Gold in the Fire and Light in the Storm (8 page)

“Has Reverend Collins spoken with Tom?” Darcy asked. She wanted to do something to help the family that was struggling with the fallout of such a tragic accident.

“Several times, but Tom made it clear he didn’t want the reverend’s help.”

“He hasn’t gotten past the anger stage of his grief.”

“Some people never do. Some people need help in dealing with their grief, but won’t accept it.”

Could that apply to her father? After her mother’s death, all she’d seen from her father was anger. Had he moved on? She didn’t know because she hadn’t been around for the past ten years.

“Can you steal away for a while and get an ice cream with me?” Joshua asked, coming to stand next to her.

His presence lifted her spirits. “I’ve never been able to turn down ice cream. Maybe we’ll see Sean on the fairway. Let me tell Dad I’m going with you for a little while.”

Darcy walked toward her father, who was shaking hands with each of the four men as they were leaving. His weathered face brightened with a smile.

“They’re definitely interested in two of our jumpers. I’m sure they’ll be bidding on them at the evening session.”

“Dad, I’m going with Joshua for an ice cream. Can I get you anything from the fairway?”

“Nope.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “You’ve been seeing a lot of Joshua lately. Is there anything going on that I should know about?”

There was actually a twinkle in her father’s dark
gray eyes that surprised Darcy. She almost forgot her father’s question.

“Is there?”

Blinking, she finally replied, “Joshua and I are just friends. I’m helping him out at church with the Sunday school class.”

“Is that what a few nights ago was? Funny, I would have thought you two had gone on a date. In my day that was what we called it.”

Darcy lifted her shoulders in a shrug that she knew didn’t convey the nonchalance she wanted to project. “That was different. He needed someone to go to the awards dinner with him.”

“He couldn’t go alone? I’m sure he wouldn’t be the first or the last to do that.”

She turned away. “I’ll see you later.” Her father’s chuckles followed her all the way back to Joshua.

“You’re blushing. What happened?”

“Nothing. Dad was just teasing me.”

“Teasing you? From what I’ve gathered from you, that doesn’t happen very often.”

“If you must know, he thinks we’re an item.”

“And you set him straight,” Joshua said, taking her by the elbow and steering her toward the fairway.

“Of course. We’re just friends.” And if she said it often enough, maybe she would believe it.

When had she begun to think of Joshua as more than a friend? The other evening at the awards dinner—their first official date? When he had chased
Angus? When he had given her a peck on the cheek that curled her toes?

Before she knew it, she was standing in front of the ice cream truck and Joshua was asking her what flavor she wanted. She had been so lost in thoughts of Joshua that she hadn’t even realized how she’d gotten there. Boy, she had it bad!

“Hmm. I like so many. I could have a triple scoop with each layer a different flavor.”

“Talk about me taking risks. Do you know what that will do to your arteries?”

“Not to mention hips. Okay, I’ll settle for a double-scoop butter pecan and cookie dough ice cream.” Darcy’s mouth watered as she waited for the woman behind the counter to make her cone. When the lady handed it to her, Darcy took a big lick and said, “Mmm, this is delicious. Isn’t life grand?”

Sean and his friend Nate ran up to them. “I’d like an ice cream cone, too.”

“How about the money you were given? Where is it?” Darcy asked, knowing perfectly well it had left his hands the minute he’d gotten it.

“Gone.” He gave her an innocent look, meant to appeal to her good nature.

Which wasn’t too hard with Joshua next to her and a beautiful day surrounding her. She dug into the pocket of her jeans. “Okay. But you’ll need to check with Ken and see if there’s anything he wants you to do. Nate, do you want one, too?”

“Yes, and I can help Sean with any chore he needs to do. Mom said she’d pick me up at the barn in an hour.”

“Is your mother at the pavilion showing her dolls?” Darcy remembered being the recipient of Jesse’s first doll-making attempt. She still had the doll displayed in her bedroom, which had annoyed Clay.

“Yes, ma’am.”

After Darcy purchased the two ice-cream cones, the boys thanked her and took off toward the barns on the edge of the fairgrounds. She caught Joshua staring at her.

“You’re a good mother, Darcy O’Brien. You have a solid relationship with your son.”

Heat flooded her cheeks. “A lot of the time it was just him and me. With Clay being gone so much, Sean and I became very close. I hate, though, that he doesn’t have a man’s influence in his life. I think that’s important.”

“He’s taken to your father.”

And you
, Darcy thought. But both relationships were fleeting and hundreds of miles from their home in Panama City.

“Have you ever thought of having children? I’ve seen you with the kids at church and you’re great with them.”

His eyes conveyed a haunted look that struck a chord in Darcy. Remembering his ex-fiancée, she stepped closer, suddenly wanting to comfort him. “I’m sorry. I forgot about Carol.”

“We’d talked about having children. I wanted at least three. She wasn’t so sure she wanted any.”

“And yet, she has a son now.”

“I know I need to get past her betrayal, but we had known each other for years and I never saw it coming. It makes you doubt your judgment when something like that happens. It makes this risk taker—” he patted his chest “—cautious.”

Someone jostled her, sending her into Joshua. He steadied her, so near that his breath fanned her, causing her heart to beat faster. She tilted her head to look him in the eye, and even though hundreds of people were around them, she felt no one’s presence but his. He was a good, kind man who had been hurt terribly. That, they had in common. She lifted her hand to cup his jaw—strong, firm. Like the man himself.

“We’re human. We make mistakes. We hopefully learn from those mistakes.”

He veiled his expression. “I’ve learned to be very careful, not to rush into anything.”

His warning, spoken in a harsh whisper, cautioned her to protect her heart. Falling in love with Joshua was a risk she wasn’t willing to take. He wasn’t ready for a relationship beyond friendship, and neither was she.

Darcy moved back and inhaled deeply to calm her rapidly beating heart. “I’d better get back. The afternoon auction will be starting in an hour and there are things to do.”

“Can I help?”

“Surely you have something better to do than hang around a smelly barn?”

“No, I’m all yours for the afternoon.”

His statement caused a hitch in her breathing. He meant nothing by that, but she began to dream of more. Her overriding thought was: How could Carol have betrayed him with another man?

Darcy headed toward the barn area, conscious of Joshua next to her. Halfway down the fairway she felt the hairs on the nape of her neck tingle. She scanned the crowd and stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Angus Feehan not three yards away, staring at her with narrowed eyes that transmitted his anger.

“What’s wrong?” Joshua asked, moving to stand in front of her and blocking her view of the fired groom.

“Angus, behind you to the left.”

Joshua glanced over his shoulder, stiffened and pivoted. He stalked toward the man. Angus’s eyes widened, then he spun about and disappeared into the throng behind him. Joshua searched for a few minutes before returning to Darcy.

“I know this is a free country and he has every right to be here, but
why
is he here?” Darcy asked, hearing the panic in her voice.

“That was what I was going to ask him before he so conveniently vanished. Come on, let’s get back to the barn.” He placed his hand at the small of her back and guided her through the mass of people.

She heard raised voices coming from inside the barn where their horses were stabled for the auction. One, she knew, was her father’s, and she quickened her pace. She
found him arguing with Mike Reynolds, his arms waving as he spoke.

Shamus finished his tirade with “Get out before I call Security.”

Mike lounged back against a stall. “Go ahead. I have every right to be here. This is public property and you can’t order me off it.”

Darcy stepped between the two men before they came to blows. “Dad, calm down. We aren’t at Shamrock Stables.” Then she turned to say to Mike, “Please go.”

“Fine. But one day, old man, someone’s going to knock you down a peg or two. You have no right to spread rumors about me.”

“I’m only telling the truth. You shouldn’t be around horses.”

Darcy was glad she was standing between them, because she was sure if she hadn’t been, they would have started a fistfight. She felt her father’s tension and anger. She saw Mike’s as he glared over her shoulder at her father. Mike huffed, then whirled about and stormed toward the entrance.

The tension remained. Darcy slowly pivoted toward her father, understanding where his anger was coming from, but realizing if he didn’t control it, he would have another heart attack. “Dad, this isn’t good for you.”

“My heart’s ticking just fine. I’m going to the arena to make sure everything is in place,” he muttered, then stalked off in the opposite direction from Mike.

Joshua placed his hands on her shoulders and
kneaded. “I don’t think Mike Reynolds is capable of setting the fires.”

“He isn’t doing very well. He’s lost several jobs because of the way he handles the horses. Maybe he blames the animals or the owners for his troubles.”

“I suppose it’s possible. He’s certainly hotheaded enough, but it just doesn’t feel right to me.”

“I hope you find the person responsible soon. I don’t know how much longer my father’s going to be able to take this.”

“Since everyone heightened security at the farms, there hasn’t been a fire. And right now, with what we have, we don’t have a suspect. I’ll let the police know, though, about Angus showing up out here. It may be nothing—”

“Or it may be something. I want the person caught but not at the expense of another fire. I guess there is no easy answer.”

“Not with arson, I’m afraid.”

Even though it was hot, Darcy felt cold to the bone. She and her father had their differences, but she was so afraid that if the arsonist wasn’t caught soon, the stress would cause another heart attack.

Lord, please help my father deal with his anger better. Show me the way to help him and put a stop to this arsonist. I know I haven’t prayed much in years, but I don’t know what else to do anymore. He and Sean are all the family I have.

Darcy relaxed on a bale of hay that sat against the wall of the barn. The second day of the horse auction was over
and it had gone very well. One more day and they would be finished with this big annual event. Her gaze swept the long aisle down the middle of the fairground barn, checking each stall that was occupied with a Shamrock Stables horse. One yearling stuck his head out, looking around. Several were eating. She heard the one in the last stall neighing. They had six horses left to auction off; two still had to be picked up by their new owners—they were the only animals in this barn. In the other two there were six farms represented, but Shamrock Stables was the biggest one at the county fair this year.

Everyone had worked overtime, especially her father, and she had volunteered to stay the night with the last batch of horses. Sean had wanted to join her, and she had decided at the last minute that he should go home with her father. He would have kept her up the whole night with his excitement. She couldn’t afford to lose that sleep. Besides, it wasn’t as if she was alone here. Every other farm had someone staying with their horses.

Darcy rose, stretched her cramped muscles and rolled her head in a full circle, trying to work the tension out. She walked to the door of the barn and looked out. She saw several grooms sitting under the large maple, talking and laughing. The noise from the fairway was diminishing as the crowd left for the evening.

Darkness had settled over the area where the barns were, but the lights from the fairway were a beacon in the night. Their brightness comforted her. Her last two years
living at home, she had stayed with the horses at least one of the nights at the fair, but this year she felt edgy.

“Hi, Mrs. O’Brien. How’s everything going?” One of the guards the farms had hired for the fair stopped in front of her.

“One more day and I can collapse.”

“Have you even gone home since this began?”

“Yes, Friday evening.”

“But you were here this morning at five, so you couldn’t have been home for long.”

“Just long enough to catch a few hours’ sleep.”

“Where are you sleeping tonight?”

“I’ll be in the tack room if you need me.”

“Except for a few teenagers who didn’t go home when they were supposed to last night, it has been unusually quiet. Good night, Mrs. O’Brien.” The guard ambled toward the next barn.

Darcy took a deep, fortifying breath and turned back into the barn. After walking its length and checking on the horses one final time, she made her way to the tack room, leaving the door open to give some light. Sitting in the corner was the cot her father had brought—a hard, uncomfortable cot with a thin blanket and a small pillow. Darcy eased down on it and listened carefully while untying her tennis shoes and removing them. The sounds of the fair were far away and faint.

Lying back, she threw the cover over herself and closed her eyes. The image of Joshua danced into her mind and brought a smile to her mouth. He had been
wonderful this afternoon and evening, helping her with the horses and even bringing her something other than fattening food from the fairway to eat. The hot roast beef sandwich with cole slaw had been delicious. He was awfully good to her, she thought as she felt the effects of too little sleep. Joshua’s image wavered and faded as sleep descended.