A Love for all Ages (Crockett County Trilogy Book 1)

by Phillips, Brenda

  Not wanting to keep Chase from work she hadn’t really looked at any of the rooms on the second floor, more glanced in then looked. She now takes the time to just stand and look or to investigate; standing just inside the door her eyes are drawn to the queen size bed. mahogany wood. Stephanie has ever seen; the design on the headboard for the bed is hand craved cherubs surrounded by roses. The same design in smaller versions on each of the other pieces; the dresser, the bureau and both side tables. Moving to the bed she runs her hand along the smooth finish, the texture of the wood under her hand is warm to her touch.

  The room is both inviting and relaxing; the walls are painted a deep burnt orange with the trim around the doors a rich brown. The only item other than the bedroom furniture is a clock on the side table to the left of the bed. The clock looks old, Stephanie notices by the time showing it doesn’t work. Deciding the clock is used now for decoration use only Stephanie walks over and picks it up, careful not to drop it. Holding the clock in her right hand Stephanie inspects the details; the ebony case with brass mounts, and the engraved silver dial is beautiful. Not knowing anything about antiques she didn’t know how old or who made it. But she does know what she likes and she admits she loves this piece from the past. Placing the clock gently back on the table she notices the bed has been stripped of all bed linens. Shaking her head at her missing the importance of bed linens, she begins searching the room for the missing items. After completing the search she rocks back on her heels admitting defeat.

  Knowing for sure this will be her room she lifts the biggest of her suitcases placing it on the mattress. Resolving to at least get some unpacking done she opens the case and sort through her clothes; the ones needing to be hung up, in one pile, her personal items in another. Not having many clothes it didn’t take long for her to unpack and arrange the items in the dresser and closet.

  As Stephanie carries the small overnight case to the bathroom she sees the case from the hospital sitting on the floor in front of the vanity. Realizing Chase must have brought it when he came in to check the house. Walking to stand in the middle of the The bedroom suit is all Victorian made from rich

  The craftsmanship is superior to anything bathroom she turns a circle to view the whole room. This bathroom is bigger than her kitchen at her old apartment. A double sink with matching mirrors are lengthways one wall, the corner shelves sit snug against the mirrors, with another set of shelves in the middle dividing the mirrors.

  The vanity cabinet and shelves are painted a paler burnt orange then the bedroom. Stephanie leans against the edge of the vanity smiling as she stares at the antique claw bathtub. Deeming this house perfect she turns back to her overnight case and unpacks her beauty products. Deciding to wait on the one from the hospital, since it was only the bags to keep her cast dry and the tape to bind her ribs she leaves the bathroom. Having completed her tasks she stores the empty cases in the back of her closet. Turning from the closet she spots the last items to unpack; her computer and other supplies needed for her work. Grabbing the handle she rolls it behind her out the room and down the hall.

  Stopping at the top of the stairs she glances again at the steps leading to the attic. Maybe she will have a chance to go up and look around later, but right now she needs to go check on the kitten then unpack her computer. As she walks down the steps carrying her case with her right hand she tries to figure out a name for the kitten; not wanting to keep calling it the ‘kitten’, she will talk to Chase to get his input. After all he did find her uninvited house guest.

  Down stairs she heads straight to the kitchen, glancing at the floor where she had placed the bowl of milk, she sees the kitten is still sleeping. Smiling Stephanie walks to the kitchen table setting her case on a chair she begins to unzip it; she jumps upon hearing the ringing of the phone. She turns towards the sound; during the tour Chase had showed her the location of the phone. Shaking her head at her foolishness; Stephanie moves to the counter and picks up the receiver, not having had a home phone for years, she is relieved this one is at least a cordless.

  After the first hello, Stephanie listens as Chase inquires about her day, her health and what she has been doing since he left. She patiently answers each of his questions then informs him he needs to help pick a name for their kitten. After all, he had found the kitten therefore he was its parent same as her. Hearing him laugh through the phone she recognizes she is in trouble; he is becoming too important to her, she misses him when he isn’t around and feels better when he is near. He ends the call with him giving her his cell phone number, explaining if she needs him to call anytime day or night. Saying goodbye she clicks the end call button on the phone.

  Self-diagnosing she concludes she has brain damages that is the only explanation she can figure; she is a loner, she knows allowing people to get too close is a mistake. Then to further verify her brain damage she realizes the past several days she hadn’t thought about her own cell phone; she wasn’t sure where it was.

  On her way back to the kitchen table she sees the kitten stretching by the empty bowl, bending to pick up the kitten, she straightens as a wave of dizziness seizes her. Standing in the middle of her kitchen, holding a kitten she closes her eyes, hoping when she opens them the dizzy feeling will be gone. Counting to ten Stephanie opens one eye then the other; no dancing spots, relief sets in as she walks slowly to the table and sits down. Laying the kitten in her lap she rubs her eyes. Remembering Doctor Coup telling her she would have headaches she reasons maybe the dizziness was due to a headache getting ready to make an appearance.

  Moving slowly Stephanie cuddles the kitten as she walks to the foyer for her purse; picking it up from the hall table she carries it back to the kitchen. Sitting on the chair at the table she sets the kitten on the floor then rummages through her purse until she finds her pills. Pills in hand she rises again and retrieves another bottle of water out of the refrigerator, removing the lid she puts the pill in her mouth then swallows it down with a long drink. Back at the table she crosses her arms on the table top and lays her head down. Resting for a few minutes will allow the pills time to work.

  Waking from her nap Stephanie feels stiff; stretching she rises up as she looks for the kitten. Finding the evidence the kitten left on the floor confirms it had empty its bladder, she looks under the cabinet for something to clean with. Using a rag and floor polish, within minutes the hard wood floor is once again clean.

  Going through the mudroom off the kitchen she finds supplies for the kitten. At one time her Aunt must have owned a cat; the litter box and kitty litter are dusty but after checking both were usable. Gathering the supplies in her arms she goes back to the kitchen and assembles the tray for the kitten. Placing it under the window she hopes the kitten will know what to do with the tray, because her Mommy duties don’t extend to litter box training.

  Leaving the kitten in the kitchen to discover the litter box, Stephanie is determined to find the linens to make her bed. Ascending the stairs she stops at the second floor landing looking up at the attic. The feeling to go check out the attic is strong but her determination to find the linens is stronger, Stephanie walks to the end of the hallway to the master bedroom.

  With her hand on the door knob she remembers the closet just before her room turning she retraces her steps. Opening the closet door she finds the missing linens, the bathroom towels, and several different colors and designs of comforters. Looking through the selections she picks a chocolate color comforter with matching sheets. makes her bed. towels and grabs a bar of soap. Depositing the items in the master bath, she decides she really needs to eat something as she heads back down the stairs.

  Stopping on the bottom step she hears a car outside, taking the last step she walks to the front door. Moving the curtain over a few inches she sees a police cruiser. Disappointed she waits for Deputy Johnny to walk to the door. Stephanie opens the door just as he prepares to knock, seeing his hand in midair, she smiles as he drops his arm to his side.

  “H
ello, Deputy. What can I do for you?” Stephanie stands in the doorway then decides she is being rude steps aside, “Come in.”

  With his best boyish grin Johnny shakes his head, “No thank you Miss Stephanie, I just stopped by to check on you. Sheriff Carrying the items back to her room she quickly Making another trip to the closet she picks out Chase asked me to bring you the cat food he picked up for your house guest.” As Johnny speaks he lifts the bag handing it to Stephanie. Laughing she takes the grocery bag checking the items inside. Seeing the bag of kitten food, the bag of litter and a few toys she decides Chase has to be one in a million.

  Raising her eyes to look at the Deputy, Stephanie sees him staring behind her, looking over her shoulder she sees the kitten sitting on the bottom step cleaning its paw. Looking back at Johnny, she states the obvious, “That is my kitten. Sorry I can’t introduce you, I don’t know its name.” At his confused expression, she explains she is waiting for Chase so he can help pick the name for their kitten.

  Shaking his head, Johnny grins then takes his leave. As Johnny walks to his cruiser he wonders how the Sheriff will handle fatherhood. Once in his car, he waves goodbye to Stephanie. On the road to town Johnny decides to stop by the diner to share this new development in the lives of the Sheriff and Miss Stephanie.

  Stephanie stands at the door watching until the car tail lights disappear from view. Closing the door she turns the lock, walking to the stairs she picks up the kitten. Carry the kitten and the food Stephanie goes to the kitchen. She places the kitten on the floor before selecting another bowl from the cabinet. After opening the bag of food she puts a little in the bowl and places it on the floor for the kitten. Picking up the bowl from earlier that held the milk she rinses it then fills it with tap water. Placing the dish beside the food bowl Stephanie watches the kitten eat for a few minutes. Deciding it’s time to find something to eat Stephanie moves to the refrigerator.

  After checking the freezer she selects a frozen pizza. Finding a pizza pan she sets the oven and waits for the preheat buzzer to sound. While waiting Stephanie removes her computer from the case and plugs it in the electrical outlet closes to the table turning the computer on she watches as it powers up. Hearing the buzzer she goes back to the stove, puts the pizza in the oven and sets the timer. As she waits for the pizza to cook Stephanie sits back down at the table. Glancing at the computer she decides to wait until after she eats before logging on. When the timer beeps she removes the pizza from the oven, after cutting her a slice she stands by the counter to eat.

  Finished eating she checks the time; it’s early still, just a little after eight in the evening. Feeling tired she opts to just watch television and relax, letting work wait another day. Powering down the computer without even checking her emails Stephanie leaves it setting on the table.

  Upon entering the living room Stephanie turns on the television then she sits on the loveseat as she flips through the channels; stopping when she finds a rerun of a crime series. Smiling she snuggles on the couch pulling the throw blanket from the back of the loveseat over her legs she gets comfortable. Half sitting, half laying she leans her head on the back cushion as she watches the show.

  Chase sits down to eat his supper, he wasn’t hungry but his Mother had brought him a burger plate from the diner. Knowing he has to eat he picks up the burger and takes a big bite. While he chews he wonders what Stephanie is doing. Is she getting settled? Is she feeling better? Swallowing he pushes the burger across the table. Why is she becoming so important to him? What is it about her that makes him want to get to know her better?

  Getting up from the table Chase paces around the apartment above the sheriff office. He stops in the middle of the room looking at his home. It is one big room; the kitchen, the bedroom and small alcove he uses as his living room have no walls to separate them. The one closet and bathroom are the only spaces with doors. Noticing the lack of personal items he concludes he just spends time here, this is not a home. He had not made it a home; having lived here for over two years he should have done something to bring his style and his personality to the apartment. Right now this could be a motel room, because it sure in hell isn’t a home.

  Walking over to the bed he sits on the edge of the mattress, leaning forward he places his elbows on his knees as he allows his mind to wonder.

  Thinking back in time, he had just been elected Sheriff of Crockett County. He was engaged to a beautiful woman. Beth was tall, slim and blonde. Her features were considered classical, like a goddess. Young and in love Chase had his future set. Great career, loving woman, plans for marriage then children. Chase had felt he was on top of the world. He was twenty-nine years old and had his life planned.

  He should have discussed his plans with Beth, as she informed him after he had won the election. She didn’t want to be stuck in this small town with these hick people. She wanted to live in New York; she wanted to be a model. She didn’t want to be the wife of a Sheriff in a town that time had forgotten. She wanted to get out of Kentucky not set down deeper roots. And children, good grief, children would ruin her figure. Children were not part of her future.

  He would have figured when he campaigned for the job of Sheriff she would have known he wasn’t moving to New York. When they had met the year before, he had told her about his hometown, how one day he wanted to be Sheriff. Describing himself as a good ole country boy she had always seemed pleased. She had never once let on she wanted more than what he offered. Never once did Beth talk about being a model or her dream of living in New York.

  The night he became Sheriff was the night Beth walked away. She didn’t even look back after she packed her bags, she just told him she would send for the rest of her things. After she had left he had gone back to his celebration party alone. No one had said a word to him about her leaving but the looks of pity was on every face in the room. How he had gotten through that night he didn’t know. He had tried to act natural as if his heart wasn’t breaking.

  Over the next month he had packed her things sending them to her parents. Then he had moved in here, selling the house he had been purchasing for them to start their lives together.

  The one thing he did agree with Beth about was in a small town everyone knows everything about everyone else. The town had rallied around him showing their support and love for their new sheriff. To keep his mind busy he had worked long hours taking over the duties of the Sheriff. It helped during the day, but at night he would lay awake trying to figure out how he had misjudged Beth, how he had fallen in love with a woman totally wrong for him. Deciding the old saying “love is blind” applied to him. Yes, he had been blind to Beth and her ways. He had seen only her beauty on the outside; he had not dug below the surface.

  During that time of his life his parents and the town’s people had given him time to recover, figuring he would find a nice local girl and settle down. On more than one occasion the good citizens of Dusten had tried to fix him up with friends, daughters,

  granddaughter, and nieces. He would decline each time until he got his point across; he did not want to date. He is single and he likes being single.

  It is time to acknowledge he hadn’t loved Beth; he had loved the ideal of loving her. He knows now he had wanted to get married, marriage being part of his agenda. To be fair to Beth he hadn’t care enough about her to share his agenda. He had just figured he was ready to move forward and she should be too. If they had gotten married they wouldn’t have lasted six months.

  Laying back on the bed he lets go of his memories; he is over Beth. He is over the feelings of betrayal. He is ready to move on and by moving on he is ready to start courting Stephanie. Feeling excitement grow inside him, Chase begins planning the best way to start.

  After searching the house for ten minutes or so, Chase decides to climb the steps leading to the attic, half way up he hears Stephanie humming a tune. Continuing his climb he stops when he reaches the open door. Leaning against the door frame he watches as she sorts items in an old
cedar trunk. She is wearing jeans and a form fitting yellow t-shirt tucked into the waist of her jeans; as she moves to reach inside the trunk he can see the swell of her breast, the flawless mound pressing against the fabric. Tearing his eyes away from her body, he moves his gaze lower, he notices she isn’t wearing shoes; she just has bright green socks covering her feet. Acknowledging he has it bad because standing here looking at her Chase knows Stephanie is the sexiest woman he has ever seen.

  This morning after waking up on the loveseat Stephanie had taken a quick shower then decided to investigate the attic. Upon entering this room she felt as if she had found a treasure chest. For some reason she was drawn to the attic, to this trunk. As if someone or something needed her to look inside. She had opened the trunk carefully, not sure what she would find, inside was mostly old pictures.

  Feeling a sense of wonder Stephanie looks at all of them one by one. These pictures are her father’s relatives. Having no memory of her father and never meeting any of his family all the people in these pictures are strangers. As she looks through the old photographs she can see some of the men had resembled Mitch, or Mitch resembled them; either way some of the men had his eyes, his nose, and the shape of his head. Seeing this brought tears to her eyes. But the photographs that intrigue her the most are the ones of her Great Aunt Della. Looking at her photos was like looking in a mirror. Finding only a few of Della was disappointing, however the few of her as a child and early teens could have been photos of Stephanie at that age. They shared the same features, the same body statue, if they had lived in the same time period they would have been twins.