Hearts at Home by Lori Copeland Page A

it eastward, toward the open sea.
    She couldn’t speak. She lifted her hand and pointed to the oblong container moving steadily away from Heavenly Daze.
    The rescuers had no time for the dead; they were working to save a life still hanging in the balance. Bending and flexing in rhythm, they rowed Odell to shore.
    â€œWe’d better get a fire going.” Edith tugged on her husband’s sleeve. “Odell’s going to require warming up.”
    â€œI’ll get my medicine bag,” Dr. Marc announced. He glanced at the pastor. “Shall I meet you at the parsonage?”
    â€œFrenchman’s Fairest is closer,” Caleb interjected. “And our fire is already blazing. I put on a new log just before leaving the house.”
    Like marionettes on a unified string, the three men turned to Annie. “That okay with you, dear?” Pastor Winslow asked, softening his tone. “We’ll need to get Odell defrosted as soon as possible.”
    With an effort, Annie hauled her gaze from the sea and returned her attention to the people on the dock. “What about Aunt Olympia?” She met the doctor’s gaze. “How are we going to get her?”
    The doctor’s eyes gentled. “Caskets are airtight, dear. Unless damaged in some way, they’ll float forever. We’ll send Russell out to search once we get Odell settled in a warm place.”
    â€œOkay.” Pressing her hand to the side of her face, she forced herself to concentrate on the emergency at hand. “Take the front room of the house; put Odell on the sofa. You can push it closer to the fireplace if you like.”
    We have plenty of room, since the casket’s obviously not coming any time soon.
    She glanced back toward the water, where a handful of long-stemmed roses marked the spot where the Sally had gone down. Was no one worried about the boat?
    As the dory pulled up to the dock, Charles Graham and Buddy Franklin reached down to grab Odell Butcher. The old sailor kept yelling that he was fine, he could walk by himself, but even from across the dock Annie could see that his lips were blue.
    â€œHe’s a gormy old cuss,” Charles called, grinning at the wide-eyed women as he half-carried, half-dragged Odell across the dock. “But with spirit like this, he’ll be fine.”
    â€œAll the same, hypothermia isn’t something we can take lightly,” Dr. Marc called, turning toward the house. “I’ll meet you inside.”
    Following the doctor, Annie set out for Frenchman’s Fairest. She’d check the fire herself, then set a pot of water on the stove for tea. In anticipation of the guests who would come for the viewing, Caleb had already arranged a few finger foods on the dining room table, so it wouldn’t take much to turn the parlor into an emergency room. . . .
    With one last glance at Odell’s gray skin, she broke into a jog. It wasn’t until she reached the door that she realized Odell had been the only living soul aboard the Sally .
    A.J. hadn’t come.

Chapter Four
    A nnie woke to the sound of voices, wondered for an instant how her apartment had come to be filled with strangers, then remembered she was not in Portland. She was on Heavenly Daze, in her aunt’s house, and this was Tuesday, the day for which they had scheduled Olympia’s funeral. But so far absolutely nothing had gone according to her carefully laid plans, so who knew what sort of calamity the next twenty-four hours would bring?
    Groaning, she sat up and blinked away the last fragments of her dreams, then tilted her head at the sound of voices approaching on the stairs outside her door. She recognized the calm tones of Pastor Winslow, Caleb’s soft murmur, and the high-pitched, slightly nasal whine belonging to Odell Butcher.
    The old codger had wanted to return to Ogunquit last night, but Dr. Marc had refused to give him any clothes. Though the old man might have been