He rubbed her back. “I know this is a shock. He was buried alongside his parents in Hartford. We can travel there someday if you want to visit his grave.”
“Where is my mother?”
“Your mother decided to let her lawyers close the estate, and the house is up for sale. She arrived here last week and is living with Burt and June. Do you want to wait until tomorrow? It will give you time. You need more time to adjust.”
Jessica gripped his hand, her chin trembling. “I need to see my family.”
~
The carriage wheels crunched on the gravel drive as they came around to the front of the yellow bungalow. Jessica was captured by its warm coziness even in the middle of winter. It was like a second home to her where she lived before Caleb, where she found her roots in art, where she healed. She had come through so much since then. How would her family see her now? Her mother waited.
~
Caleb wished with all his heart he could have stayed behind. Since Burt told him of Thomas’s passing, he learned Bethany had left Hartford right after her husband’s funeral to come live in Clermont City. It was disappointing news and he hadn’t seen her yet. He knew when she laid eyes on him, it wouldn’t be with a smile and warm greeting. Along with her, there would be the odd reuniting of his old partners in crime, Will and Jacob. What had he let himself get into? He could have made excuses. Burt would have been happy to come get Jessica and whisk her off to her family. Wasn’t the factory always overwrought with orders this close to Christmas? What the hell was I thinking? Just then, Jessica placed her hand on his arm. “I don’t think I could do this alone, Caleb.” The acute need to protect her washed away his previous thoughts.
As he helped Jessica step from the carriage, he spied Bethany from the corner of his eye coming down the walk—alone. She took her daughter in her arms and gently rocked her as they cried together. “Father, he … he’s. …” He heard his wife cry in muffled tones. He stepped aside to let them have their reunion.
Caleb entered the house. He found Burt and an anxious June, along with Jacob and Will. He was relieved the rest of the family had stayed away. June hurried past him with a handkerchief to her mouth. The three men exchanged looks filled with the past and the unknown of the present.
“Thank you for bringing her back.” Caleb offered his hand to Jacob. They shook with equal pressure. He couldn’t read the man’s face, but then he never could. He offered Will his hand.
Will shook it earnestly with a broad smile. “I guess you’re stuck with us now, Caleb.”
Burt greeted Caleb with a hearty embrace. “I’m happy for you, son. This is indeed a very happy day for our family. Will tells me you boys met some time ago. I was surprised you hadn’t told us yourself.”
Caleb felt his worlds folding in on him and he looked around, at a loss for words.
“Some things are better unspoken, Father,” Jacob interjected.
Just then, the women came in all flustered and teary-eyed.
~
“Uncle Burt!” Jessica ran to the giant man and felt his fatherly embrace. She looked up into his eyes. “Caleb told me about Father.” Her tears spilled. Burt hugged her again. “I’m very sorry, my dear.”
She turned to her brother. Will touched her back. “There was nothing we could do, Jess. Father was his own man.”
She looked up at Will. “I know, but I wish I had seen him before—”
“I know, Sis.”
Jacob was by her side. “Thomas was a good man. It’s a real loss to our family.”
Jessica acknowledged Jacob’s statement but offered little else. She could barely meet his eyes. She followed the others into the dining room. June stood at the front of the table next to her seated husband. Her emotions poured out as Burt handed her his handkerchief. She fixed her apron and wiped her tears.
Her aunt looked tired. Her face had aged, and the greenish glint in her eyes had dimmed. As if reading her mind, Jacob said, “Mother, for once, sit down and let someone else do the work. Where is your housekeeper?”
“Thank you, Jacob, but I wouldn’t think of it. I’ve looked forward to this for a long time. Hannah is having some well-deserved time off with a friend. She made acquaintances with Mrs. Winsor’s maid. Oh, she will be so happy to see you, Jessica.”
“I look forward to seeing her, too, but I’m glad to hear she’s socializing.” With all eyes on her, Jessica surveyed the table. She felt her insides stir. She hadn’t seen this much food in a long time. It was an abundance she found hard to take in—a roasted chicken, two chickens to be exact, dishes mounded with root vegetables, and a large bowl of mashed potatoes. The brown gravy came to the top of its server, and a butternut squash soup permeated the air with the scents of cinnamon and cloves. There was no end to the biscuits and butter. She wasn’t sure her stomach could hold more than a bite or two. She sipped on some water, aware that she was the center of attention. Lowering her head, she fought to stave off the swelling desire to vomit. She heard her mother saying something about an ordeal and telling her story in her own time. “Mother?”
“I said you will tell your story in your own time, but I pray it wasn’t too harsh and you will find discretion in accounting it to your aunt and me.”
“Yes, of course,” Jessica replied, feeling the world tilt. When June went back into the kitchen, she stood up to help her. The room spun, and the floor was at her cheek. She lay there stunned, her head pounding in her skull.
“Oh, my Lord!” she heard her mother shout. A platter of food hit the wood surface near her head, and Aunt June’s feet came into view surrounded by broken ceramic and sweet potatoes.
The strong arms of two men lifted her off the floor, and she saw Caleb and Jacob staring down at her, each with concerned expressions. She put her hand to her head, hoping to stop the whirling motion. Her thoughts went to the time she fell off of Blue Heron’s horse and she feared she might be there again. This lovely place with the beautiful food and feeling of safety might all be a dream. Had she escaped? Were she and Jacob together? Had she really walked home from the Rail River into her husband’s arms? “Uncle Burt,” she murmured as his large hand placed a cool cloth onto her forehead.
“Yes, we’re all here. You’ll be fine now. We’re here.” She felt herself falling back into the arms of her husband. Her body was being carried upstairs. The flower ceiling looked down on her.
Jessica woke up with June sitting by her side and the smell of beef broth steaming in a bowl next to the bed. “I think I might be back home right now with Mother downstairs preparing dinner, and Father expected any minute,” she said weakly.
June patted her arm. “You are home, my dear, safe and sound. Your mother is getting another cloth for your head. Your good father is looking down at you, knowing what you must have suffered. I know he would be mighty proud of his daughter.”
Jessica tried to rise. “I’ve been selfish, Auntie. I only thought of myself and didn’t think how it would affect anyone else, most of all, Caleb.”
“You better lie back now and not get all worked up. That’s probably what caused your fainting in the first place. I want you to promise me to take good care of yourself. A little selfishness isn’t a bad thing, I’ve come to know.”
“Yes, Auntie, I promise. It’s good to see you. It always feels like home when you’re around. I’m so happy to see Mother here. I know what it must have taken for her to leave Hartford.”
Just then, Bethany entered the room and placed the cool, damp cloth on her daughter’s forehead. “It did take a lot for me to leave. I couldn’t at first, but I’m glad I did. We are all together here.”
Jessica touched her mother’s hand and squeezed it, hoping her love for family extended to Caleb. “Mother, have you talked with Caleb since you’ve been here? You must have seen by now what a good man he is.”
Bethany stood above her, pressing the damp cloth to her forward. She gave a small huff. Jessica gently removed her hand. “I don’t think I nee
d that anymore.”
Her mother stood straight, folding her hands in front of her, clutching the cloth. “I must say what I feel, Jessica.”
June cleared her throat. “Now, Bethany? Must it be now?”
“Did you bring many things from the house in Hartford?” Jessica cut in, hoping to stave off her mother’s disapproval as long as possible. She held her breath.
Her mother pursed her lips. “Caleb and I haven’t talked since I arrived. He seemed set on ignoring any of my help.” She took a breath and let it out. “I think he isn’t suited for you. He should have known better than to let you go off on your own. He told Burt to tell me I wasn’t welcome in his home, your home.”
“Now, Bethany, that’s not the whole story.” June turned to Jessica. “He said he would rather not have her visit quite yet.”
“I think it’s time we consider a different situation for you. I simply can’t bear to know you are in that place, that place where. …” Wringing her hands, Bethany turned away.
“Mother, I understand.”
Coming back to face her daughter, she perked up and held Jessica’s hand. “You do? Then you’ll come to live with me? I’ll be purchasing a home of my own soon. Your uncle has shown me some very nice possibilities.” She patted her eyes and smiled at June.
“No, Mother. I only said I understood. It must have been just awful for you and the family not knowing if I were dead or alive.” She sat up and leaned forward, taking her mother’s hand. “But I will not be moving. I will stay with Caleb. I fought hard to get back here. You will never know how much I tried to get away and come home, to my home.”
Bethany withdrew her hand. “I see.” She turned to the door. “I will have to accept the fact that my daughter no longer cares about the emotional welfare of her mother or her family.”
Before Jessica had the time to react, her mother was out of the room. She laid back. “Auntie, would you please ask Caleb to come up?”
June stood and smoothed her apron. “Your mother has been very upset by these events. She’s not always herself. She was hoping you would be there for her. I tried to tell her that we are all here for her, but she won’t listen. She insisted on having you live with her.”
Jessica sighed. “Poor Mother.” She looked at her aunt and shrugged her shoulders. “There’s nothing I can say. Will you talk to her, Auntie?”
“Of course, my dear. Now let me go get your husband. He’s sick with worry.”
Caleb sat by her side, his hand on her stomach, his blue eyes intensely peering at her.
“I think we should leave as soon as you feel up to the ride home.”
“No, I want to stay. I’m feeling better now.” The broth was restorative. She felt her life force reenter her body. “Just a little while longer, Caleb.”
She rested on the couch downstairs with a warm cup of tea. Her mother and aunt talked in the kitchen, and the men had retreated to the porch. Burt was in his study, most likely retrieving his favorite port wine. Jessica remembered how he loved a glass of it after a hearty meal. She positioned herself to spy on them, but she could only see the back of Will. How she wished she could be a fly on the porch railing. Then she heard Jacob’s voice raised in anger. Pulling herself up from the couch, she listened intently, the words of the men coming in and out of reach.
Chapter Fifty-two
Stepping out with the others, Caleb drew up his collar. The day was getting cool. Will and Jacob’s coats were even more tattered than his wife’s. What she must have gone through.
“How is she?” Jacob’s voice was full of concern.
“She’ll be fine. She needs to rest … at home. Now tell me, how the hell did you find my wife? Where on earth was she?”
Will turned to his brother-in-law and patted him on the back. “This is one hell of a thing, isn’t it? Who would have thought, you and I becoming kin? How the hell did this happen?”
His tone was dryer than Caleb expected. He wasn’t pleased about the circumstances, either. “Yeah, and here I thought I was well rid of you two. Now answer my questions.”
Jacob faced Caleb straight on. “You’re not our boss anymore, Cantrell.”
“Tell me how you found my wife.”
Will stepped up and related the story. In conclusion, he said, “I’m rushing through it for now. Maybe later I can tell you the details. I don’t want the women overhearing this.”
Caleb cupped his chin and rubbed his whiskers. “So I was closer than I thought. Jesus, I heard about the renegades but had no idea. …” He shook his head. “So why the gap in time? You could have made that ride in a little over a week.”
Jacob leaned on the railing of the porch, his arms folded in front of him. “We had to take her up north with us. Business there we had to tend to. We got her back here as soon as we could.”
“Is that so?” Caleb could feel the rivalry between him and Jacob rising from the past. A lifetime ago, he would have taken this man on no matter the challenge. Time suddenly felt squeezed, and the past was now mixed with the present. “Did you know she was my wife?”
“Yes.”
Jacob’s defiant answer riled Caleb. “You son of a bitch.” He came in closer. “I know about you and her.”
Will cut in. “Gentlemen, gentlemen. Let’s not get into this here. Listen, Caleb, she’s back safe and sound. Let it go, both of you!”
Jacob backed away and Caleb relaxed his shoulders. The tension was thick in the air.
“So we ran into Levi in Brandon,” Will began. “What’s this about a scout? Was Jessica taken as some bargaining chip?”
Caleb glanced at the window. His wife sat on the couch, sipping tea. In a lowered voice, he recounted the meeting with Rex Conrad. “I don’t know where he is now. I haven’t talked to Jessica about any of this. I’m sure she has plenty to tell me.”
“Do you think he hired the Indian to take her?”
Caleb had a hard time reconciling her disappearance with the circumstances of his past.
He scratched his chin. “I think so. Damn, Harper was the only one they took in alive. He spilled his guts for clemency.”
Jacob became agitated. “Christ, what do we do now?”
Will stared at the porch floor and Caleb stared at Jacob, shaking his head.
“All right. We do nothing and hope this is the end of it,” Will offered. “I doubt they’ll send another scout out for us.”
“I hope you’re right,” Caleb said. “It’s understood we keep this under our hats?”
The cousins nodded in agreement.
“You don’t have to worry about us, Caleb. Jake and I will be clearing out of here pretty darn soon. We’ve got plans.”
“What plans?” Burt asked as he came onto the porch with glasses and the port.
Jacob looked out beyond the porch, his hands on the railing. “Our plans.”
“Before you go into all that,” Burt began, “I’ve got something to tell you boys that might change things.”
Jacob took the glass of wine from his father. Will sat on the edge of one of the chairs, and Caleb decided to remain standing. He was finding it difficult to compose himself. He wanted to take Jacob aside and get to the real question—what happened on the trails between him and Jessica?
Burt poured the wine. “We set up a reward for the safe return of Jessica, and … well … looks as if you’ve earned that reward.” He had Will’s and Jacob’s attention. “It’s a good sum of money, boys. I think you should take a hard look at the advantages this could present. Make something of yourselves, in a proper way.”
Jacob turned to Caleb. “I don’t need your money.”
“Don’t worry, it’s not my money.”
“What?” Will looked hard at Caleb. “You didn’t think my sister was worth putting your money up for?”
“Now listen here,” Burt chimed in. “It doesn’t matter where we came up with it. The point is, you have a great opportunity in front of you. It’s time to re-evaluate your positions i
n life.”
Jacob took a sip of wine, then glared at Caleb. “Doesn’t matter. It can go back to where it came from. I didn’t bring her back for money.”
“Jesus,” Caleb breathed out.
“Yeah, I have my pride, Cantrell.”
“Your poor man’s pride will get you nowhere.” Caleb softened. It would be of no use to get into it with Jacob. He would just as soon have them leave without the money. Let them earn their way.
Will remained silent as his cousin fought aloud with his conscience. Caleb could see the wheels turning in Will’s head.
“Caleb’s right, Jacob,” Burt implored him. “Like I said, this is a great opportunity for you. We have our family together again. It’s truly the work of fate that this happened the way it did.”
“Well, Uncle Burt, give us the amount,” Will said plainly.
“It’s over ten thousand, give or take some.” Will gave a long whistle. “It’s in the bank earning a little interest, which was Frederick’s idea.” Burt quickly cleared his throat with the mention of Jessica’s ex-husband. Before he could speak further, Jacob was cursing loudly.
Burt grabbed his son’s arm. “Settle down, Jake.”
Jacob puffed up his chest but said no more.
“Yes, Frederick did contribute half, and if your conscience can’t take his money, then at least take the sum Thomas and I put in.”
“Five thousand from Freddie, huh?” Will tipped his head. “That’s mighty generous of him, but then again, he seems to have a way with a buck.” He turned to Jacob. “We’ll talk it over. As business partners, we need to discuss this.”
Caleb lifted a brow. Business partners? “Since your discussions have nothing to do with me, I’ll excuse myself and return to my wife.” Caleb set down his glass and walked back into the house. He couldn’t stand to see the pair’s false pride showing like a shiny penny in the rain. They were hungry for the money.
~
Jacob felt the very opposite. It had everything to do with Caleb. He would now have the means to make Jessica his wife and support her. “Father, Will is right. We need to think about this. Our plans might not be what you want to hear. You may find the money would be better served elsewhere.”
Sacred Terrain (Traveled Hearts Series Book 2) Page 23