Satin Sheets and Strawberries (4 page)

Kelli smiled at Josh, silently thanked him for the fishing pole. Since they lost everything in the fire, Ruth and Henry were living on Social Security and a small pension check. The bulk of their money was spent on doctors and prescriptions. Ruth had a chronic heart ailment, which was only partially covered by their insurance. The remainder of their funds was spent on clothing and a few household incidentals.

Kelli had discovered they were a proud, stubborn couple who refused any charity. Between Josh, the senior citizens club they had joined, and flea markets, Kelli had managed to help them furnish their small cottage, but she was running out of ways to trick them into accepting any luxury items. For the past five months she had been writing, calling, and threatening the insurance company that Ruth and Henry swore had held the fire insurance on their modest ranch house. By now she wasn’t sure if the company was trying to wiggle out of paying the claim, or if Ruth had actually forgotten to pay the premium.

She was startled out of her wandering thoughts when Josh announced he was leaving. "I’ll be back Saturday and I’ll bring that pole with me."

"That would be great, son. Fishing season opens next month and I was wondering what I’d be using." Henry smiled.

"I’m sure this pole will do nicely," said Josh. "Kelli, why don’t you get your coat and walk me to the car?"

"Sure." With a questioning look at Josh, she put her coat on and zipped it up.

"Come on, Ruth, it’s time we were heading home too," said Henry.

Logan finished his coffee. "I’ll walk you two to your cottage. I haven’t had the official tour of the inside yet."The dessert dishes were piled in the sink, brownies were put away, and everyone headed out the door. Kelli watched as Logan trailed behind his aunt and uncle and disappeared around the back of the house. Her attention turned back to Josh, who was leaning against the side of a police cruiser.

"Want to talk about it?" he asked.

Kelli chuckled as she hopped up and sat on the front fender. "About what?"

"Logan Sinclair."

With her eyes on the back corner of the house, she asked, "What’s there to talk about?"

Josh shoved his hands deep into his pants pockets. "It’s worse than I thought."

"What is?"

"Logan, Ruth, Henry, and you."

"You lost me somewhere, Josh. What are you talking about?"

"Nothing."

"Nothing?"

"That’s the point," muttered Josh. "We’ve been friends for nine years and for the first time you’re not talking."

"There’s nothing to talk about," she said, slightly exasperated with the conversation.

Josh looked up, studying the stars. After a few moments of silence he quietly said, "He won’t take them."

"He wants to."

"He seems like an okay guy. A little quiet, but I guess that’s understandable." When the silence stretched out again he added, "Listen, Kelli, he’s a traveler. Hasn’t he spent the past ten years traveling and working in foreign countries?"

"That’s what Ruth told me."

"All he wants is to know Ruth and Henry are fine. Once he sees how happy they are here, I’m sure he’ll head back to Istanbul or wherever he came from."

"He thinks I’m a few cards short of a full deck."

"I tend to agree with him," said Josh, laughing.

He tenderly reached up and ruffled her hair. "You don’t need those cards anyway."

Kelli slid from the fender as she muttered, "Thanks."

Josh pulled his keys from his pocket and walked around to the driver’s door. "How come I’ve got this feeling Logan didn’t particularly like me?"

"Henry calls you ’son.’ Logan was feeling threatened until I explained that Henry only called you that because you remind him of Logan."

"That makes sense, but I think there’s more to it than that." Josh climbed in his car, shut the door, and rolled down his window. "You know how to reach me if you have any problems."

With a friendly smile and a salute, Kelli said, "Yes sir, dial 911."

Chuckling, Josh called out, "One of these days, Kelli, your glamour isn’t going to work," as he drove out of her yard.

Kelli smiled as she watched the disappearing red taillights. Josh was right. What would Logan do with Ruth and Henry once he needed to return to work?

"So he’s not lover boy."

"Lord, Logan," gasped Kelli. "Must you sneak around in the night?"

"Sorry. I didn’t want to interrupt anything."

"There wasn’t anything to interrupt." She reached for a silver chain that hung around her neck and blew a dog whistle. There was a flurry of barking and then Tinkerbell, covered with leaves, reappeared. "Good girl," she said, laughing. Logan helped pull leaves and twigs from the matted hair of the animal. "Does she follow you everywhere?"

"Only for the past six years." With a smile Kelli headed for the warmth of the kitchen with Logan following.

Logan closed the back door behind them and took off his jacket. "He did call you glamorous."

She chuckled. "Next time you eavesdrop, pay attention to the words. He said my glamour."

"Same thing."

Kelli filled the sink with warm water and detergent. "Glamour is the magical power of a fairy."

Logan picked up a dish towel and started to dry the mismatched cups and plates. "Do you have this ‘glamour’?"

"Only a fairy has glamour."

"And you’re not a fairy."

Kelli dried her hands on a towel. "Do I look like a fairy to you?"

Mischief shone in his brown eyes as they gazed from her worn boots, up past jean-encased thighs, over the soft roundness of womanly breasts covered by the bulky red sweater, to the suddenly shy expression in her eyes. "I don’t know. I’ve never met a real fairy before."

"Take my word for it, I’m not a fairy."

Logan closed the cabinet door and hung up his towel. "You might be; you’ve certainly bewitched Aunt Ruth and Uncle Henry. They think you’re the best thing since Santa Claus and they love it here."

She chuckled as she filled Tinkerbell’s bowls with food and clean water. "I love it here too. Only a witch can bewitch someone. Fairies use their glamour."

"No magic wands?"

"That’s a human misinterpretation. Fairies don’t need wands. They use a thought process that humans don’t understand to do their deeds of kindness."

He watched as she opened two cans of cat food and forked it into a large dish, next to Tinkerbell’s. "Only kindness?"

"I’m afraid not. Fairies tend to pull mischievous pranks on humans. They feel we are not only stupid but clumsy."

"Sounds like an interesting group. Is that food for Mustardseed?"

"Yes, and Cobweb and Moth too."

Logan followed her as she turned off the kitchen light and headed into the living room. "Who are they?"

"We have three cats here at Fairyland. They are named after the fairies in A Midsummer Night’s Dream."

"One was in my room this morning. He was pale gray or white and the largest cat I’ve ever seen."

"That’s Moth. Cobweb is a dark gray and Mustardseed is an orange tiger cat. I feed them, but nobody owns them." Kelli hid a yawn behind her hand. "I’m sorry, Logan, but I’ve got to get some sleep. Make yourself at home. There’s no television, but there are plenty of books up in your room that you might find interesting."

"I looked through them this morning. Some of them looked fascinating, others weird, and then some were over my head. I gather they must have been Ben’s." Kelli started up the steps. "Yes. Good night, Logan, and whatever you do, don’t lock the doors."

"Why?"

"You’re in Fairyland now. Fairies are very curious creatures and take exception to being purposely locked out." She saw Logan’s look of disbelief. "Don’t worry, they won’t harm you, they’re just nosy."

"Are you saying there really are fairies?"

"I’m not saying anything of the kind. All I said was don’t lock my doors."

After she’d gone into her room, Logan stared at the empty stairs and frowned. All day long he’d been revising his opinion of Kelli SantaFe. He had berated himself for jumping down her throat yesterday and for insinuating she was loony. After talking to his uncle and aunt and seeing how happy they were here, he admitted he might have misjudged her. She seemed perfectly normal during dinner, and even her friend Josh was ordinary.

Now all of a sudden she told him not to lock the doors because fairies roamed the house at will.

He turned off the living room light and slowly made his way to his room. He closed his door and headed for the packed bookshelves. Little guys dressed in red caps and curly-toed slippers might be easier to handle than the unbalanced Fairy Queen sleeping in the next room.

"Good morning, Logan. Breakfast will be ready in a minute," his aunt sang out.

"Thanks, Aunt Ruth, but you didn’t have to go to any trouble. I can fix my own."

"Nonsense. I love to cook and Kelli’s never around to enjoy it." She piled a stack of French toast onto a plate and slid it in front of him.

Logan reached for the maple syrup. "Speaking of Kelli, where is she?"

"She just left to check on her swans."

"Swans?"

Ruth poured herself a cup of coffee and sat down. "Oh my, yes. A pair of trumpeter swans live at the pond. Kelli thinks they are going to have babies this spring. When they arrived last year, the male, Angus, had been hurt. Kelli took him to the vet. The vet removed a bullet from his wing, but he’ll never fly again. His mate is Caer, and they make a lovely pair. So graceful."

"Are they named after fairies too?"

"Yes. Angus was the son of the Dagda, High King of the Tuatha. Caer was the daughter of Ethal Anubal, who was King of the host of Connacht, and her mother was a fairy. Caer was a mortal woman one year, a swan the next. Angus so loved her that he gave up his mortal body and became a swan to be with her."

Logan smiled as he listened to the story. Chalk another one up to Kelli. She had his once sensible aunt believing in this romantic drivel. "Where is the pond?"

"Follow the creek until it forks. Take the path toward the right and it will lead you to it." A smile played at the corners of Ruth’s mouth as she finished her coffee. She watched Logan place his dirty dishes in the sink and reach for his coat.

"Take it easy the rest of the morning," he ordered.

"Easy? I haven’t done anything except hard-boil eggs for salad and make breakfast for you and Henry."

"Who cleaned the living room? It wasn’t like that last night when I went to bed."

Ruth stood and quickly started washing the few dishes in the sink. She looked uncomfortable. "I don’t know."

Logan froze, one arm in his coat. "You don’t know?"

A muffled "No" was heard above the rush of water filling the sink.

Logan stared at his aunt’s back. There was a reasonable explanation. "Kelli must have cleaned it."

Ruth started to scrub down the counters.

"Was she up when you came in?" he asked.

"No ... Henry and I came over around six-thirty. Kelli woke up about seven."

"I went back downstairs at one in the morning to look for a book and the living room had newspapers piled on the floor and dust on the furniture. Are you trying to tell me they magically cleaned themselves?"

"I’m not trying to tell you anything. I said I don’t know who cleaned them." Logan studied his aunt’s stubborn expression and shook his head. He knew from past experience that when she wore that look, she was impossible to budge. He didn’t believe that rooms automatically straighten themselves, and Ruth obviously wasn’t going to help him solve this mystery. But Kelli could and would answer his questions. "Okay. Let’s drop the subject. I’m going for a walk. Where’s Henry?"

"He’s at the theater marking trees that have broken limbs or need to be taken down."

"Does Henry use the chain saw?"

"Gracious no," laughed Ruth. "If he even held one, it would shake his dentures right out of his mouth."

"Who does all the cutting?"

"Kelli mostly. Josh and some of the students help out on the weekends."

"Well, since I’m here, for now, I guess I could help out."

"That would be nice. Kelli works so hard around here." A mischievous sparkled gleamed in Ruth’s eyes. "Just last week I was telling her that we really could use a man around here. There’s nothing wrong with Henry, mind you, but a strong, younger man would put some kick into this place. I told her it was none of my business, but she really isn’t getting any younger, and she should give marriage some serious thought."

Logan groaned. "Don’t even think of playing matchmaker. I told you years ago that I won’t put up with it. I’m a grown man who handles my life exactly as I please. So don’t go giving Kelli any ideas!"

Ruth looked wounded. "I wasn’t thinking of you, Logan. I think Josh would make a perfect husband for Kelli." She lowered her head, to hide the gleam of triumph shining in her eyes. "You would never do."

The next words were out of Logan’s mouth before he could stop them. "Why not?"

"Because she would need someone who was here, not digging up bones in Afghanistan."

Frustrated, he jerked open the door and breathed in the cold air. "I’m a geologist. I don’t dig up bones and I have never been to Afghanistan, but you are right. I’m never around when anyone needs me."

From the window above the sink Ruth frowned as she watched Logan’s shoulders slump as he headed into the woods.

#

A string of explicit curses tinted the cold air bluer as Logan headed toward the pond. Whatever had possessed him to open his big mouth? What did he care if Aunt Ruth was trying to throw Kelli and Josh together? With a savage kick he sent a rock flying into the creek. It wasn’t any of his business.

Logan came to the fork in the path and headed right. If and when he decided to get married, he would make the perfect husband. He might be a little pigheaded at times, but his wife would understand and love him for it. He smiled, self-assured. He was headed toward one woman who would never know how perfect he could be. He would rather be seventy years old and digging up bones in Afghanistan than tied to a woman who still believed in the tooth fairy.