Pearl Valley Read online

  “And what is that?”

  “Peace.”

  The look on his face as he said the words caused her heart to hurt. Something about this man called to her. She could offer to help him, but what would she do? What if she wasn’t the Jane Dossett he was looking for, and he stopped his journey too early and didn’t find the peace he sought?

  Her throat tightened. The teenagers in the room had gathered behind her, waiting to see if she would throw out the intruder or welcome him. She was at a loss. What should she do?

  ****

  Trevor was quickly losing patience. Jane Dossett of Pearl Valley was the last one on the list. If she wasn’t the right one, then he would have to search for more Jane Dossetts, or he would have to start all over and go back through the ones he’d dismissed.

  The lady in front of him wasn’t exactly what he’d expected. Average height and full-figured, her light brown hair was swooped back in a ponytail. The gym lights struck her face and highlighted her jade green eyes. She wore plain white sneakers, a red t-shirt covered by a flannel button-up, and a pair of faded jeans. Only one thing stood out about her. Both hands were swathed in a pair of silken white gloves.

  With the letter clasped in her hands, she paced. She muttered under her breath and he knew. She was Jane Dossett. For whatever reason, she didn’t want to admit it, but she was the one he’d been looking for.

  The way he saw it, he had two options: be forthright and tell her he knew who she was, or wait in town until she was willing to come around. Choosing the latter, he held out his hand. “I guess it ain’t you. I’ll take my letter back. Sorry I bothered you.”

  Reluctantly, she handed over the parcel. He touched the tip of one of her gloves, and she quickly drew her hand back.

  He walked toward the door, all the while hoping she would call out and stop him, but she said nothing. In his truck he revved up the motor and drove back to the motel.

  ****

  “Miss Janie, was that man looking for you?” asked one of the girls who helped her decorate.

  “I don’t think so.”

  “But he said he was looking for a Jane Dossett. It had to be you.”

  Janie felt her irritation rise. She twirled to face the girl and lifted her finger in preparation to shake it in her face. Then she stopped and drew in a sharp ragged breath. The girl was just curious. And hadn’t she dealt with curiosity before?

  “Tina, don’t worry about it. I’m sure Trevor, or whatever his name is, will find who he is looking for.”

  The girl shrugged her shoulders, and they continued decorating the gym in silence.

  Finished, Janie drove home. The colonial-style house, surrounded by oaks, maples, and elms, offered a haven of rest after a stressful day. All the lights were out, meaning her father was still at the mayor’s office. More and more often, he stayed in the apartment above the office, leaving her alone.

  She flipped on the kitchen light, prepared a sandwich, and sat down at the snack bar. The red light of the answering machine blinked, and she pushed the play button.

  “This is Old Jim over at the grocery store. Just thought you might like to know that some cowboy is looking for our Janie. I don’t know what he wants, but I thought you might like to be warned.”

  “Thanks, Jim. The warning might have been better a few hours ago,” Janie spoke aloud.

  The next message was in the same vein. “This is Carol over at the diner. There’s some big hunk of a man asking for Janie. Thought you might like to know.”

  “This is Timmy over at the garage. Some guy just got gas and he is asking about Janie. Looks like a criminal to me. Thought you might like to know.”

  “This here is Morgan over at the motel. Some feller named Trevor Jacobs just booked a room for an indefinite amount of time, and he is looking for Janie. He drives a real nice truck, and he paid with cash. You might want to be on the lookout for him.”

  All the messages were warning her father that a rich hunk, who looks like a criminal, was looking for her. Janie leaned back in the chair and sighed.

  The man had taken a room at Morgan’s Motel. This could only mean he was going to wait her out. Now what was she going to do?

  Chapter Three

  Trevor rose promptly at 6:00 a.m. He showered, dried, pulled on the prosthetic sock, and snapped his false leg in place. He closed his eyes and rubbed his thigh. If he concentrated long enough, he could almost imagine the way it used to be, skin and muscle.

  Swallowing back the pain, he dressed. As he opened the door to his room, church bells rang.

  He’d spotted the church the afternoon before as he drove through town. The spiral had stood above every other building. The sign out front read, The Only Church in Town.

  People walked from every side and entered the building. Trevor joined the crowds and hobbled in.

  The brightly lit church sported two aisles of wooden pews, and they were filling up fast. He picked a seat at the back of the church next to the wall.

  People dressed in robes filed into the choir pews while others tuned their instruments. The pastor stepped to the pulpit.

  “Today’s New Testament reading is John 14:27. ‘Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither be afraid.’”

  The choir stood and sang in harmonious melody. At the end of the song an offering was given followed by a solo.

  Trevor straightened in his seat as the young woman from the gymnasium stood at the podium. She sang like a whole host of angels. Tingles raced down his arms and ran along his spine. On the chorus the choir joined in, and the second time around she lifted her hands, and the congregation sang as well. Trevor felt like the church moved with their worship and praise.

  The song ended and the congregates sat.

  “Thank you, Miss Dossett, for that beautiful, heartfelt song.”

  Trevor felt blinded by fury. He’d been right. It was her!

  She left the stage with the other choir members, and her eyes landed on him. Red hue covered her cheeks, and she lowered her head. He did the same. Unable to look at the pastor or listen to the message spoken, he studied his hands.

  ****

  “What is wrong with you, Janie? You look flushed.”

  “I’m okay.”

  “You don’t look okay. Do you want me to get your dad?”

  “No. I’ll be fine. I just need some fresh air.”

  “Okay.”

  Tina pulled the robe over her head and left the basement for the sanctuary. Janie couldn’t go just yet. Seeing Trevor in the back pew staring at her had caused extreme discomfort.

  She hadn’t told Mr. Jacobs the truth. The guilty feelings gnawed at her gut until she thought she would throw up.

  She placed her robe on a hook before going out the basement door. Outside, birds tweeted. The sun shone and highlighted blooming azaleas and rosebushes that dotted the church landscape. Bowing her head, she prayed for wisdom.

  The pastor’s voice drifted through an open window. He spoke of peace from the peace giver. She wrung her gloved hands. True, she didn’t know why Trevor had been sent to Pearl Valley. True, she didn’t know why Rory Chance had dreamed of her helping Trevor.

  She sat on a bench and prayed. Peace overwhelmed her. She gulped back her fears. A sense that she was meant for this task flooded her.

  Standing tall, she pulled her shoulders back and boldly walked up the church’s front porch steps. She stopped at the last row on the right side and slid into the pew, apologizing for the feet she crushed along the way.

  When she reached the end, she sat beside Trevor. He looked at her and, she offered him her widest smile.

  The rest of the service she sat like a statue, afraid to move and perhaps bump him. When the last song was sung, and the congregation was dismissed, Janie sighed with relief.

  Trevor stood but didn’t make a move to leave the pew. “I was wondering if you were breathing.”

  �
��What?”

  “I mean you didn’t move a muscle during the entire thing. I don’t know how your Bible stayed on your lap.”

  “Yeah, well—“

  “I guess you didn’t want to touch me. That’s okay, I guess. But what I can’t understand is if you were afraid to touch me, then why did you sit beside me?”

  “I–I—,” she stuttered.

  “So what do we do now? Just meet up with the preacher and shake his hand and be on our way, or do they have a dinner or something?”

  Janie opened her mouth and squeaked. He lifted his brow.

  Before she could speak, she heard a voice over her head. “Hi, there. My name is Telah Rhodes, and you are?”

  Trevor shook Telah’s hand. “I’m Trevor Jacobs. Nice to meet you.”

  “Nice to meet you, too. I couldn’t help but overhear your question. After we dismiss, most people head over to Carol’s Diner. If you don’t know the way, I could direct you.”

  Trevor flashed a heart-stopping smile in Telah’s direction, and Janie fought a surge of jealousy.

  “Thank you, ma’am, but I think I’ll wait and walk over with Jane.”

  “Oh, sure. See you there.”

  Telah joined the exodus, leaving Trevor and Janie alone. Janie couldn’t find her voice.

  “Are you ready?” he asked.

  Janie forced a nod. With her purse on her shoulder, she allowed Trevor to place his hand on the small of her back and lead her around the pew. As they approached the preacher, she couldn’t keep the heat from spreading across her face.

  “Janie, you’re singing was a pure delight.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Hopefully, next week you and the choir can work up another special.” She nodded. The pastor turned to Trevor and held out his hand. “Hello, umm—“

  “Trevor Jacobs.”

  “Mr. Jacobs, it is nice to have you. I hope you enjoyed the service and will come back and visit us.”

  “Thank you, sir. I appreciate the invitation.”

  “If you are going to be in town for a few days, the church provides a meal for visitors before Wednesday night prayer meeting.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind.”

  Trevor nudged Janie in the back, and she said goodbye and walked outside. The sunshine beat down on her head as she headed for the diner.

  Most Sundays she went straight home, since it was the one day her father was most likely to visit. He claimed that on Sunday everyone was visiting family and wouldn’t be inclined to notice his absence at the office. Today, instead of her normal routine, she’d been conned into going to the diner with someone she didn’t even know.

  They made quite a pair: Trevor with his large cowboy hat and limp, and her with her flowery skirt and white gloves.

  When they entered the diner, Carol yelled, “Hello, Janie.”

  “Hi, Carol.”

  “Just find a seat where you can.”

  Janie pushed through the crowd and picked the last empty booth. She slid into the side facing away from the crowd and was surprised when Trevor sat beside her and pushed her over to the glass window.

  “What are you doing?” she whispered.

  “Making room for others to sit with us. This place is so crowded they’re going to need that other seat.”

  “Then why don’t you let one of them sit with you and one of them can sit with me?”

  “Now, why would I want to do that?” He faced her and flashed another brilliant smile. Her heart beat rapidly against her chest, and she studied the glossy sheen of the table.

  Renee took their order. When the drinks arrived, Janie cradled her glass and tried to ignore the odd way she felt sitting next to Trevor.

  “I was surprised to see you in church today.”

  “Why?”

  “Well, I–I, thought you would have left town by now.”

  “I can’t.”

  “Because of Jane Dossett?”

  “Exactly.”

  Janie traced the water droplets on the glass and wished Carol would turn up the air. Sweat ran along her spine, and she shifted in the vinyl seat.

  “Do you need more room?”

  “No, I’m fine.”

  “You don’t have to be hateful. I was just being considerate.”

  “If you were really being considerate, then you would leave,” she blurted.

  He lifted a brow and Janie sighed and lowered her gaze.

  “Is that really how you feel?”

  “I—I—” She didn’t know what to say, and it didn’t matter because Telah slipped into the seat opposite them.

  “Is this seat taken?”

  Chapter Four

  Trevor felt Janie tense as Telah spoke.

  “It is so nice to have someone new come to town. Pearl Valley is so uninteresting. Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t want to leave and go somewhere else because then I wouldn’t know anybody, but still sometimes it is nice to have some excitement.”

  Renee took Telah’s order. She took a sip of her drink and started talking again. “So what brings you to Pearl Valley? I guess you heard that the pond we used to grow oysters in, which put out the prettiest pearls in the world, just stopped producing, so you can’t be here for that. And you kind of remind me of a cowboy from Texas so I don’t imagine you’ve come from Hollywood to discover a new talent or something….”

  Telah didn’t take a breath, and Trevor struggled to answer her original question.

  “Listen to me ramble on. I haven’t even given you time to answer. So why are you here?”

  Underneath the table, Janie kicked his leg, and he thought better of telling Telah the truth. “I’m just passing through.”

  “Oh, that’s nice. Pearl Valley is a great place to walk a few trails. Of course, I don’t imagine you’ll be doing too much hiking with that limp.”

  He bit his tongue. There it was again. People refusing to keep their mouths shut.

  Janie interrupted, “Telah, I believe if Trevor wanted to go hiking, he is more than capable of doing so. You shouldn’t rush to judgment based only on what you see.”

  Telah shrugged. “Sorry. I tend to say things before I think. I’m sure Janie is right. All the trails around are pretty flat so you shouldn’t have any trouble.”

  And again. Just ignore it, buddy, just breathe and ignore it.

  The waitress returned with their Sunday specials. They bowed their heads, and Trevor uttered a prayer. All around them conversation flowed, but shyness had overcome their table and no one spoke.

  Telah looked at him and smiled. A dot of mayonnaise clung to the corner of her mouth, and he wanted to reach over and wipe it away. She sat back in the booth, patted her stomach, and sighed. Still the food lingered.

  “That was a good sandwich. Amazing how Carol can open the diner right after service is over yet still provide the best food around.”

  “Telah, you need to clean your mouth,” said Janie between bites.

  “What?” Telah blinked rapidly and reached for a napkin.

  “Yup, you have some mayo stuck to your lip.”

  A red hue covered Telah’s cheeks as she furiously swiped it away. He looked at his empty plate to avoid increasing her embarrassment.

  Grabbing her things, she slid from the booth. “It was nice meeting you. Hope you enjoy Pearl Valley.”

  “Thank you. I fully intend to.”

  Left alone with Janie, he said, “You could have told her in a nicer way.”

  “Like how?”

  He shrugged.

  “Exactly. Besides, how does it hurt a person’s feelings if you tell them to clean their face? Wouldn’t it have been more embarrassing if I’d let her leave without telling her?”

  “I guess so,” he said.

  She faced him. “And I know good and well you were just itching to tell her.”

  He pinched his fingers together. “Maybe just a little.”

  “Humph. More like a lot.” She twisted her lips into a half-grin.

>   They finished eating and headed toward the counter to pay. Janie shuffled through the contents of her wallet, but Trevor placed his hand on her arm. “This one’s on me.”

  Janie shook her head. “No, thank you. I can buy my own sandwich. If I let you pay, it will cost a lot more than that.”

  He reared his head back and laughed. Holding his hand out, he allowed her to go first. They paid and stepped outside. The heat was stifling.

  “It was nice seeing you again,” said Janie as she turned and walked away.

  Trevor limped, muttering under his breath as he struggled to catch her. “Hey, wait a minute.”

  She stopped and faced him. “Yes?”

  “I thought maybe we could talk.”

  “We did,” she said spinning around and taking a step.

  He touched her forearm. “No, I mean, really talk.”

  Janie rolled her eyes. “Look, I don’t know what you want from me.”

  “I’ve told you, I want to talk to Jane Dossett.”

  “Yes, I know. Because your friend Rory insists he had a dream that Jane Dossett was going to bring you peace. What does that even mean?”

  “I don’t know. I was hoping you could tell me.”

  ****

  The heat of his touch seared her skin. What harm would there be in admitting she was Jane Dossett? He already knew she was anyway. And admitting it didn’t mean she could help him. The man was clearly crazy or something. Besides, he didn’t seem to be going anywhere until he got what he wanted.

  She drew her arms in and crossed them over her chest. “Okay, fine, you win. I’m Jane Dossett, but everyone here calls me Janie.”

  He lifted his head to the sky. A single tear escaped from the corner of his eye. He looked at her, his blue eyes sparkling in the natural sunlight. “Thank you.”

  Awkward didn’t begin to describe how she felt. “Uh, sure. Now look, I have a big day tomorrow so I need to go home and do some things.”

  “Can I drive you?” he asked in a pleading tone.