Her lips curved into a sweet smile.
He leaned forward. “I want to know everything about you. I want to protect you and help you. I’m not just here because I have nowhere else to go or courting you because you live next door. I plan to build my life here, and I hope to spend it with you. I’m all in, but I’m not going to rush you. I will give you time to make sure that you want to build a life with me.”
Chapter Fifteen
A thin layer of early-spring snow crunched beneath Lydia’s boots as she walked with Mandy through the village. Lydia kept her eyes fixed on the school building ahead. Mandy was watching her, waiting for her answer. “Yes, if Connor asks me, I will marry him.”
Mandy gave a muffled squeal and tapped her gloved hands in a noiseless clap. “I knew you were in love.” Then she chuckled. “So are you admitting it is love or have you found some practical logic to claim as your reason for marriage?”
“I do love him, yes. And I could come up with many practical reasons to marry him, but it’s more than that. At first, I could only suppose that he would make a good husband because of his qualities, but after what happened last month, I know I want him in my life always.”
Bare deciduous trees reached their limbs to the sturdy gray leaf trees overhead. Their branches blended together, making Lydia smile. “I believe love and logic have interwoven in a way that assures me I could be a physician and a wife. But only because of Connor. If we don’t marry, I will not look for another man.”
A quick laugh escaped Mandy’s throat. “I don’t want to marry, but I’m always looking for another man.”
She grinned at Mandy and looked at the school building ahead as they left the road. The quiet schoolyard was empty, but as they approached the building, the noise of the students bled outside. She stopped to readjust the scarf at her neck. “The students haven’t been dismissed yet. We’re early.”
“No, we aren’t.” Mandy kept trotting through the snow. Her auburn curls—flattened beneath a knit woolen cap—fluffed over her shoulders and down her back. She threw the door open.
Lydia knocked the snow from her heels and followed Mandy inside the vestibule. “I haven’t been in here in a while.”
Mandy wrinkled her nose. “Do you remember the year we had that secondary teacher from Woodland?”
“Mr. Vestal?” Lydia remembered all too well. “I can’t recall what was more distracting—the way he continually sent spittle across the classroom as he lectured, or the jumping of the startled students who were spit upon.”
Mandy made a face. “That was the year I lost interest in academics.” She stepped to the corridor that split the building into two classrooms.
Lydia was eager to see the new teacher of the secondary school, but she didn’t want to interrupt his class. She reached for Mandy’s sleeve. “Wait until the students come out.”
Mandy winked at her and kept walking. She turned the knob on the familiar classroom door.
Lydia quietly stepped inside first and stayed near the door at the back of the room.
Connor had his back to the class and was writing physics equations on the blackboard. “…which equals velocity—” He turned and spotted Lydia. “—and that’s all we have time for today. Class dismissed.”
Lydia and Mandy moved out of the way as the restless group of adolescents reached for their coats and bolted for the door. Everett pinched Mandy’s side as he passed her, and she followed him into the hallway with an insincere scolding.
Connor dusted the chalk from his hands and grinned as he walked toward Lydia. His sleeves were rolled into cuffs over his forearms. He motioned to the classroom with both hands. “So, what do you think?”
She thought he looked handsome and gave him a playful smile. “This suits you.”
“It’s better than cleaning gutters.” He looked past her into the hallway. He ran his fingers through his hair and put his hands in his pockets. She knew his gestures well enough to know that meant he wanted to touch her but someone was coming.
Mandy popped back into the classroom. “Is he coming with us or not?”
Connor raised his eyebrows and looked to Lydia for an explanation.
“Levi has been granted the land he requested. He invited us to the building site before he starts clearing it. Mandy and I are on our way now. We thought you might like to join us.”
“Yeah, I’d love to. I will be right out.” Connor held up a finger and stepped back to his desk at the front of the classroom. He unrolled his sleeves and put on his coat.
Lydia turned and stepped into the hallway with Mandy, and they walked slowly to the front of the school building. When they reached the vestibule, Connor was right behind them. He reached his arm in front of them, opened the door, and held it as they walked through.
The snow in the schoolyard had been stomped into mud by the exiting students. While Mandy recounted a story from her school years, Lydia glanced at Connor. He buttoned the front of his coat and took her hand. She didn’t hear a word Mandy said, but only thought of how sweet and natural it felt to be connected to the man she loved.
As they walked through the village and passed the Colburn property, Lydia considered how her family and her village were responding to Connor. His presence as a leader was evident, and his charisma was infectious. Not only did the classroom suit him, life in the Land suited him.
* * *
The property Levi had selected was directly across the road from the Fosters’ sheep farm. As they passed the farm, Connor thought of the barn party there during the autumn and remembered the moment his interest in Lydia had taken root. Now he held her hand as they walked along the peaceful road in the village he was beginning to consider home. He glanced at her and grinned, wondering if they would one day tell their grandchildren the story of how they met.
Levi was waiting beside the road when they arrived. He proudly directed their attention to hatchet marks in trees indicating the boundaries of his land. The property was covered in loosely-packed gray leaf forest. Levi said he would clear only what he must and he would use every log for lumber.
They followed him through a path he had already cleared in the shrub to the place where his land rose in a slight incline. It was the closest thing to a hill in the area around Good Springs, and Levi planned to build his house on top of it.
While they stood on the hill and Levi and Connor discussed building plans, Mandy took Lydia’s arm and led her away from the men. Mandy whispered something to her. Whatever it was, Lydia reacted with a surprised laugh and slight blush.
Levi stopped talking. He was watching Mandy.
Connor inclined his head a degree and asked, “Any reason you chose the property across the road from the Fosters?”
Levi shrugged. “My parents were close friends with Samuel and Roseanna Foster. I grew up spending as much time out here as I did at home. I guess I just always wanted to build a house on this hill.”
Connor didn’t quite believe it was only the hill Levi wanted, but he decided to drop the subject.
Lydia was still engrossed in her conversation with Mandy, so Connor took the opportunity to show Levi what he had acquired. He reached into the interior pocket of his coat and produced a small box.
Levi eyed the box. “Is that the ring?”
Connor double-checked that the women weren’t looking. He opened the little box to reveal a delicate gold band with an oval ruby set in its center.
Levi gave an approving nod.
Connor grinned proudly before he closed the box and reburied it safely back inside his coat.
* * *
An occasional whisper echoed from the chapel ceiling as the congregation waited in the crowded pews. John Colburn—having already preached the Sunday sermon—rubbed the edge of his Bible as he stepped away from the podium. The front row of the church was filled with the village elders. They frequently turned their heads and looked at the chapel doors.
Connor sat behind them between Levi and Everett. He wonde
red if Lydia would make it to the church before John had to dismiss the congregation.
Mandy’s heels clicked on the hardwood floor as she hurried down the outer aisle of the chapel. She scooted into the pew and lowered herself beside Levi. She whispered something to him, and he turned his head and whispered to Connor. In unison, they stood and walked the center aisle to the back of the hushed church then out the doors and across the thin layer of ice on the chapel’s front steps.
Lydia was standing at the bottom of the steps with Mrs. Ashton holding onto her arm. Lydia smiled at Connor and Levi. “Thank you.” She was late to a ceremony in her honor because she had gone to help the elderly Mrs. Ashton make it safely to the church. Connor’s heart swelled with pride.
Mrs. Ashton hummed in delight as Connor and Levi came on either side of her and kept her steady while she climbed the icy steps. They escorted Doctor Ashton’s widow down the aisle and stopped at the pew she pointed to on the left—third row from the front—before they went back to their seats.
John stepped away from the podium, and the elders stood as Lydia walked to the front of the chapel. Connor perched on the edge of the pew and wished he had a camera.
John explained the importance of honoring a skilled physician with the title of Doctor. One of the elders confirmed Lydia’s completed training and recited her qualifications. John read from an ancient text and charged Lydia with the responsibility of caring for the health of the village and all who needed her care, day or night. She accepted the charge and repeated the oath John recited, “…for the good of my patients to the best of my ability and my judgment and never do harm to anyone.”
Then John motioned for Lydia to turn and face the audience. “People of Good Springs, I present your physician, Doctor Lydia Colburn.” John’s professional demeanor remained intact as he stepped back to allow Lydia to receive the applause she deserved.
After the ceremony ended, the townspeople lingered in the chapel. Lydia graciously accepted congratulations from many of the villagers.
Connor had grown fond of the way people in Good Springs took their time and acknowledged each other at every occasion. Six months of living in the village had elevated his gratitude for community and his patience for people. But today he had a ring burning a hole in his pocket.
It took great effort to focus his attention on each person who paused to greet him. He reciprocated their pleasantries, but his gaze automatically shifted to Lydia. She stood on the other side of the chapel with her back to a tall, narrow window. A line of people waited to speak to her.
Connor took a few steps in her direction, but as he passed the Fosters, Roseanna Foster put her hand on his back. “Mr. Bradshaw, I must let you know how thrilled we are that you are teaching the secondary students.” She beamed. “Not a day goes by without Everett delighting us with some new fact he has learned in your class.”
“Mother.” Everett looked embarrassed.
“Thank you, Mrs. Foster.” Connor glanced at Lydia. She was moving her silver bracelet in tiny increments around and around her wrist as she spoke to the villagers. “I’m pleased to hear it. Everett is a good student.” He nodded to Mrs. Foster and stepped away.
At last, the queue for Lydia’s attention began to diminish. Connor stepped behind the last couple in line as they moved forward to speak with her. He was taller than the well-wishers and looked over their heads to catch Lydia’s eye.
She glanced up at him. Her quick, faint smile proved her connection to him without drawing attention to it. Satisfied, he leaned his palm on the back of an empty pew and waited his turn.
Mrs. Foster’s cackle of a laugh echoed through the sanctuary as she left the chapel with the last of the congregants. Levi was following them out the door, speaking with Everett as they walked. His eyes were glued to Mandy. Bethany’s voice chirped in melodic conversation with Adeline and Maggie outside.
He watched Lydia’s three sisters, amazed he’d grown to consider these people family. He planned to make it official and already had John’s approval. No custom of engagement rings existed in the Land, but thanks to Isabella’s eavesdropping, Connor was now in possession of a thin, gold ring with an oval ruby embedded in its band.
The couple in front of Connor said goodbye to Lydia and moved away. John met them at the chapel door. He gave Connor a nod and walked out behind them. The chapel was empty except for Connor and Lydia, but the chorus of voices outside the church meant the gathering had not ended but simply shifted locations.
He stepped close to the woman he planned to make his wife. “Congratulations, Doc.”
“Thank you, Mr. Bradshaw.” She brushed her hands together and smiled up at him. “And congratulations on the teaching position. Everyone speaks of how effortlessly you capture the attention of the class. I have no doubt you will prove to be the most interesting teacher our village has ever had.”
“Thank you.” He slid his hand into his pocket and felt the ring. The certainty of his heart compelled him, but he briefly wondered if it was the right moment. The chapel was quiet except for the murmur of outside noise leaking through the single-paned windows. Time alone with Lydia rarely went uninterrupted. He abolished his hesitation. “Lydia, or, Doctor Colburn I should say—”
She smiled. “Lydia will suffice.”
“Lydia, there is no reason why I, out of every man in the world, should find myself in this land with a new chance at life—a real and good life. I have done nothing to deserve it, nor do I deserve your affection. You saved my life, welcomed me into your village and your family, and then let me into your heart. I found myself at the end of the earth but, because of you, I have never felt alone. Now I can’t imagine my life anywhere else with anyone else. I want to build a life with you and make a home with you and have a family with you. I want to wake up beside you every morning and spend my days adoring you. Will you marry me?”
Lydia tucked a wisp of hair behind her ear and smiled. She showed no hint of surprise at his proposal.
The voices outside the church made him nervous. “I don’t want to rush your answer but you know as well as I do that at any moment some villager could barge in here screaming and bloody, needing your help, and if they do I will wait but—”
“I will. Yes, I will marry you.” Lydia didn’t pause to make her decision. Her answer was already prepared. She simply wanted to soak in the moment and the hope-filled future his question implied. Her life presented no lack before Connor arrived but now, having known him and loved him, she couldn’t imagine contentment in life without him. Her response barely escaped her lips when he wrapped her in his arms.
“We can do the wedding and everything else by your traditions, but there is one thing I have to do.” He reached into his pocket.
She watched him intently, wondering what tradition he desired to perform. He pulled his hand out and with it a ring, rare in metal and stone. It was a family heirloom. She held her right hand out to him.
“No, the other one.” He slid the delicate, gold band onto the ring finger of her left hand and kissed her. If the gesture was intended to hint at the bond she should expect with him, it accomplished magnificent anticipation. It was a new experience for her, and her heartbeat rang in her ears. The kiss was brief but poignant, effectively assuring her it was not an end unto itself but a foretaste of the oneness their marriage would bring.
Her gaze moved up to meet his. Joining her life with him wouldn’t detract from her contentment as she once believed, but it would fulfill her in ways she hadn’t previously understood. She found joy in knowing she would provide the same fulfillment for him. In what ways and over how much time, she could not know, but the possibilities swelled her heart with contentment.
* * *
The summer sun rose early over the village of Good Springs. January’s heavy rains left the mossy ground squishy with mud. Doctor Lydia Bradshaw leaned close to her horse to avoid a low branch as she rushed down the path through the forest. Glints of morning light sparkled in the
dew on the foliage of the gray leaf trees that rustled around her. Green pastures rolled to the horizon as she raced to the Cotters’ farmhouse. At the steps of the front porch, she dismounted and passed the reins to a waiting ranch hand. With her medical bag gripped firmly in one fist, she threw open the Cotters’ front door and rushed inside.
Epilogue
Lieutenant Justin Mercer arrived at McMurdo Station on Ross Island, Antarctica at zero four hundred hours on a sunny Tuesday in the middle of January 2026. The thermometer outside the dormitory window measured precisely fifty-three degrees Fahrenheit. His new commanding officer informed him it would likely be the highest mercury rise he would witness for the duration of his assignment.
Mercer dropped his tattered duffle bag at the foot of his assigned bunk and asked to be taken immediately to his post. The once internationally celebrated scientific research station was now home to the only remaining Unified States military satellite communications system still operational on the Southern Hemisphere. Though Mercer missed flying, he planned to use his new assignment on the global surveillance unit to find the land his country desperately needed.
Convinced Lieutenant Connor Bradshaw’s parachute had carried him to that land after their ill-fated flight, Mercer had spent the past ten months charting the atmospheric anomalies over the coordinates of the crash site using the data relayed from the monitoring unit left behind by the search crew.
Mercer sat in a lumpy office chair at his post—a short particleboard desk in the center of what was once a climate research lab. He placed the palm of his hand firmly onto the center of one of three touchscreens at his desk and allowed its sensors to verify his identity. Upon security verification, his first task was to upload his private files, which contained his models reconstructing the crash, emergency ejection, descent, and the possible landing sites ignored by the search and rescue efforts.
The Land Uncharted (The Uncharted Series Book 1) Page 22