Leave it for the Rain: A Love She Couldn't Remember—A Woman He Couldn't Forget (Grayson Brothers Book 6) (25 page)

Grandma eyed the cliff with concern. “How did I let you talk me into this?”

Dawson’s laughter rang across the shore. “Don’t fret, Nancy. Hitch up your skirt and let’s see what you’re made of.”

To Rebecca’s delight her grandmother lifted her skirt two inches and strode toward the wooden stairs that zigzagged up the face of the rocky cliff. “Challenge accepted, Mr. Crane. I just hope these old treads will support our weight.”

Behind them, Adam offered his elbow to Rebecca. “May I escort you up sixty-four rickety stairs?”

Rebecca gladly took his arm. “If we come crashing down upon the rocks I’m counting on you to cushion my fall.

“I’ll absorb the impact with my own body,” he said leading them on.

She laughed and missed the first step.

Adam caught her elbow.

As she looked up, he looked down. His gorgeous smile was so close and enticing that she nearly kissed him.

“Are you being intentionally reckless, my love?” he asked.

The breeze lifted strands of her hair and brought the scent of ocean and fish and sea grass. “Walking the shore with the wind on my face and you at my side makes me feel reckless.” She hiked her skirt a couple of inches higher. “It makes me think about giving you that kiss I owe you.”

“You, my love, are a temptress and my resistance is at low tide. Watch your step now,” he said quietly, nodding to the worn board beneath her shoe. But she knew he was warning her not to push him beyond his limits—and that made her wonder what he’d do if she did push him. The thought was intriguing.

Looking into his handsome face she longed to throw herself into his protective arms. She wanted to let the tide of their love pull her out to sea... Maybe she would. After all, it was their last day at Crane Landing. Tomorrow they would be going back to Fredonia. Back to a place that Rebecca was supposed to remember and to people she was supposed to know. Back instead of forward...

“Shall we?” he asked, gesturing for her to begin to climb.

Yes
, she thought.
Yes we shall.

And so Rebecca embraced the day and Adam’s love and the wonderful sense of playfulness that seemed to permeate their relationship. She would make the best of each new day.

She would also make it up these never-ending stairs. Somehow.

Thankfully, her grandmother stopped so often to admire the view that the climb became an enjoyable adventure rather than a hard trek to their destination. The bay and ocean beyond were dotted with dories and schooners and fishing vessels of all kinds. A ship with her magnificent sails billowing surfed across the waves and eventually slipped across the horizon.

Overcome by the vastness and the beauty, Rebecca pressed a palm to her stomach and sighed. “There are no words, Adam.”

He stroked her back and said nothing, as if he agreed. Words couldn’t capture such a moment of majesty.

“I must see this from the top of the lighthouse,” she said, her voice dreamy sounding even to her own ears.

“Let’s step around Grandma and Dawson and make our way up. I think they’ll be a while yet.” Taking her hand, Adam carefully led them past their grandmother and Dawson, who both seemed blissfully happy lingering on the cliff-side stairs watching the day go by. “Will we see you two at the top?” Adam asked.

Their grandmother laughed. “If you mean at the top of these stairs, then yes, I’ll make it that far. But if you’re asking if I’ll climb another step once I reach the top of this cliff, you have a lot more faith in these old legs than I do.”

“All right, then,” he said, laughing. “Rebecca and I are keen for the challenge. See you at the lighthouse.” With that, he and Rebecca finished the climb.

At the top, Rebecca stopped and fanned her face, awed by the towering monument in front of her. A heavy wooden door painted red and trimmed in black gave access to the circular brick tower shooting into the vast sky overhead. “It’s so much bigger than I’d imagined,” she said, breathless from the climb and her first up-close view of a lighthouse. “I can’t even imagine how one would get to the top of this thing.”

“Stairs that wind around and around and go up and up and up,” Adam said, laughing at her horrified look. “Come on. You’ll love this.” He guided her inside.

Sunlight washed in the open door behind them as Rebecca stopped in surprise. Two large arched windows sat deep in the brick walls of the structure. A thick cushioned well-worn chair sat beneath the window to her left, and a single bunk topped with a multicolored charm quilt had been pushed against the same wall. On the opposite side of the room a small heat stove and another chair offered an inviting respite. In the center of the room sat a massive oak desk and a man about her father’s age with dark hair, gray sideburns, and eyes the color of the ocean.

“Greetings,” he said, laying his pen aside and closing a journal of some sort. He stood and extended his hand to Adam. “I see you made the trek unscathed.”

“Good morning, Horace.” Adam shook the lighthouse keeper’s hand. “I thought my fiancé would enjoy the challenge of taking the shore route here. Now we’ll see if she’s up for the climb,” he said, tipping a smile at Rebecca and making introductions.

After greeting Mr. Jenkins, Rebecca asked, “Are you saying there is another way to get here?”

At Adam’s nod, Rebecca laughed. “Oh my, I can imagine the look on Grandmother’s face when she realizes Dawson purposely misled her.”

“I warned Dawson of the consequences,” Adam said, laughing. He turned to Horace. “If you’re interested in seeing a Crane taken down a peg, just watch when my grandmother learns she could have come here in the comfort of a carriage.”

Horace Jenkins laughed and shook his head. “Sounds like something Dawson Crane would do.”

Adam nodded. “It does, but Grandmother is better for the adventure, and I’d bet my last dollar she’ll be glad we took the beach to get here.”

As their laughter settled, Horace gestured to the narrow set of stairs that wound around and around to the top of the lighthouse. “Shall we wait for Mr. Crane and your grandmother to arrive?”

“They may be a while yet. I think it’s safe to assume that Grandmother won’t be climbing anymore stairs today,” Adam said. He caught Rebecca’s hand. “Do you need to sit for a spell before we head up?”

“I don’t want to wait another minute, Adam.”

“You young folks go on up,” the keeper said. “I’ll be up after I greet Mr. Crane and your grandmother.”

That’s all Rebecca needed to hear. She was off toward the stairs like a breaking wave heading for shore.

Laughing at her single-minded pursuit, Adam caught her elbow. “You’d better save some of that energy, love, because you’re going to need it.”

“Race you to the top,” Rebecca said, stepping in front of him and purposely blocking the entrance to the narrow stairs.

“Oh-ho! You may soon regret leading the way as I won’t be in front of you to pull you along.”

“You’ll just have to push then,” she said, giggling as she bounded up several steps.

And off they went, climbing and teasing as if they were teens in the throes of a first romance. It wasn’t their first, of course. They had fallen in love once before—with each other—but for Rebecca it was all new and exciting.

Adam crowded her from behind, pretending he would pass her when they both knew it would be nearly impossible and highly dangerous if he succeeded. Gasping for breath, they circled around and up... around and up, until finally Rebecca stopped at the sixth level. Doubled forward, hands on her knees, she panted. “Should have... let you... lead,” she said, barely able to get the words out. “Can... barely... breathe.”

Laughing, Adam grasped her hand and pulled her down to sit on the stair tread. “I have no idea how... Horace and his... staff make this climb several times a day.”

With her hand pressed to her pounding heart, Rebecca rolled her head against the cool brick wall. “I can’t imagine it.” They sat for a minute just breathing.

“Want to see something remarkable?” Adam asked.

“Not if it involves climbing stairs.”

He laughed and squeezed her hand. “Just lean forward a bit and look down.”

Curious, Rebecca did as instructed—and she saw straight down the center of the circular staircase that went round and round and round to the bottom of the lighthouse. She cried out in alarm and threw herself back against the brick wall. Head spinning, she thought she might be sick. “Adam, please tell me these stairs will support us.” They seemed to have no scaffolding or support beams beneath them. A fall from this height was certain death.

“Of course, sweetheart. I’m sorry. I thought you would enjoy the sight.” He stroked her hand. “Horace and his staff tromp up and down these stairs several times a day. They keep them in magnificent repair. They’ll support us all the way to the top unless you’d rather turn back.”

She shook her head. “It just made me woozy. I’ll finish our climb as soon as things stop spinning.”

“That a girl.” He waited a couple of minutes then said, “Let’s go now so we can have a few minutes to gawk before Horace joins us.” Adam stood and helped her to her feet. “Watch your step and keep your eyes ahead of you. That should save you from toppling over the edge.”

“That’s incredibly reassuring,” she said, gripping the railing and continuing upward.

He kissed the back of her neck. “I’m right here, darling. We’ll reach the top without the stairs collapsing.”

“We’ll never know it if they do,” she said, trying to ignore his thrilling kiss as she continued the climb on tired, wobbly legs.

A few minutes later they reached the eighth level, breathing hard. They stepped into the service room lined with cupboard and tools. From there, Adam led Rebecca to another set of stairs and stopped her at the bottom.

“When we reach the top of these stairs we’ll be outside. It might be a little like looking over the edge of the edge of the world. Are you ready for this?” he asked.

She nodded, still quite breathless. “Just hold onto me.”

“Always,” he said. With that, he swept her into his arms and ascended the stairs.

Stunned, Rebecca gripped his shoulders. “What are you doing, Adam?”

“We’ll reach the top together, darling.” With that he took the final two steps and brought them to an outside balcony called a gallery that encircled the lantern room where the glass encased beacon of light resided.

All Rebecca could see was the long stretch of beach and miles and miles of blue ocean. “Oh, my...”

Slowly, he lowered her feet to the decking.

She stood beside him simply awestruck as her spirit soared like a seagull into the sunny sky above. A multitude of fishing boats dotted the shoreline and looked the size of pitch barrels from this height. She could see the shops at Crane Landing and the twin rivers and the bay and how they connected with the ocean. Huge, rolling waves struck the rocky shoals below, roaring and frothing as they broke across the shore. The rickety cliff-side steps that she had climbed were directly below. To her right she noticed a little inlet with a hidden boat dock and two rowboats bobbing in the water. The keeper’s large sturdy home sat on a grass-topped hill above the cove. Other small buildings that Rebecca couldn’t identify were located nearby. Finally, her gaze dropped straight down the towering lighthouse, making her head woozy and her stomach light. With a small gasp, she stepped away from the sturdy railing that surrounded the gallery.

Adam took her in his arms and steadied her. “May I suggest that you avoid looking straight down from this height?”

“Duly noted,” she said, releasing a light laugh. “Have I always been this sensitive to heights?”

“Not that I recall, but then we’ve never climbed this high before. You did enjoy climbing our trees at home.” He rubbed her biceps. “You’re trembling.”

“Well, I just scared the stuffing out of myself. And those trees I apparently used to climb have big limbs to hold onto and to break my fall.”

He chuckled and hugged her. “You’re safe here, darling. I won’t let you go.”

For a few minutes they stood, her back to his chest, taking in the expansive view of lush green woodlands and the Crane River that cut a winding path to the rocky beach where they merged with the cobalt blue ocean.

They watched together as a merchant schooner, sails unfurled, made is way out of the bay into the open Atlantic waters. The three-mast vessel rode the waves with ease. The men on deck moved like a colony of ants, the deck glistening with ocean spray and sunshine.

Safe in Adam’s arms, Rebecca allowed her gaze to return to the crashing waves below. “I’m beginning to understand why you would be concerned about the construction and durability of your sailing vessel rather than the romance of the journey. I’d only envisioned billowing sails and a vast, shimmering ocean of calm water, not those powerful waves pounding the rocks below.”

“The voyage is a lot more romantic if you don’t become fish bait,” he said.

She laughed. “I can’t argue that logic. Goodness, how small Crane Landing appears from this height. Perhaps it’s because I’m seeing more of the ocean that makes it appear so. Up here the world is so vast and... exciting,” she said. “Standing here in the wind makes me feel like I have wings.” She turned to face Adam. “I feel this way when I ride Star. Is that what sailing on a schooner is like?”

“Hmmm... sailing is like... it’s like nothing I’ve ever experienced,” he answered, his voice going soft. “At first it’s exciting and you want to race the wind, and then when you’re bounding across the waves you realize how powerful the ocean is and how insignificant and vulnerable you are... and then you grow quiet with respect. Time disappears and you become one with the ocean and it fills you up like wind in a sail. Suddenly, it’s just
this
moment and
this
wave and
this
snap of the sail.”

They fell silent, both of them enjoying a moment that needed no words.

“Do sailors ever tire of the ocean?” she asked eventually.

“I think they tire of the work and being away from their families, but I believe most of them love the ocean like a mistress. You’ve heard the saying that a sailor is married to the sea, right?”