Out of the Storm by Jody Hedlund

Author:Jody Hedlund [Jody Hedlund]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Baker Publishing Group
Published: 2014-10-01T07:00:00+00:00

Chapter 10

You know I meant every word I said back there,” the captain said without breaking the rhythm of his rowing.

“I meant every word I said too.” Henry rested the oars to wipe the sweat from his brow. Even on a cold November day, the rigors of rowing were causing him to sweat.

The day was clear, with a strong northwest wind whipping the waves into whitecaps. The occasional spray of water into Henry’s face made him flinch, reminding him of that fateful night of the shipwreck.

The captain’s sharp eyes kept constant watch on the lake, sky, and shoreline. He steered the boat on a steady course southward, staying close enough to the shore that Henry could marvel at the thick forest of white pine that were ripe for the cutting.

Charlie would have been proud of him, because he’d been busy calculating the profit of the land and had even considered whether there were any tracts in the area available for purchase. It was what Charlie had urged him to do all along during their trip around the Great Lakes, only at the time Henry had been too lazy and irresponsible to take his friend’s advice to heart.

It had taken nearly dying, losing Charlie, and being forced off his feet before he’d finally thought about how he’d been squandering his life, how he hadn’t done anything to make a difference, not even the smallest one.

Living in the simplicity of Presque Isle, working hard for the first time in his life, and spending time with Isabelle had changed him—or at least made him want to be a better man.

Henry plunged his oars back into the churning water and tried to shrug off the burning sensation that shot through his thigh and aching backside. Their two captives sat silently in the hull, huddled in woolen blankets the captain had been kind enough to offer them.

The leather strap of Henry’s pouch chafed the flesh of his shoulder with each turn of the oars, making it harder for him to ignore the pressure that was gaining strength with each passing minute. If Big Al could send these two after him, what would stop the man from sending more?

The captain’s eyes met his above the heads of the men, and Henry saw there a worry that mirrored his own. It would only be a matter of time before someone attacked again. So long as he had the proof of purchase, he would bring danger to Presque Isle and to Isabelle.

The truth of what he needed to do hit him full in the face like the splash of a wave. He had to take the papers down to the land office in Detroit and file them once and for all, to make the sale official by obtaining the deed. He needed to personally deliver those papers. There would be too much risk to send them via the post.

Seeing the task to completion was the responsible thing for him to do for the sake of Cole Enterprises, as well as the safest course of action for Isabelle.

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