It Was 2052, High Haven (16 page)

Cissy looked over to Taylor. He smiled
and said, “I know just what you mean.”

“
Somehow, I got the feeling that
you and the mayor aren't big buddies. Any particular reason?”
said Cissy.

“
I don't know. My father never
cared for the mayor, guess it just flowed down to me. Dad really
wanted this place to be a haven, he worked hard at building a place
that would be home for folks. He would've always welcomed new
citizens. The mayor and a few around here just want everything for
themselves.”

“
Everything?”

He gave another look to the new people
and plunged on, “Yes. They don't want new people because they
don't want them to know about the Secret treasure---the gold.”

“
Gold!” Bubba and Lindsey
said at the same time.

Cole met Cissy's eyes, “You're
quite observant. There is a cave, there's an old gold mine.

Kevin said, “Well, I'll be
danged, there really is lost treasure.”

Taylor stood up now and he stood
behind Cissy, placing his hand softly on her shoulder. It was very
quiet for a few moments, the fire crackled and Peaches who had
returned earlier to his warm spot, shifted his position, flopped to
toast his opposite side.

She said, “I read stories of the
lost treasure, the mine. I dragged Taylor up, here, not just in
search of that but because I was so curious about the glow of your
lights. But Cole, I don't really care about the gold. I mean the
jewelry and stuff is pretty and I know it has value as barter and
trade. Back at the foot of the mountains, back home, I have
everything that I need. I have family, we take care of ourselves, of
each other. The gold just has very little value to me.”

“
My father felt like that and so
do I. The mayor and others, they think that it has great value. They
think that America is coming back to what it used to be and they will
have great wealth,” said Cole. “I feel like I have to
give you warning. The sheriff, he is a fair man and won't mess with
you if he feels you're no danger to his people. There are others that
consider you a threat. Don't take them lightly.” He looked to
Taylor and then to the others, “Don't any of you think that
you're perfectly safe here in Secret.”

“
So, it wasn't just animals
watching us from the trees on that first day?” Taylor sat back
down.”

“
Can't be sure.” Seeming
to want to end the discussion, the artist said, “Hey, let's
walk into town, maybe go to the cafe later.”

Cissy said, “Sounds good. Let me
go tell the pastor he'll have to eat left overs for supper.”

The dirty clad body was plastered
against the wall like growing there and the ears listened beneath the
window to the conversation in the kitchen, straining to hear over the
wind. The eavesdropper was chilled and when he heard the six talkers
move their chairs and prepare to leave, he slithered away like the
slime he was.

The wind had diminished as the new
friends headed toward town, the persistent gray fog settled back in.
They talked and laughed as they picked their way over and around the
rocks and sparse vegetation. No visibility beyond a few yards, the
one native of the mountain haven said, “Stay together on the
path, friends. This is the time of year for the bears to be fattening
up for hibernation.”

Bubba nudged Lindsey, “No more
than a snack right here.”

Cissy heard the laugh of her brother,
I've missed that sound, glad he's here.
She stumbled a bit on
a root and Taylor's arm slipped around her waist to steady her, it
felt good there.

Up ahead, Lindsey coughed,
“Crap---smells like smoke.”

Six pair of boots soon stepped onto
the weathered boards of the town walks. Even though it was the middle
of the afternoon, many of the jalopies had switched on their lights.

The
milky cloaked days rolled by. All the new acquaintances had been
enjoying the hospitality of the pastor, each other and the town. For
the most part they were welcomed. Just lately, Cissy started to have
her doubts about continuing to stay. Of course, there was the weather
to consider. If they tarried too long, they would get trapped for a
long while. She had promised her parents that she wouldn't get caught
by the winter. What was the real purpose for staying? She knew the
truth was that she, like the others, was enjoying this place.
But,
should we linger
?

There was something else,
Cole told them just yesterday that he would figure out a way to take
them to the mine. Lindsey and Bubba were as excited as children. She
wasn't sure how Taylor and Kevin felt. She would love to see the
mine, after all, a big part of this whole journey was,
is there
really a lost treasure, a mine hidden away in the mountain?
It
could be trouble, not a smart thing to do. She harbored no doubts,
the people that mistrusted them hadn't changed their minds. There was
still that feeling of being watched sometimes.

The
moon w
as
full tonit
e,
still
it
was only a pale
murky
orb. Cissy moved quietly into the kitchen. She wasn't able to sleep
and had tip toed past the other rooms and down the hall.
P
ajamas
were
never part of her spartan wardrobe
.
Emily had made her some soft pants, years ago,
t
hey
had become shorter as her legs grew but still fit her slim hips and
they were comfortable.
A
n
old loose thin flannel shirt topped them and she walked in socked
feet.
In
the dim light, s
he
put a stick of wood on the embers, placed the water kettle on a hook
over the fire. No hurry, she just needed to think.
She
went to the tall pantry to find some cocoa.

The
voice made her breath catch in her throat, “Couldn't sleep?”
She turned and Taylor was so-o close, she felt his warmth. His hand
slowly found bare skin beneath the
big
shirt, her answer of
no,
I couldn't
was
a whisper. The fear that the pastor or someone would walk into the
kitchen and the
message
that his lips on hers was now sending t
o
every inch of her body
was
a
conflict of pain and pleasure
.
It
felt as if the darkness was swirling them down into a pool of
pleasure and the whole world had vanished.
A
few moments of
frantic
passion
that
had
simmered
for a long while,
left
her heart beating wildly and
moans
escaping her as Taylor nuzzled her neck. He lifted her up and sat
down in the kitchen chair, with her in his lap, his hands in her hair
that fell loose.

He looked directly into
her moist eyes, “Will it make you bolt if I say I love you?”

She
placed her hands on the side of his face and kissed him. Sliding away
from his lap, she adjusted the well worn sleep wear and pushed her
hair back.
H
ot
water
from
the
kettle
flowed
over the dried cocoa in two mugs.
Setting the mugs on the table, she sat next to him
and
captured his hand,
“I love you, too. God, I've never felt like you just made me
feel,”
tears
wet her cheeks. “No one knows this, Taylor...no one,” she
took a big breath. “Back in Texas, some pretty bad things
happened to me. I doubt that I'll ever have any children and I
haven't really wanted a man to touch me at all. Jeff was my savior,
so good to me and Kevin and Emily. There was no reason for them to
know everything that I had been through. I
just
wanted to wipe it from my mind,
was thankful to be away from there.”

“
It's okay, I don't
care about anything in your past. To tell you the truth, I've quit
caring about anything that existed before the day that I walked up
the road of your community.”

“
Right
now, I can't think of anything I'd like more than to take you back to
my bed and get lost in you---” she gave him something between a
moan and a giggle, “for days, for
ever
.
But,
could we just keep this private for a while? I mean, not tell
everyone. I'm really wondering if it might be time for us to go home.
I'd
like to not put this in the open for now.”

“
Sure,” said
Taylor. “I want whatever you want. You're worth waiting for. I
think I might've been waiting for you all my life.” He stood
up, pulled her in tight, “I better get out of here or we'll
still be here in the morning and there will be no secret.” A
good night kiss and he was gone. Cissy knew that the heat from her
toes to the top of her head wasn't from the hot chocolate.

***

Taylor didn't want to make life any
harder on Cissy, he made a determined effort to keep his hands and
his mind off her. He had a short conversation with Kevin,
did he
think it was time to make plans to leave? What did he think about
making a stealthy excursion to the old mine?

Kevin said, “I admit, seeing the
mine is intriguing, not sure about the smarts of going there.
Home---we're sure getting to a time that we're going to need to head
down off this mountain. As much as everyone seems to be enjoying this
place, I don't think anyone wants to be stuck here through the
winter.”

“
I agree.”

“
I'm a bit homesick. Of course,
unlike others---” he raised his eyebrows at Taylor, “I
don't have a partner.”

Taylor looked away from him and said,
“You noticed, huh?”

A chuckle, “I've known my sister
for a long time, bud. I've never seen her look at someone like she
looks at you. It's fine by me, she deserves someone to love her.”

“
...well, I do. She asked me to
not make a deal of it right now. I'm okay with that.”

“
Gotcha. Listen man, there's
another thing that I'm worried about. This soupy mess that hangs
over us all the time, I think it's smoke. Lindsey and all of us,
coughing and hacking. I even think I smell it when the wind is from
a certain direction.”

“
Think there's a wildfire out
west somewhere?”

“
It's a good bet,” said
Kevin. “I've only seen them once or twice over the years. The
community lucked out and the wind kept them away from us.”

“
That's absolutely not good.
I've seen a couple of fires myself, there is no predicting or
controlling them. All you can do is get out of the way. They can
sweep across the land for hundreds of miles, unchecked and
unstoppable and everything in the path is incinerated, completely
destroyed.” Taylor left the talk with a promise that they
needed to all sit down and discuss this soon.

Not far away, in the small cabin with
the windows and doors wide open, Lindsey's sneeze caused the thin
brush in her hand to swipe across her cheek and leave a long blue
trail. “Dang, there's something in the air around here. I'm a
mess.” She stood back, the brush dangling from her small hand,
other hand on her hip. “What do you think?”

Bubba, who was lounging on the small
cot, rose and joined Cole who bent down slightly next to him to view
the canvas sitting on the easel. Both their heads tilted to the
side. A very colorful but somewhat lopsided bird sat on a crooked
limb and filled the space of the painting.