Becalmed: When a Southern woman with a broken heart finds herself falling for a widower with a broken boat, it's anything but smooth sailing.

by Normandie Fischer

  His hands pawed her. His legs forced her back into the living room and toward the couch. Alex? This was Alex?

  He was so intent on getting her flat on her back that he didn’t realize what hit him when she kneed him in the groin. He cried out and she jerked free. As he doubled over in pain, Tadie raked her nails down his cheek, ran to the fireplace, and grabbed a poker.

  She brandished the iron rod above her head and said, “Get up,” with as much disgust as she could pour into her voice. “Get up, get out, and don’t you ever come near me again.”

  He hobbled to his feet, cupping his groin and moaning.

  “If I see your face within ten feet of me or find you anywhere near my house, my shop, or anyone I love, I will report your behavior to enough people to get you run out of town. I don’t care how much Matt thinks he needs you. And don’t even imagine he’ll take your side against me. Do you understand?”

  He didn’t answer, but he looked at her with a hatred she’d never expected to see on his face. As soon as she locked the door behind him, she headed to the phone. If Alex started whining some sob story, there was no telling where this would end.

  Hannah picked up on the second ring. “Hey, girl. I was wondering how your day went.”

  “Can you come over now?”

  “Sure. You okay?”

  “No. Is Alex still staying with you?”

  “He’s out right now, but, yeah, he’s still living here. Why? You need him to come too?”

  “No! Just you. You can tell Matt about it when you get back home.”

  “You want me to bring him? He’s in bed, but he could get dressed.”

  “Just come on before Alex gets back there.”

  Tadie was leaning against the kitchen counter, waiting, when Hannah jiggled the back door handle.

  “What’s going on?” Hannah asked, tossing her jacket over a chair. “You’ve got me scared, so spit it out.” Then she really looked at Tadie. “Lands, girl, you’re shaking. Come on, let’s go sit down.” She led Tadie to the couch. “Now, tell me.”

  “Alex. He—he attacked me.” Tadie tried to spit out the words, but the shaking only intensified.

  “Alex?” Hannah stilled for a moment. “He hurt you?”

  “He … he tried.” Her teeth chattered. “I … I got the poker.”

  Hannah’s face darkened and her words turned ugly. “That sorry, low-down bastard. He can’t be related to Matt.”

  Tadie seconded her, but silently. She couldn’t have spoken right then.

  Hannah’s arms pulled her into a hug. “Oh, honey, are you sure you’re okay? You want something hot? You’re still trembling.”

  Tadie started to shake her head, but changed her mind. “Hot water and lemon.”

  Rising, Hannah busied herself filling a mug, putting it into the microwave, and slicing a lemon. “You tell me when you’re good and ready. I’m not going anywhere.”

  It came out hesitantly once Tadie could cup her hands around the hot mug. How Alex had behaved the night before and what had transpired between her and Will—which sent Hannah into whoops before she calmed down enough to listen to the rest.

  This time, Hannah said, “The snake. Matt’s going to tar and feather him.”

  “Tar a snake? I wish he could.”

  “I’m going to call Rita to come down and stay with you, but I need to get home to see what’s happening there.” Hannah pulled her cell from her purse. “I never imagined anything like this from Alex, even as spoiled as he’s been all his life. But after I tell Matt, no way is that man going to have bed and board at my house. Not and act like that.”

  Tadie set the mug on the table. “Don’t call Rita. She’s with Martin, but she’ll be here before long. I’ll be okay, and they don’t need to know about this up at Elvie’s.”

  “James does, so he can watch out for you.”

  “Not tonight. Alex won’t come back, not when he’s had a chance to think about it. Especially when he finds out I called you over. It was just fool’s courage from too much liquor.”

  Hannah finally nodded. “Fine. We don’t want to get Elvie all upset. Let them have their Christmas night. But tomorrow, you hear?”

  “I hear.”

  Another hug and Tadie got up to lock the door behind Hannah. She turned out most of the lights as she went upstairs, trying to control her emotions, because she expected Will to call before he went to bed. It was part of the courting process, he’d said.

  She warmed at the thought as she climbed into the shower. Maybe she didn’t need another one, except to wash away Alex’s odor and any memory of it. Better to think of Will’s kisses instead of …

  Stop it. She couldn’t go there.

  But it was hard not to hope the creep still hurt from her nails and her knee.

  When the phone rang, she was tucked up in bed, staring at her book. Will began with the business of the day. “I think I’ve found the problem at the plant, so maybe I’ll be able to make it back by tomorrow night.”

  “I hope so.”

  “We’ll test the system in the morning, and if all goes well, I’ll catch the first flight out.”

  Tadie sympathized, but wanted other words.

  And then his voice changed. “I miss you,” he whispered. “I can’t believe how much I miss you.”

  Ah, there it was. She eased under the covers as the power of his voice settled through her body. “I know. How can things change so quickly?”

  She heard a chuckle. “Amazing, isn’t it?” Then he sobered. “I had this horrible thought on the way here. What if I hadn’t turned the car around? What if I hadn’t let down my guard?”

  “It would have happened later.”

  “I’ve been stubborn, clinging to the past, to my fears. I might have missed you.”

  Boy, he was good. He seemed to know just what she needed to hear. When she didn’t respond, he said, “Thank heavens for Jilly. She saw through it all, right to the heart of the matter.”

  “She brought us together.”

  “In spite of my fears, she certainly did.”

  His voice had grown husky on that last word. She slid her hand over the cool sheet, imagining him next to her, gazing at her with the same yearning she felt now. Still, one hurdle remained. “I’m not Nancy. I never will be.”

  “No, you’re not. I loved her—I won’t deny it. I’ll always love the memory of her. But for some reason, you’ve gotten to me, past all my defenses, and made me love you, Sara Longworth. Not a shadow of someone else, but you.”

  Mercy. Her throat went all tight.

  “You okay?”

  She tried clearing it. “I’m more than okay. You know what you’re doing, don’t you?”

  “What?”

  “Making me fall more in love with you by the minute.”

  “Isn’t that the way it’s supposed to be?” The love in his voice warmed her even as her belly shivered with joy.

  For a moment, he became quiet, but it was a comfortable silence. And then he said, as if the inspiration had just dawned on him, “You need a ring. What kind would you like?”

  “I haven’t thought about it.”

  “You make such beautiful jewelry, but I want to buy you something special, something you haven’t had to create yourself.”

  She tried to picture an engagement ring on her finger, remembering the early days with Alex when she’d dreamt of a huge diamond and the later days with Brice when she’d had one.

  “Maybe just a wedding band. I have a lot of stones and rings that belonged to my mother and grandmother. I would like something simple.”

  “Should we choose rings together when I get back?”

  “Oh yes.”

  “I love you, Sara Longworth.”

  “I love you, Will Merritt.”

  “How long do we have to wait? I’d like to get married soon.”

  “Me too.”

  “And Jilly.”

  She heard the humor as he spoke, the affection. “Then,” s
he said, hesitating only a moment, “why not next weekend?”

  “New Year’s? Could you pull it off that quickly?”

  “I don’t know why not, if our priest, John Ames, is willing and the church is free. He’ll have to meet you. I hope there aren’t rules and things we’d have to do first. I’ll call him tomorrow and ask.”

  “Where are you now?”

  “Snuggled in bed. Wishing you were here.”

  “You keep talking like that and I won’t be able to wait a week.”

  Tadie laughed softly. “Oh, you’ll wait.”

  “Yes, of course I will. I believe if we do it right, we’ll be blessed. I want this to be special for you, darling girl.”

  Tears sprang to Tadie’s eyes. “My daddy used to call me that.”

  “Darling girl?”

  “Yes.”

  “It’s what you are.”

  Chapter Thirty-eight

  Tadie carried her morning coffee into the library. Upstairs, Jilly slept, but here in this quiet room, Tadie pivoted her daddy’s chair toward the window and caught the faint whiff of cigar smoke. “Daddy, do you see how blessed I am?”

  Did she imagine him here, watching out the window with her as the shadows changed? She could almost feel the solid muscles of his thighs under the linen slacks he always wore. He never minded that she’d crease them when she climbed into his lap. He’d point out the different birds that splashed or merely dipped their bills into the birdbath just there, near the big azaleas. Now, she thought she heard a whispered, “I do, my darling girl. I couldn’t have wished for better.”

  She sat in the quiet room and let the image of her father morph into a longing for Will’s voice and his return. Sipping, she waited for the phone to ring. Surely he’d call.

  But it was Hannah who disrupted her peace, Hannah’s words that made her choke on her coffee.

  “Alex did what?”

  “He broke into Matt’s safe. Soon as I got home, I caught him with the door open, holding a bunch of bills and certificates. He’d probably have dug out my jewelry next.”

  “He’s full of surprises, isn’t he?”

  “Well, he’s gone now. Matt fired him, threw him out of the house, and said he’s going to make arrangements to get Alex out of the business.”

  “I’m sorry Matt had to find out what a cad his brother is.”

  “We’re best rid of him. Bethanne’s not likely to take him back. Maybe he’ll go live near his daughters, Lord, help them.” Hannah paused and her tone changed as she said, “On another subject, Matt’s thrilled about your news. When’s the wedding?”

  “We’re thinking New Year’s Eve.”

  “Tell me you’re kidding. That’s less than a week away. How are we going to manage so quickly?”

  “With your help, kiddo. You’re wonderful at that sort of thing.”

  “It will take a lot of phone calls. What about the church?”

  “As soon as nine o’clock rolls around, I’ll find out.”

  “If you can’t get the church, we could have it here.”

  “Lovely idea. I want it simple. Just a few friends and a nice meal afterward.”

  Call waiting cut in. It was Will.

  “Hannah, I’m going to take this. Catch up with you later.”

  She clicked over to the voice she wanted to hear.

  “Good morning, bright eyes,” he said, and she melted.

  “Bright eyes? Aren’t you the charmer?”

  “I’m missing you so much it hurts, but I’m sorry, it looks like I’ll be stuck here until tomorrow morning.”

  “Oh, Will.”

  “I know, love. But here’s my thought. If I fly directly from Atlanta to Baltimore, I can pull my car out of hock and spend Wednesday getting the Nancy Grace ready for you. She won’t know what to do, having a grown woman on board.”

  “What, you mean none of your other girlfriends fixed a meal there?”

  His voice felt like liquid honey pouring over her. “I told you there haven’t been any girlfriends. And the only crew we’ve taken on board were men.”

  Words she’d wanted to hear repeated. “No ghosts then?”

  “None. Except her name. Will that bother you?”

  “Nancy was your wife and Jilly’s mama, and she deserves a special place in your life.”

  “How’d I get so lucky?”

  Now his sigh sounded like pines in a light breeze, a soft soughing that brought comfort and peace. How had she gotten so lucky? Or blessed? Or whatever one wanted to call it?

  Little footsteps sounded in the hall outside, and Jilly peeked around the open door. Tadie motioned her in.

  To Will she said, “I don’t think luck has much to do with it. That’s one thing I’ve learned about loving. The more folks you give it to, the more you get back.” She pulled Jilly closer and held out the phone.

  “Daddy?” Jilly asked.

  “Come say good morning.”

  “Is that my girl I hear?”

  Jilly’s face lit up. “Hi, Daddy. When’re you coming?”

  “Soon, punkin. I’m going to go pick up our car and drive it down, so it might take a little longer than I thought.”

  Tadie eased out from under Jilly, leaving them to chat while she carried her mug into the kitchen. Cowardly, perhaps, but she didn’t want to tell Will about Alex’s visit—not when he couldn’t come racing to her rescue. And he’d definitely want to do that, but it was so unnecessary.

  Alex was long gone.

  * * * * *

  An hour later, Jilly shadowed Tadie into the office building of All Saints Anglican Church. The church secretary and a couple of the other women working that morning heard the chirpy little voice and came out to meet Jilly, while the rector, John Ames, ushered Tadie into his office. Now she had to tell this man, this Anglican priest, this grandfather who’d known her all her life, why she’d finally shown up at his door after such a long dry spell.

  He listened without a lot of comment as she asked him to marry her to Will on Saturday. “What about premarital counseling?” he said when her narrative slowed. “That’s how we normally do things here.”

  Tadie tried to sound coaxing, because who wanted to wait through weeks of counseling? Of course, if she said that, he’d probably mention patience and virtues and things she’d heard all her life. The way she looked at it, patience was something she might never acquire. And after all these years of waiting? Enough was enough. She wanted marriage and soon.

  Not to mention what came next.

  Finally, John pressed his palms on the desk and said, “I need to meet this fiancé of yours. Is he a believer?”

  She hadn’t considered that. Her hands flew to her cheeks. “I think so. He’s bound to be. I mean, I’m sure he’s not an atheist.”

  John hiked those bushy brows, making her feel about ten years old. “That’s something you need to know before you marry him, my dear. It won’t be much fun for either of you if you’re coming from different perspectives about God.”

  “He’ll be here Friday. You can ask him.” She should have asked. Why hadn’t she?

  True, it had all happened so suddenly. But the way Jilly prayed must mean someone in her life knew God. That child hadn’t picked up her faith by whimsy. “I’ll ask him when he calls tonight. But we might as well be realistic about this. I’ve not exactly been holding up my end either.”

  John steepled his fingers over his broad chest. “That’s another thing. You want to talk about it?”

  Fiddling with the hem of her shirt, Tadie tried to gather her words. “I almost lost my faith with all the deaths. You saw that. Then something else happened that hurt so badly, I ran as far as I could. Something with Will. But I shouldn’t have been afraid. It all worked out.”

  Understanding filled his kind eyes. “Doubting’s not wrong, Tadie. It’s what you do with it, how you struggle through it, that brings you peace or not.”

  “I know, but it scared me. I was alone, dealing with the wha
t-ifs. Things don’t always come together, do they?”

  “Sometimes they don’t. But if we trust, they always work out for good—maybe not the way we want them to, but for the best. And, ultimately, for the greatest happiness of everyone concerned. That’s something we can hold on to.” His voice held such certainty. It always had, which may have been one of the things she’d run from these last few years.

  “Your father would have wanted to know the man you plan to marry, so I hope you will be guided by me. If for some reason I sense that all is not as you’ve been led to believe, will you listen to a man who has only your best interests at heart? One who has known and loved you since you were a babe?”

  Tadie felt a rush of tears and swiped at them quickly. “I will.”

  He rose and came to her, resting a big hand lightly on her shoulder. “I miss them, you know. Few men could offer so fine and stimulating a friendship as your father. And his faith was a great thing, though usually quiet.”

  “I often talk to Daddy while I’m sitting in his chair or on Luna. I desperately wish he were with me.”

  “I’ve wished him here many a time.” He released her and moved to the window, staring out over the yard as if into his memories.

  She waited, caught up in her own. They shared so many, she and this priest.

  Finally, he turned. “You have Will here at eleven on Friday. If all is well, I’ll open the church and marry you on Saturday. Just don’t forget the license.”

  * * * * *

  A whirlwind swirled in their midst, with Hannah at its vortex pulling together a catered brunch. “And you won’t believe this,” Hannah said, “but Isa put me in touch with a friend in the North Carolina Symphony, and he’s willing to bring three friends—an entire string quartet. I’ve spoken with the florist, who’s coming by tomorrow with some ideas. Are we having it at the church or here?” With barely a pause for breath, she continued, looking up from her list of to-dos. “And, no, thank you, but I don’t want to go shopping in Greenville. I spent my wad in New York.”

  Tadie smiled at that, because Hannah had spent several wads while in New York. “I won’t know about the church until Friday. That’s when Will has his big interview.”