The Cast Net

by Mille West

  When he had vanished from sight, Cooper turned to Mills. Their eyes locked. She couldn’t speak or move, and all she wanted to do was bury her face against Cooper’s chest and feel his arms around her.

  “Mills, I’m sorry, but he had no business here. You were right all along. There was someone shadowing me.”

  Cooper put his arm around her for a moment and then retrieved her hatboxes from the ground. “I would like for you to take one of the upstairs bedrooms tonight. I’ll wait while you get your things.”

  She finally found her voice. “How did you know he was here?”

  “I saw the movement of his shadow.”

  Cooper waited in the living room of her cottage while she collected her nightgown and robe, and then escorted her back to his house.

  As the entered the screen porch Cooper said, “You’re terrified, aren’t you?”

  “Yes, my hands won’t stop shaking.”

  “Come in the house. I’m going to fix you something to eat.”

  Cooper made her a sandwich, but she ate very little of her meal. When he walked her to the base of the stairs, Cooper said, “You didn’t eat very much.”

  “I’m too nervous.”

  “Take some deep breaths—let me see you do it.”

  She obliged him, and then he took her hand in his. “Are you going to be all right?”

  “Yes, I think so.”

  “Mills, I have a commitment in Charleston in the morning, and I expect I’ll be gone when you wake. Please don’t be afraid.”

  She nodded and tried to find the courage not to be so frightened by what she had witnessed. The appearance of the intruder—and Cooper’s aggression—had left her shaken. As she lay in bed, a screech owl made a haunting cry outside the home. Mills remembered that Cooper had told her that the nocturnal call of this creature was thought by ancient Low Country residents to foreshadow impending danger or death. She had difficulty falling asleep.

  CHAPTER 19

  Easter on the River

  T he next morning, Mills went to church services in West Ashley. Easter was celebrated with Pastor Rose’s sermon that concentrated on the resurrection of Christ and the sacrifice that He made for mankind. The pastor brought up the need to be charitable to people in the community who required help and stressed that financial assistance was not the only way to aid individuals in trouble. He encouraged parishioners to get involved in organizations that helped the underprivileged.

  When she left the church in West Ashley, dark gray clouds had moved into the area. As she passed over waterways on her drive back to Edisto, the wind-driven waves took on the color of the menacing sky.

  Alston Station was busy with the Easter celebration and, near the river, she passed a large group of worshipers from Reverend Smalls’s church. A number of young people were dressed in traditional white robes and headdresses to be baptized.

  Mills parked her car and was welcomed into the congregation. She watched as Reverend Smalls baptized the youths in the waters of the Edisto, briefly leaning them back into the river. As soon as they were baptized, the young people were wrapped in blankets, and the group united in prayer and singing. The people joined hands as the pastor led them in a final prayer and, when the ceremony was finished, Reverend Smalls invited her to worship in his church.

  This was the same church that she had avoided when she first moved to Alston Station because she felt she would not belong. Becoming acquainted with Reverend Smalls, and the kind deeds performed by his congregation for Eula Mullinax and her children, had enlightened her. She realized that her own lack of understanding about people of a different race had caused unfounded concerns.

  When she got home, rain had not yet arrived, and Mills decided to ride Ginger to the old house ruins to cut roses. She wore her new riding boots, but due to the threat of precipitation, she did not wear one of Julia’s hats. She placed the handles of a canvas tote around the saddle horn, mounted the horse, and rode into the pasture. Dark shadows fell underneath the live oaks and Ginger followed the path to the old mansion. The air was heavy with humidity and, in the warmth of the afternoon, tree frogs had emerged, filling the forest with their lively chant.

  She tied Ginger to a brick column at the entrance to the ruin and crossed the meadow in the direction of the old slave row. Even from a distance, she could see the abundant blooms on the rosebush. Her breathing hitched at the sight of the rich, white flowers, and she withdrew her garden scissors from the saddlebag in order to cut stems. Leather riding gloves protected her hands from thorns and she filled her tote with roses.

  The sound of thunder echoed in the distance and she decided that she should return to the stables. Mills crossed the perimeter of the old house foundation and saw Ginger patiently waiting for her.

  As she began the ride home, the wind began to pick up. She tapped Ginger’s sides with her heels to quicken the pace. When they reached the path through the forest, Ginger began to bray and cock her head from side to side. Mills had never seen the horse nervous and she patted Ginger on the neck to calm her.

  The horse made an attempt to turn around and go back in the direction of the ruin, but Mills used the reins to direct her forward on the path. Suddenly, Ginger reared up, and Mills found herself rolling backward out of the saddle. The tote with the roses fell with her and the stems scattered to the ground.

  Too shocked to feel pain from the fall, Mills quickly realized the reason for the horse’s behavior. Staring at her from about six feet away was the pitted head of a rattlesnake, whose body was larger than her upper arm. The snake was coiled and moved in an aggressive motion. The deafening rattle of its tail was all she could hear. Her mouth was bone dry and she was too terrified to scream. God help me!

  There were no sticks or rocks nearby, only the white blossoms of the rosebush. She slowly backed away from the snake on her hands and knees, then picked up a rose stem and hurled it at the snake. The rattler struck at the stem, and Mills rolled away in retreat, gaining her footing in a full running stride away from the snake.

  Rain was beginning to fall, and she didn’t slow down until she reached the pasture. She rubbed her glove across her cheek and blood smeared on the leather. As she slowed her pace, she took deep breaths and realized she had fallen into a briar patch. A vehicle was coming down into the pasture, and in the rain, she could not tell that it was Cooper’s Suburban until he was very close. He stopped the vehicle in front of her and jumped out of the truck, putting his arm around her.

  “I saw Ginger running back to the stables in a berserk manner; a riderless horse is frightening. Come and sit down in the truck.”

  He helped her into the vehicle, removed his handkerchief from his pocket, and placed it against the cuts on her cheek. “Tell me what happened.”

  Tears formed in her eyes and her voice cracked as she explained. “I went to pick roses, and when Ginger and I started back home she tried to warn me of danger, but I didn’t understand. There was a rattlesnake on the pathway, and she became frightened. I struck my shoulder and hip when I fell, and I must have landed in some briars.”

  “I’ll call Williston when we get to the house. You’re completely soaked.” He took his jacket and put it around her, then turned the Suburban tow
ard home.

  As Mills changed into dry clothes, Cooper phoned Williston, and she told him she’d meet them at the clinic. X-rays determined there were no broken bones, and as Williston cleaned the cuts on Mills’s face, she teased her in a lighthearted way. “Have you ever heard the phrase, horse sense?”

  Mills nodded.

  “The next time Ginger tries to tell you something, you should pay attention.”

  Before they left the clinic, Williston gave Mills some medication for the pain in her hip and shoulder, and wrote a prescription for her.

  “See that she rests,” Williston told Cooper as they left the clinic. On the way home, Mills said, “Thank you for helping me.”

  He looked at her for a moment before responding, “You’re my very good friend and friends look out for one another.”

  “Yes, they do,” she replied.

  They returned to Cooper’s home, and he led her into his bedroom and turned down the covers for her to get inside. “I want you to rest while I tend to Ginger. I’ll be back as soon as possible.”

  Cooper took rain gear from his closet and left the room. She heard the front door close as he went to the stables. The windows were raised in his bedroom, and the sound of rain on the metal roof and the wind chimes helped her relax. She could smell Cooper’s fresh clean scent on the linens and she inhaled deeply as she fell asleep.

  When she woke in the morning, she was still in Cooper’s bed and the rain had stopped. The windows were open, which allowed the fragrances of rain and flowers to enter the room. She tried to rise up in the bed, but the pain in her hip and shoulder caused her to relax again. There was an aroma of cooked bacon in the air, and she was determined to make her way to the kitchen. She crawled out of bed and went into Cooper’s bathroom to look at herself. She unbuttoned her shirt and there was a bruise on her shoulder; sliding her pants down, Mills discovered the same held true for her hip.

  Cooper was in the middle of preparing breakfast when she entered the kitchen, and he smiled when he saw her. “I was going to serve you breakfast in bed. How are you this morning?”

  “I’m so stiff. I’m sorry I took your bed last night.”

  “That’s all right. I slept on the couch in the hunting room so I could be near you if you needed me. Come over here and sit down. I’ll have your breakfast in just a minute. Mills, why don’t you allow me to reschedule your appointments?”

  “I have three important appointments this afternoon with companies that I’ve been calling on about donations to the foundation. Anyway, you gave me time off to spend with Vivien last week and I need to get to work.”

  “I admire your work ethic,” he said with a smile, as he placed a large plate of eggs and bacon on the table in front of her.

  “Do you think the scratches on my face will leave a scar?”

  “No, they’re not deep enough to scar. They’ll heal in no time.”

  “When I fell yesterday, I dropped a tote on the horse path in the forested area. If anyone goes down there today, could you ask them to retrieve it? The roses I cut are scattered along the path.”

  “I’ll make sure it’s handled.”

  Marian and Charles entered the kitchen, and Cooper gave them details about the intruder and the fall that Mills had taken off Ginger’s back. They were worried about the intruder, but even more concerned over her well-being. Marian bent down and gave her a gentle hug. “Please be more careful. I don’t want my girl to get hurt,” she said with a warm smile.

  Mills ate every bite of her breakfast, and Cooper gently patted her on the back. “I’m glad to see that your appetite has returned.”

  Mills’s first appointment was with Chicora Petroleum in North Charleston, and she was promptly shown into the president’s office upon arrival.

  His secretary, Mrs. Sinclair, noticed the Band-Aids on Mills’s cheeks. “How did you get hurt, Miss Taylor?”

  “I fell off a horse yesterday.”

  “I think you’re brave to get on an animal of that size in the first place.”

  Within a few moments, the president, Press Reynolds, asked his secretary to send Mills into his office. He shook her hand and studied her face, then pointed to her cheeks. “What’s this?”

  “Mr. Reynolds, I had an accident while riding yesterday.”

  “I’ve been riding since I was seven years old, and when you get bucked off, you just get back on.”

  “There was a snake on the path, and it frightened my horse.”

  “Poisonous?”

  “Yes, sir, a rattlesnake.”

  “Oh my!” He was quiet for a moment, and then said, “I admire your persistence in coming to see us so often about the Heath Foundation. I received a clearance from the Board of Directors to make a contribution.” He handed her an envelope and continued, “I consider your educational work to be a worthy cause.”

  She stood up from her chair and held back a grimace of pain as she shook his hand and thanked him.

  “Mills, take a bow of credit. If it weren’t for your dedication to your program, the contribution would not have happened. Mr. Heath is fortunate to have such an intelligent person working for him. I know his uncle, Ian Heath, and I’m going to bring you up the next time I see him.” Removing a manila envelope from his desk drawer, he said, “I made a list of companies and individuals that I thought you should visit. When you call on them, tell them that I gave you their name.”

  “Thank you.”

  He handed her the envelope. “I understand that Cooper’s mother founded the program. It’s a shame she’s not here to see your success.” He looked at his watch. “I apologize, but I have another appointment in ten minutes. I don’t think I can get you another donation for several months, but come by any time that you’re in the area.”

  As she sat down in her Beetle, she looked inside the envelope, and was thrilled by Chicora Petroleum’s $10,000 donation.

  The other two appointments were successful, and she received donations into the thousands from each one. The president of Black River Asphalt told her, “Some people would have given up months ago, but your determination caused me to make the gift to the foundation.”

  At her last appointment, Thomas Benet, president of Wescote, the pulpwood giant, offered her a job in his public relations department. Mills explained that she was happy with her present employer—he said that if her situation ever changed, to let him know.

  When she arrived home, Mills stopped by the stables and went to Ginger’s stall. The horse came to her instantly, and Mills patted her on the head. “It’s all right, Ginger. It was my fault.”

  She said goodnight to the horse and drove to her cottage. There was an arrangement of white roses in a vase by her door, along with the tote that had fallen on the path. A note was not attached, but she knew who to thank.

  The lights were off at Cooper’s house, and she left him a note with the words, “Great success! I would like to tell you about my day, and the roses are beautiful!”

  During the time that she waited to speak with Cooper, she phoned Paul to inquire about Max’s health. Paul called her Audrey with his usual dry wit, and then explained that M
ax had been visited by his sister from New Orleans and that his health had improved after her stay.

  “There’s a lot to be said for what being with our loved ones can do for us.” When Cooper knocked on her French doors, he was dirty from head to toe from working in the fields.

  “This has been the best day yet,” she said, handing him the donations.

  He looked at the gifts and said, “I’m very proud of you.” He started to shake her hand, but realized how dirty he was. “So, what’s on the agenda for the rest of the week?”

  “I have an appointment with Preston Jones at Rutledge House Bank and Trust, and I’m also meeting Piet van der Wolf at the East Bay Club for lunch.”

  “You’ll enjoy that. Piet continues to impress me.”

  “Thank you for the roses and for retrieving my tote.”

  “You are most welcome,” he said with a smile.

  The maître d’ led Mills into a cozy dining area that he called the back room at the East Bay Club. Piet rose from his seat as soon as he saw her enter the room and helped her with her chair.

  “I trust you had a nice birthday.”

  “Yes, sir, I did. Cooper arranged for wonderful adventures for my sister and me.”

  “That doesn’t surprise me at all,” he said with a smile. “How did you hurt your face?”

  “I fell from my horse. She got nervous because there was a snake on the path.”

  He looked at her with a concerned expression. “Mills, from now on, have your young man ride with you. Riding by yourself is not a good idea.”

  During the course of the meal, he asked her to recount the past week’s adventures, and he listened intently for over two hours. When she told him about the humming ghost at Cooper’s Combahee property, he laughed heartily about the northern men running out in the middle of the night because of the sound of Dixie.