Dark Water Rising by Marian Hale Read Free Book Online

skipped right out of my chest. Ella Rose stood in front of me, about ten yards away, hair shining, blue eyes smiling.
    “You must be Ben’s cousin,” she said, walking up to me. “Seth, right? I’m Ella Rose Covington. Henry told me what a good carpenter you are.”
    I couldn’t seem to get my mouth open. “Um . . . Henry?”
    “My cousin, Henry Covington. He said you work together?”
    “Oh, that’s right. We do. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
    “Thank you.” She gave me a bright smile. “You know, I think I saw you when I was swimming last Friday.”
    I nodded, my thoughts a stubborn knot I couldn’t work loose. “I . . . um . . . think I saw you, too. You were in the water?”
    “Yes.” She laughed. “And you were looking over the Pagoda railing, right?”
    My head bobbed again. “I looked for you later, but I guess you were gone by then.”
    “You did? That was sweet of you.”
    She shot me another radiant smile, and a fierce flutter racked my belly.
    “Will you be going back this weekend?” she asked.
    “Yes, Saturday—Saturday after work, for sure.” I sucked in a deep breath, trying to still the quiver in my knees. “Will I see you there?”
    “Oh, I’m sure you will—me and half of Galveston.” She laughed again, then tossed a quick glance at the academy. “Sister Agnes promised to help me with my Latin if I came in early, so I have to hurry.” She shifted her books. “See you Saturday,” she called over her shoulder.
    “Yes, Saturday,” I said, waving.
    I stood there by the road, staring after her. “Covington,” I muttered. “Of course. She’s Henry’s cousin. Stupid, stupid, stupid!”
    A group of passing girls heard me and giggled. Red-faced, I took off for work.

    Mr. Farrell put me with Zach and Josiah again. “At the rate you boys are going,” he said, “we’ll make our deadline and get that bonus yet.”
    For the first time, I saw a big smile on Zach’s face. I guess he really needed the money with so much family to care for. It made me eager to make sure he got it, not that I couldn’t find a good use for the extra pay myself. I wondered if Ella Rose went to dances at the pavilion. If I ever hoped to take her, I’d have to look into buying some decent clothes, though after putting away three-quarters of my pay, the rest wouldn’t go very far. I remembered the way the Garten Verein had looked Friday night, and I could almost see Ella Rose standing under a leafy canopy in front of the pavilion, brilliant light casting a halo of silver around her like . . .
    I felt a nudge, blinked, and Ella Rose disappeared.
    “You all right?” Zach asked, his arms full of lumber.
    “Yeah, I’m okay.” I ducked my head, hoping he wouldn’t see the sudden heat I felt in my cheeks. I grabbed the sawhorses and carried them up the stairs.
    By afternoon, a few clouds had rolled in and the wind shifted to the north, bringing a hint of prairie and mesquite, hills and home. I breathed it in, but there was something else, too, tingling at the edge of my senses. I stood by the raised basement, letting thefeeling grow inside me, and remembered: A north wind always brought change.
    Mr. Farrell must’ve sensed something, too. He stood on the gallery, looking out over the gulf, his face furrowed with an edgy bewilderment. I looked, too, but couldn’t figure out what had caught his attention. The tide was high and the water rough, yet despite the peculiar haze in the sky and the fresh northerly wind, the gulf still swelled and rolled onto the beach like it had since the day I’d arrived.
    As the day wore on, we all seemed to move slower. The north breeze had done nothing to lessen the heat, as I’d hoped. In fact, it grew even sultrier, sitting heavy on my brow and in my chest, weighing me down till every breath was an effort. I soon forgot about Ella Rose, and by sunset, all I wanted to do was go home and fall asleep by the open windows.
    I’d set the clock to go off