~
It was late afternoon when they turned onto a familiar-looking gravel driveway, pulling up in front of Calvin’s grandparents’ house.
Three dogs came running out to greet them, barking with excitement and wagging their tails.
“Rufus!” Caledonia cried, delighted to see her old friend looking so happy and healthy. The dog was equally glad to see her, groveling at her feet for attention.
Calvin knelt to pat Rufus, looking up at the house. “You two wait here for a minute.”
He climbed up the stars to the porch and knocked, looking back to see Caledonia turning her attention to the whining beast rolling on the ground before her. She laughed, rubbing his belly until his legs kicked uncontrollably.
The door flew open. “Calvin!” his grandmother cried, enfolding him in a warm hug, “How nice to see you! What brings you here?”
He gestured towards Caledonia. “I’m heading up north, to take Cali back home.”
“On your motorcycle?” she asked, looking worried.
“She had to leave right away.”
Grandma Costa peeked around him to see the girl with the golden hair nearly getting tackled by the overjoyed pit bull. “And you’re the one who has to take her?”
He turned to look at the laughing girl. “I’d do anything for her.”
The old woman nodded slowly. “She’s the one … isn’t she?”
Calvin was surprised at her observation, responding truthfully, “Yeah. Yes, she is.”
“Your grandfather should be home soon. Can you stay for supper?” she asked hopefully.
“I was hoping we could say the night, and get a fresh start in the morning.”
His grandmother beamed. “Of course you can! I’ll fix your favorite!”
“Sounds good,” he said, calling Caledonia up to join them. She smiled shyly, climbing the stairs to be greeted with an affectionate hug from Calvin’s grandmother.
“Is it okay with you if we stay here tonight?” Calvin asked her. She nodded, slightly overwhelmed by the peachy pink aura the old woman was cloaked in. Once again, Caledonia felt the calm peacefulness of her steady demeanor descend upon her.
Grandma Costa took note of Caledonia’s disheveled state and her dirty clothes. “Come on in, sweetie. Why don’t you get your bags and we’ll get you settled in.”
Caledonia looked down, embarrassed. “Um…”
“She had to leave kinda suddenly,” Calvin explained, “We’re gonna have to get her some new clothes and stuff.”
“Well … come along,” the old woman said, unflappable. “I think I have a few things that might just fit you.”
Caledonia followed her down the hallway and into a cozy little room. There was a lace curtained window with a cushioned reading nook built into it that looked like something from a fairytale. Framed pictures of beautiful wild horses were displayed on pale blue walls, and model horses pranced on top of a long bookshelf. A small bed was adorned with a hand-stitched quilt, pieced together from hundreds of tiny flowery prints.
“This was my daughter’s room,” Grandma Costa said wistfully, with a touch of vanilla-scented sorrow. “I was saving her things in case I ever had a granddaughter.”
It was by far the prettiest room Caledonia had ever seen, and she looked around, trying to imagine what it would be like to actually live in a place like this.
“Oh! Look at all of the books!” Caledonia’s eyes lit up when they scanned the loaded bookcase that lined one wall of the perfect little room. She knelt down to scan the titles. There were several of her childhood favorites, along with a great many books about horses and dogs.
“Our Rebecca was quite a reader,” Grandma Costa said proudly. “Why, she spent most of the time with her nose buried in a book. I was always afraid she’d ruin her eyes …”
“Is it all right if I look at them?” Caledonia asked quietly, afraid to break the older woman’s nostalgic reverie.
“Of course,” she replied, smiling warmly, “It’s about time someone got some use out of them.”
The clicking sound of dog paws running down the hall was followed by a brindle blur that lunged for Caledonia, knocking her to the floor. Rufus whined and showered her face with doggie kisses while Calvin’s grandmother tried to shoo him out of the room.
Calvin arrived to fetch him, wrestling the overly-excited dog out of the room.
“Can you lock that beast in the barn for tonight?” Grandmother Costa called down the hall after him. “Put all of the dogs inside!”
She turned back to look at Caledonia’s attire with her lips pressed together, moving purposefully across the room to search through a wardrobe that sat opposite the little bed. She pulled out a floral printed dress and handed it to her. “Here, why don’t you put this on and let me get your things washed for you?”
Caledonia looked at the dress in awe. There was eyelet lace all around the hem and collar, and dozens of shiny pearl buttons in a line all down the front; it was the sweetest, most feminine dress she’d ever seen. She looked down at her dirty and torn clothes, embarrassed again. “I don’t want to trouble you. I can wash them myself.”
The old woman made a clucking sound. “Don’t be silly. Leave them outside the door and I’ll take care of it.”
“All right. Thank you very much,” Caledonia said politely.
Grandma Costa started to leave the room, pausing at the threshold. “It’s good to have a girl in the house for a change.”
She left the room and Caledonia slipped out of her clothes, unstrapping her knife and putting it under the pillow. She put on the dress, twisting and turning to see how she looked in the big oval mirror that was propped up on a stand in the corner of the room. She ran her hand through her unruly hair, trying to smooth it into submission.
After a while, Calvin ducked his head into the room. Caledonia smiled up at him from where she sat perched in the window seat with a book. “This is a really pretty room,” she pointed out, “and your mother had very good taste in books.”
Her hair was backlit by the last long rays of the sun streaming into the window, creating a soft golden glow all around her head and shoulders. Calvin sat down beside her, looking at her in awe.
“You look really pretty,” he said.
She smoothed the dress, explaining, “Your grandmother gave me this to wear while she washes my things.” Her face was serious. “She’s really being very nice to me.”
She made him smile, and he leaned in to look over her shoulder. “What are you reading?”
She held up the book. “Hatchet.”
“Have you read that before, too?” he asked.
She smiled sheepishly. “Yes. It was one of my favorites when I was little.”
“What’s it about?” He turned to nuzzle her ear.
She giggled, squirming in her seat. “It’s about a boy who gets into a plane crash … and how he…”
He started kissing her neck, making her lose her train of thought.
“And how he survives … all alone … in the wild.”
The sound of a throat clearing made them both look up to see Calvin’s grandfather standing in the doorframe. He looked in at them with disapproval. “Time to wash up for supper.”
“Hi Grandpa,” Calvin said, sitting up straight.
Caledonia stood up, embarrassed. Her face was burning hot, but when she looked into the old man’s eyes, all she saw was kindness. Once more, she was surprised at the steady, mellow aura the older people exuded. He extended his hand in a no-nonsense greeting, “Nice to see you again, young lady.”
“Thank you for letting us stay,” she said, shaking it firmly.
He turned to address Calvin. “Son, you’ll be bunking in the guest room upstairs.”
When he walked out of the room Calvin groaned dramatically, “They have the squeakiest stairs in the world!”
Caledonia didn’t understand. “Is that bad?’
“He doesn’t want me to sneak into your
room tonight,” he said, stepping closer to wrap himself around her tightly. “You’d better kiss me now while you have the chance.”
So she did.
~
Chapter Twenty
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