“Sounds like she has her hands full, all right,” Savich said and leaned forward so Sherlock could lightly scratch around the wound in his back.
Miles sat back and closed his eyes. Things were really bad and he didn’t see how anything could get better. His guts hurt. Sam’s guts hurt. Cracker kept asking what was wrong with him. He’d stomped around his office at the plant like a wounded rhino even though there were very few employees there to see it on a Sunday afternoon. Then he’d gone back home and stomped some more.
Even though Sam was safe, he sure wasn’t sound, but it was really early yet. As for himself, he felt like he’d left unfinished business he wasn’t in a position to finish, and that sucked, big time.
Miles muttered something under his breath, his eyes still closed, and Sherlock figured they were better off not knowing what he’d said.
Savich raised an eyebrow at him.
Miles said, “It’s been a day and a half, well, maybe a bit more than thirty hours now. Isn’t that amazing?”
“Yes,” Sherlock said, “absolutely amazing. Now, you’re moping, Miles.” She lowered her voice just a bit and moved her chair closer. “Sam and Sean are distracted. Tell us what’s going on here.”
He cocked open an eye and said, “Yesterday morning I asked Katie to marry me and she turned me down.”
Both of them stared at him.
Sherlock said slowly, “You’re saying you asked a woman to marry you after-what was it?-not even a complete and full week after meeting her?”
“That’s about the size of it,” Miles said. “Damned woman. What could I do? I even asked her about architecture and she said she liked colonials.”
Sherlock lightly laid her hand on Savich’s leg. “I’ve never had much to do with colonials-they’re not what you’d call thick on the ground on the West Coast. Fact is, I would have married Dillon after three days, if he’d only known I was alive, colonial or not.”
Savich said, “Oh, I knew, I knew.” He clasped her hand and said, “You’re not remembering things exactly right, sweetheart. You were so cut off from everyone at the time, including me, until finally, you happened to spend that night here, with me, and then… Miles has heard all of that story he’s ever going to hear.”
Miles looked over to see Sean stuffing a graham cracker into his mouth. “I can pretend I haven’t heard any of it and you could give me some pointers, Savich.” He paused a moment, then said, shaking his head, “Isn’t it strange how Sam looks like me and Sean looks just like you?”
Sherlock said, “So much for the indomitable X chromosome.” Then she added, “So, Katie turned you down?”
“Yeah, I suppose because it’s been only a week. Too soon, really, just too soon. She wanted to think about it. I guess maybe I agreed with that. I don’t think she ever had a gun out of her hand. Strange time. She’s really pretty. Did you notice that?”
Savich nodded, smiling, and said, “How long does she want to think about it? Did she give you any hope at all?”
Miles shrugged. “I don’t know. We didn’t set a time, but I’ll tell you, Sam and I aren’t doing so well.”
“You miss her?”
“Well, yes, and Keely, but it’s Sam I’m really worried about.”
“What, nightmares? Surely you’ve got him seeing a child shrink. What does the doctor say?”
“No, no nightmares,” Miles said. “It’s Keely. He’s miserable without Keely. I’m telling you, those two kids bonded instantly. I’ve never seen anything like it. It was a nightmare separating them. Katie and I both felt like monsters, and there’s Katie’s mom, looking at us like she wanted to carry the pitchfork as she led the villagers. Sam is speaking to me now, but he’s miserable, too quiet-not sulking, just unhappy. I’m beginning to think it’s not going to go away.”
“It’s only been a little over a day, Miles,” Sherlock said.
Savich said, “So what does the shrink say?”
“Evidently Dr. Jones called Dr. Raines in Jessborough and that’s why she agreed to see Sam this morning.”
“So what did she say?”
“She said I should do anything to get Katie to marry me.”
They all laughed. Sam looked up, frowned at them, and went back to helping Sean build a block fort, which wasn’t going too well since Sean would yell and give it a karate chop when it got three blocks high.
“So what are you going to do?” Sherlock asked.
Miles sat forward. “You know,” he said slowly, “maybe it’s time I was a buccaneer.”
“What’s a buccaneer, Papa?”
“So you heard that, did you?” Sam, holding Sean’s hand, was standing next to his father. “He’s learned he has to be real quiet if he wants to eavesdrop.”
“Tell us, Papa.”
That serious, so serious voice. “All right, Sam.” Miles lifted both Sam and Sean up onto his lap. “A buccaneer was a pirate who was given permission by his country to plunder enemy ships. They were take-charge kind of guys, Sam, who did things their own way. I’m thinking that it’s time for me to take charge. What do you think?”
“You’re always in charge, Papa.”
Sean burped against Sam’s arm, raised his head and said, “Mama, apple pie.”
Sherlock laughed, got up, and went to the kitchen. “Apple pie coming up. What would the buccaneer like to have?”
“Just bring me an eye patch.”
Sam laughed, the first laugh that had sprung out of that little mouth since they’d left Tennessee.
36
A t eleven o’clock that night, Miles landed his plane at Ackerman’s Air Field. Thirty minutes later, he was driving the rental car into Minna Benedict’s driveway.
It wasn’t raining so hard now, but he could tell that it had really been coming down. A low-lying fog had come up, turning everything gray. The mountains brooded, blurred in a soft mist.
It felt like coming home.
He let Sam, so excited he could barely speak, knock on the door.
Minna beamed at them, clearly startled. “Good grief, Miles, Sam! Come give me a big hug, sweetie. You, Sam, not your daddy. Oh my goodness, it’s wonderful to see both of you. Miles, your face looks all sort of romantic.”
While Sam was enfolded in Minna’s arms, Miles looked over her head for Katie. “I called, but there wasn’t any answer, Minna. Where are Katie and Keely? Asleep? It’s nearly midnight. I’m sorry we’re so late. They are asleep, aren’t they?”
Before Minna could say anything, Sam said, “We’re here because Papa decided at dinner that he had to be a buccaneer. My aunt Sherlock couldn’t find him an eye patch, that’s why you can’t tell.”
“What Sam means, Minna, is that I’m here to sling my bride over my shoulder and cart her away.”
“I see,” Minna said. She straightened, keeping Sam pressed against her side. She gave Miles a big grin. “Well, now, isn’t this the funniest thing? Katie and Keely took off in her truck this evening, headed for Virginia.”
“What?”
“Oh wow!”
Minna smiled at the boy and the man, who, she suspected, would be related to her in no time at all. “Come in, come in. You can phone Katie on her cell. I’m surprised you didn’t get her number before you left.”
“She wouldn’t give it to me,” Miles said. “She wanted time to think without my bugging her and without Sam guilting her.”
“Doesn’t matter. Don’t worry, Sam, Keely’s been working on her around the clock.”
“I told her I’d work on my dad,” Sam said and gave her a huge grin.
“That’s my boy,” Minna said. “How long will it take Katie to drive to Colfax?”