by Bess McBride
“Ah! I thought you must have bathed before I did,” he said.
“Why?” she asked. “Did I leave a mess? I tried to clean up.”
“No, no,” Nathan replied. “But the tub was damp, and I suspected you had made use of it.”
“What a great tub! Those cost a fortune in my time.”
Nathan nodded. “Yes, I was often amused that what was of ordinary value in my time could become so costly in the twenty-first century.”
He chewed on his lip for a moment. Did she wish for help with her hair?
She ran a hand down the length of her damp hair.
“Do you mind? I think I’ve adopted you as my official hairstylist.”
Nathan sighed deeply and beamed. “I am honored,” he said with a playful bow. He entered the room and set about carefully combing out the tangles in her hair. The scent of lemon wafting up from the damp curls sent his senses reeling, and he had all he could do not to enfold her into his arms and kiss her soundly. With a shaking hand, Nathan made short work of combing out her hair, and he banded it and piled it on top of her head as he had done the day before.
“Let us see if Mrs. Spivey has anything available to eat this morning before we go down to the dock. I wish now that I had mentioned we would be leaving early this morning.”
“I told her when I got up this morning,” Amanda said.
Nathan quirked an eyebrow in surprise. “How long have you been awake?”
“I’m not sure I slept at all last night,” Amanda said.
“I’m sorry to hear that. Dreams? Nightmares?”
Amanda shook her head. “No, nothing like that. Just restless, I guess.”
Nathan swallowed hard. Restless to return to her own time? He shook his head as if to rid himself of such thoughts. They did no good. He could not control the outcome of the future. If the past year had taught him anything, it was that. He had Amanda here and now, and that would have to be enough.
He offered her his arm, and they descended to the dining room where Mrs. Spivey had laid out several dishes for breakfast. Nathan found his appetite diminished, and he barely touched his food. He noticed Amanda did the same, and he wondered if she continued to fear the quality of the food in his time. She had overcome that hurdle last time given that Ellie, Dani and Annie had reassured her and offered their own suggestions for preventing disease. He himself had rarely ever been ill, but he was leery of disease himself given the early demise of his parents and his brother.
They left for the dock following breakfast, having each packed a small bag for the overnight excursion. Robert awaited them at the foot of the sternwheeler, the Cascades, in conversation with Mr. Cunningham, the man they had met the previous day.
“Good morning, Robert. Mr. Cunningham,” Nathan nodded. “As you see, my wife and I are embarking on the sternwheeler today. I need to purchase some tickets. In that building over there?”
He ignored Robert’s look of surprise at his use of “my wife.” If Robert gave it any thought at all, he would understand why he’d had to resort to such subterfuge. Robert, always quick, smiled slightly and nodded.
“Mitch,” Mr. Cunningham said as he reached to shake Nathan’s hand. “Yep. That’s the building.”
“You’ll excuse me?” Nathan said to everyone as he turned for the building. A tug at his hand surprised him, and he looked down to see Amanda holding his hand.
“I’m coming with you,” she said firmly.
“Certainly, my dear,” he agreed.
They moved away from Robert and Mitch.
“Sorry about that. I would still rather stay with you than be left with people I don’t know.” Amanda gave him with a sheepish smile.
“I understand, Amanda. You do know Robert though you don’t remember him. Nevertheless, I certainly don’t mind if you would rather be with me. Not one little bit.” He couldn’t hold back a grin.
Amanda blushed.
He purchased the tickets, and they returned to the dock at the precise moment when the sternwheeler, the Cascades, blew its whistle.
“Time to board,” Mitch said. “Enjoy the trip,” he said. “The river is running low today, but that shouldn’t be a problem.” He waved and strode toward the steamboat company’s building.
“Shouldn’t?” Robert repeated with a raised brow. “What does he mean by that?”
“Yesterday, he mentioned that some sternwheelers have run aground,” Amanda said, “but they wouldn’t let us get on if they thought there would be a problem, right?”
“I am not so sure,” Robert said. “Should you abandon this plan, Nathan?”
Nathan hesitated. Mitch had been a bit ominous the previous day regarding the future of sternwheeling, but he had not taken his words seriously. Sternwheeling had continued into the twenty-first century, so it clearly was not abandoned as “dangerous.” He looked down on Amanda’s hopeful face. No, he could not break his promise. The steamboat company would certainly not allow the sternwheeler to ply the river at present if it were unsafe.
“I am certain we shall be fine, Robert. Mr. Cunningham reported only been a few groundings on this river over the past few years. We have more train derailments than that.”
Robert nodded. “Thank you for that reminder,” he said sardonically. “Very well. Travel safely. I shall pick you up in Seattle three days from now.”
“Thank you, Robert. We will see you then.”
They said their goodbyes and boarded the Cascades where a crewmember directed them to their cabin. Upon entering, Nathan eyed the single bed.
“Thankfully, we will reach Brewster in twelve hours and will not need to sleep on the boat. We can find a hotel at that location.” He settled their bags on the end of the bed.
“Let’s go outside!” Amanda exclaimed. “I want to watch us pull away.”
Nathan smiled at her enthusiasm, delighted to see her face light up. She had worn an expression of confusion so often over the last few days that he wondered if he would ever see her truly happy again.
“Yes, let’s.”
They stepped out onto the deck and looked down at the dock below. Robert stood there watching. He raised a hand in farewell, and they waved back. The sternwheeler blew its whistle once again, and the rhythmic sound of the paddles slapping the water, reminiscent of the wheels of a train on tracks, echoed between the hills on either side of the river valley. Voices shouted from the pilot deck above and the cargo deck below them as the boat’s crew threw off lines.
“This is exciting! Isn’t it great?” Amanda breathed. Her face glowed, and Nathan knew he had made the right decision to continue with the excursion despite vague references to sternwheeler disasters. She looked so happy, as happy as the day she had accepted his proposal so long ago.
“Yes, wonderful,” Nathan agreed. He laced his fingers around the rail in order to keep his hands from touching her rosy cheek.
The sternwheeler moved on down the river with a last toot of her whistle. They watched the river for a while until a crewmember announced that it was time for lunch. Given that Amanda had eaten very little the night before and almost nothing for breakfast, Nathan encouraged her to join him for a meal in the dining room. Fortunately, the fresh air had invigorated her, and she had regained her appetite. At the conclusion of the meal, they returned outside to stand at the stern of the ship where the steel paddle wheel plied the water with a hypnotizing display of circular motion.
They remained on deck for several hours, travelling from one side of the deck to the other as Amanda searched out all possible views. They had returned to the front of the passenger deck when Amanda pointed to the river beyond.
“Are those rapids? As in whitewater?” She looked up at Nathan with wide eyes. “Are we seriously going through that?”
Nathan shaded his eyes and followed her gesture. A gentle swell of rapids lay in front of them, suggesting that the river was much more shallow than it had been. He looked around but no one seemed unduly concerned. A crewmember passe
d, and he waylaid the man.
“Is there any cause for alarm given the rapids just ahead?”
The crewmember also shaded his eyes and followed Nathan’s eyes. “Oh, the Entiat Rapids? No, sir, I shouldn’t think so. Mind you, rapids are always a problem for the sternwheelers because of rocks and such, but we just came through here yesterday and the pilot maneuvered us right around them...just like he always does. Don’t you folks worry.” He nodded and moved away.
“There you are,” said Nathan faintly. He wasn’t entirely convinced that the sternwheeler would pass through what looked like a solid band of rapids, but he assumed that pilot knew his business.
“Well, this is going to be fun,” Amanda said in a hushed voice, “or something anyway.” She did not sound as if she thought “fun” was quite the correct word.
They reached the edge of the rapids, and the sternwheeler plowed through them fearlessly. Nathan loosened his grip on the railing. Apparently, the pilot was confident, as he slowed not one bit. Nathan felt a small hand creep over his own, and he looked down to see Amanda clutching his hand. Nathan smiled and covered it with his own. The boat shifted direction as they steered toward smoother water near the middle of the river, and Nathan breathed a sigh of relief. This looked more promising.
A loud thud and a screeching noise deafened them, and Nathan instinctively pulled Amanda into his arms as the boat lurched. Screams erupted from nearby passengers as some fell and others grabbed the railings.
“What happened?!” Amanda screamed as she clung to Nathan. “What was that?”
“I think we must have hit something!” Nathan shouted above the din. The screeching continued, and he looked over his shoulder to the rear of the boat to see the paddle wheel, locked in place, but continuing to attempt to spin. The source of the screeching. People shouted everywhere, and Nathan scanned the deck to find a crewmember. None could be found without letting go of the railing, and he had no intention of doing that. The sternwheeler had begun to list, and Nathan thought with a sickening sense of dread that the ship was sinking.
He fought against panic and tried to reason. The rapids suggested shallow water. If they sunk, they would not go far.
“What do we do?” Amanda cried out. Tears ran down her face, and a sob escaped her.
“Calm down, my love. We’re going to be all right. The river is shallow at this point. You see it yourself. The upper decks of the boat will not sink beneath the water.”
The sternwheeler shuddered and tilted as if it were capsizing.
Amanda screamed, and Nathan hugged her to him with his free hand while hanging onto the railing with the other. Fortunately, they had been standing on the starboard side of the sternwheeler which was on the opposite side of the listing of the ship. As the port side slid down into the water, the starboard side rose higher.
“Here,” Amanda panted, “let me hang onto the rail. Don’t let go of me,” she shouted over the sound of rushing water and the commotion on the decks. “You can’t hold us both in this position. Just please hang onto me with one hand. I don’t want to lose you.”
“I won’t lose you,” Nathan shouted. “I won’t lose you, Amanda!”
A scraping sound caught his attention, and he turned to see a lifeboat slipping into the water on the port side. No one was aboard, and he suspected it had slipped its ropes and fallen off. The lifeboat sailed off on the rapids, and he turned away. No help would come from that direction, neither was he certain he wanted to field the rapids in a lifeboat without an experienced crewmember.
Amanda had laced her arms around the railing, and she clung to it. Nathan continued to keep his free arm around her.
“The boat feels as if it has settled into position, my love. I think this must be the worst of it. Hopefully, the crew can manage to load us onto lifeboats.”
“This is the Titanic all over again,” Amanda shouted. She pressed her lips together and looked around wildly.
Nathan did not understand her reference, but he could see that she fought for control of her emotions.
“We have not come this far only to face disaster, Amanda. I love you. I will not lose you again.” Nathan didn’t care whether the time was appropriate or not. He only knew he needed to say the words to her once again.
Amanda turned her face to his and kissed him.
“I love you, too, Nathan. I know I always have, but at least I know it now.” She attempted a watery grin.
“Oh, my love, I am the happiest man in the world.” With his free hand, Nathan pulled her face back to his for a long overdue kiss.
Amanda pulled away and almost laughed, though the sound came out like a croak. “Lucky we aren’t, Nathan.” She looked beyond him with hope, and he turned to follow her eyes. Another sternwheeler approached them from upriver.
“We’re rescued!” Nathan cried.
A sudden lurch in the boat startled him, and he lost his grip. He clawed at the floorboards as he slid down the deck toward the water line, but could grasp nothing. Searing pain shot through his fingertips, and he threw a look over his shoulder towards the swirling whitewater caught between the deck and the river. Something painful smacked against his head as he fell into the water. Nathan felt himself sucked underneath the boat. The sound of Amanda’s screaming was the last thing he heard before blackness.
Chapter Eleven
“Nathan! Nathan!” Amanda screamed as he slipped into the churning water. She almost let go of the railing with a desperate thought to slide down the deck to find him.
“Nathan!” she screamed again and again, searching for signs of him. No one turned toward her. No one came to help. How could they? Everyone hung onto what parts of the sternwheeler they could.
“Nathan,” she shouted. Out of the corner of her eye, Amanda saw the other sternwheeler approaching, positioning itself near their own listing boat. She shut her eyes for a moment praying Nathan wouldn’t get caught up under either of the paddle wheels.
The terrible screeching sound finally stopped as if the wheel had finally stopped trying to rotate, and Amanda screamed again.
“Please help me! My husband has fallen overboard. I can’t see him.”
Heads did turn toward her this time with expressions of fear and pity, but no one moved except to shift for better balance. Amanda loosened her grip and slid a free hand down the railing. She would find Nathan herself. She had to find him!
As she attempted to move still further along the deck, her feet slid out from underneath her, and she fell to her knees with a scream. Pain shot through her right shoulder as she clung to the railing, but she didn’t let go. Amanda’s body shook uncontrollably, and she stared toward the water rushing through the port side of the boat.
A moan escaped her. “Oh, Nathan, where are you?” She couldn’t see him anywhere—not clinging to the boat, not swimming, not bobbing. It was as if he’d been swept up under the boat.
She couldn’t think about that. She couldn’t. She loved him too much. He had to be alive!
Amanda dragged in a ragged breath and attempted to stand. When her feet slipped again, the pain in her shoulder intensified as she wrenched it even more, and she dropped to her rear. She braced her feet along the bottom of the rail and scooted down toward the water line, maneuvering around a couple who held onto her while she traveled.
“Don’t go down there, dearie,” the middle-aged woman said. “He’s gone. Let him go.”
“No, he’s not!” Amanda shot back with a vehement shake of her head. “He’s not gone. He isn’t! He can’t be.” She took the husband’s hand and slid to the next portion of the railing.
The water line was only about four feet below her now. She scanned the length of the deck. Dining room furniture, caught up in the railings, churned in the water, but she saw no sign of Nathan. Wooden crates of apples swirled in the eddy caused by the undertow of the boat.
The other sternwheeler maneuvered itself next to the Cascades, and she heard shouts from the rescuers. What if Nathan
became sandwiched between the boats, caught up in the eddy like the crates of apples? She screamed.
“Stop! Stay back! My husband is down there. Please stop!” But the crew couldn’t hear her above their own shouts and the rushing of the water. She continued to shout to no avail. She slid another few feet until her feet almost touched the water, but she had no plan, no idea what to do next. Nathan wasn’t clinging to the side of the boat, and she had no idea where he was.
A shout above her caught her attention. The man and woman who had helped her called out.
“They’re coming to get us! Don’t go any further,” the woman called. Amanda looked beyond her. Several crewmembers with ropes tied around their waists worked their way down the railing toward the couple and toward her.
“Come on now, miss. Hang onto my back, and I’ll pull you up.” The young man reached for her, but she clung to her position.
“No, I can’t go. My husband is down there. He fell from the boat. Please help me.”
The young man looked beyond her and scanned the water. He turned dark sympathetic eyes back to her and shook his head.
“I don’t see him, ma’am. If he fell in there, and he hasn’t come up, then I don’t think he’s going to.”
Amanda eyed him wildly. How could he know? He’d just gotten here. He didn’t know Nathan. How could the boy know?
Her teeth started chattering, though she wasn’t cold. “What if he g-got out from under the sh-ship? What if h-he’s downriver somewhere? What if he’s s-swimming?”
The boy eyed her with worry and reached for her again. “Come on, miss. You’re shivering. We need to get you out of here.”
“No!” Amanda shrieked as he attempted to pry her hands from the railing. The water raced at her feet.
“Miss!” he scolded. “You have to come.” He looked over his shoulder and called to another crewmember.
“Hey, Jimmy, help me here, will you?”
Amanda turned to scan the water with wild eyes, knowing that they were going to drag her from the ship. She could fight the one young man off but not two would-be rescuers.
