Leath's Legacy

by Anne Ashby

  “You’ve found something?”

  “Oh boy, have I found something. I’ve found the answer.”

  Leath’s stomach lurched. Her lips moved but no sound escaped from her mouth.

  “Are you sitting down?” There was a pause with papers rustling in the background. When Joyce spoke again her voice was more subdued. “This will come as a shock, Leath, and I’m not sure if it’s what you are wanting to—”

  “Just tell me,” Leath squeaked. “Tell me what you’ve found.”

  Her words and body language must have screamed “stop” to Kirk because he pulled off the road and brought the car to a standstill alongside one of numerous huge piles of gravel left ready for some roadwork’s project.

  “I was at the library when I got your text. Remember how her marriage printout indicated your Penelope had been divorced when she married George? Well, I’d already found the record of what I thought might be her divorce. I’m sorry I didn’t wait for you”—Joyce’s voice was rising—“but I was so excited I had to keep checking. I unearthed her first marriage this morning, and then when I got your text about little Margaret, it cemented the facts. I’m positive now I have the right person.”

  “Yes, yes, all right?” Leath’s hands were shaking. “You can explain the details to me later. Tell me what you found.” Leath bit her lip. Her abruptness sounded rude.

  “Penelope Maguire, nee Todd, was married to Henry George Robson for five years. They had two children, Margaret and George.”

  Leath struggled to suck air into her shrivelled lungs, but it got stuck somewhere in her windpipe. Her body started shaking, momentarily out of control. The phone slipped from a hand too weak to hold it, but with a mammoth effort was grabbed and returned to her ear.

  “Are you sure?” she croaked.

  “Absolutely.” Joyce’s voice was soft now. “Penelope is your paternal grandmother.”

  Unaware of her door opening as a hysterical bark leapt from her mouth, Leath gained strength from the hands Kirk placed on her shoulder and knee.

  “But how? Why?” she whispered.

  “I’m not sure, but it could be something to do with the little girl. There was an inquest into the death of Margaret Robson, aged three. I’ve applied to the Coroner’s clerk requesting access to information from the inquest. Perhaps that will tell—”

  “The lady who told me about Margaret said Penny felt guilty. You don’t think...?”

  “I’m about to start checking the newspapers for reports of the inquest. If you want me to do so? There should be something. Otherwise we wait for access to the Coroner’s findings.”

  “Thank you, Joyce,” the words seemed inadequate. The mystery had been solved. Understanding why it had happened was something she might never achieve.

  “Shall I go ahead? Or would you rather do it yourself?”

  “No. No, you go ahead,” Leath mumbled, her mind reeling. “I won’t be back in Auckland until next Wednesday. Waiting until then would drive me insane.”

  “Okay, I’ll ring you tonight about seven.”

  “Thank you so much, Joyce. I can’t quite believe this. Do you mind if I hang up now?” Leath’s voice broke. “I need to think.”

  “Of course, I know it’s a shock for you. I’ll keep digging and talk to you tonight. You are all right, aren’t you?”

  “Sure, Joyce, I’m okay.” She gathered strength from somewhere and injected it into her voice to reassure her friend. “I’ll have my head around all this by tonight. Bye.”

  Again the phone fell onto her knee. Leath stared at it, chewing her lips together, willing her mind to accept what she’d been told.

  Kirk’s hand tightened on her shoulder and in slow motion she turned her head. He was crouched beside the open door, concern marking his face. She must look as stunned as she felt.

  “Penny was my grandmother.” The stark words reverberated through her head. The trembling returned, her body rejecting the absurdity of the statement.

  Penny couldn’t be her grandmother. Her dad’s mother had been a wonderful, caring lady who shared almost every major event in her grandchildren’s lives.

  She wasn’t aware of Kirk gathering her shaking body into his arms. Not until her twisted body protested. Even then she let her head rest on his broad shoulder as she attempted to assimilate this news.

  “Oh God! I need a coffee.” She straightened away from him, deep breaths gradually controlling her shakes.

  Her lips trembled into a faint smile as she followed his inquiring look at the deserted area around them. They were in the middle of the whoop whoops. Coffee, with a much-needed triple or even quadruple shot, wasn’t an immediate option.

  Kirk steadied her as she swung her legs out of the car and dragged herself upright. Leath’s attempted laugh sounded slightly hysterical, even to her ears, as she stumbled and slumped against the car’s bonnet. “I suppose I did have high hopes for today,” she mumbled, and gave another hideous laugh. “This just isn’t what I expected to learn.”

  “What did you learn? Are you certain of the facts?”

  Leath frowned. Of course, he hadn’t heard Joyce’s words.

  “Oh yes. It sounds undeniable, in fact.” Leath dragged in more deep breaths, her mind still whirling. “Joyce had just uncovered Penny had been married to my grandfather for five years when she got my text about little Margaret.”

  Another uneasy noise escaped her lips. Embarrassed, she shot him a quick look before turning her head. What had that sounded like to his ears? She had to get a grip.

  Okay, so this was shocking news. It hurt to consider she’d been lied to all of her life. Her head shook. No. She couldn’t give credence to her grandmother being party to such deception. She’d always been forthright and honest. Or so Leath had always believed.

  Kirk waited, not moving, not talking. Leath was grateful. She wasn’t sure she was capable of dealing with anything else just now. Not until she got her head around all this.

  “Joyce is going to find out about Margaret’s death and ring me at seven.”

  Startled when a large hand covered her clasped-together fists, Leath looked down into compassionate blue eyes filled with concern.

  “Would you like me to stay?”

  Leath’s heart thumped. For a second her thoughts jumped as she conjured up the comfort he could offer, but quickly she returned to earth. That wasn’t what he was offering at all.

  She shook her head. With determined effort she straightened and reached for the door handle. “Thanks, but I’ll be fine.”

  She glanced back over her shoulder. “It might take awhile to sort all this out in my head, but I’m okay. I’ve been harping on about learning the truth. Be careful what you wish for, aye?” She managed a smile as she got into the car. “I do appreciate your offer though.”

  She thought he looked at little miffed as he joined her, but his light-hearted suggestion the quicker they get moving the closer the café at Greene Valley was, drew a welcome sigh. With a glance at her watch, she hoped they’d still be open. She badly needed something to calm her shattered nerves. Coffee would have to do.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Kirk worried about leaving Leath alone. No matter what she said, she wasn’t okay.

  An unexpected protective sensation filled him. He’d seen her display so many different moods, all of them very determined and controlled. But now was quite different.

  He watched her pick at the seam of her slacks. Her hands betrayed her agitation. They trembled. They’d wrung together. They’d clenched, fists thumping her knees. They’d never relaxed. Just like the rest of her body never relaxed. He could feel her tenseness. It worried him.

  Uncertain whether the local café would still be open, Kirk drove heavier-footed than usual. Thankfully the local law enforcement patrols appeared to be stationed elsewhere this afternoon. Forced to slow at the outskirts of town, he muttered under his breath hoping he’d still get Leath’s much-desired coffee.

  Relie
ved to see their “open” sign still outside he parked in front of the café and turned to Leath. “Made it,” he said with a grin. “Coffee, I think you said?”

  He got a little smile. “Very strong, please.”

  Although the couple of lone sandwiches still in the cabinets looked less than fresh, Kirk grabbed them and some cakes. He tossed a couple of bottled drinks, as well, onto the counter for the young man to scan and put into a bag.

  He wasn’t taking her back to Penny’s yet. She’d push him away, of course. Ducking out the door while the coffee was being prepared, he slipped the bag into the car’s boot. He doubted Leath even noticed.

  The swiftness of Leath’s movement as she clutched the paper coffee cup to her lips and drank deeply demonstrated her struggle. Accepting the information she’d been given wasn’t easy for her.

  After a couple of sips of his own drink, Kirk slipped the cup into the holder on the dashboard and started the car.

  Not even a murmur left her lips as they turned into the farm driveway instead of continuing along to her place. But as they sailed past his parents’ house she looked around.

  “Where are we going? What—?”

  “I want to show you something.” He ignored her furrowed brow and sharp look.

  “Drink my coffee if you like.” He’d noticed her jiggling her already empty cup. Hungry eyes looking at his almost-full cup brought a smile to his lips. “Go on. Have it.” He gestured. “Your need is greater than mine.”

  A reluctant hand, steady as a rock now, crept out and then snaffled the second coffee. “I’ll never sleep tonight.”

  An immediate offer to help her relax bounced to his lips, but he managed to halt its escape. The vision of that relaxing clouded his thinking. It took the car leaping a huge bump in the paddock they were driving across, which almost transported their kidneys into their chests, to re-focus his mind.

  “Sorry.” Heat burned his cheeks.

  She didn’t think he’d lost his marbles, he hoped. He also hoped she’d keep her gaze out of the vehicle window. Quite what her reaction would be if she kept looking at him, if she glanced down at what his split-second daydream had evoked, he wasn’t sure.

  “Where on earth—?”

  He pulled to a halt at the bush line. “Come on.” He jumped out, grabbing the café bag. “It’s not far.” He held his breath and urged his hormones to behave as he steadied her climb over the wire fence.

  Leath looked around. “Isn’t this where—?”

  “Yep.” He smiled, warmth rushing through him. She did remember their route after he rescued her. Anticipation grew.

  Would she remember his special place? Maybe she hadn’t even noticed. She had been a little stressed. His smile grew as he visualised the disorientated woman crashing through the bush and disturbing his peaceful meditation. She’d been quite a sight.

  “About ten or fifteen minutes up this track there’s a place...” Could he even describe it?

  It was just a clearing in the bush, and yet it held special significance for him since he’d found it as a boy. He’d always come here when he needed time. Whether it was time to think, or time to be alone. This place weaved a spell around his troubled heart. It cleansed the spirit, calmed the soul.

  He wanted to share it with Leath. He wanted to see if she felt the power, the peace alluding here. And what better time than today when she needed to wash away the tension clinging to her.

  “I come up here to think,” he admitted.

  “The track does look well-worn.”

  Surprised laughter burst from Kirk, sending a flurry of squawking birds into flight. As they pressed on through a thick length of undergrowth almost obliterating the track, Kirk accepted her quip. “I guess I’m more of an action man these days.”

  He was relieved to hear a chuckle from behind him. “I haven’t been up here much since I’ve been home,” he admitted. “Probably should have been,” he muttered more to himself. Perhaps he would be more accepting of what life was dealing him, or more particularly, dealing his father.

  The broadened track allowed them to walk side by side. “I’m so sorry about your Dad.”

  A quick sideward glance showed Leath concentrating on the path ahead. Taken aback she’d guessed what had prompted his comment he scrubbed a hand around his neck, his mind racing. He’d shared his innermost dread with this woman. Did she grasp how debilitating the gnawing guilt was?

  An audible gasp next to him drove these thoughts from his mind. Pooled sunlight in the clearing ahead showcased his special place perfectly.

  “I don’t remember it looking so beautiful.”

  Kirk stopped where filtered sunlight provided a dappled pattern on the grass at the edge of the clearing. He smiled as a somewhat dazed Leath stepped forward. Her rapt expression as she spun around, her gaze encompassing the area, filled him with satisfaction.

  “This is where I found you that night?” Leath sounded uncertain.

  Kirk nodded.

  “It’s such a lovely spot. I didn’t appreciate how beautiful.”

  “You were a little anxious at the time, I seem to remember.”

  Her sharp look soon dissolved into an I-guess-you-could-be-right smile.

  “Come up here.” It seemed natural to take her hand.

  She made no protest. In fact her fingers curled around his. Eagerly, he hoped. Leading her along the edge of the stream to where a huge rock blocked their way, he grinned and climbed onto it.

  Crevices made natural steps and Kirk towed Leath after him. On the rock’s undulating top he released her hand, grasping her shoulders instead. “Close your eyes.”

  A flash of something, nothing like concern, appeared in her eyes, but with a faint nibble on her bottom lip, her eyelids dropped. His stomach clenched.

  He sucked in a deep breath, his chest billowing as a tremor traversed her body. She expected him to kiss her. Hell, his body expected him to kiss her. It had already jumped to attention.

  Dragging his gaze from her lips he forced his gaze to focus on what he wanted to show her. Warmth from her shoulders spread through her shirt to his planted hands. That warmth continued to travel until his whole body felt the effect.

  With a mammoth effort to ignore the perfume his nose detected so close in front of him he turned her to face the east. “Open.”

  He didn’t budge when her slight half-step backwards propelled her body into his. Instead his arms audaciously slipped around her waist as he imagined the delight on her face.

  Think! Think man, think. Get your mind above your belt. Why did you bring her here? It was to distract her from her worries.

  Hell, he was the one distracted. Badly distracted.

  He coughed, forcing himself to concentrate on what he’d wanted to share with her. What else he wanted to share with her.

  “As a kid I always thought I’d build my home up here. I drew heaps of plans, starting with Tarzan-type tree huts and ending up designing pole houses to take advantage of this view without disturbing the bush.”

  His gaze followed the panoramic view of bush, farmland, golden sandy beach, sparkling blue sea and dotted islands spread out in front of them. “What do you think? It’s really something, isn’t it?”

  Leath nodded, her head brushing his chin.

  He sucked in a deep breath. Would counting help? Maybe if he counted backwards, that would require more attentiveness.

  “Why only when you were a kid?” she asked over her shoulder. “Wouldn’t you still like to build up here? It’s a magnificent site.”

  Kirk stiffened. He’d only got to ninety-three. Her question distracted him more than any counting could ever do.

  He moodily gazed out toward the horizon, uncertain how to answer or what his answer would be. It had been years, too many years to resurrect those dreams. “I lost interest in living in Greene Valley a long time ago.”

  “That’s sad,” Leath murmured. “It’s such a beautiful place.”

  Kirk shrugged. He b
elonged in the city, not this backwoods. He looked around. “I never intended coming back here. I’m only here until Dad...while Mum needs me.”

  “Oh, I’m your opposite. I can’t wait to get up here, away from the continual stench and noise of the city.”

  Surprise echoed in Kirk’s voice. “You’d consider living up here?”

  “When I win the lottery, I’ll be here the very next week.” She laughed.

  Something inside Kirk niggled as he continued ignoring the heat from Leath’s back. His arms kept her anchored against him while his mind struggled to distance himself. He was losing control.

  There was no doubt what his body expected him to do with this woman in his arms, but his brain blinked urgent “warning, warning” signals.

  Leath wasn’t like other women he’d known. She’d spurn any move on his part. Or even more menacing to his wellbeing, she might take them seriously.

  He hadn’t progressed far yet. He hadn’t planned that far ahead. Despite the grey hairs appearing at his temples, he wasn’t ready to be taken seriously by any woman, particularly one as prickly as Leath.

  Hell, the situation he now found himself in, stuck in this out-of-the-way place, at his parents’ beck and call...it wasn’t conducive with establishing any sort of relationship.

  Leath shifted and her body connected with his even more intimately. His brain scrambled. What plan?

  His mouth dried as he savoured the softness of that momentary bump of their lower bodies. Dampness oozed from his pores, sticking his shirt to his shoulder blades. His eyelids closed and he turned his head to breath in her tantalizing perfume.

  His body had lost complete control.

  ****

  Leath bit her lip to withstand the heated pull from his body. Her legs shook, but she had to stay where she stood. Moving off this highest point of the rock meant turning and squeezing past him. She wasn’t sure she could. Not without betraying herself.

  She had to diffuse the tension bristling between them. “Does your family own all of this?”

  “Hmm. Pretty much.”

  Before, only her legs had been shaking. Now her whole body united with those quaky limbs when the hand he lifted to point crossed her shoulder and brushed against her cheek as it passed.