The Farmer's Daughter: The Dragon Dream: Book One

by Robin Janney

  It should have caused panic. Instead, disbelief filled her. “You’re certain?”

  “Yes. I walked the entire length of the building and they’re just at your windows. The tracks disappear down the lane, I can’t tell any more than that.”

  “That’s why you put new curtains up.” Her light airy curtains were gone and had been replaced with heavy dark panels. At his nod, she said, “Thanks for at least choosing a pinkish color.”

  Her father chuckled. “That was your mother’s call.”

  “I’ll remember to thank her.”

  “Here.” He reached into his pocket and passed her two keychains. “These are for your new locks. I have a third in case of an emergency. I don’t like this, but Dodge wanted a set too…which is why you also have a lock chain and a sliding lock on the inside. I want you to use both when you’re home alone.”

  Nodding, she fingered the two sets of keys. “Do you care if I…”

  “What you do with your backup is up to you, Angela. Now, promise me you’ll call the police in the morning.”

  Nodding yet again, the young woman set the keys on the stand behind her. “I’m not sure what good it will do, but I’ll do it. What’s going on with you and the Elders?”

  “Elder Freeman will be talking to you sometime tomorrow. We’re still waiting for Craig’s friend to get in touch with him; apparently, he’s away on vacation. Elder Billings has heard Mark’s side already, as well as Craig’s. We’re trying to give this Kevin time, so we’re meeting Monday afternoon, when we’ll compare notes and argue about it.” He sighed. “And I think it will be an argument.”

  “Because of my reputation,” she whispered.

  “Because a few of them are old men who don’t like change,” he said, his tone correcting her.

  But she didn’t completely believe him. Still, she nodded and hugged her knees to her chest. “Who talked to Maggie?”

  “I did.”

  Angela buried her face in her knees as she hugged them. It was bad enough her parents had learned of her New Year’s humiliation, but they’d learned everything. Her father’s hand came down on her head, brushing at her loose hair. Despair was building up inside her again.

  “Angela, talk to me, honey. Don’t hold it in.”

  Her father’s voice was soft. She’d heard this tone from him many times before. Her breathing was rapid, and she wasn’t sure what emotion was driving it. Angela took a deep breath, trying to calm herself before it erupted in every direction.

  “I’ll go see if Craig needs any help,” she heard her grandmother say.

  It was an illusion of privacy. There wasn’t a lot of space between the couch and kitchen. But it was enough for the moment.

  “I’m just so ashamed.” She swallowed the sob which wanted to escape. She was as tired of crying as she was coughing.

  “Of what? Honey, you haven’t done anything wrong,” her father argued.

  “Of everything, Dad. For not being stronger, for not breaking up with Derek the first time he got physical, for not being smarter on top of the mountain, for my years of rebellion…”

  “Stop right there, Angela.” He moved closer, lowered his voice. “Craig told me you asked about what you say when you’re feverish, and that he told you the truth. Your mother and I understand why you did the things you did. Probably better than you do. If you ever want to talk to us about them, don’t be afraid. We have answers to your questions; if you want them. But don’t ever apologize for not being able to talk about the accident sooner, or for behaving like the child you were.”

  Her tears were silent. She did not deserve this man for a father. “Someday. It should be both you and Mom.”

  “I agree.” His voice was normal again. “If you get scared at night, don’t hesitate to call either Craig or me. One of us will come sit with you until it passes. If Derek calls and threatens you again, you dial 9-1-1 first. Understand?”

  “Yes.” She leaned back enough to wipe at her tears.

  He lowered his voice again, a twinkle in his eye. “Now, I’d also like to warn you about some good news which is going to be coming your way. So you don’t panic because it’s a surprise.”

  Nodding, she lowered her voice to a whisper. “Is he thinking of proposing?”

  “Now, what would make you think that?” His voice was a whisper too, and his eyes squinted as he smiled. “Has he said something already?”

  “Not really. Around Christmas, he said something about thinking of the future, and he’s opened up so much since then. He’s even kissed me again. I fell sick thinking I’d lost my boyfriend who could barely touch me and woke up to a man unafraid. Well, I think he’s still afraid, he’s just not letting it stop him.”

  Philip nodded. “Then I can rest easy.”

  “Can you pass him a message for me?” She waited for his nod. “Can you tell him, ask him to do it during daylight? At Barry’s Bridge if the weather is nice.” Her father looked curious, so she explained, “I want it to be as different from Derek’s as possible. And Barry’s Bridge is where Craig and I went from maybe to definitely.”

  His laugh was pleasant. “I will tell him.”

  “Soup’s done,” Craig said from the kitchen.

  “And that is my cue to leave,” remarked Philip, rising to his feet. “Your mother was making pot roast tonight, and I’d much rather have that.”

  Angela laughed. “Give the family my love.”

  “Of course.” He landed a kiss on the top of her head. “Follow your doctor’s orders and don’t give your grandmother a hard time.”

  It was quieter after her father left. Grandma Pearl ate her soup at the table, but Craig brought bowls into the living room for them both and sat at her feet much as her father had. Looking into the soup, Angela had a hard time defining her emotions.

  She stirred the chicken and what had to be homemade noodles around in the bowl. Thick discs of carrot and chunks of celery made it a colorful dish. She took a spoonful, aware of Craig watching her. Warmth filled her as the freshness of the ingredients mingled in her mouth. “Mmm…”

  “I’m glad you like it,” he said, his own bowl nearly empty already. Had she sat that long looking blankly into her soup?

  Angela reached behind her and grabbed the extra set of keys her father had given her. “I want to give these to you before I get tired and start forgetting stuff.”

  He took the keys and slid them into his jeans pocket. “Thanks for the trust.”

  She gave him a wry smile. “You never know if you’ll have to break in to rescue me again.”

  “It’s only fair,” he said, spooning the last of his soup into his mouth. “You’ve rescued me.”

  Nodding, she knew the moment had come. She’d done a lot of thinking in the hospital, and pieces had fallen into place as she tried to remember things from one day to the next. “I need to tell you something.”

  “Okay,” he said, looking a little worried.

  “It’s nothing bad,” she assured him. “It’s just…I remember you.”

  “How do you mean?” He set his empty bowl down on the small square stool she used as a coffee table.

  “The day my brother died, I remember people holding me back from him. A lot of it’s a blur, but I know it took two men. They pulled me away from the accident and they took turns talking to me. The man who ended up facing me, I remember dark eyes under thick eyebrows…he kept telling me I didn’t need to see my brother like that. I never saw the one holding me from behind, talking in my ear about life being unfair and how sorry he was for what was happening. I remember your voice, Craig.”

  Tension leaked from her boyfriend. He took a deep breath. “I connected the dots back at Christmas when I was talking to your Dad. How do you feel about it?”

  She took a spoonful of soup. “It was a little weird at first. Maybe it’s why I fought falling for you for so long? Maybe we’re meant to be? I don’t know. I just know I love you and I want to be with you. Nothing’s changed about
that.”

  “Good. I’m glad.” He gave her foot a squeeze through the blankets. “I was afraid…”

  “If I had remembered sooner, I might have told you to go away,” she said. Honesty was hard right now, but there was no hurt in his eyes over her admission. “I’m not saying I’m glad I was sick, but I’m glad I didn’t remember sooner.”

  “So am I,” he said. “Losing you…would be the end of my world.”

  “Same.” Angela smiled, was rewarded with his smile in reply. “Want to watch some TV before you go?”

  “Sure. Let me put the food away first. Are you done?” He grabbed his bowl from the stool and stood.

  Looking into her bowl, she realized she’d eaten almost all the soup. “I’ll finish it really quick. It’s good.”

  “I’ll be sure to tell my Aunt Meg you approve. I’ll be back.”

  Finishing her soup, Angela felt peace. Whatever the future held, she had this moment.

  42

  P eace filled Craig. It was still a new feeling for him, but as he sat at his kitchen island Saturday afternoon eating a sub from the deli and reading his Bible, it was a pleasant sensation. Philip had given him some verses to read after he’d passed Angela’s message along about how she’d like him to propose, and Craig was reading them with different eyes than he had in the past.

  Grandma Annie had tried so hard to help him after his abuse even though she hadn’t known for certain what had happened. But like Angela, she’d suspected. He’d been too full of anger at the time. He had hope now, for a fuller life than what he’d been living.

  His front doorbell ringing interrupted him, and he left his lunch on its wrapper to answer it. Princess barked happily and rushed ahead of him. He couldn’t help but laugh at her silliness as she spun in circles in front of the door. Pulling the front door open, his jaw dropped in astonishment. “Kevin?”

  “Good afternoon, stranger.”

  “What are you doing here?” asked Craig as the other man drew him into a brotherly embrace. “I was expecting a call, not a visit.”

  “We did get your message, but we were already on our way here. We decided to stick to our original plan to surprise you.” Kevin looked pleased with himself. “Which I see we did.”

  “We?” Craig looked beyond his friend and saw his friend’s wife. He extended his hand to the petite blonde. “Sherry! Long time no see!”

  “It has been a while.” Her eyebrows lifted as she lightly clasped his hand.

  He couldn’t wipe the grin off his face. Sherry’s reaction was understandable. It was the first time he’d ever offered his hand to her for a handshake.

  “Come in,” invited Craig. “I just brewed a fresh pot of coffee.”

  “Good idea,” mumbled Kevin, as they followed him into the house. Their coats were taken from them by their friend who hung them on a coat rack. “I’ve been worried about you. You haven’t called like we’d discussed.”

  “I see. So, you’re here as my doctor and not my friend?” he teased as he opened a cupboard door and pulled mugs out.

  “A little of both, I’m afraid.” Kevin sat down at the island, his hand resting on the Bible. “Although I’m suddenly a bit more at ease.”

  Craig sat mugs filled with coffee in front of his friends and refreshed his own. “I’m sorry I haven’t called. There’s been a lot going on. Angela almost died.”

  “What? How?”

  “Pneumonia. You guys still take yours black?” he asked as he doctored his coffee with cream and sugar.

  “We do,” answered Sherry.

  “You know we fought over the sketchbooks. She called off the next morning, and I’d had enough.” He sat at the island’s end on top the high barstool. “I burst in her apartment, sat her down and apologized…and she thought she was hallucinating again.”

  “Again?” Kevin asked, his eyebrows raising.

  “Her fever topped out at 106 something. We don’t really know how long it was that high, or if it had been higher during the night.” He shrugged. “I spent a lot of time at the hospital with her those first few days. Learned a lot of family secrets because she has no barriers when her fever is that high.”

  “No, I imagine not,” whispered Sherry.

  “How does this fit in?” Kevin asked, tapping the open Bible on the counter before him.

  Which is when Craig noticed his unfinished lunch. “Sorry guys.” He pulled it to him and wrapped the remains. Putting it in the refrigerator, he related Angela’s near-death experience as a child and the conversation with her parents in the waiting room. He shrugged in chagrin when he was done.

  “Out of the mouths of babes.” Kevin was shaking his head in amazement. “Is she still in the hospital?”

  “No. She came home yesterday afternoon. I’m not sure what convinced Dr. Evans to let her come home, I was expecting him to keep her there at least another week. I know where you’re going with this, and I’ll have to ask her grandmother if she thinks Angela’s up for visitors. The doctor doesn’t even want her going outside yet.”

  “We’re kind of obvious, huh?” Kevin lifted his coffee to his mouth. “How’s that going to work with her schooling?”

  “She’s thinking about taking this semester off. Kevin, there’s something you need to know before you meet her. Remember how I told you her pain is because she lost her brother?” He had been so wrapped up with Angela after Christmas, visiting her while she was off work after her car accident, he hadn’t thought to bring this up sooner.

  “Yes.”

  “Remember our first stay in this town?”

  “Sure…” Kevin’s hand jerked, and he slopped coffee onto the countertop. “No. You can’t be serious.”

  “I am.” Jumping up from his seat, he grabbed the dishrag from the sink. His friend was speechless as he lifted his mug to allow Craig to mop up his spill.

  “What are you guys talking about?” Sherry asked, drinking from her own mug.

  “Remember how we were delayed getting back from our Montana trip one year?” Kevin asked his wife, waiting for her nod. “One wrong turn led to another until we decided to just drive around and explore.”

  Sherry’s blonde eyebrows shot up. “You’re talking about the accident with the little girl and the boy who died. Are you telling me…”

  “Angela was the little girl, and the boy who died was her brother. That’s…incredible.” His friend watched him as he returned to his seat. “Does she remember us?”

  “Enough. She told me just last night she remembers my voice. And you and your eyebrows.”

  Sherry laughed. At her husband’s look of bemusement, she said, “They’re nice eyebrows.”

  Sighing, Kevin returned to drinking coffee. “I’ve always wondered what happened to her. I mean, I have no idea what happened aside from he was hit, and the first responders didn’t think he was going to make it. I dreamt about her screams for weeks afterward. Months.” He turned his gaze back to his wife. “She was so young, not even a teenager. They had to sedate her to get her into her ambulance.”

  “And this is the girl you’ve fallen for?” Sherry asked Craig, her face amazed.

  “Well, she’s not a little girl anymore.” Craig shifted in his seat. “But yes. I didn’t realize it until Christmas when her dad and I were talking after she fell through the ice. She says she didn’t remember until just recently. I must have said something to her at some point which reminded her when she thought about it. Her memories of a couple weeks are pretty fuzzy.”

  “How do the two of you feel about it?” asked Kevin, slipping into doctor mode.

  “I think if we’d made the connection any sooner, we wouldn’t be sitting here right now. It’s a little weird,” he admitted. “But it doesn’t change how we feel about each other.”

  “Have you said the words to her yet?” Sherry’s voice sounded almost mocking, with just enough friendliness to not give offense. “You know, the three little words a lot of men have trouble saying.”

&nbs
p; “Sher…” her husband sighed tiredly.

  “A few times, actually.” Craig decided not to acknowledge her tone. The three of them had been friends for too long for him to let it get to him.

  “See? Give the man a little credit,” Kevin chided his wife lovingly. Her eyes flashed, but she said nothing else. “We both have plenty of vacation built up, so if you don’t mind, we’ll hang around for a while until you think Angela’s up for a visit. I know Sherry is as curious as I am about the woman who’s had you calling at all hours.”

  His friend chuckled. “Yeah, I did have a few moments. Sorry about that.”

  Kevin waved it away. “It’s what friends are for. Have your dreams changed at all?”

  Craig nodded and described the last one. The dragon losing her power, her form melting before the knight. The angel defeating the Beast and being restored to wholeness. Then he asked, “Do you think that’ll be the end of them?”

  Kevin shrugged. “I don’t know. I dare say that if they do continue, it sounds like they’ll be different. I still say you should channel them into a comic book or graphic novel.”

  Craig nodded. “I’ll think about it. Seriously.” The phone rang just then. Picking up the cordless receiver, he checked the caller ID. “Hang on. Hi honey, what’s up?”

  “I…you have caller ID?” Angela asked.

  “I do. I don’t always check it before I answer, but I have company and needed to know whether to answer or not.”

  “Oh.”

  He smiled at her speechlessness and waited for her to recover.

  “Am I interrupting? I can call back.”

  “No, it’s fine. My friend Kevin and his wife Sherry showed up today. They’ll enjoy listening in on us.”

  Sherry laughed, and Kevin tried to hush her.

  “Hmm, I’m sure. Just don’t put me on speaker, please. Michelle does that to me all the time. Anyway, the reason I’m calling is because I’ve checked my bank account. Are you still paying me?”