The Charity (21 page)

Michael stepped out from behind the wheel and sauntered up to the women. He was wearing a battered pair of blue jeans, work boots and an oilcloth barn coat. His slate eyes cast a vicious gleam as he looked at Jessica in her filthy clothes. “Hard to tell who won that battle.”

Jessica tried to keep herself composed. She gave Electra a slanted glance and suspected that she was being out-maneuvered by a professional. Jessica raised her chin and looked at Michael with a playful show of bravado. “I won, of course. But you should see the other guy.” Electra roared with delight and settled back to watch the scene with keen and unabashed interest.

Michael jabbed the toe of his boot into the hardening ground. “I brought that mare, Snugs, I told you about.”

“How is she?”

“She’s doing fine, I guess. But they say a bad storm is coming in the next day or so. I don’t know much about horses and their ways, but I’ve heard that more animals are born in a storm than in the sunshine. She’s not due for another month or so, but you never know. I wanted to get her to you as soon as I could.”

“You’re right. It’s better for her to get to know her surroundings before her time comes.”

Michael stuck his hands in his pockets and shrugged his shoulders against the building chill as he looked skyward. “The animals are growing thick winter coats. The old farmers and the almanacs agree that this is going to be a bad winter.

“I’ve heard that, too,” replied Jessica.

He looked around the property and watched the sun creep toward the horizon. The farm had a wide-open view of Perc’s valley and several others beyond it. Each ridge was etched in gradually fading shades of blue and gray. The sky was beginning to cast orange and yellow hues over the mountains. The sun beamed directly into their eyes from its slot between two dark clouds.

“You sure do have a beautiful spot, Tess. I can’t think of a better view of the valley than right here.” Michael looked at Jessica in earnest.

“Yeah. I often spend my evenings out on my patio just listening. It is blissfully quiet out here.” Jessica smiled and looked around the farm with pride.

She had done a lot of work to it, and it responded gracefully to her care. The barn was nearly full of horses; the house was cleaned up but still needed a few repairs. She flinched when she thought of the horrible avocado green cabinets still in her kitchen. They will come down in time, she thought. She loved exploring the nooks and passages of the rambling farmhouse. She repaired and painted walls and prepared rooms for the furniture she would eventually buy. Even though she shuddered at the thought of the colors in her kitchen, she realized that the place was beginning to feel like home.

Sudden barking and whimpering could be heard coming from the truck. “Oh! Right. One more thing!” exclaimed Michael as he quickly returned to the truck. He momentarily stuck his head in through the door and emerged with a rather large and shaggy black dog in his arms. He placed the dog down on the ground, and it wagged its tail so vigorously that its entire body shook. He held on to the leash and walked over to the fence.

“Wow! He’s cute!” exclaimed Jessica. She swung herself over the fence to get a better look. “What’s its name?” she asked as she briskly rubbed the dog’s ears.

“His last owners didn’t give him a name. But he seems to respond to Pete.” Michael leaned forward so that his face almost touched Jessica’s. Electra was enjoying the show.

“How can you not name a dog? He’s such a good fella, aren’t ya.” Pete sniffed at her nose.

Michael’s face creased with concern. “I promised someone I would do a favor for them, and the next thing I knew, I was supposed to take him to the pound. The owners just can’t take care of him anymore.”

“The pound! That’s awful! No one wants a full-grown dog if they go there to adopt a pet. Everyone wants puppies! This poor guy is lucky he found you!” Jessica looked up and smiled at Michael. She let her gaze settle for a moment before looking away.

“Well, that’s the other thing I wanted to talk to you about.” His eyes again swept the farm. “When I was up here the other night it struck me that you have such a big place here, and you don’t have any neighbors, I was wondering if you would want to take care of him?”

“Here? Me? A dog?” Color rushed to her face and any composure she thought she was clinging to vanished.

“Yes.” Michael moved closer to her. He was captivated by the red light of the sunset streaking her honey colored hair. “It would work well for you and Pete. A dog like Pete could have plenty of room to run. And he could keep an eye on the place while you were riding.” He bent down on the other side of Pete and stroked the long fur of the dog’s back. The action brought him to eye level with Jessica. Her clear blue eyes reflected caring and intelligence. He let his hand briefly touch hers as they stroked the dog. “How about it?”

Jessica felt the touch of his hand and understood the look in his eyes. She knew that Michael shared the same love of animals that she did, and he did not want to surrender the dog to a certain fate. The dog looked up under shaggy brows at the trio of humans. Sensing that it was no longer in any danger and among friends, he burrowed his muzzle under Jessica’s arms and gave a contented sigh.

Jessica was no match for the soft touches of Michael and his best friend. “Yeah, sure. I have plenty of room around here. But what would I feed him?” She stood up, and the dog shadowed her move. She placed her hand on top of the dog’s head and gave him another pat.

Michael rummaged in his truck and produced a large bag. “Where do I put this stuff?”

Jessica looked at Electra in amazement and back to Michael. “You knew all along that I was a sucker for a furry face! You brought dog food and dog
dishes
? You are absolutely incorrigible.” She smiled and did not bother to conceal her delight. “Well, I think Pete has himself a new home.”

“Great! I would have hated taking that dog to the pound. Now I don’t have to worry about you so much up on this ridge.” His eyes dropped as he spoke his concern. He didn’t say so, but he recently made it a habit to drive past her farm on the way back to his place at night. The road that led up the mountain from the valley passed her farm and continued on upward until it connected with some rougher roads. After that it crisscrossed back down the other side of the mountain, out of the National Forest and into his valley. It took him almost an hour to negotiate the dirt roads, and each time he passed her farm he noted how quiet it was there. He shared her love of the quiet on the mountain, but was concerned about her nevertheless. He had seen too much to be comfortable with her isolation.

Sensing that three was beginning to be a bit crowded, Electra said her good-byes. She had watched her two friends with interest as they settled Snugs and got to know Pete better. Electra happily noted that the more time Tess and Michael spent with one another, the more relaxed they both became. When she got the opportunity, she pulled Michael to the side and said that Tess had refused her offer for dinner tonight and that Michael should just stay there as long as he wanted. They could all dine together on another day. She smiled at the mannered way Michael had understood her intent.

Jessica had forgotten what a mess she was. As soon as she got involved in bringing another horse to the barn, she became focused on the animals. Michael’s easy manner with the nervous mare helped her forget that she was once nervous around him too. She began to feel that they were beginning a friendship on her own terms, and it felt good.

Jessica put the feed buckets away in the tack room and made journal entries of what each horse was eating and its condition. She did not look at Michael as she spoke. “I thought you had a dinner engagement tonight? I heard that it’s not nice to keep a woman of her standing waiting.”

“I have been released from my engagement by the Queen herself. It seems her goal for the evening has already been achieved.”

Jessica’s blue eyes sparkled with merriment and the hint of a shared conspiracy. “I feel completely out-gunned by that woman! She certainly knows how to structure her games!”

Michael walked around the barn and checked the doors. “I’ve known Electra for a long time. When she takes a liking to a person, there is nothing that can hold her back from helping them. She has a knack for getting to know what a person’s strengths and weaknesses are and using her money and connections to do what she thinks is best for them. If she doesn’t like you or senses an ulterior motive, she’ll use those same connections to bring her foe down. Most of her victims never knew what hit them.”

Jessica shuddered involuntarily. Unknowingly, Michael voiced Jessica’s concerns over her relationship with Electra. Electra liked Tess White, but Jessica had to tread carefully or she would be sucked into the vortex of that human storm. Jessica had to keep pace and a little ahead of the tempest or be destroyed. Perc was a small town where everyone knew one another. The horse community was similar to a small town in that same way. Her encounter with Mr. Howe at Electra’s ball firmed her desire to keep Electra at an arm’s length as best as she could.

“You seem to know a lot about her. How did you get to meet her?” Jessica focused the conversation on Michael.

“Electra needed help on a problem she was having with one of her servants when I first arrived here. Lainely recommended me to her. Electra thought her maid was stealing from her and wanted to know what to do about it. At the time, I was hardly the person who could help her. I referred her to a private investigator I had worked with on another matter. She appreciated my help, and we have been friends ever since.” He moved into the doorway of the tack room and leaned against the doorjamb. His broad shoulders nearly filled the expanse.

She looked at Michael standing so close and felt herself wanting to be even closer. Yet, in a reflex built upon years of hiding, a warning flag waved in front of her eyes. The beginnings of the familiar throb returned to her temples. It was not just the fact that Michael had worked with or had a need for an investigator. Merely the thought of being so close to anyone dealing with investigators or detectives as such caused a mild panic. Sweat seeped from her palms, and she wiped them nervously on her jeans.

Jessica tried to moisten her lips, but the inside of her mouth was dry. “Oh?” she responded in a tone that she hoped sounded slightly disinterested in Electra’s problems and non-committal. “Tell me about where you grew up. I’m beginning to be pretty good at spotting a foreigner when I hear one. It’s actually nice to hear someone talk without a drawl once in a while.”

Michael’s mouth firmed to a straight line. “I was brought up in New England. After my mother died, I moved away.”

Jessica’s heart skipped a beat, and she tried to search for words that would be of comfort to him. “I’m sorry. Your father must have really needed you for support after her death.”

“My father’s dead, my whole family is dead.” Michael spit out the words and looked at Jessica with a gaze that had suddenly become as dark as storm clouds, and as dangerous.

Jessica stumbled over herself in trying to redirect the conversation. She was finding it difficult to think clearly.

“I... I am so sorry. I... I didn’t mean to pry. It’s just that know what it’s like to lose everyone you love.” The words, barely a whisper, came out of Jessica before she could stop them. Pressure pulsed in her head, and tears formed in her eyes. The fleeting vision of her family caused her to swallow hard, and she became concerned that perhaps she had revealed too much.

The storm passed out of Michael’s eyes as quickly as it had formed. He took a step toward her and placed his hand on her shoulder. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have spoken to you like that. I had no idea.”

Pete nosed his way between the two to get his share of attention. Jessica, relieved for the interruption, bent down and gave his shaggy neck a hug. “Oh, Pete, you’re a dog after a girl’s own heart, ya know that?” She glanced at her watch. “Look at the time! The candidates for the stable hand jobs are going to show up soon, and I have to finish with the horses.”

Michael followed her into the barn and watched her for a long time. Streaks of the now dried mud caked off her chaps and jeans. While she was busy feeding the last of the horses, he allowed his eyes to follow the line of her strong legs and fit waist. He admired her assured, athletic grace and was amused at her unselfconscious air at being covered with so much mud. An unfamiliar stab of longing went through him.

Chores completed, Jessica walked Michael to his truck and leaned against the door as he sat inside.

“I’m not very good with people,” she began slowly, looking for safer ground for a conversation. “I’m better with animals. So I want to make sure I tell you how much your thinking that Pete and I would be a good match means to me. Thanks.” She hated how lame she sounded, but she just could not think of anything else to say.

“I just have to make sure you’re safe, that’s all. It’s the least I can do for a new neighbor.”

The truck rumbled back down the mountain with the empty horse trailer bumping along behind it. Jessica walked back to the house with Pete at her heels. She knew once she had made her decision to find a more permanent place to live that she was going to have to give up the distance she usually built around herself from others. That scare she had at Electra’s party was enough to make her question her decision to buy the farm. In the past, it had taken a lot less than some drunken dolt thinking that he had seen her before to send her changing her hair color and dodging police cars. She had not bargained on meeting a human radar like Electra. Or Michael.

She frowned with the effort to filter and catalogue all of the impressions that bombarded her in the last hour and rubbed her throbbing temples. She knew so little about Michael and was hesitant to ask anything more about him.

The pieces to Michael’s puzzle fit uncomfortably together. His knowledge of promotions to detective or proximity to investigators bothered her. Jessica had an abiding hate and distrust for police officers. She felt they were a group of misguided, inept men and women who looked to that profession as a way to bolster their meager self-esteem. She hardly felt they deserved their reputations as trusted protectors of society. Michael did not strike her as shallow, as she felt most police officers were. She resigned herself to look at the pieces of the puzzle on another day when she was not so tired. Perhaps she would come up with a different and more palatable solution.