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Chapter 26
The rocky shoreline which lined both ends of the cove gave the illusion that they were cut off from the world, privately enjoying a beach that was just their own. The jagged edges of the dark rock spilled down into the ocean and spread out toward the sandy beach, creating an area of shallow pockets of water full of sea life. Mabel walked the perimeter of the rocky surface, searching for unique shells or bits of colorful rocks with Giulia.
Mac led Pippa further out, pointing out crabs in the deeper crevices or the occasional living thing that would peek from beneath the clear water.
“A crab!” Pippa squealed. “Mac, look! Another one!”
Mac’s booming laugh traveled through the wind and wrapped around Mabel’s heart. His eyes glittered as he squatted on the wet rock, reaching into a crevice to pull out the creature. He held it toward Pippa, fearlessly grasping the thing between two fingers.
Pippa reached for the crab and Mabel held her breath, sensing Pippa’s eagerness. She didn’t want her sister to get hurt.
Pippa held the crab, her face alight with pleasure as she grinned at Mac in adoration.
“For such a tall, imposing-looking man, Mr. MacKenzie is very sweet with Pippa,” Giulia said.
Mabel nodded, watching them interact. Mac was so patient with Pippa, so gentle. He spoke to her as though she mattered. He did not treat her like an obnoxious hanger-on, and Mabel loved that about him.
He looked up, glancing at her as though he could read her thoughts. Saying something to Pippa, Mac turned and led her back toward the beach, the crab still firmly in her small hand.
“Are they coming toward us?” Giulia asked, awed.
“It appears that way.”
Mac guided Pippa along the rocky, unsteady ground until they reached Mabel and Giulia. “Pippa would like to introduce you to her new friend,” he said, a smile tipping one side of his mouth.
Pippa grinned, revealing the gap on top where her tooth had recently fallen out. “I’m holding a crab.”
“I can see that,” Mabel said, smiling. It was smaller than Mabel’s hand, dark brown with a hard, shiny shell. Its pincers snapped slowly. “It’s a darling little thing, isn’t it?”
“Would you like to hold it?” Pippa asked.
Mabel took a step back. “Oh, no thank you, Pip. I am quite content to watch it from this distance.”
“But he won’t pinch you. See? He hasn’t hurt me.”
Giulia and Mac both grinned, and Mabel felt quite outnumbered. “Oh, very well. Hand it here.”
Pippa held the crab out and Mabel took it from her, her heart pounding in her chest. A sharp pinch struck her between her thumb and finger, and she yelped, dropping the crab on the rocks. It scurried away, crawling sideways onto a lower rock and then into the shallow water.
“Oh, no!” Pippa said, following the crab. “You could have hurt him, Mae!”
“Never mind that he hurt me,” Mabel muttered, the soft place on her hand throbbing. She shook her hand out and Mac stepped forward, concern etched on his brow.
“Come,” he said, gently taking her by the shoulders and leading her toward the sandy beach. They got away from the slick rocks and he dipped his head to look her in the eye. “May I look at it?”
She swallowed, unable to speak with him standing so near she could smell him, the scent of his shaving soap surrounding her and making her head fog. He continued to watch her, waiting for an answer, and she nodded.
Taking her hand in his, Mac pulled at the tips of her fingers, loosening the gloves one small tug at a time. Her heart hammered in her chest, her pulse jumping erratically as she watched his large, strong fingers work with gentle care. After loosening each finger, Mac slipped the glove from her hand and tucked it under his arm, turning her hand over to check the area the crab had pinched.
There was an angry red mark, but no broken skin.
“It was here?” Mac asked, brushing his thumb softly over the injured place.
“Yes.”
He brushed it again, then looked at her. “You’ll likely have a bruise later. They don’t often break the skin, but it can feel as though they had.”
She nodded again, feeling rather unintelligent as the ability to speak seemed to have left her. But Mac, touching her this way, made her feel so delicate, so cared for. She never wanted it to end.
