Chapter One
Myrtle looked aroundnervously as she disembarked the steamboat in Skagway, Alaska.She knew Aaron Fielding was waiting for her somewhere, but she had a surprise for him that she wasn’t certain he’d be happy about.
She and Aaron had corresponded for a bit, and she’d agreed to be his mail-order bride with the help of Elizabeth Tandy, a marriage broker in Beckham, Massachusetts, where she’d lived for several years while working at the hotel in town.
“Is he here?”Josephine—whom they all called Josie—asked.
“I don’t know!”Myrtle said.“How do I know which man he is?”
“Good question,” Lula said.“Are you sure he’s not going to be upset that you brought us along?”
“I have no idea at all.It seemed like a brilliant idea at the time...”Myrtle bit her bottom lip, worried that Aaron would be upset with her before they even married.But before he could be upset, she had to find him.
Slowly, a tall man with dark hair and a closely shaven beard walked toward the four girls who were huddled together.“Is one of you Myrtle Banks?”
“I am,” Myrtle said.Now that she was face-to-face with Aaron, she knew she’d made a mistake.She shouldn’t have brought her friends without his permission.What was she thinking?
He smiled.“I’m Aaron Fielding.”
“It’s so good to finally meet you!”Myrtle said.“I want to introduce my friends.Josie, Ella, and Lula.They are all planning to marry men from Yeti, so they came along with me.That way, only one of you needs to miss work.Wasn’t that smart?”
Aaron frowned.“I only brought food for two.”
“Each of us brought extra food in our carpet bags,” Myrtle said.“Sally wrote how her husband only brought jerky and hardtack on the journey.So, we each packed some, and she also said we could restock once we reached Lake Bennett.She said it would be costly, so we have as much money as we could save up for the food.”
“Sounds like you thought of everything then, doesn’t it?”Aaron was annoyed, but he tried not to show it.How was he supposed to watch over four women on the long journey from Skagway to Yeti?Why hadn’t Myrtle at least consulted him about the change in plans?
“We’re strong, and we will make the load lighter,” Josie said softly.“I know we’re a surprise to you, but we can pick berries to supplement our food supply.”
Aaron forced a smile.“Let’s go have a wedding then.”
He walked toward the pastor, letting the four women trail behind him.He couldn’t help but wonder which of the men he worked with each woman would marry.At that moment, he didn’t want to marry any of them, but he knew it would be better to go along with the women’s plan.It wasn’t like he could leave them there.
After a quick ceremony, he kissed Myrtle on the cheek.“Let’s head out.We have a long way to go before winter.”
The women all nodded, smiling cheerfully.He knew their good spirits couldn’t last the entire trip, and he dreaded having to take them all with him.
“I have a mule to carry bags, but she won’t be able to carry them all.We’re going to need to keep our eyes open for another.I don’t care if we get a jack or a molly, but you ladies will not be able to carry your packs up the steep trail.”
“What’s your mule’s name?”Myrtle asked, hoping to break the ice with the man who seemed very annoyed with her, though it was obvious he was trying not to let it show.
When Aaron stopped walking, all four of the women stopped as well.He talked to a man who had two leads in his hand.“Are you selling your mules?”he asked.
The man nodded, naming a price.Aaron winced, but he dug the money from his pocket.“Thanks.”
“I could sell one of the women for ye too.If you don’t need all four that is.”The man spit into the dirt.
Myrtle flinched as if she’d been struck.“We’re not for sale.”
Aaron nodded emphatically.“All of these women are spoken for and under my protection.”As annoyed as he was with the situation, he couldn’t imagine leaving a woman with the man in front of him.
“Thank you for the mule,” Aaron said as he led the women away.He would protect all four of the ladies with his life.The burden may not be his choice, but he knew his duty, and his co-workers would surely pay him back for any extra expenses when they saw he’d brought their brides.
Once they were out of earshot of the man, he turned to the four women.“Stay close to me.There will be others like him, wanting to buy one of you.We need to be careful when we’re in busy areas, but thankfully, that will only happen twice on our journey.
Myrtle nodded, not having realized exactly how wild this area would be.The men frightened her a bit, and she was glad her friends were beside her.“We’ll be careful.”
“Good.Follow me.”He set off again, and they followed as if he was a mother duck, and they were all ducklings.
