Welsh Wildfire

by Clare Revell

  Josh waited until the door was shut then fixed his piercing gaze on Sam. He’d done the counseling thing so many times over the years that this was almost second nature to him. “I know you’re my boss and can fire me for speaking out of turn, but why not talk to her in sign?”

  “She isn’t deaf. She can hear perfectly well.”

  “But you don’t know that for sure. Not unless you let Jess run those tests. But maybe there is something deeper going on here. Perhaps your daughter is simply choosing not to speak for now.”

  Sam scowled. “She spoke and heard perfectly well until she was five. There was a car accident about three weeks after her birthday, in which our son died. Bryony hasn’t spoken since. We got broadsided by a drunk driver just outside town.” He paused. “Dafyd was eight when he died, and Angharad was seven months pregnant. She lost the baby.”

  Josh felt more than a surge of compassion for the man. “But that’s just added reason to talk to Bryony through sign. She’s gotta be feeling the loss too. For her brother even if she didn’t understand about the baby.” He signed slowly. “Bryony.”

  Sam scowled. “I know sign language. Dafyd was deaf. We used it with him all the time.”

  “Really?” Josh paused, his mind working overtime. “Has it never occurred to you that she thinks signing is a link to her brother? That by not speaking and only using sign she’s effectively keeping her brother alive?”

  Sam looked at him. “You think?”

  “It’s gotta be worth looking into.”

  “I’ll talk to Angharad. She’s closer to the kid than I am.”

  Josh nodded and led him outside to find Jess and Bryony.

  The little girl looked up as they came out.

  Sam went over to her and signed slowly. Bryony beamed and hugged him tightly. Her father picked her up, nodded to the others and carried her from the building.

  Jess looked at Josh. “How did you manage that?”

  He shrugged. “Guess I have a way with people.”

  “I’ll say. And where did you learn sign language?”

  “My brother is deaf, so we use it all the time. I should let you get back to bed. Sorry for waking you.”

  “You didn’t and it’s fine anyway. All part of the service.”

  5

  Unable to sleep, in spite of the busy day on the construction site and the fact it was 1 AM, Josh changed into running gear and headed out. He did a three-mile circuit of the town, before returning home and hitting the shower. Flopping onto the bed, he grabbed his phone. He knew his father would still be awake, even without taking the time difference into account. He dialed slowly, not bothering with the direct line. This was far more fun.

  “White House. How may I direct your call?”

  He grinned. “This is Josiah Wilson. Can I speak to Dad please?” He had very few things he found pleasurable left now, but this was one of them.

  “One moment, Mr. Wilson.”

  Josh drummed his fingers on the mattress beside him as he waited. Then he held the phone away from his ear as his father’s booming voice yelled down the phone.

  “Josiah, where on earth are you?”

  “I’m in Wales, Dad, in some unpronounceable town beginning with B. I’m holding down two jobs, volunteer firefighter and full-time stone mason. Which you already know because the Secret Service guys told you. I ran into them the other day and had a conversation with them.”

  His father snorted. “Did you really think you could run away?”

  Josh bit his tongue. “I’m not running away—at least not from you and Mom. Or Matt. And it isn’t like I’m here illegally or I sneaked in. I’m a British citizen here on my British passport. It’s just…”

  His father’s voice softened. “We miss you. And you know we only have your best interests at heart. You’ve been through a terrible ordeal. We all have, but it was harder on you than the rest of us.”

  Josh bit back the automatic reply. His father hadn’t been there. He had no idea what it was like to stand there as the world ended around him in a swirling vortex. He sucked in a deep breath. “I miss you both too, but I couldn’t stay. I need to get my head around what happened, and, well, you don’t need any more bad publicity. There’s been enough of that without me making it any worse.”

  “It comes with the job. No president is loved for the whole of his term.”

  “How’s Mom?”

  “Good days and bad days. Today isn’t so good. She’s sleeping, otherwise I’d put her on.”

  Josh looked at his watch. “It’s only eight in the evening where you are.”

  His father’s silence spoke volumes and guilt flooded Josh.

  It was his fault his mother was like this. His fault her parents had died. His fault all those other people had died. They’d come to hear him preach.

  And now they were dead.

  He had all those deaths laying squarely on his conscience.

  But beyond him, the fault was God’s.

  His father sighed. “Your mom is really worried about your state of mind and…” Josh could almost see his father pick up the baseball from the desk and toss it in the air, catching it.

  “She doesn’t need to worry. I’m doing fine.” Josh rubbed the back of his neck. “Give Mom my love and tell her I called. If she wants to speak to me, she’s got my cell phone number. I also have my laptop, so she can use the video chat feature.”

  “You know your mom and computers don’t exactly get along.”

  “So have her call. Or trace where I am and call the landline. They do actually still have them here, rather than just cell phones.” He yawned. “I need to sleep. Night, Dad.” He hung up and turned his handset off. He shoved it into the docking station to charge up overnight.

  He flicked off the light and stared up at the ceiling. Moonlight came through the window, casting shadows onto the plaster above him.

  If he wanted to keep any kind of friendship with Jess, he was going to have to tell her the truth. At least part of it and swear her to secrecy.

  Because otherwise it’d be all over town and he’d have to leave. And he didn’t want that.

  For all its strangeness, the weird unpronounceable names, and the lilting incomprehensible language, he liked it here and felt more at home in Wales than he had anywhere in years.

  ****

  Jess passed the building site on her way to a house call and her gaze immediately shot to a tall, shirtless stone mason, harnessed up as he worked on one of the gargoyles.

  Her heart began to race and her cheeks heated. Anyone would think she was infatuated with him. Which was silly. She hardly knew him. But she’d like to. If he was staying.

  She paused by the huge sign post in the street that pointed the way to the waterfalls along with the distances to them. Swallow Falls were five kilometers away and Conwy only three, whereas the others listed, Niagara, Victoria and Angel were thousands of kilometers away.

  Three tourists stood taking pictures of the sign post, and she offered to take one of them all standing underneath it. They gratefully took her up on the offer. When she’d finished, Josh was standing beside her. “Morning,” she said.

  “Hi. How are you?”

  “I’m OK.” She tilted her head. “You, on the other hand, don’t look so good.”

  “Didn’t sleep,” he said. “Too many nightmares and yes, I did take the pills you gave me.” He winked. “Don’t suppose you have any meds that block dreams, do you?”

  Jess rolled her eyes. “No, I do not. And I wouldn’t give them to you if I did, look you. They’re not safe. Especially when I don’t have your full medical records. Your best bet would be—”

  “Counseling,” he finished with a sigh. “What is it with all you docs and counseling? Talking solves nothing.”

  “Have you tried it?”

  “No and I’m not going to.” He opened a bottle of water and chugged half of it down without pausing for breath. He wiped the back of his hand over his mouth. “That’s
better. I meant to ask you. The Swallow Falls on that sign…are they the ones in the picture in the house?”

  She nodded. “The Welsh name for them is Rhaeadr Ewynnol and the literal translation into English is Foaming Water. They assume some English person heard y wennol—swallow, rather than weynnol—foaming, and they’ve been translated as Swallow Falls ever since. You should go and see them sometime. They are amazing—breathtaking almost. If you loved Snowdon, you’ll love these too. Before I forget, Da rang. He said they’ll be away for another week. They’re coming home via the Lake District. I have a second cousin twice removed or something who lives up there. Anyway, Mam hasn’t seen her in years, so they’re staying there a few days.”

  Bryony came over and tugged his hand. “Hello,” she signed.

  Josh smiled. “Hello. How are you?” he replied, again speaking and signing at the same time.

  “OK. Mam said to thank you for looking after me last night when I hurt my foot.”

  “It’s no trouble.”

  Jess looked at him. “Why do you speak when you sign?”

  “Like we said last night, she may not be deaf at all, but it’s just habit to do so. Matt lip reads really well because we all sign and speak so everyone can join in the conversation at once.”

  “How did he lose his hearing?”

  “He was born deaf.”

  “How many years between you?” Jess asked curiously.

  “About fifteen minutes. We’re identical twins. Just I can hear and he can’t.” He looked back at Bryony. “Why aren’t you in school?”

  “School finished for the year two weeks ago. I’m out playing.”

  “Of course, the school dates are different this side of the pond. Well, either way, you can’t play here,” he said. “It’s too dangerous.” His pager went off and he sighed. “This is getting to be beyond a joke. That’s the fourth call in as many days. The lads at the firehouse are beginning to think I’m a bad influence. We’ve been called out almost every day in the two and a half weeks since I arrived.”

  “I’ll take Bryony home. Her mam’s my next patient anyway.” She watched as he ran into the office and then over to his car. There was something going on with him, just under the surface and she just wished she knew what. Josh certainly was a man of mystery.

  Bryony looked up at her. “Home?” she signed.

  Jess nodded. “Yes. Come on.”

  Five minutes later, she stood in the hallway while Angharad told Bryony off for wandering into town on her own. Then Angharad flopped into a chair and sighed.

  Jess opened her bag. “She’s a handful, that one.”

  “I just wish I knew what to do.” Angharad paused. “Josh spoke to Sam last night. He seems to think that she isn’t deaf at all, just pretending to keep Dafyd alive somehow.”

  Jess tilted her head and squinted at the blood pressure machine. “Really? Let me do those tests and find out then. Because if that is the case, we can go down the counseling route and help her that way.”

  “OK. Organize the tests.”

  She smiled. “I’ll refer her to the audiology department as soon as I get back to the surgery. You should hear in a week or so.” She paused. “No pun intended.”

  6

  Josh changed back into his street clothes. He shared Sam’s frustration. That was the third false alarm that day. It was a Saturday, meant to be a day off. But it’d been one prank call after another.

  “So what’s with you and the doc?” Sam asked.

  “Nothing.”

  Sam grinned. “Yeah, right. Her face lights up every time she sees you and so does yours when you see her.”

  “I hardly know her. Anyway, she’s not my type. She oozes faith and church—” He broke off. Not so long ago he’d have been the same.

  “Don’t write her off because of that. Chapel isn’t all bad and there’s far more to her than just that.” Sam paused, waiting until the others had left before speaking again. “What are you running from, Josh?”

  Josh froze. “What makes you think I’m running away from anything?”

  “Aside from your reaction? You came from Oklahoma City to Betws-y-Coed. From some well-paid city job you don’t ever mention, to two temporary jobs. Is it a woman?”

  “No.”

  Sam blocked his path. “Because I’ll tell you now, if you hurt Jess…”

  Josh pulled himself to his full height, which made him a good three inches taller than the stocky Welshman. “Hurting her is the last thing I want to do. I’d never lay a hand on her.”

  “That isn’t what I meant.” The threat was there in Sam’s tone, echoed by the look in his eyes. “Jess means a lot to us and her emotions are not to be trifled with. And with her parents out of the country, I promised to keep an eye on her.”

  Josh held the man’s gaze. “I wouldn’t dream of it. I never have and never will toy with a relationship like that. It isn’t fair on either party.”

  Sam nodded. “Glad to hear it.”

  Josh smiled in an attempt to relieve the tension that had suddenly arisen. “Right. I need to get back to clearing this ivy off the house. Jess wants it down before her parents get back on Tuesday. And don’t take this the wrong way, but I really hope I don’t see you again today. Not if I want to finish what I’ve started.”

  He left the station and headed out to where he’d left his car. Changing his mind as his stomach growled, he turned and headed past the waterfall signpost to the train station café. The railway carriages set out as a restaurant had fascinated him since he’d arrived and he was determined to try them out.

  He ordered the all-day breakfast and a mug of coffee. The girl behind the counter gave him a number. They’d bring the food over when it was done. He turned to find somewhere to sit and his gaze fell on Jess. The light shone around her, illuminating her like a halo.

  His heart skipped a beat, his mouth dried and he held his breath.

  Everywhere he turned, she was there. It was almost as if it were meant to be. He headed over to her. “Mind if I join you?”

  She smiled. “Not at all. You get called out again?”

  “Aye. Another false alarm. That’s the third since the early hours of the morning. So much for a day off.” He looked around the carriage. “This place is pretty quaint.”

  She nodded. “Get a lot of tourists in here, and not simply after the schools break up, either.”

  “I can understand why. And I love the sign post for all the waterfalls. I guess you’ve been to all of them.”

  Jess laughed. “Oh, definitely. Have you seen where some of them are?”

  He winked. “Niagara is particularly lovely this time of year.” He glanced up as the server brought his food and coffee over. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  Josh picked up his knife and fork. “Try telling Dad that you can eat baked beans for breakfast and he’ll promptly insist on putting syrup over all the bacon. That I never have liked.”

  Jess pulled a face. “Yuck.” She finished her toast and wiped her fingers on the serviette.

  “What are you doing tomorrow?” he asked.

  “It’s Sunday, so chapel first thing.”

  “After that? I was thinking maybe we could go to see one of those waterfalls near here. You could be my guide, tell me about them. Or you could just come with me for company. I’ve been here almost three weeks and not seen them yet.”

  She hesitated, something all too familiar filling her eyes. “You won’t come to chapel.”

  It was as much a statement as a question and he shook his head. “No.”

  “Then I can’t go out with you.”

  “Why?” he asked, taken aback at her abruptness. “It’s not like I’m proposing marriage or anything. I just know so few people around here, I thought…”

  “There’s no point in dating when it can’t go any further, because I can’t be unevenly yoked,” she said. Her phone rang and she checked the screen. “I gotta go. I’m on call today.
Enjoy your breakfast.”

  Josh watched her go, knowing all too well about the unevenly yoked bit. But it was normally him making that excuse. He’d never known until this moment how much it hurt.

  He stabbed his egg, sending yolk sliding over the edge of the plate and onto the table. Haven’t I paid enough, God? How much longer are You going to make me suffer for serving You? Didn’t I pay enough on July fourth?

  ****

  Sunday morning, his third in the UK, Josh was again woken by the church bells. He lay still, his mind whirling. He’d flown thousands of miles, but still the memories tortured him. Rolling out of bed, he padded barefoot to the kitchen and turned on the coffee machine. Next he fired up the laptop on the kitchen table, then dressed while it was booting up. He needed to talk to his brother.

  Josh settled in front of the computer and activated the video link. He knew Matt was awake. Sure enough, within a few seconds the call was answered, and as always it was like looking in a mirror.

  Matt’s smiling face filled the screen. “Hey, Josh,” he signed. “How are you?”

  “I’m fine.”

  “Uh-huh. Where did you go? Mom and Dad are really worried.”

  “I’m in Wales,” Josh replied. “And they know where I am. I’ve spoken to Dad. The Secret Service found me within a day and had already told him. They aren’t following me or anything which is just as well. Can you imagine the reaction of a small town to a whole load of men in shades and suits following me?”

  Matt slid a finger across his throat and pointed at the screen.

  Josh laughed. “Probably. So what’s happening?”

  “They’re rebuilding your church.”

  He scowled and his stomach twisted, causing acid to rise. “It’s not my church any longer—I quit, remember? And that isn’t what I meant. What’s happening with you and Laurel?”

  “I’m going to ask her to marry me.”

  “About time.” Josh gave Matt a thumbs up. There was the sound of a key in the door, which then opened and shut. “One moment. Someone is here.” He turned around. “Hello?”

  “It’s just me.” Jess’s musical lilt filled the small space behind him. “I brought you some breakfast.”