Aaron quickly kissed Myrtle goodnight, and she went to her bedroll with the other women while he slept close to the fire.It had been easier to do things that way, and though they often kissed, they hadn’t found a way to become truly intimate.It would happen.
*****
Thankfully, Rusty—Aaron’sfriend—had a large boat they could buy at Lake Bennett.It cost more than Aaron would have liked, but he would make it work.True to their word, the ladies purchased food for the second half of their trip, but he could see by their expressions that the price had shocked them all.
It took them a few hours at Lake Bennett, but they were soon on their way.
“We’ll take the boat downstream until we reach the spot nearest Yeti.The Yukon River doesn’t go through town, so we’ll walk from there.The Tozitzna River does go through Yeti, but I’ve found it’s easier to walk from there.”
“Is that where salmon is caught near Yeti?”Myrtle asked.“Sally wrote to us about fishing somewhere near Yeti.”
“Yes, the Tozitna runs adjacent to my property.You’d be able to fish there if you wanted to.There’s plenty of salmon and whitefish.I actually prefer whitefish, but I would never turn down smoked salmon.”
“Good to know,” Myrtle said.
“I love to fish,” Josie said.“Are the whitefish trapped like salmon, or caught with a fishing pole?”
“They’re trapped either with a fish trap or with a net.Are you thinking that will be your way to contribute to what the others are doing?”Aaron asked.
Josie shrugged.“I might.I’m not sure yet.There are so many options that I want to hear them all before I commit to something.”Josie was always one to keep her options open.
“I wish we had a list of what was most needed,” Ella said.“I like the idea of hunting, but is there enough game to hunt year-round?”
Aaron laughed softly.“There’s always game in Alaska.In the summer, especially during molting, you can hunt for ducks.Mallard is my favorite because they taste the most like chicken.Then in the fall, there’s moose.You can get bear anytime except winter, but they’re best in the fall.Unless you’re hunting for their hides, and then it’s best to hunt in spring, when their hides are pristine.”
“I like the idea of shooting a bear,” Ella said.“You seem to know a lot about hunting in Alaska.”
Aaron nodded.“I have a buddy who came up here as a trapper.He’s taught me a lot.”
“What’s his name?”Lula asked.
“Alex.I guess when I talk about men I work with, I should use their names.”
Lula nodded.“Alex is the man I’m supposed to marry.”
“Do the men know you ladies are coming?”For the first time, Aaron considered what a surprise it would be for the men if they weren’t forewarned.He was certainly happy he’d had warning, so he knew to clean up his cabin.
“They should,” Ella said with a frown.“We all sent them letters right before leaving.”
“Good.You don’t need to be surprising them all.”
Myrtle frowned, looking down at her hands.When Aaron made comments like that, she felt awful for having surprised him with her friends.
Aaron was mostly silent as they made their journey, letting the women talk about whatever they would.At times, he was surprised by the topics they covered.They spoke of everything from politics to the latest fashions from Paris.He had no idea women could carry on an intelligent discussion about politics, but he could see the ladies were as well-versed as any man he’d spoken to.
Finally, after another two weeks of travel, where they stopped every night to make camp, they arrived at the turnoff to Yeti.It was late in the day, so they made camp one last time.Aaron had never felt so ready to be home as he was in that moment.If it had just been him, he’d most certainly have pushed on to sleep in his own bed that night.
They were up with the birds the following morning, the ladies getting more talkative the closer they were to Yeti.They talked about what their husbands would be like, and it was all Aaron could do not to laugh at their words.
Josie seemed to understand that her future husband would be gruff and outdoorsy.Ella seemed to think she was marrying some sort of fairy tale prince.And Lula...Lula seemed to be fretting more than the others, worried that the man she married would be unkind.
He wasn’t sure how he was supposed to distribute the women to their future mates, but he was determined it would happen that day.Perhaps he would simply take them to work with him.
That would probably work best.They were all meant to marry men who worked for the lumber operation.
During their last day on the trail, Myrtle walked beside Aaron.She would be his partner now, and her friends wouldn’t be as big a part of her life as they had been.Of course, they would probably all go into business with the others if there was a job that appealed.
Myrtle knew that her bringing her friends along unexpectedly had cost Aaron more than he was expecting, so she was determined to make some kind of income to make up for it.
