Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Jackson

After a mostly satisfying day on the job—a quiet day in Rosemary Mountain where the biggest problem to deal with was breaking up a bar fight—I headed to the pub to grab some dinner. It beat being home alone, and I was bound to run into a buddy or two. John O’Malley, the owner, gave a hefty discount to members of law enforcement, making it one of our favorite places to eat. He considered it a good investment, as our presence also ensured he rarely had trouble from any rowdy tourists. Not that he couldn’t handle it himself. The gentle giant was legendary for making troublemakers wash dishes.

“Hey, Big John,” I called out, stopping at the bar to say hello before heading to my regular booth.

“Hey, young Jackson,” John said, giving me a wave. “Want your usual tonight?”

“You know it.”

John gave me a nod and turned to pour me a glass of the Irish red he kept on tap, while I swallowed back the cringe that always came when he called me “young Jackson.” He couldn’t know that Russell always called me that. It was a phrase I detested, despite knowing it was a term of affection from John. He’d shown me nothing but respect and kindness since I’d returned to Rosemary Mountain a few years back.

I leaned against the bar while I waited and turned to face the room, scanning it automatically. But my gaze stopped when it landed on a face that was both unfamiliar and so familiar I’d know it anywhere.

Allison Bell.

Gone was the girl I had once known, yet somehow, I’d still know her anyway. She had grown up into a beautiful woman. That blonde hair that had always lit up a room was a tad darker now. Tonight, it was loose around her shoulders. Simple and chic. But I still remembered when she used to wear it in pigtails and how fun it had been to chase her, tugging on them when I beat her in hide-and-seek.

John placed my beer down. “Something caught your eye over there?” he asked mildly, never one to miss a beat.

“Just an old friend,” I said. “Haven’t seen her since we were kids. It brings back a hell of a lot of memories.” The best ones. In fact, the only good ones from my life back then. The ones that were all painted golden from Tennessee sunshine and Allison’s hair.

“You should go say hi,” he said, raising his eyebrows.

“I think I will.” I grabbed my beer and walked her way, feeling suddenly nervous. Would she even remember me? Those years might not have meant as much to her. She had been my lifeline, but she might have only seen me as another trailer park kid, one in a hundred sad stories. God knows we had no shortage of those in my neck of the woods.

Her eyes stayed focused on her tablet. As I approached, she scribbled notes to herself with an electronic pen. I stopped right in front of her table.

“Allison Bell,” I said, unable to stop the grin that appeared from just saying her name. “Never thought I’d see you again.” I shoved my free hand into my pocket to stop from reaching out and tugging on those golden locks.

Shock filled her eyes first. Then a huge smile broke out on her face. “Jackson Sharp. Oh my goodness! I almost didn’t recognize you. You’re all grown up now.”

I grinned again. “So are you. And it’s Jackson Ford now. Adopted,” I explained at the confused look on her face.

That look of confusion changed to relief and understanding. “Wow. We do have a lot to catch up on then. A new last name, huh? Lucky you.” There was a flash of pain in her eyes, making me think her own last name had already caused some discomfort. “So, Jackson Ford , what has it been, fifteen years?”

“Try closer to twenty,” I said, laughing.

“No way. I’m not that old,” she teased. “Sit down! Catch me up on everything. Gosh, it seems like yesterday, doesn’t it? But so much has changed. And apparently in a good way for you,” she said, gesturing at my deputy’s uniform before closing the tablet and tucking it into her tote bag.

I accepted the invitation, sliding into the booth across from her. It was hard to believe that we were both really here all these years later.

“Yep,” I said, nodding as I braced my elbows on the table. “Things turned out okay for me. Not long after you left town, I got put into foster care again, for good this time. Probably saved my life. Ended up getting adopted by some great folks—you’d love them. Moved to Nashville, where they were from, but came back to the mountain a few years ago. Draws you back, you know?”

“Apparently,” she said with a sheepish smile. “Whether you mean for it to or not.”

“Looks like things turned out well for you, too,” I said, raising my glass in a toast. “Rumor has it you’re a doctor now.”

She flushed up prettily. “I sure am. Finally finished my residency this year.”

“So it’s true you’re taking over Doc Rogers’s old practice?”

She nodded. “For now, at least. I got the call just when I was looking for something new, so I said yes. But”—a shadow crossed her face—“I’ll admit I didn’t give it a lot of thought before accepting the position. I’m not sure it was the best idea.”

“Interesting,” I said, raising my eyebrows. “Rough adjustment?”

“Something like that.” Her face became a mask. Then she changed the subject. “So, do your adoptive parents live here now too?”

I shook my head. “Nah. They’re still in Nashville. Miss them like crazy. But the city never felt like home, not like this place. So when the opportunity came for me to move back here, I took it. Those years I was gone, I never stopped missing the mountain. Never stopped thinking about all those places we used to wander around until it got so dark we had to go home. We had some good times, even then, didn’t we?”

“We did,” she agreed. “Goodness, I hadn’t thought about any of that in years. But when I stepped out of my car here and smelled the forest, it took me right back.” She shook her head, smiling. “Remember that little clearing where we used to catch lightning bugs? And the creek where we’d go fishing when we played hooky from school?”

“I remember that creek well,” I said, a smile playing on my lips. “How could I forget? That’s where I caught you and Sarah-Lee skinny dipping.” I placed my hand reverently on my chest. “That’s one of my core life memories, Allison.”

She threw her head back and laughed, making a sound that took me right back to that clearing, where we’d run around barefoot, laughing like we didn’t have a care in the world. Like we were normal kids—for a little while at least.

“I had forgotten about that,” she said, turning red even while she was laughing. “Sarah-Lee was furious. Where is she, anyway? Is she doing okay?” Allison cocked her head, curious.

“Still here in Rosemary Mountain,” I answered, unable to stop the look of sadness from crossing my face. “Married now. I don’t see her often, unless a neighbor’s called me to come out. Her husband takes too much after her old man, and she takes too much after her ma to do anything about it.”

Allison’s face fell. “I hate to hear that.”

“Yeah. I’ve tried to get her to leave him and press charges. She won’t. Same old, same old. You know how it goes. Maybe someday I’ll get through to her. But if you’re asking about her, I guess you didn’t stay in touch with anyone from around here?”

She shook her head. “No. We ‘needed a fresh start,’” she said, rolling her eyes and using air quotes. “Mama didn’t want me keeping in touch with anyone from here.” Allison’s eyes grew sad and her voice softened. “I wrote to you once. Borrowed a stamp from a friend at school and mailed you a letter to let you know where I was. But I never heard back, and I wasn’t sure if it was because you didn’t get it or if Mama intercepted your reply.”

“I never got it,” I said, swallowing back the lump that formed in my throat even now. “Either Russell didn’t give it to me or I was already in foster care when it arrived.”

“I’m sorry. I missed you, you know.”

“I missed you too.” More than I could possibly say.

“Mama said cutting off all contact was for my own good, but really, I think it was for hers,” Allison explained. “She wanted to pretend like that chapter of our lives never even happened. I always thought she was so strong, but now that I’m older, I look back on it all and think she was really fragile. She couldn’t handle it.”

I understood exactly what she meant. “Fresh starts can be a good thing,” I said.

“Yeah.” She was quiet for a moment. “But I felt like I abandoned you.”

“You were still a kid,” I pointed out. “It’s not like you had any choice about moving away or any way of keeping in touch if your mom didn’t want you to. Besides, it seems like it worked out well for you. I mean, you’re a doctor. That’s no small thing. I’m proud of you, Allison.”

“Thanks,” she said, flushing again with those pretty pink cheeks that reminded me of the girl she had been. The girl I had once dreamed of running away with so we could get married and have a houseful of kids—kids we’d actually love and take care of. Kids that wouldn’t feel the need to prowl the woods for hours at night just to stay away from us. Kids who’d feel happy and safe with parents who loved them. That was before I realized that, with Russell’s blood running through my veins, I could never risk having a family and repeating the cycle.

“So when do you start work?” I asked, deliberately changing the subject.

A troubled look crossed her face. “Today was my first day, actually.”

I studied her. “Didn't go well?”

She let out a breath and shook her head. “Not exactly.”

“What happened?”

“I think I’m in over my head,” she admitted. “I’m still so new to this. This is my first time to really practice on my own. I’ve always had backup—more experienced providers to bounce ideas off of or to double-check what I’m doing. I don’t know, Jackson. I thought I was ready for this, but I feel like little Allison Bell again. Like I went right back to my childhood, and I’m just playing dress up. And that’s about how everyone treated me today. The few patients who even came in, anyway. Apparently, people started canceling their appointments as soon as they heard who was taking over.”

I frowned. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Plus,” she said, sighing, “Beverly, my receptionist, hates me. My nurse didn’t even show up today, so I had to room the few patients who came by myself. On top of that, I’ve already made an enemy of one of them. So all in all, it was a rough start for sure.”

“An enemy?” I asked, my senses coming on guard. I hadn’t forgotten Larry’s attitude about Allison’s return.

“One of my first patients was there for refills,” she explained. “Doc Rogers had been prescribing him a ridiculous number of narcotics, and the interim physicians who handled things until I got here just kept refilling them. I refused to do the same.”

“Good for you,” I said, meaning it.

“I offered him a lower dosage and help getting off of them altogether in time, but I couldn’t in good conscience prescribe what he wanted. Honestly, I’m surprised the combination hadn’t killed him already.”

“Yeah, we’ve been fighting an uphill battle here with opioids. Doc was only part of the problem. Did the patient agree to the lower dose?”

She shook her head. “No, he stormed off with a few choice words about how a ‘pretty little girl’ like me needed to watch myself. Said he would find a real doctor to take care of him and that someone needed to teach me my place around here.” She shuddered. “It kind of shook me up, honestly.”

I pulled out my wallet and gave her my card. “He’s probably all talk. Just blowing off steam. But if you ever have any problems, you call me. My cell’s on there.”

She looked at the card, her face lighting up as she studied it. “Gosh, it’s still hard to believe you’re in law enforcement. I bet your daddy wasn’t thrilled about that.”

I chuckled, even as I felt the shadow pass over my face. “No, he’s not. Thinks of me as a traitor. Doesn’t matter. I avoid him and he avoids me.” Mostly. Ever since Russell had found out I was back in town, he’d taken to occasionally harassing me, just to show me he still could. It was happening more and more. And for some reason, I kept letting him get away with it.

Her eyes got soft. “Well, I’m awfully proud of you, Jackson. You know, I thought of you a million times after we moved away. Hoped somehow things had gotten better for you or that you had gotten away from him. I’m glad you did.”

“I thought of you, too,” I said. I opened my mouth to tell her how much her friendship had meant to me and how much I owed her for giving me strength to hang on through the dark times. But before I could, her cell phone rang.

“Oh!” Her eyes went wide in shock when she saw the screen. She bit her lip, staring at it like she was debating whether or not she should answer.

“Need to take that?”

She kept staring at it. “I don’t know.” The call ended before she had a chance, and relief flashed through her eyes—until whoever it was immediately called again. She sighed. “I probably should answer. I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine,” I said, standing to leave. “It was really good seeing you, Allison.”

She gave me a long look. “It was really good seeing you, too, Jackson. Maybe we’ll run into each other again soon.” She reached over and squeezed my hand. Then she answered the phone with a look of regret.

But not before I saw the name Mike on the caller ID.