by Linda Bridey
Marcus grinned. “I can see that about them. If you keep doing that, we’re gonna have to go to bed early.” Claire had started pulling his hair harder.
“Why do you think I’m doing it, dummy?” she said with a laugh.
Marcus started keeping an impatient watch on the clock as Claire pulled even harder.
*****
“Fifteen minutes? That’s it?” Mason complained as Aiyana met him in the field at the back of the medical clinic they lived above.
“I’m not happy about it, either. It’s Friday night, so they’re worried that someone is going to hurt me,” Aiyana told him.
“I forgot about it being Friday. It’s no wonder, though. I had to sit there through that damn dinner.”
Aiyana put a hand on his shoulder. “Were you polite?”
“Yeah. If someone said something to me, I answered them. Other than that, I kept my mouth shut. That’s about as polite as I get,” Mason said.
She smiled. “I know. There’s nothing polished about you.”
Mason put his arms around her and said, “I think that’s what you like about me.”
“That’s one of the things.” She smiled. “But you are pretty sweet in your own way.”
He was glad it was dark so she didn’t see him blush. “I am, huh?”
“Mmm hmm,” she murmured as he kissed her.
Suddenly, someone grabbed her arm and clamped a hand down on Mason’s neck. Aiyana gasped and looked up into her father’s angry face. Rage had turned his normally warm gray eyes to a hard silver.
“Your time’s up, daughter,” he said. “Mason, we’re gonna go have a little talk with your parents.”
Marcus propelled both of them forward.
“Pa, we didn’t do anything wrong!”
“I’d call kissing out in the dark at your age very wrong. And lying to your parents, too. Get up those steps. We’ll talk when I get back,” Marcus said.
“No, we won’t!” Aiyana yelled. “You’re nothing but a tyrant anymore!”
“Up the stairs now!” he yelled back.
“I’m sorry about this, Mason,” she said. She turned and stomped up the stairs.
Marcus kept a hold on Mason’s neck and walked him up the street.
*****
Mitch’s eyebrows rose when he saw a very angry Marcus standing with Mason on the front porch when he answered the door.
“Hi. C’mon in,” Mitch said.
Marcus guided Mason inside. “Do you want to tell him or should I?” he asked Mason and let him go.
Mason rubbed the back of his neck, but remained silent. His face was settled into a stubborn expression.
“Tell me what?” Mitch said, as trepidation settled on him.
“Are you aware that he and Aiyana have been seeing each other?” Marcus asked.
Mitch looked at Mason. “No, we weren’t.”
“Us, either. I found them outside our place just now, kissing,” Marcus informed him.
Mitch closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose as he got a grip on his emotions. “Mason, do you understand how wrong that is?”
“What harm is kissin’? I wasn’t hurting her or anything. I’d never do that,” Mason said.
Marcus said, “You’re lucky that was the case, or else you’d be in a world of hurt, son.”
“I’m sorry about this, Marcus. I’ll take care of it. It won’t happen again. Mason, you’re grounded until further notice and I’m sure your mother and I will come up with some other punishments, too.”
“What? Why can’t I see her?” Mason said. “I just wanted to talk to her.”
“You were doing more than talking to her,” Marcus said. “I like you, Mason, but you’re not sneaking around seeing my daughter. End of story.”
“Ok, so we won’t sneak around,” Mason said.
Mitch said, “Don’t you be smart, boy!”
“I wasn’t! I was serious,” Mason insisted. The thought of not being able to see Aiyana anymore was unthinkable to him.
Marcus said, “Aiyana is too young to see anyone, Mason. I better not find you alone with her anymore.”
“You can’t do that. You don’t understand,” Mason said. “She—” He looked at each of the two angry men in turn and then said, “Never mind. Why would you understand?”
“What are you talking about?” Mitch asked.
“Not a damn thing!” Mason said as he threw each of them furious glares and ran up the stairs. A moment later, a door slammed loudly.
Mitch sighed. “I’m sorry Marcus. Please apologize to Claire for me. I didn’t know what they were up to.”
“I figured as much. It’s as much Aiyana’s fault as it is Mason’s, so don’t blame yourself. You know how kids are,” Marcus said. He sighed and said, “Now I get to go home and talk to Aiyana. This should be fun.”
Mitch gave him a wry smile. “Good luck. Don’t worry, I expect things to get loud here shortly, too. Once I tell Sammi about this, well, you can imagine.”
Marcus smiled. Sammi’s hot temper was well known around Dawson. “Yeah, I can. Well, take care, Mitch.”
“Yeah, you, too.”
*****
Rachel escaped her house the next day. Ever since the night before, things had been very unpleasant. Her little brother was on the warpath and she was a convenient target since he was so furious with her to begin with. After being grounded for sneaking around with Aiyana, he was even more hateful to her, accusing her of being happy that this was being done to him. She’d tried to talk to him about it, but he was too irate to even begin to listen to her. She’d given up and gone to her room.
He continued to argue with Sammi off and on throughout the morning and now she had a headache from all the yelling. She slipped out the front door before anyone saw her and walked down the street to Bradbury’s General Store where she used to work. Entering the store, she smiled as she remembered all the good times she had had there working for Elliot. He was such a good boss and a great guy.
A lady stood at the counter, but no one was at the register. Rachel looked down the aisle, but didn’t see Elliot or a store clerk. On impulse, she walked behind the counter and smiled at the woman.
“Hello. Sorry for the wait. Did you find everything you needed?” she asked.
The woman said, “Oh, yes. I found it just fine.”
Rachel rang her up and bagged her purchases. “There you are. Have a nice day.”
“Thank you,” she said, and left the store.
Elliot came hurrying up the aisle and stopped when he saw Rachel behind the counter.
He started smiling. “Rachel? Wow! Look how grown up you are now!”
Rachel hugged him and said, “It’s so good to see you, Elliot. I missed you and I missed the store.”
Elliot pushed his glasses back up the bridge of his nose and grinned. “Well, both the store and I missed you. Sammi said you were coming back home. It’s great to see you again.”
“Thanks. You, too. I just rang up a customer for you. I hope you don’t mind.”
Elliot laughed. “No, I don’t mind,” he said, as his brown eyes looked down at her. “I appreciate it. My help quit a couple of weeks ago.”
Rachel said, “I’m available to work.”
“You’re kidding? I guess God’s watching out for me. That would be fantastic. When do you want to start? I can pay you more than I used to and I’d still give you a commission like I did before,” Elliot said.
Rachel laughed. “That’s perfect. I can start tomorrow.”
“Are you sure? Don’t you want to take a couple of days to get settled back in?”
“Believe me, I’d rather be out of the house right now and I can use the money,” Rachel said.
“What’s the matter at home?” Elliot asked.
She explained the situation with Mason and how he’d been caught with Aiyana. “So I’m his enemy and now with all this happening, it’s made it even worse. If he gets any angrier, I think he’s going
to have a heart attack.”
Elliot frowned. “That’s too bad. It’s a sticky situation. I’m not looking forward to when our kids are that age.”
“I’ll bet they’re getting so big,” Rachel said.
“Oh yeah. You’ll see.”
“Right. Well, I came to get a few things,” Rachel told him.
“Ok. I’ll leave you to it. It’s really good to have you back,” Elliot responded.
Rachel smiled and moved away to do her shopping. As she was looking at some material, a hand settled on her shoulder. She’d know that touch anywhere. Turning around, she looked up into Reckless’ black eyes.
She didn’t know what to say. What could she possibly say? She looked him over and saw that he was even more handsome than when they’d been courting. His thick, black hair flowed over his shoulders, and she remembered how soft it was. He certainly had more muscle, she noted.
“Hello, Rachel,” he said with a smile.
“Hi, Reckless. You got taller,” she said. It was the only thing that would come out. She hadn’t been expecting to see him. She was going to go visit him at some point, but she didn’t think she’d run into him before then.
Reckless’ smile broadened. “Yes, I did, but you did not.”
She laughed and it dispelled some of her nerves. “Are you telling me I’m short? I already knew that.”
“Not short. Just shorter than me,” Reckless said. “How are you?”
“I’m fine. I heard that you got married and you have twins,” she said.
Reckless laughed. “Yes. My wife’s name is Brook and we have two boys, Blue Bear and Eaglet. You will have to come see them.”
“I’d love to. Reckless, I’m so sorry for the things I did back then. It was despicable of me. I got you in trouble with Sammi and made it seem like you did something very wrong. Then I ran away without facing you. I’m so sorry,” Rachel said, as tears turned her vision blurry.
Reckless smiled at her kindly. “Do not be troubled, Rachel. I forgave you a long time ago. It is done.”
“Thank you. I guess I haven’t forgiven myself yet. I don’t like the person I was back then,” Rachel said.
Reckless sighed. “I’m not sure what you were looking for. Perhaps some sort of peace after your parents’ deaths.”
She blinked rapidly. “I think you’re right. I felt lost. I’m sorry we have that kind of grief in common, Reckless.”
“As am I. Sammi told you,” he said.
“Yes. I’m so sorry about your parents. They were wonderful people and always treated me so kindly. I’m glad that some of your family was able to come home from the reservation,” she said.
“Thank you. We all are, as well.”
She looked into his eyes and said, “I’m so happy for you, Reckless. I’m glad you found someone who shares your beliefs and your way of life. Sammi says she’s very pretty.”
He smiled at her as he thought of his beautiful wife. “Yes, she is. You will see. It is good to see you again, Rachel. Come visit anytime. You know the way. Be well.”
“You, too, Reckless.” Rachel watched him leave the store and heaved a huge sigh.
She couldn’t believe how easy that had been and she had a new appreciation for his capacity for kindness. He’d always been considerate of her in every way and what had she done? Betrayed him because he wouldn’t do what she thought he should.
Looking back, she realized once again how foolish she’d been to try to trap him into a marriage that would have been doomed before it began. He would never live the way she did, and vice versa. To make him do so would have dampened his spirit, the thing she’d always loved most about him.
As she selected her material and picked out her other necessities, Rachel tried to free herself from the guilt, but didn’t quite succeed. She hoped with some more time, she’d be able to let it go. After she paid for her things, she left the store and decided to stop at the new bakery.
The heavenly scents of sugar, warm bread, and vanilla wafted on the air. She smiled as she inhaled the aromas and looked around. The interior was clean and neat and all manner of breads and sweets were available. Inspiration hit her and she bought a dozen glazed donuts and several cherry Danishes.
A happy smile lit her face as she made her way to the sheriff’s office. Anticipation of seeing Jack and Raven swelled within her and quickened her step. As soon as she stepped inside the office, another wave of nostalgia hit her. How many times had she come there just so she could see Jack? She almost laughed aloud as she remembered her huge crush on him.
He stood at the stove, cooking something, and it was as if time had stood still. The broad shoulders and blond hair were so familiar to her. His head was angled down as he concentrated on what he was doing. He turned and did a double take as he saw her.
“Rachel! You are a sight for sore eyes!” he said with a grin.
“Hi, Jack. You’re not looking so bad yourself, deputy,” she said.
He laughed and came to give her a hug. “How’re you settlin’ in?” He motioned to a chair and she sat down.
“It would be wonderful if it weren’t for Mason,” she said honestly. “Is that what I think it is?” she said sniffing the air.
He smiled. “Venison stew. Interested?”
“I propose a trade,” she said. “I brought these and I will give them to you in exchange for some stew.”
Jack saw the bakery bag and instantly said, “You got it.”
“So do you still have the biggest appetite known to man?” she asked.
“So they tell me.” He dished her a bowl of stew and sat it down in front of her. He sat down with her. “Mitch told me about Mason and I heard about it from Uncle Marcus, too.”
“So you’re stuck in the middle,” she said.
“Nope. I’m stayin’ out of it. I don’t think they shoulda been sneakin’ around, but I don’t see the harm in them seeing each other as long as they’re supervised. Of course, after a couple of years, that’s gonna not be an issue, but right now it is,” Jack said.
“What would you do if you were one of the parents?” Rachel asked.
“I’d keep them grounded for a while until they earned back some trust and then let them go to each other’s houses as long as one of the parents was home. That would be my solution, but I’m not gonna suggest that,” Jack said. “I hear Mason’s not too happy to have you home.”
She sighed. “No. Sammi said he was mad at me, but I didn’t realize just how much I’d hurt him.” She took a bite of stew and said, “Delicious. I missed your stew.”
Jack smiled as his blue eyes moved over her. “You grew up good, Rachel.”
She smiled. “See what you passed up?”
He laughed at her playful remark. “I’ll never forget when you kissed me that night in the back of Elliot’s store. I almost jumped out of my skin.”
“The look on your face was priceless. I was mortified that you turned me down and that you told Mitch about it,” Rachel said as she put a hand to her head and laughed. “You were so mad at me. It’s funny now, but it wasn’t funny then.”
Jack smiled. “My mama was right. I talked to her about it and she said that one day we’d look back and laugh about it.”
“Your mother is a smart woman. And pregnant.”
Jack groaned. “Yeah. I know. She’s gettin’ used to the idea now, but Mike is petrified that she’s gonna have it when he’s home on Christmas break and that he’ll have to deliver it. He knew she was pregnant before anyone else did. Pa could have killed him for not telling him, but Mike said it wasn’t his place.”
“I can’t believe Mikey is in college,” she said.
“Don’t call him that anymore. He gets all wound up about it. He was fifteen when he decided he wanted to be called ‘Mike’ instead,” Jack said.
“I’ll have to remember that.”
The door opened behind her and a deep voice said, “Oh, no. Are you here to kiss Jack again?”
Rachel spu
n around quickly and threw a piece of potato at Raven in retaliation. He caught it easily and plopped it into his mouth with a laugh. “Why did everyone get taller except me?” she said, as she looked up at him with a frown. “Sit down before I get a crick in my neck.”
Raven laughed again, his dark eyes alight with humor. He sat in the chair in front of her and embraced her.
“Good Lord, Raven. You’re as big as your pa,” she said as she squeezed one of his biceps. “I think you grew the most of anyone.”
Raven nodded as he opened the bakery bag and fished out a donut. “Yes. I think you’re right. I wasn’t much taller than Reckless when you left and now I’m taller and more handsome than any of the rest of the men.”
“And the most boastful, I see.”
“Just being truthful,” Raven said.
Rachel tapped the wedding band on his finger. “I hear you stole Will’s bride from him.”
Raven laughed. “There was no stealing about it. He didn’t want her and I did. Very simple.”
“You forget how well I know you, Raven. I’m sure there’s more to it than that,” Rachel said.
“I guess we’ll never know,” he said with a grin.
“Don’t be too sure. We ladies love to talk about our men and I’m sure that Zoe is no exception,” Rachel said, as she arched an eyebrow at him.
“We’ll see. You look well, Rachel,” Raven said as he cocked his head a little.
“Thank you. Oh! Elliot gave me my job back. Can you believe it?”
“Hey, that’s great!” Jack said.
Raven nodded. “Now you can give me free candy like you used to.”
Jack asked, “You used to give him free candy? You never gave me free candy and you had a crush on me. Jeez.”
“She gave it to me because I flirted with her. I had a crush on her.” Raven winked at her.
“You did not!” she said.
“No, it’s true. Why do you think I flirted with you?” Raven asked.
Rachel started laughing and couldn’t stop for several moments. “This is too much! I had a crush on Jack and you had a crush on me and Jack had a crush on—”