“That’s a lot of ‘ands.’ ” Keera giggled. She spun around and grabbed her mother’s hands. “Please, Mama? Say yes!”
“I’d love to.”
She grabbed Keera’s hand and started for the steps. Ian came up behind them and snatched Keera off her feet and swung the squealing girl up onto his shoulders. Regan laughed as he started toward the lighthouse’s outer door at a run.
Breathless, whether from her days at sea or because of her injury, she followed him at a more sedate pace into the base of the tower.
“Wooden stairs. Interesting.”
“Your father’s lighthouse didn’t have these?”
“No, his stairs were iron from bottom to top.” Regan’s voice echoed in the round room.
“The walls are thick here, too,” Keera observed. “Why are the house walls so thick, Mr. Ian? They aren’t like that in Ireland.”
“They built the walls thick to protect the house during storms. There was a particularly big storm back in 1843 that flooded the house and lifted off the roof. When it was rebuilt, they wanted the structure to be as sturdy as possible, so they built it like the base of the lighthouse which has withstood many a storm. In the war it even withstood attempts to blow it up with very little damage.”
“I’m glad they built it better.” Keera smiled up at him.
Regan could tell the little girl was already as smitten with the man as Regan was intrigued.
“Me too.” Ian started climbing with Keera still on his shoulders. “Sit tight, little one. I don’t want you tripping on your skirts so I’ll carry you.”
“Pappy let me climb the stairs on my own.”
“Oh he did, did he?”
Regan laughed. “Yes, but he followed you each step of the way and at such a sedate pace that we would surely end up watching the sunset later this evening instead of the sunrise right now if we did let you do your own climbing.”
“Is that so?” Ian’s teasing words carried over Keera’s giggles. “Well, little one, I plan to get up to the tower room this morning, not at dusk. You’ll have other chances to walk up on your own, but for now enjoy the journey to the top.”
“Yes, sir.”
Regan watched as Ian circled out of sight.
Enjoy the journey. His words, abandoned after being uttered, echoed throughout the tower, but as they did so, they freed something deep inside of Regan. She’d been so focused on the end result of reaching Pensacola, that she hadn’t taken the time to enjoy the journey in getting there. Right then and there she resolved to follow Ian’s wise advice and enjoy what God brought her as each moment came.
The painted wood was cool under Regan’s bare feet as she began to climb. She’d only planned a quick walk along the beach when they’d struck off to explore. She hadn’t expected to run into Ian so hadn’t taken the time to pull on her boots. With a sigh she lifted her hem, ignored propriety, and followed them up the stairs.
Ian stopped in the watch room and waited for Regan to catch up with them. One look at Regan’s face as she came into view had him swinging Keera down from his shoulders and settling her against the wall. “Stay right here and don’t move until I tell you. Understand?”
“Yes, sir.” Keera nodded, worry etching her features at his serious tone of voice.
He hurried to Regan’s side and caught her as she fell. She collapsed into his arms. Keera’s scream turned into sobs as she called out for her mama.
“It’s all right, Keera,” Ian shushed as he settled Regan beside her. “She’ll be fine. I think we moved too fast after your mama’s head injury, and she fainted. Climbing all those stairs must have made her dizzy.”
He chastised himself under his breath.
“Maybe you shoulda carried her up the stairs,” Keera said, her arms wrapped tight around her knees. “I told ya I coulda walked up by myself.”
“That you did.” He tweaked her nose while trying to hide his concern. “But you just watch and see…your mama will be fine.”
He hoped his words were true. This hadn’t been one of his better ideas. If Regan didn’t wake soon, he’d have to carry her back down. With Keera along, the trip would be complicated. Granny would come looking for them eventually, but then Johnny would be in the mix.
He should have made Regan rest at least another day. But she delighted in the most basic things, and for some reason the idea of watching the sunrise with her overrode all common sense.
Regan moaned, quieting the thoughts cascading through Ian’s mind.
She pushed her hair away from her face, her eyes huge and alarmed. “What happened?”
“You fainted. I never should have allowed you to come up here. It’s too soon.”
To Ian’s surprise Regan’s mouth quirked into a slight smile. She sat a bit straighter and laughed softly. “You obviously don’t know me well enough yet to know that I rarely allow others to dictate what I’m allowed to do or not do.”
“Oh.” Speechless, Ian didn’t know what else to say.
“Though I have to admit, in this case it appears you’d have been right on it being too early, even if I’d defied your orders.”
“I don’t tend toward giving orders.” It was Ian’s turn to smile. “The mandate to remain on the porch would have been offered as a mere suggestion.”
“I see.” Regan studied him as color came back into her cheeks. She shrugged. “A suggestion I’d have surely disregarded in my hurry to see the sunrise.”
Three sets of eyes lifted to the lantern room above them. The light was growing stronger.
“Then let’s not waste the effort we made to get here.” Ian stood and lifted Keera, positioning her on the fourth iron step in front of him. He reached a hand to Regan and helped her to her feet. “Here’s your chance, Keera, to climb to the top on your own. There are thirteen iron steps from here to the top, and I’ve put you on step number four. How many stairs does that leave you to climb?”
“I can only count to five,” Keera sing-songed, her words laced with annoyance.
“You’ll count to five and then to four before you reach the top. Hold on tight because these steps are steep and narrow, almost like a ladder.”
“Her skirt will trip her up.” Regan pointed out.
Ian glanced at Keera’s feet. Though her skirt didn’t brush the ground, it would still catch under her feet when she climbed. He reached around Regan, gathered Keera’s skirt in his hand, and held it for her. Keera would need both hands on the steps and rail.
Regan smiled at him before lifting her own hem and starting to climb. Ian had to stay close behind her in order to hold Keera’s hem. It made for a close ascent for all of them, but if Regan had another dizzy spell, or worse, if she fainted again, he’d be ready to catch her.
Keera scrambled lightly to the top. Ian and Regan joined her just in time to step out the door and see the early morning colors splash across the water as the sun lifted above the horizon. Ian lifted Keera onto his hip and pulled Regan close to his side.
“It’s a long drop down if you topple over the rail,” he whispered. He felt a shiver run through Regan, but couldn’t tell if it was from his touch or fear from the thought of falling to the ground. Either way, she pressed a little closer, and he couldn’t contain his grin.
“Beautiful!” Regan whispered. “This is even better than the sunset we watched last night, and that was as pretty a sunset as I’ve ever seen.”
“It is pretty, Mama! Much prettier than the sunrises in Ireland, don’tcha think?”
“That’s because our sunrises there happened over land. It’s truly magical seeing the sun rise from over the water.”
“Aye, it is magical.”
Ian pointed to the east. “The lighthouse sits on a peninsula. The way the shoreline tapers to the south allows us to see both sunrises over the water to the east and sunsets over the water to the west. We’re at a point between the Gulf of Mexico and the St. Mark’s River. It’s great during times like this but doesn’t offer much p
rotection from nature and, as you saw, makes for a rough ride during storms.”
Keera lost interest in the sunrise and wandered around the rail, looking at the view. Ian kept a tight hold on Regan and followed.
“Mr. Ian, look! I see more crates and barrels in the water.”
“I’ll have to gather them up.”
“And I see Johnny and Granny! Can I go down and play?”
Ian exchanged an amused look with Regan. “That was fast.”
Regan shrugged. “Actually for Keera, this is pretty good. Her attention doesn’t hold long for much of anything.”
Ian motioned for Keera to come, and she hurried to his side. “I need to help your mama down the stairs. I’m going to put you on my back and your Mama is going to follow right behind us.”
Regan nodded in agreement, and he lifted Keera onto his back.
“Regan, if you feel woozy at all, sit down immediately and let me know.”
“Aye, I will. But I’m feeling much better now.”
He started down and they progressed at a sedate pace. Every so often Ian asked how Regan was doing. He could tell she was getting exasperated with his questions, but he didn’t intend to let her faint again on his watch.
Chapter 5
Papa, can we open the barrels now? You said we’d open them soon, and it’s been more than a week.”
Regan smiled as she watched the exchange. She’d grown to love watching the interaction between father and son over the ten days they’d been here.
The day couldn’t be prettier. Endless blue skies met the multi-shaded water at the horizon, and gentle waves lapped against the shore. The early morning sun hadn’t yet lifted high enough overhead to fully heat the air and chase them inside the cooler interior of the house.
“We can’t open them yet, son. I want to wait until we hear back from the ship. They might want to send someone to pick them up. The goods belong to someone else.”
“But, Pa! You prayed them here for us!”
Ian glanced over at Regan for help.
She shrugged. “I, for one, surely didn’t pray for the ship to go aground. Look where that landed us!”
He tipped his head, his teasing eyes filled with challenge. “Exactly where did it leave you, Regan? Has your visit been completely unpleasant?”
“What?” She took a step backward. “I’m not sure I know what you mean.” Guilt deepened her brogue. She knew exactly to what he referred. They’d spent the better part of the past week and a half walking the beaches while in deep conversation, sitting on the porch for long talks as the sun set, and working together on the lighthouse. She’d never felt such a deep repartee with her distant and older husband.
Ian leaned in. Regan’s heart raced. He reached for a loose strand of hair that curled beside her cheek and twirled it with his finger, much as she played with Keera’s wayward curls. His finger grazed her cheek. “Is it really that much of a hardship for you to be stranded here with us?”
Regan felt a flush of color creep up her face. Ian knew as well as she did that there was a pull between them. “I think you know it isn’t a hardship at all. But still, being at the mercy of strangers…”
“You’re living in our home like family. We’re hardly strangers. Not anymore. Strangely, you never did seem to be a stranger to me.”
“I agree. But you have to admit we’re only living with you because you feel obliged to us! You didn’t exactly have a choice in the matter.”
“I will admit no such thing and I had every choice in the matter,” he argued. “I could have packed you in the wagon and hauled you both out of here. I could have pushed your little boat back out to sea and you’d have never been the wiser that we even existed.”
Regan’s laugh escaped her. “You would do nothing of the sort, even if you wanted to. You have too kind of a heart.”
“Oh, yes, that dratted kind heart of mine. Gets me in trouble every time! Just look—it has me bringing home every stray that crosses my path.”
Regan lifted a brow and looked around them. “Not only do we seem to be the only strays in the area, but we seem to be the only people here in general.”
“To quote a good friend of mine, ‘ ’tis true.’ ”
Johnny tugged Ian’s shirt. “Papa! Stop talking to her so you can answer my question.”
Laughter shone from Ian’s eyes. “And to think he wouldn’t talk more than a couple of words for the better part of the past two years. You and Keera show up and look what you’ve done for my son.” He looked at Johnny with fondness. “I can’t thank you enough.”
“I think Keera is to be commended for that. She seems to have an effect on him.”
“I agree. But you have an equal effect on me.” His brown eyes twinkled as she again blushed to her roots. “But we’ll finish this discussion later. For now, Johnny has a question waiting to be answered.”
Ian lowered himself to Johnny’s level. “I didn’t pray for the ship to run into a bad situation, Johnny. I would never want someone else’s bad fortune to gain things for us. I prayed God would bless us, and He did. I asked for some extra provisions for you and Granny—he brought Keera and Regan into our lives. God doesn’t necessarily answer our prayers the way we want Him to. But Regan has been great company for Granny and for me, and Keera has been a wonderful friend for you. That’s even better than anything I could have hoped for when I uttered my prayer that day.”
A shrill whistle sounded offshore, interrupting their conversation.
Ian stood. “Looks like we have company.”
A riverboat pulled alongside the pier. Regan shaded her eyes and watched it dock.
A familiar man stood at the rail. “Ahoy there!”
“Joseph!” Keera’s scream of joy radiated across the yard. She zigzagged past the haphazard row of barrels standing along the shoreline and headed for the kind sailor who’d helped them during their journey. Joseph jumped onto the dock and swooped Keera up into his arms.
Ian glanced over at Regan, his expression questioning. He took in the huge smile that stretched across her face.
“It’s Joseph, Ian! He’s come for us.”
His eyes searched hers, as if wanting to peer deep inside to read her inner thoughts.
“Joseph was the sailor we talked about—the grandfatherly one who helped us through the voyage when things grew hard.”
A muscle ticked in Ian’s jaw. “How kind of him—I’ll go make his acquaintance.”
He stalked off.
Regan, confused by his sudden distance, followed along.
Joseph carried Keera the length of the dock and met them on shore.
“Regan. You’re safe.” Tears filled the friendly giant’s eyes. “That night, when I realized your lifeboat had gone missing—I’ve never felt anything like it in my life. The crew had to hold me back to keep me from jumping in. I didn’t want to leave the waters without locating the two of you. When your note reached the captain, well, it was the happiest day I’ve had in a long, long time.”
“I’m sorry you had to wait that long to find out. We’re fine, Joseph. As I said in the missive, a small bump to the head and a slight gash and otherwise I did amazingly well. And Keera here had nothing bad to show for the adventure.”
“Not counting the fact that her ropes had come undone and she could have fallen overboard at any time. And Regan here, she’s suffered a few dizzy spells, one which almost sent her tumbling down the lighthouse stairs a week or so ago.” Ian’s words rang with accusations, as if Joseph himself were responsible for her decision to climb the stairs too soon.
“Ian.” Regan placed a hand on his arm. “We’re fine. Keera didn’t go overboard, and I didn’t fall. You were there to rescue us both when we needed you.”
“Thank you for that.” Joseph stuck his hand out, and Ian stared at it.
Ian opened his mouth to speak then apparently thought better of whatever he was about to say. He closed his eyes for a moment then opened them again. “I’m sorry.
I don’t know what’s gotten into me.” He shook Joseph’s hand. “Ian Morgan. I’ve grown quite fond of these two rather quickly, as you apparently did on the ship. The thought of what could have happened to them makes me weak in the knees.”
“Aye, I fully understand.” Joseph continued to cradle Keera in his arms while giving Ian an appraising glance.
Granny called out and motioned them to the house.
Ian’s manners had returned. “Would the crew like to come up? I’m sure Granny’s made refreshments for everyone.”
“No, they told me to do what I needed to do. They have ship responsibilities to take care of and, if you don’t mind, they’ll gather the barrels and load them onto the vessel.”
“That’ll be fine. I’m sure Granny will want to bring them a tray of goodies, too. Come along to the house.”
Joseph stopped to look over the line of barrels. “You’ve gathered quite a few.”
“I’ve tried. They drifted in throughout the week in batches.”
They settled on the front porch where Granny had laid out tea and cookies. “The crew has things to do, Granny, but Joseph here said he’d join us.”
“Pleased to meet you, Joseph. I’ll take a platter down for the crew. Y’all enjoy.”
Joseph thanked her and pulled a letter from his pocket. “I have a note from your aunt. She asked me to give it to you. She met us at the ship when we docked, and I had to tell her you’d gone overboard. She’d just received your father’s note earlier that morning.”
“Oh no! I’d hoped if she did get the original note, she’d just think we were late and wouldn’t know what really happened until she read my note from here.”
“Aye, I’m sorry it happened that way, too. She was completely griefstricken, but as soon as we got word that you were safe I hurried to her home. She’d received her letter from you the same day and quickly penned this one for you when she found out we were heading over to collect the missing barrels.”
Lighthouse Brides Collection Page 25