Chapter Two
Lula woke before Sebastian the following morning, and she immediately went to the cooking area. There was no real kitchen in this small cabin, but it was perfect for her needs.
When she began looking for ingredients to cook with, she was stumped. He had beans, salt, brown sugar, cinnamon, and oatmeal. There was some jerky and hardtack, but she wasn’t going to touch that. She’d had her fill.
Since there were no real options, she made oatmeal, adding cinnamon and brown sugar to round out the taste. He hadn’t really done that the night before, and the oatmeal had been bland. She’d eaten it without complaint, but she would be much happier with the oatmeal she made.
Sebastian woke shortly before the meal was finished. He took a seat at the table as she set it, putting bowls of oatmeal on the table for each of them.
“What are your plans for the day?” Sebastian asked.
“I’ll do laundry first thing, and then I’ll meet up with the other ladies to figure out what needs to be done. Some of us are meeting at the store.” She paused. “If it’s all right with you, I’ll buy some groceries so we’ll have more choices when it comes to meals.”
“Buy what you need. I have an account at the store.”
“Thank you. Is there anything in particular you want me to make for supper?”
“Are you a good cook?” he asked.
“I worked in the kitchen at the hotel. Well, I have for the last three years. I started as a maid. We all did. Anyway, I helped prep the meals for the chef, and when he took a day off or was ill, I did the cooking. I am experienced in making a variety of dishes.”
“Do you not want to cook? You could run a restaurant or something.”
She shook her head. “I don’t enjoy cooking at all, and I don’t want to run my own business. I’d rather fill in as needed. I like being outdoors a great deal.”
“All right. I don’t mind keeping your cooking for myself.”
She smiled. “I’m sure I’ll make meals for my friends on occasion, but I’d much rather hunt.”
“Sounds good to me. I’m sure we’ll all benefit from meat.”
After breakfast, she did the dishes while he readied himself for work.
Before leaving, he kissed her cheek. It felt strange to her to have a man other than Bill touch her in any way, but she was surprised when it made her heart jump a little.
Was she attracted to Sebastian? He was nothing like her Bill had been. How odd.
“I’ll see you this evening,” Sebastian said as he headed toward the door.
“I’ll have supper ready at six.”
“That’s perfect,” he responded as he closed the door behind him.
Lula made short work of the dishes before fetching more water from the well. She had to look around to find it, but it was only a short distance from the house. Sebastian had been kind enough to fill a pail of water for her the night before, so she could use it for cooking or dishes.
While the water boiled for laundry, she stripped the bed and picked up the small pile of clothes from the corner of the room.
It was strange to her how tidy Sebastian was.
In her experience, men were not creatures who cleaned.
Of course, she only had experience with two men in a home environment, but the men at the hotel had routinely left their rooms looking like a tornado had hit them.
When it was time to meet the others, she’d already hung the laundry on the line, scrubbed the floors of the cabin, and made a list of supplies to buy from Mrs. Johnson.
On her walk to the store, she looked around her at the beautiful mountains in the distance, the wooded area, and the wildlife scurrying around. This was definitely a place she could see herself living happily for the rest of her life.
She reached the store and met up with the friends who had traveled with her as well as Belle. They all decided to head to Maggie’s house for lunch to discuss the business and whether each wanted to be involved.
“Give me a minute,” Lula said to the others. “I need to get some supplies if I want to be able to cook supper tonight.”
Lula purchased basic staples, but when she started to ask for meat, Belle shook her head. “We’ve got meat covered.”
Lula’s heart sank. Did that mean she wouldn’t be able to hunt? She certainly hoped not.
She asked that her purchases be delivered, and Mrs. Johnson nodded. “I’ll have Mr. Johnson take care of that this afternoon.”
Lula frowned. “Mr. Johnson is the pastor, and he delivers groceries?”
“He’s not really the pastor yet because we don’t have a church. He’ll deliver.” Mrs. Johnson smiled.
“Oh, Sebastian said to put this on his account.”
“That’s not how I do things with the ladies here. You all bring me things that help me make a bigger profit. I’ll set up an account in your name for you to use going forward. Trust me. It will work better this way.”
Lula nodded slowly. When she’d been married before, even after knowing her, no one would give her credit. She felt fortunate if they’d allow her to buy from them. Now she was offered it with one day’s acquaintance? How odd.
Lula walked with the others to Maggie’s house. Lunch had been prepared, and they all sat down to eat and discuss business strategies.
As soon as Belle mentioned needing help hunting, Lula jumped at the chance. “I would love to help with hunting. That’s the task I was hoping for.”
Belle grinned at Lula. “Wonderful! I don’t mind hunting at all, but I have to spend time with the baby, and it will be good to have some of that burden off me.”
That afternoon, Belle and Lula headed out with bows and arrows. “Bullets cost too much to ship here,” Belle explained. “We only use rifles when we’re hunting bear.”
“I see,” Lula said. “I’ve used both arrows and bullets. I’ll hunt with whatever you want me to hunt with. I’m also a good trapper.”
“I’m so excited you’re here!” Belle said. “Everett hunts on the weekends, but we need a steady supply of meat. Not only for our current needs but for the winter as well.”
“Do we salt and dry it for winter?” Lula asked.
Belle grinned. “No. I have a cold house.”
“What?” Lula asked. She’d never heard of such a thing.
“You don’t have to dig deep to reach frost here, even in the summer months. So, Everett and James, Maggie’s husband, dug a small area, and then they piled rocks all around it. Everything stays frozen even in summer. It’s wonderful!”
“And we keep all the meat for eight families there?”
“There were only four families yesterday!” Belle said. “And Sally has a cold house too. We use mine primarily, and hers is used as overflow. The more we have in each cold house, the better. You’ll see.”
Lula saw something move out of the corner of her eye, and she immediately pivoted, nocked her arrow, and killed a rabbit. “Stew,” Lula said softly. “I’m having rabbit stew for supper.”
Belle laughed. “That sounds delicious.”
They continued to walk and talk, watching for any wildlife. Before they were out of time, they had twenty-three rabbits between them.
“I couldn’t have gotten nearly this many on my own! I think six or seven of these are my kills. You are very skilled as a hunter!” Belle said.
“It’s a passion of mine,” Lula said. “When I had time off at the hotel, I would go out and get a few rabbits. There was a nice lady in town who loved rabbit stew, and she paid me well. I was able to save a lot more money that way.”
“That was smart. I just kept working extra hours for the hotel, and that money didn’t add up quickly.”
“I always knew I wanted to get away from the hotel and have a life of my own...I didn’t think I’d marry again.
When the opportunity to marry Sebastian arose, it seemed like the smart thing to do.
Especially when all my friends started to leave, and the hotel was always short-staffed.
When they started requiring a sixty-hour work week, I knew it was time to go. ”
Belle smiled at Lula. “I’m glad you’re here with us. I hope you’ll keep hunting with me. Having the burden fall on my shoulders the way it has...well, it was getting to be too much.”
“I’m happy to hunt all day every day.”
Belle laughed. “Wait until it’s dark twenty-two hours per day. It won’t be easy.”
“I hadn’t thought of that in regard to my hunting...I’ll still do my best.”
“It’s not just that it’s dark...It’s bitterly cold. Much colder than Massachusetts, and there aren’t a lot of animals to hunt. Most hibernate.”
Lula sighed. “So choose another hobby for winter?”
Belle nodded. “Quilting, knitting, sewing...it’s all needed here. And if we do that, we can all gather in one cabin to work. Trust me...it will be great!”
“I really hope so.”
Lula couldn’t take her mind off her conversation with Belle later as she prepped the rabbit for the stew she would make.
She knew she had an open offer to get food from one of the coldhouses, but she had no desire to do that.
She’d rather eat fresh meat as she could.
Soon enough, frozen meat and dried fish would be the lion’s share of their diet.
She wasn’t ready for that to happen. She would do everything she could to keep up a steady stream of fresh meat.
When Sebastian walked in the door at the end of his workday, he was pleasantly surprised at how clean his house was. He’d always kept it tidy, but washing the walls and scrubbing the floors were foreign to him.
He inhaled deeply and sighed. “What are you cooking? It smells delicious!”
“Rabbit stew. I learned it from a lady in Beckham, who was always willing to buy rabbits from me whenever I got them. On my day off, I’d go into the countryside with my bow and arrow, and see how many rabbits I could shoot in one day.
” Lula grinned at him over her shoulder before serving two piping hot bowls of stew.
“What was your record?” he asked, grinning at her.
“Twenty-two,” she replied. “But today, we got twenty-three between Belle and me. I’m actually quite pleased! I’ve been assigned to hunt until it dries up, and then I’ll need to choose something else.”
“I had no idea I was marrying a huntress! I will not complain one iota.”
After he’d taken his first bite of stew, he closed his eyes and sighed. “This is wonderful. I hope you made a lot.”
“I did! We should have enough for you to take it for lunch tomorrow. If you don’t mind leftovers.”
He chuckled. “It’s not beans or oatmeal. I’m thrilled to eat this for two meals.”
“Oh, good. I was hoping you’d enjoy it as much as I do.”
After they’d eaten, she washed the dishes while he talked to her about his day. She was surprised at how comfortable she already felt around him.
When she was finished with the dishes, she searched for something he could take the stew to work in. After a bit, she decided that a small pot with a lid wrapped in cloth would be the best bet. She’d heat the stew in the morning, and hopefully it would stay warm until he had a chance to eat it.
“I’ll be hunting with Belle again tomorrow,” she said. “I’m sure we’ll get more rabbit, but is there another meat you’d like me to try for?”
“Venison,” he said automatically. “Or moose. Honestly, if you kill it and cook it, I’ll eat it without complaint.”
“That will certainly make my job easier,” she said with a grin. “How would you feel about duck? Belle told me today she has a great receipt for duck and dumplings.”
“I would eat duck without a problem. I’m not a picky eater at all. I grew up eating klippfisk, so anything tastes good to me.”
“What is klippfisk?” she asked.
“It’s dried and salted cod. My mother served it at least three times per week. She and Father grew up eating it in Norway, so she fed it to us.”
“That doesn’t sound appetizing. I will not be serving that anytime soon.”
He chuckled. “It’s an acquired taste. And don’t worry, I won’t ask you to make it.”
“I’m glad! What other foods did your mother fix?”
“Lefse is one of my favorite dishes from childhood. It’s a flatbread made with potatoes and flour and other things I’m not sure about. If you’d be willing to make it, I’ll write my mother and ask for the receipt!”
She nodded. “I would enjoy that! I like trying new receipts.”
“And I’d love a little taste of home.”
“You still think of Minnesota as home?” she asked.
He nodded. “I mean, I plan to stay in Alaska for the rest of my life, but Minnesota has such fond memories for me. My parents loved us so much.”
“Us?” she asked. “How many siblings do you have?”
He grinned. “I’m the oldest. I have four brothers and six sisters.”
Her eyes widened. “I’m not sure I want that many children.”
He chuckled. “I know I don’t. So many mouths to feed. So much work! I will love whatever children we do have, but let’s stop before we reach eleven.”
“I think I can do that.”
He reached out and grasped her hand. “I’m glad you’re here.”
“I am too.” She hadn’t been sure she’d made the right decision, but sitting with him, her hand in his, she knew she had. He was a good man. How could she not be content?
“What are your plans for tomorrow?” he asked.
“Hunting. And I’ll probably do more work around the house.”
“Sounds good to me. Will you see your friends?”
“We are supposed to meet up at Maggie’s for lunch every day.
Then if there needs to be a change in plans, we can do whatever we need to do.
” She shrugged. “I have a feeling I’ll have to forage some, but really, all I want to do is hunt!
” She shook her head. “My parents wouldn’t recognize me if they saw me.
Their little debutante hunting. They would not approve! ”
“Do you miss your life with your parents?”
She thought about it for a moment. “Not really. I didn’t enjoy all the ball gowns or not being able to go out alone.
Sometimes I miss the security of knowing there will always be food on the table and a clean bed to sleep in.
My life is different since I left home, but it’s a good life.
Especially now that I’m not cleaning hotel rooms or serving tables. ..or cooking for fifty people.”
“As long as you don’t yearn for that life, I think you’ll be just fine.”
Lula nodded. “I think I’ll be content living here with you.”
“I certainly hope so. I plan to live a joyous life with my beautiful bride and our fifteen children!” Sebastian said.
“Uh...no. Don’t even joke about that!”
He laughed heartily. “Are you sure you don’t want fifteen?”
“Positive.”