by Mona Ingram
“Hey you two, get a room.” One of Jason’s friends raised a glass to them.
“Yeah, right.” Jason brushed off the comment with a good-natured smile. He took a drink from his beer and looked out over the lake again. “That’s Randy. He lives a few miles down the road from us. He borrowed our seed drill last year when his broke down right before spring planting.”
“Spring planting. Now that sounds romantic.”
“There’s nothing romantic about it.” He cupped her chin in his hand. “But like I told you before, I’ve never wanted any other kind of life.”
Once more she was struck by the intensity in his eyes. “I can see why,” she said after a moment. “It’s hard, honest work. At least the part I’ve seen.”
“Tell me,” he said curiously. “What sort of impression did you have of farmers before you came here?” He lounged against the rail, but she could see that it was no casual question.
“Honestly?”
He nodded. “Honestly.”
She searched for an answer that wouldn’t offend him, but couldn’t think of one. She looked him in the eye. “I was like most city people who consider farmers to be little more than hayseeds.” His eyes darkened with a flash of anger but she continued. “But then most of those same people watch wrestling and think it’s real.”
He stared at her for a moment and then laughed. “I asked for that, didn’t I?”
Charlie shrugged. “A lot of urban people never give a moment’s thought to where the beef in their hamburger comes from, or the wheat that makes the bun it’s served on. And if they think about farming at all, it’s through some romanticized filter. They have no idea how much hard work goes into growing wheat or raising cattle.”
“And what do you think?”
“I’m learning.” She leaned out over the railing and studied the way the moonlight shimmered on the water. “How did we get so serious?”
He lifted her hand and pressed his lips into her palm. Any serious thoughts she may have had disappeared like early morning mist in the sunshine. “I’m not sure how we got here, but I like it.” He continued holding her hand. “And I like the way you challenge me, Charlie. Well, most of the time.” The dimple appeared in his cheek again.
The floodlights flickered twice and Jason groaned. “I can’t believe it’s last dance already” he said, holding out his hand. “Shall we dance out here?”
She moved against his chest in reply and his arms tightened around her. The moon rose higher in the sky as they swayed together, lost in dreams of the future.
CHARLIE FELL ASLEEP on the way home. She woke with a start when he turned off the ignition and for a moment she wasn’t sure where she was. “I’m sorry,” she said, fumbling with one of Charlotte’s combs that had come loose.
“There’s nothing to be sorry about.” Jason untangled the comb and handed it to her. “It’s been a long day. You were tired, plus I like the fact that you trust me enough to fall asleep.” He ran his fingers through her hair and his hand came to rest at the back of her neck. He pulled her toward him. “Besides, there’ll be other nights.”
She watched his mouth come closer. “There will?”
“You can bet on it.”
She liked the way he kissed her. It was everything she’d ever dreamed of...and more. She leaned into him, every bone in her body melting as his mouth covered hers. He held her face in both hands and trailed a string of kisses along her jaw and up to her eyelids. She sighed; it was as though she’d been waiting for Jason all her life. When he pulled back, her lips yearned for more.
“Car’s coming” he said. “Janelle’s home.”
“Then I guess we should say goodnight.” She raised her lips for one more kiss, then pulled away as headlights lit up the interior of the truck.
“It’s just as well,” he murmured against her ear. “It’s getting harder to let you go.”
“So how was it?” called Janelle. Charlie was delighted to see that her aunt’s lipstick was smudged. “I saw you guys dancing, but you were in your own little world.”
Charlie couldn’t be sure, but she thought Jason blushed. “I was concentrating on dancing,” she said quickly.
“Yeah, right.” Janelle stopped for a moment, a knowing smile on her face, then she continued on. “Well, I’m for bed.” The screen door slapped behind her.
Jason took her hand and led her toward the steps. Soft light from the porch illuminated his face. The leaves on the willow tree rustled softly in the background and moths battered their wings against the outdoor light bulb, but Charlie had eyes only for him.
“I had a wonderful time.” She looked up into his eyes and felt herself drowning in their depths.
“I’m glad.” He brushed his thumb against her lower lip and her knees almost buckled. He opened the screen door and she slipped inside, then he turned and went down the steps.
Behind the screen, she watched him walk around to the driver’s side. She wanted to run out to him, to feel his lips against hers once more. But she stood still, her palm flat against the screen as he pulled away into the night.
“SO WHAT ARE YOU UP to today?” Morning sunlight flooded the front room. Janelle looked up from her drafting board as Charlie padded downstairs in her bare feet.
“I don’t know.” Charlie had felt an odd letdown this morning. She’d been lying around in bed trying to get motivated. “I could weed the garden if you like.”
“It can always use weeding.” Janelle swiveled around in her chair. “Are you okay? Didn’t you have a good time last night? You certainly looked like you were enjoying yourself.”
“That’s just it; I had a wonderful time. I don’t know why I feel so out of it this morning.”
Janelle rose and placed a cool hand on Charlie’s forehead. “No fever, thank goodness. Maybe you’re just having a bit of a meltdown after such a hectic week.” She slapped her forehead. “I forgot to ask you. Did you find anything with the metal detector?”
“No. And I was so sure we’d find something. Wishful thinking, I suppose.”
“Well, no harm done. Listen, Jack and I are driving to Regina. We’re going to visit his sister and stay overnight.” She indicated the sketches. “I present these to the architect in the morning. You’re welcome to come along if you like.”
“I don’t think so.” Charlie wandered closer to the drafting board. “So, this is it?”
Janelle’s focus shifted to her sketches. “What do you think? I’m proposing a relief carving of the prairies showing some of our indigenous species.”
“I’d like to see it installed.”
“Of course you will. You and Jason will be my guests.”
“If I’m here.” Heat rose in Charlie’s face.
Janelle waved a hand. “Of course you’ll be here. You and Jason are perfect for each other.”
“Did he say something?”
“He didn’t have to. It’s written all over his face.”
The cloud that had been hovering over Charlie since she woke lifted. “I hope you’re right.” Suddenly full of energy, she turned and ran back upstairs. “I think I’ll change and work in the garden for a while. Might as well make myself useful.”
“IS EVERYTHING ALL RIGHT Jase? You seem far away today.” Brad entered the small farm office.
“I’m okay. Just concentrating.”
Brad leaned over his brother’s shoulder to look at the computer. Jason was installing the new program they’d just purchased. “That woman lives in Calgary, eh?”
“Her name is Charlie, and yes, she lives in Calgary.” Hadn’t they been over this just the other night?
“I saw you with her yesterday up on the ridge. What were you doing up there anyway? It looked like you were digging.”
“We were, but we didn’t find anything.” Jason read the prompt on the screen and pressed enter before turning to his brother. “Charlie’s been reading about one of her ancestors who threw a ring away up near the windbreak and she wanted t
o look for it. Janelle dug out a metal detector so we thought we’d have a look. We didn’t find anything.”
“One of her ancestors? Which one?”
“According to Charlie, her name was Charlotte. She’s been reading her journal.”
Brad frowned, looked off into the distance and then brought his attention back to Jason. “Isn’t that the one who was going to run away with the cowboy from Montana?”
Did everyone know about this but him? Jason nodded. “That’s the one.”
“So why were you looking by the poplars on the ridge?”
Jason gave his brother an odd look. “Because that’s where the ring was supposed to be.”
“Brad chuckled. “Well I figured that much. What I meant was why would you look there when those trees weren’t even planted back then?”
“Huh?” Jason’s thoughts whirled. “But the journal was quite specific. She mentioned the windbreak, and the poplar trees.”
“You’re bright, but sometimes you’re not very smart.”
Jason bristled. “Meaning?”
“Meaning you were looking in the wrong place. Dad planted those trees the year you were born.” He pulled open the filing cabinet and rifled through some files. “It’s here somewhere,” he muttered. “We were just looking at it the other day.”
“I’m not following you.”
“Here it is.” Brad cleared a space on the worktable and opened the file. He removed an old map and unfolded it carefully. “Remember what we talked about? How this farm and Janelle’s used to be one big farm?”
Jason nodded.
Brad jabbed his finger at a survey line on the map. “This is the southern border of our property, right? There used to be a row of poplars along this ridge as well. You could see it for miles.”
“Well, I’ll be.” Jason’s thoughts went back to yesterday. “And to think that I pointed that out to Charlie yesterday, but I didn’t stop to think about it.” He turned to his brother. “Wait a minute; there are only a few trees up there, right at the top of the ridge. Are you sure there was a windbreak there?”
“Sure as I’m standing here. About twenty years ago we had a terrific windstorm and most of them blew down. The ones that were left got cut back to half their height, but of course they’ve grown up again. Dad always said he was going to replant, but he never got around to it.”
“So...” Jason was thinking aloud. “We were looking in the wrong place. There’s still a chance.”
“Well yes, but it’s not like the ring is going anywhere. There’s no rush to find it, is there?”
“No. I mean yes.” Jason glanced at his watch. “It’s going to be dark in a couple of hours. I’m going to take off for a while and tell Charlie about this.” He checked the computer screen. “It’s almost finished loading. Just follow the prompts.”
Brad waved him off. “Go. I can see your mind is somewhere else anyway.”
Chapter Fourteen
“YOU STOP THAT!” CHARLIE laughed as an orange paw batted her hand. Thomas had decided to help with the weeding and he’d been pouncing on everything that moved. His ears pricked up and he ran off, hearing the motor of the ATV long before Charlie. She stood up, wiped the sweat from her brow, and looked down at her muddy knees with a wry smile. Just weeks before she’d never have been caught with mud on her knees. Jason rounded the corner of the barn and her heart did the now familiar tap dance inside her chest.
“Hi,” she said as he came to a stop. “Thomas and I were working in the garden.” She took a closer look at him. “What is it? You look like you’re going to burst.”
Jason pointed to the west. “We’re going to lose the light in a couple of hours.”
“It’s called night, Jason. It happens once every twenty-four hours.” What was the matter with him?
“Very funny Miss Smarty-Pants. Just for that I won’t tell you what I found out.”
“Out with it then, before you self-destruct.” She removed the gardening gloves and slapped them against her leg. “Come on inside, I’ll get you some lemonade.” She could use some herself, plus she was beginning to wonder what he was talking about.
“...AND WE WERE LOOKING in the wrong place the whole time.” He finished his lemonade and held out his glass for more.
Her hand trembled as she refilled his glass.
One glance at the calendar and the enormity of his words sank in. “That only gives us a few hours,” she said, her heart pounding with excitement.
“That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you.”
“Then what are we doing here? Let’s go.”
PERCHED ON THE BACK of the ATV, Charlie moved her mouth closer to Jason’s ear. “You say there used to be a whole row of trees here?” she asked over the noise of the motor. The access trail was gouged from the recent rain resulting in a rough ride but she didn’t feel a thing except the taut muscles of Jason’s stomach.
“Yeah, but most of them were uprooted. Brad says these ones were cut back and grew up again.”
“Lucky for us they survived.” She jumped off the ATV the moment he killed the motor and started to untie the metal detector and the shovel. “I’m scared, Jason. It’ll be awful if we’re disappointed again.”
“I know what you mean.” He gave her a long, meaningful look. “But I’m willing to give it a go if you are.”
“More than ever,” she said and forced herself to look away. “This is it.” She strode to the highest spot on the ridge and then looked back across the valley. “Remember what I said yesterday about feeling that I’d missed something?”
He nodded thoughtfully. “Yes, I do.”
“When you mentioned that this was all one farm a light bulb flickered on in my head, but it was too dim. Or maybe it was me who was too dim. I should have connected the dots.”
“Well we’re here now. Let’s make the most of it.” He took the shovel from her hand. “No shoveling for you today. Not with those sore hands.”
“I won’t argue.” She switched on the metal detector and took a deep breath. “Here goes.”
“Got something,” she said a moment later over the high pitched squeal of the detector. Jason dug, and came up with a shell casing.
Charlie grimaced and continued. She would not get discouraged...not yet. The machine squealed again and she waited while Jason dug and sifted through the soil. “Let me guess,” she said. “A nail.”
He kept his head down. “Nope.”
“A penny.”
“Nope.” He rose to his feet and the smile on his face gave her the answer she had hoped for. He held out his hand. On his dirt-encrusted palm, the plain gold band gleamed dully. “It’s a ring. Right where you said it would be.”
Charlie didn’t feel the tears running down her cheeks. “I don’t believe it,” she said, reaching for the ring. “We found it!” She brushed off the remaining dirt and held it up to catch the remaining rays of the sun. For a brief moment the ring seemed to shimmer and glow. Then the sun slipped below the horizon.
Jason leaned on the shovel, watching as she rubbed the ring against her jeans. “What do we do next?” he asked. “I didn’t plan much beyond this point.”
“Neither did I.” Her mind raced. “Okay, here’s what I think. I should take the ring to the attic. That’s where her presence is the strongest. That’s where she left the clues.”
“I’ll take your word for that.”
“And if it’s gone before we go, we’ll know she got it.”
“Before we go where?”
“The dance hall. I wouldn’t miss this for anything.” Charlie shoved the ring in her pocket and climbed on the ATV. “What are you waiting for?”
Jason held up a hand. “Wait a minute. I thought you said Janelle went to Regina. How do you propose to get inside?”
“She did, but if she was here she would approve, I’m sure of it. I still have the key from when I did the cleaning. Please say you’ll come with me.”
“After we’ve come this fa
r? I wouldn’t miss it.” He paused. “Are we going to tell anyone about all this?”
Charlie thought for a moment then shook her head. “This is something I’d rather keep between us. And Harm and Charlotte, of course.”
He laughed, and they roared down the hill toward Janelle’s farm.
“I’ll clean up and be back to pick you up around nine thirty. If I remember correctly, the moon came up around ten last night.”
“Don’t be late.” Charlie was already nervous.
“I’ll be here.” Jason waved and sped off.
CHARLIE WAS BESIDE herself with excitement when Jason’s truck pulled into the driveway shortly before nine thirty. She ran down the steps and climbed into the passenger side before he could get out.
“The ring is gone,” she said breathlessly. “I just checked.”
CHARLIE’S HEAD SWIVELED from side to side as they drove through the silent town. “It looks different without all the fairy lights.”
Jason reached over and squeezed her hand. “You sound anxious.”
“I am, a bit. Pull in here and we’ll go in the side door.” She looked up at the darkened building.
“My hands are shaking” she whispered a few moments later. “I can’t get the key in the lock.”
“Here, let me try.” His voice was barely audible.
“Why are we whispering?” she asked, clutching his arm.
“I don’t know. You started it.” With a soft chuckle, Jason turned the key and the door swung open. “Boy, it’s dark in here” he said, his voice still subdued. “Where’s the light switch?”
Charlie dug in her bag and brought out a box of matches. “I thought we’d light some candles. What do you think?”
“Very romantic.” He caught her chin with one hand and tipped up her face for a quick kiss. “Are you trying to seduce me, Miss Scarlett?”