Harnessed Passions (42 page)

"First we have an attacker to worry about,
now an arsonist," Jeremy complained, pushing his plate across to
settle next to Daniel's. "I'm almost afraid to ask what's
next."

"I'm not going to push fate at this point.
Let's just get busy on the new barn and try to keep everything as
calm as possible. The last thing we need right now is for word of
this to get out to the buyers."

"I really should cancel my trip for a few
more weeks," Jeremy insisted. "You're going to need help getting
the new stables finished in time for the sale."

"Absolutely not; I promised your mother I'd
have you on that train the twentieth and I'm not going to break my
word. Besides, she'd probably find some horrible way to punish me
if I disobeyed."

"Let’s just hope she doesn’t chose to send
you to your room; especially when you have to share it with my
beautiful, sexy sister. A fate worse than death?" Daniel smiled at
the boy and chuckled softly.

"Isn't it just terrible?" The two men left
the room and headed out to the remains of the stables, their
spirits feeling much lighter than a few moments earlier.

The sun was bright and the air was humid as
they hurried across the yard to the charred remains of the stables.
The sounds of horses could be heard across the acres of open land
and the creaking of old timbers echoed in the morning air as
several workers were busy pulling the timbers down from the burnt
structure.

Daniel could feel the apprehension of the
stable hands; the story of the homemade bombs had filtered through
the masses as well as the fact horses were shot on private
property. It was going to take every ounce of strength Daniel had
to hold everyone together. He only prayed the danger was over and
nothing else would happen - at least before the sales were
over.

Nearly two weeks had passed before Daniel
and Louise would allow Julia to go out of the house without a
chaperone. They worried about her and she knew it was more for her
mental health, than physical. Thompson watched after her like an
old mother hen and when he was forced to abandon his guard, Mrs.
Lester or Louise was always there to take his place.

All the hired hands were busy working on the
new stables, spending sixteen to eighteen hours a day hammering,
banging and sawing. Although the stables were some distance from
the house, the sounds were a constant reminder of the horror that
seemed to plague the ranch.

The nightmares still interrupted Julia’s
sleep on a nightly basis, but Daniel was always there to comfort
and console her and although they had yet to make love, he slept in
her bed and held her throughout the night.

With a great deal of arguing and coaxing on
both Daniel and Julia's part, Jeremy finally returned to school
just a week after the fire. He and Julia had taken the buggy out
the day before he left for one last ride together. The sights of
the farm left a definite impression on one's mind and Julia knew
saying good-bye was difficult for her younger brother, just as it
had been the first time she left home.

She sat still and quiet waiting for him to
speak, watching as Rally rode his steed out of the stables alone
heading toward the open fields. She noticed another man leaving the
stables minutes after Rally, heading north toward the swimming
hole.

Julia refused to think of that place any
further. It was upsetting and a constant obstacle between Daniel
and her. she glanced back to her little brother and frowned. She
had the distinct feeling there was something specific on his mind,
although he continued to drive the buggy in silence. They rode
together for a long time, before Jeremy found the courage to say
anything.

"You don't know how really worried we all
were when Daniel brought you back up from the pond," he told her at
last. "I don't think I've ever felt so completely helpless."

"It was stupid to go to the swimming hole
alone," she repeated the lecture Daniel had given to her, as though
reciting it after hours of diligent practice. "I should have found
someone to ride with me."

"You would have gone either way. You're too
much like father," he teased before falling back into silence.
Julia cleared her throat for the fifth time, deciding to take a new
approach to the man's solitude.

"Is it my imagination Jeremy or are you
wanting to say something?" He looked at the woman in shock then
smiled.

"I never could hide anything from you, could
I?" He patted her hand with a tender gesture.

"Never; so what's on your mind, little
brother?"

"Daniel told me you thought you saw
Heather's ghost," he admitted delicately. Julia lowered her eyes.
She had hoped to avoid mentioning the subject again. "Is it
true?"

"I thought I did," she replied looking out
across the open fields.

"But now you're not sure?"

"I don't know what I saw, Jeremy. I thought
it was Heather, it looked like her, it sounded like her, but...I
just don't know anymore. Daniel says it's impossible for the dead
to come back to life. Perhaps he's right."

"Have you seen her since the night of the
fire?"

"No and personally I'd rather forget the
whole thing. It upsets Daniel and I don't like to think about it."
Jeremy fell into silence again, glancing across the seat to his
sister. Her hair hung in a braid down her back and she wore a tight
fitting blue cotton dress. She looked like a picture out of a book
of poetry, he thought, as he studied her beauty for several
moments. He actually found himself envious of Daniel. It wasn't
every man who could capture the heart of a woman as beautiful as
his sister.

"Did he tell you he stayed with you the
entire time you were unconscious?" he asked her. She looked at the
young man studying his emerald eyes, so much like her own.

"No he didn't, but I rather guessed it."

"Did he mention he would rather die than
lose you?" Julia smiled, lowering the dark lashes across her
eyes.

"That much he did tell me."

"What else did he tell you?"

"What are you getting at, Jeremy?" suspicion
echoed in the young woman's voice, as she stared across at him.

"Did he tell you he loved you?"

"He mentioned something about it," she
blushed.

"Before or after he made love to you?"

"He hasn't. Not yet anyway. He said we'd
wait until I had my strength back, but to tell the truth Jeremy,
I'm getting tired of waiting."

"You are?" He nearly exploded with laughter
at hearing his sister's revelation.

"What's so funny?" Her anger was brief and
quickly replaced by embarrassment when she saw her sibling's
expression.

"I thought for sure it would be Daniel who
surrendered first."

"I guess I'm just weak when it comes to my
husband." Julia blushed scarlet, turning her attention back to the
fields.

"Do you love him, sis?" Jeremy asked after a
moment's silence. "I mean truly love him? Can you live the rest of
your life, looking across the table at him and never regret it?"
Julia leveled her gaze on her brother and smiled.

"Yes."

Jeremy's train left for New Jersey at three
o'clock the next afternoon, but before he boarded he made his
sister a promise to bring Malinda out for a visit before the snow
fell.

Julia sat alone on the front porch aching
for something to do. She hated doing nothing, she hated staring out
at the empty fields, but most of all she hated being alone. She
wanted Daniel to come home, but lunch was still two hours away and
her mother was busy helping Mrs. Lester train a new maid. Even
though everybody seemed to know exactly what she was doing, there
didn't seem to be anyone around to talk to.

She looked up the dirt road and saw the
image of a small black buggy nearing the house. She watched it for
a full five minutes before the red hair of Margie Leonard became
visible. Julia was excited and felt like running down to meet the
woman, but knew it probably wouldn't do any good. Margie would be
just like the others; she would argue and insist Julia stay quiet
until hell froze over!

Margie stopped the carriage and lifted the
blue wrapped bundle out of the seat next to her, then helped Maggie
down from the buggy. They walked up the stairs as Louise came out
the front door, greeting the woman with a warm smile and a hug and
waiting as she hugged Julia.

“
What brings you out this
way?” she asked Margie as she sat in the chair next to
Julia.

“
I just wanted to visit for
a while. I feel so cooped up at home with just the children to keep
me occupied.”

“
I know Julia is thankful
for the company,” Louise smiled. “Maggie, would you like to help
Mrs. Lester make some cookies?” she asked, knowing the two women
would appreciate some time without being interrupted by a bored
three year-old.

Maggie jumped up and down clapping her hands
and eagerly followed the older woman into the house without so much
as a glance back to her mother. Thompson arrived a few minutes
later with a pitcher of lemonade and two glasses. He poured the
sweet drinks and placed a plate of fresh cookies onto the table
between the chairs then left the two alone again.

Julia had begun to resent the older man who
watched her like a hawk. He was always there, giving her something,
taking something away or pushing her back down in her rocking chair
the minute she stood up. He was worse than what she heard prison
wardens were like.

"I am so glad you came out," Julia told
Margie after the butler left. "I've been bored to tears just
sitting here." Margie laughed as she unwrapped her tiny son from
his cocoon.

"I'll bet Daniel watches you constantly,
huh?"

"Not really, he's been too busy helping
build the new stables. But he does have his spies lurking around
every corner," she snapped, glancing back toward the front
door.

"Well, I'm here to keep you out of trouble
and just to prove it, I brought a number of catalogues with me. The
new dressmaker loaned me her newest books to bring out to you. I'm
sure she's hoping for a very large order."

They spent the next forty minutes looking,
comparing, joking and laughing over some of the new designs. They
both admired one, a low cut neckline, off the shoulder gown of
bright orange and black and agreed it would be perfect for the
Halloween dance held every year at the local church. Julia relayed
stories of the balls and parties she had attended in Boston, as she
looked out across the fields again.

"It's so different here," she said almost in
a wistful tone. "I thought I'd miss Boston more than I do."

"It's because of Daniel," Margie insisted,
eagerly. "I'm quite certain he's kept your mind off everything
except him." Julia blushed at the thought, than frowned slowly.

The sound of horse's hooves and the rattle
of a carriage coming up the dirt road brought a premature halt to
the conversation. The two women sat in silence as the small black
trap approached, bringing a deeper frown to Julia's slender
brows.

The dark hair woman stepped out of the
carriage with the grace of an accomplished ballerina. Julia's frown
turned into a determined setting to her jaw and her eyes narrowed
slightly as she watched the woman wave, walking toward the
porch.

"Who's that?" Margie whispered, eyeing the
woman critically.

"Our neighbor, Sharon Farnsworth. She's
taken over her parents’ property next to ours." The woman stepped
up to the porch offering Julia a hug that appeared both friendly
and endearing, but ignored Margie and the baby as though they
didn't exist.

"I've wanted to come by so often since I
heard about the fire," she said. Her lilting voice sounded like
fingernails raking across a chalk board, irritating Julia with each
syllable. "I've just been so dreadfully busy. I've had so much work
to do it's had me nearly exhausted every waking moment."

"I'm surprised you had the chance to stop
by, considering how much you have to do." Julia hoped her voice
sounded friendlier than she felt.

"I wanted to check on you and...well to be
completely honest, Daniel's been helping me find some horses. He's
been such a jewel to go out of his way for me like this. I just
don't know what I'd do without him."

"Yes he is a wonderful man, but don't worry
about him going out of his way. He does it for everybody."

"Really? Well, that must be dreadful on you.
I mean, if he pays as much attention to the rest of his clients as
he has with me, you must never get a chance to see him. I don't
think I could handle having my new husband running all over God's
green earth, working himself into a frazzle for other people and
ignoring me. When do you get a chance to see him?"

"Actually, I see him quite often and he's
always home at night," Julia said, a slight blush tinting her
already pink cheeks. "That is the most important time after
all."

"I should say so," Sharon smiled, her eyes
cold and icy, her tone warm and cheerful. If ever there were an
odder display of emotions this woman certainly reined superior.

"Well dear," Sharon said, after a brief
pause to eye Margie and her baby, venom etched in her dark eyes. "I
really should be going. I must find that husband of yours and see
what he's found out for me. You do know where he is, don't you?"
The underline insinuation echoed through the afternoon air, like
thunder before the storm.

"He's at the stables, helping with the new
construction."

"Excellent. I'll go there and talk to him.
You're looking quite well, by the way. I hope your little accident
hasn't left you any permanent scares?"

"No, Sharon. I'm quite fit indeed."

"Good, I'd hate to think you were injured
worse than Daniel lets on. Heavens, what does this make now; three
accidents for you? I must say dear, it would appear you've been
living under a bad star wouldn't it? Well, I really must be going.
Do take care of yourself and for heaven’s sake get in out of this
sun. It's dreadful on your skin."