by J. D. Faver
He returned to his tasks and Rene poured over catalogs. She selected things considered essential in the civilized world---a microwave oven, cordless phone, curtains. Mindful of Brett's warning about adequate footwear, she chose insulated hiking boots for all. Lastly, she took advantage of an end of season sale on down comforters and jackets. She ordered the jackets a size larger, expecting the children to grow and she to be fatter by the time they were needed. Satisfied, she tackled the task she had put off.
The dated teacher's manuals were useless. She made a simple outline of lessons to get her through the first few days. It felt like an eon since her student teaching experience. There would be no principal looking over her shoulder. She wondered if Brett would want to inspect her lesson plans.
Later, as Rene sat on the porch watching the children play, the Hummer pulled into the clearing. Brett climbed the steps and dropped into the other rocking chair. “I hear you got quite a crowd at your clean-up party.”
“It turned out that way,” she said. “We threw away the shades. They were mostly broken.”
“That's what Mrs. Jolly said. She also told me you didn't have any teaching materials.”
“True. What's there is very old.”
“I paid quite a bit for new materials last year. I guess the son-of-a---” He stopped short. “The last teacher must have cleaned out the classroom.”
“He left all the dirt.” Rene managed a laugh.
“Order whatever you need.” He sighed. “Get what you want for the windows. You may want to show films or power point presentations.”
“With what?”
“You mean---” He sat up in the rocker and then slumped down again. “Get what you need.” He handed her a credit card.
“Thanks. I promise not to steal the materials.”
“I'm hoping you stick around a long time to use them.” He gave her a long look. “The people in town seem to be quite taken with you. If you're as good as your public image, you're just what we've needed around here. I've been ordered to make sure you stay.”
“I'll try to perform my job as well as I'm able.” She couldn't seem to meet his eyes.
“And?” A deep furrow appeared between his brows.
“And I'll do my best to stay.”
“If there's a problem, promise you'll give me a chance to fix it. We need you here. I need you---to teach.” His voice suddenly became gruff. Heaving himself out of the low chair he looked down at her thoughtfully. “Just remember that I'll do whatever it takes to keep you here.”
A shiver ran down Rene's spine. “I won't be held prisoner again,” she blurted out. Her cheeks flushed crimson in the fading light.
He stayed staring down at her for what seemed like a long time. “You don't seem to be the felon-type so I think you're talking about some other kind of prison. Most people don't come here unless they're trying to leave something behind. You'll find that we generally don't pry. We accept you at face value. Good enough?” He held out his hand to her.
“Good enough.” She shook the big hand that enfolded hers, wondering what he would say if he knew the truth.
~*~
Mark traded the black Peugeot for a silver Audi with dark tinted windows. He spent the night in it outside the inn. All the lights were off inside except for one in the lobby. He wondered in which room Maddy slept. He hoped she was as uncomfortable as he.
Damn her to hell.
He could have snapped her neck. He should have done it. Only then she couldn’t lead him to Rene. Surely tomorrow they would meet up with her.
When Mark first arrived in Paris, he’d gone straight to the hotel D’Marseille and demanded to know in which room Rene Desmond was staying. At first, the concierge had been reluctant to share that information with him, but after a fair amount of American green had changed hands, the man’s attitude became most cooperative.
Mark learned the lovely Mrs. Desmond and her children had checked out early the next morning. The concierge himself had hailed a taxi for her and assisted her with the instructions to the driver. To the airport, sil vous plait.
There had been no further charges to Rene’s credit card. The airport was a dead end...almost.
If there was a downside to being such a beautiful woman it was that it made one memorable. And Rene was memorable. It turned out she hopped a flight to Scotland using Maddy’s credit card. That proved they were in it together.
Damn them both to hell.
~*~
CHAPTER EIGHT
Sunday morning Rene parked the truck among the thirty or so vehicles outside the old wooden church. She settled on a bench with the children near the exit in the back.
Father Paul, clad in a sweater and jeans, performed the ritual of the mass attended by a blonde youth who could have been his little brother. The sermon had to do with giving thanks and acceptance of the Lord’s blessings. The young, boyish priest urged the parishioners to consider the lilies of the field, to be mindful of the abundance provided by God and to be thankful.
Rene tried to apply what she heard to her own life. She decided it meant she should accept the good things and be grateful. She prayed to stay vigilant and protected from the ever-present danger down below.
She remained seated as others went forward to receive communion. She knelt, praying fervently for the safety of her family, as the parishioners slowly made their way to and from the altar. After the service, Mrs. Pindar latched onto her arm and led them to the “Community Room” where Nadine took them in hand, introducing her husband, Sam. He was stocky and pleasant looking, bearing no resemblance at all to the twins.
Ben brought her a cup of punch and a plate of cookies. Rene spotted tall, gangly Tink Culver with his girls and a small woman with golden brown hair hanging down to her waist. When Rene returned his wave, he ushered them over.
“You remember Mrs. Nichols?” The girls acknowledged her shyly. They took Seth and Sara to the refreshment table. “This is my wife, Angel.”
Shaking her hand, Rene remembered seeing pictures of her mother in a long dress similar to Angel's, but she had been wearing a headband and making the peace sign at the time. Angel had pale, clear skin, apparently devoid of any cosmetics. Tink grinned proudly down at her.
“We have to get back to the hotel.” Angel spoke in a soft, almost whispery voice. “But we'll be expecting you and your children for lunch.” They waved goodbye, gathering daughters as they departed.
Father Paul bore down on her with the alter boy and a slightly older replica in tow. The older boy carried a young girl.
“Rene, I'm so glad you came,” he said.
“I'm glad we did, too, Father.” He folded her into his warm embrace. He smelled good, like shaving lotion and something else. Perhaps it was the sacramental wine?
“Meet some of your students. This is Rick Starkey,” he indicated the altar boy, “and Kipp with little Jill.”
“I'm glad to meet you all. What grades are you in?”
“I'm in the first,” the little girl piped up.
“I'm fourteen,” Rick said. “We didn't go by grades.”
“Oh.” She frowned. “How about you, Kipp?”
“I don't go to school anymore,” he announced proudly. “I'm almost seventeen.”
The three blonde Starkeys looked as if they could be related to Father Paul. They excused themselves to get in line for refreshments.
“Welcome to Sad Horse, Rene,” Father Paul said, “and welcome to our unique set of social problems. We have a lot of school drop-outs.” He greeted a young brunette woman with a hug and presented her to Rene. “This is Lorelei King, M.D. She does make house calls.” He departed to greet other parishioners.
“I'm so happy to meet you,” the doctor said with a softly accented voice. Her large blue eyes sparkled with interest.
“Where are you from, Doctor?” Rene asked.
“I'm from Alabama, but I've been here two years. Came right after I passed the boards. Everyone calls me Doc.”
<
br /> “And I'm Rene. How did you happen to come here?”
“It's the money. Don't get me wrong. I like it here just fine and I may get used to the cold someday, but I’m here because of the money.”
“That’s my answer, too,” Rene said. “Surely a doctor could make great money anywhere. And you're client base here must be much smaller than you would have in a city.”
“Too true, but I'm in hock for my education up to my eyebrows. The government actually subsidizes new doctors to set up practice in remote areas. Between what they shell out and my patients I'll be able to repay my student loans much faster. Besides, in a city, I would be lucky to be an associate in a large practice. Here I'm the only doctor, and that suits me just fine. There’s a real hospital in Barlow Gap and I have privileges there, but my office is two doors down from the Post Office and I do make house calls.” She gave Rene her card. “Call me anytime.”
“I feel so safe, now,” Cindy McCorkill said, joining them. “I have my husband, our teacher, my priest and my doctor all in the same room. I'm ready for anything.”
“You've dropped your load.” The doctor placed her hand on Cindy's stomach. “Buddy, stay close. Won’t be long now.”
The grinning man beside Cindy was introduced as her husband, Buddy. Rene met the three McCorkill children, Sean, Cammy, a replica of her mother, and the scowling five-year-old, Nick.
“I have a little girl almost your age,” Rene said to him.
“I don't like girls!” Several people rolled their eyes.
“Nicky, be good,” Cindy admonished as Buddy picked him up and tried to interest him in the cookies. “He's already acting out, I'm afraid.”
“Introducing Rene to her little challenge?” Honeybee's velvety voice interrupted. She wore a dress of some deep blue silky fabric that clung to her curves and made swishing noises when she walked. A waft of rich spicy perfume floated around her.
Frenchy Dupuis nodded his greeting and followed close behind Honeybee to speak to Father Paul.
“I hope you can handle Nick,” Cindy said. “He's a bit more difficult than the first two.”
“I'll do my best.” Rene noticed an influx of newcomers crowding into the small meeting room.
Mrs. Jolly beamed proudly as she led a tall man with a hawk-like nose to where Rene stood. “This is the Reverend Goodnight.” Her voice held an element of awe.
Rene’s hand was clasped in a vise-like grip.
“Praise the Lord that you've been delivered to us young lady. We prayed for your safe arrival” Pumping her hand vigorously, his black-eyed gaze glittered. He wore a black suit, a black string tie and highly polished black boots. His black hair, peppered liberally with gray, just grazed his collar. “This is my son, Walter. He's eleven now. His mother was taken from us when he was only five, but we're fine, aren't we, son.”
The sandy-haired boy nodded.
“Did you see the article about you in the newspaper?” Mrs. Jolly asked.
Rene felt a flush of color rising along with her temper. “Were you the one who gave all the information to that--that--”
“Reporter? Why, yes, dear,” Mrs. Jolly's eyes opened wide. “Is anything wrong?”
“I would appreciate it if you could restrain yourself from any more invasions of my privacy.” Rene heard her own voice grow shrill. “And I would thank you to ask me directly for any further information you require and not cross-examine my children.” She turned away abruptly, finding herself almost nose to nose with Clinton Belker, the banker.
“Ah, Miss Rene, we meet again.” He was standing much too close. “Would you like some coffee?”
She nodded, unable to speak.
Mrs. Jolly stood with her mouth agape after the angry outburst.
Taking a deep breath, Rene realized she hadn’t stood up for herself in a long time. A slight smile played around her lips.
“You’re just surrounded by admirers, aren’t you?” Nadine asked. She and Cindy drew her off to one side.
“Very funny,” Rene said. Her voice was still shaky after her encounter with Mrs. Jolly.
“Seriously, there are bets being taken as to which lucky bachelor will win your heart, among other things.” Nadine laughed raucously.
“What do you think of your hoard groveling at your feet, Rene?” Cindy rubbed the small of her back with both hands causing her prominent belly to protrude even more.
“Yes, tell us how you rate old Clinton as opposed to the Rev? Clint never married and the Rev's wife ran away with a pharmaceutical salesman from Anchorage.
“I keep telling you, I'm not in the market,” Rene said. “Besides, the Reverend Goodnight just told me that his wife was taken from him.”
“She was.” Cindy waved her hands like a magician.
“Hello,” Nadine said, turning to look at the tall, attractive man who had just entered. “Doesn't that make you want to adopt a puppy?”
“Please don't make me laugh,” Cindy begged, holding her stomach.
“That's Dr. Chad Belker, the very single young veterinarian.” Nadine nodded toward the handsome man.
“Belker? He's related to--” Rene paused.
“Brothers. We think he must have been left on the doorstep,” Cindy said. “All the other Belkers bear a strong resemblance to a family of swine.”
All three burst into peals of laughter, which broke out again when Clinton Belker appeared at Rene’s elbow with a cup of coffee.
The Catholics slowly thinned out and the Protestants drifted in. Mrs. Jolly, cast a baleful glare in Rene’s direction before taking over serving refreshments from Mrs. Pindar. Rene saw the Westfalls, who introduced her to their sixteen-year-old grandson, Glen. Hank and Bernie came with Hank's son Logan. They introduced her to Ernst Schraeder, who, they claimed, was the best mechanic in the forty-ninth state. Ernst introduced her to his son, Gunnar, who was also fourteen and Logan's best friend. Mayor Wolf, a Native American, introduced himself and his seven-year-old son, Parker. Parker buried his face in his father's jacket. Then, the infamous Pinky gave her a wave from across the room.
Rene, feeling claustrophobic, chose that moment to flee with her children. Her head was spinning with the sea of faces and names. Leaving the church, she wondered briefly why she hadn’t seen Brett in either group of worshippers.
Pulling out of the parking lot, she fell in line behind Cindy's family in their red Suburban, she followed them to the hotel. It was a two-story peach-colored granite building, with crispy white lace curtains showing from each window. She parked between the Suburban and Sam Burke’s huge, red double dually truck. All of the excited children piled out and intermingled as they made their way up the wide granite steps.
Rene found this gleeful exchange brought tears to her eyes. She couldn’t remember a time when her children had been able to be so free in Houston. A surge of righteousness filled her chest. For once, she had made the right choice. She stepped through the door and into the hotel lobby.
The interior was furnished with antiques and refinished furniture. It looked like country cottage with a heavy Victorian accent. Flowers adorned every surface and sprouted from a variety of sconces. The effect was airy and quaint.
Rene followed the regulars to a large dining room. An enormous buffet table groaned with the quantity of food it bore. The wonderful aromas would have led her there, no doubt. At that moment, Tink and Angel burst through the double kitchen doors. He carried a tray of food and Angel wielded serving spoons. As he held the tray for her, she refilled the dishes. Her eyes lit up when she saw the new arrivals.
“Just sit anywhere,” she called, though it seemed there wasn't enough space to seat them all together.
“Not to worry,” Nadine said. “There's another dining room.” She ushered them to an empty room opening off of the seemingly filled room. Sam and Buddy pushed two large tables together and the three families were seated.
Rene had never seen so much food on any buffet. She helped Seth load his plate before filling o
ne for Sara and herself. When they returned to their seats Tink disbursed beverages and placed loaves of hot wheat bread with tubs of butter at each end of the table.
Soon both rooms were full of noisy diners. She glanced up and her cheeks flared with color when she found Brett watching her from the doorway.
“It's the boss,” Sam called, waving him over to join them. Buddy pulled up a chair at the end of the table beside Sara.
“Hi, Short Stuff.” He greeted her with a wink. “Everyone is talking about the new single lady in town. Could that be you?” Sara dimpled delightedly. “Do you have a boyfriend?”
“No!” she crowed.
“Could I be your boyfriend?”
“No!” she repeated.
“How about if I bring cookies? I know this lady baker who makes great cookies. You do like cookies, don't you?”
“Yes!” Sara put both hands to her face and peeked at him through her fingers.
He grinned. “That's a start.” He went to fill a plate from the buffet.
Rene was surprised that she felt so uncomfortable in his presence. She looked up from her plate to find both Cindy and Nadine staring at her.
“What?” she asked.
“Now that is the man you ought to set your cap for.” Nadine raised her fiery red brows as she bit into a chunk of buttered bread.
“Listen to her,” Cindy said. “He's single, gorgeous, rich and really a nice man.”
“Stop!” Rene held up her hands. “No matchmaking!”
The group was silent when Brett returned with his plate piled high. “Angel just put out some blackberry cobbler.” He looked around the strangely quiet group. “What?” he asked but was met with smiling silence as Rene’s cheeks flamed anew.
~*~
“We don't have to do this!” Maddy wailed.
“I won't put you in danger,” Ted insisted. He shoved clothing into suitcases. “In Houston, we'll be able to fight him. I have friends in high places too. I'll hire a bodyguard if I have to.” He zipped Maddy’s cosmetic bag with a flourish.