Ms. Got Rocks (28 page)

The most important appointment was right after Labor Day; the all important appointment with the flight surgeon. Margie felt it was still much too soon for her to get approved. Rocky felt positive that she had healed enough. The flight surgeon sent her to the hospital for more X-rays. He was extremely non-committal and Rocky left for home without any evidence which way the decision would fall.

Rocky had not seen Callaghan so far in September and there was no sign that he had been dredging while she was away at any time in August.

The dredging season ended soon, feeling the push and shove Rocky was determined to waste no more of the days that were left.

Before diving, Rocky wrapped her rapidly healing finger in as much protective gear as she could. Giving her new dive wet suit a tryout, she went into the river daily to pull as much gold as possible before the season shut down.

Rocky dredged on the last grid that her Dad had cleared. She thought it would be safer for her hand to try that square to close out the final days of the season.

The bucket of black sand with gold mixed into it was growing. On the first of October, Rocky would do the final cleanup and run all that gold bearing material through the machine that Devlin rigged for her, including an electrical outlet on the porch.

The family would celebrate the cooler weather, the end of the dredging season and her divorce with a cleanup party on the first.

On that first day of October, with a mug of orange spice tea, she watched the slanting light of autumn. She had hardly noticed the approach of autumn as most of the natural bushes and grasses had turned brown from the scorching summer weather. There were no golden aspen and birch trees or red heather on the mountains like up home in Alaska. It seemed like Fall only with the chill in the morning and the still hot afternoons. She noticed that Thumper’s coat was getting thick and plush for winter.

Rocky pulled the dredge out of the water. She took the engine off and was winterizing it before storing it in the shed. When she had her hands completely icky from engine oil that she had spilled, she heard a noise coming from around the side of the cabin.

"Let’s see what it is this time, now that I can’t get to the camera. More buffalo, a giraffe, penguin or what not?” Rocky said out loud to the dog.

“Got Rocks, are you ready to leave?”

The Irish accent and Callaghan were coming around the side of the cabin.

He was dressed in black silky looking slacks, a black definitely silk shirt and carrying a black suede blazer.

His hair was glossily controlled for the first time that Rocky could remember and instead of the usual scowl, there was a grand smile and mischievous look in his endless black pools of eyes.

“I think I skipped a paragraph, Callaghan, where am I going?” Rocky asked wiping her hands on a red shop rag, not on her raggedy jeans.

“We have a long standing date to go to the gold show and buy a concentrator,” Callaghan was now standing directly in front of her and she could smell his enchanting cologne that was a whisper rather than a shout.

Rocky said something supremely intelligent. “We do?”

Grimacing, her brain blamed it on his cologne. Rocky stood up from the messy motor and wiped her hands again. She moved over directly in front of Callaghan.

“Where were you born?” she asked out of the blue.

“Oakland, California,” he answered, stepping even closer to her.

“You are not Irish,” she barely whispered.

“I am. Oakland was an accident.”

“What do you do for a living? When you aren’t claim jumping, that is,” she almost breathed.

“I am a Special Agent with Alcohol,Tobacco and Firearms. I'm a Fed.” his mouth a bare two inches from hers.

“I’ll be a half an hour to get changed,” she murmured.

“I’m positive you will be worth the wait,” he breathed.

C
hapter 29

S
he emerged onto the porch, exactly twenty nine minutes later. She decided on the slacks from her new interview suit and the new to her heather colored sweater she had found at Goodwill in Auburn. Her shoes were the problem. The best she could do, were the almost new cowboy boots she found at a garage sale. Her pawn shop earrings set the outfit off nicely. Not having perfume or cologne, the soap was going to have to do the job. She looked in the mirror, she laughed and sang the first bars of "Second Hand Rose".

Callaghan was standing on the porch petting Lovie while trying not to get dog hair on his slacks. He looked up and that million watt smile lit up the hemisphere.

"Yes, very much worth waiting for. Ms. Got Rocks, you are lovely."

Surprising the heck out of Rocky, Callaghan took her hand and walked her down the steps and around the cabin to the Lexus parked on his side of the property boundary line. He settled her into the passenger seat. She was still surprised at the manners and the familiarity. This was a side of Callaghan she had overlooked somewhere along the journey.

They were out of Callaghan's property and almost to the county road, when Callaghan started talking.

"Okay,why did you ask where I was born?"

"I was trying to find for something to say."

"There has to be something more to it than that."Callaghan was slipping into work investigation mode.

"No, really, I get nervous and say stupid things."

"Actually, it wasn't very stupid, I was born in Oakland because my parents were visiting San Francisco from Ireland and they went to Oakland for some reason and I decided that was a good day to be born. I had dual citizenship until I was twenty-one and decided to go with ATF."

"You grew up here or Ireland?"

"I grew up in Ireland and came back here to go to University."

"I was born in Auburn and grew up here in Whiskey Gap. I went to flight school in Oakland, and then I went to Alaska for the flying job. But I started flying when I was sixteen here in Whiskey Gap and Clipper Gap." Rocky was starting to jabber. She bit her lip to shut herself off.

"How did you meet Jasmine Harris?"

"Are you working Mr. Callaghan?"

"No, why do you ask that?"

"If you aren't working, I don't want to talk about Jasmine Harris. At all, never."

"Okay, I'm not working. My peach trees have all taken root. I was worried with the fire and the heat and not being here to water all the time. Peaches like lots of water.

"I know they do, I went over one day when it hit 110 and hauled water from the river for them. They did look at little peaked that day." Rocky had turned back from the window to face Callaghan.

"You did." Callaghan was stunned.

"Well, they are living things, I wasn't going to let them die, for Pete sake. I'm glad they took. You did come over with the tractor and plow the firebreaks. Turn about is fair play or something like that."

"Or... what are neighbors for?"

"Sure." Rocky found herself without something to say again.

"You still don't trust me, do you?"

"Honestly, not entirely, I mean the first time I saw you, you were stealing my gold." Rocky now was looking straight ahead down the freeway.

"Was not stealing gold."

"If you would prefer, allegedly stealing my alleged gold." Rocky's voice was getting a little cooler, a bit higher pitched.

"I wasn't stealing alleged or not alleged. Your Father and I were friends before he went to hospital. He gave me permission to dredge his claim, when I worked mine."

"Did not, and you can't prove it."

"I can't prove it, but in exchange for dredging I was to plow the firebreak around the cabin, because he couldn't do it anymore."

"The plowing wasn't a friendly neighborly thing, then."

"Yes, it was, since you didn't know that your Da and I had made those arrangements. I didn't have to do it. I did it because I wanted to, it needed doing."

"I do thank you for plowing, really, Callaghan I do."

"You're welcome, and thanks for taking care of the peaches."

Rocky had turned around again and was looking at the profile view of Callaghan. Just looking at him made her toes turn up and forget about Justin.

"Callaghan, if you and my Dad were so tight, why didn't you come to his funeral or the wake? All his local friends were there."

"I would have been, I was in Moscow chasing after that woman who shall not be named. I didn't know he had passed until we met that day. I went to church that afternoon and lit candles for him."

"You didn't say a thing to me or my brother. We would have liked knowing that Dad had a neighbor friend."

"I didn't get a chance. that night I got called back to D.C. and then I flew to Algeria, then back to Moscow and then I think I went to Boston, but it may have been D.C. again. Anyway, it seemed that you didn't like me much, or want to talk to me, so..."

"But I do like you Callaghan, you're really nice sometimes and I think maybe in a while I can be less suspicious. It would help a lot, if I actually knew your real name."

"My real name?" Callaghan looked over at her, with a stone cold puzzled look on his face.

"Yes, not your undercover spy kind of name."

"I have only one name, well, actually it is more than one, I'm Irish after all."

"So, give, what is your multi name?" Rocky was laughing by now. The tension that a minute ago, could be cut, was now broken.

"Okay, are you ready for it? It is Sean Liam Patrick Joseph Callaghan. My friends, call me Lee."

"And a lovely Irish name that is, adding mine of Rochelle Siobhan Clancy, we could start our own dance troupe."

"Or bagpipers? Clancy and Callaghan." He turned and winked at her.

They were both laughing, as they managed the freeway interchange into Sacramento.

A twenty minute zip down the freeway to the Convention Center and they were ready to go shop.

Lee Callaghan handed Rocky out of the car as if she were a princess. The thought that crossed Rocky's mind was that the man had moves alright. He easily and casually had his arm around her waist guiding her to the nearest ticket window.

The sport and recreation show was huge. It took them over an hour to find the gold dredging and mining section. On the way, Rocky bought a trout fishing pole and reel.

There were many brands of concentrators of gold. Callaghan went about deciding with the dedicated attention of a chess master. Finally, making his choice, it was exactly the newer model of the one that Rocky had. After settling the shipping details,they moved on around the Center. They playfully looked at boats, which were way out of their price range and a make believe motor home for the make believe Irish dance troupe. When they, at last, got back to the exit doors, they had laughed so hard their sides ached.

"We got out of there, pretty cheap. Just the concentrator and your fishing pole."

"We did a good job, I could have spent a million bucks in there."

"Definitely a dangerous place. I think I will never come back for another go round."

"Agreed, never coming back." Rocky said and put her arm through Lee's arm as they went through the doors to the parking lot. That felt very right.

"Wow, it is already dark, are you hungry?" Rocky asked, thinking of feeding him dinner in her kitchen, keeping him around longer.

"That took longer to get around than I thought. I'm starved, I didn't see any food in there at all."

"Come on, let's go to my place, I'll fix us something to eat."

"That is too much trouble, I know a great place with Greek food. you'll love it."

Soon they were seated and listening to Greek music. The food was very good, the conversation about places Rocky has never seen nor hoped to see, about flying, and gold mining and nothing consequential always working around the subject of the woman who shall not be discussed.

They shared a baklava. The honey pastry was almost too erotic for a non-date shared dessert. That thought occurred to them at the same time. Rocky stopped eating and finished her water. Callaghan finished the pastry and didn't look at all like the idea bothered him.

The server brought the check and Callaghan reached for it and then his wallet. Rocky watched as a strange look crossed his face. He put his credit card on the little check tray.

"Is something the matter?"

"Yes and no, I used my credit card, but my cash seems to have gone missing." Callaghan searched his other pockets.

"If you don't want to use your card, I have cash with me." Rocky suggested pulling her han bag over from the other chair.

"No, I invited you. This is fine. I probably left it in my other trousers."

As they were waiting for the credit card to return, Callaghan's cell phone rang. He leaned across the table and gave her a soft lovely kiss.

"You taste of honey." With a smile,he excused himself from the table and made for the waiting area.

Rocky had time to finish her water, watch over Callaghan's credit card, finish sipping her espresso and watch a belly dancer perform before Callaghan returned to the table. She noticed the name on his credit card was Sean L. J. P. Callaghan. Somehow, she felt better.

"Are you ready to go, Ms Rocky?"

She handed him his credit card and they started for the door arm in arm.

"That was a lovely dinner, Lee, thank you. I've never had Greek food before. I loved it, but not the coffee, I'll be awake all night."

"It was good. I think the Greek espresso coffee is stronger than the Italian. I'll be wide awake too.

"In the case, I will challenge you to an all night monopoly tourney. That is what Devlin and I used to do when Dad couldn't sleep after Mom died, we would play Monopoly all night until none of us could keep our eyes open. Sometimes, it was dawn when we gave up."

"Such a charming idea, however, that phone call was a back to duty call for me. I have to be in Washington D.C. by morning."

"Oh no, I thought you said you were on vacation."

"I am, but the big guy just rescinded it."

"That sounds awfully ominous, is something bad happening I'll hear about on the news in the morning?"

"You probably won't hear anything about this one but I have to be at the airport by eleven."

"Oh my God, they don't even give you time to pack a bag and have a nap."

"I can sleep on the plane and I have an apartment in D.C. so I'll just take the laptop and a carry on. I should have time for a quick cleanup before the meeting."

"Darn, here I thought I would get the chance to whomp your ass at Monopoly."

"I've never played, so you probably would. I'll accept the date for Monopoly,though when I get back."

Later, Rocky unlocked the bottom gate and Callaghan drove the Lexus up to the porch.

He escorted her from the car and up the steps. His moonlit kiss was long, deep and thought provoking. Callaghan broke the kiss, swooped her up into his arms, carried her back down the steps and gently sat her back in the car.

They drove down to the gate laughing all the way.

"You are nutty Callaghan. Why did you do that?"

"I've always wanted to kiss you goodnight on your front porch, but then someone has to lock the front gate."

"Ahh, that is so sweet and romantic and now I can walk up the hill in the moonlight all by myself."

"Oh no, I could never allow that." He drove the Lexus through the gate and parked it next to the mailboxes. Rocky locked the gate. Callaghan jumped on the gate, climbed over it, and wrapped his arm around her waist and walked her to the front door.

"Obviously, I need to walk you to your car at the gate, and then you can walk me back to my door." Rocky was smiling so hard she was certain her face was cracking.

"And as much fun as that sounds, I could miss my plane and be out of a job."

"Do you know when you will be back, I mean, do you want me to look after the peach trees?"

"They will be fine now, with the drip system. I can't say when I'll be back, this might be very short, cut and dried or long and involved."

Wrapping her arms around his neck it was Rocky's turn to lead the kiss into long and involved.

He held her for a long time. Then he was gone, loping down the rutted driveway. She watched from the porch. He did not turn and look back at her. She stood there until she could no longer hear the car. She leaned against her front door, waiting for the dogs to finish their late night constitutional. She mused that she had never knew a man would was so willing to play. He was so different from anyone she had been with she wondered if that playfulness extended to any other areas of his life.

"Next time he is here he isn't going to get away so fast, I don't intend to play monopoly, either." Rocky set her goal for Lee Callaghan.

Friday morning, Rocky stood at the kitchen counter sipping her too hot coffee. She flipped on the morning news. Her mug of coffee fell to the floor.