Home at Rose Cottage

by Sherryl Woods

  “It’ll have to be after church,” Sally told him. “We’ll go to the early service and be home by ten.”

  “Don’t bother bringing all those rolls of film like you did today and yesterday,” Matthew said. “You get one chance to get it right.”

  Sally slapped him on the shoulder as she passed with the dirty dinner plates. “Rick will take as many as it takes,” she said. “We don’t want one with our eyes closed.”

  “It would suit me,” Matthew insisted.

  Rick stood up. “I think I’ll leave you two to your squabbling,” he said. “I’m going to need a good night’s sleep. I have this cantankerous subject scheduled for tomorrow morning. I need to have all my wits about me.”

  “You talking about me?” Matthew asked.

  “Who else would he be talking about?” Sally demanded. “You take this with you,” she added, handing Rick a still-warm slice of pie wrapped in foil. “You might want a midnight snack.”

  “Thanks,” Rick said, leaning down to give her weathered cheek a kiss. “See you in the morning.”

  “Drive safe, you hear.”

  Rick smiled at the motherly admonishment. “I will,” he promised.

  He left the house filled with contentment. Those two had given him so much in such a short time. Taking a perfect photograph that would capture who they were and the love they shared would be good for the magazine, but it would also be his way of giving something back to them.

  13

  Ashley seemed to be dragging her feet. Maggie had been so sure she’d be up and on the road by dawn, but it was almost 9:00 a.m. now and Ashley was still lingering over a cup of tea at the kitchen table.

  Maggie regarded her with renewed concern. “I wish you’d tell me what’s going on with this case. You’re obviously dreading going into court tomorrow.”

  Ashley looked startled by her assessment, though why she should have been was a mystery. She’d been dropping clues since her arrival. Even her careful evasions were telling. It seemed evident to Maggie that her sister’s silence was about more than lawyer-client confidentiality. She appeared to be weighing some sort of ethical dilemma.

  “What makes you say that?” Ashley asked Maggie, her tone dull.

  “For starters, the fact that you’re still here, instead of halfway back to Boston.”

  “Are you anxious for me to go for some reason?” Ashley asked. “Are you expecting Rick any second? If I’m in the way, just say so.”

  Maggie clung to her patience by a thread. “This isn’t about Rick,” she insisted. “We’re talking about you.”

  “I told you before, I can’t talk about a case.”

  “I imagine it’s something high profile enough to have been in the paper, since that’s what you do. Just tell me the public information part,” Maggie suggested. “Maybe I can figure out the rest.”

  Ashley frowned. “What’s the point of playing guessing games? I’ll deal with this, Maggie. It’s my responsibility.”

  “We wouldn’t have to play guessing games if you’d just cooperate,” Maggie retorted impatiently. “I’m worried about you, dammit! Whatever this responsibility is, it’s clear that it’s too much for you.”

  Her sister merely shrugged off the concern. “Don’t be absurd. I’ve handled far tougher stuff than this in my career. The case will be over in a couple of weeks, and I’ll move on to something else.”

  Maggie shook her head. “Then let’s talk about when the case ends. I think you should come here when it’s over.”

  “Sure, why not?” Ashley agreed a little too readily. “If I can manage a few days, I will.”

  “Not for a few days,” Maggie corrected. “A month, minimum.”

  Ashley stared at her incredulously. “You know that’s impossible.”

  “Why? It’s not like you don’t have any vacation time,” she reminded her sister. “You haven’t taken one in five years. The law firm owes you.”

  “I have cases,” Ashley protested.

  “Hand them off. Isn’t that one of the perks of being part of a huge firm? There are people around to back you up. Or if you don’t want to hand the cases off, ask for continuances or whatever it is you lawyers do to stall things in court. You do it if it’s to your client’s benefit. Why not do it when it’s to yours?”

  “Why are you pushing this so hard?”

  “Because it’s obvious you’re stressed out. You need a break. A real one. Even Rick noticed it.”

  “So of course it must be true,” Ashley shot back sarcastically. “The man doesn’t even know me.”

  “But he is a photographer. That makes him a rather keen observer of expressions and body language,” Maggie replied.

  “He sees what’s in front of his lens. I doubt he sees beneath the surface of much.”

  Maggie regarded her with renewed impatience. “Don’t try making this about Rick again. It’s about you. Please, Ashley, just think about it. You need some time off. You’ve been working at full throttle ever since you joined that law firm. It’s time for a break.”

  “Fine. Fine. I’ll think about it. And since you think my presence here is making some sort of statement about my reluctance to go home, I guess I’ll hit the road.”

  “You don’t have to leave to prove something to me,” Maggie said.

  Ashley sighed. “I know. I have to leave because it’s a long drive and there’s a lot to do once I get home. You’re right. I have been putting it off.” She stood up and gave Maggie a fierce hug. “Thanks for caring so much. I’m sorry I’m being so impossible.”

  “You’re always impossible,” Maggie retorted, giving her a hard squeeze. “We all love you anyway.”

  Ashley linked her arm through Maggie’s as they went to the car. “You have plans with Rick today?”

  Maggie nodded. “He’ll be over later.”

  “How much later? Five seconds after I’m gone?” Ashley asked, amusement finally twinkling in her eyes.

  “If you’re implying that you scared him off, you’re wrong. He wanted me to call and let him know when you were getting ready so he could get here in time to say goodbye.”

  “Ah, then it’s you who didn’t want us bumping into each other again,” Ashley teased.

  “No, it’s you who puttered around so I couldn’t figure out when to call,” Maggie responded.

  Ashley’s expression sobered. “Be careful, Maggie. Don’t let him break your heart. I think he cares about you. I just don’t think he’s capable of making a commitment.”

  “He won’t break my heart,” Maggie said, even though it might be wishful thinking on her part.

  “If he does, I’ll hunt him down for you.”

  Maggie laughed. “I know you would, too. We all know you’re always in our corner. Just don’t forget that we’re in yours, too.”

  “I won’t,” Ashley promised, then climbed behind the wheel and started the engine. “I’ll call you when I get home.”

  Maggie stood back and watched her sister pull out onto the road. Ashley gave her one more jaunty wave, then disappeared from view.

  Back inside, Maggie couldn’t shake the feeling that she should have done more for her sister. But how could she do anything for a woman who wouldn’t talk about what was really bothering her? She reached for the phone, intending to call Rick, but dialed Melanie instead.

  “Hey, sis, I just called to let you know that Ashley’s gone,” she said when she got the answering machine. “I’m worried about her. Call me when you get in.”

  She hung up, then dialed Rick, but got no answer on his cell or at the B and B.

  “That’s odd,” she murmured, especially given how anxious he’d been to get over here today once Ashley was out of the house.

  Still, for once she didn’t immediately obsess about whether he’d run out on her. Instead, she was grateful that his absence gave her some time to think about her sister.

  She poured herself a glass of iced tea, then walked out to the swing facing the bay. There wa
s a hint of a breeze in the shade, but the air was muggy. There would more than likely be thunderstorms by afternoon. She could already see the dark clouds gathering. She shivered at the ominous sight. She’d never liked storms, but it was more than that. She had this feeling that something bad was about to happen. With Rick nowhere to be found and her sister on the highway, it was not the kind of thinking she wanted to pursue.

  She needed a distraction. Maybe she’d take a drive out to the orchard and talk to Sally. If she hurried, she could probably beat out the storm.

  She rushed inside, left her empty glass on the counter, then grabbed her keys and purse. She considered calling first, then decided to take a chance. The Kellers didn’t stand on ceremony. If they were busy, she simply wouldn’t stay.

  As she got behind the wheel of her car, she took one more look at the darkening skies and wondered if she was nuts to be heading out there now.

  “Oh, stop being a sissy,” she muttered, even though the ominous feeling was still present. More often than not, she worried about things that never happened. Surely it would be that way today, too.

  When Rick got back from grabbing breakfast at the café in Irvington, he tried to call Maggie to let her know that he was going to the orchard before coming by, but there was no answer. Maybe she and Ashley had gone out or maybe Maggie was outside. He cursed the fact that she didn’t have an answering machine in the house. She claimed they all thought of Rose Cottage as a refuge and that the voice mail on her cell phone was sufficient.

  He tried her cell phone, but got an all-too-familiar out-of-range message. He’d just have to keep trying. He doubted she’d be away from the house for long.

  Glancing toward the sky, he noticed the threatening clouds rolling in and concluded that he’d be taking his pictures of Matthew and Sally indoors. That suited him fine. They were most at home in the kitchen or at least that’s where he envisioned them at the start and end of each and every day.

  Filled with the kind of anticipation he rarely felt on his usual fashion shoots anymore, Rick turned into the rutted driveway at the orchard. But as he neared the house, anticipation turned to dread at the sight of an obviously frantic Matthew waving him down.

  “Hurry, son,” Matthew hollered. “Sally’s taken a spill. Looks to me like she’s broken her hip. Got a nasty bump on her head, too. I can’t get her to come around.”

  Rick bolted from the car even as the engine died. “Where is she? Have you called an ambulance?”

  “About twenty minutes ago. The rescue squad’s on its way,” he told Rick. “But it’s bound to be another few minutes by the time they round up a crew and get clear out here.”

  Rick paused and searched Matthew’s face. The old man’s color wasn’t good. He looked as if he might pass out. “You okay?”

  As expected, Matthew waved off his concern. “Don’t worry about me, boy. It’s Sally we need to think about.”

  “Where’d she fall?”

  “Tripped over that blasted area rug at the foot of the stairs,” Matthew said. “Told her the dang thing was a hazard, but would she listen? Of course not. She thought it was pretty there and that was that. You heard her just last night. I’ll wager she wouldn’t say the same thing now.”

  Rick’s heart took a dive at the sight of Sally looking pale and far too still where she lay at the foot of the stairs. “You sure she didn’t fall down the steps?” he asked Matthew, checking for a pulse and touching a hand to her wrinkled cheek.

  Her heartbeat was steady enough, her skin warm enough, but she looked like a crumpled rag doll lying there. Rick felt his heart clench with something akin to panic. He couldn’t lose her. One look at Matthew’s stricken face and he amended, they couldn’t lose her. If Sally had come to mean a lot to him, it was still nothing compared to what she meant to the strong man hunkered down beside her, his cheeks damp with tears.

  “No, she didn’t tumble down the steps,” Matthew assured him. “We’d just come in from church. She was fussing about getting everything ready for you. I was coming round the corner from the kitchen and saw that dang rug shoot out from under her. Tried to catch her, but she went down like a rock.” He sat on the bottom step and took her hand. His fingers trembled visibly. “Dang it, Sally. You wake up now. It’s not right, you givin’ me a scare like this.”

  Rick had never felt so helpless in his life. He knew the basics of first aid, knew enough not to try to move her, but what else could he do? There had to be something. What if she went into shock before the ambulance arrived?

  “You have a blanket around here?” he asked Matthew.

  Matthew stared up at him in confusion. “A blanket? It must be ninety out there today.”

  “Trust me, it’ll help,” Rick said.

  “Her favorite throw’s on the sofa. It’s the blue one Ellen sent up from Atlanta last Christmas.”

  Rick found it, folded up neat as a pin on the back of the sofa. As he stepped back into the foyer, he could hear the ambulance siren in the distance.

  “Wrap this around her,” he instructed Matthew. “I’ll go meet the ambulance.”

  He was about to head outside, but Matthew grabbed his hand. “I’m mighty glad you turned up when you did, son.”

  Rick stared at him, struck by the genuine relief and affection in Matthew’s eyes. “I haven’t done anything.”

  “You were here when we needed you. That’s what counts. I won’t forget that.”

  For the next hour there was a flurry of activity as the paramedics brought Sally around, then transported her to the hospital. Rick drove an unusually silent Matthew to meet them there.

  “She’s going to be okay,” he reassured Matthew as they walked through the emergency-room doors.

  Matthew nodded, his gaze already searching for some sign of his wife. “Has to be,” he said tersely, then went off to find her.

  Rick walked outside and used his cell phone to call Maggie. Yet again, there was no answer. He struggled to remember Melanie’s number, but couldn’t. He went inside, asked one of the clerks to borrow a phone book, jotted down the number, then went back outside to call.

  Melanie answered, sounding breathless.

  “Melanie, it’s Rick. Is Maggie over there?”

  “No. We just got in. I had to run to catch the phone. I assumed she was with you. Wait a sec, though, there’s a message light blinking. Let me check to see if she called while we were out.”

  Rick waited impatiently till she came back on the line.

  “She called about an hour ago and said Ashley had left and for me to call her at home. Obviously you tried there.”

  “Yes. There was no answer. I guess I’ll just have to keep trying.”

  “Are you okay? You sound kind of shaky.”

  He sucked in a deep breath and tried to steady his voice. “Actually I’m at the hospital. Sally Keller took a fall. I came in with Matthew.”

  “That’s awful. Is Sally all right?”

  “They’re checking her out now. She’d come around by the time we left the farm, but there’s a good chance she broke her hip in the fall.”

  “I am so sorry. Please tell Matthew we’re thinking about both of them. And don’t you worry about a thing. I’ll find Maggie and send her over there, okay? Would you like me to send Mike in the meantime?”

  For a minute Rick considered saying yes, but he stopped himself. He wasn’t used to leaning on anyone. “No, I’ll be fine.”

  To his astonishment, his eyes were stinging with unshed tears as he hung up. For a man who’d had no one in his life a few short weeks ago, he now seemed to be surrounded by people he cared about, people who genuinely seemed to care about him. Getting emotional about a thing like that seemed crazy. He blamed it on his concern for Sally. There was no point in trying to deny that he’d started to think of her and Matthew as the grandparents he’d never known.

  So this was what it was like to have his life emotionally entangled with someone else’s. He’d always avoided romantic love,
because he knew the heartache that sort of attachment could cause, but this one had snuck up on him. He hadn’t protected himself from starting to care for these two old people.

  He was on what had to be his third cup of very bad coffee and his hundredth trek between the waiting room and the emergency entrance when he finally spotted Maggie running across the parking lot. He met her halfway and swept her into his arms, clinging to her like a lifeline.

  He felt steadier when he finally let her go. “You didn’t have to come over here.”

  “Of course I did. I came as soon as Melanie caught up with me. Ironically I’d gone out to the farm to see the Kellers, but no one was there. You must have already left for the hospital. How is Sally?”

  “I’m still waiting for word. Matthew is with her.” He looked into her eyes. “I know I said you didn’t need to come, but I’m glad you’re here.”

  Maggie reached up and touched his cheek, her expression filled with understanding. “I know. Why don’t we go back inside?” she urged. “It’s hot as blazes out here, and we want to be where Matthew can find us when there’s news.”

  They went into the crowded emergency waiting room. Maggie checked at the nurses’ station to see if there was any word on Sally, while Rick found a couple of empty seats. What was it with hospitals that every waiting room was too cold and had this antiseptic smell? He’d have felt better outside, but Maggie was right. They needed to be right where Matthew could find them if the doctors booted him out of Sally’s treatment cubicle, which they were bound to do sooner or later.

  “The nurse at the desk doesn’t know anything, but I’m going to see if I can get into the treatment area,” Maggie said when she finally joined him. “I spotted a nurse going into the back who looked familiar. I think my sisters and I used to play with her when we were girls. At least she might get us some information. I’ll be right back.”

  Rick nodded. After she was gone, he closed his eyes.

  “Let Sally be okay,” he murmured, not entirely sure if he was expressing a wish or saying a prayer. It had been a long time since he’d had any reason to ask God for anything, so it was little wonder he wasn’t sure if that’s what he was doing now. Praying seemed like a good idea, though, so he silently repeated the same words. “God, please let her be okay. Matthew needs her. And,” he added, though he was still surprised by it, “so do I.”