Shane's Burden

by Peggy L Henderson

  “Today, we give tribute to a hero and mentor to so many of us. Mr. Mike Weiker was not only our science teacher at Burnt River High, but he was a man who made some of the greatest impacts on my life personally. His dedication to his job, and his genuine caring for all his students got many of us through those difficult years in high school when we’d rather be doing anything else but sit in boring classes all day long. For some of us, he changed our lives. His lesson of "carry on despite adversity" has influenced and impacted me in many areas of my life. When other teachers would ignore or lecture me for not "getting" the subjects they taught, Mr. Weiker encouraged me and challenged me to do my best. Thank you, Mr. Weiker, for the lessons of life and the care that you gave to me and everyone you touched. Your legacy will live on.”

  “Too bad Mason couldn’t be here.”

  Boone’s comment brought Shane back from his thoughts. He tensed. His jaw muscles tightened at the mention of his twin brother, and he cursed silently. It was his fault that Mason was laid up in a rehab center in Salt Lake City. His fault that horse had spooked and caused the accident that left him paralyzed, and –

  “Who’s that with your sister?” Jerry craned his neck at the two women who’d just walked into the diner.

  Shane turned his head to get a better look, glad for the diversion from where his thoughts had been heading. He had enough guilt over what had happened to his brother that he didn’t need to think about it today, of all days.

  Raine was laughing at something another woman about her age was saying. His pulse quickened for no apparent reason. The woman smiled. Her long, blonde hair looked like a sorrel’s flowing tail shimmering in the light and bounced down her back with each step she took. It was as if she walked in slow motion, her long legs hugged by a pair of jeans that fit like a glove. She wasn’t rail-thin like so many other women, but had nice curves in all the right places.

  Shane reached for his beer. He tore his eyes away, even though curiosity ate at him as to who she was. He hadn’t seen her before in Burnt River. Clearly, Raine knew her, or maybe she had simply met her outside. His sister was the type who could strike up a conversation with anyone.

  “Remember when we pulled that senior prank in Tim Thomas’ class and hung all the chairs and desks from the ceiling?”

  Boone laughed out loud at Jerry’s question, who clearly had the attention span of a flea. Jerry set down his beer, coughing as he reminisced. His wide eyes went to Shane, a grin on his face that made him look eighteen again.

  “Weiker caught us and suggested a better way to make sure the chairs would hang properly and not fall on anyone walking in the next morning.” Shane smiled, forcing his attention to his two friends rather than craning his neck to get another look at the blonde with his sister.

  “We thought we’d been caught for sure, and would all get detention,” Boone added. “Weiker predicted Mr. Thomas would have a fit, and he was right. Remember Thomas’ face turned almost purple and he demanded the expulsion of those responsible after he vowed to find out who it was? Good thing he never did. He would have flunked us all.”

  Shane shook his head, a wide smile on his face. The football team had done some wild things, but that had been one of their tamer pranks during their senior year.

  “Mr. Weiker always had a way of turning something negative into a positive. Instead of getting us in trouble, he made us look good by suggesting we volunteer to help take the chairs and desks down again.”

  “I wonder if he secretly hoped that by helping us, it would keep him from getting pranked, because no one ever dared pull something like that on him.” Jerry sucked on his drink, tilting his head back to drain his mug in one long swallow.

  Shane emptied his own mug, then motioned for Evie to bring him another as she scurried past with an empty tray.

  “More than likely he had his classroom booby-trapped each year at the end of term. He was too smart for high school pranks,” Boone added. “Besides, I don’t think anyone wanted to prank Mr. Weiker.”

  Evie returned with their orders, and everyone dug into their burgers. Shane reached for the ketchup bottle. He lifted the top bun from the burger, and coated the patty with ketchup. Satisfied, he reassembled it and took a large bite. He reached for some fries, but his fingers collided with a dainty hand.

  “Thanks for sharing.”

  Shane stared up at the smiling face of his little sister, Raine. She flashed him a wide smile and stuffed the fries in her mouth.

  “Raine, you get prettier each day. When are you gonna go out with me?”

  Jerry’s lips split in a wide grin, and he winked.

  “When pigs fly, Jerry Cooper. You didn’t bother to ask me to your senior prom in high school, so why should I go out with you now?”

  “Are you still mad at me about that?” Jerry held his hand over his heart in a dramatic fashion. “You were just a little sophomore then. Way too young for me.”

  Raine snorted, leaning over the table. “I know I wasn’t good enough for a hot-shot football player like you, since I wasn’t one of the cheerleaders.”

  “You can be my cheerleader now.”

  Raine rolled her eyes. Shane swatted her hand away when she went for more of his dinner. This exchange between his sister and friend had gone on since Raine had returned from college several years ago and Jerry had finally noticed what he hadn’t seen in his sister before.

  The tables seemed to be turned now. Raine had clearly gotten over her high school crush on Jerry, or maybe she simply enjoyed toying with him. Either way, it was a good thing she had no interest in him.

  “Great speech, Shane,” she said, directing her eyes on him. “I know Mr. Weiker was your favorite teacher.” For once, she looked serious.

  Shane raised his beer mug to his mouth so he wouldn’t have to answer. He glanced at her, then at the woman standing next to her. Jerry and Boone were eyeing her with interest, too. He narrowed his gaze for a split-second. He still couldn’t place where he’d seen her before.

  No doubt she was someone from high school, but he couldn’t remember her. The other girls he knew who had shown up for the memorial hadn’t changed so much in ten years that he wouldn’t recognize them.

  “I just wanted to tell you that I’m heading home,” Raine said, snatching some more fries from Shane’s plate. “I’m going to give Alley a ride to her grandpa’s place, and then I’ll be home. I’m sure I’ll be there before you.” She glanced around the table. “No doubt the three of you will end up at the Wicked Waters soon. You’ll be designated driver, I hope?” Her stern gaze rested on Shane with the question.

  He wasn’t going to deny it. Two beers were plenty for him for one night. He had a ranch to run in the morning and no time for hangovers. His eyes lingered on the blonde Raine had called Alley. Even the name didn’t ring a bell.

  He peeled his eyes away and concentrated on his burger. It didn’t matter. She was clearly from out-of-town, one of the many people who’d moved away from Burnt River after high school. People either stayed in this town their entire lives, or they left to go to college or pursue other dreams, and didn’t come home except for the occasional holiday visit with family.

  “I’ll see you at home. I’ll make sure to look in on mom.”

  Shane nodded at his sister, his eyes once again seeking out the woman standing next to her. She was looking at him as if she knew exactly who he was. Shane met her gaze. A faint memory sparked, but it was gone before he had a chance to grab on to it.

  Raine turned, and Alley followed. Shane’s gaze remained on them until they disappeared out the door. He reached for his beer, mentally shaking his head. There had been something in the way she’d looked at him, something that had drawn him in. It was more than her pretty face and sparkling blue eyes, or the way she moved when she walked. Even though she’d smiled with confidence, there was a vulnerability in her eyes, like she was unsure about something or tried to be brave when she didn’t feel it.

  Shane slathered more
ketchup on the rest of his burger. Maybe tonight he could use more to drink. No sense wasting time thinking about a pretty girl he’d most likely never see again. He had a ranch to run and other worries on his mind.

  Chapter 2

  “Well, he was a lot more cheerful than I thought. He’s been really grumpy lately. Maybe the beer helped. I don’t see him drink all that often.”

  Raine Taggart wore a wide and playful smile, but thankfully she kept her eyes on the road. Alley Cramer glanced at her out of the corner of her eye. Maybe accepting a ride from someone she barely remembered from years ago in high school hadn’t been such a good idea, but it had been a quicker solution to get to her grandfather’s place than trying to find a cab in this town.

  Alley slumped back in the seat of the truck. Her muscles were tense from one of the longest and worst days she’d endured in a long time. The car she’d rented in Missoula at the airport hadn’t even made it to the city limits of Burnt River before it broke down. At least she’d had cell service to call for a tow, but it had taken several hours for the tow truck to arrive and take her to the local garage.

  She’d almost missed the reason she’d flown to Montana from New York in the first place. There had been no time to get to her grandfather’s place before the memorial that had been held for one of her favorite high school teachers. Alley had called her gramps to let him know she’d be there right after the memorial. She hadn’t mentioned that she’d need to find a ride first.

  No doubt Gramps would have picked her up, but it didn’t feel right to impose. It was awkward enough already, asking if she could stay with him for a few days. The last time she’d seen her grandfather had been right after finishing her junior year at Burnt River High.

  There had been Christmas and birthday cards each year, and an occasional phone call, but this was the first time Alley had been back to Burnt River since her mother had left the small Montana town and taken her to New York. She’d had enough credits to earn her high school diploma as a junior, and had entered Cornell University at her mother’s insistence. She should have been in high school, enjoying her senior year, and doing things like going to senior prom.

  No, she’d missed out on all that, like she’d missed out on so many other things while growing up. Alley sighed. She’d gotten over all that years ago. Now that she’d returned to Burnt River, it all seemed to come flooding back. She’d pay a visit to her grandfather for a couple of days, then fly back to New York and then Boston to start at MIT.

  Raine Taggart had seen her standing outside the school grounds after the memorial, a suitcase and luggage bag at her feet, tapping her phone to find the number for a cab company. Luckily, Raine had taken pity on her and offered her a ride, saving her another hour or longer of waiting around.

  Alley had briefly talked to Harpur Evans and Sam Collins after the memorial, but hadn’t thought to ask either one of them for a ride. They’d been the only two people during her years at Burnt River with whom she’d had any kind of friendship. They’d stuck together for academic projects, but not much else. Surprisingly, Harpur had also been in New York, and she’d done well for herself as a published author.

  She fought the impulse to reach into her purse for her compact mirror. She must really look a mess. Mentally shaking her head, she brushed some hair from her face. She was thinking like her mother. Who cared what she looked like? This was Burnt River, Montana, not New York City or Paris. She’d gone light on the make-up for a reason this morning before her flight.

  Alley’s hands balled into a fist in her lap. Raine drove down the two-lane country road faster than the speed limit sign indicated. Alley inhaled in an effort to relax. Raine lived in Burnt River, so she’d be familiar with the roads and driving conditions. It had been years since she'd lived here, and Alley’s memory about the drive from town to her grandpa’s house was a bit fuzzy. Back then, she hadn’t paid much attention to the route, since she couldn’t drive, anyway.

  “I think I remember your brother was a bit uptight in high school, too.”

  Alley sniggered to cover up her slight nervousness at being back where she’d grown up. Or was it the anticipation of seeing her grandfather after all these years?

  Raine laughed, her hand casually on the steering wheel of the Ford truck, while her left arm rested on the windowsill.

  “He wasn’t always that way. He used to cause more trouble than Mason and I combined, from what my mom always said.” The smile faded slightly from her face. “Shane changed after he saw our dad die. It really did something to him.”

  Alley glanced at Raine Taggart again. A vague memory surfaced about the sudden death of one of Burnt River’s most affluent and prominent horse ranchers. It had been the talk of the town for several weeks after Christmas of her freshman year. Unlike the death of her own father a couple of years later, who’d barely gotten a mention in the obituaries of the local paper.

  “Shane used to be rather reckless,” Raine continued. “Then Dad passed away, and my brother went into self-destruct mode for a while. My mother was really worried because, at the time, he didn’t seem to care about anything anymore.”

  “So what made him change?”

  Alley glanced at her hands in her lap. Hopefully, Raine wouldn’t see the slight blush on her face. It was ridiculous that she would be blushing, or her heart fluttering. All of a sudden, she was back in high school, a freshman over-achiever with a weight problem, and a crush on a junior. A boy who’d been completely out of her league, because he’d been from an affluent family, he’d been popular, and he hadn’t even known she existed.

  It had been that recklessness she’d seen in him - never acting seriously in his classes, getting teachers riled - that had drawn her to him, because he was everything she envied. That, and he was one of the cutest boys in school. Shane and his twin brother, Mason. Although they were identical, there was something about Shane that made him stand apart from his brother.

  He was exactly the kind of boy her mother had always preached at her to stay away from. Not that she needed to worry about attracting any boy’s attention in high school. With her nerdy glasses, her nerdy wardrobe, her ineptness in social situations, and her weight, what boy would have ever noticed her in the first place?

  Raine laughed softly. “Shane told me that Mr. Weiker was the reason he came around. He was failing biology, and Mr. Weiker had a talk with him. Whatever he said to my brother definitely brought him out of his grief over our dad’s passing, but it also changed him in other ways. He became serious and intense. That focus and drive has stayed with him.” She laughed again. “I’m not sure if I like my brother better this way, or when he was the class clown.”

  Alley stared at the green fields and hills as the truck sped down the road. Mike Weiker had clearly influenced more than a few of his students. He’d been one of the most memorable teachers she’d ever had. He’d paid attention, sometimes in ways that had seemed almost super-human.

  The day Shane Taggart had spoken to her for the one and only time flashed in her mind. She’d collided with him in the hall at school, and he’d been surly and in a bad mood. All she’d managed to do was mumble a quick apology when he’d snapped at her to watch out.

  Not ten minutes later, she’d seen him in the hall coming out of Mr. Weiker’s classroom, but he hadn’t given any indication that he’d even known she existed. Alley had turned to watch him rush down the hall, her young girl’s heart beating faster in response to her silly infatuation.

  When Mr. Weiker had stuck his head out of the classroom and called her name, she’d nearly dropped her books in surprise. He’d looked at her with a knowing smile on his face, his eyes following Shane as he disappeared down the stairs, then returning his gaze to her.

  “Can I talk to you for a minute, Allison?”

  “Of course.” Alley had followed him into the classroom.

  “That’s quite a stack of books.” He’d taken part of her load and set them on one of the lab tables. “Don’t you t
ake any free time for yourself?”

  Alley had shrugged. “With my course load, I don’t have a lot of free time,” she’d mumbled, repeating her mother’s words.

  Mr. Weiker had looked at her, a frown forming on his face. He’d looked almost concerned.

  “I know how much you enjoy your classes, and you certainly seem to excel in all of them, Allison. I was wondering if you’d be interested in doing some tutoring.”

  “Tutoring?” Alley’s eyes had widened. Her mother would have never allowed something like that. It would only take away from her studies. The thought that she didn’t have to tell her mother had brought a smile to her face. She could simply say she was staying after school to work in the library, which would have been the truth, in a way.

  Mr. Weiker had continued to study her in his peculiar way, as if he were calculating something in his mind. “Yes, I have a student who’s falling behind because he’s had a lot to deal with lately. He just needs to refocus a little.”

  “Who do you want me to tutor?” It hadn’t mattered. She would have said yes, no matter what.

  “Shane Taggart. He could use a good tutor.”

  Alley’s heart had jumped out of her chest, and adrenaline had rushed through her, making her legs go weak. She would have said yes to anyone except Shane. Her insecurities had taken over, and panic had set in. She couldn’t even look Shane in the eye. There was no way she could have formed a coherent sentence in his presence, which she’d proven already not fifteen minutes earlier.

  She’d laughed to cover her embarrassment. “I can’t tutor Shane Taggart.”

  Mr. Weiker’s brows had shot up. “Why not? You’re smart and you understand the material better than most of the other students.”