Chapter 8
Light & Simplicity
Kat rolled over in bed at the sound of the phone ringing. The answering machine clicked on and she groaned. She felt like she’d been sleeping forever. Risking a tentatively swallow, she found that it no longer resulted in scorching pain. Please let this be over. She almost never got sick and she wasn’t good at it. Now she wasn’t even sleepy anymore. At this rate, she’d start getting bedsores. Kat stretched out her arms and legs in the bed and was pleased to note that the dull ache that had plagued her muscles for days was finally gone. The house was completely quiet, except for the low hum of the refrigerator.
The refrigerator!
Kat bolted upright in bed and reached over to turn on the light on the nightstand. “Light!” she squawked at the empty room. Job one was to take a shower. Right now. Being clean would have to make her feel better. Warm water. Warm running water! She wanted to scream with joy, but settled for a tiny yip of happiness as she got out of bed, gathered some clean clothes, and went off to the bathroom.
After what had to be one of the best showers in her lifetime, Kat ventured out into the living room. She glanced toward the kitchen. It looked like a bomb had gone off. Almost every plate, pot, pan, and piece of silverware in the house was strewn across the counters. Wow. Just thinking about cleaning up a dish disaster of that magnitude made her tired again. She picked up her novel off the coffee table and sat down on the sofa.
Even though it was only late afternoon, she turned on a light just because she could. To be fair, it was a little dim in the living room. Wouldn’t want to get eye strain. Enjoying the sensation of being upright, clean, and well lit, she settled into her novel.
She jolted awake at the sound of the back door opening downstairs and dogs barking. Pushing herself back up into a sitting position, she picked up the book. Drat. She’d lost her place again.
Joel walked into the kitchen, looked at it, and turned toward the living room. He smiled at Kat. “Hey, you moved!”
Kat waved and managed to squeak, “Yes!”
He placed some papers on the coffee table and sat down next to her on the sofa. “Sorry the place is such a mess. I wanted to make sure Cindy and Johnny got home okay.”
“They’re gone?” she whispered.
He nodded, “I followed them in the truck. The roads are still pretty bad, but she went slowly. I told her she should really think about getting chains for her car. She won’t, but I tried.”
Kat shrugged. “Christmas present?”
He laughed. “Don’t tempt me. Are you feeling better?”
Kat moved closer so she could whisper in his ear. “A little. I don’t think I’m going to die every time I try to swallow anymore.”
“That sounds like progress. You were sleeping for a long time.”
“What day is it?”
“Saturday.”
“I missed a whole day.” She glanced at the papers on the coffee table. “Cleaning up?”
“Trying. It’s going to take a while.”
Kat reached over and picked up the papers, which were covered with pencil sketches. “These are amazing.”
“Cindy tends to sketch things while Johnny is coloring. It helps keep him quiet longer.”
Kat leafed through them. “Colored pencil, huh?” There was a sketch in red pencil of Joel standing at the kitchen counter with his head bowed. A blue one showed Joel and Kat on the sofa. He had his arm around her and was stroking her hair. A green one was a drawing of them in the snow. She held it up. “She made me look like a troll.”
“That’s just because it’s green. The snow is green too.”
“I hate to tell you this, but a number of significant troll-like features have been added.”
Joel stroked her cheek with his fingertips. “Okay, I think you are feeling better.”
She looked into his eyes. “I had the weirdest dreams. I guess it was the fever. There was all this yelling and crying, and blood. It was kind of surreal. Oh, and you didn’t go to Stanford, did you? I thought you went to the University of California.”
“I did. But I got a scholarship to Stanford.”
Kat’s eyes widened and she whispered emphatically, “And you didn’t go? Isn’t that supposed to be one of the best engineering schools in the country?”
“Probably. I couldn’t go.” He sighed. “I doubt it was just dreaming. You probably heard some things Cindy and I were talking about.”
“I think you mean yelling. She kept saying you never let her do anything.” She shook her head. “And there was a whole Wizard of Oz thing too. And Monty Python’s Holy Grail.”
“Those are some cinematic dreams.” He took one of her hands in his. “Do you really want to hear this? It’s kind of bad. And although I tried at the time, I don’t always come off as a particularly great person.”
Kat’s mouth curved into a slow smile. “I think you’re pretty great now.”
Joel squeezed her hand. “Thanks for the support. Anyway, I told you I hurt my leg a long time ago. And that my parents died.”
“Yeah, I know that.”
“The two are related. We were in a car accident. I’d just gotten the scholarship and my parents took me and Cindy out to dinner to celebrate. Cindy was whining about wanting to watch the Wizard of Oz on TV. She was nine and basically a brat. I was seventeen and wishing I could be hanging out with my girlfriend instead of having to go somewhere with my parents and my obnoxious little sister.”
“What happened?”
“A drunk driver ran a red light and crashed into us. The front of the car was crushed and they say my parents were killed instantly. The car spun around and the side I was sitting on smashed into another parked car.”
Kat looked at him aghast. “I don’t know what to say. I can’t even imagine how horrible that must have been.”
“They had to use the jaws of life to get us out. Blood was everywhere. I had nightmares about it for years. So did Cindy. I think she still does actually, but she won’t admit it.”
Kat leaned her head on his chest and hugged him. “I’m so sorry.”
“It was a long time ago. My leg was broken in three places. That’s why I had all the surgeries. They had to put in plates and pins. Then replace them because I was still growing enough that they had to redo some stuff. Then the last surgery was plastic surgery with skin grafts to try to make the huge scars less scary. It worked, and you can’t really see them anymore unless you really look. But I’ve still got some metal stuff in my leg, so I set off the detectors at airports.”
Kat looked up. “I’ll keep that in mind if we fly somewhere exotic.”
“I’ll probably also end up with arthritis at some point. And sometimes I can tell when it’s going to rain or snow, because my leg aches.”
“Well, I’m sure you’re more accurate than the meteorologists around here. Was Cindy okay?”
“She broke her collarbone from the seatbelt. But other than that, she was okay physically. But like I said, she had nightmares. They were really bad for a long time. She’d wake up screaming about monsters. The psychiatrists said it was post-traumatic stress. I was in the hospital for six weeks, then rehabilitation for months, so I didn’t see her that much right after it happened. My aunt Eileen came out to take care of her.”
“I guess you graduated from high school, since I know you went to college.”
“Yes. I had lots of time to study while I was in traction. In case you’re wondering, traction is boring. It’s no fun, particularly when you’re seventeen.”
Kat glanced at the window with a half-smile. “Well, I was unpleasant when I was seventeen, and I didn’t have major medical issues. In my case, I was probably hiding from my mother.”
“Now that I’ve met your mother, I understand why.” He squeezed her hand again. “Anyway, after all that, the track scholarship to Stanford didn’t happen. My aunt had to go back home to her life. I graduated and I went to UCLA as a commuter student. I took care of Cindy until she gradua
ted from high school.”
“What was that? Nine years?”
“Well eight, really. She met a guy from Alpine Grove and had Johnny. Your family isn’t the only one that has issues with accidental pregnancy and runaways. I think she mostly just wanted to get away from me.”
“I see.” Kat looked down at her hand in his. “So you went to school and dealt with raising your little sister and she ran away?”
“I wasn’t in college the whole time. After I graduated, I got the job as an engineer. You already know about that part. Insurance paid for my medical bills, which were unbelievably expensive. So that was a good thing. My aunt talked to a lawyer and after I turned eighteen, I filed a wrongful-death lawsuit, so Cindy and I could go to college and have money to live on. But Cindy didn’t go to college. She used the money for her house here instead. I wasn’t too excited about that.”
“What happened to Johnny’s dad?”
“He left not too long after Johnny was born. She bought the house here, but I think the guy took some of her money. She won’t tell me exactly what happened.” He shrugged. “That’s one of the things we’ve been known to fight about.”
Kat hugged him. “It sounds like you did the best you could.”
“I tried. Cindy doesn’t feel that way. I don’t think I was a particularly good brother or stand-in father. The fact that we don’t get along is nothing new. Now that I’ve seen you and your mother together, I think you probably know what I mean. Sometimes it’s hard to get along with family.”
“But you’re here.” Kat looked up into his face. “You bought the place up here so you’d be nearby and you do pretty much anything she asks you to do.”
He shrugged. “I feel like I have to make it up to her.”
“Make what up to her?”
“I don’t know. Everything. All the stupid things I did wrong because I didn’t know how to deal with a little girl who missed her mom and dad. I mean, it’s just not fair to lose your parents when you’re nine.”
She hugged him again and put her head on his chest. “I can’t argue with that.” She raised her head to look at his face. “And I can tell you that she really, really loves you, even when you’re being a jerk.”
He laughed. “Me? I would never be a jerk.”
“Right. But thanks for telling me all this. It explains a lot.”
He grinned and gave her a quick kiss. “You don’t have a monopoly on family stuff, you know. I’m just glad you’re feeling better.”
“Me too.”
Becca drove slowly down the driveway to Kat’s house. Although the roads were clear, they were covered with snow, so they were still slippery. Her car really needed better tires. It was like the vehicle was floating, which was not a great driving sensation. Having Jack’s truck behind her was reassuring. Becca peeked at the rearview mirror. Frank’s pink panting tongue was hanging out, so it looked like he was laughing. Jack was right. The dog really did like riding in the big brown pickup.
She pulled in next to an old green truck that had a plow attached to the front of it. Having something like that certainly would have been useful over the last few days. There was a decapitated snowman in the front yard with many sticks jammed into the body. The head had little stick x’s for eyes, which was a little creepy.
Jack got out of his truck and walked over to her. He looked up at the trees that surrounded the clearing. “Wow, look at those Thuja plicata. They’re incredible!”
Becca looked up. “Are you speaking Latin again? What are they in English? They are definitely big. I suppose that means they’re old.”
“They’re Western red cedar and they might not be as old as you’d think. I’d have to count the rings to be sure.” He pointed at some smaller trees growing behind the towering trunk of one of the cedars. “Those firs over there could actually be older. They might be suppressed due to lack of sunlight because of all that shade from the cedars.”
Becca leveled an even gaze at him. “So what you’re saying is that with trees, size really doesn’t matter?”
Jack grinned. “Pretty much.”
“Oh, please. Give me a break.”
They both turned at the sound of a man shouting, “Hey, come back here!” from the back of the house. Two dogs came running into the front yard. Kat had told Becca about the dogs, but she couldn’t remember their names. A brown collie-like dog and a black-and-white dog that had obviously been wrestling with one another in the snow bounded toward them, stopped, and shook themselves vigorously.
Jack extended his hand to the pretty brown-and-black collie mix. “Hi there. Where did you guys come from?”
Becca bent to pet the black-and-white dog. When she stood up, a tall man with sandy blonde hair and a short beard was walking toward them. Did none of the men in Alpine Grove ever shave?
The man was holding two sets of leashes. He seemed to be limping as he was being dragged up the hill by a gigantic dog and an outrageously happy golden retriever. In his other hand, he held leashes for a small brown-and-white dog and…Mona! Becca took a few steps forward, slipping on the snow. “Mona!”
The man dropped Mona’s leash and the little dog ran to Becca, skidding to a stop in front of her. Mona was wagging so hard it made her whole body swing back and forth. Becca crouched down and let her dog lick her face. “Oh Mona, I missed you so much.” Toppling Becca over in her enthusiasm, the dog yipped and cavorted with joy. Becca wrapped her arms around Mona, hugging her furry body. Finally, she collected the leash and stood up. The tall man was attempting to get the huge dog and the spastic golden to sit. Jack was standing with the other two dogs, looking amused by the canine commotion. Frank was barking loudly in the truck, and Jack turned and gave the dog a hand-gesture indicating ‘down.’ Frank looked chastised and his face disappeared from view.
Becca turned to the tall man, who looked almost as disheveled as she did. Apparently the power outage was as widespread as they’d been told. “Hi. I’m Rebecca Mackenzie and this is my dog. Is Kat here?”
He rearranged the leashes in his hand. “Inside. She’s been sick. And worried about you. She wondered what happened. Oh, and she wanted you to know a couple things about Mona too.”
Becca looked down at her dog. “Is Mona okay? Did anything bad happen? I was so worried about her.”
“She’s great. But Kat is pretty sure Mona is not afraid of people like you said. She just doesn’t like loud noises.” He scratched his beard. “My six-year-old nephew was here and he provided evidence to support Kat’s theory.”
Becca stroked Mona’s head. “That’s interesting. Hmm.”
“I’m Joel Ross, by the way. It’s nice to meet you.”
“Joel Ross?” Becca’s eyes widened and she glanced at Jack, who raised his eyebrows in response. “You’re Mr. Tall Guy!” She extended her arms and ran toward Joel, clutching him in a bear hug and causing him to stagger back a few steps. “I love you. I love your house!”
Joel jolted at the impact. “Uh, thanks.” He squirmed as he tried to peel her arms off him and extricate himself.
Jack’s large hand tugged on her shoulder. “Becca, you need to stop tackling people. It’s slippery out here.”
She stepped back away from Joel. “Sorry. I’m a hugger. You saved our lives! Or your house did. I’m so grateful.”
Joel raised an eyebrow. “You mean The Shack?”
Jack said, “You have a cabin on Misty Meadow Lane, right?
“Yes.” Joel bent to push the golden retriever’s rear end down onto the snow-covered ground. “But it’s closed up for winter.”
“Didn’t your neighbor Cliff tell you?” Jack said. “We broke into your cabin to get out of the storm.”
“You broke into The Shack?”
“It’s not a shack. It’s cute!” Becca said. “Cliff said he was going to call you. Well, once we got the phone back. He was not happy with us. But then his wife gave us food.” She looked at Joel more closely. He looked a lot healthier than she expected. “T
winkies are not good for you, you know.”
“I hate Twinkies. And I can tell you, giving them to a six-year old is a really bad idea. I’ve been out most of the day. Maybe Cliff left a message.” Joel looked down at Becca’s feet. “Are those my boots?”
“Yes.” She opened a button on her coat to reveal the collar of the shirt. “And your flannel shirt, sweatpants, and socks. After four days, I’ve become very attached to them, but I promise I’ll wash them and give them back to you. I talked to Kat’s answering machine too. Is she really sick?”
“I think she’s getting better, but it’s been a long few days.” Joel waved toward the house. “And cleaning up the mess in the kitchen could take a while.”
Becca smiled. “Strangest Thanksgiving ever, right?”
Joel nodded. “Definitely. It may take a while to recover from the last few days.”
Jack said, “Speaking of cleaning, uh, your cabin is kind of a mess too. With the lack of water, well, you can probably imagine what it’s like after four days.”
“All too well,” Joel said.
“I also would like to fix the window in the door that I broke to get in. Could you turn on the electricity, so I can go back and clean it up? I’ll take measurements and buy new glass too.”
“Sure,” Joel said.
“I live in town, but I work out that way. If you find anything later that we broke, I’ll pay for any repairs. It’s a great place,” Jack said.
“Thanks. I like it.” Joel said. “I’ll call the electric company. I should plow the driveway too. I can meet you out there.”
While Joel and Jack negotiated a time to meet, Becca rummaged around in her handbag for her checkbook and then wrote a check for Kat. She quadrupled the original amount and added in a little extra because of the unexpected additional time. Mona looked so happy. It was such a relief to find her all healthy and cheerful, instead of stressed and confused.
She handed the check to Joel. “Please say thank you to Kat. I’m so sorry she was worried about me.”
Joel said, “That’s okay. It’s what she does.”
Snow Furries (An Alpine Grove Romantic Comedy Book 4) Page 13