Prime Catch (18 page)

The rope lost slack and she heard Amos say, “Do it! We won’t let you go.”

She took a deep breath. Lifting one foot from the ledge, she felt her other foot slip.
I’ll have to do this in one quick move.
Sweat poured down her face and started to freeze. She moved the rope as close to her boot as she dared.
Now!
The toe of her boot slid into the loop, and she plunged sideways. A hot flash of pain went through the shoulder that had been jammed in the crack, but she held on. “I’m off the ledge. Get me out of here!” she managed to shout.

Every tug of the rope brought a new agony of pain, but she kept pushing back from the face of the ice to help. She was almost to the top when she heard a groan from the rope. Looking up, a piece of it was frayed, and she watched as a couple of the threads snapped. “Amos, hurry! The rope’s about ready to break!”

“Grab onto the rim when you get there!” She clawed at the lip of ice until she got a grip and swung herself onto the rim. The men heaved back one more time―and the rope broke. Sarah dug her spikes in to keep from sliding over the side as Amos crawled to her, extending his hand. “Hang on, I’ve got you!” He pulled her to where the ice was level.

Sarah lay still a few moments, willing her body to stop trembling, before she groaned and rubbed her arm. “I injured my shoulder in the fall.”

Amos carefully helped her to her feet and held her. He wordlessly stroked her back, and she realized he was trembling, too. “I almost lost you,” he whispered, and she noticed the tears on his cheeks.

The thumbs of her gloves wiped his face and she cupped his jawline. “My hero.” She put her forehead to his, and they laughed and cried. She didn’t give a damn in hell who was watching or what they thought.

Mahoney appeared beside them. “Miss Lakat, I was trained in first aid. Can I help?”

She pulled back from Amos. “My shoulder. It was jammed in the fissure crack.”

“Let’s go to my backpack. I’ve got my kit in there.” Amos guided her as they followed Mahoney. She noticed the other two men were guarding the prisoners, whose feet had been shackled together.

Mahoney rummaged through the pack and brought out a hinged metal box, painted white with a red cross. He found a triangular linen cloth and shook out the folds. “Take off your jacket.”

Amos helped her out of it, and Mahoney gently moved her shoulder, which made her cry out. “It’s really starting to hurt now.”

Mahoney nodded. “Being wedged in the ice must have kept it from swelling. Amos, gather some of the loose ice in a handkerchief.” When Amos brought him the ice fragments he’d scraped together, Mahoney made a small ice pack, put it on her shoulder, and tied the linen around her arm and waist to keep it immobile. Amos slid the jacket over her good arm and draped it around her other side. Mahoney gave her two white tablets and his canteen. “Here’s some aspirin for the pain.”

When they had made their way back to the others, Tunny spoke up to ask, “Shall we start hiking back to Gustavus?”

Amos shook his head. “We’re less than a day’s walk to Haines. Let’s get off this glacier and camp over there in that clearing, then start out tomorrow.” They retrieved their packs, and Amos slung both Sarah’s bag and his own over his shoulders.

After they ate, Amos and Sarah volunteered to take first watch. Sarah’s gun was handy in her holster, and Amos sat with a rifle across his knees. The campfire flickered light across the faces of the fugitives like the effect of a nickelodeon moving picture. George and his wife were a few feet away in their sleeping bags. He studied Sarah for a moment, then turned his head. “Sorry, Sarah.”

Sarah snorted. “For anything in particular or everything in general?”

He was silent for a moment. “I used you badly.”

“Yes, you did. By the way, what did you do with your children?”

He glanced at his wife. “They’re with her parents. They were going to bring them to us when we got to Canada.”

Sarah nodded. “I see. Well, they’re better off where they are.”

“That’s enough of the chit-chat,” Amos growled.

She opened her mouth to say something, then shut it again. Her shoulder was aching again, so she took out two of the aspirin from the supply Mahoney had given her and washed them down with water from her canteen.

Amos leaned toward her. “If you want to get some rest, I can do the watch myself.”

“No. I can do it.” The swell of love for this man almost overwhelmed her. She studied his face in the firelight―almost boyish, even with the mustache and scruffy beard. The dim light can take years off, she thought.

Later, when Mahoney and Abner came to relieve them, Amos helped her to her tent. He kissed her forehead. “I love you.”

“I love you, too. Goodnight.” She curled up in her bedroll for a few hours of blessed sleep.

The next morning, Amos assisted her with taking down her tent and packing. He again carried both their backpacks as he guided her through the trail to Haines. The small military base came into view a few hours later.

Portage Cove, home of the Chilkoot Docks, was besieged by sea birds, all screeching and diving in the gray mist. The travelers gathered at the liner ticket office in a weatherbeaten wooden building near the water. Amos set down the backpacks. “I should only need two others to help get these varmints to Juneau. I’ll let each of you know when the trial is finished, and you can barter between yourselves about who gets them next. You can send your people to Juneau and I’ll transfer them. Agreed?” Everyone did.

Mahoney returned from the ticket office. “The next liner to Juneau is tomorrow morning at eight o’clock. Why don’t you take Miss Lakat to the doctor’s office in town while we’re waiting?”

Amos glanced at Sarah, and she nodded. “All right. Could you pick up our passage?” At Mahoney’s nod, Amos gave him the fare for them and for the prisoners. “We’ll be back as soon as we can.”

Walking up a rise to the main street, they found the doctor’s shingle. The office was up an outside stairway to a whitewashed wooden door that led into a small waiting room with a nurse at a reception desk. She looked up and smiled. “May I help you?”

Amos released Sarah. “I’d like for the doctor to check Miss Lakat’s shoulder. She took a tumble into a glacial fissure and injured it.”

“And you are?”

“Sheriff Darcy from Juneau. We’re bringing in some fugitives for trial.”

The nurse hurried into a back room. She returned a few moments later. “You may go in, Miss Lakat.”

Sarah slipped through the door and came face to face with a jovial gray-haired man who stuck out his hand. “I’m Dr. Reynolds. I hear you have an injured shoulder.”

Sarah explained to him what had happened.

The doctor tsked. “You’re very lucky you're here to tell about it. Well, let’s see the shoulder. Sit on the table and undo your shirt.” He removed the linen and her shirt, then examined her shoulder. “It seems to be badly bruised, but nothing’s broken or out of place. I’ll tape it for you and give you medicine for the pain. Your doctor at home should check it again in a few days.”

After he ministered to her, he helped her get dressed, for which she was grateful.

“Thank you, Doctor.” Amos paid for the services, and she leaned on him gratefully. As they went down the stairs, he glanced at her. “You look like death warmed over. Let’s get a hotel room for you tonight.”

“Don’t you need―?”

“We have more than enough lawmen to watch the prisoners. You need a good night’s sleep. The rest of us will set up camp near the docks.”

She stopped and gazed at him. “At least, have dinner with me. Then I’ll meet you down there at seven-thirty tomorrow morning.” He smiled and put his arm around her as they continued on.

The small hotel near the docks was cheerful with its whitewashed porch and blue shutters. Amos went in with Sarah and greeted the man at the front desk. Mingled with the salty water and oily smell of the docks was the delightful smell coming from their dining room overlooking the channel.

The young man at the desk opened his register book. “May I help you, sir?”

“I’d like a room for my deputy tonight. She was injured today, and I want her to get a good rest.”

The clerk glanced at Sarah. “But she’s―”

Amos slammed his hand on the desk. “I don’t want to hear the rest of that sentence. You put her up, and I’ll pay for it!”

The man backed down in the presence of Amos’ wrath. “Yes, sir. She can have Room Number Five. That’s up the stairs and to your right. That will be six dollars.” He handed Amos the key as soon as Sarah had signed the register, and Amos paid for the room.

The rest of the lawmen were setting up camp not far from the hotel. Amos excused himself and went to get Sarah’s backpack and to tell the others of the plans. Meanwhile, Sarah secured them a table in the dining room.

After a wonderful baked salmon dinner, Amos walked her up to her room, unlocked the door, and set her backpack inside. “Sleep well, Sarah.” He took her in his arms and planted a kiss on her lips.

Sarah melted into his embrace and kissed him thoroughly. She felt a hard erection next to her belly and loved that he wanted her as much as she wanted him. “Goodnight, Amos.”

“See you in the morning.” He pulled back and, with a reluctant expression, headed toward the stairs.

****

Amos folded up his tent while the others were getting ready to leave. He arranged with the sheriff in Haines for three deputies to help transport the prisoners to Juneau, since Mahoney, Tunny, and Abner were going to take seaplanes to Cordova and Sitka. The three Haines deputies handcuffed the prisoners together. George turned to Amos. “What’s going to happen to the dogs?”

Amos glanced at Mahoney. “You’re the closest to Yakutat. Could you take them back with you?”

He gave a nod. “Yes. I’ll make sure they’re all looked after.”

George seemed relieved. Amos wished George cared about human beings as much as he did his dogs.
I’ll never understand how some people can kill so easily. Well, I guess that’s what they need me for.

Sarah appeared over the rise. Her arm was in a sling, but she looked well-rested and bright as a new penny. She set down the backpack she had carried slung around her good shoulder. “Are we all set to board the liner?”

“Now we are.” Amos picked up her pack and carried it over his shoulder along with his own, following the Haines men as they marched the prisoners up the gangway. The eight-hour voyage went by without any trouble, and the docks of home came into view later in the afternoon as an eagle sailed over the liner as if to welcome them.

The lawmen from Haines walked the prisoners down the gangplank and up to the street. Amos turned to Sarah. “Why don’t you go on home, since it’s only a couple of blocks? Change and go see Doc about your shoulder, then take the rest of the day off. We can take care of giving these guests a room.”

“Thank you, Amos.” She relieved him of her backpack as they reached the others, then waved a goodbye.

He sighed and turned. “Men, follow me. The office is up the hill.” Home was going to look so good to him tonight.

Chapter 20

Amos drove the patrol car away from the courthouse, where he had just given their evidence and information on the suspects to Juneau’s district attorney. He was taking the rest of the day off, because he had an extra errand to do. He headed to the Lakat property in Douglas. Jane Lakat was tending the garden, hoeing the weeds between cabbage rows. She straightened and shaded her eyes as he got out of the auto. “Evening, Sheriff. What brings you out here?”

“I wanted to speak to Grace. Is she around?”

A worried expression crossed her face. “Is it about Sarah? Is she all right?”

Amos paused for a second. “Yes, she’s fine. She did hurt her shoulder in a fall when we were chasing the fugitives, but it’s nothing serious. I wanted to talk to Grace on another matter.”

Jane made a motion with her hand. “She’s around back, feeding the chickens.”

He tipped his hat. “Thank you.”

He followed the sound of the chitter-chatter and mutterings of the hens and found Grace scattering seed from her apron that she held gathered up so that it formed a pouch. “Good evening, Grace. I’d like to talk to you.”

She shook the rest of the seeds over the ground while the hens pushed and shoved like a bunch of unruly children, voicing their greed. “Would you care for some tea on the back porch?”

“That’ll do nicely. Thank you.”

She disappeared into the house, wiping her hands, and Amos settled on a caned rocker. When she came out with a tea tray and put it on the table that was next to him, she asked, “Is this a social or an official visit?”

“Social. I need to talk to you about Sarah.”

Grace poured them each a cup. “What do you want in it?”

“Just a spoonful of sugar.”

Grace gave him the cup and set a plate of sugar cookies within his reach, then relaxed in the chair on the other side. “Now, what about Sarah?”

He took a sip of the tea. “I don’t know of any way to say this except straight out. I’ve found myself in love with your daughter and I want to ask for her hand in marriage.”

The silence flowed about them for a few moments, and then Grace glanced at him. “Amos, I think you should know a few things about Sarah before I give my answer.” She sighed and took a drink of the tea. “How much do you know of the Tlingit traditions?”

He shook his head. “Not a whole lot.”

“There were strict rules governing families. The men were in charge of providing for the family and the women were in charge of hearth and home. In fact, the property goes to the female side of the family. Jane and I were the only daughters, so this land is ours. Her husband was crippled at an early age, so she had to take over as a provider. This was during the Gold Rush, and she bought a sewing machine so she could make money as a dressmaker to the wealthy women. He died not long after Kata was born.”

“I know Kata works as the costume mistress at the theater.”

“Yes, she has the machine now. In the meantime, I was raising two boys and Sarah. My husband was a fisherman and was training the boys to do the same. Sarah was very good at book learning, so we decided she should go to the missionary school, because the public ones for natives were so poor. When her father and brothers died in the accident on the fishing boat, Kata and Sarah had to become the family providers.”