Beloved Counterfeit (20 page)

She continued to look doubtful even as a wall of water washed over him and sent him spinning facedown onto the ocean floor. Micah sputtered to the surface, but not before he spied something he felt was truly a sign from God.

“Look here, Ruby,” he said as he lifted the sand dollar in her direction. “A wedding gift.”

Just when he didn’t think Ruby would accept it, she did. Still, she remained silent.

“Call yourself what you want, Ruby O’Shea.” He had to pause until another wave passed. “Dance in the waves or in the middle of downtown in your wet skirts. I truly don’t care. My job is to protect you and those three girls, and that’s what I’m going to do. Now let’s go back to the boardinghouse. I warrant by the time we return, your assistants in this endeavor will have arrived.”

“Assistants?” She reached for his hand, still clutching the sand dollar in the other. “What plans have you made?”

Micah shrugged. “Not many.” Another wave, this one sending salt water over his head and into his eyes. He bobbed to the surface, weary of the beating from the waves but reluctant to move from a position that seemed to be working.

“I only spoke to the reverend briefly.” He entwined his fingers with hers. “But his wife did mention she would see to outfitting the bride properly.”

* * *

Outfitting the bride?
 

Ruby felt a wave lift her feet then set them back again. Poor Micah was practically drowning in that ridiculous position.

“Get up, please,” she said, “and tell me exactly what that means.”

“I know it’s. . .” He sputtered as a swell caused him to swallow seawater. “It’s customary for the bride to pick out her attire, but in the interest of time, I made the decision for you.”

“
You
chose my wedding dress?”

“Not exactly. Viola offered, and I—”

She shook her head. “Slow down. You said you only spoke to Rev. Carter. How does Viola Dumont figure into this?”

“Didn’t I mention she was at the Carter home when I arrived? As were Emilie and Isabelle. Seems as though I chose quilting night to make my announcement.”

“Wonderful.” She turned her back on a wave and let it crash against her. “I suppose they found it odd that you would be making this announcement without me.”

“No, actually,” he said. “I explained that your duties at the boardinghouse kept you from joining me, which was the truth.”

It was. She had to give him credit for that much.

“And I mentioned my concern at your not having a mother to guide you in the process of preparing for a wedding. That’s when the ladies offered to step in and help.” He paused. “They really like you, Ruby, and I’m not sure you know that.”

“Well, of course I do,” she said, though she’d have been hard pressed to say for sure. “I suppose I wouldn’t have thought to ask for help.” Mainly because she hadn’t completely settled in her mind the reality of the situation. That, and the fact that after she was done with him this morning, Micah Tate might very well change his mind.

His expression showed he was ready for a change in topic. Still, she had to ask one more thing. “Did you tell them?”

“Tell them?”

Ruby licked the salt from her lips. “About why you’re marrying me?”

“They didn’t ask. I suppose they thought the reason was obvious. That we are in love,” he added with some measure of haste.

“But we’re not,” she said, “and a woman knows.”

“I guarantee these did not. Why, they were planning and plotting as much as they were whooping and cheering.” Micah moved closer but remained a safe distance away. “It’s not how many would start a life together, but I’m bound and determined to keep my promise to take care of you and the girls.”

“I believe you, but why?” She released his hand and backed away, the desire to run bearing down on her. “Why would a perfectly nice single man just up and decide to take on the care of a woman and three girls he barely knows? It’s not normal, Micah.” Ruby shook the sand dollar at him. “And don’t tell me God said. I just won’t believe it.”

“At least you admit I’m perfectly nice.” He rose but remained rooted in place as she continued to back away. “Ruby, I’m not going to try to explain it. I can’t. Not yet. I just know you’re my second chance, and I’m not going to let this second chance get away.”

“Second chance?” That was something she hadn’t considered. Certainly a man couldn’t reach Micah’s age and not have some sort of past that included a woman or, more likely, women. The men she’d known surely hadn’t escaped that.

But a second chance at something? And did she want to know what that something was?

Ruby allowed the waves to propel her toward the shore, and when the water fell behind her, she collapsed onto the sand. This game, and it felt very much like a game, had become all too real.

Chapter 24

Indeed, Micah Tate was responsible for chasing away the one man who’d protected Ruby from Thomas Hawkins, both before and after the shipwreck that led her to Fairweather Key. The arrangement Ruby had made with Jean Luc had been simple if not fraught with troublesome guilt, especially since her meeting with Jesus at the altar of Rev. Carter’s church some weeks past.

Since that day, she’d come to understand that many things from her old life would not work in her new one. She’d decided to pray away the specter of the smuggler Rabelais, figuring God wouldn’t allow him to return to the key as long as she continued to petition Him. How wrong she’d been.

Now her mistake, and the result of it, lay before her in the form of a marriage to a man she barely knew.

The object of her thoughts hauled his soaking self up beside her and flopped onto the sand. “Ruby, I’m not a man given to thinking about how marriage proposals and weddings are done, but I’ve got to tell you. . .” He paused to swipe a mixture of sand and seawater from his eyes. “This isn’t how I figured to do it.” Another swipe. “No offense, of course.”

Ruby glanced at him. “None taken.”

For a moment they sat in silence. Fishing vessels dotted the waters where the depth dropped off, and gulls swooped and circled each. The sun rode just above the water line. Midday would come soon. The girls would be wondering where she’d gone off to, and the boarders would be wanting their next meal in a few hours.

Still, she sat with the sun baking her skin and drying the fabric of her dress into a wrinkled sandy mess. Ruby leaned forward and brushed back her hair, which she only now realized had come loose.

What a heathen she must look to the pastor-to-be. But then, that had been the point, hadn’t it? If Micah Tate wouldn’t listen to her past, the least she could do was give him a glimpse at what could be his future.

She exhaled, letting the air out of her lungs and, along with it, the last of her pride. Or was she merely trying to rid herself of the one man who’d treated her well and offered her nothing but his protection and his good name?

Ruby watched the horizon, where an unfamiliar vessel, a brig it seemed, unfurled its sails to skirt around the far reaches of the reef.

She knew this part of the ocean for the dangers it brought. An accidental zig to the left or zag to the right, or even an unexpected wind, and a ship could be blown off course and into rocks so jagged they could slice right through the strongest of hulls.

And the sound—it defied description. Even now, she could hear wood scraping, giving way under the razor-sharp coral. Could hear men shouting, screaming, crying. . .or had that been the sound of a ship giving way unto itself? Ruby could never be sure.

This vessel slid over the horizon unscathed, and Ruby let out another long breath.

“You’re quiet for a woman.” He winked—or perhaps he had more sand in his eye. “I like that about you.”

Ruby elbowed him but said nothing.

“Thank you for proving my point.”

“So as long as I don’t talk much, you’re happy? No wonder you don’t mind a wife dancing in the waves and carrying on like a fool.”

“Actually, I sort of liked that.” His grin broadened. “You’re an interesting woman, Ruby.”

If you only knew.

Micah rolled onto his side, seemingly heedless of the sand clinging to him. Coffee-colored eyes searched her face as his hand reached out to cover hers. “I know you don’t completely understand why I’m doing this. Marrying you, I mean.”

The words poured forth. “I don’t, Micah. It just doesn’t make a lot of sense. Unless you feel guilty for—”

“Guilt? No.” He shook his head. “I’ve an obligation to you, that’s for sure, but it’s more than that.”

“I still don’t understand.”

He looked away. “No, I don’t reckon you do. Maybe someday I’ll tell you all of it, but today all you need to know is that sometimes we get second chances, and there’s not a doubt in my mind that you and the girls are my second chance.”

At what?
she longed to ask. Yet Ruby didn’t dare lest she give up being curious as to why he married her in favor of spending a lifetime disappointed at the truth.

Another look, another sigh. She could do worse than spending her life with Micah Tate. He was easy on the eye, easy to talk to—or remain silent with. He’d certainly proven himself capable of handling his anger when she purposely provoked him in the water.

She allowed herself to wonder for a moment what her sister, Opal, might have thought of this deliberate deception Ruby was allowing to continue. Likely she’d say that no matter where they hid, Tommy would not be far behind. And when he found them, the girls would once again be in want of a mother.

Better to stand behind a man who’d pledged to fight for her than to stand alone and lose everything. Or to allow herself to fall into the arms of a man like Remy Dumont, who promised nothing other than an afternoon’s dalliance and, likely, a broken heart.

Micah patted her hand then stood. His look told her he’d decided their conversation was done. For her part, Ruby had all but forgotten what they had been discussing.

“I’m talking myself into this,” she whispered as she watched him walk to the water’s edge and make an attempt to rid his soggy trousers of sand. It was a poor attempt, though the wrecker gave it a good try. Finally, he shrugged and came back to flop down beside her.

“I’ve been thinking about something else,” he said as he rolled onto his stomach. “I’ve got another reason to marry up with you, and I’m going to admit to you and the Lord right now that it’s a selfish one.” He leaned in to touch her hair then wrapped a strand around his finger. “Ruby,” he said slowly, his attention focused on the coil of hair in his hand, “you write a better sermon than me. So there.” His gaze collided with hers. “I’m not proud of it, but that’s the truth.”

She started to giggle. The thought of her—uneducated and uninformed about most things outside of baking biscuits and making gravy—competing in any way with a man of Micah Tate’s intelligence was beyond silly.

Yet she loved the idea of it.

Her giggle became a laugh as Micah pretended outrage. “I’ll not have you making light of this serious problem,” he said in a grave tone, though the twinkle in his eye dispelled any ideas Ruby might have about whether he was teasing. “Can you imagine how it will look if the news gets around town that Micah Tate cannot write a sermon without his wife? And what if I was forced to attempt it alone?”

“I doubt that will happen, Micah,” she said through her grin.

“You’d better believe it won’t.” He sat up, the sand once again clinging in sheets to his shirt and skin. “That’s why I have to marry up with you. It’ll keep you where I can find you.”

She studied the mess that was his shirt and trousers for a moment, then shook her head. “No, I think you’re just looking for someone to wash your clothes.”

Micah laughed and shook a bit of grit in her direction, and she squealed as she scooted away. He made a slow grab for her that included a full roll sideways until he reached her and wrapped his sand-caked arm across her waist.

“Stop that,” Ruby managed through her laughter as she scrambled to her feet. “You’re completely uncontrollable.”

Micah looked up, his face a mask of innocence and guilt. “Not completely, Ruby.” Ruby noticed that lest he allow her to think he might have gone serious, the wrecker winked. “Were that the case, I’d have hauled you up and dunked you in the surf for frightening me.”

“Well, at least that’s something we can give thanks for.”

She glanced at the sun and cringed. Surely her return was long overdue, a concern she’d have to address with the girls. And then there was the condition of her clothing. Ruby looked down at the soggy mess that was her blue frock. How would she manage a walk through town without becoming the source of speculation?

She gave Micah an accusing look before doing her best to attack the clumps of sand weighing down her skirt.

“You started it, Ruby,” he said, “by dancing in the surf. So you must admit your wet clothing is completely your responsibility.”

“True,” Ruby responded, “though the worst of this sand is your responsibility.”

Micah drew near, suddenly intent on inspecting the damage done to her favorite frock. He shook his head. “Doesn’t appear to be anything a good washing won’t take out. Here, let me see if I can help.”

“Really, it’s not—”

“Let me help you.”

The horizon tilted as Micah lifted her over his shoulder and bounded toward the surf.

Chapter 25

“Put. Me. Down.”

“Hold your breath, Ruby. Here comes a big one.” Micah held her at arm’s length and waited until the wave hit to dunk her. She came up sputtering as he set her on her feet, holding tight to her arms to keep her from bobbing backward. “There,” he said as he pointed to her frock. “No more sand.”

Ruby tried to be angry. She truly did. As she pulled away the tangled curtain of her matted hair, she even managed to frown. Then she looked up into eyes that searched her face, seemingly wondering if he’d pushed his joke too far.

How simple it would be to allow him to believe he hadn’t just endeared himself to her with his humor. She might have, had her grin not gotten the best of her.

It began as a smile that touched the corners of her lips and caused them to quiver. Then came the giggle, bubbling up from a place she’d forgotten existed after all these years.