Sweet Tomorrows (5 page)

The line went quiet and I could hear the lieutenant colonel's fingers punching the computer keys.

“What else can you tell me? Do you know his birth date, Social Security number?”

I had his birth date, but that was it. “Mark…Jeremy, was intelligence, did two tours in Iraq. Father and grandfather were both career military.” I gave him everything I could remember. I actually didn't know much. Mark had shared very little of himself or his past with me until just before he left.

“Anything else?”

“He worked with an informant in Iraq with the first name of Ibrahim.”

More typing and then silence.

“Mark returned to Iraq about a year ago,” I added, wanting to fill the silence. “His unit left abruptly and he never felt right leaving Ibrahim and his family behind. He feared what would happen to Ibrahim after the army pulled out.”

“You've heard from your friend since he was in Iraq?”

“Twice.”

More silence.

“Did you find something?” I asked, anxious for anything he could tell me.

Silence.

“What is it?” I tried again, certain now he had information.

“Nothing I can tell you.” The words were clipped. Abrupt.

“Can't or won't?” I asked.

“Can't. All information regarding him is classified.”

So Emily looked to be right. How much the government knew about where Mark was and what he was doing remained unclear. My head reeled to have this confirmed.

“You can tell me nothing?” I know I sounded desperate, but I didn't care. For my own sanity, I needed to know.

“It's classified, Jo Marie,” he repeated.

“Okay,” I murmured, still taking all this into my muddled brain.

“What do you know?” he asked.

“What do
you
mean?”

“You said you'd heard from Jeremy…Mark twice. What did he say?”

I didn't answer right away.

“Jo Marie,” he said, his voice low and urgent. “This is important.”

I debated with myself. If I had information he wanted, then I wasn't going to give it up easily. Not without getting something in return. “No.”

“No,” he repeated, as if I'd shocked him.

“That's what I said. No.”

The line throbbed with tension.

“What's your connection to Jeremy?” he asked instead.

“Give me something first.” I wasn't the one playing games.

“Jo Marie, please just answer the question.”

He hadn't raised his voice, but it reverberated in my ear as if he'd shouted it across the airwaves. “How do you know him?”

“I hired him. He was my handyman.”

“What?” Lieutenant Colonel Milford cried, sounding stunned. “A handyman?”

“That's right.”

The shock of it appeared to cause him to go speechless. After a short hesitation, he added, “You said he was a friend?”

“Yes.” I wasn't about to reveal anything more than I already had.

He hesitated and then asked, “You care for him?”

I didn't reply.

“Clearly you do,” he said, answering the question for me. “Listen, Jo Marie, if I could share any information I would. What I can tell you is that this is big, bigger than you realize. I'm on my way to Washington for a meeting. When I return, you and I are going to have a face-to-face, and at that time you
will
tell me what you know. Do we understand each other?”

I wasn't given the opportunity to answer, as the line was disconnected.

The girl was there again, on his property, running through the orchard. Nick stood at the second-story bedroom window and watched her cut through the fruit trees. She was graceful and sleek, her dark hair pulled away from her face and captured at the base of her neck. She wore a sleeveless top and shorts. She had the body of an athlete; her arms and legs were tanned, her calf muscles defined.

Elvis was the one who'd alerted him to her presence. He'd sent the German shepherd out that first day, thinking the dog would scare her off his property. Instead, after the shock of happening upon the guard dog, she'd knelt down on one knee and talked to him as if he were a family pet.

Nick wouldn't have believed it if he hadn't personally seen it happen. Elvis was a guard dog, and he'd been trained to fend off intruders. Instead the canine had welcomed this runner as if she'd raised him from a puppy and rewarded him with a T-bone steak.

Every morning since that first encounter, Nick had let Elvis out, thinking that one of these days the dog would return to his training. His brother had raised this dog, and Brad had been an expert instructor. Immediately he felt a sharp sense of loss at the memory of his only sibling. Grief and guilt mixed in a cocktail of personal agony. Tearing his thoughts away, he focused his attention on Elvis before his grief led to another debilitating panic attack. He didn't understand what it was about this woman that turned the dog away from what had been carefully drilled into him from the time he was a puppy.

The woman had come to the house twice in the last week, knocked, and waited for a response. Nick hadn't answered. It'd been a bad day today and he wasn't up to seeing anyone, let alone making polite conversation. He hadn't slept well, but then he rarely did these days.

Earlier that morning he'd had another panic attack and was dizzy and shaken. Afterward, he'd sat in the dark. The lack of light soothed him, and he suspected it came from the sense that he was invisible. Ever since the accident, he had trouble sleeping. These days he rarely slept more than three or four hours at a time, often waking to nightmares that tormented him and sent adrenaline shooting through his system. It was after these dreams that he walked until he was exhausted enough to sleep again.

No, he definitely wasn't up to company. Not her or that other woman who'd shown up unexpectedly on his doorstep recently. Whatever they wanted, he wasn't buying. He didn't want to be neighborly, nor was he looking to make friends.

Staring out the window watching her run, Nick felt like a voyeur. He had to admit it wasn't everyone who would take it upon themselves to open a gate and cross someone else's property.

To complicate matters, he'd recently dreamed about her. Involuntarily, she'd jogged across his mind, confusing and unsettling him. He'd seen her only from a distance, and in his dream he'd been stunned by her beauty. Her hair had been loose, with the wind fluttering the thick strands across her face. When she saw him, she'd stopped and smiled as if they were longtime friends. Then slowly, against his will, he'd walked toward her. Her eyes had grown soft with sympathy and she'd reached out and hugged him. For a long moment his arms had hung loosely at his sides, but then he wrapped them around her and they'd clung together. In those brief moments while in her arms, he'd experienced a peace so deep it rocked his core.

Nick had no clue what the dream could possibly mean, if anything. All he knew was that it had been a welcome relief from the terror of the nightmares he suffered through most nights.

Enough with this woman. He had more than he could deal with as it was. He certainly didn't need an unknown female runner messing with his head. For all he knew, she could be married and have a half-dozen snot-nosed kids at home, waiting for her return.

Still angry, he stomped down the stairs and opened the door. The crisp morning air felt cool against his face as he stepped onto the porch. The sunlight nearly blinded him. He hated the light and squinted against the brightness. For the last year he'd stayed away from daylight to the point he felt as though he was becoming a friggin' vampire.

Elvis barked and loped toward the orchard, eager to greet his friend. She might be a friend to Elvis, but she wasn't anything to Nick and he wanted her gone.

The woman was already halfway through the trees and stopped as Elvis came into view. He followed close behind the dog, his steps swift. Already she was down on one knee, petting Elvis and talking to the German shepherd in a low whisper, when Nick approached. Looking up, she didn't seem surprised to see him and automatically smiled.

“Oh hi,” she said breathlessly, her eyes bright and warm. “I've been wanting to meet you.” Her mouth widened with her smile as she rose to stand.

Apparently, she hadn't gotten a good read on him, because he had no intention of welcoming her.

“I stopped by a couple times, but apparently you weren't home.”

“I heard you.” He kept his voice low and even and didn't return her smile. He wasn't looking for friends, and Nick wanted to be sure she got the message.

She blinked, taking in the fact that he purposely hadn't answered the door.

“I'm Emily,” she said and extended her hand. “Emily Gaffney. I recently moved to the area and…”

She paused when he ignored her outstretched hand.

“This is private property.”

“It's a beautiful piece of land and—”

“You're trespassing.” He held her gaze, narrowing his eyes, making sure she understood that she could no longer use his orchard as part of her running regimen.

“I'm not causing any harm. The trail was already here and…”

“I don't want you on my property. If I see you again, you'll leave me no choice but to contact the authorities.”

She let out a small gasp. “There aren't any signs that say
NO TRESPASSING
.”

What was it going to take to make his point clear to this woman? Emily whatever her name was? “I'll get one posted.”

If he expected to intimidate her, Nick realized he'd failed. Her response was to place both her hands against her hips, to look him full in the face, and laugh. “I realize it was probably rude of me to come onto your property…that's the reason I came to your door. I wanted to be sure you didn't mind.”

“I do mind. I suggest you run elsewhere.”

A shocked look came over her, and for a moment he thought she would argue. True, she wasn't hurting anything, but she'd already taken up too much space in his thoughts. He didn't need or want the distraction. The need to get back inside the house was nearly overwhelming.

“Then please accept my apology.”

“I believe we're done here.”

Her gaze narrowed with what looked like disappointment or surprise.

He didn't mean to be rude, but he didn't want her messing with his head, and she was definitely doing that.

“I'm not hurting anything and Elvis and I have gotten to be friends and I'd really like to talk to you about—”

“It'd be best if you left now,” he said, cutting her off. “And even better if you don't come back.” He pointed the way, just in case she forgot.

“You're being a jerk about this.”

He didn't deny it, but it was necessary. “If I see you on my property again, there will be consequences.”

“Okay, fine, if that's what you want.” She glared at him, her eyes dark and brooding.

“It is.”

She shook her head as if she had a hard time believing anyone could be so insolent. “You've got a rotten attitude. I came here wanting to be a friend—”

“I don't need friends.”

“I believe you made that point clear.”

All Nick wanted was for her to leave so she would stop messing with his head. He'd done his best to make sure she had no desire to set foot on his land again. Turning back, he headed to the house, expecting Elvis to come with him. Traitor that he was, the German shepherd followed her to the property line, and then, with his head hanging low, he reluctantly returned to the house.

Nick reached down and rubbed his head. “Sorry, boy, but it needs to be this way.”

Elvis whined as if he'd lost his best friend and followed Nick into the house.

I was still so angry that I barreled breathlessly through the back door of the inn, startling Jo Marie. “You won't believe what just happened!” I blurted out, filled with frustration, as I tossed my hands into the air.

“Whatever it is has clearly got you riled,” she said as she poured orange juice into a glass and handed it to me.

I was too upset to think about eating or drinking and answered with a quick shake of my head. “I just met the most unfriendly…arrogant…mean-spirited man in the universe.” Flustered as I was, I couldn't get the words out of my mouth fast enough.

Jo Marie blinked twice at the vehemence in my voice. “What happened?”

I paced the kitchen, unable to believe even now the things that dickhead had said to me. “This man…this Neanderthal, demanded that I get off his property.”

“Who?”

I shook my head. “I don't know his name.”

“Where?”

“The house. You know the one—with the orchard. The very one I mentioned I was interested in buying?” I flopped my hands against my sides. “I stopped by last week to ask if he minded me going through his orchard, and even though he was home, he purposely didn't answer the door. Then, this morning, he kicked me off his property. He wasn't polite about it, either. And do you know what he said?” The question was rhetorical. “He said that if he saw me on his property again there would be consequences.”

Jo Marie blinked again, as if she, too, was surprised by the man's attitude.

“His dog is friendlier than he is. I am so angry I can hardly think straight.” I knotted my fists at my sides as righteous indignation seeped out of my pores. I hadn't hurt anything. There simply was no reason to be so bad-mannered.

Jo Marie tucked her guests' empty juice glasses into the dishwasher. “Looks like you're going to have to change your route,” she said. Her look was sympathetic even if her words weren't.

“There was already a path through the orchard, and yes, it was overgrown, but it was there, clearly visible to the naked eye.” I didn't know why I continued to ramble on, other than it helped me deal with the knotted-up fury in my chest. And my disappointment. For whatever reason, he'd taken an instant dislike to me. That bothered me, too. I was friendly and generally didn't have problems getting along with others. What irritated me was the fact that I knew I was trespassing.

“Take several deep breaths and calm down,” Jo Marie suggested.

I couldn't seem to stop moving. I paced from one end of the kitchen to the other, burning off my agitation. “I've never been an angry person.” I really wasn't. Usually I was able to handle an uncomfortable situation with a cool head. Not this time. I was fuming at him and at myself, mainly because I knew I was in the wrong. I should have asked before I set foot on his land and hadn't. But then he'd been rude when it wasn't necessary.

In my mind, I was standing eyeball to eyeball with that Neanderthal, which would be impossible, as he probably stood a good six to eight inches above my five-foot-four frame. What I wouldn't do to give him a piece of my mind.

“I'm going to take a shower,” I said, hoping that standing under a spray of cold water would cool my temper.

Jo Marie followed me out of the kitchen. “When you finish, I'd like to ask you something.”

That took me by surprise. I thought everything was going along well and hoped I hadn't done anything that might have caused problems. The current guests checked out after breakfast. If there had been anyone within the reach of my voice, I wouldn't have ranted and gone on the way I had. “Everything all right?” I had to ask.

Jo Marie nodded. “Of course. It's just that I need a favor.”

“Okay.” I raced up the stairs, taking the steps two at a time, venting my anger.

After my shower I did feel better, less eager to confront Mr. Dickhead and tell him exactly what I thought of him. Not that I was likely to get the opportunity.

I found Jo Marie in her office, sitting at her desk. She turned when she heard me approach and gestured toward an empty chair. Her smile reassured me this wasn't anything serious.

“Feel better?” she asked.

I nodded. “I'm disappointed; and the truth is I shouldn't have gone on his property without asking him first. Still, he didn't need to be so mean about it.” I'd hoped to meet him one morning and ask his intentions regarding the house. Well, so much for that.

The thing was I'd fallen in love with that house, and the property was everything I'd hoped to find. Against my better judgment, I'd started to fantasize what it would be like to own it. From the first moment I'd seen the house, rundown as it was, I felt like it would be perfect for me and my plans for the future.

For the last week I'd spent the majority of my free time looking at houses with Dana, the real estate agent Jo Marie had recommended. Up to this point, I hadn't had any success.

“Not all is lost,” Jo Marie assured me.

“How do you mean?”

Her smile was reassuring. “While you were in the shower, Dana called and she said she has some information for you about the house.”

No matter what Dana had managed to learn, it went without saying I would never be able to deal with Mr. Dickhead, if he was the one who actually owned the property. My look must have conveyed my feelings.

“There are ways around getting that house without having to deal with the owner.”

I straightened, interested now. “How?”

“You could have Dana approach him on your behalf. It wouldn't be necessary for you to see him or for him to even know it was you.”

That was a thought, if she could get him to answer the door! Having Dana approach him was actually a great idea, seeing that he'd taken an instant dislike to me.

“Dana wanted to stop by this afternoon, if that works for you.”

“Sure, that would be great.”

“Good. I'll text her and let her know. She'll tell you what she found out then.” Jo Marie leaned slightly forward. “I have another question for you. Now that you've been at the inn for a while, what do you think?”

I wasn't entirely sure what she meant. “Well, running an inn is a lot more work than I realized. You're constantly on the go, cooking, cleaning, and taking care of the property. Do you ever get a break, take a few days off?”

Her answering smile took up the majority of her face. “You took the words right out of my mouth.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, first,” Jo Marie said, “I should ask if you have plans for the Fourth of July?”

“Not really.” There'd been a few offhand invitations. One from my brother who was having a barbecue at his house with my parents. Frankly, I'd rather avoid any social functions that involved my mother. She would be sure to use it as an opportunity to match make. I simply couldn't bear another awkward meeting with some unsuspecting guy. The second invite had come from a fellow teacher, but it was a couples event. Being odd woman out held little appeal.

Jo Marie continued to study me.

“Any particular reason you ask?” Naturally, I had my suspicions.

Jo Marie placed her hands between her knees as if she found it difficult to ask for favors. “My brother is having a cousins' reunion in Seattle and I'd really like to go. It will only be the one night. One of my favorite cousins is in town. Karen lives in Omaha and I haven't seen her in two years.”

“In other words, you'd like me to watch the inn for you?”

“Would you?” Her wide, bright eyes were filled with hopeful expectation.

“Jo Marie, of course I would. I'd welcome the opportunity to be more than just a tenant.” Our arrangement had worked well for us both. Looking after the inn for a day or two was one small way I could show Jo Marie how grateful I am to live here for an unspecified amount of time.

“I have only one couple scheduled for the night. They've stayed at the inn before and are easy guests. They're older and don't want a large breakfast. I know they'd be happy with fresh fruit and yogurt and perhaps a couple sweet rolls.”

“Like I said, I'm happy to do it.” I actually looked forward to it, seeing that it would give me a legitimate excuse to turn down both invitations. Mom would be disappointed, but she'd get over it. Severing ties with my family had never been my intention, but I welcomed a bit of distance as I settled into my new life.

“I'd need to leave Rover here,” Jo Marie continued. “I'm sure he won't be a problem.”

“Of course you should leave Rover with me.” I'd gotten seriously attached to Jo Marie's dog. He was her companion, constantly at her side. If she left the house, he sat by the door and patiently waited for her return. I found him endearing.

On hearing his name, Rover lifted his head and cocked it to one side. Studying him reminded me that I wouldn't be seeing Elvis again. Right away I felt disappointed. I'd grown rather fond of him.

“I'm grateful, Emily,” Jo Marie said.

“Hey, like I said, it's no trouble.” No doubt she could do with a break. Although we hadn't talked about Mark since she'd first mentioned him, I knew worries about him weighed on her. Time away would do her good, and being able to make that happen made me feel good.

I was eager to see Dana, anxious to hear what she'd learned about the house and Mr. Dickhead.