A Treasure Worth Keeping (15 page)

Faith wrinkled her nose at her uncle. “I’m going to check on Rocky. I’ll be right back.”

“She’s going to put on a life jacket, isn’t she?”

Evie felt Sam’s low rumble of laughter down to her toes. “This should be a piece of cake for a woman who can put together a bomb in a wayside restroom.”

“It was a
distraction.
”

The movement of the boat had nothing to do with the nervous flutter in Evie’s stomach. If she moved a fraction of an inch in any direction, she and Sam would be touching. She swallowed hard, aware of the corded muscles in the forearms braced on either side of her. And the warm strength of his fingers as they moved to cover hers.

She relaxed her grip and watched the blood rush back into her knuckles. She lifted her chin and felt the breeze cup her face and playfully ruffle her hair.

Okay, Lord, maybe this isn’t so bad. After all, You created the land and the water and declared both of them good, right?

“It’s different, isn’t it?” Sam murmured. “To feel the movement of the waves instead of watching them from land. It gives you a whole new perspective.”

Evie closed her eyes briefly. He’d not only read her mind, he’d just come close to describing her entire life. And lately she’d started to realize there was a difference between planning every moment of the day and actually living them.

“Hey.” The tug of Sam’s voice opened her eyes. Evie twisted slightly and looked up him, catching a glimpse of the half smile that tilted the corner of his lips. “Don’t hit the island, okay? Rule number one—drive the boat with your eyes
open.
”

“I’ll remember that.
Captain.
” Evie raised two fingers to her forehead in a mischievous salute.

Sam’s eyebrow arched. “Does this mean I’m absolved of all kidnapping charges?”

She tilted her head. “Maybe. But you have to promise me smooth sailing. And a blindfold wouldn’t be a bad idea, either.”

The breeze caught a few strands of her hair and blew it into her eyes. Before she could move, Sam reached out and tucked them behind her ear. He was so close she could see where the pewter-gray centers of his eyes deepened to charcoal.

Sunspots danced in front of Evie’s eyes, and she felt curiously lightheaded. Probably the heat. Where was her straw hat when she needed it?

Sam shifted his gaze to a point somewhere in the distance. “I talked to Rachel before Faith and I left this afternoon.”

“H
ow is Dan?” The fragile thread connecting them gave Evie the courage to ask the question.

“It’s not Dan.” Sam’s exhale stirred her hair. “There’s been no change with him. It’s Rachel…”

Evie held her breath and waited.

“You have to know Rachel. She’s very emotional. Dan is easygoing but in their relationship, he’s the strong one. I was afraid Rachel would fall apart when Dan got hurt, but she tried to keep it together for Faith. By the time the hospital moved him to the rehab facility, the stress was getting to her.”

“I felt like Dad and I not only bailed on Dan, we bailed on her, too,” Sam admitted. “Dan’s doctor and the social worker…they didn’t come right out and say it, but we were hurting Dan’s recovery. He’s bitter and angry and doesn’t want to see me…
us.
”

The edge of pain in Sam’s voice sawed through Evie’s defenses. She couldn’t imagine how she’d react if one of her sisters turned her back on the rest of the family and refused to let them help her.

“I check in with Rachel at least once a day. The first few times I talked to her, she couldn’t make it through the conversation without crying.”

“She’s depressed?”

“I was beginning to think so. I even told her the last time we talked that I’d bring Faith back as soon as Dad got home, but today when I talked to her, she sounded…different. Better. She even made a joke about losing weight on the ‘cafeteria diet.’ I figured her good mood meant Dan was coming around, but when I asked if there was a change, she said no. I can’t figure it out.”

“Maybe she’s decided she has to face whatever happens head-on.”

Sam shook his head. “You don’t know Rachel. She’s not that strong. She has to hold on to someone. I think that’s one of the reasons Dan is depressed. He knows how much Rachel depends on him. Now that we’re not there, a friend of hers from work has been spending time at the hospital with her. Rachel mentioned she went to church with her this morning.”

Evie thought about all the prayers being said on behalf of the Cutter family, and something stirred inside her.

Sam struggled with guilt for leaving Rachel and Dan alone but maybe he
hadn’t.
Maybe God had intervened and cleared a work space at the rehab facility. And he’d started with Rachel.

God, You are so incredible.

“Maybe the change isn’t in Dan,” she offered tentatively, not sure how Sam would respond to her theory. “Maybe it’s in
her.
”

“What do you mean?” Sam frowned and adjusted the steering wheel.

“Maybe Rachel let God take over,” Evie said simply.

“God?” Sam repeated.

“When you give God control of your life—and your heart—you don’t have to muster up strength to make it through the day. He
is
your strength.”

Sam stared at her, speechless.

It had to be a coincidence. Sam had taken Evie’s advice and thumbed through the book of Psalms when he’d found it lying on Faith’s bunk that morning. He had no idea where to start, so he’d randomly picked one out and started reading.

I love you, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge…

Sam hadn’t expected the verses to lodge in his brain. Or brand his soul. He’d read the entire passage and remembered thinking that if God was everything a man named David believed Him to be, no wonder he’d loved Him. No wonder he’d turned to Him for help.

No wonder he’d trusted Him.

“So I should just let God take over? Not
do
anything?”

“Yes, you should let God take over. And no, I never said you don’t have to
do
anything. The things we’re responsible for—trusting, loving, believing—they’re all acts of will. And they don’t just happen once. We have to keep choosing them. Sometimes day by day. Sometimes second by second. Sometimes breath by breath.”

Did he believe her? Evie wished Sam could see her in the classroom, confident and secure with her students, instead of worrying about Patrick and shaking like a leaf after her run-in with Seth Lansky. If she had half of Caitlin’s fearlessness and Meghan’s moxie, she knew she’d be a better example of someone who wholeheartedly trusted God.

“Hey, Evie!” Faith’s muffled voice floated to the top deck. “Can you read through an essay I finished?”

“I’ll be right down.”

The corner of Sam’s lips tipped. “Thanks, Evie.”

Evie nodded mutely as she ducked under his arm and went below deck.

Had he thanked her for helping Faith? Or for something else?

“Do you want to help me make supper?” Faith closed her folder and with a twist of her wrist sent it hurtling toward the desk in the corner.

“I’d love to.” Evie followed Faith into the kitchen to survey the well-stocked pantry. “Macaroni and cheese? Or ham sandwiches?”

One of the times she’d gone camping as a child stirred in Evie’s memory. “Have you ever made shipwreck dinner?” she asked, trying not to wince as she said the name. Maybe they could come up with a new one. Like “safe-on-land dinner.”

Faith made a face. “It’s not raw fish, is it?”

Evie laughed. “I’ll have you know that some people pay a lot of money for raw fish. But no, this has nothing to do with fish. We’ll need hamburger, onions, carrots and potatoes. And foil.”

“Okay. I think we’ve got all that.” Faith gathered the ingredients while Evie kept one ear tuned to the sound of Sam’s footsteps on the deck above them. As if by unspoken agreement, they’d given each other some space.

“Are you two ready to go ashore?” Sam called down.

Evie’s heart bottomed out. “He’s kidding, isn’t he?”

“Sometimes we anchor and take the little boat into shore for a few hours.”

“The
little
boat?”

“It’s fun.”

“If you say so.”

Faith grinned. “I’ll get you a life jacket.”

“I look like a cross between the Michelin man and Santa Claus,” Evie said, striking a pose in the bulky vest.

Faith giggled. “I think that one is Grandpa’s.”

“It is.” Sam came up behind them. “Let me see what I can do to make it fit better.” He yanked on the belt and cinched it tighter around her middle. “Can you breathe?”

No. Not with you so close.
“Yes.”

“Good.” Sam tugged on Faith’s jacket and adjusted one of the shoulder straps. “The boat’s ready.”

Evie peered over the side of the
Natalie
and gulped. The dinghy secured to a line off the
Natalie
’s bow was the size of a bathtub. And the peaceful cove looked
very
far away.

“Faith, you get in first and I’ll hand Rocky to you,” Sam directed. “Make sure you hold on to him.”

“I will.” Faith practically skipped down the ladder and reached out to take the puppy.

Evie, not wanting to deal with the raft until absolutely necessary, focused on their destination instead. The cove was a smooth notch carved from the rugged shoreline, its backdrop a canvas of sandstone stained by the iron-rich water that trickled down its surface.

Her gaze traced the curve of the shoreline to the narrow finger of land that pointed to one of the smaller islands. Farther down, Cooper’s Landing sprawled at the edge of a stretch of golden sand.

“Evie? Ready?” Sam’s husky voice momentarily distracted her.

“Not even close,” Evie muttered.

Sam didn’t try to take her hand as she turned her back toward the water, grabbed the rails and settled one foot on the top rung of the ladder.

He smiled down at her. “Don’t worry. If you fall in, you’ll float.”

“That’s so comforting.” Evie’s foot found the next rung. “You should be writing the inside copy of greeting cards.”

Sam laughed outright, almost causing Evie to lose her balance. He didn’t laugh very often, and this one swept away the shadows that lingered in his eyes, arrowing straight to her heart. “I’ll keep that in mind if I ever lose my job.”

Evie inched the rest of the way down the ladder, and Faith shifted to make room for her.

The word
sardines
came to Evie’s mind as she wriggled into place and watched as Sam practically swung from the deck of the
Natalie
into the boat.

Show-off.

He unhooked the line and Evie linked her arm through Faith’s.

“Everyone okay?” Sam asked over the gurgle of the motor.

“Yup,” Faith sang out.

Evie was relieved Faith answered the question.

Within minutes, they left the
Natalie
behind and were skipping over the waves toward shore.

“Look! There’s another boat.” Faith pointed out a boat close in size to the
Natalie,
but the similarity ended there. Its chrome accents gleamed like the edge of a new razor while the sleek lines and onyx finish put it into a completely different league.

Sam’s eyes narrowed. “I see it.”

He turned the boat to the left and nudged the throttle up another notch. The dinghy agreeably picked up speed.

Evie kept her eyes trained on the speedboat. Was it her imagination or had it changed direction, too? And instead of taking a wide berth around them, it set a course that would put them directly in its path.

“Don’t they see us?” Faith asked worriedly.

“I’m sure they do.” The grim look on Sam’s face belied his reassuring words.

Evie cast a panicked look toward the cove and then at the boat rapidly closing the distance between them. Three-foot waves sloughed off her sides, gliding smoothly toward them like the dorsal fins of a school of sharks.

Sam shot a look at Evie. “Hang on tight. It’s going to get bumpy.”

Evie sucked in a breath and nodded. She could see people on the deck, but instead of witnessing a frantic effort to give them some space, the crew had lined up at the rail to watch.

To watch what? Their boat capsize?

Faith made a frightened sound and burrowed against Evie’s shoulder as a wave slapped the side of the boat and tipped it. Before the boat had a chance to recover, a larger wave slammed against it. Cold water poured over the side and filled the bottom of the boat.

Evie closed her eyes and began to pray.

She prayed as she ground her feet against the floor of the dinghy and held tightly to Faith. She felt Sam’s fingers grip her knee in an effort to keep her from pitching over the side.

Evie didn’t open her eyes until the motor quit, and then she wished she hadn’t. The sight off the bow squeezed the air out of her lungs. Instead of cruising past them, the black speedboat had cut its engine, too, positioning itself like a guard dog between their tiny boat and the shore.

It was close enough for Evie to read the name
Fury
scrawled across the bow, the red letters painted to resemble flames.

Sam half rose to his feet. “Are you insane?” he shouted at the man who came up to the railing and raised one hand in a casual salute.

“I like to think of it as
committed.
” Seth Lansky grinned at Evie. “I thought it would be rude not to stop and say hello.”

Sam wanted to keelhaul Lansky. Not for almost capsizing them but for the leering smile he aimed at Evie.

He moved to shield her from Lansky’s view.

Seth looked offended. “What’s the matter, Cutter? We’re just being neighborly.”

“By trying to drown us?” Sam called back irritably.

Seth shrugged. “Sorry. I guess I got a little close.”

He was
still
a little too close, but Sam didn’t bother to mention that. The waves had settled down into a gentle rocking motion, but they were still in a precarious position. Sam had no idea what Lansky was going to do next. His jovial greeting hadn’t fooled Sam for a second. The guy was certifiable and, at the moment, they were sitting ducks.

“It’s late in the day to be going out for a pleasure cruise,” Seth mused.

“There’s plenty of daylight left.”

“We’re doing some fishing this afternoon,” Seth went on pleasantly.

“Good luck with that.” Sam decided to dispense with the small talk and kept a wary eye on the
Fury
as he reached down and started the motor. It sounded like a Chihuahua growling at a Doberman, but Seth nodded to the man at the wheel.

The
Fury
’s engine roared to life, and Lansky strolled down the length of the rail, which gave him a bead on Evie again. “Miss McBride? Tell Patrick hello from me. And be sure to mention I’ll see him around.”

The
Fury
surged away, kicking up another row of waves large enough to swamp them. The little boat valiantly battled its way through them, but even when the water calmed, Sam’s heart still hammered against his chest.

He didn’t have to wonder anymore if he’d overreacted by keeping Evie close. If Seth had stolen Sophie’s collection of records about the
Noble,
it meant he was getting desperate to find the location of the ship. And if Sam had to take a wild guess as to what that desperation stemmed from, he’d bet it had something to do with Seth’s fear he wouldn’t get to it first.

“Why did they do that?” Faith scrambled toward him and Sam caught her against his chest. “And why was Tyson with them?”

“You saw Tyson?” Sam looked at her intently. “Are you sure?”

“I saw him looking out the porthole at us.” Faith twisted around. “Didn’t you see him, Evie?”

Evie shook her head, but the weary resignation in her eyes told Sam that she believed Faith had.

Sam’s stomach knotted. Seth and Tyson. Teamed up and getting antsy. And how was he supposed to tell Sophie that her son had been involved in the break-in at her home?

“Shouldn’t we go back to the
Natalie?
” Evie asked quietly. “All our supplies are soaked.”