by Pam Hillman
Dockworkers shouted insults at each other. Haggard-faced women in rags scuttled past as grimy children darted among the wheels of rickety carts. One besotted fool lay passed out in the street, no one to help him or care whether he lived or died. As far as Connor knew, the man could be dead already, knifed in the dead of night when no one would be the wiser.
A commotion broke out at the back of the crowd and all eyes turned as a gentleman farmer shouted that he’d been robbed. The man chased after a ragged boy, but the moment they were out of sight, his compatriots turned back to the auction, the incident so common, it was already forgotten.
Connor ignored the chaos and focused on the high bluff overlooking the wharf.
Ah, to be up there where the wind blew the foul odor of rotting fish away and the scent of spring grass filled a lad’s nostrils instead. And be there he would.
As soon as someone bought his papers.
“Gentlemen, you’ve heard the terms of Connor O’Shea’s indenture,” James Bloomfield, Esquire, boomed out. “Mr. O’Shea is offering to indenture himself against passage for his four brothers from Ireland, an agreement he had with his previous master.”
A tightness squeezed Connor’s chest. After serving out his seven-year indenture with Master Benson, they’d come to a mutual agreement that Connor would work without wages if the influential carpenter would send for his brothers. Benson’s untimely death had squashed his hopes until Bloomfield suggested the same arrangement with his new master. One year for each brother. Four years.
No, three and a half. Assuming Bloomfield made it clear in the papers that Connor had already worked six months toward passage for the first of his brothers.
But who first? Quinn? Rory? Caleb? Patrick?
Not Patrick, as much as he wanted to lay eyes on the lad.
Having fled Ireland eight years ago, he’d never even seen his youngest brother. He’d start with Quinn, the next eldest. The two of them could work hard enough to bring Caleb over in half the time. He’d leave Rory to travel with Patrick.
Pleased with his plan, he panned the faces of the merchants and plantation owners spread out before him. Surely someone needed a skilled carpenter. Dear saints above, the mansions being built on the bluff and the flourishing plantations spread throughout the lush countryside promised enough work to keep Irish craftsmen rolling in clover for years.
He spotted an open carriage parked at the edge of the crowd. A barefoot boy held the horses, and a lone woman perched on the seat. Eyes as dark as seasoned pecan met and held his before the lass turned away, her attention settling on a half-dozen men unloading a flatboat along the river’s edge.
She looked as out of place as an Irish preacher in a pub, and just as condemning.
He stiffened his spine and ignored her. It didn’t matter what she thought of him. He needed a benefactor, a wealthy landowner with ready access to ships and to Ireland. And he planned to stay far away from women with the means to destroy him.
The memory of one little rich gal who’d savored him, then spit him out like a sugarcane chew would last him a lifetime.
“I say, Bloomfield, what’s O’Shea’s trade?”
“Joinery. Carpentry. He apprenticed with the late John W. Benson, the renowned master craftsman from the Carolinas.”
A murmur of appreciation rippled through the crowd of gentlemen farmers. Connor wasn’t surprised. Master Benson’s work was revered among the landed gentry far and wide. Unfortunately, Master Benson’s skill with a hammer and a lathe hadn’t saved him from the fever that struck no less than six months after their arrival in the Natchez District. With the man barely cold in his grave, Connor now found his papers in the hands of the lawyer, being offered to the highest bidder.
But regardless, no one offered a bid. Connor squared his shoulders, chin held high, feet braced wide.
The minutes ticked by as Bloomfield cajoled the crowd.
Oh, God, please let someone make an offer.
What if no one needed a cabinetmaker or a carpenter? What if Bloomfield motioned for him to leave the platform, his own man, belonging to himself, with no way to better himself or save his brothers from a life of misery back home in Ireland, a life he’d left them to suffer through because of his own selfishness?
All his worldly goods stood off to the side. The tools of his trade. Hammers. Saws. Lathes. He’d scrimped and saved for each precious piece during his years as a bonded journeyman to Master Benson. He could sell them, but what good would that do? He needed those tools and he needed a benefactor if he would be any good to his brothers.
Finally someone made an offer, the figure abysmally low. Connor gritted his teeth as the implication of his worth slapped him full in the face. But the terms. He had to remember the terms. Every day of his labor would mark one more coin toward passage for his brothers.
A movement through the crowd caught his eye. The barefoot boy made his way toward Bloomfield and whispered something in his ear. Connor glanced toward the edge of the crowd. The carriage stood empty, and he caught a glimpse of a dark traveling cloak as the woman entered the lawyer’s small office tucked away at the base of the bluff.
“Sold.” Bloomfield’s gavel beat a death knell against the table in front of him. “To Miss Isabella Bartholomew on behalf of Breeze Hill Plantation.”
Cold dread swooshed up from Connor’s stomach and exploded in his chest.
A woman.
He’d been indentured to a woman.
He closed his eyes.
God help him.
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Acknowledgments
WE’VE COME TO the last of the Natchez Trace Novels. It’s been fun to write this series. I learned so much about life in the eighteenth century and hope I conveyed to my readers a bit of what the time period was like.
As always, the entire Tyndale team has been amazing to work with: my editors, graphic design, publicity and marketing, sales, and everyone in between. It’s a joy to work with you all, and I’m honored to have the opportunity.
I appreciate my husband for never ever complaining if the house isn’t spotless or the laundry isn’t done or if supper isn’t on the table . . . or even on the horizon! So glad you love fruit, peanut butter, and cereal.
And last, but certainly not least, thank you, dear reader, for going on this journey with me.
About the Author
CHRISTIAN BOOKSELLERS ASSOCIATION bestselling author Pam Hillman writes inspirational historical romance. Her novels have won or been finalists in the Inspirational Reader’s Choice, the EPIC eBook Awards, and the International Digital Awards.
Pam was born and raised on a dairy farm in Mississippi and spent her teenage years perched on the seat of a tractor raking hay. In those days, her daddy couldn’t afford two cab tractors with air-conditioning and a radio, so Pam drove an old model B Allis Chalmers. Even when her daddy asked her if she wanted to bale hay, she told him she didn’t mind raking. Raking hay doesn’t take much thought, so Pam spent her time working on her tan and making up stories in her head. Now that’s the kind of life every girl should dream of.
Visit her website at www.pamhillman.com.
Discussion Questions
At the beginning of The Crossing at Cypress Creek, Caleb O’Shea and Alanah Adams are each facing significant issues from their pasts and in their present lives. How do they cope with these problems? When you hit a roadblock or come to a crossroads in life, how do you decide what step to take next?
Both Caleb and Alanah’s uncle Jude note that the hearts of men all around the world contain evil. Do you agree with that assessment? How do their opinions change, if at all, throughout the story? Read Romans 7:14-25. What does the apostle Paul say about doing right and wrong?
Caleb is reluctant to face his family after so many years away. How does Connor welcome him? What does Quinn do? Consider the Prodigal Son story (Luke 15:11-32). What other parallels or similarities can you draw between the biblical account and this novel?
After the deaths of their parents and aunt, Alanah and her sister are left under their uncle’s thumb. Are Jude’s demands and concern for his nieces valid? How should a guardian balance the cost of living in a dangerous place with the calling to preach the Word of God? If you were counseling Jude, what advice would you give him about caring for his charges?
Having fulfilled his obligation to see a fellow crewman safely home, why does Caleb stay in the Natchez District?
Alanah admits that her uncle’s “eye for an eye” style is different from her father’s message of grace and forgiveness, and it’s hard for her to reconcile the two. Is one idea better or more biblical than the other, or are there times when both are justified? When you feel you’ve been wronged, which side do you tend to land on?
When Caleb meets William Wainwright, he makes an observation about wealthy men who “made their livings on the backs of others, and no matter where he went, he didn’t expect that to change.” Is Caleb being fair to label William in this way? Does his opinion of William change as they work together? When you consider the history of the United States, in what ways does this statement ring true across the decades? Is it still true today?
As the loggers continue chopping down trees around Cypress Creek, Alanah worries that she’ll lose her livelihood. What does she come to realize by the end of the story? What things in your life might need to be destroyed in order to make way for new growth?
Even after repenting of past mistakes, Caleb feels undeserving of any good things in his life. Why do you think he feels that way? What does God promise He will do when a person seeks Him and turns his or her life around?
Jude struggles with the calling God has given him, frustrated by the lack of results from his preaching. What did you think of Jude at first? Why isn’t he being more effective in reaching the lost souls around Cypress Creek? Did your opinion of him change over the course of the story? What biblical character does he remind you of?
As Alanah and Caleb grow closer to each other, she wonders, “When did one cross the threshold from courtship to lust to outright wanton behavior?” Is she right to believe that Caleb is trustworthy and will honor her with integrity? Whose responsibility is it to maintain safe boundaries in relationships outside of marriage? How would you answer her question?
What encouragement does Isabella offer to Alanah when they discover Betsy missing? Where do you turn when you face troubles in your life?
What events from Micaiah Jones’s childhood shaped him into the man he’s become? What would it take for a vicious man like this to be forgiven by God? By Alanah? By you? How might Micaiah’s life have been different if someone had shown him grace and mercy? What do you think becomes of Micaiah ultimately?
Jude suggests that when he refused to go where God was leading him, God brought people to the reverend’s door, even if that meant innocent lives were put in danger. Do you agree with his assessment? Does God cause or allow difficulties to come into a person’s life for a greater purpose?
As the family gathers at Breeze Hill, how do you imagine their stories continuing to play out?
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