Box Set: The ArringtonTrilogy (107 page)

“Perhaps I should get out of bed and row you
to the harbor myself. I can’t sleep as it is.”

“No, no. You rest. I’m sure you’ll fall
asleep,” I leaned in and gave him a quick peck on the cheek,
pulling back just as he tried to pull me in.

“Thank you again,” I sang and flew out of the
room with the next breeze.

Heath was unlatching the boat ropes from the
dock with Oliver and Owen standing beside him, pleading for a boat
ride, as I hurried over. He helped me in and said goodbye to the
inquisitive twin boys, and I took a seat while he pushed us off.
Under the late autumn sun, Heath rowing with both oars, we set out
toward the harbor.

I closed my eyes and tilted my head back,
allowing the warm sun that penetrated through the cool breeze to
heat my face. I listened intently to the sounds of the oars
smacking against the side of the boat before dunking into the
water, then lifting up as the droplets fell back down into the
water. I almost lost myself in memories of our childhood and the
frequent boat rides across the harbor to attend school. Back then,
Heath had rowed with as much power as he could muster, enough to
match my father. Ayden and I sat side by side with our lunch pails
on our laps, patiently waiting to reach the docks. I used to gaze
at Heath, admire his handsome good looks, and dream of being his
someday. Even when he proclaimed his love for Clara in his poetry,
I never gave up hope, not until the night I learned of his
engagement to Sarah Van Dorn, the same night he looked into my eyes
and pretended we had never shared a childhood or a tender moment
all the years we lived together on Jasper Island.

My eyes snapped open, returning to reality
only to see Heath staring at me with soft eyes and a modest smile.
“A penny for your thoughts . . .”

“Memories,” I said softly.

“Good or bad?”

“Good or bad what?”

“Memories?”

“Both,” I confessed, holding onto the sides
of the boat as we pulled up against the dock.

Heath jumped out, tied the boat, and reached
for my hand. I lifted my head and locked eyes with him. He pulled
me up with such a sharp tug that I lost my balance and fell against
him. He caught me and held me, his nose lingering near my neck and
the spot where I had dabbed on the perfume. Discomforted, I moved
aside, and he let go of my arms.

“I have to get to the post office, then I
will meet you back at the general store,” I said shaken, and I
rushed off.

Another letter for Heath sat atop our small
pile of mail.

“Someone is certainly fond of Heath Dalton.
He is the talk around town you know. Quite the catch I suppose.
After all, he is a young, handsome doctor. I would bet these
letters are from a girl just pining over him. I can smell a trace
of perfume on the letters, can’t you?” Mrs. Hagen asked in a light,
happy voice.

I took a quick look outside to see if Heath
was near, and when I didn’t see him, I stepped back inside the post
office and took a whiff of the milky white envelope addressed with
penmanship I greatly admired.

With the sweet scent of expensive French
perfume traveling up my nose, I quickly stuck the letter deep
within the pile, then shoved them all into my dress pocket, and
remarked coolly, “I should hope you are not a betting woman, Mrs.
Hagen.”

“Why, of course not!” she gasped clutching
her chest at my suggestion.

“Good day, Mrs. Hagen.”

Heath was talking with Mr. Makson by the far
end of the store when I entered. I pretended not to pay him any
mind and went over to the counter to purchase a small bag of candy
from the large round glass jars that sat there. I waited for Mr.
Makson to finish with Heath, keeping my gaze straight ahead and my
expression indifferent, though I did manage to listen.

“I will have the box brought right out to
your boat. Is there anything else I can get for you today, Doctor?”
Then men walked over to where I stood, and Mr. Makson eased behind
the counter, leaving Heath close to me.

“I’ll take those leather riding gloves up
there,” Heath said, and extended his arm to point around me to the
only pair on the shelf.

I lowered my bonnet to cover most of my
face.

“And the kite.”

“This one?” Mr. Makson asked, lifting the
colorful blue and yellow kite from the corner behind the entrance
door.

“Yes. That will be all,” Heath declared and
took out his money. “And is there anything you need, Lillian?”

“I was going to get some licorice for the
Cooper children.”

“Fine idea. A bag a licorice as well.”

Mr. Makson gave me a playful wink, filled the
bag to the top, and handed the candy and the gloves to me and the
kite to Heath.

“Oh, by the way, Doc, the missus’s back is
acting up. Would you mind stopping in and taking a quick look at
her?” he asked handing back half the money Heath gave for the
merchandise.

Heath looked ambivalent, hesitating as his
good hand still grasped onto the money Mr. Makson willingly gave
him for his request.

“What about Doc Pittenger? Can’t he see to
your wife?”

“Haven’t you heard? Retired last week and
moved to Oklahoma to be with his son and grandkids. The new doctor
isn‘t due until next week, at the earliest.”

“I really can‘t. I . . .”

“She is in a bit of pain, Doc,” he added to
sway Heath’s mind.

“Of course the good doctor will see to your
wife,” I spoke up, and without allowing him any more reluctance,
guided Heath out of the store and around back to their small,
attached two-story house, as Mr. Makson called out his
appreciation.

“You shouldn’t have agreed to this,” Heath
said with a scowl to his face when we approached the small front
stoop.

“What are the gloves for? Going riding
anytime soon?” I asked with slight disdain while rapping on the
door.

Heath placed only the one glove on his
scarred hand and looked down at me with either exasperation or
despondency. Which, I couldn’t decipher.

“No one needs to be repulsed by my scars. I
will wear it when out in public.”

“You should wear both gloves. One glove looks
odd. Then no one will ask questions what you aren’t willing to
answer,” I said boldly, as my pulse raced at the thought of the
admission I swore I had heard when recovering from my fall.

Heath was irritated with my remark; I could
easily tell by the way he frowned at me. Mrs. Makson opened the
door and welcomed us in. “Hello, Doctor. Good to see you.”

“Your husband says you are in some pain.”

“My lower back has been acting up something
terrible. Tried all the bottles of medicine we carry, but nothing
at all seems to help.” She sighed and led us into the small
parlor.

Heath was somewhat reserved and detached, but
he agreed to give her a brief examination. He placed his hands on
her plump hips and made her bend down until the pain flared and he
could pinpoint where it was located. “Does the pain run all the way
down your legs, or remain localized in your lower back?” he asked,
then told her to stand back up.

“Down my legs as well.”

“A dull or sharp kind of pain?”

“Sharp,” she replied, then eased herself down
on the settee with Heath’s assistance.

“I didn’t bring my bag with me; in fact, I
don’t practice medicine any longer,” Heath informed her.

“But you can suggest something, can’t you
Doctor?”

“Stay off your feet as much as possible when
the pain acts up,” Heath told her and headed for the door, but not
before placing the money Mr. Makson gave him on the table in the
small, dark foyer. I followed close behind. “If that doesn’t do the
trick, let your husband know, and I will recommend some medicine he
can order.”

“Thank you, Doctor Dalton, thank you,” she
called out until the front door was closed.

The box of supplies was waiting to be loaded
onto the boat when we returned to the docks. Heath wasn’t as
relaxed as he had been when we rowed over. Now he wore a frown and
refused to look my way. It was just as well, for every time he had
gazed at me, a flush would rise and sweep over my face, and my
heart began to beat fast - just the way it used to. Then
overwhelmed with guilt, I would struggle to keep my growing
affection for Heath at bay.

Back on the station, some of the children
waved and ran to greet us. Oliver immediately noticed the kite. “I
never had a kite before. Show me how it works, Doctor Dalton!”

“Yes, show us all,” the others cried at
once.

A smile warmed Heath’s face and melted away
his frown. Though the children could be boisterous and sometimes
annoying, I could tell he liked their inquisitive nature. They all
stood anxiously, awaiting his response.

“I have to take the box up to the house. If
you go fetch Polly and James, Jr., then I will show you how to fly
a kite. And have Sylvia come too,” Heath said, and they all
cheered, then ran off following his instructions.

“I’ll find Ayden,” I said.

“It’s fine, I’ve got it,” he said and lugged
the heavy box out of the boat.

“I meant to see you fly the kite,” I said
skeptically.

“So you believe I can’t do it? I sense some
doubt?” he grinned teasingly. I was glad to see his spirit return
and regretted being the one who had made him gloomy earlier.

I searched for Ayden in the house, then
looked in the barn. James had told me he’d seen Ayden there just
minutes before. But he wasn’t in the barn, so I went to the
lighthouse, where I caught sight of him standing out on the gallery
of the tower with Sylvia. He was handing her the spyglass to see
out. Ayden stood beside her, his mouth close to her ear, apparently
instructing her on how to use the apparatus. I stopped and watched
them. Because they were so high up, I couldn’t hear what they were
saying, but I did notice they were laughing.

Watching for only a short time, Ayden spotted
me and waved, then called out, “Hello, dear!”

Sylvia drew the spyglass to her side, but
didn’t wave. Instead of continuing on, I turned around and headed
for the shore where Heath was preparing to lift off the kite. All
the children gathered around him as he was explaining how it
worked. “First, I hold it out like this; then I will start running
and let it go. That’s when the wind will catch it and lift it up. I
have to loosen this string slowly, easing it up higher and
higher.”

“Can it go as high as the lighthouse?” Polly
asked.

“Wait and see,” Heath said, his eyes
twinkling with excitement, just the way theirs were.

I glanced behind my shoulder, gazed up, and
saw Ayden, now standing alone, waiting to see the kite fly.

“Here I go!” Heath announced and took off
running along the beach, the kite lifting quickly. Within seconds,
it was flying high in the brisk ocean breeze. All the children
cheered.

Hazel appeared behind me with Willard pressed
against her hip. “Have you seen Sylvia anywhere? Been looking all
over for her. It’s time for Willard’s bath.”

“She was up in the tower,” I replied keeping
my eyes locked on the soaring kite.

“Been up there all morning. Girl needs to get
her priorities straight,” she grumbled, and went off to look for
her oldest daughter.

Without any more time to spend watching Heath
play with the children, I went to the house to wash up to help
Hazel with the supper preparations. I didn’t expect to find Sylvia
standing in the parlor of our house.

“What are you doing in here? Your mother has
been looking for you,” I said, startled.

“I guess I lost track of time,” she muttered.
She appeared anxious and quickly hurried out without offering an
explanation as to why she was there.

Intuitively, I went upstairs, and when I
reached the top, I caught a whiff of my new perfume, which was
heavy in the air. In my room, the glass top to the perfume bottle
had been left off, and the drawers to my dresser were slightly
ajar. She had been snooping through my things! It suddenly occurred
to me that she might have discovered the letters addressed to Heath
that I’d been hiding.

“
That wicked girl!”
I said aloud, and
knelt down to the only drawer that didn’t look touched, the drawer
that contained the mystery letters. They were still hidden,
unmoved. I added the new letter to my collection and breathed a
sigh of relief. Then my anger began to brew. Sylvia was a snoop and
a thief. She was sly, cunning, and no ordinary thirteen-year-old. I
realized then that Sylvia was after my most cherished possessions,
and what belonged exclusively to me.

* * *

Kite flying and scrumptious biscuits were the
talk at supper. The children - especially Polly, Owen, and Oliver -
were thrilled with Heath. He even promised to allow them to see
through his telescope one night.

James, Sr. was pleased with his meal, and
thanked Heath for retrieving the much needed lard. “Don’t know if I
could have lived through another meal without Hazel’s biscuits,” he
said, before layering a second one with the fresh churned butter
that I’d made, then gulping it down in one bite.

“I’ll have to give you my recipe,” Hazel
said.

“I will add it to my recipe book.”

“And Lillian can give you her recipe for
chocolate cake. She makes the best chocolate cake,” Ayden
interjected.

“What about her apple pie?’ Heath chimed in.
I Instantly stopped chewing my food. That really hit home. Heath
remembered Momma’s delicious apple pie, and how I made it just like
hers.

“The best ever,” Ayden added.

“Not better than Momma’s,” I choked back the
tears that suddenly filled my eyes.

Sylvia was staring at me with a modest,
crooked smile that slowly grew into a sinister smirk as the tears
trickled down my cheek.