Sensing her friend's disappointment, Mara walked over to Elli and gave her a hug.
“I'll stay through dinner just to say I had real moose roast and only if you promise you'll let me help prepare it.”
“There's really not much to it,” Ellie said without looking up.
“I just wouldn't feel right making you go through so much trouble for me. Besides, I would love to write your sister and tell her I learned to cook moose.”
The thought of the look on Sarah's face made the two suddenly break out into laughter.
“She probably thinks you buy it in a store,” Mara laughed.
“Or that we hide behind a big rock and let it fall right onto the table after we shoot it,” Ellie giggled.
“Mommy! Mara! You two stop laughing at Aunt Sarah,” Anna spat out, standing with both hands on her hips in obvious consternation at the antics of the two women.
“Okay, honey,” Ellie said to her daughter, while trying to stifle a belly laugh. “We both love Aunt Sarah and we are just being silly.”
“I'm so glad you're staying for dinner,” Ellie said, turning to Mara, “even if it's just for a few more hours. And you'll get to say goodbye to Dan that way, too.”
“I'll come back just as soon as I'm settled into my new place and you can come visit me, too,” Mara told her. “It's not like we're never going to see each other again, you know.”
“I know,” Ellie answered. “It's just that I feel like I've known you forever and now I'm missing you before you're even gone. Silly, isn't it?”
“Not silly, Ellie—just one of life's special moments when two people become friends,” Mara replied.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
The Phone Call
MARA WAS ON HER THIRD TRIP TO LOAD SUPPLIES INTO HER SUV WHEN she saw Doug Williams walk out of the barn.
“You heading out already?” he called over to her.
He untied an end of rope from the fence rail and led a horse by its blue nylon halter from the barn into the corral as he spoke.
“After dinner, probably,” Mara called back while pushing a rolled up blanket into an empty space between two bags.
“Didn't you say something about sticking around for the Iditarod?” He asked.
Excited to be on her way to her new life in Soldotna, Mara had decided to forego watching the Iditarod this year. The race would give her a good excuse to come back to Palmer and see her friends next spring. By then she would be settled and better able to relax and enjoy a lengthier stay with the family. Maybe Sarah would even come up to join them. That would be so much fun.
Struggling with the last large canvas bag, she finally managed to push it up against the others enough to slam the door shut before it could fall out. She barely missed shutting Thor's tail in the door as he circled around waiting for her to notice him.
“I'm going to skip the Iditarod this time,” She said.
“Small world, huh?” Doug said, trying to catch Thor as the dog bounded between the two of them.
Thor stopped in front of Mara and she ruffled the fur on his neck, leaning down to let him lick her face.
“Sure is,” she replied.
“Why is the world small, darlin’?” Sassy asked as she bounced past Doug in the corral and threw a blanket over the back of the horse that Doug had just groomed.
“I was just telling Miss Edwards what a small world it was that she and I would end up here at Dan's,” he said to Sassy, “especially since we were the only two cars for miles coming in across the highway from Beaver Creek.”
Sassy shrugged disinterestedly at the response. Throwing a saddle over the horse and cinching it up, Doug gave her a leg up onto its back and called Thor back to his side. Pulling tightly on the reins, Sassy whirled the powerful animal around, barely missing Thor as she trotted off across the yard toward the drive.
“I'll meet you down by the creek bed,” she called to Doug with a laugh.
Signaling the coal-colored mare into a gallop, she left it to Doug to tend to the other horse. Sassy's long blond hair whipping in the wind in contrast to the black, flowing mane of her horse made the ride look effortless. Mara watched her move down the hill towards the span of mostly gravel creek bottom that Doug mentioned was a great place to ride in the winter. He led the second horse outside and began brushing it down before saddling it for his own ride.
“Don't you be all day, now, and put that dog somewhere out of the way, would you?” Sassy called back to Doug, turning slightly in the saddle with her lips bunched into a teasing pout. Only the streaming shadow of the horse's tail was visible in the brown dust cloud thrown up as she gave the reins to her horse and galloped around a bend.
“Be right along, Babe,” Doug called to the woman who was now out of sight. He threw a blanket and then a saddle onto his horse before leading it by its halter and tying it to the fence.
“And watch out for those ice patches,” he called, feeling the need to caution her even though knowing that she probably wasn't within earshot.
“Hang tough, Thor. I won't be long,” Doug said to his dog after locking him in the barn.
Walking back to his horse, he pulled his tall frame onto its back, reining the animal firmly to keep it from galloping after Sassy and her horse. He walked it slowly out of the corral, leaning over to latch the gate as he passed through, before moving farther out into the yard and stopping next to Mara's vehicle.
“Sassy doesn't like dogs,” he said matter-of-factly. “I'd better get moving if I'm going to make it to the creek bed in time to see which way she's headed. Not sure if I'll make it back for dinner. You take it safe on the way to the Kenai, okay?”
Steering his horse in the same direction taken by Sassy, he added, “Lots of moose down that way.”
“I will. Thanks. You two have a nice ride,” Mara replied.
Watching him ride out of sight, Mara wondered why Cap had told her in the restaurant a few days ago that he liked being alone when he was so obviously the other half of a couple. Asking herself why she even cared, she thought about the two. Cap seemed like a nice guy, but she wasn't sure about Sassy. Maybe it was because Sassy had all but ignored her, leaving her feeling uncomfortable. Doug Williams, though, like his brother, had been open and friendly.
She tried to shrug off the negative feeling Sassy had imparted, trying not to judge her. There was no reason to assume that the slight had been intentional. Still, she couldn't quite get past the feeling that Sassy was ultimately superficial with a brassy sweetness befitting her name. Besides, anyone who didn't like dogs was suspect in her mind, especially one as special as Thor.
In contrast, Ellie, Dan and Anna's hospitality had created a sense that she had known them for most of her life. Maybe Ellie had been right in hoping that her brother-in-law would find someone more suitable as a partner. What did it matter anyway? It was unlikely she would ever cross paths with either Sassy or Doug again, unless either of them happened by when she came back to visit as she had promised Ellie she would do.
Walking over to the barn, she let Thor out. The dog ran off into the wooded area behind the house, returning a few minutes later to lay down in the yard. Mara stroked his head as she passed him to walk back into the house, where she was met by Anna.
“Don't forget this,” Anna said, handing Mara the feather given to her by Joe.
“Oh, thanks, Anna. Where did you find this?” Mara asked the girl who was busy scooping up the pillows from her cot in the hallway to carry back to her room.
“On the floor in our room,” Anna said, flashing the simple smile of a child. “It's yours, right?”
“Yes, it's mine,” Mara answered, giving Anna a big hug. “I'm having a hard time keeping this feather in my bag for some reason.”
“Well, I think you should wear it in your hat,” Anna said.
Picking up the brown wool wide-brimmed hat that she had worn for most of the trip since leaving Haines, Mara handed it to Anna who tucked the feather into the band.
“I like it!” Anna exclaimed.
“Me, too, Sweetie,” Mara said, setting the hat on Anna's head to admire it before placing it onto her own.
Mara helped Ellie finish moving Anna's things back to her room. By the time they had finished exchanging information about contact numbers, addresses, and the like, two hours had gone by. She lingered another thirty minutes to help get Anna ready for her home school study session that afternoon. When she looked at her watch it was nearly 11 a.m.
“I'm going to take these last few things out to load,” she told Ellie, “That way I won't have to rush so much after dinner.”
Ellie started to follow her out into the cold March air, all the while protesting Mara's plans for an early departure. Just as Ellie stepped outside through the doorway, the phone rang, stopping her. A brisk wind had come up, keeping the door from closing all the way. With Ellie busy on the phone, Mara reached back to grab the door and secure the latch. A loud gasp and the sound of a clunk stopped her dead in her tracks. The sight of an ashen-faced, trembling Ellie standing in the kitchen, with the phone dangling at her feet, shook Mara to her core.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
The Carbin
DOUG AND SASSY WALKED OVER TO THE OLD ABANDONED HOMESTEAD that stood along the steep bluff above the river. The log building with its low, thatched roof was barely bigger than a small shed. The covered front porch that ran the length of the front of the cabin gave a long view of the river in both directions. Aside from the river's hypnotizing roar, the area was quiet and still. Remnants of dried fireweed hung over the eaves, pushed down now, from where they had sprouted on the roof, by a good three feet of snow.
Doug ducked through the low door, knocking his hat off in the process. Sassy scurried past him as he stopped to latch the door with the two-by-four that slid across and into a rectangular hand-hewn wooden bracket. He came here often to hunt, fish or just sort out his thoughts. As far as he knew, no one else except Dan and Ellie knew about this place. He figured he should probably try to find the owner and buy it one of these days.
Recently, he had started bringing Sassy here with him. It was a place with no disturbances. He stood listening to the quiet with only the sound of the river running under the ice or the snort of one of the horses breaking the stillness. He built a fire in a barrel that someone had fashioned into a woodstove; using some of the wood he had stacked the previous summer.
Hours later he stood there again, watching the fire burn out. For some odd reason he caught himself thinking about his life and his future as he poked at the dying embers with a piece of metal rod he had found in the yard.
Sassy finished pulling on her jeans and looked at Doug across the room. She buttoned the last button on her shirt before walking up behind him and wrapping her arms around his chest.
“You can tell me you love me when you give me that big ole ring I been eyein’ over at Gold Cache Jewelers in Wasilla,” she drawled.
“Sure, Baby, we'll look into that one of these days,” Doug answered, pulling away.
He tossed her a wink and a half smile as he snuffed out the fire. His words seemed to satisfy her need for reassurance and he was glad. Sassy's presence felt like an intrusion on his solitude today. It bothered him that he didn't care enough to even wonder why. It was a feeling that had surfaced often, lately, when he was around her.
Once back on their horses, the two continued up the riverbed. Sassy's chattering about her brother and some beef he had with his employer gave Doug cause to ride ahead just to get away from listening to it all. He called back that he was sure everything would work out soon before riding down an embankment, leaving her up on a higher trail.
“I'm going to scout the trail down here,” he called to her. “You stay up there until I give you the okay.”
“Okay, Dougy,” she called back.
Although he knew she was perfectly capable of navigating the steep embankment, he was relieved when she did what he asked. Despite the fact that she could have her pick of any guy in the Valley, Doug knew he was the one she wanted. He wasn't sure why, but aside from the physical, he figured it had something to do with the fact that he gave her some sense of security knowing she could be with a man that garnered the respect that she felt he did. At least he had heard her say words to that effect to her brother once. The knowledge flattered him, but it didn't change the way he felt about her.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Their Story
THE DAY WAS SUNNY AND COLD, THE CRISP AIR EXHILARATING. ICE FOG had blanketed everything in a heavy coat of hoar frost. Its half-inch long ice crystals stuck out like shimmering needles all over the bushes, trees and even the rocks. Although steam was still rising from the open channel of the river, thick opaque ice in shades of green, bronze and blue had formed along the banks. In some places, the ice was about four to five inches thick, exposing brighter layers of the colors in the edges where the current had broken pieces off.
They rode for hours, mostly in silence, taking in the beauty around them. Doug stayed up ahead of Sassy, not wanting to disrupt the solitude with conversation. He knew she was watching him from behind, so he turned around every so often to let her know he was looking out for her.
“Let me know when it's okay to come down there, Dougy,” she called to him about an hour into the ride.
“Okay. You stay up there on the trail for a bit. It looks a little unstable for the horses down here,” he lied.
It had already been two years since they met. Sassy had been at a wedding at the old railroad depot that served as a town hall in Palmer, and Doug had accompanied his brother and Ellie to the reception. Sassy had recently broken up with Dan's business partner, Steve Bitten, and had been there alone. Doug had spent the evening dancing with Sassy and when the reception was over, they had left together.
Steve had left her, according to Sassy, with no explanation. Only later had she learned that there had been a failing in Steve's business relationship with Dan. Although the circumstances of the fall-out had never been revealed, Doug knew that Dan would tell him when the time was right. Meanwhile, he vowed to keep his budding relationship with Sassy superficial and never discussed Dan, Steve Bitten, or the business with her.
That first couple of months that Doug intended to spend helping Dan get back on his feet with the business, had soon turned into nearly a year. By then, Doug and Sassy were pretty much regarded around Palmer as a couple. Over the next two years, Doug sensed that Dan had come to accept Sassy's presence around him and he knew that, gentleman that he was, Dan would never reveal his dislike for Sassy to either Sassy or to him. Dan had even built the bunkhouse for Doug, telling him it was so he would have a place of his own whenever he was in Palmer.
Sassy had done a good job of steering clear of any issues surrounding Dan, Steve and the business. She showered Doug with more attention than any man deserved and as far as either of them were concerned, it was unlikely that Steve Bitten would ever dare to set foot around these parts again. If he did, Doug would deal with it then, but all indications were that Steve Bitten had moved out of the area for good and was living somewhere in the lower 48.
When Doug and Sassy weren't staying at the bunkhouse, they usually stayed at her place in a sparsely populated section north of Palmer called The Butte where locals were quick to declare themselves as separate from the mainstream folks who inhabited the Valley. There, it seemed that every other barricaded driveway had some version of a hand-made sign that read, Trespassers will be shot on sight. Nothing here is worth your life.
The close-knit community of mostly self-sustaining individuals who lived in the area were well known for the frequent parties and dances they enjoyed. Sassy was no exception. After long days of tending to the six horses she owned and the other ten that she boarded, she loved to go to the community center to meet up with others from the area. Usually one drink would lead to another until everyone was having a rockin’ good time.
Sassy also gave riding lessons to help pay f
or the feed for her horses. Many of her students competed in the fall at the Alaska State Fair. Sassy liked to compete and she liked to win. She had a reputation for being able to instill the same spirit into her students. For the past five years, Sassy's students had taken home the majority of blue ribbons from equestrian competitions at the fair. Doug was always proud to accompany her after these competitions every year. Usually, the two of them would meet up with friends and dance and party until the wee hours of the morning.
“Are you sure it's not okay for me to come down?” Sassy called. “The gravel looks pretty good from up here.”
“I don't think so. Not yet. I'll move back up to you first chance I get,” Doug called back to her as he guided his horse along the outer edge of the ice-coated rocks along the riverbank.
Whenever he could get away during that first year with Sassy, Doug would drive to Homer to check on his fishing interests. Several of his friends had been managing things for him while he had gone north to help out Dan with his business. They had also kept an eye on his boat and supervised a couple of much needed repairs while it had been in dry dock. Last fall he had put it back in the water and now went down to fish whenever he could get a couple of weeks away.
During these times, when Sassy got lonely and could talk her brother into watching the horses, she would make the six hour drive down to Homer. There she would stay with Doug on his boat in the harbor. Doug found it beautiful and quiet aboard his boat in the soft and gently rocking waters of the Homer Harbor.
Most everyone in Homer considered them a couple and Doug did nothing to dispel the rumor. He realized that Sassy knew she was attractive and that she didn't mind letting anyone who cared know that Doug was her man. He felt flattered by that, he guessed. Lately, more often than not, he found himself trying to ignore the way Sassy's thick, spicy perfume made her seem out of place with the smells of diesel and fish in the harbor.
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