Chapter 33

Gene Carter had been stopping in the grocery store ever since he had overheard at the stockyard that Gracie had come back from Louisville with marks and bruises. He hadn’t just missed the Chocolate Swirl when Swirly’s was closed, but he’d missed seeing Gracie’s cheerful face. When Kage left, she didn’t look like her joyful self. For Gene the ice cream didn’t taste the same served without her warm smile.

Then when he heard that something happened to her in Louisville, he, as everyone else, had assumed it was Kage. A young girl shouldn’t be traveling alone, they all said. But thanks to Aaron and his ability to make conversation with anyone and everyone, her story didn’t stay a secret for long. At the stockyard, Gene heard that two men, brothers of Kage, whom Kage didn’t even know well, had forced themselves on her. Gene, too old to go after them, had even thought of finding them. So, he began buying toilet paper, mainly to walk around the grocery store and hear what Aaron was saying. He wanted to get the story straight from Aaron, instead of the version that had made its way to the stockyard.

He heard Aaron say, “Yep, they held her down but another one came in with a gun and ran them off before, you know … anything too bad happened. Heard that Kage boy got it pretty good, too, broke his bones and stuff.”

To get that piece of information it cost him fifteen cents for two rolls of toilet paper. Then when he visited Swirly’s several days later and someone asked Gracie how she was doing, she’d just shrugged. That’s when he went back for more toilet paper and learned that Gracie was in love with Kage.

“Yep, she’s pining away for that boy and he’s miles from here,” Aaron told Mrs. Laurel who was there with her daughter.

“Well,” Mrs. Laurel cooed, “Love will find a way, dear boy. Love will find a way.”

Gene could tell Aaron wasn’t keen on Mrs. Laurel’s optimism. She turned to Gene, who was behind her in line holding his two rolls of toilet paper, “You believe that, Gene?”

Gene changed the subject. “Glad to see you’re out and about. Mr. Laurel behavin’?”

Mrs. Laurel nodded, batting her eyelashes in appreciation. “Oh, yes. I’m cooking his favorite supper tonight.”

By his third visit to the store, Gene was hooked. He stood in the grocery line with four rolls all for himself. But as Gene listened to Aaron go on and on, he knew what he had to do. Especially once he’d received the call from Kage’s sister. Pearl had explained she was looking for Kage. She confirmed the unfortunate incident in Louisville, but she also shared her admiration for Kage and his love for Gracie. She left Cecil’s number, saying he wanted to talk with Kage, if Kage came that way again.

After Kage had visited Gene asking about work, Gene had made a run to town—for some toilet paper and another quick errand to see his buddy, Chippy Martin, at the wood mill.

“Well, hi there, Gene,” Chippy welcomed Gene as he walked into the mill. “It’s a pretty day, figured you’d be hard at work on the farm trying to catch up. I know everyone else is.”

“Just took a quick break this morning to run by. Got a favor to ask,” Gene said.

“Anything for you buddy,” Chippy Martin said, putting the plank he was holding aside.

* * *

On the porch swing, Gracie and Kage made wedding plans together, deciding to keep it simple. Erma hassling Gracie to buy a fancy wedding dress, and Roberta endlessly debating calla lilies or garden roses had exhausted Gracie. The Franklins wanted to help make it perfect. For Gracie, none of those things would make it perfect.

Pulling her hair back from her face, Gracie slowed the swing and turned to Kage. “I wish so badly my family could be with me,” Gracie admitted, coming to grips with the true source of her downhearted spirit. “Even as young as I was, looking at my mother’s wedding pictures in the album, I had an image in my mind of what it would be like for me. My sister, next to me, my mother’s eyes red, swollen like my grandmother’s had been in the pictures—and my father standing beside me. How can I be so happy and so sad all at once like this?”

“So, let’s get married …” Kage ran his finger over the ring on her hand, “On your hill.”

“What?”

“I know you’ve been talking about a church wedding, but maybe we can get married there …”

Gracie interrupted connecting with his thought, “under the tree.”

“It’s just a thought. You might not …” Kage reverted.

“No, it’s perfect, but I want it to be just the two of us and, of course, Pastor Ted.” Gracie said visualizing it. “And I have the perfect dress!”

“Only if that’s what you want,” Kage agreed.

“I do,” Gracie said and giggled after her words. “Just practicing.” She leaned her forehead against his.

* * *

At Gracie’s, Kage picked up the phone and dialed Pearl. “Glad to catch you in,” Kage said and shared their good news.

“You gave it to her!” Pearl squealed. Kage pulled the phone away from his ear.

“Twice actually,” Kage snickered but didn’t explain. “Now I’m saving up for a band to go with it,” Kage added, and Pearl squealed again. Then she asked to talk to Gracie.

Kage could hear Pearl’s voice erupt from the receiver as the two talked. “You take care of him. He ain’t had much. He needs you.”

Now that Ridgewood was his home it felt like a place he’d never seen before. He’d never been to this place in his life before, and he liked it.

After talking with Pearl, Kage hesitated before calling Cecil. Even though Pearl shared that he split from his brothers, he wasn’t sure he wanted to hear Cecil’s voice either. The phone rang several times, and Kage started to hang up.

“Hello,” Cecil said on the other end.

For a second, Kage said nothing, and Cecil repeated his hello.

“It’s Kage,” he said and then followed, “Ben.”

“Well, bloody about time I heard from you,” Cecil said, relief in his voice. “Where are you? Pearl said you ran off, nothin’ said to anyone. I wondered if you went off looking for Beth Ann and Ruby hoping for better luck, since we weren’t much of a find.”

Kage asked Cecil about his brothers visiting Ridgewood, but Cecil didn’t know if they had circled through Ridgewood or not.

“Listen here, brother. I ain’t going to apologize for those two again. I up and traveled in a different direction. I’m down here in Florida, alone. I might be lucky as to not meet up with them. Wondered if you wanted to join me?” Cecil asked.

“Thanks, but no,” he said and let out a long sigh, trying to consciously release the anger he held toward Cecil. “I do appreciate you helping Gracie and me out, you know … when.”

“Brother, let me tell you something. Those two are going to get themselves killed someday, and I don’t want to be there to see it. They ain’t got no sense when it comes to living right. Sorry for what you and that girl of yours went through. You seen her again since?”

Kage summarized what he’d done the last few months and how he found his way back to Ridgewood. Also, he boasted about his job and his plans with Gracie.

“I’m proud for you brother. Ben, you’re a good man. Mom and Dad would be pleased.”

Kage nodded his head, not that Cecil could see, or know how much those words meant to him.