Katie closed up the news office at the end of another busy day and headed for Aaron Stempel's cabin to deliver the accounts he had offered to review for her. Halfway to his home, Jess Hobbs and two of his cohorts blocked her path. The editor had been expecting a reaction from these men ever since the paper had come out and this, apparently, was it.

     The stench of stale whiskey caused her to take a step back. Jess' bloodshot eyes locked onto the girl as the other men wavered in place, saying nothing.

     "We read wha' you wrote in tha' paper of yours," Jess slurred.

     "What did you think of it?" was Kate's cool reply. Her manner threw them off. They had expected her to be afraid.

     "You tol' it jus' the way we tol' you."

     Kate attempted to move toward Aaron's. They allowed her to pass but walked closely beside her. "I'm obliged to quote you accurately, Mr. Hobbs."

     When she picked up her pace, Hobbs clamped a grimy hand on her shoulder. "Wha' we don' like's the way you asked those... wet backs the same questions."

     A younger version of Hobbs, the one who'd punched Jeremy, spoke up. "You made us look the same as them."

     The third logger reminded Kate of a weasel. He rubbed a strand of greasy black hair from his equally greasy forehead. "We don't like people thinkin' we're the same. We're better."

     Despite the pounding of her heart, Katie fought the urge to laugh right in his face. One look at Jess Hobb's expression sobered her quickly. He understood why she had run the interviews side by side and he resented it. If he were less intoxicated, Katie would have been in serious trouble.

     "Gentlemen, you and your friends are new to Seattle as are the Chinese. I wanted to share your answers with the rest of the town so they could get to know you better."

     Jess' eyes narrowed. "Tha's what you aimed to do?

     "That's it," she answered honestly. Katie took advantage of their momentary confusion to draw closer to Aaron's cabin. The men kept pace with her.

     "You're related to the Bolts." It was more of an accusation than a question.

     "I was raised with them, yes."

     Weasel man leaned in toward Jess' brother, "I thought they was close."

     "Listen, Missy," Jess pointed a filthy finger in Katie's face. "You keep us out of tha' paper of yours. We don' wan' you writin' any more about us. If you do..."

     Aaron opened his front door just as Kate stepped onto his property. She quickly moved up to the porch to stand beside him.

     "What do you men want?" Aaron asked, positioning himself between Kate and the men.

     "Nothing." Hobbs turned to Kate and gave her a smile that revealed a broken line of yellowed teeth. "Nothing yet."

     The girl shuddered involuntarily.

     "Get going." Aaron commanded.

     Those two words were all it took to send the three stumbling back into the woods. Kate exhaled in relief as they left.

     "Thank-you, Aaron."

     Aaron looked down at her with a wry smile. "Well, Miss Macready, this was just the first edition of your paper. Are you planning to offend someone with every issue?"

     "I hope not," she handed him her accounts, "but it's quite possible."

     "Come in and sit down awhile."

     Katie entered Aaron's home, was ushered to his best chair and had just accepted a glass of water when there was an urgent knock on the door. Aaron opened it and Jeremy rushed in heading straight toward Kate.

     "I saw everything from Ben's."

     "Afternoon, Jeremy," Aaron greeted dryly.

     The young man nodded but never took his eyes off Katie as he sat on the sofa in front of her. "Are you all right?"

     "I'm fine, Jeremy," she assured him.

     "What did they want?"

     "Jess Hobbs got up enough courage from a whiskey bottle to come down and tell me to stop putting them in the paper."

     Jeremy was both anxious and irritated. "We knew this would happen!"

     "So did I," Kate smiled. "Look, Jeremy, it's over. Jess and his friends wanted to prove to themselves that they could intimidate me." She took a sip of the water. "It's all part of the game."

     "Game?"

     "It happens to reporters all the time. In fact, you're not considered a real journalist unless your life is being threatened." She chuckled, "I wish the boys on the Tribune could have seen this."

     Jeremy was having a difficult time understanding her cavalier attitude.

     "Katie, this contract will be filled soon and then we'll decide which men we're going to hire on permanently. We can't keep everybody and the men know that. Jason says the Californians might look for a scapegoat if they're let go." He took her hand in his. "Do us all a favor and hold off writing anything about the loggers 'til we've finished this job."

     Kate understood his concern but news was news. "The conflicts exist right now, Jeremy."

     The logger closed his eyes and leaned back in frustration. Aaron took up the argument much to Jeremy's surprise.

     "Katie, this isn't Chicago or San Francisco. Personal opinions are often accompanied by action in a small town like ours. Jess Hobbs is out to start trouble among the loggers any way he can. Your articles could be fuelling a fire that could ruin Seattle."

     "But the people here don't think like he does..."

     He held up his hand. "The Hobbs' aren't the only ones who hold a grudge against the Chinese. Once you show your bias towards them in print, I'm afraid you'll discover that you've made enemies of many people you now consider friends." Aaron paused to let this bit of information sink in. "Jeremy's right, Katie. Give us all a little breathing room, at least for awhile."

     The young logger silently thanked Aaron for his support and tried once more to get her to agree. "Cricket, I'm asking you, as a brother, keep the loggers out of the paper for a few more weeks."

     Kate wanted to argue with him but the look in those blue eyes of his struck her to the heart. "Jeremy Bolt," she moaned, "you're asking me to do the exact opposite of what I've been trained to do!" His gaze never wavered and she caved in. She never had been able to deny him anything, even in their younger days. "All right, no interviews until your contract is completed."

     "Good," both men smiled in relief.

     "But I am a reporter, and if the loggers do something worth reporting, I am going to put it in print," she stated firmly.

     "Just don't go looking for trouble," Aaron warned.

     "Or creating it." Jeremy added pointedly.

     Kate handed her glass back to Aaron and rose to leave. "You folks out here in the back woods just have to learn how to live with a little controversy."

     Aaron countered. "And you big city journalists have to learn a little moderation."

     As they watched Kate return to the dormitory for the evening, Jeremy turned to Stempel. "Thanks for backing me up, Aaron."

     The older man shrugged, "I had to. Hobbs can do a lot of damage to this town if he gets angry enough." He gestured toward Katie who was disappearing around the trees. "She does have a strong stubborn streak doesn't she?"

     Jeremy nodded as he glanced around Stempel's front yard. "You know, Aaron, you ought to think about getting a water trough out here. Could come in handy."