A Promise Of Home (A Lake Howling Novel Book 1) (2 page)

Grabbing her purse, while trying not to use her sore arm, she let herself out of the van, and then made her way onto the front porch. The two chairs she and Georgie had sat in for hours were still there. Fumbling around for the keys in her bag, she found them and opened the door. Her hand shook as she placed it flat on the wooden surface and pushed it wide, then walked into a room full of memories.

Everything was how she remembered it, right down to the lace doilies scattered around the arms and backs of the furniture. She walked slowly from room to room, trying to ignore the thumping in her head and when it got too much, she found Georgie’s medicine supplies and swallowed a couple of pills.

It felt strange to be here without her friend. Strange that there were no cooking smells or the sound of classical music.

“I miss you so much,” Branna whispered.

Branna made it to the sofa she had slept on a few times and fell onto it. Kicking off her sandals, she pulled the blanket off the arm and managed one-handed to throw it over herself. She would unpack later; for now, she needed sleep.

***

Jacob McBride walked into The Hoot with only one thing on his mind. Chicken pie with a cheesy crust. Jake liked food, but he was downright dedicated to this pie and that was why he only allowed himself to come here twice a week, three tops.

“Hey there, Jake, what’s happening?”

“Penny,” Jake gave the shapely brunette a nod. “How’s it hanging?”

“I’m a woman, Jake, things don’t hang and we get real pissed off if they do.”

He and Penny had been friends since high school and he’d been teasing her for at least that long. She didn’t give him too much angst and that was reason enough to continue their friendship, considering he wasn’t big on talking, or for that matter, building any more friendships these days.

“Got it. Don’t mention things hanging to women,” he added, standing at the counter as Buster bagged up his order without him even drawing a breath. That was one of the pluses in a whole heap of negatives that was good about living in your hometown again; everyone knew what you liked.

“I have news,” Penny drew out the S for dramatic effect.

“Hurry it up there, Buster, a man’s starving here,” Jake said, with one eye on his pie and the other on Penny, hoping she’d just leave so he could eat in peace, or he could leave before she started in on her news.

“When aren’t you starving?” the man behind the counter asked. He had cropped dark hair, a thick neck, and linebacker’s shoulders, but Buster Griffin was saved, in Jake’s opinion, from being downright intimidating, by soft green eyes and long girly lashes that during high school had got him into plenty of fights. There was also the apron he wore continually as proprietor of The Hoot.

“You remember how I told you Georgie Brown left her place to Branna O’Donnell?” Penny said.

Jake was pretty sure she hadn’t, but nodded anyway as he took his first bite. He thought about Branna Rose O’Donnell as the pastry melted in his mouth…her soft pale skin, thick black hair, and pretty green eyes. He remembered she’d intrigued him. Rosebud, he’d nicknamed her just to get a reaction, which he had; she’d fired up every time he’d used it.

“Bet that pissed Brian Reynolds off. He’s been at Georgie for years to sell it to him,” Buster said, before Penny could speak.

“He’s a real estate man, Buster, and knows a good deal when he sees one,” Jake added.

“Well, anyway,” Penny waved a hand about to get their attention. “She just arrived back in Howling today to pick up the keys. She gets the Mustang too.” The last was said with a sneer, which made Jake roll his eyes.

“I offered Georgie good money for it two years ago, Penny, and she turned me down. Let it go already; I have.”

“Anyway,” she waved her hand about again. “She looked tired and scruffy, but still has those endless legs and that pretty face. I was always jealous of her for looking beautiful in those hideous clothes she always wore, without a scrap of makeup, while the rest of us spent hours getting ready for school. Wasn’t real chatty either.”

“Can imagine that didn’t endear her to you none, Penny,” Buster muttered from behind the counter, which made Jake salute him with his pie.”

“You saying I’m a gossip, Buster?”

“I’m sure you were going somewhere with this O’Donnell story, Pen. How about getting there before we retire?” Jake interrupted before they got into it as they often did.

“I don’t remember much about Branna O’Donnell, but I do remember she was not real loose with her tongue, that’s for sure,” Buster added. “Being that way myself, you tend to notice it in other people.”

“I remember her and she was belligerent in high school, can’t imagine that much has changed over the ensuing years,” Jake said, and then took a larger bite for his second. He tried to make it last, but usually failed.

“Get you with the big words,” Buster said.

Belligerent or ensuing?” Jake questioned.

“When she left the office,” Penny said, ignoring their conversation, “She looked a bit preoccupied after talking with Mr. Cooper, and learning what Georgie’s legacy entailed.”

“Strange how she got everything, don’t you think?” Buster said.

“Not so strange when you realize that she and Georgie talked every week on the phone, and she was always sending her gifts. Georgie went up to visit Branna too, once a year since she left Howling.”

“How do you know this stuff?” Buster said, looking at Penny.

“Branna did all that?” Jake whistled. He’d been gone for most of those years, and only returned briefly on holidays. “I guess that explains the legacy then.”

“Anyway, that’s not the whole story,” Penny added.

“Do we need the whole story?” Jake eyed the chocolate muffins that were the size of his fist and filled with a soft gooey caramel center. This he knew, as he’d sampled them…many times.

“Branna O’Donnell walked straight in front of Michael Tucker, who was riding his bike on the sidewalk again. He knocked her off her feet; the sound of her head hitting the concrete, Lord, it made me shudder,” Penny said.

Penny wasn’t above exaggeration to make a story good, but Jake could see she was sincere in this.

“I think she hurt her arm too, but here’s the thing, Jake. She just climbed to her feet with my help, and after I steadied her, she told Michael she was fine, and then got into her van and drove away.”

“And the problem here is?” Jake said, looking at Buster, who was now polishing the glass on his cabinets while listening to Penny’s story.

“There was blood on the sidewalk, Jake, quite a bit of blood. And she was unsteady on her feet, and her eyes looked kind of funny when she glanced my way.”

“Why didn’t you make her go to visit Mom?” Jake swallowed the last mouthful, closing his eyes as he savored it.

“I don’t know anyone who quite worships my chicken pie like you do, Jake.”

“God’s truth, if you asked, I’d probably marry you, man.”

“Ha, yeah, maybe we could make it work.” Buster, like Penny, was an old friend of Jake’s.

“She wouldn’t go, Jake, turned white at the thought, and then just up and left me and Michael Tucker standing right there on the bloodied sidewalk.

“That much blood?” Jake drawled.

Penny rolled her eyes. “The point is, I think someone should check on her. What happens if she’s got one of those concussions and no one looks in on her and she’s up there dead for weeks?”

“Yes, because Georgie lives about two day’s hike from here, and then there’s the trek over the mountains,” Buster drawled. “But it’ll be the wolves that get her.”

“The snow’s gonna play hell with the rescue party,” Jake added.

“Will you two be serious?” Penny snapped.

“What’s the problem here, Pen? You and Branna suddenly buddies or something? If she’s hurting, she’ll find her way to mom at some stage.”

The breath whistled through Penny’s teeth as she tried to haul in air.

“It’s not about whether I like or dislike her, it’s about this being Howling and how we look after people who live in our town, Jake. What if she’s up there alone in Georgie’s house needing medical help?”

“Weren’t her and Annabelle friends in high school? Maybe she’d call in and see her?” Buster suggested.

“That was ten years ago!” Penny shrieked.

“You think they didn’t keep in touch?” Jake asked.

“They didn’t even talk to each other at Georgie’s funeral, Jake, which pretty much tells me they didn’t.”

Jake thought about the funeral, ran through the people he remembered, but drew a blank on Branna O’Donnell. “She was there?”

Penny nodded. “Dark glasses, black hat, pale face, and black dress.”

Jake and Buster fell silent as they tried to remember.

“Oh for pity's sake, you two have got to be the most unobservant men in America!” Penny said.

“That’s a bit harsh, don’t you think? I mean, I happen to know that Billy Lee wasn’t observing much when he missed that mighty fine pass I threw to set him up for the winning touchdown that lost us the game on Saturday. What you reckon, Buster?”

“Billy Lee couldn’t observe a Semi bearing down on his scrawny ass from a foot away,” Buster added.

Jake nodded as Penny ground her teeth together.

“So, if you could, that’d be great, thanks, Jake, seeing as you pass the end of her drive on your way home.”

“Could what?” Jake questioned.

“Go see if she’s okay, you being a doctor and all, and her closest neighbor; you’ll be able to check if she needs help.”

He looked from her to Buster and back again. “Why would I want to do that?

“Because you know how to.”

“I’m a mechanic now, Penny. I don’t practice medicine anymore.”

“Pffft, that’s just you playing around,” she waved her hand about and headed for the door. “So, maybe take her to see your mom if you think she needs an X-ray.” Penny pronounced it x er ray, which used to annoy the hell out of Jake when he still gave a shit.

“I’m not going.” The door swung shut on his reply, but Jake knew she’d heard him. “Why did I come back here?”

“It sure as hell wasn’t for some privacy.”

Jake snorted at Buster’s words. “Why is it so hard for this town to understand I don’t want to be a doctor anymore?”

“Because you’re one of their favorite sons and they had big expectations for you and refuse to believe you’re not living up to them.”

“What do I have to do? Take out an ad, run naked down the main street yelling that I’m a fucking lunatic now and not fit to look after people?”

“Bad night, bud?”

Jake was disgusted to see that the hands he ran down his face were shaking. “The worst.” He still saw the blood all over them.

“Well, snap the fuck out of it, because I’m bringing the Jeep over later, and you need to stop it making that noise.”

Sucking in a deep steadying breath, Jake forced himself to calm down. “Buster, the Jeep is one big noise.”

“Whatever, just make her run sweet again.”

“I gave up miracles many years ago.”

“I didn’t,” Buster said softly, giving Jake a steady look.

“Whatever,” Jake headed for the door, needing to get outside in the fresh air so he could haul in a deep lungful. “Bring the Jeep over later, and I’ll put it back together with some duct tape.” Lifting a hand, Jake left the shop and climbed back into his pickup. He waved to a few people and wondered why no one in Howling had seen the changes in him. Why didn’t they acknowledge that he wasn’t as friendly as he’d once been? Why did they not ask him why he’d turned his back on medicine? Instead, they brought their cars to him if they needed fixing and when Barry, Howling’s mechanic, snow plow, towing service, and search and rescue expert had too much business.

Heading out of town along the lake, the houses started to thin and he felt the tension inside him ease as he left the people behind. He’d be home soon, and he could work on the cars and hopefully not see anyone else until he wanted to. Seeing Georgie’s purple letterbox approaching, Jake decided he’d drive right by. It wasn’t up to him to check on a woman he didn’t know or care about. Hell, she was probably fine.

Any impact to the head can disrupt the normal function of the brain. People with concussion need to be seen by a doctor, and symptoms can include severe headaches, nausea or repeated vomiting and, in some cases, one of the pupils can appear larger than the other and in severe cases, the patient can experience slurred speech.

“Stop it, for fuck’s sake; you’re not a doctor anymore!” Smacking the wheel with his hand, he passed the driveway and then jammed his foot on the brakes. He’d often said things like that to his patients and now, when he wasn’t practicing medicine anymore, this kind of dialogue would pop into his head when he overhead someone talk about an injury or medical condition. It drove him crazy.

Throwing the pickup into reverse, he spat out a few curses, then turned into the overgrown driveway. He’d see if Branna O’Donnell was okay, then leave. He could be nice if he had to; it just wasn’t something he was too good at anymore.

He’d spent a bit of time at Georgie’s, as had most of the kids in town. She’d been a woman with a large heart and a huge capacity for giving. She had tutored kids who struggled to read, and helped others learn to spell. Pulling to a halt behind a white van, he climbed out. The place was overgrown now. Georgie had been in the hospital for a few months before she passed away and while the town had tried to keep it tidy, it had slowly started to get out of hand. Looking at the shed behind the house, he wondered if it still housed the Mustang. He loved that car.

Knocking on the door, Jake spent a few minutes surveying the weatherboards. They looked in good condition, just in need of a coat of paint. When no one answered, he knocked again, this time louder, but still no reply. Then he made the wooden door shake on its hinges as he pounded it with his fist. If she didn’t open soon, he’d see if he could find a window to get in through. Seconds later, he was rewarded with the sound of it opening.

“Why are you pounding on my door?”

He’d always liked the gruff little burr of her voice. Maybe it was because he’d not had much contact with anyone else from Ireland. Whatever the reason, her accent had always made him smile.