Her Deadly Inheritance

by Beth Ann Ziarnik

  “I’m sorry.”

  Believing him didn’t stop the ache in her heart. Backing away, she turned and hurried to the porch.

  As she snatched up her laptop, Tia rushed out to her, squealing. “There you are! Mother, Mrs. Fenton, and I are going into town to finish shopping for the party. Please say you’ll come.”

  Jill shook her head, searching for words that wouldn’t betray her confusion.

  The girl’s brown-eyed gaze flicked behind her, and her face paled. “S-s-snake!”

  Jill whipped around as a big, coppery-colored reptile struck Clay from behind. She gasped as he lurched forward and looked behind.

  The snake reared and struck his mid-calf again.

  Sam raced from the carriage house with a long, forked stick and pinned its head to the ground.

  “Hold this, Mr. Merrick.” He handed off the stick. “I’ll get the gunny sack.”

  Unable to tear her gaze away yet uncertain how Clay might react should she come to his aid, Jill remained frozen to her spot on the porch. “Tia, go get the first aid kit.”

  Lenore came out on the porch. “What is all the fuss?” She looked beyond the porch and blanched as Sam hurried back to grasp the snake behind its trapped head.

  “Don’t worry, Mr. Merrick, it’s not poisonous. It’s just a harmless pine snake.”

  Air whooshed from Jill’s lungs. Clay would be all right.

  He twisted, first trying to see the bite site, then flicking his gaze to the snake. “How do you know?”

  Lifting the snake to dangle its five-foot length, Sam checked it. “See? Coloring something like a copperhead, tail like a rattlesnake. No fangs. No poison. You still have some nasty scrapes that will need tending though.”

  Sam lowered the reptile into the gunny sack, tied it shut, and put the sack on the ground. “You must’ve disturbed it by pulling that wall apart.”

  Clay twisted around again. It didn’t appear as if he could quite examine his wound.

  Tia and Mrs. Fenton arrived with the first-aid kit and stopped short.

  Lenore glared at her housekeeper. “Well, what are you waiting for?”

  Mrs. Fenton shuddered. “I can’t stand snakes.”

  “You don’t expect me—”

  Jill thrust the drinking glasses and her laptop at Tia, snatched the first aid kit, and ran to Clay as Sam crouched to examine the wound.

  “That snake got you good, Mr. Merrick.”

  She knelt beside Sam and opened the kit.

  “Wash the wound and use that swab to put some antiseptic on it,” Sam said. “I’ll get a cold pack.” He picked up the heavy gunnysack and left for the carriage house.

  Jill’s hands trembled as she touched Clay’s bare leg to clean the wound. Reaching for a swab, she applied the antiseptic as Sam had instructed. After winding sterile gauze around the injured calf several times, she finished securing the bandage with tape just as Sam returned, shaking a cold pack.

  He handed it to Clay. “Hold this over the bite area. It’ll keep the pain and swelling down. I’ll get the Jeep so we can get you to the doctor.”

  “I don’t need a doctor,” Clay growled.

  Sam stared him down through bushy eyebrows. “You’ll see a doctor unless you want infection to set in. Mrs. Bradwell, Mrs. Fenton, Tia. You three better come quick. We can’t waste time.”

  “Please come with us, Jill,” a breathless Tia begged.

  Neither Clay nor Lenore would appreciate that. Not to mention, the Jeep would have no room for her. “Go along. I’ll be fine.”

  Tia held out Jill’s laptop. “Mrs. Fenton took the glasses to the kitchen.”

  While Tia and the others scurried for the Jeep, Jill retreated to the veranda.

  Kicking up yellow dust, the Jeep sped away, and a heaviness pressed on her heart. No room for her was the story of her life, and this time not only in her family but not in Clay’s life either.

  She opened her laptop and tried to concentrate on her project, but the right words wouldn’t come. She put it aside and paced the porch. Button scampered after make-believe prey and tugged at her shoelaces, tumbling around her feet. With a sigh, she gave up and carried the laptop into the house, the kitten following in her wake.

  Whatever Clay’s reasons, his priorities didn’t include her. Yet their attraction was real. That kiss had been real. Oh, what was she doing to herself? Dwelling on this would drive her crazy. She had to think about something else.

  Anything, Lord!

  She paused before the door to her mother’s room. Hmm. Why had it taken her so long to realize this was that perfect opportunity she had been waiting for? Finally alone in the house, she could search her aunt’s room for her mother’s journals.

  Cold beneath her fingers, the knob turned, and she pushed the door open. A huge four-poster bed dominated a room full of dark, bold furnishings nothing like her mother’s. Nothing spoke of her mother except the delicate desk on the far wall. She hesitated, not feeling right about stepping across the threshold uninvited.

  Button regarded her with quizzical eyes and then shot in.

  “No!” Jill scrambled after him.

  She stopped in the middle of the room and looked around. She was already in, so what was the harm? She’d take a quick look and get out, no one the wiser. Besides, this might be her one chance, and those journals—if she found them—would tell her all she needed to know.

  She carefully examined the writing desk with its graceful legs and multitude of cubby holes. Rats! No hidden drawer, no false compartment. Her gaze found the fireplace. Did it have a hidden recess? Brick by brick, she inspected it. Nothing here either. Moving methodically around the room, she rapped on the walls. None emitted a slightly different sound. So far, her house history experience proved useless, and she was running out of possibilities.

  She pushed a wisp of hair away from her face and gazed around the room.

  Floor boards! Quickly moving the small furnishings, she rolled back the large flower-patterned rug. On her hands and knees, she scrutinized each varnished board but, unfortunately, all remained firmly in place.

  Sitting back on her heels, she combed her fingers through her hair. It was no use.

  “Just what do you think you are doing?”

  At Lenore’s sharp, throaty voice, Jill stumbled to her feet.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  From the doorway, the naked hatred in Lenore’s eyes chilled Jill. She rose slowly to her feet.

  How had her aunt returned so soon? She didn’t have to look around to know how disheveled the room appeared. She had expected to put it back in order with no one the wiser, but at the moment, she couldn’t even think of a reasonable explanation for her behavior that wouldn’t further enrage her aunt.

  “Get out!” Lenore’s dark eyes bored into hers. She stepped away from the door. “Get out!”

  Snatching her laptop from the bed, Jill fled the room. Button shot past her, reaching the third floor before she did. By the time she shut the door, he had crouched beneath the bed, peering at her. Her trembling legs threatened to buckle.

  Her simple need to find her mother’s missing journals had made matters worse with her aunt. Not that Lenore cared. Her aunt had already given her enough excuses to quit trying to build a relationship with her.

  But, Lord, I love you, and as awful as she can be, I want her to love you. Is there any hope?

  Covering her face with trembling hands, Jill let the tears leak through her fingers.

  As if matters weren’t bad enough between Jill and her aunt, Lenore’s mouth had twitched Sunday morning when Tia gained her father’s permission to accompany Jill to church.

  Jill mentioned her misgivings as she and Tia approached the church steps. It wasn’t too late for the girl to change her mind and join her mother at the family church.

  Tia waved her hand. “Don’t worry, Jill. Mother will get over it. Besides, it will do her good not to get her way for a change.” She smiled winsomely. “Come on. Let
’s go inside. Can we sit in the front? I don’t want to miss a thing.”

  No doubt, one of the things Tia didn’t want to miss was an unobstructed view of a certain red-headed guitar player. Still, it was good to see her young cousin sing hymns and listen in rapt attention to every word of Pastor’s McGee’s sermon.

  A few minutes into the sermon, he raised his hands before the little congregation, a warm intensity in his eyes. “Receive this morning whatever the Lord has to give to you.”

  Tia bolted upright. Her eyes grew wide with fear as she stumbled into the aisle. With a hoarse cry, she crumpled to the thin red carpet.

  The congregation gasped while Leo and Pastor McGee hurried down from the platform to meet Jill on the floor beside her cousin. “She’s having a seizure,” Jill whispered. “Pastor, I need your suit coat.”

  He stripped it off and handed it to her. She folded it as she had seen Clay do and placed it beneath Tia’s head. “Help me move her onto her side.”

  Leo gently pulled Tia onto her side, his eyes dark with concern as her body began to jerk.

  Jill blocked his attempt to restrain her. “She’ll be all right. Just don’t let her hurt herself on the edge of those pews.”

  Leo positioned himself on one side of the aisle. Jill did the same on the other.

  Pastor McGee stood up. “Our young sister is having a seizure. Let’s ask the Lord to intervene.” As he and the congregation prayed, Tia’s jerking slowed and an incredible peace came over her face. She lay still. Leo held her limp right hand in his, his gaze focused on her pale face.

  Tia opened her eyes and smiled weakly. As she moved to get up, Jill put her arm under the girl’s shoulders. “Leo, we have to get her to a quiet place where she can rest.”

  “No! Just help me back to the pew. I don’t want to miss the rest of the service.”

  “But you need your rest.”

  “I …” Tia blinked. “I’m all right, Jill. At least, I think I am. Please.”

  “If you do need to rest, you will let us know, right?” Leo said.

  The girl nodded.

  While Leo and Jill helped Tia onto the pew, Pastor McGee addressed the congregation. “Are there others who would like prayer?”

  Again Tia assured Leo that she was fine, and he returned to the platform to play soft hymns on his guitar while the prayer time continued.

  “I can’t believe it, Jill. I’m not tired,” she whispered, her eyes bright with joy. “Something wonderful has happened!”

  All the way home, her cousin bubbled with excitement. At Windtop, she ran up onto the veranda to hug her mother, her father, and her brother.

  Uncle Drew looked to Jill and back to his daughter. “What’s this all about? It wouldn’t be that young man we saw you with at the picnic, would it?”

  “Oh, Dad, don’t tease. I like Leo, but that isn’t it at all.” She plopped onto the wicker love seat next to him. “Let me tell you.”

  Jill slipped into the house. This was a time for family.

  She had not gotten to the stairwell before her aunt’s sharp voice reached her ears. “Jill Shepherd, you come right back here!”

  Not what she wanted, but she did as she was told.

  “Now what is this about a seizure?” her aunt demanded of her daughter.

  “Don’t worry, Mother. You can see I’m fine. I’m not even tired.”

  As her aunt’s gaze darkened, Jill held her breath.

  “Isn’t it wonderful? Do you think I won’t have to take that awful medicine anymore?”

  Carver snorted. “Right. You’d be an accident waiting to happen.”

  Lenore’s face flushed a mottled red. “What kind of fanaticism do they preach at that church? You are responsible for putting her life in danger, Jill.”

  The words stung Jill to silence.

  “Oh, Mother,” Tia chided, “she never said a word to me. Neither did the pastor. It was my dream last night.”

  Lenore pursed her lips. “Now dreams?”

  “Please listen. Last night, I told the Lord all about my fears and hurts. When I fell asleep, I dreamed that Jesus told me that everything would be all right. He touched my head, and I felt such peace.”

  Lenore smirked. “And you think that means you are healed?”

  Uncle Drew put up his hand. “What if Tia is right, dear? Look at her.”

  Her aunt jammed her fists on her hips, and Jill cringed. She hadn’t come to Windtop to tear the family apart. Yet every move she made only worsened matters.

  “Without her medicine, Drew Bradwell, she will die.”

  “But I’m all right,” Tia insisted.

  “You will take your medicine until the doctor says otherwise, young lady, and that is that!” Lenore glared at Jill. “And don’t you dare encourage her in this insanity.”

  Jill drew back. “But I—”

  “Mother,” Tia interrupted, “She didn’t have a thing to do with this. She took me to church. That’s all.”

  Uncle Drew stood up and took his daughter’s hand. “Look at her, Lenore. She’s had a seizure and should barely be aware of the world around her.”

  Lenore’s dark eyes darted from him to Tia. Her red lips twitched. She pressed them together. Turning on her heels, she stormed into the house. Jill jumped out of the way.

  Mrs. Fenton came to the door, a perplexed frown on her face. “Dinner is ready.”

  Prickly silence surrounded them at the dinner table. Jill swallowed a few bites before she excused herself and left the house. Following the brick walk through the gardens, she sought out the vine-covered gazebo. Cool. Inviting. A quiet place to think.

  She stepped into its shaded sanctuary, and Clay stood up. Startled, she backed away.

  “Don’t go, Jill. Please.”

  She paused inside the entryway. It stung to be near him, to know he didn’t want her. She forced her thoughts in another direction. “How is your wound?”

  “The doctor gave me a tetanus shot and released me. He said you did a first-rate job.” He held her gaze. “But that’s not why I asked you to stay. Please. Sit down with me.”

  She lowered herself to the edge of the bench opposite him, wary of what he might say.

  What could he say to help her understand? But even if he failed, he had to try. “I’m sorry about yesterday. I can’t ask you to forgive me. I don’t deserve—”

  “I forgive you.”

  The soft words startled him. Though he didn’t deserve her forgiveness, she offered it anyway.

  He nodded, unable to look her in the eye or get past the knot in his throat. He sat for some moments before he could speak again. “I didn’t mean to be cruel, Jill. I wish I could explain it to you, but I can’t. Not yet. Maybe never.”

  Her lips trembled. “What are you hiding, Clay? Please, tell me.”

  “Jill, get out of here as soon as you can. Let me take care of the problem, and when I do, you’ll be safe.”

  Warmth leapt into her eyes, and his gut clenched. He groaned. “Don’t look at me like that.”

  As if struck, she shrank back and stared into her lap where her hands lay limp. “You care, but you don’t want me to care for you. Why?”

  “Believe me. It’s for the best.” He released a long breath. “I can’t forgive as easily as you do. I don’t know how you do it.” He shook his head in bewilderment. “I didn’t want to, but I hurt you yesterday. Moments later, you helped me without as much as an accusing glance.”

  “You needed help.”

  “I know. You help anyone in need,” he said. “I also see how the Bradwells treat you in your own house. You could toss them out, but you don’t.”

  “They’re family.”

  “They don’t act like it,” he growled.

  He forced a frustrated breath. “If I were free to love you the way you deserve, Jill, the way I want to …”

  Who was he kidding? He loved her. He desired her. He just couldn’t have her. Not without going back on his word. Not without letting Jani
ce’s killer go free. Yet, if he was right, the same killer was behind two attempts on Jill’s life. He couldn’t bring Janice back, but he could keep Jill safe if only she would let him.

  He dared to look Jill in the eye. Never had he seen such sad eyes, and it was his fault. “Don’t love me, Jill.”

  A terrible lump rose in his throat. It was too late. She loved a man who had no future to offer her. Not even himself.

  “Your grandma told me how Janice died,” she whispered. “I’m so sorry. It was awful.”

  Raw anger flamed his heart at the memory. He bolted to his feet. “Yes,” he hissed. “And where was God? Why didn’t he stop that piece of trash from running her down and letting her die in the freezing dark?”

  She reached out but, thankfully, stopped short of touching him. “I don’t know, Clay. I have questions like that about my mother. All I know is that God is good, and we … I need to trust him to work everything out at the right time and in the right way.”

  His jaw muscles twitched. At the right time. In the right way. He had waited long enough for the law and God to act.

  He slammed his fist against the doorframe and stormed out of the gazebo.

  The next morning as Jill reached the entrance hall with Button in her arms, Lenore muttered at the foot of the stairs, “Five days before the party and now this.” Her aunt called up the stairs, “Hurry, Tia! Who knows how long before the doctor can squeeze you in?”

  Jill stopped mid-step. “Is she all right?”

  Lenore fixed her with a stony stare. “Of course she’s all right, but someone has to straighten out her nonsense.” She brushed past Jill. “Tia!”

  “And thank you, Jill, for adding to my already overburdened schedule,” her aunt said with a stiff back to her.

  She regarded Lenore quietly. How awful to be so angry all the time. “Is there something I can help with while you’re gone?”

  “You have helped quite enough already,” her aunt snapped.

  Tia skimmed down the stairs.

  “It’s about time!” Lenore’s gaze swept her daughter before she ushered her toward the door, calling over her shoulder to Jill, “See Mrs. Fenton. She has a list of what needs to be done.”