Wings of the Morning (Kensington Chronicles) Read online

  up. His eyes narrowed and then widened upon spotting

  Smokey. An instant later he came off the sofa as though on

  strings and bowed low to his sister's guest.

  "Excuse my lack of manners, my dear." The tone of Buck's

  voice was refined "I am Rowland Knight, 'Buck' to friends and

  family alike."

  Smokey watched in fascination as he came forward with

  all the manners of a gentleman at court, took her hand, and

  carefully kissed the back of it. Knowing her skin and nails

  were rough, Smokey squirmed with embarrassment, but the

  warm eyes Buck raised to hers made her relax in a moment.

  39

  Smokey found herself smiling hugely as Buck took a seat

  beside her.

  "You know," he spoke to the room but never took his eyes

  off Smokey's perfect complexion and huge gray eyes. "If I

  wasn't in love with the widow Rittenhouse, I might fall in love

  with Victoria."

  Smokey chuckled low in her throat, and because she

  sincerely liked him at first meeting, she teased him with a

  warm glimmer in her eye. "If you could change your affections

  that swiftly, Mr. Knight, I'm not sure I would have you."

  Buck threw back his head and laughed in delight. Smokey

  glanced at her host and hostess and found them grinning also.

  "I like you, Victoria," Buck told her bluntly.

  "My friends call me Smokey," she told him.

  "Smokey," Buck tried the name out loud. "It fits you."

  "Thank you. I rather like it myself."

  "Do you play cards?" he asked suddenly.

  "Yes."

  Tate and Jenny, who had sat quietly through the exchange,

  went into action. Within minutes the four of them were seated

  around a table. Jen was the first to deal, and then the cards

  went to Tate. By the time the deal got around to Smokey, she

  found herself more relaxed than she had been all evening.

  China cups and fine flatware were new to her, but cards, well,

  she'd been playing since she was a child. The lighthearted

  game, along with Buck's outrageous wit and easy smile,

  caused her to wish she lived much closer to Buck and the

  Pembertons.

  Smokey missed the glances of her game partners as she

  allowed her gaze to roam the room. They noticed that she

  didn't even need to concentrate on the deck in her hands. She

  shuffled and dealt cards to them like a cardsharp. Everyone's

  eyes were dutifully back on their own cards by the lime

  Smokey glanced back at them, but they all knew that they'd

  been given a glimmer of yet one more aspect that made up the

  person of Victoria "Smokey" Simmons.

  41

  smokey was utterly spellbound with Jenny and Tate's

  small church--in particular, their pastor and his preaching.

  Smokey had spent so little time in church over the years that

  she had no idea a sermon could hold such meaning.

  Clancy had spent many hours teaching his small daughter

  about God's Word, but he had also admitted to her many times

  that there were a great many things he didn't know about the

  Bible.

  Smokey grew up on the stories of David and Goliath, Noah

  and the ark, and of course the birth, death, and resurrection of

  Jesus Christ. But Smokey didn't try to fool herself; she knew

  little about the Old or New Testament. She shared this with

  Jenny as they made their way home in the Pemberton buggy.

  Tate had business with one of the elders and would come

  later.

  "I basically grew up on my father's ship. I don't remember

  being in port on Sundays, at least no more than a few times a

  year. There's so much I don't know."

  "I'm glad you liked Pastor Chase, Smokey. He's a wonder-I

  pastor; we feel so blessed to have him. Both Tate and I have

  inaed a great deal from him in the last few years. You know," r Spoke excitedly now, "you don't live that far. Even when

  oJjome, you could come over here for Sundays and plan

  lading the day with us."

  M^

  41

  "Thank you, Jen." Smokey was so moved she fell silent.

  She also realized she was going to have to tell Jenny at some

  point that she was not usually in Maine on Sundays, that in fact

  she was usually not in Maine at all. As Smokey thought on this,

  the ride continued in silence.

  After lunch Smokey went to her room for a while and

  found herself poring over her Bible. Pastor Chase had preached

  from the book of James, and Smokey wanted to read every

  chapter. She never got beyond the first, where she read verses

  that spoke to her of how often she needed to turn to God, and

  how He provides in ways she hadn't thought possible.

  No one had ever told Smokey that she could ask God for

  wisdom, nor had she ever taken the time to search out God's

  truths for herself. In her job she had so many responsibilities.

  Too often she found herself going on her own and simply hoping for the best. It was like a gift to learn that she could

  turn to God, knowing that in His love, He was waiting to give

  her aid.

  Life at the Pembertons' on Sundays was lazy and relaxed,

  and after Smokey had read the first chapter, she fell asleep on

  her bed as she prayed

  "My parents moved to South Carolina three years ago for

  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

  42

  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

  43

  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,

  44

  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.

  46

  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,"

  47

  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 walk
ed 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

  48

  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

  in poetry and music."

  Smokey was surprised and fascinated with Buck's occupation,

  and she also thought it rather fitting. She couldn't stop

  her mind from straying to Dallas and wondering at the fact

  that he and Buck could be so different. Brothers, with seemingly

  nothing in common. Smokey pondered the matter until

  Buck's house came into view.