Bittersweet Promises

by Patricia Watters

  A knife blade flashed through the air and buried in the floor of the cook shack with a thunk. The men looked up into the narrowed eyes of Jed Swenson. "That's for forty-five seconds." He crouched, yanked the knife from the floorboard and stabbed it through his own five-dollar bill. Teetering back on his heels, he scratched a fingernail against the stubble on his chin, and said, "It'll be a cold day in hell when I let a woman tell me how to do my job, and you boys can tell that to Mizzz O'Reilly."

  "You can tell me yourself." Tess stood in the doorway, eyes focused on the big man. She walked to where he crouched. The voices died as Swenson rose, draped his hands on his hips, and glared down at her. Propping her hands on her hips to mirror him, she glared back. "To whom do I owe this great pleasure?"

  Swenson scratched his head. "You're head honcho here. You oughta know your own woods boss." Subdued snickers rippled.

  Tess surveyed the crowd. Gradually, their faces sobered. She turned to focus on Swenson's narrowed, defiant eyes. "The elusive Jed Swenson, I presume."

  Swenson hitched up his britches with a satisfied snort. "You presumed right." His jaws moved over the chew of tobacco in his mouth.

  "Mr. Swenson, I'd like to see you in my office," Tess said while holding his gaze.

  Swenson glanced around, tobacco-stained teeth emerging from a twisted smile. "There's nothin' needs sayin' in your office that can't be said right here in front of my men."

  Tess squared her shoulders. "First off, they're not your men, you're not running this camp. You're hired to direct cutting at the site and operate the skidder. You'll take orders from me, and when I tell you to be somewhere I expect you to be there. Is that clear?"

  For an instant, Swenson's jaws stopped moving. Then he let out a snicker, and said, "Hell, lady, you couldn't be clearer."

  "All right then, where were you on Friday?" Tess asked.

  Swenson hooked his thumbs in his pockets. "I had to go to my grandmother's funeral."

  Tess drew in an impatient breath. "Where were you this morning when you were told to start the men cutting pole timber?"

  "I had to—" Swenson gave her a belligerent smile "—get my teeth cleaned." He launched a spate of tobacco juice at the floor in front of her feet.

  Tess acknowledged the splatter then said to Swenson, "Very well then, you can pack your gear. You're through." She turned and looked around at the men. "And if anyone else wants to clean their teeth on company time don't hesitate to follow Mr. Swenson out the door."

  Swenson folded his arms and peered down at her. A brown bead collected at one corner of his mouth and sputtered into the air, as he said, "You're pretty damned high-handed for a woman."

  Tess held his caustic gaze. "Your paycheck will be at the office at quitting time. Good day."

  Swenson's lips twisted in a sneer, then he scanned the men, the sneer fading as each, in turn, looked away. Fury rising to redden his face, he said to Tess, "I'll give you about one week to come beggin' me to run your damn camp." He yanked his knife from the floor and charged out of the cook shack.

  Tess stared at the open door. A gut feeling told her she'd not seen the last of Jed Swenson. She turned to the men. "Anyone here had any experience as woods boss?"

  Curt Broderick squared his thick shoulders and nodded.

  "Think you can handle the job?"

  Curt's lips curved in a confident smile. "Oh, sure."

  "Good! Now we'll need a skidder driver to replace Swenson. Anyone have any experience?"

  Harv Demsey stood. "I've done some. It's been a few years though."

  "Good. Meet me on the ridge in thirty minutes and we'll see what you can do."

  ***

  Two days later, Tess realized Harv Dempsey wouldn't work out. More than once she had to call him down for not wearing his safety belt, and she also noticed the jerky, erratic movement of the skidder when he drove. Concerned, she headed toward the cutting area, prepared to pull him off the skidder and put him back on cutting and limbing, but as she drove up the dirt road, she spotted a large sign nailed to the gate where Timber West land met the North Slope tract, a road they used when hauling pole logs from the ridge.

  Pulling the Jeep to a halt, she read the words painted across the wood surface: ROYALTY ON ALL LOGS CROSSING THIS PROPERTY IS $10 PER THOUSAND. The notice was signed: A. de Neuville-Owner; J. Swenson-Manager.

  Tess stared at the sign. Alesander de Neuville, owner?

  Carl Yaeger was supposed to have bought the tract. And Swenson was manager of Zak's father's land? This was all they needed. Having to cross Alesander de Neuville's land would not sit well with her father, nor would the increased log royalty. Timber West never paid more than a dollar per thousand board feet to cross that land. Zak warned there'd be trouble because of the trees her father cut. He was right. Alesander de Neuville was collecting for the trees through the raised royalty. Her father would be livid.

  She revved the engine and the Jeep bolted forward. Well, she'd pay Alesander de Neuville's royalty. The timber on the ridge would more than cover it. It was prime pole timber.

  By the time she pulled into the clearing where the men were working, her palms throbbed from gripping the wheel, and her clenched jaws ached. She spotted Curt Broderick coming toward her, a chainsaw in his hand. "I guess you saw de Neuville's notice?" he said.

  Tess hopped out of the Jeep. "Oh yes."

  Curt set the chain saw on the ground. "Swenson came by earlier, claims he's working the north end of de Neuville's place near the ridge. It wouldn't surprise me if trouble started. Swenson doesn't take lightly to being put down in front of the men, especially by a woman, nothing personal intended."

  "I know, but we'll handle things as they come."

  Curt grabbed the chain saw and walked to where he'd been limbing, and Tess leaned against a tree, folded her arms, and watched Harv Dempsey on the skidder, moving logs. He took too many passes to position the big machine, and when she heard him grind the gears, she walked toward him and motioned for him to stop. She also realized he wasn't wearing his safety belt again. "Dempsey, you've been told several times a safety belt's required," she called up to him.

  "It's too much hassle when I have to keep getting on and off," Dempsey replied.

  "That may be, but we can't chance the liability. I'm putting you back on cutting and limbing. Your saw's in my Jeep." Tess motioned to Curt, and when he walked over to where she stood, she said, "I interviewed a skidder driver over the phone earlier and he'll be here in the morning. Meanwhile, keep the men working and I'll handle the skidder."

  "You?"

  "Don't look so surprised." Tess turned and headed toward the skidder. It had been years since she'd operated the big machine, and looking at it now she felt a renewed sense of excitement. Hinged in the middle with the back wheels turning independently from the front, whenever she operated it she felt like she was riding a giant double-jointed bug.

  She climbed the steps to the enclosed cab, swung up onto the seat and fastened her safety belt. Adjusting her hard hat and smiling, she turned the key and pressed the starter button. Before the big machine moved out, Curt motioned to her. She waited for him to come to her.

  "I forgot to tell you," Curt said. "When Swenson was here earlier, he made some threats. Want me to sort of keep an eye on him for you?"

  Tess looked at Curt with apprehension. "What kind of threats?"

  "Nothing specific, just said you'd be hearing from him."

  "Then, maybe you'd better go back to camp and watch things there for the afternoon. I'll move the logs to the landing and meet you there later."

  Trying to shove thoughts of Jed Swenson from her mind, Tess put the skidder in gear, took the wheel, and pulled on the throttle. For now, she intended to ride this giant bug.

  ***

  Zak pulled his truck into the clearing and found Tess standing beside the skidder, mopping dust from her face and neck with a towel. She made no move as he walked toward her, even when he reached out to wipe a smudge from
her face and pick forest debris from her hair. "You look like the Tess I remember," he said.

  Her face flushed and Zak knew she was thinking what he was thinking. He liked her in tight jeans and a snug shirt, and seven years ago she dressed to please him. She wasn't dressing to please him now though, but it had the same effect. Those memories were hard to repress when she was near. "How did it go with your father?" he asked.

  "Amazingly well after the storm passed." Her face sobered. "Why didn't you tell me your father bought the tract between Timber West and the ridge?"

  He shrugged. "I thought you knew."

  "I didn't, and neither does my father. He'll be furious. And now your father's raised the royalty on our road, which might be enough to make Timber West fold, which, of course, would make your father happy so he could buy this land."

  "I admit, he'd like to buy out Timber West, if only to stop your father from cutting trees on his land. That's one of the problems between those two. Your father's too bullheaded to admit he's wrong about the trees and the property line, and since he refuses to look at the survey map, he's going to end up in court and get slapped with a huge figure for settlement if he continues cutting. You are aware that six more trees are down, aren't you?"

  "Six?" Tess felt a shot of adrenaline. "I knew four more had been cut but I gave specific orders, no more trees were to be cut on that strip. Who cut the other two?"

  "I don't know. Swenson dragged them over to where the others were. He and your new woods boss had a scrap over them."

  "Swenson and Curt had a fight?"

  "It was more verbal than physical. Swenson accused Broderick of cutting the trees and that didn't sit too well with Broderick."

  "Well, I'm sure Curt didn't cut the trees," Tess said. "The question is, who did?"

  "Swenson insisted it was your man, said he heard the chainsaw, and when he got there no one was around but Broderick. And Broderick claims Swenson was the only person in the area, that right after it was cut he saw Swenson hooking a cable to his Cat and dragging one of the trees over to where the others lay."

  Tess braced her hands on her hips. "That doesn't make sense. In spite of what Swenson says Curt didn't do it. Swenson's mad about losing his job. He made threats earlier. I think he cut the trees and is trying to blame it on Curt."

  "Swenson's pretty hot headed from what I hear," Zak admitted.

  "He's more than hotheaded. He's capable of doing almost anything."

  Zak reached up and picked some debris from her hair. "I'm sorry my father's bringing on more problems. I doubt if I can budge him on the royalty, but I'll see what I can do to get him to back off about the trees until this is squared away."

  "That's the problem. It might not be squared away until half the trees are down. I get so frustrated because of my father's stubbornness." Dipping from under Zak's hand, Tess backed away and slapped at her jeans, sending little clouds of dust puffing into the air. When she looked up and caught Zak smiling, she said, "What's so amusing?"

  "You still look good in tight jeans, but I think I like you better the way you looked when you came to my cabin. You smelled good too, like flowers."

  "Jasmine," Tess said. "I'm surprised you were aware of it."

  "I was aware." Zak moved toward her. "I noticed other things too, like how good you look in black, and how much I wanted to kiss you then, and now."

  "Stop right there!" Tess backed away. "You act as if nothing happened. You've offered no explanation about why you disappeared seven years ago without saying a word to me. You were the most important person in my life and I thought I was the most important person in yours, and you simply walked away."

  "There's more to it than that," Zak said, "but I need time alone with you to try to explain what was going on back then. Will you give me that time?"

  Tess looked at him long and hard, then released a long sigh, and said, "I suppose, as long as you understand that I'm only asking for an explanation, not a relationship. That's the last thing I want. Meanwhile, I need to talk to Broderick and Swenson about the latest trees cut and I'd feel better if you were with me when I confront Swenson. I've dealt with him before, but I'm not sure I want to face him alone in the woods."

  "Yeah. I'd feel better if I was along too. I'll meet you at my cabin and we can go from there."

  "Curt's back at camp and I need to talk to him first," Tess called out, "so give me a few minutes."

  Zak nodded and returned to his truck.

  When Tess arrived at the compound, she found Curt in the machine shed working on the bulldozer. He repeated to her what he told Zak, that he found Jed Swenson hauling the tree and when he started asking questions, Swenson confronted him. Tess felt uneasy with Curt's attitude, sensing a feud building, and as she headed for her cabin, she wondered if her father had had this many problems running Timber West, or whether she was somehow jinxed.

  She met Zak at his cabin, and they continued up the logging road that wound through the forest, while following the clink and rumble of Jed Swenson's Cat, and found him grading the road. When he saw them approaching, he cut the throttle and waited on the Cat for them to come to him. Tess looked up, realizing her low position put her at a disadvantage.

  "Swenson," she said, "would you please step down. I'd like to talk to you about the trees that were cut earlier."

  Swenson looked from Tess to Zak then climbed down. Eyeing Tess, he said, "What about the trees?"

  "That's what I want you to tell me," Tess said, determined to listen to Swenson's side of the story in spite of what she believed. "From what I understand, you claim Broderick cut them."

  Swenson held her gaze. "That's because he did. He was standin' beside one after it fell."

  Tess held his unwavering gaze. "Did you hear Broderick's chain saw?"

  Swenson shot a spate of tobacco off to the side. "I was runnin' the Cat and couldn't hear anything."

  "Where, exactly, were you at the time?" Tess asked.

  Swenson pointed in the distance. "Over near the hollow."

  Tess eyed him dubiously. "You just happened to be operating there and saw Broderick?"

  Swenson shot another spate of tobacco juice to the ground. "I saw the tree fallin' and found Broderick standin' over it when I got there so I told him to get the hell away from the tree, that it belonged to de Neuville, and he told me to mind my own damn business."

  "So you jumped him."

  "Hell no. He jumped me."

  Tess felt the aggravated beating of her heart. "Was anyone else around?"

  "How should I know? Broderick had me pinned to the ground."

  Tess arched a brow. "You don't look like someone who could be easily pinned. Are you sure you have the story right?"

  "Are you callin' me a liar'?"

  "I'm not calling you anything. I'm just trying to find out what happened."

  "I told you what happened so you can believe anything you damned well please. I have work to do." Swenson swung up onto the Cat, shoved it in gear, and lowered the blade.

  When the bulldozer started forward, Zak grabbed Tess's arm, drawing her away. "We're not going to get anything more from him. That's the same story I got earlier."

  Tess folded her arms. "Well, I refuse to pay your father for those trees until we get to the bottom of this."

  "I'll see if I can get more out of Swenson later," Zak said. "Meanwhile, I've opened one of the old trails through the woods. We can go back that way."

  As they followed the trail, it was eerily like it had once been, and Zak couldn't help thinking that Tess was aware of it too. Back then, they would've been holding hands, and stopping to hug and kiss before dashing to the grotto where they'd have only a short time alone together.

  Wanting to take her back to a time when she still loved him, he said, "On Saturday I'll be climbing a nest tree on the ridge and I'll have Peio with me, and I need someone to watch him while I'm up the tree and I'd hoped you could come. After, you could come to my cabin for dinner. I'd have steaks and wi
ne and all the trimmings."

  Tess's eyes flared with awareness. "I'm sorry, no. Things were pretty hot and heavy with us there and I don't want a repeat of any of it. Sex was new to me, and you were a normal male in your twenties, and we both had raging hormones. It was all about sex and no substance. It had little to do with anything else."

  "I see." Zak wondered if she meant what she said. He had no doubt he loved her then and still did, though she was right about the raging hormones. Having sex was their focus when they were alone together. But they'd also planned a future, and exchanged vows, and he'd given her a ring. But he'd only been twenty-one at the time and life hadn't kicked in yet. It did the night her father caught them together.

  "I just want to make sure you understand about the cabin," Tess said.

  Zak shrugged. "Yeah, I pretty much do now. So, how about you come with us on Saturday and I'll try to sum things up about what happened seven years ago, as best I can. But then, maybe I'm making too much of it since you don't think it had anything to do with love."

  Tess looked at him broodingly, and her lips parted, as if she wanted to say something. Then she raised her shoulders in a kind of half shrug, and said, "I wouldn't be available to watch Peio until afternoon because I have to go over the account books in the morning and figure out how to pay for all the equipment repairs and the downed trees."

  "Have you discussed with your father the idea of selling Timber West?" Zak asked. "If he's interested, I know my father's last offer still holds,"

  "I've brought it up and he just mumbles something about wanting to be buried there and walks off. He's a stubborn man who's set in his ways. Change doesn't come easily."

  Zak said nothing more, but when they got to his cabin, and before Tess continued down the road to hers, he said, "I'll come by for you around one on Saturday. We'll also be stopping by the wildlife park so I can pick up my climbing gear. Are you okay with that?"

  Tess nodded, but as she looked up at him, while standing so close he could take her in his arms and kiss her, it was all Zak could do to keep from doing just that, and he wondered how he'd be able to keep his hands off her on Saturday. There was no question, being with her pressed his willpower to the limit. And the fact was, his hormones still raged when he was around her. But at least she agreed to go with him. He'd use the time wisely.