In Full Bloom: Sequel to 'The Crying Rose': The Trilogy of the Rose (Volume 2) (20 page)

Mark scanned the car for Grandma Jo, but found it empty. “Grandma Jo?” he said softly.

“What?” he heard her response behind him, turning he saw her looking at the storm clouds. “I don’t like the looks of those clouds,” she voiced. “Looks like we’re in for a blizzard.”

Turning back to the car, Mark grabbed their jackets. Instructing Grandma Jo to get hers on, he quickly put on his own, realizing their need to hurry. “Help me get the stuff inside then,” Mark suggested, wanting her to think of something else besides the pending storm. Turning, she frowned, but nodded in agreement.

Within minutes, they had everything lined up on the porch. Neither spoke as they moved back and forth from the car to the cabin. Grandma Jo carried the last item to the porch as Mark closed and locked the car. Spotting the knitted afghan in the back seat, he unlocked the door, and reaching in, secured it knowing that Sami would probably want it later.

Walking back to the house, Mark noticed the last beams of sunlight being extinguished, and the temperature was dropping quickly. Aided by the porch light, they moved the supplies off the porch and into the cabin as fast as they could, wishing to escape the cold wind.

Closing the door, Grandma Jo and Mark finally took the opportunity to check out the interior of the cabin. The lamp on the end table nearby had been turned on, and it provided enough light to view the impressive ranch-style layout of the cabin. The open beam ceiling over the living room and kitchen-dining area gave the observer a feeling it was a lot larger than the actual floor space. The back half of the house had been divided at the roofline. The lower level was closed off from the main room with only a hallway that led, he hoped, to bedrooms and a bathroom. The upper level was a loft, which could be reached by the nearby staircase.

Mark whistled in reaction to what he saw. He liked this place, knowing that if he owned a cabin such as this, he would not have waited all these years to get back to it. glancing to his right, he was drawn in the direction of the focal point of the living room – the huge fireplace. It wasn’t the fireplace that caught his attention, but the photographs that adorned the mantel. Knowing that Sami’s home in Phoenix was void of anything personal, he was highly curious to see what was captured in the photographs. Feeling pressure on his arm Mark turned his attention to Grandma Jo, who was pointing toward the outside door that was open in the kitchen area.
Sami – where was she?
he thought, as he moved to the open door, stepping around the stack of items at his feet. He would have to investigate the photos later.

Stepping out onto the landing, he was struck by a cold blast of wind. Pulling his jacket more securely around him, he scanned the area searching for Sami, but she was nowhere in sight. He called out her name over the roaring wind. Not receiving an answer, he quickly raced down the steps. The faint back porch light did little to help his efforts as he rounded the back corner of the house. Without the aid of light or even moonlight to guide his way, he found himself enveloped by the dark, cold night. He called out again, and this time he heard a slight tinkling sound. Molly’s tags on her collar, he hoped, as he reached down blindly to identify the source. Sure enough, his hand landed on Molly’s head. He patted her a couple of times. “Where’s Sami?” he asked the animal.

He heard a very weak cry for help coming from the direction of the trees to his left. Molly moved out from under his hand, and he followed her, guided by the tinkle of her tags.
This is stupid
, he thought. He should have brought a flashlight as he ran into the third tree.

“Mark?”

He turned his head toward the sound of her voice. Maybe ten feet in front of him, he saw a thin beam of light. “Sami?” he answered, closing the distance between them.

“I can’t get the door open,” she cried helplessly, her voice shaking. Seeing her T-shirt clad body, Mark removed his jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

“Trying to activate the well,” she replied.

Mark’s eyes followed the beam of light and focused on the weather-beaten door she had been trying to open. Seeing the condition of the rusty hinges, he gave them a couple of quick, sharp kicks to loosen the never-sleeping rust. With a couple of hard yanks, the door finally swung open, and Sami reached in to activate the well’s pumps.

He was shaking now from the cold. Closing the door, he put his arm around Sami. They started back toward the cabin just as the first snowflakes began to fall. Walking back to the cabin was easier for him now that the beam of her flashlight aided him. As they passed the woodpile, he released Sami and grabbed an armful of wood. He wanted to help warm the cabin’s interior by starting a fire in the fireplace. He followed Sami back inside, noting that Grandma Jo was in the kitchen unloading their groceries. Mark moved to the fireplace and within minutes, a roaring fire came alive.

Satisfied with his efforts, he scanned the room. He noticed that the furniture was made of sturdy solid wood with cushions. 
Very suitable for this type of environment
, he thought. He was surprised at the overall condition of the main room and the adjoining kitchen. He believed that it should have been a lot dirtier due to the non-use. Granted, there was a heavy layer of dust on almost everything, but there were no signs of rodents or other animal. There were some cobwebs in the corners, but that was nothing compared to what he had envisioned.
The cabin’s construction must be real solid to stand up against environmental changes
, he thought.

Mark was more taken with the cabin with each passing second. Turning, he saw Grandma Jo in the kitchen preparing a light supper. Not seeing Sami, he asked. “Where is she?”

Grandma Jo looked at him and motioned toward the hallway. “That way.”

Turning his head in the indicated direction, he saw that the hall light was now on. He could see four doorways off the hall. Grabbing the bags, near the door, he headed across the room.

Stopping at the first doorway on the right, he switched on the light of this bedroom. He entered and dropped off Grandma Jo’s things on the bed. Returning to the hall, he turned off the light, and hearing water running behind the closed door in front of him, he deduced that the bathroom lay beyond. Smiling, he was glad that she was able to handle herself now in that department.

Mark continued down the hall and placed his bags inside the doorway to his right and Sami’s things in the opposite one. Hearing the door behind him open, he turned and faced Sami. He updated her on where he had placed their bags, and she nodded her agreement before turning back to the kitchen. He followed her out to the living room and added more wood to the fire.

***

After dinner, with the dishes washed and put away, Mark settled Sami in the rocking chair in front of the fire. Wrapping her in the afghan, he signaled to Molly to lie down at her feet. Grandma Jo produced mugs of hot chocolate for them all. Before sitting, Mark extinguished most of the lights in the cabin, and opened the front curtains in order to watch the falling snowflakes that were swirling in the howling wind.
Grandma Jo was right in her prediction
, he thought. The snow was falling so heavily that he was unable to see the car, which was parked less than ten feet in front of the cabin.

He drew his attention from the hypnotic effect of the falling snow, and turned to the women, who were talking quietly by the fire. Seeing that Grandma Jo had already produced her ever-present knitting needles, he laughed. “Do you always carry those with you, Grandma Jo?’ he asked her. Both women peered at him.

“I don’t want to miss any opportunity,” she responded, staring at the needles. “Besides,” she added, smiling back at him, “it helps me relax.”

“Grandma Jo, you truly amaze me.” Mark said, shaking his head.

“I do wish that I had brought my paints,” Sami sighed softly, lowering her eyes to her lap.

Beaming, Mark smiled at Sami.
This is a good sign
, he thought. “I do believe that can be arranged,” Mark announced. “I’ll contact David to bring them with him.” Sami looked back at him, and he could see the eagerness in her face clearly in the firelight.

The firelight reminded him of the photographs that he had wanted to investigate earlier, and he moved to the mantel. “Sami, tell me about these photographs,” he said in a light tone.

Mark was answered by her light laughter. “I see you have found my mother’s true gift,” she responded, “her fascination with a camera. I believe there are hundreds of photos around here somewhere. Those displayed on the mantel were her favorites.”

Mark took down the first photograph to see it better in the firelight.

“I remember,” Sami continued in a merry tone, “that my father once accused her of having an affair with the guy at the local photo shop.”

Mark was extremely pleased by her attitude and openness. Hoping that this might break down the wall inside her to talk about her past, he took the photograph in his hand to her. Giving it to her, he began his treatment.

Hours flew by as Sami provided him information regarding each photograph. It was like opening a floodgate. He learned, not only about her immediate family and her extended family, but also about the history of the cabin itself. So much information was gathered that he didn’t know if he would remember it all. By the time they had reached the last photograph, Sami’s voice was hoarse and Mark felt exhausted.

After getting Sami ready for bed, Mark could barely keep his eyes open. In a haze, he fed Molly and opened the back door to let her outside in the still falling snow. Her reluctance to leave the protection of the porch made Mark laugh. Begging her to hurry did the trick as she set a record in performing her duty, and raced past him back to Sami’s side. Mark was still laughing at her antics as he headed to his assigned room.

FIFTEEN

M
ark awoke the next morning to the smell of fresh-brewed coffee. Rising to his feet, he shook off the remnants of his first deep sleep in quite awhile. He had forgotten until now just how much the altitude and mountain air could aid one in sleeping soundly. Moving back to the bed, he pulled the covers up, thinking that he would love to dive back into the soft, warm haven, but eager to continue Sami’s treatment, he dressed and hurried out of the room.

Stepping out into the hall, Mark noticed, through Sami’s open door, that she was still securely in bed and sound asleep. His movements did result in Molly poking her head up from the far side of the bed. Mark smiled at her, thinking that he had ruined this dog. Not only had she been introduced to the inside of the house, but also she had taken up residence on the bed. “There’s no turning back now,” he said softly to her as she lowered her head back on the bed.

The smell of the coffee lured him back in the direction of the kitchen. Stepping into the great room, he was assaulted with the glaring sunlight streaming in through the large bay window in the upper eaves of the room. Although the house was equipped with central heating, the openness of the room had a touch of a chill in it. He moved to the fireplace to prepare a fire with the wood from the box near it.

“Good morning,” he said in greeting to Grandma Jo, who was sitting with her back to him at the dining room table wrapped in her trusty blue jacket.

“I would have done that myself, but I didn’t want to set the place ablaze,” she confided merrily.

“Thank you for your honesty,” he laughed back.

“Coffee?” she asked.    

 “Yes, thanks. That would be great,” he responded as he removed the dead embers. He had just restarted the fire when he felt Grandma Jo behind him. Turning, he accepted the offered mug.

“It must have snowed at least two feet last night,” she said.

Walking to the front window, sipping his coffee, he pulled aside the curtains and squinted out over the thick blanket of snow. Not only was it on the ground, but covered the car and the tree branches, also. He stood transfixed as the top flakes danced to the beat of the wind. The sight humbled him for the serene beauty was breathtaking. He placed his hand on the window to wipe away the condensation left by his breath. The coldness of the glass left little doubt of the freezing temperature beyond.