The Lightkeeper's Woman by Mary Burton

Author:Mary Burton [Burton, Mary]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Romance, (¯`'•.¸//(*_*)\\¸.•'´¯)
ISBN: 9780373292936
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2003-12-31T13:00:00+00:00

Chapter Ten

Alanna didn’t care that her muscles ached and that she’d have traded her favorite pair of shoes to sleep in a warm bed. She simply wanted to put distance between her and Caleb.

She wasn’t angry with him anymore. She even believed that she had begun to make peace with the past. The problem now was her feelings. They were much like a flowering bulb that had just endured a long cold winter. The sun was out and dormant feelings were coming alive.

She moved into the kitchen. With everyone else asleep, the house was quiet. Toby, who’d been sleeping on his pallet by the stove, thumped his tail. “Hey, boy.”

Toby yawned and put his head back down.

Alanna started to clean the dishes the others had left on the table. Stacking the bowls, she placed them next to the sink. She pumped water from the pump by the back door. The water was brackish and discolored, but until the rain stopped and she could get fresh water from the barrels outside, it would have to do.

She scraped the bowls clean, dumping their contents into a garbage bowl. Hearing the spoon click against porcelain, Toby rose and moved slowly over to her. His tail was wagging.

Alanna lifted an eyebrow. “Oh and I suppose you’re looking for scraps?”

He barked.

She laughed and kneeling down, set the bowl full of food scraps down. The dog immediately shoved his muzzle in the bowl and started to eat. She stroked his back. He wagged his tail.

“I am going to miss you, boy.” She’d also miss the sharp fresh air, the beach and the sound of the crashing waves, which had lulled her to sleep the last couple of nights.

She’d also miss the sense of purpose she’d felt today. She was glad she’d been there for Caleb—to steady him when he’d nearly toppled into the water. She’d been glad she had the skills to cook a hot meal for the Randalls, the boys and Caleb.

Alanna rose and started to dunk the bowls into the cold water.

“I thought you’d be asleep.”

Debra Randall’s soft voice had Alanna turning. The other woman had changed into an oversize calico dress that Alanna recognized from the large trunk of castoffs. The dress’s drooping bodice accentuated Debra’s rounded belly. Her face was pale but her eyes bright.

Alanna offered a smile. “I could say the same about you.”

Debra, supporting her swollen stomach with her hand, took a seat at the kitchen table. “I know. Thomas is already sleeping heavily. But with the baby’s moving, I just couldn’t get comfortable.”

Fascinated, Alanna asked, “Does he move a lot?”

“A lot. I think he’s wearing shoes.”

“When is the baby due?”

“November.”

Sadness twisted inside Alanna. She thought about the baby she’d carried for only a couple of months. The babe would have been just over a year. It would have been crawling around. Likely it would have had Caleb’s black hair and maybe her green eyes.

Alanna’s throat tightened. “You must be very excited.”

Debra smoothed her hand over her belly as if cradling the babe inside.

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