Love on the Horizon (A Northern Woods Novel)

by Roberts, Charliann

  “I know. I’ll make sure he knows exactly what she did and everything she said to Mariah. Furthermore, I’m going to tell him about the scene Anya tried to pull off when she came into my office. He won’t like it, and I’ll try to break it to him calmly.”

  “Okay, I’ll send him in. Good luck.” He touched the brim of his black cowboy hat and left. The minute the door closed behind him, the phone rang.

  “Colburn Stables.”

  “Mornin’ Nick. I’m just calling to let you know I won’t be in until noon.”

  “What’s up, Jake?”

  “I have to run Anya in to the doctor’s office.”

  “Oh, has something happened?”

  “I really don’t have time to explain now, Nick. I’ll tell you all about it when I come in at noon.”

  “I thought she’d been fine when the police report was written up. Does there appear to be another problem?”

  “I’ll explain it all later, Nick. She told me exactly what happened. We have to leave immediately, or we’ll be late.”

  “You stop in at my office first thing, Jake. We need to talk.”

  “I will, Nick. Hopefully, it won’t take long."

  Nick hung up the phone. With his elbows on the desktop, he placed his head in his hands.

  * * *

  After completing payroll, Nick called Mariah.

  “Hi honey, how are you feeling?”

  “I still have a headache; otherwise I’m fine. All I have to do is look at our two precious angels, and I feel marvelous. How is Nicky holding out?”

  “He’s very anxious for mommy and his little sisters to come home. He was so excited when I showed him the pictures.”

  “You tell him the three of us miss him and you too, honey.”

  “I’ll be in to see you in the early afternoon. Bess is on her way to visit right now. She should be there any minute. When she returns, I’ll head over. I love you, sweetheart.”

  “I love you too.”

  He replaced the receiver and looked up from his desk. Jake was leaning against the door frame and Nick waved him in. Apparently, he’d been listening to his conversation with Mariah.

  “Have a seat, Jake.”

  “I took Anya to the doctor for a pregnancy test. That’s why she wanted me with her.”

  “And?”

  “It was negative, and she was disappointed. I told her we should wait. I thought she was taking the pill. I was quite surprised when she announced to me that she was pregnant. How is Mariah? Are the babies okay?” he asked, with a look of concern.

  Nick laid his arms across the desk, his fingers laced together, as he sat and carefully thought of what to say. When he finally decided there was no simple way to put it, he told Jake everything that was in the police report and all that happened to Mariah. He also informed Jake of the lies Anya told Mariah at the café.

  Jake looked up, and his expression clouded with disbelief. He stood, his face filled with a look of anger.

  “Sit back down and listen to me, Jake.”

  “That’s not true. Mariah must have misunderstood her,” he replied sharply. He shook his head vehemently and lowered himself into the chair. “Anya informed me that Mariah reached over, grabbed the steering wheel and the car skidded over to the opposite side of the road and into the ditch.”

  “Jake, she’s lying to you."

  “I don’t believe that.” Again, he stood, placed one hand at the back of his neck and slid the other into his pocket. He slowly moved his head back and forth. “Anya would never drive recklessly with Mariah as a passenger. She wouldn't say things like that to Mariah either. She likes her; they’re good friends.”

  “You’re wrong, Jake. You may as well head back home and get matters straightened out with your wife. I can’t have you working with the horses while you’re upset. I’ll put this down as a personal day off.”

  Jake exhaled a deep breath, then pulled the door open and left without another word.

  Nick shook his head. He wasn’t able to tell Jake about Anya’s flirtatious activity toward him.

  * * *

  “It’s so good to be home,” Mariah said, after eating a quiet dinner. Bess had prepared her favorite: country-style ribs with twice-baked potatoes and corn-on-the-cob. Bess was now giving Nicky his bath; with their tummies filled, the twins had finally dozed off. Nick and Mariah were sitting on the sofa, relaxing in front of the warm fire.

  “The look of wonder on Nicky’s face when he saw the twins, it was such a breathtaking sight,” Mariah whispered.

  “He truly loves his siblings. He’s going to be one proud brother. I can just see him, protecting them, drilling each and every one of the boys who wants to take them out on a date.” He laughed softly, and Mariah snuggled up to him with a smile. The fire seemed to have him mesmerized, and she watched as he quietly stared at the flames.

  “What’s on your mind?”

  “Oh, just thinking about Jake; Anya has warped his judgment. She has him so wrapped around her finger he’s lost all control of himself. She is a very manipulative woman.”

  “I don’t understand. Why would she have wanted so badly to come to our country and then pull such underhanded schemes?”

  “Money, Mariah, money and citizenship. Oh, don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of decent women from all over the world who come over as mail-order brides. However, Jake was one of the unlucky men. I had a bad feeling, right from the beginning.

  “Well, let’s get to bed, sweetheart. This is your first night home with the twins, and you need some rest before they wake up for their next feeding.”

  “Yes, you’re right. I’m tired. I’d like you to come in and cuddle. I missed you.” She leaned her head back and gazed into his eyes.

  “I missed you too Mariah.” They looked at each other, smiled, and their faces glimmered with love. Nick stood and held his hand out to her, gently helped her up, and they walked to their bedroom. Nick was so very thankful that Mariah and the girls were safe and sound.

  Chapter Eighteen

  “That’s a great idea, Sarah, let’s do it. It’s a beautiful summer day. With our men and boys out camping, I’ve been bored.”

  “I’ll pick you up in an hour. Have Angie and Allie ready; they’ll enjoy a picnic. We’ll go to the park next door to the Pine Cone Café. This being the beginning of summer, it’ll be beautiful. They’ve landscaped the area around the pond with trees and grass, and ducks are swimming in the water. It really is a site to see. They’ve also added a playground. The twins will have fun.”

  Mariah laughed and pointed out to Sarah that they’re only four months old. “As a matter of fact, they’re four months tomorrow. Before we’ve even walked halfway around the pond, they’ll be sound asleep.”

  “Good, then we can enjoy ourselves. We’ll be able to talk until we run out of things to say,” she added. “I'll pick you up in an hour.”

  Mariah and Sarah had been best friends through high school and made it a point to see each other as frequently as possible. After they’d finished with their picnic lunch, they walked the twins along the sidewalk, circling the entire pond, and then sat down in the grass to rest.

  “I need to use the restroom,” Sarah said. She stood and headed over to the building nearby. “I’ll be right back,” she yelled over her shoulder.

  The twins were sound asleep. Mariah sat and waited on the grass next to the stroller, then leaned back and tipped her face toward the sky. She enjoyed the warmth of the sun and the light breeze carrying the fresh scent of the recently mowed lawn.

  * * *

  When Sarah opened the door to exit the restroom she stopped short. She could hear a conversation outside of the doorway. She left the door ajar, just far enough to see a woman, who was leaning against the wall, a cell phone in one hand, while eating a sandwich from the other. Apparently, she was speaking to her boyfriend. Sarah listened closely.

  “Maybe I should come clean. I’m sure he knows something already. I’m gett
ing tired of this game, honey. I know we planned our future well ahead of time, conspired very carefully; but I miss you so much. I want to be home with you. When will this be over?”

  Sarah quietly walked out of the restroom and noticed a wedding band on her left hand. The woman became aware of Sarah, quickly turned away from her and spoke softly into the phone, while she walked over to a picnic table to continue her conversation.

  Sarah hurried over to Mariah, sat next to her on the grass and tapped her on the knee. She told her about the discussion she overheard.

  “Shame on you, you were eavesdropping.”

  “But look at her, Mariah.” She nodded toward the woman sitting at the picnic table.

  “I’m not going to be nosey, Sarah. That isn’t nice. Maybe she’s having marital problems, but that’s none of our business.”

  “Hmm… she sure is pretty. She has beautiful auburn hair and a fantastic figure. I feel sorry for her husband.”

  Mariah finally could stand it no longer. She slowly moved her head a bit; just enough to see what Sarah was so concerned about.

  “Oh my God,” she gasped and sucked in a sharp breath. She turned and quickly began to pack their items in the bag that hung on the stroller, while keeping her back to the woman.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “We have to get in the car, Sarah, hurry,” she whispered. “I’ll tell you when we’re out of here. Please, help me with the twins.”

  When they turned the corner and were out of sight, Mariah let out a sigh of relief.

  “Now tell me what’s wrong. Do you know her?”

  “That was Jake’s wife. Her name is Anya.”

  “No way! Are you sure?”

  “Positive, and from the conversation you heard, Nick had been right all along. Their marriage was a setup. Oh, poor Jake. Tell me again exactly what she said.”

  “She said, ‘Maybe I should come clean. I’m sure he knows something already. I’m getting tired of this game, honey. I know we planned our future well ahead of time, conspired very carefully; but I miss you so much. I want to be home with you. When will this be over?’ That was all I heard. She then turned in the opposite direction, and I walked out of the restroom.”

  Mariah pulled a tablet from her purse and wrote it all down, word for word. “I have to show this to Nick. As much as it would hurt Jake, I’m sure he’d want to know what she’s up to.” Mariah held the gold heart on the chain she wore around her neck. Nick gave it to her for Christmas. It was a beautiful one-karat diamond set in the middle of a gold heart. She was an extremely lucky woman and still very much in love. She was very thankful for a wonderful husband and a solid marriage.

  * * *

  “I wonder how the men are doing,” Mariah said, after she’d put the twins down for their nap.

  “Probably having the time of their lives; I’m sure my boys are enjoying it.”

  “I’m not real sure about Nicky. He thought I’d be going along. When I told him the girls were too young to go camping, he looked as though he was having second thoughts.”

  “Don’t worry, Mariah. Once they’ve pulled out their fishing rods, they’ll have forgotten all about us. Believe me. I’m glad you asked me to stay here tonight. I get awfully lonely in that empty house.”

  “I love to have you around, Sarah, you know that. We’re both so busy with our families these days that we aren’t able to get together often enough. Hey, let’s see if there’s a good movie on tonight, and we can make popcorn. All four of us will have a slumber party,” she joked.

  Mariah suddenly grabbed her phone from the table next to her. “Hello handsome,” she said.

  “You must have been bored to death, sitting there waiting for us to call,” Nick said. “What if it hadn’t been me? What if it had been Art?”

  “Oh, he’d have thanked me for the compliment,” Mariah laughed.

  “Here, Nicky wants to talk to you.”

  “Mommy, guess what? I put a worm on the hook all by myself, and I got a great big fish!”

  “Oh my goodness, you caught one all by yourself?”

  “Well, daddy helped me.”

  “Now you’ll have something special for show and tell when you start kindergarten this year.”

  “I know. Daddy took a picture. I have to go now. I’m going to help them set our tent up. Bye Mommy.”

  “Bye honey, you have lots of fun.” She closed her phone and looked at Sarah.

  “You don’t have to tell me,” Sarah said, glancing upward, her forefinger placed alongside her chin. “Let me see… he was all excited; he caught a fish; they've all been having fun, and he didn’t even tell you he missed you.”

  “How’d you know?”

  “Been there, remember? It turned out the same way for both Tommy and Bobby. Don’t worry, by tomorrow he’ll miss you all the way home. ‘Are we almost home daddy? Are we there yet?’ Don’t worry, he won’t forget about you. Nick will tell you all about it.” Mariah laughed and playfully gave her a light push.

  “The twins are still asleep. Want to make a pizza?”

  Sarah nodded and they both jumped from the couch and raced out to the kitchen, just like high school days.

  Chapter Nineteen

  “Mommy, Mommy,” Nicky said, when he ran toward the porch. “I caught a fish, Mommy! It’s this big!” He spread his arms apart as wide as he could and stood looking up at her with a very proud grin.

  “Oh my! How did you ever manage such a huge fish all by yourself? You must be getting big muscles if you reeled it in without any help.”

  “Well, daddy kinda helped me, a little.”

  Nick came up the steps carrying their fishing poles, placed them up against the railing, and set the tackle box down next to them.

  “Hi honey, we sure missed you.” He looked her up and down and tipped his head, then crossed his arms and stared at her.

  “What?”

  “Something’s different. You look even sexier than you did when we left.”

  “Sarah and I went for makeovers yesterday, but only for our hair. We decided our bodies were seductive enough already.” She grinned and fluttered her lashes.

  “You’re beautiful, sweetheart. You don’t need any type of makeover. Your hair looks very nice though.”

  “Are you trying to butter me up for something?” she asked and raised her brows with a glint in her eyes.

  “We were looking for a good meal, Ma’am, weren’t we cowboy?”

  “I’m hungry, Mommy. All we had was fish and hot dogs, but that was a long time ago.”

  Mariah playfully tapped his nose with the end of her forefinger, and gave them both a kiss. “Let’s go then, I have fried chicken and fresh potato salad waiting for you.”

  “Oh goody,” Nicky said, and climbed up the steps, ran into the house and let the screen door slam behind him.

  “Well, I guess the twins will be awake soon, if that didn’t wake them already,” she laughed, and followed him in.

  When they stepped into the kitchen, she looked up at Nick and whispered, “I have some very important information to tell you, honey.”

  “You look worried; did something happen?”

  “I’ll discuss it with you after Nicky goes to bed.”

  * * *

  “Ah… it feels good to be home," Nick sighed. He lightly touched Mariah’s hand and leaned back to admire the sunset and the beautiful scent of wildflowers across the meadow.

  They were sitting in lawn chairs on the deck, enjoying the cool summer breeze and the early evening chatter of cicadas.

  He leaned forward in his chair, placed his elbows on his knees and looked over at Mariah. “What was the important news you wanted to tell me?"

  She stood and pulled the note from her pocket. She read it to him, and he rubbed his hands across his face and shook his head. “Could I see that, please?”

  After he read it to himself, he looked at Mariah.

  “That was all Sarah heard. When Anya noticed her coming out
of the restroom, she turned in the opposite direction and sat at a nearby picnic table. She had no idea who Sarah was, and she didn’t see me waiting near the pond with the twins.”

  “May I keep that, honey? I need to let Jake know about this.”

  She handed him the piece of notepaper.

  “Let’s retire for the night. The mosquitoes are beginning to eat us up. Tomorrow will be very busy; I’ll also have to corner Jake the minute he arrives.”

  He held his hand out to her, helped her out of her chair, and placed his arm around her waist as they walked into the house.

  * * *

  With the rise of the sun and a fresh mug of coffee in his hand, Nick headed outdoors and down the drive that led to the barn. When he stepped through the stable door, he spotted Art and motioned him over.

  “Mornin, Nick. How was your trip? Catch any fish?”

  “A few trout, but we cleaned and fried them over the campfire. They were mighty good.”

  “You didn’t bring a few home for me?”

  “With two adults and three boys, there was barely enough for us.” Nick shook his head with a grin. “The boys had a blast – Nicky’s first camping trip. When we loaded up the car to head home, he wanted to know how soon we’d be going again. He wouldn’t have cared to leave the campgrounds if Mariah and the twins had been with us.”

  “Well, it’s good to hear you have a happy camper to replace me. Don’t think I’d make it out in the woods for more than one night these days.”

  “Sure you would. You only want an excuse to stay home with Lillie,” he said teasingly. “Anyway, I need you to keep an eye out for Jake and let him know I want to see him, pronto.” He frowned and headed toward his office.

  “More trouble?”

  Nick turned to face him, walking backward as he answered. “I’ll tell you about it later,” he said, then turned around and continued walking, anxious to get to his office.

  When Jake knocked on the frame of the door, Nick motioned for him to come in.