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.“We better get a move on.” Ray started the engine and pointed the bow toward Anchorage.They'd barely started back when the rain started and the wind picked up.Waves rolled close together and dipped into deep troughs.The small dory rocked wildly and dropped to the bottom of watery valleys.Jean gripped the wooden bench, certain they would capsize at any moment.Ray reached under his seat, pulled out a raincoat, and tossed it to her.“Put it on.” He didn't bother with one for himself but gripped the rudder handle.“I know a place where we can hold up until the storm passes,” he called over the wailing wind.He steered toward the mouth of the Susitna.As they entered the river, the waves became more erratic and choppy, and the dory bounced violently.Jean prayed.Brian and Susie need me.They've lost so much already, Father.Please, not now.Finally they cleared the chop and entered the calmer waters of the river.“Where are we going?” Jean asked.“About a mile inland there are a couple of small cabins.The seal hunters use them during the season.”Meadows of tall grasses spread out away from the river.As they moved inland, alder thickets replaced the fields.Ray steered toward a clearing.Maneuvering the boat into the shallows, he jumped out and pulled the dory to shore.“How did you know about this place?” Jean asked, pulling her hood around her face to shut out the wind.“I've been here a lot of years, remember?” He chuckled.“In the winter you can get here by dogsled.” He offered his hand to Jean and steadied her as she climbed out.“The cabins ought to keep us warm for the night,” he said, grabbing a pack.“The night? You mean we're going to be here all night?”“This storm isn't going to let up anytime soon.”“My family will worry.”Ray headed up a trail leading away from the river and stopped in front of two tiny cabins standing side by side.A canoe lay alongside one, and each had a single window in front and a smokestack protruding from its roof.Wood was stacked alongside one cabin.“Not much,” Ray said, “but it'll do.” He peeked inside one, then walked in.Jean followed.It seemed even smaller from the inside, measuring approximately ten feet by eight feet.A small wood stove stood in one corner, and a wooden bench sat beneath the only window.Ray walked back outside, then returned a few moments later with an armload of wood.“We can be thankful for whoever was here before us.The person left a supply of firewood.” He set the split birch and alder on the floor beside the stove and took a newspaper from a stack along the wall.He crumpled it and shoved it in the stove, then added kindling.Retrieving matches out of his pack, he lit the paper, and soon a small blaze crackled.He added larger pieces of wood and closed the cast iron door.“That'll do it.”After sharing what was left of their lunch, Ray and Jean sat on the floor and settled into a comfortable silence.Burning wood crackled and popped, and the cabin turned warm.A burst of wind swept over the cabin.“What would we have done if these cabins hadn't been here?” Jean asked, glancing at the window.“We'd be sleeping under the trees, trying to keep from shivering our teeth loose.” Ray grinned.“Or we would have sheltered under the boat.I've done that before.”“You've done just about everything.”“And more,” Ray said.“Do you think we'll be able to leave in the morning? My family will be frantic.”“Probably.” Ray leaned his back against the wall.“Don't worry about your family.Celeste will know where we are, and she'll tell them.”Jean hugged her knees.“Do you think it's this bad in the valley?”“Maybe.We get some strong storms rolling through.”“The crops won't stand up to this kind of beating.”“It's early in the season.Could you replant?”Jean looked at Ray.“I haven't been completely honest with you about the farm.We don't have enough money for replanting.Even with a good crop, I don't know if I can hang on to it.Luke's talking about joining the navy as soon as he's eighteen.That's only six months from now.”“You think he'll leave in the middle of winter? I thought he was all excited about running the farm.”“He was, but ever since Alex died, he hasn't been the same.He blames Alaska and wants to leave.” She shrugged.“Even if it means I lose the farm, I think it's good for him to get away.” A sharp pop reverberated from the stove.“I've been thinking about moving.”“Where to?”“I don't know.I want to be close to Laurel and Adam and William.I was thinking maybe Anchorage.Maybe I could find a job.I've also thought about Wisconsin—work is more plentiful there, but the people I care about are here.”“I thought you were working at the store.”“I am, but it's not enough.And as long as I live on the farm, I have an obligation to work it.That's part of the contract Will and I signed.”Ray pushed to his feet and walked to the window.He watched the storm.“I've never been a real farmer, but I liked the work I did for you.It's good, honest labor.” He turned and looked at Jean.“I know I'm not Will.I've prayed and wished I were.I've even tried to make myself like him, but I'm not.” Jean started to say something, but Ray raised his hand.“Let me finish.“God's been working on me, helping me become a better Ray Townsend.My temper's not so bad as it was; I'm steadier, not so quick to fly off the handle.” He offered a sideways grin.“I doubt I'll ever be a quiet man, but I'm working on it.”He pressed his palms together, then swiped a hand through his dark curls.“I can't replace Will, and I don't expect you to love me, but I could be a real help to you and the children.” He didn't look at Jean.“I was thinking … maybe I could move in to your place and work it full time.” His eyes met Jean's.“With Luke leaving, there won't be a problem between him and me.”Jean stopped breathing.Was Ray asking her to marry him, or was he just saying he'd live at the farm to help out? “Oh, I don't know.Luke would be awfully upset.”“Jean, you can't live your life according to what your son wants.”“I know, but he is my flesh and blood.I have to think about his feelings.” She added wood to the fire.What should she do? She didn't want a marriage of convenience, but Ray might be the only way she could stay in Alaska.Could she love him? She liked him and respected him.Was that enough? Obviously he didn't love her, or he would have said so.It's the children he loves, Jean decided.And Ellie.'Course, I still love Will.That will never change.Ray waited.Jean knew she needed to say something.Finally she said, “I'll think about it.That's all I can do for now.I promise to think about it [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]