He pulled his hand away from Levi and motioned to a long board wedged into the ground. The thick plank linked the bare dirt of the riverbank to a small, double-masted schooner anchored in the deep river.
Wanting an introduction, Connor glanced at Levi then at the boat’s captain.
Levi put his hand on Connor’s shoulder. “Mr. Roberts, this is Connor Bradshaw, a friend of mine.”
“Arnold Roberts.” The man stuck out his long hand. His skin was thick with calluses. He raised a wooly eyebrow. “Bradshaw? I haven’t heard that name before.”
“I’m from another land,” Connor replied. “I’ve heard the name Roberts in Good Springs. Are you related to a Frank Roberts?”
At the mention of Frank, Levi’s eyes darted to Connor.
Connor didn’t care. He preferred to know if the captain were related to Lydia’s stalker before boarding the man’s ship.
“Frank Roberts? No, that name is not familiar. My relations are all in Riverside.” Arnold withdrew his hand and scratched behind his ear. “You’re from another land you say?”
“Yes, sir.” Connor waited for a reaction while the man studied him. He briefly wondered if his alien status would ruin the chance of a quick journey back to Good Springs—a chance that had been secured by John Colburn’s good name.
“I’ve never met a man from another land. You must have plenty of interesting stories to tell,” Arnold chuckled. “I want to hear all about your land after we set sail. Yes, I imagine you have great stories to tell. It’s a pity we will deliver you to the bank near Good Springs by morning.”
“By morning, Mr. Roberts?” Levi asked.
Arnold walked the plank to the schooner with the graceful ease of a man accustomed to balancing on moving objects. He jumped over the ship’s rail and then looked down at Levi and Connor. “We will have the current and the wind in our favor tonight.”
Levi followed the veteran river trader onto his vessel, and Connor walked up the wobbly board after him.
Arnold motioned to the back of the boat. “We’re full down below. You’ll have to make do in the stern tonight. My men are almost ready to sail. Keep out of the way and watch for the boom.”
Connor and Levi stepped to the stern of the small ship and dropped their satchels and bedrolls against the back wall. Connor leaned his shoulder against the taffrail and watched the crew prepare to weigh anchor. It made him think about the last ship he was aboard. The schooner held an old-world charm lacked by an aircraft carrier, and it would cut two weeks off their journey back to Good Springs. Still, Connor missed the carrier—the constant rumble of the action on the flight deck, the noxious smells of men and metal, the terrifying thrill of the catapult launch.
Levi planted his palms on the wooden railing and looked down at the river below. Connor glanced down briefly, but because of the tight space he kept his attention on the boom while they were standing. Arnold walked to the stern, handed Connor a paper package, and whirled back around, yelling orders to his men. Levi removed his hands from the railing and looked at the package as Connor unrolled it. The contents appeared to be some type of dried meat. Levi pulled a piece of the meat from the package then lowered himself to the deck and began to eat.
Connor also sat down. He drew a chunk of the meat out of the package and smelled it. Then he took a bite, not wanting to appear picky. His jaw ached when he chewed. The salty meat’s tough texture reminded him of beef jerky, but he didn’t recognize the flavor.
“Beef?” He asked Levi.
Levi shook his head and kept chewing.
“Lamb?” Connor guessed again.
Levi grinned slightly as he shook his head once more.
Connor was out of guesses. “What is it?”
Levi swallowed the bite he had been chewing and reached for another piece of the salted meat. “It’s venison.”
“That was my next guess.” Connor drew his legs close to his chest to stay out of the way when a crewman walked by.
The ship began to move as the crew worked to guide the vessel to the center of the wide river.
Chapter Twelve
The white cross on the chapel’s steeple rose above the gray leaf trees, energizing Connor for the final mile to the village. He and Levi would be walking the cobblestone streets through Good Springs within minutes.
“I don’t think I have ever been this grateful to see my own village,” Levi grinned. “If I never sleep on the soggy, wet ground again it’ll still be too soon.”
“I agree.” Connor brushed the growing hair off his forehead. “I will forever be grateful to Arnold Roberts. It would have taken us weeks to walk home if it weren’t for him.”
Levi raised an eyebrow. “Home?”
“The village,” Connor corrected himself.
“Do you plan to stay in Good Springs?”
At once it hit him: Good Springs felt like home. He gave Levi a sidelong glance. “Are you okay with that?”
Levi didn’t immediately respond. Connor waited, knowing Levi thought before he spoke. He respected Levi for it. The friendship they’d forged in the battle transcended all previous misconception.
Levi drew a deep breath. “You have a place here. You’ve worked hard to prove yourself, and you’re important to my family.”
That meant something coming from Levi. Connor needed the affirmation. “Thanks, man.”
The path turned from gravel to cobblestones as they stepped into the village of Good Springs. An elderly woman peeked through her curtains as they passed her house. Across the street stood the library where Lydia came in the day he was reading the founders’ journals. He couldn’t look away from her then, and he was desperate to see her now. Next they passed the chapel. Its doors were closed. John had already gone home for the day.
Levi nudged him. “Do you still want to talk to my father about Lydia?”
“I plan to, yes.”
Levi kept his voice low and aimed at Connor, but he looked straight ahead. “You don’t need my blessing, but I want you to know that you have it.”
“Thank you. That’s good to know.” Connor agreed that he didn’t need Levi’s permission, but he didn’t want to sow discord in the family.
“My sister is stronger than most women and independent too. She needs a man who is stronger than she, but meek enough to support her, not stop her. She’s never been interested in courting, but that’s because there wasn’t a suitable man in Good Springs. I’m not sure what your chances are, but if she accepts you, I know you will be good to her.”
“Yes, I will.”
* * *
Lydia worked all day and had missed lunch. Her stomach growled incessantly as she walked her horse into the barn. It was long past dark, so she lit a lantern and hung it near her horse’s stall. She removed the saddle and blanket and brushed the horse before she took off the bridle and slung it over a rusted hook on the wall. After checking her horse’s hooves, she walked it into the stall.
The horse snorted as Lydia put out the lantern’s flame.
“Good night to you, too.” She picked up her medical bag, closed the barn doors, and walked through the darkness to her family’s house.
Her warm breath puffed in little clouds in the cold night air. As she neared the back door, she looked through the window and into the kitchen. The low fire of a gray leaf log glowed in the fireplace. Bethany approached the door and stepped outside carrying a milk pail. She closed the kitchen door behind her and flinched when she saw Lydia.
“Oh, my!” Bethany sucked in a breath. “Thank goodness it’s you! I’m glad you’re home.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.” Lydia glanced at the milk pail. “It’s a little late to go milk the cow, isn’t it?”
“Oh, you won’t believe what happened!” Bethany gripped Lydia’s forearm as she spoke. Her dramatic enunciations came with every report, so they rarely piqued Lydia’s curiosity. “You simply will not believe it.”
Lydia was exhausted and hungry, bu
t Bethany wouldn’t be ignored. She inclined her head. “If it is gossip, Bethany, I don’t want to hear it.”
“I don’t think it’s gossip. It’s not a secret or slanderous anyway. It’s simply all too exciting! You will be shocked.”
“Fine, what is it?”
“Levi and Connor were robbed.” Bethany froze as if she wanted a dramatic response from Lydia.
Lydia tried to process the news. She glanced at the road but only saw darkness. “Have they returned? The wagon wasn’t in the barn. What do you mean robbed?”
“That’s just it—the wagon was stolen by the robbers. And after the robbery, Levi and Connor had to walk all day to Clover Ridge, and a river trader let them ride on his boat down the river. Then they still had to walk three days to get from the river to Good Springs. I tried to hear the rest, but Father keeps sending me to do chores.” Bethany glanced at the pail then back to Lydia. “Can you believe it? Robbers! Isn’t that exciting!”
“Levi and Connor are here? Now?” She wanted to see him. Her stomach fluttered. “Are they inside?”
Bethany smiled and nodded. “They’re in the parlor with Father.”
Lydia dropped her medical bag and rushed past Bethany for the kitchen door. Just as she did, Levi opened the door from the other side and stepped out of the house. She threw her arms around his neck. “Levi!”
He kissed the top of her head.
She drew back and looked up at him. “Bethany said you were robbed. Are you all right?”
“Yes, I’m fine.” He smiled down at her.
“Who robbed you?”
Every trace of happiness withdrew from his expression. He moved only his eyes toward Bethany. Their younger sister was waiting, wide-eyed, to absorb all the details of his misadventure. He squinted slightly as he looked at Bethany. “Don’t you have a cow to milk?”
Disappointment washed over Bethany’s face and she nodded at Levi.
“Then go,” he ordered.
Bethany turned and stomped toward the barn.
Levi watched her until she was out of earshot and then he looked back at Lydia. “It was Felix—”
“Felix Colburn?”
Levi nodded and Lydia audibly drew a breath and put her hand over her open mouth.
“Felix and his two sons. They’re older now, but I recognized them instantly.”
One thousand anxious thoughts flooded Lydia’s mind. She had not heard Felix’s name mentioned in years. Even when she traveled during her medical training, she wondered if she would hear of him, or worse yet, encounter him on the road, but she never did. She squeezed Levi’s forearm. “Did they recognize you?”
Levi shook his head. “I don’t think so. They were planning to rob whoever was at the campsite. It just was by chance that it was me and Connor.”
“How did it happen?” She kept her hand on her brother’s arm.
“One morning on our way home, we were breaking camp near the river. I looked up and saw them riding across the bridge. I warned Connor and he stood with me as they approached. Felix told his sons to take the wagon. Connor fought both of Felix’s sons while I tried to pull Felix off his horse. Felix took off while I was halfway on the horse and I ended up going over the side of the bridge. I was barely able to hold onto the edge. All I saw were the rocks and the river below. My fingers dug into the wood, but I couldn’t get back up. Connor pulled me onto the bridge. He saved my life. The men got away with our wagon and horses.”
She searched his face for any signs of injury. “Was anyone hurt?”
“Connor took a punch to get to me, but I’m sure Felix’s sons got the worst of it. You should see Connor fight.”
“Is he all right?”
“He was hit in the mouth. It bled for the rest of the day. We still had our satchels and I reminded him of the medicine you sent, but he said he didn’t need to numb his whole body for a busted lip.”
She tried to imagine Connor brawling with two men then refusing medicine. Her face softened. “He would say something like that.” She smiled a little. “I’m so relieved you are both safely home. Where is he? I would like to see him.”
Levi looked over his shoulder through the kitchen window. He turned his head back toward Lydia but didn’t move out of the way. His expression relaxed, which immediately aroused her suspicion.
She peered through the window. No one was in the kitchen. She raised an eyebrow at him. “What’s going on?”
He blew out a breath. “I was wrong about Connor.”
“How do you mean?”
“When he arrived, I thought he was dangerous. I thought he would ruin us. Now I see he has done nothing but try to protect us… the Land… you.” He grinned, trying to hint at something.
She quickly discerned his meaning. “Is Connor in the house?”
Levi nodded.
She tried to keep her excitement to herself, but her smile gave her away. “Is he speaking with Father?”
Levi nodded again.
She pressed her palm to her stomach. “If you have any objection to us courting, you should probably say it now.”
“No, Lydia, I have no objection. I respect Connor. He wants to spend time with you, and I told him he has my blessing.” He shrugged, his grin holding steady. “I believe he will treat you well, and if he doesn’t, he knows I will hold him accountable.”
Bethany walked toward them from the barn. She had a full pail of milk and a sour expression on her face.
John opened the kitchen door. “Bethany, Levi. Come inside, please.” He held the door by its knob as his grown children walked inside. When they had passed, he looked at Lydia. “Connor would like to speak with you, and I have given him my permission, but it is up to you if you would like to spend time with him… alone.”
John waved for Connor to come outside. Then he disappeared into the parlor with Levi and Bethany.
Lydia tried not to shiver from the cold. She waited until her family was out of sight before she spoke. “Levi told me what you did.”
Connor’s eyebrows arched slightly as if he wasn’t sure what she meant.
She smiled. “About how during the robbery you saved his life.” In the dim light that came through the kitchen window, she could see the mark on his lip. “Were you injured?”
Connor touched his mouth. “Not badly. I’m fine. Thanks, Doc.” He grinned with the confidence she had come to admire. “Look, it’s late and you have worked all day, so I won’t keep you out here long.” He raked his fingers through his hair. “I talked to your dad and he gave me permission to spend time with you. I thought about you the whole time I was gone. I want to get to know you more. Come with me tomorrow night. There is that thing—your dad mentioned it—the festival.”
She nodded. “The Squash Festival?”
“Yes.” He chuckled. “That. Let me take you.”
He was asking to begin something she’d never imagined but now desperately wanted. She wouldn’t enter into it lightly. And she would make sure he didn’t either. “Connor, I’m flattered and I would like to spend time with you as well, but you must understand my plans are frequently interrupted by someone needing—”
“I can deal with that.”
“No, I’m not simply speaking of tomorrow night.” Aware of what she could give and what she couldn’t, she looked into his eyes and searched for a way to make him understand. “I mean every day. My life is devoted to my profession. I couldn’t be a good physician and put myself in a position to where I’m unavailable to people. And I couldn’t be a good wife and constantly disappoint a husband.” Her priorities were unusual for a woman in the Land, and she expected Connor to be shocked by her devotion to her profession.
Connor tilted his head, unfazed. “I would never expect you to give up your work. Not tomorrow, not ever.”
A wave of loose hair blew onto her face. Before she could push it away, he tucked it behind her ear. “Where I’m from, most women—most people—have commitments in addition to relationships and fa
mily. You’re a committed physician. You’re passionate about medicine and saving people. Life is pitifully mediocre without passion. Never let anyone take your passion away from you. I certainly won’t try to take it away from you or take you away from your village. These people need you.” He reached for her hand and lightly held her fingers. “Plan to go with me tomorrow night, and if that plan is interrupted we will make another plan and another. Eventually it will happen.”
“You make my burdensome complication sound like a simple inconvenience. All right, I will go with you tomorrow.” She liked the feeling of her hand in his. His palm was wide and warm. She left her hand there until he let go. “Good night, Connor.”
She picked up her medical bag and walked to her cottage. The floorboards creaked as she stepped inside. She felt his gaze on her until she closed the door.
Leaning her back against the door, she felt as though her whole body might melt right there on the doormat. She needed to absorb the moment. Connor wanted her. His words rang in her head and confirmed it was more than intrigue. He had given serious thought to this, just as she had.
It would take more than biological desire or social expectation to move her to join her life to another. It would take a certain man. One who captured her curiosity and held it. One who proved his strength through action, even when no one was around to see his choices. One who understood her passion and wouldn’t try to take it away from her.
Connor was the only man who could ever fit at the end of that equation for Lydia, and she was willing to accept his offer to court. More than willing, she was elated. He had initiated the journey she had always assumed she would never have to take.
Too exhausted to eat and too excited to sleep, she lit the lamp on her desk and carried it upstairs.
* * *
Lydia sat on the cushioned chair in front of her dressing mirror while Mandy primped her like a favorite doll. Mandy held several hairpins between her lips as she combed out a small section of Lydia’s hair. She braided the long strand from behind one ear, wrapped it over the top of Lydia’s head, and pinned it behind the other ear. Then she began the process on the other side, rhythmically intertwining Lydia’s hair. The braids held Lydia’s hair off of her face and revealed her light brown eyes, bright and unpainted.
The Land Uncharted (The Uncharted Series Book 1) Page 17