by Cathy Marie Hake, Lynn A. Coleman, Mary Davis, Susan Page Davis
Edward sat at a small table in an alcove just inside the front of the church. He had one elbow propped against the surface, his hand resting against his forehead while his other hand clutched an open note. The parson’s eyes were closed and his white-topped head bowed in apparent prayer over the missive.
Jacob remained silent until Edward lifted his head, finally aware of his presence.
“Jacob Swan!” Hurrying to his feet, Edward came forward and pulled Jacob into a warm embrace. “You’ve come home. After all this time and those few notes insinuating your intent, you finally followed through!”
“I did indeed.” Jacob smiled at his mentor. “I couldn’t find peace on the trail and decided I’d best come back before the good Lord found a more blunt way to send me home to my roots.”
Jacob stood with arms crossed and feet squared and grinned at his favorite teacher.
Edward studied him. “You had some concerns about your return. Have those worries lessened?”
Jacob shook his head. He tried to fight off the urge to pace but finally gave in and moved a few steps away and back in the small space behind the pews. Edward followed his movements with knowing eyes.
“You’re nervous about your reception.”
Jacob glanced out the church doors, watching as a couple of people moved past the entrance. “I am. It’s the only thing that’s held me back from coming sooner. My family …”
“Your family made their choices, Jacob. Those choices weren’t yours, and the people around here all know it.”
“I’m not sure my neighbors will see it that way. The townspeople are already talking.”
“Well, that’s their problem to live with until they see the truth. And you know how they love to talk. In the meantime, all that matters is that you’ve come home. I know several people who will rejoice at that news, Ettie being one of them.”
Jacob smiled at Edward’s mention of his wife. “I look forward to seeing her. Before I do any visiting, though, I need to finish some details of my return. I’ll need a place to live. I need to locate work—and even though you think my father’s and brothers’ actions won’t be held against me, I suspect I’ll have a hard time securing a job.”
“Tell me something.” Edward frowned as he mulled over Jacob’s words. “With all your concerns, why did you come back?”
“The Lord called me here. I stayed away until I couldn’t refuse, if that makes any sense. The past year has been hard. Each time I tried to ignore the quiet voice urging me to return, things became harder on the circuit. I’m tired, and I need a change. More than anything, I want to right my brothers’ wrongs. I want to make up for my father’s poor choices.”
“I see.” Edward nodded. “That’s a pretty strong order. But to put things in perspective, it’s not uncommon for a traveling preacher to wear out if he doesn’t take time to stoke the fire—especially if he’s chasing his own demons at the same time.” He sent Jacob another knowing look. “And after so many years on the road, giving to everyone you come across, you need to be refreshed. You need a break, yet you need to find a way into the hearts and lives of the locals.” He glanced at the note on the table, and his features transformed with excitement. “And I think I have just the solution.”
Jacob’s eyes narrowed. Edward’s solutions always came with a price. Sometimes a very high price.
“Don’t look so suspicious.” Edward clapped him on the back and motioned to the rear pew. “I think your timely arrival might just be an answer to my prayer. Sit.”
Jacob sat. How he’d gone from confident warrior to submissive schoolboy in a few short moments he didn’t know.
Edward joined him. “You’re not sure what the townspeople’s feelings will be now that you’ve returned. Correct?”
“Yeeesss.” Jacob drawled the word out, knowing his agreement came with a catch.
“If you were to marry one of the town’s darlings, it would go a long way in clearing the path toward your redemption, would it not?”
“Marriage?” Jacob’s voice rose in volume and pitch. He jumped to his feet, ready to flee. “You just said my family’s actions were not my own. Now you’re using the situation against me to force me into marriage?”
“You know I wouldn’t force you to do anything.”
“I didn’t come home to marry.”
“I’m sorry. Is there someone else, another woman who holds your heart?” Edward asked in surprise. “Is this the cause of your return?”
“Another woman? Of course not! You know there is only one woman for me. The only woman I’ll ever love is Hollan. And my father’s and brothers’ actions ended any chance for that marriage. After what they did to Hollan and her family …” He shook his head. “I can’t believe you asked if there was anyone else. I’m constantly on the move. When would I have time to build a relationship with a woman? There’s no one out there waiting for me. My family’s legacy chases away any desire I might have to marry.” He ignored Edward’s motion that he be seated and paced the room again. “Marriage is the furthest thing from my mind.”
“You have no intention of settling down?”
“I do want to settle down. I just prefer to settle alone.”
“And there’s no one—besides Hollan—who holds your heart?”
Jacob hesitated before answering. He had a feeling his words were throwing him headfirst into Edward’s plans. “No. You know my father was an evil man. I watched my father’s actions pull the life from my mother. I watched him break my brothers with his cruelty and then watched my brothers hurt the women in their paths. I won’t do that to anyone else.”
“How many times do I have to remind you? You aren’t your father or your brothers.”
“I understand that, but I am my father’s son. My brothers treated the women in their lives in the same exact manner as my father treated my mother. Or should I say, mistreated.”
“You didn’t agree with your family’s lack of morals back then. Why do you think you’d be like them now?”
“I won’t marry, Edward. I won’t take on a carefree bride, just to make her into a miserable wife.”
Edward’s face fell. “I see.”
Jacob stopped in his tracks, suspicious at his mentor’s abrupt change of heart. It wasn’t like him to give up so easily. Whatever Edward needed must be very important to him. And Jacob owed the man … owed him a lot. When all the other people in town turned their backs on him, Edward had given Jacob a home. More importantly, from the time he was a boy, Edward had taught Jacob about his faith. He’d shaped Jacob’s whole future from that of an outlaw to one as God’s chosen. He and Ettie had encouraged him during the years he fought in the war. There wasn’t much Jacob could deny the older man. But marriage?
Jacob battled his inner thoughts and lost.
“What—or who—do you have in mind?” He folded his arms and spat the words out, hardly the picture of amiability, but marriage was a big request.
Edward walked over to the table and picked up the note. “I received this shortly before you arrived. I’ve been praying ever since.”
Jacob pulled the paper from his mentor’s hand and read the words carefully. His heart tightened with each word of the missive. “Hollan.”
“Yes, Jacob. And she’s all alone. Well, not exactly alone at the moment. I’ve sent Sylvia over to stay until I could find a better solution.”
“Sylvia?”
“Hollan’s mother’s best friend. She’s a widow. The night of your family’s rampage, Hollan’s mother passed away. Hollan was injured. Sylvia went over to care for Hollan and her father until Hollan could manage alone.”
“I remember Sylvia.” Jacob winced. “I’m glad she was there for Hollan. I never wanted her hurt.”
Edward paused. “You still love Hollan.”
“I will always love her, but that night when my family left town, things between us changed.” He held out the note for Edward. Edward ignored it, letting the note burn a path through Jacob’s
fingers. Hollan had touched this paper. “Ettie would want to bring her home to the parsonage, wouldn’t she?”
Edward nodded. “Of course. And Ettie would be ecstatic at the chance to fuss over Hollan. But do you really think Hollan would be happy with that arrangement? You know my niece. She loves her life on the island. Bringing her here would be the worst thing we could do.”
Jacob felt the weight of responsibility press down on him.
“Surely there’s another solution. If Sylvia is with her, I could go over and stay at the lighthouse. I could do the necessary work—I often helped Gunter with the lighthouse—while Hollan could remain in her home.” His thoughts made so much sense that the burden lifted. Edward would have to see the perfection in his plan.
“Sylvia can’t stay. She’s only there for a few days. After that she’ll return to the mainland. If I can’t find another solution, Hollan will have to return with her. That’ll break her heart. And she’s already been through so much.”
Guilt ricocheted through Jacob’s heart. She’d been through so much because of him. If Jacob kept his gaze toward the door, he’d be able to walk away from the situation. His conscience and sense of obligation would likely send him right back in, but he’d have had a chance. Instead he looked into Edward’s eyes, and the pleading there settled his fate. He couldn’t tell him no. Not after everything Edward had done for him.
“I can’t just go out there and man the lighthouse and watch over her from afar?”
“You know people would talk. It would add fuel to the fire regarding your relationship and would tarnish Hollan’s reputation. Make things right, Jacob. Go out there and finish what you started.”
“Marriage, huh?”
Edward nodded. “It would be the only way, for propriety’s sake. And if you truly have no desire to marry for love, a marriage of convenience wouldn’t be such a bad thing, would it?”
Jacob shrugged. “The only way I’d ever marry would be for love, but Hollan will never have me. You know how things ended. What my brother did—”
Edward cut him off. “Think about the good that will come of this. With or without this marriage, I’m sure in time you’ll find your neighbors’ acceptance. Without being married at that time, with your charm and handsome demeanor, the womenfolk will line the eligible ladies up at your door, trying to get you settled. If you marry Hollan, the process of acceptance will move more quickly, without all the matchmaking that will surely come your way.”
Jacob shuddered.
Edward took the action as encouragement to continue. “You’ll soon be able to relax on the island. You know Hollan is independent and undemanding. The situation will be perfect for both of you.”
“Speaking of Hollan, how do you expect her to react when you arrive on the island with her new husband?”
Edward grinned. “She’ll be so happy to be able to stay on her beloved island, she’ll welcome the idea with open arms. She once loved you, Jacob. She’ll soon learn to love you again. I’ll explain things to her as soon as we arrive. She’ll embrace the idea.”
Jacob raised his hands in surrender. “I guess you’d best prepare to board my horse.”
Chapter 3
We’re doing what?“ Hollan’s words ended in a shriek. “I—you—what? No. No! I won’t do this. You want me to marry a complete stranger?”
“Jacob’s hardly a stranger, Hollan. You two were engaged. You’ve known him since you were young.”
“Oh yes. I remember. Right before he ran off with his outlaw family after they pillaged the town. The night my mother …” Hollan let her voice drift away as she stomped away from her uncle and headed for her place of refuge—the sand dune overlooking the ocean—wanting to leave everyone behind. Her astute hearing told her that her uncle ignored the fact that she’d purposely left him in her dust and continued to follow along.
“He didn’t run off with them. He went after them to bring them to justice.”
Hollan spun to face him. “How can you want this for me? How will this fix my present situation? Our love disappeared along with him the night he left. An arrangement like this will only bring more problems.” She figured her horrified words could be heard all the way to the mainland, but she didn’t care. What was her uncle thinking? “There must be another way.”
Her uncle raised his gentle voice so he could be heard above the wind that blew in off the water. “I’m open to suggestions, Hollan. You need to be reasonable. You know you can’t stay out here alone. Do you have a better plan?”
Hollan would find one. She had to. Anything was better than an arranged marriage to someone she no longer knew. The man she’d known no longer existed, if he ever had. She hadn’t seen Jacob in years. The night he left, Hollan had lost her mother, her vision, and Jacob’s love. It was a night she never wanted to think about again.
The man had outlaw roots, plain and simple, and in the end, when it mattered the most, those outlaw tendencies seemed to come to the forefront. Why else would he run off with his outlaw family and leave her to pick up the pieces? It didn’t matter how long or how well Uncle Edward had known the man. Hollan didn’t want any part of this.
Soon after Jacob had left—after she’d recovered from her accident—she’d made the decision to never marry. With her visual difficulties, she’d feel like a burden in the eyes of whoever ended up with her. She’d lose her independence. Her mother had unraveled on that horrible night, and she could only imagine why. If her mother had been happy, why would she have jumped from the lighthouse?
For her uncle to be desperate enough to marry her off to an outlaw, she was in a worse situation than she’d ever imagined. Marriage in any situation wasn’t a good idea, but this was oh-so-much worse.
“How can you not see that this isn’t an option for me?” Her mother’s desperate attempt to escape from their life closed the door on that idea for Hollan years ago.
“Your mother wasn’t of sound mind, Hollan. The accident wasn’t what you think. Your parents had a wonderful marriage.”
“What changed that? If something could go so horribly wrong in their marriage, how am I to know the same thing won’t happen to me?” A balmy wind blew around her. She breathed in the comforting scent. “And I already come along with enough of my own challenges—challenges that would cause undue burden even in the strongest of marriages.
Even in a marriage filled with love, which this one won’t have.”
“The two of you loved each other before. I know you can find your way back to each other and love again. As for your mother’s accident, we do need to discuss it further, but now isn’t the time. Just know her decision that night had nothing to do with her love for you or your father.” Her uncle’s speech ended, and he stood silently beside her.
Her father and Sylvia both wrote Hollan’s mother’s demise off to an unstable mind, but she couldn’t understand that. Why hadn’t her father been able to fix whatever was wrong? Why hadn’t the need to be around for Hollan been enough to keep her mother’s mind intact? What could be so awful that her mother thought the answer lay in plummeting from the deck that ran around the lighthouse? In any case, her family history didn’t bode well for marriage, especially when marriage to her came with the additional challenge of dealing with a sightless wife.
Well, she amended, her heart jumping with a momentary lilt—a partially sightless wife. Her vision still improved daily, returning in bits and pieces. Even now she could see the outline of Sylvia’s slightly curved figure to her left and her uncle’s more barrel-shaped chest to her right. A bit of a distance away, the bright midmorning sun highlighted the tall figure of her husband-to-be.
Hollan turned toward her caretaker. “Sylvia, you’ll stay on to help me, won’t you? I’ll make sure you’re well paid for your time. And Fletcher can take over the lighthouse. You know you’re both welcome here.”
Fletcher was a good man and a hard worker. After dropping off her uncle and Jacob, he left with the supply boat to fulfill hi
s normal workday, even after the long night of tending to the lighthouse.
Sylvia moved forward to place a reassuring hand against Hollan’s cheek. “You know I can’t stay, dear. We’ve had this talk. I’m needed in town, and Fletcher’s work doesn’t allow him to be out here on the island. He can’t continue to work the lighthouse and run the boat. You’ll be fine with your uncle’s arrangement. You know he wouldn’t do anything to hurt you.”
“But Sylvia, I—”
Her caretaker dropped her voice to a whisper and leaned close as if Hollan hadn’t spoken. “And we all know how much that man over there once loved you. You’ll find your way back to him again.” She planted a soft kiss on Hollan’s cheek and moved back toward the house.
“But—Sylvia! Wait.”
“I can’t, darling. I need to pack up and be ready to go when Fletcher returns.”
“Argh!” Hollan stomped her foot.
The action was rewarded with a deep chuckle from up the hill. Jacob. The heartbreaking outlaw. She ignored him and spun back around to her uncle.
“An outlaw, Uncle Edward? Is that really what my future has come to? Am I such a burden that only he will take me?”
“I don’t consider you to be a burden at all. As a matter of fact, your aunt Ettie and I would like nothing more than to have you pack up and return to the mainland to stay with us. We can forget this conversation ever happened, and you can start anew in our home. You do have a choice.”
Hollan turned away so he’d not see her face crumple at the dismal choices set before her. She loved her uncle and aunt, but she loved her island, too. “Marriage to an outlaw or I leave the only home I’ve ever known to start over again in town. And what a choice it is.”
“Don’t sound so despondent, dear one. You know I’d never do anything to hurt you. And Jacob isn’t an outlaw.”