Chapter 17
On Saturday morning, Rusty Pope could hear the kids playing and the back door slamming as Cameron came back inside with Ghost. They’d been out on their morning run. She knew she would walk into chaos when she left the office, but she had news to share.
Cameron was getting fresh water for Ghost when she walked into the kitchen. He looked up, set the water bowl on the floor, and went to meet her.
“What?”
“Jay Howard just called. Tipton Crossley was the boss man after all. He’s been arrested. But that’s not the best part. When they were going through evidence they’d gathered from the family estate, they were also able to close out another case.” She put a hand in the middle of his chest. “Cameron…it was our case. Crossley was the man we couldn’t find when we busted that trafficking ring happening here. He would have been the man who would have sold Lili to the highest bidder. The big man pulling strings on all the puppets he was controlling across the nation. Interpol has been notified. They have enough information to shut down reception points across the globe.”
“My God,” he muttered. “And what are the odds that this would ever come full circle?”
Mikey was sitting on the floor, building another tower for Ellie to kick over, but he’d been listening.
“Not odds, Daddy. Poison. The snake got greedy and bit itself. It will die.”
They both turned and looked at him in disbelief.
“Why did you say that?” Cameron asked.
Mikey shrugged. “Heard it.”
“Right,” Cameron muttered, and looked back at his wife. “Every day, it’s something. Swear to God, we might have named our daughter for Aunt Ella, but her spirit is with our son.” Then he wrapped his arms around her. “This is what you get when you marry into this family.”
At that moment, the tower toppled before Ellie got a chance to kick it. She threw back her head and screamed. “No, Mikey! I do the kickin’!”
Rusty sighed. “And that’s what you get for marrying me.”
“And I’d do it again without blinking. Now, go tell Harley she’s off the hook. I finished the quarterly PCG reports last night. Money coming in. Dividends going out. And if you want, bring back some ribs and fixings from Emory’s Barbecue.”
“Deal,” she said, and went to change clothes.
***
It was nearing noon when Rusty started down the mountain into Jubilee. Brendan and Harley weren’t the only people she was going to talk to. Sonny Warren and his officers had been knee-deep in Rusty’s trafficking case, and she wanted them to know that loose end had just been tied in a great big knot.
But she was telling Harley first. She needed to know she was no longer under the gun. She made a quick call to Brendan to let them know she was coming.
***
Brendan was putting a load of clothes into the washer, and Harley was folding the clean towels he’d just taken from the dryer, when his phone began to ring. He glanced at the screen and then answered. “Morning, Rusty.”
“I’m almost at your house. I have news you are never going to believe. And don’t panic. It’s all good.”
“What’s happened?” he asked, then frowned. “Dang it. She hung up.”
Harley heard just enough of the conversation to worry. “What’s happening?”
“That was Rusty. Nothing bad, she said, but she said she’s almost at the house. She has news we’re not going to believe.”
“All I want to hear is that this madness is over,” Harley said as she put the last washcloth on the stack and started to shove her hair back from her face when she remembered the healing wound. She’d taken the bandage off yesterday because it kept coming unstuck. The area that had been raw was already dry and healing and hidden by her curls, and it felt good to have it off.
Brendan walked up behind her, slipped his arms around her waist, and kissed the back of her neck. “You taste as good as you smell,” he said.
Harley turned in his arms and kissed him. “Hmm, so do you,” she whispered. Moments later, the doorbell rang.
He groaned. “Hold that thought. I’ll get the door. You get first dibs by the fire,” he said, and went to the door as Harley took a left into the living room.
Rusty breezed in, bringing the cold air with her. Brendan took her coat and hung it on a hook by the door, then ushered her into the living room. “Can I get you some coffee?” he asked.
Rusty shook her head. “No, and quit fussing. Come sit. I’m fit to busting with news.”
As soon as everyone was seated, she unloaded.
“First off, Harley, you are officially safe. Tip Crossley has been arrested. You were so right to suspect him. He was the man behind it all, and it was his father who found the proof. Special Agent Howard didn’t go into details because this case is pending, but he said the old man was so devastated by what he’d discovered that by the time he got to the field office to tell them what he’d found, he was too shaken to get out of the car, so they came out to get him.”
“Poor Wilhem,” Harley said.
“So, Harley is truly safe now?” Brendan asked.
“From all of this, yes. Besides what Wilhem found and the other evidence they have uncovered, they also have the testimony of two gang members. Tipton Crossley’s reign is over. But there was a huge shock at the end of this for me as well. Harley, you won’t have known about this. It’s even before Shirley moved back to Jubilee with the boys, but I first came to Jubilee as an undercover agent for the FBI. Single women had been going missing from this area for months, and there were suspicions that because of the number of tourists funneling in and out of Jubilee, that it might have been targeted as ample shopping grounds for women who came on their own.
“As it turned out, that was happening, and between me, Cameron, and the entire Jubilee police department, as well as County Sheriff Rance Woodley, we were instrumental in bringing the gang down. We even recovered some women before they disappeared in the chain of command, but we never found the head of the snake, so to speak.” Rusty paused, thinking of what her son said about the snake biting itself, and then continued. “The feds have physical proof that that gang was part of Tipton Crossley’s combine. Having his headquarters in his hometown was risky, but convenient because of international shipping. What he never counted on was his father noticing something wrong or foreseeing that he might hire an auditor like you. You didn’t just crunch numbers; you followed the money and found out about the crime. The fact that you and Wilhem took it to the feds was the break they’d been searching for. They send high praise and thanks to you.”
Harley was speechless. “How many years ago was that?”
“Eight, nearly nine years ago, I guess. Mikey is seven, nearing eight. And all that was right before Cameron and I got married.”
“I’ve heard people talk about it,” Brendan said. “And about Cameron’s run up the mountain to rescue Lili from the kidnappers.”
“They were taking babies?” Harley said.
Rusty nodded. “She was just a toddler, and they already had a buyer waiting for her when she was snatched. But that’s a story for another day. I’m heading to the police department to tell Chief Warren about this, too. The Jubilee PD was instrumental in helping bring it to an end here.”
Brendan frowned. “Didn’t you wind up getting shot before all that was over?”
“Yes, but again, that’s also a story for another day.” Then she gave Harley a hug. “Thank you for coming to me. For trusting me to help you.”
“I’m just grateful you were willing to get involved,” Harley said. “Now we can get on with our lives.”
Rusty had been watching the expressions coming and going on Brendan’s face and knew he’d become involved with Harley, but she didn’t know to what level and wasn’t too shy to ask.
“So, what are your plans, if you don’t mind me asking? I’m going to be selfish enough to hope they include sticking around.”
“She’s sticking,” Brendan said.
Harley leaned against him. “He’s right. I am so stuck on this man. I’ll also be going to work for the new owner of the Serenity Inn as the global financial advisor.”
“So, Ray did sell the inn? Who to?”
“Wolfgang Outen. He’s moving here to be close to Sean and Amalie. He wants to be a hands-on grandfather,” Harley said, and then shivered with relief. “God, I’m glad this nightmare is over.”
“I’m happy for you, for the both of you,” Rusty said. “Don’t get up. I’ll see myself out.” She grabbed her coat off the hook and was putting it on as she went out the door.
“It’s finally over,” Harley said.
“And we’re just beginning,” Brendan added. “Best day ever. And now that we’re no longer under wraps, how about going to lunch somewhere? You’ve seen next to nothing of Jubilee.”
Thinking of the wound she’d just uncovered, Harley reached for her forehead, but Brendan caught her hand, then turned it palm up and kissed it.
“You’re fine, Sunshine. Nobody can see that for all the curls, but if they do, just remind them that the other guy looks worse.”
She burst out laughing. “You are so good for my soul.”
“And other things,” he drawled.
“Lord, yes, those other things,” Harley said.
“Put on some shoes and get your coat. I can’t wait to show off my pretty lady.”
A few minutes later, they were in the car and backing out of the garage. “Brendan, what’s your favorite place to eat at?” she asked.
“Mom’s house, but here in Jubilee, probably Cajun Katie’s, or the Back Porch. Back Porch is just down-home southern cooking. Cajun Katie’s speaks for itself. The shrimp and grits are killer, and so is the gumbo, or the blackened fish. Which sounds best to you?”
“Gumbo sounds really good in this cold weather,” Harley said.
“Then Cajun Katie’s it is,” he said, and headed uptown. He found a place to park and then hurried her inside out of the cold.
“Brendan! How did you escape the hotel kitchens?” the hostess asked.
“Took a few days off,” he said. “Paula, this is my girl, Harley Banks. Harley, this is my cousin Paula Cauley. One of Aunt Annie’s granddaughters.”
“Aunt Annie who makes the cinnamon rolls?” Harley said.
“The one and only,” Paula said. “Table or booth?”
“Better make it a table,” Brendan said. “My legs don’t fit under your booths.”
She led them to a table by the window and left their menus. “Enjoy your meal,” she said, and hurried back to the front, but Harley kept looking out the windows and at the diners, getting her first glimpse of the tourist section of the town, and was impressed.
“This place is charming, and unique, and amazing, but there isn’t much of a residential area. Where do all the people who own and run these shops live?”
“Over half of them live on Pope Mountain, and almost all of them are, in some way or another, people who’ve grown up in this area. Usually, the only strangers in town are the tourists or people connected to the music venues.”
“A unique approach to small-town living,” Harley said, then picked up her menu and started reading.
“You’ll have a big adjustment to make living here,” he said.
She looked up from the menu, then reached across the table and took his hand. “No, love, I won’t. I haven’t had roots since I left home for college. My home will always be where you are.”
Wishing for privacy, all he could do was give her hand a quick squeeze. “I don’t know how I got so lucky, but you fill up every crack in my heart.”
She sighed. “You are as pretty as you talk. What am I going to do with you?”
“Feed me?” he drawled.
“For sure. I’m having gumbo, jalapeno hush puppies, and sweet tea.”
“I’m going the shrimp-and-grits route, and if you don’t eat all of your hush puppies, I’ll help,” he said.
She laughed. The waiter came, took their orders, and brought out little mini cast-iron skillets of crackling corn bread hot from the oven—one for each of them—and ramekins of whipped butter.
“What is this?” she asked.
“Pones of crackling corn bread. Cracklings are deep-fried pork skins. Back in the day, it would have been standard fare on any table in the area. Now it’s a hot commodity with the tourists.”
Harley cut a piece out of her pone, slathered it with butter, and took a bite. “Ohmygodthisissogood,” she mumbled, talking around the bite.
He grinned. “We’ll make a southern woman out of you yet.”
A short while later, their orders came, and she waded through the gumbo and hush puppies like she’d been starving. Brendan ate his, and then her leftovers, and was finishing his drink when he saw Amalie walk in.
Almost instantly, they locked gazes. She spoke to Paula, the hostess, then wound her way through the diners to their table and slid her arm around Brendan’s neck and hugged him.
“Hey, BJ. Did you leave anything for me to eat?”
Brendan stood up and gave her a big hug. “Congratulations, Sister. You’re just in time to meet my Harley. Harley, darlin’, this is Amalie Pope, Sean’s wife and Wolf Outen’s daughter. She is a CPA and has an office on Main Street down by the bank. Amalie, this is Harley Banks. You two are in the same line of business, except you don’t pack a gun when you go to the office, and she does.”
Harley was smiling. “It’s the PI license. It’ll catch you every time. I’ve heard so much about all of Brendan’s family. It’s wonderful to get to meet you, and congratulations on your blessed events.”
Amalie immediately put a hand on her tummy. “We’re excited, and I also heard from Dad that you’re going to be working for him here at the hotel.”
“That I am,” Harley said.
Paula came up behind them and touched Amalie on the shoulder. “Your to-go order, honey,” she said, handed it off, and hurried back to her post.
“Oh, thank you,” Amalie said. “I guess this is my signal to get back to the office. Good to see you both,” but as she put her hand on Harley’s shoulder to say goodbye, her eyes widened, then almost went out of focus.
Harley froze, unaware of what was happening until Brendan whispered, “Sunshine, don’t move.”
“Look for the stag to make your bed. Look for the stag to lay your head,” Amalie said, then blinked, glanced at her watch, and tightened her grip on her to-go bag. “Gotta go. Tax preparations piling up. Come see us,” she said, and left.
“What just happened? What did that mean?” Harley whispered.
He shrugged. “We’re all so used to it, I forget how startling it can be to some. Amalie just gets visions…or hears voices… I don’t know what it means. Maybe something to do with the future. She just knows things. Kind of a mixture of precognition and psychic abilities.”
“Was she always this way?” Harley asked.
He frowned. “I don’t think so. You saw her scars. You saw the white streak in her hair. All of that was from a car wreck. She nearly died. The car was on fire, and she was screaming for help when she heard a voice in her head telling her it was going to be all right, and seconds later, she was pulled from the fire. She survived it and came away with scars, a white streak in her hair, and precognition.”
“Good lord,” Harley muttered. “She’s as phenomenal in her way as Wolf Outen is in his.” She reached toward her healing head wound, then stopped. “I’m never going to complain about this again.”
“You own the right to complain,” he said. “And I think it’s time we got you home. You need to call your parents and let them know it’s safe to visit now.”
She sighed. “Oh lord. More drama.”
“Hey, it’s all good. Just remember, I survived Clyde Wallace. Cranky parents won’t even put a dent in my attitude.”
“Well, they still put a dent in mine,” she muttered.
Brendan stifled a smile. Harley Banks was so much more than just a pretty face. She was genius-level smart and full of more grit and determination than she could hold. As long as he stayed on the good side of this woman, he was gold.
As soon as they got home and settled, he pointed to the phone she was holding. “I’m going to give you a little privacy to call your mother. She can relay all the pertinent information to your father. You won’t even have to talk to him directly, okay?”
“Stay with me, please.”
It was those eyes of hers, locking into his gaze. He was never going to be able to tell her no. So, he sat, put his arm around her shoulders, and pulled her close.
She leaned her head against his chest. “Sorry for treating you like my security blanket, but I love you for tolerating it.”
“You’re fine, Sunshine. Make the call.”
“Fine, but I’m putting it on speaker,” she said, then pulled up her contact list. A couple of clicks later, the call began to ring, and ring, and ring, until finally Judith answered in a sleepy, frustrated tone.
“Harley Jo? Do you know what time it is here?”
“Sorry, Mom. It’s just that I have good news. All of the threats to me are over. The FBI has everyone under arrest, and I’m out of the hotel and recuperating at home with Brendan.”
Judith sat up in bed and turned on the lamp. “Darling! That’s wonderful! Just wonderful! So, I can come see you now?”
“Yes, the danger to anyone connected to me is also over. You can tell Dad, but I’m not having another conversation with him until he apologizes to me, and you can tell him I said so. You can make reservations at either the Serenity Inn or the Hotel Devon, and the closest airport is in Bowling Green, Kentucky. You can rent a car to get the rest of the way here or charter a helicopter and fly in. Both hotels have landing pads.”
“We can’t stay with you?” Judith asked.
“No room. Take it or leave it,” she said.
Judith sighed. “I’ll call Jason and let you know what he says.”
“I don’t need to know what he says. He’ll either come or he won’t. All I need is the day and time of your arrival. And neither Brendan nor I will be available for lengthy visits. As soon as the doctor releases me, I’m going back to work.”
“Harley! After all you’ve been through, you’re going back to that?”
“Yes and no. Same kind of job. Different location. I’m going to work as the global financial advisor for the new owner of the Serenity Inn, so Brendan and I will be working in the same hotel.”
“Global finance? My God, who’s your new boss? Wolfgang Outen?” And then she laughed aloud at the joke she’d just made.
“Yes,” Harley said.
Judith choked in midlaugh. “What? What are you saying?”
“Yes, Wolfgang Outen just bought the Serenity Inn. He’s moving his headquarters there because his daughter lives in Jubilee and he wants to be close to family. Don’t worry. You’ll meet them all. Brendan’s brother Sean is married to Mr. Outen’s daughter.”
“Oh my freaking word!”
“And you don’t need to tell all your friends just for bragging rights that you’re going to meet him.”
“No, no, of course not,” Judith said. “Anyway, I can’t wait to get there and meet your Brendan in person. My love to both of you. I’ll see you soon.”
The call ended.
Harley looked up at Brendan.
“See, that wasn’t so bad, was it?” he said.
She rolled her eyes. “Let’s you and I be honest here. Your connections to one of the richest men on the planet have shifted her opinion of you, me, and Jubilee. That’s why it wasn’t so bad.”
He’d already figured that out, but it was enlightening to see how fast Harley had seen through it. “This is why you’re such a good investigator. You know how to find the truth, no matter how deeply it’s been buried in bullshit.”
She blinked. “And this is why I love you to forever and back. Because it’s me you love. Not my mother’s fame or my father’s scientific renown. Me. Number cruncher…heat-packing…hardheaded female.”
“Ah, darlin’, when I look at you, all I see is sunshine, sea-blue eyes, and beautiful, soft black curls that wrap around my fingers as readily as you have wrapped around my heart. Come to bed with me, love. I have this constant and abiding need of you.”
So, she did.
***
It was just after 5:00 p.m. when Brendan and Harley started up Pope Mountain. Shirley Pope had issued an invitation they weren’t about to refuse. All of her sons had already met Harley. Shirley knew about the moratorium on visiting, and understood why, but it had been hard to know what they were going through and not be able to help.
By the time they left Jubilee, the sun had long since disappeared behind the mountain. Everything was slowing down for the arrival of nightfall—even the cold wind had laid.
It was one of the few times in Harley’s life when she’d felt out of her element. She’d never loved a man like she loved Brendan, and she wanted his mother’s approval. No amount of reassurance he’d given her was going to count until she and Shirley Pope were face-to-face. As they started up the mountain, she took a deep breath and then exhaled slowly, willing herself to relax.
“Harley, darlin’, she’s going to love you.”
“You can’t know that,” she said.
“Yes, I can. Mom knows us better than we know ourselves. If we love, then she’s satisfied. She has always wanted nothing more than happiness for all of us because she had so little of it for herself. Our joy is her joy. You’ll see. All I can say is, she’s nothing like your mother. You will not be judged.”
Harley smiled. “Good to know.”
The headlights continued to light their way and, now and then, reveal a furry little denizen scurrying across their path or catch one ducking into the underbrush at the side of the road. Harley thought about living among things unseen and realized she felt safer up here with Brendan than she had on the streets of Chicago.
But when he began slowing down, anticipation made her shiver. As he took the turn off the road, she caught a glimpse of the name S. Pope on the mailbox, and then they were driving up a one-lane road through what felt like a tunnel of trees. She saw a glow of lights and then they drove into a clearing and she saw the house, lit up in every window like a church at Christmas, and the long front porch that ran the length of the house, and the porch swing, and all the chairs against the wall, and cars lined up along the front.
“Looks like the brothers are already here,” Brendan said as he parked.
The scent of woodsmoke was in the air, and there was the sound of music coming from inside as they got out.
“Somebody’s dancing with Mom. Probably Wiley, but we’ve all done it in our time. She pretends she doesn’t like it, but she does. Come on, darlin’. We’re the guests of honor. Let’s go make an appearance.”
He clasped her hand as they walked up the steps together and were heading to the front door when it suddenly swung inward, and Harley saw a woman standing in the doorway and knew without asking that was Shirley. The faces of her sons were evidence of her DNA.
“Come inside out of this cold!” Shirley said, and then clasped both of Harley’s hands. “Harley, finally I get to meet you. I’m Shirley. Welcome to our home.”
“Uh, I’m here, too,” Brendan said.
Shirley laughed as she hugged him. “You already know you’re loved. Harley’s new to this madness. We’re all in the kitchen, of course. Come introduce your girl to the rest of us. Ava is beside herself at the thought of getting another sister.”
“She’s not a thought, Mom. She’s a for-sure,” Brendan said. “Come on, Sunshine, let’s do this.”
Harley was swept up into the family as if she’d always been there, and meeting Ava was a surprise. She hadn’t expected a tiny blond in a household of dark-haired giants, and then remembered Ava wasn’t related to Shirley. Only to her sons, but it didn’t appear to have ever mattered.
Everything out of Ava’s mouth was Grandma this, and Grandma that, and Wiley was her Bubba, and her brothers’ wives were her sisters, and that was Ava’s world. And now, she’d added Harley’s name among them. Brendan was right. She’d had nothing to fear.
But it wasn’t until they got the food on the long, wooden table and sat down to eat that Harley saw the true beauty of family.
Three generations in one place, and two more babies waiting to be born, all talking and laughing, and teasing and sharing food and stories without missing a bite or a breath. It was like watching a tennis match on speed, and in the middle of it all, she saw Brendan in a new light.
He was the youngest brother, but the tallest brother. He was the quietest brother, but his delight in being among them was written on his face, and he kept up a running monologue for Harley’s ears only, constantly explaining the connections between everyone at the table and the people they were discussing.
Finally, Shirley raised her hand. “If I might get a word in…” They immediately hushed. “Thank you. I needed to make sure Harley’s ears weren’t about to fall off.”
Harley grinned. “No, ma’am. I’ve loved every minute of this. I’m an only child and my parents haven’t lived under the same roof together more than a week per month in all my days.”
“Whyever not?” Shirley asked.
“My father, Jason Banks, is a scientist at NASA. My mother, Judith, is well known in her field as a playwright and screenwriter. I am an only child. I don’t think becoming parents was ever on their radar, but you know how that goes. Once I aged out of tolerating being put on display, I was sent to private schools, then off to college, and out on my own. Not a sad thing. Just how I grew up. Only now, thanks to Brendan, I see what I’ve been missing.”
Wiley piped up. “We think little brother is all that and a bucket of beer, but you’ll have to watch out when it comes time to eat. He’s never full.”
“Oh, we’ve already had words over a piece of pie,” Harley said, and when they all burst into laughter, Brendan felt obliged to explain himself. “She let it sit in the mini-fridge nearly a whole dang day. I couldn’t stand the suspense.”
Laughter rolled around the table again, and as it did, Brendan reached for her hand beneath the table and gave it a quick squeeze. She glanced up at him, her eyes twinkling in delight.
“Harley’s parents are coming to visit,” Brendan said.
“Bring them up for a meal,” Shirley said.
Harley rolled her eyes. “I’m not subjecting any of you to that. I’m not speaking to my father at the moment, and I don’t even know if he’ll come, because he’ll have to apologize to me first, and after about three hours, Mother becomes intolerable.”
“She speaks the truth. I’ve spoken to her father once over the phone and to her mother a couple of times. They are unique, and they made the most perfect daughter, for which I will be eternally grateful, but they’re a handful on a good day.”
“You’re the best judge of that,” Shirley said. “But I have survived far worse than people who’ve forgotten to be happy. So never feel uneasy about someone hurting my feelings, okay? Your comfort is what matters. And none of that ‘ma’am’ business. I’m Shirley, or Mom, or Grandma. Take your pick.”
“I choose Grandma,” Ava said.
“We all know that,” Wiley said, then hugged her until she giggled.
Shirley was in her element with her family at the table, and supper wasn’t over yet. “Who wants dessert?” she asked, and saw everybody raise a hand.
“I’ll help,” Brendan said.
“Aaron and I will clear the plates,” Dani said, and pointed at Harley. “Stay seated, honey. Tonight, you’re the guest. Next trip up, you’ll just be one of the crowd.”
Harley sat, and watched, and knew in her heart she’d found her people.
***
A short while after the meal was over and everything cleaned up and put away, the family began to separate.
Ava had fallen asleep on the living room sofa, and Wiley and Linette began gathering up their things.
“Brendan, you did good. Harley, honey, you’ve got more grit than you have a right to. Glad you’re going to be part of our family. Mom, thank you for the great meal, but it’s time we got this baby girl in bed,” Wiley said.
“I’ll get the door,” Linette said as Wiley swaddled Ava in her little coat, then picked her up and carried her to the car, with Linette beside him.
Aaron and Dani were the next to leave, with hugs all around, and soon afterward, Sean and Amalie retired to their rooms.
Shirley still had something to show Harley, and something she wanted to say to both of them. “The two of you…get your coats and come out to the back porch with me.”
Brendan went to get them, and once they were on, Shirley led them out the back door and then walked to the edge of the porch, took a deep breath, and looked up at the vastness of the star-studded sky.
“Harley, what do you see?” she asked.
“I have never seen such beauty, or felt so small and transient,” Harley said.
Brendan put his arm around Harley’s shoulders and pulled her close.
Shirley nodded, but kept looking up. “For as long as I can remember, this was my world. And then I grew up and left it to follow a man I thought I loved. That decision nearly destroyed us. I used to dream of coming home because I knew I’d be safe here. But coming home would have also meant bringing trouble with me, and we don’t bring trouble to this place. Sometimes it finds us here, but it’s not of our making. The saddest part of our homecoming was that it took the deaths of three people to make it happen. The two people my ex-husband murdered freed us of his reign of terror, and the death of my mother gave us sanctuary.”
She sighed and slipped her hand beneath Harley’s elbow. “You are a wise and courageous woman, and I’m so very happy for you and Brendan. You don’t need my advice. You don’t need my guidance. But if you want it, I will give Brendan and you five acres of this land to put your own roots in this land. It will always be yours, but it can never be sold out of the family. That’s how the land works on Pope Mountain. And if you don’t want this kind of life, it won’t hurt my feelings. It’s not for everyone, but for the people who need it, it’s where we thrive.”
Brendan was stunned. From the first moment they’d come to live in this house, he never wanted to leave, and yet he had. Like Shirley, coming home to Jubilee had settled his soul.
Harley reached for Brendan’s hand. She didn’t know what he was thinking, but she felt the depth of this gift all the way to her soul. “A place to call home,” she mumbled, unaware she’d even said it aloud.
Shirley smiled. “Yes, sweet child, a place to call home.”
Tears were thick in Brendan’s voice. “Oh my God… Mom… I don’t know what to say. I never saw this coming, and I don’t know how Harley would feel about living up—”
“Like she just won the lottery,” Harley said.
Shirley nodded. “Then it’s yours. You come back tomorrow…before you both go back to work. We’ll take the ATV and drive the property until you find the spot. I’ll have five acres surveyed, and then the rest is up to the both of you. And there’s no hurry about anything. Only that you’ll know it’s there and you’ll know it’s yours.”
Then they kept hugging her and thanking her over and over, and all Shirley could think was how blessed her life had become.
And all the way home, Brendan and Harley kept talking about the remarkable gift they’d just been given.
“You’re sure you’ll be okay with this? Sometimes weather makes it slow going, trying to get home.”
Harley laughed. “Brendan! I’m from Chicago! Snow is a way of life.”
“Yes, but your roads get plowed and sanded and salted. We make our own ruts in the snow and go from there,” he said.
“But it’s never quiet in the city. Ever. And standing on that porch tonight with your mom… I didn’t know until then that silence had its own sound. And I can only imagine the view in the daytime. Honestly, it sounds like heaven.”
He sighed. “Okay then, we’re good to go. Mom said to come when we’re ready. She’s not going anywhere.”
“Let’s go after breakfast, okay?”
He nodded.
“We’ll have to dig a well, won’t we? What if we pick out a place that doesn’t have water?” she asked.
He shook his head. “Stop worrying. We’ll just get Uncle John to come witch it. He always finds water.”
Harley’s eyes widened. “Do what?”
“We call it witching for water, but he uses a dowsing rod to find water,” he explained.
“Oh. Right. Okay… I am officially out of my depth here, so I’m not going to worry about one more thing. You all have hundreds of years of knowledge about things I’ve never thought of, let alone done. My street smarts aren’t going to go very far up here.”
He grinned. “Maybe not, but they sure wrapped me up in a box and tied me with a bow.”
Harley just smiled. “And when we get home, I know exactly how to unwrap you, too.”
“Just like Christmas,” Brendan said, and down the mountain they went.