{"id":1099,"date":"2019-02-12T13:41:04","date_gmt":"2019-02-12T18:41:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/read.whitefire-publishing.com\/?p=1099"},"modified":"2020-06-01T09:07:05","modified_gmt":"2020-06-01T13:07:05","slug":"return-to-the-misty-shore","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/whitefire-publishing.com\/read\/return-to-the-misty-shore\/","title":{"rendered":"Return to the Misty Shore"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Return to the Misty Shore<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Twentieth Anniversary Edition<\/p>\n\n\n\n

by Bonnie Leon<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the spring of 1885, Luba Engstrom meets Nicholas Matroona, a strong, brooding Native from the island of Unalaska. Against her parents\u2019 wishes, she elopes, believing love will be enough to bridge the gap between the civilized world of Juneau and the primitive culture of Nicholas\u2019s small village. After all, before Luba was born, her mother lived on a wild Alaskan island until she was forced to leave when a tsunami destroyed her people. But from the moment Luba arrives at Nicholas\u2019s home, she struggles to adapt and learn the village ways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Will the conflict between her husband\u2019s belief in ancient gods and her faith in Jesus Christ the Redeemer destroy Luba and Nicholas\u2019s relationship?<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t

Chapter 1<\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t

Summer 1885<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Was she being\nfoolish? Chasing after a man she didn\u2019t know? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nineteen-year-old\nLuba Engstrom had been at the docks when she first saw him. He was loading\nboxes into a warehouse. Short and muscled, he moved with such grace and power\nLuba couldn\u2019t help but notice him. His black hair, cropped close to his head,\naccented his angular features, and he whistled as he sorted and stacked crates,\nas if he enjoyed the work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This morning she\nwould return. Maybe he would be there again. She wore her most flattering dress\nand piled her thick black hair on her head the way most of the white women did.\nShe looked in the mirror before leaving. The lavender in the dress deepened the\ngolden hue of her skin and softened her chocolate-brown eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Already several\nmen had expressed interest in courting her, but Luba hadn\u2019t met anyone who\ninterested her. That was, not until now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When she reached\nthe wharf, she searched for the man. Almost right away she saw him. His dark\nhair peeked out from underneath a cloth cap. For several minutes, Luba watched\nhim unload cargo, wishing she could summon the courage to approach him.\nFinally, with her heart banging in her chest, she quieted the trembling in her\nhands and, as nonchalantly as possible, strolled down the pier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She didn\u2019t look\nat him, but instead watched the fishermen unload their catch. Soon unable to\nresist, she glanced his way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At that very\nmoment, he looked up. Her eyes cemented to his. A slow smile lifted the man\u2019s\nlips, making him look even more handsome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Luba wrenched\naway her gaze and turned to regard the boats moored along the dock.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A deep voice\ncame from behind her. \u201cLooks like the fishing has been good today.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Luba\u2019s pulse\nthrummed as she turned to face the stranger, who stood close enough that she\ncould see the gold flecks in his eyes. Would he see how she felt? She stepped\nback and watched the gulls squabbling over tidbits in the wash. Her mind went\nblank. What should she say?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He leaned\nagainst the wooden railing that ran along the pier. \u201cDo you come here often?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes. I like to\nwatch the boats come and go.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought I saw\nyou yesterday.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her mouth went\ndry. He\u2019d noticed her. \u201cI wonder about all the places the ships have been and\nwhere they are traveling next. Someday I would like to sail away and explore\nthe world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNot me. I like\nhome.\u201d The man stood up and held out his hand. \u201cI\u2019m Nicholas Matroona.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Luba took it.\n\u201cIt\u2019s nice to meet you, Nicholas. I\u2019m Luba Engstrom.\u201d Such strength in his\nhand. If only her palm wasn\u2019t sweating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLuba. That is a\nnice name. Where are you from?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRight here, but\nmy mother is from the Aleutians.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou are Aleut?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Luba nodded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo am I.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Luba looked into\nhis dark-brown eyes and knew he was the one she had been waiting to meet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They talked a\nlittle more that day. Nicholas told her how he lived on the large island of Unalaska\nand had come to Juneau looking for better prices for the pelts his people\ncaught. He explained how most of the natives\u2019 income came from fur sales, so\ngetting the best price possible was important. He\u2019d accomplished little in the\nway of fur sales since arriving in Juneau, but still hoped to find new buyers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Luba\nprepared to leave, Nicholas stopped her. \u201cI am glad we met. I hope I can see\nyou again.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She didn\u2019t dare\nlet him know she felt the same \u2026 not yet. \u201cYou are very bold, Mr. Matroona.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIs it wrong for\nme to want to spend time with a beautiful woman?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Blood made a hot\nrush to her face as she met his steady gaze. Luba turned away and watched a\nloaded barge slosh through the waves. \u201cI\u2019ve always wondered what is in all\nthose boxes.\u201d She looked at Nicholas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His penetrating\neyes were still on her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI have to go.\u201d\nShe walked away, then stopped and looked over her shoulder. \u201cI would like to\nsee you again.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nicholas lifted a brow and doffed his cap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

***<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Luba hurried her\nsteps. \u201cSlow down. You\u2019re walking too fast.\u201d She picked up her skirt, stepped\naround a puddle, and sprinted a few paces to catch up with her father.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erik grinned. \u201cI\ncan\u2019t help it if your legs are too short.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Luba stepped in\nfront of him, stopped, and planted her hands on her hips. \u201cYou\u2019re the one who\ntold me \u2018God makes each of us according to His special design.\u2019\u201d A wagon loaded\nwith wooden crates rumbled past. \u201cAre you saying He made a mistake?\u201d She folded\nher arms over her chest and waited for an answer. She had him this time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erik smirked.\n\u201cAbsolutely not. But He does allow flaws. That way we don\u2019t get too cocky.\u201d He\nstepped around Luba and continued up the muddy street. \u201cYou are pretty short,\u201d\nhe cast over his shoulder and chuckled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMaybe I\u2019m not\nshort. Maybe you\u2019re too tall\u2014with legs like a wobbly newborn moose,\u201d she called\nafter him in Aleut.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCut that out,\u201d\nErik tossed back at her. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

She chuckled. He\nhad never learned the language of her mother. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Luba gazed at\nthe hills surrounding the town of Juneau. Sunshine created bright splotches of\ngreen with deep, olive shadows among the trees. What a beautiful day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Luba ran to\ncatch up with Erik and matched his steps. Her thoughts wandered to Nicholas. Her\nmind always seemed full of him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I need to tell Mama and Daddy about him.<\/em> She glanced at her father. He\u2019d\nlikely disapprove. Nicholas was a stranger.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The thought of\nNicholas\u2019s handsome face melted away her pessimism. He was different from\nanyone she\u2019d ever known\u2014intense but kind. And not a lot older than she. They\u2019d\nonly met two weeks before, but she was in love with him. It had happened so\nfast, but sometimes that\u2019s how love worked. And who was she to question it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Luba and\nNicholas met often. Nicholas seemed wise for his years. He looked at the world\ndifferently than she, but that made him more appealing. Unfamiliar emotions\nswept through her each time she thought of him, and when they were apart, all\nshe could think of was seeing him again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She needed to\ntell her parents about him, but how? Just the idea turned her mouth dry. He\nwasn\u2019t from here and his life was unlike theirs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou look like\nyou\u2019re off in another world,\u201d Erik said, barging in on Luba\u2019s thoughts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOh. No, I was\njust thinking.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAbout?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Should she tell\nhim? \u201cHow beautiful the day is.\u201d She stretched her arms over her head and\nlooked up toward the hills. \u201cI\u2019m so glad to see the sun. It feels good after\nall the months of rain and snow. I was beginning to think summer would never\ncome.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt does feel\nnice, but I wouldn\u2019t bet that the rain\u2019s done yet. Your mother\u2019s chomping at\nthe bit to get the garden planted. If I don\u2019t get it plowed soon, she\u2019ll be\nspitting mad.\u201d He looked down the street at the mercantile. \u201cSure hope the\nstore\u2019s got a good supply of tools. After Joseph got done with my hoe, there\u2019s\nnot much left of it.\u201d He frowned. \u201cI can\u2019t believe your brother tried to make a\nspear out of it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThirteen-year-old\nboys are daft.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou may be\nright.\u201d They approached the store. \u201cIt looks like the good weather has brought\nout the whole town.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Luba groaned\nwhen she saw the crowd. How long would they have to wait?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWell, I\u2019m in no\nhurry. The sooner we get done here, the sooner I\u2019ll have to go to work.\u201d Erik\nheld the door and stepped inside. He leaned against the counter and watched the\ninteraction between customers as Luba stood beside him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A young native\nman tipped his hat to Luba.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Though she\u2019d\nnever met him, she nodded before turning her attention to a basket of apples\nsitting beside the front counter. She took one. \u201cDaddy, can I have an apple?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSure. I\u2019ll put\nit on the bill.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey\u2019re not\nbad,\u201d the young man said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMaybe we ought\nto get two,\u201d Erik said. \u201cToss me one, Luba.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She took another\napple from the bin and pitched it to her father. Luba looked at the stranger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Small and\nagile-looking, he carried himself with confidence. Even dressed in well-used\ntraveling clothes and a frayed cap, he was handsome. His face looked like he\nsmiled often. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

She bit into the\napple. Where was he from and why was he in Juneau? Juice splashed her mouth as\nshe chewed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGood?\u201d he\nasked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMmm, yes.\u201d She\ntook another bite. \u201cYou\u2019re new in town.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cJust finished\nschool, and I\u2019m on my way home. I plan to teach.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd where is\nhome?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA small village\non Unalaska Island.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That was the\nsame place Nicholas was from. Luba took another bite of apple. \u201cI always loved\nschool. I\u2019ve even thought about teaching one day.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cReally?\u201d The\nman adjusted his cap slightly forward. \u201cMost of the children in my village\ndon\u2019t have any formal education. They learn about living and surviving and\nnature, but not history or science or literature. I hope to change that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The lilt in his\nvoice, the way it rose at the end of each sentence, reminded her of her mother.\n\u201cAre you Aleut?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes. Why?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou speak a\nlittle like my mother.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The store\nproprietor, Mr. Stevens, stepped behind the counter. \u201cErik, what can I do for\nyou?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erik turned his\nattention to Mr. Stevens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDaddy, do you\nneed me?\u201d Luba asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo, I can\nmanage. Why?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOh, I just had\nsome errands to run.\u201d Maybe she would see Nicholas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGo on ahead.\nI\u2019ll see you at home.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThanks, Daddy.\u201d\nLuba stood on her tiptoes and kissed Erik on the cheek. \u201cI won\u2019t be late.\u201d She looked\nat the young teacher. \u201cGood luck in your new job \u2026 I don\u2019t even know your name.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMichael.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWell, good\nluck, Michael. It was nice to meet you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He gave her a\nslight nod. \u201cGood to meet you too.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Luba hurried out\nthe door and down the street toward a nearby tavern where Nicholas sometimes\ndid business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What would her\nmother and father think if they knew she was going to a saloon?<\/p>\n\n\n