Wings of the Morning (Kensington Chronicles) (6 page)

my mother's health. They come to see us every other Christmas,

and we sail down in the early summer to see them. My

sister moved with them, but as you see, Buck and I still live

here in Maine, as does Dolly," Jenny told Smokey over afternoon

tea.

"Dolly is your sister?" Smokey asked

"No, Dolly is another brother. Buck is the oldest, then

Dolly, and then me. My sister's name is Shirley; she's the

youngest."

Smokey's smile never wavered, but she didn't really hear

the last statement. She was too busy trying to push down the

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images that rose up at the name "Dolly." Buck was a small man

with a soft air about him, so did that mean a man named Dolly

would be large and muscular? Smokey thought it unlikely,

though Jenny herself was quite tall.

"Here, Smokey/' Jenny cut into her thoughts. "Have another

piece of cake."

Smokey accepted, and Jenny watched her. Smokey had no

idea what to do with her cake plate as she already had a cup of

tea in her hand. Jenny wanted very much to show her, but was

acutely afraid of hurting her feelings. Jenny also realized that

she was under Smokey's close scrutiny and was careful not to

give notice.

Smokey was just about to ask Jenny another question

about her family when they were interrupted Polly announced

that cook needed something in the kitchen. Smokey, already

seeing that Jenny was very kind to her staff, watched as she

rose immediately and went to lend assistance.

After she had gone, Smokey put her cup and plate down

with a sigh of relief. Jenny made it look so easy as she balanced

her plate on her lap, leaving her hands free to handle her cup

and saucer. But Smokey's plate always tipped, no matter how

hard she worked to keep her legs even.

And then there was the different way they held their cups.

Smokey gripped her small china cup just as she held her large

mug aboard the Aramis. Not so Jenny--why, her pinky finger

even stuck out! Her pinky finger was always held at a most

feminine angle as she drank. She made it all look as natural as

breathing.

With a nervous glance at the door, Smokey reached for her

cup and saucer. She held it just as Jenny had, one hand on the

saucer, and thumb and forefinger of the other hand on the

handle. Pinky finger pointing straight out, she tried to drink.

Before it even reached her mouth, the cup tipped and she

burned her hand Her hand smarting from the burn, a frusM

Smokey quickly placed her cup back in the saucer and

o *1 it back on the table. She had drenched her hand "I tea down the front of her dress. It wouldn't have

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mattered if she had been wearing the brown or navy blue

dress, but this had to be the dark tan. It showed every spot.

Her napkin took care of her hand, but there was no hiding

the spots on her dress. As she scrubbed, Smokey felt more than saw that she wasn't alone. She glanced up quickly to see

Buck standing nearby, smiling kindly at her. Seeing her wet

dress and tea-filled saucer, he had grasped the situation

instantly.

"Hello, Smokey," he spoke gently as he sat and poured his

own tea.

"Hi, Buck," Smokey spoke in return, not quite meeting his

eyes as she tried to use her napkin to hide her wet lap.

"What have you and Jen been up to?"

Buck had a way of making Smokey relax, and she calmed

at just the sound of his voice.

"We went to church this morning. This afternoon has

been pretty quiet."

"Did you enjoy the sermon?"

"Oh, very much," she told him sincerely.

"We've been working our way through the book of James

for some time."

"Were you at church, Buck? I didn't see you."

Buck grinned "You didn't see me because the pipe organ

nearly hides my frame."

"Oh, Buck," Smokey exclaimed in delight. "You were the

one playing. It was just beautiful."

Buck inclined his head in true modesty. Jenny had joined

them again, and she talked about Buck's musical ability, which

was considerable. He'd been playing for years and had mastered

the piano, organ, and violin. Smokey was impressed, but

not at all surprised. She had believed Buck to be a very special

person from the moment she met him. They chatted on for

some time until Tate walked in the door. He had not been

home all afternoon.

"I'm sorry I'm so late," he spoke as he moved to kiss his

wife, "but the situation was more complicated than I originally

believed. And I think you'll forgive me," he hesitated,

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and a sparkle lit his eyes, "since I found this character wandering

around on the docks and decided to bring him home."

Smokey turned with the room and watched as a tall man,

the best-looking she'd ever seen, stepped across the threshold

"Dolly!" Jenny exclaimed and ran to kiss her brother.

Smokey's mouth closed with a snap, just before she was

introduced

if smokey had thought herself clumsy before Dolly

arrived, she didn't know what to think now. She dropped her

napkin, nearly upset the plate of sandwiches when it was

passed to her, and when she did get a bite of sandwich into her

mouth, swallowed wrong and nearly choked Her cup would

simply not sit quietly on the saucer, so she put it down and gave

up altogether.

Jenny had introduced her brother, and he couldn't have

been kinder, but his tall, good-looking presence seemed to

rattle the normal good sense right out of Smokey.

Dolly, she learned in a hurry, was a nickname for Dallas, Captain Dallas Knight, to be exact. It had been Jenny's baby

name for Dallas, and the name had remained in the family

through the years. Smokey thought about how tender Jenny's

voice became whenever she spoke of Buck or Dallas. They

were obviously a very close family.

Smokey put her cup down and simply tried to be a part of

the conversation, but she found that didn't work either. Time

and again her eyes strayed to Dallas, and she found that she

could have cheerfully done little else but stare at him for the

remainder of the evening.

At the moment, his head was turned as he spoke with

Jenny. Smokey's eyes nearly caressed his dark, wavy brown

hair and crystal-blue eyes. His lashes seemed impossibly long.

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A small gold hoop winked at her from one ear, and along with

his snow-white shin and black pants and boots, Smokey could

easily imagine him at the wheel of a ship.

She sat up a little straighter and pulled her eyes away from

his captivating looks when she realized she had been picturing

him at the helm of theAramis. Her thoughts so disturbed

her that for a moment she lost track of the conversation. She

came back with a jolt, but no one seemed to notice.

"Have you seen Greg Banning lately?" Tate inquired about

another young sea captain.

"Indeed, I have. I asked him if he was trying to rival

Clancy," Dallas said with a grin.

"Why was that?" Jenny asked

"He told me he'd been racing in the coral reefs."

"Why, that's a treacherous stretch of water!" Buck put in.

"I know, but he doesn't seem to have a lick of sense."

The urge to come to Clancy's defense was so strong for

Smokey that she had to bite her tongue. She sat very still and

reminded herself that on many occasions her father had told

her that in his younger days he hadn't had a lick of sense

either.

"You're rather quiet, Smokey," Buck commented when

there was a lengthy pause in the conversation.

"Oh, don't mind me," she spoke softly. "The name Clancy

always brings a flood of memories."

"Indeed, itdoes."Tate'svoicewas reminiscent. "Myfather

would gather us around his chair while he read to us about his

exploits."

Smokey stiffened, waiting for Tate to make some outrageous

claim concerning Clancy, one that she would instantly

want to deny, but he only fell silent.

Smokey was just as quiet as she grappled with whether or

not it was a lie to stay silent about her relationship to the

5j famous Clancy. She had still not decided when Dallas rose.

^ b ^T38 hoping you would staY for dinner," Jenny told him.

*LJrfoanks, Jen, but Kathleen is expecting me. I'll be by

" *' or the next day. It was nice meeting you, Smokey,"

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he spoke kindly before kissing Jenny's cheek, shaking Tate's

hand, and putting his arm around Buck so he would walk him

to the door.

The evening passed in great fun for Smokey and everyone

else, with a delicious dinner and then another card game, but

something was missing for Smokey. It didn't take long for her

to realize that the void she felt started when Dallas walked out

the door.

Smokey would have been very surprised and at the same

time dismayed to learn that Buck had noticed Smokey's reaction

to meeting Dallas, as well as her reaction to his departure.

The thought saddened Buck. Not because he hoped that

Smokey would fall for him, for he was in love with Greer

Rittenhouse, but because Dallas was so sought after by the

local females that he had his pick.

Buck knew well that Dallas did not take advantage of his

looks, but he also realized that his brother probably wouldn't

give a girl like Smokey a second glance. It was unfortunate to

Buck's way of thinking, because he saw something very special

in Smokey Simmons, something he was quite sure the rest

of the family had overlooked.

"What time is Buck expecting us?" Smokey wanted to

know.

"Anytime," Jenny told her. "He doesn't work on Mondays,

and he said we should plan to stay for lunch."

As soon as Jenny fell silent, Smokey's mind wandered

back to Dallas. She had been doing that since he left the night

before, and she knew she was going to have to order her

thoughts back into control. She had never felt this way before.

Her father had said that when he'd seen her mother, it had

been love at first sight for both of them. But Smokey knew she

couldn't be feeling love. She was miserable, and wasn't love

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supposed to make you sing and dance? At least she wouldn't

have to see him today, but then didn't she want to see him?

Suddenly she was more confused than ever.

Stop it, Smokey, she thought sternly, trying to take herself

in hand. Get your mind off of Dallas Knight.

"Jenny," she said out loud, her voice just a tad desperate.

"Where does Buck work?"

"He owns and operates a small publishing company--

Bridgeman Publishing. It was started by my maternal grandfather,

Charles Bridgeman. Buck has worked there since he

was a boy. My mother has no siblings, and my father already

had a business of his own, so when Grandfather Bridgeman

passed away he left everything to Buck. The company specializes