Page 29 of Thunder Pass

Luckily, she giggled, unbothered by his critique. “If I ever go back there, I’ll suggest some Zen meditation. That should go over well.”

They reached the turnoff by Snow River, where the one-lane road turned west and widened into two lanes on its way to Kursk. Ruth leaned forward, gripping the edge of her seat. “Everything from here on out is new to me.”

“Soak it in, baby. Soak it in.”

To him, it was more of the same—spruce forest mixed with birch and cottonwoods. But he savored the excitement on her face, the wonder of her first glimpse of the old train trestle, some of its timbers still intact, others dangling like broken limbs.

At the Snow River overlook, she made him stop and they spent a good half an hour watching the flow of white water through the braided channels. “I always wanted to go to fish camp, but I never got that assignment,” she said wistfully. “I was always part of the berry-picking brigade.”

“You want to go fishing sometime? You should have told me. I’d take you, but the salmon run’s pretty much over. And you know what the Ahtna say—they have a word for salmon and a word for every other fish that isn’t salmon. Salmon’s the only fish that really matters around here.”

“Maybe next summer. If…well, if…maybe next summer.”

He knew what she meant. Her entire life was filled with uncertainty at the moment. He knew the feeling. “Let me ask you this. What would you like your life to look like this time next year?”

She went quiet for a long time. “It’s hard for me to think about that. A year and a half ago, I thought I’d be married now. To Daniel.”

He remembered Daniel very well. Good guy who made pot smoothies and drove the plow truck. Not at the same time, so far as he knew. He was a sweetheart of a guy, and the town still missed him. He’d heard rumors about Ruth and Daniel, but hadn’t entirely believed them. “So things were serious between you?”

“Oh yes. We used to meet in the woods, and sometimes at his cabin. We talked and…got intimate, sometimes. We kissed, like he’d kiss me on the neck and things like that. He knew that anything more would lead to marriage. Then finally he said he wanted to marry me, but I knew Luke would never agree to it because Daniel didn’t want to drop his whole life and live on the compound. So we decided to run away together and get married in secret. Then…well, you know what happened next.”

He did. Daniel had been killed in an avalanche, but there was much more to the story than that. Although it had never been proven, the Chilkoots had been implicated. “I’m so sorry. Daniel was a cool dude.”

“He was. But apparently he overheard something when he was at the compound…” She shuddered. “Anyway, after that happened, I gave up on the idea of getting married. I was never meant to, you know. I’m a Chilkoot by blood, so I’d have to marry outside the clan, and they wanted me to stay and be the full-time homeschool teacher. I figured that would be my life. Kids. And chickens. And berries. Life on the farm. Then suddenly Luke and Naomi were arrested and the state of Alaska put me in charge.”

She watched a kayaker navigate the passage between two gravel banks, while he watched her. Ruth had no idea how fascinating she was. This was the first time she’d opened up, and he could listen to her forever.

“Are you saying you want to have children of your own? Is that what you want for your future?”

She shook her head. “No, not necessarily. I mean that I’ve never had any choice in it before. Now I do and it’s confusing. I never knew that life could be so complicated. Back home, things were much more simple. Every day I had my tasks and I performed them. I didn’t have to choose or decide or anything like that. I guess I’m still just getting used to how things are now. So, the point of this whole story is that I can’t answer your question. My life has been turned upside down so many times. Daniel dying, then Luke and Naomi getting arrested, then Luke coming back. Our escape. Now I’m on my own for the first time, and it’s a challenge. I’m still just taking baby steps.”

“I don’t know, driving to a prison in Eagle River is a lot more than a baby step.”

The smile she turned on him made his heart skip a beat.

“That’s true, and I’m glad you’re with me. Thanks for listening to all that. I’ve told some of it to Martha, but she’s always so tired at the end of the day that she falls asleep while I’m still talking.”

He smiled back ruefully. “Ruth, I love it when you talk. Don’t ever think I’m not interested, because I am. Besides, you have a pretty voice. Do you like to sing?”

“I sing lullabies, but that’s about it. We used to have music night at the compound, and sing around a campfire. I always enjoyed that.”

“Good. I know what we’re doing the rest of the drive. I think we’re almost in range of the good radio station.”

They spent the rest of the drive to Blackbear listening to the classic rock radio station, then picking up more signals as they got closer to civilization. Country, jazz, oldies, and a college radio station that played a mix of alternative and hop-hip that really blew Ruth’s mind.

As they listened and sang along, they watched the terrain change from mountainous to vast open fields, with tiny dots of communities popping up here and there. Ruth watched everything with wide open eyes.

The funniest moment was when they stopped to buy snacks. The Firelight Ridge general store carried a small selection of chips, but nothing compared to your average gas station. Ruth stopped dead in the aisle of the convenience store and whispered, “What’s a Flaming Cheeto? Will it actually catch fire in your mouth?”

When Gunnar explained, she turned so red that he felt bad, and bought one of every type of chip so she could experience them all for herself.

Five half-eaten bags of chips and one stomachache later, they reached Blackbear. From there, it would be another long drive to Eagle River, just north of Anchorage, where the only women’s correctional center in Alaska was located.

“Do you want to spend the night here or keep going? We have another seven hours of driving before we reach Eagle River.”

“Seven hours.” She whooshed out a breath. “We probably wouldn’t be able to see Naomi then anyway.”

“No. Visiting hours will be over.”

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