Read Online Wings of the Morning (Kensington Chronicles) by Lori Wick - Free Book Online

IVe decided that I will
    make your church my own."
    "Oh, Smokey, that's wonderful!"
    "I'll still be gone at times; I do have a business to run."
    "Of course," Jenny agreed. "But whenever you're home,
    we'll expect you."
    It was growing rather late, so all in the room were surprised
    when Polly knocked on the door a moment later with a
    note from Buck. It was brief, just wanting to inform them that
    Dallas was in port and planned to visit on the next day.
    67
    By the time she walked downstairs to breakfast, Smokey
    had convinced herself that she had no reason whatsoever to
    worry.
    standing before the mirror in her room, Smokey frowned
    at her reflection. She had tried to do a little something different
    with her hair, but it had been no use; she felt all thumbs.
    With only enough pins for her usual hairstyle, nothing she had
    tried looked quite right.
    With a resigned sigh, she whipped it into its usual bun and
    then stared at herself in disappointment. She knew very well
    that none of this had made a bit of difference to her before she
    had seen Jenny's hair and wardrobe, or met her handsome
    brother.
    Why did Dallas havs to come now? I had really hoped we
    would miss each other this visit.
    Smokey's mind went back to the day she had seen him on
    the dock in London. It had been torture to walk by and not
    speak to him. She'd gained her ship and watched him from the
    deck until he was out of sight.
    I don't know myself anymore. For so long my life was well
    ordered. I had my work and performed it well. Now, I feel
    discontent and confused.
    Smokey took time to pray about her feelings and surrender
    them to God Her heart calmed, and she realized that Dallas'
    visit didn't necessarily mean they would see each other. After
    all, she was going on a walk this morning and then meeting
    Buck for lunch. Tomorrow she planned to leave.
    "Well, Buck," Dallas spoke in surprise when the older man
    came to the breakfast table. "You must have a date for lunch to
    be out of bed this early." Dallas' question stemmed from the
    fact that Buck was a night person. He loved to stay up late and
    sleep late. Dallas tended to be just the opposite.
    "Indeed, I do." Buck answered his brother as he sugared
    the coffee just served to him.
    "The lovely widow Rittenhouse?" Dallas asked expectantly.
    "No," Buck'svoice became quiet. Dallas carefully watched
    his face. "She thinks we should see other people. She also
    thinks she's still in love with her first husband and wants to be
    loyal to his memory."
    "When did this happen?"
    "Three days ago."
    "I'm sorry, Buck." Dallas' compassion was real. "I know
    you really care for her."
    "You're right, I do, and for that reason I'm not going to give
    up. I'm going to give her some time and then see if she's
    missed me as much as I already miss her."
    "But in the meantime, you're going to see other women?"
    Buck frowned at him in confusion, but then shook his
    head. "No, my lunch date is just a friend What are your plans
    for the day?"
    "I need to see Jenny this morning. It was too late to go last
    night," Dallas told him. "After that I've some work to do on the Zephyr. In fact, I'd best be on my way. I'll see you later, Buck."
    "All right, Dolly. Take care."
    68
    Smokey walked along at an easy pace, her long coat slap
    ping at her legs. The sea was a cloudy gray today, the sky
    overcast. It felt like it could snow at any time. Not headed
    anyplace in particular, Smokey felt she could walk for hours.
    She kept a steady pace until she spotted a beautiful home,
    painted a bright white, sitting on a small point of land Smokey
    stopped to drink in the scene.
    Much like Jenny and Tate's, huge windows looked out over
    the Atlantic on both the first and second floor. On either side
    of this large home, however, were rounded rooms whose
    walls were nothing but glass. Smokey's inspection ended with
    the dormer windows in the roof, which gave the house a
    three-story look.
    "Hello."
    She jumped at the sound of a female voice