Frigid air greeted her, stinging her cheeks. She pulled her hood more tightly around her face and stepped off the porch. She moved away from the house, snow crunching beneath her boots. Luke's coming home! she thought, feeling more alive than she had in months. “And I'm going to be his wife.” She lengthened her strides and headed for the road.
Snow sifted from the clouds, and the world was quiet and muted. A car approached and slowly moved past. Her neighbor, Mr. Johnson, sat behind the wheel, wearing a scowl. He kept his eyes forward, careful not to look at Mattie. He never looked at her. Although he lived simply and in a cabin no better than hers, he'd always made it clear that natives were a lower class. Just seeing him made her feel demeaned.
Her happiness diluted, she stepped back on the roadway and watched the car move away, then finally with determination, she turned and continued her walk. “He's not going to ruin my day.” She followed a path leading to the river. The broad, frozen Matanuska was segmented into sections of smooth ice intermingled with rough snow-covered ridges. It wasn't a good place for skating.
Each breath carried cold, biting air into her lungs, but she continued, thinking of Luke and their wedding. It would be simple, with only close friends and relatives. She thought of a few people she'd like to be there, then her mind returned to Luke's plans to live in the valley. After I tell him how I feel, I'm sure he'll move.
Mattie faced the river and considered the kind of life she wanted for herself and the children she and Luke would have one day. They're not going to live like I did. They'll have a better life. No one will even know they're Indian.
With a white husband, Mattie was certain most people wouldn't think a thing about her heritage as long as she didn't live in Alaska. She could put her past behind her and build a new life. Of course, she had experienced the incident in Seattle. After much thought, she'd decided it had been a fluke and nothing to worry about.
Muffled noises, like those of a heavy animal moving through snow, carried from across the river along with snarls and sharp yaps. She scanned the opposite bank. A pack of wolves had surrounded a moose. Mattie instinctively took a step back and crouched, although she needn't have worried about being spotted. The pack was intent on bringing down the bull and hadn't noticed her.
Its sides heaving, the moose turned back and forth, facing its enemy. It pawed the snow and lunged, threatening with its heavy antlers. A wolf sprang toward the big animal, but the moose scooped him up with his horns and tossed him. The wolf let out a sharp yelp. Another pack member darted in, biting the animal's hindquarters. Then a cohort attacked from the other side.
The moose fought valiantly but was clearly weakening. In the end Mattie knew the wolves would prevail.
Saddened and revolted, she watched, wishing the moose would beat them back. He battled, then stumbled and dropped to his front hocks. Seizing the opportunity, the wolves surged in. One large gray clamped its jaws around the underside of the bull's neck. Another sank its teeth into the loins. The bull was dragged down.
Mattie turned away, unable to witness the end. She followed the trail the way she'd come, knowing she must leave this valley. She would not surrender to the human predators who wanted to drag her down.
Chapter 25
SCRUBBING AT A TWO-DAY STUBBLE, LUKE GAZED AT COOK INLET BELOW. IT had been a long flight, but he was too keyed up to feel tired. He'd flown out of Southern California on a military transport, then landed in Bremerton, where passengers and goods were unloaded and maintenance work was done on the plane. Luke had napped on a cot tucked away in a side room. Several hours later he boarded again and the plane took off. Finally, he was almost home.
He imagined the reunion. Everyone would be waiting at the base in Anchorage. There'd be hugs and tears, kisses for Mattie, and a wedding...soon. Waiting was agony.
His eyes moved northwest to Mount Susitna. The lounging peak slumbered beneath a winter sun, its white slopes luminous. To the east and inland stood Mount McKinley, a distinct contrast. It did not languish but towered above an imposing mountain range, the brilliant white of its rugged peaks and slopes shouting its supremacy. Luke soaked in its strength.
The plane passed over Fire Island, and he remembered the weekend he and his family had picnicked there. When he'd nearly died after being trapped in the sand, it had been Ray Townsend who refused to give up on him. Because of Ray's dogged determination, Luke had survived. Gratitude stirred within him; but as always, when Luke thought of Ray, he remembered his father and how he had died, and bitterness returned. He probably helped me just so he could look good in my mother's eyes, he told himself.
How would he and Ray manage to stay in the same house? He could barely tolerate the man's presence, even for a few minutes. He kneaded the back of his neck. His last visit home the loathing he harbored had been powerful and consuming. A lot has happened since then. Maybe things will be better this time.
Luke's eyes moved to shore and to Anchorage. Anticipation and pleasure replaced his dark thoughts. He was home. He and Mattie would share a life in this wild, unpredictable, and magnificent place. When he'd discovered she'd moved home, he felt great relief. Now everything would be perfect.
Anchorage passed below as the plane approached Fort Richardson. The town had swelled into a small city. A growing population means more people needing produce, Luke thought. Being a valley farmer might actually be profitable.
The plane descended and turned north, flying parallel to the Chugach Range, which rose up like a giant citadel at the edge of the broad plateau where Anchorage sat. The plane descended, and thickets of naked trees interspersed with groves of evergreens became distinguishable. Luke's anticipation grew.
A winding frozen river, its banks lined with trees and bushes, meandered west into the mountains. Against his will, Luke's mind traveled backward to the breakup that had killed Alex. He wished his old friend was still alive and waiting to greet him at the airbase.
The transport slowed and rolled slightly as the engines backed off. The landing gear lowered with a clunk. The craft tilted, the right wing dipping toward the ground as it swung around to make its approach. Mattie had said she'd meet him. Luke gazed at the earth below, his heart pumping hard. Was she down there?
Roadways could become unmanageable when the weather turned bad. She might not have made it. He'd heard of a recent heavy snowfall.
The plane's descent sharpened, then leveled as it sailed above the landing strip. The engines seemed to hesitate as they skimmed the runway. The wheels touched. The craft raced through a white world. Finally the plane slowed and bounced, then rolled smoothly past buildings and equipment. Luke was home.
He shrugged into his coat, hefted his duffel bag, and made his way to the departure ramp. He stepped into the welcomed cold. His eyes watered as he made his way down the ramp, searching the faces of those waiting. When he stepped onto the tarmac, he spotted Mattie. She waved, looking as if she were lit from inside. Her brown eyes and smile radiated joy. She pushed through the crowd.
Luke ran to her.
Without thought to spectators, the two threw themselves into each other's arms, then clung to each other. Reluctant to release her, Luke moved back just enough to take Mattie's face in his hands and stare into her warm, passionate eyes. He had no words to express his emotions. He kissed her, long and steady.
Her arms went around his neck.
They parted, but only for a moment. Luke whispered, “Oh, Mattie, I love you.”
Her mouth was so close to his ear that he could feel the tickle of her breath as she said, “I love you. I'll never let you go again.”
“You two gonna do that all day?” Brian asked.
Luke looked at his younger brother and grinned. “I'd like to.” He gripped Brian's arm and pulled him into a hug. “Good to see you.” He held the young man away from him. “You're all grown up. How tall are you now?”
“Last time I measured, five feet seven inches. Doc says I'll probably make six feet. I've been driving some too.”
Luke caught only a glimpse of the young boy he'd once known and felt a pang of sadness at having missed so much of Brian's growing up. “Driving eh? I guess you're a man then.”
Nine-year-old Susie held back. Blonde curls fell over her shoulders. “Welcome home, Luke.”
He hugged her. “You've grown up too, Sis.” He studied her. “You're a beauty. I'll have to keep an eye out for the fellas.”
Blushing, Susie said, “Oh, Luke. I don't care about that kind of stuff.”
“Won't be long before you do,” he said with a grin.
He turned to his mother. She was thinner than the last time he'd seen her, and she looked weary. “Mom.”
Her eyes teary, she wrapped her arms around her son. “I've been missing you, young man. It's good to have you home.”
