Thunder Snow (Thunder On The Mountain Series) Read online

  Stir crazy didn’t begin to describe what I was feeling. It was my imagination that was wreaking such havoc with my head. I kept wanting to call or text Jack, but feared I might call at just the wrong time and distract him from something important, so I stayed in silence, waiting desperately for the phone to ring.

  When the knock came at the door, it scared me to the roots of my hair. “It’s me, honey. Open up. I brought you some lunch.”

  I was so excited at the prospect of not being by myself, I hurried to open the door for Sunni. “Oh! Am I glad to see you! You have no idea how awful it is to wait!”

  “I spent a good part a my life waitin’, honey. I DO know how it can be. Figured you’d be pacin’ and not takin’ care a yerself, so I closed up shop for a little while and came up to try to put some meat on those scrawny bones a yers.”

  “Oh, Sunni, that was SO nice of you! Thank you!”

  The fried chicken and macaroni and cheese were not a normal part of my diet, but they tasted so good today I’m not sure I wasted time breathing while I ate. “That was, without a doubt, the best chicken I have ever put in my mouth," I said, wiping my hands.

  “Glad ya liked it. My ma got the recipe from her ma. No need to change a good thing if it ain’t broke.”

  “Thank you, thank you, thank you. I’m going absolutely nuts. It’s so nice to have you here."

  “Sorry I can’t stay. I just came up ta feed your bones. I gotta get back down and open up shop again.”

  “Oh, please, Sunni, let me come with you?”

  “Are you kiddin’? And have me get skinned within a’ inch a my life? No way! Yer gonna lock the door when I leave, and you ain't gonna answer ‘til everything is clear, ya hear me, young un?”

  “Okay, okay, I’ll find something to do to occupy my time. I’ve got a good book I’ve been wanting to read. I’ll see if it’s good enough to help me escape the nightmare called ‘today.’”

  “I ain’t drivin’ away until I hear the lock turn. Understand?”

  “Yes, ma’am, I understand.” I gave her a hug and a kiss on the cheek. That seemed to surprise her, and she got a little smile on her face as she turned and left.

  “Sam’s right. Yer one special young lady.”

  I locked the door and heard her drive away. The book had better be good. I needed something powerful to pull me away from my thoughts.

  Jack’s familiar ding sounded. We’re fine. Not to worry. I won’t be able to talk for a while, but I wanted you to know we’re okay. Have no idea when we’ll be home. Same rules apply – don’t open the door for anyone. I love you. I’ll be there when I get there. Can’t be any more specific than that.

  Where are you, Jack?

  Later. Can’t explain now. ILY

  Take care of yourself! I’ll hurt you even more if you don’t! :)

  It took me a while, but I finally got into the popular new thriller I was reading. The author was one I enjoyed, and I had several hours of escape as I read of mysterious meetings in the Mohave and sabotage on the Seine.

  When I looked at the clock and saw that it was 5:00, my anxiety levels shot up. Where could he possibly be? Why hadn’t he called? Was he all right? I picked up my phone and called the Amber Rose to see if Sunni had heard from Sam.

  “Not anything yet, darlin’. Jest take care of yerself. I’m sure they’re fine. We woulda heard somethin’ by now from somebody if they weren’t. Don’t go troublin' yer mind. They’re jest fine. I’ll let you know the minute I hear anything.”

  “Okay. You sure are a lot better at waiting than I am, Sunni.”

  “Yer doin’ jest fine, honey, it’s all gonna be okay.”

  It took another hour for me to settle down again. The book was, in fact, interesting enough to hold my attention. So much so that when the key turned in the lock several hours later, I jumped with fright. A very weary Jack walked through the door, throwing his coat over the edge of the chair and opening his arms to me. I ran to him, never happier or more relieved to be engulfed in his strong embrace.

  “What happened? Are you okay? Where’s Sam? Where’s Jason? Have you eaten? Talk to me!”

  “If you’d slow down for a minute and let me catch my breath, I’d be glad to,” he said affectionately.

  “Okay, okay. I’ll settle down. Do you want a drink?”

  “No, Callie, you need to sit down.”

  The tone of his voice was solemn, almost frightening.

  “Oh, Jack, please tell me Sam’s okay!”

  “Yes, yes, he’s fine.”

  As I sat down on the couch next to him, the firelight playing across his rugged features, he took my hands in his and said, “He’s dead, Callie. Jason is dead.”

  “Did you kill him, Jack?” was my immediate response.

  He looked me in the eye and tilted his head. “Do you think I did?”

  “I don’t have any idea. I’m trying to figure out how I feel about him being dead, and why I wouldn't be upset if it was you who killed him.”

  “Well, THAT is certainly a conversation for another day. No, Callie, I didn’t kill him. He was dead when we found him.”

  “Oh, Jack, no! Did he freeze to death in his car? Was it MY fault?”

  “Oh, little one, no,” he said, drawing me into his arms. “He never made it back to the car."

  He pulled me back to lean against his chest, and told me about the events of the day. “His car was still there when Sam and I got there, with no sign of him anywhere. There were no signs of footprints in the snow, so we called the Sherriff’s office.

  “Seems Jason had walked quite a few miles past where you had been hiding. If he headed back, the storm would have been much heavier by then. The police brought in helicopters to search the area.

  “He was found quite a distance away, but very close to another trailhead. He obviously got hypothermia because there was an indication he was walking around in circles near where his body was found. The victim will often have a false sense of being warm. He didn’t have his shirt on when they spotted his body. He was probably dead within a few hours of when you last saw him.”

  “Oh, Jack, I keep waiting to feel a sense of remorse. I only feel relief. Does that make me a horrible person?”

  “Of course not, little one,” he said, kissing my hair. “I’m not sure what we would have done if we had found him. I’m glad I didn’t have to find out.”

  “What happened after that?”

  “We went to the Boulder Police Station and answered questions for quite a while. Sam and I decided the evidence pointed to exactly what had happened, and opted to tell them the whole truth. I didn’t want them finding pieces to the puzzle as time went on, as his family finds out, and you get implicated by association with me.

  “We told them about your attack, about his jail time, about him following you out there the other day.”

  “Come to think of it, he only had on a shirt when he walked by me. As fast as that storm came in, he would have gotten cold in a hurry.”

  “Because of the tire, it would have raised red flags. That’s why Sam and I decided honesty would be best all the way around. There is no question the evidence points to what happened. They were satisfied with our explanation. They will be asking you some questions, but there’s nothing to hide. I told them I’d bring you in tomorrow to talk to them. There is absolutely nothing to worry about.”

  “No, I’m not worried, Jack. I will not, under any circumstances, let him hurt me from the grave. I really am trying to find some remorse in me that a man is dead, but I feel no sorrow about him at all. I feel sorry for his brother, Mark, but other than that, nothing."

  “It won’t take long. I figure that after you talk with the Police tomorrow, there’s going to be a lot of press coverage. Are you able to get away for a few days? I’d be happy to hop in the car and take you somewhere away from here. Maybe Santa Fe?

  “Somewhere no one can find you. Somewhere that we can be anonymous and blend into the woodwork and just relax f
or a few days. It’s not a long drive, and, according to the police, your trial with Jason was pretty high profile. You seem to be a pretty popular figure not only in Denver but in Boulder, as well. They knew exactly who you were, and there was definitely no love lost for Jason.

  “It made us both sick to hear some of their stories, and to know what you had been through on your own. There is no way I want you in the middle of it again. And I SURE don’t want them tracking you down up here. It would ruin the peace and quiet you’ve worked so hard to establish. It made me love you all the more to find out just a portion of what you had been through, and to see what an amazing woman ended up on the other side.”

  ~~~

  True to his word, Jack whisked me away to a beautiful Southwestern vacation. The interrogation by the Boulder Police was painless and routine. There was no question of the facts of how Jason had died, and they encouraged Jack to get me out of town for at least a week. We stayed at a hacienda in Taos for a few days, soaking up the sun. Then we spent several days at a quaint Inn off of the Plaza in Santa Fe, visiting art galleries, wandering the stores, and an entire day at The Nirvana Spa being pampered. There was a day trip to a National Park, and a full day exploring the surrounding areas of Santa Fe.

  It had been a dream of a time with Jack, and I wasn’t even going to feel guilt in the face of tragedy. Both of us knew it was time to return as we lay in bed that morning.

  “Are you ready to go, little one?”

  “I love our life in Nederland, Jack. This trip has been what will become one of my best memories, but there has been a huge weight lifted not having to worry about Jason ever again. By the time we get back it will be yesterday’s news. Of course I'm ready. As long as you’re there with me, I don’t really care where it is."

  When we arrived back in Nederland late that afternoon, Sam and Sunni were thrilled to see us.

  “Ya’ll sure missed a whole lotta ruckus ‘round here. Was a real good thing ya decided ta leave when ya did,” Sam said, giving me a great big hug.

  “There were reporters here for days, thinkin’ they had a story, sniffin’ ‘round like hound dogs,” Sunni said. “But ya know the town folk. Not one a them woulda given ya away. When every line they tried ended at a dead end, they all left, jest as quick as they came.”

  “Then it was a wise decision that we left.”

  “One woman stopped and left this for ya. Said if ya ever showed up again ta be sure ya got it.”

  My hands shook as I tried to get it open. Jack pulled a knife from his pocket, slit the envelope, and handed it back to me, all the while his eyes never leaving my face. “Who’s it from?” he asked gently.

  “Angie.”

  Callie ~ I suppose you’re happy now. You never did understand Jason. All he ever wanted was to marry you. He has always loved you, and now he’s dead. I knew he was coming to try to find you, try to talk some sense into you. I’ll track you down myself if I ever find out you had anything to do with his death.

  Jason was so wrong. There not a single thing lovable about you.

  I handed Jack the note. He read it. I could see the anger on his face. Positioning myself to make eye contact with him, I touched his face gently.

  “Hey, it doesn’t MATTER what she says, Jack. She can’t hurt me. And he can’t ever hurt me again. You keep telling me that, and you’ve done such a good job of convincing me, I believe it to the very depths of my soul. Thank you, sincerely.”

  We stood there just looking at each other. He wrapped me in his arms and held me. After a few minutes, Sam cleared his throat behind us.

  “’fore ya kids go getting all lovey dovey again, Sunni an’ me got somethin’ ta tell ya.”

  “Sam an’ me is gettin’ hitched,” she blurted out.

  “Oh, that is SO wonderful!” I said, throwing my arms around Sam, then Sunni.

  Even Jack seemed to be moved. He gave Sam a bear hug and kissed Sunni on the cheek. “Got any plans for a date yet?”

  “Sometime soon, but nothin’ definite. Won’t be nothin’ too big, jest close friends.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  The wedding was over, and Sam and Sunni opted to stick around. Jack and I offered to send them on a honeymoon, but they didn’t want to leave until after the High Peaks Art Festival the following month. Sunni had several paintings that would be on display, and she had others she wanted to finish.

  Walking in the door a few days later, Jack kissed me senseless then asked, “What’s the occasion?”

  The lights were dimmed, candles lit, soft music playing. “I know how much you love it, so we’re having steak and mushrooms and lots of goodies. Should be ready in just a minute, but if you’re going to kiss me like that, I’ll turn the grill off. Dinner can wait.”

  “We have all night to feast on each other. Let’s not let this banquet go to waste. Did I miss a birthday?” he teased.

  “Well, it’s an anniversary of sorts. Believe it or not, it’s been nine months today since I first saw your surly face in the Amber Rose."

  “I remember it like it was yesterday,” he teased.

  “Go wash up, cowboy, and I’ll get yer grub on.”

  “You say such sweet things to me, ma’am. Coming right up.”

  “Promises, promises. Remember that later,” I said as I headed into the kitchen.

  “I don’t need to remember it,” he said softly, “because I never forget it. It always just is.”

  Dinner was a tender and romantic affair. Soft music, candle light, sharing memories. I couldn’t have been happier.

  “I have to go to Denver this weekend,” I said softly as I lay sated in Jack’s arms. “I have clients who sold their house last year and are finally ready to buy a new one. How silly am I that I hate the thought of being gone from you for a whole day? You are like a drug. Every day I wait for this feeling to lessen, but it doesn’t seem to go away.”

  Jack continued to run his fingers through my hair in that special way – twirling it around his finger as he got to the end. Over and over and over again, soothing, drugging. I knew this was the perfect time to share my secret; knew there would never be a more tender time to tell him the news.

  “Jack,” I started . . .

  “Angel,” he said at the same moment.

  We smiled into each other’s eyes, and he said, “There’s something I need to tell you.”

  I gently touched his cheek and said, “Then you go first, because I have something to tell you, too.”

  “Ladies first,” he whispered. “I’ve put it off this long and am not anxious to rush in now, so go ahead, little one, what is it you have to tell me?”

  “We’re going to have a baby,” I blurted. “I think it might have been the night of the big storm . . .”

  His body had gone completely still. His fingers were no longer moving through my hair. I rose on one elbow to look at his face, his familiar face that was now motionless, the eyes that were suddenly unresponsive. “Are you upset? I know we hadn’t planned it, but I thought you would be happy.”

  His eyes focused on me now, sort of. “How are you feeling?” he asked. An empty question, not because he wanted to know, but because it was expected?

  He unwrapped himself and stood up, stepping into his jeans. I watched his muscular body from behind, wanting to know what he was feeling. “Where are you going?” I asked as he walked into the front room, buttoning his shirt. I scrambled out of the bed and threw on my robe, going up behind him and wrapping my arms around his waist. “I’m sorry, Jack, I should have prepared you better. I didn’t think you’d be so shocked.”

  “I’m not shocked, Callie. Just thinking, that’s all,” he said as he continued to stare out the front window.

  He had called me Callie. Not ‘little one,’ not ‘angel,’ not ‘lover’ . . . Callie. He only called me Callie in public. “What did you want to tell me, Jack?" I wanted him to talk to me. Talk to me about anything. I wanted to touch his soul, to have him look at me and tell me it wa
s going to be all right, that WE were going to be all right.

  “Nothing important,” he responded hollowly. “You get some rest. I’ll see you soon.”

  “Where are you going?” I asked, the desperation coming through to my own ears.

  “I remembered some things I need to take care of. I need to get them done before Thursday. I’ll stay at my place tonight so I can get an early start.”

  “Please, Jack, please stay. Please don’t leave. Let’s talk this out.”

  “Nothing to talk out. It will be okay, I just need some time to think.”

  “Time to THINK?” I asked incredulously as I pulled away from him. “Time to think about WHAT? Whether or not you want to be a daddy? A little late to wonder about that now!”

  In my own ears, I sounded like a shrew. I wasn’t going

  to beg him. Step back, Callie, step back. Let him go, I told myself. I could feel the tears starting to sting my eyes. Dammit. Don’t you DARE cry in front of him. He just needs to get used to the idea, that’s all. Let him leave.

  He looked me in the eyes now. He touched my cheek. He kissed me on the forehead, “It’ll work out, Callie. Just give me a little time.”

  And then he was gone. Time? He needed TIME? Why wasn’t he thrilled? He LOVED children. He would make a perfect father. In my wildest dreams I couldn’t have imagined he would react this way. I was not going to let it upset me. I had enough to deal with. I had a busy day ahead of me tomorrow, and I needed to get some sleep. I was always so tired these days, and this encounter had absolutely drained me.

  Throughout the night I would reach for him, needing him, wanting his arms to comfort the hurt in me. It would get through to my consciousness that he wasn’t there, and the tears would gently fall until I fell back into troubled sleep. My mind refused to accept that he might go to ground again. I wasn’t sure I could survive it. Not now. Not after all we had been through. Not with the baby. Surely I had to be wrong.

  There was no way I would have mentioned it to Marge when I arrived in Denver. We were busy all day with contractual obligations, and it was a blessed relief that I had something to occupy my time, my mind. I hadn’t heard from him since he left last night.