Jenna Kernan by Gold Rush Groom Read Free Book Online Page B

steamers will keep coming until the passages freeze. Father Winter hits early in the mountains. Maybe best to stay down here, then head up come spring.”
    Jack sat on the crate beside him. “No, you’re wrong. Best to get up to Lake Bennett and spend the winter building your boat. Then you’ll be in position when the ice break-up comes. From there it’s all downhill to Dawson.”
    “Through rapids and lakes filled with more mosquito larva than fish.”
    Jack laughed. “That’s why it’s an adventure. A test of a man’s metal.”
    “And what about Lily? She’s your partner now, so it’s your lookout to see she gets to Dawson. Big responsibility. I reckon that’ll test your metal more than the Golden Stairs or the White Horse Rapids.”
    Jack winced as he chafed against their bargain. If he were a different kind of man he’d leave her behind and never look back. But, unlike his father, Jack valued his word and kept his promises. So he would attend to his responsibilities, but it annoyed him that he’d somehow fallen into the worst of allsituations, giving him all of the responsibilities of keeping a woman with none of the benefits.
    He glanced at the tent in time to see the light extinguish. Lily was now climbing into her narrow bed alone—such a shame. Jack stood, drawn by the perfect image of Lily’s fine luminous skin glowing in the moonlight. His throat went dry as he took a step.
    George cleared his throat, making Jack recall his presence.
    He stopped and gave the man his attention. He didn’t like the man’s mocking smile.
    “My daddy used to say that you should never tie an eagle to a plow horse, because the arrangement won’t be good for either of them. I’m afraid, son, you’ve got yourself in just such a situation.”
    Jack wondered if he were the eagle or the horse. But he’d heard enough lectures about the folly of this venture from his mother who had advised he stay put, lower his expectations in the marriage market and seek a bride outside their former circles. It might still come to that, but first he would try and be his own man. Jack thought his mother might even admire his wish to restore them to their rightful place, if she could only see past her fears of losing him forever. He knew the risks here. The dangers were real, but they were real back there. What hope did he have, cloaked in scandal, flat broke, with no degree and no prospects? Save the one his mother had found him.He cringed. Here, at least, he stood a chance to be his own man instead of having to marry a woman he did not even know. But if he failed he might be forced to that to provide for his mother and sister. The thought left a bitter taste in his mouth.
    I’m sorry, Mother, I’ve got to try, he thought, placing a hand over his heart and her telegram that had found him in Seattle.
    His greatest fear was dying up here and leaving his mother and younger sister dependent on the charity of his aunt and uncle.
    “You two sure are a mismatched team.” George blew a smoke ring. “Maybe you should…she told me that before this she’d never been more than five blocks in any direction. Don’t think she’s prepared for this, though she knows her own mind, I suppose.”
    Jack felt a chill run down his back at the realization that Lily knew nothing of the dangers of this wild place. She’d shown tonight how ill-equipped she was, nearly losing her dog to ruffians. Somehow he’d been taken in by her bravado, but now it suddenly became clear that his job would involve more than carrying her to Dawson. He’d have to defend her from other men as well. Could he do it? He had to.
    Jack lifted his collar but felt no warmer as he realized he was not the eagle, but the workhorse.
    “’Night,” he said to George.
    “See you in the morning.”
    Jack returned to the tent, but Lily said nothing ashe slipped inside. He found Nala on his bed again and began a wrestling match that ended in a draw, with him under his blankets and the