by Gracie Guy
When she awoke the following morning, Kara noticed two things: she slept like the proverbial rock once relieved of the stress over money, and, fall had set in with a vengeance. A hard frost covered her truck in an icy, white film and most of the annuals were green and brown lumps of goo. For some reason, this undeniable change in the weather gave her pause about living in the mountains all winter, by herself.
“But where would you go?” She petted the dogs while she sipped a fresh cup of coffee. “It would make sense to be closer to work.” She thought about it a few minutes and turned on the TV to watch the early morning news. Ugh. Some chirpy young woman was obnoxiously referring to the Farmer’s Almanac and its prediction of massive snowfall for the coming season. “What are they, in my head?”
Kara shut off the television and moved to her bedroom to pull on jeans and a sweatshirt. “Get the animals done.” Her answer to all things complicated—when in doubt, spend time with your horses. Then call Mom. She’ll just bust with happiness if you tell her you’re thinking about moving.
Chapter Fifteen
“Hey, Mom.”
“Hi Chicken.”
Kara smiled at her mother’s pet name.
“Are you at work?”
“No. Dave told me to take a few days off.” Kara moved about her kitchen making a fresh pot of coffee. “He said I worked too hard at the Manhattan show. Made him too much money. Ha!”
“So are you coming to visit me?”
“I can’t, Mom. My friend Robin took care of the horses while I was out of town last week. I don’t want to ask her again so soon. Besides, she’s afraid of the dogs and that means a kennel. It bothers me to leave them alone so much.”
“Well, you know, I have to ask. Just in case you thought you required an invitation.” Kara could hear the mild admonishment in her mother’s voice.
“So, Mom, do you still speak to the lady you knew who was in realty?”
“Are you referring to my dear friend, Lynne? Of course I do, honey.” Kara felt her eyes roll at the terminology of dear friend, knowing how flexible her mother could be on the topic. “Why do you ask?” Oops, there’s the tone of voice—she’s excited already, and I haven’t even made a decision.
“I’ve been looking at my tax bills. I think I’d like a professional’s assessment of this place before I file a grievance with the town. Maybe it’s really worth what they’re saying it is.” The lie was out of her mouth before she knew it.
“Oh.”
Kara felt a minor pang of guilt because she’d evidently let her mother down, but continued on. “So if your friend can give me an idea of the resale value of some comparable properties around here, it would really help.”
“Okay, well her office is in Saratoga. How ’bout I have her call you?” Kara felt the chill seeping through the phone. “I’ve got to run honey. I love you.”
“Thanks, Mom. Love you too.” The dial tone clipped her last word. Wow, guess I hit a nerve.
But less than an hour later, the caller ID on Kara’s new phone carried the familiar 587 prefix of the Saratoga area. “Hello?”
“Hi. Is Kara available?”
“This is she.”
“Hi Kara. My name is Lynne Collins. Your mother asked me to call you about your property. Is now a good time to talk?”
“Yes, it’s perfect.” Kara figured she might just as well get the ball rolling. If she spent too much time thinking about it, she’d lose her nerve. “Ms. Collins, what…” she was cut-off in mid-sentence.
“Please, call me Lynne.”
“Sorry, feels funny. You’re my mom’s friend.”
“I know, but this is a business conversation between two grownups.”
“Okay. I’ll cut to the chase.” She wants the grown-up Kara, she’ll get the business woman who just closed millions of dollars’ worth of contracts four days ago. “I expect every part of this conversation to remain confidential. Under no circumstances are you to discuss anything I say with my mother. Understood?”
“Perfectly.”
“I am the sole owner of a ten acre piece of property near Lake Placid. It has a twenty-four hundred square foot house, attached garage, barn and several out buildings. I’d like to know what I can get for it.”
“Are you ready to list it?”
“Probably. Depends on the price you quote me and what the market is doing.”
“Are you available tomorrow for me to see it?”
“Yes.” Kara paused a moment before giving her the address.
“I’ll do some research tonight. I’ll call you when I’m about thirty minutes from your house.”
“Thank you Ms. Collins.” Kara knew she was being brusque, but she didn’t like the opening salvo from this woman.
When Lynne Collins arrived the next day, Kara felt her guard drop ever so slightly. She was expecting a sixty-something, well-dressed woman with a thin build and designer pumps to arrive in a Mercedes. But the agent who stepped out of a deep blue Jeep Patriot, wearing leggings tucked into a pair of well-worn Justin ropers and a fleece lined Carhart jacket was only a few years older than herself. Maybe we got off on the wrong foot last night.
“Hi Lynne.” She offered her hand. “I’m Kara.”
“Hi. It’s nice to meet you.” Kara liked the firm handshake she offered in return. “Nice place you’ve got here.”
“Thanks. I like it.”
“So why sell it?”
Hhhmmm…she doesn’t know about Danny. Apparently this woman wasn’t as close to Mom as I thought.
“I’m tired of the drive to Albany each week. It’s just time for a change.”
Lynne motioned toward the house. “Give me the tour.”
Kara led her through the front door. The dogs, keeping a close eye on the stranger in their house, followed the women from room to room. Lynne smiled and nodded approvingly as they moved from kitchen to dining room, through bedrooms, and then back to the front of the house.
“The decorating is very tasteful.”
“Oh, thanks.”
“Many people really over-do the whole woodsy thing and they turn these houses into some honking large cabin.”
Kara couldn’t help beaming. She and Danny frequently argued about it. He wanted the house to be just like the cabin in Ticonderoga—knotty pine, knotty pine and more knotty pine. She’d acquiesced on the pine logs in the ceilings but she had insisted upon standard interior walls with sheetrock.
“Then somebody from New York City buys it and rehabs the interior to look just like this!” Lynne was laughing as she spun around the middle of the living room. “And that kitchen!” She practically trotted to the stainless sink to look out the window. “Do you have horses?”
“Yeah. Two of them.”
“Wow, I just love this place. The barn is close enough to see in it, but far enough away to keep the flies out of your house.”
Kara wasn’t sure how to respond. Everything the realtor was saying was accurate. She almost felt like Lynne was trying to talk her into buying her own house. “Do you want to see the out buildings?” Crazy question, girl. This woman really likes your place.
Once they’d been through the barn, walked the five acres of paddock, and peeked in the tool shed, Kara suggested they return to the kitchen. Seated at the table, she watched Lynne jot down some figures, and then slide a piece of paper across the surface to her.
$675,000. $815,000.00. $1,114,599.00.
“What do these mean?”
“The first figure is the price on a property about five miles from here, but you’ve got more acreage and yours is cleared and fenced.”
“And, the third figure is how much a guy got on the south side of Lake Placid near the show grounds.”
“The middle figure?” Kara was intrigued by the numbers in front of her.
“That’s the amount I’m willing to pay you right now.”
“Excuse me? You want to buy my house?”
“You bet I do. I can work from anywhere
. And my husband is a writer, so he can also. Plus, I’ve got four horses. And on top of it, he spends a fortune on hotels each winter so he can ski at Whiteface.”
$815,000.00! She knew they’d built a nice house, but these figures were crazy nice. And a lot more money than they’d put into it. In the end, after she paid off the mortgage, she would still net over half a million dollars. Kara was afraid that if she spoke it would break whatever spell this woman was under.
“But the offer only stands if we can close before Thanksgiving.”
A figurative calendar popped into Kara’s mind. Whoa. Less than a month. She retrieved the real calendar from the side of the ’fridge. Sliding her fingers over the days, counting in her head she looked at Lynne. “You’re gonna find a bank that’ll move that fast?”
“Are the taxes paid?” Kara nodded.
“Only one secured interest? No second mortgage?” This time she shook her head.
“So you hold clear title to the entire property?”
Kara’s mind wandered to an argument she had with Danny years before. He wanted to pay cash for the property because he didn’t like the banks and government knowing his personal business. He’d never updated the address on his pistol permit for the same reason. But she insisted upon a mortgage so they didn’t use up all of their cash. In the end, the mortgage and deed was in her name. Ironically, his paranoia was about to come in handy.
“Like I said yesterday, it’s solely in my name.”
“Then I can guarantee my bank will get it done for us.”
Clutching the piece of paper in her hand, Kara walked to the sink to look out at the barn. She felt the tears start to well up, steadying herself for a second before turning around.
A smile split her damp face as she shouted. “Deal!” Reaching out to the woman sitting at her table, their handshake turned into the hug of fast and familiar friends.
Chapter Sixteen
If Kara was going to meet the terms of her agreement, there was no time to waste. Feverishly she made lists of people and projects, but the first phone call was to her boss.
“Hey Dave. Glad you’re still at the office.”
“I think you’re psychic. I was just reviewing one of your contracts. Nice work.”
Kara smiled at the compliment even though he couldn’t see her. “So on that note, is it alright if I take the rest of the week off?”
“Sure thing. You got special plans?”
“Well, kinda. Just sold my house.”
“Wa-wa-wait just a second. Did you say you sold your house?” Dave was so flabbergasted she made him stutter. “Where are you planning on moving to?”
“Don’t know yet. Somewhere closer to civilization.” Kara glanced around her house, pacing while talking. “I’ll know within twenty-four hours about the buyer’s financing. But she sounded pretty sure there’d be no problems.”
“Kara, have you thought this through? Are you sure you want to sell the house you and Dan built?”
“Dave, not only do I want to sell this one, but since the buyer happens to be a real estate agent, I’m gonna have her list the cabin in Ticonderoga, too.”
“Wow. Just wow!” Her boss’ voice increased an octave with excitement rather than the guarded tone of apprehension he’d been using.
“So, anyway, I’ve got things to do. I’ll call you next week.”
“Okay, kiddo. Good luck.” He paused a second. “Oh. Congratulations! Guess I should have said that first.”
“Buh bye, Dave.” Kara hung up and went out to the front porch. Her eyes swept the yard and gardens, the tops of the mammoth pines, even the lawn she’d just mown yesterday. For the first time in years, everything looked different. Torn between sadness and excitement, she chose the latter and did a quick little dance in her barn boots, not caring if anyone saw her.
Just as she was about to pirouette, she heard the unmistakable crunching sound of a car on the gravel in her lower drive. Halting her celebratory prancing, she did a quick mental inventory of which room she’d left her shotgun in as she waited to see who was about to invade her privacy. When the now-familiar dark SUV came into view, she was able to relax. Trying to suppress the grin of pleasure developing on her face, Kara left the porch to greet John Harley, while the dogs barked frantically from inside the house.
“Hhmm…are you always this prone to dropping in unannounced?” Her outstretched hand belied her nip at his manners.
“Well— I-I was in Lake Placid so I thought I’d stop by.”
Kara chuckled lightly as she watched the trooper’s prominent cheeks start to blush. “And it’s a week day. What if I’d been in Albany?”
“That’s simple. I’d have missed you and come back on Saturday.” Now he was smiling broadly at her as he leaned back on the grill and hood of his Jeep, sliding his hands into the pockets of his trousers, teasing Kara with the sight of those great legs of his. But, this time she really had trouble pulling her eyes back to his face when she noticed the generous package starting to develop at the juncture of his thighs.
She shook her head a second, trying to ground herself, Come on girl, say something to his eyes! “So, John. What’s up? News on the case?”
“Nope. I was listening to the weather forecast last night and the suggestion of snow made me think of you.” She watched him survey the side yard and barn. “I thought I’d offer to help you button things up for winter.”
“Wow.” Kara tried to keep his offer in perspective. She was sure he thought he was just being a gentleman, offering support to a grieving widow, while wearing the cutest smile she’d seen in years. “That’s very kind of you, but most of it is done.” Watching his expression turn somber, she felt like a bully. Clearly she had let him down. “But, hey. If you’re in town, come on by. Maybe I’ll think of something I need help with.”
She watched John pull his hands from his pockets and stand straight, no longer lounging on his vehicle, or tantalizing her with what he was hiding under his suit pants. As he leaned forward to shake her hand, his cologne wrapped her senses as she caught a glimpse of his chiseled chest straining the cotton of his dress shirt. Focus girl, he’s saying something.
“So I’ll see you Saturday, around lunchtime.” When she looked at his face, she saw he was back to grinning.
“Sure. I’ll be here.” Kara released his hand and stepped back, signaling the end of their conversation. A minute later, as she watched his tail lights disappear in the trees, she wondered what had just happened. Is this a date?
But since time was of the essence, she couldn’t dwell on John’s surprise visit, she had work to do. Returning to the kitchen, she pulled a small three-ring binder from the junk drawer. Thumbing through the alphabetical listing on the side, she stopped at the Js to find the list of numbers for her friend Jayna. Jay and her husband, Chad, owned an equipment rental business and often offered to help her with things, even before Dan passed away. Now that she didn’t have to defer to Danny’s ridiculous male ego about Chad having bigger toys, she had every intention of calling her friends. Chad would be able to sell Dan’s truck and boat, and also transport the other equipment they amassed while living there. Since she didn’t know what the future held for her and the animals, there was no sense in selling off handy items like the small tractor or the backhoe.
She jotted a few phone numbers down on the paper where she’d been tabulating her expenses the night before. Then she moved on to the Ls in her mini-phone book. Her friend Laurie owned a lovely horse farm in Chatham. Horse show friends since their teenage years, in her soul she knew Laurie wouldn’t even blink at the prospect of Kara’s horses staying at her place for the interim.
When she switched to the Ws in her directory, she laughed out loud at the silliness of organizing everything by the person’s first name, rather than their last. She flipped open the page to Whip’s number. His given name was Walter, but she’d always referred to him by his nickname. Sometimes she slipped and showed her affection for him by calling
him Whipper. They met long before the days of Danny. If Whip had been single, Kara was sure they’d have been a couple. But she respected his marriage, his wife, his children—and herself—too much to get carried away.
Whip lived near Chatham, so she thought he might be a good resource for an affordable place to rent. She wanted a single-family house with enough room for the dogs to run—and a way to store her equipment—but close enough to Laurie’s farm to be able to get there easily, twice a day. And since Chatham was less than thirty miles from her office, her commute would go from dreadful to downright speedy.
Kara spent the afternoon chatting with old friends and making arrangements. Jayna and Chad had been at Dan’s funeral, so they weren’t surprised to hear of her decision. As Jay put it, “It is lunacy for you to be all the way up there by yourself. Time for you to come home to the Capital District, girl!” They wrapped up the call with the promise they would be there early Saturday morning to load up the larger pieces. In the meantime, Chad would put out feelers to sell the truck and boat.
The phone call to Laurie was a bit harder since they hadn’t spoken to each other in months. Kara brought her up-to-date, leaving out the embarrassing details of Dan’s death. Maybe I’ll fill Laurie in on it when we’re out riding. Fresh air tends to help cleanse everything. Laurie offered to pick up the mares, but Kara wanted to get them situated in the new barn so she told Laurie she’d be down by noon the following day. Also, then she’d be able to leave their trailer at the farm, wrapping up one more thing from her enormous to-do list to pull this off.
When the sun started to slide down the western side of the Adirondack sky, Kara left the final phone call until she’d finished the barn work. As she went about her daily ritual with the horses and dogs, she carried on a conversation with Whipper, in her head. Their last conversation was a few years ago. Danny despised her friendships with the men in the trades and often accused her of sleeping with all of them before she’d met him. Gradually she let the friendships slip away, rather than fight with her husband. But she needed Whip’s help. And honestly, she really missed him.