“Don’t you see?” Jack insisted impatiently. “It’s our opportunity to convince her to marry you. God gave you a second chance to win her over, so don’t waste it, Palmer. You hear me?” He sounded more like a drill sergeant issuing orders than the old sourdough I’d come to consider a friend.
I didn’t want to discourage him, but from the way I saw it, Josie couldn’t get away from me fast enough. When I first saw her standing in my workshop this morning, it felt like my heart had swollen to twice its normal size. For one crazed second, I thought she’d reconsidered and decided to marry me. It didn’t take her long to set the record straight.
“She’s determined to leave,” I told Jack, going about my business.
“Maybe she wants to leave now, but that won’t last if we play our cards right. Don’t you see? Josie missing the ferry gives us the time we need to get her to reconsider your proposal.”
Jack was losing what was left of his mind. “I don’t have anything to offer her. She made it clear what she wants, and it isn’t me. In fact, she blames me that she’s stuck here.” Still hadn’t figured out how that could be. I wasn’t the one who’d overslept. Far as I could see, this problem fell squarely on her.
Jack continued to stare at me, looking long and hard, as if it would help him understand me better. “You have to admit you’re happy she’s here. It doesn’t matter how it happened; it happened. It was like an act of God. You know, like an earthquake or a volcano erupting.”
“It wasn’t any act of God,” I corrected him. “It was a mistake, plain and simple. Josie overslept.”
Jack adamantly shook his head. “That’s not the way I see it, and you shouldn’t, either. You’ve been given more time to get her to fall in love with you. Don’t waste it.”
As much as I wanted to accept his advice, I was afraid to have my heart battered a second time.
“Palmer?” Jack refused to give up.
“I’ll do what I can,” I agreed, but I didn’t know what more that would be. I’d already proposed to Josie, given it all I had. She’d rejected me. Being left behind in Ponder really had upset her. The instant she found a way to leave, she’d be gone. Nothing I said or did was likely going to change her mind.
* * *
—
I assumed when Jack left that he’d returned to his cabin. I continued my work on the sword until I was at a good stopping point. Although I was unsure it would do any good, I decided to seek out Josie. With my thoughts weighing me down, I removed my work gear and went inside to retrieve my coat before heading out in the weather toward the lodge. To my surprise, when I came into my kitchen with Hobo at my heels, I found Jack peeking inside my cupboard.
“You ready for lunch yet?” he asked when he saw me.
“No. I’m heading over to talk to Josie.”
Right away, Jack grinned from ear to ear. “That’s a great idea. Go get your woman and don’t take no for an answer.”
I left Jack behind, knowing he’d make himself at home in my cabin. The snow had let up, and there was less than a foot on the ground. Within a few weeks there would be snow high enough to reach the kitchen window.
The front door of the lodge was unlocked. I found Josie sitting in one of the big chairs, wearing a thick coat, looking forlorn and lost, with her arms wrapped around herself. She glanced up when I stepped inside. I saw that there wasn’t a fire in the fireplace and knew she must be cold.
Sensing her distress, Hobo idled over and sat down next to her.
Her sad eyes met mine briefly, and I couldn’t do anything more than stare back at her. A burst of wind outside distracted me enough to cause me to look away. With little more than a slight nod of acknowledgment from Josie, I walked over to the massive fireplace, knelt, and reached for the kindling to start a fire. In a few minutes the flames licked against the twigs, and soon I was able to stack in a few logs. “Shouldn’t be long before it’s warm in here,” I said, as a means of breaking the ice.
Her shoulders slumped forward. “Thank you.”
I got up from my knees and sat in the chair opposite from her, crossing my forearms and resting them against my legs. I wasn’t sure where to start.
“I shouldn’t have blamed you for my mistake,” she said, looking utterly miserable. Her hand absently stroked Hobo’s thick fur.
“I get it, you were upset.”
She gave a half laugh. “That’s putting it mildly.”
Seeing her this depressed was difficult. Her hair fell over her cheeks, and her eyes were downcast. “You find someone to get you out of here?” I asked, knowing it wouldn’t be a problem easily solved.
Leaning back in her chair, she released a sigh. “Not really. No way is the ferry willing to return, and the price of hiring a seaplane is ridiculous. I considered going by land, you know, hiring a dog sled to come and collect me, but convincing someone to agree to that is highly unlikely.” She glanced up, and a bit of hope showed in her eyes. “Don’t suppose I could drive out of here?”
She knew the answer as well as I did. “The roads here are all dead ends, you know that.”
“What about mail delivery? Couldn’t I leave with whoever flew in the mail? Surely there’s mail delivery during the winter months?”
I hesitated, knowing she wouldn’t like my answer.
“I’ve got a post office box in Fairbanks. With so few of us remaining in Ponder, the government cuts the mail service during the winter. My sister checks it for me every few weeks. Don’t really get that much, other than flyers and such. Anyone who wants to reach me knows to contact me through the Internet.”
Josie sighed, the weight of the world holding her down, heavy on her shoulders.
“You spoke to your mom and explained what happened?”
“Yeah, we had a lengthy conversation.”
“What about that fancy chef?” I knew that had to be a big concern for Josie. She’d been excited about her new career. I really hated the thought of her being robbed of this chance, despite my desire for her to stay.
“Chef Anton,” she murmured wistfully.
“Is being stuck here going to ruin that for you?”
Her lower lip trembled, but she held it together. “I’ve sent him an email and I’m waiting to hear back. I want to believe he’ll hold the job for me, but I don’t know. Can’t say I’d blame him if he hired someone else.”
“I’m sorry. I really am. I know how important this opportunity is to you.”
“I was the one who blew it,” she said, sighing again, looking more pitiful than she had earlier, which was saying something.
Seeing Josie so down in the dumps had a strange effect on me. It took all the self-control I could muster not to take her in my arms and comfort her. The only way I could resist was to look away. I concentrated instead on the fireplace.
After a few awkward seconds, I asked, “Were you able to reach either of the Brewsters?”
Josie nodded. “They had just gotten off the ferry. Marianne felt dreadful that she’d left me behind after I told her what happened, but I have no one to blame but myself. Jerry told all of us to bring our luggage to the lobby before we went to bed. My mind was racing from our conversation, and I forgot to do it before I climbed into bed. Once I was in bed and remembered that I had to put them in the lobby, I didn’t want to get dressed again. I decided I’d get up early and handle it in the morning. I guess I was thinking a few hours wouldn’t matter.”
“It sounds to me like a comedy of errors,” I said.
“Except no one is laughing, especially not me.”
That wasn’t exactly true. Jack had been downright gleeful to learn that Josie was now trapped in Ponder.
“Marianne assured me I could stay at the lodge for as long as needed. That’s one thing I’m grateful for. I don’t know what I would have done if the Brewsters said I’d have to leave.”
There wouldn’t be a problem with supplies, I thought to myself. The freezer at the lodge was full of meat and vegetables and everything in between. Learning to do without fresh fruit and other produce would take some adjusting for Josie. Life in the frozen north made that a necessity. She’d find a way to manage, but that would mean keeping the fireplace going and stocked with wood, as it would be her only source of heat.