Chapter Nine
As soon as breakfast was finished and the dishes were washed, Josie and Jack headed out to forage in the large meadow where they had heard there were berries.
Jack walked through the meadow, a birch basket hooked over his arm. Josie followed more slowly, brushing aside last year’s leaves with her fingertips.
“Here,” she said quietly, pointing. “See the red?”
Jack knelt beside her. Nestled close to the ground were wild strawberries—small. He smiled. “You’ve got a better eye for them than I do.”
She plucked one carefully and held it out to him. Jack bit into it, his teeth brushing against her fingers, and closed his eyes for a moment.
“That tastes like summer,” he said. “Now we need to find the arctic raspberries.”
They remained where they were for a few minutes, picking the strawberries until there were no more ripe. Then they moved on to search other areas of the meadow.
They worked without hurry, speaking only when necessary. In a slightly higher, drier patch of ground, Josie found the first nagoonberries, their pale pink skins blushing under the sun.
“These are early,” Jack said.
“Early or not, they’ll make a delicious cobbler.” Josie was excited to find the berries Jack was eager for. If they found enough, she may even make some into jam to eat on toast later.
They gathered what they could, careful not to strip any one patch bare.
It took them an hour, but they finally had what Josie considered enough berries for not only a cobbler, but also a batch of jam.
She’d done a lot of reading on jam-making, and she was certain she was ready to try her hand at it.
They carried their things down to the riverbank, where Jack spread a folded cloth, and Josie unpacked what they had brought: thick slices of bread, a small crock of butter, smoked fish wrapped in paper, and a tin cup for each of them.
They ate slowly, sitting close. Josie mashed a few strawberries against the bread with the back of her knife, the juice staining her fingers pink.
Afterward, they shared the berries straight from the basket. The nagoonberries were soft and perfumed, almost floral, and Josie sighed as she ate one. “I’d never had this type of berries before moving here. I think they’ve become my favorite.”
Jack leaned back on his elbows, opening his mouth as she fed him one more berry. “Now that it’s warmer, we should spend more time outside like this,” he said.
Josie nodded. She rested her head against his shoulder, the taste of berries lingering on their tongues. “This is a perfect day after the seemingly endless winter.”
He smiled. “I agree. Alaska’s harsh climate isn’t for everyone, but when you know what’s waiting for you when spring finally arrives, the winters aren’t so bad.”
“Lula and Sebastian are coming over this evening. Perhaps we could eat outside,” she suggested.
“I’d like that. I’ll build a fire. Have you ever cooked over a campfire?” he asked.
She laughed. “I can barely cook on a stove!”
“You know that’s not true. Not after the way everyone praised your soup yesterday.”
Smiling as she remembered, Josie nodded. “They did praise my soup, didn’t they?” She could have won twenty blue ribbons at a fair for her cooking and not have felt as much pride as she did over that simple soup.
“Because you’re a good cook!” he said. “Maybe we should catch a few fish and cook them over the fire.”
“I wouldn’t know how!”
“We’ll stop by Myrtle’s and ask.” Jack wasn’t going to let her say no.
“If we’re going to stop by Myrtle’s and ask, why don’t we also stop by Agnes and Tom’s place and see if they have any fresh fish for us. I know the last time I talked to Agnes she said they were getting lots of salmon in their nets.”
“Good idea. Then we can lie here a little longer and enjoy spring.”
Josie laughed. “Are you feeling lazy today?”
Jack nodded. “Lazy and hopeful that you’ll stay here with me.”
She snuggled into his side, and they lay on the picnic blanket together. It was the perfect way to spend some time after berry picking.
By the time they got home, Josie had fish and a good idea of how to make it over the fire. Myrtle had convinced her to order a dutch oven from Katie, and she’d just gotten it, but hadn’t been entirely certain how to use it.
Myrtle suggested she build a fire, and put the fish into the oven, setting it straight into the fire.
First, she brined the salmon in a saltwater solution for thirty minutes.
While it was soaking, she peeled a few potatoes and cut them up, and then did the same with carrots.
She added those to the dutch oven and then added the fish. After. she put it into the fire.
She stood staring down at the oven in the fire for a few moments before she returned to the house to set out the dishes they would use. Then she and Jack carried their table out the door together, followed by them taking four chairs out.
Josie added a tablecloth to the table to make the meal more festive. After setting the table, she stood back and looked at it, a small smile on her face. It was perfect. Now, if only the fish turned out as it was supposed to.
When Lula and Sebastian arrived, Lula commented on the beautiful table. “And something smells delicious!” she said, setting down the cake she’d brought for dessert and hugging Josie. “You went to a lot of trouble for us.”
“It was Jack’s idea. He thinks we should enjoy the outdoors as much as we can before winter comes back.”
“I think I agree with Jack then,” Lula said. “I can’t wait to eat.”
“It should be ready.” Josie walked to the fire and grasped the handle of the dutch oven with her apron covering her hand to prevent burning. She carried it to the table, where she had a cloth to set it on. She pulled the lid off and could see that everything had cooked perfectly.
“I think it’s done,” Josie said. She served four plates, and they all sat down to eat. Josie didn’t know Sebastian well, and she was happy to have another opportunity to get to know her friend’s husband.
“This is wonderful!” Sebastian said. “I’ve never had salmon cooked quite like this.”
“I asked Myrtle how to cook it. The woman is a genius in the kitchen,” Josie said.
“I certainly love the bread and desserts she sends our way.” Sebastian smiled. “When I sent for a bride, I had no idea I’d be getting a group of women working on so many different things. You ladies really are doing a good thing here.”
After eating, the men carried the table and chairs back inside, and they played cards for a while. Josie had taken to inviting a different couple over every week to get to know them better. It worked well for her.
When they left for the evening, Josie straightened the house and did the dishes. “I think that went really well!” she said.
“I think so too. I hadn’t really taken time to get to know Sebastian before, but he seems like a good man. I’ll be able to carry on conversations with him at work now.” Jack walked up behind her and rubbed her shoulders.
“That feels nice. You had a good time?”
“I did. I like that we’re having people over.” He leaned against the counter. “Mr. Johnson wants us to build a church. Everett is donating the lumber, but it will take a few weekends, even with all the men who will help.”
“Are you going to be part of it?”
He nodded. “I think I am. I just wanted you to know, because we’re planning to start building next weekend. We’ll work while it’s light out, and that means up to sixteen hours per day. Do you mind?”
Josie shook her head. “Of course not! We need a church. I think it’s time.”
“I agree. I never would have thought it two years ago. Everything started to change when Everett got married.”
“For the good, I hope.”
“Most definitely. Going from having one woman in town to nine made things so much nicer.” He grinned. “Besides, I’m married now, and I like being married.”
She wrinkled her nose. “You like having food cooked for you daily and someone to warm your bed.” She wiped the last dish dry and put it away.
“That’s very true. My favorite part is the bed warming.”
She laughed. “I’m aware!”
“Will you make the cobbler tomorrow?” he asked.
She nodded. “Cookie dough crust or regular?”
“Always cookie dough,” he said. “And you could make a little extra dough for me to eat raw.”
She shook her head. “I will, but if it makes you sick, it’s not my fault.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” he said with a grin, taking her hand and pulling her toward their bed. “I’m glad we have people over every Saturday night to get to know them, but I’m always ready for them to leave.”
“I understand. We can’t take off all of our clothes when we have friends over.”
“I think we could... It just wouldn’t be a good idea.”
“Very true,” she said.
*****
The church building went up quickly, taking only three weekends. The women took food and drinks to the men so they could keep working. Josie was pleased to be part of the building process in some way.
On their first Sunday in the new building, Josie looked around her, pleased with the work the men had done. There were no fancy stained-glass windows as there would have been in a church in Massachusetts, but the building was sturdy and would serve its purpose well.
That day, Mr. Johnson preached about the willing hands who had built the church and prepared the meals. His voice caught in his throat as he talked about how happy he was to have a church again.
“We’ll still do some Bible studies before church services, but it will be wonderful to have both.
And the church is big enough that we can have social suppers after church every Sunday and we can even have dances on occasion.
It will be good for us as Christians, but also good for the community as a whole, so I want to give a heartfelt thanks to all who made this happen. You have changed our town forever.”
After the sermon, the women talked, and they divided up what they would bring the following week. “I’ll make some salmon,” Josie offered.
“I’ll bring bread and dessert,” Myrtle said.
As everyone talked about what they would bring, it occurred to Josie that she hadn’t just moved to Yeti to marry. She’d become an integral part of the community in a way that she’d never imagined possible.
“I’ll bring a radish salad,” Sally offered.
“I’ll bring some smoked salmon in addition to what Josie brings.”
Belle pursed her lips. “I’ll bring a venison roast and some potatoes.”
Katie smiled. “I’ll donate dishes and silverware to the church, so they will be here and ready to be used whenever we need them.”
In another corner of the building, the men were talking. “I think we should make some tables that are easily disassembled for the social suppers,” Sebastian said.
Everett nodded. “I’ll donate some large pieces of wood. And we’ll bring six sawhorses to make three large tables.”
“We built the pews so we could move them, and we can use those as chairs,” Jack said.
By the time they left the church, everyone was ready to begin weekly social suppers at the church.
Josie and Jack walked home hand-in-hand. “I’m excited to start weekly social suppers,” Josie said. “It will give us a chance to come together as a community and get to know everyone.”
“I agree. And if we could do seasonal suppers and dances, I think that would go far as well.”
“It all sounds good to me. We all work so hard that it would be nice to have gatherings to look forward to.”
He nodded. “What do you think the chances are that we’ll have a lot more men showing up for church, simply so they can partake in the social supper after?”
She laughed. “I think church attendance will double at least. Especially if they know that Myrtle is baking.”
“Has the bakery slowed down at all? Or are you still busy from open to close?”
“It really depends on the day. We’re busy most of the time, but there will be temporary lulls. I like the lulls. It gives me a chance to catch up! Myrtle is talking about serving sandwiches when we have bacon and ham available, which will be any day. That will add to what I need to do.”
“Will you make the sandwiches, or will she?” Jack asked.
“She’ll bake the bread, of course. She’ll even cook the ham and bacon. But I will assemble the ingredients into a sandwich.” Josie shrugged. “It shouldn’t be too hard. And when I get behind, Myrtle usually jumps in to help.”
“Are you still glad you decided to partner with her?”
“Definitely. I can’t think of any other job I would rather do.”
“Good. I hope you’ll feel like you can keep doing it right up until the baby is born.”
Josie nodded. “I hope more friends come along soon. We need people who are willing to fill whatever role is vacated when we have our babies.” She shook her head. “I’m glad we’re expecting. I just worry about Myrtle having to handle everything on her own while I’m out with the baby.”
“I’m sure she can handle it if she needs to.”
“I am as well, but it would be very hard for her to do it all on her own. She probably wouldn’t be able to serve food, and would only be a bakery. She likes having people come in and eat. Speaking of which, why do you never come and eat? You could eat for free!”
He shrugged. “I feel like I should leave that for the unmarried men. You pack me a lunch every day, and I eat breakfast and supper at home. Most of the men only get to eat fresh food when they go to the bakery and have you serve them.”
“I wish there was an easy way to send food with people, but the cost of the dishes is prohibitive.” Josie decided to talk to Myrtle about it. Surely the men could take dishes and bring them back. They’d brought Myrtle pie plates when she was selling out of her bakery wagon.