by Rula Sinara
“No problem, Carol.” Grace raised her voice over the already running water. “I needed an excuse to stretch my legs anyway.”
An excuse to get away from more important things—that wretched paperwork that was waiting for her on her office desk. She would love, for example, to give Caleb that grand tour of Green Meadows she’d promised him. Hmm...
Setting up the coffee took only a few minutes. Carol was now on the phone with one of their suppliers. As she thought about the possibility of that tour to get her away from the office, Grace couldn’t resist the temptation to walk back to the windows. She was staring at The Busy Corner as if she could conjure Caleb Blackthorne again, when an old minibus rattled up and parked in front of the restaurant. Out stepped the odd-looking driver, who appeared to be wearing a costume of sorts. Short and chubby with a Van Dyke beard, he sported a bowler hat and a frock coat that had seen better days.
As he walked around the vehicle to let passengers out of the back, she noted the cartoon-like ghost painted on the side of the bus along with Spooky Tours... Hosted by Vincent Pryce.
What in the world...?
And then it hit her—this was a ghost tour operation. And it had come here, no doubt, because of the rumors at Green Meadows!
The odd little man was guiding a dozen people inside The Busy Corner.
“The coffee is ready.”
Carol’s voice jerked Grace around. “What?”
“Your coffee.” The receptionist indicated the coffeemaker.
“Right. Thanks.” She glanced back through the window as the man followed his customers inside. What in the world was he telling them about the development? And with all those people in the restaurant—potential residents—within hearing distance. “I think I need something to go with the coffee. If anyone asks for me, I’ll be back in...well, a while.”
Grace left the office and raced across the street. She opened The Busy Corner door. All the passengers on the tour had taken seats around tables, and a busboy was distributing menus and water. Grace glanced past them to the far wall where Caleb sat alone enjoying a piece of apple pie. She wanted to wave at him, but he didn’t seem to notice her. Or anyone for that matter. He was too busy reading his newspaper.
One of the people from the minibus said, “What I heard happened on that farm is even better than the Milwaukee beer baron story. C’mon, Vincent, don’t make us wait any longer. Tell us about the farmhouse murder!”
Grace clenched her jaw so she wouldn’t interrupt. She wanted to hear what this guy had to say, as well. Her father had told her there had been a murder on the Green Meadows property, but he hadn’t had the details.
The tour leader—Vincent, apparently—stood in the center of the room, bowler hat still firmly in place as he puffed out his chest and cleared his throat. “Right after the First World War, that farm was owned by a mean old couple with a crazy grown son. Really weird folks, the Whitmans, who made their neighbors uncomfortable, made friends with no one. They were farmers who should have had responsibility to their animals, but they got up whenever they wanted and made the cows wait to be milked.”
“Was that bad?” asked another member of the group.
Vincent said, “Yes, it was bad. They should have been milked at sunrise. Those poor cows suffered. And then they didn’t milk the cows again until after dark. The neighbors were horrified when they saw the lanterns lighting up the old barn late at night. Horrified, too, when the crazy son who served in World War I marched around the property carrying a shotgun and looking for Germans.”
“Plenty of Germans in these parts,” a local woman said. “Did he ever shoot anyone?”
“He did. One of their cows who wandered away from the herd. Shot it in the head and killed it dead.”
Several gasps made Grace realize everyone in the restaurant other than Caleb was captivated by the story. Finally looking up and spotting her, he shot both eyebrows up high and shook his head.
“What happened then?” came another question.
“Son got taken away to an asylum, where he stayed for the rest of his life.”
“That’s it?” a man groused. “A cow was murdered?”
People grumbled as if disappointed.
“No, no, that was just the beginning,” Vincent went on, embellishing. “Then the rumors started about a cow with blazing red eyes appearing. Soon after, the couple was found dead. Old Whitman sprawled across the kitchen floor, his head smashed in...blood on a rolling pin in the sink.”
“What about the woman?”
“Found facedown outside as if she’d been running from something fearsome and had a heart attack. Rumor had it the murdered cow’s ghost was possessed, and no one wanted to go near the property because it haunted the fields.”
“Oh, come on!” Appalled, Grace moved toward the tour guide. “Where did you get that information? What proof do you have that anything you said is true?”
Vincent puffed himself up but still had to tilt his head to look her in the eye. “Are you a ghost hunter?” he demanded.
As if his calling himself a ghost hunter gave him unique qualifications, Grace thought. “No. Green Meadows is my community, and I don’t appreciate your tall tales meant to scare people or make them uncomfortable.”
“I’m not doing anything illegal. And just because you don’t believe in ghosts doesn’t mean the story isn’t true.”
“A ghost cow?” she asked.
“With blazing red eyes. And it still wanders the area, sometimes on deserted country roads...”
Grace had had enough. She started to open her mouth again.
“Oh, come on, lady,” one of the group interrupted. “Don’t spoil our fun!”
Fun? Could this man really just make up a bunch of lies and people would pay to hear them? Distraught, she looked around and noted irritated expressions on several faces. Obviously these tourists were getting what they wanted and didn’t appreciate her interference.
“Fine,” she muttered.
Paying no attention to her, the tour leader started explaining how the cow chasing old Mrs. Whitman was reenacted on the Green Meadows property whenever there was moonlight.
Disgusted, Grace turned to leave and nearly ran into Caleb, who had his bill and some cash in hand.
“Don’t let him get to you,” he said softly as they reached the cashier and he set down his money, then went on without waiting for change. “It’s ridiculous, but it isn’t meant to hurt anyone.”
“Plus it brings in business,” added the cashier, nodding to the group, most of whom seemed to be ordering sandwiches or full meals.
“Come on.” Caleb held the door open for Grace.
Once outside, she said, “But what if it hurts the new community? People can be superstitious. If they believe him, they might not want to go anywhere near Green Meadows.”
“Yes, levelheaded people around here are going to believe there’s a ghost cow with blazing red eyes roaming the property.” His tone was serious but laugh lines crinkled around his eyes.
Despite her irritation with the tour leader, Caleb made her laugh. “Okay, okay.”
“If I know people around here, they’ll be snorting over that guy’s story for days to come. Until someone else comes up with a more outrageous tale.”
“Hopefully Green Meadows is safe then.” The idea of going back to her paperwork made Grace desperate enough to ask Caleb, “Have you thought about taking that tour of the green community with me?”
“You were serious?”
“I was.”
“Then I would love it. Are you busy now?”
Thinking about the paperwork waiting for her in the office, she said, “Now would be a perfect time.”
* * *
SINCE CALEB LIVED so close to the development, it made sense for them to drive separatel
y and meet at the community center. Arriving at Green Meadows before Grace, he took a good look at the wall his daughter had defaced a few days ago. Already painted over. Part of him regretted Angela’s work being destroyed, especially since it had such emotional significance to her. What she had done was wrong, but maybe it was his fault. In the past, he’d avoided discussing Lily with his daughter. He’d had no idea that she’d thought he had somehow taken her mother away from her, the antithesis of the truth. When he’d fallen in love with Lily, he’d been young and naive and had thought they would be together forever.
“How is Angela doing?”
Caleb started. He’d been so deep in thought he hadn’t heard Grace’s car pull up. He turned to face her. The breeze caught her dark hair, creating a lovely cloud around her face. “She’s coping, I guess. She’s still avoiding me as much as she can.”
Grace nodded in what seemed like understanding. “Let’s walk this way.”
She indicated the sidewalk that would take them past one of the condo buildings, plus several duplexes. Caleb was glad to note that all the buildings sat on large pieces of land and backed onto a forested area. So while people did have neighbors, they also had enough room for gardens and outdoor activities and a wonderful backyard view of something other than more buildings. The solar panels that heated and cooled the dwellings were cleverly inserted into the roofs.
He asked, “How big is the development?”
“Almost four acres. Half of that is common land, never to be built on. Phase 1 is only about an acre, similar to the size of a football field.”
“So there will be a Phase 2?”
“Down the road. Maybe. Assuming Phase 1 is successful. So far we’re about half-full and still working on completing a half-dozen town houses. Let’s hope that tour operator didn’t scare away people who might have been thinking of moving in.”
“I doubt that’s likely. He was just too outrageous for anyone with sense to buy into his story.”
“Hopefully you’re right. At any rate, if we went ahead with the second phase, we would probably add some single-family homes.”
“That would be good to bring in families with kids.”
“Exactly what we’re hoping to do. We want the community to be multigenerational, with the option for our more mature residents to age in place.”
As they walked through the network of winding streets, Grace talked about their objectives. “We want to protect occupant health by using safe building products, including what we can of mold-and fire-resistant materials. And we hope to reduce the impact to the environment by using energy and water resources more efficiently.” Grace sounded apologetic when she said, “But I’m preaching to the choir. You already know all that.”
“That may be true, but it’s nice to hear someone else talk about it.”
Caleb appreciated that Grace knew her stuff. Despite the fact that she claimed to be an amateur, she’d gotten so much right. He liked the walking paths carved through the forest so that residents could experience nature just outside their door. He particularly liked the chance to walk through the area with her.
“This is the rental building where Nellie lives,” she pointed out, taking a path that led behind it toward a stand of trees. “Let me know if you see any ghosts, okay?”
“A cow with glowing red eyes?”
They laughed together as they got on the walking path that cut through the trees behind the housing.
Caleb loved the near silence surrounding them. He could pick up welcome noises. A bird’s wings flapping. A small animal foraging for something to eat. A squirrel racing from one tree to the next. Grace seemed equally happy just being one with nature for the moment, not having to keep a conversation flowing. The expression on her face looked as serene as if she were meditating on the outdoor beauty. He liked that, plus he felt comfortable with her. As if he’d known her for months or years rather than a few days.
“Angela would love this trail,” Caleb said. “She would find dozens of places to hunker down and sketch.”
“I noticed how much she used nature in her art at your place the other day. If you wanted to bring her out here sometime, I have no objection.”
“I don’t think she wants to go anywhere with me at the moment.”
“She knows you love her. She’ll calm down.”
“I can hope.” Then Caleb reminded her, “I want to pay for the damage. Did you figure out how much I owe you?”
“Not yet. How about I send you an email when I tally it up.”
“Sounds fair. What I should do is find a way to make Angela pay for her own bad choices before she does something worse. I had a rough go of it myself when I was her age.” Surprisingly, Caleb found himself opening up to Grace, probably because she’d been so concerned for Angela and Kiki. “I was reckless. Got into all kinds of trouble. I didn’t expect to end up being a Dad at sixteen.”
“Oh...wow...you were a kid yourself.”
Rather than shocked, Grace sounded compassionate, which made Caleb appreciate her even more.
“I had to grow up fast. Thankfully, I had a terrific mother, who helped me make a U-turn with my life. I took custody of Angela, got myself through high school and into college. Took me a lot of years going to school while working in construction and other hard labor jobs. I had to make a decent living while getting my degrees.”
“But it was all worth it.”
He nodded. “I did it for Angela. Not that she sees it. She has no idea of how hard it was for me to give her the comfortable life she’s had. I wanted to be a good example, so that she would make better choices for herself than I did at her age. Lately it hasn’t seemed like I succeeded.”
“You can’t blame yourself. Every teenage kid goes through something. It’s part of growing up. What you did for her...that was everything. Give her some time, and she’ll realize that.”
Caleb hoped Grace was correct. Drawn to her caring nature, he didn’t miss the fact that she was a fine-looking woman. A little fancy for him, wearing what he thought was a designer dress and heels so high they were practically eye-to-eye. The look suited her, though, appearing...effortless.
Caleb wouldn’t mind getting to know Grace Huber better.
If only Angela wasn’t having an absentee-mother crisis.
Realistically, he couldn’t have met the appealing woman at a worse time.
CHAPTER FOUR
GRACE HUMMED TO herself as she got ready for her meeting with Heather Scofield about the landscaping for Green Meadows. She kept playing the time she’d spent with Caleb the afternoon before over and over in her head. It had been a simple walk, but she couldn’t remember when she’d had such a good time with a man. She’d been so focused on work since Dad announced he was contemplating retiring, that she hadn’t even thought about dating in some time.
Well, now she was thinking about it!
There was a lot she appreciated about Caleb Blackthorne beyond his good looks. His devotion to his daughter touched her deeply. She liked the fact that he taught environmental studies. He was a man of principle. She’d meant to forgo billing him for the repaint job on the community center, but his reminder had convinced her she needed to let him make up for his daughter’s actions.
Most of all, she’d loved just being with Caleb on that walk. They had a like appreciation of nature. She was always trying to identify birds and often spent free time reading nature magazines, so she’d been aware of everything around her, and he hadn’t cut in with forced conversation. They both had been comfortable just being together, listening to the sounds of birds flying and small animals scurrying around. She couldn’t have had a better time.
She was smiling to herself just thinking about it when Heather appeared at her office door.
“You certainly look cheerful this morning.”
The smile turned to a grin. “I have a lot to be cheerful about.”
That’s when she noticed Heather’s expression was just a little distressed. And, in addition to her portfolio, Heather held a sheet of paper gripped tightly in one hand.
“Uh-oh. What’s wrong?”
Heather crossed to her desk. “Sorry.” And set the paper down in front of her.
It was a flier.
SPOOKY TOURS... HOSTED BY VINCENT PRYCE shouted at Grace from the top of the flier, and it took her a moment to read the rest. See the old Whitman farmstead, where ghosts were responsible for the deaths of an old man and his wife! Now they are haunting the grounds, too.
Choked up, she said, “If only there was something I could do to stop him!”
“I don’t know on what grounds as long as he stays off yours,” Heather said. “I mean, he can drive down the street and say whatever he wants about the area. I don’t know that anyone can stop him unless he’s defaming someone who is still alive and who can sue him.”
Grace’s stomach tightened at the thought of instigating a lawsuit. Not that it would go anywhere under the circumstances. “Well, maybe no one will want to go on that tour. At least not potential residents.”
“The best way to calm people down is to get to know them personally,” Heather said.
“I haven’t exactly had a lot of time for socializing this past year.”
“I know you were really busy. But things at Green Meadows are winding down now.”
Grace immediately thought about checking out Nellie’s Treasures as she’d vowed to do the other day. Then again, Nellie was only one person. And she was already a resident.
“Any suggestions of where I can meet a lot of people at once?”
“There’s a fund-raiser social being given by the Ladies Auxiliary of First Presbyterian Church the weekend after next. They’re raising money for a new air-conditioning system for the church offices. And this Wednesday is Pancake Day. You definitely should go to that to meet people.”
“Pancake Day?”
“The Sparrow Lake Creamery and Dairymen’s Association have a Pancake Day every year during the kids’ spring vacation so everyone can come. It gets townspeople invested in supporting the local dairy industry—the butter and cream and milk produced in this area.”