"That"s not possible." Meredith started to ladle up stew.
"There"s no milled lumber around here," Ian said.
"But there are the finest cabins in the world," Meredith countered. "Who else has a bottle-gla.s.s-stained window?"
"You"ll have one soon, Sis."
"How did you get enough bottles?"
He shrugged-but it was a forced action. "I just have a feeling."
The blizzard still howled. "Do you have any feelings about how long we"re going to be burrowed in here?"
"What does it matter?" Ian shrugged. "We have chess, draughts, and cribbage."
"Don"t forget juggling," Tucker added. "You need to learn how to do that, Ian. I"ll teach you."
Meredith burst out laughing.
Tucker turned to Ian. "What"s so funny?"
"I heard you still need to perfect your technique."
"I"m up to two stones at the same time."
Ian plastered a solemn look on his face. "Two. I see."
"Yes, and they"re matched, so I can"t count on the different colors guiding me."
"Why haven"t you taught Merry such a valuable skill?"
Tucker shook his head. "No, no. She"d run off with the circus and leave me behind. I can"t have that."
"Wait a minute." Meredith approached her brother. "Are you saying you can"t allow me to go off with the circus, or are you saying I can"t leave you behind?"
"Unh-huh." He slumped back down and closed his eyes.
"You need more sleep." Ian pointed toward her cot.
"I"ve had more than you have."
He grabbed a few blankets. "I"ll make a pallet."
"You can"t do that." Meredith tapped her toes on the floor. "This is far too hard."
"Compared to ice, the floor is soft."
In the middle of the night, the blizzard abruptly stopped. Ian sat up and wondered at the odd hush, followed by a strange singing.
Merry lifted her head. "Oh. The northern lights!"
"I"ve got to see this." Ian yanked on his boots and coat.
Merry hurriedly grabbed her cape. They slipped outside and looked up. Green and red waves and flames danced in the sky.
"What makes the noise?"
Merry shrugged. "I don"t know. Sometimes it"s much softer. Tonight it"s loud."
Ian held out his hand. "Let"s go look at them from the bridge."
She slid her hand into his and stood out where they"d have a better view. "Breathtaking."
"Yes," Ian agreed.
Light arced upward and swirled. "I"m so glad I came here."
"So am I. It"s been every bit the adventure I wanted, and more." He stared upward. "You know, your brother and I figure that the vein we"ve found probably isn"t going to get much larger. It"s worth pursuing, but it won"t make us rich."
"I already am rich." She gestured upward. "I have a symphony in the sky and my brother is well. We have a Bible and enough to eat and a good friend and neighbor. What more could I ask for?"
Ian stayed silent.
Finally, Merry got up the nerve to look at him.
He was staring straight at her. "I don"t know what more you could ask for, but I know there"s still something else I"d want. I long to marry the woman I love."
Merry held her breath so long she got a little dizzy.
"Are you going to ask me who she is?"
She shook her head.
Ian rubbed his warm, calloused fingertips down her cold cheek. " "Tis you, Merry. You"ve stolen my heart just as surely as I breathe. If the only gold I ever got from Alaska was the gold in the center of your eyes, I"d die a happy man. Will you be my bride?"
"Oh yes, Ian. I don"t know exactly when or how, but you stole my heart, too. My mama once told me love is the greatest adventure of all. You"re the man I want to share that adventure with."
As they shared their first kiss, G.o.d painted the sky with color and sound.
Epilogue.
I get to kiss the bride."
Ian gave Abrams a disgruntled look. "Later. Let me marry her first."
"Can"t do that. Once she"s your wife, she"s a married woman. I wouldn"t kiss some other man"s wife!"
"I saw the ring," Mr. Clemment said. He wore his overalls the right way around for the special occasion. "It"s gold." He nodded. "Gold as the first rays of the Alaska dawn."
"It ought to be. I had the ring made from the gold on our own claim." Ian craned his neck to see out his door. "What"s keeping them?"
"They"re twins," Abrams opined. "Takes "em twice as long."
The minister shot a strange look at Ian. "You"re only marrying one."
"Don"t worry; we"ll be sure he picks the right one," Mr. Clemment said in an earnest tone.
The minister tugged on Ian"s sleeve. "Can you tell them apart?"
"Yes, Parson, I can. Abrams, go get my bride."
Abrams stepped out the door and hollered, "Hey! This man you wanna get hitched to is gettin" itchy. Best you shake a leg."
The parson tugged at his collar. Ian leaned forward. "Seeing my neighbors reminds me that G.o.d has an imagination."
"A big one, indeed."
A few moments later, Tucker stopped just outside the threshold. He set down his sister and brushed a kiss on her cheek.
"See? We kiss her before you swap the "I do"s"!" Abrams and Mr. Clemment both raced over and gave her a kiss on the cheek.
With no church for miles around, Merry wanted to get married in front of Ian"s stainedgla.s.s window. A golden ribbon of sunlight cast a glow through it.
The parson stood in silence.
Merry finally whispered, "What is he waiting for?"
"I"m sure you want your sister to share this joyous occasion." He bobbed his head.
"What sister?"
Ian fought to keep a straight face. "Parson, Tucker is Meredith"s twin."
"Yes, yes. Well, I can see how you"re able to tell them apart."
Meredith smoothed the front of her pink dress.
"You look beautiful," Ian told her.
She beamed at him, and the brightness of her smile promised a love that would glow for a lifetime.
GOLDEN DAYS.
by Mary Connealy.
Dedication.
I wouldn"t be writing this dedication without Cathy Marie Hake. G.o.d put her in my life.
Christy Barritt and Suzan Robertson helped make me the writer I am today.
And the Seekers are the best support group ever. They"re a gift from a loving G.o.d.
Chapter 1.
April 2, 1898.
Seattle, Washington.
The Alaskan Gold Rush had turned Seattle into a madhouse.
Amy Simons hurried along the noisy, teeming street. She had taken over the job of running errands for the mission because the other teachers dreaded going outside.
Amy staggered as rough, crude men shoved past, trying to move faster. The tread of booted feet and the loud shouts of gruff voices overwhelmed all other noise. Ahead, a busy street rushed with carriages and wagons. People sick with gold fever darted across. The loud lash of a whip broke through the noise. Amy glanced at an oncoming wagon drawn by four horses.
A hard shove sent her stumbling off the wooden sidewalk. Something caught her foot, so she tumbled to her hands and knees into the path of the charging horses. As she fell, she heard the shouts of alarm mingled with raucous laughter.
A roar of warning from the driver barely reached her. With a shriek of terror, she threw herself out of the path of iron-shod hooves. One hoof landed solidly against her side, and her head hit the hard packed ground with a sickening thud.
"Hintak xoodzi! Papa, the hintak xoodzi! The white bear is coming!" With a deep-throated growl, a huge white bear reared up on hind legs, its claws slashing in the air.
Her father lay bleeding on the frozen ground in front of the roaring bear. He needed help. He needed her. "I will help you. I am coming, Papa."