[Alaskan Quest 02] - Under the Northern Lights by Tracie Peterson Page B

better than he does.’’
    ‘‘But you don’t know him. He has an uncanny knack for learning and surviving. I mean, look how long the Pinkerton agents were after him. He knows how to take care of himself, but he doesn’t have any regard for others. Now he has Leah and Helaina. I want to be encouraging about this, but I don’t know how.’’
    Jacob nodded. ‘‘I know. I feel the same way. But if we despair, we might be inclined to admit to defeat and give up.’’
    ‘‘I’ll never give up.’’ Jayce was resolved to the pursuit of his brother. ‘‘If I have to follow Chase all over the world, I won’t give up. He’s made this more personal than merely pretending to be me. He’s taken the woman I love. He’s taken the very heart of me, and I won’t stand for it.’’
    Karen Ivankov awoke with a start. She sat up in bed and tried to listen to the silence around her. It wasn’t even light yet, but something felt very wrong. And then she remembered: She’d had a horrible nightmare about Leah falling through the ice. She was a young girl again—about the age when Karen had taken over guardianship.
    Leah was flailing against the water and Karen had tried desperately to reach her, but it was impossible. Then in her dream she saw Jacob walk out across the ice to help his sister. Karen called to him, admonishing him to crawl on the ice to better distribute his body weight. But Jacob wasn’t listening and fell through the ice as well.
    ‘‘Are you all right?’’ Adrik asked with a yawn.
    Karen turned. In the darkness she could only make out her husband’s outline. ‘‘I had a bad dream about Jacob and Leah. I can’t seem to shake the feeling something’s wrong.’’
    She could feel Adrik turn over. He reached out to her. ‘‘Come here. I’m sure it was nothing.’’
    ‘‘I don’t know.’’ She snuggled down in his arms. ‘‘It seemed so real. Leah fell though the ice, and then Jacob fell through. I couldn’t help them, and they were going to . . . well . . . die. I just knew they were going to die.’’
    ‘‘Sweetheart, they’ve already been through life-threatening circumstances. You’re probably just dreaming this because of what happened this last summer. Leah and Jacob are no doubt doing just fine. Besides, Jayce is there to help Leah now. He’ll help Jacob as well. Don’t worry about them. God has it all under control.’’
    Karen cherished the warmth of her husband’s arms and felt a small amount of relief as he pulled her closer. Perhaps he was right. It was, after all, just a silly dream.
    ‘‘So what do you think about my taking that railroad job?’’ Adrik asked, changing the subject.
    ‘‘What exactly would you do for them?’’
    ‘‘I’d help the teams that are planning out the route. I’d hunt and trap for them and help them find their way through the forests and such. The governor doesn’t want to see the line fall apart again, for there’s been a great deal of money put into this venture. The project has halted twice now, and if it stagnates again, he’s afraid it will never be completed. He trusts a handful of his old friends to help get the track . . . on track.’’ He grinned at his play on words.
    ‘‘But you’d be gone for a long time,’’ Karen said, thinking in earnest about the job offer.
    ‘‘Well, that’s what I wanted to discuss with you. I’ve been thinking about it, and well, I think you and the children should come with me. Move to Seward at least, or better yet, north to the mouth of Ship Creek. There’s a huge population there—nearly two thousand people. It’s mostly tents, but I’d build you a house.’’
    ‘‘I thought you said it would only be temporary.’’
    He frowned. ‘‘It would be temporary.’’
    ‘‘Temporary as in years? No one is going to build that railroad overnight. Then, too, there’s talk about setting aside lands for a national park. No doubt they’ll want you to stick around and help with