Summer In Iron Springs (3 page)

Phoebe shrugged.
The fact that she resembled her mother was not news to her but she wasn’t used to hearing it aloud. She’d also seen enough pictures of Anna to know that the two sisters, though five years apart in age, looked almost like twins. Looking at Anna now, seeing her wide brown eyes, it was almost more than Phoebe could take. She imagined this was what it would feel like to look into her mother’s eyes. She took a step back and stared over her aunt’s shoulder at the mountain side. The golden retriever limped over and nuzzled his wet nose in her hand and she gave his head a pat. His eyes were tired and he looked worn out.

             
“I’m so sorry I couldn’t pick you up from the airport. I had a meeting that I was unable to get out of.”

Phoebe noted the smile lines on either side of
Anna’s mouth and the faint wrinkles around her eyes. There was tenderness in Anna’s words that told Phoebe her aunt was not the wicked witch she had made her out to be when her father informed her that Anna had agreed to have Phoebe live with her for the summer. “Don’t worry about it,” she said coolly.

Anna
nodded and said softly, “Come inside and let’s get you settled. I’m sure you’ve had a long trip.”

After a moment’s hesitation, Phoebe let out a sigh, retrieved her luggage from the bed of
the truck and followed her aunt up the porch steps. They walked through a set of tall wooden doors and into a large open foyer before heading up a towering staircase. “This is where you’ll stay, Phoebe,” Anna said as she opened the last door on the right side of the long hallway.

Phoebe’s eyes were drawn immediately to huge windows that gave a stunning view of the mountainside. “This is my room? Are you serious?” She raised a hand to her mouth. The words spilled out before she had time to form them, and she immediately regretted the excitement in her voice. While taking in all the details of the beautiful room, she made a mental note to do a better job of keeping her emotions to herself. She set her suitcases down on the wooden floor and walked to a set of open patio doors where extra-long, white silk drapes swayed gently in the cool summer breeze. This is amazing; she thought as she stepped onto the balcony
and took in the stunning view.

“It’s incredible isn’t it?”
Anna said, joining her on the balcony. “Bessie just loved the view from this spot.”

Phoebe peered over the side of the balcony while inhaling the fresh smell of pine and the sweet perfume of lilacs. She allowed her eyes to follow the river’s rushing water as it snaked down the canyon.
It really was an unbelievable view and for a split second, the artsy side of Phoebe reveled in the beauty of it all. How wonderful it would be to capture it all with her paints and brushes—if only she had them. If only her father hadn’t taken them away as part of her punishment.

“Let me show you around, dear,”
Anna said. “And then I’ll let you rest; you must be exhausted.”

“I’m sure I can find my way around. Besides, I’m kinda tired.”
Phoebe forced a small smile before turning and heading back inside. She stood just inside the balcony doors and scanned the walls in search of something to focus on. Eventually, her eyes settled on a collection of four beautiful paintings.

“Well, I’ll give you some time to unpack then. Call me if you need anything.”
Anna walked toward the door. “Dinner’s at seven.”

The door closed, and Phoebe was alone at last. For a long moment, she simply stood with her eyes glued to the paintings. Focusing her attention on them would keep her from obsessing about where she was, or more importantly, where she wasn’t. She moved closer to the wall and glanced briefly at each of four paintings before noticing that, although it displayed a winter scene, the largest one had been painted from her balcony. Her eyes moved from the painting to the mountainside and then back
to the painting. The scene was breath-taking and Phoebe found herself caught up in it.

Exhausted, and filled with more emotion than she knew what to do with, Phoebe fell on the bed and closed her eyes. In moments, she was sound asleep.

Two

The next morning, when the sun peeked through a tiny break in the closed drapes, Phoebe’s eyes opened, closed,
and opened again. Slowly she scanned the room.

Iron Springs.
Ugh.

How badly she wanted to
be in New York. Her father knew how much the opportunity had meant to her. Why did he have to be so unreasonable? How could he force her to turn down the chance to work side-by-side with some of the world’s most talented artists? He had always refused to acknowledge her talent and this was just another instance of him showing her that he did not want her to be an artist.

She drew the comforter over her head, curled into a ball and urged darkness to return.
But even the thick blanket wasn’t enough to drown out Norm’s bellowing voice.

“Food’s on the table little lady. Come and get it.”

Phoebe let out a loud groan. What is he doing here? The grumbling in her stomach prompted her to glance at the clock on her nightstand. Seven thirty. She had slept for over twelve hours and she felt like if she closed her eyes, she could sleep another twelve. She considered skipping breakfast and staying holed up in her room. But, when her stomach growled again—reminding her she’d missed dinner the night before—she let out a long sigh and sat up. After yawning, stretching, and turning every which way trying to scratch an annoying itch in the middle of her back, she put on her slippers, stood up and staggered to the bathroom.

She splashed cold water on her face until she felt at least somewhat awake and
then, after running a brush through her hair to remove the tangles, she pulled her hair into a ponytail. Wetting a tissue under the faucet, she removed a smudge of mascara from beneath her eye before pulling her robe on and heading out the door. She glanced at the framed photographs that lined both sides of the hallway. When she saw the one of her mother, she stopped to look at it, surprised she hadn’t noticed the day before. The size of this picture—the largest one Phoebe had ever seen—made Bessie look so . . . alive. Phoebe reached up and ran her hand over her mother’s pretty face. Then, swallowing the lump in her throat, she headed downstairs.

“Hello again little lady,” Norm said when Phoebe entered the dining room. “I hope you got some rest.”

              “I did,” Phoebe said, sliding into an empty chair before glancing around the room. What is this, a bed and breakfast? And who are these people? She tightened the belt on her robe and tucked her feet beneath the chair in an effort to hide the fuzzy green slippers that suddenly seemed like a really bad idea.

“Don’t you boys know it’s impolite to stare?” Norm
spoke to the two men whose eyes had settled on Phoebe. Phoebe was thankful when the two men returned their attention to Norm.

“Hey, you slackers, thanks for leaving me to do all the work.” The kid she’d seen yesterday at the orchard walked in and gave Norm a playful punch in the arm. “Just because it’s Saturday doesn’t mean you get to sleep in.”

In what universe is seven-thirty considered sleeping in? Phoebe thought to herself. She glanced at the boy. His damp hair looked darker than it had yesterday—sort of ash blonde. It fell forward in a tousled mess that looked like he hadn’t bothered combing it. Despite this, he still managed to look hot. He glanced at Phoebe and their eyes met. Her eyes held his for a long moment before she shifted her gaze to the multi-colored placemat on the table.

“At least we know who’s getting the biggest bonus after the harvest,” the boy said, taking a seat across from Phoebe.

“Oh you think so do you?” Norm asked, laughing loudly. “Do you know who signs those checks?” Norm pointed a finger to his chest. “I do, and you won’t be getting any bonus if you don’t get the far end pruned.”

“Don’t worry. It’ll be done in plenty of time,” Billy
promised.

“Well, everyone . . .” Norm stood up and motioned a hand toward Phoebe. “We have company. This little lady right here is Phoebe Levick. She’s come to spend the summer with us.”

Phoebe glanced at Norm. Why does he keep calling me little lady? Doesn’t he know I have a name?

Norm put a hand on the shoulder of the lady seated beside him. “I’d like you to meet my fiancée. This is Gina.” His face beamed when he looked at Gina
and Phoebe could hear the pride in his voice.

“It’s nice to meet you Phoebe,” Gina said.

“Nice to meet you too,” Phoebe said, glancing from Gina to Norm. Norm had a fiancée? And she was actually very pretty. Their relationship, Phoebe quickly decided, must be where the phrase
opposites attract
came from. Gina was petite and cute and stylish. Her thick brown hair was cut in a bob that framed her pretty face and the navy blue blouse she wore enhanced her light green eyes. She smiled at Phoebe and, as Phoebe gave a quick smile in return, she couldn’t help but wonder what on earth Gina saw in Norm.

“And this here’s John Stanger.” Norm held his hand out to the large man seated across from him. “I call him
The Gentle Giant. I’m sure you can see why.”

John stood up and extended his massive hand across the table. “It’s nice to meet you Phoebe.”

Phoebe accepted his hand in hers. “Nice to meet you too,” she said. John was tall, well-built and imposing. His commanding features didn’t match the soft tone of his voice. Phoebe gave John a small smile and when he smiled back, she could tell he was definitely a gentle giant.

“And this is Stephen Hansen. He’s been here the longest,” Norm continued. “Almost thirty years, right?” To Norm’s question, Stephen nodded his head
slowly. “Stephen doesn’t talk much but he’s a real hard worker.” The man’s face flushed and he smiled a wide smile when he heard Norm’s words. “And this young chap right here is Billy Hall. Billy’s the baby of the group; just turned eighteen last week.” The boy flashed another smile at Phoebe. “Billy likes to think he works hard.”

Norm laughed loudly and the others joined in, even Billy
. He had a good sense of humor—even when the joke was on him. In Phoebe’s book, a guy who could laugh at himself was attractive. If she’d had her list with her, she would have added one more check to the pro column.

“And this guy,” Norm held out a hand to the golden retriever who’d just made his way to the dining room. “This is Bandit—in dog years he’s older’n any of us.”

Bandit gave Norm’s hand a sniff before limping over to where Phoebe was sitting and curling up at her feet.

“Bessie named him Bandit cuz he used to steal her stuff,” Stephen said. The man’s words came out slowly, like he was considering each word before he said it. “Now he’s too old so he doesn’t do that anymore.”

Phoebe squirmed in her chair. She glanced at Bandit. My mother named the dog?

Norm laughed. “I remember once he chewed up one of your mom’s favorite shoes—he must have known he was in trouble because Bessie found him hiding behind the couch with the half-eaten shoe dangling from his mouth.”

“Breakfast is ready everyone.” Anna came into the dining room carrying a large platter of pancakes.

Norm
stood up. “Let me get that, Anna.” He took a platter from Anna and, after placing it in the center of the table, he headed for the kitchen. “C’mon boys; give me a hand.”

Phoebe was grateful for the distraction. Having spent her life treating the subject of her mother as though it were forbidden, she wasn’t sure she could ev
er get used to hearing Bessie talked about in casual conversation. She glanced again at Bandit, looking into his tired eyes. A lump formed in her throat when she thought of her mother scolding the dog for stealing her shoe. It was the first time she’d ever really thought of Bessie in a human moment—doing an everyday thing like searching for a shoe. She swallowed hard and tried to force away the emotions.

Norm and the others went into the kitchen and returned carrying more platters of food. “It looks like you’ve made a new friend,” he said
to Phoebe, motioning a hand toward Bandit who had fallen asleep.

Phoebe reached down and gave Bandit a gentle pat on the head. “Yeah, it looks like it,” she said, “How old is he?”

“I’d say he’s about twelve or thirteen years old,” John said.

“No, he’s older’n that.” Norm glanced toward the ceiling. “Let’s see . . .” He scratched his chin. “Your mom got him a few
months before she passed away. So, that means he’s gotta be getting closer to fourteen years old.”

Phoebe’s eyes welled up with tears
. “Wait, you mean . . .” she swallowed hard. “Bandit was my mother’s dog?”

Anna
, who was circling the table making sure everyone got enough to eat, leaned over and kissed Phoebe on the top of the head. “He sure was. Bessie loved dogs. Your dad gave her Bandit for her 26
th
birthday.” She picked up an empty bowl and headed toward the kitchen to refill it. “Eat as much as you’d like,” Anna said.

Her mother
died when she was twenty six. Phoebe’s heart filled with sadness. How could she have not known that?

“Billy, will you say the blessing?” Norm asked.

Talking immediately ceased as heads were bowed and arms were folded. Phoebe followed suit but peered at Billy through partially closed eyes as he asked God to bless the food and gave thanks for the success in the orchard.

When she opened her eyes after the prayer, Bandit was staring up at her. He studied her for a moment before resting his head on the floor. Phoebe leaned down and ran her hand along his back. She glanced at the people seated at the table. Aside from Billy, each of them had known her mother. And now, thirteen years after her death, they still talked about her as though they were discussing the weather or their plans for the day. How was Phoebe supposed to react to that?

“So, Phoebe, how do you like Seattle?” Norm asked as he stuck his fork into a stack of pancakes and lifted them to his plate.

“I like it a lot,” Phoebe said. She lifted some bacon onto her plate. “It’s nice . . . if you like rain.”

Norm nodded. “It’s too wet for me. But I guess you get used to that, huh?” Norm shifted his attention to Anna. “Anna, I was telling the boys that the south end is nearly done.” He drowned his pancakes in syrup. “Billy sprayed all but about two hundred trees this morning.”

Anna
took a sip of her water. “Wonderful! You’re ahead of schedule.” Then, smiling at Billy, she added, “You must have been up really early this morning.”

“I was.” He
smiled at Phoebe. “I couldn’t sleep for some reason.”

Phoebe smiled back. She knew his inability to sleep had something to do with her. Had he been thinking about her? Was that what kept him from sleeping? If so, what was he thinking?

“How’s the pruning going?” Anna asked, directing her question to Billy and interrupting Phoebe’s thoughts.

“Oh, don’t even mention the
P
word,” Billy said between bites of food. “That’s a curse word right now.”

“Okay, I won’t.”
Anna chuckled as she handed a platter to Phoebe. “Have some eggs dear. And, by the way, in case you’re wondering, these guys live here at the ranch—just over the river in that row of cabins. They eat here because none of them can cook worth a darn.” Anna stood up and headed toward the kitchen and on her way, she ruffled Billy’s hair with her hand. “Isn’t that right, Billy?”

             
“Oh, we can cook. That’s not the problem, Anna. The problem is that nothing we make is edible.” Everyone, including Phoebe, laughed at that.

             
As they ate, Phoebe watched Billy. He was comfortable in Anna’s house, and he interacted freely with the others—it was like they were a family. Something about that felt good to her.

“I figure we’ll be finished staking those baby trees by mid-month—that’s if the weather cooperates and we can stay on schedule.” Norm slathered butter on a thick slice of bread. “This is delicious
Anna.”

“Thank you Norm.” The doorbell rang and
Anna excused herself to answer it. She returned a moment later and was followed by another lady who took a seat at the table. After everyone had greeted the lady, Anna glanced at Phoebe. “Phoebe, I want you to meet my friend. This is Alyssa Parker. She lives in town and owns a boutique on Park Street.”

Alyssa was tall, slender and
very pretty. Her silky blonde hair looked like it was straight out of a shampoo commercial. “It’s nice to meet you, Phoebe.” Alyssa smiled at Phoebe before adding, “Size five, right?”

“Huh?” Phoebe glanced at Alyssa with raised eyebrows.

“I was just estimating your size.” Alyssa chuckled. “I’m pretty good at guessing clothing sizes just by looking at people. It sort of comes with the territory.”

“Yeah…size five . . . that’s right
,” Phoebe said.

“So, you’re going to be spending the summer with us, huh?” Alyssa’s smile revealed glistening white, perfectly straight teeth.