THE HEALING HEART: Military and Pregnancy Romance

by Zelda Clemens

  “…. I will visit your shop in the evening, and if it looks like I can do it, I will be happy to help you,” Mason said to me gazing in my eyes.

  “Take my business card,” I said. Flipping the card I pointed out, “Here’s the directions to my shop. If you have any concerns, you can call me at my number printed here.”

  “Thanks, I think I visited your shop last week to buy some wine but anyway I’ll keep it,” he said and smiled gently. His smile was very soft and gentle, like cheese deliberately melting on a loaf of bread and settling down. We gazed into each other for a while as if our eyes were unwillingly stuck on each other. I swiftly broke eye contact and glanced at Mr. Murphy who was seriously enjoying his beer. Mason tried to engage me. “I have handcrafted a chair. I finished it yesterday. Why don’t you come and have a look at it. In a way, you will get an idea of my crafts.”

  “Splendid, yes, of course, please let us see.” Before I could speak, Mr. Murphy agreed with his giggly voice.

  Mason asked Evelyn to fetch the empty mugs and led us inside the warehouse at the backyard. It was a small, dark and dusty room. Mason stepped forward and switched on the light. The room was filled with chopped logs and Mason’s carpentry work. Mason pulled out the chair he wanted to show. I must say it was a nicely carved armchair. I moved my hand on the arm of the chair. It was as smooth as silk. The end of the arm was fisted. The back rest was carved in the curvy shape of a woman’s body. The front legs were cut in a bow-shape protruding outside.

  “The chair looks like a damn beautiful girl sitting on a chair,” Mr. Murphy jibed with his usual giggle.

  “Yes, it is,” Mason replied.

  I realized Mason had noticed me admiring the chair, so I took a chance to ask him if he is willing to sell the chair. But he said it’s not for sale. “It’s okay but your work is impressive, and I am certain now that I won’t regret having you hired,” I chuckled.

  Mason led us out of his warehouse toward the gate. Arriving at the gate, we found Buffy was missing from there. His collar was laying on the ground. Mr. Murphy got little worried, but he knew that Buffy was familiar to the town roads so he might have run home. I asked Mason to ask Evelyn that if she had seen Buffy. He called Evelyn and asked her, but Evelyn said no.

  “It’s an everyday track for Buffy. He can make himself home. Though it's bit awkward as he never does like this, he would have surely run home.” Mr. Murphy looked assuring himself about Buffy again and again. I greeted Mason and asked him to be at the shop in the morning. Mr. Murphy and I rushed home.

  *****

  I woke early in the morning, made my coffee and went to the dining room to find my father waiting for his breakfast.

  “Good morning Dad! You already dressed, do you have a date or what, so early in the morning?”

  “I am too young to date old wines of Breckenridge,” he jested. “I got a call early this morning from ski training school. Someone was hurt skiing.”

  My father is an orthopedic doctor and a respectable member of society. My mom died when I was thirteen, and since then my father has been taking care of me. More than a guardian he had been my friend. He took care of my every need.

  “Did you find any good carpenter?” Dad asked.

  “Yes, he will be on his way to be here,” I replied serving him breakfast. We had our breakfast and Father grabbed his medicine bag, and I followed him downstairs to the door to wave him bye.

  “Will I be seeing you later in the evening at the ski center?” he asked. “Maybe,” I pouted and kissed him bye.

  I opened the shop and waited for Mason. Meanwhile, Mr. Jefferson came to the shop with his trumpet. I served him his regular wine. We chit-chatted on his preparation for Oktoberfest. He boasted and proudly played his new tune which he had been playing at every Oktoberfest for years. But my eyes were glancing at the doors, eagerly waiting for Mason. Mr. Jefferson finished his drink, bought two bottles of wine and left. As soon as he left, I heard a thud again on the door. It was Mason.

  “Morning.”

  “Morning.”

  “Sorry for being late, I received some visitors early this morning.”

  “It’s okay, would you like to have some wine,” I offered him.

  “No thanks, it’s too early for me,” he refused with his cheesy smile.

  He placed his toolbox on the desk. “So, give me a tour of your shop and let’s find where to start.” I led him inside the bar and showed him the cellars at the back of the counter. He suggested a few options to rework the shop as by shifting the block from the corner to the center of the store and covering the whole of the left, right and back walls with new cellars. I readily agreed with him as I was desperate to give the store a new look. He picked a corner to start from, and I returned to the bar. After a few minutes, he came back with an unexpected question.

  “By the way, did Mr. Murphy find his dog?”

  “I don’t know. After returning from your house, Mr. Murphy left me here at the shop and went home alone. He is a regular here in the morning around this hour, but today he hasn’t come,” I replied with a dubious pout. He smiled on seeing me making such a face. That’s a nasty habit of mine. I unwillingly pout now and then, and this often leads me to an awkward situation.

  “How old are you?” he suddenly asked, and I was stunned why this question.

  “Why?” I gazed into his eyes.

  “Just asking,” he melted the cheese on his lips.

  “Thirty,” I replied him showing that I am uncomfortable with this question.

  “Single?” he threw.

  “Hmm…yes,” I huffed.

  “Great,” he said. He gave me a thumb’s up and went inside, leaving me puzzled. My thoughts were roaming in my brain. Why did he smile like that? Why did he ask me such a question? Did he like me? His mysterious smile was flashing in my thoughts.

  Half an hour later, Mr. Murphy came to the shop, but Buffy was not with him. I served him his regular wine and asked about Buffy. “Did you find Buffy at your home?” I asked. He said, “No he didn’t, I searched for him everywhere. I am now returning from Carter Park after searching and asking about him all the way, but I couldn’t find any sign of him,” he sobbed. The usual smile on his face was lost. I consolidated him. “Don’t worry, he will be all right. You must report it to the cops,” I suggested. “Yes, I will if I don’t find him by evening. Did Mason come?” he asked.

  “Yes, he is at the back and has started repairing the cellars,” I told him.

  “Good. If you don’t mind may I have a word with him,” he asked generously.

  “Oh yes, of course, I’ll call him,” and I went inside to call Mason. Mason was hammering down in the cellars.

  “Hey.”

  “Yeah?”

  “Mr. Murphy is here. He wants to talk to you.”

  “Okay, I’ll be there in a minute,” he said and smiled.

  God, his smile is so flirtatious that each time he smiles at me, my heart throbs. I returned to the counter and told Mr. Murphy that he would be here soon. A few minutes later, Mason came to the table and greeted Mr. Murphy.

  “Mason, have you seen my dog roaming around your house?” Mr. Murphy asked.

  “No, didn’t he return home?” Mason asked with doubt.

  “No, he didn’t come home. I checked him everywhere he could possibly be hiding, but I didn’t find him,” Mr. Murphy grieved.

  “I am sorry, but I didn’t see him,” Mason sympathized.

  Mr. Murphy seemed to get more tensed while asking Mason some awkward questions.

  “Mason, please don’t take offense to my words, but I figured Buffy started behaving awkwardly since you settled down at Primrose. For years I have been walking around Primrose with Buffy but since you move here, Buffy hesitated going near your house.” Mr. Murphy gulped the last sip of wine and said further, “Yesterday when Avery and I visited your home, Buffy was barking and he even refused to enter the gate to your barn.” He glanced for a second on me and then cont
inued, “Buffy is an amiable dog, and such behavior from him is quite disturbing for me.”

  “Mr. Murphy, do you trying to say that I or my house is the reason behind your dog being lost?” Mason said with a bit of rage in his voice.

  “No, no, I just want to say if you know anything about Buffy, please let me know,” Mr. Murphy persuaded.

  “Mr. Murphy, there are new people in the town. So it might be one reason for Buffy’s behavior. Dogs can get outraged about strangers. It's normal,” I interrupted defending Mason.

  Mr. Murphy left the store without saying another word. I turned to Mason and said, “Please don’t be annoyed. Mr. Murphy is a good man, but he is just obsessed with his lost dog.”

  “I can understand,” he said and went to work.

  At noon, I cooked chicken and took it to Mason. I called him to have lunch with me. We sat at the table facing each other. I poured some wine into our glasses, and we started to have our meal. “Delicious,” he appreciated. “I haven't eaten such a delicious chicken in years.”

  “And I haven’t heard such appreciations from anyone in years,” I bantered.

  “Seriously it's fabulous,” he smirked. “One day you can teach me how to cook.”

  “Okay.” For a while, silence hovered at the table, and we ate our chicken. I noticed he was really enjoying the food. He was looking adorable while eating. “Why don’t you and Evelyn join us for dinner tonight,” I asked him deliberately.

  “It’s not possible tonight, I have already promised Evelyn to take her skiing.”

  “Oh well then it will be fine, pass through here, and we could go together.”

  “So you are also going skiing this evening?”

  “Yup! I often go there. My father is an orthopedic doctor at the skiing training school. I will introduce you to him”.

  “Of course I will be honored,” he beamed and gazed restlessly into my eyes. I sighed and grabbed my glass of wine.

  *****

  Mason left the shop around 5 pm and said he would be back by 7 pm with Evelyn. I took a bath and changed my clothes. I put on a pair of jeans and t-shirt. I got down to the road around 7 pm and waited for Mason and Evelyn. A few minutes later, I caught glimpses of Mason and Evelyn approaching Ridge Street. Mason was wearing black pants and a black jacket with a feathery collar. His walk was so masculine, and his shadow cast on the street looked like a big wolf gradually approaching. Evelyn wore a polka dot dress. I really don't like her sense of style. However, we greeted each other and set out for the skiing center. On our way, we had a little chit chat about the town. I acquainted them of the city area we were passing by. I tried to have a conversation with Evelyn, but I found she was too shy to talk. So I kept my conversation confined to Mason, who was often glancing at me with admiring eyes which made me shy. In a few minutes, we reached our destination. Teens were enjoying ice skating, especially the love birds. I led Mason and Evelyn to my father’s cabin and found Mr. Murphy was having a conversation with my dad. No sooner did we entered the cabin that Mr. Murphy left. I was shocked he didn’t even look at me. Nevertheless, my father greeted us all and offered us to sit.

  “Hope you are enjoying the beauty of Breckenridge,” Dad asked Mason.

  “Yes, sir. Breckenridge is a very pleasing town. Evelyn and I are becoming fond of the beauty of the city,” Mason glanced at me while answering. I imperceptibly smiled on his glance.

  “Where did you live before you discovered Breckenridge as being an idle place to dwell?” Dad asked.

  “Denver,” Mason replied.

  “So you did your wood work there, too?”

  “Yes.”

  “Did something go wrong over there that made you decided to leave Denver?”

  “No, nothing. Business was good,” Mason replied and looked at me. I realized my father is not asking the question in a friendly way. Mr. Murphy must have said something to my dad about Buffy, and he has put things in such a way that Mason has become a questionable man in my father’s eyes. I interrupted him, “Dad! We can continue this conversation over dinner. Now I’m taking them skiing.” I asked Evelyn and Mason to follow me to the skiing area. Evelyn looked at the ice skating area near the skiing starting point, and she asked if we could go skating rather than skiing. We agreed and went to the skating rink.

  “Evelyn hasn’t skated before. You will need to give her a helping hand,” Mason requested

  “And what about you?” I gave him a playful smile.

  “You will find out soon.” He smiled and prodded toward Evelyn.

  He sat outside the rink, and I started skating with Evelyn. I noticed Evelyn learned easily how to skate and in no time she was skating on her own. Confirming that she can slide comfortably on her own, I returned to Mason. “Wow, that’s something amazing about Evelyn. It took me a week and several falls for me to skate alone,” I pouted, and he smiled again.

  “Would you like to do something exciting?” he asked.

  “What?”

  “Take off your skates,” he said with a hint of command in his language.

  “Why?”

  “Just take them off, trust me,” he commanded again grabbing his pair of skates.

  “Okay.”

  I took off my skates. Mason stood up to me, grabbed my waist and asked me to place my feet on his. I was wondering what he was going to do. I did as he said and put my bare foot on his feet. His hold on my waist got firm.

  He stared into my eyes and our eyes held each other for a moment.

  “Ready?” he muffled with a mischievous smile, and before I could say a word, he slid over the ice, my hair swinging and my heart throbbing. I closed my eyes. My body tensed. He realized my fear and tightened his grip around my waist. His hand was so firm that it gave me some confidence to surrender myself to him. I felt my body swaying all around the skating rink and shivered a little. “It’s fine, I won’t let you fall, open your eyes,” he murmured near my ears. I opened my eyes slowly and glanced over his shoulders. everyone’s eyes were on us. With every unusual move Mason made on the floor, kids howled in anticipation. I was thrilled with excitement. I raised my hands and kept them on his shoulder and looked into his exhilarating eyes. He was staring at my face and lips which were blushing. I whimpered. My heart throbbed again, but this time not with fear or excitement instead this throbbing was concerned with inner feelings of a woman. I moved my arm around his neck and hugged him. His broad chest touched my breast and I felt the warmness of a man’s body after years. It has been five years since my last relationship.

  Mesmerized by the thrills and his warmness, I unwillingly closed my eyes and rested on his shoulder. It was a memorable moment in my life. He sniffed in my ears and said, “Aren’t we going to be late for dinner?” I don’t want to break this moment, but I have to. He suddenly stopped at the edge of the rink. I got off his foot. Evelyn was staring at us in an unfriendly manner. She doesn’t seem pleased. I grabbed my coat, and my phone was ringing. It was Dad’s call I answered, and he said to get home soon for dinner.

  We headed for home.

  “I don’t think, it’s a good idea for us to go to dinner at your home.”

  “Why?” I doubted as I didn’t get why suddenly he changed his mind.

  “Your father doesn’t look comfortable with me.”

  “Oh, don’t mind him. It's not my dad to be so dubious about people. It was just Mr. Murphy who messed with my father’s head,” I explained and reassured Mason. “Don’t worry.”

  *****

  We reached home for dinner. I fetched Evelyn and Mason upstairs at the dining hall. As we sat around the table to start dinner, we heard some noise from the backyard and went to the attic to look around the yard. There was a moose who broke the fence and had entered the compound. It’s common here for moose getting around our home and shops.

  “I will have to replace the wooden fence with concrete walls,” my father yelled looking at the broken fences.

  “Does that happen often?” Mason ask
ed.

  “Yes, we are all used to it. Moose are inquisitive animals so they are often seen leaving the forest and wandering around city areas,” I explained.

  “That’s interesting,” he said.

  I noticed Evelyn was staring at the moose with much more curiosity than Mason. We returned back to the dining room and had our meal.

  Mason and Evelyn left soon after the dinner. I asked Mason to come along with Evelyn tomorrow and he agreed. I thought if Evelyn would regularly come at the shop we could possible become friends. Soon after they left, my father spoke in a dubious tone.

  “I don’t have a good feeling about this guy.”

  “Why? I don’t understand, don’t pay attention to Mr. Murphy’s reasoning,” I hugged my father from his back.

  “No, it's not because of Mr. Murphy. I don’t know, it’s... it’s hard to explain, but there is a sense of something evil.”

  “Oh come on Dad, you are just worried.”

  “Just be careful my girl,” and he kissed my forehead.

  We went to our rooms to have a good night sleep. I found it difficult to sleep after such an exciting evening. I was reminded over and over of the evening when Mason slid over the ice holding my waist firmly in his arm. I could still feel the warmness of his chest. Lost in these thoughts, I slept.

  Next morning I woke with revived energy. Today I woke earlier than Dad. My face had a pleasant smile. I played my favorite music and went to take a bath. I was literally dancing with thoughts of Mason. I was too eager to open the shop. I grabbed my hair dryer and went into the attic. I was shocked at what I saw in my backyard. My dryer fell from my hands, and I shouted out to my dad. A dead moose torn to bits was lying in the yard. My dad came running into the attic, and he too freaked seeing the dead moose. He dialed for the cops. Within half an hour, the cops arrived at the yard and got cleaned up the mess. They soothed us and told not to be worried, the usual police language. They said that they have received similar cases from all over Breckenridge and a special investigation officer has been called from US Forestry services. I heard two cops talking about people seeing big wolves going savage and killing dogs and moose.