Purling Road - The Complete First Season: Episodes 1-10 Read online

  “Did you change your mind?” Jonathan asked, looking at Caleb for the first time.

  “No.”

  Jonathan went back to shuffling. “Then why are you here?”

  “So because I quit, I’m not welcome here? Is that it?”

  Jonathan took a deep breath, lay the papers down and sat back. “No, Caleb, that’s not it. I’m just dealing with a lot right now. What do you need?”

  Jonathan’s attitude about his decision wouldn’t be changed in a day, a week, maybe even a month. Caleb decided not to press him to see things from his point of view. It was better to act as if everything was still the same and eventually, it would be.

  “I went to the hardware store today.”

  Jonathan blinked slowly.

  “I needed a section of hose.”

  “Did you get it?” Jonathan asked.

  “Yes.”

  “I’m happy for you. We have things to tend to, Caleb. Maybe we can have a social visit another time.”

  “It’s not entirely a social visit. Something happened when I was in town.”

  “What?” Aryl asked.

  “It was really…strange.”

  “What is it, Caleb?” Jonathan asked. His tone offered little patience tonight.

  “It’s the new sheriff.”

  Jonathan pointed. “Caleb, I swear on all that’s holy—”

  “No, nothing like that, not like last time. But there is a problem, nonetheless.”

  Aryl leaned forward, his face washed in worry. “Well? Are you gonna tell us?”

  “He…” Caleb squirmed, adjusting in his seat.

  “Would you stop grimacing and just say it?” Jonathan said. “If there’s a problem we need to know about, tell us so we can avoid it.”

  Caleb rubbed his nose. “There’s a problem alright and I’m definitely going to avoid it.”

  He blurt it out just as Jonathan and Aryl were about to yell at him. “The sheriff is a nancy. He winked at me!”

  The room fell silent before Aryl’s snort turned into a snicker and then a full blown laugh.

  Jonathan simply stared. “Caleb.”

  “I know it sounds crazy. But he was being a bit too friendly in my book.” Caleb sat back and crossed his arms. “It made me real uncomfortable. He said if we needed anything…” His eyebrows hitched. “To come to him. He squeezed my shoulder and then winked.”

  “Wait, he squeezed your shoulder?” Aryl asked, struggling to choke down his laugher. He had to get up, take a few steps and turn away.

  “This isn’t funny.”

  Aryl looked over his shoulder, his eyes dancing. “Yes, it is.”

  “Caleb, some people wink. I’m sure it’s not what you think.”

  “Men wink at women, Jon. I wink at Arianna. You’ve never winked at me. Aryl’s never winked at me.”

  Aryl turned around. “No, but now that I know it bothers you, I’ll probably start.”

  Caleb rolled his eyes. “I’m being serious.”

  “As disturbed as you are, I don’t think this is anything to worry about.”

  “You’re not worried because it’s not you getting winked at!”

  “Caleb, it wouldn’t change my world in any way if it was,” Jonathan said. He folded the papers and tucked them in his jacket pocket.

  “You realize what it means when someone winks at you, don’t you, Jon?”

  “In most cases, yes. However, I don’t think he meant it in quite the way you’re thinking he did. I think he was just being friendly.”

  “If it wasn’t for the squeezing and the aaaaaaanything, I might take it that way. But he said anything, Jon and I think he really meant anything.”

  Jonathan closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, drawing in a deep breath as he pushed out of the chair. “Caleb, go home to your wife and kids and get some sleep.”

  Caleb rose, grumbled and shoved his hands in his pockets. “I’m telling you guys, he’s got his eye on me in a way I’m not comfortable with.”

  “Caleb!” Jonathan yelled. “What does it matter if he’s got his eye on you, thinks you’re the prettiest thing in Rockport and dreams of carrying you off into the sunset! How does that change anything in our life? We have to get up every day and struggle and worry for our families and work hard. This means nothing and it changes nothing! Is he a good sheriff? That’s what I want to know. So long as he keeps this town safe, I don’t care if he tries to give you a big sloppy kiss every time he sees you in town.”

  Caleb’s eyes popped wide. “Well, I care!”

  “Go back to your farm, Caleb.” His tone was icy. “Aryl and I have business to take care of.”

  Jonathan nudged Aryl’s arm and they turned together, leaving Caleb standing alone. After a few steps, Aryl looked over his shoulder at Caleb with pity. Then he winked.

  ***

  Claire wiped her hands on a towel, standing back to admire the wall.

  “I’d say that’s about perfect,” Muzzy said, bouncing Jac on her shoulder. He grasped handfuls of her untamed hair and brought them to his mouth.

  “You’ve really helped me whip this place into shape. It looks like a respectable business now.”

  Muzzy preferred a clean look to her office. While the style of furniture didn’t match, it was all brown. The walls had been given a fresh coat of bright white. On one, Claire painted a large blue and green globe atop a silver radio tower with large black lettering encircling it, listing all the services the paper offered.

  “Have you had more birth announcements?” Claire asked, scraping black paint from the corner of her nail.

  “No,” Muzzy said, frowning. “But community news is on an uptick. Three paid ads last week. And I’ve had three letters about your satire.”

  “Positive letters, I hope. I know it’s just a matter of time before they make the wrong person angry.”

  “All of them were glowing. They said your sketches make them smile, they look forward to it and appreciate it,” Muzzy said with a bright smile.

  “Well, good.” She held her hands out for Jac, who was falling asleep on Muzzy’s shoulder. “I’d better get home. It’s late and Aryl’s probably waiting for us.”

  As Muzzy was passing Jac, the bell on the door jingled and they both turned to look.

  Muzzy sucked in a breath. “Oh, my.”

  A young man with dark wavy hair stepped in, stopped and flashed a charming smile.

  “Hello, ladies.”

  “Can I help you?” Muzzy asked, her pitch high, her hand over her heart.

  “I was just passing by. Saw your sign and thought I’d take a look.”

  “Are you new in town?” Claire asked, tilting her head.

  “No, I was born and raised here. The last few years I’ve been living with family in Iowa. I just got back.”

  “Well…welcome back,” Muzzy said with a bit too much enthusiasm. Claire discreetly elbowed her.

  “What? I’m just being friendly,” she whispered, her cheeks pinking.

  “You’re being obvious,” Claire whispered back.

  “I’m Peter Burkley.” He leaned to one side. “But my friends call me Pete.”

  “I’m Muzzy.” She stepped forward and stuck out her hand. He noticed the ink stains on her fingers and the way they were trembling. He grinned.

  “That’s an interesting name,” he said, gazing.

  “It’s a long story,” Muzzy said with a giggle, followed by an accidental snort. He released her hand and she turned away, cringing.

  “I’d love to hear it sometime.”

  Muzzy looked as if she might dissolve. Red cheeks and all, she managed to face him. “Well, I’m always here…Unless, you know, I’m out there. Getting stories.”

  Peter looked around and his eyes fixed on the mural. “Is this your paper?” he asked.

  Muzzy sobered quickly. Her shoulders snapped back. “Mine? No. Mr. Brown owns the paper. I just do everything else.”

  “Is Mr. Brown here?”
/>   “Here? No. He’s out.”

  “Ah. Well, Muzzy, maybe I’ll see you around town and you can tell me that long story behind your name.” He lifted one shoulder. “Maybe with coffee?”

  “That would be great,” Muzzy said, twisting her hands together.

  He looked at each of them, nodded and left, glancing over his shoulder just before the door closed.

  Muzzy fell into her chair.

  “Did you see that?” she said in a breath. “That was anatomical perfection.”

  “I’m married, Muzzy.”

  “So! You’re married, Claire, not blind! You’d have to be blind to not notice that.” Resting her head on the seat back she stared at the ceiling, grinning.

  Claire clamped her lips to suppress her smile.

  “I thought you had a boyfriend.”

  Muzzy’s lazy smile snapped into pursed lips. “Harold.”

  “Yes, that nice boy from county records. Don’t forget about him.”

  “I haven’t forgotten anything,” she said, puffing up. “A girl can take notice, can’t she?”

  “She can. But you did more than take notice. You agreed to coffee. Just be careful. Harold is nice. He may not be…anatomical perfection, but he’s all you could talk about before Peter walked in the door. Don’t get caught up in something that could get messy.”

  “I won’t,” Muzzy said grudgingly.

  Claire paused at the door. “And I’m not blind. He was nice, I will give you that,” she said with a giggle. “I’m going home now. You’ll be at the party Saturday night to say goodbye to Patrick and Shannon?”

  “Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

  “And you’re bringing Harold, right?” she asked with a motherly tone.

  “Yes, I’ll bring Harold.”

  “Goodnight, Muzzy.”

  ***

  Arianna was in her natural element, fluttering around seeing to details before the others arrived.

  “Oh, I’m going to miss you so, Shannon,” she said, slumping her shoulders.

  “I’ll miss you, too. But Patrick's got to get back to Boston.”

  “Will you stop to say goodbye to Maura in the morning?”

  “Of course. Her note ordered us not to only so we didn’t get her sickness. But I don’t care about the sniffles. I couldn’t leave town without hugging her.”

  “Who could?” Arianna asked, pulling a cake out of the oven.

  “Would you like me to mix up the icing?” Shannon asked, moving to the counter.

  “Yes, please. Lemon juice is in the cupboard. Make it really thin and we’ll drizzle it.

  Emily practically floated into the room with Arthur in tow, both wearing coats and scarves. “Arianna, would you keep an ear out for Arthur Jr.?” she asked, tossing a grin at his father. “He’s asleep upstairs and we’d like to go for a short walk.”

  “Of course I’ll listen out. Go, enjoy yourselves.”

  Emily beamed and pulled Arthur along, out the door and down the stairs.

  “She’s the sweetest little thing,” Arianna said. “I’m going to miss her, too, if Arthur takes her and the baby home with him.”

  “I do hope that works out. Poor girl deserves it after all she’s been through. His horrid parents splitting them up and then being placed in that unwed mothers home that married her off before she even delivered. It’s only by the grace of God that she survived that wretched bastard that practically bought her at auction.”

  “I had no idea places like that existed,” Arianna said, setting the cake pan on the window ledge to cool. “I’m so glad you found her. If you hadn’t, she’d probably still be out there wandering the country with her son.”

  Shannon smiled. “I am, too. Sweet girl deserves her happy ending.”

  Arianna craned her neck to see the couple walking down the drive hand in hand. “I have a feeling she’ll get it. Maybe she’ll let me plan her wedding.”

  ***

  “I’ve said it a hundred times, but I’ll say it again. He’s a beautiful boy, Em. You did real well. Thank you for naming him after me.”

  She squeezed his hand. “Well, what else would I name him? A boy should be named after his father. And it made me feel like you were close, to say his name every day.”

  It was a clear cold evening and she could only barely see the outline of Arthur’s face in the light of the moon. He’d not mentioned taking them back to Cleveland and figured he didn’t have much time left before he had to get back.

  “I have something to tell you, Em.”

  “What’s that, Arthur?”

  “It’s been awhile since we’ve seen each other.”

  “Nearly two years,” she said.

  “I really am so glad I found you. But, you know that a lot has happened to both of us. My father was awful to tear us apart like he did.”

  Emily’s face grew hard. “I’ll never forgive him.”

  “Neither will I.” He stopped walking and she stood before him, waiting. “His awfulness didn’t stop with us, Em. There are other things he did and those things affect us now the same as they did in the past.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “After you left—”

  “I was made to go. Against my will,” she said, crossing her arms. “You make it sound like I had a choice.”

  “No, I know you didn’t,” Arthur said, touching her face. “I hate them for what they made you do. I’m worried you’re going to hate me as well for what I’m about to tell you.” He dropped his hand and looked up at the night sky.

  “I could never hate you.”

  He took a deep breath. “My father made me get married a year ago, Em. It was that or get cut out of the will.”

  She took a step back, her mouth agape before she turned and ran as fast as she could back to the farmhouse.

  “Em, wait!” he called, jogging after her. He reached her on the porch, just before she opened the door.

  “Please, hear me out. It’s not how you think. My father did it because he knew you were strong and determined and somehow would come looking for me one day. He wanted to make sure that even if you did, we couldn’t be together. It started falling apart with her the minute we said I do, if not before. Neither of us wanted it. We aren’t even living together. She moved out a few months ago. In fact, I found out right before I came here that she’s filed for divorce. That’s the good news. I’ll be free of her soon and we can be together.”

  “You’re married?” she whispered.

  “I had to marry the same as you had to leave. Neither of us had a choice then, but we do now.”

  “What will your father do when he finds out you’re divorcing?” she asked.

  Arthur squared his shoulders. “He’ll cut me out of the will. You need to know that without you, it wasn’t worth it. But with you, it is. You also need to know that if you choose me, I can only provide for you and Arthur with what I work for. We’ll live like everyone else. There’ll be no big house to live in or inheritance later on.”

  “I don’t care about that,” Emily said, shaking her head. “I only care that you want me. Want us.”

  “I’ve thought about you every day you were gone. I’ve worried and wondered if you had a boy or a girl. Of course I want you,” he said and smiled. “But I need some time to straighten all this out. Let me get the divorce final and find a home for us. Can you give me that time?”

  She nodded enthusiastically. “I’ll give you all the time you need and I’ll help however I can.”

  He touched her cheek. “Just stay here and take care of our son and I’ll come back for you as soon as I can, alright?”

  “Do you promise?” she asked.

  “I promise.”

  “And, I’ll try to come see you at Christmas, if it’s alright with the Jenkins.”

  She hugged him tightly. Behind them, people began to arrive for the going away party.

  ***

  Everyone gathered in the kitchen, using all the chairs and linin
g the walls. Caleb’s mother, Ethel sat in her late husband’s chair in the living room and dozed off in between children climbing onto her lap.

  It was subdued compared to some of their other gatherings, but with all that was on his mind, Jonathan preferred it this way.

  Patrick wrote down his address on a strip of paper and handed it to him.

  “I hope you all can come visit and watch a match. I’ll get you good seats,” he said, taking Shannon under his arm.

  “We’d love to, Pat. As soon as we can,” Jonathan said.

  “And no need for the expense of a hotel. You can stay wi’ us. It’s small, but we’ll manage.”

  “Tell us about your place in Boston,” Arianna said.

  “It’s better than where we were at in New York, but not quite as nice as this. I found an apartment above a butcher shop close enough to downtown to be convenient, but not close enough to keep us up at night. We have two bedrooms and a private bath and a big window that looks out over the road.”

  “How was it making your way from Harrisburg to Boston?” Aryl asked.

  “Hard.” He swallowed, then looked up with a smile. “Sleepin’ under the stars wasn’t so bad. Shan and I did that plenty. But I had to travel light, you know? So I sold the truck and everything in it. I had me pack, but nothing much else.”

  “How did you manage?”

  “I made friends along the way. Which was no easy thing. Everyone out there is scairt what little they have will be taken. There’s not a lot of trust nor time to earn it. After sendin’ Shannon and the babes away, I camped with a few fellas who were headin’ west. They’d stopped to find work for a few days. We’d go in on meals together until we went our separate ways. It was easy to find fights on the outskirts of cities, you see. In the cities it was a bit harder since more fellas have resorted to it. But it’s a form of entertainment in the small towns and shanties. More desperation, too. Doesn’t take much to make a man bet his last dollar in the hopes of makin’ three. Those fights didn’t pay much, but kept me movin’ down the road. Wasn’t too long before someone noticed I was good and that I was too feckin’ stupid to stay down when I should have. About an hour outside Boston I met a man, O’Malley is his name, who picked me up out of the dirt, literally—”