Sydell Voeller Special Edition

by Sydell Voeller

  Chapter Four

  Vanessa gripped Lowell's arm and exclaimed, “The siren! What does it mean? Something about Dad?”

  “I doubt it.” He turned to her, his eyes two deep blue pools. “I doubt if very much. If an alert had come through, they probably would've dispatched one of the copters already in flight. It's not quite dark yet, so I assume they're still out there looking.”

  Adrenaline coursed through her. No, she wouldn't accept his answer. He had to be wrong! She darted a glance at the sweep of beach fronting the air center and spotted three uniformed men. They were peering up at the sky.

  “But...but we've got to find out,” she insisted. “This might be what we've been waiting for!” She pointed at the men. “Maybe those officers can tell us something.”

  “Vanessa.” He planted both hands on her shoulders. His touch was dangerous. “Didn't you hear me? I doubt if that call had anything to do with Eldon.”

  Pulling away, she charged down the beach, waving her hands and hollering. The men were staring back at her with obvious concern. About midway in the channel, a tug boat pulled a barge.

  “Hey lady,” one of the men shouted the minute she was within ear-shot. “What's the matter? That guy on the beach. Is he giving you a bad time?”

  “No! No!” she puffed, breaking her stride. “That's just Lowell. He's...he's...a friend.” She felt her face grow hot with embarrassment. “I'm Eldon Paris's daughter. The fisherman you've been looking for...that alarm...the copter. Have you heard news about him?”

  “Sorry, ma'am,” the second Coast Guardsman answered. “The communication station called in the alert. There's a commercial fishing boat in trouble across the channel. As far as I know, we still have no word about your father.”

  “But are you sure?”

  “Absolutely. The radioman confirmed it a few minutes ago before we ended our shift.”

  A crow cawed raucously as it winged its way beyond the flight tower. The sky had darkened, bringing a blanket of grey clouds, and raindrops pattered against the already damp sand.

  “Yes...of course.” Hot tears mingled with the rain, blinding her eyes. Numb with disappointment, she turned and started back. Lowell was sprinting up the beach to catch up to her.

  “There's no point going any farther,” she told him after she'd closed the distance between them. “I...I already found out.”

  “Still no word, huh?”

  “No...I'm afraid not.” The tears spilled down her cheeks.

  “Ah, Nessie. Don't cry. Please don't.” He gathered her to him and planted a soft kiss on the top of her head. He resisted the urge to say I told you so while at the same time he ached to hold her tight.

  At the sound of her nick-name, she blinked back more tears. She couldn't remember Lowell ever calling her that before--only Andy, Mama and Dad had. “It's...it's no use,” she sobbed. “We'll never see Dad again.”

  “Vanessa, don't say that.”

  “Well, it's true. He's dead! I just know it. All the talk about what a g-great fisherman he was...little good it must've done him in the end.”

  Throwing caution aside, he embraced her, pressing her face against his chest. She felt so small and scared--and somehow so right in his arms.

  What am I doing? he silently demanded. How did I let this happen? But what self-respecting guy could stand by and just allow her to cry? God, how he hated to see a woman cry.

  She yearned to lose herself in his comforting strength, the warm assurance of his masculine nearness. Unthinkingly, she reached up to twine her fingers through his hair, then stopped instantly. No, she couldn't allow herself more than this fleeting moment, this one quick embrace. They were simply two human beings sharing a mutual concern--the disappearance of her father.

  “Nessie, listen to me.” He brushed back a stray lock of hair from her forehead. “Don't pack it in yet. It's much too early. Besides, this isn't like you. What happened to your positive outlook? Your refusal to give up?”

  “I haven't given up...it's just...just that sometimes it's so hard...I'm only human, don't forget.”

  His mouth brushed her cheek. “I understand, Nessie.”

  His tenderness temporarily disarmed her. She needed his comfort. She needed his strong, masculine arms around her. But he was only her big brother's buddy. A tantalizingly good-looking cop with a much too logical mind--and some apparent dark problem he'd only partially revealed.

  “I really do admire your optimism,” he went on, “even if it may seem I don't always agree. Don't ever lose it. It's something a few cops like me could learn a lesson from.”

  She swiped at a tear with the back of her hand, then pulled away. “Do you really mean that?”

  “I've never meant anything more.” Gently lifting her chin with his thumb, he gazed into her eyes. His expression was filled with an intensity that nearly robbed her of her breath.

  “Lowell...”

  “Shh. Not now...” His lips pressed down against hers, silencing her next words. Linking her arms around his neck, she leaned into him, kissing him back. His lips felt warm and urgent, even more incredible than she'd dared to dream. She opened her mouth and his tongue explored hers...tasting, tempting, and hopelessly intoxicating.

  The kiss deepened. It might have lasted a minute, an hour, an eternity, perhaps before they finally broke the contact and strolled arm-in-arm back down the beach. Yet one thing she did know for sure. She'd just glimpsed Paradise.

  And it could never be hers.

  * * *

  Lowell stacked the last 2x4 on the end of the deck. There! All ready for him to get back to work. That's what he needed to get his head on straight. Plain old-fashioned work and plenty of it. Maybe he could even make up for lost time today and chalk up a few more hours of work later tonight. Something told him he'd be in for another sleepless night anyway. He needed to keep busy. Work off his restlessness.

  If somehow he only could.

  Vanessa. He picked up his hammer and sauntered across the deck, thinking. That afternoon--for a moment or two--he'd been afraid she might lose it completely. Why hadn't she listened to him? Though he'd never enlisted in a branch of the military, he was definitely in the know when he'd cautioned her about that copter. The Coast Guard radioman operated a lot like a police dispatcher alerting a patrol car. The circumstances might be different, but the principles were the same.

  Thank God, she'd managed to get a hold of herself. He might be a cop, yet he wasn't made of steel. His stomach always did turn to mush whenever he saw a woman go to pieces. But was pity the only reason he'd ended up kissing her? Or had he given in to the lust she was stirring inside of him?

  Their kiss had been dynamite, leaving him wanting for more. He chewed on his lower lip and considered a moment longer. Physical attraction? Well, she certainly wasn't the first woman he'd ever been attracted to. Yep, mere attraction. That he could handle.

  But love and commitment? Family and responsibilities? Forget it! Love only spelled trouble with a capital T.

  * * *

  “Lands sake, child, how tired you look,” Ruby announced after Vanessa had returned to the lodge. “Let me fix you a spot of tea. I've been keepin' supper warm for you too.” Ruby ushered her into the half-kitchen behind the lodge office, equipped with a small refrigerator, a hot plate, and a pedestal table with two ladder-back chairs.

  “You're wonderful,” Vanessa said as she helped herself to a bowl of beef stew, then sat down at the table. Fatigue and worry had dulled Vanessa's appetite, coupled with the fresh emotions tumbling through her head. Lowell's kiss had left her breathless and confused. Why had she melted in his arms that way, allowed him to kiss her? Why had she so foolishly given in to her need for him?

  “Did you and Lowell turn up any clues?” the older woman wanted to know.

  Vanessa bit her lip. “I'm afraid not.” She told her about their boat trip across the channel, how they'd searched the peninsula, and her conversation with the officers at the Coast Guard station.
She didn't mention her reignited feelings for Lowell. She wasn't prepared to admit to anyone--not even the older woman--the way he was affecting her. It had been wrong in the first place, she decided with a firm mental kick. And she had no choice but to put a screeching halt to her feelings before they spiraled out of control.

  Besides, in the lengthening shadows, beneath the flood-lights on the back deck, he was hard at work again. She couldn't chance he might stop working and overhear. “What a day you've had,” Ruby crooned. “You must try to get a good night's sleep, child. Why, I'm surprised I'm not having to scrape you up off the floor right now.”

  “I do plan to turn in early, Ruby,” Vanessa said. “But I've been waiting to talk to you.”

  “Yes, we're long overdue.”

  A man on the radio announced the time--half past eight. The melodic strains of a classical song soon followed.

  “Ah, Meditation from Thais,” Vanessa said, recognizing it immediately. “You made me perform that for my first big recital.”

  Ruby smiled reminiscently as she filled the kettle with tap water. “How well I remember. And I kept telling you, play it appassionato, darlin'--play it from the heart. Some say this is the world's most romantic love song.”

  “That you did.” Vanessa tipped her head back and closed her eyes as the hauntingly beautiful swells rose and fell. Once again, a picture of Lowell floated up in her mind. The realization that she was powerless to erase it frightened her. Quickly she opened her eyes, sprang to her feet, and snapped off the radio.

  “Why did you do that?” Ruby asked, her face registering surprise.

  “Headache,” Vanessa lied.

  The tea kettle began to shrill. Ruby removed it promptly and poured the steaming water into Mama's rose-patterned china tea pot. “Well now, you just enjoy a nice soothing cup of this herb tea. It'll help relax you.”

  “Thanks, Ruby.” Vanessa met Ruby's look of concern and managed a smile. Her mother would be pleased, knowing someone was still enjoying her china.

  Ruby and Mom were so alike. Though they'd both seen hard-times, they appreciated a few delicate touches in their lives--like fine china, classical music, and time out for tea. Only problem was, these fineries didn't seem to match well with the sounds of Lowell's hammering and sawing outside. As Vanessa sipped her tea, the sweet smell of mint wafted about her. “Ruby...”

  “Yes, child?” She sat down on the opposite side of the table.

  “Did you happen to see Dad at the bait shop the other morning before he disappeared?”

  “Yes, I did. Eldon often called it his second home.” She shook her head. “He was just like clock-work.”

  Vanessa stabbed at a carrot. “Was he alone? Just as Clinton seems to think?”

  “Now that I don't know for sure. I recall having to run back to the kitchen because Pete, the cook, said he needed a hand at the grill.” Her voice broke as she lifted her tea cup in mid air. “That's the last I saw of your papa, I'm afraid. I...I can't say what happened after that.”

  “His old cronies who were hanging out there...did they seem on good terms with Dad? Was everyone getting along?”

  “I would imagine so...I doubt if Eldon has an enemy on the face of the earth. He might sound like an ornery old cuss at times, but everyone knows keep down he's nothing but a soft-hearted teddy bear.” She smiled faintly. “And a comedian too. We could always count on him to come up with the funniest one-liners.”

  “So nothing appeared unusual?”

  “Not that I could tell.” Ruby folded her arms across her chest and added, “But you won't believe what some folks are saying.”

  Vanessa swallowed a mouthful of stew, then leaned closer. “What? That he took his own life? Just like the Coast Guard officers suggested when they stopped by last night?”

  “No. Heavens, no. Anyone who knew Eldon wouldn't think that for a minute. Some folks are saying he may have been visited by aliens and taken away. Now don't that beat all?”

  “Yes.” Vanessa fought back rising panic. Had the island residents given up on her father already? Had she? No--not for a minute. She might have come close to it that very afternoon on the beach with Lowell, but never again.

  Vanessa stared at the clumped tea leaves clinging to the bottom of her cup. “And as for me, I have my own theories. I can't believe Dad lost control of the boat and drowned. Rough seas never bothered him. Why, those waves would have to get awfully wild before he'd even lower his stabilizers.”

  “My thoughts exactly,” Ruby agreed. “Matt's often said Eldon could move about in his boat as sure-footed as a blindfolded alley cat.”

  For the next several minutes, they sat in companionable silence. The ticking of the clock above the stove mingled with the sounds of Lowell hammering. Then a loud thud.

  “Ouch!”

  Vanessa winced as Lowell's exclamation gave way to a lengthy silence. At last he started hammering again. She pulled her attention back to Ruby.

  “I hope you had an easy time today in the office,” Vanessa said. “You can't imagine what a big help it is...your coming to take over like this.”

  “This place is no different than running Eagle Point,” Ruby replied with a wave of her hand. “Vacationers are all alike. The young ones with kids want plenty of action, the yuppie single-type are on the prowl for romance, and the old folks ask for nothing more than peace and quiet--and the promise of a good restaurant close by.”

  “Peace and quiet--with that racket outside?” Vanessa asked with dry amusement. Somehow, despite her comment, Ruby appeared oblivious to the commotion. “Sounds as if you should've never retired, Ruby,” Vanessa went on. “You know the business better than anyone on the island.”

  The woman's eyes twinkled. “Of course. But the trick is convincing Clinton of that. I told him that I was good booking appointments for the entire afternoon, but that old geezer insisted he take over. I guess his gang hauled in their limit of clams in no time, so the trip ended sooner than anyone expected. Anyway, we'll just let him sit out there and play boss while you and I visit.”

  The conversation flowed between them as Ruby asked about Vanessa's position at the university and Vanessa, in turn, inquired about Ruby's job at the bait shop.

  “Sometimes I feel like I'm playing den mother to all those fishermen,” Ruby confided. “Every one of them wants a soft shoulder to cry on when times are tough. The Doughnut Hole Club, they call themselves. And guess who keeps those doughnuts coming.”

  Vanessa nodded, smiling wanly.

  Ruby took a sip of tea and went on, “Oh, don't get me wrong. I'm glad I finally stopped managing the cabins and went to work part time at the bait shop instead. It was just getting too much for me--couldn't even leave for a quick run into town without finding someone to come fill in while I was gone. At least now, I've turned over all the repairs to the new management. Let them take care of whatever help and supplies they might need and then send me the bill at the end of each month.” Ruby stopped to bush a wisp of gray hair from her forehead. “Should've done it long time ago after my hubby died, but somehow I guess I wasn't ready. Being on my own, letting go of Eagle Point was like giving up my last claim to family.”

  “I understand,” Vanessa said. The mention of family tugged at her heart.

  Ruby's eyes widened. “Oh! I almost forgot! Matt stopped by to look at Clinton's new spinning reel this afternoon, just like Clint wanted him to. Matt said to tell you he was sorry he missed your call and that you should keep trying. He feels absolutely terrible about your papa. I can tell it by that troubled look in his eyes.”

  “Hey, what's going on in here?” Clinton poked his head through the French doors separating the office from the kitchen. “How come I'm not invited to the tea party?”

  “Oh, you old fool,” Ruby answered, a quick blush spreading over her face. “Can't a couple of long lost friends share a little girl talk without you men folk getting your ears all out of kilter?”

  He shrugged, his eyes round with moc
k innocence. “Why of course, my dear. I do beg your pardon. Far be it from me to break up a good old-fashioned gab session.” With a tip of his hat, he turned to leave.

  “You're not interrupting anything,” Vanassa exclaimed, jumping up to offer her chair. “By all means, sit down.” She caught sight of Ruby and Clinton exchanging tentative glances, the mischievous sparkle in her uncle's eyes. Vanessa felt unexpectedly light-hearted. This sign of budding romance between Ruby and her uncle momentarily blotted out her fatigue.

  “Ruby, offer him some stew,” she coaxed. “There's some left, isn't there?”

  The older woman jumped up and headed to the counter, fluttering about like a hummingbird zeroing in on fragrant blossom. “Of course.”

  “Oh, don't bother,” Clinton put in quickly. “I had my supper hours ago.” Despite his refusal, he sat down. Now for my exit, Vanessa thought, delightfully smug. Let the two love birds be alone.

  “Excuse me.” It was Lowell standing in the doorway. He turned to Clinton and said, “I thought I heard you talking in here. I need to ask a quest--” He bit off his last words as his gaze swept the room. “Am I interrupting anything?”

  “Not at all. Come in,” Clinton piped up.

  Lowell moved towards Vanessa, so near she had to fight back waves of longing. The sight of his rippling biceps reminded her of his strong protective embrace only hours earlier. She caught a whiff of his clean, masculine scent and that alarming heat rose up inside her.

  “Yes, by all means!” Ruby put in, hurrying to him with outstretched arms. “My, every time I see you, Lowell, I can't get over what a handsome lad you've turned into.”

  He planted a kiss on her cheek. “And you, Ruby, grow more lovely we each passing day.”

  Clinton cleared his throat, then smiled. “You must be hungry, Lowell. Help yourself to some of Ruby's chow.”