“No, this was serious business, but I was just a bystander.” Alexa filled him in on the threat received by the clinic, answering his questions about the incident. By the time she finished, she had gotten angry.
“I have a really hard time with people who become so caught up in their opposition to abortion that they turn to violence. What hypocrites.
“Mom always talks about the old days when a woman’s choice was between a back alley abortion with a coat hanger or an unwanted child.
“But, I’ve got my own opinions on a woman’s right to choose. Of course, birth control is always the best option. But, let’s be real. Birth control can fail. Young girls have unprotected sex. Women are raped. And some single women and even couples just aren’t in a position—financially, medically, or emotionally—to bring a child into this world.
“When I did that internship with the New York City DA’s Child Abuse Unit, I saw some horrifying consequences of people who weren’t ready to be parents. That’s when I came up with my guiding principle: it’s far better for a pregnancy to be terminated safely and legally than for an unwanted child to be born into a life of neglect or abuse.
“Of course, I respect an individual’s right not to choose abortion. That’s the whole point of choice. A lot of women and their families decide to raise the kid. And, there are loving families out there willing to adopt.
“But, it really ticks me off when someone tries to impose their beliefs on someone else’s choice. Abortion is a legal medical procedure, not the murder of an unborn child.”
“Down, girl. Down. I haven’t seen you this wound up for a long time. You know you’re preaching to the choir.” Graham’s amused expression turned serious. “What worries me is that I’m pretty sure whoever sent that note to the clinic has a very different, and probably dangerous, point of view.”
Kate walked back in the room. “Two sleepyheads are tucked away for the night. Those kids can be a handful, especially when Aunt Alexa is here,” she smiled.
Alexa laughed as she rose. “Come, Scout,” she called to the dog dozing in the corner. “We have to go. I’ve got some sort of all-day event with Caleb tomorrow. It’s at a lodge over in Perry County where his parents are members.”
Kate’s ears perked up. “Parents? He’s taking you to meet the parents? This must be getting serious,” she said, clearly excited.
Despite her own misgivings about Caleb’s intentions, Alexa played things down. “I don’t think so. It’s an annual event for his family and friends and he needed a date. There is nothing serious about my relationship with Caleb. We’re just having a good time.”
“Isn’t that what the guy is supposed to say?” her brother cracked.
Kate, always the matchmaker, frowned at her husband. “I don’t really know Caleb Browne well, but we’ve met a few times. He’s an established businessman in the community. He’s incredibly good looking. Alexa, that sounds like the right combo for serious to me.”
Trying to get out the door before Graham and Kate could dissect her love life any further, Alexa grabbed Scout’s collar and walked to the foyer. As she left, she said, “I’m just not ready for anything serious, Kate. And, if I was, I’m pretty sure it wouldn’t be with Caleb. He’s a nice guy, and you’re right, he’s really hot. But, for me, he’s just not going to be a permanent relationship.”
Chapter Ten
When Alexa returned from Graham’s house, she caught up on some chores. As she hastily ran the sweeper through the house, she made a mental note to take the screens out and put them away in the next few weeks.
Alexa’s final chore was to mix a batch of brownies for tomorrow’s party. Baking was not her strong suit, but box brownies were pretty hard to ruin. Open up the package, stir in eggs, water, oil, and voila. For really special occasions, she made her Nanny Emma’s devil’s food cupcakes with coffee icing. Since Alexa didn’t expect to know anyone at this party tomorrow except Caleb, she stuck to brownies.
With the brownies cooling on the counter, Alexa made herself a pot of tea and found some gingersnaps in the cupboard. Settled into one of her most comfortable chairs, she broke one of the cookies in half and offered it the mastiff at her feet.
“Between you and me, buddy,” she said, “I’m a little nervous about tomorrow. I’ve basically never heard anything about Caleb’s family, let alone met them. I don’t really know any of his friends. And then, boom. Tomorrow, I get to party with the whole gang.”
The dog moved closer as she spoke and rested his giant jowls on her lap.
“Nice try, Scout. Acting all sympathetic to get another gingersnap?” She offered him a few more bites. “I’m sorry to leave you alone on a Saturday. We’ll have fun on Sunday, though. We’re going on another hike with your favorite park ranger.”
As she climbed into bed, Alexa wondered what the next day would bring. Her anxiety ratcheted up another notch when she remembered Caleb’s call yesterday to mention that most of the women at the lodge would be wearing casual dresses. A dress to a picnic in Perry County? Was this the New Bloomfield Country Club or what?
Finally, in exasperation, she concluded: Alexa, you are making too big a deal out of this. Like Dad always says, just go with the flow.
At eleven the next morning, Caleb’s big pick-up truck pulled up to the cabin. When she heard the big truck out front, Alexa threw an alpaca shawl around her shoulders and walked out to meet Caleb. After some indecision about what exactly a casual dress might mean to Caleb’s crowd, Alexa had picked out one of her favorites: a Johnny Was black boho chic dress with colorful embroidery around the smocked neck and a pair of short Frye cowboy boots.
“Am I overdressed?” she asked as she hoisted herself onto the running board and saw that Caleb was wearing camouflage pants and what looked like an old hunting coat.
Damn, I thought he would bring his Explorer, she thought. It was quite the challenge to remain ladylike climbing into the huge Ford F-150 in this outfit. Alexa didn’t even want to contemplate what the reverse process would look like when she had to reach the ground at the picnic. She hoped that there would be no audience—probably not the best way to make a good first impression by exposing her underwear to Caleb’s friends and family.
“No. You look great.”
On the drive over North Mountain to Perry County, Alexa tried to elicit more information about the lodge and Caleb’s family. “Does your family live in Perry County? I thought you were from Carlisle.”
“My parents live in a small village over here in Perry County, which is where I grew up. This lodge is a nice place for them to get away. The property has over 200 acres, so my friends and I come over here on Saturdays to hunt or fish. In deer season, we stay in the lodge for a few nights. And then, family and friends get together her for this annual party.”
“Will your sister, Rebecca, be there?”
“Rebecca?” Caleb repeated in a shocked tone. A pained look fleeted across his face. “No. She’s not here anymore.”
Alexa was surprised to hear that his sister had left the area. As she reflected upon the times that Caleb had mentioned her, however, she realized that all his stories had been about Rebecca as a child …
Several miles passed in silence. After they crested the mountain and began the descent into Perry County, she tried again. “What type of work does your father do? And your mother, does she work?”
“My father is a minister. As for my mother, being a minister’s wife is a full-time job.”
“A minister,” Alexa exclaimed in surprise. In attempt to hide her astonishment at this revelation, she joked, “Are you one of those preacher’s kids who were wild and got in a lot of trouble in high school?”
She never got an answer to her mischievous question. “Here’s the lane,” said Caleb as they turned. A small sign with the words “Kingdom Lodge” burned into an unfinished slab of wood marked the entrance.
“Kingdom Lodge?” Alexa queried. “That’s an unusual name.”
“
Back in the day, this whole section of the county was called Kingdom Valley. That’s where the name comes from. Now, only the old timers still call the area Kingdom Valley.”
The gravel road opened into a large parking area filled with pick-up trucks and oversized SUVs. A row of pines partially concealed a large structure beyond the parking area. Alexa breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that no one was in the parking lot to see her clamber over the running board of the big pick-up truck. When Alexa reached the ground, Caleb led the way to a slate path in a gap in the pines.
Alexa gasped when she saw the lodge. A lovely mix of stone and timbers, the old building sprawled out along the hillside. The ground sloped downward, and Alexa could see the glimmer of water in front of the massive structure.
Caleb smiled at Alexa’s reaction and said, “This is just the back. The front deck that overlooks the lake is spectacular. Just go up these steps.”
The view was truly outstanding. The lodge’s deep wraparound porch faced out over a long, narrow lake that nestled below a steep mountain ridge, blazing orange and red with the last of autumn’s color. Alexa only got a few brief seconds to take in the scene before Caleb took her elbow and began steering her into the lodge itself.
Caleb seemed nervous. He nodded at several people but kept marching her through the main great room. The room was two stories high with a large, double-sided stone fireplace in the center. The impressive room reminded Alexa of the Old Faithful Inn in Yellowstone, though on a smaller scale. Mounted deer heads and other taxidermy served as the primary decoration.
Alexa was surprised to see so many people at this party. There were fifty or more adults in the great room, and they had passed others on the spacious porch. At least another twenty kids were running through the place and around the lake. From Caleb’s description of family and friends, she had expected a fairly small group.
Caleb stopped in front of a couple sitting near the fireplace. The older couple rose, and Alexa turned her attention to the man and woman in front of her.
“Father and Mother, I would like to introduce you to Alexa Williams. Alexa, these are my parents, Reverend and Mrs. Browne,” Caleb said rather formally.
“How nice to meet you. This is a beautiful place.”
“It is nice to meet you as well, my child.” The reverend spoke while his wife stood smiling at his side. Caleb’s father was a giant of a man, tall and broad shouldered with a flowing gray beard that came to a point just above his belt. His mother was a thin woman with moss green eyes. Her brown hair was gathered in a tight bun behind her head. Wearing a simple but dated charcoal dress, Mrs. Browne had an air of faded elegance.
Alexa imagined that the mother had been quite the beauty when young. The father, however, was imposing and a bit overwhelming. The black suit and clerical collar went with the job, she supposed. But, the beard made Reverend Browne look like one of the guys from ZZ Top, although not nearly as laid back.
The reverend spoke to Alexa. “Caleb has told us quite a bit about you. A lawyer, yet you look so young to carry such a burden.”
“I love the law,” Alexa responded. “I don’t think of it as a burden at all. Every day is a challenge, and I enjoy that.”
Mrs. Browne laid a hand on her husband’s arm. “Now, Jebediah, let’s give Caleb and Alexa a chance to get some food and enjoy fellowship with the other young people. I’m sure we’ll have time to talk later. I am so glad to meet you, my dear. As the scripture says at Hebrews 13:2, ‘Do not forget to welcome strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it.’ Although I must say you don’t seem a stranger to us since Caleb has mentioned you so frequently.”
Caleb, who had stood by silently during the conversation, jumped in. “Yes, we will certainly spend time with you later, but we haven’t had anything to eat yet. I hope you brought your pumpkin pie, Mother.”
“Son, you know that your mother would not come to this annual fall picnic without at least four of her famous pumpkin pies. Go and enjoy.”
In the dining area there were several tables piled high with food. Alexa saw fried chicken, several hams, deviled eggs, and too many versions of macaroni and potato salad to count. Alexa slipped the brownies she’d made onto the dessert table; they looked forlorn among the elaborate pies and cakes already on display. Caleb and Alexa filled their plates and made their way to one of the tables set up on the porch.
“Your parents seem very nice,” Alexa said, mentally crossing her fingers. “Your mother is lovely. Your dad is a little intimidating, though.”
“Yeah, growing up with Reverend Browne as my father wasn’t always the easiest. He lives and breathes the whole man of God thing, and that comes with very high expectations.” Caleb grew pensive. “You were joking about me being a preacher’s kid earlier. I don’t think I ever went the typical road that you hear about. I wasn’t a wild teenager. I didn’t get in trouble or do drugs. But, I think that I have taken a somewhat different path than my father would have liked. Maybe that’s been my way of acting out.”
Caleb became more somber as he continued. “I have to admit, though, that my father’s lessons run deep. I find that the man I’ve become in recent years is much more like the boy Reverend Browne raised. I always try to do the right thing in my life, just as my father taught.” He looked at Alexa ruefully. “Perhaps my path isn’t as different as I would like to believe.”
After a pause, Caleb declared, “Enough deep talk. We’re here for a party. If you’ve finished that plate of food, let’s go wander.”
Surprisingly, Alexa enjoyed the afternoon. After lunch, she and Caleb stopped to chat with several groups of people. Caleb seemed to know everyone, and she sensed an undertone of deference in the way people treated her date. The preacher’s son thing, perhaps?
Caleb introduced one couple as the Lehmans. “Paul and Charity own a farm near my parents’ house. I spent a lot of time there when I was a child.”
“I still remember you and Paul Junior raising Cain in the barn on rainy afternoons,” Charity laughed.
“How is Paul Junior?” Caleb asked.
“Well, he and Mary couldn’t make it today. They have been dealing with their young boy, Thomas, who has been very sick,” Paul explained.
“Reverend Browne has been so wonderful to our family and that child. He visited every day during the crisis and encouraged the congregation to help out with the medical bills. Your father is a wonderful man, Caleb.”
By mid-afternoon, Alexa had forgotten more names than she remembered. However, she would remember three young men, who seemed quite close to Caleb. He had introduced them as his hunting buddies. Clad in camouflage pants and jackets like Caleb, Daniel, Joel, and Gabriel all looked like they lived for the outdoors.
Caleb may have mentioned hunting with Gabriel and Daniel. She had a hazy recollection of those names, but she didn’t remember hearing about Joel. However, she had a tendency to zone out when Caleb waxed eloquent about his outdoor sports. She hadn’t met any of them before.
The three friends seemed quite different. Brown-haired Daniel came across an affable guy, who always had a joke at the tip of his tongue.
Small and wiry, Joel moved like coiled spring. Alexa wondered what had him wound so tight.
Gabriel was tall with copper hair, a dusting of freckles across his nose, and the face of an Irish angel. He was one of the most physically beautiful men Alexa had ever seen in her life.
Of the three, only Joel and Daniel had women with them. Joel’s plain wife, Leah, was nice but rather subdued. Leah was pregnant and shared that she was in her sixth month, so Alexa attributed her somber demeanor to exhaustion. Leah’s voluminous dress was as dull as her expression. Alexa didn’t think she had ever seen maternity clothes quite that awful.
Daniel’s date was a perky brunette named Georgia, who looked like a tomboy with her spiky short hair. She apparently hadn’t gotten the dress code memo and was wearing blue jeans and a leather jacket.
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sp; The gorgeous Gabriel appeared to be at the party on his own.
Caleb and his three friends had an endless supply of hunting stories. When the guys decided that they wanted to go to a range on the outskirts of the grounds for target practice, Alexa decided to stay on the front porch with Leah and Georgia. She didn’t think she could take one more story about a giant buck that got away.
“These guys really love hunting, don’t they,” she remarked to Leah and Georgia after the men left. The three women claimed rockers on the front deck and watched a group of kids boating on the lake. Most of the other adults had migrated into the great room, so they had the broad porch to themselves.
“Boys will be boys,” drawled Georgia. “I hunt a bit myself, but it’s not a major obsession. Actually, that’s how I met Dan. We were both looking at some archery equipment at the Outdoor Show in Harrisburg last winter. His bow made me quiver and that was that.”
Alexa dissolved into laughter at Georgia’s infectious giggle. Leah pursed her lips as if she had eaten something sour. “Men hunt,” she pronounced in a whispery voice. “That’s what God intended, and I’m thankful that Joel can bring home food to the table. I don’t know how you can hunt, Georgia. It’s just not natural.”
Although it didn’t seem like Leah was joking, Alexa decided not to pursue this issue of God’s intention. “How long have you and Joel been married, Leah?”
“Two years. We waited until he came home from the army.”
Georgia asked Alexa, “What’s the story on you and Caleb?”
“We’ve been dating for a few months. He’s out of town a lot, so I don’t see him that often.”
“You are such a lucky girl to be dating Reverend Browne’s only son. There are so many girls in the congregation who would love to settle down with Caleb,” Leah enthused.
“We have a lot of fun together.” Alexa was tempted to shake Leah up a bit by telling her how hot Caleb was in bed, but she feared precipitating a premature delivery.
Dead of Autumn Page 7
