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.The noon sun was directly overhead.The tide was out, and children scampered about the sand.It didn’t take him long to spot Rianna among them, her lavender dress like a spring flower against the drab brown of the clam flats.She seemed like a child herself, running among the others.He shaded his eyes and looked around for Melanie.She was helping Mrs.Avery spread out their things.He sighed, wishing he could get her to join the other children more.But he didn’t want to push her and make her feel uncomfortable.“Hey, Noah, I see you was away fishing.How far out did you go?”He turned to the fisherman.“Oh, not too far, just beyond Grand Manan.” He didn’t say he could have stayed out another day, but had felt pulled back to shore.They continued chatting awhile longer.When Noah turned to look toward the shore again, his gaze searched immediately for the splash of lavender.This time his attention was arrested by the yellow, sprigged figure beside it.His daughter was standing alongside Rianna out on the clam flats, looking intently downward.He remembered Rianna’s penchant for searching for treasure.He could hear the faint sound of their laughter across the flats.He fought with himself to keep from joining them, ignoring the fact that Rianna was the sole reason for his being out today in the first place in his uncomfortable Sunday best.He stubbornly continued standing with the men even though he’d run out of things to say.When some of them suggested a game of horseshoes, Noah jumped to help organize it.He became aware the moment Rianna joined a group of onlookers.Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of the lavender skirt.Even more surprising was seeing her with a child by each hand, one of them his daughter.He didn’t know why the sight of Rianna surrounded by children should be so startling.Was it only because the last time he’d known her, she’d been barely out of childhood herself? The notion of her as a grown woman was something he was still getting used to.The idea of her being good with children shouldn’t be so astounding.After all, her vivacious, fun-loving personality would be a magnet to children, like a female Pied Piper.He focused on the horseshoe in his hand, taking aim.When he made the shot, it annoyed him how pleased he was when she cheered him on.When the clambake pit was uncovered and everyone began drifting back to their groups to eat, he couldn’t help noticing the numerous family members surrounding Rianna.Once again he held back from going over to greet her.He recognized two of her sisters and their husbands who’d come from the nearby villages.Noah, by contrast, headed to sit at the edge of Mrs.Avery’s family group.Melanie skipped up to him.“Papa, may I go sit with Mrs.Bruce and her sisters? Please, Papa?”She hadn’t been this excited about someone since…well, he was the only one she got excited about.“I don’t know.She’s got a lot of company there.”Melanie looked down, her bottom lip jutting out.“But Papa, she invited me.”He felt caught between not wanting to disappoint her and not wanting her to come to depend on Rianna too much.“Please, Papa? There are a lot of children there.”He swallowed, feeling the bite of food he’d just taken stick in his throat.“Sure, sweetie.Go on and have a good time.”Her bright smile lit her face.“Thank you, Papa!” Before he could say anything more, she had spun around and was running to the Devon gathering.More like a clan, he thought sourly, eyeing their laughing group spread out over various blankets and folding chairs.“Noah, you’ve hardly touched your food,” Mrs.Avery scolded.“What’s wrong? Don’t you like my potato salad? Isn’t the corn sweet? I thought you liked lobster!”He reassured her everything was fine and took a heaping forkful to show her.The potato salad tasted like mush in his mouth, but he chewed determinedly, trying to stifle the sense of abandonment he felt.Just then, Mrs.Johnson’s youngest son ran up to him.Noah lifted his plate into the air to avoid the shower of sand he kicked up.“Mr.Samuels,” he panted, “can you get together a ball game after we eat—”His mother glared at him.“Thaddeus M.Johnson, what do you think you’re doing? Look at the sand you’ve thrown all over Mr.Samuels!”Tad hung his head.“I’m sorry, Mr.Samuels, I didn’t mean to.”“That’s all right.I know you didn’t,” he assured the boy.“Why don’t you sit down and eat your food and then we’ll see about a ball game.”Mrs
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