Garden of Her Heart (Hearts of the War Book 1)

by Shanna Hatfield

  With much to consider, he often visited the area and thought about his future, the future he yearned to spend with Miko.

  When he needed a place to relax and rest, he strolled through the section Miko called the rambling garden. To him, it seemed the most natural of all the areas the Yamada family had cultivated and created. Vine maple grew among the deciduous plants that had flourished on the hill for hundreds of years. Moss gathered on branches and trailed over rocks near the stream that flowed through the area before trickling down the hill to the orchard below. Quiet time spent wandering along the stone pathways there left him energized yet tranquil.

  Although it seemed strange to him to draw energy from the garden, Miko offered him an indulgent look when he mentioned it to her.

  Her favorite part of the garden was her grandmother’s garden. Lanterns and stepping stones, nestled amid a variety of trees and native shrubs, led the way to a rustic bamboo gate. The inner garden held a large water basin and a stone table with two small benches where Miko and her grandmother used to have tea parties.

  However, Rock’s favorite part of the garden encompassed the water gardens. The stream fed three ponds, each with a bridge. Purple iris edged a border around the deep pool at the base of the waterfall. Large stones across the narrow end provided a place to cross from one side to the other.

  “In Japan, only the wealthy would have a strolling pond garden. My grandparents have the wealth not of money, but of love, which is how this place came to be,” she said when he asked her about the design of the garden.

  He liked to stand on the bridge above the middle pond and watch the colorful carp dart back and forth among the cool shallows. He also enjoyed taking Miko’s hand in his as they meandered along the pathways near the water. It made him want to spout poetry, but the only poems he knew from memory he’d learned in the Army. The rhymes weren’t exactly fit for delicate ears.

  Afternoon would give way to evening. Reluctantly, they would walk back down the hill, leaving behind the idyllic world of their own creation in the place he thought of as Miko’s garden.

  She might enjoy coaxing the fruit and vegetables to grow on the farm, but she thrived in the secret garden of her ancestors. The joy she took in it was palpable, undeniable, and it reaffirmed Rock’s decision to do whatever it took to keep her and the land safe from harm.

  One Sunday evening after they’d eaten a simple dinner, they retired to the living room to listen to the radio. Miko worked on crocheting a dainty pink-and-white blanket for baby Alice Phillips while Rock pretended to read one of the gardening books Shig suggested.

  Absently flipping through the pages, he covertly watched Miko’s fingers twine through the yarn and the silver crochet hook flash back and forth in the golden evening light.

  A breeze blew in the open windows, stirring the curtains and carrying the scent of the cinnamon pinks blooming along the front porch.

  Wrapped in an extraordinary spell, Rock set aside the book and walked over to the rocking chair, where a spill of amber sunlight surrounded Miko. Entranced, he removed the yarn from her fingers and smiled at the surprised expression on her face.

  Without saying a word, he took her hands in his and pulled her to her feet, slipping one arm around her waist and holding her left hand in his right, in a classic dance position.

  Vera Lynn sang about a nightingale in Berkeley Square, a perfect song for a slow dance. As though they’d done so a hundred times before, they swayed in harmony to the music, palms touching, hearts racing, hunger for each other hanging heavy between them.

  When the song ended, Miko tipped her head back, studying him from beneath long, dark lashes. Rather than release her, he nudged her closer and continued dancing as Helen Forrest sang “You Made Me Love You.”

  Ever so slowly, Rock dropped his head toward hers. As Helen sang about someone having the brand of kisses that she’d die for, Rock thought he might die right there if he didn’t claim Miko’s kisses for his own. The thought of kissing her, of tasting the decadent sweetness that he imagined to be uniquely her, made his heart thump erratically in his chest.

  Only a breath of space hovered between their lips as he waited. Waited for her to rebuff him, to pull away… or close the distance.

  Consumed with his need for her but unwilling to frighten her, he brushed his thumb across her cheek and traced the line of her jaw. Reverently, he pressed a soft kiss to her mouth.

  In willing response, her hands slid behind his neck and subtly obliterated any space remaining between them.

  Rock abandoned all thoughts of dancing as he wrapped both arms around her and deepened the kiss. Lost to her, to the feelings she stirred in him, he had no idea how far things might have gone if a visitor hadn’t chosen that moment to arrive.

  The crunch of tires on the gravel outside made her jump away like a scalded cat. She braced one hand on the back of the sofa and held the other to the frenzied pulse throbbing in her throat. Thrown off balance, she drew in deep, shaky gulps of air.

  Eyes wide, she glanced behind her toward the front window, prepared to scurry into the kitchen to hide. Much to Rock’s surprise, she released an excited yelp and bolted outside.

  He watched as she leaped down the porch steps and ran into the open arms of a man with kind eyes and a welcoming smile.

  The man lifted her off her feet and swung her around in a fatherly embrace before setting her back down. Together, they walked up the sidewalk to where Rock waited on the porch steps.

  “Pastor George Clark, I’d like you to meet Captain Rock Laroux,” Miko said, introducing the two men.

  “Pastor, it’s a pleasure to meet you. Miko speaks so highly of you,” Rock said, extending his hand to the older man.

  Pastor Clark took his hand and shook it with enthusiasm, smiling broadly. “The pleasure is all mine, young man. I would have been here sooner, but I just returned from London a few days ago. I’ve been so busy settling my sister and niece in my home, I didn’t realize until yesterday all the Japanese in our area have been carted off to that detestable livestock pen near the river.”

  Rock tossed the pastor a warning glance and slight shake of his head, wanting to shield Miko from the trials her family endured.

  Pastor Clark cleared his throat and gave Rock an almost imperceptible nod. “I went to the center this afternoon and spoke at length with your family, Miko, as well as the administrator of the facility. He seems like a fair man who is only enforcing the orders he’s been given.”

  “How are Papa and Mother? Are Granddad and Grandma well? Has Tommy grown?” Miko asked, leading the way inside and motioning for the pastor to take a seat. “Would you like anything to drink? Have you had dinner?”

  The pastor laughed. “So many questions, Miko. Just like old times.”

  She smiled and her face softened with memories of happy moments from her past.

  Pastor Clark squeezed her hand. “I wouldn’t turn down a cool drink. I did have dinner, but I wouldn’t mind a little something if you have it.”

  “I’ll be right back,” Miko said, rushing into the kitchen, leaving the two men alone.

  Rock took a seat in one of the wingback chairs while the pastor settled into the cushions of the sofa. With his elbows braced on his knees, Rock leaned forward and spoke on a low tone. “I thought it best if Miko didn’t know the, um… conditions of the assembly center. She’s still not convinced she should stay here instead of joining her family. If she knew the deplorable conditions, I’m afraid she’d run right down there.”

  Pastor Clark nodded in agreement. “Most likely she would. You seem to have learned quite a lot about our girl since you met. Her parents filled me in on how you came to be here. Shig said you purchased the place with the intention of selling it back to him when he can return.”

  “That’s right. The family has worked too long and too hard to make this a prosperous farm to have someone waltz in and take it from them. At least this way, their interests are protected and it gives me so
mething to do until I figure out my next step.”

  “Jack mentioned you’d been injured. Are you doing better?” The pastor studied him, trying to picture the robust, healthy man in front of him as the damaged, wounded soldier he’d imagined.

  Rock grinned. “About a hundred percent better.” He held out his weak hand. “The doctor tells me this might never work like it used to, but other than that, I’m feeling much improved since I’ve been here. I think it’s a combination of the fresh air, good food, and a wonderful nurse.”

  “I keep telling you, I’m not a nurse,” Miko said, glaring at Rock as she entered the room. She carried a tray with glasses of iced tea and slices of cake covered in fresh strawberries and whipped cream.

  “That certainly looks delicious, Miko,” the pastor said, accepting the plate she held out to him along with the tea.

  Rock took a plate and draped the napkin she handed him over his knee, leaning back in the chair as Miko took a seat next to the pastor.

  She asked him about his trip and how long his sister and niece would stay with him. He planned to visit Sally soon and offered to take anything Miko cared to send to her friend.

  “Sally said she was so relieved when she received a letter from you,” Pastor Clark said. He finished his cake and set his empty plate on the tray Miko left on the coffee table in front of the sofa.

  “I didn’t have a way to mail her when I first arrived home. I was afraid if I called, someone would figure out I was here instead of with my family.” Miko glanced at the pastor, a man who had been like a second father to her throughout her life. “Did I do the right thing, hiding here? It seems dishonest.”

  Pastor Clark sat forward and took her hand in his, giving it a reassuring pat. “As a pastor, I should probably advise you to turn yourself in and face the consequences. However, as your friend and the closest thing you have to an uncle, I will lock you in your room and toss away the key if you take a notion to go to the assembly center. You can do far more good for your family here than there. In my opinion, detaining everyone of Japanese descent along the Pacific Coast is one of the most preposterous things I’ve ever heard of in my life. The whole thing seems like a violation of rights to me, but no one asked my opinion.”

  Miko grinned. “If they did, they’d have received an earful and then some.”

  “That’s right.” The pastor tweaked her nose, as though she was six years old, and grinned at Rock. “I’m somewhat concerned about Miko’s safety, though. If anyone discovers her, they’ll turn her in and she’ll be arrested as a fugitive and a war criminal. With the produce stand open, it’s only a matter of time before someone figures out she’s here.”

  Rock cast Miko a worried glance, then turned to the pastor. “The thought crosses my mind daily, but I don’t know what to do about it. Without the produce stand, we wouldn’t make a profit and the farm would suffer, but I do worry about Miko. She works during the day out of sight, but, as you said, it is only a matter of time before her whereabouts are discovered.”

  Pastor Clark sat back and crossed his hands over his belly. “After giving the matter considerable thought, I think it would be best if Miko and you wed.”

  Miko shot to her feet and glared at the pastor as if he’d sentenced her to marry the devil instead of the handsome man across the room.

  Stunned by the suggestion, Rock gaped at the pastor, wondering if the man was a genius or a lunatic. Although he wanted nothing more than to make Miko his own, a few obstacles blocked the way to marital bliss.

  For starters, marriages of mixed race were illegal in the state of Oregon. Even if that wasn’t an issue, since Miko was a fugitive and considered a criminal, she couldn’t march into a courthouse and apply for a marriage license.

  Then there was the matter of Miko’s heart. Rock hoped he sensed love starting to blossom, but it might just be wishful thinking on his part.

  The look on her face as she glowered at Pastor Clark combined with her stiff, tense posture indicated she wasn’t receptive to the suggestion of spending her life with him.

  “It’s a great idea,” Rock said, drawing the gazes of both the pastor and Miko. While Pastor Clark smiled and nodded encouragingly, Miko’s gaze narrowed and her eyes sparked with anger.

  “A great idea?” she fumed, pacing back and forth in front of the fireplace. “It’s a horrible idea! Did both of you forget it’s illegal for Rock to marry someone like me?”

  Rock leaned back in his chair and tossed her a devilish smile. “Since when did they outlaw marrying beautiful women? I will definitely have to write a letter to our congressman.”

  Pastor Clark laughed and slapped his leg, then waggled a finger Rock’s direction. “I like this one, Miko. He’s got a sense of humor on top of his other redeeming qualities.”

  “Would you both stop this ridiculousness and listen to reason?” she demanded, plopping down on the wingback chair across from Rock. “You can’t change facts. We can’t marry in Oregon. I’m a fugitive from the law. Besides, Rock has sacrificed enough for this family without being stuck with me for the rest of his life. Even if I did agree to this ludicrous plan, what’s to keep the authorities from arresting me after we wed?”

  The pastor started to speak, but Rock sent him a beseeching look and interrupted. “Miko, if you’re willing to do this, we can make it work. It isn’t illegal to marry you in Washington. We could drive across the river to Vancouver and wed in a simple ceremony. As for anyone pressing charges against you, I could claim that I refused to let my wife go and it’s all my fault. It wouldn’t be far off the truth, because I did refuse to let you go the first hundred times you suggested it.”

  “Rock has a good point. You’d be under his protection if you married. In regard to your wedding ceremony, I’d be happy to perform it. As a minister, I can do that sort of thing,” Pastor Clark said with a mischievous smile.

  Rock leaned forward again. “See how easy it was to overcome that worry. As for you being a fugitive of the law, maybe if you wore a hat with a veil, no one would notice you’re Japanese. With your height, most people don’t expect you to be anything but American.”

  Pastor Clark slapped the palms of his hands together and chortled in excitement. “That’s the ticket, Rock. Miko, wear a big hat with something that hides your face. No one will know and everything will be just fine.”

  “What about my name? I have to put it on the marriage license and it’s not exactly like Betty Smith or Susan Jones.” Miko continued casting glares between Rock and the pastor, trying to decide which one of them was crazier. At the moment, it was impossible to choose.

  “You could list your name as K. Jane Nishimura,” Rock suggested. “For all they know, you could be a widow of a Japanese man.”

  Exasperated, she rose to her feet and began pacing again. “Fine, fine! I can’t believe my pastor is encouraging me to be deceptive.”

  Pastor Clark shrugged. “Desperate times, my dear, we are in desperate times.”

  “But that still leaves the matter of Rock tying himself to me for the rest of his life.” She waved a hand his direction. “I can’t and won’t allow it.”

  “You aren’t allowing anything if I volunteer.” Rock stood and grabbed her arms in his hands, bringing her frantic pacing to a stop. His gaze held hers and he stared into those dark eyes, searching for some sign that she was open to the idea of being his wife. Several intense moments later, he spied a flicker of longing, a spark of desire, and knew he hadn’t been wrong about her interest in him.

  Many long, happy marriages began with less than what he and Miko already shared — respect, admiration, loyalty, friendship, and devotion. He could do far worse than marry the lovely girl. In truth, his heart had flipped over in excitement the moment the pastor mentioned it.

  He wanted nothing more than to have Miko by his side for the rest of his life. The only remaining challenge was to convince her of his sincerity.

  “Please, Miko? Would you at least consider marrying me?”r />
  She shook her head and tried to pull away from him, but he drew her closer, wrapping his arms around her and holding her. His breath tantalized her ear as he bent his head near hers. “Please?”

  “I can’t, Rock. I don’t want to be the cause of you missing out on the love of a lifetime.” She turned her head to the side and pressed it against his neck. Unintentionally, she heightened the yearning that already pulsed between them. Forcibly, he relaxed his hold on her.

  “Miko,” he whispered. “Look at me, sweetheart.”

  Unhurried, she tipped her head back, drawn into the bright warmth of his eyes.

  “Miko, if I didn’t want to marry you, I wouldn’t offer. I rather like the idea of spending my future with you. We have more going for us than many couples who wed. There is no doubt in my mind at all about your ability to be a good wife. Me, on the other hand…” His cocky grin brought an amused light to her eyes. “It might be challenging to be married to someone like me.”

  A smile curved her mouth upward and Rock tamped down the desire to kiss her again, even with the pastor watching their every move.

  “Let me think about it before I sentence you to a future of misery,” she said with a sassy smile. “After all, you wouldn’t be getting an average wife and I’m not sure you’re ready to settle down. I’ve heard the girls flirting with you in the produce stand and you don’t ignore them as much as you should.”

  Affronted, Rock released her. “I’ll have you know I’ve not done a thing to encourage them. Why, just yesterday I—”

  Miko laughed and the pastor chuckled. She winked at Rock. “I had you going, Captain Laroux.”

  Pastor Clark stayed long enough for Rock to load a box full of tomatoes, peas, radishes, lettuce, and a basket of strawberries in his car before he left. He gave Rock directions to the courthouse in Vancouver where he needed to acquire a marriage license and told him to call when he and Miko were ready to proceed with a wedding.

  When Rock returned inside the house, Miko was gone. He almost walked up the hill to talk to her, but decided to give her the time and space she needed.