Jones, Beverly R

by All Things Sacred (Lit) (Triskelion)

  Kendall returned to her seat, but immediately looked around the table at the three of them. “Listen, I am not going to stay here while there’s some strange man whom we know absolutely nothing about lurking around here asking questions about me, this farm and all of you. And he wouldn’t even identify himself or come over here and knock on the door. I figure if he were someone from my past who cared about me, he would have just come on over here and said so. I don’t like the fact that he’s asking whether I’m here at the farm during the day and whether anyone else is here with me. That sounds like he’s up to something and I’m certainly not going to make all of you sitting ducks by staying here any longer.” Kendall crossed her arms and added firmly, “I mean it. I’m not staying here.”

  Jackson placed his elbows on the table, folded his hands and rested his chin on them. He eyed her curiously for a moment, then removed his elbows from the table and sat back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. He continued to stare at Kendall with a look of inquisitive contemplation.

  Kendall became uncomfortable at his prolonged scrutiny and asked nervously, “Why are you looking at me like that?”

  Jackson rubbed a hand across the growth of stubble on his jaw and said evenly, “I’m just trying to figure out the best course of action here. Do I simply lock you in your bedroom, or should I tie you up in

  there first?”

  “Oh, that’s cute.” Kendall rolled her eyes.

  “Sounds like a plan to me,” Tom said. “I’ll get the rope.”

  “Stop it, you two. This is not funny,” Kendall said in exasperation.

  “You’re right. It’s not,” Jackson answered. His face held an expression of calm, but fixed, determination. “If you believe this man may be dangerous, that he may want to do you harm, what makes you think he won’t find you at the motel?”

  “Well, it’s better than his finding me here,” Kendall said.

  “That’s very brave and generous of you, but also stupid,” Jackson stated with a look of irritation. “What if his being here has something to do with the missing money and he shows up at the motel demanding answers from you that you can’t give him and that makes him very angry? What are you going to do then? Run to Dottie at the front desk? You’d be putting her in more danger than you would either Tom or me. Think about it. You need to be here where we can keep an eye on you. We’ll make sure that both you and Casey are safe.”

  Kendall thought for a moment before responding. “You’re right. He might think to look for me at the motel, since it’s the only one in town. But I’m not staying here, either. I’ll go somewhere farther away.” Kendall stood, looked down at Jackson and tried to smile. “I’ll cash the checks you’ve given me, if you don’t mind. Looks like you’re finally going to get your wish about that. But I intend to pay you back as soon as I’m able. Perhaps you wouldn’t mind driving me to the bus station? Now, I really don’t want to talk about this anymore. I’m going to go pack a few things.” Kendall turned and walked out of the kitchen and down the hall toward her bedroom.

  Jackson sat for a moment, then looked across the table at Casey, whose face held a pleading expression. Without a word, Jackson rose from his chair and followed Kendall into her bedroom. He found her stuffing clothes into a knapsack.

  “You have got to be the most exasperating female I’ve ever run across,” he said as he entered the room and shut the door behind him. He walked over and stood beside her as she leaned over the bed and began folding a pair of jeans. Jackson pulled the jeans from her hands and threw them on the bed, then grasped both of her arms and turned her to face him. “If you care anything about Casey at all, you won’t do this,” he said as he looked into her eyes.

  Kendall looked up at him with fierce determination in her eyes. “It’s because of Casey that I’m doing this. I would never forgive myself if anything happened to her.”

  “Nothing is going to happen to Casey and nothing is going to happen to you. Because you’re not leaving. You’re staying right here, and so help me, I will lock you in this room if I have to.”

  “Jackson, let go of me. I’m doing what I think is best. And it’s my decision to make, not yours.”

  Jackson gripped her arms tighter as he stared into her face, his expression a mixture of frustration and fortitude. He pulled her closer to him, his jaw set, fiery flecks of intensity seeming to spark from his eyes.

  Kendall could feel it happening again, could feel the current of passion and longing beginning to run through her blood, pumping from her heart like an obsessive need. His hands on her arms invoked in her a desire to feel them on her elsewhere, the heat of his touch so powerfully overwhelming. She looked helplessly into his eyes as he moved his face closer to hers. She could see a simple yearning there, one that he would undoubtedly regret later. Not this time, she told herself.

  “You’re not going to do something stupid like kiss me again, are you?” Kendall asked as she tried to pull away from him. “I wouldn’t want you to beat yourself up about it tomorrow.”

  Jackson released her arms and looked away from her. She immediately felt ashamed at what she’d said. She had wanted to dissuade him, for his sake as well as her own, but it had sounded almost brutal.

  “Jackson,” she began, but he cut her off.

  “Just promise me you won’t leave here,” he said quietly. “Not now. Casey has come to love you as if you were her own sister, don’t you know that? It would break her heart if you got on a bus and disappeared. She wants to help you, and she wants you to be a part of her life no matter what you discover about your past.”

  Kendall listened to his words, was touched by the sentiments he voiced about the relationship that had grown between Casey and herself, and she knew he was right. She also wished he shared those sentiments himself – except for the part about her being his sister – but she knew these words would never come from him. She no longer believed it was merely a devotion to Cynthia that compelled him to keep her at arm’s length. Neither did she believe it was the uncertainty of her future that made him wary. It was something much deeper than that. A part of him she didn’t think she’d ever be able to reach. His desire for her seemed so evident at times, yet his reluctance to envelop her in anything beyond the physical left her confused and hurt.

  She knew, however, that he spoke the truth where Casey was concerned. No matter the distance that lay between Jackson and Kendall, she would always think of Casey as family. The two of them had grown so close, and so quickly, as if their spirits had been forever joined on that fateful day outside of Logan City. Kendall blinked back a tear.

  “Promise me you won’t leave,” Jackson said.

  “On one condition. You get the police involved now. Call Chief Bullard.”

  “Kendall, Lan Bullard is the Chief of Police, but it’s merely a title. The only people he’s the chief of is himself and his secretary. Logan City is a one-stoplight town in the middle of farmland, where nothing ever happens except the occasional break-in or bubble-gum stealing at Thompson’s Grocery. And besides that, Lan’s sixty-three years old and overweight. He’s a great guy, but I think I could do a better job of protecting you.”

  “Then call the Athens Police. They’ve got a police force, detectives, the whole bit. And if you insist that I stay here, then it’s time we get the police involved. We don’t know where this will all lead.”

  “That’s exactly my point. Right now we don’t know where this will lead.”

  “Meaning?” Kendall waited for a response from Jackson, but he only stood there looking frustrated. “You think I did something criminal, don’t you? Even if you don’t believe I could have stolen that money, you’re not sure I wasn’t involved in some way, are you?”

  “I don’t believe you’re capable of doing anything criminal, but the truth is none of us really knows what happened. The minute we get the police involved, tell them as much as you’ve remembered so far, then next comes the investigation. I’d rather the police never kn
ew you were here if things don’t turn out in your favor.”

  “Jackson, if things don’t turn out in my favor, I deserve to face the consequences.”

  “That’s admirable. Honorable. But at this point, foolish.” Jackson sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Look, if you tell the police you think you stole $500,000 and was involved with a man named Ted Kendall, you think they’re just going to say, ‘Well, thanks for telling us. We’ll get back with you on that.’ What if they want to take you into custody while they sort all this out? Let’s not push things here, okay?”

  “But, Jackson, what if this man that’s asking questions about me is much more dangerous than any of us can imagine?”

  “If there is a man. Right now, we’re all going on the assumption that Cynthia’s telling the truth about that. I’m not saying we should ignore it. Tom and I are going to stay near the house from now on, but for God’s sake, let’s not get the police involved prematurely.”

  “Jackson, I don’t know.” Kendall wavered, a frown creasing her brow.

  “I’m only asking you to let Tom and me take care of things, just for the next few days, at least. Promise me you won’t tear out of here or do something foolish.” Kendall released a deep sigh. “Okay, I promise. For now.”

  “You’ll be protected here. And so will Casey.”

  Kendall nodded as Jackson turned and left the room. She had no doubt that Jackson would protect both her and Casey. But what if Jackson were harmed in his quest to defend her? It wasn’t just that she would never forgive herself if something happened to him because of her. It was simply that she would rather die.

  Chapter 15

  >The following day, thankfully, turned out to be an uneventful one. As promised, both Jackson and Tom remained either inside the house or working outside nearby. Kendall soon discovered Jackson’s intentions were to practically shadow her. He seemed to appear when she least expected it and had taken to following her every time she went outside, even if it were only to gather eggs for breakfast. By the end of the day, everyone appeared tired from the mere tension of being on guard. Kendall sank into the welcoming comfort of her bed that evening, eager to rest her tired muscles, but anxious for some remembrance of her past that would put an end to their apprehension. She hoped that at least a memory or two would resurface and come to her in the night. She had no such luck.

  She wanted desperately to regain her memory in full so that she could get on with her life and bring some resolution to the mystery that not only perplexed her, but also caused such upheaval in this household. It wasn’t fair that her being here brought a sense of insecurity to the people who had strived so hard to make her feel secure. She had found Jackson asleep on the living room couch the following morning. When she questioned him about it, he had replied that he had fallen asleep while reading. Kendall knew he wasn’t telling the truth, that he had slept there because the living room lay between the front door and Kendall’s bedroom. If she didn’t do something soon to resolve things with this strange man who was looking for her, she would probably wake up one morning to find Jackson asleep on the floor at the foot of her bed.

  Jackson and Tom worked near the house again on Saturday morning. The hog had to be butchered and readied for barbecuing, tables had to be set up, extra chairs placed around the pool and in the yard. Everyone seemed in a lighter mood as they went about their preparations of that afternoon’s event at the Coley farm. Casey and Kendall worked vigorously in the kitchen all morning, making various side dishes and placing them in the refrigerator until the guests arrived.

  They wore their bathing suits under shorts and tee shirts as they cooked.. They planned to take a quick swim later that morning as a respite from the heat of the kitchen and to provide a little relaxation before the bustling activities began later that day. Shortly before eleven o’clock, after the last potato was boiled and the kitchen was returned to its previous gleaming status, Casey and Kendall headed out to the pool.

  John Watts and his crew still worked in the fields, but would break early to head home for showers before returning to the party. Some would bring wives or girlfriends. Others would return alone.

  Billy McLaurin was one who would return alone. Presently, his life held no wife or girlfriend, but he hoped to hook up with someone at the party. Practically every one of the single women in and around Logan City would be attending. He had already dated or been involved with quite a few of them, but there were still plenty he hadn’t gotten around to yet.

  Billy also looked forward to getting to know that new woman who had been staying with the Coleys. He knew all about her ‘accident,’ practically everyone in the county did. Nothing was held secret around here, whether you wanted it that way or not. But Billy wasn’t sure if this woman they called Kendall was Jackson’s girlfriend. Nobody seemed to know. It certainly would appear that way, with her living in the house for weeks now. Billy had attempted to find out, had even hinted at it with Tom, but Tom either missed the hints from Billy or played dumb. Jackson wasn’t talking, either. In fact, every time Billy even asked a question about Kendall, Jackson would just shrug his shoulders and change the subject or walk off, claiming he had some urgent task that needed his attention.

  Billy was still pondering the mystery of Kendall as he drove the pickup truck out of the fields and into the Coley backyard. John had sent him to refill the large aluminum cask with ice water. He didn’t mind. It was a nice break from the hot sun and maybe he would even catch a glimpse of Kendall. He’d only seen her from a distance, but he could tell she was certainly something he’d like to see closer up. As he pulled the truck to a stop at the hedge that separated the swimming pool from the rest of the yard, he had no way of knowing his prayers were about to be answered.

  The screen door banged shut as Casey walked onto the deck surrounding the pool. She shucked her shorts and tee shirt and dove into the pool. Upon surfacing, she wiped the wet hair from her face and called back toward the house, “Come on, slowpoke! The water feels great!”

  The screen door soon opened and out walked Kendall. Billy got out of the truck and stood beyond the hedge watching. He thought he’d never seen anything quite so beautiful. She wore a baby blue tee shirt and white shorts, which accentuated her lean, tanned legs. Her long auburn hair fell in wispy curls down her back.

  Kendall unzipped her shorts and pushed them down to her ankles, then bent to retrieve them. She turned and placed the shorts on a patio chair before grasping the hem of her tee shirt and pulling it up over her head. She shook out her hair as the tee shirt came off and Billy could see that she wore a white bikini underneath. Her hair tumbled over the strings tied across her back, leaving the impression that she wore nothing but the bottoms to the bikini.

  Billy swallowed hard, his throat suddenly seeming dry. Kendall then turned to face the pool and began walking toward the diving board. The front view left Billy even more dry-mouthed. Locks of her hair lay across full breasts held firmly in the triangles of her bikini top. The white material peeked out from beneath those auburn tresses as the wind blew whispers of her hair about as she walked. She moved with a grace that only a tall, lean body such as hers could accomplish, her hips gently swaying above the longest legs Billy had ever seen in his life.

  “Sweet Jesus, would you look at that?” Billy murmured to himself. He licked his bottom lip and swallowed hard. He sensed a presence behind him, but was unable to move. So caught up in the vision before him, he didn’t care if a tree was about to fall on him.

  “Don’t you have work to do, McLaurin?”

  Billy jumped and wheeled around. The presence behind him turned out to be worse than a falling tree. Jackson Coley stood there, his jaw clenched, a look of steely indignation on his face.

  “Uh. Hi, Jackson. Uh, Mr. Coley. John sent me in for more ice water.”

  “Well, unless you expect the water to crawl into the bed of that truck by itself, I suggest you get that cask out of there and fill it up.”

  �
�Sure thing. Sorry, boss. I was just, um, yeah, I was going to do that now.” Billy took a step backward, stumbled and turned to look again at Kendall as he regained his footing.

  “The water’s not over there, McLaurin,” Jackson said dryly as he continued to stare indignantly at Billy.

  “No, sir. I’ll get it right away.” Billy sidestepped Jackson and hurried off toward the water tank beside the barn.

  “Aren’t you forgetting something, Billy?”

  “Huh?” Billy looked back at Jackson, who still stood in the same spot with his arms crossed, shaking his head. “Oh, yeah,” Billy sputtered as he ran to the truck to get the aluminum cask.

  Jackson shook his head and chuckled as Billy lugged the cask away, then turned and looked toward the swimming pool. Jackson’s expression suddenly became solemn. She was on the diving board now, walking out to the end and laughing down at Casey. She bounced a couple of times, her feet coming lightly off the springboard, her lithe body seeming to dance to some hypnotic music in the air. She dove into the water. Jackson inhaled deeply, as though his lungs had been deprived of air too long. He stood for another moment, not really looking at anything, just lost in quick reflection. Then he turned and walked with renewed purpose to the barn to retrieve the shovel that he had set out for in the first place.

  ***

  By four-thirty that afternoon the Coley farm was teeming with people as everyone gathered in the expansive yard. Jackson and Tom stood with John Watts at the pit they had dug that morning. They talked and joked while Jackson applied the vinegar-based mixture to the pig as it cooked on a spit over hot coals. A few of the hired farmhands ambled over to the pit and joined in the conversation, offering comments and comic stories of their own.

  The screen door banged relentlessly as food was brought out from the kitchen and placed on long folding tables set up under the large oak tree. Friends and neighbors had brought an array of covered dishes to add to the already extensive fare. There were numerous bowls of potato salad, coleslaw and baked beans. Others had brought pans of macaroni and cheese, corn on the cob, broccoli salad, cold vegetable trays and relishes. A separate table held eleven different desserts, from peach cobbler and seven-layer chocolate cake to Darlene’s special banana pudding.