Bluebelle runs fast, but she’s no match for Colonel. I hear Colonel behind me and soon Abel Lee is passing me, laughing.
Abel Lee
I pass Savannah Mae by allowing Colonel to run the way he likes it. Fast and furious. I thought about letting her win, but my competitive side wouldn’t let me.
I’m at the barn and off Colonel before she and Bluebelle make it back. Her pale face is red and windblown. Her blonde hair is coming loose from her ponytail, and her smiles light up her blue eyes. I stop and watch as she dismounts from Bluebelle. She looks young and carefree. Not like the worried single mother that I usually see.
“Wow, that felt amazing.” She smoothes her hair and puts it back into a ponytail.
“You looked good out there.” We both put away the saddles and put the horses back in the stall.
“Thanks. I forgot how free I felt riding a horse. Brush?”
I nod to the few horse brushes that lay beneath the window sill. “Over there.”
“Thanks.”
“Have you ridden competitively as a child?”
She sighs. “I did when I was in middle school and some in high school. My studies and boyfriends became more important.” We brush the horses before heading back into the house. Pops and Levi are already home and dinner is just about done when we walk into the kitchen. Savannah Mae and I wash up for dinner.
During dinner we talk about the baby and Sawyer Jackson. There is no talk of anything unpleasant. Pops tells us about the contractors starting on the workshop tomorrow. The permits are all approved and the supplies all came in.
I say, “This will speed things along. I wasn’t planning on starting on it until next week.”
“Rick Crooks also stopped in today. He and his driver brought some finished sculptures down for the building.”
“I love his work,” Savannah Mae says excitedly.
“His work is amazing,” Momma agrees. “Hard to believe he makes everything from memory.”
“When I was little, I used to ask him if he was still makin’ arts and crafts.” She smiles at the memory. “So, whenever I see him I still ask him about his arts and crafts. It’s a joke between the two of us. His work is far more than artsy and craftsy.”
We finish dinner and help with the cleanup before leaving for home. Sawyer Jackson fell asleep on Pops’ lap so I carry him to the car. We quickly say our goodbyes and drive home.
Savannah Mae showers first, then I do. She’s already in bed when I get done. She isn’t asleep but is lying there in deep thought. I turn off the light and when I get in bed, she automatically scoots over to my side of the bed and snuggles close to me. I rest my chin on her head and inhale her unique scent.
“I had a good time tonight, thank you.”
“You liked riding the horses?” I ask.
“That, and I really like your family. Are they always so receptive to your girlfriends and their children?”
I inhale. “I don’t know. They’ve never met any of my girlfriends, and I’ve never dated anyone with children before.”
She tilts her head to look at me. “Really? Your parents have never met any of your girlfriends?”
“The ones in high school, yes. But none within the last ten years.”
She thinks for a moment. “None of them had children. But you’re so good with Sawyer Jackson.”
“It’s because I love him. He’s a good boy.”
She adjusts herself to see me better. “You love my son?”
I do. Why doesn’t she know that? Have I never told him that I loved him? Have I never told her I loved him? “Of course I do. I love you, and he is very easy to love.”
She leans up and kisses me. “Thank you for lovin’ us.”
I move so I’m lying over her holding myself up with my elbows. I look down at her and her eyes sparkle like diamonds in the night. “I will always love you.” I deepen our kiss.
The next morning, Savannah Mae and I make breakfast together. I’m not going to work, I decided to go with Ethan instead. I figured my time would be better spent helping him. Pops understood when I called him this morning. He wanted to talk about what’s going on, but the timing wasn’t right. I don’t want to risk the chance of being overheard by Savannah Mae or Sawyer Jackson. She doesn’t need to listen to me talk about Heather Sue, and Sawyer Jackson doesn’t need to find out about her demise from me.
Ethan comes in briefly and visits with Sawyer Jackson before we leave. I don’t know where Heather Sue lived so I ask that he come by here and I’ll follow him to her house. I have no idea how much stuff she has, but they may need two trucks instead of one. The fewer trips we have to make, the better.
While Ethan visits with Sawyer Jackson, I ask Savannah Mae, “What are your plans today?”
“Since I’m off tonight, I thought we would take a walk, make cookies, and have dinner ready when you get home.”
“You’ll be careful?”
“Yes. I’m just walkin’ around the neighborhood. I just thought the fresh air would be nice for the both of us.”
“Okay, sounds good.
Once we’re outside, Ethan says, “I can’t thank you enough.”
“It’s no problem. Do you have anyone else going?”
“No. Heather Sue’s mom asked if it would be okay if she didn’t go. She wants us to take everything to a storage unit until she gets the courage to go through it.”
“I can understand that. I can’t imagine being forced to do such a task. I can’t think of anything worse than going through your deceased child’s belongings.”
He thinks for a moment and he turns white. “I can’t imagine, either.”
I think he was trying to picture himself in her shoes and imagining being forced to go through Sawyer Jackson’s things. I don’t want to think about that. That would rip my heart out.
“Do you want to see if your Dad or Pops want to help out?”
“They’re both working. If you don’t mind takin’ them away from their work, and if they don’t mind helpin’, it would be great.”
We drive the short distance and Pops and Kevin are both happy to help out. I ask Mark to supervise the work and to call me if there are any problems. We each own a truck and drive separately to Heather Sue’s house. I’m hoping the landlord has already hired a professional cleaner to come in and clean up the blood.
We pull up to a small run-down white house with black shutters. A man is walking out of the house as we are getting out of the trucks. Ethan walks up to him and speaks briefly. I can hear Ethan say, “We’ll have her things cleared out today.”
“There won’t be any deposit to return. I had to pay a cleaning company to come in and professionally clean up blood.”
“I understand,” Ethan says, sadly.
“I think the floor might need to be replaced, too. I don’t know if I’ll be able to rent this out again after what happened.”
“And how much do you rent this house for?” I ask.
The landlord looks over at me. I can feel everyone looking at me. It’s none of my business, but he’s pissing me off. “Three hundred dollars a month. Not anymore, I doubt I’ll be able to rent it for two hundred dollars now that it’s been plastered all over the news and the newspapers.”
His lack of respect for Ethan, Kevin, or Heather Sue is shocking. I reach into my pocket and pull out a wad of money. I count out $3,600.00 and hand it to him. “Here, consider this rent for the next year.” I don’t wait around for him to say anything or for anyone to acknowledge what I’ve just done. “Thanks for having this cleaned up before we got here. That’s appreciated.”
“Yeah, you’re welcome.” He stares at the wad of money in his hands and he walks towards his rundown car.
Slum lords. I forgot they even existed. We all grab boxes out of the back of Ethan’s truck. I follow everyone inside the house. The kitchen where the murder took place is cleaned up. The smell of bleach and mildew fills the air. Otherwise, the place is clean and tidy. I’m sure it’s the only pl
ace she could afford on her income.
The house is one story and Heather doesn’t have a lot of things.
“Everything goes?” I ask.
“Yep. I’ll start boxing up her personal things,” he says.
“And we’ll start moving the furniture.”
It takes only a few hours to have everything loaded up and placed in a storage unit in Roseville.
“Thank you so much for everything.” Ethan extends his hand.
I shake it. “You’re welcome. Anything to help out.”
“Thanks also for what you did with the landlord.”
I like being able to help people out, but I don’t like when they acknowledge it. I know it’s rude not to, but sometimes appreciation is just unspoken.
“I figured it was cheaper to pay him to shut up.”
“Cheaper than what?” Kevin asks.
“Than paying for court costs, fines, and bond money for me to get out of jail.”
Everyone laughs and we go our separate ways.
Pops follows me to the old school and we talk briefly about Heather Sue and what this is doing to the community. He said he’s never seen this town so shaken up. We also talk about the few details that are being released about the murder.
“I drove by Megan Rose’s parents’ house the other day, and the house looks empty. There was a ‘For Sale’ sign in the yard.”
“Did they move?” I ask.
“Sure looked like it.”
“I guess if my daughter died, I wouldn’t want to be reminded of it everyday, either.”
”I don’t think that’s something you can run away from.”
“I’m sure you’re right.” I hear a man yelling and I look down the street. A man is standing on top of his roof waving his hands in our direction. “What in the hell is that?”
“Looks like he needs help.”
Pops and I walk over towards him and he’s on the roof, and his ladder is lying on the ground. “What happened, did your ladder fall?”
Pops and I pick up his ladder and lean it against the house.
“No, some blonde pushed it over.”
Pops and I look at each other. Could it be Savannah Mae? “Why would she do that?”
He climbs down the ladder and thanks us.
“She was walkin’ with her son and I whistled at her. She asked me to stop and I yelled that she had a nice ass. Then she walked over here and pushed my ladder over.” He scratches his head and says, “I’m new here. Are all the broads like that around here?”
“Yeah, pretty much,” Pops says. He tries to hide his smile. “Might wanna remember to treat ‘em with respect from now on.”
“If all the broads are crazy, I’ll just keep my mouth shut.”
I try not to laugh. “That might be a good idea. I hear that blonde has a crazy boyfriend. Might wanna be careful who you talk to from now on.”
He picks up and his ladder and starts to walk in back of his house. “Thanks again.”
“No problem.” Pops and I walk in the direction of the house laughing. “That Savannah Mae is a tough one.”
I beam with pride. “That she is.”
I walk into the house, Savannah Mae and Sawyer Jackson are sitting at the table with a plate of cookies sitting between them. I bend over and kiss him, and then I kiss her. I shower and change into a pair of jeans and a blue tee-shirt.
Savannah Mae is in the kitchen peeling potatoes, and Sawyer Jackson is in his room sitting on his bed. “How was your day?”
“Good. We went for a walk earlier.” She turns the water on to rinse the peeled potatoes. “Oh, we also have new neighbors down the way.”
I remember the guy trapped on the roof.
“I think I met him.”
She looks over her shoulder at me and says, “Was he still on the roof?”
“He was. Pops and I positioned his ladder so he could get down.”
“Good, I hope he learned his lesson.”
I walk up behind her and snake my arms around her thin waist. “I don’t think you’ll have anymore problems from him.”
“Good, he’s a jerk.” She rests her head on my chest. “How did everything go with you and Ethan today?”
I kiss the top of her head, leaving my mouth there. “It went better than I expected. The landlord hired someone to come in and clean up the area where Heather Sue was found.”
She shivers. I run my hands up and down her arms and say, “We just moved everything into a storage unit.” I decide the less information I tell her, the better.
“That’s good. I didn’t expect you home until later.”
I back away from her and look inside the oven. “Baked steak?”
“It is. I invited Johnny to eat with us. His momma has to work late tonight. I thought it would be nice to spend some time with him.”
“Good, I like Johnny.”
“Me, too.”
Chapter Nine (Country Life)
Savannah Mae
After dinner, I grab my sketch pad and a pencil and sit in the chair by the window. I watch as Sawyer Jackson, Abel Lee, and Johnny play Monopoly at the dinin’ room table. I could sketch Abel Lee from memory, but I like watchin’ him. He looks over at me and I look away and continue to sketch his beautiful face.
The game doesn’t last as long as it should. When Sawyer Jackson brags about winnin’, I know they let him win. I peek over my sketchpad and Abel Lee is smilin’ at me.
He says, “You look like you’re up to no good.”
I bat my eyes and hide my smile behind the sketchpad. “Who, me?”
He stands up and slowly walks towards me. “What are you up to?”
Lowerin’ my sketchpad but holdin’ it closely to me, I say, “Nothin’.”
He gets closer to me so I stand and put the sketchpad behind my back.
“Let me see.”
I back away from him, grinnin’ ear to ear. The sketch isn’t done, and I don’t want him makin’ fun of my artwork. “It’s not done yet.”
“Are you drawing me?”
I’m still grinnin’. “Maybe.”
He smiles and his eyes crinkle in the corners. “May I see it?”
“It’s not done yet.”
“When you’re done with it, can I see it then?”
I sketch for fun. I don’t usually show people my work. “If you promise not to laugh.”
His smile fades and his voice is soft. “I won’t laugh, I promise.”
“You say that now.”
His mood changes and he asks, “Do you wanna walk Johnny home with me?”
“Sure. Let me get me and Sawyer Jackson jackets.”
I hide my sketchpad in the closet and get the jackets. I also get Abel Lee a hoodie. I wonder why Abel Lee’s mood changed so quickly when I mentioned he might laugh at my sketch of him. We walk Johnny home and take a stroll around the neighborhood together. Sawyer Jackson walks in between us and we hold his hands. This feels normal. Like a real family. I remember when Ethan and I were together and how great it felt. I never would have imagined things would have ended up the way they did. I never once thought that Ethan would cheat on me. Was I naïve to think that? Am I naïve to think that Abel Lee won’t do it? I trust Abel Lee, but am I stupid to put so much faith into this relationship?
“What are you thinking about?”
“Just enjoyin’ the walk,” I lie. I don’t want to tell him I’m havin’ an internal battle within myself, or that my head is fillin’ up with doubts about what this relationship could be.
We put Sawyer Jackson to bed and we sit down to watch the news together. I’ve avoided the news and the newspapers since Heather Sue’s death. I still haven’t told Sawyer Jackson. I’m not sure how, and I’m not sure how much to tell him. He’s so young. I don’t want to fill his head up with the ugliness in the world. All of us need to resist psychic death. All of us need to recognize the good that is in the world despite the evil that is also in it.
The news comes on and the fir
st thing I see is a photo of Heather Sue. I hear phrases such as “slain girl,” “unsolved murder,” and “killer at large.” My stomach churns and I stand to walk away. I thought I was strong enough for this, but I’m not. I’m just reminded that we don’t live in a perfect world. I rush into the bathroom and run cold water on my face. There’s a knock at the door before it opens slowly.
“You all right?”
“I’m fine.” I try to smile so he knows that I am fine.
“I shut the television off. I don’t need to watch that.” He holds his hand out for me to take. “Let’s go to bed.”
I take his hand and lay the hand towel on the edge of the sink. I put on one of his tee-shirts before climbing into bed. I like the way he smells and I like sleepin’ in his shirts. When we were apart, I always slept in his tee-shirt. I know the breakup was because I asked for it, but it didn’t mean that I didn’t miss him. When he lies down, I cuddle into him. He wraps me in his arms and I feel safe.
“I didn’t know that you sketched.”
The room is dark with just a hint of light comin’ from Sawyer Jackson’s night light in his bedroom.
“I do it for fun. Samantha Marie has all the talent in our family. I just doodle from time to time.”
“How long have you been sketching?”
“Since grade school. I also oil paint.”
“What do you paint?”
“Mostly scenery. Waterfalls, log cabins, sunsets, beaches. But I like to sketch people.” I snuggle deeper into him.
“I’d like to see your work sometime.” He draws lazy circles on my arm.
My eyes are adjusting to the darkness. I can see that he’s watchin’ me. “I’m not that good.”
“I’ll be the judge of that.”
The next day, I drop Sawyer Jackson off with my mom and I go to work. Abel Lee wanted to take me to work again, but I insisted on driving myself. I can’t live in fear my whole life. I have to admit, I was scared droppin’ Sawyer Jackson off at my mom’s. It’s still dark out when I leave for work. I hate that I’m scared. I drive to work and I’m thankful when the sun starts to rise. I’m not scared of the dark, but I’m scared of the evil that lives in the darkness.
Mia and I work well together. We also work with Bill and he makes stupid jokes throughout the day and we laugh. I’m grateful that the talk of Heather Sue is dyin’ down, at least for today. After work, we invite Bill to the church for the community meal. He refuses, braggin’ that he’s got a hot date with his girlfriend.
Rose Farm Trilogy Boxset Page 27