Chapter 6
By the time they got to the top of the ladder, Jared was so happy to see the sun he closed his eyes and stood in its warm rays until the chill began to leave his body, not caring what Sam thought. But when he opened his eyes, the barren land was the first thing he saw, and he wanted more than anything else to just go back to Juneau and pretend he’d never been here. What he’d seen in the last few days was nothing like what he’d expected, it was so much worse than what his father had told him.
Suddenly all the fight drained out of him, he could no longer ignore what his family had done to this land, or the fact that he’d been blissfully blind to all of it. Nicole had said to him that first day that this was a crime scene and she’d been right. He’d seen more than twenty of the red hearts on the walls of the mine’s tunnels and he understood what that meant, his family in their quest to gain riches had put people’s lives in jeopardy. He felt sick to his stomach as he climbed back on his four-wheeler, desperately needed some time to let it all sink in, time to find a way to make it all right in his mind, if he could.
When they finally made camp that night, it was far away from the mine and for that Jared was thankful. The last few miles had been exhausting, it had been impossible to keep his mind focused on anything but what he’d just seen. Silently he helped set up camp, then crawled into his tent and laid down in his bed willing the images of what he’d seen that day to disappear. Sleep finally came, but it was a fitful sleep, filled with dreams he couldn’t remember the next morning but that left him feeling guilty and sad.
While they were breaking camp that morning, Jared sought Sam out again, he just couldn’t get the mine out of his mind. “What’s going to happen to the mine?” He’d been thinking about how dangerous it was to have it open like it was.
“In a couple of weeks Seth is going to bring a crew in and close it off. They’re going to blast the tunnels closed, then seal the entrance.”
Jared was relieved, “That’s good, it’s dangerous.”
“I’m surprised to hear you say that. I thought you were against what we’re doing. You know there’s still a lot of gold in that mountain.” Sam had seen a change in Jared but wasn’t sure if it was real.
Then Jared said something that shocked them both, “Sometimes money isn’t the most important thing.”
Nicole who’d been listening to their conversation was just as shocked, but then when she really thought about it, she realized that Jared had been different since the day they’d spent by the stream. He’d really listened to her that day, and if his reaction to going inside the mine was any indication, he might finally be coming around, something she’d never thought possible. His words to Sam made her question her original opinion of Jared, maybe instead of sensing a truly bad person, she’d been sensing his bad intentions. She of all people knew that people could change, could find themselves in a difficult situation and come out a better person.
Since their talk by the stream, Jared hadn’t been the same. He’d done his share without complaint the night before, helped break camp this morning without being asked, and he seemed withdrawn, as if he had a lot on his mind. It was plain to see that the trip into the mine had affected him greatly, affected him enough that he’d voiced his concerns to Sam. Only time would tell if Jared was truly changing or just putting on an act for them. One thing was certain, the new Jared was even more attractive than the old one and that was a big problem for her.
Pushing those thoughts from her mind, she went back to what she was doing, glad that they’d be heading back that day. Another day on the trail with Jared and she might start liking the man, and that would only lead to disaster considering how much she was attracted to him. Of course, there was no risk that they’d become involved, just that she’d drive herself crazy thinking about something that would never be.
She was all too familiar with that feeling, taking care of her brothers and going to school left little room for a love life. Long ago she’d understood that until her brothers were grown and able to better take care of themselves, there would be little time for a boyfriend. Of course, she’d had a few boyfriends over the years, but once things started getting serious they’d always backed off, not willing to take on the responsibility of her brothers. After the last one had broken her heart, she’d decided that she was done, that it was just impossible to balance her life any way but as a single woman.
Now she was at the point in her life that she could have a love life and instead of being attracted to any number of suitable men, she was lusting after a man who was way out of her league. Not only was he rich, he was sophisticated, something she certainly wasn’t. They had nothing in common, no shared experiences, in fact she was sure that if Jared saw where she’d grown up he’d be shocked and possibly even repulsed. Realizing that she was supposed to be thinking about something other than Jared, she again tried to push thoughts of him from her mind, but he chose that moment to come over and ask her if she needed any help.
Gina was standing on the front deck watching for Jared to come down the road, they’d heard that the group was only a few miles away and she couldn’t wait to see him, to tell him how awful the last two weeks had been. When he’d left her behind, she’d been hopeful that when he came back she’d have something they could use to bring Seth down and put Jared back where he belonged, but that hadn’t happened.
Lauren would barely even talk to her, looked at her funny when she’d began asking questions about the renewable energy project, so she’d been forced to back off. The result had been weeks of doing nothing more than sitting around waiting for Jared to come back. She’d considered just going home, but she had too much invested to walk away. So, she’d stayed, forced herself to put up with the people she suddenly found herself living with, and it hadn’t been easy.
Worst of all had been the woman who ran the house, who just couldn’t seem to understand that she was a guest, an important guest. As Jared’s girlfriend, and that was how she saw herself, she shouldn’t have been expected to cook or do the dishes. But it had been explained to her after only a day that everyone pulled their weight in the house, shared the chores and cooking. She’d all but refused, angry that anyone would expect someone of her stature to do something as menial as the dishes, only to be turned away from the dinner table the next night.
Since then she’d been staying in her room, stealing food when the kitchen was empty and eating it there. It was humiliating, but she wasn’t going to back down to a woman who was nothing more than a glorified housekeeper, knowing that when Jared got back he’d set her straight. She’d spent hours imagining the scene when he heard how terrible she’d been treated, even hoped that he’d fire the woman, send her on her way just as humiliated as she’d been that night at dinner.
When she finally saw the four-wheelers in the distance it was hard to contain her excitement, and when they pulled up in front of the house she ran down to meet Jared, throwing herself into his arms before he’d even gotten off the machine. Jared seemed shocked by her appearance, almost as if he’d forgotten that she was there waiting for him, but she blew it off, blaming the exhaustion that was clear in his face.
She watched while he unloaded his gear, practically bursting with the need to complain to him, but she waited until he’d finished unloading and they were headed into the house. Even she knew better than to complain in front of Sam and Julie, who according to everyone she’d been around the last few days, were saints. As the group dispersed and went their separate ways, she noticed the woman from the night of the wedding had been part of the group and a quick stab of jealously coupled with insecurity washed over her.
But Jared seemed to pay the woman no attention, didn’t even tell her goodbye, so she dismissed her as unimportant. “I’m so glad you’re back, I missed you.” She said, threading her arm thought his, then pulling him a little closer to her.
That was when she got a whiff of Jared and realized that not only was he tired, but he was dirty. Not only dirty but smelly, so she eased back a little bit and turned her head to take a deep breath of fresh air. Jared seemed completely unaware of her reaction to him and for that she was thankful, the first thing she needed to do was get him in the shower, until he was clean she wanted nothing to do with him. The way he smelled reminded her way too much of the way her father and brothers always smelled by the end of the winter when they refused to bathe because of the cold.
“How about a shower and then we can talk.” She said, trying to hold her breath.
Jared thought a shower sounded like heaven, after two weeks on the trail that was all he’d been thinking about for the last few miles. “That sounds wonderful, I probably don’t smell very good, but I have something I need to do first.” He said, pulling his arm from hers.
As much as he wanted a shower and some real food, he couldn’t let himself have either until he’d talked to Seth, what he’d seen over the last few days had shocked him to the core, had him so confused he couldn’t sort his feelings out. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t erase the memory of those hearts on the walls of the tunnels in the mine, nor could he shake the feeling that he’d somehow been poisoned by the toxins. He found Seth in his office surrounded by piles of papers, much as he had the last time, only this time he wasn’t trying to figure out how to take his brother down, he was desperately hoping that his brother would tell him that things weren’t as bad as he feared.
When he knocked on the door, his brother waved him in without even looking up, clearly expecting someone else. When he looked up and saw Jared, he looked a little surprised, but covered it quickly. Then he took a moment to look Jared up and down, before gesturing to the chair across from the desk.
“You look like you’ve had a long two weeks.” He said, unable to hide the amusement from his voice, surprised when Jared didn’t take the bait but simply sat in the chair looking worn and dejected.
“Was the gold mine really as bad as it looks?” Jared asked, unable to make small talk.
It took Seth a moment to realize what Jared was talking about. “So, you saw that?”
“How many men died in that mine?” Jared asked, an edge to his voice that told Seth that something had changed.
Seth pulled open a drawer in his desk, pulled out a file and handed it to Jared. “It’s all in there. The deaths linked directly to the mine, as well as the deaths that we’re pretty sure were caused by the pollution. You know that there used to be a village down the mountain from the mine, but it’s abandoned, too many people died of unexplained causes, so they left.”
Jared leafed through the pages in the file, then carefully set it back on the desk. “Seth, I had no idea this was going on. I had no idea we’d done all this.” Jared said, putting the file back on the desk.
“I wish it wasn’t true, but it is. The Montgomery family hasn’t exactly been good stewards of the land or the people who live on it.” Seth said, feeling sorry for his brother for the first time in their lives. “It’s not a very pleasant feeling to realize that the men we were supposed to idolize were nothing more than crooks and criminals.”
Jared looked at his brother, relieved that he understood what he was feeling. “If you feel that way, why work so hard to keep the family business going? I don’t understand why you’d work so hard to save something that obviously so corrupt.”
Seth hadn’t expected the question, but knew the answer immediately. He reached into the top drawer of his desk and pulled out a very old leather-bound notebook. “I found this one night when I couldn’t sleep right after dad died. I was just about to call you for help, but then I read this.” He said, handing the book to Jared.
He gave Jared a second to thumb through the book, then continued. “That was written by our great-great grandfather. No matter what later generations did, he loved this land, loved Alaska, wanted to keep it just as it was. I’m doing this for that same reason, I truly love this land and now even the people who live on it. If I can do something to erase the damage our family has done, then our name will mean something again, and that’s important to me. Take the book and read it, it might be good for you. When you’re done come see me again and we’ll talk some more.”
Book in hand, Jared left Seth’s office, both men feeling like there might be a chance for them to come to a meeting of the minds. It was a new feeling to be on the same side as his brother, and when it came to the mine for the first time he was glad that Seth had shut it down. He’d read the diary, but first he needed a shower, even he had been noticing how bad he smelled. But unable to resist the diary, he opened it and began to read the first page as he walked to his room.
He was just turning the corner when he ran right into Nicole, whose arms were full of papers and maps. They collided in the middle of the hallway, and everything went crashing to the floor, sliding in all directions. Jared dropped to his knees just as Nicole did and their heads bumped together, making them both gasp with pain.
“Oh, Nicole I’m sorry, I wasn’t watching where I was going.” Jared said, then began scooping up Nicole’s stuff off the floor.
“It’s my fault. I wasn’t paying attention.” She said, her voice wavering slightly as a burst of desire raced through her. Even dirty and unshaven Jared flustered her, especially now that she was beginning to change her mind about him.
“Let’s just say we’re both to blame.” Jared said, smiling at her.
That smile had her even more flustered if that was possible, and she couldn’t help but smile back at him. When they’d collected all the papers and maps off the floor into a pile, all that was left was Jared’s book, which Nicole picked up and handed to him. She couldn’t help but notice that the book was very old, the leather worn and cracked, some of the pages sticking out as if they’d come lose.
“I didn’t know you liked old books.” She said, handing the book to him.
Jared looked at the book in his hand, he’d forgotten all about it when he’d crashed into Nicole. “Oh, this isn’t an old book, it’s my great-great grandfather’s diary.” He stammered, amazed at the depth of his attraction to Nicole. He’d been hoping that back home, the attraction would fade, but if anything, it had gotten stronger.
“Sounds like an old book to me.” Nicole teased, surprised at herself, having never been the kind of person who flirted.
Jared looked at her, not sure how to take her friendly teasing, so different than her usual hostility. “Well, I guess it is old.” Was the best he could do, tongue tied with a woman for the first time since he’d been in high school. But he finally managed to add, “Seth wants me to read it.”
Seth’s name reminded her why she’d been heading this way, “Oh, Jared, I’m sorry I have to go. I’m supposed to be meeting with Seth right now.” She said, grabbing the stack of papers up off the floor.
“I should go take a shower.” Jared said, not moving.
“Well, I’ll see you later then.” Nicole said, then stepped around Jared and headed for Seth’s office, her heart pounding in her chest, her palms sweaty, and her legs a little bit shaky.
When she got to Seth’s office he was sitting behind his desk, but what she didn’t know was that he’d witnessed her encounter with Jared, had in fact started to go down the hall to help. But when Jared had dropped to his knees almost immediately he’d stopped, shocked to see his brother behave that way. He’d been even more surprised when Jared had apologized, something he’d never heard his brother do before, so he’d stood and watched, thinking that his brother might really be changing.
After Nicole had given him an update on their trip, he asked, “What do you think of my brother?”
Nicole was so surprised by the question she didn’t know what to say at first, but then she decided the best thing to do was to be honest. “At first I didn’t like him at all. He was terrible the first few days we were out, but now I’m not so sure.”
“What’s changed?” Seth asked, wanting to know more about what had happened to suddenly make Jared so concerned with the mine.
Nicole sighed, Seth wasn’t exactly the person she wanted to talk to about Jared, her personal feelings were running much too close to the surface, especially after their encounter in the hallway just a few minutes ago. But she really had no choice, technically Seth was her boss and he had a right to know what had happened on the trail, so she began with the day by the stream leaving out all the rude things Jared had done before that.
“He looked green when he came out of the mine and didn’t say more than two words for the rest of the day. I think that maybe seeing the real thing might have woken him up, I don’t know, he’s just been different since then.” Nicole finished, hoping that her personal feelings weren’t affecting her judgement.
“I saw it too, but I wanted to get an outsiders perspective. My brother can be deceptive when he wants to, but I don’t think that was an act.” Seth said, more to himself than to Nicole.
Gina had been searching for Jared everywhere, finally realizing that he was with Seth. She headed that way hoping that with him in tow the old witch who ran the house would feed her. It was becoming a bit of a problem to steal food and sneak it up to her room, and now that the house was full again, it would be even harder. But Jared would set the woman straight, of that she was sure, he certainly wouldn’t be doing any dishes, and that meant neither would she.
She stepped into the hallway just in time to see Nicole push past Jared, and to see him turn to watch her until she disappeared into Seth’s office. When he turned back, he didn’t even see her, and she was practically standing right in front of him, and he had a faraway look in his eyes that she didn’t like at all. Alarm bells went off in her head and she knew that fat or not, that woman had somehow captured Jared’s attention.
Sliding up to him, she tried to ignore the fact that he still hadn’t showered and rubbed her breasts against his arm. “There you are, I’ve been looking for you everywhere.”
“I had to talk to Seth and now I need to take a shower.” Jared said, wishing Gina would go away. He had a lot to think about and she was nothing but an annoyance.
“I’ll go back to the room with you and wait.” She said, linking her arm with his.
Jared took a deep breath and accepted the fact that he wasn’t going to get rid of Gina right then, but didn’t care, he just wanted to take a shower. But when he opened the door of his room, he was greeted by the biggest mess he’d ever seen. There were clothes strewn everywhere, dirty dishes, some still full of food, and the bed looked like it hadn’t been made in days.
“What the hell happened in here?” He demanded, sickened by the state of his room.
Nicole looked around the room and shrugged her shoulders, “There’s no one to come in tidy up, I guess it let it get away from me.”
Jared could barely control his temper, “And you’ve been eating in here.”
“Well, that woman who runs the house said I couldn’t eat with everyone.” She wined, “It was just awful, I’ve been sneaking food. I would have starved if I hadn’t.”
Jared knew that there was more to the story, but he was so angry at Gina just then that he wanted to hit her, so he simply turned around and headed for the bathroom in the hallway. When he got to the door, he stopped and looked back at Gina who had followed him as far as the bedroom door.
“Get this filth cleaned up and find someplace else to make your messes.” He barked at her, then walked into the bathroom and slammed the door.