2. Axel
2
AXEL
A xel drove past the familiar farms of his childhood, trying his best to stop thinking about Eden Wilder. But it wasn’t easy.
Eden…
Even her name was beautiful and mysterious—a lush garden lost to mankind’s insatiable hunger for knowledge.
Stop it. She’s just a nice young woman, trying to walk her son and his friends to school.
He tried to focus on the view outside his truck. The scenic countryside that separated Trinity Falls village from the Williams Homestead, where he was staying with his aunt and uncle, looked like a Christmas card picture. But even the snowy sycamores and red barns with their pine wreaths weren’t enough to get his mind off of the pretty schoolteacher.
Of course he’d noticed her on his morning run before. She was small and trim, but her red coat and blonde hair always drew his eye. At first, he’d thought she had three kids. But when he saw her at the beginning of her walk to school one day with just the boy, he realized she must be picking up the other two along the way, which he thought was very nice of her, making other people’s lives easier like that.
To be fair, he noticed just about everyone who was out early in the village. When he first came home to stay with his aunt and uncle at the family homestead, he’d tried taking his morning run on the farm. But the dogs had started barking the moment he took off, which made the horses restless in the barn and set the rooster trumpeting. Before he knew it, he’d woken the whole family before the sun was up, when normally only his cousin Ansel was awake that early to start caring for the animals.
He thought about just running later in the day, but his time in the military had ingrained it into his morning routine too deeply to make that change.
So, Axel started coming into town instead, stopping at the hardware store to grab a few things for whatever project he was doing up at the homestead, and then listening to Michael and the old guys who hung out in the store gossip a little before heading out on a good, long run.
Michael was in the habit of opening by five so the contractors could come in from far-flung parts of the county for supplies before starting their jobs for the day. Axel figured opening early was just one more way Michael’s little store had survived after the big box store came in up on Route One.
Axel’s routine worked out well, because running in town meant sidewalks, which allowed him to take in the scenery instead of searching the uneven fields for horse manure, rocks, and other natural hazards.
He’d always loved coming to town as a child. Now he did it every morning, gazing in the shop windows and waving to the older men who were already sitting on the porch at Carla’s Place no matter how early it was. He’d learned from his aunt about how Chris and Natalie Bell—Natalie Cassidy now, apparently—had converted the little house where they grew up into a base where older folks could congregate as a tribute to their Grandma Carla after she passed.
There were also a few other early morning runners in town, plus a crew of sleepy people out with their dogs, or grabbing newspapers.
And then there was the lady with the children.
Eden Wilder, he thought to himself again.
He’d read her name on that impressive planner of hers while he was cleaning it off. Even her penmanship was neat and efficient—the soldier in him found it satisfying to read.
She was different from the other parents, many of whom had their eyes on their phone or their watch as they dragged their kids to the bus stop or up to the school. Eden was always focused on her boy and the other two kids in her care. She wasn’t breathing down their necks, but he’d noticed her smiling as she watched them horsing around and giggling. And she never let them get out of her sight.
She’s a teacher, he thought to himself. That makes sense. Of course she likes children.
Not that every teacher he’d ever had in his day seemed to like kids. Quite the contrary with one or two. But he had a feeling that the children in Eden Wilder’s class didn’t have to worry about that.
He thought maybe he’d run into her in town at some point, but he’d never meant to literally run into her. And he’d felt bad about spilling her coffee. When he stopped in the school office with her replacement cup, asking for Mrs. Wilder, Mrs. Jefferson, who had been a secretary back when Axel was a boy, got a big smile on her face.
“ Miss Wilder is such a dear,” she said, leaning heavily on the Miss part. “I know she’ll appreciate a little pick-me-up.”
Miss Wilder, he couldn’t help thinking now. Not Mrs. Wilder…
He’d noticed she wasn’t wearing a ring, but figured she just didn’t wear it every day. It had never crossed his mind that she might actually be single. Anyway, whether she was married or not didn’t really matter. He’d introduced himself by practically knocking her over. He was pretty sure she wasn’t going to be interested in him.
Axel pushed the thoughts aside as he arrived at the homestead, and pulled the truck onto the gravel drive.
Two yellow school buses were parked out front of the main house. The visiting kids were probably learning about the animals in the barn, or checking out the campsite, but he parked on the opposite side of the gravel lot and headed around to the back door anyway, just in case they were giving a tour of the front rooms in the big historic house.
He jogged up the very solid stairs, feeling a little jolt of pride in his work. Axel was used to the back steps being half-rotted out, but one of the first things he’d done when he came home was replace them with fresh pine boards, then paint them with a thick coat of oil-based paint. He might not know yet what he was going to do with the rest of his life, but he was determined not to be completely useless while he figured it out.
He headed through the enclosed porch to the kitchen door. Before he even stepped in, the heavenly smell of bacon and eggs embraced him, and his stomach growled in appreciation.
His aunt and uncle sat at the table, nursing steaming mugs of coffee. Chester the cat lay curled up by the still-warm stove while fresh biscuits cooled on a rack on the counter.
“Axel,” Aunt Annabelle said fondly.
“How was your run?” Uncle Alistair asked.
“Fine,” Axel replied, closing the door behind him, and deciding the incident with Miss Wilder wasn’t worth telling them about.
“Good,” Aunt Annabelle said, moving to get up. “I’ll just put on a few more eggs for you.”
“I don’t have time,” he said, shaking his head. “Thanks, though.”
He caught the worried crease in his aunt’s forehead and felt a pang of guilt for refusing.
“I’ve got to shower and head out to meet with the guy at the foundation,” he reminded her, hoping it would cheer her up.
The Homecoming Heroes Foundation was a new resource in town for veterans, started by Captain Erik Anderson. Axel didn’t really need a lot of coddling or help finding work, but he’d agreed to swing by today to line up a volunteer project to work on. He figured part of the reason they were sending guys on community projects was to help the foundation win hearts in town. It made sense that the place would be more accepted if the men were giving as well as receiving help. So he planned to do his part.
“That’s great,” Uncle Alistair said.
“Wonderful,” Aunt Annabelle agreed, looking very pleased. “Can I just fix you something quick for the road?”
“Maybe just a piece of toast,” Axel told her as he headed up the back stairs.
He showered quickly and pulled on a pair of jeans and a clean flannel, enjoying the comfortable feel of the most popular civilian clothing in Trinity Falls.
“Perfect timing,” his aunt declared as he arrived back in the kitchen.
He had to smile at the plate in her hand. It was already covered in potatoes and onions, with three thick slices of bacon, and as he watched, she slid a pair of fried eggs out of the pan to top it off.
“You said toast, but a biscuit’s okay, right?” she asked, placing a fluffy biscuit on the plate as well, and then handing it over.
It smelled incredible and the plate was heavy and warm in his hands. His stomach twisted as he glanced at the old wall clock.
“I’ve got five minutes,” he said.
“Eat at the counter,” his uncle suggested, his eyes twinkling .
Axel was more than happy to do as he was told. He bolted down the incredible meal at the sink, gazing out the window at the fields and woods where he had played as a child.
He and his little brother, Tanner, and their cousins had spent so many happy hours exploring the creek, climbing trees, and riding the horses bareback across the fields.
And while Axel had changed and left his boyhood behind, the woods were just the same. He almost felt like he could run out there and catch sight of a younger version of himself trying to build that treehouse with Levi and Logan.
The meal was so good, and he was so much in his own head that he caught himself licking his fingers when he was finished. Axel had always been a big guy and a big eater, but all the running in low temperatures gave him the best appetite he’d ever had.
He shot a look over at his aunt to see if she had witnessed his lack of manners. She wasn’t looking now, but she was definitely trying to hide a smile. It was just like Aunt Annabelle to take his behavior as the compliment it was.
“Thank you,” he said, wishing there were better words to describe how good it felt to have a full belly.
“Now you’re ready for your meeting,” his aunt chirped happily.
“Plenty of energy,” Uncle Alistair agreed.
Axel waved to them and hurried out the back and across the gravel lot to his truck.
A short drive later, he was back in town. He parked the truck and headed into the little storefront where the foundation had its office for now. Erik mentioned that they were building a larger space up by the community market that would be ready sometime in the next year.
When he stepped inside, a young woman stood to greet him with a friendly smile.
“Good morning, ma’am,” he said, almost wincing at the ma’am . It was the second time he’d said it to a young lady today. The habit was just so ingrained.
“Good morning,” she replied, seemingly unfazed.
“I’m here to meet with Sam Green,” he told her.
“That’s me,” she said with a wide smile. “I’m Samantha Green. Please have a seat.”
“Oh, um, great,” he said, catching up to the idea that his meeting wasn’t with a man, but with this very young-looking woman.
His eyes went to the small chair and a bookshelf set up with kids’ books on it behind her desk. How young was this person?
“That’s for my little sister,” Sam confided. “She hangs out here after school until I’m done at work.”
“That’s really nice,” Axel said, feeling a jolt of sympathy for Sam, who despite her looks, clearly had some not-so-young responsibilities.
“Captain Anderson is a generous man,” Sam said, looking down at her notebook. “Now, first of all, I’m going to have you added to the veterans’ text group, that way you can reach the other guys anytime—day or night. ”
“Okay,” he said.
He wasn’t really sure he wanted to be added to a big group. He had never been one for a lot of texting. But he didn’t want to seem ungrateful.
“Great,” she said, looking up from her notebook and fixing him with a calm and steady gaze. “So, Mr. Williams, I know you just got home not too long ago. Tell me what you’re interested in doing next?”
“Axel, please. And I figured I’d do some volunteering if you have anyone with a need,” he told her, not really wanting to get into anything else.
“I see,” she said with a smile. “That’s big-hearted of you. And my notes say you’re available daytimes as well as evenings?”
“That’s right,” he told her, nodding.
“Excellent,” she said, her smile widening. “We could really use you up at the elementary school.”
“The elementary school?” he echoed. He’d assumed he’d be doing manual labor on someone’s farm or maybe working on the community market project.
“They’re about to start a three-week session on flag football,” Sam explained. “And the gym teacher is eight months pregnant. I asked around a bit, and it sounds like you’re perfect for this.”
“Oh, I haven’t played football since college,” Axel said, surprised. “And I’m not really good with kids. Do you have anyone that needs something done on a farm maybe?”
“We’d really like to get you up there with the children,” Sam said, undeterred. “Someone local who played college football could be an inspiration to them. ”
Axel had played for Penn State. And he’d been a star on the team back in high school. Though, of course, as a tight end at that time, he’d played second fiddle to Ian Cassidy. Ian truly had a gift. He was on track to be a professional quarterback, before an untimely injury put an end to that. But back in the day, the two of them had definitely pushed each other to perform better and better, in the gym and on the field.
“Isn’t Ian Cassidy home now?” he wondered out loud. “He could probably rile the kids up a lot more than me.”
Axel had been meaning to connect with Ian once he got settled in. He made a mental note to stop by Cassidy Farm and say hello.
“Ian is coaching at the high school,” Sam said. “And he helps out at the family farm. He can’t do this during the day.”
Axel bit back a surge of discomfort.
Along with a couple of other guys, he had invested a chunk of his pay while he was deployed. His investment had grown into what wasn’t exactly a fortune, but it was enough for a nice home and a big family. As long as they didn’t live too extravagantly, he would most likely never have to work again.
He had come by the money honestly, paid Uncle Sam his share, and had no intention of spending a penny of it outside the community.
But from time to time, it still didn’t sit right with him. For example, any time he thought about the fact that he didn’t have to work for a living anymore, when someone like the unbelievably talented Ian Cassidy did.
The truth was that Axel felt both lucky and uncomfortable about his newfound situation. So he generally didn’t say much on the subject.
“Well, like I said, I’m not great with kids,” he repeated, hoping this was the right argument.
“You just need practice,” Sam told him. “You’ll be fine. And besides, there will be a certified teacher in the room with you at all times.”
“Yeah, okay,” Axel agreed, figuring there wasn’t much left to say on the matter. For someone half his size, Samantha Green clearly wasn’t someone he could budge.
“Okay,” Sam said, looking plainly delighted. “You know where the school is, right? You’ll just go to the front entrance tomorrow and let them know who you are. Though from what I’m told about this town, I’m sure they already know you.”
“Tomorrow?” he asked.
“If you can get there by eight, Principal Tucker would really appreciate it,” Sam said, nodding.
“Sure,” he heard himself say.
She slid a piece of paper across the desk to him and started explaining something about clearances, and he thought about trying one more time to get out of the whole thing, but his mind was suddenly distracted by the thought of a small blonde figure in a red coat who also spent her days at the school.
Axel had been searching for a sign of what to do next ever since he got home. Maybe Eden had been put in his path to make it clear to him that this volunteer job was the right place to start.
In any case, it seemed like he wasn’t going to stop thinking about Eden Wilder anytime soon.