by Irene Hannon
Her step faltered, causing the man on her heels to run into her.
With a mumbled apology, she moved out of the line of traffic, keeping her neighbor and his sister in sight.
Since parting from the two of them on the beach yesterday morning, their paths hadn’t crossed. But she’d heard their laughter on the deck last night. Smelled the aroma of barbecue as she’d prepared her solitary meal and placed her weekly call to her sister. Seen the flicker of candlelight on their patio table as she’d eaten her baked chicken breast on the screened porch and paged through the latest issue of Quilting Arts.
It was her typical Saturday night ritual. And it suited her fine.
Or it had, until last night.
For the first time since coming to Michigan and moving into the cozy, memory-filled house that still seemed infused with Gram’s presence, she’d felt lonely.
And she didn’t want to feel lonely. Didn’t want to start thinking about all the things she lacked, when the Lord had blessed her with so much.
Someday…maybe…she’d meet a man—perhaps a man a lot like Luke—whose love would fill her life with warmth and whose steady presence and gentle patience would put her nightmares to rest once and for all.
But Luke wasn’t that man. Because while it was possible he had the qualifications for the part, he wasn’t going to be around long enough to play it.
As she struggled to contain a throat-tightening surge of melancholy, Reverend Howard shifted toward her. With a smile, he raised his hand and beckoned.
Too bad. She’d have preferred to escape unnoticed to her car.
But there was no way she could ignore the minister’s summons without being rude. Resigned, she smoothed down the front of her dress, joined the throng of people descending the steps and crossed the lawn.
Hannah looked stunning this morning, just as she had on the beach yesterday, her mane of blond hair dazzling in the sun, her youthful face lit up in welcome.
But as she approached the threesome, it was Luke who captured her attention.
Like the day he’d visited her shop, he was dressed in a sports coat that sat well on his broad shoulders, this one navy blue. A few springy dark hairs peeked out through the open neck of his blue-striped dress shirt. His tan slacks were pressed and creased, his shoes polished to a high gloss, his dark hair neatly combed.
No question about it. Captain Luke Turner was one handsome man.
Tall, too. He towered over her by a good eight inches. Yet she no longer felt fear in his presence. And that was good.
But the little flutter of attraction that danced along her nerve endings when he smiled at her wasn’t.
“Good morning, Kelsey.” Reverend Howard cocooned her hand in both of his. “We were just talking about the youth center, and we wanted to get your opinion about an idea Luke had. Why don’t you explain it?” The pastor turned to the man at his side.
“To be honest, it’s Hannah’s idea.” Luke tossed his sister a grin. “I was explaining the project to her over dinner last night, and she suggested we set up a Twitter page for the project. She thinks it could be a way to get information about it to a much wider audience.”
Kelsey nodded. “I like the notion of using social media to help spread the word. It has no geographic or demographic limitations.”
“I could set it up for you while I’m here,” Hannah offered. “It’s not hard to do. And I could post updates even after I go home. We could use it to direct people to the website for the project and keep them updated on developments. It’s kind of a cool way to participate in a worthwhile cause. And I have to do a service project during senior year anyway. I know this would qualify.”
“Sold.” Kelsey smiled and shot Luke a quick glance. Nothing to worry about with this young woman, she telegraphed.
One side of his mouth twitched, telling her he’d received the message.
“Excellent, excellent.” Reverend Howard beamed at them. “We’ll have a final fundraising plan after tomorrow’s meeting, and then we can really get this thing rolling. Father Joe will be ecstatic. As we all are, of course. What a blessing you’ve been to us, Luke.” He clapped the army doctor on the shoulder.
A ruddy tinge crept over Luke’s face, and he gave a dismissive shrug. “Carlos is the one who deserves thanks. If he hadn’t been so inspiring—and so passionate about this project—I wouldn’t be here.”
“Well…blessings come in many ways and many forms.” The pastor encompassed all of them with a sunny smile. “Now I see Harriet Lucas waving at me. I need to ask how her husband is doing since his knee replacement surgery. I’ll talk to you all soon.” Lifting his hand in farewell, he set off across the lawn.
Kelsey adjusted the strap of her purse and shifted her weight from one foot to the other. “I think I’ll be off, too. Are you planning to put in some more beach time?”
She directed the question to both of them, but Hannah answered.
“Not today. We’re going to have brunch, and then Luke’s going to show me around Saugatuck. Would you like to join us?”
Luke’s expression told Kelsey he was as taken aback by the impromptu invitation as she was.
“I’m not exactly shod for doing a lot of walking.” She gestured to her inch-and-a-half-heel dress shoes. “Now if I had my Nikes…”
“Why don’t you at least eat with us? It’s okay, isn’t it, Luke?” Hannah turned to her brother.
A quick peek told Kelsey he’d recovered from his initial surprise. Now he looked receptive to the idea.
More than receptive.
“Absolutely. In fact, maybe you can make a recommendation for a good spot.”
He smiled, and the warmth in his eyes set off a little quiver in the pit of her stomach.
Get a grip, Kelsey. He’s asking advice about a place to eat, not asking you out on a date.
She took a deep breath. “Pumpernickel’s downtown is nice, if you’re after a casual, relaxed atmosphere. They have a lovely porch, and the cinnamon rolls are great.”
“Sounds perfect. Shall we follow you there, or would you like to ride with us?”
Had she said she was going? She didn’t think so. But he was acting as if she had. He’d already linked arms with Hannah and was waiting for her response.
Fine. She liked Pumpernickel’s. Hannah would be with them. It would be a nice, casual breakfast.
“Uh…follow me, I guess.”
“Great.” He flashed her another smile and followed as she led the way to the parking lot.
Saugatuck was small, and the drive took less than five minutes, even with tourist traffic. Finding a parking place, however, took a lot longer. She motioned out her window to the restaurant as she passed it, leaving them on their own to locate a spot for their car.
Ten minutes and three blocks later, she puffed up to the main door on foot to find them waiting for her.
“You should have ridden with us. Someone was pulling out right in front when we doubled back.” Hannah motioned to Luke’s white rental Camry, ten feet away.
It figured.
But driving on her own had felt safer.
“At least I got my exercise for the day. Shall we go in?”
Luke held the door, and their chairs, in true Southern gentleman fashion. As she settled into her seat, Kelsey couldn’t help noticing that the tall, toned, dark-haired doctor drew more than his share of interested glances from the women customers. She kept that observation to herself, but Hannah didn’t.
“Man, you are getting the once-over from every female in this place,” his sister teased him.
The tips of Luke’s ears reddened, and Kelsey stifled a grin. For a moment, she was tempted to tease him, too. But he seemed embarrassed enough already. Which was kind of cute. And endearing. Vanity was clearly not one of his faults.
“Do you have any brothers, Kelsey?” Hannah spread her napkin on her lap.
Giving him a reprieve, Kelsey turned her attention to the young woman beside her. “No brothers
. Just the one older sister I mentioned yesterday. But thanks to her, I have two darling nephews and a sweet little niece. The boys are six and nine, and Emily is four. She’s a doll. Would you like to see a picture of them?”
“Sure.”
As Kelsey searched through her purse, she took a sidelong look at Luke. The pink in his ears was beginning to fade.
Pulling out her wallet, she flipped through the plastic sleeves. “This is my favorite. It’s from last Christmas.”
She turned it around and passed it over to Hannah. Luke leaned close to examine it, too. In the shot, her sister and brother-in-law sat on the floor by their fireplace, their smiling children clustered around them.
“They look like a nice family. Where do they live?” Hannah handed the wallet back.
“Dallas. That’s where I grew up.”
“I thought you lived in St. Louis before you came here?” Luke shot her a quizzical look.
“My job took me there.” She tucked the wallet back into her purse.
Hannah fiddled with the straw in her water glass. “It’s too bad the cousins will live so far from each other.”
The innocent remark reminded Kelsey yet again that she had a choice to make. And depending on what she decided, the cousins might never know each other.
That thought saddened her.
The waitress arrived, saving her from having to respond. But after they placed their orders, she caught Luke watching her. And she continued to feel his surreptitious scrutiny throughout the meal. As she picked at her Huevos Pumpernickel, a dish she usually demolished, she tried to smile and chat as if everything was fine. But she sensed Luke had detected her sudden change of mood—and knew she was troubled.
Much to her relief, the conversation remained on impersonal topics for the rest of the meal. Nevertheless, she was glad when sufficient time passed for her to leave without appearing rude.
Taking one last bite of egg, she wiped her lips and used the napkin to hide the substantial amount of food that remained on her plate.
“Well, I need to be off. I have some errands to run, including a trip to the grocery store.” She stood.
Luke rose, too. “I thought I’d drop Hannah off at your shop in the morning, on my way to the board meeting. She can look around and visit with Ms. Martin, if that’s okay. Around nine forty-five?”
“That’s fine.” She smiled at Hannah. “I told Dorothy about you, by the way, and she’s looking forward to meeting you.”
“Great. Maybe I can even get her to share those scone recipes.”
“I have absolute confidence you’ll charm them right out of her. Thank you both for inviting me today.”
“It was our pleasure.” The warmth was back in Luke’s eyes. Along with questions.
She tried to ignore both.
Picking up her purse, she aimed a smile their way, then wound through the diners to the street, passing a large table where a group ranging in age from seniors to toddlers was laughing and chatting. Most likely an extended family that had convened in the Saugatuck area for a vacation or a reunion. It happened all the time around here.
As she walked past the happy family, one of the young children darted from his seat to chase a wayward fork. She pulled up short, placing a protective hand on her stomach while the mother apologized and pulled the toddler out of her path.
The baby kicked under her fingers, perhaps protesting the abrupt halt, and a smile tugged at her lips. Day by day, the child within her grew more active—and assertive. And day by day, her emotional investment in the new life she was carrying intensified.
Yet Reverend Howard was right. Every child deserved to be cherished with a love that was free of baggage and untainted by bad memories.
Unfortunately, she had plenty of both.
As she trekked toward her car, she once again wrestled with the questions that increasingly plagued her. When she held her baby for the first time, would her heart fill with love—or antipathy? Would she experience joy and contentment—or be reminded of pain and terror and revulsion?
She didn’t know. Yet.
But she prayed every day for enlightenment.
And she also prayed for courage. To not only make the right decision, but to see it through.
Wherever that might lead her.
Chapter Eight
Luke angled his car into a spot across from Kelsey’s shop, set the brake and noted the time on the old-fashioned clock that held a place of honor on Douglas’s quaint main thoroughfare. Twelve-fifteen. The board meeting had run a full two hours; he hoped Hannah hadn’t worn out her welcome—or gotten bored.
But three minutes later, when he stepped inside the shop, he found her bustling around the tearoom, a smile on her face as she helped serve lunch.
Spotting him, she waved and strode over, the frilly white apron with starched ruffles at the shoulders looking incongruous over her stone-washed jeans and pink tank top.
“Hi, Luke. How was the meeting?”
“Good.” He gestured to her attire. “What’s this all about?”
She smoothed the crisp white fabric over her jeans. “Dorothy was in a bind. She only has two servers, and one of them quit without any notice this morning. Since Dorothy had just shared her scone recipes with me, I offered to pitch in. Seemed like a fair exchange. And you know what? I’m having a blast!”
One of the patrons at a nearby table raised her hand, and Hannah called out to her. “I’ll be right with ya’ll.” Then she gave him a hug. “Gotta go. You don’t mind if I hang around here this afternoon, do you? Kelsey said she’d give me a ride home when the shop closes at four. And she said I could sit in on her beginners quilting class at two-thirty.”
“Sure. That’s fine.” So much for his worries about her being bored.
“You want some lunch? The asparagus quiche is to die for, and it comes with lemon scones and a strawberry salad. There’s homemade apple cobbler for dessert, too, if you’re still hungry. Warm from the oven. With ice cream.”
“Okay. You convinced me. I’ll stop in and see Kelsey for a minute first, though. Is she here?” He scanned the quilt shop, but didn’t see any sign of her.
“She was.” Hannah looked over her shoulder. “But she told me she likes to walk to the lake at lunch. Maybe she went down there. Or she might be in the back room. You can check.”
Without waiting for a response, she hurried over to the customer who had summoned her.
Left on his own, Luke strolled into the Not Your Grandmother’s Quilts side of the shop, checking out Kelsey’s home away from home. On his first visit, he’d been so surprised to discover his neighbor was the PR expert recommended by Reverend Howard that he’d hardly noticed his surroundings. And she’d whisked him over to Tea for Two before he’d had a chance to look around her shop.
As he wandered through the merchandise, the conversation he’d overheard between his sister and Kelsey on the beach Saturday came back to him. Now he understood what she’d meant when she told Hannah she didn’t do country. The quilts on display were more like modern art, featuring swirls of color, geometric patterns and 3-D designs. That same artsy look could also be found in the smaller items on display—wall hangings of various sizes, purses, tote bags, table runners, placemats, pot holders, pillow covers. The designs were eye-catching and created with impressive flair.
No question about it, the shop definitely lived up to its name. These quilts were nothing like the homespun version favored by his Grandma Turner, who’d made a quilt or two in her day. He could see why Hannah had found them appealing. And why she was intrigued enough to want to take a class.
Venturing farther back, he noted the work table he’d spotted on his first visit, and the desk with the computer where Kelsey had been working that day. In the opposite corner, a partly finished quilt in shades of blue, green and magenta was secured in a stand-alone quilting frame, the intricate design stunning. A swivel lamp was attached to the frame, and an adjustable chair on rollers was pushed unde
rneath. Bolts of fabric were tucked into shelves along the back wall, and two sewing machines stood at the ready.
As Luke finished his tour, the bell over the front door jingled. He turned in time to see Kelsey enter.
She saw him at once, hesitating for a fraction of a second before she moved into the shop. “Hi. Have you been here long?”
“Less than five minutes. Sorry I’m so late. The meeting ran long.”
“No problem.” She deposited her oversized tote—the one Hannah had admired at the beach—on the work table. “Is everything a go?”
“Yes. Plus, I have other good news. Father Joe met with Steve Lange, who owns the property the board has its eye on for the center, and managed to sweet-talk him into agreeing to sell the land to the youth fellowship for less than its book value and take the rest as a charitable donation.”
Kelsey smiled. “I have to meet this dynamo padre one of these days.”
“There’s more. Dennis Lawson, the manager of the hotel where Carlos worked in high school, offered to host the fundraising dinner and auction at cost. And one of the other pastors has an award-winning architect in his congregation who may be willing to comp his design services for the center.” He grinned. “Not bad for a week’s work.”
She leaned back against the edge of the work table and folded her arms across her chest. “That’s an understatement. And Father Joe and his colleagues aren’t the only ones with silver tongues. You roped me into the project, too. Quite a feat.”
He didn’t know how to interpret that last remark, and she continued without giving him time to decipher it.
“Hannah says she’ll bring her computer in here tomorrow and work on the Twitter idea, since I have wireless. I’ve also contacted the TV news programs in Holland and Grand Rapids. They sound interested in doing a story. And I think it would be helpful if you visit the churches that sponsor the youth fellowship and make a personal pitch. It would probably take you three Sundays to hit them all, but it’s doable if you’re willing. I checked the times of services at all of them. Part of your pitch should involve soliciting donations for the dinner auction—and encouraging people to attend. This kind of event can bring in big bucks if enough publicity and support is generated. Are you ready for this afternoon’s interview?”