Ghost of Summer

by Sally Berneathy

  Papa opened the door of a very used car Kate had seen in pictures, but the pictures hadn't captured the shine to which he'd buffed the faded brown paint. Mama turned back before getting in to hug her mother and father grandmother and brothers and sisters over and over. She smiled and laughed at their teasing even as tears streamed down her face, and her happiness was every bit as blatant as her sadness at leaving them.

  Papa stood beside his new bride, shaking hands and beaming with love and pride and sadness that Mama should ever have to know any degree of sadness.

  "Go on now," her mother urged, though she was crying, too. "It's not like you're going off to New York or something. This Briar Creek's only half a day's drive away from Willoughby. It's not like it was during the war when gas was rationed. We'll be up to see you real soon. Go on now, Emma. Go with your husband."

  The newly-weds drove away amidst much shouting. Noisy cans dangled from the back of the car.

  "I cried all the way to Briar Creek," Mama said, once more sitting beside Kate in the darkened room that wasn't dark. "I was so frightened of going off to a new place, leaving everything and everybody I knew behind, but I knew I was doing the right thing. When you find the one who completes your heart and your soul, you know, and you know that person is all you'll ever need."

  Kate closed her eyes. She didn't want to think about what her mother was saying.

  Through her eyelids, she could still see Mama sitting beside her, stroking Leo. Well, that's the way it went in dreams. They made no sense at all, no more sense than what Mama had been saying.

  "It makes perfect sense, Katie. You're not confused. You have been for years, but you're coming out of it now. Your heart is opening, blooming like my lilac bush blooms after a harsh winter. If it wasn't, you wouldn't be able to hear me again after all these years. Listen to what your heart tells you. Your fears will lead you astray every time. Only your heart will tell you the truth."

  ***

  Kate woke the next morning to the sounds of birds singing outside her open window and Leo purring in her ear. Her first inclination was to pull the pillow over her head and go back to sleep, back to the safe, happy realms she'd traveled in her dreams.

  But that was totally unlike her. She wasn't going to start hiding now.

  She stretched, reached up to stroke the cat's soft fur, and her strange dream returned to her.

  Not all that strange, she supposed, considering how confused she'd felt when she went to bed. In her dream, she'd created an all-knowing mother to help her through that confusion.

  Though Mama hadn't been of very much help.

  Listen to what your heart tells you. Your fears will lead you astray every time. Only your heart will tell you the truth.

  Well, her heart was telling her it didn't want to ever feel the pain of loss again. Her heart was telling her to trust her mind.

  She got up, grabbed a robe and headed for the shower. When she reached the door of her bedroom, she noticed it was slightly ajar though she was positive she had closed it last night. She turned and looked back at Leo who still lay curled in a ball on her pillow. He hadn't been in her room when she'd gone to sleep.

  "Did you wake Papa and make him let you in here or do you have a secret passageway?" Leo opened one eye halfway then closed it again, keeping his feline secrets.

  At least he wasn't doing that invisible hand routine. After her dream, Kate wasn't sure she'd ever be able to watch that again without expecting Mama to materialize.

  And what was that business about the lilac bush opening up?

  Okay, it was true that she'd stopped dreaming of Mama when Luke left and started again now that he was back in her life. But she'd stopped because she was growing up, setting aside childish things, and now the dreams had started because Luke reminded her of those childish things. Maybe she hadn't paid a lot of attention in psych class, but even she could figure that one out.

  She'd be fine once she got away from his influence.

  Mama was right. She wasn't confused. She'd been tired last night, and that had put her in an easily suggestible state, enabling Luke's presence to recall events and feelings of the past.

  Today she was wide awake and in control again.

  ***

  Friday dragged by for Luke as he anticipated and dreaded seeing his mother and her husband, anticipated and dreaded seeing Katie again.

  The entire week had been so crowded with events, especially the last two days when he and Katie had spent every spare minute getting the house ready, that an ordinary day seemed quiet and uneventful.

  Well, wasn't that what he'd wanted when he'd run back to Briar Creek, a succession of peaceful, quiet and uneventful days?

  He wasn't sure anymore exactly what he wanted.

  His father's old job, his family's old house, Sheriff's friendship, and Katie's friendship. He had all those. Okay, maybe the last wasn't quite the same, but it was close. Last night had been really close. If he discounted the fact that he had not, in his youth, been half-crazed with lust, it was really close.

  He pretty much had what he'd wanted, but it didn't seem to be what he'd wanted after all. At least, not quite everything he wanted.

  He was in his office jacking with the computer creature when he heard Evelyn squeal. "Francine! Is that really you?"

  He went into the reception area to see Evelyn hugging his mother.

  Jeff was standing just inside the door, looking a little uncomfortable and out of place. In the classroom, the man was totally competent, dynamic even, but take him away from his books, and he always seemed slightly lost. Luke's father, on the other hand, had never met a stranger and, like Sheriff, was in control of any situation.

  His father had never been rude or let anybody feel left out, either, Luke reminded himself, and he'd taught his son those traits.

  He strode over to Jeff and held out his hand. "Glad you could come," he said.

  Jeff smiled and shook Luke's hand. "Good to see you again, Luke."

  His mother, released from Evelyn's grasp, turned and wrapped him in an embrace.

  When she finally pulled back, he was surprised to note that she looked younger than when he'd last seen her.

  She was a small woman, the top of her head barely reaching his chin, so she'd always seemed youthful. Her hair was different, though. The predominantly white color that had started developing after his father died was now streaked with dark blond and styled in a short, casual cut.

  "What do you think?" she asked tentatively, lifting a hand to fluff out her bangs as he stared at her. "The color and the cut?"

  "It looks great. You look great."

  She smiled, and her eyes misted. "So do you. You look so much like your father in that uniform."

  An uncomfortable silence ensued.

  Or maybe it was only uncomfortable for him.

  "Have you all been by the house yet?" he asked.

  "No, we came straight here."

  "The door's unlocked if you want to go on in and get unpacked. Your old room's ready for you. I'll be through here in a couple of hours."

  "Take the rest of the day off," Sheriff said. Luke turned to see him coming in the back door. "Nothing ever happens in Briar Creek."

  "Jerome!" His mother ran to hug Sheriff.

  "How are you, Francine? You look great. Not a day older than the last time I saw you."

  "Oh, you always were full of malarky, Jerome Fallon. I'm fine. How about you?"

  "Good. Real good."

  "Jerome and Evelyn, I want you to meet Jeff Quinton, my husband."

  Everyone shook hands and welcomed Jeff. Luke knew he should stop worrying and be happy that his mother seemed so happy...and so young.

  But the contrast between Jeff and Sheriff only emphasized how different the man was from his father, how different this marriage was from his mother's first.

  Still, Katie was right. He couldn't worry about them getting divorced just because they got married. At least, he shouldn't worry. If he couldn't
help it, he could keep his concerns to himself.

  And as for his own selfish feelings about his father disappearing because Jeff had appeared, well, that was his problem. No one else's.

  "Mom, what would you think about inviting Sheriff and Katie over for dinner tonight?" He knew his mother would want to spent time with Sheriff, and he himself would probably deal better with things if other people were around...especially if one of those people was Katie.

  How easily he'd settled back into the routine of needing her.

  "We can get a pizza or Chinese food," he continued.

  "I think that's a wonderful idea, except I'll cook dinner."

  "Mom, I don't want you to start working again the minute you get here."

  "Nonsense. Jeff and I are taking gourmet cooking classes, and we'd love the chance to try out some of our recipes on real people."

  "Katie and I will bring the dessert," Sheriff volunteered.

  "Great. Then it's all settled," Francine said.

  Luke smiled. "I guess it is."

  It was all settled except for his peace of mind.

  And he could tell that had major problems when he was anticipating Katie's presence as a soothing element.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Sheriff pushed away from the table and laid his napkin beside his plate. "That was mighty fine food. Francine, you and Jeff did good, and Katie-girl, that cake was delicious even if it was a little flat."

  Katie gave her father a mock scowl. "Brownies, Papa, they were brownies and they're supposed to be flat."

  Luke's mother reached over and clasped Sheriff's hand in both of hers. "Thanks, Jerome. It was strange to be back in that kitchen after all these years. Not that it's very much like it was then. The old place never looked this good. You kids have done a great job fixing it up and furnishing it."

  Luke exchanged a smile with Katie sitting across the table from him. "When we're fifty, your dad and my mom will still be calling us you kids."

  Sheriff chuckled. "That's right. You'll always be our kids. How about you, Jeff? Got any kids you can torment in your old age?"

  They'd been doing that all evening, suddenly realizing they'd been excluding Jeff and making an effort to include him. Not, Luke thought in all fairness to Jeff, because he didn't fit in but simply because the four of them had so much history together that Jeff wasn't a part of.

  "No," Jeff said. "I've never been married before. I'm waiting for Luke to produce grandchildren and skip straight to that part. I hear that's the most fun, anyway."

  "Hmm." Luke ducked his head and scratched one eyebrow thoughtfully. "Have you and Mom thought about getting a dog?"

  That elicited laughter, and everybody scooted their chairs back and rose.

  "I'll do the dishes," Luke offered, "since everybody else did the cooking."

  "I'll help," Katie volunteered. "Those brownies came from a box. You can't really count that as cooking."

  "Leave the dishes, Luke," his mother said. "They'll still be there tomorrow."

  Luke looked at Katie who shrugged.

  "The food'll get stuck on them, Mom. You always used to say that."

  "Did I? Well, if it sticks on tonight, we'll soak it off tomorrow. Come sit and visit. That's more important."

  His fastidious mother was willing to leave dirty dishes overnight. Amazing.

  Jeff laid an arm across her shoulders. "If we can't soak it off, we'll throw away those dishes and buy new ones."

  His mother laughed and gazed up into Jeff's eyes as if they were lovers.

  Well, weren't they? However weird it was to think about his history teacher and his mother as lovers, they were married.

  Luke followed the others into the living room where Sheriff, Jeff and his mom sat on the sofa and Katie took the arm chair leaving him the big recliner. He'd bought the recliner for himself but somehow it didn't feel like his as he sank into it. It didn't feel right.

  His father had always had a recliner while his mother had her favorite arm chair next to a floor lamp so she could read or crochet at night. This felt weird, to be in his father's place.

  "Luke," Jeff said, "I'm looking forward to your showing me around this weekend. I've been doing some research on your little town since you moved back here, and it has quite a fascinating history."

  "Briar Creek fascinating?" Katie asked in disbelief.

  "Then I assume you haven't heard the story about the cave," Jeff said.

  "The cave?" Katie echoed and looked at Luke.

  "No," Luke said. "We haven't heard any story about a cave, but we do know where it is. At least, where one cave is. Katie and I used to play there. Tell us the story."

  "Then the cave still exists! I was afraid it would have been filled in by now."

  "As of last week, it's still there, if this is the same one."

  "Well, the story goes, that back around 1850 a couple of robbers held up the bank in Tyler. They made it to the Angelina River where they had a boat hidden. They went down the Angelina to where it branched off to Briar Creek. Apparently Briar Creek had more water in those days. Anyway, a few miles down, they found a big cave set in the bank. I don't know how big it is now, but at the time it was, according to the story, big enough for the two men to walk in."

  "It's still that big," Luke affirmed.

  "They planned to hide the money on the theory that, if they were caught and didn't have the evidence on them, they couldn't be sent to jail. Later, they'd go back and reclaim their loot. But when they went back, it was as if the earth had swallowed the cave. They couldn't find it again. They thought it was magic, that the cave was cursed or something. In reality, the creek had probably risen, and it was underwater. Nevertheless, the men gave up, went on to rob other banks and eventually got caught."

  Jeff's hand rested casually on his wife's knee, and she gazed at him adoringly.

  "A few years later," he continued, "a young cowboy and the woman he loved, who happened to be an Indian princess, were running away from the world. In those days, it wasn't acceptable for an Indian and a white man to marry. They came down that same river, and a terrible storm arose. They thought they were doomed until they saw a cave open up as if by magic. They took shelter to wait out the storm and were, well, um, doing what young lovers do, and, in the process, jolted some rocks loose, exposing the hidden money. They returned it to the bank, collected the reward and, with that money, established the town of Briar Creek."

  "What a wonderful story," Katie said. "Gosh, Luke, if we'd known that, we could have dug around to see if there was any of that money they overlooked."

  "Isn't that something?" Sheriff said. "All these years I've lived here and never heard that."

  "I suspect the early town fathers wanted to hush up the Indian involvement."

  Sheriff nodded. "Likely. Luke, you have Indian ancestry. Maybe you're a descendant of that princess."

  "Actually," Jeff said before Luke could laugh it off, "that's possible. The records are sketchy, but, from what I've been able to determine, that's actually very much a possibility."

  Luke folded his arms and smiled. "Well, it makes a good story."

  As the evening progressed, Luke was surprised to find himself becoming increasingly more comfortable with Jeff, as if they had resumed their old relationship when Jeff had been a friend of the family, his teacher and mentor, someone a little older than him and a little younger than his mother.

  Finally Sheriff stood and stretched. "Time to take these old bones home to bed."

  Katie rose, too. "I know you both probably have lots of plans, but I'd love to see you again before I leave Sunday."

  Francine stood and hugged Katie and Sheriff. "Our plans include spending as much time with all of you as we can."

  Everyone went out on the front porch, and Katie and Sheriff started down the walk, but then Sheriff stopped. "Luke, could you come with me and bring back a book I have that I know Jeff would enjoy reading. It's about some of the old families around town."

&nbs
p; "You don't have to do that tonight," Jeff protested. "I can get it from you tomorrow."

  "When you're as old as I am, you never put things off until tomorrow. Luke won't mind. It's only a couple of blocks, and it's a beautiful night for a walk."