10

 

In an effort to calm her pounding heart, Shana pressed both hands over her chest. She closed her eyes and concentrated on deep breathing.

One more thing to check. She crossed to the back door. The welcome mat rested off kilter. Heart in her throat, ears buzzing, Shana knelt to peek under the corner. No key.

She swallowed, lifted her gaze to scan the small fenced-in yard. No place for an intruder to hide, nothing but her bench and a few browning flowers. She’d never felt so alone, and was more ill at ease than her first night on the ranch.

She wasn’t going to turn to Creighton. Yet.

The freaky sense that someone had been in her home had her re-checking the front and back doors, the window above her kitchen sink, and the one in her bedroom.

It was time to call her parents.

Mom picked up on the first ring. “Hey, I thought you were in town, honey. I could have sworn I saw you drive by a couple days ago. I was going to chew you out for not stopping.”

“Not me, Mom. I’ve been communing with nature. Must have been wishful thinking on your part. I just got back today.” It took concentrated effort to keep her voice from trembling. “Um, Mom, has Dad been in my place since I went to the ranch?”

“Oh, I don’t think so.”

“Is he there so we can ask him?”

“Sorry to disappoint. He’s down at Sorensons’ and you know those two pass the time like a couple gossiping old ladies.”

Shana did not join her mother’s rich laugh.

“Listen, I insist you come over right away. Spend the evening and tell us all about your adventures.”

“Sounds good to me, Mom. Give me enough time to put my clothes in the dryer.” How could the mundane be so difficult to maintain?

There was nothing mundane about her mother’s love. Will I ever be a mother, have the chance to love my own child? Creighton came to her mind, unbidden. There was a man made for family.

Before long, Shana was engulfed in the welcome of her parents’ hugs. Homemade vegetable stew and biscuits right out of the oven warmed her insides.

Her father had no answers for why her extra key had gone missing. “Remember to check in at the bank, Pumpkin, before you leave town.”

Claustrophobic in the cramped house she grew up in, Shana was amazed the wide open spaces outside her cabin in the hills called to her. How could one feel so at home after only a few days? The city, the home she grew up in, seemed foreign.

Back in her duplex, Shana’s wandering mind kept her from settling in for a good night’s sleep. She missed the night owls at Creighton’s ranch. She smiled at the memory of her childish fear over new sounds, as if some monster was ready to jump out of the shadows and carry her off.

Who in the world had been in her house? Nothing was missing. Maybe she’d loaned the jacket to Rita. Shana picked up the phone. There was no real proof. Only her fastidiousness to back her up. She set the phone down.

Am I crazy?

“No. Think pleasant thoughts. And quit answering your own questions.”

Creighton.

She remembered how the small confines of his pickup truck had shrunk air space.

Am I afraid to take a chance on love? And why am I thinking of love? Help me, here, Lord, if you hear me. I’m off-kilter. Who was he exactly?

She pictured the ranch landscape and Creighton, talking to the Lord. Her thoughts ranged from creek bottoms to the uppermost branches of aged cottonwood trees. Creighton’s ranch, his hideaway. No streetlights there.

Shana relaxed in the shadows of her city bedroom. Is that how one became a transplanted country girl, by comparing the gamut of her sensations to the land?

Through the restless night, Shana awoke from dreams of some stranger hiding in her duplex. She jumped at imagined grinding noises and thumps. She got up to shove chairs under the door knobs. The last dream she had, some unknown presence had even chased her through the trees on Creighton’s ranch.

Shana woke to sunlight and thoughts of Creighton, along with a mental picture of the ranch. More accurately, a future room in the ranch house that she and Creighton had turned into a nursery. That would be enough to keep anyone awake..

Did she want to pursue the enigma of Creighton?

Shana lumbered into the kitchen and brewed coffee. She leaned over the sink and splashed cold water on her heated face. Creighton invaded her thoughts. She could never consider him just a friend. Her senses had become fine-tuned to his warmth. His scent brought the piney outdoors inside, and then there was his laughter, his compulsion to somehow protect her.

She appreciated how much Creighton loved Rita. That observation solidified what a decent man Creighton was. His respect for women came out in the way he opened doors for her and treated her as an equal.

She stared through the window. Buoyant birds sang with joy.

What was Creighton doing at the moment?

If she wanted to get close to him, she had to find out more about his God. She had a feeling Creighton’s God was as important to him as breathing.

Drying her face, she caught a strange scent. An odd smell, like those strong perfume samples stuck in magazines. She washed her hands again and reached for the towel. And caught the smell again. The towel smelled different, not at all like the mild-scented laundry detergent or dish soap she used. She tossed it in by the washer and went through the cleansing ritual again.

Someone has been in my home. The thought shattered her peace. With shaking fingers, she finally dialed 9-1-1.

While she waited for an officer, Shana poured a mug of coffee. Her hand shook when she raised the coffee to her mouth. She set it down again and the hot drink cooled while she leaned against the sink, focused again on the carefree songbirds.

Officer Young introduced himself at her door. He looks old enough to drive, not old enough to take a report. She methodically took him through the apartment, showing and explaining everything she noticed the night before and that morning.

The officer scribbled on a notepad and said in parting, “I’ll turn this in, Ms. Arnold. But since you found nothing missing, I’m afraid to say we’ll just put the information on file.” On the way to his cruiser, he stopped and turned. “Have you checked the garage?”

“I drove my car last night, but didn’t look around.”

“Why don’t you open her up and you can take a look. I’ll wait.”

She retrieved her key, then without looking, hit the overhead door button.

“Ms. Arnold, where’s your vehicle now?”

Her car was gone.

 

****

 

After the policeman left, Shana called her father with the news of the stolen car.

“I’ll call the insurance company. I’ll also stop at the hardware store and get some new doorknobs, too. You need to change all the locks.” He paused, as if aware of her unease. “I’ll take care of it, Shana. You get that thesis done. Mom and I will see you later. Love you, bye.”

Shana longed for the quiet of the cabin’s front porch, the leaves fluttering in the breeze and the birds twittering in the trees. She decided to check in at work and picked up the phone. A coworker caught her up on all the latest news. When she hung up, uneasiness stirred concerning the details of visiting board members and possible audits.

What on earth had happened while she was gone? Her city world had spun completely out of control. Shana had to take a few deep breaths and absorb the shocks. She longed to be leaning against the wooden railing at the cabin. She picked up the phone again.

“Mornin’, Sunshine.” Creighton’s deep voice answered before the first ring finished its tone.

She gave a light laugh. “Is that in the sky or is that supposed to be me?”

“You. Caller ID.” He paused. “Did you sleep OK?”

“I should ask you that. I thought it was noisy and I woke up a lot.”

His low chuckle warmed her heart and lessened her troubles.

“I know what you mean.” His voice turned to teasing, “Are you turning into a country girl?”

“You never can tell. How’s Rita?”

“She’s doing fine, far as I can tell. That lap tray really does the trick. Ray took her tea and toast and gave her instructions to stay put until he gets home. I just served her up an omelet.”

“Great. Does she have a phone in their room?”

“Yep. I’ll give her a holler.”

He did just that. When Rita answered with a soft hello, Shana heard the click from Creighton’s extension.

“Sounds like you’re doing what the doctor ordered, girlfriend.”

“More like what the husband ordered,” Rita replied with a laugh.

Shana valued the lilt of laughter in her friend’s voice. And even though she was tempted, Shana stifled the urge to give an account of her encounter with the police. She wouldn’t mention car theft. “I called in to work. Kurt said there’s talk of an audit, and the powers-that-be have been in attendance.”

“Yeah. They’ve been around all week. One of the reasons I alerted you.”

“Strange.” Shana went down the list with Rita and they agreed that all was in order on their end of the job. “Too bad Dad doesn’t know any of the directors,” Shana concluded, “he could put out some feelers. Then again, this isn’t the university.”

“Speaking of your dad, how is he? And your mom?”

“Super. We had a nice visit last night. They don’t want me to go back to the isolation of the ranch. If they had their way they’d move me lock, stock, and barrel back to Doane Street and keep me a little girl.”

And safe.

“Come on, now. They just love ya.” Rita’s voice left and came back. “Wait a second, Creigh wants to say something.”

He came back on the line. “I know eight is a bit too early to leave in the morning, how about ten?”

“I’ll be more than ready.”

Back to where I have a say in what’s going on around me. Dad can take care of the house.