Whispers of the Falls: Book one (Twelve Oaks Farm Series 1) (13 page)

Chapter Eleven

Grant didn’t recognize the number displayed on his phone. He tapped the send button and heard Juan’s hysterical voice on the other end. “I’m in trouble.”

“What’s happened?”

“I got into a fight with the boys that have been bullying me. The principal called mama and I’m sure she’s on the way.”

“Whose phone are you using?”

“One of my friends. I’m in the boy’s bathroom but I gotta go back to the principal’s office.” Seconds passed before Juan continued his conversation. It sounded as if he was almost in tears. “The principal is going to suspend me.”

“I feared this would happen. I’ll be right there.” Part of him regretted teaching Juan to defend himself. Now he would have Nina and Maria angry with him. He hefted the bushel of corn and placed it on the back of the four-wheeler trailer. He drove back to the house as fast as he could without dumping the five baskets of corn over the side. He parked it in the shade. Old blue was not in the drive so Grant assumed Nina had gone with Maria to the school since Maria couldn’t drive a straight drive.

Even though he was dirty and sweaty from gathering the corn, he jumped into his car and gunned the engine. It took twenty minutes to get to the school house. On the drive he had practiced what he would say to the principal. He couldn’t stand by and let Juan get suspended.

Before he got to the entrance, he heard children’s laughter. When he opened the door, he had to push his way through the crowded hall because the students were changing classes. He shoved the glass door to the office open and cringed. Three boys sat in chairs, one with a bag of ice on his bottom lip, one with a black eye, and one with scuffed elbows. It had to be the three bullies Juan described.

“May I help you?”

He tried to calm down so he would be allowed to see the principal. He gave the woman behind the desk a huge smile. “Yes, ma’am, my name is Grant Wilson. I am a friend of Nina Reynolds. I received a call that Juan Rodriguez is in a little trouble and hoped I could speak with the principal.”

She locked eyes with him. Then she leaned over the desk giving him a good view of her impressive cleavage. “I’m sorry, but Mr. Heron cannot be disturbed.” She craned her neck toward an office at the right and Grant saw the principal’s name on a gold plate on the door. Turning her attention back to him, she came around the desk and propped an ample hip on the edge. “If you would like to have a seat and wait, I’m sure he’ll speak to you later.” Petite and curvy, she was quite attractive.

Grant feared if he waited, it would be too late. He glanced at the name plate on her desk. “Barbara Henley, it is imperative I speak to Mr. Heron.”

She pushed a stray, black hair back into place that had fallen over her brow. “I’m sorry. I can’t disturb him when he is with a parent.”

Instead of taking no for an answer, Grant crossed to the door and opened it without knocking. Behind him he could hear Ms. Henley calling his name. He shut the door to drown out her angry voice.

“What is the meaning of this?”

Grant offered his hand to Mr. Heron. “Sorry about the intrusion. My name is Grant Wilson. I am a friend of Nina’s.” With a wary look on his face, he shook Grant’s hand.

Juan sat on the small sofa against the wall. His clothes were torn and dirty. Maria and Nina sat in chairs in front of the principal’s desk. Wondering what he was doing there, Nina looked at him with confusion. By the look he was getting from the principal, he knew he had better start talking and quick. “I taught Juan how to protect himself. He informed me he was being bullied.”

Nina’s quick intake of breath caused his stomach to tighten. The principal shook his head and stated in a cold tone, “As I have already told Mrs. Rodriguez, violence is not tolerated at this school. I have no other alternative but to suspend Juan.”

Maria begged, “Please don’t suspend him. He has never been in trouble before. He is a good boy.”

The principal gave her a sympathetic smile. “It is school policy. Zero tolerance for violence.” He came around the desk to let them know the meeting was over. “Now if you’ll allow me to walk you out.”

Grant blocked his path. “Listen to me, Mr. Heron. The moment we walk out that door I’m going straight to the media. Anyone that will listen to me will know that Juan was bullied and you did nothing to stop it. The bullying has been going on for weeks.”

Four inches shorter than Grant, Mr. Heron straightened to his full height. “Don’t threaten me, Mr. Wilson. No matter what you say, the boy is suspended. I will not change my mind.”

Shocked, Nina bolted to her feet and snapped, “Grant, this has nothing to do with you.” Her eyes locked with his and he saw anger spark.

“The hell it isn’t. I feel responsible. Juan came to me and asked for my help. I saw the three bullies sitting in the office. They each outweigh Juan by twenty pounds.” He tore his gaze from Nina and faced the principal. “Do you allow bullying at your school?”

“Of course not.” He let out a bark of nervous laughter. “I told you we have a zero tolerance for violence at our school.”

“For weeks the three thugs you have sitting out there have been tormenting Juan.” He pointed at the door for emphasis. “You suspend him and I’ll have every news station in the area parked outside your school. You and every teacher here will find a camera in their faces from the time they get out of their car. People do not like bullies.”

“Why should anyone listen to you?”

Grant squared his shoulders. “I’m a Marine.” He raised his shirt revealing his wound. “I have been injured fighting for my country. Believe me they will listen.” The words came out in a rush.

Mr. Heron let out a weary sigh. With slow heavy steps he returned to his desk and slumped into his chair. He raked his hands over his bald head as if had forgotten he didn’t have any hair.

A timid little knock on the door broke the silence. Ms. Henley opened the door and peeked in. “Is everything okay?” Her eyes stopped on Grant.

“Yes, Ms. Henley. We’ll try to keep it down.” He gave Grant a direct look. “Only call the authorities if you hear furniture breaking.” For several more seconds she stood in the threshold eyes ogling him before she shut the door.

“I don’t like threats.”

“I don’t like making them, but you don’t give me any other choice. I will not allow you to suspend Juan. I’m not leaving this office until you see things my way.”

Mr. Heron peered at Juan sitting on the sofa. Not once had he spoken. “Why didn’t you come to me and tell me you were being bullied?”

Juan chewed his bottom lip. All eyes on him, he looked very uncomfortable. Seconds passed, everyone waiting to hear his answer. “Then I would be bullied for being a snitch. I wouldn’t have just Jeremy, Logan, and Derrick on my back.” His voice was small but strong. “The whole school would bully me.”

Mr. Heron propped his elbows on the desk and kneaded his forehead. He glared at Grant. “Mr. Wilson, what do you propose I tell the parents of the boys sitting out there bleeding on my chairs?”

“Tell them the truth. Tell them their boys are bullies. If you don’t feel comfortable telling them, I’ll be glad to do it for you.”

With a nervous laugh, he replied, “I think I’d better handle the situation on my own.”

Again Mr. Heron stood and crossed to the door. He opened it and waited for them to leave his office. The last one through, Grant stopped and offered his hand. The principal gave him a firm handshake. “I wish I could say it has been an honor.” He shifted on his feet. “Thank you for your service to our country.”

Instead of saying anything, Grant nodded his head. He had a hard knot in his stomach knowing he still had Nina to contend with. Something told him she wouldn’t be so easy to manipulate. The battle wasn’t over yet.

****

Grant was taking his own sweet time getting back to the farm. Too agitated to sit, Nina paced back and forth in front of the house. When he tried to explain at school, she had put her hand in his face and said she didn’t want to hear it. All the way home Juan kept pleading for her not to be angry with Grant. Said he did him a favor. Still, she didn’t like the fact they had kept a secret from her and Maria.

In the distance she heard the hum of his Camaro. It had its own distinctive sound. Arms crossed over her chest, she stopped pacing and waited for him to park the car and get out. “It’s about time. Where have you been?”

He took a sip of the beer and held it at arm’s length. “Needed something to give me some courage.”

She hesitated, not sure how to proceed. Even though she had been mad enough to eat nails, Juan had convinced her not to be too angry with Grant. “You know Juan looks up to you.”

“I think a lot of him also. He’s a great kid. Why do you think I helped him when he asked? If I didn’t care, I wouldn’t have gotten involved.”

Nina took a breath. “I don’t like you keeping secrets from us. Maria should have known he was being bullied. She is his mother.”

He took another sip of beer. With long strides, he took the steps and sat in one of the rockers on the front porch. She followed and sat next to him. “Maybe I shouldn’t have gotten involved but I felt sorry for him. I do like the kid. The thought of someone bullying another, makes me mad enough to do something about it. If I could have solved the problem for him, I would have. He felt it was something he needed to handle on his own.”

Nina took the bottle from him and took a sip. She placed it against her face. The coolness felt wonderful in the heat of the day. “It doesn’t change the fact that your interference almost got Juan suspended.”

His gaze filled with such tenderness. “I know. I feel terrible. I hope Maria will forgive me.”

“Oh, please. You can do no wrong in her eyes. Not once has she been angry at you. The way you came charging into Principal Heron’s office only caused her to admire you more.” Her voice low and filled with emotion, she continued, “She was worried when Mr. Heron said he was suspending Juan. Nothing’s more important to her than her son. He is all she has left.”

She took one more swallow from the beer bottle before she handed it back. They were so close she could smell the raw maleness of him. His fingers brushed against hers and she felt desire shoot through her. That was all it took from him. One simple touch and she wanted him. She studied him. There was no point in remaining angry at him. He cared for Juan and for that she was grateful. Another reason for him to stay.

“How about I make you a promise the next time Juan comes to me with a problem, we’ll talk things over with his mother.”

Nina nodded slowly. “I guess no harm was done.”

****

For the second time that morning Nina asked Grant why he kept checking his watch. “Just seeing how much longer before lunch. I’m hungry.” He threw a handful of okra in the basket and rocked back on his heels. He pulled his bandana from his pocket and wiped the sweat from his brow. “All this farming takes sustenance.”

Something was definitely going on with him. The man promised they would go back to the waterfall and have a romantic day and now was refusing to leave the farm because he didn’t trust her guests staying in the pool house. They had a huge argument when he returned to her room last night because she wouldn’t relent and ask them to leave. The man just didn’t understand business. If she asked them to leave, it could open the door for a lawsuit and she didn’t have time for such nonsense. Besides, they had not left the pool house and she assumed they were too hung over to get out of bed. Tomorrow they would be leaving and she would never rent to them again.

She preferred quiet guests that came to Twelve Oaks Farm to rest and relax. One more night like the other night and she was sure Grant and Clay would come to blows. Apparently the two men hated each other. Nina had to confess, she didn’t care much for Clay either. He was rude and obnoxious. It was as if he wanted to cause trouble with Grant. The man had to be stupid because Grant could wipe the floor with him.

“Maria said lunch would be ready at 12 o’clock. You only have thirty more minutes before we eat.”

Juan brought an empty basket and placed it on the back of the old truck. “Do you think this will be our last harvest?”

She looked down the long rows of okra stalks. “Maybe one, two more pickings. We’re lucky to still have a healthy crop in September.” Okra was her best seller and she knew she would get a large amount of money for the five baskets they had already gathered.

When she called and told Jerry she would have the okra to him by 1 o’clock, he was excited because he already had buyers. As the growing season was coming to an end, she felt a sense of panic. The only crops left were the peas and cabbage. In two weeks they would harvest the three fields of pumpkins and the growing season would be over. She hoped she would make enough off the pumpkins to sustain them for the winter. Already on a shoestring budget, she feared things would only get worse. Maybe she could find a job at an animal clinic to hold them until Beth finished law school.

The sound of a motorcycle broke the silence of the morning. Juan asked, “Who’s that?”

Nina shaded the sun from her eyes with her hand. A shiny, black motorcycle appeared following the fence line. The driver stopped, lowered the kickstand with his foot, and got off the motorcycle. Tall and slim, the man walked as if he had a purpose. He wore ragged jeans with holes and a faded T-shirt that had seen better days. Shadow trotted toward the stranger who dropped to one knee and stroked his hands over his back.