by Rita Hestand
"Not at all, it sounds …nice." He smiled warmly now and her heart lurched in her chest when those warm brown eyes took her in. "I like chili myself."
"I guess you should know I thought I'd be a cowgirl all my life. That was my original plan. I thought I'd be a rancher. But things change. I found that out as soon as I grew up. I didn't want to go to college. I know most people do when they finish high school, but I grew up thinking ranch life would be my life. Now I know it won't be. Now I know I have to make my own way. Find my own place. I'm a homebody kind of girl. I like cooking, being with people and creating a home atmosphere. Since I don't even have a boyfriend, marriage isn't on my list right now. Making a home is."
"I see nothing wrong in that."
"In that case, I'm glad we've met. I want the law to feel as at home here as me and my customers. I want the law to be a frequent visitor and help me keep things in the right order. I'm aware that sometimes things can and do get out of order in a place like this. But once I get this place the way I want it, I want everyone to feel welcome, here." Sammie Jo said. "I'm not a dreamer, I know running a saloon is a lot of hard work and can be trying, so I'd appreciate help and advice I can get about the locals around here. After all, I'll be hiring on a few people to help me."
"I like the way you think Sammie Jo Travers, and welcome to Bear Creek. Although that name is not permanent. So don't get too used to it. We sort of borrowed it from the Creek that runs through here. You see we aren't officially a town yet. And Bear Creek, well, isn't official yet. We can't apply for township again until next year and by then we'll have come up with a new name. So if you have any ideas, be sure and discuss them with the mayor."
"Oh, will he be coming in?"
"I'm sure of that. Ollie Saks is one of the nosiest people in Alaska."
"Okay, I'll try to come up with a name then." She smiled. "After all, I should be of some use, don't you think."
"Absolutely." He smiled. "I'll be only too glad to help out as much as possible. I'll be stopping by regularly, you can count on it, and I'll tell my friends. Exactly when do you plan to reopen the place?"
"I'm not sure, I need to see to the stock and regular shipments. And of course clean the place up. Hire some help and does that huge fireplace work?" she asked staring at a wall fireplace that took up half the other wall.
"Yes, I'd be happy to check the flume and clean that out for you after I'm done with my shift." He offered. "That fireplace is one of the biggest reasons Tucker stayed open as long as he did. The town knew they could warm up here."
"Really? It is stunning. And that would be nice, thank you. Tell me; is everyone as helpful as you?"
"Nope, just me." He teased.
Sammie Jo snickered. "Well, thanks…and do you have a name?"
"Cody, ma'am. My friends call me Cody."
"And you're last name?"
"Cody Talltree."
"You're part Indian?" Sammie Jo stuck out her hand to him.
"Indian and Irish." He took it in a warm embrace and Sammie Jo almost melted on the spot as he accompanied it with a smile. It was the way he took her hand, covering it with his own warm fingers that moved against her skin like friction. His shake was more of a hug than a shake and it rattled her to some extent. She didn't want to be attracted to anyone right now, but Cody was quickly making it hard. She'd handled tough, good looking cowboys all her life, she could handle one deputy. She hoped.
"Let me know if you need anything else." He encouraged as he moved toward the door. "Oh and there's a lot of little things you need to know. Like not putting your trash out in plastic bags, the bears are notorious about rummaging, and you'll be fined for it. There's a bear proof container out back. Be sure and lock it each time you put stuff in. If you have a dog, which you do now, keep it inside, we have Eagles that tend to pick them up and carry them away. And keep the heat lamp in the outhouse out back always filled, helps warm it and lets you have some light on the dark days. Get you some pepper spray and buy clothes that are 40 below proof. And don't be offended if they call you a Cheechako too."
"What's that?"
"It means you are a greenhorn here, new to the territory."
"I see, interesting. Anything else I might need to know?"
"You'll need special heaters for your car, but you got a little time to get all of this. I'm sure you've read about most of it. But little things will pop up the longer you stay."
"Thanks, Mr. Talltree. I'm sure I will adjust, eventually…"
"Good…and oh, as far as the locals, most are everyday people, except when the miners and the hunters come in. Biggest problem is people drinking too much and getting into squabbles with their spouses. Sometimes they can get a little out of hand. But rest assured me or one of my buddies will be around during those times for sure. And call me Cody. Most of us around here use first names. Now…one more question though."
Sammie Jo smiled showing her dimples. "Sure."
"I don't want you to get the idea you aren't welcome because nothing could be further from the truth, but why our little community? I mean, why didn't you pick a big city, you'd get a lot more business…"
Sammie Jo was quiet for a moment, reflecting on the question before she answered him. "It's simply, I'm a small town kind of girl. Big cities are for corporate type people, not me. I shopped around, considered the bigger city areas, and you're right, there would be more money, but I didn't come here for money. I came here to make a home for myself. And if I really want to help the lonely, I don't need to work inside the city. Smaller seemed better. I mean, less crime, more socializing. I don't know, I may be wrong. Tucker sent me a picture when I e-mailed him about his business for sale, naturally when the place was first running, and I thought it cozy and beautiful. I just sort of fell in love with the bar itself. Besides, I'm not a big cities kind of girl. I lived in a rural area in Texas most of my life and I loved it. When you come up here to Alaska, you want to see what is here, not find the conveniences."
She blushed despite herself, shrugging her shoulders, "Money isn't a real issue with me. I'm not looking to get rich. I'm looking to find a home for myself, a place to belong. I've been saving a long time, my grandpa insisted on it, and I've invested a lot already, so I am hoping this works for me."
"But you've got folks at home, I'll bet."
"I do…that's true, but things are changing. And I guess they changed too fast."
Those brown eyes warmed instantly to her answer and his smile curled around her like a warm blanket. "I think you've done that ma'am, found a home that is."
He nodded and smiled as he put his cap back on.
"Cody." She called after him. He turned to look over his shoulder.
"Don't be a stranger."
"I'll be back soon to help you with the fireplace." He winked this time and smiled. There was no way she'd be cold up here in Alaska with Cody Talltree around.
Chapter Two
Sal spit in one of her clean spittoons, Sammie Jo grimaced but that was their purpose, she concluded silently. At least he didn't spit on her clean floor, she reasoned. The man had just wandered in while she was working and didn't seem in any hurry to leave. She'd never met him and was surprised how friendly he treated her.
"So you're our little Cheechako, huh?"
Sammie Jo glanced at the old man, weary from working so hard to polish that beautiful oak bar. Still, she had to admit it paid off, the wood practically shined like a mirror.
She recognized the word Cody had used. She nodded with a smile.
"Where you staying?"
"Here, in the back room. I found one that can be made quite comfortable into a bedroom for me, and of course I already have a kitchen and bathroom, don't I? Well, sort of anyway."
"Well…yeah, bathroom is outside though. In case you have been wondering, there's a pot under your bed so you don't have to go scuttling out the back during the evening hours. So you'll be taking your mail here, then?"
"Yes, of course."
"Mostly miners, hunters and tourists up this way. Say, why did a pretty gal like you decide on a town like ours." Sal asked eyeing her. "It isn't even a real town yet. Not legally anyway. The creek out there is Bear Creek, we just took the name ourselves. It ain't legal. And I doubt they will let us keep it. Too confusing. But those big city officials informed us we couldn't use the name and call it a town. So next year maybe. If we come up with a name, they can use. I don't know why it isn't legal, but it isn't. Of course, we got the Sheriff working on that, but it is no telling how long it will be before we become a real township."
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you, why I came."
When he twisted his head in question his hair moving about his face as he stared at her, she laughed and explained, "I was looking for a remote kind of town. Not big, and cluttered and it sounded kinda homey to me. Especially when Tucker sent me some pictures of the town and this place."
"Well now, Tucker sent pictures to you, did he? I can believe that, he wanted to go home, badly. He'd been here a long time and the lonesome got to him. He had a lot of friends, but no one could change his life for him. That happens here a lot, what with all the snow and all. And you are going to reopen the Night N Gale saloon?" Sal asked.
"You still call them saloons?" Sammie Jo smiled.
"Well…I do. Never liked to the word "bars". Sounds harsh, don't you think?" Sal shrugged. "Sounds crude to me…"
"I guess it does. I'll tell you a little secret; I've never run a saloon before. I just thought it might be a way of getting to meet the locals and fitting in. I do want to fit in."
"You got a point there. Most of us Sourdough's know a Cheechako when we see one. But I'll not be giving you a hard time. You'll get enough of that. Prepare yourself for some teasing there. You might find some of the folks a little hard to get to know. I guess you can blame that on the snow too. We all know that people come up here thinking they are going to rough it in the wilds, and then go home. Few stay. I can't blame them for that. The hunters, miners, cowboys all of them will stop off to meet you. You'll meet all the towns' folks that live around the place too. Up here there are only two places we gather, one is city hall when there is a problem and the other is the local saloon. Lot of local drunks too, nothing to do up here but go to school, go to work, and go to the saloons." Sal nodded. "Even some of the women like to congregate. Dancing is allowed up here, all you want."
"Really, I didn't realize sounds like I need to order a jukebox."
"There are a few locals that play, I'm sure you could talk them into performing for you for free drinks."
"Oh, that's a dandy idea, thanks, Sal. Would you send them around to me, so I can talk to them?"
Sal's unruly gray hair stirred when Sammie Jo turned on the fans above.
"Say, better not leave them on too long, it gets a might cold at night."
Sammie Jo eyed him a moment, taking in his scrubby beard and longish hair with interest. "I'll remember that. I'm just a little hot from working so hard."
Sal eyed her again.
"Where are you from, Sal?"
"I was born in northern California. Came here when I was just a squirt, been here ever since. My folks were miners, but I didn't take it up. Seen my daddy suffer from working the mines so long. He never could breathe right after we came up here, seen my Ma fret about him every day. No sir, I got a regular job."
"And what would that be?"
"Why I'm the Sourdough mailman here. It's a crucial job too. Once you been here a while, you'll begin to understand why. Nothing like the mail to perk a depressed person up. No sir, seen it too many times. Not that everyone is miserable. Most of the married folks aren't sad, but then they do have their fights too."
"I would expect so." Sammie Jo smiled.
"But as for staying, I got no better sense I guess. It's too cold up here in the winter, too much snow, but I reckon you get used to it after a while. Either that or your go stir crazy. Just gotta dress for it. I can't figure why a girl like you would come up to this kind of place. I mean last I heard Texas is kind of a hot place."
"That hasn't changed." Sammie Jo smiled.
"A girl from Texas, in a run-down little place like this in Alaska, makes no," Sal commented after eyeing her a minute. "It isn't the kind of town most tourists choose, even though we get a few curious every now and then. You don't look or act like a tourist. Besides, you aren't about to get rich here. And there is a shortage of eligible men too."
"I hope to be a long time resident here. I like the remoteness."
"That's the word for it, remote." Sal chuckled. "And at first, all of us do, but if you are a lonely sort, it might get to you after a while, especially after staring at the snow for months."
"If you don't like it here, why do you stay, Sal?" Sammie Jo asked.
"Force of habit. It's home to me has been for sixty years. I wouldn't know anywhere else to go," He admitted. "But say, won't you miss Texas?"
"Oh yes, I'm sure I will. Especially the heat and trees," Sammie Jo replied
"What about your family, they know you're coming up here to live?" Sal questioned.
"Uh…yes, they know." Sammie Jo turned away so Sal couldn't see the tear that slipped down her cheek. "Not that any of them understood. They looked at me pretty strangely when I told them my plans. They thought I was joking. I'm sure my brothers and sisters thought me a little callus for coming up here now, but I had to do what I had to do."
Sal's head reared and he stared at her, his gray eyes studying her. "Lost somebody close, did you?"
"Yeah…my grandpa." She cleared her throat.
"A grandpa? Well now, he must have been important to you to miss him so much." Sal nodded.
"Yes, we were very close…" Sammie Jo's voice broke and she turned away.
Most people didn't grieve this hard for a grandparent. Still, papa Cal was special in her heart and Sammie Jo couldn't bear the loss and stay at the ranch a moment longer. Two weeks after the funeral she packed her bags and was headed for Alaska, despite the fact that her father was going through one of the biggest dramas of his life, as a cancer patient.
But his cancer was all a part of her decision to leave as her parents announced they were selling the home place.
It all accumulated and she suddenly realized it was too much to lose all at once. Besides, she had to put distance between herself and her dad's cancer. She had to find a way to deal with it.
Health care costs were soaring and the small insurance policies they had carried for so long were now overloaded. Something had to be done. So selling the ranch was no longer an option, it was a necessity.
Sammie Jo felt as though everything she loved was quickly fading away and falling apart. Her grandpa dying, her father sick, her cousin moving away to school, and then selling the ranch, it was too much to handle. If one thing at a time had happened over a span of time, maybe she could have handled it, this was just too much.
She'd always thought her future was the ranch, now it was being sold, and so was her future. She understood her parents and their situation. Sacrifices on everyone's part had to be made. Cancer was an expensive evil. Yet, she felt she had to leave and find herself a new home, a fresh start in her life, a purpose for her life. Giving up ranching was hard, it was all she really knew. She had spent years imagining she'd never leave the 4 Bar None. But that wasn't reality and plans changed in life.
So she bought the Night N Gale saloon on a whim.
Her mom had worried herself sick about her leaving so abruptly, but Sammie Joe knew she couldn't remain with all the sweet memories of the ranch. Then there was Clay leaving for college, and her father in his condition. Besides, there was another reason she couldn't share with anyone. She'd be too lonesome. Her cousin Clay had been a big part of her life too and his going off to a college in south Texas meant she'd rarely see him any longer. But no one realized the trauma she felt at facing her father's crisis either. She'd nearly l
ost her Uncle from an accident years ago, and that was hard enough as a child. Now her father faced crises that could take him from her too. She knew she was running away from everything, not facing it, but still, for now, it was all she could do.
Even her father had encouraged her to find her place in life; unfortunately, her mother wasn't as understanding.
Sammie Jo quickly realized she had uprooted herself and yanked all the familiar things with unfamiliar ones, but she hoped to find something here. She felt a new hope growing, a promise unmet yet.
Missing everyone, she knew she had to make some changes in her own life. This saloon would take her energy now. Hard work was always a balm for hard times. She was about to test that theory.
"Well gal, I got to be making tracks, so if you need anything you just," Sal instructed as he headed for the front door. "We help each other up here."
"Thanks, Sal, I'll remember." Sammie Jo nodded and went back to working on moving a few kegs of beer behind the bar. She nearly stumbled over SeeMe several times, but he didn't budge from his spot by the bar. If she hadn't found the old dolly she wouldn't have been able to manage moving things around, but she was finding sheer determination a plus. Cody's offer to clean the flume would sure cut corners on her cleaning, she sighed. Already she had made two new friends and they had offered to help her get started.
She'd been so busy the last couple of days as she packed and prepared for the big move and the long flight. She hadn't time to grieve over her grandpa, or worry about her father. Her mom and dad had called to make sure she made it to the remote town and that she was settling in. Sammie Jo knew her mother was biting her tongue to keep quiet about her returning home, but Sammie Jo felt something had brought her here and here she was going to stay.
Chapter Three
True to his word, Cody returned early that evening to help her get the fireplace going. He wasted no time in getting the ladder so he could go on the roof and check the flume, even though the temperature had dropped below freezing. Once that was done, he climbed down and checked the firewood supply.