“I was?”
“Samuel said it was something about Louise Smythe?”
“Oh. I suppose I did, ma’am.” Jesse couldn’t recall what he’d intended to ask about Louise. Since Blackthorn approved her climbing all over the dunes, Jesse had lost that argument. He searched for something else. “I, uh, understand she’s a teacher.” That sounded pretty feeble.
“Down at the boarding school in the west wing of the hotel.” Mrs. Blackthorn pointed it out, as if he hadn’t noticed the place before.
It hadn’t taken long to ascertain that Singapore was tiny. It boasted few businesses beyond the general store, the boardinghouse and the hotel. There were a few saloons, but Jesse didn’t frequent those, and the church looked like the rest of the bunkhouses used by the lumberjacks and saw operators when they came to town. Boardwalks stretched between businesses so people didn’t have to walk through the sand. The streets served more pedestrians than wheeled transportation. Jesse had yet to see a buggy or horse other than the wagon down at the docks. Then again, the town was only a few blocks long and even fewer deep.
It was a good place to begin remaking his life.
“I hear tell she’s a war widow,” Mrs. Blackthorn said.
The words shot through Jesse like lead. Not the war. He’d done all he could to escape the harrowing memories. A lighthouse offered a chance to get away from the endless war stories and sorrow. He’d hoped to land at a remote island lighthouse but instead was assigned here.
“You all right, Mr. Hammond?”
Jesse managed a smile. “Just lost in thought.”
“Just like her.”
“Like who?”
“Like who?” Mrs. Blackthorn shook her head. “Like Louise. That’s who we’ve been talking about, isn’t it?”
Jesse had to agree that it was, but Mrs. Blackthorn’s description of her didn’t match his experience. “She didn’t seem very quiet to me.”
That made Mrs. Blackthorn smile. “Well now, isn’t that interesting. Might be you managed to catch her eye. She is looking to marry, you know.”
Jesse grimaced. “That’s what your husband said. But I’m not. I need to get established as a keeper first.”
“Isn’t that just like a man.”
Jesse stiffened. “A man needs to be able to provide.”
“Love doesn’t wait for our schedule. Neither does the lighthouse service.”
That was the second Blackthorn who had mentioned marriage in connection with being a keeper. “Why do you say that?”
“Samuel would never have been named keeper if he hadn’t had a wife and family.”
Jesse was still skeptical. The woman could be using it as an excuse to match make. “Are you certain?”
“As certain as day and night. Why, they came right out and asked him if he was married.”
Jesse’s heart sank. He wasn’t ready for marriage. He hadn’t saved nearly enough to support a wife, but if he wanted to get promoted to head keeper, he was going to have to set aside his reservations. This town didn’t look big enough to offer much of a choice, not if men were willing to advertise for a wife.
“Louise would make a fine catch. Did you notice the cut of her clothing?”
Jesse couldn’t say he had.
“Quality,” Mrs. Blackthorn said. “Pure quality. That says something.”
So did the fact that she was a war widow. If he must marry, he would look anywhere else for a wife.
Copyright © 2017 by Christine Elizabeth Johnson
ISBN-13: 9781488017988
The Gift of Twins
Copyright © 2017 by Gabrielle Meyer
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