The Ring of Fire: The Dragon Dream: Book Two Read online

  “Kev, it takes me days to undo the damage from one phone call between the two,” he admitted. “I don’t even want to talk about when the family was out for Christmas. I never heard what was said, but depression hit Angela hard after they were gone, and I doubt it had anything to do with her father or her siblings.”

  “I agree with that as well,” replied Kevin. “From what little Angela shared, Maude made comments about the fact that you and Angela have a housekeeper.”

  Craig didn’t know what to say to that.

  “Maude probably wasn’t aware of just how well off you are,” Sherry commented lightly. “She may have had no idea until then that her daughter had married a multi-millionaire.”

  “You say that like it’s a bad thing,” replied Craig, his face betraying the sting of her words.

  “Not bad. It’s just something Maude wasn’t expecting,” continued Sherry. “It’s the thing of stories, fairy tales, not real life.”

  “My life is very real.” Craig looked upstairs as doors opened and shut. Angela was apparently heading to bed. He wondered if they were in for another long night. She was having just as much trouble sleeping here as he was. He hadn’t been prepared for this. “I’m not going to lower my wife’s standard of living just to make her mother happy.”

  “No one expects you to,” commented Kevin. “I would expect you to continue to care for her as you have. If she’s happy, you’re happy.”

  “All the matters to me is her happiness.” Craig stood. “If you’ll excuse me, I’ll see you in the morning.”

  Kevin and Sherry both said goodnight and watched their friend leave the room. As his footsteps faded upstairs, the couple looked at each other.

  “Did we just make matters worse?” asked Sherry.

  Kevin shrugged, privately wondering if she truly cared about their friends. Was he thinking too cynically? An affair didn’t mean she had stopped caring about their friends. “I have no idea, Sher. Like you and Angela said, the relationship between mothers and their daughters is complicated and we as men will never have a full understanding. I’m sure there’s far more to the friction between Maude and Angela than the affluent man Angela married.”

  “That would be safe to assume.” Sherry shook her head. “The more complex the people, the more complex the issues. And I think it would be safe to say there is far more to both women than meets the eye.”

  “I think that’s safe to say of all women.” There was certainly more than he could see with his own wife than he was willing to admit, even to her.

  Especially when she leaned over and gave him a kiss before saying, “And don’t you forget it!”

  5

  C raig wasn’t sure what woke him in the dark of night, but when his hand encountered an emptiness in the bed next to him he rolled out of the bed and began a search for his wife. He found her in the bathroom, sitting on the edge of the tub next to the toilet. “Angela? Are you alright?”

  His wife rubbed her face with the back of one hand as he sat next to her on the tub’s edge. “I don’t know. I thought I was going to throw up, but I got in here and it passed.”

  Sitting next to her, Craig wasn’t subtle about feeling her forehead. It was hard to tell if she was too warm, because the night was too cool for the air conditioners to be on, but warm enough it would have been nice. “Have you slept at all?”

  “Some.”

  Craig stood and flipped open the mirrored door to the medicine cabinet. He rifled through the items there quickly but didn’t find what he was looking for. “Sit tight,” he said, leaving the room.

  Angela rolled her eyeballs, but as she had no intention of moving in the first place she did as he bade. In a moment he returned, Kevin in tow and Angela was hard pressed not to roll her eyes again. Was Sherry going to appear as well?

  Craig sat next to her again, pressing the probe of the thermometer gently into her ear canal.

  “This isn’t necessary,” protested Angela. “I’m only sick to my stomach.”

  The device beeped, and Craig turned it to check the display. “99.2 Too low for toxic shock.”

  “It could just be nerves,” commented Kevin, stepping close and tipping Angela’s head with fingertips placed under her chin. Why did doctors always look in her eyes like this? Even her dad did it.

  “Aren’t you the wrong kind of doctor for this?” Angela quipped.

  Kevin laughed lightly. “I’m the only one you have at the moment.”

  “I don’t like this, Angela,” her husband remarked, handing the thermometer back to its owner. “You’ve never had this much trouble with your period before, and if it’s the concussion, then I’m twice as worried.”

  “It’s a weird period,” admitted Angela to her husband, ignoring the extra man in the room, doctor or not. “It’s early, and light.”

  “Stress can trigger it sometimes,” supplied Kevin as he put the thermometer in the medicine cabinet. He looked irritated with something and she hoped it wasn’t with her. “Stress can mess your entire system up.”

  Angela nodded.

  “I’m going back to bed,” Kevin stated. “Unless the two of you need something more?”

  “No, sorry to wake you,” Craig answered him. After his friend left, he turned his attention back to his wife. Her irritation was clear, but he could see through to the appreciation she had for his caring. “Do you think you can go back to the bedroom?”

  Angela shrugged. “I can try.”

  His arm around her, they returned to their bedroom. Craig turned their air conditioner on and crawled into bed next to his wife. “What’s going on, Angel?” he asked softly, wrapping an arm around her. “What has you worked up?”

  “Besides this entire place?” She sighed and snuggled into his embrace. “I’m not sure you’ll understand, but I’ll try. My mom is driving me nuts.”

  Craig managed not to chuckle. “I had that much figured out already.”

  “You want the list? She’s still giving me a hard time about not staying at the farm. She didn’t like the outfit I wore last night, so she’ll probably have an issue with the outfit I brought for graduation. It’s not like I was planning on having a flashback and scratching myself, but it’s summer and I’m not buying anything new just to cover up scratches. It’s too hot. She still doesn’t like my hair, or the makeup. I barely wear any compared to some women, but any is too much for her. She’ll probably give me a hard time for falling asleep during the service. There’s more, if you want to hear it.”

  He ran his hand over her hair. “Has she always been this way? It feels new to me.”

  “It’s gotten worse lately, but she’s always tried to keep us girls conservative. Never stopped us from dressing the way we wanted, just look at Cassie’s hair. I don’t know if she’s going through menopause or if she’s just got a bug up her butt.”

  “I’m sorry.” He kissed her temple. “What was wrong with your dress? Your scratches aren’t that noticeable.”

  She laughed, low and soft in the dark of the room. “It showed too much leg and chest.”

  “You have shorts and tank tops that show more skin,” he commented blandly. Some of her outfits since their marriage showed a lot more skin than the skirt and top she’d worn tonight.

  “I’m not sure how, but those are different. But I bet you, I’ll hear the same about the shorts and tank tops I wear tomorrow. Even though they’re the same style I’ve been wearing for years.”

  “If it matters, I liked your dress…” He kissed her neck in-between listing his likes. “I like your hair…I like all of you…”

  “It does, and I’m glad.” Her smile clear in her voice.

  Craig smiled at the sleepiness he heard her voice as well. “Think you’ll be able to sleep now?”

  “Maybe.” She yawned.

  He smiled again. “Is there anything else you wanted to share?”

  “She’s also been giving me a lot of grief over babies recently too.”

  “I see. C
an’t do anything about that tonight, now can we?”

  “No, sorry.”

  He laughed. “All in God’s time.”

  “Yes,” she answered, the ‘s’ slurring slightly.

  He held her and caressed her hair until she was asleep again. Not fully understanding what was going on between his wife and her mother, he took the time to pray while he held her. Hopefully the morrow wouldn’t be as bad as Angela was expecting.

  H e was supposed to be sleeping.

  Jared Carman rolled out of bed, not looking at the digital clock next to his bed. His hand scratching idly at the waistband of his shorts, he walked down the narrow hallway around the second floor of the farmhouse and knocked softly at his parents’ door.

  When there was no answer, he gently pushed the unlatched door open. “Dad?” he called softly. “Dad? Are you awake?”

  There was a grunt in answer.

  “I need to talk to you. It’s important.”

  “Of course, it is,” was the sleepy answer, complete with a stifled yawn. “Go down to the office, I’ll be right behind you.”

  “Okay.” Jared pulled the door behind him and quietly slipped down the narrow staircase. If his sister Angela didn’t race down these stairs, she’d never trip off the last step. He suspected there was more to it than that, but it would probably remain a mystery. He’d asked her once about it, and she didn’t have an answer. From the confusion on her face, it was something she didn’t remember.

  God, he was still so angry over what had been done to her. His father hadn’t told him everything until recently, and it had refueled his anger. Especially since he suspected his father still hadn’t told him everything. But the feeling of premonition Jared was experiencing now was even stronger than what he’d felt when he was twelve and he’d been naïve enough to believe all Craig and Angela needed to do was get married to avoid the events following their wedding.

  Jared waited patiently in his father’s farm office, flicking the desk lamp on. He sat on the tall stool by the window and looked out. There wasn’t enough moonlight to see much tonight. But he knew the layout of this farm as well as Angela did. On the far side of the pond he could almost see in the dark was the family cemetery. He had taken a few minutes to walk out there yesterday and clear weeds from his older brother’s grave; he knew Angela would visit it at some point before she left, and he had wanted it to be clear for her.

  “So why aren’t you sleeping, young man?” his father asked as he entered the office, clad only in his briefs. Philip sat behind the desk in his chair and gave his son a level look despite the desire for sleep heavy in his eyes.

  “I need to talk to you about Craig’s offer to work at his ranch,” Jared told him, bringing his gaze back into the room.

  Philip sighed deeply. “You can talk, but you’re trying to sell it to the wrong person, Jared. And I doubt there’s anything we can say to your mother to change her mind about it.”

  “I know. But we gotta figure something out. Dad…I don’t know why, but I keep getting this feeling like I have to go. Like it’s important. This…it’s the strongest premonition I’ve ever had, Dad.”

  His father rubbed tiredly at his eyes. “I know,” he admitted. “I keep getting the same feeling.”

  Jared blinked in surprise. “Really?”

  “Really. From the moment you first mentioned it.” Philip leaned back in his seat, sighing deeply. His son could almost see the wheels of thought turning in the older man. “In the morning, ask Craig if he needs signatures from both parents or if just one will do. I’ll talk with your mother more, but if Craig only needs one signature, I’ll send you against her wishes.”

  “You think it’s that important?” asked Jared cautiously.

  “I do. Just like you do, or you wouldn’t have woken me up at one in the morning.” Philip smiled at his son. “You’re going to be leaving us in the fall for college anyway, so it won’t hurt you to get a jump start on being away from us and living independently. Especially since you were able to come to me this time instead of running off and doing your own thing like you used to do.”

  Jared shrugged uncomfortably.

  “If there’s nothing else, what do you say about heading back to bed?”

  Jared nodded. But once back in his bed, he didn’t feel any better. He didn’t want to go against his mother’s wishes, but at the same time he knew he had to go.

  “Y ou can’t be serious,” Maude exclaimed, sleep leaving her in a moment. She sat up in bed and turned the bedside light on. “Philip, he’s only sixteen!”

  Philip sighed. “He’ll be seventeen by summer’s end and on his way to college.”

  She didn’t argue with this. “Why are you in such a hurry for him to grow up?” his wife asked petulantly. “Dammit, you’ve never once shed a tear when any of our kids have fled the nest!”

  “Isn’t that the point?” he asked. “We raise our children so they can live lives of their own.”

  Maude made a disgusted sound.

  Philip tried a different tack. “Look, both Jared and I have a strong feeling about this. We both think he needs to go.”

  She studied him closely. “It’s not just his feeling?”

  “No, it’s not. I’ve felt something since he first mentioned it. Since you were so set against it, I wouldn’t have said anything if he hadn’t said something to me. He’s grown up a lot in the past four years.”

  Maude sighed tiredly. “That he has. They all have. I just don’t like all the directions they’ve taken.”

  “It’s their choices to make, their lives to live. Does it matter so long as they’re happy?”

  “It’s hard, Philip. The Bible says…”

  “The Bible or your mother?” he asked before he could stop himself.

  “You know as well as I do what mother says comes from the Bible.”

  “I know what the Bible says, Maude. I also know it’s not God’s will to alienate people for not obeying the Law. We can’t keep the Law, that’s why Christ came and set us free.”

  “That doesn’t give us freedom to sin!” protested Maude.

  “It gives us freedom from condemnation and judgment,” replied Philip firmly. “Our children deserve our love and support as they find their way in this life.” He had to squint against the light to give his wife a level look. “The same goes for Angela.”

  Maude fumed in silence.

  “She’s grown into a remarkable woman these past few years, despite her setbacks from the kidnapping. It’s hard enough for her being back in that town, on top of not feeling well. I think she was hurt a lot worse by the horse than what they’ve told us. Cut her some slack later today.”

  Maude bit her lips together but decided to speak her mind. “I’m worried, Philip. I don’t believe it was an accident, whatever they told us. Flo said Craig wouldn’t even let Angela walk to the store by herself.”

  Philip sighed. “Did you and Flo ever stop to think that maybe it was her idea to have her husband walk her across the yard? Angela hasn’t walked alone in town since that day. You saw the same scratch marks I did – she had a flashback at some point before Baccalaureate. It didn’t look as bad as the one she had in the intersection, so there’s that much.”

  “I hadn’t thought of that,” admitted Maude. She leaned back against her pillows. “You don’t think our son-in-law has too much control over our daughter?”

  “Not on your life.”

  Maude didn’t look happy. “But she never comes back with him except on holidays or special occasions.”

  “I think that’s her choice, honey. There are too many bad memories here for her. And you saw how happy she is on the ranch he’s built her. Angela never had that here, not even before Randy died.”

  “But it’s so far away. I miss her.”

  Philip decided not to tell her one of the reasons Angela stayed away was her own attitude towards their oldest daughter; it was too late at night for that specific discussion. “I know you do. So,
make the most of the time you have with her right now. She’s feeling so poorly, I wouldn’t be surprised if Craig cuts their trip short to get her home to her regular doctor out there. If Miles wasn’t out of town, he’d probably already have her in to see him. No, Craig hasn’t said anything. I’m just saying it would be like him. He really does take good care of our daughter, Maude.”

  “It’s not like her to fall asleep like that,” she said softly.

  “No, it’s not, which is why they left without saying goodbye. Even your mother is concerned, and I know how her attitude mirrors your own. Now, back to Jared. I think it’ll do him good. He and Angela still don’t get along as well as they used to, and I think this is a chance for them to fix that.”

  Maude nodded. “I don’t like it, but if you’re that confident about it, I’ll give my blessing along with yours.”

  “Good. Now what say we get some more sleep?”

  She chuckled and turned the lamp off. “Let’s.”

  6

  “W hat is going on?” Cassie squinted against the late morning light as she made her way down to the lower level of the farmhouse. She followed the noise of arguing women into the kitchen.

  Pausing in the doorway, Cassie took the time to take in the scene before her. Her mother and both grandmothers stood in a semi-triangular formation in the middle of the spacious kitchen; it was hard to tell who was arguing with whom. All three women were talking over one another, loudly. And fingers were waving and pointing. The main argument seemed to be between her mother and Grandmother Rose, with Grandma Pearl scolding both women.

  The subject of their argument was her sister Angela, who sat placidly at the kitchen table peeling potatoes. Angela – placid? Yeah, right. She made a good show of it anyway. Her sister had regained some of her balance since the traumatic events which occurred over four years ago, but Cassie still remembered finding her kneeling in the middle of broken glass and crying over a wedding photo she had no memory of. So, she could see just how upset her older sister was just now. And it had nothing to do with the fact that Angela hated peeling potatoes.