by Norah Wilson
“Okay. I’ll come see you at Ryker’s early tomorrow morning. By the time we land and I make the drive back from Fredericton, it’ll be really late. We should both probably be fresher for—”
“Tomorrow’s fine, but I’ll be home. At the farm, I mean. If that’s all right with you? I know the deal has already closed, but Dad said they have until the end of the month to get out.”
“Jesus, Ember. Of course it’s all right.”
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
“I gotta go,” he said, breaking the silence at last. “They’re telling me I have to turn off my phone.”
“Tomorrow, then.” She slipped her phone back into her pocket. When her heart rate dropped into a more normal zone, she went back out onto the deck.
Ryker stood, empty bowls in hand.
“Mind driving me home?” she asked.
He didn’t.
Chapter 30
TITUS’S TRUCK was still in the yard. What was the deal with that? She’d had the impression from her father that he was planning to drive to Regina. Had she gotten the wrong handle on that?
“Want me to hang around?”
Ember glanced over at Ryker and shook her head. “No, I’m good. Thanks, Seven Ten. For everything.”
“You’re welcome, Red.”
She hopped out of his car, shouldering her rucksack. With a wave, he turned the Infiniti around and headed back out the long driveway, dust billowing behind him.
She looked at the old farmhouse where she and her brothers had grown up. Where she’d learned to cook, done her homework, had sleepovers with her girlfriends, mastered the art of mascara application. God, she was going to miss it. And not just the house. The land. The activity cycles around the different crops as one season segued into the next. Even the chores she’d grumbled about. She pivoted to survey the Far South Barn. That might be the thing she would miss the most, the celebrations. The times the community came together and all seemed right in the world.
She heard the front door slam and whirled. Her first thought was Titus. Her father had said that he and Ocean had gotten close, but that the affair seemed doomed. She wished she’d known that when she’d blasted Titus with that one text she’d answered. No wonder he was like a bear with a sore head.
She prepared herself for his anger. Not because she feared it but because she’d promised herself she’d give him a free shot or two before she came back at him. An opportunity to vent some of the simmering anger. But since restraint didn’t come naturally, especially when dealing with with her siblings, she had to be mindful.
Except when the figure emerged from the shade of the porch, she realized it was Scott.
“Hey, kid. You’re back!” He sprang lightly down the wide steps and crossed to enfold her in a hug. She could practically feel his relief. Always the worrier.
“Hey, Scott.” She hugged him back. “Good to see you.”
He released her and gestured toward the porch. “Helluva homecoming, huh?”
For the first time, she noticed there were professional packing boxes stacked in the shadows, a long row of them running against the house, piled two boxes high. She pulled in a shakey breath. Of course there’d be boxes. They were preparing to vacate by month’s end.
“Yeah. Not exactly what I had in mind when I said I’d come home for Thanksgiving.” She sniffed back tears that she refused to let fall. “I wish I’d known. All that time I was nursing Jace’s ankle and sorting out the past, I wasn’t paying any attention to what was going on right under my nose. I knew he was holding something back. I should have pressed him.”
“Well, he told you about it eventually. That must have taken some cojones.”
Her laugh was harsh. “He didn’t tell me, actually. I found the agreement for purchase and sale. Unfortunately, not until after the deal was closed.”
Scott whistled. “I’m impressed you’re still here and not as far away from Harkness as you could get. You’re making progress, kid.”
She punched his arm, hard.
“Ow!” He rubbed his bicep.
“The first kid was free, but you’ll pay for the privilege if you keep that up.”
He grinned. “That’s the Ember we know and love.”
“Yeah, I’m the same Ember, all right.” She pushed her loose hair back from her face. “When I saw that document, I still ran. Just not as far away as last time.”
“How is Ryker?”
“As hard-working as ever.”
“Did Jace track you down there?”
She shook her head. “He knew I was there, but I made it clear I wasn’t going to talk to him.”
“We’re familiar with your voice mail recording.”
The words came not from Scott, but from Titus, who had emerged from the house with a worried-looking Ocean at his side. “Messages will be erased unheard, texts deleted unread. Wasn’t that the gist of it?”
She shrugged. “Sorry. I was a little upset.”
Leaving Ocean on the porch, Titus descended the steps and crossed to her. “No, I’m sorry,” he said. “I shouldn’t have gotten pissy when I realized it was Jace you were tending. You’re a big girl. All grown up. A doctor.”
His gaze slid to Ocean, who looked on with an approving expression that left Ember in no doubt as to who had influenced that sentiment. If Ocean had convinced even one of her brothers that she was old enough to take care of herself, then this family needed more Ocean.
“I’m sorry too about not telling you about the sale. I should have told you when I first talked to Jace about the possibility. Certainly before the deal was signed.”
Her father, who she hadn’t even seen come down the steps, came to stand beside Titus.
“That’s easy to say now, Son, but the truth is you needed to get away, and I needed to make it happen. Which is why we agreed we wouldn’t break the news until after the fact.”
“I appreciate that, Dad, but I’m the one who pressured you into selling.” His voice was gruff. “I’d been wanting to get away from Harkness for so long. Wanting to join the RCMP and start living the life I’d dreamed of since I was a kid.”
Oh, Titus.
“I feel so selfish, so oblivious,” she said. “We left you behind to deal with everything. I’m so sorry.”
“Nobody left me behind,” he said. “I volunteered to stay.”
“Yes, you did. And we were so grateful when you stepped up to the plate. But after a while, we—okay, I shouldn’t speak for Scott—but I know I’m guilty of taking you for granted. After a few years passed, I just assumed you’d always be here, carrying on. And I know you didn’t know what WRP Holdings had planned for the property.” She glanced at Arden. “Dad already told me that.”
Scott cleared his throat. “This is one instance where you could have spoken for me, since I’ve also been equally guilty of taking the status quo for granted. Sorry, Titus.”
“None of you are sorrier than I am.” Arden’s voice was thick with emotion. “I left so much to you, Son. When your mother was sick, and later, when I was missing her so bad.”
Ember had to clear her own throat. Time to get this conversation on more positive ground before they all started crying. “Well, you’re free to go now, bro. That’s the main thing, right?” She grinned. “I can’t wait to see you in the Red Serge. I hope they tailor those babies, though.” She punched his upper arm. “I can’t see those guns fitting into a standard issue uniform.”
Titus looked to Arden, then down at Ocean by his side. Scott stuck his hands in his pockets and looked everywhere but at Ember.
“What?” She frowned. “What’d I say?”
Titus shifted. “Well, it’s like this. I’m not going to join the RCMP after all. I’m staying here.”
“What?” She searched his face, unable to remember the last time she’d seen her older brother look so abashed. Elementary school, maybe. She half expected him to kick at a rock like he might have done back then. What could possibly keep hi
m from his dream now? It was right there, within his grasp. Unless... “Did they uninvite you to cadet training?”
“No, nothing like that. Nothing on their end,” he rushed to assure. “In fact, I was all set to go this morning. Had the truck packed. Made it to the end of the driveway. Then I looked in the rearview mirror and saw Ocean standing here in the yard, waving goodbye.”
Titus looked down at Ocean, and the look on his face stunned Ember. He was in love with her! Totally and completely in love.
Titus lifted his head to meet Ember’s gaze, not even trying to hide the emotion blazing from his eyes. “I know I’m a little thick when it comes to this stuff, but as I sat there with my signal light clicking, it hit me like a thunderbolt out of the clear, blue sky. I couldn’t leave. Everything I need is right here.”
This time, Ember couldn’t stem the spurt of tears. “Oh, Titus. I’m so happy for you.”
“Thank you,” he said, but the clouds had crept back into his eyes. “Unfortunately, there was a price for my thick-headedness. That thunderbolt came too late to save the farm.”
Ember blinked. “But not too late to avoid making an even worse mistake—driving away from the woman you love.”
His arm tightened around Ocean. “Exactly.”
Ember frowned. “If you’re staying here, and with the farm sold, what will you do?”
“I thought I’d ramp up the classic motorcycle restoration business. I’d been doing it more or less as a hobby, but now...” He shrugged. “Now I guess I’ll find out if I can make a living from it.”
“Won’t be a problem,” Scott put in. “I’ve already told Titus that I could have sent him dozens of referrals over the years, if he’d been interested. And this just from folks who admired my Ducati outside truckstops or pool halls. If he actually beats the bushes for business, he’ll be swamped.”
“Let’s hope,” Titus said.
“Sounds like a good plan.” She smiled at Titus. “Now let the girl go. I want to give her a hug.”
Titus obliged, and Ember hugged Ocean tightly. “Congratulations, Osch. I’m so happy for you. I always thought you guys would be good together.”
Ocean hugged her back, hard, then pulled away. Her face was radiant, but just as tear-damp as Ember’s. “Thanks, Ember. I’m so glad you’re happy for us. In the circumstances, with the rumors of a waste storage and treatment facility—”
“Let’s hold off on the gloom and doom for a little while,” Ember found herself saying.
“Thanks, but I’d rather face reality,” Titus said. “We may have let the farm go, but that doesn’t mean we—or this community—will stand still while the Picards turn the place into a toxic waste dump.”
“But the reality might not be as grim as you think it is.” God, was this her saying this? Trusting Jace?
Apparently so.
“What do you mean?” Her father’s eyes sharpened. “What do you know that we don’t, Ember?”
She wet her lips. “No one’s been harder on Jace than I have. And I was so pissed at him—”
“And us,” Titus put in.
“Yes, I was furious with you guys too, for keeping me in the dark. But the point is, I blew up at him and ran away. But he said something...”
“Go on,” Arden prompted. “What’d he say?”
Her heart started to pound. “That I should trust him.”
Chapter 31
THE NEXT morning Arden made his way stiffly down the stairs. At the bottom, he noted the time on the clock on the entryway wall. It was Margaret’s clock. She’d bought it on a visit to Calgary with her sister twenty years ago. It had been her only souvenir from the trip.
So much of Margaret was in every nook and cranny of this place. Though much of the house’s contents had been packed away, evidence of her touch still abounded. He saw it in the books that still lined the bookcase—her beloved mysteries and detective stories. He smiled. For such a gentle woman, she sure loved to read some bloodcurdling stuff. He saw it in the kids’ graduation pictures, each in a matching black frame. He suspected that when every last photo and trinket and dish had been packed up, some part of her spirit would still linger.
But most of all, he saw Margaret’s influence in his children. Not just Ember, but his sons too. The way they looked out for each other, cared for each other. Family had meant the world to Margaret.
Scott and Titus glanced up at him as he walked into the kitchen, then stared back down into their coffee.
“Any left?” Arden asked.
“Half a cup, maybe,” Scott said.
“I’ll make another pot,” Arden volunteered. “It’s going to be a long day.”
“I can fix up a sandwich if you’re hungry, Dad,” Titus offered.
“Not hungry, Son.”
Arden grabbed a cup and poured the dregs from the coffee pot into it. That would do till the second pot was ready.
Titus and Scott must have gotten up at the crack of dawn. Or maybe they’d just stayed up all night; Arden wasn’t sure.
He looked down at Axl’s bowl, which was empty. “Dog fed?”
“Yup,” Titus said. “He’s ouside, on squirrel patrol.”
Arden snorted. Axl hadn’t chased a squirrel in a year or more, thanks to his stiffness, but he did like to pad slowly around the front yard in the mornings, sniffing everything and annointing his favorite places before settling down in front of the porch for a nap.
The boys were quiet as he measured the coffee, poured the water and hit the brew button. Likewise when he took a seat at the table to sip his coffee. Clearly, they were all talked out.
When the coffee finished, he grabbed the carafe. “Top you up?”
Titus pushed his mug closer, as did Scott. Arden refilled them, then topped up his own coffee. Plunking himself down again with about as much grace as Axl, Arden toyed with his old, chipped mug. He turned it until the wording showed: World’s Greatest Husband. It had been a gift from Margaret. She’d made it years ago in ceramics class at the Harkness Community Center.
Dammit, he didn’t feel much like world’s greatest anything. Certainly not world’s greatest father.
God, the look on Ember’s face when she’d come home yesterday… Saying goodbye to this place was going to tear a piece of her heart clean out. No matter how much she said she understood, it would hurt her badly.
She’d calmed down a lot, though, since he’d talked to her on a phone a few days ago. She’d obviously done a lot of thinking since then. He’d been relieved to see how strongly she empathized with Titus’s situation. She didn’t blame him for wanting to get away, follow his own path. Miraculously, she didn’t appear to blame anyone. Well, except for shutting her out of the decision-making and then dragging their heels telling her about it.
Arden glanced at Scott, who appeared to be searching for answers in the depths of his coffee cup. Scott’s reaction had been much the same as Ember’s. Unlike Ember, he wasn’t one to talk about his feelings, but that didn’t mean he didn’t have them. He’d been just as hurt to be left out of the decision to sell the farm. If anything, he’d probably been hurt a little deeper. Scott always thought he was on the outside of things. He’d never said as much, but Arden knew.
His gaze slid to Titus, who seemed to be studying the landscape beyond the kitchen window. Except Arden doubted he saw the rows of straw covering the neatly mowed strawberry plants in the distance. He almost felt worse for Titus than the other two. It was in his nature to be responsible. To protect and serve. To take care of others. It had taken a lot for him to finally put his needs first. Then Ocean happened.
His son had found his match in that young lady, and Arden knew the two of them would be happy. But in deciding to stay and make a life here with Ocean, Arden knew his eldest son’s guilt about selling was deeper than ever.
Then there was the issue of how his boys felt when he’d confessed to sending Ember out to help Jace. They had been beside themselves. And the questions they’d lobbed at him h
ad been ones he’d already asked himself. What were you thinking? That Ember and Jace would get back together? Or that somehow, she could use her influence with Jace to fix this?
What had Ember said yesterday? Jace had asked her to trust him. But trust him to do what? Prevent the property from being turned into a toxic waste depot? Maybe he’d just meant she should trust him to know best.
All Arden knew was that if Jace Picard built up his daughter’s hopes just to disappoint her again, he was going to have three Standish men to contend with.
“Ember still sleeping?” Titus asked. He directed the question to his brother across the table.
Scott shrugged. “I’m not sure. She’s quiet up there.”
“She’s awake.” Ember walked into the kitchen.
Arden turned in his chair. Though she seemed a little paler than usual, she also looked as strong and determined as he’d expect from a Standish woman.
“Morning, Sweetpea.”
“Morning, Dad.”
“Coffee?” Scott offered.
“There’s cake,” Titus said.
“Thanks, I’m good.”
She walked over to the box of half-packed Christmas dishes. She looked at it, then looked to the china cabinet, then back to the box again. She took one of the dainty holly-trimmed teacups from a hook inside the cabinet and turned it over in her hand, examining it.
A knock sounded, drawing everyone’s attention to the kitchen door. Way to go with the advance notice, Axl.
Ember put the teacup back. “Did I mention Jace was coming by this morning?”
Chapter 32
IT COULD have been anyone on the other side of that kitchen door. It might have been Ocean to see Titus. Mrs. Budaker delivering yet more gingersnaps to him. It could be any one of their neighbors who’d gotten wind of the news and came to see if it were true—that the Standishs had sold the homestead.
But Ember knew in her heart who it was. She held her breath as her father opened the door.
Jace stood there, holding the screen door open, a tail-wagging Axl at his side. Despite herself, her heart fluttered.