Synopsis: Peter enjoys a lovely dinner and a wonderful dessert in Sarah's apartment where he spends the night.
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Chapter Nine
I returned to Ft. Resolution with terribly mixed emotions. On the one hand, I knew that no matter what happened next, Sarah Kincaide would always have a permanent place in my heart.
Instead of reading, I sat staring out the window of the coach seeing, instead of the passing scenery, nothing but a constant replay in my mind, over and over again, of the precious minutes and hours I had spent in Sarah's company and her bed.
It wasn't so much the sex, although I felt a pleasant tingle in my loins as I remembered how great sex with her had been, as it was a constant review of our conversation and a mental search for covert clues that might help determine her attitude and feelings toward me.
She had been friendly enough, but I was looking for something deeper, something special that I could keep with me in the days and weeks ahead because I didn't expect to see her again any time soon, and despite the fact that we had spent the night in each other's arms, I didn't feel I knew her well enough to begin a romantic correspondence. Those poignant memories faded during the following days and weeks as I worked with Jack, fighting the rapidly shortening hours of daylight and the steadily descending snow line on the surrounding hills in a rush to complete those essential tasks that had to be completed before freeze-up. It gets damned cold in that country during the winter, and human activity slows to a crawl.
Although most prospectors now used snowmobiles during the winter traveling to and from the creeks where they dug prospect holes looking for "color," Jack and I still relied on our dogteam.
Dogteams may be slow and require constant care, but they don't run out of gas or throw a track when their driver is 20 cold miles from the nearest warm bed. That meant that we also had to catch and dry hundreds of fish as trail rations to supplement the dried food we cooked into a hot mush for them every evening at our headquarters.
Our camp routine was interrupted in mid October when we received an urgent message from our factors, Bose, Rothchild and Gibbons in Winnipeg, requesting me to return to Winnipeg as soon as possible to discuss the details of our mining proposal with a representative of the London investment company who was flying to Winnipeg for that purpose.
I hastily packed my kit. Jack drove me to the train station the next morning, and the following morning I arrived in Winnipeg.
Jack probably thought my ill concealed joy to be returning to Winnipeg so soon was to close the deal so we'd be free to get on with our lives. He knew my heart wasn't really in the back-breaking labor real prospecting entailed, and I thought he might even be glad to be rid of me so he could find a more congenial partner.
As soon as I set foot in the big brick train station, I went directly to the bank of pay phones against the far wall and dialed Sarah's number. No answer. Of course! She would be at work by now. I called her office and was quickly put through to her.
"This is Sarah Kincaide. How may I help you?" At the sound of her voice, my heart began beating at twice its normal rate, and I found I was panting like a dog. My palms were slick with sweat and I felt moisture beading on my forehead. I even had difficulty speaking. "Hi," I croaked. "This is . . ." I paused, cursing myself for a fool as I tried to remember my name . . ."Pete . . .ahh, Pete Crockett. Remember me?"
"Well, hello, Pete. This is a surprise. I didn't expect to hear from you again so soon."
"I just got off the train. Mr. Bose wanted me to come in to iron out some details, and I was wondering . . ."
"Oh, Pete, I'm sorry. If only I had known . . . but I'm afraid I'm going to be busy tonight. . ."
"What about tomorrow night?"
"I'm not sure. I'll have to see. Call me again around noon tomorrow, will you? I'd love to see you again."
Yeah, sure. My heart fell into the pit of my stomach. I was so disappointed, I almost felt like crying. But I tried to sound cheerful. "I understand, Sarah, short notice and all that . . ."
"I hope you do, Pete. I'm really looking forward to seeing you again; it's just that this is one engagement I can't break, but I wish I could. Call me tomorrow, please?"
She sounded sincere, and I immediately felt better. "I certainly will; you can count on it!" After checking into the hotel, I called Mr. Bose's office. His receptionist was expecting my call and told me a meeting was scheduled for that afternoon. I took off my shoes and gratefully stretched out on the bed for a short nap. It's well that I did.
Mr. Bose and a lanky young man were in his office when I arrived. "Pete, I'd like you to meet Ian Christy. Ian represents the London group. As I told you on the phone, we need to go over our proposal once again."
We shook hands. The minute Ian opened his mouth to say "G'day" which he pronounced "G'die," I knew he was an Australian. They have an accent that's unlike any other. He opened his briefcase and extracted a folder. For the next two hours, he questioned me not only about our claims, but also about the community, the availability of labor, transportation and many other pertinent matters. At the end, as we shook hands again, I suggested that since we were a couple of bachelors on the loose in the big city, that we might have dinner together.
Ian shook his head. "I'm sorry mate (which he pronounced "mite"), but I'm all tied up tonight. Maybe tomorrow."
As we turned to leave the office, Mr. Bose cleared his throat and said, "Pete, would you mind waiting a moment? There's something I need to ask."
I paused while Mr. Bose ushered Ian out of his office. Then he closed the door. "Mrs Bose -- Cynthia -- is very interested in the Yellowknife District. She asked me, if it was convenient, to invite you to supper at our house this evening. We'd like to get better acquainted, too."