Tides of Hope (6 page)

“Okay.”

With one more quick look in his direction, Kate strode back toward the restaurant.

As she plunged into the horde, Craig thought about her ring. He'd noticed it in his office, too. Why wasn't her husband with her today? he wondered. Perhaps he wasn't a man of faith. Or they might be divorced.

His curiosity piqued, Craig considered the best way to satisfy it. He couldn't very well broach the subject of her marital status with Kate. She'd think it odd, inappropriate and irrelevant. And it was. Yet he wanted to know.

He looked down at Maddie. She stood quietly beside him,
her fingers crimped around the top of the white bag. Feeling like a heel for the strategy that popped into his mind, he nevertheless dropped down to her level again.

“Do you come to Downyflake for doughnuts every Sunday, Maddie?”

“No. Just sometimes. I wish we could come every day, though. It's my favoritist place.”

Chuckling, Craig rested his forearms on this thighs, noting again the little girl's pallor. Did she have health issues? Was that another reason for the anxiety in Kate's eyes?

But that would have to be a question for another day. He only had three minutes, and they were ticking by fast.

“When I was little, there was an ice cream shop not too far from where I lived. That was my favorite place. In the summer, my daddy would take me and my mommy there after dinner. Like you come here.”

Maddie's expression grew wistful. “I don't have a daddy. He died before I was borned.”

Stunned, Craig tried to process this new information. Kate was a widow. Had become one while pregnant with her husband's child.

When the silence lengthened, Maddie hit him with a question of her own. “Do you have any little boys or girls, Lootenin?”

As he struggled to come up with a response to the unexpected—and disconcerting—query, Kate reappeared.

“I found them.” She jingled the keys and opened the back door. “In you go, honey.” She hustled the little girl into her car seat, secured the straps and shut the door.

Craig saw the apology in her eyes when she turned to him, telling him she'd overheard her daughter's question. “I'm afraid Maddie has a tendency to give people the third degree. And she seems to have inherited her mother's bluntness. I'm hoping it gives way to tact and discretion as she ages—unlike her mother's.”

At her self-deprecating humor Craig dredged up a fleeting grin. “I think maybe I just caught her mother on a couple of bad days.”

“Thanks for cutting me some slack.”

“I'm guessing you deserve it.”

Why he'd said that, Craig had no idea. It was obvious Kate didn't, either. She edged away, her knuckles white on her purse strap.

“Thanks for watching Maddie.” A slight tremor ran through her voice.

“My pleasure.” His response came out husky, and he cleared his throat. “I'm glad you found your keys.”

The words were innocuous. But the sudden sizzle of electricity between them wasn't.

Fumbling for the car door, Kate slid in and pulled it shut. He stepped aside. She backed out. He headed for the restaurant.

End of story.

Except for one thing.

His heart wouldn't stop pounding.

Blown away by the unexpected reaction, he looked back toward the parking lot as he reached the door. He caught Kate watching him instead of the traffic on the road. Although she yanked her gaze away at once, he'd seen enough to know that Kate MacDonald had been as stunned as he'd been by that electric moment.

And he was equally certain that, like him, she was determined to ignore it.

 

“How's it coming, Chester?”

As Kate and Maddie stepped through the gate in the tall privet hedge that separated her tiny back lawn from her neighbor's more spacious grounds, Chester set aside his paintbrush.

“Hi, Kate. Good afternoon, Miss Maddie.” He tipped an
imaginary hat to the little girl, eliciting a giggle. “It's coming. A few more nice days like this, I'll wrap it up.”

“I wouldn't count on the good weather lasting if I were you.”

“We can hope, though, can't we?”

Kate had read somewhere once that a lot of Nantucketers spend the winter waiting for the summer. She wasn't one of them. Like Mac had, she loved Nantucket in all her guises. But Edith and Chester had only lived here ten years, moving to the island after Chester retired. They hadn't yet grown accustomed to Nantucket's long winters.

“Yes, we can. It's looking good.” Kate scanned the small outbuilding Chester was renovating into an efficiency cottage to rent to summer people. When he'd come up with the idea two years ago, Edith had endorsed it wholeheartedly, excited about the extra source of income. Her enthusiasm had waned, however, as Chester became distracted with other projects and the remodeling dragged on.

How the two of them had ever gotten together was a mystery to Kate. Chester was patient and slow-moving, while Edith bustled about, bristling with energy. Yet they seemed to complement one another, accepting their differences with indulgent affection. And their shared love of Nantucket was deep. They were active in multiple island organizations and causes, and Edith was one of the most connected people Kate knew.

She was also one of the main branches of the very active local grapevine. There was no better source of island news than Edith Shaw. And Kate suspected that was the reason for the summons that had been waiting on her answering machine when she and Maddie returned from an emergency run to the grocery store after she'd discovered the gallon of milk she'd bought a few days ago had soured.

Wiping his hands on a paint-smeared rag, Chester examined his handiwork, a shock of gray hair falling over his forehead. “It'll be a fine little hideaway. Good for honeymooners who
want lots of privacy.” He grinned and gave Kate a wink. “I know Edith doesn't believe it'll be ready this season, but I'm determined to finish it up. How's the
Lucy Sue
running?”

“So far, so good.”

“You let me know if she needs any more adjustments.”

“What would I do without you?” She leaned over and gave him a quick hug.

He flushed and shoved his fingers through his hair, wreaking havoc with the ornery cowlick no amount of hair gel could subdue. “You could turn a man's head with that kind of talk.” Grinning, he tipped his head toward the house. “Edith call you over?”

“Mmm-hmm. Said she had a loaf of homemade pumpkin bread with my name on it.”

He chuckled. They both knew Edith always offered a treat when she had news to impart or wanted a gab fest. “That's what I figured. You go on in. She's probably chomping at the bit. As for you, Miss Maddie, I know an old man who could use a helper for a few minutes.”

Puzzled, the little girl looked around the yard. “Where is he?”

Chester grinned. “Takes after her mother in the flattery department, I see. You're going to have to watch her with the gentlemen when she gets older.” He winked at Kate again and took Maddie's hand. “So you don't think I'm old, hmm?”

As he led her daughter toward a toolbox on the other side of the small cottage, Kate crossed the yard and knocked on Edith's back door. Within seconds it was pulled open.

“What's this about pumpkin bread?” Kate stepped across the threshold and sniffed. The air was redolent with the aroma of cinnamon and cloves. “Mmm…it smells good in here.”

“My sentiments exactly.”

Checking behind the door for the source of the comment, Kate smiled at Heather Anderson, her neighbor on the other side. With her light brown hair touched with gold, statuesque
height and graceful carriage, she had the perfect demeanor for her chosen profession—running The Devon Rose tearoom on the first floor of her spacious house. Though the two women's different work schedules didn't allow much opportunity for interaction, they shared a mutual liking and respect.

“Taking the day off?” Kate asked her.

“I wish. I have a full house for afternoon tea. I just stopped over to return Edith's rolling pin. Mine broke in the middle of making scones. See you two later.” She exited with a wave.

As the door closed behind her, Edith turned to Kate. “I have some news.”

Chester had been right, Kate thought in amusement. Edith was bursting to share whatever tidbit she'd picked up. But she kept her smile in check as she teased the older woman. “I know. I got the message about the pumpkin bread.”

“Pumpkin bread?” Edith's face went blank. “Oh, yes. The pumpkin bread. It's all wrapped and waiting for you.” She gestured vaguely toward the counter. “This is more important than that. Guess who I ran into at Bartlett's Farm a little while ago?”

Considering that many of the islanders visited the upscale market and garden center on a regular basis, Kate was clueless. “I have no idea.”

“Lieutenant Cole.” Edith beamed at her.

Her matchmaking neighbor had a one-track mind, Kate concluded, determined to cut the conversation short as she sidled over to the counter to retrieve the pumpkin bread.

“That's nice.” She picked up the bread and edged toward the door.

“Wait. There's more. He's available.”

Kate reached for the knob. “For what?”

“You know perfectly well what I mean, Katherine MacDonald.” Edith shot her a disgruntled look. “He's not attached. The poor man lost his wife several years ago.”

Kate dropped her hand. “He's a widower?”

“Yes. With a daughter. A four-year-old named Vicki.”

Edith had reeled her in hook, line and sinker, Kate granted, taking a step back into the room. “She wasn't at church with him this morning.”

“That's because she's staying with his mother in Wisconsin while he settles in. Here's the thing, Kate. When I mentioned that I watch Maddie for you, he asked if I'd be willing to take Vicki, too. He's got day care set up but would rather have her in a more personal setting. I told him I'd be happy to, but that it was really your decision, since I committed to you first. And it might not be a bad thing for Maddie to have some companionship under the age of sixty. She spends way too much time with me and Chester.”

Edith fished in the pocket of her skirt, pulled out a slip of paper and handed it over. “That's the lieutenant's phone number. I told him I'd ask you to call him tonight so the two of you could discuss this.”

Taking the paper, Kate frowned. “I don't know, Edith. Are you sure you're up to two four-year-olds?”

The woman dismissed the comment with a wave. “I like having children around. Besides, I suspect having two little ones will end up being less work for me. They can entertain each other.”

Her neighbor's rationale was logical, Kate conceded. And it would be nice for Maddie to have a child her own age to play with. No other children lived on Lighthouse Lane, and her daughter's asthma problem had kept her more confined than most youngsters her age.

“Okay, Edith. I'll give him a call.”

“Good. Worst case, we give it a try and it doesn't work. But I have a feeling everyone will benefit from this arrangement.”

Kate didn't like the twinkle in her neighbor's eye. “How so?”

“Maybe Maddie and Vicki won't be the only two to pair up.”

“Edith.” Kate shoved her hair back, exasperated. She was beginning to think nothing was going to dissuade the woman from her newfound quest to find a suitable match for her. “Leave me out of the equation, okay? If you're so bent on matchmaking, why don't you push him in Heather's direction? She's single.” Kate eased the door open.

“He's not the right man for her. Besides, she has no interest in romance.”

“Neither do I.”

“Baloney.”

Kate did a double take. “What's that supposed to mean?”

“Baloney. As in hogwash. My dear girl, you're a young and vibrant woman. You've mourned for four long years. You can't tell me you're not as lonely as that lieutenant has to be.”

Her neighbor knew her too well, Kate lamented. It was useless to pretend. “I miss Mac, Edith. And yes, I get lonely. But one romance was enough. Mac was the only man for me.” She hefted the pumpkin loaf on her palm and managed the semblance of a smile as she took one step out the door. “Thanks again for this. Maddie and I will enjoy it.” Without waiting for a response, Kate slipped out.

But as she collected her daughter and they headed home, Kate mulled over what Edith had said. Craig Cole might very well be lonely. Yet if he'd suffered a loss, as she had, he might be as reluctant to consider romance as she was. There was a huge chasm between available and amenable.

And Kate had a strong suspicion that while she and the lieutenant both fell into the available camp, neither of them was anywhere close to making the leap to amenable.