She knew what he meant. The second they were alone, they always jumped into each other’s arms and never got around to anything else. But it was wonderful. The best lovemaking Jackie could imagine. And always afterward he would hold her for a long, long time like he couldn’t stand to let her go.
But now it seemed they should have spent more time talking and getting to really know each other. They were at odds with each other now, and all because of the land. Maybe it had been a symbol of love to Libby, but to Jackie it was now the opposite, and she found herself close to hating it.
“This isn’t getting us anywhere,” Jackie said finally. “And I have other business to take care of. Goodbye.”
She hung up the phone, grabbed her purse, and drove her old car to town for what would be its last trip—with her at the wheel, anyway.
Two hours later, after depositing her check, she was driving Linwood Bean’s cousin’s four-wheel-drive pickup truck. He had taken her car in trade, after all, and she thought she’d made a pretty good deal for herself. She could also get to Boone in most any kind of weather, if she ever got a job there. For the time being, she needed to get busy on the farm—her farm—to be ready for spring and all the work that would have to be done then.
But despite being pleased over the truck, Jackie was truly down in the dumps. She had, for all intents and purposes, ended her relationship with Sam in every way. Loving him as she did, that was pretty hard to bear.
She also felt terrible about Brian. She would miss him so much, for she had come to love him, too.
But life had to go on. Somehow she would eventually find a way to mend her aching heart, and she found herself wishing she had not been so hasty to end things. Still, it was probably best that things had come to a head, and maybe Sam felt the same way.
With the break in the weather, Jackie drove to Boone and made the rounds of nursing homes. There were no openings for dieticians, but she filled out applications, anyway. She was told, however, that she could work as a nursing assistant. It was not something she wanted. The hours were long, and the pay wasn’t much, but she said she would keep it in mind. When her money ran out she would have no choice.
On her way back from Boone she went to see a woman Tom Haskins had told her about the last time she was in his store. The woman and her husband had a small tree farm, but the husband had recently died. Deciding not to bother growing trees any longer, the woman wanted to sell the seedlings in their hothouse. So she called the hardware and feed stores around to leave word in case anyone was interested in buying them. Some of them would be ready to set in the field in the spring, so Jackie happily bought all of those. It put quite a dent in her checkbook, but it would give her a head start on her own crop of Christmas trees.
Then winter returned with a vengeance. First, due to the warm weather, the rains came in a deluge. And when the temperature took a nosedive as a cold front came roaring in, the rain changed to sleet.
There had been an ice storm in January, and Sam had gone out with Hank to shake the young trees so the weight of the ice would not break tender branches.
As she stood at the window watching the smaller trees crusting with ice, she half expected to see Sam turn in the driveway. It had been over two weeks since she had talked to him, and there had been no contact. But he wouldn’t let the trees be damaged just because he was angry with her. Yet, as the hours passed and the ice grew heavier, she began to wonder.
Finally, angrily, she went to the phone and called him. If he didn’t want to do anything about it, fine, but he could at least send Hank over, and she would bundle up and work right alongside him.
The woman who answered the phone was not Bonnie. The voice was vaguely familiar, but she couldn’t place it as she asked to speak to Sam.
“Oh, he can’t come to the phone,” the woman cooed. “This is Rosemary. Can I help you?”
“Is Bonnie there?” Jackie asked tightly.
“No. I’m taking care of things around here now. Who is this, anyway?” she asked testily.
“Never mind.” Jackie dropped the phone like it was on fire.
No wonder he wasn’t out shaking ice off tree limbs, she fumed, as she began pulling on heavy winter gear. He was cuddled up with Rosemary, damn him. And what did she mean—she was taking care of things?
Jackie paced about angrily, then told herself to get her act together. Sure, she cared, and more and more she was asking why if she really wanted to torture herself by being around him even in a remote way.
But first things first. She had to save what trees she could.
By the time she had tramped up and down the seemingly endless rows, shaking each branch free of the killing ice, Jackie felt as if she was the one who was frozen.
Afterward, she hurried to fill the tub with hot water while she stripped off her clothes. She planned to soak to her very bones and then wrap up in blankets, huddle in front of the fire and sip wine till she fell asleep.
Still shivering, she didn’t even bother to test the water but jumped right in with both feet—and promptly jumped right back out again screaming.
It was as cold as the ice she had shaken off the trees. What the heck was going on?
Yanking on her robe, she ran into the kitchen where the hot-water heater was located under a cabinet.
“Oh, no,” she groaned, seeing the telltale glow of the light that meant it wasn’t working. The damn thing had probably frozen during the night. And with ice on the highways, there was no way a plumber was going to come out and fix it before a major thaw.
Slapping her palms against her forehead, she told herself not to panic. The fireplace of course still worked. She had a big pot and would just heat water and pour it into the tub. A bit of work, but so what? She was learning to be self-sufficient, by God, and nothing was going to get her down. At least the power was still on.
And, in that precise moment, it went off, the lights blinking a few times as if in mockery.
But Jackie was not to be outdone. She took out the oil lantern and candles and soon had mellow light to serve her needs.
Nothing was going to lick her. Let Sam Colter veg out with his Cindy Crawford wannabe. She would show him she could get by fine without him. What annoyed her, however, was the thought that the young trees at Sam’s place were going to be broken down by the ice. But if he didn’t care why should she? They were no longer partners, and she was looking after her interests and to heck with his.
It took a while to heat enough water, but eventually Jackie had her bath. Then she poured herself a glass of wine and flopped on the sofa.
Life, she commanded herself to believe, was good... or at least it was going to be. All she had to do was hang in there.
She was about to doze off when there was a loud banging on the door.
Groggily she ran to open it and found Hank standing there.
“Sorry I was so late gettin’ here to shake your trees, Jackie. I see you’ve already done it.”
He looked upset, and she told him it was all right. “Come on in. You look like you could use some coffee to warm you up.”
He continued to stand there, as though he had something to say but didn’t know how.
“Hank, what is it?” she prodded, gripping the door for support, because she had a feeling this was not good.
“Have you checked your hothouse lately?”
“Well, yes,” she said uncertainly. “When I finished with the trees, I made sure the stove was full of wood and working okay.”
“That’s not what I mean,” he said, eyes filled with pity. “Jackie, I hate to tell you this, but the roof caved in.”
Chapter Fifteen
Jackie was sitting on the front porch, when she had the feeling someone was watching her.
Whipping her head about, she saw it was Brian, peeking around the corner.
She smiled, despite how miserable she was feeling at the moment. So what if it was a gorgeous day, spring bursting forth in all its glory? The rhododendron
was loaded with buds, and the mountain laurel was already beginning to bloom. She had seen her first hummingbird, and the apple trees and blackberry bushes were dotted with tiny white flowers which forecast a bumper season.
But none of it meant anything to Jackie, because she felt like a complete failure.
“Come on over here and sit down,” she called to Brian, waving. “And I don’t care what your daddy says. You can stay as long as you want to.”
He didn’t hesitate, scampering around the comer to take the steps two at a time. Eagerly he climbed into the chair beside her, gripped the arms and gave her a heart-melting grin as he began to rock.
“So how are things over your way?” she asked him, knowing there would be no answer.
She tried not to think about Sam but couldn’t help it, not when he owned a piece of her heart. It had been four weeks since the big ice storm had made the roof of her hothouse collapse, destroying all the seedlings. He had not been by to see her. Hank said he hadn’t had much to say when he heard about it.
Hank hadn’t offered explanation as to Rosemary’s presence during the storm, and she hadn’t asked him. In a way she wondered, but in another, she didn’t want to know. All that mattered—and hurt so very, very badly—was that Sam had apparently wasted no time in getting over her.
She had called Mr. Burkhalter and got the name of the lawyer he wanted her to see. But that was as far as it had gone. She couldn’t see going to the expense of having a conference with him, especially when she was so tight on money, due to buying the truck and all of the widow’s seedlings. Seedlings, especially good Frasers, as those had been, did not come cheap.
Besides, she’d heard nothing from Sam about it, and the way she saw it, it was his problem. She would make enough from the seven-year-old trees ready to be harvested come fall to keep her going for a while, if he didn’t file some sort of lawsuit to claim his share.
Her problem, however, stemmed from wondering whether she wanted to stay. True, she loved the beauty of the mountains, but life had become a turmoil once she let herself so foolishly fall in love with Sam.
Brian continued to happily rock to and fro. She watched him and wondered when he would be leaving. It was spring. Sam had said he’d make up his mind then. She was sure he would decide to send his son away.
All of a sudden Brian jumped down from the chair and ran inside. Jackie wondered what he was after. He might be using the bathroom, but if he didn’t return soon she would have to check on him. She regretted there were no treats to offer him. She just didn’t care about baking anymore.
As she waited for Brian, she reread the letter from Madeline Stallings, Dove Haven’s director and an old friend.
Madeline went into detail about how displeased everyone was with the dietician that had taken Jackie’s place. She had recently given her notice, and Madeline was relieved. Then she went on to ask in a tongue-in-cheek manner if Jackie might have had her fill of mountain living by now and would consider coming back.
She was not, Jackie knew, altogether joking. The job would be hers if she wanted it. The question was—did she?
She looked around at the beauty of her surroundings. If she could just get over Sam, she was sure she could have a good life here. But try as she might, she could not forget him.
Brian came back out, and she saw that he was carrying one of the books she had bought for him.
“So you want me to read to you?” she asked, pleased.
For answer, he surprised her by climbing right up in her lap, something he had never done before.
Settling back, the top of his head tucked under her chin, Jackie wrapped her arms about him and opened the book to read.
And all the while her heart was filled to overflowing to think how crazy she was about him... and how much she was going to miss him.
The morning passed so quickly. Jackie finished the book, and he ran and got another. Then she found a jar of peanut butter and some bread that wasn’t quite stale. She also had a box of cookies, so they wound up with a nice little picnic.
They sat on a blanket by the stream. Brian ate his fill, then lay back, his head in her lap, as they watched big, puffy clouds roll across the bright blue sky. Jackie pointed out different shapes that reminded her of animals.
“See, Brian? That one looks like a poodle dog, doesn’t it? And see the other one? It’s an old man with a beard. Maybe its your grandfather smiling down from heaven.”
His eyes showed more expression than normal, with a little glimmer of interest. She continued to ask him questions, hoping against hope that he would suddenly answer. But he remained silent, and she had begun to fear he always would. She could only pray the doctors would not give up on him, would not accept the theory that he had been mentally unstable all along, and the trauma of his mother leaving just pushed him over the edge.
Finally, Brian fell asleep. Jackie was just about to also doze off when she heard the sound of a car coming up the road.
Easing Brian’s head from her lap, she left him where he was and went around the cabin.
The car was not one she had seen before. Neither was it the kind to be driving in the mountains—a long, sleek sedan.
A man was behind the wheel. A woman beside him. The woman opened her door and got out, and Jackie noticed at once how elegantly she was dressed in a green silk pantsuit, matching heels, her hair upswept in a dramatic bun and accented by huge emerald eardrops.
Her makeup was also done to perfection, and for an instant reminded Jackie of Rosemary.
“Hello, there,” she called merrily, walking toward her while the man waited in the car. “You must be Jackie. Willa told me all about you. I’m Joan, Sam’s mother.”
For an instant, Jackie was so surprised she couldn’t find her voice, then managed to say, “I’m pleased to meet you,” and held out her hand.
Joan shook it, then stood back to glance around and marvel, “My, you really have fixed this place up. Sam’s great-uncle built it, intending to live in it with his bride when he came back from the war, but as you know, he never came back.”
Jackie had not known that, but suspected as much. “It’s very cozy. I enjoy it.”
“Well, welcome to the mountains.”
She continued to glance around as though she were looking for something.
Hesitantly, Jackie offered, “Would you like some coffee?”
Joan held up a perfectly manicured hand, the diamond rings on her fingers sparkling in the sun. “No, no. I’m looking for Brian. He sneaked off this morning. Sam said he thought he might be here.”
“As a matter of fact, he is,” Jackie confirmed. “He’s napping by the stream. We had a little picnic, and he fell asleep.”
“Oh, that’s sweet,” Joan said. “I’ll go get him, and don’t worry—he won’t be bothering you much longer. Tomorrow afternoon when I leave I’ll be taking him with me.” She gave a little sigh of relief to explain, “Sam has finally agreed it’s best, and I am so glad. Heaven only knows how I have worried about that boy.”
Jackie bit her lip for silence only for an instant, then, telling herself she had nothing to lose, blurted out, “I don’t think that place in Goldsboro is right for Brian. He’s not retarded. He’s a bright little boy. He loves for me to read to him and tell him things, and I believe he understands everything I say to him. There’s nothing wrong with him, except that he can’t talk. And I think he’s suffering from what’s called psychogenic aphasia, and—”
“Are you a child psychologist, Jackie?” Joan interrupted to coolly ask with brows raised.
“No, but—”
“Have you had any training in child psychiatry at all?”
“That’s not the point, and—”
Again Joan interrupted to ask, “What exactly is your field?”
“My... my field?” Jackie blinked. “Why, I’m a licensed dietician.”
“Then you have no experience with this sort of thing, do you? You don’t even have children of your own to
know anything at all about them.”
By then Jackie was mad and not about to hold back. “No, but it doesn’t take a degree in psychiatry to know there’s nothing mentally wrong with Brian. And why are you so insistent to lock him away? He’s your grandson, for heaven’s sake. You ought to want to help him.”
Joan’s carefully made-up eyes narrowed. “My dear, I know much more about the situation than you. I also know that Brian will not receive the kind of help he needs up here in these mountains. He hasn’t spoken a word in almost two years, and he isn’t going to unless he has help. Now,” she said coldly, “I will take my grandson and leave.”
She started to walk past Jackie.
Jackie moved to block her.
“No wonder Sam objected to him coming here,” Joan said, walking around her. “You aren’t good for Brian. You won’t accept the reality that he is mentally disturbed. And if he stays here in these mountains, he will never get any better.”
Maybe I won’t either, Jackie thought dismally as she watched Joan disappear around the side of the cabin. Maybe I’ll just keep on loving Sam, grieving for Bnan and be miserable till my dying day.
Shortly Joan came back carrying Brian, who, to Jackie’s utter amazement, was kicking and thrashing as she held him, arms waving wildly. His mouth was wide open in a silent scream, and tears were running down his cheeks.
Joan was struggling to hang on to him. Her husband saw what was going on and leaped out of the car to come to her aid. As he carried Brian to the car, still fighting, she turned on Jackie to hiss between clenched teeth, “Do you see what you’ve done? He has never, ever acted like this. He has never fought me, fought anyone, but you’ve turned him into a holy terror with all your pampering and coddling.
“Maybe he does understand part of what people say to him,” she rushed on, not giving Jackie a chance to speak, “and you have, no doubt, talked against me...against his father, and turned him against us. I hope you’re happy.”
She started for the car then whipped about to cry, “And another thing. You’re greedy. Just like Libby Pratt. You have no right to this land. It’s Colton land and always will be. My son has told me you’re planning to break off from the farm, and I’ve told him I’ll give him the money to sue you for what’s rightfully his.”
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