The Gathering Place Page 12

  “Okay, I’ll be right out.” Sara turned and went back into the house.

  “Make sure you wear a few layers of clothes. It can get pretty wet,” he called after her.

  Sara quickly dressed, gulped down a glass of juice, and met Luke on the porch. “So where are we going?”

  “I saw some killer hills out near the orchard. This sled is going to break the sound barrier.”

  “There are a lot of trees out there. Is it hard to steer?” Sara asked, as they reached Luke’s 4Runner. Luke tossed the long sled on top and secured it with bungee cord.

  Luke glanced over and smiled at her. “Don’t worry. It will come back to me.”

  “It better,” Sara warned, climbing up into the truck.

  Luke laughed and started the engine. “Relax, you’re going to love this,” he promised.

  THE SLEDDING AREA WAS MORE CROWDED THAN SARA EXPECTED, A lively scene with brightly colored ski jackets against the stark white snow. She could hear children and adults alike screaming and laughing off in the distance as they parked and took the toboggan down off Luke’s vehicle. Sara followed as Luke pulled the sled along, wondering what she had gotten herself into.

  They arrived at the top of the hill, and Sara glanced down and felt the bottom of her stomach drop.

  Luke set the sled down and straightened out the rope.

  “Okay, sit right there,” he said in a reassuring voice. “You can hold on to these handles on the side.”

  She did as he said, then looked straight ahead, feeling her mouth grow dry.

  “Now I’m going to give us a push and jump on. All you have to do is hang on, okay?”

  She nodded, then turned to him. “This is . . . it’s sort of steep. Isn’t there a smaller hill we could warm up on?”

  “This one isn’t so bad,” he said reassuringly. “You just think it’s steep.” She felt him start to push on the back of the sled and gripped the rope handles on the side.

  Sara turned her head and stared straight ahead. Off in the distance she could see a fringe of bare trees that were part of the Potter Orchard. And even farther below, the harbor and the village, which looked like a toy village under a Christmas tree.

  At least the view is lovely, she thought, wondering if it would be her last.

  “Did you ever go on a roller coaster?” Luke shouted, as he pushed faster. “This is sort of the same thing. The first hill is scary. Then you have fun.”

  “I’ve always hated roller coasters,” she shouted back, as the toboggan picked up speed. She stared straight ahead, watching as the curling end of the sled neared the lip of the hill.

  Then she felt the front end of the sled tip over, and she felt Luke jump on behind her, his long legs lined up on the edge of the sled, just outside her own. One of his hands held the rope, the other wrapped tight around her waist. She heard her own voice shrieking, as they flew down the hill. Behind her Luke was yelling, too, only he sounded excited instead of terrified.

  The sled picked up even more speed, the trees and snow flying by. Every time Sara thought she was almost getting used to the sensation, they would hit a dip or bump. She would hear herself scream, then feel as if she would have flown right off the toboggan if not for Luke’s strong hold around her. She felt his warm breath on her cheek, his soft laughter in her ear.

  Finally, they reached the bottom of the hill, and the ground leveled off, though the sled was still moving swiftly.

  Just as Sara breathed a sigh of relief, another toboggan crossed their path. Luke gave a sharp tug on the rope and narrowly avoided a collision. But a second later, their toboggan tipped on one side, and Sara felt herself flying off into the snow, with Luke right behind her.

  When she opened her eyes, she was staring straight up into the branches of a pine tree, fragments of blue sky outlined by the dark branches. Luke had landed beside her, facedown, one arm slung across her middle, his head just inches from her own.

  He didn’t move, and she felt her heart pound with alarm. “Luke?” She leaned over and shook him. “Luke!” she called, even louder. “Are you okay?”

  His head popped up, and when he grinned, she realized he’d been teasing her. “I’m okay,” he said lightly.

  “That was mean!” she said, trying not to giggle. She pushed at his shoulder, but he didn’t budge.

  He shook his head, and bits of snow flew in all directions. “So, you loved it, right? I can tell.”

  “Loved it? Didn’t you hear that woman screaming? That was me!”

  He pushed himself up on his arm and stared down at her.

  “I’m so sorry. I thought you were having fun,” he said sympathetically. “I guess that means we just have to find you a bigger hill.”

  “Come on, Luke . . .” she began. Then she realized he was teasing her again. A small smile turned up one corner of his mouth, she noticed, just before he leaned down and kissed her. His mouth felt icy on her own as she kissed him back.

  She didn’t notice the snow seeping through her clothes, didn’t notice anything but the sweet, searching pressure of his mouth on her own.

  A sled suddenly whizzed by, spraying them with icy crystals. Luke sat up and laughed. “We don’t want to get run over out here.”

  He stood up and offered Sara a hand, then pulled her out of the snow. She felt lightheaded, almost dizzy, and wasn’t sure if it was the effect of the sleigh ride or Luke’s kiss.

  Luke retrieved their toboggan, which had glided under some trees. “If you really don’t want to do it again, I’ll understand. Honestly,” he told her.

  Sara eyed the sleigh, then looked up the hill. It didn’t seem nearly as intimidating now. “Come on, let’s get up there.”

  “You’re sure?” he asked, looking surprised.

  She nodded. “Absolutely. Look at all the little kids out here. They’re doing fine. I’m not going to let these grade-schoolers put me to shame, for goodness’ sake.”

  Luke shook his head and laughed. “That’s the spirit.”

  They rode the toboggan until they were both soaked and numb with cold. “I’m starved,” Sara said, as they climbed back into Luke’s SUV. “I never really had breakfast. Want to stop someplace in town?”

  He glanced at her and then checked his watch. “Sorry, I have to pick up Digger at the Bramble.”

  “Is Digger going back to work already? I thought he just got home from the hospital.”

  “Sam Morgan and I are taking him over to the cottages to do some painting. He might just hang around and help a little. It was Sam’s idea, actually. Sort of a favor for Grace,” he confided. “She says he’s getting restless around the shop.”

  “That’s good of you,” Sara said sincerely. Luke struck most people as distant, a loner type. But there was a side of him that was keenly aware of people in need and the ways he could help them. He was just quiet about it.

  “Better drop me off at home then,” Sara told him. “I should run some errands and clean up. I’m not used to working full-time. My place looks like a tornado struck.”

  “We’re still on for tonight, right?” he added, glancing over at her.

  “Sure.” She suddenly felt shy with him, thinking about how they’d kissed in the snow. She stared down at her gloves and twisted them around in her lap.

  “What if we go up to Newburyport for dinner?” he asked, as he pulled up in front of her house. “Say, around seven. Would that be good?”

  “Great. I’ll be ready at seven.” She started out of the 4Runner. “Thanks again for the sled ride. It certainly was a memorable way to start the day.”

  “See you later, Sara.” Luke smiled and waved at her, then drove away.

  Inside her apartment, Sara glanced around at the mess, then went straight to her bedroom and pulled open the closet door. Never mind cleaning up, what was she going to wear? I might have to run over to the mall and find something new. Then she realized she had never felt inspired to buy new clothes for Luke before. Is that a good sign—or a bad one? she
wondered. Well, I’ll find out soon enough, I guess.

  “I KNOW IT LOOKS BAD, BUT IT’S NOT EXACTLY THE END OF THE WORLD, Dad,” Wyatt argued.

  He sat down hard on the couch in the family room, his father’s lair. Dan sat nearby in his wheelchair, his expression grim, his tan complexion mottled with anger.

  “We’ll just run a correction in the next edition. No problem,” Wyatt said.

  “Oh, no problem? That’s the third time this week. Pretty soon all you’ll be publishing is a long correction sheet.”

  “What are you talking about? The big dailies do it every day.”

  “We’re not reporting on the world at large, only this little corner. It’s small enough to get it right the first time,” Dan snapped. “The Messenger has always prided itself on accuracy. If you don’t deliver that, you’ve lost people’s confidence. Subscriptions and advertising will drop off, and then where will you be?”

  “You’ve jumped from a one-line misquote to a complete disaster scenario. Very objective, Dad,” Wyatt countered.

  “How is the advertising doing?” Dan prodded. “It looked a little spotty this week.”

  “It’s the same as usual, I guess.” Wyatt ran his hand through his hair, feeling frustrated. “Lindsay has been dealing with that end of things lately. Maybe you should ask her.”

  Thank goodness for Lindsay, Wyatt thought distractedly. If she hadn’t been coming around, picking up the loose ends, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to get a paper out every day.

  “Lindsay? What does she have to do with it?”

  “She’s been helping out, filling in for Gloria and just . . . helping out. I thought you knew.”

  “I knew she went down to the office a few times. I didn’t realize she was so involved,” Dan admitted. “You’re the publisher now. You have to know what’s going on with the advertising revenue. It’s your lifeblood. It should be up this time of year, way up.”

  “I’m sure it should be. But I’ve got a few other things on my plate right now, Dad,” Wyatt said tensely.

  Dan was silent for a moment. “If you’re having trouble and you don’t know what to do, you should just call me.”

  Wyatt stared at his father, struggling to keep a lid on his anger. “I thought I was running the paper now. Not just warming your seat while you’re stuck in this house. If that was the deal, you should have told me. Maybe I wouldn’t have quit my job in California and come running back here.”

  “That was never the deal, and you know it. It was time for you to come back and take over.”

  “Well, here I am. I’m running it.” Wyatt threw his arms up in frustration. “And you haven’t had anything but criticism from the day I started.”

  “That’s not true.” Dan shifted restlessly. “I just can’t help looking at it with a critical eye. I’ve been doing it long enough, you know.”

  “Yeah, I know all about it, Dad,” Wyatt said. “But I’m doing it now. Did you want me to take over or not?”

  “Of course, I want you to. You know how much.”

  “I thought I did,” Wyatt said. “Now I’m not so sure. Maybe you aren’t quite ready to retire.”

  “What are you talking about? If I wasn’t stuck in this chair, I’d be a thousand miles away from here by now,” Dan argued.

  And out of my hair, Wyatt silently added. But meeting his father’s gaze, he suddenly felt sorry for him. Anyone could see that it was pure torture for Dan to be confined this way. But being housebound like this, with nothing else to think about, was probably part of the problem, Wyatt realized.

  Wyatt stood up and rubbed at a knot of tension in his shoulder. “Look, Dad, I don’t know what to say. I’m doing the best I can. You ran the paper for over twenty years. I’ve been there—what, three weeks?” he pointed out. “I’m going to make mistakes. I’m sure if you think back to when you first took over, you did, too.”

  Dan met his gaze, then looked away. Wyatt noticed his father’s jaw shifting, as if he were carefully considering his reply. Then he let out a long sigh. “Of course, I made mistakes. But I’m just trying to help you. Can’t you see?”

  Wyatt took a breath. “I do see. But I need to do things my way. Or this isn’t going to work out.”

  Wyatt saw a strange expression flash across his father’s face just then, a mixture of shock and disappointment. As if the very idea of his son walking away from the Messenger was unthinkable. But just as quickly, it passed, lingering only in his father’s eyes.

  “Of course, it’s going to work out. Don’t be ridiculous,” Dan scoffed. He turned his chair to face the windows. “Look at all that snow. I guess that’s all they’re talking about in town this morning, anyway.”

  “Yeah, I guess it is.”

  Wyatt took a moment to decode his father’s change of subject. Was he saying that the whole town was talking about the snowfall and not the error in his precious Messenger? That the front-page error wasn’t such a big deal, after all? Wyatt wasn’t completely sure, but he suspected that this was as close as Dan would get to an apology.

  The doorbell rang. “Expecting anyone?” Wyatt asked, as he turned to answer it.

  Dan shrugged. “It might be Emily Warwick. She mentioned she might drop by, if she wasn’t too busy. We’re in the middle of a chess game,” he added, glancing at the board.

  Wyatt could tell his father was truly hoping it was their attractive neighbor. Well, at least he had one thing to distract him from worrying about the paper.

  “I’ll go see.” Wyatt left the room and headed for the front door. He pulled it open, happy to see Emily standing there. She looked different in her weekend clothes, a bright yellow parka and jeans. The big blue mittens on her hands made her look very young.

  “Emily, come on in. Dad’s been waiting for you.” Wyatt noticed her cheeks looked red but couldn’t tell if she was blushing or it was the cold weather.

  “He’s in the family room,” Wyatt said, leading the way. “Emily is here,” Wyatt called out to Dan.

  Dan looked up from his computer screen and smiled at his visitor. “So, ready to lose?”

  Emily shook her head, as she unzipped her jacket. “False bravado will get you nowhere. As I recall, you’re in check and I’m just about to capture your queen.”

  “Oh, I found a way out of that mess,” Dan said, wheeling his chair over to the game table. “You’re going to have some problems of your own in a minute.”

  Wyatt stood in the doorway a moment, as they prepared to resume their match. Wyatt could tell his father really liked Emily. He seemed to light up the minute the woman entered the house. He wondered if the feelings were mutual. She seemed just right for him, Wyatt thought.

  “I’ll see you later then, Dad. So long, Emily.”

  Dan looked up, as if suddenly remembering his son was in the room. “Going out?”

  “Just down to the office for a few hours. I need to finish Monday’s edition.” And draft the correction and look into the advertising situation, he silently added. “I won’t be late. Are you set for dinner?”

  “Emily and I are going to call out for something.” Dan glanced at Wyatt, as if there was more he wanted to say. Instead he shrugged and said, “See you later, then.”

  Wyatt guessed that sooner or later, his father would tell Emily all about their argument. But as he closed the front door, the notion didn’t bother him. Emily looked like a good listener, the reasonable type, someone who could put things in perspective. Which might be exactly what his father needed right now.

  THE LOW CANDLES ON THEIR TABLE CAST LUKE’S FACE IN FLICKERING shadows. He looked handsome as he read through the dessert menu, Sara thought, his gray eyes silvery in the half light.

  She silently studied his face. The narrow scar that ran from his temple down to his jaw had once seemed sinister to her. Now she hardly noticed it at all. When she did, it reminded her of the difficult times Luke had been through and how he had fought to turn his life around. He had a lot of inner strength, a
lot of character. It was one of the traits that had first attracted her to him—and still did, she realized.

  “See anything you like?” he asked, suddenly looking up.

  Sara felt herself blush and hoped he wouldn’t notice. “It all sounds great, but I think I’m just too full for anything more.”

  “Me, too,” Luke said. “Why don’t I get the check, and we’ll walk a little?”

  Sara agreed, and Luke signaled to their waiter. Their night out had been perfect, Sara thought. The restaurant was elegant and romantic. Located in a federal-style house in the village of Newburyport, it was decorated for the holidays with fresh pine boughs, velvet ribbons, and white candles everywhere. The food was as classic as the setting, and being with Luke felt easy and somehow right. She found herself feeling sorry that their time together was coming to an end.

  They were soon outside, standing on the sidewalk. After the cozy restaurant, the cold night air was a bit of a shock. Luke put his arm around her shoulders, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, and they fell into step beside each other. The street was filled with shops and restaurants, all decorated for the holidays. The antique lampposts were wrapped in green boughs and red ribbons, and the small trees along the street were covered in tiny white lights.

  “I can’t believe it’s almost Christmas. I feel like it was just summer last week,” Sara mused.

  “I can’t believe I’ve been living here for almost six months,” Luke replied.

  “Me, too. The time went by so quickly.” Sara said, turning her head to catch his gaze. His face was close to hers, almost touching. “So much has happened. In some ways, it feels like another lifetime.”

  “I know what you mean,” he admitted. “Think of how you felt when you first came up here. What you were going through.”

  “You helped me a lot,” she told him shyly. “Especially about finally telling Emily who I was. I was so upset and confused, I don’t know if I could have done it without you.”

  He stopped walking for a moment and glanced down at her. “Oh, I just gave you a push now and then. That’s all.” His expression barely showed it, but she could tell her admission had touched him. “I’d say we’re even. You made me stick with the project. Maybe without you around, I would have quit.”