ALASKAN BRIDES 01: Yukon Wedding

by Allie Pleiter

  Mack was genuinely stumped. Too much about Treasure Creek was stumping him lately. “I’d want you to be sheriff, Ed. Anybody would.”

  “I’d want to sink my shovel in my backyard and hit a lode of gold, but that don’t mean I’d be digging in the right place.”

  Ed gave out a sigh that hinted there was a long, untold story behind his refusal, reminding Mack he didn’t actually know that much about Ed. He was a big bear of a man, burly to be sure, but upright and faithful, too. Maybe he had a questionable past, but didn’t half of Alaska? Ed was as reliable as they came. Mack was sure he was the man for the job. “You should be sheriff,” he repeated.

  Ed’s only response was to give Mack a conversation ending stare. Dark and declarative. “No, I shouldn’t,” he said quietly as he stood up and brushed the sawdust off his trousers. “I’m going to find some lunch.” It was not an invitation.

  “I guess I’ll just shave the last of these cabinet doors.” Mack stood there, rubbing his chin with the back of one hand, and watched his friend fill the doorway with his enormous shoulders and then disappear.

  That went dandy, he thought sourly. If God was asking him to find partners, the least He could do was prod them to say “yes” when asked.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Lana’s skirts swept through the doorway a second later, and she was staring in the direction Ed had gone. Mack’s annoyance must have been all over his face, for she was barely in the room before she said, “What’s going on with the two of you?”

  Mack really didn’t want to get into this with her. She had that sunny look on her face, the one that meant she was ankle-deep in one of those ideas of hers, and it always meant trouble. “We had a disagreement,” he said, hoping it would end the conversation as effectively as Ed’s glare, but knowing it wouldn’t.

  Georgie came from behind her, bouncing a pair of long wood shavings with a ridiculous grin on his face. She came over to stand in front of him, arms crossed over her chest. “You two? Over what?”

  There was no help for it. She’d get it out of him sooner or later. “I told him he should be sheriff and he said no.”

  Lana’s eyebrows shot up. “Sheriff?”

  “It’s high time we got one, don’t you think?”

  She undid the strings of her bonnet and took it off. “As a matter of fact, I do. And Ed’s a smart choice. But he didn’t want to be sheriff when you asked him?”

  Mack stuffed his hands into his pockets. “I told him he should be sheriff and he said ‘no, I shouldn’t.’ Just like that.”

  Lana eyed him. He really didn’t like it when Lana eyed him that way. “Just like that?”

  “Like what?”

  “You told him he ought to be sheriff.” She placed her bonnet down carefully on the new store counter. “Is that how you put it?”

  “He ought to be sheriff. I didn’t think much about how I put it.”

  Lana folded her hands in front of her. “Well, I can see that.”

  “Just what is that supposed to mean?”

  “Mack, people don’t like to be told things like that. They like to be asked. Maybe you needed to ask Ed if he would consider being sheriff. Tell him why he’d be your first choice for the job.”

  Ed? Practical, forthright Ed? “I suppose I ought to have written out an invitation and had him over for dinner to discuss the advantages?”

  He was being sarcastic but she rose straight to his bait. “As a matter of fact, it wouldn’t have hurt.”

  “I need a sheriff, not a diplomat. He knows he’s the man for the job. He’s practically doing it now. I don’t see the problem.”

  Lana’s hands went to her hips. “No, you don’t, do you? Do you know, Mack Tanner, that you never once asked me to marry you? No, you told me I ought to marry you. Insistently.”

  Mack’s hands flew up in the air. “Well, it worked, didn’t it?”

  Sparks flew from her eyes. “Only barely.”

  Huffing, Mack stomped to the other side of the room and began pulling the top off a crate of newly delivered hardware.

  She followed him. “You cannot simply inform the world of your plans. Well, I suppose if you want to manage the entire world on your own, be running from dawn until midnight the way you are, and not get help from all the good people ready to help you…”

  “I don’t see anyone lining up to help me,” he growled.

  “No, because you won’t look. For a man who wants to run a town, you’ve got an awful lot to learn about people.” She put out her tiny little hand and slapped down the lid he was lifting. Glory but she was a feisty, infuriating thing. “You can’t just go ordering them around.” She was using that too-clear teacher voice of hers, and it rankled him.

  “I don’t.”

  “You do.”

  “He’s a grown man, Lana, not some child I have to coddle.”

  “Making a civilized request of a grown man is not coddling him.”

  “No one asked me if I want to be mayor, now, did they? Look at Ed. He was in on that from the first. No one said one word about ‘whether or not I’d consider taking the job.’”

  Lana fiddled with the lace at her cuff. “That was different.”

  “No, it isn’t.”

  “We all knew you’d say yes.”

  “No one…” Mack stopped in his tracks. “What do you mean, ‘we’? Did you know about that?” He furrowed his eyebrows at her. “Were you in on that?” She was. He could tell by the way she licked her lips and hesitated. Was there no end the trouble this woman would cause him?

  “As a matter of fact, I was consulted.”

  He hated it when she got that prim and proper tone to her voice. “How?” He drew the word out, long and menacing.

  “Ed asked me if I thought you’d agree.”

  Mack sat back on his heels and rued the day she’d consented to anything. “And…”

  “And I told him I was certain you’d say yes, and that it would be good for you and the town to boot.”

  Good for him. He hadn’t had a moment’s peace or privacy in weeks and this was good for him. “I’m not going to strong-arm Ed into doing something he doesn’t want to do. That’s good for no one.”

  Lana began to wander around the store, poking into this and that. Was she going to rearrange his store the way she’d rearranged the house? She probably thought that would be good for him, too. He watched her eye the set of shelves he’d just put up and decided helpmates were highly overrated. “Ed should be sheriff,” she said, running her hand along the side of the shelf in a way that made him worry she was measuring for ruffled fringe. “You’re right about that.”

  Mack sat down on the barrel of assorted hardware that had arrived yesterday. Two weeks late and with only half the items he’d ordered. “That’s exactly what I said to him, you know.”

  “We’ll just have to ask him in a way that helps him to realize just how perfect he is for the job.”

  There was that “we” again. “Oh, surely.” Normally, he wasn’t much for sarcasm, but she seemed to bring out his more exasperated traits.

  She brushed the sawdust from her hands and picked up her bonnet. “Well, I’d better get over to the market and see what I can find if we’re going to have Ed over for dinner tomorrow night.”

  Now who was telling and not asking? “I wasn’t aware we’d invited Ed over to dinner tomorrow night.” He suddenly felt like Georgie trying to argue his way out of a bath—outranked.

  “I’ll ask him right now.” She lifted her delicate pale chin with an aristocratic air as she tied the bonnet underneath. “Oh, and the Tucker sisters have weighed in their full support for the Midsummer Festival. They’re delighted at the idea.”

  He highly doubted that. If they’d only agreed not to put up a stink about it, Mack was sure the entire state of Alaska would pull a collective gasp of surprise.

  Lana put on her gloves and held out a hand for Georgie. “Viola should have a host of new dress business before the celebration. I
f the Tuckers are getting new dresses for the occasion, I gather half the town will follow suit. That’s good business for everybody, Mr. Mayor. Come, Georgie. We’re going to make Mr. Parker a pie.”

  Tuckers in dresses? Festivals? Pie? Mack stood in shock, staring long after the mesmerizing swish of his wife’s skirts. Hang me, he thought as he shook his head, I’ve just been outmaneuvered. And I think I enjoyed it.

  Lana preferred not to venture too close to the docks these days, but today was the day what little produce made it up to Treasure Creek arrived by boat. If she waited for any of it to find its way up to the little fruit and vegetable stand in town, the best blueberries would be gone. And if there was one thing that grew sweet and splendid in Alaska, it was berries. “Mr. Parker would like a blueberry pie, don’t you think, Georgie?”

  “Pie!” Georgie endorsed with a grin.

  Lana was just saying goodbye to little Hank Duke’s parents after complimenting the couple on their son’s advancements in reading, when a well-dressed man sauntered up. She hadn’t noticed him standing there, listening to her praises of Hank. He flashed a broad smile. “So you are the illustrious new Mrs. Tanner? How pleased I am to meet you. I was an associate of your late husband’s. My condolences on your loss, and that of poor…George, isn’t it?” he said, tipping his bowler. “How do you like your new papa, George? He’s an old friend of mine, Mack is.”

  There was something in his tone that Lana did not care for at all. “Yes, I am Mrs. Tanner. Mack’s just up seeing to the new store. You can find him there. I just left him.”

  “I’ve no need to bother Mack. I’m quite sure you can help me. You see, it’s come to my attention that a child has arrived in town. A very particular child, kin of mine, to be exact.”

  So much for keeping word of the gold and baby quiet, Lana thought. Still, the man looked as if he could spare two gold nuggets easily, although he didn’t show the concern she thought a relative should have regarding a child left alone in the world. “Kin of yours?” Lana kept a tight grip Georgie’s hand. “Mack will be delighted to know the child is kin of an associate. We’ve been hoping you’d show soon, Mr….”

  “Brown.”

  Lana had the niggling suspicion that Brown was not this man’s real name. Berries or no berries, this man was going straight to Mack as soon as she could lead him. “I’ll take you to Mack right now. I know he’ll be eager to speak with you. We’ve all been so concerned.”

  Mr. “Brown” leaned closer. He smelled little bit of brandy and cigars and quite a lot like a rat. “As have I, Mrs. Tanner, as have I. So I’m sure that, as a parent yourself, you understand my sense of urgency. I’d feel so much better if I could just go straight to seeing the poor little one. Ease my mind over his safety.”

  His safety? Now Lana knew she smelled a rat. She applied her most charming smile. “Oh, but Mack has taken the matter under his own personal supervision. I’d never dream of overstepping him on this. Surely you’d want us to watch over the little boy with the utmost of care? We couldn’t hand him off to any impostor who came calling now, could we?”

  “It seems the reputation of Treasure Creek’s outstanding character is indeed well earned.” He swept his hand grandly around the docks. Lana noticed his fine suit coat wasn’t exactly in his size. Mr. Brown had either lost a considerable amount of weight recently, or he ought to fire his tailor.

  As she caught site of Ed Parker turning the corner, Lana knew what to do. “Why, Ed Parker, you’re just the fellow we need,” she said loudly, walking straight up to Ed and clasping his hand. “Ed, dear, this here is Mr. Brown. A close associate of Jed’s and an old friend of Mack’s. Surely you remember him? And guess what? He’s come to collect his abandoned baby boy.” She kept her back to the schemer behind her, raising her eyebrows repeatedly at Ed and saying a quick silent prayer that Parker would catch her ruse and play along. “Isn’t it amazing that a friend of Mack’s is kin to that poor little boy with all that gold? It’s an absolute blessing that he’s found us so quickly. He doesn’t want to bother Mack or be any trouble. He just wants us to take him straight to that precious baby boy.”

  Mr. Brown came up behind Lana. “I’ve been most worried about him. Sad, sad story. I told my nephew Treasure Creek would be a place for him to settle. Shame he never made it. I still don’t know how the boy found his way here, but thank the good Lord he did. I’d like to see him right away.”

  Lana was relieved when Ed patted her hand and began leading Mr. Brown in a direction away from Viola Goddard’s house. “Oh, God’s been watching over him indeed. He’s in fine shape, considering all he’s been through.”

  “All of his belongings arrive safe and sound?”

  Lana set her teeth. She could just imagine which of Goldie’s “belongings” held Mr. Brown’s attention. They were now walking in the direction of MacDougal’s blacksmith shop, which not only doubled as the post office, but tripled as the town jail when necessary. Based on the growl that crept into Ed Parker’s voice as they continued to talk about Mr. Brown’s “poor kin,” the man would be lucky if he made it in there without a bruise…or six.

  As the four of them—Ed, “Mr. Brown,” Lana and Georgie—reached the blacksmith’s, Parker looked Lana square in the eye. “Mrs. Tanner,” he said as his beefy hand came down fast and hard on Brown’s arm, “It’s best young Georgie leaves now.”

  His voice was so menacing, his fury over the sheer arrogance of Brown’s extensive lies so barely contained, that Lana didn’t put up a word of argument. She scooped Georgie up and set off at a quick pace toward the General Store, even as Brown’s cries of alarm rose up behind her. “We’re going to let strong Mr. Parker deal with that bad man,” she said in reassuring tones, as Georgie kept peering at the commotion behind her.

  Mack made her tell the story for the fourth time as they sat on the cabin’s front porch that evening. He shook his head, just as he had with each telling, only now he was pacing back and forth across the planks. Rather than ease his concerns, her repetitions made things worse.

  “I’m fine,” she assured when he made an exasperated sound in the back of his throat. For the third time today.

  He stopped pacing and looked at her as if she’d spoken nonsense. “You could have been killed. Or harmed. Trying to match wits with the likes of him—you were out of your mind!”

  “I succeeded. You seem to forget that.” Yes, of course she knew she took some risks, but what was she to do? Simply lead the man to a defenseless child? She was rather proud of her actions, but Mack obviously didn’t share her opinion.

  He turned and grabbed her by the shoulders. “Don’t you ever do anything like that again. Ever.” It was the closest thing to an actual panic she’d ever seen in Mack. More alarming still, a deep care lit fire to his eyes. This was not the dominant protector she’d known before, but something more. The fright in his eyes and the strength of his grip told of deep concern. Genuine care. As if she and Georgie had come to really mean something to him. It stunned her, locking her to her spot on the planks more surely than his grip on her shoulders. “I couldn’t bear it if…”

  And then, as if he’d just now realized he was holding her, he froze. She could see him choose a more distant expression, see the mask fall over his face. He tried to release his hands casually, but to no avail. They both knew he had touched her more in those seconds than any other time in their marriage. Even with his hands gone, warmth and pressure lingered far too long. They turned from each other, staring falsely out over the porch rail in a cumbersome silence.

  “Be more careful.” The familiar command returned to his voice.

  She chose not to argue, but instead rested against the porch rail and tried to wade through the flood of her thoughts.

  “It’s getting out of hand.” She wasn’t sure he said it to her or to himself. After another long pause he added, “I need Ed.”

  “Yes,” she replied, daring a sideways glance at him. It was as if the storm of tension had passed
over them, leaving a tangled calm in its place. “You do.”

  Mack leaned back against the porch pillar, crossing his arms over his chest. “So tell me again how we go about asking him.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  “Sixty nuggets?” Mack couldn’t believe his ears when Duncan MacDougal told him the latest treasure rumor just after Mack ordered shelving brackets. The jack-of-many-trades blacksmith had been known to embellish a tale or two, but this felt beyond even Klondike rumor mill standards.

  “Yep, that’s the word. It’s been good for business, actually. More folks coming straight here to look around while they get outfitted, rather than waiting in Skaguay.”

  Mack’s very clever plan was beginning to seem like a harebrained scheme instead. One that was quickly exploding beyond his control, and with the exact opposite results he was seeking. Mack was used to success. This was feeling far too much like failure for his liking.

  “I heard one fella come in here saying there weren’t sixty, but sixteen, and each of them was the size of a man’s fist. He came looking for the best way to break them into smaller pieces so he could hide them better.”

  Gold nuggets the size of a man’s fist? Not only was that improbable, the weight alone would make it almost impossible to carry. Mack had to smile. “So sure he’d find them, he was already making security plans?”

  Duncan heaved his bellows and the fire pit next to him blazed bright orange. “So, Mack, are they really out there?”

  It was a game they played, always trying to outwit the other. They were actually on the same side. Mack never deliberately hid things from Duncan out of suspicion; it was always just so much fun to watch the man figure things out. And while Duncan’s trades put him in a position to hear anything that was circulating around town, Mack knew he’d never hold back vital information. No, that sooty, redheaded brute simply took pleasure in teasing Mack with all the incendiary gossip he knew. Being forthright with each other would just take all the fun out of it. “What makes you think I know?”