On Ice (5 page)

Rene shivered thinking how much pain Mark's smaller, well-manicured hands could inflict. What damage could these big paws do?

“
Are you cold?” Brett pushed the heater up a notch.

“
A little.” She noticed that Seth had also fallen asleep, leaning against Sara for support. “Wow! The kids are exhausted.”

“
You probably are, too. You should get to bed as soon as you can.”

He turned off the main highway and onto another well-traveled road. They had been climbing all the time and now turned onto an unpaved road, barely wide enough for two cars to pass. Soon the town came into view. The buildings were mostly one-story and looked as though they had been there a long time. A few empty structures were intermingled, but most businesses appeared to be thriving. Brett drove through town and pulled off of the rocky, rutted road onto a path that looked relatively unused. Pine trees formed a canopy overhead and the dense shade was restful rather than threatening. The needles they dropped formed a blanket for the noisy tires, crunching softly underneath. The road curved around to the right and in the middle of a clearing, Rene got her first look at their new home. A log cabin with a steeply pitched roof nestled among the pines. It had a covered porch along the front and some sort of outbuildings in the back.

“
How quaint!” Rene clasped her hands in delight. “It looks like a doll house.”

“
I'm delighted you think it's quaint,” Brett said in a flat voice. She looked to see if he was rolling his eyes up in his head.

“
I. . . I just mean that it's really—” She faltered.

“
I know,” Brett said. “Quaint.”

Rene wondered if she would ever be able to say something to this man that didn't make her feel like a brainless female totally out of her element.

~*~

Maddy and the girls deplaned in Edinburgh, Scotland amidst a steady drizzle.

“
Look, there’s Daddy!” Genna said.

“
Daddy!” Miranda shrieked, running to his outstretched arms.

Ted scooped her up, enveloping Maddy and Genna in his other arm. “What a long couple of days this has been! I hope you’ve all missed me as much as I’ve missed you.”

“
Oh, Ted!” Maddy kissed and hugged him fiercely. “I tossed and turned all night. Your arms are the best pillow in the world.”

“
I didn’t sleep either,” he confessed. He peered at her through his glasses that had slipped to the end of his nose. “You are indeed habit-forming, my dearest bride.”

Maddy blinked back tears as she smoothed his thinning, wind-ruffled hair. “I’m such a lucky woman!” She thought of Rene and gave him another kiss.

“
Please, Mom,” Genna protested. “People are looking.”

“
True,” she said, glancing at the onlookers. “We don’t want to shock these proper folks. Let’s get the luggage and begin our vacation.”

~*~

CHAPTER FOUR

Stepping out of the vehicle, Rene heard the sound of rushing water. The air smelled clean and crisp, scented with pine and wood smoke. A thin curl of white wisped from the cabin’s chimney to etch a line of contrast against the blue of the sky. Inhaling deeply, Rene looked around the clearing. She hadn’t realized there were so many shades of green, some almost blue.

“Mrs. Jolly thought a fire in the grate would be a welcome for you.” Brett started hoisting bags from the back. “She made me lay it before I left, but she must have decided to light it for you.”

“Please thank her for me,” she said. Smiling widely, she tried to arouse the sleeping children. She carried Sara, but Seth was eager to explore his new home.

“Hey! This is great!” He scrambled out and seemed to have regained his usual good humor.

Brett pushed the door open and dumped the first load of bags inside.

Rene climbed onto the porch, turning to admire the view. Tall trees ringed the clearing with snow-capped peaks showing beyond. The air was cool and aromatic, perfumed with the mingled scent of pine and cedar.

It was almost cold in the shade. She entered the cabin to get Sara into the warmth. The sofa looked as though it had been made by hand, its large cushions covered in brightly woven wool topping a rugged wooden base. The end tables appeared to be made by the same hand.

Rene put Sara on the sofa and turned around several times to take it all in. The interior of the cabin walls had some sort of plaster generously applied between the logs. The ceiling rose sharply and a wooden ladder tied with leather strips led to a loft. Seth quickly climbed to the top of the ladder and peeked over the edge of the loft

“It isn’t too bad here. The cabin was built on high ground and the roof has a steep pitch. It mostly falls off the roof but it can get pretty deep on the ground.”

“So, what happens when you escape to the roof and all around there’s snow? You can’t exactly pop over to the neighboring cabin to borrow a blowtorch.” She wondered if it was too late to run away to Tahiti instead.

“No, but you can be air lifted out in an emergency. Mostly, folks stay home. They plan for what they’re going to do when they can’t get out.” Brett had unloaded their bags and was looking around the cabin. “You know, ladies make quilts and bake and we have a fair number of poets and painters and wood carvers.”

“So, when it snows people do arts and crafts?” Rene struggled to understand the mind-set of the inhabitants.

“Sort of” He was openly grinning now. “Look, Miz Nichols, people come here because they like the wilderness. Don’t like cities and crowds and smog. They like the snow. We actually look forward to the first snowfall. Hard as this may be to understand, people who live in Alaska aren’t being held prisoner.”

“I--I understand,” she said, though she didn’t.

“I hope so, Miz Nichols, because we’ve been without a teacher for the past few months, and I don’t want to disappoint these people.” Brett fixed her with his penetrating glare. “If you’re going to let us down, do it now.”

“No,” Rene said. “I’m not planning to let you down. I’m just trying to get acquainted with---with things.”

“I’ll leave you to get settled in, then,” he said. “Tomorrow we’ll sign that contract, if you’re still interested.”

Rene stood with her mouth open. As she stared after his retreating form, a hundred possible retorts came to mind. She heard him slam the door of the Hummer and start the motor. Walking out onto the porch, she raised her hand in a silent salute. Though he drove away unhearing, she yelled after him, “I’ll still be interested, Mr. Brett LeCroix, because we have no place else to go.”

Rene and Seth explored the interior of the cabin as Sara napped on the sofa. The fireplace wall was constructed of native stone and rose all the way up to the high peaked roof. It looked as though the ceiling had been used for some sort of storage as heavy iron hooks still hung from the crossbeams. The loft was at the opposite end of the cabin. Kitchen appliances lined up along the back wall and a small bar separated it from the dining area. The sofa where Sara slept faced the fireplace and sat atop a large wool rug, hand-woven in once-bright colors.

“What do you think, Seth?” Rene asked.

“It’s--different,” he said, “but it’s cool, Mom. I like the loft.”

“I hope you and Sara don’t fall out of it.” She looked at the height of the loft. “There’s no railing and it must be at least---” She paused, judging how high it stood over her head. “It’s at least seven or eight feet off this hard wooden floor.”

“We’ll be okay. I won’t let Sara fall.”

“And where am I to sleep?”

“Right here.” Seth darted to the darkened area under the loft, where he pushed aside a pair of hand-woven blankets hanging from curtain rods attached to the low ceiling.

Rene pushed in behind Seth. There was a bed made of tree branches tied together and covered with a patchwork quilt. A small bureau held a lamp and a well-worn Bible, and a bearskin served as a rug beside the bed. There was a small curtainless window by the bed. The whole thing seemed rather cozy, however primitive.

“Look at this bear skin!” Seth said, dropping to his knees. “It’s so cool!”

“I don’t suppose the bear thought so.” She dragged the blanket-curtains back to allow more light in this niche. “I guess it will do just fine. Wait a minute! I haven’t seen the---"

“Bathroom?” Seth asked. “It’s over there.” He pointed to one of two doors along the back wall of the cabin.

She almost ran to throw open both doors. The one closer to the corner contained all the modern conveniences and had obviously been added on recently. Its walls weren’t made of plastered logs and it appeared to be well insulated. There was a small gas heater set into the wall.

Relief washed through her. She blew out a deep breath and returned to the warmth of the main room.

The door in the middle of the back wall led out onto a porch. Rene stepped outside noticing a generous supply of wood was piled on one side of the long covered porch. An out-building stood a short distance from the cabin. Split rail steps descended to the worn path leading to it. Rene gripped the splintery handrail gingerly as she made her way down to the nearest building. She tried the door but it was padlocked. Standing on tiptoe, she peeked in the small window and saw that it contained a potter’s wheel, a large kiln and shelves with other craft materials. A skylight spilled more light over the interior.

“I wonder who this belongs to?” she asked aloud and then walked to the far side of the cabin. There was a silver tank containing some sort of fuel for heating and cooking, she supposed. Good to know she didn’t have to haul in wood for every purpose.

“I would never leave you.” Rene gathered the weeping child in her arms and settled herself onto the prickly sofa. “We’ve just been looking around. Tell her, Seth.”

“There’s a great place for us, Sara.” He was a master of distraction and once more worked his magic to lure Sara out of her misery.

“Really, Seffy?” Sara brightened at once. She brushed away her tears with the back of her hands. “Where? Show me.”

“I don’t know about this,” Rene said, a note of caution in her voice. Both children turned to face her. “I suppose we can look at it.” She set Sara on her feet and pulled herself out of the comfortable cushions.

“This way, Sara.” Seth clambered quickly up the ladder. Sara and Rene stood at the bottom, looking up. “C’mon, you guys.” He peered down at them.

Rene half pushed, half carried Sara up the ladder and crawled onto the floor of split logs that were rough on the underside, but had been shellacked on top. Woven rugs and animal skins covered most of the floor and hung on the walls. There was a dormer window cut into the roof facing the front of the house but it had a blanket nailed up to form a floor-to-ceiling curtain.

“I suppose all this is necessary for insulation in the winter.” Rene gestured to the hanging blankets, rugs and pelts. The double bed had layers of quilts and wool blankets. The small chest under the dormer also held bedding. “We’ll certainly be warm... I hope.”

“Mommy, I want down!” Sara looked frightened as she gripped Rene’s hand.

“Me too,” Rene said. They managed to creep down without incident. Seth tossed a couple of soft, old quilts down to Rene, who placed them on the sofa.

“You don’t know that.” Rene shook her head adamantly. “It’s too big a risk to take. You could get confused sleeping in a new place. I think we’ll all sleep down here tonight. You can bed down on the sofa”

“Aw, Mom!”

“Just for a while,” Rene said. “I’ll talk to Mr. LeCroix tomorrow and see if it can be made a little safer.”

She found the refrigerator and pantry full of food. Apparently, Mrs. Jolly, Brett’s housekeeper, knew a lot about children. They were well stocked on a lot of nutritious foodstuffs. Rene gave the children a snack of fruit and milk as she inspected the larder. A fresh home-made apple pie covered with a layer of foil sat on the counter and some sort of casserole had been placed in the refrigerator. Rene put the casserole dish in the oven and tried to figure out how to light it. There was a box of wooden matches beside the stove. Rene turned the knob for the oven and heard the sound of the spewing gas. She struck the match and squatted hurriedly, peering into the open cavern. A nauseating sulfur smell assailed her nostrils followed by a loud whump sound. The pilot light was lit and a row of blue flames danced brightly in the open holes. Startled, Rene shook out the match she was holding as the flame reached her fingers. Closing the door, she felt to see if the front of her hair had been singed. Soon the delicious aroma from the oven permeated all areas of the cabin.

Rene busied herself with unpacking and making lists of things they would need. She placed her clothing in the bureau by her bed and folded Sara’s things on top. Seth took his belongings up to the loft, stacking them on top of the blanket chest.