Autumn Falls

by Delia Latham

  He got out, rounded the hood and pulled his daughter into his arms. She didn’t open her eyes at all, not even when he eased her onto her bed and pulled a light blanket over her shoulders. Russ stood for a moment, staring at the perfect creation that was his little girl. Finally, he kissed her forehead and left her to her nap.

  On the way out, his heart swelling with a fierce love, he set his jaw with new determination. “Don’t worry, sweetie,” he whispered. “I won’t bring anyone into your life who might hurt you like that again. I promise.”

  5

  Autumn tugged her sweater around her shoulders. The early morning air could be pretty cool in Cambria, even in July. Not that she was complaining—it was a welcome reprieve from the scorching, dry heat in Bakersfield.

  Two days had passed since she ran into Dalynn and Russ in West Village. Two days in which she’d hardly thought of anything else, to her intense displeasure.

  Dalynn had captured her heart from the get-go. The kid was sweet and innocent, as a child her age should be, but she was smart too…funny, and totally adorable.

  Autumn loved her job in Bakersfield’s busiest flower shop and greenhouse, but many times, people brought children in and let them run wild. Flowers and potted plants didn’t deal well with being knocked off display tables or uprooted from the soil to which they were attached. Autumn discovered early on that neither the kids nor their parents were usually receptive to her firm requests for less rambunctious behavior.

  Dalynn had turned Autumn’s previous opinion of children on its head. Russ Amundsen seemed a good daddy. His little girl adored him, and it shone like a beacon from her beautiful blue eyes when she looked at him. Russ loved her too—fiercely, as a father should.

  Autumn recognized a good father’s love. Her dad was one of her blessings. He’d kept his sanity during the whole divorce fiasco. Her mother married twice more in the next few years, each new relationship lasting a shorter time than the one before. And through it all, her father never once spoke of Autumn’s mother in a derogatory manner.

  She respected him for that, even though she didn’t understand how he resisted. He had every right to be bitter against the woman who’d destroyed their home.

  Autumn had a feeling Russ would be that kind of daddy too. He was so gentle with Dalynn. He respected her. In the couple of hours they’d spent together that day, the man hadn’t once talked down to his daughter or treated her as if she didn’t have a right to an opinion because she was a child. Nor had he displayed his “rock man persona” in her presence. Around Dalynn, hardness disappeared from Russ’s face and voice, leaving in its place a kind, thoughtful, and disturbingly handsome man.

  With a sigh, Autumn lifted a mug of hot tea to her lips and sipped the slightly cooled liquid. Dalynn’s mommy was a fortunate woman.

  A slight movement in her peripheral vision snapped her head to the side. A blue jay perched on the railing, eyeing her through round, beady black eyes.

  Was it the same one…? Surely not. But something made her think it might be.

  “Hello, Mr. Blue.” She spoke softly, hoping her voice wouldn’t send the little creature soaring away. “How am I supposed to know if you’re the same little songster I already met?”

  Jay! Jay!

  Autumn chuckled. “Well, I know you’re a jay, silly guy. You’re mighty handsome too, with those bright blue feathers of yours.”

  After performing a proud little dance-hop in one direction and then the other, he stopped and fluffed out his plumage, as if to agree with the compliment. Then, abruptly, the blue jay lifted into the air and soared away.

  “Well, goodbye.” Autumn laughed. “Not much on lingering farewells, I guess.”

  Like Russ.

  She huffed out a frustrated, snorting sigh. Why did her thoughts insist on returning to Dalynn’s daddy? He hadn’t spent much time saying goodbye the other day. Just erupted off that tiny bistro chair, uttered a clipped instruction to his daughter, gave Autumn a short nod and a polite “thanks for your help finding a gift”—and then he was gone.

  Jay! Jay!

  The beautiful jay—or his twin—swooped down onto the deck railing.

  “You’re back already? I mean, if you’re Mr. Blue himself. Are you?”

  He kept his round gaze on her and moved a hop or two in her direction.

  “What’ve you got there, little friend?”

  To her surprise and delight, the bird dropped to the deck floor and bounced closer. She hardly dared breathe. He was almost within touch—not that she would take any such liberties.

  He stopped, opened his black beak, and dropped a shiny object on the deck floor before flying to the rail, where he remained.

  “Is that for me?” Autumn bent to pick up the small piece of silver—about the size of a squared-off dime. “Looks like a charm,” she muttered. “Maybe from a bracelet?”

  She slid a glance at the railing. Yes, her feathered friend still perched there, watching her every move. Seeing her gaze on him, he spread his crest and sang out something that didn’t sound at all like a jay.

  “OK, I’m looking, I’m looking.” She chuckled, then returned her attention to his gift. “It’s engraved with something…Love is patient. Love is kind.”

  Jay! Jay! Jay!

  “Now, look here, little dude.” Autumn glared at the bold bird, but kept her voice low. “You are not a lovebird, got that? You’re a blue jay. So if this is you trying to play romance guru, you can just forget it, ya hear?”

  The screen door opened. The jay darted away, and Ceci stepped onto the deck. She covered a yawn, then cradled a large mug of coffee with both hands. “Are you talking to yourself, Autie?”

  “Nope. My friend just left. He brought me this.”

  Ceci peered at the little square of silver. “Looks like it belongs on a charm bracelet or something. Who gave it to you?”

  Autumn laughed. “Remember that blue jay…the one from our first day here?”

  Her friend hiked a perfectly shaped eyebrow. “Of course.”

  “Well, he—or some other pretty bird that looks just like him—came back. Today he brought me a gift.” She jerked her chin toward the charm in Ceci’s hand. “Did you read it? He thinks he’s a lovebird.”

  Ceci laughed. “Seriously? This is rich. The fiercely anti-love Autumn Warren being wooed by a—”

  “Good morning, ladies!” Miss Angie called from the bottom of the stairs. “May I come up?”

  “Of course.” Ceci set her coffee on the railing.

  Miss Angie made her way up the wooden staircase.

  “Can I get you a cup of coffee, Miss Angie?”

  “No, thank you, dear. I had tea with my breakfast. Did I hear something about a lovebird?”

  Autumn laughed, suddenly a little embarrassed, and launched into the tale yet again.

  “Isn’t that something!” Delight painted a delicate, rosy pink into Miss Angie’s face, and a hint of teal into her sky-blue eyes. “May I see your gift?”

  Ceci handed the charm over, and Miss Angie read aloud. “‘Love is patient. Love is kind.’ Why, yes, indeed! Love is patient and kind. That’s one of my favorite Bible verses, from first Corinthians chapter thirteen.”

  She gave the token to Autumn, who held her breath and waited for the onslaught of Jesus-speak.

  But none was forthcoming…except from Ceci.

  “You recognized that as biblical so quickly, Miss Angie. How do you do that?”

  The lady laughed, and despite herself, Autumn felt a little thrill. Their hostess’s smile and her laughter could only be defined as divine…even though the word’s basic meaning made Autumn’s skin itchy.

  “Are either of you readers?” Miss Angie sank gracefully onto a rocker.

  They both nodded.

  Autumn’s heart clenched. The two of them had enjoyed so many good books together. She scowled. Another part of her life that would be lost when her friend moved to Italy.

  Neither Ceci nor Miss Angie seem
ed to notice her moment of melancholy.

  “Well, then. I’m sure you both remember certain, special lines from your favorite books, don’t you?”

  Autumn’s gaze flew to her friend’s. Ceci’s full lips curved upward in a gorgeous grin. Autumn grinned back, and they launched into their shared favorite, in unison, and with an exaggerated cowboy drawl. “‘Life ain’t a puzzle, kid. There ain’t no figgerin’ it out. It’s a buckin’ bronco. Ya just hang tight and ride until it tosses ya on the ground, then climb back up and start over.’”

  Miss Angie laughed and gave Ceci a questioning look. “And that is from…?”

  “Breaking Life. The author, J.D. Karikoff, was unknown until that book hit the charts like a tidal wave and took it all the way to number one on the bestseller lists.” Ceci leaned against the railing, still grinning. “Autie and I read it together. We do that a lot. One of us finds a book we’re excited about, and we take turns reading aloud, usually with a big bowl of popcorn between us, and a fire blazing in the fireplace.”

  “Only in the winter, of course,” Autumn said. “The rest of the year it’s chocolate ice cream. Mmm. Chocolate cookie dough and a good book.”

  “Sounds like a wonderful time of friendship.” Miss Angie spread both hands in a that’s-what-I’m-talking-about gesture. “See, if you truly love a book, you remember what it says. That was a lengthy bit the two of you memorized. That’s how I remember the scriptures. I love the Bible and its Author, so committing special tidbits to memory is not a problem.”

  Here we go. Autumn didn’t really mind if her hostess wanted to go off on a tangent about God. Right now, her best friend stood close enough to touch, her blue-feathered, gift-bearing buddy perched somewhere close by—probably singing his little birdie heart out—and just beyond the tree line to her right, the ocean roared out a powerful harmony. With all that going her way, she could handle anything. Even religious mumbo-jumbo, if it came from someone as sweet as Miss Angie.

  Sliding her hand into the pocket of her sweater, she closed her fingers around the tiny gift from Mr. Blue. “Love is patient. Love is kind.” What did it mean? Anything? Nothing?

  Everything. It means everything.

  She jumped and sat up straighter in her chair. Where had that come from?

  “Autumn?” Miss Angie’s gaze fixed on her, a little crease between her brows. “Are you all right, dear?”

  “Y—yes, of course. I’m fine.” She squirmed a little, and then met her gentle gaze. “The words on this charm thingy, Miss Angie. You said they’re from the Bible?”

  “Indeed they are.” Reaching into a pocket hidden within the folds of her ankle-length, white caftan, Miss Angie pulled out a small, leather-bound book. “I just happen to have a New Testament with me. It isn’t the version I prefer, and I’m not sure where I picked it up.” She shook her head and offered a glorious smile and a casual gesture of dismissal. “But it’s still the Word of God, and it might actually be better if you’re not familiar with the Bible. I’ll read that passage to you, if you’d like. It’s part of a list of traits attributed to love.”

  “Oh, I don’t think—”

  “Please do, Miss Angie.” Ceci squeezed onto Autumn’s chair with her. “We want to hear.”

  Autumn shot her friend a high-browed glare, but she didn’t mean it, and Ceci’s playful smile said she knew that. This place must be doing strange things to her head. Any other time, she’d have walked—no, stalked away and left Ceci to deal with Miss Angie and her Bible. Yet here she sat, actually eager for the woman to start reading.

  “Here it is, then. From first Corinthians chapter thirteen.”

  Autumn almost forgot to breathe. Miss Angie’s voice took on a mesmerizing undercurrent, something haunting—irresistible and captivating. Something… Autumn swallowed hard at the thought but couldn’t shake it. It was something almost not of this earth. Melodic, yet reverent. A song, yet Miss Angie wasn’t singing. Like light and laughter and love all wrapped up in one woman’s beautiful voice. Enthralled, Autumn clung to every word, spellbound. Even if she’d wanted to, she couldn’t have left while her hostess read from that tiny Bible.

  “Love is patient,” Miss Angie said, her words almost a caress of the scriptures she held so dear. “Love is kind. Love does not envy…is not boastful…is not conceited.” She paused and looked up with a smile like pure sunshine before reading on. “Love does not act improperly, is not selfish, is not provoked…and does not keep a record of wrongs.” She glanced up again, and something—sunlight of course, it had to be—reflected off her blue gaze in a piercing beam of golden light.

  Autumn gasped. Beside her, Ceci drew in breath. So her friend had seen it too. Autumn wasn’t going totally bonkers all by herself. She stared at their hostess. Was Miss Angie unaware that she held her audience of two under some kind of spell? Although Autumn didn’t think the lovely woman would like that word—it held connotations that probably weren’t in line with Christianity.

  “Love finds no joy in unrighteousness but rejoices in the truth.” Miss Angie continued to read. If she knew what Ceci and Autumn were experiencing, her soft, modulated voice held no indication. “It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” She looked up, closing the small Bible with a radiant smile. “Love never ends.”

  For a moment, neither Autumn nor Ceci spoke. Autumn couldn’t. Something hard and bulky blocked her throat. She couldn’t swallow it, and she couldn’t draw a breath. She glanced desperately at Ceci, only to find her friend brushing at tears.

  “That was beautiful, Miss Angie.” At least Ceci still had a voice.

  “It is poetic, isn’t it? I love the beautiful, old language used in the King James Bible, but God’s Word is a thing of beauty in any version.” She stood and crossed the deck to place the little Testament on the railing. “I’ll leave this up here, if you don’t mind. Keep it if you like, or just find a place for it in the apartment and leave it here when you go. Someone’s sure to find it useful.” She touched a hand first to Ceci’s hair, and then to Autumn’s. “Have a lovely day, my dears.” Then she was gone.

  Autumn cleared her throat, finally able to free her airway of the weird obstruction, and risked another look at Ceci.

  Her friend sniffled, making no attempt to hide the tears streaming from her striking violet eyes. “Come on, Autie. Let’s get ready and go into town for a pancake, OK?”

  “Yeah, sure. Sounds good.”

  Alone in her room, Autumn removed the silver square from her pocket and read the inscription again. Love is patient. Love is kind. With a smile she didn’t quite understand, she slipped the blue jay’s gift into a pocket in her purse. Her tummy growled, and she hurried into the shower. Pancakes sounded heavenly.

  ~*~

  A couple of hours into the afternoon, Russ parked his truck in the appropriate parking area at the lodge and turned to Dalynn, who could hardly sit still. She’d begged and cried and pouted until he agreed to bring her on this last trip to the lodge for the month. She wanted to visit with Autumn while he worked.

  “Honey, she may not be here. If she isn’t, you come right back to the front with me. Got that?”

  “Yes, Daddy.” Dalynn rolled big, blue eyes. “You already told me a thousand times.”

  Russ chuckled. “Really? Just a thousand?”

  “Maybe ten thousand.”

  “OK, then, you should know I mean it.” He pointed toward the outside staircase that led to the guest apartment. “Go up those stairs, knock on the door, and wait for someone to answer. And don’t forget to—”

  The child held up one hand, palm out. “Daddy. I know. Don’t forget to ask…” She closed her outstretched hand, leaving only one finger still in the air. “If she minds having comp’ny.” Another finger went up. “If she’s too busy to bother with me.”

  Russ huffed at her phraseology, but before he could object, one more little finger joined the first two. “And if it’s OK for me to come in. If it�
�s not OK, I hafta come right back out here with you.” She hiked one brow in an expression so like Linda that Russ’s stomach tightened. “See? I know.”

  He laughed as he rounded the truck and opened her door. “Come here, princess. Your mean ol’ dad needs a hug before you go getting all wrapped up in the pretty lady upstairs.”

  She launched herself into his arms and wrapped both of hers around his neck. Then she pulled back, giggling. “You think Autumn’s pretty.”

  “I—what?”

  “You said ‘the pretty lady upstairs.’”

  He laughed. “I guess I did, didn’t I? Well, she is pretty, isn’t she?”

  She gave a vehement nod, and blond pigtails bounced. “She’s byooootiful!”

  “Well…” Russ closed one eye and twisted his mouth sideways. “I don’t know. Beautiful? Really?”

  Dalynn’s sweet laughter made him want to hold her close to his heart and never let her out of his sight. God help him if anything ever happened to his daughter. “Yep. Really, really, really.”

  “Well, if you say so, I guess it must be true.” He set her down and headed for the pickup to retrieve his tools. “Well, go on, then. Be good, and don’t make Autumn sorry if she lets you come in.”

  “OK.” And she was gone, short legs pumping.

  Russ watched until she reached the top of the stairs and knocked on the door.

  Autumn stuck her head out, waved at him, and she and Dalynn both disappeared inside. Apparently the byooootiful lady was willing to let his daughter take up a little of her time. That said something good about her—not that he needed any further reason to admire the spunky redhead. She had quite a hold on his imagination already.

  6

  Russ’s usual work at the lodge was finished, but he’d promised to set out some bulbs in the back flowerbed, and brought them over from the nursery. Had today’s job been a lengthy one, he would never have agreed to let Dalynn come along. He didn’t want to take advantage of Autumn’s kindness.