Red Sky Over Hawaii

by Sara Ackerman

  “Of course they are. You didn’t have to go out in the cold and the dark to know that.”

  Rosy spots had formed on Coco’s cheeks, and the way her hair was matted to her head with leaves in it, she looked like a feral child come out from the bush. “The sky crack was there again, and sometimes I find things out when I see it. The closer I am the better.”

  “What else did you find out?”

  Coco frowned and sat on the step. “Nothing.”

  Lana surveyed the sky for any signs of a crack. “Is it still there?”

  “Yes, but you won’t be able to see it.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because you don’t believe, not really.”

  “Believe in what?” Lana asked.

  “Magic.”

  It had been so long since Lana had thought much about magic. Not since the days of Jack, though he rarely used the word magic. His scientific mind preferred unexplained phenomena. Since then, time and pain and distance had eroded her belief. All she was left with was the sense of knowing when a disaster was on the way. Some kind of magic that was.

  “Perhaps you can help me?” Lana said.

  Coco shook her head vigorously. “No.”

  “Why not?”

  “It doesn’t work that way.”

  “Tell me, then...how does it work?”

  “I’m not sure, but I do know you have to believe.”

  How could such a wee thing know so much?

  * * *

  After picking at his porridge topped with ‘o¯helo berries, Mochi returned to his bedroom with a dog-eared copy of The Good Earth and a mug of tea. He had slept late and his breathing sounded ragged at breakfast, and Lana could tell he was eager to lie down again. This arrangement with Major Bailey gave him the perfect excuse to spend the morning in bed. Though she was worrying more and more that she needed to find a doctor. Was it an infection? Something treatable? It would sure help to know.

  She and the girls were out back working at the beehives when Sailor’s ears perked up. Lana listened for the sound of a motor but heard only the hum of thousands of tiny wings. Honey dripped from the comb, and the girls were eager to collect a jarful. As far as she was concerned, one could never have enough honey in the same way that one could never have enough love.

  “It’s Major Bailey,” Coco said, grabbing ahold of Lana’s hand and pulling her toward the house.

  “We would have heard the car.”

  “He’s not in a car.”

  She rushed over, just in case Coco was right, in order to avoid any nosing around on his part. Benji was with Mochi, and they had decided he would show up later, under the pretense of coming to help. Instead of the rattle and rumble of an engine, she heard the thud of hoofbeats. Sure enough, Grant was in the grassy turnaround sitting atop one of the largest horses Lana had ever seen. He had a rangy palomino roped behind him, all saddled up.

  He tipped his hat and rode over to them. “Aloha!”

  Coming from him, it sounded goofy. Visitors never seemed to get the word quite right. “Howdy,” she said back.

  In a quick swoop, he was off the horse and standing a foot away. He smelled like cinnamon and leather with a dab of sweat. Lana took a step back, while Coco moved toward the palomino. “Is this one mine?” she asked.

  “This here is Lady, and you can ride her once we make sure you are checked out. I take it you’ve been on a horse before?”

  “Twice.”

  “An expert,” he said, winking at Lana. “How about you, Mrs. Hitchcock—when was your last ride?”

  Hearing the name made her neck itch. “Again, it’s Lana. And for the record, I’ll be changing my name back to Spalding once things settle here. Last time I rode a horse was up here when I was about sixteen. We rode from Hilo.”

  The faintest of smiles passed over his face. “Another expert. Glad to know I’m in good company.”

  Lana rolled her eyes. “Hardly, Major.”

  “Where did you get these horses?” Coco asked.

  “The ranch behind the camp. Starts with a K, and I’m not even going to try to pronounce the name. I’ve gotten friendly with the foreman.”

  “Keauhou,” Lana said.

  “I need lessons on how to say these Hawaiian words. It would give me some credibility with the locals,” he said.

  The thought of sitting alone with Grant was appealing, if not impossible. “They’re easy, once you know the vowels.”

  “As easy as it might be for you to round up a wild horse,” he said, nodding at Sailor. “Is the dog well trained? We may be able to use it.”

  “Sailor is a girl, not an it, and she listens well. She’s kind of a scaredy-cat, though,” Coco said.

  “Fair enough. By the way, you okay to wear that riding?” he said.

  While Grant was in Levi’s, a worn plaid shirt and a cowboy hat, Lana and the girls were a hodgepodge of skirts, overalls and blouses, layered with coats and sweaters. Lana had not packed for horseback riding, and all her skirts were white.

  “It’s all we have.”

  Grant gave the girls a refresher on riding and said they could take turns riding Lady down to the pasture. “But maybe for today, you two can work with Sailor and guarding the pasture, while your mom and I see if we can find some horses.”

  Coco’s eyes went wide at the reference and looked about to say something, but she caught herself.

  Lana suddenly felt that she ought to tell Grant the truth. But could she trust him?

  “I’m the last person you want out there. I won’t be much use,” she said.

  He jumped onto his horse, who he called Boss. “I doubt that.”

  Lana felt a rush of heat on her cheeks. “By the way, one of the boys in town has been helping out down here. His name is Benji, and I asked him to come over, in case we work on the fence,” Lana said.

  “We can use all the help we can get,” he said.

  Coco rode first as they walked the path to the pasture, and when it came time to switch with Marie, she refused to get off. Lana flashed back to her riding times as a girl, when riding a horse was as much of a thrill as riding a unicorn.

  Marie, who usually gave in to Coco, stood her ground. “It’s my turn.”

  “You can ride later.”

  “We’re almost to the pasture...get off,” Marie said.

  The look on Coco’s face said she was weighing the possibility of making a run for it. Grant must have seen it, too, because he rode up next to her and grabbed the reins. “You’ll get your chance again, promise. Now, switch with your sister.”

  His tone was hard and soft at the same time. Coco slid off without a word, falling in line behind Lana. A few minutes later she began humming. Nature had a way of doing that to you. You could walk into a forest blue or irritable, and minute by minute, the trees would strip you clean. On O‘ahu, she’d been too caught up in the city life to remember the feeling.

  When they reached the pasture, two horses were grazing. One white, one black. Both raised their heads and eyed the group warily.

  “That’s her!” Coco cried.

  The white horse flared his nostrils and circled around. ‘Ohelo bolted. Grant made a bunch of clicking noises and utterances, and his horse came to a halt. By then ‘Ohelo was long gone.

  He jumped down and ordered Marie off. “We want the horses to get used to us first, so give him space.”

  “What about ‘Ohelo?” Coco asked.

  “She won’t go far. Horses like to stick together.”

  They surveyed the pile of fencing and fence posts, which was right where he said Jack had left it. “Once we get this up, we can keep ’em here. The pasture is big enough for the herd.”

  Lana was beginning to wonder what the point in all this was. “I appreciate your enthusiasm, but to be honest, I have no idea how lo
ng we’ll be staying. This all seems like a lot of work with so much uncertainty.”

  “Last I checked, life was uncertain. Are there any guarantees about anything?” he said.

  In the past week, her life had moved in a whole new trajectory. But even before that, her safe and neatly planned life with Buck that was supposed to be full of abundance and love and children had evaporated. There was no accounting for potholes in the road and unexpected detours.

  “You may be right about that, but still, why bother? Maybe we can satisfy our cowboy urges by riding these two horses and seeing if we can help ‘Ohelo,” she said, reaching out and squeezing Coco’s bony shoulder.

  Grant cocked his head and smiled. “Cowboy urges? Now there’s a term I haven’t heard before.”

  “I definitely have them,” Coco said, bouncing up and down.

  Lana had to laugh. “I mean this little one’s desire to ride the horses and do whatever else it is that cowboys do.”

  “What about your desire?” He skipped a beat before continuing. “To ride, I mean?”

  She stammered back. “I...well...I enjoy riding, but right now the horses are not my top priority. There’s so much to worry about—”

  “You said that the other day. Tell me what you’re worried about and maybe I can help.”

  She wasn’t about to tell him her more troubling concerns. “Making sure there’s enough to eat, for one.”

  “Let them be a distraction, then. There might be a war going on, but that doesn’t mean you have to stop living,” he said with his hands shoved in his pockets.

  Jack would have said the same thing.

  “Fine.”

  “How about this. You two girls and Sailor form a living fence along this boundary, and Lana and I will go see if we can find ‘Ohelo and any others. We’ll circle around behind them and send them this way. Your job is just to hang out and very casually keep them from going past you.”

  “How do we do that?” Marie asked.

  “Don’t make any fast or big motions or you’ll spook them. Just being there should be enough. Let’s hope Sailor’s instincts will kick in.”

  Sailor tipped her head at the sound of her name, ears up. Lana had her doubts about Sailor’s ability to maintain her cool in a herd of horses. If anything, she was likely to hightail it out of there. As Lana and Grant rode away, she heard Coco mumble something to the horse.

  Lady might have been pretty, but she had a choppy trot that made Lana feel as graceful as a rag doll. She fell in behind Grant and watched how he moved. His wide shoulders tapered to narrow hips. His lower body looked to be part of the horse, while his upper body cruised along smoothly.

  They drifted through a damp koa forest with akala berries—the Hawaiian raspberry—and came out the other side to a smaller pasture sprinkled with trees. Blue sky stretched out above. There was no sign of horses. Grant broke into a canter across the pasture and Lady followed, providing a much smoother ride. Every now and then they passed a patch of lava, but Lady avoided them. A fullness rose up in Lana’s chest that made her want to laugh and cry at the same time.

  When they came to a stop in front of a grove of pines, Grant was watching her intently. “You okay?”

  Her hand automatically went to her cheeks to feel for tears. Had she been crying and not realized it? “I think so, why?”

  “No reason. Just that huge smile on your face.”

  It must have been catching, because he was grinning right along with her, his whole face transformed. It felt as though she had her own personal riding teacher and tour guide.

  Distractions.

  “It’s been a while since I’ve had any reason to smile. I guess I couldn’t help it,” she said.

  “Lana?”

  “Yes?”

  He moved his horse close enough that their legs were almost touching. She noticed a half-moon scar above his eyebrow. “Don’t ever apologize for smiling. It lights you up from the inside out.”

  She blinked. Wanted to ask him to please repeat himself. Instead she felt a swell of tears coming on. Lord, what is wrong with me? Unable to stop them, she covered her face with her hands, which she now realized were trembling.

  “Ah, hell, I didn’t mean to make you cry,” Grant said.

  Lana shook her head. “It’s not you.”

  They were silent a moment, then he said, “What is it then? Sometimes it helps to just get it off your chest.”

  She moved one of her fingers to the side and peeked out at him. His hand ran up and down his horse’s neck in a way that made her wish it was her neck he was stroking.

  “It’s a whole string of things that started long before I arrived on this island. I don’t want to bore you with details when we have a job to do, and the girls are waiting for us.”

  He swung his leg over so he was sitting sidesaddle and facing her. “Don’t look now, but ‘Ohelo is under that far koa tree, watching us. So we’ll just rest here for a bit and act uninterested. Which means we have time.”

  He was right about ‘Ohelo, and she hadn’t even noticed. “How did you know she was there?”

  “Years of practice. And don’t try to change the subject.”

  Lady blew out a breath and repositioned herself, smashing Lana’s leg against Grant. “Ouch!” she cried, but it was more out of nervousness at touching him again than any pain.

  Grant slid off Boss and held out his hand. She stared at it as though it were lathered in poison and made no move to dismount. The thought of her hand in his made her tingle.

  “What are you so afraid of?” he asked.

  You.

  “I appreciate your kindness, but can we stick to the task at hand? Please?” she said, attempting a smile.

  A gust of wind rustled the trees around them, causing the red ‘ohi‘a blossoms to dip and sway as though they were doing their best to fall. Good thing they didn’t or else the rain was bound to come.

  He squinted up at her. “No more personal questions. I swear. My mother used to get on my case for not knowing when to stop. She used to say I was worse than a badger when I wanted something.”

  “I suppose it could be both a blessing and a curse. My father used to tell me I was more stubborn than an opihi, so I guess that makes us even,” Lana said as a peace offering.

  “Opihi?”

  “A type of shell that’s nearly impossible to pry from the rocks. With a little salt on them, they’re about the best thing you’ve ever tasted.”

  “I suppose we wouldn’t find any up here, would we?” he said.

  “Not a chance.”

  And just like that, the air between them had lightened again. He might be tenacious, but he did have a knack for making her want to talk. A part of her wished she could plop down on the soft green grass with her head in his lap and spill all her troubles and secrets.

  Grant tipped his head back toward ‘Ohelo. “Looks like curiosity is winning. Why don’t you get off and just start rubbing Lady’s back and neck. Just act real natural.”

  He did the same with Boss, leaning into him and almost massaging the giant horse. Boss pushed back and nickered. Lana didn’t want her feet crunched, so stood out a bit and tentatively touched Lady on the shoulder. Sunlight glinted off her lashes, which were long and curved, and Lana could see why they’d named her Lady.

  “You sure are a pretty thing,” she said.

  The horse swished her tail and let out a big exhale. In turn, Lana felt her shoulders soften and her chest unwind. Something about the warm and big presence of the animal pried open her heart. Within minutes she felt herself lulled into a trancelike state. Palm running across muscles, fingers through a wiry mane. When she looked up, ‘Ohelo was standing ten feet away from Grant and Boss.

  “First thing is we want her to feel safe. Something spooked her early on and she doesn’t trust humans,” he
said to Lana, low and slow.

  “She sure seemed to feel comfortable with Coco the other day.”

  “Kids are less intimidating. They’re an open book compared to us adults. Horses are masters at reading body language and intentions,” he said.

  Boss, who clearly was curious about this new horse in the mix, sidled over and the two shared a few breaths. Then Boss leaned down and started munching on grass as though she weren’t even there.

  “You’d think they know each other,” Lana said.

  “They might. A lot of these horses originally came from Keauhou Ranch. And ‘Ohelo is small, but she’s older than she looks.”

  Now it was Lady’s turn to trot over and sniff around. Lana watched Grant watch the horses. He looked completely at home with a rip in his jeans and scuffed boots. His jaw muscles flexed as he chewed on a piece of grass, glancing at ‘Ohelo every so often, as though he knew she was there but wasn’t too interested.

  “Hello, gorgeous,” he finally said.

  ‘Ohelo, who was now grazing with the other two horses, eyed him cautiously but remained in place. He took a step closer, and another, until he was standing about an arm’s length away from her shoulder. She sniffed at him and then backed off.

  “A little bird told me you have a sore knee. Any chance you’d let me have a look?” he said. He turned to Lana. “I won’t try to touch her today, but it’s good to let her get used to the sound of our voices. I’m sure she remembers me, but it’s been a little while. Go ahead, say something.”

  “Um, good morning.” Her mind went blank. Alone, she felt she could talk all day to a horse, but something about the way Grant kept his eyes on her made Lana unable to think straight. “I met you the other day, and I think it would be lovely if we could be friends. We live up the way.”

  Could she have sounded any duller?

  Grant chuckled. “A real proper introduction. I like it.”

  “Do you know what might be wrong with her knee?” Lana asked.

  “Hopefully just a hygroma—it’s when a pocket filled with fluid forms. They can be mighty painful but aren’t serious.”

  “How would you treat it?”