The Magic in her Gift (9 page)

Mel smiled and reached for her hand.
“It takes a special kind of person to take such interest in
children. There’s no nobler calling than teaching our young. You
should be incredibly proud of your accomplishments.”

Sara felt her cheeks getting warm.
“Thanks, Mel. So, what do you do?”

“
I’m a carpenter by trade. I
do pretty much anything from working on houses to designing and
building furniture.”

“
Do you have family
somewhere? Where are you from?” Sara’s gaze focused on Mel’s blue
eyes. “Sorry! If I’m being too nosy, feel free to tell me to butt
out.”

Mel laughed. “You’re fine. I don’t have
any family anywhere. My parents passed away a long time ago and I
never had any brothers or sisters.” He took a sip of his coffee.
“I’m from a little place you probably never heard of,
Rysm.”

Sara felt a tingling along her spine as
her heartbeat accelerated. “Did you say, Rysm?”

“
Yeah, have you heard of
it?”

“
My grandmother’s partner
came from there. Maybe you knew him, Karl Barters?”

Mel’s hesitant smile suddenly turned
radiant. “Yes, I knew Karl quite well. We’re from the same
village.”

“
Do you know how I—” Sara
started, her head jerking around, her hand coming up to lie over
her heart at the sound of the satellite phone on the kitchen wall.
She gave Mel a sheepish grin. “Sorry, it’s the first time it’s rung
since I’ve been here. Excuse me for a minute.”

She walked over and picked up the
receiver. “Hello?”

“
Sara, can you hear me?”
Bart’s angry voice came through loud and clear.

“
Of course I can hear you,
you’re practically screaming. Is something wrong?”

A muffled curse followed by a deep sigh
drifted through the phone line. “I called Clinton Aames to see if
he’d received faxed copies of the papers I sent for you to sign. He
hadn’t, so he agreed to call and check with Elias Jacobs.” There
was a long pause. “You want to tell me why Mr. Jacobs would tell
him you’d refused to sign the papers?”

Sara winced and turned her back to Mel.
She cleared her throat, rubbing a hand along her neck. “Look, I’m
not really sure I want to sell the island and this isn’t really a
good time to talk about this, Bart. I’ve got company right
now.”

“
Company?” he shouted. “Just
who’s visiting you?”

“
Elias had to be away for a
few days on business and he arranged for a friend of his to stay in
the cottage near the dock while he’s away. He came by this morning
for some coffee.”

“
Well, excuse me for
interrupting your little tete-a-tete. It’s late here and I have to
be in court early tomorrow. We’ll discuss this when I call you back
tomorrow evening.”

Sara’s shoulders slumped as she heard
the resonate click indicating Bart had hung up on her. She slowly
replaced the receiver and glanced at the table, managing to give
Mel a small smile she didn’t feel. “That was my fiancé calling from
the states.”

“
It must be hard to be
separated from the one you love. You must miss him a great
deal.”

Sara thought about that statement. Her
cold hands clasped together as she forced a smile and gave a
hesitant nod. “Yes, it’s difficult being without someone you
love.”

Mel smiled and put his coffee cup in
the sink. “Elias told me you’re new to this area. I thought you
might be interested in taking a boat tour of the islands with me
today.”

Sara’s eyes closed briefly and then she
gave Mel a wide grin. “I can’t tell you how much I’d enjoy
that.”

He nodded. “Then let’s go.”

An hour later Sara stood next to Mel as
he expertly guided the small motor boat around the island. Palm
trees gently swaying in the breeze littered the horizon. She could
hear the loud cries of tropical birds, but had no luck spotting
them in the thick foliage.

“
Look over there.” Mel
pointed to an area out at sea. “Watch closely.”

Sara focused her gaze in the direction
he indicated and then gasped when a huge spray of water shot up
into the sky right before a dolphin soared into the air in a
graceful dive. “How come the water shot up before he jumped?” she
asked.

Mel grinned and winked. “It wasn’t the
dolphin that made the water shoot up.”

Sara frowned and looked closer. “Wow,”
she cried when a huge whale came lumbering to the
surface.

Mel laughed. “Yes, it’s a whale. We
also have sharks in these waters. For the most part, hammerhead and
tiger.” He nodded toward the dolphins they could still see playing.
As long as you see those fellows, you don’t have to worry much
about sharks. They’ll steer clear of each other for the most
part.”

Feeling light and happy, Sara shielded
her eyes from the sun and looked out over the other islands. The
sight of a fluffy, white mushroom-shaped cloud caused goose bumps
to break out all over her arms. “Mel,” she said in a shaky voice,
“what’s that?” Her hand trembled as she pointed toward the ominous
cloud.

“
Nothing to worry about,
Sara,” Mel chuckled. “It’s a volcano.”

“
A live volcano?” Sara could
hear the fear in her own voice.

“
You’re looking at Tinakula.
It’s in Temotu Province. It’s the eastern most island in these
waters.” He slowed the boat to nearly a crawl. “She’s live all
right. Clouds of steam and smoke are pretty constant. It forms
fresh clouds like that one daily.”

“
Is it
dangerous?”

“
It can erupt without
warning and sometimes lasts for days.” He put a comforting arm
around her shoulder. “You don’t have anything to worry about.
Anything it spews drops directly into the ocean.”

Sara trembled at the feel of his warm
skin across her back. “Um, are there any other volcanoes around
here?”

His arm lifted as he pointed toward
another small group of islands. “Over there are Savo and Simbo.
Both are what we call low scale. They spew streams of hot water and
steam.” He put his hands back on the wheel. “You can hike up to
them if you want. There are lots of hot mud pools around them.
Don’t sophisticated women like you pay big money for mud
baths?”

“
Sophisticated,” Sara
sputtered. “If sophisticated means wallowing in a mud bath, then
I’m happy being a plain, old country girl.”

“
I don’t think I’d ever call
you plain, Sara.”

The heat in Mel’s eyes made
Sara’s nipples tighten painfully.
I need
to get a grip on myself. I’ve never felt desire like this except in
my dreams.
“Um, Elias said there were
opportunities for scuba diving here.”

“
There are.” Mel frowned.
“But I don’t recommend it.”

“
Why not?” she
asked.

“
Too many World War II ships
sank in this area. You’re right smack in the middle of what
historians say was the bloodiest and longest campaign of the war.
There were over thirty-eight thousand lives lost here.”

Sara gasped. “Thirty-eight
thousand?”

“
Hard to imagine, isn’t it?”
He nodded toward the open sea. “There are still sunken barges,
tractors and jeeps with unexploded munitions out there. Whites
Beach used to be a military base. Hundreds of ships and aircraft
literally litter the ocean floor in the area.” He gave Sara a
melancholy look. “It’s much too dangerous for a novice
diver.”

Sara sensed a sadness in him that she
couldn’t define. “Is there something wrong, Mel?”

He took a deep breath and looked away.
“My parents were killed during a war. They were my only family. I
don’t have any aunts or uncles.” He gave her a tiny smile and
winked seductively. “Now it’s up to me to carry on the family
name.”

Sara’s breath caught as she
felt moisture gather between her thighs.
Oh my, God. I need to get away before I do something I’ll
regret.
“Mel, I’m not feeling well. Do you
think we could head back to the island now?”

Mel moved closer and put his arm around
her shoulder. “Sure, we can head back. Are you okay,
Sara?”

She took a step back and let out the
breath she’d been holding when his arm fell away. “Yeah, I think
I’m just tired from the long trip out here. I didn’t sleep well the
last two nights so I guess I just need some time alone to rest.”
Sara turned away from the hurt look that came into his
eyes.

“
Sure, Sara. I’ll have us
back in no time.” An hour and a half later, he helped her out of
the boat. “You want me to walk you to the house?”

Sara sighed and gave him a smile.
“That’s okay, I can make it alone.” She hesitated for a moment.
“Why don’t you come by for breakfast in the morning?”

“
Are you sure? I don’t want
to wear-out my welcome.”

Sara grinned. “I’m positive. I love
cooking and it’s not much fun for one. Maybe we could take a hike
around the island or something.”

Mel’s face morphed into a huge smile.
“What time do you want me?”

What time do I want you?
How about right now?
“How about around nine
o’clock?”

“
Sounds great to
me.”

“
Then I’ll see you in the
morning.” She turned to walk away.

“
Have a good evening, Sara.
If you need anything all you have to do is ring the cottage line
and I’ll be right up.”

Deciding it was better not to answer,
Sara waved her hand over her shoulder as she hurried away. Back at
the house, she replayed the moment his arm touched her shoulders
over and over in her thoughts. She chewed frantically on her lower
lip as her fists clenched on the table in front of her. She glanced
over at the phone and made an impulsive decision. Quickly, before
she could change her mind, she dialed Bart’s cell
number.

“
You’ve reached Bart Everett
III. I’m unable to take your call at present. Please leave your
name, phone number and a brief message and I will return your call
as soon as possible.”

Sara listened to the impersonal message
and waited for the sound of the beep. “I’m sorry, Bart.” She
hesitated for just a moment. “I didn’t mean to anger you earlier. I
hope you’ll call me back soon.” She hung up, feeling tightness in
her chest.

Glancing around, she spotted the wine
rack and smiled. Taking her time, she finally decided on a bottle
of Petite Sirah. It took her several minutes of searching the
kitchen drawers before she unearthed a corkscrew and several more
before she finally pulled the stubborn cork from the bottle. She
inhaled the fragrant, red wine deeply before pouring herself a
generous glass full. She grinned. “A pleasant, full-bodied wine
with a particularly pungent bouquet.” She mimicked the tone she’d
often heard Bart use in the restaurants they frequented. Then, in
defiance of everything he’d tried to teach her about wine, she
tossed several ice cubes into the glass.

“
Sorry, Bart, but I hate
warm wine.” She giggled and carried her wine to the study. It was
her favorite room of the house because of the fireplace. It was too
warm for a fire, but that didn’t stop her from curling up in the
wide, upholstered chair that faced the empty hearth. Her thoughts
centered on her coming wedding.

Am I really going to spend
the rest of my life with Bart?
It would be
hard to argue against the facts of Sara’s life. She could say no to
marrying Bart, but then she’d be completely alone. No other men
lined up at her door for a chance at dating her. Marrying Bart
could give her the one thing she wanted more than anything else in
the world.
I want a family. My own little
daughter or son to love and have them love me.

Feeling chilled for some reason, Sara
pulled the throw off the back of the chair over her legs and
settled down into the soft cushions. She fell asleep gazing into
the empty fireplace, imagining her babies crawling on the carpet at
her feet.

Sara slowly awoke to the
feel of someone nibbling on her ears.

“
You smell good, Sarafina,”
Meloir whispered.

She looked up into his
shining eyes as he touched her hair lightly as if it fascinated
him. “How did you get in here?”

“
Shhh,” he whispered as he
nuzzled closer, inhaling the feminine aroma of her skin. “Let me
touch you, please. I want to feel your silky
smoothness.”

Sara licked her lips and
tilted her head to the side to give him better access.

Suddenly, he crushed her to
his chest, pressing his hardness against her stomach. “Touch me,”
he whispered harshly.

She reached down and cupped
him intimately, his full length gripped in the palm of her hand.
His fingers threaded through her hair as he tilted her mouth up to
his for a kiss. He nipped and licked at her mouth until she opened
for his invasion. Gently, he licked across her bottom lip and then
took it between his teeth. He captured her mouth in a hot kiss, his
tongue swirling against hers as he became more
aggressive.

She quickly warmed to his
probing tongue, her own flicking over his bottom lip. A sigh of
impatience slipped out when he left her lips and nibbled kisses
along her jaw, down into the crease of her neck. She leaned close
and licked and kissed her way along the corded muscles of his neck,
leaving a wet trail along his skin.