I Swear Page 16

  A few seconds later, the men emerged from the trailer. She rose to make her way down the drive to intercept them. As she walked, she could hear them talking.

  “Where’s your first trip going to be, Cletus?”

  “Oh, I don’t know. The experts advise that you camp out near your home for the first couple of times, just to give yourself a chance to learn the ropes. If something goes wrong, you can always go home.”

  “Go home.” Delaney repeated his words. “That’s what we need to do, John. I’ve still got a lot to do before our picnic tonight.”

  “Oh, you’re having a picnic?” Cletus asked with interest.

  John made a harumphing noise. “Oh, its just an excuse for those two to spark and canoodle. I’m supposed to keep myself amused by fishing.”

  As Delaney muttered a protest, Cletus laughed. “Oh, that’s not such a bad deal, friend. You love to fish.”

  “Whatever he catches, I’ll fry up for him.” Delaney took John by the hand. “Bring your worms and let’s go, cowboy.”

  “All right. All right.” John patted Cletus on the shoulder, then dutifully followed Delaney to the car. As she maneuvered her way in backing up and turning around, John said a final farewell to his friend.

  Once they were on the way, Delaney’s mind was focused on the evening to come. All worry about the meaning of the marigolds or the car revving in the distance faded from her mind.

  * * *

  Jonah’s spirits were high as he locked up for the evening. All in all, this had been a very productive day. His hopes for the evening surpassed any he’d harbored in a long, long time. As he passed the shed, Jonah stopped to find his father’s fishing pole and tackle box. He also grabbed a small cooler – just in case a fish was caught.

  His steps toward the house were light. He wondered if Delaney shared his excitement. Easing through the door, he was met by the animals. Jonah was in such a good mood that he squatted down to give them a pet and a rub.

  And this was where Delaney found him. “Hey, you’re here.”

  Just the sound of her voice made his heart race. Standing up, he met her gaze. “Yea, I’m here. Finally.” He couldn’t help but check her out. She looked amazing. “You look lovely in a dress.” Jonah tried not to stare, but the soft material lovingly outlined every curve of her body.

  Delaney ran her hands down the skirt. “I guess I’m pushing the season. I’ll probably need to wear a sweater. I just thought how neat it would be to sit on a blanket and feel the blades of grass on my skin.”

  “I’ll be jealous of the grass,” he whispered.

  “You’re making me blush.” She covered her cheeks. “I didn’t know when you wanted to go, but we’re ready when you are.”

  Jonah nodded with a smile. “Just let me clean up and we’ll take off.” He started to take a step toward the stairs, but stalled. “I’m sorry, but I can’t wait another moment.”

  Before Delaney knew it she was in his arms and he was kissing her. One long, sweet tender kiss and he was off and up the stairs – leaving her stunned and wanting more.

  * * *

  “This looks like a good spot,” John announced as he found himself a grassy knoll to sit on while he cast his line into the middle of the creek.

  “I agree.” Delaney pointed up the slight hill. “How about we go up there, Jonah? We’ll have a good view of John and its flat enough our food won’t roll downhill.”

  “Good idea.” Jonah led her to the spot, then spread a large plaid blanket on the ground for them to sit on. “Not a cloud in the sky, either. Do you think you’ll be warm enough?”

  “I’ll be fine.” She wanted to suggest he’d keep her warm, but she was too shy. She knelt down beside the basket. “I packed some fresh lemonade. Want some?”

  “Yes, please.” He joined her on the blanket. “This is nice, being here with you.”

  Delaney couldn’t agree more. “It is.” For a moment, time seemed to slow to a crawl. The sun was still high enough in the sky to provide enough light to magnify the colors of the trees and the water. If she lived to be a thousand, she’d never forget the sight of Jonah, relaxed and at peace against a backdrop more beautiful than a painting. The aquamarine sky reflected its intense blue color in the waters of the creek surrounded by trees arrayed in the amazing hues of fall – red, orange, yellow. “This is beautiful. You own a piece of heaven.”

  “Yea, I guess we do.”

  “I know living on the banks of the creek wouldn’t be wise due to flooding, but you should build something down here like a dock or a gazebo.”

  “Huh. I guess that would increase property values.”

  “Oh, if it were mine. I’d never sell this place.”

  “But the house is so old.”

  “The house is a home and these grounds and this water makes it paradise.”

  Jonah glanced around, seeing a sight he was used to. Yet, having her with him caused everything to look brand new.

  “Come on, you know you want it. Just try a taste.” They both looked toward John as he tried to convince a fish to take his bait.

  “He taught me how to fish in that exact spot.”

  “You love your father.”

  “Of course, I do. The years we spent apart because of my anger at his remarriage, they weren’t kind to either one of us. In a way…” He dry-scrubbed his face. “In a way, this disease has given us a second chance.”

  “He’s a wonderful guy. I’m growing to love him more every day.”

  “I wish you could’ve known my mother. She was something special.”

  “I wish I could’ve too. What was her name?”

  “Greta Adele.”

  “Oh, that’s a beautiful name. I’m sorry you lost her so early.”

  “I’ve experieced some hard things, but that was the hardest. My life would’ve been vastly different if she’d lived.”

  “I understand and I’m so sorry. Even though my mother is still alive, I lost her in a way too. She suffered a nervous breakdown right after I was born. Grandfather said he thought it started with postpartum depression. Her condition debilitated her and she seemed to always blame me for the way she was feeling.”

  “That wasn’t fair.”

  “No, but I grew up fast. I think I mentioned how she turned over the running of the household to me when I very young.” Seeing Jonah was listening to her with a sympathetic ear, she continued, “She married when I was fourteen and Ben is a nice guy. Like you, he’s a soldier. They have a son together. In fact, Ben just retired from the service last year. He moved them to Houston and they’re doing fairly well.”

  “Oh, you have a little brother.” He smiled. “What’s his name?”

  “Haden.” She smiled, then looked sad. “He’s on the spectrum. Autistic. Very introverted, nonverbal for a long time. With my mother’s condition and his dad in the service, I was Haden’s primary caregiver for several years. When he was two, we moved in with my grandparents because my grandmother came down with Alzheimer’s.” Seeing Jonah’s expression, she brightend. “Oh, it wasn’t all bad. I loved being near my grandfather and I’m happy to say we were able to help Haden.”

  “With both of them, you must’ve had your hands full. How were you able to help your brother?”

  Seeing the sincere interest on his face, she went on to explain, “Mostly through diet. My gramps was a huge proponent of research. When something perplexed him he would start digging and he would let me help him. In Haden’s case, I found an article or two online about how diet could effect autistic patients. We ended up deleting dairy and gluten from his diet and it was like a miracle. In just a few short weeks, he was speaking more than just a mumbled word or two. His vocabulary exploded, and he began interacting with us on a much more consistent basis.” She raised a finger. “In fact, I seem to remember reading one report that stated there was a link between autism and Alzheimer’s.”

  “Oh, really? Wow.” He thou
ght a moment. “I guess it makes sense, both of them being neuro disorders.”

  “Right. So with your permission, I’d like to begin modifying John’s diet.” Placing her hands behind her, she leaned back and stretched a little. “I mean, it can’t hurt.”

  Jonah was enjoying their conversation, but he was enjoying looking at her more. “Absolutely. Which reminds me, I did make a doctor’s appointment for him. I couldn’t get in with the VA anytime soon, so I found a physician in Austin that the McCoy’s recommended.”

  “Perfect. We’ll just have to reassure him what the visit is for. He’s afraid the doctor will push to have him put in a facility.”

  Jonah exhaled. “I know. I’ve tried to reassure him, but the fear remains.” He raked his hand through his hair. “I can understand his trepidation. Alzheimer’s is a scary proposition. Hell, I’m scared of it. I don’t want to end up like him. I can’t think of anything much worse.”

  “I know. I have the same fear, with my grandmother and all. What I think about is the strong possibility a cure will be discovered or we’ll learn how to prevent it through diet…or whatever.” She let her voice trail off. “I’m not belittling your worry. I’m just saying we have to go on living.”

  “Oh, I know and I agree.”

  “Tell me more about your mother,” she encouraged, sensing his memory of her was a key to understanding him.

  “She was a lot of fun and she taught me so many things.” He took another sip of lemonade seemingly pleased at her interest. “I don’t know how much you know about this area.”

  “Not much,” she interjected with a smile. “Tell me something.”

  “All right. It’s a bit unusual, but part of my heritage.” As he spoke, he eased nearer to her – close enough to place his hand on her knee. “Comfort’s original settlers moved here from Germany in the 1850’s.”

  “You called them by a name. Free something. What was it?”

  “Freethinkers or friedinker’s is the word in their language. Education was important to them and many spoke Latin in their homes instead of German.”

  “Can you speak Latin?”

  “Uh. No. Although…I can read a little.”

  “Wow, I’m impressed. You have hidden talents.”

  Jonah winked at her. “I do. I’ll be glad to demostrate some of them. All you have to do is ask.”

  Delaney blushed. “I didn’t mean…”

  “I know.” He grinned at her. “I’ll be good. Anyway, while they brought as many belongings with them as possible, books were high on their list. Unfortunately, their academic backgrounds made for a hard learning curve. They didn’t have a lot of experience building their own homes, growing their own food, and dealing with the heat and mosquitoes. In fact they named the town Comfort because of what they hoped to find here, but after facing the hardships they decided to keep the name as a form of irony.”

  Delaney laughed softly. “We’re so used to the, uh, comforts of modern society that we forget what a rough time the early pioneers must’ve experienced. Why were they called freethinkers?”

  “Mainly because of their attitude toward religion and education. They left Germany because they didn’t want to be told how to think, how to worship, or even if they had to worship at all. I wouldn’t say they were all atheists, but they weren’t religious. Interestingly enough, there wasn’t even a church built in the town until the early 1900’s.”

  “That’s odd, wasn’t it?”

  “Very. They lived peacably until the Civil War came and they couldn’t bring themselves to fight against their adopted country. Even after they were threatened, the freethinkers were unable to support either slavery or secession, so many tried to flee into Mexico with the intent of traveling on to New Orleans where they would stay until the war was over. The Confederate army didn’t agree with their decision and attacked the group of sixty or so settlers near the Nueces River and killed the majority of them.”

  “Oh, how horrible. Did any of your family die?”

  “Yes, my great-great grandfather, I think. I get the number of greats confused. Many families lost someone. This devastated the community. As soon as they could, the survivors brought the fallen back to Comfort to bury. There’s a memorial for them in town. Oddly enough, the flag there is the only one in the US, other than the flags at Arlington, allowed to continually fly at half-staff.”

  “How interesting and how sad. So, this explains your mother’s love for books.”

  “Yes.” He nodded. “She would read to me everynight, until I could do it for myself. Even then, we would sit side by side and read in front of the fire. If you haven’t had the chance, you’ll want to check out the library. Mom collected books, but she also inherited many from her father. Some of the volumes are very old.”

  “Are these the books you invited me to see in your bedroom?”

  Jonah laughed. “Some of them. There’s a good selection next to the fireplace also.”

  “I’m sure some of them are very valuable,” Delaney commented, enjoying talking to him about something that meant so much to him.

  “Maybe. For me, much of their value is sentimental.” He moved his hand where it had been lying, rubbing her leg through the material, easing the dress up just a bit so his fingers could caress the bare skin of her knee. “I’m so glad you’re here with me. You’ve filled a void in my life I didn’t even know existed.”

  “I’m glad too. And grateful.” She eased over on her side, facing him. “You gave me a safe place when I had nowhere else to go and time to get on my feet before I move on.”

  Move on. Jonah tried to ignore the unease the thought gave him. “You’re helping us, don’t forget that. I don’t know what I would’ve done if I hadn’t found you when I did.”

  “I don’t know what I would’ve done either.” Delaney thought about those two men who harassed her. She was just about to tell Jonah about the odd events of the day when John yelled.

  “I got one! I got one!”

  “Hold on! I’m coming!” Jonah jumped up to help his father. Delaney followed, getting a kick out of watching the men get so excited about making a catch.

  Once the fish was in the cooler, Delaney suggested they eat. “Anybody getting hungry?”

  “I am for sure,” Jonah commented. “Dad, wanna take a break before fishing some more?”

  “Yea, sure.” He propped his pole against a tree. “How much do you think that bad boy weighed?”

  “Oh, three pounds easily.” Jonah followed along next to his father as they joined Delaney on the blanket.

  “That’ll make some good eating.” John lowered himself to the blanket and picked up his mason jar full of lemonade. Removing the lid, he gave Delaney a wink. “This is fun.”

  “I thought it would be.”

  Over the next few minutes, they chowed down on chicken salad sandwiches, homemade potato chips, dill pickle spears, and cookies. As they ate, Delaney regaled them with stories about her life in Louisiana.

  “Oh, it’s a different world, for sure. The view for my grandparent’s porch was outstanding. We would set trot lines right along the shore. Of course, we’d lose a few to alligators along the way.”

  Jonah shook his head. “I guess you were careful walking around outdoors at night.”

  “Oh, yes. Between the alligators and the snakes, you learned to watch your step. I remember a neighbor of ours found a big gator in her kitchen, he’d entered through the pet door and just made himself at home.”

  “What did they do?” Jonah’s eyes were wide with interest.

  “Her husband herded him back outside. I was just relieved their dog didn’t get eaten.”

  “I know people eat alligator. I guess he was lucky he didn’t end up in a stew,” Jonah said as he munched on a cookie.

  “Yea, I’ve eaten alligator many times. It’s good. Processing them isn’t fun, however. So, the owners probably didn’t think he was worth the trouble.” De
laney wiped her fingers on a paper towel, then finished the last of her lemonade.

  “I remember eating some of those Natchitoches meat pies. They were good,” John commented. “Do you know how to make them?”

  “I do. In fact, I have a special spice blend I add to the mix. I use not only hot spices, I add a little cinnamon, cloves, and all spice.”

  John slapped his knee. “I put in my order for a couple of dozen right now.”

  “Okay. You got it.” Delaney hugged herself.

  “Are you getting cold?” Jonah was watching her so closely, he noticed her every move.

  “A little,” she admitted.

  “Fall is definitely in the air.” He moved closer to her. “Let me keep you warm.”

  His nearness thrilled her as she nestled against him. “This is nice.”

  “Oh, hell yea, it is.” When he put his arm around Delaney to draw her close, Jonah felt like he’d won the lottery. “Dad, you gonna fish some more?”

  “Yea.” The older man stood and shook his head. “I know you wanna be alone. Three’s a crowd. Reminds me of how it was between me and Maureen O’Hara.” John named an old time movie star who made several movies with Wayne.

  “You don’t have to leave.” Delaney felt guilty. She ignored Jonah’s soft grumbly protests. “Stay here.”

  “Nah, I wanna fish. I’m just giving you two lovebirds a hard time,” John said as he ambled away.

  “He’s sweet. It just kills me that he knows enough to realize he’s failing.”

  “I know.” Jonah’s hold on her tightened into a gentle hug. “All we can do is keep him happy and you’re great at doing that.”