As summer blossomed, Rebecca enjoyed casual suppers on the back porch where her grandmother and Adam and Dawson Crane seemed to prefer eating. They talked about their day and the upcoming Independence Day dance at the grange. They laughed at Jojo’s antics. Some evenings they played lawn croquet together, sometimes with Mary and Leo, and playfully taunted and flirted with each other. Jojo loved chasing the croquet balls, which brought them all to laughter many times during their lively matches. Late at night, Rebecca would meet Adam on the porch where they would snuggle on the swing and talk about their past and future, and share their revelations and dreams. Rebecca couldn’t remember all the happy times in her life, but she knew this was one of them.
Although she missed her beautiful mare and her family, she knew she needed this time in the peaceful town of Crane Landing. She needed to get her legs beneath her before she could step back into the midst of siblings and memories and village filled with friends and neighbors who swirled around her like a swift moving stream.
The days passed far too quickly—and each one began and ended with Adam.
Every morning he would leave a special something at Rebecca’s doorstep before heading to work, and in the evening he would join her and Grandma for supper. Tuesday’s gift had been a sprig of wildflowers twined about a small wreath of twiglets. A dark honeycomb tucked inside a wooden box served as Wednesday’s gift, while Thursday’s surprise was Adam himself.
“G’morning,” he said as she opened the door not long after sunrise.
Expecting a small present on the stoop and not a tall, muscled man standing in wait for her, Rebecca sucked in a startled breath and gaped at him. “Adam! You gave me a fright!”
“Exactly the opposite of what I’d intended. I’m sorry, Rebecca.”
She self-consciously smoothed one hand over her bed-tousled hair as her other hand grabbed at the enclosure of her dressing gown. “What are you doing here?”
He grinned in appreciation. “You are so beautiful.” His voice, quiet and filled with love, seemed to enfold her and seal them inside a sacred space where only the two of them existed. “I didn’t mean to frighten you,” he said. “I didn’t even intend to be at the door when you opened it. I just... Wait a minute,” he said, glancing up at the morning sky. “I’m not late for work, right? The sun did just rise, didn’t it?”
Rebecca couldn’t help but laugh. “Yes, Adam,” she said, “the sun just rose, and yet here I am, wide awake, having rushed out of bed and down the steps to see if you had been here.” She shrugged. “To find you here was more than I’d anticipated.”
“Ah,” he murmured. “So you like my gifts?”
Rebecca felt her heart tremble at the way his voice dropped a note, as if it pleased him deeply to know that she anticipated his daily offerings. With pure honesty she said, “I love that you find such beauty in simple things and that you share those things with me, Adam.”
“And I love that you receive them with such anticipation and joy.”
A moment of silence stirred between them, punctuating the strong truth of their words.
The sun’s light cast him in soft gold hues. “Today’s gift is in my pocket. I was just about to lay it atop the stoop when you opened the door. If you go back inside, I’ll put it there for you to find once I’m gone.”
Rebecca shook her head. “I want to receive it from you, Adam, while you’re here with me.”
Though her words were just a whisper, the meaning behind them held all the force of the river they’d navigated just a few days ago. Whether Adam realized it or not, Rebecca was trying to tell him that while she couldn’t remember their past, she knew they were connected, that she acknowledged their easy friendship and their romance. And she was growing more certain by the day that she wanted to experience their future together, side by side.
“I didn’t realize how much you were enjoying these simple favors I’ve been leaving on your stoop,” he said.
“Since my accident, I’ve learned that gifts come wrapped and unwrapped, expected and unexpected, but they never leave a person the same way they found them. Your gifts move me, Adam.”
A smile curved his lips. “Knowing that brightens my day.” He reached his right hand into the pocket of his dark dungarees. When he withdrew it, his right fist was closed around the secret in his palm. “I have something special for you today.” He wiggled his fist. “I’ll bet you’re dying to know what it is.”
A light bubble of laughter rose in her throat. “You tease! You’re enjoying this. You’re truly going to make me wait for this, aren’t you?”
With a playful laugh, he unfolded his fingers to reveal a handcrafted dragonfly.
Rebecca drew in a breath. He’d made a simple fish hook into beautiful art using feathers and fibers and turns of thread. He’d fashioned a pin for her, she realized finally—an exquisite green dragonfly pin, with peacock herl as its tail.
“Oh, Adam. It’s beautiful.”
“I thought it would remind you of our fishing trip.”
“It does.” She nodded. “It will. Always.”
“I’d pin it on you, but...”
She drew her hands to her throat, gathering tight the material of her nightdress. “I’ll just take it for now and you can pin it on my dress during tomorrow night’s dance.”
“I can hardly wait.” The deep, warm sound of his voice drew her mind to their late night meetings on her back porch where they shared their most intimate thoughts in warm whispers. Gently, he drew her right hand away from her gown, carefully placed the dragonfly in her palm, and then he closed her fingers over the pin. “Consider yourself forewarned that I plan to be your only partner for tomorrow’s Independence Day soiree.”
“Perhaps it is you who should be warned, Adam. I don’t even know if... Do I know how to dance?”
Adam leaned close, cupping her cheek as he gazed into her eyes. “Rebecca, darling, you were born to dance. I plan to show you just how much you love the act tomorrow evening.”
“You make it sound simple, Adam.”
“Not so much simple as artless, natural. That’s really what I mean. Just close your eyes and feel the music. I’ll take you the rest of the way.”
That’s what he did at night when they met alone on her back porch. She would close her eyes and drink in his scent and the sound of his voice as he drew her into his arms and talked to her and rekindled their connection.
She blew out a breath. “I suppose I must trust you on this.”
Adam cocked his head to one side, his eyes narrowing. “Have I given you a reason not to trust me?” he asked.
She shook her head and met his eyes. “No, Adam. I know I can trust you. I’m just nervous I’ll have two left feet and embarrass both of us.”
Shaking his head, he gathered her into his arms and held her against his chest. “You have beautiful feet and you float across a dance floor like a milkweed puff on a soft breeze.” He stroked her back sending comforting warmth down her spine. “Dancing is liberating and healing, Rebecca.” He eased back, tilted her chin and gave her a soft peck on the lips. “Trust me on this.”
His sincerity made her smile. “All right, Adam. I will.”
“Thank you.” Growing businesslike, he set her away from him. “I won’t be able to stop by tomorrow morning. I’m leading the crew that will set the flagpole at the Grange hall.”
“I understand,” she said. “Dawson has offered to drive grandmother and me to the flag-raising ceremony, so I’ll see you there. How does that sound?”
“Like a moment I don’t want to miss.”
Rebecca held her dragonfly pin close to her heart. “Thank you, Adam. I can’t think of a nicer way to start my day than seeing you.”
“And I can’t think of a better way to end my night than with you in my arms. Marry me and you can see my smiling face every morning.” With a wink, he tipped his cap and then turned and headed down the shelled walk.
Was he toying with her or had he just asked her, again, to marry him? Stunned, Rebecca watched as Adam strode down River Road, his long legs and sure gait confident and determined as if he knew exactly where he wanted to go. But with Rebecca, he was walking into a situation blind. He didn’t know about the snarl of irrational thoughts growing like weeds in her mind.
Exhaling a hard breath, Rebecca warned herself to not overreact. Adam had simply been flirting with her—and she enjoyed it. So what if her thoughts were disturbing? She’d taken a hard knock to her head and was entitled to periodic confusion. That didn’t mean she was unstable or unsuitable. It just meant she was... well, she was just... a mess.
Huffing out a breath, Rebecca lingered in the doorway watching the sun’s light flash gold in the wings of her dragonfly. She wanted wings of her own. She wanted to face the wind, spread her wings and soar into life. Adam would keep her tethered to her old life, the one where there was no question of them being together. Rebecca wanted to fly with Adam, but she couldn’t do that if he wouldn’t spread his wings.
The world around her was too exciting to be land-bound. There were rivers to canoe and oceans to cross. She wanted her life to flow like the Crane River, pounding down mountains and through valleys and eventually, when she got to the end of her life, she wanted to flow into the ocean, spread her arms, and die with her fingers touching two continents.
By Friday morning, Rebecca had calmed down and was excited for the Independence Day activities to begin. She finished the letter she’d begun writing to her mother and father and then poured herself another cup of tea. She had gotten an unusually good night of rest and was eager to see Adam.
“It’s good to hear you sing again, sweetheart,” her grandmother said, rinsing her hands in the sink. Drying them on a towel, she turned to Rebecca. “I take it you’re looking forward to the day as much as I am?”
“Perhaps more so,” Rebecca answered as she fetched a large bowl for the dish they would take to the crazy supper. “It’s shameful and shallow, perhaps, but I’m looking forward to wearing my new dress.”
“It’s lovely and you’ll look beautiful in it.”
“So is yours, Grandma. Dawson is going to be thoroughly smitten with you today.”
“Bosh,” Grandma said draping the towel over a small iron hook, but her cheeks flushed and she was unable to hide her pleased smile. “I’m too old to look beautiful in anything.”
“Not true.” Rebecca swept her grandmother into a quick hug. “Your light shines so bright it captivates everyone the instant they meet you.” She gently turned her grandmother toward the parlor. “You rest while I finish up in here. It’ll only take a few minutes.”
Laughing, her grandmother obeyed. “Thank you, honey. It will feel nice to get off my feet for a spell before Dawson arrives.
Humming to herself, Rebecca continued with her chores. She suspected if she were home with her brothers and sisters they would tease her about her off-key singing, but she couldn’t help herself. From the moment she woke, she felt lighthearted and nearly danced her way through her morning’s work. She would be spending the whole day with Adam and their grandmother and their friends. The night wouldn’t end until after the fireworks display.
Canoeing and fishing with Adam had brought fun and excitement to her days. She enjoyed their supper conversations and croquet matches and evening walks. She enjoyed their late night private meetings, too. But knowing she would dance in his arms this evening left her breathless with anticipation.
Perhaps she loved to dance and was simply excited about that. Maybe it was the thought of wearing her beautiful new dress that made her happy. She and Grandma and Mary Crane had spent a lovely day lunching and shopping for dresses a week earlier after Rebecca’s visit with Doc Samuel. There were two readymade dresses that Rebecca had loved, but Mary helped her make the right choice. In hindsight Rebecca wondered how she could have considered the blue gown when the white silk moiré was so perfect for her. She wouldn’t wear it today though. There would be time between supper and the start of the soiree to change from picnic wear to evening wear, and that’s when she would don the flowing white dress that made her feel like a princess.
Rebecca closed her eyes, imagining Adam twirling her across the dance floor. She basked in the romantic thought and envisioned their many moments to come. While she and Adam had enjoyed time together throughout their stay in Crane Landing, today would be different. They would have hours and hours together... and more than a few opportunities to converse and play and even flirt a little. A dart of excitement shot through her as she rushed to her room to prepare for the day.
A few hours later, she sat beneath the fringed canopy of Dawson’s platform spring wagon, heading for the Grange hall. As Dawson found a spot in line with the other carriages, Rebecca saw that a crowd of people had already gathered on the lawn. They watched as a small knot of men finished maneuvering a large flagpole into the ground with ropes and pulleys and a lot of brawn.
At the moment, Adam seemed to be in charge. Dressed in a crisp white shirt and trousers, his shirtsleeves rolled up to reveal strong forearms, Adam managed the rope and wood with ease. He called out commands and kept all hands working in tandem—and when the large wooden staff was finally set, he let out a big whoop of success.
The other men joined in with their own whoops and a lot of backslapping.
Enamored of him, Rebecca stepped down from Dawson’s carriage, her eyes drinking in the sight of his handsome smiling face.
When he spied her, his eyes lit up and his smile widened, conveying so much: I’m glad you’re here. I’ve missed you. You’re beautiful... Unrolling his sleeves, he grabbed his jacket from a nearby chair back and scooped up his straw boater hat with its stylish blue striped band. He set the hat atop his head with a quick flick of his wrist and then threaded his way toward Rebecca.
They met in a wide swath of sunshine. People milled about them and carriages continued to arrive at the Grange, but Rebecca and Adam existed alone in that slant of summer sun, their eyes on each other.
“It felt as if you’d never get here,” he said. “You look lovely.”
Rebecca returned his smile. “And you look utterly dashing today, Mr. Grayson.”
“Why thank you, my lady,” he said, swiping off his hat and executing a quick and very clumsy curtsy that made Rebecca laugh.
“You’ll need to work on that if you hope to impress anyone,” she said, still giggling.
“My goal was to make you laugh, at which I succeeded remarkably well, so you have just witnessed my first and last curtsy.”
“I certainly hope so,” she said, trying to stop the giggles Adam had brought on with his ridiculous playacting.
“I love your laugh,” he said, drinking her in within his warm and appreciative gaze.
She would like to have lingered there and banter and play with him, but their grandmother and Dawson were standing behind them and they were surrounded by a crowd of people. “That’s quite the flagpole,” she said, motioning to the staff that stood proudly in the ground in front of the Grange.
“I cut it myself at the mill this week.” He tipped his head, as if to share a secret with her. “Leo might have helped a little.”
Rebecca laughed. “Where is he, by the way?”
“Picking up Mary. They’ll be here for the flag-raising ceremony, which will happen in a few minutes.” He drew himself up and offered her his right arm. “Until then, Miss Grayson, may I show you around the tallest flagpole in town, soon to hold our country’s newest flag?”
Rebecca slid her gloved hand into the crook of his arm, happy to have him escort her anywhere. With him in his suit and she dressed in white with a turquoise sash about her waist and a matching band about her summer hat, Rebecca envisioned them as a married couple out for a daylong event. The idea pleased her so much it stunned her. She wanted to be his wife.
Adam proudly explained how he and Leo had carefully chosen the wood for the mast and then had shaped it with precision. They’d delivered the flagstaff early this morning to the Grange hall and had dug the deep hole for it.
“You boys work well together,” Rebecca said, admiring the tall sturdy pole as she reined her thoughts.
“Everybody works together here, like a family... like we Graysons do back home.”
“It’s nice. It makes a person realize they could be at home here,” she said, dropping a hint that they could build a life here, that they could remain connected to their family in Fredonia while also creating another family right here.
But Adam didn’t seem to notice her words because he spied Leo and Mary arriving and waved them over.
“Do you ever think about that?” Rebecca asked.
“About what?” Adam chuckled as Leo pantomimed exaggerated surprise at seeing the flagpole hoisted without his help.
“Do you ever think about staying here... permanently, I mean?”
Adam’s gaze immediately snapped to hers. “Here? No. We have a home in Fredonia awaiting our return.”
“Then you’ve never considered it?”
“No. You weren’t here,” he said simply.
“I am now,” she countered softly.
A host of questions gathered in his eyes, but Leo’s and Mary’s arrival interrupted anything Adam might have said.
Leo hooked one strong arm around Adam’s shoulders and mock wrestled him. “Nice work on the flagpole. Other than being a little crooked, I’d say you did a good job of getting it upright. Think it’ll stand up to a stiff breeze?”
Adam laughed and slid out of Leo’s loose hold. “That flagstaff is arrow straight and sturdy as a tree, and you know it.”
“Yeah, I do,” Leo said, his admiration for Adam’s work ringing in his words.
A bugle call quieted everyone and pulled the crowd’s attention to the middle of the lawn where several dignitaries had gathered about the flagpole, including the Crane brothers—Elias, Ezra, and Dawson, all of whom had served in the War Between the States. Men doffed their hats and pressed them against their left shoulders as everyone turned to face the Stars and Stripes. The Crane family had purchased the new flag, which arrived in late June, so it was only fitting that Elias Crane held the privilege of taking hold of the halyard and raising the new flag. First, though, he talked of liberty and freedom and justice. He spoke of service, honor, and perseverance, and how a country is strongest in community.
Then, in the sacred silence, Elias raised the twenty-first flag of the United States of America. It snapped in the breeze above the heads of men, women and children who honored the flag and all it stood for.
“It has been thirteen years since a new flag has been created for our country,” Elias said to the gathered crowd. “I am deeply honored to raise our new flag here at Crane Landing.”
“Did you know that?” Adam whispered to Rebecca.
“Can’t say as I recall,” she whispered back, giving him a playful look to remind him about her memory loss.
Adam tipped her an apologetic grin. “Of course you don’t remember. I’m sorry.” He reached out and caught her hand and tucked it in the crook of his arm.
Elias continued speaking to the crowd. “Five new stars have been added to the canton of our flag. These indicate the last of the Northwest Territories to become states, which did so in the past year. Let us give a warm welcome to Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Washington.”
The crowd cheered, and Rebecca’s eyes misted as a single shot was fired and then the call of the bugle sounded one last time. Its haunting tune carried out across the lawns and off to the ocean.
“It’s so beautiful,” she whispered, moved to tears.
Adam, with his own eyes misty, nodded as the crowd around them erupted into cheers again for country and flag and a day to celebrate both.
The picnic began immediately following the flag-raising service. Grandma went with Dawson and the other Crane men to find their wives while Adam escorted Rebecca across the grounds. Barrels of iced tea and lemonade stood in the shade, while every table boasted a myriad assortment of fruits, vegetables, and baked goods. The scent of roasted meat filled the air as two fire pits were kept stocked with all manner of wild game, chicken and beef skewered on roasting spits.
Nearby, a group of young girls tossed Graces hoops to each other, with the pink and white ribbons that adorned the hoops fluttering in the air. A number of teens played shuttlecock, while some rambunctious boys eyed the stacks of bats and pyramid of baseballs that Adam, Leo, and their friends would use for an afternoon of baseball.
“I’ll join you fellas soon,” Adam promised the eager lads. Then he set up a game of lawn croquet for Rebecca, Mary, Leo, and himself.
Rebecca didn’t need to be reminded how to hit the ball through the wickets and what counted as points because she was the reigning champ of their foursome. Despite Adam’s blatant attempts to distract her, it didn’t take her long to lead the game and outplay all of her opponents.
Twirling her mallet over one shoulder, she asked, “Shall we play again?” They all groaned, setting her off into a fit of laughter. “I’m jesting! I’m parched and in need of a glass of lemonade.”
“Me, too,” Mary said.
“I’m ready to eat. I’m ravenous,” Adam said, nipping Rebecca’s earlobe.
She gasped and clapped a hand over her ear, embarrassed by his overt display of affection. It was one thing to cuddle and kiss on her porch in the dark of night, but quite another to do so in the midst of a crowd on a sunny day. “Remember yourself, Mr. Grayson,” she said, trying to sound stern, but her breathless giggle merely encouraged his laughter.
She’d no sooner said the words than Adam hooked his arm around her waist and swept her off toward the food tables. They filled their plates and wandered to a nearby picnic table set back in the shade. Sipping lemonade and chatting, they lingered for a long time, enjoying the hearty meal and their deepening friendship.
From the distance rose a male chant of “Let’s-play-ball! Let’s-play-baaall!”
“Sounds like your game is about to start,” Rebecca said. “Go on. I’ll come and cheer for you.”
“I’d rather sit here with you,” Adam said.
“Is that the first lie you’ve ever told me, or were there others?” she asked, and then smiled, which eventually made him smile.
“It’s not a lie. Being with you trumps everything,” he said, “but I will admit to being a little in love with baseball as well.”
Shaking her head, Rebecca sent him on his way with Leo, who was already standing and rolling up his shirt sleeves.
“Come on, Adam,” Leo said. “Get the stars out of your eyes and your head in the game.”
The baseball games were fun and competitive, with Adam’s and Leo’s team playing almost as good as the Boston Beaneaters and the Brooklyn Bridegrooms. Rebecca and Mary, sitting side by side beneath their sunshades and enjoying too much lemonade throughout the game, cheered the loudest as each of the men ran across the makeshift home plate. Hours later Adam made a grand slam in the final inning, bringing Leo, John Davis, Micah Crane, and himself to home and winning the competition.
Afterward, in high spirits, the foursome strolled the grounds and took a leisurely walk to the beach. Once there the couples headed in opposite directions to afford one another a bit of privacy.
“I’m surprised you and Mary watched the whole match,” Adam said. “I’d have thought you might inspect the tables of crafts or converse with the women folk.”
“I couldn’t take my eyes off you.”
“I can never take my eyes off you,” Adam quipped.
“I’m serious,” she said, stopping to face him. “You’re really talented. It was fun to watch. Baseball was much more exciting than the crafts or conversation I would have found at the pavilion.”
“In that regard you haven’t changed at all, Rebecca.”
“Is my preference for excitement undesirable? There were plenty of other ladies watching the game.”
Adam laughed and picked a thin stone out of the sand. “I love your penchant for excitement and adventure,” he said. He tossed the stone into the ocean. It skipped twice before it sank.
“Have we always played so openly?” she asked, her gaze focused on the vast body of water because she was unable to meet his eyes while asking such a pointed question.
“Yes, we’ve always played and been honest about our feelings for each other.” He took her hands and turned her to face him. “Living that way has allowed us a wonderful freedom in our relationship. Knowing that you loved and desired me and longed for our marriage as deeply as I did was the only thing that kept me going while I was away at university.”
“I can’t remember that,” she said softly, “but I can tell you honestly that I love... your friendship and the comfort of your arms... and the sound of your voice and the woodsy scent I smell on your neck and clothes.”
“How I’ve longed to hear words like that again from your sweet lips.” He pressed a kiss to the side of her forehead, drew in a deep breath and took her hand in his. “The smell of your hair and the feel of your small hand in mine will always make my knees weak. I love so many things about you I can’t begin to list them all.”
She smiled at the beautiful man in front of her. “You probably shouldn’t since we’re standing on the beach with a crowd around us. It might be safer to skip stones, but it appears you wore out your pitching arm,” she said, steering the conversation back to a safe topic.
“You think so?” he asked, challenge ripe in his voice.
“As a matter of fact I do. I’d wager I can out skip you with our first three throws,” she said.
Adam took the bait and proved her wrong, but their laughter floated down the beach and brought them another step closer to each other and a new and exciting adult love.