by J E Grace
She entered the house and found Jonathan busy working. She stood watching him. His muscled frame was hovering over a photo as he adjusted a matboard. Why did it seem he got more handsome each time she saw him?
Samantha couldn’t help but admire his attention to details as he meticulously worked to position his photograph. She couldn’t quite make out the photo, so she quietly walked up to get a closer look.
He sensed her presence and smiled as she approached.
“It’s beautiful. Where was it taken?” asked Samantha. She didn’t recognize the location.
“At the lookout. One of my favorite places on the lake. I do my best thinking there.”
“Since I’m fairly new to the area, I’m not familiar with it. Then, I haven’t had much free time to explore either. Guess I’ll have to change that.”
“You would love it. No people except for an occasional backpacker. It’s a bit rugged though so it will give you a workout,” he said placing the matboard in the frame and securing the photo in it placing a hanger on the back. “Well, another one ready for my opening in Denver.”
“You have a show in Denver. I wasn’t aware that you sold outside of the shop. That’s amazing.”
“They just contacted me a month ago. It was last minute, so I have to rush to get everything together. It should be good publicity for my business though. I’ll be spending a couple of days there to get everything set up.”
“Sounds exciting. I hope you have lots of success with it,” Samantha said following him through the gallery. She watched as he hung his latest piece and was captivated by the beautiful colors of the wildflowers that seemed to come to life in the foreground.
Jonathan stood back eyeing his work and being satisfied with it, went back to frame his next one.
“How many photos do you have to get ready?” asked Samantha curious as to the scope of his show.
“Only another nine,” he said giving her a wide-eyed look as he shook his head. “I better get back to work if I’m going to get these done by the end of the week.”
“I need to get back to the office anyway and get this listing put into the MLS. If you find anything in the journals let me know,” she said as she walked towards the front door.
“Have a nice day, Samantha.”
“Thanks. You too.”
Her curiosity about the McClure Mansion also intrigued him. Maybe it was a common interest that would help deepen their relationship or at least give him an excuse to see her again. There was much more he wanted to learn about her.
Chapter 24
I t was a Wednesday morning, and Samantha awoke with satisfaction. In a short time, she had closed on several properties. She smiled having the pleasure of letting her mother know when she called the next time, which there was no reason to worry about her.
Samantha walked out onto the deck facing the lake. The sun was coming up, and she stood sipping her tea taking in the beautiful sunrise. The air still had a bit of a chill to it.
Shadow Lake was growing on her. She would have to take back the statement that there were no exciting men in Shadow Lake worth pursuing. Jonathan was the exception.
He was handsome, charming, artistic, and intelligent. They had only known each other a short time, but Samantha was starting to have feelings for him. She had prayed for the Lord to help her be professional in her work and had managed to do so, but there was a fluttering in her heart that began every time she was near him.
Samantha noticed Jonathan smiled and his eyes sparkled when he looked at her. She was confident that something was happening between them. A wave of heat traveled through her body just thinking about him.
The closing was on Friday, but there was still the matter of his existing home. Until it sold, he was still a client.
Her mind wandered to a person she didn’t trust. She still hadn’t discovered why and that bothered her. She had an issue being alone with him and was glad they had closed on his house. She still had to pick up her sign and drop off the garage door opener that Calvin forgot when he left the closing. Hopefully, Beverly could take care of it for her.
She would wait a couple of hours, and Beverly should be at the office. That would give Samantha plenty of time for a shower, breakfast and her Bible study.
She wondered if Jonathan was a Christian. They had never really discussed it, and sometimes people get turned off by God when they lose a loved one. She hoped that wasn’t the case. But having a spouse murdered would be a hard one to get over. She imagined somewhere in the back of his mind, he probably still struggled with it.
Samantha checked the time on her cell phone and called Beverly. The phone rang and few times, and she picked up.
“Good morning, Beverly. I need a favor if you have time.”
“I’m only going to be here for about a half hour, and I have to leave to run my dad over to the doctor, but after that I’m free,” said Beverly taking a sip of coffee.
“I need to pick up the sign and drop off the garage door opener for Mr. Benham. I’m trying to avoid him as much as possible.”
“I don’t know why. You’re both single, and Mr. Benham is easy on the eyes. What’s bothering you?”
“He makes me extremely nervous. I don’t trust him. He comes off as a womanizer, and I’m not looking forward to being alone with him,” said Samantha pacing the floor.
“I can’t imagine you not holding your own. You’re a big city girl, and he doesn’t know that. You have an advantage girl.”
“You’re right. I forgot I’m packing. Mace that is. I never leave home without it,” said Samantha thinking she might be making more out of it than it was. “I’ll call when I’m on my way back to the office. Hope everything goes well with your dad.”
“Thanks.”
Samantha poured herself another cup of coffee to settle her nerves. She sat on the sofa and propped her feet up. Why am I so worried about Calvin? It’s not like he has made any advances towards me. But then, there is always a first time, and she decided she would be ready.
~
Calvin’s vehicle sat in the driveway. Samantha parked, picked up the garage door opener from the passenger’s seat and placed the mace in her pants pocket. Calvin stood by the front door.
“Samantha, good to see you again. Come on in,” he said waving at her.
Samantha approached the front door and handed the garage door opener to him. “You forgot this the other day, and I thought you might need it.”
“Thank you, but you didn’t have to make a special trip. I could have stopped by your office and picked it up,” Calvin grinned.
Why does he have to give me that look? “I’m busy and never know when I’ll be at the office. I have to pick up my realty sign anyway,” she said as she turned to walk to the front of the driveway. “I can’t stay.”
He said something which she ignored and kept walking. She gave the sign a yank, and it lifted out of the ground. She turned and headed back to her car and popped the trunk placing it inside.
When she turned around, she came face to face with Calvin. A broad grin crossed his face as he moved in closer, his body touching hers. He put his arms around her shoulders. Then his hand traveled up to her neck, as he ran his fingers through her hair.
She took a deep breath and slipped her hand around the container of mace in her pocket hoping she wouldn’t have to use it.
“Mr. Benham. Let go of me. Don’t make me do something you will regret. I’m leaving now,” she said with as much force as she could muster.
It seemed that her forcefulness didn’t dissuade him. Instead, it seemed to ignite whatever passion he had into a bonfire of emotion. He pulled her into him and kissed her full on the lips pressing down with force.
She pushed with her arms and kicked him in the groin causing him to lose his hold on her. That was when it gave her the opportunity to use the mace.
Calvin grabbed his eyes screaming in pain and calling her every profane word he could muster as he laid on the ground
writhing in pain.
Samantha got into her car and sped out of the driveway as fast as she could and still drive safely. What an outright jerk? That’s it. He can find himself a new agent.
Calvin staggered into the house feeling his way to the kitchen sink. His eyes stung as though someone had poured gasoline into them. They watered, and his vision continued to blur. He wondered how long this stuff lasted. He couldn’t believe the woman had enough gall to mace him. It was the first time a woman had ever turned down his advances. She was a little spitfire, and that fact excited him.
Samantha got down to a pull off in the road and called Beverly. The line was busy. She must be speaking with a client. She hoped it wasn’t Mr. Benham. She knew she had made him angry. What if he files charges against me saying I attacked him? She didn’t know much about him. Maybe it was time she found out more.
Chapter 25
T here were no witnesses, and it would be his word against hers as to what had happened. She decided that she would make out a report and place it in his file in case anything came of it. She wouldn’t put her agency in jeopardy. She had worked too hard.
She relived the incident in her mind. She could still feel Calvin’s lips on hers. She reached over pulling a tissue out of the console and wiped her mouth. It didn’t help. She would need a shower to erase the feeling of his hands on her.
She phoned Beverly again and finally reached her.
“I’ll be back at the office in a few minutes.”
“Samantha, are you, all right?” she asked, sensing an uneasiness in Samantha’s voice. “Did something happen at the house?”
“I’ll explain when I get there. But, yes!” said Samantha disconnecting the call.
She drove the rest of the way thinking to herself that she had been in real estate for the past ten years and never experienced anything like what had just happened. She never had an incident with a client, but a client had killed a realtor in Pigeon Bay. After that, she had decided to carry the mace. She hated guns and wouldn’t consider owning one.
Samantha pulled up at the realty office and parked. She had barely got out of the car when Beverly rushed out to meet her.
“Can you get the sign out of the trunk for me. I need a cup of coffee and a place to sit down.”
“Sure. Go ahead and go in. I’ll be right there,” said Beverly as she opened the trunk.
Samantha walked inside and made her way to the coffee maker. Luckily, Beverly had thought ahead and made a fresh pot. She poured a cup and headed for the break room, plopped down on the couch, kicked off her shoes, and put her feet up on the coffee table.
She could hear Beverly rattling around in the storage room nearby, and a few minutes later Beverly took a seat next to her.
“It must be something awful,” she said looking over at Samantha.
“Yeah, well, it is,” said Samantha taking a sip of her coffee.
“Spill, girl. Don’t keep me in suspense.”
“I ended up using mace on Mr. Benham,” said Samantha shaking her head.
“What happened,”asked Beverly laying a hand on Samantha’s shoulder.
Samantha spent the next few minutes filling Beverly in on all the details of her encounter. Beverly sat in shock as she digested what Samantha was telling her.
“You’re not going to let him get away with it, are you? I mean, clients can’t just try to have their way with someone who is providing a professional service. You never gave him any reason to believe you wanted a romantic relationship. I’ve heard you tell him that you don’t mix business with pleasure.”
“I made him angry. What if he files charges on me? Who is the real estate board going to believe? A new broker to the area or a man with money to back him on a project that would bring lots of jobs to Shadow Lake.”
“That’s why you have to jump on this first. Samantha, you have to file a complaint with the board and refuse to do business with the man. If you wait and Calvin files a complaint, they will wonder why you didn’t come forward first,” said Beverly hugging Samantha. “You’ve worked too hard to build this business.”
“I know you’re right. Get the paperwork for me. I’ll need to do it while the details are fresh in my mind. Not that I’ll forget them anytime soon,” said Samantha following Beverly out to the front office. She wondered how the board handled these things in Shadow Lake.
It was around two p.m. when she contacted the board that handled realtor complaints. She got the address and put the paperwork inside and handed it to Beverly to drop off on her way home. She also gave her a letter addressed to Mr. Benham stating that because of impropriety she would no longer be handling his real estate transactions.
Beverly had just left the office when Samantha’s cell phone rang. It was Jonathan. She had to disconnect her feelings of betrayal by her other client and make sure that it didn’t carry over to him. She knew in her heart that Jonathan has principles and that he would never have done anything to make her distrust him. Funny how two men could be so different. She didn’t know Jonathan that well either but somehow, she felt that because of the hurt from his past, that he was more sensitive about people’s feelings.
Jonathan had finished looking through the journals and had discovered some information he thought Samantha would be interested to know. Now, she wondered if it was necessary with Mr. Bonham out of the picture, but then she might be able to get the listing, and he wasn’t the only investor out there.
It only took a few minutes for her to arrive at Jonathan’s house. She walked through the gallery and went back to the framing room. He wasn’t there. Then a familiar male voice called out from upstairs.
She swung around and started climbing the stairs. Upon reaching the top of the landing, Jonathan stepped out of the living room.
“Hi. Have a seat. I think you’ll find this very interesting,”
She entered the living room which is now piled high with packing boxes. She sat on the sofa, glancing over at Jonathan who had a stack of journals in his lap.
“Were you able to find anything out with your research?”
“I was unable to find any clues as to what happened to Robert McClure Jr, although I did read where Robert’s brother and sister were deceased. A murder and an accident. It seemed that living at McClure Mansion brought the family nothing but heartache. Even Robert McClure, Sr’s wife, was so depressed that she also died,” said Samantha. “So sad.”
“It’s a sad story, but you haven’t heard the worst of it. As I read my mother’s journals, She was friends with Robert Sr.’s wife. Her husband was not an honorable man. The journals talked about dealings with some investment group that controlled everything Mr. McClure did,” said Jonathan shifting in his seat before continuing. “They provided the funds, he did the transactions, and for that, he was well compensated. My mother seemed to think that his death wasn’t an accident,” he said showing her the journal entry. “She seemed to think he got murdered.”
“How about some coffee? There is quite a bit to go over,” asked Jonathan.
“Sure. I’ll just keep reading if that’s okay. It’s fascinating information.”
Jonathan came back with two cups of coffee and sat down handing her one. Samantha set the journal aside, picked up the cup and took a sip. “Did you run across any entries that told what they did with the property?”
“Not really. Just a notation that Robert Jr. had left for Denver and the place sat empty for quite awhile. Robert married and had two children, and they returned to the mansion. Then for some reason, they had packed up and left again. Mom mentioned that they had turned over the mansion to the stable manager, Edward Benham. No mention of whether they signed it over and walked away or if he just lived there to take care of the place,” said Jonathan noticing a change in Samantha’s expression.
Cold chills ran up and down Samantha’s spine, and the color drained from her face when he mentioned Edward’s last name.
“Samantha, are you okay? You look pale,” a
sked Jonathan getting up to sit next to her.
“I’m okay. It’s just when you said Edward’s last name I immediately thought of Mr. Benham. Surely, they aren’t related,” said Samantha trying to hide her emotions as a tear slid down her face. The incident from earlier that day with Calvin was still fresh in her mind.
Jonathan watched the tears streaming down her face as she quickly tried to brush them away. She tried turning her face away from him to hide her feelings which were coming to the surface. The last thing Samantha wanted to do was break down in front of him.
Jonathan scooted over closer to her, lifting her chin, and those gorgeous green eyes connected with hers, and she could no longer hold it together. She broke down sobbing.
Jonathan reached over pulling her up into his strong arms. She could feel the warmth of his body and the smell of his cologne which had a woodsy odor.
For a short time, she felt safe and forgot all about not wanting to get close to another man, but then he wasn’t any man- maybe he was the right man.
Jonathan pulled her away from him and kissed the top of her forehead. It was a gentle kiss. Samantha enjoyed the feel of his lips on her skin, and it created a tingle where he had touched her.
Their eyes met again. “I know there is more to this than just a man’s last name. Do you want to talk about it? I’m a good listener, and I promise not to judge. I leave judgment to the Lord,” he said with a smile that told her he cared about her and that he was a Christian.
Chapter 26
S amantha took a deep breath and calmed herself. She wasn’t prepared for what had happened and knew she could trust Jonathan but was not sure if she could share something so personal.
“I had an incident today while I was working. Edward’s last name triggered something. Could I bother you for some water? My throat feels dry.”
“I’ll be right back,” he said as he made his way to the kitchen. She heard the refrigerator door open and close, and in a minute, he was seated beside her handing her bottled water.
