Once Upon a Misty Bluegrass Hill (37 page)

She took her captured gaze from his blue heaven and took another circle around the
k
nobby trunk of the old oak
tree
picking up a curl and twisting it tight around her finger
.

"Don't twist yer hair Jolene." 
He sounded
sadder
than she had ever heard him. 
"
You are too young to know what you want Jolene…you just feel obligated to me.  I was your hero as a young girl…and I took advantage.
"

"
Have it your way
Patrick
, if that is what you want to believe.
"

"
You can come back and see Storm any time you want.  I explained to Leona that I had lost my head that
day I came after you in the storm
but
that I
'
d
taken care of yer always.  She understands yer don
'
t have anyone else and she said as long as you never are alone
with me
it is alright if we visit
from time to time
.
"

Jolene let the
acrid
laugh hit the Sunday morning sunshine
and looked at him incredulous
. 
"
Oh really?  Well, I don
'
t want to see you or her
...especially not her
.
"
 
She tossed her arms in the air with frustration. 
"
I mean honestly…I get visitation rights?  You know we can
'
t go back after what happened.
"

Patrick
captured her again in his darkened gaze. 
"
We don
'
t need to go back, we need to go forward.  I
'
m
asking yer for forgiveness and
for us
to at least be friends again.
"

"
That is never going to work.
  And I don
'
t want it to work.
  Friends…really
?
"

"
I have plenty of old girlfriends who are still my friends and some of them have married and I know their husbands.
"

Jolene rolled her eyes then smiled brightly though
the
fury built with each word between them. 
"
Thank you for that
Patrick
.  But I don
'
t think I even made the girlfriend list.  We took a tumble out on the pasture…that is the word all over town
thanks to Leona
.  But your sentiments are oh
-so-
modern sounding.
"

He stepped toward her, his eyes burning violet. 
"
Stop it Jolene.
"

She
was
shaking from her fury. 
"
Well, I am sorry if I am just n
ot capable of that sort of open-
mindedness.  But then, of course, you being the Earl of
Meath
and all
....
everyone wants to be your friend after sex right
?  I
n
fact, in your and Leona
'
s world it is probably casual sex all the time
.
"

He growled
,
his fingers clinching
at his side.  F
or an instant Jolene thought he was going to reach out and grab her
but o
f course he would not right outside the Church
. 
"
Jolene, that is not called for, even if I did act like a jerk.
"
 

Jolene narrowed her gaze and held back the sobbing lump in her throat. 
"
Please give me the Rosary so we can both move on.  I
'
ve been to see the Priest and I am all good again….maybe you could ease your own conscience if you did the same thing.
"

The fire never left his eyes. 
"
Have it your way then.  I can
'
t say I blame yer.
"
 
He lifted his hand out to her and she
reached out with her
hand
up
and he dropped
the Rosary in
to
her
palm
.  The beads were still warm from his hand when she closed her fingers around them.

"
Remember what I said Jolene, yur always welcome to come by.
"

"
Goodbye
Patrick
.
"

Chapter
23

T
he tradition
s are very old and
dat
e
all the way back to the first settlers of the magical Appalachian Mountains who came over from Scotland and Ireland in the 1700′s. They brought
with them th
eir even older Irish and Scottish
m
agical
t
raditions. Those two ‘old world’ Traditions blended with a dash of the local tradition of the Tsalagi (Now, called the Cherokee Indians.) The recipe for the Appalachian Granny Magic Tradition was complete
d and the pot of potion
simmered on a low boil for many generations before anyone
gave it
the name, ’Appalachian Granny Magic.’
 

"
Come over as soon as you can, there has been an emergency.
"
 

Jolene read the text message a second time and responded. 
"
Aunt Paula, what is wrong?  Tell me before I get there so I know what to expect.
"

After moving
into her house
she had
started veterinary school three weeks ago.  She lived in a small renovated home with a fence near University of Kentucky.  With the money generated by Big Storm she had been able to find something quite nice for a decent price.  She had furnished the place lightly but comfortably with modern pieces from the Koko furniture store that featured middle range furnishings
that were cost effective and functional
. 

This was not her dream home so she didn
'
t want to put too much into it. 

Her dream home was her family home. 

And now she could never go home again.

She clapped her hands together and smiled at her dogs to send away the hurt.  "Ride
pups
!"

She got into her SUV and Oliver and Finn followed her, yapping happily at the chance for a ride.  They pressed their noses against the glass and barked at people in other cars at each stop light.  Finn climbed into the seat next to her.

"
I hate to go back
pups
, but at least I
'
ll have you here for comfort.
"
  She petted them both.  "I wonder what Aunt Paula is up to now.  Probably needs money."

It took her 45 minutes to get to Aunt Paula
'
s.  When she pulled into the dirt driveway she squinted against the Saturday afternoon sun at the house to see if anything seemed amiss. 

Why had Aunt Paula been so vague?

She opened the car door and got out and the
pups
followed, their noses in the air, suspicious and cautious just as she was.
 

Something didn
'
t seem right.

The house was quiet and even the front door was closed.  Usually Aunt Paula only had the screen door closed because she had no air conditioning in the house and it was too hot to leave the doors and windows closed.

The door swung open.  It was Travis.  Looking as unkempt and gross as ever. 
"
Come on in Jolene, but leave those mutts outside.
"

Jolene walked up to the door and peered past Travis. 
"
Where is Aunt Paula?  Is she alright
?  She texted me.
"
 

He pushed the screen open. 
"
We had a fight, I hit her a little too hard and she is laying back in the bedroom.
"

Jolene rushed past him and he slammed the door on Finn and Ollie who barked furiously and scratched on the screen.

Jolene went through the house to Paula
'
s bedroom. 
"
Oh my God!
"

Aunt Paula had been beaten to a pulp.  Her face was bloodied and swollen. 

Jolene rushed over to her and checked her pulse. 
"
Why didn
'
t you call 911?
"

"
She
'
ll be alright.  I caught her with Jack Davis…do you remember him
?  That asshole coming around here while I
'
m gone and doing Paula.
"

Jolene looked closer at Travis.  He was drunk or high, or both. 
His glazed eyes stared at her as if he did not comprehend what he had done.

Paula was dead
.

Jolene took in the scene
with a hammering heart and disbelief
.  Booze bottles lined the dresser and night stand.  Pipes littered the night stand. 

She looked back at Travis who looked mentally absent. 
"
I think Paula is seriously hurt.  We need to call an ambulance.
"

Travis blinked as if he could not comprehend what she said, then he grinned. 
N
aaw…she
'
s just knocked out a bit. 
She is sleep
'
in off the effects. 
She
'
ll be getting up soon.
"  His yellow grin grew larger.  "
But that wasn
'
t why I called you here.
"

Jolene slowly stood, her heart pounding harder. 
"
It was Aunt Paula who texted me.
"

Travis laughed roughly showing his yellowed teeth
.  His cankerous breath lingered in the air
.
 
"
After I knocked her out I got her phone.  I figured
I could ta
ke advantage of Paula sleeping
and it is
high time that you and I finish our little game from before you moved away…you know
before
you left and got all fancy on us.
"

Jolene backed away from his advance toward her and tried to inch to the door. 

"
Travis, if you harm me I will see to it that you rot in prison the rest of your life.
"

Travis cackled. 
"
You think I am scared of you little girl?  When I am done with you, you
'
ll be begging for more.  I can keep you here a long time with me.  Who is going to come looking?
"

Hysteria raced through her blood. 
"
Patrick
will look for me.
"

Travis cackled again and spit trickled into his unkempt beard. 
"
I don
'
t think so sweetheart…ole Irish lover-boy already got his tumble with you and now he is soon off to marry Leona.  Now it is my turn.
"

Jolene felt the panic freeze her limbs.  She heard her dogs barking furiously outside.  Just how to get to them?
 
"
You cannot possibly mean to rape me Travis.
"

Travis
'
eyebrows shot up over
bloodshot eyes. 
"
Oh no, Jolene…you and I go
nna have lots of fun together.
"
 

Jolene trembled with horror and she thought her stomach would come right out
through
her lips. 
"
I am leaving.
"

She tried to run past him but even drunk and high Travis
was determined.  He
stood between her and the door and he grabbed her as she attempted to
flee
.
  He wrapped his flabby arms around her and slammed her against his stinky body.

Jolene fought with all her might
, b
ut in the span of a few seconds he had given her several head blows that sent stars running in her head.  She tried to get her balance but her world mov
ed
dark until it slipped away entirely.