by Linda Bridey
It was with great surprise that Rachel saw Switch from across the room dressed in a beautiful suit that rivaled anything that Joe wore. For once, his hair was neatly combed and he actually sat right side up. He balanced a tea cup on one knee, the way she’d seen the British do when she’d been in Canada.
She surmised he must have learned it when he was at boarding school. As she watched him, he took a sip of his drink and Randall, Joe’s British butler, appeared by his side. Randall carried a bottle of liquor, some of which he poured into Switch’s teacup. Switch appeared to thank Randall and the butler went on his way.
When Will found her again, she remarked to him about it.
“He’s not really supposed to be drinking. It’s not good for him,” Will said, with a frown. “There’s no sense in me saying anything to him about it, though. He gets stubborn sometimes. I’ll just keep an eye on him, but right now I’d rather keep an eye, or both eyes, on you,” he said and gave her a quick kiss.
Rachel smiled and said, “Well, I’ve had my eye on you, too, you know.”
“Have you now? I’m glad to hear it,” he said as he put an arm around her waist.
She leaned against his side a little as Joe started gathering people together for the parlor games that were always played on Thanksgiving at the Dwyer’s. Everyone was randomly divided up into teams so that people who didn’t know each other well would get better acquainted while having fun at the same time.
Rick was not happy that he wound up on Switch’s team, but Switch was very mellow and caused no trouble. Rick could smell booze on him, but most of the people there had been drinking at one point or another. Switch laughed and participated, but with none of his usual antics and this made Rick uneasy.
“Hey, you feeling ok?” he asked the younger man.
“I feel fine, Indian Agent Westlake,” Switch said with a smile. “Why?”
“You don’t seem like your usual erratic self,” Rick responded.
Switch’s eyes took on a slightly haunted look as he said, “I was informed by my mother today that I was to be on my best behavior this evening or they would cut me off.”
“Oh,” Rick said with a frown. “That’s pretty harsh. I’m sorry, Switch.”
“Don’t be. It’s nothing I’m not used to. Don’t tell her I’ve been drinking or she really will cut me off. Sometimes it’s the only thing that calms me down,” Switch said.
Rick’s expression sharpened on him. “Why’s that?”
Switch shrugged. “I guess whatever’s wrong with me responds to it. I don’t really like to drink, though. Too much is not a good thing for me.”
“You actually have something wrong with you?” Rick asked.
“Yep.”
“Hell, I just thought you enjoyed driving people crazy,” Rick said. “What is it?”
“They don’t know. Some type of mania with bouts of depression. First started when I was ten or maybe a little older,” Switch said.
“Hey, Rick, it’s your turn,” Sasha Walker, one of their teammates, said to him.
Rick smiled at her. “Ok, Sunshine. I’ll go win us some more points.”
“Go get ‘em, Rick,” Mason, who was also on their team, said.
Rick played his part well, but his mind was on Switch much of the time. Having endured his own mental torment, he was suddenly sympathetic toward Switch. He hadn’t realized that the man had some kind of medical condition. As the night wore on, he decided he was going to have to cut Switch some slack from now on.
Chapter Fifteen
While Will worked the next day, his thoughts were centered on how he was going to propose to Rachel. He ran through all kinds of scenarios from big elaborate gestures to simply asking her over dinner at home one night. Just when he thought he had a good idea, it suddenly seemed stupid to him.
He’d almost asked Tucker for advice, but Tucker’s proposal to Sadie had been rushed and somewhat filled with fear since they’d been so young and Sadie had been pregnant when Tucker had asked her. Everything had turned out well for them, but it could have all gone horribly wrong.
Hawk was no help because the boy had no romantic experience at all. He’d asked his father, but Edward had just said, “When the spirit moves you, just get down on one knee and do it.” This was not Will’s idea of romance. No, it needed to be something special, but not over the top.
The other thing that occupied his mind was Switch. Will glanced at him and shook his head. Switch was sound asleep in his chair, snoring softly. Nothing woke him. Not any of the hammering, not the sawing, or the conversation that went on between him, Hawk, and Rachel.
Switch had shown up with the safe and his train set. He’d been very hyper and had enjoyed helping Rachel set up the display. It would be improved by the tracks that Will was in the process of making, but it still looked great as it was. Rachel had marveled over the beauty of the train set and could understand why Switch would be so protective of it.
Once Switch had sat down, however, he’d immediately dropped off and hadn’t woken since. Will didn’t like it at all. It might have just been the alcohol his friend had drank the previous evening affecting him. Will hoped it was that, and not depression setting in. Telling himself Switch was all right for the moment, he turned his mind back to Rachel.
Rachel was having the time of her life as she ran the showroom. She was rarely still and preferred it that way. She kept the store clean, kept track of the money, served customers, and also worked on drawing up possible designs to show to Will after the store closed. At noon, she flipped the store sign to “closed” and went into the workshop.
“Hi, fellas,” she said brightly.
Hawk acknowledged her with a smile.
“Hi, yourself,” Will said. “What are you up to?”
“I thought I would go get us some sandwiches from the Grady House. How does that sound?”
“Sounds great. You know what I like,” he said with a wink.
She giggled and said, “Yes, I do. Hawk, do you want your usual?”
“Yes, please.”
Rachel went over and shook Switch. “Hey, sleepyhead.”
Switch raised his head and cracked an eye open. “What time is it?”
“Lunch time. You want a sandwich or something?”
“Ok. Whatever you get is fine with me,” he said with a sleepy smile and yawned.
“Ok. I’ll be back,” she said, but he’d already gone back to sleep. “Is this normal for him?”
Will nodded. “Unfortunately, it is. You can bring him back a sandwich, but it’s doubtful he’ll get around to eating it. He’ll sleep all afternoon and I’ll have to ride home with him to keep him awake.”
“Couldn’t he just stay at your house for the night?” Rachel asked. “Wouldn’t that be safer?”
“Only if you’re gonna help me take care of him,” Will said.
“What do you mean?”
“When he’s like this, he’s got to be made to do everything. You’ve got to make sure he gets all of his personal needs taken care of, that he eats, drinks, bathes; all of that. It’s like taking care of a small child in a way,” Will said. “At his place, he has Cathy, their housekeeper. She knows what to do with him.”
Rachel had never heard of such a thing. “I didn’t realize it would get that bad.”
Will nodded as he finished carving a scroll design in the end of a footboard. “Yeah. Poor guy. He can’t help it, but his parents act like he’s an embarrassment. His father isn’t as bad as his mother, but still.”
Rachel shook her head. “Well, you make sure he gets home tonight. I’ll be back with our lunch.”
*****
A week later, Rachel was getting ready for bed when there was a knock on her front door. She put on a robe and went to answer it. When she opened the door, a basket sat in the hallway. Rachel looked up and down the hall, but there was no one there. She bent and picked up the basket, bringing it inside with her.
She opened it and let out a small cry of surpri
se when she saw a black kitten looking back at her. There was a bow around its neck. Rachel laughed as she picked up the tiny animal and cradled it against her chest.
“Where on earth did you come from?” she asked it.
The kitten mewled and rubbed her chin. There was a note attached to the ribbon that read:
Will wants to know if you’ll marry us. Please say yes because he loves you very much and he’s a great guy.
Rachel read it twice and burst into excited laughter. She put the kitten back in the basket, ran to the front door, and flung it open. Will stood on the other side. She grabbed him shouting, “Yes! Yes! Yes!”
Will wrapped his arms around her, picked her up, and brought her inside. He kicked the door shut and said, “I was hoping you’d say that.”
“I would love to become your wife,” Rachel said.
“Good, because I want to be your husband,” Will said.
Rachel pressed her lips to his and ran her fingers up the back of his neck into his hair. Will let out a soft growl and held her tighter. She relished the way his body felt against hers and moaned when he deepened the kiss. He let her slide down slowly until her feet touched the floor. She inhaled his scent and thought how much she loved it and the man it belonged to. Suddenly, she felt Will’s deft fingers untying the sash of her robe and his arms sliding around her waist. His hands rested at the small of her back, pressing her even closer.
Though he’d been with women who’d worn silk lingerie and such, Will thought that Rachel’s cotton nightgown was just as alluring as anything else would have been simply because she was the one beneath it. Every time they kissed, Will had the best intentions of not getting carried away, but it seemed impossible not to.
The sound of the kitten trying to get out of the basket invaded their passionate moment and Rachel was glad. If the young cat hadn’t been there, she might have given in to her desire for her new fiancé. Will started chuckling when the kitten increased its efforts.
Rachel stepped away from him and retied her robe. She let the kitten out of the basket and undid the ribbon from around its neck. She was going to keep the note.
“I love your proposal,” she said.
“Well, I figured I couldn’t go wrong with giving you the kind of kitty you’ve always wanted, but there’s something else I want to give you,” Will said.
He took her left hand and looking into her beautiful dark eyes, Will said, “I promise to always love you and to spend every day making you happy, Rachel.”
Rachel watched him put the ring on her finger and then looked at him with tears of happiness in her eyes. “I love you so much, Will. I thought I was in love in the past, but I know now that I wasn’t. I want to make you happy and be the kind of woman you deserve. The ring is beautiful and I’ll always cherish it.”
“I’ll always cherish you, sweetheart,” Will said, and kissed her slowly and thoroughly. “I’ll see you tomorrow and we’ll start making some plans. I hope you’re not thinking about a long engagement.”
She shook her head. “No. I want to get married as soon as possible.”
“Me, too.” He kissed her once more before departing.
Rachel locked the door behind him and then scooped up the kitten and twirled around with her while she laughed. “I’m getting married!” she told the fuzzy feline baby.
*****
News of their engagement spread through town rapidly, and the couple began making plans in earnest for a wedding after the holidays. They didn’t want to take away from the attention they felt the season deserved. Rachel seemed to float through her days and was often seen staring into space with a happy smile on her face.
Sammi teased her about it, but she was so happy for the young woman who’d become a daughter to her over the years. Mitch was looking forward to walking her down the aisle, while Skye was thrilled to act as their flower girl, especially because Owl and Hannah’s son, Bobby, had been chosen as their ring bearer.
Tucker said that he was fully prepared to be best man and Switch had agreed to stand up with him along with Jack. Rachel chose Sadie as her maid of honor and Zoe as a bridesmaid. The redhead promised to not trip while she walked down the aisle, even if that meant she had to walk very slowly.
The one dark spot in all of the preparations was the continued estrangement between her and Mason. She missed her little brother and wanted desperately to restore their relationship, but she wasn’t sure how. There had to be some way to get through to him, but Rachel had no idea what that would be.
Finally she decided to corner him and have it out. She took some time out from the store and got him right after school one day.
Mason saw her and scowled. “What do you want?”
Aiyana was with him and she said, “Be nice, Mason.”
Rachel said, “I want to talk to you in private. I have some things I need to discuss with you.”
“I think it’s time,” Aiyana said. “Congratulations on your engagement, Rachel.”
Rachel smiled at her and said, “Thank you.”
Aiyana kissed Mason’s cheek and said, “You go talk to your sister and try to be civil. I’ll see you out at the camp when you’re done, ok?”
Mason made a face of distaste, but he kissed Aiyana back and said, “Ok.”
“See ya, Rachel,” Aiyana said and walked away.
As they walked to the Taylors’ house, Rachel said, “You’ve got yourself a great girlfriend, Mason.”
He smiled a little and said, “I know. I’m lucky.”
“Yes you are. So you want to be a lawyer, huh?”
“That’s the plan.”
They fell silent until they reached the house. As soon as they were inside, Mason said, “Look, I don’t know what you think this is gonna solve, but go ahead and get whatever it is off your chest.”
Rachel sat on the sofa in the parlor and he sat on a chair across a coffee table from her.
“I know I hurt you when I left and I’m so sorry for that, Mason. You were right about me making a mess of things. I sure did. But I was young and I was looking for any way there was to try to forget about what happened to our parents. I was trying to hang on to Reckless any way I could because I didn’t want to be alone.
“Then when all of that happened with Reckless and Sammi, the things that I caused to happen, I had to get away from it all. I was a coward, Mason. I know that. I ran away instead of staying to clean up the mess I had made and apologize to Reckless for what I had done to him.
“But I grew up while I was away and one of the reasons I came back home was to set things straight. I’m not the same person I was when I left. The old me was selfish, petty, and superficial sometimes. Aunt Amelia helped me see a lot of things about myself that I didn’t like, and I didn’t want to be that person any more. I’m so sorry, Mason.”
While she’d been talking, Mason had sat with his arm crossed over his chest. As she finished, Rachel saw the shimmer of tears in his eyes. She waited for him to speak.
“Do you know why I’m so angry at you? Why it hurt so bad?” he asked.
Rachel shook her head. “No.”
“After we lost Ma and Pa, you and Shawn were the last connections I had to them. You took care of us a lot when we were little and after the fire, especially. You were like a mother to us and I loved you so much. I depended on you and I thought you’d always be there for us. So when you left so quickly, I felt like someone had pulled the rug out from under me. I didn’t even get to say goodbye to you because Shawn and I were in school when you left.” Mason stood and began to walk back and forth. He turned to her as his tears spilled over.
“I needed you and you walked away from me. I can’t speak for Shawn, but the person I counted on the most, even more than Mitch and Sammi, walked out of my life! You weren’t here for me on bad days or when I was sick. I couldn’t talk to you when I was upset. There were so many times when I wanted to talk to you, and I missed all of the fun things we did together.
“We
spent a lot of time together and then you were just gone and I barely got a letter from you. I wrote to you, but you only answered me once in a while. It made me feel like I wasn’t good enough anymore or like I’d only ever been a nuisance and you didn’t want to be bothered with me anymore.
“And then you come back here expecting things to just pick up where they left off? No, ma’am. I wasn’t gonna give you the chance to do that to me again. I wasn’t gonna let you back into my life only to have you leave me again. Nope. So that’s where we’re at. I’ll be civil for the family’s sake, but that’s it. I ain’t gonna go through that again. It hurt too much.”
Rachel’s breath caught on a sob and she stood and moved in front of him. “Mason, I can’t undo what’s done, but I didn’t know that I was so important to you. I swear, I didn’t. If I had, I might have stayed, but I really didn’t know that’s how you felt. I love you. You’re my little brother. I’ve changed and I want to try to make it up to you. I know it may take some time, but I’m asking for your forgiveness. I’m marrying Will, and I’m not going anywhere ever again. I swear it to you. I will never leave you again. My life and my family are here, and I don’t ever plan on leaving. Can you please try to forgive me?”
Mason swiped at the tears on his cheeks as he looked down into his sister’s eyes. He saw the sincerity there and thought about the things he’d said to Marcus about forgiveness. Seeing that Rachel meant what she said, he thought maybe he should practice what he preached.
He eyed her dubiously. “Do you promise you’re not gonna leave again, no matter what ever happens? Do you promise me that?”
Rachel nodded. “I promise to never leave you again. I won’t run away from my problems anymore. I’ll face whatever comes and I’ll be here for you to count on again.”
“Ok. I’ll work at forgiving you, then.”
Rachel threw her arms around him and squeezed him hard. Mason stood still for several moments and then embraced her. They cried together, letting go of all the old hurt and beginning the healing process.
When she could speak again, Rachel said, “I can’t believe you’re taller than me now. You’ve gotten so handsome. No wonder Aiyana loves you.”