One Day in Apple Grove

by C. H. Admirand

  “That’s what my dad tells me.”

  “He’s right.” Jack held his hand out to her, palm up, waiting for her to put her trust and her hand in his. “How do you feel about turtles and snakes?”

  “Box or painter turtles, yes. Snapping turtles, no—long story. It involves a gorgeous fish I’d just caught and the big old snapper that lives in the lake.”

  “Understandable. Snapping turtles get greedy sometimes.”

  “My dad still doesn’t believe that I caught such a big largemouth bass, even though Peggy swears it was.”

  He grinned. “Ah, the one that got away with an imaginative twist.”

  She was laughing with him. “I see your point, but still…”

  “What about snakes?”

  “You were serious?” she asked. “I thought you were trying to get a rise out of me. Who the heck likes snakes?”

  “I do.”

  She was silent for so long he thought it might be a deal breaker, until she asked, “Do you like them outside or in the house?”

  Hugging her close, he told her, “Outside.”

  “That’s all right then,” she said, tilting her head back to look up at him. “Now inside”—she let her words trail off as she brushed the tips of her fingers back and forth over his bottom lip—“would have been a deal breaker for me.”

  “You’re a keeper, Cait.”

  “I’m so glad you’re not tossing me back.”

  He covered her mouth with his and savored the taste of her. “Mmm…” he said at last. “Bacon-flavored woman…my favorite.”

  When Jamie yipped to get their attention and be let outside, Jack kept his arm around her, steering her out the door and onto the deck. Easing her back against him, he held on to her as the clouds slowly brightened and the early birds started to sing.

  “Don’t give up on me, Caitlin.”

  “Not a chance, Jack.”

  Jamie ambled up onto the deck and jumped at the back door. “I guess he’s finished.”

  “We still have an hour or so before I need to get a cleaned up. Will you come with me?”

  She didn’t hesitate, following him inside. “Where?”

  “I need to grab a blanket.”

  “What for?”

  “You’ll see,” he told her, pleased that she wanted to go with him. A few minutes later, he returned, found Jamie’s leash, and clipped it on him. “If you take him,” he said, “I’ll carry the rest.”

  “Where to?”

  “There’s a knoll on the edge of the property that’s higher than the rest. There’s a break in the trees perfect for—”

  “Watching the sunrise,” she finished for him. “I’d love to.”

  The grassy rise between a wide break in the tall pines was perfect. He laid the blanket on the ground. Even though it wasn’t as wet as he’d feared, it was damp enough that he was worried Cait’d be uncomfortable. He should have known better; she never complained. Sitting beside him with the dog on her lap, he figured she was just about perfect. Watching the sun paint the sky with reds and oranges that faded to yellow with Cait at his side, the remnants of fear tangled up in his gut finally dissipated.

  “I’m sure my father will want to get an early start,” she said, snuggling closer. “That sky doesn’t bode well for a sunny day.”

  “You’d have made a good farmer.”

  “I thought I wanted to do that for a few weeks as a kid, but then my dad had this great idea that Peggy and I spend one week at our house and then one week at hers one summer vacation.”

  “What happened?”

  “I didn’t like getting up as early as Peggy had to. And even though I like chickens, they can be mean if you ruffle their feathers trying to collect eggs.”

  “You dad is a smart man.”

  “Yep.”

  “A good man.”

  She turned toward him and laid a hand over his heart. “So are you.”

  “There are some people who’d disagree with you.”

  “Then they obviously don’t know the real you.”

  “Do you, Cait?” he asked.

  “I know as much as you’ve shared with me, and more that you didn’t intend to.”

  He nodded. “True. And you wouldn’t have even found out that much if we hadn’t had that storm last night.”

  “For what it’s worth, Jack,” she said, slowly rubbing the spot over his heart, “I’m glad.”

  He stiffened. “Because?”

  “You’ve shared more with me than any other woman.”

  “But it’s not something I intended to do.”

  “That’s the point,” she told him, watching him closely. “My parents knew each other’s faults and failings and still they loved each other like crazy for the time they had together.”

  When she drew in a deep breath, he wondered if she would start talking about her mother, but she surprised him.

  “Meg and Dan, and Honey B. and Mitch do too.” She paused, staring up at the sky. “I want what they have, not because I’m selfish and want to know your deepest, darkest secrets,” she told him. “I’ll tell you all of mine—you’re bound to hear about them down at the diner anyway,” she said on a laugh. “But because I was brought up to believe that the solid foundation of any relationship begins with trust…you can’t build anything on a foundation of sand.”

  “What if you knew as much of the truth as someone was able to share?” he asked. “Would that be enough?”

  “Why not the whole truth?” she urged.

  He eased her out of his arms and slowly got to his feet. “It’s getting late. We should go back.”

  He tried to pretend that he wasn’t bothered by the sadness in her eyes and the echoing ache in his heart. But he’d already been foolish enough today. Would last night end their precious beginning? Would she be his saving grace? Would the overwhelming need to have Caitlin in his life be enough to keep her there?

  Unaware of the questions roiling inside him, she took Jamie’s leash and waited while he picked up the damp blanket. The silence between them wasn’t as companionable as it had been the day before as they walked back to the house, but there was no help for it.

  He had patients to see and she had a barn to side. Sorting things out would have to wait until tonight.

  He paused at the edge of the deck and asked, “Will you have time to take care of Jamie midday today?”

  She unhooked the dog’s leash and let him inside. “Yes. We should be in better shape today, now that the roof’s on. If I hit a snag, I’ll let you know.”

  He nodded. “Do you want the first shower?”

  “Thanks. I know my dad’s probably up already and pacing around the kitchen.”

  “He’s worried about where you are?”

  She shook her head. “He doesn’t want any of his girls to get their hearts broken.”

  “Do you think I’ll break your heart, Cait?”

  She shrugged. “I watched Meg get her heart broken and look how happy she and Dan are right now. They’re married, have two adorable boys with another baby on the way…maybe it’s part of the process to know that the person you’re in love with has the capacity to forgive and when pushed to the wall will do anything to make it right.”

  As she walked out of the kitchen her words hit him…Did Caitlin Mulcahy love him? “Hey, wait!” he called after her, sprinting up the stairs.

  She’d already closed the bathroom door. He thought about pounding on it until she opened it, but he was pretty sure she’d heard him calling her. Maybe she hadn’t meant to let him know that she loved him. But he didn’t dwell on that fact; he was grinning from ear to ear, because if Caitlin Mulcahy loved him, he was the luckiest bastard on the planet.

  ***

  Caitlin waited until she heard Jack’s footsteps retreating befor
e she let go of the door handle. She hadn’t meant to let how she felt about him slip out. But being with him muddled her brain and jump-started her heart. That wake-up call in the middle of the night brought parts of Jack’s past and his demons out into the open. Would he push her away now that he knew how deeply she felt?

  Starting to pull the borrowed T-shirt over her head, she remembered Jack taking her clothes off in the kitchen. “Crap.” She let it fall back into place all but covering up the boxers she’d borrowed from him. Try as she might, she didn’t remember tripping over her clothes in the middle of the night when she’d first gone downstairs to think.

  Resolved that she’d have to go back downstairs and face Jack and his questions while she was feeling vulnerable, she was about to open the door when he knocked. “Hey, Cait?”

  She waited a moment before answering, “Yeah?”

  “I just pulled your clothes out of the drier. Do you want them?”

  “Oh.” She put a hand to her heart. “If you leave them right outside the door, I’ll get them. Thanks.”

  “I could hand them to you now.”

  His deeply rumbled offer slid over her skin like a caress. “I, uh…need to go pick up my dad.”

  His sigh was loud and low. “I’m leaving them on the floor.”

  “Thanks, Jack.”

  She waited until she heard his footsteps hit the stairs before opening the door a crack and reaching for her clothes. A short, hot shower had her ready to face the day and the myriad of questions her father was sure to have.

  As she toweled off and got dressed, she wondered who she could go to for help with Jack’s trauma. Maybe she should look up his symptoms online…less chance of gossip that way. What the heck did they call it anyway? She’d never known anyone who’d suffered from battle fatigue—that’s what Mr. Weatherbee called it, but he served in the army after World War II and before the Korean Conflict. She tried to focus, but her sleep-deprived brain wasn’t cooperating.

  She could ask her dad, but then he’d ask all kinds of questions that she wasn’t ready to answer yet. If she was going to help Jack, she was going to have to respect his privacy and need to keep his demons to himself while she searched for a way to help him conquer them.

  “My turn?” a deep voice called out as she was opening the door.

  Standing there looking delightfully rumpled, she wished she remembered if his hair was wavy or straight. It was hard to tell cut in the military fashion, high and tight. She would have liked to run her hands over it again, digging into his scalp to massage it…it always did wonders for her whenever she went to Honey B.’s for a trim. The shampooing was her favorite part.

  “Are you all right?”

  “What? Oh, yes,” she told him. “Just thinking about something.”

  “Hell of a something,” he mumbled, slipping past her into the bathroom. He paused and asked, “Do I need to say good-bye now?”

  “Yes.” She turned around to face him. “I hate to be late.”

  “If ever anyone tempted me to be late, Caitlin, it’s you.” He pressed a chaste kiss to the end of her nose and shoved her out the door and closed it.

  “Call my cell if you can’t come by later.”

  “OK.” Why did it feel so intimate talking to him through the bathroom door? Maybe it was a culmination of the last few hours, but whatever the reason, right now, she’d better get her head on straight. Her dad was waiting.

  By the time she’d said good-bye to Jamie and shut the door behind her, her phone had buzzed. She read the text message from her father and laughed as she typed: On my way home.

  Chapter 12

  “Hell of a storm last night,” her dad said, getting into the passenger side of the F1.

  His words hit her with the force of a blow. He had no idea how hellacious it had been.

  “You’re awfully quiet today.”

  She could feel his gaze on her but didn’t take her hands off the wheel or turn toward him. “I was thinking about the slab we poured. Do you think we rushed it and it didn’t cure?”

  “I wouldn’t have let you start the framing if the slab wasn’t ready. Can’t build anything on a soft foundation.”

  “I know,” she said. “You and mom taught us well.”

  “Your mom wasn’t handy with concrete.” When she shrugged, he asked, “Is there anything on your mind you want to talk about?”

  “Not yet.”

  “I know I don’t have to ask, because I know you would trust me enough to tell me, but did Jack hurt you?”

  How to answer that question without having her dad hightailing it on over to Jack’s office in town and dragging him outside to pound some sense into him? Wouldn’t that just be a wonderful story gracing the front page of the Apple Grove Gazette?

  “Not really.”

  His eyes narrowed as he turned and frowned at her. “Hell of an answer, Cait. Now how about trying the truth?”

  “Not physically.”

  “Keep talking,” he ordered as she pulled into Johnson’s driveway.

  “I can’t yet. I have to figure it out first.” When he would have badgered her to tell him, she pleaded with him, “Can you please trust my judgment enough to wait until I’ve got it worked out in my head and can talk about it?”

  He blew out a breath and mumbled something it was probably better that she didn’t hear. “Fine.”

  She chuckled. “Now that’s a female word if I ever heard one.”

  He crossed his arms in front of him, a sign he was annoyed, but instead of blasting her with his temper, he threw back his head and laughed. “I raised you right, damned if I didn’t,” he said as he pulled out the ladder to check the roof for lifted shingles.

  “Looks great from in here,” she called out, knowing her dad was still on the ladder.

  “Here too!” He climbed down and walked around the outside. “We’d better get this baby sided today. Weird weather pattern expected for the next few days. Great for indoor jobs—”

  “Lousy for outside.”

  He put his arm around her shoulders. “Mulcahys do great work.”

  “That we do,” she agreed. “Now what’s next?”

  “We knock out the siding, break for lunch, and check on that cute little pup while you think about how long you’re going to wait before talking to me about what’s going on.”

  “Gee,” she said, looking over at her father. “Thanks for giving me more time to decide.”

  He grinned. “You’re welcome. Now,” he said, “let’s get going.”

  ***

  Jack was glad his appointments were scheduled back-to-back. Not having the extra time on his hands was a godsend because it kept his mind focused and busy. The last thing he needed was to overthink the fact that he could have driven Cait away permanently after last night’s fiasco.

  When the morning rush was over, he had a chance to ask Mrs. Sweeney if there were any messages. Nothing from Cait on his cell or the office number, so she was probably taking care of Jamie for him. She said she’d call if she couldn’t, and Cait was a woman of her word, something he appreciated.

  Thinking of her reminded him of last night. What triggered the relapse, aside from the thunderstorm, when he’d been doing so well for so long?

  He wasn’t due to see the doctor at the VA for another month. He wondered if he should call him and talk about what happened.

  He was in his office when the phone rang, interrupting his thoughts. Seeing the other line lit up, he answered the incoming call, “Doc Gannon.”

  “Jack, I was afraid you weren’t in the office today.”

  “I’m here every day, Mom. How are you?” he asked. “How’s Dad?”

  “We’re both doing just fine, dear.”

  “You’re not homesick?”

  She paused and admitted, “Well, your father doe
s miss Apple Grove…”

  Jack sensed there was an and, so he asked, “And?”

  “We decided to come back a little earlier than we’d planned if you don’t think we’d be in the way.”

  Nothing like adding in the complication of your parents as you are trying to sort out a fledgling relationship. “Of course not.” He crossed his fingers as he told that falsehood, hoping his mom wouldn’t be able to tell he was lying through his teeth.

  “Well, if you’re sure…”

  “Absolutely. When will you be arriving?”

  “We’re visiting friends on our way north. We’ll be there in two weeks.”

  “Sure.” He wished life hadn’t decided to toss in the added monkey wrench of his parents coming for a visit while he was trying to get his head on straight and figure out what he was going to do about Caitlin.

  He knew what he wanted to do.

  “Jack!”

  “Hmmm…what?”

  “I said, we’ll see you in two weeks.”

  “Sure, Mom. Say hi to Dad for me.”

  After she hung up, he let his head drop into his hands. He had to get his life back on track before his parents arrived, or else they’d know something was up, and he didn’t think he’d be ready for that particular conversation just yet.

  With his hand on the phone, he was about to pick it up and dial when it rang, startling him. “Doc Gannon.”

  “Hey, Jack. It’s me, Cait.”

  He sighed and everything in the universe suddenly made sense again as he listened to the sound of her voice. “How’s your day going?”

  “Great. I think we might be finished up sooner than planned over at Johnson’s.”

  “I heard over at the diner this morning that he’s got a lot of students lined up to learn how to ride.”

  “Some have had riding lessons before, but most are newcomers to riding.”

  “That could be a good thing, right?” he asked.

  “Absolutely,” she agreed. “I think he’s doing a great thing for Apple Grove and Licking County. He’s been dedicated to this cause since his son was paralyzed after he took a hard hit playing football.”