Leah pulled away from Helaina and put her hand to her forehead to shield her eyes from the setting sun. It was hard to see who the men in the launch might be, but when Helaina heard Leah gasp, she knew Leah had spotted someone.
“Who is it?” Helaina asked, but already Leah was running for the beach.
She watched from afar as Leah splashed into the water. She could hear the people shouting, but it all seemed again like one of her dreams. Moving very slowly, Helaina began to walk again toward the gathering. A man was climbing out of the launch—jumping into the knee-deep waters of the Bering Sea. He waded through until he reached Leah’s outstretched arms. It was Jayce.
Helaina felt her breath catch as the couple embraced. She backed up several steps until she was hidden from view by the head of the newly caught whale. Helaina preferred to remain out of sight until she could calm her overwhelmed nerves.
Lord, what will I do if Jacob hasn’t come back as well? How will I live if he’s returned but no longer cares for me?
She peeked around to see that Jayce had lifted Leah and was carrying her to shore. It was the stuff of fairy tales and beautiful love stories. It was the happy ending that Leah so richly deserved. Helaina stepped out and moved toward the crowd of people. She had to know that Jacob was safe, if nothing else.
And then she saw him. The launch settled on the shore, and the men disembarked. Jacob was there, along with several other men. This was her moment of truth. This moment would determine her future.
Helaina eased her way through the crowd just as Jayce put Leah on the ground. Jacob immediately embraced his sister. Helaina fought to keep from crying, wishing he were holding her instead.
Please love me. Please still care
.
She stepped forward, inching her way toward the trio. Drawing a deep breath, she straightened her shoulders.
Just then Jacob looked up. Shock registered on his face as his gaze met hers. He immediately left his sister and crossed the distance to where Helaina now stood. For several moments neither one said a word. He looked at her so intently that Helaina felt as though he were memorizing every feature of her face.
“It took you long enough to get here,” she finally managed to say. She gave him a smile as her joy threatened to bubble over.
“If I’d known you were here waiting, I would have come sooner,” he said. Then without warning he pulled her hard against him and kissed her soundly on the lips.
The despair, frustration, and agony of the last year’s wait faded from Helaina along with all reasonable ability to think. She felt the warmth of his hands on her face, and he deepened his kiss. When he finally pulled away, she could only look at him in wonder.
“I can’t believe you’re here,” they murmured in unison, then laughed.
“When did you come back?” Jacob asked, his hands moving to gently touch her shoulders.
“Last year this time. I sold everything I owned and returned to Last Chance.”
“Just like that?” he mused. “You traded your life there to be here?”
She shook her head. “No. I traded it all to be with you.” She waited anxiously to see how he might respond. For a moment he said nothing, then he dropped his hold on her and took a step back.
“Are you sure about this?”
Helaina put her hands on her hips. “I’ve had a whole year to think it over.” Her tone was rather indignant, but he deserved it after what he’d put her through.
Just then Bjorn and Emma joined the revelry. “Jacob!” they exclaimed before Bjorn pulled him into a hearty bear hug. “We’re so glad you’ve returned. Praise God for His provision!” Emma nodded and added her own embrace. “
Ja,
Jacob, we have prayed every day for you.”
“And well I know it,” Jacob answered, casting a glance over their shoulders to Helaina. “Because God has just answered all of my prayers.”
T
he village used the men’s return as a wonderful excuse to celebrate. Before long there was food and drink, as well as singing and dancing. Leah woke the twins, who, although irritable at first, adapted rather easily to the revelry. They seemed particularly interested in their papa, who happily tossed them up and down in the air and got on the floor to play. Gone was any worry that they might reject him. To Leah’s amazement, they warmed to Jayce immediately.
Jacob and Helaina seemed completely engrossed with one another, although since the homecoming they had not had a moment to themselves. But Leah knew her brother. He would find a way to get Helaina alone. And if he didn’t, Helaina would. It was clear that Jacob’s feelings for Helaina were as strong as ever. Leah couldn’t help but notice the way her brother’s gaze never left Helaina, no matter where she was in the room. Leah felt the same way about her husband. She watched him so intently most of the evening, she was certain he felt her gaze boring right through him. If he minded, he never said as much.
It was so hard to believe they were really home. What had seemed like a never-ending nightmare had come to a conclusion with so little warning, that the matter seemed … well … almost common. Sailors returning home from the sea. Nothing more.
Leah longed for time alone with Jayce. She wanted to hear his stories and know what he’d gone through. She wanted to know the bad as well as the good, for it was an entire year of his life that she didn’t share. She knew there would be time enough for them to be alone, but selfishly she wanted to put the children to bed and find a quiet place to curl up in Jayce’s arms. She could only wonder if he felt the same. He seemed so content just to play with the children. Had he lost his passion for her? Had the experience left him with a changed heart?
“I can’t believe how big they are,” Jayce declared as he lifted Merry and came to sit beside his wife.
Leah watched their daughter tug at Jayce’s beard, laughing and babbling all the while. Despite her shy nature, Merry seemed to take easily to her father, even though she scarcely knew him. Wills was no different. He rammed up against Jayce as though they were old buddies and shouted over and over, “Play.”
“They were just little bundles when I left,” he said, gently stroking Meredith’s brown curls.
“It’s been a long year,” Leah murmured. She met Jayce’s eyes and knew he understood.
“Yes. Much too long.”
“If I can have everyone’s attention,” Bjorn announced, “I would like to offer a word of thanksgiving for the return of Jacob and Jayce and Captain Latimore. I would also like to pray for the men who struck out on their own. There’s been no sign of them, and Jacob has asked that we remember them. We will pray, too, for a quick end to the war. As you know, American lives are being spent on the battlefields of Europe, and surely only God can bring a quick end to such hideous events. Let’s pray.”
As he began, Leah felt strangeness in the moment. It was almost as if she were dreaming the entire thing. She knew Jayce and Jacob had truly come home, but there was something that felt most awkward in their reappearance. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but maybe it was something that always came with long separations. She knew when Jayce had first come back into her life years earlier that there had been an uneasiness, but she’d attributed most of that to her anger.
She wondered if the wives of soldiers felt the same way.
They, too, had to wait and see if their loved ones would ever return alive. They no doubt spent endless hours of worry and anticipation without word or understanding. As the days and months drifted by, there were likely some who even faced the reality that the odds were against them. Perhaps that was the key to knowing her heart in this. There was a part of her that had accepted the possibility of her husband’s and brother’s death. Maybe she’d even lost hope that they would actually come back alive, and now that they had, she felt almost like a traitor for having given up. After all, she’d told Adrik earlier in the day that she would leave Last Chance and go back with him and Karen to Seward. Perhaps that was her way of declaring the matter to be a lost cause. Guilt washed over her.
Helaina never gave up hope. Why was I so easily discouraged?
Bjorn concluded his prayer and asked Captain Latimore to say a few words. The man stepped forward. Though somewhat weak and much thinner, his countenance bore a strength that reminded Leah of the first time she’d met him.
“You honor me with your kindness,” he began. “I am so pleased to be here—thankful for the rescue and return to civilization. And this is a wondrous civilization compared to the place I spent the last few months.” The villagers laughed as he continued. “I never thought to be so grateful for simple things like real chairs and tables—and I’m especially looking forward to a real bed.”
“So am I,” Jayce said in husky whisper.
Leah felt her cheeks grow hot and knew better than to meet her husband’s gaze.
“I have to say,” Latimore continued, “that none of us would have survived had it not been for Jacob Barringer.” The people cheered at this and Latimore motioned to Jacob. “This man, along with Jayce Kincaid, took charge and led the expedition when we were at our worst—when I was at my worst. They were able to show the rest of us how to survive the bitter Arctic cold, and for that I will be eternally grateful. Jacob, why don’t you share our story with the people?”
Jacob, looking older than Leah remembered, stepped forward. “My friends, your love and training over the last twelve years saved my life out on the Arctic ice. I remembered the wisdom and traditions passed down among the Inupiat and put them into practice. Clearly the praise cannot be Jayce’s or mine alone. The Real People have played their part as well.
You should be proud of yourselves and the gift you gave. It is in keeping with God’s direction for each of us—that we should help one another and bear one another’s burdens.” He paused for a moment, as if uncertain how much to say.
“We faced a difficult time. Lives were lost. Our ship was locked in ice and then destroyed. We had ample time to get our gear off the ship, but leaving its safety for nothing more than an ice floe was difficult. We were fortunate to find our way to land—a small island not far from the Russian shores. There we set up camp and began to hunt. Through it all, God was our mainstay. I can’t say that I understand the time spent trapped on that island, but I do know that even in this, God had a plan. I can’t say I was always strong and faithful, but I can say that God was.”
Leah saw many of the people nodding. John had even managed to come for the revelry and smiled up at Jacob with pride. Oopick, too, seemed quite pleased with Jacob’s words.
“I’ll be happy to share further stories with you in the future, but the hour is late and I know you’re tired. Thank you for the prayers and for not forgetting us.”
Cheers went up as Jacob concluded and walked off the small platform. Bjorn once again took his place on the makeshift stage. “Jayce, would you like to say a few words as well?”
Jayce shook his head. “Maybe another time.” He looked down at his sleeping daughter and the content expression on his face warmed Leah’s heart. He loved Merry and Wills. There was no doubt about it. Fears of how he might accept or reject them faded from Leah’s mind.
“He looks good,” Adrik said as he and Karen came up beside Leah. “A little thin, but no doubt you women will rectify that.”
Leah nodded. “I was just thinking about that.” She smiled and tried to suppress a yawn. “How much longer can you stay with us?”
“Well, we figured to talk to you about that,” Adrik said with a hint of mischief in his expression. “We have something to propose when we return to your home.”
“I think Jacob has something to propose as well,” Jayce said, grinning. He motioned to where Jacob and Helaina stood amidst well-wishers.
“If Helaina doesn’t propose it first,” Leah countered.
The party gradually broke up with promises to share supper together again the next night. There was great talk about working to finish the butchering of the whale, but Leah knew that wouldn’t involve her. She walked alongside Jayce, carrying Wills. He slept soundly against her shoulder, having finally played himself into an exhausted state. Leah hoped they would both sleep through the night and give her some much-needed time alone with Jayce.
After putting the babies to bed, Helaina appeared at the door with suitcase in hand. “Where are you going?” Leah asked.
“I couldn’t very well stay in Jacob’s house.” She shifted the case. “It would hardly be proper.”
“You know you’re welcome here,” Jayce interjected. “I can’t repay all you’ve done for my family. Leah tells me she wouldn’t have made it through without you.”
“Leah exaggerates,” Helaina said with a grin. “She helped keep me sane. I might surely have gone mad without her company. We bore the burden together.”
Jayce pulled Leah close. “I’m glad you did. We share a strange past, we three, but God has taken it and made it something quite extraordinary.”
“Indeed,” Helaina replied. “I just stopped by so you might tell Jacob …”
Just then Jacob entered the house. He took one look at Helaina and frowned. “Tell Jacob what? Where are you going?”
“Sigrid has offered to share her room with me at the Kjellmann’s. They are also taking in the captain, and Emma said one more person wouldn’t be a problem. I figure Leah and Jayce already have enough people, what with Karen and Adrik’s family.”
“Where have you been staying?” he asked.
Helaina blushed. “Well … if you must know, I was staying at your place. It’s no longer proper for me to do so, given that you’re back.”
“You could always make it proper,” Adrik teased as he came from the back room. Karen was right beside him and elbowed him hard. “Ow! What was that for?”
“For not minding your own business,” Karen said sweetly. She smiled at Jacob and the others, then turned to Leah. “We just wanted to tell you good night. I’m hoping we’ll have time to talk with you all tomorrow. Adrik has something to ask you.”
“I’ll be here,” Jacob answered.
“Us too,” Jayce threw in.
Adrik nodded. “Good. I think you’ll like what I have to say. Good night, then.” He turned and pulled Karen along with him to their room. Leah heard Karen giggle as Adrik whispered something in her ear. After all this time they still acted like a couple of newlyweds.