A Bride for Noah (22 page)

She narrowed her eyes. “Why would you do that?”

“Because I think you have a real chance of success,” he told her frankly. He then added with a smile, “And because I'll want a percentage of your profits in lieu of a set rental amount. If you make nothing, then you pay nothing. But when you make money, so do I.”

Her head tilted sideways and she fixed him with a suspicious look. “And?”

Drawing a breath, he spoke calmly. “And I insist on having equal say in decisions concerning the management of the establishment.”

She straightened, her features contorted. “That's…that's outrageous.”

“I think it's quite fair.” He held her gaze. “Regardless, those are my conditions.”

A struggle played across her face, and the corners of her lips drew down into a frown. Her eyes narrowed and opened and narrowed again. Noah returned her glare without blinking and held his placid smile in place.

Then her shoulders sagged. She drew in a long, loud breath and
expelled it before speaking. “Fine.” The familiar stubborn spark appeared in her eyes. “But your percentage is coming out of your uncle's share. And you can tell him I said so.”

When Noah headed back to camp, Evie returned to the cabin to find five women waiting for news. The girls had already been put to bed, but when they heard the door close they scrambled down, demanding to know where Uncle Noah had gone and why he didn't come in to say goodnight. Evie climbed the loft to settle them for the night, glad for a few moments to think about the arrangement she'd just made.

After a bedtime story that she'd pulled from the recesses of childhood memories, she climbed back down the ladder to discover that the cots had been laid out and her friends had changed into their nightdresses. Sarah and Lucy sat cross-legged on their cots while the others had taken seats at the small table in the corner, sipping mugs of tea in the candlelight. Mary rose and went to the stove to pour from her teapot into a sixth mug that sat in readiness on the surface.

“Well?” Louisa asked. “What did he say?”

Ethel set down her mug. “Was he very angry?”

“No.” Evie picked up the cotton nightdress that someone had thoughtfully laid across the bottom of her cot and began to unbutton her blouse. “Not angry at all. He was quite calm.”

Mary set the steaming mug on a stool near Evie's cot before returning to her chair. “Noah is always a gentleman.”

“I suppose we'll have to look for another location for the restaurant.” Louisa rubbed at her right shoulder with her left hand. “Though I hate to think all our work today was for naught.”

“Look on the bright side,” said Ethel. “At least now we know what we're doing. The next time the work will go faster.”

Sarah let out a loud moan and threw herself back on her cot. “I
can't do that again. If I'd known I would be forced to cut down trees I would have stayed in Tennessee.”

Her melodramatic outburst would normally have irritated Evie, but tonight she was too busy thinking. “Oh, we won't have to clear another place. Tomorrow we'll continue our work there.” She stepped behind the partition to remove her clothing.

“Do you mean Noah is giving you the land?” Mary's voice held a note of surprise.

“Not giving it to me.” Evie spoke in a whisper that would carry around the partition but hopefully not disturb Rolland, who slept soundly in his parents' bed. “Leasing it to me. We're going to be partners.” She slipped the nightdress over her head and returned to the main room to find Louisa grinning widely.

“Partners?” She clapped her hands. “This is wonderful. You'll have your restaurant
and
a handsome man hanging around every day.”

The implication was clear. Evie settled the last button, bent to pick up her tea, and fixed a stern look on Louisa over the rim of her cup. “We will be
business
partners, nothing else. He will be more like a landlord than anything, and not in evidence on a day-to-day basis.”

Though his insistence that he have equal say in management decisions worried her. She wouldn't have agreed to that condition except that she felt she had no choice. No doubt they would clash over many issues once the restaurant was up and running, but if he thought he would dictate to her, he would soon learn otherwise. She could hold her own, and intended to.

“So this means we're finished working?” A hopeful note sounded in Lucy's question.

Evie shook her head. “Of course not. We've cut down a few trees, but there's no restaurant in place. We have a lot of work still to do.”

“Evie.” Louisa set down her cup, for once her ready humor not in evidence. “Surely you don't expect us to build the restaurant by ourselves. We simply don't have the skill.”

“I'd hate to step inside any building we put up,” agreed Ethel, “for fear it would collapse on my head the first time the wind blows.”

“We won't have to.” Evie settled herself on her cot. “In fact, you don't even have to go back if you don't want.” She extended her leg and nudged Sarah's still-prone form. “Tomorrow I intend to put the next phase of my plan into place. I shall hire men to build the restaurant for me.”

Worry lines creased Mary's brow. “Arthur won't like that.”

“He won't mind.” She smiled to dispel the woman's concern. “I don't intend to hire his men. I shall hire Indians.”

Louisa's mouth dropped open. “Surely you aren't going back to the Duwamish camp.”

Truthfully, that had been her original plan, and the reason she had insisted on accompanying Noah yesterday—to discover the location of the camp. But one visit had been enough. She could not see herself marching into the village alone, or even with Miles at her side, and trying to converse with Chief Seattle. Not with an entire tribe of half-clothed natives circled around her.

“No, I'm not.” She took another sip from her mug and set it on the stool. “I'm going back to the clearing tomorrow to continue work. But first I'll pay a visit to the logging camp and assign that task to my new business partner.”

Sarah sat up on her cot. “To the logging camp? I'll go with you.”

Ethel let out a sardonic snort.

“What? We can't let her go alone. It's not safe.” Sarah cast a wide-eyed glance around the room. “Well, can we?”

Evie exchanged a grin with Louisa. Sarah was the most man-hungry girl she'd ever known.

She slipped beneath the blanket and settled it around her feet. “Then you'd better get to sleep. We'll leave at first light.”

Noah plied his ax with a newfound energy. Once again the sun shone in a clear blue sky. Maybe they had seen the last of the rain for a while. In the light of a beautiful day, with his lungs full of clear, fresh air and the sounds of busy men ringing in his ears, the future looked brighter than it had for a long time.

On his walk back to the camp last night, he had a lot of time to think. This logging contract had kept him so busy he hadn't spent much effort planning what he would do afterward. He was committed to this venture, and to Arthur Denny's plans for the new town. The plentiful resource the Oregon Territory offered—lumber—was the key to his success. Of that he was certain, and he fully intended to capitalize on it. But the past few months had taught him something. He did not want to be a lumberjack, not even to work his own land. The deal with Evie was a perfect opportunity. He had every confidence in her ability to make a success of her restaurant, and that would give him some breathing space to figure out his next venture.

And besides, he enjoyed the unaccustomed feeling of finally being in accord with her. It felt good.

Arthur strode into view around a tree blind, his head moving as he scanned the area. When he caught sight of Noah he tromped forward, his work boots covered with mud almost to the knee. Straightening, Noah put down his ax and waited.

“I've just come from the original cutting. You're right. The access is better, and there's enough lumber in the area to fill this order and hopefully several more.” In a rare display of joviality, he slapped Noah on the shoulder. “We'll start there tomorrow.”

A fresh wave of enthusiasm sent a confident smile to Noah's face. “We're going to get it done, Arthur.”

An answering smile started to form, but then Arthur's eyes focused on something behind Noah and a scowl appeared instead. “What are they doing here?” His gaze lowered and Noah found himself the full focus of the glare. “Again.”

Whirling, he saw the last thing he expected. Five ladies strolled up the work trail, their skirts swishing and their smiles wide. In the lead, Evie strode beside Uncle Miles.

Noah slapped a hand over his eyes. That woman was determined to plague him.

“I'll take care of it,” he told Arthur and moved toward them, determined to shoo them away quickly.

An eager call sounded from the trees. “It's the women!”

Behind him, Arthur's voice boomed through the site. “Do not stop work. Palmer, don't you dare come down out of that tree. You either, Mills. Any man who stops working will be docked a day's pay.”

Grumbles sounded from the treetops, and ahead of Noah the ladies' faces fell. All except Evie's. She didn't even slow, but kept up her determined pace, her gaze fixed on him.

Noah planted his feet in front of them, blocking their way. Behind Evie, Sarah rose on her tiptoes to see past him, wagging her fingers in the air.

Noah glared at Miles. “Didn't I ask you not to let them come here again?”

“But, my boy, they have an idea you must hear.”

David approached from one side and Louisa rushed toward him. Noah almost snapped at the young man to get back to work, but stopped himself. David was a Denny and had more at stake in this contract than he. Besides, being the boss's brother had its benefits.

Instead, he turned his scowl on Evie. “I thought we had an understanding. You are not to interfere with the men's work.”

David, with Louisa's arms still around his neck, said reluctantly, “He's right, Sweetbriar. Whenever you ladies show up, we lose work time.”

Evie showed no signs of contrition. “We won't be here long. I need you to do something.”

Miles interrupted. “Evangeline has the most splendid idea. We're
going to hire Duwamish villagers to build the restaurant. Isn't that brilliant?”

Noah frowned. “Duwamish? I don't know. I need time to think about it.”

“There's nothing to think about,” Evie insisted. “It's the perfect solution. My restaurant”—she corrected herself with a quick smile—“
our
restaurant will be built, and your work won't be disrupted.”

David gave him a skeptical look, and then spoke to Evie. “You've seen the Duwamish camp. Do you really want to erect that kind of building?”

“Not the portable ones, no. But we know they can make sturdier ones. They did for Chief Seattle.” Evie switched her gaze from David back to Noah. “We need you to talk to him for us.”

“I don't have time.” Noah spoke in a stern tone that left no room for argument. “Uncle Miles, you do it.”