by Sable Hunter
“Apple.”
Mandy’s voice caused her to look up. “Yea?”
“You’ve got a phone call.”
Apple wanted to fuss at the girl, but she didn’t. “Take a message. I’m a little busy at the moment.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
When she failed to pick the hamster up a second time, Apple stared hard. Was he superglued to the cage? “Good grief.” After further examination, she determined that the hamster’s face was sticking to the side of the cage for some reason. Gently, she ran her thumb down the little rodent’s side to feel what might be holding him in place. What she found as odd. With a little pressure, she managed to free him. “Wow! That’s weird.”
“You got him loose!”
Agamemnon was wiggling, which was a relief. If he was able to squirm, he wasn’t near death. “Now, let’s see what’s going on.” When she examined the area, it was apparent there wasn’t any type of adhesive on his fur. “Hmmm.” Very carefully, she took the tip of one finger and opened the hamster’s mouth. “Don’t you bite me, boy.” To her surprise, Apple found a refrigerator magnet stuffed into the small, pouchy jaw. Taking a pair of tweezers, she pulled it out. “Now, look at this!”
Essie squealed her delight, “Yay!”
“I guess he was saving this for later.” While she held the magnet down where Essie could see, Apple heard the phone ring a second time. “A red heart. Do you recognize this?”
“Yep. I do. Mom uses it to hold little notes for Dad.”
As soon as the hamster was returned to his cage, he went right for the water bowl. “I think Agamemnon will be okay now.”
Once she walked the little girl to the front, Mandy took over. “Phone messages are over there.” She pointed vaguely in the general direction of the counter as she pulled the receipt pad from her drawer.
Apple glanced around for the slip of pink paper but didn’t see it. About that time, the bell rang to announce they had another visitor. When Essie’s dad came through the door a stiff breeze blew in and several slips of paper blew off the counter, including the pink phone message slip that Apple had been hunting for. She dashed to catch it. “Gotcha!”
After seeing who the message was from, Apple was confused. “Captain Holcomb.” She’d been expecting to hear from Veteran’s Affairs but had no idea Alan’s commanding officer would intervene in her case. Wanting privacy for the call, she waited until Dr. Cleveland returned from her sad duty.
Checking the clock, she saw it was nearing quitting time. Since she’d worked through lunch, Apple didn’t mind asking for a favor. “Would you mind if I left a few minutes early. I have some business about my husband’s benefits that I need to take care of.”
“Oh, sure. Go ahead,” Dr. Cleveland told her. “I’ll close up today.”
“Thanks. How are the puppies?” Apple asked the vet as she gathered her things.
“Growing like weeds. We can’t keep them in the box to save our lives,” Dr. Cleveland answered as she straightened some cans of dog food on a shelf next to the waiting area.
“See you two later.”
“Bye!” Dr. Cleveland waved as Apple ran out the door and headed for her car.
A few minutes later, she saw the edge of something pink peeking out from under the counter. Kneeling to pick it up, she read the phone message. “Oh, goodness. Apple got a call from a man. Benjen Blackhawk. Sexy name.”
“He had a sexy voice too.” Mandy reached for the paper and sat it by the appointment book. “This must have blown off when Essie’s dad came in. We’ll give it to her tomorrow.”
…Wanting to call before it got any later, she dialed the number as soon as she arrived home. “Captain Holcomb? This is Apple Cates.”
“Ah, Apple.” He sighed. “I’m in Austin. Could I come visit you for a few minutes?”
“Uh.” He was here? Why? She couldn’t imagine. “Sure.” She gave him her address and directions.
“Thanks. I’ll see you soon.”
“Okay.”
For the next hour and a half, she performed a quick house cleaning. She also put on a pot of coffee and thawed out a loaf of banana bread that she’d made a few weeks ago with some overripe bananas. “I have no idea what he’s coming to tell me in person that he couldn’t tell me on the phone.” At least this mystery got her mind off Benjen.
She paced at the front door until she heard a car door slam. Rushing to greet her visitor, she hurried out on the front porch to see the uniformed man approaching with a box in his hand.
“What now?” she asked herself, totally baffled. “Hello, Captain. Please come in.”
“Thanks.” He moved by her and stood in the middle of her living room looking decidedly uncomfortable. “I’m sorry to spring this on you.”
“Spring what? Is this about Alan’s benefits. I’ve been calling. I’m having a difficult time getting everything going. It’s been over six months…”
Her voice died down when she saw his face.
The truth hit her between his eyes.
“You found him. You found Alan’s remains.”
He sighed and sat the box down, finding his own seat on the couch. “Yes.”
Even after everything that had happened, Apple felt the blow of his loss afresh. “Oh, no.” Instead of something nebulous, his death became real. She began to cry. “I’ll need to have him interred in his grave.”
Captain Holcomb looked even more ill at ease. “I’m sorry, but we aren’t bringing your husband home.” At her look of astonishment, he exhaled loudly. “I have some very disturbing news.” After a long pause, he began to speak, “Sargent Cates was a deserter. As best we can tell from questioning the locals, he walked away before our unit could be reassigned. He didn’t want to leave the area.” The captain looked at the floor instead of at Apple. “Apparently, he had ties…a woman and a child.”
“A child?” the word was whispered on a gasp.
“There was a clash at a nearby village, I can’t go into the details. Along with several civilians, Cates was killed and so was the woman he was living with.”
Apple felt dazed. Struck dumb. Her eyes darted around the room, trying to find something to concentrate on besides the mind-boggling facts being given to her. “What…what about the child?”
“We don’t know. You have to understand. He was a deserter. The U.S. military has washed its hands of the situation.”
“So, that’s why you aren’t shipping him home?”
“Correct. This information changes everything.”
He said more, but Apple was having a hard time digesting the news. She could hear him speaking, but it seemed to be from a great distance. When he placed a box in her lap, she barely reacted.
“There are just a few items there the soldiers collected. His dog tags. His watch. Some papers. I’m sorry. They didn’t find a wedding ring.”
Apple barked out a sad laugh. “I’m sure he got rid of that reminder.” She stood, anxious to be alone. “I appreciate you coming in person to deliver this news.”
“This was new for me.” He stood with her. “You’ll never know how much I hated to tell you this. You’re an innocent party in the whole regrettable ordeal.”
She walked him to the door, holding herself together while she saw him off. “Thanks again. I know this wasn’t a picnic for you either.”
Once he was gone, Apple shut the door and slid to the floor, her back to the wall. Tears flowed down her cheeks. She felt desolate and betrayed. “I don’t think I knew you at all, Alan. How could you do this?” He’d not only deserted his country, he’d deserted their marriage and her. For what? For who?
Needing to know more, she stood and went to the box, opening it up to stare at the meager remnants of a life she’d treasured beyond measure. With shaking hand, she touched his belongings, sifting through to find his passport. After opening the stiff cover, she found his military ID, the last Texas driver’s license he’d obtained…and a photograph. “Oh, my heavens.” She pi
cked it up to see Alan posed with a woman and a tiny little girl. The woman was beautiful, elegant, with long dark hair and an aquiline nose. At their side was a child who favored her father a great deal. Apple stared at her face, wondering if Jenny would’ve looked like her half-sister. A lance of pain ripped through her heart. She turned the photo over and saw what was written there.
My family. My love, Lupe, and our treasure, little Juanita.
After staring at her husband’s handwriting for a few more seconds, she jammed the photo into his passport booklet, stuffed it back in the box, and replaced the lid.
…The next day Apple called in sick. This was completely unlike her – but she wasn’t lying. She was sick. Sick to her stomach and sick at heart.
“I’m sorry, Dr. Cleveland, I got some bad news yesterday. I received a visit from the Marines, my husband was confirmed deceased.” She didn’t go into any details. Apple knew her boss was familiar with the timeline of her sorrow, but she’d shared her deep humiliation with no one. Captain Holcomb was the only one who knew the whole story. “I don’t think I can come in today.”
“Well, of course not. Take all the time you need.”
“Thank you so much. I’ll be in tomorrow. Regular time.”
“If you feel up to it, Apple.”
“I will.”
“Oh, wait. Hold on.” There was a pause, then Dr. Cleveland was back on the line. “I found a phone message on the floor after you left yesterday afternoon.”
“Oh? Who from?”
“Benjen Blackhawk. Do you want his number?”
“Uh…yes, please.” She scurried to find a pen and jot down the information. “Thank you.”
“No problem. Take care.”
Apple stared at the digits she’d written down. “He called.” She waited for the guilt to come.
There was none.
She waited for the familiar insecurities to wrap her in a cloud of shame.
It didn’t happen.
“All I feel is pissed that I’ve missed out on so much.”
She’d take that as a good sign.
CHAPTER FIVE
“You should have seen that fireball, Daniel,” Sam spoke with animation as he spread his arms out their full length. “It was this big. I can’t say for sure, but it looked like it was made of electricity.”
“Did it give off heat?” Daniel asked as he sat the kitchen table with Sara perched on his knee.
“No, I didn’t feel anything. Did you, Benjen?” Sam glanced at his brother who was eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
Since his mouth was full, he shook his head. Once he swallowed and took a sip of milk, he wiped his mouth on a paper towel. “I wish I’d had enough presence of mind to take a picture with my phone, but I didn’t.
“What do you think it was?” Sara asked with big-eyed wonder.
“I don’t have any idea,” Benjen answered, his gaze averted to look out the window toward Packsaddle. “I’ve heard of stuff like this. Dad said he saw lights on the mountain that he had no explanation for. Once at A&M, this guy from Beaumont told us about seeing the ghost light on the tram road at Saratoga. What he described sounded very much like what we saw the other night.”
“Hmmm, I think you conjured this up, Benjen.” Easy was bent over scratching Hope behind the ears.
“What do you mean?” Sam asked as he poured himself a glass of lemonade. “Anyone else want some?” He held up the pitcher.
“I do.” Sara jumped up. “You, baby?”
“I’m good.” Daniel gave his new wife a tender smile. “Yea, what do you mean that Benjen conjured this up. You make it sound…spiritual.”
“Well, maybe it is.” Easy continued with his theory. “Benjen’s been up on that mountain a lot over the past year, doing his shaman stuff. Maybe he got in touch with something, some type of spirit or energy or whatever.”
Benjen grew still. “Huh.” He proceeded to roll the sleeves of his blue chambray shirt up past his forearms. “I guess it’s possible I drew something to me.”
“Awakened the spirits of your ancestors,” Sara whispered with excitement. “I’m going to come over tonight and watch the mountain from the patio with a pair of binoculars.”
“Oh, really? I thought you were planning on snuggling in the bed with me,” Daniel teased, pulling on a lock of Sara’s hair.
“I can do both,” she insisted with a nod.
“We’ll have to do some investigating for sure,” Benjen stated before standing up. “I’m headed to the yarn shop. Can I get anything for anyone while I’m out?”
There was a chorus of ‘no thanks’.
“Are you going to visit a certain pretty veterinarian assistant?” Sam asked with a twinkle in his eye.
Benjen shrugged. “I don’t guess. I called her at work and left a message a few days ago, but she didn’t call me back.”
“Some girls won’t call guys,” Sara acknowledged. “Not even if they want to.”
“Just old-fashioned?” Easy eyed his sister-in-law. “I guess it would depend on how she was raised.”
“Maybe.” Benjen digested the information. “I can imagine Apple would feel that way.”
“So, don’t give up on her.” Sara kissed her husband on the top of the head. “Love is too important to leave to chance.”
With that tidbit of insight, Benjen took his leave and headed into Kingsland.
…Call him. Yes? Call him. No?
“Damn, make up your mind, girl. You’ll never know what he wanted with you until you ask,” Apple lectured herself as she pulled out of the clinic parking lot. The clinic closed early on Friday afternoons and she had the rest of the day to herself. “You moped all day yesterday coming to terms with your past. Today is all about moving forward. So, step up to the plate and do something bold for once. Just because you talk to the guy doesn’t mean you’re expecting him to propose or anything.”
As she went back and forth with herself, Apple made the scenic drive to Horseshow Bay to Nell’s Needlework. Dr. Cleveland’s birthday was coming up and she was determined to finish the special afghan she’d designed featuring adorable dogs and cats. It was one of the more complicated projects she’d attempted, but the repetitive act of working with the yarn calmed her when she was upset as nothing else could.
Once she arrived at the small establishment, she stepped from her vehicle and locked the door. Fishing in her purse, she pulled the note out where she’d written the color numbers she needed to buy. “Camel 509, Sand 578, and Autumn 19.”
Ding. Dong.
The bell over the door sounded as she pushed through inside the shop – and stared at the person who was standing at the counter. Sometimes, when you see something or someone in a totally unexpected place, there’s a small space of time when your mind is trying to catch up with your eyes. To her ever-loving shock, Benjen Blackhawk was discussing shades of yarn with the clerk.
“I want to do some holiday themed ones for the end of the year. Orange at Halloween. Red and green at Christmas. What do you think?”
The woman, whose nametag read Mavis, gushed her approval. “That would be wonderful, Benjen! Having a choice besides just pink or blue would be amazing.”
From a few feet away, Apple stood on tiptoe to see if she could tell what was going on. Did Benjen do needlework?
In her effort to ascertain what was happening, she didn’t notice that her obvious interest in their conversation had attracted attention.
“I’ll be with you in just a moment, ma’am. Feel free to browse.”
“Oh.” Her eyes met the clerks and she managed to close her gaping mouth. “No problem. Take your time.”
Because her gaze immediately averted to the wide shoulders of the handsome cowboy, she was able to see the effect her voice had on him. He stiffened, then jerked around. She was caught in a spell between the shock of seeing him in such an unexpected place and the realization that he’d recognized and reacted to her voice.
“Apple? H
ey!”
His instantaneous smile told her without a shadow of a doubt that he was glad to see her. “Hi,” she greeted him with an enthusiasm that mirrored his own. “Fancy meeting you here.”
“Come see. Tell me what you think.”
She eased closer, pleased and excited when he reached out to draw her close. “I had no idea you did needlework.”
“Yea, helps me relax.”
“Me too,” she agreed, loving the feel of her body nestled to his side.
“Oh, Benjen does marvelous work. He makes all the little caps for the newborns and preemies.” She held up an adorable blue and white striped one.
“How wonderful,” she whispered, having to steel herself not to cry. She remembered her sweet Jenny wearing a little pink hat just like the one the woman was showing her. “This is amazing.” He was amazing. If she’d had any doubts about him at all – and she’d had very few – they all just flew out the window.
“I love doing it. Every time I take a new batch to the hospital, they have to run me out of the nursery. I love babies.”
“Me too.” Apple felt a ton of conflicting emotions crash into her. This man would be a marvelous father. And the woman who was lucky enough to have him would be truly blessed. Even as she smiled at his joy, her heart ached knowing she’d never be able to have another child.
“So, what are you making?” he asked, handing the clerk his credit card.
“An afghan for Dr. Cleveland’s birthday.”
“Neat.”
As soon as Benjen was checked out, the woman went to retrieve the items on Apple’s list. When they were alone, she turned to the magnetic man who seemed to be waiting on her. “I didn’t get your phone message right away. I apologize for not returning your call. Things were crazy there for a bit.”
“Things were crazy for me too.” He started to say more, but the clerk returned with the items for Apple.
Once her yarn was bagged and the receipt stapled to the top, she turned to go. Benjen, who was still waiting, offered her his arm. “Are you busy? Could we get a cup of coffee somewhere?”
