Dagny, on the other hand, had inherited more of Mama than just her dark beauty. She was sweet, even-tempered, softer, more vulnerable. Often unencumbered by the hot and roiling emotions that lit a fire under Hallie.Dagny was the quiet one.
“You said you will need it Saturday, miss?” the stone carver asked. “For your father’s burial?”
“That’s right.” Hallie forced a smile to her lips, and it felt out of place.
“Follow me over to that wall and you can decide the size and shape of the gravestone from those sketches.”
“Anything is...” Hallie’s voice tapered off. “... fine.” The man was already making his way across the barnlike room. He couldn’t hear her.
Hallie glanced at Dagny. An empty wagon now sat next to the dock, and near it, a huge, blond man stood talking to her sister, his hat in his hand. The lack of women in the city made women-snatching a common occurrence, especially here near the wharves.
Hallie panicked. Her fears were fueled by the sheer bulk of the man, who looked as if he could snatch her dazed sister in an instant. She grabbed a brick ax in both gloved hands, just in case, and flung it over her shoulder as she marched toward the man she imagined as her sister’s would-be abductor. With her adrenaline and her imagination racing in tandem, Hallie made it to the dock in time to hear the tail end of the man’s words just as he reached toward Duggie.
“... abduct you.”
Hallie’s fingers gripped the handle and she raised her elbows high ready to heave the heavy tool at him.
“Hallie! No!” Dagny screamed, pushing the man away from the descending ax.
The solid iron smashed onto the dock, splintering the wood and sending waves of bone-ringing pain up Hallie’s arms, through her shoulders and clear up to her neck. She squeezed her eyes closed and shook her dizzy head. Even her teeth ached. When she opened her eyes, the man was sitting up, a trail of blood trickling from where he’d gashed his head on a nearby crate.
“What were you thinking!” Dagny flared. She jerked open her velvet bag, pulling out a hankie, and dabbed at the dazed man’s head while she crooned a soft apology.
“What wasIthinking? Didn’t you hear him? He was going to grab you! Get away from him while I get someone to call the sheriff.” Hallie swirled around and slammed into the stocky chest of the stonemason.
“What’s going on here?” The man looked back and forth from the giant to Dagny, to her...to his ax.
Hallie spoke right up. “Hurry, get some rope or something to tie him up before he gets away! He tried to nab my sister.”
“Duncan?” The stonemason sounded truly amazed.
“Who?” Hallie asked.
“Oh Hallie, be quiet!” Dagny snapped. “He was doing no such thing!”
“There’s his wagon right there...” Hallie pointed to the empty spot where the wagon had been waiting. “Well... it was there.” She looked down the dirt street. There was no empty wagon. “Well,” she looked at them, conviction flaring from her eyes, “itwas!”
“Miss Fredriksen, there must be some mistake. Duncan wouldn’t hurt your sister.”
“But I heard him say he was going to abduct her!”
The blond man named Duncan looked up at Hallie. “I was warning her, ma’am. I told her it wasn’t safe to sit out here alone where someone could abduct her.”
“Oh.”
“Of course he was, Hallie! I can’t imagine why you thought he would hurt me. Look...you can see kindness written all over his face!” Dagny glared at Hallie.
Duncan looked at the stonemason. “Abner sent me to pick up those headstones and that order of lumber, Hank.” He glanced over at the empty spot where his wagon once sat. “Looks like I’ll be a while, though, going after that runaway team.”
Hallie felt awful. “I’m sorry, Mister... ?”
“Just Duncan, miss,” he smiled. “And that’s all right. You were just looking out for your pretty little sister.” He glanced at Dagny.
“I’m sorry about your wagon,” Hallie apologized.
“Don’t worry, miss. I’ve one you can borrow, Duncan,” Hank assured them. Duncan will look out for your sister while we finish up that order.” He paused and eyed the ax, still embedded in the jagged crack that marred the dock. “You sure pack some wallop.”
Hallie ignored his comment, since her elbows were still ringing with the effects of her “wallop.” She looked at her sister. “You’ll be okay?”
