|
The day was still ripe when Stone and his new sidekick
strolled into Ash Falls. Though he had expected the place to be different, Stone
was in awe of the town’s growth and prosperity. What was once a budding
community was now a thriving city.
“Things sure have changed,” Stone said out loud,
more to himself than to Cody.
Cody walked along beside Stone with great pride, as if
every person they passed recognized the notorious celebrity and was in envy of
the young boy. But in truth, almost no one batted an eye in their direction.
“Well thanks for helpin’ me out, Cody,” Stone
said with a hearty pat on Cody’s shoulder. “You’d probably better run on
home now.”
“Aw, come on. You still need me to show you
around,” Cody insisted.
“Don’t you have some chores to do at home? And
what about your ma, she’s probably wonderin’ where you’re at.”
“My sisters do all the chores, and ma knows I can
take care of myself. I hardly ever go home ‘for it gets dark anyhow.”
It was obvious to Stone that the boy wanted to stick
with him. Stone had no objections and didn’t mind the youngster’s company.
After all, this was Jake’s son.
“All right, you can tag along. Maybe we should
change your name to shadow,” Stone teased as he ruffled the boy’s blonde
locks.
They walked to the courthouse, where Stone inquired
about buying some land. The clerk seemed skeptical about Stone’s intentions,
convinced, most likely, that Stone didn’t have the means to actually purchase
any property. So he described a place not far from town that needed a great deal
of work, but was available at quite a reasonable price.
“I know that place! It’s the old Smith farm.
Ain’t nobody lived out there for ages,” Cody volunteered. The clerk seemed
quietly appalled by the boy’s outburst.
“You say there’s a barn and a house out there?”
Stone asked.
“Yes,” the clerk said, reviewing some papers. “A
house and a barn, both in desperate need of repair.”
“And it’s 80 acres?”
After the clerk nodded, Stone put his sack on the
counter and dug out an envelope.
“I’ll take it.”
And without another thought, Stone began to count out
the money to buy his new home. It’s difficult to say who suffered the greater
shock at the sight of such an obnoxious amount of cash—the clerk or young
Cody. When all was said and done, Stone left the courthouse with deed in hand,
and the warmest feeling of hope that he’d ever known.
“Gee whiz!” Cody exclaimed as they descended the
courthouse steps. “I ain’t never seen that much money in all my life, not
even when pa brought home cash from his first strike. Where’d you get all
that?”
“My pa died a few years back, and this was
everything he left me.” For a moment he remembered his pa and what a strong
man of faith he had been. There was no doubt in Stone’s mind that the prayers
of his family, especially those of his ma and pa, had helped make him the new
creature that he was today. “What do you say we keep that a secret too?”
“Sure. So you ain’t got no family then?” asked
Cody.
“Three sisters and two brothers, and my ma.”
“Where’re they at now?”
“Most of em’s married and got their own families
now. They’ve all sort of gone their separate ways. But my ma and two of my
sisters moved back East; they wrote me some letters a while back and said Ash
Falls had changed too much for ‘em.”
“Don’t you wanna be with ‘em?”
“Sure, but I think it’ll be good for me to be on
my own.”
“Well now where to?” Cody asked with a skip in his
step.
“I need to get some supplies before I head out to my
new place, but right now my belly’s a growlin’ so loud I can’t hear myself
think. They got a place to eat around here?”
“Now what do you think?”
Cody led the way to the Henderson Family Restaurant.
It was a reputable establishment owned and operated by Paul and Emily Henderson,
two people Stone had grown up with. To his surprise, Emily recognized him
immediately, and greeted him with a friendly hug. Upon hearing his wife’s
excitement, Paul emerged from the kitchen and was just as generous in their
reunion. Emily spoiled Stone with her best fixins, and she and Paul joined Stone
and Cody for lunch, leaving their helpers to tend to the other customers.
While Stone spent the next hour in a gourmet ecstasy,
Paul and Emily nearly drowned him with conversation. They told him about their
six children (their youngest, baby Abigail, was soon brought to Emily and
perched on her lap), how they came to open the restaurant, and how Ash Falls had
evolved over the years. In turn, Stone shared his plans with them: how he
intended to raise crops and start a horse ranch; the Hendersons seemed genuinely
thrilled.
When it came time to leave, Paul and Emily were just
as friendly at good-bye as they were at hello.
“Think we might be seein’ you at church on Sunday
mornin’? We got a fine pastor here,” Paul said, hoping he wasn’t about to
offend Stone. Even in this day and age it wasn’t unusual for folks to turn the
other cheek when it came to serving the Lord.
“Lookin’ forward to it,” Stone said as they
shook hands.
“Oh, it’s so good to see you and to have you
home.” Emily couldn’t resist having one more hug. “Don’t you be a
stranger ‘round here now.”
“With your fine cookin’, Em, you’ll probably
start wishin’ you could get rid of me.”
“Pa always said them Hendersons are flaky as a
biscuit; always huggin’ each other and people in the restaurant,” Cody said
once they were outside; he had been quiet through most of their lunch.
“There’s nothin’ wrong with showin’ folks you
care about ‘em.”
“Yeah, well you won’t catch me a slobberin’ all
over people like that.”
Though Cody sounded serious Stone couldn’t help but
laugh. They headed to the general store so Stone could get his supplies before
going out to his new home. While Stone made his way into the store, Cody met up
with his friends (and partners in rascality), Buck and Rowdy, outside. In a
matter of minutes Cody was able to tell them all about Stone and the adventures
they’d had that day.
“Be with you in a jiff,” called the storekeeper
after hearing the bells above the entrance door jingle.
Stone stopped dead in his tracks; he knew that voice,
and he turned to make a subtle retreat.
“Afternoon! What can I do ye for?” asked the
owner. It was too late for Stone. He removed his hat and turned back around,
hoping, as he approached the gentleman, that there was a chance the man
wouldn’t…”Well, if it isn’t Stone Hawkins.”
“Howdy, Mr. Evans. Been a long time,” said Stone
coolly with a nod, “Awful nice place you got here.”
“What in tar nation are you doin’ here?” The
cheerful smile on Mr. Evans’ face had withered.
“I’m back to settle down. Gonna run my own
farm.” Stone knew there was no way to win this man over, and he wondered how
long the chit-chat would survive.
Mr. Evans hardly blinked as he stared at Stone; his
lips were pressed together as if they were holding something back. If looks
could kill, Stone would’ve been dead meat.
“How’s the family?” Stone asked with discomfort.
“You mean how’s Josie.”
Stone looked away. He wanted to know, more than
anything, how she was, what she was like now, but he suddenly felt embarrassed
being there.
“Never better. She’s happy and over you; has been
for years,” Mr. Evans declared.
Guilt started to crush his heart. What would his
return do to her, if she truly was happy? She deserved to be left alone; she was
entitled to all the pleasures and joy that Stone wasn’t able to give her,
thanks to his poor choices.
“Pa, do we need to order any more yard goods?”
asked a lovely young woman as she entered from a storage room. She looked up
from the opened book she was carrying and had to catch her breath the instant
she saw Stone. “Stone. Is that you?”
“Howdy, Josie. It’s nice to see you again.” Of
course, that was the greatest understatement of his life. With her soft brown
curls tucked into a ball and her eyes as blue as turquoise, Josie was still the
most beautiful gal Stone had ever laid eyes on. She had blossomed into an
exquisite beauty, which felt like a knife through Stone’s already aching
heart.
“So you finally got out of prison. What are you doin’
back here?” she asked nearly breathless from the shock.
“Startin’ over. Ready to live an honest, Godly
life.”
“Well, good for you. I hope you…,” but Josie
couldn’t find the right words. “Pa, I’ve got a few things to finish up,
excuse me.” She covered her mouth, trying not to let her emotions spill out as
she retreated to the storage room.
“Now looka here. You stay away from her, Stone
Hawkins, you hear me,” Seth Evans warned with a pointed finger. “She’s
courtin’ a fine gentleman now, so you just go about your business and you keep
away from my Josie. You got that?”
Stone nodded. He had hoped that his first encounter
with Josie would go smoothly, and that maybe he would discover that he didn’t
love her anymore. But now he’d been dealt two blows—he knew that he was
still in love with her, and his very presence had sent her running in tears.
“I’m sorry. I never meant no harm.”
“That don’t mean nothin’!” Seth snapped.
“Matter of fact, there’s another store down the street, why don’t you just
take your business and your stolen money down there. Leave us alone.”
With his head lowered, Stone walked out, feeling like
a scolded schoolboy.
Hiding in the back, Josie couldn’t take her eyes off
of Stone. She savored his every move until he left, and as he closed the door
behind him, a lonely tear slid down her cheek.
©2003 StoriesByEmail.com
|
