Chapter 12
Belle was up before Seth. She dressed, did her business, and then made coffee. She gazed down at her husband. He looked like an angel, lying there in his sleep. No worries marred his brow as he lay in slumber on their bed. Dark hair dipped onto his forehead and stuck out at odd angles all over as though he’d been using his pillow to do headstands. He looked absolutely adorable. Is this what is meant by ridiculously in love?
Smiling, she got a plate and placed it at the end of the bed on the floor. Upon her return, she’d use this to put the fish on while she removed her boots. Then she headed out into the sunshine. She donned her chest waders and walked to the river, fishing gear in one hand and a bucket in the other. She’d dig worms as she needed them from the river bank and use the bucket to put the fish in before she cleaned them.
The water was almost running too fast for the fishing to be any good. But a nice, calm hole sat on one side of a large boulder in the middle of the river about twenty feet downstream. She waded into the river, cast the fly into the river as far as she could, and fed the line out as the current pulled it downstream. She decided she’d use worms later if necessary.
Belle pulled the pole back and stopped feeding the line as the fly fell into the calmer water. She walked toward the hole, using the fly reel to gather the line again. She repeated this several times, when suddenly, the line dipped while, in the same instant, Belle felt the telltale tug on the line. She waited for the next bite. She didn’t have to wait long. Slamming the pole back, she hooked the fish and then reeled as if her life depended on it. It was so much fun. The fish fought to get away, but Belle laughed. “You’re mine, you slimy beast. You’ll taste wonderful with the rice I set soaking last night.”
She lifted the pole as she reeled until she could scoop the trout into the net.
“Nice one,” Seth called from the river bank upstream as he walked toward her.
Grinning, she called back, “Big enough for breakfast for the two of us.” She held the net up and walked out of the river. “Look at it. It’s got to be two pounds, anyway.”
“I’d bet three. Do you want me to clean it?”
Belle looked up and smiled.
Seth already had his knife out and ready.
“That would be great. I hate pulling those guts out. I can do it, but I don’t like it one bit.”
Laughing, he walked over and snagged the fish with an index finger in its gill. .Then he slit the fish from its waste hole all the way up its belly to the gills. He grabbed the gills and pulled, removing all the innards and throwing them into the river. Then he took his thumb and ran the nail up the backbone, pushing all the blood out before rinsing the fish in the river. “There you go. One fish ready for the pan.”
She held the bucket up for him to put the fish in, then took it up to the tent. Setting the bucket, fishing pole, and net next to the tent, Belle grabbed her catch and went inside. She laid the fish on the plate she’d put at the end of the bed and removed her boots. Then she washed before fixing breakfast. She covered the fish in cornmeal while the lard in the skillet heated. After placing the rice on the stove to cook, she checked the coffee to see if it was still hot. Finding the rich smell too enticing to resist, she poured them both a cup of the dark brew.
The rice boiled, and she removed it from the burner and covered it so it could soak up the water. Taking the fish, she tried to lay it in the biggest skillet she had, but it was too big. She placed it on the cornmeal covered plate and cut the head off so it would fit in the pan. She let it cook for a few minutes on one side before turning the fish over. She could smell it cooking and her mouth watered. After another few minutes, she tested the doneness of the fish by scooping it by the middle onto a spatula. If the fish remained straight and didn’t bend over the spatula, then it was done. In this case, it needed a bit more cooking, so she put it back in the pan.
After a bit, she checked the fish again and found that it was cooked perfectly this time. Belle laid it on a plate. Then she placed a pat of butter and stirred it into the rice before tucking a large spoon in the pot and setting it on the table.
“Breakfast is served.” She sat in her chair and dished up her plate with a pile of rice and the fish. She seasoned the rice with salt and pepper, then deboned the fish before serving half to Seth and half to herself.
Seth waited until she finished serving herself before he filled his plate.
The rice was good. The butter added delicate flavor to the otherwise bland rice.
After breakfast, they did the dishes and got ready for the day.
As she put on her boots again, she looked up at Seth. “What are we doing today? Working the spring or the river?”
“We’ll work the spring. I want to get everything we can before we leave.” He stepped out of the tent.
Belle followed him. My news is going to surprise him, but not as much as it did me. For ten long years, he punished me for something that wasn’t my fault. Amos was so wrong. “I can’t believe we’re actually leaving at the end of August, but I’m very glad I won’t have this baby here.”
Seth stopped in his tracks. He turned around to face her. His eyes were wide and his face had lost its color. “Baby? You’re expecting?”
She grinned. “I am. As close as I can figure, I got pregnant the first time we made love. I’ll probably have the baby in late February or early March.”
Seth lifted her into his arms and twirled in a circle. “A baby. I definitely want to be out of here before the end of August. I think we should plan for mid-August, to be sure we don’t have snow hampering our escape.”
“That’s good for me. As far as I’m concerned, the sooner the better.”
He lifted his eyebrows and pressed his bottom lip against the top. “We could go sooner, I suppose. We really aren’t getting much from the spring except flake and the occasional nugget.”
Her smile widened. “We can? Really? How about now?”
“We just got back from getting supplies. It’s only the end of June. How about in two weeks? That will give us time to get things packed up that we want to take with us? Then the claim jumpers can have this place.”
She looked around the tent. “It seems wrong somehow to leave this here. It’s become home.”
He set her on her feet, but he didn’t let her out of his arms. “It only seems like home because we’ve been here together. Home is wherever we are. Remember that.”
Belle laid her head on his chest and breathed in his manly scent. “You’re right. But when we leave, why don’t we tell Jonah up the way? He’s been a good neighbor, keeping an eye on the camp whenever we go to town.”
“All right. We’ll start working toward getting out of here in the next two weeks. I’ll go talk to Jonah and see if he’s interested.”
“If he’s not interested, have him come look at what we’re leaving. He’ll change his mind right quick.”
Seth chuckled and tipped up her chin before kissing her. “All right, maybe I’ll ask him to supper. What are we having?”
“Elk steak with gravy, rice, and I’ll make fresh biscuits.”
“That should be enough to entice him.”
She stepped back and placed her hands on her hips. “I should hope so. Good thing we have the cots still. We can set one up and I’ll sit there so you and Jonah can talk. When I was still working for Kitty, I bought knitting needles and yarn. Something to keep me occupied late at night. Joe said he didn’t have much call for them, so he gave me a good deal.”
He frowned and shook his head. “I hate to have you sitting over there while we eat.”
“It’s better than having our guest sit there. Besides, I’ll be fine, or maybe you can see if Jonah has a chair he can bring, then we can all sit at the table.”
“Wait, I have a folding camp stool at the other claim. If it’s still there, I’ll get it before I go talk to Jonah.”
“That would be perfect. If it’s gone, ask him to bring his.”
“I will. Let’s get to work. The more we do now, the more we’ll have to cash out in two weeks.”
“Will we go to St. Louis from here?”
“Yes.”
I want to get back to civilization, but I like our home here, too. “I’m not looking forward to the trek, especially now.” She placed a hand on her belly.
Seth grinned. “We’ll have to see what we can do about that.”
She sighed. “Unfortunately, there isn’t much we can do about it. If we leave soon enough, we might make it back to San Francisco before the baby is born.”
Nothing in Heavenor on Earth would stop Seth from taking the sea route, known as the Rich Man’s Route, when they left Dawson City. It would be easiest if they managed to leave by mid-July. And since he could afford it, he wasn’t having Belle go through walking over the pass and on over to Skagway, in her condition. He realized in that instant he’d fallen in love with her. She was more than he’d ever expected to get in a wife.
She worked alongside him without complaint. They spent long hours talking and more hours just being with each other, playing cards or reading. The littlest things made her happy, like the wildflowers he’d given her.
Belle didn’t let the kidnapping get her down. But can she love me back, given her background? Can she trust me enough to give me her heart and not just her body?
Jonah Stark was comingfor supper, and Belle prepared the kind of meal that Jonah didn’t get very often, especially the dessert.
Arriving at a few minutes before six o’clock, Seth welcomed Jonah into their home.
Belle turned toward him. “Jonah, good to see you. I’m glad you could join us tonight.”
He came forward and took Belle’s hand, pressing a quick kiss on the top. “Thank you for inviting me, but I must confess to some confusion as to the source of the invitation.”
“Come sit.” Seth walked to the table.
Jonah had his own camp chair and brought it with him. It was a little lower than the chairs at the table, but Jonah was a big man and so it wouldn’t matter much. He’d still be at the proper height to enjoy his meal.
Belle continued with supper, but she listened to the conversation.
Seth held up his hands at chest height with his palms up. “Look, it’s like this. Belle and I are leaving in two weeks. Going to St. Louis. We won’t be returning and thought that you might want to move in here. The spring between our two claims is still giving gold if you’re interested. Not in great quantities, but a steady source of income, nonetheless.”
His eyes widened, his eyebrows lifted, and his mouth dropped open. He blinked a couple of times before his features settled. “You’re asking me to take over your claim?”
“In a word, yes. We’ll be leaving everything you see here, so you can just move in. I’ll give you the proper paperwork to file with the RCMB so they know who is supposed to live here. Are you interested?”
Jonah lifted one black brow. “In a word, yes.” He laughed. “This is the best deal I’ve ever made.”
Seth extended his right hand.
They shook.
Seth’s countenance shifted, and he grew serious. “You should know there are two bodies buried near the tree line. One is a claim jumper and the other is the man who kidnapped Belle.”
Jonah nodded. “I knew about the claim jumper. I saw what happened. It’s too bad he had such poor survival instincts.”
Seth nodded. “It is, but Belle couldn’t let him kill us. I was very proud of her for not panicking.”
Belle walked to the table and extended her hand, too. “I’m glad you will be here. You should be more comfortable over the winter than you were before. You’ll have two mattresses, if you need them and extra blankets to keep you cozy as a bug in a rug.”
Jonah shook it. “This is turning out to be the best year I’ll ever have here. I’ve barely scraped enough gold out of my claim to keep going, so I’ll be glad of the yellow flake from the spring. I’ve seen you two working it on a daily basis. You rarely go into the river anymore.”
“That’s true,” Seth nodded. “And we’ll continue to do that while we’re here. If you come tomorrow or the next day, I’ll show you the spring and you can decide if it’s worth your time.”
Belle returned to the stove, lifted the lid on the rice to find it done, and then stirred the gravy. “Supper is ready.”
She moved the pot of rice and the skillet of gravy to the table. Then she put five thick steaks on a plate and set those on the table, followed by a plate of fresh biscuits. “I fried two steaks for each of you. I hope that’s enough.”
Jonah and Seth both stood as she came to the table.
Jonah held out her chair and then settled on his camp chair.
“I’m sure it will be plenty.” Seth passed the plate of steaks to Belle. “Ladies, first.”
“Why, thank you.” Belle forked a steak onto her plate, then took a large spoonful of rice and covered it all with gravy before snagging a biscuit.
Once all of them were served, they began to eat. Everyone was silent, concentrating on their meal for the first few bites.
“Don’t forget to leave room for dessert.” Belle dipped her biscuit into the savory gravy.
“This is the best meal I’ve had in I can’t remember when. Thank you for inviting me.” Jonah cut a piece of steak and popped it into his mouth.
“You’re welcome. We should have done it before,” said Belle. “So, Jonah, will you think about getting yourself hitched now that you have a place that can accommodate a woman?”
“Hadn’t planned that far ahead, but now that you mention it, I just might. This tent seems to be lucky for love to happen.”
Belle stared down at her plate, not wanting to face the look on Seth’s face since she knew he didn’t love her...yet. She was determined he would. It was just a matter of time.