Page 44 of Always to Remember
He trailed his finger along a fissure in the rock. “When I started carving the lines on his shell, I set a narrow point so it went straight up and down and its tip touched the rock. When I hit the flat end of the point with the hammer, the metal cracked the turtle’s back. I learned to always work at an angle so I don’t crack the stone.” Leaning over, he pulled another rock into a standing position. “This—”
“A rabbit!” Meg smiled triumphantly as she knelt beside him.
He released his hold on the rabbit, and it fell, buried again within the tall grass. “The rabbit won’t sit up because his weight’s not distributed evenly.”
“It might have helped if you’d given him two ears.”
“I tried.” He reached into the grass and picked up a broken piece of stone. “I made the top of his ear pointed, and then I flared out so it would look like he was listening. Then I came back in, to where his ear would join his head.”
He outlined the ear with his fingers as he talked. Even when he didn’t have tools in his grasp, he carved the images with his hands. She could envision an alert rabbit sitting in the field listening for the sound of a predator.
He wrapped his thumb and forefinger in a circle around the base of the ear. “But I got carried away with the carving and made this part too narrow. It couldn’t support the weight of the ear above it. It’s a deafening sound when you hear the crack of rock, and you aren’t holding tools.”
“How are you going to keep that from happening with the monument?”
“I’m not going to give anyone ears.”
Meg didn’t know why she laughed. Perhaps it was the image of two people and a horse without ears, or perhaps it was the way Clay fought to appear serious. He grinned, and she shook her head. “I’m serious. It seems as though the monument could crumble very easily.”
“It could, but since your husband didn’t have big ears, I think we’ll be all right.”
“What’s going to stop the horse’s legs from snapping under his weight?”
A smile of appreciation lit his face, and Meg felt the pleasure flow through her.
“You’re right. The legs are the problem.” Using both hands, he touched the tips of his fingers together to form a steeple and spread his palms apart. “It won’t be apparent, but the monument will look like a pyramid from all sides. It’ll be narrow and more detailed at the top. As I near the base, I’ll leave more stone in place. I don’t plan to hollow out the area between the horse’s hind legs. I’ll keep the stone there so it can act as support for the weight above.”
“Won’t that look odd?”
“I don’t think so. Hopefully, the rider and the woman will capture everyone’s attention, and no one will care about the horse. I’ll carve the horse’s flank and the outside of his legs. I’ll carve the details in his tail, but it’ll serve as support, too. I’ll bring it up from the base so it’ll look as though the horse is rising out of the stone. I’ll do the same thing with the flag. Your arms will be raised, but the flag will drape down to the base, so you’re not actually holding the flag. The flag is supporting your raised arms.”
“Do you foresee any problems in carving me?”
“None at all since you don’t have big …"—his gaze flitted to her breasts just before he averted his eyes and turned scarlet—“ears.”
He picked up the rabbit’s ear and tossed it aside. It grated across the turtle.
Watching Clay’s cheeks turn crimson, Meg felt a wickedness grow inside her. “Is that why you’re using me in the monument? Because I have small … ears?”
She thought he was going to hop over some stones. He scrounged around until he located a small rock. He threw it toward the trees. “Your ears are perfect. Your form …”
She watched him struggle to speak without drawing images of her in the air with his hands.
“Is perfect. That’s why I’m using you as the model.”
“You don’t think my … ears are too small?”
His cheeks turned so red, Meg was surprised they didn’t ignite into flames.
“No, I don’t think they’re too small.”
“So you won’t have any trouble carving my … ears?”
“No, I won’t have any trouble carving your ears.”
“I wouldn’t want to end up here.”
He met her gaze. “I’ll do all in my power to see that you don’t.”
