The Sunny Side of the Mountain

by Charliann Roberts

  Chapter Seven

  “What are you doing up so early, Mom?” Kayla mumbled with a yawn. She stepped quietly over the threshold, careful not to let the screen door slam shut. Holding a blanket around her, she sat next to her, snuggling into the soft fleece, pulling it up around her neck.

  “Just enjoying the sunrise,” Cassandra said, rocking slowly back and forth. “Look,” she whispered, “over there.” She pointed toward the edge of the lawn, where the dirt drive ended. There was a family of mallards. The female, a mottled brown, waddled along with the young ones trailing behind. With its iridescent green head, rusty chest, and gray body, the male followed, keeping a close watch around them. While trying to keep up with the others in the tall blades of grass, one of the ducklings stumbled, falling headfirst.

  “Oh, they’re so cute,” Kayla said softly. “Now I know why Auntie Em enjoys it up here, Mom. It’s really beautiful and there’s so much to see.”

  “Yes. It really is gorgeous, isn’t it?”

  “And Nick was really cool yesterday,” Kayla said, twisting a strand of hair around her finger, glancing at her from the corner of her eye. “Did you like him?”

  “Yes, he does seem to be a very helpful neighbor. It was really nice of him to guide us around the border of Auntie Em’s property on horseback.”

  “That was fun. And he said it would be okay to bring Sherry and Adam over to go riding when they’re here, if it’ll be all right with you.”

  “Sure. I’ll speak to Shannon about it. I’m sure she won’t mind. You’ve all been horseback riding together at the Lazy R.”

  “Look, Mom, down by the creek.” She pointed. “The ducks are going into the water.” The stream had a gentle flow where the ducklings carefully lowered themselves in. “I can’t wait for Sherry and Adam to get here. They’ll love it. This is going to be a really awesome summer.”

  “It’s warming up, now that the sun’s out. Would you like to go hiking after lunch? Or we could pack a picnic lunch to bring along.”

  “Sure,” Kayla said, and brushed a wisp of hair away from her face. “That sounds like fun. We might find a place to picnic somewhere along the creek.” She beamed and added, “I’m going to call Sherry. I want to find out when they’ll be coming.”

  “Okay. I want to call Auntie Em, too.” She stood up, patting Kayla’s knee, and tightened the belt on her warm robe. “Let’s go whip up a batch of pancakes. Your brother will be waking up soon.”

  *

  “Okay Auntie Em, just what do you have up your sleeve?”

  “That’s a strange greeting!” she replied when she lifted the receiver. “Why honey, I don’t know what you’re talking about. Is there a problem?”

  “You know darn well what I’m talking about. You had something planned all along, didn’t you? You’re trying to match me up with Nick Colburn.”

  “Oh… that’s what you’re talking about.” She twirled the phone cord in her fingers. “He’s such a sweetheart, don’t you agree?”

  “Auntie Em, I’m not even divorced yet. It won’t be final for another month. And when it is, I have no desire to get involved with anyone again, ever.”

  Those words pained her. “Oh, honey, don’t say things like that. The twins will be gone before you blink an eye, and you know it. You don’t want to live the rest of your life alone. You’re still a very young woman, and you have a lot of life to live yet.”

  “Look who’s talking! You refused to meet anyone after your fiancé passed away.” She knew that Cassandra would never forget that tragic accident, and neither would she. Being a firefighter, her fiancé had reported to a three-alarm church fire. Trapped under a burning rafter, he died two weeks before their wedding. It had been so heartbreaking for her.

  She had an answer to that, of course. “I’ve always had your Uncle Jack around to keep me company.”

  “That’s different and you know it. He’s your brother.”

  “Yes, but I’ve had no desire to fall in love again. I lived my life in my novels.” She sighed, content to concede for now, at least. “Okay, honey, I’ll mind my own business. You’ve suffered more than enough pain and disappointment. I just want you to be happy.”

  “I know you’re concerned and I love you for it, Auntie Em. I’ll talk to you again soon.”

  Those words warmed her heart. She felt good as she said, “Goodbye, Cassandra.”

  Before she’d even placed her phone back on the table, it started ringing again. Thinking Cassandra had something else to say, she quickly picked up the receiver and said, “Hi, honey.”

  There was only silence.

  “Hello?” She looked at the receiver, which was a foolish thing to do, and then put it back to her ear. “Cassandra? Hello?” Maybe there was a problem with the line.

  Suddenly, just as she was about to hang up, she heard a movement in the background. Somebody was there.

  The long moment of silence was finally broken. “I’m not your honey. Where is my wife? And where are my kids?”

  Emma felt a cold chill run up her spine.

  “Haven’t you caused her enough pain, Jeff? Just leave them alone!” she cried out in anger, then hung up.

  *

  “I’ll tell you one thing, Cassandra, he definitely had not spoken to me with a friendly Hi, how are you? tone of voice. He sounded very nasty and I’m sure he was drunk.”

  “What a surprise!” Cassandra forced her tense hand to relax on the receiver. “And what else did he say?”

  “I didn’t give him a chance to say anything else. As soon as I realized it was Jeff, I gave him a piece of my mind, and then I hung up on him. He sounded very evil, honey. I’m glad you’re where he won’t be able to find you.”

  “Don’t bet on it. It wouldn’t surprise me if he hired a Private Investigator. He has a friend who’s a retired P.I.”

  “Well, be careful, honey.”

  “We will. The twins are over at Nick’s right now, helping him repair some fencing. Thanks for alerting me. If he doesn’t leave you alone, call the police. And don’t answer your phone if his name comes up on caller I.D. again.”

  Leaving the phone, she shook her head, grabbed a cup of coffee and went to the bedroom where she’d set up her office in the corner. It served as her work area, her desk facing the window that overlooked the long dirt drive. She had a report with a deadline approaching, and hoped to complete it today.

  She always checked her email several times a day, for any messages from the office. Opening her email folder, an URGENT notification popped up. She noticed immediately who sent it. He never had been much of a typist. He kept it very short.

  YOULL BE SORRY.

  That was all. She only glanced at the message, without actually opening the email. If she opened it, he might know that she’d read it. She moved it into a file of its own, and labeled it “JEFF”.

  Cassandra tried to lose herself in her work, but her mind kept returning to the message. YOULL BE SORRY. She rested her head in her hands.

  She stood up, sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. She decided to walk down to the dock and try to relax for a bit. She’d complete the report later, and they’d have it first thing in the morning.

  Sitting at the dock was so soothing on her nerves, as she listened to the water’s gentle gurgle beneath. She rolled up her jeans enough to swish her feet back and forth in the water. It felt cool and refreshing. Leaning back, her elbows on the dock behind her, she closed her eyes and tipped her face up to the sun. It felt warm, and she stretched out on the dock and nodded off to sleep.

  She woke to a few drops of water landing on her face. She opened her eyes, thinking it was beginning to rain, until she turned her head and her eyes met Kayla’s.

  Kayla had a big grin on her face.

  “You stinker!” she laughed as she swatted her.

  Kyle was standing on the other side of her, she realized, and they’d both been sprinkling droplets of water on her to wake her up.

  “
How long have you been asleep?” Kayla asked.

  “Oh, just for a short while. I only came down here to relax and unwind. I hadn’t intended to fall asleep.”

  “We’re starving,” Kyle said. “Should we make some sandwiches?”

  “That sounds good. Let’s go figure out what to have along with them,” she said, and they helped her up.

  “How would you like to take a ride into town after lunch?” Cassandra asked, placing bread and lunchmeat on the table. “Auntie Em had mentioned that there’s a quaint little town about ten miles from here. We could walk around and check it out, see what’s there. She also said there’s a nice bookstore, and I’d like to pick up a couple of paperbacks.”

  “We’re not going hiking?”

  “We can do that tomorrow. I’d like to have something to read tonight.”

  “Okay, I didn’t bring any books along either,” Kayla said.

  “I guess,” Kyle said, and he filled a bowl with chips. “While you women are shopping, I can go looking around to see if the town has any nice looking chicks.” He wiggled his eyebrows.

  Cassandra laughed, took a swing at his backside and missed as he jumped out of her reach.

  “Ha! You’re getting slow, Mom,” he said.

  *

  Strolling along the Old Town Square, Cassandra noticed that her cell phone vibrated. She pulled it from her purse, glanced at the caller I.D. and put it back.

  “Who was that, Mom?” Kayla asked. “Why didn’t you answer it?”

  Lowering herself to a park bench, she patted it for them to sit next to her. Brushing a strand of hair away from her face, she said, “It was your dad. I was planning to give both of you an update today. He’s been calling and threatening Auntie Em, trying to get her to tell him where we are. Have either of you received any emails from him this week?”

  “No, Mom,” Kyle replied, then glanced at Kayla.

  “I haven’t either. Why, did he send you one?”

  “Yes, earlier this morning. This wasn’t something I wanted to tell you, but you need to know. The only thing he wrote was ‘you’ll be sorry’. When he called Auntie Em, he asked, ‘where is my wife, and where are my kids’. She said she didn’t like the tone of voice he used, and he sounded like he’d been drinking. She hung up on him.”

  “I guess he didn’t learn a thing while in prison. They let him out and he heads right back to the bottle,” Kyle said, looking up at her. “If he won’t stop drinking, Mom, we don’t want to see him.”

  “Well, let’s drop it for now. How would you like to build a fire outside tonight and roast hot dogs?”

  “That sounds like fun,” Kyle said.

  “Would it be okay if we invite Nick?” Kayla asked.

  “Sure, why not. Now, let’s go browse around for some books,” she said, and they entered the bookstore, a bell tinkling above their heads.

  *

  She shut down her computer and stood up, grateful that she’d completed the report and sent it off. Now she’d have a clear head for tonight’s wiener roast. Looking in the closet, she decided she’d better wear something a bit warmer. The nights still carried a bit of a chill in the air. Deciding on her dark brown jeans, she reached for her beige turtleneck sweater from the shelf above her head. Pulling on her brown cowgirl boots she’d purchased in town today, the legs of the jeans slid into them smoothly. She stood in front of the mirror, turning her head to see her backside. “Darn, I’m going to have to do quite a bit of horseback riding to trim down that fat butt,” she muttered.

  She turned and headed for the kitchen. Stopping at the doorway, she looked toward the front door and the sound of laughter. The door swung open. Kyle and Kayla were grinning as they entered with Nick following close behind. Not bad, Cassandra observed, checking out his blue plaid flannel shirt and snug jeans that hugged his legs in all the right places. He removed his cowboy hat. Now there’s a gentleman. I haven’t seen that type of mannerism in years.

  “Hey, Mom, did you finish your work?” Kayla asked.

  “Yes, I did. I was just going to get the hot dogs. Were you able to get the fire started?”

  “Yes, Nick drove up just in time to help,” Kyle said with a grin. “The fire’s just about ready.”

  “Why don’t the two of you carry the trays of food out to the picnic table? I’ll bring the rest.”

  “Anything left for me to carry?” Nick asked.

  “If you wouldn’t mind grabbing the pop from the refrigerator, there’s cola or ice tea. On the other hand, I can make some coffee if you’d like.”

  “Cola is fine with hot dogs,” he said, and turned to reach into the refrigerator.

  “Okay, I’m ready,” she said, her eyes darting around the kitchen, making sure she had everything before heading toward the door. She heard the tread of his cowboy boots along the polished wood as he followed her out.

  When everyone had eaten more than enough grilled hot dogs and roasted marshmallows, they sat back in their lawn chairs and enjoyed the peace and quiet.

  Cassandra felt very mellow in front of the fire; staring at the orange flames pulled her into a trance. She was deep in thought, when suddenly they all jumped at a loud snap that came from the area of trees and brush along the opposite side of the driveway. It sounded like a tree branch snapped.

  Nick jumped up and ran in the direction of the noise. Kyle wanted to go with him but Nick told him to stay put, he was only going to check it out. “Could just be a wild animal,” he said.

  After a couple of tense minutes, he returned to the fire pit, sat down and placed the flashlight back under his chair. “I don’t know what it was. I thought I heard the sound of someone running into the woods. When I moved closer to the area, I heard the crackling of twigs and dry leaves, but the sound was moving away. I stood listening as I beamed the light into the trees and brush, but heard nothing more. It was probably just an animal. Whatever it was, it’s gone now.”

  “What kind of animals are around here?” Kyle asked. “Bears?”

  “We don’t see too many bears, but it could have been a deer, or even just raccoons out looking for food. They probably caught the scent of the hot dogs.”

  “Well,” Cassandra said, “how about if we call it a night. It’s getting late and there could possibly be another report waiting for me in the morning.”

  “I’m sure glad we don’t have to use an outhouse,” Kayla said. “I wouldn’t want to meet up with whatever was out there tonight.”

  After helping with the cleanup, Kyle and Kayla went into the cabin to play a game of Scrabble. Nick double-checked the fire pit to make sure the fire was out, and tossed a bit more dirt over the coals, just to be sure. After folding up the chairs and putting them back in the shed, he walked Cassandra to the door.

  “Do you really think it was just an animal?”

  “I don’t know what else it could have been. We’ve never had an intruder way out here.”

  “I hope not. I am worried, though. My ex-husband may have hired a P.I. to look for us. Auntie Em didn’t think he’d ever find us on property so well hidden in the deep northern woods, but it wouldn’t surprise me.”

  “If you don’t mind my asking, had he ever hurt you or the kids in the past? Physically, I mean.”

  “No, he’d never hurt the kids, and he only mentally abused me, nothing physical. However, I just don’t trust him when he’s been drinking. I never know what he might do. And he’s angry because I had him served with divorce papers while he was in prison.”

  “Your aunt vaguely mentioned something about that. Keep the doors locked. It may be wise to list my phone number in your cell phone, so you won’t need to look it up if you need help. I’m sure you’ll be okay. This place is difficult to find if you don’t have specific directions. You have a good night. Call me if you need anything.”

  “Okay, I will. Thank you.”

  She went in, latched the bolt lock on the door, and headed for the bedroom. Passing the twins on her way, she s
topped to see how their game was going and to say goodnight.

  “I’m going to check my email and then get to bed,” she said, as she picked up a couch pillow from the floor. “If you should hear anything outside, don’t even look out the window; just wake me, okay?”

  “Okay,” Kyle said, “but I doubt that there’d be anyone out there in the pitch black, Mom. It’s so dark with no city lights to brighten up the sky.” He grinned mischievously. “But just to be safe, if we hear anything we’ll run into your room and hide under your bed,” he teased.

  “Wise guy,” she said, then ruffled his hair and headed for her room.

  She got ready for bed, then sat down at her desk and turned on her computer. There was a message from Auntie Em. She was just checking on them, to make sure they’re okay. She also received another report to process for work tomorrow, so that was good news.

  Just as she was about to turn the computer off, a new message popped up. Another one marked URGENT. Damn. Again, she made sure she read it without opening it. It said, I’LL FIND YOU, CASSANDRA…

  She felt the hair stand up on the back of her neck. At least he’d found the apostrophe. She moved the email into the folder labeled JEFF. Maybe the noise hadn’t been an animal, after all. Maybe someone had been watching them. Someone Jeff hired… or maybe even Jeff himself. Oh, God.

  Chapter Eight

  Jeff quietly watched from the woods until he saw lover-boy put out the fire and walk her to the door. Sitting on a log, he waited until the coast was clear. When the house lights went out, he stood and carefully surveyed the area before heading toward the cabin.

  “I guess that new boyfriend of hers takes good care of the lawn,” he muttered to himself. There were no sticks on the ground, nothing to make a noise, no crunch to alarm them. He crept along the north side of the cabin, stopped beneath the window, and tried to look in. Closing the drapes tightly, they’d given him no chance to see the inside of their precious new place of residence.