“Maybe you were mistaken. Perhaps someone was visiting them.”
“No, I’m positive that was her. I’ve noticed them driving in town and walking in the mall. Sarah, Nattie and I were best friends in high school.”
“Nattie?”
“Her name was Natalie, but everyone called her Nattie. I don’t know why he’d tell me she was sleeping. When Sarah and I have seen them together, she’d act as though she doesn’t even know us, but we’re sure that for some reason, she’s ignoring us because of him.”
“Well, maybe they’re busy and would rather not be interrupted.”
“I doubt it. Sarah also stopped by their place last week. He told Sarah that Natalie has Alzheimer’s, and they don’t want visitors. Sarah said he was very rude, and he shut the door in her face.”
“That’s strange. Well, let them be. Maybe they’re having problems. On the other hand, perhaps they’re not used to strangers coming to their door. I noticed the yard is still fenced in. The Millers had installed the fence for their dogs, if I remember correctly.”
“Yes, it is, but the house looked as though it was closed up and deserted. The curtains were all drawn, and it appeared as if someone had passed away. It seemed awfully dreary.”
“Well, give them time. They may want a bit of privacy before meeting their neighbors. Or they could be busy unpacking, just like we’ll be doing before long.”
“Maybe,” she said, and stood from the table when she heard the twins begin to cry. “I think I might stop by there again tomorrow. I’ll be right back,” she whispered over her shoulder, and headed toward Angie and Allie’s bedroom. Nicky had just fallen asleep, and she didn’t want the girls to wake him. His arm still bothered him a bit, especially at bedtime.
Mariah returned to the kitchen and sat down. “Angie dropped her pacifier. They went back to sleep, thank goodness.” She looked down at her plate then pushed it away, deciding she’d had enough. “It really bothers me.”
“What does?” Nick wiped his mouth with his napkin, leaned back in his chair and stretched his arms above his head.
“Just the way the two of them act. As I said, the three of us had been best friends. Why would she pretend not to know us? I’ve seen them at the mall and they seem so friendly and say hello to other people, but when they’re home they have a completely different attitude.”
“Maybe they’re newlyweds, who knows… just let them alone for a while.”
“We’ll see,” she said, and looked up at him. He eyed her with concern. “Okay, okay, I’ll stay away from them for a short time.” He smiled, and she stood to clear the table.
“Great dinner, wasn’t it? I don’t know what we’d do without Bess.”
“Yes, and I’m so glad she agreed to sell her house and move in with us. Nicky and the twins adore her, and so do I. I’ll also have more time to teach my riding class, which I really do enjoy, by the way.”
“Well, tomorrow’s going to be busy,” he said, then stood up and yawned again as he stretched. When he reached for his plate, she nudged him aside.
“Go on to bed, honey.” She gathered the dishes from the table. “You look tired. You need a good night’s sleep.”
He leaned over to plant a kiss on her lips, wrapped his arms around her, and placed his hands on her buttocks. “I’ll be waiting for you, sweetheart.”
“I’ll be in shortly,” she said, and turned back to the sink. She finished washing the dishes, checked the lock on the door and turned off the lights.
When she entered the bedroom, he was still awake and smiled intently.
“I’ll be out in just a minute,” she said, and went into the bathroom, closed the door, and took a quick shower. After applying her Passion Flower body lotion, she entered the bedroom, walked over to the foot of the bed and hesitated for a moment. She stood and watched him, sound asleep and snoring lightly, his broad shoulders heaving as he breathed deeply. He’d been having a hard time staying awake while finishing his dinner. She carefully slid into bed, not wanting to wake him. Staring at the ceiling, her thoughts filtered back to the day she met him, and she considered herself the luckiest woman in the world as she too, drifted into a deep sleep.
* * *
The curtains softly swayed against the open window, and the gentle breeze carried the fresh scent of blossoms. Mariah slowly opened her eyes and smiled. This was her favorite time of the year, when the meadow was flowing with wildflowers. If the wind blew in from the south, the house would fill with a luxurious fragrance. She stretched her entire body then glanced at the clock and quickly jumped out of bed.
“Nine o’clock and no one woke me,” she muttered. She slipped on a blouse and while she pulled up her jeans, she hopped over to her dresser. When she reached into the drawer for a pair of socks, her fingers closed around a velvet-covered box. She withdrew it, and taped to the bottom was a note that read, I love you, sunshine. Inside was a beautiful necklace with a white-gold heart. She opened the heart and found a picture of Nicky, Angie and Allie.
She smiled with pleasure and walked out to the kitchen. Bess and Lillie were feeding the twins. Nicky sat at the table eating his Cheerios.
“Hi Mommy,” Nicky greeted her.
“How are you doing, sweetie? No school today?”
“Teacher’s Workshop,” Bess answered. “This is Nicky’s second breakfast. He woke up and ate with Nick at five o’clock, then went back to bed.”
“Goodness, that was awfully early,” she said and ruffled his hair.
Mariah showed them the necklace, and she could tell that Bess had already known about it.
“It’s beautiful.”
“You knew, didn’t you? How was he able to take the picture without my knowing?”
“He bought that new camera two weeks ago and was in here taking pictures while you were with your students. It sure turned out perfectly, didn’t it? You’re a very lucky woman.”
“Yes, I am. I won’t even be able to thank him until tonight. He’ll be out on the range with the rescue team. I don’t have a class today, so maybe Nicky and I will bake a cake for him.”
“But I only have one arm, Mommy. I can’t help you.”
“Well one hand is all it takes to lick the spoon,” she said and tapped the end of his nose with her finger.
* * *
“The house is almost ready for us, Mariah. I’m glad we only have to move a few acres away.” They both laughed while they packed two more boxes. They’d been able to put the rarely needed items into the finished four-car garage for storage until the house was completed. The construction workers let Nick know it would be ready to move into by the weekend.
“I’ll be glad when we’re done.” Mariah stood from the basement floor and brushed the dust from her jeans. “It’s been nice to know we have employees who’ve used their personal time to give us a hand.”
“You look cute, even when you’re dirty.” He grinned, and used a clean towel to wipe a smudge of dirt from her cheek, then reached for her butt.
She playfully pushed his arm away and stepped over a small box. “I have to go. My students will be arriving soon. Their class wouldn’t be much help if they have a horse and no instructor. Bess said she’d have dinner ready at the usual time,” she added, blew him a kiss and hurried up the stairway.
“Sure, just like a woman. Leaves me in the basement packing while she runs off to have fun,” he muttered, then smiled and stood. “That’s it for today anyway, I guess.” He labeled the boxes and went upstairs.
The twins were in their high chairs having their lunch when he entered the kitchen. He gave each of them a hug and grabbed his hat from the shelf behind the door.
“See you at dinner time, Bess.” She smiled when he waved and hurried out while she continued feeding applesauce to the girls.
Chapter Twenty-nine
Mariah sat at her desk, tapped her pen on the desktop, and stared off into space. They’d been in their new home for over a month now. It’s about time t
o give that visit to Natalie another try, she decided.
She wore a dusky-rose satin blouse and a pair of ebony jeans. Next, she ran a comb through her waist-length hair, made a partial ponytail, and tied it with a silver ribbon that hung down in a mass of silky black tresses. She applied a lustrous pink pearl lipstick and lightly blotted her lips.
Stepping away from the mirror, she thought something was missing. She added a satin scarf around her neckline. “Perfect,” she said, and turned to leave. When she entered the front room, she let Bess know she’d be back in a couple of hours.
She parked her new Lexus SUV in front of the Larson’s yard, surrounded by a chain-link fence. She hopped out, stood at the entrance and looked at the house. It appeared as though no one was home. The living room drapes were drawn and the bedroom shades tightly closed. There wasn’t a lock on the gate, so she opened it, looked around, then walked up the front steps. When she found no doorbell, she tapped lightly on the heavy storm door. It seemed quite strange for their house to be closed up on a beautiful day like today. With a partly cloudy sky and a temperature of seventy-eight degrees, most people have their doors and windows wide open, to enjoy the fresh air.
She knocked again, harder this time. Disappointed when no one answered, she stepped down from the porch and walked around the corner of the house to the side door. Perhaps they were in the kitchen, unable to hear her knock.
She climbed the three steps and knocked on the door, then looked down at her feet. “Oh, gross.” Apparently, someone had spilled food on the porch and hadn’t bothered to clean it up. A horrible odor drifted up and filled her nostrils. She covered her mouth to prevent herself from gagging, then grabbed the rail and quickly stepped back down. This wasn’t right. She’d just seen them together at the mall a few days ago. She walked around to the rear yard and found that a twelve-foot wooden fence surrounded it. She pulled the gate open and looked into the yard. It was unbelievable. The entire fenced-in area held not only bags of garbage, but rubbish and waste covered every square foot of their three-acre yard. The house was a split-level, with a lower-level walkout. She was about to turn around and return to her car, when the sliding door opened slowly. The drapes were pulled open, just enough to show Mr. Larson’s face.
“What do you want?” he yelled angrily. “If someone does not answer their door, they’re either not home, or they don’t want intruders.”
She stood still, though she wanted to turn and run back to the SUV. “I came to visit Natalie. Is she here? I’d like to welcome the two of you to Pinewood Hills.”
“We don’t care for any visitors. My wife is sick. She has Alzheimer’s and cannot speak to anyone. Now stay away,” he shouted, and the framed glass rattled as he slammed the sliding door shut.
Mariah turned around and walked quickly to her vehicle. She climbed in and immediately clicked the button for the automatic locks. She was very angry. She knew that something wasn’t right. It couldn’t have been more than a week ago that she’d seen them walking at the mall.
She placed the key in the ignition and looked up at the house. That was when she noticed someone peeking out the bedroom window then quickly moved away, the shade falling back tightly against the pane. She was sure it was Nattie.
* * *
“Nick, I’m telling you, something is definitely wrong over there. The Millers had their yard beautifully landscaped. The front looks the same, although not well taken care of; the rear has been fenced in, and the entire area is a horrible mess. It’s hard to believe someone actually lives in a place like that. The stench in the backyard was so appalling, I almost vomited.”
“Mariah, I told you not to bother them.”
“You only said I should leave them alone for a while. I haven’t been there for over a month now, and I’ve seen them several times at the mall. They always keep walking, but at times she’ll look up and smile at me.”
“We don’t know what’s going on, and it’s none of our business. They live three miles down the dirt road. They have a right to be in seclusion if that’s the way they want it.”
“But Nick, I’m sure it was Natalie looking out the bedroom window. She seemed frightened and lonely. Something is wrong, and I think we should call the police. If you don’t want to report them, at least tell them about the garbage that completely fills the back of their property. Why would they install a fence that high and dump their trash in their yard? It’s absolutely sickening.”
“Okay, honey, calm down. I’ll check into it. Perhaps if an officer went over there to investigate the property, they’d also notice how they seem to have no contact with other people. They’ll do whatever they’re able to, but people do have the right to live in private and avoid their neighbors, if they want to live that way. Now please stay away from there. You could end up getting hurt for trespassing.”
“Okay, if you’ll call to report it, but something just isn’t right, and it appears as though she’s being abused. If that’s the case, she needs help.”
“I love you sweetheart. I need to get back out to the stable.” He placed a kiss on her cheek. She walked out with him to the end of the deck and leaned against the wood railing. With the new home now being further away, he drives over to the stable. She watched him climb into his truck and drive away, then went back into the house. There must be something I can do. She decided to call Sarah. Together they’d come up with a plan.
* * *
“Okay, Sarah, that’s a great idea. I’ll be waiting for you by the corral. I’ll have Precious Angel ready to go when you get here.”
Mariah informed Bess and Nick that she and Sarah were going for a long leisurely ride. Mariah wore a cotton short-sleeve blouse, a pair of jeans and her cowgirl boots. She packed a lunch for each of them, along with bottled water, and placed it all in her new TrailMax 500 Saddlebag that Nick bought for her when she was able to ride again.
Sarah arrived, and they took off across the pasture acting as though this was just one of their usual jaunts. They entered the meadow and enjoyed miles and miles of wildflowers. “Such a beautiful site,” Sarah said. “I’m jealous, Mariah. You have so much space to ride on your own property and all we have is ten acres.”
“You know you can visit anytime you wish. If I had the time, I’d be out riding every day, but my class has been keeping me busy. Being an instructor isn’t as easy as one might think. Let’s stop along the edge of the creek. It’s close by. We can eat our lunch before we reach our destination.”
“Okay, I’ll race you,” Sarah called out over her shoulder, and her Palomino took off in a gallop, quite a distance ahead of Mariah and Precious Angel.
After finishing their lunch, they packed up the saddlebag and headed off in the direction of the Larsons’ property. When they approached they noticed their car was nowhere in sight.
“I guess we’re out of luck, Sarah. She’s always with him, everywhere he goes.”
“Well I’m going to go take a look at this backyard you described. That way, you’ll have me as a witness.”
“You’d better not. If he’s home, he’s not a very nice person.”
“My horse is high enough so I can see over the fence. I’ll only be a second.”
“All right, but I’m going to wait right here. I promised Nick I’d stay away from there; I didn’t promise not to go near their street, however. Just hurry, they may be home any minute.”
Sarah approached the backyard and aligned her horse with the fence. She stood in the stirrups, held onto the top of the barrier and looked out into the yard.
“Oh Lord,” she said, moving her eyes from one end to the other.
“Sarah, they’re coming, hurry!” Mariah shouted, and she began to move Precious Angel into a trot. Sarah met up with her and they headed out to the northwestern boundaries.
“I don’t think they saw me. I rode along the far edge of their property then came through the field and up behind you.”
“Oh, I hope not. We don’t want to cause any t
rouble. I wish we could contact Natalie in some way or another to find out how she’s doing.”
“There’s one thing I have noticed. Whenever I see them in the mall, she’s always wearing lengthy sleeves that reach her wrists, and long pants, even during our hot and humid summer months. I wonder why she’d want to dress that way during this sweltering time of the year.”
“I’ve wondered the same thing. Let’s turn onto the dirt road up ahead. It leads to the north end of our property. Then we’d better head back before Nick wonders if something happened to us.”
“We’re going to have to figure out some way to contact Nattie. Perhaps she doesn’t even care to associate with us, but we need to make sure she’s okay. We have a bit of thinking to do.”
“What do you mean?”
“You, Nattie and I were best friends throughout high school. It’s hard to believe she wouldn’t want to see us. We never fought. We did everything together. It had always been the three of us.”
“I was thinking the same thing. We’ll figure something out. I’m heading on home,” Sarah said when they reached Mariah’s driveway. “I’ll give you a call in a day or two.”
Mariah waved goodbye as Sarah turned her horse to the south and road toward her own property.
Chapter Thirty
“Mariah, I just saw Nattie. She drove right by me as I was turning into the parking lot. She seemed to be in quite a hurry.”
“You mean with Carl in the passenger seat?”
“No, she was alone. She passed the entrance to the mall and was heading north. I have no idea how fast she was going, but it was definitely over the speed limit.”
“I don’t know where she’d be off to. I’ve never even seen her drive.”
“Well if she never drove before, she certainly does now.”
“Let’s take another ride through the meadow in a couple of hours and try to get close enough to their house to see whether or not she returned. The edge of our property will be as far as we go. That husband of hers seems to be a very evil man.”
Love on the Horizon (A Northern Woods Novel) Page 13
