In that respect, they were complete opposites. Nora had never given much thought to what lay ahead. Someone else had always told her what to do, and she had always obediently followed the rules. Even as an adult, after she met Conner. He had taken care of the details, planned their entire lives out. Every detail fit into a perfectly arranged schedule, right down to when they would announce their engagement, when they would get married, and when they would start a family.
But she wasn’t letting someone else call the shots anymore. Her life had taken her to the wilds of Alaska, and that was where she was going to stay. She wasn’t Conner’s trophy anymore, either. Nora was in charge of her own life now. She would have to start planning things out in advance, like how much food to stockpile for the winter.
At least she had Pete’s records, written out in detail to the point Nora knew what he’d eaten every day, how much he’d eaten, and how much food it had taken for the single man to get through the winter. He’d been just as detailed in his records of fish caught, game killed, and wood chopped. In addition to the journal, he’d left behind twenty-one record books, one for each year he’d spent in the cabin. Yeah, Pete had definitely been a thorough record keeper.
Nora wondered what else she might have learned from him, if she’d grown up knowing Pete. All she had left of him was his journal, and while it provided her with a small peek into his daily life, it really didn’t help her understand who he was. What had brought him to Alaska? Why hadn’t he been a part of her life? She would never know the answers to those questions. She would never truly understand her uncle.
Nora turned to the next page in the journal. It was blank.
The ink pen sat on the floor beside Nora. Without thinking, she picked it up and began writing.
June 16 - Somewhere south of Heron, Alaska
My uncle left me a cabin in the Alaskan wilderness.
It was weird. She’d only heard his name a handful of times in her life, and yet, he’d left her everything he owned. She only wished she could have known him, understood him. If he’d wanted a family of his own and if he’d wanted to know his niece better, then why did he hide himself away in the Alaskan bush? With Pete gone, Nora would never find the answer to that question. Whatever his reason, it was ancient history now, lost forever.
Nora turned her focus back to the present and resumed her journal entry.
So, like Pete, I’m going to (at least attempt to) keep a record of my life in the bush.
I get up in the morning and I throw a piece of wood on the smoldering coals in the wood stove. I go outside and start pumping water. I fill a large bucket first and then I fill a small kettle. I carry both back into the cabin and set them on the stove to heat up. The small kettle always comes to a boil first. I pour some of the water into the French press, but since I don’t have electricity I can’t grind fresh coffee beans. I have to use the ground stuff. It’s nowhere near as good as the latte I used to have every morning, but it’s better than nothing. I use the rest of the water in the kettle to make some oatmeal, which I eat plain. It’s not very satisfying. By the time I get done eating, the bucket of water is usually pretty hot. I use that to wash up. I can’t believe I haven’t had a shower in more than a month. If there’s one thing I miss, it’s a hot shower.
All these weeks I’ve sat around the cabin doing nothing. Starting tomorrow I’m going to try and spend at least two hours each day chopping wood. I have no choice. The wood pile is getting smaller by the day. I think I might stack the wood next to the house. Pete built a wood shed a ways away from the cabin, and I’m tired of hauling it so far every day. Willie said I’ll need to have the shed full before winter if I don’t want to freeze to death. I think he’s exaggerating. He does have a point, though. I’ve been burning up a lot of wood. If I don’t start replenishing it now, I’ll probably be out chopping wood in the middle of winter. I really hope not.
It’s been difficult being alone. Conner always took care of everything, including me. At first, I thought that was a good thing, but near the end I knew I couldn’t take it anymore. It was all so fake. I couldn’t pretend to be the perfect girlfriend anymore, and I’m definitely not cut out to be the perfect wife, at least not the kind of wife he wanted. If I would have stayed with him, I would have let him become my entire life. I would have become someone else entirely. Never again will I let my life revolve around a man the way I did with Conner. Two years with him, and I don’t know how to do anything for myself. But I’m learning.
Nora read what she’d written. She wasn’t good with words. Maybe she would get better as time went on.
So far, I have three friends... Lily, Willie, and Jake.
That brought a smile to her face. She considered them friends, and she was pretty sure they considered her a friend, too.
Lily is about the same age as me (maybe a little older) and she’s hilarious. Whenever I’m around her, it seems like I can’t stop laughing. I’m kind of glad Lily’s the first person I met in town. If not for her, I might have turned right around and hopped back on the ferry.
Willie is my neighbor and he’s constantly checking in on me to make sure I’m still alive. He keeps bringing me food. Jerky, eggs, fresh bread, goat cheese. Says he’s trying to fatten me up for the winter. I don’t think he’s kidding, either. He has a good heart, I think. It’s a shame he’s all alone out here.
And then there was Jake. He was still a bit of a mystery. Sometimes a little bossy and overbearing. But other times the perfect gentleman. Kind. Considerate. Masculine. Oh, so masculine.
I have a date with Jake. I’m not sure when, or where he’s going to take me, but I’m actually looking forward to it. We’ve been getting to know each other over the radio and I think I like him.
When Nora looked up from the journal, she saw the skies outside weren’t as dark. Morning had come. Through the window, she saw a ray of sunshine beaming down through a gap in the clouds, lighting up the waters of the inlet. She turned her attention back to the journal, letting her thoughts flow more freely now.
It’s morning now. The sun is trying its hardest to peek through the clouds. Where it does, the water lights up with a golden hue. I’ve never in all my life seen anything more beautiful. I can’t believe I ever thought about selling this place. Even after everything that happened yesterday, for the first time in my life I feel like I belong somewhere.
That reminded her. She’d forgotten to cancel the ad. Of course, she would have forgotten. The last time she was in town, she’d just been charged by a bear and found a dead body. She wasn’t in her right mind. But in spite of the dead body, in spite of the bear, Nora knew without a doubt she was going to stay in Heron. She owed to her Uncle Pete. She owed it to herself.
Chapter 13
Rain gathered in the center of the tarp canopy, forming an ever deepening puddle over Nora’s head as she pulled the ax out of a stump and attempted to chop the wood into several smaller pieces that would fit in the stove. She was having a difficult time of it, too. Every swing of the ax was a reminder of how inept she was at this whole survival thing. Either she didn’t swing the ax with enough force to get through the wood or her aim was so far off she caught just the edge of the stump and sliced off only a long sliver of wood.
Disappointed with how little progress she was making, Nora bent down and picked up the few slivers of wood she’d managed to produce, pieces that weren’t good for much, other than kindling. She tossed them through the open door of the wood shed, onto drier ground. If the wood shed were a little larger, and not quite so dark inside, she would have rolled the large pieces of wood inside. But there wasn’t enough room to swing an ax in the narrow structure. It was barely large enough to house three long rows of firewood, so she had no choice but to work outside, under the tarp.
Overhead, the ropes holding each of the four corners of the tarp to several trees around her were stretched taut from the added weight of the rainwater. Her raincoat kept her dry, but the tarp canopy was the only
thing keeping the wood from getting completely waterlogged.
Nora grabbed a long stick and pushed it up in the center of the tarp where it sagged the most, trying to get the puddle of rainwater to drain off the side of the canopy. She jammed one end of the stick into the ground to prop up the center of the canopy and keep the rain from gathering there. It worked for the most part, but smaller puddles started to form along the edge of the tarp. She wasn’t too worried about them.
It was still early in the morning. The clouds blocked out most of the sun, except for a few stray rays of sunshine sneaking through between the mountain peaks and the heavy clouds, offering enough illumination for Nora to work outdoors.
After spending a sleepless night on the edge of the loft, keeping vigil on the door to make sure a rogue bear didn’t pound it down, Nora was tired. Chopping wood was the last thing in the world she wanted to be doing. But firewood was a necessity, since it was the only thing that kept the cold of night from creeping into the cabin. She’d told herself she should start chopping wood now instead of waiting for the chill of fall.
Besides, Nora was restless after the previous day’s events.
She’d been cautious, going outside that morning, even though there were no signs of the bear. No tracks or anything else to indicate it had been there the night before. Maybe Nora had imagined the scratching noise, convinced herself something was there. Imagination or not, it had kept her up all night.
Even though she was still a little spooked by it all, she was determined to get over her fears. If she was going to stay at the cabin, she couldn’t live in constant fear. And she definitely couldn’t keep herself holed up in the cabin. She needed to be able to walk outside, knowing the dangers that might be out there, and willing to take them on. That’s what she told herself, anyway.
What she really needed that morning was to clear her mind, and she was hoping hard work would do the trick. So far it was working. With splinters in her hands and a pile of wood that didn’t seem to be getting any smaller, Nora’s attention was focused solely on swinging the ax hard enough to actually get through a piece of timber.
After an hour of hacking away at the wood, the heavy rain diminished to a fine mist. Nora stopped to assess her progress. She had a small pile of usable fire wood and the start of at least two blisters on her hands. Stretching the muscles on her arms, she decided to get something to drink before resuming her work.
The rifle leaned against the nearest tree. Never again would Nora be caught unprepared. After the run-in with the bear, the rifle was going to be by her side anytime she ventured outside, even if she was just going to the outhouse.
Grabbing the rifle, Nora walked the short distance to the stream. She knelt down and rinsed her aching hands in the cold water. Then she found the rope she had tied to a stump, and pulled the fish net out of the water. She had stowed a couple cans of soda in the bag to keep them chilled, along with a case of beer she kept around for Willie, and it worked perfectly. It was the closest thing to refrigeration she was going to get, at least for the time being.
Inside the cabin, Nora opened the window and propped the door wide open to let the air flow through. Then she sat down on the couch. In spite of the lumps in the cushions, it felt rather comfortable after spending the morning hacking away at the wood pile. She settled in and rested her head on the back of the couch, enjoying the feel of the soda’s bubbles in her mouth.
She sat there a lot longer than she had originally planned, staring at the ceiling and daydreaming about the house she’d like to build eventually. Willie had started out in a small cabin about the same size as this one, he’d told her. Over the years, he’d added on until it was a decent-sized modern home. If he could do it, so could Nora.
She didn’t want anything large, but she was itching to have more space than the 140 square foot cabin she was living in. The design she had in her head was simple. The home would have a small kitchen, a proper living room, a bedroom, and a bathroom downstairs. She envisioned a large loft upstairs, substantially larger than the one she had now, where she could spend her time painting and doing crafty projects. Nora hadn’t painted anything since grade school, but the scenery inspired her and she wanted a space where she could test her talents, limited as they may be.
Outside, she wanted a large covered porch with a small seating area and an outdoor fireplace she could cozy up to on those chilly nights. Nora dreamed of long nights curled up in front of the fireplace, watching the stars glisten over the snow-capped peaks on the opposite side of the inlet, with a cup of hot chocolate to warm her hands.
She was looking forward to the day when she would eventually get electricity and running water set up out there. Hopefully, that day would come sooner rather than later. She’d already requested a catalog from a company that specialized in solar and wind power equipment, and she was anxiously waiting for it to come in the mail.
A snapping sound outside brought Nora back to the present and she sat up straight, on high alert. Thoughts of the bear’s return were the first thing that entered her mind. She looked around for the rifle and saw it leaning against the wall, next to the door.
That’s good. At least I didn’t leave it outside.
Quickly, Nora stood up, closed the door, and latched it tight. She had only a limited view of the yard through the small window on the side of the cabin. With the door closed, she couldn’t see a large majority of the property, including the inlet in front of the cabin. Through the window, she saw the rain had completely stopped, with only a few drops falling here and there, dripping from the branches overhead.
Taking a deep breath to steady herself, she picked the rifle up, checked to make sure there was a shell in the chamber, and turned the safety off.
Slowly, cautiously, she opened the door a few inches and peeked through the slit of the barely open door. Seeing nothing out of the ordinary, Nora opened the door all the way, stepped out, and surveyed her surroundings. The branches of the trees swayed in the gentle breeze, and she spied a black squirrel scurrying along the damp earth, running toward the nearest tree. Around the side and back of the cabin, everything looked to be in its place, with no sign of bears, thankfully.
Nora let out a long sigh, laughing at herself for being so jumpy. Clearly, everything was fine. Like the night before, she was overreacting.
Deciding she should get back to work, she went inside to grab her unfinished can of soda and then walked back over to the log she had been working on. Leaning the rifle against a tree, she picked up the ax and swung it hard. She grinned. She actually hit her target and sliced the piece right in half.
She reached down and turned one of the pieces, positioning it so she could cut it in half again. Then she hefted the ax up, over her shoulder. Mid-swing, a movement to her left startled her and she missed the log completely. The memory of the bear charging toward her flashed through Nora’s mind. Oh, no. Not again. Her thoughts immediately went to the rifle, leaning against a tree three feet away, and she reached for it. When Jake stepped out from behind the wood shed, Nora sighed with relief and leaned the rifle back against the tree.
“Looks like you’re getting the hang of it,” he said, looking down at her smile pile of wood. “Kind of.”
She smiled, trying not to show how startled she was. Her heart pounded a million beats per minute. Maybe it was the memory of the bear charging her... or maybe it was the sight of Jake. Either way, her heart was racing.
“Where’d you come from? I didn’t hear your skiff,” she asked, trying to sound as casual as possible.
With his thumb, he pointed over his shoulder, toward the forest.
“From over there.” The look on Nora’s face indicated she expected more of an explanation. People didn’t just appear out of the forest, at least not in her experience. “I went down to the Baker’s float house to help Tom replace a support log. One side was sinking in the water.”
“Oh. Was it flooded?”
“Yeah. The water was about tw
o feet deep in the bedroom when I got there. We managed to get one log under and fastened to the house, but it looks like it’ll need at least one more to support it.”
“That didn’t really answer my question, though,” she said, still wondering how he managed to get there without her hearing his boat approach.
“Oh, on my way back, the motor quit. I couldn’t get it started again. I was only about a mile south of here, so I rowed to shore and walked the rest of the way.” Jake tried to sound as if the stalled motor had thrown a real monkey-wrench into his day. But actually it turned out to be the perfect excuse to stop in and check on Nora. He hadn’t liked the idea of leaving her out there by herself the day before, not after she had just found a body and had a run-in with a bear. He needed to know she was okay. The stalled motor, while inconvenient, gave him a plausible excuse for showing up, without making him seem like some kind of ‘dominant male,’ as Nora had once accused him of being.
“I don’t suppose you have a spare outboard motor I could borrow?” His lips turned up at the edges, the beginning of a smile. The night before, he had the same expression on his face after Nora kissed him on the cheek. It reminded her of how she had wanted him to kiss her for real.
“I only have the one on my skiff… I mean, your skiff,” Nora said, suddenly feeling a little shy around Jake. “I’m just borrowing it...”
Jake laughed. “I know. I was kidding.”
“Go ahead and take it if you need it. I’ll manage fine.”
“Or you could tow me into town.”
“Alright, let me grab a couple things and we’ll get going.”
“There’s no rush. I’m tired and I could use a little rest first. It’s been a long morning.”
Nora smiled, glad he wasn’t in a hurry to leave.
“Well, come inside then. This gives me a reason to take a break from working for a while,” Nora said, turning and walking toward the cabin. She heard the heavy footfall of his boots and knew he was following. As heavy as his steps are, Nora thought, it’s a wonder I didn’t hear him coming a mile away. She couldn’t imagine how he’d gotten so close to the cabin without her hearing him.
Water's Edge (Alaskan Frontier Romance Book 1) Page 16