A Bride for Noah by Lori Copeland Page B

into the forest and then took off running upriver toward the clearing.
    â€œLadies, I believe you’ve been spotted.” Noah’s dry tone drew Evie’s attention. She turned her head in time to see his lips twist into a wry grin. “No doubt they’re flipping coins to see who gets to escort you off the ship.”
    â€œGood.” Miles joined them from below deck. “They can help unload the cargo.”
    Evie turned her back on him. He had tried to charm her ever since they left San Francisco, but she had not yet forgiven him for misleading her about the finances or for signing her name on thebank loan. His promise to the bank manager that he would personally oversee the restaurant chafed. If he intended to meddle in the day-to-day operation of her business, he had another think coming. No doubt they were going to butt heads in the coming months.
    The drizzle thickened and became a cold rain as they neared their destination. Evie pulled her cloak close against the chill and considered going below in search of shelter, and thereby avoid Miles’s company. No, she was already so wet it would make no difference. Thank goodness the brim of her bonnet was wide enough to shield her face, though the water dripping off the back had long since saturated her hair.
    The ship’s captain began shouting orders to his crew and sailors ran to the ropes. On shore, a small crowd of men had gathered to watch their approach.
    â€œWould you look at the size of that one,” murmured Ethel.
    There could be no mistaking the one Ethel meant. He stood a full head above the others, his blond hair slicked tight to his head by the rain. Evie tore her gaze away from him and realized all of the men on shore were big, with hulking shoulders and muscles she could see even under their flannel shirts. Most wore beards, and to a man their hair was long and unkempt. Any one of them would make James look like an altar boy, and her former fiancé was a strong man. Sarah and Lucy were almost bouncing with enthusiasm.
    Plagued by a sudden fit of nerves, she turned to Noah. “I see no ladies. Did you not say there were women and children?”
    â€œA few. Their cabin is a bit of a hike from here.” He waved toward the group on shore. “These, m’lady, are your future customers. Not a pretty bunch, are they?”
    â€œThey are…” She cast about for a word. “Big.” And dirty. But she kept that observation to herself.
    â€œMost of them are massive,” he agreed. “They have to be strong. Jacking is hard work.”
    She cast a questioning glance his way. “Jacking?”
    â€œLumberjacking. You saw the size of those trees. Takes a lot of muscle to fell and ross a tree like that.”
    For the first time, Evie’s confidence wavered. She had no idea what it meant to ross a tree. These people had a language all their own. They obviously didn’t bathe regularly. She and the other ladies would be true foreigners in a land where the rules were different from those at home.
    â€œI’ve been wondering something.” Noah met her stricken gaze. “Exactly how did your partnership with my uncle come about?”
    She made a show of studying the shoreline, thereby avoiding his gaze. Under no circumstances would she tell him she had been his aunt’s housemaid. If he thought her nothing more than a servant, he would never take her seriously as a businesswoman. “We met through a mutual friend,” she answered vaguely. “When he received your last letter, we began discussing the opportunities a new settlement in the western frontier presented.” A movement on the shore, off to one side, drew her attention. Thank goodness. An excuse to turn this uncomfortable conversation away from her. Straightening, she pointed. “Who’s that?”
    A trio stepped out of the forest, though they held themselves apart. They were not as tall as most of the