“Oh, it’s nothing. It can wait,” she said, staring at her plate.
“No – I know that look. Something is up and you need to tell me before you burst. Now what is it?” Mitch pressed.
“I… I’m not sure how to say this, but…” she hesitated, still in shock herself.
“What is it, Lace? What’s wrong, Darlin’?”
“I’m… I’m pregnant, Mitch.” Laci exhaled after she said the words, her cheeks rosy red.
Mitch’s eyes popped open wide, but he remained silent.
“Did you hear what I said?” she asked, unsure what to make of his reaction.
“I heard you, but… it doesn’t make sense. You can’t be… it’s only been a month since we…,” he paused to calculate the time in his head. “Oh. Wow. You’re absolutely sure?”
“I’ve done this a few times Mitch… I think I’m well aware of the signs at this point, and it’s been 5 weeks,” she replied, a little miffed at his reaction.
“That’s true.” He smiled wryly, looking as if he’d just won a 12-month membership to the ‘soap-of-the-month’ club instead of the lottery.
“You’re not happy.” Laci’s heart was broken by his lack of emotion, and she stood up to leave.
“No, heavens no! Wait, wait… I mean yes. Yes, I’m happy! Don’t leave, Lace. I’m so sorry. I love you! Of course I’m happy – I’m thrilled, Darlin’. It’s just… it’s a lot to take in, that’s all.” Mitch stood up and walked around to her side, leaned down, and kissed her softly. “I’m sorry I didn’t sound more enthusiastic. I’m guess I’m a little nervous after…”
“I get it, don’t worry. I’m nervous too. I wasn’t sure whether I should even tell you or not. I should have waited.”
“Why wouldn’t you want to tell me? I’m your husband. That’s what I’m here for – we go through this together remember? You and me.” He stood up and returned to his seat.
“I didn’t want you to get your hopes up and then something happen. I don’t want to disappoint you again,” she said, her cheeks still moist from her tears.
“Laci, look at me, Darlin’,” he took her hands in his, “you are my whole world and nothing else in this life gives me more pleasure than to stand by your side – no matter what life brings us. Good, bad, or otherwise. Do you hear me? You could never disappoint me. I love you.” He kissed the top of her hand.
Laci smiled and her heart filled with love, love for her man – her Airplane Man – who took her by surprise each and every day and made her life worth living. “I hear you, Mr. Young. I love you, too.”
*****
The stables were only about thirty minutes away, but it was far enough to give Hannah some time to calm down. Once there, she and Clare saddled up, then reviewed their trail with the guides and headed out. Hannah still remembered the trails well, so she felt comfortable taking Clare out on her own.
“Are you sure you’re up for this Clare?” Hannah asked.
“I am so ready – let’s go!” Clare’s enthusiasm overflowed and made Hannah laugh. “How do I make him go faster?” she shouted to Hannah.
“Well, first you need to keep your voice down. I’m not ‘hard of hearing’ – it’s just you and me out here. Second, he is a she, and you don’t need to make her go faster. Once we get up past the tree line, there is a nice open pasture and I’ll show you how to post and trot. For now, just try and enjoy the ride okay?” Hannah giggled.
“This is boring, Jules.”
“Hey – you wanted a true horseback ride experience and this is it girl. Sit back and relax. We have some hills coming up, so keep hold of those reins – you don’t want Molly to think she is in charge.”
Thirty minutes into the ride, they came up to the pasture and Hannah showed Clare a few tricks – giving her some freedom to run Molly out in the open. Clare was a natural on a horse, and it brought Hannah joy to see her having so much fun and being a kid.
“Hey, let’s take a break!” Hannah yelled.
Clare gave Hannah a ‘thumbs-up’, then brought Molly over and tied her to a tree close by. Hannah had already laid out the picnic blanket, pulling food out of her pack.
“Sweet! I’m starving!” Clare said.
“Good, I brought plenty. I’m glad I had everything packed last night. The morning was a little tense,” Hannah sighed, her voice heavy and sad.
“I’m really sorry, Jules. You love him don’t you?” Clare asked.
“It’s not that simple.”
“Why does it have to be hard? You’re either in love with him or you’re not. What else is there?” Clare popped a grape in her mouth, then laid back on the blanket.
Hannah smiled. “Trust. That’s what else.”
“So, you love him, but you don’t trust him?” Clare asked, trying to understand.
“It’s hard to explain. These last several weeks of being forced to work with him, I finally saw the man I fell in love with again, but this time there was more compassion and tenderness – I saw more of his heart. When he first walked into my office all those years ago, my insides lit up. It was like he brought me to life and I instantly felt a strong connection between us. I can’t even describe it. Every time we were together, I felt it. Brad made me feel whole and complete. I was crazy about him,” she paused, picking at her food, “and then he left and I fell apart. He hurt me, and I changed. I lost hope in true love. And like a crazy woman, I tried loving someone else – the teacher – even married him, thinking it would help. I gave our marriage all I had, but that didn’t turn out so great either. The truth is, even though I tried to move forward, my heart stayed in the past. I was still in love with Brad, and trust me, there’s a big difference between loving someone because they are good and kind, safe even… and being madly in-love with someone.”
“So you were falling back in love with him again?”
“Yes. I didn’t have too far to fall though…” Hannah smiled, then flopped back on the blanket and stared up at the sky. “That’s why I have such a hard time believing he would sell my business out from under me! I’m furious for letting him trick me into believing he was doing this for me – for us. I thought he loved me too.” Her anger deafened by the cry of her broken heart.
“Oh, he loves you, Jules. Trust me. He’s just greedy.”
“You could tell he was in love with me?” Hannah asked, a hint of a smile appeared on her face.
“That man is mad about you, girl! Every time he looks at you it’s like the stars have all aligned over your head or something,” Clare laughed.
“Well, that’s too bad. He ruined any chance we had with his big plans to sell my estate. Ugh! Whatever… I’m done with him. Let’s just eat our snacks and talk about you – any love interests at school?”
Clare laughed. “You’re kidding right? I won’t fall in love – it’s against my religion. I don’t think there is anyone in my entire school who would meet my laundry list of requirements anyway. It’s a very shallow gene pool there.”
“Oh yeah? What’s on your list of requirements for a guy? Do tell. Apparently I could use a few new tips,” Hannah giggled.
“Let’s see… smart, funny, active in something besides himself, likes adventure, reads books, likes music – maybe even sings or plays an instrument, holds his own opinion, likes to help his community, treats a girl with respect… just to name a few.”
“Wow – that’s quite a list. You don’t mess around do you?”
“Since I read so many books, I started to pick out some qualities from my favorite characters. It’s kind of fun. Plus, I don’t really care about his looks that much. All the other girls get hung up on that, but not me.”
“Good for you, Clare. It’s refreshing to know a young woman who has a mind of her own and knows what she wants in her future man.” Hannah’s heart swelled, so proud of the beautiful young woman Clare had become over the last few years.
“I’m not rushing it though. Most of the guys I know would rank right up there with
‘Putz’.”
Hannah laughed again, but Clare’s comment forced her once again to think about how disgusted she was with Brad and his plan. It was short lived however, interrupted by a crack of thunder in the distance. “Uh, oh. Sounds like we have some rain coming our way – we’d better get back.”
As they cleaned up their picnic, another clap of thunder sounded in the distance. Clare looked over at the horses stirring around.
“They’re starting to freak out. Will they let us ride them back?” Clare asked, worried about their return back.
“Of course. They might be a little skittish, but we’ll be fine, don’t worry. They’re used to this type of thing – they live in it.”
Clare looked up at the sky. “Those clouds are black, Jules. That’s not good. I learned that much from science class.” The thunder rolled again, this time a little louder and a thin streak of lightning split the sky at the horizon.
“Stop looking at the clouds and let’s go. This storm is moving in fast.” Although she didn’t show it, Hannah was nervous, not having ridden in a while herself, and now riding with Clare who was so inexperienced. She knew the horses would sense their fear, and that made the journey back home even more dangerous.
They mounted up and took off. Hannah chose an easier trail going back, which also provided them with more shelter from all the surrounding trees. The lightning and thunder continued, growing in both volume and intensity. Then the rain began to fall, hammering down and forcing its way through the air. It pounded against the fall leaves that still covered the ground – the clatter deafening.
“Jules, I’m scared!” Clare yelled.
Hannah was riding ahead of Clare, but kept the distance tight between them. She slowed down and turned Storm to face Clare. “You’re doing great, Clare! We only have about fifteen or twenty minutes to go. Stay close, okay? I don’t want Molly to take off too fast.”
Hannah rode on, slow and steady, but the next peal of thunder caused a vibration that shook the ground so hard it spooked Storm, and he galloped off. Clare panicked and started screaming – the distance between her and Hannah growing farther and farther. Hannah tried to steady Storm and slow him down, but couldn’t get control. Directly ahead, a bolt of lightning came down in front of her and split a large tree, and the pieces plummeted toward the ground below – one half falling directly in Hannah’s path. She looked up and saw it, desperately trying to guide Storm out of the way, but he jerked his head and reared back. The reins flew out of her hand and Storm turned into the falling tree.
Clare had almost caught up when she saw the tree fall. “Jules, watch out!” Clare screamed as a huge branch of the tree knocked Hannah off Storm. She flew backwards and landed on the hard wet ground, now pinned underneath the tree.
Clare felt like she was watching a movie in slow motion, unable to stop it from playing. She was terrified, but kept pushing Molly hard until they got to Hannah. She managed to stop, tied Molly to a tree, and then ran to Hannah’s side.
“Jules, can you hear me? Please say something!” Clare cried out, scared to death. No response. Hannah lay lifeless under the tree, her red hair blowing wildly, and her head bleeding. Matching blood smears were still somewhat visible on the large rock sitting next to her, but quickly being washed away with the heavy rain. It was merciless, falling so hard that Clare could barely tell if Hannah was even breathing, trying to watch her chest rise and fall.
“Jules – wake up! I don’t know what to do!” She tried to lift the tree off Hannah, but it was too big and she didn’t have the strength. She took off her jacket and scooted close to Hannah’s body, laying it over her face to shelter her from the rain. Clare was shaking, and cried out for help, albeit useless. When she looked up though, she saw Hannah’s horse, and remembered the phone in her bag. She stood up and looked around first, figuring the bag had flown off too, but she couldn’t find it. Storm stood in the distance, calm and still, almost as if he was watching over them. As Clare walked toward him, she saw the bag hanging on the saddle. She slowly approached Storm from the side, gently stroking his back to announce her presence, then lifted the bag off, careful not to scare him. The cell phone had very little signal, but she dialed the number and prayed he would answer, calling the one person she knew would help.
*****
Brad had already checked in one of two guests that day. The second couple were arriving late, so he left an envelope in the lobby which contained their key and check-in instructions. It was an easy system. His mind raced aimlessly though, unable to focus and pacing back and forth. His phone rang and he breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Hannah’s name appear.
“Hey! I was starting to – ,”
Clare cut him off, “Brad – it’s Clare! Jules is hurt! I don’t know where we are or what to do!” she yelled. The connection was cutting in and out.
Brad could barely hear her over the din of the storm in the background, but definitely heard the words ‘Jules’ and ‘hurt’.
“Clare, is that you? Are you okay? Is Jules hurt? What happened?” he shouted, scared for both of them.
Clare sobbed uncontrollably, but took a breath and tried to reply. “Lightning struck a tree! It fell on top of her – knocked her to the ground. She’s trapped underneath, Brad, and her head is bleeding! Please…,” the phone cut out. Seconds later her voice came back. “… send help!”
“Okay. You need to listen to me, Clare… I need you to take a deep breath and calm down. Can you can reach her?” he asked.
“Yes, I’m sitting next to her.”
“Good! Do you have a t-shirt or cloth that you can wrap around her head to stop the bleeding?”
“Uh, yeah. I can use the table cloth. It’s in her bag.” Clare reached over and pulled the table cloth from out of the bag. She ripped a large strip from it and reached through the tree branches to wrap it around Hannah’s head like he told her.
“I did it!” she said proudly. “Now what?”
“Great job! Now just stay by her side and don’t leave. I’m going to hang up and call the stables so they can send a rescue team. Did you follow the same trail back?”
“No. Hannah said she knew a short cut – an easier trail through the woods. We’re at the base of a ravine and there is a creek right next to us. The creek is rising, Brad, fast!” she shouted over the rain.
“Someone will be there soon, Clare – I promise! Hang in there, okay?” Brad tried to reassure her the best he could.
“No! Please don’t hang up! I can’t do this.”
“You’re wrong, Clare, you CAN do this. You’re a strong young woman and Jules needs your strength right now. I’ll call you right back okay?”
“Promise?” she asked, sniffing.
“I promise, Scooter. I promise.”
Brad hung up and looked everywhere to find the number for the stables, finally spotting it on the fridge. The stable owner answered, and by the time Brad explained who he was calling about, the owner had already sent out a rescue party to search for them based on Hannah’s original trail route. Brad shared Clare’s information about them taking an alternate route, being near the creek, and the owner radioed to the search team to give them the update. The stable owner tried to assure Brad that they would find them soon. Brad hung up the phone, got in his car, and called Clare from the road.
“Brad, is that you?” Clare asked.
The rain had let up some and he could finally hear Clare’s voice more clearly. “Hi, Clare. Yes, it’s me. I’m on my way to the stables. How are you? How is Jules?” he asked, hoping for some improvement in her condition.
Brad’s voice was soothing and put Clare at ease. “She was moaning a minute ago, but stopped. She won’t wake up or answer me.” Clare’s teeth chattered as she talked and her whole body was shaking as the temperature began to drop.
“That’s great news, Clare! If she’s making noise, then she’s alive and that’s all that matters.” His relief was met with tears of joy. “The stable sent a te
am out to find you – they should be there any minute, okay? You’re doing great.” He took a deep breath to calm down.
Clare had found a patch of grass near Hannah’s head and wiggled in between the branches that covered her body, stroking her wet red hair as she continued to talk to Brad. “Brad, I’m so sorry.”
“For what, Sweetie?” he asked, knowing what she meant of course.
“I shouldn’t have told Jules about you selling the estate to someone else,” Clare cried louder.
“Oh Clare, Darlin’, I’m not mad at you, and I’m not selling the estate to anyone. I’m donating it back to Jules – she will be the new owner. She’s the love of my life… I could never take her business and home away from her, and no one ever will again,” Brad said in his sweet southern voice.
“I’m such an idiot! I got it all wrong and I’m sorry. I really screwed up, didn’t I?”
“You were protecting her, Clare. That’s what any little sister would do – that’s what family members do for each other, and Hannah is your family. I’m proud of you for looking out for her.”
“You’re proud of me? But what about today? It was my idea to go riding! She wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for me. I’m scared for her.”
“Something else you two have in common – you’re both pretty darn stubborn. Jules loves you and this was her gift to you. Don’t blame her for loving you. She is a strong woman, and she is going to be fine. You’ll see.” Brad was scared, and although trying to sound confident and strong for Clare, he knew that Jules being unconscious that long wasn’t good.
“Okay,” she paused. “She loves you too, you know. She never stopped loving you – even after you left. She told me that today.”
Brad took a deep breath of relief. “Thank you for telling me, Clare. I never stopped loving her either,” he smiled.
Clare heard a whistle in the distance and looked up to see two riders, both wearing bright yellow rain coats. “Brad, the rescue guys are here! I’d better go.”
“Okay. Don’t worry, Clare. I’ll meet you at the stables with warm clothes. See you soon.”
Grace After the Storm Page 15