Chapter 6
Amber stood at the helm, hands gripping the wheel so tightly her knuckles had turned white. Realizing what she was doing, she relaxed her grip and took a couple of deep breaths. She’d been at the helm a couple of times over the last week, but this was the first time with the sails up and the engine off. Daniel’s announcement that she’d be driving the boat today had shocked her that morning, but she understood that it was his way of moving them past the kiss the night before.
She was grateful that he seemed like her, to want to pretend that it hadn’t happened, but also a little disappointed that it hadn’t meant as much to him as it had to her. But she wasn’t surprised, it was just a kiss, and no matter how amazing she’d found it, clearly it had only been a product of the romance of the Northern Lights. Daniel had been his usual self that morning, charting their course and shoveling in his breakfast, as always in a hurry to cast off as early as possible.
When he’d announced that they’d be raising the sails that morning, she’d been excited until he’d added, “And you’ll be at the helm. It’s time you learned to sail for real, the motor is a great way to cover distance, but if it goes down, you need to be able to do it the old-fashioned way.”
Amber had only stared at him, her mouth hanging open. “You’re ready Amber, and I’d like you to get the hang of it before we start crossing the gulf, there won’t be anywhere to stop once we start, we’ll be sailing all day and night so we’ll have to take turns.”
She nodded her head, knowing that he was serious, she was going to have to do it whether she felt ready or not. “Okay, if you think I’m ready.”
“You are and I’ll stay close, once you get a feel for the wind, it’s really not any different than sailing with the motor. You’ll see, you’re a natural.” Then he put his hand over hers and squeezed, confusing her and sending a wave of pleasure through her.
Pushing thoughts of Daniel from her mind, she focused on what she was doing, aware for the first time that she was finally anticipating the movement of the boat in the wind. Pleased, she relaxed her grip on the wheel a little more and breathed out a sigh of relief. When the wind gusted, she adjusted the wheel just a bit and felt the boat respond, understanding for the first time what Daniel had been trying to explain to her.
As her confidence grew, she was able to relax and enjoy the scenery, the sky was devoid of clouds, making the ocean appear steely blue and endlessly deep. Because they weren’t that far from land, birds filled the sky, swooping down to catch fish in their rounded beaks, before soaring higher and then straight for land to devour their meal on the shore. Their cries and the sound of the water lapping against the boat were the only sounds around her and it wasn’t difficult to completely relax into the seat and let the boat do the work.
When a loud crack broke the silence, she jumped to her feet, grabbed the wheel tighter and looked around for the source of the sound. Before she could figure out where the sound had come from, she heard the sound of canvass ripping and to her horror a long tear began to appear in the main sail. Too shocked to do anything more than stare, she stood there as the rip slowly made its way down the sail, then stopped only a few feet from the bottom.
She finally managed to scream Daniel’s name, but he must have heard the crack from down in the engine room, because he was already on the stairs. “What was that?” he asked, looking around.
“I don’t know, but look at the sail. It just started tearing, I didn’t know what to do.” she said, afraid that she’d done something wrong and broken the boat.
Daniel was out of the cockpit and up on deck before she could say another word, then he began cursing and pulling the sail down. Amber rushed out to help him, afraid to ask what had happened, but aware that whatever it was, it wasn’t good. Daniel continued to cuss and mumble under his breath as they worked, so she kept her head down and followed his orders silently. When the sail was finally wound up and secured, he sat down heavily in the cockpit and closed his eyes. He was silent for so long that Amber was convinced that it had been her fault.
“The mast has a giant crack in it, it put too much pressure on the sail and it ripped.” he explained, keeping his eyes closed.
“I’m sorry Daniel, I don’t know what I did wrong. Everything was fine, then all of a sudden I heard a loud crack,” she said, feeling terrible.
Daniel opened his eyes and looked at her, suddenly realizing that she thought that it was her fault. “Oh sweetheart, it wasn’t your fault. It was probably that storm last night. The cracks were already there and I should have thought about that, checked it this morning before we pulled up anchor,” he said, getting to his feet. “It was my fault, not yours.”
Amber was so relieved she let out a huge whoosh of air. “Oh, thank goodness,” she said, then realized what she’d said. “I didn’t mean… I was afraid I’d… Is the boat going to be okay?”
Daniel looked over at the mast, “Well, we’re going to have to get both the mast and the sail repaired before we get to the gulf, but it’s not the end of the world. I’m not so much upset by the damage to the boat as I am that I didn’t catch it. Boats can capsize when the mast breaks, and in this water, you can die pretty quickly. I’m sorry, Amber.”
He looked so upset she stepped over to him and wrapped her arms around him without even thinking. “But we didn’t and we’re both fine. Guess we’ll just have to use that fancy engine of yours some more, although I was beginning to like the feel of the sails,” she said, very aware of Daniel’s heart beating in her ear where it rested up against his chest.
Daniel was very still in her arms, but then he sighed and hugged her back. The adrenalin pumping through his body was just beginning to abate, leaving him drained of energy, but the longer he stood with her in his arms, the stronger he began to feel. With another big sigh, he pushed the picture of the torn sail and leaning mast from his mind, and instead concentrated on coming up with a plan to get them fixed. Later he’d think about how it felt to have Amber in his arms right then, about how adept she’d been once again when he’d needed her. But for now he was just glad that they were both safe and alive.
Amber looked at the little port town skeptically as they pulled into the harbor and thought at least they were in Alaska and not Canada. It wasn’t really much of a town, a few streets cut into the side of a huge mountain, the only way to get to the harbor a flight of steep steps. When she turned and gave him a questioning look, he just smiled and eased them into the berth at the marina.
“I know it doesn’t look like much, but one of the best ship builders lives here and if anyone can fix that mast for us, he’s the one. I’ve known Jeremy for years, his house is just up the coast. We’ll take the dingy to go see him, he’s got moorings at his place, but he’s not crazy about people showing up unannounced,” Daniel explained as they began securing the boat.
“How long do you think we’ll be here?” Amber asked, thinking that if they stayed for a while she’d like to spend some time sketching the harbor.
“As little as two days but as much as a week, it all depends on what kind of mood Jeremy is in,” Daniel said with a laugh. “I haven’t seen him since the earthquake. He’s a cantankerous old man, but you’ll like him, money means nothing to him, he’s all about the craft.”
Amber could understand that and was looking forward to meeting Jeremy. “I should do some shopping as long as we’re here, we could stand a few more things before we cross the gulf.”
“We should have plenty of time, but first let’s go meet a grumpy old man,” Daniel said, helping her into the dingy.
It didn’t take long for them to get to the bay where Jeremy lived, when they pulled up onto the shore Daniel jumped out and pulled the dingy out of the water, then helped Amber out. She saw a path that led into the forest and a sign that said Jeremy’s Hollow and expected them to take the trail, but he just took one of her hands in his and stood there waiting. It wasn’t long before she understood why. Two men were coming down the path and to her amazement they were both carrying very large guns. When she tensed up, Daniel squeezed her hand and took a few steps forward, a huge smile on his face.
“Don’t worry it’ll be fine, those are Jeremy’s sons. We’ve known each other for years,” he said.
When the two men got close enough to see that it was Daniel standing there, they lowered their guns and returned his smile. “Daniel Taylor, it’s been much too long since we’ve seen you. If you hadn’t been sending us so much work, we might think that the earthquake swallowed you up.”
“Jack, Bruce, it’s great to see you, but unfortunately this isn’t just a social visit. We ran into some weather yesterday, the Gratitude took a real beating,” Daniel said, wincing a little.
“What did you do to our boat Daniel?” Jack, clearly the older of the two men, asked.
“The mast is cracked and we’ve got a bad sail,” Daniel said. “She’s back at the marina, I know how much your dad hates it when people sail into the bay without asking.”
Bruce slapped him on the back. “That rule doesn’t apply to you,” He said, then noticed Amber. “Especially when you bring a beautiful woman with you. I’m Bruce.”
Amber blushed, she wasn’t used to being called beautiful and now it had happened twice in just a few days. “It’s nice to meet you, I’m Amber.”
Jack, not willing to let his brother get all the attention said, “I’m Jack.”
“Hi Jack,” Amber said, not sure if she liked being the center of attention.
“If you two are done introducing yourselves, I’d love to see your dad.” Daniel said, a scowl on his face, jealousy flaring in his chest, making the scowl deepen when he realized what he was feeling. Jack and Bruce exchanged a look then turned and started up the path into the woods.
As they followed the path into the forest, Amber occasionally got a glimpse of buildings through the trees, but never enough to tell what they might be. She assumed some were homes, but one building seemed odd to her, it stretched as far as she could see, but was quite narrow, like a warehouse cut in half. When the path opened up in what looked like the middle of a little village she was pleasantly surprised. All around her there was activity, people coming and going, smoke coming out of chimneys and the wonderful smell of food cooking.
They walked through the commotion to what looked like the biggest house in the village. It had a wrap around porch that looked so inviting Amber wanted to sit down in one of the rocking chairs right then. But they pushed through the big wooden doors instead and entered the big house. Once inside she was pleased to see that they had walked into a big room not unlike the one in her cottage, only this room was at least three times as big. Off to one side there was an open kitchen with a huge island that even had a deep sink in the center.
The fireplace at one end of the room was so big she could have stood up inside it, inside instead of a fire there was an arrangement of fresh pine boughs that gave off the fresh scent of the outdoors. The people filling the room were engaged in all kinds of activities, but what caught Amber’s attention was a woman by the window who was sitting in front of an easel painting. Daniel steerer her thought the people and over to an older man who was sitting in a chair by the fire, a sketch pad in his lap.
When they were only a few feet from him, he looked up and a huge smile broke out on his face. “Well, if it isn’t Daniel Taylor. It’s been way too long, boy. What’s kept you away?” the man asked, dropping his sketch book on the floor and getting to his feet.
He gave Daniel a hug, which he returned, then pounded him on the back. “Thanks to you and mother nature, we’ve got a new smoke house and Sarah got that new stove she’s been begging me for, although I’m sorry that all those people lost their lives,” he said, bowing his head for a moment.
“It’s been a difficult year, but we’re recovering,” Daniel said, then turned to Amber. “Jeremy, I’d like you to meet Amber McIntyre, she and I….” But before he could finish his sentence a woman came rushing over and hugged him.
“Daniel, you’re finally here. I was beginning to wonder if we’d ever see you again.” the woman said, then noticed Amber. “And who have you brought with you?”
“Sarah, this is Amber, she and I are on our way to Anchorage, but the boat got damaged by a storm, so here we are,” Daniel said, shooting a look at Jeremy.
“What did you do to that boat?” Jeremy demanded, narrowing his eyes at Daniel.
Daniel laughed. “Why does everyone think that I did something to the boat? Jack and Bruce asked me the same question,” he said, shaking his head. “Like father like son.”
“Are you avoiding answering my question?” Jeremy asked.
Daniel didn’t want to tell him that the storm had gotten the better of him because he’d been too busy watching Amber or that he forgot to check the mast because he’d been thinking about kissing her. But the old man looked from Amber to Daniel and figured it out for himself.
“Oh, I see. Well where’s the boat? Let’s go have a look at what you’ve done,” Jeremy said, grinning from ear to ear.
“It’s in the marina,” Daniel said, wondering what had suddenly made Jeremy stop asking questions.
“Then let’s go get it. I have the perfect piece of wood to make you a new mast, I’ve been saving it for the Gratitude for years,” Jeremy said, pushing Daniel towards the door, but then he stopped and retraced his steps. “Sarah, will you show Amber around? Looks like she and Daniel are going to be here with us for a few days. We’ll be back with the boat in an hour or so.” Then he kissed his wife on the cheek and headed for the door again, Daniel following in his wake.
Before they slipped out the front door, Daniel sent her an apologetic look. She smiled at him, then turned to listen to Sarah. “How would you like a tour of the Hollow, we’ve been here for about twenty-five years now and I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else.” Sarah was saying as he left.
Daniel followed Jeremy down the path to the beach, noticing how much things had changed since the last time he’d been there. Clearly the people of Jeremy’s Hollow were doing very well, but that didn’t surprise him. Jeremy had a way of attracting the right kind of people. As they got closer to the beach the trail opened up and Daniel noticed a building he hadn’t seen before, it wasn’t very big, but it looked like it could withstand just about anything.
He was just about to ask Jeremy about the strange building when he turned off the path and headed straight for it. When they got close to the door, Daniel was surprised to see a keypad next to the door. Jeremy put his fingers up to the scanner, then punched in a string of numbers and Daniel heard the lock on the door click open. Jeremy opened the door and stepped into the little building then gestured for Daniel to follow.
“I don’t know what you feel most comfortable with but I’m sure you’ll find something that suits you in one of those cases over on that wall,” Jeremey said, as if it was no big deal that he practically had an arsenal on his property.
“Jeremy, since when do you have this kind of firepower? I noticed the boys were carrying guns when they met us at the beach, but this is….” Daniel trialed off, not sure what else to say, worried that his old friend had gone a little loopy.
“Don’t look at me like that,” Jeremy said, pulling a shot gun out of a cabinet and handing it to Daniel. “Most of the time, they’re unloaded, just for show. But we’re going to the marina and well, we’ve had some trouble in town.”
“What kind of trouble?” Daniel asked, checking to make sure the shotgun was unloaded.
“A couple of brothers showed up a couple months ago, brought some unsavory characters with them, they’ve been causing some trouble in town.” Jeremy said, stuffing a handgun into his jeans like a character in a movie. “They limped in here on a boat that could barely float, how they made it across the gulf I’ll never know.”
“Why did they come here?” Daniel asked, most people didn’t even know that the little town existed, protected from the open ocean as it was.
“From what I hear, they’ve been bragging all over town that they’ve got a treasure map that's supposed to lead them to millions in gold. There was a lot of talk going around about it when they first got here, but then it all just kind of dried up as if who ever was doing the talking suddenly shut up. They’ve spent months scouring the land outside of town for some mine that’s supposed to be here.”
“There aren’t any mines around here,” Daniel said, wondering how anyone could be so stupid.
“Several people tried to tell them that, but they wouldn’t listen, said we were trying to hide the mine and the clue they needed. Now they’ve staked themselves out in the bar and show no signs of leaving, seems they’re waiting for the cousin or something to come and get them. That boat of theirs isn’t going anywhere and they’ve already racked up a huge bill with Bill down at the wrecking yard, last time he tried to collect, they threatened him.”
Daniel was silent as they made their way down to the beach, where there were three other men waiting for them. After a quick introduction, they piled into the dingy and were on their way. It sounded like Jeremy and the town had a real problem, but he wasn’t sure what he could do about it. If he’d had his racing crew with him, he’d have had no problem kicking them out of town himself, but alone there wasn’t much he could do.
“Can’t the sheriff do anything?” he asked, knowing what the answer was going to be.
“Not until they do something that’s against the law. So far, it’s all just been threats,” Jeremy said, shaking his head. “Eventually they’ll leave, but until then we’re just being extra cautious, carrying weapons and no one goes to town alone anymore.”
“I wish there was something I could do,” Daniel said, feeling helpless.
“I know son, but this one is just going to have to work itself out without you, but I’ll feel better when the Gratitude is safely in the cove where we can watch it,” Jeremy said, patting Daniel on the back. “Then we’ll get you and your little lady back on the water, might take a couple of days though.”