The Uncharted Series Omnibus

by Keely Brooke Keith

  Everett chuckled. “Actually, I think most girls would resist scaling a cliff face for a bit of quartz, but you aren’t like most girls.”

  Though focused on chipping away the rock, she liked what he said. “Why haven’t you come to see me this week?”

  “Give me your tools. You need to climb up here.”

  “Be patient. I’ve almost got it.” She raised her voice over the sound of the encroaching waves as she chipped away the loose sediment. “I asked you a question.”

  “The tide is coming.”

  “Not yet,” she replied as she pulled another lump of quartz from the rock. Its clear surface glimmered as it captured the light. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”

  “Beth?”

  “Hm?”

  “Look down.”

  Bethany glanced back, expecting to see the sand between the boulders and the ocean, but the water was now filling the caves and lapping at the cliff. The fright of seeing the water swirl around the rocks below ruined the excitement of her happy find. “Oh dear. I don’t want the tide to come in yet.”

  “The sea does not do what you want it to.” He lay on his chest on the cliff’s edge and reached his arm down to her. She shook her head, refusing his help. He grinned. “What? You don’t want to be rescued?”

  “Not while you are wearing that smirk.” A wave sprayed her boots as she picked up her pail and held it up to him. His fingers skimmed hers as he took her tools. She wanted his help, but did not want to admit it. “I’m capable of climbing up there myself, you know.”

  Everett flung her tools behind him and stretched both arms down. “I suggest you choose another time to prove your self-sufficiency.”

  Water soaked the back of her skirt. “Fine.” Ignoring the urge to pout, she reached up and locked wrists with him as her feet found tiny clefts in the rock face. “You could hardly call this a rescue since I’m—” The rock crumbled beneath her foot, but Everett quickly pulled her over the cliff. With a flex of his muscles he had saved her once again. She crawled onto the grass and laughed.

  Everett rolled onto his back and laughed too. When his laughter died out, he looked at her. “You were saying?”

  In playful offense, Bethany lifted a hand to smack his shoulder, but he took her hand and held it. She lay beside him, inches from the edge of the cliff, safe on the grassy bluff while the waves broke against the boulders below.

  Everett loosened his grip on her hand but did not let go. “Actually, that was a close one.”

  “Then why are we laughing?”

  His smile relaxed into a soft grin. “Because it’s you and me and that is what we do.”

  “It is what we used to do.”

  “It has been a while.” Lying beside her, Everett turned his face to the sky. “We’ve both been through so much.”

  She looked up too. The blue of the unblemished afternoon sky stretched to the edges of her vision. Its expanse made her feel unbalanced. Needing something grounded to focus on, she turned her head toward Everett. “I’ve missed you.”

  “I’ve been trying to give you the time you need to make your choice.” He pulled his gaze away from the sky and looked at her. “And I’ve missed you too.”

  “I don’t just mean this past week—I mean for a while now,” she said. The way Everett watched her as he listened made her want to vocalize her every thought, uncensored. He would let her do so and think no less of her for it. He would not tell her to stop talking or demean her opinions or try to change the subject if she said something that made him uncomfortable. He had said he knew her and loved her, but she felt a distance between them and could not ignore it any longer. “After Mandy and I were attacked last year, you and I both changed. We don’t laugh together like we used to. Everything seems so serious between us now.”

  “Perhaps we simply grew up.”

  “Perhaps.” She thought about it for a moment. “No, going through that changed us somehow. I know it made you protective of me—like Levi and Connor are.”

  “Yes, but I am not your brother.”

  “I know,” she quickly replied. In perfect comfort, she left her hand in his as they lay on the sunlit grass. She was content beside him, safe and loved. He wanted more from her, but he would not try to pressure or persuade her. He wanted to court her, and the prospect grew more appealing to her every day. The familiarity of their lifelong friendship had always enabled her to tell him the things she could tell no one else. She wondered if that still held true. Deciding to test him, she looked back at the expansive blue above. “When the illness overtook me, I thought I was dying, and for a moment, I wanted to. I knew it would hurt at first, but then it would be peaceful and I would never feel pain again. Death seemed so appealing.” Everett did not reply, but she could feel him looking at her, so she continued. “I knew if I died, I would get to see my mother, and for a moment I wanted that more than I wanted to live.” She glanced at him then. He did not appear concerned or judgmental, but only watched her, listening just as he always had. “I could never tell that to anyone else. I can’t imagine what people would think if I told them I thought I was going to die and I liked it. I’ve always been able to trust you with my deepest secrets.”

  “Me too, Beth. And why do you think that is?”

  “I don’t know.”

  He released her hand and played with the silver bracelet around her wrist. “Well, maybe your heart knows something you don’t.”

  Everett looked back at the sky. From the side, Bethany studied the contours of his face, the stubble along his jaw, the dark swoop of his eyebrow. She would sketch his profile later, so that no matter what happened, she would always remember this moment. “This feels more real than the entire ten days I spent in quarantine.”

  A grin creased Everett’s face but he did not look at her. His chest rose as he drew a deep breath. “That should count for something.”

  Bethany leaned her cheek against his shoulder. “That counts for everything.”

  Chapter Nine

  Bethany shivered as she drew the crocheted edges of her woolen shawl close to her chin. The cold air swirled fallen leaves on the road behind the wagon while her father drove them to the Foster farm. The wooden crate she used for a seat rattled with every bump in the road. Her favorite red dress would probably be filled with splinters before she even made it to the annual autumn party. She picked at her cuticles, anxious to see Everett.

  Lydia was sitting near Bethany’s feet on the floor of the wagon. Baby Andrew—wrapped snuggly in his light blue blanket—cooed with contentment in Lydia’s arms. Connor was perched on the side of the wagon with one hand behind Lydia’s back as if she were the one in danger of falling out. Bethany glanced at her father while he drove the wagon onto the Fosters’ property. It saddened her to see him alone on the front bench; though it was village custom for an entire household to arrive at a party together, Isabella was too weary to go out in the cold.

  The sun sank behind a silver bank of clouds to the west and took with it the last light of day. John pulled the wagon around the back of the Fosters’ massive barn and parked beside the other wagons. Connor jumped down from the side and met Lydia at the back of the wagon. He took the baby then offered Lydia his free hand and helped her down. Bethany stood and brushed the splinters from her dress.

  John stepped to the back of the wagon and offered her his hand. “I guess it is just you and me representing my family tonight. Shall we greet the host?”

  “It is the custom.” Bethany smiled as she took her father’s arm and started walking beside him through the dark to the outdoor gathering.

  “There he is.” John pointed as they walked around to the front of the open barn. “He already has a line of villagers waiting to greet him. I guess we are late.”

  Bethany still thought of the property as belonging to Samuel. The warm light from myriad lanterns flowed out of the barn and lit the crowd that waited to speak to Everett. The certainty of Samuel’s death and Everett’s new pos
ition hit her at once. Bethany stopped walking. “It’s Everett.”

  “Of course it is.” John glanced at her. “You sound surprised.”

  “I don’t know why, but I was expecting to see Samuel.”

  “Since he died while you were in quarantine and you missed the funeral, you did not have proper closure like the rest of us.” John inclined his head. “Bethany, you should know that Everett has stepped into his father’s position with authority and dignity. He is doing a fine job of managing his affairs and he deserves everyone’s respect—including yours.”

  Everett greeted his guests with confident grace. He shook a village elder’s hand and nodded as he listened to whatever the man was saying. At first Bethany found it odd for Everett to act as if he were comfortably one of the adults. Then the truth set in: he was not only one of them but also becoming a leader among them. And he wanted her by his side. Yet she was not one of the adults—at least she did not feel like one of them. In her mind, she was still a child. The voice of her thoughts still sounded like a child’s voice. But as she watched Everett, she realized they were no longer children. He was a man, a capable leader, and would make an excellent husband. Bethany wrapped her arms around her grown body. She was a woman now and—no matter how childlike she felt on the inside—the eternally young voice of her mind was no match for the truth of the advancement of time.

  John nudged her. “You look confounded.”

  “I’m not surprised or confused by what you said, it’s just that… I just realized we are no longer children.”

  “Well, it is about time you did.” John chuckled. He gave her arm a gentle tug and they continued walking to the line. “You will find it freeing to acknowledge life as it actually is.”

  Nervous, Bethany felt the silver charm on the bracelet at her wrist as she waited with her father in the line. She watched Everett while the people in front of her moved away. When his gaze landed on her, his cool grin of propriety stretched into a happy smile. He turned his head toward John, but left his focus on Bethany until the last second. “Good evening and welcome, Mr. Colburn.”

  “Thank you, Mr. Foster.” John thrust his hand out and shook Everett’s.

  Everett looked at Bethany and his jovial smile returned. “Miss Colburn, I’m pleased to see you.”

  Bethany wanted to throw her arms around his neck and hug him and tell him to stop being so formal, but it was his job tonight and his honor was at stake. And she was no longer a child. Suddenly, her childish urge seemed distasteful. She lifted her hand to Everett, leaving her wrist bent in the most feminine way possible. “Thank you, Mr. Foster.”

  Everett took her hand and gave it a polite squeeze. “It’s my pleasure.” Then he chuckled and for a moment she saw the boy who sat beside her in class—the boy she shared secret jokes and meaningful glances with. His laugh waned and his eyes became serious, drawing her back into the present. As the sound of a violin began, he pointed an open palm toward the barn. “I hope you enjoy yourself this evening.”

  John moved away and Bethany walked to the barn. When her father began his usual round of greetings through the crowd, she glanced back at Everett. He was talking to Mr. and Mrs. Ashton but watching her. Though it had been comforting to hear her father’s approbation of Everett, seeing him on his property, greeting his guests, and watching her with longing had a powerful effect Bethany did not anticipate. She felt a twinge of pleasure and imagined herself standing beside Everett, greeting their guests to their property. A surge of attraction, beyond what she called intrigue, sank into her with ineffable force. He was right: he knew her and loved her. She knew him and loved him too. Bethany tried to look away, but her eyes refused to move. Falling in love felt a lot like suffocating, which was fine—she would gladly forgo breathing and let this certainty of love sustain her.

  Bethany smiled and wove through the crowd. As she turned to walk into the barn, Justin walked out. He stopped close to her and grinned. “Hey, beautiful.”

  “Hello, Justin.” She smiled and glanced at his dirty work clothes. “I see you helped make the party possible.”

  “Not voluntarily.” His expression soured.

  “Oh.” Bethany nodded even though she did not understand the bitterness in his tone. She looked inside the clean, empty barn. A platform in the middle was set with instruments, lanterns hung from the rafters, and benches were arranged around the expansive room. “Everything looks nice. You did a good job.”

  “Yeah, thanks.” Justin stretched his neck. “Anyway, I was just leaving.”

  “Leaving? Why?”

  “I’m not really welcome here.” He glanced over Bethany’s shoulder. “It’s a shame because I’d really like to spend some time with you. You should come see me at the cabin later.”

  Bethany followed his line of sight to see what or who Justin was looking at while he spoke. She saw Everett scowl at Justin then glance briefly at her before he returned his attention to the guests around him. She looked back at Justin. “That would be inappropriate.”

  “Inappropriate? Seriously?” Justin snickered faintly. “Why? Are you dating Everett now or something?”

  “A couple of weeks ago he asked me to court, and I plan to give him my answer this evening. Besides, according to our custom a woman is not supposed to go to a man’s house alone.”

  Justin glanced again in Everett’s direction then put his hand on Bethany’s shoulder. He lowered his chin and looked at her the same way he did on their last night in quarantine. “You shouldn’t care so much about what everyone else thinks. Forget the custom for a minute—what do you want to do?”

  Bethany recognized his desire but she sensed nothing from him but disdain. She waited to see if she would feel the spark that she had felt with him in the cottage, but it never came and she was glad. She took a step back. “Thank you for the invitation, but I can’t.”

  “Then maybe I’ll have to come see you.” Justin winked at her and walked away.

  Bethany lingered in the open doorway of the barn. She watched Justin as he disappeared into the darkness toward the road. Then she looked at Everett. He too was watching Justin leave. Everett’s visage clearly portrayed his dissatisfaction with Justin. She thought of the duality she sensed in Justin. Now that she recognized the way he dissembled, his charm was less alluring. In the light of maturity, she appreciated Everett’s honest expressions. Though Bethany was flattered by having two men compete for her affection, she was relieved when Justin left the party.

  As Bethany stepped into the barn, the song ended and Mandy set her violin in its case. Everett’s guitar was propped against the back of the stage. Though Samuel’s absence made the party feel different from those in previous years, if Mandy and Everett led the music, celebration had a chance of overcoming grief.

  Roseanna whirled past the open doorway. She had a sweaty forehead and a beaming smile. “Everyone, come out and find a seat. Mr. Colburn is about to say the blessing.”

  After dinner Bethany dropped her shawl on a bench in the barn and clapped to the beat as she joined other dancers in the center of the room. She loved the liveliness of the jig that Mandy was playing on a new wood violin. Smiling, Bethany danced while the robust notes filled the barn. Before the song ended, a young man took her hand and danced beside her. Though he was one of the men who wanted to court her, she danced with him out of politeness. Mandy began the polka next, and the young man stayed beside her. When he looked away, Bethany took a few steps back. He glanced at the empty space where she had been and his smile vanished until he spotted her. His toothy grin returned as he stepped back beside her and took her hand again.

  Skirts twirled as the couples moved in quick chasse steps around the dance floor. Bethany laughed, enjoying the comedy provided by her partner’s lanky inelegance. She applauded the musicians when the music ended and then wiped her sweaty cheek with her sleeve. After thanking the young man for the dance, she began to walk to an empty bench but stopped when someone tapped her shoulder.
r />   Another boy from school held out his hand. “May I have the next dance?”

  The fresh air blowing through the doorway beckoned her, but if she were seen only dancing with one man, it may give the wrong impression. She fanned her face with her hand and mustered a courteous smile. “Yes, you may.”

  During the dance the two young men eyed each other with jealous glares. Bethany hoped her willingness to dance had not given the impression she was interested in courting either one. When the song ended, Mandy set her violin in its case and left the stage. Bethany swirled her hair into a twist and let the air hit her neck as she stepped away from the dancers. Everett rushed into the barn and onto the platform. He strapped his guitar over his shoulder and gave its tuning a quick check then said something to the other musicians. They nodded and began to play.

  Delighted to see Everett take the stage, Bethany slipped away from the dance floor and scanned the room for a less crowded place where she could sit and watch him in peace. She heard a scuffle behind her and looked back to see her two dance partners fighting each other.

  As one young man planted his fist into the other’s jaw, Bethany gasped. “No!” she shouted. Levi brushed past her as he parted the crowd. When he reached them, he yanked the young men apart. With one fistful of a man’s shirt and one hand around the other man’s neck, Levi forcibly removed them from the dance floor.

  Bethany’s mouth hung open as she watched her brother haul the squabbling young men out of the barn. She took a calming breath, and then looked back at the stage. Everett gave her a wink, stomped a beat, and continued playing the song. The dancing villagers quickly filled the vacant space on the floor.

  Mandy stepped beside Bethany and tugged on her elbow. “Come with me. I need some air and I think you do too.”

  “Thank you,” Bethany shouted over the sound of the music and the clapping as Mandy hurried her to the side door of the barn. She slowed her pace once they were outside and pointed to a picnic table on the outskirts of the party.