Her Forever Dreams

by Agnes Alexander

  “Well, you folks have a good night, and I’ll see you tomorrow.” Ward nodded to Julia and turned toward the kitchen door. “Let’s go, Norm.”

  “Good night,” Norma called and followed him out the door.

  “I don’t like that man, Seth.”

  He lifted an eyebrow. “Why didn’t you like him, honey? He’s been a good employee.”

  “Maybe so, but there was something about his eyes that bothers me.”

  “I noticed he kept looking at you. Probably thought you were beautiful and I was a lucky man to have you. Of course, if he keeps eyeing you, I’ll have to take him out.”

  “Would you fight for me, sweetheart?”

  “In a heartbeat, and I’d be able to make a good dent in someone if they didn’t grab my cane.”

  Julia chuckled as she leaned up and kissed his chin. “I love you, you know.”

  “I kind of figured that out, but keep reminding me, okay?”

  “I’ll do that.”

  She didn’t say anything more about Ward, but she still had a strange feeling about the man as Seth led her from the kitchen to the den. Ashley and the children were sitting on the rug playing with the plastic horses. Andrew was sitting in the corner strumming his guitar occasionally and making notes on a legal pad as he worked out a song.

  “Where are Jessica and Jimmy?”

  “They went to the upstairs den to watch TV, Daddy.” Ashley grinned at him. “I think they wanted to make out without us watching.”

  “Why don’t you and I slip off so I can make out with my girl?” He winked at Julia.

  “You don’t seem to care where you are or who’s there, you make out anyway.” Ashley cocked her head sideways and looked at them.

  Julia blushed and Andrew laughed.

  “Maybe we’ll have to start hiding, honey.” He dropped to the sofa and pulled Julia down beside him.

  “Well, if you two decide to make out now, just ignore us. I’m working.” Andrew said with a grin. “I did tell Ashley if I got on her nerves with this, I’d get out of here.”

  “See there, honey, our son is beginning to act just like the other three. Nice to each other occasionally, but no respect for their father.”

  When Andrew looked as if he might have said something wrong, Ashley said, “We’re only trying to teach Andrew how to survive in this family.” She then turned to Andrew. “I told you, I like hearing you on the guitar. I used to play a little myself.”

  “I wasted a lot of money on lessons for her,” Seth said. “What all did you try to play, honey? I remember the guitar, the violin, the flute, and was there anything else?”

  “That’s enough, Daddy. When I get a job, I may take more music lessons. Who knows, I might find the right instrument yet.”

  “Speaking of jobs,” Julia said. “Ashley, I’d like to offer you the position as assistant manager at the Singleton’s Department store in Asheville.”

  She dropped her horse and looked at Julia. “That’s wonderful, but I don’t want you to give me a job because you’re my dad’s girlfriend, or future wife, or whatever relationship you two have at the moment.”

  “I’m not offering you the job because of my relationship with your dad. I made up my mind to hire you for that position before I knew who you were. Since your father wants me back, it only makes it nicer that we will work together.”

  “Honey, Julia told me she planned to offer you the job before she knew you were my daughter.”

  “I don’t know…”

  Julia interrupted her. “Andrew, where did you put my laptop?”

  “In Seth’s room.”

  “Would you go get it, please?”

  “Sure.” He propped his guitar against the chair and headed down the hall. In a minute he returned.

  “Give it to Ashley, son.” He handed her the laptop case, and Julia went on, “Now, Ashley, I want you to look in the side pocket. You’ll see several folders with applications. Take them out and find yours.”

  “Here it is.”

  “Okay, now open it and see the notes I’ve made.”

  Ashley looked at the sheet of paper attached to the application. She began to smile, then looked up at Julia. “Do you really think I’m lovely?”

  “Of course I do. I don’t write things down I don’t mean.” Julia was smiling, too.

  “You also say I’m intelligent, sharp, kind, well- dressed, well-mannered, personality clicks with yours, and you’re sure I’ll do a good job as assistant manager.” She had tears in her eyes as she got up and put her arms around Julia’s neck. “I’ll do the best job you’ve ever seen, Julia. Thank you, thank you, thank you.”

  “You’re welcome, honey. I’m sure we’ll work well together. Now, you know the store doesn’t open until spring, but we have a lot of work to do between now and then.”

  “I can’t wait to get started. I’m so happy.” She leaned over and kissed her father’s cheek. “Isn’t she wonderful, Daddy?”

  “Yes, Ashley. She is the most wonderful woman I know.”

  “Mommy, come back. The horses wants you to play.” Lance looked at them.

  She sat back in the floor. “Well, now what does horsy want mommy to do.” She looked back at them. “I was afraid you were only doing this because you and Daddy are together. Now, I know I got this job on my own.”

  “You had to get it on your own, Ashley,” Andrew said. “Mom wouldn’t have given it to you if you didn’t qualify, even if she knew beforehand you were Seth’s daughter.”

  He told her about the shoe department incident. “So you can rest assured, you earned the job on your own merits,” he concluded.

  “That makes me feel wonderful.”

  Seth glanced out the terrace door. “I see Theo coming with the files. It’s about time. I was afraid he’d forgotten.” Seth’s voice was a little irritated.

  “Theo doesn’t forget, Daddy. He always does the job you ask him to do.”

  “Maybe he has extra work to do since you didn’t go to the barn today,” Julia chided in a gentle voice.

  “You’re sure going to keep me on the straight and narrow, aren’t you?” He pinched Julia’s cheek gently as he stood to go to the door.

  “Here you go sir,” Theo started to hand the box to him, but Ashley jumped up and took it.

  “I’ll put it here in the corner, Daddy.”

  “I have some more in the truck. I’ll be right back.” Theo said.

  “He looks cold, Seth. When he comes back, invite him in and we’ll have coffee or something,” Julia said.

  He frowned. “Are you sure?”

  “I’m sure. I like that young man’s looks. He has nice eyes.”

  “You amaze me, Julia.”

  “I hope I can continue to amaze you for the rest of our lives.”

  Theo returned, and Seth opened the door. “Bring those in and put them in the corner with the others, Theo.”

  “I’ve got snow on my boots, sir.”

  “Just kick it off and come on in. There’s a rug there you can use when you step inside.”

  He looked awkward, but came in as he was told. He put the box with the other one and turned to leave. “Theo, this is Julia, the woman I plan to marry soon. And the young man, there, is our son, Andrew.”

  Andrew came forward and extended his hand. “Hello, Theo.”

  “At first, I thought you were Hunter, but you’re that singer, Andrew Singleton.”

  “Guilty.”

  “He’s your son, sir?” Theo looked confused.

  “Yes. It’s a long story, and I’ll tell it to you sometime.” Seth nodded to the floor. “You know the grandkids.”

  “Yes, sir. I’ve seen you bring the kids to the barn. Hello, Miss Ashley.”

  “Hi, Theo, and I think I told you to call me Ashley. It makes me feel like an uppity southern belle when you use the miss.”

  “I’ll try.”

  “Would you like some coffee or hot chocolate, Theo?”

  “Oh, no, ma
’am. I’m fine.”

  “Come on, Theo, you can’t turn down my mom’s hot chocolate. She makes the best in the world.”

  “Well…”

  “Might as well sit down, Theo,” Seth said. “When Julia decides to entertain, we all have to listen.”

  “Here, I’ll take your coat.” Ashley moved close to him.

  “Just put it anywhere, miss…I mean Ashley.”

  “Now, that’s better.”

  Lance, who had been staring at Theo since he came in, blurted, “Why you got fur on your face?”

  They all laughed, including Theo. As he squatted by the little boy, Lilly dropped her horse and buried her head against Ashley’s leg.

  “She’s shy, Theo. I’m sorry.”

  “No problem.” He looked back at Lance and said, “This fur is called a beard. It helps keep my face warm in the winter time.”

  “I don’t like it.”

  “Lance,” his mother scolded. “You shouldn’t say that.”

  “But I don’t.” He rolled his eyes at his mother. “Do you like it?”

  Ashley blushed a little. “Well, honey, it’s Theo’s face and if he wants a beard on it, that’s his business.”

  “I don’t like it.”

  “Well, sweetheart, maybe he’ll decide to shave it off one day. He might only keep a mustache like Grandpa and get rid of the rest of it.”

  “Good. I like Grandpa’s tash. It tickles when he kisses my cheek.”

  “Come with me, Grandpa.” Julia stood and took Seth’s hand. “I might let you see if your tash tickles my cheek as we make hot chocolate for everyone.”

  “This tash will give your cheek a whirl. You can handle the hot chocolate.”

  “Extra marshmallows for me, Mom.”

  “I know Andrew.” She looked up at Seth. “I spoiled him, you know.”

  “I see you did.”

  Theo turned toward Andrew. “That’s a good-looking guitar you have there.”

  “It’s one of my favorites. I use it most of the time, and especially when I write. Do you play?”

  “A little. I have a second hand one, but it does a pretty good job.”

  “Do you sing, Theo?” Ashley asked.

  “I try sometimes. I’m not very good, but I like to do it.”

  “Country music, I hope,” Andrew said.

  “Is there any other kind?”

  “Why don’t you and Andrew sing something? I’d like to hear you sing.”

  He shook his head. “I couldn’t sing with a professional, Ashley.”

  “Andrew wouldn’t mind, would you?”

  “Of course not. What singers do you like, Theo?”

  “I like a lot of them. Garth Brooks, Alan Jackson, George Strait…”

  “Stop right there. My mother loves George Strait.” Andrew began strumming. “Do you know this one?”

  “Sure. ‘River of Love.’” Andrew began to sing.

  Ashley punched Theo. “Sing with him.”

  When the song was over, Andrew said, “You have a nice voice, Theo. You need to sing more.”

  After the third George Strait song, Jessica and Jimmy appeared. “Sounds like we’re missing all the fun,” Jessica said.

  They greeted Theo, and soon they were all singing and laughing.

  Julia and Seth brought in the hot chocolate and an assortment of cookies Norma had made.

  Lilly was nodding, and Julia put the drinks on the coffee table and picked up the little girl. She sat on the sofa and put the child in her lap. In less than five minutes Lilly was asleep.

  “You look natural holding her,” Seth whispered in her ear.

  “I wish I could still give you children,” she whispered back.

  “You gave me a wonderful son. That’s enough. We’ll concentrate on grandchildren from here on out.”

  Lance climbed on the couch beside his grandpa, and in a little while, he was asleep, too.

  After a while, it hit Seth that Hunter should be home. He looked at Julia. “What time is it?”

  “It’s 9:45.”

  “Hunter should’ve been here by now. It’s only a twenty-minute drive from the paper.”

  “Why don’t you call and see if he’s left the paper yet?”

  Seth slipped off the sofa and went into the kitchen. In a minute he was back. He looked worried. “They said he left at quarter-to-nine. He should’ve been here long ago, Julia.”

  “Try his cell.”

  “I did. There’s no answer.”

  “Let’s not alarm the kids yet.”

  He nodded, took a deep breath and said, “I hate to break this up, kids, but these children need to be put to bed.”

  “I’m sorry, Daddy. I should’ve taken them up ages ago. They’re not used to being up this late.”

  “It’s okay, Ashley. Julia and I enjoyed holding them.” He looked at Jimmy and Andrew. “Would you two carry them upstairs for her? I’m sure Jessica will help you put them to bed, honey.”

  “Sure, I will.”

  Theo picked up his coat. “I enjoyed it.”

  “It was fun. We’ll do it again soon, Theo. Thanks for coming up.” Andrew leaned over and shook his hand. “I’ll come down to the barn when I get a chance and you can teach me about horses.”

  “I’ll be happy to do that.”

  “Theo, I’m sorry Lance was so rude about your beard.”

  “That’s fine Ashley. Maybe I should shave it off.” He turned to Seth and Julia. “Thanks for inviting me in, Boss, and ma’am, Andrew is right, you make great hot chocolate.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Wait around a minute, Theo. I need to go over something with you.”

  “Sure, Boss.”

  As soon as everyone was out of the room he turned to Theo. “Hunter left his office at quarter-to-nine. He should’ve been home long before now. I’m going to call the police, and I want you to go check out everything around the barns. Who’s on duty at the big barn tonight?”

  “Slim Hopper.”

  “Do you trust him?”

  “Yes.”

  “Get him, and maybe call Ward…”

  Julia interrupted. “Don’t call him, Seth. I don’t trust him.”

  He looked at her strangely. “Why?”

  “I could tell by his eyes, he’s not what you think he is.”

  He hesitated only a minute. “Then, don’t call Ward. Julia has a thing about eyes. She swears she can tell a person’s character by the look in their eyes.”

  “I can.”

  “I must believe her, because I’m pulling you in our family problems, Theo. She said she knew when you came to the door that we could trust you completely.”

  “You can, sir.”

  “Somebody is trying to harm my family, Theo. Now, go and if you see the least thing out of the ordinary, let me know. And don’t call me. Come back to the house and tell me in person.”

  As Theo rushed out the door, Seth grabbed the phone and dialed Richard’s personal number.

  CHAPTER 29

  Hunter didn’t think he’d ever been as cold in his life as he was at this moment, and the scarf tied over his mouth, with its sickening perfume mixed with the dead, musty smell of the wood floor made him want to throw up. He wasn’t sure how long he’d been lying on this hard, cold floor. The last thing he remembered was getting out of the police car and heading toward his father’s back door. The next thing he knew, he woke up here, listening to the whispered argument between who he thought was a man and a woman. With the blindfold, made of a rougher material than the scarf, he couldn’t see who his kidnappers were.

  They must have thought he was still out, because their voices had risen from the whisper to a low tone.

  “I tell you it’s not him,” The female voice said.

  “It has to be him,” the male answered. “He got out of the police car.”

  “That don’t matter. The bastard must have gone somewhere. You know good and well Armstrong would use the police to haul all his o
ffspring around.”

  “What difference does it make who he is? We’ll have to kill them all, eventually.”

  “But not yet. Woodrow said I couldn’t kill the bastard and his whore mama yet.”

  So, they think I’m Andrew, Hunter thought. Thank you, Woodrow, whoever you are. Now, when and if they let me talk, I’ll pretend to be my brother.

  “Dorie, you’re getting battier every day. Woodrow ain’t telling you nothing. The man’s dead. It’s all in your head, woman.”

  “Don’t you say that! Don’t you ever say that! My brother talks to me all the time and I listen to him. I’m going to do this the way he wants it done.”

  “I guess Eve is telling you what to do, too.”

  “Of course, but I listen more to Woodrow than her. She’s a little touched, you know. The way she was thinking if she got the whore’s son out of the way Armstrong wouldn’t want the slut anymore and would start to love her again. Crazy woman didn’t even know she was shooting at her own son.”

  “Well, you say she’s now telling you to kill her children. She must be as touched as you.”

  “She didn’t care nothing about her kids, and she wants them out of the way so there won’t be nothing between her and that sorry, no-good husband of hers. Why she’d want him, I don’t know.”

  “She probably don’t really want him, Dorie. Besides, have you told her he has the whore and her son in her house?”

  “Oh, yeah. She wants me to kill them, but Woodrow says no. Woodrow is more important than her. I listen to him.”

  “I don’t see why. They’re both dead.”

  “Woodrow’s not dead. He’s alive in my head, and that’s what counts. You say one more time that he’s dead, and I’ll brain you one.”

  “Why are you the one who gets all the say? I’m the one who came here and found them and kept you informed so you could come up here and get revenge for Woodrow. I ought to be the one in charge.”

  “I’m the boss because I’m still mad at you for having that affair with Eve when she was in Florida by herself.”

  “Well, if I hadn’t had that affair with her, you’d never know about Armstrong and his brood.”

  “That don’t matter. You didn’t have to run up and get a job on his farm just so you could keep the affair going.”

  “She gave me a lot of money, Dorie. That’s why I came up here and married the dumb one just for a cover. It was just luck that I found out about his affair and the kid he didn’t know he had.”