Chapter 7
Leslie dropped Tucker off at school and pulled into Mrs. Robins's driveway.
“Why can’t I go with Owen and Elias?” Conner asked for the fourth time.
“It’s extremely boring, and they’ll sit in an office talking the entire time. Plus, you’ve spoken about this museum forever. Now, you’ll get a chance to see it,” she explained. “Owen promised you can see him later,” she reminded him.
“All right,” he said begrudgingly, getting out of the truck.
“I’ll be here to pick you up this afternoon, and we can eat all those wonderful leftovers,” she said, trying to take his mind off the Wolfe men.
Conner kissed her cheek and raced up to the door, where Mrs. Robins waved.
She backed out of the driveway, and her stomach fluttered from anxiety.
Seeing Owen didn’t top her list. He surprised her yesterday by showing up.
After leaving her ten years ago, without any regrets.
To add to the hurt, he changed his number shortly after leaving.
Pulling into the driveway, Leslie took a deep breath, checked her makeup, and got out of the truck.
Leslie didn’t notice Owen as she slowly made her way up the steps, rehearsing everything she wanted to say for the last ten years.
“Good morning,” he said, making her jump, miss the step, and drop her coffee tumbler, spilling it all over the porch.
“Snickerdoodles,” she yelled as Owen grabbed her to keep her from tumbling over the side.
“Easy, I got you,” he said as he helped her to her feet.
Yanking her arm away from him, Leslie stood and stared at the wooden floor. “Great. Now, I’ll have to start my morning without caffeine.”
“Come inside. I can at least remedy your caffeine issue,” he offered.
Picking up her traveling mug, Leslie shook her head. “If I wanted mud, I’d scoop it up by the creek and warm it. No, thank you.”
“How do you know how I drink my coffee?”
“Because I can smell it from here. Did you burn it, too? If you made it any stronger, it’ll come crawling out of the pot and into my cup,” she snipped.
“Fine, I’ll make a fresh batch if it’ll make you happy,” he said, opening the screen door.
“No. I don’t need anything from you. What do you want to know? I must be home in time to pick up my boys,” she said, walking inside and sitting at the table.
“Your boys? Have you always allowed Conner to call you mom?” Owen asked, dumping the strong brew and making a fresh pot.
“Jeremiah struggled the first few weeks when Conner arrived here.”
“Don’t you mean, dumped?” he asked.
“He’s wanted. Don’t ever talk about him like he’s nothing but trash,” she said fiercely.
He turned and approached the table. “My brother will never be referred to as garbage. I only wonder why you let him call you 'mom'.
“Because I’ve raised him along with my son. He didn’t understand why he didn’t have a mother. Conner’s a sweet kid with a gentle heart. I refused to break his heart by telling him his mother didn’t want him. I love him as much as my own,” she confessed. “I won’t let you take him without a fight.”
“He’s a Wolfe. According to Dad’s letter, he hoped one of us might take him. Only then did he list you as an option,” he said firmly, not liking her tone.
“Jeremiah assumed you’d never return to this mountain.
He built you up in Connor’s mind, making you all sound like heroes to a little boy.
I’ll admit I’m surprised to see you, but can you tell me honestly you want the responsibility of a child?
You can’t walk away whenever it suits you and change your number,” she spat.
Owen closed his eyes and inhaled sharply.
“Listen, I know I’ve made mistakes, including leaving you without a single word. I owe you an apology, and I know it comes ten years too late. Conner’s a Wolfe, and I won’t let this family be torn apart again by Dad’s actions.”
She swiped angrily at the tears forming. They made plans for a future, and she grew up on this mountain alongside him and his brothers. Yet, he didn’t care how it tore her apart.
“What do you want to know?” she choked out.
“It’s best if we keep this conversation for another day.
After all, you’re limited on time since you must make the funeral arrangements.
I laid out his blue suit and the tie Conner gave him.
There’s a picture on the fireplace mantel.
It’s a picture of all of you, and Conner added his and Tucker’s heads to the photo for Father’s Day.
Your dad loved it. I suggest you add it to the casket.
The boys loved your dad, and he spent a lot of time with them. ”
Nodding, Owen said, “I appreciate your help.” When the coffee finished brewing, he set it in front of her and added two sugars and a dab of cream.
“Maybe we can call a truce for now? I want you to tell me how you found my father and what happened. He always stayed fit despite his drinking. He walked the mountain every day. Did he stop? It’s hard to believe he suffered a heart attack. ”
“I don’t believe he did,” she said quietly. “It seems too coincidental. Jeremiah brought Conner to the house, asked me to watch him for a couple of days, and told me not to bring him home until he called me.”
“He didn’t say why?” Owen asked, sipping his coffee.
“McGowen Hotels and Resorts approached him about six months ago and made an offer on Wolfe Mountain. At first, Jeremiah refused, adamant he wanted to leave it to his sons. Two months later, he told me he hired a local surveyor, Drake Fowler, to estimate how much the land might be worth. When I asked him why, he said he wanted to ensure our future.”
“Your future?” he asked, confused.
“He wanted me to adopt Conner. Jeremiah petitioned the court to terminate Conner’s mother’s rights.
Since his mother never came forward, they rendered her rights terminated, leaving the path open for me to adopt him.
Jeremiah was constantly asking me to move to the mountain, then all of a sudden, he changed his mind. ”
“Did you fight?”
“No. Jeremiah worried because of his age, he didn’t want Conner left alone.
Since none of you stayed in contact, I became the best choice.
I don’t know what caused him to change his mind.
When he dropped Conner off at my house, he left for Gunny’s.
When he returned, he seemed less stressed, but he didn’t want Conner here. ”
“Conner mentioned he found him,” Owen admitted.
“When he didn’t take Conner home, Jeremiah never failed to call every night and talk to the boys and say good night.
Two nights went by, and we didn’t hear from him.
I drove up to check on him, bringing the boys.
The barns needed tending, and I found the cows still in the pasture.
Something felt off. He always did the chores first thing in the morning.
We walked up the east trail, knowing his fondness for watching the sunrise.
When we didn’t see him, we started down the west trail.
We got to the rocky path, and, as usual, the boys ran ahead.
Conner saw him first. He screamed my name, and I saw him lying there… ”
Owen took her hand as she let out a shaky breath and grew misty-eyed.
“His hand lay across his chest, and a rock lay beside him, covered in blood. The sheriff suggested he suffered from chest pains, stumbled and fell, hitting his head on the rock,” she told him.
“But you don’t believe it?” he asked.
“I grew up here. We’ve hiked the trails at least three times a week. The rock Jeremiah hit his head on contained limestone. The area contains granite. The limestone comes from near the canyons.”
Owen’s eyes grew wide as he gazed at her.
“Did you tell the police?”
Leslie bit her lip. “Sheriff Dalton didn’t see any significance in it. He claimed one of the boys brought it down on one of their many hikes. After all, the resort closed years ago, and who else visited?”
“None of his sons bothered to come,” Owen said, regretfully.
“They took him to the coroner for an autopsy. I suspect you’ll get the results back soon. Something tells me, it’ll say he died from a heart attack.”
“Damn,” he swore under his breath. “Why didn’t you tell me this sooner?”
She peered at him angrily and rose. “I haven’t seen or heard from you in ten years.
If you recall our last conversation, I asked you not to do anything rash.
Everyone hurt when your Mom died. The boys didn’t understand and wanted someone to blame.
Yes, they said hurtful things, but they realized their mistake.
Jeremiah set them straight and paid for his part.
They needed you, Owen. I needed you. You walked away and changed your number, making it clear you didn’t want any part of your family or me.
What makes me think you’d possibly believe me when I tell you I don’t believe Jeremiah’s cause of death?
He loved this mountain. It’s his family legacy.
You know he hiked it every day. If I know, who else does? ”
Owen stared at the woman in front of him. He saw the pain he inflicted upon her and felt like an ass. She gave valid points. Would he have believed her? Yes, because she never gave him reason not to. Leslie’s account of his dad’s actions and the timing of his death seemed coincidental to him, too.
“I thought I heard you,” Elias said, coming down the stairs. “Good morning, Leslie. Did you know Dad kept every one of our rooms exactly how we left them? I wondered where he put Conner. He made up Mom’s old sewing room for him.”
Elias glanced from Owen to Leslie when neither of them spoke.
“What did I miss?”
“Leslie thinks Dad didn’t die of natural causes,” Owen announced. “It seems we’ll be visiting the coroner.”
“I’d best get going,” Leslie said, searching for a reason to escape. “Thanks for the coffee.”
“Wait,” Owen said desperately as he swiped at his chin.
“I put everything on your Dad’s bed,” she said, heading for the door.
“What the hell did you say to her?” she heard Elias hiss to Owen as she walked down the hall.
A hand closed over her arm as she opened the door.
“Please,” Owen murmured. “Leslie…I believe you. As you said, we haven’t visited in years.
You know all my father’s habits and what might seem off.
Can you possibly come with us today? I appreciate you picking out the suit and the picture suggestions.
I want you to accompany us and tell me if anything seems off to you. ”
“The boys…”
“I’ll have you back before they return,” he promised.
“I mean it. I owe you an apology but it’s not the right time for this discussion.
We’ll need to decide about Conner, and you know him best. Can we put our differences aside long enough to find out what happened.
You say you love my brother as your own.
Don’t you think he deserves some justice if your guess ends up correct? ”
Elias walked into the hall.
“Please say you’ll come, Leslie. Maybe we should’ve made amends with Dad. The longer we stayed away, the harder it became to return. Will you please help?” Elias asked.
Owen waited with baited breath as she considered the request.
“I can’t stay any later than two-thirty. I have to pick up my son, and then Conner,” she said, peering at Elias.
“We promise to have you back in time,” Elias vowed. “Won’t we Owen?”
“Yeah,” he said, waiting for her to glance in his direction.
“I’ll get my purse from the truck,” she said softly, pushing open the screen door.
His stomach churned as he watched her retrieve her things.
The truck she drove had seen better days.
Recalling her house, he saw the chipped paint, the shutter missing on one side and hanging crooked on the other.
Someone must’ve repaired the rotted wood on the porch with new ones.
What happened to Leslie’s son’s dad? He didn’t like thinking of her with someone else, but he didn’t blame her when he saw the pain etched in her eyes because of his actions.
As soon as they got the business taken care of, he decided to man up and give her the apology she deserved. It might help them to become friends for Conner’s sake, he told himself.
“Let’s go to the coroner’s office to see when we can expect Dad’s body, then we’ll speak with Sheriff Dalton. From there, we’ll see to the funeral plans,” Owen said as he grabbed his hat, keys and wallet.
She climbed into the backseat and Elias gave his brother an angry glance.
First, he needed to find out what happened to Dad, then he’d fix things with Leslie.