Snow Angel (4 page)

* * *

ELIZABETH THOUGHT HIS silence meant he was angry. Aha, a chink in the armor. He wasn't fond of anyone messing with his kitchen. A strange chink, but maybe it would qualify. With a sigh she asked, “I suppose you were born knowing how to cook?”

Noah was looking at her as if he couldn't really make out this new side of her. He cleared his throat and responded hesitantly, “No, I've lived alone for a long time. A person learns to cook after doing it for years.” His ears were red.

“Well, I haven't been in a kitchen much, but I'm sure, someday, after years of practice, I'll be as competent as you.”

“Sure you will, but in the meantime if you would like me to show you some basics, I could.”

“OK.” She shrugged and smiled at him. “How long have you lived up here?”

“Seven years now. Came up from Montana in '90 to start a trading post with my friend, Will.” His eyes took on a faraway gleam. “My pa was a trader before he started ranching. He taught me everything he knew.”

“What made you decide to come to Alaska?” Suddenly she wanted to know everything about him.

He threw some fresh steaks into the pan as he talked, warming to the subject. “A friend of mine, Will Collins, came up first. We grew up together. When he got back to Montana we would sit around and talk about Alaska. Will couldn't wait to get back here. He said I would feel the same once I came here, and he was right. I scouted around Juneau for six months before I found this place. It was summertime. You wouldn't recognize
this valley in the summer, it's so different. Anyway, I was following Gold Creek. Usually I would go south and follow the road all the way to the Silver Bow Basin and Jumbo, the mine down that way. But that day I pushed east and found Granite Creek. I passed an amazing waterfall and then came into this lower basin. That's where this cabin is now. The valley and lower slope are covered with wildflowers and berries in the summer. It was perfect. I knew it was the place I'd been searching for. I can't imagine I'll ever leave. It's wild, unspoiled. It's home.” He paused and gazed out the open window to the mountains, and Elizabeth suddenly understood why the windows had no curtains.

“I guess the land has become a part of me, in my blood.” Looking suddenly sheepish, Noah snapped his attention back to the skillet on the stove.

Elizabeth felt herself drawn to him even more. She'd never met anyone so sincere, so passionate about something.

“I like it here, too,” she said softly.

Noah turned toward her with his piercing blue eyes and said, “But you like it for its gold.”

Elizabeth felt mesmerized by those eyes. Smiling deep into them, she said softly, “It's called ‘gold fever,' and I've had it for years. That's what is in my blood.”

* * *

You really pan for gold?”

“Sure. I've been mining since I was fourteen.” She paused, steel threading her next phrase. “I know I can do it if I can just get a claim.”

“And you plan on going to the Klondike?” Noah asked with his brows raised.

“Yes. I admit I haven't mined alone before, but I did my share of the work. I can pan and work a sluice or a rocker. I know how backbreaking it is. If I can get my hands on a decent claim, I'll hit pay dirt, I know I will.”

Noah sighed and gave her a patronizing grin. “OK, you're a miner. But do you have any idea the hardships on a trail like this one? There are mountains to traverse, lakes and rapids to cross. The Canadian Mounties won't let you into the Yukon Territory without a ton of supplies that you have to pack there on your own back. Horses and dogs can only help some of the way, and only if the weather is just right for them. I've heard one of the trails has become a horse graveyard, so many of them have slipped and fallen into the ravines along the way. The trail is a muddy ice bog in the spring, and with all that
melting snow, the rapids are so fast you can barely get a vessel down them with your life and supplies in tact. It's no place for a woman.”

Elizabeth pressed her lips together. “I'll have you know I've traveled from one end of the West to the other. I've crossed mountains, streams, and rivers, and I'm as capable as any man. You just watch me tackle that trail. Just … you … watch.”

Noah held up his hands in surrender, “Now don't go getting your feathers all ruffled. If you want to risk your fool neck, well then I guess there's nothing I can do about it. But it seems to me you still have one big problem: What are you going to do until the spring thaw?”

Elizabeth hadn't quite figured that out yet, but she wasn't about to let him know. “I'll get a job in Juneau. Wait if I have to.” She shrugged. “It will just take a little longer than I originally planned.”

Noah made a discouraging sound. “You'll be lucky to find a job with so many others in the same situation. Do you have enough money to hold you over and buy all the supplies needed for the journey?”

Elizabeth didn't. She only had what little she had been able to take from Ross, the investigator who even now might be in Alaska looking for her. After the ship's fare to Sitka, there wasn't much left for precious supplies. She did need a job, and she would have to save every cent she made. But she really didn't appreciate this line of questioning and attempted to change the subject, nodding toward the stove. “I may not be much of a cook, but doesn't that smoke coming off the pan mean it's done?” She raised her brows questioningly, as he had done earlier.

Noah quickly saved the second batch of deer steak. Cutting off a small piece for her, he put it on her plate alongside some beans and leftover sourdough biscuits from breakfast. He seemed deep in concentration, so Elizabeth kept quiet. She watched him give her a plate with carefully small portions and sit down across from her.

* * *

NOAH SAID A prayer of thanks, lifted his head, and took a bite. He chewed thoughtfully and watched Elizabeth, her big brown eyes still downcast, looking at her plate. She was the prettiest thing he'd ever seen, and she seemed to get prettier every day. But what was he going to do with her?

Elizabeth interrupted his musings by asking, “How much land do you own around here, Noah?”

Noah shrugged and answered, “About 160 acres.”

“So you own some land close to this Juneau gold mine, then?”

Noah nodded, “Yes, very close to it. My land starts at the head of Granite Creek and goes east and north up the slopes of Mount Juneau. I also own part of a big chunk of rock on Mount Olds. Why?”

She toyed with her food a moment and looked at him thoughtfully. “Have you ever prospected on your land? I heard Juneau had its own gold rush a few years ago.”

Noah nodded, chewing his food. “Yes, it did. Two fellows, Richard Harris and Joe Juneau, found gold on Gold Creek in 1880. But from what I heard, they really owed their success to a Tlingit chief named Kowee. I missed the rush that followed.
But I don't think it lasted long before all the placer mining was panned out and the lode mining began. Most of the gold around here was in hard rock. The big companies moved in with heavy equipment and set up mining camps like the Jumbo. It was destroyed by a snowslide in 1895. There's talk of rebuilding it, but I don't know that they will.” Noah shrugged. “Will wanted to start a trading post for the miners, and it didn't take much for him to convince me to join him in that venture. But to answer your question, no, I didn't prospect my land. Between lack of time and, I guess, lack of faith that any gold was there, I didn't give it much thought.” He frowned and took another bite. “Though I'll admit that with all the excitement of this new rush, I've begun to wonder …”

“Noah, you could be sitting on a fortune! Are there many creeks or streams on your land?”

Noah nodded. “Several. Granite Creek is the big one.”

Elizabeth shook her head in disbelief. “And you've never even checked them?”

He shrugged with one shoulder. “They were probably mined out during the rush. Besides, I don't know the first thing about gold mining.”

Elizabeth huffed. “Neither do most of the greenhorns who stampede. It doesn't take long to learn, though.” She cocked her head and smiled. “I could help you.”

The idea of hiring her as a prospector had already occurred to him, but the notion had its problems. For one thing, he didn't know if she was telling the truth about being a gold miner. He really needed an expert since he knew next to nothing about it. He wasn't sure he trusted her, either. It would be foolish to hire
someone he didn't trust, and yet … something about the idea appealed to him.

Trying not to show his excitement, he said, “We'd have to start in spring when the streams thaw out.”

Elizabeth shook her head. “I can't wait that long. All the good claims will be gone if I stay here. I need to leave for Dawson by first thaw.”

“Elizabeth, I hate to be the one to tell you, but all the good claims are already gone. They were gone a year ago.”

She bristled as he knew she would. “Then why are all those millionaires still getting off the ships in Seattle?”

“Those men panned that gold a year ago. In August, last year, three men discovered gold on Rabbit Creek. They renamed it Bonanza Creek and staked their claim. Word spread up here about the findings, but winter was just around the corner. When the Yukon River froze, it trapped the prospectors up there near Dawson. That's why it took so long for word to reach the outside. By the time Alaska began to be flooded with gold seekers, most of the good claims were gone.”

Elizabeth stood abruptly and walked away from the table. With her back to him she said, “I'll find a way. I always do.”

Noah sighed. He knew he was hurting her, but the thought of this fragile-looking woman taking on the man-eating northern trails and the Yukon River made his stomach lurch. Softly he said, “Elizabeth, you may know a lot about panning gold, but this is Alaska. The ground up there is frozen—not in inches but in
feet
. Maybe even miles. I heard the men in Dawson are building fires every night to thaw out a few feet of earth at a time. They have to dig it, haul it up with buckets, and then build another fire in the hole and do it all over again. In the
spring they'll have a ton of earth to wash. A ton. They have nothing better to do with their winter, stranded as they are, but I do. If we wait until spring thaw, we can check out all the streams on my land. It may take awhile, but who knows? We might find gold.”

She turned, eyes blazing. “Yes,
your
land. What kind of future am I supposed to make for myself prospecting for someone else? I need to strike it rich on my own.”

Noah motioned for the chair. “Elizabeth, please sit down and listen to me. You would be a partner, not just working for me.”

She ignored the chair, “What
exactly
would being your partner mean?”

Words and plans that he hadn't even let himself think through started pouring out of his mouth. “Come spring, we decide on a spot and you help me mine the land. I'll split any gold we find, say 40/60.”

“40/60? Why not 50/50?”

“I'll be providing the food and shelter. That should count for ten percent. It's a gamble, you see. You could end up paying a lot for food and board or next to nothing, depending on how much we find. What do you think?” Noah smiled broadly, knowing it was sound reasoning.

“What do I do until spring? You seem to have my future sewed up tight.”

She sounded so resentful, Noah had to suppress his smile. It was killing her to accept his offer. “Actually, I did have a thought on that, but only if you're agreeable to it.”

“Well?”

“In another week or so, when you're ready to travel, I'll take you down to Juneau to the trading post. With all the added business of the miners, I know Will and his wife would welcome the help this winter. Then, when spring thaw breaks, we'll pick our ground, set up camp, and if all goes well, maybe hire a man or two to help.”

Elizabeth closed her eyes briefly. When she opened them Noah could read the resignation, but she didn't like it. “Since I'm not in a position to bargain with you, Mr. Wesley, I will accept your offer, but I'd like to make one thing perfectly clear. This is a business partnership, nothing else.” She turned away from him and spoke toward the stove, “I'll have my own shelter.”

Noah's fist came down on the table, making the plates jump. “Confound it, woman! I—I wouldn't offer anything like that. You'd have your own, well, you know, shelter. You didn't really think I was … I mean, I might, but not unless we were married … that is … well, you know what I mean.” He broke off in frustration. “And don't call me ‘Mr. Wesley.' It's just plain Noah.”

Elizabeth had turned in shock when he began his tirade. Clamping her open jaw shut, she said, “OK. I just wanted to be clear on that.” Looking down at his empty plate she ventured, “I'll be glad to wash these dishes and do any other chores to help out while I am here.”

Noah was still flustered and it took him a moment to grasp the turn of topics. Too gruffly he asked, “Are you sure you're ready to be on your feet? I nearly froze my feet a couple of times and I know it takes some time to heal.”

“Oh, and I'm sure you just laid around the cabin for days while you were waiting for your feet to thaw, right?” she asked,
her head cocked to one side and a curtain of dark hair falling over one shoulder.

Noah answered with a shrug, “I guess not, but you're a woman.”

Elizabeth's lips pursed together. “And hardier than you think, which I will prove soon enough. But for now, I'll start with the dishes. At least let me help you while I'm here.”

Suddenly Noah understood. Her pride was at stake, and he couldn't say that in the same position he would feel any differently. Looking around the orderly cabin, he spied a basket under the bed and smiled. There was one household chore he could never get his hands adept at. “I'm not much at mending. Can you sew?”

Elizabeth nodded. “Yes, I can sew. What do you want made?”

Noah stood and walked to the bed. Bending down, he reached under the frame and pulled out a willow basket overflowing with all kinds of garments. He talked as he sorted through the pile. “Just some mending. I can't seem to fix holes, and they've kind of piled up over the last few years.” Glancing over his shoulder at her he added, his voice quieting a degree or two, not wanting to hurt her feelings, “You'll be needing some warmer clothes yourself, to see you through till spring.” He looked back down at the bed. “I have some nice furs you could use. You'll need them for the journey back to Juneau.”

He held his breath in the ensuing silence and then was relieved to hear, “That's very kind of you, thank you.” When he turned around, she had busied herself by pouring water from a porcelain pitcher into a pot to heat for dishwater.

Noah put one of his piles, the one with long underwear and other more personal items, back into the basket and stuffed it under the bed, leaving the other pile on top. “Well, just take your time on these things. I need to scout out some dinner, so I'll be gone for about an hour, going around the perimeter of the cabin checking for prints. I'll probably spend most of tomorrow further out, if the weather holds.” He smiled at her, trying to put her back at ease. He found he would rather see her spitting mad any day than see her humbled like this. It would be good to leave for a while and give her some breathing room. Shrugging into his coat, Noah had to check the sudden urge to kiss her on the forehead before he left. He shook his head slightly as he bent down to tie on his snowshoes. “I'll be back soon.” With a wave, he was out the door and shutting it tight behind him.

Walking to the barn to feed the animals, Noah smiled as he thought of Elizabeth. For such a little woman she sure had a lot of courage. She was really something. It hit him suddenly how much he would miss her when she left. He didn't want her to leave. He didn't want his life to go back to what would now seem lonely, almost desolate. Glancing up at the beamed roof of the barn Noah whispered, “I never thought I'd ask it, but … could You send another blizzard?”

* * *