Dragonfly Creek Read online

  His grandmother had been the first to approach him, after a quiet Sunday dinner at his Aunt Kathy’s one lazy August afternoon.

  “You’re homesick,” Eliza Browning had stated as they sat on the porch swing. The large ceiling fans moving quietly overhead stirred the thick summer air. They worked with the evaporative cooler to make the temperature just bearable in the shade. “What are you going to do about it?”

  Ben picked at a callus on his palm. “It’ll go away. It always does.”

  She gently touched his hair. “I don’t think so. Not this time.”

  “I don’t want to go back,” he admitted. Eliza was one of the few people in the world who knew why Ben had been so eager to leave Kentucky permanently a few years before.

  “I think you do. Your heart’s always been there, in the hills. You’ve been away too long.”

  “And what would I do if I went back? It isn’t like jobs in my industry are thick on the ground in eastern Kentucky.”

  “Oh, I don’t know. Maybe you could go back to school, get that landscape architecture degree you’ve been thinking about.”

  Ben’s gaze shot to hers. “How’d you know about that?”

  Eliza smiled, and she looked so much like Ben’s mother, Sarah, that his chest tightened. It was like looking into a mirror of what the future held.

  “Sweetheart, I don’t have to have any special abilities like your father’s people in order to know you’re bored with what you’ve been doing. And I know the idea has always intrigued you. The University of Kentucky has a good program, I hear.” She picked up her iced tea glass and took a casual sip.

  Ben shook his head, amazed. “I’ve just barely started entertaining the idea, Nonny.”

  “Well, I think it’s a good one. It’s too late for you to enroll this year, but that would give you a few months to get re-acclimated to the region, so to speak. Maybe to deal with some things you’ve been putting off far too long. You’ve set aside some money, I suppose?”

  “I have.” His job paid well, and while Ben didn’t lead a Spartan life, he liked things simple. “You know, you might have to go back to Kentucky, too. I’ll miss you too much if you stay here.”

  Eliza laughed softly, and her words surprised him. “You know, if you and Emma weren’t here, I might consider it. Kathy doesn’t need me like she used to. And I miss the hills. But I don’t want to leave Emma. This new boyfriend of hers… I don’t like the feel of him.”

  “Yeah. Me, either. But she seems happy enough.”

  “For now.”

  They changed the subject as the object of their conversation came out onto the porch. Emma was Ben’s twin sister, older by just over five minutes. She never let him forget that, either. Tall, with their father’s dark hair and their mother’s fair complexion, Emma turned heads wherever she went. She was a photographer, working for one of the premiere studios in town. She’d worked hard to get where she was, and Ben was proud of her. He didn’t tell her that too often, though. After all, someone had to keep his sister on her toes.

  The discussion with Nonny weighed on his mind for a few weeks. As much as he wanted to deny it, she was right. He was homesick. And so, when talk at work had turned to restructuring, Ben volunteered to leave. His boss had been disappointed, but there were practically ten other people lined up behind him, eager to fill his shoes.

  He’d put off the trip as long as he could, eking out one excuse after the next, until Emma was frustrated enough to threaten to knock him out and send him home via the mail.

  “What if the folks don’t want to see my ugly face?” he’d protested. “You know I haven’t mentioned the plan to them. What if they think it’s a bad idea?”

  “Seriously? You do know our parents, right? Sarah and Owen Campbell would have all five of us back under their roof in a heartbeat. If Daddy hadn’t put his foot down, there’d have been at least three or four more little Campbells running around.” Emma turned serious, which told Ben just how concerned she was. “You need to go home, Benny. You never told me what sent you running, but whatever it was, it’s pushed you long enough. It’s time to push back. I want to see you happy and… you’re not.”

  She was right. He sold as many of his belongings as he could, gave away most of the rest, and packed what was left into neat boxes, which he tucked away safely under the flat cover on his truck bed. On his way out of town, he stopped at Eliza’s. Emma had driven over for the send-off, and he hugged them both tightly, not wanting to let go.

  “Remember, not a word to the folks. I’ll call you both when I get in, but I want to surprise them.”

  Eliza smiled up at him, though her eyes were damp. “You always did love a surprise.”

  “As long as he’s the surpriser and not the surprisee,” Emma added. She hugged him just as tightly as he’d held her a few minutes earlier. “Be careful out there. Give everyone my love.”

  He got on the road before they all turned into blubbering idiots. Walking away had been harder than he expected. But the farther away from Savannah he got, the less restless he became. Going home felt right.

  Now, as he stopped at a brand-new convenience store at the foot of Pine Mountain to stretch his legs and fill up the truck, he realized he felt a little like a kid at Christmas. He’d taken his time on the drive, and it wasn’t quite seven o’clock in the evening. He would be at the homeplace by eight. Just imagining the look on his parents’ faces made him smile. The woman filling up her car at the next gas pump gave a startled blink, then smiled back at him. Ben winked at her as he went inside to settle up with the gas station attendant.

  The rain slacked off somewhat as he got closer to Hazard, and fog started to creep up, out of the rivers and creeks and into the hollers. Even though the evening was cool, he cracked the truck’s windows and let the mountain air wash over him. The scent of fall leaves mixed with the rain-washed air. Absent of the saltiness present in coastal Georgia, the dampness screamed “home” to him.

  He stopped the truck at the foot of his parents’ driveway and just sat there for a few minutes. He didn’t really doubt his welcome, but he knew that once he drove up the long, long driveway, there was no turning back.

  “You knew there wasn’t any turning back as soon as you left Georgia, Ben.” He put the truck in gear.

  A full minute later, he reached the top of the mountain where he’d grown up. The farmhouse looked snug and welcoming, with lights on in the living room, as well as his sister Amelia’s upstairs bedroom. He parked next to his father’s truck and grabbed his jacket from the passenger seat.

  The porch light came on before he was halfway to the steps, and Owen Campbell opened the door, an astonished look on his face.

  “What in the world…?” He held open the screen door, but didn’t say anything else as Ben came up on the porch.

  “Hey, Dad.”

  Owen looked into the house behind him, blinked twice, and then a lopsided smile spread across his face.

  “Ben. You’re home.” Owen pulled his son in for a bear hug, holding on so tightly that it almost hurt. Ben’s eyes grew damp, and when his father finally let him go, he saw that Owen’s eyes were damp, as well. “What in the world are you doing here? Is everything okay? Emma? Nonny?”

  “They’re fine.”

  “Owen? Is it Amelia?” Sarah Campbell’s voice called from down the hall.

  “You’d better come here,” Owen told her. He had to clear his throat, and he kept an arm wrapped tightly around Ben’s shoulders as they took a few steps into the house. “We’ve got a visitor.”

  “This late? Who…” Ben’s mother stopped in the doorway to the living room, her hands going to her mouth. “Oh, my baby.”

  “Mom.” Ben crossed the space and lifted her off her feet. “I’ve missed you. Both of you.”

  A coup
le of minutes later, their emotions were finally clear enough to talk rationally. Ben was the first to speak. “Where’s Pip?”

  “On a date,” Sarah answered.

  Owen scowled. “It isn’t a date. It’s a get-together with some of her friends, and a couple of them happen to be boys. She’s just sixteen. It’s not a date.”

  Ben looked at his mother, who nodded.

  “It’s a date. What are you doing here? Not that I’m complaining, mind you. I might not let you go now that you’re here. But this is a little unexpected. Have you eaten?”

  He shrugged. “I could probably handle a sandwich, if it isn’t too much trouble. Leftovers, whatever you have. And I, uh, was in the neighborhood.”

  Owen raised an eyebrow and looked over his shoulder at the door. Hands in his back pockets, he turned back to them with pursed lips. “Savannah’s not that big.”

  “It’s growing more every day, Dad.” Ben grinned at his father. “I thought it was time to come home. That’s all. Is it okay if I crash here until I find a place?”

  Sarah kept his hand in hers as she tugged him toward the kitchen. “Of course you can. And are you telling me you’re home to stay?”

  “I think so.”

  She gave a mock scowl as she made him sit at the island. “You aren’t in trouble, are you?”

  “No! Well, there was that one bank robbery,” he mused, scratching his chin. When his father wrapped him in a loose headlock, Ben put his hands around Owen’s arm, but didn’t try to move it. He knew he had to be wearing the goofiest grin in the world, but he didn’t care. “It’s so good to see the two of you.”

  Owen tousled his hair. “You, too.”

  Amelia came in a little after nine, and with typical teenage exuberance, squealed and danced happily around Ben. They stayed up late, catching up on the big picture and the little things.

  Sitting in the presence of his family was a gift, Ben thought. As corny as he knew a lot of people would think it sounded, he enjoyed being with his parents and sister.

  The next day was Sunday, and wanting to extend the surprise as much as possible, Ben parked his truck in the barn. His brother and his family were coming to the farm for dinner, and Ben was eager to see the look on John’s face when he walked in and realized Ben was there.

  “Benjamin Wayne, you’re twenty-four years old,” Sarah scolded him mildly from the dining room door as he paced the hall, waiting for John’s arrival. “One of these days, you’re going to surprise someone, and it’s going to backfire.”

  Ben rubbed his hands together as he looked out the small window beside the door. “Yeah, but not today. They’re here. Oh, wow. Noah’s half grown. And Eli’s so big! He’s walking?”

  “He was what, five or six months old when you saw him last?” Amelia chimed in from her seat on the stairs. Ben joined her, trading places with Owen, who opened the door. “He’s running around everywhere now. They can hardly keep up with him.”

  From the way his father’s eyes were lit up, Ben knew Owen was looking forward to John’s reaction as much as he was. However, Zanny, his sister-in-law, was the first through the door. She stopped dead when she saw Ben, her mouth falling open with shock.

  “Oh, my God!” Dropping the diaper bag in her hand, she rushed over to him, arms open wide. Ben obliged her with a hug. “Are you really here?”

  “I am. Hey, gorgeous.” Ben drew back and smacked a kiss on her forehead. “You get prettier every time I see you. John.”

  “I’ll be damned.” His brother handed Eli to Owen and shook his head. A pleased smile crossed John’s face, and he stepped inside.

  Ben met him halfway, grinning like an idiot. “Probably. You always were the mean one.” Despite the contentious words, they shared a tight embrace. There’d always been a healthy competitiveness between John and Ben, but no true animosity. Ben liked to tweak John when it came to Zanny, but only in a joking fashion. He had a lot of respect and admiration for his older brother, and much like with Emma, someone had to keep John on his toes.

  “Where’s Emma?” Zanny asked as they got coats and bags out of the way.

  “Back in Georgia. She and Nonny both send their love.”

  Sarah directed everyone to the dining room. “Let’s eat, kids.”

  As they took their seats around the long oak table, John asked Ben, “Are you just visiting, or are you here for a while?”

  “I’m actually thinking about UK, and their landscape architecture program,” Ben confessed. “But I thought I’d hang around Hazard until next fall. Find a job I don’t have to think about too hard, take some time off. I’ve never really done that.”

  He’d gone back to Savannah a few years ago after summer break, his tail between his legs, and he hadn’t slowed down except for major holidays spent with the family. He’d plowed through school, not even taking the summers off, and had graduated a year ahead of schedule. He’d gotten the job soon after and had only taken long weekends off since.

  From the looks exchanged around the table, he figured there was some speculation going on, but no one said anything.

  “Well, whatever reason you’re back, it’s good to have you,” Zanny told him with a smile.

  “It’s good to be back.”

  And for the most part, he meant it.

  Chapter Three

  Sarah called Ben into her sitting room later that evening. “Hey, have a minute?”

  He hesitated in the doorway. “Depends. Am I in trouble? That’s just about the only time I’ve ever been in here.”

  Owen had built the quiet refuge for Sarah after Ben and Emma were born. To this day, no one was allowed in without her permission.

  Sarah laughed. “No, silly. I wanted to ask you about your job plans. I’m guessing from what you said earlier that you want something temporary?”

  “I do. You have something in mind?”

  “Possibly. We have a girl at the library who’s getting ready to go on maternity leave. We’re having trouble finding someone to fill in for her. You interested?”

  He crossed to the windows that looked out over the yard and kitchen garden. Sarah watched him stretch his arms up and behind his head, and she was struck by what a handsome man he had grown into. Owen Campbell’s stamp was all over Ben. His hair was a warm honey-brown streaked with gold instead of Owen’s dark-chocolate tresses, and he wasn’t quite as lanky as Owen, but there was no denying he was Owen’s son. Sarah figured if he did take her up on the offer, the library’s usage would go up dramatically, particularly by the female patrons.

  “When would I need to start?”

  “Week after next.”

  He picked up one of the glass paperweights Sarah collected, carefully turning it this way and that. “I wouldn’t be taking someone else’s job?”

  “No. Like I said, we’ve had trouble finding anyone who wants to fill in temporarily. You’d actually be doing me a favor.” She’d stepped into the role of assistant director a couple of years ago.

  “How long is maternity leave?”

  “Typically six to eight weeks. It’s her first child, so she isn’t really sure how long she’ll need yet. And then when she does come back, it will probably just be part time at first. I figure by the time spring gets here and you start getting restless to get outside, she’ll be ready to take her job back. It isn’t like you haven’t done the job before.”

  “True.”

  The last summer Ben had spent at home before moving, he’d worked at the library with Sarah.

  “I want to go up to Lexington, talk to some people at school. Make sure that’s going to be a good fit for me. I made the appointments last week,” he surprised her by adding. “I’d planned to go up there Wednesday.”

  “You’ve given this a lot of thought. And here you’d led us to believe you ju
st rolled home.”

  Ben’s grin was full of mischief as he traded the paperweight he was holding for another one. “I’m not just another pretty face, Mom.”

  “I never thought you were.”

  “This is nice. When did you add it to the collection?”

  Sarah raised an eyebrow. “This past Mother’s Day. Benjamin. Is there some reason you’re hesitating to take the job? Don’t worry about offending me. If you don’t want it, that’s fine.”

  He sat the glass globe down gently and joined her on the couch with a sigh. Arms resting on his knees, his hands clasped between his legs, he shrugged. “The job sounds fine. Perfect, in fact. It isn’t that. I’m just starting to realize that I’m back in town for real, which sounded fine on paper, but I’m going to have to face down some demons.”

  “And some of those demons are at the library?”

  “Yeah. But that’s part of why I’m back. And that particular demon moved on years ago, so it’s just a ghost I’d be facing.” He reached out his hand. “Sign me up.”

  Sarah shook the proffered hand, but held onto it. “When you left here, it wasn’t just a summer fling gone wrong, was it? That girl broke your heart.”

  Ben kissed her hand, then gently pulled his free. “I let her get under my skin,” he admitted as he stood. “It’s time to get her out.”

  Sarah thought about that long after he went upstairs. Owen found her still sitting on the couch some time later, lost in thought.

  “Hey, are you coming to bed? It’s getting late.” He started rubbing her shoulders.

  Sarah leaned into his touch with a satisfied sound. “I’ve just been thinking.”

  “About Ben?”