Dark Hearts

by Sharon Sala

  “Yes, Lee, yes,” she said, and was laughing and crying as he slipped it on her finger. “It fits.”

  “Like I said, I had it for months. Betsy helped me with the size, and then told me to hold you forever in my heart.”

  He leaned across the seat, cupped the back of her head and kissed her. One long, slow kiss that eased Trina’s fears and settled the uncertainty of her life. By the time they reached the farmhouse, she was ready to face the future.

  But when they drove up and she saw cars already there, she frowned.

  “That’s Trey’s police cruiser. And that’s Dallas’s car. I don’t recognize the other one. What’s going on?” she asked.

  Lee smiled. “Why don’t we get out and see?”

  By the time she had her seat belt unlocked, Lee was opening her door. He helped her out of the car and steadied her steps as they walked up onto the porch and then into the house.

  The scent of chicken frying met her at the door. The undertone of voices came from the kitchen, and when she heard someone speak, followed by a shout of laughter, the rest of her anxiety settled. She was home.

  “Hey! You better not be eating without us!” Lee shouted.

  There was the sound of hurried steps and giggles, and then her family surrounded her, hugging and kissing and welcoming her home. When she saw Sam standing in this house again after so many years, she started crying.

  “I thought I’d been dreaming that you came to see me, but you finally came home, didn’t you?” she said as he wrapped her up in a hug.

  “Don’t you think it was about time?” he said and kissed the top of her head.

  Then she saw Lainey and started to cry.

  “Welcome home, Tink,” Lainey said as she took Trina’s hands and kissed her cheek.

  Trina laughed, and then glanced at Sam again.

  “Please tell me Lainey’s presence in this house means you’ve regained what was left of your senses.”

  Sam grinned.

  Lainey slid an arm around Sam’s waist as she leaned against his chest. “He has.”

  Dallas gave Trina a quick hug and a kiss, and then whispered in her ear, “Welcome home, sweetheart.”

  “This is the best welcome home ever,” Trina said. “I was dreading this moment...coming into a solitary house, and then Lee puts a ring on my finger to remind me I’m not alone, and then my family is here, reminding me that life goes on. Mama would be so proud of all of us, I think.”

  The words ring on my finger elicited another round of congratulations and giggling excitement that made the moment that much more special.

  Lee was watching, making sure she wasn’t overtaxing herself too soon, and finally he slid an arm around her waist. “Come sit,” he said.

  “I want to sit in the kitchen,” Trina said. “That’s where we always sat when Mama was cooking. And when I get well, I will cook dinner for all of you to prove there’ll be no dust settling on the appliances. Just because tragedy struck all of us in one way or another, we’re better than that. We’re stronger than that. We are not going to let love die in this house. Do you hear me?”

  There was a brief moment of silence, and then Sam reached out and ruffled her hair, just like he used to do when she was little.

  “Mom might be gone, but her spirit lives on,” Sam said. “I do believe Trina has inherited her bossy streak. God help you, Lee. You’re gonna need Him.”

  The laughter that ensued was loud and long as they traipsed back into the kitchen to finish cooking the first meal in a new phase of all their lives.

  Long after the food was gone and the kitchen cleaned, long after everyone finally went home, the peace that settled over the old home place was complete.

  Dallas and Trey had a date set for a Christmas wedding.

  Lee and Trina were aiming for next Easter.

  But it was Lainey and Sam who made the first move.

  * * *

  Three days later Sam was still at Lainey’s, helping her set up the sale of her farm, patching up the little things that she’d had to let go over the past year.

  Betsy’s body had finally been released to the family two days earlier. Tomorrow was the funeral service, and while it felt as if there was a lot left to do, it was the final letting go that was really weighing on them.

  Sam was inside the barn cleaning out the granary when he found the sack of treats Lainey bought for Dandy. With no horse to enjoy them, he was trying to decide what to do with them when Lainey entered the barn.

  “Hey! Where are you?” she yelled.

  Sam leaned out through the door. “In here.”

  She stepped up into the granary and saw him holding the package.

  “Poor Dandy. He never did get any of those treats,” she said.

  “What do you want me to do with them?” he asked.

  “Just leave them here,” she said. “Maybe the people who buy the farm will have a horse, and if they don’t, maybe these treats will serve as a seed of suggestion.”

  Sam set them in the corner, and then took her in his arms. “I have a question,” he said.

  “Then, ask,” she said as she brushed dust from his cheek.

  “Marry me?”

  Tears welled. “Yes.”

  “Today?”

  She sighed. “Yes.”

  He kissed her there in the granary, with dust motes floating in the air like flecks of gold, and felt the last knot of regret from his past slip away.

  “You need a bath first,” Lainey said.

  He laughed.

  She looked a little startled, and then she grinned. “Well, I didn’t mean it quite like that,” she said, but he was still laughing, and then he picked her up in his arms and carried her back to the house.

  Sam took the much-required shower after she’d gone first, then he helped her rewrap her ankle and wrist.

  As she stood in front of her closet, searching through the new clothes she’d purchased, he couldn’t help but notice the dark circles beneath her eyes, and he thought about how valiantly she must have fought to stay alive all through the chemo treatments. He wanted to take her home to Atlanta and start a new life with her there. He already knew that she would never be able to bear a child. Instead of sadness, he felt a sense of relief. He wasn’t fit father material anymore, but there was enough of him left to be the best damn husband ever. She’d taught him that.

  He watched her sorting through the new outfits, trying to choose something to get married in, and wondered if his spontaneous proposal was cheating her out of a storybook wedding.

  “Are you going to be sorry you’re missing all of the pageantry of a wedding?” he asked.

  She immediately stopped and shook her head.

  “Not at all! Mom and Dad are gone. Your parents are gone. And after everything that’s happened, I don’t feel like celebrating. I just want to be yours and you to be mine. It’s all I’ve ever wanted, Sam.”

  He sighed.

  “I don’t know that I deserve you, but I have no words for how grateful I am that you still want me.” He pointed. “If it matters, I like that one,” he said, pointing to the jade-colored wool dress hanging on the back of the door.

  Lainey looked. “You don’t think it’s too dark?” she asked.

  “I think you will shine like the redhead you are in that dress. You’re beautiful, Lainey, just as you are.”

  “Then, the green it is,” she said. “Give me about fifteen minutes and I’ll be ready.”

  “Then, I guess I better finish dressing, too.”

  He headed down the hall to get his leather jacket from the closet, and then went into the living room to call Trey. His brother answered quickly and seemed in a hurry, so Sam was hoping he wasn’t on his way to an emergency of some kind.

&n
bsp; “Hey, Trey, what’s up? You sound rushed.”

  “I was, but it’s all good. I just got rid of Public Enemies One and Two.”

  “Ah...Marcus and T.J. are no longer in your jail.”

  “They both had their day in court. Judge denied bail on both of them and bound them over for trial. They are, as we speak, on their way to county lock-up.”

  “Can’t get them far enough away to suit me,” Sam said.

  “Oh, guess what came out during their depositions? Marcus kept saying he didn’t know what T.J. was doing, and it appears he was telling the truth. T.J. stated, under oath, that he found out about the 1980 incident when his father got drunk a couple of years back. He said he didn’t think anything of it until his dad decided to run for office, and then he felt like it would be in their best interests if he got rid of the witnesses, just in case.”

  “I can’t wrap my head around how evil that little bastard really is,” Sam said.

  “He’s a piece of work, for sure,” Trey said. “So how’s it going out there? Are you getting everything ready to put the farm up for sale?”

  “We were, but at the moment we’re getting ready to go get married.”

  Trey gasped. “Married? As in today?”

  “Yes.”

  “Well, hell, Sam. What if we might like to be there?”

  Sam grinned. “That’s why I called. If you’re not throwing someone in jail and Dallas isn’t busy this afternoon, it would be good to have you guys, and Trina and Lee, too, as our witnesses.”

  “Absolutely. How long before you head to Mystic?”

  “Probably fifteen or twenty minutes, and then we still have to get the license.”

  “Who’s going to marry you?”

  “Haven’t thought that far,” Sam said.

  “Oh, my Lord! Well, don’t worry about it. I have a few connections. Meet me in Judge Franklin’s chambers. It’s on the second floor.”

  “Okay, and thanks, Trey.”

  Trey laughed and hung up. He called Dallas first, gave her a timeline, and then called Judge Franklin. Within a few minutes he had the judge lined up, and Dallas was on the way to pick up Lee and Trina.

  He was on his way to his office to change into a clean uniform when he thought of Lainey. Obviously she was on board with this hurry-up ceremony, but he didn’t know a woman who would turn down flowers. Maybe he could talk the florist into making a quick wedding bouquet.

  * * *

  Sam and Lainey left the clerk’s office in the courthouse hand in hand with a marriage license and met Trey, Dallas, Trina and Lee waiting for them in the hall.

  Lainey looked at Sam. “You called them, didn’t you?”

  He nodded. “I felt a little guilty about asking you to marry me so fast.”

  Lainey hugged Dallas and Trina, Lee was grinning and Trey kissed her cheek and handed her a bouquet of white roses with white satin streamers.

  “Follow me,” he said, and led them to Judge Franklin’s chambers.

  Lainey kept trying to wrap her head around the fact that she would go to sleep tonight as a married woman. After so many years, she’d almost given up on the love of her life.

  She heard the judge talking to Sam, and she glanced at Dallas, who gave her a quick thumbs-up. After that everything seemed to move in slow motion.

  She repeated the vows word for word while hanging on to Sam with both hands. He hadn’t taken his eyes from her for one second since the ceremony began, but as touched as she was, she had no idea what was going through his head.

  Then Judge Franklin turned to Sam.

  “Do you, Samuel Jakes, take Lainey Pickett for your lawful wedded wife? Do you—”

  Sam knew what came next, but he had his own vow to make.

  “I will never dishonor or abuse her. I will love her forever, and keep her safe in my arms and close to my heart, so help me God.”

  Lainey could barely see his face for the tears. In these few seconds his words, said with so much love, let her know their future would be as solid as the ground they stood on.

  “Do you have a ring?” Judge Franklin asked.

  “Yes, I do,” Sam said. “It belonged to my grandmother and was given to me, the eldest son, to give to my wife.” He turned to Lainey. “It is my honor to give it to you.”

  Sam’s hands were steady, his demeanor steadfast. He meant every word that he’d said and was feeling pretty damn lucky that he was still alive to say them.

  The old-fashioned ring was beautiful on Lainey’s hand, but a little loose, so she curled her fingers into a fist, holding on to the symbol of their love as tightly as she held on to Sam’s love.

  Judge Franklin paused to make sure there was no second ring, and then smiled.

  “By the power vested in me by the state of West Virginia, I now pronounce you man and wife.”

  “Thank You, God,” Sam said. He wiped the tears from Lainey’s cheeks, and then he kissed her.

  Trey and Dallas were elated as Sam turned to shake the judge’s hand. “Much appreciated, sir,” he said.

  “Totally my pleasure,” Judge Franklin said. “Now let’s get this license signed so you can celebrate something happy for a change.”

  Sam couldn’t help thinking about his mother as they walked out of the courthouse. She would have been so happy for them, and then he let go of the sadness. This was the best day of his life.

  As soon as they stepped out of the courthouse and started down the steps, Trey, Dallas, Lee and Trina tossed rice into the air, and then laughed out loud as it showered down on Sam and Lainey’s heads.

  Lainey was grinning as she turned around, then pointed straight at Dallas and threw the bouquet up the steps.

  It was pure reflex that made Dallas react in time to catch it, and then she sat down on the steps in tears. Despite their ages, they were all orphans. The only family they had left in their lives was each other.

  “Happy life to both of you,” Trey said.

  “Happy life to all of us,” Sam countered. “Thank you, brother. We’ll see you guys tomorrow. Eleven o’clock, right?”

  And just like that, the reminder that tomorrow they buried their mother ended the moment.

  Sam took Lainey’s hand. “So, my beautiful wife, are you up for a little wedding lunch at Charlie’s Burgers before we go home?”

  “Yes, thank you, and I’m warning you now...I’ll have mine with onions.”

  Sam grinned as he glanced at his brother. “The wedding party is invited to join us.”

  “I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Dallas said.

  “Meet you there,” Trey said.

  Sam took Lainey’s hand as they started toward his car. “We’ll get your ring sized in Atlanta.”

  She nodded. “I’m going to take it off once we get home. I don’t want to lose it.”

  “That’s okay. It will just give me another reason to put it back on you and have two wedding nights instead of one.”

  She sighed. “I am so happy.”

  Sam put a hand over his heart. “And I am so blessed.”

  Lainey reached for his hand.

  “Then, let’s go do this, Sam Jakes. It’s time to start living this life.”

  Epilogue

  The sky was gray, the wind brisk and cold, as they laid Betsy Jakes’ body in the ground next to her husband. Seeing their names together on the headstone left a hollow feeling in all of them, but Sam took heart from the message in Betsy’s letter. This was just a ceremony to put away what was left of her. As she had reminded them, she was already in her beloved Justin’s arms.

  Despite the cold weather, the cemetery was crowded with people from town. Once the preacher finished speaking, the people swarmed them in an endless line of condolences. To Sam, it fel
t like salt being rubbed on an open wound. He wanted this day over with. He kept thinking of Trina. The service had been especially hard for her. When it came time to head to the cemetery, Sam had made the decision for her and told Lee to take her home, that she’d suffered enough for one day. Trina was in tears all over again, but so grateful to have been given respite.

  Trey had heard little of the church service and was barely aware of the preacher’s words there at the cemetery. As hard as he had tried, the only thing with him today was the last sight he’d had of his mother.

  Sam had seen far too much death in his life and would forever regret that he’d denied her the only thing she’d ever asked of him: to come home. So here he was, and there she was, in the ground beneath his feet. It wasn’t what she’d meant.

  Trey looked above the barren trees lining the cemetery fence, closed his eyes and let her go while Sam stood at her grave with a heavy heart. He had come to accept that it had taken her death to get him back to Lainey. He didn’t understand how great joy could come from so much loss, but he wouldn’t question fate.

  Time dragged until finally the people were almost gone.

  Trey and Sam were about to take Dallas and Lainey to their cars when a woman tapped Trey on the shoulder.

  He turned, ready to put his game face on again, and then saw it was Beth Powell, with Randy and Clarice.

  “I know you’re likely worn-out,” Beth said, “but if you have another five minutes left in you, we’d like to share something with you and your family. It’s just over here a bit.”

  Trey glanced at Sam.

  “Yes, ma’am, we would be honored,” Sam said. “Just let me get Lainey in out of the cold,” he said, when she stopped him.

  “No, Sam. I want to go,” she said and clasped his hand.

  Beth led the way up a small hill, then stopped.

  The new graves were obvious.

  “Yesterday morning I laid my Donny to rest here beside his grandson. This has been a heartbreaking time for our family, but because of Dick and Paul and Connie and Betsy, it has also been a time of great release. We’re broken in ways from which we may never fully heal, but I need to thank you for giving Donny back to me. Randy has a father to be proud of, and Jack isn’t resting alone. It was a horrible price to pay, but I wanted you to know that as long as I live, your parents will never be forgotten.”