Thunder Snow (Thunder On The Mountain Series) (6 page)

CHAPTER  TEN

O
ver the weeks, I had gotten pretty friendly with many of the people of this little town. Being the daughter of Charles Weston gave me entre and a certain kind of acceptance not normally afforded to strangers. I was used to the stares, knowing there was no threat in them, only friendly appreciation for someone so different than what they were used to.

Bella Roja
was a term I heard often as I explored, but it took my breath away when I heard it coming from Jack’s lips as we ran into each other at the Post Office.

“You have lunch yet?” he asked.

“No. I left the house early and wasn’t even aware it had gotten to be that late. I thought that in some of the quiet time I have in the evenings I could send notes to my clients, so I came over to get some stamps.”

“Can I buy you lunch?”

As many times as we have talked, my heart still did a little flip when we made eye contact. I often felt as though I were giving him a zip line to my soul.

“I’d like that, thank you.”

After getting settled at a little diner and placing our order, Jack started asking me questions. Never one to use a few words when a story would work, I got carried away in my response when he asked me about my job.

“For as long as I can remember, my dad has been a builder in the Denver/Boulder area. As a very little girl, mom would take me out to the job sites so she could visit or help as my dad got his business off the ground.

“On those days that we would go see him, she would bring things to keep me occupied, but I would always find my way to a hammer or screwdriver. While other little girls were getting dolls for Christmas, I wanted tools.”

The waitress set our food on the table. “Go on,” he said.

“One of my fondest memories was my first real toolbox for my tenth birthday. Although there have been many additions to it over the years, I still have the core set I got almost twenty years ago, and I rarely use them without remembering my initial joy.

“It wasn’t a surprise to anyone that I would choose a profession that had something to do with houses. I got my real estate license before I turned twenty, and for almost a decade now, I’ve worked as an agent in Denver, first with my dad, then branching out on my own.”

“I remember your dad mentioning some kind of award you won last year, and he was over-the-moon proud of you.”

Blushing, I said, “Ah, I have been so driven for so many years. Last year I was selected for a National award they give to up-and-coming agents under the age of thirty. He was certainly proud.

“I’ve done nothing but work around the clock for years now. I’ve worked hard to establish a solid reputation. One morning I woke up and realized I had stopped actually living somewhere along the way. I definitely needed a break.”

“Lotsa people would think this little backwater town wasn’t a whole lotta living,” he said, as if asking a question.

“Are you kidding? There’s more life in this place than I’ve seen in forever. People are real. You get what you see. YOU get to make the choice about whether or not you want to engage. I love it here.”

“You’re an unusual woman, Callie Weston. A little hurricane of fresh air,” he winked as he paid the tab.

~~~

The weather stayed warm for the next month or so. There were not many days I didn’t visit the Amber Rose. There were not many times I went in when Jack wasn’t there also. Sometimes his conversations with Sam would end abruptly when he’d see me, sometimes Jack would ask me a question and involve me in whatever it was they were talking about.

One morning while Jack and I sat at the counter talking to Sam, some out-of-towners wandered in.

“Yer welcome ta sit wherever it is ya want,” said Sam in a friendly manner, coming around the counter to hand them menus, “jest so long as there ain’t nobody else in the seat.”

I’d heard him say it a half dozen times before, and it still made me laugh. Jack and I exchanged a playful glance. I felt so much at home here. No wonder my dad couldn’t wait to come here at every opportunity.

Jack got up to pour himself another cup of coffee, and poured me some as well.

“You from around here?” one of the customers asked me.

“I am now,” I replied.

“We’ve heard this town has Frozen Dead Guy Days. When does that happen?”

“Not until March, but it’s only the people from out-of-town that enjoy it. The locals dread it because it’s nothing but a drunken brawl for three full days,” I said derisively.

“People move up here because of the beauty of it, to get away from City life, to live in peace. In one weekend,

thousands of people descend on this remote town; people who don’t care at all about what kind of destruction they’re causing, and then they’re gone. It takes weeks to clean up the mess that all of those careless people caused.”

I hadn’t meant to be rude, but it appeared as though I silenced their questions. They turned back and hid behind their menus.

“Very well said, little one,” Jack said quietly, resting his hand on my knee. “You ever been here during Frozen Dead Guy Days?”

I could feel the heat of his hand warming the knee of my jeans, and I just kept staring at it. It must have made him conscious of it because he smiled and picked up his coffee and the spell was broken.

“No. Honestly, it doesn’t sound like a good time to me at all,” I said, looking out the window into the town

“Not usually,” Jack explained. “They make it to the neighborhood where the Tuff Shed is where Grandpa’s body’s on ice, God rest his soul,” he said teasingly. “But he’s been frozen and thawed so many times, no one wants to see him. It’s more of a ritual than anything else.”

“Maybe we can have work to do in Denver or Boulder that weekend,” Jack said suggestively. “They don’t usually make it near the houses. Sam has his own system after all this time for taking care of things, so I make myself as scarce as possible.”

The thought of spending a weekend in Denver or Boulder with Jack had my senses reeling. He must have known which pores were sapping my thought processes.

“One of your most admirable traits, little one, and one I very much appreciate, is that not only are your words honest, but your face is so expressive. It’s refreshing, and rare. Makes it easy to know exactly what you’re thinking,” he cajoled.

“Here’s how I feel about that,” I said reflectively. “I’m diplomatic when I need to be, but above all else, I demand honesty. It doesn’t matter the subject, it doesn’t matter how tragic it is, how hurtful it might be, how much someone thinks I don’t want to hear it, none of it matters as long as we’re dealing with the truth. It’s too hard to play the game when there’re only 48 cards in the deck and you don’t know which ones are missing. Real easy to get blindsided that way.”

He looked at me for a moment. “You’re an interesting woman. It doesn’t feel like innocence or naiveté, but it sure is refreshing.” When he touched my cheek, it brought me an inordinate amount of pleasure.

“You keep me on my toes, Jack Franklin. I like you.”

“Ditto, angel, ditto,” he said as he paid his tab and waved to Sam as he left. This time, however, his eyes met mine as he opened the door. This time, he smiled and winked. This time, my heart sang a little song at what had just happened.

“I could get used to this life, Sam” I said distantly. Sam, of course, just smiled his wicked grin.

CHAPTER ELEVE
N

W
as it intentional that we met the next morning at Sam’s place for coffee? Were we circling the attraction without acknowledging it?

“Gonna be a full moon tonight,” Sam said as he poured coffee for both of us. “Think I’ll shut down early. People seem ta lose their minds during the full moon at this elevation,” he chuckled.

“You two lookin’ fer breakfast this mornin’?” Sam asked, looking between us.

“I sure could use some of your pancakes with a whole pile of bacon,” Jack said.

“I’ll take some of your oatmeal when you get around to it, Sam. As a matter of fact, why don’t I grab it myself?” I said, hopping down from the stool.

“Don’t even think ‘bout it, pun’kin. Ya’ll just set right there and I’ll be right back with it.”

A couple came in and sat at one of the booths. I handed them menus and told them I would be happy to take their order when they were ready.

Jack smiled at me and said, “Do you ever sit still?”

“Be nice to me, Jack. Don’t forget, you genuinely like me under that tough exterior of yours.”

We could hear the conversation of the couple behind us. She said insistently, “Don’t stumble over something that’s behind you, Paul. It’s not worth it, and it will ruin our time together.”

Jack and I looked at each other and nodded our heads in agreement.

He looked me full in the face and said, “How about you? What are you stumbling over?”

It was a thought-provoking question. Just as I met his eyes, the lady said, “You can take our order now, Miss.”

“Certainly,” I said, smiling at my reprieve.

After pouring them coffee, I headed to the back and gave Sam the order. I took my seat next to Jack again when he pierced me with his dagger hold.

“You didn’t think you were going to get off that easily, did you?” he cajoled. “Spill it. What are you running from? What brought you to leave everything you know behind and hide out here for a few months? Nasty breakup with a boyfriend?”

I laughed out loud, “Hardly that.” I moved away emotionally from the subject. He must have sensed it.

“I’m no threat to your balance, little one. You like honesty, then let’s start our day with it. What makes Callie Weston tick? What happened to her that drove her to hide in the mountains with nothing familiar around her?”

“Well, THAT’s not true, Jack. Dad’s place was familiar the moment I walked through the doors. There is an architect I have been enamored with for years,” I said, drifting off to my fantasy home. “For years I have called him ‘my architect.’ Dad’s little cabin in the woods up here reeks of a Montgomery, so when I walked in, I felt like I had come home.”

“You friends with this Montgomery?” Jack asked, sounding almost jealous.

“Oh, no. I’ve just seen his work and it pulls at every fiber of my being. I always figured one of these days I was going to have him build me a home. I thought now might be a good time, but no one seems to know where he is.”
    “Yer a smart cookie, pun’kin, ya’ll track him down if ya really wanna find him,” Sam said from behind the counter.

“Well, thank you, Sam. I just might do that.”

Turning back to Jack, I finished my thought, “I also knew Sam immediately, even though we had never met. He was like coming home.”

I winked at Sam. His blush turned him a bright red above his beard. “So I wasn’t completely alone, Jack. I wasn’t completely thrown to the wolf."

“You mean wolves?”

“No, I said what I meant . . . wolf.”

He threw his head back and laughed.

“That’s a sound that makes my heart happy. You should do it more often.”

He stilled and caught my gaze. “Don’t change the subject. You’re not going anywhere until you tell us your story.” He nodded towards Sam who was watching me intently.

“Don’t push her too hard, Jack. Can’t ya see she’s fragile?”

“What IS it with you two?” I asked, trying to sound offended. “Do I look like there is anything fragile about me? I’ve been helping my dad frame and hang drywall and lay flooring and shingle a roof since I was a kid. I am not something to be pampered.”

“Jest ‘cause ya can do all them things don’t mean ya can’t be pampered. Ain’t that right, Jack?” he winked as he went to offer more coffee to his customers.

“Come on. Spill it.”

“Be nice to me, Jack, I’m fragile,” I
teased. He didn’t say a word as I traveled back to early Spring; back to the time when I was going to have to be cruelly honest with Jason and I knew it would forever end my relationship with Angie.
     “Sometimes I wished I had a crystal ball to know what was around the corner. It would have made this so much easier. But then it’s probably best not to know, huh?”

I told Jack and Sam about the events leading up to the fateful night, about my friendship with Angie, about the things Jason had done that caused the fear in me, and about my resolve to not let those events take over my mind or my life.

Jack’s jaw was working. “What does he do for a living?”

“Engineer. No shock there, huh? Mr. Personality himself,” I laughed to try to break his focus.

Jack’s fist was clinching. I took his hand and rubbed it with my thumbs. Sam slammed a large mug on the counter.

“I’m safe now, guys. Nobody can hurt me here, right? I have you two to protect me,” I tried to lighten the mood.

“Get on with yer story or I might have ta break somethin’.”

“Jason was waiting for me at my door when I got home one night. When I told him to leave, he shoved me against the door with an elbow to my neck.

“He didn’t have a weapon, but I was no match for his strength. He was a bodybuilder. I wanted to calm him so I could get inside, but had to say the words, had to actually tell him never to come back. It was something I knew the police would ask.

“He laughed and told me he would make sure that people knew I was crazy. That I would sound like a spurned woman and no one would believe me. No one was going to tell him whether or not he could talk to me.”

“If he’s alive,” Sam said, “he won’t be fer long.”

I squeezed his hand and continued. “I called the police, and they told me it was just a boyfriend dispute, and if I couldn’t prove three instances where I feared for my life, there wasn’t anything they could do about it. I was furious. I did everything I could to make my home safe. Hired an expert to come out and check my security. I hated that he had made me afraid to go into my own house. Weeks passed and I was starting to relax.

“I had a cherished picture on my dresser. It was of me with my Mom and Dad right before Mom died. The frame and glass were broken and the picture of me had been cut into little pieces. I filed an emergency restraining order against him. That absolutely flipped him out. Angie went nuts too. To this day I have never been able to figure out her reaction.”

“Could she have been in love with him?” Jack asked quietly.

“Wow, Jack, that was totally out of left field.” I thought about it for a second and said, “That’s possible. She always wanted to be with him. She loved talking to him because she felt Mark wouldn’t listen. I had never even considered that aspect of it before because she had always been such a ‘good wife.’ But she has changed so much. Very perceptive of you.”

“Continue,” he said, no smile on his face or in his voice.

“After I filed the restraining order, it seemed to make me the object that needed to be conquered. Angie seemed to encourage it. Jason lost his ever-lovin’ mind.

“I always carry either a gun or a taser with me when I show houses to people I don’t know. Tragic things can happen when you walk into a house alone, not knowing who you’re going to meet.

“Anyway, one night I came home, but it was dark. It seemed strange because I always left a light on. I figured a bulb had burned out, but it gave me an eerie feeling. When I flipped the switch, nothing happened. I was reaching into my purse for my taser when the lights came on. There stood Jason. I was genuinely afraid.”

“‘You’re not so stupid that you think I’ll let you get away with this, do you?’” he asked. “My first thought was that he was insane. The second was that I was in real danger.”

Telling Jack and Sam this story, I could see it all again, and even though it had been months, it still had the power to rock me to my boots.

“I had my hand around my taser in my purse. I took a slow step backwards. Before I could even blink, he struck me hard across the face. I went to my knees.”

I could feel the rage in Jack, could feel his whole body tensing.

“He kicked me. I was able to get the taser turned on by the fourth strike. I got him in his leg. He went down. Then I got him in his shoulder. As fast as my broken rib would allow, I ran. He was still down when the police arrived. They arrested him. Angie came to see me twice to try to get me to drop the charges. I told her to never come back.

“I couldn’t stay at my house any more. I stayed with Marge, my assistant. I stayed in Dad’s cottage. I sold my house. When the trial was over, Jason got seven months. I wanted out. Dad suggested I come up here. He’d never let me come here before, so when I finally decided it would be okay to leave, I jumped at the chance. I haven’t regretted it for one minute.”

Jack was staring at me, but he didn’t see me. His jaw was working. I looked at Sam and there was a lone tear falling down his roughened cheek. “S’ppose Jack and I woulda killed him if they hadn’t locked his sorry ass up,” he said, sadness turning to anger.

“I have so many things that keep going through my head. You spend a long time wondering if there was something you could have done to have made it any different. Did I lead him on in any way? How was it that Angie was so blind to what he was doing? For a while, I hated being alone. This place has certainly gone a long way towards healing me.”

Jack was gently rubbing his hand across my knee. It had become an absent habit, and I’m sure he wasn’t conscious of it. There was nothing soothing about it. I got up and cleared the table that had been vacated and started helping Sam with the dishes.

Jack came up behind me, put his arms around my waist, and rested his chin on my head. In a quiet and sincere pledge, he said, “I will kill Jason if he ever comes near you again – ever.”

These men had become my family in the short time I had been here. It was a unique bonding. I was going to have a hard time leaving.