by Marta Perry
The rest room door swung, and they came out. Theo’s shirt was damp but clean. He shivered a little in the air-conditioning as he slid into the booth, and she shoved a coffee cup toward him.
“Have some. It’ll make a new man of you.”
The bench creaked as Luke sat next to her. “Some for me, please. I could stand to be a new man.”
She glanced sideways at his face. His mouth was a straight, hard line, and some emotion she couldn’t guess at darkened his blue eyes. Uncomfortable, she looked at his hands, instead. His strong fingers tore a napkin methodically into strips. He seemed to become aware of that, and he pressed his hands flat against the table.
“I guess I owe you one.” Theo stared down at his coffee and grimaced. “Boy, is Daddy gonna say, ‘I told you so.’”
“Your daddy doesn’t seem like the kind of man to do that.”
Luke’s voice was calm; the streak of wildness she’d seen vanquished for the moment.
“How’d that get started, anyway?”
Theo shrugged, the movement of thin shoulders under the damp T-shirt bringing a lump to her throat. It seemed like yesterday that she’d been teaching him to ride a bike. Now he was nearly grown.
“It was a girl.”
Luke’s mouth quirked. “Theo, most of the trouble men end up in starts with the same words. ‘It was a girl.’”
Chloe punched his arm, her fist bouncing on hard muscle. “That’s right, blame it on Eve.”
That brought a smile to Theo’s troubled face. “Guess you’re right, at that. Anyway, seemed like she liked me. Made them mad. They were waiting when I got off work.” His jaw worked. “I should have fought them. Reckon I acted like a coward.”
The misery in his voice put a loop around Chloe’s heart. What could she say that would make it better? If only Miranda were here. Miranda always knew what to say when someone was hurting. Poor Theo was stuck with the wrong sister tonight.
“Yeah, right. That’d make your daddy proud.” Luke’s brisk words were like a dash of cold water. “He’d really appreciate your brawling in the street.”
Well, it wasn’t the dose of sympathy she’d been looking for, but it made Theo sit up a bit straighter.
“I guess that’s so.” Theo seemed to search Luke’s face for answers. “But shouldn’t a man defend himself?”
“Looked to me as if you were ready to fight if you didn’t have a choice. And there were four of them,” Luke reminded him. “There’s a difference between being brave and being stupid. That’s a line I crossed a time or two myself.”
Theo seemed to process that and come to the same conclusion Chloe had. “You knew how to handle yourself out there.”
Just what she’d been thinking. Luke had behaved like a man who’d been in that spot more than once.
Luke shrugged. “It didn’t take much to scare them off, once they saw they didn’t outnumber you.”
“Four to two,” Theo said.
Chloe ruffled his hair. “Four to three. I didn’t grow up running with the twins without learning a thing or two, remember.”
Theo grinned. “My sister, the bantam-weight.”
“Just one thing bothers me.” Luke had a question in his eyes.
“What?”
“What exactly is a geechee? Or is it so bad I shouldn’t ask in polite company?”
Laughter bubbled up, dissipating the last of Chloe’s tension. “Actually, we consider it a badge of honor. A geechee is anyone born and bred in the low country—roughly speaking, the coast from Georgetown down to the Ogeechee River in Georgia.”
“Then, I guess I better get you two geechees home.” The ugliness that had marred the evening disappeared entirely as Luke tossed a bill on the table and stood.
Chloe slid out of the booth, feeling his hand close on her elbow. Something, some trace of that other Luke she’d seen tonight, lingered in his touch.
Which was the real Luke? Was she ever going to know?
The inn slept behind her as Chloe stepped out onto the front porch a few hours later. They’d gotten Theo into the house without encountering anyone. Whether or not the boy decided to confide in Daddy was up to him now.
She should have fallen right to sleep from sheer exhaustion. Instead she’d tossed and turned, listening to Miranda’s even breathing from the other bed. Finally she’d gotten up and slipped on jeans and a shirt. Maybe a breath of air would counteract the coffee she’d drunk.
The sweet, musky scent of the marshes filled her as she leaned against the porch railing. It always soothed her. It soothed her now. But the question still bubbled beneath the surface. What secrets did Luke hide? How did she reconcile the man she thought she knew with the glimpses he’d given her of his hidden self?
Something moved out on the dock, and a figure was silhouetted against the gray water beyond. Her heart recognized him, even in the dark. Luke.
She’d taken three steps off the porch before she’d made a conscious decision to go to him. Well, she had to thank him for what he’d done for Theo tonight, didn’t she? But she knew she had another, deeper reason. She had to talk with Luke because she had to know what was going on inside him.
She felt Luke’s gaze on her as she crossed the path and stepped onto the dock. The weathered boards echoed hollowly under her feet. He sat at the end, his back against a post.
“Hey.” She dropped down next to him.
“Hey, yourself. How’s Theo?” His baritone rumble seemed scarcely louder than the murmur of water against the dock.
“Sound asleep.” She hesitated, not sure what else to say, her gaze tracing the line of moonlight on the water.
He followed the direction of her gaze. “Beautiful, isn’t it. Almost looks like a path.”
She smiled. “Gran used to tell us bedtime stories about fishermen who sailed up that path and spent the night throwing their cast nets and pulling in stars. Then we’d go to sleep and dream about it.”
“You had a magical childhood, Chloe Elizabeth.” His voice had roughened. “Plenty of people would envy you that.”
She held her breath as she turned to meet his eyes. “Including you?”
Shush, shush, shush. Three waves caressed the dock before he answered.
“You want to hear my story, Chloe? You wouldn’t like it.”
The bitterness in his voice startled her, but she wouldn’t let it scare her off. They’d come too far for that.
“I want to know whatever you’re willing to tell me about yourself.” She kept her gaze steady on him, knowing her heart was in her eyes.
He shrugged. “I gave myself away tonight. I knew it. I always knew the street kid was still there. I just didn’t realize how close to the surface he was, until I saw those creeps chasing Theo. I wanted to smash someone.”
His fists clenched as if he felt the urge again. She put her hand on his, feeling the tension that pounded through him. “You didn’t.”
“I could have.” He grasped her wrists suddenly. “Do you really want to know who Luke Hunter is? You want to hear what happens to a kid who never knew a father, whose mother forgot he existed, who was on the streets by the time he was eight? It’s not pretty.”
His pain wrapped around her heart, hurting her, too. “Who took care of you?”
“Nobody.” He spit out the word. “Foster homes for a while, each one worse than the last. I finally figured out that I could get lost on the streets and take care of myself. Live hard, die young—that was my motto.”
She wanted to put her arms around him. She wanted to hold him the way she’d have held Theo when he was little and hurting. But his grip on her wrists held her off, and that had to be deliberate. Couldn’t he let her in?
Oh, Lord, please. Help me to help him.
“What changed?”
Her soft question seemed to pull him back from whatever blackness he looked into. His grasp eased, as if he became aware that he might be hurting her.
“I met someone.” He paused, then continued.
“I walked into the Fresh Start Mission in search of a free meal.”
Things fell into place in her mind. “It was like the Sonshine Center.”
He nodded. “Figured I’d find some patsy I could milk for a few bucks. But the Rev was no patsy.”
“The Rev?”
“That’s what we called him. The Reverend Dr. Thomas Phillips. A Harvard degree, a stint as a military chaplain in Vietnam, and twenty years’ worth of scraping kids off the street and pounding some sense into them. He took one look at me and decided he saw something worth saving.” A muscle twitched in his jaw. “Can’t imagine what.”
She stroked his fingers, longing to soothe him and not sure how. “Intelligence. Tenacity. Integrity.”
“Is that what you think you see?”
His voice was angry, but she heard the longing underneath the pain. She touched his cheek, her fingertips smoothing the tension away. “That’s what I know I see. Whatever you came from, whatever wrong was done to you, that’s who you are.”
“Chloe, honey, I’m not sure you know what you’re saying.” His tone was half laughing, half despairing.
She paused for a heartbeat, hearing the soft splash of some night bird after a fish. “This place—since we came, I’ve begun to see who I am. Maybe that’s the magic here. It makes you see who you are. It makes me know I’m not wrong about the man Luke Hunter is, no matter what he came from.”
His hand covered hers, pressing her palm flat against his cheek. His skin warmed to her touch, connecting them at some level she couldn’t comprehend.
“I hope you’re right. Chloe, I only hope you’re right.”
He drew her hand against his lips, and she felt them move in a gentle kiss. Then he pulled her into his arms, and his lips found hers.
Her arms slid around him. They fit together perfectly, as if they were meant to be that way.
Home. She really had come home.
Chapter Thirteen
Why was God confronting him with his past now, when he was on the verge of achieving everything he’d always dreamed he wanted? Luke leaned against the porch railing Monday morning, unable to get the question out of his mind. First the Sonlight Center, then Theo’s trouble, reminding him, refusing to let him hide who he was.
He hadn’t hidden anything Saturday night when he’d told Chloe things he’d never told anyone, when he’d kissed her and tried to believe they had a future together. The feeling had gained momentum during the service in the tiny chapel on Sunday, continuing to build throughout the family gathering that apparently was a given for the Caldwell clan on Sunday afternoon.
He still didn’t have an answer. He’d tried bargaining with God. Hadn’t he played fair? Hadn’t he sent a monthly check to the Rev to support his mission, even when he couldn’t afford it? What more did God want from him?
A white gull swooped down to perch on the dock where he’d sat with Chloe on Saturday night. He’d expected a reaction from her when he told her his past. He hadn’t expected warmth, affection, acceptance. Love.
His native caution shied away from that word. What did love mean to somebody like him? He’d never known the kind of love Chloe had experienced every moment of her life. How could he possibly hope to give her that?
One thing was certain, through all the doubts that clouded his mind. He had to tell Chloe what he’d decided about Angel Isle. He’d kept that quiet far too long, making excuses for why they were staying when he was actually researching siting the hotel on Angel Isle.
He heard the creak of the screen door and knew it was Chloe even before he turned. She wore her usual shorts and T-shirt, but she exuded a confidence that was new to her. It almost seemed she’d gained all the confidence he’d lost.
“Hey.” Her eyes were lit with pleasure. “I have a surprise for you.” She crossed the porch to link her arm with his.
“What surprise?” Maybe the surprise was that her most casual touch made him want to kiss her.
“The twins have to go to Savannah today, so I volunteered us to lead their kayak tour.” She smiled up at him. “Since you’re turning into such a pro with the kayak, I thought you wouldn’t mind.”
“I’ve only been out twice, remember? That hardly makes me a pro.” Once he’d have thought the suggestion insane. The fact that now it sounded great only proved how far he’d fallen.
“All you have to do is paddle along with me. We’re taking them into the salt marshes, anyway. The worst that can happen if someone topples out is that they’ll get their feet muddy. Okay?”
“Okay.” At some point during this excursion, they’d have the opportunity for a private talk. He’d tell her about his plans and draw her in. He’d make her understand that Angel Isle was the perfect spot for the new hotel, make her see how her family would benefit.
He tried to suppress his misgivings. She’d go along with him. They were a team, weren’t they?
Somehow the opportunity for a private talk didn’t come as easily as he’d expected. During the ride to the public dock where they were to meet their group, Chloe briefed him about the trip. And once they arrived, the small group of tourists totally occupied her.
He helped unload the kayaks from the truck and watched Chloe slip into her tour guide persona. She gave a quick orientation, handed out life jackets, assigned people to kayaks. He assessed the group. Two older couples, one father and teenage son, one single man with a paunch and a Hawaiian shirt.
Mr. Hawaiian Shirt was the only troublemaker. He didn’t want to put on a life jacket.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Carey.” Chloe’s tone was perfectly polite and perfectly inflexible. “Life jackets are required. If you don’t care to wear one, I’ll happily refund your money.”
Grumbling under his breath, the man yanked on the life jacket. Luke hid a grin when he had to pull it back off to let the straps out. This was going to be an interesting trip.
Chloe finally had them all into the boats and headed down the creek into the marshes.
“Nice guy,” Luke commented softly, nodding toward the troublemaker as he matched his stroke to Chloe’s.
She flashed him an understanding look over her shoulder. “There’s always at least one in every trip—the hotshot businessman who thinks the rules don’t apply to him.”
“Ouch. That wouldn’t include present company, would it?”
Her grin was mischievous. “What do you think?”
Before he could come up with a snappy response, she’d raised her voice so the whole group could hear.
“That’s an osprey off to your left, fishing for his dinner. And coming up on the right, you can see several egrets. The salt marsh teems with food for all kinds of shorebirds.”
“What about dolphins?” the teenager called out. “Your brochure said we’d see dolphins.”
“There’s a good chance of that.” Chloe rested her paddle across the boat and pulled her ball cap down over her eyes. “They come into the marshes to feed, too.”
They paddled past the watching egrets, elegant on their long legs. “You’re going to have a disappointed kid if you don’t produce dolphins,” he said under his breath.
Chloe shrugged. “We can only show them what’s here. Trouble is, people don’t realize these are wild creatures, not house pets.”
A turtle glided past, surprisingly agile in the water, and then a pair of herons made an appearance. The kayaks rounded a curve in the sea of marsh grass, and Chloe raised her hand to stop the procession.
“There,” she said, and Luke heard the love in her voice. “Dolphins.”
“Wow.” The boy let his kayak drift closer to theirs. “What are they doing? Is something wrong with them?”
“It’s called strand feeding. Don’t get too close, and we’ll be able to watch them. They actually throw themselves up on the bank to feed, then slide back into the water.”
“Awesome.”
Luke knew how the kid felt. Three dolphins threw their bodies in shining arcs out of the water, then slid
back in perfect rhythm. It was like watching a ballet.
“No closer, please,” Chloe snapped, and Luke tore his gaze from the dolphins.
Predictably it was Carey, paddling toward the dolphins, then juggling his paddle to raise a camera.
“Gotta get a picture of this.” Ignoring Chloe, he pushed closer, then lost his paddle with a splash.
Two of the dolphins slid back into the water and disappeared. The third dolphin, apparently startled into losing his rhythm, stranded, floundering helplessly in the mud.
“Get back.” Chloe grabbed the paddle as it floated by and tossed it to the man.
“Hey, I paid my money. I’ve got a right to take a picture.”
Luke planted his paddle against the offending kayak and gave it a fierce shove. “Back. Now.”
The man swallowed, then let his kayak drift out into the center of the stream. Luke turned to Chloe. “What do we do?”
She watched the dolphin intently, then shook her head. “He’s never going to get off there by himself. I’ll have to help him.” Before he could guess what she was about, she’d slid out of the kayak and was standing waist-deep in the water. “Stay there.”
“Not likely.” He slid out of the kayak, too, feeling his feet sink ankle-deep into the soft bottom. He shoved their kayak over to the boy. “Hold on to this for me. And don’t let anyone get any closer.”
The boy nodded, eyes wide.
Chloe moved gently toward the dolphin. Mimicking her movements, Luke closed in on the other side. “Tell me what to do,” he whispered.
“We’ll have to try and slide him back. He’s not going to like being touched.” Her eyes never left the dolphin as she eased in next to it.
She reached out slowly, obviously trying to avoid frightening the creature. The instant she touched it, the dolphin went into a frenzy of movement, struggling to get away from her.