“Any regrets?” Joanna asked. “Because you couldn’t have known what you were in for when you took this job.”
“I knew nothing,” he replied. “But it’s been good for me, and now I can barely remember what my girlfriend looks like.” He gazed all around and exhaled. “It’s incredible here, you have to admit. It kind of wakes you up, you know what I mean? Or maybe that sounds crazy.”
“Not crazy at all. I know exactly what you mean. It woke my grandfather up too, all those years ago, and changed his life, even though he didn’t end up married to Emma.” Still trudging along, Joanna watched her grandad ahead of them as he reached the break in the high dune. “But whether it was Emma and her effect on him,” Joanna continued,“or something special about this place that changed him, I’ll never know.”
“It was probably a bit of both.” Garrett led her off the heath, where they had to wade through some marram grass. “I’m certainly going to miss this place when I go. I’ve been trying to prepare myself mentally for rush hour traffic and crowds in malls. Obnoxious drivers laying on their horns. I might lose my mind.”
“It’ll be a culture shock, for sure.”
They emerged onto the open beach, where seagulls soared and screeched over the booming ocean. Joanna spotted her grandfather standing in the distance, at the water’s edge, staring at the horizon.
Garrett slowed his pace. “You know, I was thinking about what you asked me last night—the question I couldn’t answer, about whether Emma was still alive or not. Now that I see how determined your grandfather was to find that ring, I’d like to make a few phone calls and see if we can track her down.”
Feeling elated, Joanna nearly stumbled over a pile of peat. “Really? That would be so helpful. Thank you. Although ... Emma might still be married.”
“It’s possible,” Garrett replied. “Or she might be living in Australia, working on her fourth husband.”
Joanna laughed, and it felt amazingly good to make light of things.
When they reached the Jeep, she cupped her hands around her mouth and called out to her grandfather. He turned and walked toward them, and she wondered how he was going to feel about a focused and dedicated search for Emma Clarkson.
As they climbed into the vehicle, she decided not to bring it up just yet—in case he resisted the idea and set up roadblocks. Or more importantly, in case there was nothing left to hope for and he only ended up disappointed again.
When the time came to board the helicopter and return to the mainland, Joanna stood on the landing pad and held her hand out to Garrett. “Thank you so much for everything. You really went above and beyond for us.”
The sun had come out, and the sky overhead was the color of blue topaz, but shadows were drifting across Joanna’s heart. She didn’t want to say goodbye.
“It was my pleasure,” he replied as he shook her hand. “I wish you could stay a few more days.”
“Me too.”
Their handshake lasted longer than it should have, and Joanna had trouble tearing her eyes away from his. Eventually, she forced herself to step back and looked down at the ground.
Garrett gave Oliver a casual salute. “Captain Harris. I hope we can speak again soon.”
“You have my number,” her grandfather replied. “Just remember we’re in a different time zone across the pond, and I’m usually early to bed.”
“I’ll remember,” Garrett replied.
Darren called for the passengers to board, so Garrett backed up to the edge of the landing pad and waited until everyone was buckled into their seats with their headsets on. Then he descended the steps and moved along the sandy path toward the beach, where his Jeep was parked.
The chopper’s engine rumbled, and the rotor blades began to spin. Joanna looked out the window at the island vegetation whipping in the high winds. The blades spun faster and faster, and soon they rose vertically and hovered for a few seconds over the landing pad before transitioning to forward flight.
Garrett stood on top of the dune, shading his eyes from the sun to look up at them as they flew over. His wavy hair blew in all directions, and as the chopper tilted and banked left to head west over the crescent island, he waved his arm in a wide arc to say goodbye.
Joanna kept her eyes on him until she couldn’t see him anymore. Her heart throbbed uncomfortably, and she was surprised by how crestfallen she felt. She wished they could have stayed longer, for a few more days, exploring. Or not exploring. Just being there. She would have liked to spend more time with Garrett.
Sitting forward and feeling the engine’s vibration beneath the soles of her feet, she watched the waves roll over the underwater sandbars that stretched for miles beyond the tip of the island. Though they were plainly visible from the sky, it was easy to see how a ship could run aground on those dangerous hidden shoals.
As the island grew distant, she craned her neck to look back until it was gone completely from view and there was nothing to see but ocean below and sky above. For a while, she watched the sun’s reflection on the vast expanse of open water. Then she tipped her head to the side to rest against the cabin wall, closed her eyes, and found herself drifting back to that extraordinary moment in the mist when the horses appeared.
Joanna and Oliver returned to their hotel on the Halifax waterfront. As soon as she entered her room, she dropped her backpack on the bed and immediately rang the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. After requesting an appointment to view Emma’s academic paper about the horses of Sable Island, she kept the curator on the phone and asked if he knew anything about the author.
Was she still alive? Did she live in Nova Scotia?
Like Garrett, he couldn’t answer the question, but he promised to look into the matter.
That night, Joanna made reservations for dinner at The Press Gang, a Halifax restaurant that seemed like a place her grandfather mightenjoy. It was known for its historic seafaring atmosphere, its exquisite meat and seafood dishes, a well-stocked oyster bar, and an impressive selection of fine wines and single malt whiskeys.
