Lost & Wild: A Joshua Brown Story

Bonus Chapter: Blue's Valentine

Blueberry Gypsy Brown busied her chubby little fingers on the construction paper. She held the crayon as best she could, attempting to keep her scribbles to a minimum. She hunched over her little kiddie table, her tongue hanging out her mouth in deep concentration. The wood floor was littered with her previous attempts; the hearts were the wrong color; the hearts were the wrong shape; there were too many hearts; there weren't enough hearts.

"If there aren't enough, just add more." Harper had encouraged her daughter.

"NOOOOOOOO! Mommy...just-give-me-new-paper." Blue had insisted. Harper gave in, shaking her head as she handed another piece over. She rubbed the soft, velvety hair of her little baby boy, Joshua Bam Bam Brown, Jr. as he calmly laid his head against his mother's shoulder. He did things at a much different pace than his headstrong sister. He had the ability to walk, but much preferred to be held and loved on rather than be independent.

"You are as stubborn as your Daddy." Harper teased Blue, going back to working in the kitchen where she could watch over her daughter.

"But at least I'm as pretty as you!" Blue batted her eyelashes, fully aware she was being impishly sarcastic. Harper laughed, shaking her head as she sipped her herbal tea, wishing that little J.B. would nap soon. He kept rubbing his eyes and laying his head down, but he was refusing to actually nap. Usually there was a trick or two to getting him to lie down, and that was Harper singing his favorite lullabies and violin playing by her temporarily absent husband, Bam.

The brothers and their father, Billy, had embarked on a hauling trip a few days prior and were due back any moment. The weather had been sketchy at best, February was after all an unpredictable time of year in the southeast Alaskan waterways. It was hard not to worry, even with as busy as chores and the children kept her. In those rare moments of levity, she would fret. Those nights she slept in the middle of the bed, her hand on the spot where his head normally laid, she'd worry.

She felt a sudden rush of relief and her heart swell when she heard 3 long blasts coming from the shore. The baby jumped a little, even at his young age he knew what the sound meant. His head turned quickly from one side to the other already looking for his dad.

Blue was so deeply preoccupied with her own work, she didn't even act like she heard a thing; Though Harper could swear she saw her start coloring faster. She had to smile a little when she heard Blue singing a little song that she and her Uncle Bear had made up.

"Run through the trees, feel the cold breeze. See me running, running past ya, I'm so happy I live in Alaska".

The words had such a sing-songy rhythm to them, Blue hummed it constantly. She was pretty enamored with her Uncle who was always giving her little presents and making time for her. Without looking at the card, Harper suddenly realized it was probably for Bear. She smiled, but she knew every time that Blue did something special for Bear, Bam was a little hurt. He never let Blue know, or show her in any way, but Harper had seen his shoulders slump when she would pick an afternoon with Bear over him.

Coming back from a trip, he'd be so excited to see them all, Harper was a little worried that Blue might even blow right past him for Bear.

"Are you excited to see Daddy?" Harper asked J.B. who just giggled and cooed. He might not be able to speak yet, but the word 'Daddy' clearly brought him joy, "How about you, Miss Sassy Pants?" She spoke to Blue now who was diligently working while occasionally glancing towards the door as if it would open any second. Harper did the same, trying to find a way to busy herself to keep from jumping out of her skin. In the days before the babies she's rush out of the trapper shack, jumping in his arms at the midway point when he returned. Once they barely even made it to a sheltered bush off to the side before he made love to her. But that was back then before the babies. Regardless, she still couldn't wait to jump in his arms and show him exactly how much she missed him as soon as they had a moment alone together.