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He paused then said, “Your leaving has always been tough on mother, though she puts on a brave face, I know she worries and misses you daily.”
Ryan frowned. “What are you leading to, Jay?”
“The clipper is from Duluth, Minnesota on route to Boston. I got talking to the captain when he approached me down on the docks. He tells me they picked up sixteen hundred railway ties up in the Soo but didn’t realize they were badly soaked causing them too difficult to maneuver on the ship’s deck. He was asking around for extra deck hands and wanted to know if I would be interested. Presumably, he mistook me for a sailor.”
“Or more likely your size.” Ryan chuckled.
“Possibly,” Jay smirked.
“Does he want to unburden his load?” It surprised Ryan that a captain would unload his cargo before reaching his destination.
“No,” Jay corrected him. “He wanted to know if I would be interested in joining the crew for the rest of the expedition as they will need the help unloading them once they reach their destination.”
Ryan jerked his chin sharply up. “To Boston?”
“Yes. They have a couple of stops in Toledo, Buffalo, and Montreal before they sail north—”
“Up the St. Lawrence River.” Ryan cut him short, knowing only too well the route as he had dreamt of nothing more all his life. For years, he had asked around at various ports inquiring if any of the steamers heading upstream needed an extra deckhand but always received a disheartening no.
“That’s right. Their last stop will be somewhere along the Gulf of St. Lawrence before they head out into the Atlantic Ocean. I declined naturally but thought of you. I know you’ve always wanted to sail the ocean and this just might be your opportunity.”
“I’ve wanted nothing else.” He briefly thought of Evelina then quickly stomped thoughts of her out of his head. Aside from nearly winning a boat of his own and sailing up the St. Lawrence River, an opportunity like this never came his way. He would be a fool to pass on it.
“I thought you just might be interested.”
“Did you get the captain’s name?”
“Yes, it’s Les Simmons. He says he’ll be in port for only a couple more days.”
“And before the Francesca returns.” He half whispered to himself, suddenly finding himself with a conundrum.
“Most likely.”
Ryan felt his spirits plummet. He had made a promise to Evelina and he wanted to keep it, however, he didn’t know when an opportunity like this would ever arise again.
Jay must have read the conflict on his face for he said, “Looks like you have some deciding to do.”
“No.” He shook his
head. “No, I don’t. There’s really no choice to make. I know exactly what to do.”
* * *
Later that evening, Ryan prepared for dinner at his parents’ home. Jay and Erika were joining them, which Ryan was glad. This could be one of his last nights at home and he wanted to inform his family that he was leaving. He had gone down to the docks and talked to Captain Simmons who was eager to have Ryan join his crew.
Dinner, unfortunately, was not to be a quiet family gathering as he had hoped. Erika had invited her two closest friends, Trista and Rosalee, which Ryan presumed was an attempt in matchmaking. The girls were pretty enough, however, Ryan had no interest in either of them.
And from the look of uneasiness on Garrett’s face, neither was he.
Ryan grimaced in humor at his oldest brother but instead of helping him out, he got up and headed for the kitchen to fetch himself a cup of coffee. Inside the kitchen, he is surprised to find Erika working away spreading biscuits on a baking sheet. He still found it odd to see her being so domestic. But, he admitted, it definitely suited her.
Just as he entered, her face grimaced slightly in pain before turning to slide the biscuits into the oven.
“Are you all right?” He quickly went to her side to assist.
She smiled thankfully and reassured him. “Of course. It’s just this baby has gotten so big in the last couple of weeks, there can’t possibly be any more room in there for him to turn around. He so much as wiggles a toe and my ribcage feels like it is being punched.”
“Him?”
