Hollan lowered her foot again and felt for the next rope step. Something else fell from above, and again it barely missed her. A sob tore loose. Were they throwing things at her? Had they figured out the plan? Had someone noticed her missing?
She pushed herself to move faster but again lost her footing. This time her fingers slipped from their hold, too, and she plunged to the water below. The momentum sent her into a downward spiral under the water even as she fought to return to the surface. After a few panicked moments, her toes finally hit sand, and she pushed hard against the bottom. She broke through the surface of the water and gasped in a huge lungful of air.
A barrel splashed down beside her, barely missing her head. She swam in place and looked around for a safer location to wait out the barrage of debris. Only one area would offer her protection. She swam to the boat and hunkered down out of sight, slightly under the rounded side. If the ship shifted at all, she’d be crushed beneath it, just as Jacob had warned.
❧
Jacob hurried across the tilting deck and prepared to go below just as Gunter surfaced. A small man with a crooked nose assisted him. Jacob raised an eyebrow in question.
“It’s all right. Jonathon here offered me his assistance. He said he failed Hollan when she needed him, and he wanted to make things right with me.” Gunter looked around. “Where is she?”
“I’ve already helped her over the edge. She should be well on her way to the shore.” Another glance at Gunter’s helper reassured Jacob that the man didn’t have any ulterior motives. The man nervously watched the actions of the crew but didn’t try to draw attention. David still lay where they’d left him. “We need to get out of here before he comes around. He isn’t going to be in a very good mood.”
“Does the man have a good mood?” Gunter muttered.
“Not that I’ve ever seen, but we don’t want to be here to see what he does when his perpetually bad mood gets worse.”
They helped Gunter to the side of the ship where Jacob had last seen Hollan. He peered over and saw no sign of her. Hopefully that meant she’d made it to safety. Two members of the crew appeared, carrying a large barrel between them. They staggered up beside Jacob.
“Can you give us a hand in gettin’ this over? It’s mighty heavy,” one of the men gasped.
“Set it down.” Panic coursed through Jacob. “Have you thrown other things over this side?”
“Yep. We needed to lighten the load.”
Jacob leaned over and again searched the water for any sign of Hollan. If a barrel had hit her. . .
He saw a piece of fabric from her dress floating on the water, but he didn’t see any other physical signs of her. Surely if she’d been hit she’d still be in sight. He breathed easier and looked at the men. “Not on this side, you don’t.”
The man surveyed him suspiciously. “Why not?”
Jonathon stepped up beside him. “Ya see how the ship lists? Ya might knock a hole in the side.”
“Oh. I hadn’t thought about that.”
“Head on over there with the barrel”—Jacob pointed to the far side—“and I’ll be right behind you to help.”
The two men struggled to lift the large container.
Jacob rolled his eyes. “Can I offer a suggestion?”
One looked at the other. “I guess.”
“Roll the barrel to the other side. Don’t carry it.”
“That might work.” The deckhand looked skeptical. “We can try.”
They laid it on its side and pushed.
“No, you’ll want to—” Jacob shook his head as the barrel picked up pace on its journey across the deck. It took out two men before slamming into the wooden rail on the far side. “Never mind.”
The men took off at a run, and Jacob quickly turned around. “Come on, we need to get out of here before someone else comes along.”
Jonathon helped lift Gunter over the side. Jacob looked at Jonathon. “Are you coming with us?”
“No. I’m needed here. You go. I’ll keep watch as I work, and I’ll offer a diversion if need be.”
“We appreciate it, Jonathon.”
“Tell Hollan I’m sorry. I couldn’t help her before, but I hope she’s safe now.”
“Thank you.”
Jacob glanced around, then slipped over the rail and followed Gunter down the ladder. He heard a soft splash below as Gunter entered the water. Jacob made quick work of dropping down beside him.
“Let’s go. We need to get away from the ship.”
“Jacob!”
Jacob glanced around and saw Hollan clinging to the large vessel’s side.
“Woman! Don’t you ever listen?”
“I do listen, but before I could get away, huge objects started raining down on me from above.”
“I think we’ve stayed the falling objects. Let’s get out of here.”
They only had a short swim before their feet touched bottom. Jacob reached back and assisted Hollan until her feet reached solid ground.
“I’m fine, I’m fine. Go, go, go!” Hollan’s panicked voice urged him on. She stepped up beside him and helped assist her father.
She started toward the shelter of the trees.
“Not that way. We need to stay in the water.”
“They’ll see us.”
“Jonathon is helping from the ship. He won’t let anyone approach this side. It’s tilting away from us. The crew is busy on the other side, trying to lighten the load so the ship will rise off the sandbar.”
“Why not go into the cover of the trees?”
“The foliage is too dense. We have to get to the path, but we need to stay in the water so they can’t follow our tracks.”
They reached a shallow creek and turned to follow it into the trees.
“We’re safe for now, Hollan. Their guns won’t reach this far. No one can see us.”
Hollan’s legs gave out. Jacob caught her and held her close.
“We’re safe,” he murmured again. “It’s going to be okay.”
“I need a quick rest.” Gunter climbed out of the creek and sank to the ground nearby. He leaned against a tree. “What’s the plan from here?”
“We’ll go to Amos’s cabin.”
Hollan pulled her face away from Jacob’s chest and looked up at him. Her eyes were smudged with exhaustion, but she stared directly at him. He watched her eyes soften as she surveyed his features. Her mouth broadened into a smile. “You’re a sight for sore eyes.”
“Your vision seemed to be intact the entire time we were on the ship. Is it fully restored?”
“At first it came back in bits and pieces, but yes, I can consistently see clearly now. And thank you.”
“Why are you thanking me?”
“You came after me. You rescued us.”
“You’re my wife. I’ll always come for you.” He kissed the tip of her nose. “But about the return of your vision. . .”
She smirked and turned his words on him. “We’ll discuss it later.”
Gunter motioned for their attention. “If you two can try to concentrate, we do have some pretty angry men aboard that ship who would probably like to recapture us. I’d like to get some more space between them and us. I think I can walk some more now.”
“Wait.” Hollan looked up at Jacob. “You said the other day that the cabin looked like someone had been there.”
“That would have been me,” Gunter interrupted. “I cleaned it up and took shelter from a storm a short while back.”
“I remember now.” Hollan looked at her father. “You were gone all day, and I was so worried. If only I’d known then what the coming days would bring.”
“Speaking of. . .we do need to move on,” Jacob prompted.
Gunter stood to lead the way.
Jacob held Hollan back. “How long has it been since your vision returned? Since the day we walked around the island?”
“Before that.” She frowned. “It was better when I woke up after hitting my head in the
storm. I could see, but I wasn’t sure my vision would stay.”
“And you kept that from me? Why?” Jacob could hear the tremor in his voice. He wanted his wife to trust him, but apparently, after all he’d done in the past, she still didn’t.
Hollan stared into his eyes. “I was afraid you’d think I didn’t need you anymore. I was afraid you’d leave.”
“So you trust me that little, even after I’ve told you repeatedly that I was here to stay.”
“You did tell me that.” Hollan nodded. “But that was when you thought I couldn’t see. I wasn’t sure things would stay the same if you knew. I needed more time.”
“And when were you going to tell me?”
“The morning I was kidnapped.”
“I see.” Jacob stared back at her for a moment and then turned to stalk away up the path.
“That’s it?” Hollan hurried to catch up with him. She grabbed his arm. “That’s all you have to say?”
“I married you the moment I heard you were in need of a husband, Hollan. I stood by you through the hurricane, and I tended your injuries. I saved you from a ship full of rogues. If you don’t trust me by now, after everything we’ve been through, I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to regain your confidence.”
Twelve
“Jacob, wait!” Hollan’s heart moved into her throat. She couldn’t breathe. Her worst nightmare was coming true. Her deception had caused the exact scenario she’d wanted to avoid. She’d hurt Jacob, and now he didn’t want to talk to her. “You kept saying you were here for me and that you wouldn’t leave. But I wasn’t sure if it was because you wanted to be here or because you had no choice.”
“Not now, Hollan.” Jacob continued to move ahead at a quick pace.
Hollan raised her voice. “I was afraid you’d leave if you knew I could see.”
“I said not now.” Jacob’s words were clipped and cold.
Hollan dropped back and lagged behind. She could hardly see past her tears. She tried to tell herself it didn’t matter, that with the return of her vision she’d be fine. She had her father back, and things could return to the way they’d been before this all happened. At least life would return to normal as soon as they figured out a way to rid themselves of David and his crew.
Hollan realized Jacob was right in that respect. This wasn’t the time to worry about anything but their safety. They’d figure the rest out later. Even though she knew this all to be true, tears still forged their way down her cheeks.
The trio worked their way up the path, and Hollan wished for her boots. Chipped and broken shells lined the creek’s bed, and the path wasn’t any better. Hollan knew a cut from one of the shells could cause a serious infection. But she wasn’t about to ask Jacob for his help. She hesitated and glanced around, trying to figure out a way to walk without causing injury or drawing Jacob’s attention to her ineptness.
“Keep up, Hollan. We need to carry on.”
Hollan snapped, “I have to find my way around the shells.”
Jacob came back and abruptly swept her up into his arms. “You should have worn your boots.”
“I’ll try to remember that next time I walk the shore prior to getting unexpectedly kidnapped.”
A vein throbbed in Jacob’s throat, but he didn’t comment further.
Still, her feet were scratched and sore by the time they reached the shack. Her tears of heartache had diminished, but the pain of Jacob’s anger simmered under the surface.
Jacob set her down next to the small building in the clearing. Hollan wandered over to the edge of the stream and sat down, placing her sore feet in the cool water. She cupped some of the water into her hands to wash her face and scrubbed away all trace of her tears.
“I’m going inside to lie down.” Her father’s face was pale with exhaustion.
“I’ll help you get settled.” Hollan moved to stand, but her father waved her away.
“Let me be. I can manage to lie down without assistance. Rest your feet.”
Jacob watched from a distance and waited until her father had entered the shack before coming up beside her. “You should have told me.”
“About my feet or my vision?”
He squatted at her side. Hollan glanced up at him. The sun broke through the leaves, and one shaft highlighted the gold in his hair. His green eyes were lined with fatigue. “Both.”
“I told you. I was going to tell you about my vision, but the crew got to me first.”
“And your feet?”
“What good would it do to tell you? What could you have done? If I’d worn my boots, I wouldn’t have had a problem. It was my problem alone to deal with, and my feet are fine.” Her words sounded bitter, but he’d walked away from her. Why would she think to bother him with anything after that?
“To answer your second question, I would have done this”—his face took on a devious expression as he reached over and swept her up into his arms—“earlier than I did.”
“Put me down!” she hissed while glancing at the shack.
“No.”
“I’m a mess.”
“You look fine to me.”
“Then maybe we need to be concerned about your vision.”
“My vision is fine.”
“I just spent the night on a smelly ship.”
“And you had a nice dunk in the water after. You look beautiful.”
“Beautiful? My dress is torn and cut to pieces. My petticoats are in shreds. My feet are filthy, and my hair is a mess. How can you say such a thing?”
“I mean it. I went a lot of years without seeing you. I intend to enjoy every moment of seeing you now.”
“You’re finished being angry?”
“Do I look angry?” He raised his eyebrows up and down. “You aren’t going to chase me away, Hollan.”
Hollan rolled her eyes. “My father’s going to come out and see us this way.”
“Your father isn’t coming out. He’s exhausted.” Jacob settled back against a tree with Hollan held securely in his arms. “And regardless, he’s not going to take offense.”
She laid her head on his shoulder and snuggled closer. Her heart felt full. “I didn’t expect you to carry me through the woods. My feet hurt, but I’m fine. I would have dealt with sore feet.”
“That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you all along. Nothing—no problem—is yours to deal with alone. Not anymore. You have me to lean on now. I didn’t marry you because you were blind. I didn’t marry you because I felt sorry for you or because I felt there was no other choice. I married you because I love you. We’d planned to marry before I left. The pieces fell together when I returned, and I felt marriage to you was what God had brought me back here for. I’ll carry you through any situation I need to.”
Hollan stared at her reflection in the creek, afraid to meet his eyes. She knew she’d burst into tears. The stress of the past two weeks was taking its toll. She was exhausted from lack of sleep the night before and the anxiety caused by their escape. Her mind was a muddled mess.
“You need to rest. You barely recuperated from the blow to your head before you were taken. I’m sure you didn’t sleep well on the ship.”
The compassion in his voice was her undoing. A sob racked her body.
Jacob stroked her back. “I’m sorry,” he crooned into her hair. “I didn’t mean to make things worse.”
“You didn’t make things worse.” She didn’t want to talk. She just let him hold her while she stared into the water. The reflection there confirmed what she already knew. Her hair was a mess; her dress was dirty and torn. She looked awful. She likely smelled worse, even with her dip.
“You’ve made things so much better,” she whispered.
“I haven’t seen you cry before now.”
“I haven’t faced the reality of losing you before now.”
He tilted her chin up. “I’m not leaving.”
“You were so angry.”
“Not angry, just frustrated.”
His emerald eyes were so beautiful. He studied her.
“I don’t want to make you frustrated.”
He grinned. She’d forgotten about the way his dimples curved around his smile. “You’ve been making me frustrated since we were very young. I doubt anything’s going to change in that respect.”
“Oh.”
He reached up to caress a strand of her hair.
She made a face and tried to swat him away.
His hand drifted down to her chin, and his thumb caressed her cheek. “Hollan, I’m going to disappoint you. You’re going to frustrate me. But none of that will change the fact that we’ll always love each other. Can you live with that?”
“I can,” she whispered.
He slid his hand back to comb through her hair. He gently tugged her toward him as he leaned in for a kiss. “I can, too, very happily.”
They sat forehead to forehead.
She breathed him in. “I’m so glad you’re back.”
“Me, too.” He kissed her again and pulled away. “You need to rest.”
“Don’t leave.”
He set her aside and tried to stand. She tugged him back down and leaned against him. He stroked her hair.
“I have to leave. Samson must be going nuts in the cottage. If the men come ashore—and I’m sure they will—the cottage will be their first target. I need to get Sam out of there and salvage some of our things.”
“Poor Samson. I wondered how you got away without him.”
“I had to lock him up.” He seemed as hesitant about leaving as she was about watching him go. “Anyway, we need some supplies. I’ll run up to the cottage and bring Samson back with me. We’ll need food and clean clothes.” He sent her a pointed look. “And I’ll grab your boots and some more salve, too.”
She laughed. She wanted to go with him, but no way would her feet allow that. Nor would Jacob. The brambles in the path would tear her to shreds. “Thank you. I appreciate your consideration. Just stay safe and hurry back quickly.”
“I’ll always hurry back to you.”
Hollan could only nod.
“Do you want me to help you into the shack?”
“I’ll stay out here, thank you. I’ll have enough of the cabin when we have to go in there at dark.”
Truly Yours Historical Collection December 2014 Page 26