“Umm, sure… I can take them to the stables,” Susan said, trying her best to sound cheerful.
“I really appreciate this,” Kit told Susan a few minutes later as the three walked toward the stables with Sarah holding her mother’s hand.
“Sure, no problem,” Susan lied.
“Sarah saw some of the horseback riders the other day, and ever since then, she’s been begging me to get a closer look. I told Carol about it, so she suggested I bring Sarah over this morning and meet the horses.”
“So, how do you know Carol?” Susan asked, curious.
“We met at a restaurant expo a few years back.”
“Restaurant expo?”
“We hit it off immediately and kept in touch ever since. She’s the one that arranged the cabin rental for us.”
“Umm… yes… I think I noticed you there when I rode by the other day. One of my friends is your neighbor—the Lewis cabin.”
“Oh! You mean Lewis and Clark, minus Clark?”
“Yes, that one.” Susan smiled. “Mr. Lewis thinks that sign is hilarious. Not sure his daughters agree.”
“I noticed many of the cabins have cute names.”
“Yes. People like to name their cabins it seems.”
“Do you have a cabin up here, too?” Kit asked.
“No. I’m just here for the summer, working as a counselor.”
“Well, this is a very peaceful place. I’m glad we came. We needed this time away.”
“Here we are,” Susan announced the obvious when they reached the stable’s gate where Lexi and Andrea were waiting.
“Girls, this is Mrs. Landon and her daughter Sarah. Sarah would like to meet the horses,” Susan explained.
“Girls, please call me Kit.”
“Hello, Sarah.” Lexi dropped to her knee and greeted the small child.
“Hi, Sarah. You like horses?” Andrea asked, leaning down with her hands propped on her knees as she smiled into the little girl’s face.
“Oh, yes!” Sarah squealed.
Lexi put out her hand for Sarah. Before taking it, Sarah looked up at her mother, who gave a little nod. Grinning, Sarah took hold of Lexi’s hand and walked with her and Andrea to the corral to meet the horses.
“They seem like nice girls,” Kit noted as she watched the teenagers lead Sarah closer to the corral, chatting all the way.
“Those two know their way around horses. They keep insisting I go riding with them. I’m afraid if this becomes a daily thing, I’ll have a problem sitting down before long.” Susan chuckled.
“That must mean the girls like you,” Kit said.
“Well, I am flattered they asked me to go with them.”
Near the corral, Andrea took hold of Sarah’s hand while Lexi sprinted back to Kit and Susan.
“I was wondering if I could take her for a ride,” Lexi asked. “We’ll stay in the corral, I’ll have her wear a helmet, and she can sit on my lap. Lady Jane is a real sweet horse, so you don’t have to worry.”
“She would love that. Do you think it’ll be okay? I don’t want to do anything that will get you in trouble,” Kit said.
“I’ll run it past the stable manager first. If it’s okay with her, there’s no problem,” Lexi explained.
Susan silently watched Kit, who was staring at Sarah while trying to make a decision.
“Okay, that would be great,” Kit said at last. “Is it okay if I take a picture? I brought my camera.”
“If you didn’t have one with you, I was going to offer to go get mine,” Lexi said with a grin before sprinting back to the corral to tell Sarah the good news.
“That’s really nice of them,” Kit said, her eyes still focused on her daughter.
Susan and Kit stood in silence as they watched Lexi saddle Lady Jane while Andrea held Sarah’s hand and patiently explained to the little girl what Lexi was doing. When Sarah was finally on the horse, sitting in front of Lexi and holding tightly to the saddle’s horn, she broke into an excited smile and didn’t seem a bit afraid when they started making their way around the corral.
“She reminds me of her father,” Kit said after snapping a few pictures, tears filling her eyes. Susan glanced at Kit and noticed the tears.
“She seems to be enjoying herself.”
“When I was a little girl, I was such a chicken. No way would I get on a big horse, even with someone else. But Sarah—just like her daddy—is willing to try new things.” Kit wiped away the tears that slid down her face. “Excuse me. It seems all I do is cry anymore.”
“Sometimes we just need to cry.” Well, that was lame, Susan told herself after the words left her mouth.
“And sometimes crying is all we can do,” Kit said, wiping away more tears.
“I know I cried a lot after my divorce,” Susan found herself saying, desperately wanting to help the woman she believed she had wronged.
“You’re divorced? Oh, I’m sorry. When I got married I thought it would last forever,” Kit said wistfully. “He was my knight in shining armor. But we never know what the future has in store for us, do we?”
“There are no knights in shining armor,” Susan countered.
“I think my husband was. If things had been different, I think our marriage could have lasted forever.”
Susan eyed Kit curiously. When Kit noticed Susan’s inquisitive glance, she blushed.
“I’m sorry. I guess I should explain. My husband was killed in March.”
“Killed?” Susan stared at Kit.
“Since we live in the same town, I imagine you heard about it. His name was Kevin Landon—he was a Realtor.”
“Oh my god,” Susan gasped. “Yes, I did read about it. My ex-husband is a Realtor, and I remember wondering if he knew him. I’m so sorry.”
Kit smiled sadly, her eyes still on the riders. “Brandon wanted to get me and Sarah out of the city for a while. He said we needed the break, and I think he was right.”
“Brandon?” Susan felt ill again.
“Brandon. He’s my baby brother. Although these days, I feel like he’s my big brother, the way he’s taken care of us. I don’t know what I would have done without him. He’s been there for me every minute. But, I’m not his responsibility. I’ve told myself that when we get home I will find some way to stand on my own two feet. Sarah needs me—and Brandon needs to live his own life.”
“I am so sorry Kit… I had no idea.”
Silently, Susan thought back to her night with Brandon—and the news of Kevin Landon’s murder. If she remembered correctly, the murder had happened the morning Brandon had left her house—which would explain why he hadn’t tried to contact her. He obviously had other, more important things on his mind.
“How has Sarah been handling all this?” Susan’s heart broke for the little girl and Kit.
“She doesn’t understand the finality of it all and keeps asking when her daddy is coming home. She’s become very attached to Brandon. They were close before, yet I’ve noticed she’s latched onto him since Kevin’s death. She went through a period a while back where she started calling Brandon Daddy.”
“She doesn’t do that anymore?” Susan remembered the first time she’d seen Brandon and Sarah together and how the little girl had called him Daddy, which led her to believe he was the father.
“Once in a while—but no, not really. It really bothered Brandon; I think even more than it did me. He pretty much solved the problem by setting aside time for Daddy talks.”
“Daddy talks?”
“Well, that’s what Brandon calls it. He shows Sarah pictures of Kevin and tells her little stories—like how Kevin used to have tea parties with her—jogging her memories. And afterwards he asks, who’s your daddy? And she will always point at the picture of Kevin.”
“Wow… that’s sweet.”
“Yes. My brother is a sweet guy. I keep waiting for him to settle down, but he insists he has no business getting into a serious relationship until he can financially commit.”
“Well, that’s what he calls it. Basically, it means he wants to be in the position to ask a woman to marry him if he falls in love, and that means being capable of supporting her.”
“Sounds a little old fashioned.” Susan couldn’t help but think of Sam and how he had relied on her for primary support after they were married.
“I suppose he is. I am, too. All I ever wanted to do was be the traditional housewife. I know that isn’t politically correct these days. Kevin and I agreed I would stay home—raise our children, be there for Kevin when he came home at night after a long day’s work. It was a simple dream, really. One I thought I’d actually obtained. But all that changed in March.”
Chapter Fourteen
Monday afternoon, Susan found Brandon fishing at the lake. It wasn’t difficult tracking him down, considering Kit had mentioned her brother planned to take Sarah fishing after lunch. He sat on a fallen log, fishing pole in hand, with his back to Susan. A baseball cap shielded his eyes from the sun, and he hadn’t yet noticed Susan’s reluctant approach.
Nearby, Sarah sat on the beach building what appeared to be her version of a sand castle while her bright pink fishing pole lay forgotten in the dirt. She wore blue overalls with a white t-shirt and sandals. A blue bonnet sat lopsided atop her mop of blonde curls.
According to the outside thermometer affixed to a pole near Cabin Five it was almost eighty-five degrees. With the light breeze, Susan thought it felt a little cooler by the lake. The only clouds in the blue sky were fluffy white and non-threatening.
Susan stood quietly, trying to muster the courage to make her presence known. After taking a deep breath she took another step forward, casting a shadow over Brandon.
Startled, he glanced up. Susan stood between him and the bright afternoon sun. She moved to the side slightly. He squinted and then looked back to the lake, to avoid looking directly into the glaring light.
“Hello,” she said.
“Hi, Susan! Want to play in the sand with me?” Sarah called out.
“Umm… not right now, honey. I need to talk to your Uncle Brandon.”
Sarah smiled and went back to her play. Brandon glanced from Sarah to Susan and then back to the lake. He seemed more interested in fishing than hearing what Susan wanted to say.
“I met your niece and sister today at the camp,” Susan explained.
“Yes, I heard,” Brandon said dully, his back to Susan. “What do you want?”
“I need to apologize.”
“What for?” He reeled in his line. The bait was gone.
“I thought you were married.” Susan remained standing. Brandon didn’t appear to be overly interested in what she had to say. Removing a red worm from a carton by his feet, he affixed the wiggly creature onto the hook and cast it back into the water.
“Why would you think that?” He continued to look ahead, away from Susan.
“Well… you said you would call and never did.”
“If I remember correctly we forgot to exchange phone numbers. But I did leave the note.”
“When you said you’d call?” Susan frowned.
“No. The second note on the following Monday. I put it on your door. Explained why I’d be tied up for a while, left you my number.”
“I never got it.”
Brandon shrugged as if he didn’t quite believe her. “Still doesn’t explain why you thought I was married.”
“To begin with, I saw you in the grocery store parking lot with Sarah. She called you Daddy.”
“Where were you?” He looked up at her briefly, then back to the lake.
“I was in the parked car next to your truck.”
“And you didn’t say hello?”
“No, I mean, she called you Daddy.”
“Some little kids call every man they meet Daddy. And even if she was mine, that wouldn’t necessarily mean I’m married.”
“I… well, I just assumed.”
“Yeah, I get that. You assumed a lot of crap.”
“I’m sorry, Brandon. When I saw you up here with Kit, I thought she was your wife.”
“It was in all the papers, Susan. They interviewed me on the news. Even if I hadn’t left the note, I find it hard to believe you didn’t know what happened.”
“I did, but I had no idea it was your brother-in-law.”
“So, what was all that bullshit yesterday? Why didn’t you just come out and say what was really on your mind? What was with the game playing?”
“Game playing? I wasn’t playing games. I was hurt.”
“Hurt? I don’t have time for petty drama queen bullshit.” Brandon reeled in his line and tossed his fishing pole to the ground. He looked up at Susan. “I guess I have a low tolerance for game playing these days.”
Susan felt as if she had been slapped. She didn’t know how to respond.
“You know, Susan,” Brandon continued, his voice low so Sarah wouldn’t hear. “When I first met you, I really liked you. I liked the fact that when we helped you moved you offered to pay us and didn’t come across as a tease who just wanted free help. I liked the fact that you approached me at After Sundown—came right out and said what you wanted. I liked the honesty.
“Since this thing with my sister, I’ve taken a closer look at what I want out of life. There’s so much we can’t control. In an instant, everything can be gone. I thought a lot about you over the last couple months. When you didn’t call me right away, I didn’t have time to question what that meant. I was pretty wrapped up with Kit.
“In spite of that, I couldn’t stop thinking of you, so I went to your apartment again—but you had moved, and no one knew where you’d gone. Later, I saw you driving down the road and I tried to catch up to you—I still wanted to talk to you. But it was pretty obvious to me that you saw my truck. You went out of your way to ditch me.”
“I thought you were married…” Susan said.
“Yeah, I get that. So by some strange act of fate we see each other again, and you totally blow me off like you have no clue who I am. I figure the whole thing is damn awkward, so I don’t say anything in front of your friend. But I can’t stop thinking of you, and figure, if I could just talk to you one more time, I could at least figure out how to get you out of my head.”
“Brandon… I thought you were married.”
“Yes, Susan,” Brandon said impatiently. “I said I get that. What you said to me yesterday, well, let’s just say it worked. You’re out of my head, at least in that way. I’m not sure what I want out of life, but I know what I don’t want. I can’t waste my time with someone who’d rather jump to conclusions instead of coming right out and asking if there’s a problem. Or at least telling me why they’re so pissed at me. Look how much bullshit could’ve been avoided if, when you saw me at the grocery store, you would’ve simply said, Hi Brandon, I thought you were going to call me? Oh, and who is the kid?”
Susan didn’t have a response. Nothing made any sense to her. Why doesn’t he understand? She thought this was going to be easy, that once she explained the misunderstanding, he would accept her explanation, and they could… They could what?
“Come on, Sarah. Time to go home,” Brandon said as he stood up and gathered his fishing tackle.
“Do we have to?” Sarah asked.
“Yes, Sarah. Your mom is baking some cookies, and I know how you love warm cookies.”
Sarah jumped up. “Can Susan go with us?”
“No, sweetie. Susan has to go now. She’s a very busy lady.”
Susan took a deep breath and willed herself not to cry.
• • • •
“You’re telling me the Susan I met this morning—the one who took Sarah and me to the stables—is who you were talking about, the one who didn’t quite measure up?” Kit asked as she dipped her chocolate chip cookie into a glass of cold milk before taking a bite.
“Yes.” Brandon sat next to his sister at the breakfast bar in the c
abin. In the next room Sarah had fallen asleep on the sofa.
“She seemed really nice this morning. I guess she’s divorced. Did you know her ex?”
“No. But he was a Realtor like Kev.”
“Yeah, she mentioned that. So, what’s the deal; did you guys date or something?”
“We went out once. I helped her move.”
“Don’t tell me—you forgot to tie down her dining room table!” Kit teased.
“Ha ha, funny. Nothing flew out of the back of my truck. But she got the impression I was married.”
“Married? I don’t understand.” Kit frowned.
“Apparently, there was a breakdown in communications. We forgot to exchange phone numbers, so I left a note at her apartment, which she claims she didn’t get.”
“Why would she lie?”
“I’m not saying she lied about it.”
“Why did she think you were married?”
“She saw me and Sarah at the store. I didn’t see her. It was back when Sarah was calling me Daddy.”
“Ahh. Well, Sarah does look enough like you to make that understandable.”
“True, but she could’ve asked. I didn’t even know she was there. Instead, she jumps to conclusions.”
“Do you know why her marriage ended?”
“From what I understand, her husband had a girlfriend. Apparently, she walked in on them.”
“Well gee, Brandon, the poor girl has trust issues.”
“Are you taking her side?”
“I’m not taking anyone’s side. But cut the girl some slack. Did you… um… you know?”
“Are you asking me to kiss and tell?” Brandon asked.
“I’m not asking for details. I was just curious; it would explain a lot.”
“Yeah, we spent the night together. A pretty amazing night…”
“Hey, I said no details!” Kit laughed. “Has she dated much since her divorce?’
“Not really. A little perhaps. But… well, I guess I was the first person she slept with since the break up.”
“That poor thing!”
“Well, thanks a lot Kitty,” Brandon scoffed. “While I don’t expect my sister to see me as a sexual object…”
Sundered Hearts Page 9
