A Bride for Noah Page 17
His manner, the way he did not meet her eye, said he was wary about her reaction to whatever he wanted to discuss.
Studying him carefully, she said, “Go on.”
“There’s some grumbling in the camp. The men who have returned to the cutting site are jealous of those still here.”
“Are they not doing the work they promised to do?”
“Oh, yes.” He gave a quick nod. “They’re working like mules, every one of them. But Arthur and I were trying to think of a way to keep their spirits up, so they’ll stop grumbling, and maybe even work faster.”
What did that have to do with her? She kept her silence, waiting for him to explain.
With the heel of his boot he ground grass into a mashed circle. “So we were thinking if the men could see you and the other ladies on a regular basis, they’d be happier. Like maybe at breakfast and supper.”
Wait. Was this the total reversal it sounded like? “Are you saying you want me to go ahead and open my restaurant now?” She shook her head. “Because that’s not possible. I have no tables, no benches.” She fixed an acerbic look on him. “No tomatoes.”
He stared at her for a moment, his expression incredulous, and then threw back his head. Laughter from deep in his chest filled the glade, drawing stares from the workers.
She frowned. “What’s so funny?”
“Do you realize we’ve switched positions? All along I’ve been insisting that the men would be distracted by the presence of ladies in the logging camp, and you’ve been insisting that you open your restaurant as soon as possible.”
The ludicrousness of the situation struck her, and she joined in with a chuckle.
He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped tears from his eyes. “Maybe we can meet in the middle this time. What I propose is to hire you and the other ladies to work with Cookee, preparing and serving meals for the men.” She started to interrupt, but he rushed on. “Only for the next two weeks, until the Leonesa arrives and we send this shipment on its way.”
“You mean in the cookhouse?” At his nod, she narrowed her eyes. “Have you spoken to Cookee about this? He doesn’t strike me as the kind of man who would tolerate anyone interfering with his cooking.”
“I have, and you’re right.” Again he failed to meet her eye. “He wants me to make sure you understand you’ll be taking orders from him and not the other way around.”
Not surprising. She could picture the little man stiffening and demanding that Noah make sure they understood he would be the boss.
She stepped in front of him and forced him to look her in the face. “Why the change of heart? I thought you were determined to keep us out of sight.”
“This happened.” He waved toward the building. “I’ve never seen men work like they’ve done, and they’re doing it because of you and the other ladies. I figured if they know they’ll see you a couple of times a day, that’ll keep them happy, at least for the time being. A happy man works harder than a grumbling one.”
His reasoning made perfect sense. Evie chewed on her lip, considering the proposal. The reality was she couldn’t open her restaurant until after this shipment was gone anyway. She’d already decided she owed her support to Arthur and Noah and the rest of the men in gratitude for the good turn they’d done her, and that meant staying out of their way until their job was finished. Besides, the alternative was to spend the next two weeks helping Miles capture and pickle salmon, a task for which she could not generate any enthusiasm.
Another thought occurred to her.
“How much will we get paid?”
“Not as much as Cookee.” He grinned. “But more than you’re making now.”
She had to laugh at that. Anything would be better than nothing. She could put her pay toward her first loan payment.
She extended a hand. “We’ll do it. Or at least I will, and I’ll speak to the others. I feel certain Ethel, Lucy, and Sarah will agree, but I don’t know about Louisa.”
When he clasped her hand, warmth enveloped her. A flutter started in her stomach. Releasing him after a quick shake, she turned away lest he see the emotions in her face.
“Oh, I doubt if Louisa will want to. She’s about to get some news that will keep her occupied for the next two weeks as well.”
Evie jerked back toward him and inspected the secretive grin on his face. “Oh?”
His head turned as he did a quick check of the area around them, and then he leaned toward her to speak in a low voice. “Can you keep a secret?”
“I am excellent at keeping secrets,” she assured him.
“A visitor arrived at the camp a little while ago. He came from Alki Point with a message for David. The Leonesa is bringing someone with her. A minister.”
Evie gave him a look full of questions, and then the meaning dawned. “A minister that can perform weddings?”
His grin broke free. “He and Louisa will finally be able to be married.”
Delight flooded her, and erupted on a giggle. Quickly, she covered her mouth with her hands and glanced around to make sure she hadn’t been heard. This would be a hard secret to keep. Hopefully David wouldn’t wait too long.
She caught sight of Sarah and her water pitcher. She was giving a drink to Big Dog while one of the Duwamish workers waited his turn. On the other side of the clearing Lucy loaded cedar shakes into a barrel, her eyes constantly straying to the men on the roof who watched her just as closely.
“Well, at least this arrangement at the cookhouse will solve one of the problems I’ve been worried about,” she told Noah.
“What’s that?”
With a sardonic laugh, she pointed. “I’ve been wondering how in the world I was going to keep the girls away from the men.”
“I’m getting married!”
Louisa’s eyes sparkled with a joy that went soul-deep. Watching her dance around the cabin, her skirts twirling and her hair flying out behind her, Evie’s eyes filled with tears on her friend’s behalf. Thank goodness she didn’t need to keep her secret for long. David had arrived at the cabin shortly after supper and asked Louisa to take a walk with him. She’d returned floating on a cloud.
The two little girls danced with their aunt, giggling and spinning with glee. Lucy and Ethel wore giant grins, and Sarah could not contain herself, but jumped in place, clapping her hands.
Only Mary seemed unruffled by the news. “Long past time, if you ask me.” But her lips twitched and she bounced baby Rolland on her knee with enthusiasm.
Louisa’s delighted laugh filled the cabin. “True enough, but that was hardly David’s fault. After all, there’s been no minister to perform the ceremony.” She clasped her hands beneath her chin, eyes shining. “Just think. In only two weeks I’ll no longer only be David’s Sweetbriar girl. I’ll be his Sweetbriar bride.”
Mary stood up and went to the stove to stir the stew. Evie took baby Rolland and settled him on her hip. “I’ve heard him call you Sweetbriar and wondered where the name came from.”
“I’ll show you.”
She climbed the ladder to the loft, reappearing a moment later with a small pouch. Opening the drawstring, she carefully poured some of the contents into her hand. The others crowded around to look.
“They’re seeds,” said Evie.
Louisa nodded. “Sweetbriar seeds. Back in Cherry Grove, my dearest friend from childhood had a beautiful flower garden full of sweetbriar. When we left, we gathered these seeds together, and I told her I would plant them in my own garden one day.” She carefully poured the seeds back into the pouch and cinched the string closed. “David promised me that one day he would build me a home with a garden where I could plant them. That’s when he started calling me his Sweetbriar girl.”
Sarah heaved a sentimental sigh. “I hope someday a handsome man will have a sweet name like that for me.”
Ethel turned a sour look her way. “The way you’ve behaved around those men the past week, it’ll be something tart instead.”
“I just thought of something.” Lucy rushed to grab her sister’s hands. “If there’s going to be a preacher here, maybe he can marry more than one couple.”
At the stove, Mary turned. “Picked out a husband so quickly, have you?”
“Not yet,” Lucy informed her. “But we have two whole weeks.”
This time Evie didn’t bother hiding her amusement, but laughed openly. “You do seem to have plenty to choose from, I’ll say that. But I’d be careful if I were you.”
“She’s right,” Louisa advised. “You don’t want to end up married to a man you don’t know. Why, he might turn out to be horrid, and then where would you be?”
Neither Lucy nor Sarah seemed convinced. They exchanged secretive smiles and said nothing. Evie hoped the men would have more sense than these two, or else they might have a disaster on their hands.
“In the meantime, we have a wedding to plan.” Evie switched the baby to her other hip. “Maybe we could have it at the restaurant. I expect everyone will want to come, and there’s plenty of room there.”
Louisa turned a grateful smile on her, and then jerked upright. “Oh. I nearly forgot. David gave me a message for you. Chief Seattle came to the cutting site today and asked him to make sure everyone who worked on the building is there the day after tomorrow at sunset.”
Evie had not seen the chief since his visit the previous week. “I wonder why?”
“Apparently he has some sort of speech to make.” She shrugged. “Like a dedication, maybe?”
Evie hadn’t considered a dedication ceremony, especially not before the restaurant opened. But if Chief Seattle wanted to make a speech, he was certainly entitled. His people had worked as hard as the lumberjacks, and friendships had developed between the Duwamish and the white settlers.
“I think the men will finish with the shakes on the second floor roof tomorrow, so we’ll be able to move in.” She included Ethel and the sisters with a glance. “It will be a dedication of our new home as well as the restaurant.”
Margaret ran over to tug at Mary’s skirt. “Can we go, Mama?”
Louisa Catherine added, “Please?”
Mary looked at Evie with a silent question.
“We’ll have plenty of room, if you don’t mind cots and pallets on the floor,” she said.
Mary smiled at her girls. “I think we can manage that for one night.”
Their excited cheers pierced the air, startling baby Rolland and making him cry. Mary hurried over to take him from Evie and soothe him. When she spoke to her girls, she was once again all business, a trait that reminded Evie strongly of her husband. “That’s enough now. Go up and get your nightdresses on. It’s time for bed.”
As the girls scampered up the ladder, Evie realized she was looking forward to Chief Seattle’s visit. It was a fitting way to end the construction phase and move on to the next. The following morning, she and the other ladies would begin working with Cookee.
Evie smoothed the blanket over her cot and gave it a final pat. Standing back, she examined her new bedroom. The cot looked pathetically small, and the room ridiculously huge and empty. The only other furnishing was her trunk, which Big Dog had hauled up the ladder for her. She’d positioned it beside her cot to use as a nightstand until she could commission one to be made, along with a proper bed.
A memory rose in her mind. Not too long ago she had stood looking at her room in Mrs. Browning’s boardinghouse. That morning she’d been saying goodbye, and not only to an empty room. She’d bid farewell to Chattanooga, the town of her birth and childhood. To James and the life they’d planned. But this evening she was greeting a new life, one she could never have imagined. One with a lot of empty places still yet to be filled. If she were to make a list entitled Things I Will Accomplish in My Life, there would be many blank lines. Evie did not like blank lines on her lists.
Ethel appeared in the doorway. “Now, that looks just fine for the time being.”
Thrusting away her disturbing thoughts, Evie dusted her hands on her apron. “It will do for now. Are you girls settled in?”
“Not much settling to do, but what there is, is done.”
Chuckling, she led Evie through the doorway into the outer room where three cots had been set up. This room would one day be her main living area, but without furnishings there was no use for it. Ethel had insisted that the three sleep there and leave the bedroom for Evie, since it would be hers permanently.
“Where are the others?” Evie asked.
She waved a hand vaguely toward the window. “Some men fetched down cots for Mary and Louisa and the kids to use tonight, and you know Sarah and Lucy.” Her thick eyebrows waggled. “If there are men around, that’s where you’ll find them.”
“Tonight they can flirt to their hearts’ content. This is a celebration, after all. The work starts tomorrow.”
“You think they won’t flirt then too?” Ethel blew a rude noise through her lips.
Laughing, Evie descended the ladder and went outside. The area around the restaurant was already alive with activity. Men had clustered around Lucy and Sarah, who were holding court like princesses and looked completely happy to do so. Margaret and Louisa Catherine ran around the area, watched closely by Mary. Evie noted with surprise that Arthur stood near his wife, holding baby Rolland. He’d taken time to attend the celebration. On the far end of the glade Louisa and David strolled arm in arm, their heads together. The sight of the happy couple brought a smile to her face.
“Good evening, Miss Lawrence,” said a familiar voice close to her ear.
She whirled to find Noah standing behind her. Flustered, she took a backward step. “You startled me.”
“I’m sorry.” He grinned, belying his words. “The men have something for you.”
She realized that every lumberjack in the area had begun to converge on her. They gathered before her, grins on every face.
“For me?” She put a hand self-consciously to her collarbone. “Why?”
George answered. “On account of we want to celebrate your new digs here.”
“But you did all the work.” She held her hands out to encompass the entire group. “I should be giving you gifts, not the other way around.”
Squinty stepped forward, his hat in his hands and his balding head looking like it had been recently scrubbed. “Ma’am, you and the other ladies gave us a gift jest by comin’ here.”
“This is sort of a welcomin’ present,” added George, and then raised his head and shouted. “Bring it here, boys.”
Big Dog and Mills came around the corner of the cabin, each holding one end of a long, sturdy table. On the surface rested a metal pitcher she recognized from the cookhouse, filled with wildflowers. Evie stared, speechless, as they carried the table toward her and set it down carefully so as not to unbalance the pitcher.
Squinty gave the surface a proprietary pat. “We all had a go at it, building and sanding and such. Been working on it nights.”
“It’s not as nice as the ones you’ll want for your restaurant, but we figured every kitchen needs a work table.” Big Dog slapped a huge hand on the surface. “You won’t find one sturdier than this.”
Evie moved toward it slowly, hardly able to believe her eyes. True, it did not gleam like the highly polished table in the Coffinger’s dining room back in Tennessee, but the surface was wide and sanded smooth. The swirling design in the wood was lovelier than any she had ever seen. The legs were solid blocks of wood, also smoothed and leveled. That was all she could see, because her vision blurred and her eyes swam with tears.
“I…” She choked, and then turned a tearful gaze on all the men. “I don’t know how to thank you. I’ve never seen anything more perfect in my life.”
Her reward was grins all the way around as the men slapped each other on the back and congratulated one another on a job well done.
The sound of a beating drum rose
above their voices, and Noah, who’d been standing to one side while the men presented their gift, said, “Sounds like Chief Seattle has arrived.” He looked toward the western horizon, where the sun had sunk behind the trees a moment before. “Exactly on time.”
Evie ran her hand over the beautiful table once more, and then hastily dried her eyes and turned to watch the path in time to see the chief’s entrance.
He wore a headdress of leather and bark, decorated with feathers that trailed down his back. Miles strode along beside him, his chest puffed with self-importance. They were accompanied by six Duwamish men, five carrying stone tools and one beating on a large drum.
“Over there.” Miles pointed at an open area on one side of the glade and the natives proceeded to that spot. He searched the assembled faces, smiling when he caught sight of Arthur. With a hand, he waved him over. “We’ll be seated beside Seattle, you, and David and Noah.” His gaze fell on Evie. “You too, my dear. And the rest of you can gather round.”
Noah slid a hand beneath Evie’s arm and guided her toward the area where four of the Duwamish men had begun to clear a wide circle of grass.
“What is going on?” she whispered.
Eyebrows arched high, Noah shook his head. “I have no idea. All David told us was that the Chief wanted to present us with a gift and say a few words.” He grinned. “That’s why the men wanted to give you the table they’ve been working on tonight. They didn’t want to be outdone.”
“Gift?” Evie gave him a worried look. “We should give them gifts in return, don’t you think?”
“He said not to worry about it,” Noah whispered, but then they arrived beside Miles and Seattle.
The circle was completed quickly, and the chief lowered himself gracefully to the ground. Miles indicated that the others should do the same, and took a place on Seattle’s right. Evie and Noah shared a quick glance, full of humor. Miles had certainly endeared himself to the Duwamish leader.
Noah helped her to the ground. Modesty demanded that she not sit cross-legged, as the men did, so she folded her legs to the side as she would at a picnic. When Evie had settled her skirts around her legs, she looked up to find Chief Seattle watching her. His perpetually solemn expression softened with a brief smile and he dipped his head. Feeling as though she had been honored, Evie nodded in return.