Page 34 of I Do, I Do, I Do
“I’ve heard you charge fifty-one cents a pound.” She’d never been flirtatious, and she wasn’t now. But she tilted her head and gazed at him from beneath her hat brim with a quizzical expression that he found wildly appealing. “I can’t pay that much.”
He flicked his cigar toward a muddy puddle, then looked back at the jack mule. “I’m prepared to offer you and your companions a deep discount. My Chilkats will pack you into Dawson for thirty cents a pound.”
The quick breath she sucked between her teeth told him that she knew the price he named was unusual and outrageously low. “I understood the fifty-one-cent fee was for packing someone up Chilkoot Pass. I didn’t realize it covered the trail to Dawson.”
“Ordinarily it doesn’t.” He’d lose money packing them an extra six hundred miles. But if Bear was willing to help them financially, he could do no less. “Old friends get a discount and special consideration.”
Pride stiffened her spine so abruptly that the edges of her cape fluttered. “I can’t accept your offer,” she said flatly. “Even if it wasn’t improper to accept an expensive gift from a man, I don’t want to be beholden to anyone.” Circles of high color burned on her cheeks, and she turned to leave.
“Wait a minute, Zoe.” She stared up at him with eyes like blue glass, but she stopped to listen when he grabbed her elbow. “First, a discount isn’t a gift. You still have to pay. And if you accept this offer, you’re not beholden in any way. This is a business arrangement.” Some of the hard glitter eased out of her gaze. “Second, I’m going to Dawson anyway, ramrodding a short load for another customer. It’s no problem to add your goods to the roster. And finally, I’m not losing money by discounting my rate. Someone else is paying the additional twenty-one cents.”
“Oh?” She frowned as he released her elbow. “Who’s paying the extra money?”
“The person insisted on anonymity. I probably shouldn’t have mentioned it at all.” He hadn’t handled this well.
“It’s Juliette, isn’t it?” Anger snapped in her eyes, and she pressed her lips in a furious line. “Well, tell her no thank you. I don’t want her charity!”
At once he understood that he couldn’t deny her guess. If he took that path, she’d start listing names until she reached one that he couldn’t deny without lying.
“I wouldn’t jump to conclusions if I were you,” he said lamely. Damn it.
“Who else could it be?” she snapped. “You might discount your fee a few cents to help a family friend, and that’s what I’d hoped for, but I don’t think you’d cut your fee almost in half.” Her gaze narrowed and swung to the sea of white tents surrounding the town. “So who’s left? The heiress.”
“Zoe—may I call you Zoe?”
“That’s how you addressed me when you practically lived with us.”
“I guess I did spend a lot of time at your house, didn’t I?” he said with a laugh. Then his expression sobered. “Don’t turn your back on an offer that is going to make this journey a hell of a lot easier. Don’t let pride do you an injury. Someone wants to offer you and your friends a little help. Take it.”
“You don’t understand,” she said, frowning at the ground.
“I’ve been told I’m a good listener.…”
For a moment he thought she would talk to him, really talk to him, then her expression closed, and she gave her head a shake.
“I just don’t want to be in another person’s debt. Especially not Juliette’s.”
That was undoubtedly why Bear had chosen to remain anonymous. He didn’t want them to feel obligated. “If your benefactor wanted you to be beholden, that person wouldn’t have insisted on anonymity.”
“Juliette has to know that Clara and I will guess it’s her. And I hate it,” she said fiercely. Her grip on the Winchester tightened until her knuckles turned white. “I have half a mind to throw her offer back in her face!”
Tom stared. If he hadn’t known Zoe was traveling with Miss March, he would have taken her expression and her anger to mean that she and Miss March were mortal enemies.
“Before you do something foolish, think about climbing Chilkoot pass ten or twelve times while Miss March and Miss Klaus climb it once,” he said, his voice sharper than he’d intended. “Think about walking ten or twelve times as far to reach Dawson than they do. That’s a high price to pay for pride.”
“I’m not stupid—in the end I’ll accept her offer,” she said angrily. Even the little feather on her hat brim quivered with indignation. “But I’d rather refuse her charity!”
“Suppose your benefactor isn’t Miss March,” he said, giving it another try. “You should think about that.”
She gazed up at him as if he had disappointed her, then she sighed. “All right. What’s the protocol? When do we leave, and do we have to do anything special with our goods?”
There hadn’t been a woman in his life since he’d come to Alaska. He’d forgotten how frustrating females could be.
“Since every minute of delay brings you closer to bad weather, I’d suggest you and your party leave tomorrow morning. Figure you’ll carry on your backs whatever you might need immediately. My men will transport the rest. But they don’t pack and unpack. So be sure your goods are organized in a way that you can easily get to your tent, stove, foodstuffs.”
She turned to leave, carrying the Winchester comfortably in a manner that confirmed she knew how to use it. Tom doubted anyone would get in her way.
“Zoe?”
