What The Heart Wants (2 page)

Anna was tempted to stop, pull over and stretch her legs and maybe fill up on gas or grab something to eat. People walked around greeting each other as old friends. A few kids had a lemonade stand set up but were too busy drawing on the sidewalks with chalk to tend to customers. She wondered how well these people knew Mam. Whether she was well liked or mistrusted by her neighbors. She wondered if they would welcome her with open arms or shun her as an outsider.

They were questions she would have to save for another day, though, because she begrudgingly kept her car in drive and went in search of her new home.

She almost drive right past it. The house was set deep into the property, flanked by two giant weeping willows. There was no driveway, but tracks where Mam must have driven becoming rapidly overtaken by grass that obviously had not been mowed since Mam had passed.

The house was small, a cozy one level with black wooden shakes and mint-colored shutters. Ivy was slowly creeping up one side, reaching the roof and Annabelle remembered how much her own mother hated ivy and attacked it yearly with weed killer so it wouldn’t “take over the place”.

There was a pathway leading to the house made of penny bricks and dandelions were sprouting up between the gaps.

“Here goes nothing, Philip,” she said, putting his cage down and digging in her purse for the keys the lawyer had sent her on a key chain that boasted a tag that read “Flower Power” along with a stuffed hippopotamus with only one eye.

The door opened with a groan and Anna stepped into the doorway. Light flittered into the room through the slanted blinds bringing attention to the layer of dust collecting on all the surfaces and along the moldings. “Mam sure had a thing for knick-knacks,” she told Philip, placing his cage on top of an old deep brown letter writing desk right next to the door.

The living room was painted a deep moss-like green. There was mismatched furniture all over- a worn pink chaise under the window, a blue captain’s chair bumped up next to a grandfather’s clock that was ticking in a not-altogether unpleasant beat. A blue and white striped loveseat was stuck haphazardly into a corner and covered with half a dozen knitted blankets in a rainbow of colors. There were bookshelves bowing under the weight of the thick tomes being kept company by an odd assortment of ceramic animals and fairy figurines. The walls were full of art in a variety of frames- pictures of landscapes or herbs, a mother reading to her children, horses running, an ugly woman smoking a cigarette in her bra and shift in front of her vanity.

Anna walked through to the dining room where a small slat of untreated wood was flanked by two long benches on the sides that served as the formal dining table. Though judging by the mounds of paperwork and assortment of yarn sprawled across it, Mam never used it for that purpose.

In through the side of the dining room she found the kitchen. It was a small square painted a cheery red with light wood cabinetry. There was a deep sink in front of a window where Mam must have spent time washing dishes or scrubbing fruits and vegetables. She walked over to look out the window and jumped back with a scream at the hissing coming from inside the sink.

She didn’t know much about Pennsylvania, but she did know that every state had its native snakes. And they often find themselves inside of houses, in swimming pools or wells. And she also knew that she knew absolutely nothing about snakes or how to tell if one was poisonous or not.

She checked her pocket for her cell phone, deciding to call the local wildlife services to take care of the problem for her. She paused as she went to dial, realizing that whomever picked up on the other line would likely want a description of the snake so they could come prepared. Placing the phone down, she put a hand to where her heart was pounding dangerously in her chest and started inching forward toward the sink.

The hissing had died down and she heard no movement so she took the final step forward and peeked into the sink. There situated in the center was a fat tabby cat, looking up at her with his head turned to the side as if trying to size her up.

“Oh, hey there buddy. Hey,” she crooned, daring to extend her hand slowly toward the cat. “You must be starving,” she said as he nuzzled her hand. She ran her hand down its back once before deciding it was safe to pick him up. She lifted the huge mass of cat and cradled it to her chest. “Let’s find you some food,” she said placing him on the counter and rummaging through the cabinets.

“Did Mam ever eat?” she asked the cat who meowed in response. “There is no food in here,” she objected before finally finding a stash of cat food cans next to countless boxes of tea.

She could barely empty the can of food onto a plate before the cat lunged and started eating greedily… his little body vibrating with his contented purring.

Anna watched with pity but realized the cat must have been getting food somehow after Mam passed. There’s no way he could have survived all that time with nothing to eat. Maybe he had found his way outside or maybe found some mice to eat. The latter thought filled her with discomfort though… what if there were actually some mice living in the house? She shivered and pushed the thought away.

After the cat had eaten, she went on to explore the rest of the house the happy cat padding along with her running in between her feet and brushing himself up against her legs. There was a small bathroom with no shower, only an ancient looking claw-foot tub. The only room left was Mam’s bedroom.

It was a large rectangular room with a huge four-poster bed and rose-colored walls. There was a cherry wood vanity against one wall, covered in vintage looking perfume bottles and gold covered brushes and combs. It was a very feminine bedroom and a testament to the fact that Mam never did settle down and get herself a husband.

The cat jumped up on the bed, stretching out and spreading its little cat toes open and closed over and over again. Anna sat down too, rolling the stress out of her neck and petting the cat. She fell asleep without even realizing how tired she was.

Two
 

It was Philip that woke her up, just as the sun started to peek into the windows. He was never particularly the quietest bird to begin with but her was squawking as if he had his head stuck in between the bars of his cage. She stumbled out the strange bed, her eyes blurry and feeling disoriented. She raced to the living room to find the cat perched on top of the writing desk, squishing his fat paws in between the bars of Philip’s cage and swatting at him.

“Alright, Sylvester,” she said, naming him without having given it any thought. She pulled his paw out and dropped him onto the floor. “I guess I have to find a new home for you, Philip.” She found a hook with a rope hanging from the ceiling in the corner by the window which Mam must have used to hang houseplants. She attached Philip’s cage to the s-shaped hook and was satisfied that the cat wouldn’t be able to torture him again. “Sorry buddy,” she said, filling his seed bowl. “we just have to learn to adjust to the local wildlife I guess.”

Annabelle made herself a cup of tea to ward of the morning chill and decided to venture outside to check out the farm. To be honest she didn’t know much about plants except that orchids they kept back at home were finicky. She wasn’t even sure she could differentiate between actual plants and weeds. Hell, she didn’t even know what Mam grew.

The land seemed everlasting, fenced on all sides as far as she could see with simple wooden posts and chicken wire. The fields were sporadic. Patches of brown were situated randomly surrounded by lawn that genuinely needed a mowing. Maybe she grew fruit in one and vegetables in another, she mused.

Hearing shuffling behind her, she turned to find Sylvester trotting along in an unhurried pace. He passed her then stopped, craning his head in her direction and meowed at her. Shrugging, Anna followed behind him.  

She shivered as the wind picked up and pushed the hair off the back of her neck. Spring was so temperamental, one minute hot, one minute chilly. She silently cursed herself for cutting her hair… it at least provided some warmth.

Sylvester came to a halt a few dozen yards down in front of one of the patches of land with tiny green seedlings growing out of the dirt. Anna stopped short. There was a furry black figure nibbling away at a row of baby plants. “Shoo!” she yelled, not exactly sure what the animal was. It jumped at the interruption and turned to face her. With a mouth-full of whatever-it-was-he-was-destroying, it let out a loud baa at her before returning to eating.

Annabelle looked down at Sylvester, a big stupid grin on her face. A baby goat! She had seen one once before at a nativity scene around Christmastime. She wondered where the heck it could have come from. If it was Mam’s then surely there must be a mother somewhere.

“Excuse me,” a voice said and Anna screeched, dropping her teacup and spinning toward the sound of the intruder. Standing about a yard away was a man. He must have been about six feet tall with soft dark blonde hair that some might describe as shaggy. He wore faded blue jeans and a red flannel shirt. There was a lopsided grin on his face.

Instinctively, Anna felt her bigger city distrust flare up. She was alone, perhaps miles away from any other people with a strange man trespassing on her property. He stepped a bit closer, still grinning, “Sorry to scare you. I’m Sam Flynn. That,” he said, gesturing to the goat, “is mine.”

Anna relaxed a little, reminding herself that this was rural Pennsylvania and neighbors very likely stopped over unannounced all the time. Sam moved closer, squinting at the sun that was rising behind her. “Are you a relative of Mam?” he asked.

Anna felt her face redden. She was never great with people, always forgetting to introduce herself and grasping for topics for small talk. “Yeah. Yes,” she stumbled. “I’m Anna. Ah, Annabelle Goode. Mam was my great aunt.”

Sam nodded, looking sad for a moment. “I’m sorry for your loss. She was really something else,” Sam said, before stepping beside her and making a grab for the goat who evaded capture and took off at a run.

“Thanks,” Anna said, uncomfortable to receive condolences from someone who obviously knew Mam better than she had. She watched as the goat baa’d and jumped out of Sam’s reach. Over and over, Sam almost caught him before he effortlessly sprinted out of the way- obviously seeing it as a game and enjoying himself.

Sam was a good-looking man, Anna couldn’t help but notice as he chased after the goat, out of breath and mumbling curses under his breath. He had one of those rugged faces you don’t see much outside of the South with a strong jaw, wide and straight nose and high cheekbones. She saw as he sidestepped her, that his eyes were a slightly golden shade of brown and had a few creases at the corners which suggested he was a few years older than her. She found them endearing.

The goat dodged behind Annabelle, causing Sam to stop short and stumble forward, catching her off balance and taking her down with him. He grabbed her as they went down and turned her. She fell hard, her back against his chest. He grunted at the impact- one of his hands rested on her knee. She could feel his heartbeat against her shoulder- his chest rising and falling. “You alright?” he asked, a little winded.

She was trying to form words- her mind too distracted by the pressure of his hand on her knee. He had big hands with thick, tanned fingers and short, clean fingernails. It felt ridiculously intimate for such a chaste placement and she was having trouble thinking of a reply when, suddenly, the baby goat jumped and landed on her belly. Her breath exhaled sharply at the pressure and surprise before she broke off into a fit of giggles. The goat quickly jumped off as her chest started to rise and fall with genuine laughter. She felt Sam chuckle beneath her and finally rolled off his chest and laid on the ground next to him.  

Sam was still chuckling as he sat up, his hands on his knees. The sound was deep and masculine. Anna realized that it wasn’t a sound she was familiar with. She had heard boys her age laugh growing up. But this was different. This was deep and masculine. She liked it.

“Well that was fun,” Sam said, standing. He smiled down at her, extending his hand to help her up.  

Anna looked at his hand, hesitant to take it but wanting to nonetheless. She smiled a little shakily and grabbed his hand. He pulled her onto her feet faster than she could attempt to gain her own footing.

“I’m sorry about your basil,” he said, gesturing toward her garden.

Anna shrugged, “I didn’t even know what it was,” she admitted.

He laughed again. “You’re gonna tend Mam’s massive herbal farming business and you don’t even know basil when you see it huh?” He clamped his hand on her shoulder. “This is going to be an interesting season for you, Miss Goode,” he said, stooping down to pick up the now-sleeping baby goat. “I live that way,” he said, tilting his head toward the right of her property. Don’t hesitate to stop by if you need something. I gotta get this little terror back to his mother. She’s been pitching a fit since she realized he was missing. Have a nice day Miss. Goode.”

“Thanks, you too!” she said, too cheerfully, feeling a bit disappointed at his sudden departure but also glad to not feel like a bumbling child talking to a big, bad grown-up anymore.

She stooped down next to the half-chewed seedlings. Inspecting the damage, she noticed the goat had only chewed away a few of the leaves on some of the plants but that most of them had their entire tops chewed off.

She sighed and decided she needed to take a trip to town for some groceries and a book about herb gardening.

--

Sam hadn’t been expecting her. In all honesty, he hadn’t been expecting anyone. Mam had never had any family over and she never mentioned any relations for that matter either. Everyone had just assumed she didn’t have any family left. He went over every few days to make sure that cat had water and the doggy door was not blocked so she could get out and go hunting whenever she needed to. And while he had been looking for it all day, he had not expected that the goat would have found his way all the way to Mam’s lands. They weren’t known for wandering that far away from their mothers.