Cattail Ridge (15 page)

Chapter Nineteen

A
rcher was very thankful that the last week of the trip moved faster than the first two. Still, by the time he and Jack got back to Hazard, he was ready to be home.

The temptation to swing by Emma’s house was strong, but he resisted. He stopped at a twenty-four-hour diner not far from his apartment for a bite to eat. At nine thirty at night, the place was quiet, with only one other booth occupied.

“Hey, hon. Where’ve you been? We’ve not seen you in here for a few weeks now.” The middle-aged waitress who always served him patted him on the shoulder as she filled a mug with coffee in front of him. “Your brother didn’t get sick again, did he?”

“No. I had some training for my new job. Did I miss anything exciting?”

“Tell you what, let me get your order in, and I’ll sit down for a few minutes, catch you up.”

As he ate and she told him about some of the local contretemps, he acknowledged that this familiarity, the small town where everyone knew everyone, was part of what made Hazard feel like home to him. He was from a short enough distance away that he was still treated like a local, but his past remained firmly where it belonged.

After he finished eating, he grabbed the check and took it to the register. Business had picked up, what with the second shift from the hospital starting to come in for lunch, and he laid the bill down on the counter beside the cash register, the money underneath it. He caught his waitress’s eye and she nodded.

“See you soon!” she called as he left.

The phone was ringing when he unlocked the front door, and he hurried to answer it. “Hello?”

“Hey, baby brother. Just wanted to call and make sure you got in safely.”

“I just walked in the door. Let me get my keys out of the lock.” Tossing his bags inside, he cursed the deadbolt that seemed hell-bent on keeping his key. “How are you feeling?”

“Better. Still going stir-crazy, though. I need something to do.”

“Come to Hazard. We’ll find you something.” He got the key loose and shut the door.

Logan sighed. “I’m thinking about it. So if you just walked in, you haven’t been to see Emma, I’m guessing?”

“No.” Archer checked the apartment, then headed downstairs to check the garage. Amelia had stopped by a few times during his absence to make sure things were okay, but he needed to see for himself. “She’s not ready for me to spend the night, and if I went over there, it would put pressure on her.”

His brother was quiet for a minute. “You’re being cautious with her.”

“Very. I love her, Lo. I don’t want to scare her away.” Admitting it out loud felt good, and he sank down on the couch. He brought a hand up and rubbed his eyes.

“Have you told her that yet?”

“No. She’s not ready for that, either.”

“Maybe I should come for a visit before Christmas.”

Archer stretched his legs out in front of him and smiled. “Still trying to protect me?”

“I… Yeah, I guess so. Don’t take it the wrong way. I don’t mean any offense.”

A few years ago Archer would have cursed Logan’s interference and hung up on him. Now, though, he had a better perspective on his brother’s concern. “I know. I appreciate that you care.”

Well, that caused an awkward silence. Archer cleared his throat. “So when are you coming in?”

Logan yawned on the other end of the line. “I don’t know. As much as I’ve improved, I’m not quite up to traveling that far yet. Maybe I’ll try to get down there for your birthday.”

“That would be nice. You can bunk with me.” Archer’s birthday was at the end of October, just four weeks away.

“I’ll try.”

They didn’t talk much longer, what with Logan showing signs of fatigue, and Archer eager to hear from Emma. After they hung up, he listened to his messages. He had several, but two in particular disturbed him. They were automated calls, the recorded voice telling him someone from the Peewee Valley Correctional Institute was calling, and asking him to say “yes” or “no” to accepting the charges.

Archer cursed virulently. “Candace.”

That was all he needed, to hear from her again. She’d never tried to contact him, not a single time during her entire incarceration. Now that her parole date had been set, he was afraid to find out what she wanted.

He needed a few minutes to calm down before calling Emma. He didn’t want his past to taint their relationship in any way. As soon as he got up tomorrow, he’d make some calls; see if he could figure out what was going on. He’d learned the hard way, a long time ago, that it was better to try to get ahead of any surprises Candace had in store. To not try could be life threatening, and this time, it might not just be his life at stake.

Chapter Twenty

T
he weekend had gone by all too quickly, Emma thought Monday morning as she and Amelia went over the day’s schedule. It wasn’t quite ten o’clock, and they’d just turned the sign on the door around to “Open.”

“Zanny was so happy yesterday. Think she knows we’re having a baby shower this weekend?” Amelia asked.

“Probably. Not much gets past her.” Emma sighed and touched a hand to her belly. “I want one.”

“What, a baby shower?” Amelia grinned. “We can throw you one. Should we invite Archer?”

Emma stuck her tongue out at her baby sister. “No, silly. I want another baby. And if you tell anyone I said that, I’ll deny it.”

Amelia twisted on the chair, her humor fading. “You mean that.”

“I do.”

“With Archer?”

Emma shrugged. “Probably. How do you think he’d feel about that?”

“That is something you need to ask him,” came the quiet answer. “But I don’t think he’d be too opposed to the idea. Does this mean you’re in love with him?”

“I don’t know. I’m trying to not think about that, or examine my feelings too closely. We aren’t even formally dating, you know. It’s ridiculous to be wanting his child, and us not even officially in a relationship. It’s dangerous, too. I could be building castles in the air.”

“You sure looked like you were in a relationship this weekend.”

“He hasn’t asked me out yet. I keep telling him we aren’t dating, and he keeps telling me he isn’t ready to ask me out. The man is confusing me.”

Amelia touched her hand. “Time will tell, but I don’t think so. He’s a good man, Em.”

Emma blinked back tears. “I know. Okay, let’s get to work. The bills won’t pay themselves.”

And at one o’clock that afternoon, the world broke in half.

Archer had just clocked out to take lunch when Jack, followed by a white-faced Owen Campbell, hurried into the break room. Jack didn’t waste time.

“Zanny’s been in a bad wreck. We’re on our way to get John, and get to the hospital. Can you handle things for me here? Let the boss know?”

Archer didn’t hesitate. “Of course. How bad?”

Jack shook his head. “Rick said to get there fast. I’ll call when we know something.” They turned and left, half running for the parking lot.

Stunned, Archer slumped against the wall. He thought about how cheerful and full of life Zanny had been just yesterday at the farm. She’d teased him and Emma mercilessly, but she’d been so cute when she did it, they’d laughed as hard as she had. Sydney had plagued her, fascinated with the fact that the baby was responsive to people talking to and touching Zanny’s belly.

“Oh, God. The baby.”

The general manager, Glenn, came in the room. “I saw Jack leaving in a hurry. Is everything okay?”

“No. Not even close.” Archer told him what he knew. No further explanation was necessary. Wrecked cars came in all the time, from both minor and major accidents. A “bad” wreck, particularly since Rick had been the one to describe it as such, didn’t sound hopeful.

“Do you need to go to the hospital, be with the family?” Glenn asked. When he hesitated, the man shook his head. “Don’t worry about the job, Archer. You and Jack would practically have to burn this place down to get in trouble. I know you’re close. Go. We can keep this place going without the two of you, just call when you hear something, would you?”

“I will. Thank you, Glenn.” Heart in his throat, Archer got in his truck and headed for the hospital. He prayed the whole way.

Actually getting to the hospital took some doing, for as soon as he turned off Highway 15 and onto Combs Road, he ran into a traffic jam. A county deputy had the road blocked going left, and Archer pulled up to him. The other dealership had the contract to work on the sheriff’s department vehicles, and Archer knew most of the deputies.

“Hey, Joe. I need to get to the hospital. Jack’s niece was in a wreck.”

“Yeah, I know. You can’t get through up here. You’ll have to go around. They’re still clearing the scene. It happened down at the Grand View Plaza.”

Archer cursed. Going around would take twenty minutes. “Okay.”

Joe saw his frustration, and held up a hand. He used his radio to ask someone if they’d be able to let a vehicle through to the hospital. The answer came back that they could, and he described Archer’s truck.

“Go on through, but be careful. Put your blinkers on.”

“Thanks, Joe. I’ll owe you one.”

“Nah. You’d do the same. Good luck.”

When he reached the accident site, another deputy waved him around. He got a good look at what was left of Zanny’s car, which was being loaded onto a flatbed truck, and he had to remind himself to breathe. The entire passenger side of the front half of the car, as well as most of the front end, was gone. The truck that had apparently hit her was a large one, a lumber delivery truck. He’d seen worse but what he was looking at wasn’t good.

He was shaking a little when he got to the hospital, only a few hundred yards past the accident site. He spotted Emma’s SUV and parked beside it. Steeling himself for the worst, he went inside.

The ER waiting room was full of Campbells and Brownings, and a quiet, urgent chaos was in the air. Jack saw him first.

“Glenn sent me over. He said to not worry about the job. Family first. How is she?”

Before Jack could answer, Emma turned from where she’d been talking to her mother, and spotted him. She crossed the room and was in his arms in a flash. He could feel her trembling, and he tightened his hold.

“She’s in surgery,” Jack said. “The baby’s here, looks to be okay. Eli’s all right, just a broken arm. John’s with him now. Noah was in school next door, came over. He, uh, he said Zanny’s mother sent him.”

“Molly told him that she’ll be okay,” Emma said. She lifted her head and stepped back a small distance, then wiped her eyes. “That’s what we’re all clinging to right now. Molly would know.”

Zanny’s mother, Molly Dean Franks, had been deceased for a number of years. Noah’s ability to see her was something that had stunned the whole family. Even given that most of the Campbells had special talents, Noah’s stood out.

Archer let out a breath. “Then we’ll take that and hope she’s right. When will we know something?”

“It’s probably going to be a while,” Emma said. “We called Ben. He and Ainsley are on their way. Rachel’s in Wise, teaching over there today. Daddy’s trying to get up with her now.”

“What about Nonny?” Archer asked.

She nodded. “She and Uncle Eli are on the way.”

“Any idea what happened?”

Rick stepped over. “It looks like the truck driver had a heart attack. When he hit her, some of the lumber came off and a big splinter came into the car.” He held his hands up about a foot apart, and Archer winced. “It hit her in the leg. Hit an artery. Burke was a few cars back, got to her, and got a tourniquet on it. But they had to remove the splinter to get her out of the car, and when they did, she started bleeding.”

“Michelle said he probably saved her life,” Emma said quietly. She was leaning into Archer, an arm around his waist. “That if he hadn’t acted so quickly, she would have bled out before they got her in the ambulance. Excuse me, I’m going to be sick.” She dashed off toward the restrooms. Sarah saw and followed.

A short time later, Jack’s daughter Michelle, who was a pediatrician, stepped in the room. Everyone turned to her, and the room was so quiet, a pin could have dropped and been heard. Emma and Sarah came up behind her as she spoke.

“Eli’s getting casted. Zanny’s still in surgery, and the baby is settling in upstairs. You all need to come up to the surgical waiting room. That’s where updates will come in at, and there’s a coffee pot and vending machine up there. Owen, can you or Sarah stay with John? He’s pretty shaky right now.”

“Of course.”

Amelia, Archer and Emma made up the tail end of the group as they went down the hall. Emma, arms crossed over her chest, stopped the two of them before they got on the elevator. “I need to take a walk. Get some air. I’ll meet you up there.”

“Do you want me to go with you?” he offered.

She shook her head. “I won’t be long.”

From the set of her jaw, Archer could tell pushing wouldn’t be smart. “Okay. We’ll see you in a few.”

Everyone else had gone on the elevator, and he and Amelia waited for the car to come back down. “Think she’s okay?”

“She’s just upset. I know, understatement,” she said with a grimace. “But Em has always tended to draw in when she’s upset or worried. Don’t take it personally.”

He sighed. “I’m trying. And I feel like a heel for even wondering, given the circumstances.”

“You shouldn’t. I’d worry in your shoes. But then someone like me would step in and reassure you, and since you trust me, you would stop worrying.” Her gentle words did reassure him, and Archer gave her a one-armed hug. She heaved a sigh that was too heavy for her slight shoulders, and he realized she was probably having a harder time with this than most of the rest of them, in a different way.

“How are you holding up? This has to be bringing back unpleasant memories.”

“I’m okay. Just afraid.” The elevator dinged, and they stood back as people exited the car.

A few years earlier, when she was nineteen, Amelia’s boyfriend had been killed in a single-vehicle accident. While Archer didn’t think they’d been soul mates, and in fact hadn’t liked the kid for her, the loss had devastated the gentle, happy girl. She’d been friends with the boy since grade school, and his sister was still her best friend. She’d always been introspective, but after Jimmy’s death she’d grown almost as quiet as John and Rachel. It had only been recently that she’d started regaining some of her old pep.

“Hopefully Molly knows what she’s talking about,” he said once they were in the elevator alone, the doors closed. “Like Emma said, she’d be in a position to know.”

“Poor Noah. That’s a heavy burden for him to carry, being able to see the dead.”

“I wouldn’t want it. Not even if it meant I’d be able to shift again. But if there’s any family to be born into and have something like that, he’s in the right one.”

Upstairs, they took over the thankfully empty waiting room, and settled in to wait for news. Archer prayed that when it did come, it would be the kind of news they wanted to hear, and not the opposite.

He thought about the conversation he’d had Friday morning, with Candace. Getting through to her at the prison had been surprisingly easy. It wasn’t quite as simple as calling and asking for her, but close.

Her message when they talked was simple.

“I’m sorry. I know it’s inadequate, but I’m sorry. I hurt you and I hurt my family. We all lost so much. And that’s years with my son I won’t get back.” She coughed, a racking, harsh sound that caused Archer to wince. “I have TB, you know. That’s one of the reasons they granted the parole. I’m dying.”

Archer was speechless. He hadn’t known. And he hadn’t known what to say. After a minute, she continued.

“I’ll be going on oxygen later this week, as soon as it’s approved. And the doctors say the chances of me recovering are slim. If I’m lucky, I’ll get to die at home.”

“I… I don’t know what to say,” he admitted.

“Good riddance? That’s what I figured you’d say. I know Logan will when he hears.” She laughed. “Tuberculosis is rampant in the prison system. Most of the time it isn’t fatal, but you know I had asthma as a child, so my lungs were already weak. There’s nothing they can do, and I’ve accepted that. I did this to myself. If I’d just hired a damned divorce attorney, I’d be living on some beach somewhere.” She coughed again, and when the spell was over, her voice was much weaker.