Christmas Surprise

by Paisley Kirkpatrick

  "Thank you so much," she said, throwing her arms around the blushing giant of a man. "Are you going to drive us?"

  He chuckled. "I am this family's driver, am I not?"

  "Yes, our Big Dog, you certainly are. When will the sleigh be ready so we can go after the tree?"

  "As soon as we have enough snow to safely drive it."

  Hank glanced around at the young men in their midst. "I would appreciate it if you would all escort my daughters on their sleigh ride."

  Luc, nodded. "I suppose it would include cutting down and dragging the tree home as well."

  "Yes, it does. If I didn't have this damnable splint, I'd be the one dragging. Next year it'll be my job again."

  Hank grabbed his crutches and stood. "Tam, Jory, Big Dog, and Luc please join me in my office." He glanced at Matthias.

  "I'll be right there. Let me grab some drinks."

  "I'm coming, too, Daddy."

  Tam grabbed her hand. "She's right, sir. I'd like her to be with us."

  She led the group into the office. Jory grabbed a couple of chairs on his way.

  Matthias came in carrying a tray of glasses full of ale. Everyone except Caroline grabbed a drink and sat.

  "I presume you've all talked about a strategy for protecting the trading post. I'd like to hear the details."

  Luc started and by the time he finished, Hank had a burning pit where his stomach used to be. "Is it as bad a situation as I believe it is?"

  "It could be unless we start building up our defenses right now," Luc said.

  Matthias leaned forward and set his empty glass on the tray. "What should we do first?"

  "Contact Michel and get him down here as quickly as possible. I wouldn't put anything in the telegram that would give hint to what we are facing, though."

  "Luc's right," Tam said. "We still don't know who the ringleader is."

  "Michel and I have key words we use as codes. They're not as good as your whistles, but they work. I'll take care of it first thing in the morning," Matthias said.

  "Is all of this anger from Gervais because we are breaking into his smuggling profits?" Hank said.

  "No," Luc said, "he blames you for Isabella's death. In fact, I believe Pascal and Sabine do, too. As long as you have their grandchildren here at the trading post, my guess is they won't destroy you."

  "That's a comforting thought." Hank let out a deep sigh. "Our top priority should be discovering who is feeding trading post information to the revenuers."

  "We're at a loss as to who it can be," Jory said. "If I had to take a guess, I'd say give Spike a second look."

  "Spike's been a smithy here since my father started the trading post. He's never been trouble that I'm aware of."

  "Since your accident, you haven't been able to keep an eye on things, Hank. He's been drinking a lot of moonshine lately," Big Dog said.

  Hank looked at Big Dog. "Have you any idea where Spike is?"

  "No, I figured you might have fired him."

  "Why would you think that?"

  "Since you hired me as a second smithy, he's been acting odd. I haven't seen him since the day before we drove to Wausau."

  "What made you think he was acting strange?" Tam asked.

  "That lady, Mrs. Brown, came into the smithy shop and confronted him about something. I didn't give it much mind at the time, but right after that he went missing."

  Hank gazed at Matthias. "If this is true, the odds against Penelope are stacked even higher. She must be involved with Farthington and Gervais."

  "We should have stayed and made sure that woman got on the stage out of Wausau, boss."

  "You're right. If I hadn't wanted to get to the doctor's office so we could head home before dark, we could have waited until we saw the damnable woman pull out of town on the stage."

  "I'll ride to Wausau tomorrow and see what I can find out," Jory said. "I can drop Matthias' message off at the telegrapher and see if I can find out if Mrs. Brown left Wausau or not. If I don't dawdle, I'll be back by dark."

  "I'll go with you, brother."

  "No." He glanced at Caroline and back to Tam. "You have responsibilities here. I'll be fine. I know how to find the city. I go out the gate, turn left, and take the road south until I see lots of buildings."

  TAM WALKED BESIDE JORY to the gate and pulled it open. Apprehension settled in his stomach as he watched his brother ride away from the trading post alone. He almost called him back, but knew Jory would guffaw at his irrational thoughts. He'd be glad once he returned from Wausau.

  Luc and Josef entered the trading post before he closed the gate behind them. They walked to the stables together. "What's going on with you two today?"

  "We're getting started on training the horses. Josef can handle his own mare. I want Madeleine used to her mount and ready to ride as soon as I train it. She picked the horse Hank and I thought best for her."

  "If you need help, let me know. I'm going to work in the smithy shop once I massage Hank's leg." Tam waved and entered the lodge.

  He knelt next to Hank and removed the splint. "Are you ready for me to start massaging your leg muscles?"

  "Yes, I'll do anything to strengthen my leg."

  Hank tensed as Tam massaged the tight muscles and bent his knee. "It's a good thing you saw the doctor and found out we needed to do this to keep your leg from becoming stiff. If I'm hurting you, I'm sorry."

  "If it helps get the leg ready for the day I toss those walking sticks, I can endure the pain."

  While he was on his knees working with Hank, Amanda came into the room and approached him. "Good morning, Jory. How are you doing today?"

  Tam smiled at her. "Hi Amanda. You've got the wrong brother, but thanks anyway."

  Amanda grinned at him. "I'm sorry. You two brothers are difficult to tell apart."

  Tam answered her smile with one of his own. "Even our own mother would get confused at times. It's not a problem for either of us."

  Matthias entered the room and walked over to the sofa. He watched Tam for a while. "Do you need help putting those splints back on?"

  Tam nodded. "Yes, I'm sure it'll be easier on Hank with the two of us doing it." Tam lifted the leg and held it up while Matthias strapped it back into the bindings. They helped Hank to his feet and handed him the crutches.

  "You both have my thanks for your help." He headed toward the door. "I'm going to go back to my perch on the porch and observe what's going on around the quadrant. Will you check with Big Dog on whether he's discovered where Spike's gone, Tam?"

  "Yes, I'll do it right now." He helped Hank into his coat and slipped his own on. Hank grabbed a bear pelt on the way outdoors. Tam waited until he was sure Hank settled on the lounge before he headed to the smithy shop.

  Large snowflakes fell over the trading post this morning. He pulled his collar up and hoped his brother would get his task done with haste and get back here before nightfall as planned.

  Tam found Big Dog polishing the large sleigh. "You need some help?"

  "Nah, I'm almost finished. But thank you. Ain't this a wonderful way to transport someone? It's going to be a driving job for me to cherish for the rest of my life. When the Hughes sisters see it, they're going to be pleased with ole' Big Dog."

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Tam jerked awake. Smoke hung heavy in the bunkhouse. He glanced at Jory's bed and saw it still empty. He slipped into his breeches and boots, grabbed a coat and hat, and kicked the ends of the stable hands' beds on the way out the door. "Fire! Wake up."

  The stables and a portion of the trading post burned. He found Big Dog already tossing snow with a shovel over the unburned area to keep the flames from finding more fuel. "Have you notified Hank, Big Dog?"

  "No, I thought it more important to get a start on stopping the fire right here."

  Tam glanced over his shoulder to see the men he'd awakened grabbing tools. "We've got it covered for now. Get Hank out of his bedroom and clear the lodge."

  Big Dog handed
him his shovel, and then hurried across the quadrant.

  More flames shot up along the fence toward the other side of the trading post. He saw Luc and Josef enter the post. Luc stopped long enough to ring the alarm bell. Tam hoped its call for help would bring some of the residents from outside of the post to help.

  "We've got to save the lodge first," Luc yelled over the commotion as he and Josef grabbed buckets. They ran toward the pump in the middle of the quadrant.

  Tam hurried into the barn and gathered as many buckets as he could find. He hurried to the pump and started filling them. Luc and Josef ran back and forth tossing water onto the flames closest to the Hughes' main building and home.

  He noticed Hank and Big Dog step out onto the porch and observe what kind of situation they faced. Caroline rushed past them and joined Tam at the pump.

  "Let me fill the pails."

  Tam saw the fear laced with horror radiating from her gaze. "Thanks. Stay safe." He picked up two buckets and hurried toward the burning fence.

  Matthias came out of the lodge with even more containers. They worked their routine for hours while stable hands tossed snow on the stable and along the back fence.

  Josef led the horses out of the corral and turned them into the large pasture. He wanted to make sure they were far enough away from the fire to be safe.

  Pastor Timmons and a few of their neighbors arrived with water containers and shovels. They worked side by side until they finally got the flames under control and the fire out.

  Sunlight filtered through the trees. The sun rose over Lake Nokomis. The long night ended. Light gave them a chance to survey the damage.

  Caroline sank to the ground. Tam ran toward her. "Are you all right, sweetheart?"

  She nodded. "Yes." She sighed. "I don't think I've ever been this tired in my life."

  He hunkered down next to her and took one of her hands in his. He turned it over and saw the blisters. He took her other hand and saw it in the same condition. "We've got to get these hands taken care of."

  "Everyone must be in the same state as me. I'll be fine."

  He searched her beautiful face covered with patches of soot. "Thank you for all your help. You probably saved us hours of work by keeping the buckets and such filled with water." He glanced over to the lodge where Hank leaned against the rail. "Where are your sisters and Genevieve?"

  "Big Dog lowered them along with Lottie and Amanda into the cellar my grandfather dug for a situation such as this." She shook her head. "This is the first time Daddy can remember using it."

  He glanced around the quadrant. "We did well. Most of the post stands and you, my love, are safe." He tipped her chin up and kissed her sooty lips. "You're an amazing young woman, Miss Caroline Hughes."

  "This place is my home and I couldn't stand by and not help you save it. Daddy wanted to help, but Matthias reminded him he would be more of a hindrance than help at this point."

  "I can understand his frustration." He stood and held his hand toward her. "You want to go check the damage with me?"

  She grabbed his hand, but winced when he pulled her to her feet.

  "Stay right here. I'll be back in a moment." Tam ran to the bunkhouse and rummaged through his and Jory's belongs until he found two clean bandanas. He returned to his lady. "Let me see your hands." He took them one at a time, wrapped the cloths around her palms, and tied them on the topside. "This should suffice until someone has time to do a proper job."

  He kept hold of her hand as they walked over to Luc and Matthias who searched through the remains of the stable and a portion of the fence.

  "What the hell happened?" Tam asked.

  "They didn't wait for the snow to thaw before attempting to burn us out," Luc said.

  Hank maneuvered into the circle. "I thank God I'm surrounded with such great friends and workers. Thank you all for saving most of the trading post, and Josef for getting all the horses to safety."

  He glanced at Big Dog. "I'd appreciate it if you'd help the women out of the cellar."

  "Sure, boss." He left to do Hank's bidding.

  Hank looked around and frowned. "Tam, where's Jory?"

  "I don't know. He was supposed to return from Wausau last night."

  Caroline squeezed his hand. "You need to search for him."

  Tam nodded. "Yes, I'm going right now."

  She stared into his eyes. "Please be careful and come back home safely."

  "I will." He gave her a quick kiss and headed for his horse. Tam led Roostie into the barn, saddled him, and then shoved a rope and extra ammunition into his saddlebags. He went through Spike's room and found several bottles of moonshine. He shoved one in with the extra gloves in case Jory needed warming, and mounted his horse. Caroline blew him a kiss as he headed toward the front gate. He waved back.

  Tam had no idea where to start his search. He let out a whistle every now and then with hopes his brother would answer back. The wind whipped the snow around, making it damn near impossible to see very far ahead of him. He pulled the collar of his coat up and continued on his journey toward Wausau.

  About an hour after he left the post, he saw someone slumped over in the saddle heading his way. Tam's instincts pushed him to jam his heels into Roostie's sides. He rode as fast as he could push his horse in the deepening snow.

  "Jory," he yelled over the howling wind. When he finally reached his brother, Tam pulled Jory off the horse and got him walking to get his blood moving again.

  Jory's teeth chattered.

  "Come on, let's get a fire going and get you warmed up before we head back to the post."

  It wasn't easy to get the wet wood to catch on fire. He remembered his wool gloves in one of the saddlebags. He grabbed everything he found in both of them that would burn, including the extra pair of gloves. Once a small blaze burned, he started adding all the small branches they could break off the trees. The fire finally started putting out some heat.

  It wasn't enough. Tam added anything he could find and got the flames roaring.

  "Get up, Jory. You've got to get your blood moving." Tam picked his brother up and kept walking around the heat.

  Once Jory became aware of his surroundings and acted more coherent, Tam pulled the bottle of moonshine from his saddlebag and helped Jory down a little bit at a time. Tam took a spot for himself and nearly spit it out. How can anyone drink this crap?

  He kept Jory walking until he could make his way around the circle on his own. "Can you tell me what happened?"

  "Let me think." Jory frowned. "My head hurts. I can't focus."

  "Keep walking." They worked a pathway around the fire.

  Jory stopped. "I remember now. The trading post. They're going to burn it. We've got to hurry and warn Hank."

  "Too late, they set it on fire during the night."

  Jory perked up at hearing the news. "Oh, no, I'm s-s-sorry. Is it all g-g-gone?"

  "No. Keep walking and I'll tell you what happened." They continued circling the heat and sipping from the booze bottle.

  Jory glanced around. "Did you see my horse someplace?"

  "He's tied by mine. Are you all right?"

  "My head hurts." He took his hat off and rubbed behind his right ear. "I have a large knot on the back of my head."

  Tam rubbed where Jory had his hand and felt the egg-sized knot. "Who hit you?"

  "Let me think." He shook his head. "I don't remember."

  "Come on, let's get you back to the post and warmed up properly." Tam helped Jory onto his horse. "Can you ride or should I take the lead rope?"

  "I'm fine."

  Tam shook his head. "You damned, stubborn Scotsman."

  He mounted his horse and made sure his brother followed at an easy pace to keep him from falling.

  The horses struggled through the deep snow, but they carried on without pause until they reached the lodge. Tam whistled and waited until the gate swung open. He rode up to the lodge porch. Big Dog reached them first. He helped Jory out of the saddle. Jory's k
nees buckled the moment his feet hit the snow-covered ground.

  Tam and Big Dog wrapped their arms around Jory and walked him onto the porch. "What happened? Where'd you find him?" Big Dog asked as they struggled to get Jory inside.

  "There's a large lump behind his right ear and he isn't making much sense. He's had a goodly amount of moonshine and that's not helping his ability to walk."

  "I'm surprised he could stay on that horse in his condition."

  Tam snickered. "Don't ever tell a Scot they can't do something."

  Big Dog nodded. "You should know, Tam."

  Caroline saw them come in. She jumped up and moved a chair close to the fire. "I'll grab a blanket."

  They pulled his arms out of the stiff coat and got the heavy garment off him. Next, Tam removed Jory's wet shirt.

  Matthias entered the room, grabbed a quilt off the back of Hank's sofa, and wrapped it around Jory's shivering body. Caroline handed them another blanket and a bearskin pelt. His shivers finally stopped and his lips went from a tinge of blue to pink.

  Tam sighed. "Honey, will you go see if Lottie has hot coffee, please?"

  Caroline nodded. "I'm glad you're both back safe, Tam."

  When she returned with a pot of coffee and cup, Jory was out of his wet boots and breeches. The wet clothes hung on the back of a chair by the fire.

  She filled the cup and handed it to Jory. She set the pot on the hearth. "Where's Tam?"

  "He's gone to fetch some of Jory's clothes."

  Jory drank two cups of coffee before his brother walked through the door. He dropped dry garments on one of the chairs.

  Big Dog shoved more wood into the fireplace. "Where's your father, Caroline?

  "He's with my sisters in the classroom. I'll go let him know Tam found Jory."

  "Have him join us so, Jory can tell all of us about his accident."

  While Caroline went to get her father, Jory pulled on his dry clothes and wrapped himself back in the fur cover.

  Hank and Caroline hurried into the room. Once they settled in the main room with the others, Jory began. "My memory's still a bit sketchy, but maybe everything that happened will come back as I talk." He emptied his third cup of coffee.