Firefly Hollow (16 page)

Chapter Twenty-Four

T
HE WEATHER WAS WARM FRIDAY night, and Sarah and Owen had the windows rolled halfway down as they drove up in the holler. They’d had dinner and then seen the movie, and as much as she’d enjoyed the film, holding Owen’s hand the whole time had been more thrilling than the on-screen action.

“So was it as good as you expected it to be?” he asked.

“It was. Cary Grant never disappoints, nor does Hitchcock. Thank you for taking me. I hope you enjoyed it, as well.”

His smile flashed in the dark of the car’s interior. “I did.”

Sarah felt completely at ease with him at the wheel. He handled the car with a quiet competence that only served to enhance his attractiveness. Somehow, that he was a good driver wasn’t that much of a surprise.

“So not to bring up a sore subject, but has your mother decided when she’s leaving exactly?” he asked quietly.

“It isn’t a sore subject anymore, not like it was. And my aunt Nancy’s coming up three weeks from now. They’ll drive back down to Georgia together, after Nancy’s had a chance to visit a few people.”

“Has your sister backed off any?”

She looked out the window, watching as the trees on the roadside appeared and vanished in the headlights. “No. Well, she’s shut her mouth, but the disapproval rolls off of her in waves. It’s all I can do not to slap the silliness out of her. I don’t understand how Mama can stand to go to Kathy’s house and stay overnight, much less for several days in a row. And that’s a very un-Christian-like attitude for me to take.”

“Maybe. Or maybe it’s just honest. You’re not glossing things over. You shouldn’t have to, not with me. I hope you know that.”

Sarah gently poked him in the arm. “I don’t know you well enough to be completely forthcoming with you yet. I don’t want to scare you away.”

They’d reached her house, and Owen parked the car. “Not a chance.”

She had left the front porch light on, and bugs were swarming it, trying to figure out how to get into the heat of the bulb itself.

“We’ll go in the back,” Sarah said as they got out of the car. “I don’t feel like fighting that horde of skeeters and moths.”

They were quiet as they went into the kitchen, and Sarah didn’t turn the overhead light on, opting instead for a small lamp on the end of the counter. The glow it cast was intimate, and for an instant, she wondered if it were too intimate. She discounted the thought almost as soon as she had it.

She set her purse on the table. “Would you like some coffee?”

“Sure.” Owen had stopped just a step inside the door, and he loosened his tie. “Do you mind if I take this off?”

“Not at all. You’ve been tugging at it all night.”

He gave a short bark of embarrassed laughter. “I was hoping you hadn’t noticed that.”

As she got the coffee pot ready to perk, Sarah sent him a look over her shoulder. “It was hard to miss. I take it you aren’t used to wearing a tie?”

“No. I typically avoid them like the plague.”

“Well, next time we go out, you’re excused from having to wear one.” She got the cream out of the refrigerator.

Owen grinned. “So you want to go out again?”

Sarah flushed, realizing how presumptuous her words had been. “I suppose I wouldn’t mind.”

He crossed his arms over his chest and smiled. It was a happy smile, an intimate smile, and Sarah felt something inside her relax.

Once the coffee was ready, they went back out onto the screened porch. The light from the kitchen wasn’t terribly bright, but it served well enough so they could see to get to the glider.

“I’ve been wondering something,” Sarah said. “What is it you do, exactly?”

Owen stretched his arm along the back of the glider. “A little of this, a little of that. I do a lot of correspondence with people from around the world who are interested in the history of this region. I do some genealogy for people. Sometimes I’ll look up deeds, property histories, that sort of thing. When my parents and brother died, I inherited everything, including my father’s portion of the hardware store, which my uncle bought from me. I made some investments with part of that money, and they’ve paid off nicely. I spend some time managing those, as well.”

“Did you ever go to college?”

To Sarah’s surprise, Owen stiffened. He leaned over and set down his coffee cup, then settled back, but the tension didn’t leave his body.

“No. I never graduated high school, never mind went to college.”

Stunned, Sarah gaped at him. “But you’re so well read, so intelligent. You’re pulling my leg.”

His laugh was self-deprecating. “I am telling you the God’s honest truth. I did get a high school certificate by correspondence course, but I dropped out of school in the eighth grade.”

Feeling that the story behind that was complicated, Sarah put down her own mug and turned to half-face him, tucking her legs underneath her.

“What happened?” she asked quietly. “If you don’t mind me asking.”

Owen’s hand rested next to her shoulder, and he turned it so that he was touching her arm. Sarah was wearing a short-sleeved dress, and the way he played with the top of her sleeve sent a shiver down her spine.

“I got embarrassed when I was in eighth grade. There was a girl I liked, and when I went to ask her to go to the spring dance with me, it didn’t go well. I had a… I don’t know what to call it… an attack of some sort. I left school and ran all the way home. My mother sent me to her brother in Laurel County, and I didn’t come back until that fall. By then, everybody knew about ‘crazy’ Owen Campbell, and they wouldn’t let it go. I finally stopped fighting them and quit school. I went back to my uncle’s and didn’t come back here until after Harlan died.”

“I’m sorry,” Sarah said. “I’d heard that you went to Laurel County for a while, but I didn’t know you’d quit school. That had to be hard for you, in more ways than one.”

He shrugged. “I never cared much for school. I loved learning, but school itself? I would have quit sooner if my father let me. I think it broke his heart when I quit.”

The pain that still echoed in his voice told Sarah more than words that his father’s heart hadn’t been the only one to break. She reached up and took hold of his hand, pulling it down into her lap where she cradled it with both of hers.

The conversation moved on to lighter topics from there. At some point, the night turned chilly, and Owen took off his jacket to slide it around her shoulders. Even so, they kept talking. When she went inside to go to the bathroom and saw that it was nearly one o’clock in the morning, she was shocked. The time had passed so quickly.

Owen was on his feet, looking out into the yard when she went back outside. He turned to her with a rueful smile. “I checked my watch. I didn’t know it was so late. I’m sorry.”

Sarah waved away the apology. “No, no. I didn’t realize the time, either. I was enjoying our talk.”

“Well, regardless, I probably should head up the mountain.”

Even though she knew he was right, Sarah was disappointed. “I’ll get your flashlight.” She grabbed it from where it lay on the kitchen counter and, with heavy reluctance, took it back out to him. “Are you okay to walk home this late?”

Owen’s smile was visible even through the darkness. “I’ll be fine. Are
you
okay to stay here by yourself? I know your mom is leaving soon, but I worry.”

Crossing her arms, Sarah moved to stand beside him. “I guess we’ll find out. I’d rather know now, when she’s only a short car trip away, than after she’s halfway across the country. But I think I’ll be fine. I’ll lock up once you leave.”

He rocked back and forth on his feet. Finally, he reached and touched her hair. “I don’t want to go. I want to stay here and talk more. But I need to go, I guess.”

Sarah swallowed, her heart pounding. He brought up his other hand, found the pins holding up her hair, and started removing them. In moments, her hair was cascading down her back. Owen put the pins in his pocket and then threaded his fingers into her hair. The touch was soft, but sure, and Sarah closed her eyes against the pleasure of it. She sighed and swayed, and he pulled her closer, his hands cradling her head.

“Look at me,” he said, his voice low.

Her eyelids felt as if they weighed a ton each, but Sarah managed to open them. When she looked up at Owen, the heat in his gaze seared her.

“I’d like to kiss you, Sarah Browning. May I?”

As much as she was able to with his hands still in her hair, Sarah nodded her consent. She watched as he lowered his face to hers, but when his lips brushed hers, her eyelids fluttered shut again. She grasped his arms, and Owen deepened the kiss.

Though not the first time Sarah had been kissed, it was by far the most pleasurable. Owen’s lips were firm, but gentle against hers, and when he drew back, she gave a small whimper of protest. The sound halted him as though he had run into a wall, and he dipped his head again.

The next kiss wasn’t as sweet, but carried a hint of something hotter. Sarah slid her hands up to wrap her arms around his neck. The movement triggered a response, and Owen deepened the kiss. Heat flared between them, a little overwhelming, and Sarah turned her head. She gasped for breath as his mouth trailed across her jaw and found a sensitive spot beneath her ear. He lingered there, then let out a long, shaky breath.

One of his hands drifted out of her hair and down her back, pulling her closer to him. His lips trailed up to her temple, and he exhaled on a quiet groan.

“I should apologize for being so forward, perhaps,” he said in her ear, “but I won’t. I’m not sorry.”

Sarah shook her head, struggling to pull her scrambled thoughts together enough to form words. Reluctantly, she pulled her arms from around his neck and stepped back. “I’m not sorry, either.” She raised her fingers to her lips as if to verify what had happened was real.

Owen ran his hands through his hair. He shook his head, and Sarah was secretly pleased to see that he looked as stunned as she felt.

“Um, would you like to go for a drive with me Sunday afternoon?” he asked. “I have to go to Whitesburg to pick up some seed for Uncle Eli. If you wanted, we could make a date of it.”

“What time on Sunday? If Kathy’s up to it, they’re supposed to come up here for dinner after church. I wouldn’t be able to get away until about two or so.”

“That would work for me. I would have to drive, though. I’ll need my truck.”

“Okay. Then I’d love to go with you. I’d invite you to dinner, but I don’t want to torture you by asking you to sit through that.” Sarah was surprised when he laughed, as she’d been serious. She told him as much.

Owen ran his hand over his face, no doubt to hide his grin. “I appreciate you looking out for me. I guess we’re even, now.” He reached up to touch her face. “I’ll pick you up Sunday. Go on in and lock up. I’ll wait until you’re safe.”

Sarah was sorely tempted to throw herself in his arms and beg for another kiss, but she managed to resist, just. “I had fun tonight. Thank you again.”

“You’re welcome. And thank you for consenting to go with me.” The heated look came back in his eyes, and he groaned. “Go inside, please. Before I forget I’m a gentleman and cart you off to the top of the mountain.”

Shooting him a happy smile, Sarah hustled into the kitchen. She paused with her hand on the inside door. “Goodnight, Owen Campbell.”

He tipped an imaginary hat. “Goodnight, Sarah Browning. I’ll see you soon.”

Knowing that if she didn’t lock the door, Owen would stand there all night, she forced herself to close the door. The door was solid wood all the way up, with no window, so she couldn’t see him. But as she turned the key in the lock and slipped the bolt above it, she laid her hand flat against the surface.

Sarah had never felt such an attraction, and she didn’t quite know what to do with it. She reveled in the feelings that coursed through her, half afraid of them at the same time. She wondered if her mother had gone through the same thing with her father and determined that as soon as she got a chance to talk to Eliza alone, she’d ask.

Chapter Twenty-Five

O
WEN AND SARAH QUICKLY FELL into a routine. Nearly every evening, they would meet, either at the pool or at her house. Many nights, he’d have supper with her and Eliza. He went into town more regularly than he’d ever gone before, and more often than not, he and Sarah would have lunch together.

They spent hours talking, about everything and nothing, getting to know one another. Always in the back of Owen’s mind were his two secrets—that he was H. O. McLemore and that he was a shifter. He was almost certain that he could trust Sarah with the truth about himself, but he wanted to wait a little while longer. Additionally, he knew she was upset over her mother’s upcoming journey, and he didn’t want to add to the burden. He knew he had to tell her soon, but not yet.

Friday morning, two weeks after their first kiss and two days before her aunt was due to arrive from Georgia, Owen went into town to finish some genealogy research. After spending a few minutes downstairs chatting with Shirley, he went up to the children’s department.

Sarah greeted him from where she was shelving books. “Hi, there. I didn’t expect you today. I thought you had work to do at home.” Sarah reached out and grasped his hand, holding it tightly for a moment in a private greeting.

“I did, but then I discovered that I had forgotten to research one particular family’s line. So, as much as I dreaded it, I figured I’d better come in. You know how I hate coming here,” he said, tongue-in-cheek.

“I know. It’s so admirable that you managed to drag yourself in.”

Owen winked. “I’d better get to work and let you do the same. You busy for lunch?”

“I am,” she said, shooting a flirtatious glance in his direction. “I have a date with my boyfriend.”

“Lucky guy.”

Sarah smiled. “Go do your research.”

An hour after he started, Owen was startled to hear a shriek from out front, followed by a loud clatter.

“What the hell?” He pushed his chair back so fast, it tipped over, and he dashed out of the room in time to see Sarah run, laughing, into another man’s arms.

Sarah had been hunched down, trying to straighten the phone cord from where it had gotten tangled under the desk, when she heard someone approach the desk.

“Can I help you?” Nellie asked.

A man answered, “Yeah, I was wondering if I could get a library card.”

As soon as she heard him speak, Sarah froze with disbelief. She straightened, barely avoiding the edge of the desk, to verify that her ears weren’t playing tricks on her. Sure enough, Jack was grinning down at her.

Letting out a shriek that startled Nellie and one of the patrons browsing the new books with her child, Sarah scrambled to her feet. She tripped over her chair, but kept going, and her brother met her halfway around the desk, wrapping her in a big bear hug.

Her eyes flooded with tears, and Sarah held on so tight, she knew she had to be suffocating him, but she couldn’t let go. “What are you doing here? Oh, dear God, Jack, are you really here?” She pulled back to look at him, touching his face. He was thinner than she remembered, but dressed in civilian clothes, with his Army haircut, he was a sight. “Have you seen Gilly yet?”

He pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and wiped her cheeks. “Not yet. I was hoping to stash my gear in your car first. I didn’t expect you to turn into such a watering pot.”

“Why not? We’ve been so worried about you. How is it that you’re here?”

He pulled her in for another hug, bussing the top of her head with a kiss. “I’m out, sis. They gave me a hardship discharge. I’m the only son, and now that Dad’s gone...”

Sarah noticed him glancing over her shoulder, and she turned. Owen stood there, a faint frown on his face.

“Owen! Look who’s home. I can hardly believe it. Come meet Jack. Jack, this is our neighbor, Owen Campbell.” Owen stepped forward, and he and Jack shook hands.

“I’ve heard rumors that he’s more than just a neighbor, Sarah,” Jack teased. “From what Gilly says, the two of you have been painting the town red.”

“You hush! We have not.” Sarah poked him in the ribs. A laugh bubbled out of her, and she threw her arms around Jack’s waist, squeezing him tight. “I can’t believe you’re here. Oh, Jack. Did Mama know you were coming home?”

He let out a put-upon sound, but he was smiling as widely as Sarah was. “No, she’ll be as surprised as you were. I didn’t want to tell anyone until I knew I was out for good, and by then, I was practically on the bus home. I figured I’d let my arrival be a surprise. So far, so good.”

Sarah started to go back around to her seat, but before she could sit down, Callie came upstairs. “Shirley sent me up here to tell you to take a little extra time off. She expects you back after lunch, but thought you’d be too excited to do much work this morning.”

“That’s awfully nice,” Jack said. “We’ll have to thank her on the way out.”

“I guess you’re pretty eager to visit the drugstore,” Sarah said. “And get a root beer float.”

He ruffled her hair. “I am anxious to visit the drugstore, but not for the float.”

“Then I’ll grab my purse, and we can put your bag in the car. Owen, will you go with us?”

Owen hesitated, looking truly unsure of himself for perhaps the first time since Sarah had met him. “I don’t want to impose.”

“Oh, don’t be silly. You can put your bag in my car, and pick it up when we come back.”

“You won’t be imposing,” Jack said. “Not if what I hear is true, about how much time you’ve been spending with my sister lately.” He grunted when Sarah stepped on his foot, but he hushed.

Owen shrugged. “Sure. Let me get my stuff together, and I’ll meet you downstairs.”

A few minutes later, while they waited for traffic to clear so they could cross the street, Sarah grabbed Jack’s hand. “Let us go in first. I want to see Gilly’s face when you walk in.”

“You think she’ll be excited?” he asked, and the uncertainty in his eyes tore at her heart.

“I think she’ll scream and cry, and whoop and holler, and there won’t be a dry eye in the house.”

“Okay, then.” He stood to the side of the glass storefront while she and Owen went inside. Gilly was working the counter, and Sarah had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from squealing. Owen assisted her onto a stool and sat beside her. The drugstore wasn’t crowded, as it was still early for the lunch crowd, but there were a few people.

“What in the world are you doing in here this early? Did they run you out of the library?” Gilly asked as she came down behind the counter.

Sarah tossed a packet of sugar at her friend. “No. We decided to come down and take a break. If you want us to go somewhere else…”

Gilly tossed the sugar back at her. “You know better. Owen, can’t you keep her in line?”

He looked from Sarah to Gilly and back. “There’s no right answer here, is there?”

Sarah grinned. “No, there isn’t. And aren’t you smart for knowing that?”

“So what can I get for you two lovebirds?” Gilly asked. “Or did you come in here to torture me?”

Sarah tried to keep her answer natural and calm, but she was practically vibrating. “How about a root beer float? I’ve not had one of those in a while.” To her surprise, a shadow crossed Gilly’s face. “Sweetie, what’s wrong?”

Gilly gave a one-shoulder shrug. “Nothing. It’s just that I’ve not heard from Jack in a while, and you know how he loves root beer floats. I usually get a letter from him every three or four days, but I haven’t gotten anything since early last week. Have you heard from him?”

Before Sarah could answer, the bell over the door jingled, and Gilly looked up. Sarah didn’t look away from her friend’s face as Jack walked in, but reached blindly for Owen’s hand and clasped it tightly. Gilly’s eyes filled with tears. Her hand came up to cover her mouth, and then she was running to Jack. He met her with open arms and lifted her off her feet. His eyes closed, as well, and for several seconds, Gilly’s sobs echoed through the building. Sarah had to look away, and she turned her face into Owen’s shoulder.

“You okay?” he asked, his mouth next to her ear. She couldn’t talk around the lump in her throat, so she nodded. She was hurting, she was so happy. It was too easy for her to imagine herself in Gilly’s place, and Owen in Jack’s. She realized then how strong her friend had to be, to deal with being separated from the man she loved.

With a start, it dawned on Sarah what that awareness meant. Before she could think about it too much, Owen’s arm came to rest around her shoulders, and he pressed his lips to her temple. When the rest of the drugstore’s customers started clapping and whistling, she turned to see that her brother had Gilly bent over one of his arms and was kissing her soundly.

“Jack, you’d better marry that girl,” an older man called out.

Jack straightened, keeping Gilly in his arms, and sent the man a wink. “Just as soon as I can, sir.”

“What in the world is going on out here?” Gilly’s father asked as he came out from behind the pharmacy counter. He ground to a halt when he saw Jack and covered his mouth much as his daughter had. “Rosemarie, you’d better get out here,” he hollered over his shoulder. Jack walked over and held out his hand, but George used it to pull the younger man into a hug. Gilly’s mother emerged from the back and let out a cry.

It took several minutes for the revelry to die down. By the time he and Gilly joined Sarah and Owen in a booth, Jack was looking a bit harried.

Rosemarie came over to get their order, and she placed a hand on Gilly’s shoulder. “You are off for the rest of the day, young lady. Go have fun once you all are done here. But not too much fun,” she cautioned, shaking a finger at Jack. Sarah snickered when he blushed, and he shot her a look that promised retribution. She didn’t care. He was home, he was safe, and he was happy.

“I can’t believe you’re here,” Gilly said once her mother had taken their order. “I’m beside myself. I don’t know what to do.” She looked across the booth at Sarah. “Did you know he was coming home?”

“No. He surprised me, too. But I guess now we know why he hasn’t written you in a few days.”

“I guess so.”

The look Gilly sent Jack was almost painful to see, it was so full of love and happiness. Sarah leaned against Owen, and he put his arm around her.

Jack noticed and raised an eyebrow. “So you’re dating my sister. How’d that come about, exactly?”

Sarah glowered at Jack, but he ignored her. From the look he was giving Owen, Sarah had to think Jack was none-too-pleased by the courtship.

“We met at the library, and one thing led to another. Boy meets girl. Boy and girl go to the movies, have dinner, and by some miracle, she didn’t decide to give me the boot right away,” Owen said. He looked down at Sarah with a half-smile, apparently unconcerned with the grilling.

“I heard it was a little more contentious than that, that you’d argued about
someone
trespassing on your land.” He turned his gaze to Sarah. “And that’s something we’re going to have a discussion about, young lady.”

Sarah didn’t think sticking her tongue out at him in public was the best course of action, so she settled for saying, “No,
baby brother
, I don’t think we are.”

“We’ll see about that.”

Gilly goosed him in the ribs. “Leave them alone. There will be plenty time for this later. Right now, let’s just celebrate your being home.”

Jack’s face softened as he looked down at her. “You’re right.”

The mood at the table lightened, and Jack even relaxed enough to joke with Owen a little. Before Sarah was ready, it was time to go back to the library.

“What time do you get off work, sis?” Jack asked as they went out to the sidewalk.

“Five o’clock. If you want to meet me at the car, I’ll probably be there around ten after.”

“I’ll see you then. Owen.” Jack held his hand out, and the two men shook again. “I expect I’ll see you around in the next few days.”

“Probably.” Owen placed a hand on the small of Sarah’s back, and they headed across the street and back toward the library, opposite the direction her brother and Gilly were walking.

Sarah let out a breath. “Mama’s going to cry her eyes out when she sees him. She’s worried so much,” she said as they reached the car to get his bag. “I guess this solves the problem of me staying at home by myself, too, come to think of it.”