by Ali Vali
Cain unfolded the form Muriel had enclosed for them to fill out. “Jeremiah Cain Rath?”
“He deserves to be his own man, so he doesn’t need all of mine. But he also deserves to know that he carries the name of a person his mother and I respect. The name of our friend Cain.”
When Emma walked out holding the baby, she found them embracing. Maddie had just found out how far a kid could spit something out when he didn’t particularly care for it. “You might want to scratch beets off his list of favorite foods, Dad.” She handed him to Jerry and smiled when she saw him wipe his eyes before taking him.
“I don’t much care for beets myself, son, so don’t worry about it.”
What sounded like a giggle escaped Jerry’s mouth, and Emma knew he’d just realized that the word “son” was now part of his vocabulary.
“It’s a wonderful thing, isn’t it?” Emma touched his arm and laughed along with him.
“JC is the best thing we could’ve been blessed with.”
“Found a name you like, huh?” Emma shook her head and laughed. “You don’t have to tell me. Maddie’s already filled me in this morning, and if you ask me, I think you made a great choice.”
“Ready, lass?”
“Can I have a minute?” Emma inhaled deeply when she pressed her face to the softness of the sweater Cain was wearing, loving how quickly Cain’s arms rose to encircle her. When she felt the gentle kiss placed on the top of her head, she smiled.
“Take all the time you need, and tell your father I’m holding him to that visit.”
The wind was still carrying the cold air down from Canada, and Emma stopped at the top step and closed her eyes. As a child she’d loved walking in the big empty fields when the weather was like this and feeling the grass crunch beneath her feet. Even though everything looked dead and withered, in a few weeks the land would undergo another miraculous transformation, bringing with it the varying greens of spring and summer.
When she studied her father, she suddenly realized how much Ross had aged. The thick blond hair she remembered him combing back as he’d lift his cap when he was returning from the fields had thinned and gradually been replaced with more white. His smile, though, had remained the same.
“Thanks for not forgetting your ole dad before you flew off,” he joked. His arms opened, and he hugged her like he hadn’t in a while.
“I wanted to thank you for last night.”
Ross put his fingers over her lips to get her to stop talking before dropping his hands to his side and using the fence for support. “The fact you’re thanking me for that tells me how much I’ve failed you.” He put his hands up again when she began to protest. “No, don’t defend me when it comes to your mother. I shouldn’t have let her be so hard on you all those years and let her have her way with what happened when Cain first came back to you.”
“I had a little to do with that myself, Daddy.” She glanced back to the porch and watched as Cain swung Hannah around over her head. “If you look over there, you’ll see everything worked out just fine.”
“That’s what I wanted to tell you. I’ve spent time with your Cain, and even though I’m years late, you have my blessing when it comes to your marriage. It may not be legal in the eyes of the law, but she loves you and those children more than her own life.”
“Thank you for saying that, and it’s not too late.” She stood next to him at the fence and pointed to the field. “I’m glad we came here to start over, because in a way all this land reminds me of what my life has been for the last couple of years, and it was no one’s fault but mine. The winter’s over, though, and I’m ready to start again.”
“I’m glad, sweetheart, but just remember that if you ever need anything to give me a call.”
“What about you and Mom? Are you going to be all right?”
“Your mom’s going to spend some more time with her brother and his wife. I hope that doesn’t bother you too much, but I’d like to try some of that happiness you keep talking about, and I’m more apt to find it on my own.”
“In that case, give me a call if you need any pointers, and we’ll be waiting for you at the end of April.”
He put his arm around her and started them strolling back to the house. “You’re going to be fine. We both will.”
Before they made it too far, Cain came out to meet them.
“Ross, you want to take the kids out to the airfield for us?”
He nodded before kissing Emma’s forehead and kept on going without her.
“Up for a little walk before we go?”
“I thought you wanted to get going.”
“Oh, I do, but we have time for a little something first. I don’t want to miss getting back to the city before Muriel and her new group of friends, but taking my girl on a walk takes precedence over that.”
Without hesitation Emma took the offered hand, and they started off in silence. After a short distance, Emma guessed where they were going. When they stopped, they were back under the tree they’d sat under when Emma had introduced Cain to the lake between the properties.
“I told you once that life with me would never be boring.” Cain uttered the words softly since there was nothing to talk over but the wind. “And I told you that I was going to love you above all others.” Cain faced Emma and took her hands in her own. “Because I do, I’m going to do my best to keep you safe.”
“You’ve done a wonderful job, love.”
“We’re here not for you to thank me, but for me to start trying to give you as much as you’ve brought into my life.” Cain pointed to the area. “I didn’t forget what you told me about the wishes you made here when you were a little girl, so I made a little deal with your father and Jerry.”
“Tell me, devil, did you include any of your own brand of gentle persuasion in that conversation?”
Cain laughed and pulled gently on her hair. “I bought another farm adjacent to these so they could play with more cows if they deeded me this little bit of land in return.”
“You are interested in cow races, I knew it.”
“I can’t guarantee you won’t find a couple of bovines in your flowers in the morning, but I bought it to build a cabin here so we’d have a place to stay when we come to visit. A place with a bench under this tree so you can sit here and look at the water and make all the wishes you want.”
Emma stood in silent shock, then finally shook her head. “Thank you for doing that and for understanding me so well. There’s something special about this place that I’ve never been able to put into words, but you understood it anyway. I’ll love sitting out here, but I don’t have any wishes left to make.”
“Sure you do. I’m certain you want something.”
“I have two wonderful children and hopefully a third soon.” She put her hands on Cain’s chest and slid her left hand over her lover’s heart. “I have a family of my choosing that loves me.” With her right she cupped Cain’s chin. “All those things were part of my secondary wishes.”
“Secondary wishes?”
“Secondary, as in they came into play after I got what I wished for most of all.” They fell into the kiss Cain started and pulled apart only after they needed air. “I wished most of all for someone to love me, keep me safe, and care about the person I am.”
“Maybe the lake needs tuning, if all it could conjure up was me.”
“The lake knew that my fondest desire in a mate lay in a pair of blue eyes, a tall sturdy frame, and a devilish heart. You talk all the time about the devil inside, Cain, and while that might be true, you’re my salvation and my fondest wish.”
Cain kissed her again as Emma slid her hands to the back of her neck.
“May you always think so, lass.”
About the Author
Originally from Cuba, Ali now lives outside the New Orleans area with her partner. As a writer she couldn't ask for a better, more beautiful place, so full of real-life characters to fuel the imagination. When she isn't writin
g, remodeling, working in the yard, or cheering on the Tigers, Ali makes a living in the nonprofit sector.
Her novels include The Devil Inside, Carly's Sound, and Second Season (2007), all from Bold Strokes Books.
