh, it was our fault for starting so early…” O’Meara echoed.

Joshua stared at the three nervous men standing in front of him, and sighed in disgust. Just how long did Jeremy think he could keep this up?

He sighed and tossed his coffee cup away in anger. There was nothing he could do about this now, except spend the better part of a good work day repairing the log flume. He would have to discuss this with Jason, yet again, when he returned from San Francisco. Joshua stormed into the tent, muttering epithets under his breath.

Reappearing, his face glum, he grabbed a hammer from the tool box and the four men headed back up the mountain toward the flume.

Upon checking the length of the stogie he had been chomping on all afternoon Aaron Stempel was surprised to see how small it was. Had the afternoon really passed that quickly? His meeting with Bernard Jordan regarding the purchase of finely milled wood for woodworking was still underway, but Aaron was certain he would close the deal today. The paperwork was in front of them, and Jordan, eyepiece in place, was reading intently.

“So, Mr. Jordan,” Aaron puffed, “I trust the papers are in order.” Of course, he knew that they were. Drawn up by Barnabus Webster, Seattle’s city attorney, no detail had escaped Aaron’s attention. Negotiations for this job had stretched over some months, and Aaron had decided that the time and place for these negotiations to end was here and now.

“Yes, Mr. Stempel, I would say we were very close to a deal.” Jordan blew a couple of smoke rings off into the distance as he tried very hard not to tip his hand.

A large man in business in more ways than one, Bernard Jordan was the biggest purchaser of lumber in Tacoma. His fancy millwork for homes and businesses was known all over the territories. Aaron, always keeping his eye out for new opportunities, was chomping at the bit to get him as a new client for his mill, but Jordan was not an easy get. Both men sat, watching and waiting, encircling each other like two male dogs spoiling for a fight. But with this contract, Aaron felt he had gone straight for the kill.

God, would the man ever finish reading?

Or eating?

A portly man, Jordan had long ago seen the last of his feet, but his midsection served as a handy shelf for the crumbs from Lottie’s biscuits and jam, as well as the multitude of cigar ashes as they tumbled down his front.

Inwardly, Aaron winced. He always took pains to look his best, and was proud of his trim physique and muscular arms. He set no store by flabby bellies, it was a sign that a man had stopped working for a living. Aaron also prided himself in his attentiveness to the mill operations. Not a day went by that he didn’t go in the mill to check on the workers and perhaps to mill a few logs himself. It did a man good to keep his body as well as his mind busy.

Lottie swept by, cleaning their glasses off the table in one motion. “Gentlemen, will you be staying for dinner?” she queried.

Aaron looked at his companion. A long afternoon of drinking and smoking had not left him with much of an appetite, but he figured Jordan would be ready to eat anytime.

Sure enough, Jordan looked up at Lottie. “Why, yes, that is a lovely idea, dear lady.”

“Wait. Mr. Jordan, why don’t you accompany me home for supper.” Aaron surprised himself by offering the invitation.

Jordan looked from Lottie to Aaron, “Well,” he said as he snubbed out the stub of cigar that was left to him. “Mr. Stempel, I’d be honored to do so.”

Aaron stood and motioned for Jordan to join him. Surely Jenny wouldn’t mind. “Please, after you.”

The two men walked across Seattle’s busy square, as men, women, children, and horses darted around. Aaron’s heart always beat a little faster when he took this walk home at the end of the day. His young wife Jenny and their two little boys Matthew and Ethan had at last made his house a home. Their laughter and love had softened his hard heart once and for all. To his delight Jenny was pregnant again, due in a couple of months. Sometimes it was difficult for Aaron to put on his business face, especially on a Monday after a weekend with his family. His joy always found a way to sneak out. Even his nemesis Jason Bolt had noticed his new attitude.

“Aaron, you’re mellowing in your old age.” he had said after Aaron had basically pooh-poohed the latest set of challenges Jason set before him.

Realizing he was smiling, Aaron quickly rearranged his features to his characteristic scowl. “You’re full of shit, Bolt,” was all he could say in his defense. Of course Jason was right. Ever since he had met and married Jenny Bolt, Jason’s half-sister, he had mellowed. He was so overjoyed to experience love again after losing it so many times before, that he could barely contain himself. These past seven years Jenny and the boys had replaced the mill as the focus of his life, and he had to begrudgingly agree with the common wisdom that it was a good thing.

Jordan was chattering in his ear as they approached the house. Aaron heard the squeals of children coming through the open front window, as the blue curtains blew in and out with the breeze. Suddenly he was not quite as sure this idea was sound, but, quelling his discomfort, he opened the front door and stepped inside.

“Papa!” Matthew yelled as he ran to the door, as he did every day. Aaron grabbed him into a hug before he noticed.

Six year old Matthew was covered in white powder.

In fact, as Aaron looked around the front room, he could see that everything was covered in white powder.

Out of the kitchen came the parade. Three other children, two under the age of three, all covered in flour; and no sign of Jenny. Seven year old Annie Bolt ran to Aaron and tried to hug his knees. “Hello Uncle Aaron!”

Aaron, still not believing his eyes, pushed her away. He held her by her shoulders and looked down at her quizzically, momentarily forgetting about his adult guest. “Annie! What’s going on here? Where’s Aunt Jenny??”

Annie, seeing the anger in his eyes, shook her head. “We were trying to bake some bread for dinner, Uncle Aaron,” she began to giggle, as did little brother Jamie and little Ethan, both barely two. “But…but…we made a little mess with the flour…”

Aaron was speechless. He was standing in his doorway, with perhaps the most important client Stempel’s Mill has had in a year, and his house, and now he too, was covered in flour. Where was Jenny???

He walked into the bedroom, his feet heavy on the floor, leaving Jordan, openmouthed, in the front room. He found her, stomach bulging, asleep on the bed, her blonde hair tousled around her on the pillow, and a baby bottle next to her. She had dark circles under her eyes, and he could see she must have been exhausted. She had been watching Jeremy’s children quite frequently these days, and it was wearing her out. This pregnancy had not been easy for her, and damn that Jeremy, his children were making it worse.

“Jenny?” he shook her shoulders gently. “Jenny? Wake up.”

Her blue eyes popped open. “Oh, Aaron.” She blinked her eyes repeatedly, trying to escape the sleep that was plaguing her. “I’m sorry, I must have fallen asleep. I was just giving Ethan a bottle…” she noticed that Ethan was no longer at her side, “Where’s the baby??”

“He’s in the kitchen with the others.” Aaron stated flatly. “I brought someone home for dinner, Jenny.”

Her cornflower blue eyes opened wide, “Oh my goodness, Aaron…” she struggled into a sitting position, her girth making the effort laborious. “Well, let me get presentable and I’ll get something on the table…” Then she saw the look on his face and the flour on his pants and sighed. “Are the children in trouble Aaron?” she asked, gently brushing the offensive white stuff off of his knee.

“Jenny…You just don’t have the energy to look out for Jeremy’s children right now,” he knew even as he said the words that she would not hear him. Jeremy was her brother and he needed her, and there was no way that Aaron’s wife would deny her beloved brother anything.

“Aaron…” she sighed again, “Let’s don’t talk about this right now. Help me up and I’ll put on some dinner for your guest.” He boosted her up off the bed and she patted down her dress.

He looked at her, hair askew and dress stretched to the maximum around her middle. “No, no, I’ll take him back to Lottie’s. I shouldn’t have invited him with you in…this condition.”

“What condition?” she snapped. “You think because I’m pregnant that I can’t cook dinner??”

“No…no, but…I…oh, I’ll talk with you first next time.” Aaron backed out of the bedroom back into the front room.

Turning around, he saw Bernard Jordan standing stock still on the now white polka-dotted rug, while four small children played ring-around-the-rosy around him. Red faced, he looked pleadingly at Aaron. “Perhaps this is not a good time, Mr. Stempel.”

“Children!” Aaron exclaimed. They stopped, rooted to their spots, hand in hand in hand. “That is no way to treat a guest. Annie, take the boys back into the kitchen and begin cleaning up the mess you made.”

Sullenly, and just a bit frightened, Annie paraded the boys out of the room.

Aaron shot an artificial smile at Jordan. “Lottie’s?”

“After you.” Jordan replied and hurried to the door.

“Yes…” Aaron said under his breath, as he closed the door behind him. His home had always been his refuge, and even with the two young children, Jenny kept up the house beautifully with seemingly little effort. Until Jeremy’s brood showed up, that is. He didn’t care if Jeremy was Jenny’s brother, he was going to get a piece of Aaron’s mind for taking advantage of Jenny’s good grace, and for embarrassing him in front of Jordan.

If he could ever find him that is. Jeremy had been making himself scarce lately.

Penelope Longfellow stretched across the bed, the soft white sheet snaking up her body, providing little cover to her nakedness. The light breeze wafting in the window caused goose bumps to pop up on her exposed flesh. Her nipples tightened and tingled but she wasn’t sure whether to attribute that to the cool air or to the sight of the burly man flexing his back muscles as he put on his clothing. She thought perhaps after all this time the sight of him would cease to excite her; she thought wrong.

For over a year now he’d been sharing her bed whenever business summoned him to San Francisco from his own home in the Northwest Territories. Penelope delighted in his visits, as they were usually accompanied by gifts and flowers and whirlwind tours of the finer establishments of the City. Although she spent her days surrounded by the vibrant colors of the hats she sold, her life was gray and cold until she met Jason Bolt. His gregarious personality plus his rugged good looks lit up every room he was in, and she basked in the glow. Never did she feel more beautiful than when he would focus his full attention on her; his eye never missing a new dress or hairstyle, or a chance to tell her in his sonorous voice how lovely she was.

A robust man with robust appetites, Jason’s gift of gab kept them lingering in the city’s saloons and eateries far longer than they should have each evening; he telling story after story, and she not willing or able to tear him away. After carousing the evening away, they would retire to her room for lusty lovemaking sessions in her large four-poster bed. Good thing it was large too, she thought as she watched the way his pants hugged his hips and waist; because he was a large man -- in all ways, she snickered to herself.

He could make her laugh with a coarse joke, then bring her to tears with a poetic quote from Shakespeare. She remembered the day he first told her she was as beautiful as a summer’s day. He was quite taken aback when she told him she knew the origins of the quote.

“Oh, there’s a lot you don’t know about me…” she had said with a wink that night as they lay together, tiny drops of sweat dotting her forehead after their lovemaking.

“I might like it that way.” he replied, drawing his finger over her lips, his blue eyes locked deeply into hers.

“Jason?” she cooed, breaking out of her reverie.

He turned around and his face broke out into a broad smile. “Why, I thought you’d be back to sleep by now,” he said, his voice soft and gentle.

She shook her head. “Not me, sailor. I’ve been enjoying the view.”

“Penny,” he said, shaking his head. “Thy eternal summer shall never fade.” Climbing back on the bed, he stretched himself over her, kissing her plump, soft lips. “It gets more and more difficult to leave you, Penny dear.”

She ran her fingers up and down his back, feeling his skin ripple under her touch. “So, stay a bit longer, Jason. Those brothers of yours can handle themselves, can’t they.”

He thought about Joshua and Jeremy, and the camp; and for a moment thought he might take her up on her offer. Only for a moment though. “Oh Penny, it’s just not possible right now.”

“Jason,” she whispered in his ear, “Hasn’t it been awhile since he…his…wife…”

“Yes, it’s been almost a year now, but Jeremy can’t seem to get over it.” Jeremy’s always-sad face appeared to him as he closed his eyes. “Plus he has those two little ones to look after…I can’t be too hard on him.”

He sighed deeply as she stroked his back. What a wonderful week it had been, far away from the troubles at home, spending his time being petted and doted on by the fair Penelope. It was getting more and more difficult to leave. He relaxed into her embrace and as she continued to stroke and kiss him, he realized that he was not leaving quite yet.

Jason moved through the town in a bit of a fog, Penelope’s intoxicating scent lingering with him. No woman had ever been able to claim Jason Bolt, and no woman was ever going to; at least that’s what he kept telling himself as he gathered up the last of his purchases from the hardware store. This woman had his mind in a twist, though. She was not a classic beauty, her aquiline nose and sharp features would not allow that. But there was something about her that he found himself thinking about long after their visits were over. Part of him feared her power over him and the other part wanted to bundle her up and bring her back to Seattle alongside of him.

Willing himself to concentrate on the task at hand, he thanked the clerk, and hefted the last box into the back of the borrowed wagon. The boards creaked and groaned under the weight of three months’ worth of supplies from various merchants in San Francisco.

He mentally tallied the contents of the many boxes and bags. There was a multitude of new tools for fine woodwork, requested by Aaron Stempel for his new protégée, carpenter Andrew Pettigrew; some fancy canned foodstuffs and real French coffee for Lottie, a new leather-bound ledger and quills for Joshua, and a bolt of cloth for Biddie. Her two young boys did not often need any fancy cloth for their clothing needs, Jason thought, running his fingers over the pastel yellow and pink fabric. He guessed this had to be for Annie; she was growing like a weed and even Jason had noticed her dresses were getting too short and threadbare. Biddie must be stepping in yet again to help. Both she and Jason knew his little brother was too harried to notice the state of Annie’s clothes; that was a mother’s job.

He placed the cloth back in the crate, tucking it in underneath some other items to protect it from the elements. Hopping in the wagon, and hearing it groan once again, Jason was relieved to think he would not be driving this clunker much farther; even the horses were groaning. The sun arced through the sky, marching toward evening, when the high tide would carry Jason and his parcels out of San Francisco harbor and back home to Seattle.

Back to Joshua’s bellyaching and Jeremy’s distraction.

Away from Penny.

Jason took a deep breath as the horses made their way down the busy city street. He loved to visit San Francisco, the sights and the smells always provided a much needed distraction for him. He could lose himself here, where no one knew him and he had no family to worry about. The polyglot of languages as well as fragrances assaulted his senses as he rode down the busy street. He was only a few blocks down from Penelope’s flat when the sounds of a commotion assaulted his ears. Jason snapped the horses into action and they trotted quicker down the street. As he neared the fracas, he heard a woman’s scream.

He reigned in the horses and stopped his wagon behind two women in a buggy struggling with a man on horseback. The man was gripping the young blonde woman’s arm.

“C’mon Maddie, you’re mine and you know it,” he yelled as he pulled her toward him.

On the other side of the blonde girl sat a dark-haired woman who had her other arm in a death clasp.

“Let go of her, you demon! Get away!” she called.

The girl in the middle of this tug of war could only sob. “Dougal, stop! Stop!”

Jason ran to the offender’s horse and tried to pull it away. “What’s all this about??” he boomed.

The man turned to him, eyes on fire, “Get lost pal, this is none of your business.”

Jason looked at the women in the buggy, their faces pinched with fear. “Well,” he struggled to keep the horse quiet, “I’m making it my business.”

“Get away from me!” He backhanded Jason, toppling him backward with surprise.

Never one to miss out on a good fight, and seeing no other way to get deal with the situation, Jason grabbed the man and pulled him from the saddle. He delivered a hard right hook and the younger man followed with a roundabout that connected with Jason’s cheekbone with a harsh crack.

The two men rolled around in the dirt, scrabbling for supremacy until Jason noticed the small gun in the man’s belt. Realizing that this was serious, he mounted a huge effort, and ended up astride the man, knocking him out with a one two combination that could be heard up the block. When he saw that the man was unconscious, Jason grabbed the gun from his belt, and leaped into the buggy, his large frame crowding the women already sitting there; smacked the horses with the reins, and headed off down the street, the women holding on to their hats for dear life.

“That man had a gun! What were you doing?” he shouted over the thudding of the horses hooves.

The women remained silent.

Jason put the horses through their paces, racing up and down the different one-way streets of dirt, their hooves kicking up puffs of dust with every step. When he was satisfied the man was not following them, Jason pulled the buggy over and looked at his two traveling companions.

“Ladies? I’d like an explanation as to what that was all about,” he pulled out the gun as he spoke, “Since I did put my life on the line for you.”

The women looked at each other then the dark-haired woman spoke. “Um…Yes, certainly. My name is Katherine Mancino, and this is my ward, Madeline West.” At the mention of her name, Madeline gave a slight nod in Jason’s direction.

Jason nodded in return, his curiosity piqued. Katherine Mancino was a handsome brunette still on the upside of middle age, not unlike himself. Her striking emerald eyes were like twin jewels, shining and twinkling. Madeline, sitting between the two with her hands folded; was tiny, blonde and blue eyed. To Jason, she had the look of the familiar about her, but the feeling was fleeting, and he turned his attention back to what Katherine was saying.

“…and I do appreciate your help in this ugly matter, Mr….Mr….” she looked at him as she prompted him to divulge his name.

“Bolt. Jason Bolt, at your service.” Up until that moment, Jason realized he had forgotten his manners, and his charm.

Katherine’s eyebrow went up. “Mr. Bolt, is it? Well, Madeline and I do thank you, Mr. Bolt for helping us extricate ourselves from that unfortunate situation with Mr. McKechnie.”

“Unfortunate situation, indeed. Miss Mancino, he had a gun.” There was more to this story than she was letting on. The young girl was still trembling.

“Yes…well, I don’t think we were aware of that small fact, were we, Maddie?”

She shook her head in response, drawing Jason’s attention to her again.

“Why was he trying to steal you from your buggy?” Jason asked Maddie.

“Well,” she said in a small voice, “he’s my husband…”

“…Madeline, he is not your husband anymore. They’ve had a legal divorce.” Katherine jumped in, interrupting the girl, who fell silent again.

Jason eyed the two women. There was something unsaid between them, and it was making him uneasy.

“My ward made, shall we say, a bad marriage during a rebellious moment in her young life. We took care of it with the judge; however, the young man in question is having a hard time letting go.” Katherine continued.

Jason watched Madeline, her head downcast all the while Katherine was speaking. “Well, you’ll have to watch your step then. I need to be at the dock soon, my ship is leaving at high tide, but may I escort you ladies somewhere?”

Katherine took a deep breath and glanced again at Maddie. “You could take us back to my shop on Columbus Avenue.”

Jason nodded and turned the buggy around. During the short ride to their destination, Jason found out that Katherine Mancino owned a millinery shop started by her deceased husband. She prided herself on showing only the finest fashions from faraway Europe to the upper crust women of San Francisco. Judging from the looks of her and Madeline, he thought, their business must be quite successful. Their dresses were fine silk, with ornate lace trim and what looked to be pearl buttons. Their hats were confections of the newest fashion, that being the bigger the better. He told them he was from Seattle, in Washington Territory, and Katherine’s eyes lit up at the mention of it. She quizzed him a bit about his small town, until her storefront came into view.

He stopped the buggy and stepped down, offering his hand to help his companions do the same. Katherine and her gloved hand came first, her movements slow and regal. Maddie on the other hand, barely acknowledged his proffered assistance, and leaped out of her seat onto the ground as would a bird alighting to snatch up a crumb.

Katherine took the reins of the horse from Jason’s hands and she and Maddie stood next to the buggy in silence for a moment.

Feeling uncomfortable, it appeared to Jason that he had worn out his welcome.

“Thank you again for your assistance, Mr. Bolt. Have a good trip back to

Seattle.” Katherine’s green eyes danced as she spoke.

He gave a quick nod and looked around to get his bearings. The sun was very low in the sky, and he knew he’d have to hurry back to the dock. “Good evening, ladies. I wish you good luck with your future endeavors.”

Madeline nodded imperceptibly while Katherine’s smile widened. “Oh thank you, Mr. Bolt, I’m sure we will be fine.”

Jason turned on his heels and hurried back down the street to retrieve his wagon and possessions and get them all back to Clancey and the Seamus O’Flynn before it set sail without him. As he walked, he kept thinking of Katherine Mancino and Madeline West and wondered what was under their fancy hats.

The smell of smoke and whiskey and the loud voices of men assaulted Jeremy as he walked into Lottie’s, sawdust crunching beneath his sluggish steps. He nodded to the bartender as he approached the bar, and was greeted by a glass of whiskey. Jeremy downed it in one gulp, never averting his gaze from the glass. The empty glass clanged onto the bar as he nodded again for a refill.

“Hello Jeremy,” the mistress of the establishment greeted him with a sideways glance from the opposite end of the bar.

His eyes downcast, he returned the greeting with the smallest of shrugs. A couple of whiskeys were all he needed tonight, not meaningless conversation. With a couple of drinks under his belt, he could pick up the children; hoping they’d be asleep, and climb into his own bed, his eyes not seeing, his ears not hearing anything but his own pain.

Lottie, however, was not going to participate in this well-laid plan. “So, Jeremy,” she began, her voice tinged with a tired rasp. “How are you doing today?”

“Fine, just fine,” he mumbled, draining his third glass.

“Well..” she knew he was certainly not fine, but the youngest Bolt brother had a way of keeping his feelings locked inside his heart. “How are the children doing? I haven’t seen them in awhile.”

He repeated his first answer, never looking her in the eye. Awaiting the warmth of the whiskey to flow through his body, he heard more patrons come in the saloon.

“Well, well, well, I should have known I’d find you here.” Joshua said, spotting his brother, not bothering to disguise the sneer in his voice.

Jeremy closed his eyes in anticipation of the onslaught.

Joshua and three of his men, covered in the dirt and mud of their flume repairing expedition, sidled up to the bar next to Jeremy.

“So, brother, I must have forgotten you said you were taking the day off today.” Joshua said, turning to his companions, his voice loud and angry, “Did any of you remember Jeremy saying he was not going to work today?”

Corky and the other men looked down, having no desire to join in Josh’s rant.

“No Jeremy,” Josh continued, his anger reaching the boiling point, “I just don’t think anyone remembers you saying you wouldn’t be at camp today.” He clapped his still silent brother on the back with a rough motion of his arm. “Doggone it, and what a day you picked to be gone, what with the flume falling apart and all. Why, I’d say you couldn’t have picked a better day than this to disappear into thin air, don’t you think, boys?”

“Aw, come on Josh, give him a break.” Corky muttered, noticing Jeremy’s non-responsiveness, “We put it back together. Leave him alone.”

“Yes, Joshua.” Lottie’s tone was sharp. “Leave him alone, or leave this bar.”

“Oh yes.” Sarcasm oozed from the middle brother’s frustrated heart. “Leave him alone. Doesn’t matter that the Bolt Brothers Logging company is down to one brother. Doesn’t matter that our flume, our most important piece of equipment broke into dozens of pieces today because Mr. Jeremy Bolt couldn’t be bothered to come into work today. Doesn’t…”

Joshua’s tirade was interrupted by a hand on his shoulder. A hand attached to the arm of Aaron Stempel. “That’s enough, Joshua.” he stated. “We don’t need a scene here right now.”

Aaron was just finishing his dinner with Jordan, and as much as he personally might enjoy seeing a little scrapping between a couple of Bolts, it would not do much to enhance his or Seattle’s image as a civilized town worthy of the attention and business of Bernard Jordan.

Josh tried to shake him off, “Aaron,” he repeated his oft-stated mantra, “This is Bolt brothers’ business.”

“Perhaps so, but I happen to be conducing my own business right now, and I’m sure my dinner companion does not care to listen to a family tiff in the middle of his dinner.” Aaron’s hand remained on Joshua’s shoulder as he glared at him, but he kept his voice even.

“F..forget it Aaron, I’m leaving anyway.” Jeremy said, having finished his fourth and final whiskey, his voice betraying his fatigue. He jammed his hands in his pockets and hurried out of Lottie’s, leaving Joshua and Aaron staring at his back.

“Joshua!” Lottie cried after the saloon door closed after Jeremy, “How could you talk to him like that!”

Josh and Aaron looked at her, dumbstruck by the force in her voice.

“It was Candy’s birthday today.” She came around the bar, and the two men took a step back in fear. Her voice was now but a hiss, “It’s Candy’s birthday, and can either of you offer Jeremy any support? No. Just complaints.”

“Now Lottie, I…” Aaron sputtered.

“Don’t say anything, Aaron. I know you only stepped in to help your own situation out, without a thought to Jeremy.”

“And you!” she whirled around to face Joshua. “You are his brother. Maybe instead of worrying so much about your broken flume, you could worry a little bit about Jeremy’s broken heart.”

Her point taken, but fed up with the melodrama, Josh said nothing.

Aaron, chastened, returned to Jordan and sat down, wishing this night was over.

Jeremy stood on Jenny’s front porch, waiting before he knocked. Putting his ear to the door, he listened for the sounds of children that would tell him if he was here too early or not. Hearing nothing, he knocked on the door with a few gentle raps.

Jenny opened the door, a shawl wrapped around her against the evening chill. “Hello Jeremy. Come on in.”

“Hello Jenny.” He followed her into the front room, “Sorry I’m late.”

She kissed him on the cheek, smelling the whiskey on his breath. “I hope you gave Lottie my best.” She motioned to the small settee, “Have a seat, brother.”

Jeremy, however, remained standing as she went back into the kitchen and turned out the light.

She returned, hand on hip. “I said, sit down.” She glared at him, her words slow and measured.

Rather than ruin his alcohol haze with an argument, he obeyed her wish and sat down, a tired sigh escaping from his lips.

She took the chair across from him. “I expected to see you a little earlier today,” she stated, folding her hands in what was left of her lap

“Sorry.”

“How was your day?”

“Long.”

“How are things at camp?”

“Don’t know.”

He didn’t know what was going on at camp? “Didn’t you go to work today?”

“Nope.”

She looked at him for a moment in silence. “Jeremy, your children miss you. They wait for you and ask for you all day.”

“hmmmph.” He really did not want to talk about his children right now.

Undaunted by his grunt, she continued, “They need you, Jeremy. They’ve already lost their mother, don’t let them lose their father too.”

Jeremy started to stand. “I gotta go now, Jenny.”

She grabbed his arm, startling him. “Jeremy don’t put me off. I love these children, you know I do…and I love you too. I can’t sit around and just watch you fade away.”

Jeremy felt the tension in his shoulders build as he looked at his sister, their identical blue eyes locked. He couldn’t burden her with his problems again, especially now. He had already done it so many times before.

He couldn’t tell her that every time he looked at Annie and Jamie he saw Candy; and that it was getting more, not less, painful as the months went by. He couldn’t tell her that he had spent the entire day, Candy’s birthday, sitting at her grave, staring into the sky, his heart empty. He couldn’t tell her that he was so small a man that he couldn’t even acknowledge the tiny grave next to Candy’s marked Mary Elizabeth Bolt, aged 2 months. No, he couldn’t tell her all that.

He was powerless to help Candy and the baby through the pneumonia epidemic, he could barely care for his remaining children, he had disappointed his brother yet again, the litany of his sins was adding up.

“Jeremy?” Jenny was shaking him now, “Jeremy? Answer me!” She could see that his darkness was threatening to engulf him. She turned his face toward hers. “Jeremy, your beautiful babies are asleep in my bed. Candy would be so disappointed in you if you gave up on them, and on yourself. You know that she would.”

His silence filled up the room.

“You know that she would. C’mon,” Jenny repeated, ushering her brother back to her bedroom, where Annie and Jamie lay in her bed, arms entwined. Annie’s long red curls were tousled around her, and the warmth of their two bodies so close together caused Jamie’s blond hair to be drenched with sweat. Jenny and Jeremy stood together for a moment and watched the children sleep, their identical rosebud mouths relaxed in repose. A small smile played at the corner of Jeremy’s lips. Jenny noticed it and relaxed a bit.

“Go home, get some rest. It’s been a long day,” she whispered.

He lifted the children into his arms, kissing each gently on their foreheads. “I’m sorry I was so late. Make my apologies to Aaron.”

Jenny sighed. Not wanting to break their connection, she kept her hand on Jeremy’s back as they walked to the front door, their steps soft on Aaron’s thick Persian rug. “Goodnight, Jeremy. Tomorrow will be a better day.”

He nodded back at her, nuzzling Annie’s soft hair, and began making his way home.

Aaron Stempel saw the figure leaving his house and felt the urge to chastise him for causing the dinner snafu. However, when he saw Jeremy’s hunched shoulders and shuffling feet, he thought better of it and hurried home to his own wife’s loving arms.

Jason awoke to the sound of the sea splashing against the hull of the Seamus OFlynn. The old tub rocked back and forth with the rhythm of the waves outside. Rubbing his temples, a rueful smile playing at the corner of his lips, Jason realized that his drinking bout with Clancey last night had left him with a ferocious hangover. The small cot in the even smaller room did not help his overall sense of well-being, he being at least 6 inches taller than the bed was long.

He sat up, ruffling his hair with his hands, trying to determine the locus of pain, but the effort was futile, for it encompassed his entire head. In the distance, he heard Clancey on deck barking orders to his crew, along with the scurrying of footsteps above his head.

After craning his neck around trying to relieve the ache, Jason sank back down on the cot. He was not looking forward to going home. Somehow he knew, upon docking in Seattle, that he would be back to his role of chief problem solver. His week in San Francisco with Penelope proved to him once again that it was possible, indeed enjoyable, not to have the weight of the world on his shoulders.

If only Jeremy would come around, he thought for the umpteenth time. That would solve almost everyone’s troubles right there. Joshua would get off his back about his expanded work load, Aaron would get off his back about Jenny watching Jeremy’s children all the time, and Jeremy, well, he just wanted Jeremy back, that’s all.

He missed his little brother. The one whom he had all but raised. The man who would burst with pride whenever anyone mentioned his wife or children. The jovial, non-stuttering Jeremy who seemed to be in love with life, after so many years of trying to hide from it. He was hiding now that was for sure, Jason thought, his heart heavy.

Jason could remember it well, the night it happened. Torrents of rain from the winter storm pelted the ground below, and when the wind picked up, the rain pelted the windows and doors of the cabin also. It was raining so hard, he almost didn’t hear the pounding on the front door. When he realized someone was knocking, Jason hurried to the door, opening it to see Jeremy standing there, soaked to the skin, rain running in rivulets down his face. His blue eyes were bloodshot and had a look of fear in them that Jason could not fathom.

“Jeremy?” Jason said softly; only one thing would have brought him out on a night like this.

“She’s gone.” Jeremy stated, his voice flat. “J…J..Jason, Candy’s gone..”

Without speaking, Jason grabbed Jeremy by his shoulders and pulled him to his chest. He could feel Jeremy’s body racked with silent sobs.

What can you tell someone who has lost almost everything, Jason wondered as the boat rocked him like a cradle. Mr. Jason Bolt, man of a thousand plans, the silver-tongued devil himself, was speechless. Jeremy had looked to him for help, and he had none to offer. All he could do was console his brother the best he could and send him back to his children.

It wasn’t enough.

The ship creaked and groaned as if to sympathize.

The sea air, damp with the morning moisture, slapped Jason’s face like a wet rag as he appeared topside on the Seamus O’Flynn. He thought a little fresh air might help him clear his head

“Aye, Mr. Bolt.” Clancey caught sight of him and ambled over, his sea legs sure and strong. “And a good mornin’ to yez today.” He clapped his friend on the back with a hearty slap.

Jason coughed in response, gasping for air. “…and a good morning to you too, Captain.”

“We should be pulling into our fair Seattle before midday, if the wind holds.” Clancey licked his index finger and held it up in the air. “Looks favorable to me.” His lilting Irish accent ebbed and flowed like the gentle waves in the ocean.

“That’ll be just fine, Clancey, just fine.” Jason said, sitting down on a barrel leaning against a wall

Clancey observed his friend sitting with his hands folded and his eyes closed. He knew Jason was not sleeping, but pondering. No matter what happened to the Bolts, Jason was always able to rise above it; make everything all right. He thought for a moment about the burden that must put on the man. As much as he hated to admit it, he was worried about Jason.

As if he knew he was being watched, Jason’s eyes popped open. “Yes, Clancey?”

Embarrassed, Clancey turned away, muttering under his breath. After a moment, he turned back and walked over to where Jason sat. “Yez appears ta be a man with a heavy load, bucko.”

“Well Clancey, you could say that.” Jason replied, unlacing his fingers and flexing them in the salt sea air.

“Yez are still concerned fer young Bolt.” It was a statement. Clancey knew the answer before he even spoke.

Jason nodded. “I don’t know what I can do to help him. I know he’s alone raising those children, and I try to give him the benefit of the doubt, but…” his voice trailed off and he sighed, “Josh and I need him at camp, too.”

Clancey looked down and his voice took on a sorrowful tone, “He hasn’t been hisself since Candy, rest her soul, passed on. Not for one minute.”

Jason turned to Clancey and continued, his hands stretched out in front of him, his voice hushed. “Clancey, I will never forget the look on his face that night. I…I…held him in my arms, like when he was a little boy; but he’s a man now, I can’t just wish away all of his pain.” His tone echoed his frustration.

Clancey’s tone was even, his voice quiet. “Aye, yez can’t do that, bucko. Yez can’t make it all better anymore. Only Jeremy can do that.” He crouched down next to Jason and paused. “I lost a lovely young thing meself once.”

As Jason’s jaw dropped, Clancey continued, although Jason could see he was a million miles away. “Yes, it was a long time ago, but I still thinks of her. We was to be married, but she took sick and died, just like Candy. I didn’t know what to do with meself. I didn’t want to stay where I was, but I didn’t know where else to go. I even thought about joining the priesthood, like my sainted brother Ned,” he turned to Jason in all seriousness, although the thought of Roland Francis Clancey as a priest almost brought a smile to Jason’s face. “Well,” Clancey continued, “It wasn’t long after that that I came into possession of the Seamus O’Flynn, and the sea became my wife and mistress.”

“Clancey, I didn’t know.” Jason replied, putting his arm around the old seaman’s shoulder.

“I just tells ya this, Jason, because you’ve got to realize that even you can’t fix what ails Jeremy. Only time and the good Lord can do that.” Clancey stood again and scanned the horizon, “Yez can only help pick up the pieces.”

The sun was finally shining in San Francisco, and the fine ladies of Italia Amore were about to open their doors. Penelope was spending her last few quiet minutes attending to the window display. Business was good, and Katherine Mancino was a proud woman.

“Penelope, hurry up, it’s almost nine.” Katherine checked her reflection in the mirror and replaced an imagined stray hair. Her ebony hair had nary a touch of gray, although if it did, she knew of a good salon where she could get a rinse. Her eyes, as green as her father’s, had served her well; rendering her unforgettable to most, a fact that she used to her advantage.

A perfectionist, Penny ignored Katherine’s pleading and continued putting the finishing touches on the display. It was her only expression of creativity in this mundane job, and she needed that small outlet, especially now that Jason had left town.

“Penny!” Katherine called, her tone sharp. She couldn’t stand latecomers and malingerers. She absolutely would not stand for her store opening late.

Reluctantly, Penny climbed out of the window and coaxed the drape back into place. “All right, all right, Kate. I’m done.”

Katherine gave her a sideways glance, “Mrs. Mancino, please.”

Penny gave a mock bow. “Yes of course, Mrs. Mancino.” She replied, emphasizing the ‘Mrs.’ Penny’s other daily duty was preparing the cash register for the day’s customers and she hurried over to begin. “And where is our princess today?” she said, her voice harsh and sarcastic.

Katherine whirled around to face her. “If you mean Madeline, she’ll be here shortly.”

Penelope snarled in response. “Yes, we wouldn’t want to disturb her beauty sleep, now would we.”

“Penny, that’ll do.”

“You mean Penelope, don’t you, Mrs. Mancino?” she said, continuing to count the cash, each bill landing on the counter with a slap.

Katherine sighed and unlocked the door. “So, did your pretty boy leave town?” She was intrigued with Penny’s relationship with her mysterious beau. Katherine and Maddie had yet to meet the man whom Penny was so enraptured with.

“Um hmm,” was the curt response.

“Well, I guess that’s why you are so out of sorts then.” Katherine couldn’t resist digging the knife in a little deeper.

“Katherine, maybe I’m out of sorts because..” Penny stopped short as their first customer walked in the door, the small bell alerting them to her arrival.

“Good day, welcome to Italia Amore. How may I assist you?” Penny launched into her well-rehearsed greeting as Katherine moved to the back of the store.

Katherine too wondered what was keeping Maddie. She had to agree the girl was awfully spoiled, but there wasn’t much she could do about it at this late date. She hoped that wherever the girl was, Dougal McKechnie was not there too. He was a pest, a hanger-on that needed to be eliminated before he ruined everything.

It had been a few weeks since she and Maddie had encountered that Jason Bolt, and Katherine could not stop thinking about him. More than that, she couldn’t stop thinking of Seattle. She had some business to attend to there, and Mr. Bolt had finally provided her with a way to begin.

A gust of wind through the front door, reaching all the way to Katherine in the back, alerted her to Madeline’s presence. The girl, hair trailing behind her, ran past Penny and her customer and into the back room.

“Sorry I’m late, Kate,” she said, sniffling and straightening her dress.

Katherine turned around and glared at the young girl. She took in her appearance from head to toe. Her dress was disheveled, her hair unkempt, her skin flushed. “Madeline, could we please observe some decorum here.”

“Oh yes, Mrs. Mancino,” she snorted, pinning her hair up with quick yet smooth motions.

Katherine grabbed her wrist and spun her around. She brought Madeline so close to her face that she could smell her rosewater mouthwash.

“Look my dear, I’ve had just about enough of you. You are a great asset to me, and I protect all of my assets.” Katherine’s voice was cold. “If I find you…” she swiped a bit of smudged lipstick off of Maddie’s cheek, “…have been with McKechnie, you won’t find this fine place waiting for you when you return. Do I make myself clear?”

Wincing, Maddie shook off Katherine’s grasp. “Yes,” she replied, her voice no more than a whisper.

“Now please make yourself useful for awhile. I’ve got some travel arrangements to make.” Katherine averted her eyes from Madeline’s sad gaze.

“Are we going somewhere, Kate?” Maddie squeaked.

“Yes, Madeline. I think we are going to pay a visit to Seattle.” Katherine opened up her Cheshire cat smile for Maddie, grabbed her silk Italian hat from the open hatbox on her desk, and flounced out the back door, leaving Maddie shaking in her wake.

The aroma of pancakes teased Aaron awake. The house was quiet though, could Jenny be up and cooking before the boys were even awake? He crept out into the front room, following his nose to the kitchen.

“Good morning,” he said, putting his hand on Jenny’s shoulder.

“Good morning. Can I interest you in a pancake or two?” She pretended to toss one in the air, smiling.

Aaron’s eyes lit up. “Oh yes, that sounds delicious.” He checked the oven, where she was storing the precious flapjacks, and, seeing a stack, grabbed the plate, burning his fingers in the process. “Ouch!” he dropped the plate on the table and stuck the offending digits into his mouth.

She turned around and looked at him over her shoulder. “Well, what did you expect, grabbing a plate right out of the oven. Sit down before I have to take you over to Doctor Wright.”

He dutifully did as he was told and she poured him a cup of coffee. Joining him at the table, she poured one for herself as well. She sat quietly and watched him eat.

After a moment he looked up at her, “Aren’t you going to have any?”

“Not right now,” she replied.

“Well, what are you looking at then?”

“You.” She loved to see her husband in the morning, when the natural waves in his jet black hair were free from their daily prison and lay gently against his forehead.

Embarrassed by her attention, he looked back down at his plate and continued to eat.

“So, how was your dinner last night?” she said, swirling around the coffee in her cup.

He looked up at her, dabbing the syrup off of his lips with his napkin, which he then replaced onto his lap. “I think it went all right, no thanks to that brother of yours.”

She stood up and walked behind his chair, her hands lingering on his shoulders. Her husband’s relationship with the Bolt brothers was rocky at best and antagonistic at worst, and she was well-practiced at being the go-between. “You know, Aaron, it’s not really Jeremy’s fault that the children got into some mischief.” Her fingers caressed his shoulders. “If anyone is at fault, it’s probably me, I’m the one who fell asleep and left the children unsupervised.”

Aaron continued to devour his breakfast. “That’s ridiculous, Jenny. You’re seven months along, you should be able to take a nap if you need to. Annie is the ringleader, she’s the oldest. She should know better.”

“Aaron, she’s seven years old! She and Matthew are like dynamite together, one eggs the other on.”

“All the more reason that they shouldn’t be spending so much time here.”

She stroked his hair while she spoke. “Jeremy is still awfully sad, Aaron. He misses Candy, he misses his old life. What can I do, turn the children away? Turn him away?”

He turned to face her and took her hands in his. Jenny always wore her kind heart on her sleeve, much to the more pragmatic Aaron’s dismay. He could see in the set of her jaw that it was futile to argue this point, and he really had no desire to throw Jeremy’s youngsters out on the street, but…

“Jenny, I worry so much about you. That’s all. You’ve been so sick and tired this time, I…well…I worry.”

She beamed in response to his concern. “I’m just getting old, I guess.”

He snorted, “Yes, you’re all of what? Twenty three now?”

“Aaron, Jeremy needs our support.”

Another snort. “What he needs is a woman,” he muttered into his coffee cup.

Jenny smacked him across the shoulders, “Aaron Stempel! How could you say such a thing?’

“What?” he threw up his hands in defense, “Candy’s been gone how long? Almost a year? That’s long enough, Jenny. A new woman would probably do him some good.” A lot of good, he thought as he drained his coffee cup. That boy could most likely use some of what only a woman can offer. “Well, thank you for breakfast,” he flashed his most charming smile.

She had no recourse for that. “You’re welcome.” She replied, a sly smile on her face.

He bent and brought his lips to hers. Every morning and every evening he thanked the Almighty for bringing this sweet woman to him. “I’ll see you later. Please get some rest.”

Her fingers stroked his cheek. “All right, all right. Have a good day. I love you.”

Aaron smiled in response, and bussed her forehead.

Midday at Lottie’s was certainly not the height of business. A few wanderers, the dust of the road thick on their shoulders; and some town workers dotted her saloon for lunch. So when the Bolt brothers roared in, dragging not a few loggers with them, all eyes in the place turned toward them.

“Lottie m’dear, set up my brothers and my men with a drink, on me!” he boomed, finishing with an expansive wave of his hand.

“And to what do I owe the pleasure of this visit, Jason?” Lottie said, working the beer tap with a practiced motion. “I mean, it can’t be the end of the work day already.”

“Ah, but it is! We’ve finally shipped our last log on the Merriwell contract to Stempel and we are ready to celebrate, right boys?”

A chorus of affirmative shouts blasted from their throats as the rowdy loggers jockeyed for a place at Lottie’s bar.

Jason grabbed the first beer and toasted his colleagues, then his brothers. The weeks that had passed since he arrived home from San Francisco had been quiet and uneventful. Jeremy was coming out of his fog a bit, and was working harder and joking more with the men. Jason allowed himself a sigh of relief at the clink of two mugs as he saw Joshua lift his glass to his younger brother.

Jason had been appalled at the state of the flume upon his return, but without laying blame worked with Joshua and his crew to repair the damage. Joshua’s on the spot modifications actually caused the rebuilt flume to perform better than ever.

About one half of his beer was gone when Aaron Stempel entered the room.

“So Bolt,” he quipped, “I might’a known I’d find you here.”

“Mr. Stempel,” Jason addressed him as he’d done a million times before, “Let me buy you a drink. On the Bolt Brothers.”

Aaron scowled. He hated it when Jason was effusive. It usually spelled trouble for him. Still, the offer of a drink was a sound one and Aaron nodded his approval. “So, I take it this is a celebration?” he shouted above the din of loggers as Lottie slid a glass of beer in his direction.

“Why yes, Aaron, didn’t you notice that we delivered the last log on the Merriwell contract?” Jason pulled on his gloves while stretching his fingers; a sure sign that he was gloating.

Still scowling, Aaron swallowed a mouthful of the beer. He had hoped that with the flume down and Jeremy’s troubles ongoing, that the contract would slip and he could collect some hefty penalties from the Bolts. “Yes, as a matter of fact, I did notice it Bolt,” he added, not wishing to belabor the point.

“Aaron, Aaron, now you wouldn’t have been counting on getting penalty money from us, now were you?” Jason said, eyes twinkling, as he downed his whiskey.

Stempel’s eyes narrowed and his tone turned patronizing, “Now Jason, do you think that’s all I’m concerned about?”

Jason looked him in the eye for a moment before answering. “Well, as a matter of fact, yes Aaron, I do.”

His companion rolled his eyes in response. “Then I guess you don’t know me as well as you think you do.” Peeved to think that quite the opposite was true, he retired to a seat at a table, leaving Jason to smirk into his drink.

The stagecoach jostled its occupants far past their threshold for annoyance. The tree-filled landscape kept bouncing by as Katherine Mancino gazed out the window, her thoughts as dark as the gray clouds and drizzle. She hated stage travel and wished more than once that she was back on the streets of San Francisco, in her own comfortable buggy; but the only ship she could book on such short notice could take them only as far as Tacoma. They had to make the rest of the trip over land. To her aching joints, it seemed as if this road had never been traveled before. She glanced over at Maddie dozing beside her, chin almost resting on her chest, and wished she could join her in her sleep of the innocent. However, Katherine’s mind was racing too fast for sleep.

She didn’t know much about Seattle, and hadn’t even thought about it of late until her fortuitous meeting with Jason Bolt. He reminded her that she had some unfinished business to attend to, and also provided her with the opening to finish it. She didn’t yet have a plan, she would play it by ear, but she was sure that Madeline’s youth and beauty could play a part. Plain Penelope could stay behind and run the store, it was what she was best at anyway. Katherine knew she herself was the brains of the outfit, and Maddie was the beauty, and Penny, well, Penny was the rock.

The coach lurched to a stop, and Katherine heard the horses whinny in response to the driver’s tugging on their reins. Without words, the driver hopped out of his seat and opened the coach door for Katherine.

“Seattle, ma’am.” He extended his hand to assist her in departing the stage.

“Maddie, wake up!” Katherine commanded in a harsh whisper. “We’re here.”

The girl wrinkled her nose and licked her lips as she struggled to wake up. “Where?”

“Seattle.” Katherine pinched Madeline’s cheeks and then her own, “Look alive, now.”

Maddie stretched and followed Katherine down the narrow steps. She looked around at the few buildings that surrounded her. They had stopped right in front of Lottie’s saloon.

“Miss Lottie’ll put you up, ladies.” The driver said as he climbed back up to his seat on the coach. With a flick of his wrist, the horses began to trot off, the stage trailing behind them.

Katherine checked her watch. Four o’clock. She stared at the sign on the building for a moment and took a deep breath.

“C’mon Kate, I’m thirsty. It’s a saloon isn’t it? Maybe we can get some lemonade and you can tell me why we are in this God-forsaken place.” Maddie squeaked through her yawn, coaxing her hair back into its chignon.

Katherine took her by her arm. “Alright Maddie. Remember your manners.” She stressed the last word, straightened her shoulders and opened the door to Lottie’s saloon.

The place was full to bursting by this time, loggers, millworkers and assorted other men and a few women were laughing and drinking. An out of tune piano offered some the chance to sing, although caterwauling might be a better term to describe it. Katherine scanned the room, hoping to catch a glimpse of the proprietress of the joint, when her eyes alighted on a familiar shock of dark, curly hair.

Still clutching Madeline’s arm, she pulled her toward the bar where Jason was standing.

“Mr. Bolt?” she called, a little louder than she would have liked to be heard above the din.

Jason and his companions turned around leaving a space between them. A stout older blonde woman with dark eyelashes and a satin dress stood behind the bar between them. Lottie.

Katherine’s mouth went dry as she pretended not to notice the woman, instead training her eyes on Jason Bolt’s sapphire blue ones. “Mr. Bolt? Do you remember me?”

Jason tipped his head to one side and set down his beer. “Why Mrs. Mancino, what a pleasure to see you again.”

Katherine, momentarily pleased with herself that she was again unforgettable, nonetheless regained her composure. “And I trust you remember my ward, Miss West?”

Maddie kept her eyes down as Jason acknowledged her.

“Yes, she’s the quiet one.” He noticed that Katherine was staring at Lottie. “Mrs. Mancino, may I present the hostess of this establishment, Lottie Hatfield. Lottie, this is Katherine Mancino, an…acquaintance of mine from San Francisco.”

Lottie held out her hand and Katherine, unable to stop trembling, took it. It was smaller than she would have thought, and her skin was thin, yet worn from years of work. Saloon work.

Lottie smiled, her voice warm, “So nice to meet you, Mrs. Mancino. Any friend of Jason’s is a friend of mine.”

“Pleased I’m sure,” Katherine responded through clenched teeth.

Jason continued the introductions as manners would dictate, giving himself time to think about what Katherine and her ward could possibly be doing so far from San Francisco. Maddie continued to glance at Katherine, as if for approval for her every word, and Jason wondered again why she was so quiet.

Joshua quickly pulled out a chair for Madeline and she sat down next to him, across from Jeremy.

“So, Miss West, may I get you something to drink?” Josh asked, hovering over her.

“Yes, lemonade would be fine, thank you,” she replied, and Joshua hurried off. Out of the corner of her eye she could see the other young man across the table looking at her. She took out her handkerchief and patted at the sweat dotting her neck and chest. The young man averted his eyes.

A moment later Josh returned and placed a tall glass of lemonade in front of Maddie. He seemed to have no trouble expressing himself. Full of jokes and compliments (and beer, Maddie thought), Joshua put the full press on the young woman. Pretty young city women were an anomaly in Seattle, and Joshua Bolt intended to make the most of it.

Maddie waited in abject fear that he would ask her why they had come to Seattle, as she did not yet know the answer to that question. Katherine refused to tell her anything, only that they were going, and when.

She smiled at the garrulous Joshua when expected to through her thoughts, but her eyes kept wandering over to the other man at the table, the second brother of Jason Bolt. That one had darker hair than the chatty one, but the same brilliant blue eyes. He said very little, but she could feel his eyes on her. Soon, he excused himself, made his goodnights and left the saloon. She watched him leave, while Joshua kept on talking and soon was doing coin tricks. Madeline glanced over at Katherine who was deep in conversation with Jason Bolt and his companion, a tall dark man in a sharp gray suit. She was weary, she replied to Josh, and no, she was not really up for a walk right now. Her white smile shone through her perfect rosebud lips while she tried to get Kate’s attention.

“Madeline.” Katherine’s voice cut through the noise. “I think it’s time we took our leave.” She turned back to Lottie, “Miss Hatfield, might you have a room for my ward and I?”

Lottie’s smile was warm, but Katherine felt her arms go cold with gooseflesh. “Certainly, dear, the keys are hanging over there,” she motioned with her head toward a peg board with some numbered keys on it. Katherine grabbed key number 5, then put her hand none-too-gently on Maddie’s shoulder. “My dear, we do need to go and freshen up, it has been a long day of travel.”

Maddie felt the weight of Katherine’s hand oppressing her. She turned to Joshua, who by now had attracted a small crowd with his sleight of hand. “Goodnight, Mr. Bolt. I hope we meet again.”

Joshua looked up at her, his eyes shining. “Yes, Miss West, I do too. Good night.” He turned his attention back to his game.

Katherine, leading Maddie by the elbow, walked up the stairs, remembering to keep her back straight and her shoulders back. Just like Daddy told her to.

Long after she heard Maddie’s soft snores beside her, Katherine lie (lay?) awake, her mind racing. She was actually here, in Seattle. The small backwater excuse for a town, where Lottie Hatfield had chosen to live out her days.

Carlotta Hatfield.

Carlotta Hatfield Crosse.

Her mother.

The mother who gave her up.

The woman who deserted her father when he needed her most, to live a life of a saloon madam. Katherine closed her eyes and conjured up a picture of her father, handsome and charming, who treated her like a queen. Her beloved father, shot dead because her mother would not lend him the money he so desperately needed. She squeezed her eyes tighter to fight the hot tears that had appeared there. Well, it was time to settle that little score, Mother dearest, Katherine thought. Sighing, she pulled the linens up around her ears and tried without success to fall asleep.

Jeremy gently closed the door behind him as he came into the house. All was quiet and he wondered if his children were elsewhere. It had been a good evening at Lottie’s and the alcohol running through his system felt good.

“Hello Jeremy!” a sing-song voice greeted him from the back room.

“Oh, hello Biddie,” he responded, hanging his jacket on a peg by the door. As much as he cared for Biddie and appreciated her help and support, her voice never ceased to amaze him in its resemblance to nails on a chalkboard.

“Papa!” Annie cried, running in the room, her white nightgown billowing out behind her.

“Paaaa!” Not to be outdone, Jamie waddled in behind his sister, his pace slower due to the nightshirt that bunched up around his ankles.

Jeremy swept both children up into his arms. He nuzzled Annie’s cheek and planted a raspberry on Jamie’s tummy. “Hello there!”

“I’m so glad you’re home, Papa.” Annie said, her luminous blue eyes twinkling.

“Well, I’m glad to be home, Princess.” Jeremy kissed her again on her cheek, while trying to fend off Jamie from pinching his nose.

Biddie tiptoed into the room and watched the scene. Thank heavens Jeremy seemed to be pulling out of his funk. The children needed him so, and Lord knows Candy wouldn’t have wanted him to grieve this long. She would have to hurry home so he could spend a couple of minutes with the children before they fell asleep.

“Well,” she snatched her cloak off the door peg next to Jeremy’s coat, “I guess I’ll be going now, Jeremy.”

“Thanks again, Biddie,” he said smiling, yet still dodging Jamie’s pinching fingers. The three of them watched Biddie safely cross the square.

“Ok, little man. That’s quite enough of that!” he said, his voice as stern as he could muster. He plopped the kids down on his bed. “Well, it’s just about bedtime, isn’t it?”

Two sets of wide blue eyes stared back at him.

“We’re not sleepy, Papa. Tell us a story.” Annie implored, not willing to give up a moment’s time with her father.

“’tory! ‘tory!” Jamie joined in.

Jeremy sighed. To be honest, he would like nothing better than to crawl into bed himself, but a story wouldn’t be too much trouble.

“All right,” Annie said, in an exact mimic of her mother’s voice, “Now Papa, you sit right here in between me and Jamie so we can be equal.”

The resemblance to Candy was unmistakable and Jeremy felt the familiar sorrow begin to stir in the pit of his stomach. He did not want to be miserable tonight, though.

“Well, if you say so.” Jeremy wedged himself between the two children, who took the opportunity to snuggle into him. “So, what do you want to hear?”

“The prince and princess story, Papa!” the flame-haired Annie immediately replied, Jamie clapping his pudgy hands in agreement.

Jeremy smiled. That story was her favorite because she was the princess and Jamie the prince. He conjured it up one evening, and she demanded to hear it again and again. He wasn’t sure how much energy he had to compose an adventure story right then, but he strained his brain to come up with something.

“All right. Once upon a time there was a beautiful princess and a handsome prince…”

Much later, Jeremy shook himself awake. Still fully dressed, he had fallen asleep with the children. They were both laying across his chest and he could feel their deep even breathing. With great care not to disturb them, he disentangled their limbs, freed them from Annie’s long locks, and tucked in the sheets around them. Amazed again at their beauty, he said a small prayer and kissed them both. He remembered holding Candy in his arms, as they watched Annie sleep nestled between them, and how he wondered how much happiness a man could keep in his heart.

Thirsty, he tiptoed into the kitchen for a glass of water. As he downed it, the face of Madeline West flashed before him. He shook his head to dismiss the image. Why did he think of her? He hadn’t spoken two words to her the entire evening. Joshua had monopolized her time with great enthusiasm. Jeremy smiled to himself, knowing that, as usual, Joshua had very good taste in women, and this one was especially pretty.

Pretty?

He hadn’t thought about that in a long while. No woman could ever compare to Candy as far as beauty went; he hadn’t thought of another woman as beautiful in as long as he could remember. It was as if other women existed in the world he was in, but not a part of. Madeline West certainly was in his world though, she had been close enough to touch. He put his glass down on the counter, careful not to make a sound, walked back to his room and readied himself to climb back into bed.

Katherine opened her eyes with the first light and felt a rush of excitement. She had waited so long for this opportunity, she didn’t want to waste a minute. She nudged Maddie who still slept beside her.

“Get up my dear. We’ve work to do.”

“hummmph” was all the girl could say. She always found herself getting the short end of the deal whenever Katherine involved her in one of her schemes. Katherine still wouldn’t tell her why they were here, and Maddie knew better than to ask.

Before Maddie could drag herself out of bed, Katherine was dressed and heading for the door. “I expect to see you very soon, Madeline,” she said, pinning up her dark hair, “after all, how would it look if you straggled in later than me. My ward needs to do better than that.”

“Yes, yes, Kate. I’ll see you soon.” Maddie dismissed her, yawning and stretching. Her biggest worry today was how she would get the tortoise-shell comb through her thick golden hair.

Katherine descended the stairs with her usual regal bearing. Upon taking the first step in sight of the saloon floor, she surveyed the scene. There was an unfamiliar young man behind the bar, and no sign of Lottie Hatfield. Jason Bolt’s dapper friend from last night was at a table though, alone and drinking a cup of coffee. Katherine threw her shoulders back and entered the main room. She zeroed in on the man at the table and walked up beside him.

“Good morning, Mr…” she hesitated a moment. “Stempel.”

Aaron, in mid sip, looked up at the sound of his name. Standing before him was the woman he met last night. Now what was her name again?? “Good morning Mrs…”

“Mancino.” Katherine added with nary a beat. She stood there for a moment looking down at Aaron.

“Uh… won’t you join me?” He stammered under the glare of her green eyes.

She pulled out the chair next to him and perched herself on it. “Why thank you, Mr. Stempel, I’d love to.” She motioned to the barkeep and he brought her a cup of coffee. She took a sip and had to choke back a cough. “Well, it’s not Italian roast, is it now.” Her face betrayed little emotion as she set the cup down gently.

“Well, I guess we are not all as sophisticated as you San Franciscans, Mrs. Mancino.” Aaron replied, taking a large draw from his cup.

“Oh, well….my husband was Italian, and we have spent some time there.” She smiled, sure that her European travels would impress him.

“Hmmm.” Aaron decided to change the subject. “So, I’m not sure we ever found out why you and your ward have come to our fair city.”

“Oh.” Katherine looked down at her folded hands, “Well, Mr. Stempel, it was absolutely grand that we ran into Mr. Bolt when we did, because I’d been thinking of expanding my business, and he reminded me that this part of the country is growing so quickly that I began to think that this would be a good area to expand into.” The words tumbled breathlessly from her mouth.

“Yes..” Aaron’s voice betrayed only mild interest.

“Well, Mr. Stempel,” Katherine’s voice, on the other hand, rose with excitement with every sentence. “I mean, people…women are going to be coming here from all parts of the country, and I think the time might be right to bring some fashion to the northwest territories.”

Aaron gave her a sideways glance. “You know, Mrs. Mancino, we have a general store that meets all of our sartorial needs quite nicely, and has for some time now.” Fashion was not something that moved him.

“Are you married Mr. Stempel?” she asked.

He looked at her, startled by the question. “Yes, why do you ask?”

“Wouldn’t you like to treat your wife to a beautiful dress or hat to make her feel like a queen?” Katherine egged him on.

“I don’t think it takes a beautiful dress or hat to make a woman a queen, Mrs. Mancino. But good luck in your venture.” Aaron stood up and nodded. “Good day.”

Katherine forced a smile. “Yes, good day.”

She watched him stride out the door, disappointed that she had not made a better impression. She took another sip of coffee as she thought about what her next move might be.

No sooner than Aaron had gone out the door, than it banged open again and a man with two young children in tow tumbled in.

“Lottie?” the young man called.

The barkeep looked up at the entourage. “Jeremy, she’s out for awhile.” He shrugged without being asked a question. “I don’t know when she’ll be back.”

Jeremy? Katherine thought for a moment. Oh yes, Jason’s younger brother. She was so focused on Lottie and Jason, she hardly remembered meeting him the night before. Oh yes, he had been sitting with Madeline.

Jeremy sighed and leaned on the bar, the children scampering in and out of the back room. “Ken, are you sure you don’t know when she’ll be back.”

Ken shrugged again. “Sorry Jeremy, you can’t leave ‘em here if Lottie’s not here. I can’t watch the bar and them too.”

“I know, I know.” Jeremy rubbed his temples as Ken poured him a cup of steaming coffee. “It’s just that well, Biddie’s children are sick and after the look Aaron gave me just now, I better not ask Jenny to watch them again…” his voice trailed off.

Katherine stood up and joined Jeremy at the bar. “Mr. Bolt? Are you looking for someone to watch your children?”

Jeremy looked askance. He vaguely remembered seeing this woman last night, she was attached in some way to the young woman that had been sitting at his table. “I am in need, yes.”

Katherine proffered her hand. “I hope you don’t think me forward, but I can see that you have a problem. We met last night. I’m Katherine Mancino.”

Jeremy took her hand, still reeling from her imperiousness. “Um..yes. Jeremy Bolt.” He repeated his name although she already knew it.

“Mr. Bolt. My ward, Madeline, whom you met last night, is in need of some wholesome way to spend her time while we are in Seattle. Might I offer her services as governess for those two adorable children?”

As soon as Katherine uttered the word adorable, as if on cue, Annie and Jamie ran screaming through the saloon, colliding with Jeremy’s legs, where they commenced to play keep away with each other.

“Um, well, I’d…I…could talk to her a…bout it.” Jeremy stammered, while trying to clamp his hands on each child’s shoulders.

Katherine smiled. “Oh, nonsense. She loves children. I know she’d be happy to do it. Allow me to hurry her down here.” Katherine bustled up the steps, leaving Jeremy standing stunned at the bar.

Oh, this will be perfect, she thought as she raced toward she and Maddie’s door. Maddie right inside a Bolt house, what a grand idea! Katherine had taken notice of Lottie’s interest in the Bolt brothers, it would do her well to be on good terms with them.

“Madeline, come down immediately.” She called in a hushed whisper through the heavy door.

Maddie opened the door, a picture of innocence, all large blue eyes and pink cheeks. “What is it, Kate?” she hissed.

“Come along, I’ve got something for you to do.” Katherine, as usual, took her by the elbow and led her downstairs.

“Kate, I...” Maddie sputtered, stopping when she saw Jeremy standing there. She remembered him from last night, the quiet young man from her table.

“Madeline, Mr. Bolt here is in need of a governess for his children. I suggested you as I know how you love children!” Katherine said, staring into Maddie’s eyes.

“Oh…I…” Maddie really had no opinion of children. She herself was the youngest child and so her interactions with persons smaller than herself were quite infrequent. She looked from Annie, to Jamie, up to Jeremy, then back to Katherine. From the look on Katherine’s face, this did not seem to be a negotiable item. “Why…um… certainly, Mr. Bolt, I’d love to.” She forced her face into a smile.

“Oh.” Jeremy said, not really knowing what to think. On the one hand, he was in desperate need of someone to look after the children; but on the other, he had only just met these women. They seemed nice enough, though, and very helpful. Jeremy noticed the change in the younger woman’s appearance and demeanor from the silk brocade of the night before to the gingham of this morning. “I s..suppose we could give it a try…Miss..uh…” he was embarrassed that he did not remember her name, but extended his hand anyway.

She took it, feeling its warmth. “West. Please, call me Maddie.”

“Well,” Jeremy drew in his breath for a moment, then looked from Maddie to Katherine. “Why don’t I walk you all back to my cabin.”

Katherine smiled, a wide, gleaming smile. “Wonderful! Madeline, I’ll see you later.” She walked them to the door and nearly shoved them out.

Maddie glanced over her shoulder and gave Katherine a confused look.

Seattle’s daily rainstorm did not faze Lottie as she sloshed her way through the square. Returning to the saloon after checking on the Potter baby, she pulled her raincape closer around her neck to stave off the cold drops. Across the square she saw Jeremy and his children accompanied by someone else she could not recognize walking out of the saloon and she wondered if he had been there to see her.

She bustled through the front doors of her place and her eyes alighted on the figure of Katherine Mancino, sitting alone at a table sipping on a cup of coffee. Lottie had not yet had an opportunity to ask Jason about the woman and her ward, and how exactly they had all met. She knew Jason had been making more trips than usual to San Francisco recently, and she suspected he had a woman there, but he acted with almost indifference to this one, so she couldn’t be the one.

Katherine Mancino had the oddest green eyes; Lottie remembered thinking upon meeting her last night. She was a handsome woman, and obviously very affluent, judging from her dress and hat; but it was her eyes that made Lottie uncomfortable. They were eyes she swore she had seen before, but that couldn’t be possible; she had never met this woman.

As she noticed Lottie coming through the door, Katherine looked up at her and smiled. Her smile was large, but cold, and Lottie could barely manage a small nod in reply.

“Good morning, Miss Hatfield.” Katherine said, her voice eager.

“And to you, Mrs. Mancino. I hope you and your ward slept well last night.” Lottie shrugged off her cape and placed it with the others on the coat rack.

“Oh, yes indeed.” Katherine stood and followed Lottie to the bar. “The room was lovely.”

“So what can I do for you today? Lottie asked, pouring herself a cup of coffee.

“Oh, Miss Hatfield, I’m just so excited to have had the opportunity to help Mr. Bolt today, I must tell someone!”

Lottie’s ears perked up. “Oh, and how were you able to help Jason today?”

Katherine cocked her head a bit. “…Not Jason. His brother, Jeremy.”

Suspicion clouded Lottie’s eyes, “Jeremy?”

“Oh yes,” Katherine sipped her coffee, finally able to do it without wincing. “My ward, Madeline volunteered to watch his children…poor motherless things…” Katherine hung her head for effect.

“Well..” Lottie paused for thought. That must have been the girl she saw Jeremy with; Katherine Mancino’s ward. “That’s nice Mrs. Mancino, I’m sure Jeremy will be most appreciative.” She avoided addressing the ‘poor motherless’ part of Katherine’s statement.

“Call me Katherine, please. And I hope I may call you Lottie.” Or Aunt Lottie, she thought, as she felt ice run through her veins.

“Of course.” Lottie replied. “So, what brings you here, Katherine.” Katherine, always one of her favorite names. Her daughter’s name.

Katherine had given a lot of thought as to why she should say they were there. The easiest explanation was the one she tried on Aaron Stempel earlier that morning. “I’m looking for new business opportunities, Lottie. As you probably heard last night, I own my own millinery business in San Francisco. When I met Jason Bolt, he indicated to me that Seattle was a small but growing town, and I thought this might be a good place to expand into.” Katherine injected as much enthusiasm into her voice as she could.

Lottie sipped her coffee again. “Wouldn’t it have been easier to open another shop a little closer to home?”

“Oh, well…” Katherine stammered, “San Francisco is a big place now,” You wouldn’t know, having deserted us there a long time ago… “I rather thought I liked the idea of being a big fish in a smaller pond, if you get my meaning.” She leaned in with a conspiratorial tone.

Lottie raised her eyebrows in a shrug. “Well, dear, welcome to Seattle, the small pond of the West.” She walked to the tables and began to tidy up for the lunch rush, her brocade skirts rustling about her legs.

Katherine could not take her eyes off of Lottie. She took in every tilt of her head, every sway of her hips. She had not seen her mother since she was about eight years old, an entire lifetime ago. That was during the time that Katherine thought she was her aunt and that her mother’s sister, Caroline, and her husband were her parents. Yet another sham perpetrated by this woman. Her face grew pinched as she thought about it; she had to quickly reshape it when Lottie turned around to face her.

“Lottie?”

“Yes?” Lottie was again struck by Katherine’s green eyes. So like….so like….Lottie just couldn’t place it, but she was certain that she had seen eyes like that before.

“If I was needing a backer to get started with my business, who do you suppose would be the best person to ask around here?” Good Lord, this innocent act was a hard one to keep up. She didn’t need any backing, that was for sure. She was a wealthy woman, and hated pretending otherwise.

Lottie put a hand on her hip while she thought. Katherine’s eyes widened, as she had done that herself, many times. “Well, I guess Aaron Stempel has the most cash in town, he would probably be the best person to start with.”

Katherine had been sure Jason Bolt was the wealthiest man in town. “Oh. What about Jason Bolt?”

“Oh, they have a mountain, that’s true, but Aaron’s the one with the cash.” Lottie turned her attention to the bar. “Of course, his wife is expecting and not well. You might have a hard time catching him in his office. You’ll have to excuse me, Katherine, I need to get ready for lunch. I wouldn’t want a bunch of hungry loggers descending on me and not have any food for them. They don’t get to be the size they are eating logging camp fare.”

Expecting, huh. Well, that lent an interesting dimension to her handling of Mr. Aaron Stempel, didn’t it. “Yes, certainly. Thank you so much for your help.”

Lottie leaned across the bar and spoke in a hushed tone, “Well Katherine, you might as well know, I cannot resist a beautiful hat.” She stood up and motioned to the customer who had just come through the door. “Best of luck to you, dear.”

Katherine’s lips turned up in a wan smile, “Thank you.” She turned around to face Lottie, who was serving yet another pot of coffee to a soaking wet patron, “Oh and Lottie, where can I send a wire?”

Lottie motioned to her left, “General Store. Ben Perkins is our telegrapher.”

“Great!” Katherine gathered her violet skirts about her and ascended the stairs, her feet quick and light. Her idea was coming together, she should let Penny know that they had arrived.

“Allyn? What brings you here?” Aaron’s eyes widened with fright as he met Dr. Wright on his doorstep. It was midday and Aaron had taken to checking in on Jenny and the children if he could get away from the office.

“Just stopping by to see how Jenny is doing.” Allyn Wright said in her usual soothing tone, “I was in the neighborhood, Aaron. Nothing to worry about.”

Aaron sighed as he opened the door for the doctor. Jenny was getting close to her due date, and Aaron couldn’t wait for this pregnancy to be over. Jenny was exhausted all the time, and her lower back ached day and night. He couldn’t stand to see his best girl suffering so; especially since he had no control over her pain. Aaron prided himself in his ability to manage almost any situation, from business deal to town council; but seeing Jenny sick and tired and he unable to help her frustrated him to no end.

He waited in the living room, toes and fingers tapping out no particular rhythm as Allyn examined Jenny in the bedroom. He stood when Allyn, tall and straight, walked out.

“Aaron,” she said and his heart sank. It was not a cheery rendering of his name, that was for sure.

“Yes Allyn?” he grabbed the edge of the table for support.

“I think Jenny needs to stay in bed for a few days.” She pulled on her gloves as she spoke, “I don’t like her color and she has quite a bit of swelling.”

Aaron could feel himself beginning to hyperventilate. “W…what does that mean, Allyn?”

The doctor’s voice was soft but firm, “Aaron, that means that she needs to take extra care of herself right now. I want her to stay in bed for the next three days. I mean In. Bed.”

“W..well, yes Allyn, whatever you say.”

“No cooking, no washing, no cleaning. She’s close to delivering that baby I think, and I want her healthy and rested when it comes.” Allyn snapped her bag shut and patted the hat atop her head. “Can you make sure that happens, Aaron?”

“Yes of course.” Aaron rubbed his neck as he held the door open for her.

“I’ll ask a few of the girls in town to come by to help with the children, and I’ll stop back by tomorrow.” She turned to him when she reached the stoop. “And I want to see her in that bed.”

Aaron felt he was being scolded by his primary school teacher. “yes Ma’am.”

The tone in his voice made her smile. “Good day, Aaron.”

“Yes, good day Allyn.” He closed the door behind her and made a beeline for his bedroom. He saw Jenny laying atop their four poster bed, looking very small, even in her current large state. “Hi.”

She turned to him, her mouth drawn down at the corners. “Oh Aaron! I’m so sorry!” her bottom lip quivering as she spoke.

He sat down next to her and stroked her hair. “For what?” he said, his voice soft and tender.

She bit her bottom lip in a vain attempt to quell its quivering, “For this! Having to stay in bed! This is ridiculous, Aaron, what’s wrong with me??”

“Don’t worry, sweetheart, you just need some rest, that’s all. We’ll manage. Don’t worry a bit.” He grinned, although he didn’t really feel it. The doctor was right, Jenny was pale, and her face was puffy. Aaron remembered very well when he and Jenny had first met, and how she was caring for Candy, who had almost died giving birth to Annie. He and Jenny had two beautiful healthy sons, their footsteps resonated in the front room; but Aaron was well aware that giving birth was inherently dangerous. “I’ll take care of everything, I promise. You just stay in bed, like Allyn said.”

Jenny smiled through her tears at the thought of Aaron trying to run their household. “Oh, Mr. Stempel.” Her small hand caressed his cheek.

He kissed her lips, and could feel how dry they were. He gulped down his anxiety and forced a smile again. He stood up and rubbed his hands together, “So, where do I begin?”

“Lunch for the boys, I would think.” She yawned. “I am a bit tired, maybe I’ll take a little nap since you’re here.”

“Good idea,” he said, nodding. Kissing her again, he backed out of the room, not wanting to take his eyes off of her, finally closing the door to the sounds of his children, their children, playing tag in the kitchen.

Jason was lost in his thoughts when Joshua sidled up next to him. “Checking my work again, brother??”

“Joshua!” Jason jumped about a foot to the side and put his hand to his chest. “I didn’t see you there.”

“I noticed.” Josh said, smirking. “Where are you really, Jason?” he had noticed his brother’s distraction the past couple of days. “Because you sure aren’t here most of the time.”

“Now Joshua,” Jason said dismissing him with a wave, “What are you talking about?”

“Well,” the blond brother answered, “If I didn’t know better, I would say you were mooning over a woman.”

Jason turned with a deliberate motion, “But brother, that’s your job, isn’t it?”

“Hmmmm.” Josh replied, snatching the ledger from Jason’s slack hands. “I’ll take these, much obliged.” Not realizing it, he clutched the book to his chest, “Seen Jeremy today?”

“Yes sir, he was here early today; early enough to make the coffee. That girl that’s been taking care of the children has made a world of difference in him.” Jason stroked his chin, his mind on Jeremy. Although his initial response was shock that Jeremy would entrust the children to someone he had just met, it had turned out to be a good thing for them all. In just the two weeks since Maddie West had become the ‘governess’ for the youngest Bolt children, Jeremy had been able to put in a full day of work, every day; and was even showing some enthusiasm for it again. Jason was even considering entrusting Jeremy with a few bidding opportunities; as he had showed such promise at it before Candy fell ill. However, there was the little matter of an upcoming buying trip to San Francisco that Jason had to take. Not because anyone in town was desperate for anything, except him, that is. He needed to see Penny. Needed to feel the warmth of her smile, and the gentleness of her touch.

“…so I guess you’ll be heading out to San Francisco soon.” Joshua continued. “Jason? Jason?”

His reverie snapped, Jason once again turned to Joshua, whose words were alighting on him like gnats. “Yes, yes, I think it’s just about time, don’t you?”

Josh snickered again. “Oh yes, brother, I think it’s probably way past time.” He slapped the open-mouthed Jason on the back and walked off, ledger at his side.

“What is he on about?” Jason said to no one in particular. He went into the tent, sat down at the makeshift table and began to shuffle papers. As much of the paperwork he had offloaded to Joshua, something would always come through that needed his attention and his attention only. He tried to focus on the papers at hand when he was interrupted by a rustling outside the tent.

“Mr. Bolt?” the female voice called.

Jason walked over to the tent flap and looked out. “Mrs. Mancino, what brings you way up here? It’s pretty dangerous.”

“Oh.” Katherine glanced around her and with a guilty look, smiled at Jason. “I didn’t realize that. I figured with all of you strong loggers around, I’d be perfectly safe.” She did everything but bat her eyelashes at him.

“Well, come in.” He ushered her into the tent. “What can I do for you today?”

“I was just taking a walk through your beautiful country and I happened upon your camp,” she said, perching herself on the chair Jason had pulled out for her.

Jason knew that excuse was ridiculous, no one just ‘happened’ on the logging camp, it was too far off the beaten path for that to happen. She must want something. “So, what do you think?”

“Well,” her face flushed with excitement, “It is as beautiful as you told us it would be. I’m just so excited to be opening a shop here.”

Jason nodded in response, waiting for her to continue. Opening a store, he thought, here?

“Actually, Mr. Bolt, I’m, well, I’m looking for additional backers for my venture, and I wanted to speak to you about it.” She looked down at her folded hands.

Aaaaahhh, the truth comes out. She wants money. He should have known.

“I have a complete business plan, if you’d like to see it; and my shop in San Francisco has been profitable since we opened and…”

“Mrs. Mancino, let me stop you right there. I’m a logger and I don’t know anything about high fashion.”

“Well, of course, I would run the business, you wouldn’t…”

“Again, sorry to interrupt,” he said as he interrupted her again. “But I just can’t spare any cash to invest at this time. My only concern is my own business, and there is not enough income to diversify into other sorts of things.” He walked to the tent and opened the flap, her sign to leave.

“Oh, well, Mr. Bolt. I understand. I’ll just try elsewhere then.” Katherine rose with dignity and exited the tent. “Perhaps Aaron Stempel would be interested.”

“Yes, yes, perhaps Aaron Stempel would be interested….” Jason dismissed her and turned back to his books. Odd woman, he thought as he heard her footsteps recede into the background.

Undeterred, Katherine retraced her steps back toward town. Oh well, Lottie had been right about Bolt. It was worth a try, though. Maddie would have to take care of the Bolts by herself; Katherine would try Stempel again.

Soon she was outside Aaron’s office. She saw him inside, his hand moving like a whirligig, stamping papers that looked to be invoices. She stepped up to the door.

Maddie brushed the last bit of lunch crumbs off of the table and peeked over at Jamie Bolt, snoozing in his cradle. Annie Bolt was engaged in her favorite activity, digging in the garden outside. Maddie had never seen a little girl with such a fondness for dirt. Jeremy said she had always been like that. Maddie sank into a kitchen chair and allowed herself a minute to feel the sun on her face. She thought about the past couple of weeks and how she had actually been enjoying her life as a governess. It was nice to be away from Katherine, to be doing something all on her own. Jeremy’s children were sweet and good natured, and they seemed to like her well enough. Jeremy was sweet and good natured too; that fact had not escaped her notice.

She sighed as the afternoon sun warmed her face. She looked up to see the picture of Jeremy and his bride on their wedding day. She had spent so much time looking at that picture in the past couple of weeks, she felt like she knew Candy. She was a pretty redhead, like Annie. She probably had a fiery temper, also like Annie. It looked like they hadn’t been married all that long, as Jeremy didn’t look much different now than he did then. The looked like they must have been very much in love, at least to Maddie’s eyes; the smiles on their faces were rapturous. Not like how she and Dougal had started their married life, with anger and accusations. She shuddered just thinking about it.

Maddie couldn’t get Jeremy’s smiling face out of her mind. He was so kind to her, and loved his children so much, Maddie could never even dream of being with a man like him. Her Dougal was a bit more rough around the edges than Jeremy, but they never had a chance together, once Katherine found out about them. Maddie shook off the horrors of those days and tried to concentrate on today, a fine day, where everything was quiet and somewhat normal. After all, she was here and Katherine was not. That had to be a good day.

She smiled to herself, thinking of how excited the children were to see their father when he arrived home at night. She wondered what it would be like to remember her father, really remember him like Katherine did. She had only small memories of him, his tobacco smell and the colorful ties and cravats he used to wear. Katherine and Penny remembered him much more clearly. It wasn’t really fair, she never had a chance to really talk to him, to find out what made him so special to the other girls. She sighed and looked up at Jeremy’s wedding photo again. She wondered if she would ever have the opportunity to be that happy.

Quiet and shy, Jeremy never said very much to her, either in the morning when she arrived, or in the evening when she left, save for a little conversation about the children and how their days had been. Maddie wanted dearly to talk to him more, to have him notice her.

Looking over at the vegetables stacked by the sink for the evening’s dinner, she had an idea. She would cook dinner for Jeremy and the children, instead of leaving him to do it. Cooking had not been part of her job description, but she thought it would be a nice gesture, and might even give her a chance to talk to him a bit. She had something to tell him that she knew he would find interesting, if she could summon up the courage. Now, if she could only remember how to cook.

Jeremy arrived home that evening to find Maddie at the stove, balancing a whimpering Jamie on her hip and stirring something that smelled very good in the black stew pot.

“Hello?” he said softly, not wanting to disrupt her precarious balance.

She turned around and smiled. “Hello Mr. Bolt.” She hated the formality, but he had never invited her to call him anything else. “I…um…I..thought I’d make some dinner.”

“Oh.” Jeremy was taken aback by the gesture, as well as by the sight of Maddie at his stove cuddling his son. It looked so familiar, so right. “Well, that’s very k…kind of you, Miss West.”

“It’s only stew, and I’m not sure how good my kitchen skills are, but I thought it might be nice for you to not have to cook for the children tonight.” Maddie said, handing the reaching Jamie over to his father.

“Oh…” Jeremy took the squirming boy and kissed him on the head. “…yes…thank you.” He took Jamie back into his room where Maddie presumed he was washing up and changing his dirt-encrusted clothing. The happy squeals of the baby told her that before the washing came the wrestling. A fleeting vision of Jeremy, shirtless as he washed his face, popped into her mind. She wondered if he would wear the blue plaid shirt she washed and ironed the other day. It was her favorite among his few shirts, as it showed off his beautiful blue eyes.

After shooing Annie into the washroom to look for her face under all the dirt, Maddie gave the pot one more stir and took her cape off the hook, preparing to leave.

“Miss West, aren’t you going to join us?” Jeremy asked, reemerging in the blue plaid shirt, his bangs damp from the wash water. “A..after all, you c…cooked it, you mm..might as well eat it too.”

“Oh, I couldn’t intrude.” Maddie said, eyes downcast.

“It wouldn’t b..be an intrusion. The children w…would love it,” he replied.

“Yes, yes, stay Miss Maddie!” Annie cried, rejoining them; having found not only her face, but also her hands, under the garden dirt.

“Well… thank you very kindly for the offer, Mr. Bolt. I’d love to.” The guest beamed at the host, who replaced her cape on the hook.

For the next half hour, the two of them moved around the kitchen in concentric circles, in close proximity, but not speaking to each other. Jeremy tended to the children, while Maddie set the table and put the finishing touches on the meal.

When the four of them finally sat down, Maddie was ravenous. She watched as Jeremy gently reminded Annie to put her napkin on her lap, and tucked Jamie’s napkin into the front of his overalls. They then joined hands, Annie’s little hand and Jamie’s chubby hand grabbing hers and completing a circle around the table.

“For this food let us be truly grateful, Lord, and please bless Mama in heaven.” Jeremy’s soft voice intoned.

“Amen.” The children’s little voices chimed in right on time. Maddie herself could not get the word out past the lump in her throat.

“All right. Let’s see what Miss West has made for us tonight!” Jeremy said, eyes wide, as he began to dish out the stew.

Katherine rapped on Aaron Stempel’s door. He was standing up by his file cabinet stamping invoices. He looked up with a sour expression and waved her in.

“Good afternoon Mr. Stempel.” She said, her hands clutching her purse in front of her.

“Good afternoon Mrs. Mancino. What can I do for you?” he looked back and stamped a few more invoices.

“Oh, you’re busy. I’m so sorry to bother you. And after I spent all that time looking for your office…” Katherine willed him to pay attention to her.

Aaron, sighing, turned from his work and looked into her green eyes. “Yes, Mrs. Mancino, of course, I’m at your service. Please, have a seat.”

As he arranged himself behind his desk, Katherine took the seat he offered. “Mr. Stempel. I’ll get right to the point. I have a business proposal for you.”

“Oh really?” Aaron’s skepticism was hard to hide. “And what might that be?”

Katherine took the opportunity to regale Aaron with her off the cuff plans for the Italia Amore – Seattle version. “Now, Mr. Stempel, I remember our conversation of the other day, and I understand your feelings regarding women’s high fashion,” she paused, and eyed his suit, “however, I see you as someone who knows that clothes make the man.”

Aaron glanced down at his gray three piece suit. His father had always told him that a man that looked successful would be successful, so he had always taken pains with his appearance. “um…well, I suppose that is true. But, Mrs. Mancino…”

“…call me Katherine…” she interjected.

‘…Katherine, I’m just not sure that Seattle is the right place for what you are proposing. I mean, our women just do not normally need to dress as well as…as well as they do in San Francisco.” He stood and walked across his office, a sure sign that he was thinking.

“Well, Mr. Stempel….Aaron, if I may.” She paused, waiting for his imperceptible nod. “I can see you are busy right now, but I’d like to discuss this further, I think I can bring you around to my point of view.” She walked over to where he was standing and stood next to him. “How about if we talk again soon, when you are not so busy. Perhaps we could, oh, meet for a drink at Lottie’s?”

Her nearness unsettled him. She was quite beautiful and an exotic fragrance surrounded her. He needed to get her out of the office. “All right Mrs. Mancino, let me give it some more thought.”

She stepped back from him. “Thank you…Aaron.” She imbued his name with as much feeling as she could wring out. “I’ll be seeing you soon, then?”

“Yes..” he answered.

Her devilish smile intact, she turned around and walked out of his office, all but rubbing her hands together in anticipation.

Jeremy and Maddie sat at the table after the meal was done, as the children played out in front of the house. Neither adult said much during the meal, but Jeremy’s multiple helpings proved to Maddie that he appreciated her efforts.

“So…M..miss West..” Jeremy tried to begin a conversation, but damn his stutter anyway, it made even that small effort difficult.

“Please, call me Madeline.” She desperately wanted to hear him say her name.

He smiled in response. “M…Madeline.”

His smile emboldened her, “Mr. Bolt, may I call you Jeremy?”

Nodding, he swirled his coffee around in the china cup. “Thank you a..again for dinner.”

“Oh, it was my pleasure.” Her blush warmed her cheeks. “It was good to know that I could still cook.”

Long silences hung in the air between their sentences; pauses that were not empty, but filled with thoughts and desires the two of them could not communicate.

Jeremy hated talking to new people, ones that weren’t used to his stutter. Even though it had improved so much over the past years, it still reappeared at times when he least expected, or wanted, it.

Maddie twiddled her thumbs in her lap, watching the last few drops of gravy congeal on her plate.

“Jeremy, I…I have a secret to tell you,” she finally ventured, her voice low.

“uh…uh.. Oh?” Her words, although soft, rattled Jeremy, but he found himself anxious to hear what she had to say.

“You know how people think I’m quiet? Well, I see how they look at me, say, like your brother, Jason. I’m sure he thinks I’m addled.”

Jeremy’s expression was one of surprise, but he nodded in agreement. He knew very well what that felt like. He hadn’t realized that she had also experienced that – and from Jason of all people.

“Well,” she continued, “I know you’re a quiet person too.” Pause. “It’s because of your stutter, right?”

His face burned hot and red. Who did she think she was to embarrass him like that? “I j…just don’t…don’t”

“Jeremy,” she interrupted his outburst, “I stutter too.” she said, her blue eyes never wavering from his. “I mean, not right now, Not for a while. But I stuttered a lot when I was younger. Everyone laughed at me, so I just got quiet. Not worth the effort to speak, just to be laughed at.”

He stared at her, speechless. Never had he met another person who stuttered. Never had he met another person who could understand how he felt about himself because of his inability to speak easily. Why sometimes just the effort to speak drained him. But she didn’t stutter anymore. “H…how’d you stop?” he asked, almost breathless in his reply.

She shrugged and tossed her blonde waves over her shoulders. “I don’t really know. One day I just noticed that I wasn’t stuttering. I think it happened gradually, but I can’t say. Sometimes when I’m nervous it comes back, though.”

It was Jeremy’s turn to look down at his plate. “You’re lucky, Madeline. I’ll never be without this…this t…thing.”

Maddie had seen enough doctors in her life to know that very few stutterers were as lucky as she. “It seems to me that people around here accept you, though. Not like San Francisco, where I’m from. Doesn’t pay to be imperfect there, that’s for sure.”

“It hasn’t been exactly a w..walk in the park here either.” Scenes from his life rushed around Jeremy’s mind, finding bits of insults here and bits of pity there. The pain and torment he experienced was never far from the surface for him, and yet here sat someone who could identify with that pain. Jeremy had spent most of his life keeping his feelings about his stutter stuffed down inside, as there was no one around who could relate to his experiences let alone even listen to him without pity. Maddie’s confession opened a door in Jeremy’s heart that had been locked up for years, and he wanted to open up to her in a way he had never experienced before. He had no idea how eager she was to listen.

They talked for awhile, not even noticing that the sun had gone down. Maddie was startled to hear the small mantle clock chime nine times.

“Oh gosh, Jeremy, I’ve got to go. The children have got to go to bed!” She rose from her chair.

Jeremy rose first, jostling the table and spilling the coffee. “No…wait, don’t go yet…I’ll put the children to bed. Please, have a…another cup of coffee.” He put his hand over hers, then drew it away quickly. “I’ll be right back…”

He gathered up the children and guided them into their room. He was afraid to leave Maddie alone too long, afraid that this was a dream and if he let her out of his sight she would be gone.

Maddie sat at the kitchen table, looking at her hand, hoping his aura would remain with her. She mopped up the spilled coffee with a stray napkin, her mind racing. She was glad she confessed her secret, even though Katherine would have her head if she knew. Ever since she had met Jeremy, she had wanted to tell him, but this was the first time she had felt that it was possible.

“Goodnight sweetheart.” Jeremy gave Annie’s sheets a quick tuck in and planted a kiss on her forehead.

“G’night Papa.” She hugged his neck and he once again marveled at how much love he could give – and receive. “Miss Maddie’s nice, isn’t she.”

“um…yes, yes, she is. Goodnight now. Not another word.” Jeremy tried to sound stern, but as usual, he failed. After a quick glance at Jamie who looked content with his chubby thumb in his mouth, Jeremy closed the door behind him and sprinted back into the kitchen.

There he saw Maddie, sitting at the table, her dimples deep as she smiled back at him. She wasn’t gone, it was not his imagination, it was true.

“Would you like some…some a…” Jeremy rustled around in his cabinets looking for something to serve her. He found a bottle and examined the label. “a…sherry?”

A sherry with Jeremy sounded wonderful, she thought. But all she needed was to come home to Katherine, late, with sherry on her breath. “No thank you, Jeremy. Not tonight.” She replied with a reluctant glace at the clock again. “I really should be going now. Katherine will be waiting for me.” She stood and reached for her cape. Jeremy was too fast for her, taking it down off the peg and placing it on her shoulders.

“Thanks again for…everything, Madeline.” Jeremy said, his voice almost a whisper.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Jeremy.” she replied, drawing her wrap around her. She walked out the door and Jeremy closed it behind her, grinning at his good fortune.

Maddie raced along the well-worn path back to town, anticipating Katherine’s displeasure at her late arrival. Her worry was almost enough to take the shine off of the evening.

Almost.

Although her footsteps were heavy, her heart was skipping. Dinner with Jeremy and his family lifted her spirits far above any recent experience. Divulging her ugly secret to Jeremy also had just the effect she was hoping for; she could tell that it meant something to him. Perhaps now he could see her as more than the babysitter. He was so sweet and handsome, she could not stop thinking about him. In fact, perhaps she would just stay here in Seattle, and perhaps she could make Jeremy love her. He was so sad, and Maddie was more certain every day that she could make him happy. Katherine could just go on with her little schemes without her.

“…I think I might like to stay here, Kate.” Maddie said as she brushed her long hair. The two women were preparing for bed, and the room was a flurry of clothing and hair as they each performed their nightly rituals.

“Hummmph.” Katherine snorted, while rubbing sweet smelling lotion into her arms. “What could you possibly mean, stay here???”

“Well, Kate, I have a nice job, and Jeremy sure is a nice fellow.”

Katherine’s eyes narrowed as she rubbed in the last drop of lotion. “Madeline, we have had this conversation before. You are doing a job right now; don’t let your emotions get in the way.”

“But Kate, I f..feel happy. Why can’t I feel happy?” Maddie protested.

“Because,” Katherine hissed, “These people all contributed to our father’s death, and they will all pay, do you understand?”

Maddie’s mouth turned down as she glared at Katherine. “Why do they all have to pay? It was your mother who caused him to die!”

“Look Madeline.” Katherine’s face took on a fiendish appearance. “I kept you fed and clothed all these years. I practically raised you! Don’t you think you owe me for that?”

“When is that debt going to be paid, Kate? Jason Bolt raised his brothers too, and I bet he doesn’t expect anything from them.”

“Without me you’d be on the street, Madeline Crosse. Penny too. Now, you will do as I say, and no more Dougals.”

“But I loved Dougal, Kate! I loved him!” Maddie balled her hands into fists in frustration.

Katherine grabbed her by the shoulders. “I will not hear any more talk like this. Dougal was a mistake; one that you won’t be repeating. You are here to help me, and you are in the perfect position to do so. Now, either you keep up your end of the bargain or else.” She shook Maddie for emphasis.

Maddie flinched. She could see that she would have no chance of happiness while under Katherine’s wing. She knew Katherine considered she and Penny second class citizens, as they were Jack Crosse’s second family. But, Katherine was right about one thing, Maddie realized, she and Penny would probably be on the street if it wasn’t for her sister and her husband. She wished Alberto was still around. His sudden death had caused Katherine so much pain that it was as if she couldn’t contain it anymore; it just spilled out of her and washed over everyone else. Katherine had gone from a giddy, wealthy, fashion plate, to a bitter, angry woman. She was a different person now and Maddie wondered again when it would all end.

The next day, Maddie hurried off to Jeremy’s and Katherine stayed in the room, thinking and planning. Finally she decided to make her entrance.

Lottie was wiping down the bar as Katherine descended the stairs. She stifled a gasp as she looked up at her guest. On Katherine’s head was perhaps the finest hat Lottie had ever seen. Deep blue velvet covered in matching lace and large pink and white blossoms that looked so real she could have put them in a vase. A hat so fine that Lottie would have absolutely no use for it in Seattle. But that didn’t matter, the very sight of it caused her to sigh.

Her sigh was not lost on Katherine. She glided over to the bar and plastered on her smile. “Good afternoon, Lottie.”

“Good afternoon Katherine. My…what a lovely hat.” Lottie was almost sputtering as she stared at the confection atop Katherine’s head.

“Oh, thank you so much. It was the newest in our collection when I left San Francisco.” Katherine gave the hat a little pat of her hand.

“Well, it is much more beautiful than any one I’ve seen come through our little general store.”

“Exactly why I’m needed here, Lottie!” Katherine exclaimed. “Just think, there must be many more women like you here in Seattle, who just couldn’t resist a hat like this.”

Lottie shook her head. “Hard to say, I’m not sure how many other women in this town share my passion for hats.” She could not take her eyes off the fine cut of the brim, or the set of the flowers, and how Katherine had it arranged just perfectly atop her chocolate brown curls.

Katherine reached up and took out the hat pins securing the hat to her head. “Here, why don’t you try it on.”

Lottie shook her head again, more vigorously this time. If she put that hat on her head she would never want to take it off. “No, no I couldn’t.”

Katherine had the hat off her head and onto Lottie’s before she even finished her thought. “There,” she adjusted it off to one side. “That looks lovely on you, Lottie.”

Lottie reached up to feel the velvet and finger the lace. She hurried into the back room to look in the mirror she had hanging there, Katherine in hot pursuit. “Oh, it’s just beautiful!” she exclaimed. “Such fine workmanship.”

Katherine stood behind her and watched Lottie preen in the mirror. “You keep it, Lottie.”

Lottie snatched it off her head and began to hand it to Katherine. “Oh I couldn’t, I just couldn’t.” The hat had to have cost a fortune.

Folding her arms against Lottie’s offering, Katherine smiled, “No, I absolutely insist. You’ve been so kind to me since I’ve been here, and I have so many hats. You will keep this one.” It was a statement, not a request.

Lottie continued to sputter, but also plopped the hat back atop her head. “Thank you Katherine. It’s the most beautiful hat I’ve ever seen. I’m much obliged to you.”

Katherine smiled, her usual cat-ate-the-canary smile. “Think nothing of it, Lottie. Just a little something from me to you.” She placed her hands on Lottie’s shoulders as she watched her tweak her hat in the mirror.

The afternoon sun, only partially obscured by Seattle’s famous fluffy white clouds, shone in the window of Aaron’s office and right into his eyes. He arose from his desk to lower the shade when he saw someone coming toward the building. It was Ben Perkins junior, ten years old, skinny and blond as a wheat stalk. He motioned the boy inside.

“Yes, young man, what can I do for you?” he asked, sitting back down in his chair.

“A lady in town asked me to deliver this to you, Mr. Stempel.” Ben handed him a note awash in fragrance. Katherine Mancino’s fragrance.

Aaron opened the letter, handling it as if he expected something to jump out at him. It was Katherine inviting him for a ‘pleasant meeting and conversation’ at Lottie’s at 5pm. Five pm was a little close to dinner and Aaron liked to be home, but right now his house was so crowded with various young women from town fluttering around Jenny and the boys he figured it wouldn’t matter if he was a little late. He owed it to himself and to Seattle to examine any viable business opportunities, he reasoned, and perhaps Mrs. Mancino had one. There could be worse ways to spend an hour, he thought.

Aaron fished around in his pockets for a couple of coins. “Here you go, Ben. Please tell Mrs. Mancino, the lady who sent the letter,” he clarified, “that I’ll meet her as she asks. Thank you for the effort.”

The boy scampered off, whistling and dreaming of the candy he could purchase with the sudden windfall. His father was very strict; no sampling. Ben junior had to pay for his candy just like everyone else.

The mind plays terrible tricks sometimes, Jeremy thought as he guided the huge log down the path. The large horse doing the dragging clomped along with an irregular gait, and Jeremy struggled to manage both the horse and the log. He thought again about Maddie’s arrival that morning. She came in right on time, hugged the children just the same as always, but somehow it was different. He found himself dawdling around the kitchen before he left. In fact, she almost had to throw him out, as the space in the kitchen was shrinking as fast as Annie and Jamie were growing. And now, here he was, thinking about her again. He was still in shock from her confession, and surprised at how close he had felt to her at that moment. It had been a long time since he had felt close to anyone, since…well…

The devil on his shoulder argued that he was being disloyal to Candy to even consider being close with another woman. The angel in his heart countered with the irrefutable fact that he and Madeline had something in common. Something he did not have in common with anyone else he knew, including Candy. What could be the harm in their friendship?

It was only after Patch pulled the log into a ditch that Jeremy could take a quiet moment to contemplate his situation. He pulled out his canteen for a drink, then swiped his arm over his sweaty brow.

Madeline was a lovely young woman, a fact that had not gone unnoticed by Jeremy from the moment he had met her. She seemed quite sweet, she was wonderful with the children, and he liked her. Was that wrong? Jeremy’s conscience was going crazy, and he along with it.

Tsk Tsk, and Candy not gone but a few months….

A few months, it’s been nearly a year…

Yes, but Candy was your wife, the mother of your children. She almost died giving birth to one of them, and THIS is how you respect her memory?

Jeremy sighed and put his head in his hands. Yes Madeline was an attractive woman. Yes, he liked her. But, it just didn’t seem right that he have any interest in another woman, friendly or not, as long as Candy’s memory lived in his heart. She was his wife, his love, and he couldn’t disrespect her memory by letting another woman in. He would just have to focus on work, and on the children, and that would have to be enough.

The obstinate horse focused his black eyes on Jeremy whose mouth was set in a grim line as he walked back toward the beast. Through brute strength plus a carrot he had saved for just such an occasion, Jeremy forced the animal and the log back down the path in a straight line.

“Well, Aaron, what do you think so far?” Katherine tipped her glass back and drained the last drop of whiskey from it.

Aaron shuffled the papers in front of him. “It appears to be a sound business plan, but I’m still not convinced that it could work here in Seattle.” The woman could drink, he observed to himself. She was matching him one for one.

“Well,” Katherine beckoned to Lottie, who was wiping down some glasses, asking her to join them. “Lottie, tell Mr. Stempel what you told me this morning…”

“Well Aaron,” Lottie began, a twinkle in her eye, “Katherine had the most splendid hat on this morning, and she said was one of the ones she would carry in her store. I most certainly have bought it, if it was available here.”

“Yes, Lottie, but you are a business woman, a professional.” Aaron continued to shuffle the papers, “I just am not convinced that the…the…average Seattle woman has the need, or the ability to pay for, finery such as this.”

“Oh, but just think of the profits if they did, Aaron.” Lottie leaned down and patted his shoulder. Winking at Katherine, she sauntered back to her patrons.

Katherine smiled, thinking of how easy it had been to win Lottie over. She watched her mother going about her daily work, and wondered what she would say if she knew what was going through Katherine’s mind at that moment. It wasn’t many happy returns, that was for sure. Aaron cleared his throat, drawing her attention back to him. She studied his features for a moment. His dark coloring was very dramatic, with his jet black hair that waved off his forehead, chocolate brown eyes and dark eyebrows. His smile was part sociable, and part cunning. He’d obviously seen a great deal in his life, which she guessed to be a little longer than hers, and was obviously educated and urbane – to a certain extent anyway. Sort of like her Alberto.

Stempel was a handsome man, although next to the burly loggers that Jason Bolt toted around, he looked a bit prissy in his fine suit and tie; hair neatly combed. She had heard tell of his young wife and wondered what he could see in such youth. With age came wisdom, and a certain attractiveness in turn. With a man this connected and wealthy - by Seattle standards anyway - by her side, she could make this town her own.

But she really didn’t need any entanglements right now. Certainly Maddie had enough of those for the both of them, what with her latest crush on that silent Bolt boy. However, a small tete-a-tete with Mr. Stempel wouldn’t be such a bad idea, now would it?

“Well, Aaron,” she sat back down at the table and drew her chair nearer to him. “What can I say to convince you?” she continued, her voice getting lower and more sultry with each syllable.

Aaron shifted in his seat. She was close enough for him to take in her perfume, the unusual musky scent that reminded him of places he once frequented in San Francisco. Her green eyes bored into him as she sat in silence, awaiting his answer.

“Mrs. Mancino,” he went back to calling her by her formal address, “I think I will have to give this some more thought.” He drained his glass and pushed back from the table, “Thank you for the presentation, and I’ll be in touch.”

She stood also, moving very close to him. “All right then, Aaron. I’ll look forward to hearing from you soon.”

“Yes,” Aaron fumbled with his coat button. “Good evening.”

“Good evening, Aaron.” She replied, watching him almost run into two tables in his rush to leave. She smiled to herself, nodding.

Jason paced around the Seamus O’Flynn’s deck wrapped in his thick leather and fur coat, ready for the cold and inclement weather of San Francisco. The sunset had bleached the sky orange and pink, with a touch of violet on the horizon. It had been hard work to convince Clancey to make an early trip to San Francisco, and he was tired and anxious to be at sea, and ever closer to the enveloping arms of Penelope Longfellow.

“Clancey, man, get a move on…we’re going to lose the tide!” he shouted to the captain, who was busy ordering his men through their paces.

“Mr. Bolt!” Clancey bellowed back, “I’d thank ye to keep a civil tongue in your head. This ship don’t move until I say it moves!” He looked around him at the preparations being made by his crew. “Awwwww, avast now, we needs ta be underway, ye landlubbing scow...”

Soon the first mate cast off the rope holding the vessel dockside and the ship began its journey seaward.

Jason waved merrily to his two brothers who were standing at the pier.

“Josh?” Jeremy asked, his grin affixed to his face

“Yes Jeremy?” the same look appeared on Joshua’s face as he saluted his older brother.

“Why is Jason in such a hurry to get to San Francisco?”

“Well, Jeremy. I don’t really know.”

Pause for a wave.

“Josh?”

“Yes?”

“Am I missing something here?”

“Not sure, brother. Perhaps someday we’ll find out.” Joshua put his arm around Jeremy as the ship drew farther away from the dock. “Let us repair to Lottie’s to discuss this mystery of life…”

The atmosphere in Lottie’s was warm and comforting to the brothers. It had always been their home away from home, from the time they were both young and drinking only sarsaparilla. Sarsaparilla drinkers no more, Joshua ordered two beers and carried them over to the table where Jeremy was seated, legs stretched out in front of him. The boys drank their beers with hungry gulps.

“Nothing like a cold beer to cap off the day, eh Jeremy?” Josh was feeling expansive that evening.

“Especially when you’re buying, brother,” came Jeremy’s retort, eyes twinkling.

“So, Jeremy, how’s that new governess doing? She sure is a pretty girl.” Joshua had tried to talk to Maddie on more than one occasion, however, he couldn’t get word one out of her. Josh had a feeling she only had eyes for his brother.

“Oh,” Jeremy immediately lowered his head. “She’s fine. Um…The kids really like her.” If it was possible for a man to shrink into a beer mug, Jeremy would have done it at that moment.

Josh noticed his brother’s reticence, and decided to continue his line of questioning. “So, Jeremy. She’s a nice girl, huh?”

“Yes, nice.”

“I think she likes you Jeremy.” Joshua could see Jeremy blushing under his thick brown bangs.

“Awww, Josh, c’mon.” Jeremy replied, his voice soft.

Josh put his hand on Jeremy’s shoulder. “Jeremy, do you like her?”

Jeremy returned the gesture with a shrug. “Sure, Josh. She’s nice and she is taking good care of Annie and Jamie.”

“Yeeeeesss…” Josh goaded.

“Let’s not talk about this Josh. I c…can’t.” Again, Jeremy stared into his beer.

“Can’t what?”

“You know, Josh. It w..wouldn’t be right. Wouldn’t be respectful of…of Candy.”

Candy? Surprised to hear her name, Joshua was quiet for a moment. “Well Jeremy, surely you weren’t planning on being alone for the rest of your life, now, were you?”

Jeremy shrugged. “I don’t know how could I even be thinking of another woman.” he said, his voice low.

Joshua noticed the present tense of Jeremy’s statement. He could also see his brother’s internal struggle reflected in Jeremy’s taut neck muscles and drawn down mouth. “You’re a man, Jeremy. A man…well, a man has needs,” he replied matter-of-factly. Where was Jason when he needed him?

Jeremy shot daggers through his eyes at his defenseless brother.

“Not that.” Josh quickly clarified his statement. “A man needs a woman by his side. A man gets…well…lonely.” Joshua sometimes got a bit lonely himself, but the permanent fix was not in his plan, at least not yet. “Candy’s been gone for awhile now, maybe it’s ok for you to be thinking of another woman.” Joshua cowered inwardly, but kept his eyes trained on Jeremy, awaiting the onslaught.

It didn’t come.

Jeremy remained silent, sipping his beer and picking at a loose splinter on the table. “Candy was everything to me, you know that, Josh.” He began, measuring his words carefully. “I don’t want to..to…forget her.”

“How could you ever forget her, Jeremy? It’s not possible. You have two children that will remind you of her everyday. But, I don’t think she would’ve wanted you to spend the rest of your life alone, she…loved you too much.” Speaking of love did not come easy to the middle Bolt, as he had never experienced the kind of love that existed between Candy and Jeremy; he felt disingenuous even trying to talk about it.

“I don’t know what to think anymore.” Jeremy stated, draining his glass. “I guess I’d better get going.” He forced a smile. “See you tomorrow.”

Josh gave him the heads up, “Good night, Jeremy.” He replied, watching his brother make his way through the crowd and out the front door.

Katherine was sitting in her room above Lottie’s main floor, thinking. She could be patient, but only for so long. She needed to act, and soon, and get out of this small rot of a town. Before Maddie got too involved with the Bolt boy, before anyone figured out who they were. She stood and paced back and forth in the tiny room, needing to expend her nervous energy somehow. She wasn’t making as much headway with Stempel as she would like. She could at least take him for some cash, not to mention ruin his reputation in town, it would just take a little more doing. Maddie would have to handle the Bolts, hurt one and you hurt them all, she figured. That just left Miss Lottie. Katherine would be taking care of that all by herself, much obliged.

She drew the small double photo frame from her valise and watched the men pictured gaze back at her, their smiles captured for all time underneath the glass. The first was Jack Crosse, the man she loved most in the world. Her father, who should have been caring for her but who left her all alone, not to mention dumping two little girls on her doorstep for her to take care of. Her emerald eyes turned their gaze onto the second picture, of Alberto Mancino. Her dear, dear, Alberto. He treated her like a queen, but died and left her alone, just like Jack. Men were always leaving, untrustworthy bastards that they were. And Jeremy Bolt and Aaron Stempel would pay for the others’ mistakes. And Lottie, well, Lottie would pay for her own.

The aroma of peach pie preceded his cabin by a good twenty feet, and Jeremy’s footsteps quickened at the hint of fragrance. Peach pie! His favorite! In his mind’s eye he could see Candy standing at the kitchen table rolling out dough for pie, a special treat whenever she wanted to especially butter him up. Just as quickly the image was gone and Jeremy continued to follow his nose. The pie was cooling in the window, a work of still life that caused his mouth to water as he realized how hungry he was.

Bursting into the door, he saw the remnants of the baking project stacked up next to the sink. He could feel flour or sugar beneath his feet as he stepped gingerly into the kitchen.

“Madeline?” he called, hanging his coat on the hook, pausing to take a deep sniff of the pie as it sat, courting him from afar.

Maddie came out from the washroom, drying her hands on a towel. She lowered her eyes upon seeing him. “I hope you don’t mind, I took the liberty of making dinner for you all again.”

She wore a modest blue gingham dress, and the white apron tied around her waist was dotted with the remnants of the peaches that had gone into the pie. Her full blonde hair was tied back in a simple bow, the curls cascading down around her shoulders. Jeremy could feel the resolve he had been working on all day slowly drain out of him. “uh…Oh, that’s um…really n…nice, M..Madeline. You know, I don’t expect you to do this every n..night.”

Her blue eyes crinkled as she smiled. “I know Jeremy. That’s why it’s enjoyable for me.”

“Oh…a… …I’ll..a…go wash up now,” he replied, darting into his bedroom where she could hear the squealing children greeting him.

Glancing over at the door she noticed that he had left it open a crack. Two steps later she was peering through the space that led directly into the washroom. Her eyes widened as she watched Jeremy peel off his shirt and toss it aside, his compact torso rippling with the muscles developed from years of felling trees. He stretched his arms out and worked to loosen his back muscles, one shoulder at a time. She could not take her eyes off of his bronze body. She watched as he ran the water from the pump over his cupped hands and splashed it on his face and neck. Next he took a cloth, wet with water from the pump, and carelessly rubbed his chest and neck while examining his chin in the small mirror. She was mesmerized by his movements, so simple, yet so intimate. It was only when he began to undo his belt that she tore herself away, reddened and ashamed. Desirous hunger for him threatened to burn right through her chest. Hurrying back to the sink, she tried to calm herself by washing the few bowls that remained, hoping that it would be a moment before Jeremy returned.

Blessedly, she heard him stop to play with the children before coming back out into the kitchen. By the time he made it back out, Maddie had composed herself, although she could feel her face flushing when she acknowledged his presence.

“I hope you like pot roast, Jeremy,” she said, avoiding his eyes by sticking her nose into the roasting pan.

He ran his hand through his hair, oblivious to her subterfuge. “Smells delicious.” He pulled out a chair, turned it around and sat down, folding his arms and leaning on the back.

She could feel his eyes on her, boring through her back as she basted the roast, the motion of her hands automatic. “Well, it’s just about ready, so I’ll be….” She made a move toward her cape hanging next to the door.

With a playful grin, Jeremy grabbed her wrist. “Oh no you don’t. P..please stay and j..join us for dinner.” He felt her arm go limp so he stood and pulled out a chair.

Maddie was glad silence was the norm in that room, as she knew her voice was too shaky to reply. She took her seat and Jeremy ran off calling the children.

The wind was chilly that night and Aaron had not worn his coat. He quickened his stride towards his house as he shrugged his shoulders to keep the blood flowing. He could tell the long day had taken its toll, as the whiskey he had consumed at Lottie’s hit him harder than usual. Actually, it wasn’t just the whiskey, it was the curvaceous green-eyed woman that had accompanied it. He was both attracted and repelled by Katherine Mancino and after a few glasses of whiskey, the lines between the two were blurring. She was a businesswoman, the like of which he knew was rare, and he admired her for that. But somehow he couldn’t focus on the business opportunities that flowed from her cherry-red lips; mainly because he couldn’t stop focusing on her cherry-red lips. He stared straight out in front of him, the glum look on his face betraying his emotions.

He wondered what he would find upon arriving home. Actually, he knew what he’d find. A miserable, bed-ridden Jenny and two cranky babies who could not quite grasp what was going on with Mama.

Aaron could see lights shining through his fine lace curtains and movements that meant that the local girls were still there. Thank heavens Dr. Wright had enlisted their help, for business was about all Aaron could handle at this point in time; if he were the sole caretaker of his sick wife and young children also, he figured he’d be looking down the barrel of his shotgun by now. Shaking his head to remove that picture from his mind, he quietly opened the front door; he had to be strong for Jenny’s sake. He missed her desperately, even though she was there. He missed seeing her smiling face when he came in, and he missed her efforts to cheer him up when he unburdened himself to her. But what he missed most, he discovered, was the physical affection they shared. She was quiet and sleepy by the time he arrived home each night, and he was effectively alone. Nice time for self-pity, he muttered, ashamed of his thoughts. It must be the drink, yes, the whiskey was muddying his mind.

“Hello?” he called, squinting, as he entered his brightly lit front room. Ella and Edna Keyes, twins who had arrived in Seattle recently from the midwest, were moving about the room, picking up toys and straightening pillows. They looked up simultaneously.

“Hello Mr. Stempel,” they said in unison, giggling at their gaffe.

Aaron gave them a wry look, “Hello ladies. How was everyone’s day today?” He walked to the small buffet and poured himself a drink.

The girls looked at each other as if to decide who would speak. “Oh, fine, Mr. Stempel.” Ella began, “Mrs. Stempel is resting, the boys are in their room, and your dinner is on the stove.”

Finishing his drink in one gulp, he set the cut crystal glass back down on the buffet. “Thank you ladies. I can take it from here,” he answered, not able to work up a smile. He turned and walked into his bedroom to check on Jenny. As he opened the door, he heard the girls leave, giggling all the way out.

Jenny lay as she had the past couple of weeks, on her back, her bulging midsection stealing the blankets from around her. Her eyes were closed.

“Jenny?” Aaron said, perching himself on the edge of the bed.

Her eyes popped open, and he felt her hand on his leg. “Aaron. How was your day, sweetheart?”

He looked at his beloved almost inert and his heart leapt into his throat. “Fine, just fine. Did those silly girls take good care of you today?”

A weak smiled played at the corner of Jenny’s lips. Those silly young girls were very close to her own age, a fact that Aaron sometimes forgot. “Now Aaron, they’re very nice.” She squirmed a bit, her face contorted in pain. Aaron could only watch, helpless to do anything.

“Do you think this baby will ever come?” she moaned, her blue eyes watery.

“Yes, of course it will Jenny. Soon, I’m sure.” He took her hand and held it between his for a moment.

“Not too soon for me,” she replied, squeezing his hand back.

Me either, he thought. “You know, I’m starving. Mind if I go eat my dinner?”

She shook her head, “Of course not. Come back in when you’re through, ok?”

He smoothed the hair off her forehead as he arose from the bed, “Yes, of course.”

After he went back to the kitchen, he again said his daily prayer that this baby would be born, and soon. He wanted his life back. Self pity was not something Aaron usually indulged in, but right now, it felt good. He wanted his life, and his wife, back. He wanted to hold her in his arms, to feel her hands on him. Again he berated himself for his selfish thoughts. He slammed his plate down on the table and began to shovel the lukewarm food into his mouth.

Maddie rushed into Lottie’s fearful of Katherine’s wrath that she was late again. The pull of Jeremy and his children was almost too strong for her to resist, and she could only leave them by promising herself she would be able to return the next day.

Upon entering the saloon, she saw Katherine and Lottie laughing together at a table by the stairs. It was way past the dinner hour, but they were cutting into a couple of steaks so large they made Maddie’s mouth water, even though she had just eaten.

“Um….hello.” Maddie said, trying to scoot past the two of them, wishing invisibility was possible. Her efforts were unsuccessful, as her sister’s table was situated in the very spot Maddie was heading for.

“Madeline, won’t you join us?” Katherine called and flashed her a severe look.

“Oh yes, that would be lovely.” Lottie agreed, taking a large swig of her drink.

Maddie, shoulders slumped, sat down at the table, and folded her hands in her lap.

“Well Madeline,” Lottie said in her soothing contralto, “How is your new job going?”

“Fine, just fine,” she barely looked up when replying.

“Oh, she just loves Jeremy’s children!” Katherine jumped in, “Don’t you Madeline?”

Maddie tried to work up a smile, “Yes, they are lovely.”

“That Annie is the most beautiful child I’ve ever seen.” Lottie concurred. “And I’m sure Jeremy appreciates the help. He looks better than he has in ages!” she leaned in closer to the two women, “you know, since he lost his wife.”

“Oh yes,” Katherine continued, “That is just so sad, horrific, really. Those two children with no mother.” She shook her head to emphasize her sorrow.

Madeline steamed at Katherine’s insincere words. It was horrific that Jeremy’s children were without a mother, how could she make light of that when she herself grew up a motherless child?

“I’m happy to help out, Miss Lottie.” Maddie stated. “Now, if you’ll excuse me…” her voice trailed off as she stood up with an upward glance to the stairs.

“Oh yes, why, you must be a tired thing, chasing after those kids all day.” Lottie replied with a wave of her fork.

Maddie gave the smallest of nods to the women at the table. “Yes I am. Good night Katherine, Miss Lottie.”

With that, she turned and quickly mounted the stairs, her heels clicking on the bare wood.

“She’s a fine young woman, Katherine.” Lottie said as she resumed eating her dinner.

“Oh yes,” Katherine said, with a glance up the stairs, “I’m quite proud of her, thank you.”

Not long after that, Katherine came into their room to find Maddie curled up in the bed.

“Madeline, it is time for you to take care of Mr. Bolt,” she stated, her voice flat and emotionless.

“Exactly what did you have in mind?” the reply came from under the quilt.

“A two-part plan, dear. First you seduce him.” It always starts with the seduction, she thought, men were so easy that way.

Maddie turned over to face her, “What then?”

“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. Now, do as you’re told, Maddie, and don’t make a mistake, like last time.” Katherine’s harsh tone shut down any response from Maddie, who rolled over and sighed. Seduce Jeremy? It wasn’t as if the idea hadn’t occurred to her, but not for Katherine’s ugly reasons. Katherine ordering her to seduce anyone was akin to slapping her in the face; enough to make Maddie run screaming in the opposite direction. Sighing again, she squeezed her eyes shut to try and block out the figure walking around the room.

The bell at Italia Amore rang loudly, calling Penny out from the back room. The blue-suited telegram delivery boy stood in front of her.

“Miss P. Longfellow?” he asked in a high voice

Geez, Penny thought, this one’s not hit puberty yet…. “Yes, that’s me.”

“Telegrams, miss.” He held the envelope out to her with a sharp motion of his arm, a skill he looked to have only recently learned.

She tore them from his hand, replaced them with a coin and watched him turn on his heel and march back out the door. Her heart racing, she clutched the envelopes in her hands. Two telegrams?? Only one person ever sent her telegrams; Jason. Who in the world was this other one from? Hands shaking, she tore the first one open.

“Arriving on the 3rd. Meet me. Usual place and time. J.” she read out loud to no one. The third? That was tomorrow! Penny could not believe her luck! Her beautiful man was coming back to her, an entire month before she expected him. Rereading the text, she had a moment of worry. She hoped nothing was wrong…perhaps he had found another, and was coming to tell her they were through. Penny’s heart began to pound purely from speculation. Then she noticed the other telegram in her hand. Curiosity got the better of her panic, and she opened it.

“In Seattle. Found Mother. Will give her special gift. Be back soon. Kate.”

Now her heart was really pounding. Lottie Hatfield was in Seattle? And Katherine and Maddie were there also? Seattle was Jason’s town, where he lived!

She looked down at the paper again, “will give her special gift?” she read out loud. Penny knew there was only one thing that Katherine thought that Lottie deserved, eternal damnation; and she was not above putting her there herself. Frightened, Penny grabbed Jason’s telegram. It was too late now to send a wire, he was at sea. She would have to tell him tomorrow when he arrived. She tucked both telegrams into her bodice, grabbed the cash from the cash drawer and slammed and locked the door behind her, the ‘closed’ sign flapping against the window.

Jason steadied the pock-marked wheel of the Seamus O’Flynn, while sipping some of Clancey’s best whiskey. The bracing evening air that surrounded him filled him with anticipation. As much as loved his mountain, there was something beautiful about the sea. The mountain was about stability, community; but the sea, the sea promised wide open opportunity. He remembered when Captain Harmon presented Jeremy the opportunity to go to sea, and he had seriously considered it. At the time, Jason couldn’t imagine leaving Bridal Veil Mountain and everything he had worked for all of his life. Now he could almost see Jeremy’s point of view. Jason had spent nearly all of his life amongst the trees and the dirt of Seattle, but he enjoyed his times at sea more and more.

Of course, that could also be because he was headed to see Penny. Again and again her face appeared to him in his dreams, often she was running and he was chasing her. Rarely did he catch her, but when he did, she disappeared right out of his hands. Only after enduring this nightmare for weeks on end, did he decide he needed to see her, to hold her warm body next to his, to stop her from disappearing.

Well, tomorrow’s arrival would tell the tale.

At two thirty pm on the dot, the Seamus O’Flynn docked at Pier 20 in San Francisco. Jason, his hair combed neatly and dressed in his finest shirt and jacket, bid Captain Clancey adieu.

“So, bucko.” Clancey said, eyeing the logger’s finery. “Yez got a woman to be meetin’? And yez not tellin’ me and all.”

Jason grinned, his white teeth gleaming, “Clancey!” he smacked the old seaman on the back, “What do you mean? Why, I’m just here on a buying trip, like always.”

Clancey removed Jason’s arm with a deliberate motion. “Aye, Mr. Bolt, and yez would have gotten out and pulled the ship yourself if yez thought it would get it here faster. That doesn’t sound like the act of a man who is in town to do a little shoppin’ now does it??” Clancey was determined to get Jason to admit to his amorous adventures.

“Oh, you old devil,” Jason placed a coin in Clancey’s palm. “Go get a drink…on me. I’ll see you in a couple of days.”

“Aaaaahhhh…Yes bucko, a couple of days then.” Clancey shook his head and pocketed the coin. Jason turned and strode off the deck into the cacophony that was San Francisco’s docks. It was chilly, and he was glad for his heavy coat. He slung his small valise over his shoulder and set out for the Red Rose Inn, where he would meet his darling.

“Jeremy?” Maddie called as she marched the children ‘round in their pajamas.

“Out here,” came a voice from the front porch.

Dinner had been eaten, the dishes washed and dried. Maddie had become the Bolt family’s favorite dinner guest and had joined them every night this week. At least Katherine wasn’t upset with her anymore, she figured Maddie was working toward accomplishing the goal that had been set for her. Maddie had cleaned up young Annie and Jamie for bed, and wanted to give their father the opportunity to say goodnight.

“Go on, give your father a kiss, and come right back in! I don’t want you to catch a chill.” Maddie admonished as she ushered them out the door. She could hear their tender goodnights through the window, and wished once again that they were her own children.

They rushed back in, cheeks already rosy from the cool night air.

Jeremy listened to their footsteps pad around the house. He took a deep breath of the refreshing breeze. He felt at peace, something he hadn’t felt in so long, he could almost not remember. The coffee he was sipping warmed him, while the breeze cooled his brow. Looking up into the sky, he could see it was a clear night, and the stars shone and twinkled like fine shards of glass splayed across a dark floor. The full moon illuminated the small grove in front of his home with shimmering silver light.

Maddie came out, her cloak in hand. “Well, Jeremy, good night. I’ll see you tomorrow,” she said in her lilting voice.

“Look at h..how beautiful the s..stars are tonight, Madeline.” Jeremy said, pointing upward.

She stopped in her tracks and followed his finger to the sky above them. “Oh! There’s the Big Dipper,” she leaned in closer to him and pointed her finger also.

She nearly swooned from his fragrance, the clean smell of his soap mixed with the scent of pine that clung to him like a child to its mother.

They stood in silence for a moment, their gazes upward, their thoughts racing.

Jeremy turned a bit to look Maddie in the eye. “We’re really m…much obliged for the suppers, Madeline.” He said in a hushed tone.

“You’re welcome. It’s really my pleasure.” Maddie’s heart sang every time Jeremy said her name. Unfortunately, the beautiful sound of Jeremy’s voice competed with Katherine’s harsh tones in her mind, a most unpleasant sensation.

She trembled standing so near to him, so near she could feel the heat radiating from his body.

Jeremy stood, frozen, next to her. His desire for her waged a fierce battle against his desire to remain faithful to Candy’s memory. Joshua’s words came rushing back to him. “... I don’t think she would’ve wanted you to spend the rest of your life alone, she loved you too much.” Did she? Would she?

A memory could not keep Jeremy warm in the night.

On the other hand, standing next to him was a woman made of flesh and blood. The first person outside of his children that he had cared about since he had lost Candy. A beautiful woman who understood him like no other. He turned to her and looked into her eyes. He knew they were cornflower blue, even in the darkness.

He cupped his hands around her chin and drew her lips to his. A kiss; her lips so soft and full; a feeling so wonderful he had almost forgotten. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer, feeling her heart pound in her chest.

She returned his fire, her arms snaking around his shoulders, feeling his taut muscles through the flannel of his shirt. Her head spinning, she clutched him even tighter.

“Maddie…” he sighed as their lips parted, their arms still entwined. He brushed her hair back and gazed at her face, ethereal in the moonlight.

She did not break his gaze. Dare she go back for another taste? Would he think her too forward? Her desire outweighed her concern and she leaned forward and kissed him again, a kiss so deep she didn’t care if she ever drew another breath.

Her hands worked their way up his neck into his thick brown hair and Jeremy thought his knees would give out from pleasure. Slowly they backed up against the porch railing, their pent-up passion consuming them.

“Madeline…I…” Jeremy started to stammer something but Maddie quickly put her finger to his warm lips.

“Ssssh. Don’t say anything Jeremy.”

His hands were on her arms and he could feel her trembling. “Oh…you’re cold.” He started taking off his jacket to put around her.

“No, no, I’m not.” She put her cheek to his so he could feel her heat. “I…have to go, though. Katherine will be waiting.” she whispered into his ear.

Jeremy fingered her hair as it cascaded down her back, having escaped from her bow. He paused a moment before he could bid her farewell. “g…goodnight Madeline,” he whispered back, his voice husky with desire.

She drew her cloak up around her shoulders and darted off into the night.

He leaned on the porch railing, his breathing ragged. He closed his eyes and relived the sensations of the kiss in his mind. Her lips parting, her soft breasts pressed against his chest, her long fingers raking his hair. Jeremy let himself respond in a way he had almost forgotten he was able to. Sighing, he tossed his cold coffee over the railing, and went back into the cabin closing the door behind him. It was going to be a long night, of that he was certain.

“But Jason,” Penny squeaked as he locked the door behind them, “I have to talk to you!” They had made about two minutes of small talk at the bar downstairs before he grabbed her arm and almost dragged her upstairs to her small room.

Jason was untying his tie and unbuttoning her blouse at the same time. “Talk is cheap, my darling. I didn’t come all this way to talk…” he grinned and cocked his head to the side; a look she could not resist, “at least not first!”

She watched the tie drop to the floor, soon followed by her blouse. His fingers toyed with her camisole straps.

“Well?” he asked, pulling her to him.

He had missed her. She could tell.

She supposed it wouldn’t matter if she put off telling him everything for a little while more.

It didn’t really matter what she supposed, because his lips were on hers, drawing her very breath into his lungs.

By instinct, she threw her arms around him and probed his lips apart with her tongue. He picked her up easily in his arms and together they collapsed on the bed. He made short work of her camisole - God he loved this woman, no corset! – and eagerly suckled her breasts, her nipples rising to his touch. After running his tongue down her stomach, her shivers and sighs telling him what she could not articulate; he slipped her bloomers slowly down her legs and tossed them across the room with a nonchalant flick of his wrist. His fingers found her already swollen and wet. “Miss me?” he murmured.

“Yes…” she purred. “Come up here, sailor.” She pulled his face back to hers and their lips met in a crash of passion. They yanked off the rest of their clothes, never unlocking their lips. Skin to skin they wrestled on the bed.

He was hard and insistent against her. She grabbed his velvety rod and stroked it, enjoying his reaction . “Yes Jason? Yes?” she teased.

“Yes…” he panted, “Yes…”

Abruptly, she let go. “hmmm, maybe not yet.” Her fingers playfully tweaked his nipples.

Surprised, his eyes widened, caught somewhere between glee and shock. “Penny, you little vixen…” he cried, rolling her over and entering her with little care. “I might have to teach you a lesson …” he gasped playfully as he thrust into her. She softly enveloped him and he writhed with pleasure, as did she.

Her breathing began to quicken and he reached down to stroke her, “Yes darling, you were saying?”

She could only groan in response.

Suddenly, he slowed his pace, making her rise to meet him, all the while caressing her pleasure dome.

“Oh Jason, please…” she cried upon his finding a particularly sensitive spot.

“Now that’s more like it…” his face drew up into a maniacal grin. He could feel his body begin to lose control, and began thrusting with more speed.

As they groaned in unison, Jason cried out as he came crashing into her, his body shuddering with the force of his climax. Penny soon followed him into the crazed abyss, her body swallowing him whole. Her rhythmic contractions lengthened his pleasure until he couldn’t stand it anymore. Finally uncoupling, he lay next to her, beads of sweat emerging on his forehead, arms and legs splayed. Oh yes, that was exactly what the doctor ordered.

Completely quiet, Penny waited until the sensations rocking her body had subsided, then reached out to him. They lay together, staring at the ceiling, hands barely touching until they could both stop vibrating. Then Penny hoisted herself up on one elbow and looked down at Jason’s flushed face.

“We have to talk right now,” she stated simply. “Lottie’s in trouble, Jason,”

Ben Perkins junior was tending the store, something he rarely was able to do, since his father frowned on it. His mother, however, thought it was good experience, so here he was with a smaller version of his father’s white apron around his neck and broom in hand, while his parents enjoyed a walk around Seattle. Somehow it was always the day to do the sweeping when it was his day to work the counter. Even so, he stood proudly, waiting for a customer.

Then the telegraph machine went off with a mad clacking sound. Ben junior had only just begun learning the Morse code, but he was confident he knew enough to interpret the message, so he ran over to the machine. Scribbling a few notes on a paper, he signaled back that he had received the message and the machine came to a sudden stop. Biting his lower lip, Ben junior struggled with what he thought he heard, and came to the realization that he didn’t quite know enough to interpret this message. Trying to assuage the pangs of guilt attacking his gut, he crumpled the paper and tossed it in the garbage can. They’ll try again when they don’t get a reply; he thought, his hands clammy, conveniently forgetting that he had already replied.

He turned his attention back to his sweeping, and when Emily and Ben senior returned, the floor of the store had never been so clean.

Katherine surveyed herself in the small mirror in her room. Her emerald green silk dress brought out every fleck in her emerald eyes. Her skin was creamy in the candlelight. She smiled at the vision. She and Maddie would finally be able to leave this God-forsaken hamlet, after tonight anyway. She certainly hoped Maddie was doing as she was told. Lord knows she was spending enough extra time at that Jeremy Bolt’s house; she’d better be making herself indispensable, in more ways than one. And tonight was the night that she was going to let Lottie Hatfield know exactly who she was.

Well, all work and no play makes Katherine a dull girl, she sang to herself. First off this evening, she was going to pay a visit to Mrs. Aaron Stempel; in her finest frock, with her feminine wiles sharpened. She would see for herself exactly what was anchoring Mr. Stempel. No mere girl was a match for her with her hackles up. Taking a deep breath, she grabbed her small bag and felt for the implement inside. Satisfied, she gently closed and locked the door behind her. Soon this would all be over. Just the thought brought a wide smile to her face, especially when she heard Lottie’s voice exhorting the crowd downstairs. Soon, Mother, soon. She alighted the stairs and all but floated down to the main floor.

“Hello Lottie,” Katherine called, with a jovial pitch to her voice.

Lottie nodded her greeting, then took a second look upon seeing Katherine’s dress. “Hmmm…going out tonight, Mrs. Mancino?”

Katherine smiled, her usual cheerful grin. “Oh, I’ve got some calls to make. Good evening to you.”

Lottie watched her flounce out the door, her dress swishing and crinkling. Shaking her head, she acknowledged the thirsty logger at the bar with a tall, foamy cold one.

“Mrs. Stempel, someone’s coming to the house,” Ella called to Jenny, who lay in a rumpled bed, feet propped up on two feather pillows.

“Well, who is it, Ella?” she called back, trying to smooth her nightgown. Jenny could overhear voices, and tried to calm her frustration. Ella came into the room, hands folded.

“It’s a woman named Katherine Mancino. She says she’s an associate of Mr. Stempel’s.” Ella said, her forehead knitted into a frown.

“Oh.” Jenny said in a small voice. Straining, she swung her feet off of the bed and arranged herself into a sitting position. “Tell her I’ll be right out, Ella,” she said, her eyes dull.

“But, Mrs. Stempel, the doctor said…”

“I know very well what the doctor said, Ella. However, I think that one little trip into the front room couldn’t do too much harm. Now, please go offer Mrs. Mancino some tea.” Jenny knew full and well that Allyn Wright had insisted she stay in bed, but she also thought the least she could do for a business associate of Aaron’s was to take some tea with her.

Puffing with the effort, she managed to find a dress that might be suitable to receive a guest. Her maternity clothes were worn, this being their third go around. She jammed her swollen feet into two shoes that she could not buckle. She cursed her body, then immediately asked for forgiveness. What right had she to complain about this, God’s miracle of life. She was just so tired.

A splash of water, a touch of rouge, out of the secret place in her drawer she didn’t let Aaron see because he did not approve of face paint, a ribbon in her hair, and she was ready to toddle out into the front room.

The vision she saw before her almost brought her to tears. A beautiful, hourglass-figured woman was hovering on her davenport, her chestnut hair done in a multitude of curls underneath a beautiful silk hat. This was someone Aaron was doing business with?

She began to shake with fear. Something about the woman’s manner was not quite right, and Jenny noticed it immediately. She took a deep breath and extended her hand, her pudgy finger devoid of her wedding ring

“Good day. I’m Jenny Stempel.”

Katherine stood and took the proffered hand in her gloved one. A good head taller than the petite Jenny, she stared down at her with a fixed smile. “Well good day, Mrs. Stempel. I’m Katherine Mancino.”

Jenny, feeling like a child being reprimanded by her maiden aunt, looked up into Katherine’s greener than green eyes. “Won’t you sit down?”

“Yes,” Katherine replaced her rear on the edge of the upholstered davenport. “Thank you. I’m so glad to have the chance to meet you, Mrs. Stempel; Aaron, I mean your husband, has told me so much about you. I hope you don’t mind me just dropping in.” In actuality, Aaron had not said anything to her about his wife, other than the fact that he had one. Katherine’s trained ear had picked up on conversations about the youthful bride from all corners of the community. She had heard enough to pique her curiosity many times over.

Sitting up ramrod straight in her wing chair, Jenny tried to compose herself. “No, Mrs. Mancino, not at all. It’s lovely to be able to meet one of Aaron’s business associates.” She looked down at her hands, fidgeting in a prim heap on her lap. “And exactly what is your business with my husband?” Jenny couldn’t help but think that her business with Aaron wasn’t strictly business.

“Oh, well, I’ve been speaking with him about a business idea of mine in which I’d like him to consider investing.” Katherine’s cool manner contrasted with the nervous nail-picking of her companion. “We’ve talked it over a few times now, and I think I finally have him convinced.”

“Oh.” Jenny replied. And exactly how many times had they met? She wracked her brain trying to remember Aaron mentioning this woman. She certainly was beautiful, in her green silk dress and her black silk gloves and her silk hat. Just how many silkworms had to die for that outfit to be created? “And what would that business idea be, Mrs. Mancino?”

“Well,” Katherine did her usual conspiratorial lean-in, “I’m from San Francisco, and I run a European millinery shop there. I think that Seattle would be a perfect place for me to expand into.” Satisfied with her explanation, she watched for the young woman’s reaction. She could see the girl was uncomfortable, both mentally and physically. Jenny’s bland blonde hair and skin was no match for her own dark fiery countenance. The weight of pregnancy did not sit well on the girl’s slight frame, and she looked rumpled and tired. Certainly not what a man like Aaron Stempel should be coming home to every night.

“Well, Mrs. Mancino, I’m afraid I’m at a disadvantage because Aaron has not mentioned your plans to me. It sounds exciting though.” Jenny said through clenched teeth.

Ella brought in some tea and set it down on the table in front of Katherine, who dismissed her with a look.

After struggling with her extended belly to pour a cup of tea for Katherine, Jenny retreated to her chair, exhausted.

“Oh, my goodness, let me do that for you!” Katherine exclaimed, pouring Jenny a perfect cup and walking the two steps to hand it to her.

“So, Mrs. Stempel. It has been lovely getting to know Aa…Mr. Stempel. He’s quite a fascinating man.” She continued with a demure sip of tea.

Jenny’s blood ran cold. “Yes, he is. He was one of the original settlers here in Seattle. He loves this town.”

“Oh, I can see that.” Katherine countered, eyeing Jenny over her teacup. “And you’re one lucky young woman to have landed such a pillar of the community.”

“Yes, I am.” Jenny said, noticing the emphasis Katherine put on the word young. She knew she was quite a bit younger than Aaron, it was not something that caused them any worries. “And you, Mrs. Mancino? Is there a Mr. Mancino back in San Francisco?” she struggled to keep the conversation civil.

“No, I’m afraid my Alberto passed on. I live with my ward, Madeline.” One crocodile tear escaped from Katherine’s left eye. “My Madeline is working as the governess to Jeremy Bolt’s children. And I must say, they are growing quite close.” She winked at Jenny, who was appalled. “Oh, that’s right! Jeremy is your brother, isn’t he? Or half-brother?” Katherine sniped. She had also heard the story of Jenny’s broken parentage as the illegitimate child of Jonathan Bolt.

“Yes, Jeremy is my brother. I’m so glad your ward is able to help him. It’s been hard for him since his wife died last year.” Growing quite close? What did this woman mean by that? Jenny was sure she didn’t want Jeremy getting involved with anyone connected to this viper-woman on her couch. She could feel her feet growing heavy with fluid as she sat stock still on the chair. The child inside her was quiet, indeed had been quiet for a day or so. Jenny hoped that was a sign that her time would come soon.

“Well, Mrs. Stempel, I can see I’ve interrupted you from your rest,” Katherine arose from the davenport, her movements steady and deliberate. Jenny struggled to maintain her dignity as she tried to follow suit. Katherine waited, gloved hands folded, for her to reach a standing position. “Thank you for taking the time to see me, it was a pleasure meeting you. I’m having another business conference with Aaron tonight, I can’t wait to tell him what a delight you are!”

Jenny forced her mouth into a smile, but her eyes remained wary. “It was nice to meet you also, Mrs. Mancino. I hope everything goes well at your meeting.”

“Oh, my dear, I’m sure it will.” Katherine made a minute adjustment to her hat. “Good day.”

“Good day.” Jenny replied and almost slammed the door behind the silk-encrusted woman as she walked down the path. Another ‘business conference’? Just what was this woman doing with Aaron?

She ran into the bedroom, the air stale and heavy, and stared into her looking glass. She was pale, and her face was puffy. Her hair was stringy, her fingers and arms fat. She was to her eyes, an elephant; no less. So, why wouldn’t he want to meet with a beautiful woman like her, she said to herself, if this is all that awaits him here.

“ooooh!” Jenny banged her fist on the dresser and looked down at her protruding belly. “Come on, baby, come on!” she banged her hand on the dresser again, ignoring the stinging pins and needles. Staring now at her belly, as if to will the baby to come, she began to stamp her already sore feet on the floor. “Maybe you just need a little encouragement!”

Shaking her rear and her belly and stamping her feet, she began to call out louder, “Come on, let’s go! I’ve been waiting long enough!”

Hearing the commotion, Ella and Edna rushed into her room, “Mrs. Stempel, stop it!” Edna cried.

“No!” Jenny shouted, “This baby’s going to come NOW, damn it!” Tears now running freely down her cheeks, she continued her odd little dance, resisting the twins’ efforts to get her back to bed.

Suddenly she went limp, her eyes rolling back into her head, and slumped over onto the bed, quiet.

Screaming, the girls grabbed her and pulled her the rest of the way onto the bed, rolling her over. Her eyes were closed and her mouth was open.

“Edna! Go and get Dr. Wright!” Ella screamed at her frozen sister. “Edna! Go now!”

Edna shook off her freeze and ran toward the front door, leaving Ella slapping Jenny’s face, willing her to respond.

Among heavy gusts of wind and waves kicking up all around the Seamus O’Flynn, the captain and his passengers huddled in the wheel room against the onslaught. Whiskey laced with coffee brought to mouths by shaking hands could not allay their fears.

In the hours following Jason’s arrival in San Francisco, Penny had filled him on all of her secrets, the most disturbing being the revelation that the Katherine Mancino who had drifted into Seattle was actually her half-sister, Katherine Crosse, and was plotting against her mother, Seattle’s beloved Lottie Hatfield. Upon hearing of the danger, Jason wired his brothers in Seattle, gathered up Penny and Clancey and departed on the earliest high tide.

The inclement weather had slowed their progress though, and the constant pitching and rolling of the boat caused the passengers inside to submit to their own dark moods.

Clancey glared at Penny, who sat in the corner, eyes averted from the two men by the wheel.

“Jason, I still don’t understand why you had to bring that she-devil along,” he mused, his voice a stage whisper.

Jason turned slightly so his back was to Penny, eclipsing Clancey’s view. “Clancey,” he hissed, “She didn’t know anything. If she hadn’t told me about her sister, I wouldn’t have been able to wire the boys to keep an eye on her. She feels bad enough as it is.”

Clancey stole a glance at the forlorn woman, “I don’t care what yez says, Mister Bolt, they all come from bad blood, and yez can’t overcome that so easily. As God as my witness, if any harm should come to Lottie by the hand of that crazy woman, I…I…” His words caught in his throat.

Jason could see the tears standing in his eyes and he put his hand on the captain’s shoulder. “No harm will come to Lottie, Clancey. I promise.”

Clancey shrugged him off and turned away. “How can yez be so sure, Jason, with us stuck out here, doing nothing?” as if on cue, the ship gave a violent jerk to one side and the three passengers had to grab on to the nearest stationary object to remain upright. “I’ve got to check the rigging on the port side, Jason. Take the wheel,” he grunted as he lurched out the door to the deck.

Jason stood, his body frozen, and stared out toward the black undulating water. Soon he felt a gentle touch on his back.

“You should probably go below Penny,” he said, eyes still straight ahead.

“Jason, I’m so sorry.” She shook her head. “I didn’t even know where they were.”

“I know. Lottie means a lot to us in Seattle, Penny. If anything should happen to her, Clancey won’t be the only one there looking for revenge.” He looked down at her face, her eyes red-rimmed and puffy. He took her chin in his hand, “Why don’t you go get some rest, no sense you sitting up here and freezing.”

She looked back up at him and answered, her words measured. “I want to be here with you, Jason.”

He looked at her for a moment without replying. Putting his arm around her waist, he pulled her close to him, his body crying out for her warmth. He could only pray that his brothers had received the wire and were looking after Lottie. Damn it all, he thought for the thousandth time, he knew there was something unusual about Katherine Mancino, why didn’t he follow his instincts and look at her more closely. Perhaps he would have figured this out. His thoughts turned to Jeremy and his budding relationship with Madeline. The pit of his stomach turned as it occurred to him that his brother might be in danger also. He had no idea what these women were capable of.

He planted a gentle kiss on the top of Penny’s head. He had so wanted to bring her to Seattle, but not under these circumstances. He felt her lean into him, and he sighed, awaiting the next pitch and roll of the ship.

The waning sun in the Washington sky left the clouds a rainbow of reds, pinks and oranges. Katherine was glad it was nearly evening as the sawmill would be nearly deserted. It was a personal challenge she was undertaking tonight, and after her visit to Jenny, she could see it might not be as difficult as she expected.

That poor bloat of a girl won’t know what hit her, Katherine thought smugly. Of course, Aaron would probably be eaten alive with guilt, but that would be all right.

She stopped to reapply her makeup. She kept it subtle however, as Aaron was probably the kind of man who wouldn’t approve of such things. Subtle except for her lips; they were as ruby red as cherries, she knew men’s mouths could not resist red cherries.

She tsked and shook her head again, seeing she was alone along the path to the mill. What could a man of the world like Aaron even see in such a little slip of a girl. Why, she almost looked young enough to be his daughter, instead of his wife! And she being a Bolt! Katherine had heard enough around town about the enmity between Stempel and the Bolts to know that it must have been earthshaking for him to actually marry one of them. Day after day he works so hard and then comes home to that colorless girl. From the looks of her, Katherine guessed it probably had been awhile since they had had any relations at all. Well, she would give him what he needed, what all men needed.

Well, enough thinking about that little girl, she’s the least of my worries tonight, Katherine thought. It was going to be my evening, about my wishes and dreams. So there, Mother; your selfish ways will be soon be history.

The mill office loomed ahead of her, and she could see Aaron outlined through one of the windows. He was sitting at his desk, shuffling papers, as usual. Katherine straightened her posture, checked her décolletage and slowed her walk to a swaying saunter.

Maddie had spent her weekend reliving the kiss. The sensations were so strong; they stopped her in her tracks. She wanted more, so much more. After a long walk on Sunday afternoon through fragrant pine needles and wildflowers, she arrived back to her room in the early evening, where she was met by Katherine, her eyes aflame.

“And where have you been?” Katherine asked, her tone of voice matched by her body language.

“Out walking. Why?” Maddie forced herself to lock eyes with her sister.

“Alone?”

“Yes. Why do you ask, Kate?” Maddie placed her bag on the table with the utmost care, turning her back to her inquisitor.

“Because, Madeline. There has been enough pussyfooting around this town. I’m ready to leave. Your time is up.” She grabbed Maddie by her shoulders and spun her around. “You must take care of that Jeremy Bolt. Now. Carlotta Hatfield and her friends must feel my pain; my sadness.” Katherine was ranting now. “I will not take any more excuses from you, Madeline, you owe it to me.”

Maddie shook herself free from Katherine’s grasp. “I told you, I care for Jeremy. I don’t want to hurt him.”

A fierce slap to her face tempered Maddie’s defiance. “You will do as I say, sister dear; or face the consequences.” Katherine spat out. “You will do as I say.”

She turned and left the room, slamming the door behind her; leaving Maddie flushed and shaken.

So, now it was Monday, and Katherine’s severe glare over breakfast moved Maddie to tears before she even left Lottie’s. Her efforts to entertain Jeremy’s children were dismal; she could not stop thinking of Katherine and the previous night’s discussion. Finally she sent Annie and Jamie outside to play and she poured herself a cup of tea. She had no desire to hurt Jeremy; quite the contrary, she was in love with him and would like nothing more than to be with him. Certainly she had imagined herself doing that more than once. But Katherine was going to make trouble; big trouble she feared, and she wasn’t quite sure what tomorrow would bring.

Maddie knew how fragile Jeremy was, it would be so easy to hurt him, as Katherine was asking her to do. How could she get around it? Katherine was in such a state, Maddie didn’t know quite what she was capable of doing, to herself or to Jeremy.

But, every time she thought about Jeremy holding her, kissing her, running his hands over her skin; she thought it might be worth the risk.

She shook her head, causing her curls to bounce around her shoulders. “Selfish, silly girl.” Maddie took another long drink of her tea and put her head down on the table.

Within moments she heard a commotion erupting from the front yard. Startled, she noticed that the sun was low in the sky and the children were still outside. She scrambled from the table and ran out the door calling for the children. Stopping short of tripping over Jamie, Maddie was surprised and not too happy to see that the Bolt youngsters had yet again found a mud puddle to play in. Not just an average mud puddle, but a giant one, with at least an inch of murky water afloat on top of the dirt.

“Children!” Maddie yelled, grabbing Jamie by the arm. “How many times has your father told you to stay out of these puddles?”

Jamie slipped from her grasp and landed with a plop back in the dirty muck.

“Out! Both of you! Out of there right now!” she put her hands on her hips for emphasis, but the children couldn’t hear her for their shrieks of joy. “Annie! You should know better,” she said, grabbing Annie’s left arm. When that effort was unsuccessful, she tried to grab both arms together. That was a mistake, as the force of her efforts destroyed her balance and she toppled into the mud alongside the children.

Momentarily shocked into silence, the three of them looked at each other as they heard whistling coming from down the path.

Jeremy came through the grove, one hand in his jacket pocket, the other wrapped around a small bouquet of wildflowers. He stopped a few feet away from the activity, his face scrunched into a grimace as he watched the three of them flail around in the patch of mud.

“Oh Jeremy,” Maddie opined as he extended his hand to her, “I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry.” She was covered in patches of the gooey stuff, from the top of her blonde hair to the tips of her black shoes.

Jeremy lifted the children up and placed them on dry land, none too gently. “You two, get out of those clothes and sit on the kitchen floor in front of the fire. You both need a bath, and here it is only Monday.”

The two of them, still giggling, started toward the house. “And Miss Annie?”

Annie turned around to face her father, “Yes Papa?”

“There might be a whuppin’ in your future.”

She hung her head, “Yes Papa.” Biting her lower lip, she guided Jamie back into the outhouse to strip off their clothes.

“Jeremy really,” Maddie protested, “It was my fault, I l..let them out of my sight.” She gasped at her stutter.

Jeremy startled inwardly but acted as if he didn’t notice. He helped her up out of the dirt and walked her toward the side door that led to the kitchen. “Annie is old enough to mind, and she knows good and well that she’s not supposed to be playing in the mud.” He looked down at the flowers in his hand. “I brought t…these for you.” Making a motion toward her, he noticed the way her wet and heavy dress clung to her ample curves. Heat surged through him as he put his hand on her waist as she ascended the few steps into the house.

She smiled, her teeth beaming through her dirt-smudged face. “Oh Jeremy, thank you. They’re beautiful.” She took them from his warm hand and opened the door.

Luckily she already had a pot of water on the stove for the later washing up. Jeremy shooed her into his washroom to clean up while he scrubbed the two children to within an inch of their lives. After putting them in their pajamas, he sent them to bed without supper as punishment for their misdeeds. After watching Annie’s frightened face throughout the cleansing ordeal her father decided against the whuppin’, which was just as well, knowing it would hurt him a lot more than it would her.

Maddie washed off as best as she could in Jeremy’s small basin, but it was hopeless. Her mind raced with the appearance of her stutter. She didn’t remember the last time she had stuttered, why today? Why now? Saying nothing was preferable.

After tucking in the children in, Jeremy walked back into his room to check on Maddie.

“Are you ok?” he called, keeping his back to where she was standing.

“Yes.” she peeped in return, emerging and tapping him on the shoulder. He turned around to see her clean face glowing, her cheeks rosy from the scrubbing. However, she was still wrapped in the filthy muddy dress.

She looked down at the state of herself. “Well, I g..guess I should be going.” Closing her eyes to mask her frustration at her stilted speech, she walked past Jeremy back into the kitchen.

“Madeline?” He followed close on her heels, and took her cape from her hands and replaced it on the coat rack.

She would not meet his eyes. “I need to go.”

He tried to bend down to appear in her sight line. “But, what about all this delicious food?”

She shook her head, her hand brushing against his as she reached for her cape again. Her heart fluttered with the slight connection.

Jeremy pulled out a chair, then took the one next to it. “Madeline. Sit down.”

She did so, but did not make herself comfortable.

“So,” he prodded, “What’s wrong?”

She shrugged.

“Are you upset because you stuttered?”

Another shrug. How could he understand….wait, she interrupted her own thoughts; he does understand.

“Maddie, you know it makes no difference to me of all people whether you stutter or not.” Jeremy put his hand over hers.

She did look up at him then. “Jeremy, I’m scared. I haven’t stuttered in so long. What if I start again?”

Now it was his turn to shrug. “I don’t care,” he stated.

“Well, I do. For heaven’s sake, I can’t go back home stuttering.”

“Go home?” he asked with a raised eyebrow. She had never said anything about going back to San Francisco.

“Well, I…a….mean if I go back, I can’t s…stutter!” her eyes widened with the ever more real possibility that her horrific disability was resurfacing.

Jeremy was puzzled. “Maddie, don’t worry about that now. It’s probably just one of those things.” He sounded more hopeful than he felt.

“Let’s have some dinner. It’s just the two of us,” Jeremy said, squeezing her hand and smiling. She looked so beautiful right now, her damp hair framing her face with soft waves, that he felt lightheaded. His heart racing, he prayed that she would stay for a while longer.

Again, Maddie looked down. “Jeremy. Look at me, look at this dress. I can’t join you for dinner looking like this!”

He sat in silence for a moment, his thumb stroking her hand; then stood up and walked into his room. When he came back out, an odd look graced his face. “There’s something you can wear in there,” he motioned back behind him.

She stared at him, then without saying anything else walked into his room. Laid out on his bed was a red gingham dress. She picked it up and held it up to her, the fragrance of roses embedded in it. It must have been Candy’s. She wondered how she could possibly wear it. But he was offering it, and he had never been anything but sincere to her until now. Hands trembling, she quickly stepped out of her dirty clothes and put the red dress over her head.

While she was gone, Jeremy busied himself by setting out the plates for dinner. His connection to her was so strong, he couldn’t think about much of anything else. All day at work his mind kept wandering back to their kiss. A kiss that sparked such deeply buried desire in Jeremy he felt like a lit stick of dynamite.

Candles flickered in the kitchen as Maddie padded in, her bare feet quiet on the floorboards. “Jeremy?” she called softly to him.

He turned from the window to look at her. More than he had expected, seeing her in the dress left him breathless. It was almost a perfect fit, other than the extra inches of fabric puddling on the floor, and the extra inches of cleavage spilling over the top. He stared at her, searing heat shooting through his body.

“Are you sure t..this is ok?” she stammered.

Her eyes shone in the soft light, and for a moment he couldn’t speak. He loved the woman who first wore that dress, but was falling in love with the woman who wore it now. It seemed right, somehow. “You look beautiful.”

She fingered her still wet hair and thought about her bare feet hiding under the hem of the dress. “Oh, I don’t know about that.” she replied, feeling his eyes on her. Jeremy’s thoughts were clear, she’d seen men look at her that way before. Her breasts, unencumbered by a corset, tingled in anticipation.

He moved toward her, afraid to touch her, as if she were an apparition. His heart pounded, his sex filling with each beat.

“It looks pretty in here,” she said, easing herself away from him. Still undecided about what she was going to do next, she tried to catch her breath. Damn you, Katherine.

“Thank you.” He could barely speak for the overwhelming sensations attacking his body. He wanted this woman; to feel her hot skin on his; to be inside her. The thirst he dared not slake in a year was threatening to overtake him.

She wanted to control the situation, to make her final decision regarding the desirous man beside her. She motioned to the table, hoping he did not notice her hand trembling. “Shall we eat?”

Jeremy blinked; slowly coming to the realization of what he was proposing to himself – and to her. “Y…yes, ok..” turning toward the stove, he took a deep breath, and wished he had the opportunity to loosen his trousers. He hoped she hadn’t noticed his arousal. Or did he? He thought he caught a whiff of desire from her, but after not being with a woman for so long, he didn’t trust his instincts. He fumbled at the stove until he felt he could turn around without embarrassment.

Seating her at the table afforded him a good look at her silken white breasts straining at the thin gingham fabric. Another deep breath and he seated himself.

Conversation was strained as both dinner companions could only pick at their food. Jeremy watched every morsel of food that went into Maddie’s round pink mouth, and with every bite it was more and more difficult for him to keep himself from leaping across the table and begging her to take him in too.

What kind of an animal was he, exactly?

You’re a man, Jeremy, men have needs…..

Jeremy realized at that moment that it was true. It was as if he had been asleep the last year since Candy had died. Like an arm, numb from sleeping; now coming back to life aching with pins and needles.

The pins and needles were stabbing him in his most sensitive places, as they were awakened from their deep slumber by the beautiful woman sitting so near.

Maddie was making quiet conversation, but Jeremy barely heard her. His brain and his sex pounded with the want of her, but he was unsure about his intentions. He was not the least experienced man on the planet; however, he was not the most either. Jason and Joshua had taken him to at Opal’s in Tacoma a couple of times; and he even went upstairs with a fancy lady or two; but those experiences were hurried and more about anatomy than anything else. Because he was the youngest, he ended up staying at camp as his brothers indulged in their amorous adventures.

Soon after that he met Candy and they were chaste until their wedding night. Not for lack of desire, but Candy was a girl of good breeding, and wouldn’t consider doing anything physical with a man without being married first. Jeremy always figured life was like that: black or white; trollop or virgin.

Suddenly life seemed much less black or white.

Suddenly life was colored with shades of gray.

“Jeremy?” Maddie’s bell-like voice called to him, her brow knit with concern.

“u…um…yes?” he said, leaning forward to catch her words and trying to look like he had been following the conversation.

“oh, n…nothing,” she replied, knowing that he had no idea what she had been saying. His cheeks were flushed and she become conscious of her own cheeks burning.

“I’m sorry, Maddie. I…I just drifted for a minute. What were you saying?” The rise and fall of her chest was hypnotizing him.

Slowly she rose, the sound of her chair scraping on the floor muffled and soft. She walked around the table and stood behind him, placing her hands on his shoulders.

“You seem a little distracted, Jeremy. Is everything all right?” She asked, her words low as she began to massage his shoulders through his shirt.

She had made her decision.

So had he. In shades of gray.

He closed his eyes, focusing on her hands kneading the knots out of him with ease. A small moan escaped from his throat as her warm hands moved his half-unbuttoned shirt aside and began working their way down his chest.

“Am I hurting you?” she murmured, her own skin prickling with gooseflesh along with his.

“No…no…” he whispered.

She was so close he could feel her body pulsing with every heartbeat. As her hands caressed him lower, his sex pulsated in time . He was torn between the discomfort below his waist and the incredible sensations she was creating above.

Maddie slid her finger down his breastbone, moistened by some small beads of sweat that had gathered there. “Are you too warm, Jeremy?” she asked, opening the remaining buttons of his flannel shirt, nuzzling it and taking in his male scent as she worked.

His chest exposed to the cool air of the cabin, Jeremy stood up and leaned on the table, pulling her close to him. “c’mere…” he muttered as his lips closed on hers. Her lips were plump and hungry and he suckled them, his tongue darting in and out of their round softness.

Oh, sweet Jesus, he had been so lonely. Maddie, please, he begged silently, let me take you now…

He pulled her so close that their hips met, and she burrowed against his straining erection. She broke away from their kiss and looked at him through hooded eyes.

“Shall we stop, Maddie?” he asked, breathless.

She brushed his bangs off of his forehead, and gazed into his sapphire eyes, “No, Jeremy.” She answered with a tiny shake of her head. “No..”

Her approval secured, Jeremy caressed her damp hair, while bringing her lips to his again. Running his hands down her back to her round bottom, he picked her up and carried her into his bedroom.

He placed her on the edge of the bed. The fire in the fireplace was burning low, but the room was warm and suffused with a golden glow. Jeremy discarded his shirt and saw Maddie’s eyes widen, making the heat within him burn even more.

She did want him.

His instincts were rusty, but on target.

Jeremy knelt down in front of her and began kissing her neck, then the lily white skin of her décolletage. Her skin was sweet tasting and musky with desire. The aroma of roses surrounded her, and Jeremy wished he could fill the room with rose petals and then discover her underneath, petal by petal.

As his ardor began to consume him, he undid the laces of the dress, his fingers working faster than his mind could control them; sliding it off of her right shoulder, then her left. She shuddered under his touch and he knew there was no turning back.

Her unguarded breasts tumbled from the gingham. She cupped his face in her hands to guide him to her pink nipples, but he was already there. Hungrily he took one into his mouth, his body quivering. A small squeak came from her as he nibbled and he looked up to see her eyes closed and her mouth slack.

“Maddie…” he whispered, “Are you sure….”

“Yes, oh yes, Jeremy.” She answered, her hands reaching for his trousers. He strained, his sex long and stiff, against her touch.

“Wait..” he said, and slipped the red gingham dress to the floor. She had no undergarments on, and she stood before him, naked as the day she was born.

“Oh…you’re so beautiful, Madeline…” His stones twitched as he appraised her ample breasts and full hips in the soft light of the fire. Her skin and hair glowed, the light brown curls enveloping her own sex shimmered golden.

He reached for his own trousers, but she moved for them and in a moment they were gone. Standing before her as Adam in the garden, he hoped he would not disappoint her. He wanted to take her right then, his body crying out for release from every pore, but he also wanted this to last, so he paused for a second.

Her smile reassured him yet again. She stood so close to him that his erection was buried in her thatch of curls.. He delighted in the feel of her soft breasts against his hard chest. Then her hand reached down and encircled him.

It had been over a year since he felt a woman’s touch on his manhood and Jeremy thought he’d explode immediately from the sensation. He could feel himself getting longer in response to her every stroke, and he moaned with every breath. His sex was hot in her hand, and the pulsing heat burned into the core of his being.

Dropping them both to the bed, he crushed her to him, his need for her closeness almost as great as his need for her body. He wanted, no needed, every molecule of her flesh to be bound to his. He rubbed his sex on hers, while his fingers raked through her damp hair, and realized he was moist from her juices. The thought of that caused his head to spin and his loins to tighten up almost in pain.

Not wanting to explode at that moment, he fell away from her and took a breath. Oh, he had to make this last, forever if possible. He had to give her as much pleasure as she was giving him.

To his surprise, his lover climbed on top of him, the loose tendrils of her hair teasing his bare chest. Breathing heavily, she raked her fingernails down his chest and back up again, tracing spirals around his hard nipples, and his back arched up to meet her. She looked at the body now below her on the bed, smooth skin stretched over taut muscles. The same muscles she had for so long admired from afar now rested just below her.

She perched herself atop him, her pink cleft rhythmically stroking his stiff member. A bit more of her moisture dripped on him and he cried out, but she covered his mouth with hers and the sound was lost to all. The rhythm of her movements stilled him and excited him at the same time.

His passion kept on rising as she continued to ride him, using her wet slit to stroke him, when suddenly he flipped her over and climbed on top of her. Teasing her nipple with his tongue, he slid his fingers slid down to her wet spot and he began caressing her. Gently at first, he awaited her reaction. When she purred in response, he grew bolder and manipulated her using skills he had developed during his years of marriage. Watching her face, he was gladdened to see he had not forgotten how to please a woman. But watching her face contort with pleasure also made his stones ache, so deep was his desire to have her.

“Are you s..sure, Maddie….” he panted, needing to ask one more time.

She was reduced to nodding her response, a sheen of perspiration on her upper lip. Her slender fingers guided him to the spot, and Jeremy swore he could see lights flashing before him as he entered her. She arched up to take him in more fully, and he moaned in ecstasy. He felt as thick as a tree and twice as long, as he plunged in deeper and deeper.

It had been a long time. Too long. This was so good, so wonderful, how could he have considered never doing it again.

She pulled his buttocks to her and held him there. “Wait…” she said, gasping. They spent a moment looking at each other, Maddie feeling Jeremy’s sex throbbing inside of her. He reached down to her, teasing her curls, looking for her sweet spot. He continued to pet her, the small involuntary squeaks coming from her mouth driving him to distraction.

Again she rolled them over. Jeremy had never experienced this before, and the thrill of letting Maddie lead was almost unbearable.

Her eyes as wide as the full moon shining in the window, she began to slide up and down on his shaft, her motions slow and deliberate. She could feel him bump the core of her sex and they groaned in unison each time she did it.

Her position gave him the perfect opportunity to continue to stroke her cleft. She suckled his nipples, rolling them around her tongue and teeth, his cries becoming more guttural.

He was nearing the end of his rope, he couldn’t last much longer, but he couldn’t spill himself inside of her…even in a shades of gray life, that he was not going to do. He was delirious with passion with her on top, but how would she know?

He grabbed her hips as she continued to crash him into her. His entire life force was centered on his mid section, there was nothing else. She clutched him tightly and rammed him inside of her once more, until he was reeling from pleasure. It had to be now, he thought, his sex throbbing in a wild rhythm. Still hanging on to her hips, he quickly lifted her up and off of him, crying out in ecstasy as he came, his seed flowing out and onto him in a warm spurt.

Her breathing ragged, Maddie lowered herself back down onto Jeremy and continued to slide her swollen honey over his manhood until she too cried out, signaling to him that she had joined him in calamitous joy.

She collapsed on top of him, the give and take of their breathing in perfect rhythm.

“That was wonderful, Maddie,” he said, kissing the top of her head. “You m…made me feel so good…”

She could only murmur her response, as his gentle yet strong hands caressed her back. Her thoughts turned to her reticule and the small, heavy, object within.

Give yourself a few minutes of peace, Madeline, she thought, before you give in….just a few minutes to savor this beautiful moment with this beautiful man before you have to ruin it all.

She continued to rest in Jeremy’s arms until his deep breathing told her he had fallen asleep. Slowly disengaging herself, she crept out of the bed and kissed him on the forehead. “Sleep well my sweet, my love,” she whispered, moving toward her reticule.

Checking his watch then closing it with a snap, Aaron opened the last ledger book on the desk. It was past time to go home, but he couldn’t leave the office with this last report undone. He took some comfort in knowing those twin girls were at Jenny’s beck and call at home. Chomping on his unlit cigar, his left hand furiously scribbling notes in the ledger book; a rustle in the grove outside interrupted him. He looked at the windows, their shades down for the evening, to see the silhouette of a figure illuminated by moonlight, coming toward the office.

He stood up and opened the door as the small raps began.

“Katherine,” he said. It was more a statement than an actual greeting.

“Hello, Aaron. May I come in?” she replied, her broad smile shining in the darkness.

“Certainly,” he replied, ushering her in and sighing. Her unique fragrance lingered for a moment in the air as she passed him.

“Burning the midnight oil, I see,” she said, noticing the books strewn across his desk.

“Yes, well…you know how it is to run a business,” he answered while remaining standing, as did she. “What can I do for you at this late hour, Katherine?”

“Well Aaron,” she purred, edging slightly closer to him. “I really wanted to have one final conversation with you before I gave up on you completely.”

Worried that her voice did not indicate business; he stood before her, bracing himself on the desk. “I thought we had settled that, Katherine. I’m just not convinced that a shop like you’re proposing would be a good fit for Seattle.”

She continued to sidle toward him. “But Aaron,” she deepened her tone a note or two. “I just won’t take no for an answer.”

Her fragrance enveloped him while her green eyes locked onto his brown ones. He swallowed hard and he felt the palms of his hands dampen with sweat.

“Because,” she persisted, “I think I have something that you need, Aaron.”

Now he knew she wasn’t talking about business.

“Oh really?” he said, one eyebrow raised. “And what is that?”

She perched herself on the edge of his desk and turned toward him, allowing him an ample view of her milky white cleavage. His internal temperature began to rise as he couldn’t help but take in the view. He swallowed and she could see his Adam’s apple bob up and down.

Katherine could tell his interest was piqued. She wondered if anything else was piqued also. Standing up, her silk skirts swishing, she slithered around the desk, where Aaron still stood, rooted, until she was mere inches from him.

“Well now, Mr. Stempel,” the words flowed from between her moist red lips and Aaron bit his tongue to keep his attention off of them. “I’ve been watching you. Do you think that I’m only about business?” Her fingers danced lightly down his arm.

He turned and took a step away from her. “Katherine, I’m not sure what you’re getting at.” He was a lousy liar.

He heard her moving closer to him, but did not turn around.

“I don’t believe that, Aaron. You are a man, aren’t you?”

Again he could feel her hand on his shoulder. It was barely there, but even that light pressure caused his heart to race and his loins to ache. He was almost afraid to turn around and face her considering the sensations that flowed through his body.

But he did.

“Katherine, you’re a beautiful woman….” he began. And she was. Aaron longed to touch her dark hair, it shone like silk. Her eyes were as green as any jade he’d seen in San Francisco. Her skin was china white and her bosom as full as ripe, juicy, peaches.

She moved toward him some more, her lips parted slightly, inviting him in. “Thank you Aaron, I was beginning to think you didn’t notice little old me.”

Aaron put his hands out to push her away; but was convinced that if he touched her, he might gather her to him instead; so they hung helplessly in the air. “…I’m a married man.”

She nodded, her head bobbing imperceptibly. “Aaaah yes. Mrs. Stempel. I paid a visit to her today.”

Aaron’s eyes grew wide, “You what?”

“I wanted to meet the woman you would take as your wife. Frankly, I’m surprised, Aaron, she’s just a girl; you really need a woman. Someone who has brains and beauty, someone you can call your equal.” She licked her lips again as she pressed against him. “Someone like me.”

Aaron backed up from her yet again. “My wife isn’t even supposed to be out of bed,” he stammered.

“Oh. Too bad she isn’t spending her time there keeping you happy.” Katherine cooed, her hand rising up to stroke Aaron’s cheek. He left it there for a moment, his resolve weakening, it had been a time since he had felt a woman’s heat. Katherine was available and all but begging him to take her. “I could make you happy, Aaron,” she whispered, her lips rising to meet his.

The reach was not far and Aaron found himself in a clinch with the temptress. For a moment he lost his senses as she crushed him to her, and her lips enveloped his in a deep kiss. He hadn’t been kissed with this much passion for what seemed like a lifetime. Suddenly, Jenny’s face appeared to him, and Aaron, horrified, broke from Katherine and shoved her away. “I can’t do this…Katherine. I can’t….”

“Aaron, Aaron!” Yelling at an ear-splitting volume, Jeremy burst in the office door, feet skidding to a halt upon encountering the two there. His face twisting into a grimace, he stared at Aaron and his companion in their compromised position. “Doctor Wright needs you, Aaron. J…Jenny’s having the baby,” he stated. Jeremy had been awakened by the frantic knocking of Edna Keyes, who immediately dispatched him to fetch Aaron to his wife’s bedside.

With nary a glance for either of his visitors, Aaron bolted from the office, leaving a disturbed Jeremy and a sheepish Katherine behind.

“Well, Mr. Bolt,” Katherine said with surprise, noticing that Jeremy had no shirt on; only his thin jacket covered up his naked chest. “You certainly know how to make an entrance.”

“May I walk you back to town, Mrs. Mancino?” Jeremy asked, his tone stilted, eyes narrowed with suspicion. He held the office door open and followed her out. What was she doing in Aaron’s office at this hour of the night? They certainly looked guilty, the both of them.

Maddie sat in the bed she shared with her sister, knees drawn to her chest; and rocked back and forth. Every time she closed her eyes, she imagined Jeremy next to her. She could still feel the heat of him and his male scent was lodged in her senses. It was so good, to lie with him, better than she could have ever imagined. But as far as hurting him, she couldn’t. The gun that sat like deadwood in her reticule remained quiet. The very thought that she was supposed to kill or maim Jeremy caused hot tears to trickle down her cheeks. What was Katherine thinking? She loved him, and she wanted him, more than she had ever wanted anything, even Dougal.

That fact however, was what drove her away, stealing out of the house while Jeremy slept quietly beneath her. She couldn’t stay for any “I love yous”, or “don’t gos”, or anything else of that ilk, as she flat out didn’t deserve him. Here was this handsome, kind man, opening himself up to her, and she was under orders to hurt him, physically, mentally, any way she could. No, she didn’t deserve any kindness from Jeremy Bolt. And she couldn’t bear to stay until he awakened and have to face him knowing that fact. She put her forehead down on her knees and continued to rock back and forth, not knowing what to expect next. After a while, sounds from the saloon below caught her attention and she unfolded herself and crept toward the stair landing.

When Aaron neared his cabin, he could see all the lights blazing. Sounds met his ears that he’d hoped he’d never have to hear again. The crying of his children mingled with loud speaking voices that made his heart pound. He ran in, breathless, and immediately headed back into his bedroom.

Allyn Wright looked up at him from her position at the foot of the bed. “I’m glad you’re here, Aaron. And I’m sure someone else is also.”

Jenny’s blue eyes betrayed her fright as she looked up at her husband. Her brow was covered in sweat, but her lips were dry and cracked. “I’m so sorry, Aaron…I’m so sorry” she repeated over and over, between cries of pain.

Aaron knelt down next to her and let her squeeze his hand. With every contraction, his knuckles were lodged tighter and tighter. Ella Keyes handed him a cool rag and, large hands awkward for the task, he dabbed at Jenny’s brow. “I love you Jenny, keep trying..” he murmured into her ear while shooting anxious glances at the doctor.

Doctor Wright’s face was dour and expressionless, almost as white as Jenny’s. She had been afraid that this birth was going to be difficult, and it was proving to be just that. Her first priority was Jenny, and making sure she survived, with her second priority being the babe as of yet unborn. She had seen many childbirths in her years in Seattle, and most of them were uneventful. However, she had also seen women die; women who started out a lot healthier than Jenny was at that moment. Being a doctor meant playing God, however, it also meant relying on God for help in the darkest moments. Dr. Wright prayed while she worked for the health and safety of this mother and her baby.

“Jenny, honey, you’ll be alright. I’m here.” Aaron continued to whisper into his best girl’s ear.

“It’s my fault, Aaron, I..I got up today. I know I shouldn’t have…” she paused to draw a sharp breath and cry out.

“No, no….don’t blame yourself,” he replied, stroking her hair as she wept. Inwardly he cringed, knowing of Katherine’s little visit. Whatever she said must have upset Jenny plenty. He silently cursed the vixen, and added one for himself for so easily responding to her charms.

“The baby is coming Jenny. Keep pushing!” Doctor Wright cried, as Aaron turned away.

Jenny let out a long scream and squeezed Aaron’s hand until he thought it would break.

“It’s here.” Doctor Wright’s voice was quiet. “It’s…it’s a girl…”

The room was strangely quiet.

Something was missing.

The sound of a baby crying.

“Why isn’t she crying, Aaron? What’s wrong??” Jenny cried, clutching her husband as they watched Doctor Wright and Ella take the baby to the makeshift bassinette.

After an eternal moment, Allyn turned to Aaron and Jenny with tears in her eyes. “I’m afraid…The baby…” she said, her voice catching in her throat.

“Yes Allyn,” Aaron prompted, his voice shaking.

“It’s…she’s…stillborn. The cord was wrapped around her neck. I’m sorry… There’s nothing anyone could have done.”

Jenny’s anguish poured out like a firestorm; her moans turning to howls of despair. She cried out to God and to the Devil, her screams echoing throughout the house.

“Give me my baby!” she demanded, her body contorted with pain both physical and emotional.

“Jenny…” Aaron said. His face stoic but with tears spilling down his cheeks, he tried to restrain her.

“No! Give me my baby!” she cried out again, arms outstretched.

After getting a nod from Allyn, Ella tenderly wrapped the small, still, bundle and placed it into Jenny’s waiting arms.

Together, hands trembling, Aaron and Jenny pulled the soft blanket away from the baby’s face and looked down at her. She was tiny, but perfect, her eyes closed in timeless rest.

Jenny’s sobs wracked her frail body, threatening to choke her with their intensity. Aaron could only hold her, his own emotions held in check by his silence. How could this happen? Lord, if he was wrong not to send Katherine packing immediately, then punish him, not the innocent babe and the sweet angel next to him. A daughter, the daughter Jenny had prayed and longed for, now lay lifeless in her arms. Katherine was to blame. She-devil, bitch, demon. Aaron’s mind was spinning with the image of Katherine coming to his home and saying God knows what to poor Jenny.

His hatred for the green-eyed monster threatened to overwhelm his grief over the loss of his child. However, hate was an emotion Aaron was far more equipped to deal with.

Doctor Wright finally managed to lift the bundle from Jenny’s arms and handed it back to Ella. “Jenny, I need to make sure you’re alright,” she said quietly to the young mother, who looked more like a child herself at that moment.

Jenny was not capable of responding, except to ratchet up her crying.

As the doctor did her post-delivery exam, Jenny’s guttural sobs continued echoing throughout the small house.

“It’s all my fault….I got up today….I was m..mad at the baby, Aaron, I willed it to be born…” Jenny moaned, her eyes wide in their hysteria.

“Jenny…it’s not your fault. Please stop saying that…”Aaron found it difficult to find the words to try and console his wife when he felt utterly inconsolable himself. “Ssssh…ssssh…” he cooed into her ear as he rocked her. “Hush now…what’s done is done….please sweetheart…”

Upon finishing her examination, Allyn filled a syringe with laudanum. She glanced at Aaron who nodded, his eyes dull and rheumy. He squeezed Jenny tightly as the doctor administered the laudanum and between the drug and her exhaustion, Jenny finally fell into a deep sleep.

“I’ll speak to the reverend.” Dr. Wright said to Aaron as she gathered up her effects. She and Ella had spent some time cleaning up the room where Jenny slept without moving, and Aaron sat silently by her side. She motioned to Ella, who was about to hand her the child, when Aaron stood up and took his daughter into his arms.

“Make sure she isn’t cold, Doctor,” he murmured, holding the baby close to his chest. “It’s very cold out tonight.”

“Yes Aaron.” The doctor replied, putting her hand on Aaron’s shoulder. “I’ll be sure to keep her warm. You stay here and get some rest. I’ll check on you all tomorrow.”

Aaron nodded, handing the baby back to Allyn, keeping his hands on the blanket until it was out of reach.

And then they were gone.

Ella calmed the crying children in the front room and ushered them back to bed, leaving Aaron to sink back into the chair next to Jenny, the hollow emptiness of the room ringing in his ears. He wished the good doctor had left some laudanum for him, as he wished to feel nothing. Anything would be better than the bitter ache that began in the pit of his stomach and stretched throughout his tired body. Holding Jenny’s hand, glad for its warmth, he rubbed his eyes, knowing that rest would not come to him. Katherine must pay for what she has done, she must pay for this heartache. Aaron tried to dredge up the strength to stand. She took his daughter away and she must pay…

With a deliberate motion, as if his hands and feet were too heavy to lift, he stood and shrugged on his coat. His footsteps were the only sounds in the house as he took sluggish steps toward the front door. With a breath of cold air in front of him, he closed the door behind him and set out for Lottie’s.

Upon returning home, Jeremy found Edna Keyes still sitting at his kitchen table, her fingers knotted, her hands clasped. He showed her out the door after informing her that Aaron had been delivered as promised. Closing it after her, Jeremy slid the lock over while resting his head on the jamb.

He prayed that Jenny was all right. He thought about heading to her house himself, but was sure he would only be in the way. He figured Dr. Wright and the other women would have it under control. His stomach knotted when he thought of the doctor calling for Aaron. That was not usually a good sign. Expectant fathers usually spent the evening drinking away their fears at Lottie’s, until their babies were born, cleaned, diapered, wrapped, and presented to them like a precious jewel. They were not usually invited to the birth itself. However, once in a while the father was called back to the birthing, and it almost always meant there were complications. Perhaps, Jeremy thought, the doctor was just trying to humor Jenny by fetching Aaron to keep her company. But his words rang hollow, even to himself.

And what exactly was Katherine Mancino doing in Aaron’s office in the middle of the night? They certainly looked guilty, that was for sure, and Jeremy’s face soured remembering Aaron’s expression as he ran out; that of a scared animal. Jeremy and his brothers tolerated Aaron’s presence in their family for Jenny’s sake, for she adored her husband, and Jeremy had a soft spot in his heart for his sister that he could never deny. However, if Aaron was doing her wrong, Jeremy would have no problem whatsoever making sure he got exactly what he deserved.

Sighing, he cursed the fact that he had no control over whatever was going on with Jenny.

Speaking of things he had no control over, where was Maddie? Earlier, when Edna’s loud knocks awakened him, Maddie was nowhere to be found. If not for the red dress crumpled in a heap on his bedroom floor, Jeremy would have had a hard time believing she had been there at all.

Scraping the kitchen chair along the slatted floor, he sank into it and put his head in his hands. Hands that still carried her scent upon them. Jeremy closed his eyes and brought the evening’s events back into focus. As he sat, alone and cold at the table, he imagined the weight of Maddie’s warm, curvaceous body on his. It felt good, it felt right. He hadn’t felt that way in such a long time, and he wanted to feel that way again and again.

Why did she run off, he wondered, his thoughts running wild. Maybe she didn’t enjoy herself as much as he did and didn’t want to hurt his feelings. Maybe he was too passionate, or too rough. But Jeremy knew enough of women to know when he was pleasing them, and she seemed to be plenty pleased.

Well, then, why did she leave, creeping out like a thief in the night, without even a good bye? It just didn’t add up.

Standing and pushing the chair away from the table with an abrupt motion, he walked over to the breakfront. Reaching inside the right hand cupboard, he pulled out the bottle of Scotch whiskey that Jason had given him last year for his birthday. Grabbing a glass from Candy’s New Bedford crystal, he poured himself two fingers and downed it, neat. Spying a small picture in a tiny beaded frame, he set the glass down and picked it up.

“I miss you so much,” he said quietly to Candy’s photo, pausing between his thoughts. “I’m so lonely. …I don’t know what to do… No one could ever replace you, Candy, but I don’t want to be alone… Nothing is the same here…I want it to be alright if I find someone else…

“Oh g…great…” he muttered, “Now I’m talking to myself…” Shaking his head, he replaced the picture on the shelf and downed another scotch. It burned all the way down his throat, and into his stomach. The heat felt good, since he was ice cold. His head was spinning from the night’s events and it was apparent that he was not going to get any more sleep that night, scotch or no; so he walked back into his room, found his shirt on the floor and put it on, fingering each button Maddie had touched as if they were spun gold. He surveyed his room from the disheveled bedclothes to the red dress on the floor.

“Damn it, Maddie, where did you go?” he said out loud, grabbing the dress up and throwing it onto his bed.

The lights in Lottie’s saloon were low when Katherine entered, having been shoved in the door by Jeremy Bolt. Angry at him for interrupting what she considered a successful seduction effort, she walked back to town in silence. Beside her, Jeremy was quiet also. Stuttering fool, she thought. Can’t even get a sentence out without tying up his tongue. She was certainly happy that Maddie had stopped that strange behavior, she had been a constant embarrassment to them in San Francisco.

“Good night,” he had said to her in a very impudent tone while almost slamming the door on her rear end. She listened to his footsteps hurrying away and she wondered what he was running to, or from.

“Hello Katherine, you’re out late tonight.” came a voice from behind the bar.

Katherine looked up to see Lottie wiping and drying the last few glasses from the night’s festivities.

“Oh, hello Lottie,” she said, splashing a bright smile on her face. “and how was your evening?” she swished herself over to the bar where Lottie was working.

“Oh you know,” Lottie replied in her usual breezy way, “a couple of drinks, a couple of fights, a couple of bucks.” She shrugged, “Same as always.”

Katherine nodded, placing her bag on the bar where it made a clunking sound. She snatched it back beside her. “So, do you enjoy your work, Lottie?”

Lottie cocked her head to one side, “It pays the bills.”

“No, really. How does a woman like you end up here?” Katherine asked, eyes intent on her subject.

Lottie shrugged again and turned away a bit to put some glasses on the back counter. “That’s a strange question, Katherine. I’ve been working in saloons for a long time. Probably longer than you’ve been alive.”

Not quite that long, Katherine muttered under her breath. “But Lottie, you’re an intelligent woman, a business woman, why are you working at a place like this?” she could not hide the disdain in her voice.

Lottie, cringing at Katherine’s tone, folded the cloth she was using and set it on the bar. She forced herself to smile, “A place like this? And what exactly is wrong with this place? It’s mine, I run it. No one tells me what to do. It’s an honest living.”

Katherine, seeing that she had overplayed her hand, inwardly took a step back. “Oh, of course, I…I..didn’t mean…anything by it.”

The shine off the gas lights reflected in the varnish of the bar, and they made an audible hissing sound. The proprietress began to douse the flames in silence.

“Lottie, really, I’m sorry.”

“Oh, I’ve heard folks talk like you before, my dear. Many times. You get used to it in my line of work. It’s a hard life for a woman alone, you got to make the best of it for yourself. You take what comes.” Lottie’s deep voice revealed a world of hurt in a few sentences; but Katherine could not hear it.

“Are you alone, Lottie? Do you have a husband? Any children?” Katherine’s eyes followed the woman around the saloon, as she pushed chairs under tables and straightened tablecloths.

“Oh, I had a husband once.” Lottie answered, her eyes unfocused and looking into the distance.

Katherine’s blood began to run hot in her veins, “Oh? Once?”

Hearing the voices, Maddie crept out to the second step to peer down at the saloon floor below. Her heart beat faster upon seeing Katherine alone in the room with Lottie.

“Yes,” Lottie continued. “I was married once, but it didn’t work out. We were two different people, or we grew into two different people, I suppose. We started out happy enough.” A rueful smile crept to her lips at the thought of Jack Crosse, her felonious ex-husband.

“Tell me about him.” Katherine did her best to keep her tone light.

Lottie returned to her place behind the bar and poured herself a short shot of whiskey. “He was a handsome man, and oh so charming, but he had a run of bad luck and got into some trouble he couldn’t get out of. He went to jail and I was alone.” Lottie, melting under Katherine’s stare, turned her face to the remaining light.

“Then what happened?” Katherine, her voice eerily still, prodded.

“A few years back, after he had gotten out of jail, he came here to Seattle and tried to blackmail me for $5000. I couldn’t raise that kind of cash, so he went on his way. Then he was murdered by the men he owed the money to.”

Katherine could not see the tears that stood in her mother’s eyes, as her mother could not see the tears standing in hers, “So, if you had given him the money, he might still be alive??” she asked, her tone sarcastic, her words stiff.

Lottie looked at her, confused. “I had no idea that his life was in danger, although if I had, I don’t know what difference it would have made. I had no way of getting the money he needed.”

Katherine looked down at her reticule, her mouth dry. “…and what about children, did you and he have any children?”

Lottie looked her straight in the eye. “No. We didn’t.”

“Liar!” Katherine screamed, grabbing a small pearl-handled gun from her reticule and, hands shaking, pointed it at Lottie.

Maddie bit her tongue to keep from screaming as she watched the scene unfold below her.

“Katherine, what are you doing?” Lottie said, her voice not betraying any emotion. It wasn’t the first time she had faced down a gun.

“You did have a child Lottie, you and Jack Crosse.” Katherine replied, her gun remaining on Lottie. “You had a little girl. Her name was Katherine. And after you drove her father away, you abandoned her.”

Lottie stared at the woman with the gun, not wanting to believe the apparent truth that was about to play out. “How do you know all of this?” she replied, her voice hushed. Only she, Jack, and her sister Caroline knew her daughter’s true parentage. How she had been forced to leave her daughter with her sister while she traveled, trying to make a living. How after a couple of years her daughter called her aunt ‘mother’ and her mother “Aunt Lottie.” How it had been the heartbreak of her life.

Lottie’s voice became more insistent, “How do you know this?”

Katherine shook her head, waggling the gun around, “I can’t believe you haven’t figured it out yet, Mother.”

“No…it can’t be…” Lottie backed away from the woman. “Katherine, my Katherine? Is it you?”

“…I thought we needed to straighten out a few things, Mother.” Each utterance of that word brought forth more bile. “Don’t you?”

Lottie was visibly flustered. “Yes, Katherine. Yes. Why don’t you put that gun down and…”

“NO!” Katherine shrieked again, “You are done making decisions, Carlotta Hatfield. You haven’t done a very good job so far, I’m afraid.” She moved forward, backing Lottie up to the bar with about 10 feet between them. “I have a few things to say to you.” Her lower lip trembled and she bit it to catch her composure.

“Well, go ahead then.” Lottie said, bracing herself on the bar, trying to buy some time. “I’m listening.”

“You…you left me. You drove Daddy away, then you left me and never came back.”

“I didn’t drive…”

“Be quiet! He told me all about it.”

“Who did, dear?” Lottie cocked her head cautiously.

“Daddy.” A smug smile played at the corners of Katherine’s lips. “I know. You thought you’d leave me with Caroline and I’d never see Daddy again. Well, surprise, Mother, Daddy came back for me, with a new family.”

“..he…he what?” Lottie had never heard that Jack Crosse had started a second family.

“Yes, it seems I was abandoned by only one of my parents. Daddy came back for me with his new wife and daughter and I got to be a part of their family.” Katherine straightened her posture a bit upon revealing this bit of information.

“Well, that’s wonderful dear. I’m happy for you.” Lottie continued to speak in even tones. “It’s more than I could have ever hoped for you.”

Katherine raised her eyebrow. “I guess so, Mother, since you didn’t care enough to provide me with a stable home.”

“I did the best I could for you, leaving you with Caroline. Do you think I forgot about you for one minute? I never did, not for a moment.”

Katherine shrugged her shoulders, “Then why did you leave me? Leave me to believe my aunt was my mother? Not knowing who my real mother was?”

Lottie reached out, pleading with her hands, “Katherine, I had no choice. Your father was in jail, I had to make a living. I couldn’t do it in San Francisco. I had to keep moving around, following jobs up the coast. By the time I settled here, you thought of Caroline as your mother and I couldn’t rip you from the only family you had ever known. So, I just let you be. I thought you were being well cared for.”

“Daddy said he loved you and you deserted him. To be a saloon mistress.”

“That is just not true. Your father was in so much trouble, I didn’t know when he would ever see the light of day again. We had already grown apart, Katherine. He was much more interested in drinking and choosing his next mark, than in either you or I. It was survival for me to leave. Can’t you see?” Lottie cried, ignoring the tears that streamed down her face.

“Well, he did see the light of day. He found a woman to love him and give him more children. He was always good to me. Until you had him killed.” Katherine motioned towards the second floor, causing Maddie to jump. “Madeline up there; she’s my sister. I have another sister in San Francisco waiting for us to return home.”

“Katherine, I did not have your father killed. Where did you get that idea??”

“He needed money, and you wouldn’t give it to him, so he was killed. That’s just the same as pulling the trigger yourself, I should think.” Katherine motioned the gun barrel toward her hostage. “Just like I’m going to do.”

Lottie bit her lip to keep from crying out as she realized that her daughter meant to kill her. “Katherine, I’m so sorry. I thought I was doing the best thing for you. I had no idea you felt this way…” Damn that Jack Crosse, damn him to hell, Lottie thought for perhaps the thousandth time in her long life.

Katherine began to advance toward Lottie, “Yes, well, if you had acted like my mother instead of just looking out for yourself, you might have known. Now you have to pay. And your friends, too.”

Lottie’s brow furrowed in fear, “What are you talking about?” The crack in her voice began to betray her emotions. What was going through her daughter’s head?

“Your friends, Mr. Stempel and that simpering Jeremy Bolt. I certainly hope Maddie’s finished with him by now.” Katherine glanced through the door, as if expecting her sister to walk through it at any moment.

Maddie, still perched on the stairs, closed her eyes and took a deep silent breath.

“Katherine, if you have a problem with me, let’s settle it between us. You don’t have to involve anyone else.” Lottie felt her face flush with worry over Jeremy’s fate. “Please, please, accept my apology,” she begged. “I never meant to hurt you, my darling. I love you so much, so much that I had to let you go.”

Katherine bit her lip in response to the tears that flowed freely down her cheeks. The little pearl-handled revolver in her hand continued to shake. “I would like to believe you, Lottie, but then there’s the little matter of my father getting murdered because of you.”

Wringing her hands, Lottie’s luminous eyes pleaded with her daughter. “I had nothing to do with that, Katherine. He was murdered by criminals, thugs, the lowlifes he had gotten himself mixed up with, I had no idea that anything like that would happen.”

“Sure….sure. First you left him when he got in trouble, then you let him twist in the wind when he needed you most! He had no one to count on but you, Lottie, and you betrayed him. I can never forgive you for that. Never!”

Katherine tried in desperation to steady her shaking hands. “Never.” She repeated the word like a mantra.

She was jolted from her reverie by the banging of the saloon doors.

“Lottie,” called a familiar voice.

Katherine whirled around to face Jeremy Bolt. “YOU! What are you doing here?”

Jeremy stopped in his tracks, his face wide with shock. He quickly took in the gun now pointed directly at him. “I…I…”

“I knew she could never finish the job. Well, I guess I’ll…” she trained the gun on Jeremy, who was helpless with shock. “…have to do it for her…”

The crack of a gun exploded into the night.

Jason hurried off the Seamus O’Flynn upon hearing the sound. Leaving Penny and Clancey in the dust on the ship, he ran toward Lottie’s where he could see lights were still burning.

He met up with a figure in the square, also heading for Lottie’s.

“Aaron? Aaron?” Jason called, getting no response. Finally, he caught up with the uncommunicative man and grabbed him by the shoulders. “Aaron!”

The eyes that met Jason’s were almost completely black, save for the red streaks where the whites should be. Hair askew and clothes rumpled, Aaron said nothing and just stared at Jason.

There was no time to figure out this puzzle now, Jason thought. “Come on.” he said, dragging Aaron by the shoulders into Lottie’s.

The body lay still on the floor, Maddie’s keening cries not enough to rouse it.

Jeremy looked up toward the stairs to see who his savior was. “Maddie?” he called, as Lottie bent over the bleeding body of her daughter.

He took the steps two by two until reaching the girl with the gun still in her hand.

Jason and Aaron burst in the doors and skidded to a halt as their eyes took in the scene, Penny and Clancey right behind them.

“Kate!” Penny screamed as she too bent over the unmoving form of her sister.

Jason, scanning the room to see if his loved ones were alive, raced to the stairs where Jeremy held a weeping woman in his arms. “Jeremy? Are you all right?”

His brother looked at him and nodded as the young woman sobbed into his neck.

Jason whirled around. “Lottie?”

Lottie looked up at him, her face a grim line of pain. “My daughter, Jason….she’s my daughter.”

“She’s still alive” Aaron growled, his first utterance since entering. His fingers were planted on Katherine’s neck and as much as he wanted to wring it, he could only bring himself to check her pulse. “She’ll need a doctor, though.” He stood and looked at Jason.

“Maddie,” Jeremy whispered, as Jason and the others ministered to Katherine. “Are you alright?”

“Jeremy….I shot my sister. My sister….” She sobbed, her arms clutching his neck.

Her sister? Jeremy had thought Katherine was her guardian. What was going on? What else didn’t he know? Keeping silent, he continued to hold her while watching the proceedings on the floor.

“I’ll go get the doctor.” Aaron said, brushing the dust from his hands. Although she doesn’t really deserve it, he thought, as he walked through the saloon doors, back out into the night. He’d had enough death for one day. He would get Doctor Wright and then go home, to his family.

Jason, curious as to Stempel’s reticence, followed him out to see him standing in the middle of the square with his head in his hands.

With deliberate steps, Jason approached him. “Aaron? What’s going on?” He put his hand on Stempel’s shoulder and for a split second felt it shaking. As soon as Aaron felt the weight on him though, his back straightened and he stilled himself.

He turned to Jason, his face still damp with tears. “Our baby was stillborn today, Jason. A girl. As beautiful and perfect as a rose. And we’ll bury her tomorrow.”

Jason stared into the face of his friend, the pain clearly etched in his features. “Aaron, I’m sorry.” he replied in a hushed voice. “Is Jenny all right?”

Aaron nodded his answer, looking down. “I’ll send the doctor over to Lottie’s, Jason.” He looked back up at the logger, “Can you handle the rest of this without me?”

Putting his hands back on Aaron’s shoulders, Jason gave them a shake. “Of course. Go home, Aaron. I’ll take care of this.” he said. He watched for a moment while Aaron rounded the corner toward Allyn Wright’s home. The word stillborn sent a chill up his spine as his mother’s death had come during the birth of a stillborn child. He wanted to comfort Aaron in some way, but the words did not come.

Turning on his heel, he hurried back into the saloon where he saw Katherine’s mother and sister hovering over her. With a glance to the stairs, he noticed they were empty. He put his hand on Lottie’s back and coaxed her to a chair to tell him what had happened.

Jeremy closed the door behind them and helped the still sobbing Maddie into a chair. There was only a small oil lamp burning, and it gave the room an eerie yellow glow. The bedclothes were mussed and he noticed her muddy clothes in a pile on the floor. Obviously she had not had any rest either.

“Now, what’s all this about Katherine being your sister?” Jeremy asked, his tone gentle as he tucked a quilt around the shivering girl, clad only in her nightgown. The way her nightgown clung to her curves, it took no effort for Jeremy to remember how she felt pressed against him.

Maddie’s stomach churned with the lies she must now set right. “She is, Jeremy. I’m not her ward, she just likes me to say that. We have the same father, but different mothers.” She gulped before continuing, “Katherine’s mother is Lottie.”

Jeremy stared at her, pulling away. “Lottie? I didn’t even know L…Lottie had a daughter. What was she doing in the m…middle of the saloon with a gun?”

Maddie sniffled, “She wanted to kill Lottie, because Lottie killed our father, or so she thinks.”

Again Jeremy could only stare at her. It was inconceivable to him that the Lottie that he knew could ever take a life. He looked, unblinking, into Maddie’s blue eyes and waited for her to continue.

Then he vaguely remembered Katherine saying something to him while pointing her gun his way. “Why did Katherine say she wanted to ‘finish the job’? What j…job?” he asked, resting on the edge of the bed.

Clutching the quilt close to her chest, Maddie looked down at her lap. “She w…wanted me to k..kill you. But I couldn’t!” She raised her face now to emphasize her words.

“K..k..kill me??” Jeremy stood up, nearly choking on his words, and backed two steps away from her.

Maddie mimicked his movements, dropping the quilt onto the chair. “Jeremy, I couldn’t. I couldn’t dream of it.”

Eyes wide, he held his hands out in front of him to stop her. “I…I…we…we…” His heart was racing as he fixed his eyes on her. “You took care of my children….Maddie, we…we…” his words trailed off, thinking of their passionate encounter, “…and all along you were waiting to kill me?”

“Oh Jeremy…I could never have gone through with it. I f…fell in l…love with you…” her trembling hands reached out to him.

“Love? You fell in l…love with me?” Jeremy’s innards lurched as he parroted her words, “Oh Maddie…I…I g..gotta go…”

Gripped by equal parts fury and fear, he charged out of the door slamming it soundly behind him; leaving the weeping Maddie slumped in the chair.

He staggered down the stairs and out into the square, so lost in his thoughts he didn’t even looking up when Jason called to him.

She was going to kill me.

The woman I wanted to give my heart and soul to. She was going to kill me.

How could I have been so wrong about her? How could I have put myself, and the children, in such danger?

She was going to kill me.

The words reverberated in his mind as stumbled into his house, relieved to hear that all was quiet. Racing into the children’s room, he stood over Jamie’s crib, his breathing ragged. The toddler lay, peaceful, his mouth relaxed, and the sight of him brought tears to Jeremy’s eyes. He picked up the baby and carried him over to Annie’s bed, placing him down gently next to his snoozing sister and crawled in next to them, pulling them both close to his heart.

“Come in,” Joshua called after the repeated rapping on their cabin door. He and Jason were sitting at the table staring at their dirty dinner dishes; the smell of roasted chicken and coffee thick in the air.

Jeremy entered and tossed his bangs, wet from the evening’s drizzle, out of his eyes, “Hi,” he said, shaking the additional rain off of his arms and shoulders.

Jason craned his neck around and motioned to his brother with his coffee cup. “Jeremy! Come and sit down.”

Jeremy walked around and took his old seat at the table. He didn’t notice the soiled dishes in front of him.

“So, Jeremy,” Jason began, swirling his coffee around in his cup. “How’s Jenny doing?” He knew his brother well enough to know that he would be on top of the situation with their sister.

Jeremy shrugged. “About as well as can be expected, I guess.” He had in fact just come from the Stempel household; still a somber place a week after the burial of their stillborn baby. “She’s pretty quiet; Aaron too. I think they’re both taking this pretty hard.”

“Yes, well,” Jason continued, keeping his normally booming voice gentle in the confines of the small cabin, “I’ve been surprised that Aaron has been spending so much time away from the mill, but I know the loss of a child is a terrible thing.”

“Oh really Jason? And how would you know that?” Jeremy answered, catching his brother’s eye and holding it in his gaze. Jason’s clichéd answer made him angry; on this subject Jason could not speak with his usual authority. Jeremy’s level gaze hoped to remind his brother of that fact. “Aaron’s no saint, but he is a human being, and a good father,” he continued, “What could be worse than losing a child? I sure can’t think of anything.”

“Yes, Jeremy….of course,” Jason stammered, suddenly remembering the small grave located next to Candy’s. “I didn’t mean to imply…. well…,” his voice trailed off and he looked down into his cup.

“Is there anything we can do, Jeremy?” Joshua asked, sighing.

“I don’t think so, Josh. They just have to work it out in their own time.” Jeremy replied, pouring himself a cup of the thick brew his brothers called coffee.

“So, how are *you* doing, brother?” Jason asked, hearing the fatigue of the past week revealed through every syllable Jeremy spoke.

“Fine.” Jeremy stated, his voice flat. If the definition of fine included empty, angry, lonely and stupid, then yes, he was fine. Maddie’s confession had cut Jeremy to the bone. He continued to berate himself for putting his children, and himself, in harm’s way by involving them with a stranger. He would make sure that would never happen again.

“Have you been to see Maddie this week?” Jason prompted again.

Jeremy’s head whipped around, “Why would I do that?”

“Because she saved your life?” Joshua offered.

“It could have easily gone the other way, I hear.” Jeremy’s snippy reply attempted to cover his embarrassment about the whole thing.

Jason cocked his head and looked at Jeremy. He knew that the two had become quite close, in spite of Katherine’s haranguing, and could also tell that the relationship meant something to Jeremy. He wondered what, if anything, could be done to repair the damage Katherine had inflicted.

“Well, Jeremy,” he continued, his voice still low. Talking honestly and quietly was the only way to get his youngest brother to listen. Now Joshua could be reached through sheer volume, but Jeremy always stopped listening at the exact moment Jason started shouting. So, quiet he would remain. “They’ll all be leaving soon, Katherine’s nearly well enough to travel. Perhaps you should think about making your peace with Maddie. Penny says she’s quite upset about the whole thing.”

“Oh?” Jeremy raised a skeptical eyebrow. “Maybe she should have thought about that before she decided she would try to kill me.”

“Jeremy,” Joshua jumped in again, “She was afraid of Katherine. She didn’t want to say no to her. It doesn’t sound like she had any intention of hurting you.”

“Well, that’s easy for you to say, Josh,” Jeremy said, throwing his hands up in the air. “It wasn’t you and your kids in the line of fire. And besides,” He turned his head toward Jason, “How do you know all this?”

“Penny was here for dinner tonight and we were talking.” Jason answered, waiting for Jeremy to explode. He didn’t have to wait long.

“She was here? H..how could you have h…her here?” His voice rising an octave, Jeremy stared at his brothers. “And what were you doing talking about me? And Maddie? Just having a little f…fun with the whole thing, I s…suppose? Poor Jeremy and his murderous nanny….”

“Jeremy!” Jason pounded the table with his fist, his tactic of being quiet going down in flames. He did pause and take a breath before continuing, though. “In the first place, this is my house and Penny was here as my guest. In the second place, we both have something in common: you and Maddie. We may have taken the opportunity to discuss your situation, yes.” Jason folded his arms over his chest, his jaw jutting out as his eyes met Jeremy’s.

“Well, I’m perfectly able to take care of myself, much obliged.” Jeremy stood up and headed for the door, “And what’s more, I don’t appreciate you discussing me behind my back. I am not a child and I can look after my own business without any help from the two of you.” He stared from Josh to Jason, eyes ablaze.

“Suit yourself Jeremy.” Jason said, his voice even. “Leaving so soon?” he continued as Jeremy put his hand on the door latch.

“Yes, I h…have to go. Good night.” Jeremy stormed out of the cabin, letting the door slam shut behind him.

Jason and Joshua shrugged, their faces mirror images of concern for their brother.

Jeremy stomped all the way down the path back to his home, the rain in his eyes a constant irritant. The cabin was dark when he arrived as the children were spending the night at Biddie’s. Looming large and lonely, his house was completely uninviting and Jeremy hesitated on the steps. Changing his mind, he turned around and hurried toward town.

It had been a terrible week without Maddie. Jeremy’s mood was sour enough seeing his sister in such pain after the loss of her baby; but coming home to a dark, empty house every day was almost more than he could bear. He was back to farming his children out to friends and neighbors in town and he hated it. Collecting them from wherever they were, trying to get some dinner into them, and then getting them to bed after a long day at work exhausted him. He tried to be upbeat for the children’s sake, as they didn’t understand why Miss Maddie had disappeared, but the strain was already starting to take its toll.

He couldn’t bring himself to go and see her, but yet he couldn’t stop thinking of her. She was the first thing he thought of when he opened his eyes in the morning, and the last thing he thought of when he closed them at night. Her sweet laugh and her twinkling blue eyes haunted him through each workday.

But every time he could feel his anger toward her subside, just a bit, he retreated back to the moment when she told him of Katherine’s plot against him. He could instantly bring that anger back to the forefront. It was comfortable there; steeping in anger kept him from having to confront his real feelings. It was easier to be angry than hurt.

Imagine Jason discussing his private life with that…that…Penny, Katherine and Maddie’s other sister. It was like a conspiracy.

Roaring into the doors of Lottie’s, Jeremy straightened his back and plastered a smile on his face as he approached the bar. He would show his brothers he did not need their concern.

“Whiskey please, make it a double,” he said in an mock cheerful tone.

“Sure Jeremy,” the bartender answered, pouring Jeremy a generous two fingers.

Jeremy flipped him a couple of coins and, grabbing the glass, approached a rowdy poker game in the corner of the room already in progress.

“Deal me in?” he asked; and with a cavalier grin, tossed some bills on the table. The men seated around the table nodded slightly toward a nearby empty chair, mouths turned down into scowls, smoke curling up from their lit cigarettes. Jeremy took a seat and eagerly awaited the next hand.

The light drizzle developed into a downpour throughout the course of the evening. By mid-evening, the sound had changed from a gentle pitter-patter into a harsh popping sound like pebbles bouncing off the roof. It was loud enough to get Aaron’s attention as he sat at his kitchen table, shuffling papers. He looked up to see Jenny sitting in the rocking chair that faced the parlor window. The boys were asleep and the house was silent save for the creaking of the rockers and the rain’s arrhythmic tapping. He watched Jenny open the window and stand in front of it, eyes closed, waiting for the moist breeze to wash over her.

He thought of baby Hannah, asleep forever in a tiny pine box, in the cold ground, with the rain pelting her.

Although he couldn’t see the sense of naming something that hadn’t really lived, Jenny insisted that she wasn’t about to bury her daughter without a name.

Hannah, after Jenny’s mother.

A beautiful baby girl, lost to an ugly twist of fate.

The slow squeak of the rockers on the wood floor as Jenny sat back down was in sharp contrast with the downpour pelting the roof, and Aaron could see she was as lost in her thoughts as he was in his. His heart rent in two as he watched her.

Husband and wife shed no tears between them. They allowed themselves no outward grief for their lost baby. Aaron continued to tend to the mill; after all, the townspeople counted on him. Jenny, meanwhile, spent her time tending to Matthew and Ethan; they needed to be fed and clothed, and they counted on her. Each perfunctory exchange between them brought more distance, when Aaron ached for just the opposite.

The depth of his sorrow surprised him. He expected the sadness, but not the deep ache he carried with him each day. He knew Jenny must be feeling the same, and he wanted so much to soothe her and be soothed by her. His palms itched with the desire to touch her. She had not shown the slightest interest in him since the birth, and his previous attempts to talk to her had been met with silence.

The mundane activities of each day numbed him more and more. He wanted so much to reach out to his wife, but her silence made him afraid to do so. In all their years together, Jenny had never pulled away from him like this; nothing had ever come between them before. He always knew where he stood with her. Until now. Now they were two spirits afloat in the same house, without the touch of flesh or pull of gravity between them; and Aaron felt as if he was collapsing inside.

In the darkest part of the night, when the light of the moon deserted him, Aaron indulged himself in the fantasy what his daughter may have looked like. She would have been a tow-head like Jenny. He could see her so clearly. A blonde little girl with her hair in ringlets, dressed in a fine velvet dress. A daughter he could shower with affection, as Jeremy did with Annie. A beautiful little girl he could spoil and give the world to. A daughter to hold his hand and look up to him.

And as much as he tried to crowd these thoughts out of his mind, the specter of a little girl’s hand in his refused to leave him.

He couldn’t, or hadn’t, shared these thoughts with Jenny. He could see his wife, his life, sitting alone in a rocking chair, not ten feet away from him, her arms aching for the weight of a baby, as he sat pushing papers around, miserable.

He stood and walked slowly into the parlor, stopping behind her. He put his hands on her shoulders and held them there for a moment as she rocked. She stared straight out in front of her at the rain dancing off the pine trees in the grove.

“Jenny?”

“Yes?”

“I love you.”

“I love you too, Aaron.”

“I…I need you, Jenny.”

She felt a hot tear trickle down her cheek.

“Can’t we talk about this?” he continued.

Her face was reddened and hot, but she said nothing.

“I need you.” he implored her, “I feel so alone.” He came around in front of her and knelt down. “I don’t want to have to hide my feelings from you of all people.”

She remained silent for a long moment. When she finally spoke, her voice was a but a hoarse whisper. “Aaron, I’m afraid if I start crying again, I’ll never stop…”

Enveloping her in his arms, he murmured into her ear in a voice ragged with emotion and unshed tears, “Don’t be afraid, Jenny. Don’t ever be afraid. I’m here with you. I’ll always be here with you. We don’t have to go through this alone.” He caressed her hair, still as fine as cornsilk, and felt her relax into him. His eyes closed as he held her, he felt her thin arms go around his neck, and her quiet sobs dampening his skin.

The empty shell that was his body needed more. He needed to feel her skin against his, to take her warmth, to use it to come back to life.

He gathered her into his arms and carried her into the bedroom, as she buried her sobs in his neck, taking in his scent, at once familiar and calming.

“Aaron, I…I can’t, it’s…too soon,” she whimpered, misunderstanding his intentions as he lay her on the bed and began to undo the buttons of her dress.

“I know. I wouldn’t ask that of you,” he reassured her, his brown eyes black with emotion. “I just need to hold you. Please, let me hold you.” He nuzzled her as he removed her simple dress and undergarments, his motions gentle but deft.

She remained silent but her tears spoke volumes as she undressed him. He drew her in close, his strong arms surrounding her still frail body. Her breasts, firm and full with milk that would not now be needed, pressed against his chest.

Arms intertwined, they climbed under their quilt and began to gain strength from the warmth of two, their tears muffled to all but each other.

The first floor of Allyn Wright’s large two-story home doubled as the Seattle infirmary. On this day only one of the three rooms was occupied, by Katherine Mancino.

The town council had spent most of their last meeting debating the fate of Mrs. Mancino, and whether or not the territorial marshal should be called. With Lottie declining to press charges, the council had no choice but to allow Katherine to go free, with the proviso that she leave town as soon as she was able.

“Hello, Mrs. Mancino. How are you feeling?” Dr. Wright said in her most authoritative voice to the woman lying prone in the bed.

“Splendid, doctor, just splendid.” Katherine said, staring at the rain bouncing off the window while Allyn looked under the gauze bandage on her shoulder.

“Well, your color is good and your wound is healing nicely.” Allyn, always all business, replaced the bandage and straightened the sheets. “I think you are well enough to travel. I know you must be anxious to go home.”

“Anxious to get out of here, that’s for sure.” Katherine muttered under her breath.

“Yes, well.” Allyn said, sneering. “I’ll have Ben telegraph for a stage for you for tomorrow.”

“You’re the doctor.” Katherine replied, barely concealing a snort. Imagine, she thought, a female doctor. Could this city be any closer to hell on earth?

Allyn shook her head and walked out of the room, leaving the door open behind her. She noticed Maddie sitting alone in the parlor. Walking over to her, Allyn felt a pang of sadness. She had heard the story of what happened between Jeremy and Maddie, and couldn’t help but feel sorry for the girl. She put her hand on Maddie’s shoulder, startling her.

“Oh, hello Doctor Wright.” Maddie said, forcing a smile.

“Hello Miss West. Good news. Your sister is doing much better. I’m going to make arrangements for her to leave tomorrow.” Allyn said, watching Maddie’s eyes widen. “Is that all right?”

“Yes, of course...” Maddie stammered. “I mean…she …we... she’s got to go, right?”

Allyn nodded. “Yes, she does,” she said, emphasizing the second word. With a pat of Maddie’s shoulder, Allyn walked back into her study. To Maddie, it seemed as if she floated on air.

Sighing, she glanced at the room where Katherine lay, sullen and quiet. Maddie wasn’t sure that Katherine fully realized what had happened. She still spoke angrily about Lottie and steadfastly refused to see her, despite repeated attempts on Lottie’s part to make amends.

Maddie’s blood ran cold once again, as she thought about Katherine pointing her gun at Jeremy. She had no choice but to shoot Katherine; if she didn’t, Jeremy might be dead now. Maddie wished for the thousandth time that Jeremy would see her, let her explain. Now they would be leaving tomorrow. That didn’t leave much time.

A commotion outside the house awakened Maddie from her deep slumber. Loud men’s voices followed by a low thud drew she and Allyn to the door where they saw someone lying face down in the street, and others running away.

“Help me, Maddie!” Allyn said as the two women ran outside toward the figure.

“It’s Jeremy!” Maddie squealed, recognizing his blue shirt before they were even able to roll him over.

“hunnnnhh.” He groaned as he tried to fix his eyes on the women above him. “What happened?”

“Well, I don’t know, Jeremy. You tell me.” Allyn said, checking his arms for broken bones.

“Well…” he said, seemingly oblivious to the bleeding cut above his eye, “I won aaaaalllll the p…poker money, so I thought I’d go home and count it….and…and now I’m in the sshtreet.” He looked from side to side with surprise.

“Jeremy,” Allyn said in a stern tone, “You’ve been drinking.”

“Yes ma’am, I have. Quite a bit, I’d say. But, I…” he said, fishing through his pockets, “…I am a rich drunk.” He pounded on each pocket checking for something. “Shit, did they steal my money? Oh hi Maddie,” he said, spotting the girl behind Allyn and giving her a small drunken wave coupled with a large smile.

Maddie’s face was frozen in shock. It was all she could do to return the gesture.

Allyn put her arms around Jeremy’s shoulders, “Jeremy, can you stand?” she asked, and turned to her companion, “Maddie, help me get him standing.”

The two women surrounded the slight man and dragged him up out of the muddy street. He swayed slightly as they tried to steady him.

“Jeremy, maybe you should come into my office.” Allyn said, motioning to Maddie to bring Jeremy into the house.

“Oh no,” he protested, “I’m jush fine, really.” He wiped his brow and looked at the dark smear on his hand, “Hey! I’m bleeding! Son of a bitch…oh, b…begging your pardon, ladies,” he looked at them sheepishly. The women dragged him into one of Allyn’s treatment rooms and sat him down in one of the chairs.

“I’ll get some compresses for that cut,” Allyn said, wandering off into the next room, where Maddie heard her madly priming the pump.

Maddie sat and stared at Jeremy, who stared back.

“Hello Jeremy.” she ventured, hands folded in her lap. She kept her eye on him to make sure he didn’t tip over out of the chair.

“Hello, Miss W…west.” Jeremy said, eyes blinking with much effort. “F…fancy meeting you here.”

Allyn returned, compresses and bandages in hand. “Maddie, could you mop him up a bit, then he can sleep it off over there,” she motioned toward the empty bed.

Maddie nodded and began to daub Jeremy’s cuts.

“Ouch…hey!” he grabbed the hand that held the cool rag, “That hurts.”

“Oh, forgive me. I’m so sorry,” she replied, her voice unctuous as she resumed her daubbing. “How are you Jeremy, I haven’t seen you all week.”

“Well, I was jush fine until about five minutes ago.” He began patting down all of his pockets again, “Damn, I can’t believe they stole all my money.” He looked back at her, “I h…had a really good run at the p…poker table tonight.”

“Good for you.” Maddie said, continuing to wipe his face, rinsing the rag in the basin of cool water Allyn had set beside her. “I’m sorry you lost it.”

“Oh, I’m jush stupid. I shoulda known they’d come after it,” he said with a sloppy shrug, “I jush wasn’t thinking.”

“Well, we can’t always know what’s going on in someone else’s head, can we?” she countered, attempting to make a point.

He stared at her, his eyes unfocused. “nope, I g…guessh not.” He reached up and grabbed her wrist again. “Hey, I didn’t get to thank you for the other night.”

She blushed. “What do you mean?”

“I had a good time, thash’s why.” He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it. “You were very good, you know.”

“Jeremy!” Maddie cried, immediately lowering her voice and looking around to see if anyone had heard him. “Stop it.”

“Oh yeah, ssshhh, ssshhh.” He attempted to put his finger to his lips, but missed. “Sorry,” he said in a stage whisper. “Anyway, thank you Miss West, for a fine time.”

She daubed his forehead one last time. “I’ll just put the bandage on, then you should get some rest.”

“Ok.” He said, sitting as docile as a lamb as Maddie bandaged his forehead with shaking fingers.

“All done,” she proclaimed, admiring her handiwork. Jeremy’s blue eyes were hooded and she could see he would not be awake for long. “Why don’t you rest over here for a while.” She pointed to the bed, its inviting white sheets and oversize mattress beckoning.

Jeremy leaned heavily on her, his whiskey soaked breath coming out in puffs as they made their way over to the bed. Pushing him down into a sitting position, she pulled off his boots and swung his feet up onto the bed.

“Will you stay with me, Maddie?” he asked, his voice plain.

“I’ll stay for a little while,” she replied, knowing he did not mean just for the evening. She pulled the quilts over him to ward off the cold.

He was losing the battle to keep his eyes open. “Good,” he whispered.

She dragged the empty chair over next to the bed and took the hand that rested loosely on top of the quilts. He was already asleep.

The dresser drawer was squeaking on its rails again, Lottie noticed as she opened up her bureau, a tiny noise like a small animal whining. Grabbing her brush from the small drawer, she saw the picture again.

The picture of her daughter Katherine as a young girl.

The picture on the back of which was written, ‘To Aunt Lottie, With Love, Katherine’.

The picture she had held close to her heart for thirty years now.

Lottie brushed out the severe curls in her hair as she looked at the photograph. How had it all gone so wrong? She was absolutely certain that leaving Katherine with her sister to raise was the right decision. She had only wanted the best for the child. Lord knows it about killed her to give her up. And to know that Jack Crosse had something to do with her upbringing, that bastard!

She flung the brush across the room, leaving a dent in her ornately papered wall. Never in a million years would she have thought that Jack would come back for the girl; let alone marry again and have more children! Briefly, the images of sweet Madeline and Jason’s inamorata Penelope flashed through her mind. Katherine had sisters; sisters from the loins of Jack Crosse! The thought disgusted her.

Alighting on the edge of her bed, piled high with down mattresses, she choked back her tears. All week she could not stop thinking about Katherine, and what had gone so wrong that she would come to town with plans for murder. Her luminous blue eyes stared back at her reflection in the mirror. She was an old woman now, she should have the opportunity to put her past to right. But Katherine refused to see her, and Lottie wasn’t going to force the issue.

After all, the girl had tried to kill her. The ‘girl’, Lottie harrumphed, why, she was nearly the same age as Jason now. She was no girl. She was an adult woman, able to make decisions, good or bad, on her own.

How many times did I dream of she and Jason getting married, Lottie thought, shaking her head at her own naiveté. That somehow, Katherine would wander into Seattle, and Jason would claim her as his beloved. The scenario never failed to bring a smile to Lottie’s face, except now. Here she sat, fantasizing about her daughter marrying the man who was like a son to her, when in reality, the woman’s tenuous grip on reality willed her to kill her own mother to avenge her worthless father.

Taking a few more brush strokes, Lottie looked down at her dressing gown, soft and worn, wishing she could be anywhere else but where she was. Wishing she could go back thirty years and do it again, to somehow save her daughter from herself, from what she’d become. She blew out the lone lamp that was burning and lay down on her bed, unable to will herself to sleep.

Jeremy thought his eyes must have been glued shut as he worked to pry them open. Surely the throbbing in his head could not be the result of the whiskey at Lottie’s could it? He brought his hand to his face to rub his aching temples when he felt the bandage on his forehead. Intrigued, he forced his eyes open and looked at his surroundings. He was definitely not in his own bed, or even in his own cabin, that was certain. And there was the matter of the bandage taped to his head.

Swiveling himself around to a sitting position, Jeremy looked down at his scuffed knuckles and torn shirt. His toes peeked out at him through the holes in his socks and he wiggled them to make sure his lower half was still operational. It was his shirt pocket that was torn, and as he glanced down at it again, the events of the evening came back into sharp focus.

“Aw.” he groaned as he flopped back down on the bed. The poker game, his pocketful of winnings, and the three thugs that stole it from him leaving him face down in the street were clear to him as he closed his eyes. However, just as soon as he had closed them, they popped open again. Maddie. He saw Maddie last night, here.

Struggling to his elbows, Jeremy concentrated on the room he was in. His eyes alighted on a brown cabinet with many small drawers next to a small table perched on long stork-like legs. The infirmary. He was at Allyn’s.

That mystery solved, he sat up again, taking quick stock of his faculties as he did so. To his relief, everything seemed to be in working order.

Maddie was staying at the infirmary with Katherine. That was why he saw her here.

He walked toward the window and peeked between the white eyelet curtains. Yesterday’s rain had not let up, and the street below him was strewn with puddles and deep ruts in the mud where wagons and buggies had passed by.

Jeremy watched the silent activity, the noise deadened by the window. He could see Penny and Allyn walking around a coach parked by the front door and talking. He watched his brother’s lady friend with curiosity. Penny did not look like either Katherine or Maddie; her coloring was muted, where theirs was vibrant. Her features were plain, while her sisters’ were striking. At first glance, Jeremy could not ascertain what Jason saw in this woman. She certainly wasn’t like anyone else he’d ever spent his time on. But there was something about her face, he thought; it radiated kindness, where Maddie’s bared her insecurity and Katherine’s revealed only haughtiness.

He was about to leave the room when he saw another figure join the women at the coach. It was Katherine, and she was dressed for travel. His blood ran cold at the sight of her. She still haunted his dreams, her gun pointing directly at him, green eyes ablaze with evil. Jeremy shuddered as he watched the scene unfold before him.

Penny and Allyn were fussing about inside and outside the coach, while Katherine waggled a finger as she spoke to the driver. Jeremy could see that one of her arms was bandaged up and in a sling, but that wasn’t slowing her down.

Was she leaving? His heart leapt at the thought.

Squinting and looking closer, he could see that Penny was dressed in her traveling clothes and that there were three bags on the stoop in front of the coach. Three bags?

He whirled around to the sound of a small knock on the door.

“Aye darlin’, I think ye’ve wiped a hole clean through the varnish by now.”

Lottie’s head snapped up when she heard the voice of her best customer. “Clancey? What did you say?”

He put his hand over hers and continued, “I said I think ye’ve wiped that spot down enough for now.”

She sighed in response. Sleep did not come to her last night and today she felt as if her feet were two lead weights. “I like a neat bar, you know that Fishface,” she replied; but even invoking her favorite nickname for her longtime friend could not bring a smile to her face.

“Perhaps ye should go and try again to talk to the girl.” His Irish eyes danced through the deep lines on his face.

“Oh, Clancey. She made it perfectly clear that she wanted nothing to do with me.” Lottie said, folding the bar rag without thinking and setting it down next to her. “I just don’t know what else I can do. She’s so angry with me.” Fuming, she pulled out a chair and sat down with a flourish.

“But darlin’, you’re her mother. That should count for something….” Clancey thumped his glass down on the table and pulled up a chair next to Lottie.

“I wish that was the case. She just sees me as the person who abandoned her and was responsible for her father’s death. If Jack Crosse wasn’t dead already, I’d kill him for what he did to her; poisoning her against me.” She shook her fist in the air as she spoke, as if he were standing in front of her.

“Well, ye’d have to go through me first, dearie.” Clancey said, draining his glass. “I think they’re fixin’ to be leavin’ soon. Are ye sure ye don’t want to give it one more try?”

Lottie stared down at her fingers tapping on the table. She had been a lot of things in this lifetime, but never had Lottie Hatfield been a quitter. She nodded at Clancey and started for the door. “You’re in charge then, Fishface, but I know how much whiskey is in each bottle, so if you think you’ll be helping yourself….”

Clancey looked at her with mock seriousness, placing his hat over his heart, “Why Lottie me darlin’, I am shocked that you could even think such a thing….”

She lifted an eyebrow in response and tossed her cloak over her shoulder. “I’ll be right back,” she said as she waltzed out the double doors.

Stepping cautiously over the many puddles, Lottie headed for Allyn’s infirmary. About a block away she ran into Jason Bolt, his long legs striding in the same direction. They both stopped upon spotting the other.

“Good morning, Lottie.” Jason said, nattily attired in his corduroy jacket and string tie. “What brings you out this early?”

She drew her shawl closer around her shoulders. “Probably the same thing that brings you out dressed like that on a work day.” She gestured toward his finery.

“Time to say goodbye to our visitors,” he said, his voice betraying no emotion.

She nodded and tried to swallow the lump in her throat. “Jason,” she said in a hushed voice, “I can’t believe all that’s happened.”

He put his arm around her shoulders, “I know Lottie, this has been hard on all of us, but none of us has suffered as much as you,” he said; using his thumb to wipe away a lone tear that was making its way down her cheek.

“I wondered all these years how she was doing, whether she was happy in her marriage, whether she had children….never in a million years did I ever think she had these thoughts about me. I don’t know how I’ll live with it.” She looked up into Jason’s blue eyes, their usual twinkles dimmed with sadness, “Jason, what will happen to her?”

He took a deep breath. “I’m not sure. Penny says she has wired a doctor back in San Francisco who can hopefully help her. She certainly can’t just be left to dwell on these revenge fantasies she has about you…”

At the word revenge, Lottie’s heart skipped a beat, but she said nothing.

Jason offered his arm and she slipped her hand into the crook of his elbow and the two walked the rest of the way in silence.

Katherine gazed up at the sky with its threatening dark clouds; the next rainstorm was imminent. She would be ever so happy to be leaving this dump. Still a bit unclear on the details of what exactly had happened at Lottie’s saloon that night, she nevertheless knew that she had been shot, by her own sister. What could that silly girl have been thinking? How could she have destroyed all of my plans, Katherine wondered as her face soured at the sight of Lottie Hatfield and Jason Bolt headed her way. She hurried to the other side of the coach, in the vain hope that perhaps they wouldn’t see her.

“Hello Penny. Allyn,” she heard Jason say. Then Dr. Wright made some polite excuse to go in the house leaving Penny and Jason alone on their side of the coach. Katherine knew what was coming next.

“Hello Katherine,” came the quivering voice from the rear of the coach.

Katherine looked up, her mouth turned down into a scowl to see her mother standing there. “What do you want?”

Lottie straightened her posture, just a bit. “I wanted to wish you Godspeed on your trip.”

Katherine just stared back at her.

“I’d like to talk about all of this with you, Katherine. You are my daughter and…”

“I’d prefer not to discuss anything with you.” Katherine cut her off, her voice curt and strained. “I’m leaving this hell hole and going home to San Francisco. I never have to see you or think of you again,” she exclaimed, pushing an imaginary stray curl out of her face.

Lottie paused for a moment before she began to speak, a slight spark of confidence returning to her voice, “Oh, I think you will, Katherine.” she began. “I am your mother, and nothing you do…even killing me… won’t change that. All I can do is tell you the truth; and that truth is, I did not kill your father, nor was I responsible for his death. I’m sorry that you’re so blinded by your anger that you can’t see that I have nothing to lose by lying to you, but that is the truth.

“I love you as any mother loves her child. I did what I thought was best for you by leaving you with my sister; and there was a time before your father poisoned your mind that I know that you were very happy there.

“You’re an adult, Katherine; a grown woman. If you choose to spend the rest of your life full of hate for me, there isn’t anything I can do about that, it’s your choice. However, no matter what you think about me, I will never have anything but love for you.”

Lottie took one last look at her daughter’s sullen yet beautiful green eyes, so much like her father’s; then turned on her heel and walked toward her saloon, not looking back. Katherine stared at the retreating figure, her face as still as a stone.

“Jason, you can come to San Francisco to see me.” Penny said, forcing a smile. She took the logger’s rough hand between her soft ones and caressed it.

He sighed, “I know. I was just hoping….well…” I was hoping, he thought, that you might stay with me now.

“Now is not the right time, my sweet,” she replied, echoing his thoughts. Giving a slight nod toward the carriage where through the windows she could see Katherine and Lottie, “I have to care for her.”

Caring for siblings to the exclusion of one’s own needs was a way of life Jason was very familiar with.

“All right then my love, it will be ‘til we meet again,’” he said, taking her hand and bringing it to his lips. Her skin tasted sweet and he again felt the weight of his desire for her. He drew her close to him and wrapped his arms around her.

Penny realized at that moment that this parting would be much more difficult that she had imagined. But she had to remain strong, for Katherine, and Maddie.

Breaking from his embrace, she looked up at him, brows knit with worry. Maddie. Just where was Maddie?

“Yes?” Jeremy replied to the unseen person knocking on the door. “C..come in.”

She was a sight for sore eyes as she stood in the doorway, hair curled and ribboned up, “Hello Jeremy,” she said. This is your last chance, Madeline. Your last chance to make things right.

“Hello,” he replied, suddenly aware of his dirt encrusted clothes and hair.

“May I come in?” Her sapphire blue dress rustled under her nervous hands.

“uh…Of course,” he motioned to a chair and waited for her to sit down. When she did he perched on the edge of the bed.

They sat for a moment in silence; Maddie kneading her small hankie and Jeremy rubbing his temples. There was so much to say, where to begin?

Finally, Jeremy spoke. “I’m obliged for your help last night.”

“Oh,” she said, wondering how much he remembered. “Are you feeling better?”

He shrugged. “Yeah, well…drunk and disorderly comes with a price, I guess.” He reached up and touched the bandage on his head, looking down at his lap. What would he say to her?

Another moment passed before either of them spoke again.

“Jeremy, I…I have to apologize again for everything that’s happened,” Maddie began, twisting and wringing her small handkerchief between her hands. “I….I didn’t know what to do…Katherine was so angry, I’ve n..never seen her like that. She…she even slapped me.”

“Why didn’t you tell me anything, Maddie?” Jeremy asked, his hands on his knees, “We could have figured out something together.”

“I was afraid of what she could d….do. I thought I could distract her…put her off, but she just kept on me every day….” Maddie’s voice trailed off as her hands worked the hankie into a ball of cotton threads. She looked back up at him, her eyes wide and pleading; by this time tears were falling freely down her cheeks. “I thought…well, I thought if I stayed close to you I could keep you safe.”

“Oh, so that’s what the other night was about?? Protecting me?” Jeremy snapped, his mouth set in a thin line.

She sighed, wiping the tears from her cheeks. “No.” she whispered. “Not at all. I can’t believe you’d think that,” she sniffed, “It meant something to me, Jeremy. I thought it meant something to you too.”

Now it was Jeremy’s turn to look down at his hands. Yes, their lovemaking did mean something to him. Much more than he cared to admit. But there was another question lurking in his mind.

“Did you know she wanted to kill Lottie too?”

She shook her head and her ringlets bobbed to and fro, “I…I didn’t know what she was planning for Lottie. I knew she was mad, but I thought she was just going to…you know…argue it out with her. I never thought she would do anything like…like…” her voice trailed off as the reality of the situation came clear to her once again.

“Can you ever ever find it in your heart to forgive me Jeremy? I couldn’t leave knowing that you hated me. I couldn’t live with myself.”

Feeling his hard heart begin to soften, his eyes remained down, “I don’t hate you Maddie….” Then he looked up, surprised, “Leave?” he asked, his face open, his eyes wide. He was angry with her, but until that moment, he hadn’t truly considered that fact that she might leave. “You’re leaving?”

Maddie’s mouth turned down when she saw his dismay. “We have to go. We have to take Katherine home and look after her. You know, she hasn’t always been like this…”

Jeremy’s mind was not on Katherine, though. “But…but…what about everything you said, how you’d like to stay on here? What about w…what you just said about…the other night…?” Jeremy’s thoughts raced ahead of his ability to express them.

“She’s my sister, Jeremy. No matter what, she’s still my sister. I can’t abandon her when she needs me.” Her eyes, large and luminous, fixed upon Jeremy, whose own eyes crinkled with disbelief. “Surely you of all people can understand that.”

Jeremy rubbed his temples, wondering if the pain in his head would ever abate. He sat for a moment with his eyes closed when he felt her warm hand on his.

“Jeremy, please forgive me…”

He could barely face her. “We could have had something together, Maddie.” The pounding in his ears threatened to drown out his own voice. “I…I care about you.”

“I…I” she stammered, “I c…care about you too, Jeremy. But I have to do what is right, and that’s go home with my family. They’re all I have. This is just not our time…” She stood in front of him, her shoulders shaking with small sobs. “Please Jeremy, forgive me…” she begged.

He stood also, and put his arms around her tiny frame. “I forgive you. I forgive you,” he murmured, pulling her close, “I’m sorry too. You’ve made me so happy, Maddie. I’ll miss you so much..”

She interrupted him by placing her lips over his.

Her salty tears mingled with her sweet breath, and Jeremy consumed every bit of her mouth. Knowing he was not to taste her again made him more aware of her full lips and teasing tongue. He entangled his fingers in her silken curls and crushed her face to his. Her soft breasts pressed against him and the memory of their night together ran through his veins like wine, scarlet with passion. They swayed to their inner rhythm while taking pleasure in each other one last time.

Then she broke away, and without looking back, left the room.

Jeremy savored her kiss for another moment before moving to the window. He watched as Allyn and Jason helped the three sisters into the coach for the long trip back to San Francisco. First in was Penny, who alighted after planting a lingering kiss on Jason; then Katherine, who refused any help; and lastly Maddie, dabbing at her cheeks as Jason lifted her into the coach.

She had rekindled the fire of Jeremy’s life, and just as kindling burns fast and bright, then flames out, she was gone again.

He saw the stagecoach lurch into motion; and as it disappeared down the road, he felt one hot tear trace a crooked line down his cheek.

................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download