A/N: Ahhh, yay, I have a little time, so I can post. Whooo, lol. Ok, this took me a while. Lots of little details to keep remembering etc etc and more to add. I think my brain may explode shortly.
Massivo thanks to SSC. She keeps reminding me of things I forget, and, I do forget, ugh, so much to remember and…she has had HUGE input on this chapter. Like lots! I love you and thank you so much babe, for all your suggestions, additions and assistance. This story wouldn't be what it is without you!
Thank you so much for all the reviews and support guys, and for your patience. It's hard with my new job to write but I am trying and will do as much as I can, when I can. I hope you like this chapter and please offer me your thoughts and reviews :)
Chapter 63
Riding down the driveway, Hank thumped a brutal kick into the side of his horse causing him to speed up. The young man was furious. How dare they keep him away from his betrothed? Surely a few minutes wouldn't have mattered…
Hank's brain whirled in thought. Nothing made sense. Sara was too ill for him to see her, but healthy enough to go out of town? Was it Sara's parents who prevented him from seeing her or Sara herself?
Anger flowed through his veins. Hank Pettigrew was everything that Sara could possibly want. He was wealthy, intelligent, cultured and handsome. He could have any woman in the state of Maryland. And yet, Sara Sidle always seemed to be the one person who was immune to his considerable attributes.
Hell, he even offered his Uncle's assistance to her financially plagued father in order to play "the knight in shining armor" to her. She had accepted his offer and she seemed happy at the engagement party, if not slightly subdued. However, the last several days did not sit well with him. Sara's interest in the wedding and in him, was waning rapidly and Hank did not understand why.
Since the engagement, he had shown up at the Grove every day, spending time with her, offering his ideas on the grand wedding that any woman would be proud to have. And yet, Sara seemed indifferent. Not even a kiss from his fiancée for his efforts. Most women would be offering up their virginity for such gestures but Sara wouldn't even offer a chaste peck on the cheek. In fact, the only time he had kissed her was at the engagement party and Sara wasn't exactly…passionate…in return.
There had to be a reason.
Sara was marrying age and every woman dreamed of getting married. It's what women wanted, to be married to such a man as himself and have children. Women wanted to be taken care of and spoiled with pretty things. Sara was not unlike any other woman that Hank had the pleasure of knowing.
So what other reason could be causing such disinterest?
When he reached the house, he jumped from his palomino and threw the reins to Jared who was walking by, chewing on an apple. "Take him to the stable," Hank demanded.
Jared just looked at him a little surprised.
"What the hell are you looking at?" Hank snapped. "Did I stutter?"
Shaking his head, Jared grabbed the reins with wide eyes and shaky hands. "No, Hank," he replied immediately.
"Then get on with it!"
"Yes, sir." The worker pulled the horse and rushed off towards the stables.
With a shake of his head, Hank stomped up the steps and into the house. Throwing his hat down onto the table on the porch, he went in search of his uncle.
McKeen was in his study, going through some papers and signing documents. He looked up upon hearing his nephew enter the room. Leaning back in his chair he looked Hank up and down as he drew closer to the desk.
"You don't look particularly happy, my lad," the land owner commented, "Bad news?"
Shrugging his shoulders, the younger man slouched down into a chair opposite his uncle. "In regards to the horses, the captain just said he appreciated the offer but right now, he just doesn't need that much assistance and…I didn't get to see Sara, apparently she is sick. So, I couldn't ask her what her problem was yesterday, which is rather infuriating."
"Hmmm…" the colonel entwined his fingers, "…are we going to have a problem?"
Again Hank shrugged his shoulders. "My fiancé isn't being particularly jolly about our engagement. I am becoming a little concerned but, I don't know…." Leaning forward he took a piece of boiled candy from the jar on the desk and popped it into his mouth. "And now…she is going away. So it will be a few days before I get to speak with her."
The colonel frowned and popped his pen into the inkwell. "What do you mean, she is going away?"
"I've been told she needs a break…" He sucked on the candy, "…a little time away from the Grove."
McKeen's face suddenly bore a look of alarm. "Then maybe we do have a problem," he sighed.
"Not necessarily," the younger man said. "The captain says she is just a little overwhelmed and being away for a few days will do her good. She does seem quite stressed and that obviously isn't agreeing with her, so, maybe he is right."
Standing, the colonel slipped his hands behind his back and approached the window. "She is too sick to see you but well enough to travel?" he questioned.
Hank frowned as his uncle's question hit his ears. It appeared they both had similar concerns about what was happening.
"Where is she going?" the colonel continued, turning back to his nephew before he could answer.
"Oh….um… don't worry, I'll know exactly where she will be and exactly what she is up to."
"How so?"
"I am funding the trip and I will send two of our…" Hank suddenly silenced in mid sentence as the expression on his uncle's face changed, a deep frown crinkling his forehead. He looked furious.
"You…are…what?" the ranch owner bellowed, hurtling towards his family member.
With great speed, Hank shot from the chair and as his uncle advanced on him, he retreated backwards until his back hit the wall. "Uncle, please…" He held up his hands, "…please, just listen to me…it's for the wedding…the trip is for the wedding…"
McKeen's eyes pierced through his nephews. "Listen to you?" he growled. "Is it not our goal to make dear, old, Thomas, need us as much as possible? Be in debt to us? So why the hell are you paying for anything?"
"So I can keep tabs on Sara," he shot back shakily, in an attempt to calm the fury his uncle was blasting at him. He was squirming actually and if Hank Pedigrew was good at anything, it was squirming.
Now the colonel's eyes narrowed as he sucked in a deep breath. "Explain and do it very quickly or I swear I..."
"I don't know what's going on with Sara and I don't seem to have any say in her going away," the younger man rambled all in one breath but didn't stop. "I can not argue with the Captain. You know him and it is his daughter. How can I argue with him? If I pay, I get to send two of our servants with them. I said to help but it's more to keep their ears open and let me know if anything suspicious is happening." He finished on a gasp, now short of breath.
"Hmmm…" The colonel took a step back and folded his arms. "And that was your initial reason for saying you would pay, my boy? Tell me the truth because I will know if you are lying to me and you know I don't like it when people lie to me."
Hank squirmed a little more. "Alright…at first, I admit, I was trying to do something for Sara…well, more for the wedding. Hoping she might actually show some damn interest. But the more I think about it…I just…I don't know. Something just doesn't feel right."
A knock at the door interrupted their conversation.
"Come!" the colonel shouted and his head servant entered. McKeen shot him a glance. "What is it, Johnson?"
"Mr. James says he needs to speak with you, sir," the man responded. "He said it's important.
"Fine," the colonel grumbled. "Let him in."
Johnson nodded, slipping his hands behind his back before exiting.
A few moments later, Jared scuttled into the room, removed his hat and approached the land owner.
"What do you want, Jared?" the colonel was quick to ask.
Jared shuffled on his feet and looked quite nervous.
McKeen's eyes narrowed and shot his nephew a quick glance before stepping right up to his worker. "Spit it out, Jared. Can't you see I'm in the middle of something?"
"Brad and Porter have just returned from town and…" He hesitated, looking to the floor, twisting his hat around and around in his hands.
"I'm becoming impatient," the colonel grumbled. "Get on with it…"
Nodding, but still looking uneasy, Jared continued. "It's all around town. Michael Keppler has been released…the sheriff let him go."
"What!" the colonel bellowed, lunging towards his worker.
Jared peddled backwards, his feet moving so fast, he could have been a full blown thoroughbred. "Sir!" he implored, "I am only passing on the message, sir, it's not my fault!"
McKeen huffed and kicked the chair Hank had been sat in only a few minutes earlier. It went flying across the room before cracking into the wall. Hank watched on as his uncle vented his anger upon the furniture.
"I can't believe this," the colonel growled. "Do we know why that idiot of a sheriff has released him?" he asked his employee.
"Lack of evidence," the younger man replied. "From what we can gather, the evidence he had, didn't sit too well…he investigated…he found out it just didn't tally and…" Jared hesitated.
"What?" the land owner snapped, his eyes narrowing in a manner that betrayed that he knew he wasn't going to like what Jared had to say.
With an audible swallow, Jared took another step backwards. "He found Pritchard."
Holding his hand over his eyes, the colonel shook his head. "We definitely have a problem," he mumbled.
Hank stepped up beside his uncle, his eyes fixed on Jared. "They were supposed to bury him."
McKeen snorted. "Obviously they didn't bury him deep enough."
"Again…" Jared held up a hand, "…not my fault. I wasn't there, I was with you, remember?"
Removing his hand from his eyes, the colonel glared at his worker. "Yes, I remember and I also remember the blacksmith punching you in the face, leaving a mark that other's have also noticed…" He rubbed his beard with a determined hand. "The sheriff will be here; sooner and not later…he will have to…look into things further now Keppler has been cleared and I am pretty certain we will be on his suspicion list."
"Are you worried?" Hank asked as his uncle turned to him.
"Of course I'm worried." The colonel's face formed into a grimace. "Thanks to that poisonous snake, Grissom, I know the sheriff already suspects us. And now, we can't sabotage anything else at the Grove, even if we wanted to. It's just far too risky."
Hank and Jared both nodded in agreement.
McKeen impatiently paced over the large, oriental rug. "I wonder if that's the reason that Thomas sent the horse's back," he muttered, barely loud enough for Jared and Hank to hear. "We better hope that Thomas isn't now listening to Grissom or we have a problem indeed."
Hank held his arms out. "Well it won't matter will it? All we need is Sara." His lips formed a sinister smile. "Once we are married, nothing else will matter. It will all…be ours…."
"At this point in time, my lad, sweet Sara is just a little insurance and nothing more, well maybe a good night in for you, but…" The colonel paused in thought, taking a moment before continuing, "…the sooner the wedding happens, the better." He pointed a sharp finger at his nephew. "She better be ready after her little…trip or my patience may have worn out. I know you do like her, Hank, and want her, but I'm tired of playing around. Do you understand? Get…it…done!"
On a heavy swallow, Hank nodded. "Yes, Uncle. I'm sure once she returns, we will set a date."
"For your sake and hers, you better be right…"
CSICSICSICSICSICSICSI
When Grissom saw who was riding in their direction, the right side of his mouth curled a grin. "Well I'll be…" he mumbled, trailing off as he walked towards the approaching rider.
"What?" Teri asked, stepping beside him as he thrust his fists into his hips.
After flashing her a quick smile, he looked up at the rider who pulled to a stop right in front of them.
The rider was quick to dismount and remove his hat the second his feet touched the ground. The young man looked a little tense.
Grissom extended his hand. "It's so very good to see you, Michael," he said.
Shaking Grissom's hand, Michael exhaled a breath of relief and finally smiled. "It's good to see you too."
"When were you released?" the rancher asked, pulling his hand back and slipping his thumbs into his belt.
"Yesterday. The sheriff escorted me out of town. He said I should leave right away, for my own good. He said I could still be used as a scapegoat."
Grissom gave a single nod, happy that Jim Brass had come to his senses and managed to clear Michael of the false accusations set against him.
"He told me to come here, that I wouldn't be safe in Maryland anymore," the younger man continued. "He gave me a map but I had to stop when it got dark because I had no idea where I was. I have nothing with me though…I…didn't have chance to pack anything or collect any of my things."
"Well…don't worry about that for now; I'm sure we can work something out…" He paused upon hearing the sound of Teri clearing her throat behind him and turned back to his guest.
"Are you going to introduce us?" she asked, stepping up beside him and looking Michael over.
Tapping his heels together, Grissom nodded with a smile. "My apologies," he responded. "Michael, this is my good friend, Teri Miller. Teri, this is Michael Keppler."
"Ahhh…" Teri sounded the realization that she knew who the young man was as she held out her hand. "Nice to meet you, Michael," she said. "Gil has told me your story and I am happy to see you are free."
"Thank you, Ma'am," Michael responded, softly shaking Teri's hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you."
"Are you here to stay?" Teri asked.
Michael looked back to Grissom. "I'm not sure…I guess…maybe?" He sounded totally indecisive and Grissom couldn't blame him.
"I suppose we should come up with a plan," Grissom added, scratching the back of his head. "But first, I presume you haven't eaten?"
"No, sir," the younger man replied with a swift shake of his head.
"Then come…" The rancher gestured to the cabin. "First breakfast and then we will work out where we go from here…"
CSICSICSICSICSICSICSI
Sara followed her mother into the lounge. A slight feeling of apprehension surged through her body as she entered the room. She had no idea what this chat was going to be about and with everything she was currently hiding, she just didn't know what to expect.
She saw her father standing by the fireplace stuffing fresh tobacco into his pipe before popping the implement into his mouth.
"Ah…Sara," he mumbled upon seeing his daughter. Taking the pipe from his mouth, he smiled. "Are you feeling better?" he asked.
"Yes, Father," she lied. Well, just a little. She wasn't feeling amazing, but she didn't feel terribly ill anymore.
"Glad to hear it." His smile broadened.
Laura stepped up and sat on the sofa. "Come sit with me, Sara," she urged looking up at her daughter, patting the space next to her.
Sara was quick to nod and sat beside her mother just as Rana walked in carrying a tray.
"You sent for coffee, Sir?" the housekeeper asked.
With a nod, the captain pointed to the coffee table. "Just set it down and we will sort it, thank you, Rana."
Doing as told, Rana placed the tray onto the coffee table and left the room.
As the captain sat in his chair opposite the sofa, placing his pipe on his lap, Laura reached for the coffee pot. "Would you like some coffee, Sara?" she asked, beginning to pour.
"Yes, please."
Laura smiled as she filled the cup and handed it to her daughter. Sara took a small sip from the steaming liquid and enjoyed the bitter flavor on her tongue. She always liked it when Rana made the coffee, nice and strong.
It reminded her of the way that Grissom made coffee.
A strong pang of yearning struck her heart again, erasing her momentary happiness. Sara frowned into her cup. She missed him terribly and every other thought only reminded her of him. She realized that she would never, could never forget him. His name may as well be branded on her heart.
"Thomas?" Laura then asked.
"Please," he responded.
After pouring her husband and herself a cup of coffee, Laura shifted on the sofa so she could face Sara. She took a mouthful of coffee before beginning.
Sara felt her heart skip a beat when she noticed both her parents were staring at her.
"Your father and I have been talking…and…" Laura started, "…we think it may be a good idea if you get away for a few days. Well, you and me. Time away…from here. That's if you are feeling up to it and you want to that is." She took a cube of sugar from the bowl and popped it into her cup.
Feeling a little stunned by her mother's statement, Sara placed her cup down onto the coffee table and looked at both her parents in turn. "Away?" she asked puzzled. "Away where? Why? Have I done something wrong?"
"No…no…" Laura responded quickly, now placing her own cup down. Taking her daughter's hand she squeezed it tightly. "We just…thought it would do you good. No matter how much you deny it or try and hide it, Sara, we can see you are exhausted and you know, a small time out may do you the world of good."
"Oh…" Sara wasn't sure what else to say although she couldn't deny the prospect of getting away from the Grove and Hank was very appealing. "Does Hank know about this?"
Laura looked to her husband as he took a heavy gulp of coffee. Now Sara looked to her father as he too placed his cup down. "He does," he began. "And he also thinks it would be a good idea."
Sara's brow furrowed, she felt rather shocked by that. "Really?"
Clearing his throat, the captain leaned forward and entwined his fingers. "He suggested maybe you could look for items for the wedding."
Ah, now Sara got it and she wasn't happy. A shopping trip? She shook her head on a false snigger. "So that's what it's all about…" she mumbled her disapproval. "Why am I not surprised?"
"No," Laura cut in quickly and Sara looked back to her. "That's not what it is about at all. Hank suggested it but we do not have to do that if you don't want to. This trip is for you and whatever you want to do we will do. The important thing is that you get a little time to relax and get your head clear." She smiled. "Because your father and I have both come to realize there is a lot going on in there, isn't there? A lot more than you are telling us?"
Swallowing hard, Sara was quick to avert her mother's gaze. Now she couldn't bring herself to look at either of her parents. What exactly did they know? She was worried now, more than she was before.
Laura looked to the captain with concern and he too looked as equally worried. "Sara?" he asked with a hint of unease.
Very slowly, Sara lifted her head to bring her eyes back to her father's.
"You don't have to go if you don't want to. We are not forcing anything upon you. You do know that right?"
Sara nodded, although she wasn't confident about her own gesture, she was still a little stunned.
"Would you like some time to think about it?" Laura asked.
It only took Sara a few moments to make up her mind. Wedding trip or not, she had the chance to leave the Grove, get away from Hank and maybe even have a little time to think. "No," she replied. "When can we leave?"
Now Laura was the one looking surprised, "Oh…um…whenever you want. Today…tomorrow…"
Pushing herself up, Sara headed straight for the door. "Today…I will go and pack," she called before leaving the room.
Once the door had closed and Sara had disappeared, Laura and the captain looked to each other.
"Well…" the captain said, "…that went a little, oddly."
"Agreed," Laura responded. "But did you notice the only time she seemed to get upset was when we mentioned the wedding?"
The ranch owner nodded.
Laura continued, "Something just isn't right, Thomas, we know that. And, I'm going to find out exactly what."
A/N: Whoo, road trip! LMAO. Will it be pleasant? We shall see. Don't forget the sick bag, ahahahahaaaa. Sorry couldn't help it. Reviews please! I can write faster….no really…I do…LOL.