“I’ve never had many friends.” Heath blurted out.
“Then I am honored to count myself as one.”
Heath lifted his head to lock eyes with Kane. “You know you are more than that.”
“I should hope so. I’m assuming you haven’t done this with your other friends.”
The joke made Heath chuckle. “Most definitely not.” He put his head down. “But I have always felt out of place, especially when I’m around too many people.”
“Is that new since your injury, or have you always felt that way?”
“I’ve always been that way. When I was in the military, it wasn’t too bad once I got on board a ship. It was a limited number of crew members, and eventually I was comfortable around them.”
“Did you have friends in the Navy?”
Heath’s mind wondered back over the years. “I had a few acquaintances, none that I would call friends, not until I was on my way home from my New Zealand.”
“What happened?” Kane’s hand stilled.
“I met a group of men, injured like myself, and we became close during the voyage home. We all shared a bond of being wounded, but it went deeper. Each, in our own way, helped the others. One man had lost his memories, so we made a game of trying to come up with the most absurd things to tell him.” Heath recalled Fernsby the day he’d left to meet his wife.
Kane took up the rhythmic stroking on his back. “Tell me more.”
“Davis had lost his sight. Shaw had lost a leg and poor Adwell was covered in burns. I wasn’t as bad off as the rest, so I felt it was my duty to lift everyone’s spirits. I was the friendly face everyone could rely on, the sympathetic ear or the voice of reason when all hope was lost.”
“It wasn’t your duty, Heath, it’s just the man that you are. Since I’ve met you, I’ve felt you don’t give yourself enough credit for how wonderful you are.” Kane pulled him closer.
Perhaps he was right. Heath never saw himself as more than a farmer’s son. Even in the Navy, he didn’t feel equal to the other men. Being with Kane made him feel, for the first time, like he was appreciated for who he was. He’d never be able to thank Kane enough for that.
“They sound like an interesting group.” Kane said. “I hope I can meet them someday.”
Someday.Did that mean Kane would stay?
“I would like you to meet them.”
They said nothing further. Heath snuggled closer to Kane and allowed sleep to slowly take hold.
* * *
The following day, they invited Caroline and Wells over for dinner so they could have a proper discussion about the missing girls and what they could do going forward. Once letters were sent, Heath and Kane settled down for lessons. Even though he had made great strides, Heath knew there were some areas where he still needed instruction including his Latin and mathematics, although both had improved by leaps and bounds. Over the last weeks, Heath had discovered he enjoyed learning, especially about history.
That afternoon, they rode out to the brewery. Mr. Hayes had returned from London with a dozen workers who were readying the factory for production. Barrels of barley were brought in from the fields and the hops had been delivered from London. It was exciting. Heath would never have thought himself the owner of a brewery, but ever since getting his new title, a lot of things in his life had taken an unexpected turn. He chanced a glance at Kane, who gave him a sly wink as they listened to Hayes go on about hiring more staff.
“I want as many local workers as possible.” Heath was adamant about making sure the county benefited from the brewery.
“I will make inquiries, sir.” Hayes had been invaluable. Another thing Heath had Kane to thank for.
As he walked into the house, Heath saw Mrs. Baum. He went over to the older woman.
“Mrs. Baum, may I speak with you?”
“Of course, sir.”
“I wanted to let you know the police are involved in helping to find Jessica. There are other girls who have gone missing as well.”
“Thank you for telling me, sir. I knew you could help.”
“Mr. Badgely was actually working on this before I realized the situation.”