Apple Orchard Bride

by Jessica Keller

  Then again, the woman he concocted hadn’t looked like Laney, either. His beloved wife, with her white-blond curls and fair skin making her appear even more innocent on their wedding day. The woman in the woods contrasted with Laney in every way, from her tan skin to her dark hair to the torment etched on her face.

  The boy shook his head, as though he’d decided he was in the wrong place, or that Jack wasn’t who he’d planned to see this deep in the woods.

  It’d been a long time, at least three or four days, since Jack had been required to mutter a word, but sensing the boy was about to flee, he cleared his throat and called out, “Hey! Do you live around here?” An odd question, since Jack hadn’t seen any other homes nearby. But he assumed there could be more places like this tucked within the thick forests that blanketed North Alabama’s Lookout Mountains.

  Maybe the boy camped with his family near Jasper Falls. Jack supposed schools could be out for fall break, since it was the third week of October. But Jasper Falls was at least four miles away. Chances were the kid had wandered farther than he realized. JJ had done that once, when Jack had been shooting The Journey on location near Prague. Laney had been frantic with worry when they couldn’t find their son. So had Jack.

  And the joy they’d experienced when JJ had been found spurred the idea for Finding Home, a film that would be released in two months, on Christmas Day. The last picture Jack would ever direct.

  And a premiere he’d never see.

  He swallowed thickly, wiped a sleeve against his brow and squinted toward the kid again. “Are you...lost or something?” He could ask himself the same question. Lost. Out of his mind. Out of his element. It’d been two years since that plane went down. Everyone had claimed he’d be normal after one.

  Of course, Jack had never been accused of being normal.

  But in spite of the concerns from his friends, his parents and every studio in LA, he’d found the most remote place to live. Away from the pain. Away from every reminder of the past.

  And then...this boy.

  Jack stopped sanding the slab of wood destined to be the side of his dresser and removed the wide plank from the table saw. He needed to determine what to do about the boy. Pulling his cell phone from his pocket, he prepared to let the authorities know about the child wandering the woods. Then he glanced toward the trees and, like yesterday, the kid disappeared as quickly as he’d come.

  A sudden urge to pray for the boy’s safety—and his own sanity—coaxed Jack’s brain, but he swallowed past the impulse that had once been second nature. God wasn’t listening, and Jack still had serious doubts about whether the child even existed. No need to call the police to announce he’d lost his mind. Besides, escaping civilization didn’t include broadcasting his residence in the woods. So far, he’d managed to stay clear of the townsfolk in Claremont, the tiny community fifteen miles away. Keeping his distance would be a lot easier if he didn’t summon the cops to his house.

  He grabbed his thermos from the porch, took a long drink of ice water and let the liquid cool his throat and settle his spirit. “He must have been a figment of my imagination.” Saying the words aloud helped to reassure himself, as did selecting the next piece of wood. Surely staying busy would keep the illusions at bay.

  The thick plank of mahogany held its weight well, and Jack liked knowing that he would create a piece that would last for generations. Not that he’d have any subsequent generations to continue the Simon name.

  “Hello?” The lyrical voice, undeniably female, provided a stark contrast to Jack’s present frustration. He relaxed his grip on the mahogany and turned toward the spot where the kid had been.

  The woman from the woods—the exquisite lady from his dreams—gingerly stepped over a cluster of tree roots as she edged into the clearing.

  What would he imagine next, twin girls with pale blond pigtails and eyes that sparkled when they laughed? Jack closed his eyes, inhaled deeply and embraced the reminder of reality. The scents of fresh sawdust, crisp pine and damp earth. Then, exhaling slowly, he listened to the haunting sounds of the slight wind pushing through the trees.

  Several long moments passed.

  He finally opened his eyes, expecting the hallucination to be gone.

  Still there.

  In case this wasn’t a delusion, Jack cleared his throat and repeated, “Hello.” His voice came out as coarse and grainy as he felt, and the woman’s widened eyes and hand to her heart showed her shock at his near-growl.

  No doubt about it, this wasn’t a dream. She was as real as the heavy slab of wood in his hands.

  He made another attempt. “Sorry. I’m...not...used to visitors.”

  Her head moved in a subtle nod, but she stopped progressing toward him, which Jack understood. He hadn’t showered yet today and it had been weeks since he’d shaved. His hand drifted to his face, fingers scrubbing across a thick, wiry mass of beard.

  When was the last time he’d actually looked in the mirror?

  The golden afternoon sunlight sliced through the trees and shimmered against her pretty brown hair as she took a step forward. She wore a button-up sheer floral blouse over a peach T-shirt, extremely feminine, but also outdoorsy when paired with her dark blue jeans and hiking boots. Shoving her hands in her pockets, she peered toward his log cabin, then scanned the area to his right, and then his left, regarding him as more of an obstruction than an asset to her obvious search.

  Jack suspected he knew what—or rather, who—she wanted to see.

  Determined to make his voice less gruff, he cleared his throat. “You looking for a young boy?”

  One arched brow shot up, eyes widening even more, and her jaw tensed. “Have you seen him? Is he okay?”

  He thought about his old flannel shirt, the sleeves pushed up to the elbows and covered with sawdust. The equally worn jeans that were his favorite, because his kids had given them to him on the last Father’s Day he celebrated. And the work boots he’d bought when he decided to live the rest of his days in solitude, disappearing in what he’d thought to be uninhabited terrain, in North Alabama, of all places.

  Maybe he was crazy. And maybe, considering his unkempt state of dress, he looked like an ax murderer.

  At least he wasn’t holding a chain saw.

  “I didn’t hurt him,” he said, which, judging from her reaction, may not have been the smartest thing to say.

  * * *

  Elise Ramsey didn’t know what she expected to find when she’d gone searching for Cody in the woods, beyond finding the boy, that is. But she certainly hadn’t expected to happen upon this big, burly guy in the middle of the forest. “You didn’t hurt him?”

  What did that mean? And where was Cody now? She continued scanning the area around the log cabin but saw no sign of her patient.

  “No, I didn’t.” He placed a huge plank of wood across two sawhorses and swiped a sleeve across his forehead. “He was here, and I tried to talk to him, but he didn’t respond.”

  “He wouldn’t have. He can’t.” She closed her eyes and said a prayer for the boy. He’d disappeared yesterday at the same time, during the late-afternoon devotional, when the kids of Willow’s Haven all gathered at the fire pit to be reminded of God’s place in their lives and that they were all loved and wanted. Something many of them couldn’t say about their lives before.

  “He can’t?” His head tilted, forehead wrinkled in confusion. “Can’t speak?”

  Elise silently scolded herself for letting her rattled disposition interfere with her natural filter regarding her patient. But she hadn’t told this bearded stranger anything that she couldn’t share. Anyone who encountered Cody learned quickly enough that he’d stopped speaking. “He can,” she corrected, “but he doesn’t. Not anymore. Or at least not yet.” Hopefully she’d make progress with the child she’d already grown to care so m
uch about, and he would find his voice again.

  “He stopped talking?” The man pushed his sleeves up and then crossed his arms in a move that brought her attention to muscled forearms. Bulging biceps. And the extent of just how much larger he was than Cody. Or Elise. “What happened to him?” he asked.

  Did he know? Was Cody still here?

  A frisson of fear shimmied down her spine, but she held her ground. Cody was her responsibility, and she needed to verify that he was okay. This guy said he didn’t hurt Cody, but he certainly looked like he could hurt someone. Granted, she’d never spent any time in the woods before her current placement at Willow’s Haven, but even if she had, she wouldn’t have expected to run upon a man who looked like he’d been dropped out of the Wild West. Minus the horses. And the guns.

  She hoped.

  God, please, keep Cody safe.

  “Where is he?” Elise hated that her voice trembled on the last word and said another quick prayer for courage.

  The man unfolded his arms, moved a palm to his forehead and then pinched the bridge of his nose as though warding off a migraine. The action looked more like something she’d expect from someone sitting behind a desk than a rough-hewn fellow in the woods. Finally, he spoke, but his voice didn’t spark the fear it had before. “I don’t know where he is. I tried to talk to him and he ran off.”

  “Where was he? Where did you see him, exactly?” She needed a clue on where to find Cody. Had he returned to Willow’s Haven, like before, or had he wandered deeper into the forest?

  He pointed toward the woods. “There, same place he showed up yesterday. Disappeared right before you got here.”

  That got her attention. “He came here yesterday?” She pulled her hands from her pockets and planted them on her hips. “You didn’t try to find out why an eleven-year-old was wandering the woods? Didn’t think you should call the police?” If he had, she would have known where Cody had been yesterday, or where he might go again. Like he’d done today. “You didn’t think someone would want to know that he was here? In the middle of nowhere?”

  He took a deep breath, and her attention moved to the hard outline of his chest, easily visible in spite of his loose flannel shirt. The guy was built, but she didn’t notice in an oh-how-rugged kind of way. Rather, she noticed in a he’s-strong-and-could-hurt-someone kind of way.

  The broad shoulders lifted and then fell. “I wasn’t sure he was real.” His words seemed to surprise himself as much as Elise, and she merely stood there, mouth agape, and wondered how to respond.

  He wasn’t sure Cody was real?

  “Unbelievable.” Clearly, trying to converse with this mountain of a man wasn’t helping her find her young patient, so she turned and started down the trail. He’d found his way back yesterday; maybe he’d done the same today. And if Mountain Man planned to hurt her, he could just start coming. He was big, but she was fast, and she’d give him a good run for his money through the woods. Besides, she didn’t have time to waste chatting. She had to find Cody before dark.

  “Wait.”

  The urgency in his deep voice caused her to stop and look over her shoulder at the man making his way across the area cleared for the cabin. Elise had been surprised to find the opening in the thickest section of trees earlier, but she wasn’t surprised that Cody had found it. The boy’s intelligence was astounding.

  “Yeah?” She watched him as he neared. He wasn’t as massive as she’d originally thought. Muscled, yes. Bulky, no. He appeared ultrahealthy, though, like the CrossFit junkies that lived in her apartment complex in Birmingham. And in spite of the thick beard, his skin was smooth, with a tanned complexion that showcased eyes that were the most intriguing color she’d ever seen. Sea-foam green.

  She tried to picture him without the beard.

  “No need to be scared of me.” He focused on her as he spoke, and she watched his eyes soften, as though he somehow knew how much she’d been through and how very much she wanted to help the child who’d wandered away again. He took a deep breath, let it out and added, “I know I look rough, but...”

  “I’m not...scared of you.” The words were true. A guy ends up being attractive and having sensitive eyes, and she gives him the green light to walk up and start talking. Her brothers would have a serious problem with her measuring stick for safe guys she encountered in the jungle. Woods. Whatever. But that’d always been Elise’s problem, the desire to help those who were socially off centered. It’d been the reason for her choice of profession, the fact that her father didn’t fit in the world. And then it’d been the reason for her marriage.

  She blinked, the reminder serving its purpose. The last thing she needed was another guy who had social issues. And this man, who willingly set up house in the middle of nowhere, definitely fell into that category.

  He cleared his throat, nodded his head toward her as though making a decision. “Don’t worry. I’ll help you find your son.”

  For a moment, she thought he’d gone crazy. But then she remembered he had no way of knowing the truth and that she needed to get back on track and find Cody instead of talking to an unsavory mountain man. “He isn’t my son. He’s my patient.”

  Her phone buzzed before he could respond, and she slid the cell out of her jeans to glance at the text message from Savvy Evans.

  Cody just got back. Seems fine.

  Relief washed through her. “He’s back,” she said. “At Willow’s Haven. Cody is okay.”

  “Willow’s Haven?”

  How could he live this close to the place and not know of its existence? “The children’s home, about a half mile west of here.”

  “He’s your patient?” Confusion etched through his words.

  “I’m a licensed social worker specializing in autism spectrum disorders, and I’m currently working at Willow’s Haven. I’m here specifically for Cody.” Saying it stabbed her heart, because this was the first case where she had made absolutely no progress after two weeks of intense therapy.

  But Elise knew Cody was at the right place. Willow’s Haven would give him more personalized attention than any of the state-funded homes. “I’m beginning to wonder if I’m the right person for the job.” She hadn’t divulged that to Brodie, Savvy or even her colleagues at the Birmingham Clinic for Autism. Maybe the fact that she was in the middle of nowhere, and that she’d probably never see this guy again, gave her freedom to give voice to her fear.

  “What’s wrong with him?” His voice had taken on a different tone than before, still as deep, but compassionate too.

  “I can’t tell you anything patient-specific, but since he is at the children’s home, it’s common knowledge that he lost his family.”

  “How?” The word came out thick and raspy. “How did he lose his family?”

  She needed to get back to Willow’s Haven, but the concern in his masculine tone caused her to answer. “A car crash. Cody was the sole survivor.”

  A shadow passed over his face, a look of sadness, or longing. Merely a flicker of emotion, but Elise saw it.

  He turned his attention to the tree branches shifting overhead, and the thick cords of his neck pulsed as he swallowed. “He lost his family.”

  Her background gave her a keen sense at reading people. This man had been hard to interpret at a distance, but now that he stood so close, she could tell from the tiny twitch beneath his eye that he worked hard to keep his emotions in check.

  She suddenly wanted to know more about this mysterious stranger who lived in the woods. Glancing at his left hand, she saw no ring. And then she mentally stopped that train of thought. She lived in Birmingham and had a great practice there. This was a special case that would have her staying at Willow’s Haven for a time, and then she’d leave. Moving away from Cody. And away from the big, sensitive mountain man undeniably similar to the last guy who’d captured h
er heart. Then shattered it.

  “I’m Jack.”

  She’d been so absorbed in the painful memory that she had missed part of his conversation. But now that he’d offered his first name, she waited to see if he’d give her the last one too.

  He didn’t.

  Elise sighed. She needed to get back to the issue at hand, taking care of Cody, and not the fact that the last guy she’d given her heart to made her a widow at twenty-eight. “Well, Jack, if Cody comes this way again, can you make sure he gets back to Willow’s Haven?” She pointed to the right fork of the trail ahead of her. “Down that way.” It wasn’t a clear path, but it was manageable, obviously, since Cody found his way through the woods and to Jack’s cabin.

  “There wasn’t an orphanage there when I bought my place.”

  Elise was used to the misconception about the home. “Willow’s Haven isn’t an orphanage, even though some of the children have been orphaned. A children’s home differs in that it provides a safe sanctuary for children who are without a family, for any reason.”

  And then she focused on what else he’d said. “Willow’s Haven has been open for a year now. When did you buy your place?”

  “Nearly two years ago.” Another look passed over his face, and she read it clearly. Sadness. More specifically, grief.

  What—or who—had this man lost?

  “You’ve been living here for two years?” Why would anyone choose to live like this? “By yourself?” she added and then wished she’d kept that query silenced.

  “No, I bought it two years ago, but I only recently moved in. I had to—” he paused “—take care of a few things first.”

  And that made her wonder what things had taken two years to take care of. And what kind of job allowed him to live out here in the middle of nowhere, where only one cellular company managed to provide service, and even that was spotty at best. “But you’re planning to live here, long-term?”

  He nodded and offered no additional information. “Do you want me to call you if I see the lad again?”