Fancy Gap (11 page)

“Listen, I will do all I can to help you and be by your side during this ordeal. I will reach out to parishioners and friends alike for their help. Don’t hesitate to call me, day or night, for help. Also, please come to Mass on Sunday. I want you to meet all of our parish family.”

After hugs and parting words from Father Tony, the Prestons and Mary drove back to Hillsville.

“What a kind and generous man he is. We’re blessed to have him for spiritual guidance and help right now,” Susan said as she looked at Mary.

“I agree,” Tim piped in. “He’s a very holy person. I just feel it in his presence.”

They rode in silence, until Mary quietly offered a word, “Maybe you two are going to think I’m crazy, but there is something that bothers me about Father Tony. Maybe it’s his bushy, black eyebrows or his bald head—there’s just something. For instance, how did he know the children’s names? We didn’t tell him.”

“For crying out loud, Mary, give the man a break. Their names have been all over the news and on everyone’s lips within a hundred miles of Fancy Gap,” Tim said.

“I know, I know, but there was just something about him,” she said weakly.

“For God’s sake, Mary, the priest invites us to his house, feeds us, and is praying for us,” Susan retorted. “I swear, sometimes you imagine the weirdest things.”

No one spoke during the rest of the ride back.

Susan was not pleased with her sister.
How could she ever think that
, she thought.

* * *

Quinn lay in bed and looked at the person asleep next to him. Was this a dream or was she really right there in his bed? Her breathing was easy. She was in a deep sleep.

He hit the Replay button in his mind and slowly recaptured what had happened in the past few days. She had gone to California and flown back on a red-eye, driven five hours to Fancy Gap, and had wild, uninhibited, passionate sex with him in broad daylight on the lower slope of his front lawn.

Nope, nothing unusual about that,
he thought.

He couldn’t deny that this drop-dead gorgeous redhead was in his bed, sharing his air. They had talked the previous night as they cooked and ate dinner by candlelight. After a bottle of his best Robert Biale Black Chicken zinfandel, they sat in the hot tub and watched the stars twinkle in the clear mountain sky.

The railing of the top deck had beckoned at the end of the night as they looked at the towns, villages, and cities down below that were lit up for the night. She was taken with the peaceful solitude that enveloped them both at that moment. She caught herself thinking of the next episode of great sex with Quinn. Then the events of the day, combined with the hot tub and zinfandel, finally got the better of them both.

They were wiped out. They melted into nighttime slumber, tightly wrapped in each other’s arms and legs. Quinn had recurring dreams of Ellen, sitting in her favorite swing, smiling at him. She didn’t speak. She only smiled.

He sneaked out of bed at first light and started a pot of fresh coffee. He was pouring a cup when he heard a big yawn coming from the bedroom.

“Does the big man deliver coffee to guests in this dump?”

“Only if the guest has done anything to deserve a good cup of joe.”

“In that case, you should have the whole darned pot brewing just for me!” Louisa chortled.

“And exactly what are you referring to that might deserve such special service?” Quinn asked.

She was sitting up in bed when he carried the mug of coffee to her. She hadn’t drawn the sheet up to cover her beautiful nakedness.

God, she is hot!
he thought.

“Let’s see, what did I do to deserve this? I cooked the better half of dinner, I tried to do the dishes, and I took out the trash,” she offered.

“OK, for that you might get a demitasse at best,” he responded.

She reached over and took the mug from his hands. She set it down and pulled him into the bed next to her. They kissed for a long time.

“Oh, is that the sugar?” she asked. “Are you a little sore this morning, my dear?”“What? Me sore? I don’t think so. It’s more like worn out. Delightfully so, if I may add. It’s been a long time since my friend was called into such a degree of service,” he joked.

“Do pass along my regards to your fine friend. He performed well beyond my expectations. After all, a person of your advanced years normally could not be counted on to perform in such admirable fashion.”

“Oh, so that’s what you’re calling it—admirable fashion. Heck, I thought he stepped right up to the plate and hit it out of the park!” Quinn replied.

She slowly slid her hand down into his flannel shorts and smiled.

“OK, that’s what I like to see. Slugger has moved back into the on-deck circle.”

They both laughed as they kissed and looked into each other’s eyes.

“So what are the conditions in the dugout today? Must be a little sore after that doubleheader yesterday?” he asked.

“Ever so thoughtful of you to ask. Quite right, my dearest, years of inactivity proved not to be an ally when she was called into duty yesterday. Quite honestly, she’s worn out.”

“I knew I should have been gentler. All joking aside, I daresay that a video of yesterday’s lawn games would prove to a best seller on what sixty-year-olds haven’t forgotten. Hell, I bet most thirty-something’s would take notes and ninety-nine percent of the guys would happily have swapped places with me in a heartbeat!”

“Undoubtedly a million hits on YouTube or on the AARP website!” she exclaimed.

Just as they stopped laughing, Quinn’s BlackBerry emitted a funny whistle.

“Who’s calling you now, Mister Important Chick Magnet?”

“That is favorite daughter, Natalie. She is the consummate text-message queen. No calls, no e-mails, but the text messages roll out of her iPhone like a machine gun. Let’s see what she has to say.”

Quinn read Natalie’s message and smiled. “Looks like number one son and number one daughter have been talking. I told Anthony a little bit about you the other day as I drove back here from the District. Now Natalie is curious about my newfound friend and is about to give me the third degree.”

“Well, I hope their first introduction to me didn’t come through Google Earth yesterday afternoon.”

“I sure do hope that those FBI spy satellite cameras that used to protect and track you weren’t on yesterday.”

“Trust me—half of those old codgers in the Bureau would have had seizures if they had witnessed us in action on the green yesterday.”

“No, I think one or both of the kids might have called me immediately if they had been witness to our aerobic workout under the bright, blue sky. Heck, I’m just thankful that Nigel wasn’t any earlier. The man has a weak heart as well!” Quinn said.

“You just kill me. So is your daughter coming to visit?”

“Not sure. She suggests I buy her and her daughter, Meredith, dinner at Chateau Morrisette on Saturday night. She loves to eat at that vineyard. I’ll tell her it’s a go if you’re comfortable with meeting her so soon.”

Think you can handle that?”
she thought. “Of course, I want to meet them. I don’t really care if you like me, but it’s very important to have the two most important females in your life think I’m nice.”

Good luck! They’ve set the bar high for yours truly,
he thought.

“Besides, I need to see what kind of work you did as a parent,” she added.

“Cool. I think you might pass muster. Natalie thinks my grieving period has long passed and I should be making someone miserable again.”

“I think I like her already,” Louisa said.

They ate brunch and headed out to spend the afternoon hiking up Buffalo Mountain. Louisa planned to kick his butt at whatever they did.

Soon after they got on the Parkway and headed north, they passed the first stone church.

“Wow, what a beautiful church. What denomination is it?” Louisa asked.

“It’s actually a Catholic church now. Used to be Protestant.”

“Are you Catholic, Quinn?” Now that caught him by surprise.

“Well, I am and always have been, but I’ve recently lost the desire to attend any given church. I spend time with God when I run or ride. We get along just fine that way. Are you a fish-eater, devout or otherwise?”

“Devout, my dearest. I go to Mass every Sunday. I enjoy a great parish in Arlington. Is that the only Catholic church in these parts?” she asked.

“No, actually there’s another small one in Mount Airy. It’s a little further away but not much. My neighbor, Nigel, and his wife, Kathy, go there. They like the priest there.”

“So you wouldn’t mind being my escort this Sunday, would you? I would really like to see the inside of that stone church.”

I just knew she would ask that,
he thought.

Quinn was silent as he drove. “Let me think about that one, Louisa.”

“Works for me. We have a day or two to work on your decision.”

The road up Buffalo Mountain wasn’t that long, but recent summer rains had left some pretty big ruts and divots in the dirt road. Quinn slipped the Ram into four-wheel drive, sailed through the road hazards, and got them to the small parking lot in no time.

“Good thing we had the Ram instead of that girlie Volvo that’s in my driveway,” he teased.

“Just remember those words, big man, comes the day I have to pull this big-butt truck out a ditch.”
Heck, I won’t even laugh at you,
she thought.

Quinn laughed as they changed into their hiking shoes for their trek up the four-thousand-foot-high mountain. Quinn had the advantage since he had climbed it several times with Ellen. He led the way, slinging his backpack over his shoulder.

“Just let me know if you need any help carrying that pack, big fella,” Louisa threw out.

Quinn didn’t respond as he set a good pace on the lower switchbacks. He soon felt Louisa right behind him, though, step for step. She slipped by him on a wide turn and took the lead. He smiled as he slipped in right behind her. He didn’t mind being in that position, as her hiking shorts were short and he liked watching those long, athletic legs eat trail.

When they were halfway to the top, he put a move on her and passed in a tight section of trail. He patted her on the ass as he went by. He hoped that wasn’t a mistake. “See you at the top, Ms. Volvo,” he called over his shoulder.

So the big man is showing his stuff a little early,
she thought.
Let me hang on his butt for a while before I make my move.
She had completed all of the tough FBI physical training courses at Quantico. She actually held several of the female personal records on the toughest courses. But that was then. Right now, she had to concentrate on the large body in front of her, gaining speed at each turn.

That pissed her off. She looked up and saw that the next switchback came out directly above her.
This is a no-brainer,
she thought. She cut off the trail, advancing to the next part. She almost lost her footing as she reached the edge but dug in and caught the lip of the ledge. She lunged up and turned up and left onto the center of the trail. She was now a full trail turn ahead of Quinn.

He was huffing and puffing with his head down as he turned on to the next switchback. At least Louisa was behind him—or he thought she was. Then he saw her, gobbling up trail in front of him.

“Cheater!” he yelled at her.
How the hell did she get there?
he wondered.

They were getting closer to the top, and she was kicking his ass. He looked down at the trail and decided that the final moment had come. He took in as much air as his lungs could hold and picked up the pace. He was getting closer to her as they leaned into the next turn. But she still had twenty feet on him. She was running at full bore. She was haulin’ ass!

She knew he had to be running at balls-to-the-wall pace. She had already jumped the trail. That move had to piss him off. There was only one strategy left: Run as fast as she could till she got to the top. Anything else would be weak and probably give him the advantage. That was not acceptable.

They were two turns away from the top. He wouldn’t catch her… unless. He let out the biggest yelp he could harness on the final turn. He immediately went down on the trail and cried out. He lay there and wailed. He never looked up.

She heard his primal scream. She saw him go down. Without a moment’s hesitation, she stopped dead in her tracks and backtracked down the trail to where he lay. She was about to call out to him when he got up, bolted to her left, and headed up the path.

“You shithead! Your ass is mine!” she yelled.
You son of a bitch,
she thought as she recovered and caught up to him. They looked like wild beasts, clawing their way up the trail. It was a blessing that no one else was around. They would have undoubtedly pushed anyone else off the trail if they needed to. Nothing else mattered. They looked up and saw the summit. They were now running side by side, nothing but flying asses and elbows. They passed the tree line into the wide-open space near the top. She reached up and tugged at his backpack, which was flying side to side. He slowed and lost his balance, just enough for her to fly by him with a final burst of speed. She prayed that it would be enough.

Quinn soon realized that his shit was weak. He had no more chance of getting to the summit first than having sex with her before they got there. He slowed a bit more and arrived at the summit just behind her. He thought she was still running too fast and might fly off the top onto the rocks. He reached out to catch her arm as she lost control of her lead foot. He braked with all his might and managed to stop their momentum before she went over the top.

They balanced themselves at the top and tilted from side to side as they looked around and at each other. They gently backed down onto the grassy part of the knoll and sat against the rock outcropping. They said nothing while they caught their breath. Then Quinn reached into his backpack and pulled out a large thermos.

“Is that your Geritol?” she asked, a smile on her reddened face. She reached over and took hold of his right hand.

“OK, you beat me fair and square. I’ll never suggest that you cheated by cutting across the trail. Oh, no. And the fact that you didn’t run the entire way doesn’t bother me in the least.”