“What happened?”
“He started spouting the Bund’s propaganda. That if I was a good German, I would go to Hamburg and stay with my uncle’s family while I took my place in the local artillery plant fight.” A little sob escaped her lips. “The thought of what Hitler and his regime are doing to Germany, well, to most of Europe just makes me sick. And if I can help stop him in any way…”
“I believe you.” He leaned his cheek against the silky softness of her hair. Her delicate hands curled around his neck, drawing him close, clutching for strength, robbing his lungs of air. He stroked the long line of her spine, taking in each delicate curve before gently putting some distance between them.
When she stared up at him, her eyes wide and luminous, Beau had to fight the urge to kiss her. Edie needed protection, not another complication. But in order to keep her safe, he had to know the whole story. And she still hadn’t told him why these men were after her. “Sweetheart, why did you think it was the Bund attacking you tonight?”
Edie sniffed. “When I refused to go to Hamburg, Daddy thought my job would be a good opportunity to secure information the Germans could use in fighting the Allies.” Her voice broke, as if each word inflicted a fresh wound on her heart. “It also wouldn’t have hurt Dad in getting a better post once he and Mom returned to Germany. Even after I refused, he told them I would do it.”
Despicable. It was the only word that came close to describing what Mr. Michaels had done. A tight ball twisted in Beau’s gut. The Germans would do anything to win this war.
Including kidnapping Edie.
“Does Major Evans know about this?” Beau asked.
She nodded. “He’s in charge of securing clearance for essential personnel. Why would it matter?”
Beau didn’t know whether to shake her or kiss some sense into her. It did matter. Edie mattered. And the major would understand that better than anyone. “Evans could provide you with protection.”
“No, Beau.” She lifted her chin in a determined angle. “I won’t put anyone else at risk.”
“But you need…”
Edie dropped her chin to her chest, her hair forming a dark curtain of silk. “If Major Evans did put a detail on me, it would just draw attention to me. It may even help the Bund find me quicker.”
Beau grimaced. The last thing Edie needed was more attention, not with her work at the plant and her scheme to get phone lines into Gertie’s neighborhood. But that didn’t negate the fact she still needed a guardian, someone who could shield her from the watchful eyes of the Germans. A seed of an idea took root. “What about a chaperone?”
The hint of a smile she gave him as she stepped back tugged at his heart. “You make me sound like a teenage girl going off to her first formal.”
The image of a younger Edie, dressed from head to toe in satin and lace, danced through his thoughts. Bet the boys were lined up at her front door that night. Beau shook the jealous pangs away. “I just think it might be a good idea if you weren’t walking home alone late at night.”
“But my job requires long hours, and the bus stops running at seven.” Edie paced across the room, then stopped and stared at him. “As much as I agree with you, I refuse to let fear keep me from doing my job.”
Another option, a better one, came to mind. “Then why don’t I meet you at the plant and walk you home every night.”
“You?”
Was that a brief flash of pleasure that crossed her face? For some reason, the thought pleased him. “Why not? It’s on my way home from the hospital, and if you have to stay late, you can get a note to me quicker than sending a messenger to Merrilee’s.”
She bit her lower lip in that adorable way she did whenever she had to make a decision. “I don’t know. That’s a lot to ask of you.”
“Not really, if you think about it. We’re both going the same way,” he said, crossing the room to stand in front of her. “I figure on the evenings you get off early, we could head out to Dad’s house, maybe get a little work done. If that’s okay with you.”
An emotion he couldn’t quite read flickered in her blue-green eyes. Pleasure? Relief? “Of course.”
“So I’ll meet you at the front gate tomorrow afternoon?”
Edie hesitated for a moment then gave him a slight nod. “Yes.”
“Good.” Beau released the breath he’d been holding. Edie would be safe. He would make sure of that.
God willing.
* * *
Beau walked over to the back door of his dad’s house and held it open for Edie. “I bet that the barn and the fields are worse than the house was.”
“For all I know, your daddy used that part of the farm for his business. We may walk into a barn with all the tools shined to a high gloss.” She gave him an encouraging smile as she walked past him, the scent of fresh air and cookies causing his heart to do a funny little flip.
“He didn't bother to clean his stuff when he was working the fields.” Beau laughed, shutting the door behind them. It had been two weeks since he’d confronted the band of hoodlums accosting Edie in Merrilee’s drive. Two weeks of waiting outside the front gates of the bomber plant, scanning the crowds of workers before getting a glimpse of her, her expression tentative in those first few days.
But in the past week, he’d noticed a change. She looked for him, too, her gaze scanning the area outside the chained link fence until she found him, her lips curving into a welcoming smile that always drew an answering one from him.
Beau caught up with her in the backyard, matching her stride for stride. “What made you decide to become an architect?”
She shot him a quick glance. “That’s kind of out of the blue.”
Beau wasn’t sure, only that it suddenly seemed important to know everything he could about this woman. “I know you got a scholarship but what made you go into architecture?”
Edie hesitated, her steps slowing until she stopped right outside the barn door. When she turned to him, there was a faraway look in her eyes. “I guess it was my dad. When I was little, he’d come home from the bank and go out to his shop and tinker with stuff. One time, when Mom and I had gone shopping, Daddy tore apart her toaster.” Her voice held a trace of laughter. “He had wires and springs tossed all over the kitchen table, grease everywhere. I thought Mom would kill him. While I watched him put it back together, I wondered what it would be like to design things, particularly buildings.”
“If your dad was so good at fixing things, then how did he end up a banker?”
“I don’t know. He didn’t talk about it much. But from what I got from Grandma’s letters, Grandpa put a lot of pressure on him to go into banking. Guess he thought Dad would be able to find a good position once the Great War ended.” The spark that had lit up her eyes just moments before dulled. “Grandpa couldn’t have known how difficult it would be to get a job after the war so my parents left Hamburg and came to the States to find a better life.”
Yet the Michaelses had turned their backs on the life this country had offered. Beau pushed a thick curl that had escaped from her snood behind her ear, brushing the silky skin of her earlobe before dropping his hand. How hard it must be for Edie, to be betrayed by her parents.
“I pray for them, you know,” she whispered, almost like an afterthought. “That one day, they’ll realize their mistake. It’s the only thing I can do.”
The truth hit him like a truckload of bricks. Despite what they had done, what they still threatened to do, Edie loved her parents. The question spilled out of him before he could stop it. “Why?”
She lifted her hand, cupping his cheek against her palm, the frozen wall around his heart melting into a warmth that flooded through him. “If God can love us despite our mistakes, shouldn’t we be willing to do the same for everyone else?”
“But your parents…” My captors. Dad.
“All of us mess up, Beau, but does that mean we should stop loving everybody who makes a mistake?” She dropped her hand to her
side. “This world would be a pretty lonely place then, wouldn’t it?”
Beau wasn’t sure how to react, Edie’s words echoing inside his heart. Had his life been that lonely existence she described because he couldn’t forgive his father? He wanted his father to seek God, but why should he when Beau refused to mirror God’s love by forgiving him?
Grabbing her hand in his, Beau took off toward the barn. “We’re going to take a break.”
“A break?” Her cotton jumper swished out a rapid beat as her steps moved to keep up with his. “We just got here.”
“I know. But between work and this house, neither one of us has had a day off in a while. I don’t know if you know this or not, Edie, but fun is good for the soul.”
“It depends on what kind of fun we’re talking about here.” She slammed to a halt beside him, her eyes twinkled with mischief while her lips twitched with laughter.
He turned to face her, leaning toward her until he could feel the warmth of her breath against his face. Beau noticed little things like the tiny lines around her mouth and eyes that deepened when she smiled or the perfect curve of her mouth.
But that was just all window dressing. Inside, where it mattered, Edie was equally beautiful. Unselfishly giving of her time and her talents to help people no one else would give a second glance to. Protective of those she loved, ready to do battle like she had the night Beau had snuck in the front window. And now forgiving of the very people who should have never betrayed her trust: her parents.
Why did she even bother with him? But he knew why. The job of repairing his father’s house had provided a way for her to accomplish the impossible—get phone lines strung for the Stephenses’ neighborhood. She probably wouldn’t give him the time of day in other circumstances. Beau’s stomach sunk.
But right now, Edie was here, smiling up at him. He would make it a good day for the both of them. “I thought I’d show you Sawyer Lake, maybe do a little fishing.”
If possible, her smile spread even wider. “I’ve never been fishing before. Don’t you have to mess with earthworms?”
He nodded. “If you’d like, I’ll bait your hook.”
“No, if I’m going to do this, I want to learn to do it right.”
Her reaction didn’t surprise him in the least. In fact, he half expected her to offer to bait his lines, just for the practice. Beau started toward the barn again. “Dad always kept a stash of fishing poles just inside the barn door along with his tackle box and fishing line.”
“And the worms?”
“I’ll get a shovel, too.” Beau smiled. This, he thought opening the barn door for her, is going to be a good day.
* * *
Sawyer Lake was everything Edie had thought it would be from the grainy images of Beau, George and Gertie on the Stephenses’ mantel. Nestled in a batch of hundred-year-old water oaks, the shaded banks provided a welcome reprieve from the heat of the midafternoon sun.
“Over here.” Beau pointed to a slab of flat granite, close enough to the lake to drop their line in the glassy water but large enough to accommodate them both.
Anchoring the fishing poles against the corner of the stone, Beau laid down the tackle box then grabbed the horse blanket he’d found in the barn. He folded it in half and draped it over the granite. He cupped her elbow in the palm of his hand. “For you, ma’am.”
“Thank you.” A shiver that had nothing to do with the temperature ran up her spine. “This is a beautiful spot.” Edie set their lunch basket down beside her. “So is this the infamous lake where you and your brother used to have those rock-skipping contests you’ve told me about?”
A look of surprised pleasure flashed across his features. “I can’t believe you remembered that.”
“Why wouldn’t I?” Edie settled herself on the blanket. “It sounded like fun.”
“Wait a minute,” Beau said, stretching out beside her. “Are you telling me you’ve never skipped rocks across a lake before?”
Was the air getting thicker or did her lungs refuse to function properly whenever this man was nearby? Edie shrugged. “The only lake my parents ever took me to was Lake Michigan and that’s not exactly the best place to learn how to skip rocks.”
“Then we’ll need to take care of that.” Beau lifted one of the fishing poles and angled it between his knees.
Edie leaned back to get a good look at him. “Exactly what do you mean?”
“You’re a college girl, Edie.” He gave her a wicked wink. “I’m sure you can figure it out.”
She looked out over the glassy waters. “But won’t we scare the fish away?”
“Not if we wait until after we’re finished fishing.” He handed her a pole already baited with a nice juicy earthworm. “If that’s okay with you.”
“That would be great.” The warm wood of the fishing pole settled against her palms and she relaxed. What was it about this man that made her want to play hooky, to forget all her problems for the day and find joy in the simple things like casting a line or skimming a rock across a lake? It had been so long since she had taken time to enjoy the life God had given her. Maybe this once, she could forget about all her problems and just be.
She cast a quick glance toward the man next to her. Who better to spend her time with than Beau?
They settled in, dropping their lines in the water, talking as they fished. It didn’t take long to realize that Beau had done a great deal of living in his twenty-six years, traveling the country with the Civil Conservation Corp, then the world with the army. There was an easiness between them, an openness Edie had never felt for anyone else, not even her grandmother.
For the next hour, they talked baseball—high school and major leagues—agreeing to disagree on the Tigers versus the Cubs. But their conversation didn’t stop there, talking on a range of topics from how to win the war to who was the best Stooge: Curly, Moe or Larry?
“I usually have a nibble by now.” Beau grabbed another earthworm, and pinned him on the end of the hook.
“They seem to be stealing all our bait.”
He had a nice laugh, she realized, faint ripples of pleasure stealing across her chest. “Maybe they’re smarter than we are today.”
She joined him with a soft chuckle of her own. “Do you use that excuse a lot?”
His shoulder brushing against hers, Beau tilted his head toward her as if sharing a state secret. “Only when I come home empty-handed which is most of the time.”
“Then why fish?”
He looked at her then, the silver sparks in his eyes dancing with laughter. “Because I live in the hope.”
Edie stared off into the water. When was the last time she’d lived in hope, for the present, for the future? Months? Years? There had been little hope in her household—at least not since she was a little girl.
She slid a quiet glance at Beau. From what he’d shared with her about his home life, Beau had no reason to hope, and yet he did. About fishing. About Merrilee and Claire. Even about his medical career.
Laying their fishing poles to the side, Beau stood and extended his hands to her. “Time for a rock-throwing lesson before it gets too late.”
Edie glanced up, noticing the sun peeking over the top of the trees on the opposite side of the lake. Where had the day gone? She brushed her hands together then took his hands. On her way up, her foot gave way beneath her and she felt herself begin to tumble toward the water.
Strong hands lifted her and Edie found herself pressed against the hard muscular plane of Beau’s broad chest. “Are you okay?”
“A little shaky.” But she wasn’t sure if it was from the fall or being held in Beau’s wonderful embrace.
“Then take a little time. We’re not in a hurry.” He tightened his arms around her, his cheek coming to rest on top of her head.
She snuggled deeper into his embrace, filling her lungs with his scent, tracing the line of his spine beneath her fingertips. She had not planned for these feelings Beau brought out in her,
this tenderness that only he seemed to tap from deep within her. If only she could tell him, but she couldn’t. She couldn’t put him in danger.
Not if she truly loved him.
Chapter Fourteen
“Right down the middle, Mack.”
Beau crouched down, stretching his fingers inside his baseball mitt, the leather crackling after years in the back of his closet.
“See if you can catch my fastball.” Mack glared over the top of his glove, his eyes shifting from home plate to first base. With a high kick of his leg, he reared back and slung the ball at Beau.
The ball landed in Beau’s glove with a pop. “Not bad for a sheriff.”
Mack glowered at him. “I could give Dizzy Dean a run for his money.”
Beau laughed. There had been so many things he’d taken for granted in the life he’d led since leaving here. The crack of the bat, the dusting of chalk that got between his fingers whenever he held the bat in his hands, the roar from the bleachers. He glanced up toward the bleachers where Edie sat with his cousin Maggie.
Or the thrill of a beautiful woman coming to see you play.
Beau tipped his head back, the warmth from the sunlight dancing across his face, coaxing a smile out of him.
Thank you, Lord, for giving me this moment, and every moment, Father. And thank You for bringing Edie into my life. In Christ’s name.
“Well, are you going to hang on to that ball all day or what?” Mack called out.
Lowering his gaze, Beau walked over, palming the ball in his mitt. When he reached Mack, he dropped the ball in his outstretched glove. “You’re as ready as you’ll ever be.”
“I hope so. These bomber boys are tough.”
“That’s what I’ve heard,” Beau answered, removing his glove. He’d been surprised to find it among the clutter in his old room, not that he’d found anything else of his. When he’d asked Merrilee about it, she told him how his dad had thrown out most of his possessions after Beau had left, right down to the curtains hanging in his bedroom window. He slapped his glove against his thigh. Guess the old man must have missed this one.
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