Free Trust Me II by D. T. Jones Page B

exactly Florence Nightingale.”
    “Poor old thing,” she said feeling suddenly sorry for the man. “It must be hard not to have someone to rely on in your old age.”
    “You are amazing,” he sighed. “Only you would find sympathy for a man everyone else finds vexing.”
    “You start being nice to him,” she scolded. “Put yourself in his place; how would you feel if you were childless with an invalid wife and nobody around to offer comfort or companionship? I’m sure you can put up with a few annoying visits and a little know-it-all comments from time to time.”
    “Yes ma’am, I’ll try and be tolerant.” Sandra scowled at her husband’s light hearted joking as they turned the final corner that led to their house.
    “You are a pest, do you know that?” she asked, smiling as he laughed at the irritated look on her face.
    “And you my darling are incredible. I’ll try and be nice to the old bugger.”
    They continued to walk in silence for a several long minutes, just enjoying the peaceful sounds of the country and the warm spring air. The smell of manure mingled with the scent of freshly turned soil, flowers and new mown grass; it was a smell that reminded her of home and Sandra breathed deeply. She may be thousands of miles from Kansas, but the feeling of a simpler life style, a comfortable and relaxed sense of a slower pace was the same. It was a feeling she would always enjoy, regardless of where she was.
    “When did you want to leave for France?” Creighton asked a few minutes later. “We can stay a while longer in Chelsea if you’d like, or we can leave straight away when the party is over.”
    “To be completely honest, I’d really like to leave tonight and get away from all the chaos.”
    “Then tonight it is. I’ll have Clark pick up our bags and meet us at the airport around nine. That should give us enough time to mingle, eat, dance and leave without being rude.”
    “I can hardly wait.”
    “What about your sister?” he asked with a quiet tone. “Are you going to try and straighten things out with her before we go?”
    “No,” she said flatly. “I am done trying to make her see reason. Now the ball is in her court; either she’s going to have to accept our marriage and handle the idea that I am grown up and living my own life, or wallow in her own self-righteousness. Either way, I’m done talking with her for a while.”
    “I’m very proud of you for standing up to her. There are a few choice things I’d like to say to her, but I’ll keep quiet for now. But I promise, if she keeps trying to stomp you down, I will deal with her.”
    “Just let it be,” Sandra insisted. “Cathy is stubborn but she’s usually reasonable. She flies off the handle easily and after a few days she relaxes and starts to think clearly again. I just don’t want anything to interfere with our evening, so promise you’ll avoid her at all costs.”
    “I promise,” he said, wrapping his arm around her waist as they continued to walk.
    Creighton frowned when they neared the joining properties of their house and his parents’. In the front yard of their home sat two additional vehicles; one a large black SUV, the other a local police car. The workers were standing around the area where the backhoe sat silent along with both Creighton’s family and Sandra’s. The SUV had been pulled up near where the new garage was going to be built and the police car was blocking the entrance to the circular drive that led to the front door. As they came closer William and James turned toward them, leaving the crowd and walking to intercept the younger couple.
    “What’s going on?” Sandra asked the men as they came within earshot of each other.
    “There’s a problem on the property,” William said. “The workers found something buried where the old barn had been.”
    “What kind of something?” Creighton asked with a deep frown.
    “Human remains,” James answered. “And they don’t appear to be very