Moonlight on the Millpond (6 page)

“Maddie's in town,” Woody told Clara over dinner.

“Is she now?” Clara set the coffeepot down, interest in her face. “When did she get in?”

“Just today, according to everyone who stopped by the mill.”

“Good. If anyone can get Doyle to take a rest, it's Maddie.”

Jace didn't comment on any of this, not because he had something against the Shephards' niece but because his mind was on something else. A young lady had walked past the mill today who had actually caught his eye. He had so conditioned himself not to look even a second time that when his head turned twice today, it gave him pause.

With further inspection, he realized he hadn't seen her face clearly at all, but the color of her dress, a green print that was easy on the eyes, and the graceful way she moved, had stayed on his mind for quite some time.

It might be time,
Jace reasoned.
Would Eden actually say she was
right if after all this time I sought out some female company?
Almost the moment he mentally raised the question, he knew the answer was yes. It wasn't going to matter when he met someone he thought was special enough for a second look; his sister was just difficult enough to say that she had been right.

The only question that remained for Jace now was, Did he really care what his sister thought, said, or did?

“I missed you,” Doyle told his niece at noon over dinner, his voice saying more. Maddie had gone home to eat with him, planning to take food to Cathy later.

“I missed you too,” Maddie said in return, acknowledging how wonderful it was to be home again. She wondered how she would finish the day on so little sleep, but her heart knew nothing but delight that she had been able to come so swiftly and find her uncle doing so well.

She had expected worse. She thought Doyle would be sickly looking and pale, but he was neither of these. His eyes were bright and his color good. The only discernable change was his soft-spokenness and eyes that looked as though they wanted to tear every time she smiled at him.

“Was the work too hard?” Doyle suddenly teased.

“I didn't do any work,” Maddie teased back. “I spent the whole morning answering questions about my life. I wasn't a help to Cathy at all.”

“I find that hard to believe. Tell me, did everyone who wanted answers also buy something?”

“Yes, they did,” Maddie said, suddenly realizing.

Doyle laughed over this, and Maddie was struck by the deep contentment she felt. Smiling at her uncle and going back to her meal, she decided that no matter what, she would not stay away this long again.

When Douglas Muldoon moved to Tucker Mills with his family, he went directly into a house that was already built. He'd watched the building of other homes in the village but had never been involved personally.

The donation of funds for their meetinghouse made all questions about such matters come alive. Having not purchased land yet, Douglas was nevertheless asking where one purchased boards or logs to be cut, who in town could build pews, and would the woodcarver expect them to supply their own logs?

Rather than take time on the matter, Douglas began to make a list of all his questions. He didn't know when he would find answers, but it didn't have to be today. Today he had a sermon to work on and no time to consider side issues.

Woody stepped outside the mill, around the corner from the doorway, and leaned against the wall. He rubbed at his aching chest and arms. Jace was working hard over the saw, and for a moment, Woody was glad for the reprieve.

He had laid things out for Jace before he arrived. He wasn't going to be around forever, but not at any time did he want to worry the younger man and distract him to the point where he might be injured on the job. The mill and farming were both dangerous jobs. Jace needed to keep his head at all times. Woody had seen Jace's face full of concern during those times when he'd let his guard down. He knew he was a man of compassion, and he admired him for that, but he also didn't want it to interfere with the task at hand, the important task of learning to take over all that Woody would leave behind.

“Woody!” Jace suddenly called, and that man put his head around the door to see his nephew frowning at the saw. Jace waved him over.

Hoping his face looked as though he hadn't a care in the world, Woody returned to the interior of the sawmill, hoping he would be around long enough to show Jace everything.

The end of the business day could not come fast enough for Maddie. The long hours on the train and the emotions of coming away from Boston so swiftly were all starting to wear on her. In addition, it seemed as though every time someone came in the door, they were there to see her.

She was extremely pleased to see old friends and even meet some new ones, but constantly bringing everyone up to date, all the while trying not to encourage any of the single men, was beginning to take its toll.

A glance at the clock told her she didn't have long to wait. She told herself that a quiet evening was ahead, with a nice tea and snack and then her old bed. An unconscious sigh escaped her, and Cathy heard it.

“I can finish here,” the older woman said.

“I'll be fine.”

“Go on, Maddie. I can see you're nearly spent.”

Their eyes met, and Maddie could see that Cathy was doing well. With a small nod, she did as she was told and made for the rear door, the one that put her just 30 yards from the kitchen door of the house.

Cathy smiled in her wake. One of these days she would tell Maddie what it meant to have her here, and why just her presence gave energy to the older woman. One of these days, but not today.

Three

There was nothing Jace wanted more than a quiet visit with Cathy and Doyle, but on his way into town, he remembered that this was their niece's first day home. He did not want to interrupt such a time, so he opted for the Commons Tavern instead, sat at a quiet table, and ordered a pint.

Franklin served him, and hoping to relax a bit, Jace took a long pull and sat back in his seat. It was a quiet evening—most weeknights were—but it was just lively enough to give Jace a distraction.

This had been one of those evenings when Woody was extremely tired. He had fallen asleep in the rocking chair right after evening tea, coming awake suddenly when there was a noise outside, and then taken himself to bed very early. Growing a little more accustomed to the labor, Jace wasn't fatigued at all. Indeed, he thought the hours alone in the house would be dismal, so he cleaned up and rode one of the horses into town with plans to see the Shephards.

Feeling himself relax, Jace took another drink and realized it was never very far from his mind that this hardworking, generous uncle of his was not long for this world. Jace had been tempted to hold himself back. He had tried to keep some emotional distance when he first arrived in Tucker Mills, but it hadn't worked that way. Woody was too personable, too likeable. Even if it meant a more painful loss, Jace wanted to know this man. He wanted to learn all he could and know he had a friend, no matter how it ended.

“Another one, Jace?” Franklin asked from beyond the counter, and Jace, not normally a heavy drinker, realized he hadn't been all that thirsty but instead in need of company.

“I'm good, thanks.”

“I didn't see you, Jace,” Carlton, from the livery, called from the table with the checkerboard. “Come on over.”

Jace went, but it was for the company alone. He had not forgotten the way that Carlton had beaten him three games straight the last time they'd played together.

Jace lingered in the doorway of Shephard Store on Saturday afternoon, the last day of March, trying to find his bearings. At the moment Cathy was not in sight. However, a woman who could only be Maddie Shephard was behind the counter. And she was nothing like he expected. He'd gone from doubting her ability to help Doyle and Cathy to assuming she was a large, sturdy woman, easily able to step into Doyle's shoes. Neither was the case.