Donovan's Daughter (The Californians, Book 4) (26 page)

Both Alex and Helen were so moved by Marcail's
obvious burden that no one spoke for a time. Breakfast
was finished in silence, each wrapped momentarily in
his own thoughts.

"You mean, you don't include your mother in your
birthday lunch?"

"It was her idea that we go to the beach," Alex defended
himself. "She will be included in the gift-opening, which
is always in her room. Honestly, Marcail, she doesn't feel
excluded."

Marcail's fierce look softened. She'd quite simply
fallen in love with her mother-in-law, and the emotions
she felt were making her very protective.

The day was unseasonably warm, and Marcail had to
admit that it was perfect for the beach. The cool temperatures from the day before had not kept her from enjoying
herself when she went with Alex, but it was going to be
nice to leave her coat behind.

Everyone brought quilts to sit on and food to eat. It looked like a feast to Marcail. Meat sandwiches, bread
and butter, apples and cheese were passed to all waiting
hands. Cups of water were dispersed to quench everyone's thirst.

After Jeremy said grace the talk was light and fun, and
for some reason, Alex's family was bent on teasing him.
It went on for some time before Skip accused Alex of
killing off more patients than he cured. There were a few
teaspoons of water left in Alex's cup, and without warning he tossed the contents at his oldest brother.

Skip ducked, and Marcail got it right in the face. There
were cries of outrage from the women and laughter from
the men, including Alex.

"I'm sorry, Marcail," he chuckled. "I was aiming for
Skip."

Marcail was silent as Alex passed her his handkerchief.
She wiped her face and then without taking her eyes
from her husband, she sat swirling the water in her own
cup, one that had just been filled.

"Now, Marcail," Alex began placatingly, immediately
seeing her intent. "You have to admit it was an accident. I
meant it for Skip, and it was only a few drops."

When all she did was grin mischievously, Alex resorted
to a threat.

"I'll get you back if you do it, Marc."

"What will you do?"

"I just might throw you in the Pacific," Alex said,
knowing he'd never do such a thing.

"You'd have to catch me first," Marcail said with
sweet confidence, and the entire family erupted with
laughter and catcalls.

When the noise died down, Alex's look was nothing
short of condescending. "I don't think that would be a
problem."

The narrowing of Marcail's eyes told him in an instant
that he'd said the wrong thing, but his brain told him to
move a moment too late. Before he could take a breath,
Marcail had thrown the entire contents of the cup in his
face. Staying on the blanket just long enough to enjoy the
stunned look on his face, Marcail jumped to her feet and
ran down the beach.

The shouts from the family told Marcail that Alex was
after her, but she didn't look back as she made fast tracks
away from her wet husband.

"Go, Marcail, go," came a woman's voice.

"She's not very submissive, Alex. You'd better do
something about that when you catch her." This time it
was Skip.

"Use every trick in the book, Marcail. Don't hesitate to
bite him," Susan shouted as Marcail ran on.

The sounds of the family faded, and Marcail's feet
pounded the sand. Alex, who was just beginning to
wind, wondered why it wasn't a requirement that a man
know all about his wife before he married her. Why were
the vows said before he knew that she could sing in a
foreign language or run like the wind down a sandy
beach?

Marcail spotted a huge fallen tree and darted around
the far side of it. She paused, ready to go again if Alex
was still bent on pursuit, but as she hoped, he came up
on the other side and stood, breathing hard and staring
at her. A bit winded herself, Marcail knew she had more
in her if needed.

"Where," Alex said on a gasp, "did you learn to run
like that?"

"I'm not approaching the advanced age of 31, like a
certain elderly husband I know."

Alex's eyes narrowed. "You're already in hot water,
and now you're pushing your luck." Alex dropped to the sand and leaned his back against the huge log. Marcail
stared for a moment at the back of his head before deciding the danger was over. She rounded the log and
dropped to her knees beside her husband.

Her legs had no more hit the sand when Alex hauled
her across his lap. Marcail's eyes showed her shock, but
Alex only smiled triumphantly. He bent his head and
wiped his wet cheek against her own.

"Oh, stop it, Alex!" Marcail laughingly wailed. "You're
getting me all wet."

"That's the point." He-spoke with amusement as he
covered both sides of her face with the moisture from his
own.

As swiftly as the laughter had come, it subsided. Marcail found Alex's mouth so close to her own she could feel
his warm breath on her cheek. Alex hesitated a mere
heartbeat before his lips touched down on her's.

It was the first time he'd kissed her squarely on the
mouth, and it wasn't a brief kiss. In fact, Alex held
Marcail tenderly and kissed her for several minutes. But
he also succeeded in holding his emotions in check,
causing her to feel cherished, not frightened.

Back at the quilts, both Jess and Cole asked if they
could go find Uncle Alex and Aunt Marcail. Their father
said no, and when asked why, he told them that someday they would understand.

After the gifts were opened and the cake eaten, Alex's
family hugged Alex and Marcail goodbye, telling them to
come again soon. The day had been a wonderful celebration, but Marcail found it lovely to have a quiet supper
with just Samuel and Helen. Since they would see only
Samuel in the morning, they said their goodbyes to
Helen before bed.

Marcail and Helen both felt as though they were losing
a newfound friend.

"I'll write you," Helen assured her.

'And I'll write back."

"In His time, the Lord will bring us together again,"
the older woman assured her softly.

Marcail nodded, her throat closing with emotion. She
knew she must be tired. It felt wonderful to climb into
bed some minutes later. For the first time, Marcail wished
that Alex had come to bed at the same time. She fell
asleep thinking about the way his arms had felt as they
held her close.

The next morning Samuel drove Alex and Marcail to the train station in his small buggy. He lingered while
the train pulled away, and Marcail waved until the train
rounded a curve and took them out of sight. She settled
back in her seat for the long ride and felt Alex's eyes on
her.

"Your family is wonderful," she said with sincerity.

"I think so. They were quite taken with you."

"The feeling is mutual."

"I'd like to get to know your family someday soon,"
Alex said, thinking of his father's words.

"I've thought about that. Maybe we could go to Santa
Rosa when school lets out."

Alex nodded, wishing he could think of some way for
it to be sooner, but no ideas came to mind. "We'll plan on
it," he promised her.

They were fairly quiet on the way back to Willits, both
thinking of the work awaiting them. Alex's mind wandered to two patients who were expecting, and Marcail's
mind dwelt on Sydney. She prayed that he would come
to understand how important he was to God, knowing
that only God could change him.

Alex and Marcail fell back into their routine on Tuesday as though they'd never been away. There were
letters waiting for Marcail when she checked her mail
after school, but she could tell that they'd been written
before her family received the news of her marriage.

After school on Tuesday, she told Alex she would see
herself home. She wanted to go directly to Vesperman's
and check to see if Alex's gift had arrived. It had, and she
went away with a huge smile on her face and plans for
the next day.

Marcail was up early on Wednesday morning. She
moved quietly as she made fresh biscuits, scrambled eggs, and fried some of the bacon Alex had received
from a patient just the day before. It didn't take long for
the aromas from the kitchen to draw Alex from his bed.
When the door opened, Marcail was standing by his
chair, guarding a lumpy, wrapped parcel which sat next
to his plate. She looked hesitant, and when she spoke
she twisted her hands nervously before her.

"Happy birthday, Alex," Marcail said in a rush. "We
have a tradition in the Donovan household of putting
our birthday gifts next to our plates at supper. I realize
I'm a few meals early, but I was rather excited about your
gift and wanted you to have it now."

Marcail was thrilled over her plan when Alex's face
broke into a broad smile. She stood back so he could sit
down and then sat herself, watching with spellbound
attention as he unwrapped his gift.

Alex was so surprised over the satchel he was speechless. It was the finest he'd ever seen. It was on the tip of
his tongue to ask Marcail how she could have afforded
such a gift on the little he brought home when he remembered she was a paid teacher.

Suddenly Alex realized how well they had been eating
since Marcail moved in; not just her cooking, but the
food itself. Cookies with peanuts in them, more meat
than usual, and muffins and other baked goods were just
the start. Alex also realized in that instant that he'd never
even mentioned their finances or offered her a dime of
money.

"If you're not pleased, Alex, we can order something
else." Marcail's soft, unsure voice cut into his thoughts,
and Alex realized she'd misunderstood his silence. He
immediately rose and came to stand next to her. He bent
low, kissed her cheek, and then hunkered down before
her.

"It's a wonderful bag, and I wouldn't trade it for any
other. But I have to admit, I'd forgotten about your salary.„

Marcail looked very confused, and then her face cleared.
"Well, I did have to take some money from our savings
account, but Mr. Flynn increased my salary because I'm
not living in the house by the school. I wanted this to be
special, and I know it will last you for years to come,
and-"