The Tree and the Tablet (The St. James Chronicles Book 1)

by Kathryn O'Brien

  The Tree

  The St. James Chronicles, Book 1

  By Kathryn O’Brien

  Text copyright © 2018 by Kathryn O’Brien

  Edited by Jessica Gibson

  Interior Design and formatting by Kody Boye

  Cover Design by Maria Spada Book Cover Design

  No part of this book, or any part thereof, may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, or by any other means without written permission of Kathryn O’Brien.

  Any reference to books, authors, products, or name brands is in no way an endorsement by Kathryn O’Brien, and she has never received payment for any mention of such.

  Any mention of individual names was purely intentional, and that’s what happens when you are part of my life.

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  About the Author

  In Loving Memory of Sherri Lowder

  Thank you for being my best friend. Patiently, I await the day when we will meet again.

  To David, my rock and my world, who stood by and listened to my rambling and nodded in silence.

  To John, who patiently contributed to my discoveries and who always helped me be better by encouraging me and loving me for who I am.

  To Daddy, I love you. Thank you for always being there and supporting me no matter what.

  And to Two very special women…(You know who you are). I can’t wait to go to Greece with you.

  Chapter One

  Glancing out of the windows nearby, the rain fell in dark, thick sheets, landing heavily on the tarmac at SeaTac airport, making it difficult to see the lights of the landing planes. Though heavy rain was usual in November, this seemed a bit extreme. It was only two days before Thanksgiving. What a terrible time to have to travel.

  My beautiful niece was sitting across from me, her long blonde hair in braids. Piercing blue eyes, framed with lashes that most women dream of having, were filled with tears as she looked off into the darkness. Clutched to her chest, was a somewhat ragged looking teddy bear that had been passed down to her from her mother. Her beautiful spirit seemed crushed and subdued under the weight of her sadness and her small, fragile, five-year-old shoulders sagged in heart wrenching but subdued crying. My soul wept at the sight of her, at the thought of the unbearable burden such a young and vibrant child had to endure.

  Kelsey was such a happy child who always seemed to have a ready smile, a funny joke and a warm hug. She was always giggling at things, or even just laughing at her own thoughts, as if she just heard the funniest story. This is a transformation I would have preferred to never see. So young, so beautiful, and so sad.

  She was only supposed to be with me for the holiday so my sister, Andrea, and her husband, Jaxon, could prepare for the arrival of their new baby boy, which they had decided to name Dylon. Now, we had to travel to Denver to attend a funeral and reading of the will.

  Andrea and Jaxon, on their way to the hospital to have Dylon, were T-Boned at an intersection by a beer delivery truck. The police officer who called to tell me about the accident, said the coroner had found evidence of the driver having had a seizure. His foot was discovered pressed firmly against the gas pedal, which was why the truck traveled so far through the intersection. It went straight through the intersection and right into Andrea's side of the car, carrying it up into an embankment and a steel light post which pinned in Jaxon as well. They all died on impact. The emergency medical personnel tried to save Dylon. He was in the birth canal at impact and there was some speculation by the officer that Jaxon may have been distracted by the events in the car, but there was really no way to know for sure. It really didn’t matter because it turned out the impact was too much for him and he died shortly after they extracted him.

  A tear slipped down my cheek. The airport seemed to be closing in on me and I just wanted to run far away or wake up from this nightmare. Kelsey was all I had left now.

  My parents were gone as were Jaxon’s. I missed my mom. She was always the one I could talk to when I was struggling. After her disappearance, I stayed in Allyn, Washington at our childhood home and ‘Drea and Jaxon moved into his parent’s home in Cherry Hills, outside of Denver, Colorado.

  Lost in my own thoughts, I failed to notice Kelsey’s approach or register her soft voice as she spoke. Her lips moved again as I watched her tiny fingers extend toward me in a haze to tap me on the arm, "Auntie?"

  Even though I had just watched her actions, for some reason, I jumped, slightly startled by her touch. Staring at her swollen red eyes, I smiled gently as I pushed a stray lock of hair out of her face. "I'm so sorry, Kells. Do you need something?"

  She pointed at the ticket counter and said, "That lady talked on the speaker thingy and said that it's time to get on the plane." Having travelled a lot between me and my sister, she knew about the ins and outs of airports and intercoms so I wasn’t really surprised by her revelation.

  It was true. The few people who were there this late, slowly ambled in the general direction of the stewardess assigned to check tickets and were collecting in a line near the gate. Glancing back to her, I smiled and tried to sound as cheerful as I could, "Well, then, I guess we better gather our things and get in line."

  Kelsey nodded. Leaning over, I grabbed the small carry-on kennel with my four-pound Yorkshire terrier, Peanut, and my backpack that had the necessities. Kelsey only had her small rolling carry on, her pink bedazzled backpack with snacks inside, and her teddy. She slipped her hand into mine and we proceeded to the gate.

  We quickly boarded the plane to get situated. It was difficult not to notice the extremely handsome man sitting in the same row with us. Feeling the pull of the distraction offered by the view, I sighed softly. He sat in the window seat and as I looked at him, I felt an instant connection like someone had tied an invisible string around us and we were being drawn together. There was a photo of what looked like a beautiful woman in his hand and he quickly slipped the picture into some obscure place that I failed to see, as if he was a street magician. Wondering how I could be thinking of a man at a time like this, I tried to focus on other things but just couldn't stop staring at him.

  When he looked up at me, his expression was guarded but I couldn't help feeling that he knew me somehow. The connection was electric, as if a lightning bolt pierced my soul which set every limb in my body into shock, filling me with a tingling sensation. Dark hair, silky and black, shone softly in the muted light and was loosely combed back from his face. The minimal lighting in the plane glinted off his hair, making it look almost blue which made me think of a raven’s wings in the sun.

  Thick, black lashes surrounded deep, but bright green eyes, the color of the clearest Columbian emeralds. However, the light danced in his eyes and made them look differen
t colors of green with every movement. The dark outline of his thick lashes enhanced the effect. Small crow’s feet spread out from the sides of his eyes, as if he spent hours smiling and laughing. His lips were soft, yet strong looking. He smiled at us, showing perfect white teeth, one dimple on his left cheek and small wrinkles at the corner of his mouth, confirming the suspicion that he spent a good amount of time enjoying life. They were totally kissable lips, but those eyes were amazing. My breath caught in my throat.

  His face was ruggedly handsome, chiseled like a statue but soft around the edges. His golden tan skin made me wonder what he did for a living as it was obvious he worked outdoors. Looking at him reminded me of coming across a deep, green pool in a forest haven that you just wanted to strip naked and jump into.

  He looked away as if he’d read my mind and turning, he asked Kelsey, “Would you like to sit by the window?” I just about melted right there. My knees felt like jello and I struggled to keep my balance. His voice, strong and deep timbered, but not so deep as to be scary sounding, was heaven to my ears. Standing there, I openly stared at him like some lovesick puppy desperate for his attention and wanting him to say so much more. I was thirty-two years old dammit! What was wrong with me? Snap out of it, Maggie!

  He looked at me with a puzzled expression, asking, “What did you just say?”

  Oh, God! I said that out loud? The blush raged all the way from my toes up to the roots of my hair. My face was on fire and my blonde hair could have been turned red from my embarrassment. The extreme shyness I always struggled with took over and I stammered and stumbled over myself as I quickly said, “What? I didn't say anything.” Just then, Kelsey spoke up and said, “Yes, please.”

  Her perfectly timed response distracted him enough to get his focus off of me. Gingerly, he stood up, as much as he could in the cramped quarters, to assist Kelsey to her seat. So close to me now, I could feel the vibration from the soft and gentle words he was saying to Kelsey yet I wasn’t able to make out the exact words because he was talking so softly, but she giggled and said, “Thank you,” in her sweetest voice. Dehydration struck me and I nervously licked my lips. Oh, good lord, he almost caught me staring at his butt.

  As he returned to his semi-upright position and turned to face me again, I was struck by a sense of height. Hard to tell when you're on a plane, but I presumed he was just over six feet tall. Even though he had on loose fitting blue jeans and a soft green t-shirt that somehow made his eyes seem brighter, I could tell he had a muscular build. The tightness of his shirt outlined his perfectly chiseled torso and the short sleeves of the t-shirt revealed bulging biceps that rippled when he gripped the back of the seat in front of him. However, he wasn’t like Mr. Universe or any of those bodybuilder types.

  Just then, a person coming down the aisle bumped into me from behind and with almost nowhere to go, I fell into his arms. He caught me and kept us from falling over together, I couldn’t help but notice how large and tan his hands looked framed against the lightness of my upper arms. The touch caused a tingling sensation to shoot through me. He held onto me for just a little longer than necessary and it felt so good. A sigh escaped my lips before I could stop it. Was it hot on this plane? It felt like I was burning from the inside out. Fire licked at my open heart and sent magma racing through my veins instead of blood.

  Attempting to recover from the momentary weakness, I took a deep breath in through my nose. Nope, that wasn’t helping. Oh, good lord help me, he smelled amazing; like Chai-tea and the forest after it rained, with a hint of lavender. It was very soothing but also exciting. A vision of using him as a blanket entered my mind. My thoughts were suddenly interrupted by his sensual voice.

  “I got this.” he said jovially, as if he had read my mind. He wrapped his arms around me and lifted me up, spinning around with me in his arms. The contact was exhilarating and soothing all at once. It seemed effortless for him to move around in such a small space. My heart raced and the pulsing of blood pounding in my brain, combined with the other more extreme sensations throughout my entire body were driving me crazy but left me wanting more. Could he feel that? Did he know what he was doing to me? Closing my eyes, I offered up a little thank you to whatever force guided this man’s arms to encircle me.

  My blood was pumping through me in a pulsating pattern like fire followed by the waves of the ocean. The sensation was everywhere. Even my virgin parts ached with some unknown feeling. Holding my breath in anticipation, I knew I would die if he didn’t let go of me but it felt so good I didn’t want it to end. For just a split second, I wondered who the woman in the picture was. Just then, I was set on my feet in front of the middle seat and he stated matter-of-factly with a cheeky grin, “There you go.”

  Aching emptiness immediately replaced the pure bliss I’d been privy to only moments before. A small sound escaped me like a grunt from being punched in the stomach. The sensations were replaced with a longing that was so intense it was painful, but not like anything I’d ever felt before. Why was I acting like this? Was I really that lonely or desperate for attention, or was it the ache of my losses seeking comfort in the arms of a stranger? There were so many years I’d spent putting off getting involved with men but none ever made me feel like this stranger had in only this short of a time. Maybe my internal clock was telling me it was time to start dating. Again, I thought about the time I spent so wrapped up in my work and being lost after Mom, that I hadn’t spent much time on the dating circuit in the past five years. It wasn’t that I didn't want to get involved with someone, it was just the few men I’d dated had never turned into anything serious. Somehow, I always figured that it would happen when it was meant to happen. When I was younger and yearned for someone to share my time with, I was frustrated that I just couldn’t seem to make a connection. There was one time in college I got close to giving up my virginity, but an intense feeling of nausea stopped that before it came to fruition. Mom always said that there was a time and place for everything, and that my match was waiting for the perfect time. However, I felt about this stranger, it just wasn't good timing. It never was. Ugh!

  The small intimacy of our connection had me so frazzled, I quickly looked down to compose myself and discovered that Kelsey had settled into her seat. She was looking out the window into the darkness.

  Reaching down into the isle, he handed me Peanut and then motioned to the upper compartment with Kelsey’s small carry-on in his hand. Nodding in unspoken communication with a faint smile of appreciation, I checked on Peanut. Placing her carrier under the seat in front of me, I was still contemplating my feelings about the recent encounter.

  Exasperated with myself and my inability to overcome my social anxiety to talk to this baffling enigma beside me, I hurriedly buckled my seatbelt. Hearing a faint sniffle from Kelsey, I turned toward her, placed my hand on her arm and looked out the window with her in silence. There wasn’t much to see, but it didn’t really matter.

  Flying always made me nervous and I chewed my lower lip, worried about the take-off, but soon we were in the air. Suddenly, I remembered why we were making this trip. It was like a hammer on my heart, pounding in the pain like it was a nail with every beat. What was going to happen? Glancing down at Kelsey. She was sleeping peacefully in the seat next to me. At this moment, she seemed untroubled, and I found myself wondering if she’d have the nightmares on the plane that she’d been riddled with since coming to stay with me. Andrea had assured me it was due to a movie she’d watched, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that it was something more than what she made it out to be. Watching her for signs of distress, the stain from her past tears streaked her face. Carefully, I leaned over and placed a soft kiss on her little blonde head whispering, “It’ll be ok, Kells. Sweet dreams, sweetie.” How do kids do that? They just sleep wherever they want, no matter what’s going on. So utterly exhausted, I closed my eyes and drifted in and out of consciousness for the next ten minutes.

  Surfacing through a haze of incoherent thought
s, my pillow seemed remarkably firm but also warm. There was the distinct impression that my face was resting on a rock of some sort rather than a pillow, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. A deep rumble of thunder that distinctly sounded like words was saying, “Good Morning!” My mind instantly snapped awake with the realization that I’d fallen asleep on the arm of the god-like male passenger sitting next to me. Fully awake now, I sat straight up in my seat and would have flown completely out of the seat if it weren't for the seatbelt holding me in place. Kelsey was awake next to me and was smiling for the first time in days. Evidently, we’d landed in Denver safe and sound. Judging by the people moving past us in the aisle, I’d say we were parked safely at the terminal. Kelsey said softly with a slight giggle, “You were snoring.”

  The stranger stood up and handed us Kelsey’s bag from the overhead compartment. Mortified, I grasped the bag and set it in front of his now vacant seat. When I looked up to thank him, he was gone. No goodbye. Nothing! A tiny feeling of emptiness flitted through me. It was a little deflating to know I wasn’t worth another thought to him, however, it was probably for the best. There certainly wasn’t time to deal with a love interest in the midst of my current problems. He may not have even been real. Maybe he was just a dream. Just an imaginary angel to comfort my anguished heart for a moment in time. Looking around one last time to try and find my elusive stranger, he was simply not there. Shrugging, I unbuckled myself, gathered our belongings and with Peanut snuggled safely in her carrier, we exited the plane.