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  Though the net entangled Cedar, his momentumtook him into the pilot’s seat. He crashed down on top of Amelia,who shrieked in anger.

  Kali reached her destination, the furnace andboiler at the back of the boat, but frigid water reached to herchest, and a strong current tugged at her body. She spread herlegs, trying to brace herself on the slick bottom. She would needleverage if she meant to succeed at her task. Something akin to acat fight was taking place in the pilot’s seat, with both peopletangled in the net.

  “Cedar!” Kali called. “Get out of there!”

  Stones shifted and moved beneath her feet,and the current threatened to suck her into the rapids, but shefound a big rock to brace her boot against.

  Amelia screamed in pain.

  A splash sounded-Cedar obeying her order.Good.

  Kali closed her eyes, tucked her chin, andpressed the drill to the side of the boiler. As soon as she feltthe tip pierce the metal casing, she dove down, hoping the waterwould provide her some protection from the-

  Boom!

  Even though she knew what to expect, she hadno way to defend against the raw power of the boiler failure. Thewater did little to soften the blast wave, and it hurled her intothe stony river bottom. Her back slammed against the rocks. Herbreath escaped in a burst of bubbles.

  For a dazed moment, she could do nothing. Thecurrent swept her off the rocks, and she forced her stunned limbsto work. She kicked and stroked, hoping she was angling toward thesurface, but the powerful water defied her efforts. It swept herout of the shallows and into the rapids where she picked upspeed.

  She clawed her way to the top only to bebattered against a sharp rock. She managed a gasp of air, but thetorrent forced her underwater again. More rocks barred her way, andshe bounced between them until her hand caught on something.

  Rope?

  If so, it was narrow, but she wasn’t going tocomplain. She twined her fingers around it and lunged for anotherpiece with the other hand. Not rope, a net.

  As soon as she gripped it with both hands,she felt herself being hauled out of the current. Her head brokethe water. Rivulets streamed into her eyes, but she dared not letgo to wipe them, so she merely trusted it was Cedar.

  The current lessened, and her knee bumpedagainst the bottom. Shallow water. She heaved a sigh of relief.

  Strong hands gripped her by the armpits andpulled her out of the water. Before she could so much as wipe hereyes, she found herself crushed into a soggy hug. She did not relaxinto the embrace immediately; she craned her neck, searching forAmelia and the vessel. Kali had been swept a good hundred metersdownriver, and she could barely see the bank where she’d started,but she squinted and spotted a couple of cicadas, flying around,lost. One crashed into a tree and went down. Others were alreadysmashed into the ground. Kali did not see Amelia or the boat.

  “You sank it,” Cedar said. “She wentdownriver in the rapids. I got her with my sword through the net,but it wasn’t a mortal blow. I don’t know if we’ve seen the last ofher or not.”

  “The last of her for today, I hope.”

  Kali let herself slump against Cedar forsupport and warmth. Now that she was no longer thrashing to escapethe current, shivers coursed through her body. Though May lackedthe harsh bite of a Yukon winter, it held no warmth either, and acold breeze needled her through sodden clothing.

  Cedar released her. “We better fetch our gearand get out of the area before those prospectors come looking forus.”

  “Agreed.” Kali jumped up and down. Her teethchattered.

  “Did you bring a change of clothing?” Cedarasked. “Or only tools?”

  “Of course I brought clothing, and don’t youpick on me about how I packed. Not when you brought a rock.”

  “A lodestone.” He grinned. “And it came inhandy, didn’t it?”

  She tamped down her own grin and sniffed.“Moderately, I suppose.”

  “You’re still a hard lady to please, Isee.”

  “Yes. Yes, I am.”

  EPILOGUE

  Kali lined the crosshairs up with theman-shaped target tacked to the wall of her workshop. This wasgoing to make a mess. She ought to test the device outside, but shedid not want to explain it to passersby. More people were streaminginto Dawson every day, and it was hard to walk out the door withouttripping over someone.

  Her finger found the trigger, and she tappedit. The weapon responded perfectly. A chunk of potato shot from thebroad wooden barrel, sailing across the workshop until it thuddedinto the neck of her target.

  “Spud to the jugular.” Kali lowered theweapon. “Embarrassing way to go.”

  Her front door creaked open, and Cedar duckedinside. Milos, she reminded herself, determined to start callinghim by his real name.

  Clean-shaven and dressed in a nicebutton-down shirt, he strolled toward her. He gave the SAB a pat onthe way by-it had taken her an entire day to fix it up so she couldbring it home-and halted when he spotted the potato launcher.

  “You made one?” A grin split his face as hereached out to touch it. “I didn’t truly expect you to… Can I tryit?”

  “Of course. You didn’t think I’d makesomething so silly for myself, did you?” Kali put it in his handsand grabbed the other half of her potato. “It’s like an old muzzleloader. You stuff your ammo in through the barrel. It’s bladed soit’ll shave your spud down if it’s too big. Then you need to crankthat lever a few times. It pumps air into the large-volume chamberwhere it builds up pressure. When you pull the trigger, thatcontrols the dump valve and…” A concerned furrow creased Cedar’sbrow so she stopped the explanation, pumped the lever, and pointed.“Just pull the trigger.”

  “I may not be bright enough for this one,” hesaid dryly.

  “No, no, you knew about the lodestone, andyou set a still to blow up in about thirty seconds. I don’t evenknow how you did that. You’re smart.”

  His eyebrows flew up. “Did you justcompliment me?”

  “Er, maybe.”

  “Huh.”

  Cedar pointed the spud gun, but did not fireright away. He met her eyes. “I just saw Bosomhall limping up thestreet, his arm in a sling.”

  “Oh,” Kali said, not certain how shefelt.

  She had wondered if he made it out alive. Onthe one hand, she did not hate anyone enough to wish death on aperson. On the other hand…it would have been better for her ifSebastian had never returned from the wilderness. Before, greed hadmotivated him to strike at her. Now, revenge might addextra…color to his plans for her.

  “I thought you should know,” Cedar said.

  “Yes, thank you.” Kali pushed aside herworries for another time. “Are you going to try that thing, ornot?”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  He lifted it, aimed, and fired. The potatochunk soared across the workshop and took the target in the eye. Itwas amazing that someone so tall, muscular, and battle-hardenedcould grin like a school boy, but he managed it.

  “Accurate, good velocity, nice.” He loweredthe gun, and his grin softened to something warm and intimate.

  She blushed, remembering their kiss, andstuffed her hands in her overall pockets while studying the floor.“So, uhm, sorry you didn’t get any closer to finding Cudgel.Blazes, we didn’t even get to collect a bounty on anyone upthere.”

  “Yes, I wanted to talk to you about that.First, I need to apologize for getting you involved in that mess. Ididn’t realize just how despicable Bosomhall was. You never wouldhave walked into his trap if it hadn’t been my idea to use him andhis claim. Second…” Cedar drew a purse from within his duster,counted out a stack of Morgan silver dollars, and set them on herworkbench.

  Kali scratched her head. “You’re not tryingto pay me for the spud launcher, are you?”

  “No, that’s your fifty percent fromKoothrapai.”

  “You don’t have to do that.” She eyed thestack, thought of the parts she could buy with it, and her fingerstwitched toward it. She forced those fingers back into her pocket.“You were right,” she made
herself say. “I didn’t do anything, soit’s not fitting I get a cut.”

  “No, you were right. We have a deal.Fifty-fifty on everything. And anyway…” He was the one to stickhis hands in his pockets now. “I didn’t get in this for the money.My reasons for hesitating to give you your share earlierwere…personal.”

  “Oh?” What was he about? Kali tried to readhis face, but he was studying the floorboards.

  “I was concerned that you’d get your airshipput together and leave the Yukon forever.”

  “That is my plan,” she said.

  “Without me,” Cedar added.

  Kali blinked. “Oh. I didn’t realize that wasa concern of yours.”

  “I can’t leave without getting Cudgel, and ifWilder spoke the truth, he’s either in Dawson or on his way. Thanksto the gold, I reckon half the world will be up here before long.He’s not going to miss out on it.”

  “Uh huh. So, what you’re really saying isyou’d miss me if I left.”

  He looked up from the floor. “That’s what I’msaying. Did you think I’d let someone I wasn’t partial to curl upin my Euklisia Rug?”

  “I’ve known men who would curl up with justabout any woman.”

  “But not in their expensive,mail-ordered-from-Wales Euklisia Rug.”

  “So, I’m special?”

  “Oh, I think you know that.” Cedar tapped thebarrel of the potato launcher.

  “Well, yes, but not everyone appreciatesit.”

  “I do. And I’d be honored if you’d accompanyme to the dancing hall tonight.”

  Kali bit her lip to keep from grinning like afool. Then a realization struck. “I don’t have a dress!” Sebastianhad given her a couple-he’d said it was embarrassing to be seen inpublic with her when she was wearing her greasy work clothes, theass-but she hadn’t bothered to hunt for them after her home inMoose Hollow had been burglarized.

  Cedar nodded to the stack of silver coins.“Perhaps you could purchase a suitable garment with yourearnings.”

  “You want me to buy a dress with myairship money?”

  “It was just a thought.”

  She considered him for a moment, then pluckedat her grime-streaked overalls. “Would you dance with me if I worethis?”

  “Of course.” His blue eyes crinkled. “Thoughnow that most of the snow has melted, nudity is an option too.”

  “I’ll buy a dress.”

  “If you insist.”

  FB2 document info

  Document ID: fbd-c090ff-0e5f-4e4b-e893-2879-0fd1-0bcd34

  Document version: 1

  Document creation date: 22.01.2013

  Created using: calibre 0.9.13, Fiction Book Designer, FictionBook Editor Release 2.6 software

  Document authors :

  Lindsay Buroker

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