Being Emma

by Jeanne Harrell

  “Sorry, Jeanne. You’re so much better at details than I am.” Then Millie thought for a minute. “There is another thing…”

  “Out with it…” Jeanne was getting impatient.

  “Janie’s hair was different.”

  “Different? Different how?”

  “She was wearing it down. You know, down on her shoulders.”

  “No ponytail?”

  “No ponytail.” Jeanne blinked.

  “Wow. That’s major for Janie. She’s changed her hairstyle. I knew something was up, but I thought it would be about Craig.” She sat down in a kitchen chair and Sam handed her a glass of iced tea. She took a sip.

  “Oh, yeah… Craig was there.” Jeanne blew the iced tea out all over the table. Sam looked at her like she had lost her mind.

  “Millie, cut the suspense and tell me.”

  “Well, the basic facts are that Janie was there with some guy, Craig walked in, had a drink at the bar, saw her and went over to her table.”

  “Yes?”

  “… That’s about it.”

  “Did he join them… run out of the bar… collapse… anything?”

  “He talked to them for a bit, not long I think, and then left.”

  “Huh…”

  “Ah… One more thing…”

  “You’re killing me, Millie.”

  “Janie went after him. Then this guy went after her. They eventually came back in, but we left before I saw anything else. That’s it, Jeanne.”

  “Thanks, Millie, for the report. I need to go get my heart started now.”

  Millie laughed. “See ya, Jeanne.”

  “Bye.” She hung up the phone and looked at Sam. Usually, he’d hang back and pretend not to be too interested in the family gossip, but this news he wanted to hear. Janie was the strong, silent type that he really admired. She was solid and never gave anyone too much trouble… Except for people who didn’t abide by the law, of course.

  “Let’s have it, honey. What’s up?”

  Jeanne’s mind was processing this information. It was almost unbelievable.

  “Okay… Here’s what I know. Janie went to dinner last night with some man Millie didn’t know. That means he’s not from around Naples.”

  “So she finally went out on a date. What’s wrong with that?”

  “Nothing… I knew she was about to do something… Anyway, another fact was that she was wearing her hair down.” It took Sam a minute for that one to register.

  “Janie without her ponytail? Whoa… that is big…”

  “Ready for more?”

  “Not sure. That last one was mind-blowing.” He smiled.

  “Craig’s back from Scotland and was there at the restaurant too. Millie said he saw her, talked with her and then left.”

  “Okay, so he saw her. So what?” Sam was confused.

  “This isn’t fact, but I bet he was upset that she was there with someone else.”

  “Someone else… meaning not him?” She gave him a stern look.

  “Sam Cable, do you mean to stand there and tell me you didn’t know that Craig was in love with Janie?” Sam was completely taken by surprise.

  “When did that happen?”

  “I’m sure it happened a long time ago. They’ve known each other since they were kids, and I bet he loved her even then. How she feels about him is the unknown element here. For him too probably.”

  “Okay, I’m beginning to follow. Then it would upset him that she was out with another man. I get it…”

  Jeanne looked at Sam and sighed. “You know, honey… We’ve been through every trial and tribulation that Sandy and Lily’s kids have ever had. It’s exhausting…”

  Sam laughed. “But there’s a silver lining here.”

  “What?”

  “Janie’s the youngest…”

  “Thank God…” And they smiled at each other.

  ####

  Craig had difficulty concentrating at work the next day. His 9:00 appointment was late, so he fidgeted until they arrived. He had to work straight through lunch, so he ordered a sandwich and didn’t think the delivery guy was ever going to get there. He fidgeted some more. Working on the Johnson Family Trust finances for Sandy and Bill, his mind was preoccupied all day with the Johnsons. His computer program with all the accounts went down for some unknown reason. Silently giving thanks that he had backed everything up, he waited for the IT guy to arrive to find out what was wrong. In the meantime, he tried working up some figures with a ledger and a pencil. Craig broke two pencils before giving up and calling his secretary.

  “Yes, Mr. Ferguson?”

  “Did you call that IT guy?”

  “Yes.”

  “Is he going to get here in this century?”

  “He said probably not until 5:00.” He thought he heard her grinning.

  “Marcia, are you laughing at me?” She poked her head in and smiled.

  “You’re so grumpy today.” He put down the phone. It was obviously unneeded.

  “So…”

  “… So, the last time you were this grumpy was when Janie Johnson blew out a tire and crashed into your new car. Remember that? Right out in front of the building here… It was so funny when she…”

  “Okay, thanks, Marcia…”

  She stopped laughing, but continued to smile. “Do you want me to reschedule him?”

  “Yes, please. I need to get out of here and…”

  “Go workout? Blow off the grumpiness?”

  “Good night, Marcia.” She closed his door still smiling. She had a good point though. Working out at the gym would blow off some of this whatever that he was currently trapped in. Before he left for the day, Colt called him.

  “Hey, I’m just about to head out.”

  “Come on over tonight. Let’s ride and then we’ll bug Mandy for one more plate at dinner.” Craig smiled.

  “It’s a deal, but only if I get to sit between Lucy and Livy. They got peanut butter all over my shirt last time.” Colt laughed. “Eating at your house is always memorable.”

  “Later...”

  Night was coming and the horizon was painted in oranges and yellows. Could be rain coming, but in Nevada, who really knew? The saying was if you didn’t like the weather, wait fifteen minutes because it’ll change.

  Colt and Craig had been riding along the eastern part of the property a few miles from his house for a while now. They rode their horses in silence, listening to some birds trilling in the distance and coyotes howling in their territory. Checking on some cattle in that part of the ranch, they did a cursory count and looked for anything amiss. Finding nothing, they stopped for a while. Cattle grazed not far away, chewing and swallowing. Colt enjoyed watching the setting sun.

  Both men leaned back on their Palominos and relaxed. Sitting these horses was as comfortable for them as the easy chair on the front porch. Craig wiped something off on his jeans and took off his cowboy hat to brush off the dust. Colt looked happy. After a long while, he spoke.

  “How was Scotland?”

  “It was good. Malcolm’s leg is better and Aileen’s still putting up with him.” Colt grinned.

  “Your grandfather hurt his leg doing what again?”

  “He almost broke a hip in the bathroom, but luckily just suffered a bad sprain.”

  “Is your grandmother still trying to get you to move over?”

  “… Yep… but she insists that I can only do it if I bring a woman with me. Preferably a wife…” That made them both laugh.

  “Should we advertise on a dating website for you?”

  “At the rate I’m going, that actually sounds good.” Colt looked over at him.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Oh, nothing… Just jet lag…” … And to change the subject… “I hear Sandy’s putting in a new well.”

  “Yeah, that geologist Jesse hired last year found a huge aquifer loaded with spring water. Dad wanted to tap into it to help all our wells. Don’t think we’ll ever have to hook i
nto the county line now with this one.”

  “Great news… I bet that made Sandy’s day.”

  “It did. Except there’s one thing…”

  “What’s that?”

  “The guy Dad hired to drill the well, his company that is, well, he’s…. “

  “… He’s what? Incompetent? Sloppy? A Martian?” Craig laughed.

  “Ah … No… He’s dating Janie…” Colt let that hang out there for a minute to see how Craig would take it. He didn’t look surprised.

  “Apparently, a lot happened when I was in Scotland.”

  “Just shows you can’t leave town for too long… Anything can happen.”

  Craig looked over at him.

  “And did…” Pause. “Does she like him?”

  “…They’ve been out a few times. You know Janie -- If she didn’t like you, she’d be gone.”

  “What’s his name?”

  “Mike Church. He owns the company up in Reno and has worked everywhere. He came highly recommended by Bill and his firm, so Dad hired him.”

  “How’s the well coming along?”

  “I think it’s about wrapped up. Which will probably wrap their relationship too.”

  “What makes you say that? You don’t think it’s serious?”

  Colt rubbed his face and looked at him. “I think Janie’s a pretty tough nut to crack open. The guy who gets her is going to have to peel her back layer by layer. There’s shining treasure there, but the guy’s gonna work for it.”

  Craig thought about that…

  “Come on. Let’s get back to the house. Mandy’s looking forward to seeing you tonight… She hasn’t told the kids or they’d be driving her more nuts than usual.” Craig laughed.

  “Let’s go then.”

  Galloping back to Colt’s house, they put their horses in a corral, removing saddles and other gear. Colt made sure the horses had hay and water. Then they walked to the house, stamping their boots and brushing off their jeans before going in. The dogs started barking and ran up to them, which set off the shrieks of three little children. Colt laughed and scooped up the first one he saw. He got Sammy, who was usually faster than his sisters.

  Craig caught Lucy as she launched herself at him and juggled her, while also picking up Olivia. Both little girls laughed and threw their arms around him.

  He kissed their little cheeks and then walked into the family room with Colt. Mandy waved from the kitchen.

  “Craig! Wonderful to see you again… You can put those sweeties down anywhere.” She laughed.

  Colt walked up to Mandy and put Sammy down. Then he took off his hat and leaned in to kiss her. Colt gazed into her eyes for a moment and then kissed her again. Watching from the living room, Craig was almost envious of how they obviously felt about each other. He was beginning to think that he needed a change in his life. What that was, however, was the $64,000 question. He didn’t know.

  “Let’s get everybody to the table, Colt and I’ll bring in dinner. Craig, you know where to sit?”

  “Yup. Same place as usual.” He put Livy in a highchair to his right and Lucy in her highchair on his left.

  “Since you’re being so helpful tonight, Sir Craig, how about giving the girls their dinners as well.”

  “I think that’s the only reason you two have me over… Free childcare.”

  “Ha.” Mandy laughed while getting Sammy to stop struggling and sit on his chair. Somehow, between the three adults, they got the three children to down some dinner. It took determination and Craig figured a little skill on his part, especially since he had the twins. And they were notoriously picky eaters.

  After dinner, Mandy did cleanup while Colt and Craig corralled the kids. It was bath night, so Sammy was in one tub as Craig tried to get him clean. The girls were splashing in the other tub, making a mess of that bathroom, while Colt tried to wash them. When the men finally got the children dry and in their pajamas, Mandy came in to put them to bed. She looked at the guys and laughed.

  “You’re both soaking wet. The children are supposed to be the ones taking a bath, not you…”

  “Funny, Mandy… very funny. Get me a beer, Colt, before I collapse.”

  Colt snorted. “Get your own. I’m crawling to the couch.”

  Craig snagged two beers from the fridge as Colt sat on the couch and tugged off his boots.

  “I can’t believe Mom and Dad had six kids. No wonder they’re both so thin. They probably didn’t sit down for years.” Colt smiled at the thought.

  “And you know, I don’t remember them complaining either. Even when Miles and Joey were pulling all their shenanigans… I think they truly loved having us all underfoot.”

  Mandy came back out, got a glass of wine and joined them. She sank back on the couch by Colt.

  “I earned this today…” She took a grateful sip.

  “…Bet you did.”

  “What are we talking about?” She looked at both of them.

  “Just about Mom and Dad… And how hard six kids must have been.”

  “I can say amen to that. Three’s a lot of work. Lily must have had some help occasionally.”

  “She did,” Colt remembered. “By the time Janie was born, I think Mom had a cook for a while. There was definitely a girl in to babysit when needed.”

  Mandy glanced at Craig when Janie’s name came up.

  “Have you seen her since you’ve been back?”

  “Not much. We ran into each other at Naples Bar my first night back and she was with what’s-his-name. Quite a Welcome Home…”

  “… None of us really knows what’s going on, Craig. She’s going through some changes apparently.”

  Colt set his beer down. “Have you been practicing together at the archery range?”

  “No, I haven’t even been there myself, so I’m not sure about what she’s doing.”

  Craig looked over at Mandy.

  “Do you think she’s serious about this guy?”

  “I think you two need to talk. It’s high time…”

  “High time to talk about what?” Mandy glanced at Colt. He leaned forward and spoke sincerely.

  “For you to tell her how you feel, Craig.”

  “And how’s that?” Craig put his bottle down and looked at him.

  “Oh, come on… Even the twins know you’re in love with her. Why can’t you admit it to yourself?” Craig leaned back in his chair and ran his hand through his hair.

  “I have, but why should I torture myself? She only thinks of me as her friend and archery pal. She’s never thought of me in any other way.”

  “That doesn’t mean she won’t… Have a little faith.”

  Craig smiled at them both. “You probably just don’t realize what a special thing you two have. To love somebody and have them love you back, well… it’s an incredible thing… and rare. I don’t know if I’m going to have that in my life.”

  Mandy was getting teary and Colt cleared his throat. Craig stood up.

  “Thanks for dinner, but I need to take off. My computer froze up today in the midst of trying to get all the Johnson Family Trust accounts in order for Sandy and Bill to take to Vegas. I have an early day tomorrow…”

  He walked to the door and picked up his cowboy hat. Mandy gave him a hug, while Colt shook his hand.

  “Jeez, folks… No one has died here. Lighten the atmosphere a bit, would you? Love those babies…” And then he was gone. Mandy burst into tears, while Colt searched for a tissue. Handing her one, she blotted her face before speaking.

  “And we all used to be ssso happy. What happened?” Colt took her in his arms and smoothed her hair.

  “We’ll be happy again. Janie’s changing and Craig will need to change with her.”

  “What does she want, Colt? Mike?”

  “Only Janie knows that answer, sweetheart. Maybe it’s time to talk to Grandma.” She pulled out of his arms and smiled slyly.

  “Of course… Jeanne. She always knows what to do. I’m calling her tomo
rrow.”

  “In the meantime, do you think you could come to bed with your husband? He really would like to get you naked.” She kissed him long and slow…

  “What a sweet talker you are, Mr. Johnson.” She teasingly raised her eyebrows and took his hand to lead him into their bedroom. Colt followed and closed the door behind them…

  CHAPTER NINE

  Dispatch was fairly busy the next day. All the deputies at the Sheriff’s Office had been out on several calls, wracking up many new entries in the logbooks. Janie had even been out on a call with Ethan once. He was finally speaking to her – professionally. Which was just fine with her… She was in the station, checking some inventory when another call came in. The dispatcher yelled back that a 10-56 was reported – a suicide attempt. Janie blew out a breath. Better an attempt than an actual suicide… Those were tough calls to put behind you.

  “I got it, James. You just came back.” Janie grabbed her jacket and strode out of the station.

  “Thanks,” James called out to her retreating back. She waved at him.

  Janie got in the new patrol car, but barely thought about it. A car was simply transportation – It just needed to be dependable, that’s all. After buckling her seat belt and adjusting the mirror, she checked the address. It was down her road and in the same apartment complex where she and Diane lived. That gave her a tiny pause and then she started the patrol car. Her thoughts were on her friend, even though the apartment number was different. She needed to make amends with Diane. She felt out of sorts not having first Diane around to bounce things off and then Craig… Craig -- Simply can’t go there… She refused to think about him.

  Pulling up outside the complex, Janie went to the apartment manager’s office. He was surprised to see her.

  “Janie? Everything all right? … It’s not time for you and Diane to pay the rent yet, you know.” He chuckled.

  “Dave, this is an official call. I need you to let me into apartment 353 right now. There’s been a suicide attempt. I’ve already called Emergency and an ambulance is on the way. Could you please meet them and show them where to go?” Dave was a short, pudgy man with little hair, but a brave smile. He gulped with all this information.

  “Sure, Janie. Anything you need. Let me grab a master key.”