boots, the other dressed in rags—their arms slung around each other, headed down the trail.
Wily muttered, “Alaska ain’t for everybody.”
Braden wasn’t sure which man Wily was talking about. “How’d you get back up here so fast? You’ve barely had time to walk home.”
Wily shrugged. “I kin catch a current home and ride most of the way. Mr. Clemment stood there a’waitin’ for me when I arrived, half crazed with worry ’bout Rooster. He convinced me to turn around and hightail it back.”
Braden looked at the gaunt man. His weathered skin barely showed through his beard. “You must be exhausted.”
Wily twisted his beard into a long, gray rope. “I been tired a’fore. I reckon I’ll be tired agin.” He trudged down the trail after the Clemments.
As the men disappeared from sight, Amy came up beside Braden. “I am glad his brother came. He needed to go home.”
Which reminded Braden that Amy needed to go home. Not Ian’s home but civilization home—Seattle. “While you were talking Rooster down off the roof, Carlton said Ian wrote to him and told him Wendell wasn’t well. He thanked me. I didn’t do anything.”
“I am sure they did not want to take the time to hunt up Ian and thank him. What is that paper he gave you?”
Braden looked at the folded paper on top of the crumpled gingham. Shifting the plates, he unfolded the paper.
“A deed to Rooster’s claim.” Braden looked after the men and took a step after them. “He wrote Braden Rafferty on it. He meant it for Ian not me.”
Amy caught his arm. “Do not worry about it. If you want Ian to have it, just sign it over.”
Braden nodded. “Yep, that’s okay then. Ian can have it.”
❧
Ian didn’t want it.
“So, Rooster’s brother came and got him?” Ian studied the handwritten note Carlton Clemment had scribbled Braden’s name on.
Meredith straightened from the table, where she snipped at green wool for Ian’s shirt. She folded the cloth with sharp, tidy snaps. “That’s good. He needed to go home.”
“How’d you get up on that roof so fast?” Braden asked Amy, who set the little bag she’d kept at her side all the way from Seattle in the corner of the kitchen.
“Flew up just like Rooster does?” Ian offered the deed back to Braden.
Amy smiled, shook her head, and said nothing.
“I’m not taking it.” Braden tucked his hands in his pockets. “You and Merry’ve been caring for him. You’ll be the ones takin’ his claim, and that’s that.”
Amy crouched on the floor by the wall, her bag beside her. Braden watched her digging around in what looked like twigs and crushed leaves. What had she gathered that for? Kindling?
“Stubborn big brother.” Ian narrowed his eyes, then shoved the paper into the breast pocket of Braden’s brown broadcloth shirt. “I don’t need another claim. This isn’t like Oregon where we want to add to our acreage to grow more crops. I’m getting a living out of the rock I’m hacking at now. A few ounces of gold a month trickle out of there. We don’t need much cash money. And I’m as busy as I want to be.”
“But what if there’s a big gold strike on Rooster’s land? It should be yours.”
Ian looked at Meredith. “He’s right. I could be handin’ away a fortune.”
Meredith’s eyes twinkled. “Why do I doubt that?”
Ian laughed, and Meredith joined in. “Keep the claim, Braden. The house is the real gold mine.”
Braden thought about the mess inside Rooster’s house. Why do I doubt that?
“We’re too crowded here.” Meredith tucked the fabric into one of the wooden boxes Braden had brought that nearly filled the little cabin. “And if God wants Ian to strike it rich, he will. He won’t have to go around grabbing up every claim that comes his way.”
Ian nodded. “I’d rather hunt than dig any day. We can’t eat gold.”
Amy smiled. “That sounds very Alaskan of you.”
Tucker came in carrying a platter of raw steaks. Braden noticed
Wily muttered, “Alaska ain’t for everybody.”
Braden wasn’t sure which man Wily was talking about. “How’d you get back up here so fast? You’ve barely had time to walk home.”
Wily shrugged. “I kin catch a current home and ride most of the way. Mr. Clemment stood there a’waitin’ for me when I arrived, half crazed with worry ’bout Rooster. He convinced me to turn around and hightail it back.”
Braden looked at the gaunt man. His weathered skin barely showed through his beard. “You must be exhausted.”
Wily twisted his beard into a long, gray rope. “I been tired a’fore. I reckon I’ll be tired agin.” He trudged down the trail after the Clemments.
As the men disappeared from sight, Amy came up beside Braden. “I am glad his brother came. He needed to go home.”
Which reminded Braden that Amy needed to go home. Not Ian’s home but civilization home—Seattle. “While you were talking Rooster down off the roof, Carlton said Ian wrote to him and told him Wendell wasn’t well. He thanked me. I didn’t do anything.”
“I am sure they did not want to take the time to hunt up Ian and thank him. What is that paper he gave you?”
Braden looked at the folded paper on top of the crumpled gingham. Shifting the plates, he unfolded the paper.
“A deed to Rooster’s claim.” Braden looked after the men and took a step after them. “He wrote Braden Rafferty on it. He meant it for Ian not me.”
Amy caught his arm. “Do not worry about it. If you want Ian to have it, just sign it over.”
Braden nodded. “Yep, that’s okay then. Ian can have it.”
❧
Ian didn’t want it.
“So, Rooster’s brother came and got him?” Ian studied the handwritten note Carlton Clemment had scribbled Braden’s name on.
Meredith straightened from the table, where she snipped at green wool for Ian’s shirt. She folded the cloth with sharp, tidy snaps. “That’s good. He needed to go home.”
“How’d you get up on that roof so fast?” Braden asked Amy, who set the little bag she’d kept at her side all the way from Seattle in the corner of the kitchen.
“Flew up just like Rooster does?” Ian offered the deed back to Braden.
Amy smiled, shook her head, and said nothing.
“I’m not taking it.” Braden tucked his hands in his pockets. “You and Merry’ve been caring for him. You’ll be the ones takin’ his claim, and that’s that.”
Amy crouched on the floor by the wall, her bag beside her. Braden watched her digging around in what looked like twigs and crushed leaves. What had she gathered that for? Kindling?
“Stubborn big brother.” Ian narrowed his eyes, then shoved the paper into the breast pocket of Braden’s brown broadcloth shirt. “I don’t need another claim. This isn’t like Oregon where we want to add to our acreage to grow more crops. I’m getting a living out of the rock I’m hacking at now. A few ounces of gold a month trickle out of there. We don’t need much cash money. And I’m as busy as I want to be.”
“But what if there’s a big gold strike on Rooster’s land? It should be yours.”
Ian looked at Meredith. “He’s right. I could be handin’ away a fortune.”
Meredith’s eyes twinkled. “Why do I doubt that?”
Ian laughed, and Meredith joined in. “Keep the claim, Braden. The house is the real gold mine.”
Braden thought about the mess inside Rooster’s house. Why do I doubt that?
“We’re too crowded here.” Meredith tucked the fabric into one of the wooden boxes Braden had brought that nearly filled the little cabin. “And if God wants Ian to strike it rich, he will. He won’t have to go around grabbing up every claim that comes his way.”
Ian nodded. “I’d rather hunt than dig any day. We can’t eat gold.”
Amy smiled. “That sounds very Alaskan of you.”
Tucker came in carrying a platter of raw steaks. Braden noticed
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