Hometown Series Box Set

by Kirsten Fullmer

  A hush fell over the people closest to Julia and Chad, their eyes wide, some rising to stand.

  “Listen, the sheriff is out at old Fergus’ place,” Mac exclaimed, pointing toward the hills. “And he’s got some kind of papers to evict him. Bobby and his momma were headed here when the sheriff stopped them on their way past the greenhouse.”

  Mac gasped for a breath and then continued, “Gloria is with Fergus, but Chad, they’re taking all their land. Bobby’s and Fergus’. All of it, greenhouses, homes and all!”

  The older man paused, giving his words a moment to sink in, then went on. “Bobby went at the sheriff when he heard they were takin’ the house and property. Chad, they’ve padlocked their houses, wouldn’t even let them pack their stuff.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  A moment of silent shock hung heavy in the air around Chad and Mac, then a rumble of concern spread through the crowd as people began talking, moving, and shifting from their chairs. One person told another and a flood of apprehension swept quickly across the deck.

  “Who’s taking their land?” Chad asked. “Slow down, Mac, start at the beginning.”

  Mac yanked off his worn ball cap and ran his hand across his balding head, then slammed the cap back on. “Okay, okay, Bobby called and he was hysterical. It took me a minute to even understand him.”

  Chad nodded as Justin elbowed his way up to stand beside Tara, and Mac continued. “Bobby said he and his momma were driving here, you know how their driveway comes out right there by Fergus’ greenhouses?”

  Chad nodded again, anxious for Mac to get on with the story.

  “Well, Bobby said the sheriff was there and he had padlocks on Fergus’ gates, so they stopped and then when they got out, the sheriff pulled them aside and sent two deputies up toward their house. The sheriff told them he had papers to evict them because some big land company is taking their land.”

  “Land company!” Tara gasped, springing forward. “What land company?”

  Julia dropped limply into a nearby chair and Justin pulled Tara back, shushing her, indicating for Mac to continue.

  “I don’t know! I don’t know who did this but Bobby put the sheriff on the phone, and he said it’s true.” Mac paused and nodded, his eyes big. “Evidently, Bobby went berserk and took a swing at the sheriff. Somebody needs to get out there and get Bobby under control.”

  “Let’s go!” Tara shouted, turning to push through the now moving crowd. Justin rushed after her, calling for her to calm down.

  Mac and Chad moved toward the deck steps, but the crowd was at a standstill as everyone bottlenecked at the stairs. So, they turned back to the French doors and hurried through the house.

  A flood of anxious and concerned people rushed around and through the house, toward their vehicles. Parents snatched up children and food lay forgotten, drink glasses sloshing from being tossed down.

  As Chad jumped off the porch, fishing his truck keys from his front pocket as he ran, he suddenly realized that Julia was not at his side. He lurched to a stop, causing the people behind him to plow into his back, and a domino-effect of bodies crushed together as he turned. Catching people’s arms and apologizing, his eyes darted through the crowd searching for Julia. Had she been ahead of him?

  Excited shouts behind him mingled to cause a cacophony as car doors slammed and engines revved. Everyone who had reached their cars tried to back out at once, causing a jam of vehicles all doing multiple point turns in reverse.

  Justin and Mac stood in the center of the confusion, waving their arms and issuing instructions as to who should back out first.

  When the people around him were once again moving, Chad stretched his neck and jumped in place, searching every direction, trying to see Julia through the crowd. Spotting no blond curls, he turned back toward the deck and elbowed his way, moving against the flow, through the stragglers of the group to the back of the house.

  When he reached the deck, he saw Julia slumped alone in a folding chair on the otherwise evacuated collection of disorganized seats, her eyes staring blankly ahead and her hands in her lap. Taking two steps at a time, he sprinted up to the deck and hurried to her side. “Julia,” he gasped, “Wha—what are you doing? Aren’t you going to go help Fergus and Bobby?”

  Julia didn’t respond and just continued to stare into space, like a statue.

  Chad shook her shoulder in concern. “Julia? Hey, are you all right?” he asked, perching on the chair next to her. “Talk to me, please.”

  Slowly, Julia turned to him, her face white as death.

  Taking her hand in his, Chad searched her eyes for an explanation. “Julia, what happened? We need to go. Will you ride with me?”

  Without waiting for an answer, Chad tugged Julia to her feet, hoping she’d collect herself. With his hand under her elbow, he helped her stagger off the deck and toward his truck. By the time they reached the front yard, the last few cars were falling into the line of vehicles that rushed down the driveway, stirring up a colossal cloud of dust.

  Chad yanked open the passenger door, but Julia just stared at the interior of the truck, so he picked her up and gracelessly tossed her into the cab. Checking to be sure that her hands and feet were in the truck, he slammed the door and ran around the front to climb in. As the engine roared to life, he turned to Julia. “Hey, get buckled!”

  The song My Life wafted from the radio and Chad punched the off-button, then tossed his arm on the back of the seat, craning his neck to see out the back window as he pulled out from under the tree. Julia nearly tumbled off the seat.

  Momentarily, Chad juggled the wheel and Julia to keep her upright, then in exasperation, reached across her for the seat belt and clicked it across her lap.

  “Hold on,” he instructed as he jammed the truck into drive and took off down the driveway.

  “This must be about that guy who’s been pressuring them to sell.” Chad muttered under his breath as he scowled out the windshield.

  “I should have checked it out,” he continued. “I just didn’t figure it was a big deal!” He pounded the steering wheel with his fist, then rubbed his hand across the top of his head. “The sheriff would never do this unless his hands were tied.”

  Julia shifted in her seat with her hands over her face. Broken moans muffled behind her fingers, and her shoulders slumped.

  “What is up with you?” Chad demanded, his frustration level rising by the moment.

  A tiny mumble came from Julia as her hands dropped to her lap, and her head fell back to stare at the ceiling of the truck.

  “What?” Chad asked, his eyes darting between her and the highway.

  Julia shook her head, her face a sick green color. “I knew it. I knew that at some point something like this would happen.”

  “Talk louder,” Chad demanded. “What are you talking about? What would happen?”

  Not willing to answer, Julia stared out the window, muttering under her breath and moaning.

  Within minutes, they neared the sprawling greenhouse that belonged to Fergus. The highway was choked with cars and trucks, all parked at crazy angles, some two and three deep, lining the sides of the highway for hundreds of yards.

  Ignoring the crowds, Chad wove his truck through the maze of parked vehicles and stopped directly in front of the crowd, blocking what was left of the eastbound lane. Yanking open the door, he jumped from the truck and ran around the other side. Julia had unbuckled and opened her door, and without further ado, Chad hauled her from the truck and set her on her feet.

  Not waiting to ask if she could walk, he hurried forward, elbowing his way through the crowd, dragging Julia by the arm behind him.

  In the center of a group of angry people, the sheriff stood toe to toe with Fergus at the gate to the greenhouse. A sheaf of papers was clenched in the lawman’s hand and his face was grim. Fergus’ face was bright red, and his arms were across his chest.

  A large chain and padlock were wound through the chain-link gate, locking them
from the crowd.

  Next to Fergus stood Bobby, his thin face grimy with smeared tears and dust, his glasses barely hanging onto the end of his nose. He was covered in dirt and scratches and his hair stood on end. His mother sat on an old crate next to him, her face grim with worry and fear.

  “What’s going on here?” Chad bellowed as he broke through the crowd. Stepping up to Bobby, he surveyed the man from head to foot, then glanced over Mrs. Middlewood as well. “Are you two okay?” he asked, his manner authoritative.

  Bobby stumbled toward Chad, his face a mask of fear. His mother nodded once but when she opened her mouth to speak, nothing came out but a choking sound. Bobby stood stricken and silent by Chad’s side.

  Chad put his arm around Bobby for a quick reassuring squeeze, then turned back to the sheriff.

  “What happened? What is this all about?” he demanded.

  The sheriff sighed and raised the paperwork to wave it at Chad. “I got these last night. I had no choice but to do my job.”

  “What is it?” Chad asked, planting his feet apart and crossing his arms over his broad chest. He looked as if the answer had better be good, or he’d tear the papers and maybe even the sheriff, to shreds.

  “It’s an eviction notice,” the sheriff sighed. “I called the attorney’s office that filed them and told them they better be out here for an explanation this morning or I wouldn’t act.” He waved his hand off to his left. “This fella showed up at dawn with more papers. I have no choice, I tell you!”

  All heads in the crowd turned to glare at the tall, prim-looking man in an expensive suit, who stood near the fence. His hands were in his pockets, and he appeared to be completely unconcerned and bored.

  Chad unclenched his arms to rub one palm across the top of his head. “Can I at least see the papers?” he asked with a sigh.

  The sheriff shrugged and handed them over.

  Julia had been standing beside Chad but when she saw the attorney, she shrunk in her skin and shuffled behind Chad, only her eyes peeping past his arm to read the papers as he shuffled through them. Unable to read as fast as she once could, Julia scanned the papers, her eyes searching for key words and lingo.

  Chad’s hand dropped to his side, and swiftly, Julia snatched up the papers and continued to sift through them.

  The sheriff glanced at Julia, then returned his attention to Chad. “Look, I don’t file this stuff, I just have to enforce it. I don’t like this any better than you do.”

  “I don’t claim to understand that crap,” Chad said, gesturing toward the papers. “But from what I see, somebody is forcing Mister Fergus and Mrs. Middlewood to vacate because they refused to sell their property?”

  The sheriff nodded. “That’s right. They claim that multiple fair offers have been made on the property but according to this guy,” he waved his hand toward the attorney, “they refused to sell. In the case of public works, they can take the land to build infrastructure.”

  “Public works? Like a highway? What are they planning to build?” Chad huffed. “I haven’t heard of anything going up out here.”

  “Some pipeline,” the sheriff replied. “Seems if it’s in the public’s best interest, it don’t matter if the owners want to sell. And if they don’t sell, they get tossed off and the property is seized.”

  Bobby stepped up to shout at the sheriff. “That guy didn’t say nothin’ to us about a pipeline!” His head swiveled to Chad. “I swear it Chad, he never said nothin’ like that!”

  * * *

  The noise of the crowd faded to a dull roar and receded to the foggy reaches of Julia’s mind. The second she’d overheard Mac tell Chad that the sheriff was evicting Bobby and Fergus, her heart had sunk to the soles of her feet.

  How had she ever believed that she could put her past behind her, move forward, and be someone different? She should have known that she could not escape from who she truly was.

  All the way to the greenhouse, she’d felt like an incompetent, useless shell. The people she loved were in trouble, and she couldn’t help. Fear and shame flooded through her veins and chilled her heart.

  She’d run from the city to get away from the pressure, the loss, the vastness of her disability. Given her lack of capacity, she’d considered fading into the back of the crowd and keeping her mouth closed. Maybe she could pretend she was as shocked and upset as everyone else. Maybe she could just fake horror and confusion. Maybe...

  Chad bumped Julia, nearly knocking her down, as he stepped forward to get between Bobby and the sheriff. The noise of the crowd roared in Julia’s ears.

  Bobby was screaming and crying, rage and fear causing his entire body to shake. “You’re not gonna take my momma’s house! Do you hear me?” he shouted at the sheriff. “She’s lost everything in her life, everything she ever loved, and I’m not gonna let you do this!”

  Chad stood in front of Bobby, trying to hold the little man back.

  The sheriff took a step back and reached for his handcuffs. “Look, Chad, I’ve tried to be realistic about this, but Bobby’s already come at me once.”

  Julia’s gaze fell to Bobby’s mother, who sat silently weeping, her hands covering her face. Julia had no idea the load of sorrow the woman had borne in her life, but something told her that the weight of it was substantial.

  And then there was Fergus. His bravado was fading, quickly being replaced by the gray, haggard look of a tired old man. Gloria stood next to him, her arm gripped tight around his shoulders, and Julia remembered that someone had told her that Fergus was Gloria’s grandfather.

  Tara stepped up to kneel beside Bobby’s mother, placing her arm around the sobbing old woman. Julia realized that this should be the happiest time of Tara’s life. It was the night before her wedding, and now the whole town was in an uproar.

  And Chad. He stood next to Bobby, his expression drawn and his muscles bunched, as if he were contemplating springing forward to devour the sheriff whole. She knew Chad would do anything to save Bobby and his mother, and she couldn’t take it. She knew exactly what was happening and her heart twisted in her chest, choking the very breath from her.

  No matter what, she knew she had to do something. She couldn’t just stand by and watch Chad and her friends suffer, but her knees were shaking so hard her feet wouldn’t move. Her mouth was dry, and her fists would not unclench. Clamping her eyes closed, she willed her body to cooperate, and with a jolt she lurched forward, nearly falling at the sheriff ’s feet. Straightening, she glanced up into the lawman’s eyes. His expression was forbidding as he moved toward Bobby with the handcuffs.

  Some long-lost part of Julia’s brain clicked into gear and she reared up, stepping directly in front of the sheriff. “Excuse me, sir, may I have a word with my clients?” she stated in a loud, rock-solid, demanding voice, causing everyone to pause and heads to turn her way.

  The sheriff, confused, his eyes darting to Chad, stopped and stared at Julia. “Your clients?”

  With her back straight and her shoulders stiff, Julia tossed the sheriff a condescending glare and stepped toward Bobby. “That’s right, Mister Bobby Middlewood and Mister Fergus—” She paused.

  “Barnett,” whispered Chad, his jaw slack with shock.

  “—Mister Barnett have retained me as their attorney, and your treatment of them today is ungrounded and reprehensible.” She continued.

  The sheriff scratched his head. “I have paperwork.” At which point he realized Julia was holding the paperwork he’d given to Chad. “Give that back,” he snapped, reaching for the sheaf of papers.

  Julia snatched them to her chest and gave the sheriff a glare that only a fool would ignore. She calmly lifted the papers and scanned her finger down the first page. “Did I hear you say there was an attorney representing the plaintiff present?” As she spoke, her knees once again began to shake violently, and she stiffened her legs, faking confidence.

  The sheriff pointed to his left and the stunned crowd parted to allow the attorney to step forward
. The man swaggered toward Julia, and she gave him the evil eye. She’d met this man before in her dealings with property law, and she knew his sort. At this point, she was desperately sure she could never compete with him given her memory problems, but she had to try.

  Three steps from Julia, the attorney’s expression suddenly changed, and his steps faltered. His hands sprung from his pockets, and his eyebrows flew up as his mouth dropped open. Quickly regaining self-control, he cleared his throat and straightened his already perfect tie. “Ms. Arnold, I—We heard you were—I didn’t know you were practicing out here—I didn’t recognize you!”

  Julia stood very still, appearing to be calm and composed, and looking down her nose at the man. She harrumphed in disgust and wrinkled her nose, as if the man smelled bad, and she glanced down at the papers. Finally, she looked up, her glare icy. “What’s behind this, Mister—I’m sorry, what was your name?” As if remembering his name was below her.

  The attorney shuffled his feet and straightened his back. He mumbled his name and reached into his jacket pocket for a business card. His eyes darted through the crowd as he extended the card, but Julia simply glanced at it with distain. The attorney’s hand dropped, and he spoke up to defend his position with a cracking voice. “You know how this works. All—all the paperwork is there.”

  Julia took a long moment to toss him a condescending glare, then shuffled through the paperwork again. Silence fell over the crowd, only the sound of a baby fussing hung in the air as all eyes were on Julia.

  Forcing her breathing to slow, Julia struggled to concentrate on the key points at hand. Once she felt her voice would work, she spoke. “This looks legit on the surface,” she said waving the paperwork, “but something about it smells, and you know it.”

  The man shot his chin in the air. “I can assure you, all the facts are in order.”

  “Who is the buyer?” Julia demanded, her voice so harsh that Chad did a double take.