Timeless by Kate Donovan

Author:Kate Donovan
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Samhain Publishing, Ltd.
Published: 2013-03-19T00:00:00+00:00

“You can’t be planning on carrying all that from here to New Amsterdam,” Shannon objected when she noticed the heavy packs John had prepared. “Can’t we just fish as we go? And wear the same clothes? All I need is my duffle bag.”

“I’ll only need to carry these as far as the village, and then we’ll have the mule,” he reminded her cheerfully. “Don’t worry. Carrying these won’t be half as exhausting as keeping you entertained has been these last few days.”

“The mule?” Having congratulated herself so often on distracting him from thoughts of returning to the village, she was mortified to realize he had never even considered any other course. “I don’t want to go to the village, John. It’s not on the way. Let’s just travel light and go north.”

A knowing frown had appeared on his face. “This has to do with our marrying? I’m losing patience, Shannon.”

“We can get married in New Amsterdam, right? I always wanted to get married in a church, John,” she lied desperately. “You wouldn’t deny me that, would you?”

“A church? You’ve never mentioned that.”

Because I only just thought of it, she responded silently. Aloud, she reiterated, “I want to get married in a church and I want your mother there, don’t you?”

“No. I know you, Shannon. This nonsense is your way of avoiding the Susquehannocks. Why?”

“I don’t feel comfortable there. Those women are strange, John. They hardly looked me in the eye the whole time I was there.”

“That’s their way of being polite,” he interrupted impatiently. “What else?”

“Well, I don’t want to spend my wedding night on one of those bunks, with seventy-five people listening to us making love.”

He laughed in spite of his annoyance. “I agree. We’ll spend our wedding night under more private circumstances, I promise you.” He took her hand and reminded her softly, “Kahnawakee’s expecting his first child within the next few weeks. He’s my only brother, Shannon, and I want to be here for that if I can.”

“Weeks?”

“It could be sooner. In the meantime, he and I need to talk. About the future. Now that the League is receptive to his visions, we have to move quickly.”

“Were you lying to me when you said we could go to your mother’s house?” she demanded, her voice trembling with confusion.

“Of course not! To tell you the truth, I’ve been wanting to go there for months. We’ll go, as soon as the baby’s born and we’re properly married. I guarantee you, my mother would never understand our—shall we say, casual?—relationship.”

“Go to the village by yourself, then,” she suggested unhappily. “I’ll stay here with Prince. Come back as soon as the baby’s born, or in two weeks, whichever comes first. Will you do that much for me, at least, John Cutler?”

“Shannon.” He pulled her into his arms and murmured contritely, “I remember my first days in the village. It was uncomfortable for me, too. I felt suffocated by the smoke and lack of privacy, but then…” he stroked her hair fondly, “I began to understand the language, just a bit, which helped enormously.

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