“Okay.” Jack took Ellie by the hand and led her up the hill to the woods. “Watch your step. This island’s been known to have a copperhead or two.”
“Copperhead? Are they poisonous?”
“Very.”
They moved ahead, carefully stepping over rocks and branches. Ellie kept an eye out for snakes while Jack navigated the uneven terrain.
“Do you want to hear something crazy?” Ellie asked.
“Sure.”
“Since I was a little girl, I’ve dreamed of getting married on an island like this.”
“Really? I would have figured you for a church-wedding kind of girl.”
“Don’t get me wrong, church weddings are beautiful,” said Ellie, “but also very traditional. An island, on the other hand, is exotic, adventurous, different. And it would have to be at night, a clear night, so everyone could look up and see the moon and stars.”
“Of course.” He mused that only she would come up with something like that. “But how would anyone see?”
“I don’t know. Fire. Candles. I’d have to work out the details, but just imagine.”
They walked on a few steps, side by side, while Jack considered the possibilities.
When they stepped into a clearing, Ellie broke from Jack. “Would you look at that? It’s just like my dream.” She ran ahead and stood beneath the gnarled branches of an old beech tree. “This is a natural arbor.” She traced the shape of an arched branch that jutted from the trunk and extended to the ground. “It would be adorned with wildflowers, under which we could stand and exchange our vows.” She grabbed Jack’s hand and pulled him onto the small platform. “Do you, Ellie Spencer, take Jack Bennett to be your lawfully wedded husband? I do. And do you, Jack Bennett, take Ellie Spencer to be your lawfully wedded wife?”
“Um, sure,” he answered awkwardly, playing along.
“And when there are no objections to us being married, the preacher will announce us as husband and wife.” She gazed into his eyes. “Jack Bennett, please kiss your bride.”
Jack hesitated, but only for a second. Summoning the courage that had eluded him the previous evening, he leaned forward and kissed Ellie as if they’d just been married—slowly, tenderly, lovingly.
When they parted, Ellie looked up at him, eyes wide with surprise. “That was… unexpected.”
Jack’s face flushed with embarrassment. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to—”
“No, don’t be. It was nice.” A smile played about her lips.
Jack breathed a sigh of relief. “Has anyone ever told you that you have quite the imagination?”
Ellie cleared her throat. “As I said, it’s only a dream.” She stepped off the platform and stared longingly into the trees. “But dreams rarely come true, do they?”
Jack detected a hint of despair in her voice. “I suppose it depends on the dream.” He stepped off the platform and examined a pile of stones at the base of a tree. “Would you look at that?”
Ellie snapped her head around. “Is it a copperhead?”
Jack shook his head, recalling what George had told him about an unexpected gift. “Close your eyes.”
“Jack, you know I don’t like surprises.”
“Trust me,” he said.
When her eyes were shut, Jack placed a stone in Ellie’s hands. “Now open them.”
It took her a second to realize what she was holding. “Is that…?”
“An arrowhead.” He smiled. “Told you we’d find one.”
Ellie held it in the sunlight and examined the stone carefully, running her fingers along the chiseled edges. “A real true-to-life arrowhead,” she beamed. “Just think. Someone was here, right here where we’re standing. Gosh, I wonder what they were thinking when they made this?”
