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She straightened and turned to gaze into his eyes so he understood what this meant. “It’s a dream come true to get to spend the rest of my life with you. My first wedding was a quick event, barely a blip on the pattern of life. This will be a ground-shaking celebration of what I’ve wanted since I was a teenager. I love you so much. Thank you for loving me. Thank you for so quickly picking up the reins of being Kylie’s father. Not many men would have.”
His pupils expanded, and he inhaled. “You don’t know how much I needed to hear that right now, love.” His gaze searched hers. “What would you say to a quick wedding? I don’t want to wait any longer. I want us to be a family. I want to see you across the breakfast table every morning and pull you close every night in our bed. I can’t wait to see both our names on a checking account and to plan a life together. We have so many decisions. Like where we will live and where I will work.”
Her pulse rocketed up at his admissions. “I want that too. We don’t need a big, fancy wedding, though I’d like our pastor to marry us. I don’t want another justice-of-the-peace wedding.”
“Neither do I. This is too important, and it’s forever.” Indecision lit his green eyes. “It’s Sunday. How quickly could you be ready?”
“You mean, like this week?” She hadn’t been expecting something this fast, but when she looked into his face and saw how much he wanted her, it weakened any qualms she had about what might seem to others as rushing into it.
“I’d marry you tonight if I could.”
“We have to wait for Kylie to get back. She’ll be home Thursday. How about the Saturday after your dad’s wedding? I’d like our friends to have enough notice to come. People like Anu, Kade and Bree, your dad and Martha. Not many. Just those we love.”
He nodded. “I admit I’d like it sooner, but I can wait thirteen days. Kylie would be upset if we went ahead without her. Think she’d be a flower girl?”
An image of their daughter dressed in pink and carrying roses lodged in her head. She wanted a perfect day so badly. “I’ll start the search for a dress. If she wants to wear the dress, she’ll do it.”
“I’ve been thinking about the future with my job too. What do you think I should do? Let me lay out the options again. I could open a practice in Rock Harbor, but it will be tight financially for a few years. It will take everything I’ve got and then some to scrape together enough to open an office. The second option would be to work out of the hospital. It probably would cost much less. The third choice is to work for Mike at Houghton Orthopedics. I like him and I think we’d get along well. I’d have to be on call some, but that comes with the territory of an orthopedic surgeon.”
There was a lot to consider. “The money isn’t a big deal to me. Which option would give you more time with Kylie and me?”
He answered as if he’d thought it through. “If I open a practice here in Rock Harbor, I’ll get called out for emergencies in the night. It might not be often, though, since it’s a small community. And I could refer people to Houghton just like happens now. At the Houghton practice it would mostly be Mike and me rotating on calls, and there would be more accidents up there, especially with the college kids out skiing. Winters might be hectic.”
“Let’s stay here and give back to our community. I don’t need a lot of money, Jon. I just need you.”
He pulled her close for a kiss, and she knew it was the right decision.
***
Sarah’s heavy eyes finally closed for what seemed like only a few minutes, but when she popped them open, she realized dawn was nearly there. The light had that quality where the sun could begin to break over the eastern horizon at any minute.
And she was still trapped inside this cave. She leaped to her feet and listened. The birds were beginning to sing, which was another sure sign of impending daylight. There was no sound to indicate the men were lurking out there, so she cautiously moved the pine boughs out of the way. Once the top half were down, she poked her head out. Nothing stirred but wildlife. She removed the rest of the branches, then patted her thigh to call the dog to her and stepped out into the rocky area surrounded by forest.
She took a deep breath of fresh air to exhale the musty smell of the cave from her lungs. The boathouse was to her left, just before she would get to the big house. Were the men even now lying in wait? Her heart was trying to leap out of her chest, and she eased through the trees toward her destination. If only she could call for help, but she was on her own out here. Mason would come if he knew. Or Bree if she was nearby. But Sarah was going to have to save herself.
The dog padded along beside her, and she marveled at how quiet he’d been all night. It was almost as if he’d realized how frightened she was. And she was still more scared than she’d ever been in her life. Her imagination was able to fill in the gory details of what the men had planned for her, and she couldn’t let them catch her.
The boathouse was only a stand of oak trees away now. She could see its outline through the leaves and brush. If she got away from this place, could she make it to safety? It would depend on the big lake. Some days it was placid and golden, and other days it raged like a wolf. She hadn’t seen its temperament yet today.
The back of the green boathouse grew closer through the trees, and she paused to orient herself and check out the lay of the land. The edges of darkness had softened with the coming dawn,but no one was stirring on the grounds yet. The boathouse had a back door she spied from where she stood, and after a careful examination of the clearing, she made a break for it. The door was unlocked when she twisted the knob, and she practically fell into the darkness of the interior.
The dog whined and squirreled around her feet. “I’m okay,” she whispered.
It reeked of motor oil and gasoline. After a few moments, her eyes adjusted to the darkness, and she spied several larger boats rocking in the waves. She didn’t dare take one with a motor. The noise would be sure to attract attention. There was a rowboat in the corner, but it would be hard to maneuver out of the boathouse by herself. Two kayaks were hanging on the back wall. Maybe she could manage to get her and Scout to safety in it, though she wasn’t the best at handling one of those.
It appeared to be her only option though. With effort she lifted down a kayak and carried it out the back door toward the water. The sound of the waves had dread clutching at her throat. The waves were much bigger than she’d hoped.
She glanced down at Scout. “Ready, boy?”
He gave a huff of approval and licked her hand. She set the boat in the water and lifted him into the front seat area, then waded in. The cold shock made her gasp, and she quickly climbed into her seat and grabbed the oar. She struggled to get the kayak turned around in the waves to face the mainland. This was not going to be easy.
She splashed cold water on her arms and legs as she rowed, but at least the kayak moved forward and not back to Tremolo Island. She made it past the dock and squinted. She was still too far to see the mainland, but her arms burned as she rowed withall her strength toward the sun peeking over the horizon. As the boat moved farther away, the waves turned to big rollers that picked them up and dropped them down the troughs of water. The dog hunkered in his seat and whined.
“It’s okay, boy.” But was it? Fear squeezed her in a vise, and she had a terrible feeling she’d jumped from the frying pan into the fire.
A huge wave soaked her with cold water and filled the seat around her. Were they sinking? Was it even possible to sink a kayak? She knew they could be overturned, but she hoped it would stay afloat.
She peered through the dim light. Was that an island or a spit of mainland ahead? Examining it, she decided it had to be that tiny island she could see from the dock. It could be a safe haven for them to rest. She aimed the bow of the kayak toward it and renewed her efforts to make headway in the huge waves. Her lungs burned, and her arms felt wooden by the time the hull of the kayak bumped sand. She could barely stand to stagger out of the boat to grasp the side with fingers numbed by the water.
