scratched his head. “I don’t know. Maybe two years ago now?”
“Two years ago?” Rina glanced at James, truth dawning. “So, those noises...”
“Were most likely not made by wolves,” James concluded. “At least, not the four-footed variety.” His gaze returned to the youths. “Anything you’d like to say to Miss Fosgrave, gents?”
Scout wiped his nose with the back of one hand. “Too bad you came all this way fer nothing.”
Levi nodded. “Maybe you could teach Beth how to talk all fancy-like so she can attract a rich husband, but I don’t reckon you got anything to teach us.”
Something pricked at her. Like her so-called father, Levi Wallin was so certain he knew more than anyone else that he was somehow above the petty rules that others obeyed. She might not be able to reach such a closed mind. But then again...
“Tell me, Mr. Wallin,” she said, raising her chin. “What do you hope to do with your life now that you’re a man?”
James shook his head as if afraid she’d given his brother too much credit. Levi straightened with a sneer to James. “I’m moving into town first chance I get.”
James’s gaze drifted to the ceiling as if trying to look anywhere else but at his brother.
“And what will you do there?” she pressed.
Levi grinned at Scout. “Anything I want.”
Scout grinned back.
“What a delightful life,” Rina said. “How do you intend to pay for your frivolity?”
Levi’s grin faded. “Frivol-what?”
“All the fun you’ll be having,” James explained with a smile to Rina.
“I assume you want to have fun, Mr. Wallin,” Rina confirmed.
His grin returned. “Yes, ma’am!”
Rina took a step closer, gaze drilling into his. “How will you pay for it? Fine clothes and food must be purchased, sir. Money doesn’t grow on trees, even here in Seattle. So what will you do? Labor for Mr. Yesler at the mill? Work in a shop?”
Levi’s chest swelled. “I don’t need another person telling me what to do all day. I’ll open my own shop.”
James chuckled and turned the noise into a cough when Levi glared at him.
“And how will you do that?” Rina asked. “Do you understand the language of a warranty deed? Can you calculate the interest on a loan? Do you know how to amortize payments? How much will you need to earn from your goods to turn a profit? How much profit will you need to invest so that you can continue to expand your business?”
With each question, Levi’s color fled a little more. Before he could answer her, she turned to Scout. “And what of you, Mr. Rankin? Do you intend to move to town and have fun like Levi?”
“No, ma’am,” he said, gaze dropping to where his bare toes were pressed into the floor. “Makes no sense, as most folks in town wouldn’t give me the time of day. I’d like to homestead. Don’t reckon you know how to do that.”
His voice held more despair than defiance. There was a story behind this boy. She wondered if it was anything like her own—abandoned, lied to, left to fend for herself. Still, she had clean clothes, food, the hope of a future. She wasn’t so sure Scout Rankin had any of those things.
“I know nothing about homesteading, Mr. Rankin,” she admitted. “But I know about the Farmer’s Almanac. I can teach you to understand it, and from there you can learn how to calculate crop yields, determine the best times to plant and harvest and even predict the weather.”
His head came up, and his eyes widened. Like his hair, they were a muddy brown, but she could see the light of intelligence in them, the flicker of hope. “That would be right helpful, ma’am.”
Levi narrowed his eyes as if he thought his friend was giving in too easily.
Rina refused to be daunted. “Good,” she said. “Then I expect to see you both tomorrow morning at eight when I ring the bell.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Scout said, though Levi merely snapped a nod.
“And I expect,” James added, “that Miss Fosgrave will hear no more wolves outside her window or find threats on the blackboard.”
“Yes, sir,” they chorused. James pointed to the door, and they shuffled out.
Rina shook her head. “You knew all along it wasn’t a wolf pack, didn’t you?”
“I suspected,” James said with a shrug. “But I thought it best to make sure. I’m sorry they frightened you, Rina.”
She sighed. “They terrified me. Nothing in my life prepared me to fight off vicious predators.”
He wrinkled his nose. “I don’t imagine too many people have that preparation. Beth, Ma and Catherine can handle a rifle if needed. I suppose we better teach you how to shoot, just in case.”
She raised her brows. “Just in case of what? Do you expect more wild beasts, real ones, to come calling?”
He laughed. “No. Once in a rare while, something wanders a little too close to the barn, but normally the wild animals give us a wide berth. They’ve learned humans can be dangerous.”
So had she. “Then I doubt I must carry a gun.”
“Maybe just a whip and chair for your wild students,” he joked.
Rina shook her head. Levi and Scout were going to be a handful, but she supposed she couldn’t blame them for resenting the school. They were both at an age where sitting around learning had to sound tedious and tiresome. She’d have to find ways to make the lessons relevant for them.
But for all her fine arguments, what did she know about opening a shop or understanding the Farmer’s Almanac?
Her concerns must have been written on her face, for James put a hand to her elbow as if to steady her. “You dealt with them brilliantly. You’re going to be a great teacher.”
She drew in a breath, feeling as if she drew in strength as well. “It will be a challenge. Thank you, for the encouragement and for routing my wolves.”
He dropped his hold and saluted her. “Any time, ma’am. James Wallin, wilderness scout, at your service.”
She smiled. “I hope this is as close to the wilderness as I ever come.”
He cocked his head. “It’s not so bad, you know. Come on. I’ll show you.”
He held out his hand, but Rina couldn’t make herself accept it. “Where do you intend to take me, Mr. Wallin?”
He grinned. “Into the wild.”
* * *
James
