Every Storm by Lori Wick
Authors: Lori Wick
Tags: Fiction, General, Romance, Love Stories, War & Military, War stories, Religious, Christian, INSPIRATIONAL ROMANCE, Survival After Airplane Accidents; Shipwrecks; Etc, Americans - Oceania, World War; 1939-1945 - Naval Operations; American
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He thought they might be underway in less
than an hour. Did he let the incident go or find the other |JHcommander and tell him what he thought of his men? And could
he really do that if he didn't find out from Lorri Archer exactly what had happened?
IIJHe looked down at Lorri's bent head, knowing only one thing
was important.
"Are you hurt, Miss Archer? I need to know that." Again the shake of her head against her knees. He'd hoped for more. Rigg suspected that she'd been through things on the other island that would devastate many. And now an encounter with
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61
hormonal, foolish sailors. How much more could she take? He stood to his feet with no answers.
"Stay close," he said quietly to Lionel, and then he strode back onto the beach.
The Every Storm was back at sea when Ellis served lunch. Lorri still hadn't spoken to anyone about the incident on the beach, but she went to the officer's mess when she was beckoned and found Hugh already eating.
"Have a seat, Miss Archer."
"Thank you."
Lorri thanked Elks when he put food in front of her, and without praying, she began to eat. Hugh didn't try to speak to her for a time but waited until she'd had some food.
"Are you feeling better?"
Lorri had almost forgotten his presence.
"Yes, thank you."
"Not all sailors are honorable men, I'm afraid to say."
Lorri looked at him, her mind working on a question.
"You have something on your mind."
Lorri nodded and hoped he wouldn't press her.
"You can voice it."
Lorri tore a piece from the small biscuit she'd been given and tried to put her thoughts into words.
"Would the men aboard this boat have been rude to me had we met in the same way?"
"The same way as the men on the beach?"'. "Yes?
62
Lori Wick
"I don't think so. I can think of a few who might get out of hand, but be bold enough to touch you? No."
"How do you know I was touched?"
"Jack reported what he saw."
Lorri felt cold. She reached for her mug of coffee and wrapped her hands around it.
"I want to go home, Ensign," Lorri said quietly. "I want it more than I can say."
"We'll do our best, Miss Archer."
Lorri looked at him.
"How selfish of me. You all want to go home."
"We're doing our best with that too."
Lorri smiled a little and went back to her food. Hugh studied the top of her head, taking in the dark hair that looked so soft. He knew how wrong it was for those men to have taken such liberties but could see how tempting it would be.
Lorri stared down at the book on the desk, her eyes not believing what they were seeing. A Bible. A Bible sat in the middle of the desk. It had a black cover and looked as if it had been well read.
She had not touched anything on board. She had been careful to keep to herself and to the few belongings she'd been given, but this was more temptation than she could handle.
She pulled the chair out and took a seat. Her hands gentle, she opened to the middle and began reading in Psalms.
With a deep hunger and an ache for the words, she read slowly from chapter 52. The first verses were about an unrighteous man
63
63
and his choices, but starting at verse 7, the psalmist summed up and determined not to follow the wicked man's path.
She read, "Lo, this is the man who made not God his strength,
i but trusted in the abundance of his riches, and strengthened
himself in his wickedness. But I am like a green olive tree in the
house of God; I trust in the mercy of God forever and ever. I will
.praise thee forever, because thou hast done it; and I will wait on
thy name; for it is good before thy saints."
The word saints took Lorri back to her home church in southern California. She could see the building, the pews and pulpit, and then the people of her church family who filled those pews. She didn't want to cry, so she went back to verse 7. Again, she read, "Lo, this is the man who made not God his strength, but trusted in the abundance of his riches, and strengthened himself 1 in his wickedness."
Please don't let
than an hour. Did he let the incident go or find the other |JHcommander and tell him what he thought of his men? And could
he really do that if he didn't find out from Lorri Archer exactly what had happened?
IIJHe looked down at Lorri's bent head, knowing only one thing
was important.
"Are you hurt, Miss Archer? I need to know that." Again the shake of her head against her knees. He'd hoped for more. Rigg suspected that she'd been through things on the other island that would devastate many. And now an encounter with
61
61
hormonal, foolish sailors. How much more could she take? He stood to his feet with no answers.
"Stay close," he said quietly to Lionel, and then he strode back onto the beach.
The Every Storm was back at sea when Ellis served lunch. Lorri still hadn't spoken to anyone about the incident on the beach, but she went to the officer's mess when she was beckoned and found Hugh already eating.
"Have a seat, Miss Archer."
"Thank you."
Lorri thanked Elks when he put food in front of her, and without praying, she began to eat. Hugh didn't try to speak to her for a time but waited until she'd had some food.
"Are you feeling better?"
Lorri had almost forgotten his presence.
"Yes, thank you."
"Not all sailors are honorable men, I'm afraid to say."
Lorri looked at him, her mind working on a question.
"You have something on your mind."
Lorri nodded and hoped he wouldn't press her.
"You can voice it."
Lorri tore a piece from the small biscuit she'd been given and tried to put her thoughts into words.
"Would the men aboard this boat have been rude to me had we met in the same way?"
"The same way as the men on the beach?"'. "Yes?
62
Lori Wick
"I don't think so. I can think of a few who might get out of hand, but be bold enough to touch you? No."
"How do you know I was touched?"
"Jack reported what he saw."
Lorri felt cold. She reached for her mug of coffee and wrapped her hands around it.
"I want to go home, Ensign," Lorri said quietly. "I want it more than I can say."
"We'll do our best, Miss Archer."
Lorri looked at him.
"How selfish of me. You all want to go home."
"We're doing our best with that too."
Lorri smiled a little and went back to her food. Hugh studied the top of her head, taking in the dark hair that looked so soft. He knew how wrong it was for those men to have taken such liberties but could see how tempting it would be.
Lorri stared down at the book on the desk, her eyes not believing what they were seeing. A Bible. A Bible sat in the middle of the desk. It had a black cover and looked as if it had been well read.
She had not touched anything on board. She had been careful to keep to herself and to the few belongings she'd been given, but this was more temptation than she could handle.
She pulled the chair out and took a seat. Her hands gentle, she opened to the middle and began reading in Psalms.
With a deep hunger and an ache for the words, she read slowly from chapter 52. The first verses were about an unrighteous man
63
63
and his choices, but starting at verse 7, the psalmist summed up and determined not to follow the wicked man's path.
She read, "Lo, this is the man who made not God his strength,
i but trusted in the abundance of his riches, and strengthened
himself in his wickedness. But I am like a green olive tree in the
house of God; I trust in the mercy of God forever and ever. I will
.praise thee forever, because thou hast done it; and I will wait on
thy name; for it is good before thy saints."
The word saints took Lorri back to her home church in southern California. She could see the building, the pews and pulpit, and then the people of her church family who filled those pews. She didn't want to cry, so she went back to verse 7. Again, she read, "Lo, this is the man who made not God his strength, but trusted in the abundance of his riches, and strengthened himself 1 in his wickedness."
Please don't let
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