by Lori Wick
"Sold," he said softly and shook the hand Smokey offered
to him.
"When are you coming for another visit?" Tate asked
without relinquishing his hold of her hand. His question so
surprised Smokey that she didn't immediately answer.
"I wasn't sure I'd still be wanted," she finally admitted
"Then you weren't listening very well when we said goodbye.
Now, when can we expect you?"
Smokey was so moved by the sincerity of his eyes and
voice that she felt warmly overwhelmed.
"Two weeks?"
"Make it ten days."
Smokey's laugh filled the room. She reclaimed her hand
and stood. After introducing Darsey, who would handle the
rest of the transaction, she made ready to leave.
"Ill tell Jen she can expect you," Tate called to her retreat-Ing
back.
Smokey tossed a grin in his direction as she exited the
She'd been buying and selling since before her father
59
died, trading with shipping magnates and amassing a small
fortune for herself in the last few years. But she didn't know
when the sale of her cargo had ever felt so fine.
61
"I HAVE SOMETHING TO TELL YOU, SMOKEY." Jenny's VOice was
hushed as the two women sat close together on the large sofa
in the Pembertons' parlor.
"What is it?"
"We haven't told anyone, and I need you to keep it a
secret."
"All right," Smokey agreed and watched as Jenny's eyes
glowed with excitement.
"I'm going to have a baby."
"Oh, Jen," Smokey whispered. The two women embraced
for long moments, and when they broke apart their eyes were
suspiciously moist.
"When will the baby come?" Smokey's voice was now as
hushed as Jenny's.
"Next summer."
"That long?" Smokey's voice became quite loud, her brow
wrinkling in disappointment.
"It does take time, you know." Jenny was laughing so hard
over Smokey's reaction that she could barely talk.
"I know, but next summer! Why, that feels like years away!"
Again Jenny went off into gales of laughter. It was contagious,
and Smokey laughed too. They talked of babies for the next hour, and then Jenny asked Smokey about her plans for
J&ristmas.
61
"I'll be with Darsey at Willa's. Her children live in the area,
and they'll all come on Christmas Eve."
"What about Christmas Day?"
"It's pretty quiet. By the time the family goes home on
Christmas Eve, Willa is pretty worn out."
"Would they be terribly upset if you spent Christmas Eve
and Christmas Day with us?"
Smokey blinked "I don't know, Jen."
"Now what does that hesitant look mean?" Jenny couldn't
have asked that question several weeks ago, but having Tate
and Jenny learn of Smokey's occupation seemed to bring
down the wall that separated them.
However, Smokey had not told anyone about the way she
felt when she even thought about Dallas Knight. She didn't
think she was ready to share, not even with Jenny.
"I'll think about your offer, okay, Jen? Maybe I'll discuss it
with Darsey."
"Darsey means a lot to you, doesn't he?"
"Oh, yes," Smokey told her with a smile. "He was my
father's first mate before he was mine, and he's been beside
me since I was a baby. Willa told me that Darsey sees me as the
daughter he never had."
"Do you miss your father?"
"I do, but the anguish is gone. That first year, the pain was
so intense I didn't think I'd make it." Smokey suddenly grew
very quiet.
"I'm sorry if the subject brings back all the pain."
"It's not that," Smokey told her. "You and Tate have been
wonderful, but there's something more about me that I want
to explain."
"All right," Jenny's voice was expectant, but something in
Smokey's look made her heart thump with trepidation. Her
mind ran with every crazy thing Smokey could possibly say,
from being a pirate to having a husband and child of her own
somewhere.
"Not now," Smokey said, much to Jenny's disappointment.
"I want to talk to you when Tate is here too."
62
63
After two beats of her heart, Jenny agreed, knowing she
would have to put her curiosity on hold. It would be hard, but
she knew Tate deserved to hear the news firsthand. This was
obviously something very important to Smokey. Jenny wanted
to do all she could so Smokey would feel free to tell them in
her time, secure in the knowledge that Jenny's love was unfailing,
no matter what she shared
"I'm not ashamed of what I do for a living," Smokey told
Jenny and Tate that evening. They were alone in the library,
and dinner was over. "But I find that I'm something of a
curiosity."
"And you would rather we didn't tell everyone we know
that you are the captain of theAramis?" Tate interjected with
an understanding smile.
"Well, that would help, but I need to explain why." Smokey
stopped and took a breath. "You loved me and befriended me
when we were strangers, and I was a bit hesitant with you
because that's never happened before. I'm at sea so much, and
when I am home and people learn what I do, they become
quite curious. One question usually leads to another and I--"
Smokey stopped again, took a deep breath and went on.
"My father was the most wonderful father a girl could ever
hope to have. He was warm and caring, and he loved me to
distraction. My parents were not married until later in life,
and I wasn't born until he was 50 years old.
"I grew up at sea and loved it. I've never known any other
life. My father loved God, and he instilled in me a deep faith in
Jesus Christ. There was a lot he didn't know, and in turn, I have
much to learn, but he tried very hard to teach me from his
small store of knowledge." Smokey paused again, but Tate and
Jenny, feeling a bit confused, were absolutely quiet. Smokey
found she could no longer stay in her chair; she stood and
paced as she continued
"My father told me once that he never wanted to be a hero
to me. He only wanted to be my father, teaching me God's way
and making sure I knew he loved me.
"Nearly everything I know, I learned from him. My knowledge
of God, sailing, and life in general was learned at his
knee. He was my teacher, just as his father had been for him.
Many have heard of my father, but most know him only by his
first name. No one, not even when my last name is spoken,
thinks to tie him to me, unless they find out that I sail.
"And as proud as I am to call him my papa," Smokey's
voice dropped as she finished her speech and finally stood
still before her host and hostess, "most of the time it's easier if
people don't know that the legendary Clancy was my father."
The room was utterly still for the space of many heartbeats,
and then Jenny was coming toward her, her eyes wet
<
br /> with tears.
There were no speeches about how blessed Smokey was
or how honored the Pembertons felt to have her in their home,
just a long, loving hug between friends. The hug ended with a
bit of relieved laughter when Jenny shared that she thought
Smokey might share about being a runaway wife or pirate.
"I have admired your father since I was a little boy," Tate
told her when they were once again seated and Jenny had
poured tea.
"So have I," Smokey told him with a smile.
"You know," Tate went on, "I always thought Clancy had
been born over a hundred years ago."
"You're not alone in that belief." Smokey's voice was dry.
"His father's name was Clancy also, so the name Clancy has
been on the sea for many years. He told me once that to have
done everything that's been credited to him, he would have to
have been 200 years old"
"No wonder you're so good at what you do," Jenny complimented
Smokey.
"Isn't that the truth! If our son wants to go to sea," Tate's
face filled with excitement at the thought, "he could sail with
you and learn from the best."
66
"Oh, no," Smokey said with a laugh. "I'd be an old woman
by then, and I really hope I won't be sailing that long."
"Do you have to put some money aside before you can
stop?" Jenny's voice was filled with tender compassion, but
late and Smokey burst out laughing.
Smokey had just collected a small fortune from Pemberon
Shipping, which, even though some of it would pay for
business expenses, held a large chunk of profit. Jenny was
clearly naive as to the success of Smokey's business.
"It's not that, Jen," Smokey took pity on the confused look
on her friend's face. "It's just that until I met you, I thought I
would be at sea until the day of my death, just as my father had
been."
"What happened when you met Jen?"
"I wanted what she has. Not you personally, Tate," Smokey
told him with a cheeky grin. "But a husband of my own, a home
for us to share, and children, if God wills. There was a man
who was in love with me a few years ago. He asked me to
many him for over three years, and even though I cared for
him, and still do, I could never say yes."
"What happened to him?" Jenny wanted to know.
Smokey shrugged "He gave up on me and eventually
married someone else. I never see him anymore."
"Do you have regrets?"
"No, but I think I know why I could never say yes. I mean,
he was romantic, and I love romance. I also enjoyed listening
when he painted a lovely picture of us sailing the world
together. But just recently I realized that if ever I marry, I want
to have a home--a real home. And I don't want my husband to
be a sailor who's gone for months at a time!"
Smokey's last sentence was uttered with great passion,
and she was suddenly embarrassed at her own actions. She
forced herself to sit back in her chair, her face heating as she
looked down at her folded hands in her lap.
"We'll be praying that if God has a special man for you,
you'll know it."
65
"Thank you, Tate." His words relieved some of her embarrassment.
"That means alotto me. I've thought about what Jen
suggested when I was here before, and IVe decided that I will
make your church my own."
"Oh, Smokey, that's wonderful!"
"I'll still be gone at times; I do have a business to run."
"Of course," Jenny agreed. "But whenever you're home,
we'll expect you."
It was growing rather late, so all in the room were surprised
when Polly knocked on the door a moment later with a
note from Buck. It was brief, just wanting to inform them that
Dallas was in port and planned to visit on the next day.
67
By the time she walked downstairs to breakfast, Smokey
had convinced herself that she had no reason whatsoever to
worry.
standing before the mirror in her room, Smokey frowned
at her reflection. She had tried to do a little something different
with her hair, but it had been no use; she felt all thumbs.
With only enough pins for her usual hairstyle, nothing she had
tried looked quite right.
With a resigned sigh, she whipped it into its usual bun and
then stared at herself in disappointment. She knew very well
that none of this had made a bit of difference to her before she
had seen Jenny's hair and wardrobe, or met her handsome
brother.
Why did Dallas havs to come now? I had really hoped we
would miss each other this visit.
Smokey's mind went back to the day she had seen him on
the dock in London. It had been torture to walk by and not
speak to him. She'd gained her ship and watched him from the
deck until he was out of sight.
I don't know myself anymore. For so long my life was well
ordered. I had my work and performed it well. Now, I feel
discontent and confused.
Smokey took time to pray about her feelings and surrender
them to God Her heart calmed, and she realized that Dallas'
visit didn't necessarily mean they would see each other. After
all, she was going on a walk this morning and then meeting
Buck for lunch. Tomorrow she planned to leave.
"Well, Buck," Dallas spoke in surprise when the older man
came to the breakfast table. "You must have a date for lunch to
be out of bed this early." Dallas' question stemmed from the
fact that Buck was a night person. He loved to stay up late and
sleep late. Dallas tended to be just the opposite.
"Indeed, I do." Buck answered his brother as he sugared
the coffee just served to him.
"The lovely widow Rittenhouse?" Dallas asked expectantly.
"No," Buck'svoice became quiet. Dallas carefully watched
his face. "She thinks we should see other people. She also
thinks she's still in love with her first husband and wants to be
loyal to his memory."
"When did this happen?"
"Three days ago."
"I'm sorry, Buck." Dallas' compassion was real. "I know
you really care for her."
"You're right, I do, and for that reason I'm not going to give
up. I'm going to give her some time and then see if she's
missed me as much as I already miss her."
"But in the meantime, you're going to see other women?"
Buck frowned at him in confusion, but then shook his
head. "No, my lunch date is just a friend What are your plans
for the day?"
"I need to see Jenny this morning. It was too late to go last
night," Dallas told him. "After that I've some work to do on the Zephyr. In fact, I'd best be on my way. I'll see you later, Buck."
"All right, Dolly. Take care."
68
Smokey walked along at an easy pace, her long coat slap
ping at her legs. The sea was a cloudy gray today, the sky
overcast. It felt like it could snow at any time. Not headed
anyplace in particular, Smokey felt she could walk for hours.
S
he kept a steady pace until she spotted a beautiful home,
painted a bright white, sitting on a small point of land Smokey
stopped to drink in the scene.
Much like Jenny and Tate's, huge windows looked out over
the Atlantic on both the first and second floor. On either side
of this large home, however, were rounded rooms whose
walls were nothing but glass. Smokey's inspection ended with
the dormer windows in the roof, which gave the house a
three-story look.
"Hello."
She jumped at the sound of a female voice but looked up to
see that the woman was smiling.
"I'm sorry if I disturbed you," Smokey told her, "but I was
admiring your lovely home."
The woman, having just been on a walk herself, turned
with Smokey and stared up at the great house. "It is a beautiful
home," she spoke quietly. "But it hasn't been the same since
my husband died"
The woman turned to stare at Smokey then, as though
surprised she had admitted such a thing to a complete stranger.
Her face cleared when she recalled her manners.
"I'm Greer Rittenhouse," she voiced with a smile. "Are you
walking anywhere in particular?"
"No. I'm staying with Tate and Jennifer Pemberton. My
name is Victoria Simmons."
Greer's eyes now held recognition. "Of course, Buck mentioned
you."
"Oh, you must be the woman Buck is seeing."
"Well," the lovely widow looked rather uncomfortable.
"We're not dating right now, just friends."
"I'm sorry. That was rude of me."
"It's all right. You couldn't have known."
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The women looked to the house again, and Smokey was
very pleased when Mrs. Rittenhouse asked if she would like to
see the inside.
It was more lovely than Smokey could have imagined The
huge windows to the east that Smokey had seen outside gave a
view of the sea to rival that on her ship. The round rooms at the
corners of the house were the most lovely sitting rooms
Smokey had ever seen.
"It's a wonderful home," Smokey said with a touch of awe
in her voice.
"Yes, it holds many happy memories, but I'm not sure I
want to keep it."
"You would actually sell?"
"I might."
Smokey took a breath in an attempt to calm the frantic
beating of her heart. "Wouldit be presumptuous to ask if you'd
contact me if you're ever really serious about selling?"
"Not at all. I would want the house to go to someone who
would cherish it as I do."