Freeing Lost Souls (The Family Tree Series Book 1) Read online

  Sure enough, when we pull into the driveway and pass the dog park, Sally and Buc are outside playing. Surprising how much energy Sally has. I wish I had some of it.

  “Thank you for today. You’re a perfect tour guide, and I really appreciate it,” I say as I park the Jeep.

  “It was my pleasure. Call me anytime. Maybe we can hang out and watch a movie or something, sometime.” He smiles, showing deep dimples as he climbs out.

  “Sounds like a plan,” I answer as I climb out of the Jeep.

  Sally and Buc see us and walk over. “Aww, you guys are back already? Buc and I were having a great time!” she exclaims as she rubs Buc’s head.

  “We’ve been gone for like five hours.” I laugh and give Bruce a funny look. He shrugs. “Thank you for watching him. Was he good?” Buc walks over and lies down at my feet. He hasn’t played that hard for that long in I can’t remember when.

  “He was great! Anytime you need me to watch him, just let me know. I love dogs, and he was the perfect friend.”

  “Well, I’m glad you had fun, and since you get along so well, I think you’ll be seeing a lot of each other while we’re here.”

  “Cool! I guess I’ll catch you guys later. Bye, Buc.” She squats down and kisses him on the head before she heads off to her loft. I think she’ll be my good friend, as well. Usually, when I’m on one of these projects, I don’t make many friends. I just get the job done and move on. But something is different here. I really like the people and the place. I may be able to stay here, for a while at least.

  “Thanks again, Bruce. I’m sure I’ll see you around. Let me know if you need anything.”

  “Will do. Thanks and see you soon.”

  We both go to our own lofts. I feed Buc before I sit and relax for a bit. I turn the TV on and flip channels for a while. As I’m flipping, I notice that an episode of “Alice” is on, so I watch it.

  Chapter 8

  After dinner I start up my computer to check my emails. I notice an email from the genealogist.

  ___________________________

  From: Teresa Parker

  Subject: Re: Genealogist help

  Date: September 12, 2015 10:45am

  To: Sarah Finny

  Dear Ms. Finny,

  I was able to find one woman who was a nurse during the Civil War. Her name was

  Elizabeth Marie Finny. She would have been your father’s great-great-great grandaunt. She did not have any children of her own. She was engaged to be married to a Union soldier who was killed during battle. I’m still looking into how she died. I’ll keep researching. So far that is the first name to come up.

  I’ll keep you posted.

  Best,

  Teresa Parker

  ___________________________

  From: Sarah Finny

  Subject: Re: Genealogist help

  Date: September 12, 2015 9:45pm

  To: Teresa Parker

  Dear Ms. Parker,

  Wow, a nurse! That’s really cool. I look forward to learning what other finds you

  come across. Thank you again for your help.

  Sarah

  ___________________________

  I read for a bit before I jump in the shower. Once I’m ready to get into bed, the drawing that I have set up in the corner catches my eye. I walk over to it to get a better look. I’m not sure when I’ll make it back to the Wheatfield. I’m thinking maybe staying away for a while might help. “I wish I knew who you were,” I say to the picture. I shake my head as I go to bed, hoping to rest up so I can get some work done tomorrow.

  * * *

  I made arrangements with Sally to look after Buc for me on days that I will be working. I told her I would pay her, and we agreed upon a figure. On my way out this morning, I stopped by her place to drop off Buc. I thought about stopping by Bruce’s, but thought better of it. He needs to rest his ankle, and I need to get some work done. Maybe I’ll see what he’s up to later when I get back. I can’t get over how relaxed I am with him. That’s never happened this fast before.

  Today I want to be as far away from the Wheatfield as I can. So I make my way to Oak Ridge, which is in the opposite direction. I’m hoping if I distance myself, I can get the soldier out of my head so I can work on what I need to. I even moved his picture at home so I don’t have to look at it. But of course he’s still in the back of my mind.

  Oak Ridge, like the other battlefields, is wide open. They have an observation tower that you can climb up into. The view is breathtaking from on top of the tower. It’s hard to envision what it must have been like during the war, with it being so open. No place to shield yourself from cannons or gun fire. No wonder so many lives were lost. I find a spot and set up my work station, going through my usual routine before I start drawing.

  Oak Ridge was one of the first battles during the three days of fighting at Gettysburg. When the Union army saw that they were being surrounded on all sides, Colonel Charles W. Tilden of the sixtieth Maine Infantry Regiment wanted to deprive the other side from capturing the Union flag. He started to rip the flag apart and hand pieces to each of the survivors to take with them. Those who survived had a piece of history with them. After the war, some of the surviving pieces of the flag were returned to Gettysburg for the museum.

  The air is so fresh here, and it’s so quiet. Peaceful. After finishing my drawing I decide to lie down in the grass and just enjoy the sun. I close my eyes and listen to the sounds. I swear that, before long, I can almost hear cannon fire along with gun shots. Not like the guns they have now, but old guns. It doesn’t sound very close, almost like the sound is echoing from the past. I keep my eyes closed a short time longer and just listen.

  Out of nowhere, I hear what sounds like heavy metal music blaring from the road. I roll my eyes as I sit up and see what looks like Benny’s truck slowing down by my Jeep. I hop up and wander over. As I get closer, I can hear that the song playing is AC/DC’s “Big Balls.” I shake my head and laugh as I approach his truck.

  “What are you laughing at?” Benny asks once I make it to him. I see that he has Bruce with him.

  “I’m laughing at the song. I can’t remember the last time I heard that one. Reminds me of my high school days. At least you like some decent music, not some of the crap the kids listen to today. Don’t get me wrong. Some of it is all right. In fact, I love Imagine Dragons.”

  “Yeah, they are all right, I guess,” he adds.

  “So what brings you guys out here today?” I ask.

  Bruce looks at me with a peculiar look on his face. “Sally asked us to find you. Buc had a run-in with a rabbit hole. He’s limping pretty bad. She thinks you may want to take him to the vet.”

  “Why didn’t she call me?” I pull my phone out of my back pocket to see if I missed a call. My phone reads, ‘no service’. Great.

  “She said she tried to, but you didn’t answer. That’s when she came to get me. She said that you had come out here. The cell service sucks in this area. Go figure with it being so open.” He shrugs.

  “Thank you for coming out to tell me. I’ll gather my stuff and go back to the loft.” I make my way to pack up my set.

  “Here, let us help you.” Bruce and Benny hop out of the truck to lend a hand. Bruce seems to be walking a bit better today. I pack up my stuff and hand things to the guys, who help me load them into the Jeep.

  “Thanks, guys, for driving out here and getting me.”

  Bruce walks over to the driver’s side of the car. “Don’t mention it. It’s the least we could do. Do you want some help with getting Buc to the vet? I know a great vet that’s not too far from our place.”

  “If you don’t mind, that would be great. He always seems to find the holes. Too busy checking things out to notice them, I guess.” I laugh as Bruce jumps into the Jeep with me.

  “Hey, Benny, thanks for driving me out here, bud.” Bruce smiles.

  “Sure thing. Not like I was doing anything anyway,” Benny comments as he jumps into his
truck and starts it up. This time blaring “Once Bitten, Twice Shy” by Great White as he drives off.

  “God, that guy has great taste in music.” I shake my head as we pull off onto the road, heading back to the lofts.

  “Yeah, but I tell you he is stuck in the ‘80s and ‘90s. You won’t see him listening to any of the new stuff.”

  We pull up to the lofts and park before finding where Sally has Buc lying in the shade. He is huffing and puffing more than usual, so I know he’s really hurt. “Hey, buddy. How ya doin’?” I bend down to look him in the eye. He lifts his head but doesn’t keep it up for very long.

  Sally’s in tears when she apologizes. “I’m so sorry. We were playing fetch when he hit the hole. I got him as far as the shade. I tried to call you.”

  “Sally, please. It’s not your fault. Buc always finds the holes. He’ll be fine, won’t you, buddy?” I add as I ruffle his head. “Bruce is going to help me get him to the vet. He’ll be back to himself in no time. You’ll see.” We all stand, and I give Sally a hug. “No more crying, got it?”

  She nods and wipes the tears away. “All right.”

  “Bruce, I’m going to back the Jeep up so we can get Buc into the back. I will need help picking him up.”

  “Sure,” Bruce replies as he squats to keep Buc calm.

  Buc’s not a light dog to lift, but among the three of us, we get him into the Jeep and start for the vet. I tell Sally I will keep her posted.

  * * *

  Buc managed to sprain his paw. So the doc gave me some meds for the pain and said he should stay off of it as much as possible for the next few days. I’m not sure how I will pull that off, but we’ll somehow make it happen. Sally is glad it was nothing too serious and is happy that I’ll still allow her to watch Buc for me. Silly woman. Thought I blamed her for my clumsy dog.

  Chapter 9

  Buc and Bruce have both recovered from their accidents a few months ago and both seem to be back to normal again. Winter is upon us, and the cold and snow make it hard for me to be outside drawing. I did turn in a couple of the battlefields that I had finished, and the Historical Society loved them. They understand that drawing in these conditions would be hazardous to my health, so they have given me the winter off. I love my job.

  Today Bruce, Benny, and I are going sledding. I can’t remember the last time I’ve done that. The three of us have been hanging out a lot since I moved in. They are really a lot fun to be around. They make me feel as if I have known them all my life. Bruce and I have become pretty close over the past few months. We have tons in common, as it turns out.

  I get all of my winter clothes on and get Buc ready to take to Sally’s. We walk down the hall and knock on Sally’s door. When she opens the door, Buc nearly knocks me over to get into her loft. Needless to say, they get along great. “Hi, Sally. How are you today?”

  “I’m good. You all going out today?” she inquires as she pets Buc.

  “The guys are taking me sledding. I can’t remember the last time I did that.”

  “Oh, that sounds like loads of fun. You’ll have a great time. Tell the guys I said hi.”

  “Will do. I’ll see you two later.”

  “See ya,” she says as she closes her door.

  I walk down the hall to Bruce’s door and knock. It takes him a few minutes to get to the door, but when he does, he only has a towel wrapped around his waist and another towel in his hand rubbing his hair dry. Holy hell! “God, I’m sorry. I guess I’m a bit early,” I announce as I try to avert my eyes from his sculptured abs. Look away, look away…

  “Sorry, you’re not early. I’m running late.” He backs up and opens the door wider. “Come in. I’ll get some clothes on.”

  “Are you sure? I can wait at home.”

  “No, you’re fine. Come in. I won’t bite.” I swallow hard because at this point, I would take that bite. My God, he is hot! “It will only take me a second to get dressed.”

  I nod as I walk in because I think I have forgotten how to talk. He needs to get some clothes on before I do something stupid.

  “Make yourself at home.” He shuts the door, grabs the clothes he has lying on his bed, and takes them into the bathroom.

  I let out the breath I didn’t realize I’ve been holding. Good God, it has been way too long since I’ve been with a man. And Bruce is all man from what I’ve seen. I sit on the couch facing the TV that he has on, trying to take my mind off of him and his towel.

  “So are you excited about sledding today?” he questions as he walks back into the room and over to the coffee machine in the kitchen. He is wearing a pair of blue jeans and a dark blue pullover sweater. I am starting to feel over heated in my light blue sweater.

  “I am. I can’t remember when I went last. It’s been ages. So, is Benny meeting us here, or are we meeting at his place?”

  “We’ll pick him up. He drove last time.”

  “You know I do know how to drive. You guys don’t always have to do all of the chauffeuring.”

  “We don’t mind. Besides, this weather has been pretty bad the past few days. My truck has the better tires to deal with the slush.” The weather this winter has been really bad. We’ve had more snow and below-zero temps than they’ve had in the state in the past thirty years.

  “I guess you’re right. But just remember that I can drive.”

  “You got it,” he answers as he hands me a cup of coffee. Since it’s not tourist season right now, Bruce has been home a lot. We have coffee together most mornings. It’s nice being around someone when the weather is bad. There are only so many hours you can spend alone before you turn into that guy from “The Shining.” When the weather is extra bad out, Sally comes over, too, and we play cards or board games to try to make the winter go by faster. This is not my favorite time of year.

  I draw when Bruce is away. He works with Benny on some sort of construction project. When I draw at home, I close my eyes and think of things that I would rather be doing. I sometimes amaze myself with some of the drawings I do. The other day I drew a tropical island. Did I mention that I am sick of the snow and cold?

  “Are you ready to see us guys make a fool of ourselves?” he inquires.

  “I can’t wait,” I announce as I take my cup over to the sink. We collect our jackets and ski pants before heading out to the truck. When we get outside, the sky is such a clear blue, and the air is bone-chillingly cold. But with the crisp white snow and the gorgeous blue sky, it’s worth the few steps to get into the truck. Once we get inside and Bruce gets the truck started, it heats up pretty fast. “What a beautiful day,” I announce as he starts to pull out into the street.

  “It is. The weatherman said it will snow again later this afternoon. Hope we can beat it back so we don’t get stuck.”

  “I don’t think I would want to get stuck out in this weather for very long.” Although I would be fine being stuck with Bruce. God, I need to get my head out of the gutter today. Damn Bruce and his towel.

  It takes us no time to make it over to Benny’s. Luckily he knew we were coming and was watching out his window for us. Benny lives in a condo complex a few blocks from the lofts. They look pretty boring compared to where Bruce and I live. I think at one point they tried to make them look like small cabins, but over time they have worn down. From what Bruce has told me, Benny has a nice farm house that he is fixing up to move into when he’s done.

  As Benny jogs over to the truck, I scoot over to the middle of the front seat closer to Bruce. His arm brushes mine for a brief moment as I readjust myself in the seat. I look up at him and he gives me one of his heart-stopping smirks that he has. It makes my blood warm up.

  Benny jumps in. “Damn, it’s going to be another cold-ass day today. I can’t believe how many we’ve had this year,” he announces as he and I get buckled in.

  “I know. I’m sick of it already,” Bruce adds as he turns the truck toward the hills outside of town.

  “You brought the sleds, right?” Benny q
uestions.

  “No, I thought you had the sleds.” Bruce is trying not to laugh.

  Benny looks over at him with a goofy look on his face. “Dude, you almost got me, funny guy.” We all laugh. These guys have known each other forever and know how to poke fun.

  “So, how far are we going?” I ask.

  “Not too far,” Bruce announces.

  Before I know it, we are in the hills. Not very many people are here, just a few parents with their kids.

  “Not many people out today. That’s good,” Benny comments as he climbs out and heads to the back of the truck for the sleds.

  I scoot out after Bruce on the driver’s side of the truck. He is waiting for me with a smile to get out of the truck. A few weeks ago, when we had gone out, it was a wet snow, and getting out of his truck, I slid and landed on my ass. Bruce ran over to help me up, and ever since, he won’t let me get out of the truck without him being close by to catch me. I shake my head. “You are such a gentleman,” I say with mock appreciation.

  “M’lady,” he replies as he raises his arms and lifts me out of his truck and sets me down gently on the ground. That was the first time he has been so careful. Usually he just gives me a hand and I get out myself. I kind of like this new way.

  “Thank you,” I say.

  “Come on, you guys, let’s do this before the little kids flatten all the good snow.” We follow Benny over to where he has spotted “the good snow.” We climb up the steep hill and look down.

  “Are you sure we are on the right hill? Looks pretty steep,” I suggest.

  “Bruce and I do this all of the time. Come on, don’t be a girly girl.”

  Oh boy, this should be interesting.

  “Take it easy, Benny. Let’s do some of the smaller ones first, so we don’t get hurt going down the first hill, all right?” Bruce gives me a look like maybe we are on the same page.