When Clancey pulled into port six days later, he was stunned at the sight of the town. The blackened shell of the dormitory dominated the deserted square. The brides had all moved into the cabins of their married friends and the men were still off searching the hills for the Hobbses. Seattle was doing a pretty fair imitation of a ghost town. This was not the homecoming he to which he was accustomed.

    Lottie was on the dock to welcome him and to explain what had happened. Once he was assured that no one had been seriously hurt, the captain allowed himself the pleasure of a drink and a meal with his good friend. "What can I do to get things back the way they were, darlin’? I can’t stand seein’ Seattle like this."

    "The men will clear away the rubble and start rebuilding as soon as they return," Lottie assured him. Her eyes sparkled, "The town will be looking better than ever for another wedding in the spring."

    "A weddin’, is it?" Clancey chuckled. "Who are the sacrificial lambs this time?"

   "The two who have been engaged the longest."

    The captain’s weather-beaten face lit up. "Young Bolt and Miss Pruitt! Now that’ll be a weddin’ to help us forget our troubles." He took another bite of his steak, "Speakin’ of trouble, how’s me Hurricane Kate fairin’?"

    Lottie frowned, "I’m worried about her, Clancey. She was hurt by the fire."

    "Why didn’t you say so?" The captain stood, but she placed a hand on his arm.

    "She has a few burns but Biddie says she’s healing just fine."

    "Well, what’s worryin’ ye, darlin’?"

    "Her spirit is gone. It seems Katie takes off on her horse before the sun rises and is gone till late afternoon. When she’s not riding, the girls find her sitting beside her mother’s grave for hours at a time."

    "She’s lost her paper, luv. Once the boys build her another office, she’ll be back to her old rabble-rousin’ self."

    "That’s just the problem. Katie told Biddie that the men should rebuild the dormitory and forget about the Inquirer."

    "She wants the brides settled first is all," Clancey gave the woman’s hand a pat. "Give her time, darlin’. She’ll be hounding everyone to get her back in business soon enough."

    Lottie sighed, "I wish Joshua were here. He can always devil her out of any mood."

    "That he can."

    Lottie began clearing away his dinner plate. "Before I forget, you’ll be asked to take a trip to San Francisco soon. I need to restock my shelves. The explosion wiped out every bottle I had behind the bar."

    The shock in Clancey’s eyes made the woman laugh. "I have enough in storage to last till the end of October but after that..."

    "Say no more, woman! Roland Frances Clancey shall rise to the occasion. Let me rest me crew a few days, make some repairs, and we’ll be ready to take to the seas."

    When the search parties returned empty-handed four days later, Seattle regretfully turned the Hobbs matter over to the Territorial marshal.

    Jason and Aaron called for a town meeting the night of the men’s return. The purpose for the gathering was two-fold: to begin plans to reconstruct the damaged buildings in town and to pull together some reward money for the return of Claude and the Hobbs brothers.

    At seven-thirty, Lottie’s Saloon was filled to the brim. The first call went out asking everyone to contribute what he or she could to rebuild the buildings in the town square.

    Jason made an announcement as everyone got settled, "Before we start collecting money, I have a little business to take care of which was left undone the night of the fire."

    He searched the crowd for a certain face and found it at the very back corner of the room. "Kate Macready, would you come up here, please?"

    The young woman flinched. For the past ten days Kate had been afraid that the Hobbs brothers would be found and the truth of how the fire started would be made known to everyone. Now that Jason had called her name, she was certain that he had discovered what she was terrified to admit and was going to try and make things right at that moment. Her knees grew weak and her body trembled. She couldn’t move from her place. Joshua came to her side to help her to the front.

    "C’mon, Cricket, you’ve never shied away from the spotlight before," he whispered as he placed her arm through his. When Kate resisted, Josh tugged gently on her shortened locks. "It’s all right. Your hair doesn’t look half bad."

    Kate allowed Joshua to lead her to the front of the room. Walking past those tables filled with the sympathetic faces of her neighbors was the hardest thing she had ever done. Once before the bar, Jason turned her around to face the crowd. "Ladies and gentlemen, two weeks ago, we collected a tidy sum of money for a special purpose. I have as yet to deliver that money to its owner." He smiled down at Kate. "Miss Macready, the brides of Seattle donate $100.00 toward the price of a new printing press."

    Jason handed her an envelope stuffed with bills. Katie stared down at the money with tears in her eyes. She couldn’t bear to keep the gift, but to refuse it would require an explanation. Kate looked around her and suddenly the solution was clear. Lottie held a cash box in her hand labeled "Rebuild". Another box marked "Reward" sat on the bar. The guilt-ridden girl slipped the entire amount into Lottie’s box. A murmur went through the group as she made her way to the exit. Many in the crowd believed Kate was selflessly giving the money she needed for a press to be certain the brides had a home. Jeremy began a round of applause, which rose in fervor until she disappeared through the door.

    The girl’s spirit shriveled up within her. ‘What would they say if they knew I was the one...’

    The night was bitterly cold but Kate never noticed. All she could think of was going somewhere, anywhere where she could forget all that had happened.

    Katie had come to the meeting with Biddie, Candy and the children in the buggy. She couldn’t stay in town a moment longer, so she began the long hike up to her cabin alone.

    As she trudged along the darkened trail, every set back she had successfully managed to tuck away from the view of others now demanded her attention. She could no longer ignore the pain of the losses she had suffered. Now that she was alone in the dark of the woods, Katie allowed bitter tears to fall without restraint.

    At the sound of hoof beats an hour later, Katie wiped away the evidence of her grief. Joshua saw her standing just off the trail in the dim moonlight. He was all set to scold her for hiking home alone, but one look at her changed all that. He had seen her this distraught only once before; years ago, in a tiny cabin one rain soaked night.

    "You know, some bear is going to make a nice dinner out of you before you get home," he joked as he dismounted and came over to her.  Kate turned away from him trying to hide her face. Her despair pulled at the young man’s heart. He drew closer, placing a hand on her shoulder.  "What’s wrong, Cricket? You can tell me."

    Katie wanted desperately to tell him her secret but was terrified that he and everyone else in Seattle would lose their faith in her forever. How could she risk that? "Josh, I can’t." She looked into his eyes imploringly, "Please, not now."

    The young man stroked her cheek. "All right, not now... when you’re ready. Let me give you a ride home." Joshua helped Katie into the saddle then jumped up behind her. Placing his arms around her waist, he caught up the reins and urged Brandy forward.

    The two traveled in silence. Kate was so emotionally drained that she leaned back against Joshua for support. The gentle rocking motion of the horse and the soft warmth of his jacket lulled her into a peaceful sleep.

    Joshua looked down at the golden head tucked under his chin. A flood of tenderness filled the lumberman’s heart for this woman he held in his arms. He wondered what she would say if he told her how much he cared for her. He wished the moment would never end but all too soon the silhouette of the Macready cabin appeared over the hill.

    "Cricket?" Joshua called to her gently. She opened her eyes and shuddered slightly as she took a breath. "You’re home."

    "Thank-you, Josh." She waited until he dismounted then steadied herself on his outstretched arms as he lowered her down before him. They both walked to the cabin door. Joshua couldn’t let her go quite yet.

    "Katie, there’s nothing so terrible that could happen to either one of us that we couldn’t handle together. Do you believe me?"

    Kate’s eyes filled again and her bottom lip trembled. The sight was too much for the young man. He drew her to himself and held her tightly. Katie relaxed in his embrace. He placed his hand under her chin and turned her face up toward his. Tears glistened like starlight in her deep brown eyes.

    Joshua Bolt leaned down and softly brushed Kate’s lips with his own. She responded by pressing her mouth to his, shyly at first, and then with conviction. Joshua’s arms encircled her waist. The kiss they shared was long and passionate.

    Katie was the first to pull away.

    "Didn’t I do it right?" he whispered with a smile.

    She shook her head; " Josh, I’m so tired."

    He shushed her tenderly; "Listen, Cricket, there’s a lot I want to tell you. I’ll call for you at noon and we’ll take a long walk, just the two of us. How does that sound?"

    Katie caressed the strong arms about her."In the morning." she repeated with a nod.

    Joshua kissed her once more on the forehead before she slipped through the doorway and into the darkness of the cabin. The young logger’s heart soared within him as he returned to his cabin. When he kissed Katie, he felt as though two pieces of a puzzle were being fitted together.

    Kate Macready wasn’t the most beautiful, genteel or domestic girl he had loved by any means, but none of the others had ever shown so much concern for the welfare of the people who lived in this muddy little town on the edge of nowhere. Kate gave the town a newspaper. Beyond that, Candy and Lottie had both shared stories with Josh about the little things they noticed the reporter doing for the needier residents when she thought no one was looking. Joshua knew that Lottie and Candy were hoping that a romance would blossom between him and Katie from the day she first arrived. Up until recently, the thought only amused him, but now...

    Joshua had always suspected that the woman he married would have to love Seattle as much as he did. Perhaps Kate Macready was the one he had been looking for, for so long.