“Hey there,” Alex murmured.

“Hey.”  The minister gave her a smile and rolled onto his back, yawning.  “I’m sorry I fell asleep.  Today’s therapy really wore me out.”

“That’s okay, Daniel.  You’re supposed to be getting lots of sleep, you know.  If you’re really tired, I can go spend some time in town, let you get some more rest.”

“No, I’m fine,” Daniel quickly told her.  Now that Alex was here, he wanted to be awake to enjoy her visit.  He could sleep tonight.

The minister raised his bed to a sitting position.  “So, how did things go after the vote?”

“Pretty much as I figured.  The island is buzzing like crazy with all the talk about it.  Brian’s on cloud nine.”  Alex grinned.  “Boris and I got some prime footage of him making a fool of himself.  I brought it with me for you to enjoy.”

Daniel laughed.  “I’m looking forward to it.”  The laughter faded as his eyes searched her face.  “Are you feeling better about this whole things?”

Alex settled in the chair.  “Yeah, I am.”  Her lips curled upward.  “A certain friend of mine told me that things were going to be all right.”

The minister smiled, his eyes sparkling.  “Well, I’m sure this friend of yours is very happy that he could make you feel better about it.”

Alex sighed.  “But, come June, we are going to be so busy at the Widow’s Walk.  According to what Mann and Tate said, they’re going to have a lot of people on the work crew, especially once they start building the houses.  Quite a few of those people are going to be eating their lunch at the Widow’s Walk.  And Mann and Tate said that several of the people will be from their own company, from Boston.  Those people will likely be staying on the island, which means that we’ll have some regular boarders.  On top of that, we’ll have the tourists, and I have a feeling that, once this project is announced, there are going to be some curious people coming to check it out.”

“You’re right.  You are going to be busy.  I’ll be happy to help however I can, Alex.”

“Thank, Daniel.  That’s really sweet of you to offer, but I would think that you’d still be recovering then, and I definitely don’t want you to overdo it.  Besides, you’ve got your own work to do.  Molly and I were talking about hiring someone, at least part-time.  Do you know if Melissa would be interested in a job?”

“Yes, she would.  We were chatting at church a couple of weeks ago, and she mentioned that she was thinking about trying to find a job.  Money’s still pretty tight for them, though it’s better than it was back when Moses was born.”

“Great!  I’ll have to talk to her.  So, did your mom get off okay yesterday?”

“Yeah, Dad sent the jet to pick her up so that she wouldn’t have to take a commercial flight.”

Alex shook her head.  “That must have been really nice having all those things, private jets and helicopters, personal business managers, the best hotels when you traveled.  A lot different from what you have now.”

Daniel’s expression became sad.  “Yeah, I had all those things, but the one thing that I wanted most of all was something I didn’t have--my father and a home that really felt like a home.  We lived in this huge house, a mansion, really, and, most of the time, it felt so empty to me.  It was full of people, but it felt empty.  I would have traded it all, every last dollar, just to have my father be with me rather than off somewhere on business, to feel that he cared about me and was proud of me.”

Alex reached out and took his hand.  “I’m so sorry, Daniel.  You’re right.  All the money in the world can’t make up for not having a father.  I wish things had been different for you.”

Daniel looked at her intently.  “I’m not, not anymore.”

“What do you mean?” Alex asked, surprised by his remark.

“If my father had been different, if he hadn’t been so driven to become a success, I would never have come to Hope.  I’d have never known all the wonderful friends I have now.  I wouldn’t have this life that I love.  And, most of all, Alex, I would never have met you, you and Dylan.”

Alex felt her breath catch in her throat, a warm, incredible feeling flowing through her.  Daniel’s eyes caught hers and held onto them with such a look of love that it made her feel like she was floating off the ground.

“All the pain and loneliness in my childhood was worth it to have what I do now,” Daniel murmured.

A tear broke free and slid down Alex’s cheek.  “Oh, Daniel.”

The minister gently swept the tear away with his thumb and pulled her into his arms.  She settled against him, her head on his chest, over his heart.  She listened to the steady beat.  The thought came to her mind that that heart belonged to her.  Daniel had given it to her.  He’d told her so on that night he told his father he couldn’t leave Hope Island, but it wasn’t until now that she truly realized the depth of meaning behind his words.

Daniel pressed his lips against Alex’s forehead, then rested his cheek on her hair.  He closed his eyes, pulling her closer.  It felt so wonderful having her in his arms.  He wanted to spend the rest of the day like this.  But, as luck would have it, that was not meant to be.  At that moment, a nurse came in on one of her routine checks.  Daniel and Alex reluctantly drew apart.  After the nurse had left, they smiled at each other.

“So, how would you like to see the film I brought?” Alex asked, pushing aside her desire to go back into Daniel’s arms.

“Sure.”

Alex set up the projector and screen, then closed the curtains on the window and shut off the light.  There was still light in the room, but it was dark enough for them to see the picture.  They sat back and enjoyed the show, watching the temporary transformation of their pompous mayor into a wild and crazy fool.  They were both laughing riotously well before it was finished.

“Poor Brian.  He’d be mortified if he found out that you have this,” Daniel said, still laughing.

“Yes, I know.  I’m thinking that this is good blackmail material.  If he ever gets out of hand and tries some new scheme, I could threaten to have a public showing of it.”

“Alex Stone!  You wicked woman!” Daniel exclaimed, pretending to be scandalized.

The redhead grinned at him.  “Hey, whatever works.”

The rest of the afternoon passed quickly.  Alex left at five o’clock to get the projector equipment and film to the ferry.  She returned with her dinner and ate with Daniel as he dined on hospital food.

“This is one thing I certainly won’t miss when I leave here,” the minister said, looking down at the unappetizing meal on his plate.  “Actually, I can’t think of a single thing that I will miss, except maybe having you here with me every day, which is the only thing keeping me sane.”

“Is being stuck in here driving you crazy?” Alex asked.

“Stark raving mad.  I’d give a lot to be able to spend just one hour outside.”

“Well, how about if I talk to your doctor tomorrow and see if he’ll okay that.  It’s supposed to be another nice day tomorrow, though the long-range forecast predicts that we’ll get rain before the week’s out.”

“That would be great.  I will be eternally grateful.”

“Ooh, good.  I like the idea of having you in my debt.”

Daniel grew serious.  “I already am, Alex,” he said quietly.

Alex gazed at him for a long moment.  “No, you’re not, Daniel.  I owe you for a lot too, more than I could ever repay.  Dylan and I both do.”

The minister gave her a gentle smile.  “Then I guess we’re even.”

“Yeah.”

They were both quiet for a few seconds.

“So, you feel lucky enough to play a game of cards with me?” Alex asked, breaking the serious mood.

“You bet.  Bring it on, woman!”

They spent the rest of the evening playing cards and other games.  Daniel was sorry to see the day end but knew he had tomorrow and the rest of the week to look forward to.  As long as he had Alex there with him, he could never be lonely.

The next morning, Alex talked to Daniel’s doctor and got permission to take the minister outside.  A male nurse arrived and helped Daniel into his wheelchair.  The man then wheeled him and his IV down to the hospital grounds.  There were several other patients outside enjoying the sunshine.  The nurse left Daniel and Alex alone, telling Alex to contact someone in the hospital when they were ready to go back to the minister’s room.

Alex settled on a bench, watching Daniel as he closed his eyes and tilted his face up to the sun, a contented smile on his face.  The minister drew in a deep breath, filling his lungs with the cool air.

“Mmm.  I could stay out here all day,” he murmured.

“Well, if it wasn’t for your therapy, you probably could.”

Daniel sighed.  “Yeah, there is that.”

Alex looked at him closely.  “Are you doing okay with that?  I mean, are you having problems?  You seemed to be doing well every time I went with you, and you were making improvements.  The therapist even said so.”

“Yeah, I’m doing all right.  It’s just that the therapy sessions are what really makes it clear to me how far I have to go before I’m back to normal.”  He gave her a smile.  “But I’ll be fine.  I am getting better.  I’m stronger than I was, and I can do more, though I’m still having a lot of trouble with my hand coordination.  It’s going to take a lot of time, and I just have to accept that.”

Alex nodded, wishing that she had the right words to make him feel better about his physical condition.  “Have you thought about what you’re going to do about your therapy after you get out of the hospital?”

“No.  I need to discuss it with Mom and Dad.  No matter what I do, it’s going to involve them.  I mentioned it in passing in one of my phone conversations with Dad, and he said that we’d talk about it when he returned.  I also asked my doctor again when I could expect to get out of here, but he said it’s still too early to tell.”  Daniel smiled again.  “So, I’m just going to have to keep being patient . . . and keep being a patient.”

All too soon, it was time for them to go back inside.  Right after lunch, Daniel was taken to Physical Therapy.  Alex accompanied him, lending her silent support.  She had never told the minister how difficult it was for her to see him struggling to do things that healthy people take for granted.  She knew what would happen if he found out.  He’d insist that she not go with him, then he wouldn’t have the support from her that she knew he needed.

Throughout the session, the therapist praised and encouraged Daniel, telling him how well he was doing.  After it was over, the minister was settled back in his wheelchair, perspiration beading his forehead and his hands shaking with exhaustion.

“Ms. Stone, could I speak with you for a moment?” the therapist asked quietly.

“Sure.”

The man walked away a few steps, out of Daniel’s earshot.  “You weren’t here for Daniel’s sessions the last three days.”

“No, I was back home.  I had some business to deal with.”

The man nodded.  “I’ve noticed that when you’re here, Daniel does a lot better in his therapy.”

“He does?” Alex asked in surprise.

“There's no doubt about it.  He puts a lot more effort and concentration into it, as if he’s trying not only for himself but also for you.  He tries even harder than he does when his mother is with him.”

Alex looked over at Daniel, who was talking with another patient.  “I had no idea.”

“It can be that way sometimes.  The patient feels like they need to show their spouse or significant other that they are going to be all right, are going to fully recover.”

Alex blushed faintly.  “Uh, Daniel and I aren’t, um, involved with each other, not in that way, at least not yet.”

“Oh?  I’m surprised.  By the way he acts during his therapy when you’re around, I assumed that you were in a relationship.”

“No, though I think that it’s going in that direction.  We’ve been friends for a year now, and we’ve gotten pretty close, but we’re not dating.”

“I understand.  Anyway, the point I was trying to make is that I hope you will continue to be here with Daniel during his therapy.”

“I plan on being here.  My business at home is finished, so I will be able to stay here, at least for another week or so.”

“Good.  I’m glad to hear that.”  The man looked over at Daniel, who looked as if he was about ready to fall asleep in his wheelchair.  “Make sure he gets some sleep, whether he wants to or not.”

“I’ll do that.”

Daniel was taken back to his room and settled in his bed.

“I’m going to go into town for a while and let you get some sleep,” Alex told him.

“No, that’s okay.  I’m all right,” the minister insisted.

“Daniel, you and I both know that you need to rest after your therapy.  It’s exhausting.  Besides, if you take a nap now, you won’t be sleepy for the rest of the day.  I won’t be gone long, just an hour or so.”

Daniel sighed.  “All right.  I just didn’t want to sleep through any of your visit.”

“We’ll have plenty of time together.  It’s more important for you to get the rest you need.”

“Yes, Mommy.”

Alex grinned and patted his hand.  “There’s a good boy,” she said teasingly.

Alex went into Seattle and did some shopping.  It seemed like she was constantly having to buy new clothes for Dylan.  He grew out of them faster than she thought possible.  Her little boy was growing up.  Soon, he’d be a teenager, and, before she knew it, he’d be all grown up and going out on his own.  That thought saddened her, but she knew it was a part of being a mother.  Maybe, someday, she’d have another child, a new little one to take care of.  Alex smiled when the thought came to her that Daniel was the only man whom she would want to have more kids with.

That thought brought another one.  Would Daniel want to have children with a woman who had no religion?  He would want his children raised in a Christian home, a home built on the foundation of a love and belief in God.  How would it be for a minister to raise children in a household where the mother didn’t even pray?

Suddenly feeling depressed, Alex found a small park and went for a walk, seriously thinking about the future of her relationship with Daniel.  She loved him and wanted to be with him for the rest of her life.  But Daniel was a minister, a man of God.  His religious beliefs were a major part of who he was.  Could a minister really consider having a permanent relationship with someone who was not religious?  Cliff Cooper had objected to Daniel’s relationship with Kate because she was of a different faith.  He had believed that such a relationship would be a mistake.  How much more would it be considered a mistake for Daniel to be involved with a woman who had no religion at all?

Alex knew that Daniel loved her.  It was in every look he gave her, every word he spoke, but would that be enough?  Maybe all her thoughts of being with Daniel were just dreams that couldn’t come true.

Feeling even more depressed, Alex left the park and drove slowly back to the hospital, trying to regain control of her emotions.  She couldn’t let Daniel see how upset she was.  He had too much to worry about already.

The minister was still asleep when she returned.  Alex sat down in a chair and just watched him sleep for the next twenty minutes, thinking about what a life with Daniel would be like.  At the first sign that he was awakening, she put a smile on her lips.

Daniel awoke to the sight of Alex’s smiling face.  It was a wonderful sight, one that he wished he could wake up to every day for the rest of his life.

“Hi,” he said.  “How long have you been back?”

“Oh, twenty minutes or so.  I didn’t want to disturb you.”

Daniel rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and raised his bed.  He looked at the clock to see that he’d been sleeping for nearly two hours.  “Did your shopping take longer than you expected?”

“Um, no, I . . . did some other things too.”

Daniel looked at Alex more closely, noticing a falseness to her cheerfulness.  “Alex, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing.  Everything’s fine,” she assured him.

The minister shook his head.  “I don’t think it is.  I can tell that something’s bothering you.  Is it something to do with Hope Gardens?”

“No.  I mean, that is on my mind a lot, but I’m trying not to let it bother me.”

“Then it’s something else.”

Alex shook her head.  “It’s nothing we need to talk about now.  It will keep.”

Daniel studied her intently.  “Are you sure?”

Alex gave him a wider, more genuine smile.  “Yeah, I’m sure.”

The minister watched her for a while longer.  “Okay, but I want you to promise me, that, whatever it is, we will talk about it.”

“I promise.”

There was a knock on the door.  The door opened, and a familiar face poked into the room.

“Hey, Callie,” Daniel greeted with a smile.  “I wouldn’t have expected to see you here today.  I’d have thought that you would be busy with your special edition of the paper.”

“I am.  That’s why I’m here,” the journalist said as she came into the room.  “I wanted to get yours and Alex’s thoughts on the results of the ballot.  I’ve already talked to everyone else that I wanted to.”

“You could have just called.  You didn’t have to come all the way out here.”

“I know, but I prefer to do interviews in person.  Do you mind?  I mean, is there going to be a problem?”

“No, not at all.  I’d be happy to give you an interview,” Daniel assured her.

“I don’t mind either,” Alex told the reporter.

“Good!  Shall we do the interviews separately or together?” Callie asked.

“Which would you prefer?” Daniel replied.

“Well, it would be best to do them separately.”

“Then that’s what we’ll do.”

“You can go first, Daniel,” Alex said.  “I want to get myself a cup of coffee.”

As Alex left, Callie got out her tape recorder and set it on the table beside the bed, pushing the record button.  “Is this okay?” she asked the minister.

“Yeah, that’s fine.”

“All right, to start off with, are you happy about how the vote turned out?”

“Yes.  I was hoping that the islanders would vote for Hope Gardens.”

“Why is that?  Why do you want this retirement community built?”

“Because I think it could be the first step in improving the economical stability of the island.  I’ve only been here a year, but I’ve seen up close what a strain it is on the residents when the situation with the fishing goes bad.  If there was a way to improve the condition that the fishing industry is in, I’d be all for it, but I don’t know of a way to do that.  So, I think the time has come to look in other directions.  Now, I know that this retirement community isn’t going to be a miracle cure for the island’s economic situation, but it’s a start, a start that could lead to other things.  It is true that there will be drawbacks to having it, but I truly believe that the benefits will outweigh them.”

“What are your views as a minister, as one of the two religious leaders on the island?”

Daniel chuckled.  “Somehow, I just can’t think of myself as a religious leader.  It sounds . . . kind of pretentious.  But to answer your question, as a minister, my first thought is to the spiritual well-being of the community.  When people are upset or worried about their finances, their spiritual health can suffer.  They can let the day to day struggle of living supplant their time spent with God.  I know of several fishermen who want to go to church regularly but simply can’t afford to lose the time from fishing or tending to their boats.  It bothers me that things are that way.  I want those people to be able to go to church every Sunday, to be able to share in the joy of worshiping God.  If this retirement community results in alternate ways for people to earn a living, even if it’s just part-time, then it could be a godsend.”

Callie nodded.  “So, you think that Hope Gardens will bring in a lot of jobs to the community.”

“No, not Hope Gardens itself.  Yes, it will generate some jobs.  Maintenance, gardening, housecleaning, things like that.  What I’m hoping is that Hope Gardens will result in other businesses opening on the island.  The marina Joseph Mann and Frank Tate spoke of is one example.  That would be a great thing for the island.  It would give the fishermen or others a way of earning extra money, yet still work with boats.  And there are other things as well.  For example, we have something here that is beyond price, something that does not have to be built or created, something that has been given to us free of charge.”

“What’s that?” Callie asked, leaning forward, her interest piqued.

“The magnificence of God’s creations.  Every day, I look out the window of my house, and the beauty takes my breath away.  People travel hundreds, thousands of miles to see natural wonders.  Some people come to Hope for that very purpose.  Yet, to this day, there has not be any kind of tour guide business set up on the island, no organization to take people on tours of Hope and the surrounding area.  Such a business could bring in a lot of revenue to the island and generate quite a number of jobs.  This area is full of islands, each one with its own character and natural beauty.  A tour of the islands could be very popular.  We are so close to the San Juans.  Someone with a large enough boat could take people on an ocean tour of them, perhaps even stopping at some of the ports.  There’s already a ferry system out of Anacortes that takes passengers through the San Juans, and it’s very expensive.  A smaller company could be set up that would take people to the San Juans for a lot less money.  Up until now, none of the residents have had the capital it would take to set up a business like that, but these people who are going to be living in Hope Gardens are people with money.  Some of them may be very interested in starting a business like that with some of the locals.”

Callie stared at Daniel in amazement.  “Wow.  That is a fantastic idea, Daniel.  It could be huge!  Something like that could become a major source of revenue for the island.  You’re right.  Up until now, we haven’t taken advantage of the one thing that this area has above everything else, its natural beauty.”  Callie was so excited, she was nearly bouncing up and down in her chair.

Daniel grinned, amused by her enthusiasm.  “And that’s just the beginning.  We have networks of hiking trails all over the island.  What about hiking and camping excursions or mountain biking trips?  Heck, if someone could open a stable on the island, there could be horseback riding tours.  Think of riding through the mountains of Hope Island or along the beaches on the back of a horse.”

“Oh, Daniel, this is terrific.  It could turn our economy completely around.  Like you said, before now, it wouldn’t have been possible for anyone on the island to set up businesses like that because the money just wasn’t there.  People would have had to get loans or backers from the mainland, but with these rich residents that will be moving into the area, the money could come from people right here.”

Daniel nodded.  “But the one thing we’d have to be very careful of is not to go overboard.  We don’t want so many tourists pouring onto the island that it destroys the way of life we have there.”

“I completely agree,” said a voice from the doorway, startling both Daniel and Callie.  They turned to see Joseph Mann standing there, an expression of admiration on his face.

“How long have you been there?” the minister asked.

“Long enough to hear your brilliant thoughts for Hope Island, Reverend,” the Bostonian replied.  He came forward.  “What you’re proposing is a marvelous idea.  I couldn’t have come up with a better one.  I myself was blown away by the beauty of this area, and I think it could be a big business for Hope, bringing in a lot of money to the community.  And the people of Hope Island know this area as well as anyone.  The fishermen know these waters like the backs of their hands.  They’re the perfect people to run a business like that.  I, personally, like that idea of the horseback riding tours.  I’m quite an avid horseman.  I would be very interested in being a part of setting up such a business.”  He smiled.  “I have to say, Reverend Cooper, that you have been a surprise right from the start, even before I met you.  Not only are you such a beloved member of Hope’s community that hundreds of its residents prayed for you when you were ill, you also seem to have a very good head on your shoulders.”

Daniel flushed, embarrassed by the compliment.  “I just love this community and want to see it prosper.”

“We want that too.  A financially healthy community will benefit everyone.”  Joseph sat down in the other chair.  “I’d like to make you a proposition.  Once Hope Gardens is completed and gets its residents, I’d like to help you put together these enterprises you spoke of.”

Daniel’s eyebrows rose.  “Me?  I’m a minister, not a businessman.  In fact, I’m lousy at anything to do with finances and accounting.  I wouldn’t know the first thing about setting up a business.  And I wouldn’t be interested in even trying.  All I want is to be a minister.”

“I don’t want or expect you to become a businessman, Reverend.  But you do have something that is invaluable: the attention and respect of the Hope Island residents.  They listen to you.  You could talk to people, find those who would be interested in going into such a business, and you could make others see how terrific a thing it could be.”

Daniel shook his head.  “I wouldn’t want to unduly influence people.”

“No, of course not, but you wouldn’t have to.  Heck, just what you said to Callie here had me convinced that this would be a fantastic thing for the island, and you were only speaking what was in your heart and mind.  All you’d have to do was talk to people, find those who have the desire and ability to go into such a business.”

“And what would you be doing?” Callie asked.

“The same thing, only I’d be doing it in Hope Gardens, talking to the residents there.  Between the two of us, we could find the people who would finance the businesses and those who would run them.”

“And what would you get out of all this?” asked a new voice.  They turned to see that Alex had come back.  “I don’t know what all this is about since I only got here a minute ago,” she said, “but it sounds like you’re talking about some kind of new business on the island.  Care to fill me in?”

Callie looked at Daniel eagerly, silently asking his permission to tell Alex what they’d been talking about.  He gave her that permission with a smile.  The journalist launched into an explanation of Daniel’s idea.  The minister squirmed in embarrassment at Callie’s glowing words of how great an idea it was.  Once she was finished, Alex turned her eyes on him, surprise and respect on her face.

“Wow, Daniel.  That’s quite an idea.  Callie’s absolutely right.  It could be the perfect solution to the island’s economic problems.  It would bring in more customers to a lot of the businesses that are already on the island, plus make it possible for some new businesses to come in.” Alex laughed.  “Brian would be in seventh heaven since every one of those tourists who came would be potential property buyers.”

“Yeah, what about Brian?  Wouldn’t he be a more logical choice to help set up this thing?” Daniel asked.

Joseph shook his head.  “Mayor Brewster is too . . . bombastic for this.  Forgive me for saying so, but your mayor does like to hear himself talk.”

Everyone smiled at the comment, knowing it was true.

“We’d want someone who could talk to people heart to heart without a lot of empty words and promises.  Someone who would be telling it like it is and wants only one thing: to help the community.”

Daniel’s gaze went to Alex, a small smile on his lips.  The redhead waved her hands and shook her head.

“No way, Daniel,” she said.  “I’ve got my own business to run, and I’m going to be up to my eyeballs in work as it is.”

“And I don’t?  I repeat, I’m a minister, and my work as a minister keeps me pretty busy.  I can’t forsake my clerical duties to go feel people out on their interest in starting a new business.”

“You wouldn’t have to, Reverend Cooper,” Joseph assured him.  “Every day, you talk to people, whether it’s as a minister or just as a friend.  While you’re talking to them, there’s no reason why you couldn’t talk about this as well.”

Daniel sighed.  “I don’t know.  I’ll have to think about it.”

“That’s all I can ask.”  The Bostonian looked over at Callie’s tape recorder.  “Is that thing on?”

“Oh!  Yeah, I guess I should turn it off.  I’m going to run out of tape,” the journalist replied.  She reached over and hit the stop button.

“Were you interviewing the reverend?”

“Yeah, I wanted to get his thoughts on the results of the vote.”

“If I were you, I wouldn’t make any mention of Daniel’s idea in your article.  If Mayor Brewster gets wind of it, he might jump the gun and try to set things up before the time is right.”

Callie nodded.  “You’re right.  That’s exactly what he’d do.  Not only that, but he’d try to make it sound like the whole thing was his idea.”

“Callie, I don’t care who gets credit for this,” Daniel said.

“No, but I do.”  She stood up.  “Well, I think I got everything I need from you, Daniel.  It’s your turn, Alex.”

“Okay, but I wanted to know why Mister Mann is here,” the redhead said.

“Nothing important, Ms. Stone,” Joseph responded.  “I had to come to the mainland to take care of some other stuff, and I just decided to stop by here and ask the reverend his thoughts and ideas on Hope Gardens.”  He rose to his feet.  “I will take my leave of you now.  I need to get back to the island.  Frank and I are leaving tomorrow, and there’s still lots to do.”

“When will you be returning?” Alex asked.

“In a few weeks.  We need to get busy on the planning stage.  There are models to be built, blueprints to draw.  We have to plan down to the last detail where everything is going to go.  The problem is that the water that’s presently covering the land is going to make this more difficult since it will be hard to take measurements.  That’s why Frank and I have come up with an idea.  We’d like to bring a crew in to slowly siphon off the water on the land.  It could either be drained into tankers or poured down the side of the hill . . . as long as it didn’t flood someone else’s land or a road, of course.  I figure that it would take a week or two to finished the job, as long as we didn’t have any mayor storms that would dump a lot more water on the property.  Once the land was clear of water and had time to dry out a little, we’d come back and start taking measurements.  In the meantime, we can begin on the preliminary planning.”

“I don’t think there would be any problem with that,” Alex said.  “After all, the land is yours now.  You can do what you want with it.”

Joseph smiled.  “Yes, but the neighbors will have to be warned that it’ll get noisy around there.  Those siphon pumps aren’t quiet.”

“I think they’ll learn to live with it.  It will only be temporary, after all, and you won’t be siphoning at night.”

“All right, then.  We’ll make the arrangements.  You can probably expect to see a crew there sometime next week, the week after at the latest.”

Callie got a thoughtful expression on her face.  “Alex, what about that old tanker truck that Jacob Markson has?  It used to be a water truck for the fire department, right?”

“Yeah, it was retired from service when it got too old to keep it in good enough working order for the fire department.”

“Well, couldn’t it be used for something like this?”

“Yes, it could,” Joseph replied.  “All you’d have to do is fit it with a pump that would draw water into the tank at a sufficient rate.”  He smiled.  “We would be happy to employ locals to do this job.  We’d even pay for whatever modifications and repairs had to be done to the truck since we would be saving a lot of money having locals do the job rather than bringing someone in from the mainland.”

“Great!” Alex said with a smile.  “I’ll call Jacob tonight and see what he says.”

“Please do, and let me know what he says.”  The Bostonian looked at his watch.  “I need to get going.”  He shook the minister’s hand.  “Reverend.  It was nice to talk with you again.  I hope we’ll be able to work with you in the future.”

Joseph said goodbye to the two women, then left.

Daniel’s head flopped back on the pillow.  “Whew!  When I mentioned my ideas about tour guide businesses, I didn’t realize that it was going to turn into a major event.  My head is spinning.”

Alex and Callie laughed.

“Well, that’s what you get for coming up with a brilliant idea,” the redhead told him.

“Fine.  You can come up with the next brilliant idea,” the minister said sarcastically.  “I don’t want to think of any more.”

The women laughed again.

“Come on, Callie.  Let’s let the genius rest his poor brain while you ply me with questions,” Alex said.

“Ha ha,” Daniel responded, then smiled.  “Hurry back.”

Daniel watched the women leave then settled more comfortably into the pillow, his mind now full of what his little idea could ultimately mean for the island . . . and for himself.

NEXT CHAPTER