by Lori Wick
strings and bowed low to his sister's guest.
"Excuse my lack of manners, my dear." The tone of Buck's
voice was refined "I am Rowland Knight, 'Buck' to friends and
family alike."
Smokey watched in fascination as he came forward with
all the manners of a gentleman at court, took her hand, and
carefully kissed the back of it. Knowing her skin and nails
were rough, Smokey squirmed with embarrassment, but the
warm eyes Buck raised to hers made her relax in a moment.
39
Smokey found herself smiling hugely as Buck took a seat
beside her.
"You know," he spoke to the room but never took his eyes
off Smokey's perfect complexion and huge gray eyes. "If I
wasn't in love with the widow Rittenhouse, I might fall in love
with Victoria."
Smokey chuckled low in her throat, and because she
sincerely liked him at first meeting, she teased him with a
warm glimmer in her eye. "If you could change your affections
that swiftly, Mr. Knight, I'm not sure I would have you."
Buck threw back his head and laughed in delight. Smokey
glanced at her host and hostess and found them grinning also.
"I like you, Victoria," Buck told her bluntly.
"My friends call me Smokey," she told him.
"Smokey," Buck tried the name out loud. "It fits you."
"Thank you. I rather like it myself."
"Do you play cards?" he asked suddenly.
"Yes."
Tate and Jenny, who had sat quietly through the exchange,
went into action. Within minutes the four of them were seated
around a table. Jen was the first to deal, and then the cards
went to Tate. By the time the deal got around to Smokey, she
found herself more relaxed than she had been all evening.
China cups and fine flatware were new to her, but cards, well,
she'd been playing since she was a child. The lighthearted
game, along with Buck's outrageous wit and easy smile,
caused her to wish she lived much closer to Buck and the
Pembertons.
Smokey missed the glances of her game partners as she
allowed her gaze to roam the room. They noticed that she
didn't even need to concentrate on the deck in her hands. She
shuffled and dealt cards to them like a cardsharp. Everyone's
eyes were dutifully back on their own cards by the lime
Smokey glanced back at them, but they all knew that they'd
been given a glimmer of yet one more aspect that made up the
person of Victoria "Smokey" Simmons.
41
smokey was utterly spellbound with Jenny and Tate's
small church--in particular, their pastor and his preaching.
Smokey had spent so little time in church over the years that
she had no idea a sermon could hold such meaning.
Clancy had spent many hours teaching his small daughter
about God's Word, but he had also admitted to her many times
that there were a great many things he didn't know about the
Bible.
Smokey grew up on the stories of David and Goliath, Noah
and the ark, and of course the birth, death, and resurrection of
Jesus Christ. But Smokey didn't try to fool herself; she knew
little about the Old or New Testament. She shared this with
Jenny as they made their way home in the Pemberton buggy.
Tate had business with one of the elders and would come
later.
"I basically grew up on my father's ship. I don't remember
being in port on Sundays, at least no more than a few times a
year. There's so much I don't know."
"I'm glad you liked Pastor Chase, Smokey. He's a wonder-I
pastor; we feel so blessed to have him. Both Tate and I have
inaed a great deal from him in the last few years. You know," r Spoke excitedly now, "you don't live that far. Even when
oJjome, you could come over here for Sundays and plan
lading the day with us."
M^
41
"Thank you, Jen." Smokey was so moved she fell silent.
She also realized she was going to have to tell Jenny at some
point that she was not usually in Maine on Sundays, that in fact
she was usually not in Maine at all. As Smokey thought on this,
the ride continued in silence.
After lunch Smokey went to her room for a while and
found herself poring over her Bible. Pastor Chase had preached
from the book of James, and Smokey wanted to read every
chapter. She never got beyond the first, where she read verses
that spoke to her of how often she needed to turn to God, and
how He provides in ways she hadn't thought possible.
No one had ever told Smokey that she could ask God for
wisdom, nor had she ever taken the time to search out God's
truths for herself. In her job she had so many responsibilities.
Too often she found herself going on her own and simply hoping for the best. It was like a gift to learn that she could
turn to God, knowing that in His love, He was waiting to give
her aid.
Life at the Pembertons' on Sundays was lazy and relaxed,
and after Smokey had read the first chapter, she fell asleep on
her bed as she prayed
"My parents moved to South Carolina three years ago for
my mother's health. They come to see us every other Christmas,
and we sail down in the early summer to see them. My
sister moved with them, but as you see, Buck and I still live
here in Maine, as does Dolly," Jenny told Smokey over afternoon
tea.
"Dolly is your sister?" Smokey asked
"No, Dolly is another brother. Buck is the oldest, then
Dolly, and then me. My sister's name is Shirley; she's the
youngest."
Smokey's smile never wavered, but she didn't really hear
the last statement. She was too busy trying to push down the
42
images that rose up at the name "Dolly." Buck was a small man
with a soft air about him, so did that mean a man named Dolly
would be large and muscular? Smokey thought it unlikely,
though Jenny herself was quite tall.
"Here, Smokey/' Jenny cut into her thoughts. "Have another
piece of cake."
Smokey accepted, and Jenny watched her. Smokey had no
idea what to do with her cake plate as she already had a cup of
tea in her hand. Jenny wanted very much to show her, but was
acutely afraid of hurting her feelings. Jenny also realized that
she was under Smokey's close scrutiny and was careful not to
give notice.
Smokey was just about to ask Jenny another question
about her family when they were interrupted Polly announced
that cook needed something in the kitchen. Smokey, already
seeing that Jenny was very kind to her staff, watched as she
rose immediately and went to lend assistance.
After she had gone, Smokey put her cup and plate down
with a sigh of relief. Jenny made it look so easy as she balanced
her plate on her lap, leaving her hands free to handle her cup
and saucer. But Smokey's plate always tipped, no matter how
hard she worked to keep her legs even.
And then there was the different way they held their cups.
Smokey gripped her smal
l china cup just as she held her large
mug aboard the Aramis. Not so Jenny--why, her pinky finger
even stuck out! Her pinky finger was always held at a most
feminine angle as she drank. She made it all look as natural as
breathing.
With a nervous glance at the door, Smokey reached for her
cup and saucer. She held it just as Jenny had, one hand on the
saucer, and thumb and forefinger of the other hand on the
handle. Pinky finger pointing straight out, she tried to drink.
Before it even reached her mouth, the cup tipped and she
burned her hand Her hand smarting from the burn, a frusM
Smokey quickly placed her cup back in the saucer and
o *1 it back on the table. She had drenched her hand "I tea down the front of her dress. It wouldn't have
43
mattered if she had been wearing the brown or navy blue
dress, but this had to be the dark tan. It showed every spot.
Her napkin took care of her hand, but there was no hiding
the spots on her dress. As she scrubbed, Smokey felt more than saw that she wasn't alone. She glanced up quickly to see
Buck standing nearby, smiling kindly at her. Seeing her wet
dress and tea-filled saucer, he had grasped the situation
instantly.
"Hello, Smokey," he spoke gently as he sat and poured his
own tea.
"Hi, Buck," Smokey spoke in return, not quite meeting his
eyes as she tried to use her napkin to hide her wet lap.
"What have you and Jen been up to?"
Buck had a way of making Smokey relax, and she calmed
at just the sound of his voice.
"We went to church this morning. This afternoon has
been pretty quiet."
"Did you enjoy the sermon?"
"Oh, very much," she told him sincerely.
"We've been working our way through the book of James
for some time."
"Were you at church, Buck? I didn't see you."
Buck grinned "You didn't see me because the pipe organ
nearly hides my frame."
"Oh, Buck," Smokey exclaimed in delight. "You were the
one playing. It was just beautiful."
Buck inclined his head in true modesty. Jenny had joined
them again, and she talked about Buck's musical ability, which
was considerable. He'd been playing for years and had mastered
the piano, organ, and violin. Smokey was impressed, but
not at all surprised. She had believed Buck to be a very special
person from the moment she met him. They chatted on for
some time until Tate walked in the door. He had not been
home all afternoon.
"I'm sorry I'm so late," he spoke as he moved to kiss his
wife, "but the situation was more complicated than I originally
believed. And I think you'll forgive me," he hesitated,
44
and a sparkle lit his eyes, "since I found this character wandering
around on the docks and decided to bring him home."
Smokey turned with the room and watched as a tall man,
the best-looking she'd ever seen, stepped across the threshold
"Dolly!" Jenny exclaimed and ran to kiss her brother.
Smokey's mouth closed with a snap, just before she was
introduced
if smokey had thought herself clumsy before Dolly
arrived, she didn't know what to think now. She dropped her
napkin, nearly upset the plate of sandwiches when it was
passed to her, and when she did get a bite of sandwich into her
mouth, swallowed wrong and nearly choked Her cup would
simply not sit quietly on the saucer, so she put it down and gave
up altogether.
Jenny had introduced her brother, and he couldn't have
been kinder, but his tall, good-looking presence seemed to
rattle the normal good sense right out of Smokey.
Dolly, she learned in a hurry, was a nickname for Dallas, Captain Dallas Knight, to be exact. It had been Jenny's baby
name for Dallas, and the name had remained in the family
through the years. Smokey thought about how tender Jenny's
voice became whenever she spoke of Buck or Dallas. They
were obviously a very close family.
Smokey put her cup down and simply tried to be a part of
the conversation, but she found that didn't work either. Time
and again her eyes strayed to Dallas, and she found that she
could have cheerfully done little else but stare at him for the
remainder of the evening.
At the moment, his head was turned as he spoke with
Jenny. Smokey's eyes nearly caressed his dark, wavy brown
hair and crystal-blue eyes. His lashes seemed impossibly long.
46
A small gold hoop winked at her from one ear, and along with
his snow-white shin and black pants and boots, Smokey could
easily imagine him at the wheel of a ship.
She sat up a little straighter and pulled her eyes away from
his captivating looks when she realized she had been picturing
him at the helm of theAramis. Her thoughts so disturbed
her that for a moment she lost track of the conversation. She
came back with a jolt, but no one seemed to notice.
"Have you seen Greg Banning lately?" Tate inquired about
another young sea captain.
"Indeed, I have. I asked him if he was trying to rival
Clancy," Dallas said with a grin.
"Why was that?" Jenny asked
"He told me he'd been racing in the coral reefs."
"Why, that's a treacherous stretch of water!" Buck put in.
"I know, but he doesn't seem to have a lick of sense."
The urge to come to Clancy's defense was so strong for
Smokey that she had to bite her tongue. She sat very still and
reminded herself that on many occasions her father had told
her that in his younger days he hadn't had a lick of sense
either.
"You're rather quiet, Smokey," Buck commented when
there was a lengthy pause in the conversation.
"Oh, don't mind me," she spoke softly. "The name Clancy
always brings a flood of memories."
"Indeed, itdoes."Tate'svoicewas reminiscent. "Myfather
would gather us around his chair while he read to us about his
exploits."
Smokey stiffened, waiting for Tate to make some outrageous
claim concerning Clancy, one that she would instantly
want to deny, but he only fell silent.
Smokey was just as quiet as she grappled with whether or
not it was a lie to stay silent about her relationship to the
5j famous Clancy. She had still not decided when Dallas rose.
^ b ^T38 hoping you would staY for dinner," Jenny told him.
*LJrfoanks, Jen, but Kathleen is expecting me. I'll be by
" *' or the next day. It was nice meeting you, Smokey,"
47
he spoke kindly before kissing Jenny's cheek, shaking Tate's
hand, and putting his arm around Buck so he would walk him
to the door.
The evening passed in great fun for Smokey and everyone
else, with a delicious dinner and then another card game, but
something was missing for Smokey. It didn't take long for her
to realize that the void she felt started when Dallas walked out
the door.
Smokey would have been very surprised and at the same
time dismayed to learn
that Buck had noticed Smokey's reaction
to meeting Dallas, as well as her reaction to his departure.
The thought saddened Buck. Not because he hoped that
Smokey would fall for him, for he was in love with Greer
Rittenhouse, but because Dallas was so sought after by the
local females that he had his pick.
Buck knew well that Dallas did not take advantage of his
looks, but he also realized that his brother probably wouldn't
give a girl like Smokey a second glance. It was unfortunate to
Buck's way of thinking, because he saw something very special
in Smokey Simmons, something he was quite sure the rest
of the family had overlooked.
"What time is Buck expecting us?" Smokey wanted to
know.
"Anytime," Jenny told her. "He doesn't work on Mondays,
and he said we should plan to stay for lunch."
As soon as Jenny fell silent, Smokey's mind wandered
back to Dallas. She had been doing that since he left the night
before, and she knew she was going to have to order her
thoughts back into control. She had never felt this way before.
Her father had said that when he'd seen her mother, it had
been love at first sight for both of them. But Smokey knew she
couldn't be feeling love. She was miserable, and wasn't love
48
supposed to make you sing and dance? At least she wouldn't
have to see him today, but then didn't she want to see him?
Suddenly she was more confused than ever.
Stop it, Smokey, she thought sternly, trying to take herself
in hand. Get your mind off of Dallas Knight.
"Jenny," she said out loud, her voice just a tad desperate.
"Where does Buck work?"
"He owns and operates a small publishing company--
Bridgeman Publishing. It was started by my maternal grandfather,
Charles Bridgeman. Buck has worked there since he
was a boy. My mother has no siblings, and my father already
had a business of his own, so when Grandfather Bridgeman
passed away he left everything to Buck. The company specializes
in poetry and music."
Smokey was surprised and fascinated with Buck's occupation,
and she also thought it rather fitting. She couldn't stop
her mind from straying to Dallas and wondering at the fact
that he and Buck could be so different. Brothers, with seemingly
nothing in common. Smokey pondered the matter until
Buck's house came into view.
Buck's house was as much a surprise as the man himself.
