Mr. Deet and five other men arrived in two wagons. The wagons stopped on the road and the men strolled past the cabin windows with their arms full and on to the skinning shed. Bridget ran out to tell Jake the news and be there for Deet to thank. She’d never met Deet, though she and Effie had been expecting him since the snow began piling up. She stood at Jake’s side while the men made a trip back up to the wagons and came again with crates and guns, moving everything up the four steps to the skinning shed. Banging inside told her someone was starting the stove.
Bridget shivered, wished she’d grabbed the cape, and kept waiting. Deet would also want to speak to Effie and hear how no one had stolen wood—though Effie never left the lodge to know. Which Bridget wouldn’t say.
The men wore bear
