A Bride for Noah Read online

  Ethel rolled her eyes. “That woman would find fault with the pearly gates themselves, and wouldn’t mind telling St. Peter about it, either.”

  “So she’s decided to bed down here, has she?” Arthur looked toward the restaurant. “I’m to convey Mary’s invitation to stay with us if she wants.”

  “Trust me, Mr. Denny.” Ethel shook her head. “You don’t want to inflict that woman on your poor wife and children.” She tilted her head, an idea stealing over her face. “Maybe we could send her in that direction, though, and don’t tell her about making noise to keep the bears away.”

  Evie stared at the building, trying to see through the opening in the curtains. “Is…anyone else here?”

  “No one. Once that woman started complaining, everyone left. They’re all up at the logging camp.” She scowled. “Where it’s quiet.”

  “That’s where I’m going, then.” Arthur turned a kind smile on Evie. “You’ll let me know if you need anything?”

  If she still possessed any unshed tears, they would have appeared then. Arthur had been unexpectedly compassionate when she sobbed the details of the encounter at the dock. While Louisa and Mary took turns hugging her and forcing honeyed tea on her in tangible offerings of comfort, he stood silently nearby, his expression kind and without a hint of judgment. After the tears ceased and she felt able to face the others, he offered to see her safely home. On the trail, he spoke only one piece of advice.

  “Noah is a good man, and he values the truth. Give him that, and I think all will be well.”

  She turned to him now. “Thank you for everything.” She hesitated. “If you happen to see him…”

  Smiling gently, Arthur shook his head. “I know better than to meddle in affairs of the heart. I have all I can do to handle my own. Some things you must do yourself.”

  With a nod toward Ethel and a final smile for Evie, he left.

  When they were alone, Ethel peered into Evie’s face. “Are you all right, then? We’ve been worried about you.”

  She drew in a long breath and let it out slowly. “I’ll be all right. One way or another.” She linked her arm through her friend’s. “Let’s get this over with.”

  When they entered the restaurant they found Mrs. Coffinger standing stiffly in front of Lucy, who appeared ready to cry. “I tell you, it’s impossible. You must make other arrangements immediately.”

  “That’s what I keep telling you, ma’am. There are no other arrangements.” The girl cast a silent plea for help toward Evie. “Tell her. She won’t believe me.”

  The sturdy woman turned and, when she caught sight of Evie, seemed to gain six inches in height. Perhaps it was just her neck, which stretched to its limit, her nose pointed skyward.

  “What doesn’t she believe, Lucy?” Evie was proud of her calm tone.

  “That the only bedrooms are up there.” She pointed toward the opening in the ceiling, where the ladder led to the second floor.

  “I will not climb that contraption like a baboon. Besides being undignified, it is most certainly unsafe.” Her generous bosom inflated, the very picture of offended dignity.

  Ethel folded her arms across her chest and matched her tone. “Then you can sleep on the hard ground, like you said in the first place.”

  “This is outrageous, I tell you.” She looked down her long nose at Evie just as one would inspect an insect. “And being forced to stay with a woman of tarnished reputation besides.”

  Had her emotions not exhausted themselves with tears, Evie’s temper might have flared. As it was, she was too tired to do more than shake her head. “I don’t know what you think, Mrs. Coffinger, but I assure you I do not, nor have I ever, entertained romantic notions about your husband. He and I have become business partners. That is why we came to Seattle.”

  “And we came with them.” Lucy stepped hastily across the floor to stand beside Evie and Ethel. “All the way from Chattanooga.”

  “Nothing inappropriate occurred on the entire journey,” Ethel said. “As we already told you.”

  “Hmm.” The woman’s eyes narrowed. “What about my money?”

  Evie held the woman’s eye without flinching. “I don’t know anything about that. Miles’s part of the bargain was to finance the venture. When we reached San Francisco, I discovered that he did not bring the necessary finances after all, and was forced to take a loan at the bank.”

  Ethel’s glare deepened. “And none of us have been paid a penny of what we were promised, either.”

  Mrs. Coffinger considered the explanation, her tightly twisted lips forming an almost invisible straight line. Evie wasn’t sure whether she believed them or not, and at the moment she found it hard to care. Where was Noah? Would he join the rest of them for dinner tonight?

  The woman broke her silence with a sniff and a question. “What is the nature of this business venture you mentioned?”

  Evie spread her hands. “This restaurant.”

  Generous gray brows arched over scornful eyes as Mrs. Coffinger examined the room. She reached out a finger and touched the table beside her, and then tilted her head sideways to see the rough bench beneath it. “If I’m to be the owner of this establishment, there are a lot of changes to be made.”

  Ethel’s mouth opened, and judging by her outraged expression she was about to voice her opinion of Mrs. Coffinger having any part of the restaurant. Evie stopped her with a raised hand. She had not the energy for an argument right now. Besides, her business partners needed to be present for a discussion involving ownership.

  Noah, where are you? Please let me explain.

  “Time enough for that when Miles returns. In the meantime, I can assure you that Lucy and Ethel have told the truth. Unless you want to sleep outdoors or in a tent in the logging camp, this is the only place to stay.” She nodded toward the ladder. “And that is the only way to get to the bedrooms.”

  Mrs. Coffinger’s sigh could have blown the curtains off the windows. “Very well. I suppose one must make do when one is penniless.” She marched to the ladder with a swish of her voluminous skirts and, with a look of pure distaste, began to climb.

  The back door opened as she disappeared through the opening in the ceiling. Evie’s hopes rose. Noah? They deflated when Cookee entered.

  “All I got to say is you gals better have a mighty good supper planned for tonight.” He threw himself onto a bench. “I ain’t feedin’ no visitors. Cookhouse’s closed till the logging starts up again.”

  “Visitors?” Evie looked to Ethel for an explanation.

  “A dozen or so of them came in on the ship. Men looking for logging work, mostly.”

  Lucy added, “Big Dog took them up to the camp, on account of we sure don’t have room for them.”

  A dozen men. They’d need to be fed, of course. And there was only one restaurant in town.

  She shook her head. “But we’re not even open for business yet.”

  Cookee planted an elbow on the table and dropped his chin into it. “I guess you are now.”

  Stomping from overhead drew her gaze toward the ceiling. Mrs. Coffinger’s face, full of outraged disbelief, appeared at the top of the ladder. “A cot? You can’t be serious. I won’t stand for it.”

  Evie sank onto a stump next to the door. No matter what Ethel said, she would not have the privilege of becoming Seattle’s first murderer. Evie intended to claim that title the moment Miles Coffinger set a boot onto that dock.

  Nineteen

  Evangeline, we really should talk about the future,” James said. “Won’t you walk with me after breakfast?”

  “Must I say it again?” Evie set a platter of flapjacks on the table with a clatter that caused eyebrows to rise all over the restaurant. “We have no future.”

  At supper last night James tried repeatedly to get her alone, insisting that she speak with him. Evie had neither the patience nor the strength to put up with him, either then or this morning after a sleepless night on Sarah’s cot, Mrs. Coffinger having c
laimed her bedroom. Noah did not come to supper, and no one knew where he’d gone. The where didn’t matter to Evie. It was the why that kept her awake—that and the ache in her heart.

  She plopped down a pot of warm molasses and turned away from James to return to the stove, but he stopped her by grasping her arm. “Your future, then.”

  With a pointed look at his hand, she asked, “Shall I call Big Dog?”

  So insistent had James been last night that Evie prevailed upon the giant lumberjack to “escort” him back to the logging camp.

  James removed his hand with haste. “You’ve certainly grown stubborn since leaving Tennessee.”

  Evie sniffed.

  Lucy, having finished her task of feeding the chickens, entered the restaurant through the back door. “You’d better get out there,” she told Evie. “She’s giving orders again.”

  Evie glanced at her breakfast customers. The restaurant was satisfyingly full this morning with hungry men who were eager to explore the area.

  “We’ll take care of things in here.” Ethel gave her a gentle shove. “You go make sure that woman doesn’t cause any harm.”

  With a grateful glance, Evie hurried out the back door. The sun was hidden behind clouds this morning, which cast a pallor over the grass and trees surrounding the glade. It seemed her gloom had spread to the sky.

  “That’s the ideal place.” Mrs. Coffinger pointed toward Evie’s bedroom window. “There’s plenty of room if you remove part of the wall.”

  “What?” Evie hurried over to where she and Big Dog stood, both gazing at the restaurant’s second floor. “Why would we need to remove a wall?”

  Mrs. Coffinger looked surprised that she would ask. “For the staircase, of course. You can’t expect me to continue to use that archaic ladder.”

  What Evie expected was for Mrs. Coffinger to go home to Tennessee shortly after Miles returned. Preferably in his company, and with James as well.

  Without waiting for an answer, the woman tapped Big Dog on the arm. “Now, Mr. Dog, if you begin today, how long do you think it will take?”

  Big Dog cast a questioning glance toward Evie, who gave her head a very subtle shake.

  He screwed up his face and made a show of examining the area in question. “Well, ma’am, first I gotta cut and split the wood, and that’ll take several days. Then I’ll have to take out part of that wall, like you said. Have to shore up the roof so it don’t collapse. Then building the steps.” He scratched his scalp. “I’d say three weeks ought to see the job done.”

  “Weeks?” Clearly, she had not expected that.

  “You don’t want the stairs to break down first time you walk up ’em, do you? We gotta do it right. And I can’t do it by myself. I’ll need to hire help, and that takes money—a lot of money.”

  Hiding a smile, Evie turned away. The matter could be safely left in Big Dog’s hands.

  Louisa stepped through the restaurant door. When she caught sight of Evie, she hurried forward with a hug.

  Evie returned the embrace. “I didn’t know you were coming today.”

  “When Arthur returned last night he was full of excitement about the shipload of men who want to move to Seattle. He was eager to show them around this morning, and I decided to come with him. I thought you might need help feeding them all.”

  More likely she wanted to check on her friend after the emotional scene of yesterday. Touched, Evie covered her hand and squeezed. “Thank you. Between Ethel, Lucy, and me, we’ve managed. But I’m always glad to see you. How about a cup of tea?”

  Louisa nodded, but when Evie moved toward the restaurant, stopped her. “I brought other news.” The eyes that looked into Evie’s were full of meaning.

  She held her breath. “About Noah?”

  “An Indian came to the cabin with a note from him last night. He’s staying in the Duwamish camp for a few days and says no one should worry about him.”

  Relief struck Evie a moment before anger displaced it. “A note to Arthur? How kind of him.”

  Louisa answered gently. “The note was not addressed to anyone. He knew Mary or I would tell you. I’m sure it was your mind he wanted to set at ease.”

  “Then why did he not send the messenger here?” Evie’s tone came out more bitter than she expected. She smiled to take away the sting. “I’m sorry. At least we know he is safe.”

  “Give him time.” Louisa hugged her again. “It will all come out all right in the end. You’ll see.”

  Evie was about to reply that she had no faith in a happy ending for her and Noah, but a shout reached them. “Ship in the bay!”

  Louisa clasped her hands beneath her chin, her eyes shining. “David has returned!”

  Another voice, this one heavy with a different meaning, answered. “And Miles with him.”

  Evie turned to see Mrs. Coffinger glaring in the direction of the dock. Judging from her searing expression, Miles would not enjoy as pleasant a welcome as David. Well, if the woman wished to do harm to her husband, she would have to stand in line behind Evie.

  The announcement of the ship’s arrival echoed through the Duwamish camp. Noah crawled out of the hut Chief Seattle had been kind enough to assign him to find the camp astir. Not the excitement the settlers exhibited at the same news, but the call was noted. A handful of braves gathered in the central area, preparing to go to the dock to observe the arrival of yet another of the white men’s ships.

  The chieftain exited his longhouse, his expression placid as he nodded permission. The men left, several with curious glances in Noah’s direction. Seattle watched their departure, and then approached Noah.

  “You do not welcome your friends on the ship?” he asked in his language.

  Noah did the translation in his mind. Though he wanted to hear David’s news of the lumber shipment, and would love to see the moment when Uncle Miles first saw Aunt Letitia, he knew Evie would be there. Maybe even with her fiancé at her side. He shook his head. “I will see them soon enough.”

  For a long moment the chief studied him. “I wish to see this ship. Come.”

  Without waiting for Noah’s reply, he strode through the camp. Had he followed his men in the direction of the dock, Noah might have refused to accompany him. But Seattle took a path in the opposite direction. He glided through the forest, his deerskin shoes making no sound and leaving no sign of his passage. Though Noah tried to so the same, the sound of his boots crunching through the leaf-covered ground were nearly as loud in his ears as Ethel’s tin plate and spoon.

  In five minutes’ time they reached a place where the land ended abruptly. The forest grew right up to the edge of a grassy overhang that looked down on Elliott Bay. Ten minutes’ hike to the left lay the settlement that bore the chief’s name, though outcroppings in the land hid the dock from view. The water today looked dark and murky in the absence of direct sunlight. To Noah’s right, a ship sailed in the bay, its bow pointed toward the unseen dock.

  Chief Seattle advanced to the very edge of the bluff, where he stood with his arms folded over his chest, watching the ship’s progress. Noah hung back, not confident of his balance on what might turn out to be soft soil. Or maybe he didn’t wish to be seen from the ship’s deck.

  It was the Commodore. Noah recognized her familiar lines and spotted David at the railing as she glided past. A few other men stood beside him, though no one that looked like Uncle Miles.

  The chief remained silent until her stern had passed. Then he spoke without turning. “Why are you sleeping in my village?”

  “I will leave if you want.”

  He did not reply, but waited for an answer to his question.

  Noah dislodged a half-buried twig with the toe of his boot. “I need a place to think. Sometimes white men talk so much we can’t hear our own thoughts. Your people aren’t like that.”

  The chief’s shoulders lifted with a silent laugh.

  “I guess I need guidance, and I can’t seem to get it there.” The words came from
Noah’s aching heart, from deep within the confusion of his thoughts. Would the Duwamish chief offer him wise advice? Noah sure didn’t have any of his own right now.

  Chief Seattle’s answer, when it came, surprised him. “Our God is your God.”

  “I know that,” he said quietly.

  “Then why do you think you will hear Him here, when you don’t listen to Him there?”

  Before Noah could come up with a response, the chief turned. Though his expression was as impassive as ever, kindness showed in the dark depths of his eyes. “You are welcome to stay as long as you need.”

  He left, moving as silently as before, but his words resonated in Noah’s soul long after he was gone.

  Evie and Louisa maneuvered themselves to the front of the group assembled on the beach as the Commodore put in to port. Mrs. Coffinger stood beside them with a glower dark enough to frighten away a pack of prowling wolves.

  “There he is.” Louisa bounced, her hand waving in the air. “David! Over here!”

  While the ropes were secured, Evie scanned the ship’s deck. No sign of Miles. How curious. Had he somehow gotten wind of his wife’s arrival in Seattle and decided not to return? If that were the case, she would personally assist Mrs. Coffinger in tracking him down so she could exact her revenge.

  David leaped from the ship before the gangway was secured and gathered Louisa in his arms. Then he turned to Arthur, who stood waiting nearby, and announced in a voice loud enough to be heard by all, “Success! We’ve been offered a standing contract for as much timber as we can produce.”

  A cheer went up from the watchers.

  Mrs. Coffinger surged forward and spoke in a voice that cut through the joyful shouts. “Young man, where is my husband?”

  While Louisa performed a hasty introduction, Evie joined them on the dock.

  “Yes, where is Miles?” she asked. “Did he arrange for my supplies? Did he pay the bank?”

  David gave them both an uncomfortable look. “Miles encountered a bit of trouble with his pickled salmon.”