Lighthouse Beach

by Shelley Noble

  “I suppose you need—”

  Diana shoved her new sneaker into the stirrup and hoisted her butt into the saddle. She’d probably be crippled the next day, but she’d be damned if she was going to let this good-looking rube belittle her every time he opened his mouth.

  She’d been on enough vacations to have learned about riding western. Princess danced a little, but Ian didn’t move to calm her, and it only took Diana a few seconds to have her walking around the perimeter of the paddock. She turned her and came back the opposite way, in increasingly small circles.

  When she’d completed her smallest circle, she looked down at him. “Does she know her Airs Above the Ground?”

  He smiled. Diana almost slipped from the saddle.

  No wonder he was so taciturn. If he even hinted at being charming, he would be overrun with every fawning local lady from miles around. Though she didn’t for a minute think that was what made him so distant and … solitary.

  And she wasn’t sure she really wanted to delve deep enough to find out.

  She rode Princess out of the paddock. Watched as Ian threw himself effortlessly onto Loki’s bare back. This was just getting better and better. They walked the horses side by side for a while as they headed toward open land. He stopped when they reached an opening in a fence that might mark his property line.

  “Princess is good-tempered, she won’t bolt with you or throw you if you’re gentle with her. But don’t go too near the ledge. She’ll shy, and you both would go over. So if I tell you to stop or come back, you will do so. Immediately.”

  She nodded. She had no doubt his concern was more for the horse than the rider.

  He nudged Loki through the gate; Princess let him take the lead and they rode single file along a narrow path through the rocks and grasses interspersed with moss and greenery that she had no name for. She wondered if Ian knew but she didn’t ask. She was enjoying the feel of the horse beneath her and the freedom.

  He nudged Loki again and the horse broke into a faster but comfortable gait, which Princess mimicked without Diana having to direct her. The horses were moving in tandem, probably used to these trails and all sorts of riders. They were both well trained and not on their last legs.

  The sun beat down on their heads and backs, and a breeze kicked up now and then only to swirl away. Diana lost her sense of time and thoughts of work or even what her friends were doing or when they expected her to return.

  Occasionally Ian glanced back, but his gaze didn’t linger. Evidently she was passing inspection.

  They followed the trail along the edge of the bluffs, where she’d seen Ian riding yesterday as he headed toward the wood closer to the stable. Below them the ocean sparkled far off to the horizon and the waves rolled in, cascading white foam on the shore.

  They turned away from the bluff and entered a copse of trees where the air became cooler and damp. Ian urged Loki forward; both horses broke into a canter and were soon on the other side and back in the sunshine. They were headed back to the horse barn.

  All too soon the ride was over and Diana reluctantly dismounted and led Princess back into the stable barn. It had been glorious and all too short, though she had no doubt she’d be feeling it the next morning.

  Ian showed her the tack room. She knew just what to get for grooming a horse post-ride. They had walked most of the time, so Princess wouldn’t need a serious hosing. She took the equipment and went to work. She was checking Princess’s forelegs when she realized Ian was standing behind her, watching.

  Her first instinct was to be creeped out, but she realized he was just overseeing her technique.

  “Ever diligent?” she asked.

  He shrugged and walked away.

  Diana went back to her task. Princess stood perfectly still. She seemed to be enjoying the attention. Diana stood and tossed the comb back into the pail. “There you go, Princess girl. I’ll see if I can rustle up a carrot or apple for you.”

  She went in search of Ian, whose head she could see over Loki’s stall door. She was about to ask him where he kept the treats when she realized he wasn’t grooming Loki but had stretched his arms along his side, his cheek pressed to Loki’s coat.

  Horse whisperer? Figures. A man who could commune with animals but obviously not people. She wouldn’t interrupt him. She’d just look for a fridge or apple bin.

  He found her rummaging around in the feed room. “Just looking for a carrot or something.”

  “Hungry?”

  “For Princess. I might point out she’s much too elegant for her name.”

  He shrugged, picked up a carryall and reached inside, came out with two carrots, and handed her one.

  “I keep them in the house. Too many marauders.”

  “Two-legged or four-legged?”

  “Both.”

  She said good-bye to Princess, who was enjoying her carrot and nuzzled Diana’s neck in gratitude. Diana gave her a good pat. “See you tomorrow, fingers crossed.”

  Five minutes later she was walking back down the road. Her legs were definitely going to feel the unhabitual exercise, but she’d managed to convince Ian to let her come to the stables the next day. She didn’t think the others would mind, it was only a couple of hours. And it did more good to her spirit than all the spas in Massachusetts could have done.

  Now if she could just get a handle on the horse-whispering vet.

  Chapter 12

  “I wonder how Diana is enjoying her ride?” Jess said as she dropped another peeled potato into the vat of cold water.

  Allie looked up from her own half-peeled potato. “She’s been gone for almost two hours, so she must be having an okay time. What do you think, Lillo?”

  “Either that or she and Ian are having a staring contest and we might not see them for days.” Lillo dumped another bag of potatoes on the kitchen table.

  “She can hand it out.” Allie laughed. “We had some great times back in college, didn’t we?”

  “We did and we are.” Jess dug an eye out of her potato with undue force.

  For people having such a good time, there were a lot of subsurface emotions going around. Lillo understood Jess’s jumpiness, but there was something unsettled about Allie, too. Maybe she just missed her kid. And would be happier at home. But she kept saying that her mother-in-law was encouraging her to stay longer and have a good time. At least that’s what she said after every one of her many, many calls. Maybe she was feeling guilty for imposing her son on his grandparents for a whole week, but that was crazy. Didn’t grandparents dote on their grandchildren?

  Regardless, it was none of Lillo’s business. She was on overload already. In a good way; she was having fun, but it took so much energy.

  Energy. She’d never lacked energy. Before. She’d been indefatigable when she worked at the camp, which she didn’t enjoy, and then in medical school, which she did. And at the hospital. Until the end. And since then? What had she done? Slowly let herself fade away. She was gradually disappearing, and one day she would be gone, no shadow or trail or significant achievement left behind.

  The pain was sharp. But not from the realization; from her finger. It was bleeding. “Ouch.” She dropped the knife she was holding and yanked her hand away from the table. It wouldn’t do to contaminate the potato boil.

  “You’ve cut yourself,” Allie said unnecessarily.

  It was pretty obvious. Blood was dripping on the kitchen floor.

  “Stupid. I wasn’t paying attention. Mac, hand me a paper towel.”

  Mac stripped off several pieces and handed them to Lillo, who wrapped her hand up and went into the bathroom to get a better look. She was pretty sure the cut was superficial. Served her right for letting her mind wander while she had a blade in her hand. The last thing on earth she wanted was to make a trip to the clinic.

  She held her hand under the water until the blood turned pink, then took a closer look. A slice across the pad of her forefinger, not terribly deep, a third of an inch long. She
was up on her tetanus shots, so all was good. A little Bacitracin and a couple of Steri-Strips and she’d be good to go.

  Fortunately, Mac’s medicine cabinet was stocked and the operation was over in three minutes. She put a Band-Aid over the Steri-Strips, pulled a couple of latex gloves out of the cardboard container Mac kept in the linen closet—better safe than sorry—and headed back to the kitchen.

  “Done and done,” she announced before anyone could ask about the cut, then realized Diana had joined them while she was in the bathroom.

  “I missed all the excitement?” Diana asked.

  “Just one of my many attempts at juggling kitchen items,” Lillo returned. “I see you survived your ride.”

  “It was glorious. I’m going again tomorrow if that’s all right with everyone. I’d forgotten how much I love riding.”

  “And Ian showed you the trails?” Mac asked.

  “Yes. He’s got a beautiful gray.”

  “Loki,” Mac said. “Please say he didn’t make you ride Clara.”

  “Clara? No. Is she the old bay?”

  “Ayuh. And slow and slower. He usually saves her for the kids.”

  “Kids?”

  “Yeah, he gives the local ones rides. Teaches some lessons.”

  Diana sighed. “Well, I hope he’s as friendly with kids as he is with animals. His adult skills are minimal at best.”

  “Keeps to himself,” Mac agreed.

  “Is he as good-looking up close as he was yesterday?” Jess asked.

  “Well, mostly I was looking at him from behind. But he knows how to handle a horse.”

  “I wonder if he’ll show up tonight?” Jess said. “I wouldn’t mind getting a look.”

  “Don’t hold your breath,” Lillo said. “And you’re on a hands-off-until-you-get-over-the-last-one diet. Now, what should I do that doesn’t involve sharp edges?”

  Jess made a face at her. “Mac, do you think these are enough potatoes?”

  Mac came over to the table and peered into the pot. “Maybe a few more. With the boys and their host families plus you four, there should be a good thirty people and a few kids. Better do another bag.”

  Jess groaned.

  Allie went out to the porch for one more bag.

  While they were in the kitchen they heard a truck pull up to the parking lot.

  “That’ll be Sonny Dumas with the grills.” Mac wiped her hands on her apron and went through the gift shop to greet him.

  “These grills are huge,” Lillo said. “You gotta see them.” They all fell in behind her and followed Mac to the front window to see. Sonny’s truck was backed up to the near edge of the parking lot, and Sonny, a big, muscular guy, and his two equally-if-not-bigger, muscular teenage sons were unloading two barrel grills to the pavement.

  “Wow,” said Diana. “Not your everyday hibachi.”

  Mac tapped on the glass, Sonny gave her a thumbs-up. She turned around to go back to the kitchen. Her shoulder caught the edge of the historic-sights-of-Maine display, sending several pamphlets to the floor.

  “Damn, I keep meaning to move those things, I must pick them up ten times a day.”

  Lillo bent down to pick them up. When she stood, Mac was rounding the corner to the kitchen and Allie was looking after her.

  “What?”

  “Huh, nothing.” Allie glanced at Diana and the two of them herded Jess, who had stopped to look at a local jewelry display, back into the kitchen.

  Lillo got back in time to hear Jess say to Mac, “Why isn’t the gift shop open?”

  “Nobody comes to it much. I open it when they do.”

  Jess shook her head and took the drying cloth Mac handed her.

  At four, they all carried what seemed like a ton of brisket and ribs out to Sonny and continued on their way to change into long pants and sweatshirts for the evening to come.

  As soon as Lillo changed into jeans and tee and hoodie, she went to the kitchen to forage for something to take over to the barbecue. The others came out from their respective rooms a few minutes later.

  Allie was wearing a T-shirt and pair of khakis that she’d brought with her covered by a plaid button-up shirt she’d found at Barbara Carroll’s shop. Jess had borrowed a pair of Lillo’s overalls, with the cuffs rolled up over a Tweety Bird sweatshirt that she’d bought yesterday. Diana was wearing a pair of jeans that fit marginally better than her riding jeans and a denim jean jacket over a long-sleeved striped T-shirt. Sort of a sailor-cowboy look. And Lillo could tell she was having a blast.

  They were contemplating a prebarbecue cocktail when the sound of cars in the parking lot had them running out to help the newcomers. The Emersons climbed out of their old Chevy. Jed balanced a chocolate cake on the palm of one large calloused hand. Two apple pies were stacked on the other.

  Lillo rushed to take the pies from him.

  “Lord, if it ain’t Lillo Gray. Haven’t seen you in forever. Don’t get in to see Mac as much as we’d like. Gretchen’s got the arthritis. It’s the damp weather, you know. Gretchen, get on over here and say hello.” His wife made her way around the car, leaning heavily on her cane.

  “Perfect timing, Lillo. I didn’t know how Jed was gonna get those things in the house without dropping them all. We ran into Howie and Roy in town. They’re coming later. They wanted to finish up some work on the Baileys’ new addition. What a godsend, those two. And I hear the two new boys have been helping out at Nimbly’s farm. Smart thinking of the two docs to get us some farm experts. They never let us down.”

  Gretchen Emerson chattered all the way to the picnic tables, where Mac met her and invited her into the house to sit while she finished up in the kitchen. Lillo followed them inside and deposited the pies on the counter.

  “I’d better go retrieve the cake from your husband. I think he stopped to talk to Junior Nomes. They were just driving up when we were coming inside.”

  Sure enough, the Nomeses had arrived. Jed, still holding his chocolate cake, stopped to speak with Ike while Hilda wrestled two huge casseroles out of the back seat. She handed them to Ike. “Where are the boys? Boys!” she called. “No getting near the jetty,” she yelled as all three of her children raced for the shore.

  Lillo retrieved the cake and she and Hilda with her casseroles left the men to pull out the cooler and help carry three long picnic tables from the gift-shop shed.

  When she came back from the house they had placed them in a row along the grassy verge in front of the jetty and beach. The big chest cooler was set up a little ways away and was being filled with bags of ice from Junior’s car trunk.

  More families arrived. The fire was going and the coals were just getting ready to cook when the first motorcycles roared into the parking lot and parked on the edge of the lot away from the cars. Howie, Nando, and Assam strode toward the group carrying six-packs and bags of potato chips. The tables filled up with food, the cooler with beer and wine and soda; hamburgers and hot dogs were piled up next to the grill, ready to go.

  Others arrived, parking the cars and trucks at the far end of the parking lot to make room for the festivities. Everyone brought a six-pack of beer or soda or a bottle of wine to add to the cooler.

  Lillo stood back, just soaking it all in. These were people she had known for years, but didn’t see too much of, mainly because she didn’t leave home much. She’d missed last year’s barbecue and picnic and maybe the one the year before. Before that, she’d been away at school.

  Even after she’d returned to Lighthouse Beach, she had avoided most of the residents. Tonight everyone seemed glad to see her. And though she knew they all knew of her epic crash and burn no one looked askance.

  So she pushed her own disappointment in herself aside and went to help with preparations.

  Barbara Carroll arrived a few minutes later with the two new guys who were staying in her garage apartment between renters. She saw Lillo and hurried over. She was wearing tight denim leggings, a boatneck sweater, and large dangling earrings, and
was far better dressed than the New York contingent.

  “Doc isn’t here yet?”

  “Haven’t seen him. Maybe he’s coming over later with Ian.”

  “Oh, Ian, he never goes anywhere. A waste of handsome male if you ask me.”

  Lillo smiled. Ian lived by his own rhythms. You never knew if he would show or not. Everyone always made enough food for him, and if he didn’t come, they sent it home with someone to take to him.

  They all knew it wasn’t rudeness. It was just Ian. And they accepted him as they accepted Lillo and all the other people with stories who lived here.

  “Oh, there’s Hilda Nomes. I’ve been trying to talk to her for ages.” Barbara hurried away.

  Lillo made herself a plate of food and looked for her friends. Mac was sitting with a group of men, probably talking about fishing, though she hardly ever fished. Nearby, Diana was talking animatedly to several teenage boys, probably about apps since they all had out their cell phones. She couldn’t find Jess but assumed she was having a good time. She did see Allie sitting at the end of one of the picnic tables talking to Nando, the CPA mechanic.

  She saw her friend Sada sitting at a table with some other women and went to join them. Sada moved over to make room for her.

  “We were just talking about Mary Alice Grotsky’s boy. Is Doc Clancy still at the hospital with her?”

  “I believe so. And I saw an ambulance in town yesterday.”

  “That was Zeke Hallerin.” Gretchen Emerson slid a bowl of coleslaw toward her. “Had chest pains on his way to the pancake breakfast. Francine brought him into the clinic. Doc Hartley saved his life.”

  Lillo nodded; the bite of baked beans she’d just taken turned to sawdust.

  “He’s a godsend,” Gretchen declared.

  “He is,” Lillo agreed.

  “Think you’ll ever get back to practicing medicine? We’re all hoping we’d have two doctors settle down in town.”

  Lillo moved her head, shrugged her shoulders, and stuck a rib in front of her mouth. The conversation switched to the new pastor at Bethel Church and who was making what for the Fourth of July town picnic.