by Roz Dunbar
Shaking his head, he moved the thoughts to the back of his mind. He just wanted to enjoy the day, preferably with Caleb. Tess joining them would be an added bonus.
“Luke? Did you hear anything I just said to you?” Katie was watching him closely, a puzzled expression on her face.
Luke started at the sound of his name. “Yes? Miss Katie, did you say something?”
“I did, but you obviously did not hear it.”
“Don’t badger him, sister.” Annie smiled sympathetically at Luke as he looked bemusedly from one to the other.
He gave the women a gentle smile as he apologized. “I zoned for a minute. I’m so sorry. Forgive me?”
“Zoned?” Katie arched a quizzical brow at the word. “And of course I forgive you. I could never be angry with you.”
“Went somewhere else in his mind,” Annie threw in by way of explanation. “You know, sister, daydreaming.”
“How in the world do you know all these things?”
“I make it a point to keep up on the current slang.”
“Of course you do. Why did I even ask?” Katie flashed her a sharp look before turning back to Luke.
“Good gracious, Luke, you were a million miles away. I asked if you had hired a nanny for Caleb yet.”
“No. Nothing so far. Caleb and I have been interviewing all week. Seems that the ones I like Caleb doesn’t and vice versa.”
“Cutting it close, aren’t you?” Annie’s soft brown eyes were filled with concern.
“Yeah, we are. Linda can keep him for maybe another week, but after that she starts her new job and Joey will go to his grandmother during the day.” Luke was concerned, as well. He was worried that without good care for Caleb, his chances of retaining custody of his son in a court battle would drop dismally. Tired, he rubbed the back of his neck.
“Surely Cora wouldn’t mind taking on Caleb,” Katie tossed out as she walked over to help two customers interested in the jams and jellies that lined one of the shelves. “Don’t go anywhere,” she ordered Luke. “I have an idea.”
“I’m glad someone does,” he muttered as he watched her helping the young couple. Annie reached over and rubbed his arm comfortingly.
“It will all work out, Luke. Why can’t Cora take Caleb?”
“She cares for three of her other grandchildren, Miss Annie. I can’t drop Caleb on her, as well, and I won’t even ask. That would give her five kids all under the age of eleven.”
Annie nodded thoughtfully. “Have you heard from the grandparents?”
“No, not me, but Caleb called them last night to wish his grandfather happy birthday. Just glad I checked the calendar after dinner and saw it.”
“You’re a good father, Luke. Those grandparents will see it for themselves sooner or later. Put it in God’s hands.” Annie squeezed his arm comfortingly.
Luke patted her hand in acknowledgment. “I am trying, Miss Annie. I have an appointment with my commanding officer on Monday. I need to get to base legal and talk to someone.” Luke’s heart wrenched at the thought that Caleb might not be with him in another six months.
“It’s just not right. A boy needs to be with his daddy.” Annie turned to look at her sister, who had just come back to join them. “Don’t you agree, sister?”
“I won’t say whether I agree to something until I know what I am agreeing to.” Katie’s questioning eyes focused first on Annie and then on Luke.
“That a boy needs to be with his father, of course. Weren’t you paying attention?”
“Sister, I wasn’t here, remember?”
“Oh, right.”
Luke laughed in spite of himself. Maybe Annie was right and things would work out. He needed to put it in God’s hands, as she had suggested. But not having control didn’t sit well with him. He knew that he had to do everything he could and God would guide him. He firmly believed in the power of prayer.
“Of course Caleb needs to be with his daddy, and I suspect that his daddy needs to be with him just as much,” Katie confirmed. “So here’s my idea on child care for Caleb. Ask Tess.”
Stunned silence greeted her words. And then Annie clapped her hands together and a huge smile lit her face. “Scathingly brilliant, sister! Kills two birds with one stone.”
“Whoa.” Luke was shaking his head empathetically. “I can’t ask her.”
“Well, why in the world not? You need help and she’s available. I don’t see the problem,” Katie said firmly. Luke knew from experience that he could not and should not argue with her. But he couldn’t stop himself from trying.
“She has enough on her plate right now. Caring for a little boy is the last thing she needs. Besides which, I’m fairly positive she wouldn’t want to.”
“Oh, piddle. She needs to get invested in something other than herself. She needs to have a reason to move beyond what happened. I know you don’t know what she’s dealing with now, Luke, but trust me when I say that her caring for Caleb is the perfect solution. For both of you.”
“I know a little of what she went through.”
Luke felt a twinge of guilt. He couldn’t tell anyone, not even the sisters, that he’d been with her the day she got wounded in Afghanistan. Eventually they would know, but not until after he’d discussed it with Tess. He sincerely hoped that one day they would be able to talk about it without the overwhelming pain she felt.
“How do you know?” Annie looked slightly puzzled as she asked the question.
“She told me some of it this morning.” He shrugged his shoulders, feeling a little uncomfortable. Well, it wasn’t a lie. She had told him, but he was beginning to feel that by not telling Tess that he had been there, he was lying by omission.
“Oh, well, then. You understand where we’re going with this.” Annie’s face cleared and she smiled brightly.
“I understand, but I don’t think it’s a good idea to ask her.”
Katie held up a hand, her face thoughtful as she looked hard at Luke. “She told you? She hasn’t even told us about what happened. Livie told us. What prompted Tess to talk about it? Don’t get me wrong, it’s good that she did. Livie says she never talks about it.”
What to say and not have it be a lie? Lord, give me the right words, he prayed silently.
“It just came up in conversation this morning, and it wasn’t a great deal of information.”
There. That should satisfy them, he thought as he flashed them a loving smile. He didn’t quite get the response he thought he would, from Miss Katie at any rate. Both sisters returned the smile, but Katie’s was lukewarm and laced with suspicion, although she didn’t push the subject. Instead she said, “Well, think about it, then. You might want to broach the subject subtly when you go to pick her up.”
“Pick her up?”
“Yes. Tess is coming to help man the booth.”
He was caught off guard by this bit of news. “She is? Why didn’t she say something to me this morning?”
“Because this morning she didn’t know she was helping us,” Annie said, as though it all made perfect sense. “I just called her and with a bit of gentle persuasion convinced her that we could not do without her.”
“Well, you did seem to think it was best for her to get out, and we’re not going to let her sit in that cottage, as lovely as it is, and vegetate,” Katie pointed out, as she and Annie exchanged knowing looks.
“Yes, it is, but you can’t force her. I mean, when I invited her to come here with me, I wanted her to enjoy the day, not spend her time working, or even worse, resenting that she was forced to go out at all.”
Luke didn’t know quite what to say and none of it was coming out the way he meant it to. “No offense, ladies,” he added.
“None taken, dear boy.” Annie assured him, patting his arm.
“Really, do you honestly think we would chain her to this booth when there is a whole, glorious festival full of life going on around us?” Katie arched a slim eyebrow at him as she adjusted her straw hat. “We ha
ve a ton of help here today, everyone taking turns. We don’t need her, we want her here. We just chose the method necessary to get her here.”
“And when she arrives, we’ll just tell her that other help has come and to carpe diem!” Annie winked at Luke before moving over to a customer looking at the mouthwatering baked goods the church was selling in addition to the homemade jams and jellies.
“So we need you to go pick her up. Make sure she has plenty of sunscreen and that she slathers it liberally on all exposed skin! Oh, and tell her to bring the straw hat we gave her. She has such beautiful, porcelain skin, don’t you think? Of course you do.” Katie answered her own question as she gave him an assessing look.
“I… Does she know I’m her ride?” It was all he could think of to say.
“I just sold all of Linda Mason’s apple scones in one fell swoop!” Annie beamed as she made her way back to them.
“I hope you charged appropriately, sister. I declare, between you and Sarah, you’re giving the product away!”
“Oh, shush. Sarah only gave Joey, Caleb and Kevin some cupcakes. We have plenty.”
“Humph. Plenty that we’re meant to sell. Might as well put a sign up that says Free Treats. The whole idea is to make money for the clinic. Please try to remember that, Annie.”
Her sister just smiled placidly as Katie heaved a defeated sigh and shook her head before turning back to Luke.
“Does it make a difference whether it’s you or one of us coming for her?”
“It might,” Luke admitted quietly.
“Oh, pish posh! Take the golf cart and go get her. It will take too long to get your truck from the parking area. She’s a good soul, Luke, and so are you. You both need a little fun in your young lives, with everything you’re both going through right now.” Katie’s voice brooked no argument, so Luke deftly changed the subject.
“Speaking of Sarah, I thought she would be here.”
“She was earlier, but then Ben Carter stopped by. I expect that they are having a wonderful time right about now soaking up some sun and fun.” Katie smiled brightly. “She should be back soon if you want to see her.”
“No, I’m fine. I’ll see her later and say hello. You two wouldn’t by any chance be matchmaking for Sarah, would you? I smell subterfuge afoot.”
“And I smell shrimp burgers. I’m starved,” Annie chirped. “Now shoo! We have work to do. The clinic needs cash. Stat!”
“Stat?” Katie asked, as she and Annie moved toward more festival goers who had stopped by the booth.
“Yes. It means right away. It’s a medical term. I heard the actors use it on reruns of ER.”
Luke laughed out loud as he listened to the sisters’ banter. The sun, for some reason, was suddenly shining much brighter than it had been just a minute ago.
He made it to the cottage in less than fifteen minutes. No mean feat, considering he was driving a golf cart on back streets in order to avoid routes closed off to vehicle traffic for the fair.
Pulling into the driveway at the Moon Gate Cottage, he jumped out of the cart, stopping short as he caught his breath sharply. Tess was sitting on the terrace intently reading a book, seeming oblivious to anything going on around her. From his vantage point she was framed by the soft lavender and blush-colored climbing roses on the trellis she was sitting under. She looked beautiful, he thought. She reminded him of a Renoir painting he had seen at the Musée d’Orsay when he had visited Paris a few years ago. It was of an exquisite woman surrounded by flowers, reading a book. He felt an odd twinge somewhere in the region of his gut, but quickly dismissed it.
Get a grip, he ordered himself, before clearing his throat and walking through the gate.
*
Tess looked up at the sound of approaching footsteps and smiled dreamily when she saw him, still lost in the pages of the romance novel she had been reading. Luke could certainly be a hero in any romance, she thought. He fit the cliché hero image. Tall, strong and ruggedly handsome.
Whoa, girl! Where had that come from? Shaking her head slightly, she erased the smile and replaced it with a polite and guarded look. She had to be wary of starting to like him a little too much. She could not afford that. Ever.
Ever? Well, ever was a long time, she amended mentally. Just not now. She knew she had far too much emotional baggage to get involved with anyone right now, let alone a marine who seemed determined to act as her therapist.
No, that wasn’t fair. By all accounts, Luke was just being Luke. It was just so maddening that he had so many attributes that she liked and admired. Would it kill him to pick up a few bad habits, and make this all easier on her?
“Hello, Luke.” She put the book aside and picked up her cane as he walked toward her. “Looks like I’m going to the festival, after all,” she said as she stood up.
“So it would appear.” He sent her a lazy smile as he reached for her bag, which was lying on the table.
“No, I’ve got it.” She went for it at the same time and their hands touched. She snatched hers away as if the contact had burned her, giving up the bag to his large, capable hands. She looked up at him briefly and noticed his smile fade for a moment, but then return just as quickly.
“I’m parked in front. Hope you don’t mind, but Miss Katie had me take the golf cart. It’s faster, with my truck parked where it is.”
Tess was intensely aware of his hand on her elbow as he guided her through the moon gate. It was the first time she had walked through it since she had arrived. Remembering the legend about couples that walked through the gate together, she felt herself blush a little as she felt Luke’s eyes on her.
“You know the folklore surrounding the moon gate, I see.”
“Um, yes, I know the story.” She tried to pick up her pace as she spoke, but to no avail. He had stopped directly under the gate and stretched a hand out to touch it.
“What are you doing?” She was curious in spite of herself, her embarrassment fading as she watched him close his eyes for a minute, then open them, giving her a smile.
“Saying a prayer, of course.” He spoke as if she should have known; as if it made all the sense in the world.
“Oh, I see. I don’t seem to recall Livie telling me that part of the lore.”
“I can see she missed the best part. The prayer is the catalyst for all the good things to come. When a couple prays as they pass through the gate, they are absolutely guaranteed everlasting happiness and good fortune throughout their marriage.”
Tess felt her jaw drop as she stared at him. A thousand butterflies landed in the pit of her stomach in response to his explanation. He couldn’t be serious. Could he? Couple? Marriage? Seriously, she needed to set him straight on a few things, the first being the couple part.
“Luke, I don’t know what you—”
He put his hand gently under her elbow again and steered her in the direction of the vibrantly colored golf cart.
“Relax, Tess. I didn’t mean that we were a couple. Far from it. Just saying a little prayer. It had nothing to do with you.”
Well, that puts you in your place, Tess, she thought as she reached into her bag and pulled out a pair of black sunglasses, plopping them on a little forcefully without looking at him.
“I knew that,” she replied for good measure.
“No, you didn’t, but that’s okay.” He spoke matter-of-factly, with no hint of irritation or one-upmanship on his handsome face.
Take it at face value, Tess. He really is a nice guy, she told herself. Don’t read into things.
She tried to relax back against the seat as the cart bounced down the sandy, tree-lined lane, but she couldn’t manage to feel quite at ease with this man who had seen her at her worst. This morning she had been an emotional ruin, and Luke had been so strong and certain of what he had said to her that he had eased her pain considerably. But despite his comforting words earlier, she couldn’t help but feel silly for breaking down like that in front of him. And then she had misread his comm
ents under the moon gate, to top off the bad impression she was making on the man. She felt like a fool. What he was thinking of her, she hadn’t a clue, but it couldn’t be that she was a stable human being, not by a long shot. She wished he hadn’t been the one to come pick her up.
On the other hand, part of her was glad that the aunts had called to ask for her help, forcing her to leave the cottage. She was coming to realize that being alone was not a good place anymore. In fact, it was becoming more difficult to tolerate. But she was finding it hard to take the first steps to letting go. If only the nightmares would go away. If only she could reconcile herself to God’s will on that day. She had never been the type of person to live with regrets about anything, until this past year.
Don’t overanalyze the situation, she told herself sternly. Just enjoy the fine day. Let yourself be happy today, Tess, please, she begged herself.
Chapter Six
“Did you slather?” Luke tossed the question at her casually as he negotiated the narrow, paved streets.
“Excuse me?”
“I was instructed to make sure that you slathered yourself with sunblock.” He grinned as he glanced over at her.
“Oh! The aunts?” Tess laughed at the terminology.
Slather was a good word for how she had applied the lotion. A sunburn was the last thing she wanted or needed. She was wearing a sleeveless, crisp white cotton blouse and black cotton capris, with strappy white sandals. She loved the sun, but always had to protect her fair skin from its harsh rays during the summer months. One painful burn as a teen had indelibly impressed the need to protect herself forever after.
“Yep. Miss Katie was very concerned about your skin.”
“How kind of her to even think about it! Yes, I am duly slathered and have more lotion in my bag.”
“Good. I almost forgot to mention it. So we have lotion.”
“Check,” Tess affirmed.
“Hat.”
“Check.”
“Money for incidentals?”
