Mary Burton

by The Lightkeepers Woman

  A young seaman tied the rope off. “Yes, sir!”

  Soon the lifeboat was moored alongside the listing schooner. Alanna secured the oars then reached for the first blanket.

  Caleb stared up at the young sailors. He frowned as if he recognized the boys. “Where’s your captain?” Caleb shouted.

  The young seaman’s face turned crimson. “Washed overboard with two other crewmen. We are all that is left.”

  Caleb seemed to take in what the seaman said, but made no comment. “The woman first.”

  The woman was young, not much older than Alanna. Tension tightened her lips. Her soft brown hair was tied at the nape of her neck and her skin was so pale. Her full, wet skirts and cape flapped in the wind as she held on to her bundle.

  Balancing one foot on the rowboat and the other against the schooner, Caleb held out his hand to the woman.

  She let loose of the mast and took Caleb’s hand, but refused to let go of her bundle.

  “Drop the package,” Caleb shouted.

  “It’s all we have left,” the woman wailed.

  Her white-knuckle grip and strained face showed just how scared she was.

  “You won’t live long enough to enjoy anything if you don’t let go of the package. Let it go,” Caleb commanded.

  The man dressed in a suit clung to the ship’s ropes. “For God’s sake, Debra, let it go.”

  “It’s our silver,” she shouted.

  “Let it go,” the man repeated.

  The woman hesitated then reluctantly let the package fall into the water. It floated on the surface for only a second before it sank under the waves.

  “Take my hand!” Caleb said.

  Saying a prayer, Debra stepped one foot onto the boat. The rise and fall of the waves shifted the surf bow and the woman froze. “I’m going to die!”

  The man dressed in the suit panicked and pulled Debra back onto the schooner. The sudden movement threw Caleb off balance and he tipped forward.

  Alanna jumped up and grabbed hold of his coattail. She dug her heels into the boat bottom and steadied him.

  The extra bit of help was all Caleb needed to regain his footing. He glanced down at Alanna and nodded his thanks.

  “I can’t do it,” Debra shouted.

  “My wife’s expecting a baby,” her husband said. “This is too much for her.”

  Ignoring the man, Caleb reached out for Debra again. He shifted his weight to accommodate the boat’s movement. The woman started to cry.

  Caleb locked gazes with the woman. “Give me your hand. I won’t let you die.” His voice was so calm, Alanna would have thought they were all standing on dry land and it was a sunny mild day in June. “Do it for your child.”

  The fear faded in the woman’s eyes a fraction and she lifted her chin. She glanced back at her husband and drew in a breath. She took Caleb’s hand.

  Caleb smiled. “That’s it. Now take two steps and it’ll be over.”

  In one quick motion, she stepped onto the boat. She staggered forward under the weight of her skirts before she collapsed down to the seat in front of Alanna. Shaking badly, the woman wrapped her arms around her chest.

  Alanna draped a large warm blanket around the woman. “You’re safe now. Just rest.”

  The woman nodded. “God bless you.” Fat tears rolled down her face.

  Caleb’s focus shifted back to the schooner and this time he helped the first seaman on board. The young man’s long lanky body folded into a C-shape as he tried to shake off the cold.

  Alanna wrapped a blanket around the young man. “That’ll help.”

  The look of sheer gratitude in the boy’s face tugged at her heart. “Bless you, ma’am.”

  The man dressed in the suit was next. He stumbled as he stepped onto the bow. Caleb steadied him, guiding him to the seat next to the woman.

  The man leaned toward his wife and kissed her on her forehead. “Thank God you are all right, Debra. The baby?”

  Debra smiled as tears streamed down her face. “He’s fine, Thomas. He keeps kicking me.”

  The husband looked toward the schooner. “I fear we’ll lose everything. But we are alive and that is all that matters.”

  Debra touched her husband’s cheek. “I’m sorry I dropped the package. It had all our silver in it. We are penniless. What are we going to do now, Thomas?”

  Thomas cupped his wife’s face. “That doesn’t matter, Debra. You are alive. The baby is fine. That’s all that matters. The rest will work itself out.”

  Tears streamed down Debra’s face as she kissed her husband.

  Their foreheads touching, the couple closed their eyes and whispered words of love to each other.

  The couple’s closeness moved Alanna. Theirs was the kind of love she’d dreamed of—the kind her parents had not shared; the kind she prayed she and Henry would find; the kind she’d once shared with Caleb.

  Chapter Nine

  Within minutes, the last man was in the dory. Alanna moved to the back of the boat as Caleb settled into position between the oars. When he gave the sign, the last seaman untied the boat from the schooner and pushed them away from the wreck toward shore.

  With the two young seamen’s help, Caleb easily steered the boat to shore. Alanna said a prayer of thanks when she heard the flat-bottom boat bottom skim against the sandy shore.

  With the danger past, exhaustion overtook Alanna’s body. She wanted nothing more than to drag herself back to the cottage and collapse into bed.

  Instead, she pulled her cold, wet body up and helped Debra over the side and through the surf up to the beach. The woman dropped to the sand beside Alanna.

  Debra could barely lift her head. “Land never felt so good.”

  Alanna glanced over her shoulder and watched as Caleb and the three men dragged the boat ashore. When the boat was secured out of the tide’s reach, they flipped it upside down.

  As Alanna watched Caleb walk up the beach, with his broad shoulders straight, she felt a swell of pride. If not for him, these people would have perished.

  Caleb lifted his gaze and met hers. He stared at her an extra beat and she could feel the heat rising in her body.

  Her throat tightened with emotions she had thought long dead. She dropped her gaze and wrapped her arms around Debra’s shoulders. “If you can stand, I’ll guide you to the cottage. There’s warm clothes and food waiting for you there.”

  Debra nodded. “Music to my ears. Now all I have to do is find the strength to stand.”

  Thomas reached them at that moment. He wrapped his arm around Debra’s shoulders. “I’ll carry you.”

  Debra stood but wouldn’t allow him to lift her into his arms. “I can walk.”

  “The cottage is just over the dunes,” Alanna said. The sailors moved toward her and she motioned them in her direction. They all followed her across the sand over the dune toward the cottage.

  The wind had grown stronger and the rain felt like cold daggers by the time she wrestled the back door of the cottage open. Yet, there was deep satisfaction taking root in her bones. For the first time in her life, she felt as if she’d done something of great importance.

  Her spirits lifting, she shrugged off her coat and hung it on a peg. Lighting a lantern, she moved to the kitchen stove. She guided her charges to the kitchen table.

  Alanna stoked the fire and tossed kindling into the burning embers. “Take a seat at the table. Just give me a minute and I’ll heat up the stove. I’ve coffee to warm your bones and a fresh pot of stew.”

  Thomas pulled his chair close to Debra’s. He took her cold hand in his and rubbed it to make her feel warmer. “God bless you, ma’am.”

  Up close, the sailors looked younger—boys really. One was tall and lean with short curly brown hair. He wore spectacles. The other sailor had dirty-blond hair, a round face and a handful of freckles sprinkled over his nose. They huddled under their blankets, shivering.

  Alanna pulled four coffee mugs down from the shelf above the stove an
d poured each person a cup. Then she served them bowls of stew. She mentally catalogued the supplies she’d seen in the pantry. “I’ve bread, too.”

  Caleb was the last inside. He shrugged off his coat and boots and moved into the kitchen. He stopped for a moment and simply stared as if he couldn’t quite believe what he saw. “Stew? Where’d that come from?”

  She felt awkward, as if she had somehow overstepped. “I made it earlier.”

  His gaze lingered and for just a moment she imagined his attitude softened toward her. “Thanks. A hot meal is a rare treat.”

  The smooth rich tone of his voice had her transfixed. She’d forget about the others and God help her, Henry. It was just the two of them.

  He didn’t move, as if he’d felt the same pull. She remembered how good it had been between them once. How much they’d laughed. It hadn’t been all bad times.

  With some effort, Caleb tore his gaze from her and shifted it to the others. “There are dry clothes in the back room,” he said, his voice rough. “Once you’ve eaten, I’ll show everyone the way.”

  One of the young sailors clinked his spoon against the bottom of his bowl. “I reckon that was the best I ever ate.”

  Thomas nodded. “Excellent fare.”

  Alanna turned from Caleb to those she’d helped rescue. “I’ve got plenty.”

  Caleb moved into the room. Immediately, Thomas started to rise, but Caleb motioned him back into his seat. “Sit. Eat.”

  “We can’t thank you enough, sir,” Thomas said.

  “Glad to be of help.”

  Alanna pushed a mug of hot coffee in Caleb’s hands. Her fingers brushed his icy flesh. “Are you hungry?”

  He held the mug close, staring at her through the rising steam. “Yes.”

  She smiled. “Let me make you a plate.”

  He slid into a chair. Exhausted and weather-beaten as he was, she’d never remembered a time when he was more attractive.

  Caleb started to eat. “This is good.”

  Alanna chuckled and muttered, “You sound surprised.”

  “I am.”

  Debra took Alanna’s hand and squeezed it. “I haven’t even asked your name.”

  Alanna forced her focus to the young woman. “Alanna.”

  Tears streamed down the young woman’s face. “God bless you, Alanna.”

  Thomas wrapped his arm around his wife. “We’ll always be in your debt, Mr….”

  Caleb took the younger man’s hand. “Pitt. Caleb Pitt.”

  As if sensing their thoughts, Caleb shifted his gaze to the young sailors. “I thought you two were in Savannah.”

  The sailors glanced up at Caleb, but remained silent, huddled under their blankets. They seemed to want to melt into the floorboards.

  The boy with blond hair blushed. “We were. But we were able to get work on a ship bound to Richmond.”

  Caleb’s gaze darkened. “You know better than to travel in this kind of weather, Alex.”

  Alex shrugged. “The skipper said we could beat the storm.”

  Caleb frowned. “Who was your captain?”

  “Jamison,” the other boy said.

  Caleb snorted. “You should have known better, Ryan. I told you a month ago not to sail with him.”

  Alanna watched the exchange. Caleb treated them as if he were their father, which of course he wasn’t. “You know these boys?”

  Caleb nodded. “From town.”

  She supposed as lightkeeper, he knew most of the people on the coast. “Don’t be too hard on them. They’ve been through a lot.”

  “Caleb, we thought we could beat the storm,” Ryan said.

  Caleb sipped his coffee. “Ryan, you know as well as anyone that Jamison will do most anything for a profit.”

  Thomas set down his cup. “To the boys’ credit, they did try to talk the captain out of sailing. But I was so eager to get Debra to Richmond and I didn’t heed their advice.”

  The smile on Alanna’s face froze. “Richmond? What takes you there?” It was a small town and it would be just a matter of time before she ran into them again.

  Thomas straightened his shoulders. “I’ve been given a parish there. St. Matthews.”

  Alanna cleared her throat. “St. Matthews?”

  Thomas cocked his head. “Do you know it?”

  The church wasn’t hers but she knew enough people who attended it. Panic exploded inside her. If word were to get back to Henry, he’d be furious. “Yes, I do as a matter of fact.”

  Debra’s face brightened. “You’ve been to Richmond?”

  Her knees felt as if they would buckle. She could feel Caleb’s gaze on her as she struggled to think of something to say. “Yes.”

  “Do you get back often? I would so love to have you visit us when you do,” Debra said.

  “That’s very kind of you.” Alanna felt sick.

  Abruptly, Debra pressed her hand to her stomach. “Oh my, that was a hard kick.”

  Thomas’s face whitened. He looked at Alanna. “I don’t want to be more bother, but is there a room where we could lie down?”

  Caleb was the one who answered. “I’ve rooms for everyone. If you’ll just follow me.”

  Debra smiled. “Thank you again, Mr. Pitt and you, too, Mrs. Pitt.”

  Mrs. Pitt!

  Alanna felt as if the floor rolled under her feet. Her mouth open, she looked at Debra, not sure if she should correct the woman or not. Her gaze met Caleb’s. He frowned and for a moment she thought he’d correct Debra. If he did, Henry would be furious and what remained of her good name in Richmond would be destroyed.

  “We were happy to help,” Caleb said.

  Alanna released the breath she was holding. “I’ll just clean up the kitchen.”

  Ryan looked up from his bowl. “Ma didn’t say anything about you getting married, Caleb.”

  Alanna froze.

  Caleb shrugged. “I haven’t had much time to visit with the family.”

  Alex shook his head. “News like that would spread like a hurricane.”

  Alanna ducked her head, trying not to meet the boy’s face. This was all getting too complicated, too fast.

  Ryan snapped his fingers. “Did you two marry last month when you sailed to Virginia, Caleb?”

  “That’s about right,” Caleb said.

  Alanna stared at Caleb, her expression puzzled by the news of his trip. She itched to ask him about it but didn’t, knowing it would expose the lie.

  “Best get out of those wet clothes soon, Alanna,” Caleb said. “You’ll get sick again if you don’t.”

  He almost sounded like a solicitous husband. To her chagrin, she liked it. “I’m fine.”

  He sighed. “For once, just listen to me.”

  She glanced at the dirty dishes. “I really should clean up first. But—”

  “A good wife listens to her husband.”

  She swallowed her argument, not wanting to cause a fuss with everyone listening so closely. She followed Caleb down the hallway. He paused in front of the larger of the rooms and assigned it to the Randalls. The next room was smaller but fit for the two seamen.

  Alanna started to move past Caleb and retire to the room that had been hers since her arrival.

  Caleb cleared his throat. “Mrs. Pitt?”

  She froze. “Yes?”

  He opened the door to his room, the one room she’d been careful to stay clear of since last night. His eyes danced with challenge. “You’ve walked right past our room, dear.”

  “I’m sorry?” Her mother had taught her when she was a child that if you didn’t like a question it was best to pretend you hadn’t heard it. Most gentlemen caught the hint that they’d breached etiquette and rarely dared repeat the question.

  Caleb pushed his door open wide, grinning at Thomas who had paused in his doorway. “We just rearranged the living quarters and Mrs. Pitt still gets turned around.”

  Thomas nodded knowingly.

  “Alanna?” Caleb prodded.

  He was
no gentleman.

  Alanna seethed as she pulled back her shoulders, smiled and marched past Caleb into his room.

  She heard the soft click of the lock and felt every muscle in her body tense.

  “Best get out of those wet clothes.”

  “I’m not going to undress in front of you,” she whispered, fearing the others would hear.

  Caleb moved past her as if he were a cat stalking in its cage. He sat down on his bed and the old springs creaked loudly. He yanked off his socks. “You are going to catch a cold.”

  Already her skin felt clammy and the cold had settled in her bones. “Once you’re finished, I’ll change.”

  “It could be awhile. I was planning on taking a nap.”

  She hugged her arms around her chest as another shiver passed through her body. “You’ve never been one to nap. Why start now?”

  “I’ve been up most of the night and spent the last hour and a half fighting the sea. I’m exhausted.”

  He ran his long fingers through his black hair then reached for the bottom of his sweater. Before she could look away he pulled off the sweater. Like a fool, she all but ogled his finely muscled chest and flat belly. Remembered kissing that belly, following the thin trail of hair that led below his belt buckle.

  “You’re staring,” Caleb said without a hint of emotion. “It’s a bad habit you’ve developed.”

  Alanna clamped her mouth closed. Heat burned her cheeks and she turned around. A restless energy she’d not felt in a very long time stirred inside her. “I’m not undressing in front of you.”

  “It’s nothing I haven’t seen before. Several times as a matter of fact.” His deep voice raked over her nerves.

  She cringed. “I was unconscious.”

  “The last time, yes. But not the other times. As I remember you were very much awake.”

  She closed her eyes. “That’s ancient history.”

  “Sure.”

  His voice lacked conviction. She wanted to remind him that what they’d shared was gone, but she didn’t. The truth was that there was something between them. Like it or not. Good or bad. Something was there, connecting them in ways she could no longer define.