miracle.”
“Well, he didn’t have a lot of choice with his mother and Uncle Russell telling him to in front of everybody. I guess I’ve started off on the wrong foot with him.”
Matilda nodded. “Rose said my mentioning your being a horsewoman, it just seemed the thing to do, and Mak was standing aside so she wanted to include him.”
“He was quiet on the ride. Cordial, but I got the distinct feeling he’d rather have been elsewhere.”
“According to his mother, he would. She says he’s trying to pay more attention to Leia, who is becoming quite an observant and outspoken young lady. He came to the dock because they asked him to. She thinks you would be perfect to teach Leia how to ride.”
“I would love to teach her.” She shrugged. “But I guess he won’t be giving me any more rides. Or the time of day, since he might think I’m out to get him.”
“Now, there’s the irony of this situation. That ring right there.” Matilda reached over and tapped the set with her finger. “That is why he will give you the time of day. You’re no threat. You can’t get any wrong ideas about him.” She leaned back and smiled smugly. “You’re already spoken for.”
Jane huffed. “So, without even knowing me, he thinks I would be out to get him. But my wearing this ring means I’m about as significant as a. . .as a. . .doormat.”
“Exactly.”
Jane stared at Matilda, who lifted both shoulders and blinked her eyes innocently before focusing on the scenery ahead of them. Jane looked at the magenta sky, wondering if it were really that color or if she might just be seeing red.
Eleven
Pansy insisted they all go to church on Sunday and leave her at home. Her voice was barely audible because if she spoke in a normal tone, she went into coughing fits. While the nurse said coughing helped clear her lungs, the fits left Pansy visibly weaker.
“If you’re needed,” the nurse reassured them, “I can run up to the church. After all, that’s where the doctor will be.”
When she arrived at church, Jane found it interesting to see Japanese, Chinese, Koreans, and members of many other nationalities, as well as American and Europeans. Sometimes, walking down the streets in the town of Hilo she felt like a minority. The stares she and Matilda received made her feel like one. She had not, however, met one person who was unfriendly. Well, unless she counted the flower-hatted horseman.
She almost laughed at that. He hadn’t been that unfriendly. And he could have ridden off on his horse without her. Come to think of it, why would he even want to come near a woman who threw up in his bandana and threatened to do so in his pocket?
She wondered if he’d be at church, but when Rose and Leia came in and sat behind them, Mak wasn’t with them.
Jane preferred to sit in the back where she could see everyone, but Uncle Russell wanted them to sit up front so they could easily be seen when he introduced them.
Uncle Russell had already told them about the construction of the church’s walls. They were made of lava rock, three-feet thick, bonded together by sand, crushed coral, and oil from kukui nuts. It was more than one-hundred-feet long, forty-six-feet wide, and had a white steeple one-hundred-feet high.
Although Jane wasn’t surprised by the elaborate way the women and men dressed, she was as surprised by the church as she had been by Uncle Russell’s house.
“It’s a beautiful church. I’ve never seen anything like it,” she said, after turning in her seat to talk with Rose MacCauley.
Matilda agreed. “Well, we don’t use lava rock much in American building because the few active volcanoes we have don’t erupt very often and are in remote locations. But this is so elaborate.”
Rose nodded and smiled, looking very beautiful in her European-style clothes and big hat, under which her dark brown hair was perfectly groomed. “The king donated the land, so the construction had to be the best,” she
“Well, he didn’t have a lot of choice with his mother and Uncle Russell telling him to in front of everybody. I guess I’ve started off on the wrong foot with him.”
Matilda nodded. “Rose said my mentioning your being a horsewoman, it just seemed the thing to do, and Mak was standing aside so she wanted to include him.”
“He was quiet on the ride. Cordial, but I got the distinct feeling he’d rather have been elsewhere.”
“According to his mother, he would. She says he’s trying to pay more attention to Leia, who is becoming quite an observant and outspoken young lady. He came to the dock because they asked him to. She thinks you would be perfect to teach Leia how to ride.”
“I would love to teach her.” She shrugged. “But I guess he won’t be giving me any more rides. Or the time of day, since he might think I’m out to get him.”
“Now, there’s the irony of this situation. That ring right there.” Matilda reached over and tapped the set with her finger. “That is why he will give you the time of day. You’re no threat. You can’t get any wrong ideas about him.” She leaned back and smiled smugly. “You’re already spoken for.”
Jane huffed. “So, without even knowing me, he thinks I would be out to get him. But my wearing this ring means I’m about as significant as a. . .as a. . .doormat.”
“Exactly.”
Jane stared at Matilda, who lifted both shoulders and blinked her eyes innocently before focusing on the scenery ahead of them. Jane looked at the magenta sky, wondering if it were really that color or if she might just be seeing red.
Eleven
Pansy insisted they all go to church on Sunday and leave her at home. Her voice was barely audible because if she spoke in a normal tone, she went into coughing fits. While the nurse said coughing helped clear her lungs, the fits left Pansy visibly weaker.
“If you’re needed,” the nurse reassured them, “I can run up to the church. After all, that’s where the doctor will be.”
When she arrived at church, Jane found it interesting to see Japanese, Chinese, Koreans, and members of many other nationalities, as well as American and Europeans. Sometimes, walking down the streets in the town of Hilo she felt like a minority. The stares she and Matilda received made her feel like one. She had not, however, met one person who was unfriendly. Well, unless she counted the flower-hatted horseman.
She almost laughed at that. He hadn’t been that unfriendly. And he could have ridden off on his horse without her. Come to think of it, why would he even want to come near a woman who threw up in his bandana and threatened to do so in his pocket?
She wondered if he’d be at church, but when Rose and Leia came in and sat behind them, Mak wasn’t with them.
Jane preferred to sit in the back where she could see everyone, but Uncle Russell wanted them to sit up front so they could easily be seen when he introduced them.
Uncle Russell had already told them about the construction of the church’s walls. They were made of lava rock, three-feet thick, bonded together by sand, crushed coral, and oil from kukui nuts. It was more than one-hundred-feet long, forty-six-feet wide, and had a white steeple one-hundred-feet high.
Although Jane wasn’t surprised by the elaborate way the women and men dressed, she was as surprised by the church as she had been by Uncle Russell’s house.
“It’s a beautiful church. I’ve never seen anything like it,” she said, after turning in her seat to talk with Rose MacCauley.
Matilda agreed. “Well, we don’t use lava rock much in American building because the few active volcanoes we have don’t erupt very often and are in remote locations. But this is so elaborate.”
Rose nodded and smiled, looking very beautiful in her European-style clothes and big hat, under which her dark brown hair was perfectly groomed. “The king donated the land, so the construction had to be the best,” she
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