"Somebody get the door," Jeremy's muffled voice rose up from under his pillow.

     "Jason, you're closer," Joshua yawned.

     The elder Bolt pulled himself up in bed and peered out the window. A figure in a bright yellow slicker and hat stood hopping from one foot to the next, trying to keep warm in spite of the steady downpour and brisk wind.

     "Who the devil...?" Jason stepped into his pants then pulled his shirt over his head as the persistent knocking grew in intensity. "All right! I'm coming."

      He opened the door allowing the intruder to blow in on a wet westerly gust.

      "It's about time!"

      "Cricket! What are you doing here? You'll be washed into the Sound," Jason warned as his brothers drew their quilts closer to them.

      "I couldn't send the children out in this," she explained, withdrawing a copy of the Inquirer from inside her slicker. "Here... it's a little wrinkled but it's dry. Well, so long."

     She started for the door but Jason held her back.

     "Hold it! Where do you think you're off to?"

     "Aaron's, Lottie's, the dormitory, Reverend Adams', and the Perkins' and I'm running late. 'Bye"

      Jason held her back once more. "You can't go out there. It's pouring."

      The girl smiled as she pushed a wet strand out of her eyes. "I've been making deliveries since five."

      He leaned against the back of the chair fixing her with his best brotherly look.

      "All the more reason to stay inside and get dried off."

      Kate shook her head. "Sorry, maybe later. Don't worry Jason, it won't be raining much longer. Haven't you ever heard the phrase, 'Rain before seven, gone before eleven'?"

      "Maybe they'd believe that in San Francisco, Brat, but not Seattle." Josh tossed his pillow at her from the upper bunk.

      She fired the pillow back at him. "Whether it's true or not doesn't matter, I have more papers to deliver."

      "Oh really?" Joshua hit her in the head with the pillow as she turned toward Jason.

      "You're not walking, are you?" Jeremy grabbed the missile off the floor and interrupted what he thought was a budding argument.

      Katie laughed, "Scotty got tired of slogging through the mud so I set him up in the barn. I can tromp around the square without him." She rose up on her toes to give Jason a peck on the cheek. "Bye, Mr. Bolt. I'll be fine."

      And with that she forged out the door and into the storm.

      "With spirit like that, Kate's going to be a tycoon by noon," Jeremy predicted with a grin.

      "Or in the pokey for disturbing the peace," Joshua quipped.

     "Well, now that we're up, brothers," Jason said, heading for the coffeepot, "let's go over those plans for the news office. We've got to get her out of Aaron's shed and into a warm building as soon as possible."

      Joshua smiled to himself as he dressed. This secret courtship with Katie was exciting but he was anxious to marry that girl in the yellow slicker before too long and, from the way she was hustling those papers, he could tell she felt the same way.

**********************

      No matter how fiercely the north winds blew in December, it didn't seem to phase the residents of Seattle. Christmas was on its way and no one had time to worry about the weather when there was such a holiday to celebrate.

     At any hour of the day and well into the winter evenings, the cozy new dormitory parlor became a welcome shelter to several of the New Bedford brides and their adoring beaus. Occasionally while on her way to work, Katie would catch sight of couples huddled together on the sofa, whispering plans and spinning precious dreams for their future. These were the moments when she longed to blurt out that she and Joshua were just as much in love, but she'd made a promise to make the Inquirer a success. Until that promise was fulfilled, her affection for the middle Bolt brother must remain under wraps.

     But, keeping that promise was not as easy as she had hoped.

     The same morning Katie delivered her papers to her customers, six families informed her that they were canceling their subscriptions. It just so happened that the matriarch of each family was an active member of the Ladies Betterment League. It didn't take the editor long to realize that this was their way of protesting the fact that the Inquirer was still in business.

     Kate didn't waste time grieving but came up with a plan of action instead. The very next day she asked her remaining customers what they would like to see in future editions. Most of them expressed appreciation for her efforts but told her that they would like to read more news from outside King County. Kate assured them that if that was what they wanted that was what they would get.

     A week later, Kate coerced her former staff into Aaron's shed for a meeting to discuss this new direction for the paper.

      "...We want The Inquirer to have the most complete reports of every newsworthy event that happens in this country." Kate's voice sparkled with energy and optimism as she laid her vision of the future out before her uncharacteristically quiet crew.

      Zac rubbed the back of his neck. "It sounds like you're asking us to change the way we've been doing things."

      "That's right, Zac!" Kate said. "We're going to get out there in the Territory and gather our news instead of waiting for reports to show up on our doorstep."

     Kate passed out a sheet of paper to each person. "Here are your assignments for this week. With Biddie gone, we'll have to do a little extra until we can convince some of the newcomers to Seattle that they should be working for the paper."

     Kate waited a few moments for everyone to look over his or her assignments. "Now, if you can get to your towns, check out these leads, write up your articles and get them back to me, we can go to press by next week. Then we can do it all again just before Christmas. What do you say?"

      The fledgling reporters glanced at one another sheepishly. None of them had believed that Katie could drag the Inquirer out of the ashes so soon. One by one they made suggestions, created excuses and lodged minor complaints until all but Candy had made their concerns known. Kate was stumped.

     "Listen folks, if we don't co-operate and sacrifice a little, this paper will never be first class. Now, will someone tell me why we can't just follow through with this?"

      Zac handed her his assignment sheet.

     "Christmas will be here in a few weeks, Kate. If I leave town now I'll miss out on the extra work I'd been hoping for. It's just bad timing for me."

"When you were in San Francisco, the town called a meeting about the paper," Ann added tentatively. "I asked Aaron if he thought The Inquirer would ever be back in action. He told me that it might be revived again by the spring. I sort of made plans based on his opinion. I'm sorry, Kate, I'm glad you're back and that we have the new press but I just don't think we can put out two papers before Christmas."

      The young lady laid her assignment on the growing pile before heading over to Ben's to continue her Christmas shopping. One by one, Kate's previously dedicated staff left in the same way until only Candy Pruitt remained.

      Kate looked at her friend as if to ask, "Aren't you going, too?"

      "I can get this done by the end of the week," the loyal young lady assured her.

      "Thank-you, Candy," Kate smiled as she took the paper from her, "but one article about the new store in Shelbyville and a couple of editorials won't be enough news for two papers. I need a full staff to give our readers what they want."

     "Maybe if I talk to them..."

      Kate shook her head with a frown. "I should never have left Seattle. They trusted me and I let them down."

     "Katie..."

     "My editor in Chicago used to tell me that my dreams were always too big for my reality." The forthright editor blinked back the tears forming at the corners of her eyes. She and Joshua would have to wait for their time a little longer. Her staff had abandoned ship and at the moment there didn't seem to be much she could do about it. "One paper before Christmas will have to do," she said reluctantly.

      Softhearted Candy tried to think of a way to lift her spirits. "Katie, come with me to Lottie's. Clancey's back and he has some great stories from Vancouver. We could interview him for the next issue."

      The editor smiled, "Clancey's stories aren't exactly the type we could print in the paper but you go ahead."

      Candy leaned over and gave her a hug. "Don't worry, Katie. Things will work out."

      "Sure they will." She smiled half-heartedly. As Candy collected her things, Kate eyed the discarded assignments. "Maybe Josh was right after all."

      "About what?"

      "When I first came here he was convinced that Aaron would end up as the real editor of this paper."

      "Katie, we all get preoccupied this time of year. Once the holidays are over...Don't let this cause you to give up your dream."

      "Oh, I'm not giving up," she assured her friend. "It just gets discouraging sometimes, you know?"

      "I know." Candy wrapped her cloak around her before heading for the door.

      Kate smiled, "Thank-you for standing by me, Candy."

      "You're very welcome."

      Candy Pruitt closed the office door behind her. As she passed by the shed's tiny window, she saw Kate sifting through the stack. Candy sighed, clutched her cloak closer to her and pushed her way through the wind to Lottie's where the Bolts, Aaron, and Clancey had gathered to discuss plans for the children's Christmas party.

      "Hello, dearie." Clancey greeted as Candy entered the warm interior of the saloon.

      "Come, sit down and thaw out," Lottie invited.

      "Is the great staff meeting over so soon?" Jason asked with a smile.

      "You couldn't really call it a meeting," Candy explained. "It was more like a mutiny."

      "What?"

      "What happened?"

      The girl took a seat next to her love and described the disastrous event she had just witnessed.

      "They all left?" Jeremy asked, disgusted at such disloyalty.

      "Everyone but me. Katie thinks the staff doesn't consider her in charge any more. She said Aaron might be the real editor after all."

      Every eye turned to the businessman who leaned back in his chair holding up his hands in self-defense.

      "Hold on there, I support Kate one hundred percent and if you don't think so...."

     "We know you do, Aaron," Jason interrupted. "It looks like our little sister is going to have to reestablish the trust her reporters once had in her. It was bound to happen sooner or later."

     "I wish there was something we could do to help." Jeremy sighed.

     "If we get involved it'll only make thing the situation worse," Jason warned. "She has to work through this on her own."

     Joshua sat quietly thinking about Kate's promise. If God wanted her to establish this paper, Joshua wondered if He couldn't do something to help her out a little. He'd have to remember to talk to Reverend Adams about all of this "promise" business.