Blood Brothers
Chapter Four
"Hey, Starsk! You'd better get up!" Hutch called through the door as he knocked. He wasn't sure that he heard motions from the inside until there were distinctive shuffling sounds near the door. Finally, it cracked open.
"Hutch, it's not even dawn yet!" The blue eye seemed to say through the crack in the door. The bright lights in the hallway were apparently too much for Starsky.
Hutch pushed his way into the room, filling it with light. "Well, you know Josh said they start work at dawn up at the camp. And if we're gonna earn our keep here, we've gotta keep these jobs." The door slammed behind him, plunging the room into darkness once again. Hutch could hear his partner shuffle back to the bed.
"Just a few more minutes..." Starsky almost whined as he apparently dropped back onto the bed.
"No," Hutch said, punctuating it by abruptly opening the blinds, letting in more light, "we've got to get going now!" Starsky hid his eyes, but got out of bed anyway, gathering clothes from about the room in an attempt to get dressed.
Hutch dropped silently into the only chair in the room while he watched his partner dress, making sure that Starsky didn't go back to bed despite the light. His eyes had strayed to the rest of the room, comparing it to his own, when he noticed that Starsky had stopped moving. He was sitting on the bed, deep in thought, with a shiny black boot in one hand.
"Starsk, what's wrong?" Hutch strode to the bed and waved a hand in front of his partner's eyes. "Starsky!"
"Oh..." the eyed turned from nothingness to his best friend's face, "I was just trying to figure something out."
"Well, if you're trying to figure this mess out, buddy, you may as well give it up. I don't think it's gonna happen." Hutch smiled and handed Starsky his other boot.
"No, it's nothing that big. I was just trying to figure out why Lottie looks so familiar to me. Doesn't she to you, Hutch?" The deep azure eyes turned to the blond, questioning.
"Now that you mention it, partner, she does. Maybe she's just got that kind of face."
"Yeah, maybe," Starsky answered as he stood, finally fully dressed, and followed Hutch from the room.
It was far too early for Lottie to have breakfasts ready, but Josh had already informed them that they fed the men three meals at camp, so they shouldn't have to work too long before eating. As they made their way out of town on foot, Starsky studied his partner's profile.
"So, how are you feeling this morning?" he asked. "How's the head?"
"Let's just say I wish I could go to the corner drugstore for some aspirin, okay?" Even that was more of an admission of pain than he usually gave, and it lit a spark in Starsky's memory.
"That's it, Hutch," he said, sounding interested if not excited. "That's who Lottie reminds me of. Remember the lady in the drugstore in Vegas? The Strangler's mother?"
Hutch thought about it for a bit, remembering the brief encounters they had had with the druggist. "Yeah, I guess she sort of does. Not that they're look-alikes, mind you. But enough to be noticeable."
"Well, I think it's more than a little," Starsky answered, beginning a little pout that always worked on the ladies, but never on his partner.
They arrived at camp after fifteen minutes of walking, the directions Josh had given them being perfect. Each man was handed an ax by a man introduced by Jason to them as Corky. Once all the men were assembled, Jason led them further on up the ridge. Jeremy, his own ax in his hand, managed to work his way over next to the newcomers.
"Hi," he said, "how's your head?"
"Just a headache left," Hutch said, smiling at the smaller man. "Where's Josh this morning?"
The question disturbed Jeremy for a reason he did not want to reveal to the men just yet. "He stayed behind to do the camp books. He does them a couple days a week."
"Ya see, Hutch," Starsky said, smiling, "you aren't the only brains in this outfit!" He turned to Jeremy in a loud stage whisper, "sometimes Hutch thinks he's the only guy in this world with an IQ over 130!"
Jeremy looked confused at the term, but figured it must be some way of measuring intelligence that he had never heard of. But Josh was smart too, and that common feature disturbed him more than anything else.
The party stopped abruptly, each pair of men choosing a large tree to work on together. Jason first giving Jeremy orders, then coldly directing Starsky and Hutch to a large birch, where both men went to work. Starsky had a difficult time with the ax, surprising him with how much harder it was than it looked. But Hutch swung the ax like he'd been born doing it, and before long, Starsky was doing his best to imitate him. They made respectable progress in the few hours, impressing Jason and Jeremy with their willingness to do the hard work. It was obvious from the men's hands that they weren't used to this kind of labor, but they were adapting to this with everything they had, earning the brothers' respect.
By the time the team broke to head back to camp for lunch, both police detectives were well on their way to developing some pretty severe blisters on their hands and sore muscles in their shoulders and arms. The five men sat at the same table to eat, with Starsky and Josh on one side and Hutch, looking more worn out than he normally would have, Jeremy, and Jason on the other. They were about half way through their meal when they all looked up at the sound of feminine giggles.
A group of unfamiliar girls were just into the woods beyond the camp, all of them carrying baskets and stopping from time to time to collect wild berries. Starsky couldn't help but notice that they did not look familiar.
"I don't remember seeing those women at the dormitory," he commented to Josh as Hutch and Jeremy continued whatever conversation they had been having. Jason sat silently, watching.
"They weren't there last night. You only met about half of the brides." He noticed Starsky peering into the woods intensely, so he started to get up. "Why don't I just ask them over and introduce you now."
"No, wait!" Starsky said, putting a hand on Josh's arm before he could really get out of his seat. "Don't do that!" The suddenness and intensity of Dave's voice froze Josh on the spot.
"Why not?" he asked, simply. "They're nice girls! Really!"
"Josh, who is that one in the front? The one with the blond hair and the turned up nose?" His insides lurched as he thought what his partner would feel if he'd seen her in the same way that Starsky had.
"Do you know her?" he said, not answering Starsky's question.
"No, there's no way we can," Starsky whispered to the man at his side. "But she looks exactly like a woman we used to know. Hutch loved her very much; it almost killed him when she died. I don't think it would be a good idea if he saw her unprepared like this. I have a feeling he's still weaker than he's letting on."
"Oh," Josh answered gently, understanding just by the distress in Starsky's voice. Apparently this woman's death had left some severe scars on Hutch's heart; ones so bad that even his friend could see them, and through him, Josh himself saw them too. "Okay, but maybe you'd better tell him tonight after work. He's bound to see her around town eventually."
"Thanks, Josh," Starsky said, smiling gratefully at the young man. Josh had the same gentle nature as his partner, and after what he'd just seen, Starsky was grateful for it.
*************************
Starsky shivered in the buckboard as they bounced back toward town from camp. Candy had come up to visit Jeremy, and had graciously offered to chauffeur the men back to Lottie's when they decided that they were not adapted enough to this environment to sleep out in this cold. It had to be somewhere in the 40's, of that much Starsky was sure. Next to him, he realized Hutch was shivering only slightly; from the look in his eyes, the brunet deduced that it was more from his body lacking the energy required than from his not being as cold as Starsky himself. Hutch looked exhausted, and he hadn't spoken since they left camp.
"Hey, are you okay?" Starsky asked, drawing the blue eyes to his own.
"Yeah, just tired. I can't remember the last time I worked so hard." But his words were belied by the shadowed look on his face.
"I wonder if you going to work this soon was a mistake. Maybe you need to rest up some more."
"Nah, I'm okay, Starsk. Just out of shape for this kind of work. It'll get better," Hutch slurred.
"Here we are!" Candy called back as she drew the wagon to a stop in front of Lottie's.
"Thanks for the ride, Candy!" Starsky called, finding himself liking this young woman more and more. She was generous and thoughtful. Starsky quickly climbed out of the back, but Candy kept her eyes on Hutch as he slowly made his way to the back of the wagon. In their own time, she would have made a terrific doctor, Starsky thought. He was just finishing that thought when Hutch planted his booted feet in the dirt next to his own, and suddenly, the tall blond was swaying.
"Ken!" Candy called.
"Hutch!" Starsky said simultaneously as his partner started to fall. A strong hand kept him in place until the spell seemed to pass. "Are you okay?" he asked again when it seemed that Hutch would stay on his feet.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just dizzy for a second." He sounded exhausted.
"Is he all right?" Candy asked, having climbed down from her driver's seat and joined them.
"I'm fine!" Hutch repeated, sounding a little stronger now. "I just stood up too fast after a long, hard day." Candy and Starsky's eyes met in mutual understanding, Starsky's trying to convey that he would look after his friend.
"Well, we'd better get inside," he said, smiling at the auburn-haired beauty. "I'll call.... I mean, I'll come and get you if we need anything." They both knew exactly what he meant, and luckily she hadn't seemed to notice his slip. Telephones wouldn't be around for some time yet.
The pair headed for the large double-doors of the saloon, Starsky realizing as he tried to stay close to Hutch that his muscles were acutely sore too. They never did things like that in New York City, nor in Los Angeles.
Hutch paused when they were fully inside, and his face brightened more than it had all afternoon. "Mmmmmmmm! Do you smell that? I'm starved!" Starsky was relieved to hear the added energy in his partner's voice.
"You wanna eat something before we go upstairs?" Starsky's stomach was growling too; it had been a long time since lunch, and they'd left camp before dinner.
"Yeah, let's do it!"
Soon they were both sitting over a nutritious and well-balanced frontier-style dinner, courtesy of Lottie's cook, chewing with all the strength they had left.
"I sure wish they'd heard of pizza here. Or maybe even a burrito?" Starsky asked, already starting to get bored with the blandness of the food. He added several shakes of salt and pepper to the plate and took another mouthful.
"I'm afraid those foods won't be introduced to the Northeast for several decades at least," Hutch muttered around a mouthful of baked potato. "Thank God," he added.
"Maybe I could make some myself! Get into the kitchen some night after it's closed, just to have a little taste of home." It was an ambitious idea with one flaw.
"Starsky," Hutch said, swallowing what was in his mouth, "do you know how to make a pizza from scratch? Or a burrito for that matter?"
"Well.... I'm sure I could figure it out. All I'd need is a bread recipe for the pizza dough, then some spaghetti sauce..."
"They don't have spaghetti sauce here. You'd have to make it from tomatoes."
"Oh.... well, I'm sure I could come up with something. Then I'd need some mozzarella cheese..."
"They have to make their own cheese here too. Do you know how to make cheese so it turns out to be mozzarella and not Swiss or American?" Hutch smiled, enjoying seeing Starsky realize that this wasn't going to be as easy as he thought.
"Guess I'll have to just wait until we get home," Starsky admitted, resigned. They went back to eating, the silence descending on the pair.
Starsky, for all his complaining, still finished his plate before Hutch did. He waited for Hutch to finish, watching all the people in the room. The sign outside said "saloon", but it was really so much more than that. He knew enough of the old West to know that women - the "good" ones anyway - would never have come into an honest-to-God saloon. But this was more a restaurant, a social hall, and an inn. People came here almost as much to eat as they did to drink, and he remembered hearing that there were rooms in the back for meetings and such.
Somewhere, peripherally, he realized that Hutch had stopped eating and turned back to broach the subject he'd been considering. Telling Hutch about the look-alike for Gillian was going to be sticky, and he had no idea how he'd react. "Awwww, Hutch," he whispered when he saw that Hutch, his plate still over a quarter full, had his head down on the table next to it, soundly asleep. In all the years he'd known him, no matter how exhausted he'd been, Hutch always had control over whether he slept or not; the only exception was when he was hurt or sick. Starsky realized that his partner wasn't fully recovered yet from his head injury, regardless of whether he would admit it or not.
Getting up, he circled around to Hutch, shaking him lightly. "C'mon, Hutch. Let's get some sleep." Hutch groaned but didn't awaken until Starsky hoisted him up by an arm around the brunet's shoulders, Starsky's circling around Hutch's waist.
"Where are we goin'?" Hutch slurred, still half asleep.
"We're goin' up to bed, ya big lummox," Starsky chuckled.
"But I'm not that kind of guy," Hutch muttered, trying for the joke.
"I know, and I'm no date, let me tell ya!" He laughed back. "I'm going to get you into bed," since you sure don't look like you can do it for yourself, he thought, "then hit the hay myself. Tomorrow's another work day, partner."
Hutch was surprisingly cooperative as Starsky got him settled into his bed, undressing the half-asleep man and watching him snuggle under the covers. "Night, Hutch," he whispered as he shut off the lights and closed the door, heading for his own room. "Sleep well."
**************************
"I know none of us is the best cook," Josh said to his brothers in their cabin that night, "but why can't we invite Dave and Hutch over for supper? I think they could use the friendship."
"Look, Josh. I just don't think it's a good idea for you, or any of us, to get too attached to them." Jason knew the argument sounded hollow, but went on anyway. "They're bound to eventually earn enough money to get home, and then you'll lose your new friends."
"It's not that big a price to pay. Besides, maybe they'll stay. If they're made to feel welcome, that is." The accent wasn't lost on his older brother.
"Not that my vote means anything," Jeremy interrupted in a surprisingly brave move against his eldest brother's wishes, "but I think we should invite them too."
"Oh, you do, do you?" Jason challenged, and Jeremy faced him squarely.
"Yes, I do! Look, all they have is each other! They need somebody to make them feel that they're not so alone, and I don't know why it can't be us!" At Jason's doubtful expression, Joshua picked up the argument again.
"They're really great guys, Jason. And no, I don't think that just because Hutch looks like me! Why don't you like them? Geez, you hardly said more than five words to them all day. Did you see them out there on the job today? Dave didn't have any idea what he was doing when he first started, but he learned quickly and worked very hard. Hutch knew what he was doing, I could tell that, but he's still being affected by his injury. But he worked himself to the bone today, too. What more can you ask of them? Thank God Candy offered to take them home, because I seriously doubt that they would have been able to walk the distance back to town."
"All right, all right!! If you want to have them over for dinner, go ahead and invite them!" While Jason could admit to himself that he really did like David, he was still very suspicious of Hutch. Maybe a little close observation of the man wouldn't hurt. Meanwhile, before then, he had to find time to check out his father's journal. Maybe all his suspicions were for nothing, but he wouldn't stop until he was sure of it.
*************************
As Starsky tucked his flannel shirt into his pants, he thought about trying to explain the girl Joshua had called "Lizzie" the day before. It was scary how much she looked like Gillian, and their luck at not running into her couldn't last for long. He stopped moving, listening for a moment, realizing there was no noise coming from next door. Hutch must still be asleep.
"Hutch!" he called as he knocked on the blond's door. He heard rustling from inside, but no real response. "Hutch, if you've got a lady in there, you'd better cover up, 'cause I'm comin' in!" He laughed as he pushed the door into the room, vaguely seeing the outline of his friend still in bed. "We're gonna be late for work if ya don't get up," he said, opening the curtains.
"Uhmmm," Hutch muttered, pushing himself to a sitting position in bed. "Didn't we just go to sleep?" He still looked tired, but not exhausted the way he had last night, and Starsky was grateful for that small improvement.
"Well, one of us has been asleep longer than the other, since he went out in the dining room last night!" Hutch smiled slightly, embarrassed, as he swung his legs out from under the covers and started to dress.
Starsky sat in the room's chair, studying his partner's movements for signs of anything amiss, but he seemed okay this morning. "What are you looking at?" Hutch asked abruptly; Starsky didn't realize he'd been staring.
"Just you, blondie. How are you feeling this morning?"
"I'm fine! A little sore, but nothing worse than how I feel after the policeman's barbecue. Why are you so worried?"
"Are you trying to deny that you had a dizzy spell yesterday? Or do you just not remember it?"
"No, I'm not denying it. I just didn't think you noticed. I mean, we were in the woods and you were on the other side of the tree and . . . ." Starsky's eyes were wide, but Hutch had no idea why. "What's wrong?"
"Hutch, I was talkin' about the spell you had yesterday, right here, outside Lottie's. Are you sayin' you had more than just that one?"
"Uh... no, of course not. It was just that one."
"Hutch, you're lying and I know it! Now tell me the truth!"
"Okay, there was another during the day. But it was only one, and it passed quickly." He pulled on his shirt, averting his eyes from the concerned dark blue ones of his partner.
"Maybe you should stay here today and I'll go to camp by myself," Starsky suggested, seeing a defiant look on the blond's face. "Don't argue with me, Hutch. Not this time."
"I'm not arguing, but I'm not staying here either. Now let's go!"
"Wait!"
Hutch drew up short, turning back to his partner. "You're not going to change my mind, Starsk."
"I know. God knows how I know! But there's something I've got to talk to you about before you go out there again."
Hutch let Starsky push him down into the chair he'd vacated. "What's going on, Starsk?" He knew that look on his friend's face, and knew it was going to be some news that could hurt.
"Do you remember the other night when we were at the dormitory?"
"Sure, of course I do. You haven't seen Biddie again, have you?" Hutch chuckled as Starsky cringed.
"No, it's not that. You see, all the girls weren't there that night, and you may run into the rest of them during the day."
"Yeah, so what. Even in this era, they're just women."
"That's right, but there's one who's....uhhhhh... different."
"What do you mean different? Starsk, could you get to the point so we can get going!"
"I guess the only way to say this is just to say it. Hutch, I've seen some of those brides, and there's one who looks just like Gillian. I didn't want you to be shocked and cut yourself with an ax when you first saw her." There was a flash of remembered pain in Hutch's eyes, quickly buried by the blond man. But he still hurt, and probably always would. Starsky knew that - could almost feel it himself. It was the empathy they shared. He placed a supporting hand on Hutch's shoulder for just a second, and the hurt ebbed some.
Hutch seemed to think for a minute, the crease between his brows working. "Well... She can't look that much like her."
"She looks as much like Gillian as you look like Josh. Just don't forget that she's not Gillian, okay? I don't think either of us can take that again."
"I'll hold up my end, don't worry." He headed again for the door, but drew back for just a second. "But thanks for the warning, partner."
Starsky smiled and he shooed the blond out of the room and downstairs for work.
*************************
Joshua and Jeremy rushed around the small cabin, tidying it up and making preparations for their guests.
"You'd better watch that supper doesn't burn," Jeremy warned his brother.
"Jeremy, when was the last time I burned a meal? It's usually Jason who does that!"
"Speaking of Jason," Jeremy wondered, "where is he? Shouldn't he be helping us with this?"
"He's shut up in his room. Guess he figures that since we wanted to do this so badly, that we should have to do all the work. I sorta can't blame him."
Behind the locked bedroom door, Jason was uncharacteristically stretched out on the bed, writing a letter. He'd just finished reading his father's journal, which had told him nothing more than his mother's had. Specifics of Joshua's birth itself were strikingly absent. Maybe Uncle Duncan could shed some light on the situation. But the more his search came up blank, the more he feared what it meant. Not that it would matter to him or Jeremy if Josh wasn't related by blood. But if somebody was going to come along and try to take Josh from his family, Jason wanted to be prepared to fight with everything he had.
Not that he necessarily thought that Hutch was the underhanded type; if he thought that, he never would have hired him or Dave. But he'd been fooled before, and he wasn't about to let a mistake cost him his younger brother.
He finally finished the letter and folded the sheets in half. He'd have to get an envelope from Ben at the store before sending it off to his uncle.
"Hey, Jason! They're gonna be here any minute! Aren't you even going to come out and be sociable?" It was Josh's voice, amazing his older brother by being soft and loud at the same time. It occurred to him that it also could just as easily have been Hutch, their voices were so similar.
"I'm coming!" he said, rising from the bed, laying the letter on his dresser, and coming into the living quarters of the small cabin. Perhaps, he thought, this dinner wasn't such a bad idea after all. A few drinks and some casual conversation, and the odd pair just might reveal more than they had so far about themselves. Dave and Hutch seemed determined not to discuss their life before Clancey picked them up. Not that that was so unusual; people came to this area of the territory just so they could get a new start.
*************************
Starsky and Hutch headed out toward the Bolts' cabin. Work seemed to have been a little easier on Hutch today, Starsky observed, as the blond didn't seem too exhausted to even walk tonight.
"You know, partner," Hutch said, looking at Starsky's newly bought clothes, "you don't clean up so bad." He laughed, his teeth sparkling in the moonlight. Both men had visited the general store earlier that evening, using their first paychecks to buy some badly-needed clothes. They'd chosen something between dressy and work clothes for this first dinner invitation in their new surroundings.
"You don't do so bad yourself, buddy," Starsky returned the compliment with an equally shining smile. They walked on, and Starsky saw the smile disappear from Hutch's face. He seemed in another world for several minutes. "Hey! Where were you?" Starsky said, drawing Hutch's attention.
"Oh, I was just thinking. Wondering what Dobey is thinking about all this."
"I'll bet he's called out the troops looking for us!" Starsky answered excitedly.
"Yeah, but they're going to have to give up eventually. They can't search for us forever!" the blond said plaintively. He and Starsky were so involved in their conversation that they almost ran into a couple who were crossing the street toward the dormitory.
"Oh!" the man said. "I'm so sorry. We didn't see you there." Hutch's eyes went from the man's face to the woman's, then became much wider. He seemed to become speechless.
"It's okay," Starsky said, picking up for his voiceless partner. "We weren't paying attention. Please forgive us." He watched the woman blush when she realized that Hutch was staring at her. "I'm sorry about my friend, Lizzie isn't it? You just look like a woman he used to know. C'mon, Hutch," he mumbled, pulling on Hutch's arm until he followed. But the light blue eyes continued to follow the blonde woman until she and her escort were on the front porch of the dormitory. "Hutch, will you stop that! I warned you about her!"
"Yeah," Hutch said, shaking his head, " but I didn't believe she could look so much like her." Even after all this time, it was difficult for Hutch to say her name. "It was just so sudden..."
"I know, buddy," Starsky said, placing a reassuring arm around the blond's shoulders, " but we've got a dinner appointment, and since it's with the bosses, we'd better not be late." They exchanged smiles, the stunned feeling receding from Hutch, and walked a little faster toward the cabin at the edge of town.
*************************
Jason's laughter overpowered all the others after Jeremy told a rather ribald joke that surprised Starsky and Hutch with its daring; the eldest brother had been surprisingly quiet all evening. Somehow, they hadn't expected the people of this era - even the men when they were in private - to be quite that risquÈ. Starsky laughed almost as loudly, realizing at the same time how strange it sounded to have the sound of Hutch's quieter laughter doubled as it resounded in his ears.
Maybe this time isn't exactly how history depicts it, he wondered, thinking of all the beautiful women he'd met since his arrival. It certainly would explain how the men here seemed so content; he felt sure he wouldn't survive for long without the physical element of his relationships with women. Was Hutch feeling as itchy as he was? It made Starsky feel better to imagine so, whether he was or not.
"Hey, guys," Hutch asked abruptly, seeming to hesitate, "in your town here, how does a man get.... I mean, how can you..." He blushed a little, and Starsky felt sure he knew what was coming; Hutch only blushed like that when the subject of women came up. "How do you get one of the ladies here to spend any time alone with you?"
All three brothers chuckled as Starsky smiled, causing the blond man to turn an even darker shade of red. "Are you thinking of one in particular," Jeremy said, trying to regain a straight face, "or just any girl at random?" The three laughed again, and Hutch was too embarrassed to admit that almost any one of them would be worth pursuing.
Starsky valiantly came to his partner's aid, saying in part what his partner wouldn't. "Does it matter? No matter which one you want to talk to, there are three or four others standing right there on top of you!"
"That sounds like you've had the same problem," Josh smiled.
"He has," Hutch volunteered, this time embarrassing his partner himself. "Only with him, it's worse."
Jason, Joshua, and Jeremy all looked at each other knowingly, and simultaneous said, "Biddie". Four of the five people at the dinner table laughed, but Starsky didn't join in.
"I don't see where it's so funny," he pouted. "I can't say two words to any of the ladies without her being right there next t'me!"
"I'm afraid there's not much you can do about Biddie," Josh volunteered, finally feeling a need to help the poor soul. "But don't fret too much. The one thing stronger than Biddie's stick-to-it-iveness is her fickle nature. She'll have forgotten you and latch onto another man soon enough."
"Thank God!" Starsky wished it was soon.
"Just so long as it's not me," Hutch added.
"Now," Jeremy began, "to answer your original question, the best way to get one of the brides alone is to go up to the dormitory doors and ask her to take a walk with you. It takes guts - what with making a spectacle of yourself and all - but it really is the only way."
"Thanks for the hint," Hutch smiled, thinking of the pretty dark-haired girl with the pony-tails. He had no intentions of being here forever, but he figured he might as well enjoy it while he was.
Starsky, for once, was not picking up on his partner's wave length, and was more than a little concerned. "You're not thinking of a certain tall blond that we've talked about, are you?" The worry was clear in his face, and Hutch was only too happy to dissuade it.
"No, I'm not. Actually, the girl I had in mind - I think her name is Peggy - she's not tall, and her hair is dark. And she's got the biggest, roundest eyes you've ever seen." He smiled as he described the young woman.
The other men smiled back, Jason and Jeremy immediately knowing the woman to whom Hutch referred. Joshua knew as well, but he didn't wear the same smile his brothers did. "You're right; her name is Peggy," he said, somewhat distractedly.
"What's the matter?" Hutch asked, worried. "Is she already.... spoken for?" It took a moment for him to choose the correct term for this era.
"No, she's not," Jeremy answered, aware of his brother's strange reaction to Hutch's affection for the girl, but not certain what was causing it. The only man Peggy had ever really seemed serious about was Josh , Jeremy thought, who didn't seem to want anything to do with courting the girl. Or did he....?
Jeremy rejoined the conversation, realizing he'd missed the last several remarks. "Just so long as neither of you set your sights on Candy," he joked, the group not realizing that he hadn't been listening all along.
"Hey, Jason," Starsky asked, deciding to change the subject. "Where are you going to hang that picture you had taken today?" He remembered the revelry as the one hundred or so men tried to squeeze close enough to get everybody into the shot. The photographer didn't seem to happy at Jason's insistence that everybody be in a single picture instead of divided into two, but since Jason was paying, the man had finally given in. Getting the picture taken was a battle between a very serious Jason and the good-natured playfulness of the loggers. Eventually, Jason's brusk manner won out as he ordered everybody into their places. Starsky couldn't say he particularly approved of the heavy-handedness the big man had used toward the workers or his brothers in the incident.
"Right here in the cabin. I've wanted to do it for a long time, but this photographer was the first one I could convince to come this far. Some day," he promised, responding to the direct question, "I'm going to get one to come here for good. Then we can have pictures taken any time we want." Jason's tone was distracted, thinking of his future dreams for the town.
The friendly conversation went on, but Jason remained distant, even though he sensed nothing malicious in Hutch's presence here. Perhaps he had no intention of trying to take Josh from his family. Maybe it really was just a coincidence that Dave and Hutch ended up in Seattle. He wasn't quite ready to blindly trust yet, but he would consider it.
"I think I could use a little fresh air," Jason said, dismissing himself from the table. "Would anybody like to join me?" Hutch and Starsky exchanged a quick glance that spoke volumes; it was the first time Jason had shown any open friendliness toward them.
"Not me!" Starsky said, smiling. I think I'm allergic to fresh air, especially when it's colder than 45 degrees!"
"How about it, Hutch?" the larger man asked. He had hoped to get some time alone with the tall blond man who looked so much like his brother. Maybe the direct approach would be the best.
"Sure. Starsky will be fine by himself if Jeremy and Josh want to come, too."
"No!" Jason said abruptly, but instantly regained his calm. "No, they've got to stay and clean up from dinner."
"Then maybe we should all help clean up," Starsky volunteered. The faster we all work on it, the faster it'll be done. Then you four can enjoy your walk."
"Jeremy and Joshua have their responsibilities," Jason said, his tone sounding more like a boss than a brother now. "They know that it's their job to clean up."
"Now wait a minute," Starsky began, jumping to the young men's defense. "Exactly when did you become the person to tell them what their responsibilities are!" He was gearing up now, and Hutch, with a restraining hand on his arm, wasn't able to stop him. "No, let me go, Hutch. I'll explode if I don't finally say something. I've been watching you bully your brothers ever since we arrived in this town, giving them orders like they're employees not partners, and now that I consider them my friends, I've got to say that I don't like it! They're grown men, not little boys for you to admonish and discipline. Maybe that's the way it was when they were younger, but it's not that way any more!"
The speech took Jason totally off-guard since, this time, his only intention was to get Hutch alone for awhile. For the moment, he was speechless. Jeremy wasn't, though.
"It's okay, Dave. Really! We're used to it now - it's always been like this."
"Starsky." Hutch's soft voice calmed his partner right away. The blue eyes met, communicating silently. Let it go, they said to his partner.
"But Hutch...." Starsky tried again, his eyes not straying from Hutch's. What Hutch began, Joshua finished.
"Come on, Dave. You can help us clean up while those two 'big brother' types get their air." He and Jeremy pulled the brunet by the arm, and Starsky went grudgingly along, thinking to himself that he wasn't done dealing with Jason.
Outside, Jason leaned up against the fence, studying Hutch. "I suppose by now you've figured out that I wanted to talk to you alone." It wasn't a question, and Hutch didn't really take it as one. But it did merit comment.
"Yeah, I did sense that. Are we fired because of what Starsky...I mean, Dave... said?"
"No, of course not. If I fired every man on my crew who had the courage to speak up when he had something to say, I wouldn't have a crewman left. Actually, I wanted to talk to you about Josh."
"About Josh?" Hutch repeated back to the slightly taller man. "I haven't known him very long. What can I tell you about your own brother that you don't already know?"
"I guess I should have phrased that a little differently, then," Jason responded. It's not just Josh I want to know about. It's you and Josh."
"Meaning how much we look alike?"
"Well, that's part of it. It's more a matter of what you plan on doing about it."
"I'm afraid I don't understand," Hutch told him. It occurred to him that he and Jason were about the same age, both around seven years old than Josh.
"Okay, I'm just going to ask straight out, and hope that you are the honest man I think you are and will answer me truthfully. Did you come to Seattle just because of Josh? Do you intend to take him with you when you leave?"
The answer took Hutch very much aback and for a moment, he couldn't even make his mouth move. Was this the reason Jason had been more distant than his brothers? Was he feeling that his family was threatened?
Finally, he found his voice. "No, Jason. We did not come to Seattle intentionally at all; it was an accident, exactly as Clancey described. And nobody was more surprised than I was when I saw your brother for the first time."
"And when you go?" Jason felt he had to know, and the previous answer had given him the impression that Hutch was being honest.
"When we finally figure out how we're going to get home, Dave and I will leave. Alone. I can't control what Josh does with his life, and if he chooses to go to Los Angeles too, that's entirely up to him, but I have no intention of encouraging him.
"Thank you," Jason said, storing every word of the conversation in his memory to think over later. He still wasn't totally sure he trusted Hutch - he'd been fooled before by underhanded men - but he'd drop it for now.
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