The Mountain Man's Bride, page 22
“What are you talking about?” Lehigh leaned back a little. “You just got done saying I ought to have been, you know, attracted to her.”
Stacy shrugged. “Wouldn’t make any difference if you were or weren’t.” She grinned as his expression grew even more puzzled. “Lehigh,” she said, “Samantha Pullen’s name gets tossed around at the sheriff’s office—a lot. And not favorably. They’re a pretty conservative group down there, and they don’t like her one teeny tiny bit. Do you know why?”
He shook his head, more confused than ever.
“Lehigh, did Sam Pullen ever mention that she was in a relationship?”
“Uh, huh. Why?”
She grinned. “Did she ever mention with whom?”
He shook his head again. “Why? Do I know him?”
She practically squealed with delight. “No, Lehigh. You don’t know her.”
For the first time in years, Lehigh blushed.
Chapter
Lehigh stopped the truck, engine idling, at the far end of the long gravel drive. Three figures occupied the front porch in the distance. Pappy, in his usual overalls, smoked a cigarette in his old rocker by the front door. Maw clutched a broom in both hands, standing next to him in a plain, light blue housedress. The third figure, sitting in a chair next to Pappy, looked vaguely familiar.
“Is that Mrs. Barkley?” Stacy asked.
“I’m thinking it is,” Lehigh said. “Crazy.”
“What’s crazy? That she’s left her house, or that your parents have company?”
“Both.” He let the truck inch forward. Lucky and Diamond sniffed at the windows in back, open just a crack. “Settle down, dogs,” Lehigh said. “Don’t get your hopes up.”
Stacy ruffled Lucky’s fur and tried without success to avoid Diamond’s slobbery tongue. “They need to be let out.”
Lehigh shook his head. “Not until I’m sure Maw’s broom isn’t loaded with buckshot. She’d as soon cook ’em for dinner as let ’em pee in her yard.”
He stopped in back of the two vehicles already parked on the grass near the end of the drive and took Stacy’s hand. “Here we go again.”
“I’m ready,” she said.
They walked hand-in-hand to the porch. Pappy and Maw sat motionless, eyes fixed on the younger couple. Mrs. Barkley stood. “If I’m in the way, I’ll—”
“You’re all right.” Maw chewed something with her lips open, probably her own tongue. “It’s just my younger son.”
“I recall,” Mrs. Barkley said. “Hello, Lehigh. Hello, Miss McBride.”
“Please, call me Stacy.” They took the steps with slow deliberation. Lehigh kept one eye on Pappy, the other on his mother. Maw stood guard on the top step, still clutching her broom. Two steps down, Lehigh and Stacy stopped, her hand squeezing his almost hard enough to break it.
Maw squinted at Stacy, long and hard, then turned her gaze to Lehigh. She leaned on her broom handle, searching his face. Lehigh’s hand grew clammy, and Stacy’s fingernails dug into his skin. Lehigh shifted his weight from one foot to the other, and back again. A cool breeze sifted through warm rays of sunshine breaking through fluffy clouds. A pair of crows cawed and wings flapped overhead. The breeze subsided.
Maw’s gaze flitted back to Stacy for a moment, then to the thin void of space between them. “Well,” she said, “the roast is about ready. I suppose we ought to go wash up.”
Pappy smiled through a thin veil of smoke and waved Lehigh inside.
“Thank you, Maw.” Lehigh tugged Stacy’s hand forward. She let go, held her arms wide.
And hugged Maw.
Lehigh’s heart jumped, and he sucked air in between his teeth. He reached for Stacy to pull her away before Maw could kill her…
And found Maw’s arms wrapped around Stacy.
“Take care of my boy,” Maw said, eyes closed. “He needs him some spoiling.”
“I will.” Stacy pulled back, arms still at Maw’s side. They held their intense gaze and loose embrace a few moments longer. Maw stepped back and smacked Pappy’s knee. “Go on, Caleb,” she said, and spit a black wad of what once might have been tobacco over the porch rail. “Get your hands washed.”
Pappy nodded. “I’ll be along. You go pull the roast out and mash those ’taters.”
Maw bent, kissed Pappy’s forehead, and disappeared behind the swinging wooden storm door, broom in hand. Stacy started to follow, but Pappy stopped her with an upraised hand. “Hang on a moment. Miz Barkley wants to jaw at you for a minute.” Stacy took Maw’s seat, and Lehigh sat on the rail.
Mrs. Barkley gazed into the house after Maw and smiled. “That dear woman. What a beautiful soul.” She sat on a folding chair next to Pappy. “I thought when I lost Jared, I had nothing else. Theo’s gone, my boy’s gone—my life may as well be over. The only thing I had left was to see his killer brought to justice.” Her eyes met Stacy’s. “At first, I thought that was you.”
“I know.” Stacy dropped her gaze. “I…I think I understand.”
“You’ll never understand. What it’s like to lose everything…” Mrs. Barkley halted, her hand to her mouth. “I hope not, anyway. And I hope I never have to endure what you’ve been through, either. False accusations, jail…I–I’m sorry.”
Stacy wiped away tears. How Mrs. Barkley held them in, Lehigh couldn’t fathom. Made of steel, these women.
Mrs. Barkley turned to Lehigh. “I want to thank you for helping me. I might never have recovered if you hadn’t knocked on my door.”
Lehigh bowed his head. “Much obliged to you, ma’am. I don’t think Maw’s been in such good spirits since—”
Pappy coughed into his palm, glaring. Lehigh took the old man’s silent direction and bowed his head. “I just hope you two stay in touch.”
“We will.” Mrs. Barkley stepped close and pressed dry lips against his cheek. She whispered into his ear. “Your Maw loves you more than she can ever show.” She stepped back. “I’d best go help with dinner.”
“I’ll help too.” Stacy held the door open for Mrs. Barkley, then turned to go inside. Pappy blocked her path with his cane. “A moment, young lady.”
Stacy waited in front of him, hands folded. Pappy smoked the last quarter-inch of his hand-rolled cigarette and crushed it under his boot.
“I don’t trust rich people,” he said. “Your Daddy—I never voted for him. Not once.”
Stacy smiled. “I voted against him once or twice myself. Don’t ever tell him I said so.”
Pappy smiled, a broad gap-toothed grin, and cackled. Harsh aromas of tobacco followed the laugh out of his mouth. “You served time in jail when he could have probably bought your way out. I respect that.”
Stacy blushed. “In retrospect, I wish I hadn’t.”
Pappy nodded. “I respect that, too.” Stacy held out her hand. Pappy enveloped it in both of his. He blinked twice and swallowed. “So, young lady. You gonna keep your name, or take ours?”
Stacy looked down at her feet, then at Lehigh. They’d broached the subject only once, months before, and she’d dismissed the idea out of hand. “You know,” she said, “I was married before. And I didn’t change my name then.”
“I know. It’s why I’m asking.”
She stepped closer to Pappy and pressed her free hand around his. “I think,” she said, and took a deep breath, “that we’ve all heard enough of the McBride name in Mt. Hood County. I’d be proud to take the name Carter…if you’ll have me.”
Pappy’s eyes narrowed, and his lips curled upward again. “That I will…Daughter.”
They held hands for several more seconds.
Mrs. Barkley reappeared at the door. “Stacy, we’d love to have your help with the salad, if you wouldn’t mind.”
Stacy glanced at Lehigh. He nodded, and the two women disappeared inside the house.
Lehigh sat back on the rail. “Pappy, we—”
Pappy held up an index finger. “Hold on, son. Company.”
Wheels crunched gravel behind Lehigh. He turned to spot a blue Crown Victoria roll to a stop behind his truck, blocking him in. Detective Wadsworth emerged a moment later.
“You in trouble again, boy?” Pappy asked.
“Not that I know of.”
“That’s usually how it works, son.” Pappy leaned on his cane and stood. Lehigh turned and stood by his side on the front step to greet the detective coming toward them.
“Afternoon, gents.” Wadsworth tipped his hat. He faced Lehigh. “Mind if I bend your ear over something for a minute?”
“He’s about to have dinner.” Pappy’s voice dipped a few registers, almost to a growl.
“My apologies. I’ll come another day.” Wadsworth turned to leave.
Lehigh stopped him with a raised hand. “What’s the issue, Detective?”
Wadsworth brightened. “I’ve got a proposition for you. Call it a job opportunity.”
“Whatever it is, take it,” Pappy said. “Oh, hell, son, don’t stare. You and I both know you ain’t making ten cents running that forestry business, and now you’re getting married, and—well, son. You need a job. Desperately, I might add.”
“In all my days, I’ve never before seen you agree with a man in uniform so fast.” Lehigh descended the porch steps. “Well, Detective, what’s the job? Sheriff’s office needs some timber cleared?”
Wadsworth shook his head and chuckled. “Mr. Carter, you’ve already done a fine job helping us clear out the dead wood. And as a result…well, we don’t even have a sheriff anymore.”
“What happened to Dwayne?”
“Suspended, pending investigation. He went along a little too willingly with Buck’s schemes.” Wadsworth dropped his gaze, seemed to grasp for words.
Lehigh nodded. “So let me guess. That leaves you, next in line. And as Acting Sheriff, you’re looking to hire some deputies.” He glanced at Pappy with a sly smile. “Still think I should take the job?”
“Not exactly.” Wadsworth kicked at the dust at his feet. “I’m not offering you a job as a deputy. I can’t exactly offer you any job, technically.”
“Then I’m confused, Detective,” Lehigh said. “What are you offering?”
“My endorsement.” Wadsworth folded his arms across his body. “You see, I declined the County Commission’s offer to make me acting sheriff. It’s a job I never wanted—too much politics, paperwork, and management crap.”
Lehigh spread his hands wide. “Now I’m completely lost.”
“If he’s that confused,” Pappy said, “maybe you shouldn’t endorse him after all, Detective.”
Stacy, Maw, and Mrs. Barkley emerged onto the porch. “Dinner’s ready,” Maw said. “Evening, Detective. Endorse who, for what?”
“Endorse Lehigh,” Wadsworth said. “For sheriff.”
“Sheriff? Me?” Lehigh laughed. “I’ve spent the last six months fighting you guys to keep my sorry butt out of your jail—mine and Stacy’s. Now you want to hand me the keys?”
“Hey!” Stacy said. “Who’s calling my butt ‘sorry’?”
Wadsworth grinned, then got serious again. “Mr. Carter, I can’t think of anyone I’d trust more for this job. Please consider it.”
“It just doesn’t seem likely I’d have any credibility with the deputies,” Lehigh said.
“The guys in uniform will come along, in time,” Wadsworth said. “In the meantime you’d have the trust of the County Board, me, and the voters of Mt. Hood County. For now, that’s all that really matters. Like I said, it’s all politics.”
“I hate politics.”
“It’s also a lot of police work,” Stacy said.
“Which I’m sure I’d also hate.” Lehigh chuckled. “What a crazy idea.”
“Not at all.” Mrs. Barkley descended the steps in slow succession, resting both feet on each step before taking the next, until she reached Lehigh. “You did some pretty good police work finding Jared’s killers.”
“Exactly,” Stacy said. “And you were awfully proud of it. All those stories you’ve been telling me…you seemed to have a real passion for it.”
“That’s because I wanted you out of jail,” Lehigh said.
Stacy rolled her eyes and stepped to the side of the porch, punching numbers into her cell phone.
Mrs. Barkley took Lehigh’s hand and pressed it between both of hers. Her eyes moistened. “I’d be proud to offer you my endorsement, if that helps. I’m sure Jared would approve. As would Theo.”
“Wow.” Lehigh looked from face to face, finding hope and excitement in each.
After a few moments, Maw nodded her head. “Do it,” she said. “Make your Pappy and me proud.” She wrapped a bony arm around Stacy, who was talking in a low voice on her cell phone. “And you gotta do something for a living. You can’t expect this pretty girl to support you forever.”
Stacy returned Maw’s hug and lowered the phone from her jaw. “That’s right,” Stacy said. “Not if I’m going to be busy raising all those grandkids.”
“Grandkids?” Lehigh staggered up the steps. “Stacy? Are you, uh—”
“Not yet,” Stacy said. “How could I be? I’ve only been out of jail a week.” She slipped out of Maw’s arms and into his. “But I think we should get right on it, don’t you?”
“Maybe you could at least get married first,” Pappy said.
“Speaking of which,” Stacy said. “My father wants a word.” She spoke into the phone again. “Here he is, Daddy.”
“What the—?” Lehigh sputtered unintelligible protests but accepted the phone Stacy offered and held it to his ear. “Yes, sir?”
“Lehigh, my boy,” Senator McBride’s voice boomed from the phone, “I’ve been wanting to come by and thank you for helping my daughter out of her little scrape with the law. What you did was stand-up and proper, son. Stand-up and proper.”
“Well, thank you, sir,” Lehigh said. “I’m most obliged.”
“Not at all, not at all,” McBride said. “It’s the least I can do for the man I am proud to call my future son-in-law. Her mother and I can’t wait to help plan your reception.”
Lehigh’s jaw dropped to his knees. “We’d be most appreciative, sir.”
“But the number one reason for my call,” McBride said, ignoring, apparently, that Stacy had called him, “is to support and endorse your decision to serve our county. You’re a local hero, young man, and I’ll do everything in my considerable power to assist you in this endeavor.”
Lehigh swayed, lightheaded. “Well, if that don’t beat all,” he said finally. “I mean, uh, thank you.”
“You’re welcome. We’ll talk more soon, but I need to go. The people’s business waits for no one.”
Lehigh handed the phone back to Stacy and turned to face Wadsworth. “Detective,” he said, “I think you, and the rest of the county it seems, have talked me into it. I accept your endorsement.”
“Now,” Maw said, drawing the porch door open, “let’s eat!”
Thank You
Thank you for reading The Mountain Man’s Bride. If you enjoyed reading it, won’t you please take a moment to post a review at your favorite retailer? And please, tell your friends!
Thanks,
Gary Corbin
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The Mountain Man Mysteries series has been in the works for nearly a decade. Many friends, colleagues, and family members—too many to count or even remember—have contributed ideas, feedback, critique, encouragement, and love. I thank you all.
But special thanks goes out to those whose support really pushed me when I needed it to get this story published. They include:
Angela Carlie, Randall Houle, Kelly Garrett, Suzie Harvey, and Paul McKlendin, all members of the North Bank Writers Group, whose chapter-by-chapter critiques made this story better on a weekly basis;
The many selfless, hard-working, honest police officers and sheriff’s deputies that, unlike the majority of their fictional counterparts in this book, keep us safe from people like Buck Summers and Paul van Paten;
My Beta Readers, Kelley Tyner McAllister, Patsy Silk, Brigette Hendrickson, and Dominique Rossi, for their invaluable late-in-the-game feedback;
Patsy Silk and Janice Hussein, whose keen editing eyes caught many errors long after my own eyes glazed over. If errors remain, they are my fault, not theirs;
Steven Novak, for an amazing cover design;
The Willamette Writers Group, the best bunch of writers around;
Patricia and Donald Corbin, my mother and father, who made me love books, and who always encouraged my love of writing;
