Finding a Hero, page 14
Shiloh swiped at her tears and nodded, dragging in a ragged breath. “Thank you, Jack. Rachel and I will talk it over. I appreciate you watching out for her, and if she would like to have you teach her how to swim, I think that would be a good idea.”
Jack let out a whoosh of air and then sat back down. Joseph shot a glance toward Colt, seeing the pride on his face. With Brian and his parents also in the room, Ryan nodded toward Callan and Jared.
“What we’ve been told by these four is that they were in two rowboats owned by the Coates and were in the inlet just east of the bay entrance. They heard a motorboat coming but didn’t have room to move much closer to the shore when it sped up and came within twenty feet of them, knocking over the rowboat containing Rachel and Jack. Jack managed to assist Rachel to the shore with the help of Cindy and Brian. They have identified the person driving the motorboat. It stalled nearby, and we have brought it in, and an ongoing investigation is taking place. I will also add that at least one of the young men in that motorboat corroborates the story that their vessel came too close to the rowboats and did so on purpose.”
Joseph’s anger rose, not only at Paul’s actions in general but at the tears in Shiloh’s eyes. The angry grumbling from Brian’s parents grew, and while Colt and Ryan remained quiet, their anger was just as palpable. After another few minutes, Callan told them they could go home.
Before Joseph had a chance to talk to Shiloh, another sound was heard in the hall, and he could tell Paul’s dad had arrived. The large man was already raising his voice about illegal searches, calling his lawyer, and police brutality.
He looked toward Callan and said, “I’m going to walk them out. I’ll be back.”
As soon as he’d escorted Shiloh and Rachel outside, he looked at the two women, seeing the familial similarities. They waved to Cindy as her brother opened the door for his sister, having arrived since Ryan was still needed at the station. Joseph held back a chuckle. Trevor’s face was a mirror image of Ryan’s, and he wondered how the young man would be kept from smashing his fist into Paul’s face when he learned of the whole story.
Looking down at Shiloh, he opened his mouth, but Jack raced over to say goodbye to Rachel. Shiloh reached out to grab Jack’s hand. “Thank you again, Jack. I’m so grateful for all you did.” Jack blushed as he waved goodbye. Joseph caught Colt’s wry grin at his son’s obvious crush and the equally infatuated expression on Rachel’s face.
Knowing Callan was inside dealing with Paul’s dad, he rushed, “Rachel, I’m so sorry this happened to you. I know your aunt and hope I can stop by to see how you are doing sometime.” Squeezing Shiloh’s shoulder, he added, “I hate that I can’t take you home, but I’m needed inside. I really want to talk to you. Can I call?”
She held his gaze, her blue-gray eyes shining in the sunlight. As she nodded, Rachel looked on with a small smile. Turning back to Shiloh, he prompted, “I’ll need your number.”
“Oh,” she said, fumbling in her purse. Pulling out her phone, she handed it to him.
He typed in his number and then called. “There. Now, we’re connected.” As he watched them walk away from the station at the harbor and toward the town, he threw his hand upward in a wave when she looked over her shoulder at him. With a sigh, he turned to head back inside, but his mind was already on when he could call her. Grinning, he realized his expression was just like Jack’s eager, teenage, not-even-trying-to-be-cool look. And that was fine with him.
16
It was hours later that evening, but Shiloh hadn’t stopped shaking. By the time they’d gotten back to the inn, Rachel had given her the entire story, filled with emotion and a dash of heroism over Jack’s actions. She’d talked about her initial fear of being in the rowboat but how soon she grew to love the way they glided through the water and how Jack taught her to use the oar. Then she’d heard the loud roar of the oncoming motorboat but had no idea what would happen when it came so close. As soon as the rowboat flipped over, Rachel admitted to panicking. Her life jacket kept her head above water. Jack immediately wrapped his arm around her and swam with her to shore, followed closely by Cindy and Brian in their rowboat.
Shiloh had fixed her a cup of tea while Rachel soaked in the bathtub and then listened, trying not to panic at the tale. By the time Joseph called, Rachel was already yawning.
“He can come over, Shiloh,” Rachel had said. “I’m going to bed. I’m exhausted.”
Shiloh had watched over Rachel as she fell asleep, having just enough time to brush her hair before Joseph indicated he was at the inn's back door. Rushing down the back stairs, she saw him at the door, and her breath caught in her throat. Her mind hadn’t caught up to the fact that he’d been part of Rachel’s rescue and, according to her niece, had been sweet even though he had no idea she was Shiloh’s niece.
Now, staring at his endearing smile aimed at her and his sky-blue eyes, she sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly. She had no idea why he was here with all the women he could have been out with, but she no longer wanted to fight the desire to get to know him. Swiping her sweaty palms along her skirt, she straightened her spine and threw open the door, smiling. “Hello.”
His smile widened at her softly spoken greeting. “Hello to you.”
Stepping back, she asked, “Would you like to come in?”
“Wherever you’re comfortable, but the patio swing is fine with me.”
“I’ll get some lemonade.” Pouring two tall glasses, she handed one to him, then followed as he led the way across the stone patio to the swing. He held it steady while she sat down, then he sat next to her.
“How’s Rachel?”
“She seems fine. Thank you for asking.” Chuckling, she shook her head. “The resiliency of youth. I’m still shaky, and she was telling me all about it. Now that the danger has passed, I think she was rather excited at having an adventure."
“I’m glad she’s all right. It could have been so much… um… well…”
“I know what you were going to say. While I have no experience with boats, I can only imagine the horror of what could have happened.” She shivered, and he scooted a little closer. His presence was comforting, and she had to battle the urge to lean into his strength. Refusing to appear stiff, she managed to stay relaxed, even with his closeness. A thought suddenly hit her, and she twisted around to peer at him. “Oh, Joseph, I just realized that you’ve probably seen horrible accidents. How awful for you!”
He opened and closed his mouth several times before finally shaking his head. “Yes… I have. But no one outside of family has ever mentioned how it affected me. Thank you.”
She waved her hand dismissively. “Don’t thank me. You’re the hero.”
“I’m not a hero, Shiloh. I’m just a man who gets to do the job he loves.”
His words struck deep inside, and she held his gaze, the air seeming hard to draw into her lungs. “That’s why you’re a hero,” she said, her voice barely a whisper. Suddenly aware of how her body tingled, she looked down and quickly swallowed a sip of the cool, tart lemonade. “I should have made sure she knew how to swim before ever agreeing that she could go on a boat. She was sure the water wasn’t deep, and I foolishly allowed it.”
“It looks like Jack will take care of that,” he said, his lips curving slightly.
“I need to join the YMCA so I can learn to swim—”
“You don’t know how?”
Shaking her head, she said, “No. There was never a place to swim when I was younger, and then, well, no.”
“I’ll teach you. It would be better than a class with a bunch of people, anyway.”
“Oh… I… well. I don’t have a swimsuit, but I suppose I can get one.”
His gaze dropped to her skirt. “So… um…”
She looked back at him quickly, uncertainty lacing his hesitation. “Yes?”
“I…” He sighed heavily, his brow furrowed. “Shiloh, I… I’d really like to get to know you. But I don’t know how to start. I don’t want to ask questions that would make you uncomfortable. I’ve heard a little, but I’d rather hear from you.”
She wondered how deep he really wanted to go. And if she took him there, would he want to keep sitting next to her? Pastor Parton had advised her to let the people of Baytown know her, but trust was hard. So was the idea of others not understanding. But if he can’t handle knowing the real me, then the tingles I feel when we’re together can’t be real. Sucking in a deep breath, she plunged in. “I suppose you want to know where I came from and how I ended up here.” At his nod, she looked out over the yard as the fireflies began to flicker.
“I came from a small community in the mountains of Pennsylvania. My parents discovered it when my dad came back from his time in Desert Storm. I wasn’t born yet, but he always said he needed space. Fresh air. Few people. Mom said his time in the Army changed him. He wanted to work with his hands and leave the modern world behind. They found a small, isolated community that had been a commune at one time. He bought a plot of land and farmed. Our lives revolved around our farm, our church, and our community. We went to school, so we weren’t completely cut off from the world. But with mountains and rivers bordering our community, spotty cell phone service, and virtually no internet, we didn’t have many visitors.” She shrugged, taking another sip. “As backward as it sounds, it was fun. My childhood memories of my parents and older sister and our community are good. We had Pastor Aaron, and he was so kind. Neighbors knew each other and always helped.” She chanced a look toward him to see his reaction.
"I know this might sound weird," he said. "But in some ways, that reminds me of my upbringing. I was raised not too far from here, but my family didn't have a lot when my dad lost his job when I was little. We grew some of our own food. Mom used to make my sister's clothes. We had a phone in the house, but I was shipping off to the Navy before I got my first cell phone. We had the internet at school, but not in the house. The neighbors were nice, and everyone was helpful. I knew we were poor, and sometimes at school, kids could be mean. But my memories growing up with my family were really good.”
Surprised at his confession, she nodded. "It never dawned on me that there might be part of my past that you would understand.”
"See, we're not so different," he said, gently bumping his shoulder to hers.
Unease moved through her, and she shook her head slowly, swallowing deeply. "I'm afraid there was little else in my past that could possibly be similar to yours.”
He shifted in the swing to face her, his leg touching hers. Time passed, and she felt the tingle again and prayed that it was real and not in her imagination. "My sister was married and had Rachel. I married when I was eighteen—”
“Married?” Joseph barked out, his eyes wide.
At his near-shout, she winced, leaning farther away from him.
He immediately shook his head. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Shiloh. I didn’t… I shouldn’t have… shit… I was just surprised. God, I’m so sorry.”
His hound-dog expression was so honest that she nodded. “It’s okay. I told you that my background was different.” Her lemonade was finished, and she stood to place it on one of the many tables that Tori had scattered around the garden. “I really should go in. Thank you for stopping by—”
“Oh no, Shiloh. Please, I want to know more. I promise I'll sit here and not say anything.”
She offered an indulgent smile. "Joseph, I don't mind talking, and you can have any reaction you want. I know my story is unusual. For you to have no reaction at all wouldn't make any sense.”
He held out his hand to her. “Please.”
She stared for a moment, uncertainty filling her. Finally, she lifted her hand and placed it in his, the warmth moving up her arm. Allowing him to guide her back over to the swing, she settled in, keeping a space between them. He shifted again so that he could face her but still be close.
"You were married,” he prodded.
"Yes, I married a man I had grown up with. Edward was a very good man. A very good friend. We were happy, living the life we chose. We knew the outside world was filled with modern gadgets, exciting new inventions, museums, theaters, and big stores. It wasn’t that we were ignorant of what was out there, but we chose to live where we were comfortable. I suppose part of that was because it was all I had known, but since I was happy with my life, it hardly mattered the why.” She grew quiet. The waves on the beach on the other side of the road were heard in the background.
“Why do I get the feeling that this is where the story turns?”
She looked up to see his intense gaze pinned on her. The air caught in her throat, making it hard to breathe. What could she tell him? Never the whole story. Never her deepest suspicions. Never her fears. Letting out a shaky breath, she nodded slowly. “Because this is where everything changed.”
Joseph’s head was reeling as he took in everything Shiloh had revealed so far. A community that had retained much of its sheltered way of life. It was the only existence she’d known. She was… had been married. Now that she’d begun her tale, he was even more intrigued. Yet nerves slithered along his insides at the idea of what lay before him. She held his gaze and the blue-gray depths pulled him in. They were once again stormy, but no matter what the outcome, he wanted to know everything about her. “Please… go on if you can.”
She nodded, looking down at her clasped hands. “It wasn’t as though we never left the community. It’s just that after we’d take a trip to a nearby town, we were ready to get back to our home. About six years ago, Pastor Aaron had been invited to speak at another church about our congregation.” She licked her lips and hesitated. “His… well, he was a widower and had a nephew who had been trained to become a pastor, also. His nephew suggested that perhaps some members should go, as well. My parents and my sister and her husband were chosen to go with him. My husband and I kept Rachel, glad to give them a little vacation.”
Stopping, she rubbed her forehead, her brow knitting as though in pain. Joseph longed to ease her distress but didn’t know if it was better for her to unburden or to stop. “Shiloh, you don’t have to do this. I can see it’s upsetting.”
She shifted, this time her knee now touching his as she faced him on the swing. “I’ve held things in for so long. I need this. But I could talk to Pastor Parton or—”
“No!” He winced as she jumped again at his barked-out word. He had no idea why it meant so much to him, but he longed to see the dark storm leave her eyes. “I’m sorry. Damn, I keep saying that. I just mean that I want you to talk to me.”
Her lips pressed together as her gaze held his, and he fought the desire to squirm under the intensity. Finally, she nodded. “There was an accident. The van they were driving lost control on the mountain roads, and… and… they were all killed. My parents. My sister and her husband... and the pastor.”
The bottom fell out of his gut. “Oh, Shiloh… I’m so sorry.” No longer able to hang back, he wrapped his arm around her shoulder and gently pulled her forward so that her head tucked under his chin. He couldn't begin to imagine losing his parents and siblings. Not slowly over time, and surely not all at once. How she was still moving through life… Christ, she’s so fucking strong.
They sat in silence for several long minutes, neither speaking. Finally, she lifted her head, her eyes searching his face. He didn’t know what she was looking for— pity, strength, understanding. Pity would be easy to find, as he was filled with compassion for her. Strength would be harder, considering he felt gutted, but he wanted to be strong for her. Understanding would be almost impossible because he’d never suffered that kind of loss and couldn’t imagine ever crawling out of bed if he had.
“I don’t know what to say,” he confessed. “My heart absolutely breaks for your loss.” He startled, more thoughts finally hitting. “Oh, damn. Rachel, too. She lost everyone except you, too.”
She nodded, breathing deeply through her nose before letting it out as though to cleanse her thoughts. “If it wasn’t for Rachel, I don’t think I’d be here. I think the dark thoughts would’ve pulled me under. But Edward was my rock, and I knew that Rachel deserved to be raised by two people who loved her more than life and could keep her family memories alive for her.” She hefted her thin shoulders in a shrug. “So that’s why I got out of bed each morning. And I did it over and over, day after day, until tears and the ache were a little less.”
Joseph wanted to know more but hated to ask. She kept mentioning her husband, Edward, yet she and Rachel were here alone.
As though she could read his mind, she shifted slightly again in the swing to face him, and their bodies were much closer than before. “I’m sure you’re wondering about Edward, aren’t you?”
“Yeah, I am. But, honest to God, Shiloh, I only want you to tell me what you want me to know. It wouldn’t be fair for me to sit here and demand to know everything about you, but I confess, I want you to feel like you can trust me.”
Her hands were fiddling with the material in her skirt, and with one hand still curled around her shoulder, he reached over with the other hand and gently placed it on top of hers. She hesitated for a moment, then turned her hand up so that their palms were clasped. The simplest of touches. Completely non-sexual. A touch to offer and receive comfort. Yet, at that moment, he felt more connected to her than he did anyone in his life outside his family.
“About a year and a half ago, Edward died from a farming accident. His injuries were too severe and…”
He held her tighter, now, more than ever, willing his strength to be enough to help her go on.
“So I spent a year in official mourning and then decided to move Rachel somewhere else.”
Joseph gently pulled her back so that she was once again tucked close. He had more questions. The layers that she had lifted only made him wonder more about why she would pick up and leave everything familiar and come to a tiny town, changing her and Rachel’s lives drastically in the process. But as a shuddering breath left her lungs, he felt as though she’d given all she could tonight. Pressing his lips against her forehead, they sat in silence as he held her, praying the gentle movement of the swing and the twinkling stars above offered her a sliver of peace.
