A Walk In The Wilderness (15 page)

      “I don’t know what you mean.”  she denied innocently.

      “Yes, you do.  Don’t take me for a fool, Cait.  Now tell me what’s put the fear in your voice.” he insisted.

      Caitlin felt tears spring to her eyes.  David was insistent.  He sounded nearly harsh.  How could she tell him? Oh, it was awful!

     “Cait.”  he said evenly.  “Out with it.  You don’t fool me a bit.  Already I know you too well.”

     “David, there’s nothing.  I’m just tired.”

     He sighed.  “Honey, there’s nothing that puts that strained tone in your voice except a wayward man.  Now, why don’t you tell me what the trouble is?”

      “It was nothing.”  she denied insistently.

      “It was James.  It had to be.  What did he do?” David decided sharply.

     “It was nothing.  Just … you know, a … look.”  she explained in a panicky voice.

     “Don’t worry, he’s not man enough.”  David assured her evenly.  “I’ll take care of it.  Cait, you have nothing to fear in my house.  Just lock your doors at night, and I’ll take care of James.”

     “David, no.  I’ve only just come.”  she objected.

     “Stop worrying.  I have my ways.”  he soothed.  “I can take care of him without making too much of it.”

     “Oh, David.”  she sighed.

    “Hush, now.  What do you think about Mother?  Are you two getting along all right?”

      She smiled.  “She seems very nice.  And she’s been very kind.”

     “That’s good.  I can tell that she is pleased with you, so far.  Is there anything that you need?”

      “I can’t think of a thing.”

      “All right.  Now, Cait, pay attention to me.  Mother is going to force feed you if you won’t take care of yourself.  And she’s a tiger, so you’d better be a good girl in that respect.”

     Caitlin couldn’t help chuckling.  “Coming from you, that’s frightening.”  she assured him. 

     “I’m a pussycat next to her, so do yourself a favor and give her no trouble.  I will probably be home for a few days before I go to France, after all.”

     “Really?”  Caitlin asked, her heart leaping. 

     “Yes.  Mother’s been a bit testy because she’s seen so little of me.  Besides, I’d like to see for myself that you two will do well together.  Skyler’s asked for a few days off, too, and so it appears we may get the time.”

     Caitlin was quiet.  “David, I do think your mother wonders ...”

     “Why?  What has she said?” he asked quietly.

     “Oh, nothing.  I think she suspects something.  It’s just the way she looks at me, sometimes.”

     “I don’t wonder.  You’re very pretty, Cait.  I know my mother well, though, and she’ll not judge you quickly.  Let her look you over a bit.  And again, don’t worry.  She’ll see the story before too long.  Let me handle Mother.  You just relax, and be sure to eat.” 

     “Wondering about you just may put a bit of spice in her life.  It's been very predictable, and that’s not always a good thing.  Feel free to share with her as much or as little as you want to.  She’s a good sort, really.  You’ll be friends in no time.  Call me if you need anything at all, will you?”

      “Sure.”  she agreed. 

     “All right.  I have to go, but I’ll talk to you again soon.  Take care of yourself, Cait.”

      “I will, David.  You, too.”  she said shyly.

      “Bye.”  David said, and hung up.  He sat there staring at the phone for a long time.  He was concerned, and he already missed Caitlin.  He’d grown very accustomed to her company over the past week or so.  He shook his head, and sighed.

     Grace was intensely curious about Caitlin after hearing one side of the conversation with David.  She felt guilty for having stayed close enough to Caitlin to hear many of her words, but she simply couldn’t help herself.  Nothing made sense!  David was behaving out of character, and the girl was interesting. 

     David simply
had
to have some feelings for the girl to send her here, and insist that she be put in a room next to his own!  He was not one to take notice of single girls, and he was certainly not one to send them home to his mother.  He was devout and as clean as the day was long.  His voice on the telephone and something in his eyes at the airport had betrayed a certain interest in her, though he’d tried to appear nonchalant. 

      Grace smiled.  It could be just a close friendship;  it truly could.  She’d have to keep that in mind.  It was certainly going to be very lively around the house for awhile, she suspected.  She smiled to herself as she considered the prospect of finding out just exactly how much interest David had in this beautiful young woman.

     Grace studied the girl surreptitiously throughout the evening meal.  She was lovely, with full, bonnie cheeks and a slender jaw.  She had sensitive lips, though the lower one was full and sweetly curved.  Her eyes were large and clear.  Her nose was short and delicate.  And her hair was incredible -- rich in color and full, a riot of fiery curls.  She was slender and had shapely limbs, yet she had enough curves and endowments to be interesting.  

    Grace sighed.  She wanted David to be happy.  Part of her had always wanted David to settle down and give her grandchildren.  Yet, these past few years, she’d nearly given the idea up.  It had seemed wise of David to avoid entanglements and obligations, with the path he’d chosen to take.  Now, here appeared this unknown girl from Scotland!  Grace wasn’t sure that it sat well with her.  She pressed her lips together, and determined to be patient.  Time would certainly tell her all that she needed to know.

     “Are you tired?”  Caitlin asked considerately.

     Grace smiled.  “Oh, I’m fine.  But Caitlin, if you don’t eat something, I’ll be in trouble with David.  Certainly you realize that I simply must give him a good report about that.  Please, my dear, indulge me in this.”  she begged.

     Caitlin smiled.  “Oh, David.  He’s convinced that I’ll blow away in the first good wind.”  she sighed.

     “I’m not so sure that he’s wrong.”  Grace pointed out.  “Please, for my sake, dear.  You know that he will be merciless with me.”

     Caitlin smiled, and blushed.  She lowered her lashes, and nodded.  “It is a wonderful meal.  Please don’t think that I’m ungrateful.  I’ve just had a very difficult time eating, this past week.  I wouldn’t do anything to offend you, Mrs. Majors.”

     “Please, call me Grace.  David has explained a little bit.  Darling, he will be
very
cross with me, if he comes home and finds no more meat on your bones.  Please try to take in some nourishment.  At least some liquids.  Cook always has a good pot of soup on.”

     Caitlin nodded.  “I am certain that I will do better now that I am … here.”  she said, stifling a shudder.

     Grace pretended not to notice, but there was very little about her young guest that her sharp eyes missed.

CHAPTER FIVE

     Grace and Caitlin spent a quiet evening together, talking by the fire.  David was of course the main topic of conversation, being their only initial link.  After an hour or so, Grace was intrigued. 

     There still was absolutely no hint of any romantic ideas or involvement with David, on Caitlin’s part.  She began to feel comfortable enough to ask a few questions. 

     “Tell me how you and David met.”  she suggested with an encouraging smile.

   Cait smiled, and her cheeks developed pink spots.  “That is quite an extraordinary tale.”  she said dryly.  “David actually saved my life.  Not once, but twice.  I had become acquainted with the man that David is touring with.”

      “Skyler.”

    “Yes.  On Skyler’s prior tour, we met, and asked me out. We dated a couple of times, and he developed a … a fixation on me.”  she groped.  Blushing, she looked up at Grace.  “I don’t pretend to understand it, but it seems to be so.  When Skyler came through Sterling this time, he was, of course, touring with David.  He invited me to the concert. I had truly decided that Skyler was not anyone I wanted to be involved with, but he was determined that I was going to be.  I accepted his invitation to go, because I wanted to see him again, to talk to him.  I wanted to make sure that I still felt the same, and to resolve things.   What I did not know is that he has a jealous girlfriend at home.”

   Grace nodded.  She had heard some hair-raising stories from David, previously. 

     “After the concert, Skyler had me come backstage.  The girlfriend showed up and came at me with a blade.  She is quite deranged.  David intervened, and saw that I got home safely.  It got more complicated when it turned out that David and Skyler were staying at the inn I worked at.  David again insisted on intervening, and he ended up taking a punch from Skyler.  Then, the girlfriend was even more upset.  She showed up with a gun the following morning.  If not for David, I feel quite certain that I’d be in a grave.”

     She shuddered, and Grace shook her head.  “My dear.”  she soothed.

     Caitlin looked up at her with stark terror in her eyes.  “I wish that I’d been able to cope better, but I just can’t seem to.  I can’t eat.  I’ve had trouble sleeping.  Skyler is obsessed, and he’s been making threats.  I felt so bad, that David kept being in the middle of it; but he simply insisted.  He wouldn’t let Skyler near me.  And so, somehow, he talked me into coming here.  I feel … very strange about it, but he was adamant.”

     Grace laughed.  “No one can be adamant quite like David can.”  she agreed with a wink.  She asked the girl about her home and family.  Before they said goodnight, they’d become fast friends. 

     Grace was still very curious about David’s feelings for the girl, and about the girl’s response.  She had more questions than ever.  The girl was obviously quite near a nervous breakdown.  If David had designs on Caitlin, Grace knew that Caitlin probably had no clue.  He would wait until she’d recovered from this nightmare.  That much made sense to her.  She smiled to herself, and went to bed.

     Though there was little to occupy Caitlin, the days that followed seemed to pass quickly.  Caitlin found that she was able to sleep soundly.  She ate more with each passing day, and was very content.  She swam, she read.  She wandered in the gardens and the greenhouse.  She saw nothing of James, which pleased her immensely.  And, David called every few days.  She was eating a bit, which helped her feel better.  And, she was able to sleep much more soundly.   After a few weeks, she found that she was taking on a bloom, and the trauma associated with Skyler Vaughn was fading. 

    David had been right about one thing -- she did feel perfectly safe in his home.  There was nothing, no one for miles around, and the ten foot fence enclosed a five acre tract around the house. There was nothing to fear.  She saw nothing at all, of James. 

     She took walks with Grace in the morning, and learned about tending roses.  Grace found herself enchanted with her young guest as they became acquainted.  She was sweet, unspoiled and unselfish.  Her heart was gentle and innocent.  She was naive.  There had been no men.  That was clear without asking. 

     Caitlin found Grace to be caring, motherly and doting, but never stifling.  She was an exemplary companion.  When she and Caitlin discovered Cait’s aptitude for Horticulture, she had Herman, the gardener, fill Caitlin’s patio with potted trees and flowers, and even had him place an old fountain up there for her that had been stashed in the shed for many long years. 

     Caitlin was delighted with the arrangement, and her balcony soon became her favorite place.  Two weeks after her arrival, Caitlin had become a different girl than the one who had arrived.  She was even rounding a bit.  Just a little bit.

     One morning, Grace announced that David was on his way home.  She was extremely excited at the prospect of visiting with her son.  She watched Caitlin’s face carefully when she shared the news.  She was perplexed when Caitlin simply smiled, and said that it would be nice to see him. 

     Was there truly nothing between them?  Grace wondered with chagrin.  Had she simply been trying to read something into David’s protection of the girl? 

     By now, Grace almost hoped that Caitlin would become a permanent fixture in the household.  If she could choose for David, there would be no other choice.  But of course, she should never let it show.  David was not the kind to be led by the nose.

     David’s flight came in at an ungodly hour of the night.  Though Grace didn’t go to the airport, she did wait up to greet him at home.  James delivered him at about three in the morning.  Grace embraced her son in the entry, and smiled as David kissed her forehead. 

     “How are you?”  he asked gently.

     “Fine.  In fact, I’m splendid now that you are home.”

     “How are you getting along with Cait?” he asked anxiously.

     “Perfectly.  She’s adorable.  We’ve become very close, actually.”

     David smiled.  “Good.  I suspected that would be the case, but I’m very glad to hear it, just the same.  She’s asleep, I hope.”

     “Indeed.”

     “Good.  She needs her rest.  I hope she’s lost the skeletal look.”

    “David, she’s blooming like a rose.  She’s beautiful, and … oh, I don’t know.  She has curves, now.”  she said suggestively.

     David gave her a look that warned her to behave, and showed her a dimple.  “Yes, I noticed before I sent her here.  They’re nothing new.”

     “You haven’t seen
anything
yet.”  she predicted with a challenging look.

     David shook his head.  “Behave yourself, now.  I’m thrashed, mother.  I think I’ll fall into bed, if you don’t mind.  We’ll catch up tomorrow, all right?”