“Sure. I’ll warn my man not to go outside. He isn’t a smoker so there’s no reason for him to leave the barn.”
“I’ll be sleeping in the tack room. I’ll make him a pot of coffee. I can take some to the man watching the house if you want me to.”
“He hasn’t left yet. I’ll have him come in and take a cup with him. That way you won’t have to leave.”
“I can do better than that, Chief. We keep thermos bottles here to take when we ride fences in the cold. I’ll fill one of those for him.” Theo walked toward the tack room.
“You got a good man there, Seth.”
“Yes. I trust him completely.”
•♥ •
Julia couldn’t sleep. She was disturbed when Andrew told her he’d overheard her and Woodrow talk about a man named Seth. She managed to ease his mind about it for the time being, but she knew he’d ask more questions later. She flopped over to her right side. In less than two minutes, she turned on her left.
After turning from one side to the other for another fifteen minutes, she gave up and decided she wouldn’t try going to sleep any longer. Sitting up, she snapped on her beside light and picked up the Asheville paper Andrew had dropped in the living room. She read the small article for the tenth time. It was another reason she was having trouble sleeping.
Kiley Staples, 16, daughter of Police Chief and Mrs. Richard Staples of Coverton Mills, was named the winner in a county-wide poetry contest for grades nine through twelve. Miss Staples is a sophomore at Coverton Mills High School. She credits her advanced English teacher, Miss Jessica Armstrong, with giving her the guidance and encouragement to enter the contest.
“I wrote the poem after Miss Armstrong took the class to Armstrong Farm for a field trip. The many beautiful horses I saw there were my inspiration.” Miss Staples added. “Miss Armstrong’s father was so nice. He took us all over the place and explained a lot to us.” Armstrong Farm is owned by Seth Armstrong and is located on the outskirts of Coverton Mills. Miss Staples’s poem will be entered in the state-wide competition which takes place in April.
Julia sighed. “I’m glad you still have your farm, Seth. I know how much it meant to you and I’m sure it still does,” she whispered. “I wish I could’ve seen it at least one time.”
She then read the article again. Seeing his name in print made her feel closer to him somehow.
CHAPTER 15
“Sabrina Callahan, please,” Andrew said into the phone.
“This is she.”
“Sabrina, this is Andrew Singleton. I’m sorry I didn’t…”
“Please, stop teasing me!” The girl almost yelled. “I know I won the tickets and I didn’t want to sell them, but I had to. Mama’s medicine had run out and I had to use what I made that week to pay the light bill. They were going to shut the power off. I couldn’t find another way to pay for her medicine. I love Andrew Singleton and wanted to see him, but I had no alternative. I had to sell my ticket. So why don’t you just leave me alone!”
“I’m sorry about that, but this really is Andrew Singleton.”
“I don’t know why you snobs get such a kick out of picking on me. I can’t help being poor. I don’t deserve this cruelty. I have feelings just like you people in the country club set.”
“Sabrina I’m sorry, but…”
“Please don’t call me again. You made me fall for your trick one time. You know I went out in the snow to meet Andrew Singleton at the drugstore because I thought he’d really called. When you all jumped out at me and started singing one of his love songs then laughing like idiots, it broke my heart, but you didn’t care. And I know you still only want to laugh at me for giving up something I wanted so badly.” She began to cry. “So, have your laugh, but I’m through falling for your cruel jokes and I’m going to hang up now.”
“But…”
The phone went dead.
Andrew sat there in a daze. Were people really cruel enough to tease and make fun of this girl because she was poor and had to sacrifice to buy something her mother needed? He couldn’t believe this. He’d had an easy life and his family had belonged to the country club, but he knew he’d never stooped to this sort of bizarre teasing. No, it wasn’t teasing. It was actually bullying.
He got up from the desk in his room and went down the hall. “Mom,” he called.
“I’m in the kitchen, Andrew.”
He came in and plopped down on one of the four breakfast bar stools. “I’ve just had something happen that’s almost unbelievable.”
“What, honey?”
He told her about the telephone conversation. “I’m sorry my call upset the girl, but I never dreamed someone could be cruel enough to say those things to her.”
“People can be horrid sometimes. It’s amazing what one human will do to another.”
“If we didn’t have that show tomorrow, I’d head back to Asheville and take her to dinner just to make her feel better.”
Julie smiled at her son. “You’ve always fought for the underdog. That’s one thing I’ve always been proud of you for.”
“Must have gotten it from you, Mom.”
“I don’t know about that.” She pulled a pan of lasagna out of the oven and sat it on the rack on the counter. “I had a strange call today at work myself.”
“From who?”
“Would you believe, Chet Roberts?”
“What did he want?”
“To take me to dinner.”
“After you fired him?” Andrew stared at her. “You’ve got to be kidding.”
“It shocked me, too. He said he wanted to take me out so we could make up and maybe get something going in the romance department.”
“I can’t believe that.” He picked up a cucumber from the sliced and chopped vegetables setting on the cutting board waiting to be put in the salad. “You know I’ve never told you what to do or who to be friends with, but Mom I’m putting my foot down. I won’t have you making plans in the romance department with Chet Roberts.”
She laughed. “You don’t have to concern yourself about that, son. Compared to Chet, your twenty-five- year-old drummer looks good. Sorry, I don’t remember his name.”
Andrew threw back his head and laughed out loud. “His name is Willy, and I’m going to tell him what you said. Since he thinks you’re a hot chick, it’ll make his night.”
She rolled her eyes at him and dumped the vegetables on the basket of lettuce she’d washed. “Do you have the girl’s address, Andrew?”
“What girl?”
“Your mind does jump around, doesn’t it? I’m talking about the girl you called less than ten minutes ago.”
“Oh. Yeah. I have her address. Why?” He hoped his mother couldn’t tell he was trying hard to be nonchalant. For some reason he didn’t want her to know how the call to Sabrina Callahan had touched his soul.
“Then why don’t you send her a nice bouquet of flowers. I don’t care how rich or poor a woman is, she probably loves flowers.”
“That’s a good idea, Mom. I’ll go do it right now.” He started to get up.
“Hold on, Andrew. It’s almost eight o’clock. The florist is closed. You’ll have to wait until tomorrow to send them. Now, go wash your hands. Dinner is ready.”
•♥ •
She watched him walk down the hall and her heart filled with pride. No matter how big or how old he was, he was still her little boy. The one who wanted to save all the injured birds, stray cats and lost animals. He would never know it, but he was so like his father. The birth one.
•♥ •
The Armstrongs had finished dinner and were gathered in the family room where a fire blazed in the rock fireplace which reached to the ceiling, sixteen feet from the floor. Ashley’s children, Lance, who had turned five in October and Lilly, who would be four in February were on the colorful rug playing with the collection of plastic horses they kept at Seth’s house.
Jessica and Brooke had challenged Jimmy and Hunter to a game of Trivial Pursuit
. From the laughing and bantering at the game table in the other end of the room, it was hard to tell which two were winning.
“Oh, Daddy I’m so glad nothing happened to Powder. You know I love my horse.” Ashley had her feet tucked up under her and was sitting on the sofa next to her father. It was the first time they’d had a chance to talk alone since she’d arrived this morning.
“I know, Ashley. I’m making sure all the horses are protected. You know how I feel about them. I don’t like to think of any of them being hurt.”
“That’s why you’re so good at your job.”
“Thanks.” He put his arm around his eldest child. “I’m glad you came to stay with me while Byron is out of town. It’s fun having the little ones here, too. Since you moved to Atlanta I don’t get to see them as often as I wish I could.”
“It’s good to be here. I hope we don’t get under foot so much that you want to send us back to Atlanta in a day or two.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t do that. I’ll put you in the guest house if you make too much trouble,” He teased.
“You would, too. I know you.” She laughed. “No kidding, Daddy. It feels good to be home. Atlanta is a nice town, but I miss these hills.”
“How long is Byron going to be gone, honey?”
“I’m not sure. A few weeks, maybe.”
Though Seth caught her evasiveness, he didn’t comment. “Well, you know you’re welcome here as long as you want to stay. It’ll always be your home.”
She raised her head from his shoulder, sat straight and changed the subject. “You said at dinner that the police found a lot of tracks outside. Did they find anything else?”
“That was about it. They think the intruder came in the gate as one of us was driving in. They must have been waiting for the right opportunity and when the gate swung open they slipped in. There were a lot of foot prints around the side of the opening and they lead toward the house.”
“I don’t understand this at all. Why in the world would anyone want to hurt our family?”
“I have no idea, Ashley, but for some reason, we seem to be a target for someone’s hatred.” He saw the concern in her eyes. “Richard says he thinks it’s an old grudge against me, but I can’t think of anything I’ve done to make someone want to harm my family or the horses.”
“They have to be deranged.”
“I agree with that.”
The telephone rang, interrupting their conversation. Ashley was next to the table where it sat. She reached over and picked it up. Looking at the name on the caller ID she said, “It’s one of the Winslows.” She handed her father the phone.
“May be for Jimmy,” Seth said, hoping it wasn’t. He’d tried all day to get in touch with Kay, but she’d been out. Jimmy told him tonight she and Jude had gone to Asheville for the day. “Seth here.”
“Hi, Seth. It’s Kay. Are you where you can talk?”
“Not really. Let me go to my office and look it up and I’ll call you right back.” He hung up the phone and handed it to Ashley. “I’ll be back in a minute. Got to go find something.”
“Sure, Daddy.” She stood and ambled to the group at the game table.
Seth’s heart was pounding when he took the elevator to his second-floor office. “Oh, Lord, I hope she has found something.” He sat down at his desk and his finger shook as he punched in the Winslow’s number.
“Okay, Kay. I’m in my office now. What have you got for me?”
“I don’t want you to get your hopes up, but we’ve traced a woman with the social security number you gave me to Whitfield, North Carolina. It’s a fair-sized town in the Piedmont section sandwiched in by larger cities.”
“Was there a name with the number?”
“Not yet, but I’m working on it.” She sighed. “I wish I had better news, Seth, but the woman must have been afraid you’d search for her. She covered her tracks well.”
“Maybe I should just forget it, Kay. I’m afraid I might be opening a can I can’t close.”
“That’s true, and if you want me to call it off, I will. Just remember, you may find answers you didn’t want to know, but you could find the love of your life again. It’s up to you if you want to take the gamble.”
He thought a minute and knew the not knowing was worst of all. “Keep, looking, Kay. I think I’m strong enough to handle whatever you find.”
“I’ll get on it again tomorrow, Seth.”
“Thanks, Kay. I think you’ve done great to find as much as you have in such a short time.”
“I’ll call you tomorrow.”
He hung up and sat at his desk for a few minutes. He didn’t want to think about what could happen if he actually found Julia again. Of course, there had been a lot of years and things could never be the same between them now that he was in the condition he was in. And he knew if she was a still healthy and vibrant woman, he couldn’t saddle her with a cripple. He still loved her too much for that.
The phone rang again, and he jumped.
“Hey, Seth, it’s Richard. Just wanted to let you know we think we’ve identified the woman found in your barn.”
“Who was she?”
“She was one of the women from Bed, Breakfast and More. We’re pretty sure her name is Doreen Weaver. She’s originally from North Carolina, but she’s been living in the Tampa, Florida area for a while.”
“Which one was she, Richard?”
“The one with the bikinis and the granny gowns.”
“For some reason I thought it would be the other one, if it was one of them.”
“Me, too. Goes to show you what us men know.” He chuckled. “In a way, this gives me more questions than answers. Now I’ve got to figure out if Virgie Fox is our killer or if Ms. Fox is dead somewhere and we just haven’t found her body yet.”
“I’ve never seen or known anything about either of those women so why would they want to come to my farm?”
“That’s the big question, Seth. When we figure that out, we’ll have our killer for sure.”
He hung up and the phone rang immediately. A woman cackled and then said, “Just thought I’d let you know I’ll be sending you a special pet soon. It’ll be rabid, of course.” The line went dead.
CHAPTER 16
“Well, it’s like old times,” Norma said as she dished up scramble eggs, grits and country ham the next morning. “If Hunter was here, I’d think I had fallen into the past and was getting you kids off to school.”
“Wait until my two kids wake up, Norma. You’ll wish you could send them off to school. They’re full of it in the morning.”
“Now, Ashley, you know there’s never been a baby born I can’t handle.”
“I sure know that. She’s always telling me what to do, just like a five-year-old.” Seth was trying to make everything sound like the normal banter between him and Norma today. He didn’t want to tell the girls about his late-night phone call about a rabid pet.
“Well, now, Mr. Armstrong, you’ve got to admit, sometimes you act like a five-year-old and I have to rein you in.” She put the plates on the family breakfast room table for them. “Now, Jessica there, she don’t give nobody any trouble. See her sitting there reading her paper? Good as an angel, that one.”
Jessica grinned. “Thank you, Norma. I know you have enough trouble with Daddy. It might even get harder now that Ashley’s home. I’ll try to help ease your burden and be my sweet wonderful self.”
“Will you cut out the mutual admiration society and pour some more coffee, Norma. A man could dry up around here.”
“I’ll pour that coffee when I’ve got time. I want to get these women fed before I worry about you. They look hungry and you ain’t never dried up yet, have you?”
“Are you two ever going to learn get along?” Ashley laughed.
“What do you mean, Ashley? Your daddy and me get along fine, don’t we, sir?”
“We sure do,” Seth laughed. “Norma tells me what to do, and if I’m a mind to, I do it.”
Norma came to the table with the coffee pot. “Here’s your coffee. Gotta feed that morning caffeine habit. Now, move your arm so I won’t burn you.”
He slipped his arm to the side. “Thank you, Norma. You’re a wonderful woman.”
“I know that! Always have been, otherwise I’d never would’ve put up with you for all these years.”
Jessica, glanced up from the newspaper. “Guess what. Andrew Singleton’s going to do another concert in the area. We saw him in Asheville on New Year’s Eve, Ashley. He’s great. Looks just like out brother.”
“Maybe he is our brother,” Ashley kidded her daddy.
“We’ve already been through all that,” Seth said, and cut a piece of ham.
Jessica’s eyes moved to another short announcement. “How about this? They’re going to open a Singleton’s Department Store in Asheville. I shopped there when I was in school in Greensboro because it wasn’t a long drive over to their home store in Whitfield. I love that store.” She cocked her head to the side. “I wonder if Andrew Singleton is related to that family of retailers.”
“Probably would’ve already cashed in on the name if he was,” Seth reached for his coffee and winked at Norma. “It’s good.”
“I know what you like. Have I ever given you anything bad?”
“A time or two, but not lately.”
“When are they going to open up, Jessica?” Ashley looked at her sister.
“Says here they plan to open by spring.”
“Hey, maybe I could get a job there.” Ashley bit her lip as soon as she said it, but it was too late to take it back.
Seth looked at her. “Why would you be looking for a job, honey? Don’t Byron and the kids keep you busy enough?”
Norma filled the rest of the cups without speaking and slipped back to the kitchen. She seemed to always disappear when the family had something to discuss.
Jessica put the paper down and looked at her sister. “Is there trouble?”
A tear rolled down Ashley’s cheek as she nodded. Seth reached for her hand. “Want to talk about it, honey?”
She nodded, but before she could say anything, Lance and Lilly came bouncing into the room. “I waked up,” Lilly said.
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