Pathways (9780307822208)

by Bergren, Lisa T.

  “You did not say anything,” Katarina whispered.

  “You want me to? I will.”

  “No.”

  “No, I didn’t think so. Here, let me take care of that shoulder. This is a bit awkward, but to get a good grip, I need you to lie back on the bed. And, well, I’m going to have to be pretty much on top of you. I’ll need my knee for leverage.” When Katarina did as she directed, Bryn straddled the woman to get a feel for the socket and with a quick movement popped the shoulder back into place. She climbed off, helped Katarina sit up, and gently set her arm into a sling. Bryn finished applying the butterfly bandages that would knit the facial wound almost as neatly as stitches.

  Finally she looked into Katarina’s eyes. “This is always a painful, messy situation. But you have to want to leave. If … when you want us to come back for you, tell him you have female problems.” She cast Katarina a sorrowful smile. “A man will always back away from female problems. He’ll let you call. And we’ll come, take you someplace where you’ll be safe.”

  Katarina looked to the window, her black eyes full of fear. “He’d kill me. You too. And I love him. I know it’s crazy, but I do.”

  “Look at me, Katarina.” Bryn waited until the woman’s eyes met hers, then covered her small hand with her own. “God loves you in a way that can heal every hurt inside you. He can even heal the hole in your heart that leaving here might create. And I promise you, I would stand beside you until I knew you were safe. We’d bring the police. There are—”

  “Gotta get to chores,” Harmon said, returning. “Night’s comin’ on afore we know it.”

  Bryn stifled a deriding huff—it was maybe three o’clock—and packed her bag. “I think your wife’s going to be as right as rain. Thanks for letting me tend to her. That shoulder should heal up without a problem.” She rose and pushed herself to smile at the man. “How do you know how to pop a shoulder back in place?”

  He shrugged, his expression lightening in the face of her praise and smile. “Learn things, out here.”

  “You do,” she agreed, suddenly anxious to take a deep breath of the outside air. “You do. Still, popping a shoulder without meds is monstrously painful. I’m glad I could come and help.” She walked past Eli and, feeling a bit safer, turned back and waved. “Give us a call if you have any more mishaps, Katarina.” But Harmon was already shutting the door.

  “What was going on back there?” Eli asked quietly as they strode away. “Will she be all right?”

  “If she can get away from her husband. Why do people live like that? Why do they call it love?”

  “She has to be the one to call it quits,” Eli said gently.

  “That’s what I told her.”

  Eli nodded and then took her hand to help her into the plane. “You gave her some sort of code? Something to tell you she wants an escape route? We’d have to come with reinforcements. Harmon’s not going to welcome another visit.”

  “I did,” she said sadly. “Not that I think she’ll ever call. I could see it in her eyes. She just doesn’t know that there’s anything else out there, Eli.”

  He sat down in the cockpit beside her, silently staring. Then, “No. Some people never do.”

  CHAPTER TEN

  The next couple of weeks passed by in a blur of Housecalls visits—attending a mother giving birth, delivering asthma prescriptions, giving immunizations—and gradually Bryn found herself awed by the incredible places people chose to live and the tough stuff they were made of that allowed them to make it in the bush. When she could, she made short visits to Summit.

  She waved aside a giant Fern Lake mosquito and went to light the citronella candles. More and more, she was appreciating the rustic grace of Alaska and its hearty, down-to-earth people. If Bryn’s last summer in the high country had opened her eyes to eternal, celestial things, this summer was awakening her to the beauty present right here around her. She found herself longing for that sense of connection to the Great Land that everyone else seemed to have. And, with a start, realized she already had it.

  More than anywhere else, this was home. It didn’t matter that her father was gone, off with a new little family, having forgotten Alaska and the draw it had for him, too. He would return one day. It seemed inevitable, just as it had been for Bryn. Maybe then she and her father could find their way again, reconnect. And a part of her wondered why she could no longer be friends with Eli, reconnect with him, even if he was seeing someone else. But to see him and not be with him was pure torture.

  She stared at a boulder ten feet out in the river, where water tumbled down on either side. Eli was like that rock, with Sara on one side and Bryn on the other. Between the two of them, the pressure threatened to rock him from his foundations, create chaos.

  Her eyes moved to the high white mountains in the distance, showing a bit more of the blue crevasses and brown rock as the summer sun wore on. They were partially shrouded in clouds of pink in the morning light. A thick bank of silver clouds rushed over Rainy Pass. She wouldn’t be heading to Summit Lake today, regardless of whether or not Housecalls summoned her.

  Bryn looked at her calendar watch. Sunday. She smiled in surprise. She was in town on a Sunday. There was only one thing to do. Go to church! Galvanized by her mission, she rose to shower and eat a quick bowl of oatmeal—sprinkled with raisins, walnuts, and brown sugar, her favorite—before heading out. With any luck, Eli would be out flying with a client before the weather turned sour. This morning, she wanted to concentrate on her Creator, give him thanks for bringing her back here, back home. If only for another summer before returning to Boston.

  Eli flew a group of tourists over Chandalar Lake, tipping his wings at Mike, who with his wife ran a small lodge for tourists, fishermen, and hunters. He and his family were so kind, so together. Eli ached for that kind of family connection. Not just with his parents. With a loving wife at his side, a couple of kids running about.

  He missed Sara. But now he knew letting her go had been right. The last two weeks had brought it home to him, again and again. In acknowledging the ache he felt for Bryn, he had finally understood what had been missing between him and Sara. Why, Lord? he pleaded, as he did every night. I thought when she first came to know you that it was the answer to my prayers, but then she just forgot about me once she was back in Boston. And now these old feelings are back. Why give me this love for a woman who will just take off again come autumn?

  Maybe he was destined for a life of solitude. If that was what his God called him to, so be it. He took a deep breath, trying to honestly consider the idea. He could be happy single. He’d met lots of men in Alaska who had found peace and full lives alone. Eli shook his head. Why wouldn’t his heart concede?

  His thoughts returned to Bryn. He knew she was confused by his avoidance of her. But Eli had needed time to accept the fact that Sara was gone. He didn’t know why he hadn’t told Bryn about the breakup. After seeing her excitement over her job offer in Boston, perhaps he was just trying to protect his heart.

  He knew he needed to tell her, even if there was no chance for them to be together. The fact that he was drawn to Bryn, longed for her, had doomed his union with Sara from the start. It wasn’t fair to Sara to go on that way. And it wasn’t fair to Bryn to keep the truth from her. He loved her. His heart would just have to take the chance.

  He thought back to the couple outside Donner, the abused wife. He had no doubt that Bryn would have tried to fight off the huge man herself had his wife wanted to come out. She was a courageous woman. When they had talked about it on the flight home, she had grasped his hand to pray for both Harmon and Katarina as if it was the most natural thing in the world. And when that happened, Eli glimpsed the faith that had grown in Bryn’s heart since the last time they met. He’d wanted to kiss her right then.

  “Calling Beaver-four-two-six-Alpha-Bravo,” Talkeetna radio called over his headset, interrupting his reverie. “Calling Beaver-four-two-six-Alpha-Bravo.”

  “This is
Beaver-four-two-six-Alpha-Bravo,” Eli returned, pressing the intercom switch.

  “Yeah, Beaver, we have a request for all pilots in the vicinity to be on the lookout for an escaped convict outside of Kantishna. A state bounty is posted.”

  Eli glanced over his shoulder at the oblivious tourists in back and then to the one beside him who stared at him with wide eyes. “I’m headin’ over to the west side now,” Eli reported. “I’ll keep a lookout. What’s the bounty?”

  “Twenty-five Gs. Guy that spots him buys for the crowd at Alice’s tonight. Happy hunting, Beaver.”

  Eli whistled lowly and looked back at his passengers. “Must be some kind of bad guy for that price.”

  Bryn saw a patient five miles west of Wonder Lake and then talked Leon into dropping her at Summit.

  “Don’t know, Doc. Eli wouldn’t like it. That convict is still on the loose.”

  Bryn let out a quick guffaw. “Eli Pierce has no say in the matter. I haven’t even seen the man for thirteen days.”

  “But who’s keepin’ track?” Leon teased.

  She gave him a warning look. “Besides, that was fifty miles from here, over rough country.”

  “Doc, the man’s a rapist and a murderer. Used to the bush. From what I hear, you don’t want to face him alone. And it’s been three days since they lost his trail. It’s feasible he’s in this territory now.”

  “Got my own Colt .357 now,” she said. “And I’ll keep it loaded.”

  Leon let out a long breath. “Sure you don’t want to head back to town, Doc? At least, until this fella is caught?”

  “No. I want to be at the lake, Leon. Please.”

  He glanced at her, and Bryn knew by his admiring look she had won. She had faced bears before. She could handle some convict.

  “I’m not goin’ back and tellin’ Eli this news.” Leon surprised her. “You tell him yourself.” He used his radio to contact Alaska Bush, and when Eli answered, Leon nodded and handed her the mike. When she said nothing, he moved his headset microphone away and whispered. “Go for it, Doc.” His eyes had the light of victory in them.

  She pursed her lips and then said, “Yeah, Eli, it’s Bryn. I was just telling Leon here that I wanted a lift to Summit, and he’s reluctant to take me. Tell him I’ll be fine, will you?”

  “Doc, that manhunt has moved to within ten miles of Summit. Come home.”

  His parental tone infuriated her. “No, Eli. I’m going to Summit. This is ridiculous. It isn’t likely that that man would come over two more mountain ridges. He’ll head to lower ground. And as I told Leon, I’m armed now. Completely safe.”

  “You’d have to be loaded for bear, Bryn. That guy is a monster.”

  “Eli, I want to go to the cabin.” She paused and gathered herself. “Please.”

  There was a moment’s hesitation, and just as she had known with Leon, Bryn felt the glimmer of hope that she had won this round. “If you’re going to Summit, I am too. We need to talk.”

  It was her turn to pause, to glance at Leon in confusion. What had happened? What would push him to meet her at the lake when he had been studiously avoiding her all summer? Was he going to tell her that he and Sara had gotten engaged? She swallowed hard.

  “Okay, Eli. I’ll meet you there.”

  “Keep that gun loaded, Doc, and at the ready.”

  “Roger that, boss, over,” Leon interrupted. “Talkeetna radio, this is Cessna-six-eight-four-Alpha-Bravo headin’ to Summit Lake now. ETA 1400 hours.”

  “Roger that, Cessna-six-eight-four-Alpha-Bravo.”

  And so it was done. Bryn was heading to Summit Lake.

  And the escaped convict wasn’t the only dangerous man coming her way.

  Eli paddled over to Bryn’s cabin that evening, content with the quiet on the lake. It was utterly still, allowing for a perfect reflection of the white peaks in the cobalt water. After a week of solid flying, it felt good to rest. Something in the air made him cautious, like a foreign scent to a deer in the wild.

  Was it his fear of finally telling Bryn what he was feeling, what he was thinking? Or was it the threat of the convict so near? Eli had spent the late afternoon with Ben, cautioning him to barricade his door and keep a sharp lookout, as well as a firearm loaded and at the ready. But Ben had seen right through him, calling a spade a spade, telling Eli that he wasn’t just there to protect Bryn. He was there to claim her.

  Eli’s heart pounded at the thought. His eyes went from the swirling water around his paddle to the sleeping bag, stowed in front of the canoe. If Bryn insisted on staying at Summit with a criminal on the loose, then he was determined to stay with her to keep her safe.

  He chuckled suddenly. She wouldn’t like it. She wouldn’t like it at all.

  The sound of a timber-splitting maul biting into soft, wet wood met his ears. A second later, he could see her, a braid swinging with every arc of her arms. She was strong and independent but still managed to be ultrafeminine. All woman. His kind of woman. How did she manage it? He smiled again. Allowing himself to formulate such a thought, after years of training himself not to think of her, was a freedom he enjoyed. It felt good, like hearing a wind gust coming through the trees and welcoming it with eyes closed, face forward. He dug his paddle deeper into the water and reached her shore.

  She paused briefly, smiled at him, wiped her forehead, and gave the green wood another swing. It went only about a third of the way through. “You mind?” he asked, reaching out for the tool as he walked to her.

  “Be my guest,” she said, crouching and panting from the exertion. With one neat stroke, he split the wood in two, then divided it again.

  “You come all the way to Summit to chop firewood for me?” she asked, a teasing smile in her eyes.

  “Don’t mind chopping,” he said, eyeing the next log.

  “Thought we needed to talk.”

  “We do.” He swung the ax around, cutting halfway through a large round. He pried the buried maul out of the center, aimed for the crack, met it, and succeeded in dividing it in half.

  “All right then. I’ll just be inside.” She rose to go.

  Panting now too, Eli grabbed her arm. “No, Bryn, wait.”

  She looked up at him, then slowly let her gaze wander up from his hand on her arm to his chest, to his neck, to his chin, and finally to his eyes. The effect was mesmerizing and threatened to suffocate him with its power. Her wide, chocolate eyes and mink eyelashes. Her long, straight nose and full lips. Swallowing hard, he threw the maul aside and took her in his arms.

  This could not wait any longer.

  “Eli—”

  He hushed her with a kiss that spoke of his buried passion, the love he’d held back for years, the desire he’d longed to respond to. A kiss that said she was the one for him. Had always been the one.

  “Oh, Eli,” she whispered, staring up at him. “What about Sara?”

  “We broke up.” It was enough talking for him. He wanted the taste of her again, her lithe, curvaceous body against his. He pulled her to him, kissing her hard and long, wishing with everything in him that they were married and it didn’t have to stop there. She met him this time, her hands running down his chest and then around to his back, her strong fingers digging in through his sweatshirt.

  They separated after several long minutes, panting now from the passion rather than from chopping wood. When he looked at her, wonder and awe and fear and love passed through her eyes, and Eli knew the same must be sweeping through his own. He kissed her again and again and again, each time trying to assuage his need for her, yet desperate to turn down the heat of his fire for her to at least a hot-coal stage. But each kiss just led them deeper.

  “Stop. Eli, we have to stop,” she groaned as he covered her cheek in kisses, moved toward her neck. Bryn pushed him away, gently but firmly, and half of him agonized that she stopped him, half of him praised God that she had the strength he seemed to have lost somewhere across Summit.

  “You sit there,” she said a
s if she barely had the strength to speak, her face red from his whiskers, her lips a bit more full. He forced himself to look away, to sit on the upended log she had indicated. She sat down, three feet away from him, on her own log. “I always wondered if you were a good kisser.”

  He grinned back at her. “What do you think?”

  She pulled her head to one side. “Better than I had hoped. Better than anyone I’ve ever kissed before.”

  Eli forced himself to resist the urge to rise and take her in his arms again before she could protest. Give me the power over this desire, Lord, he prayed silently. It overwhelmed him, like a tsunami washing over an unsuspecting surfer.

  “Eli? Eli! Earth to Eli!”

  “Sorry. You got me spinning, Bryn Skye Bailey.”

  She smiled shyly. “I asked you why now? Why kiss me now? I tried every which way to get you to kiss me ten years ago. Was even wanting to kiss you last time I was in Alaska. But you never made a move. Why now?”

  “I’ve told you, a kiss means something to me, Bryn. It’s an announcement of my intent, of sorts. You weren’t a believer until the night before you left here last time, so I knew I couldn’t pursue a relationship. Then when you showed up this year, and all those old feelings came back, only stronger. Now you’re …” He groaned, ran his hand through his hair and stared up into the limbs of trees that crisscrossed above him. Was he really ready to lay it all on the line? To make himself this vulnerable?

  He stared back at her, so lovely, so enticing, so … “Bryn, woman, you are like utter perfection to me. I’ve been in love with you for years. Seeing you again, after all that time away, just made it clearer to me. I had to break up with Sara, even if you weren’t going to give me a chance. It wasn’t fair of me anyway, to be with her when I was still in love with you.”

  Bryn’s eyes widened in surprise. “Oh, Eli, I am far from perfect.”

  He laughed at himself. “I know that. I know that’s the reality. But this crazy thing I feel for you is like a Fourth of July rocket on a pitch-black night. It’s exploding inside of me, and there just aren’t words to describe all that I feel. It’s electric, cataclysmic! Crazy making!” He rose, needing to pace to work out some of his energy if he couldn’t kiss it out of Bryn. “I’m thirty-one years old, Bryn,” he said turning toward her. “Please tell me I’m not in this alone. That we can start something together. In earnest.”