Angels Landing

by Rochelle Alers

  Jeff watched intently as Asa opened a package with a sterilized scalpel. The doctor adjusted the light again and seconds later deftly removed the glass, dropping it in a metal bowl.

  Kara’s chest rose and fell as she slept through the entire procedure. Quickly and neatly, the incision was closed with four tiny sutures.

  Asa covered the wound with gauze and a waterproof bandage. “She needs to keep it dry for several days. Bring her back before the end of the week so I can change the dressing.”

  “What about the sutures?”

  “They’ll dissolve on their own. I’m going to give you some painkillers for her. If she complains about the pain, then give her one every six hours.”

  Waiting until the doctor discarded his gloves, Jeff shook his hand. “Thanks, Doc. Please send me the bill.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  Corrine put on her half glasses and looked closely at the faint scar on Kara’s neck. “Dr. Monroe did a real fine job. You have to look real close to see where he took out the glass.”

  It had been two weeks since the accident. The Mercedes was towed to a garage on the Cove where the insurance adjuster documented that the vintage car was totaled.

  Jeff had hovered over Kara like a hen with a brood of chicks. He’d gone as far as to sleep with her for two nights until she threatened to lock the bedroom door, because whenever she moaned when turning her head or changing position, he’d ask if she was in pain. The result was he forced her to swallow a pill that made her lose track of time. For several days she didn’t know where she was or whether it was day or night.

  It didn’t take long for news to spread across the island that she was convalescing at the Hamiltons’ house. Mrs. Todd and Morgan had come to visit, bringing flowers, get-well cards, and sweet breads from the Muffin Corner.

  Eddie Wilkes, editor in chief of the Sanctuary Chronicle, also stopped by for an interview. He was forthcoming when he said it was the first time in nearly seventy years that hogs were responsible for a road accident. There had been a time when feral pigs were destroying the farms on Haven Creek, but farmers had concocted elaborate traps and hunting parties to capture them. What had been estimated to be more than one hundred pigs decreased dramatically over a three-month period until the numbers dwindled to single digits.

  Eddie also interviewed her as the new owner of Angels Landing. When the article appeared in the Chronicle with news that she had no intention of selling the house or the land surrounding it, and that it was currently being restored to become a museum, the Pattons fired another salvo at her. This time they were contesting Taylor’s will, stating he wasn’t of sound mind and body when he had it drawn up.

  Kara touched the spot where Dr. Monroe had made the small incision. “It’s only slightly tender.”

  Corrine removed her glasses. “The Lord was watching over you that day because that glass could’ve struck you in the eye.”

  “You’re right about that.”

  “You gave us quite a scare. Jeffrey in particular. You know that he’s in love with you, don’t you?”

  “That’s where you’re wrong, Miss Corrine.”

  Corrine folded her arms across her chest. “When it comes to my grandson, I’m seldom wrong. Jeffrey is in love with you.”

  “Has he told you that he is?”

  “He doesn’t have to tell me, Kara. I see the way he looks at you. Even when he was engaged to that teacher, he never looked at her the way he looks at you.”

  Kara stared at the woman she’d begun to relate to as her own grandmother—tall and slender with soft, curly, silver hair; smooth skin that reminded her of dark brown velvet; and a sweet fragrance of gardenia. She and Jeff had talked about a lot of things, yet he’d neglected to mention that he’d been engaged. She managed to mask her surprise with a deceptive calmness.

  “Why didn’t he marry her?” she asked Corrine.

  Corrine smoothed the crease in her cotton slacks. “It wasn’t Jeffrey but Pamela who didn’t want to marry him. She said she couldn’t be a military wife.”

  “But didn’t she know he was a career officer when she’d accepted his proposal?”

  “She did.”

  “That is so wrong, Miss Corrine.” A rush of relief replaced Kara’s annoyance. Now she understood why Jeff had failed to mention his engagement. There was no doubt he was too embarrassed to tell her of his former fiancée’s rejection.

  Corrine smiled. “You’re preaching to the choir, child.” She stood up. “I’m going to put up water for tea. Would you like a cup?”

  Kara pushed to her feet. “Please sit down. I’ll make the tea.”

  “Okay. I’ll set up the table in the sunroom.”

  Walking out of the parlor, Kara made her way to the kitchen. When she and Jeff had discussed David’s inability to commit to his longtime girlfriend, he’d never mentioned that he’d been engaged. They’d talked about how men were reluctant to propose marriage, and not once had he taken himself out of that equation.

  Kara didn’t expect Jeff to profess his undying love for her after three months, but hearing the word would make it easier for her to consider changing her future plans to include possibly spending the rest of her life on Cavanaugh Island.

  She’d come to appreciate the homey warmth of the Hamilton residence. Although the house was larger than those along Waccamaw Road, it was one-fourth the size of Angels Landing. Corrine had disclosed that her neighbors were quite curious when a contractor had begun knocking out walls to expand rooms, replacing old windows with those that would withstand the force of tropical storms and replacing the clapboard siding with maintenance-free vinyl that Jeff power washed twice a year. Not to be outdone, one by one the residents began updating and renovating their homes. The ongoing renaissance on Waccamaw Road had become a blueprint for many of the older homes in the Cove.

  Filling a kettle with water, Kara placed it on a cooktop stove, then took down two cups and saucers from an overhead cabinet. She moved around the kitchen with the familiarity of someone who’d lived there for years instead of two weeks. Corrine had become her mentor when she instructed her in preparing traditional Lowcountry dishes. She’d taught her how to make and perfect old-fashioned brown gravy, crab cake sauce, and sweet potato pone.

  Without warning Corrine would speak Gullah, and Kara would have to try and figure out what she’d said. One day when Corrine was going on and on about Jeff, she’d stopped and said, “Ebry frog praise é own pond.” That she understood to mean that every frog praises his own pond.

  She finished brewing the tea, pouring it into a hand-painted teapot. Tiny jars of locally made honey, a small pitcher of milk, the teapot, cups, and teaspoons were placed on a tray. Kara carried the tray into the sunroom.

  Corrine sat in her favorite club chair, feet resting on a footstool. Oliver lay on the chair beside her. Her pet had quickly switched his allegiance from her to Corrine who’d permitted him the run of the house. No room was off-limits. Not even the kitchen. What she wouldn’t permit him to do was beg for food. Kara also suspected the tiny dog slept in the bed with Corrine but loathed accusing her host of the infraction as she’d done Jeff.

  She set the tray on the coffee table before filling a cup with the steaming fragrant blueberry tea. “Do you want honey?”

  “Not today. But I could use a couple of those shortbread cookies you made yesterday.”

  Kara smiled. “Okay.”

  She’d just entered the kitchen when the doorbell rang and Oliver began his frenetic barking that echoed through the house. When she returned to the sunroom with the plate of cookies, Corrine handed her an envelope.

  “A messenger just delivered this.”

  Sitting, Kara opened the mailing envelope with the return address from the lab that had conducted the DNA test. Her heart was pounding, hands shaking, as she broke the seal on the flap and opened the envelope. Slumping back in the chair, she smiled. The results of the test were irrefutable. The medical examiner had signed the letter,
then covered her signature with the department’s official seal. She handed the single sheet of paper to Corrine.

  “Only a fool would doubt you were Taylor’s baby girl.”

  Kara nodded. “If I know, they have to know. Maybe now they’ll drop their crusade to challenge Taylor’s will.”

  “Please don’t tell me they’re going to try and prove Taylor was crazy. He may have been a little strange, but he wasn’t crazy.” Corrine handed Kara back the paper. “Don’t you worry yourself none ’bout those silly folks. I think we can go out and celebrate.”

  “Where do you want to go, Miss Corrine?”

  “There’s always Jack’s, but Jeffrey told me that someone in the Creek opened a panini café last week. All of the bread is baked on the premises, and it’s become very popular with the college students that come over from the mainland.”

  “It sounds good to me.”

  “Maybe we’ll go after we finish our tea, so we can avoid the crowds.”

  Kara wanted to ask Corrine if they should invite Jeff to go along with them but quickly decided against it. Sleeping under the same roof had changed them and their relationship. She knew he’d been more shaken than he appeared about the car crash, but that didn’t explain why he’d cleverly devised ways not to be around her.

  The doorbell rang again, and Kara and Corrine exchanged a look. It wasn’t often they had visitors, and to have two within the span of half an hour was indeed rare. Oliver, barking frantically, stood up, turning around and around to indicate he wanted to get down.

  “Stay, Oliver,” Kara said firmly. “Should I get the door, Miss Corrine?”

  “Please.”

  The doorbell rang again before she opened it. “Eden.”

  Eden flashed a plastic smile. “I need to speak to you. May I come in?”

  Opening the door wider, Kara shook her head. “We can talk out here.” She stepped out onto the porch and pointed to a cushioned chair. “Please have a seat.” Waiting until she sat on the chair, Kara sat opposite her on a matching love seat. “What do you want to talk about?”

  Eden leaned forward. “I want to be honest with you, Kara.”

  “Honest about what?”

  “What you need to ask yourself,” Eden continued as if Kara hadn’t spoken, “is do you really belong here. If you did, then you never would consider turning our ancestral home into a museum. You have no connection with the land or the people who’ve lived here for centuries. Folks will never accept you, so why would you want to live someplace where you’ll always be thought of as an outsider?”

  “That’s enough out of you, missy.” Kara and Eden turned to find Corrine standing a few feet away. “Please leave my home.”

  Eden stood up. “I have no quarrel with you, Miss Corrine.”

  “And I won’t have one with you if you leave my home.”

  “I haven’t had my say with Kara,” Eden insisted.

  Kara knew it was time to take charge of a situation that was quickly spiraling out of control. “You heard what she said, Eden. Get the hell out!”

  Eden’s eyes grew wide. “Who do you think you are to speak to me like that?”

  “She is who she is,” said a softly spoken deep voice. Jeff had walked out of the house without making a sound. He’d pulled on a pair of jeans but had left his chest and feet bare. He beckoned Eden. “Come. I’ll see you to your car.”

  “You can’t protect her forever, Jeff.”

  He shook his head. “I hope that’s not a threat, Eden.”

  “Of course not.” She nodded to Corrine, then Kara. “Good afternoon.”

  When Jeff returned, Kara shook her head. “She just won’t give up.”

  “What are you talking about?” Jeff asked. He listened when Kara told him about Eden coming to Angels Landing. “Why didn’t you tell me about this before?”

  “There’s no need to raise your voice, Jeffrey.”

  He glared at his grandmother. “Gram, this is between Kara and me.”

  “And this is my home, Jeffrey, and you know I don’t tolerate folks raising their voices.”

  “Gram, you don’t understand.” He told his grandmother about the rock-throwing incident.

  Corrine pressed a hand to her chest. “Oh, my word!”

  “To answer your question, Jeff, I didn’t tell you because Eden said she’d come to warn me that her family wasn’t going to give up fighting for what they believe belongs to them.”

  “A dog that brings a bone will take a bone,” Corrine mumbled under her breath.

  Jeff approached Kara. “Gram is right. The Pattons sent Eden as a decoy. She wanted you to believe she was on your side, but she was really sent here to intimidate you.”

  She stared at the stubble on his lean jaw. “The DNA results say I’m Taylor’s daughter.”

  He smiled. “I know. The ME called me the other day. She didn’t want me to say anything until you got the official notification.” He took a step and cradled her face. “Now you know why I wanted you to stay here.”

  “I thought it was to keep your grandmother company,” she whispered.

  “That’s only half of it.”

  “What’s the other half?”

  “I’ll have to show you.”

  Corrine grunted loudly. “I’ll leave you two alone to talk.”

  “I’m off this weekend. If you’re not doing anything, then I’d like you to come with me to Myrtle Beach.”

  “Should I bring a swimsuit?”

  “Of course. But panties are optional.”

  Turning on his heels, he walked out of the parlor leaving Kara staring at the space where he’d been. As exasperated as she could be with Jeff, Kara never doubted her love for him.

  Kara opened her eyes, peering at the clock on the nightstand. Even after three months on the island, she still woke up without an alarm clock. Knowing she wasn’t going back to sleep, she slipped out of bed and went into the bathroom across the hall. The house was as quiet as a tomb.

  She completed her morning ablutions in twenty minutes; slipped into a halter top, shorts, and flip-flops; and went downstairs to sit on the front porch. Corrine had unofficially adopted her dog. Oliver slept at the foot of Corrine’s bed and sat in her lap whenever she read or watched television. He also claimed a spot beside her on her favorite chair whenever she did her needlework projects. Oliver was now Corrine’s pet because she’d taken over the task of feeding him. Kara was tempted to rename him Traitor.

  She’d discovered Waccamaw Road didn’t begin to stir until six thirty when high school students piled into cars to drive into Charleston for classes. She returned the wave of a pretty coed who lived several houses away. The girl’s older sister, a local college student, came twice a week to clean Corrine’s house to earn extra money.

  It was after seven when Kara stood up to go into the house. As soon as she opened the screen door, she heard breaking glass. Running into the house, she was met with smoke and the ringing of smoke alarms. The smoke burned her eyes and lungs as she raced frantically, maneuvering through the thick haze trying to find Corrine.

  “Miss Corrine!” Gasping, she went in and out of rooms, looking for her. Holding a hand over her mouth to keep from choking, she found Jeff’s grandmother on the kitchen floor. Oliver lay beside her, shaking uncontrollably.

  Snatching a dish towel off the countertop, she wet it and placed it over her nose as she dialed 911. She gave the operator the address and told him to hurry because smoke had filled the entire house. Anchoring her hands under Corrine’s shoulders, she managed to drag her out of the kitchen, through the living room, and onto the front porch. She returned to get Oliver, nearly panicking as he lay limply in her arms.

  By the time she returned to the porch a small crowd had gathered. Kara had begun administering CPR when Jeff and Dr. Monroe arrived at the same time. Sitting on the floor, she pulled her knees to her chest, rested her head on her knees, breathing deeply to clear her lungs of the smoke. Then she cried. Tears blurred her
vision as she watched the doctor give Corrine oxygen, waiting until she began to stir before he shifted his attention to Oliver.

  I can’t do this. It can’t continue like this. The silent voice shouted what she couldn’t form her mouth to say. Whoever wanted her gone had won.

  Jeff hunkered down beside Kara. He was frightened. More frightened than he’d been when he and his men were pinned down by sniper fire. Cradling her in his arms, he rocked her back and forth.

  “Baby,” he whispered over and over, placing tiny kisses all over her face.

  “How is she?” Kara asked hoarsely.

  “Gram is going to be all right. Asa is calling the mainland for a chopper to have her airlifted to a mainland hospital.”

  Kara pulled back, her eyes wide with fear. “I thought you said she was going to be all right.”

  “She is. It’s just a precaution because of her heart condition.” He smoothed back her hair. “Oliver is also breathing on his own, but I’m going to take him to the vet just to make certain he’s okay. Meanwhile, you’re coming with me to the hospital so they can check your lungs.”

  “I’m okay, Jeff. I didn’t inhale that much smoke.”

  “That wasn’t smoke, Kara. It was pepper gas, the same gas used by the military.” He kissed her mouth. “Don’t get up. I’m going inside to open the windows. And when I come back, I’m taking you to Charleston.”

  Taking a handkerchief from his jeans, he covered his nose, entering the house and opening windows on the second and first floors. A light breeze coming in through the screens did little to dispel the acrid smell, and Jeff knew it would take hours before it dissipated completely. His foot hit an object on the kitchen floor. The moment his hand touched it Jeff experienced déjà vu. The message glued to the brick was different from the last but held the same meaning: “KN—Get out of town.”

  It was the second time someone had threatened Kara. And he planned for it to be the last. Whoever had tossed the pepper grenade cared little for who else was in the house with her. He’d lost every significant woman in his life, and he swore an oath that he would hold onto the last two until his final breath. He loved his grandmother and had fallen in love with Kara.