Taken

Chapter Fifteen--DENNY

“What are they talking about you think?” I asked Sarah, swiveling in my seat so Haven could sit on my lap.

          “Who knows,” she replied, starting to cut up the deer meat so it could start marinating for supper.  “It blows my mind that you know Grady, too.”

          “I don’t really know him all that well.  It’s mainly Jeremiah.  They have been best friends since a summer camp a few years back.  Practically brothers,” I added.  “Do you think I could borrow a piece of paper?” I asked, getting an idea.

          “Sure.”  She returned seconds later with a piece of clean white paper and a pencil from Ladd’s study.

          “Okay, Haven,” I said, patting her back to get her off my lap.  I motioned toward the seat beside me and handed her the pencil.  “Where did we leave off?”

          I taught her here and there things for a while until I decided she had learned enough for the day.  Since we had arrived I hadn’t been helping her with school stuff but I needed to start again.  So I reviewed her a bit and we moved on a little further.

          Eventually Grady made his way into the kitchen, going straight to the place where Sarah kept her homemade bread and she swatted his hand.  “It’s for dinner! You are staying right?”

          “Yes ma’am,” he said and kissed her cheek in a mother-son way.  If I didn’t know better I’d think they were related.  He did kind of favor her, because he had the same beautiful eyes.  Brown closest to the pupil that faded out to green and then rimmed with blue.

          Jeremiah leaned against the door frame wearing a wary expression.  His eyes looked sad and I wanted to wrap my arms around him, but I stayed put at my spot.  “Come sit by me Jere,” I said instead and he did, pulling the chair around next to me.

          The stove warmed the whole room while the natural bright light filtered through the windows and door leading out to the backyard.  “What are you baking?” Grady asked.

          “I guess you’ll see when it comes out, now won’t you?” Sarah replied with a kind smile and Grady just snorted.

-

          “It’s perfect,” I breathed as Jeremiah led me by the hand to all the different rooms.  The cabin was beautiful, something out of a magazine.  The Sampsons knew how to decorate, that was for sure.

          “I want to move in now,” he said with a smile.  “I mean, why not? We have beds and furniture and appliances.”

          “That won’t work without electricity,” I reminded him.

          “Ladd and Sarah get along just fine,” he replied.  “There’s a fireplace and the stove will give off warmth too.  We could make this work, Denny.”

          We had been staying at Sarah’s for a couple weeks now and we needed to move on.  I didn’t like being dependent on other people for very long and I wished we had found the cabin sooner.  “Let’s move in today,” I said with a smile, and I knew Jeremiah was happy with my sudden answer.  I guess I’m a sucker for suspense.

          We had come by ourselves because we couldn’t tear Haven away from Grady.  She had taken to him quickly as soon as he played checkers with her, which she loved.  He was a nice guy, good with kids, and I was relieved I didn’t have to talk sense into him like I had to Jeremiah when he first met her.  It was under different circumstances then, though, I had to give him that.