His Harbor Girl Read online

  “Of course, she had to try all of them and then decide.

  She’s as hard to please as her mother at that age. You did the same thing when you were little. Your mother and I would have a time of it taking you shopping.”

  The box containing her sandals tucked under one arm and a stuffed Eeyore under the other, Kai retreated to a corner of the store. Leanna had spread a blanket there, out of sight of the customers. There were a small plastic chair and an assortment of toys for her daughter. She’d keep herself busy for an hour. When she became restless, Leanna would have to dream up some other occupation for her.

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  “How’s business been, Lea?”

  “Steady. And the researchers have arrived.”

  “The ones coming to Benedict Island? That’s going to be interesting. Will they need ferry service to the island? I’ll have to tell Marcum’s Marina to expect more passengers.”

  “Don’t know if they’ll be needing the ferry service or not. I met only one of them.” Leanna tried to slip the information in casually. Her father hadn’t known about Bryce.

  She had not wanted to discuss their affair with him. It would have been different if her mother were alive because Leanna might have confided in her. As dearly as she loved her father, she knew there was nothing he could do about it. And she hadn’t wanted to tell him who Kai’s father was. Fortunately, he had just accepted the situation with his offer of moral support, turning over the cottage to her and Kai. He constructed a small annex to the store, which served as an apartment for him.

  “Just so you and Kai will have a place to yourselves,” he’d said. “Now that Mother is gone, all I need is a little bit of space.”

  “But you don’t have to do that, Dad.”

  “You girls need a place of your own. You don’t want an old geezer in the way.”

  It had only been a year since The Tug was up and running. Until then, Leanna had her hands full taking care of Kai. Then, Kai emerged from the baby stage and left Leanna free to think of opening a store.

  “You going to take tourists to the island?” Chester walked outside with her.

  A small garden bench stood facing the lake. Here Kai had spread out her sandals, Eeyore and some small, pearly shells she’d found under a nearby sand heap.

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  “Yes, I think so. Especially if it doesn’t interfere with being at the store.” Leanna loved the open trails, the trill of the birds, the enormous maples forming a canopy above.

  Since she had taken people to the island last summer, the Park Service Office at Pelican Harbor made her a standing offer to do it every year, if she had time. “Wish I could take Cody there too, but that’s not allowed. Too bad he’s cooped up at home.”

  Cody was all she had from the time she’d known Bryce, before she’d known she was pregnant. Cody was part of Bryce too. She and Bryce had gone together to look at puppies and came away with a frisky three-month old bundle, part husky, part Labrador retriever. The landlady had allowed Leanna to keep Cody. How could she refuse, when Cody, a large ball of fur, had snuggled up to her? That was when she noticed that Cody had silver-gray eyes—and so had Bryce.

  Until she saw Bryce again, she’d forgotten how light his eyes were. Light and powerful wolf’s eyes that gave him a strange kinship with the animals he researched with meticulous care.

  * * * *

  The meeting with Leanna had unsettled Bryce’s well-ordered life, even though he had assured himself he’d be able to handle it if he found her. He hadn’t been quite honest when he told Leanna that he didn’t know she’d be running a gift shop. Of course, he’d known she lived in Pelican Harbor, and a few inquiries at the Chamber of Commerce had told him about The Tug and who owned it.

  He made his way now to the Pelican Harbor Park Service office, a brisk walk of about a mile, where the rest of his research associates, two graduate students and another scientist, Fred Schultz, were waiting. Anchored motorboats rocked gently against the whitewashed docks of Marcum’s 12

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  Marina in a parallel array of white and gray. The lakefront had the look of an artist’s creation on an inspired day.

  A collection of duffel bags and assorted sleeping bags lay piled in a corner of the office, which had only enough space for a large desk and the national flag standing on a brass pole capped by a carved bald eagle. Maps of Benedict Island in relation to Michigan and Wisconsin covered the entire wall on one side.

  Fred caught Bryce’s elbow. “We could have come a few days later. Marcum, the man who runs the Benedict Island Queen service, has taken a freighter carrying cargo out to the main harbor.”

  Bryce could barely suppress his annoyance. “So now, we sit here and wait, when we have to set up for wolf tracking.

  We should be moving into the cabins we’ve leased. We can’t have all this state-of-the-art equipment lying idle.”

  The Park Service office clerk overheard them. “There is somebody else who can take you. Chester Reed, the man who owns The Tug, he’s a seasoned sailor. He could be persuaded to run you gentlemen up to the island.”

  “Reed?” Fred looked doubtful while the two students, Clyde and Tim, hung about listlessly chewing gum.

  “It’s all right,” Bryce said. “I know him...that is, I know his daughter.”

  Fred stared at him, surprised. “I thought you didn’t know anyone here.”

  “Well, it’s a long story.” Bryce tried not to give himself away. The thought of the way Leanna’s dark hair fell back from her face when she looked up at him brought a heated flush to his face. He snatched up a duffel bag and forced himself to concentrate on what needed to be done. He couldn’t afford to think of Leanna now.

  * * * *

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  The phone trilled in The Tug office. Leanna hurried to pick it up while glancing at a couple of customers who were looking at postcards and picture books about ships that had plied Lake Superior in the nineteenth century.

  “Hello?” Leanna balanced the receiver on her shoulder and cleared the counter of envelopes and wrapping paper.

  A deep voice came over the line. “Leanna, we have a favor to ask.”

  “Bryce!” What did he want now?

  “Can Chester ferry us across to Benedict Island?

  Marcum’s gone on another job. The Park Service mentioned your father could take us.”

  It was flattering that the Park Service office had recommended her father. But her father suffered from occasional arthritis, enough to keep away from many of his previous occupations. “Maybe he could handle a one-time passage across the lake. I have to ask him and let you know.”

  Leanna hung up, her heart still pounding. Was this going to be the pattern for the duration of Bryce’s stay? Her plan of keeping her life private was already flying out the window.

  She went to the back of the store. “Dad, could you come in here, please?”

  The back door opened and Chester walked in, wiping gnarled hands on a piece of rag. He had mentioned that he was finishing up the varnishing job on the rocking chair he liked so much. His nails were cracked and blackened from drywalling, painting and sawing. It had taken a lot of work to make the addition to the store.

  “The new group that’s come to work on the island needs to be ferried across. Marcum’s away and there’s nobody else.”

  “Well…I wanted to pull up a loose board from the siding.”

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  Part of her wanted to see Bryce again and read his mind, look into those eyes half-amused, half-questioning. If only she hadn’t been so headstrong and had run away without so much as a phone call. She’d been young, easily hurt, and hurtful.

  She’d wanted to hurt Bryce as much as she thought she had been hurt.

  That was so long ago. A rogue thought now shot through her mind. She was actually happy to see him, but darned if she’d
let him know that.

  “Actually, I know one of them.” Leanna was reluctant to mention Bryce.

  “That so? Who?” Chester looked surprised. Apart from their usual group of friends, Leanna never talked of anybody else before.

  “Bryce Robertson. I knew him in college.”

  Chester’s eyes lost their piercing sharpness and a look of compassion crossed his face. He wasn’t one to question her and she wondered what he read into her remark.

  “Did you now! Was he your special young man in college?”

  “Sort of. But we lost touch. You know how it is in college. You meet, get to know one another, and then you take different paths.” Leanna made sure there was just the right touch of nonchalance in her tone, but she knew she couldn’t fool her father. There was the same amount of devil-may-care in her tone when she’d returned from college suddenly and told her father she was pregnant. She had sensed that Chester saw the pain, but kept from intruding.

  “I’ve never been to college, little girl, but I see how new falutin’ ideas can send people in different ways.”

  Leanna had been amazed to find wisdom in the man who disappeared from her life for months on end. If only he had 15

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  been there once in a while to guide her with his wisdom when she was growing up.

  “Are you going to take them across?”

  He nodded. “They are guests here, and for a good reason.

  I’ll take them across. Want to come?”

  “No, Alice is bringing Kai home from preschool and I should be here. Better call the Park Service office and let the clerk know you’ll be there.”

  She didn’t quite know why she was pushing Chester to help Bryce and his associates. Perhaps she didn’t want to appear inhospitable and deny his request. Besides, what could possibly result from taking them across except Bryce owing them one?

  Leanna couldn’t help noticing that her father had the same caring look he used to have during his short shore leaves when he used to take her on hikes through the woods as a child. Those moments made her remember her father with fondness in the times he left her mother and her for endless months.

  Leanna would just as soon not see Bryce again for a while, if she could help it.

  * * * *

  Bryce and his colleagues hauled their luggage, supplies and equipment onto the pier. He’d received word from the Park Service office clerk that Chester Reed had agreed to ferry them to Benedict Island.

  Bryce returned to the office to see they weren’t leaving anything behind.

  “Tourist traffic hasn’t started yet. Some folks come early but Marcum takes them across every few days. But you gentlemen shouldn’t have to wait.”

  “We really appreciate your help. And you’re right, we’ve got to get started on the work.”

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  “Anything you need, call us here.” The clerk pointed to the phone on a crowded desk. The next moment he looked doubtful. “Are you even on a phone line?”

  Bryce patted the pocket of his blue fleece jacket. “I have a cell phone. And thanks, if we need anything, we’ll call.”

  He walked out of the office and saw a burly older man sporting a white beard approach him.

  “Good afternoon, I’m Chester Reed. You folks need to be taken to the island?”

  Bryce nodded and extended his hand. “Bryce Robertson.”

  Chester grinned and shook his hand. “Got a lot of luggage, I see.” He helped them load the small blue and white steamboat that stood anchored alongside the dock.

  “No vehicles allowed on the island.”

  “We don’t need any.”

  Chester cast off and steered the ferry slowly away from the shore.

  “Always glad to meet a friend of Lea’s.”

  “Pardon?” Bryce wasn’t sure what to make of Chester’s comment.

  “Lea says she knew you in college.”

  “Ah…yes. And I’m glad to meet you. Are you her father?”

  Chester nodded but kept his eyes on the course as the shoreline shrank in the distance. “Yessir, she’s always busy with the store. It’s good for her. That and her daughter.”

  Bryce jerked his head toward Chester, surprised to hear that Leanna had a daughter. She hadn’t mentioned that, and it could have been why she had left without a word. He was sure if this were his child, Leanna would have told him. A thought crept into his mind. Maybe, she didn’t tell him because the father was someone from their college days. No, couldn’t be, because he knew all of them. Well, then she’d met somebody 17

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  here in Pelican Harbor. A dull feeling overcame him. He knew why and didn’t want to give it a name. He’d been smacked by the monster called jealousy before, but never like this.

  Bryce pushed away his thoughts for now and glanced at Chester, whose grasp tightened on the thick steering wheel.

  He composed himself and said, “Her daughter?”

  “Yuh, Leanna’s crazy about that kid.” Chester gave the boat’s steering wheel a gradual turn.

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  Chapter 2

  Leanna parked her car outside the Beef ‘n’ Brew to pick up a soup and sandwich for Kai. As she was about to enter, Dick Langtry, the Park Service Supervisor, walked out.

  “Hi, Leanna!”

  “Hello, Dick. Late lunch again?”

  He nodded. “Just packed off that new bunch of scientists who came in. They had an impressive set of equipment. Did you meet them? By the way, please thank Chester for taking them over.”

  “I met one of them. And I’ll tell my father.” Leanna was amused at the way his mind sprang from one thought to another, which was just the way he functioned.

  She’d learned to keep up with that from working with him during past summers.

  “We’ve had requests for tourist tickets to Benedict Island.

  You still available to take them over?”

  “I can’t, because of the store. But if I had enough notice, I’d be glad to.”

  The store was her life; beyond that, she didn’t have any.

  Since when did she care about a personal life? Bryce. He’d been here only a short while and already she was thinking about things better left alone. Leanna’s hand curled over the car keys in her pocket.

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  “Of course.” He pulled out a large handkerchief, wiped his glasses and put them back on. “You know, I’m glad those guys are here, especially this Bryce Robertson. He’s big in scientific circles. It’ll put Pelican Harbor on the map.”

  Leanna fidgeted with the ring on her pinky finger but answered with outward calm. “As far as I’m concerned, Pelican Harbor is already on the map. It’s where I grew up.”

  “Don’t I remember that? You were just a toddler when I came to work here, and now my family and I don’t want to be anywhere else.”

  “That’s the spirit.” Leanna was possessive about Pelican Harbor. It was her home, her sanctuary after the split with Bryce.

  He peered at her through his glasses. “Well, I must be off. And I don’t want to keep you from getting lunch.”

  “Keep me posted about the tour.”

  Fifteen minutes later, she drove back to the store, feeling a swell of pride for her hometown. She’d come back and was pleased with her decision to stay, even though she could have earned more money as a tech assistant examining cell structure in some company lab. In her small way, she contributed to the community effort of beautifying Pelican Harbor by opening The Tug with its nautical decor.

  She turned into the small parking space behind the store and noticed that Chester’s truck wasn’t in its usual spot.

  He wasn’t yet back from ferrying Bryce and the others to the island. Leanna let herself in through the back entrance and found Alice at the cash register wrapping up a gilt-trimmed white ceramic mug for a customer. Kai was playing with her toys in the hideaw
ay play area and ran to Leanna when she saw her.

  “Soup and sandwich for you.” She set the package on the small chair for her daughter.

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  “How’s it been?” she asked Alice.

  “Just a few browsers now and then. I sold a couple of ashtrays and just now a coffee mug. Where’s Chester?” Alice watched Leanna pour herself some coffee.

  “Gone to the island with the research group.”

  “You mean that young man who was in here this morning?”

  Leanna nodded. “Bryce Robertson.” Strange how good it felt to say his name. “There are three others with him.

  Marcum’s been called away and there was nobody else to take them to Benedict Island.”

  Alice’s eyes twinkled. “Such a nice young man. So rare to find such well-mannered young men nowadays. I don’t mean to tell you what to do, dear, but since your mother died you haven’t given yourself a chance to meet somebody nice. First, you were bringing up Kai. Now the store takes up all your time.”

  “I’m grateful for your concern, but I’m fine—really.”

  Her choice of a vocation and way of life must have seemed remarkably dull to Alice and, maybe, even to her father, although he’d never mentioned it.

  “Now, take that young Bryce Robertson. He’s going to make some girl a fine husband.”

  Leanna wheeled around. “Bryce married?” There was a fine contradiction! Her lower lip trembled. Memories that she’d ignored now assaulted her.

  Alice was like a mother to her and Leanna wanted her to know about Bryce. How would she take it? There was only one way to find out.

  “There’s something I have to tell you.” Leanna forced herself to count to twenty. Then, standing on tiptoe, she looked over the far end of the counter at Kai. She needn’t have worried. Kai, her childish lips set in a thin line, was 21

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  scolding Eeyore for throwing a tantrum. “I used to know Bryce.”