by Lori Wick
"Thank you. Jennifer Pemberton knows how to reach me,
if ever you should try."
Smokey thanked her hostess, and Greer showed her out.
The wind had picked up, so Smokey tugged her hood into
place and continued on her walk. She hadn't gone ten yards,
head down against the wind, when she walked straight into
Dallas.
"I'm sorry," his deep voice sounded above her, and Smokey
looked up for just an instant.
"It's my fault," she spoke quickly, but in that instant Dallas
realized who she was.
"Smokey?" His voice sounded so pleased that Smokey
looked up in confusion, knowing he had no idea what having
his hands on her upper arms was doing to her heart.
"Hello, Dallas," Smokey said inanely.
"I was hoping I'd see you again."
"You were?" Smokey knew she sounded like an idiot, but
her heart had done a flip-flop on those words and she felt
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mesmerized by the sight of his beautiful blue eyes smiling
down at her.
"Yes, are you free for lunch?"
Smokey had little experience with men, but something in
his eyes and voice made her come back to earth with a thud
He was interested in her, but not romantically.
"I'm not free for lunch." Smokey kept her voice as level as
possible. "I'm meeting Buck at the hotel, and I really must be
on my way."
Dallas opened his mouth to say something, but changed
his mind Knowing Buck was not interested in Smokey beyond
being a friend, he'd been about to invite himself to lunch. But
something in Smokey's huge gray eyes stopped him.
"How long will you be in Kennebunkport?"
"Not long," she said evasively.
"Are you leaving today?" Dallas was not to be put off.
"No."
"Well, I hope I'll see you before you go."
Smokey nodded and moved on without speaking. Dallas
stood still and watched her go. He realized that he didn't just hope to see her before she left, he was banking on it. He hadn't
had time to see Jenny that morning, but he would be at her
house tonight for supper. If that didn't work, he'd camp on her
doorstep in order to put his mind to rest about the true
identity of Smoke.
The dining room of the hotel was warm and comfortably
furnished. It was run by one of Kennebunkport's oldest families,
and they prided themselves on good food and service.
Smokey was hungry and very pleased that she was eating just
five^minutes after they had been shown to a table.
"How is your meal?"
"It's wonderful, Buck. Thank you."
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"You seemed upset when you first came in, Smokey. Did
something happen?"
Smokey took another bite of food and didn't immediately
answer. "I saw your brother on my way here," she finally
admitted "I got the impression he wanted to talk with me,
and I'm not sure I'm comfortable with what he might have in
mind."
"It'll be easier for you when the whole family knows what
you do for a living, won't it?" Buck said the words gently, but
Smokey was still shocked With a precise movement she laid
her fork aside and stared across the table.
"How did you know, Buck?" Smokey asked, not wanting to
believe that Tate or Jenny would have told
"I'm a very observant man," Buck replied, carefully picking
up her hand "The look of your hands doesn't give you
away, but the touch does. I noticed it the night we met. Your
hands have worked hard for you for years. Your clothes are
the next thing I observed. They're not frilly, but the cloth is of
the finest quality.
"Added to these deductions is my insatiable reading
habit. I receive newspapers from all over the world I believe it
was just a few months ago that rumors began to circulate
through England and all of Europe that Smoke was a woman."
When Buck fell silent, Smokey nodded ruefully.
"I didn't know how to tell anyone. It was never my intent to
be deceitful. I had business with Pemberton Shipping just two
weeks ago, so Tate and Jenny just found out; they were wonderful
about the whole thing. And now Dallas wants to talk
with me, and I don't know what he might be thinking."
"And you do care about his opinion, don't you?"
"I would love to tell you that I don't, but I just can't lie
about it. I don't even know him really, but he's--" Smokey
couldn't find the words.
"It's painful for you, and I shouldn't have pressed you."
"It's all right." Smokey hesitated and then went on. "I
understand you have some pain of your own."
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Buck's brow was knit with confusion, so Smokey continued
softly.
"I met Greer Rittenhouse on my walk this morning. We
talked, and she showed me her home. Your name came up, and
she said you were just friends."
"It's the way she wants it," Buck admitted, pain now
furrowing his brow.
"She talked to me about her house, said she was thinking
of selling."
This was obviously new to Buck, so Smokey went on carefully.
"She gave me a tour of the interior, and I fell quite in love
with the place and its view. I asked her to let me know should
she ever decide to sell."
"You and Dallas," Buck's smile was wry. "He's loved that
house for years."
Smokey, not knowing how to answer, followed Buck's
example and continued to eat. Buck didn't say anything for
some minutes, and Smokey's mind began to wander. In a
perfect daydream, she saw the widow Rittenhouse happily
married to Buck, both of them settled comfortably in his
home. To make the dream complete, she and Dallas were
settled as husband and wife in the Rittenhouse mansion, with
its lovely view of the sea.
all dallas' doubts had been put to rest by the end of
dinner at the Pembertons' that very evening. There was no
conceivable way that this woman, who was so shy she could
barely look at him, could be the renowned Smoke.
She hadn't spilled her water this time, but her knife clattered
loudly against the edge of her plate whenever she set it
down, and her hands shook slightly for most of the meal. Since
she never once contributed to the conversation, Dallas was
honestly beginning to wonder if there was something seriously
wrong with her.
After they had retired to the parlor for tea, the horrible
thought that she might have a drinking problem struck him so
strongly that he retreated into a stunned silence for long
moments.
Of course, he thought to himself. That might explain why
Jenny is so interested in her, but is that safe? Does Tate realize
this?
"Are you still with us, Dolly?" Buck wanted to know when
Tate addressed a question to him and he didn't answer.
"I'm sorry," he said smoothly, pulling himself together
mentally. "What were you saying, Tate?"
"I just asked how this voyage went. I think you mentioned
seeing Lord Hawkesbury?
"
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"Yes. I even spent some time with him and his wife. It was a
good trip overall, especially since I had some time with Hawk.
Something funny happened when I was in London, however."
"Tell us about it," Jenny urged when Dallas paused To
everyone's surprise he turned to Smokey.
"Do you have a brother, Smokey?"
"No." Smokey answered after a surprised moment, knowing
she sounded as breathless as she felt.
Dallas chuckled and shook his head. "I thought you might
because I saw a sailor on the dock in London who looked very
much like you. I mean, he had a knit cap on his head and baggy
clothes, but it was his face I really noticed He really looked
enough like you to be your twin brother."
The room had grown so silent after this little story that
Dallas' doubts returned in a flood. When he spoke again,
there was no laughter in his voice. After sweeping the room,
his eyes pinned Smokey to her chair.
"While Hawk and I were visiting, he mentioned the latest
rumor to me. He said Smoke is a woman. Can you imagine?
You might find it amusing," Dallas went on, even though he
obviously didn't think it funny at all, "but when I saw that
sailor who looked like you, and remembered your name was
Smokey, my mind ran in some pretty ridiculous directions.
I've actually been thinking ihatyou might be Smoke." The soft
emphasis he put on the word "you" caused shivers to run up
Smokey's spine, but she forced herself to reply.
"I wear baggy clothes when I'm working," she softly stuttered.
"And a knit cap over my hair.' Smokey barely got the
words out, thinking she might be sick:
"Dallas must have seen you just before you headed here
with that shipment for me," Tate put in carefully, not at all
pleased with the way his brother-in-law had handled this.
Tate's words caused Dallas to look slowly around the
room. They all knew! Buck, Tate, and Jenny all knew she was
Smoke. For some odd reason, he felt betrayed. He was also
furious with himself for not taking the time to see Jenny that
morning to gain some answers.
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Though Dallas was unaware of just how angry he appeared
at the moment, Smokey caught it all and blamed herself. She
stood awkwardly, once again stuttering when she spoke.
"I'm going to turn in now. I have a big day tomorrow.
Thank you for a lovely supper." Before anyone could gainsay
her, she made her way from the room on legs that could barely
support her. She was just out of earshot when Jenny let Dallas
have the full blast of her fury.
"How dare you!" she spat at him in rage, coming to her feet
in one magnificent move. "How dare you treat a guest that
way in my home. You embarrassed the life out of her! You
could have come to me, but no, you waited until you had an
audience and then humiliated the life out of my friend"
Jenny would have gone on, but she was turned suddenly
with Tate's hands on her arms. His voice was strict, but his
touch was tender. "Calm down, Jennifer. I'll talk with Dallas. I
don't want you this upset right now."
"He had no right--"
"I know," he gently cut her off. "But if you don't calm down,
111 call the doctor." He pulled her into his arms then and held
her until she relaxed against him. He gave her a loving hug and
kiss, and then held her in front of him, his eyes locked with
hers.
"Go upstairs and check on Smokey. I'll be up in a moment."
He released her when she gave a small nod and saw her to the
door. Dallas spoke as soon as the door was shut.
"I'm sorry, Tate. I didn't mean to upset anyone."
"I realize that, but Jen is very protective of Smokey, and
you did handle that poorly."
"Poorly?" Buck put in, censure filling his voice. "You were
livid, and I can't understand why."
Dallas shook his head in disbelief. "I feel like such a fool.
Do you really mean to tell me she's Smoke?"
"One and the same," Tate told him. "I know it's hard to
believe, but Smokey's not at her best in social settings. I assure
you, she's quite different when dealing with business matters."
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"I'll apologize to her," Dallas said immediately. "Tonight,
if you'd like." Dallas stood, willing to seek her out on the spot.
"No, I think tomorrow will be soon enough. Jen's with her
now, and I suspect we all should sleep on it." late rose to leave,
but Buck stopped him,
"There's more, isn't there, Tate? You looked almost frightened
when Jen was upset. Can you tell us why?"
Tate hesitated for only an instant, hating to tell their
wonderful news on such a sober note. "She's expecting, and
although I've no reason to think she'll have problems, I'm not
going to court disaster."
"When?" was all Dallas could say.
"Next summer," Tate answered and this time he did leave
the room.
Jenny knocked on Smokey's door, but there was no immediate
answer.
"Smokey," she called softly after a second knock. "May I
please come in?"
"I'm going to bed, Jen." Smokey's voice was barely audible,
and Jenny knew she would never sleep unless she
talked with her. She eased the door open carefully and closed
it with a soft click.
Smokey, still fully dressed, was on the window seat, the
light from the full moon illuminating the tracks of tears on her
face. Jenny came and sat across from her, not touching her or
talking, but waiting and praying.
"He made me feel ashamed," she finally said, her voice
quivering with emotion. "I saw him on that dock in London,
but I never do anything to bring attention to myself while in
port. We'd met so briefly that I thought it was best to walk on
by. I never dreamed that he had noticed me. Now I feel like a
liar and a cheat. I'm also angry because he's made me feel
ashamed of the way I make my living."
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Jenny's arms came around Smokey then, and the small
woman, though older, sobbed in her friend's arms.
"Dolly is a Wonderful man, Smokey," Jenny began. "And
he's probably sorry right now for the way he acted I was
furious with him, but now that I've taken a few minutes to
calm down, I can see that he reacted out of shock. That doesn't
excuse him, but it might help you to see that it was nothing
personal."
"I guess you're right."
"In fact, he probably greatly admires you. Buck was telling
me before you came down for supper that your reputation is
incredible."
Smokey shrugged and used her handkerchief on her face
"Like my father used to say, there's no magic in it, just a lot of
hard work"
"It also must help to have the fastest ship on the ocean."
Jenny's voice was very droll, and they both giggled.
Tate came for Jenny then, urging her to bed and sleep.
Jenny made sure Smokey was all right before she left. She also
refused to budge
until Smokey promised to stay one day
longer than she had planned Smokey agreed, albeit reluctantly.
As Smokey fell asleep, she knew she would have to see
Dallas again before leaving. It was not a comforting thought,
but she told herself she would survive it. Of their own volition,
tears started up again before she slept, this time because she
wanted to talk with Darsey.
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"you're an awfully hard lady to track down."
Dallas' deep voice so frightened Smokey that she started
violently, and Dallas found himself apologizing over that
before he could voice what he had come to say.
"I didn't mean to sneak up on you."
"It's all right."
They fell silent for a few minutes, each with his or her own
thoughts, eyes out to sea.
Dallas had found Smokey in a craggy spot right above the
beach. He had gone bright and early that morning to apologize,
but Jenny had told him Smokey was on a walk. Dallas had
other things he could do, many in fact, but until he had made
things right between Smokey and him, he would not go to
work.
"About last night, Smokey," Dallas finally began, and
Smokey turned to look at him where he stood a short distance
from her. "In my surprise I handled the situation very badly.
I'm sorry."
"Thank you," Smokey said simply, and let her eyes rest on
him for a moment more. His presence made her so aware of
her rather plain looks and dowdy clothes that she couldn't get
comfortable around him. After just a few seconds, Smokey
transferred her gaze out to sea. She was surprised when
Dallas did not bid her goodbye and leave.
She was even more surprised when he sat down on the
rock beside her. There was nothing improper in the gesture,
in fact he was two feet away, but she felt his closeness like an
embrace.
"When do you sail again?"
Smokey answered without looking at himj it was easier
that way. "We're scheduled to leave tomorrow."
"Will you be gone long?"
"We'll be back a few days before Christmas."
"May I sail with you?"
Even though the question surprised her, she answered
immediately. "I don't take passengers."
"I meant as a crewman."
Smokey chuckled; she couldn't help herself. "Captains do not make good crewmen."
"I would" Dallas' deep, solemn tone forced Smokey to
look at him. He was staring at her intently.
He's serious/ she thought incredulously.
"Why?" she managed out loud