Angels Landing

by Rochelle Alers

  “Dawn, please. You’re here on vacation. You can do whatever you like. And I’m going to expect you to cook for me when you get back here.”

  “That’s a bet. And I promise not to give you food poisoning.”

  One by one everyone filed into the kitchen as Mrs. Todd and Kara flipped pancakes, grilled waffles, and broiled bacon and breakfast links. Someone mentioned grits, and Jeannette put up a pot of water for the Lowcountry staple. Breakfast was more subdued than dinner had been as Kara’s parents prepared for the drive back to Little Rock. She packed food for their trip, storing the containers in an insulated bag with ice packs.

  Kara and Jeff stood on the porch, waving to them until their car disappeared from sight. Her father had announced he was returning to Cavanaugh Island for the Memorial Day holiday weekend for a corps reunion with Jeff and six other marines.

  Jeff moved closer, resting a hand at the small of Kara’s back. “I’m going to drive Gram and Dawn back to the Cove; then I’ll be back later.”

  She gave him a sly sidelong glance. “We’re going to have the house to ourselves. Dawn is staying with your grandmother, and Mr. and Mrs. Todd will be in Charleston tonight.”

  “What do you want to do?” Jeff asked, when his hand slipped lower to her hips.

  “I don’t know. I’ll leave that up to you.”

  He patted her behind. “I’ll think of something before I get back.”

  Once everyone left, Kara had the house to herself. She’d put away food, rinsed and stacked dishes and flatware in the dishwasher, and was sweeping up the brick floor when the doorbell rang. “I hear it, Oliver,” she said when the terrier raced into the kitchen. “Let’s go see who’s at the door.”

  Kara peered through the sidelight to see the figure of a woman. She opened the door, stunned to see one of the Pattons standing on the porch. “May I help you?”

  The stylishly coiffed and dressed woman smiled. “May I come in, Kara?”

  Kara peered down at Oliver who was barking furiously. She managed to close the door. “I still don’t trust him not to bite. Please sit down.” She waited for the woman in the tailored suit to sit, then sat down opposite her. “It’s apparent you know who I am.”

  “I’m Eden Patton-Cox. Taylor was my uncle.”

  Crossing one denim-covered leg over the other, Kara met a pair of smoky-gray eyes. The diamond studs in Eden’s ears and those in her wedding set must have set her husband back a pretty penny. Eden’s smooth dark skin, chemically straightened black hair styled into a chignon at the nape of her neck, and subtly applied makeup made her a very attractive woman.

  “How can I help you, Eden?”

  “It should be how I can help you, Kara. My cousins don’t know I’m here. I wanted to warn you to be careful because there are people who don’t want you in Angels Landing.”

  Kara’s expression was impassive even though she couldn’t stop her stomach muscles from contracting. “Who are these people you speak of?”

  “I can’t name names because I don’t want to incriminate myself.”

  “You’re an attorney.” Eden nodded. “Are you telling me you’ve broken ranks with your family to come and warn me that my life may be in danger?”

  “I’m just telling you to be prepared to fight to keep what you inherited from my uncle.”

  “Don’t you mean my father?”

  “That will be verified once the results of the DNA test are in.”

  “So you know about that?” Kara asked.

  “I was present when the vote was taken.” Eden stood up. “I must leave because I have to meet a client.” She held out her hand. “Good-bye and good luck, Kara.”

  Kara rose and shook her cousin’s hand. “Thank you, Eden. It’s too bad this meeting couldn’t have been for a different purpose.”

  Eden smiled. “I agree.”

  Leaning against a marble column, Kara watched the taillights of Eden’s Cadillac CTS as she drove along the allée of oaks. First the summons and now a warning. She wondered if the Pattons would ever give up their quest to deny her her birthright. Kara knew it wouldn’t stop until the DNA test proved conclusively that she was Taylor’s daughter.

  When Jeff returned, she was sitting in the rocker on the porch while Oliver lounged on a chair with cornflower-blue seat cushions. The puppy got up, whining for Jeff to pick him up. Jeff scooped him off the chair, setting him down on the porch.

  Kara raised her chin for Jeff’s kiss. She held his wrist. “I don’t want Oliver sleeping in the bed with you.”

  “Jealous, sweetheart?”

  “Of a dog, baby?”

  “It’s a warm body,” Jeff teased.

  “I guess I’m not warm enough for you,” she said, pouting.

  “That’s where you’re wrong, Kara.” Reaching down, he pulled her smoothly to her feet. “You’re hot. Hotter than a ghost chili.”

  Her arms went under his shoulders. “That’s the hottest chili in existence.”

  “That’s you, baby.”

  Wrapping his arms around Kara’s waist, Jeff lifted her off her feet. “Open the door,” he whispered in her ear. She complied, and Oliver darted inside. Using his foot, he kicked the door shut and managed to lock it while still holding on to Kara who’d locked her legs around his waist.

  She tightened her hold on his neck. “Where are you going?”

  “I’m going back to bed, and you’re going to join me.”

  The smell of his cologne still clung to the linen in the bed where Jeff had spent the night. She watched, transfixed, as he undressed seemingly in slow motion. Making love in daylight was different from when they’d come together in a darkened room. Her blood warmed and raced through her veins with a desire that resulted in a gush of wetness bathing her core. She couldn’t believe the perfection of his toned body when he stood over her, fully aroused.

  If she’d wanted to look away, Kara couldn’t when he reached into an overnight bag and removed a length of condoms. Her gaze did not waver when he removed one and rolled it down the length of his erection. Their dance of desire began when Jeff got into bed with her and pulled her T-shirt over her head, then unhooked her bra. His hands were steady when he unsnapped her jeans and eased them and her panties down her hips in one, smooth motion. Like a sleek, large cat, he moved over her.

  Kara gasped as his blood-engorged arousal brushed her inner thigh. Instinctively, her body arched toward him, she caressing the length of his spine, smiling when her fingernails raised goose bumps along his skin.

  “Love me,” she breathed out. Jeff answered her entreaty when he eased his swollen flesh into her, both moaning in satisfaction as their bodies melded as one.

  Closing her eyes, Kara’s heart rate skyrocketed along with the uneven rhythm of her breathing as Jeff’s hardness slid in and out of her. She experienced extreme heat, then bone-chilling cold that made her teeth chatter.

  Jeff had set a pace that quickened, slowed, then quickened again until she was mindless with an ecstasy that became a mind-altering trip, shattering her into millions of tiny particles before lulling her back to a euphoric state. What had begun as a groan escalated until it became a low growl when Jeff pumped his hips until he collapsed on top of her.

  They lay joined together, waiting until their hearts resumed a normal rate. Kara issued a small cry of protest when he pulled out. She curled into a fetal position, still savoring the aftermath of a lovemaking that made her want more and more. Jeff came back to the bed, pressing his chest against her back.

  “Don’t tell me you’re going to sleep on me,” he whispered against the moistness of her nape.

  “I am. I need to rest so when I wake up we can do this again.”

  A laugh came from his throat. “You want more?”

  “How many more condoms do you have?”

  “Five.”

  It was her turn to laugh. “Then I’m going to want five more courses. You should’ve asked before you took up with me. I like five- and six-course meals.
Next time I’ll be the one doing the eating.” He sucked in a breath. “Did I shock you, baby?”

  “A little.”

  “It’s all right. I’ll go easy on you.”

  Jeff cradled her hip. “Go to sleep, sweetheart. But let me warn you I’ve been known to overindulge.”

  “Consider me warned.”

  She lay in the protective cocoon of Jeff’s strong arms as he pulled her closer. Within minutes Kara forgot everything, including Eden’s warning and the summons for her to take the DNA test.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Kara opened her mouth and closed her eyes as the police department technician swabbed her inner cheek. She knew the drill because she’d gone through the procedure twenty minutes ago. As promised, Jeff drove her to the private lab where she left samples from Taylor’s brush and razor, while allowing the technician to swab her cheek and take several strands of hair. She’d thought it overkill but wanted to put the issue of her paternity to rest. Forever.

  Even though the ME claimed to be backlogged, she’d promised Jeff she would make the Taylor-Newell test a priority.

  “Don’t you need a sample of my hair?” Kara asked the police techie. They’d taken hair samples at the private lab.

  “No. Your cheek cells are enough.”

  She slipped off the examining table. Jeff’s ten-day vacation had come and gone much too quickly, and they tried to spend every day in bed making love. The only time they had left was to go to the Cove and spend time with Corrine. Although on duty, Jeff had taken the time to drive her into Charleston for the tests. “I’m ready,” she told him when he approached her.

  Cupping her elbow, Jeff escorted her to the parking lot where he’d parked his official vehicle. Kara hadn’t mentioned Eden’s visit to him because she felt once the results of the DNA tests were revealed the Pattons would end their character assassination.

  Dawn called her every Sunday with an update on what new recipe she’d attempted. Corrine had given Dawn her prized gumbo recipe, and her former roomie could not stop talking about it once she’d duplicated the dish. When Kara asked her about taking in strays, Dawn had laughed, declaring she’d gotten over that phase and she liked having a clean and quiet apartment all to herself. She’d also begun teaching street dancing, and her young students took to the new routines like ducks to water.

  Today Kara wouldn’t return to Angels Landing to spend her days and nights, but to Sanctuary Cove where she would stay with Jeff and Corrine. The restoration staff had moved and covered all the furniture as they removed ceiling fixtures and began the arduous task of stripping wallpaper. Mrs. Todd had assumed the responsibility for deactivating the alarm for the foreman when he arrived in the morning, and she reset it at the end of their workday.

  It was Corrine who’d convinced Kara to move in when she mentioned she’d always wanted to learn hand quilting. Living with Corrine was a win-win for both of them. They could keep each other company, and Kara would have the advantage of seeing Jeff every day. She’d brought Oliver to the Cove the day before so he could become acquainted with his new surroundings. Even when coaxed, the terrier refused to leave his crate.

  “I have to stop at the house to pick up my car,” she told Jeff as he reached the causeway.

  “I thought you were going to use my grandmother’s car.”

  “I have all my summer clothes in the trunk.” It was May and daytime temperatures were in the mid-80s. Dawn had packed up her clothes and personal items and shipped them to Angels Landing.

  “Do you want me to wait for you?”

  “You don’t have to. I’ve taken up enough of your time today.” Jeff gave her a quick glance, glaring at her from under the worn bill of his baseball cap. Kara couldn’t understand why he continued to wear it. The cap was falling apart.

  “Let me judge whether you’re taking up my time.”

  “Touchy, touchy, Jeff?”

  “I’m not touchy. I merely stated a fact.”

  She looked out the side window. “Forget it,” Kara mumbled under her breath and bit down on her lower lip to keep from smiling. She liked teasing Jeff because he was always so serious.

  “Are you spoiling for a fight?”

  “No!”

  “Now who’s touchy?”

  “If this is the way it’s going to be when we live under the same roof, then I’ll just move in the guesthouse like I’d planned to.”

  “I doubt whether we’ll even get to see that much of each other. I’ve switched my hours from 8:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. When you and Gram are out and about, I’ll be sleeping. And by the time you two are winding down for the night, I’ll be going to work.”

  She may have promised Corrine she would move into her home, but the Hamiltons were also aware that she did have some place to live: the vacant guesthouse.

  Having to deal with DNA testing and Eden Patton-Cox’s warning was weighing heavily on Kara. It was obvious the people who didn’t want her there were of Patton blood. Greed had turned them into ravenous beasts that would probably resort to more drastic measures to force her to leave the island.

  She and Jeff slept together whenever he was able to come to Angels Landing and not once had he ever mentioned the word love, not even in the throes of passion. The endearments flowed freely: baby, sweetheart, darling, babe, but never love.

  Kara had told herself it was futile to fall in love with Jeff, but she had. It was impossible to tell the heart what to do or how to feel.

  She’d come to love the Lowcountry: the food, local shops, the unique language of the Gullah, the tradition of sitting on porches or residents gathering in groups under trees, vegetable stands and craftspeople selling their trademark baskets, seeing the brightly colored houses with their windows often trimmed in blue to keep out evil spirits. The blood of the Gullah ran in her veins, yet Kara still did not feel a sense of belonging, and she knew it had to do with Eden’s warning.

  They didn’t want her, and she didn’t want them. She’d promised Jeff that she wouldn’t run, but Kara wondered how many more times she would be put to the test before they broke her spirit. Knowing Jeff loved her, truly loved her as much as she loved him, would help make her plight easier. Make her rethink her decision to leave after five years.

  Kara was out of the Jeep as soon as it stopped. “I’ll see you later.”

  Not waiting for his response, she reached into her bag for the key to Taylor’s Mercedes-Benz. She didn’t know why, but she couldn’t think of the car as hers even though it was now registered in her name. It was Taylor’s house, Taylor’s land, Taylor’s cars, and Taylor’s money.

  Taylor had left her all of his worldly possessions to make up for abandoning her mother when she needed him most, but it still wasn’t enough. Those who resented and hated him resented and hated her, too. Kara had given David her word that she would fulfill the terms of the will, and she would. However, she would not stay on the island one day longer than required.

  She put the key in the ignition, turned it, and the engine roared to life. Instead of heading east to the Cove, Kara drove west to the Haven. When Miss Corrine had asked what she wanted to quilt, her response had been a crib blanket. Blankets she would donate to needy families.

  “Always the social worker, aren’t you?” Jeff’s words echoed in her head. She smiled. Yes, she would always be a social worker because that’s who she was and always would be.

  Kara sang along with the radio as she maneuvered the car along the narrow road. It’d taken her more than an hour to select the squares she wanted for her first quilting project. The soft pastel colors of blue, green, pink, and yellow in solids and prints would make a beautiful quilt for a baby.

  A scream caught in her throat when large objects appeared in the middle of the road. In the split second it took for her to identify them as hogs it was too late to slow down. She swerved at the last possible moment, the car crashing head-on into a tree. The impact of metal slamming into the tree sounded like an explosion as shards of glass li
ttered the dash, passenger seat, and Kara’s lap.

  There was a burning sensation along the right side of her neck, and when Kara pressed her fingers to the area, it came away wet. Blinking, she stared at her trembling fingers covered with blood. She looked down at the front of her blouse and it was dotted with red.

  Luckily her cell phone sat on the console next to her. It took two attempts, but she was finally able to grab it and punch the speed-dial button on the screen. Jeff answered after the second ring. “What’s up, baby?”

  “Jeff.” His name was a trembling whisper.

  “What’s the matter?”

  “I’m hurt.” The blood was flowing faster.

  “Where are you?”

  Kara couldn’t remember what she’d said, but she did remember Jeff telling her he was on his way.

  Kara lay on an examining table, staring at Dr. Asa Monroe. He leaned closer. “I gave you an anesthetic that will make you a little groggy.”

  She blinked slowly. “Why does it hurt so much?”

  “You have a piece of glass embedded in your neck. I stopped the bleeding, and in a few minutes I’m going to take it out.”

  “Where’s Jeff?” She was slurring her words.

  He moved into her line of vision. “I’m here, baby.” He took her left hand, gently squeezing her fingers.

  Her eyelids fluttered wildly. “I don’t think I’ll ever eat swine again.”

  “Why not, sweetheart?”

  “There… there were hogs in the… the road. I… I…” Her words trailed off as she drifted off to sleep.

  Jeff exchanged a look with the doctor. “Judging from where I found her car, I know who those hogs belong to.”

  “People have to be responsible for their livestock,” Asa said as he sat on a stool at the head of the table. Reaching up, he adjusted a bright light, then swabbed the swollen area with a disinfecting solution.

  “How bad is it, Doc?”

  Asa’s gloved fingers touched Kara’s neck. “It looks worse than it is. One millimeter lower and you would have lost her. The shard is close to her carotid artery.”