Like a wooden statue, Loreen had managed to slide one foot in front of the other, her practical shoes scraping on the polished linoleum of the hospital floor. They’d gone only a few steps when Miranda saw a man coming toward them. Not just any man. No, this was Raymond Cahill, the man she hated most in the world. Raymond was approaching them with a purposeful stride, and he had an envelope in his hand. What was inside that envelope changed everything.
“Hi, Mom!” Emily bounded into the car, her natural energy seeming to fill the entire space.
“How was your afternoon?” Miranda asked. She reached into her wallet, handed the young woman she’d hired to watch Emily a few five dollar bills, and thanked her.
“Anytime, Mrs. Larson,” the girl said. “Emily is such a bright, curious child.”
“It was so neat,” Emily began as soon as Miranda turned around in the facility parking lot. “You knew about the bird, right? Well, the doctor fixed him. I mean he can’t fly yet, but he will. Right now he’s in a cage and his wing is bandaged, but he’ll be fine soon. I got to watch the whole thing.”
Miranda headed onto the road that led to the Hummingbird Inn. “I would say you had a great afternoon, Em.”
“I did. Now I know for sure that I want to be a veterinarian when I grow up. Veterinarians are so smart. They are the only doctors whose patients can’t tell them what’s wrong. They just have to know.”
“I suppose that’s true. I think you would make a wonderful vet, honey.”
“Are we going back to our cottage now?” Emily asked.
“Yes. I picked up something for supper, and I thought we’d stay in tonight.”
“That’s okay. We can watch a movie.”
Miranda’s cell phone rang, and she checked the car’s digital screen for the name of the caller. Don’t do it, Miranda, she said to herself. Don’t show your impatience in front of Emily. Unfortunately the last person she wanted to talk to was her ex-husband, Donny.
“It’s Daddy,” Emily squealed. “I want to talk to him.”
“Just a minute,” Miranda said. “Let me see what he wants first.” She took Donny off speaker and pressed the connect button on her cell. “Hi, Donny.”
“Hello, ’Randa. I was grateful to get the text you sent me informing me that you and Emily had arrived safely in Holly River. I must say, though, I would have preferred a phone call.”
Never a compliment without an accompanying dig. “We were busy unpacking, Donny. I meant to call you later, but...”
“Never mind. The important thing is that you’re there. Have you seen your cousin?”
“Yes. He’s got more than a few challenges to face. I’m going to do all I can for him.”
“That’s commendable, really.”
Miranda looked for a hint of sarcasm in Donny’s tone. He hadn’t approved of Miranda’s bringing Emily to Holly River. Donny had never thought much of Lawton, and like most people, he’d thought even less of Dale. He’d warned Miranda to keep a sharp eye on their daughter when she was around those “good-for-nothings.”
“I’ll be with her at all times, Donny,” Miranda had told him, though she never once doubted that she could trust Emily with Lawton. After all, there had been a time or two when Miranda entrusted her own safety to her cousin, and he never failed her.
“How did you find the old hometown?” Donny asked.
“The same as when I left it.” In fourteen years, she’d been back only a couple of times. Once was when she helped her mother pack up her belongings for the move to her condo in Hickory, and the second was when the sale of the Liggett cabin went through. Both times Miranda did what she had to do and left as soon as possible. She hadn’t been ready to face her grief yet, or the decision she’d made with regard to Carter. “There is still a warm feeling here...” she started to say.
“Wouldn’t be for me,” Donny said. “I was glad to leave that town in my rearview. Have you seen anyone you know? Old friends maybe?”
She knew he wanted her to tell him if she’d seen Carter, but she refused to take the bait. Though Donny had never brought up Carter until the divorce, Miranda knew he always kept track of his boyhood friend, the one adult male he resented every day of his life now. During the divorce proceedings, he’d accused Miranda of still having a “thing” for her old boyfriend. Miranda had adamantly denied the accusation, though in her heart, she had to accept that perhaps it was true.
“It’s strange, I guess,” she responded, “but I don’t see many faces I recognize. I suppose that, like we did, most of the people we knew moved on.”
“How long are you going to stay?”
This was at least the third time he’d asked that question, and her answer hadn’t changed. “I don’t know, Donny. Lawton was my best friend growing up, and besides that, you seem to forget that helping him is my job. I have to see him settled now. The last eight years have taken a toll on him. You would hardly recognize him, and he needs some assistance.”
“What he needs is to stay out of trouble and as far away from Dale as he can get,” Donny said.
“He isn’t in any trouble, Donny. At least not the kind you’re thinking of. And as far as Dale is concerned, I’m working on that. Finding housing for an ex-con isn’t easy. He needs a job first, some social interaction with the town. You can’t imagine what life is like for him now. It’s so difficult...”
If Miranda thought she might instill some sympathy in Donny, she realized that was a futile effort.
“He brought it all on himself. You really can’t keep making excuses for him, ’Randa.”
Miranda bit her lip to keep from snapping back. “Is there anything else, Donny? Emily really wants to talk to you.”
“I guess not. Put her on.”
Miranda handed the phone to her daughter and only halfheartedly listened to the excited chatter. Her mind had already wandered to the man she wanted as a mentor for her cousin, someone she believed would be fair and compassionate, as different from those who would continue to condemn Lawton as anyone could be.
* * *
THE NEXT DAY was a difficult one for Miranda. After stopping at a large supermarket and stocking up on supplies for Lawton, she and Emily headed to Liggett Mountain. She had to pass her old cabin on the way to the Jeffersons. On her last trip, Miranda had purposefully avoided looking at the cabin, but this day she slowed the car and pointed the property out to her daughter.
“This is where you used to live, Mommy?” Emily said.
“This is it.” Surprisingly the cabin had undergone some renovations, thanks to the folks who’d bought it. “My room was in the back right behind the kitchen. Grandma’s bedroom was behind the living room.”
“I wish we could go inside. Maybe some of your stuff is still in there.”
“I don’t think so. An older couple bought the property, and something tells me that if I’d forgotten anything, they wouldn’t keep stuffed animals and high school cheerleading pictures around the house.”
“No, probably not.” The house passed from view, and after a few moments Emily said, “What did you do there, Mommy? Did you even have electricity?”
Miranda chuckled. “Yes, we did. It’s a small house, but we had everything we needed.” Unfortunately, any time Miranda and her mother had a few dollars to spare, something always came up. “And my father and I kept a really great garden in back,” Miranda said. “We grew most of our own vegetables, and your grandma canned them for the winter months. It was fun.”
Emily didn’t look convinced. “I don’t know if I would like to live on this mountain and grow my own food,” she said. “But I’m glad you liked it.”
Miranda patted her daughter’s knee. “Well, when the summer’s over, we can go back to Durham to our nice house, and you won’t have to think about living on Liggett Mountain again if you don’t want to.”
“Ok
ay.”
They reached the Jefferson house, and Miranda pulled into the rough gravel driveway. She was relieved to see that Dale’s car was not there. She hoped he was out working somewhere to provide income to the household. There had to be a few people in town who still hired him to manicure their lawns.
“You can help me carry the bags, Em,” she said. Together they carted four full sacks into the house.
“What’s all this?” Lawton asked, coming in the back way. He gave each of the females a hug, a sign that perhaps his former emotional security was returning.
“We brought you some things,” Emily said.
Miranda unpacked the first bag. “These are all cleaning supplies,” she explained. “I noticed you didn’t have any products under your sink, and these are all good for the environment and will make cleaning easy and fast.” She figured Lawton would be the one using the supplies, since it had been obvious on the first visit that Dale never had.
“Thanks, ’Randa,” Lawton said. “I guess the place could use some sprucing up.”
“Yeah,” Emily said. She approached them holding her index finger in the air. “Look at the dust I found on one table only!”
Miranda held her breath, hoping Lawton hadn’t taken offense. His eyes widened and then he smiled. “Did I ever tell you that it’s nice to have a couple of neat-freak gals around the house?”
She and Lawton emptied the other three bags, setting the items on the kitchen counter. Miranda had purchased vegetables, fruit, a few good cuts of meat and healthy cereals. She’d even included a couple of desserts. Lawton needed to put on a few pounds.
“This is great,” Lawton said, picking up a sweet potato. “Now all I need is a cookbook.”
“When in doubt, roast everything.” Miranda showed him a bottle of olive oil. “Just a little drizzle of this and a moderate oven is all you need for most of this food.” She hoped the oven was working.
“I really appreciate this, peanut,” Lawton said, using the pet name he’d had for Miranda when they were kids. He pushed a lock of sandy-brown hair from his forehead. “Dale eats most of his meals in town, so we don’t keep a lot of food around here except for what the Baptist group brings.” He opened the refrigerator door. “We have a lot of cheese and bread.”
“Well, there’s no need for you to go hungry. Soon you’ll be able to buy your own supplies.” She sat on a kitchen chair. “So how are you today, Law? How’s everything going with Dale?”
He didn’t get a chance to answer because at that moment Dale came in the front door. He pounded a few clods of dirt from his boots, took off his ball cap and hung it on a nail by the front door. His dark hair was tied back in a leather strap, and the hatband had left a film of dirty sweat on his forehead. “Well, howdy, cousin Miranda,” he said and then looked at Emily, “And little missy.”
“Hello, Dale,” Miranda said. Emily gave him an offhand wave.
“Cut two lawns today,” Dale said. “Got a fat fifty bucks from some generous people over in your old boyfriend’s neighborhood. Salt of the earth, those rich folks.” He slapped a twenty on the table. “That’s what’s left after I gassed up the Jeep and had a couple of beers.”
Finally he noticed the groceries and cleaning supplies on the counter. “What’s going on? This all from you, Miranda?”
“I thought you guys could use a few things,” she said.
He strolled over to the purchases and began picking each one up and staring at the labels. “Are we on some sort of health food kick around here?” Laughing, he looked at his brother. “I hope you’re hungry, Lawton, ’cause I’m sure not going to eat any of this...”
Miranda stood, scraping the wooden chair across the plank floor to cover the word she suspected would come from Dale’s mouth. “Come on, Em. We have to go now.”
Emily came close to her mother and whispered, “I think Dale was going to say a bad word.”
Miranda pushed her toward the door. Lawton followed them outside.
“I’m sorry, ’Randa,” he said, walking her to her car. “Dale probably forgot that Emily was in the room.”
“Yes, I’m sure that’s it,” Miranda said. She waited until Emily was in the car and then asked her cousin, “So how are things really going, Law? Are you getting on with Dale?”
“Oh, sure,” he said. “Dale’s okay. Like always he complains about his situation. You know his rant—life hasn’t been fair, the cops are always out to get him, but I think he’s glad to have me back.”
“Just so you don’t buy into what he’s saying and he doesn’t try to bring you down with him,” Miranda said.
Lawton scratched the back of his neck. “That’s a funny one, ’Randa. I’m the one just out of prison and you don’t want Dale to bring me down.”
“Keep thinking positive thoughts, Lawton,” she said. “I’m working on some things that should help you out.”
“You’ve already done so much, peanut. I know I’ve got to rely on myself and find a job. It’ll all work out.”
She leaned up and kissed his cheek, grateful that she inhaled the strong scent of soap. He was trying.
As she drove back down the mountain, Miranda thought of Carter, and realized that much of her plan for Lawton depended on Carter’s answer. Well, she’d know tomorrow.
CHAPTER SIX
AFTER A RESTLESS NIGHT, Carter left his comfortable log home on Cross Junction Road and headed for the police station. At 7:30 a.m., he had a good hour and a half until he could tell Betsy he’d be in the office.
He passed High Mountain Rafting and was surprised to see his brother Jace’s truck in the parking lot. Jace was not an early riser if he could help it. And he was a confirmed bachelor who could sleep as late as he wanted to. Carter was a bachelor, too, but for different reasons. Still, the result was the same. Both men had probably left their homes with no breakfast and only a pint of coffee to fuel their day.
Carter pulled into the parking lot for the River Café, just a half block from High Mountain, and walked into the restaurant. He would order two pancake breakfasts to go and see what was up with Jace.
Sam McCall was seated at the restaurant counter. Carter spoke to a few other morning people as he walked to Sam. “Not that I need to ask, but why are you here so early?”
Sam nodded toward Allie, who was balancing three full platters of eggs and sausage on her arm. “She’s got the breakfast shift this morning.”
“You keeping track of her schedule now?” Carter teased.
“As much as I can. All I really care about is her schedule tomorrow night. She’s going out with me.” Sam grinned. “I finally won her over.”
Carter settled on the stool beside Sam. “Yep. She looks very excited. Congrats on convincing her into a date.”
Sam stared at Allie. “Just don’t ask me to take an extra shift tomorrow night.”
Allie delivered meals to other customers and returned to the counter. She refilled Sam’s coffee cup and said good-morning to Carter. “What can I get you, Chief?”
“Two pancake breakfasts in to-go boxes,” he said. “And your promise that you’ll keep a sharp eye on this guy tomorrow night.”
She laughed. “Hey, if a girl can’t trust a cop, who can she trust?”
She went to the cook’s window to place Carter’s order.
“Speaking of tired,” Sam said, “you look pretty beat yourself. Not much sleep last night?”
“No, not much. I have to make a decision today, and I haven’t come to a conclusion yet.”
“Something I can help you with? My advice is gold around here.”
Carter thought a moment. Telling Sam seemed like a good idea. He already knew he could trust the rookie to keep a confidence, and Sam had good instincts. Besides, Carter knew without asking what Jace would say. He would warn his older brother against doing anything for the woman w
ho’d broken his heart. Sam didn’t have a prejudiced mind on the subject, so Carter told his friend the basics of Miranda’s plan.
“So, she wants you to mentor Lawton?” he repeated when Carter was finished. “That’s a tough one.”
“Should it be?” Carter said. “At one time I would have done anything for Miranda, and truth to tell, those feelings haven’t exactly gone away over the years.”
Carter shook his head. He’d intended to tell Sam only about the mentoring proposition, and here he’d bluntly stated feelings he hadn’t even admitted to himself.
“Those first loves are sometimes hard to shake,” Sam said. “I suppose your instinct is to say yes.”
Carter nodded.
“But there’s more to consider here. You’ve worked years to build a darn good reputation in this town. People respect you. They look up to you. Do you want to tarnish all that good work by hooking up with the guy who vandalized the statue of the sainted elk on the town square?”
“Among other things,” Carter said. “But truly, folks around here probably only look up to me because I’m the second-chance cop. I believe everyone deserves one.”
“Don’t sell yourself short. You’re fair. You treat people right.”
To erase my ancestors’ greed and opportunism, Carter thought. But yes, he’d managed to earn the reputation as the fairest cop around. “So you’re saying my helping Lawton could ruin my reputation?”
“Maybe not ruin, but certainly affect it. The Jefferson boys are a breed to themselves. Either they find trouble or it finds them. Quite a few people have come to me in private asking me if there is a way to get the boys to move. There isn’t, I know that. It’s a free country, but I wonder what folks will think if you stick your neck so far out for one of them. If you’re going to be a good mentor, as well as an advocate for Lawton, you won’t be able to hide your role in his life.”
“No. I expect I’ll have to help him in many public ways.”
“And what if Lawton ends up disappointing you? How will you rationalize helping him if he slips up again? And what will you do if you have to arrest him and send him back to prison? Will Miranda blame you and might you make a lifelong enemy of her?”
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