CHAPTER 2
Jake
Footsteps sounded on the porch as Jake finished his breakfast. He opened the door to find Charlie shaking the snow off his coat. He stepped aside to allow his neighbor and friend to enter the warmth of the cabin.
“Mornin’, Charlie,” Jake greeted him. “I thought we were meeting in the woods.”
The older man shook his head and his long gray beard swayed, dislodging a scatter of ice crystals. “Sorry, Jake,” he said with regret in his tone. “I was all set to help you today, but a huge raccoon broke into my cabin last night and made a mess. It almost scared the life right out of me. I couldn’t reach my gun without disturbing it, so I had to let it have its way for a bit until I could figure out how to scare it off. Now I need to secure the door and clean up.”
Jake sighed. “They sure know how to spoil a man’s day.”
Charlie’s gray eyes lit up with a smile beneath his fur cap. “It’s not what I’d planned to do, but it will give me a chance to fix that door. I’ve been meanin’ to do it for a long time. It’s my own fault that the beast got in. Are you still goin’ to the forest to work?”
Jake nodded. “I’m giving Miss Williams a ride to school in the sleigh. I need to leave soon so she gets there in time.”
Charlie regarded him with curiosity. The older man had been like a father to Jake. “You look as if you might enjoy that,” he observed.
Jake felt his face grow warm beneath his beard. “It’s an arrangement that has worked well so far,” he said, trying to keep his tone neutral. “Of course, after things that happened before, I was a bit wary, you know.” His voice trailed off.
Charlie nodded. “I know. But the past is over now, Jake.”
“I was just hesitant to say yes,” Jake said. “I’ve worked hard to build the life I have here now.”
“You’re doing a neighborly deed,” Charlie replied. “Out here, you just do what you must to get by in the winter. No one is going to raise questions.” He gave Jake a sly look. “Anyway, besides that, what’s this new teacher like? There’s nothing like a pretty lady to motivate a man to go out in the cold.” He chuckled at his own joke. “I have heard that she’s pleasant on the eyes.”
“Perhaps,” Jake conceded. “But it’s difficult to tell when I only see her wrapped up in enough layers to outfit a small army. She is quite determined to ward off the cold.”
“It’s a blessing to have a teacher,” Charlie said. “Now we just need a preacher.”
“Maybe one will come in the spring,” Jake replied. “It would be a shame if the new church just sat idle and no one used it.”
The small wooden church with its modest belltower had been completed during the summer by volunteers from Jackson and surrounding areas, but so far, they had been unable to secure the services of a preacher, even a traveling one.
“Someone will come eventually,” Charlie said, sounding confident. He glanced at Jake. “Don’t you have to leave soon?”
“Now, actually,” Jake replied, taking out his pocket watch to check the time. “I’d love to stay and talk, but I don’t want Miss Williams to be late for school.”
“You know where to find me,” Charlie stated, turning to head out the door. “I’ll work with you tomorrow if that is suitable.”
“It is.” Jake pulled on his coat and secured his cap firmly over his ears. “I want to cut up the tree we felled yesterday.”
Charlie left, and a short time later, Jake was sitting in the sleigh behind Chance and Minnie, taking deep breaths of the fresh air. He’d enjoyed taking Miss Williams to school the day before, despite their awkward start. He could see that she had the ability to laugh at herself and try again when something went wrong, and she intrigued him. Single women weren’t common in small frontier towns, and he knew they were fortunate to have a teacher. Many places were not as blessed as Jackson had been.
Rowena was waiting on the porch when he arrived, her blue-gray eyes smiling at him above the layers she’d wrapped herself in.Small puffs of steam rose from her breath in the frosty air, and she reminded him of a poem about a traveler braving the hazards of winter that his mother read him when he was small.
“Good morning, Miss Williams,” he greeted her, jumping down from the sleigh to assist her.
“Good morning, Mr. Brooks,” she answered, wisely waiting until he stood by the steps to help her descend safely.
He held out his hand, ready to catch her if she fell, but this time, she stepped down lightly, barely touching his gloved hand. He offered her his arm, and she accepted his help over the snowy ground to the sleigh.
“It’s a beautiful morning,” he observed. “I love winter sunshine.”
“So do I,” she agreed.“It’s like a promise that the sun hasn’t gone away forever despite the winter storms.”
He helped her into the sleigh, then handed over her belongings. “Even the horses like the sunshine,” he added. “I like that thought, by the way. Sometimes winter feels as if it’s never going to end.”
“The horses are beautiful,” she observed. “I like white horses. What are their names?”
“Chance and Minnie. They are half-brother and sister. They share the same sire and grew up together. They’re inseparable. Chance is a gelding, of course, and he’s the most placid of the two.”
“Do you use them in your work?” Rowena asked.
“Yes. When we get to the forest, they’ll be helping me to haul logs. Chance is better at it than Minnie, so he gets the most work.”
“You’re blessed to have them,” she declared. “We walked everywhere we needed to go in Salt Lake City or took the public omnibus, so I have never owned a horse before. But I admire them greatly.”
“You can get to know Chance and Minnie,” Jake offered. “They love it when you rub their necks or give them a treat.”
“Thank you,” she replied. “I think I will enjoy that.”
His heart warmed at her words. Did that mean she wanted to see more of him? The thought was appealing.
They reached the schoolhouse and Jake helped Rowena down from the sleigh, then offered his arm. The boys had shovelled the schoolyard path the day before and no new snow had fallen, but there was always the possibility of an icy patch.
They made it to the schoolhouse porch and Rowena put her key in the lock to open the door.
But nothing happened. She tried again, and this time, the key jammed. She looked up at Jake, worry in her eyes.
“The key is stuck,” she said. “I can’t open the door.” There was a note of fear in her voice. “The children will be here soon and I need to light the fire.”
“Don’t worry,” Jake soothed. “Let me try.”
Rowena stepped aside and Jake jiggled the key in the lock, but it remained stuck fast.
“It’s not going to budge,” he said after a moment. “Does the school have any tools?”
Rowena nodded. “The woodshed has a few. I don’t know if they would be the right ones, though.”
“I’ll look.” Jake strode off the porch and headed for the woodshed behind the school building. While he didn’t hold great hopes of finding anything useful, he couldn’t leave Rowena and the children stuck out in the cold. He had to try.
To his surprise, he found an assortment of tools and selected several that might be helpful. Many were old and worn and had most likely been donated when the school building was erected, but he hoped he could make do with what he found.
“You found tools!” Rowena exclaimed in surprise when he got back to the porch. “I wasn’t sure you would find any.”
“Nor was I,” Jake replied. “These are not exactly the right ones for dismantling a door lock, but I’m hoping I can still do it with what I have.”
Rowena stood watching as he took the door off its hinges and began to pull the lock apart. Her hopeful expression made him determined that he wouldn’t give up until he’d fixed the problem.
“I’m sure Charlie wishes he had a lock on his door,” he said with a chuckle.
“Charlie?” Rowena queried. “Is he one of your neighbors?”
“Yes. He came to see me early this morning. A raccoon got into his cabin and made a mess, so he couldn’t haul logs with me today like we’d planned.”
“A raccoon?” Rowena’s eyes were wide. “Can they open doors?”
Jake resisted the urge to chuckle. “They can be quite determined,” he said, trying to sound serious. “Unfortunately for Charlie, the ‘coon found his door before he got around to repairing it.”
Rowena gave a little shudder. “I’m glad our cabin door is sturdy,” she said. “I don’t want to share my house with a hungry raccoon.”
“Charlie wasn’t impressed either,” Jake said, finally freeing the lock and testing it to make sure it moved. “They can be quite feisty, especially when they’re cornered.”
“How did he scare it away?” Rowena asked.
“He couldn’t reach his gun, but he had an old gold pan under the bed from his days as a prospector. He got it out without attracting attention, then banged it loudly on the wall, hollerin’ for all he was worth. The raccoon got the message and ran off, but not before it made a mess.”
Rowena’s eyes were wide. “That sounds scary,” she breathed. “A raccoon wouldn’t be my choice of companion.”
“Nor mine,” Jake agreed, certain now that the lock was free and would work. “I’ve freed the lock,” he told her. “It had a bit of dirt inside; maybe one of the children tried to poke something into it yesterday. But it should work now.”
“Thank you,” Rowena said fervently. “You have no idea how grateful I am for your help. The children will start to arrive soon, and now I can get the fire going.”
“That’s my pleasure.” Jake smiled up at her from where he knelt on the porch, the door propped against his knees. “I’ll just get this door back on and then I’ll light the fire for you.”
“Oh, no, I couldn’t delay your working day any longer than I already have,” Rowena said. “I can ask one of the boys to light it if they arrive before I get it going.”
“It’s no problem,” Jake assured her. “It won’t take long.”
She took a deep breath. “Thank you, Mr. Brooks,” she said softly. “I don’t know what I’d have done without your help today.”
He looked up at her. “If you ever need anything, just ask,” he told her. “I’ll be happy to help.” He paused. “And we don’t get too formal around here. You may call me Jake if you wish.”
Her face lit up in the prettiest smile Jake had seen in a long time. “I’d like that. Please, call me Rowena. Miss Williams sounds like my maiden aunt.”
Jake chuckled and rose to his feet, holding the door. His bare hands were clumsy from the cold, but he wouldn’t change a moment of their time together. “Rowena it is,” he agreed.
They heard voices approaching and could see several children making their way toward the schoolhouse.
“I must go,” Rowena said. She hesitated, and then reached out and put her hand on Jake’s arm. “Have a good day,” she said softly, her luminous eyes meeting his before she turned and made her way inside with lithe grace.
Her touch seemed to burn through his coat to his bare skin, and his heart skipped a beat as he felt the heat rise to his face.
“I’ll light the fire for you in a moment,” he called belatedly through the doorway.
There was no answer, but Jake didn’t need one. He had plenty to think about already, and he knew that the alluring Miss Rowena Williams would occupy his thoughts often during the day. He was already looking forward to their return journey in the afternoon. He paused to wait for several children to climb the porch steps.
“What are you doin’?” asked a freckle-faced youngster as he bounded up the steps a moment later in a scatter of snow.
“I just fixed the door for Miss Williams,” Jake replied, waving a hand in the direction of the woodshed.“And then I’m going to light the fire for her.”
The boy regarded him with a knowing look. “Are you sweet on the teacher?” he asked. “Pa says men do things for ladies they’re sweet on.”
The young rascal.
Jake gave the boy his most mysterious look. “Well, now, that would be tellin’ secrets, wouldn’t it?” he asked.
The lad shrugged beneath his heavy winter coat. “I’d do it for her,” he said, then darted inside as several other children clambered onto the porch.
Jake chuckled. Perhaps he had some competition for Rowena’s heart.