Where She Belongs (Destiny Falls)

by Cindy Procter-King

  “For Monday, for the... after the service, so the guests would have room to park.” Tears blurred her vision, and she gripped the remnants of her tissue. She refused to dissolve into another useless bout of weeping. The lawyer expected her. They had to go.

  “Oh, Mom.” Jessie unbuckled her seatbelt and slid across the bench seat. “I wish I’d been here to handle things for you. I know I keep saying that, but it’s true.”

  Nora dabbed her nose with the tissue. “To have you here with me now, Jessie, means the world. And for you to phone your boss yesterday and arrange to stay longer than we thought you could is far more than I’d hoped for. I’m imposing on your career, I know I am, and it means so much, you staying here.”

  “You’re my mother,” Jessie said softly, caressing her shoulder. “I want to be here with you, for you.”

  Even though I wasn’t there for you?

  She didn’t deserve her daughter’s understanding.

  However, with Peter gone, Jessie seemed eager to improve their relationship. Hope leapt in Nora’s chest that some good might arise from her husband’s death. Finally, a chance to rectify past wrongs, when her daughter paced cold hospital halls while the Galloway boy struggled to survive, when only Molly could reach her.

  An awful time, the logging accident and the heartache that had followed. One they desperately needed to address.

  “But what about your job?” she asked. Jessie had spoken to her boss for an hour yesterday and again briefly today. Each time, Nora had noted tiny lines of stress marring her daughter’s face. However, when she’d asked, Jessie had assured her everything was fine. “Isn’t six weeks too long to be away?”

  “Mom, we’ve been through this. Please don’t worry about my job. It’s well within my rights to take this leave of absence, and Gareth knows it. Besides, it’s not like I’m falling off the face of the earth. My assistant will call or email with questions. Molly says wireless is spotty around town, but if I have problems I can use her broadband connection with my laptop.”

  Nora nodded half-heartedly. Wireless? Broadband? She didn’t even own a computer. She was a dinosaur.

  And, heaven help her, as much as she wanted to, she couldn’t force Jessie to reveal details of the life her daughter would rather keep hidden. She’d surrendered a mother’s license to pry years ago.

  “Should we go back to the house?” The cheerfulness in Jessie’s voice rang false. “You can freshen up, and I’ll make tea.”

  “But the lawyer—I don’t want to miss her.”

  “I’ll call. We can reschedule.”

  “Jessie, she only comes to town on Tuesdays, and I need to put the business of Peter’s will behind me.”

  Her daughter glanced at her watch. “No time for tea, then.” She withdrew her cell phone from her purse.

  “Who are you calling?”

  “Directory assistance. Is that taxi service still operating?”

  “Yes, but he just has the one car.”

  “Don’t worry. We might be a little late, but we’ll get there. I promise, Mom, I won’t let you down.”

  “Any other changes?”

  “Nope. Same as last year.” Adam smiled at the middle-aged clerk at the counter. “Thanks, Nancy,” he said when she hit the computer key to print his auto insurance forms.

  She trundled toward the shared office printer a few meters away. While waiting, he scanned a pamphlet about wood stoves and chimney fires. Behind him, one of the rented office doors clicked open. He glanced over his shoulder. Jess.

  Her black curls tumbled over her light-colored blouse. She carried a sweater over one arm and gripped a paper in her other hand. Tan pants, low shoes, and an expensive-looking purse completed the picture. She looked so at odds with the farming prints and forest fire prevention posters decorating the country office, it wasn’t funny, but that didn’t stop a satisfying warmth from stealing through him.

  He hadn’t expected to see her again. When he’d left Friday night, he’d said to call if she needed anything, but she hadn’t. He’d refused to intrude on her limited time with her mom by visiting the farmhouse uninvited.

  “Hi,” he said as she neared the counter. The insurance office was a public place. He could intrude all he wanted here.

  Her gaze flew to him. “Oh, hi. Sorry, I was preoccupied. Do you have business here?”

  “Insurance for the SUV. Mine expires tomorrow.” He tossed the fire safety pamphlet onto a magazine-strewn side table. “How about you?”

  She looked back at the bank of rented offices. “The lawyer. Mom’s in with her now. I’m not sure why, but she doesn’t seem to want me to stay.”

  “No?” He hoped things hadn’t soured between them. Family was important, especially during rough times. And Jess’s mother was going through a doozy. “What did she say?”

  “Just that she’d be okay on her own. Which, normally, I could accept. But lately she hasn’t been herself, as I’ve mentioned. Now today...”

  “Pete’s will?” he guessed, and she nodded.

  “I thought we’d planned our day over breakfast. First the lawyer, then the grocery shopping. We were even going to drop in at The Clothes Horse to see Molly. Of course, that was before the car conked out.”

  “That old Monte?”

  “Yes. The battery, I think. The car’s not the problem, though. At breakfast Mom said she wanted me with her when she saw the lawyer, but now she’s sending me to Waverly Foods alone.” Jess chewed her lips, worry darkening her gaze.

  “Maybe she’s not ready to visit the store, Jess. Lawyers, life insurance—that’s just paper. But Pete managed Waverly Foods for over twenty years. The place is bound to remind her of him.”

  “I didn’t think of that.”

  “Makes sense, though.”

  Another nod. “She’s right that we can take the groceries back with us in the taxi, and we are running low on essentials.” She glanced at the lawyer’s office again, her voice softening.

  Adam touched her wrist. His hand grazed the cuff of her blouse, and his fingers brushed smooth skin. “Forget the taxi. I can help you out.”

  “Aren’t you working?” She switched her grocery list to her other hand, and his fingers fell away.

  “I’m between meetings with the Forest Service. Might as well put the time to good use.” For the sake of Pete’s widow. “I’ll take you and Nora home when you’re ready. Later, once I’ve finished my town work, I’ll drop by and jumpstart the car. Save you the bother of calling a garage.”

  “It’s no bother.”

  “I insist.”

  The worry in her gaze receded. “Thanks, Adam. That would be nice.”

  Nice. Yeah, that was him. A regular Boy Scout.

  “Let’s pick up those groceries. Give your mother one less thing to worry about.”

  After another glance to the lawyer’s office, she murmured her agreement.

  “Give me a second.” He returned to the counter and paid for his insurance. Finished, he opened the door and followed Jess out to the sidewalk bordering the small shopping center. Tiny patches of melting snow dotted the banks of the parking lot in testament to the long winter, but the air was brisk and the sky clear, proclaiming spring’s arrival. The sun shone brightly on the heavily forested mountains surrounding the community.

  He stopped at his dusty vehicle. “It’s a beautiful day.” Beautiful woman, too. “Let’s leave the SUV parked here and walk. We can bring the groceries back with a cart.” He chucked the insurance papers through the open window. They landed on the driver’s seat.

  A smile tipped Jess’s mouth. “Aren’t you worried someone will steal that?”

  “In this town? Half the time we don’t even lock our doors. So, nope.”

  Her smile grew. “You don’t have to come with me, Adam. You can finish your business, and I’ll meet you back here.”

  “No way. Banking bores me.” Not true. He enjoyed monitoring his finances. Good thing, or he wouldn’t make much of a business
man. However, Jess needed a diversion from worrying about her mother. Her concern for Nora impressed the hell out of him, but all that anxiety would give her ulcers.

  “All right. I’d better wear my sweater if we’re walking. It’s cooler than I expected.” She set her purse on the hood of his truck. “You didn’t bring Sheba along.” She gestured toward the cargo hold.

  “She’s better off at home when I have a town day. Here, let me help you.”

  Moving behind her, he took the sweater and held it while she slipped on first one sleeve, then the other. The backs of her arms brushed his jean jacket in a movement that, at another time and with another woman, might be considered intimate. Traces of her flowery shampoo drifted to his nostrils. His chest squeezed, and he hauled in a breath as arousal sped through him. A vision of Jess pulled snug against him, his hips burning into her shapely rear, flashed through his mind.

  Clearing his throat, he stepped away. She retrieved her purse, the spring-time color in her cheeks alerting him that their nearness had affected her, as well.

  Whether positively or negatively, he hadn’t a clue.

  “I’ll have to buy a spring jacket, I guess. My work coat would look out of place here.” She glanced at a jeans-clad young woman struggling to settle a toddler into his car seat three parking spaces away. “I see the uniform of the day is still denim, huh?”

  Not sure if she expected an answer, he guided her toward Waverly Foods. “You’re sticking around, then?”

  She nodded. “I called my boss and explained the situation. He wasn’t happy I’ll be gone so long, seeing as I just returned from Europe. But he approved a six-week leave of absence, provided I’m back by the middle of May.”

  Six weeks. Five weeks longer than Molly had mentioned. The extra time would be good for Jess and Nora, and chances were he and Jess would continue bumping into one another. Counting outlying farms and ranches, Destiny Falls boasted a population of less than fifteen hundred.

  “Why mid-May?”

  “I’ve been building contacts for a buying trip to Asia at the end of May. Even with Gareth—that’s my boss—and my assistant keeping me up to date through email and phone calls, I’ll need office time to prepare.”

  He nodded. “Your mother must love the idea of having you in town for the next six weeks.” So did he, although he shouldn’t. He had nothing to gain from pursuing his attraction to Jess.

  “She really needs me right now, Adam.” They passed the bank and drugstore. Jess strode to the row of grocery carts outside Waverly Foods. “More than she ever has before.”

  He pulled out a cart for her, and the clanking of metal frames pierced the air. “You could always move back home for good. I bet your mom would love that.”

  She frowned. “I’m not moving home. My job—”

  “Sorry.” He lifted a hand. “I don’t know where that comment came from.” Wishful thinking? A woman as beautiful and interesting as Jess Morgan didn’t waltz into town every day. But how would a merchandising executive catch her thrills in a tiny community like Destiny Falls? By twiddling her shoelaces? Compared to her globetrotting career, the limited job opportunities would probably leave her feeling as suffocated as they’d left Crysta. “I believe in equal rights as much as the next guy.” He didn’t want to come across like some small-town Neanderthal who thought women belonged pregnant and barefoot in the kitchen.

  “Oh yeah?” She smiled. “How much does the next guy believe in them?”

  He laughed. “I’d better take my foot out of my mouth before I’m forced to swallow it.” At this rate, he might as well hire a taxidermist to stitch the damn thing into place.

  “Good idea.” She turned and sailed in through the automatic door, leaving him to push the shopping cart behind her.

  He had a great view.

  Jess attacked her mother’s grocery shopping list with the same determination she usually reserved for making risky buying decisions. Adam’s comment outside the store had unnerved her and unleashed a torrent of guilt. The only way she’d been able to deal with her reaction was by uttering a shallow joke—which only proved how shallow she was and how miserably out of touch with what her mother might need or want.

  In the days since she’d learned about Pete’s death, she’d never once considered moving back to Destiny Falls. Neither had she entertained the notion that her mother might want her to. Her life, though stressful and hectic, provided a certain structure she’d come to rely on since Dad and Danny died. The prospect of losing that psychological safety net terrified her.

  In Toronto, she felt distanced from her memories. However, in Destiny Falls, they confronted her wherever she went. After the accident, Danny’s family left town, but the places where she and Danny had hung out, as well as some of their mutual friends, remained here. The dreams she and Danny had shared. Their young love. Her first lover.

  The joy and passion they’d gifted to each other.

  He would have been my husband.

  She couldn’t handle living with the reminders every day.

  Grateful Adam had abandoned the subject as quickly as he’d brought it up, she allowed him to direct her around the supermarket. He located items as she read them off her list, introducing her to the butcher and the bakery clerk, as well as several customers who either knew her mother or had known Pete. Everyone offered their condolences. By the time they reached the checkouts, Jess had become thoroughly reacquainted with the know-thy-neighbor philosophy of Destiny Falls.

  “Good morning,” the cashier, a big-busted blonde about her mother’s age, greeted cheerfully. The woman’s gaze flitted from Jess to Adam as they placed the groceries on the conveyor. “Nice day, eh?”

  Jess smiled and nodded. The cart empty, she fetched her wallet from her purse while Adam began bagging groceries at the end of the checkout. The cashier peered at her.

  “Excuse me, sweetie, don’t I know you?”

  Jess read the woman’s nametag: THELMA. The name tweaked, but nothing substantial popped to mind. “I’m Jess Morgan, Nora Olson’s daughter. I’m visiting for a few weeks. I haven’t been back in a while, but I was born here.”

  Recognition lit Thelma’s gaze. “Oooh.” She offered her sympathies on Pete, then asked about Jess’s mother, who, it turned out, was a friend. “I thought you looked familiar, sweetie. You take after your father, you know.” Thelma continued scanning grocery items. “Yes, I knew him, too. Of course, that was long ago, and he didn’t have family here, did he?”

  Jess shook her head, skin prickling. “They’re in Saskatchewan.” Unlike most Destiny Falls residents, Frank Morgan hadn’t been born of local pioneer stock. When he’d first moved to town, people had treated him like an outsider. Now Jess was an outsider here, too.

  More to the point, she felt like one.

  Thelma’s friendly gaze narrowed again. “Yes, you look a lot like your father did, tall and dark. Although you have that lovely natural curl I’ve always remembered. That’s your mother’s blessing.”

  Jess tried a smile. Another topic of conversation, please?

  Thelma tapped a finger to pursed lips. “It’s been ages since you moved away.” Her eyes brightened. “Say, didn’t you know the Galloway boy? What was his name? Davy?”

  “Danny.” Jess sucked in a breath. Wrong topic. She didn’t want to talk about Danny Galloway in the middle of a supermarket checkout line, of all places. She didn’t want to talk about him at all. His memory was too precious.

  Hers. No one else’s.

  She unsnapped her wallet and withdrew her debit card. To her relief, Thelma picked up on her reluctance to discuss Danny and didn’t ask about him again. Gaze understanding, Thelma waved a hand.

  “You can put away that card, sweetie. Your mother runs a monthly tab. All you gotta do is sign.” She tallied the amount on an old-fashioned carbon copy pad and passed the pad to Jess. “She’ll keep getting the staff discount this way.”

  Jess glanced up. “Thank you. That’s very kind.” He
r word sufficing as credit—there was an advantage to small-town living she’d completely forgotten. “I’d like to pay for all her groceries while I’m here, plus any outstanding balance from March.”

  “You bet.” Thelma scribbled a note on the pad. Then she took over bagging groceries while Adam placed them in the cart. “Will you be around the Victoria Day long weekend?” she asked Jess. In honor of the deceased queen’s birthday, the national holiday occurred on the third or fourth Monday in May. “You wouldn’t want to miss the Lumberjack Festival. They wind up with a slo-pitch tournament, and sometimes it can get pretty interesting, eh, Adam?”

  Jess lifted her eyebrows. The Lumberjack Festival. Wow. “You still hold that?”

  Thelma grinned. “Your dad was a master. Always winning the axe-throwing and obstacle pole bucking competitions. And wasn’t he Best All-Around Logger a year or two?”

  “Three.” In a row. Once upon a time, the trophy had proudly graced their fireplace mantel.

  But those days were long gone.

  “I won’t be here then, actually.” Returning her wallet to her purse, she asked Adam, “Do you participate in the logger sports?”

  He shook his head. “I leave that to the guys with the chainsaws. Thelma’s just trying to embarrass me.”

  “Am not,” Thelma teased.

  “Are, too,” he kidded back. Glancing at Jess, he placed another bag in the cart. “Destiny Falls Young Achievers sponsors the festival’s slo-pitch tournament. Last year Pete decided we should hold a silent charity auction at the dinner-dance afterward.”

  Thelma chuckled, hands on her ample hips. “And what happens? Adam here puts up two days forestry work training as a prize. What was the training, now? Timber cruising?”

  “Traversing. Compass and line work.”

  “Compass, that was it. Well, my Wendy, how shocked was she to learn she’d won the prize? Her sister put down her name as a lark and then had to buck up for DFYA. Kylie insisted Wendy take the training, but Wendy wasn’t too happy about it, was she, Adam?” Thelma flashed a toothy grin. “My Wendy’s not cut out for bush work. Was probably way more trouble to Adam than she was worth.”