Summer of the Midnight Sun Read online

  It wasn’t too long after they settled in Last Chance that missionaries showed up to establish a church and school for the area. Leah felt sorry for these kind people of God. They had an uphill battle to fight against the superstitions the shamans had built into their people.

  Busying herself with preparing the seal meat, Leah didn’t realize how the time had passed. It was deceiving to try to determine the time by the light of the sun. Some months they were in darkness and other months it was light for the entire twenty-four-hour day. The spring Leah had known in Colorado, where she had lived as a child, was nothing like what she experienced in Alaska. The deadliness of the land seemed even more critical when the seasons changed.

  Jacob had hiked out when the ice was thick, able to move the dogs out onto the ice for easier passage to Nome. But that wouldn’t be safe now. The temperatures and storms had disguised their effects on the land. Sometimes the snow seemed firm, solid, but as the day warmed it would turn to mush. Night would chill it to ice—but not always in a firm manner. Instead thin crusts would form and give false promises of security to the untrained eye.

  “But Jacob’s not untrained,” she reminded herself, checking the stew she’d made. It was little more than the seal meat and a little salt and flour, but the smell was quite inviting.

  “He’s capable and he knows the route. Something else must have happened.” And that worried Leah even more. Jacob might have encountered a bear or gotten hurt separating fighting dogs. The sled dogs were not always in the best of moods.

  “Jacob’s back!”

  At first Leah wasn’t sure she’d really heard the call. She put aside the spoon she’d been using and ran for the door. The native who’d brought the news was one of Ayoona’s grandsons. He quickly exited the house after seeing that Leah would follow.

  But Leah didn’t go far. It dawned on her that Jacob would rather come home to a warm house and food waiting than to have her rushing to him in tears. She would have plenty of time to talk to him, and the natives would see to unpacking the sled. She watched the activity for a moment, then turned back to the house to set the table.

  Rushing to the stove, Leah threw in more chopped driftwood, then quickly went to the cupboard and pulled out a large bowl. How she wished she might offer her brother bread or even crackers with the meal. Maybe he will have brought some of each from Nome, she mused in anticipation.

  Soon the door opened, and the fear that had gripped her for the past weeks evaporated. “Jacob!” she gasped and ran to embrace her brother. “I thought you were gone forever. You really worried me this time.” She couldn’t see his face for the deep parka hood that he still wore, but his strong embrace let her know he had missed her as well.

  “Come over to the stove. I’ll help you get out of those wet clothes.” She led him across the room. “Don’t worry about your boots,” Leah said, noticing they were dripping bits of snow and ice, and that they were new—not the mukluks he’d left in.

  “There hasn’t been too much excitement while you were gone. Just starvation, but of course you already knew about that. Nutchuk cut his hand badly while skinning a seal. I stitched him back up, however, and he seems to be doing fine.” She thought of the young native man and how scared he’d been. His mother had told him he would lose the hand for sure unless he allowed the shaman to create a charm, but Nutchuk had just become a Christian earlier in the winter, and he no longer believed such things held power. Leah had been proud of his conviction. “You should have seen him, Jacob. He refused to deal with the shamans because he honestly believed Jesus would heal him. It was a real testimony to the rest of his family.”

  She stood behind Jacob to help him pull the thick fur parka from over his shoulders. “Oh, and Qavlunaq had her baby two weeks ago. It was an easy birth, and her mother-in-law and grandmother delivered him. It was a boy and his father is quite proud.”

  The coat finally gave way and Leah hung it on a peg, leaving Jacob to finish disrobing. “I’ve got your supper on the stove. Are you hungry?” She turned for his answer but stopped in shock when she saw the man before her was not her brother.

  “Jayce,” she whispered almost reverently. The past had finally caught up with her.

  Chapter Two

  I thank you for the warm welcome,” he said, grinning roguishly. “I must say you’re a sight for sore eyes. And my eyes are definitely sore. The sun against the snow was most blinding—even with our little slitted masks, the sun still made me miserable.”

  Words refused to form in Leah’s mouth. She could only continue to stare at the man before her. How good he looked—strong and capable. Handsome too. She felt all of her girlish dreams and emotions rush to the surface.

  Jayce rubbed his eyes. “It was sure my good fortune to meet up with Jacob. Your family in Ketchikan told me you were out here on the Bering Sea, but I really wasn’t sure I could locate you. I can’t imagine what Jacob was thinking settling out here, but I’m glad he did.”

  Still Leah simply watched as Jayce stepped forward to warm his hands at the stove. “Smells good, Leah. I recall you were a good cook, even as a kid.”

  “As a kid.” The words stuck in her brain.

  “Hmmm, something smells great,” Jacob called as he came through the door. He’d already pulled off his parka, so this time Leah was certain it was her brother. “Kimik told me John caught a seal.”

  Leah finally found her voice. “Yes. Did Kimik also tell you that his wife gave birth to their son a couple of weeks ago?” She decided that, for the moment, ignoring Jayce was the only way she’d be able to compose her frayed nerves.

  “Yeah, he seemed mighty proud,” Jacob said, hanging his coat near Jayce’s. His sandy brown hair fell across his forehead, and he pushed it back. “So I guess you can see my surprise for yourself. Jayce was in Nome looking for good sled dogs, so I thought I’d bring him home with me and show off some of ours.”

  “Actually, I went there looking for Jacob’s dogs. Adrik told me they were the best to be had.”

  Leah wasn’t ready to deal with Jayce just yet. “Jacob, where have you been? What happened? You should have been home weeks ago. We were all terrified, and the people were on the brink of starving.”

  Jacob frowned. “I know, and I’m sorry. I couldn’t help it; I caught the measles and the doctor wouldn’t let me leave Nome. I was pretty sick—not to mention quarantined.”

  “Measles?” Leah questioned.

  “Yes, and then the weather turned bad—you probably experienced it yourself. I couldn’t even get word to you. I’m sorry if you worried.”

  “Besides, Jacob’s able to take care of himself,” Jayce threw in. “You should have known he’d be all right.”

  Leah felt her anger rise, and she turned abruptly to stare Jayce in the eye. Those lovely dark blue eyes. “I figured Jacob would be fine . . . it was the people here who weren’t faring as well.” She tilted her chin upward in a defiant pose, just daring Jayce to condemn her thinking. “Jacob is a very considerate man, and he knew the people were suffering. I knew he wouldn’t have left them to die and figured something must have happened to him.”

  “Well, we’re here now,” Jacob said before Jayce could comment. “And by bringing Jayce back with me, I was able to split the team, borrow an extra sled, and carry twice as many supplies.”

  “Which reminds me,” Jayce said. “I left some things in the sled. I’d better go retrieve them before they wind up on the store shelves.” He laughed and bounded across the room.

  “I know the people will be grateful for what you did, Jacob.” But Leah wouldn’t be among them. She felt the fire leave her and again knew a weakness in her knees that threatened to sink her to the floor. “There’s food on the stove. I’ll be in the other room putting the things away.”

  She exited quickly, grateful that Jayce had left the house. She prayed God would help her overcome her shock. She forgot to pray, however, that Jacob wouldn’t follow her.

  “What’s wrong w
ith you? You aren’t at all yourself. Did something else happen while I was gone?”

  Leah leaned back against the wall and shook her head. “Why did you bring him here?” she whispered.

  “Jayce? I already told you.”

  “Jacob, you know what he did to me. You know how much he hurt me.” She looked at her brother as though he’d lost his mind. How could he have betrayed her this way?

  “What are you talking about? That was ten years ago. You were just kids then.”

  “I wasn’t a kid. I was nearly twenty years old. In some areas of our country that would be considered almost too old for getting married. Twenty wasn’t a child’s age, nor was I childish in giving my heart to Jayce. I might have been foolish, but I wasn’t childish.”

  “Whoa!” Jacob said, holding up his hands. “You’re really upset about this, aren’t you?”

  Leah shook her head and hoped her look expressed her confusion. “You really don’t understand, do you? It never crossed your mind that his coming here would be a problem for me.”

  “Well, I guess I figured that everyone would be so happy for the extra supplies, you included, that it wouldn’t matter. Look, you aren’t the same woman you were back then, and he’s certainly not the same man. He even found the Lord, Leah. Isn’t that great?”

  Leah knew she couldn’t protest that bit of news. Jayce’s inability to see eye to eye with her on issues of faith had been his one shortcoming. It had also been the one thing she knew would have kept them from marriage, even if he had felt the same way she did.

  “I’m glad he’s found peace for his soul,” Leah said, gazing at the floor, hoping some sort of peace would overcome her anxieties. “But I can’t help the way I feel.” She sighed. “I can’t believe he’s here, after all these years.”

  Jacob came and reached out to touch her arm. “I’m sorry that he still bothers you. I’ll ask him to sleep elsewhere if you want me to.”

  Leah shook her head. “No, I can go stay with Ayoona. But . . .” She lifted her face and saw the compassion in her brother’s eyes. He really didn’t understand, but he cared that she was hurt. “Jacob, how long will he be here?”

  It was Jacob’s turn to look away. “I’m not entirely sure. That is to say . . . well . . . he’s here to get some dogs. That much you know.”

  “But what don’t I know?” she asked. “What is it that has you upset enough to look away from me?”

  Jacob stood and glanced over his shoulder at the sound of Jayce’s return. “He’s part of a polar exploration group. They want me to join them on a trip north. They want me to handle the dogs.”

  Before Leah could reply, Jayce shouted from the next room. “Jacob! Where are you? I’m starving.”

  Jacob looked at Leah and shrugged. “We can talk about it later. I’ll go see to feeding him.”

  Leah watched as her brother started to leave. There was something in his manner—in his tone—that suggested he might really be considering Jayce’s proposal. “Wait. You aren’t seriously thinking about doing this, are you?”

  Jacob stopped midstep but refused to turn. It was enough to let Leah know exactly how he felt. “You are considering it. You’re thinking about leaving me to explore the north with Jayce Kincaid.” The words were delivered in stunned amazement.

  “I’m praying on it, Leah. That’s as far as I’ve gotten. You oughta pray about it too.”

  He left with those final words still ringing in the air. Leah sat down hard, but she missed the chair. Her backside stung from the impact, but she gave it no mind. Jayce was threatening her security once again.

  How can he be here? How could God let this happen? Leah’s mind swirled with a million questions. All of which involved Jayce Kincaid.

  Her stomach growled in hunger, but she wasn’t about to join the men. She doubted she could even choke down food while sitting across from Jayce.

  “Hello! I bring the boxes.”

  Leah recognized Kimik’s voice. “I’m coming,” she called. “Just put them on the counter.”

  She got to her feet and dusted off the seat of her pants. There was work to be done. Somehow, someway she was going to have to get a grip on her emotions. But how? How could she exist in the same village, much less under the same roof, with Jayce? If nothing else, his appearance here had taught her one thing.

  ————

  “Leah okay?” Jayce asked. “I know I’m imposing.”

  Jacob looked at his friend. “She’s fine. She’s happiest when she’s setting the store straight. With all these supplies, she’ll be busy for a time. That will help.”

  “She acted like she was mad at me,” Jayce said, helping himself to the coffee Jacob had made.

  Jacob shook his head. “I don’t know what she’s thinking half the time. Women are a mystery.” He ladled another portion of the seal meat for Jayce and then for himself, being sure to leave a portion for Leah. Even though he didn’t always understand his sister, he was sure she hadn’t yet eaten.

  “Did I tell you that we’re going to have a couple of women along on the trip north?” Jayce said, seemingly unaffected by Jacob’s comment.

  “Women on a polar exploration team?” Jacob asked. “That seems a bit strange. What prompted this?”

  “Actually it’s becoming more typical. Anyway, given that we’re only going to do map work on the Canadian islands, it’s not deemed quite as dangerous. Of course, you know there are some explorers who claim that there’s nothing to surviving the Arctic. Natives do it all the time, after all. So the captain is allowing his wife to join him, as well as some female cartographer. Well, at least she’ll be the assistant. Guess she’s somebody important from Washington, D.C., and they couldn’t get out of it. Even though this is a shared effort, it’s mostly a Canadian team. They are, however, trying to earn the respect and interest of the Americans. They want our financial support, you know.”

  “I’m sure,” Jacob said, trying not to think about what Leah’s reaction to this trip would be.

  “These expeditions are very expensive. I know the team has worked long hours to raise enough money for supplies. We’d have the added expense of a ship, as well, if the captain hadn’t volunteered his own. He’s an American who’s fully sold on the importance of exploring the North. Thinks, along with others, that Alaska and the Arctic hold promise for many reasons. Military wants to consider strategic placement in the North, and I’m sure you’ve read about the air flights being made. They want to eventually put runways up here and fly people back and forth.”

  “For what purpose?”

  “Well, national security for one. Some of the more innovative men in the governments of America and Canada see benefit in the speed and convenience of flight. Imagine being able to get supplies to Nome and all points north during the winter. Better still, imagine being able to get the sick out to doctors in a timely manner—winter or summer. It’ll just be a matter of convincing the old codgers who still want to cling to their horse and buggies.”

  “But I’m not sure flight will even work up here, especially in winter. How are you going to keep the planes moving when everything is frozen solid?”

  Jayce shrugged. “That would come under somebody else’s department. I’m just in it for the adventure. You know me.”

  “Well, I used to. Ten years is a long time. Long enough to change a man or woman from the inside out. You said so yourself.”

  Jayce nodded. “Seems to have changed your sister. I remember her as a much happier person. Full of laughter and smiles. She seems real serious now.”

  Jacob drew a deep breath and sighed. “I have a feeling she’s only going to get more serious as the days grow longer.”

  ————

  Leah finished her inventory, then immediately sent Kimik out with word that the store was open and that they would allow the people to purchase on credit. It was only a matter of minutes before people flooded the place with their requests and demands. Hunger made people feel angry, and no one ha
d any way of knowing when the hunting or the weather would improve enough to see the bellies of the village filled and satisfied.

  “It won’t be long before the tomcod will be back. Squirrels and goose too,” Ayoona said as she arranged her own small pile of supplies. “I dry you many fish, Lay-Ya.”

  “I know you will,” Leah said, putting down the figures in her book. “You and your family have always been very generous with Jacob and me.”

  “You good people.” She leaned closer. “How good is that new man?”

  Leah’s mouth dropped open. “I . . . what. . . ? You mean Jayce Kincaid?”

  “Jacob’s new man. The white man.”

  Leah tried hard not to seem upset. “We knew Jayce when we lived in Ketchikan with our guardians, Karen and Adrik Ivankov. Jayce was a friend to Jacob.”

  “So he is good man,” Ayoona said nodding. “If he long friend of Jacob, he be good.”

  “I suppose so.” Leah put her book under the counter. “I’m closing up now, Ayoona. I wondered if I could ask a favor.”

  “Sure you ask.” The old woman gathered her things in a basket.

  “Since Jayce is here, I wondered if I might stay with you for a few days—maybe until he leaves for his trip north.”

  “You can stay, Lay-Ya.” She moved toward the door. “You come before the storm.”

  “Is there a storm moving in?” Leah realized she’d been inside for several hours without having a clue what was happening outside.

  “Yeah, bad storm. You come soon.”

  Leah nodded. “I’ve got to take care of a few things; then I’ll be there.”

  Ayoona pressed through the furs just as Jayce came through. “Where will you be, Leah?” he asked as Ayoona left.

  Leah tried to ignore him. She figured if she pretended not to hear, maybe Jayce would leave her to her work.

  “Are you purposefully ignoring me, or are you just caught up in your duties?” Jayce came and leaned against the counter.