3 The Ghost at the Farm

by SUE FINEMAN

  Andrew hung his head. If it wasn’t for this deformed foot, he’d be the brother going to war, and Matthew would stay on the farm. With their parents both gone, Matthew was the only family Andrew had left, and he didn’t want to lose him.

  “I don’t want Betsy and Annie staying out here alone. If you can’t stay on the farm, take them into town until I get back.”

  “I’ll be here for them, Matthew. I promise you, I’ll take care of them until you get back.” As much as he hated farming, he’d do it if he couldn’t get work in town. Someone had to pay the taxes and feed the family.

  A lot of good men were dying in the war to end all wars. Andrew prayed his brother wouldn’t be one of them.

  Charlie shook Andy, who realized he’d gone back to Andrew’s time again. At least he was remembering those episodes now. If only he knew what issues he had to resolve from Andrew’s time.

  “Don’t scare me like that, bro,” said Charlie. “Where were you?”

  “In the past. It must have been right before Andrew was killed. His only brother got notice to report for duty, and he knew he’d end up fighting the Germans.”

  “World War II?”

  “No, the first world war. They wouldn’t take Andrew, so they drafted his brother. Andrew promised Matthew he’d take care of the farm and Matthew’s wife and little girl, but he was dead before Matthew left.”

  Charlie cocked his head. “Are you sure about that?”

  “Charity wrote in her diary that Andrew didn’t show up for work—she didn’t know then he’d been murdered—and Andrew’s brother came looking for him. That was in November, and according to the vision I just had, Matthew had to report for duty on December second.”

  Shaking off the vivid scene, Andy took a deep breath and looked around. They had corn to harvest. “We’d better get busy.”

  “No shit,” said Charlie. “There’s enough corn here to feed this family forever.”

  Andy snorted a laugh. “Not the way you eat.”

  <>

  Julie woke to sunshine streaming through the bedroom window. She rubbed her eyes and glanced at the clock. Nine o’clock. Andy must have left hours ago.

  By the time she had a cup of coffee and took a hot bath, Andy’s mother had arrived. Julie still wore Andy’s robe when she opened the door. “Hannah, I didn’t expect you so soon.”

  “I’m early. I thought you might need some help this morning. How are you feeling today?”

  “Sore and grumpy. The tape is making my skin burn, I can’t get my bra fastened, and I’m worried about Andy.”

  “I’m worried, too. I hope that fortune teller was wrong. Come on, I’ll help you with your bra and change your bandage.”

  Julie needed mothering at that moment, and Hannah didn’t disappoint. She gently changed the bandage and put the tape in a different location, so the skin wouldn’t be so irritated.

  Hannah helped her with her bra, and Julie finished dressing. She was anxious to see how Andy was doing on the farm. He’d been so good to her, giving her a safe place to live and showing her so much kindness. Although he had a strong body, there was a gentle, endearing quality to him she admired. He talked about her virtue as if it was something precious, yet she wasn’t sure if he brought her to his home because he cared or because he felt guilty because she cut her arm when he punched Brent. Julie didn’t have any doubts about the way she felt about him. She was falling. Hard.

  As they walked out to Hannah’s car, Julie looked around for Brent’s car, breathing a sigh of relief when she didn’t see it. She didn’t want that creep following her out to the farm. Did he have to go to court and answer to a judge this morning, or had the cops chewed him out yesterday and let him go? If he’d leave her alone, it wouldn’t matter to her if he went to jail or not. But Brent wouldn’t give up and go away. He’d decided she belonged to him, and like any other possession, he didn’t want anyone else touching her.

  Brent didn’t know she was staying with Andy, did he? No, of course not. How would he know?

  Julie pointed the way to the farm and Hannah pulled into the driveway. As they stepped out of the car, the maple leaves ruffled in the breeze and bright sunshine warmed Julie’s face. In spite of Andy’s past life here, she felt more at peace on the farm than in the city. Yet she wouldn’t want to live out here, isolated from everyone and everything familiar. Andy probably couldn’t even get pizza delivered out here.

  “Pretty barn, but the house…” Hannah sighed. “What a shame.”

  “It’s beyond saving, filled with mold and termites. I just hope they haven’t been eating the barn, too.”

  Hannah pointed at the barn. “Oh, look at the puppies. They’re so cute.”

  Julie smiled. Their eyes were open, but they were still a little unsteady on their feet. Their tails wagged, the white tips a blur as they scampered over to greet Julie. She scooped up one puppy and cuddled it while the others played at her feet. They’d be old enough to go to new homes soon.

  Otis walked out of the barn, and Julie introduced Hannah. “We brought lunch.”

  “That’s mighty nice of you.” He motioned toward the fields. “The boys are still out in the field, but they should be in shortly with another load of corn.”

  “How are they doing?” Julie asked.

  “Okay.” He nodded. “They’re doing okay. The combine is tricky, but Charlie figured it out pretty quick. You’d think he’d been farming his whole life. Andrew knows what he’s doing with the corn, but he’s not comfortable with the machinery.”

  Julie wondered if that was because he’d slipped into the past again, into Andrew Jefferson’s time. Maybe he needed to go back to learn something, but she didn’t want him to stay there. In the short time she’d known him, she’d grown to depend on him to help her through a scary time in her life. But he was having a rough time, too, and at this moment his life was scarier than hers.

  Hannah reached over and rubbed Julie’s back. Julie felt warmth and concern in her gentle touch. Growing up in a nurturing family had shaped Andy’s character. Julie loved her parents, but her mother wasn’t anything like Hannah Kane. Mom was more concerned with money and status and appearances.

  “Here they come,” said Hannah. The men drove an old pickup pulling a wagon filled with corn. Andy hadn’t shaved again that day, and he was looking mighty sexy with his scruffy beard. He’d tied his collar-length hair back off his neck with a strip of leather, and his face glowed from spending the morning in the fresh air and sunshine. She wanted to climb into the hayloft with him and make love, but not with his mother here.

  Julie rode with Andy as he drove the load of corn to the grain elevator down the road. “Tired?” she asked.

  “Yes, but it’s a good tired. I can’t believe Charlie. He’s working his ass off out there without complaining.”

  “What kind of work does he usually do?”

  “He hasn’t held a job for over three months since he got back from Iraq. He’s a great mechanic, but he doesn’t want to do it full time, says women don’t like guys with grubby hands. He tried bartending and spent more time flirting than working. Dad got him a summer job coaching with the Parks Department. He loved coaching, but it’s not full time work. He’s a good teacher and he loves kids, but he doesn’t have a college degree, so he can’t teach sports or PE in a school.” Andy shrugged. “He’ll figure it out one of these days, find something he loves to do.”

  Julie waited until they finished delivering the corn before asking, “Did you have any trouble out there?”

  “You mean did I turn into Andrew Jefferson? Yeah, I went back a couple times.” His mouth turned up a little. “Andrew had never seen a combine, so it was an interesting morning.” He leaned in, smelling like sunshine and corn and something uniquely Andy, and kissed her.

  His prickly beard scratched her face, but she wasn’t about to complain. Andy’s kisses made her body long for more than a kiss.

  “Mmm. It isn’t just the tractor that’s sexy
. It’s the man who drives it.”

  Andy grinned. “Otis?”

  “No, silly. My scruffy hero.”

  He chuckled and started to kiss her again, but someone blew a horn behind them. Another farmer with a load of corn.

  They returned to the farm and ate lunch sitting on the sagging front porch steps.

  A man drove up, and Andy leaned over to Julie to say, “That’s Billy.” He had Donovan’s blond hair and blue eyes, but his and Andy’s features were very similar. Definitely brothers.

  Billy squatted down to pet the puppies.

  Andy said, “Take two. They’re small.”

  “Yeah, they’re small right now, but they won’t stay that way.”

  “Better yet,” said Andy, “bring the kids by and let them pick out which ones they want.”

  Billy scooped up the biggest, friendliest one of the bunch and looked under it. “This one is a male.” He checked all the others. “Three males and two females, all fat and happy. Which ones are you giving away?”

  “I’ll take one,” said Charlie. “I don’t care which one. They’re all cute.”

  Billy looked up at Julie. “Which one do you want?”

  She shook her head. “I don’t have a place to keep a puppy.” She had to call her landlord and give notice she was moving out. Then she had to find a new place to live. A safe place where Brent couldn’t get to her.

  Otis said, “The neighbor down the road has the sire. He said he’d take one of the males.”

  “After they’re weaned,” said Hannah. “They need to stay with their mother a few more days, and then they need to be wormed and have their puppy shots before they can go to new homes.”

  Andy looked up at Julie. “I’ll keep a puppy for you.”

  She shook her head and wished she had a house of her own and a puppy to love. Four years out of college, and what did she have to show for it? A bank balance scraping bottom, no home, and a man stalking her.

  <>

  Brent had to spend the night in jail and then see a judge. His attorney advised him to plead guilty, apologize for the trouble he’d caused, and throw himself on the mercy of the court. “If you do, you’ll probably get a suspended sentence and a fine, but you won’t have to spend another night in jail.”

  He definitely didn’t want to spend any more nights in jail. He didn’t sleep at all last night. The thin, lumpy mattress smelled rancid, and another prisoner snored and hacked all night. No privacy at all, even for the bathroom. Then there were the guards looking in every few minutes.

  After pleading guilty and apologizing to the court, Brent got a stern lecture and a suspended sentence. The judge ordered him to stay away from Julianne Tandry, her customers, her job, and her apartment. If he didn’t leave Julie alone, he’d have to serve two years in the River Valley jail.

  “Yes, sir,” he said to the judge, but Brent was already planning how to get Julie alone without a Kane brother interfering.

  Brent paid his fine and court costs, then drove to the house he’d bought three months ago, after he started dating Julie. He’d been saving it as a surprise, a wedding gift for his new bride. He’d had some new landscaping put in, including a high fence around the property. A contractor had installed a new kitchen and luxurious master bath, they’d painted inside and out, and Brent bought all new furniture. The house was as sleek and modern and up-to-date as any home in the city. The decorator he’d hired had furnished it with new linens and dishes and everything else he and Julie needed to set up housekeeping after their wedding. All they had to do was move in and live there.

  Walking through the house, he was pleased with the way it looked. After living in his mother’s extravagantly furnished mansion, this house was like a breath of fresh air. Colorful abstract paintings hung on the walls, pieces he’d chosen to highlight the minimalist look of the rooms. He thought about moving in now, before the wedding, but he’d rather wait until he and Julie could move in together.

  Picturing Julie’s smiling face and knowing how much she’d love living here with him, Brent called Olivia Tandry. “Have you heard from Julie today?”

  “No, have you?”

  “I saw her yesterday at the office. I told her to call you about the wedding.”

  “Well, she didn’t call.”

  “We decided to have the wedding on New Year’s Eve. I have a big surprise for her after the wedding. Can you keep a secret?”

  “Of course I can. What is it?”

  “A big house on Manor Drive.”

  Olivia’s gasp said she was impressed. “Julie will love it, Brent. She’ll just love it.”

  Yes, she would. She’d love the house, and she’d love him.

  For better or for worse.

  For as long as they both shall live.

  <>

  Before he went back to work in the corn field, Andy took his mother aside for a private talk. “I don’t think Otis can take care of himself much longer.”

  “I’ll call the hospice and see if they have a room available.”

  “He wants to stay here on the farm, Mom. Don’t they have a visiting nurse, someone who can come out every other day or so to check on him? I can buy his groceries, but I have a job. I can’t stay out here and take care of him.” Andy had taken a week off work to help harvest the corn. He had another two weeks of vacation coming, but he’d need that time to work on the new house.

  “I’ll talk with him and see if he’ll accept help,” said Mom. “If so, his doctor will have to be involved.”

  “Understood. He reminds me of Pop, and I hate to see him in pain like this.” Andy’s grandfather was a crusty old guy who died when Andy was still in high school.

  Mom gathered the sandwich wrappers and stuffed them in a trash bag. “I’ll see what I can do.”

  Andy didn’t have another vision that day, but the promises Andrew made to Matthew haunted him. Andrew’s family didn’t know he’d been murdered. They only knew he didn’t come home. Since they didn’t know, Matthew had no way of convincing the Army his family needed him on the farm.

  There were no men left to farm the land, provide for Matthew’s family, or keep the farm out of the hands of the bank. And no one to comfort Matthew’s wife and daughter when they got the news he’d been killed in France.

  Was there a message in there somewhere for Andy, something he needed to resolve before he ended up like Andrew? He listened to Billy and Charlie talking and to the sound of the combine chewing at the corn and knew the answers were here in the fertile soil of the Jefferson Homestead. In the house they’d lived in.

  And in Andy’s dreams.

  When Charlie went to fight in Iraq, Andy felt like he was missing a part of himself. Thank God his brother came home in one piece. In spite of their differences, they’d remained best friends.

  Like Andrew and Matthew.

  Chapter Eight

  After Hannah dropped Julie off at Andy’s condo, Julie checked her phone messages. Aside from a call from her mother, the messages were all from Brent, demanding she call him and tell him where she was. Yeah, right. As if she wanted to talk with him.

  Julie punched in her mother’s number. “Hi, Mom. What’s up?”

  “Brent said you were going to call me about the wedding plans.”

  Groaning inwardly, Julie said, “I told you there wouldn’t be a wedding, and I also asked you not to speak with Brent again.”

  “I don’t understand, Julie. The man loves you and he bought you this wonderful present.”

  “What present?”

  “He said it’s a surprise, a wedding gift. I know you’re just going to love it.”

  Not if it came from Brent. “Is Dad there?” Maybe she could get him to listen to reason, since Mom wouldn’t.

  “He’s on the golf course. Now, about the wedding. Brent said New Year’s Eve, but I’m not sure we can find a—”

  “Mom, please listen to me. I’m not going to marry Brent. The last time I saw him, the police took him away i
n handcuffs.”

  “Why?”

  “Because he…” She sighed. “It doesn’t matter what he did. I don’t ever want to see him again.”

  “But honey, he’s such a good catch.”

  “Good catch?” Why wouldn’t she listen? “The man has a skewed sense of reality. He thinks he owns me. Why would I marry a man like that?”

  Before her mother could respond, Julie said, “I have to go. Please, please don’t speak with Brent again, and for God’s sake, don’t let him in the house. The man is sick. Do you understand? He’s crazy.”

  “But he’s rich and he loves you. He bought you a house.”

  “A house?” She had to be kidding.

  “Oh, darn it. Now I’ve spoiled his surprise.”

  Julie took a deep breath and willed herself to speak calmly. “Does it matter to you that I don’t love him? Does it matter that he’s assaulted me, that he’s stalking me, that he tried to kidnap me? Do you care that he’s mentally unstable? Or don’t you care about me?”

  “Don’t you speak to me in that tone of voice, young lady.”

  “Goodbye, Mom.” Julie was so angry she threw her cell phone into the chair across the room. Brent had told her mother what she wanted to hear, and she lapped it up like a kitten with a bowl of cream.

  Had he really bought a house? With his money, he could afford a house in the best part of town, but she didn’t care where the house was or what it looked like. It could be the biggest, fanciest house in the city and she wouldn’t live there.

  Julie paced and steamed for several minutes, upset by the way Brent was using her gullible mother and even more upset with her mother for putting money over love. Money over everything. Mom had grown up poor and spent most of her adult life trying to compensate. She lived in a beautiful new home, but that wasn’t enough. Would she ever have enough?

  After she calmed down, Julie called her landlord and gave notice that she was moving out at the end of the month. She couldn’t move anything until her arm healed and she got a commission check. Where would she go? Andy had been nice enough to let her stay in his condo for a few days, but she couldn’t mooch off him much longer. As soon as she got her next commission check, she’d start looking for another place to live. Someplace with good security.