Prologue
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trembling, he stripped off his huge mittens and eased the fur-lined hood from his face.
"Old Bill," Midas hollered at the Yukon's only mail carrier. "What the hell you doin' way out here?"
Bill tried to smile and failed. "Damn, it's cold out there," he muttered, pouring himself a cup of coffee. Curling his arthritic fingers around the hot tin, he lifted the cup and let the steam pelt his face.
"Come on, Bill. Whatcha doin' here?"
Bill took a sip before he answered. "I got a letter for Stone Man."
Everyone looked at Stone Man. He felt their eyes drilling through his chest. Mail was scarcer than gold on the Thron-diuck River, and gold was damned scarce.
Frowning, he walked over to Old Bill. As he entered the stove's small circle of warmth, an involuntary shiver rattled his bones. "Who the hell would write to me? I've never gotten a letter in my life. It must be a mistake."
Bill reached into his buckskin bag and withdrew a crumpled, dirt-smudged envelope. "It come outta St. Louis, and it's addressed to Cornelius J. MacKenna. That's you, ain't it?"
Stone Man took the letter in his weather-chapped hands and stared at it for a long moment. Whoever had written this letter had taken his time. The penmanship was flawless. Perfect.
It was an honest-to-God letter from someone out there.
His strong hands shook. Like the other hard-bitten, lonely souls who wandered the Yukon Territory, Stone Man had left civilization behind long ago. He'd come north because he didn't have friends or family or loved ones. He had stayed because he liked it that way.
And now ... a letter.
Awkwardly, his big fingers unaccustomed to the task, he opened the envelope and slowly withdrew the letter. The brushed, bumpy paper was folded in exact quarters, the edges aligned with military precision. Unfolding the paper, he began to read.
Dear Mr. MacKenna,
I take pen in hand to respond to the advertisement
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which you placed in the St. Louis Post Dispatch. As it is now November, I can only hope you are still in need of assistance. If so, I would like very much to be considered for the position of partner in your trading post.
The terms stated in your advertisement are entirely acceptable to me. I agree to manage the post for one year in exchange for one-half ownership in the post plus room and board.
Although I admit to inexperience in such a venture, you will find me a hard worker, well organized, and willing to work for our mutual success. I will be eagerly awaiting your reply.
Sincerely, Devon O'Shea