Snowfire

by French, Colleen

  "I wish you didn't have to make a choice." He caught her hand with his and brought it to his lips.

  "I wish I didn't, either, but it can't be helped, can it? You've got your home, your family, your daughter. It's like Papa always told me, things never turn out the way you think they're going to."

  "And what of Taylor?" he challenged.

  "I can't spend my entire life being afraid of my father's killer, can I? Besides, you're right. How could he ever find me in Virginia? I'll be safe there, safe with you."

  "I can't believe you're saying this; I thought I'd lost you. You seemed so happy with the new arrangement. I thought you were just going to let me walk out of your life." He laughed, his voice a low rumble. "I thought you were of stronger constitution."

  "Stronger constitution? What's with you and your big words?" She rolled over on top of him, pinning his hands down at his side. Bright light streamed through the tiny window of the cabin, highlighting his fiery hair. "Is that the way you're going to talk to me when we get to Richmond? Because if it is, I'm not going."

  With one quick movement, Alex flipped her over onto her back, covering her naked body with his. "Oh, no. There'll be no changing your mind now, Miss LeBeau. You're mine!" He let out a theatrical cackle of delight and buried his face in her neck.

  Gabrielle burst into giggles, straining beneath him to free her hands, which he held pinned to her sides. "Stop! You're tickling me." She laughed, trying to wiggle away. "I'll do anything you say, but stop it, Alex."

  Laughing with her, he lifted his head to look into the depths of her dark brown eyes. Their laughter dying, their lips mingled, and Alex sighed with contentment. "I'm going to make you very happy," he promised. "With the gold we're holding now we can live like royalty." His fingers brushed the tip of her breast, and her nipple puckered immediately in anticipation.

  "I don't care about that; all I want is you. I want us to be happy." She moaned softly, her eyes drifting shut as his thumb caressed the sensitive bud of her breast.

  "We will. I promise we will." He slid his head down, and she threaded her fingers through his thick hair, guiding him to a rosy nipple.

  Dear God, I pray so, she thought, groaning softly as all sensible reasoning slipped from her mind.

  The days slipped by as Gabrielle and Alex continued the sluicing process, and suddenly a Tanana summer was upon them. Alex complained that it was still cool, even on the warmest days, but Gabrielle only laughed, stripping off her clothes to plunge into the icy tributary. Content with her decision to marry Alex, she worked steadily at his side, anxious to finish the task of gold mining and get on with the new life she had chosen.

  One night in mid-June, Alex suggested a celebration. "Celebrate what?" Gabrielle asked tiredly, dragging several tools up the riverbank to store them for the night.

  Alex shrugged good-naturedly. "I don't know, finding the gold, our engagement, you choose." He slipped small nuggets of gold into a leather bag, watching how they glittered in the sunlight.

  "That's silly, Alex. You have to have a reason to celebrate."

  He tucked the bag of gold into his belt, coming up the bank after her. Taking the tools from her arms, he matched her gait. "How about a map-burning party?"

  She stopped on the path, looking up at him. "A what?"

  "A map-burning party. We said we were going to burn the map, right?"

  She nodded in confusion. "Right . . ."

  "So let's do it tonight. We don't need it. You said you know how to get us out of here and to that steamer on the Yukon."

  Gabrielle's lower lip trembled. She had agreed to burn the map, and she knew it had to be done; but a part of her wanted to keep it. It was one of the few tangible objects she had left of her father's. "All right," she said softly. "Let's do it."

  He heard the hesitation in her voice. "You sure?"

  "Yup." Her hand went to the knot of hair on her head. "But if we're going to have a party, we have to do it right. I want a bath, and you'll have to go bring us back something for a proper meal. I think I've had all of the dried berries and moose I can stand for one winter." She patted her stomach.

  Laughing, Alex started up the path again with the tools. "So a party it is! You go get yourself prettied up while I find us a rabbit. I'll be cooking tonight." He gave her an all-knowing wink, and she punched him in the arm.

  Gabrielle watched from the tiny window until Alex disappeared into the woods with his rifle on his shoulder, and then she began to strip off her grimy clothes. They were coming up on their last few days of sluicing before it would be time to pack to go, and she was glad of it. Mining was a dirty, tiresome business, something she never wished to do again, and thanks to Rouge, she never would. The goldfield her father had discovered surpassed Alex's wildest dreams. In the few short months they had been mining, they had discovered enough gold to allow them to live comfortably for the rest of their lives.

  Dropping the last of her clothes to the floor, Gabrielle scooped up an old towel and a bar of Mya's soap and set out for the river. Her dogs ran beside her, barking and nipping at each other's heels as they vied for their master's attention. Sadly, she reached out to scratch Tristan's ear.

  She hated to leave her dogs behind; Alex had even offered to ship them by steamer and then by train to Virginia, but she'd declined. They were long-haired dogs, bred to run long distances and haul sleds through the snow. Here on the Tanana was where they belonged, and here they would stay. Before she left Jack in his village, she had told him that in July she and Alex would pick up a steamer for Seattle at Crooked Neck Bend on the Yukon River. She would leave her dogs there with an old native, Ury, and Jack would pick them up later in the summer. She had asked him to sell the team Alex had been driving, but now she supposed she would have to leave a message for him to sell them all, or keep them if he liked. They would be Jack's now that she wouldn't be returning to the Tanana.

  Giving Tristan a final pat, she pushed him aside, and her doubts with it. What was wrong with her to always see the downside in everything? I've got Alex don't I? she asked herself. Going down the bank to the stream, she dropped her towel and dove into the frigid water, Mya's soap clutched in her hand. Surfacing, she shivered, rubbing the sweet-smelling bar over her skin, watching the rivulets of dirt run down her body to be washed away by the swift current. Working a lather through her hair, she tossed the bar onto the bank, which had dried with the winds of the summer, and began to rinse the chestnut mane. She was amazed at how long her hair had grown over the winter. It had been over a year since the last time she cut it! Rubbing her arms briskly for warmth, she walked to the shore and began to dry herself with the stiff towel.

  By the time Alex had returned with a rabbit flung over one shoulder, Gabrielle had dressed in a pair of soft flannel pants and a matching long-sleeved tunic of a rich blue. They had been gifts from Mya, sewn with her own hands. Gabrielle hadn't worn them since she'd received them after the fire because she'd thought them too delicate for the life she led. But tonight, she decided, was the perfect night to wear them.

  Alex came in the door, a contented smile on his face. "You see how beautiful the sky is tonight?" His eyes lit up at the sight of her in the soft flannel clothing, her damp hair curled enticingly about her face.

  Self-consciously Gabrielle ran her hands over the blue fabric. "It was all I had clean. My other clothes are soaking."

  "You're beautiful." He kissed her lightly on the lips. "Now, how about I clean this rabbit up and get a fire started? I thought we'd sit outside on a blanket near the fire while our dinner cooks."

  "We could bake those last two potatoes Mya gave us, and there's still those berries I picked yesterday."

  "A feast fit for a king!" He leaned his rifle against the wall of the cabin and went back outside, whistling a familiar tune.

  Later, Gabrielle and Alex relaxed on a blanket stretched out beside the fire. Though it was nearly ten at night, the sky still shone with the sun's brilliance as it moved westward.
A hint of grey and pink stretched across the clear blue of a cloudless evening.

  "Best meal we've had in weeks," Alex commented, rolling onto his side.

  "You can say that again." Gabrielle patted her stomach, stretching out beside him.

  He sighed, watching the flames of their campfire lick at the charred logs he'd just tossed in. "You know something, Gabrielle?"

  She smiled up at him, stroking his bearded chin. "What?"

  "I'm going to miss this . . . the fire at night, the openness of this land. I never felt so free."

  "I'm glad," she murmured, smiling sadly. "I'm going to miss it, too."

  "Oh, but wait until you see Alexis. I just know you're going to love her! And the house, with a little paint and some furniture, it's going to be perfect. You'll never be cold again. Servants will light the fires in the fireplaces and heat water for your baths. I'll never swim in ice water again." His blue eyes crinkled with laughter.

  "I hope you're right, Jefferson Alexander the fourth." Her lower lip trembled slightly.

  "I am. Not backing out on me are you?" He toyed with a lock of her thick hair, watching it curl around his finger.

  "Nope. I said I'd marry you and marry you I will. Now hand over that blasted map and let's have this done with."

  Alex got to his feet, putting out a hand to help her up. "Here you go." He pulled the crumbled map from his pocket and pressed it into her hand.

  Gabrielle accepted the bit of yellowed paper, and with one final glance at her father's scrawled writing, she offered it to the flames, watching them flare up as they caught the corner of the map and sucked it from her grasp. "There, it's done," she whispered.

  "Done," Alex added solemnly. Then, taking her in his solid arms, he pulled her to him, and she rested her head on his breast. "Now," he said, "let's get on with our lives."

  Just as they had agreed, Gabrielle and Alex left Rouge's campsite on the designated day, as close to July first as they could figure. Leaving the two sleds, the mining equipment and anything else they could do without, they made two dog travoises to haul out the gold. The trip north, back up the tributary and along the Tanana to where the river met the Yukon River, was frustratingly slow. The gold was heavy and the dogs unused to pulling such an awkward contraption through the undergrowth. Still, Gabrielle and Alex made the best of the trip, enjoying the beauty of the surrounding mountains and valleys and the pleasure of each other's company.

  Nearly three weeks from the time they left the campsite, they entered the "town" of Crooked Neck Bend. The settlement consisted mostly of natives living in various forms of cabins and huts with a few white men sprinkled here and there. Here Gabrielle said was a man, Godly Towers, who owned a small steamer used to run up and down the Yukon. It was her intention to hire Towers to take them to the mouth of the river and up to St. Michaels where they could catch a steamer to Seattle.

  As Alex and Gabrielle entered the cluster of weary buildings known as Crooked Neck Bend, people came spilling onto the dirt street that ran no more than three or four hundred feet. They were immediately caught in the throng of the town's twenty to thirty residents. Dogs barked and children shouted as the group descended with fervent greetings.

  "God love a porcupine! If it ain't Gabe LeBeau herself!" A middle-aged man, his head shaved bald, threw out his hand.

  Gabrielle took it, giving it a shake. "Well God love a porcupine, if it ain't Lucky Lou!" She laughed, turning to Alex. "Alex, I want you to meet Lucky Lou. Doesn't have a last name as far as I know; he's the mayor of Crooked Neck Bend." She stepped back to let Lou offer his hand. "Lou, this is Alex, my husband to be." Her cheeks flushed against her will.

  "Husband! Well I'll be damned and sent straight to hell! Never thought you'd marry!" He ran a hand over his shiny pate. "Glad to meet you, Alex, got a nice little lady here." He grasped Alex's hand, pumping it excitedly.

  Alex gave a nod, not quite sure what to make of this peculiar character. "Good to meet you, sir."

  "I saw Godly's baby down on the river. Is she runnin'?" Gabrielle asked Lou.

  "Never know from day to day, do ya?" He gave a chuckle, leaning to one side to get a better look at the travoises hitched to her barking dogs. "Where you headed?"

  "Seattle."

  "Hmmm, that right?" He stroked his whiskered chin. "Got any furs you want to unload?"

  "Nope." She gave a smile. She and Alex had decided to tell no one about the gold they carried wrapped in hides and stuffed in cloth bags. There were too many dishonest men hard up for money to tempt fate. Out in this wilderness, men disappeared all the time over less than a fortune in gold, never to be seen again.

  Lucky Lou glanced at the sled again. "In a hurry, are you?"

  She laughed. "Did I say that?"

  Alex stepped forward, draping an arm over her shoulder. "Yes, in fact we are in a hurry, because as soon as we reach Seattle, we're going to be married." He gave Gabrielle a squeeze. "You see, I'm a very anxious man."

  Gabrielle's dark eyes twinkled with amusement. "What can I say?" She lifted her hands in absolution. "He's an anxious man." Giving Lou a wink, she caught hold of Tristan's harness and urged him forward. "C'mon Alex, we'll see if we can hunt up Godly. It's still early yet. If we're lucky, he might not be drunk yet."

  Shaking his head, Alex followed behind her, leading the second team of dogs.

  That night Alex and Gabrielle camped just outside Crooked Neck Bend, down near the river bank. Lucky Lou had offered to let them stay in his cabin, promising a meal cooked by his two wives, but Gabrielle declined, saying she just wanted to get some rest before they left in the morning.

  Alex and Gabrielle had managed to locate a relatively sober Godly Towers and had hired him to take them upriver. They would leave for St. Michaels the following day, sharing the ride with two gold seekers bound for home empty handed. Once Gabrielle and Alex had secured their passage, Gabrielle had taken her dogs out to Ury's just outside town and said a tearful good-bye. Scribbling a note of thanks and warm wishes, she gave the paper to Ury to pass on to Jack, telling him that she had gone to Virginia to be Alex's wife.

  After a meal of fresh fish and turnips, Alex and Gabrielle had turned in to spend their final night out under the Alaskan stars. Wearily Gabrielle had drifted off to sleep in the crook of Alex's arms. It wasn't until well after midnight that she was startled awake by the firm pressure of a hand pressed against her mouth.

  Panic rose in her throat as her hands flew up to wrench the hand that threatened to suffocate her.

  "Shhh," a voice came. "It's me, Alex. If's all right, just hush."

  Gabrielle's eyes flew open in relief as he slid his hand off her mouth, pressing it to his lips. Slowly he pointed in the direction of the outline of Crooked Neck Bend's houses.

  Straining to see through the grey darkness of night, she spotted the shadow of a man moving along the ground. A flush of fear prickled her flesh. Who was it? And what did he want? Whoever it was, he was up to no good, she was certain of that.

  Lying quietly side by side, Gabrielle and Alex watched the man as he crept closer to their belongings piled just outside the ring of dim light cast off by their dying fire. Minutes stretched into what seemed like years as Alex waited, his muscles tense with anticipation.

  Just as the intruder lay his hand on the closest bundle, Alex leaped up off his mat, swinging his rifle. "Hold it right there," he barked.

  The dark figure jumped, started, then lit off across the clearing, moving as fast as his legs could carry him.

  Alex fired a shot over the man's head and then a second. Gabrielle was at his side in an instant. "Don't go after him," she said, laying a hand on his arm.

  "You sure?"

  "Yea. It'll be light in a few hours. We'll be safe enough."

  They stood watching as the man disappeared between the shadow of two cabins. "Do you know who it was?" Alex asked, reloading the rifle.

  "Couldn't help but notice. It was the mayor." She turned to go back to the campfire,
chuckling. "Didn't you catch the moonlight shining off that bald head of his?"

  Chapter Twenty

  Gabrielle nodded to the well-dressed man across the table from her, her eyes narrowing as she studied the cards she held tucked in her hand. "Hit me again." She dropped a dog-eared card, facedown.

  "And you?" The man Joey waited for Alex to respond.

  Alex grimaced, concentrating on his own cards. He glanced up at Joey, questioningly.

  "Don't look at me!" Joey bit back a chuckle. "I've been out; I can't beat her."

  Alex gave a sigh. "Damn, Gabrielle, you've whipped me again!" He slapped his cards on the table, lifting a glass of whiskey to his lips.

  Gabrielle grinned. "Sorry, fellas." Returning her five cards to the deck, she reached for the pile of crumpled bills in the center of the table.

  "Now wait a minute, aren't you going to show us what you had?" Alex covered her hand with his, preventing her from picking up the cash.

  She lifted a sooty eyebrow. "Not hardly, now unhand me before I pop you in the eye." She laughed as he released her hand, and she leaned into him, kissing him on the lips.

  Joey shook his head, extracting an expensive cigar from the inside pocket of his black coat. "Quite a card player you got there," he told Alex. "Get her at the gaming tables and she could win a fortune!"

  "Yea." Alex refilled his glass from the bottle on the table. "If I keep playing her, I'll have to marry her to keep from going broke."

  The two men laughed as Gabrielle gathered her bills and arranged them neatly before tucking them in the breast pocket of the man's shirt she wore. She and Alex had picked up the mail steamer at St. Michaels without a hitch and were now steaming full ahead, their destination Seattle. There were several other passengers on board: Joey, who worked for a fur trading company out of Seattle, the two gold miners they had met in Crooked Neck Bend and a handful of other assorted characters, along with the crew.