Leave it for the Rain: A Love She Couldn't Remember—A Woman He Couldn't Forget (Grayson Brothers Book 6) (16 page)

Adam tilted his head, a funny sort of grin on his face. “You have a kitten?”

Rebecca returned his smile, her heart lifting at the memory of Jojo snuggling against her neck as she fell asleep during the night. “I found her by the river last night,” she said. “I tried to locate her mother this morning without any luck.” She shrugged her shoulders. “It appears that Jojo will be staying with me, which is why I need some sawdust.”

“Jojo is it?”

Her smile widened and she nodded. “She’s quite darling, Adam.”

“I’m not surprised she found you,” he said with a light laugh. “Much to your parents’ dismay you seemed to attract every stray cat or dog in the village.”

“Did I?” she asked, pleased to know she had rescued creatures in need.

“You did, and apparently still do,” he answered, his eyes filled with playful adoration. “I’ll bring some sawdust with me when I come for supper. Will that be soon enough?”

“That would be wonderful, Adam. Shall I pay for it now?”

“You shall not,” he said. “There’s no charge for sawdust, although you may owe me a stroll this evening for delivering it to your door.”

“Only if we can walk along the river,” she said, enjoying their flirting.

“We’ll go wherever those pretty feet of yours wish to tread.”

Laughing, she said, “All right, but for now they need to carry me back home. I’ve taken you away from your work too long. I will see you this evening, Adam.”

With that, she turned in the direction of the pretty house on the river and one little kitten that needed her as much as she seemed to need it.

When she returned, her grandmother was sitting on the front porch with her knitting bag. Jojo was playing at her feet with a small ball of yarn. The sight was as endearing as seeing Dawson Crane and Sir John enjoying a morning cuddle.

“What are you knitting?” Rebecca asked as she joined her grandmother on the porch.

“Oh, nothing much,” Grandma said. “My hands just needed something to do, I suppose.”

“I thought you might be enjoying the back porch and the view of the river,” Rebecca said.

Grandma shrugged. “I found it made me a little sad this morning after your father left.” She lowered her knitting needles to her lap. “All that water rushing to go somewhere reminded me how busy this world is getting. In my day we traveled as far as our horse could take us in a day. Now my babies are rolling away on trains and crossing oceans on ships. Looking at the orchard yonder made me feel a little closer to home is all.”

A hard rush of guilt made Rebecca’s stomach queasy. “Grandma, did you want to go home with Daddy?” she asked.

“No, dear.” Grandma smiled and patted her hand. “I just wish I could keep all my babies in one place. You and Adam are out here and it won’t be long before my other grandchildren are setting off to see the world.”

“We’ll be going home soon, Grandma. Shall I ask Doctor Samuel to let me go home now?”

“Of course not, honey. Despite my momentary melancholy I’m quite enjoying our stay.”

“Dawson Crane seems to be enjoying our stay as well,” Rebecca said, giving her grandmother a knowing smile. “He has offered to drive us to service on Sunday. I’ll be riding in with Mary Crane, but I told him you might appreciate his invitation.”

“Hmmh... that I might.” Grandma took up her knitting again. “Perhaps I’ll take a walk this evening and deliver my answer.”

“He plans to call on you this evening.”

“That will be even better,” she said, keeping her eyes on the clacking needles. “We can take a walk together.”

Jojo tumbled over Rebecca’s foot in avid pursuit of the cushy ball and trailing string.

Rebecca reached down and hand-wrestled the little fur ball. “I see Grandma is already spoiling you.”

“I suspect you didn’t find her mother?” Grandma asked.

Rebecca’s heart sank and she shook her head. “No. Dawson thinks we won’t ever find her.”

“Oh, dear, that’s too bad.”

Nodding her agreement, Rebecca sat quietly for a moment watching Jojo play. Suddenly, she lifted her head and asked, “Grandma, who has crossed the ocean on a ship?”

Looking up from her knitting, her grandmother’s eyes were filled with an emotion Rebecca didn’t recognize. “No one yet, sweetheart, but I suspect you and Adam will be the first of my grandchildren to see what’s on the other side of that vast body of water.”

Stunned, Rebecca sat with her mouth open. “Grandma, how could you predict such a thing? More so, how can you be so certain that I would cross an ocean with Adam?”

“I’m not certain of anything, honey. It’s just a feeling I have, and I’m not sure if I’m more happy for you or sad for me.”

That evening Rebecca got her walk along the river that Adam had promised her.

“Let’s see if you can still beat me at skipping stones,” Adam said, his playful challenge too engaging to resist.

Rebecca stood beside him at the edge of the river a short distance from her house. She had left Jojo with Grandma and Dawson who were happy sitting on the porch talking with each other after supper instead of taking a walk “How do I play?” Rebecca asked.

His eyebrow shot upward, revealing his surprise. “You don’t remember?”

She shook her head. “I’m afraid not.”

“Well, I may have just found one thing I’m glad you’ve forgotten,” he said, surprising her in return. “Come on. I can hardly wait to test your skill.” He caught her hand and led her to a small clearing. There he scraped up several flat rocks from the bank. “The goal is to get the most skips when you sail your stone across the water.” He demonstrated, getting three skips from the stone before it sank in the river. He passed a flat stone to her. “Your turn.”

“Oh, my... are you sure we used to do this?” she asked, fingering the dirty stone.

“Positive and you trounced me every time.”

“All right then. I’ll do my best to continue the tradition.” She drew her arm back and threw the stone. It landed in the river and sank like a... stone.

“Hooray, I won the first round!” Adam raised his fists in the air and did a silly dance that made her laugh.

She hadn’t seen him so playful and animated. His lighthearted teasing was infectious, and before she knew it she was digging up her own rocks and taking note of every move he made. From the angle of his elbow to the flick of his wrist, she watched intently and imitated him. “Eureka!” she said, scooping up two more stones. “I’ve got it now. If you’ll kindly step aside, sir, the competition is about to begin.”

“As you wish, my lady,” he said, sweeping a ridiculous bow that made her laugh again.

She hooked her pointer finger around the stone and flung it backhand. The stone skipped across the surface of the water three times and sank. “I did it!” she exclaimed.

Grinning at her success, Adam nodded. “But to win you must get six skips with one stone.”

“I’m just warming to the challenge.”

“Me too,” he said, pressing a quick kiss to the back of her dirty hand. “Let me know when you’re ready to begin the competition.”

“I fully recognize your underhanded attempt to distract me, Adam, but I’m oblivious to your charm.” She retracted her hand, but couldn’t keep the smile off her face. “Game on, sir.”

Laughing, he scrounged up three stones for each of them. “Ladies first.”

She set her feet and flung her stone. “One... two... three... oh drat.”

“Three for you and—” he flung his stone “—one... two... three... four... ah, well, it tops your three.”

Leveling her stone in her fingers, she flung the disc shaped rock and added a last second wrist flick that sailed the stone across the water five times before it slowly sank.

“Oh, boy...” Adam’s exclamation made her laugh.

“I’m not sure if I’m remembering how to do this or if I’m just a quick study.”

“I suspect you’re both much to my detriment.” He threw his stone and got three high hops before it disappeared. “That round goes to you, my lady.”

She prepared to throw, but held back last minute. “I need another rock. Something flat and smooth, if you can find one.”

“Oh ho! Now you want me to find you the perfect stone so you can trounce me again?”

“Yes, sir.” She bit her lip, but couldn’t stop her giggle. “Please, Adam. This is the most fun I’ve had in... well, since I can remember.”

“Trouncing me? Or throwing stones?” he asked.

“Both.”

“Wicked woman, I’ll do your bidding, but be warned I’ll not let you win.”

And so they spent several minutes searching out the two most perfect throwing stones they could find on the bank of the Crane River. Stones in hand, scrubbed free of dirt, they entered their final match.

Rebecca set her feet, angled her elbow, leveled her stone and flung it backwards, finishing with a hard flick of her wrist. “One-two-three... four... five...
six!
” Her squeal of delight echoed along the creek. “Top that, Mr. Grayson!”

The expression on his face was such a mix of tender adoration it held her spellbound. For a single moment in time on the rocky riverbank she and Adam rediscovered each other. She felt their connection... their friendship... their love.

“You... you need seven to win,” she whispered.

“I already won.” He flung his stone out across the river where they watched it skim the sparkling surface five times. “You haven’t lost your touch, Rebecca.”

With him? With skipping stones?
Heat suffused her face and she turned her attention to brushing the excess dirt from her fingers. “I’d like to see more of the river path, if you don’t mind.”

He presented his arm and they slowly strolled the worn dirt track along the river, both of them growing quiet and contemplative. “What was your favorite moment today?” Adam asked.

“Waking up with Jojo in my life.” She lowered her lashes, embarrassed by her answer. “That probably sounds silly to you.”

“Not at all.” He gave her arm a light squeeze against his side. “While watching her this evening I fell a little in love with her myself.”

“You did?” She glanced up to see if he might be teasing her.

His brown eyes held nothing but sincerity. “I fell a little in love with both of you.”

“I thought you were already—” Rebecca bit her lip to stop the mindless comment. “That is... I thought you were growing tired of her pestering you.”

“I enjoyed the little scamp. And yes, Rebecca, I am already in love with you.” He drew her to a halt on the path. “Don’t ever doubt that,” he said, as if he needed to assure her—and himself.

Breathless, she looked up at him all tall and handsome and gazing at her in a way that made her legs weak. “Wh-what was your best moment today?” she sputtered because she had no idea how to reply to his declaration of love.

“Seeing you at the mill.”

She had to move this conversation to a more comfortable topic. “If I hadn’t come to the mill, what would have been your best moment of the day—before you came here this evening?” she asked, leaving no room for him to work her into his answer.

“Other than thinking about
you,
my best moment was seeing Micah Crane return to work.”

“He works at the mill? I thought he was of school age,” Rebecca said.

“He’s nearly eighteen and he works in the shipyard.”

“Goodness. The night we supped with the Cranes he didn’t say five words all evening. I thought he was just a shy boy.”

Adam nodded. “I thought the same when I first met him. Apparently he has some growing ahead of him yet.”

“One would hope.” Rebecca put a little room between them. “Why has he been out of work?”

Adam’s slight hesitation was unusual, as if he needed to gauge and formulate his response. “Micah took a bad fall from faulty scaffolding on a ship. He took a nasty hit to his chin when he fell into the bay. Doc Samuel has kept him out of work until now just to make sure Micah was steady on his feet before climbing rigging and scaffolding again.”

“That must have been terrifying for Mr. and Mrs. Crane,” she said. “I’m surprised they will allow him to go back.”

“He’s not a boy, Rebecca. Despite his appearance he’s a young man who is honored to follow his family into the shipbuilding business.”

“I understand, but after touring the mill and shipyard every job looks dangerous. Oh, Adam, please be careful.”

A soft smile tilted his mouth. “Could this be evidence that you might care for me a little?”

She cared for him more than a little, but he was far too ardent in his manner this evening for her comfort. “Who will I skip stones with if you get injured?”

His hoot of laughter startled a squirrel on a branch overhead. It scurried farther up into the large maple tree and watched them with suspicion as they moved on.

“I’ve missed this side of you,” he said, guiding her along the worn path.

“Until coming to Crane Landing I haven’t felt much like laughing.”

“I understand. I know how difficult it must be for you.”

“It’s also difficult for everyone around me,” she said, “especially you, I suspect. I hope you know I’m doing my best to find my way through this.”

He nodded, and they walked on in silence for a minute or two.

“Adam, how old were you when you moved to Fredonia?” she asked. For her own security she could never reveal the disturbing thoughts she’d had about his mother, or her own mother for that matter, but perhaps she could learn more about both of them from Adam.

“I was an awkward thirteen-year-old boy. Why?”

“I’m trying to piece my life together like a puzzle, but find I’m missing nearly all of the pieces. What brought your mother to Fredonia?” she asked, intentionally shifting the conversation back to his past.

“I came to Fredonia with my sister, Faith, because our mother had died.”

“Oh, dear, I’m sorry. I had no idea. I mean I must have known, but of course I didn’t remember that.”

“It’s all right, Rebecca. I understand why you need to ask questions. Faith opened the greenhouse and sold herbs and balms. She met your Uncle Duke and they got married. Duke adopted me, giving me the Grayson name that I’ll spend the rest of my life trying to live up to. I met you shortly after I moved to Fredonia and I was instantly enamored of you.”

“Was that before or after my uncle adopted you?”

“Before. We met in June. Duke didn’t adopt me until December. We weren’t cousins. Not ever, Rebecca. You and I have always been sweethearts.”

“Did my father know this?”

“Yes, and he didn’t like it. For a while he forbade me to see you because he felt I would lead you astray.”

“I can’t imagine that. Daddy seems to think quite highly of you, Adam. He apparently accepted you at some point.”

Adam halted and glanced back toward the house. “I promised Grandmother we wouldn’t stroll too far. Let’s head back and I’ll tell you about the winter we found Leo and Benny hiding in our greenhouse.”

Although his comment stirred her curiosity she had noted the abrupt shift in conversation. He’d done the same thing when she’d asked about Micah Crane’s accident. Sensing he was being intentionally evasive bothered her, but she couldn’t think about it while he was filling her head with stories of Leo and their Sleigh of Hope run each winter and the many summers they all spent rowing Canadaway Creek and the colorful fall season when they would rake the leaves into enormous piles and hide in them. They had stolen their first passionate kiss in the leaves, he told her. And he went on about their festive Christmas celebrations in the hall above the greenhouse and dances and fireworks and on and on until her head ached trying to place the memories within the context of her life. He talked about being thirteen and twenty and jumped back to a time when they were sixteen and then fourteen until the memories circled her mind like debris in a raging whirlpool.

“Adam, please!” She held up her hand. “Please just... stop.”

“What is it, love? Is something the matter?”

“There are too many pieces to my life. I’ll never remember all of this. I can’t even recall what you told me two minutes ago. I’m sorry, Adam, but my head aches and I need to lie down.” Frustrated, she pulled her arm free and increased her pace. They were near the house and she just wanted to escape inside and play with Jojo until she forgot every memory Adam just crammed into her already confused mind.