Blood Brothers
Chapter Three
"Oh, my God!" was all the young man could manage. Nobody had to tell him why Jason and Jeremy had been so insistent that he come in here; it was written on his own face and that of the man in the bed. He was as speechless as Starsky, but the older man broke the spell first.
"I'm Dave Starsky. Who are you?" It might have sounded rude; he didn't know anymore. He just knew he didn't like feeling this confused. And this couldn't possibly be who he thought it was!
The blond still stood staring, frozen, prompting Starsky to step toward him. Maybe it was just the resemblance, but he was feeling protective of this stunned man. Taking him by both arms, he asked him again. "What is your name?"
"I....I...." Finally, he seemed to regain some of his senses. "I'm Joshua Bolt." His eyes went back to Hutch again. "Who is he?" Starsky stepped out of Josh's way, allowing his subconscious approach to the bed. The young man didn't seem to realize he was moving until his knees banged against the bed, shaking the piece of furniture.
"Uhmmmm...." Hutch rolled over at the motion, his face no longer toward Starsky but in the direction of the visitor. Blond lashes quivered open slowly, blue eyes trying to focus on the newcomer. Starsky knew the moment that those eyes could make out Josh because he was surprised that they didn't leave his partner's head entirely. That look only remained for a moment before Hutch sat up in bed suddenly, disbelieving, as an equally disbelieving Josh came and sat in front of him. His head swam at the sudden movement, and he put his hands to his temples.
Maybe it's my imagination, Hutch thought as he sat, staring, less than a foot from the face. That face! "Starsk..." he said, reaching out an unseeing hand and hoping his best friend would take it.
He did, just as the dizziness dissipated. "It's not your imagination, Hutch, and you're not delirious. This is Joshua Bolt. Mr. Bolt, this is my partner, Ken Hutchinson. Starsky glanced away toward the window for a moment, and it shocked him when he realized that he could not identify the speaker of the next sentence.
"I don't know what to say." Starsky turned back, and when Hutch responded, deduced that Josh had spoken.
"I don't know either, Mr. Bolt. You probably won't believe this, but I'm even more confused than you are." Hutch had clamped down on the child-like terror in his stomach, wondering where they were that they should meet up with this unusual man.
"Please, call me Josh. With three of us in Seattle, saying Mr. Bolt could get very confusing." Josh smiled at the man in the bed, a gentler, more innocent smile than Hutch wore, but otherwise identical. They exchanged the smiles for a long minute before Hutch was able to make himself think about something else again.
"Did you say Seattle? We're in Seattle?" He turned from Josh to Starsky, watching as both of them nodded their heads. Starsky couldn't decide if Hutch was more confused or more exhausted, but he definitely decided that Hutch needed some time to himself.
"We'll talk more about it later, buddy," he said, pushing the blond back down on the bed. "Right now, you need some rest." Josh stood and shook hands with the only brunet in the room. When their eyes met, there was a communication between them that startled Starsky. It was different, yet somehow familiar, and very disturbing. He watched the back of Josh's blond hair as he disappeared out the door, trying to figure out how he was going to explain all of this to Hutch, who had already fallen asleep beside him.
*************************
Hutch slept in late the next morning, but by the time he roused at around 10:30, his condition seemed to be much improved. Starsky, once again watching over him, decided that it had been worth the wait. His partner definitely looked better; he was still slightly weak, but felt well enough to get up.
Starsky had returned to his friend's side a couple of hours before, after spending a restful night of his own in the comfortable room next door. He felt ridiculous, dressed in the flannel shirt, longjohns, britches, and high boots which seemed to be standard attire for the men of this Seattle.
"Whoa! Hold on there a second!" Starsky said as Hutch threw back the covers and made a grab for the clothes laid out at the foot of the bed.
"Why? I know I'm not up to jogging, but I'd sure like to get a little fresh air."
Starsky stopped his reach with a solid hand on the pile of clothes. "I need to talk to you first. How much do you remember from last night? You were pretty out of it."
"I remember lying in this bed with a lot of people visiting me. People I didn't know." Hutch appeared as if he was delving into the vast reaches of his memory for what little there was there.
"Do you remember Josh?" Starsky asked hesitantly. How would he ever explain it again?!
"I'm not about to forget him, partner. I'm just glad you're here to tell me that he wasn't a dream or something." Hutch sat down, facing the brunet, when he failed to go on. "Is there something else? It seems like you're holding back."
"I'm just not sure how you're gonna take the rest of the news. You're gonna want somebody to explain it, but I don't think it's possible." Starsky looked almost embarrassed, while Hutch was becoming more and more impatient for his partner to explain what he was getting at.
"Starsk, will you just tell me what's going on?!"
"Okay, okay! It seems that, God only knows how, but we're back in 1875!"
"Are you trying to tell me that we've somehow gone back in time over a hundred years?! Starsk, that's ridiculous!"
"Hutch," Starsky began, standing up and motioning to his clothes. "Do these look like fashions from the 1970's? I tell ya, I don't know how or why, but we're not in the 20th century any more!" Hutch still looked doubtful. "If you don't believe me, look out the window." His eyes followed as Hutch crossed to the window overlooking the town square. "That is down-town Seattle! Or at least, how it was in 1875! Think, Hutch!! Think about Josh! D'you remember the picture you showed me of him? He's your ancestor, partner!!"
"I still don't understand it," Hutch muttered as he turned from the window, reaching again for the clothes. "Now I want that walk more than ever. We've gotta check it out."
The clothes fit Hutch amazingly well, prompting Starsky to wonder if perhaps they belonged to Josh rather than the general store. He watched as his best friend pulled on the black boots, standing to give him the full picture. Dressed like this, Starsky was struck again at how much he looked like the young man who had been there the previous night.
"Well? What do you think?" Hutch asked when Starsky didn't speak.
"I think you look like you belong here." Hutch couldn't figure whether Starsky's faint grin was from embarrassment or pride at his partner's chameleon-like tendencies. The blond was the only man Starsky knew who could look just as natural at an opera as he did at a beer bash.
"Shall we see if the rest of historic Seattle agrees?" Hutch asked, laughing, as he motioned toward the door.
"Are you sure you feel up to it?" Starsky questioned again, prompting an exasperated look from Hutch.
"I said I did, didn't I?! Now where should we start?"
Starsky's stomach chose that moment to rumble, and he suggested, "why don't we see about getting some breakfast downstairs."
The stairs groaned under the weight of the two men as they descended. Hutch took in everything he hadn't seen when they'd brought him in, and one thing in particular.
"Starsk, this isn't a boarding house, it's a bar!" he said, astonished.
"It's both, partner! And for now, at least, it's also home." The brunet slid into a chair at a round table, looking around for Lottie or somebody who appeared to be a waitress. When he heard noises from behind a swinging door, he sat back to wait for whoever it was to emerge.
Hutch was staring into nothingness, apparently deep in thought. It got Starsky to thinking as well. "Hey, Hutch? What exactly do you think happened to us?"
"Search me. I'd never believe it if somebody else told this story! I mean, c'mon! Time Travel?? You and I don't look anything like Kirk and Spock!"
"Yeah, but my Torino sure is prettier than the Enterprise, isn't it?" Starsky laughed, glad to know that his partner seemed at least comfortable here. Who knew how long they'd be stuck in 1875 before they miraculously arrived back in their own time?
"The worst part is, since we have no idea how we got here, there's nothing we can do to try to get back. Whatever it was, it just happened."
"There's gotta be a way we can get home, Hutch! I can't just sit here and accept it."
"What else would you do? I want to get home just as much as you do, but we don't even know how we got here! And we're not equipped to figure out a way to get back. All we can do is wait around until something 'just happens' again."
"I guess you're right. You know I don't do 'patient' very well." Starsky sat back, pouting slightly, knowing that it would relax them both for a few minutes.
At that moment, Lottie finally came out from the kitchen. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize you were waiting. I'm afraid I don't get much of a breakfast crowd. And now it's almost lunch time! Which would you gentlemen like?"
"How about some coffee, eggs and sausages," Starsky suggested, inciting an approving nod from the woman.
"And you, Mr. Hutchinson?" Hutch was slow to respond as he watched the blond woman, and it occurred to Starsky that he hadn't met her yet.
"Oh, I'm sorry, Hutch. This is Lottie Hatfield; she owns this place and treated you last night. Lottie, this is my friend Ken Hutchinson. Hutch for short."
"It's nice to meet you," Lottie greeted. "I hope you're feeling better this morning." It was a statement with the hint of a question.
"Yes, much, thank you for everything. Good thing I've got a hard head; it's sure taken some abuse in the last few years." Now Hutch noticed that it was Lottie who was staring. When he waited for her to speak next, she didn't go on. He nodded, looking at her, and she finally spoke.
"Oh, I'm sorry again! I'm just still so amazed at the resemblance between you and Josh. What can I get you for breakfast?"
"The same is fine," he answered, realizing that, if this were really turn-of-the-century Seattle, it was unlikely that they'd have fresh fruit or granola. "And milk if you have it," he added as an afterthought.
"Sure." She rushed away in a flurry of skirts to get their meals.
"Okay," Starsky said, picking up the confidential conversation where they'd left off. "So we have to wait around until some way to get us home shows itself. What do we do in the meantime?"
"Well . . . . It's pretty unlikely that this version of Seattle has any use for a couple of metropolitan cops. Guess we'll have to find jobs."
"Doing what?" Starsky asked, incredulous.
Just then, Lottie brought their coffee and milk. "Excuse me, Miss Hatfield," Hutch inquired before she could get away. "Can you tell me where a couple of hard-workers can find jobs around here? We've got to earn some money for our passage home." It was as good a cover story as any, since the truth was certainly not an option.
"In this town, there are only two real options for work. The Bolt Brothers' logging camp and Aaron Stempel's sawmill. Either one will pay you fair, but if I were you, I'd take the logging. It's hard work, but Aaron strikes me as a little structured for you boys' tastes." She seemed conflicted somehow on the subject of this Stempel man; it made Starsky itchy to find out what he was like.
"Tell us about Aaron Stempel, would ya? I mean, if we're gonna consider working for him, I'd like to know a little more."
"Aaron can be a good man, but he's a business man first and foremost. The entire structure of the town hinges on the Bolts' logging camp and Aaron's sawmill. The town couldn't survive without them both, and they couldn't survive without each other. No matter how much they sometimes wish they could."
"What does that mean?" Hutch asked, curious.
"Well, they've always butted heads a lot. Aaron's pretty convinced that he could make a fortune if he owned Bridal Veil mountain. That's where the Bolts do their logging," she added. "He's pretty much given up on the notion, but it came to a head a couple years ago. And Jason, Joshua, and Jeremy almost lost the mountain a few times to him."
"How is that possible if they own it?"
"There was a conflict in town back then. All the loggers wanted to quit and move away because there weren't any single women here. Jason proposed going to New England and bringing back some single ladies who were willing to come here to be married. But he didn't have the money to finance the journey, so Aaron paid for it - in exchange for making a bet."
"A bet?" Hutch, and Starsky as well, looked totally enraptured in the story.
"Yes. The agreement was that Jason had to bring back no less than one hundred single, marriagable, girls, and they all had to stay for no less than one year. If any one of them left, Aaron won ownership of the entire mountain."
"They must've all stayed, huh?" Lottie nodded at Starsky, a slight smile on her face. "A bet like that could sure make things tense."
"It was, for awhile, but the year passed, the brides stayed, and Aaron and the Bolts have actually become closer for it. As hard as that is to believe." She paused, then stood. "But I'd better go get your breakfasts before they should be dinners!" Lottie left to get their eggs before they could say anything more.
"So, which is it gonna be, partner? The sawmill or the logging camp?" Starsky was curious which his partner would choose. He loves the woods so much; it's bound to be the camp.
"I think the mill might be the best idea," Hutch answered, taking his partner by surprise. "It's in town instead of out in the middle of nowhere, and the work will probably be less strenuous. Even a cop's physical requirements are nothing compared to the shape a turn-of-the-century logger had to be in."
"Yeah, but with the way you are, you're bound to cut off a hand or something! I think we should go with the camp."
"You're volunteering to go out in the woods?! Starsk, that's amazing!" Hutch's thoughts seem to turn into himself as he studied his conscience for a moment. "I have to admit, that peace and quiet sounds good. So we're agreed? The Bolts?"
"Yep, partner. The Bolts." He smiled at the blond man across the table. "Heck, this could even end up bein' fun!"
"So, have you made your decision?" Lottie asked as she brought their plates.
"Yes," Hutch answered her. "We decided that you know the situation a lot better than we do, so we're going to see the Bolts after breakfast."
"I applaud your choice, gentlemen," she told them. "And if they're still there when you're done, I think you'll find all three of the Bolts at the mill signing some contracts." Both men started digging into their food, in essence dismissing her, as they believed she was ready to leave the table again, when she pulled up short. The motherly-acting woman drew Hutch's eyes to her own stern ones. "You be sure and tell Jason that I said you wouldn't be ready to work until tomorrow, though! You need another day of rest to be sure that head of yours is on straight!"
"But I feel fine!" Hutch started, but Starsky knew he didn't. He wasn't yet 100%, and it showed in his face and the slightly lethargic movements of his hands.
"No ya don't, buddy. I know you too well." Starsky turned to their healer. "I'll be sure he behaves and does just what you said." They exchanged a glance, Starsky's eyes saying, "thanks for the warning," before Lottie turned and left the table.
"Well, it can't hurt to at least get ourselves hired meanwhile, can it?" Hutch asked as he put on an unusual, pouty expression. On the rare occasions he'd tried it, this didn't usually work with Starsky, but it was worth a shot.
"No, I suppose not. Are you done?" Starsky asked, looking over his own empty plate at his partner's, which was half full. Hutch hadn't taken a bite from it in several minutes."
"Yeah, I guess so. Not very hungry." Starsky rose, followed by Hutch, who shocked his partner when he was abruptly sitting again. "Sorry," Hutch mumbled, rubbing his temples, as Starsky came to his side of the table. "Just a little dizzy for a minute."
"You see? She was right; you're not ready for this."
"It'll be okay, Starsk! I just got up too fast." Then, to prove his point, he rose slowly and steadily and preceded his partner, heading for the door as Lottie called that she'd add the bill to their room tab. It was a good thing, Hutch thought, because the only money they each had with them was dated far later than 1875!
Once outside, finding the way to the mill wasn't quite as evident as they thought. Two blurred images came at them, and Starsky waved them down. As they slowed, the images coalesced into two running children. "Aren't you the men that Clancey brought in on the boat?" the brown-haired boy asked. It surprised Starsky at how friendly they were; but then, children had a lot less to be afraid of in this era.
"Yes we are," Starsky told them. "This is my friend Hutch, and I'm David." Both children politely shook hands with each man, Molly remembering to curtsey properly.
"I'm Molly Pruitt, and this is my little brother, Christopher."
"Well, hello, Molly and Christopher," Hutch said. "Do your parents live in town?" Maybe they could direct them to the sawmill.
"Our parents are in Heaven," Christopher said honestly. "We live here with our sister, Candy."
"Candy, the woman who's dating Jeremy?" Starsky asked, not realizing that his partner was totally lost.
"Yeah," Christopher said.
"Yes," Molly echoed, "they're going to get married some day." It was a matter of fact statement, surprisingly mature from this little girl.
"Do you two happen to know where the sawmill is? We've got to go there." Both kids nodded, and before Hutch knew it, Molly had her small hand wrapped in his large one, leading them down the muddy road. He noticed that Christopher had taken Starsky's in much the same way, creating an unusual-looking foursome to be walking down the middle of Main Street, Seattle.
After a short distance that surprised Hutch by tiring him, they stopped in front of a building with large glass front windows. "This is the office," Molly told them. "Mr. Stempel is in there." Christopher wrinkled his nose in distaste of the man before the two children dismissed themselves as they heard their names called.
"Boy," Starsky commented, staring after the kids. "This Aaron Stempel guy must be quite a piece of work! Even the kids don't like him!"
"Now, now, Starsk. It's not our place to judge. After all, some kids don't like you!" Hutch laughed, then walked into the office with Starsky behind him, right into the middle of an argument.
"But if you just scheduled your workers this way, the milling would go faster and you'd be able to make the deadline!" Josh was arguing, sounding unnaturally vocal.
"And I'm telling you," a dark-haired, long-faced man yelled back," that it wouldn't make a bit of difference! I won't have you telling me how to run my mill!"
"Look!" Jason spoke up this time. "Josh is right. If you use four men instead of two on each piece of lumber, because of the weight of the trees we're cutting now, they could be fed more than twice as fast."
"They'll have all the trees milled in almost half the time it would take you this way." Josh stated, not noticing that Hutch had come up behind him and was examining his notes. Starsky couldn't help but notice out out of place Josh looked, sandwiched between his two considerably darker brothers, but as Hutch joined them, they looked more like two pairs than a trio and a single.
"He's right, Mr. Stempel," Hutch said to the mill's owner, using his best, and most educated, voice. "Your production would multiply astronomically if you initiated his program. You'd be much better off if you considered it."
"And who, may I ask, are you?" Aaron asked rudely. How dare this stranger interfere in his business!!
"I'm Ken Hutchinson. And if you weren't so stubborn, you'd see that they're right." Unbelievably, Hutch's words sunk in. Aaron picked up Josh's notes from the table and sat back down in his office chair, studying them at length. Finally, unable to deny it further, he sighed.
"Very well, we'll give it a try. But if it doesn't work, I'm going to raise my rates to make up for the loss!" The threat was not wasted on the Bolts, who knew he was the only mill for hundreds of miles.
"Agreed," Jason said, sure that they had nothing to worry about. He, Joshua, and Jeremy left the office with Starsky and Hutch trailing behind them.
"Thank you," Josh said to Hutch once they were outside. "Suggestions mean a lot more to Aaron when they come from someone whose name isn't Bolt."
It suddenly occurred to Hutch that Mr. Stempel hadn't shown any reaction at his appearance. "You're welcome," he said. "Y'know, that's the first person since I woke up that didn't look at me like I was from Mars?"
Starsky and the brothers laughed together; it felt good to sense the camaraderie. "Are you kidding?" Jeremy said, smiling. "By this morning, everybody in town has heard about Josh's look-alike. Didn't you notice?" The smallest man in the group motioned to the upper windows of the enormous building to their right, seeing a large number of women watching them. "The girls are fascinated."
"Girls?" Starsky asked, his attention suddenly riveted. Many of the faces in the windows were extremely pretty; none of them were unattractive. He smiled wickedly. "Maybe we should go over and introduce ourselves, Hutch!"
"Put it in neutral, buddy. First things first." The phrasing obviously confused the brothers, but they didn't question what was obviously none of their business.
"All this talk about our milling project has distracted us. Were you looking for us or Aaron when you came to the mill?" Jason asked.
"Actually," Starsky said, noticing that Hutch and Josh were staring at each other again, "we were looking for you three. It seems that we're gonna need jobs until we can find a way to get ourselves back home, and Lottie suggested we check with you."
Jason studied them, considering, and finally exchanged nods with his brothers. "Yes, we can use you. You look strong enough and sturdy enough. That's most important in our business." He smiled at them. "You're hired, gentlemen."
"There's just one thing," Starsky interrupted Jeremy's pumping Hutch's hand. "Lottie says Hutch can't work until tomorrow. Says he needs another day to rest."
"Very well, then," Jason agreed. "The both of you can start tomorrow. Josh, why don't you show our newcomers around Seattle and the route to camp while Jeremy and I get back. After all, somebody's got to man the store!" He laughed, a loud, full sound that was booming and friendly. He patted Josh on the back as he, Hutch, and Starsky headed away and then turned to lead Jeremy back to camp.
"First of all," Joshua said, "I should tell you that you can live up at camp if you want, but it's starting to get pretty cold at night, so you'll have to decide for yourself. You can still stay in town at Lottie's if you want, it's up to you."
"Josh," Starsky asked, drawing the young man's attention. He couldn't be more than 26, the brunet thought. "Why do you think you and Hutch look so much alike?" It wasn't that he was really that interested. He was more interested in what the other townspeople were probably thinking. If they were going to be condemned as witches or something, Starsky wanted to know!
"I really don't know what to think," Josh said, his voice soft. It was the same tone as Hutch at his most gentle. Starsky remembered that tone in a dirty alley behind Martini's porno studio. I'm here; I gotcha. "I know I don't think you're aliens!" he laughed softly.
"Thank God for small favors," Hutch whispered for Starsky's ears only.
Josh led them all through the square, pointing out the church and store and other points of interest, finally ending up in front of the dormitory. "Have you heard about our trip around the Horn to fetch the girls from New England?" Both men nodded, their curiosity about the women raised. "I should take you in and properly introduce you," Josh added, heading for the front door.
"Wait!" Hutch yelled, stopping Joshua in his tracks. The younger man returned to his side as the older-version of himself did his best to straighten his hair and his clothes. "I wasn't really expecting to.... I mean, I didn't think we would be...um....be meeting any women today." He stopped fussing when he felt the hardness in his hair over where he knew the gash was. "Oh, what's the use! Lead on!" Starsky laughed a little at his partner's persnickety nature; somehow he knew that he'd be in some form of water the moment they got back to the saloon.
Joshua knocked on the dormitory front doors, and was greeted before the door ever opened by the sounds of scurrying and feminine giggles. Finally, there was an answer, taken in the form of the door being opened by Candy Pruitt.
"Yes, Mr. Bolt? May I help you?" She was very prim and proper, but Josh could see the group of ladies collected behind her.
"Hi, Candy," he said, his casualness in contrast to her formality. "I'd just like to introduce our new friends to the brides. May we come in?"
Candy stepped aside to allow the three men entrance. Once they were in and the door was closed, Joshua made his introductions. "Ladies, I'd like to present Mr. David Starsky and Mr. Ken Hutchinson. Mr. Starsky, Mr. Hutchinson, these are the brides."
Starsky and Hutch looked across the woman-filled room, scanning over faces and figures. They were wholesome girls, pretty for the most part. One in particular caught Hutch's eye, startlingly young, yet pretty, with long dark ponytails and large round eyes. Starsky, for his part, couldn't decide which girl was most attractive. He expected he'd have fun deciding, though.
Finally, slowly, the pair of men stepped forward invitingly, the girls following their lead and crowding around them. Many of the ladies introduced themselves by name, with conversations ensuing. It was unusual to have strangers in their town, and these two were particularly fascinating. Suddenly, a piercing sound somewhat akin to a chicken, split the air along with the drumming of shoes on wood. "Wait! Wait! What am I missing?!"
The crowd in the parlor split so everybody could see Biddie Cloom as she raced down the stairs. She was much more plain than the rest of the brides, and Starsky thought how he pitied her future husband; that voice alone could drive a man crazy!
"Josh brought us some guests," Candy told her as she finally reached the bottom of the stairs. "Biddie Cloom, this is David Starsky and Ken Hutchinson."
Biddie bowed politely to Hutch. "It's nice to meet you, Mr. Hutchinson," she said, already turning away. Starsky was startled when she faced him, and, instead of bowing like she had for his partner, she took his right arm in a tight hold. "It's so nice to have you in our town, Mr. Starsky. Perhaps I could show you the sights sometime."
"Biddie!" Candy chastised. They both knew that women weren't supposed to be that forward, but then again, Biddie Cloom often broke those rules. She had realized after the first six months or so in Seattle, that, if she didn't, the man would never make the first move.
"Uhhhhhh," Starsky muttered, trying his best not to squirm at her voice or her touch, "yeah, maybe." Luckily, several other women joined Biddie in talking with the handsome brunet, allowing Starsky an escape of sorts from his pursuer.
Looking across the room, Starsky scanned the faces, noticing that Candy and Josh had removed themselves from the commotion and were chatting amiably. Hutch was also surrounded by a group of girls, the closest of which was the young dark-haired girl with the ponytails that he'd seen earlier. She seemed totally enthralled by his partner, giving him her undivided attention. It wasn't the first time he'd seen that look on a woman's face as she talked with or about Hutch, and it certainly wouldn't be the last time, Starsky figured.
Starsky and Hutch had been chatting with the girls for almost an hour when Starsky saw Josh's and Hutch's equally blue eyes meet across the room. To the ladies, the look meant nothing, but the brunet man knew that it meant it was time to go. Figuring they had just about overstayed their welcome, the three men bid their 'goodnight's and left, a small cluster of the women walking them to the door. Starsky suddenly wanted no more than to get out of there when he noticed that Biddie was at the front of the pack, batting her nearly-lashless eyes at him in an attempt to be provocative. They actually managed to get out before she was able to say anything more to him.
Once outside, the three men paused to catch their breaths. Hutch and Josh could both feel the tension in Starsky begin to bleed away. "Josh...." Starsky began, about to take his new young friend to task.
"Sorry about that, Dave," Josh said, preempting him. I should have warned you about Biddie, especially since I know she likes dark-haired men." He couldn't help but smile, though. "She really is a very nice girl, though. You just have to get used to her."
Starsky was struck by how much that statement sounded like his partner; always finding the good in anybody. "I'm afraid it'll take me a very long time to get used to her!" he laughed, enjoying seeing Hutch join in. "Maybe we'd better head back," Starsky suggested, taking a second look at his best friend. "You look like you're about to drop over."
Josh nodded his agreement as Hutch began to object, obviously fascinated with this new environment despite his fatigue. "No objections," Josh said, taking Hutch's left arm just as Starsky took the right. "As it is, Lottie is going to have my head for bringing you home this tired. She's very serious about her patients, y'know."
"Maybe we'll be lucky, Starsky suggested, "and she won't be in the saloon when we get there."
"Unlikely, but we can hope," Josh said, flashing a smile at Starsky. The brunet returned the smile, and it occurred to him that, even with the strong protectiveness he was feeling for his partner, he was also starting to have similar feelings for this other tall blond. Somehow, it felt natural, falling somewhere between his feelings for Hutch and his little brother, Nicky. The emotions were unsettling, and Starsky wasn't sure what to do with them. Just when he started feeling comfortable with Josh, he'd realize all along that most of that comfort wasn't because of who he was, but because of who he resembled. And that bothered Starsky. Josh needed true friends, not just Hutch's leftovers.
*************************
When Jeremy walked into the cabin after bedding down the horses, Jason already had his head buried in a large book that he remembered seeing years ago but had never bothered reading. There was another, similar one waiting by his side.
"Whatcha doin'?" Jeremy asked when Jason didn't react to his presence. His older brother was so startled, the book nearly ended up on the floor as he jumped.
"Jeremy!!!" He yelled at the younger man. "How many times have I told you not to sneak up on me like that!"
"I wasn't sneaking, Jason," he stated matter-of-factly. "I was just wondering what you were so intent on."
"It's just a book, now would you drop it?!" He jumped to his feet to emphasize his point, not realizing that the abrupt movement would dislodge the top volume. Jeremy watched as it toppled to the floor, startled at his brother's outburst.
"I'm sorry, Jason! I was just askin'!" Jeremy asked as he beat Jason to picking up the book. "What is this?" Flipping open the front cover, he was shocked by the name he saw there. "Jason, this is Mom's journal. I never knew what this book was, but it's her own private thoughts. I don't think you should be reading it." But he offered no objection as Jason took the book from his hands.
"I don't think she'd mind, Jeremy," Jason said, his voice suddenly more gentle than any Jeremy had ever heard him use as he caressed the leather cover.
"But that's been around for years. Why do you want to read it now? What's so interesting?" For a moment, Jeremy knew that Jason wouldn't answer him without more incentive, so he said, "C'mon, Jason! She was my mother too! What's so important in that book? Tell me now, or so help me God I'll stay up all night reading until I figure it out, then I'll have Josh look for anything I might have missed."
"No!!!" Jason yelled again, taking Jeremy by surprise, a scared look coming to the younger man's face. "Josh must never know about this!!"
"Well, then, tell me. What is it?" There was no getting around it, so Jason resettling himself into the chair and began the story.
"I"m not reading it to see what Mom wrote. It's what she didn't write in it that's intriguing." Jeremy thought what a curious remark that was, and circled around to look over Jason's shoulder as his brother reopened the book.
"I've looked at this book in your chest a thousand times! I never realized what it was before."
"Yeah," Jason said distractedly, "I remember her writing in it all the time." He motioned to the second book. "That one is Dad's."
"Why did you bring them out now?" Jeremy was still curious, and the conversation with his brother was getting him nowhere.
"If I tell you, Jeremy, can you promise you won't repeat it to another living soul?" Jason was as serious as his younger brother had never seen him.
"Another soul?" Jeremy repeated. "Well, I wouldn't tell anybody but Josh. You know we don't have secrets."
"I already told you, you can't tell Josh!!" His eyes calmed, reassuring his brother. "Trust me. This time, you're going to have to keep the secret. At least until we figure out what's going on." He looked up into his brother's eyes. "Promise me, Jeremy."
"Okay, okay, I promise! Now what's going on?"
"It's this man in town, Ken Hutchinson. It's just too strange that he looks so much like Josh and isn't related to us."
"So," Jeremy said, trying to pick up on where Jason was going, "you think Hutch might be related?"
"Not really," Jason answered, looking concerned. "I'm afraid that Josh might be related to him."
"Jason, that doesn't make sense!" Jeremy sat on a nearby chair to talk face-to-face with his elder sibling. "If he's related to Josh, or Josh is related to him, then he's got to be related to all of us."
Jason leaned forward, laying a calming hand on Jeremy's arm. "Not if Josh isn't really related to us." He held up a restraining hand when his brother started to object. "I was just thinking. And wondering. Jeremy, I was seven years old when Josh was born, but I don't remember it! I don't remember Ma being 'with child', and I don't remember the doctor or the midwife coming. All I remember is them suddenly telling me that I had a little brother." The anguish in his voice was clear; he was scared.
"You were really young, Jason. That doesn't mean anything," Jeremy denied. "You could have been in school or playing when he was born. Maybe you just didn't notice how Mom changed." It was difficult for Jeremy to be supportive of his older brother when the same nervousness was churning in his own stomach.
"I thought of all those things, Jeremy. That was why I wanted to take a look at these books. To see what our own parents had written in their journals about it. I haven't gotten to Dad's yet, but Mom's isn't helping at all." He turned the book around to show his brother the entries for the proper days. "She talks about him as a baby, crying or teething or whatever, but there isn't a single word about his birth."
"So you think he might not even be our brother?!" Jeremy didn't realize how loud his voice was getting until Jason had to shush him.
"Quiet!! We don't know when he'll be back. And we can't tell him anything until we know for sure. It would tear him apart!"
"You're right," Jeremy agreed, unconsciously drumming his fingers. "But what does all this have to do with Hutch?
"I don't know," Jason said. "I do know that I like him and his friend, Dave. And I don't think they mean us any harm. Whether fate brought them here after their sea disaster or he was headed this way in the first place, I can't believe he'll be a problem." Jason seemed to withdraw into himself, deep in thought, as Jeremy did likewise.
After several minutes of silence while Jason's eyes went back to scanning their mother's book, Jeremy had to say what was on his mind. "Jason, have you noticed how close Josh, Hutch and Dave seem? Like the three of them have been best friends for a long time?"
"Yes, I did. I don't know what scares me more: the hurt Josh will feel when they finally leave or the trouble there could be if they stay. Or the worst possibility, that they'll leave and Josh will go with them."
"Josh would never leave Bridal Veil Mountain!" Jeremy exclaimed. But it didn't have the certainty it would have had before the strangers' arrival in their town, and both men knew it.
"Well, I might be jumping the gun," Jason said, trying to calm his obviously excited brother. "I still have to check Dad's book. Maybe it'll clear up the whole thing."
He bit his tongue and Jeremy did likewise when they heard Josh's light footsteps coming to the door. A silence descended on the room as Josh came in, a gloom that felt stifling. "Hey, what's up, brothers?" he said, happily. He and the two newcomers had apparently had a good time.
"Nothing much, Josh," Jeremy choked out. "How is Hutch feeling?"
"He was pretty exhausted when I left them back at Lottie's. I'm afraid we might have overdone it today, but I'm sure he'll be at work tomorrow. Those two are awfully strong-willed." He laughed at the memory of watching Starsky trying to disentangle himself from Biddie's hold. "That is, except for where the brides are concerned."
"You introduced them to the brides?" Jason asked, finally speaking, his shock evident. He knew that either one of them falling for a particular lady could keep him in town. And although he liked both men very much, he was just as eager for them to be gone.
"Sure!" Josh said, interrupting his thoughts. "I couldn't just let them go around wondering. I'm not sure I did Dave much of a favor though." He let out a little chuckle. "It seems one bride in particular was very taken by him."
"You don't mean..." Jeremy said, smiling, suddenly forgetting that things weren't as they had always been.
"Yep, little brother. Biddie." Josh laughed aloud this time, with Jeremy joining in. Even Jason couldn't help but smile at the idea of the woman pursuing the stranger.
"Poor Dave!" Jeremy laughed, the brothers falling easily into their routine. Maybe, Jeremy thought, keeping this from Josh wouldn't be quite so hard. It seemed they were going to be treated to quite a few antics on the part of the two new crewmen.
Return to main
Previous chapter
Next chapter