She examined it when she was finished, pleased with the effort. She wondered what to try next and finally decided. Since she didn't have a model, she visualized it in her head before starting. And though it was harder than the street scene, it came naturally and began to take form.
Minutes passed quickly. She worked steadily but checked the time frequently so she wouldn't be late, and she finished it a little before noon. It had taken almost two hours, but the end result surprised her. It looked as though it had taken a great deal longer. After rolling it up, she put it in a bag and collected the rest of her things. On her way out the door, she looked at herself in the mirror, feeling oddly relaxed, not exactly sure why.
Down the stairs again and out the door. As she left she heard a voice behind her.
"Miss?"
She turned, knowing it was directed at her. The manager. Same man as yesterday, a curious look on his face.
"Yes?"
"You had some calls last night."
She was shocked. "I did?"
"Yes. All from a Mr. Hammond."
Oh, God.
"Lon called?"
"Yes, ma'am, four times. I talked to him when he called the second time. He was rather concerned about you. He said he was your fiance."
She smiled weakly, trying to hide what she was thinking. Four times? Four? What could that mean? What if something had happened back home?
"Did he say anything? Is it an emergency?"
He shook his head quickly. "He really didn't say, miss, but he didn't mention anything. Actually, he sounded more concerned about you, though."
Good, she thought. That's good. And then, just as suddenly, a pang in her chest. Why the urgency? Why so many calls? Had she said anything yesterday? Why would he be so persistent? It was completely unlike him.
Is there any way he could have found out? No . . . that was impossible. Unless someone saw her here yesterday and called. . . . But they would have had to follow her out to Noah's. No one would have done that.
She had to call him now; no way to get around it. But she didn't want to, strangely. This was her time, and she wanted to spend it doing what she wanted. She hadn't planned on speaking to him until later, and for some reason she felt almost as if talking to him now would spoil the day. Besides, what was she going to say? How could she explain being out so late? A late dinner and then a walk? Maybe. Or a movie? Or . . .
"Miss?"
Almost noon, she thought. Where would he be? His office, probably.... No. In court, she suddenly realized, and immediately felt as if she'd been released from shackles. There was no way she could talk to him, even if she wanted to. She was surprised by her feelings. She shouldn't feel this way, she knew, and yet it didn't bother her. She looked at her watch, acting now.
"Is it really almost twelve?"
The manager nodded after looking at the clock. "Yes, a quarter till, actually."
"Unfortunately," she started, "he's in court right now and I can't reach him. If he does call again, could you tell him I'm shopping and that I'll try to call him later?"
"Of course," he answered. She could see the question in his eyes, though: But where were you last night? He had known exactly when she'd come in. Too late for a single woman in this small town, she was sure.
"Thank you," she said, smiling. "I'd appreciate it."
Two minutes later she was in her car, driving to Noah's, anticipating the day, largely unconcerned about the phone calls. Yesterday she would have been, and she wondered what that meant.
As she was driving over the drawbridge less than four minutes after she'd left the inn, Lon called from the courthouse.
Moving Water
Noah was sitting in his rocker, drinking sweet tea, listening for the car, when he finally heard it turn up the drive. He went around front and watched the car pull up and park beneath the oak tree again. Same spot as yesterday. Clem barked a greeting at her car door, tail wagging, and he saw Allie wave from inside the car.
She stepped out, patted Clem on the head while she cooed at her, then turned, smiling at Noah as he walked toward her. She looked more relaxed than yesterday, more confident, and again he felt a slight shock at seeing her. It was different from yesterday, though. Newer feelings now, not simply memories anymore. If anything, his attraction for her had grown stronger overnight, more intense, and it made him feel a little nervous in her presence.
Allie met him halfway, carrying a small bag in one hand. She surprised him by kissing him gently on the cheek, her free hand lingering at his waist after she pulled back.
"Hi," she said, radiance in her eyes, "where's the surprise?"
He relaxed a little, thanking God for that. "Not even a 'Good afternoon' or 'How was your night?'"
She smiled. Patience had never been one of her strongest attributes.
"Fine. Good afternoon. How was your night? And where's the surprise?"
He chuckled lightly, then paused. "Allie, I've got some bad news."
"What?"
"I was going to take you someplace, but with those clouds coming in, I'm n
ot sure we should go."
"Why?"
"The storm. We'll be outside and might get wet. Besides, there might be lightning."
"It's not raining yet. How far is it?"
"Up the creek about a mile."
"And I've never been there before?"
"Not when it was like this."
She thought for a second while she looked around. When she spoke, her voice was determined.
"Then we'll go. I don't care if it rains."
"Are you sure?"
"Absolutely."
He looked at the clouds again, noting their approach. "Then we'd better go now," he said. "Can I bring that in for you?"
She nodded, handing her bag to him, and he jogged to the house and brought it inside, where he placed it on a chair in the living room. Then he grabbed some bread and put it in a bag, bringing it with him as he left the house.
They walked to the canoe, Allie beside him. A little closer than yesterday.
"What exactly is this place?"
"You'll see."
"You're not even going to give me a hint?"
"Well," he said, "do you remember when we took the canoe out and watched the sun come up?"
"I thought about it this morning. I remember it made me cry."
"What you're going to see today makes what you saw then seem ordinary."
"I guess I should feel special."
He took a few steps before responding.
"You are special," he finally said, and the way he said it made her wonder if he wanted to add something else. But he didn't, and Allie smiled a little before glancing away. As she did, she felt the wind in her face and noticed it had picked up since the morning.
They reached the dock a moment later. After tossing the bag in the canoe, Noah quickly checked to make sure he hadn't missed anything, then slid the canoe to the water.
"Can I do anything?"
"No, just get in."
After she climbed in, he pushed the canoe farther into the water, close to the dock. Then he gracefully stepped off the dock into the canoe, placing his feet carefully to prevent the canoe from capsizing. Allie was impressed by his agility, knowing that what he had done so quickly and easily was harder than it looked.