Love at Large (18 page)

Silently, Jade let Rick maneuver them away from the front doors and toward the ferry docks, which were dimly lit and quiet since the water was still frozen. The indigo sky was void of stars. The air seemed even warmer than it had earlier and the humidity level had risen.

“I think it’s going to rain soon,” Jade stated as she leaned her bare forearms on a narrow railing. Making sure not to drop the medallion, she gazed down at the ice around the dock’s supports.

“It is.” Rick leaned backwards on the railing beside her and glanced westward. “Actually, it’s supposed to storm.” A forceful gust of wind pushed at them, as if to make his point.

She looked away from the ice. “Then isn’t it too dangerous to fly?”

“Not if I take off soon. My cargo’s all loaded, and what few passengers I have should be on their way to the airport right now. I should be safely landed at Gordon’s before the squalls hit.”

“Good.” She pushed herself off the railing and watched his hair flutter in the breeze. Hooking her thumbs into the front pockets of her jeans, she drew in a long breath. “I don’t like storms.”

He turned his head to her. “Oh, I don’t mind them, as long as I’m not a few thousand feet off the ground.”

Jade chuckled. Somewhere up the lamp-lit street people walked by, talking and laughing quietly. A second later, the clip-clop of horse hooves mingled with the jingle of a harness. And then there was silence again.

“This is nice.” Rick’s rich voice interrupted the peaceful companionship between them. “Susan and I used to sit in the darkness and listen to the island sounds for hours.”

“Susan?” Jade feigned ignorance.

“My wife. She died two years ago.”

“I’m sorry.”

He reached up to run his fingers through his hair and stared across the docks. “She loved the island as much as anyone could. She was an interpreter at Fort Mackinac, and her dream was to sell our condo in Mackinaw City and live here fulltime. It’s really expensive, but I was willing to do anything to make her happy. She was my whole life; my world.” He paused for a second and drew in a deep breath.

There was a long pause as Jade studied at the man in front of her, staring into the distance as if trying to see the past. His last statement rolled around in the warm breeze that continued to pick up in intensity.

Then, in an instant, the mood changed. A smile returned to his face, and he shifted his eyes to her. “But you don’t want to hear all this.”

“I don’t mind,” she replied, bringing up her right hand to push away the loose strands of hair that had fallen out of her ponytail and into her eyes. “You listened to me go on about my life this afternoon.”

His grin turned into the same amused smirk that had crossed his face back at the airport. “But that was fun. I liked watching you spin around like a top and shout into the air like a loony person.”

Jade laughed and slapped him on the arm. “Get out of here, Montgomery.”

The medallion suddenly warmed in her grip, and she quickly grabbed his arm. “No. Wait.”

“Make up your mi—”

“Here.” She grabbed Rick’s right hand and dropped it into his palm.

“What is this?” He stared at the piece of silver.

She crossed her arms. “It’s a charm that promises safe journeys. I was looking for it when you saved me from the trash monster. It’s made from a coin found at a Florida Keys shipwreck site. I know it’s probably just silly, but I like it. I’m not sure what the symbol on the back means and—” She stopped herself. “Oh, heck. Like I said, it’s silly.”

Rick closed his hand around the piece. “No. It’s not. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

“I’ll bring it back the next time I’m in town.”

“No. Keep it. I want you to be safe all the time, not just tonight.”

Slowly, he reached out to touch her cheek. His hand was still wrapped tight around the medallion while his thumb gently caressed the side of her face. “You’re a very special woman, Jade Reynolds.”

Jade allowed herself to enjoy the feel of his touch for a short time before finally, reluctantly, reaching up to take his hand away. “If you don’t get out of here right now and beat the storm, that medallion will really have to prove it works.” Her voice was soft as she squeezed his fist tight.

“I know.” Rick raised their joined hands and kissed the top of hers gently. “I’ll come see you tomorrow. I promise.”

“Please be careful.”

“I will.” He touched the tip of her nose with his index finger then took a step back. “I think I’ll bring Lawson with me. I know he’d love a personal tour of the shop from Ann.”

Jade laughed as China’s comment of Captain Lawson being a “gray-haired gigolo” flashed through her mind. He might just be Ann’s type. “And she’d love giving it to him,” she called after him, giving him a wave before wrapping her arms around herself.

He blew her a kiss, then turned and faded into the darkness of the street. A soft smile tugged at the corners of her lips as she stood on the lamp-lit dock and let the wind whip around her.

She almost, almost, did her happy spin again.

“
W
HY DON’T YOU
cut it a little closer next time, Montgomery!” Toby tried to shout over the wind as he sat in the driver’s seat of his truck; aiming the headlights at the plane’s stairway. “You knew these storms were heading our way!”

“This one blew up out of nowhere, old man!” Rick hollered back as he stood at the top of the stairs and watched his four passengers race into the oncoming storm and jump into their vehicles. When he saw they were all safely on their way, he ducked into the cockpit to grab his jacket, keys and the medallion that he’d hung from one of the radio knobs.

The wind shook the plane as he glanced out the windshield to see Toby move his huge pickup truck to the nose, jump out, and grab the tow line from the bed. Rushing back outside, Rick leaped from the stairs and landed on the tarmac just as a huge gust blew between the buildings. Through the dust and dirt, he quickly raised and secured the hatch, then threw his stuff into the truck’s passenger seat before heading for the hangar. He groaned into the wind, slid the metal doors open and stepped away as Toby finished hitching the plane to the truck. Dirt, dust and spits of rain beat at him as he shielded his eyes and watched the truck and his plane head his way. The moment they were both inside the large open space, he unhooked the towline.

“I warned you to get back here before midnight,” Toby grunted as he jumped out of the truck and helped Rick push the plane into its parking spot. “But did you listen to me?”

“I did get back here in time! I told you, this storm formed out of nowhere.” But Rick knew a big part of why he’d cut it so close had been a certain beautiful woman he’d found sitting in a pile of newspapers wearing worn-out black jeans and a cut-off T-shirt that showed off her very sexy, full curves. He wasn’t about to admit that to Toby, though. He tossed the rope into the rear of the truck.

“The weather service says this line of storms is getting nastier.” The old man stared at the metal roof as it rippled in the wind.

Rick remembered Jade’s comment about not liking storms, and an overwhelming frustration that he couldn’t go back to the island to see her through this one flooded his heart. But there was nothing he could do except send positive thoughts her way and hope she wouldn’t be too scared.

“Are you going home or staying here?”

“Home.” Rick pulled open the passenger door and yanked out his jacket. “I’m not about to sit around and wait for a tornado to plow through this flimsy airport.”

“It’s weathered fifty years of storms, Montgomery,”

Rick put on the jacket, checked to make sure the medallion was in the pocket, and headed for the hangar doors. “There’s always a first time.” He motioned Toby outside and slid the doors shut as soon as his friend cleared the entry. “Stay safe, old man!”

Toby waved and drove off for the main hangar as Rick ran for his Jeep. Lightning hit a tree at the western edge of the airport, the surprise and its proximity causing him to miss his first attempt at unlocking the door. He couldn’t get to the end of his ten-mile drive home fast enough. The trees would help protect his top-heavy jeep from the wind somewhat, but they would also hide anything that was about to drop out of the sky.

The rain finally came down with a whoosh as he peeled out of the driveway. Rick set the windshield wipers on high as he slowed to thirty-five miles an hour. Turning on the radio, he settled back and tried to listen to the overnight host of his favorite sports talk station. But instead of concentrating on the announcer’s words, his thoughts again traveled to Jade. He smiled at the memory of her spinning in the wind and giggling like a little girl.

And then, a few hours later, finding that the little girl had changed into a woman who had quietly listened to him reminisce about Susan and wanted to keep him safe by giving him a silly medallion. He could still feel the warmth of her hand in his and the softness of her cheek against his thumb and wished that he had kissed her lips instead of her hand. Shifting in his seat, he wondered if he’d actually found a woman worth bringing his heart out of the closet for.

After allowing himself another moment to fantasize about kissing her, he turned his attentions back to driving. There were few vehicles on the road so late and in such weather, most heading in the opposite direction. Still, it was nice to know he wasn’t the only fool out on a night like this. Up ahead of him was a curve he knew was very sharp, so he slowed his Jeep a bit more.

Too bad the SUV sliding across the other lane didn’t do the same.

Rick spun the steering wheel hard to the right then braced for the crash he knew was inevitable.

T
HE EARLY MORNING
sunlight was warmer than the air as Jade stepped out of the shop, wrapped in a purple sweater with a mug of fresh coffee cradled between her hands. Leaning back against one of the porch posts, she gazed at the debris-littered street.

The storms during the night had been bad. Signs were down, awnings ripped, some windows were broken, and everything from tiny twigs to small trees were scattered everywhere. Island maintenance workers and shop owners were busy cleaning up the mess, righting overturned items, and tossing unsalvageable ones into wagons. The Curiosity Cove had a small window broken out on the western side, which soaked a few books, but no other damage. And that was good, since Ann was upset enough as it was.

Staring up into the clear blue sky, she wondered what Rick would have to say when he came by later. The thought of seeing him made her smile. The storms hadn’t been the only thing that had kept her awake most of the night. In fact, she’d been grateful for a distraction from the booming thunder and gusting winds.

“Hi, Jade.”

“Hey, China.” Jade looked away from the sky as the young woman bounded across the street towards her. “How’d the hotel fare?”

“Management has every available employee out looking for what blew off the porch last night, which is just about everything. I decided to take a break and check on you. How’d you survive?”

“We have a broken window and a few inventory casualties, but that’s it. I didn’t think Mackinac Island got storms that bad.”

“We do, but only about once a season.”

“Good. Then we’re done for the year.”

“Let’s hope.” China walked past Jade and peeked into the front windows of the shop. “Are you guys going to be ready next week?”

“Yep.” Jade took a sip of her coffee and returned a wave from a passing wagon driver. “Most of the mess is just newspaper and boxes that need to be thrown away.”

“Good.” She turned away from the windows. “Guess what I heard this morning?”

“What?”

“Rick Montgomery’s in the hospital.”

The mug threatened to slip out of Jade’s hands. “What?”

“I heard it from one of the housekeepers who flew over this morning with Captain Lawson. I guess Rick’s Jeep got smashed between an SUV and a tree last night while driving home during a storm.”

“Is he okay?”

“I hear he has a broken right arm and tons of cuts and bruises. His Jeep’s toast, though. The police say he’s really lucky to be alive.”

Jade raised her eyes to heaven. “Thank God. What hospital is he in?”

“Cheboygan Memorial.”

“Where’s that?”

China smirked. “In Cheboygan.”

“Which is how far away from here?”

“Are you planning on going to see him?”

“I’d like to.”

“Well, the next flight off this island won’t be until after lunch. It’ll take you a couple hours to find a ride and get down to Cheboygan. By that time, he’ll probably be released.”

“Then I’ll call the hospital.”

“Like they’re going to tell some strange woman over the phone how he’s doing?”

“Then I’ll ask for his room.”

“I suppose you could. But if he’s already gone, you could always call him at home.”

Jade stared at her friend. “You have his number?”

China laughed out loud. “Gosh darn, Jade. I thought you weren’t interested in him.”