Ashley shrieked and hurried for the beach.
“That’ll teach you to make fun of me!” Kiefer called, as she walked up the sand toward their chairs.
* * *
Kiefer saw the grin spread across Ashley’s face when he joined her. This time she had taken a chair next to his.
“Feeling better?” she cooed.
He put the float down and dropped into his chair. “Yes, no thanks to you.”
The view of her backside as she’d walked up the beach hadn’t eased his pain. His feelings were too sharp and intense for his peace of mind. What he had worked so hard to prevent had happened. He cared about Ashley.
They had been drying off in the sun for a few minutes when she asked, “Can we walk over and see the lighthouse?”
“Sure, why not.”
Ashley pulled on her T-shirt and shorts over her bathing suit. Kiefer didn’t bother with a shirt. They both slipped their feet into flip-flops. Hand in hand they walked toward the tall brick tower painted black with a white band three-quarters of the way up.
“I’ve always loved lighthouses.” She sighed. “There’s something romantic about them.”
Kiefer stopped and looked at her. “And the surprises keep coming. First romance movies. Now lighthouses. What could be next?”
“I’ll give you a real shock. I read romance novels.”
His mouth gapped in exaggerated shock. “Are you learning anything in those books I could benefit from?”
She swatted his arm. “Maybe.”
“I look forward to finding out.”
They walked along the road a distance across a grassy area to the white picket fence entrance then toward the red-roofed house that was attached to the light tower. Beside it was a large white event tent. White netting had been tied in bows on the chairs and netting draped to create an altar.
“Look.” She smiled broadly. “They’re getting ready for a wedding. This is a beautiful place for one.”
“Every woman likes a wedding,” he said, more to himself than her. His ex had. That apparently was the only thing she’d liked about being married to him. Except for the best man. Neither weddings nor marriage interested him but he had no doubt they did Ashley. It was a gulf he wasn’t sure they could cross.
“And how like a man to be cynical about them.”
“I have good reason.”
They walked around the outside of the lighthouse. “I’ve always wondered what it would be like to live in a house like this, with the water surrounding you. Listening to the rush of the waves during a storm and knowing that the light above was the difference between a sailor’s life or death.”
“You really are a romantic. I’ve always wondered how the light-keeper walked all those steps every day.”
Ashley laughed. “We do see things from two different perspectives.”
He pulled her close for a quick hug. “Yeah, but we see eye to eye on a few things.”
They spent an hour looking through the museum and talking about the life of a caretaker.
“Well, are you ready for it?” Kiefer asked.
“For what?”
“To climb to the top.” He opened the door to the spiral staircase.
“If you can, I can.” Ashley gave him a determined look. He admired how she approached everything with a can-do spirit.
“Okay, but don’t overwork that arm just to try to outdo me.”
“Eat my dust.” Ashley took the lead and she started up the stairs.
They climbed and circled, stopping a couple of times to catch their breath before they stepped into the lamp room.
“Oh, my, you can see forever,” Ashley said in wonder.
“You’ve never been up here?”
“No, our family didn’t journey far. With the business to run, there wasn’t much time to do anything else.”
Kiefer contemplated how very different their family lives had been. “And you’ve not been out here since leaving home?”
She continued to stare out at the ocean. “You know how it is. We don’t visit the places closest to us.” With a sigh she turned away from the view. “They sure have done a great job of preserving this place. I wish someone with money would take a real interest in Southriver.”
“Always a crusader.”
“What’s wrong with wanting to make things better?”
Kiefer opened the door to the catwalk and she preceded him. “Nothing, unless it consumes your life until you don’t have time for anything else.”
Ashley turned to look at him. “I’m taking time today.”
“Yeah, but when was the last time you did?”
She stood thinking.
“Exactly.”
“I’m doing something important,” Ashley threw over her shoulder as they walked around the top of the tower.
“Agreed. But what’re your plans once you get Southriver into shape?”
“I don’t know. There’s always another area of the city that can be improved. Who knows, I might run for senator and work on the state.”
There was what he’d been expecting. It wasn’t all about Southriver. She was thinking of her future as well. “So you never plan to get married or have children?”
She gave him a speculative look, brows raised. “Why? You asking?”
“That was a general question, not one in particular. I’ve gone down the marriage route and it didn’t work out.”
“So you’re done with it?”
They started down the stairs. “Apparently I’m not any good at it.”
“Maybe you didn’t have the right partner,” Ashley offered.
Ahead of her, Kiefer muttered, “Learning to trust again is a tough thing to do.” Something he wasn’t sure he could ever do again.
She nodded, understanding more than anyone.
“Yes, it is.”
* * *
Two afternoons later Ashley was at home when her cell phone rang. She was surprised to see on the ID that it was Kiefer, who she’d seen downstairs only a half an hour earlier. Why would he be calling? He could just come up.
“Hey, what’s up?” she answered.
“I thought you might like to know that your mother is here.”
“What’s happened?” Panic filled her.
Kiefer said in a calm voice, “She had a small kitchen accident. She’ll be fine.”
“I’ll be right down.”
As Ashley came out of the stairwell she saw Margaret in the hall. She pointed to an exam room and Ashley headed that way. Giving the door a quick knock, she entered the room. Her mother was sitting on the exam table with Kiefer on a stool beside it, holding her hand.
Ashley rushed to them. “Mother, what have you done?”
Her mother’s eyes held pain. “I was pouring boiling pasta water into the colander and spilled it on my hand. Stupid mistake. And painful.”
Ashley studied the angry red skin over the top of her mother’s hand that Kiefer held.
“I’m going to need to clean and bandage this. If you don’t take care of it you’ll be vulnerable to infection,” Kiefer said as he pushed the stool back and stood. “I’ll be right back.”
“Mom, where is Dad?”
“At the store.”
“You drove yourself here? You should have called me.” Ashley pulled the chair out of the corner.
“Like you called us when you were shot?” Her mother’s voice was accusing yet laced with concern.
“I was fine. I didn’t want you to worry. I was in good hands. Kiefer was right there to take care of me.”
“And he lied to us.”
“Please don’t blame him. I asked him not to say anything. Made him promise—and he’s a doctor, so it’s patient confidentiality. I know I should have told you but I couldn’t believe it at first.”
“Ashley, we’re your parents. We’re going to worry. And we deserved to know, not hear it from someone who came into the store.”
Ashley hadn’t thought about that happening. She’d been so caught up in her own inability to accept that someone would do such a thing.