The Other Side of Lone Mountain

Chapter 34

All four men were hauled back to town to join their friend in jail. Jeff turned to Paul and Mandy, “Now I want you” looking at Mandy, “to go home and get off that ankle and get some rest. The doctor said he wanted you to stay off of it for a few days so I don’t want to see your face in the office for at least four days. I’ll let you know what’s going on.” Everyone finally called it a night and went home except for the two deputies on duty.

Paul and Mandy stopped by the B & B because Mandy felt she needed to see her mother and tell her what happened and let her know that she was okay. When Sarah saw Mandy on crutches she immediately ran to her and asked, “Honey! What happened?”

“I’m fine mom, thanks to Paul. I must admit we went through some scary times up on Lone Mountain but we’re fine now. I just wanted to see you and let you know that I was okay before you heard about it from someone else.”

“Thank you so much for taking good care of my little girl Paul. Sometimes she thinks she’s the only one on that police force.”

“I’m sorry but I think this time it was my fault”, said Paul. “If she hadn’t been helping me none of this would have happened.”

“But then we would never had found out about Gill and what was going on. And people would have continued to die up there.”, added Mandy.

“I know my daughter, Paul, she didn’t need you to convince her to go it alone. Ever since her father died, she has been determined to prove that his death was not an accident. She has just been waiting for the right opportunity to prove it and you gave that opportunity.”

“And I was right all along, Dad’s death was not an accident, neither was Kenny’s. Gill killed them both. He confessed, or shall I say, he bragged about it. He told me he was going to get rid of me the way he got rid of Dad and Kenny. I guess they both found out what Gill was doing so he had to shut them up before they could expose him. Now he and his accomplices are locked up in the jail. I’m sure we’ll find out everything now, even who engineered the whole scheme.”

“Well I’m just glad it’s all over with. Now you need to go home and get off your feet.” Sarah gave her daughter a hug and a kiss on the cheek. She then hugged Paul. Paul told Mandy that he was going up to his room to get a change of clothes and would return shortly.

“It seems the two of you have gotten very close. He loves you Mandy. I can see it in his eyes every time he looks at you.”

“I think I love him too mom, but I’m just afraid what’ll happen once everything is cleared up and he is through with his survey. I’m afraid he’ll go on with his life and I will never see him again. Mom, I don’t want to be hurt again, when Kenny died I didn’t think I would ever fall in love again. He was taken from me before I had the chance to really get to know him and to be his wife. I’m not ready to lose someone else.”

“Sweetheart, you can’t keep going on like this. You’re much too young to be alone and besides, if I can read people right, Paul loves you and has no intention of letting you out of his life. Now tell me honestly, how do you feel about him?”

“I love him. I can’t stand to be separated from him. I can’t imagine my life without him in it.”

“Then, Honey let him know how you feel. Don’t let him leave without telling him”

“Thanks mom; you always know what to say to help me make the right decisions. I love you.” She gave her mother a big hug just as Paul walked in.

“What did I miss, or was it girl talk?”

“It was more than that, it was mother-daughter talk” replied Mandy. “Paul is going to stay with me tonight because I’m still a bit shaken up from the events of the last couple of days. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.” She decided not to tell Sarah about the visitor that she had the other night.

“Thanks again for taking such good care of my daughter, Paul.”

“Believe me I have ulterior motives.” He smiled at Mandy. Then the two left for Mandy’s.

Upon arriving home Mandy went directly to bed. She was exhausted. It had been a very long day. Paul went into the kitchen and made her a glass of warm milk and cinnamon and brought it to her. “What’s this?” she asked.

“Warm milk with cinnamon. My mom use to make it for me when I was little. Taste it.” Mandy took a small sip and was surprised at how good it tasted, “Mmm! This is really good! Thanks.”

“Would you like something to eat?”

“No thanks, I just want to get some sleep. My ankle is throbbing.”

“Here, let me put a pillow under it.” Paul took a pillow from the closet and placed it under her foot. “There, that should help.” Paul sat on the bed next to her and leaned over and gently kissed her. He just sat there and holding her in his arms, as he pushed her hair away from her face. “I love you”, he whispered. When he got no response he looked down and saw that she was fast asleep. He kissed her forehead, removed the glass from her hand and gently laid her head on the pillow. He took the glass of milk back to the kitchen. Then he went into the living room and poured himself a shot of brandy and sat down on the couch. He knew things were winding down and he had to make a decision. He was sure Mandy loved him as much as he loved her, but he wasn’t sure if she was really ready to commit to a relationship. He had to know before he left Hickup Falls. Paul fell asleep on the couch thinking about Mandy.

The next morning Mandy woke up and was in a panic when she found that Paul hadn’t come to bed during the night. “Paul”, she called with panic in her voice.

Paul ran into the bedroom, still groggy with sleep. “What’s wrong?” he asked, with great concern in his voice.

“I’m sorry, I thought you had left when I noticed that you never came to bed. I thought I had lost you.”

“Honey, I’m sorry, I fell asleep on the couch. I didn’t mean to scare you.” It’s now or never, he thought. “Mandy, I love you and I will never leave you. I want us to build a life together. I guess what I’m saying is; I would like you to consider being my wife.
I realize we haven’t known each other very long but I do know that I don’t want to spend the rest of my life without you. When we were up on that mountain and I thought I would lose you I realized how much you truly meant to me. I wish this was a more romantic setting and I don’t even have a ring, but I have to get this out while I still have the nerve. Amanda Sheridan Blake, will you be my wife?”

Mandy sat up and put her arms around him, “Paul, I love you too and I don’t want to be without you either. Yes, yes, I would be honored to be your wife.” He kissed her hard and deep with all the love and passion within him. She returned his kiss with the same love and passion.

Paul finally pulled himself away from her as difficult as it was and said, “Now that we have that settled, how about some breakfast? Are you hungry?”

She pulled him to her again and whispered, “I’m hungry but not for the kind of food that comes from the kitchen.” She then nibbled at his ear.

He had to pull himself away again. “We’ve got to be careful with your ankle, so don’t make this any more difficult than it already is. I’m going to make us some breakfast.” Before she could pull him to her again he hurriedly stood and left for the kitchen. He returned a few minutes later carrying a tray with hash browns, bacon, eggs, orange juice and coffee. He found a bud vase and placed a single red rose in it and placed it in the center of the tray.

Later that afternoon Paul told Mandy about his plans of going to run up to the mountain and take some samples. Mandy said, “Paul, I’ve got an idea. What if you tell your investors that the area they have chosen is not feasible but you know of another that may be a better choice and that you’ll send them the information?”

“What area are you talking about?”

“The other side of Lone Mountain, it’s beautiful and would be great for a resort. It would also be a great place for a theme park. We can go up there and I’ll show you the area I’m thinking about. You’ve only seen a small part of that side of Lone Mountain. Whata ya say?”

“I say it sounds like a great idea. I just hope my investors think so. I’ll give them a call and see what they say. I think we make a great team don’t you?”

“Yes I do”, she said her face aglow with the happiness she was feeling at that moment.

“I’m going to make that call right now. I’ll be right back.”

“If they need to be convinced, maybe I can talk to them.” Paul returned twenty minutes later smiling from ear to ear. “Well? What did they say? Don’t keep me in suspense.”

“They love the idea and will be waiting for my report. In the meantime they’re going to find out who owns it and will try to negotiate with them for the land. I told them I would get back to them with the coordinates of the parcel you’re talking about. Now we can spend the next couple of days making sure you get back on your feet. What would you like to do today, besides work.”

“Why don’t we pack a picnic basket, get some wine and go up to the mountain. I’ll show you the area I’m talking about. Then when we come back we can go to Town Hall and look up the information on the area. I’m sure we’ll find that it belongs to the Hickory family. Old man Hickory bought the whole mountain when he moved here and I don’t think the family has ever sold any of it.”

“Sounds like a plan to me. After you get dressed we’ll go shopping for some food. Then we’ll leave for the mountain.”

They spent most of the day on the mountain. Mandy showed Paul her haven, the place she liked to go to when she wanted to be alone and meditate or just commune with nature. She showed him the spot where she envisioned the theme park. Paul was excited, the area was more beautiful than he could have imagined. He was sure his investors would agree that it was a better location.

Later that afternoon when they returned to town they went directly to the Town Hall in search of the information on the owners. He was very excited because the area was much nicer than the original site the investors were interested in.

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