by JoAnn Durgin
“What was that for?”
She resumed walking. For being wonderful you. “For being so knowledgeable.”
“Thanks. There’s no one I’d rather share it with.” He chuckled. “Don’t you feel special?”
“Actually, I do.” She didn’t dare look at him.
“This next stretch of trail isn’t wide enough to walk side-by-side,” Seth told her about twenty minutes into their hike. “You go ahead first and I’ll bring up the rear.”
Wonderful. Just what a girl needed on a cold, overcast Saturday morning. A guy following her up a mountain and staring at her backside. Not that he would, but still…disconcerting thought.
They talked about her work, his work, the upcoming church activities, food, and anything else Caroline could think of to keep the conversation flowing. Occasionally, they’d lapse into silence, but it was a comfortable silence, their boots snapping on twigs and branches the only sounds. Seth pointed out some of the flora and fauna and she squealed when a raccoon scampered in front of her path. The calls of various birds echoed at times, and she breathed in deeply of the fresh air as they made their way farther up Old Speck. They passed other hikers every so often and exchanged quick greetings.
Spying a large rock an hour into their hike, she dropped down on it, trying not to let Seth see that she was out of breath. Not much, but slightly. “It’s so beautiful and peaceful up here.”
Seth was doing fine even with the heavy load. And he used to be in better shape? He lowered the backpack to the ground and pulled out two plastic water bottles, handing one to her.
“Thanks.” Twisting off the cap, she took a long, slow drink. “This tastes so refreshing.”
“Nothing beats it.” As he took a long drink, his intense blue eyes never left hers. “Do you want a snack?”
“Depends. What’s in your big bag of tricks?”
With another grin, he opened the top flap of the backpack. “Let’s see. You can have cheese and crackers or an apple. Choose one or else pick door number one or door number two.”
“I’ll take door number…two.” Caroline watched as he pulled out a shiny red apple, polished it on his down vest and then handed it to her. “Thanks.” Biting into it, Caroline relished the juicy fruit. “I don’t care what they say. You’re not such a bad guide.”
“Ha! That’s what you think now.” He nudged her aside so he could sit beside her on the rock.
“I don’t think there’s room,” she protested before losing her balance and sliding off the rock and landing on the hard ground. On her bum. Graceful. Somehow she’d managed to keep hold of the apple. Taking another big bite, she chewed it from her position on the ground and eyed him with suspicion. “I hereby retract what I said about you being a good guide. You’ve demonstrated your true colors, Dr. Barnes.”
“I’m sorry, Caroline. Really.” Seth reached for her hand and started to tug her to her feet, but she resisted at first and made him work for it. Served him right.
“I’ll sit over here,” he said after first making sure she was settled squarely on the rock.
“We should only be another half-hour from the top.” They’d kept up a decent pace on the way up, but not so fast that they hadn’t been able to enjoy their surroundings.
“So, Jenica seems nice.” Caroline infused as much enthusiasm as she could into that comment. When Seth raised a brow, she shrugged. “Come on. One of us had to mention her sooner or later.”
Chapter 21
~~♥~~
Seth drained his second water bottle, trying to buy some time before answering Caroline. Not that she’d asked a question. Not that she expected an answer. All he knew was, he didn’t want to discuss Jenica, especially with Caroline. But he needed to say something and hopefully that’d be the end of it.
“Jenica’s very nice.” It wasn’t a lie. Jenica was a great girl. Good heart. Loved kids. Worked well with senior citizens. Pretty without question. But she didn’t make snappy comebacks that challenged him. Didn’t intrigue him. Wasn’t adventurous. Jenica liked her routine of going to the same places, ordering the same food. Everything had its place and time.
Face it, Barnes. She bores you. And the woman sitting across from him fascinated him but might hate him after their hike. He’d prayed about it last night and again this morning, praying the Lord might soften her heart to accept what he had to say. Yeah, life had its ironies and could be plenty confusing sometimes, especially when it came to women.
Twisting the cap on the depleted water bottle, Seth tucked it inside the backpack. “I’ll take your apple core and bottle when you’re finished.”
She nodded and kept chewing that apple.
Jenica didn’t have pretty soft waves in her hair like Caroline. She used so much hair product to make her hair look soft that it was actually stiff. Talk about irony. She painted the nails on her fingers red and the nail on her toes blue, and paid good money to have little American flags painted on them for the Fourth of July. Come to think of it, she’d had Christmas trees on her nails, Easter eggs, shamrocks and even turkeys for Thanksgiving. She refused to go bowling because of those nails. Her idea of cooking was picking up baked chicken at the deli and heating up a can of vegetables. Not that he could fault her for any of those things. Or the fact that she still lived at home.
“Is it illegal to throw the core on the ground?” Caroline said, interrupting his thoughts. “I mean, would it be harmful for a wild animal if they ate it?”
“I should know that, but I don’t.”
Caroline laughed. “I don’t expect you to have all the answers, you know.”
“I usually just keep everything in a small bag in the backpack and then throw it away at the end of the hike.” He found it difficult to focus on much of anything other than Caroline. She was beyond pretty in her jeans, sweatshirt, down jacket, and hiking boots. He even liked the hat although it covered up her gorgeous hair. Something about this girl was so refreshing and natural. If he didn’t know any differently, he’d never guess she was a rich girl from Boston.
Lord, why does she have to be the daughter of Duncan Prescott? That’s what was killing him. Could he learn to live with it? If he wanted Caroline as a friend, he would. Now that she was here in Maine, he couldn’t imagine not having her in his life.
She was a good sport to agree to this hike. He probably should have warned her that it could get steep, but she hadn’t complained. Jenica wouldn’t even have considered it. Correction: he wouldn’t even suggest such a thing to Jenica. The idea of her hiking Old Speck was almost laughable.
I wish you’d listen to yourself. In his mind, he could hear Beverly whispering those words. Even imaginary and in his head, he’d have to agree. That almost made him laugh. The mountain air must be getting to him.
They resumed their hike and neither one said much until they reached the summit.
“What do you think?” Seth stood beside Caroline after they’d climbed up into the old fire tower. When she moved, he caught the scent of her hair. Something floral and nice. He longed to touch her hair, draw her close, press his lips to hers.
“This is incredible.”
“Yes, it is.” Her nearness brought a new awareness he hadn’t felt for a woman in years, if ever. Something beyond physical attraction although he couldn’t seem to stop looking at her today.
When Caroline turned to him, he quickly shifted his gaze to the mountain vista, wondering if she’d somehow picked up on his thoughts. She was intuitive and perceptive. If she did, she wisely refrained from saying anything as she looked away. The beauty of her eyes would remain in his mind for a long time.
“I take it this is no longer used as a fire tower,” she said.
“You’re right. It’s only used as an observation tower now. Speck Pond is right down there. See it?” Putting his hand on her shoulder, he guided her slightly to the left, closer to him. She leaned closer to him, not quite into him, but close enough to feel her warmth. While it was great, it probably
wasn’t smart. He already wanted to kiss her and if she moved slightly…and he moved an inch…
Forget about it.
“There it is!” Caroline’s enthusiasm was infectious.
“They stock it with brook trout and the pond’s a favorite of fly fishers.”
“Do you fish, Seth?” She glanced at him with expectation.
“Sometimes. Do you?”
“I’ve never done it, but I’d like to try.”
What was this woman doing to him? With that comment, she meant nothing more than actual fishing—hook, line, bait, sinker—but he was pondering a completely different type of fishing. He needed to rein in his emotions now or he was in big trouble. Maybe he should have taken Caroline up on her suggestion to meet somewhere other than in one of the spots he found the most beautiful on the planet. One of the most romantic, too, it seemed.
Standing here now, with Caroline beside him, Seth couldn’t imagine any sweeter moment, anything he’d rather do for the rest of his life than climb mountains with her beside him. Physical mountains as well as the inevitable and invisible emotional hurdles in life. Weathering the good and the bad together. Loving well and loving often. Raising kids together. Playing and laughing in the fun times. Rejoicing and praying together. Always looking to the Lord for His guidance.
The truth slammed into him with the force of one of the hurricane-like winds on Mount Washington. Not that he’d ever experienced those winds, but the force known as Caroline Prescott could have blown him off the old fire tower, on the top of Old Speck. It’d been coming on since he first spied her on that mountain road outside Evergreen. And then when he saw her again in town, collided with her on the balcony of her room, and gotten to know her better after the wedding.
I’m falling in love with her, Lord.
Without speaking, Caroline took his hand. What was she doing? Seth barely turned his head, taking in a quick breath of the crisp mountain air, waiting to see what she’d do next.
“Father,” she said, her head bowed, her eyes closed, “thank you for the beauty you have created for our enjoyment. Thank you for Seth bringing me here. In your word, you tell us, ‘The heavens are telling of the glory of God; and their expanse is declaring the work of His hands.’ Standing here, we can see the great expanse of your glory in all its purest manifestation.”
His heart almost burst and Seth released the breath he’d been holding. Moisture pooled in his eyes as she squeezed his hand. “Thank you for bringing Caroline to Maine, Father. Thank you for our friendship and…” He faltered, not knowing what to say next. He was so deeply touched, and he hated to think he might anger her soon enough when he told her what needed to be said. But it was the only way they could move forward in any kind of relationship, friends or otherwise.
The bitterness inside him had been bottled up far too long. Perhaps it wasn’t fair to unload on the man’s daughter. Caroline was innocent of any wrongdoing. While he hated to be the one to tell her what a horrible excuse for a human being her father was, he couldn’t accept the man who’d tried everything in his power to destroy his family. Doing so would further twist the knife into an already deep wound and reopen it. He couldn’t do that to his parents. Couldn’t do that to himself.
When Caroline squeezed his hand again, encouraging him, he somehow fumbled through the rest of his prayer. With his free hand, Seth wiped the moisture from beneath his eyes. He didn’t care if she saw his raw emotion. To think she hadn’t known or understood the things of the Lord when she’d first visited Evergreen two years ago. And look at her now. This woman, who stood beside him now, praying a prayer of simple but heartfelt thankfulness, stole his breath.
“Help us to always seek your will in all things,” Seth said finally. “In the mighty name of your Son, Jesus, we ask these things. Amen.” He wasn’t even sure what he’d said in the last part of the prayer. His eyes might be damp, and maybe even red-rimmed, but she was sensitive enough not to mention it.
“You humble me,” he whispered. “Thank you.”
Caroline lowered her gaze, her cheeks flushed with beauty. “Seemed the thing to do.”
~~♥~~
Seth grew strangely quiet after they’d eaten their lunch of peanut butter and strawberry jam sandwiches, more apples, water and Snickers candy bars, her favorite. Jumbo size. Man after her own heart. He watched her with a thoughtful expression as they finished their meal.
“What?” She playfully tossed a small rock at him, aiming for the middle of his chest. Catching the rock in one hand, he didn’t smile. If she had to guess, she’d say he looked conflicted.
“I’m trying to think of how best to tell you something,” he said. “I’ve thought about it a lot and now I’m wondering if I’m doing the right thing.”
Yes, conflicted would cover it pretty well. She stretched out her legs in front of her in the small clearing where they’d decided to take their lunch break. “Whenever I feel like that—and trust me, I have—I just plow right ahead and say it. If you don’t, it’ll build like steam inside a pressure cooker and eventually blow. Trust me, that doesn’t do anyone any good.”
“I know.” Reaching into the backpack, Seth pulled out a somewhat large leather-bound red book and put it on his lap. No wonder he’d needed such a big backpack. She bit back the question hovering on her tongue. Patience would be a virtue here. He’d tell her about that book when he was good and ready.
“I’ll give you the abbreviated version as best I can. Caroline, when we first met, I didn’t know who you were.” His gaze met hers. What was in those eyes? Simmering anger? Hurt? Guilt? She wouldn’t be able to describe it if she tried.
“Meaning I didn’t realize you were the daughter of Duncan Prescott.”
Caroline drew in a deep breath and raised her knees to her chest. Why did that matter? A sense of dread stirred in her stomach. This might not go well. Clasping her hands around her legs, she rested her chin on her bent knees. “Go on.”
“A little more than seventeen years ago, my father was the defendant in a manslaughter case.”
Her breath caught, wondering to what extent his father had been involved. Wondering how it could affect her. She could barely breathe but motioned for him to continue.
“He was down in Boston on business. It was a Tuesday night in mid-May. Dad was a contractor and he planned to meet a prospective new client in a downtown restaurant. While he was waiting for the other man to show up, two men came into the restaurant. They went into the bar area and started arguing. Then they started throwing punches. Things escalated.”
Seth stopped to take a long drink from his water bottle before wiping his mouth with the sleeve of his shirt. “Dad was always a kind man, a gentle man. A peacemaker. He got up from his table—you don’t know how much I wish he’d never done that—and then he went into the bar to try and break up the fight. He didn’t see the gun until one of the guys pointed it at him at point blank range.”
Caroline’s jaw dropped and she waited for the rest of the story to unfold.
“There was a struggle and, in the end, Dad—unharmed except for a few bruises and a black eye—ended up with the gun in his hand. And a dead man beside him on the floor. Classic, huh? It couldn’t have been a better scenario for a lawyer to drool over than if it’d been scripted by the best writers in Hollywood.”
“Seth,” she said, swallowing hard, “that was a cut and dried case of self-defense.”
“You’d be right if the dead man hadn’t been an important man, a very high profile, well-connected Boston politician. A man who had half the city in his back pocket. A lot of people owed this guy big favors. Of all the restaurant bars in Boston, my Dad had to walk into that one.” Raking his fingers through his hair, Seth was silent for a few moments.
Caroline’s mind swirled furiously. Something about what he said rang a bell in the back of her mind.
“Dad was thrown in jail and accused of manslaughter. The saving grace was that it wasn’t a murder one charge. There wa
s a trial in Boston a few months later. God bless the barkeep on duty that night, as well as a few other bar patrons, who swore under oath on the witness stand that Dad did not go into that restaurant and then into the bar with the intent to kill the guy.”
“Sterling Samuel,” Caroline murmured under her breath. The pieces of the puzzle were beginning to fit now but she was still trying to pull more from the recesses of her brain.
Seth’s gaze narrowed, and he nodded. “That’s right. Your father was the high-priced attorney hired to defend that scumbag politician. The guy was nothing but a low-life, but he didn’t deserve to die in that manner. No one does.”
The muscles in his jaw hardened and Seth shifted his gaze away from hers. “The almighty Duncan Prescott was true to his reputation as a legal shark, and he didn’t hesitate to sink his sharp teeth into my father’s psyche, making him doubt, grounding his self-esteem and any confidence he had straight into the cold, hard ground. He decimated my father’s character by dredging up every possible negative thing he could. There wasn’t much to tell, but your dad exploited the tiniest incident of violence from when Dad was in high school and stabbed a kid with a pocket knife. Then he twisted the facts to make it seem as though he was, as you’d say, a pressure cooker ready to explode. Then he found out about the one bad business deal my dad made when he was first starting out as a contractor. He was duped and lost a lot of money but made some bad decisions along the way.”
Seth snorted but it was derisive, bitter. “Since you remember the victim’s name, you must remember the outcome of the trial.”
“Only that my father considers that trial one of the three cases he lost in his career. Although he never referred to them that way. He always said they were the cases he couldn’t win but he rarely mentioned them. I can admit my dad’s a prideful man, and he doesn’t readily admit defeat.”
“He got an acquittal from the jury,” Seth said. “Not exactly a loss. In a way, he got that victory, Caroline. He wanted to destroy my dad’s reputation, and in essence, he did just that.”