Until June

by Barbara M. Britton

  Tubby’s thick finger pointed down the dock.

  “Go,” he shouted at Geoff. “I need to talk to Jo. Alone.”

  Geoff stood his ground. “You can’t order me around. You’re not her father.”

  “I’m the closest thing she’s got to one, and if I don’t see your backside heading toward that mine, I’ll make sure you swim there.”

  She touched Geoff’s back. “A few minutes won’t hurt.”

  “Minutes.” Geoff tapped his walking stick a few times before acquiescing to Tubby’s order. He sauntered slower than normal.

  Tubby paced in front of the wheelchair, his hands linked behind his back. “Why? Why go to the lodge? You can stay with my wife. She’ll pamper you.”

  “My injuries weren’t all Geoff’s fault.”

  “Don’t you let him off the hook. Whatever Brice started, he could have ended.” Tubby knelt beside the chair. “Do you know what it was like carrying you in my arms? It was as if I carried my daughter. She died from a fever when she was a child.” Wetness shone in the captain’s eyes. “I can’t handle a repeat of yesterday. I can’t lose you. I care too much.”

  “You won’t have to, Tubby. I promise.” She laid her hand on top of his calloused fingers. “I want to go back to the lodge. I’m not a little girl anymore.”

  “That’s another reason you should come home with me.” Tubby glared down the dock at Geoff.

  “Tubby, I want to go to the lodge.” She jutted forward in earnest.

  Tubby squinted and searched her face. His expression did not waiver. Neither did hers.

  “Would you go back to the lodge if Geoff wasn’t there?” Tubby growled Geoff’s name.

  She picked at the cloth on her sling. “No, I wouldn’t. He’s the reason I’m going back. I’ve grown fond of him.” There she had said it. Plain and true.

  “I should have rescued you months ago when I had the chance. I should have asked more questions.” Tubby removed his cap and wiped his brow.

  She reached out and gave Tubby a one-armed hug. His white-gray hair was as soft as Wanda’s stolen cotton balls. “You’ve rescued me once. You won’t have to again. I promise.”

  Tubby stood and secured his cap. “If anything happens to you,” his voice reverberated from ship to ship, “I get to strap Geoff to the prow of the Maiden. My own living figurehead.”

  Her forehead sparked with pain. “Could we strap Brice instead?”

  30

  Tubby carried her into the lodge as if she were made of heirloom china.

  “Put her in my bed,” Geoff said.

  “The heck I will.” Tubby knocked Geoff out of the way as he laid her on the living room couch. “Don’t just stand there, Chambers. She’ll need pillows, blankets, and something to drink. Hop to it, boy.”

  “When will you return this way?” Josephine asked as Geoff propped up her head and arm with more pillows than she remembered being at the lodge.

  The captain grinned. “Sooner than you think. The front of my ship’s looking barren and lonely.” Tubby gave Geoff an over-protective-father glare. He headed for the door. The scent of apples and cinnamon trailed in his wake.

  “Thank you, Tubby,” Josephine said.

  “Don’t thank me. Geoff here is going to get you back shipshape.” With a wink and a puff, he continued, “I’ll visit soon with some baked goods from the wife. Wouldn’t want you wasting away to nothing. Would we now, Chambers?”

  “I’ll take good care of her.”

  “You’d better,” Tubby shot back. The front door closed with an extra loud thump.

  “Are you comfortable?” Geoff balanced his weight on the edge of the couch.

  “Yes, you’ve made a nice nest for me.”

  He didn’t smile. The lines on his face deepened as if phantom pain tormented him.

  “I’m going to make things right between us. I don’t want anyone to take you away from me again.”

  The determination in his voice made her heartbeat surge. She snuggled into the pillows. Sleeplessness streamed into her veins. “I know you’ll care for me,” she assured him. If only he knew how much she cared for him.

  “I do care, Jo.” His fingers glided down her arm and cupped her hand. “I realized how much when you weren’t here with me last night.” A tic flared his jaw. He tilted his head backward. His eyes were moist, but no tears wetted his face. “I want you to stay at the lodge…with me.”

  The tenderness of his request made tears flood her eyes.

  “Stay past June, past summer. I don’t want to watch you dancing in another man’s arms unless I know you’ll end up in mine.”

  She slipped her hand from his and wiped the tears from her face.

  He leaned closer inching higher on the couch. “I know it won’t be easy—”

  “I know what it’s like.” Her lips trembled as she smiled. “How can I leave you? You haven’t bested me at rummy.”

  He came closer. His breath warmed her chin.

  Closing her eyes, she waited for his kiss.

  “Marry me.”

  Her eyes flew open. The tenderness in his voice and the gleam in his eyes swept her away on an ocean breeze. Her spirit soared to the highest glacier.

  She pressed her lips into his and waited for him to deepen their kiss. He didn’t disappoint. Neither did she.

  “Can I take that as a yes?”

  There was no way she could refuse his proposal. Her face grew hot as her mouth curved into a dazzling smile of acceptance.

  “Josephine Nimetz, for the first time in my life, I think I can read your face.”

  “You realize I come with a dog,” she said, leaning forward to kiss him again.

  “Is that all?” He laughed and removed a small velvet box from his pocket. “I thought you wanted me to type another manuscript.”

  “No, but have you ever thought about adding a wrap-around porch to the lodge?”

  “Always thinking of me.” He eased the tiny metal hinges open.

  The lamplight played hide-and-seek with three diamonds set on a gold band. The large center stone, faceted to perfection, sparkled between a pair of smaller, equally impressive gems. Her chest pounded with excitement.

  “My father gave this ring to my mother the day I was born.”

  “It’s beautiful.”

  “Not as beautiful as you. Without you, I don’t know if I would have gotten my life back.” Tears glistened in Geoff’s eyes. Not tears from split-open sores or phantom pains. These were tears she had not seen before, tears of love and happiness.

  “Josephine Primrose Nimetz, will you have me as your husband? I’d get down on one knee to ask, but I don’t know how you’d get me up?”

  She wanted to laugh, giggle, and sing all at the same time. “Yes, I will have you.”

  “When?” His arms draped loosely around her waist. “We can wait if you’d like? I can wait ’til you’re nineteen, twenty, twenty-one? Whenever you’re ready.”

  “I’m ready,” she said, her body enjoying the touch of his embrace. “I’ve dreamed about being with you.”

  His eyes widened.

  “You have? What did you dream?”

  “That you came into my room,” she paused, “and I let you slip into my bed to comfort me from a storm.” His hands tightened around her waist.

  “Did I have legs in your dream?”

  “No legs, not even wooden ones. It was just you…and me, but I woke up before…”

  His mouth found hers.

  A few minutes later, he said, “I love you.”

  With her lips tingling, she nestled her limp body into the couch.

  “How about November?” she asked. “After my nineteenth birthday and before Armistice Day. I want to show you off to the whole town.”

  “Your outstanding veteran?”

  She liked that he remembered her praise. Even if it was during her outburst at the mine.

  “And after Armistice Day,” he said, “we’ll take a trip wherever you want to
go.”

  “But you told Brice traveling was too difficult.”

  “Traveling will be easy with you. You know how I…” He cocked his head to the side in thought of a word. “Work. You know how to assemble my parts.” A hint of a blush bathed his cheeks. “The difficult task is deciding what we’re going to do until you’re healthy enough to go back to Juneau? You can’t match a hand of cards for rummy, writing will be a challenge, and sewing bridesmaid dresses is definitely out of the question.”

  “We’ll play hide-the-ring from Tubby, and we’ll pretend we’re riding in a taxi. We’ll need lots of Gregory-kiss practice for our honeymoon trip.” She pulled his shocked, handsome face closer. “Won’t our driver be surprised?”

  ~*~

  A week after her return home from the mine’s infirmary, Geoff led her to the couch. He fluffed a pillow for her arm to rest on. “I need to get my winning streak back.”

  She eased onto the cushions. “You’re stuck as dealer.”

  “My penance.” He shuffled and dealt, even looked away when she sorted her cards one-handed.

  Shortly, she was within a few points of winning.

  Holding the cards to her lips, she dared him to beat her.

  Geoff leaned across the table. “Aren’t you going to lay that card down?”

  She giggled into her lucky spade.

  “Josephine Primrose.” His voice rose with a playful chastisement. “Lay down so I can see what you’ve got.”

  The door swung open.

  Tubby held his pipe in hand; his gaze darted between the two card players.

  “For Pete’s sake. What’s going on in here?”

  “Gin Rummy.” She and Geoff answered in unison.

  “That all?” Tubby’s bushy eyebrows arched. He belted out a laugh.

  Geoff fanned his face with the cards.

  She flashed the diamond ring hidden by her sling. “It’s a good thing he knows I love you.”

  31

  July 17, 1919

  Wedding Reception of Ann and Marty Hill

  “You don’t think we’re attracting too much attention away from Marty and Ann, do you?” Josephine took small steps as Geoff foxtrotted her across the dance floor. “It is their wedding day.”

  “If we are, it’s Marty’s fault for insinuating that you were attacked by a bear. And of course, there’s the fairy tale you wrote about me—making me out to be the hero of Belleau Wood. Julia hasn’t stopped apologizing for not understanding my circumstances. Not to mention, since I returned to Juneau, I can’t walk down the street without someone thanking me for my service.”

  “I was honest about the struggles of your recovery but maybe a bit too generous with my praise. You’re getting almost as much fan mail as me now.”

  “I think you’re worrying about nothing,” Geoff said, leading her in a calculated step. “Ann looks stunning in that creation of yours. People haven’t taken their eyes off her or that dress. But I have to say, it’s the bridesmaid in the orange gown that takes my breath away.”

  “It’s peach. And it’s amazing the designs you can buy when your employer is generous with your pay.” She gazed up at Geoff and tightened her hold on his shoulder. She caressed the nape of his neck.

  “You’re leaning,” he said with a satisfied grin.

  “Would you like me to stop?”

  “No.” His mischievous eyes scanned the circle of men around the dance floor. “I like the hint of envy on their faces. I’ll take envy over pity any day.”

  He guided her to the center of the dance floor oblivious to the rhythm of the music. “Are you coming for Sunday dinner? My father and Julia are anxious to discuss wedding plans with your mother.”

  “What a shame. Ann will be on her honeymoon,” she kidded. “But I don’t know about tomorrow. It might be a late night with all the festivities?”

  “Can I tempt you with chocolate cake?”

  “You don’t need cake to entice me, but if you want to spoil me, how about chocolate cake with strawberry filling.”

  He pulled her closer. “Sounds good together.”

  “Always.”

  32

  November 6, 1919

  The Lodge

  Mr. and Mrs. Geoff Chambers disembarked from the Maiden with as little help as possible. The minute Geoff’s wooden legs and walking stick thumped the ground, Riley trotted down the gangway and raced toward the newly planked wrap-around porch. The dog’s tail created a windstorm all its own.

  “Oh, no. We should have left him in Juneau,” Geoff said.

  She gave her husband a quick kiss on the cheek. “Riley or Tubby?”

  “Both. How hard is it to steer a ship?” He hugged her waist with his free arm. “Turn around and wave, would you? Tubby’s glare is like two daggers being thrust into my back.”

  “You’re imagining things. Tubby walked me down the aisle and gave me to you. He shed a tear during the nuptials.”

  “Come on, just one excited wave. I want the captain to warm to the idea of me being your husband.”

  Josephine turned on her heels and waved giddily at Tubby, blowing him a kiss.

  “Ah, relief.” Geoff slouched briefly. “I love you, Jo.”

  Laughing, and with a glance to make sure Tubby was busy onboard the ship, she kissed Geoff. On. The. Lips. “I love you, too.”

  “You’re making me weak in the knees.”

  “You don’t have any knees.”

  “Exactly.” Geoff grinned. “You weaken the invisible.”

  After they both had entered the lodge and latched the door, a scratching noise rattled the wood.

  Should she ignore it?

  “You might as well let our pet inside.” Geoff’s smile illuminated the lodge. “We won’t be waiting on him later when he gets thirsty.” He arched his eyebrows. “And look what needing a drink of water brought me.”

  She wrapped her arms around her husband and gave him an award-winning kiss. Not a Gregory kiss, but a Geoff kiss. An outstanding kiss for her outstanding veteran and her most outstanding companion.

  Acknowledgements

  This book would not have been possible without the help of so many people. My family has been my cheering section throughout my publishing journey. I am blessed to have their love and encouragement.

  A big thank you goes to my editor, Fay Lamb, who corrects my mistakes and adds shine to my stories, and to Nicola Martinez for her continuing support of my writing and for her wise Christian leadership at Pelican Book Group.

  My marvelous critique partner, Betsy Norman, makes me a better writer and she is a wonderful friend. The Barnes & Noble Brainstormers keep me focused on my stories and are a highlight of my week. Thank you, Jill Bevers, Denise Cychosz, Liz Czukas, Sandy Goldsworthy, Molly Maka, Karen Miller, Betsy Norman, Liz Steiner, Sandee Turriff, and Christine Welman.

  I have a huge support system within the RWA community, SCBWI community, and the ACFW community. My fellow PBG authors encourage me every week. I am grateful. My church family in Wisconsin and countrywide has been a huge blessing to me as always.

  And last, but definitely not least, to the Lord God Almighty, for giving me the gift of creativity and breath each day to write these stories. I am a cancer survivor, and not a day goes by that I don’t praise the Lord for His healing. To God be the glory.

  Author’s Note

  I hope you enjoyed Geoff and Josephine’s story. The idea for their adventure came to me on an Alaskan cruise excursion. My family visited the Taku Lodge located outside of Juneau on the Taku River. While feasting on salmon, we were told that the lodge/camp was built in 1923 by Dr. Harry C. DeVighne and later sold to a wealthy Michigan family. The Smith family had a son who suffered from post-war health problems. The Smiths sent a nurse, Mary Joyce, to care for their son, and the two lived at the Taku Camp training Huskies. The veteran died, and Mary Joyce went on to mush Huskies and complete a thousand-mile sled trip. She was quite an exciting woman.

  While I was eating lunch,
and the story unfolded, I thought, a man and a woman alone in a lodge? I delved into what a WWI veteran might be suffering from and gave the veteran a spunky nurse from Juneau. My fictitious Gilbertsen lodge is based on the Taku Lodge, but I moved the lodge to Douglas Island where mining activity abounded. My lodge was built prior to 1918. In 1917, the Gastineau Channel broke through a wall of the Treadwell Mine and flooded it. You can visit that site on a cruise excursion, too. For my novel, the Kat Wil Mine is doing quite nicely in 1918 and beyond.

  If you go to Juneau, you can also visit St. Nicholas Church. The church has been active since the 1890s. You can also visit historic sites about the darker side of mining, that being Wanda’s profession.

  Thank you for letting me indulge my “what ifs.”

  May the Lord bless you and keep you.

  Barbara

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