The view took away her breath, as did the sight of Jake coming out of his office with André at his side. The two men paused to watch the lighthearted shenanigans.
The crew waved as they passed, amid friendly shouts of “Hey, Big Say!” “Hop a sleigh, Big Say!” and “There’s a seat for you, Montague!”
Jake grinned back at the crew, waving the friendly invitations aside. “You might as well go, André. We’re through for tonight.”
“No, I think I will go to the bunkhouse and pay Miss Yardley a visit. She is studying for a test and I will help—”
At that moment the sleigh carrying Tess swept by, and Jake saw the smile on André’s face dim when she stood up and waved merrily at them. Pulling his hat out of his pocket, Jake grunted when the sleigh raced around the corner amid a loud, cheery chorus of “Deck the Halls.” “I thought you said she wasn’t going on the sleigh ride.”
“She wasn’t,” André murmured.
A smile lit Tess’s face when the sled whisked by Jake and Lars shouted for the driver to turn around.
Jake and André were still standing on the planked walk when the sleigh she was in barreled back around the corner. When it reached the two men, three jacks leaped out. Jake’s grin warmed her heart.
“Don’t even think it,” he warned, but his words fell on deaf ears.
The lumberjacks picked up the boss as if he were a sack of flour and pitched him into the sleigh, landing him headlong in Tess’s lap. He immediately found a seat of his own and then met her gaze with his beautiful eyes.
“Merry Christmas, Big Say!” she said happily.
The sound of bells filled the brisk night air as they raced along the icy roads to catch the others. Tess saw that a woman from Shadow Pine latched onto André, who had also been manhandled onto the sleigh.
The madcap ride took them over hills and hollows, through tall stands of pine and across a frozen pond. It amazed Tess at how the road monkeys kept the pond mostly cleared of snow so the folks in camp could ice-skate if they wanted. It was one of the more fun things they could do to pass the time, even though not many took advantage of it.
She laughed until her sides hurt. The lumberjacks played as hard as they worked. Jake stood now in the middle of the sleigh, exchanging friendly banter tit for tat with his crew. His deep baritone boomed out the old, traditional carols as heartily as anyone’s. She began to see a new and encouraging side to the handsome Jake Lannigan.
The ride went on for more than an hour before the sleighs finally pulled into a large field covered with fir trees. Everyone piled out, and the search for the perfect tree was on.
Moose Bentson, head cook, announced, “I will award a Christmas goose to the one who finds the camp tree this year! The tree must be large, at least twenty feet tall, with broad boughs.”
She found herself running breathlessly beside Jake as they scoured the hillside for the prize. The wind blew off icy Lake Huron, and she prayed the good weather would hold for the festivities.
When she spotted the tree first, she squealed. Motioning for Jake, she watched with bated breath as he examined it. The magnificent pine stood more than twenty feet high, and the branches were arched in perfect symmetry. What a lovely sight it would be, standing in the center of camp, dressed in tinsel, shiny ribbons, and bows!
Jake smiled admiringly at her. “Looks like the pretty lady from Philadelphia wins the goose.”
She grinned back at him, her heart beating wildly in her chest. Who wanted a goose? The greatest prize of all was to hear him say he thought she was pretty!
Eventually everyone gathered around Tess’s tree, and after Lars felled it, it took seven men to carry it back to a sleigh. Amid shouts and laughter, they secured the heavy base to the side with thick ropes. The moon crept higher when the crowded sleds took off, but Tess didn’t mind. She was wedged so tightly against Jake that he was forced to put his arm around her on the ride home. Sighing with contentment, she snuggled against his broad shoulder, drinking in his warmth.
Once they reached camp, the tree was set up in the center of their community. Hot mugs of cider started circulating, and carols broke out again. Tess knew she had shamelessly trailed Jake all evening, but until he said something to discourage her, she didn’t plan to stop. Wherever he went, she wasn’t far behind, and should she momentarily stray, he seemed to pop up nearby.
“Cookie, ma’am?” Jake offered.
She turned from speaking to Bernice and smiled. Camp cookies were the size of stove lids. Curtsying politely, she replied, “Why, thank you, sir.” She selected a nice, tasty-looking one and bit into it.
“I thought André said you had a test to study for.”
“I do… did,” she corrected. She’d have to study extra hard tomorrow to make up for tonight’s fun, but it would be worth it. “It seems the jacks don’t know how to take no for an answer. May I get you a cup of cider?”
“Thank you. You’ll join me?”
Tess’s pulse hammered in her throat. Yes, she would gladly join him in a cup of cider. She went in search of the beverage before he could change his mind.
Her stomach was still jumpy when she hurried back with two steaming mugs a few moments later. When she turned the corner, she saw that one of the women from Shadow Pine had cornered Jake.
The diminutive woman was uncommonly pretty, with sparkling emerald-green eyes and auburn hair. Her hat was darling and most fashionable. Tess’s heart sank when she saw the way Jake was looking at her, as if they were more than casual acquaintances.
Jealousy welled up in her throat. A painful knot formed in the pit of her stomach, where only moments ago butterflies fluttered, as she watched the woman rise on her tiptoes to place a brief kiss on the boss’s lips. The kiss might have been casual, but the look in the woman’s eyes was not. Tess started to tremble, and hot cider spilled over the rims of the cups.
Jake glanced up. When he fixed his eyes on her, he murmured something quietly to the woman and she merged back into the milling crowd. Summoning up her brightest smile, Tess walked over and handed one of the cups of cider to him.
“Thanks. That smells good.”
They sat on one of the fresh hay bales that were placed on the planked sidewalk. She longed to ask him who the woman was, but she had no right. Deep inside, she had a feeling it was Marcy Wetlock, the woman André had said Jake occasionally visited in Shadow Pine.
He broke the silence. “Bernice stopped by the office this afternoon. She thinks it would be nice if the children had a Christmas program this year.”
“Then let Bernice come and organize one.” Tess had figured out the first day why the woman was so anxious for the new schoolteacher to take her place.
He drew back in mock surprise. “But that’s your job, Miss Yardley.”
Shrugging, she sipped the hot drink. “Tell me, Mr. Lannigan, did the shepherds watching their flocks use crude and offensive language with one another? Did they fight with their fists, spit tobacco on their sheep, try to brain each other senseless with their staffs, and repeatedly refer to the Virgin Mary as a common trollop? You see, I also thought a Christmas program would be nice. I’ve even had the children busy working on one this past week, but you have just heard the results of such wishful thinking. The little heathens did all the things I described and more.”
“Well, maybe a Christmas program isn’t the best idea,” he admitted.
She enjoyed the few minutes they sat in easy silence after that, until a burst of merriment broke out in the crowd. Lars, Angus, Ray, Mort, and Jim bounded in the direction of her and Jake with devilish grins on their faces. It was plain to see they were up to trouble.
“Here we go again,” Jake muttered.
Then Tess spotted the clumps of mistletoe clasped in their hands, and she frowned. Scooped her off her feet, she was kissed so many times in the next few minutes that she lost track.
Everyone joined in the melee, and soon chaos reigned. Tess tried to keep track of how many women
Jake kissed, and how long the kisses lasted, but it was difficult. The handsome foreman of Wakefield Timber had no trouble attracting the opposite sex, but she noticed he generally made the embraces brief and casual, in keeping with the lighthearted holiday spirit.
It was only when Tess saw Marcy Wetlock heading in his direction that she broke from Ed Holman’s clasp, snatched his clump of mistletoe, and ran.
“Hey, woman! Bring that back here! You’ve disarmed me!” Ed bellowed.
She didn’t want to seem overly anxious, so she slowed her pace to casually saunter past Marcy, and then she headed straight for Jake. By the time she reached him she was breathless, but she had her mind set on a course of action.
He appeared momentarily startled when she rushed up and came to a sudden halt in front of him. Taking a cautious step backward, he shook his head. “Now, don’t be getting any wild ideas, school lady…”
“Merry Christmas, Jake!” Before she lost her nerve, she bounded onto the wooden sidewalk to give herself an advantage in height. She thrust the mistletoe above his head, took a deep breath, threw her arms around his neck, and shamelessly covered his mouth with more than a schoolmarm’s kiss.
Staggering backward, he caught her to him and she pressed closer. It was a reckless, indiscreet attack, and she was certain that sometime later she’d wish she had tried to control her impulse. He would probably think that, besides her memory, she had lost her mind—and perhaps she had.
Jake Lannigan had never encouraged any sort of personal attraction between them—quite to the contrary—but her attraction to him drove her. She was tumbling hopelessly, wildly, madly in love with this handsome, brawny woodsman, and at that instant her propriety was completely misplaced.
Her heart sang when she felt his arms begin to accept her, and she poured her heart and soul into the embrace. She was powerless to contain herself. He was everything she wanted, though it seemed she was the last thing he needed.
For one heart-stopping moment, she thought he might not respond. Dropping the mistletoe, she brought her hands down to clutch the lapels of his thick jacket and moved closer against the width of his chest, her mouth pressed against his. His arms caught her closer.
He momentarily broke the kiss, and their eyes met. The world around her disappeared, and they gazed with new awareness for each other. “Just kiss me, Jake Lannigan,” she whispered. “Don’t try and talk yourself out of it. You know you want to.”
An impertinent grin spread across his handsome features. “Who said I didn’t?”
Happiness bubbled within her as she was lifted in the cradle of his muscular arms and kissed like she’d never been kissed before. She was drowning deliciously in the way the rough fabric of his coat tickled her cheek, in the clean smell of his soap and shaving cream. Her senses were heightened, and she felt giddy and lightheaded and wonderful. And then the kiss deepened…
But a ring of laughter intruded. Jake glanced up, and she groaned when she saw that at least half of his crew had paused to watch the spectacle with growing amusement.
Clearing his throat, he casually lowered her to her feet, though his hands remained possessively around her waist. “Don’t you baboons have anything else to occupy your attention?”
The crowd broke into a hearty round of applause, bringing a rosy flush to her cheeks. The men rapidly dispersed with Jake’s none-too-subtle suggestion, but she’d gotten her kiss—and what a kiss it was!
15
Miss Yardley?”
Tess glanced up from her desk late one afternoon to find King Davis standing in the doorway. School was over for the day, so she was surprised to see him still there. “Yes, King?”
“Mr. Lannigan says for you to git yore bee-hind over to his office.”
“Were those Mr. Lannigan’s exact words?” Her tone held its usual note of disapproval of the boy’s crude vocabulary.
“Close enough.”
With a sigh she closed her grade book, realizing the message was not a courtly summons. “Thank you, King.”
The boy disappeared as she stood and went to bank the fire. Yet even a coarse message was encouraging. Her hopes soared when she reached for her coat. Jake wanted to see her—she was making progress.
Maybe the kiss they had shared a few nights ago had finally broken the ice between them. Perhaps the reluctant Mr. Lannigan was ready to admit that an undeniable attraction between them did exist, one he could no longer ignore. She had recognized it from the first. Jake Lannigan was destined to be hers.
The shadows were beginning to lengthen when she left the schoolhouse. A pale sun sank in the west, its watery appearance the first in many long days.
The ridges of deep snow cracked beneath her boots as she hurried along the sled path. Thoughts of being with the foreman made the bone-chilling walk much easier to tolerate today.
Her mind wanted to play guessing games. Jake had summoned her because he wanted to invite her to a private supper in his room. Would that be improper? Maybe she should stop and ask Echo, but then her friend didn’t seem to be the type who would be familiar with such niceties.
She longed to know so much more about the big, rugged lumberjack. Did he read for pleasure? Did he like cream and sugar in his coffee, or did he drink it strong and black? She sat so far away from him during meals that she couldn’t observe his eating habits. Did he have brothers and sisters? Did he get his strong, aristocratic features from his mother, or did his dark, stunning good looks come from his father? What made him laugh? Who made him laugh? Who touched his heart?
She felt safe and warm and incredibly happy whenever she was near him. She wondered if somewhere, in the dark, mysterious part of her life, there had ever been a man who had made her feel this contented, this at peace with herself. She didn’t think so. She was sure feelings this strong came but once in a woman’s life. She didn’t need her memory to remind her of that.
Climbing the steps to the lumber office, she paused a moment to take stock of her appearance. She was glad she’d worn the blue wool today. She turned the doorknob and walked in. Relieved to see that Jake was the only one in the office, she welcomed the few moments of privacy. She closed the door. “King said you wanted to see me?”
Jake glanced up from the ledger he was reading. His gaze ran over her in a way that made her heart rise in her throat.
“Have a seat. I’ll be with you in a minute.”
Disappointed that his greeting wasn’t a little more cordial, she removed her mittens and bonnet and then walked over to stand beside the stove. Trying to keep her eyes off of him, she waited patiently as he finished what he was doing.
Finally he laid the pencil aside, reached inside the top drawer, and removed a small pouch. “I trust your day was productive?”
She smiled, making it one of her prettiest. “We’re about to study the continents. I never realized that there were so many—five!”
“Five? I believe there are seven.”
Her smile faded. “Seven? Honestly?” That rotten King Davis had lied to her again.
“I know you’re wondering why I asked you to stop by.”
He stood, and his towering height made her feel small and insignificant. Summoning her sunniest expression, she said, “Not really. I was glad to have the opportunity—”
“This isn’t a social visit, Miss Yardley.”
She realized how transparent she must seem and quickly tried to cover her eagerness to be with him. “Oh…no, of course it isn’t. Exactly why did you send for me, Mr. Lannigan?”
Jake handed her the pouch he’d taken from the drawer. “It’s payday.”
Tess took the pouch and opened it, dumping the contents into the palm of her hand. She shook her head. “I’m sorry, but how much is this?”
“Seven dollars.”
Viewing the paltry sum with growing horror, she heard him explain.
“I know it’s small, but let me remind you that you’ll receive a twenty-five-cent raise in five years if you perform your j
ob faithfully and without fault, provided the raise is approved by the owner of the company.”
Her gaze lifted slowly to meet his. Amusement flickered in the eyes that met hers.
“Something to aim for, isn’t it?” he said, smiling.
Speechless, she nodded. She wanted to kick him in the shins for thinking this funny.
“That will be all, Miss Yardley.” Turning back to his work, he dismissed her. “You’d better run along. It will be dark in a few minutes.”
The few coins in her hand were discouraging enough, but the realization that his summons had not been of a personal nature was even more upsetting. Dropping the money into her purse, she squared her shoulders.
“Don’t spend it all in one place,” he murmured.
She started to the door when his voice stopped her.
“Miss Yardley?”
“What?” She didn’t bother to turn and face him.
“Thanksgiving’s coming up. Have a nice one.”
“The same, I’m sure.” She hoped he had the courtesy to flinch when he heard the door slam shut behind her.
Thanksgiving and Christmas came and went with barely a notice. Supper Christmas night had nine big turkeys and all the fixings on the cookshack tables, and later the men sang Christmas carols in the bunkhouse. André read the apostle Matthew’s account of the Christ Child’s birth before he blew out the lantern.
Tess had lain in her small room and listened. Every word touched a chord in her heart, and she was certain she’d heard the story many times before, though she couldn’t place the source of where or when. Her job application indicated she had no family, but deep inside she had a sense that somewhere, someone tonight was missing her. Maybe even longing to hold and comfort her, or kiss away her lonely tears.
On New Year’s Eve an ice storm hit the logging camp, rendering the crew idle for two days. Tess sat in her windowless room trying to study, but the men developed a severe case of cabin fever, and shouting matches broke out in the bunkhouse. It was hard to concentrate with tempers flaring.
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