by Olivia Miles
Heather’s smile seemed weak in return. “Have fun!”
Kim grinned. She intended to, for a little while at least. Just the thought of riding perked her up and brought out a side of herself that had been hidden away for too long.
Leo was already outside waiting for her when she pushed through the screen door, but she was startled to see that he was holding the reins of two horses.
“I thought we were going to walk over to your stables!” Not that she wasn’t pleased. She’d been looking forward to riding again ever since he’d mentioned it at the party. But she was also interested in seeing what he was doing with the stable. He’d described it as a carriage house tucked in the woods. A little off the beaten path for tourists, but with Birchwood Stables’ steady demand, she doubted that would pose an issue.
“I got an early start. Thought I’d give these boys a little walk before their run. Gemma told me you’re pretty experienced.”
“Well, it’s been a while,” Kim said, setting his expectations. She was fully aware that he’d been raised on a ranch out west and was more experienced than she’d ever been or would be.
Still, she slipped her sneaker into the stirrup and hoisted herself up onto the saddle without too much effort. Leo let out a low whistle. “Could have fooled me.”
She gave him a slow grin as she patted the horse’s mane. “Let’s walk for a bit first, if that’s okay.”
“Fine by me,” he said, saddling up beside her.
They trotted along the dirt road, past the Morgan and Anderson family cottages, which were both so large they were hardly cottages at all, and eventually turning onto a wooded path where other homes were tucked into the forest. The shade felt good after so many warm and sunny days, and Kim sighed as they moved along, taking in the scenery.
“This is my place here,” Leo said when they rounded a bend in the path. There, just as he and Gemma had described it, was an old carriage house tucked beside a fenced pen where a few other chestnut-colored horses trotted happily.
“What a sight,” she breathed, taking it in. Only here, on an island without cars, did you round a bend in the woods to see horses running free.
“I’m lucky that my grandfather introduced me to this island,” Leo said. His grin turned bashful. “And Gemma, of course.”
“I think…” Kim swallowed hard. “I think that Gemma is very lucky to have found you.”
The path ahead was clear, and now that she was feeling more sure of herself, Kim gave her horse a little kick until they were moving at a steady trot. Her ponytail flew behind her, and for a while, she was able to enjoy the feel of the wind in her face, the clean air in her lungs, and the thrill of the speed as they moved through the trees.
It wasn’t until they’d reached a clearing and stopped to decide their next direction that Leo looked at her with concern. “You okay?”
She was so used to saying that she was fine, wonderful really, that she answered automatically, with a nod and smile. “Of course. Why?”
“For a minute there it looked like you had been crying.”
She hesitated. She had been crying. Once the thrill of the ride had faded, she was overwhelmed with mixed emotions. Loss of time, and opportunity, and fear of missing this place even more than she already did, even though she was right here, now at this moment. Fear of none of them returning, never being together like this again, fear of her father selling the house and never seeing it again. The mere thought of that made her miss her mother so much she didn’t think she could bear it.
And then there was the other thing that she missed, the part she hadn’t dared to miss all week. Bran. Leo was great, and this was fun, but it would be so much more special to share it with Bran.
“Hair flew in my eye,” she explained, brushing away some strands with her hand. She grabbed the reins and turned the horse toward the East Bluff with a big smile. “Shall we?”
She didn’t need to ask twice. Leo grinned and took off at a faster clip, and with a laugh that momentarily made her forget all her problems, Kim raced after him.
Leo told her to keep the horse for the afternoon, considering it was a common form of transportation on the island and he did live right next door. With a promise to return sooner than later, Kim spent another hour exploring the backland of the island on her own before heading into town, enjoying the shaded paths and the natural beauty that wasn’t always discovered by tourists willing to part from Main Street.
When she came to the base of the path, she pulled on the reins, bringing the horse to a stop. She was close enough to town now that she might be able to pick up a signal. Up until now, she’d refrained, left her phone at home, told herself that it was better not to look. But this time next week she’d be back in Chicago. And she didn’t know what would be waiting for her.
She could find out, or she could continue to worry about the worst—even though she was no longer sure what that was. Once, she would have thought it was not having a big wedding, and now she no longer looked forward to the one that was only weeks away. Once she might have thought it meant losing Bran, but Bran came with an entire life that she wasn’t so sure she wanted.
She pulled her phone from her pocket and turned it on. Maybe it wouldn’t even get a signal, and this impulsive urge would—Well, never mind that. There was a signal, and now Kim waited with bated breath for the alerts to start popping up on her screen.
There were two. One from the bridal salon confirming the next fitting and another from her friend Kate, telling her that she was back from her trip, that she’d just gotten Kim’s message, that she hoped that she was enjoying her time away and that she couldn’t wait to catch up when Kim got back into town.
There was nothing from Bran.
Her heart was beating so fast now that she felt like she might actually be sick to her stomach. She stared at the screen, wondering if she’d missed something, if she’d lost reception again, but no. Her worst fears were coming true. Bran wasn’t speaking to her. He hadn’t tried to get in touch. And there really might not be a wedding in a few weeks after all.
And for reasons that Kim couldn’t explain, even to herself, through the strange mix of feelings that washed over her as she turned off her phone again, wedged it into her pocket, and saddled the horse, the one that stuck out most was relief.
Andrea and Heather were in the front room of the house when Kim returned, dusty and tired and in serious need of a shower. Leo was already home when she’d brought back the horse, and he’d wasted no time in jumping on the saddle and riding off into the woods at the top of the road, making Kim almost wish that she’d prolonged her ride a bit, even though her legs were sore from lack of practice, and she longed for a nap. Her sisters were huddled around something, and both stopped talking when Kim came in, brushing the sweat from her brow with the back of her hand.
“What are you guys up to?”
“Look what Andrea found in the attic,” Heather said, stepping back.
Andrea reached into a box and pulled out an ivory lace dress. A wedding dress, to be exact. It was discolored from age and a little old fashioned in style with its long sleeves and high neckline, but there was no denying the fact that it was beautiful.
“It must have belonged to our grandmother,” Andrea said. They had never known her, at least Kim hadn’t. She’d passed away when Andrea was still just a baby. It saddened their mother to talk about her and so the only details of her life were the ones in this old house. “I wonder if she got married on the island.”
“She must have if you found the dress in the attic!” Kim looked at the lace more carefully without touching it. “Did you find any wedding photos?”
Andrea shook her head. “No, but I’ll look again.”
Kim thought about what Heather had said, about how their mother would have loved to see one of her daughters have an Evening Island wedding, and she wondered if this was the reason.
“Maybe she got married here in the house?”
“Gran
dpa did give her this house as a wedding gift,” Andrea reminded them. She held the dress out to Kim. “Here. Try it on.”
Kim felt herself blanch. “Me? No.”
Andrea just smiled at her. “Why not? You’re the bride-to-be!”
“Because it would be…bad luck. Besides, I’m all dirty.” She glanced at Heather. “Heather can try it.”
But Heather looked pained at that idea and Kim immediately realized her error. “Or you, Andrea. Maybe you’ll wear it someday.”
Andrea rolled her eyes. “Please.”
“Then try it on anyway. It might be your only chance to wear a wedding gown given your decision to marry your career.” She gave her a rueful grin and Andrea just shook her head, unable to hide her smile.
“Okay. Fine.” She laughed and ran with it into the adjoining library, closing the pocket doors behind her.
Kim raised an eyebrow at Heather. “I didn’t think she’d really do it.”
Heather gave a little smile. “What can I say? The island brings out the best in all of us.”
“It does,” Kim agreed. “But I’m wondering if there’s more to it.”
“You think something has put Andrea in a better mood?” Heather didn’t look completely convinced. After all, Andrea had complained about her work for nearly the whole of last week.
Kim gave a little shrug as her attention was snagged by something in her periphery. “Maybe. Or maybe, someone.” She turned to get a better view out the front window. “Is that the man from the party coming up onto the porch?”
Heather stared in wonder as the new owner of the Lakeside Inn started climbing the steps. “What’s he doing here?”
Kim grinned. “May as well find out.” She was closest to the door, and she walked back into the hall and opened the screen. “Hello. John, was it?”
He grinned. Ah yes, she now recalled he had a very nice grin. Nice eyes, too. “Kim. Nice to see you. I had told Andrea I’d stop by.”
Kim’s eyes went wide when they met Heather’s who had now come to join her in the hall.
“I see. Well, come into the living room. Andrea will be right back. You remember Heather, of course.”
“Of course.” He shook her hand. “A pleasure.”
Just then, the doors to the library flung open and Andrea emerged, looking like she had just come off the cover of a bridal magazine or emerged from a black and white Hollywood film. Her auburn hair was pulled up in a messy bun, and the dress swished as she walked. And her cheeks…well, they were positively blushing.
“John!” She blinked in surprise, but there was no denying the panic in her eyes.
John gave a low chuckle, but it was clear to Kim that he admired what he saw. “Is there something you haven’t told me?” he teased, but Andrea just pinched her lips, clearly unable to find a witty retort.
Kim decided to throw her a bone. Andrea might have more experience when it came to her professional life, but when it came to men she was utterly hopeless.
“We were just playing dress-up.” Kim grinned wickedly at her sister. “It was Andrea’s turn to be the bride.”
“And a beautiful one at that,” John said, drawing a deeper flush to Andreas’s cheeks.
“I’ll change,” she said. “It won’t take long.”
“I don’t mind waiting,” John said good-naturedly. There was still a gleam of amusement in his eyes as he watched her disappear behind the doors. A moment later, Andrea was back again, in her regular clothes of white linen pants and a classic navy tee shirt which was cute but hardly date-worthy, if that’s what was happening here, and Kim suspected that it was.
“Shall we?” she said a little breathlessly, not meeting Kim’s or Heather’s eyes as she led John swiftly back into the hall.
A moment later, they were gone, with John giving a friendly wave, and Andrea all but dashing down the steps like she used to do as a child.
Heather and Kim stood in the hallway, staring out the screen door, completely gobsmacked.
“What was that all about?” Heather finally whispered, looking at Kim with obvious interest, and all Kim could do was shrug in response.
It would seem that both of her sisters were finding love no matter how much they tried to deny it. How ironic then that she was the one getting married.
20
Heather
Heather had every intention of spending Monday afternoon by herself. Andrea was out—possibly with John again, not that she’d revealed as much—and Kim had gone down to the beach with Gemma. After lunch, she took her notebook and a glass of lemonade out to the porch, and nearly spilled it all over the front of her sundress when she saw Billy sitting on one of the wicker armchairs, admiring the view as if he owned the place.
“You scared me!” Heather set a hand to her racing heart, but she couldn’t fight off her grin. It was just the thrill of the scare, she told herself firmly. It had absolutely nothing to do with the way that Billy was smiling at her, his eyes so bright even from a few feet away, his smile one that she could never resist.
Even when she really should.
“Scared you or surprised you?” He cocked an eyebrow.
She set down her glass with a shaking hand. “Both?”
“A good surprise, I hope,” he said, looking at her expectantly.
He was probably waiting for her to sit down and join him, but she couldn’t, at least not yet. Her heart was still pounding even though the shock had worn off and she had a bad feeling that today was only going to make her fall a little more in love with Billy, and what would be the good in that?
“I was just about to meet Kim and Gemma at the beach,” she explained, though it felt like a random comment, and certainly not an answer to his question.
“With a glass of lemonade, ice and all?”
She laughed a little nervously. She’d always been honest, never good at hiding her feelings, much less telling even the smallest of white lies. It was part of the reason why she didn’t mention even the vaguest details of her divorce with her sisters—it would open the floodgates, and that was just too painful. Now, her eyes darted to the beachfront across the road, searching for her sister or friend. There was safety in numbers.
“We could join them?” she offered.
“I’d rather be with you,” he said, giving her a slow grin that made her knees more than a little weak.
So he wasn’t going to leave then, or make this easy. But then nothing in her life felt easy. Nothing other than talking to Billy, spending time with him, falling right into step, like they always did.
“Can I get you a glass of lemonade?”
“How about you let me buy you one in town? It’s a weekday so there won’t be as many tourists.”
She had already tried to make an excuse and failed, besides, seeing him now, she knew she couldn’t resist. And maybe, he wouldn’t let her. They were friends after all, and she didn’t have many of them left, let alone ones who knew her as long as Billy had. There was no reason to hide from Billy. Well, except for the fact that she felt like she was fifteen all over again when she was around him.
“Okay, then.” She set the notebook and lemonade on the table as he stood, and together they walked down the steps onto the gravel path that led to the road, pausing only to let a family on horseback trot by.
He waited until they were alone again to say, “I stopped by to see you on Saturday but your sister said you had gone out for the day and she wasn’t sure where.”
Heather wished she had grabbed her sunglasses from inside so she could hide her shifting eyes. What was she supposed to say? That Andrea had never given her the message?
“It was late when I came back to the house. I figured you’d left for the mainland yesterday.” She felt her cheeks warm.
“I’m working at the Island Hospital all this week,” he said. “My shift’s over for the day.”
He gave her a sidelong glance, as if trying to figure out what exactly was going on between them. She’d like to have
someone explain it because she wasn’t so sure herself. She lived in Chicago, he lived here. Nothing could realistically evolve between them based on that fact alone, so why was she wasting this time fretting about a future that could never happen?
She should do exactly what Kim had told her to do. She should live in the moment and enjoy this day, because come this weekend, she’d be back in her quiet house, eating cereal for dinner, waiting for a job opportunity to present itself so that at least one part of her life could get back on track.
“Oh? Any exciting cases?” She’d always wondered what went on behind the doors of the Victorian home in the center of town that was the island’s only medical office. Andrea had gone once, but in her haste and worry, their mother had insisted that Heather stay behind and keep an eye on Kim.
“Two bike injuries and an inebriated tourist.”
“Inebriated?” Heather laughed. “But it’s only afternoon.”
“And a Monday.” Billy grinned.
“So what’s the plan for the rest of the day?” she asked. She stopped herself, shaking her head. “Actually, I don’t do plans anymore. It’s much better to see where the day takes you.” And it was already taking her off course. She’d planned to draft her article, just to have something down on paper, or pick Gemma’s brain a bit when she and Kim returned from the beach.
He grinned. “I couldn’t agree more.”
They stopped at the Lighthouse Bistro, deciding to have a drink while looking out at the ferries crossing back and forth to Blue Harbor. Pine Falls, Heather knew, was within sight from this view.
“Can you see your house from here?” Heather asked once the waitress had brought a bottle of white wine to the table and poured them each a glass.
“You can.” Billy leaned forward in his chair and pointed at the mainland, and she tried to follow his direction, but couldn’t make sense of what he was indicating. “I’ll show you.”
