Refuge on Leebrick (The Hills of Burlington Book 4)

by Jacie Middlemann

  “I could help,” Rob said slowly and couldn’t believe the words came out even as he spoke them. Oh…he meant them. He just hadn’t wanted to say them. But it was too late now. To take them back would draw more attention that he didn’t want in the first place.

  “Let’s go over there now.” Addie stood as she spoke, carried her plate to the sink, and rinsed it off for the dishwasher as she continued to outline what they could do. When she turned she added what she probably should have started with. But the smile on her aunt’s face told her it didn’t matter. “Is that okay with you, Aunt Carrie?”

  “You know it is, sweetie.” She turned back to Rob. “I know you don’t want to hear it but be careful with your shoulders. Some of those…well, actually all of the books over there in that room are pretty heavy.”

  Rob acknowledged her statement with a small and barely noticeable nod. No way would he ever admit to getting a silent thrill each time she said something like that to him. Even his mother hadn’t kept tabs on him. Not when he was sick. Not when he wasn’t. Not at all. She loved him. He knew that. Had always known it. And he knew she had cared about him. But in the only way she knew how. And she simply hadn’t ever thought in terms of checking up on him. Making sure he was okay or wouldn’t get hurt. He sighed to himself. No sense in going down that road again since no one was there anymore.

  “Let’s go,” Addie pressed as she walked towards the front door.

  “Addie.” She turned back at the sound of Court’s voice. Waited. “Don’t forget to show him the stones in the back yard. You know the story. I bet Rob would like to hear that as well.” Court watched Addie’s eyes light up. What a difference from the quiet child who’d arrived hurt and humiliated months ago Court thought to himself. And couldn’t help the little bit of pride in his small role in helping her to overcome some of it.

  Carrie listened to her niece continue to talk as she and Rob walked out the front door and down the steps to the sidewalk. Listened for the sound of Addie’s car and when she didn’t hear it knew they must have decided to walk. It was a long walk, not horrible, but she wondered if Rob was ready for it.

  “He’ll be okay.”

  Carrie looked at her husband. “I won’t even ask how you knew. I imagine it was likely written on my face or something.”

  “It’s just the way you are,” Court said as he maintained control over the smile that threatened at the corners of his mouth. “And yeah, it was written on your face too. Poker will never be your game.”

  “Wonderful.” But she smiled at him. Things were working out. She knew there would be hitches. How could there not be with two teenagers under the same roof. But for now things were good. She could handle that and Lord only knew she was happy. She was so very happy with this man who was her husband. And from the look on his face she could tell the feeling was mutual. “So,” she began teasingly, “still trying to figure out how to do a book on all this?”

  “Playing it around in my head some,” he admitted and smiled as another thought struck him. “I might see if Rob wants to help me with some of the research for it.”

  “Oh!” Carrie let the thought run around in her own mind. It was perfect. “You think he would want to?”

  “I think it’s a thought. He’s got a quick mind. Smart as a whip but just doesn’t know what to do with it yet. Something like this would give him something to do while he’s figuring it out.”

  “He did seem interested tonight.”

  “You made sure of it.”

  “Well, I thought if nothing else it might give him something to do. Something to get caught up in and…”

  “And get his mind off other things?” Court finished for her when she seemed unable to come up with how she wanted to say it. Rob had lost his mother in a horrific car accident not even six months ago. He was still recovering from the injuries he’d suffered in the tragedy that had to be a horrible daily reminder of it and what it had cost him. Not much was said but both knew it still weighed heavily on him.

  “I guess.”

  “He’s doing better, Carrie.” Court took her hand, led them into the front room where they could sit together. “He knows his limits. When he helps out in the attic he lets me know when he needs to take a break. But that doesn’t mean he isn’t worked up about the room being close to being done. And I think it’s helped that he’s had a part in getting it there. He told me the other day he wants to help with the basement when we get started on it.”

  “What did you tell him?” she asked idly, curious though she knew Court cared about Rob and would never do or say anything to hurt him.

  “That I’d appreciate his help. That it would go a heck of a lot faster just as the attic has having him helping me out.” He tugged her against him on the couch. He figured they might have at best ten minutes of private time for quiet conversation before someone from one of their families bounced through their front door. It never failed. “And I think he’s learning a lot. He and Brian have gotten into some interesting conversations when we’ve all been up there.”

  “Like what?” That perked her curiosity. Court’s nephew Brian was only a couple of years older than Rob but had never been much of a talker in all the time she had known him. The very fact the two of them had any kind of extended conversations was a positive thing in her mind.

  “You’d be surprised.” Court sent her a knowing smile. “Things guys talk about. Fishing. Good movies. The big question mark for us about the types of movies women like. Cool video games. Guy stuff.”

  Carrie thought about it and decided the girl movie comment wasn’t worth addressing. She’d heard it her entire life from her brothers. “Good. That’s good.” She looked at her husband. “Don’t you think it’s a good thing?” He was a guy after all. He should know better than she.

  “I think it’s a good step.” He gently squeezed the hand nestled in his. He knew she worried. Would worry if there wasn’t a reason to worry. “Rob’s doing okay. It’s a lot like the situation was a couple of months ago with Addie.” He gave his wife a sideways glance, saw she was listening intently, so continued on with his thoughts even as he played them through his mind. “Difference is, and it’s a big difference, Addie already had connections here. She had you and by that venue she had your Mom, Casey, Mary, Jake, etc…”

  “It’s the same for Rob.” She felt more than saw his steady look. Met it and sighed. “You’re right. It’s not the same.”

  “He’s the odd man out looking in. He’s not exactly your stepson, Carrie, much as both you and I see it that way.” He took a sigh, one deeper than hers because of what he was going to say. “And once the public gets wind of where he is I promise you they won’t focus on the connections you have to him…but rather those you don’t.”

  Carrie forced away the anger. Nothing would be gained from it. “I know.” And she did. Knew Rob was all too well aware of it as well. She knew Nick was doing everything he could to keep the media focused on him instead of shifting their attention towards his son. And from what she’d heard he was doing a fine job of it. The way she saw it he was either going to make his career or jettison it into smithereens with some of the more recent political moves he’d been making. And knew in large part they were in the effort to keep attention on him and away from his son. Almost as if he’d known her thoughts Court continued with her line of thinking.

  “Your ex-husband has been playing the media like a fine tooth comb. It’s hard to think it let alone say it but I find it admirable.”

  “Because he’s able to?” Carrie couldn’t disguise the disdain in her voice. “Believe me, he’s had years of practice at it. There is little he’s better at.”

  “Perhaps.” Court tugged the hand he held gently until her head leaned against his shoulder. “But he’s making news in ways that could very well work against him in the long run and he knows it.”

  “It could just as easily work for him big time.”

  “It could. But how often over the years did yo
u see him take that kind of risk? I think voting against his own party and being the only one to do so even if he firmly believes in what he was doing says a lot. And knowing the situation, knowing his determination that a certain young man has the time he desperately needs to heal, physically and emotionally, I find it an admirable trait in a man I would much prefer not to think of in such terms. If a person is going to take a stand at any point in their lives don’t you think that stand should be for a child? Any child? Whether it is their child or someone else’s.” Much the way his wife was standing for the same child in a different way but still….standing for him. And he knew should the situation arise she would without hesitation stand in front of him. As would he.

  Carrie sighed deeply. Closed her eyes. “You’re right.”

  “Hmmm.”

  “Nick wasn’t always a jerk.”

  “Maybe. Maybe not.” Court wasn’t going to commit on either. “He wasn’t what you needed.” And that was the heart of it in his mind.

  “You are.” Carrie leaned into him, agreeing with what they both knew to be true.

  “Yes.”

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  “Is this not cool or what?” Addie stood by the little desk. She knew Rob was looking down through all the books along the shelves on the opposite wall as he walked past them. She’d already walked over to throw open the shutters to give them more light. But the evening was coming on fast and the little lamp on the desk didn’t give out much in the way of light. Before long it would be almost as dark in the room as it was without the shutters open.

  She heard Rob’s slight sound of acknowledgement. He’d taken his time following her into the room once they’d gotten here. But when he’d finally come all the way in he hadn’t lost any time looking around. He seemed a little slower than he’d been but there was no way she was going to say anything. She already knew how testy he could get when he wasn’t feeling well. From all she’d heard about how badly he’d been hurt in the accident she figured he had the right to be.

  She looked behind her at the shuffling noise and saw he was carefully pulling one of the huge books out from its place on the shelf to lay it down on the table in front of him. Knowing he wouldn’t want her help she stayed where she was. She had a pretty good idea that he would be caught up with it at least until they lost the light from outside so she brought her own attention back to the small desk.

  It wasn’t much of a desk. It wasn’t very big and only had a couple of small drawers on each side. She sat down carefully on the chair that was positioned in front of it. Ran her hands along the space right in front of her. Another drawer, she thought to herself and wondered if anyone else had noticed it yet. It was either meant to close under the lip of the desk top or over the years it had simply gone off its runners and slid in a lot more than it was ever meant to. You couldn’t see it unless you looked under the desk as she was at that moment. She gripped it from the bottom and gently pulled it out. It wasn’t deep at all was her first thought. She glanced at the fragile pieces of paper laying loose inside it. She had no idea what the writing on them was. It wasn’t English that was for certain. She started to close the drawer back up when she heard a slight knocking noise that caught her attention. Pushing the chair back a bit more she pulled the drawer out again, this time as far as she could get it to go. Then she reached her hand into the back of the drawer and ran it along the back edge. When her fingers brushed against something she struggled not to get too excited before she knew what it was she’d found. When she pulled her hand back out with her finding she let out the breath she’d unconsciously been holding. It was a little book. Almost the size of a paperback but not nearly as thick. With hands that trembled ever so slightly she turned back the cover. Turned back the first fragile page. Then the next.

  “Rob.” She knew she sounded breathless. She felt the same. “Come see what I found.” She heard him as he walked towards her and came up to stand behind her.

  “A photo album.”

  Addie knew he wanted to sound like it was no big deal but she heard the same subtle excitement in his voice she knew had to be in her own. “An old one. I don’t know what they’re called but these are those really hard photos they made back in the 1800s.” She turned the page again and caught her breath. “Look!”

  Rob already was and knew immediately who she saw the strong resemblance to. He saw the same. “Beth.”

  “It looks just like her.” Addie stood slowly. She needed to show her aunt. There were others who needed to see it. But Aunt Carrie had to be first. “Let’s go.” She automatically walked over to close the shutters.

  Rob looked wistfully at the book he’d only just begun looking through. It was in French but he knew enough of the language from school to understand pieces of what was written.

  Addie saw his look and understood it. “We can come back tomorrow.” She shrugged. “For that matter you can come back any time you want. You’re family. You don’t need permission or me with you.” She didn’t see the look her words put on his face. If she had she would have understood it. But she was looking at the small lamp on the desk. “You might want to talk to Court about getting a better light in here. You’ll go blind trying to read with what’s in here now.” She walked towards the door oblivious to the look on her cousin’s face. He followed her quietly. Let her words flow through his jumbled mind. She acknowledged what he had only begun to believe for himself. Family.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  “I’m not an expert on clothing styles, not even close, but if I were to guess I would say that this looks like it’s from the late 1800’s or so.” Mary gently ran her finger across the image in front of her.

  “That could easily make it our great-grandmother,” Casey said trying hard to keep her voice steady and calm. They were all gathered around the kitchen table at Mary’s house as they had so many other times before when there was the need to come together. As soon as Rob and Addie had showed Carrie and Court what they’d found phone calls had been made and before long everyone had arrived at Mary’s. Casey looked around the table. Jake had been unusually quiet. That wasn’t necessarily unlike her brother but since the photo in question also looked a whole lot like his daughter she was somewhat surprised he didn’t have anything to say. Beth too had been silent. And had been cautiously sending quiet looks at her father. What on earth was going on there, Casey wondered.

  Before she had a chance to say anything or think of what to say the sound of a knock at the front door broke the sudden silence in the room.

  “I’ll get it,” Addie offered from her place in the doorway between the kitchen and small dining room.

  Moments later she walked back in with Tom. The first thing Casey thought was he didn’t look nearly as pleased as he had the last time she’d seen him when they’d pinned down his connection to the family. The next thing she saw was his almost immediate eye contact with her brother. When she looked in his direction she almost missed his slight nod towards the photos on the table.

  She waited as Tom took a couple more steps to bring him closer to the table and leaned forward just enough to get a good look at the photo facing upward. The slight tilt of his head told her he was checking it out for a specific reason. The following slight and barely noticeable shake of his head aimed at her brother told her it wasn’t what they’d been expecting.

  “Okay,” she said as she looked steadily at her brother. Then at Tom. “What’s up?” And waited silently. It usually worked.

  Jake sighed. If it had been anyone else other than Casey he could have put this off. But it wasn’t and he couldn’t. He glanced at Beth. There was something simmering there too. Something she hadn’t told him about and if he was figuring it right she wasn’t feeling too kosher about that part of it either. Maybe it would be better to get it out in the open so they could all figure out if it meant anything. And one way or another there would be more minds working on it.

  “Tom had an interesting experience when he walked into that ro
om the first time.”

  “Who hasn’t?” Casey said dryly.

  “Yeah. Well besides figuring out that he’s connected to the family he was also provided with an apparently historical view that included a steady flow of images of mostly women.” He glanced at Tom, knew the slight shrug meant it was his ball to toss around for the moment at least. “Most of which had strong family resemblances which makes me think maybe they may have been some of the women responsible for all those books…journals, whatever they are.”

  Beth leaned forward and looked steadily at her father. “And one of them looked like me. That’s why you wanted him to check out this picture.”

  Jake looked to his old friend. The ball had just been passed.

  “Yeah,” Tom answered her softly spoken question. “But not the same as in this photo.” He nodded toward the table. “What I saw was from a much earlier time. But I have no idea when.” He reached toward the photo, turned it so it was easier to see. “But almost dead on her.” He nodded to Beth. “And you.”

  “She was born almost a thousand years ago,” Beth said quietly as she reached out one hand to let her fingers drift over the face she knew was the woman whose home they’d found it in. She spoke so softly everyone around the table had to strain to hear her. But no one said a word. Jake reached out to take her other hand in his. Waited. “One of the oldest books in the room on Summer Street belonged to her. She wasn’t allowed to write. No one knew she could. Just as no one knew that she could read. She was a powerful healer. She saved the lives of many including some she was not meant to. Because of that she died very young. Very painfully.” She closed her eyes on the images that were seared into her mind. Agonizing pain endured in silence that still echoed through the ages. “She was barely twenty when they killed her for being who she was. What she had. And it terrified them. But she knew as they taunted her, the final words she heard before leaving this life for the next, that the man she loved and her children were safe. Would stay safe. And that her daughter and hers to come would live the life she wasn’t allowed.” Beth knew every person around the table wondered how the young girl she spoke of died. Just as she knew none would ask for what she hadn’t offered. Instead she turned her attention back to the woman in the photo. “This is your great-grandmother,” she confirmed for them, something she knew each already suspected.