"Here we are," Josh announced brightly. "You're sure this is it?"

     "That's all," Kate beamed up at him. "I've learned to travel light because of all the moving around that I do."

     Josh returned her smile, "I hope you won't be moving away any time soon."

     "Thank-you, Mr. Bolt."

     "This way, everyone," Lottie called. The Bolts, Clancey, Candy and Kate all headed for the saloon.

     "How long will you be staying in Seattle, Kaitlyn?" Candy asked her as they walked.

     " My editor hasn't said. A few months I hope."

      Kate caught sight of the general store and turned to Jason, "Is that where I can wire San Francisco?"

     "Yes. We'll take you over and introduce you to Ben Perkins after you're settled."

      Once inside the cool interior of the saloon, Lottie handed Kate the key to Room #5 saying, "It's the best room in the place. You'll have a wonderful view of Bridal Veil Mountain from your window."

     Kate smiled as she took the key. "That mountain must be a very special place to the people here."

      Candy agreed, "If it weren't for Bridal Veil, I wouldn't have met Jeremy."

     "If it weren't for Bridal Veil," Clancey snorted, "those New Bedford girls would have sailed back home the first year they were here. But the Bolts brothers would never give up their mountain for anyone or any reason. They always came up with a way to keep those girls here." Lottie shoved a beer over to him and he drank with relish. "AAAH."

     Kate turned to Jason, "That's my angle! I'll bet everyone here has a story to tell about the way the mountain has affected his or her life. What do you think?"

     "I think your story is going to write itself." He gave her an encouraging wink. "Now, I have got to get over to Stempel's office and iron out the details of this new project of ours. Josh,"

     Josh looked up from his beer.

     "Would you mind showing Kaitlyn around Seattle?"

     "I'd be happy to." He turned to her, "If you're sure you're up to it."

     Kate nodded, "More than up to it, if you're sure you have the time."

     "He has the time." Jason was anxious to have his brothers discover Kate's identity so they could all share in the joke. "Just take her around and introduce her to some people."

     Josh would have taken Kate to the moon and back for the chance to get better acquainted with her. The other loggers and mill workers would be finding out about the pretty visitor soon and he wanted to get the jump on them.

     Kate headed for the stairs with her bag. "If you'll wait just a moment, Mr. Bolt, I'll be right down." She turned back. "I'm going to need a horse."

      "It looks like I'll be staying in town for awhile," Jeremy smiled. "You can ride my horse if you'd like."

     "Thank-you Jeremy. You are all so kind, I feel like I've know you all my life."

      Jason had to turn his attention to his beer before a smile gave away the secret.

      "Take it easy out there today, Kaitlyn." Jason warned. "This is pretty wild country for a city girl. Josh might need to give you some pointers on how to handle the terrain."

     Kate's chin rose slightly in answer to the challenge. "Oh, I'm sure Joshua will watch out for me just like his older brother has."

     "I know he will," Jason met her gaze. "Especially when he gets to know you better."

     Kate hurried up the stairs before their little dialogue gave away too much and ruined the surprise.

     As soon as she was out of sight, Jason was besieged with questions.

     "Where did you find her?"

     "Is she really a reporter?"

     "Why would she come all the way from Chicago to write about us?"

     Jason held up his hands for quiet. "Kaitlyn really is a reporter. Clancey and I ran into her in San Francisco and ended up helping her with a story. She'd read about the Brides and thought their lives here would make a good article. She wanted to see the area again so we invited her to..."

      Jason stopped suddenly, realizing that he had given away more than he had intended.

     "She's been here before?" Jeremy asked.

     " I've never seen her," Josh added. " I'm sure I would have remembered if I had."

     Clancy hooted as he grabbed his second beer and Jason covered by saying quickly, "It was a very long time ago. I didn't remember her either."

      Jason polished off his beer and eased his way out of the situation. "I'd better head over to Stempel's. Take care of our guest, Josh."

     "I will."

     Everyone went on with their business for the day so Josh was alone when Kate came down the stairs ready for riding. The blue dress had been exchanged for the brown one and her hair was tied back from her oval shaped face with a burgundy ribbon.

     "Ready?" Josh asked, putting down his drink.

     "I'll be ready once I send out a telegraph."

     " I'll walk you over. Ben can send it for you."

     Joshua introduced Kate to the shopkeeper, his wife and their toddler, Ben Junior. He and Ben discussed the business the Army contract would bring in as Kate jotted down a brief note to Dan in care of the San Francisco Register.

                Dan,
                    Made it safely.
                    Hope you are safe as well.
                 Kate

      "I'll send this right out." Ben promised as she handed him the message.

     "Thank-you Mr. Perkins, I'd like to come back some time soon to interview you and your wife for my story."

     Ben almost exploded with pride. "We'd be happy to help anytime at all." Ben gave Josh a wink of approval as the two left the store.

     "Where would you like to go first, Madame Reporter?" Josh asked with a familiarity in his manner that surprised him.

     "I'd like to meet some of the men who married the brides."

     "Then let's head up to camp." He offered her his arm, which she accepted. As they walked, Kate wondered if her former rival would be so gentlemanly once he knew who she was. She doubted it, and the joke kept getting better and better.

     Josh took Kate to the Bolt cabin for the horses. He held the reins of Jeremy's horse as he showed off the beautiful animal.

     "This is Brownie."

     "Brownie?" Kate almost laughed.

     Josh shrugged. "Jeremy let Candy's little sister name him, but don't let his name fool you. Brownie can be skittish with new riders and will take off like the wind if he gets a chance. If you're riding sidesaddle you might want to take my horse..."

      Before he could complete his sentence, Kate had mounted Brownie in one bound. She hiked the skirt of her dress up a little revealing the knickers she wore underneath. Josh didn't have time to comment on her unusual outfit for Brownie chose that moment to rear up on his hind legs and toss his head vigorously. Kate stayed with him, speaking softly in his ear. Soon the horse was responding to her directions like an old friend.

     Kate smiled at Josh's amazed expression, explaining simply, "I did a lot of riding when I was young."

     "You must have." Suddenly Josh was overtaken with the oddest feeling that he was talking to someone he knew.

     Kate noticed the look and wondered if her friend wouldn't guess her secret before she had a chance to tell him herself. She waited for him to say something, but instead he mounted his horse and nodded toward the trail, which lead up the mountain.

     "Shall we?"

     "I'll be right behind you."

     The two traveled at a brisk pace. Kate chose to ride behind Josh so she could savor this special time without having to guard her reactions as they passed places that were filled with childhood memories. Little did Josh know that as he pointed out sights which had some connection to the founding of Seattle, Kate was lost in her own thoughts. Several times the girl longed to blurt out: "You and I went fishing right here every spring. Over there by that cliff is where we found Jeremy after he'd disappeared for half a day. That stump marks the first tree Jason ever cut down on his own. Beyond that hill was where we built our fort."

     Instead she responded to his comments with, "Oh, really? That's so interesting."

     Kate had decided how she would reveal her identity to Josh if only they'd get to one certain spot before her patience ran out. After a few turns in the road, that place appeared.

     "Up that hill is my parent's cabin."

     "Does anyone live there?" Kate asked, hoping for a negative answer.

     "Only at certain times of the year when we rent it out to trappers. There's no one there now. Would you like to see it?

     "Very much." Kate took the lead now, urging Brownie up the steep hill to the home that had been as much hers as her own family's so many years before.

     Josh followed dutifully, pleased that she would show an interest in a part of his past.

     Kate dismounted before the weather-beaten cabin.

     "It looks so small," she said in surprise, forgetting the charade for just a moment.

     "Well, we didn't notice. My parents loved this little place. They'd always planned to build a bigger home when the weather got better, but the weather never seemed to get any better. Jason and our father were so busy with the logging operation they couldn't get around to building another cabin until Ma insisted we move closer to town. There were a few years when Jeremy seemed to get sick almost every other month. She didn't want us to be so far away from the doctor who would occasionally board in town, so we all pulled together to build the cabin we live in now."

      Katie wasn't sure she could play this game much longer. This part of the story was painful.

      "Did she enjoy the second cabin?"

      "Ma told us how proud she was of the cabin we built, but every other week she would ask one of us to take her back up here so she could 'tidy up'. She only lived in the cabin in town for six months." His voice became softer as his memories took him back, "She died suddenly one day in the spring."

     Kate's memories also took her back to that day. She avoided looking at her friend and stared instead at the same front door she had raced in and out of so many times as a child.

      "Do you still miss them, Joshua?"

     Josh was touched by the softness in this stranger's voice and the compassion he saw in her averted eyes.

     "All the time," he answered. "They've been gone for years now but sometimes I think I still see them walking in the forest or hear their voices calling my name. "

     "Me too," Kate murmured. Josh looked at her in surprise and she explained, "I barely remember my mother and my father died three years ago."

     "I'm sorry," he said softly.

     This deception was getting too difficult to sustain. Kate chose to put her plan into action. Looking to the west she saw what she had hoped to see: another small cabin stood alone in a clearing. It was in a sad state of disrepair. One corner of the roof had caved in, the glass in the windows was missing and the paint had almost all worn away.

     "Who lived there?" She began walking in the direction of the cabin.

     "That was the Macready cabin. Andrew Macready came over from Scotland with my parents."

     "Did he have a family?"

     "Yes, his wife, Margaret and their daughter, Cricket."

     "Cricket? That's a strange name?"

     Josh explained as they made their way through an overgrown path. "That wasn't her real name. We all called her Cricket because as soon as the sun went down she'd start talking a blue streak to avoid going to bed." Josh chuckled, "That little brat hated to sleep. I think she was always afraid she'd miss something."

     "Was she really a brat?"

     "Most of the time." Josh answered matter-of-factly.

     "It sounds like you two were mortal enemies." Kate grinned, enjoying every turn of this conversation.

     "Not really, we were just opposites. I loved to go off with a book or a notepad or something to study and Cricket loved to do anything but. She drove me crazy."

      Kate laughed outright which encouraged Josh. "I was always tossing her in the creek when she pushed me too far." The twinkle in his eye as he remembered her warmed Kate's heart. "She was like a sister to my brothers and I. I doubt she'd believe this if she heard me say it but, I really do miss her."

     They were standing at the door of the Macready cabin. Kate asked, "Do you think we could go inside?"

     "Sure. Let me go first, just in case it's inhabited."

     "Vagrants?"

     "Bears."

     When Josh gave the all clear, Kate walked into the place where she had been born. Despite the dirt, cobwebs, fallen roof and broken furniture, the girl saw all the little things a person never forgets about their home: the marks on the fireplace chronicling the growth of a little girl, a child's cot and the view of the bay from out the front window. Josh looked out that window with her.

     "See that tree over there?" he pointed out an oak.

     "Yes."

     "When Cricket was eight, she'd climb into that tree and wait for me to go down to the creek to take a bath. As soon as she was certain I was in the water, she'd take my clothes and scatter them all the way back along this trail."

      Kate burst out laughing at the forgotten incident. Josh continued. "The first time it happened, I thought some animal had gotten to them, the second time I got into big trouble. My mother thought I was undressing on the way to the creek."

     "How did you convince her you weren't?"

     "Cricket always left my pants nearest the cabin. I asked my mother if she really believed that I would walk a quarter of a mile to the creek in my underwear in front of God and everybody. She agreed that that just didn't sound like me."

     "How did you discover what was going on?"

     "Jason had his suspicions about who was to blame, so one night after Cricket had gone home, we came up with a plan. We baited her with a big story about how I had to take a nice long bath one Saturday night. She fell for it and right after dinner, Jeremy and Jason watched as Cricket climbed that tree and waited for me to leave for the creek. As soon as I left, she dropped out of the branches and followed me. This time my brothers followed her. They waited for her to sneak up to the bank, grab my clothes and scatter them through the forest. Just before she finished, they jumped at her from behind a rock and caught her red-handed." Josh laughed. "She never tried that little trick again."

     Kate's cheeks reddened at the memory. She turned away from him as she pulled a small chair up from the floor. "Was she good after that?"

     "For awhile, but Cricket and trouble were one and the same. She never did anything really terrible; she just liked to push the limits whenever she could. I guess that was our fault. We treated her like a brother and, well, growing up in the wilds of Seattle didn't help much."

     "Whatever happened to her?"

     Josh led the way back outside. "Andrew never got over the death of his wife and the son she was carrying. He became obsessed with the idea that he couldn't be a good father unless he made a lot of money for Katie. One thing led to another, and he ended up owing a lot of money to some pretty rough characters. Andrew sold his section of the mountain to my father to pay off his debts."

     Josh sighed, "He was a very intelligent man and a great teacher but didn't know how to manage money or his daughter. Our mother had helped him with Cricket, but then she died too. The last time we saw the Macready's they were heading out for Tacoma and then east. Cricket cried for days before they left. My father had a long talk with her and convinced her that this was her time to be brave and to take care of her father."

     A tear rolled down Kate's cheek. This was one memory she had tried to forget.

      Josh continued, "They landed in Illinois. We wrote for awhile, but after Father died..." Josh shrugged. "Are you going to write about the Macready's?"

     "I might. It's such a sad story. It would make a good contrast to the happy lives of the brides."

     Josh gazed up at the sky. "We ought to move on to the camp. It's getting late and there's still a lot to see."

     "Just one more place, please."

      Kate moved outside and around to the back of a cabin then up the hillside. Josh followed her curious as to what she wanted to see. The young woman headed straight for a group of small rocks and a patch of wildflowers. She stooped down to clear away some of the overgrowth from the grave of Margaret Donovan Macready then knelt on the damp ground, closed her eyes and whispered.

      "Hello, Mama. It's Katie and I'm home."

     Josh watched her in amazement. How could this city girl have known where Margaret had been buried? No one in Seattle knew, only he and his brothers and...

     Kate rose and returned to Joshua. The stunned look on his face made her smile through her tears.

     "You'd better close your mouth, Squid, before something flies in it."

     "Cricket?"

     "I've returned to torment you," she sang ominously.

     "It can't be you." Josh narrowed his eyes. "It's not possible."

     "Well, it was me the last time I looked in the mirror."

     The young man laughed and threw his arms around her lifting her off the ground. "Cricket!"

      Kate hugged him back tightly. Suddenly he set her down and pulled away.

     "You brat!"

     "What?" She laughed.

     " You know 'what'. You've got me out here giving you a guided tour of this mountain like you're some celebrity or something and telling you all about our childhood as if you didn't know a thing about it."

     Kate's eyes danced. "It was wonderful while it lasted."

     "She's done it to me again," he cried to the clouds skating by overhead. The young man gave her a playful shake. "You are still a brat."

     "No," she reminded him, "I'm a reporter."

     "That's right!" Josh was stunned that this playmate of his was now working for one of the most prestigious newspapers in America. "How could that happen?"

     Kate pretended to be insulted, "Well, I like that! Is it so hard to believe that I could be a college graduate?"

     "Yes," Josh smiled. "What happened?"

     "Let's just say I found something that interested me more than log rolling. As a reporter, I can get into all the trouble my heart desires and be paid for telling others all about it. It sure beats having three brothers tattling on me every time I turn around."

     The mention of his brothers gave Josh a thought, "Jason knew it was you all the time?"

     "Yes, but not at first. I had to introduce myself."

     "If he didn't recognize you, then I don't feel so stupid."

     Kate stared at him as if wanting to imprint his image in her memory. "So, now I can ask you as sister to brother, how have you been Joshua?"

     "Fine. The logging operation is holding its own, the town is growing," he paused for emphasis, "and Jeremy is getting married. At least that's what he keeps telling us."

     Kate smiled, "Candy seems like a very special girl."

     "She's special all right." Josh chuckled, "If you really are here to write a story on the brides, you'll hear plenty about Candy."

     "I really am here to do a story about the brides," she confirmed. "Let's get back to town. I can't wait to see Jeremy's face when he finds out who I am."

     "What about meeting the loggers?" Josh asked as they returned to the horses.

     "I can do that later. I just wanted you to bring me up here to show me the old cabin. And I wanted to see how long it would take you to figure out who I was."

     Josh shook his head as they mounted their horses. "You are such a brat."

     "I know, I know," Kate droned comically, "but you have to remember that I learned from the best."

      Kate brought her horse around next to his and held out her hand. "How about calling a truce while I'm here?"

     Josh started to give her his hand then pulled it back. "Not so fast. If you're going to be playing tricks on me like this, I want to reserve the right to toss you in the creek, or the lake or any body of water that happens to be handy."

     Kate laughed, "What if I promise to behave myself?"

     He looked at her skeptically, "I guess that will have to do for now." They shook on it just like they had in the old days.

     The two friends rode back to town happily filling each other in on a few of the major events in their lives along the way.