Authors: Cerian Hebert
“Hi Mr. Lithgow,” she said pleasantly, a wide smile on her face. “Jessa will be out in a sec.”
Travis nodded. His stomach began to clench. He had a very bad feeling about this. A “sec” dragged out for more than several minutes. Eventually Jessa appeared from the gloom down the hall. She kept her gaze pinned to the ground, only mumbled a goodbye to the girl who still rested lazily against the railing.
“See you tomorrow,” Brandy said.
Jessa didn’t speak until they were outside and even then, she rushed to the truck. Travis paused to examine his daughter. She’d be tall like him, and already had developed into a young woman. Which, as it would any father, disturbed him. At least she covered her figure underneath faded jeans and a navy blue hoodie sweatshirt. She wore a baseball hat low over her forehead, her hair tucked up underneath.
Travis froze. Jessa didn’t normally wear a baseball cap. He studied her as she climbed into the cab of the truck, silent and morose. As usual. Travis shrugged irritably and pulled the door open.
They’d deal with this as soon as they arrived home and had some privacy. At the moment another Bartlett boy joined the first, and they stared at Jessa with great interest. They didn’t even stop when Travis shot them the look of death. So this was the way it would be.
In silence Travis drove to their house; let her walk inside. Before he could close the front door, Jessa had already made it to her room. He heard the door shut behind her.
This is a long way from being over.
They had a few issues to deal with and they’d be handled before dinner.
“Mom, where are you when I need you?” he mumbled. His mother would know what to do. If only she were here. Even his sister would have a better idea of how to deal with a rebellious teenaged daughter. Travis sure didn’t have a clue.
He stopped outside her door. He didn’t want to push it open so he knocked first. “Jessa, we need to talk.”
“Later. I have homework to do.”
“No, now. I’m coming in.”
Before she could protest, he pushed the door open. Jessa sat on her bed, her knees tucked tightly against her chest, her arms wrapped around them. She stared past him, her mouth puckered in a sour frown. The baseball hat was still on her head.
“Take off the hat.”
Jessa still didn’t meet his hard stare. “Why?”
“Because I want to see what you’ve done to your hair.”
“Why?”
“Jessa,
take
it off. Now.”
Finally, she complied, dragging the hat off angrily and tossing it to the floor. Instead of long golden blond waves falling around her shoulders, black hair, about ear length and damp, sprang loose.
Travis could barely breathe. Anger hit him first. How could Jessa, who’d always been so proud of her appearance, a girl so smart and good-natured, do something so far out of character?
It struck him this might exactly be her character now. It still didn’t make this right. Not by a long shot. Anger and frustration increased in leaps and bounds.
“Are you kidding me?”
“What?” She slanted him a narrow glance.
“What possessed you to do that to your hair?”
Again she glanced away. “It’s my hair. I was sick of looking all goody-goody. So what.”
“So what? Is this what you were doing over at the Bartlett’s? Did Brandy do this to your hair?”
Jessa shrugged indifferently. “She cuts and colors her own hair all the time. Big deal.”
Travis drew his breath in long and hard and let it go in a rush. “You are not allowed to go over to the Bartlett’s house anymore. Starting tomorrow you’ll go to Aunt Sadie’s to help out in the barn, after which you’ll come home and do your homework.”
“What?” Finally, Jessa showed life. She sat up straighter and glared at Travis. “No way. You are being so unfair.”
“No, what is unfair is me wondering where the heck you were for an hour this afternoon. Do you have any idea how worried I was?”
Jessa narrowed her eyes and stared at him. “Great, so now you don’t trust me.”
“Look in the mirror, Jessa and then ask me again.”
Travis spun around and left her room, leaving the door open behind him. “Dinner will be ready in about half an hour. Come out and set the table.”
Chapter 3
Rio worked extra late. She’d hoped Sadie would go in so she could stay at the barn in for another night. As she hung up the last bridle, her boss came into the tack room.
“My goodness, girl. You still here?”
Rio smiled, forcing herself to remain nonchalant. “I didn’t want to leave these undone. I was finishing up.”
“It’s getting dark. You can’t walk to your room now. I’ve got supper on, why don’t you come on in and have something to eat. Then you can stay in the guest room. I’m sure you could do with a hot shower and change of clothes too.”
Rio chuckled and examined her grungy jeans and sweatshirt. Well, she’d been wearing them for two days straight.
She had a couple changes of clothes down at the cabin but she didn’t know if she dared go for them. She couldn’t take the chance of being caught again, even by Sadie’s nephew.
Especially
by Sadie’s nephew. There’d been a look in his eyes, steady and penetrating.
He’d probably hand her over to the cops given half a chance. Like some big old boy scout. She silently admonished herself. She was the one doing wrong. If he did want her arrested, she couldn’t blame him.
“All my clothes are at my motel,” she lied.
“Never mind. You’ll probably swim in it, but I have a nightgown you can wear and we’ll throw those things in the washing machine.”
Sadie’s suggestion sounded worlds better than another night on the old dusty sofa and washing up as best as possible in the horses’ wash stall with horse shampoo. On the sly. At least for one night she could sleep in a real bed in a real house with electricity and running water. Hot, glorious water. How long had it been? Man, she couldn’t remember, and thinking about it depressed her.
“Sounds fine,” she said with a tired smile. “I’ll clean up and be right in.”
Rio closed up the barn for the night, saying goodnight to the horses before shutting the big sliding door. The hulking, white farmhouse stood three stories tall, including the attic. The kind of place that had once housed multiple generations of one family within its walls.
She’d been inside often since coming to work at Cobble Creek. The place always felt so empty, even with Sadie’s lively banter. Rio wondered why Sadie hadn’t gotten married, had never filled this house up with a big family. She certainly enjoyed people; she would’ve made a loving mother, a wonderful grandmother.
Maybe that’s why Rio had stayed so long, because she’d become so comfortable here with this woman, who hadn’t shown her any distrust. Had always been so warm and welcoming. Not many people treated her with such kindness since being on the road. Perhaps that made Sadie foolish. In Rio’s book, it was a rare trait and one she wasn’t eager to leave behind.
Pushing the kitchen door open, the comforting and delicious scent of fried chicken and fresh baked bread enveloped her. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply.
“You seem content.”
Rio jumped. She hadn’t seen Sadie in the doorway. She smiled. “It smells like heaven in here.”
“Thank you. It’ll be ready soon. First things first. I’ll show you the guest room and give you a nightgown. You don’t mind having dinner in a nightgown, do you? Shower first. Give me your clothes and I’ll toss them into the wash. Then dinner.”
“All right.”
Sadie led the way. “Bathroom is across the hall. Take your time, dinner won’t spoil if you want a long, hot shower. You’ve earned it today.” Sadie closed the door behind her, leaving Rio alone in the homey, old-fashioned bedroom.
A white, blue, and pink homemade quilt covered the queen-sized bed. It looked so inviting. She longed to collapse on the mattress, but her clothes were too offensive to be on Sadie’s beautiful spread. If she laid down she might be asleep before she would be able to sit up again. A shower would surely revive her.
Twenty minutes later, she walked out of the bedroom feeling one hundred percent better, wearing a nightgown about three sizes too big. With one hand she held the heavy flannel material up off the ground while clutching her dirty clothes in the other hand. Her short, wet hair clung to her cheeks and her feet were bare. Still, she didn’t remember the last time she’d felt so clean. There was definitely something to be said about living in a real house.
As soon as she got to the bottom of the stairs, Sadie whipped the clothes away. While she headed to the laundry room off the kitchen, she pointed Rio toward the table.
“Can I help you with anything?”
“No, you can sit. You’ve done enough today,” Sadie replied from the other room.
Rio complied, feeling a bit guilty about being waited on. Sadie had already set the kitchen table. A tall glass of milk stood by each plate. In the center of the table a platter held a loaf of bread, sliced into thick pieces, next to a dish of real honest-to-God butter. Rio longed to grab a piece but she had some manners, so she kept her hands in her lap and studied the big room.
Again she wondered if Sadie was ever lonely, living all alone. Rio didn’t know much about Sadie’s family, except she had a nephew with a troubled daughter.
Rio frowned. She’d been able to keep thoughts of Travis Lithgow at bay for most of the day. Now, as she waited for Sadie, her mind conjured the man. Tall and imposing yet attractive, with one of those faces that would appeal to nearly any woman. His short, light brown hair had a definite wave to it.
He stared her down as if he could see every thought inside her head, making her want to escape. Except, she decided with a certain degree of discomfort, he was probably someone she could trust. If she were on the right side of the law.
If she weren’t, she had no doubt he’d turn her into the cops or at least remove her from his aunt’s life. If he suspected she’d broken into the cabin, he hadn’t said anything. Perhaps he was biding his time, waiting to catch her. More reason to hike down there and retrieve her stuff.
More reason to leave New Hampshire.
Sadie bustled out of the laundry room and straight for the oven. Rio admired the woman’s energy and could only hope she’d be half as healthy and lively as Sadie when she hit seventy.
If
she hit seventy. With her current lifestyle, she’d be lucky to see fifty.
A sobering thought and one she didn’t care to pursue. If she changed her wandering lifestyle maybe her chances of living to Sadie’s age would increase.
Why not settle down?
Not like anyone from her past would be out searching for her, waiting to swoop down, grab her, and haul her back to the hell she’d escaped from years ago. On the contrary, her mother had probably been thrilled to see her go. One less mouth to feed.
What really frightened her, what kept her from settling, were the questions she’d have to answer about her past. She didn’t want Sadie asking, didn’t want to see the disappointment and judgment in her eyes.
Maybe Sadie wouldn’t start asking questions, but Travis would. Soon.
Tonight she planned to enjoy Sadie’s cooking, her company and the soft bed waiting upstairs for her, and try not to feel guilty about it.
“Eat as much as you want, there’s plenty. Nothing frustrates me more than cooking for one. I don’t know why we don’t do this more often.”
Rio selected a slice of the bread and two pieces of chicken, not wanting to be too greedy. Sadie returned to the oven and pulled out a casserole. She served Rio a hearty spoonful of a broccoli and cheese dish.
“Wow,” Rio said admiringly. Had her mother ever served anything so wonderful? No. Bologna, sometimes with bread, sometimes not, macaroni and cheese, and cereal were usually on the menu in the Presley household. Since she’d been on the road she ate what she could, some of it decent, some of it bad. Very little of it home cooked.
She dove in enthusiastically and didn’t say no when Sadie offered her seconds.
“Now you’ve had some time to think about my offer. You ready to take me up on it?”
Rio froze. She hadn’t exactly forgotten about Sadie’s idea for her to ride Dante. She’d pushed it to a corner of her mind, hoping she wouldn’t have to deal with it anytime soon. Unfortunately, Sadie served the topic up along with her fantastic fried chicken. Rio wasn’t that easy. She kept her attention on the slice of bread she buttered, not ready to meet Sadie’s steady gaze.
“Now, before you decide to tell me about how you need to move on, why don’t you explain what you have to move on to.”
Rio could’ve lied and told Sadie she had some fabulous job lined up somewhere for the winter. As she finally met the woman’s level blue stare, she knew she couldn’t. Just because she couldn’t lie outright, it didn’t mean she had to be forthcoming with everything.
“I like to travel. I don’t like to stay anywhere for very long and I’ve already been here longer than I should.”
“Why do you travel so much?”
“It suits me. I like seeing different places, meeting new people.”
Sadie stared at her hard, the sharpness of her gaze slicing through each layer of Rio’s thoughts to see what she hid underneath.
Rio turned her eyes away first.
“You’ve been happy here, haven’t you? You’re a hard worker, and like I said, a natural with the horses. Why not stay on and see how far you can take this?”
“I don’t know. Winter is almost here. I’m usually down south by now.”
“What’s so great about the south in the winter? Have you ever been up here in wintertime? It’s glorious.”
Rio had been raised in the Buffalo area of western New York. She remembered the winters all too well.
“Let me finish,” Sadie continued when Rio didn’t answer. “Dante needs a worthy rider.”
“That sure isn’t me.”
“You could be excellent with work. Dante is the horse for you. Give me the winter, one winter, to change your mind.”
“Sadie—”
“One winter and if it doesn’t work out, then come spring I’ll buy you a plane ticket to wherever in the country you want to go and give you enough spending money to keep you going for a while.”
Emotion caught in her throat and Rio swallowed hard at it. “You’re being too good to me. You hardly know me at all and you’ve opened up your home to me. It’s more than I’m used to.”
Sadie extended her hand and placed it over Rio’s. “I know, dear. Every time I look at you I see a scared rabbit about to run. Something tells me you’re tired of running.”