Chapter 20
Sophie had been right. The next morning, Tristan was the only person who showed up for work. The RCMP questioned him, but he was adamant that he hadn’t known Marcus or Rosa prior to meeting them on the ranch. Everyone had given a statement, in particular, Annette. The police officer told them that a massive search was underway for Rosa and Marcus. Fortunately, Annette could provide them with a picture of Rosa—taken from when she’d been riding Trixie. They could only describe Marcus as there were no pictures of him.
The three women sat around Sophie’s kitchen table, cradling mugs of coffee.
“We can only hope the RCMP are successful, and it ends soon,” Sophie said. “I’d like an explanation. More than that I’d like my cow and my barn back and all the money I’ve spent returned. It was all so needless.” She looked toward the window where plumes of black smoke still rose from the wet, smoldering embers. “After all this, the Triple T will have to be sold in order to cover my bills. There’s no way I can afford to build a new barn, and this winter I’ll need one.”
“What about the arena? Couldn’t you use that?” Gabrielle asked. “And aren’t the horses Rosa was training worth a lot of money?
“It’s true that the horses will fetch a few thousand, but I’m talking about figures upward of $120,000.00. There’s no way I have enough money to build a barn comparable to the one I had. Or even take out a loan for one. And the arena is not equipped to calve out cattle. It would take so much renovation…” Her voice trailed away. Then she lifted her hands in a gesture of defeat. “I’m so sorry to burden you with all this. What a terrible holiday…”
“I’m glad we’re here,” said Annette. “Where else could I have gone where there was a mystery to be solved, or where I could learn to ride a horse, or wrestle people to the ground?”
Sophie reached across the table and squeezed her hand. “Thank you, my dear.” She sighed and leaned back in her chair. “In any case, I’m seriously thinking about calling Jim Danbury.”
At that moment, an imperious knock came at the door. Sophie almost spilled her coffee. Setting it down, she scurried to the window, peeked out, and turned an ashen face back to the girls.
“Speak of the devil,” she said, lifting a hand to cover her mouth. “It’s him.”
Annette and Gabrielle both hurried to the door behind Sophie as she opened it to the man in question. She held the door for him to enter and his considerable bulk loomed in the opening.
He cleared his throat, readying himself to make an announcement and hastily took off his lopsided straw hat as though just remembering his manners.
“I’m here to make you an offer you can’t refuse,” he said in a booming voice.
Sophie held up a protesting hand and the girls stepped forward to offer their support as she asked the man to leave.
“I appreciate yo?—”
He cut her off abruptly by raising his voice over hers. “Hear me out is all I ask.”
He moved inside and turned to shut the door. Before he got it closed, however, the group heard the spluttering roar of a tractor being started and several other engines firing up. A horn honked and suddenly loud voices filled the air.
“What is ‘appening out there?” Sophie said, trying to edge past the burly man and get to the door.
“Never you mind,” Jim barked. He brandished his hat and nearly knocked a picture off the wall. It swung back and forth crazily as they all waited for the man to continue. Narrowing his eyes, he advanced further into the room and the women all backed up together.
“My offer is this,” he said, puffing out his chest. “I propose to do the neighbourly thing after all these years. My father thought a lot of your husband’s folks and I aim to reconcile our two families by organizing a barn raising and doin’ all I can to help you out. I’m real sorry you lost Malcom. Don’t think I ever told you that or came to pay my respects. I, uh, I humbly apologize. Consider it done.” Jim put a finger under his collar and pulled to relieve the pressure his vast neck created. “I’ve been payin’ for my son Dillon to take night classes at the college in carpentry. Guess that’ll come in handy now.” Jim inclined his head as far as possible and pressed himself against the wall in order to usher the women past him. “Now let’s go outside,” he ended graciously.
With a little manoeuvring, they shuffled past him and stepped onto the porch. And they stopped.
The yard, indeed even the driveway back as far as could be seen, was filled with trucks. Lumber filled each truck bed or was loaded on flat deck trailers being pulled behind. Men and women swarmed all over. They were busy unloading wood and piling it. Some were organizing groups already carrying toolboxes to begin building. A bulldozer was hard at work clearing the ashes of the burned barn into piles, its metal tracks unaffected by the heat of the still-red coals lying below the ash. Another tractor was dumping the gathered debris into the back of a gravel hauling truck.
Sophie fell back into a chair on the porch and gaped at the scene. Helplessly she looked up at Gabrielle and Annette, tears streaming down her face. People, seeing her, called out, expressed their sympathies, or waved, but all of them continued on their mission to rebuild Sophie’s barn.
Annette looked for Jeff. He was nowhere to be seen, which she thought was odd. Another vehicle pulled carefully through the maze of automobiles. It stopped, almost in the rose bushes and out hopped Sandra.
“Don’t you start worrying about feeding all these people,” she called, opening the back door of her van. “I’ve got that covered. A few of the ladies, the owners of Lulu’s Café’ and I got together this morning and made enough food to get us through a famine.” She began to carry a box up the steps and, as though she’d been in a daze, Annette suddenly came to life.
“I’ll help,” she cried. Gabrielle, laughing with joy, followed her sister and the two of them spent the rest of the afternoon in the kitchen with three other ladies from the district, preparing meals.
The camaraderie and sense of community was outstanding. Annette had never seen anything like it. By dinnertime that evening the cement floor of the barn was clean and the bare bones of four walls stood waiting for more construction the next day.
Folding tables had materialized from somewhere and the whole community sat on the grass or in collapsible chairs eating and laughing.
And in the midst of this scene of brotherly love, a big black truck pulled up. It was Jeff. She’d wondered all day where he might be. It was strange that he hadn’t come to lend a hand. Seeing him, Annette’s heart leapt. She stood to her feet, as did Sophie, and they walked together to greet him until suddenly the passenger door was thrown open and a tall young man jumped out. Sophie stopped. A strangled cry erupted from her throat, and she flung herself at him.
“Mom!” he cried. Rushing forward he wrapped his arms around Sophie and lifted her off her feet. “Oh Mom, I’ve missed you so much.”
Standing on her tiptoes, Sophie kissed his face over and over. She’d pull back for a moment, holding his cheeks in her hands to look at him as though reassuring herself he was real, and then pulled him into her arms again.
The assembled crowd cheered and clapped. Sophie, her face rosy and wet with tears of joy, pulled him over to Gabrielle and Annette.
“It’s Jayke,” she said, her voice wobbling. “My boy ‘as come home.”
“I’m so ‘appy you are ‘ere,” Annette said. Stepping close she kissed his cheeks, as did Gabrielle who looked ecstatic.
“It’s great to see you, Jayke,” Gabrielle said. “You could not ‘ave come at a better time.”
“That’s thanks to Jeff,” he said, turning to include the man waiting so as not to intrude on the family reunion. “I was planning on driving out when I got Mom’s letter, but when Jeff called and said I needed to catch the next plane, I came right away. He was waiting when I arrived.”
Jeff’s eyes found hers and for a moment, Annette felt shy. Her emotions were rather raw and new. She was unsure if she should hug Jeff or wait to see what happened. He took the decision out of her hands. His eyes were dark with emotion as he swept her into his arms and kissed her for all the world to see. And the crowd once again cheered.
Flushed and smiling, Annette looked out on them all, feeling part of a community she’d never known existed.
Later that evening,she and Jeff rocked back and forth on the porch swing, sitting as close as two people possibly could. As the sun sank behind the mountains, they had talked of their childhood dreams, their interests, and even one or two past romances. She even told him of the call she’d received from Musée d”Orsay. He showed interest and encouraged her aspirations.
“So, you were never attracted to Rosa?” Annette asked. “I thought I saw you kiss her one night.”
He looked surprised and shook his head. “I’ve never even touched the woman,” he asserted strongly. “She, of course, touched me every chance she got. The woman wasn’t shy. I knew exactly what she was hoping for.” His face took on a sour expression. “Oh, she’s cute enough, I guess, and she was good with horses. I can, however, say no. I was never attracted to Rosa. I didn’t give her any indication I was interested either.”
Annette was pleased.
He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it. “I have to apologize for my rude behavior when you first arrived,” he said ruefully. “It was a mixture of worry for Sophie and irritation that she hadn’t said anything to anyone about what was happening. I didn’t think she ought to have allowed guests to visit.”
“It’s true.” Annette shuffled uncomfortably. “I thought the same thing myself. I even suggested to Gabrielle that we return to France the next day.”
“I’m grateful you didn’t. Did I tell you yet how proud and in awe I am of you?” he asked, sliding an arm around her shoulders, and pulling her close.
She laid her head on his shoulder. “About five times,” she said. “You can say it again if you’d like though.”
“Good, because I intend to do just that. I’m so amazed that you persevered until you learned who was behind all the attacks. And that you went into a burning building for Pearl is beyond amazing.” He caught her lips for a kiss, then pulled back and sobered. “Jessica would be so grateful, and so am I.”
“You’re both welcome,” she said softly. “I love Pearl too.”
“I need to know one thing,” he said, suddenly turning to her with a serious expression. “Did you, or did you not, talk your sister into riding over to the Danburys that night? And did you actually spy on them from their own yard?”
Annette swallowed the wrong way and choked. Coughing and spluttering, she was seized with guilt and covered her face with her hands. But she felt Jeff shaking with laughter beside her.
“You knew all along,” she cried, giving him a shove with her shoulder. They laughed together.
“It will remain our little secret,” he promised solemnly. “Jim will never know. He and Dillon turned out to be decent guys after all.”
Shifting around to face her, Jeff gently took her face in his hands. With infinite attention, his eyes travelled over her face as though committing every detail to memory. His thumb began a slow caress of her soft cheek.
“You,” he began, with emphasis and in reference to what had just been noted of Rosa, “are not cute.” Annette’s eyes dropped as low as her heart at his words. She had always known it, of course. But hearing it from the lips of the man she loved was far more difficult than she could ever have imagined. Though Jeff hadn’t finished speaking.
“You are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. Your eyes are exciting. They dance with vivacity and life. They sparkle dangerously when you’re angry and glow with love when you care.” He touched the tip of her nose. “Your nose is sweet and pretty with its dusting of freckles and your mouth…” He paused to kiss her tenderly. “Your mouth is like a pink Christmas bow just waiting to be kissed, yet strong and determined when the need arises.” Next he took a lock of her corkscrew auburn hair and let it run through his fingers. “Yes, your mane of hair is gorgeous, and I love it, but your face—I will never be able to stop telling you how beautiful you are.”
Tears brimmed in her eyes. She blinked, willing them to disappear. Instead, they spilled over and trickled down her flushed cheeks.
“Honey,” he said tenderly. “What is it? Are you okay? Is it the stress from the fire? Of this week?” He gathered her into his arms, and she drew a deep shuddering breath against his chest.
“No one has ever said such things to me before,” she managed at last.
“I find that hard to believe,” he said in surprise, leaning back to search her face. “You are stunning! I’m sorry if what you say is true, but you had better get used to hearing it because I intend to tell you every day how lovely you are. I have seen the real you,” he said, holding her closer and whispering into her ear. “The woman you are on the inside is as wonderful as the woman people can see outwardly. I see your creativity and artistic nature, your care for defenseless creatures to the degree that you’d risk your own life for them, your devotion to family, your sense of justice and right from wrong, so much that you’d ride a horse in the dead of night to try to discover the truth and to help save your friend. I see this and so much more, dearest Annette. You are a remarkable, gorgeous woman. Never forget it.”
Annette’s hands crept around his neck and spread across his strong back. Even though there were many things she could say about him too, she was beyond speaking at the moment. She sniffed and strove to bring her emotions under control.
“And now,” he pulled back to smile into her eyes, “I’d like to ask you out on a proper date. Should we go buy you a dress? I have a fabulous restaurant in mind that’s in the city. What do you say? Will you go with me tomorrow night?”
She nodded. A wobbly smile breaking through her tears. “I—I don’t need to buy a dress. Remember, I came prepared for parties.”
He laughed and pulled her close again. “So, you did,” he said. “Then tomorrow night is ours.”