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Cameron was still smiling when Louis disconnected, then he let out a whoop.
“Hallelujah!” he shouted, and then grabbed the ax, yanked it out of the wood, and kept on working.
Ghost’s head came up, but he didn’t move. He was waiting for orders. When they didn’t come, he laid his chin back on his paws, his eyes following every swing of the ax and every step Cameron took.
***
Cameron stacked what he’d cut, stored his tools, then grabbed an armload of firewood and headed for the house. It was a couple of hours before sundown and the air was noticeably colder than it had been earlier. Cameron hadn’t seen a weather report all day, but from the looks of the sky, they were in for some rain. Ghost stood as Cameron came up the steps and hobbled into the house behind him. Cameron kicked the door shut and kept walking, carrying the wood into the living room and stacking it by the fireplace before starting a fire. He added a couple of logs to the flaming kindling, turned up the thermostat to warm up the house, fed Ghost, then went to clean up.
Ghost was back in his bed by the fireplace by the time Cameron came to the front of the house again. He paused to check the bandage, then stroked the big dog’s head before going to the kitchen to make himself something to eat.
He was living a solitary existence by choice, but there were times, like today, when he missed his parents and the family they had been.
At this time of day his mother would have had supper cooking, and his dad would be coming in from the barn with a bucket of fresh milk to be strained. Rachel would have been playing in a corner with one of the barn cats, hoping their mother didn’t notice she’d dragged it in the house again. Looking back, Cameron realized their mother always noticed. She just didn’t always say anything about it.
But that was then, and this was now. His dad had died almost ten years ago, and his mother just before Lili was born. Cameron came home to this house after his second tour of duty ended and never went back.
He turned on the television in the kitchen, pulled out a cast-iron skillet, washed a couple of potatoes, and sliced them up to fry. While they were cooking in the hot oil, he grilled a hamburger steak, got a container of deli coleslaw from the refrigerator, then sat down at the table, keeping an eye on the news as he ate.
When they segued into a commercial with a lead for the story up next, he heard them say “Danny Lee Biggers, escaped prisoner” and “kidnapping,” and looked up. His heart sank. It was inevitable that they would drag up the past. The sensationalism of a rapist returning to the scene of the crime was too big to ignore.
Just as he’d feared, they started with the backstory, then segued into the escape and everything that had ensued afterward. What Cameron hadn’t expected was so much focus on Lili’s rescue. Much emphasis had been given to the families on Pope Mountain who took to the woods with their hunting dogs to track Biggers down, and that the child’s uncle, Cameron Pope, and his dog, Ghost, were the ones who found Biggers and rescued Lili.
He changed the channel and got up from the table. He’d lost his appetite and he still had to clean up the kitchen.
***
The Caldwells were having drinks in the den before dinner and watching the national newscast. Ray was waiting for stock market reports when they heard the journalist on air mention Jubilee, an escaped prisoner, a kidnapping, and a dramatic rescue.
Their conversation ceased.
“That must be what all those sirens were about last night,” Ray said.
Patricia shuddered. “These mountains and the people who live up there give me the creeps.”
But when the story began, prejudice was put aside by the horror of what had happened. As for Liz, once she heard Cameron Pope’s name and his part in the rescue, she drifted off into a fantasy of her own where Cameron Pope’s mad race up the mountain had been to save her. They would make passionate love afterward, and—
She sighed. Through all of her daydreams and hot flashes about having sex with the man, her fantasies never took her past the sex. Everything faded after that. It was absurd that she was so fixated on him when they’d never even been introduced. Even when she was making love to Michael Devon, she closed her eyes and pretended he was Cameron Pope.
And then she realized her father was talking to her.
“So, my darling daughter, what do you think?” Ray asked.
Liz blinked. “Think about what?”
Ray frowned. “You didn’t hear a word I said. I repeat, I would like you to accompany me to a dinner in Frankfort tomorrow night. We’ll take the chopper, of course, which means your mother won’t be going. It’s kind of a big deal for the Serenity Inn. Our chef is receiving his third Michelin star rating.”
“Oh. Sure, I’d love to,” Liz said. “Do I get to dress up?”
“No ball gown, but definitely after-five wear,” Ray said.
Liz smiled. She did so like to sparkle.
***
The rain came, just as Cameron suspected. He woke to the sound of it hitting the roof and got up to look out. Ghost barely stirred as Cameron pulled a blanket up over the dog’s back.
It was just after midnight.
