Chapter 14 #2
She nodded, but still seemed quite sad. “I guess I thought they were the family members I could count on, and now I see that may not have been the case at all.”
Without thinking, he wrapped her in his arms, doing his best to soothe her hurt. He stroked her hair and her back with his large hands and her muscles gradually relaxed. “Come. This is to be a happy day, is it not? The pies smell wonderful, I can hardly wait to try them.”
“You’ll have to wait a while.” She smiled up at him as he held her close. “Estella wouldn’t be happy with us if we had the pie before our Thanksgiving dinner.”
***
The day couldn’t have been any better. Estella’s family included her two sons and daughter, their adult children and their spouses, along with her great grandchildren.
Everyone gathered in the adjacent field to play a game of touch football while they waited for the food to be ready.
Nick and Richard listened intently as Estella’s son, Sean, explained the finer points of the game and then divided everyone into equal teams. The great grandchildren, ranging in age from about four through to eight were excited to be included and jumped up and down as they waited for the game to begin.
Angelina and Nick were on one team, with Sean, his wife, their two sons and their wives.
Richard was on the other team with Brian, Estella’s other son, along with his wife, their son and daughter and their spouses.
Estella’s daughter, Bella, and her husband were acting as referees, and the youngest children were divided evenly between the two teams. The game was a lot of fun, and the children were all given opportunities to score touchdowns.
The smallest girl had taken a shine to Richard and tailed him wherever he went.
Brian threw the ball his way and Richard reached up and plucked it out of the sky, handing it to little Sienna.
He lifted her into the air and ran with her across the goal line.
She squealed in delight the whole way and when he finally put her down, she did her very own version of a touchdown dance.
Richard ruffled her hair and laughed at her antics.
“Dinner’s ready,” Estella called and everyone headed into the house. No one cared who had won the game, it had all been in good fun and it had been an enjoyable way to pass the time before their meal.
***
“Thank ye so much for a delicious feast, m’lady Estella.” Nick bowed low and kissed the elderly woman’s hand. Estella beamed at this, seemingly enamoured with Nick’s actions.
“Nick, if you keep that up, I don’t know how I’ll compete with you,” Harry chuckled.
“Have no fear, Harry. I would not rob ye of yer own true love.” Nick was beginning to slur his words, after a long day of feasting and drinking.
“Thank you for having us, Estella. It was a pleasure meeting all of you—I guess I don’t have to tell you what a special woman your mother is,” Angelina said, addressing Estella’s children.
“We know,” Sean assured her, putting his arm around his mother’s shoulders and giving her a gentle squeeze. “She’s the best. Dad’s not so bad either,” he teased.
Harry appeared embarrassed by this proclamation, but chimed in, “I’m a very lucky man. I have the best family in the world.”
Everyone said their goodbyes, with hugs and kisses all around and then Nick, Richard and Angelina made their way back to her little cottage.
“I need to sleep,” Nick announced.
“I’ll get you set up in the guest room.” Angelina unlocked the front door and led them inside. “Follow me.”
Nick dutifully followed her down the hall, Richard right behind him, making sure that Nick made it down the narrow hall without incident.
She barely got the covers pulled down before Nick face-planted himself onto the bed, one arm and leg hanging off the side, and passed out.
She couldn’t help laughing at the comical way he had landed.
“Help me get him all the way onto the bed.”
Richard turned Nick onto his back with little effort, which solved the problem of the dangling arm and leg.
He removed Nick’s boots and covered him with the blanket, before they both stood for a moment watching Nick sleep and then exiting the room together.
“He’ll sleep well,” Richard said, closing the door.
“He’ll be sorry tomorrow though, I think,” Angelina added.
Richard chuckled and followed Angelina back into the living room, where she started a fire in the fireplace.
The setting sun had brought quite a chill to the air and the fire would warm the small room nicely.
They both sat in silence, staring into the flames, each lost to their own thoughts.
The soft glow of the fire was the only light in the room and the mesmerizing popping and crackling of the wood the only sound.
As they sat down, Richard drew Angelina’s attention to a light outside that seemed to be moving from left to right and back again.
“What’s that?” he asked, getting up to look through the window.
“That’s odd. I don’t know what it is.” She joined him at the window.
Before she could utter another word, Richard had turned swiftly and darted for the door, opening it and silently heading out into the darkness.
What is he doing? she wondered. She followed him but as she got to the door, she heard someone curse.
Glancing back towards the window, she noticed the light they’d seen suddenly disappear and then she heard the sound of someone running through the brush.
She made it outside, just as Richard disappeared from sight.
It was a new moon, so there was no ambient light to help her see what was happening.
She tried to follow Richard, but only got as far as the edge of her property when he came back, carrying a flashlight.
“Someone was outside your cottage. They dropped this light stick when they ran off. I was unable to catch up with them before they got to their car and drove away.” Richard took her by the arm and led her back toward the house. “You shouldn’t have followed me out.”
“What?” Angelina bristled. “Why not? I’ve told you before that I can take care of myself!”
“I’m very aware that you can take care of yourself.
” Richard gave the area one final scan before joining Angelina inside.
“I’d like it if you’d allow me to take care of you this time.
Call it my male pride, or whatever you’d like, but while I know you are completely capable of besting most men when you have a sword and dagger in hand, what is the harm in allowing me to do what I do best? ”
The hurt expression on his face had Angelina thinking carefully about his question.
Hadn’t she recently been thinking about how nice it would be to have someone who wanted to take care of her and here he was, standing right in front of her, offering her his protection and she’d been angry about it.
That was no way to treat him. “I’m sorry, Richard.
You’re right. I guess after all these years of fending for myself, I have yet to learn how to let someone else do it for me. I’ll do my best to allow it.”
“I don’t want you to stop being who you are, because that’s what makes you so beautiful to me. I love your independent nature and the fact that you don’t need anyone’s help, but every now and again, let me take care of you. Allow me that small joy on occasion.”
How could she possibly refuse him? He was the fairytale knight in shining armour that she’d dreamed of as a child, and he’d come to rescue her from herself.
“Do you have any idea who that might have been?” Richard peered through the window into the darkness and then turned back to her for an answer.
“I don’t know, but I don’t think it’s the first time they’ve been here.” Angelina sat on the sofa and Richard settled beside her.
“Do you mean to tell me that this has happened before?”
“Several days ago, I found footprints in the damp dirt near the spot where that light was coming from and I’ve had the feeling recently that someone is watching me, but I can’t imagine who it would be, or why they would bother.
” Angelina had to admit to herself, that this was becoming more frightening as she added all the little incidents together.
“And you didn’t tell Nick or me about it?” Richard sounded as if he couldn’t believe his ears.
“No. I thought it was my imagination at first, but now I know it wasn’t.” She searched his face for any sign of his mood. “You’re not mad at me, are you?”
Richard shook his head in apparent disbelief.
“Angelina, if anything had happened to you, both Nick and I would be devastated. Please, don’t allow this to happen again.
At the first sign of anything unusual, I expect you to tell us.
” The concern on his face touched Angelina’s heart.
He really did care about her, and she knew now that she could definitely count on him to be there for her, no matter the situation.
“I’m sorry,” she said, as Richard put his arm around her and pulled her close. She snuggled up against him, the warmth of his body reassuring her that everything was going to be all right.