A Treasure Worth Keeping (3 page)

They’d married six months later.

Growing up, Evie had been blissfully unaware of the dangers of her mother’s career. By the time Evie was in middle school, Laura had been promoted to sergeant and spent the bulk of her time at a desk, scheduling shifts and taking complaints.

And then one day, Laura hadn’t come home on time. Evie could still see the look on her father’s face when the squad car pulled into the driveway and the chief of police had walked up to the front door.

Laura had been struck and killed by a drunk driver while assisting a stranded motorist.

Patrick’s strong faith had never wavered, and he’d appealed to his daughters to lean on God, not blame Him for Laura’s death. But in the following months as her family handled their grief in different ways, Evie had struggled with a growing realization. It wasn’t God she was angry with. It was her mother, for choosing a career that had put her at risk.

E
vie’s first customers of the day turned out to be newlyweds who spent more time exchanging loving glances than they did browsing through the aisles.

She felt a stab of envy as she watched the young man press a lingering kiss to his bride’s cheek. The young woman, who didn’t look much older than Evie, blushed and halfheartedly pushed him away. Evie pretended she hadn’t seen the kiss. There were times she asked God why He was waiting so long to bring her future mate into her life. She liked to think God was working on a certain man’s heart, making sure he was just right for her so when they met, she’d recognize him at a glance….

Sam Cutter’s face flashed in her mind, and Evie fumbled the ironstone pitcher she’d been dusting. Fortunately, she caught it again before it hit the ground.
Sam Cutter!
Not likely. He wasn’t exactly Mr. Personable. In fact, she’d sensed he’d found her…amusing. She hadn’t missed his quick, appraising glance when she’d stood up. Or the half smile on his face when his silver gaze had lingered on her wool cardigan. It
was
chilly by the shore. Not everyone had an internal thermostat that made them comfortable wearing a T-shirt on a cool day.

Which brought to mind the tanned, muscular arms his T-shirt had revealed…

“Ah, Miss?”

The bride’s tentative question zapped her back to reality.
Snap out of it, Evie.

“I’m sorry. Can I help you?”

“We’ll take this.” She pushed a small figurine toward Evie. A ceramic horse with one ear missing.

“Did you notice it’s chipped?” Evie wanted to make sure Patrick’s customers were satisfied with their purchases when they left.

The woman nodded. “I don’t care. It looks just like the horse I had when I was ten. And believe it or not, half her ear was missing, too.”

Her husband hovered nearby while Evie carefully wrapped the figurine in tissue paper.

“Enjoy your trip,” she called after them.

The store remained quiet for the rest of the afternoon, so Evie took advantage of the time by rearranging shelves and washing the leaded-glass windows in the store.

Solitude was wonderful during the day when she could see boats out on the water and the glint of the church steeple as it winked back at the sun. But as the sun melted into the horizon and shadows began to sift through the trees and creep toward the door, Evie realized it wasn’t so friendly at night. To counteract the silence, she turned on her dad’s ancient record player and curled up in a chair with one of the books she’d been waiting since Christmas to read.

It was just after eight when the motion lights in the front yard came on. Evie walked over to the window and peered outside. All she could see was the outline of a shadowy figure walking up the sidewalk toward the house.

Evie’s breath caught in her throat until she saw the person’s face briefly illuminated in the light.

Sam Cutter.

She hurried to open the door. His clothing looked rumpled from a day out on the water, and his hair was in disarray, combed by the wind. She didn’t understand why he’d come for a visit so late in the evening, unless…

“Is Dad okay? Did you hear something?”

“I imagine they’re fine. I haven’t heard otherwise.”

Relief poured through Evie. “Then why—”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you’d be tucked in for the night already.” The faint smile had returned.

Evie didn’t like his choice of words. He made it sound as if she were a chipmunk, hiding in a hole.

“Come in.” Evie stepped to the side and he stalked past her. Her traitorous nose twitched at the pleasing scent of sunshine, wind and sand that clung to his clothes. “Where’s Faith?”

“I didn’t leave her alone on the boat, if that’s what you’re thinking.”

That
had
been what she was thinking, and the warmth flooding into her cheeks gave her away. Evie ducked her head so he wouldn’t notice.

“My father mentioned that you’re a teacher, Miss McBride.”

“Evie,” she corrected, wondering where this was going. “That’s right. I teach seventh-and eighth-grade science classes at a Christian school—”

“Faith needs a tutor.”

The terse interruption reminded Evie of Caitlin. Her back stiffened like an irritated cat.

“A tutor.” Evie repeated the words, giving herself a few extra seconds to process the unexpected statement. Was Sam simply stating a fact or asking
her
to be Faith’s tutor?

“We’re planning to stay in Cooper’s Landing for…a while,” Sam said. “We’ll be out on the water most of the day, but in the evening we’ll be back at the cabin. Faith needs to finish some of her classes before school starts in the fall and someone has to check her progress. Are you interested?”

Sam didn’t bother to fill in the gaps. Originally, he’d planned to come to Cooper’s Landing alone, but when Rachel, his sister-in-law, had found out, she’d insisted a change of scenery would be good for Faith. Sam had agreed reluctantly, not because he didn’t love spending time with Faith but because he couldn’t find a way through his own mixed emotions. How could he help Faith deal with something he wasn’t dealing with very well himself? And then there was Faith herself. The happy-go-lucky little girl he’d spoiled since the day she was born had turned into a sullen stranger.

When Faith had laughed with Evie that morning, it had made Sam realize just how much his sweet-tempered niece had changed over the past few months. Maybe she needed someone outside the family to motivate her to get her schoolwork done. A tutor. And Evangeline McBride—with her funny wool cardigan and disapproving eyes—happened to be the perfect solution. She obviously liked kids or she wouldn’t be a teacher. And maybe a woman would be able to navigate Faith’s changing moods better than he could.

“I don’t know.” Evie perched on the edge of a leather chair and stared at him. “What exactly does Faith need help with? Did she fail a class?”

Sam walked to the window and stared outside at the darkness. “Not yet. She got…behind…a few months ago and didn’t have enough time to make up the work she missed. Rachel, Faith’s mother, talked to the principal and he said if she completed the work over the summer she could move on with the rest of her class.”

Evie sensed there was more to the story than what he was telling her. Questions tumbled over each other in her mind. Obviously, since Faith’s last name was Cutter, her mother, Rachel, must be Sam’s sister-in-law. But Sam hadn’t mentioned his brother—Faith’s father. Several things didn’t add up. If Faith needed to catch up on her schoolwork, why was she vacationing on a boat with her uncle instead of working on her classes at home with her parents? Maybe Rachel and Sam’s brother had divorced.

The possibility softened Evie’s initial reservations. Losing a parent under any circumstances was traumatic, especially for someone in an already vulnerable age group like Faith.

“I’ll only be here for two weeks,” Evie reminded him. “And I have the shop to take care of.”

Sam turned to face her again. “We’ll work around your schedule. What time do you close for the day?”

“Four o’clock.”

Patrick lived on his pension, so Beach Glass provided a supplemental income and gave him the luxury of flexible hours. He could open the antique shop late and close early, even take a day or two off if he felt like it. And her dad had encouraged Evie to do the same if necessary.

“I don’t expect you to do this out of the goodness of your heart,” Sam said. “I’m willing to pay you whatever you think is fair.”

Evie wasn’t sure why he put her on the defensive. She was usually a very easygoing person. “It isn’t about the money.”

“Then what
is
it about?” He crossed his arms.

If he could be blunt, so could she. “Why can’t
you
help her?”

Sam’s jaw worked, and for a moment Evie didn’t think he was going to answer. He thrust his hands into the front pockets of his faded blue jeans. “She…I don’t think she wants anything to do with me.” It was clear the admission stung.

Evie remembered the change in Faith’s tone when Sam had joined them on the beach. Faith was at the age when she was beginning to assert her independence—to try to figure out just who Faith Cutter was and how she fit into the world.

Evie knew from experience the “tweenage” years had a tendency to put unsuspecting parents into a tailspin. Especially parents who weren’t expecting the radical change in their homes when formerly cheerful, compliant kids entered the hormone zone. And if there’d been some kind of upheaval in Faith’s life, the fallout could be even worse.

“She’s been taking off a lot lately.” Sam must have read the expression on her face because he quickly amended the statement. “She’s not at risk as a runaway. Eventually she comes back. She either wants attention or time alone. I’m still trying to figure that out. But today—when she was with you—it was the first time I’ve heard her laugh in months.”

Evie’s heart, which had a soft spot for kids Faith’s age anyway, melted into a gooey puddle. She remembered the glimmer of humor in Faith’s eyes when she’d shown Evie her drawing of Lake Superior. Maybe she’d gone through a difficult time recently, but the faint spark of life—of laughter—hadn’t been extinguished. It just needed tending. Evie gave in. Not because Sam needed her but because
Faith
did.

Okay, Lord, I’m going to assume this opportunity is from you. But did you have to include Sam Cutter?

“How about two hours a day? After I close up the shop in the afternoon?”

“We’ll make it work.”

“I thought you were going to live on the boat for a few days at a time.”

“You’ll only be here two weeks, but we’ll probably be here longer. There’ll be plenty of chances to take the boat out.”

Even though Evie had agreed to tutor Faith, she needed to cover one more base. The one that would give her a clue whether or not the next two weeks were going to be a battleground. “How does Faith feel about this? Does she know you’re here?”

Silence.

Uh-oh.
Evie’s eyebrow lifted.

“She knows I’m here,” Sam finally admitted. “She didn’t seem very happy about it but then she said, and I quote, ‘Whatever.’”

“That’s because it was your idea. The ‘Whatever’ meant she’s not totally against it. Which makes my job easier.” Evie hid a smile at the uncertain look on Sam’s face. Obviously, he had no insight into the workings of an adolescent girl’s mind.

As if his internal defense radar picked up on her smile, the uncertainty in Sam’s eyes faded and it was back to the business at hand. Evie wondered briefly what Sam did for a living. Even in worn blue jeans and a faded black T-shirt, he oozed confidence. She could easily imagine him in an expensive suit, making important decisions in a high-rise office building, miles above the cubicle crowd.

Sam glanced at his watch. “Can you start tomorrow? We can hammer out more of the details then. Faith is spending the evening with a friend, and I promised I wouldn’t be late picking her up. Sophie’s one of those peculiar people who go to bed early.”

Evie ignored the unspoken words
just like you
that hung in the air between them. “Sophie Graham?”

“That’s right. You know her?”

“I’ve never met her, but Dad has…mentioned…her once in a while.”

“Sophie’s place is just down the road from us. Her dog had a litter of puppies a few months ago, and that’s where I usually find Faith if she’s missing.”

Which gave Evie the opportunity she’d been hoping for. “If you give me directions, I’ll come over to your place tomorrow.”

“Are you sure? I don’t mind driving Faith over here.”

“I’m sure.” Evie didn’t hesitate. Maybe to break the ice between her and Faith, they’d take a walk down the road to see those puppies. And she’d finally get the opportunity to meet Sophie Graham.

Sam waited until he heard the lock on the front door click into place before he strode back to his car.

The antique shop really was off the beaten path.

He paused, scanning the trees that formed a thick wall between Evie McBride and civilization. Her closest neighbor was two miles away. As cautious as she seemed to be, he was surprised she didn’t have any trepidation about staying alone on a secluded piece of property. Not that Cooper’s Landing was a hotbed of criminal activity, but with the tourist season starting, the place drew a lot of people from outside the area.

None of your business what Evie McBride thinks or doesn’t think, Cutter.

All that mattered was that she’d agreed to be Faith’s tutor for the next two weeks.

Faith met him at the front door of Sophie’s home, a drowsy puppy cradled in her arms.

“Sophie is going to let me name this one,” she whispered, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

Sophie appeared in the doorway behind his niece. She was close to his father’s age but still a striking woman, her beauty enhanced by the kind of smile that lit her up from the inside out. “I hope you don’t mind, Sam. That puppy is Faith’s favorite, so I thought it was only right that she be the one to name him.”

“I don’t mind.” Sam was about to reach out and ruffle Faith’s hair but caught himself. The last time he’d done that, she’d shrieked and disappeared into the bathroom, emerging only after she’d washed, blow-dried and styled her hair all over again. Later that day, they’d climbed to the top of an observation deck at Miner’s Castle, where the wind had given her a new hairdo that made her look as if she’d been caught in a blender. She’d laughed. Go figure.

“I can’t think of a good name,” Faith fretted, rubbing the puppy’s silky ear.

“Give him one to live up to,” Sophie suggested, resting one hand on Faith’s shoulder. “How did it go with Patrick’s daughter? Did she agree to it?”

“Yes.” Sam didn’t bother to mention the split second when it had looked as though Evie would refuse to help Faith. The split second after he’d mentioned money. She’d looked offended he’d even brought up the subject, and he wasn’t sure why. He didn’t expect her to give up her time for free. “She’s coming over tomorrow afternoon.”