Beneath Winter Sand

by Vickie McKeehan

  “Do I get to meet my parents? Have they been looking for me, too?”

  Hannah bit her lip to keep from crying and shook her head. “I’m afraid that’s another story in itself. The day they died, the person that… There’s no easy way to say this. You were abducted, stolen by a crazy woman who wanted a baby. Not Carla DeMarco, not the lady who raised you but another woman, our aunt. They say now she was mentally unstable. I don’t know about that. Brent says she’s sitting in jail right now charged with killing our parents. They just arrested her the other day. Like I said, it’s a long story. Brent’s a phone call away if you need corroboration that I’m not making this stuff up. And Eastlyn’s willing to provide you with several documents that say the same thing. I wouldn’t blame you if you don’t believe a word I’m saying.”

  “Wow. But your name is Summers, not Lambert?”

  “I was adopted by a great couple named Summers when I was nine. I lived in the foster care system for three years before I went to live with them.”

  “Wow,” Andy repeated. “My real name’s Micah Andrew Lambert?”

  “Andy. I’m fine with calling you Andy. You don’t have to be Micah unless you want to be.”

  “It’s just that…I don’t know. All this…”

  “I didn’t want to overwhelm you. I had ideas about approaching this situation slowly, building up to it. But several others, Caleb, Cooper, and Quentin, to name a few, figured that you’d prefer knowing now, right away, rather than making a case over time. They thought it would be much less deceptive this way. They were convinced that you could handle the truth up front, rather than trying to convince you over several months that I’d make a fantastic big sister.”

  Andy grinned. “You’ve already proved that because you never stopped looking for me.”

  “I would’ve searched for you until they had to roll me around in a wheelchair. Ask Caleb. Ask anybody.”

  “I believe you. Tell me something about my parents.”

  Hannah breathed a sigh of relief and sat down next to him on the sofa. “Mom used to bundle you up and take you to Donnelly Park where we’d feed the ducks. You were too young, of course, but I’d go down to the pond and chase the ducks your way. I’d point out all the hummingbirds and woodpeckers to you that flew by. I probably got half of them wrong. But you didn’t seem to mind. When you’d take your naps, Mom would let me put you down in your crib. All that time I spent in foster care, I missed you. I missed our house and the way you used to giggle. I missed the way you used to smile at me.”

  She stopped long enough to swipe away the tears streaming down her cheeks. “Dad liked to fish. He talked about waiting for you to get big enough to go with him. He’d take you out to the Tuolumne River to catch trout for supper. And never let it be said that Robert Lambert didn’t sometimes have a temper. But his mad never lasted for long before he’d be all apologetic and try to make up for it by doing something sweet, like swinging Mom into an impromptu dance. He’d stop at the Dairy Queen and bring me a chocolate shake, or if he didn’t have time to make a stop, he’d get a Hershey bar out of the machine at work and hand it to me as a reward for being good. Whether I’d been good or not, it didn’t matter to him. He loved tamales and he had this favorite street vendor he always went to if he was in the mood for Mexican food. We didn’t have much money but he always saw to it we had what we needed. He did his best to make things better for us. Always.”

  Fat tears moved down Hannah’s cheeks at the memories, memories she’d buried. Before she could go on, she noticed Andy had water misting from his eyes, too.

  “What kind of person kills a mother and father and takes a baby away from his parents?”

  “A monster, pure and simple. But you have me now and I have you. You’ll always have me,” Hannah offered. “You have family now, Andy. I hope you can find a place in your life for a big sister.”

  Andy reached out and circled his arms around Hannah’s shoulders. “I’d be a fool to turn that down.”

  Thirty-One

  That night, a winter moon hung in the night sky as an overflow crowd gathered inside Caleb’s house for food and drink.

  Andy—still six months away from being old enough to legally indulge in alcohol—sipped on a virgin margarita Hannah had blended especially for him. But after taking a taste, Faye and Beckham decided they wanted the lemonade, lime-aid concoction that was basically nothing more than sweet, frothy citrus juice.

  “Don’t go getting any ideas about adding tequila to that,” Caleb cautioned. “At least not for another nine or ten years. Everybody knows it stunts your growth and kills brain cells.”

  Faye giggled at the warning. “Hannah already told us the same thing. I can’t believe she’s Andy’s real sister. That makes her my half-sister.”

  It didn’t really—certainly not by bloodlines—but Caleb didn’t have the heart to throw water on the girl’s willingness to accept the change in Andy or her own enthusiasm at the prospect.

  Hannah slung an arm over the teen’s shoulder, placed a kiss on her temple. “Any sister of Andy’s belongs to my tribe…automatic.”

  Faye bounced on her toes. “Beckham has his, now I have mine.”

  “Exactly. You’ve got your own clan now, sista.” Hannah gave the girl a fist bump explosion. “I even have a stepsister I want you to meet. Her name’s Cassie.”

  Faye gigged with glee and threw her arms around Hannah’s neck. “You are too cool.”

  Quentin overheard the declaration and came over to the island where Hannah and Caleb stood near the buffet. “Sydney and I’ve been talking. We’ve decided that after all the crappy things Douglas Bradford did to this town, it’s time to reverse some of the damage. We’re going with Logan’s original idea and turning the house into a library but with one caveat. We need a middle school and a high school here. There are enough rooms upstairs alone to use for whatever classrooms we’ll need. And the downstairs will make an excellent public library.”

  “That leaves plenty of room for computer and tech training,” Logan added, slapping Quentin on the back. “Kinsey and I are returning half the money to Quentin. Together our families will officially donate the property to the town.”

  “We plan to get rid of the Bradford House name on the shingle immediately. That goes away first thing tomorrow morning as soon as Logan and I pick up a screwdriver and take down the sign.”

  Logan leaned in with a laugh. “That’ll be me. Our only doctor shouldn’t be handling tools he knows nothing about using.”

  Quentin looked downright insulted. “Hey, I own a set of socket wrenches. I know the difference between a Phillips and a flathead.”

  “Good for you,” Logan returned. “Bring your tool belt with you and I’ll bring my black doctor’s bag.”

  “Fine. You take care of the shingle. I’ll stand by and wait for you to ram a nail in your thumb and then we’ll see who finishes what job.”

  “It’ll take me all of five minutes to remove the sign,” Logan predicted.

  Caleb held up his hands for peace. “Guys, good-natured ribbing aside, the point is we’re getting a library and school out of the deal, something that gets the middle schoolers and high school kids off that damn bus heading to San Sebastian nine months out of the year. It doesn’t matter who does what. And it’s all due to you guys coming through for the town.”

  Quentin smiled and nodded. “We’ll formally get everyone together so we can dedicate the building with a ceremony calling it…” He glanced at Logan to let him make the big announcement.

  “Ocean Street Academy.”

  “So, something good came out of this, after all,” Hannah said. “It makes me glad I’ve found my permanent home here.”

  Andy came up next to Hannah. “I’m glad to hear that. I’d hate to get to know you and then see you pack up and leave.”

  “Nope. I’m staying put.”

  Andy lifted his glass. “Here’s to Hannah Lambert, who always believed we’d be together again no ma
tter how the odds were stacked against it happening.”

  Hannah’s head rested on Andy’s shoulder. “The odds were considerably made better by…” She looked around the room and whispered in her brother’s ear, “Ever heard of a man named Scott Phillips?”

  “The dead guy who walks around town as a ghost? Sure. Who hasn’t? He came for a visit about two months after my parents…my adopted parents…died in that car accident. I was really down.”

  “No kidding. He’s the reason I’m here. Scott brought me here to find you. What did he say when you saw him? Was it about me? Did he at least indicate someone was searching for you?”

  Andy smiled broadly at all the questions and looked over at Caleb. “Unfortunately, nothing about that, which would have been a huge help.”

  Caleb scratched his jaw. “Scott seems to pop in and pop out at the best of times. But do you notice he never explains a damn thing?”

  Hannah let out a laugh. “I don’t know about that. Maybe it was supposed to play out like this. During it all, Caleb even found that murdered infant which turned everything upside down and got us to this point. I’m curious about how Scott managed to appear to each of us without really tipping his hand. It’s as if we were pieces on his giant chess board to be maneuvered into place.” She stared at Andy. “Under what circumstances did he appear to you?”

  “I was up late one night worrying about Carla Vargas taking Faye away from me. I’d fallen asleep on the couch. I woke up about three in morning, half asleep, and there he was. I recognized the guy sitting on the arm of the recliner. But it still scared the crap out of me.”

  “Yeah. He does that,” Caleb noted. “Infuriating.”

  “Anyway, he looked at me and said, ‘Everything’s gonna be okay. I promise. You’ll see. Don’t worry so much.’ I thought I was losing it for sure. And then things weren’t okay. I broke my arm working construction on the elementary school. It set Faye and me back months financially. Every time I had to take a low-paying job just to put food on the table I resented Scott telling me that, knowing how hard things were.”

  “Understandable. But I don’t think Scott works within time constraints. Resolutions to kidnapping and murder take time. Oh, don’t get me wrong. I was plenty impatient with him when he stopped coming around. Just ask Caleb. I knew Scott was obviously avoiding me so I wouldn’t ask any more questions like, ‘Where’s Micah? Tell me where I can find Micah.’ I kept bugging him about it. But when things turn out like this, it’s hard to complain about Scott’s ‘big picture’ not coming together exactly like we wanted it or fast enough. I discovered four months ago he’s a difficult man to say no to, especially when he dangles what you want just within reach and then walks away.”

  “I guess you could say, he’s a ghost with a plan, but doesn’t feel the need to tell anyone anything,” Andy surmised.

  “I suppose.”

  The celebration went on until people started to clear out.

  After everyone left, Caleb and Hannah began to clean up the kitchen until finally he snatched her hand in his and grabbed a flashlight out of one of the cabinet drawers. He led her out the back door to the deck and down the steps into what could only be described as a pitch-black hole with just the flashlight to guide their way.

  “Where are we going?”

  “You looked like you could use a walk. I know just the place.”

  “It’s after midnight, Caleb. And it’s been a very emotional day for me. What am I saying? Ever since I set foot in Pelican Pointe it’s been like a rollercoaster ride, so many ups and downs...”

  “That’s true, a lot of twists and turns for both of us,” Caleb supplied. “We’ve been so slammed dealing with the past, on both fronts, that we haven’t had a lot of time to touch on the future.”

  “The future for me includes my brother. I love saying those two words, ‘my brother.’ Wherever my parents are tonight, they must be dancing. They have to be wrapped up in each other moving to Nat King Cole, with a silly smile on their faces, knowing their babies found each other again after all this time.”

  “And that right there is the reason I love you, Hannah Summers,” Caleb blurted out.

  “I love you, too.”

  “I love your devotion to family, the way you endured those years alone in the system at such a young age. Through all the rough times, you never gave up.”

  They reached the tall, swaying beach grass and Caleb shined the beam of the flashlight into the field. “There’s something I’ve wanted to show you for weeks now.”

  “For weeks? Really?”

  “It’s important.”

  When she noticed he was taking her farther into the darkness where the rolling meadow ended near the canal, her nerves jangled up her spine. “Caleb, is it safe out here? What if we run into a—”

  He didn’t let her finish. “Can’t you feel the freedom? I can. There are no ghosts here tonight, Hannah. No super stalkers sent by Eleanor to derail our lives. No more putting up with her interference, her craziness.”

  He shined the light into the blackness, illuminating the field of fertile grasses behind the house where the rolling hills were like a miniature valley, so green and lush. “The first time I set eyes on this place, I thought about trying to grow grapes here.”

  “You never told me that.”

  “I didn’t think you’d believe me. It was your dream. You’re the one who voiced it first. I kept my mouth shut because the idea scared me silly, always has. Starting a vineyard, having my own winery was a daunting task. But not anymore. The thing is, I love living where I live. Right here. I don’t want to move to the city. I don’t want to live in a big house. I don’t want to drive a fancy car.”

  “I’m hearing a lot of don’ts in there. What do you want?”

  “I want my life here…with you.” He held out his arms wide encompassing the expanse of land and what would one day, hopefully, be their vineyard. “I want to grow grapes here with you, Hannah. This place could be the best winery along the coast. We could cultivate the finest table grapes here because I’ve tested the soil. It’ll grow just about anything we put in the ground. Imagine corking the first bottle of fruity chardonnay for sale, or a bottle of our own vibrant merlot, right here. We could do it together.”

  She hurled her arms around his neck. “I love you, Caleb. I believe we can pretty much do anything we set our minds to. We’ve proved that over these past months. We’re so much better and stronger together. Our past is done and over with. We’ll make a new beginning, a home here, a life, rich with family and friends. I can still manage the co-op while we work toward the winery, put every dime aside for our success. I want to put down roots that run deep and last long after I’m gone.”

  “We’ll dance in the moonlight under the stars.”

  “Promise me it’ll be every night that isn’t raining.”

  “What’s the matter with a little rain?”

  She laughed and turned a circle in the beach grass that tickled her legs. “You’re right. Why not make it every night? Let’s dance and celebrate because I think these roots are taking shape even now.”

  He grabbed her around the waist. “You bet they are. Our roots…stronger…beneath winter sand.”

  Epilogue

  Six weeks later

  Pelican Pointe, California

  Clusters of bright green spring clover covered the hillside near the lighthouse as Hannah breathed in the fragrant white flowers that attracted the bees. The new section of butter lettuce she’d tested out had already sprouted new patches from the seeds she’d planted, no doubt due to the generous March rains.

  She walked the grounds, making her way through the rows of early bean sprouts, pleased the shoots were, so far, insect-free. Same could be said for the tomatoes that budded out in little green orbs all up and down the vines. Given enough warm sunshine, the fruit would ripen in a few weeks yielding bushels of tasty heirlooms.

  The new stalks of celery poking up through the ground were a de
light to her. So were the asparagus spikes that seemed to have grown an inch overnight.

  She glanced over at Andy and Faye hard at work hoeing the ground. The two showed up like clockwork every Saturday morning, rain or shine, to help with the weeding. Andy insisted on paying back the co-op for all the times it had kept the wolf from the door during so many months he’d struggled to put food on the table.

  It warmed Hannah’s heart to see him so happy, standing there, hoe in hand, back bent over the crop of thriving strawberries as he destroyed the root of a stubborn chickweed while Molly looked on.

  After running around earlier, the dog had exhausted her energy supply and seemed to be contemplating a nap.

  Molly had fully recovered, and now, went everywhere Hannah went. Maybe that’s what made working at the co-op such a pleasure. The freedom she felt, allowed her to fully appreciate having Molly in her life. They spent so much time outside together that the bond between the two had grown into something solid in a short amount of time.

  Or maybe she was just happier all-around than she’d ever been before having Caleb in her life.

  Whatever it was, every time Hannah looked at her brother she realized what a miracle it was that they were even within yelling distance of each other. She’d had to get used to the fact that Andy looked so much like her father it was eerie. Each time she was around him, it gave her a jolt of nostalgia. She’d get used to it over time, she supposed. But now, she simply enjoyed Andy’s company and his wry sense of humor. The man, who’d had such a rough two years taking care of Faye, could relate a funny story with a wicked wit that had a crowd laughing. Hannah often teased him about becoming a stand-up comedian.

  She went over to where he worked and pretended to inspect the dirt. “You and Faye are making great progress today. You’ll be done by noon.”

  “Beckham wanted to help us this morning, but he’s grounded,” Andy said, swiping at the sweat on his forehead. “Apparently, he caused a major uproar in science class the other day by making one of his experiments explode all over the teacher’s desk.”