Cattail Ridge, page 24
part #4 of Firefly Hollow Series
“These are a couple years past your grade level, aren’t they?” Archer asked, reading the descriptions on the backs.
“Three years. But I’m not having to look up too many of the words.”
Zanny’s voice called Noah from the direction of the kitchen. “Come wash up, young man. There won’t be anything left.”
“We’d better go.” Archer handed the books back and Noah put them away.
In the dining room, Sydney’s eyes lit up when she saw him, and Archer stopped to tug on her ponytail.
“Will you sit beside me?” she asked.
“Sure.”
The atmosphere was casual as they ate. When Sydney asked him what he was doing that weekend, Archer smiled.
“My brother’s coming in Friday evening. I figured I’d show him around town.”
Her face showed her disappointment. “Oh.”
“Why? Did you want to do something?”
She nodded, then pushed her glasses up on her nose. “I was gonna ask if I could come to your house and play. That’s okay, though.”
Archer felt like he’d kicked a puppy. “Do you really think you’d feel like coming to my house to play? You just had surgery.”
“I would. I know I would.” She’d been staying with Zanny through the day while Emma was at work, with various family members stopping in to check on them.
He glanced at Emma, who held her hands up with a shrug. “She’s doing pretty well. Not up to Natural Bridge but by Saturday, I expect that she’ll be close to one-hundred percent. But you’re busy. Are you still coming to Daddy’s birthday dinner Sunday?”
Sydney gasped, her eyes wide behind her glasses. “You have to come to Grandpa’s dinner. There’ll be pie.”
Archer laughed. “Yes, I’ll be there. So will Logan.” He brushed a stray hair from her forehead. “Tell you what. If you feel up to it Saturday then why don’t I pick you up for a little while? Maybe not the whole day, but some of it.”
Her pleased smile was a little shy and she threw her arms around him. “Okay.”
He didn’t linger after eating, just long enough to spend some time with Sydney. As he was walking out to the truck Amelia called to him.
“Wait up.” She was pulling her jacket on as she caught up to him. “Let’s walk.”
“Pip…”
She grabbed his hand and tugged. “Just down to the park and back. I want to talk to you. You’ve been avoiding my calls.”
The park was about five minutes away, at the foot of the hill.
“Fine.”
She waited until they reached the low brick wall that surrounded the park before speaking. “How are you?”
“Fine. You?”
She casually slapped his arm. “Smart ass. You know what I’m asking.”
“What do you want me to say?”
“I don’t know. Tell me you’re not going to give up on my sister.”
He huffed out an aggravated breath and turned, heading into the park. He took a seat on one of the swings. “It isn’t up to me at this point. Ball’s in her court.”
“She told John and me a little about what she was thinking, and I get the feeling she left out a lot. If she ever explains it to you I think you’ll be able to forgive her. I hope so, anyhow.” She pushed herself off, swinging back and forth lazily. “So, Logan. I’ll bet you’re looking forward to having him here. I have to admit my curiosity is really starting to get the best of me.”
Archer laughed as she stretched out like a plank and let her momentum carry her in an arc. “You’ve heard enough about him over the years.”
“That’s the truth. There’ve been times I wondered if you invented him.” Her grin was cheeky, and classic Amelia. That was something he’d not seen enough of in the last few years.
Forcing himself to relax, Archer kicked off and swung for a few minutes. Their conversation turned to inconsequential topics and before long, she had him feeling almost normal.
A city police cruiser rolled to a stop outside the park gates, and its occupant shined a light in their direction.
“Uh-oh. We’re caught,” Amelia snickered. “Who’re we gonna call to bail us out? John or Daddy?”
Archer stood and held his hand out. “Come on, Trouble. Let’s go make peace.”
Fortunately he knew the officer, and after a brief conversation, he and Amelia were on their way back to John’s.
“I swear I’ve come closer to being arrested getting into situations with you than I have any other time in my life,” he told her as they reached his truck.
Amelia’s laughter pealed out into the night. “I do my best.”
Archer pulled her into a half hug, half headlock. “Thanks, Pip.”
“For what?”
“Making me smile. I’ll see you soon.”
She waved him off as he pulled out on the street and headed for home. He thought it was a damned shame that she hadn’t yet found someone to call her own. Yes, she was only twenty-two, but still. She was years more mature than her chronological age indicated. If anyone had ever been suited for family life, it was Amelia. She was a natural mother—a nurturer. As many times as she’d paired people up, he thought the universe would have balanced out by now and given her someone.
Maybe once things died down with all the sickness and other traumas they’d endured lately he’d get with her sisters and Zanny and see if they could find her someone. He might not end up having a happily ever after with Emma, but at least he could try to find one for Pip.
Logan looked tired but happy as he came down the concourse Friday night. He was only limping a little, and he’d gained back some of the weight he’d lost. Archer met him halfway and they exchanged a solid hug.
“How was the flight?” he asked, taking one of Logan’s bags. “And nice beard, by the way.”
Logan rubbed his cheek. “Thanks. Flight was okay. How was the drive?”
“Peaceful and full of contemplation.” Archer grinned at him and Logan snickered, shaking his head. “So what’s with the beard? You look just like Dad, you know.”
“Yeah, I noticed that. Looked up in the mirror the other day and about scared myself.” He shifted his bag to the other hand. “I felt like growing it. Never had a chance to before and wanted to see what it felt like. Did you eat yet?”
“No. I figured you’d come off the plane ravenous. I know a good place nearby, has excellent barbecue.”
“Lead the way.”
They got back to Hazard late, but with both of them being so used to getting up early, they didn’t sleep much past the normal time. By nine o’clock they were at Archer’s favorite diner, having biscuits and gravy.
He sat back, amused as the waitress flirted shamelessly with Logan to no avail.
“If you don’t bring him back in here so Nancy can meet him, you know she’ll never forgive you,” she warned Archer with a wink for Logan.
Archer laughed. “I know. I’ll make sure we come back.”
Once she moved to the other tables, Logan raised his eyebrows. “Come here often?”
“Enough. You know how it is when you’re a bachelor. Being at home all the time makes your mind do crazy things. You have to get out now and again.”
“So tell me again what we’re doing with Sydney?”
Archer stretched. “When I called Emma said she’s more than ready and able to do normal stuff, within reason. I figured we’d pick her up and I can take you on a tour. You’re going to love her. She’s a precocious, smart, sweet kid.”
“And her mother?”
He looked out the plate-glass window to the traffic going by on the road beyond. “Also precocious and sweet. And usually pretty smart, though she’s as stubborn as a damned mule. But she’s battling some demons right now. We’ll see how that turns out.” He eyed his brother’s scowl. “I know you want to rush in and protect me. I know that, and I appreciate it. But please don’t judge Emma because of what’s happened the last week or so.”
“So you still think there’s a chance for the two of you?”
“I have to. I don’t know who I’d be without her and Sydney in my life. I’m hoping I don’t have to find out.”
Chapter Thirty-Three
Much as Archer had expected, Logan and Sydney hit it off like gangbusters. Within an hour of them meeting, Sydney was clinging to Logan’s hand, taking him under her wing much the way Amelia had done all those years ago with him. He could tell Logan was just as smitten with her.
“Told you that you’d love Sydney. She’s adorable,” Archer said as he drove to the Campbell farm Sunday. It was before noon and Owen’s birthday party was scheduled to start at one.
“Yeah, well. Tell me who all is going to be there again?”
“You should know most of the names by now. Owen, Sarah, their kids, assorted spouses, grandkids. Sarah’s brother Jack, his wife Gilly, and their kids, Rick and Michelle. Eli and Eliza may be there, and Burke probably, too.”
“You don’t sound too upset about that.” Logan was familiar with Burke’s name and his relationship with Emma, having read about him in Archer’s letters.
Archer slanted him a grin. “What, Burke? Nah, we’re cool. After seeing the way he acted around Michelle, I kind of saw him in a different light. He’s a good guy.”
The jitters he had about seeing Emma again in a non-emergency, familial situation were warring with Archer’s gleeful anticipation of Logan’s first meeting with Rachel. He’d tried to be subtle, throwing her name into the conversation at key points. He didn’t think his brother was on to him but it hardly mattered if Logan was.
The first people they ran into once they reached the farm were Ben and Ainsley, who were unloading the trunk of their car.
“Hey, there’s Trouble. I didn’t know if you’d be here or not. Good to see you,” he told Archer. “You’re Logan?”
“I am.”
Archer made the introductions as they shook hands. “And what do you mean, ‘Trouble?’ We’re the two most innocent guys you’ll find.”
Ainsley’s laughter tinkled out. “Why, absolutely you are. I guarantee you two never get into any trouble at all.”
Even Logan smiled. “Well, he did. I was too busy running behind him trying to keep him out of jail or some irate father’s crosshairs.”
“What? That is not true.” Archer held a hand to his chest and pretended to stagger backward. “I was a perfect child.”
Logan shook his head and laid a hand on Archer’s shoulder. “You keep thinking that, sunshine.” He winked at Ainsley and Ben and tightened his hand.
“It wasn’t my fault the girls followed me,” Archer protested as they headed into the house. “And it would have been rude of me to ignore them. And I will have you know that there was only one time where a shotgun ever came close to being pulled on me.” He grimaced when he remembered Candace and the shooting. From Logan’s raised eyebrows, his brother was shocked at his words. Archer didn’t know if the shock was more from the fact that he’d joked about being shot or that he could see Archer had moved past the event.
Before he could find out they’d reached the house and Rachel was holding the door open for them to enter. “Good timing, everyone. We need a few more hands in the kitchen.”
“Slave driver,” Ben teased, hugging her. “Where’s Dad?”
“Relegated to the living room so he doesn’t steal a pie. You must be Logan.” She held her hand out, her smile warm, and Archer watched as closely as he could to see if any sparks flew between them. All he saw was politeness, though.
“Matchmaking?” Ainsley murmured as she passed him.
He cleared his throat, his cheeks flushing. “No idea what you’re talking about.”
“Sure. Uh-huh.” She smiled at him and went on into the living room.
“Come on in and I’ll introduce you to everyone,” he told Logan. All the kids and half the adults were in the room off the wide hall that ran the length of the house. Sydney ran to them and Archer carefully picked her up. Once everyone had said hello, Archer turned to Owen.
“Where’s your hat?”
“With Amelia, who is still at her place,” Owen answered. “Rachel, did you all call down there?”
“That’s what I was coming to tell you when I saw these guys pull up. She overslept. Her power’s off. We woke her up when we called. She’ll be up shortly.”
Jack, seated on the loveseat next to Owen, frowned. “Her power’s off? For how long?”
“A while, I guess. She had her clock set to go off at eight. Why?”
“Our power is on. We haven’t even had a flicker.”
Amelia rented a trailer from John and Zanny. It set at the foot of the mountain, just around the curve of the road from Jack and Gilly’s house.
“That’s odd. Think it’s an isolated problem?” Archer sat Sydney down.
Jack rubbed his chin. “Has to be. We drove around instead of walking up, and the lights were on at the store. We should probably go check it out.”
“Logan and I can do it. I wanted to show him a little bit of the land, anyhow,” he told Owen, who nodded.
“Can I come?” Sydney asked. Noah and Eli quickly chimed in with the same request.
“You’d better stay here,” Archer told them. “If there is something wrong with Pip’s power service it could be a dangerous situation.”
“You boys be careful,” Jack admonished. “Call if you need help.”
They started down the mountain using the trail Owen had established decades earlier. The trees all had their fall colors on, though the air was still warm.
“This is nice,” Logan said when they reached the large granite outcropping that overlooked a natural pool. “All this land is Owen and Sarah’s?”
“This is the pool he writes about in his Tobias Hedge books. And yes, they own several hundred acres.”
“I picked up a couple of those books. They’re good. But how does he know so much about shifting?”
“Um.” Archer’s steps slowed as they reached the Campbell-Browning property line. “About that. Did I ever mention that, um, Owen and some of his children are shifters?”
Logan stared at him, his gray-green eyes narrowed a bit behind his glasses. “No. You never did mention that.”
“Huh. Must have slipped my mind.” He started walking again, leaving his brother to follow.
After a long moment Logan did. “Is Emma?”
“No. She’s the only normal child, as a matter of fact.” He explained the abilities each Campbell possessed.
“So that’s one of the reasons you fit in so well with them. Do they know about you?”
“Yeah. They do.”
Logan’s hand on his arm stopped him. “About me?”
Archer met his brother’s concerned gaze. “They do. Lo, they’re good people. Honest people. And they’re very protective of that secret. I would trust any member of the family with my life without even thinking about it.”
His brother was not placated. “I’ve never told another living soul about my abilities. I don’t know how I feel about perfect strangers knowing I can shift into a mountain lion at will. Why didn’t you tell me they knew?”
“Because I knew that until you met them it would worry you.”
Logan scowled. “I have met them and I’m still worried. Come on, let’s go do this. Why do you call her Pip?”
Archer rolled his shoulders and asked God to give him patience. He tried to put himself in Logan’s shoes, and conceded that the revelation had to be pretty disturbing. Catching up to him, Archer explained the nickname. “She’s tiny compared to the rest of the family. Only five foot three or so. She’s also ten years younger than John. Rachel’s closest in age, but she’s even four years older than Amelia. So they started calling her Pipsqueak, and it stuck.”
The trail split a short distance before the woods ended and Jack’s backyard began. Archer led the way down the fork, which was a more direct route to Amelia’s trailer. He could feel Logan’s unhappiness but ignored it. There was nothing Archer could do now about the secret being out. The Campbells had kept it for years, and eventually Logan would forgive him. When they reached her trailer, the cause of the outage was obvious.
“This is odd,” Logan said as they started inspecting the pole where the power service connected to the main line. He winced a little as he stooped down and looked under the box that held the meter. “This has been disconnected.”
Sure enough, the main line coming out from the house was loose. The connection was designed to be a fast one, easy on, easy off.
“Think something could have rubbed against it and knocked it loose?” Archer asked.
“It’s possible.” From the frown on his face though, Logan clearly had the same doubts as Archer. “I mean, why would someone disconnect her power? Are there a lot of kids in the neighborhood who’d maybe want to play a prank on her? It is getting close to Halloween.”
“No. The kids all love Amelia. She’s like the little old granny woman who bakes them cookies and treats. Helps with their homework, listens when they have fights with their boyfriends or girlfriends. They wouldn’t do this.”
Logan’s left eyebrow quirked upward. “Sounds like a regular Sally Homemaker.”
A trilling laugh sounded from behind them and they turned.
