A Bride for Noah Read online

  “Perhaps he means…” Noah fell silent when she turned those blistering eyes on him. He picked up his mug and took a long pull at his cider. Let Uncle Miles explain himself.

  Beside him, his uncle’s expression became solemn. “All right. I won’t patronize you.” His low, careful tone commanded the attention of both Noah and Evangeline. “The truth is I was unable to put my hands on all the money we needed before we left Chattanooga.”

  Evangeline’s jaw went slack. “But I thought you said you could provide the funding for my restaurant.”

  Noah glanced up. “What restaurant?”

  They both ignored him.

  “I did, and I have. Just this morning I concluded my business with the bank and have secured the funds we need. I had hoped to have the arrangement in place before now, but an investment of this sort requires multiple levels of approval.”

  Evangeline leaned across her teacup to hold his eyes. “Do you mean you borrowed the money? I thought you were the only investor, that the money was yours. You told me you were coming with me to ensure that the expenditure of your investment was handled correctly.”

  Uncle Miles shifted in his seat, his hand on the glass in front of him. “Yes, well, that didn’t work out as I had hoped. Some of my previous investments haven’t produced the anticipated income, and I found myself running short.”

  Now it was Noah’s turn to stare at his uncle. “You’ve run short of money?” Though Noah didn’t know details of his mother’s family fortune, he remembered from childhood visits the opulence of Uncle Miles and Aunt Letitia’s lifestyle. Miles’s inheritance from his father had been significant, and Mother had told him that Letitia’s dowry was considerable.

  “Of money to invest,” Uncle Miles corrected. “I could not, in all conscience, put at risk the amount it will take to establish a successful business in the wilderness from my personal funds.”

  Hot, angry blotches covered the creamy skin of Evangeline’s neck and face. “I thought you believed in this venture.”

  “Oh, I do,” Uncle Miles rushed to say. “And so does the bank manager, which is why he agreed to loan us the funds we need.”

  “Us?” Her voice, shrill with alarm, drew the attention of those at nearby tables.

  He frowned. “It’s your business too, my dear.”

  With an obvious effort she lowered her voice, though she could not look at him as she spoke. “Are you saying you borrowed money on my behalf, in my name?”

  “Of course. After all, we are partners in this venture, as you keep reminding me.”

  The flush on her face deepened to an alarming shade of purple, and her hand trembled. “Your role in our partnership was to provide the funding.” Her voice shook, and she clamped her teeth together for a moment before continuing. “If you have failed in that, then our partnership is no longer valid.”

  “Oh, my dear, of course it is. I have secured the necessary finances, just as I promised.”

  “Using my name,” she ground out.

  “Using our names.” He leaned back in his chair. “That was why the approval process took so long. The bank managers are not accustomed to loaning money to women.” His shoulders lifted in an apologetic shrug. “Without my assurances that I would personally oversee the venture and do all in my power to ensure its success, their answer would have been no.”

  The color in her cheeks faded, and her mouth opened and closed several times as she tried, and failed, to speak.

  Noah had listened silently long enough. He’d followed their conversation enough to draw a few conclusions, and he didn’t like what he heard.

  “Am I to understand that the two of you intend to open a restaurant at our settlement?”

  Evangeline tore her glare from Uncle Miles and turned it on him. “That is correct. At least, that was the plan before you stole half of the produce we need.”

  Noah ignored the accusation. Clearly she was upset and lashing out wherever she could find an easy target.

  “I think the idea has merit.” Uncle Miles’s finger traced the thick rim of his glass. “A new town needs trade to thrive.”

  “What town?” Noah shook his head. “You don’t understand. The settlement isn’t even a proper lumber camp. There are no buildings, no blacksmith, no general store. There is no place to put a restaurant.”

  Doubt darkened the round eyes across from him, but Uncle Miles dismissed him with a wave. “Not yet, but there will be. In your letter you spoke of your dreams to turn that camp into a proper settlement.” He slapped Noah on the shoulder with a large hand. “We believe in your dream, boy, and we’re prepared to invest in it.”

  Noah shook his head. “But a restaurant? The men eat for free. We provide their meals at the camp.”

  Now Evangeline’s jaw softened enough to speak. “And what does your cook make, Mr. Hughes? Beans and salt pork?” Her tone dripped scorn.

  “Actually, we have a pretty good cook at the camp.” He went easy on the praise because of late the men had grumbled about the number of meals consisting of beans and boiled venison.

  “I am better than pretty good.” She spoke with confidence.

  “And not only that,” put in Uncle Miles. “She’s a woman. And there are more coming with us.”

  Noah turned toward his uncle. “You brought women with you?”

  “Only three. Four, counting Evangeline. But that’s four more than you’ve got now. And all of them are unmarried.”

  She cast one more glare toward Uncle Miles and then turned a sweet smile on Noah. “Don’t you think the men would prefer a delicious home-cooked meal served by a woman to beans and salt pork around the campfire?”

  “We have a cook shack.”

  She sniffed. “Our restaurant will be more than a ‘shack’ and will allow the men a choice. I gather there aren’t a lot of choices in this camp?”

  Noah was forced to concede that she had a point. The men would probably flock to the establishment, and if the other women were as pretty as Evangeline they’d stampede to get there. Still, he had a bad feeling about this idea. What would Arthur say?

  He shook his head. “I still don’t think you understand. There is no town.”

  “You let us worry about that.” Uncle Miles picked up his glass and drained it. “We’ve clearly thought this through and arranged for everything.”

  “Everything except tomatoes, oranges, and peaches.” Evangeline aimed a scowl his way.

  Noah bit back a sigh. She may be an attractive woman, but he had a hunch she was going to continue her harangue about fruit all the way to Elliott Bay. The voyage was sure to be one big headache on a ship the size of the Commodore, where there would be no place to escape her. And three others like her?

  He’d rue the day he’d sent Miles and Leticia that Christmas card.

  He shook his head. Restaurant. At the logging site.

  Five

  June 15, 1852

  Elliott Bay, Oregon Territory

  Evie held on to the rail, her gaze fixed on the land as the ship skimmed the shoreline. Never had she seen anything so beautiful as this part of the Oregon Territory. The dense forest grew almost up to the riverbank, trees taller than any building and as big around as a dozen of the largest oaks back home. When they’d left the southern part of Elliott Bay and entered the Duwamish River, she had been unable to tear her eyes from the mountain peaks towering above the tree line in the distance. In Tennessee the mountains rolled with the landscape, their peaks smooth and tree-covered. These were steep, sharp, and majestic, their snow-capped peaks thrusting boldly toward heaven. She drew a deep breath into her lungs and tasted the difference in the air. Here it was cleaner, and so fresh with the scent of cedar that it was almost sweet on her tongue.

  “Look!” Beside her, Sarah pointed to a place on the shore far ahead of them. “Is that a pier?”

  Evie squinted through the misty drizzle that had begun an hour past. That brighter spot might be a clearing in the tree line, and the dark struc
ture in the river could be a pier.

  “I wouldn’t call it anything so grand as a pier.” Noah’s voice behind her made her start. She hadn’t realized he had joined them. Throughout the last leg of this journey he seemed to go out of his way to avoid her, and that was just fine. “A small dock is more like it. Just big enough to moor the ship and unload her cargo.”

  Ethel, who had dragged herself from her bunk to join them on deck, turned her head to answer. “I don’t care if it’s nothing more than a gangplank, so long as it gets me off this boat and onto dry land.”

  Evie awarded her a sympathetic smile. Though the journey had been smoother in the days since they left the open ocean, Ethel still suffered terribly from seasickness. Even now, when the ship’s deck was nearly as steady as a wagon on an even road and the river almost flat, her skin held a slightly green tint and her red-rimmed eyes were dull and watery. Not blessed with beauty to begin with, she looked truly dreadful. No doubt it would be several days before she recovered.

  A shout from the shore drew their attention.

  “Oh, look.” Lucy gestured toward a figure standing just outside the tree line, one arm waving above his head. “It’s a man!”

  She and her sister exchanged an excited glance, which made Evie smile. The man on the shore apparently caught sight of the passengers lining the ship’s deck. His hand rose to shield his eyes, and then he thrust both arms in the air to wave with more energy. Giggling, Sarah and Lucy waved back. The man turned and shouted something into the forest and then took off running upriver toward the clearing.

  “Ladies, I believe you’ve been spotted.” Noah’s dry tone drew Evie’s attention. She turned her head in time to see his lips twist into a wry grin. “No doubt they’re flipping coins to see who gets to escort you off the ship.”

  “Good.” Miles joined them from below deck. “They can help unload the cargo.”

  Evie turned her back on him. He had tried to charm her ever since they left San Francisco, but she had not yet forgiven him for misleading her about the finances or for signing her name on the bank loan. His promise to the bank manager that he would personally oversee the restaurant chafed. If he intended to meddle in the day-to-day operation of her business, he had another think coming. No doubt they were going to butt heads in the coming months.

  The drizzle thickened and became a cold rain as they neared their destination. Evie pulled her cloak close against the chill and considered going below in search of shelter, and thereby avoid Miles’s company. No, she was already so wet it would make no difference. Thank goodness the brim of her bonnet was wide enough to shield her face, though the water dripping off the back had long since saturated her hair.

  The ship’s captain began shouting orders to his crew and sailors ran to the ropes. On shore, a small crowd of men had gathered to watch their approach.

  “Would you look at the size of that one,” murmured Ethel.

  There could be no mistaking the one Ethel meant. He stood a full head above the others, his blond hair slicked tight to his head by the rain. Evie tore her gaze away from him and realized all of the men on shore were big, with hulking shoulders and muscles she could see even under their flannel shirts. Most wore beards, and to a man their hair was long and unkempt. Any one of them would make James look like an altar boy, and her former fiancé was a strong man. Sarah and Lucy were almost bouncing with enthusiasm.

  Plagued by a sudden fit of nerves, she turned to Noah. “I see no ladies. Did you not say there were women and children?”

  “A few. Their cabin is a bit of a hike from here.” He waved toward the group on shore. “These, m’lady, are your future customers. Not a pretty bunch, are they?”

  “They are…” She cast about for a word. “Big.” And dirty. But she kept that observation to herself.

  “Most of them are massive,” he agreed. “They have to be strong. Jacking is hard work.”

  She cast a questioning glance his way. “Jacking?”

  “Lumberjacking. You saw the size of those trees. Takes a lot of muscle to fell and ross a tree like that.”

  For the first time, Evie’s confidence wavered. She had no idea what it meant to ross a tree. These people had a language all their own. They obviously didn’t bathe regularly. She and the other ladies would be true foreigners in a land where the rules were different from those at home.

  “I’ve been wondering something.” Noah met her stricken gaze. “Exactly how did your partnership with my uncle come about?”

  She made a show of studying the shoreline, thereby avoiding his gaze. Under no circumstances would she tell him she had been his aunt’s housemaid. If he thought her nothing more than a servant, he would never take her seriously as a businesswoman. “We met through a mutual friend,” she answered vaguely. “When he received your last letter, we began discussing the opportunities a new settlement in the western frontier presented.” A movement on the shore, off to one side, drew her attention. Thank goodness. An excuse to turn this uncomfortable conversation away from her. Straightening, she pointed. “Who’s that?”

  A trio stepped out of the forest, though they held themselves apart. They were not as tall as most of the lumberjacks, and were dressed differently. Two wore loose shirts of an indistinct color made from a fabric that seemed to repel the rain. With a start, Evie saw that the third man was nearly naked. He wore nothing but a long fringed skirt hanging low on his hips. They all had dark skin and straight black hair nearly as long as hers.

  “Why, those are Red Indians!”

  Noah followed her gaze and nodded. “They’re Duwamish. Their village lies in that direction, but there are usually a few tribal members hanging around. They like to keep an eye on the camp.”

  She turned her shoulders away from Sarah and the others and lowered her voice for Noah’s ears alone. “Are they safe?”

  His lips twisted sideways into a crooked grin. “You’re not losing your nerve, are you?”

  “Of course not,” she rushed to reply. “It’s only that I feel responsible for the others.”

  A shrug. “They’re safe enough. Their chief has taken a liking to us.” His glance swept the group of lumberjacks, and his grin faded. “I’m more concerned about the crew than the natives.”

  Startled, Evie looked once again at the men who would, hopefully, be her customers. As she watched, two more hurried into the clearing to join the crowd. Their stares were fixed on her and the other ladies, and as the boat drew alongside the wooden platform that served as a dock, she couldn’t help but notice their hungry expressions. A shiver crept down her spine. It was not food they craved.

  She started to say something to Noah, but he had caught sight of someone.

  “There’s Arthur.” Relief saturated his voice. He spoke without taking his eyes from the shore. “You ladies stay onboard while I talk to him.”

  Evie was only too happy to comply.

  A couple of lumberjacks hopped onto the dock and caught ropes thrown to them by the sailors onboard. Noah didn’t wait for the lines to be secured, but climbed up on the railing and leaped onto the platform before the boat had completely stopped its forward movement. Wiping a splattering of rain from her eyes, Evie couldn’t help but admire the effortless way he landed and strode forward without even a pause. He wasn’t as tall or as broad-chested as some of the men on the land, but he moved with an athletic grace that a heavier man could not have managed.

  Lucy turned away from the railing and fixed eyes clouded with doubt on her. “Where are the houses?”

  She almost asked what houses, but swallowed the words. Surely when the women who lived here heard of their arrival, they would open their homes until suitable housing could be arranged. “Noah said they are a little distance away.”

  Ethel’s thick eyebrows drew together. “Not too far, I hope. There’s no sign of a carriage, and I don’t fancy trudging through this rain.”

  Sarah swept a hand across the sodden shoulder of her coat and water splashed onto
the ship’s deck. “What I want are some dry clothes, a warm fire, and a hot cup of tea.”

  “As do I.” Evie forced a confident smile onto her face. She had to do something to brighten their scowls. “Look at the bright side. No matter how far the house is, we’ve arrived safely and the ghastly journey is over. And we won’t have to carry our own bags. I think we’ll have plenty of volunteers for that.”

  The women focused on Noah, who had pulled a tall, dark-haired man aside to converse with him away from the crowd. A hand gestured in their direction. The conversation continued for some minutes, during which the lumberjacks’ eager gazes grew weighty enough that even Ethel began to shuffle on her feet uncomfortably.

  Miles sidled up to them, and Evie drew close enough to his side that the sleeves of their coats touched. She might still be irritated with him, but at least he was familiar, and no threat.

  “Do you know that man Mr. Hughes is talking to?” asked Lucy.

  Miles squinted in Noah’s direction for a second and then shook his head. “If I were to hazard a guess, I would say that is one of the Denny brothers.”

  Ah. The bosses of this lumber venture. Evie turned to study him as he gave a nod and broke away from Noah. The man strode to the platform of the dock with a confident step and planted his boots in the center. When he raised his hands, every man present gave him his attention. Yes, definitely a leader, someone they respected.

  “Men, I have an announcement.” His voice, a deep baritone, rang out in the clearing. “As you may have noticed, our ink slinger has brought some visitors with him.”

  A loud cheer broke out, and Evie’s cheeks grew warm at the wide smiles suddenly fixed on her and her companions.

  “Visitors?” she mumbled quietly to Miles. “Did Noah not tell him of our intentions?”

  “All in good time, my dear,” came the whispered reply. “Have patience.”

  The man on the dock continued. “Before we welcome them ashore, I would like to point out that these are ladies.”