“Okay, honey, I have to go clean my house. You be sure to let me know before you leave. I want you to check in with us, so we know you’re okay.” She stood to leave.
“Yes, Mom,” Cassandra answered with a grin.
She decided to leave the next day, since there was no one here to wait for. There really wasn’t any point in sitting here with nothing to do. After packing up the SUV, she walked over to let Shannon know.
“You’ll call me when you get there? Just to let me know you’ve arrived safely.”
“Yes, Mom.” They both laughed. “That’s what best friends are for, right?”
With Mandy in the passenger seat next to her, to keep her company, Cassandra took off, stopping for lunch along the way. She was eager to get there, hoping to be able to write, and to enjoy the peacefulness. Of course, she was also anxious to see Nick.
The sun was beginning its descent when she started down the long gravel drive. She pulled up to the cabin, and Mandy jumped out, ran around in circles then made her usual inspection, as if determined to cover every inch of the grounds.
Once indoors, Cassandra opened the door and windows to air it out before unloading the SUV. Without the twins to help, she was thankful that she had less to unpack.
When she closed the curtains she noticed the lights on at Nick’s, but decided not to call him. She’d just take Mandy out for a walk in the morning and surprise him.
After giving Shannon a call, she decided to turn in early. Although the fall season was coming to an end, the cabin was insulated and she didn’t need to build a fire to warm it up. With Mandy alongside her bed, she grabbed a book she’d purchased, A Complete Guide to Writing a Suspense Novel. She didn’t get beyond the first page, however, before her eyelids began to feel heavy. She put out the light, though she didn’t expect to fall asleep immediately.
She thought she’d just dozed off for a few minutes. However, when she opened her eyes, the sun was shining brightly through the bottom edge of the curtain. Mandy’s nose nudged her hand.
“Well, time to get up, she said, and gave Mandy a hug around her neck. She slid her feet into her slippers and grabbed her robe. After she fed Mandy, she took a quick shower and brushed her teeth. She then slid into her jeans and pulled a sweatshirt over her head, a shade of aquamarine, a perfect match for her blue eyes and blonde hair. She brushed her hair, pulled each side back then added a light-blue clip to hold it in place. She wanted to look just right when Nick opened his door.
She headed across the meadow, with Mandy close by. While she enjoyed the fresh, clean air, she now realized how much she missed it up here. She hadn’t returned since she told Nick about Sean. Even so, this trip would be different. She planned to invite Nick for dinner tonight. She’d stopped along the way and purchased two rib-eye steaks and Chardonnay to enjoy in front of the fire. She hoped this would help to make up for the hurt she’d caused him.
When she approached his house, she patted her hair, making sure it was in place, and straightened the bottom edge of her sweatshirt. She knocked lightly on the door. While she waited, she turned her head toward the corral, and could see a few of the horses. She could hardly wait to go riding with Nick.
She was about to knock a second time when suddenly the door opened.
“Hello, may I help you?”
Standing before her was a beautiful young woman, dressed like a traditional cowgirl. She had long, radiant black hair down to her waist, with an angelic face and a ravishing figure.
“I came to see Nick. Is he here? I’m his neighbor. I was taking a stroll with my dog and thought I’d stop by to say hello.”
“Oh, yes,” she said with a look of relief in her eyes. “You’ll find him out in the stable on the east side.”
“Thank you, I’ve been there before. I’ll find him.” She nodded and thanked her then turned toward the barn, with Mandy alongside of her. My goodness, he certainly found himself a nice looking housekeeper. I wonder what happened to Bessie, whom he’d spoken so highly of. She certainly looked at home though... She’s probably a cousin who’d come to visit. After all, Nick had told me if things didn’t work out, I’d know where to find him.
She entered the stable and spotted Nick standing near Sugar Plum’s stall. She quietly approached, then paused a short distance away; she was able to study him freely. She cleared her throat and he turned in surprise; his eyes held hers. She walked toward him and they stared at each other in silence.
“How have you been, Cassandra?” he finally asked with a cool and impersonal tone.
“I’m fine, how about you? I see you have a new housekeeper.”
“She’s not my housekeeper,” he said in a low, composed voice. When he spoke again, his voice was warm, almost a murmur. “She’s my wife.”
She bit her lip, and looked away, then turned back and as casually as she could manage, asked, “When did you get married?”
“Three weeks ago. I’d met Mariah in North Dakota.”
“You never mentioned her before,” she said and her voice broke slightly. It came out almost like an accusation.
“We met when I delivered some horses to her father’s ranch last year,” Nick said. “So how are you and Sean doing? Is he here with you?”
She looked down quickly to hide the hurt she sensed would be in her eyes. “No, he had to work,” she said softly, and tears welled. “Well, I’d better get back. I expect to get a phone call soon.” She noticed Mandy had roamed out along the corral.
“Would you like to meet Mariah?” he asked softly.
“Maybe next time; right now I’d better get back,” she murmured and turned away.
On an impulse, she turned to look at him, and he could see the tears in her eyes as she drew in a deep breath and said quietly, “She’s very beautiful, Nick. I’m happy for you.”
She called Mandy and together they headed across the meadow.
Chapter Thirty-three
With the exception of food, sleep and comfort breaks, Cassandra had been sitting in front of her computer for two days and hadn’t accomplished a thing. She couldn’t keep her mind on the novel, when her thoughts kept roaming from Sean to Nick and his new wife. The few times she’d left the cabin were when she took Mandy for her walks. Her mind traveled from one situation in her life to another, and she just couldn’t settle down long enough to write.
Now she stood, stretched, and looked at Mandy; she appeared to be very lonely also. She decided to give up for today. “Come on, girl, let’s go for a run.” She grabbed her jacket from the coat tree. Mandy ran ahead of her and waited at the door, her tail wagging.
They wandered down the path that ran along the creek, but in the opposite direction from Nick’s house. When Mandy stopped to sniff the brush and dry leaves, Cassandra slowed her pace.
Upon their return, she and Mandy stepped out to the end of the dock and sat down, facing the beautiful sunset. She wrapped her arm around Mandy’s neck and enjoyed the view, which passed much too quickly. She now felt relaxed and contented.
“Okay, girl, let’s go in; it’s supper time.” She stood and walked toward the cabin, Mandy at her heels.
It bothered her that Sean hadn’t even called to find out how she was doing. After she’d filled Mandy’s dish, she made a sandwich and sat down to watch the news.
When her phone rang, she reached for it and checked the caller I.D.
“Hi Shannon.”
“Cassandra Lynn Becker, why haven’t you called me? I’ve been waiting to hear how things went between you and Nick.”
“I’m sorry; I’ve just been busy trying to write. Nothing seems to be coming out of me. I have too many issues parading through my mind, I guess.”
“Well, don’t worry so much about Sean. If he cares about you, he’ll call. Just give him time.”
“It’s been two weeks. I really thought he’d have called by now.”
“Would he call your cell phone? After all, he doesn’t even know you’re at the cabin.”
“If he
tried my house phone and I don’t answer, then of course he’d try my cell.”
“Well, don’t get huffy, I only asked.”
“I’m sorry Shannon, I’m just frustrated.”
“So tell me, did you see Nick? What did you say to him? How did he react?”
“Hold on, Shannon, there’s more going on here than you know about. A whole lot more than I was prepared for, that’s for sure.”
“Okay, I’m listening,” she said quietly.
Cassandra reached up on the back of the couch and pulled the afghan down over her legs, then told Shannon everything.
“He’d never mentioned anything about Mariah to me. It was quite a shock.”
“I can just imagine how that felt for you, you poor thing. Why don’t you come on home? Have you mentioned any of this to the twins yet?”
“No to both questions. I might try calling the twins tomorrow. I’m going to stay here for a while. I really want to work on this novel.”
“Well, why don’t you just spend the morning in that town close by, what’s the name of it again, Hunting, or something like that?”
“It’s Huntington, and it’s about a forty-five minute drive from here. Maybe I will, though,” she said, after giving it some thought.
“Make it a day of pampering yourself. You could go for lunch, to the bookstore, or just walk around and browse. You mentioned the other day that you wanted to get your hair cut. Why don’t you go all out and have a stylist come up with something completely different? Ask her for a complete makeover.”
“Oh, I don’t know if I want to go that far, although maybe I will go over there and walk around. The weatherman predicted it to be in the mid-seventies all week; up here, that’s quite unusual for this time of the year.”
“Would you like me to come up to keep you company?”
“No, but thanks anyway. It would be fun, but let’s plan for another time. I need to work it all out on my own.”
“Okay, I’ll let you go, but you keep me posted. You hear me?”
“I will. I’ll call you in a couple of days.”
She patted the couch and Mandy hopped up next to her and tucked her nose under the blanket by her feet. They snuggled in until they were both comfortable; before long, they’d both dozed off.
Cassandra woke to the sun peeking in through the edge of the curtains and guessed it to be quite early. Her neck was a little stiff. Serves her right, she thought. She was surprised that she’d slept here on the couch, through the night. She stood and stretched, massaged her neck muscles to relieve the tension, then made her way to the kitchen.
While the coffee brewed, she drew the curtain aside and gazed out the window. There in the side yard stood a male and female deer. Evidently, they’d sensed her movement in the cabin. They lifted their heads and stood very still. Their ears perked up, as they listened.
Suddenly, Mandy walked up alongside of her and let out a bark, which informed her that it was breakfast time.
Both deer turned swiftly, and loped into the woods. She looked down at Mandy and smiled as the dog nudged her leg and wagged her tail.
“Okay girl, I’ll feed you.” She filled and set Mandy’s dish down on the floor. “But you’re going to wait for me to get ready before you go out and frighten the deer. They should be long gone by the time we step out the door.” She patted Mandy on the head and said, “I’m going into town today, girl, I’m going to get a makeover.”
With that, she smiled and headed for the bedroom.
She just might even buy some new clothes to go with her new look.
*
When the hairdresser completed the finishing touches, Cassandra was completely surprised when she looked in the mirror. The hairdresser turned the chair this way and that.
“Wow,” was all she could think of to say.
“Do you like it?” the stylist asked.
“Oh, yes, yes I do. No one will even recognize me, but I love it,” she said, with a bright smile.
She left a generous tip. The stylist had added auburn streaks to her honey-blonde hair and left it shoulder length, now cut in layers, with soft waves falling gently upon her shoulders. She added a slight bit of makeup, her eyelids shaded with a soft light brown, which matched perfectly with the auburn streaks.
While walking along the sidewalk, she glimpsed herself in store windows, and she kept thinking it was a stranger looking back at her. It felt as though she’d wandered into the salon, tired and run down, and then walked out a completely new person.
She decided it was now time to update her wardrobe. It was her turn to spend money on herself, and she could ignore the price tags. For once, she could pamper herself with a complete and different style in clothing, to match her new look.
She finished shopping, and found that she’d purchased enough new clothes to fill her closets in both the cabin and back home. When she left the store, she wore a pair of brown jeans, a tan tailored long-sleeve shirt, and a white, brown and tan scarf around her neck. Before she headed back to the cabin, she decided to have lunch.
She locked her packages in the SUV and walked across the street to Mama Maria’s Café. She was waiting for her order to arrive when she noticed Nick enter the doorway. He was alone, and he stood and searched for an empty table. He spotted one fairly close to hers, walked over and sat in a chair that directly faced her. She was slightly amused when he looked up from the menu a few times, glanced around the room, and didn’t even recognize her, while she sat only three tables away from his. Seeing him, her appetite deserted her...
When she was ready to leave, she stood up, left her money at the register and glanced at him. He looked right at her, and still didn’t recognize her. She turned to leave. She’d parked the SUV directly across the street from the window so that she’d be able to keep an eye on it while she was eating. She was sure that Nick could see her from his table. She opened the door, hopped in, and watched as his mouth dropped open. She shut the door, smiled at him and backed out of her parking space.
Suddenly she loved her new appearance; she felt wonderful, drove all the way back with a smile on her face, and sang along with Keith Urban, on Huntington’s KTSP Country Music. Maybe life is good after all... Yes, life is good.
Chapter Thirty-four
Coming up to the county road turnoff, she stopped at the Pinewood Country Market to pick up some treats for Mandy. She parked on the south side of the building, climbed out, and reached across the seat to grab her purse. Suddenly someone pulled her arm backward; before she could scream, a damp rag covered her face and everything went black.
*
When her eyes opened, it was dark; she couldn’t see where she was. The space she was in felt confined, and she was lying in a fetal position. Her arm hurt. Then she remembered; someone had come up behind her and grabbed her arm. Bound together with duct tape, her hands hurt when she tried to move them. She tried to shift her position, and realized her ankles were fastened together as well.
Suddenly she heard the rumble of an engine and the stench of gasoline assailed her nostrils. Her heart skipped as she realized that she was in the trunk of a car. She smothered a sob. Who could have done this? She hadn’t seen anyone when she’d climbed out of her SUV. Fear knotted inside of her when she felt the vehicle begin to move slowly then picked up speed.
“Where is he taking me,” she cried softly.
She was very uncomfortable in this cramped space and her legs felt as though they were losing circulation.
She brought her wrists up to her mouth and tried to bite at the tape to no avail. Her eyes were beginning to adjust to the darkness. She could see a thin slice of light where the door of the trunk didn’t close properly. She turned her head and noticed alongside her sat an old metal toolbox with pointed corners. She raised her wrists to the edge of the box and moved the tape back and forth.
“Ouch!” She brought her hands up to her mouth. She tasted blood, but continued to slide the tape over the sharp corner.
<
br /> The car bounced, bumping her head against the toolbox. It felt as though the car was entering a road full of potholes, or perhaps a trail into the woods.
Now slowing down, the engine sputtered, and the car came to an abrupt stop. She held still and listened, fearful. She heard the key turn in the ignition, but the engine wouldn’t start. It was a man’s voice, indistinct, and he muttered to himself then made a grating noise, a loud smoker’s cough.
“Shit! Damn car’s out of gas,” he said in a rough voice, and it sounded as if he slammed his fist against the dashboard. The door creaked open and the car’s suspension jerked when the man climbed out.
“Oh, please Lord, don’t let him come back here,” she prayed, and her eyes filled with fresh tears.
Trying to lie still, she trembled while tears streamed down her face, and she clamped her lips to stifle a sob. She wanted to be sick, but fought it.
His heavy footsteps moved away from the car, stomping on top of dead twigs and dry leaves. It sounded as though he was leaving her here, trapped in the trunk.
Listening quietly, she sat very still, and filled with relief when the footsteps faded off into the distance. When she heard no more, she continued to move her wrists back and forth softly, being very careful not to hit her hand into the sharp corner.
Her wrists were getting tired and ached, but she kept moving them. Back and forth, back and forth. She had to hurry, before he returned.
She tried to shift her body into a more comfortable position. When she moved, she felt a bulge in her jacket, and remembered her cell phone was in her pocket.
It would be dark soon. If he left the car sitting in a wooded area, no one would find her. She let out a low, tortured sob as sheer fright swept through her.
“Please, come on… please,” she said, and she moved the tape back and forth a few more times. She brought her wrists back to her mouth and bit into the tape, where the corner of the box had weakened it.
She felt it loosen and it began to rip. She pulled harder with her teeth, yanking her head back and forth, and twice hit her skull against the side of the toolbox. Her teeth tightened and her eyes blazed with anger. With one last vicious tug, it finally ripped apart and her hands were free. She lowered her head to the floor of the trunk and laid her hands across her chest, her wrists throbbing with pain.
The Sunny Side of the Mountain Page 17