Peg bit her lower lip. Well, that was true. He sold her his heart, and she accepted it. “Why can’t we work this out, Lord? I really don’t understand the problem.”
She rested on the stool and read through all of Matt’s entries. He’d been very detailed in every record he kept. She could never question the man’s honesty.
“Honesty. Have I been less than honest with him, Lord?” Peg glanced at the harbor. A two-masted schooner was sailing in. She wondered if Micah were on board.
She went back to work, going over Matt’s figures. The cries of a ship arriving soon filled the streets. Folks hurried to the harbor in anticipation of packages, guests, and returning family members. Peg looked over the crowd. Matt was nowhere to be found.
The ship slid up along the end of the pier. The seamen jumped on the dock and secured the lines. How many times had she seen ships docking over the years? She couldn’t wager a guess. But each time brought her a certain fascination. Most captains were highly skilled, and the ships came to a gentle stop. Once in awhile, you’d get a newer captain, and he’d bang into the pier. Even fewer times she’d seen some damage done to the vessels. But those events were less than a handful.
Today’s captain was an expert seaman. His ship kissed the dock with such a tender touch there was hardly a whisper of the lines going taut. Peg smiled.
Soon the passengers started to depart. Some wobbled, but most found their legs quickly. Probably from Savannah, she thought. She watched for Matt’s son. One by one, the passengers departed and were greeted by those awaiting their arrivals.
Peg’s smile broadened. Nathaniel waved with his arms draped over a young woman. She watched him point toward her window. Peg stood closer and waved in return. Julie must be Mrs. Nathaniel Farris by now. Won’t the island be buzzing? Peg quickly scanned the locals watching the passengers disembark. Sure enough, women were already smiling and whispering one to another.
Peg chuckled and glanced back at the ship.
A young man with golden waves jumped off the ship. He searched the crowd, looking for his family. Peg took a closer look. Her hands clasped the sill. “Lord, it can’t be,” she gasped. “Billy.”
Fifteen
Matt worked his way through the crowd. He’d been late getting up this morning, having spent most of the night packing and making the boat ready for his trip to Key Visca. When word reached his door that a ship was docking, he was only half dressed and hadn’t shaved.
“Micah!” he shouted.
His son turned his head toward him. “Excuse me,” Matt said stepping past another man.
“Father!” Micah hollered back.
Matt fought the tears that filled his eyes. Both men ran up to each other and wrapped their arms around each other, giving each other a couple of good solid slaps.
“It’s good to see you, Son.” Matt pulled back and scanned his son from head to toe. Then Matt’s stomach flipped. Beyond his son’s shoulder, he could see Peg staring at them.
“It’s great seeing you. The house is so lonely without you.” Micah beamed, then scanned the area.
“I’ll be returning with you, I think.”
“What? I thought Key West was the answer for the business.”
Because your mother is here, and I’ve fallen in love with her. But he held his inner thoughts at bay. “We’ll discuss it later. Where are your bags?”
“A seaman said he’d bring them.”
Matt grinned. “I think you’re thicker around the middle.”
“Too many meals at Anna’s restaurant.”
“She owns the place?” Nice change of subject. Micah’s love life seemed far more appealing to discuss.
“No, she just works there. But she fed me well.”
“How’s that relationship going?”
“It’s not. I mean, I like her and all, but I don’t feel the sparks. You know, like you and Mother had.”
Matt grinned and fussed with his son’s hair. “I know. You’ll have to tell me all about her and school. How did your final examinations go?”
“Well, my grades were all in the upper percentiles.”
“Wonderful. I knew you could do it, Son. I’m so proud of you.”
“Thanks. I had my moments.”
Matt chuckled. “Don’t we all. Advanced studies can drive a man crazy. Your mother really helped pull me through. She was the distraction I needed.”
“Work did that for me. Don’t let me forget to tell you about some interesting developments.”
“Oh?”
“I may have made some good contacts for us.”
“Do tell!”
Micah chuckled. “Later. We have plenty of time.”
“True. So how was the voyage?”
“Fine. The weather was calm, no storms.” Micah turned his head to the left. Something behind Matt had caught his attention. Silently, Matt prayed it wasn’t Peg Martin.
“Hello, Mr. Bower, is this your son?”
Thank You, Lord. “Hello, Ben. Yes. Let me introduce you. Micah, this fine young man is Ben Hunte, and he’s very industrious. Ben, this is my son, Micah.”
Micah extended his hand. Ben took it, then leaned into Matt and whispered, “Did he own slaves?”
“No, Ben. Micah has never owned a slave.”
Ben beamed. “Pleased ta meet ya, Mr. Micah.”
“Pleasure meeting you, Ben.” Micah caught Matt’s eye and raised his eyebrows.
“Later,” Matt mouthed.
Micah grinned.
Micah’s bags arrived.
“Need help bringing ’em to your house, Mr. Bower?”
“No, thank you, Ben. I think we can handle it.”
Ben stepped back. “All right. Have a merry Christmas, if I don’t see ya again.”
“You too, Ben.” Matt reached into his pocket and pulled out a silver dollar. “Merry Christmas.”
“Thanks.”
“You’re welcome. You’ve been a big help to me while I’ve been on Key West.”
Ben shuffled his feet in the dirt. “I was hoping to get a job from your warehouse, once you built it.”
Matt didn’t have the heart to tell the child on Christmas Eve that he probably wouldn’t be building the warehouse. “We’ll see, Son.”
Ben ran off after saying good-bye. “What’s this about owning slaves?” Micah asked.
❧
Peg grabbed her crutches and headed toward the door. Billy, or rather his look alike, was Micah, Matt’s son. Had Esther been a relative of Billy’s? Was Matt a cousin of Billy’s? Peg couldn’t remember Billy ever talking about having rich cousins. He was as poor as her family had been. Which wasn’t as poor as some folks, but certainly not as well off as others.
She watched as Ben Hunte had been introduced to Micah. Surely, Matt would bring Micah here. But was that the “truth” that Matt had mentioned yesterday? Did he know she and Billy had an affair? Could he have just told Matt or his family that he’d had his way with her?
It was all so confusing, and yet it strangely made sense of yesterday’s conversation. If Matt had known…then he would have known she hadn’t told him everything about her past.
Mariella walked into the store. “Is that Mr. Bower’s son?”
“I believe so.” Peg shifted on her crutches.
“Where’s all your stuff?” Mariella demanded with her hands on her hips.
“Appears Mr. Bower’s been selling it. And probably told folks to not bring in anything new until after I move.”
“Makes sense. Whatcha want me to do?” Mariella scanned the nearly barren room.
“Your father insisted that you come to the store with me. If I didn’t expect to hear from him when I returned later in the day, I’d let you go.”
“Yes, I hear you. Daniel can be…”
“When did you start calling him Daniel?”
“Momma said I don’t have to call him Father iffin I don’t want to. It’s not that I don’t love him or nothing. It’s just that he isn�
��t my father.”
“I understand. I imagine Daniel does too, but don’t you think it might be wise to call him, oh, I don’t know, something like Uncle Dan, or some other name like Papa, or at the very least, Father Martin or Mr. Daniel?”
Mariella shrugged.
“Showing Daniel respect by giving him the special honor of a special name would make him very proud. I do know he loves you very much.”
“Yes, he’s a good man, and he’s wonderful with my mom. He treats her like she’s special. When my father would come home he always made Momma work. Momma said it was the Spanish way. A wife showed honor to her husband by doing everything for him and treating him like a king. Personally, I like Mr. Daniel’s way better.”
Peg grinned. She turned back to see Micah and Matt heading toward town. Her heart sank that he wasn’t bringing his son to meet her. But then again, did she really want to be confronted about her past in front of Mariella or Micah?
No, she would just have to wait until a more appropriate time. After all, Matthew Bower would be staying in Key West for quite awhile. There was plenty of time for them to heal the differences between them. Even if they didn’t become anything more than friends, Peg hungered to have their relationship right.
Peg waved as Matt turned back and saw her standing in the doorway.
❧
“Who’s that?” Micah asked.
“A friend. Her name is Peg Martin. She and her brother were born in Savannah.”
“Really, what happened to her? I mean, why is she on crutches?”
Matt waved back to Peg. As angry as he was with her, he wasn’t about to show it in front of his son. Peg nodded and hopped back inside her store.
“She fell through the dock we just purchased.”
Micah’s jaw dropped. “You bought a rotting dock?”
“In places, yes. It’s behind that building she’s in.”
“That doesn’t sound like you, Father. I’ve never known you to make an unwise business purchase. Is there something between you two that I ought to know about?”
“No. We’re friends, nothing more.” Matt coughed.
Micah’s blue eyes pierced his own.
“Sure.”
“Seriously, Son. After her accident I helped her out with her business, and I visited her most evenings.”
“You visited her?” Micah turned and headed toward Peg’s store. “This woman I’ve got to meet. Come on, you’ve got approximately two minutes to tell me everything before I ask the lady myself.”
“I owned the dock at the time she had the accident. I felt guilty. After all, I knew the condition of the dock but didn’t rope it off, and I didn’t put up a No Trespassing sign. Legally, I was responsible for her injuries.”
“Now that sounds like my father.” Micah grinned. “I still want to meet her. I suspect there might be other emotions at work here besides guilt.”
“If there were, and I do mean if, there’s no room for anything to develop between us. We look at life differently.” A hint of bitterness rolled off his tongue.
“Ouch.”
“Micah,” Matt groaned.
“All right, all right. You win this time. But trust me, Father, this conversation isn’t over. Besides, if you’ve found someone, I’m sure Mother would be pleased. I know she didn’t want you to remain single. She and I talked about it many times before she died.”
“You what?” Matt raised his voice. “Why on earth would you and your mother be discussing such matters?”
“I believe she wanted me to be comfortable with the idea if you should ever find someone.”
Micah placed his arm around his shoulders. “Your mother was something.”
“Yes, she was. I really miss her. With you being gone for the past two months, I’ve realized just how lonely life is without her and you around.”
Matt took a step toward his house, leaving Southern Treasures a step further behind him and Micah. “I rented a boat, Micah. I thought we could sail to Key Visca and have a quiet holiday on the sea.”
“I just got off a boat and you want me back on one?”
“I suspect it would be quite conducive for private conversation.” Matt leaned closer to his son’s ear. “This island has the fastest gossip chain I’ve ever seen. A lightening strike during dry season hitting the beach grass can’t burn faster than this island news. Never seen anything like it before.”
“Interesting. I’ve been hearing a bit more gossip lately from Anna than I ever knew existed between people. That girl can talk. Nothing is safe around her. I learned quickly to guard my tongue. I heard more news about folks I never met than I heard in a lifetime of sitting around talking with my cousins and their servants.”
Matt chuckled. “Sounds like she’d love Key West.”
“Obviously, we have private matters to discuss, and if an ocean voyage with the two of us is the answer, I’m willing. When do we leave?”
“I hoped tonight, with the evening tide.”
“Would the morning one be all right? I’d really like to spend one night in a bed that doesn’t move.” Micah grinned.
Matt chuckled. “Tomorrow it is then.”
“So, where do you live?”
“Couple more houses up on the left.” Matt could make out the whitewashed fence in front of the cottage he’d rented. “There,” he pointed.
“Not too far from the harbor,” Micah commented. “What’s all that?”
Matt noticed bundles and packages piled next to his front door. “I have no idea.”
❧
The sun began to sink in the sky. Mariella turned the OPEN sign in the door window to read CLOSED. “I can’t wait to go home.”
“Thank you for helping me today. I know we didn’t have too many customers, but I’m not as strong as I hoped I’d be.”
“I don’t mind.” Mariella fingered a small stuffed animal. “Tía Peg?”
Mariella didn’t call her Aunt too often, and rarely in Spanish. “What do you need, Child?”
“I know I said I’d help you but…”
“The day is done. It’s time to go home and start preparing for our holiday dinner.”
“No, I mean, well, I don’t want to sound awful, it’s just that I have a friend I’d like to give a gift to, but I don’t have any money. And I didn’t want to ask Daniel, I mean, Papa Dan…”
“I like Papa Dan. I think Daniel will like it too.”
“Thanks.” Mariella looked down at her feet.
“There isn’t much left in the store, but pick whatever gift you think would suit your friend. You earned it.”
“Really?”
“Yes, Dear. Go ahead.” Peg wasn’t surprised to see her pick up the small stuffed animal. She’d seen Mariella return to it several times. In fact, Peg had thought she herself might sneak it home as another gift for Mariella. It pleased her to see Mariella picking a gift for a friend instead of something for herself—a definite sign of maturity.
“Thank you, Tía Peg.”
“Shall we wrap it?”
“You make such pretty packages. It’s hard to open them they are so pretty.”
Peg smiled and sat on her stool. “Is this friend a boy or a girl?”
“A girl. Her momma works real hard but…well, her father also died in the war. They don’t have much.”
“Hmm, why don’t you pick out a couple other things then. Something for her mother. Does she have any brothers or sisters?”
“No, it’s just her and her mother. She’s only five.”
“Would she like one of those dolls over there?” Peg pointed to a couple of rag dolls she still had left.
“Oh, yes.” Mariella’s face lit up.
“Come on, we have some work to do. Let’s put these gifts together as a surprise. If you wish, we could have them delivered to her house, and she wouldn’t know who gave them the gifts.”
“Is that better?”
“Depends on why you want to give. The Bible talks about us g
iving to others so that one hand doesn’t know what the other is doing. In other words, doing our good deeds in secret. This could be our little secret. Only God will know.”
Mariella placed the rag doll and stuffed animal on the counter. “Jesus’ birthday is a good time to show people God’s love. I think we should do this in secret. Who can we get to deliver our package?”
“I’ll find someone. Let’s wrap these items up. Under that counter over there I have special squares of fabric just for wrapping gifts. You’ll also find some ribbons. Pick some bright reds and greens. Perhaps some ivory too.”
Peg gathered a couple items she felt a woman might appreciate and placed them on the counter as well. “Anything else?” she asked Mariella.
“Some of these items you didn’t make. You’ll have to pay for them.”
“True, but I only pay a part of the price. Besides, Mr. Bower made quite a few sales this month. Perhaps I should be laid up more often. I don’t think I’ve ever sold as much merchandise in a month as Mr. Bower sold in the past couple weeks.”
Mariella grabbed another small trinket suitable for a child.
“Now let me show you how to wrap this so that it makes unwrapping it just as much fun as receiving the presents.”
Her eager student sat down beside her.
The door rattled in its hinges, and they both jumped. Peg looked up at the storefront window and saw Bea Southard frantically waving. “Mariella, open the door for Mrs. Southard.”
Mariella obeyed, and Bea pushed into the room. “I’m so glad I caught you. Is it true?”
Sixteen
“Is what true?” Peg stood up too quickly on her bad leg.
“That Grace is returning to Cuba with Juan?” Bea sat down at the counter.
“Yes, she told me the other day that she and Juan were going to marry and move to Cuba. He found a job there.” Peg looked over to Mariella. She wasn’t sure what she knew or didn’t know of Grace’s condition, and she hoped Bea would catch the movement of her eyes.
“Then I am truly happy for them. What do you have here?”
Mariella chirped, “They are some gifts for a friend of mine.”
“They are quite nice. May I help wrap them?” Bea asked.
“Of course. An extra set of hands is always helpful. We’re wrapping each item first, then gathering them all together in this cloth.”
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