Chapter Four
Seth had difficulty keeping the smile off his face as he padded down the stairs of the old farmhouse. It had been a crazy night. He and Anna had been up for several hours, rediscovering each other’s bodies. The sex had been amazing, like when they had first met. He felt the best he had in weeks, so good that he started humming to himself as he walked into the kitchen.
“Oh.” He stopped and blinked at Anna’s grandmother, standing in the middle of the kitchen island, looking a little lost. “Good morning.”
“It’s Tuesday.”
“Yes, it is.” Seth made his way over to the coffeemaker. A pot had already been made, so he grabbed two mugs from the cabinet overhead and started pouring.
“I need my package.”
“What?” Seth put the pot back in the holder and turned to face her. “What are you talking about?”
“My package. Mary Borcher always has a package for me on Tuesdays.”
Seth poured cream and heaped sugar into Anna’s cup. “What kind of package?”
“Good morning,” Anna said as she stepped into the kitchen. “Oh, Grandma, you’re up.”
“I need my package, dear,” Lucie said as Anna kissed her cheek.
Seth shrugged at Anna’s questioning look and handed her the mug of coffee. “Your guess is as good as mine.”
“Mary Borcher has a package for me every Tuesday. I have to go get it.”
“Isn’t Kendra Bennett taking you out today?” Anna asked.
Lucie’s eyes went wide. “No, Kendra can’t know about the package.” She shook her head. “It’s our little secret.” She frowned and put her hand to her head. “What am I going to do?”
“We can get the package,” Seth offered. “Where does she live?”
“She won’t be at the Come Again, or the gas station,” Lucie muttered as she wrung her hands. “She will be at her booth at the festival.”
“It’s okay, Grandma,” Anna said in a soothing voice. “Seth and I will pick up the package for you. I’m sure we can find her booth at the festival.”
“Oh, thank you. Thank you.”
The front doorbell rang, and Lucie jumped to attention. “Oh, that will be Kendra.” She put her finger to her lips. “Not a word. It will be our little secret.” She winked and went out to greet her friend.
“What was that all about?” Seth asked when she was out of earshot.
“I don’t know, but I’m determined to find out.” She took a sip of the coffee and hummed her approval. “I swear you make the best coffee.”
He chuckled and slid his arms around her. “And I do it just to see that look on your face.”
She stood on her tiptoes and kissed his nose. “Thank you.”
“Aw, come on. Is that any way to thank me?”
She set her mug aside and threaded her arms around his shoulders. “How’s this?” She tilted her head and kissed him slowly, sensually, and as her tongue entered his mouth, she rubbed her hips against his aching cock.
“How long do you think the booths are open at the festival?” he asked when she finally pulled away.
“Most of the day, I’d imagine.”
“Good.” He snaked his arm around her legs and lifted her in the air.
“What are you doing?”
“What I should have done instead of coming down to make coffee this morning.” He took the stairs two at a time, and for the rest of the morning, his world was filled with bliss.
Several hours later, Seth and Anna were wandering the booths at the festival, looking for Mary Borcher. Seth had no idea what the woman looked like, but Anna seemed to remember her from her childhood, so he trusted her judgment. They walked hand in hand, and he had this overwhelming sense of peace as they walked up and down the rows. It had been a long time since he had felt such happiness. He didn’t want it to end.
All good things must cease, however, and when he spotted a commotion in one of the booths, he knew deep down in his gut that the joy he was feeling wasn’t going to last much longer.
“Perhaps we should double back and go down a different row.”
“No, I think I see Mary up there.” She tugged on his hand. “Come on. Let’s see what’s going on.”
Seth ground his teeth as he followed Anna to the small crowd forming outside Mary Borcher’s booth. A large table full of moonshine, bar snacks, and wine had been pushed aside, and Dr. Gustafson was down on his knees, talking to something not in view.
“Is she okay?” Mary asked as she hovered over Dr. Gustafson’s shoulder. “Good heavens, the poor thing—”
“What seems to be the problem?” Anna asked.
Mary dragged her gaze away from the large tabby. “Annabelle? Annabelle Richards?”
Anna grinned. “The one and only.”
“Oh, honey.” Mary hugged her. “It’s awful. This stray cat crawled under my table. I think it was trying to get out of the heat. It doesn’t look so good. I think it’s sick, poor thing. Of course, I called Dr. Gustafson right away.”
Dr. Gustafson glanced up at Seth. “I think she’s in labor, but I can’t be sure because she won’t let me get close enough.”
“She hisses at him,” Mary confirmed. “I think she hates men.”
Seth ran his hand over his face. A cat who hates men. Only in Sapphire Falls.
“Is there an ID tag?” Anna asked.
“No.”
Anna placed her hand on the Dr. Gustafson’s shoulder. “Here, let me see if I can do anything.”
“And you are?”
“Annabelle Richards. I’m a vet in Chicago.”
“You’re the one who diagnosed Luna.” He nodded and stood. “Smart diagnosis.”
“Thank you.” Anna knelt down next to the cat. “Perhaps it’s best if you give us a little room.” She smiled at Seth. “Maybe you could get that package from Mary?”
“Package?” Mary asked.
“For Lucie Richards.”
“Oh, of course. Follow me. I have it in my car.”
Seth followed Mary to the car and watched her pop the trunk. Inside were boxes and boxes of mason jars, all filled with different colored liquid. “This is my moonshine,” she said. “I made it myself.” She pulled out a jar of pink liquid and put it into a small paper bag. “The strawberry flavor is Lucie’s favorite. I can only make it in season.”
“Moonshine?” Seth said. “She sent us to pick up moonshine?”
“Of course. My moonshine is famous all over Sapphire Falls.” She leaned in close and lowered her voice. “Lucie isn’t supposed to have any, due to her medication, but she can’t resist the stuff. I make a special batch, just for her, without the alcohol. She doesn’t know that, of course, so don’t say a word.” She winked. “It will be our little secret.”
Seth took the bag. “So Lucie thinks that this has alcohol in it, but it’s really just juice?”
“Not ‘just juice.’ Special strawberry juice. Here.” She pulled a second jar from the trunk. “Here’s the high test stuff. It’s on me.”
As Seth took the jar, he heard Anna calling for him from the tented booth.
“We better get back,” Mary said.
“Right.” When they returned, Seth asked Anna, “What happened?”
“She’s in labor,” Anna said.
“Should we bring her to the clinic?” Dr. Gustafson asked.
“Too late for that, I’m afraid. Seth, could you get me some water, and towels, and—”
For the next couple of hours, Seth, Dr. Gustafson, and Mary Borcher helped Anna as she tended to the stray cat. She really was a terrific vet. Working with animals took skill and patience, but it also took passion. Anna had a passion for animals unlike anyone he knew.
“That’s one,” Anna said as she cupped a small kitten in her hands.
“One?” Seth asked.
She grinned up at him as she handed Dr. Gustafson the animal. “Cats have more than one baby in a litter. Didn’t you know that?”
No, he didn’t know that. He didn’t grow up around animals and didn’t know much about them. Dr. Gustafson tended to the little one as Anna birthed the second, third, and fourth kittens.
“I think that’s it,” she said as she sat back on her heels. She seemed surprised at the small crowd that had gathered to watch. The residents cheered and Dr. Gustafson patted her on the back.
“Well done, my dear. Well done.”
“It was nothing, really.” Despite her words, Anna grinned. Seth could tell that she was pleased that all the kittens were delivered safely.
“Can we move her to a better location?” Mary asked.
“I’ll take them all back to the clinic. Perhaps the owner will come around looking for her.”
As Mary and Dr. Gustafson cleaned up, Seth kissed Anna’s temple. “You did well, Dr. Richards.”
“Yes, you did,” Dr. Gustafson said from his position on the ground. “Thank you for your help.”
“It was nothing. Really.”
“No, it was incredible. That cat wouldn’t let me near her. You really have a way with animals.” He stood and shook her hand.
“Thanks. It’s my passion.”
“Are you living here, or just visiting?”
“Oh, just visiting my grandmother. We’re going back to Chicago at the end of the week.”
“That’s a shame. We sure could use a vet like you in Sapphire Falls.”
Seth’s blood ran cold at the suggestion.
“Tucker said that you are thinking about retiring,” Anna said.
“Yes. I’m getting far too old for this. I want to spend the years I have left playing with my grandkids. Don’t want to leave these good people without someone to care for their animals, though.”
“They could go to Omaha,” Seth suggested. “Or whatever city is close by.”
Dr. Gustafson frowned. “That’s too far away. What if there was an emergency?” He shook his head. “No, Sapphire Falls needs a vet close by. The people here are very close to their pets. It would be a shame if one of them died during a trip to the city.”
Seth slowly removed his hand. He didn’t like where this conversation was going.
“It’s very kind of you, Dr. Gustafson,” Anna said. “But—”
“I know, I know. You have a life back in Chicago. Just think about it, is all I ask. You have good instincts, and you’d be closer to family. It would be the ideal situation for everyone involved.”
Yeah, everyone but Seth. He glanced at Anna and saw how happy she was, how happy she seemed to make the people around her. Ever since they’d stepped foot in Sapphire Falls, everyone had been smiling.
It was all too perfect, almost as if it was planned. While he knew that Anna would never orchestrate something so elaborate to move back to Sapphire Falls, he suspected that her grandmother would.
Country living wasn’t for him. Anna deserved some big-time farmer with an even bigger bank account. She deserved to be surrounded by people and to be happy.
It was becoming more evident that he was never going to be able to give her what her family wanted for her, what she needed. Seth took a step back from Anna as others at the booth congratulated her on a job well done.
“Seth,” Anna asked over the crowd. “Where are you going?”
“Just for some air.” He walked away from the booth before she could call him back to her. He didn’t belong at the festival. He didn’t belong anywhere in this town. Sapphire Falls was Anna’s home, but not his. He couldn’t help but feel that she would be better off here, without him, than back in Chicago. Perhaps it was best if he just leave her be.
Panic gripped Anna as she realized that Seth had gone missing. After the crowd thinned, she had asked around about him. Someone told her that they had seen him head off in the direction of the photo booth. She had looked all over the festival for him and had just about given up when she spotted him off in the distance.
Seth was where she least expected him to be: in the gazebo in the center of town. He was standing right in the middle of everything, and yet he wasn’t. As she approached, she noticed how different he looked from the other men around him. While the men of Sapphire Falls wore their cowboy boots and baseball caps, he wore his leather jacket. While the locals had smiles and T-shirts with local brands, Seth wore a pensive look, not quite a frown, but not really happy either.
“Hey,” she said as she touched his arm. “What’s going on?”
Seth turned slightly and she spotted an open mason jar in his hand. It was half filled with Mary Borcher’s famous moonshine. Oh no. Mary’s moonshine was infamous for being rather strong, much stronger than anything one could get at a liquor store.
“You did well back there,” he said, slightly slurring his words.
She shoved her hands in her pockets. “Thanks. I was rather surprised when you took off.”
He shrugged. “You seemed to have things under control.” He glanced at the Ferris wheel, which had stopped to let some more people on. “So well in fact, that Dr. Gustafson just wants to hand over his entire practice to you.”
Anna sighed. Yes, it was rather unusual, but this was a small town, not the city. Everyone knew everyone else. While no one had said anything, she suspected that her grandmother had mentioned Anna’s vet practice to Dr. Gustafson. Anna wouldn’t be surprised if this visit was just some elaborate scheme to get her to move back to Sapphire Falls to be closer to her grandmother.
“It’s just talk,” she said.
He raised his brows at her. “You don’t want to move back home?”
She shrugged and moved next to him on the railing. “I don’t know. I mean it’s nice here and all. Very different from Chicago.”
Seth snorted in agreement.
“My entire family is here, too.” She looked out at the shops on the other side of the lawn. They all had blue and white striped awnings with the business name hand-painted on the big front window. Big wooden planters full of blue flowers lined the sidewalk. Anna found it all oddly comforting. Not much had changed since her youth. She hadn’t realized just how much she had missed it until she noticed them just now.
“And your friends.”
“Acquaintances. I didn’t have a lot of friends.” Her life was too messed up for friends. Anna took the mason jar out of his hands and took a large gulp. As the sweet, strawberry flavor filled her mouth, her thoughts turned to her high school days and how alone she had felt. Surprisingly, it didn’t hurt as much as it once did. Over the past twenty-four hours, she and Seth had created a lot of good memories here. Those memories seemed to drown out the bad, making them less important.
“Why did you stay in Chicago after graduation?” He motioned to the town around them. “There are a lot of farmers here, with a lot of livestock. The town needs a good veterinarian.”
“Yeah.” She took another large sip from the jar, unsure of how much to tell him. “The town might have needed me, but I didn’t need the town.” Or so she thought. The more time she spent here, the more she felt herself softening to the spirit of the town. Sapphire Falls had a lot to offer, but moving here would mean giving up everything she had gained in Chicago.
It would mean giving up Seth.
Seth took the jar from her hands and sipped. “This place seems so wholesome and good.” He held up the mason jar. “They even make liquor better here than in the city.”
“The town isn’t all sunshine and roses.”
He lowered the jar and stared at her. “What do you mean?”
“I just mean . . . people have problems, that’s all.” She grabbed the jar and finished the last of the moonshine.
“I imagine people have problems whether they live in a small town or a big city,” he said.
“Yes, but in the city, problems are expected. People don’t constantly ask if you’re all right, or look at you with those sympathetic eyes.”
He leaned against the gazebo railing and studied her a moment before speaking. “What’s going on, Anna? What happened to you here?”
Anna steeled her jaw for a moment and searched for the right words. “You weren’t the only one who had a difficult home life. This festival. . .” She waved her hand around them. “It isn’t all bunnies and rainbows. There’s a darker side, too.” She raised the jar to her lips then realized it was empty.
“A darker side?” Seth asked.
“Not everyone loves the this town tradition. That’s all I’m saying.”
“I don’t understand.”
Anna let out a long sigh. “My mom took me to the festival when I was a toddler. My father was working at the time. We saw a magician there.” She stared at her hands, remembering that fateful day. “After the performance, she took me backstage to meet him. He was funny and had some great tricks.” She took a deep breath and handed Seth the jar.
“And then?” he asked.
“Then, the next day, she took me back to see him. And we saw him the day after that. I didn’t think much of it at the time. I was so young.” She nibbled her lower lip in thought. “The last day of the festival she left a note for my dad. She wanted to see the world, and being with the magician would allow her to do that.” She glanced at him for his reaction. Thankfully, he didn’t give her that look of pity she dreaded. Because of this, she found the strength to continue. “I didn’t really remember much of her, but Grandma says she was very pretty.” She cleared her throat. “My dad did the best he could, but he had to hold down two jobs to make ends meet. I was basically left on my own.” She smiled to herself. “But the times we had together were pretty good.”
“Was that who your grandmother was looking for last night?” he asked.
Anna nodded. “I think she was dreaming about when we first learned that my mother ran away.”
“Oh, honey.” Seth slid his arm around Anna’s shoulders and she leaned in to his warmth. “I’m so sorry.”
“And then…” Anna swallowed back the emotion building in her throat. Now that she was speaking, she wanted to get it all out. “Then, one day, my dad had to go into the city to pick up a piece of farming equipment for the Bennett farm. On the way, he was hit by a tractor-trailer truck.” She swallowed and turned her attention back to the passing crowd. “They say that my dad was driving down the wrong side of the road. He was drunk. The tractor-trailer tried to swerve out of the way, but wasn’t fast enough.”
“Jesus.” Seth ran his hand over his face. “I had no idea.”
“Yeah, well, you can imagine the ruckus that happened next. My grandmother took me in. She raised me, but the rumors always persisted.” She leaned back from his embrace and met his gaze. “I needed to get away, Seth. I needed to be somewhere where people didn’t know about my past. Where they didn’t know me. Do you understand?”
“Yeah, I think I do.” He slid his thumb down the side of her cheek. “I grew up in the foster care system, Anna. I could hardly wait to get out of those homes. The job at the spa was my ticket to freedom. I could start over there, begin a new life.”
“Just like I did with the vet clinic.” She inched closer. “This place had too many memories for me to stay.”
He shifted his gaze to her lips. “And now?”
She laced her fingers with his. “Now the ghosts aren’t so bad anymore.” She tugged his fingers to her chest. “It’s because of you, Seth. When the townsfolk see us together, they no longer see the small, frightened girl they once knew. They see me for what I am now.”
“And what’s that?”
“A businesswoman, someone who can stand on her own two feet.” She flashed him a seductive smile. “Someone with a bright future and someone to share it with.” She eased closer until only a sliver of air was between them. “We do still have a future together, don’t we?”
He glanced down at their joined hands. “I want that, Anna. I really do.”
Fear gripped her chest and Anna loosened her grip.
“But?” she said when he didn’t continue.
“But”—he glanced up at her face and shook his head—“I don’t belong here with these people. You do.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because it’s true.”
“No, it isn’t. You just need to give them a chance.”
He chuckled. “Why, Anna? Why should I give them a chance? From the first moment we pulled into that driveway, people have been giving me strange looks.”
“It’s just because you’re new.”
“It’s because I don’t belong.”
“You have to admit, wearing a leather jacket in this heat—”
“It’s not the jacket and you know it.” He motioned to the people walking up and down the grass outside the gazebo. “All of these people know each other.”
“And they could get to know you, if you loosened up—”
“I thought you wanted to go back to the city as much as I do.”
“I did.”
“Did—past tense.”
She sighed. “I do.” She turned away from Seth and looked out over the crowd. “I just forgot how much at home I felt here.”
Seth started to say something, but then a teenager in pigtails and cutoff shorts popped her head in between them. “Welcome to Sapphire Falls!”
“What?” Anna leaned away from Seth as the freckled girl and her two friends grinned at them.
“We’re part of the Blue Brigade!” one of them said.
“I can see that,” Seth murmured. Anna giggled. All three kids were dressed in brightly colored jewel tones that seemed to catch the rays of the setting sun. Each of them held a stack of cards in their hands and had bright blue ribbons tied in their hair and around their arms.
“We’re here to spread Sapphire Sunshine and a neighborly ‘how do you do,’” one of them said.
“You’ve got to be kidding,” Seth murmured.
Anna smirked. “Well, isn’t that nice?”
The freckled girl handed her a card. “Here.”
“What’s this?” she asked.
“It’s a Sunshine Card. On it we have random acts of kindness you can perform.”
“The other side is a listing of the festival events,” another said.
“I’m not taking anything.” Seth shoved his hands in his pockets as a boy held out a card.
“You have to. It’s the neighborly thing to do,” the girl with pigtails said.
“Come on, Seth.” Anna nudged his arm. “It’s part of the tradition here.”
Seth grumbled but took the card from the boy.
“Thank you. Enjoy your time in Sapphire Falls!”
Anna smiled as the three of them walked a short distance away to another group to hand out more cards.
“Are those people for real?”
“I’m afraid so.” Anna returned her gaze to him. “What did you get?”
“Oh no, you first.” He nodded toward her hands.
Anna glanced at the card. On one side listed the main attractions each day at the festival. On the other was an act of kindness. “I’m supposed to help someone who is lost find their way.”
“Find their way to where?”
“Anywhere they want to go.” She glanced around.
“You’re not really going to do this, are you?”
“Why not?”
He stared at her for a moment then smiled. “Well, I might be a little lost, then.”
“Oh yeah?” She flashed him a seductive smile and inched closer. “Where are you looking to go?”
His smile widened. “Somewhere where we can get away from this festival and have a little fun.”
She glanced at the schedule in her hand then smiled. “Your wish is my command.” She steered him away from the gazebo and onto the street. Anna knew the perfect spot where Seth could get a taste of Sapphire Falls and they wouldn’t have to talk to anyone. It was a win-win situation. She had no idea why she didn’t think of it before.
If this place didn’t show Seth the wonders of Sapphire Falls, then nothing would.