The Lightkeeper's Bride (27 page)

The sound of the men’s raised voices carried over the water. “Tell her to open the door!” The man’s anger nearly vibrated the air.

“Don’t you unlock that door!” Katie yelled.

Was that a slap he heard? Will reached the aft side of the sailboat.

“You want more of that, you little witch?” the man demanded.

“Get that door open or I’ll use my fist next time instead of my palm.”

Rage coiled in Will’s belly. The man had struck Katie. He would pay. Will grabbed the line on the anchor and rested a moment to gather his strength to board. He needed to explode over the side with enough force to overpower the man with the gun he’d seen glinting in the sun.

“You’re just as independent as your mother,” another male voice said.

“Florence is not my mother!” Katie spat.

Will heard a tussle, and under the cover of the commotion, he began to climb up the rope that held the anchor to the boat. His arms ached dully and so did his back. He gained the railing and peered over the deck. The men had their backs to him. He hoisted himself onto the boards and crawled behind the bulkhead.

Katie’s eyes flickered and he knew she’d seen him, but the men noticed nothing amiss. Her right cheek was bright red from being struck and his anger reared again. The only weapon he possessed was the knife tucked into his belt. The man in the red shirt still held a rifle loosely in his right hand. If Will could figure out a way to gain possession of the gun, he’d have the upper hand. He stepped out from his hidden place and mimicked jabbing a fist in someone’s stomach.

Katie didn’t respond but he knew she’d seen him. He waited until she raised her voice.

She shook her finger in the businessman’s face. “You imbeciles! If you think for one minute I’m going to allow you to lay a finger on Lady Carrington, you are sadly mistaken.” She turned as if to walk away. The man in the vest caught her by the arm and she whirled. Her right fist came up and arced into his midsection. He collapsed to his knees and gasped for air.

Will leaped onto the back of the man with the gun. One hand got caught in the fellow’s suspenders, but Will succeeded in getting it free. The man bucked him off then dived on top of Will. Will grabbed the fellow’s throat and squeezed then brought up his knee and kicked out. The man went flying, without the rifle in his hand.

Will leaped up and seized the gun. He was breathing hard as he stood over the man in the red shirt.

Katie ran to him, and he put one arm around her waist. An emotion he didn’t want to name clutched at his chest at the sight of her.

“Lady Carrington and Jennie are below deck?” he asked. When she nodded, he held her tighter in relief.

The mynah squawked and ruffled his feathers. “Six steps,” he croaked.

Both men rose and faced him. “Who are you?” Will demanded.

The businessman’s eyes flickered but he said nothing. He shot a warning glance at his accomplice, who abruptly shut his mouth.

“You’re going to jail,” Will said.

The businessman smiled. Perspiration dotted his handsome face, and he mopped his brow with the sleeve of his tweed jacket. “Look, we can cut a deal. Let us go and I’ll see you get a share of the money.”

“That’s not how it works. You killed the crew. That kind of barbarism has to be punished.”

“We had nothing to do with that. The men I hired took things into their own hands.”

Will saw the flicker of falsehood in his eyes. “I don’t believe you.”

The bird sidled to the edge of his post. His feathers fluttered as one leg slipped over the edge of the railing where he perched. He squawked and fluttered his wings but didn’t catch his balance. The mynah’s weight landed on Will’s shoulder, and the bird’s wings fluttered in his face.

Will tried to catch himself, but he was weak and standing off-kilter. He fell onto one knee. Before he could react, both men were over the railing. Two splashes sounded. He ran to the bow and saw them swimming toward shore.

“Stop!” he shouted. Raising the gun, he sighted down the barrel then lowered it. He couldn’t shoot any man in the back, not even murderers like these two.

Katie joined him at the railing. Her fingers crept into the crook of his arm. “I was so glad to see you. I couldn’t have held them off much longer.”

“I heard you face them down. You were very brave.”

“I couldn’t let them harm Lady Carrington or the baby.”

He stared into her eyes. The emotion in them caused his throat to close. He didn’t know much about women, but even he could recognize love when he saw it. Did he dare to do something about what he felt?

T
WENTY-EIGHT

T
HE WARM PRESS
of Will’s fingers on her waist was a sensation she wanted to savor—as was the intense look in his eyes. Katie allowed herself to lean against him for a moment and remember the kiss they’d shared. But it was best not to think about that.

She pulled away. “I’d better get Lady Carrington.” She went to the hatch and called through the closed door. “You can unlock it now.”

When she heard the older woman throw back the lock, Katie lifted the door open. Lady Carrington’s eyes were wide with alarm.

“Where are those men?” Lady Carrington asked.

“Overboard,” Will said, helping her up to the deck.

“Y–You made them walk the plank?” the woman quavered.

He grinned. “No, they went of their own volition.” His smile faded. “We have to fetch my brother and the constable. They will try to move the
Paradox
and I can’t stop them.”

Katie gasped and shuffled the baby to her other shoulder. “You found it?” She couldn’t keep her eyes off Will. He seemed taller, broader, more handsome than she’d ever seen him. Like a knight in shining armor, he’d come barreling over the railing to save the day.

His gaze lingered on hers. “Sure did. In a second hidden bay. Hard to find, but it’s there.”

The finder’s fee. He’d promised half to her. She could pay off Florence. “They mentioned my mother,” she said slowly. “Florence must be involved in this somehow.”

“Maybe that’s another reason she’s here,” he said.

Katie’s throat felt tight. For some reason, she felt near tears. Florence’s visit to Mercy Falls had nothing to do with her. She was an afterthought. A convenient way to get more money. Well, she didn’t care.

Will’s charcoal eyes studied her face. “She’s not worthy of causing you a moment’s pain, sweetheart.”

The endearment was pleasant to her ears. The tenderness in his eyes made her eyes well, and she turned her gaze before he could see. “We’d better get to Mercy Falls and summon help.” She nearly winced at her frosty tone. Did she want to push him away? Maybe so. If she let him get close, she might be forced into a decision she wasn’t ready to make.

“Of course.” His tone lost its warmth.

Retreating to the stern, she found a deck chair and settled in. Her feelings for Will changed nothing even though she wished it would. For just a moment she imagined life as Will’s bride. There would be no placid days where life moved in expected patterns.

Lady Carrington joined her. “You care about that young man, Katie Russell,” she said. “I saw him kiss you before he dived over the side.”

“I don’t want to,” Katie forced herself to say. “I plan to marry Bart Foster.”

“Somehow I doubt that will happen. Love comes when it’s least expected.” The older woman had a faraway look in her eyes.

Katie shot her a quick glance. “I want to please my parents, to take my place in society as they expect. I don’t want to upset anyone.”

The older woman’s smile was sad. “I made the wrong choice for the very reasons you mentioned, Katie. I wanted to stay close to my parents, and I wanted my pleasant life to continue to run like a placid stream.”

“You had a second chance with Lord Carrington,” Katie pointed out.

“God blessed me with that, but it’s rare we get a second chance.” Lady Carrington’s expression was kind. “The ups and downs in life are good, my dear. They keep us from boredom.”

Katie captured a stray lock of hair and pinned it back into place.

“I don’t like surprises.”

“Do you think God wants you to never grow? Surprises can be both good and bad. You can’t control everything. That’s God’s job.”

“Surprises can hurt. They come out of nowhere and slam into you like a Pacific storm. Sometimes you never recover.”

“God is our husbandman. Sometimes he makes a snip there, a cut here. It’s all designed for our good, though it can be painful at the time.”

Katie tapped her forehead. “My intellect knows you’re quite correct, but I like things to be controlled and expected.”

Lady Carrington smiled. “Controlled can be quite stifling. Think of how your handsome lightkeeper makes you feel. More alive in his presence than you ever felt?”

Katie couldn’t deny it so she said nothing at first. Then she said quietly, “What if he drowns saving someone? What if he leaves me?”

She wanted to add, “Just like my mother left me,” but she clamped her teeth against the admission.

Lady Carrington’s eyes filled with compassion. “Darling, what if that fear keeps you from really living? Surely ten years or even one year experiencing life to its fullest is better than never knowing what real love is like at all.”

Katie shook her head. “I’d rather avoid pain.”

The older woman chuckled. “Life can be quite untidy, can it not?

You think you have it all mapped out, then God plants a vine next to you, and the next thing you know, everything has changed. Embrace what God has for you. Somehow I don’t think it’s Mr. Foster.” She closed her eyes and sighed. “I shall take a nap. The circumstances have exhausted me. But I wouldn’t have missed it for the world, would you?”

With the woman’s eyes closed, Katie knew no response was necessary but one welled in her throat anyway. “No,” she said. “I wouldn’t have wanted to miss it. It was quite . . . exciting.”

Lady Carrington smiled but didn’t answer, and Katie was left to ponder the admission she’d made. A lack of surprises also meant a lack of excitement. Her fingers crept to her lips again. Though he’d never kissed her, somehow she doubted that Bart’s kiss would affect her the way Will’s had. Suppose she found the courage to change her life’s course. Nothing was set in stone yet. That option dangled in front of her dazzled eyes, but she very much feared the love for the handsome lightkeeper that swelled in her bosom.

Will tied up the boat and helped the women alight onto the dock. “I’ll telephone the constable,” he said. “I fear the men will be long gone, though,” he told Katie.

She nodded and said nothing as she walked up the beach to the lighthouse. She’d been distant on the way back. Their earlier closeness seemed as transient as the fog beginning to waft down from the wooded hillsides. As he’d steered the sailboat back to harbor, he’d decided he was going to pursue Miss Katie Russell. He’d convince her he was a far better choice than that dandy from town.

The roar of the sea was the only sound as they traipsed to the lighthouse. He glanced at his pocket watch. It was only four o’clock, though it felt much later. His job was the lighthouse. Philip would have to pursue the criminals. He stepped into hall. “Now to telephone the constable.”

“I’ll just call on the switchboard,” Katie said. “It will be faster.” She settled in front of the switchboard and connected the proper jack.

Will watched her as she told the constable what had happened. Her beautiful face was animated and alive. How did she think she would ever be happy burying herself in a mediocre life with a man she didn’t really love? It wasn’t what she wanted, not deep down.

Convincing her of that fact would be his goal over the next few weeks. He was a patient man. She couldn’t tell him she had no feelings for him. Her response to his kiss had proven that.

Katie spun around on the stool. “He’ll meet Philip at the dock.

He’s quite excited.”

“He should be. This is a huge break.” He frowned. “You’re sure you’ve never seen those two men before? They seem to be from the area.”

“I don’t know them. The businessman matches the description of the man who used the telephone at the skating rink to threaten me.”

“I never would have guessed our pirates would be businessmen.”

“Nor I. Perhaps the depression has them searching for a way to stay afloat.”

He nodded. “I need to find Philip before the constable arrives.

Will you be all right?”

She tipped up the pointed chin he found so adorable. “We’ll be fine,” she said.

There was a distance in her gaze he found disconcerting. “What are you planning?”

She didn’t meet his eyes. “Nothing.”

Nothing he could do about her mood now. He went in search of Philip. He only found his brother down at the dock after asking around. Philip was aboard a beautiful sailing yacht that looked as though it had fewer than ten hours on it. Pristine condition with white sails and an immaculate deck. Will motioned to his brother. Philip frowned but joined him on the dock.

“I found the
Paradox
,” Will said. He told his brother what they’d discovered. “Katie called the constable. You’re to meet him in an hour to go out looking.”

Philip shook his head. “Can’t do it tonight, Will. I have a chance for something big.” He hooked a thumb toward the man in the dapper suit aboard the yacht. “Hudson Masters sent his man to hire me.

He wants me to track his missing wife. We’ve got a lead on her. We’re about to talk it over on the yacht.”

“B–but what about this job? You’re so close to wrapping it up and collecting the finder’s fee.” Katie would get her share too. He had to make sure that happened.

“It’s a minor detail to take the constable out to the ship. Surely you can handle that. This is a huge opportunity for me, Will. If I come through on this, he’ll funnel enough work to me that I’ll be able to afford anything I want.”

Will struggled to keep the disappointment out of his voice. “This is your job, Philip. Not mine.”

Philip’s gaze was pleading. “If this comes through, we’re sailing to Hawaii. I’ve always wanted to go.”

“Fine. I’ll take care of it.” Like always.