EDGE (10 page)

“What can we do to help, Ramsey?” Mel offered. In this country, you helped your neighbors, because you never knew when you might need helped in return.

“I’ve got things under wraps for now. Just need a place to stay dry until this storm blows over. Then I can get over to Homer and rustle up supplies.”

“If you need help with your roof, Sergei and I will spare some time,” Mel said.

“Much appreciated. Glad to see there are some in this cove willing to watch out for each other,” Ramsey said, which Linnet ignored.

Mel realized that no one had bothered to introduce Nicole and Cache to Ramsey so she took care of the oversight. Ramsey noticed the cane leaning against the edge of the table. “What happened to your leg?”

“Ramsey,” Mel whispered.

“No, it’s all right,” Cache said. “I was in the Middle East a while back and a bomb went off where I was having breakfast.”

The room went silent, but Ramsey just shook his head and said, “Damn, lousy break. At least you got your life.”

Cache’s eyelids stuttered and he dropped his gaze to the piece of French toast he stirred around his plate, soaking up syrup. “Yeah.”

“You’ll have to get together with Garrett when he shows his face around here again. He did some time in the Middle East.” With that, Ramsey went right back to his food.

Mel wondered what Cache’s whole story was, but she didn’t pry into people’s lives and expected the same in return.

“Oh my heavens,” Nicole said from where she stood at the sink, gazing out the window.

“What?” Mel asked, suddenly on guard. The kayak incident had her on edge, making her see threats everywhere.

“An eagle. There in the tree, looking right at me.” Her hand went to her throat, her voice hushed. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Cache grabbed his cane and stood to see out the window. “I’ve got to get my camera.” He rushed, as best as his leg would allow, out of the room.

“Doesn’t anyone else want to see?” Nicole asked, still not moving from her spot.

“To your left, up the hill. There’s a tall spruce with a nest at the top. You’re probably looking at one of the parents right now,” Mel said.

“Oh! You’re kidding. This is all so amazing,” Nicole said.

“What is?” Cache asked hurrying back into the room, his camera looped around his neck with a huge telephoto lens on the end of it.

“Up there.” Nicole pointed to the nest. “Mel says the eagle is one of the parents.”

“Are there eaglets up there?” Cache asked Mel. “Have you seen them?”

“Yeah. They’ve nested there every year I’ve been here.” She was impressed he knew they were called eaglets instead of chicks. “When the weather’s better we can hike up and get a closer look.”

“That’s a date,” Cache stated before swinging his gaze back to the window.

Mel swallowed. He didn’t mean an actual date. It was just a slip of the tongue. A walk, really, up the hill to catch some pictures of scraggly eaglets.

Cache raised his camera and glanced through the viewfinder. He immediately lowered the camera. “I’ve got to be outside to catch this. Look at that cloud bank moving in behind him, and nestled amongst the evergreens. God, this is beautiful.” Cache moved to the door.

“Get up, girl, and help the boy.” Ramsey gave Mel a push. “He can’t get the door with his cane and that fancy camera of his?”

Mel grumbled but got up and held the door for Cache. Luckily the rain had decided to take a breather, but the wind could still push a person sideways. From one minute to the next, you never knew what kind of weather The Edge would deliver.

Mel wrapped her arms around her middle. Cache seemed impervious to it all. He was totally focused on the eagle regally perched on the evergreen branch as it rocked in the wind. Then the wind paused and the eagle stretched its wings to the limit of its wingspan and shivered the water from his feathers.

“Did you see that?” Cache’s camera shutter clicked in rapid succession. “Unbelievable.”

He continued to shoot the eagle until it tired of the spotlight and lifted off the branch, its eight foot wingspan spread, and with a few flaps, it soared gracefully into the sky.

Cache lowered the camera and followed the eagle’s flight until it was out of sight. “In all my travels I’ve never seen anything so…so majestic.” He turned and his gaze captured hers. “Thank you.”

“I didn’t do anything. The eagles live here. They show off for the tourists when they feel the need. We’re used to seeing them.” Mel fidgeted with the way Cache studied her. “When the salmon start running, they’ll be everywhere.”

Cache moved closer. “When will that be?”

Her breath hitched. He was too close. “Uhm…” What had they been talking about? Oh, yeah, fish. “Five maybe seven days for Kings. Couple of weeks for Reds.”

“Good. I’ll still be here.”

The wind picked up and she was grateful to have the cold breeze slapping her into motion. Mel stepped back.

C
HAPTER
S
EVEN

Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour.

~MATTHEW 25:13

When Mel had been the lost, broken child, Cache had wanted to hold her and promise the monsters of the world would never touch her again.

The need to touch her now was very different.

“We’d better head in.” Mel shivered and he noticed she hadn’t grabbed a jacket when she’d come outside with him.

He nodded, and followed her inside to find Tom sitting in his spot, nursing a cup of coffee. He sure hoped Linnet had heeded his advice. There was no sign of Sergei and Ramsey. The dogs were gone too. Had Tom run everyone off?

“Hey, Cache, buddy. Whatcha been doing?” Tom asked. It seemed he’d survived his ordeal yesterday as though it had never happened.

Cache held up the camera. “You missed an amazing bald eagle.”

“Eagle?” Tom slid a glance at Mel—luckily, her back was turned—and raised his brows at Cache. Cache got the silent message. Why was he taking pictures of eagles when he should have taken some candid shots of Amelia?

“Yep. Eagles.” Cache left it at that.

“Well, hopefully, you’ll get some other shots later,” Tom said.

The man was not made for covert missions. “With the weather like it is, what do you suggest as a good way to pass the time?”

“There’s cards,” Linnet suggested. “We have a television with a pretty good library of movies. Books, we have a large array of fiction, subjects on birds, wildlife and such. Mel could show you.”

Linnet seemed to be playing matchmaker. He could use all the help he could get. Mel wasn’t going to be easy to get close to. He had a lot of questions where she was concerned. The woman had overcome what others in the same situation wouldn’t have been able to. How had she done it?

“Want to play a game of cards?” Cache asked.

“Depends.” Mel cocked her head to the side. “How good are you?”

“Uh…fair, I’d say.” He’d spent hours on long flights playing one card game or another.

“You need to be better than fair if you want to beat that girl,” Linnet said. “No one’s beaten her at a hand of cards since the summer she showed up here.”

“Well, then. It’s about time someone did,” he said.

A game of Rummy was set up in the great room where the fire Sergei was feeding had the room nice and toasty.

“I’ll deal,” Ramsey invited himself, sitting at a table positioned close to the windows. He picked up the deck of cards Linnet slapped in front of him, before taking her seat.

“You playing, Tom?” Cache asked.

“What the hell. Not like there’s anything else to do.” Tom sat and crossed his legs, checking the crease on his cargo pants.

Sergei wandered over and joined them. “I’ll try and beat shark again.”

“Card shark,” Ramsey said, shuffling the deck. “How long you been in this country, anyhows?”

Sergei tightened his lips.

“Just deal the cards, Ramsey.” Mel flexed her fingers while the cards were dealt.

Tom was the first out, which was no surprise to anyone. Sergei was next, leaving Linnet and Ramsey to bicker over who would follow. It was Linnet and she didn’t leave gracefully, but then showed up with Nicole carrying refreshments as the game lengthened into late morning.

The rest of the guests came down for brunch, having missed the full breakfast. The Whitneys ate and retired to their room with a handful of books. Jonah followed Nicole who went to get Quentin, David trailed behind.

The game was down to the three of them and Cache had to admit, Mel was good. Ramsey was no slouch either. For a moment, he thought the old man would trump him but then Mel stuck Ramsey with a pair of kings and he was out, leaving the two of them to face off.

Bowls of popcorn were passed around and he stuffed a handful into his mouth. Mel didn’t touch hers. She had no bluffs that he could tell. A total mystery. One minute he thought she held her high cards on the left then she’d surprise him and lay down three queens from her right. The next hand she’d mix it up again. The woman could clean out Vegas. Cache tried with everything he had but it wasn’t in the cards. On the last hand, she went out and had him by fifty points.

“See! No one has beaten her in all these years. Weirdest thing.” Linnet shook her head.

Ramsey slapped him on the back. “At least you didn’t bet her money.” He grabbed a throw pillow, and lay down on the sofa. “Think I’ll be having myself a nap. Linnet, wake me for lunch.”

“What do I look like, a damn waitress?” Linnet planted her hands on hips that still had an apron tied around them.

Ramsey lifted his head off the couch. “Yeah, you do.” He dropped his head and closed his eyes.

Linnet smoothed her apron and huffed off to the kitchen muttering under her breath.

Sergei stretched from side to side. “If you do not need me for anything, I vill follow old man’s example.” He gave them a wave and was off.

Snores began to rumble from the couch and Cache couldn’t help the smile. Tom had also taken himself off sometime during the game and Cache was glad of it. He wanted more alone time with Mel.

“You up for another game?” he asked.

“I’ve chores I should get to,” Mel said, glancing to the windows.

“Fresh air would probably make doing those chores easier,” he coaxed. “How about taking a stroll? Weather seems to be catching its breath.”

She indicated his leg propped on a pillow lying on a chair. “You sure?”

He put his leg down and stood, doing his best to hide the wince as his leg adjusted to his weight. “I’ve explored the lodge. I’d love a tour outside. Show me?”

“Okay.”

They dressed for the cold, fleece jackets under rain gear. Mel picked up a can of bear repellant and clipped it to her belt. She called for Rinka, but Rinka curled up with Kuspuck, settling in tight to the other dog who snored almost as loud as his owner.

“I guess, it’s just you and me,” she said.

Exactly what he was after.

They left through the French doors leading off the great room onto the deck and then down the stairs to the beach. Small pebbles crunched underfoot as they ambled from the lodge to the ocean. The crisp salty air cleared the smog remnants of the city right out of him and he took a deep breath and held it in, letting it out in a rush. Every muscle in his body sighed with relaxation.

They followed the curve of the beach as it made a crescent path with the waves crashing just feet away. Cache could taste the saltwater spray on his lips.

“Does it bother you to live so far away from a town?” he asked.

“No. I love it here. It’s just me and what you see.”

“Don’t you get lonely?”

“You met everyone inside. I’d treasure a moment to feel lonely.”

He chuckled like he was supposed to and then asked, “What about the winters, when all your guests are gone?”

“Winters can be tough, but there is peace too. Time to reflect, to create. Look around.” She splayed her arms wide. “Being lonely is a small thing when you get to live amongst all of this. What about you? Do you ever get lonely living in a big city?”

“I’ve never thought about it.” He’d spent most of his life alone. It’d never bothered him before.

“Loneliness is something we all deal with,” she said. “No matter how many people we live around.”

“True, but it has to be different here. What if you were hurt or sick? How would you get help?”

“I’ve lived here long enough to be considered a local by now. If I didn’t show up in Homer for supplies or in Seldovia occasionally, someone would come looking for me. We take care of our own out here. If something happened and it was serious enough that time was of the essence, then I guess it would be my time to go.” She shrugged. “I’m not afraid to die. I was at one time, but not anymore. I’ve made peace with my life.” She glanced at his leg. “What about you?”

She would have to go and turn the tables. It was only fair if he asked pointed questions that she could too.