Blanche couldn’t speak for a moment. Tears clogged her throat. She sipped her tea to moisten her mouth, all the while shaking her head. “It’s never too late. Not as long as you are alive and breathing.”
“Figured you’d say that.” He set aside his pie, only half-eaten. “But I know what I know. I’ve spent a lifetime saying no to God, I’m not going to be a hypocrite and ask Him to save me now.”
A tear rolled down Blanche’s cheek, and she turned her head so he wouldn’t see.
“Ah, sweetheart, don’t feel bad for me. Having you in my life is more of a blessing than I had any right to expect. I’ve had a good life, and meeting you, why, that’s the frosting on the cake.”
Blanche couldn’t stop her tears. “I’ll pray that you see the truth.”
He patted her hand. “And now, if you don’t mind, it’s late at night for this old man. I want to rest.” He closed his eyes. Blanche waited, praying, while her father slipped into sleep. When he began gently snoring, she planted a kiss on his forehead. At peace, she decided to set the half-eaten tray of food outside the cabin and try to sleep. When she opened the door, she found Ike in a chair, his head slammed back against a pillow, arms crossed. Whiskers darkened his cheeks. With his shirt unbuttoned at the neck, no suit jacket, and sleeves rolled up, he looked almost… heroic.
She wanted to hold on to her anger for not telling her the truth about her father, but how could she when he guarded the door like a knight of old? Laying the tray on the floor, she found an extra blanket and tucked it around Ike’s shoulders. Back inside her father’s room, she fell asleep as soon as she closed her eyes.
When Ike woke up in the morning, someone had covered him with a blanket. Blanche? What a homey, motherly touch. He shrugged off the good feeling that gave him. He didn’t need a mother.
The breakfast bell sounded as he pulled out his pocket watch. Everyone would want an update on Old Obie’s condition. He knocked on the door, and when no one answered, he turned the doorknob and entered. Blanche’s hair was splayed across the white coverlet. He forced his gaze away from the display and watched Old Obie’s chest rise and fall. His mouth hung open, and his breath rasped a little. His color concerned Ike; he’d check on him again after breakfast and see if anything had changed.
He allowed himself to look at Blanche again. With the blanket she had given to him, he returned the favor, easing it across her back. His fingers tingled where they skimmed her neck.
The bell sounded again, and he jerked his hand away. He had dallied long enough. Smithers arched an eyebrow when Ike strolled into the dining room, but no one else commented on his late arrival. The headwaiter brought him a plate piled high with all kinds of good food; Elaine must have poured her worries into her cooking.
“How is he?” Effie’s drawn face showed the aftereffects of a sleepless night.
“I’m not sure.” Ike grimaced. He brought a cup of coffee to his lips, swallowing the scalding liquid down without a qualm. “Give me a few minutes to eat, and I’ll tell the crew. Then I want you to come with me, to check on him.”
“Why? What’s wrong?”
People turned in their direction at the sound of her raised voice, and she lowered her head. “What happened?”
“I didn’t like the way he looked.” Ike forced himself to take a few bites and then stood.
The room fell silent.
“Captain Lamar survived the night. As far as I can tell, he spent the night comfortably. He was still asleep when I came downstairs,” Ike announced.
Question marks formed on the faces circled around him. He held up a hand. “That’s all I know. At this point, I am uncertain when we will leave Brownsville. Until then, continue your regular work schedule.”
As the workers filed out, Ike sought out Smithers. “Go ahead about your duties. I’ll take care of my dishes.”
Smithers nodded and withdrew.
Ike stopped by the serving window. “If you prepare a tray for the captain and Miss Lamar, I’ll take the food to them.”
“The poor dears.” Elaine whisked around, creating a masterpiece of appearance and taste.
Effie waited with Ike while Elaine put the platter together. As she finished, the door burst open.
Blanche stopped as soon as she spotted them. “Come quick. He’s taken a turn for the worse.”