Frontier Engagement

James reached out and carefully disengaged his sister. “She doesn’t come with a warning, either,” he murmured to Rina.

She couldn’t help her smile. There were many things to warn her away from Wallin Landing. Yet all she wanted to do was stay.

* * *

James followed Catherine, his mother and Beth out the door of the school, leaving Rina to settle herself in her new home. After that note on the board and Catherine’s explanation of their unorthodox arrangement, he’d half expected Rina to demand that he return her to Seattle immediately. But she’d heard about the school and accepted their terms. He ought to be overjoyed.

Still something nagged at him. He didn’t believe his brother’s protests for a second. Levi had no interest in schooling. It would be just like him to leave that note on the blackboard. James had made sure to erase it before exiting the schoolhouse, but by the look on Rina’s face where she’d stood in the doorway to the teacher’s quarters watching him, she wouldn’t be able to forget it.

And James couldn’t forget Catherine’s concern that Rina didn’t have the experience to handle a student like his brother. Would she stay long if Levi kept up his pattern of harassment? He knew from experience that threats and punishments had little effect on the boy. James had been much the same way, until Pa had died.

“You go on,” he told Catherine, who was walking beside him as Ma and Beth hurried for the house, chatting about what Beth intended to wear the first day of school. “I just want to make sure there’s enough wood for the fire.”

Catherine paused to eye him. With the night so clear, he could see her smile in the moonlight. “A very wise precaution. I think we should do all we can to make Miss Fosgrave comfortable, particularly after what Scout wrote on the blackboard.”

“You’re sure it was Scout?” James asked with a frown.

“Who else?” Catherine sighed. “He’s had a difficult time of it. We have to help him. His father clearly won’t.”

Scout was another of Catherine’s projects. His father, Benjamin Rankin, lived in a run-down cabin on the lake to the south of Wallin Landing. The man’s high-stakes card games and homemade gin drew a certain crowd to his door. James had to agree it couldn’t have been a good situation in which to raise a child.

“Still, that doesn’t mean the task should fall to Rina,” he protested. “Between Scout and Levi, she may well hightail it back to Seattle.”

Her smile inched up. “I know I can rely on you to convince her to stay, James.”

She knew nothing of the kind. “Your confidence in my abilities is inspiring,” James quipped. “But I can tell what you’re trying to do, Catherine, and it won’t work. You and Drew may be blissfully happy, but that doesn’t mean marriage will have the same effect on the rest of us.”

“And it doesn’t mean it won’t,” she countered.

“That sounds like one of those improper double negatives,” James teased. “Rina was pretty set against them.”

Catherine gave his arm a squeeze. “But she isn’t set against you. I see how she looks to you for support.”

To him? That wasn’t possible. Ever since Pa had died, everyone looked to Drew or Simon, and with good reason. His older brothers were stable, reliable. He normally preferred to live each moment as it came, without a great deal of fuss about the future.

“She’ll learn,” he told Catherine. “She’s a teacher. She’ll see who she can count on, and it isn’t me.”

Catherine puffed up as if prepared to argue, but he turned his back on her. This request to secure the teacher had been the first time she’d ever asked anything of him. He was fairly sure if he hadn’t had this glib tongue, she’d have been focused on convincing another of his brothers to do the job.

Still he was thankful for his brothers as he gathered up an armload of wood from the pile leaning against the side of the barn. They each took turns filling the crib, so he wouldn’t have to chop tonight. He carried the fuel to the schoolhouse, stamping his feet on the porch to make sure Rina knew he was coming. Balancing the wood in one arm, he opened the door with the other.

“Just delivering some firewood, ma’am,” he called.

She rushed out of her room and jerked to a stop beside the last bench, chest heaving and eyes wild.

“Close the door!” she cried, finger pointing behind him.

Did she consider it improper to leave the door ajar? Beth always seemed to think doors should be left open when a young lady and gentleman were together, but maybe that rule didn’t apply to schoolmarms. For all he knew, it was something that editor at Godey’s had dreamed up. James kicked back with one foot to slam the door, then went to drop his load in the wood box near the hearth.

Rina paid him no attention. She ran to the window and peered out, head turning from one side to the other as if trying to take in every inch of the darkness.

“Thank the Lord you made it here safely,” she said before turning to look at him. She blinked. “Why aren’t you armed?”

She was obviously terrified to be out in the wilderness. He should have thought of that, but then, he hadn’t considered Seattle all that much more civilized. Best to keep things light. He made a show of raising his arms and glancing at each in turn. “I thought I was armed.”

“Will you be serious? Help me with these.” She whirled to tug at one of the shutters beside the window. James crossed to her side and helped her close them. He could hear her breath coming quickly. How could he ease her concerns?

“There you go, Rina,” he said, stepping back as if to admire their handiwork. “All shut in, safe and sound. Probably a good idea considering the treasure this schoolhouse is guarding.”

She frowned at him, the pink of exertion darkening her cheeks. “Treasure? What treasure?”

“Why, the prettiest schoolmarm west of the Mississippi,” he told her, adding a smile for good measure.

She stiffened. “Nonsense. Really, Mr. Wallin, I wish you would attend to the problem for once.”

James threw up his hands. “And I wish you’d realize there is no problem!”

From outside came the howl of a wolf.

Rina grabbed his arm, eyes wide. “Did you hear that?”

“Hush, now,” James answered, listening. The call came again, close to the schoolhouse, yet he could hear no whinnies of terror from the barn, no worried lows from the oxen or squeals from the pigs.

“Can it get in?” she whispered.

James touched her hand. “You’re safe, Rina. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

She gazed up at him, face pinched. She wanted to believe him—he could see it in those clear eyes. Yet she couldn’t. Had Catherine told her how he’d failed the family in the past? No, of course not. Catherine wanted Rina to fall in love with him. She wouldn’t point out his faults. Perhaps it had been Ma. Or maybe Rina had just noticed that he was the least talented of his brothers. She was clever enough to have figured out she couldn’t afford to believe in him.

Another call sounded, and something scratched at the door of the schoolhouse. Rina clung to James, trembling. He felt for her—alone, vulnerable and with only him to lean on.

He straightened and set her back from him. “Stay here. I’ll deal with this.”

She shook her head, hair falling from her bun to brush her shoulders with gold. “No, James, please! It’s too dangerous!”

James touched the silk of her cheek. “What is it you always say to me? Nonsense. I’ll be right back, Rina. I promised to protect you, and I mean to keep that promise.”

Chapter Five (#ulink_442f5427-25e6-58a3-96d0-2f7f94c2c2bc)

Rina’s fingers felt numb as James pulled away and headed for the door. She hadn’t been able to catch her breath since she’d heard noises outside. First had come a rattling sound outside her window, as if something was shaking the bushes. Then those hideous cries had pierced the night. She might have been raised in civilization, but she’d read about the mournful call of the wolf. How was James to defend himself against an entire ravenous pack?

“Please, stay inside,” she begged, following him to the door. “If anything happens to you...” She couldn’t make herself finish the sentence.

His smile was sad. “Life would go on. I’m not that important in the scheme of things. But you are. Now, stand back.”

She scuttled away from the door. Lord, please protect him! Send those creatures away before they harm any of these kind people!

He edged out the door and shut it behind him.