"I know, Joshua. I know." The two brothers were going over the Jason's numbers. They had been awarded a sizeable contract out of Olympia. It was the first big contract that the brothers had received and they were anxious to fill it on time. Jason had hired Olaf Gufstafson a few months earlier to help out on another, smaller contract. They'd picked up a couple of other loggers since then, but Jason was reluctant to hire anyone else.

"Why won't you hire more men? According to these numbers,we're going to need at least eight men to get this job done."

"Joshua, I know. I'm just concerned that after this contract, there won't be another one for a while. I don't want to be responsible for too many men being out of work."

Joshua couldn't help grinning, despite the seriousness of the situation. It was the rare event when he could use one of Jason's favorite conversation tricks. "Well, Jason, what do you suggest we do about it?"

Jason looked at his brother and all of the sudden smiled when he realized why Joshua had said what he did. "I suppose we'll just have to keep bidding on contracts and winning them. Now, about getting some extra men..."

They discussed the needs of the logging camp for a while. One of their biggest drawbacks was the fact that none of the loggers Jason had hired was familiar with the trails around Bridal Veil Mountain.

"I suppose that in between contracts, we'll need to start improving the trails and building a road down to the mill," Jason thought aloud. "We'll have to either do that ourselves or pay some of the men to help."

The brothers were quiet for a few minutes while they looked over their plans and the numbers they had calculated.

"The hardest thing is that only the two of us knowing our way around the mountain. We're going to need someone familiar with the trails with each group of men, in case of an emergency." Jason paused because he couldn't think of any of the loggers as being the sort that would want to learn the trails. He looked over at Joshua, "Who would you say would be the best person to be our expert trailsman?"

"Jeremy," replied Joshua, without hesitation.

Jason arched an eyebrow at Joshua and didn't reply for a moment. Finally, he said, "you know, you're right."

ooo

"I don't think it's a good idea, Jason," Lottie said.

"Well, Lottie, I don't know what else to do. There's not much for him to do down here in town." Jason paused and started to take a sip of his beer. He seemed to make up his mind suddenly and set the glass down hard on the table. "He gets nervous down here. Whenever he's up at the camp, he seems to relax more. I think he belongs up there with us, Lottie. I really do."

"But what is he going to do up there all day? He's too small to do any logging. And the men, Jason.... He's not ready for the men! They're rough, Jason—how is he going to handle that? That one logger—why, he's at least twice the size of Jeremy!"

Jason looked amused. "Who? Big Swede? Nah, he wouldn't hurt a fly.

Lottie knew that Jason wasn't really asking her advice or permission to take Jeremy up to the logging camp. He was letting her know what he'd already decided to do. But she also knew that even if he was too stubborn to take her advice, he would think about what she said.

"Jason," she said as she poured him another beer, "if it doesn't work out..., if Jeremy's not ready for this, what are you going to do? He'll never admit it's too hard for him."

Jason didn't answer immediately, so Lottie knew her point was taken.

"We'll just have to look after him, Lottie. Just as we do now."

ooo

Jeremy was nervous and excited all at the same time. He'd awakened early and was aware that his brothers were enjoying watching him get ready to go to camp with them. Normally, this would embarrass him and make him even more nervous, but all he could do was grin. He tried to act nonchalant, but it wasn't working; the grin just kept coming back.

He cleaned up and went over to the mirror to fix his hair. In the mirror, he caught Joshua smiling broadly at him and some of his nervousness faded when he realized his brothers were excited, too. Jeremy turned and smiled back at Joshua and Jason.

"It looks kind of cloudy out there", Jason said as he opened the door of the cabin. "Maybe we ought not go up to the mountain today if it's going to rain." He winked at Joshua.

Jeremy looked crestfallen, but followed his brother outside to look at the sky. "Those are the bluest s-skies, I've ever s-seen, Jason," he remarked. It took him a moment to realize that his brother was teasing him, and he smiled a bit self-consciously.

Jason threw his arm around Jeremy, and the two of them walked toward the stable. Joshua came out of the house a moment later and caught up with them. He threw an arm around Jeremy, too.

As the brothers walked companionably together, Jason knew that deciding to bring Jeremy up to the camp was the right thing for all of them.

ooo

Jason didn't want to overwhelm Jeremy too much the first day, so rather than take his brother around, introducing him to everyone, he waited to introduce each of the men when they came over in the regular course of business.

As he suspected would happen, Jeremy remained by either his or Joshua's side most of the morning and hardly spoke. Jason patiently explained everything that was going on. Jeremy seemed interested, but would gaze around nervously to make sure nobody heard him when he spoke.

"What's my j-job g-going to-to be?" he asked after Jason had shown him the entire camp and had explained to him all of the steps involved in felling a tree and preparing it for the mill.

"Well, you're going to have several jobs. Most days, you will be a 'trimmer'," Jason said, quickly making up a name for the task that he and Joshua had invented the previous day. "After we cut a tree down, there are still lots of branches that need to be cut off to make it easier to drag to the mill. You'll be responsible for cutting all of those branches off and stacking them into woodpiles. We'll tie them up and sell them as firewood and kindling to the townspeople."

Jason paused to check Jeremy's reaction. His brother seemed to be satisfied with this role, so Jason continued as they started walking past a couple of loggers who were taking a break to drink some coffee.

"You'll also be responsible for planting new trees. Two new ones for each tree cut down."

One of the loggers looked up curiously. "Ain't never heard of that job before," he commented.

Jeremy looked a bit suspiciously at Jason—were these jobs just being made up for him, because he was too small for a real job?

Jason quickly responded to Butch, "that's probably because you worked at one of those smaller camps—only the really big lumber operations....., or the really good ones, take the time to replant the trees." He walked quickly away from the men, not giving them a chance to object.

"And, Jeremy, your other job will be to help show the men their way around the mountain. You'll be sort of a scout." Jason had been building up to the real reason that Jeremy was there.

"Jason! I c-can't d-do that. I c-can't s-speak right. They w-won't l-listen to me!" Jeremy's eyes grew big with fear.

Jason gripped Jeremy by the shoulders and said, "Jeremy! You know the mountain better than anybody. We need you, Jeremy. No one else can do it."

Jeremy looked away from Jason as he tried to comprehend the request. It was true that he did know the mountain better than anyone except, perhaps his brothers, but the prospect of guiding people around the mountain was intimidating to him.

Joshua was standing within earshot and was watching Jeremy's reaction. He and Jason exchanged glances. Jason went to pour himself a cup of coffee. Joshua walked over to Jeremy and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Jeremy," he said quietly, "the only way we'll be able to get the logging camp going is if you help us. There's too much to do for Jason and me to do it alone. The men that Jason hired...they're all loggers. But it's our mountain, Jeremy. Do you know what we need to do to make this a real logging camp?"

Jeremy looked up at him, and it was obvious to Joshua that his brother didn't really care what needed to be done; he was still too worried about having to talk with the loggers. He looked terrified. Joshua stopped talking and looked back at Jason to see if Jason would take over. Jason looked pensive and wasn't watching.

"Jeremy," Joshua started again, "we're going to need to build some roads and probably a flume down to the river."

Jason set his coffee cup down and approached his brothers. He put an arm around each of them. "Brothers," he paused, "it's going to take all three of us to make this work." He looked down at Jeremy and said, "Jeremy, we need someone to get a contract with either Stempel's mill or another mill. We also need someone to keep account of how many trees are cut and figure out the best way to get them to that mill. And we need someone to figure out where the best place will be to cut down the next trees." Jeremy nodded and Jason continued, "None of those jobs are ones for the loggers to do..."

Jeremy could see what Jason was getting at, but he didn't like it.

"Which job would you like to do?"

Jeremy didn't answer. Jason hadn't expected him to. He looked at his little brother and tried to decide if Jeremy's silence was because he was afraid to answer or because he had resigned himself to doing it. It troubled Jason whenever Jeremy got nervous like this. He never knew whether it was better to push him into the situation or let him wait until he was ready. While Jason couldn't anticipate any problems sending Jeremy off with Big Swede, he knew that Jeremy's fears could easily get the better of him. Still, he needed to send somebody....

Jason headed over to where the men were working. Joshua rested his hand on Jeremy's shoulder as they watched Jason talk to Big Swede, and wondered whether he'd made a mistake volunteering Jeremy. His little brother could be so shy at times.

Jeremy suddenly pulled away from Joshua and setting his shoulders back, he walked—no, strode—over to Jason and the tall Swedish logger. Joshua smiled. Jeremy looked comical the way he was walking. It must have looked ludricous to anyone watching, especially when Jeremy stood slightly behind Jason and he adopted his brother's same confidant stance, but to Joshua it was a sign of Jeremy's determination to succeed.

ooo

"I almost volunteered to go with them," said Joshua to Jason, as they watched their brother ride off with Big Swede, "but then, when Jeremy went down to meet Swede, I knew he could handle it."

Jason said, "He'll do fine, Joshua. We have to give him the chance." Jason seemed distracted, and Joshua knew his brother was concerned about just how well Jeremy was managing. He decided that Jason was like Jeremy sometimes when he tried not to let his worries show. Neither Jeremy nor Jason were very successful in that respect.

ooo

Olaf Gufstafson and Jeremy rode their horses where it was passable and walked where it was less passable to the three stands of trees that Jason had wanted Jeremy to show the big Swede. The Swedish logger wasn't much of a conversationalist; his skills were in his strength as a logger. If he'd harbored any doubts about being shown around the mountain by a mere slip of a boy, he would never think to voice them. Ever since he'd met Jason Bolt at the logging camp in Everett, he'd been impressed by the man. If Jason Bolt told him to follow his brother around the mountain, then Olaf Gufstafson would do exactly that.

For his part, Jeremy was grateful for the silence. He had been nervous about what he could say and whether he would be able to say anything. As the afternoon progressed, Jeremy began to relax.

ooo

Jeremy and Olaf Gufstafason returned to the camp later that evening. The big Swede was impressed by the size and variety of trees on the mountain and suggested to Jason that they plan a permanent camp near the northern ridge of the mountain.

As Jason and the tall logger were busy discussing the plans, Joshua and Jeremy took the horses to water them and tie them up for the night. Joshua could tell by looking at Jeremy that his day had gone well. There was a look of confidence and quiet pride on his younger brother's face.

Jeremy's confidence continued to grow over the next few months at the camp. He didn't talk much, but he lost the sadness that had been such a part of him for so long. The work was very physically demanding and didn't allow him much time to think. At nighttime, he would roll into bed exhausted and sleep soundly until morning.

If he wasn't completely accepted as one of the men, he wasn't ignored either. The loggers respected his ability to navigate his way about the mountain and enjoyed watching how seriously he took his trimming and replanting jobs. For their part, the loggers took pains to be careful with the language that they used around the boy. Truth of the matter was, they all were feeling pretty paternal toward Jeremy and watched out for him.

The only time Jeremy's shyness seemed to get the better of him was in the evenings after dinner. While it was possible for the men to walk into town for a drink at the saloon, they were trying to meet a tight schedule and were too tired to go anywhere at the end of the day. So, most evenings, all of the loggers sat around a bonfire and told stories, played checkers or cards and just relaxed. It was in this informal gathering, that Jeremy felt most uncomfortable. He would sit next to Jason and listen quietly to the men. He wanted to join in, but didn't trust himself to speak.

Jason encouraged Joshua to bring his guitar up to camp, and Joshua picked out tunes on it every evening while listening to the men tell their stories. Several of them had originally come from the east coast via San Francisco in search of gold. Most of the gold was long gone, and whether it was the cost of living or the fires that had driven them out, many of them had headed up the coast in search of work. A few had left families behind. Each man had a story to tell of a life that was different from anything Joshua could ever imagine. Their stories of San Francisco and the cities to the east intrigued Joshua. His own life seemed boring by comparison. What was it that Adeline had called it? Wanderlust? Maybe he had some of that after all.

He wondered how Adeline was doing and was surprised that he still missed her. He no longer imagined them married, but he missed the feeling of holding her in his arms and the way she seemed to smile only for him. He wondered if Jason had ever felt that way about a girl.

If seemed strange to Joshua that he could be in a group of people who were all talking and laughing together and still be alone. He looked over and caught Jeremy's eye, realizing that Jeremy also felt lonely. Jeremy smiled back self-consciously and seemed to slip back further behind Jason.

ooo

Immediately on the heels of the big contract that they'd been working on, came an even bigger one out of San Francisco. San Francisco needed pilings—unmilled logs—as many as possible and as quickly as possible. It wasn't like the big demands of a decade earlier, when San Francisco experienced its many great fires, but for the little logging camp just getting started, it was its biggest opportunity yet. Jason saw this as a chance to clear a way for a road into the town. But to do so, they needed more men.

When Jason mentioned to the men that he would be keeping them on if they were interested and that he needed more men, they all agreed to stay. A couple of the loggers recommended their friends from other camps for jobs and Jason was able to pick up some experienced loggers.

ooo

"And I say, a loggin' camp ain't a nursery."

Jason and Joshua were coming up the hill when they caught the tail end of the conversation. They could see one of the new loggers, Corky, trying to signal the other logger to keep quiet, but the other logger was too caught up in what he was saying to care.

"That fair-haired brother of his is just a mite damp behind the ears. But that wee little one—Jason ought to throw that one back to the sea until he's big enough to handle an axe."

Jason walked slowly and angrily toward the logger that had been complaining. He stood closer to the man than he usually would, forcing the logger to look up at him. Jason didn't speak immediately; he wanted the logger to have a moment to worry about what he was going to say.

Joshua looked for Jeremy. Fortunately, his little brother didn't appear to be around.

"Why don't you talk to me about your concerns?" Jason said.

Franco leaned back a bit and glared at Jason. Rather than back down, he seemed to gain strength from Jason's challenge. Jason was in control of the situation, however, and leaned toward Franco a bit, forcing him to take a step back.

"A logging camp ain't no place for a kid. Your brother's liable to get hurt." Franco stared Jason in the eye.

Joshua suddenly saw Jeremy out of the corner of his eye. Jeremy had been smiling upon seeing his brothers, but his smile faded when he overheard Franco's comment. Joshua wanted to get Jeremy out of the way, but couldn't tear himself away from what was going on.

"The name of this organization is Bolt Brothers," said Jason, emphasizing the 's' in 'Brothers'. That means that you are working for not only me, but my two brothers as well. Kid or not, he is your boss."

"Boss or not, he is still just a kid," said Franco, getting the last word in. He walked away, swinging his axe angrily in his hand.

Corky looked apologetically at Jason. He had noticed Jeremy's arrival. Embarrassed, he walked away, leaving the three brothers alone together.

ooo

"I want to ch-chop down a tree," Jeremy announced.

Jason shook his head.

It was customary for new loggers to show their abilities by chopping their first tree down by themselves. Sometimes, the rest of the loggers would harass the new logger, making the task more difficult for them. Jason wanted to avoid any possiblity of Jeremy getting teased.

Joshua understood,though. He had avoided the logger's hazing simply by already being with Jason when they had hired the other loggers. But if Jeremy thought he would be "one of the men" by chopping down a tree by himself, then Joshua felt that Jason should allow him to do so.

"Why not?" Joshua asked.

Jason looked at Joshua in surprise. This is the first time since their father had died that either of his brothers had questioned a decision Jason had made. Jason wasn't immediately sure how to respond to Joshua, especially in front of Jeremy. And as for Jeremy, his face was a mixture of hope and determination.

"I call for a family vote," Joshua said, knowing that his would be the deciding vote.

"There are times that a family vote doesn't apply," Jason responded. "I am in charge of the logging camp...." He paused, then added, "and this is one of those times."

"Then how c-c-come you t-told F-franco that we-we are all in charge, J-Jason?" Jeremy looked downright defiant.

Joshua was pleased that Jeremy spoke up, despite the look of dismay on Jason's face. Maybe if Jason wasn't so overprotective of Jeremy, it would give him a chance to grow up more. He knew it would be hard for Jason to give in on this one and wondered if he knew the difference between being a parent and being a brother.

Jason shrugged his shoulders and handed Jeremy an axe. "You don't have to do it today, Jeremy."

"Yes, I do." Jeremy accepted the axe as if it were a sword and he was a knight going off into battle.

Jason put his hand on Jeremy's shoulder and seemed to look into his very soul. "As long as you are doing it for yourself."

ooo

It was typical for the loggers to pick out the hazing tree to be one that the average man would take most of a day to cut down. Jason and Joshua both helped Jeremy pick out his first tree. They settled on a fairly thick tree that would take him at least a day to cut. It was within view of where the rest of the loggers were working, but Jason hoped far enough away to avoid the other loggers from harassing Jeremy.

"Hold the axe like this," Jason coached him. He demonstrated for Jeremy with his own axe. "Then, you want swing it this way." He swung the axe easily and levelly.

Jeremy nodded and went over to the tree. He picked up the axe and swung the blade into the tree. The blade stuck. He struggled a bit to pull it out.

"You'll need to twist the axe a bit with each swing, Jeremy. It'll make a wedge shape so that you can pull it out better." Jason stepped closer to Jeremy and started to reach out to help his brother, but pulled back; Jeremy had to do this on his own.

Jeremy frowned and moved to get a better grip on the axe with both hands. He pulled it out and swung again. This time the axeblade did not get stuck and he was able to pull it out and strike the tree again.

By now the other loggers had noticed what was going on and had started over to watch. Jason and Joshua stood by, watching Jeremy swing the axe back and forth.

"Not so hard, Jeremy," Joshua said. "You'll tire yourself out too fast."

Jeremy didn't respond; he was too busy chopping, but he did shorten his swings a bit.

"What's this?" said one of the men. "Looks like we've got a new logger!"

"Yeah, he's trying to chop that tree down to his size!"

Jeremy ignored their comments. The axe was heavy for him. Although he had split logs for the fire before, the sideways swing for cutting a tree was new to him. He could feel the blade wobble a bit each time he swung it too far. He was trying to cut the wedge the way that Jason had recommended. The last thing he wanted to happen was for the blade to get stuck in the tree again with all the men watching.

The loggers watched for a bit and started taking bets on how long it would take Jeremy to fell the tree. Joshua was relieved that they didn't seem inclined to continue commenting on Jeremy's technique—even if Jeremy didn't respond to them, he knew that his younger brother was listening to every word being said.

Corky placed his bet with Butch, taking an hour off the least time bet so far. Joshua figured that Corky was still embarrassed over being caught earlier with Franco discussing Jeremy's skill as a logger. As he paid his bet, he stepped closer to Jeremy and wished him luck, before heading back to work.

The other loggers followed Corky's cue in wishing Jeremy luck—all except Franco, who stood by stone-faced.

"You going to make a bet, Franco?" Butch called out when all the other loggers had placed bets.

"No. I don't bet on kids."

Jason looked at Franco who turned and went to where the coffee pot was kept brewing. He poured himself a cup and drank it slowly watching Jason the whole time. Joshua wondered why Franco was deliberately antagonizing Jason.

"Who's going to keep an eye on things to make sure that this kid doesn't get any help from his brothers?" Franco said loudly.

"C'mon, Franco. Jason Bolt is an honest man," said Butch. "And besides, we can all watch from where we're working. Let's get back to work."

Franco glared, but he'd planted a seed of doubt in Butch's mind, which had been his objective. He poured the rest of his coffee on the ground and followed Butch back to the where the rest of the loggers were working.

Joshua waited until the men were out of earshot before asking Jason, "what makes people like that?"

"I don't know, Joshua. He sure seems set out to prove something, though."

They stood watching Jeremy for a bit. He was already beginning to tire out; his swings were getting slower.

Jason called over to Jeremy and waited for him to stop. Then he went over and took the axe from him. "You're holding it too tight. Hold it this way. Otherwise, you're going to be really sore." He stood behind Jeremy and held the axe in his brother's hands, demonstrating, but being careful to stand far enough from the tree that the loggers would be able to see he wasn't helping.

ooo

It started drizzling lightly a couple of hours later. Joshua had taken a count of the number of trees cut so far that day—they had nearly reached the limit of what they could transport down to the mill. He made some fresh coffee for the men.

Jason had probably accomplished less than anyone that afternoon. He'd managed to find more reasons to cross over near where Jeremy was swinging the axe.

"You'll wear a path if you go past there any more," Joshua teased him.

His brother looked at him in surprise. Joshua laughed—how could anyone not notice how often Jason was checking on Jeremy?

"I made some coffee. I figured it was time for the men to take a break."

"Right, Josh. Why don't you go tell them."

Jason watched Jeremy. "I haven't seen him pause once all day."

"He's pretty determined, isn't he?" Joshua agreed as he stopped to stand next to Jason.

"Yeah, I'm concerned. He's got a long way to go yet."

"The break will do him good."

Joshua headed up to where most of the loggers were working. "Coffee break!" he called.

ooo

The loggers were grateful to take a break. They laid their axes, saws and other tools down and trudged over to where the coffee was. The drizzle had turned to rain and they gathered under a tent with open sides.

Joshua headed over to Jeremy. "Ready for a break?" he asked.

Jeremy shook his head and continued swinging. Joshua could tell that his brother was past the point of needing a break. He looked exhausted.

"It's coffee. You'll feel better. It'll take the chill off of you."

Jeremy didn't answer, except to swing the axe harder.

"Jeremy! You need to stop for while. I can't leave you up here alone." Joshua had never seen Jeremy so absorbed in what he was doing before. For a moment, he thought he would have to get someone to take the axe out of his brother's hands to make him stop swinging, but finally Jeremy stopped. He set the axe down and seemed frozen in place for a moment.

"It's all right, Jeremy. It's just a break," Joshua said as he put his arm around Jeremy and walked over to where the other men were. He caught Jason's look of concern as they passed him.

Jeremy hesitated as they reached the group of men crowding around the coffee pot. Joshua pushed Jeremy through the group and held out their cups for some coffee. Jeremy started to shiver. He took his cup from Joshua and stood holding it, staring into it.

"How's it going, Jeremy?" Corky asked him.

"Glad to see your brothers gave you a break," Butch chimed in.

"You're doin' a good job...

"Don't think I got so far with my first tree that quick."

The men gathered around Jeremy, commenting, offering encouragement and patting him on the back. At first, Jeremy looked the men and seemed ready to respond, but then he seemed to tense up. Joshua could tell he was starting to panic. He looked for a way out and grabbing Jeremy, pushed past the men towards their tent. The rain was pouring harder now, but Jeremy moved slowly, apparently oblivious to it.

"Are you all right, Jeremy?" Joshua asked him when they'd gotten out of earshot of the loggers. Jeremy looked up at Joshua. He looked like he was about to cry. Before Joshua could say or do anything, he ran into the tent that he shared with his brothers.

Joshua started to run after him, but Jason grabbed him by the arm.

"Leave him be," Jason cautioned.

The two brothers looked at each other and Joshua felt a mixture of guilt and relief. He couldn't tell if Jason was mad at him, but he was relieved that his brother was taking charge. After a moment, Jason released his grip on Joshua. He half expected Jason to yell at him.

Jason didn't. He also didn't move toward the tent to check on Jeremy, but remained standing in the rain by the tent flap. Joshua was tempted to ignore Jason and check on Jeremy himself. He must have moved in that direction because Jason started to block him.

"I said, leave him be." Then more gently, Jason said, "I'll talk to him."

Joshua was torn. He knew Jason wouldn't check on Jeremy until he was sure that Joshua was all right. He knew that he should go back to the men before they started wondering what was going on.

"Jason?" Joshua wanted Jason to reassure him that things would work out, but he knew if he put his concern into words it would make the problem real.

There were times that it bothered him that Jason could read him so well, but right now he was glad. Jason came over and gave him a reassuring pat on the back.

"He'll be fine, Josh. I think he's just a bit overwhelmed. The rain is starting to really come down now, and I think the men could use a break. Why don't you go back and tell them to take the rest of the day off?"

Joshua nodded. He hoped that the men didn't think they were getting the day off because of Jeremy...

ooo

Jason entered the tent with some trepidation. Jeremy was seated on his cot, but at the far end of it. His shoulders were slumped and he was staring down at his hands.

"Jeremy?" Jason almost whispered. He didn't want to startle his brother. There were some matches laying on the table, which he used to strike a light in the lantern. It didn't make the tent much brighter, but he could see things better. Jeremy didn't look like he was crying, but it was hard to tell. He sat down on the cot behind Jeremy and waited for a response.

They sat there quietly together in the half-darkness. Outside, they could hear the voices of the men, delighted to be given the rest of the day off. There were clanking sounds as the tools were deposited in the supply tent. Occasionally, one of the men's voices could be heard over the others. Mostly it was concern over whether Lottie would have enough whiskey to handle them, but through the buzz of social worries, Jason could hear concerns mounting over Jeremy's tree and the men's bets.

"Who's going to make sure that Jason doesn't cut the tree down for him?", Franco said.

There was a clamor of voices and then another voice, possibly Swede's could be heard. "There's nothing that says the tree has to be cut down in one day."

Apparently the other loggers agreed with that, because the voices drifted off without any further outbursts as the men headed into town.

Jason waited until he couldn't hear any more sounds from outside. Jeremy had not looked up since Jason had entered the tent. Jason massaged Jeremy's shoulders as he talked to his brother softly.

"You must be sore. You did a lot of work today. You'll be even stiffer tomorrow if you stay hunched over that way. Why don't you stretch out?"

Jeremy shook his head no.

"Do you want to talk about it? What happened over there with the men?"

There was a long pause. Jason didn't know if Jeremy was going to answer.

"J-jason..." A deep breath. "I-I d-don't know what to s-say..."

Jason was puzzled for a moment, but then Jeremy continued.

"I d-don't know what to s-say to the other m-men when they t-talk-talk to me."

Jason sighed quietly to himself. Jeremy looked over at him to see his reaction.

"Jeremy, I think you need rest. It's been a long day and morning comes early. Did you have some supper?" If Jeremy was disappointed in his brother's response, he didn't show it. He bent down to pull off a boot and made a face as his stiffened muscles reacted to the new movement.

"Let me get that for you." Jason helped Jeremy off with his boots and helped him shift around in the cot. Jason tucked him in and said, "I'm going to boil some water. You're going to need some moist heat across your neck and shoulders tonight." Jeremy nodded and Jason went out of the tent to get some water.

ooo

Jason crossed over to the open tent area where the fire was still burning with its constant pot of coffee. He was surprised to see Franco there, stirring a pot of stew. Joshua was strumming his guitar, but stopped when Jason came in. Nobody spoke, although Joshua tried to signal to Jason that he didn't know why the logger had remained behind.

"How's Jeremy?", Joshua asked.

"Fine. Tired. He'll be fine," Jason tried to say reassuringly. He poured the water from the bucket he carried into a kettle and placed it on the spit across the fire.

Franco,who had gotten out of Jason's way when he'd approached the fire, returned carrying some plates. He silently scooped the stew out of the pot and offered a plate to Jason, who accepted. Franco scooped out two more servings and handed Joshua a plate before sitting down with his own.

The three men ate without speaking. It was the first time since Jason had hired Franco Darcy that he'd had a chance to study the man. He was probably not more than ten years older than Jason, but he looked even older. There was a toughness about him, as if he'd fought hard to survive and no longer trusted anyone. Jason decided that the logger must have had a hard life; when he didn't look angry, he looked almost beaten. By contrast, he dressed better than most of the other loggers and took pride in his appearance. The combination of the anger and his clothing made Franco come across as arrogant, Jason thought.

But it was his hands that were the greatest mystery. Franco almost always wore leather gloves. The gloves were expensive, with a diamond pattern on the back of each one. Although Jason had noticed Franco take the gloves off occasionally, he'd never looked at his hands before. The skin on his hands was rough and red—scarred; it looked as if they'd been burned. Jason wondered if Franco wore the gloves to protect his hands or if he wore them to avoid questions.

The two men looked at each other from time to time, studying each other like wild animals getting ready to leap at their prey. They each expected the other to give in and speak, but neither did. For Joshua, it was a very uncomfortable situation.

The kettle started to boil, so Jason set his plate down and lifted the kettle off of the spit with the safety tongs. He grabbed a cloth and wrapped it around its handle.

"Josh, I'll be back in a bit," he said as he headed off back to the tent.

ooo

"I had a younger brother once," said Franco, after Jason had left.

"What happened?" asked Joshua. He wasn't really interested in what Franco had to say, but was merely being polite. He rinsed their plates while they were talking.

"Got killed."

Joshua stopped and looked at Franco. "How?"

"Logging accident..." For a moment the bitterness that was normally in Franco's eyes was replaced by a different look, a look of reflective happiness. "He was the kid brother. Most of our family died on the way to California. Typhoid. My dad had had dreams of becoming rich off of the San Francisco Gold Rush." He laughed to himself. "I don't think my mother really cared. She just wanted to be with him, no matter where he went, no matter what foolish schemes he made."

"I'm sorry."

Franco looked startled at Joshua's response. His thoughts had been of a long ago past. He stiffened.

"No need. It happened long ago."

"How did your brother die?"

"It was an accident....just an accident." Franco's voice was gruff with emotion. He picked up his leather work gloves and quickly strode out into the rain.

Joshua looked after him curiously. Had Franco been on the verge of telling what it was that made him always seem so angry?

ooo

Jeremy was sleeping when Joshua entered the tent. Jason was reviewing the day's figures at the table in middle of the tent.

Joshua placed a cup of coffee for Jason onto the table and sat down on his cot facing his brother across the table . He stuffed the guitar under his cot.

"I'm sorry," he apologized.

Jason looked up at him, and closed the accounting book. "For what?"

"For pushing Jeremy into this. I should never have insisted on the family vote, Jason."

"Now, Joshua, you did what you thought was best. And I'm not sure that you were wrong."

"But, if I hadn't encouraged him..."

"If you hadn't encouraged him, he'd never have taken a chance."

"But, look at what happened! He got so upset."

"He was overwhelmed. There's a difference. He didn't give up on the tree, Joshua. He got scared with everybody talking to him all at once."

Joshua looked at Jason in surprise. "But why, Jason? He seems pretty comfortable with the loggers—he's been hanging around with them for months."

Jason reached for his cup. He could understand what happened, but wasn't sure how to explain it to Joshua. Jeremy had "hung around" with the loggers—he'd followed them around, brought them coffee, watched them, but today he was trying to cross the boundary between being "the kid" and, well..., being a man. Jason looked over at Jeremy as he had done so several times that day and thought about how his little brother must dream of growing up and outgrowing some of the impediments that colored his life so much. It was a new way of looking at Jeremy, and Jason had been trying to view him that way all day.

"It's hard for him, Joshua. He wants to fit in with the men and he wants to be just like them. When he tries to talk and can't, he panics."

Joshua didn't look at Jason. It embarrassed him when they spoke about Jeremy's stuttering and his shyness. He understood what Jason was telling him, and knew that he was probably right. The talk about fitting in hit made him uncomfortable, too, since he felt the same way many times.

"Jason?" Joshua decided to change the subject, "do you think we should have picked a smaller tree for Jeremy?"

Jason smiled at him. The choice of a tree had been the least of their worries that day—it had been the highlight, actually. "Do you think he would have accepted anything less?"

"No," Joshua said with a laugh. Jeremy wouldn't accept anything less than what was expected of the other men.

ooo

Jeremy awoke after his brothers the following morning. He was stiff, but felt well-rested. He shifted to a sitting up position and was pleased to see that he wasn't as sore as he'd been the previous evening. Looking about, he noticed that Jason had moved his boots to their place at the end of the cot. He pulled them on and stood up.

Through the tent flap, he couldn't see anyone. He must have overslept and everyone had started work already!

Jeremy splashed his face clean with water out of the bowl in the corner of the tent. His neck still felt a bit stiff, but that could just be from sleep. He rubbed it and stretched a bit to loosen up his muscles. Then he headed outside and over to the supply tent, where he found the axe he'd used the previous day. Jason was sharpening several axe blades just past the tent and Jeremy decided not to bother him.

As Jeremy headed over to his tree, he took in the clear blue skies and the earthy smell from last afternoon's rain. The sun was shining brightly, but the autumn air was crisp and cool.

He was puzzled by the inactivity in the camp. Maybe the men had gone up to the ridge already? That seemed odd; he could still see the unfinished work from the day before. Would Jason have sent them on before they'd completed their task at this location?

No matter. He knew what he had to do. He gripped the axe and lifted it to make the first swing.

"You shouldn't be up here by yourself, boy."

Jeremy turned and saw Franco. He must have been in the vicinity because he was leaning against a tree with his arms folded. Jeremy found himself angry at Franco for disturbing him.

"I'm n-not alone if you're here!"

"But you still shouldn't be up here."

"Why not?" asked Jason, appearing from behind the tent.

Franco didn't answer. Jason placed himself between Franco and Jeremy. "I thought we went through this yesterday."

"We did. I still don't think a kid his size belongs up here."

The two men glared at each other. Jeremy stood back resting his hands on the end of the axe, the axeblade on the ground. The tension between the Jason and Franco seemed to grow in the silence and Jeremy was waiting to see who would strike the first blow.

Just when he couldn't imagine that his brother would be able to stand still any longer without taking action, Franco stepped back. As he turned to go away, he gave Jason an appraising look and said, "I just don't want to see you or your brother get hurt." He strode angrily away, nearly bumping into Joshua who had caught sight of the standoff from further down the hill and was coming up to investigate.

Jeremy was standing next to Jason and the two of them wore puzzled expressions when Joshua joined them.

"Was he threatening us, Jason?" Jeremy asked. So far, nothing made sense to him today.

"No, I don't think so. The words could have been a threat, but not the way he said them."

"He said something last night about having a kid brother that died in a logging accident," Joshua said.

"I think we need to do some checking up on Franco," Jason said, appearing thoughtful. That decision made, he turned to face Jeremy, "In the meantime, you shouldn't be up here by yourself. Franco was right about that—it isn't safe. You and Josh take the morning off. The rest of the loggers should be coming up from town in an hour or so." He turned to Joshua, "think you can handle things then? We need to get the rest of the marked trees cut and loaded. If it looks like we're close to finishing this stand of trees today, I want to start breaking up camp and heading up to the ridge."

"What are you going to do?" Joshua asked him.

"I'm going to head into town and see if I can get some answers."

ooo

Joshua was thrilled to have the morning off. Jason had really been pushing the men to keep the contract on schedule. He seemed to put more pressure on Joshua, perhaps because he was still testing his own skills as manager and tested everything out on Joshua first.

"Let's go fishing, Jeremy!" he suggested, and was all set to get his fishing gear when he saw his brother's face. Jeremy looked disappointed. He followed his brother up to the tent, no longer carrying the axe with pride, but almost dragging it instead.

"We might be able to catch enough fish for the loggers to have for lunch!"

"You know I d-don't like f-f-fish, J-josh."

Joshua decided to ignore Jeremy's comment. He was in charge and wanted to go fishing; he didn't want to have to keep track of his brother.

"I'm wondering if we should invite Franco to join us?" he asked out loud.

Jeremy looked startled at this suggestion, so Joshua continued, "You remember what Father always used to say? 'The best way to defeat an enemy is to make him your friend.' I think Franco needs friends."

Jeremy did indeed remember his father's expression. He was never convinced that it was the best way—in his experience avoiding the enemy was the best policy. But, he could see that his brother's mind was made up.

Joshua, Jeremy and Franco sat on some rocks at the riverbank. Franco was using Jason's fishing pole.

Joshua was pleased with himself for thinking to invite Franco. The logger was surprised to be asked, but seemed flattered to be with them. He'd discussed with Joshua how to where in the river were the best places to look for fish, and even Jeremy seemed to be relaxed in his presence.

"You boys fish often?" Franco asked.

"Well," answered Joshua, "I do. Jeremy doesn't like to fish."

"How come?"

Jeremy looked embarrassed; there were some things that seemed impossible to live down. Joshua glanced at him and decided to tell the story anyway.

"When we were younger, our father used to take us salmon fishing every year when the fish would swim upstream. Anyway, the first time Jeremy went with us to catch salmon, he thought we were going to catch them for pets. He was so upset when our father started grilling them! I don't think he's ever eaten any fish since." Joshua laughed at the memory, while Jeremy looked away in embarrassment.

"How old was he when it happened?"

"Four."

Franco nodded. "I can see that happening."

The fact that Franco hadn't laughed made Jeremy wonder more about the logger. Why did the man deliberately seem to antagonize Jason about letting a kid do a man's job, and yet, given the perfect opportunity to make a joke about how stupid kids were, didn't?

ooo

Jason headed straight for Lottie's when he got to town. Although by trade, Lottie ran a saloon and inn, she was making a good income cooking and serving meals for the loggers. Jason knew that even though it was morning, most of the loggers would be at Lottie's eating breakfast.

The men looked at him as he strode in through the doors.

"Just finishin' up, Jason. Honest!"

"That's right, Jason. We were just finishin' our breakfast. Then we were gonna head up to the camp."

Lottie, being the good businesswoman and excellent at reading a situation, quickly fixed a plate of bacon and eggs. Before Jason had gotten halfway across the room, Lottie was bringing the plate over to him. She grabbed him by the arm with her free hand, whirled him around to an empty chair and set the plate on the table.

"Jason! What a good idea, coming down to join your men for breakfast." Lottie said loudly and meaningfullly as she pulled out the chair and all but pushed him into it.

Being pushed into the chair burst the momentum that Jason had been building to ask the loggers about Franco. He sat stunned for a moment and then decided to eat breakfast and bring the subject up less blatently than he'd planned.

"You want to know about Franco Darcy?" Simon asked him. It wasn't a question. Simon had overheard Jason asking some of the other men.

Jason nodded and continued eating. Simon sat down at the empty seat next to Jason. Most of the men had finished their meals, but decided that as long as their boss was still sitting there eating, they would be polite and wait for him.

"Don't you have to be at the mill?" Simon was one of Stempel's men. Jason didn't want to put him off, but didn't the loggers to hear in case the news wasn't good.

"It can wait."

Jason turned to where most of the loggers were gathered, having another cup of coffee. "Why don't you men head back to camp? I'll be riding my horse and will probably get there the same time as you can walk it."

The loggers knew an order when they heard one and left as a group to head back up to the camp.

Jason turned his attention back to Simon. When everyone, except Lottie and Jason was gone, Simon spoke.

"I don't like to spread rumors, and I wasn't going to say anything unless you asked, but you asked and I think you should know..." Simon played nervously with his coffee cup.

Jason hated it when people didn't get right to the point, but he knew he'd have to humor the man or he wouldn't find out anything. He waited patiently for Simon to continue.

"Franco Darcy had a kid brother that was killed at a logging camp south of here."

"It was some sort of accident, right?"

"Don't know about it bein' an accident. Know his brother died and another logger, too. Darcy was tried on murder." Simon took a deep breath and quickly drained the rest of his coffee.

Jason felt as if someone had just knocked all the air out of him. He thought of his two brothers up at the camp, alone with Franco.

"Are you sure?" Jason was half out of his seat.

"Don't know the details. Didn't make sense—which is why I didn't mention what I'd heard to anyone. 'Til now."

"What didn't make sense?" demanded Jason, losing patience.

"Darcy was found guilty of murder."

"You mean he was accused, don't you? Not 'found guilty'."

Simon's gaze shifted about uneasily. "No. He was accused. And let go."

Jason headed for the door.

"Don't you want to hear why?" Simon called after him.

"I have two brothers that are more important." The door slammed behind Jason.

ooo

Jason was barely aware of the ride back to the camp. His mind was a jumble of emotions and thoughts. He tried to mentally prepare himself for what he would find, but his thoughts just kept racing.

About a third of the way to the camp, he passed the loggers heading back. They called out to him, but aside from slowing his horse down, Jason didn't really acknowledge the men. This fueled the men's curiosity about Franco and made them conclude that Jason was headed up the mountain trail to have it out with him. Eager to see a fight, the loggers starting running up to the camp as fast as they could.

ooo

Between Franco and the two younger Bolt brothers, they had caught enough fish to feed most of the loggers. Joshua carried the bucket of fish back up to the tent area and went to get his guitar. Jeremy was putting the fishing poles away and Franco was pouring out coffee for the three of them when Jason arrived.

Joshua came out of the tent holding his guitar and paused when he saw Jason, who was still sitting on his horse. He could tell that Jason was simmering about something, but wasn't sure what. Jeremy came running out of the supply tent and nearly bumped into Joshua. He smiled when he saw Jason.

Jason dismounted. "What have you boys been up to?", he asked, tying the horse to the closest tree.

"F-f-f-ff..."

"Fishing," Joshua finished, without looking at Jeremy. He was studying Jason closely, but couldn't read his expression at all. He seemed greatly relieved to see them, but keyed up about something. Just what had Jason found out in town?

"Coffee's ready!" Franco announced. "Want some, Jason?" He felt friendlier than usual, but his wariness returned the instant he caught Jason's expression.

Jason took a deep breath before answering, "Yes. Thank you very much." He had arrived at the logging camp prepared to have it out with Franco, but didn't want the confrontation to occur in front of his brothers. For their sake, he would need to act civilized. Aside from his statements against Jeremy working at the camp, the man was a good worker. If Jason hadn't let the logger's attitude get to him, Franco would have remained just a hardworking logger with a few odd quirks. As it was, things now had to play themselves out in a way that didn't promise to do anyone any good.

Franco said what Jason had been thinking. "We need to talk. I need to explain something to you."

"I know." Everything was leading up to this point, and while the time had to come eventually, it came with the realization that a painful secret was about to be shared.

At least it did not have to be shared with everyone. "Boys," Jason said addressing his brothers, "the men are on their way back up here. We have a lot of work today."

"C-can I..I c-c-continue on the tree?" Jeremy asked, hopefully.

Jason agreed, surprised to see Franco smiling in approval at Jeremy. Whether Franco agreed because he knew it would distract the men, or because something had changed in his understanding of Jeremy's desire to cut the tree, Jason wasn't sure, but he no longer saw the angry disapproval in Franco's face.

"Joshua, you be in charge for a bit. Keep an eye on your brother, but make sure the men get back to work."

"All right, Jason." Joshua and Jeremy headed off in the direction of the supply tent.

There was secluded spot down by the river, where a person could go to be alone. No-one could see you there, but it wasn't so secluded that you couldn't hear the sounds of the loggers. Jason sat on a large boulder at the edge of the water. Franco's back was toward him.

"I had a kid brother once. Reminded me a lot of your brothers." Franco paused. It had been a long time since he had shared his story with anyone. It felt good to be getting it off of his chest, though painful at the same time. He'd almost shared it with Joshua the other day, but the boy was too young.

"We'd come west out of Nauvoo, along the Oregon Trail. We started out with high spirits. Along the way, we came across a wagon. Nearly everyone was dead, save one little girl. We were told to keep on going; to stay away. My poppa couldn't do it. We left the wagon train and buried the dead ones and took care of the girl. Know what they'd died of?" He turned to face Jason.

Jason wasn't sure he should interrupt, but Franco didn't continue.

"No, what?", Jason said finally.

"Typhoid. Within a very short time, we nearly all of us died. The girl died, my parents, ... everyone except my youngest brother and me. Disease is funny that way; leaves some, claims others. I think the ones that it leaves suffer the most."

"We were too far west to turn back, so we continued. Eventually we met up with another group heading west. They let us join them as far as the next fort, in exchange for most of the supplies we'd brung with us."

"Steven and I stayed at the fort over the winter. One of the women there, she wanted to adopt Steven." Franco paused. "I probably should have let her. It was hard watchin' out for him and trying to work to feed the two of us at the same time."

"Kind of like you, I guess. Only not really. I mean, you got stuck with your two brothers, but you've got a whole town helpin' you watch over them. Seattle's a pretty good town."

Jason nodded. He could empathize with Franco. He understood the burden—not a burden really, not when it's your brothers, but the added responsibility of watching, raising and looking out for them.

Franco continued, "So, we moved on. Eventually, I found work at a loggin' camp. Doesn't matter which one, they're all pretty similar. Steven and I moved in with an old trapper's widow. Steven was able to go to school and live a pretty normal life. The widow'd make us meals and be home for Steven when I couldn't be. It was good for a while."

"What happened?"

"My brother was always following me around. Wanting to do everything I did, be a part of it all.... As he got older, he started to get into trouble more n'more. Had our parents been alive, they'd have raised him right." Franco stopped talking and stared across the water.

Jason tried to think of something to say. "I'm sure that you did the best you could under the circumstances."

Franco shook his head, and continued. "Part of it was the difference in our ages. I was serious about this girl and didn't have as much time for my brother as I used to. Steven still needed me, though.

One day, he stopped going to school. My boss suggested that we hire Steven up at the camp. Not any real work, mind you... but things that would keep him busy. He could help the other men and receive a little pay for his trouble. Jack said it'd be good for the boy."

A chill ran down Jason's back. No wonder Franco was so against Jeremy working up at the camp.

"It was the best year of my brother's life. He took such pride in his work, always askin' for more. Jack treated him like a son. And my little brother was saving his money to buy a weddin' gift for me and my girl."

Franco walked a few steps away. His voice grew low as he continued his story.

"The other loggers, they were good to Steven. Kind of the way they are here with your Jeremy. But Steven, he wanted more. He couldn't wait to cut down his first tree, and he wanted to climb the tallest tree. He started volunteerin' for the more dangerous jobs, because they paid more...."

His voice trailed off. He turned completely away for a second and brushed his hand against his eyes. Then he turned back toward Jason, "then one day, he volunteered to set the dynamite to bust a log jam. And Jack let him..."

"I wasn't there for him." Franco repeated his last words over to himself, "I wasn't there for him."

Neither man spoke. Franco was lost in his tormented memories and Jason could only imagine the horror. He placed a hand gently on Franco's shoulder and they stood that way quietly for a while.

When Franco spoke again, his voice was quieter and he sounded detached. "When I found out Steven had been killed, I went to Jack to find out what happened. When he told me that it was he that had given the permission for my brother to set the dynamite, I lost control and wanted to kill him." He closed his eyes for a moment, reliving that day. "And I did. He tried to defend himself, but my anger was very strong. I knocked him into the stove and knocked the kettle onto him. Then I pushed the stove on top of him. I tried to stop the flames from spreading; I tried to save Jack."

Franco pulled off his gloves and showed Jason his hands. Jason nodded. The scars made sense now.

"I stood trial that same week. The court took mercy on me and said that although I had killed a man, it was understandable under the circumstances. They let me go....Some mercy! I couldn't face Jack's family. I couldn't face Eleanor. I left town."

Jason couldn't respond. There didn't seem much to say. It was obvious why Franco had told him this.

"I'll be leaving, " Franco said suddenly.

"There's no need," Jason responded, knowing that it was.

"I've tried to avoid being where people know my story. It hurts to be reminded. When I met you and your brothers, I almost didn't take the job," Franco explained. "I thought that I had to stop running, that maybe it was maybe time to remember.... I don't know if that makes any sense. But, now I need to move on. "

Jason nodded. "Does it get easier with time?"

"Not really." Franco paused and making a decision, handed Jason his gloves. "I think our hands are about the same size. I want you to have these."

Jason looked at him in surprise.

"That way, whenever you wear them, you will think about what happened to me and Steven. And when I look down and see my bare hands, I will think about another man and his younger brothers at a logging camp in Seattle."

Jason nodded and tried the gloves on. They were only slightly big. They would be hard gloves to fill.

Both men looked at each other and neither spoke. Jason threw an arm around Franco and the two men walked back to the camp together.

ooo

If the loggers were disappointed not to find a fight in progress when they had returned to camp, they were distracted by Joshua's announcement that Jeremy was all set to finish chopping his tree. They gathered around and watched Jeremy chop for a while.

When Jason and Franco returned to the camp, Franco stopped.

"I'll be leaving, now I guess," he said, extending a hand to Jason.

Joshua caught sight of the two of them and came running over. "Jason! Franco! You gonna come watch? Jeremy's busy chopping."

Jason patted Joshua on the back, "You go on back, Josh. I'll be there in a few seconds."

"Let me get your pay before you leave. Any idea where you will go? What you'll do?"

Franco shook his head. "No. I think I've had enough of logging. Maybe Canada. I want someplace totally different."

They headed up to the tent. Jason consulted his accounting book, wrote a note on a piece of paper and handed it to Franco. "Bring that down to Lottie and she'll pay out in cash."

"I appreciate it," he said taking the slip from him. "I wish you and your brothers well... Thank you for everything, Jason." Franco said.

The fact that Franco had called him by his name for the first time, was not lost on Jason. He watched sadly as Franco headed back down the trail into town.

ooo

It started raining again that afternoon, but Jeremy needed to finish cutting his tree, because it was too dangerous to leave it go another day. As the other loggers finished their tasks, they gathered around to watch.

Around five o'clock, Jeremy's tree crashed to the ground. The men all cheered. Jason announced that according to tradition, he'd be buying everyone the first round of drinks down at Lottie's.

The men gathered around Jeremy and hoisted him to their shoulders headed into town with him. At first, Jeremy looked startled, but then pleased.

"Coming, Jason? After all, you said you'd buy!" Joshua reminded him. He wondered what Jason was thinking about.

"Yes, let's go," said Jason, placing a gloved hand on his brother's shoulder.

THE END

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