The Measure of a Lady by Deeanne Gist

Author:Deeanne Gist [Gist, Deeanne]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Baker Publishing Group
Published: 0100-12-31T22:00:00+00:00

chapter 14

On a typical morning, the fog would crash over the mountaintops like a tidal wave and pour down the sides of the slopes before spreading across the top of the sea and town, obliterating everything in sight. This morning, though, the fog was conspicuously absent, giving way to glistening sunshine sparkling so brightly atop the blue water that it hurt Rachel’s eyes to look at it. But then, her eyes had been hurting for a while, as she had spent the whole night long mourning over Lissa.

She shoved those thoughts aside, determined to take solace in the feel of her horse and the scenic beauty of the California territory.

Bit by bit they left behind the hilly tip of the peninsula holding boisterous, frenetic San Francisco along with its bay of deserted windjammers bobbing in the tide. Gradually the horses made their way onto a coastline with a succession of heavily-wooded ridges on one side and a shimmering sea on the other.

No visible signs of human habitation presented themselves, but the shoreline was busy with activity. Wild geese flying high in a V, pelicans cruising just above the water’s surface, wings flapping—one flying this way, one that, each with an urgent destination in mind. Waves slapped against the sand; wind whistled loudly past her ears.

Evidence of dying fish along with barnacles on rotted wood reached her nose. Sweet Lips jerked her chin up, and Rachel acquiesced, allowing for a little more freedom in the length of the reins.

She surveyed the seascape, but the view was illusive, making it difficult to tell the islands from the mustard-colored mountain ranges, so smoothly did they blend together. The water surrounding them changed from olive to green to blue depending upon its depth.

A loud honking quickly pulled her attention up the shoreline, but she could spot no boat. The sound swelled into a chorus of not barks exactly, but more like extraordinarily loud consecutive belches, each on top of the other.

She frowned. Johnnie pointed. Following the direction of his finger, she spotted a group of rocks up ahead that swayed like wheat. Squinting, she gently tugged on her right rein, leading Sweet Lips to the water’s edge.

In a few moments, she could see they were not rocks at all. Her eyes widened.

‘‘Sea lions,’’ Johnnie said.

She resisted the urge to trot, not wanting to frighten the huge almost black animals jumping, swimming and, well, playing amongst a group of boulders several yards into the sea. And, my, but they were noisy. Just like true Californians.

Sweet Lips whinnied.

‘‘Shhhh. It’s all right, girl.’’ She moved the horse back up onto shore, reined her in, and slid from the saddle. In a moment, Johnnie stood beside her.

She gasped and pointed. ‘‘Look. A baby one.’’

‘‘Yes. They give birth to the pups in June and July. Pretty big for a newborn, huh?’’

She handed him her reins and walked closer. He followed, pulling the horses behind him. Several mothers and pups lounged against the rocks soaking up the sweet heat of the sun’s rays.

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