Chapter Four
“She’s where?”
“Hold on,” Will called down.
More than a little stewed over this latest development, Sawyer nevertheless waited patiently while Wilson McCall climbed down the scaffolding that braced the interior wall of the mill. He covered the distance from top to bottom as easily as a squirrel running down the side of a tree. Will was tall, with a lean, ropy build that belied his surprising natural strength. He tossed impressive pieces of blue stone around like another person tossed dice. Young Jake took after his father. Both were soft-spoken by nature with a strong work ethic.
A stonemason by trade, Will had initially come in to help assess the condition of the stonework that made up the foundation of the four exterior walls, as well as the boundary walls around the property immediately surrounding the mill. Sawyer had hired the man full-time when it became clear that Will McCall gave new meaning to the term jack-of-all-trades. And any fear he’d had that they’d essentially be providing day care by hiring on Will’s young son as a laborer and odd jobs guy had been allayed on day one. Jake more than earned his keep, putting in time after school almost every day, or whenever Sawyer had work appropriate to his abilities. Since neither father nor son said much, Sawyer couldn’t say he felt he knew them all that well, despite having worked beside them on an almost daily basis since late spring, just before school had let out. What he did know, however, was he liked and admired both McCall men.
If that hadn’t been good enough for him, Addie Pearl knew a whole different side of the McCall family. Wilson apparently was quite the fiddle player, and an even more skilled fiddle maker. Sawyer had to take Addie’s word on that, as he hadn’t been lucky enough to hear the man play, nor had he seen proof of Will’s instrument-making skills. Will had quietly declined Addie’s persistent urging to bring in one or two of his handcrafted fiddles and mandolins, until Sawyer finally had to tell her to leave the poor man alone.
There was one other piece of Sawyer’s connection to Wilson, but the two men had never spoken of it. Sawyer had done three tours in Iraq, and another two in Afghanistan. He’d seen things, and done things, that most men would find hard to reconcile within themselves. Sawyer had managed to find his way through, and gave thanks and praise every single day for feeling solid, and centered, for being productive and forward thinking. He knew, firsthand, that so very many hadn’t been as lucky. He credited having the great good fortune to have served under a commander who had watched, looked, and listened to the men he supervised, stepping in when he saw any sign of the early stages of personal crisis.
Sawyer also credited having a small, but loyal-to-the-core unit of buddies he’d have given his life for, as some of them had, indeed, done for him. Seth Brogan was one of those men. He’d also spent some solid time after his return in the care of several extremely competent therapists, without whose guidance he’d have been lost for sure.
In Wilson, he saw the signs, saw the shadows. He had no idea where Wilson had served, or when, for how long, or even in what branch of the military. But there was no doubt in Sawyer’s mind that Wilson had also seen things, and perhaps had been ordered to do things, that no man should ever be asked to bear witness to or carry out. Maybe at some point, the moment would come when they’d speak of it. But until then, Sawyer gave Wilson what he could. Support, friendship, steady work to focus on, and an outlet. Hard physical labor was one way to work through mental distress. Not enough to fix anything long term, not by itself, or so Sawyer had come to realize, but a hell of a lot better than no outlet.
On the positive side, Jake, despite his natural shyness, looked like a happy, healthy, and well-loved young man. Sawyer didn’t know the whole story about Jake’s mother, other than she’d passed away when he’d been a little tyke. Wilson’s mother, Katie McCall, had come to the Hollow after Sawyer had enlisted, so he hadn’t met or known the woman, but Addie Pearl had very kind things to say about her. From Addie he knew that she had played some role in the boy’s life, helping to raise him, and when she’d passed on, Wilson had inherited her property. Will had moved himself and his young son there full-time shortly afterward. Sawyer had still been overseas at the time.
It seemed like a lot to know about a person, and yet, to Sawyer, who had a knack for getting folks to talk about themselves without seeming to realize how much they were revealing, it seemed he’d barely skimmed the surface. There were deep waters there. But they had time, he thought. And wasn’t that a good bit of knowledge to wake up to every morning? He was thankful every day for that truth.
So he waited patiently for Wilson to cross the packed dirt floor. The man wasn’t yet forty, maybe four or five years older than Sawyer at most, and he wasn’t one for shouting.
“Addie’s up in D.C. Thought you knew,” Will said, taking a rag from the back pocket of his heavy canvas work pants and wiping the dust and dirt from his face. “She and Bailey headed out around . . . I guess it must have been before nine. I got here at quarter past eight, after dropping Jake off at school. Wasn’t much after that.”
“What, exactly, did she say?”
“Just that she was taking Bailey on a field trip to our nation’s capital. Her words.” He lifted a densely muscled shoulder. “I thought maybe she was homeschooling her or something.”
Or something, all right, Sawyer thought. Addie Pearl was up to one of her tricks, and Sawyer would bet the mill he knew exactly what—or who—that or something was going to involve. Sunny Goodwin worked in D.C., or so Addie had told him, despite the fact that he hadn’t asked. His personal jury was still out on the woman who was, by law anyway, his stepsister. He’d liked her well enough. She was sharp, smart, and had her wits about her. A good sense of humor lurked there, too, which was a big point in her favor. Helped to balance out that almost too-serious, take-charge side of her.
Although, to be fair, she had been thrown as big a loop as he’d been thrown that day, just from a different angle. She’d asked a few pertinent questions, and had seemed to feel protective of her newly discovered stepsister. He wasn’t sure who had been more surprised when she’d asked what would happen if she held on to her share of the mill: Sawyer, Addie, or Sunny herself. Up until that point, every one of his battle-tested instincts told him she was out the moment she could get out.
And he didn’t hold that against her, either. She hadn’t had a clue about her father, much less that he’d leave her some random property out in the mountains. Along with that avalanche of information had come the fun news that she also happened to have stepsiblings. Oh, joy, right? Bailey hadn’t really had a say in how things were going to go, although he was sure if she’d asked to stay with her foster family, Addie would have at least considered it. But Bailey hadn’t said a word about wanting to stay where she’d been.
In Sunny’s case, however, the reality was that her life was elsewhere. A good life, according to Addie, who’d apparently asked a lot more questions of the young woman than Sawyer had thought to ask. Addie had also found out during the court proceedings that Sunny had recently lost her mother.
So, no, he didn’t hold it against her that she’d seemed to flip-flop on what she wanted, nor that she’d headed out shortly after making her surprise announcement. It had to have been a lot to process in one day.
That day had been two weeks ago, however. And he, for one, would like to know what her decision was going to be. She was right in thinking they needed to dot the i’s and cross the t’s before he went much further with the renovation. What she decided to do with her share was just business to him. The family part? Well, Addie’s little speech that day notwithstanding, they weren’t family, not really. So, he didn’t much care what Sunny wanted to do about that part.
As for Bailey? He liked the kid. And he loved Addie even more for wanting to do the right thing by her. He suspected in time Bailey would come to mean a lot more to him, since they’d be living in the same town and the same woman who’d helped to raise him would now be raising her. Bailey didn’t know it yet, but her life had just taken a very, very, lucky turn. He had no idea where his would have ended up had it not been for Addison Pearl Whitaker stepping in and doing the same for him. But that also meant her share of the mill wasn’t in limbo.
All that was left was tying up the loose end that was Sunny Goodwin. And if he thought that was what had prompted Addie Pearl to head to D.C., he’d have driven her there himself. Unfortunately, he knew Addie too damn well to suppose that was the case. “Did she say how long they’d be gone? Were there overnight bags involved?”
Will frowned. “I didn’t think to look. I was already up the scaffolding when she stuck her head in to say they were heading out. Sorry.”
Sawyer shook his head. “Nothing to be sorry about. Not your problem.”
“What’s not his problem?” Seth strolled in just then, a tray of take-out coffee balanced in one broad hand. A white pastry bag with steam escaping the top and grease soaking through the bottom was clasped in the other. He lifted both. “Whatever it is, I can guaran-damn-tee this will make it better, cher.” He said that last part in a mock Cajun accent.
Wilson leveled a very serious look at Seth. “Hattie’s back?”
“She is.” He grinned, proffered a cup, but held the bag back.
“Thank you, Jesus,” Wilson murmured, cradling the cup between two broad palms and taking a nice, long sip, the scalding temperature of the coffee be damned. “And there will be life,” he added, clearing his throat a few times as the hot liquid went down.
Sawyer took his cup, nodding his thanks. “You can skip showing me what’s in that bag, though. The last thing I need right now is a sugar rush.”
Seth just grinned. “Don’t have to tell me twice.” He uncurled the top and let Wilson peek inside the bag. “More for us.”
Will groaned in deep appreciation. “God is good.”
“Hattie is better,” Seth said, chuckling, as Will reached in and pulled out a plump, golden brown beignet, the dusting of sugar coating the surface glinting in the morning sun. He closed his eyes as if in prayer as he sank white teeth into the warm, puffy pastry.
“Damn straight,” Will said, around a second bite.
Hattie was Henrietta Beauchamp, who ran Bo’s, the only diner in town. She opened at six every morning, seven days a week. Her menu boasted all-day breakfast, a daily lunch special from eleven to two, and supper served from four to six every evening. Closing time was seven-thirty sharp. She’d run the place longer than most folks in Blue Hollow Falls had been alive, but “her people” as she termed them, hailed from Louisiana. As did her cooking. All of it learned at her mamere’s knee, as she liked to tell pretty much anyone who’d listen.
She’d recently taken a trip south to attend her great-nephew’s wedding and visit family. Likely the last time, given her advanced age, that she’d be able to make such a trip. Privately Sawyer was pretty sure she and Addie would outlive them all, but he’d been happy she’d worked it out to get down there, with the help of her great-granddaughter.
What the whole town, such as it was, hadn’t been okay with, was her shutting down Bo’s for the duration. As she made clear, she didn’t give her recipes out “to nobody.” So while she was gone, they’d just have to feed themselves, now, wouldn’t they? She’d smiled her partially toothless grin and told them they’d respect her more for it, be more thankful for her on her return. As the collective reverence for Hattie Beauchamp was second only to God, he wasn’t sure how much more revered she could be, but folks certainly wouldn’t be taking her for granted anytime soon.
“I’m glad she’s back, too,” Sawyer said. “Her biscuits and gravy are like no other. And if you tell Addie I said that, I’ll deny it.” They all chuckled and the two other men continued to groan in abject sugar bliss as they polished off the bag. At the last second, Sawyer snagged the bag and wolfed down the final one himself. Maybe he needed a little fortification after all. “Dear Lord, it’s almost better than sex,” he said on a groan.
Seth did a fake jab to Sawyer’s midsection. “Brother, if you think anything is better than sex, then you definitely ain’t doing it right.”
“Don’t let Hattie hear you say that.” This from Will, which had the other two men bark out a surprised laugh.
“Listen, I need to head out of here for the day,” Sawyer told the two men, hating to miss a day, but knowing damn well it was his only real option. “Will, go ahead and start in on repairing the mortar joints on the exterior lower stone wall.” Then he turned to Seth. “Have a go at that wheelhouse. I know you’ve been dying to get your hands on it.”
Seth’s eyes gleamed. “Damn straight. But I thought we were continuing on the frame out of those upper-floor joists. That other stuff is extraneous, at least until the important work is done.”
“I know, but I have to—”
“It’s like he doesn’t think we can handle it unless he’s here ordering us around,” Seth told Will in exaggerated dismay.
Will, who was used to their back-and-forth, but refused to play the straight man, merely shook his head, then took their empty coffee cups and doughnut bag and headed over to dump them in the mortar bucket that doubled as their trash bin.
“I’d love nothing more than coming back to find those pain-in-my-ass boards in place,” Sawyer told him. “It’s not that. I’m just thinking it might be in all our best interest if I clear up a few things with my new, uh, partner before we go any further.”
“Ah, yes,” Seth said with an appreciative sigh. “I’m guessing you mean the lovely Miss Sunshine. You heard her whole name, didn’t you? All five of them? There she was, all business on the outside, but peace, love, and rock and roll underneath. Now that’s just damn sexy.” He wiggled his eyebrows. “Perhaps you should give dear old sis a call and ask her to drop on by again. I’ll be happy to help you negotiate.”
Sawyer just shot him a level look, and completely ignored the sudden protective streak he felt at the thought of Seth doing anything with Sunny. It was one thing to instinctively want to protect Bailey; she was just a kid. But Sawyer was pretty sure if anyone could take care of herself, it was Sunshine Goodwin. In fact, according to Addie, she’d done just that, as well as taken care of her flower child mama, from the time she was around Bailey’s age. “What I mean is that Addie Pearl is up in D.C. right now, on a ‘field trip’”—he used air quotation marks—“and I think I know who is on her first tour stop.”
Seth’s suggestive smile fell. “Oh.” He winced. “Yeah, an intervention might not be a bad idea.”
“Why does it matter?” Will wanted to know, surprising them both by giving an opinion on the matter. When Sawyer and Seth turned to look at him, he merely shrugged and said, “Looks to me like Miss Goodwin could care less what you do to this place. She came, she saw, she split.” He pulled his work gloves from a back pocket and put them on. “It’s not like she’s going to be upset that her share is worth more, especially seeing as you’re not expecting her to chip in on the restoration costs or anything else.”
It was a fair point and one Sawyer had been telling himself the past two weeks. “True,” he told Will. “But, end of the day, I don’t know what she wants or doesn’t want. What I want is for her to sell her share to me or Addie, or at least give one of us legal control over the decision making for her. Letting it simply sit in limbo like this isn’t making me all that comfortable. Apparently Addie is feeling the same.”
“But?” Seth prodded, knowing Sawyer well enough to know that wasn’t the whole of it.
“Only, I’m afraid Addie is looking for a different resolution than I am, or she’d have discussed it with me, and we’d have moved forward on it together. And she wouldn’t have taken Bailey along with her.” Sawyer sighed. No, Addie wanted to keep Doyle’s newfound offspring in the immediate orbit of his other newfound offspring, and if Sunny wasn’t going to initiate contact, she’d take matters into her own hands. “You know Addie, she’s all about family, and I suspect she’s going to make this one happen whether said family members want it to or not.”
“When do you figure you’ll be back?” Wilson asked.
“Sometime tonight.”
“Lot of driving in one day,” he replied. “We can keep on getting on while you’re gone, if you need to stay up there a night or two.”
“I appreciate that, but I suspect Miss Goodwin will be quite happy to tell us whatever she’s decided without a lot of haggling. She didn’t strike me as being particularly wishy-washy.”
“Truth,” Seth agreed, and Sawyer noted the gleam of interest once again.
“Simmer down, big guy,” Sawyer told him. “One thing I’m pretty certain about, no matter how she decides to manage her share, is that it will be a way that doesn’t require her on-site presence. You saw how fast she lit out of here. She’s a city girl.”
“I was born in Seattle,” Seth reminded him.
“Yes, well, you’re also a child of the leprechauns and wee folk, so we can’t go by you.”
“If only it were true. My nana Aileen would be so proud,” he replied, his grin ever wider when Sawyer just rolled his eyes. “All I know is I saw Sunny sitting out there in her car, and she didn’t look like her mind was all that made up.”
“According to you, she shot you down right easily enough.” This from Will, which made Sawyer choke on yet another surprise laugh. Must be all that sugar.
“If I had time, I’d ask for details,” Sawyer said. “But I don’t. Which is probably just as well.” He pulled his truck keys from his jacket pocket.
“You gonna call Addie and let her know you’re coming?” Seth asked. “That might be enough right there to get her to hold off on whatever she’s got planned.”
Sawyer gave Seth a look. “Again, I ask, have you met Addison Pearl Whitaker?”
Seth chuckled. “Right. Well, we’ll be here, keeping it real. It’s not like we’ll run out of stuff to do. Just let us know if things change. I’ve got to see a guy about some wine casks later this afternoon, and Will’s got something at Jake’s school, so—”
“No worries,” Sawyer said. “Do what you have to do, I’ll check in later. And thanks,” he said to Seth, and to Will who was already heading over to where he’d spread his tools out. Will just gave a short wave over his head, and continued on with the work at hand. “I do appreciate it,” Sawyer called as he headed out, already mentally reconfiguring the rest of his day. Unfortunately there was no squeezing in a six-hour minimum round trip plus whatever time they all spent chatting over the future of the mill and still getting any significant part of the daily to-do list done. Most of which required daylight, and as fall raced toward winter, those rapidly shortening hours were more in demand than ever.
“Well, sis,” he muttered, as he stuck his key in the ignition. “I hope you appreciate the intervention I’m about to mount on your behalf.”