The Art of Love: Origins of Sinner's Grove (24 page)

“Are you sure we aren’t too heavy for this poor horse?” she asked.

Gus smiled. “No. This fellow’s used to packing this much weight, aren’t you boy?” He patted the horse on the neck. “He’ll have an easy time of it.”

They headed northwest, casually picking their way through meadows and dairy farms dotted with complacent cows and stands of oak and madrone. Already Lia’s hands itched to sketch the tranquil landscape. It wasn’t long, however, before the first sign of water came into view on their right.

Lia frowned. The water looked substantial, but it was so calm. “That’s not the ocean, is it?”

Gus shook his head. “No, that’s Creation Bay. Right now we’re entering part of a peninsula that separates that bay and Drake’s Bay, south of us, from the ocean.” He pointed to a hill in the distance. “You’ll be able to see better once we reach that ridge.”

They passed through the enclave of Little Eden, a quiet village that hugged the tranquil shoreline of the bay. A variety of shops lined the main street. Down at one end Lia could make out a large Victorian house.

“Do you like oysters?” Gus asked from behind her.

“I do. Fried in butter? Is there anything better?” She sent a smile back to him.

“You mean, other than sourdough bread with butter?” He grinned back. “Well, chances are, any oysters you had back in the city came from here. They’re big into sardines too.”

“It’s a pretty little town,” she said.

“And it’s going to grow,” he said confidently.

“Why do you say that?”

“I’ll show you,” Gus said. “We’re almost there.”

They passed through the center of town and onto a trail that worked its way up to the ridge Gus had pointed out earlier. The vegetation began to change: lowland grasses and coastal oaks made way for fern and Bishop pine. Lia inhaled deeply.

“It’s enchanting,” she said.

Gus said nothing, finally guiding the horse up and around a blind curve to a plateau on the ridge. A small sign on the side of the path read “Private Property.” “Yes, it is,” he finally answered.

Lia was held speechless by the views surrounding her. To her left she could look out to the vastness of the ocean; to her right lay an astonishing grove of towering Redwoods. “It’s…it’s…words don’t do it justice. Should we be trespassing, though? Who owns this place?”

He dismounted and helped her down, his hands lingering on her waist. “Take a guess,” he whispered, his eyes focused on her and her alone.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

L
ia looked up at him, her eyes wide. “Is this what you want me to paint for your mural?”

Gus nodded. “Until I can get here permanently, I want to be inspired by it every day, and you can make that happen.”

While Gus hobbled their horse, Lia looked around the area again. There were so many perspectives, she didn’t know where to begin. She quickly turned from him and pulled out her sketching tools, focused entirely on observing her surroundings. As if it operated independently, her pencil rapidly moved over the paper, recording what she saw and the feelings the landscape brought out in her. Wildness. Tranquility. Balance. Grandeur. After several minutes she hurried back to Gus and pulled his hand. “Come on, I want to see the trees.” He followed behind, and when she glanced back at him, she saw that he was grinning. She couldn’t help but laugh in delight.

Just as they reached the entrance to the grove, a large flock of startled birds flew up and over their heads.

“Oh,” Lia cried. “What kind of birds were they?”

Gus glanced up and then back to her face. “Starlings, no doubt.”

“Very funny,” she said. They entered the Redwood forest and Lia again grew silent, taking in the majesty of the centuries-old trees. They stood like sentinels over their domain, as if to say, “You may come and you may go, but we will always be here. We are what truly matters.” Yet the loamy soil beneath her boots and the moistness in the air reminded her that even such stalwart guardians couldn’t hold back change entirely. A rotting log lay across one end of the small clearing in which they stood. A fallen comrade. Lia sat down on the makeshift bench and began to sketch again. Several minutes later she felt a warm hand on the back of her shoulder.

“I brought lunch,” he said. “Take your time. It’ll be ready when you are.”

A half hour later (where had the time gone?) she wandered back to the clearing. Gus had spread a plaid blanket on the ground and set out plates.

“My housekeeper packed some ham and cheese and a nice bottle of wine,” he said. “Oh, and her famous oatmeal raisin cookies.”

“What, no sourdough bread?” she teased.

He reached deeper into the sack and pulled out a small boule. “Aha! Remind me to give that woman a raise.”

Lia chuckled and reached into her own bag, pulling out the two oranges. “And I brought these,” she said.

“In a different time and place I would have paid ten dollars apiece for those.”

They sat cross-legged on the blanket and dug into their meal. Lia was hungry and they fought good-naturedly over the last pieces of bread. After two glasses of wine, she lay down on the blanket, her head resting on her bag, her face tilted up toward the sun. Her eyes closed, she asked, “How did you ever find this wonderful place?”

Gus’s voice sounded soft and distant. “I’ve been exploring this area for a while now. My work keeps me in the city, but my heart is in these hills. That switch you mentioned? I feel it every time I cross the bay. Of all the places I’ve ever lived, this is where I belong.” He tapped Lia’s shoulder and pointed to a pile of stones at the far end of the clearing. “See that pile of rocks? That’s all that’s left of a retreat the Dominicans built here fifty years ago. Legend has it there was some hanky panky between one of the brothers and a local girl. Supposedly she bewitched him. They had a baby and eventually ran off together, not sure in what order. So some wise guy dubbed the place “Sinner’s Grove” and the name stuck. ’Course that kind of publicity didn’t sit well with the friars, so they put the place on the market. It’s changed hands several times since then, so when I stumbled upon it, I asked my broker to see if he could get it for me, and well, it worked out.”

A small alarm went off inside Lia’s head. She opened her eyes and turned to him. He was lying next to her, his own eyes closed. “I guess you can do just about anything with enough money,” she said tersely.

Gus’s eyes opened and he turned to her with a quizzical look. “I suppose that’s true,” he said carefully. “The seller was happy, anyway. With the proceeds he was able to move his wife and little girl back to live near her family in St. Louis.”

“Oh,” she said, feeling small for her remark. “Then I’m glad. For both of you.”

Gus got up and repacked his knapsack. “Come on, I’ve got something else to show you. How are your feet holding up?”

“My feet?”

“New boots. Always tough to break them in.”

Lia looked down and wiggled her toes. “Okay, I guess. I’ll survive.”

“Fine, then follow me.” Gus offered his hand to help her up and held on to it as he walked back into the grove and continued on through the trees. Lia had never held hands with a man before today; she found herself humming inside.

Satisfaction
. It was the first word that came to mind as Gus felt Lia’s soft hand trustingly hold his. They started to descend the deer trail which soon became steep. At one point Lia stumbled and Gus quickly caught her, slipping his hand around her waist. He didn’t move it even when the path began to level out again. They passed a fork in the trail but kept going, and several minutes later they emerged onto a pristine stretch of sand, protected on two sides by towering rocks. In front of them the surf roiled, providing a perfect seascape in miniature.

“Oh I wish I could swim!” she exclaimed. She playfully slapped Gus on the chest. “Why didn’t you have me bring my sketch book?”

“Because we have to head back if we’re going to catch the last ferry,” he said, smiling. “I just wanted you to see it, is all. I hope you’ll come back many times and then you can draw as much as you like.”

“I would enjoy that very much,” she said.

Gus couldn’t help himself, he took Lia’s hand again on the hike back up to their picnic spot, and fortunately she didn’t resist. Maybe she liked it as much as he did. Once they reached the top he reluctantly let her go in order to gather his knapsack and saddle the horse. As before, he lifted her onto the horse’s back and swung up behind her. But this time he let her know how close he wanted to be by taking the reins in one hand and loosely embracing her waist with the other. He felt rather than heard her sigh and gently nudged her to lean back against his chest. The easy cadence of the horse must have relaxed her because she seemed to melt in his arms. God, he wanted this woman.

When they passed through Little Eden again, Lia sat up straighter, apparently feeling uneasy about having anyone see them so close together. Gus smiled. What a treat it was going to be to peel away her proper exterior…if she’d let him, of course.

After a moment she let out a whoosh of air. “What are you huffing about?” he asked.

“Nothing, only…you said you thought the town would grow,” she reminded him as they left the town behind. “Why?”

“Ah. Well, my gut tells me this entire area’s going to become the premier getaway place for San Franciscans. It’s back to that switch we talked about. We saw a difference today, but that’s just a taste of what it’s like in the summer. You wake up cold and foggy, and all you have to do is head across the bay and you’re in heaven. I think the land’s going to shoot up in value as people choose this place as their weekend or summer retreat. Did you notice the path that veered off to the left as we were headed back up from the cove?”

Lia nodded. “I did. Where does it lead?”

“To another estate that’s been there for quite some time. The point is, more are coming. I’d like to get ahead of the crowd, develop something that will give them the experience of this incredible country without destroying the land in the process.”

“Would you live here?” she asked.

“Eventually, yes. When you come to my house I’ll show you the preliminary plans I’ve had drawn up.” Gus lightly pressed his chin on Lia’s head. “I’m very excited about it, and I’d like to share it with you.”

Lia didn’t respond, and Gus took that as a good sign. She could have told him to go to hell, but she didn’t, right? They dropped the horse off at the blacksmith’s at Point Reyes Station and caught the last train of the day with ample time to spare. The sun was low in the sky; it was a real pretty part of the day. Gus noticed Lia looking longingly out the window and starting to reach for her sketchbook.

“We’re traveling too fast for you to catch any of it,” he said, anticipating her desire. “Sometime we’ll bring the car over on the ferry and explore places along the way that you might want to draw.”

“You would do that for me?” she asked.

“Amelia Ruth, you’ve got to know by now, I’d do just about anything for you…including buy you dinner.” He bought two sandwiches and lemonades from the food vendor walking down the aisle.

He’d made a joke out of it, but deep inside, he realized he meant every word.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE