Hidden Talents (31 page)

She touched his face gently. “How did it go?”

Caleb threaded his fingers through her hair and leaned over to nuzzle her ear. “How did what go?”

“Your talk with Roland.”

“Fine. He's bedded down on the sofa.” Caleb kissed her throat.

Serenity tried to evade his mouth. “Did you tell him everything? About how your parents died? About Firebrace?”

“Uh-huh.” Caleb eased his leg higher between her thighs.

“Did you tell him about Franklin's affair with Patricia?”

“No. Like I said earlier, there's not much point.”

“Well?”

“Well, what?”

“Well, how did he take all your news?” Serenity asked, exasperated.

“He took it,” Caleb said. “As he himself reminded me, he's eighty-two years old. He's had a lot of experience at taking whatever life hands him.”

Serenity thought about that. “And he's capable of changing, Caleb. He's proven that.”

“Yeah.” Caleb moved his hand up along her leg to the top of her thigh.

“For your sake.”

“Yeah.” He squeezed gently.

“He didn't come here tonight because I coerced him into it, you know. He came because of you.”

“I know.” Caleb pulled her down across his chest.

“He came here because he wanted to do things differently this time,” Serenity said earnestly. “Because he didn't want to repeat the mistakes of the past.”

“If you say so.” He curved his hand around the back of her head and pulled her mouth to his.

“And you care for him,” Serenity mumbled against his lips.

“He's my grandfather. I'm his grandson. We didn't get all mushy about it. We just decided that we both have a hell of a lot of bits and pieces of each other stuck to us.”

“Caleb, I'm sure that what you feel for your grandfather is a genuine filial love,” Serenity said. “And he loves you like a son. I can tell.”

“Is that right?”

“I'm sure of it.”

“You're entitled to your opinion. Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to change the subject.”

“What do you want to talk about?”

“Your training schedule.” He brushed his mouth lightly across hers and then he kissed the line of her jaw.

“Oh, that.” Serenity smiled in the shadows. “I want to do the best possible job on this baby. After all, it will be the first baby born in Witt's End since I arrived.”

“I can understand your desire to do your best. Rest assured that you have obtained the best possible consulting assistance on this project.”

“That's nice to know.”

Caleb framed her face between his palms and looked up at her with disturbingly serious eyes. “I should warn you that I haven't had much experience with babies and all the stuff that goes with them.”

“Don't worry about it,” Serenity whispered. “Something tells me you'll be very good at that kind of thing.”

The loud knock on the front door brought Caleb abruptly awake. He turned on his side, untangled his legs from Serenity's and sat up in bed. The cold light of morning was seeping through the window.

Whoever was at the front door pounded again, more heavily this time.

“Someone's at the door,” Serenity mumbled from beneath a pillow.

“No kidding.” Caleb shoved aside the covers. “Whoever he is, he hasn't got long to live.”

Serenity gave a muffled laugh. “It's probably Harry come to collect your grandfather and take him home. He'll be nervous enough as it is, don't terrorize him.”

“He didn't have to arrive at the crack of dawn.” Caleb yanked on his jeans and stalked down the hall toward the living room. He heard the front door open before he reached it.

“Good morning,” Roland drawled politely. “Bit early to come calling, isn't it?”

“Who the hell are you?” a deep, gruff voice demanded.

“Name's Ventress. Who are you?”

“You're Ventress?” The bearlike voice rose on a note of patent disbelief. “Ariadne told me you were in your thirties. Some kind of hotshot business consultant or something.”

“I'm Caleb Ventress,” Caleb said stonily as he rounded the corner.

“Is that a fact?” The huge man in the doorway glared at him from beneath a jutting browline that would have done justice to a Neanderthal. The gold earring he wore gleamed evilly. He flicked another glance at Roland, who was holding the door open. “Just how many Ventresses are there around here?”

“Two.” Caleb swept the visitor with a quick, assessing glance.

The big man not only sounded like a bear, he looked like one. He had massive shoulders, a thick beard, and broad, heavy features. His dark brown eyes glittered ominously. He was dressed in faded jeans, leather boots, and a black leather jacket trimmed with silver studs. He wore a bandanna tied around his receding gray hair in a fashion favored by motorcycle outlaws and pirates.

“Well, well, well.” The man looked Caleb up and down with a blunt, appraising expression. “So you're the one.”

“Looks like it. Who are you?” Caleb asked.

“Name's Julius Makepeace, son.” White teeth flashed in the middle of a brushy beard. “Let's hope we get along real good. From what I hear, I'm the closest thing you've got to a future father-in-law.”

N
INE AND A HALF MONTHS LATER, SHORTLY AFTER NOON
on a bright summer day, Serenity abruptly realized that something was happening inside her. She looked up from the glowing review of the Ambrose Asterley Retrospective exhibit that had appeared in yesterday's edition of the
Seattle Times
.

“I think you'd better go find Caleb,” she said to Zone.

Zone did not lift her gaze from a stack of order forms that had arrived in the morning mail. The second edition of the Witt's End by Mail catalog had gone out and business was brisk. “The mayor and his grandfather are inspecting the warehouse. The big storm last night did some damage, apparently. A tree was blown down across the roof.”

A warehouse had become a necessity within three months of the publication of the first edition of Witt's End by Mail. The orders had come in swiftly and steadily. Caleb's major concern, in fact, had been finding ways to stabilize and control the growth of the business.

Serenity put her hand to her lower back and winced. “Please go find Caleb and tell him it's time.”

“Time for what?” Zone looked up with a quizzical expression. Then her eyes widened. “Oh, my goodness. Time? You mean it's
your
time?”

“Yes.” Serenity caught her breath.

Zone leaped to her feet. “You aren't due for another two weeks.”

“I think you'd better hurry.”

“Stay right where you are.” Zone's saffron and orange robes formed wings in the air as she rushed for the door. “Don't move. I'll get Caleb and the others.”

“Don't worry,” Serenity whispered aloud to the empty office. “I'm not going anywhere.”

Zone was right about one thing, she thought. It was too soon. Two weeks too soon. And it was all happening too fast. According to her doctor, she was supposed to have plenty of warning. Plenty of time to make the drive down the mountain to Bullington Memorial Hospital.

Belatedly she realized that she should have paid more attention to the ache in her lower back that had awakened her this morning. She was so accustomed to the general discomforts of her pregnancy these days that she hadn't given the new pains much thought.

She glanced at the clock and realized with a shock that she might have been in labor for several hours and only just now realized it.

Serenity hauled herself to her feet and then promptly collapsed back into the chair again as a strong contraction seized her. She tried to remember the birthing mantras Zone had drilled into her.

The bells in the outer room clashed violently as the door was thrown open.

“Serenity?” Caleb shouted. “Where are you?”

“In here.” She smiled weakly as he appeared in the doorway. Roland, Ariadne, Zone, Julius, and Montrose were right behind him. She heard footsteps pounding outside on the wooden sidewalk as others got the word. “I hope you're good at this kind of thing, because I don't think there's going to be time to get down the mountain.”

“Can't get down the mountain,” Montrose said, looking close to panic. “There's a tree down because of last night's big storm. Road crew from Bullington hasn't gotten to it yet.”

“Call the aid car,” Caleb said. “Tell them you'll meet them at the downed tree. You can pick the medics up there and bring them here to Witt's End.”

“Right.” Montrose spun around and grabbed one of the three new telephones that had been installed to handle Witt's End by Mail business.

Julius loomed in the doorway behind Caleb. He had a stark, oddly stricken expression on his face. “Goddamn it, no. It can't happen here like it did last time.” He grabbed Caleb's arm. “We've got to get her to the hospital, man.”

“We will.” Caleb went toward Serenity.

Serenity sucked in her breath on another contraction.

“Damn.” Jessie appeared in the doorway. She stared at Serenity. “We've got to do something.”

“Please.” Ariadne gave Serenity a beseeching look. “You've got to hold on until we can get you to the hospital. We can't take any chances.”

Caleb leaned down and scooped Serenity up out of the chair. Cradling her in his arms, he turned toward the door. “Get out of the way.”

Everyone moved aside.

From the security of Caleb's arms, Serenity looked at the sea of anxious faces that surrounded her. She knew that everyone in the room was recalling the circumstances of her mother's death. They needed reassurance more than she did.

“It's all right,” she said. “This isn't going to be like last time. I've been in training.” Another wave of pain swept through her. She turned her face into Caleb's shoulder. “Take me home, please. This baby is going to be born in aisle three between granola and salsa if you don't hurry.”

“Hang on,” Serenity,” Caleb said fiercely. “You're going to be all right.”

“I know. That's what I'm trying to tell you.” Serenity tried unsuccessfully to choke back a strangled cry as another wave of pain crashed through her.

Caleb strode toward the door with Serenity in his arms.

“Don't worry, folks,” Roland said very calmly from somewhere nearby. “Caleb and I have delivered more than one baby together. We can handle this.”

“Those were foals we delivered,” Caleb said roughly. “Not babies.”

“Not that much difference,” Roland said gently. “Nature does all the work. You'll see.”

Sunlight, warm and golden, poured into the white room. Serenity held the infants cradled in her arms and watched the closed door. Soon it would open and he would come to her.

Little Gordon Trevor Ventress stirred. She glanced down and smiled. “Don't worry, your daddy will be here soon. He'll take us home.” Tiny Emily Crystal Ventress waved a tiny hand.

The twins had been born, safe and sound and without complications, in their parents' bed in Witt's End. Their father had caught them both in his arms.

The drama had no sooner concluded than word had come that the road had finally been cleared. The aid car arrived a short while later. The medics took Serenity and the babies to Bullington Memorial for a routine medical examination.

Mother and babies had been pronounced fit and healthy by a cheerful doctor who had praised everyone concerned. Serenity, Gordon Trevor, and Emily Crystal had spent the night in the hospital. Now it was time to go home.

Serenity crooned to the infants while she gazed in wonder at the hospital room. She had awakened this morning with a curious sensation of déjà vu. It hadn't taken her long to recognize her surroundings. A stark white room, golden sunlight, and a closed door. It was straight out of the vision she'd had last year in the pool cave.

“Impossible,” she whispered to Gordon and Emily. “Sheerest coincidence.”

She could have sworn that she heard a waltz playing.

The door opened.

A man walked into the white, sunlit room.

He smiled at her.

“Damn,” Serenity said. “Wrong man.”

“Hey, hey, hey, Serenity. How's the new mother?” Lloyd Radburn bounced cheerfully over to the bed. He was grinning hugely. In his hand were two rolled-up copies of what appeared to be an academic journal. There was a pink bow tied around one and a blue bow tied around the other.

She smiled. “Hi, Lloyd. What have you got there?”

“This?” Lloyd held up the journal. “Just a little present for the kids. An advance copy of the next quarterly issue of the
Journal of Social Dynamics
. My article is in it. Thought maybe it would make a good souvenir for the twins.”

“Why, thank you, Lloyd. That was very thoughtful of you.”

“Think nothing of it. It got me the promotion. You are looking at the new head of the Department of Sociology at Bullington College.”

“Congratulations.”

“Hey, couldn't have done it without you.” Lloyd chuckled as he looked down at the infants in her arms. “The paper didn't turn out quite the way I had anticipated, but the editor said it was a unique piece of work. I, of course, agreed.”

“What's the title of your paper?”

“‘From Outsiders to Entrepreneurs: The Effects of a Small Business Enterprise on the Social Structure of a Typical Frontier Town.’”

“That sounds impressive.”

“Thank you. I thought so, too.” Lloyd tried and failed to appear modest. “Got to admit, I owe you, Serenity love. If you hadn't told the good people of Witt's End that it was okay to cooperate with me, I wouldn't have gotten anywhere with that paper.”

“I'll show your article to little Gordon and Emily as soon as they're able to read,” Serenity promised.

“Great. Say, uh, I've been thinking, Serenity…”

Serenity looked up and saw the familiar gleam in his eyes. She groaned. “No, absolutely not. I told everyone to cooperate once in order to get rid of you. Don't expect any help on another study. I've got too much else to do these days.”

“But this study will have more of an anthropological orientation,” Lloyd said persuasively. “I'm thinking of calling it ‘Visions, Traditions and Change: The Development and Modification of a Legend in a Typical Frontier Community.’”

“Forget it.”

“But it's perfect, Serenity. Especially now with little Gordon and Emily, here. Big finish for a living legend.”

“What living legend?”

“You.”

“Lloyd, I'm warning you, I have absolutely no intention of helping you do another sociological study of Witt's End. Is that clear?”

“Sure, hey, no need to worry about it right now,” Lloyd assured her. “You've got other things to think about at the moment. I understand that.”

“I'm glad you do.” Serenity frowned. “Lloyd, do you hear a waltz?”

“Someone's got a radio on down at the nurse's station.” Lloyd leaned forward get a better look at Emily Crystal.

The door of the white, sunlit room opened.

Caleb came into the room.

He smiled at her.

For an instant time stood still.

“Right man,” Serenity whispered. “We've been waiting for you.”

“Hey, hey, hey.” Lloyd stuck out his hand to Caleb. “Congratulations, Mr. Mayor. Kids look just like you.”

Caleb glowered at Lloyd but allowed his hand to be shaken. “What are you doing here, Radburn? Thought we'd seen the last of you after you finished your research project.”

“Just came to pay my respects to the new arrivals,” Lloyd said.

“Fine. If you don't mind, I'd like to take my family home.”

“No problem.” Lloyd sauntered toward the door. “See you all later.”

“Not if I can help it.” When he left, Caleb smiled at Serenity. “Ready?”

She cradled Gordon Trevor and Emily Crystal close. “We're all ready.”

“The nurse said she'd be along in a minute with a wheelchair.” Caleb touched his son's tiny hand. Quiet amazement warmed his eyes.

“I don't need a wheelchair.”

“They won't let you walk out of here under your own steam.” Caleb grinned as he admired Emily Crystal. “Incredible, aren't they?”

“Yes, they are. Where's your grandfather?”

“Waiting outside along with everyone else.”

“Good grief,
everyone's
out there in the waiting room?”

“Just about.”

“Who's running the store? Who's responding to the new catalog orders that will be in the mail? Who's handling the phones to take complaints and check on order problems?”

“Relax. We left someone behind to handle the phones,” Caleb said.

“Who?”

“Blade.”

“Oh, no.” Serenity panicked. “We've got to get back to Witt's End immediately. Blade will assume that anyone who calls in to place an order is secretly planning an invasion.”

“I'm just kidding. Don't worry. The situation's under control. Zone's with him.” Caleb met her eyes. “Before we leave, I want to give you this.” He held out a package he had brought with him.

“Oh, Caleb. Thank you.”

Caleb picked up Gordon Trevor and held him while Serenity cradled Emily Crystal in one arm and removed the brown paper from around the gift with her free hand. She found herself looking down at two volumes bound in fading imitation leather.

“What on earth? High school yearbooks.” Serenity looked up. “I don't understand. Are they yours?”

“No.” Caleb watched her intently. “They're from your parents' high schools.”

“My
parents
.” Serenity could hardly breathe.

“It took a private investigator several months to trace the schools and then locate yearbooks from the right years. He sent them to me in yesterday's mail. What with one thing and another, I didn't have a chance to give them to you.”

Serenity's mouth was so dry she could hardly speak. “My parents are in here?”

“I marked the pages.” Caleb smiled. “Take a look.”

Serenity slowly opened the first volume. Her gaze went instantly to the face of a young woman. A senior. The photo revealed a gentle-looking creature whose eyes held both wariness and hope.

Serenity stared at the picture for a long, long time.
Her mother
.

“You have her eyes. Take a look at the other one,” Caleb prompted after a minute.

Serenity's fingers were trembling so badly she could hardly get the second volume open. When she finally managed it, she found herself gazing down at a color photo of a young man, a senior.
Trevor Jones
. The shadows in his eyes betrayed a cloudy past, but there was resilience, strength, and determination in his face.

Serenity touched the picture of her father with a sense of wonder. “He had red hair.”

Caleb looked at the cloud of fiery hair that framed Serenity's features. “You didn't think it came out of nowhere, did you?”

“Bits and pieces of other people,” Serenity whispered. Her eyes misted over. “Caleb you have given me a wonderful gift.”

“It's nothing compared to what you've given me,” Caleb said. “I love you, Serenity.”

She looked up at him and saw the sure and certain knowledge in his eyes. “I always knew you'd be good at that kind of thing.”

The door opened at that moment. A smiling nurse entered the room with a wheelchair. She looked at Serenity. “Ready to go home?”

“Yes,” Serenity said. “We are.”

Caleb paused briefly to glance around the sunlit white room before he followed his family out into the hall. He frowned thoughtfully. “You know, there's something familiar about this place.”