He set the backpack aside, and headed back out to the porch. Ice-cold air rushed in, and Samantha cringed. The door closed, and she waited beside it. The door opened again, and Rob returned, dragging a blanket-enclosed bundle. As soon as it cleared the threshold, Samantha closed the door firmly. Rob unwrapped the bundle, and added two armloads of wood to their diminishing pile.
“That’s all I could get, I had to leave the rest behind if I wanted to make it back,” he said, winded after what felt like hours of laboring through snow and gale.
The wind howled, slamming into the cabin and rattling its windows. Samantha shuddered.
“I’m glad you left it.”
“So am I,” Rob replied. Through the windows, only swirling snow was now visible.
He removed his coat, and Samantha took it from him. While he freed himself from the rest of his cold weather gear, she shook the coat free of snow. Both sides swung heavily, and clunked together.
“Do you need what’s in the pockets?” she wondered, as she hung the garment on the back of a chair.
“I do,” he said, rubbing his hands together.
“Go, warm up,” she chided, retrieving a phone and several folded papers from the outside coat pocket, and another phone from the inside.
Rob was happy to oblige, and knelt in front of the hearth. Samantha followed, and knelt beside him. She wouldn’t mind warming up a bit, herself. She handed him the phone and papers.
“Thank you,” he said. Setting those aside, he let the heat of the fire warm his hands and face. “During the next break in the storm, I’ll get more wood. There’s plenty, it’s just awkward moving it through the snow.”
“We’ve got the emergency generator. We can do without a fire,” she pointed out.
“There’s no reason to go without. I know you enjoy it. So do I,” he admitted. He rubbed his hands together, then held them to his cheeks.
“You must be nearly frozen,” she sympathized.
“It could be worse,” he said, and frowned a little. “I’ve got to call Erik.”
The look in his eyes concerned her.
“Is everything alright?” she asked. Rob hesitated, then shrugged in resignation.
“No. On the road leading to the lodge, I found an SUV. Two guys were in it.”
“And they’re…” she said, as the color drained from her cheeks. Rob nodded.
“Carbon Monoxide, I’m sure of it. They sat there with the engine on so the heater would run, and the snow drifted, blocking the exhaust. They had no idea, or they would’ve kept it clear. But… they ran out of gas. So the outcome would be the same, either way.”
“Oh my goodness,” she said faintly, as distress filled her eyes.
“They didn’t look like they suffered any,” Rob tried to assure her, but she appeared even more disturbed. “It wouldn’t take long, and they’d be asleep before—”
“Don’t!” Samantha protested, covering her ears with her hands.
“Sorry,” Rob apologized. “I’m sorry. I’m not trying to minimize what happened, just… reassure you they didn’t suffer.”
“It’s horrible, I do feel just awful about it. But that would’ve happened to me too, if you didn’t find me, and make me get out of my car in time,” she said, sickened by the thought.
“Then at least I did one thing right,” he said softly. He felt a little better, knowing he saved her life. He hoped that would balance out almost losing it for her.
“I didn’t know what to do, I was stuck, so I just sat there, praying for help…”
Rob glanced at her, and wondered. Samantha stared into the fire, lost in her memories.
“That’s probably why I went looking for you,” Rob said hesitantly. She gave him a sharp look. He looked back, but she said no more. He waited a moment, then continued. “I glanced out the window, and saw how little visibility there was. I was afraid you were already on your way down the mountain, and that you’d get in an accident. Or get stuck, and freeze… I can’t believe what a great job I did just a little later, convincing you I didn’t care if you did.”
Rob brushed his hand across his eyes.
“I know you’re sorry,” Samantha quickly interjected, squeezing his arm. “You don’t have to say it.”
“All I can think about, is how sorry I am. I feel like I can’t say it enough. How do I stop?”
She heard the sincerity in his voice, and tried to imagine herself in his place. She sighed.
“Does it make you feel better, to say it?”
“I guess. Maybe. Everything was my fault. I want you to know I realize that, and I’m sorry.”
“I do, I know,” she assured him.
“I want to make things right again,” he said, a note of desperation in his voice. Her hand still rested on his arm, so he took it in his, as he turned to face her. “Please let me do that.”
“If you want to make things right, then… apologizing is fine. Telling me you’re sorry is fine. But don’t beg me to come back. I feel pressured, when you do that.”
“Samantha, I’m sorry,” he quickly replied. “I didn’t mean it that way.”
“I know,” she assured him, with a squeeze of his hand. “But that’s how I feel.”
“Then I won’t ask again. I’ll borrow some of your duct tape, if I have to,” he declared, then grimaced. “I may have to.”
“I’ll extend you some grace, if you forget.”
“Thank you. I may need it,” Rob said honestly.
Samantha was amazed at how easy it was to have this conversation, after all. There was no anger or resentment in his eyes. There was only anxiety.
“You’re welcome. And Rob… I do know you want to reconcile. I won’t forget that.”
“Okay, good,” he said, and relief tempered the anxiety she saw. “I guess I was afraid you might.”
Samantha couldn’t help laughing, a little.
“I couldn’t possibly, you’ve made it abundantly clear. Now that you know it, you may be wondering what to do with your time instead,” she considered. Her tone was now serious, but the sideways glance she gave him, was teasing. His heart filled with gladness, and his smile lit his eyes. He had the nicest smile.
“Now that you mention it… that’ll leave quite a gap. Do you have something to fill it with?”
“Yes. Two years is a long time,” she pointed out.
“Especially the last two,” he agreed.
“I’ve changed a lot. I’m sure we both have,” she stated.
“I have,” he quickly replied.
“Then instead of worrying about the future…”
“We focus on the past?” he frowned a little.
“Some,” Samantha said hesitantly. “We do need to fill in some gaps. But I was mostly thinking we should focus on now. On getting to know each other again.”
“I’m all for that,” Rob said eagerly. “And… speaking of now, I need to let Erik know about the two guys I found.”
“Why Erik? Why not the Sheriff?”
“I will call the Sheriff, after I talk to Erik. Until this storm passes, there’s nothing anyone can do. But I think these are the two guys that sabotaged the model homes. They were driving a dark SUV. They were also headed toward the lodge.”
“To do damage there… What can Erik do?”
“If we know who these guys are, then Erik may be able to figure out who they were working for. The driver’s name is probably on the papers that were in the glove compartment. The phone I found on the floor, is probably the passenger’s. It could tell us a lot. Unless it’s locked.”
“It has to have a code, even if a fingerprint is used to unlock it,” Samantha considered, leaning forward to look around Rob. “Can I see it?”
“Sure,” he replied. He didn’t want to let go of her hand, but handed her the phone anyway. He watched curiously, as she tilted the screen from side to side. It caught the light of the fire, revealing smudges and swipes.
“This is unlocked with a pattern,” sh
e said, leaning closer to him so he could see. “Look. Right here, on the screen.”
She saw in his eyes that he was impressed.
“Excellent job,” Rob smiled.
“It won’t take long to figure out which point is the beginning, and which is the end,” she said, pressing the phone’s wake button. There was no response.
“It’s too cold to function,” Rob pointed out. “The battery may also be dead. We’ll charge it with my phone’s power cord, while we give it a chance to warm up.”
She handed him the phone. While he plugged it in, she unfolded the papers from the glove compartment, and arranged them on the coffee table.
“The SUV belongs to Randall Jerome,” she reported, as Rob sat beside her on the couch.
“The name’s not familiar. I didn’t really expect it to be, since I didn’t recognize either of the dead guys… Sorry,” he winced, as Samantha’s cheeks paled.
She took a deep breath and let it out, then shook herself a little.
“No. It’s fine. I’ve heard worse than this. It just seems more real, somehow, than the stories my cousin tells. They’re so sensational, I guess.”
“Sensational is also a good way to describe your cousin,” Rob replied. “Although after the night our siblings had, I’m about to decide they’re just as bad.”
“Ugh! Don’t remind me,” Samantha said, her eyebrows knitting in annoyance. She stopped herself short of saying she was glad Caleb was in her parents’ care, and not Amber’s.
Her disapproval was evident, and Rob felt the need to defend his brother.
“Erik is the nicest guy you’ll ever meet. You can trust him with your sister. I don’t know how they ended up in a bar, but he said he didn’t take her there. That means he didn’t.”
“She probably took him there. Or he went in after her,” Samantha replied shortly.
“Well… it turned out alright, anyway,” Rob said, feeling somewhat confused, and really wondering about her sister. “If you’re worried about Erik, then you don’t have to be. He can take care of himself.”
“That theory will be severely tested, if he really likes Amber,” she retorted shortly.
Rob took a moment to look concerned and even more confused, then picked up the vehicle registration form.
“So, Randall Jerome. Looks like he’s from Ocotillo. Any idea what side of town this is on?”
Samantha shook off her annoyance, and looked at the paper in his hand.
“It’s not the worst. He lives in an apartment… if we look up the address, we’ll know more. We should check social media, also. If he has a Facebook page, or other account, it could tell us who he works for, who his friends are, if he’s married, or in a relationship. How long can you wait to call the Sheriff?”
“I’d prefer to call today, but otherwise, it doesn’t make much difference. He won’t be able to notify next of kin on our say-so, even if we get names for both guys. He can’t get here until the storm passes, and they’re not going anywhere.”
“Is it urgent that you call Erik right away?” she wondered.
“Why? What are you thinking?”
“Right now, all you can tell him is that two men in a dark SUV died in the storm, and one of them is named Randall Jerome. That’s not much for him to work with.”
“Good point. I’ll wait until after we have a chance to come up with more than that,” Rob agreed. He switched his phone on, unlocked it, and handed it to her. She looked at him in surprise.
“Yours works,” she commented.
“I kept it close to me, so it stayed warm,” he replied. “I didn’t feel like having a block of ice inside my coat, so I put the other in my outside pocket.”
“Who could blame you,” Samantha shivered, and entered the name Randall Jerome in the internet app’s search field.
Chapter 13
ERIK pulled out Amber’s chair for her, as her mom watched under her lashes. She felt incredibly conflicted. If a guy such as Erik seemed to be, had feelings for her daughter, it would be the answer to many a fervent prayer on her behalf. But, as Samantha pointed out, this particular guy was Rob’s brother.
As the platter of pancakes made its way around the table, their mom decided to double-up on her efforts to pray for a lasting change in Rob. Either way, it was the right thing to do.
Watching Erik interact with Caleb, she couldn’t help adding the request that Rob would become the man his brother was.
“Have you heard from Rob?” she asked.
“We spoke late last night,” Erik answered.
“I talked with Samantha, too,” her mom stated. Erik waited, wondering which of a thousand questions she would ask first. “She said Rob is wanting to reconcile.”
Amber made a cross between a growl, a snort, or maybe she was choking. She was choking now, anyway, so Erik firmly pat her back. Caleb looked at Erik, his blue eyes shadowed with concern, as his aunt reached for her glass.
“She was choking,” Erik explained. “That’s why I patted her back. To make it better.”
“He wasn’t hurting me,” Amber managed to say, chasing her words with more water.
Caleb slowly looked from Amber to Erik, then ate another Cheerio. He seemed to accept it.
Erik hoped Caleb did. He was amazed at how bad it felt to have his nephew look at him as though he wasn’t sure he could trust him anymore. Erik offered him a Cheerio, and was relieved when Caleb smiled, and took it from him.
At the risk of sending her daughter into another coughing spasm, her mom got back to the subject.
“Samantha said Rob is hoping to reconcile,” Amber’s mom restated, giving her a silencing glance.
Amber scowled, but kept further displays of disapproval to herself.
“Yes. Rob told me the same thing,” Erik replied carefully. The air in the room crackled with tension, as Samantha’s parents focused their full attention on him.
“Why now?” her mom wanted to know.
“I can’t answer that. Not without breaking confidence,” Erik answered cautiously. “If he and Samantha do reconcile, then maybe he’ll tell you himself.”
“I’d like to hear it,” her dad looked irritable. Her mother sighed in frustration, and resignation.
“You know your brother. You’ve talked to him. Do you believe he’s sincere?”
“Yes,” Erik answered.
“After being caught in an affair, and two years of silence, he suddenly wants her back,” her dad stated, fighting to keep the anger from his voice. “Why? So he can do the same thing again?”
“Do you believe Samantha will be making a mistake, if she gives him another chance?” her mom quickly interjected.
Erik prayed for words. And for Samantha’s parents. And Amber, who looked ready to spear something besides the mangled pancake on her plate.
“What I can tell you, is that I have more reason to hope for my brother, than I’ve ever had before.”
“More than you did when we had coffee?” Amber raised an eyebrow.
“Yes,” Erik answered seriously.
“You think he’s changed,” Amber stated. “In the blink of an eye, he’s changed. I talked to Samantha on Monday night. He was being a complete jerk.”
“I now have more reason to hope, than I ever have before,” Erik repeated steadily. “I know this frustrates you, and I’m sorry for that. But it’s all I can tell you.”
Erik had great hope for his brother, and he prayed for him earnestly, but he was no prophet. Only God knew if Rob’s faith would withstand the testing that would come as a result of professing belief. Erik couldn’t promise that Rob would never turn back, or that he’d never hurt Samantha, or let her down again. Neither would he participate in, or sit through, a discussion in which his brother’s faults and possible transgressions were hashed over.
Amber watched him solemnly, as wave after wave of emotion washed across her face.
Erik felt as bad as he did when Caleb was upset with him. He wasn’t sure what to
do, so…
He smiled a little, and offered her a Cheerio.
Amber burst out laughing, and took it, much to Erik’s relief.
“What, am I two, again?”
“No, but it worked with him…”
Amber glanced at the Cheerio she held, then back at Erik. The conflict she felt a moment ago, was gone.
“I know you, Erik. You wouldn’t say you have reason to hope now, if you didn’t,” she said loyally, with a tilt of her chin. “I don’t understand, it goes against reason, and it may drive me crazy, wondering what changed between Monday night, and this morning. But I trust you, so… I’ll hope with you. And, I’ll pray.”
Erik’s heart overflowed with gladness, flooding him with warmth and affection, because she said she’d pray. It was all about the joy of seeing her grow closer to God, that was what made him feel this way. Even though he didn’t exactly feel like this in response to Rob, and his spiritual growth. Or the guys at work who were, or who became, believers.
Erik felt overwhelmed and a little confused, but he smiled back at Amber.
“Thank you. I’m glad you feel that way, instead of being worried or upset.”
“Why don’t you toss me some of those Cheerios,” her dad said wryly. “I’m not sure it’ll work, but it’s worth a try.”
Caleb hurled a handful at his grandfather, dissolving the last remnants of tension in the room.
“Thank you, Caleb,” his grandfather said politely, as he brushed cereal out of his hair. His grandmother picked several pieces out of the butter dish, and Erik and Amber helped retrieve the rest.
“You’re the most generous guy I’ve ever met,” Erik smiled, as Caleb handed him several more.
“And you’re a good man,” Amber’s father said grudgingly. “A little better than we’d like right now, I admit. But I respect your principles.”
“Thank you, Mr. Fields,” Erik replied. He was glad to know his welcome wasn’t worn out.
“Jay is fine,” her dad said, reassuring him completely.
“And I’m Deborah,” her mom added. “I prefer that to Mrs. Fields. I think Jay’s mother must be in the room, every time I hear you say it.”
Disengaged (Terms of Engagement Book 3) Page 22
