Spirit of the Revolution

by Debbie Peterson

  She glanced over at her companion and eyed the magnificent horse. He anticipated and then responded to his master’s every command. What’s more, her own mount, the beautiful chestnut Arabian named Lacy, seemed aware of his presence. She took it in her stride, though. In fact, the mare even flirted with the stallion a bit.

  “I know I should cease being surprised about anything ghostly. But, it never once occurred to me the spirit of a horse would wander the earth. Is it a common thing?” she asked as she leaned away from the sweeping branches of a pine tree.

  He shrugged as he gave Beadurinc’s neck a pat. “That depends on what you mean by common. I’ve seen a great variety of animals in their spiritual form. I can’t tell you why for sure. Perhaps they too, choose to remain on familiar ground near the things they love. As far as horses are concerned, many of them who die alongside their masters remain loyally at his side—or hers.”

  Her eyes flickered between Mathias and his gorgeous stallion. The way he phrased the comment made her wonder if he spoke from personal experience. He and the horse did seem very familiar with each other.

  “You know,” he said, “you might want to think about getting your own horse. As you know, we have a very fine barn that has withstood the test of time. And, you ride very well.”

  “Thank you and I’ve considered the possibility, actually,” she replied. “Many times. But it wouldn’t be fair to the horse. My free time is so limited and really, I don’t have enough hours in the day to care for one properly right now. My dad taught me a long time ago, there is more to owning a horse than throwing it hay a couple of times a day. They need love and attention, just like any other pet. Since they’re herd animals, the horse would need a companion, which would take even more time. Maybe one day, after I retire, I’ll buy a couple of them, though.”

  “You? Retire? Really?” Mathias grinned as his brow lifted higher with each word he spoke.

  “Who knows,” she said. “Maybe one day my hands will be too arthritic to hold the bow, much less the violin, and the ailment will force me into retirement.”

  Mathias shook his head. “I doubt it. And speaking of your matchless talent, the lads really enjoyed their concert. They talked about it all night long, in fact.”

  “Did they?” The revelation made her smile. “Did the boys tell you they finally got to meet Carolyn? Well, they met her after a fashion, of course.”

  He grinned and nodded. “Yes. They said she enjoyed your performance almost as much as they did.”

  “That’s Carolyn for you. From the moment I could hold a violin in my hand, she’s ever been my biggest fan.” Jo laughed as she considered the truth of that statement.

  “Well, she has competition for that title now,” he countered.

  The expression on his face and in his eyes stole her ability to breathe properly. A heated blush colored her cheeks as she simply said, “Thank you.” And then looking for a quick change in subject, she added, “Did Sam tell you about the woman in the green dress?”

  “No, I don’t believe so,” he replied.

  “Before the concert started, the boys roamed all over the place. If I didn’t know better, I would swear they searched for someone or something in particular, instead of just wanting to explore,” she said. “At one point they even looked a little disappointed, though I couldn’t figure out why.” She waved a hand in dismissal.

  “Anyway, Sam stood at the back, near one of the doors when a woman entered the auditorium with her hair piled haphazardly on top of her head. He just stared at the mess, with this look of total distaste and abhorrence. I think he even shuddered before he relieved the tangled knot of its glitzy clip. Her hair tumbled to her shoulders in disarray, much to her utter embarrassment and Sam’s look of total satisfaction. I found it so funny. And then when I asked him about it later, he sniffed and said her hair looked like a nest for birds and that, of a certainty, his actions gave her escort a feeling of tremendous relief.” Calling the scene to mind made her laugh all over again.

  Mathias chuckled and nodded. “Sounds like Sam. He had no problem undoing a woman’s hair. Especially if she wound the bun too tight—”

  Jo glanced over at him as his voice trailed off. He reined in his horse, who nickered as if to alert, and then took in his surroundings. She found herself following his gaze.

  The place was familiar to him, of course. Intimately familiar. However, Mathias didn’t realize until this moment, he rode toward it. Not with the pleasant distraction Jolena presented. Normally, when he visited this place, he just appeared into it and then disappeared when the event ended.

  “Mathias?” Jolena extended a hand and rested it very lightly atop his arm. “Are you all right?” The smile he gave her, didn’t reassure her. He could see that much by expression alone.

  “Please—tell me,” she begged.

  He briefly shook his head and once again, put something resembling a smile on his face. “Please don’t worry, it’s nothing, really.”

  “Oh, I see. You can’t tell me.” She dropped her gaze and withdrew her hand.

  The notion hurt her. Yet, how to explain without making the situation worse? “This is the—uh, the place we—”

  Her hand flew to her open mouth. He didn’t have to tell her that he and the boys left their mortality behind in this very forest. She sat up a little higher and took in her environment from each possible direction. He could see she now envisioned the story he shared, by horrified expression alone.

  “Oh, I’m so sorry, Mathias, I didn’t know.” Her eyes begged for forgiveness.

  “Shh—there’s no need to apologize. The place is not as traumatic as you seem to think or for the reasons you’re imagining,” he said.

  He shook away the somber mood. He had no place for it on this outing, nor did he wish to discuss it any further. Days spent alone in Jolena’s company seemed rare. He wouldn’t waste these precious moments, thinking about things better left alone.

  “Come on.” He cocked his head to the side. “I’ll show you the area Sam and I grew up before we built our current house. The place sits just over this hill. The way my mother tells the story, Sam introduced himself to me, well before we could walk—by hitting me over the head with a rock. I returned the favor in kind. We’ve remained the best of friends ever after.”

  Jolena appeared grateful for the change in subject and for the return of his playful mood and she joined him in his laughter. They didn’t need to spend this glorious day with any unhappy memories.

  “Sounds like something Sam would do,” she said.

  Chapter 19

  “I really love your house, Jo,” Carolyn said as her gaze roved over each detail of every room they visited. “On my way over I considered giving you an apology for taking so long to come here and see it in its finished state. But, now I’m glad I waited until you put the Christmas decorations out. I feel like I’m in the middle of the North Pole and Santa will come walking in any minute.”

  “Thanks.” Jo beamed as she clasped her hands together. She had a lot of fun putting them out this year, mostly because the boys enjoyed the activity just as much as she did, and they helped in every way possible. In fact, they even helped decorate the tree by placing the topmost decorations and setting the angel on the treetop. Then, without any assistance from her, they put up a dazzling display of outside lights. She would never forget the spectacle as long as she lived.

  “I know you’ve collected Christmas decorations your entire adult life, but still, I just didn’t know you had so many.” Carolyn picked up an antique Santa Claus for closer inspection and gently set it down beside Johann Andries clock in the sitting room.

  “Well, this is the first time I’ve had a house large enough to display them all at the same time,” Jo replied. “Now, come on, I’ve got some cookies and stuff in the family room, and I want to give you my gift, which you’re not allowed to open until Christmas day. Do you hear me, Kay-Kay? Christmas. Day.”

  Carolyn laughed as she
followed her into the room where a cozy fire awaited them. “Don’t be such a spoil sport, brat,” she said as Jo retrieved a beautifully wrapped gift from underneath her tree. In turn, Kay retrieved a present, just as enticing from her bag.

  Jo held the gift aloft. “Promise me,” she demanded.

  “Oh, whatever.” Carolyn shook her head as she sat down in the chair opposite the sofa. “I can’t believe you’d wrap my gift as nice as this and then expect me to wait. You should’ve used old newspaper and duct tape. Okay. I promise.” As they exchanged gifts, she added, “I know I don’t have to extract the same promise from you. We’ll be lucky if you get the thing open by midnight.”

  “Don’t pout, Kay.” Jo put her present under the tree before handing Carolyn a glass of warm apple cider and a sugar cookie. “You know I’m going to love it no matter what time I open it.”

  “Yes, you will,” she replied as she wiped a stray crumb from the corner of her mouth. “But it doesn’t help when I call you at the crack of dawn to talk about my gifts when you haven’t opened any of yours.”

  “Look at it this way,” she said as she sat down on the sofa. “Instead of having one exciting conversation, we get to have two.”

  “I suppose.” She nibbled a little more at her cookie, looked it over carefully, and nodded. “This is really good. What did you do different?”

  “Added a few tablespoons of sour cream.” Jo looked up as the boys filtered into the room, and she smiled her pleasure. “Now tell me, how are things progressing between you and Ray Brennan?”

  Carolyn sputtered as crumbs flew out of her mouth in every direction. She wiped them away and said, “How many times do I have to tell you we are nothing more than friends and colleagues? You would think by now you’d be off that kick. Nothing is progressing nor will it ever progress. I feel no attraction to him, whatsoever, I assure you.”

  “Methinks she doth protest too much,” Jo teased. “Oh come on, Kay, I really think you ought to pursue the obvious, here. The man is attractive, and you have a lot in common. Besides, you need to get out once in a while—”

  “Pul-eeze—” She shook her head and snorted. “Beside, look at who’s talking. Shall I mention the fact that you haven’t had a date in heaven knows how long?”

  Jo shot a glance toward Mathias. He gazed at her as if awaiting her response to the accusation. “All right, all right, you win. No more jokes about Ray. So, tell me about work instead. What kind of projects are you working on now?” The innocent question caused a troubled expression to flicker across Kay’s features.

  “Oh, well—” Carolyn pursed her lips as she waved a hand of dismissal.

  “No.” Jo stopped her. “What’s wrong? Did something happen at work?”

  Carolyn’s eyes widened before they dropped to the floor. She looked guilty.

  Sam swore underneath his breath. “Sanders, I bet.”

  Mathias made his way to the sofa and sat next to Jo’s side. “Ask her what happened.”

  “It’s Paul Sanders, isn’t it,” Jo said.

  Carolyn let go of the breath she unknowingly held. Her shoulders wilted as she nodded. “I was going to tell you, I swear, just not now. I didn’t want anything to ruin the first Christmas in your house.”

  “I promise you, nothing will ruin it,” Jo replied. “Unless he hurt you. He didn’t, did he?”

  “No.” Carolyn shook her head and dismissed her concern with a wave of her hand. “You don’t need to go in that direction. As far as he knows, I remain unaware of his actions.”

  “Tell me what happened.” Jo placed her empty glass on the table and gave Kay her undivided attention.

  “Well, the night I attended your concert, I got a text from Ray right before it ended. I didn’t call him back until after I headed out to my car,” she said. “He apologized for calling so late, but asked if I could meet him at the lab. The artifacts from his Anasazi dig site in New Mexico arrived. He said they’d be much safer with me than in his garage overnight. So, of course, I said yes. I arrived about ten minutes ahead of him and got the lab unlocked. I turned on the lights, booted up the computer, you know, that sort of thing. Finally, he drove into the parking lot, and I hurried out to meet him. He got out of his truck and told me I’d probably need to get my largest cart. He collected a great many things this season.”

  “He usually does,” Jo said.

  Carolyn nodded and then cleared her throat. “Before I could go inside to get it though, Paul emerged from the passenger door. I wished you could’ve seen the show he put on, Jo. He really exaggerated a limp when he walked toward me. After he grimaced, he said he didn’t think he could help very much getting everything unloaded and inside. He pointed to the wrong foot, if you can believe that. He said he suffered a sprain when he stumbled into a pothole while they loaded the artifacts into the truck.”

  “You’re kidding.”

  “No, and the charade was so obvious. I couldn’t imagine Ray buying into it. But then, he knows nothing about the letter, or his attack on you, so he probably didn’t look for it,” she said.

  “Anyway, I think he created his so-called injury to keep me outside and busy while he searched my office. Therefore, since he wanted in so badly, I aided his effort. At least that way I didn’t have to worry about him coming back later, breaking into the building and damaging my lab or office in his quest to find the letter.”

  “Smart,” Jo said, repeating Mathias’s sentiment aloud.

  “So, I told him he could wait inside my office where he’d find it more comfortable. You should’ve seen his smug little smile. It almost made me gag. He jumped at the offer. I had my computer on and logged into the system. I’m sure the moment he discovered that, he sang out a halleluiah, because I couldn’t have made his task any easier. Of course, he had no way of knowing he would find nothing during his desperate search. I stayed outside just as long as I could possibly stretch it, to give him the time to do a thorough search.” Carolyn scrunched her shoulders together.

  “About halfway through, he rushed down the hallway and peeked at us through the window. I don’t think it occurred to him that we could see him. Ray even made a derisive comment. Anyway, I still ‘fussed’ over the artifacts, so he darted toward my office once more—funny. The man probably wanted to see how much time he had left to search.”

  “Did he seem disappointed when he left?” asked Jo.

  “Oh, yes. He looked very disappointed.” Carolyn picked up her glass, looked down at the contents, and swirled the cider around in circles. “But he also looked determined. I don’t know what that means. You should probably stay on your guard, Jo. He might try to come back here, since he got nothing from me. Do you have an alarm system?”

  As a series of threats to Paul Sanders life and limbs reverberated throughout the room, Jo simply nodded to keep the laughter from spilling forth. “Don’t worry. I happen to have the best available.”

  They continued their visit for another hour, leaving the threat of Paul Sanders behind. Then, as the shadows of early afternoon fell through the windows, Carolyn glanced at her watch.

  “I’ve got to go before the plane takes off without me.” She looked over at Jo and said, “But I really hate leaving you here all alone.”

  “I won’t be alone, I promise,” Jo replied. “Just make sure you give your mom and dad a kiss for me. Give hugs to all of your siblings, and give my love to everyone else. Except Jared, you can just punch him in the arm. I’m sure he’s done something to deserve it.”

  Carolyn laughed as she rose to her feet and hoisted her bag over her shoulder. “No doubt about that. In fact, my little brother deserves far more than he gets. Now, are you sure that you’re not going to sit here all by yourself on Christmas Eve? Swear it, Jo.”

  “I swear.” Jo crossed her heart. “Some friends of mine—who live here in this community—are celebrating the holiday with me.”

  Shortly after Carolyn’s departure, Sam clapped his hands and said, “Well, let’s get
this show on the road. We’re wasting precious holiday hours.”

  “I’ll second the motion. Movies first?” asked Alex

  “Movies first,” said Mathias. “Come on, Jolena, you can tend to the dishes later; there aren’t that many of them to worry about right now.”

  Jed ambled over to the shelf and selected the movies they saved for this occasion. Without undue effort, he slipped It’s a Wonderful Life into the player. A Christmas Story followed, which made her ghostly companions snicker and hoot with laughter. However, the dialogue between Scrooge and the ghosts of A Christmas Carol tickled them more.

  “I really enjoyed watching all of those movies and I vote to make them part of our annual Christmas traditions hereafter,” William said as Jo scooped the movies from off the table.

  “Hear, hear.” Alexander raised his pewter mug high and the others followed suit. “However, I think I enjoyed A Christmas Carol the best.”

  “Well, why wouldn’t you,” Jo teased as she put the movies back on the shelf. “That movie has the scariest ghosts in it.”

  “If you call that scary. Nonetheless, I especially liked the part where Marley walked through the door and Ebenezer Scrooge, quaking with dread, asks the ghost what he wants and Marley simply says much.” William shot his companions a wicked grin. “Too bad we didn’t think of that, ourselves.”

  “It certainly would’ve added to some of our mischief a time or two,” Sam replied. “Who would ever think that such a simple word would cause the living so much apprehension?”

  “I can’t believe you guys.” Jo shook her head ever so slightly. “Pray tell, did you have nothing better to do with your time than plot terrifying ways to rid yourself of unwanted guests?”