[Alaskan Quest 02] - Under the Northern Lights (23 page)

‘‘But I have plenty of money.’’

Jacob smiled. ‘‘That still leaves it dangerous, and I doubt you have any tricks in your bag that would prevent that.’’

‘‘But you know this land and the people. I trust you. I believe you could get us through without any mishaps.’’

Jacob looked back at the camp. He had purposefully asked Helaina to walk with him to get away from the others. Now as they readied the dogs and sleds, Jacob knew he couldn’t waste time.

‘‘I appreciate your trust in me. I’m honored that you think so highly of my skills and abilities. But that belief won’t keep things from happening to us. You know how difficult this trip has been, and John has known the people and most of the terrain. Yet still some of the men have suffered injuries, and you are fighting to recover from pneumonia. Leah had to shoot a bear. There are just too many unknown factors.’’

‘‘So don’t take me to Seward. Help me instead.’’

‘‘Help you?’’ He knew what she would say, but he couldn’t help but ask the question.

‘‘Help me capture Chase. I’ll pay you. You can hire other men to help us. We can get supplies and head back to where we left him. Surely there’s a good enough tracker among you all that he could pick up the trail again.’’

‘‘Helaina, you need to let this go. You can’t continue like this.’’ He looked at her and saw the set of her jaw. She was in no mood to hear him out—at least not on this subject. Jacob let his gaze travel to her lips. He wanted nothing more than to kiss her. Kiss her and make her think about something other than Chase Kincaid.

‘‘Jacob, I’ll pay you whatever you want. I have more than enough money.’’

‘‘Helaina, this isn’t about money. It’s about the fact that I care about you. I care too much to be the one to help you risk your life. I care too much to help you continue this unhealthy obsession to find Chase Kincaid. I won’t do it. Not for ten dollars or ten thousand.’’ He left her to contemplate his words and walked back to the sled.

Helaina stood frozen in place as Jacob walked away. Normally she would have gone after him and tried to argue her point, but given what he had said about caring about her, Helaina found it impossible to move. What did he mean by those words?

She watched him speak to Leah and then go to check out the lines on his dog team. He was a handsome man. She’d conceded that some time ago. And she had to admit that no one had ever taken as much time to reach through her façade of self-sufficiency.

She heard the words in her head.
‘‘It’s about the fact that I care
about you.’’

She shook her head in confused disbelief. ‘‘But what did he mean?’’

Chapter Twenty

L
eah felt exhilarated at the thought that they would arrive home that evening. John and Jacob had discussed their location and felt confident that if they didn’t stop too long for rests, they could have the group home not long after nightfall. The very idea appealed to Leah in a way she couldn’t explain. It seemed like she had been on this journey forever instead of just weeks. She supposed it was due to having been gone all summer, only to return and be forced onto the trail by Chase. It really had been months since she’d been able to just sit down and work on her sewing and enjoy the sights and sounds of her own little house. Now it was nearing December, and she longed only for the peace and comfort of Last Chance. She wanted to celebrate Christmas with Emma and Ayoona, and she desperately wanted to feel the peace that she’d once known.

Feeling rather useless with the packing done, Leah walked away from the camp just far enough to crest a small hill. She looked over the frozen valley and sighed. Alaska was a beautiful and diverse territory. She thought of growing up near Ketchikan. The thick forests and large amounts of rain left the area lush and green. The temperatures were mild year-round compared to other parts of the territory. Their gardens grew delicious vegetables and the fruit bushes were plentiful with salmonberries, raspberries, blueberries, and many others. It was there among the Tlingit people that Leah had learned about healing herbs and how to treat wounds.

She had also lived in Skagway and Dyea, farther up the inside passage. The pines and spruce were plentiful there and the mountains were impressive. Going north into Canada had been such a great adventure for a little girl. Leah had been a young teenager when she’d experienced the gold fever. Living in Dawson had taught her the dangers of con men and greed, but it had also shown her what wealth could buy.

Leah had experienced much in her life, but this trip had taken the biggest toll. Now all she longed for was the refuge of home and her friends. She missed Ayoona and Oopick and Emma. She wondered how the village children were doing—if they were studying hard and getting excited about Christmas. Emma and Bjorn always made Christmas such a special time.

Leaving her solitude, Leah slowly walked back to the camp. She heard Helaina’s voice on the other side of the tent and stopped in her tracks.

‘‘I need to know what you meant when you said you cared about me.’’

Leah bit her lower lip to keep quiet. She knew Helaina was talking to Jacob. The poor man. How could he have just opened his heart up to tell her that he cared?

‘‘What do you suppose it means, Helaina? I care about you. I’ve come to care a lot about your well-being, both physically and spiritually. I want to see you happy. I want you to know the peace that comes in trusting God to watch over you and to lead you. I want you to believe in something bigger than yourself, because I know from experience that when the world is crashing down around you, you need something bigger.’’

‘‘So this is just about preaching to me? You care, but only about my soul?’’

Leah wanted to step in and declare that this was indeed the only interest Jacob had, and then steal her brother away before he could open his mouth.

‘‘I care about you, Helaina, but that’s all I can do so long as you put this wall between us.’’

Leah had no desire to listen anymore. She walked away, hoping that Jacob would not hear her footsteps. She pitied her brother for having given his heart to a woman who despised his faith. She pitied Jacob for the pain she knew he would endure when Helaina refused to give up her battle for Chase.

‘‘Oh, God,’’ she prayed softly, ‘‘he needs you so much. Please keep him from the misery that will no doubt follow him so long as Helaina’s involved.’’

Jayce had done his best to secure a grave for Chase. The ground was frozen solid, but by using a series of fires to thaw the earth, he’d managed to dig down a short way into the ground. After placing Chase in this shallow grave, Jayce went to work finding rocks to stack on top of the body. He could only hope and pray that the animals wouldn’t dig up his brother’s remains.

Work seemed the only way to ease his anger. Jayce tried to pray, but while it comforted his heart to a degree, he would inevitably begin to think about the pain Chase had caused, and soon the comfort was lost.

Jayce simply couldn’t reconcile the fact that Chase was dead or that he’d raped Leah. It all just seemed impossible to accept. Why had these things happened? What purpose did they serve? It seemed like one of the strange nightmares Jayce had had as a boy. Nightmares where everyone he loved had been lost in house fires or floods. He supposed those things had been borne out of his worst fears, but this was no dream. He couldn’t just wake up this time and have it all fade away with the night.

When the grave was finally complete, Jayce packed up his gear and readied the dogs. He had been fortunate in his hunting efforts and would return to Last Chance with two wolf pelts, three fox, and four rabbit furs. The meat had provided well. The dogs seemed particularly fond of the wolf meat. The bear that had killed Chase never materialized again, however, much to Jayce’s disappointment.

Moving out, Jayce tried to imagine what he would say to Leah when he saw her again. He wanted no secrets between them and planned to just tell her that he knew the truth. He hoped it would be less painful for her this way. He reasoned that if she didn’t have to come to him it would be less humiliating for her. Still, Jayce couldn’t help but wonder how they would overcome this obstacle.

How can I help Leah? How can I ever make this right for her? How can
she forgive me for not saving her from Chase, when I can’t forgive myself?

The questions continued to nag at him all that day. Every time he attempted to clear his mind and refuse to dwell on the matter, something would come along to steal his peace. He knew it was foolish to let his mind wander. The trails were deadly and full of surprises. There were creeks and rivers to cross or follow, as well as obstacles buried under the snow that could wreak havoc with his dogs and sled. Still, it was only by forcing his mind to comply that Jayce managed to even see his surroundings. Leah was all he wanted to see—to think about.

With no little difficulty, Jayce found the native village where they’d left Brownie. He’d gone in the opposite direction twice as he lost his bearings but finally came around right. He was welcomed and cared for, as were the dogs. The people seemed to sense a great sorrow had come upon Jayce. One of the elders asked for his story and Jayce shared his tale with the man. He said nothing about Leah, however, seeing no reason to bring her into the story.

‘‘My brother is dead. A bear attacked him. I buried him the best I could.’’

The man nodded. ‘‘It bad thing. I am pained to hear you speak.’’

Jayce tried to suppress a yawn. ‘‘I thank you for your hospitality— for your kindness.’’

‘‘You rest here. This good house to sleep in. I know.’’ He smiled and motioned to a woman whom Jayce knew to be his wife. ‘‘We let you sleep now.’’ The man pointed to where his wife had created a pallet of blankets and furs.

‘‘Thank you. I will rest very well.’’ Jayce gave them a slight bow and went to the makeshift bed.

Lying there awake well into the night, Jayce knew that he needed a good night’s sleep. But he was restless and sleep wouldn’t come. He tried to pray, to reason with himself, to force his body to relax—but it was no good. He felt like the biblical Jacob, having wrestled all night with something not of this world. He finally fell asleep just as the man and woman began to stir. His last conscious thought was of Leah. How he longed to hold her—to reassure her that his love for her hadn’t changed. He could only pray her love for him had stayed the same, because if she didn’t love him anymore—if Chase had driven that from her heart—Jayce didn’t think he could bear it.

Leah had never been so happy to see a place in all her life. In the distance, light shone in the windows of a dozen or more houses. Home. Last Chance Creek had never looked more wonderful.

‘‘It’s past suppertime,’’ Jacob said as he pulled the sled to a stop. John pulled his sled up alongside, while the other men were already dispersing for their homes.

‘‘My wife will cook for us,’’ John said. ‘‘I’ll take the dogs. You can take the women.’’

Jacob laughed. ‘‘I think the dogs might be easier to care for.’’

‘‘We can hear you perfectly well,’’ Leah said, getting out of John’s sled basket. Dogs around the village began to bark and yip. ‘‘Well, now everyone will know we’re here.’’

It wasn’t long before Ayoona came from her inne. ‘‘Lay-Ya! You are here.’’

Leah went to embrace the old woman. ‘‘Yes, I am. I am home.’’

‘‘You come in, and I feed you. We have walrus stew. You like it plenty.’’

‘‘I do,’’ Leah admitted. ‘‘It sounds wonderful, but I’m so tired, I don’t know that I can even crawl down your tunnel.’’

‘‘Leah! Jacob! You’re home!’’ Emma Kjellmann came running across to greet them. She waved her lantern back and forth. ‘‘I’ve never been so happy to see anyone in my life. Where’s Jayce?’’

Leah squared her shoulders. ‘‘He’s gone to find his brother.’’

‘‘Oh, when we heard it was Chase and not Jayce who’d taken you, we were sick. Bjorn called a prayer meeting and we prayed well into the night for your safety. And here you are, safe and sound. Oh, I’m so blessed. God is so faithful to answer our prayers.’’ She hugged Leah tightly while Leah exchanged a glance with her brother.

‘‘Ayoona was just offering to feed us walrus stew,’’ Leah said, pulling back more quickly than Emma was prepared for.

‘‘Oh, bring the stew to my house. We have fresh sourdough bread and white-fish soup. Please come, Ayoona.’’

The old woman grinned. ‘‘We come for your bread.’’

Emma laughed. ‘‘Oh, what a grand celebration. We should invite everyone, but they’d never fit in our house.’’

‘‘Speaking of your house,’’ Jacob said, ‘‘we wondered if you might be able to put up a houseguest for a time. Like maybe until spring thaw.’’

Emma looked from Leah to Jacob. ‘‘You, Jacob?’’

‘‘No. Helaina Beecham.’’ He pointed to where Helaina was just now getting out of the sled. ‘‘She’s been sick with pneumonia and needs time to mend.’’

‘‘I’ll be fine,’’ Helaina protested. ‘‘Stop fussing over me.’’

‘‘Of course she can stay with us. We have all that extra space, and Sigrid won’t come until next June. Of course, Helaina can stay on if she needs because Bjorn and I will take the children south to see their grandparents. Sigrid will have the big house to herself, so Helaina is more than welcome to stay.’’

‘‘I won’t be here that long,’’ Helaina told her. ‘‘In fact, if I have my way, I won’t be here long at all. I need to get back to the States.’’

Emma laughed. ‘‘Well, unless you have one of those aeroplanes to take you out of here, you’ll be hard-pressed to find another way.’’

‘‘Well, I understand there are men who for hire will take me by dogsled. I intend to find one of them since no one here seems to care enough.’’

Leah frowned. ‘‘It’s a matter of feeling the risk to life isn’t worth the price,’’ she interjected. ‘‘Sometimes the price required is too high.’’

‘‘Look, it’s cold and we’re hungry,’’ Jacob said. ‘‘Let’s discuss this over food.’’

‘‘Ja. Where are my manners? I’ll send Bjorn to help with the dogs.’’

‘‘No need. I’ll have Kimik and Seal-Eye Sam. They help.’’ John moved to take the lines for both teams. ‘‘Jacob, pull the hooks.’’