A Love for all Ages (Crockett County Trilogy Book 1) (28 page)

Stephanie places the open book on her lap as she wipes
tears from her cheeks.
The young man Della had met was her
Father.
A man she herself had barely known; he had left when she
was too young to remember him.
The man she had judged to be
unworthy of her Mother.
Only to discover a short time ago it was
not his fault but in fact her Mother was to blame. Remembering
Della’s words, she indeed had misguidedly judged her Father.

Her Father just 18 years old had dealt with the death of his
Father and at 20 years old the loss of his Mother.
Even at his early
age he had done the right thing and had brought his Aunt the letters
from his Father.
Having never met Della, he hadn’t known he
would be welcomed in her home, but he had come anyway.
Accepting this indicates and attests to her Father’s character.
Wishing she had been able to know him, regret fills her heart.

Today has been a celebration, MJ and his wife Stacy came for
Thanksgiving.
It was odd knowing they were unable to see
Archibald.
But he sat at the table with us, knowing I wanted him
with me.

MJ told me they are expecting a child.
The joy was shining
in his eyes, even as he told me due to their ages, both in their 30’s
they were only having this one child. He explained about the
health risks for Stacy and the child.
He even asked permission to
name the baby after his own Father, as he did not want to upset me.
I expressed my excitement and also told him I knew his Father would
be proud.

After we ate, we sat and talked for hours, I had tried to
convince them to stay the night, but Stacy declined, stating they had
to be at her parent’s home by morning and they would need to
travel most of the night.

When they left, Archibald and I had talked, we both sensed
difficulty ahead for the young couple. I pray we are wrong. After
all, it could just be Stacy’s worry over the risk of being pregnant.

Today is our anniversary. We have been married 38 years;
Archibald says it seems as if we had gotten married yesterday.
The
years together have been a blessing. We can still talk for hours, we
enjoy our debates or we can sit quietly and watch television.
We
are indeed an old married couple.

My Archibald can still make my body tingle with his touch.
I
tell him I am too old for him to do this, he snorts his objection.
He
is still a romantic, and to be truthful I enjoy his attention.

I went to town today, needed to pick up some supplies.
The
bookkeeping has picked up and I needed to get the items before the
winter storm begins.

At the general store, Mr. Wilson introduced me to a young
woman, Carrie.
She is an artist and does beautiful paintings.
I
am thinking of inviting her to visit, I would like a portrait done.

I am hoping she can do a sketch of Archibald as I describe
him.
I know not to get my hopes to high, but I really want this to
happen.

Carrie showed up today. And I was speechless, she could
see Archibald.
He was standing in the living room, I knew he was in
there; he wanted to see my new friend.
Having spoken to her
several times on the phone, and meeting for a couple of lunches she
had agreed to try to do a sketch of Archibald.
I had been vague
about who he was, just telling her I wanted him dressed in a Union
uniform.

Carrie had walked into the room, seen Archibald, said hello
and turned to me.
She then informed me she would be able to
sketch him, if he didn’t mind standing still for a little while.
Poor
Archibald didn’t know what to do; he just stood there looking at me,
with his mouth open
.

While Carrie retrieved her sketch paper, I did recover my
composer and tried to explain.
Bless her soul, she took pity on us
and informed us she had grown up with the stories of the Union
ghost and she believed in the supernatural.

Archibald graciously stood where she told him too.
It was
as he stood in front of the fireplace he asked if Carrie could do a
portrait of both him and me, he wondered if she would be able to do
it to represent our wedding day.

Carrie asked questions about our wedding day while she
sketched. My dress color, my age, how I had done my hair, how we
were standing.
After about an hour, Carrie had said she need to go
and would be back next week to do a few more sketches.

I received a phone call from MJ today; I am now a Great
Aunt.
The pride in his voice as he spoke of his new baby son came
right through the phone.
The baby’s name is Mitch Markus
Tuney-Cain.
The double last name was Stacy’s idea, not sure I
approve but this is not my place to say.
MJ said they would bring
the baby to meet me as soon as they can.
I am truly looking
forward to spoiling my Great Nephew.

The joy MJ is feeling for this child has me sorry he will not
have any more.
But at least the Good Lord blessed him with a
healthy son.
March 3
^rd
Dear Diary,

Archibald has a new friend.
Carrie’s husband CJ came to
dinner with her.
We had spoken of doing this for several weeks.
Carrie had felt CJ would be able to see Archibald due to he also
believed in the supernatural.
I had my doubts, but Archibald
wanted to try the meeting.

All three of us decided if CJ was unable to see Archibald, we
would not mention him.
After all, none of us wanted to be put
Carrie and CJ in an awkward situation with their relationship.

CJ was quiet at first; we knew he had seen Archibald as he
had acknowledged him when CJ walked into the room.
Archibald
had given CJ time to adjust then had started asking him questions,
before long they were talking about sports, politics and work.

Stephanie glances from the diary to the clock on the wall,
seeing she had been reading for three hours, she sets the book on
the coffee table as she rises from the couch.
Flexing her shoulders
she walks to the kitchen.
Removing a diet soda from the
refrigerator she returns to the living room.
After taking a sip of the
drink, Stephanie gets comfortable on the sofa, picking up the diary
she resumes reading.

My heart breaks from the news received today.
No longer will CJ and Carrie be able to visit us.
After years
of weekly visits, I am at a loss on how to explain this to my love.
He
treasures his friendship with them as much as I do.
The age
difference between us didn’t matter as we got along well.
I had
felt like I had a daughter and son-in-law; feeling the bond of
friendship growing I am now faced with the emptiness of this loss.
I know my Archibald will feel the same loss.
He had grown to care
deeply for our new friends.
To say goodbye to friends is hard.
Having met Carrie in
town at the Café I had listened as she explain their dilemma, how
they have struggled with how to tell us.
How CJ wants to explain to
Archibald.
It was that part of the plan I told her no, I would handle
telling him.
I understand they need to move forward with their plan to
care for foster children.
They want to help children that have been
neglected or abused.
I can even understand their fear if the news
gets out they speak to “ghosts” their license will be denied.
Yes, I can understand the reasons; however I am hurt deeply
with the results.
I am now facing a loss of truly great friends and
with the task of telling my love.
I know he will blame himself; he will sense my hurt and place
the loss of our friends on his shoulders.
With his pain I cannot bear
for him to bear this burden.

Today I received a present from a lost friend. I haven’t
seen Carrie or CJ for months.
Getting news of them from local
gossip only, I know they have gotten the approval to be Foster
Parents.
With their son being 4 years old now, I figure they feel
they can handle the situations with the children.

I still miss them terribly and know Archibald does too.
I
took the chicken way out and didn’t tell Archibald the friendship was
over, I just keep making up excuses that they have rescheduled the
visits.
I know he realizes they are not coming back to visit but he
doesn’t question me.

The present I got today made me cry.
The portrait of
Archibald and I is the most beautiful painting I have ever seen.
Carrie is truly a gifted artist.
She captured our love for each other.
The detail she took with the painting also shows her love for us.
Looking at the portrait I remember the hours we sat and discussed
our wedding.
How Carrie made notes, she would do a few sketches
and show us for our approval or ask advice on what needed
changed.

This end result is a precious treasure. Archibald and I stood
looking at it for a long time after I had hung it above the fireplace.
It will hold that place of honor from now on.

It has been a long time since I have written, this is done now
due to I am old and tired, I feel this will be my last entry.
I no
longer care who reads my words, I have many memories and I
realize I should have written more times than I have.
Once I am
gone from this earth I will be forgotten having no close family or
friends.
But my life has been happy and I only have a few regrets.

We celebrated our wedding anniversary yesterday.
My love
for Archibald is as strong today as when it first began.
I know I am
blessed to have found this wonderful man.

My Archibald has been in my life for so long it is hard to
remember a time in my life without him. He has stood beside me
through happy times and offered comfort through sad times.
He is
my best friend.
He has been the one consistent in my life.
My one
true love.

My sorrow deepens with each passing day.
I am sure my
time left on earth is short.
Having lived eighty-eight years I feel the
Good Lord will be calling me home soon.
My Archibald will be left
alone.

I have just one regret when it comes to my love for Archibald;
I shouldn’t have stopped trying to help him move on.
This was
selfish of me.
I love him and didn’t want to be left without him.
Now with my days numbered it's I that will leave him.
My poor
Archibald will be alone without any one to help him. I pray he can
forgive me as I also pray the Lord will allow Archibald to join me in
death.

If my Love is unable to join me I promise I will do everything I
can to come back to him.
Our love is strong, it has lasted many
years therefore; I will never accept us being apart.
The sadness I
feel when I think of us being separated makes me determined to be
with Archibald in this life as well as the afterlife.

I have tried to explain my regret and sorrow to my Love, but
Archibald refuses to speak of my death. However, as I feel my body
grow weaker, I try to fight the time I know is coming.
I absolutely
refuse to allow my death to come between us.
Surely our love will
prevail.

Turning the page Stephanie discovers there aren’t any more
entries in the diary.
Disappointment settles in her chest.
The
sensation of learning about her Aunt has her wanting more details.
The lady that was her Aunt was also a daughter, a sister, a wife and
a friend.
She was a lady that had loved deeply and had suffered
losses.
Della was a classy lady in every sense of the word.

Still reclining on the couch Stephanie peers up at her Aunt
Della softly she whispers, “I wish I had known you.
I would have
enjoyed listening to you reminiscence about our family history.
I
know I would have loved you.”
Chapter Eleven

Stephanie surveys the patio, thinking about the work Chase
and Andy did cleaning it.
They had both helped her with the
preparations for the party.
Smiling she remembers them arguing
about the best place to put the grill.
She had half listened while
she had washed the patio furniture; the rich red wood was sturdy
and cleaned up like new.
Each piece has checkered yellow and
green cushions.
Six chairs are now positioned around the big table
with four more chairs scattered around the patio.
They had
helped her place lights around the porch to represent stars; at
nightfall the lights will shine pale yellow giving a cozy atmosphere.

Sitting on a patio chair Stephanie regards the men gathered
around the grill.
Due to the humid temperatures the men are
wearing t-shirts and cargo shorts.
Chase is wearing brown shorts
with a pale blue t-shirt.
Andy has on hunter green shorts with a
pale green t-shirt and both Johnny and Nick’s shorts are cream.
Johnny t-shirt is red, while Nick is wearing a gray shirt.
Hearing the
men voices she smiles.
You would think they were holding a
summit meeting the way they are debating the methods for grilling
the steaks.
Chuckling softly Stephanie turns to Marty, “So will they
actually cook or just stand there talking about it?”

Marty glances at Stephanie laughing with her.
“If they
don’t start the steaks soon, I am going to go do it for them.”
Smiling mischievously she whispers, “And all the steaks will be well
done.”

Winking at Marty Stephanie says loudly, “Chase do you want
me to cook the steaks?”
Stephanie and Marty both giggle when
the four men turn to glare at them.
They watch as Chase forks a
steak then places it on the grill rack.
Hearing the sizzle from the
meat Stephanie turns back to Marty, “Now they’re cooking.”

Marty looks over at Johnny, he is standing with his back to
her.
As if he senses her gaze he turns, making eye contact.
Smiling at her, Johnny turns back to the group and laughs at
something Andy said.
Marty leans back in her chair giving a sigh.

Knowing the sound of frustration Stephanie asks, “Do you
want to talk about it?”
Turning her chair to face her friend
Stephanie quietly waits for a response.

Glancing at Stephanie Marty sees the same concern in her
eyes as in her voice.
“It’s silly actually.”
Holding up her hand to
stop Stephanie’s comment Marty continues, “For years I have
waited for Johnny to look at me as a woman.
As someone he
could fall in love with, but I don’t think he will ever love me.”
Sighing again she glances quickly at Johnny then back to Stephanie,
recognizing her friend is giving her time to explain.
Briefly she
closes her eyes before continuing, “We have been on four dates.
He has been a perfect gentleman.”
Raking her hands through her
hair she smiles sadly.

Confused Stephanie asks, “So what’s the problem?
Because I think I missed something.”
Leaning back in her chair she
folds her hands in her lap and waits.

Feeling like crying Marty tries to explain, “I told you it was
silly.
It is so hard to explain without sounding foolish.”
Taking a
deep breath she releases it, “He treats me like a sister or an aunt.
I
am a beautiful healthy woman.
I want more from him than a peck
on the cheek.”
Huffing out a breath she focuses on Stephanie
waiting for her to comment.

Concern for her friend has Stephanie glaring at Johnny.
Shifting back to look at Marty her eyes soften, “He loves you, I know
he does.”
Moving forward on her chair she lowers her voice, “He
told me he feels he is not good enough for you.
He has tried to
keep away from you.
The night you left with Nick, Johnny was
devastated, he told me and Chase about his feelings for you.”
Lower her voice to a whisper she finishes, “You need to either be
patient with him or take charge.
Either wait for him to make his
move or you make him make his move.”
Smiling at the shocked
expression on Marty’s face Stephanie leans back in her chair.

Marty stares at Stephanie mulling over her words, could she
be right?
It makes sense that Johnny would think him growing up
in a Foster home would make him inferior to her.
She never felt
better than him or anyone else; she has worked since she was
sixteen years old.
Yes her family is wealthy, but she hadn’t been
raised a spoiled rich kid, she had worked and saved her money.
She even paid most of her college expenses.
If only he would see
her and not her family.
If he only knew how much she loves him,
how long she has loved him.
Thinking maybe Stephanie is right;
maybe she needs to show him she is a woman with normal needs.
Smiling she decides she will need to plan the downfall of Johnny
Kageson.

Recognizing the look of satisfaction on Marty’s face,
Stephanie knows she did the right thing.
Women have to stick
together when it comes to men and their nonsense notions.
Clearing her throat to get Marty’s attention Stephanie waits until
Marty’s eyes focus on her.
Not sure how to approach the subject,
she decides to just blurt it out, “Chase professed he loves me.”
Stephanie’s happiness sparkles in her eyes.

Smiling brightly Marty exclaims, “That is wonderful, I thought
I noticed a glow about you.”
Genuinely happy for Stephanie Marty
inches forward and gives her hug.
Leaning back she asks, “Are we
talking marriage?”

With a nervous laugh Stephanie utters, “Not yet.”
Glancing
over at Chase she thinks about her future. “I love him. Yet I
always thought I would be alone, having given up on finding a good
man.
Then bam, I find the man that makes me feel complete.”
Turning back to Marty she adds, “I know this is sudden, but I believe
when its right, it’s right.”

Hearing noise from the front of the yard Stephanie twists to
watch as Carrie and CJ stroll towards them.
Leaving her chair
Stephanie joins Chase as he goes to meet his parents.
Noticing
Carrie is dressed similar to her and Marty, white Capri pants and a
tank top.
Carries top being purple, while Stephanie’s is dark blue
and Marty’s is wearing pale pink.
Chase’s father has on jean shorts
with a white t-shirt.
Having not met CJ she knows there is no
doubt they are father and son; the similarities between them left no
mistaking this fact.
Both men are tall, muscular and have the same
shape of bone structure. Their facial features match; the shape of
their eyes and nose.
Both men have the sexy full lips.
Seeing CJ,
Stephanie can picture Chase now as he grows older.

Chase grasps Stephanie’s hand as they approach his parents.
He stops a few feet from them then extends his hand to his Father,
after a firm handshake Chase turns to his Mother stooping he kisses
her cheek.
Straightening he turns to his Father again, “Dad, I
would like to introduce you to Stephanie Tuney.”

Chuckling CJ studies Stephanie, noticing the way Chase is
openly showing his affection for her.
“Carrie has told me all about
Stephanie; I would have known her anywhere.”
He pulls Stephanie
into his arms, giving her a quick bear hug.
Stepping back CJ looks
around the back yard.
The festive decorations make the day seem
like a celebration; as it should be, with his son finally in love.
Trusting his wife’s judgment concerning Stephanie he came
prepared to meet his future daughter in law.
Watching Stephanie
he relaxes as he recognizes the sparkle in her eyes is due to her own
love for his son.
As a parent CJ’s aspiration is for his sons to find
true love, to be healthy and happy.

Stephanie grins upon being released by CJ; turning to Carrie
she notices her staring at the back door, glancing over her shoulder
Stephanie sees Archie through the curtain.
Focusing her attention
back to Carrie, Stephanie smiles as Carrie places her hand on CJ’s
arm wanting his attention, he looks down at Carrie then up at the
door.
With a big smile CJ excuses himself walking toward the
house.

Carrie clears her throat holding the covered dish towards
Chase she tells him, “I made my famous baked beans. Can you
take them to the kitchen and put them in the oven on warm until
time to eat?”

Chase releases Stephanie’s hand to take the dish from his
Mother.
“I can do that.
You two have a seat and relax.
Food
should be ready in about an hour.”
Turning he strolls to the house.

Left alone with Carrie Stephanie motions for her to follow;
they walk to the patio and sit at the table.
Marty rises to kiss
Carrie’s cheek then returns to her seat.
Hearing the kitchen door
close Stephanie watches Chase walk to the table with a glass of ice
tea for his Mother; he places it on the table in front of her then
leaves to join the men at the grill.

Busying turning the steaks Chase listens as Nick and Andy
discuss the evidence the FBI had processed.
Both men think the
finding are too vague, after all the monsoon maroon color for a
1948 Ford vehicle had to be common back then.
However, Chase
feels the make and year of the car will be helpful after all this is a
small town and was even smaller when the “accident” happened.
He accepts it will be a lot of work going through reports and
interviewing older residents to see if they remembered any
information on a vehicle matching the description.
But he feels
this will help with the case.

Johnny has been quiet on the subject pondering the
information. Moving closer to Chase he asks, “Do you think the
person responsible for the murders of Lee and Rebecca Cain was
local?”
After taking a sip of his beer he continues without waiting
for Chase to answer.
“I think this all has to do with the legend of
the missing Union gold.
You and I both know we grew up on the
stories about the gold, the ghost and mysterious happenings here.”

Both Nick and Andy stopped talking when they heard Johnny
comments. Andy and Chase exchange a knowing look. Nick
having not grown up locally asks, “Are you suggesting a ghost is
responsible for the murders?”
He snorts his disbelief as he lifts his
beer taking a drink.
Both Chase and Andy deny this at the same
time.

Johnny continues his speculations without acknowledging
Nick’s question.
“I think we are looking for a family, the crimes
have been done by ancestors, with each new generation being
pulled in by the legions.
I think we need to check which families
have been around the longest and check their backgrounds.”
Finished speaking he looks at each man, waiting for their respond.

Chase is the first to comment, “I think your right.”
Turning
to Andy he sees his nod of agreement.
“I hadn’t thought about
that, but it makes perfect sense.”
Feeling Johnny may be on to a
new lead he asks, “Do you think you could start checking on that
theory?
I think we need to pursue all possibilities.”

Nick scratches his head trying to process this line of
reasoning, “So we are going to try to find a timeline with one family
doing these crimes?”
Shaking his head he continues, “If it is one
family why hasn’t anyone noticed?
I don’t believe a family of
criminals would go unnoticed in a small community.”

Andy addresses Nick’s questions, “We have been trying to
find a reason for the break in crimes, and this makes perfect sense.
Johnny’s theory does explain that.
A local family that has grown
up here hearing the stories, maybe younger members pushed into
doing things by their elders.”
Shrugging his shoulders he adds, “Or
this may be out in left field and not lead anywhere.
But I agree
with Chase, we have to explore all possibilities, because as of right
now this is our best theory.”

Chase looks over at Stephanie he sees her frowning as she
listens to his Mother.
Wondering what his Mother is telling her, he
dismisses his concern when he sees Stephanie blush and hears her
laugh.
Turning back to the grill he begins transferring the steaks to
a platter.
“Right now, my main concern is protecting Stephanie.
Doesn’t matter who is responsible, I will not allow any harm to
come to her.”
The edge in his voice has the other men looking at
each other.

Stephanie knows her face is red giving a nervous laugh she
tries to dismiss the question from Carrie.
Giving the question
some thought she shakes her head no.
“I am not pregnant.
I
can’t be.”

Marty exclaims, “I thought you were just glowing from love,
but it could be pregnancy.
Wow, Stephanie.”
Shaking her head
she grins at Carrie.
Both ladies regard Stephanie watching
emotions play across her face.

Lower her voice Stephanie whispers, “I am NOT pregnant.
And neither of you mention this conversation to Chase.”
Mentally
Stephanie counts back to the last night they had made love, Chase
had not used protection and she had not decided yet what type she
had wanted to use herself, she hadn’t even read any of the
pamphlets in her purse.

Stephanie closes her eyes briefly when she opens them she
sees both ladies grinning at her.
“If I am and I mean IF, I would be
only a week.
Women don’t glow at one week, you cannot possible
suggest I have a pregnant glow.
I am just happy; I am in love with
a wonderful man, a man who loves me.”
Shaking her head again
to deny their speculation she continues, “Furthermore, I want no
mention of this to him, if I am expecting, I will tell Chase.”