Refuge for Flora by Deanndra Hall

Chapter 6

Rain poundingon the roof woke Flora, and she couldn’t go back to sleep. Instead, she got up, made a pot of coffee, and set about baking some biscuits for breakfast. As soon as they were in the oven, she started prepping vegetables, and when they were finished, she finished up the veggies, got the meat out to sear, and set a pot on to simmer the stew all day. By ten o’clock, they’d had breakfast and she’d cleaned that up, she’d helped Mrs. Murphy shower and dress, and the aroma of the stew was filling the little house. Once she’d taken inventory and knew she had what she needed to make cornbread, she got the washer and dryer going, cleaned up both bathrooms, and dusted everything in the living room, even though Mrs. Murphy kept bitching about Flora getting between her and the game show she was watching on TV.

At a little after one, she sent a text to Barrett as she sat on the bed, dressing after her shower: Whatcha up to?

It took a while before he answered: Stakeout with Kirby. Poachers. Think they’re selling pelts.

That wasn’t good. She sent a text back: Good luck.

All she got was a simple, Thx.

She spent the rest of the afternoon wishing she had a way to check her email, but it was raining too hard to go to the library, so she read instead. She didn’t hear from Barrett for the rest of the day, and at five o’clock, she pulled out bowls, ladled out the stew, cut the cornbread, and she and Mrs. Murphy ate in the living room on tray tables while they watched the early evening and national news.

But at a little after seven, she heard something that sounded like a car door and the sound of heavy footfalls on the porch, followed by a loud knock. When she opened the door, she gasped. Barrett stood there, water dripping from his hair and clothes, and he was soaked through. “What happened?”

“Had to pursue those guys on four-wheelers. I’m waterlogged. I was supposed to go to Mom and Dad’s for dinner, but I missed it. I …” And he stopped.

“Get in here,” Flora snapped and stepped back to let him in.

Water flew from his hair in every direction as he shook his head. “I’ll drip all over the floor.”

“Fuck it all, boy, these floors has seen better days. If you’re cold and wet, get yore ass in here and get warmed up. Flora, you got more-a that stew?” the old woman called out.

“Of course. Let’s get you a towel and you can take a shower and warm up while I dry your clothes.”

“I’ve got a duffel in the back seat of my truck …”

“Then get it and you’ll have something dry to wear. Go on. Hurry up. It’s chilly out here!” Flora told him as she stood in the doorway. She watched him run to the truck, and he came back with a small camo duffel. “Carry clothes around with you?” she asked sarcastically, figuring he’d planned the whole thing.

“Always. I never know when I’m going to wind up in this shape,” he answered as he sloshed past her, and she blushed. She’d thought he was planning to spend the night, but it turned out that was just how he rolled on a regular basis.

She started the shower to get the water hot while he peeled off his wet clothes. As soon as he was under the steaming stream, she grabbed him a towel, tossed a washcloth over the curtain, and told him she’d have his bag unpacked by the time he got out.

Everything was laid out on the bed, and she sat down on the side to wait for him. When he stepped into the bedroom, he looked like a completely different human. “God, I was freezing! Feels good to be warm and clean. So you’ve got stew?” he asked as he dragged his clothes on.

“Yeah. And cornbread. And I think we’ve got some lettuce and tomato if you want a salad.”

“Nah. The stew and cornbread is fine. It’s hot, and that’s all I care about right now.”

“Okay. I’ll go warm it for you. Should only take a minute.”

“Thanks, babe.” She was almost to the door when he grabbed her hand and spun her to kiss her. “And I’m kinda glad I missed dinner at Mom and Dad’s.”

“Oh, that’s not right. I bet they missed you.”

“I got a lecture about how I should find a job where I’m not slogging around out in the swamps.”

She wrapped her arms around his waist and looked up into his face as his grip around her ribcage tightened. “So what do they think you should be doing?”

He just shrugged. “I dunno. My dad works for the post office. He thinks I should be content to do something like that. But I’d feel like the walls were closing in on me. I’ve always preferred to be outside.”

“You played sports in high school, I bet,” she said and pressed her cheek into his chest.

“Yeah. Football. Wide receiver, then running back, and I was the quarterback my senior year.” Feeling the vibrations his voice sent through his chest made her feel safe.

She tried to keep the sarcasm out of her voice when she said, “Ooooo, got all the girls.”

“Yeah. Thought I got one of them pregnant, but I didn’t. Got caught making out with one in the janitor’s closet, and another one in the girls’ locker room in the gym. I had my fair share.”

“Sounds like it.”

“Yeah, Zyan won’t admit it, but he was the same way. I didn’t think he’d ever get married, but when he found Landee, I mean, it was like love at first sight for that ol’ boy. He’s crazy about her.”

“That’s good.”

“And now, pretty lady, I’m starving. I’ll be right there. Putting on some socks so my feet don’t freeze.” He slapped her butt before he turned her loose and she giggled. “You’re adorable, know that?”

“Awww. Thanks. You just haven’t seen me in the morning,” she said as she stopped at the door again.

His voice was so low that it was barely audible. “No, but I’ve seen you after sex, and you looked pretty damn fine.”

Flora chuckled. “You’re awful!”

“I’m awful cute.”

“Oh, god, and conceited too. I’ve got to warm your stew or the stud muffin will starve.”

“Starved stud muffins are no fun,” he said with a pretend frown. She just shook her head and rolled her eyes as she closed the door.

The pretty soup bowl was sitting on the table and a small plate with two pieces of cornbread sat next to it when he made his way into the kitchen. “Oh, god, that smells delicious.”

“I hope you like it. I started it early this morning so it would have plenty of time to cook.” As soon as he sat down, she pulled a soft drink from the refrigerator and set it down in front of him, then sat in an adjacent chair. “So did you get the guys?”

“The guys?” His eyebrows pitched downward the bridge of his nose, and then shot upward. “Oh! The guys we were chasing! Yeah, we got one of ‘em. And about fifty beaver and fox pelts too. They’re in a lot of trouble.”

“It’s illegal to hunt them?”

“There are seasons and restrictions. These guys decided to recognize neither. And if they took any in LBL or the national wildlife refuge, they’re toast.”

“LBL?”

“Yeah. Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area. It’s federal land. You’ve never been there, have you?”

“No. Is it a park?”

Barrett laughed loudly. “Girl, it’s a hundred and seventy thousand acres! It’s one really big park!”

Flora shrugged. “I didn’t know.”

“I’ll take you sometime. We’ll go see some of the sights. It’s pretty cool. I spent a lot of time there growing up.”

“Oh. Well, yeah, I’d love to go.”

“Okay. I’ve got a couple of kayaks and we can take them and have a little fun. I mean, do you like being in the outdoors?”

“Sure. My grandpa used to take us fishing when we were kids and I loved it. Always wanted a horse or a cow or something like that. Maybe a donkey. I dunno. I’d settle for a dog.”

“I want a dog, but I work so much that it would be pretty lonely.”

Flora sat there as he ate and tried to formulate her question. “Do you think you actually have time for a relationship?”

His palm was warm as it landed on the back of the hand she was resting on the table. “I’ll make time for somebody who’s interested in having a relationship with me.”

“Have you been in a relationship?”

“Well, yeah. I’ve been in two or three that lasted for some while, but somehow, they never worked. It seemed like one person always cared more than the other.”

“And did they care more, or did you?”

“Ahh, I’d say about fifty-fifty.

“After Jessica, uh, Jesse?”

“Yeah.” He took another bite of stew and chewed thoughtfully. “Honestly, Jesse was usually the tipping point.”

“They didn’t like the time you spent with him, or―”

“No. They thought I wasn’t over him. Her. Whatever. And that’s not the case. I just feel this sense of …”

She could see his thoughts drifting, so she finished the sentence for him. “Responsibility?”

Barrett nodded. “Yeah. I guess that’s it.”

“I think that’s pretty normal. But I really think you need to get past that because it’s causing you so much pain.”

He sat there for a minute before he spoke, a sadness in his eyes that Flora could feel and his voice little more than a whisper. “You know, I think I somehow believed I’d wake up one morning and it would all be a nightmare. You know, positive thinking and all that. But that’s not going to happen. That’s gone, and you’re right. Letting him hang around is just perpetuating that unrealistic thinking for me. I’ve got to stop it and move on.”

“You do. You really need to.”

His phone rang. With his one glance at it, she knew who it was. “Hello? Yeah … No, I’m at a friend’s house … Doesn’t matter. … I’ve already eaten. … I’m not planning to. Sorry. … Okay, bye.” She watched as he touched the screen, ended the call, and sighed, his shoulders slumped.

“What was that about?”

“Jesse. At my house. Wanted to know where I was. Wanted to know who the friend is. Wanted to know if I wanted dinner. Wanted to know when I’ll be home.”

“So you’re not planning to go home?”

“No. I’m planning to stay here if she doesn’t mind,” he said with a head toss toward the living room.

“She already told you she doesn’t mind. Finish eating and we’ll find something fun to do.”

By the time she’d cleaned up the dishes with his help, Mrs. Murphy had turned the TV to a news show. But when they walked into the living room, she snapped it off and looked up at both of them. “Y’all know how to play poker?”

Flora shrugged. “A little.”

“Of course I know how to play poker,” Barrett said with a grin. “You wanna play?”

“Hell yeah. Ain’t had nobody to play poker with in a long time. Five card stud?”

Barrett grinned. “You’re on!”

He dealt the cards for the three of them and Flora looked at her hand. “I have no idea what I’m doing.”

“You’re gonna be sorry for that, girl,” Mrs. Murphy growled.

A couple of minutes later, Mrs. Murphy was hiding behind her cards, her eyes darting back and forth between Flora and Barrett. “You got a good hand?” Barrett asked her.

“Yeah.”

“Let’s see it.”

Mrs. Murphy slapped her cards down on the table. “Full house. Top that.”

“Whatcha got, Flora?” Barrett asked her.

“I have no idea. I think this is probably a bad hand.” She gently laid the cards down.

Barrett’s eyes went wide. “Babe, you’ve got four of a kind! That’s good!”

“Is it?”

“It’s better than hers,” he answered and pointed at Mrs. Murphy.

Flora was a bit surprised, but Mrs. Murphy didn’t miss a beat. “Oh, yeah? So what do you have?”

“Read ‘em and weep.”

With his cards face up, Flora stared at them. “None of them match.”

“They ain’t ‘spose to,” Mrs. Murphy barked. “That there’s a royal flush!”

“Yep. I win that round.”

As he gathered up the cards, Flora caught movement across the table and almost screamed. “What are you doing?”

Mrs. Murphy had her shirt halfway off, the straps of her ragged old cotton bra slipping off her shoulders. “It’s strip poker, ain’t it?”

“Jesus, no!” Barrett hopped up from the table so fast that his chair fell over. “No-no-no-no-NO! No strip poker!” he bellowed as he retreated into the kitchen.

“But that’s what we’s always …”

“This isn’t always! Put your clothes back on!” Flora shrieked and tried to help her, but Mrs. Murphy fought off the younger woman’s hands. “We can’t play strip poker!”

“Why not? I wanted him to lose!” Mrs. Murphy yelled.

Flora heard a sound and turned to find Barrett laughing so hard that he was wheezing. “You think this is funny?” she snarled, but she was grinning.

“You don’t?”

“I didn’t say that.”

Mrs. Murphy was still yelling. “If we ain’t strippin’, what the hell’s the point?”

“The point is to play cards, not to take our clothes off! Holy hell, I think this was a bad idea.” Flora gathered up the cards as fast as she could and slipped them into her pocket before either of the other two poker geniuses could reach them.

“Well, if’n we ain’t gonna play strip poker, what’re we gonna do?” the old woman asked, and Flora could tell she was genuinely disappointed. Nice. Very nice. Barrett was still laughing in the kitchen. At least the old bag hadn’t gotten her shirt all the way off. Barrett would’ve been scarred for life.

“We can watch TV.”

“Ain’t nothin’ good on there.”

“I bet we can find something.” Then Flora remembered something else. “Hey, you told me you were going to tell me about growing up out here, remember? I want to hear about that.”

“Me? Growing up out here? Y’all wanna hear ‘bout that?”

Flora nodded. “Yeah. I want to hear all about it. Don’t you want to hear all about it, Barrett?”

He’d finally stopped laughing and was standing in the kitchen doorway, a beer in his hand. “Oh, yeah. I definitely want to hear all about it.”

“Oh, well, okay. Um, I’m-a need some liquor for that,” Mrs. Murphy said and pointed to the cabinet where she kept the whiskey.

They listened to two hours of her rambling, but Flora found it pretty entertaining. She told them some tall tales about some of the things they did on the farm where she grew up nearby. It sounded a lot like the nonsense that went on in Pike County.

Thinking about her hometown made her sad. She’d lived there all her life, and it took an asshole like Darryl Stevens to make her leave, but she really didn’t have a choice. If she’d stayed, he would’ve expected her to go wherever he was going anyway, and if she was going to leave, she wanted to wind up somewhere she liked, not somewhere he told her she had to live.

A whispering voice brought her out of her thoughts. “Flora?” When she turned to see what Barrett wanted, he was pointing at Mrs. Murphy.

She was sound asleep.

Barrett leaned toward her ear. “Should you help her to bed?”

“Nah. She sleeps in that damn thing off and on all day every day. Might as well just let her be. You about ready to turn in?”

Barrett stood without making a sound. “Yeah. It’s been a long-ass day and I’m beat.”

“Okay. I’ll be there in just a minute.” She set about picking up cups and snack bowls they’d used as he wandered down the hallway and disappeared into the bedroom.

By the time she got there, he was already changed into pajama pants and a tee shirt, so Flora grabbed a little gown she’d worn the night before, slipped off her clothes, and pulled the gown on over her head. Then she turned to Barrett. “You finished in the bathroom?”

He nodded and bared his teeth. “Minty fresh.”

“Nice. Okay. Be right back.” She brushed her teeth, brushed her hair, and was back in the bedroom in just a few minutes. As soon as she lifted the sheet and scooted into the bed, Barrett’s arms wrapped around her and drew her toward him. “So what time do you have to go to work tomorrow?”

“I was out there all day today in the rain, so Captain Moss told me to take tomorrow off. Kirby too. Poor guy―his teeth were chattering by the time we got out of there.”

“I bet.” Lying there beside him was heaven. He smelled good, and he was warm and strong. “So you said you got the guys you were chasing?”

“We got one of them, but the other two got away. Doesn’t matter. He’ll turn on his buddies. It’s just a matter of time when he finds out what the charges will be and he wants to bargain.” She was about to ask him something else when he said, “I need to talk to you about something.”

“Okay.”

“I called the Pike County Sheriff’s Department today.”

She felt her heartbeat double. “Why?”

“To ask about a missing person. The woman you told me about.”

Panic was filling every cell in her body. “Shit, Barrett. Please say you didn’t tell them about me!”

“No. I wouldn’t do that.”

“Did you say Velma’s name?” Queasiness hit her belly so hard that she thought she might throw up.

“No. Honestly, I didn’t remember her name. I just called them, told them I’d overheard a couple of guys talking about a missing woman in their county, and asked if anyone had been reported missing.”

“Did you tell them who you are? That you’re a fish and wildlife officer?”

“No. I just told them I’m a concerned citizen. But …”

She waited as long as she could before she blurted out, “Yeah? But what?”

“Are you sure you saw what you told me you saw?”

Flora rose up on her elbow, an arm still draped across him, and glared at him. “You think I imagined severed arms and legs being fed to a gator? Are you serious?”

“I think you thought that’s what you saw.”

“So I’m a liar?”

“No. I’m not saying that. I’m just questioning if you really saw what you think you saw. Because there haven’t been any women reported missing there. None.”

“So? Maybe her folks don’t know she’s missing. Maybe nobody cares. Maybe somebody reported it and the sheriff’s office has gotten so tired of dealing with the scum that they didn’t bother to take the report. But I saw what I saw, Barrett, and if you’d seen it, you wouldn’t forget it either. I will never forget that. And I don’t appreciate you acting like you don’t believe me.”

“I didn’t say I don’t believe you. I’m just telling you that as far as law enforcement in Pike County knows, there’s no missing woman. That’s all I’m saying.”

“Well, trust me, she’s missing. She’s gator shit by now.” At those words, Barrett winced. “Uh-huh. Sounds pretty crude. Well, it was. You’ve never seen anything like that.”

“No, and I’m glad too.”

“Yeah, well, I wish I hadn’t, but I did, and it was right damn awful.” Flora lay back down, her cheek resting on his chest, but she trembled with anger.

“Look, maybe they just don’t know yet. Maybe it got reported in another county.”

She sighed. “No. She’s from Pike County. Lived there her whole life. There’s nowhere else it would be reported.”

Barrett feathered a little kiss on her forehead. “Let’s just try to get some sleep. I’m sorry I upset you. I didn’t mean to. I just wanted you to know what I found out.”

“Okay. Fine. And now I’ll have nightmares all night because you brought it up.”

“I hope not. But you have to understand, it’s quite the fantastical story, Flora.”

“Oh, it absolutely is. You should’ve had to live it. I was so sick that I couldn’t eat for a week. You just can’t imagine.”

“No. I can’t. I wish there was somebody you could call somehow.”

“I need to check my email and see if my cousin sent me anything. That might give me something.”

With a finger under her chin, Barrett lifted her face and craned his neck to kiss her lips. “You can come down and use my computer tomorrow. Now, sleep. Night, babe.”

Maybe Rissa had sent her something. She needed to know, and she’d find out the next day.

But for some reason, she didn’t feel a bit better.

* * *

He’d always gottenup early, so when he woke the next morning, he decided to make breakfast for everyone. It was hard to extricate himself from Flora without waking her. They’d gotten so twisted together in the night that he wasn’t sure which arms and legs were his own, but by the time he’d untangled them and crawled out of the bed, he was sure she’d be awake. Nope. She slept like the dead.

He found everything he needed and set about measuring and pouring until he got the batter just the right consistency. Then he left it to sit and headed back to the bedroom. As he slid back under the covers, Flora roused. “Hey, babe,” he whispered into the back of her neck as he spooned her.

“Hey. Where were you?”

“I went in the kitchen and whipped up some pancake batter. As soon as you and Mrs. Murphy are up, I’ll cook them.”

“I should get up now. She’ll be up soon and she’ll need some help.” Flora wiggled from his grasp and climbed out of the bed, never looking back at him.

“Hey.” It took a few seconds, but she finally turned to look at him. “We good?”

Her voice was flat. “Yeah. We’re good.”

“Flora. Flora, look at me.” It seemed to take forever for their eyes to meet. “I was not calling you a liar. I just wanted you to know that nothing’s been reported to the sheriff’s department there.”

“I don’t care. It happened. And I don’t want to talk about it anymore or I won’t be able to keep anything down. Please.”

“Okay. I’m sorry.” As soon as he’d scooted out of bed, he followed her up the hallway, but she opened the door to Mrs. Murphy’s room, stepped in, and closed it behind her, so Barrett headed for the kitchen. He set the table with the things he could find in the cabinets, found some syrup and butter, and set about heating up the skillet he found to cook the pancakes.

There was a rustling sound behind him and he turned to find Mrs. Murphy shuffling into the kitchen, Flora right behind her. “Hey, boy, you cookin’?”

“Yes, ma’am. I sure am. How many pancakes do you want?”

“Two. Big ‘uns. The bigger, the better.” The old woman sat down in the chair Flora had pulled out from the table, and scooted up with the younger woman’s help.

“Comin’ right up. Babe, you got orange juice or anything?”

Flora pulled a bottle from the refrigerator. “I’ll start some coffee.”

Fifteen minutes later, the three of them sat around the table, and it was the first time in forever that Barrett could remember eating breakfast with someone. Thinking back, it had to have been when he and Jessica … He pushed that out of his mind, willing it all to go away. Was that how Flora felt about her life? It most likely was.

Mrs. Murphy had settled into her recliner and they were cleaning up the dishes when Barrett asked, “So you want to use my computer today?”

“If you don’t mind.”

His lips grazed her cheek and he smiled when he pulled back. “I don’t mind at all. You know that.”

“And what if I find something that makes you look like you don’t know what you’re talking about?”

Barrett stopped, a plate in one hand and a dish towel in the other, and gave her a look that he hoped she could understand. “Baby, I want to believe you. I do believe you. It just sounds so … I dunno, warped? Twisted? Sickening?”

“Yes. It was all of those things and in my mind, it still is. I’ll never forget that. Believe me, I’ve tried, and I can’t.”

“I get it. And I’m sorry. Nobody should have to see that. But you’re here now, and that stuff isn’t going to touch you again.”

A loud sigh escaped her lips and she shrugged. “You can’t guarantee that.”

“I’m going to do everything I can to make that true.”

She snatched the plate and towel from his hands and plunked them down on the countertop before turning to face him, her back against the cabinets. “What are we doing here? Playing around?”

“I told you, I don’t play around.”

“Then what is this? The beginning of a relationship? Or something to do until somebody else comes along?”

Her skin was warm through the thin gown as he gripped her waist with his hands. “After the other night, there is nobody else. I’m not looking for anybody. Hell, I wasn’t looking for you, but you just kinda dropped into my life, and I’m not unhappy about it. Not one bit.”

“But with this kind of baggage―”

“Sweetie, we’ve all got baggage. You saw mine. He was standing right in front of you. But I’m not afraid of yours. Are you afraid of mine?”

He could see her turning the question over and over in her mind. “No. Should I be?”

“No. No reason.” His hands slid from just above her hips and around until he could clasp them behind her and draw her in. “No reason at all. That’s over.”

“But he’s still coming around?”

“Yeah, and you saw how I handled that last night. And that’s how it’s going to stay. You’re right. I need to make a clean break. Now, let’s finish these dishes and I’m going home. After you help her get ready for the day, you can come down and use my computer.”

“Okay. Sounds good.” It seemed as though she wanted to say something else, but she finally just spun in his arms and went back to working on the dishes, so he picked up the plate and towel and kept drying.

An hour later, he rolled up into his driveway and looked at the house. The vinyl siding he’d put on it a few years before had held up well, and it looked good. His own yard could use a little attention, but that was no big deal. He didn’t have a lot of flowers and crap, just shrubs that he could prune. And he’d done a lot of work on the inside when he bought it, so it was in good shape. Would a woman want to live there?

Jessica had. He had a feeling that if he asked, Jesse would move right back in, but that wasn’t happening. That was the instant that he had an idea. There was no way of knowing when he’d get to kick it into gear, but he figured it wouldn’t be long.

It never was.