He looked in the rear view mirror, checking on Skylar in his car seat. “What do you want for lunch, Skylar? Grilled cheese?”
“Cheese, Daddy,” he said, grinning up at Adam’s reflection in the small frame and melting his heart.
Carrying his son inside, Adam asked Mike to order a grilled cheese and fries for Skylar and a cheeseburger and fries for himself. Turning for the back, he walked through the pub toward the office, still wondering what Ragan saw in that doctor.
Chapter 20
After Mark left to begin making phone calls and arranging the funeral, Ragan took her laptop out onto the porch to enjoy the warm weather as she worked. Sipping her iced tea as she edited the photos she had taken of Skylar and Violet with Princess, she smiled at the joy on their faces.
Jenna and Olivia skated by on their roller blades, with Jenna letting Princess pull her down the sidewalk. Showing off a bit, she waved and smiled at Ragan, not paying attention to the dog. Ragan watched in horror as a squirrel darted across the lawn and Princess took off after it, dumping Jenna onto the sidewalk.
“Jenna? You okay?” Ragan called as she ran across the yard. She knelt next to Adam’s daughter, grimacing at the scrape on her face, her dispute with him forgotten as her mothering instincts kicked in. “Did you hit your head?”
“No, but my wrist hurts really bad,” she said with tears in her eyes. “Uncle Logan told me to let go if Princess got away from me, and I forgot.”
“It’s okay, he’ll realize you didn’t do it on purpose,” Ragan soothed.
“You’re really nice. I don’t think you’re mean like Uncle Logan said you were. I mean, you’re Sky’s mom and I love him,” the girl stammered.
Making a mental note to talk to Cassie about Logan watching what he said in front of the kids, she placed her hand on Jenna’s arm. “Let me see your wrist.” Ragan gently probed Jenna’s arm, stopping when Jenna cried out in pain. “It might be broken. We need to get you to the doctor for an x-ray.” She reached into her pocket, frowning when she remembered her phone was still at Cassie’s. “Olivia, I need you to hurry back to your Aunt Cassie’s and tell her to call Adam. Have her let him know that I’m taking Jenna to get an x-ray over at the clinic.”
Olivia grabbed Princess’s leash and skated off toward Cassie’s as Ragan helped Jenna out of her roller blades. “Easy now; let me do the pulling so you don’t aggravate your injury,” she instructed. Leaving the skates on the porch, she guided Jenna towards her newly acquired Jeep, feeling grateful she had made the purchase before moving into her new home.
“Let’s get you over to the doc,” she outlined their plan aloud. She briefly considered stopping at Cassie’s, but decided that she needed to get Jenna to the clinic first. “If your dad hasn’t shown up by the time we get in to see the doctor, I’ll have the receptionist call him again.”
Sniffling, Jenna agreed with a small nod, while holding the wrist firmly to prevent it from being jarred during the journey.
Half an hour later, they sat in the waiting room at the clinic when Adam ran in, out of breath and holding Skylar in his arms. He stood at the reception desk waiting for the clerk to return, while anxiously drumming his fingers on the counter.
With a nervous grin, Ragan came up behind him and put her hand on his arm. “Adam, she’s over here.”
Visibly relieved, he walked over and sat in the chair next to Jenna. “You okay?” he demanded of his daughter as Ragan took Skylar out of his arms.
“I’m okay, Dad. My wrist hurts and Ragan thinks it might be broken.”
He brushed his thumb across the scrape on her cheek. “What happened?” He looked up at Ragan, worry lines showing on his face.
“Jenna Bricklin,” the nurse announced before she could answer. After pausing in the triage area to get her weight, the young woman took them back to an exam room. Seeing that Jenna held the wounded limb firmly, Adam helped her up onto the exam table as she told them about the accident. Making a few notes on the chart, the attendant informed them crisply, “Just relax, sweetheart. The doctor will be in shortly to get you fixed up.”
The four of them left alone, Adam turned toward Ragan and inhaled deeply, as if preparing to speak. However, a firm knock on the door echoed in the small space, and the doctor walked in with a clipboard in his hand.
“Well, Jenna, I hear you had a little mishap today. Let’s take a look and see what we’ve got here.” He checked the scrape on her cheek and asked her what happened, examining her wrist as she related the story to him. He watched Jenna, but spoke directly to Adam. “I don’t think it’s broken, but I want to do some x-rays to be sure to rule out a hairline fracture.” He stepped out of the exam room, returning with a wheelchair. “Let’s go, Jenna, and get this x-ray done so I can send you home.”
After Jenna left the room, Adam jumped up on the exam table and rubbed his hands over his face. “Thank you, Ragan. When Cassie called me and didn’t have any details, I started to panic. Why didn’t you call me?”
“I left my phone at Cassie’s this morning, and I don’t have a land line. I’m just glad I was home to help.” She put Skylar up on the exam table next to Adam.
“Jenna owie?” he asked as he looked up at Adam. “Kiss it better?”
“Yeah, buddy; Jenna has an owie. I’m sure a kiss will make her feel better, especially if it comes from her favorite little brother.” Adam reached down and ruffled Skylar’s hair, smiling at how close Skylar and Jenna had become in a short time.
Ragan was glad when the door opened and Doc wheeled Jenna back into the room. Too much alone time with Adam and she was afraid she would forget to be angry at him. Or, she might slip and tell him how she still loved him. Ragan wanted nothing more at the moment than to be able to wipe the worry lines off his face, but having his daughter there to carry the conversation helped.
The doctor returned thirty minutes later, pulling the x-rays of Jenna’s wrist out of the envelope in his hand and putting them up on the light box. Using the tip of his pen, he indicated an area at the base of her thumb. “It’s not fractured, but the discoloration of her skin indicates that a crack is present; sometimes called a hairline, you can’t really see them until they start to heal. I’ll put her in a splint that she’ll have to wear for a few weeks. Bring her back for a re-check in two, and we’ll do more x-rays to see how it’s healing.”
Relieved that it wasn’t broken, Ragan shoved her hand into her pocket and jingled her keys nervously. “Well, since I know she’s going to be okay, I should get home. I’ll take Skylar with me now, if that’s all right.” Adam nodded and she picked up Skylar, then pulled her keyring out and gave it a shake towards the girl. “I’ll drop your roller blades off at Cassie’s since I’ve got to pick up my phone there anyway. I’m glad you’re okay.”
Adam called after her as she walked out the door, “Thank you, Ragan. I appreciate what you did for Jenna today.”
“No problem. I’ll drop Sky off on Friday night for your weekend visitation.” She closed the exit behind her before Adam could see the sorrow on her face. Limiting their conversations to discussing visitation schedules upset her more than she wanted to admit.
Chapter 21
After the ceremony, the flock of mourners walked back to their cars, the feeling of grief at Mrs. Fairfield’s passing expressed in the slouched shoulders and periodic sniffles. While Ragan stood next to Mark as he thanked the pastor for his moving tribute to his mother, she noticed that Mark’s brother, Billy, sat alone and stared at the grave. As the pastor left the area, she whispered, “Mark, I think I’ll go talk to Billy while you visit with Mom and Dad.” She indicated the couple as her parents approached to express their condolences.
Sitting in the chair next to the younger Fairfield, she squeezed his arm, “I’m so sorry. Everyone is going to miss her.”
“She’s never coming back. She left me,” he replied in monotone.
“Oh, honey. She didn’t want to leave you,” Ragan comforted.
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p; He reached for her hand and clasped it briefly, “You’re still the prettiest girl in town, Ragan.” His gaze pivoted back to the grave as if their short conversation had never happened. Dropping her digits, he stared at the gaping whole with glazed eyes.
Squeezing his shoulder, she looked back at Mark, wondering how she could comfort him after such a devastating loss. Memories of sharing his mother’s cookies and a cold glass of milk after school made her smile, tempering the grief slightly. Her father shook his hand and she watched for a long moment as they made their way to their car. Finally, she stood to rejoin Mark.
When she arrived at his side, Mark’s arm snaked around her waist and pulled her firmly against him. Hugging him in a tight embrace, she laid her head on his chest and tried to send healing thoughts to him.
“Time to head to the house,” Ragan whispered. “Everyone should be there by now.” Seeing the tears on his face, she hugged him tighter, wishing she knew what to say.
“I know. I just need to hold you for a minute.”
The spring breeze ruffled her hair and its warmth promised summer days were on the way. She gingerly wiped away his tears, smiling when he brought her hand up and kissed her fingers. Hand in hand, they strolled towards the limo waiting to whisk them to Mrs. Fairfield’s house on the other side of town.
Inside Mark’s childhood home, Ragan surveyed the buffet table; the amount and variety of dishes that people brought to after-funeral gatherings always surprised her. The only thing missing was Mrs. Fairfield’s cookies. Swiping at a tear, she turned and focused on finding Mark and Billy. Not seeing the younger of the two, Mark stood next to the fireplace with an empty glass in his hand, talking with her father.
“Hi, Dad,” she said as she hugged him. “Where’s Mom?”
“She went to check on things in the kitchen.”
“Good, one less thing I need to worry about.” She turned and placed her hand on Mark’s arm, “How are you holding up? Do you need another drink or some food?”
“What I really want is some fresh air. Take a walk with me?” he countered.
“Sure.” Walking seemed like such a small thing; she wished she could do something more to lessen the pain in his eyes.
They strolled down the sidewalk in a mutual silence, but as they turned around to return to the house, she brought up Billy’s disturbing behavior at the church. “I’m worried about your brother. He was acting strange at the service, as if he had taken something to dull the pain. He was staring at the coffin as if he was waiting for your mother to sit up and say it was just a joke.”
“He seemed fine at the house. Maybe you just caught him at a bad moment,” Mark appeared doubtful.
“Well, I thought you should know. I guess we should get back. Do you need me to do anything?” she smiled encouragingly.
“You’ve done so much already, thank you. I’m so glad to have you in my life.” Pulling her in closer, he kissed her.
Locating his brother after they arrived back at the gathering, the pair shared a hushed conversation before Mark returned to his place next the fireplace, where he received final condolences from the mourners as they prepared to leave. Everyone had eaten and stories had been shared. Ragan picked up the glasses and plates from around the living room as Mark ushered the last of the mourners out the door.
“I’m glad that’s over,” he said as he rubbed his eyes. He removed the plates and cups out of her hands and set them on the coffee table before taking her hand and pulling her down onto the couch.
She kicked off her shoes and curled her legs up under her before motioning for Mark to lie down with his head in her lap. Working in slow circles, she massaged his temples to relax him. When the worry lines on his forehead smoothed out, she ran her fingers through his hair, enjoying the feel of it against her skin. Maybe she would be able to move past her love for Adam, although it would be hard living in the same town with him. But spending time with Mark had helped her realize what a terrific guy he was. Their history spanned as far back as she could remember; Mark had always been friends with Robbie throughout their childhood, and there was something right about being close to him.
Mark opened his eyes. “I guess we should get this cleaned up. Karen is stopping over tomorrow to assess the current market value on the house. That way, Billy and I can decide what we want to do with it.” He sat up and kissed her palm, “Thanks for your help today. I don’t know how I would have gotten through it without you by my side. You’ve become special to me in such a short time.”
“Mark, you have always been special to me, too. First, as a great friend when we were kids, and now you’re becoming more.” The love in his eyes made her smile, glad that the feelings she had for him were growing stronger.
After all the dishes were washed and put away, they walked through the house, turning off lights and searching for any stray cups or plates that they might have missed. At the door, Mark pulled her into his arms and kissed her, slow and tender.
When he released her, she brushed her hair behind her ears and smiled up at him through her lashes. “Call me tomorrow?”
“Sure thing, sweetness.”
She stepped closer to the door and as she crossed the threshold onto the porch, he stopped her. Joining her outside, he tested the knob and made sure it had locked, and then pulled her into his arms and kissed her, longer and harder this time. His feelings for Ragan were clear.
Chapter 22
As Ragan climbed the porch steps, she wondered how Sky would react if she spent more time with Mark. Her feelings for him were slowly growing stronger and she thought she might be falling in love with him. She worried how Skylar would take to the idea, since his life had already been drastically changed by their move to Fairfield Corners and the revelation that Adam was his father.
The visitation schedule she had proposed seemed to be working, and she hoped that it showed that she was willing to have Skylar spend time with his father. The summons had scared her; initially she had been afraid Adam would try to take Sky away from her completely. Over time she realized he would never keep Sky from her; he wasn’t a vindictive person and he would never do anything to hurt their son.
Pulling the mail out of the mailbox, she flipped through the envelopes as she turned to head inside, separating junk mail into her left hand. The plain, white envelope with no postage appeared harmless, but Ragan knew different. She turned the envelope over, seeing that both sides were blank. Oh God, it’s starting again. Her hands shook as she opened it and found a two-line message, much like the others she’d received three years ago:
You are mine
Stay away from him
Ragan gripped the note tighter, crumpling it in her hand as she felt the pressure building in her head; the precursor to the visions that sometimes predicted future events. The problem was, she never knew how far in the future, or if the prediction would come true. This time, she envisioned a hand writing a note similar to the one she had just received, except the second line had changed:
I warned you—he will die.
A knock on the door startled her, literally making her jump. “Ragan? You home?” The front door opened and Cassie entered. Ragan stood there staring at the note, fear freezing her in place.
“Ragan? What’s wrong?” Cassie asked as she led Ragan to the couch.
“I can’t go through this again, Cassie. I just can’t handle it.” she whispered, “I can’t let him hurt anyone because of me.”
Cassie pushed her down onto the cushions and sat tentatively beside her. “Handle what? What in the world are you talking about?”
Ragan handed the note to her best friend. “This.”
“What is this? Stay away from who?” Cassie asked with a frown.
“I think it’s Mark this time that I have to stay away from,” Ragan replied.
Cassie grabbed Ragan’s hand, demanding more firmly, “What do you mean, this time?”
“Notes like these are part of the real reason I left in the midd
le of the night three years ago,” Ragan admitted. “I need some coffee.” She walked into the kitchen and filled the coffeemaker with water, spilling the ground beans on the counter as her shaking hands scooped from the canister into the filter basket.
Once she pushed the brew button, she leaned against the counter and stared out the window as her thoughts whirled around in her head. As if sensing Ragan’s need to gather herself, Cassie quietly waited for her friend to begin her explanation.
After the coffee had been poured and they were sitting at the table, Ragan opened up about the events that led to her disappearance back then. Her voice held a slight tremor at the emotional roller coaster she could not escape. “A couple of weeks after Adam and I started spending time together, I started receiving notes like this one. After that, I had a couple of visions about me and Adam. One of them scared me bad enough to run away.”
Ragan sipped her coffee, wrapping her hands around the cup to warm them. “The first vision was great. Adam and I were dancing at our wedding reception to a song that Logan was singing. After a couple of days, the visions changed. I saw myself standing over a freshly dug grave while holding the hand of a little girl. I now know that she is Jenna. James was there, telling me that it wasn’t my fault; that no one knew the stalker would kill Adam. The only way I knew how to stop it from coming true was to leave and hope that this person would be satisfied and leave Adam alone.”
Ragan fought back tears as she struggled to continue. Cassie held her hand and waited patiently, allowing her friend the time she needed to calm herself.
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