Along the Cane River: Books 1-5 in the Inspirational Cane River Romance Series

by Mary Jane Hathaway

  A few more minutes of work and he looked into the face of his youth. Gideon turned his head, seeing the line of his jaw for the first time in years. He’d imagined shaving off his beard would reveal an old man, but it was the opposite. He looked much younger, almost vulnerable. Anxiety twisted in his stomach and he shrugged it off. Like Tom had said, there was no need to carry the prison persona anymore.

  ***

  “Hey there, Miss Byrne,” Clark called from where he was stretched out on the floor of the Oakland Plantation foyer near the antique wood stove.

  “Still trying to fix that flue?” Henry asked. “You know what my mamere says? If at first you don’t succeed, go and dance.”

  He sat up, a grin on his face. “She’s right, she is. I’m sure looking forward to the Zydeco Festival. You got yourself a date yet?”

  “I thought that was the point,” she said. “You get all dressed up and go find yourself a date.”

  “Oh, Miss Henry, a girl such as yourself should have a date on hand. Otherwise, the men might fight over ya.”

  She rolled her eyes. No one would be fighting over her and she certainly wouldn’t want them to. “Actually, I thought I’d just watch from my apartment. They set up the big dance floor right across from By the Book. It’s the same thing and I don’t even have to get in the middle of the crowd.”

  Clark stared at her as if she’d spoken in Latin. “The same thing? You right about that?”

  “I may not be right but I’m sure,” she said and picked up the mail from the entry way desk. She flipped through them, then stopped at a note, re-reading it. “Did Verna take this message?” she asked, holding up the little slip.

  He squinted over at it. “I’m not real sure, but she said someone is coming to see you. Soonish.”

  Henry stared at the words again. Patsy was coming to visit… today? She felt a combination of alarm and giddiness. Her oldest friend was coming to see her! Patsy knew all her secrets. Or almost all.

  She dug in her purse for her cell phone and remembering how she’d turned it off last night, just in case Kimberly called, and completely forgotten to turn it back on this morning. As she was pushing the button, she heard tires in the long drive way of Oakland Plantation.

  Through the screen door, she saw a newer station wagon pull up in front. She dropped the mail, rushed out onto the front porch, and was down the steps in seconds, already waving with both hands.

  The passenger door opened and a short, red haired woman popped out. “Sherlock,” she squealed and launched herself into Henry’s arms.

  “Watson,” she said and hugged her friend with everything she had. “What are you doing here?”

  “I told Denny we needed to show Jack the Zydeco Festival in the amazing city of Natchitoches.”

  Lie.

  Looking over Patsy’s head, she saw Denny unstrapping their baby from the back seat. He straightened up and shook his head. “Don’t believe anything she says. Jack never remembers a bit of this trip.”

  Patsy let out a laugh. “Oh, you really don’t need to tell her that.”

  Patsy was always telling Henry that she could use her curse for good, to make a difference, but Henry couldn’t see how.

  “You don’t need to tell her that because she knows you so well?” Denny came up and gave Henry a kiss on the cheek. Jack reached out a chubby hand, patted Henry’s head and burbled something unintelligible.

  “Let’s just say my friend has a super power.”

  “Like flying? Or are we talking about making babies go to sleep? That would be really handy,” Denny said.

  Patsy gave Henry a wink. “I would tell you but then―”

  “She’d have to kill me? Don’t worry. I’ll let you two keep your secrets.” He wrapped his arm around Patsy. “There’s nothing like a childhood friend, right?”

  “Right,” Patsy said brightly. She turned to Henry. “And to answer your question, my aunt’s fiftieth birthday surprise party is this weekend so I thought we’d come down a few days early and annoy you.”

  Henry took a shaky breath. She hadn’t realized how lonely she’d been since she moved to Natchitoches. The friends she’d made in graduate school had all moved on and although she thought she’d been fine with the changes in her life, her own tears told a different tale. “Right,” she said. “Come on in and I’ll show you around.”

  Half an hour later, they were back in the foyer. Jack crawled around under the furniture, and Clark followed him around, arms at the ready. “I think we need this little guy to be our mascot.”

  “He says he’ll take the position,” Patsy said, laughing. “This park has such an amazing history. Tomorrow, if you have time, we’d like to see some of the other buildings.”

  “Of course,” Henry said, pride filling her chest. Her grandparents hadn’t come out to Oakland yet. Kimberly hadn’t even mentioned her job. Lisette hadn’t made it to Natchitoches from Fayetteville, not even for lunch. “I’d love that. I can give you some pamphlets to read over tonight, if you want. Then you can decide what you’d like to see most.”

  “Great idea,” Denny said. “I don’t know much about Cane River. I’ll study them tonight and then Patsy won’t look like the only good Southerner.”

  Turning to the large display, Henry started to select a few maps and folded flyers that described the park. “I’ll just give you all one of each.”

  Clark glanced through the front window. “We’ve got another visitor,” he said.

  “Busy day,” Henry said, still plucking out papers. She heard the door open and turned. “Welcome to Oakland Plantation. I’m―”

  A man stood in the doorway, large enough to block the view to the driveway. He had the same bright eyes, same careful expression as Gideon, but it wasn’t the Gideon she remembered from last night.

  “What happened to your… your…” She waved a hand around her face.

  “I shaved my beard.” He reached up and rubbed a hand over his jaw. “You don’t like it?”

  Like it. She didn’t know how exactly to answer the question. Of course she liked it. He was a good-looking man, and now that she could see his whole face, he was even more handsome. The sound of a throat clearing reminded her that she had other guests.

  “This is my friend Patsy Davidson and her husband, Denny. This is Gideon Becket. He’s head of the Natchitoches parish archives,” she said. She could see the wariness and resignation in Gideon’s eyes as he greeted them. He carried his past like a shield.

  Jack crawled out from under the desk and onto Henry’s toes. She reached down and picked him up. “And Jack,” she said. “Our new mascot.”

  Gideon looked startled for a moment, then said, “Upgrading? The archives will have to get a mascot now, too,” he said. He pretended to give her a severe look, lips pressed together, deep indents appearing on either side of his mouth.

  “Oh,” she said almost to herself. “You have dimples.”

  Gideon nodded. “My mom called them my super power. She’d say, ‘go tell old Mrs. Lumbrowski that her dogs are barking too much. And make sure to show your dimples.’ It seemed to work, too.”

  She laughed a little. “Smart woman.”

  “We were just discussing super powers,” Denny said. “Patsy is taunting me with some secret knowledge of Henry’s super power but she won’t tell me what it is.”

  “She’s a clever gal. She gets a lot done around here and keeps all the staff happy. I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s got a cape somewhere,” Clark said.

  Gideon cocked his head. “Diplomacy?”

  “Nope,” Patsy said.

  “Nobody wants to play this game,” Henry said. She set little Jack on one hip and rocked gently from side to side.

  “Wait, I bet I can guess,” Gideon said, holding up a finger. “Leadership? Organizational skills? Meticulousness?”

  “No, nothing so general,” Patsy said.

  “I can probably figure it out,” Denny said. “She’s loyal, good natured, unflapp
able.”

  “Still too general,” Patsy said.

  Henry motioned toward the hallway. “Does anyone want coffee? Let me make a fresh―”

  Clark interrupted, “Kindness. She’s real kind. And thoughtful. That’s sure a rare trait nowadays.”

  “More specific,” Patsy said. “Or is it more general? Now I’m confusing myself.”

  “She’s a gentle sort of person. That’s rare, too,” Gideon said.

  Henry felt her mouth drop open a bit. She’d never considered herself a gentle sort. She looked down into Jack’s eyes and he gave her a toothless grin.

  “Gracious. Helpful. Empathetic,” Denny said.

  “Now you’re just making stuff up,” Henry said.

  “Elegant,” Clark said. “A lot of women think they can just put on some pretty clothes and be elegant, but it’s really something from inside.”

  “I agree,” Patsy said, nodding.

  “Y’all realize I’m standing right here,” Henry said, wondering if her face was as red as it felt.

  “Intuitive. Insightful,” Gideon said.

  “Now we’re getting somewhere,” Patsy said, holding up a hand.

  “Interesting,” Gideon said. “So, it’s something that helps her understand people.” She could almost see him remembering their conversation in that basement lit by lamplight, where they confessed their fears like children hiding under a blanket.

  “Why are you here, Gideon?” she blurted.

  There was an awkward silence and then he reached into his pocket. “I made you a copy of my key.” He held it out and she took it from him, their fingers barely touching. Jack made a grab for it but she put it in her pocket, kissing the baby’s head.

  “Oh, good. I need to run by. I couldn’t find my keys this morning. It’s not a big deal because I have a spare for my car and Charlie gave me a spare back door key when I saw her when I left for work.”

  He frowned. “I didn’t see anything last night.”

  “Well, it was late and we were tired.” She shrugged. “I only noticed after you walked me home.”

  “His key? Walked you home?” Patsy looked from one to the other.

  “It’s just an―” She started to speak at the same time as he did.

  “We’re working―”

  “― archiving project.”

  “― on some papers.”

  Henry smoothed a hand over her hair. “Sorry. Anyway, I’ll go by later and see if they’re there.”

  “Let me go. That door is a bear to open and I’m headed home anyway,” Gideon said.

  “Don’t you live out by Lac Terre Noire?” Clark asked.

  “Sure do. But it’s no trouble at all.” He looked at his watch. “If I find them, I can drop them by this evening.”

  “Sure, that sounds fine.” She suddenly remembered Blue Chalfant. “Oh, wait, I’ll be gone around seven, but any time before that is fine.”

  “Where are you going?” Patsy asked. “I was hoping we could have dinner.”

  “I… I have a date, actually.”

  “A date? You never date. You hate dating. When did you start dating?” Patsy was giving her a look of total confusion.

  “I just met him. This morning. We’re going to have ribs at The Red Hen.” It sounded like she was on the hunt for a man. She bit her lip and focused on brushing back Jack’s wispy hair, hoping everyone would refocus on something else.

  “I’ll leave them at the desk in By the Book,” Gideon said and he was gone.

  Henry shifted Jack to her other hip and turned back to the pamphlets. For some reason her stomach was twisting in on itself. She could practically feel Denny and Patsy exchanging pointed looks. Well, it wasn’t what they thought. Gideon had asked her to be part of his project and she was thrilled to have her name attached to it in any way. If she had to endure some pointed looks or teasing, that was fine. She’d gone through worse in graduate school. She was determined to make a name for herself, to be one of the top Southern history experts, and no amount of whispering or nudging of elbows would deter her from it.

  Chapter Seven

  “The truth." Dumbledore sighed.

  "It is a beautiful and terrible thing,

  and should therefore be treated with great caution.”

  ― J.K. Rowling

  Gideon turned the knob of the basement door and nothing happened. He took a step back and threw his shoulder against the thick oak panel. It opened with the screech of wood-on-wood and he stepped into the dark basement. Walking from the bright sunshine into the cool, damp room was usually a relief but today it felt claustrophobic.

  Grabbing a lantern, he quickly lit the wick and replaced the glass. He searched around the chair, sweeping a hand around the dirty floor. Henry had left the top of the table clear, with only two pens placed side by side, perfectly straight. He held up the lamp, looking around the room, trying to remember where she’d stood and what she’d touched, but all he could see was her a few minutes ago.

  There was a tightness in his chest. It was absurd. He wasn’t the jealous type. In fact, he wasn’t the type to care much at all, for anyone. His reaction to Henry’s date was completely out of line. Add in the way she carried that baby, and there was no reason for him to care at all what she did in her off hours. They were opposites, clearly wanting different things out of life.

  He paced the length of the basement, searching the floor for any glimmer of metal. A few weeks ago, he’d thought he needed some more time on the river. But he hadn’t followed through and here he was, dealing with the fall out. He wasn’t as good at understanding human behavior as Tom was, but he knew when he was losing his grip. As soon as he got back to his office, he’d call Tom or Bix and make sure they got out on the river. Or he’d go alone. He needed to get out of his routine, force himself to stop thinking, at least for a day.

  A few minutes later, he’d covered the whole basement. She must have left them in her apartment. It was probably nothing. Natchitoches was one of the safest cities in the state. There was really no reason to suspect anything other than misplaced keys by someone who was probably still unpacking and getting organized.

  He locked the door behind him and took the basement stairs two at a time to the sidewalk. He’d stop in at By the Book and let Charlie know he hadn’t found anything. A part of Gideon knew that a simple phone call would be faster, but for some reason he really didn’t want to talk to Henry at that moment.

  The historic district was bustling with tourists in town for the Zydeco Festival that weekend and the sight of the little families gave him a little twinge of sadness. He focused his gaze above their faces, somewhere up near the horizon.

  “Gideon!”

  Tom waved from halfway down the block, a stack of books under one arm and trotted to catch up. “I went by your office but they said you left for the― Whoa.” He stopped short and a middle aged couple let out matching squawks of impatience and side-stepped him, tossing irritated looks as they went on their way.

  “You... your…” Tom’s eyes were wide, he seemed too stunned to speak.

  He rubbed a hand over his face. “It was time for a change.”

  Tom nodded. “I just… haven’t seen you without it since we were kids.”

  Gideon looked out toward the river, knowing what Tom wasn’t saying. By the time Gideon had agreed to let Tom come visit, he’d grown into a man.

  “So are you headed home? I have to drop these off at the basilica and then we can grab a bite at The Red Hen.”

  “Sure. But not The Red Hen. Let’s try someplace new.”

  Tom’s eyes narrowed. “Is your newfound need for change going to affect my ability to get some ribs? I may have to lodge a complaint.”

  “No. I just felt like―”

  “A change. I got it.” Tom fixed him with a look. Gideon was several inches taller and about forty pounds heavier, but at that moment, he felt small. But he couldn’t explain. He didn’t completely understand it himself.

 
“Listen, it’s not a big deal. We can eat there if you want.” Gideon started back down the sidewalk.

  Tom fell into step beside him but it was several minutes before conversation returned. Gideon felt the weight of his refusal to explain, but he really didn’t want to get into another discussion about Henry.

  But it was as if Tom knew just what sore spot to prod. “How did it go last night?”

  Gideon didn’t bother to pretend he didn’t know what Tom meant. “Good. She was worried about the sticky door so I stayed.”

  “Stayed? You worked together?”

  He sighed. “Yes, Tom, every now and then I act like a regular human being and carry on a conversation, while looking pleasant and not acting on my urge to live as complete hermit.”

  “Hey, no offense. You both just made such a big deal out of working separately,” Tom said. “But you won’t be doing that again, right? She’s got her key and here you are working on the papers in the middle of the day. End of the regular human being act. Won’t happen again.”

  “You’re trying to irritate me and it’s not working.”

  “Am I?” His tone was carefully innocent but Gideon could hear the laughter underneath. “So what are you doing downtown?”

  “When I dropped off a copy of the key today―”

  “Where? Oakland Plantation?”

  “Right. I was running some errands and thought it would be easiest to bring it by.”

  Tom made a noise in the back of his throat and Gideon ignored him.

  “She said she lost her keys and I offered to come back here and look. I didn’t find them and now I’ll stop in at By the Book and let Charlie or Bix or someone know. There, now you have the entire story. Happy?”

  “Very.”

  “I’m starting to think you’re obsessed with her. She’s all you ever ask about anymore.” Gideon was hoping to shame Tom into giving up his nosy questions but the man was impervious.

  “You have to admit she’s the most interesting thing to happen around here since Alice Augustine sued Paul Olivier to keep him out of the Historic District.” Tom paused, a sly tone creeping into his voice. “And I called that one way before they decided to stop publically hating each other.”