Chapter 23

The women returned, exhausted from their trip. Mary was concerned and a bit peeved, that the men were not there to welcome the women home. However, more importantly, the men were not there to unload the many bags and boxes.

After they unloaded the plane, THEMSELVES, Mary grabbed the sat-phone and made a call.

"Where are you?" asked Mary testily, as soon as John answered.

"Well, hello to you, too," said John.

"WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?"

With a calm voice John said, "What's the matter, Honey?"

"What's the matter? What's the matter? I'll tell you what the matter is. We've been working hard to make the wedding happen and you ... you... boys run off for playtime. THAT'S WHAT'S THE MATTER."

"Mary, we did not run off to play. We have been doing the same thing you have, only on the male side of things. Scott needed a suit, shoes, rings and other such stuff. That's what we've been doing."

"Oh..." said a deflated Mary. "Sorry."

"That's ok, sweets. I understand, and to answer your question, we're twenty minutes out."

Greatly relieved, Mary let out a huge sigh and said, "Wonderful! Come find me when you land."

"Will do, honey."

When the men entered the house, they found sleeping women lying on every piece of furniture. Filling every inch of the room's open space were shopping bags, boxes and garment bags.

Lena came into the room with a try laden with snacks and mugs of coffee. She stopped short, when she realized that all of the women were asleep.

"Oh! Guess they won't be needing this, now."

"We could use it, though," said Scott.

He took two of the mugs, and a cookie, and then went back out onto the porch. He downed the first mug in one huge gulp, and sighed greatly. Then he sat down and began to sip the second coffee, and nibble on the huge oatmeal and raisin cookie.

"Ahh ... I needed that!"

"I'll never understand how you can do that without scalding your throat," said John as he settled down next to Scott.

Meanwhile Joseph went to his wife, and took the tray from her hands. He set it on the sideboard. He then took Lena into his arms, and gave her a tender loving kiss.

"I missed you, old girl. How were things while we were gone?" he asked.

"Things were actually good. Rianna rested quietly, and there was peace here, since the other men went off on a hunt. I hope they bring back a nice big moose. Winter isn't that far off, and I'd like to see more meat in the larder. Besides, it will be nice to have fresh meat for the wedding feast," she finished with a giggle.

"We can buy all of the food that we need. Why do we need to go hunting?"

"I don't want all of those hormones and chemicals in MY food! Game is cleaner. It tastes better, too."

"Ok, I get the point. How about some of your home cooking, right now? I'm starved."

"Sure! What about the other two?"

"Best make something for them, too. We didn't stop for breakfast this morning, and it was a long trip. That Beaver is a great plane, but it is slow."

"Did you get the rings?"

"Yep! Wait 'til you see them! They're really something."

" ... and his clothes?"

"From his skivvies out," Joseph said with a chuckle.

"What about John? He needs some new clothes, too."

"All three of us now have new suits, since I'm to stand with Scott, and John is to give the bride away."

Lena's eyes went wide, "Scott asked you to be his best man?"

"Yes. I was kind of surprised at that, but he said that he thought of me as an older brother. He said it was 'cause of me always teaching him things about our old ways, as well as about modern bush life."

"Wow!"

"Exactly."

"Well, come into the kitchen. Keep me company while I make you boys something to eat."

The two walked out of the room, with their arms around each other.

The four women sat around the table, quietly talking. In the center of the table lay a post card. The picture was of a lake in northwestern Canada's Yukon Territory. On the back of the card were GPS coordinates, and nothing else.

"What do you think it means?" asked Dixie, a smallish woman whose speech was more Boston Brahmin, than that of her West Virginia home.

No one answered. They all just stared at the card as if it were alive, and was going to bite them.

"We know that it's a GPS coordinate, and that it is in Jake's handwriting, so why not at least see where that place is?" asked Asha, a very tall, athletic looking black woman.

"I don't have any maps here. How do you suppose we do that?" asked Cara, a nervous woman of Greek decent.

The fact that the card was obviously from her missing husband had unhinged the young woman.

"You do have a computer, don't you?" asked Yumi, the last of the four, a diminutive Japanese woman that looked closer to twelve than her twenty five years.

With a chagrinned look, and a nod, Cara picked up the card with a shaking hand. She rose and left the room, with the other women right behind her.

"You do it, Yumi. I'm too nervous," Cara said as she pointed at her laptop sitting on the coffee table.

Yumi sat and fired up the computer. Within a few minutes the answer to their question was clear. The spot was on a small lake in the foothills of the Nahoni Range.

"Cara? Why don't you make another pot of coffee? This may take some time."

"Ok, Yumi," said Cara as she turned back toward the kitchen.

She never made it to the doorway. She just came apart at the seams, shaking and crying hysterically.

Dixie took over, and began issuing instructions.

"Asha, find her pills and get some water, while Yumi and I put her to bed."

Half an hour later, Cara was sleeping, and Yumi was back at the computer. Asha and Dixie sipped their tea, and watched Yumi.

"It's hard to believe that the woman once held an Olympic Medal in archery, and had nerves of steel," said Dixie.

"You try losing your husband and baby, both in the same month," said Asha.

"Hey, we all lost our men! We may not have been married but Frank and I were together for eleven years."

"Sorry, I forgot how much older you are than the rest of us."

"Now you're just getting down right mean," said Dixie, slipping into a Southern drawl.

All three women laughed, breaking the tension.

Yumi turned from the computer and said, "The only way to get to that place is to fly or walk, and it's a damned long walk. What do you think? Is Jake asking us for help, or what?"

"Do you think our guys are with Jake?" asked Dixie

The two other women shrugged. They were silent for a long time.

Then Asha said, "Well, I haven't been for a long walk in quite awhile ... a run, but not a walk."

"Do you think we should go, then?" asked Yumi.

"Why do you want to walk in?" asked Dixie. "We could just charter a plane, and fly in."

Then Yumi spoke up in her precise, softly accented English.

"I think Asha is right. I think that those that were after our men, are still watching us, just not so intently. We must maintain a cover story. A memorial hunt, I think would be good.

"We are still members of the Women's Bow Hunter's Guild, aren't we? Why not get up a hunt in that area? It would make it harder for our adversaries to follow. We could then break away from the rest of the group, and disappear into the bush with little difficulty."

"That's a great idea, Yumi! At the last meeting the girls were talking about a big hunt this year, and wanted suggestions. None of us has bagged a moose yet, so it shouldn't be hard to convince them to go to the Yukon. If we get a large enough number of people to sign up, then the fact that we have to break up into smaller teams will confuse any one trying to track us. It's perfect!" said Asha excitedly.

Early the morning after their return, Scott showered and dressed in a new pair of trousers, and a new shirt. He picked up the ring box and went into the kitchen. There, he and Lena prepared a special breakfast of fruit, Cheerios, toast and herb tea for Rianna. (The girl was a nut for fresh fruit.)

"Good morning, sweetheart," said Scott as he brought the breakfast tray into Rianna's room.

"Hurry, I need help to the bathroom," said Rianna urgently.

Scott helped as the hugely pregnant woman got out of bed, and moved to the bathroom. The small woman had put on at least fifty pounds: all baby and water. Rianna was so large that she could no longer walk without help. Her big belly knocked her center of gravity too far out of kilter.

While Rianna was in the bathroom Lena changed the bedclothes. Next, Mary came and helped the girl shower, brush her hair and change into a clean nightie.

Once she was back in bed, sitting up against fluffed pillows, Scott fed her while he talked sweet nothings to her.

"What's up? I feel like a queen, by the way you're treating me."

Scott just smiled, and helped Rianna finish her breakfast. Finally, after Lena had taken the tray away Scott got down on one knee.

He presented the small green velvet box to the love of his life, as he said, "Rianna, I love you more than life itself. Would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"

Tears began to roll down the young woman's cheeks as she opened the box. With a gasp Reanna took out the ring set. Scott had left the set together, to show her the overall effect of the complete set. He then explained how the settings worked. Then he sat quietly, waiting for an answer. Mary had told Scott that he was to be patient, even if it took Rianna several hours to answer.