The Pineview Incident (7 page)

“We could start with the truth about us. Then we can tell Rob we’re ready to go up and talk to the Gilbertson family. I think it’s time we put this whole charade to rest.”

“The whole thing?”

“Every last bit of it.” Donna wanted nothing more than to get on with a life that included Mark and excluded strange black vans and even stranger sheep.

“I’ll tell them we’ll report to them Saturday night. Let’s enjoy our secret until then.”

Mark wrapped his arm around Donna’s shoulder and held on tight as they made their way to his truck. Donna wished the moment, the feeling of his arm, and the feeling in her heart could last forever.

Chapter 10

“Well?” asked Mark.

Donna didn't move. She simply stood and stared at the thing with her mouth agape.

Mark cleared his throat again, but she didn't budge.

“You okay?” He waved his hand in front of her face.

“Uh-huh.”

“You sure about that?”

She peeled her eyes off the sofa and looked at him.

“I… I just don't know what to say,” she stammered. “It’s beautiful. I've wanted a couch like this one for so long, but I never thought I'd be able to afford it. How on earth did you know?”

His grin grew until it felt like it might break his face.

“It looked like you,” he began and then realized that saying she looked like a large piece of furniture might not be smart. “I mean, it looked like it should belong to you.”

She launched herself at him, throwing her arms around him in a tight hug.

He stood for a minute, too shocked to move.

“You are supposed to hug back,” Donna said with a chuckle.

Mark still wasn't used to her easy and open affection. He put his arms around her and held on tight. Her lips found his, and for a moment he was again consumed with her.

The sofa thing was working out better than he thought.

After a minute or so, Donna pulled back and grabbed his hand. She walked him over to the sofa and sat with a flourish, pulling him down beside her.

It was quite comfortable, especially compared to the creaky old one that had just been here. And it smelled a lot better, too.

“Thank you.” Donna squeezed his hand, and Mark smiled again. She sat by him, her fingers entwined with his and the other hand stroking the arm of the sofa. She didn’t speak but the smile on her face and closeness of her body were enough to fill the silence and make Mark feel at home. He took a deep breath. This was exactly how he pictured it would be.

After a few minutes, he mumbled, “Um,” and Donna looked at him expectantly.

“I bought a recliner at the same time. They kinda match,” he said.

Donna looked around the small living room and chewed her lip. “I don't think it would fit in here.”

“That's a pity, because they go together well.” Mark looked at her and took another deep breath. It was now or never. “I know there isn't enough room here, and there's even less at my place,” he began, “but there's plenty of room for both of them at my family's old house.”

“So, you think the sofa and recliner are a matched set?” Donna asked, still stroking the soft fabric on the armrest.

“They don't seem like a match, but when you put them together, they just kind of fit. It's a strange thing, really, but they belong together. That's why I think maybe they'll fit better in a new place.”

“That's a big move,” whispered Donna, “but I would like to see them together. I think you might be right about them matching somehow.”

Mark let out the stale air he'd been holding. He hadn't realized how long he'd held his breath, and his heart hammered in his chest as he refilled his aching lungs.

“Good.” It was all he could say.

“You know, most men do that with a ring, not a piece of furniture,” Donna said with a chuckle.

“The ring seemed too aggressive.”

“It would've been easier to fit through the door.”

Mark laughed. “No kidding. So, are we official?”

“Yep.” Donna's smile turned mischievous. “Just wait until the town gets wind of this. They'll go crazy with rumors.” She kissed him lightly on the lips. “I hope the Devil bought his winter coat because I'm pretty sure it's freezing in hell.”

“After tonight, hell's going to get a blizzard.”

“So how do you want to celebrate?” Donna asked.

“I'm not sure, but I think any celebration should include the sofa.”

“Oh, I think the sofa is going to be a central part of our night tonight.” Donna snuggled into Mark's lap, leaning against him like it was natural.

Mark did the next natural thing, and pressed her against his chest before dipping his head into a long kiss. Donna shifted so that she straddled him and he began to kiss her along the neck and jaw. Just when he was planning to kiss his way back down her neck, his phone rang.

Donna swore under her breath and sat back.

“I didn't know you knew that word,” Mark said in mock astonishment.

“There's a lot about me you don't seem to know,” she teased. “You told them to call tonight, so you’d better answer it.”

“I hate this.” Mark pressed the speaker and heard the chief's loud voice on the other end. “All right, tell us what you’ve seen Mark. We've been waiting all day.”

“We?” Donna asked, looking at the phone suspiciously.

“Who was that?” Rob demanded. “Wait. Was that Donna’s voice? Why is she with you?” The chief's confused voice came across louder with each word.

“I'm making us some dinner,” Donna said loudly enough for the good chief to hear.

“Wait. You're having dinner? Together? But, why?”

“Mostly because we’re hungry,” said Mark. He could hear Mayor Brown speaking quickly in the background. The only words he could make out were “mind control devices.”

He smirked and planted an inordinately loud kiss on Donna's cheek.

“Oh, God, what was that?” Mayor Brown shrieked in the background. “Did he just hit her?”

“No,” Donna called into the receiver. “He kissed me. Deal with it.”

“Who kissed you?” asked the dumbfounded chief.

“I did,” Mark said proudly.

There was silence for a long moment.

Finally, an exasperated question came from Mayor Brown. “But... how?”

“It's easy, really. You just pucker your lips and aim right.”

“Damn, it man, you know what she means!” Chief Michaels got loud when he became angry.

“Donna and I found that we work together rather well, and it led to... other things.” For the first time in a long time, Mark gloated. He finally had a reason to gloat and it felt good.

“You two hate each other.”

“Not anymore we don't. Now, what were you calling about, chief?”

“Cory might be right about that foil,” Mayor Brown said.

“We aren't being controlled by aliens, you idiot. Donna and I liked each other when we were kids, and we've rekindled our romance.”

“That's exactly what a mind-controlled Mark would say,” said Chief Michaels. “Prove to me that you're normal Mark. Tell me what you saw up there.”

Mark rubbed his jaw and tried to figure out a way to handle the paranoid police chief. He wanted to tell them the truth. However, telling the police chief and mayor about the silver poles, teenagers from town who mysteriously showed up, and the strange visitors would only ignite a worse reaction.

“We didn't see anything dangerous or alien on the farm,” he lied. “In fact, they seem perfectly normal.”

“You’re lying.”

“Ask Donna.” Mark handed the phone to her. Donna shook her head wildly, but Mark shoved it at her.

“I still say they got to him,” the mayor mumbled in the background. “How do we know Mark can be trusted?”

“Tell Cassidy I can hear her, and she's a moron.” Mark said loudly as Donna pulled the phone over.

“It sure sounds like Mark,” said the chief.

“We’ve been there several times,” began Donna, “and we’ve never seen even a hint of an invasion or supremacists or anything like that. Other than being horrible judges of fashion, they seem like normal farmers.”

The silence told Mark that neither the chief nor the mayor bought their explanation.

“Look, we never actually talked to them,” said Donna, sounding apologetic. “I think if we go and do more than just spy on them, we’ll finally get some answers.”

Mark looked over at Donna. Her face mirrored the worry he felt. He took his phone back. “We'll go up tomorrow and talk with the family and get things squared away.”

Donna nodded at him.

“I'll go with you this time,” said the chief. “I don't trust anything about that farm right now, and I'm not about to send a possibly compromised friend in there without backup.”

“Look, that's not necessary and I don't think—”

“Nonsense. I'm the chief, and I need to be there.” Chief Michaels's tone harbored no arguments. “Either I go with you, or I go alone.”

“All right, Rob, but you need to stay at a distance. Donna and I will go in and do the talking. Understand?”

“You want me to be your cover? I can do that.”

Mark looked at Donna. She shrugged.

“Yeah, sure, our cover. We'll meet at Donna's house at ten.” Mark hoped he wasn't making a huge mistake.

“Terrific! See you then,” said the chief. His voice sounded entirely too excited. “I'll bring tear gas. You don't need to worry about a thing.” The line went dead.

Mark moaned. “This will not turn out well.”

“Where did he get tear gas from?” asked Donna.

“Probably E-Bay. He gets a lot of his gear there.”

Donna looked at Mark and blinked. “Incredible. Our police chief buys weapons from E-Bay and the town is worried about the Gilbertsons.”

“It's a strange world, and I have a feeling it's about to get stranger,” said Mark. “It's a world I can't fix on an empty stomach. I say we eat and then make a plan.”

“I say we eat and forget about the town and black vans and sheep-love and all of it.” Donna threw her arms around Mark's neck. “We'll save the town tomorrow. Tonight, I want to eat and celebrate us.”

Donna kissed Mark so thoroughly it almost made him forget about the food. Almost.

Chapter 11

Donna pulled the last tray of cookies out of the oven just as the door opened and Mark strode in.

“They smell good.”

“Good morning to you, too. Why yes, thank you, I'm fine this morning.” Donna poked Mark in the ribs and handed him a cookie.

He gave her a peck on the cheek before he took a bite.  “Mmmmm. These should do the trick.”

“They'd better, or this is going to be a very awkward day.” She turned back to the cookie sheets and began moving the warm cookies over into a basket. “There's a lot riding on these cookies.”

The plan was to stash Rob Michaels in the same spot they'd hidden in the day before and simply go to the Gilbertson's front door armed with cookies and smiles.

Though she hated to admit it, having the chief there made her feel a little better. Of all the men in town, he was the most likely to listen to reason. They might be able to convince Rob of the Gilbertson's innocence even with weird silver poles, long haired guys, and weirder sheep issues.

If nothing else, she was pretty sure both she and Mark could outrun the rotund lawman in case they needed to. She figured the aliens, or whatever, would catch the chief and give the two of them time to get away.

Desperate times called for desperate measures.

“You look good, by the way. That's a nice color, and stuff.” Mark's compliment sounded sincere even if the words were stiff.

“Thank you.” Donna gave him a genuine smile and reached up to straighten his collar—an old habit with John. “You look quite handsome yourself in your Sunday best.”

“I've never actually worn this on a Sunday,” Mark said. “Mostly, I wear these to bury people, so I call it my dead man's suit.”

“Well, you're a fine looking dead man.”

Donna's face flushed, but she didn't look away. Mark looked incredible. The long sleeved shirt showed off his broad shoulders and strong arms and the pants fit his hind end wonderfully.

Then, with a little more heat, she realized Mark was admiring the cut of her dress with equal intensity.

Donna wore the dress her daughter Haley had given her for her last birthday. She'd deemed it way too low cut to wear to church, so the dress had languished in her closet until now.

She cleared her throat and smoothed the skirt. Mark's eyes darted back up to her face, and he shot her a sheepish grin.

“It really is a, um, nice dress.”

Donna blushed as a new wave of warmth came over her. She decided then and there to wear her tight little cashmere sweater with the deep, teardrop neckline just as soon as it got cool.

“It's a pity the first time I get to see you all dressed up is to go back up to their farm,” Donna said. There were so many other places she'd rather go with Mark.

“If they don't fry our brains, maybe we could do dinner tonight down in Idaho Falls or Pocatello.”

“If I'm not madly in love with some good looking ram by dinner time, I'll take you up on that. Maybe we could find a nice place to dance, too.”

Mark stiffened. “I don't dance all that well.”

“Good. I'll look positively wonderful beside you then.” Donna gave him a reassuring kiss.

Before Mark could properly return her kiss, someone pounded on Donna's front door.

“Mark? You in there? The chief said to meet you here.” It was Cory Edwards.

“What the hell is he doing here?” Mark rushed to the door and threw it open.

Cory stood there with wide eyes and an armload of foil.

“You'd better be roasting a turkey with all that.” Mark pointed at the foil and glared at Cory.

Cory ignored him and shifted his gaze between Mark and Donna. “I'll be damned. The chief was right.”

“Right about what?” Donna came over and stood by Mark.

“Man, this is weird seeing you both here. You two haven't seen any bright lights, have you?” asked Cory.

“No, have you?” Donna asked.

“Of course not!” Cory looked offended. “How about weird zapping sounds, or the feeling your head was burning?”

“Get off this front porch before you feel my fist pound into your nose. I promise, you'll feel a burning then.” Mark slowly advanced on Cory, who backed off the porch.

“Oh good, you brought the foil,” called Chief Michaels from the driveway. He jogged up onto the porch and pointed at Cory. “Go stash those in my truck. Ed will be here soon with the antenna and vegetable shortening.”

“Shortening? You brought
shortening
?” Donna said it much louder than she intended, but she simply couldn't believe what she was hearing.

“They're just a precaution,” said the chief, as if that made it better.

Donna opened her mouth, closed it, and opened it again. “There's just no reasoning with you, is there?”

Ed drove up in his old VW Bug. A long metal pole stuck out of the sunroof.

“Holy mother of God,” Mark mumbled.

“Ed, put that in my truck and get up here,” ordered the chief. “We need to synchronize our plans.”

“Synchronize? You were supposed to be the only one going with us,” snapped Mark.

“We couldn't let you guys do this alone,” said Ed as he joined them on the porch. “You two are my best friends, and I can't let you battle aliens alone. Besides, I'm the only one with the antenna.”

Donna looked at the three men on her porch. They were all here because they cared about Mark. And because they were quite possibly insane. She was torn between wanting to hug them and beat each one over the head with her cast iron skillet. She decided to compromise.

“Why don't you all come in for a cookie and we can talk where my neighbors don't see us.”

Within a minute, everyone was sitting around the kitchen table happily eating cookies. Donna had the eerie feeling she'd been transported back to second grade.

Mark was the first to break the illusion. “What the hell is the shortening for?”

“According to one website that claims to have actually made contact, the oil deflects the rays and radiation they use against us,” Ed explained. “You rub it on your head and over your vital organs.”

“Besides, it's better for your heart than lard.” added Cory. “And it attracts less insects.”

“You're going to hide in the woods smeared in shortening? Don't you think that might get a little uncomfortable?” Donna asked. Her voice betrayed her amusement.

“It won't be funny when your brain is fried,” snapped Ed.

“I dunno,” said Mark. “Yours is fried and you're hilarious.”

“Keep it up, Lewis, and I won't let you have so much as a finger full of my grease.”

Mark grinned and batted his lashes at Ed. “I've always dreamed of fingering your grease,” he said in a husky voice.

“Sicko,” hissed Ed.

“Come on, Ed. You know you've dreamed of it, too,” taunted Mark.

“Knock it off you two.” Chief Michaels wiped his mouth. “We need to prepare for the Gilbertson operation and I don't need any of you clowning around.”

“There's nothing to prepare for, chief,” said Donna. “We're going to talk to them while you keep watch.”

The chief patted his gun belt. “We're not going to just hide there like sitting ducks, Donna. We're loaded for bear—or aliens—and ready to go.”

Donna crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes. “Foil, an antenna, and shortening is 'loaded for aliens'?”

“We have tear gas, too, right chief? If anything goes wrong, we'll smoke 'em out.” Cory looked at Donna smugly.

“Oh, damn, I forgot about the tear gas,” groaned Mark. “Look, you idiot, Donna and I are going to be up at that farm. You smoke out the Gilbertsons, and you'll smoke us out, too.” He leaned toward Cory. “And so help me God, if any of you smoke me with tear gas, I'll hurt you.”

“You won't touch me if the aliens get you first.”

“Save time. Kill him now,” Donna told Mark.

Cory hid behind Donna.

Chief Michaels' fist hit the table and shot two cookies off the plate there. “Enough.”

Donna bit her lip to keep from laughing.

“Mark, get the damn map and let's get this thing done,” ordered the chief. “And if you don't, I'll just head up there myself with Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum here.”

Mark crossed his arms and glared at his old friend. “Fine.”

#

“Since we're all dressed up, is this our first official date?” asked Mark.

Donna looked over at him and tried to chuckle. It came out sounding a bit hysterical. “Sure. Why not? I mean, what girl hasn't dreamed of going out on a date with a handsome man, a flock of sheep, and possible aliens.”

“And don't forget the nutcase friends wrapped in foil.” Mark shoved his thumb back at the stream where they'd left Chief Michaels and the others. “I think they add a special touch to our day.”

“That they do.” She glanced over at the thick trees flashing past the truck. “I didn't need my day to be quite this special.”

“No kidding.”

Donna fiddled with her engagement ring. Mark had gone with John to buy it for her. John had always said that Mark was more nervous than he was when it came to choosing the ring. Now she finally understood why.

She began to realize just how much he'd sacrificed for John. And for her.

“You really did believe John was better for me, didn't you?”

Mark looked at her in confusion for a moment before turning back to the twisting road. “I will never understand the female mind.” He glanced at her again. “Yeah. And he
was
the better man. He knew what he wanted to be and worked hard to fulfill his dream. His love for you was pure as a mountain spring, and you loved him, too. He was like a brother to me, so I wanted him to have you. Mostly.”

“What was your dream?” Donna asked. “What dream did you want to fulfill?”

Mark kept his eyes on the road and didn't respond, but his jaw tightened and a vein at his temple pulsed.

Donna's chest constricted until it hurt.

“You don't have to answer,” she said softly.

Mark cleared his throat. “It's hard to explain.” His voice was rough. “I loved you like a little boy for a long time. Too long. I thought I could tease you and one day you'd just wake up and like me more than John, and it would all be okay. When I finally grew up, the only dream I had was to win you, but it was too late. I’d driven you away.”

“And you never told John?”

Mark shook his head. His hands twisted on the steering wheel, and Donna had to swallow against a tennis ball that somehow managed to wedge itself in her throat.

“John was the kind of guy you couldn't help but like. He really was my best friend, and betraying him wasn't possible. Besides, I wanted what was best for you, and that wasn't me. You deserved a good man, a man like John, so I convinced myself I hated you.”

“That's why you tried all those jobs and started all the businesses.”

“I couldn't leave, but I didn't want to stay in my father's barber shop all my life. I wanted to build a business I could be proud of and still be near you two. I couldn't not watch you live your life as much as I hated it wasn't with me.”

Pieces of Mark's unusual life began fitting together into a tragic puzzle. “And all those girls... You never found love with any of them.”

Silence sat heavily between them.

“It was my choice,” Mark finally said. “I made decisions I'll forever regret. Most everyone has some of those.” He lifted his hand and caressed Donna's cheek. His thumb pulled a tear away. “You shouldn't cry for me. My dream has just come true.”

Donna didn't remember unbuckling her seatbelt and moving, but she found herself nearly sitting in Mark's lap kissing him with every ounce of energy she had.

“Whoa,” he said as the truck swerved a bit. Donna continued to kiss him and he pulled the truck to a slow stop.

“Can we just leave?” she asked, holding his face close to hers. “All I want is to be alone with you.”

He smiled and put his arms around her to pull her close to him. His eyes were happy and full of a warmth she'd never really seen before.

“I'd love that,” he said. “But we're already here.”

Donna looked out the window at three Gilbertson children staring at her.

“Damn.”