At the sound of the door, Maggie looked to see a man she’d never met come inside, followed by James.
Belle hurried to the man, raising her face for his kiss.Maggie had never seen her friend look happier or more content.She seemed to love Everett and her life in Alaska.
Belle turned back to her friend.“Maggie, this is my husband, Everett.”
“It’s nice to meet you,” Maggie said softly.
“And you,” Everett said.“I’ve heard a lot about you.Belle has been looking forward to your arrival.”
“She’s already made me feel quite welcome.”
“I’m sure she’s going to talk you into going on her foraging adventures with her.Do you hunt as well?”he asked.
Maggie shook her head, stifling a laugh.“I would be afraid to even touch a rifle.”
James stepped up behind Maggie and put his hands on her shoulders.“I’ll teach you to hunt if you’d like.”
Wrinkling her nose, Maggie declined.“I don’t think I could ever hunt.I’m impressed that Belle does though.”
“I’ll hunt when I’m off work then.We’ll need food stores before winter sets in.”
“This isn’t winter?”Maggie asked.It was already cold enough that she couldn’t imagine if this wasn’t at least the beginning of winter.
“Not at all,” Everett said.“We have a few weeks yet to finish foraging.You’re not going to be forced to eat tinned food all winter.”
“I’ve put up enough food for three families for winter,” Belle said, shrugging.“I wanted to make sure we were prepared, and I know we are.We’re happy to share.”
“I’ll find some way to trade,” Maggie said, not wanting to be in her friend’s debt.“I can let your dresses out and do many other things.”
“I may take you up on that,” Belle said.“You can use my sewing machine.Sewing has never been something I enjoy much.The machine does make it less of a burden though.”
When they sat down for supper, Everett said a prayer over the meal, thanking God for Maggie’s safe arrival.
After her first bite of supper, Maggie smiled.“It does taste almost exactly like chicken and dumplings.I need you to teach me to make this!”
“I’ll do it happily.It’s easy to hunt mallards in late June and early July.Perhaps you can pick wild strawberries for me, and I’ll hunt for you.”
“That sounds like a perfect arrangement.And I’ll do a kitchen garden of course.”
James shook his head.“We don’t have a large enough property for a kitchen garden.”
“Our property is big enough for two.And that way we can work in the garden together.The men work a lot of hours, and I think we’ll be much happier spending our days together.”
James cocked his head to one side.“Did you clean my cabin while I was gone?”
Belle shrugged.“I thought it would be nice for Maggie to come home to a house that had already gone through its fall cleaning.Now she won’t have to go to the trouble to do it herself.”
“Oh, you shouldn’t have!”Maggie insisted.
“It was a labor of love,” Belle responded.“You have clean sheets and a clean quilt.I think I would have felt the need to stay up all night doing the laundry.”
“Thank you, Belle.”
“You’re very welcome.”
“If I come over in the morning, will you take me to the store?”After Belle nodded, Maggie looked at James.“Do you have flour and sugar, and all those little things I’ll need?”
James shook his head.“I’ve subsisted on hardtack and beef jerky.The only time I’ve gotten real meals is when I was invited here or to the Johnsons.”
