A Treasure Worth Keeping (14 page)

He’d assumed from comments Jacob had made that Evie acted like a mother hen when it came to her father, but now he wondered if there wasn’t another reason for it.

“Do you travel much when you aren’t teaching?”
Way to keep your distance, Cutter. Ask her about her life.

“No.” Evie slowed her pace as they neared the dock. “I read. Garden. That sort of thing. I put in so many hours at school that I’d rather stay home when I have the chance.” She paused and dug a half circle in the sand with the toe of her shoe. “What do you do in your free time? Besides boating?”

She was stalling. Sam suppressed a smile. “I do some rock climbing. Sailing. Fly fishing.” And he’d done every one of those things with Dan. Regret rocketed through him again. He’d lost sleep wondering how Dan would cope if he couldn’t enjoy his favorite activities, but until this moment, Sam hadn’t looked at it from his own perspective. Would
he
still enjoy them?

“Sam? Are you all right?”

When he glanced down at Evie, he wondered why she thought she’d needed to mix up a homemade bomb that day in the woods. The incredible blue eyes focused on him created enough of a distraction. She was five yards away from a dock that looked as if it had been built out of toothpicks, but the concern in her eyes was for
him.

“I’m great.” He lied through his teeth as he sealed up his emotions in a space marked by a sign similar to the one on Faith’s door. Do Not Disturb.

Faith waved to them from the deck of the
Natalie.
“Come on, you slowpokes.”

Sam hopped up on the dock and took three steps before he realized Evie wasn’t following him. She stared at the boat, her complexion a bit green. She already looked seasick.

“She’s tied up, Evie.”

“
She’s
still…bobbing.”

Sam chuckled. “Boats tend to do that. Especially on the water.” He retraced his steps, caught her hand and gave a gentle tug. She responded by digging her sensible shoes into the weathered wood and tugging back.

“I’m a coward,” she murmured. “Ask my sisters. I don’t like being on the water.”

“In that case, you’re good to go. You’ll be on the boat, not the water.” Still holding her hand, Sam urged her closer to the
Natalie.
He had to do something drastic to wipe the panicked look off her face. He remembered Evie’s tendency to get defensive about her purse, so he let it go and it hit the deck with a dull thud. “We already have an anchor, but thanks.”

“Very funny.” Evie snatched it up but he noticed with relief that some of her color had returned.

Sam leaped across the narrow space separating the boat from the dock and stretched out his hand. “Ready?”

“Come on, Evie. You’ll love it.” Faith joined in the cheering section.

Evie cast another longing look at the beach.

“Come on, Evie. Trust me. I’m an expert at catch and release.” Sam winked at her and Evie’s burst of laughter went straight to his heart.

“That I can believe.”

E
vie focused on Sam’s smoke-gray eyes instead of the enormous expanse of blue in the background. And jumped. True to his word, he steadied her and then promptly let her go. For a split second, disappointment outweighed her fear of the water.

“Faith, why don’t you bring up a pitcher of lemonade. All that castle building works up a thirst.”

“Sure.” Faith disappeared down the short flight of steps that led below deck, and Sam motioned to Evie. “Step into my office and tell me about the message.”

Evie perched in one of the captain’s chairs, not sure where to begin. “Dad asked me to share a verse from Matthew with Sophie. That was strange enough, because he could have done that himself. But the background the verse is printed on is a…map.”

“A map,” Sam repeated.

Evie didn’t take offense at Sam’s skeptical look. It
did
sound a little far-fetched. She had her own doubts until she’d studied it more closely. “On the map, there’s a ship just off the north end of a small island. It would make sense that the
Noble
would sail for the shelter of a bay if it got into trouble.”

“You don’t know if the ship depicted on the map is the
Noble.
Patrick could have pasted in that image from an old book or a pamphlet from a tourist center. It might not mean anything.”

“That’s why I
know
it means something. The map isn’t a copy—he drew it himself.” And the lines he’d drawn overlapped at the same point. On the tiny sketch of a ship.

“Even if Patrick has a general idea where the ship went down, don’t you think if it sank that close to one of the islands, someone would have discovered it by now? Professional and recreational divers have combed this area for years.” Sam scraped a hand through his hair in frustration. “And if by chance it is there and no one’s found it, it means we won’t, either. It’s too deep or a reef smashed it to pieces and there’s nothing left to find.”

“Maybe. But that must be why our dads wanted to meet with Bruce Mullins. To find out if it was worth taking a look. When Sophie and I were on our way to church this morning, she mentioned Dad had found some old diary entries from a sawyer who had worked at one of the logging camps. He didn’t have a chance to show them to her, but maybe Dad based the map on something he’d discovered written in them.”

“You told Sophie about the map?”

Evie frowned at the sudden undercurrent of tension she heard in his voice. “I called her from the café. I thought she’d want to know that whoever stole the records didn’t find the most important piece of the puzzle. She wasn’t there so I left a message on the answering machine. Why? What’s wrong?”

“I think—”

“I brought brownies, too,” Faith interrupted them cheerfully, carrying a tray with a pitcher of lemonade and three glasses.

Evie smiled at the girl, glad to see that in spite of the scare they’d had at Sophie’s house earlier that morning, she seemed to be fine. Or maybe Rocky had something to do with it. Faith and the puppy had become inseparable.

“Can I show her the rest of the boat now, Sam?” Faith asked hopefully.

“That’s up to Evie. She might not have time.”

A warm feeling trickled through Evie. Once again Sam was giving her an “out.”

He had to be aware of her reaction to the water. And a man whose list of hobbies revolved around it probably wouldn’t understand why she was afraid. She didn’t quite understand it herself. When Faith suggested a tour of the
Natalie,
Evie had braced herself for a teasing comment or look of amusement from Sam. She’d been shocked when she didn’t receive either one. In fact, the expression in his eyes when she’d agreed had stolen the breath from her lungs. It had almost looked like…respect? Affection?

Impossible.

Evie surged to her feet. At that moment, she would have jumped overboard and dog-paddled to Canada if it took her away from Sam’s unnerving presence. “I’ve got time. Let’s go.”

“This is where I sleep.” Faith clattered down the steps and moved to the side so Evie could peek into the tiny room, roughly the same dimensions as Caitlin’s walk-in closet! The decor was strictly functional. A narrow bunk covered with a navy spread. A pair of vintage maps in mismatched frames that hung crookedly above a corner desk.

Maps.
Fleetingly, she wondered if she’d convinced Sam that they might have the
Noble
’s location. She still didn’t know why his gaze had narrowed when she’d told him that she’d shared the information with Sophie. Maybe he thought she should have waited until they were sure so it wouldn’t raise Sophie’s hopes.

“What do you think?”

Faith’s question coaxed Evie back to the moment. “It’s cozy.” And cramped. But if Evie kept her gaze from drifting out the window, she could almost imagine she was in a studio apartment. Almost.

“That’s the desk Sam chains me to so I get my homework done,” Faith confided.

“I heard that!” Sam called down from the upper deck.

Faith grinned. “He has ears like a fox.”

“I heard that, too.”

Evie’s heart listed, and this time she couldn’t blame the waves. She found herself wishing she could take Faith up on her invitation to spend the rest of the day with them. But the thought of being out on Lake Superior in a boat like the
Natalie
turned her knees to jelly. She’d gotten seasick just watching the boat bump against the dock. Imagine how she’d feel if she actually…

The engine roared to life and Evie clutched the door frame. “What’s he doing?”

“Sam always checks everything before we go out,” Faith said blithely.

“Oh.” Evie felt foolish. Of course he did.

“Come on. I’ll show you the kitchen.” Faith raised her voice above the gargle and sputter of the engine. She led the way while Evie trailed behind, trying to concentrate on her young guide’s knowledgeable monologue about the boat.

The tiny kitchen charmed Evie. Even though there was barely enough room to turn around, it was outfitted with a sink, stove, refrigerator and a row of open-faced cabinets crowded with a mismatched set of dishes. Someone had added a whimsical touch by stenciling cherries and cherry blossoms along the ceiling, and the colorful rag rug on the floor repeated the bright yellows, greens and reds.

“Look.” Faith opened one of the cabinets and proudly pointed to an enormous jar of peanut butter. “Sam lets me do most of the cooking while we’re on board, but you can help me if you want to.”

“I’m not going to be here for…” The boat pitched to one side and Evie caught her breath. “Wow. For a minute there it felt like the boat was moving.”

Faith’s eyes widened. “It is.”

Sam heard Evie’s shriek above the sound of the engine.

Five, four, three, two…

Her feet thumped up the stairs and she appeared in front of him, hands planted on her hips. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“Taking you somewhere we can talk.” Sam turned the wheel slightly to the left as the
Natalie
chugged cheerfully away from the dock.

The color ebbed from Evie’s face, highlighting the constellation of freckles sprinkled across her nose.
All twelve of them.
“We can talk on land.”

“This is more private.”

“You
planned
this.”

“No.” Sam liked to think of it as taking advantage of the moment. The minute she’d told him she’d left Sophie a message telling her about the map, he knew he couldn’t let her go back to the house alone. And it conveniently solved his dilemma on how to keep tabs on her.

“You attract trouble like a magnet.” There. Something a science teacher would understand. “I promised your dad I’d look out for you. This is the only place I can do it.”

“Whoever wants the information on the
Noble
got what they were looking for. They’ll leave me alone now,” Evie argued, keeping her voice low so Faith wouldn’t hear them.

“Except for the map. Which you now have.”

Evie’s mouth opened and closed several times like a beached whitefish. “The only people who know about it are you and Sophie….” Her eyes darkened. “You can’t possibly think Sophie had something to do with this. You should have seen her expression when she saw the damage and realized all the records were gone.”

She was right. He hadn’t seen Sophie’s expression. But he’d seen Tyson’s.

Guilt had been written all over the guy’s face. Forget about innocent until proven guilty. When it came to Evie’s safety, Tyson was guilty until proven innocent. Sophie’s son or not, Sam didn’t trust him.

“Faith will be happy to have someone to bunk with.” Sam kept his eyes trained on the water so he wouldn’t cave in and take Evie back to shore. “Think of this as a field trip.”

“Bunk?” Evie gulped. “I’m not staying overnight on this…
leaky bucket.
You have to take me back.
Now.
”

“We should be able to put a call through to our dads sometime tomorrow. Until then, I’m afraid you’re stuck with me. And, just for the record, the
Natalie
doesn’t leak.”

“This is…
kidnapping.
” Her voice stretched thinly. “Sophie isn’t going to tell anyone about the map.”

He had to be honest with her. “Tyson might.”

“Tyson?” The flicker of doubt in her eyes told him that she didn’t trust the guy, either. “But he was upset when he saw the den and thought Sophie might have gotten hurt. He even arranged for her to stay with Pastor Wallis and his wife.”

“He looked like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar.” Sam’s lips flattened. “I had a little talk with one of the deputies this morning. He recognized Tyson right away. He’s been making the rounds at the local taverns lately and isn’t choosy about the company he keeps. If he’s out of a job and trying to support a drug habit, you can bet he’s snooped around his mother’s house. Maybe listened in on her conversations with your dad. He could have tipped off his so-called friends that Patrick had some interesting information about a sunken ship.”

“You think Tyson knows Seth Lansky?” Evie slumped back down into the captain’s chair and her purse slid to the deck. “Poor Sophie. When I saw the way Tyson reacted this morning, I hoped it meant he cared about her.”

“I think he does.” As cynical as Sam could be, the protective way Tyson had hovered around Sophie after the deputies left had seemed genuine. “Part two of my conspiracy theory? The break-in woke Tyson up to the fact that he’s in deep with the wrong crowd and that’s why he shuttled Sophie to her minister’s house for a few days. He wants to keep her out of the way.” Just like I’m keeping you out of the way.

As if she’d read his mind, panic flared in Evie’s eyes. “If you take me back, I promise I’ll check into a hotel.”

Sam thought about it. For two seconds. The only way he’d get a good night’s sleep was if he knew exactly where Evie was and who she was with. “Sorry.”

“I don’t have a change of clothes.”

“Faith always keeps extra on board. And I have a spare pair of sweats.” On cue, an image of Evie, looking adorably rumpled in his rolled-up sweatpants and T-shirt, downloaded into his brain. He shook it away.

“Beach Glass is open tomorrow—I can’t just walk away from my responsibility.”

“Neither can I.”

“I’m not your responsibility.” Evie folded her arms across her chest.

“Take that up with Patrick, okay? By this time tomorrow, we’ll know if you’re right about the map.” And he’d find out if he was right about Tyson and Seth Lansky. And ask the deputy to run a check on Lansky, something he kicked himself for not doing sooner.

“You can’t keep me—”

“You changed your mind about coming with us!” With what Sam considered to be an example of perfect timing, Faith rounded the corner and made a beeline to Evie.

And hugged her.

Evie’s eyes met Sam’s over Faith’s shoulder. The smug glint in those smoky depths made her want to push him overboard. Except then no one would be driving the boat. And she’d actually been gullible enough to believe that Sam respected her fear of the water when all along he’d planned to lure her out into the middle of Lake Superior!

Her mouth felt as dry and gritty as the sand on the beach and Evie had to loosen her death grip on the straps of her purse in order to return Faith’s impulsive hug.

For Faith’s sake, she had to pretend to be a willing captive.

Her gaze shifted from Sam to the passing scenery as the
Natalie
cut a choppy path through the waves, like a pair of dull scissors through satin. The waning afternoon sun coaxed out the deep golds and crimsons etched in the sandstone bluffs, and in the far distance, Evie saw the boxy silhouette of a barge against the horizon.

Hadn’t she wished she could be out on the water with Sam and Faith? Watching seagulls coast on the air currents over her head? Feeling the spray of the water against her face?

So not funny, Lord.

“Evie.” Sam’s husky voice sent shivers down her arms. “Come over here for a minute.”

Evie’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. “Why?”

“We’re going to make you an honorary sailor.”

Faith giggled and flopped down on the vinyl-covered bench that curved in a semicircle around the cabin. Evie shot her a look. “Are you an honorary sailor, too?”

“Yup.” Faith nodded vigorously.

Sam held out his hand, and Evie automatically grabbed it. He pulled her gently in front of him and curved her fingers over the steering wheel.

“Oh, no.” Evie took a step back and bumped into the solid wall of his chest. “Absolutely not.”

“You can do it. It’s not much different than driving a car.”

“Sure. Except for the treacherous underwater reefs.”

“Come on, Evie.” Faith’s eyes sparkled. “Sam’s right.”

“That’s one for the books,” he whispered.