A Bride for Noah Read online

  She shook her head. “I don’t have any money.”

  “Not yet. But once you’re able to open, you will.”

  Her lips twisted into a sideways grimace. “And if you’ll remember, I have a loan to repay, thanks to your uncle.”

  That was true. But the fact was Noah had paid nothing for the land beyond registering the claim. That had taken the last of his inheritance, what had been left him after the disastrous arrangement with Sallie.

  Sallie. The thought sobered him. He’d forgotten for a moment that the last time he entered into a financial arrangement with a woman, it had cost him nearly every cent he owned. Even worse, the encounter left scars that no one could see, but which haunted his dreams.

  On the other hand, this venture wouldn’t cost him anything. If Evie was right in her analysis of the town’s future—and he felt a growing confidence in her predictions—he stood to gain a lot when her restaurant became profitable.

  Plus, she would be indebted to him in the meantime. He’d have the right to insist that she abide by the rules he had already outlined. No contact with the logging crew until their contract was fulfilled.

  He became aware that she watched him as though attempting to read his thoughts. Straightening, he cleared his expression. “What if I agreed to defer lease payments until after your loan is repaid?”

  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.”

  But Evie shook her head. “I won’t agree to that. He doesn’t know the language like you do. We need someone who can be specific about what we want. I can’t afford to lose another thing.”

  The sound of boots approaching alerted Noah to Arthur’s presence. A similar pounding began behind his eyes.

  At least when Arthur greeted the ladies he wore a civil smile, which disappeared when he turned to Noah. “What’s going on here?”

  Briefly, Noah explained the situation, though he could not manage to look the man in the eye. He’d intended to tell Arthur about his arrangement with Evie, but there had been no time.

  Arthur’s immediate answer surprised him. “Go. Do it now.”

  Noah jerked his head toward the man. “What? But what about—”

  With a chopping motion, Arthur cut him off. “We can’t afford any more interruptions. The quicker you get this resolved, the quicker you can get back to work.” He turned a pointed look on Evie. “May I assume once this is settled, we won’t have the pleasure of your company here at the cutting site anymore?”

  She had the grace to look embarrassed, and lowered her eyes. “Yes, sir.”

  “Good.” With a hard stare at his brother, he stomped off, shouting orders at the men to keep working.

  Noah heaved a sigh. Just when he thought things were looking up. He ignored the triumphant grin Evie awarded Louisa, but the familiar irritation erupted, like an itch that he couldn’t scratch. Even when that woman was getting what she wanted she wasn’t content, but insisted on pushing him. Maybe this partnership wasn’t such a good idea after all.

  Twelve

  Evie paced the length of the log boundary that had been laid across the front of the building site. The six Duwamish tribesmen who had worked industriously for the past three days stood in a row to one side, watching. They had removed every stump the ladies left, along with every blade of grass. The soil beneath what would soon become her restaurant’s floor was flat and clear of foliage.

  In the corner of the clearing, Ethel, Louisa, and Lucy knelt in the grass beside two Indian women, who were telling them with many gestures and demonstrations how to weave the wooden mats that would cover the dirt floor once the walls were in place. Sarah sat nearby, busy with a needle and thread. Finally, Evie had found work that the girl not only enjoyed, but at which she excelled. They might not be able to afford glass, but the restaurant would have nice curtains fluttering in the windows—when it didn’t rain.

  She reached the end of the log. Nine and a half paces only. Facing her workmen, she pointed to the log. “It’s too short.”

  They returned her stare with blank ones. A quick glance in Miles’s direction showed her he had fallen asleep in the shade. Apparently his “supervising” duties were proving too taxing for him. She considered stepping over to wake him with a kick to the boots so he could attempt to make them understand, but decided not to. Some tasks were easier to handle without him.

  She pointed again to the log. “Too short.” Holding her hands far apart, she nodded as though satisfied. Then she moved one hand inward to shorten the space between them, frowned, and shook her head.

  The Duwamish were masters at concealing their thoughts behind blank expressions. She was never sure what they thought, except when they broke their normal reserve and laughed, usually when watching her attempt a task at which she was inept.

  “It needs to be longer.” With an exaggerated step, she planted her foot a half-pace beyond the edge of the log and pointed at the ground.

 
They exchanged glances between them, and then two came to her side. They stooped and grabbed the end of the log and pulled it to the place she pointed.

  “Oh.” Evie walked to the gap in the center, where the log had been cut in half. The opening, which would become the front door, was wider than most doors to which she was accustomed, but not extraordinarily so. In fact, she liked having a bigger door. It would give her restaurant a more welcoming feel.

  She lifted a smile to the pair, and nodded happily. “That works.”

  At a sound from behind, she turned. One of the first tasks she had assigned was the clearing of a path from the main trail. Though she regretted the loss of one of the bushy fir trees that had stood guard over this clearing, an open path would be necessary for her customers to find her restaurant. In the meantime it gave her a clear view of any visitors who approached from that side. There hadn’t been many, mostly curious Indians who came to watch their fellow tribesmen at work. Occasionally Noah had appeared, ostensibly to check on their progress, though she suspected his visits were preemptive in nature, designed to keep her and the others away from the logging camp.

  Since he had not yet checked in today, she half-expected to see him enter the clearing and was therefore surprised when she recognized the visitor.

  “Chief Seattle.”

  Miles proved that he had only been pretending to sleep by leaping up from the ground and rushing toward the newcomer. “Welcome, my friend. Come to check on the work? Here, let me show you what we’ve done.”

  Evie caught Louisa’s eye and rolled hers toward the sky, which made her friend giggle. The chief joined Miles and together they strolled across the grass. He awarded her a nod of acknowledgment and then completed a slow circuit of the cleared area, with Miles chattering the entire time.

  “Here we’ve left plenty of room for storage, and back there we’ll put a wood shed so we can always be certain of dry fuel for the stove.” He raised his hands and sketched a pitched roof in the air. “And above, we’ll have a second floor where the ladies will live.”