The Violet Hour (The Violet Hour Series) (2 page)

As we waited silently beside each other for my plane to begin boarding, Brody tried to convince me this would be a good experience.  I had questioned in my mind who he really thought this would be
good
for.  He didn’t sound like the boy who had swept me into his arms at his graduation ceremony and told me he’d never love anyone as much as he loved me – he sounded more like Richard had, handing me my one-way ticket to Wyoming.  Still, I ignored my doubts and told Brody as soon as I turned eighteen I’d be back to Cali to live with him.  So far, I hadn’t changed my mind.  Twelve months was a long time… but not
that
long. 

My eyes began to feel heavy as I listened to raindrops begin to spatter on the roof and the faint sound of a lone wolf howling in the distance.  Tomorrow was the start of a new chapter – the one where I’d try to find myself again.  And, the one where I’d meet my father for the first time in seven years. 

Andrea Wells – The Violet Hour

Chapter 3

I jolted awake when my phone started buzzing from somewhere beneath my pillows.  Glancing around the room, I felt slightly disoriented.  Hoping the seemingly longest day of my life was just a dream, I silently prayed that at any moment I would catch a whiff of the warm California breeze rushing through wide open windows.  Instead, the smell of wet pine and wilderness was trapped in the air.  I dug around for my phone and tapped the screen, the bright light momentarily blinding my sleep-filled eyes.  When I regained focus, the time read eleven forty-nine in the morning.  I also noticed my phone had automatically switched time zones.  Just one more change in my life I had no choice over.

“Well, that’s impressive,” I said aloud.

My phone also indicated I’d missed a call from Brody. 

“Hey Babe, where are you?  Did you make it to Wyoming yet?” he questioned after answering on the second ring. 

“I’m sorry, Brody.  I got to my dad’s house last night and crashed.  I just woke up and was going to call you shortly,” I said, lying about the last statement. 

“Well, I miss you already,” he said.  “We all miss you.  Here, Linds wants to say ‘Hi’.” 

There was only a moment’s pause before my best friend was squealing into the phone. 

“LOGAN!  I miss you!  It seems like you’ve been gone for days…”

I checked the time on my phone again to make sure I’d read it correctly.  I put the phone back to my ear and interrupted whatever she was saying.

“Why are you and Brody together so early this morning?” I questioned.

“A whole group of us went to Club Area last night, then a house party in the Hills,” she replied quickly.  Too quickly.  “I didn’t drive, so Brody offered to take me home.  We just pulled up to Starbucks when you called.”

“Yeah, but why are you in L.A. this weekend?  School starts at Laguna in a couple days and the drive from L.A. is over an hour out of Brody’s way.”

“He offered, so I took him up on his offer, Logan.  It’s really no big deal.  I guess Brody was going to see his parents this weekend in Laguna anyhow…”

“He never visits his parents,” I countered.

“Hence why he’s probably going,” she snapped.  I heard her take a deep breath.  “Logan… I know you’re upset and going through a rough time right now and I’m so sorry about everything.  I’ll do whatever I can to be there for you and make this easier in any way I can.  If you’d like me to catch a cab, I will.”

“Sorry,” I mumbled, deciding to let it go.  There was no changing the fact they were having a good time without me and she was right, I
was
upset.  “Make sure Brody drives carefully,” I mustered.

“I will.  I’ll let you talk to Brody before we get back on the road.  I’m going inside to order us coffee.”

“Alright.  I’ll call you later, Linds.”

“K, remember, you’re not alone, I love you,” she said, brushing the mouthpiece as she handed the phone back to Brody.

“So, how’s everything going so far?” Brody asked when he got back on the line.  From his tone I could tell he’d overheard my brief conversation with Lindsey.

“Well, I’ve only been in Wyoming less than a day, but okay.  I guess.”

“Are
you
doing okay?” he hedged.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” I lied again. 

“Are you sure?”

I didn’t answer.  He knew I was lying.  I knew he didn’t really want the details.

“Alright babe – I understand.  I love you,” he said, seemingly distant.  We both knew something didn’t feel right but neither of us wanting to get into it right then. 

“I love you too,” I said softly.  I wasn’t sure if I could trust Brody, but moving twelve-hundred miles away left me no other choice.  Of course, his choice to move sixty miles away after graduation had also given me no choice.

“I’ll give you a call after I get back to L.A.,” he offered and we parted from the phone. 

I took a deep breath, once again fought off tears and shoved myself out of the blankets, heading toward the stream of light peeking through the center of the curtains.  When I pulled them open, I gasped.  The mountains took over part of the blue skies while white feathery clouds spread over the rest.  The warm rays of the sun poured down the window seat, across the wood floor, inviting me to take a better look.  I walked straight to the edge letting my skin to soak up the warmth.  It was surreal; I felt as if I was in a painting.  It had been overcast since my plane touched down but the sun finally gave way to a sense of calm that began to take root in me as I embraced the beauty beyond the ledge.  Autumn danced around the air and in the spaces between the mountains and I.  The only thing untouched by the shifting of the season from summer to fall was me, standing on the balcony with my California tan. 

Below me, I heard something move.

I carefully leaned over the edge of the railing and immediately caught the attention of Kate closing a small shed on the patio below. 

“Good afternoon, Logan,” she called up.  “Did you sleep well?” Kate quickly asked seeming equally put off by my presence as I was hers. 

“I did, sort of…” I mumbled, rubbing the sleep from my eyes.

“Are you hungry?” 

“I think so,” I offered just after my stomach tried to answer for me.

“Throw on some jeans and we’ll go into town for lunch.  I’d fix you something here, but we’re out of groceries.  Your father and I will go shopping together when he gets back.”

I didn’t really want to leave the house, or spend too much time alone with my new step-mother, but my stomach was insisting otherwise.

After pulling on the skinny jeans I’d worn on the plane the day before and attempting to fix my hair and face, we drove into town for lunch.  I peered out the window and felt the despair I’d felt when I was ten.  Sheridan was small, quant and surprisingly closer to the house than I realized.  I was certain I’d moved to the middle of nowhere.  Thankfully, I was wrong about that part.  It was
almost
the middle-of-nowhere.

Our meal was uneventful and the conversation very minimal.  Kate looked as uncomfortable as I felt.  I’m sure wearing my mirrored aviators throughout the entire meal could’ve also had something to do with her silence.  I didn’t care, I wasn’t going to risk being spotted and photographed in public looking the way I did.  It gave me time to size up my fathers’ wife, as well. 

Kate was plain yet pretty.  Assessing her beauty, I realized my mother would always be the ideal all others would be measured against and no one would ever come close.  Kate’s long black hair framed her pale face, making her chocolate-brown eyes sparkle slightly.  I realized she was a striking contrast to my mother not just physically but emotionally.  My mother was outgoing, commanded the spotlight, and never caught off guard.  This woman sat quietly eating her fries and looking down at her plate, avoiding my gaze.  I wondered what my father saw in her. 

When I finished eating, Kate didn’t even bother to finish her own meal.  Instead she wasted no time paying, anxious to leave. 

“Sorry we had to grab a bite in town,” she offered as we climbed back inside her SUV.

“It’s no big deal,” I replied, “I’m used to eating out a lot.”

“Your father and I have been so busy this past week; we just never made it to the grocery store.  We’ll go as soon as he gets home.”

Kate seemed too eager to please and I wondered how much was due to the recent death of my mother and how much was due to her naturally weak-willed nature.

“When is my dad supposed to be home?” I questioned.  He’d told me over the phone several times before I left for Wyoming, but I hadn’t paid attention once.  He hadn’t flown out for the funeral and was too wrapped up with prior plans to even pick me up from the airport.  It made it hard to care enough about his hunting schedule to remember it.

“He should be back tomorrow morning,” Kate answered flatly.

‘Great,’ I thought to myself, ‘another afternoon alone with Kate.’ 

I honestly had nothing against Kate, but she wasn’t and never would be my mother.  Instead, she was just another adult trying to anchor me to a life I didn’t want. 

“The movers should arrive this evening with your things,” Kate chimed in to my mental tirade, obviously trying to cheer me up. 

“Great,” I mumbled.

I looked around as Kate began to slow down for the driveway.  A lone mailbox sat next to a huge arch of logs that went up and over the entrance.  We turned off the pavement and I scanned through the windshield for the house, but saw nothing more than the encroaching forest ahead.  As we hit the dense tree line, the inside of the SUV turned a shadowy shade of green.  Kate rolled down the window, filling the crisp air conditioned lungs of the vehicle with the warm scent of earthy pine. 

We drove through the shadows and they suddenly were replaced with shades of yellows and oranges as the sun flooded the interior again when we broke through the edge of the forest circling the property.  The driveway seemed longer than the trip from town.  Just past the trees, a barbed wire fence lined the driveway enclosing an open meadow.  Beyond the meadow stood my father’s large, majestic log home nestled against the backdrop of towering mountains.  In front of the home, on either side of the driveway, stood two large wooden barns.  Kate rolled her window back up when we finally came to a stop in front of the garage, sealing in the scents of the outdoors.

This was not the home I grew up in.  I was actually shocked at how far of a cry my father’s home was compared to the trailer park my parents raised me in before the divorce.  We didn’t even have a house – it was a camper.  A camper meant for camping in, not for living in.  Growing up, I hadn’t seen the problem with that, but looking back, I could see why my mom left.  I’d always felt gratitude that she’d left to give us a better life, but looking at my father’s gorgeous ranch, I wondered if maybe things weren’t as black-and-white about their divorce as I’d always thought. 

Kate slammed her door shut jolting me back to the present.  I reached to open my door but paused with my hand on the handle.  As I looked out my window, I watched him move toward me with hesitation.  I sucked in a breath of air and pushed open the door.  ‘Not now,’ I told myself.  My dad followed my lead and cautiously approached.  We stood silently looking at each other for a moment and my anger – that he hadn’t supported me at the funeral – hadn’t visited me in California – he hadn’t even picked me up from the airport because he was too busy hunting – the anger overwhelmed me and I started crying.  He silently placed his arms around me, pulling me into a tight embrace, as I cried harder and released all the anger.  I just let go.  I had lost my mother, I wasn’t going to hang onto the past and let it destroy my relationship with my father too.

“I’m so sorry, Logan,” he murmured in a deep steady voice as he lifted me slightly off the ground.  His embrace was warm, reminding me of my mother.  His smell, a good smell, offered more comfort.  His cologne I knew well, although I never could put my finger on the brand.

I said nothing.  It was too painful. 

With my head still muffled in my father’s arms, I heard Kate say, “Hey, Luke.”

I stood on my toes to peer over my father’s shoulder and the moment with my father was suddenly over.  A new moment was beginning.

“You must be Logan?” the boy in front of me said as his deep blue eyes met mine.  I was speechless.  “I’m Luke.  It’s a pleasure to finally meet you,” he continued as he put his hand out in front of me.  He didn’t sound sure it was a pleasure, he sounded cautiously polite, as if I were an unwelcome guest.

I didn’t move a muscle; tears still dripping off my chin.

He stood still, holding my gaze, completely undeterred by my frozen-like state.  My mind, on the other hand, was blank.  There was something intriguing about him, despite his stare.  I was quickly trying to figure out what that ‘something’ was.  He was tall and obviously toned.  His confidence in himself radiated as the boy stood like a model at the end of a runway, tall, straight and quiet.  A pair of the most striking blue eyes I’d ever seen – even in comparison to my mother – were perfectly framed by his square face.  Dark hair that seemed to have just the slightest hint of red when the light caught just right fell in every perfectly groomed direction.  It almost looked as if he had just stepped out of the shower.  Too bad he chose to get dressed, I thought, as a slight smirk escaped my lips.  I could feel my cheeks begin to flush.  He was gorgeous.  But, that wasn’t all – there was still something else.  He never took his eyes away from mine like it was a contest.

“Logan, are you okay?” my father finally said, breaking my train of thought.  I wanted to answer, but couldn’t find the simple words.  I knew the quick shift from bawling to calm was unnatural but I wasn’t normally the emotional type – so I wasn’t very good at it.  I pulled my aviators down over my eyes.

My dad stepped in front of me to hand me my purse and close Kate’s car door.  In the split second that I lost sight of Luke, I felt an anxiousness inside I couldn’t explain. 

“I’m fine,” I stuttered. 

It was enough to move my dad out of the way, but too late.  The
boy
was gone.  Suddenly, Kate swept into view seemingly from nowhere and gestured toward the door.  I had yet to see the rest of the house since I’d arrived, and Kate was making good on her promise while at lunch to take me on the grand tour.