She sat back and watched while the kids roasted marshmallows, finally able to relax and think about Sean. She couldn’t stop herself. When was the last time she’d truly enjoyed herself with a man? It had been a long, long time. Oh, she’d always enjoyed being with Nick, but it was different with Sean, and her heart swelled with a feeling she thought had died long ago.
At that moment, her cell phone rang and she noted Sean’s caller ID. She quietly went into her bedroom and closed the door before answering.
“Hi Cassie, I just got home from work. How was the drive?”
“It was fine. The snow has really been melting up here, but I’m sure it’ll all be back soon. I just hope it waits until we get home on Sunday. You know how the worst snow storms seem to arrive in March.”
“Well, I haven’t heard of anything heading that way, so I’m sure you’ll be back safe and sound.”
They spoke for about an hour, before Sean told her he’d better get to bed. He had to arrive at work early in the morning.
“Cassie, do you remember a while back, it seems to have been a couple of years ago now, at the mall in Woodland? And we saw each other through the window in front of the Sears store?”
“Oh yes, and I knew it was you. Even after all those years, your favorite spot is still the aisle shelved with Craftsman tools.” She let out a soft chuckle.
“When you turned away and hurried out the door, I tried to come after you, but when I approached the exit, you’d already disappeared. I walked through the parking lot, but I didn’t see you anywhere.”
“Oh Sean, it wouldn’t have been right, anyway. I was still married. When I saw you, I knew how much I missed you, but I had no choice then. I was trying to save my marriage for the sake of Kyle and Kayla. I knew Jeff had never harmed them in any way. He only took his anger out on me.”
“You’re probably right... Well, I’d better get some sleep. I just wanted to call to make sure you reached your destination safely. I’ll call you tomorrow.”
“Okay, have a good night, Sean.”
*
It was only noon, and quite cold outside. Cassandra threw on a turtleneck sweater and a pair of warm pants that would tuck into her cowgirl boots. She grabbed her heavy jacket from the back of a kitchen chair and slipped it on. She pulled on a stocking cap and gloves.
“I won’t be gone long, Mandy,” she said, and gave her a quick hug. She tied a scarf around her neck, hurried out the door, and quickly drove over to Nick’s.
When Cassandra arrived at his house, she stopped to observe him through the kitchen window. She loved his sweet mannerism along with his sexy muscular build, and she knew this was going to be a difficult decision. She knocked on the door.
“Come on in, it’s open,” he shouted over his shoulder.
“The air has certainly become a bit nippy since the last time we were here,” she said, closing the door behind her. She pulled her arms from her jacket and removed her hat and gloves, then placed them on a chair. She sat at the table and watched Nick as he stood at the counter making tea.
“What are you planning to do with your aunt’s house? Will you be putting it on the market soon?” He placed two cups of tea on the table then sat across from her.
“I’m not sure yet, but when I was over there cleaning, I found the novel that she’d begun to write. It seems to be very good, as all of her novels were in the past. I was thinking… I just might try to finish it. Although I’ve never written a book, I’ve always had the desire to, but never had the time. When the kids go off to college in the fall, I’ll have plenty of time to spare. I’m going to give it some thought.”
“That sounds exciting. I really believe you could accomplish something like that. You have an imagination just like Emma’s.”
“Thank you. We’ll see.”
She watched him get ready to go out riding with her. The kids had already taken off with one of the ranch hands. She sat and admired his muscular biceps as he pulled on his cowboy boots, and a little voice inside her head suddenly questioned her. Must his every movement remind you of his sexual attractiveness?
She now realized that they’d reached the point where their relationship had to be resolved; she felt very confused with her thoughts and wished that she hadn’t agreed to go riding with him. Oh well, a ride on a couple of horses won’t cause any harm. She’d just plan to head back to the cabin, as soon as they returned.
Chapter Twenty-six
Cassandra awakened to the loud and fierce howl of strong, blustery winds. She looked at the clock, and saw that it was only four-thirty a.m. She jumped out of bed and pulled on her heavy robe. The floor was ice cold on her bare feet, and she slid them into slippers that Auntie Em had left in the closet. Tugging the belt tightly on her robe, she hurried over to the window. When she pulled the curtain aside, she saw nothing but white. An eerie luminescence covered the land. It was snowing hard and the wind was blowing it around, making it impossible to see any further than a few feet away from the cabin. It was becoming very cold. She headed out to the living room to build a fresh fire, and hoped the kids were all comfortable in their sleeping bags. When she peeked in at the boys, she found Mandy sleeping at the bottom of their bedding, no doubt keeping their feet warm.
Once she lit the fire and began to feel some heat, she attempted to see out the living room window, to no avail. She went to the kitchen and started a pot of coffee, then tried to look out the kitchen window, but it had a snowdrift packed against it. Evidently, the wind was coming from the northwest.
When the coffee finished brewing, she poured a cup and shuffled back out to the living room. She glanced at the indoor thermometer on the end table. The temperature had risen to a toasty seventy-two degrees. The fireplace had warmed the room comfortably. Reaching for the remote, she turned on the early morning news, setting the volume low. They were showing pictures of the storm and advising people to stay indoors and off the roads. Even the snowplows had been having difficulty. Not only with plowing the roads, but they had to find them first. Much of the north half of the state was in complete shutdown.
Cassandra felt very lucky that the storm had arrived before they’d begun the long trek home. Leaning back on the couch, she smiled and thanked God they were safe and warm. There was enough food in the cabin to last them for at least seven days, if need be. Work had been slow for the past few weeks, so there wouldn’t be a problem there. The kids will jump with glee when they find they won’t have to be back for school tomorrow; then it dawned on her in surprise. There won’t be any school anyway; tomorrow will be Teacher’s Workshop. With a smile, she pulled a blanket over her and sunk down into the couch cushions, relaxed as the flames from the fireplace drew her into a trance.
“Mom, is something wrong? Why are you sleeping out here?” Kayla asked, with a blanket wrapped around her, and Mandy following close behind.
“Take a look outside, honey.” With a yawn and a stretch, she knocked the throw off the couch. It landed on top of Mandy, who remained perfectly still, enjoying the comfort, which held Cassandra’s scent.
Kayla looked out the window and laughed with delight. “Wow, it’s beautiful! I guess we’ll be staying for a while, huh, Mom?” she asked, a grin on her face.
“We don’t have much choice. Come sit by me and look at the pictures they’re showing on T.V. Almost every road around the northern half of the state is shut down.” She patted the cushion beside her. “Is Sherry still sleeping?” Kayla nodded. “When the boys wake up, they’ll have to go outside to dig out a path for Mandy.”
“This is going to be fun,” Kayla said with a giggle. She pulled her blanket up to her chin and snuggled up next to her mom.
By the time Sherry and the boys woke, two feet of snow had fallen. The blowing and drifting snow was so cold and powerful, that Mandy had no desire to go out.
Cassandra made them a hearty breakfast, and while Kayla and Sherry washed the dishes, the boys bundled up in warm clothing, and went out and attempted to
shovel a path. After doing the best they could, Mandy still had no desire to leave her warm space in front of the fireplace. Kyle managed to coax her out the door just long enough to do her business, and by the time they came back in to the warmth of the cabin, the path had filled up again with a fresh layer of snow.
“Well, be thankful that the power has remained on,” Cassandra told them. “And if it should happen to go out, at least we have the fireplace to keep us warm.”
Nick phoned to check on them, making sure everyone was okay. “I wanted to let you know that I’ll be plowing your drive as soon as I’ve checked on the horses.” He explained that he had his hands full when eight of his men were unable to make it to work. He was thankful that two of his ranch hands lived close by and were able to get in by snowmobile.
“Thank you, but no need to rush; looks like we won’t be going anywhere soon.”
After speaking to Nick, she called Shannon to let her and Dan know what was going on, and that they were all safe. For a bit of privacy, she went into the bedroom to phone Sean, to let him know that they wouldn’t be returning for a while. She’d just gotten the words out of her mouth, when the phone made a loud noise of static and then there was silence.
There was no power and no phone service throughout the night, but they all had fun being able to experience what it was actually like when people had lived without those luxuries. With no electricity, they got by with the fireplace providing them with light and a source of heat. They roasted hot dogs for supper, and heated a can of beans on top of the coals. They were warm and relaxed in front of the crackling fire, telling jokes and singing songs.
The wind quieted down and the snowfall lightened up. They called it a night and turned in early, knowing they’d have a heavy load of shoveling tomorrow. Cassandra just hoped the electricity and phones would be back on in the morning to make things a bit easier.
The sound of a snowplow woke her from a deep sleep. Glancing at her clock, she saw that it was six a.m. She looked out the window and could see Nick’s truck, slowly plowing the heavy snow along the drive.
She pulled on her sweat pants and sweatshirt and went out to rekindle the fire. She’d have to show her appreciation to Nick in some way.
By noon, the power was back on and the phones were working. All five of them had been out shoveling snow most of the morning and cleared it away from the cabin entrance quite nicely.
“Come on, kids, let’s go in and have some lunch.”
She brought hot soup and grilled cheese sandwiches out to the living room. They ate in front of the fireplace, where they sat in the warmth, thawing out their frozen limbs.
Kyle stood to retrieve more hot chocolate from the kitchen, and when he passed by the front window, he stopped. “Here comes Nick, and he’s riding Sugar Plum. It looks like he’s bringing our snowshoes over.”
They all jumped up to look. “Cool,” Kayla said, “we should have left them here in the first place, Mom. We could have used them this morning. This will be fun, won’t it, Sherry?”
They redressed for the outdoors, and ran out to meet up with Nick. He handed them some sugar cubes to offer to Sugar Plum, then headed toward the house.
Cassandra opened the door for him.
“How have you and your crew been holding out?” he asked when he entered the cabin. “That was a really terrific storm, wasn’t it?” He looked around the room, and nodded with a smile. “It sure stayed nice and toasty in here.”
“Yes, we were all comfortable. The fireplace kept it warm. It really surprised me, with the cold wind as wild as it had been.”
“This place was well built. Your Aunt Emma had made sure she got what she paid for. She had intended to put in a furnace, then decided that a top-notch fireplace would be more pleasant up here. Apparently, it’s handled the job nicely.”
“I really do love it here. The twins do too. You’ve been so good to them, Nick. You welcomed them to your ranch with open arms, and allowed them to ride your horses. I don’t think I’ve ever thanked you for all you’ve done. Not only for keeping us so very well entertained, but also for taking care of the property. I just wanted to let you know that I’d like very much for you to continue to do so, if you’re willing. I’d still pay you, just as Auntie Em always had.”
“Of course I will. I love this property. Emma purchased the land from my father about forty years ago. She had the cabin built immediately after the sale, and she loved to come up here for months at a time to work on her novels.”
“Yes, she did mention that.”
“Well, I’d better be getting back to the ranch. I told the kids that they could come over on their snowshoes to visit the horses. But it wouldn’t be wise to go riding, right after that blizzard.”
“Okay, that’s fine. They’ll have fun on the snowshoes, I’m sure.”
“I’ll drive them back later, unless you’d like to come over for dinner?”
“Can I let you know? Let me take a nap, and I’ll give you a call when I wake up. I’m completely exhausted after all the shoveling. I’m out of shape.” She laughed and walked him to the door.
Suddenly, he leaned over and gave her a bear hug, kissed her cheek, then turned and walked out. With a long sigh of exhaustion, she closed the door. When she sprawled out on the couch, her last waking thought before she drifted off to sleep, was of that warm and gentle hug and kiss.
Cassandra woke with a start, to the loud ring of her phone. She reached for it clumsily and dropped it on the floor. “Mom, are you okay?” asked Kayla, when she was finally able to say hello.
“Yes honey, I dropped the phone.” She tried to stifle a yawn.
“Well, Nick wanted me to call to ask if you’d be coming for dinner.”
“What time is it?”
“It's five o’clock, almost time to eat. Are you coming?”
“Tell him I’ll be there in twenty minutes, hon.”
“Okay.”
She jumped from the couch and let Mandy out while she got ready. She splashed cold water on her face, changed clothes, and grabbed her keys. It was frigid outdoors and Mandy was already waiting to come back in.
“We’ll be back in a little while, girl,” she said, and hurried out the door.
*
“You had a houseful of mouths to feed tonight, Nick. You shouldn’t have gone to all this trouble.”
“It was nothing. Actually, Bessie did everything before she headed for home,” he said, and looked at her sheepishly.
“I didn’t know you have a cook.”
“She’s both my cook and housekeeper. I don’t know what I’d do without her. Running this ranch is as much as I can handle, without having to take care of the house too.
“You should have brought Mandy along with you. Then you wouldn’t have to leave quite so soon,” he added.
She didn’t know what to say. She looked down and drew an invisible pattern on the tabletop with her forefinger then nervously shifted her body, and pulled her feet up on the chair. She wrapped her arms around her legs and rested her chin on her knees. She didn’t know what to do. She ran her hand through her hair, then lifted her head and looked into his eyes.
The silence lengthened between them, making her uncomfortable. She just wanted to get back home and be by herself. She needed more time. She couldn’t think straight while she was here with him.
He sat forward, rested his arms on the table, and looked at her intently. “I miss you so much when you go home, Cassie.”
Her head jerked up to look at him. “Please don’t call me that, she said harshly.
Sean was the only person who’d ever called her by that name.
They stared across the table at each other with a sudden silence. His eyes darkened as he held her gaze. She abruptly felt guilty and selfish.
“I’m sorry. It's just something personal.”
She stood then, and pushed her chair back into its place at the table.
“I'd better get the kids. We’ll be leaving earl
y tomorrow. They have to be at school on Tuesday, that is if the roads will be cleared and drivable. Thank you for dinner. It really was delicious. Please thank Bessie for me also.”
She walked into the family room where the teens were in the process of putting away the Monopoly game.
“Time to go, gang.”
They pulled on their jackets and boots. It was extremely cold, and they all ran quickly to the SUV. She turned around and waved at Nick. “I’ll call you. Thanks again,” she shouted.
When she retired for the night and crawled deep into the warmth of her bed, Cassandra couldn’t keep her thoughts of Nick and Sean out of her mind. She wanted to put the pieces of her life back together again, but it was so hard.
When she was with Nick, she liked him, and cared about him – a lot. He’d been wonderful and fun. When she was with Sean, she still felt the love she had for him before they’d gone their separate ways. When she was with Sean, she wanted no one else.
She tossed and turned for hours until she finally fell into a fitful sleep.
When she told Nick that she met someone else, he began drinking heavily. He turned into another Jeff, and the nightmare began all over again... but sweet, loving Sean, she couldn’t stop thinking about him. She didn’t want to hurt Nick, though. He’d helped to keep Jeff away from her… but now Nick is Jeff, and Sean is walking away from her. She yells for him, but he keeps walking. She yells again. He won’t even turn around to look at her. He continues walking and walking…
Chapter Twenty-seven
It was still dark out when she suddenly sat up. The minute she woke, she realized it had only been a dream. An unpleasant dream, and she was finally able to admit the truth graciously and full of hope. She was now sure that after all of those years without Sean, she was still so very much in love with him. She got up, her mind settled.
She had a cup of coffee with a slice of toast and jam. The kids ate a quick breakfast of honey oats cereal topped with a sliced banana, and downed the remainder of milk. When they finished eating, the girls helped with the dishes, while the boys loaded the SUV. They were on their way home at the break of dawn.
The Sunny Side of the Mountain Page 13