into her backpack. “I suppose so. How’d you hear about Laura’s brother, though?”
Curiously she paused in the preparation of her knapsack to study the diminutive woman lounging on the couch, one leg lazily swinging back and forth over the arm of the cloth-covered sofa.
“The neighbor told me when I pulled up that Deputy Walker had been here the other day. I would think that was the only reason he’d be here, knowing how you like to keep to yourself.”
Leah sighed, understanding when Tessa was simply pumping her for information and that her dear gossipy neighbor wanted her to talk. “Mrs. Mulching tells all, doesn’t she?” Leah returned to stuffing her bag full of beef jerky, a full canteen and sunblock. She also tried to figure out just what to inform her dear friend Tessa.
Continuing to swing her leg as she reclined on the sofa, Tessa nodded, drawing Leah’s attention back to her. “From what I’ve seen, she does tell all. So, if you have someone to go with you and help you, why don’t you just wait and let him take you out to study the area instead of going on your own today?”
That was Tessa. She was pretty much to the point with Leah. Leah had obviously waited too long to tell her what she wanted to hear so she’d simply asked. Leah always knew where she stood with this woman. And Tessa hadn’t mellowed one bit now that she was married. “Where is Drake?” she asked mildly, trying to change the subject.
Tessa chuckled, giving Leah a knowing look. Running her fingers through her short brown hair, she shifted on the sofa and crossed her legs. “With his therapist. His limp is almost gone. When he’s done I’ll pick him up and give him the books I borrowed from you. Then I get to bully him into reading some more for me.”
Leah chuckled. Tessa’s husband, Drake, had been through an awful ordeal only a few months before. Many thought he wouldn’t make it, but he’d proven the town wrong. Systematically, day by day, Drake had pulled himself from the brink of death to where he was now. He’d met Tessa who was reteaching him to read after the accident that had caused so much damage. It had been love at first sight. Rarely did Tessa make it over to chat anymore. Except when something new was obviously in the air. Tessa seemed to feel so responsible for Leah.
She wondered if this concern was just natural for Tessa or if it was because Leah tended to be thought of as fragile by most people. “I can’t believe he is up to poetry by Burns,” Leah murmured before zipping the bag up.
“He sure is. Now, why don’t you answer my question, dear, and tell me why you’re on your way out to the desert when you have a perfectly good helper you’re going to be paying to do the dirty work for you?”
Leah lifted the bag and moved over across from Tessa. Seating herself on the sofa, she dropped the bag on her khaki-covered legs. Smoothing the pink top, she paused to push a strand of blond hair behind her ear. “I am perfectly capable of handling things myself, Tessa, and I can’t believe you said that,” she said carefully.
Tessa dropped her feet to the floor and leaned forward. “You know that’s not what I meant at all. I know how capable you are.”
Leah didn’t believe that. Her face said otherwise.
“I meant, get your money’s worth. Mark is a photographer and has been all over the area out there. Why not leave it to him and concentrate on the rest of the planning you have back here?”
Leah sighed. How did she explain that allowing another person to get close to her was not something she could accept? She’d thought she could, but in the end…
She couldn’t say out loud that she was afraid, without revealing too much of herself.
“He doesn’t know where I want the pictures. I thought I’d go out there and mark two or three of the areas I wanted, take some snapshots to give him ideas of the types of places I want and need, and then let him do the rest.”
Tessa nodded slowly. “That does make sense…. But you do realize there are snakes out right now? They’re especially bad this year.”
Leah interlocked her fingers, clasping her hands firmly. “They are always especially bad, according to everyone around here. Please, Tessa, I’ll be fine.”
Tessa nibbled her lower lip. “You’re sure?”
“If we can teach grade school, we can handle anything nature throws at us. You should know that.”
Tessa chuckled. “I do love teaching. Okay. Don’t forget, Drake said if you need to test wheelchairs and such out there, he’d be available to help out.”
“I’m surprised he is willing to get back in one of those things,” Leah murmured softly, with feeling.
Tessa’s gaze darkened a bit. “He still has his bad days when he has to use one. I imagine he will for a while to come. But I think…well…I think offering to help makes him feel useful. You know, he feels that being in the wheelchair gave him an opportunity to help someone else in need down the road.”
Leah’s gaze softened, a warm feeling filling her. “Can you still believe how much God changed Drake’s life?”
Tessa’s gaze changed from dark to a sweet dreamy smile. “If he hadn’t found Him, I wouldn’t be with him now. And he’s so fresh. I’ll tell you, Leah, his freshness is what restored my faith in God. I think I had forgotten just how wonderful and loving our Father is. Seeing it from a new believer’s point of view made me realize how lucky I really am and how the past doesn’t matter near as much as I thought it would.”
Leah’s bright smile faded a bit at the words. In some cases, a past certainly did matter. Her past did matter. Her entire life had changed because of it. She would definitely end up having her entire life changed if it ever became public.
Deciding it best to change the subject, Leah stood. “I am on my way out to the camping area near the Culpepper Ranch. If you need anything else, call.”
Tessa stood and hugged her. “Will do.”
Tessa had parked on the street, so Leah let her out the front door and locked it behind her. She turned and headed toward the back door and down the steps to her gray compact. Getting in, she prayed that perhaps one day Tessa’s words would prove true, that maybe she would find a place somewhere where her past wouldn’t matter.
However, she feared, that would only happen with Dan’s death.
“She’s not here.”
Mark paused by the door of his beat-up old Jeep. After slamming it shut, he strolled forward to where Tessa stood. There she was, near her car parked just in front of him, her hand on the door, two books tucked under the other arm. “I had thought to catch her so we could speak of a business arrangement,” Mark said, then remembering his manners he asked, “How are you doing, Tessa?”
She smiled. “Fine. I’d be doing a lot better if Leah hadn’t just left to go out looking for a site to camp.”
Mark leaned on the door of Tessa’s car. “She what?”
“She told me she hired you.”
“Word travels fast,” Mark muttered. “But what was this about a camp?”
Tessa flipped a hand up in a general
