The Fall

by Kate Sherwood

  “You’re fucking sick,” Will yelled through his laughter.

  “No, not a sickness, an injury. I knew I should tell him to stop, but it just felt so good….”

  “Get off me!” Will struggled, and Joe fought back, and it wasn’t until they both stopped for breath that they heard the tapping on the driver’s side window.

  Joe twisted around to see a familiar face above a familiar uniform staring in at them with an all too familiar expression. Joe stretched out to find the button that would lower the window. “Hi, Andy.”

  Constable Andrew Stark of the Ontario Provincial Police nodded calmly. “Joe.” He peered inside the cab until Will managed to extricate his head from under Joe’s right knee, then added, “Will. Good to see you both.”

  “You too, Andy,” Will said, his voice only a little strained by his odd position. “What brings you out this way?”

  Andy sighed. “I wish I could say I was called to intervene in another strange fight between the Sutton twins, but I’m afraid it was a bit more serious.”

  Joe shifted his weight enough to let Will sit up and then swung his own legs around. The struggle had somehow resulted in the two of them swapping positions, and Joe was now in the driver’s seat. He wished he could go back to wrestling with Will, because Andy didn’t sound like he was joking.

  It couldn’t be anything too bad, Joe reassured himself. Andy had been there the night Joe’s parents had died, so Joe knew what Andy’s face looked like when he had truly awful news to share. He didn’t look like that now. “The Waltons?” Joe guessed. The Suttons’ closest neighbors seemed like a fairly normal family as long as the parents stayed off the booze, but when they slipped up, things got really bad really fast.

  Andy nodded. “The girls hightailed it to your place, and Sarah called us. I came out to check on Del and Martina, but they were already sleeping it off by the time I got there.” He checked his watch. “They must have started pretty early this morning, I guess. Lacey got home from work and saw what was going on, and she grabbed the younger ones and got out of there.” It was what they’d told Lacey to do: don’t ask questions, don’t try to intervene, just get her two sisters to safety and let someone else take care of things. Joe was glad she’d listened to them.

  “They’re still at our place?”

  Andy nodded. “Sarah and Dave are out there with them, said they’d stay until you guys got back. You okay to babysit tonight? I don’t want them alone if Del decides he wants his family back.”

  “Yeah, no problem,” Joe said. And just to be on the safe side, he asked, “You took Del’s gun last fall, right?”

  “Yeah, and I checked around in case he’d got his hands on another one somehow, but there was no sign of anything.”

  Not completely reassuring, but the best Joe supposed they could expect. He really didn’t think Del would get violent, at least not against someone bigger than he was. “We’ll keep them until you get back to us, then?”

  “Yeah, if you don’t mind. I’ll call around and see what other options there are, but you know how things are. Those kids’ll lie their heads off if it keeps them from getting put in the system.”

  Joe nodded tiredly. The kids had clearly decided it was better to live together in a less than stable home than to be separated and put into foster care. He remembered how important it had felt for him to keep his own family together after his parents’ death and couldn’t judge the kids for their current attitude. “We’ll keep an eye on them,” he said.

  “Keep us in the loop, Andy,” Will said from the passenger seat. “Let us know if we can do anything else to help.”

  “Will do.” Andy straightened a little, then bent back down. “So I can trust you two to drive straight home, now, without stopping for anymore… whatever the hell that was?”

  “I’m the one driving now,” Joe said firmly. “No more trouble.”

  “So it was a driving dispute?” Andy looked like he was pretty sure he already knew the answer.

  But Andy was used to being lied to. “Essentially,” Joe agreed, and he started the engine as Andy turned away. Joe noticed that Andy stayed in his cruiser, watching, until the pickup had pulled away and driven off without incident. He felt a pang of sympathy for the cop: it was hard to serve and protect people who wouldn’t tell him what was going on and didn’t want his help half the time anyway. But he didn’t need to worry about Joe or any of the other Suttons. They could take care of themselves.

  “The Walton situation isn’t a crisis,” Will said as they turned into their long driveway. “This has happened before, and there’s nothing we can really do about it anyway. It’s not a crisis. Not a big deal.”

  Joe cast a quizzical look at his brother. “Thanks for talking me down, there. I was about to get hysterical, but I feel much better now.”

  “No, what I mean is….” Will sighed in frustration. It was only slightly theatrical. “The Walton drama should not get in the way of my main message, which I’m about to deliver.”

  “You really want to try delivering a message again?”

  “Yes,” Will said firmly. He turned to look at his brother as Joe pulled the truck to a stop near the side door of the house. “Because the family is doing well. We’ve hit some rough spots, but we’ve pulled through. And I know you were the one who carried a lot of the weight; I mean, I tried too, but you were home more, and you’re just… I don’t know, you’re better at that shit than I am. Calmer. Whatever. But we’re all fine right now, and maybe it’s your turn to have a little drama, you know? If you want to do something stupid? Take a risk, take a vacation, take up skydiving… take a chance on love… whatever. We’d be here for you if it didn’t work out. Okay?”

  Joe didn’t want to laugh at his brother, but it wasn’t easy to resist. “So, what, I have a two-minute window of opportunity here? I should seize the day and do something stupid?”

  “It might last longer than two minutes. Or a day. Whatever.”

  “Nick’s been quiet for too long. He’s probably building up to something big. And I told you Ally’s science teacher called, right? No idea what that’s about, but it can’t be good.” Joe pushed his door open but didn’t get out of the truck. “But none of that’s getting in my way, Will. I don’t do stupid shit because I don’t like being stupid. It’s that simple.”

  “Okay, I knew I shouldn’t have used that word. I don’t mean ‘stupid’ like setting the barn on fire. I just mean… yeah, like you said, you should seize the day. Live a little. You’ve got the rest of your life to look after cattle and cut down trees and fix shit.”

  “I’ve got the rest of my life to fuck pretty-boy wedding planners too. But I don’t plan to start doing it.”

  “You’re not rich enough to be a dirty old man, Joe.” Will finally opened his own door. “At least not one that’s getting any action. You need to make hay while the sun is shining. We are never going to be better-looking than we are right now, and I really don’t see you doing much to take advantage of that reality.”

  “You and Lindsey still good?” Joe was mostly trying to change the subject, but it had suddenly occurred to him that he hadn’t seen Will’s girlfriend in at least a week.

  “We’re hitting a bit of a rough patch,” Will said slowly. “But it’ll work out.”

  “Or it won’t, and you can have the next family crisis.” They both climbed out of the truck, but Joe stopped after a step or two and looked across the hood at his brother. “You okay?” he asked, his tone gentler. “Anything we can do?” Will usually told Joe everything without prompting, and it was a bit strange to realize something had been going on that Joe hadn’t known about. And he felt guilty that he hadn’t noticed any weirdness, hadn’t even noticed Lindsey’s absence. He needed to pull his head out of his ass and pay more attention to his family.

  “It’s fine,” Will said firmly. “Just sorting through some stuff. Figuring out what the next level is.” And he arched an eyebrow in Joe’s direction as they starte
d toward the house. “That isn’t something you’d know anything about, of course, since you never let things get past the first level.”

  Of course it circled back around to Joe and how he was doing everything wrong. “Maybe I’ll give Del Walton a call and ask him for his advice on a lasting relationship,” he said in a voice he was sure wouldn’t carry to any other ears. “There’s a couple that took some chances, and look how well it worked out for them!”

  “Well, you’re neither an alcoholic nor an asshole, so I think you might pull things together a bit more smoothly than they did.” Will caught Joe’s arm just before he pulled the mudroom’s screen door open. The three dogs waiting on the other side of the door squirmed impatiently, but both men ignored them. “I just want you to be happy. Okay? I want you to have some fun, and I want to know that the family isn’t getting in the way of all that.”

  Just then an excited squeal came from inside the house, and a pint-sized body sped toward them. “Joe! Joe!” Austin pushed his way through the canine crowd and stretched up to reach the latch on the door. “Will!”

  “Hey, buddy.” Joe dodged the edge of the screen door as it swung toward them and crouched down to welcome Austin into his arms. He was quick, swooping the blond four-year-old up before the dogs closed in for their own greetings. “Hey, guys,” Joe said, using his free hand to ruffle a few silky ears. Then he looked over at his brother and said, “You really think all this is something that makes me unhappy?” He pressed a kiss to Austin’s temple. “You think I need to escape from this?” He shifted Austin around until he could see the boy’s face. “What’d you do today, buddy? Anything fun? Did you make me dinner?”

  “We swimmed. There was….” Austin searched his mind for the new word, then smiled as if it didn’t matter. “There was something. And a dead frog, and a fish kissed my toes.”

  “Nice. Sounds like a good day. Now what about dinner? Did you at least help make me dinner?”

  Austin shook his head sadly. “Sarah said no.”

  “I said he had to wash his hands first,” Sarah said from the kitchen. She leaned into the doorway, her smile warm if a little tired. “Apparently that was out of the question.”

  Joe gave Austin his sternest look. “You’ve got to wash your hands, buddy. Nobody wants to eat dirt.” He shifted his gaze toward Sarah. “Is there anything left for him to do?”

  She shrugged. “I guess the salad could use some more veggies.”

  “Hear that, buddy? The salad needs work! Let’s go wash up, and then we’ll make the salad special, okay? Maybe some extra… cucumbers?”

  Austin was clearly torn between his no-washing philosophy and his desire to do important things with his uncle. “Not cucumbers,” he finally said. “Peas.”

  “Peas, huh? Okay, that sounds tasty, if we have any. Let’s wash up, and then we’ll look in the oven.”

  Austin shook his head as Joe headed for the bathroom. “Not oven. We look in the fridge.”

  “The fridge? For vegetables? No, I don’t think so. We should look under your pillow.” Joe turned on the faucet and lifted one leg so Austin could sit on his knee while they both ran their hands under the warm water.

  “Not pillow! Fridge!”

  Joe sudsed up his hands and wrapped them around Austin’s perfect, tender fingers. “Maybe in the barn?” he suggested.

  Austin threw himself back into Joe’s chest, his giggles so deep and real his whole body vibrated. “No!” he shouted. “The fridge.”

  “Wash, buddy,” Joe directed quietly. “Scrub those fingers, get all the dirt off.” As Austin leaned forward, Joe lowered his head until their cheeks were touching, and Austin pressed his soft face against Joe’s rough stubble for one moment of pure affection. Joe would never take this for granted, but he forced himself to record the memory and then push forward. “Good washing. Let’s dry those hands and then go find the vegetables in the clothes dryer.”

  “The friiiiiidge!”

  Joe held the towel while Austin mangled it. “Oh. The fridge.” He tucked the towel back into the rack and shifted Austin back up to his hip. “Yeah. I think we should look for puppies in the fridge!”

  Austin’s eyes were wide with glee. “Not puppies! Vegetables!”

  “If that kid puts a dog in the fridge, I’m blaming you,” Will said as they headed past him.

  “There’s only one kind of dog that goes in the fridge,” Joe said seriously, his gaze locked with Austin’s. “What kind of dog is that?” He waited, got no answer, and added, “When they come out of the fridge, we might put them on a stick and roast them over the fire….”

  “A hot dog!”

  “Yeah! Hot dogs go in the fridge. Not real dogs. Right?”

  “Right!”

  Joe carried Austin into the kitchen and set him on the floor in front of the refrigerator. “Okay, Mr. Clean Hands, find us some vegetables.” He turned to his sister and quietly asked, “Where are the Waltons?”

  “Down at the lake with Ally and Dave. They were looking kind of frayed; I figured a bit of sun and exercise might do them good.”

  Joe nodded. “I’m glad you were here.” He gave her a half hug and kissed the top of her head. “You staying for dinner?”

  “No. Dave and I want to have some newlywed time. But there’s two meatloaves in the oven, baked potatoes, salad, and whatever vegetables you pull out of the freezer.”

  “Nice. Thanks.”

  “How was the church?” Sarah was paying a little too much attention to Austin, and her question was working pretty hard to sound casual.

  Joe groaned loudly enough that Austin glanced up at him before returning to his vegetable quest. “You weren’t in on that, were you?”

  “Not in on it. But I don’t think it was a terrible idea. I mean, maybe not that guy. But a guy. That’d be nice for you. I mean….” She turned to look at him. “Nick’s gone, probably for good. I’m married and have my own place. Will… you know Lindsey wants them to move in together, right? He’s dragging his feet, but if he went, and then if Ally goes away to school next year, it’d be just you left. It’s a big house for just you. Won’t you be lonely?”

  “Just me?” Joe crouched down next to Austin and looked up at Sarah. “Me and the vegetable man!” He didn’t want to listen to Sarah detail the dissolution of their family and didn’t want to think about Will moving in with Lindsey, or what it would mean if he didn’t move in with her. He absolutely didn’t want to wonder why Sarah knew something about Will that Joe didn’t. No, he didn’t want any of those thoughts taking up space in his brain. Instead, he reached into the fridge and pulled out a block of cheddar. “Carrots!” he said happily.

  “No, that’s cheese!” Austin replied with a delighted snort, and the game continued. Joe and Austin had their own little world. It was a strange land of misidentification and grubby fingernails, but Joe liked it there. Everyone else should just mind their own business.

  Chapter 3

  “I’LL TURN it back into an office eventually,” Mackenzie said self-consciously. “This is just short-term.”

  Kristen nodded and looked around the small room. Mackenzie had bought a metal bedframe and mattress at the thrift store and was using an old wooden shelf from the back of the church as a bedside table. The few clothes he’d brought with him were carefully tucked into a dresser he’d picked up at the same time he bought the bed. It probably looked like a monk’s cell, but Kristen smiled at him. “It’s not quite as nice as Nathan’s condo,” she acknowledged with gracious understatement, “but it’s all yours.”

  “Ours,” he said as he ruffled Griffin’s ears. The dog had been trotting all over the basement, sniffing everything he could reach, but had never let himself get out of sight of his master. He was clearly not interested in being abandoned again, and Mackenzie was feeling just as attached. Nathan had never wanted the dog on the bed with them, but Mackenzie knew he’d be snuggling up with Griffin that night. “Let’s go upstairs. I can show both of you the bes
t part of the place.”

  The back stairs were closer, but they were utilitarian and opened into a sort of service area. Mackenzie wanted Kristen to get the full impact of the church, so he led her back through the basement to the front of the church and then up the stairs to the narthex. He was startled when he realized someone else was already there. “Will. Hi.”

  “Joe,” the man corrected, and then he crouched to Griffin’s eye level. “Hey, pup,” he said softly, and he extended his hand, fingers curled underneath. Griffin gave the hand a cursory sniff and then charged forward to greet the man with enthusiasm that did credit to both his golden retriever and his poodle ancestry. “Hey, there,” Joe said easily, his hands confident and gentle as he ran them over Griffin’s body.

  Joe Sutton. The bastard was giving more attention to a dog than he’d ever given to Mackenzie. There were fifty other things Mackenzie should be worrying about, and over the past week he’d managed to do a pretty good job of forgetting the irritation from his first meeting with the Sutton brother, but now it flared back up. But he wouldn’t get anywhere by expressing it. “You’re working today?” he asked sweetly. “On a Saturday? We were just going to have a quick look at the church and then go have a drink in the garden. Why don’t you join us?”

  The man looked as if he’d rather drink poison. “Better not,” he said. “I’ve got work to do.”

  “Oh, great! What are you working on?” Mackenzie was trying to sound interested, but he was pretty sure he was just coming across as a bit of a dip. And rude, he realized as he felt Kristen shift behind him. “Oh, sorry! Kristen, this is Joe Sutton. He’s doing work on the church, obviously. Joe, this is my friend Kristen. She’s visiting for the weekend, and she brought my dog up for me. You’ve already met Griffin.”