For Love

Chapter 10

JASON

Jason pulled the cabin door shut behind Laurie. Several days of heavy rain had kept her cooped up in the cabin, and he was eager to see her handle their affairs in the community. Not that he was complaining. Late nights of staying up to watch over Seattle Square followed by back-breaking work in the weather were taking their toll. Nightly, he expressed his gratitude to Laurie for the quick naps he caught by the fire while she quietly mended his clothes beside him.

Laurie lifted her eyes to smile at him now. She looked pretty in a simple blue blouse and faded tartan skirt, the same pattern as the tartan sash her brother had put on her at their wedding. Jason hadn't asked her, but he recognized the reverence with which she had handled it. A family heirloom, he guessed. Probably her mother's, or a grandmother's.

Her hair was curled at the ends and tied back in a green ribbon that matched the green in her tartan's weave, and she clung to a yellow slicker that hung over her arm. He glanced at the leftover raindrops dripping from the porch roof and slowly lifted one side of his mouth into a half-smile, remembering the words she used to describe her wardrobe choice for the day. Practical. He finished buttoning the top two buttons of his yellow slicker and sucked in a dramatic intake of air. "Smell those pines," he said when her eyebrows arched.

Her nose wrinkled in distaste. "You smell pine trees?" she asked, a genuine curiosity warming her voice.

"Don't you?" he said.

There was a shy pause. "No," she said carefully. "But I understand it's a matter of acclimation. Perhaps... no, I'm sure I won't notice it before long." She finished with an air of resigned confidence, as though she were convincing herself.

She stepped off the porch and slid in the mud. Jason lunged forward and grabbed her arm to steady her. Once Jason was sure she would remain upright, he transferred his slicker's hat to his other hand before guiding her onto the higher points of the road. They were passing the totem pole before he asked, "Notice what?"

She looked beyond him to watch several men and women sliding in the mud, some attempting futilely to stay out of the deceptively shallow puddles. Jason followed her gaze just in time to see a wagon slog past a cluster of women. A wheel slid into a rut and splattered their clothes with what looked like more than innocent wet dirt. The women screamed and wailed, followed by deeper shouts and angry accusations from several nearby men.

Jason glanced down at Laurie and noticed she had opened the slicker and was thrusting her hands through the sleeves. He helped her button it in silence with his lips pressed together to suppress a laugh. Now her more practical slicker covered her practical dress.

"The mud?" he asked.

Laurie bit her lip, her eyes lifting to meet his, and there he saw all the sadness and uncertainty he constantly lived with too. "Tell me, Jason, what does Seattle do about their sewage?" his wife asked, her sweet voice heavy. "This can't be normal?"

Jason leaned his head back, closed his eyes tight, and cursed the town council's bumbling decisions. He and Aaron were overdue for that talk again. He opened his eyes and tried to sound encouraging. "You're right. It's a problem that the town council is working on. In the spring when the rains are nonstop, the tide comes in, and sometimes... well, trust me, it's something that weighs heavily on everyone's minds. Seattle is a dream that's still ironing out its rough edges. In the meantime..." he said with a pause, looping her arm around his. "Allow me to show you a swift and safe passage to Ben's."

"And the aroma?" asked Laurie. He was happy to hear the faint teasing in her voice, though her expression remained earnest.

"Well, I suppose it could be offensive to a well-bred woman like you." He inwardly cringed at the bite in his voice when she glanced at him. Neither of them was ready to deal with the darker elements of the other's temperament. The awkward shyness and long lulls in their conversations since the reception proved that. Still, they were talking more often, and that was progress enough. He picked her up and swung her over a slick-looking spot.