by Eve Fisher
Kate came out of the church, thoroughly bewildered. Where on earth can he be? Is he really at the Dew Drop Inn? She shook her head and got back in her car. It was tempting to go down to the roadhouse to see if he was there, but she decided against it. She had never spied on her husband in her life, and she wasn’t going to start now. Whatever was going on, Paul would tell her sooner or later. Hopefully tonight.
She started up the car and headed home. For a moment, tears stung her eyes, but she blinked them back. This is ridiculous, she told herself sternly. You know Paul well enough to know there’s nothing seriously wrong. But then why was she feeling so upset? Kate shook her head as she pulled into the driveway.
Inside, she put away her raincoat and umbrella, sighing. But she wasn’t going to let herself run the endless treadmill of worry. Instead, she went into the kitchen, put on the coffeepot, and looked over the information she’d brought back from the library while the coffee perked. Then she poured herself a cup and reached for the telephone.
There was no answer at the first two numbers for Jordan Harnett, but on the third, an answering machine came on. Kate waited for the beep and then said, “Hello, my name is Kate Hanlon. I’m trying to find out some information about Lawson Investments, and I heard that you might be able to help me. If you could call me back, I’d greatly appreciate it.” She left her number and hung up.
Well, that’s all I can do for now about that. Next, she looked over the list of investment firms and was trying to think of what to say when she called, when she heard a car door close in the garage. Paul usually didn’t come home until much later in the afternoon. Something’s wrong, she thought and hurried to the front door as Paul came in. He looked worn and sad.
“Paul. What is it?” she asked, her heart pounding.
“It’s Amanda Bly,” he said. “She’s had a heart attack.”
Chapter Nine
An hour later Paul and Kate were sitting in the waiting room at the Pine Ridge Hospital, waiting for word on Amanda’s condition.
“I don’t see anybody from Copper Mill here but us,” Kate said. “You’d think whoever brought her would have stayed.”
“Junius brought her,” Paul said. “He’d gone by to pick her up to take her over to the Bixby house, and she wasn’t feeling well. In fact, she was feeling so bad she asked him to bring her right over to the hospital. Once they admitted her, she told Junius to go back to Copper Mill and let everyone know why she wasn’t going to be there to help deliver meals tomorrow.”
Kate shook her head in admiration. “Now that’s dedication,” she said.
“Amen. She’s a very special lady,” Paul said. “Joe was with me and Sam in the Country Diner when Junius came in and told us. Joe turned white as a sheet. I almost thought he was going to faint.” Paul looked at her with a flicker of amusement. “If there’s a quarrel there, I think it’s all on her side.”
Kate flushed. “Well, I never said I knew what had happened between them.”
“I know.” Paul added quietly, “I told Joe that I’d be coming up here as soon as I found you, and he told me to give her his best. I think he cares for her a great deal.”
“I agree,” Kate replied. “But there’s something...I don’t think she trusts him.”
“Mmm. I wish—” Paul began but broke off as Dr. McLaughlin came walking up to them, his lab coat flapping around his lanky frame.
“Pastor Hanlon! Kate!”
“How is she?” Paul asked.
“Well, she’s not doing too bad,” the doctor said. “It was a mild heart attack. We’ve given her aspirin and done an angioplasty, and there’s been a ninety percent improvement in her heart function. We’ve got her on appropriate medication, and she’s doing well. Tired but well.” He smiled and added in a reassuring tone, “I think she’s going to be fine.”
“Oh, that’s wonderful,” Kate said.
“How long is she going to have to stay in the hospital?” Paul asked.
“Probably about a week. I certainly don’t want to let her go home until I’m absolutely certain that everything is under control. Would you like to see her briefly?” Dr. McLaughlin asked.
Paul and Kate nodded, and made their way down the hallway to the patient rooms. Dr. McLaughlin had said that Amanda was in the very last room. When they entered they noticed that half the lights were off, and Amanda’s bed was flanked by machines that made various hisses, drips, and beeps. Kate’s heart cried out when she saw Amanda. She looked so very frail, so very sick, and so very much older. The change stunned Kate for a moment, until she realized that Amanda’s eyes were closed and her hair had been taken out of its immaculate French knot. The thin, white wisps of hair were unkempt and tangled on her pillow. I’ve got to remember to have someone comb her hair before she sees a mirror, Kate thought. It would scare Amanda to death to see herself looking like that, and she’d probably be humiliated to boot.
Beside her, Paul bowed his head, and Kate knew that he was praying silently for health and strength for Amanda. She bowed her head too, and when she raised it, she saw Amanda’s blue eyes open. Amanda looked at them and smiled wanly.
“Amanda,” Kate said softly. “How are you feeling?”
“Tired,” she said in a weak voice. “And a little sore. But very, very glad to be alive.”
“We’re all glad too,” Paul said. “Everybody’s been very concerned ever since we heard.”
“Thank you.” Amanda looked at Paul and smiled.
“Would you like me to pray with you?”
“Please.”
Paul took one of her frail hands in his and prayed: “Lord, you gather the lambs in your arms and carry them in your bosom: We commend to your loving care your child, Amanda. Relieve her pain, guard her from all danger, restore to her your gifts of gladness and strength, and raise her up to a life of service to you. Amen.”
“Amen.”
“I think they’re going to make us go in a moment,” Paul said. “Is there anything we can bring you from home?”
Amanda thought for a moment. “Maybe a couple of things...Could I speak to Kate alone for a moment?”
“Of course,” Paul said. “I’ll see you tomorrow. God bless you.”
“And you, Pastor.”
Kate watched her husband walk out of the room and then pulled up a chair and sat down, making sure Amanda could see her face without straining. “What would you like me to bring you, Amanda?”
“In a minute,” Amanda said. “The truth is, I wanted to talk to you for a bit.”
“That’s fine, if you’re feeling up to it,” Kate cautioned.
“Oh, I am,” Amanda said, looking at the wall, “I’ve been lying here thinking. About my life. My husband, Walter. Renee and Charlie. I did a bad thing there. I did steal him away from her. It was a long time ago, and I was very young and selfish. I was thinking only of myself. I didn’t care a lick about who else might be hurt. I didn’t even really care about him. It was all pride. Wounded pride.” Amanda’s voice was thick with regret.
“We’ve all suffered from that at one time or another,” Kate assured her.
“Maybe so. But I did wrong. I knew it was wrong at the time, even though I didn’t realize until afterward that he and Renee...I’ll have to apologize if God gives me time. If not, will you tell her how sorry I am that I hurt her?”
“Of course I will,” Kate said. “But you’re going to be fine. The doctor said so.”
“I believe him,” Amanda assured her. “But on the other hand, you never know. I was thinking of something else too. Joe. Would you please let him know...” Amanda took as deep of a breath as she could. “Let him know that I forgive him.”
Kate waited a second, but there was no more to come. “I’ll tell him.”
“Good. And tell him soon, if you don’t mind. He’s waited a long time for it.” Amanda managed a faint smile. “Too long.”
“I will. I promise. You just rest and take care of yourself. I’ll be back tomorrow aftern
oon. I’ll pick up your mail for you and get anything else you’d like.”
“Thank you, Kate,” Amanda said. “There’s no rush, but I’d like my own hand lotion, and maybe a little lipstick...There’s a spare key under the mat.”
“I’ll get everything for you.”
Amanda closed her eyes. She looked completely exhausted.
Kate got up and walked out to where Paul was waiting, and they went home.
EARLY THE NEXT MORNING, Kate drove up Smith Street, past the lingering edges of Copper Mill, until the road was engulfed on both sides by thick forest. After a mile or two, she found the dirt road that wound up a mountain to Joe Tucker’s log cabin. The road was only one lane and deeply rutted, and Kate’s black Honda bucked and rattled its way up around the S curves. By the time she pulled up behind Joe’s pickup truck, Kate felt as if she’d been riding a bucking bronco.
JOE’S CABIN, small and weathered, was in the middle of a clearing in the woods, the roof sloping over a deep porch in the front. Around the door grew forsythia and lilacs, and to the side was a small vegetable garden that already boasted green onions, lettuce, and spinach as well as the more delicate shoots of tomatoes, squash, and corn. A thin plume of gray smoke rose from the chimney. Kate walked up the steps and knocked on the door. Joe opened it, dressed in khaki pants and a white T-shirt under a flannel shirt.
“How is she?” he asked tensely.
“She’s doing well,” Kate replied.
Joe let out a big gust of air and nodded. “Thank God. Come on in. All this has made me forget my manners. Would you like a cup of coffee?”
“I’d love one.” Kate walked in the door and was instantly in the living room. She stood still for a moment, taken aback at the floor-to-ceiling bookshelves that covered the windowless back wall. “Good heavens!” she exclaimed. There were bookshelves up to the windowsill of the side walls, and she glanced behind her to see that a narrow bookshelf ran up both sides of the doorway. “I...I’ve never seen so many books in my life!”
Joe grinned. “It’s my secret vice—reading. When I was a young’un, there wasn’t any money for books, and not much time to read them either. But I said to myself, ‘When I get old enough, I’m going to buy me every book in the library.’” He looked around with a satisfied look. “I’ve come close. Now sit yourself down, and I’ll fetch some coffee.”
Kate sat down on a worn blue armchair and looked around. Books were the main decoration of the room. To the left of the front door was a minute kitchen with an old stove, a small refrigerator, and a sink all in a row, and shelving above them. On the right side of the door was a deal table with a chair placed so that Joe could drink his coffee and look out the window. Three other chairs were stacked in a corner.
Beside Kate was an old mission end table, missing a couple of slats. The armchair on the other side was a soft moss green, the seat rubbed down to a khaki color. A split-log coffee table sat in front of an overstuffed gold settee. Nothing matched, everything was old and worn, but it was all comfortable and somehow pleasing.
“Here we go,” Joe said, carrying a full enamelware coffeepot in one hand and two mugs in the other. He set the mugs down, filled them with coffee, and set the coffeepot directly on the coffee table.
“Shouldn’t we put something under it?” Kate asked.
“Nothing’s going to hurt that table,” Joe assured her. “Now, tell me all about Amanda.”
Kate told him about Amanda’s medical care and their visit. “The doctor assured us that she’s going to be fine. They’re keeping her for a week just to be on the safe side.”
Joe looked relieved.
Kate took a breath and added, “And she wanted me to tell you something specifically.”
“Me?” Joe looked surprised and a little apprehensive.
“Yes. She wanted me to tell you that she forgives you.”
Joe blinked slowly, then more rapidly.
“She said I needed to do it right away because you’d been waiting a long time for this.” Kate realized that Joe was blinking back tears, that in fact he was about to break down and cry. She put a hand on his. “Joe, what happened between you and Amanda? I know you...I know the two of you care about each other, but something happened to divide you. What was it?”
“It’s not a pretty story,” Joe said. “And it was all my fault...”
“Really?” Kate asked tenderly.
“Really,” Joe replied sternly. “You might not believe it, but back when we were young’uns, Amanda and I dated each other. Oh, it was all on the sly. Her father was the bank vice president, and my father, well, he was an old woodsman, just like I am now. No one could say we were a good match. But we loved each other.”
He looked at her from under his bushy eyebrows. “Well, there we were, young, in love, with everything going against us. And more than me being from the wrong side of the tracks. I was a hellion back in those days. I did a lot of drinking and gambling. Now I never did any of that around Amanda, of course, but her brother...Her brother, Bob Redmond, was the meanest, most hypocritical kind of snake you can imagine. And he was bound and determined to break us up.”
“What did he do?” Kate asked.
“Well”—Joe took a big slurp of coffee—“first off, he got me fired from my job. I was working down at the Depot Inn, bussing tables, trying to get enough money to go to school. Didn’t start at the construction business until later. ’Course I was so stupid, I went and got drunk afterward, and it got me in a mess of trouble that Amanda heard all about.” Joe shrugged. “Young’uns. They always break out and break loose at the wrong time.”
“Yes, but—”
“And then I did something worse,” Joe continued. “One night I ran into Bob down at the Dew Drop Inn. Well, he was half tight when he walked in, and he’d come to play poker. So I said to myself, ‘Here’s your opportunity to get even.’ So I sat myself down at the table, and by gosh, I took every cent he had.” Joe took another sip of his coffee. “Worst of it was, he had a big chunk of money with him that wasn’t his. Belonged to the bank. Well, when Amanda heard about that, she broke up with me for good.”
“Oh, Joe.” Kate sighed.
“Yep. Not long after that, I left town and joined the army.” Joe straightened up in his chair as much as he could, as if he were back in the army. “I got stationed way up in Alaska, of all places, way out where there was nothing going on and not much to do except get in trouble. And I would have, but the chaplain there was something special.” Joe stared ahead as he reminisced. “He had a way of telling you the truth that made you really see it. He made me realize that I’d been nothing but bone selfish my whole life. Even when I loved Amanda, I hadn’t loved her enough to fight honorably for her. Instead, I’d just tucked my tail between my legs and did the nastiest piece of revenge I could think of. Ruined a man instead of proving myself. He showed me how I’d never be anything but selfish until I put my life and myself completely in God’s hands and let him make a man of me. And I did.” Joe smiled thankfully.
“And Bob? Whatever happened to him?” Kate asked.
“I don’t really know,” Joe said. “I did two tours in the army, and by the time I got back to town, Amanda was married and living in Knoxville, and Bob was long gone. He left town under some sort of a cloud. One of the first things I did after I came back was take what money was left of my winnings and send them back to Bob. After that I sent Bob monthly payments until I’d paid back every cent I’d taken from him in that poker game. Took me two years on nothing but a soldier’s pay, but I did it. After that, well...”—Joe flashed a grin—“to be honest, I didn’t keep writing and stay in touch. He cashed the checks, so I figured we were even. There was no way we were going to be friends.”
“What a story.” Kate sighed again.
“Not very edifying, most of it. But I can say that I’ve been clean and sober for almost fifty years now. Haven’t touched a drop, haven’t made a bet. All thanks to God’s help. And his minister,
bless him.” Joe’s face became wistful. “When Amanda moved back to Copper Mill, after her husband died, I’d kind of hoped that maybe—”
“You’d get back together?” Kate interrupted.
“No, no, no. I did too much harm to her and hers. No, what I’d hoped is that she’d see I’ve changed. And maybe we could be friends. But she made it plain that wasn’t going to happen. It’s okay,” Joe assured Kate. “I just saw it as penance for what I did.”
“But now, maybe?” Kate offered hopefully. “Since she’s said that she forgives you?”
Joe sighed and shook his head. “No. I’m not going to get my hopes up. I’m just going to be thankful for what I have. Forgiveness is a blessed thing, something you can’t ever be too thankful for. I know. I lived without it for a lot of years. Now, well, I’m just going to enjoy having it.”
Driving back to town, Kate couldn’t help but hope that he and Amanda would somehow get back together. Although she couldn’t honestly see Amanda living in a two-room log cabin out in the woods. Of course, if Joe was willing to move back to town...She laughed at herself. Here I am playing matchmaker with two people who are certainly old enough to take care of their own affairs. But then Kate thought about the recent awkwardness between Paul and her. Maybe a little help was always needed. And she offered up a brief prayer not only for Joe and Amanda but for Paul and her.
Chapter Ten
Later that afternoon Paul pulled up at the Dew Drop Inn and saw Bo Twist sitting outside in an old wicker rocker, a glass of iced tea on the floor beside him.
“Gonna keep on tryin’, eh?” the huge man called as Paul got out of his pick-up.
“Yep,” Paul said cheerfully, setting his guitar case down on the ground. “You know what they say, ‘Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might.’”
Bo nodded. “That in the Bible?”
“Yes it is.” Paul smiled.
“Never read it myself. Never seemed to have the time nor the inclination,” he said casually. “All those big words and thees and thous. Kind of threw me off.” Bo fixed his gaze up at the ceiling. “People say there’s a lot of stuff in it, though.”