Honor Redeemed by Christine Johnson

Author:Christine Johnson
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: FIC042030;FIC042040;FIC027050;Mate selection—Fiction;Man-woman relationships—Fiction;Love stories;Historical fiction;Christian fiction
ISBN: 9781441246202
Publisher: Baker Publishing Group
Published: 2016-04-28T04:00:00+00:00

Clayton basked in the satisfaction that Prosperity had not only left her unfaithful fiancé but that she had accepted his own offer to show her the flora on the same garden path. At first her attention drifted, but once the lieutenant left the garden, she listened to his description of each plant and tree with great interest.

“What is poisonwood?” she asked when he commented on the use of gumbo-limbo bark to counter its rash.

“A tree that is very similar to your poison sumac. Every part is poisonous to the touch, but rest assured that there are none in town.” He noted with pleasure the lightness of her touch on his elbow. “They may be found in the wild parts of the island and on the other Keys.”

“Then I shall not go there.”

He smiled at her practical if overly cautious solution. “I could show you how to discern them should you ever find yourself exploring the wilderness.”

She laughed then, her light hazel eyes sparkling in the sun. “You need have no fear of that. I prefer the town.”

“Not a quiet shore?”

The idea must have tantalized her, for she hesitated. “Would you show me that quiet shore?”

His pulse beat faster than it had in many years. “Of course. We shall plan a picnic and make a day of it.”

She nibbled her lower lip, a sure sign something had vexed her. “But would it . . . that is, I wouldn’t want to feed the gossips.”

“We shall invite a group of friends. Perhaps the O’Malleys and the Cunninghams.”

Naming her friends and acquaintances wiped away the concern. “Then do plan this picnic.”

“Perhaps Captain O’Malley might take us to a neighboring Key,” he mused, “such as the Marquesas. The Dry Tortugas would be too far.”

“Tortugas?”

“Named for the turtles that nest there. Dry because there is no source of water other than rain. If not for the building of Fort Jefferson and the lighthouse, no one would live there.”

She puzzled over that a moment. “If there is no water, then how can anyone survive?”

“Cisterns, my dear, the same as they have here. Have you not noticed how rainwater is collected and funneled off roofs into deep cisterns?”

“Broken cisterns,” she mused.

“I would hope not.”

She smiled softly. “That is from the book of Jeremiah.”

“Ah.” He looked away, uncomfortable with her mention of the Bible. He had not opened one since his wife’s passing. He could not believe in a God that let the good and the innocent die. Science gave solid answers. Science would succeed where religion failed. “I am not familiar with that passage.”

She gasped. For a moment he thought his response had distressed her, but then he noticed that her attention had flitted to the street.

“I wonder where he is going in such a hurry.”

Clayton spotted the lieutenant. Annoyance floated to the surface. Would she never give up this fruitless pursuit of a man who did not deserve her? “Doubtless duty calls.”

His dismissal did not appear to ease her concern. First a frown settled. Then she slipped her hand from his arm.

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