by Ellis, J. J.
“Well that’s strange,” Russell said before he started to swim to shore, followed quickly by Emily.
Evelyn and Miranda were at the woodpile trying to calm the dog when they arrived. Russell picked the struggling canine up and carried her away from the woodpile. “Did you see that old raccoon that hangs around here, girl? You won’t catch her, she’s a tricky little thing.” He sat down on the picnic blanket with his mother and Emily. When he glanced up he noticed Miranda still standing by the cabin. “Hey kiddo, come over here and we can have some lunch.” A few seconds later he still hadn’t budged. “Miranda,” he hollered again. She looked back at him then turned to the cabin. He handed Rizzy to Evelyn and hurried over to his daughter. “What’s wrong, sweetie?”
“I think I saw someone in the cabin,” she whispered, loudly.
“Oh Randi, there’s no one in Uncle Dylan’s house. It’s locked up tight.” Russell walked over to the door and twisted the knob. It held tight. “See no one could have gotten in. Uncle Dylan and Uncle Logan are the only ones with a key. Come on, let’s go eat.”
“But Daddy, I saw someone. She…she...it looked like Mom.”
“Oh come on, Miranda. Your mother is not in the cabin.” He was now leading her back to the picnic area.
“I saw mom in the cabin, Daddy.”
Emily heard the conversation and walked over to them. “Hey Randi, I know you must miss your mom and when that happens sometimes we think we see them when it’s just shadows.”
“I don’t miss my mom that much,” the little girl said through gritted teeth. “She didn’t want me so I don’t want her.”
Emily wrapped her arm around her shoulders and gave her a squeeze. “I’m sorry, honey.”
They sat down to eat the plates of food that Evelyn had prepared. Miranda dropped the subject but kept shooting glances at the cabin.
“That’s a pretty big book you’re reading Miranda, what is it called?” Emily asked between bites. She rarely saw the little girl without a book but this one looked like it would be a bit advanced for her.
“I just finished it,” she said. “It’s called The Haunted House.”
“Oh sweetie,” Emily cried. “No wonder you thought you saw someone in the cabin. That book is way too scary for a nine-year-old.”
“I don’t get scared by books Miss Emily, and all the other ones are too easy. I love these mysteries.”
“If you ever need help picking out a book that will challenge you, but is still age appropriate, just ask okay?”
“Yeah,” Miranda mumbled. “Maybe I did just think I saw something. The lady in this book has the same hair as Mother.”
“Yeah, that’s probably what it was,” Russell answered. “The last I heard, your mother was 2,000 miles away and she would have no reason to come to Harper’s Rock.”
“Yeah,” Miranda muttered.
They finished eating and cleaned up the picnic site then laid around soaking up the warm sun that would soon be gone.
“It’s getting really hot!” Miranda whined. “Can we go home yet?”
“Hey kiddo, could you do me a favor,” Emily asked.
“Uh sure, what?”
“I know you’re afraid, but come to the water with me. We won’t go deeper than your ankles. I promise.”
“Go on sweetie. It will cool you off,” Russell encouraged.
“I don’t know,” she hedged.
“Come on. I’ll be with you the whole time.”
The little girl sighed and stood up. “Just for a minute.”
They walked hand in hand to the lake and then took a few steps into the chilly water. “Are you cooler now?” Emily asked.
“Yes!” she smiled. “Can we go a little further?”
“Of course, how far would you like to go?”
Miranda thought for a moment then turned to her counselor. “My knees maybe.”
Emily smiled and took hold of her charge’s arm. “Okay, knees it is. Are you ready?’
Miranda nodded and they walked forward together until her knees were covered in the water. “I’m scared,” she murmured, shakily.
“Do you want to go back?”
The girl shook her head vigorously. “Kids make fun of me because I don’t know what it feels like to swim.”
“I have an idea,” Emily said with a grin. “Let’s go out until the water comes to your waist, and then I can hold you while you lay back and the water can cover you. But I’ll be there the whole time, keeping you safe.”
Randi took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Okay,” she whispered, stepping forward.
They walked arm in arm until the water reached Miranda’s thighs and she started to shake.
“Ready to go back?” Emily asked. “We can work up to this slowly.”
“No,” the little girl cried. “I have to do this.”
“Okay sweetie, just take it slow and if you need to go back, just tell me.”
A few slow but successful minutes later Miranda was up to her waist in water. Emily put her arm around her shoulders and talked soothingly to her. “I just want you to lean back and I’ll put my other arm under your knees and you’ll be able to feel what it’s like to float in water. Let me know when you’re ready.”
“Now,” Miranda squealed and closed her eyes tight.
Emily took the lead and got her quickly into position, making sure that her arms were somewhat lax so the water could reach the girl’s chest. She held her and felt the muscles relax one by one.
A slight smile appeared on Miranda’s face. “I want to get all of my hair wet,” she said quietly.
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah,” came a whisper. Miranda plugged her nose and took a breath, letting Emily guide her under the water. A few seconds later, she was back on her feet and squealing with delight.
“Are you okay?” Emily asked.
“Yeah, but I think I’m ready to go back to Daddy.”
“Okay, let’s go.” Emily grabbed her hand and they walked back to Russell together.
“Daddy, Daddy, did you see me? I went in the water!”
“I did, pretty girl. I’m so proud of you.” Russell hugged her and mouthed a thank you to Emily. He knew the newfound confidence his daughter had would probably be gone by morning, but each time she did something out of her comfort zone was a reason to be proud.
Miranda turned to Emily and hugged her tightly. “I love you Miss Emily!” The words rang through the woods.
“I love you too kiddo,” she proclaimed, returning the hug.
Miranda pulled away and ran over to her grandmother, gushing about her triumph in the lake.
“She’s really taken to you,” Russell said with a smile.
“And I to her,” Emily returned. “She is something special. She could rule the world someday.”
“That she could,” he agreed.
“We’ve become so close that the principal, Dave Shelling, and I think that after her diagnosis, the middle school counselor is going to take over her case. Because I’m involved with you…”
“I know,” Russell said, taking her into his arms. “I talked to Dave too and although I don’t like the idea of it, I understand why it has to be done.”
A smile of relief formed on Emily’s face. “I’ll still be a part of her life, just on a more personal level.”
Russell chuckled. “Yeah, you’ll be her friend and her father’s girlfriend.”
“Exactly! Wait? What?”
Russell smiled and kissed her. “I said, you’ll be her father’s girlfriend.”
Emily smiled back. “I think I could go for that.”
They kissed again, pulling apart only when Evelyn cleared her throat.
“If you guys want to take another swim, you better do it now. We’ll be headed back in about an hour and a half.”
CHAPTER 12
The next few weeks were a blur of motion. Russell and Emily only briefly came together at dinner each night at either his place or hers
; Miranda usually in tow. An occasional night spent fully together was a luxury. The school carnival was set for Friday night and Emily was a big part of getting it organized. Although she would have to work, she invited Russell to come as her date. His mother and daughter would be there too.
Russell arrived early to the carnival and pulled the fresh apple pie out of his vehicle. He still didn’t know why his mom entered the contest, she always won. How was it she cooked so well and he burned water? His cooking was a disaster except for omelets. Spotting the judging table, he headed over. There was a brief sense of déjà vu. He hadn’t been to one of these things in many years, but they seemed so much the same.
“Rusty so good to see you,” came a familiar voice.
“Principal Dave, how are you? And don’t call me Rusty,” he replied, smiling. “How is Hillary?”
“She’s fine, if not a little tired. The kids run her ragged.”
“Miranda runs me ragged so I can only imagine what three would do.”
“Well, it was good to see you. I hope you have fun. But not too much,” Dave said with a wink. “Behave with my employee please.”
“I will,” Russell promised with a chuckle. “You know my mom will be here too.”
Russell found himself suddenly blinded by a pair of small hands. “Guess who?”
“Sarah, is that you?”
“How did you know?” asked the comfortably dressed, attractive, blonde woman.
“You’re the only one who ever played that game with me,” he said. “It’s really good to see you.”
“Oh I bet you say that to all the girls,” Sarah replied, with a wink. “Especially Emily Zane. I remember how you looked at her…even if you don’t.”
Before he could reply, Emily walked up to them smiling. “Hey there you two. Better get your entries in. You wouldn’t want your mom to get disqualified because of you, would you Russell?”
“Maybe I do, so someone else can win,” he said with a wicked grin. “It would be fun to see her squirm.”
“Russell!” Both women exclaimed at the same time, before breaking into laughter.
Russell quickly took both his mother’s pie and Sarah’s, to the table. He waved goodbye to his ex-girlfriend as a young blonde boy dragged her off toward the games. Rejoining Emily, he gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.
“I always liked Sarah. She was one of the nice popular girls.”
“I liked her too,” Russell snickered.
Emily lightly smacked his chest. “I would hope so!”
“And now I like you…a lot!” he said, leaning in for a real kiss. “What should we do first?”
“I want some kettle corn. Then you can win me a prize before I have to go run the ring toss in an hour.”
“Kettle corn, huh? I could go for some too.” They walked hand in hand over to the concession stand, which this year was supposed to be run by his brother Logan but was instead being handled by one of his assistant managers. His brother had ‘gone missing’ several times over the last few weeks. There was definitely something going on with him. And it most likely involved his new friend and her baby. He would make a point to talk to him the first chance he got. “Kettle corn, My Lady,” he offered, handing Emily a large bag.
“Why thank you, sir,” she teased.
They walked through the carnival dropping money here and there for games and food. When they reached the ball toss, Emily got excited. “Russell, that’s the prize I want!” she said, pointing at a large stuffed panda.
He moaned. “Have you ever seen me throw a ball? My cousin Jackson on the other hand could win it with his eyes closed.”
“Oh please, Rusty. At least try.”
Russell groaned again. “If you stop calling me Rusty, I’ll try.”
Emily jumped up and down, clapping her hands in delight. “Thank you!” She leaned in and kissed his cheek. He never heard her mumble something about ‘stopping for now.’
Russell paid the man and tried his hand at winning the prize for his absolutely excited, absolutely beautiful girlfriend. Her childlike joy was enchanting. He knew he had to win this panda for her. And that is exactly what he did – on his tenth try.
Emily collected her prize and then they headed to the photo booth.
They were able to get pictures together kissing, hugging, mugging for the camera, and each kissing the panda. Collecting their photos, they had to rush to the ring toss to get Emily there in time. He kissed her goodbye and agreed to meet her at the pie exhibit an hour later.
Russell walked over to the school and into the building. The art show was housed in the multi-purpose room. He couldn’t wait to see Miranda’s artwork. He had a little budding artist on his hands if only she could focus enough to keep at it.
Quickly finding the fourth grade rows, he walked up and down, admiring the pictures. There were many extremely talented kids. About halfway down the third row, he saw Miranda’s picture. A beautiful colored pencil rendering of the Las Vegas skyline with the title “Home”. The grand prize ribbon was attached to the top.
“You must be proud.”
“Hey Sarah. Yeah, I am,” he replied. “Very much so.”
“Art is not a strong point for my kids,” she chuckled. “Sports on the other hand…”
“Well, you did marry the quarterback,” Russell teased.
“That I did,” she smiled. “Look Rusty, I’ve been waiting a long time to say this. But I’m really sorry how things ended for us. I never meant for you and me to end up hating each other by graduation.”
“It’s okay, Sarah,” Russell assured her. “It’s over and done with. I should apologize too.”
“Thanks Russell. I’ll see you around.” She turned to walk away and then turned back. “By the way, I saw Chuck Peters earlier. He’s looking for you.”
“Thanks Sarah.” Russell’s body felt like it was on fire. Now that he had confirmation that his former best friend was indeed an asshole, he didn’t want to see him. His temper was short where Emily was concerned. He felt so protective of her. Jesus, when had he become such an alpha male?
Shaking off his feelings, he left the building and headed for the quilting competition. His old third grade teacher Mrs. Epson won and when she saw him nearby, she walked over to say hello and berate him for not coming home more often. Obviously, she was a friend of his mother’s and had heard all the details of her missing son. He congratulated her on her win and assured her that he was home to stay, before wandering over to the pie contest. The judges were doing their job when he arrived.
“So, what did you do while I was working?”
“Hey Em,” he smiled. “I went over and saw my daughter’s grand prize ribbon in the art show.”
“Oh, I’m so proud of her!” Emily squealed. “I had a feeling she would win when I saw her piece.”
“Daddy…Daddy, I won the art show for the fourth grade!” Miranda ran up and put her arms around her father.
“There you are squirt. I’m so proud of you.”
“I am too,” Emily put in as she got her turn at a hug.
“Look at Grandma, they just called them all up there. I hope she wins!’
“She always does,” Russell murmured under his breath.
Emily smacked his arm and gave him a look.
They all paid close attention to the proceedings as Evelyn was given the grand prize and her cronies all took home the rest of the ribbons. There was polite applause all around and Evelyn basked in the attention until it was time for her and Miranda to head to the games. As they walked away, they were joined by Mrs. Platski and her daughter Isabella.
“So, what would you like to do?” Russell asked, putting his arm around Emily.
“Do you want to go see the animals? That was always my favorite part as a child.”
“Sounds good to me,” he agreed. “My brothers and I used to raise and enter pigs and sheep when we were kids.”
“I remember,” she said softly, leaning into him.
“Well…well, if it isn’t my former best friend with my nasty leftovers.”
Russell and Emily stopped short and looked up. Chuck Peters was swaying in front of them. It was obvious he was drunk. If rumor held true, they’d heard it was his normal state these days.
“You better watch what you say, man,” Russell ground out. “If I would have known what you did to her in high school, I would have kicked your ass then.”
“You’re soft now man,” Chuck slurred. “You couldn’t take candy from a baby. The city has made you weak.”
“I’ll show you just how weak I am, you nasty son of a bitch,” Russell snarled, taking a single step forward.
“Hey now,” came a voice from behind them. “Now’s not the time or the place to teach that jackass a lesson.” Jim Roberts, one of Russell’s other close friends from high school, and now Sarah’s husband, walked over and grabbed his arm. “Calm down buddy. That asshole isn’t worth the attention from the Sheriff.”
Russell blew out a breath and relaxed his stance. “Get on out of here,” he hollered at Chuck.
“Yeah, go on home and sleep it off,” Jim seconded. “Don’t make me go get the others.”
Chuck stared at them for a moment then swaggered past, mumbling something about high school. As he walked past Emily, her foot may or may not have moved out in front of him. Whatever happened, he ended up face first in a relatively fresh pile of horse mess. He pulled himself upright and headed to the exit as if nothing had happened. Sarah had already contacted the Sheriff’s Department to make sure he was picked up before he could get into his car.
Russell and Jim shook hands and agreed to get together soon, before the two couples split up once again.
“Can we go look at the horses, please,” Emily asked. “I can’t get enough of them. I hope to have my own someday, hence the reason I’m having such a hard time finding a place to buy.”
“That reminds me, I haven’t been out to see Jasper much since I got home. He’s getting up there in years.”
“He’s doing great Russell. Your mom lets me ride him sometimes.”
“Good. I’m glad he’s keeping active.” He stopped Emily and turned her to face him. “I’m sure Mom would let you keep a horse on the ranch as long as you paid for food and upkeep.”