Joy Takes Flight (15 page)

“Yes, but not as safe.” He stood and leaned over the table to kiss her. “I love you. And that baby of ours. I'm not taking any chances. I'm going to take good care of the two of you. I promise.”

He remembered a similar promise he'd made years before. He'd let his wife down. The memory of how it ended sent a wave of guilt over him. But things would be different this time. He'd make sure of it.

K
ate finished washing the evening dishes and then joined Paul, who was sitting on the sofa, reading. “It's getting dark so early.”

Paul set his book in his lap. “Winter's nearly here.”

“I love winter, except for the darkness. 'Course this year we'll have the baby, which will make up for the short days.” She smiled up at Paul.

He rested a hand on Kate's stomach. His eyes widened. “It moved.”

“It's a busy child.”

“Just like its mother.”

“I'm resting today,” Kate said, tucking her legs in under her. She looked at the book Paul held. “What are you reading?”

He held up the book. “
Of Mice and Men
by John Steinbeck
.
It's good, but I've got a feeling it's going to have one of those gut-wrenching endings. You know John Steinbeck. He always touches on the dark side of life.”

Kate leaned against him. “I'd rather think about the joys of life.” She rested her hand on her stomach and smiled. “We got a lot done this week. The last of the vegetables are canned. It was so nice of Lily to come over and help.” She smiled up at Paul. “She talked a lot about Clint. I think she's in love.”

“He's a fine man,” Paul said. “Those two are a good match.”

“I hope they get married.”

Paul set his book on the table and draped his arm around Kate. “It feels good to have most of the winter preparations done. I finished splitting the wood. I'm pretty sure we've got enough to last us through the winter. And the smokehouse is jammed with salmon.”

“I hope the smell doesn't call in the bears,” Kate said.

“I don't think we need to worry. The smokehouse is sturdy. I made sure of that.” He rested his cheek against Kate's hair. “Good fishing season, one of the best I've seen since I moved here. We have more than enough to see us through the winter. That, with a successful hunting season—I'd say we're pretty well set. It'll be a good year for us.”

“I guess the lull in flights worked out.” Kate stood and moved to the kitchen where she picked up a dish towel and refolded it. She stared into the sink. “A lot of my flights went to other pilots.”

“Because we're living out here?”

“Jack never said anything, but that's my best guess.” She turned and looked at Paul. “I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. I love it here.”

“Me too. But . . . town would make more sense.” Paul's voice lacked conviction.

“It's all right. I'm supposed to be resting every day anyway. You did say it's good for me. And getting in and out of the plane is more and more difficult.” Kate patted her stomach. “I'm fat.”

“You're not fat. You're pregnant. And you're beautiful.”

“Oh yeah—real beautiful,” Kate said with a smirk. Still, she loved that he had said it. She thought he actually believed it. “The lot in town is small. What would we do about outbuildings and gardening? Where would you put the dogs?” She returned to the sofa and sat beside him.

“People who live in town buy more and grow less. That's what my family did when I was growing up.”

“But I love our garden.” Kate didn't know why she was disputing Paul. Living in town did make more sense. And lots of people lived without gardens and smokehouses.

Paul rested his chin on her head. “Yeah, I love it too.”

“You said we were going to make a run into town soon to stock up on a few items before the snow flies. When did you want to go?”

“How about tomorrow?”

“I'd like that. I've been missing Muriel and Helen.” She sat up straighter. “Can we take the boat instead of the plane?”

A gust of wind rattled the windows. Paul glanced over his shoulder and out the window. “You sure you want to do that? It's cold.”

“It's not that bad. And if the sun is out, it will help. This time of year it's so beautiful. I think it would be fun to take the dory. It's been too long since I've seen Cook Inlet from sea level.” She smiled. “The fall colors would make for a nice change of scenery.”

“Okay. As long as the weather's good.” Paul pressed a kiss to her cheek. “We can stay over one night, which would make for an easier day coming and going.”

Kate nestled against him. “I'd like that. And I'll pray for good weather.”

Paul gave her a crooked smile. “I swear God listens to you, so I figure we'll be taking the boat.”

When Kate woke, faint morning light filtered in through the window. She climbed out of bed and crossed the room to have a look outside. The forest and outbuildings were outlined against the dawn. Last night's wind had stilled and the glow of morning showed pink in a sky smattered with clouds. “Thank you, Lord.”

Wearing a smile, Kate returned to the bed and sat beside Paul, who was still sleeping. “Hey, lazybones. It's time to get up.”

Paul rolled onto his back and opened one eye, then the other. He stared at Kate. “What a sight to behold first thing in the morning.”

Kate laughed. “Is that a compliment or a criticism? I know how I look when I wake up.”

He rested a hand on her thigh. “You're beautiful, always.”

“You're a romantic in disguise, aren't you?”

“Maybe.” He grinned.

Putting on what she hoped was a smug expression, Kate said, “The wind stopped and there are only a few clouds. I guess God heard my prayer.”

“I'm not surprised.” Paul placed a hand on Kate's rounded abdomen. “How are my two favorite people this morning?”

“Good. And this one,” Kate put her hand over Paul's, “slept last night, which means so did I.” She stood. “Get up. If we're taking the boat, we've got to get moving.” She headed into the kitchen and put on a pot of coffee, then went to work preparing a breakfast of oatmeal with sugar and molasses.

After they'd finished eating, Kate packed extra clothing while Paul prepared the dory for their trip, made arrangements for the dogs, and carried food that Kate had prepared down to the boat. By the time he returned, she was ready to go.

Angel stood at the door, her tail waving. “Sorry, girl. Not this time. There won't be enough room for you on the way back.” She looked at Paul. “Did you talk to Patrick?”

“No. He was still sleeping. But Lily was up. She said that she and Clint would see to Angel while we're gone.”

“Good.” Kate gave the dog an extra pat and stepped outside, with Paul behind her. She could hear Angel whining at the door, then heard the sound of her toenails on the window glass. She'd jumped up on the sofa to watch them. “It feels strange leaving Angel behind. I'm so used to having her with me.”

Paul glanced back at the house. “I figure she feels the same way.”

The air felt brisk but not wintery. “I love this time of year.” Kate breathed in the exuberance of the forest splashed with red, yellow, and orange. “It looks like God's taken out his paintbrush and had a party.”

“Yeah, that's because he knows what's coming,” Paul said dryly. “Winter.”

“Come on now, where's that romantic spirit I saw this morning?”

“It went into hiding,” Paul said with a half grin.

Undaunted, Kate continued, “It's the perfect time to make a slow trip to Anchorage. The world is beautiful.”

“It might look good, but a dory isn't the most comfortable transportation. You sure you'll be all right?”

“I'll be fine. I've been feeling good all along—no aches or pains . . . hardly.”

“All right. If you're sure.”

When they reached the boat, Paul gave Kate a hand in, then untied the rope from the mooring and settled in the back beside the motor. It took only one yank on the starter and the engine puttered to life. He pushed away from the dock and turned the rudder so they were headed toward the Susitna River.

Soon the river would freeze. This would be the last boat trip until spring. When they entered the bay, it seemed bigger than Kate had remembered. She gazed out toward the sea, then at the shoreline, which looked like a collage of color. Mountains rose up on the far side of the bay like hazy blue and white crowns.

“It's unbelievably gorgeous,” Kate said. “I'm glad we brought the boat instead of the plane.”

The swell was calm and rocked the dory gently like a mother rocks a cradle. Kate looked back at Mount Susitna. “You know, even though I nearly died at the foot of that mountain, it still feels special to me. It's not like most of the peaks in the territory. She's quiet and gentle. I'd love to make a fishing trip to one of the mountain lakes before they freeze.”

“Sounds like a good idea, but I've got some medical runs coming up.”

Something bumped the boat. “What was that?” Kate asked, staring into the water.

“Probably a log. Better keep a look out.” Paul stood and studied the waves. “Ah, there's our culprit.” He smiled broadly. “Whales. We're in the middle of a pod of belugas.”

“There's one!” Kate pointed at what looked like a white ghost drifting past the boat just beneath the surface.

A few yards ahead of them, one of the eye-catching mammals surfaced, then dove back into the sea with its white tail hesitating for a moment before disappearing beneath the swells.

“Until I came here I'd never heard of a white whale,” Kate said. “I think they're fantastic.”

Paul and Kate watched and waited, hoping they'd see another one, but the whales were gone. “They must be on a mission,” Paul said. “No dillydallying for them.”

The rest of the trip was uneventful, except for a couple of sea lions sunning themselves on a buoy. Paul turned the boat toward them, hoping to get a closer look. Barking at the intruders, the animals looked like they would stand their ground, but when Paul got closer, they dove into the sea.

Kate felt a swell of happiness. “I love Alaska. You never know what you're going to see. Except that it will either be unusual or delightful.”

“Or scary as all get-out.” A gentle expression rested on Paul's face. “It gets under your skin, all right. When I first came here, I didn't know if I'd ever feel at home. Now I don't think I could be happy anywhere else.”

“I know this is the place for me. I don't ever want to leave.” Kate gazed at the town of Anchorage perched on the hills above Ship Creek. “Are you still set on our moving into town a month before the baby comes?”

“Yes. It's the safest thing to do. What if you went into labor and the weather was bad and we couldn't get in?”

“I guess I'd have the baby at home. Sassa told me she'd help.”

“I don't care what she said.” Paul sounded angry. “I want our child born in a hospital.”

“Okay. But you have to admit it would be nice to bring the baby into the world out on the creek.”

“Kate, you never know what might happen during a delivery.” Paul's tone was grim. “We're not taking any chances.”

Kate wished he'd tell her why he felt so strongly about their baby being born in a hospital. Lots of babies were born in their own homes. Every time she'd tried to broach the subject of why he felt the way he did, he'd shut down. She was pretty certain it had something to do with what had happened to his wife and son. He was haunted by it and would never be free of it until he brought the secret into the light.

By the time they approached Anchorage, Kate's back ached. She was glad to see the docks. Although the trip had started out wonderfully, it had been more difficult than Kate had anticipated. She decided she was too far along for adventures.

Paul gave her a hand out of the boat. “You hungry?”

“Starved. Seems I'm always hungry.” She chuckled. “Let's go to the general store first and see if Helen and Albert are working. Maybe we can have lunch together.”

“Sounds good to me.” He took her hand. “But . . . maybe we ought to drop off our bags at the house first, then go over to the store.”

“That's a good idea.”

Paul draped a knapsack over one shoulder and carried the travel case. He and Kate strolled up the road away from the bay. Kate was grateful to be out of the boat. Walking felt good.

“We'll have to get a fire going in the house before we go to the store. It's really cold.” She glanced at the bags. “Why don't you let me carry one of those?”

“No. I've got them.” His tone was unyielding.

Kate still hadn't gotten used to his protectiveness. She hated being doted on, but with Paul there was no way around it. “It's cold. Colder than I expected,” she said, pulling up her hood.

When they approached the house, Kate was surprised to see smoke trailing out of the stovepipe in the roof. “There's a fire going. I wonder who did that? No one knew we were coming.”

Paul shrugged. “I don't know, but I'm grateful.” He walked up the steps and opened the door for Kate. She stepped in and was greeted with shouts of “Surprise!” from Helen, Albert, Muriel and Terrence, and the fellas from the airfield, including Jack.