by Cathy Marie Hake, Lynn A. Coleman, Mary Davis, Susan Page Davis
What she really wanted to ask was why he’d left her behind. From the way he froze in place, fork halfway to his mouth while contemplating his answer, she knew she’d hit a sore spot.
“That night I left, a lot of bad things happened.” He laid his fork down and reached over to toy with her hand. She had a hard time not staring into his eyes. She wanted to lose herself in them. But he couldn’t know about the return of her vision. Not yet. She didn’t want him to leave. She wasn’t ready for that possibility. She needed more time. She needed to solidify their relationship.
“I remember.”
“I know you do.” He pulled his hand away and ran it through his hair, the gesture reassuringly familiar. “I couldn’t face anyone after what my father and brothers did to the people of our town. So when they fled, I chased them up the trail. They scattered, and I tailed them one at a time. Each time I’d catch one, I turned him over to the law.” He picked up his fork and used it to push the eggs back and forth, but he didn’t eat any of them.
“That had to be hard.” Hollan ached for him, for the pain he had to have felt each time he had to turn in a brother. “You found your father, too?”
“Someone else found him first. I found his body soon after.”
“That’s awful.” What else could she say to that? Though she longed to know what had happened to her father, finding his body wasn’t something she could imagine. She didn’t want to contemplate it further. “And the others, what happened to them?”
“I found all but one. They’ll spend a lot of time behind bars, if not worse. I didn’t stick around to see what happened.”
“Which one evaded you?”
“David.”
He seemed to be studying her face for a reaction. She stared at his chin. His expression turned quizzical when she didn’t have one.
“So you decided to let him go, and instead you returned home?”
“No, I trailed him back this way. I don’t intend to stop looking until he joins our other brothers behind bars.”
“So you’re only here for a short while?”
“I married you, Hollan. I’m with you for life. I meant my vows when I said them.”
Her heart leaped at his words. Maybe she wouldn’t have to keep her secret as long as she thought. She tested him.
“But you were forced into the marriage. You might change your mind if …” She let her voice trail off, not sure what to say.
“If what?” His voice held a chuckle. “I made my commitment for life, Hollan.”
He stood to gather their plates and moved out of her line of vision. Her newly returned vision. A hint of a smile broadened her lips. She savored the thought and forced herself not to track him with her eyes.
“Well, I don’t know. What if you get bored? What if you catch your brother and want to travel again? I understand you wanted to return home and right the wrongs of your family, but once that’s all behind you, maybe you’ll want to wander again.”
“Not likely.” This time there was no humor after the statement. “A person can only wander for so long before life catches up with them. And in my case, it was time for me to return.”
“So what about David?”
He helped her up from her chair and led the way to the door. “I’ll know what to do when the time comes. God has led me to each of them in turn. I don’t know why David came back. He already caused all the pain he possibly could. But for whatever reason, God has been urging me back this way for a while now, and I’ve ignored Him. Next thing I know, my quarry turned this way and led me home.”
“Interesting.” Hollan wished he’d come back because he missed her. But they were married and working on their new relationship. That had to be enough. She’d try to be patient and see what happened next.
“Enough of that. Let’s go explore and see what the hurricane did to our home.”
Our home. The words were so simple, yet they meant so much to her. She wasn’t alone anymore.
Jacob tugged her toward the inland channel. “How about we start at the dock? I want to check the boat.”
Hollan nodded her agreement.
Jacob led her down the path toward the water at a leisurely pace, walking slightly ahead. She held back just a bit, wanting to look around without him taking notice. She savored every single sight. The brilliant green of the trees stood out against the vivid blue of the sky. The seagulls circled overhead, scavenging for small crabs and fish. They neared the sandy beach, and the water lapped at the shore, tossing tiny shells and clams with the movement. The sea oats danced in the slight breeze. Hollan wanted to dance along with them. Pelicans and herons dove for their dinner in the distance. And decidedly the best view of all was that of Jacob walking just ahead of her. Her beloved Jacob. She studied his broad shoulders and the way his waist narrowed at the hips. The muscles in his arms flexed as he cleared debris from their path. The sun shone off his golden hair, which he’d again pulled back and tied at the nape of his neck. He was truly a striking man.
Jacob’s grunt pulled her from her perusal. He’d stopped just ahead of her. She wanted to wrap her arms around him and press her cheek against his back, but instead she hurried to stand at his side. She glanced at the dock.
Only one thing seemed to be missing—one major thing. She put her hand to her forehead and scanned the open waters.
“The boat’s gone.” Jacob stated the obvious just before Hollan blurted it out. At the rate she was going, she’d surely clue him in about the return of her sight. Jacob didn’t notice—he was too focused on the missing boat.
“Gone … where?”
Jacob reached over to clutch her hand. “I have no idea. I didn’t think the storm would have done that much damage to this side of the island. It’s more protected.”
“Odd.”
“Yes, it is.” His voice held a funny tone.
“Are you thinking someone tampered with it?”
“I’m not sure. But it can’t have floated off on its own.”
“The supply boat won’t be here for days. This means we’re on our own until then.”
“It looks that way.” They’d reached the dock, and Jacob released her hand as he bent low to check out the dock and surrounding water. He stood back up, hands on hips, and glanced around again. “This is so strange. There’s no sign of it at all.”
“The storm likely blew it away. I doubt we’ll ever find it.”
“What now?”
“There’s nothing we can do until Fletcher returns.”
He clasped her hand again and led her down the shoreline path. His hand felt solid and reassuring. “Let’s walk some more. Maybe it washed ashore. If so, we’ll come across it. If not, I still want to see what other damage the storm did to our island.”
They walked in silence, and more than once Hollan’s eyes blurred with tears of happiness. A lizard skittered across the path and disappeared in the overgrown foliage to her left. A large turtle floated in the water just offshore. The water was so clear here that she could see the turtle’s shadow on the sandy bottom as it moved along. A mockingbird sang from somewhere in the dense trees overhead. She’d missed these sights dearly. And because she never dared to walk very far, she’d missed a lot of the shoreline’s sounds. Hollan took a deep breath, breathing in the salt-laden air. The vivid blue of the sky almost hurt her eyes, but she embraced the sensation. She’d never been happier to squint.
Jacob slowed. “Where does that path lead? I’ve never noticed it before.”
“What path?”
Jacob tugged her inland, a small path barely visible through the dense jungle of palmettos and scrub that made most of the island impenetrable. “It leads through the undergrowth. It looks like at one time it would have been used quite often, but now it’s almost completely overgrown.”
“Sounds like the path to Amos’s old place.” Hollan was beginning to hate the farce she’d put into motion. If only she had complete surety that the return of her vision wouldn’t cause
a negative change in their budding friendship.
“Amos?” Jacob took the lead through the tunnel of vegetation. Hollan’s skirts were snagged and tugged by the ends of the palmettos’ sharp fronds. She didn’t care. She’d happily sacrifice the old dress she wore for the experience and adventure of refamiliarizing herself with the interior of the island. Especially when it meant Jacob would hold her close against his side as he did now.
“He helped my grandfather when he first took over the lighthouse, before my father had the contract. He had a small shack somewhere around here.”
“Let’s find it.”
“If it’s even standing.” She laughed. “It’s been around for a long time, and you know how harsh the weather can be.”
“It’s still here.”
Sure enough, it was. And it looked surprisingly solid. Of course she couldn’t admit that to him.
The door screeched as he pulled it open. Hollan screamed as a bat flew out, barely skimming her head.
“Sorry about that.” Jacob pulled her into a quick embrace. “It’s gone now.”
Hollan shuddered. She’d never liked the creatures of the night. Suddenly the area felt dark and oppressive. She couldn’t imagine how much worse it would be if she couldn’t see. Snakes loved to lurk on this section of the island, along with alligators and all sorts of other creatures.
“If you’ve seen enough, I’m ready to go back to the shore.”
“No, actually, I want to look a little closer. Other than the bats—”
“Plural? I thought there was only one!” Hollan reached up and scrubbed at her hair with both hands. “They’re gone, aren’t they?” She spun in a circle.
“They all flew away. You’re fine.” She didn’t comment on the chuckle she heard in his tone. He stood in the open doorway. “But it looks like someone has been here recently. The interior isn’t as rough as I’d expect after all these years.”
Hollan stepped closer and grabbed hold of Jacob’s arm. “Someone or—something?”
“Someone. The floor is cleared, and there’s a sign of fire. Let me duck inside.”
“All the more reason to leave.”
“I’ll only be a moment.”
“You do know there are snakes and gators around here? Don’t leave me for long.”
Hollan hugged her arms around her waist and scoured the area for signs of predators. A bubbling stream ran along the opposite side of the small clearing. Though she much preferred being outside in the open rather than being inside the tiny bat-infested cabin, her mind was quickly conjuring up quite a few alarming scenarios of possible creatures lurking at her feet.
“Um, Jacob? I’m hearing scurrying sounds in the brush. Not something I like to stand here and listen to. My imagination’s racing out here.”
“I’m ready.” His sudden appearance at her side made her jump. “Let’s get you out of here. But I’ll be watching the place, and if someone is using this cabin, I’ll find out.”
“Sounds good to me. Meanwhile, I’ll stick to waiting on one of the nice, clean, wide-open paths on the beach when you check.”
Jacob laughed.
They cut across the island toward the ocean and reached the main path. Hollan breathed a sigh of relief. The sigh ended in a cough as she inhaled the sharp odor of rotting fish. Quite a few of them lay scattered at their feet. “Whoa. Lots of fish washed ashore in this area after the storm.”
Jacob turned her way, eyes squinting, his forehead creased. Hollan covered quickly, waving her hand in front of her wrinkled nose.
He laughed. “It is a bit potent.”
“It’s the aroma of home. I like it.”
“You are an island girl through and through, aren’t you?”
“Always and forever.” Hollan couldn’t imagine living anywhere else. She didn’t want to think about living anywhere else.
“Hollan, there’s something we need to talk about.”
Her heart plummeted. Here it came. She didn’t want to hear what he had to say. “Oh listen! The waves are louder and the birds more vocal. We’re nearing the ocean side, aren’t we?”
“Yes.” He squeezed her hand. “Hollan, don’t change the subject.”
Intent on savoring the newest view, she didn’t answer. The Atlantic Ocean seemed to stretch out forever before her. Shells scattered at her feet, begging for her attention. She loved walking with Jacob, but she couldn’t wait to make her escape in the near future and spend a morning enjoying her favorite pastime, looking for seashells and pirate treasure.
“Hollan?”
“I’m sorry.” She kept her gaze down and moved forward.
“Anyway, as I was saying, we have to discuss what will happen if the lighthouse inspector arrives and decides that we can’t stay.”
She froze. “Decides we can’t stay? Why would he decide that?” The panic made her voice rise. She hadn’t even thought about that possibility.
“The contract for the lighthouse is with your father, not with us. I don’t know how that all works, but he might have someone else in mind to take over for your father—now that he is missing.”
“Well, he can just wait.” She set her jaw, daring him to disagree. “We have no—proof that my father isn’t coming back. Until we do, we need to protect his job.”
“You have a point. We’ll keep that as our plan for now.” He gently guided her face to look up into his. “But you have to keep in mind that we might need an alternate plan.”
Hollan carefully avoided his gaze after one quick glimpse of his beautiful green eyes. She had to end this farce—tomorrow. She wanted one more day to savor the sights and Jacob’s presence before telling him how drastically things had changed. He seemed genuine in his commitment, but he didn’t have all the facts. “There’ll be no plan other than the one that allows us to stay on this island.”
“As you wish.” He smirked. “I suppose we can always move into Amos’s place. Quarters might be tight, but I think we could make do. I certainly could.”
Hollan stared straight ahead, but she felt the flush wash over her features. Close quarters would be an understatement. “There would be bugs and snakes and other equally horrible things. I couldn’t even imagine.”
“I’d batten it down. I’ll make sure they don’t get you.”
“We’d have no beds. We’d have to—” The blush continued. “We’d have no room to move around.”
“I’d hold you close and keep you safe.”
Hollan didn’t know what to say to that. She’d love to have him hold her close at night and keep her safe. But she wasn’t sure she was ready for all the changes that would bring to their relationship. They were married after all, but she hadn’t kept up with all the changes as it was. She needed them to take things slow. But he’d slept inside the cottage—albeit in a chair—for the past three nights. He’d watched over her since the hurricane. She didn’t want to send him back to the lighthouse now.
“That might be—tolerable.”
“Tolerable?” He choked on a laugh, his profile showing his dimples.
She shrugged. “I’d do my best to adapt.”
“Tell me, which part might be merely tolerable? Living in the cabin?” He stepped close behind her and whispered in her ear. “Or being held in my arms at night?”
Hollan shivered. “If necessity mandated such a situation, I’d probably survive both conditions.”
“You’d probably survive them?” Jacob laughed out loud. “That’s nice to know.”
He spun her around and pulled her close. She knew he was going to kiss her. She closed her eyes. He planted several soft kisses on her lips, and she felt herself respond and kiss him back.
“I’ve missed you, Hollan.”
She asked the question that had bothered her for so long. “Then why’d you leave?”
“It’s complicated. But my decision to leave that night had nothing to do with my feelings for you. My love for you has never changed.”
Hollan’s hear
t swelled. “I’m glad to know that.”
“I’d like to tell you about it soon.”
“Maybe tonight at dinner?”
“I don’t know. You’ve had a busy morning, and I want you to rest. I think we need to get lunch, you need to lie down, and we’ll see what the evening brings later.”
“You’re avoiding me.”
“I wouldn’t say I’m avoiding you exactly…. I’m just trying to give you the time to heal. Besides your head injury, you’ve lost your father. I want to take things slow. We have our whole life ahead of us, and there’s no reason to hurry while we’re muddling through all the changes.”
“I have faith that my father is alive. My head injury is fine.” Hollan’s good spirits began to slip away. He was echoing her thoughts from a moment earlier that they needed to take things slow, yet now she found herself pushing forward. “When you use the word muddling as you just did, it feels as if you think you’re stuck here in this awful.. . quagmire... or something with me.”
“I’m not stuck in anything with you, Hollan, and I’m sorry if it came across that way.” She leaned against his chest, and he rested his chin on her head. “I know I’m where God led me to be. I’m perfectly content to be where I am. I love being married to you, and I can only hope that in a very short time we’ll be living as a married couple in every way.”
“Then why—?”
“I won’t take advantage of you in a vulnerable state. I want to make sure you’re coming to me freely when we make this marriage real. I’ll sleep in the lighthouse for tonight, and we’ll see what tomorrow brings—tomorrow.”
Disappointment rolled over Hollan, but she knew he was right. They’d work things out as they went. But she knew she’d miss his presence in the cottage tonight.
They circled around toward the dunes in front of their home, and Jacob led her directly toward a piece of driftwood. She panicked. If she stepped over it, he’d know. If she had to trip, she’d feel like an idiot. It served her right for her deceit.
She slowed just as she reached the limb and bent down to fumble with her boot.